Page 18 of Prince of Blaze and Embers (Emberveil Empire #1)

T he battle erupted into bittersweet chaos.

Unable to move, with every ounce of energy sucked from my body, I lay helpless to defend myself or aid in Cade and Hunter’s fight.

The sounds of the frenzy filled the forest. Battle cries from the men echoed in my ears as they swung their sharp swords and Cade cast his fire spells at the monsters that stalked me.

The monsters growled and roared as they fought, outnumbering the prince and his soldier over twelve to two.

Through my blurred vision, I tried to watch the madness of battle.

Cade’s sword flashed in moonlight with one hand, and his magical fire staff in the other spewed magma-hot spells upon the legion of monsters.

The hunters of Emberveil and their ogre were dead, and I’d been able to call my magic, but the fatigue that left me helpless and drained also left me completely and utterly vulnerable.

I lay in the wet moss, left half-watching the battle with my head cocked to the side.

The last thing I saw was the world turning to fire. An explosion of sun-orange flames tore through the forest, incinerating everything in my vision. It was so blinding I shut my eyelids, trying to drown out the vivid light.

And then everything went black.

When I awoke, having no idea how long I’d been out, the glow of candlelight pierced through my squinting eyes, and my dry lips smacked.

I reached up and pulled the cool, wet towel from my brow.

Rubbing my eyes and letting the room come into full focus, I realized I was in my bed in the forest house, glaring up at the beams above the bed.

I sat up quickly, startled, throwing the covers off my body.

I was half-naked, with my legs bare and only my underwear and a bra on.

And there was no one in the room. Not that I expected anyone, perhaps Cornelius, though I thought the tortoise would at least be there—that is—if I hadn’t created him in my dreams. The bruises on my arms and the aches in my bones screamed at me that I hadn’t, though.

It all was real, and my feet hit the floor, creaking the floorboards.

I heard footsteps run toward my door in the other room.

The door flung open inward, and out of all the faces I expected to see, it was certainly not the prince’s. Cade ran into my room, his piercing gaze half stuck in an icy glare at me, and half worriedly scanning my body for what I assumed was for injuries.

My hands tore the sheet up from the bed to cover my chest, but he didn’t withdraw his gaze. No, instead, he shut the door behind him and stood with his strong arms folded over his chest, a dark expression growing on his extremely handsome face.

He wore no armor, only a thin linen shirt, exposing the muscles in his chest, the black hairs that covered it, and even the veins that ran down his neck and forearms. I felt myself moan uncontrollably.

God, he was perfect. I bit my lip, forcing my lips shut, and I felt a rush throughout my whole body.

“You all right?” He forced the words out, but the agitation in his stiff body showed he was trying desperately not to show the anger I saw in him.

“I think so.” Other than the pounding headache, the aching in my arms, and the scratches from the branches on my skin, I was telling the truth.

“Good,” he sighed, and the anger immediately welled in like a dam breaking under the weight of heavy floods. “What the fuck… what in the name of the Infernal Depths were you doing out there in the forest? All alone? Even after I specifically told you not to leave the house!”

“I—I…” I tried to think of a lie as quickly as I could, but with my head pounding the way it was, nothing good came. Not that he would believe that a fucking invisible, god-like tortoise told me to.

“Don’t even try to make some shit up.” He took a powerful stride forward that made me gasp.

Even when he was mad, especially when he was mad, all I could think about was making him feel better and forcing his strong arms around me.

“What were you doing out there? You almost got yourself killed! That was no mere bounty hunter out there. That was a hunter for the queen herself. You could’ve died or been taken. ”

Taken? What does he care if I was taken to the queen? Isn’t that his plan as well? There’s more to this prince than I realize… and that only makes me want to know him more…

“Who was he? How did he have that ogre? And what were those things that came out of the forest? They looked like half-ogre men or something like that.” I noticed something on the side of the prince’s neck, then—a fresh cut, still dripping blood down to his clavicle and onto his chest. “You’re hurt. You’re cut.”

I ran to him, still holding the sheet over my nearly naked body. He put up a firm hand between us .

“It’s nothing. Only a scratch. But you… how did you survive? We heard the fight and ran to where you were, but that man and his ogre were dead before we got there. Did you…?”

“Yes. I used my magic again.” I couldn’t believe the words that came from my mouth were true. I still couldn’t believe I actually had magic. I felt the smile curve on my face. I have magic! And I used it again!

The Blaze Prince shook his head, glowering at the floor.

I could feel the tension building in the room, as if squeezing the walls in, sucking all the air from the room as I gulped.

I didn’t want him to be upset with me. I didn’t want to be the cause of his anger, but any attention at all from him, who mostly avoided me, grumbling to himself, was something…

“Ash, listen…” The tone in his voice was a forced calm, like sails flapping in the sea winds, a break before the storm. “I don’t know how else to say this to you to get you to understand—you’re in danger—that magic that spawned inside you; it’s going to be the end of you.”

“Well, you don’t seem to want to talk to me about it.

You’re too busy running around with Hunter and brooding over whatever the hell it is that has you so wound up.

How am I supposed to know anything when you won’t talk to me?

Sure, you put me up on your dragon and brought me here to the middle of the forest, to do what?

Think? Aren’t you taking me to your mother, the queen?

What does it matter if it’s you or that man on the ogre?

And then you tell me I’m in danger. Of course, I’m in fucking danger.

I’m always in danger. Say the wrong thing; whipped.

Run; shackled. Try to escape; tortured to near madness.

My life is one big fucking mistake, and you’re going to lecture me about danger?

What gives you the right to worry about my life all of a sudden, when Odiun put me on this earth to suffer?

My whole purpose in life is to try to find little scraps of enjoyment and happiness. What do you care?”

The prince cleared his throat. “Stepmother… ”

“What?” I was so taken aback by his random answer to my bombardment of rambling that it took far too long for his words to reach my heated brain. “The Blaze Queen isn’t… your real mother?”

“No. And I hate it when people call her that. She’s not my mother. She was my father’s wife. That’s all.”

My chest trembled under the weight of the moment. The prince… Prince Cade Phoenixfire was… bearing his pain to me. To me! Why?

“Your father… They say he was a great man but fell in battle with the Stormscales. He died a warrior’s death atop his dragon.”

“I know that’s what they say. That’s what my stepmother, Queen of the Emberveil Empire, said.”

“You don’t believe that, do you?” I didn’t know the prince, but I always considered myself a good judge of character. And I could tell his words were true. There was pain in his voice, deep pain.

“Ash. I’m trying to protect you. I’m trying to figure out what to do moving forward.

But you’ve got to start fucking listening to me.

We aren’t in Bramblebash. This is Allovan.

The closer we get to Emberveil, the more danger you’re in.

I thought we could hide out here, but Rone found you here, so others will too.

I need time to think, but it appears we are out of that. ”

“Why?” I wanted to press with questions because I had so many, but I figured I’d let him roll into whatever explanation he deemed appropriate.

And I didn’t mind standing this close to him.

His muscular stature towered over me. My arms and legs wanted to melt in the presence of such a powerful, utterly god-like man.

His perfect lips, his piercing gaze, his obsidian hair flowing down the sides of his face.

It all gripped me like a vice, and I wanted him.

I wanted him more than I wanted anything in my life in the room that seemed to close in all around us.

“Because you’re special…”

The air in my lungs squeezed, my throat tightened, and I clutched the sheet to my chest. Special? I’d never, ever, ever heard anyone say that about me. Ever…

“I’m not special. I’m the opposite of special.” My chin hit my chest, and my gaze dropped to my feet, seeing the scabs all around my ankles. “I’m nobody.”

The floorboards creaked, and I heard his boots walk toward me.

My heart raced in my chest, the blood in my shoulders and neck heated, and when I finally lifted my head, I found him before me.

Inches between us. Nearly nose to nose. His musty smell consumed me.

Every part of my body screamed to touch him, to slide my finger down his chiseled jaw, but I was left holding the sheet between us, covering my body.

He didn’t speak but looked so deeply into my eyes I thought I might melt completely through the cracks in the wooden floor.

Behind the closed door, both of us together in one room, my room, all I could think about was tearing those clothes off his body and feeling his bare chest pressed against mine.

“You are special. You’re special to this world, and you’re special to me…”