Page 16 of Taste of Thorns (The Firestone Academy #3)

Chapter Fourteen

B riony

I’m more cautious going out to visit Blaze that evening than I normally would be. I peer over my shoulder every few steps and my ears are primed for the slightest of noises. Finally, I reach the cover of the forest and spy Fox waiting for me, hidden among the trees.

If I hoped he’d greet me with one of his knee-buckling kisses, I’m sorely disappointed. He’s all business, nodding his head and setting off through the forest with me trailing along behind him.

“Could you slow down?” I whine, “I had circuits this afternoon and my thighs are already burning.”

“We don’t have a lot of time and I want to reach somewhere far away from the academy where we can’t be seen.” He peers down at me and grins. “Come on, keep up, Miss Storm.”

I send a string of curse words his way, calling him a few blue names I learned from my stepmom as he picks up his pace and I’m forced to jog alongside him.

“This is counterproductive. If I’m so worn out, I collapse into a heap, I doubt I’ll be able to summon this magic at all.”

“Nonsense, this is a good warm up,” he says, paying no attention to my complaining.

Before long, we’re joined by Blaze, who flaps alongside me, throwing evil looks Fox’s way and occasionally a bolt of fire – nothing that would do the professor any damage but enough to let him know in no unclear terms that they are definitely not friends.

Finally, we break through the trees into a clearing, the first slope of the hills of the Highlands climbing upward right in front of us, the other peaks looming beyond like sinister giants.

“Here,” Fox says, spinning around and flinging his cloak to the snowy ground. “This ought to do it.”

“Are you sure we’re far enough away?” I say, peering back in the direction we’ve come. The spires of the academy are just visible above the canopy, framed against the starlit sky.

“Yes, we won’t be seen and we weren’t followed. But just in case.” He spins his arms around his head, casting a spell as his shadows stream around us. Blaze growls at the shadows, snapping his jaws at them when they come too close. “A cloaking spell,” he says, “it should keep us hidden.”

The clear sky means the air is even more frigid than normal, and even in my new waterproof boots, my toes are turning numb. I shiver, rubbing my hands up and down my arms.

The professor considers me, then Blaze who is snuffling around in the snow.

“You’re cold?” he asks and I nod. “Shit, I forgot how much the elements affect you puny humans.” I stick my tongue out at him. “Could your little friend provide you with some heat?”

“Erm,” I say as Fox’s shadows glide towards the forest floor, before depositing a pile of dry sticks and kindling by my feet.

“Ask him. We’re going to be out here awhile and I don’t want you freezing to death.”

“Blaze,” I call and the dragon comes trotting towards me, reminding me so much of a young foal I giggle out loud.

He’s my height now and when he stops before me our noses are almost touching.

“Could you send your fire that way, please?” I point to the pile of wood.

The dragon tilts his head to one side as if he’s trying to understand me, then slurps his tongue up my face. “I don’t think this is going to work.”

“Try again,” Fox says, crossing his arms over his chest and stroking at his beard.

“Blaze, fire, there,” I try.

I point again and to my astonishment, this time the dragon seems to comprehend my meaning, he turns his snout towards the wood pile and lets out a stream of fire. Immediately the wood is ablaze and I step towards the warmth, feeling it play across my body.

“I think you need to keep your instructions short and simple,” Fox says.

“That was just luck. He doesn’t do as I say.”

“I think he wants to,” Fox says. But as I watch the goofball chasing his tail in circles and then diving head first into a pile of snow, I am less convinced.

“Right,” Fox says, rolling up his sleeves – an action which is way more sexy than it should be, “are you ready to give this a go?”

“Yes,” I say, trying to convey confidence in the nod of my head, even if I don’t feel it in the pit of my stomach.

This new sensation has been simmering in my veins, and in quiet moments by myself I’ve attempted to remember Fox’s lessons – lessons that had seemed utterly pointless when I believed I had no powers – and follow those instructions, beckoning the power out of my blood.

Nothing has happened. I can no more force the magic from my veins than I could the blood.

“Then let’s start. Close your eyes, Miss Storm, and raise your hands.”

I do as he says, then gasp when I feel the cold touch of his lips against mine. He was several paces away from me only a moment ago and now here he is, his movement lightning-fast and silent.

I kiss him back, ignoring Blaze’s growls in the background and the crackling of the fire. When we finally break away, I open my eyes and am dazzled by the glow of his.

“Is that part of the lesson, Professor?” I ask.

“No,” he says, with a smile playing on his lips, “I just couldn’t help myself.”

“My magic is tingling more than it was,” I confess with a smile of my own.

“Interesting,” he says. He turns my hands over in his so my palms are facing up towards the stars, and traces his cold fingers over the lines that criss cross my skin. “Can you reach for that magic now? Can you beckon it outward?”

I try, but it’s like trying to capture a dream when you first wake up, the more I attempt to force it, the more it floats away.

“No,” I say finally with frustration.

“How about now?” he says, pulling me close to his body and wrapping me in his embrace, kissing me hard and passionately, the cold shadows racing from his hands and wrapping around us too.

It has the magic in my blood tingling so strongly I gasp against his mouth and, this time, without thinking, the light streams from within me, racing from the center of my chest along my arms and to my fingertips, and then it’s dazzling us both, twined together in the bright light. “Stay with it,” he whispers again.

And I try. I try to stay in the moment and let the light shine around us, but soon it’s fading and we’re back in the darkness.

I blink up into Fox’s face.

“Did that hurt you? Isn’t sunlight bad for vampires?”

“That wasn’t technically sunlight, but sunlight won’t kill us – it’s just not exactly pleasant.”

“So was that unpleasant?”

He drags me closer with a growl. “No. That was the exact opposite of unpleasant. What did it feel like, Briony?”

I laugh. “Like magic. Like a release. Like letting out a breath of air you’ve been holding in.”

“Exactly,” he says, his face lighting up with excitement. “That’s exactly what it’s like. So let’s try again,” I close my eyes, more than ready for another kiss, “this time without the kissing.”

I harrumph. “I like the kissing.”

“Me too, Miss Storm, but we’re not here for that. So feel for that magic in your veins, feel it humming there, and this time relax and let it out.”

I concentrate on relaxing my shoulders and my jaw. I focus on long inhales and exhales. I let the magic slide from my veins and before I know it, the tiniest of beams flickers into life in the middle of my palm, illuminating both our faces.

“Excellent,” Fox says, “that’s excellent, Briony. Now, just let it be, don’t chase it away, don’t try and force it.”

I nod, staring down at the beam of light in my hand. I can see a myriad of colors dancing in the white light – rainbows of them. I can’t believe I’m doing it. That this came from me.

For so long, it felt like all that resided inside me was darkness – grief, fear, and loneliness casting long shadows over my life – and yet all along there’d been this light within, just waiting to be freed.

Eventually, the light extinguishes and I let out a groan of relief, my shoulders slumping. I hadn’t realized how much of an effort that had taken and now I feel shattered.

Fox senses it – probably reads it in the dark circles that are forming under my eyes.

“That’s enough for tonight, Miss Storm.”

“But I need to learn how to control this,” I slur, I’m so exhausted.

“There’s plenty of time for that. You need to rest. Learning to harness these powers is tiring. Time to go to bed.”

If I had any energy to speak, I’d ask if he’s planning on joining me. But all I want to do now is curl up and sleep for as long as I can.

I nod and kick snow at the fire as Fox wraps his cloak back around his shoulders.

Then I go to call for Blaze to let him know we’re leaving, realizing for the first time that he isn’t here.

“Blaze!” I say, alarmed. “Where’d he go?”

“Briony,” Fox says, pointing to the ground.

There are a set of dragon footprints leading through the snow.

We follow them across the clearing and to the slope of the hill, discovering a large entrance to a cave that had been hidden due to the angle.

There, fast asleep, is Blaze, looking snug and content.

So snug and content, I don’t have the heart to wake him.

“Looks like a good place for a dragon’s lair,” Fox mutters as we walk away.

“You say that like he’s a monster.”

“Hmmm,” Fox says and I go to punch him on the arm but he catches my hand and pulls me towards him again and then we’re kissing once more, only breaking away when an owl hoots far away in the trees.

“I wish we could leave this place,” Fox murmurs into my neck, pressing his lips against my pulse point. “I wish I could take you away.”

“You can’t,” I say. And it’s not because of the academy rules, or the realm’s requirements.

Once upon a time, I would have dreamed of nothing better than running away with a man like Fox, one who claims he loves me, who treats me like I’m the most precious being in the realm, who I know would take care of me.

But things have changed. I have friends.

I have three other men who are certain I am their mate.

Plus I’m closer than ever to learning the truth about my sister.

For the first time in for ever, I feel like I belong. And I won’t let even Fox Tudor take that from me.