Page 25 of The Dragon Queen (Ember: Queen Of Dragons #6)

STORM

The entire time the Shadow King's forces were occupying Wynrath Crest, I was an animal trapped in a cage. My life was not my own. One step out of line, and the axe could fall.

I felt powerless. Even as the nominal prince of the kingdom, I had no say in anything. Brynn and a few others joined me in gathering intelligence, working to sabotage whatever the Shadow Kingdom infiltrators were up to, but all we could do was wait, and hope that when our moment came, we might be able to strike back.

In a way, it was the same for the rest of my life, too. My father was a tyrant long before he handed over the reins of the kingdom to the Shadow King.

But I had Ember--for a while. Our love had to be secret, but she was the breath of fresh air that helped me to survive the suffocating pressure of the rest of my existence. When I was a chickenshit asshole, and I let them tear her away from me, I barely survived it.

And then she came back. She offered me the freedom I had always craved but never imagined could be possible to claim.

So it's funny that now, here I am, free to be anywhere, and by choice I'm trapped in a dark cave with no way out. I don't even need to think about stepping out of line. An axe will fall--three more of them, in fact, if the riddle carved into the rock was telling the truth.

I glance at Ember as we pick our way along a deep, black corridor lit only by the pale beams of our flashlights. As my gaze connects with hers, I can still hear the echoes of the strange voice that possessed her as she read the inscrutable text. It made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, my dragon breathing smoke into my lungs. Even now, there's a prickle of uneasiness under my skin.

But I trust her. I trust our bond, and the bond I've forged with the other men in her circle. They're more my brothers now than my flesh and blood one ever was.

I'm here not out of duty, or under threat of punishment from an evil king. I'm here out of love.

Here, in the darkness with them, it's like I'm walking on air.

Metaphorically, of course.

Until suddenly, it's literal, too.

Without warning--without a sound--the floor falls out from underneath us.

We're plummeting.

And all the magic within me ignites.

MALIK

It happens so fast. One moment, we're walking on solid--if untrustworthy--ground, and the next, we're in free-fall.

Bellowing her name, I zero in on Ember. She's flailing wildly in the air. There's no way to get to her, no way to wrap myself around her to cushion her fall.

Everything is disorienting, flashlight beams bouncing off the black walls like disco balls. I've managed to hold onto mine, but at least a couple of them go tumbling into the abyss below, and how far down can this go?

What happens when we hit bottom?

My mind conjures up the image of Ember's body crashing into rocks, and I can taste blood and bile. It's a lightning bolt to my heart, panic taking hold.

And then, out of nowhere, a gust of wind rushes up to meet us. Our descent slows and then reverses, and there's bright, ice blue light. Somehow, I crane my neck as I'm spinning, and Storm has taken hold of Ember's hand, and she's laughing, dizzy, staring at Storm as if he hung the moon--and he has, hasn't he?

He and his power--they've saved us all.

A shallow crack in my heart wants to open up into a pit of jealousy as deep and treacherous as the chasm we were hurtling down. But then I focus on my mate's eyes. She glances my way, and any fissures within my chest heal over.

Her love is vast enough for all four of us.

We land gently on the other side of the pit. Two flashlights set themselves on the ground beside us moments later. Storm picks them both up and hands one of them to Jianyu, who nods at him gratefully.

Kneeling beside Ember, Storm offers her his hand again. She accepts it, and he helps pull her to her feet. As he does, he wraps her up in his arms. Leaning up onto her tiptoes, she kisses him, slow and lingering, and it's almost impossible that I once felt such violence toward her other mates.

Sharing her... Each being part of what makes her whole... Each having our own talent and temperament that we bring to bear...

It's right.

And so, minutes later, when we come to a dead end at the rocky shore of an underground lake, I do not hesitate.

The water is dark but clear. I can sense its depths with my magic. It begins with a shallow entry before plunging downward a dozen meters. They're hard to detect, but there are spiraling steps carved into the rock.

I close my eyes. At the bottom of those steps is a barrier. The water swirling against it vibrates with magic.

Opening my eyes again, I extend my hand and seek out Ember's gaze.

She looks back at me with so much love and faith that my chest can scarcely contain it. She slips her palm into mine, and my tattoos glow with aquamarine light, my fingertips and spine abuzz.

"Do we really have to do this?" Rafe grouses.

He acts like a lion, but he is a cat; he doesn't like to get his paws wet.

Serenely, paying him no real heed, I reply, "If you can find another way down, be my guest."

And then I let the magic flow through me.

The water rises in a swift column, swirling up toward the ceiling and drawing away from the rocky walls of the pool. The stone steps gleam, treacherously slick, but with another burst of magic, Ember and I pull even that sheen off and into the air.

"After you," Jianyu offers generously, one brow quirked. He's impressed, and it warms my pride.

But he just saved us from a cave intent on devouring us, with no warning; Storm lifted us out of certain doom. What I am doing is no more than what either of them has done.

Nodding at him, I lead Ember down the winding steps. We keep the lake at bay, and if an old, faded part of me is tempted to bring the wall of water down on her other mates' heads...

I snicker beneath my breath.

"What's so funny?" Ember whispers, nudging her elbow into my side.

"Nothing," I promise, and it is. It's nothing at all.

I would hold the entire world at bay for her. For them.

For us.

EMBER

My entire being tingles with the most tantalizing sparks of magic as Malik and I approach the bottom of the stairs. It's like I'm waking up--like the powers I wielded when I bore the Shadow Bracer are finally returning.

It's different, though. Instead of the rush of shadow energy, the deep purple haze that crackled through my bones, the magic buzzing within me now is Stone, Air, Water.

They're unbalanced.

Waiting to be made complete.

I glance over my shoulder at Rafe, who's taken up the rear in our procession. He's the only one yet to face a test of his abilities. Our gazes meet, and his eyes are full of fire.

He's ready; from the moment I met him, he's been ready.

The carving at the entrance warned us that the Crown had been consumed by flame, and he'll free it.

We're getting close to it now.

The rock, which had been dead and silent earlier in our journey, shivers with the proximity of deep, dark, old power. Trepidation flutters in my abdomen, but my fingers twitch, anticipation thrumming through me.

At last, we reach the lakebed floor. Set into the black rock is a door--barely visible but there. The seam around its edges glows faintly, and I hear that voice in the back of my mind again. It's wordless now, but it s intent is clear.

Come closer.

Alarm bells should be going off in my head, but I've never been so certain before. Still holding onto Malik, I extend my other hand, fitting it to the hidden fingerholds carved into the stone. They're just the right size--like they were meant for me. I pull, but the rock resists.

Rafe shoulders his way forward, putting a hand on my arm. "Ember--"

But I tug again, and this time, the seal breaks, and a gust of magic pushes at my back. I try to stand my ground, but we're plunged forward.

Into a room engulfed in flame.