Page 29 of Veiled By Smoke (The Nature Hunters Academy #5)

“I can see the agony in his eyes. I can feel it in the bond that connects us as if it’s my own.

I want to help him, to carry the burden with him.

But there’s nothing I can do if he isn’t willing to let me.

I am simply a bystander watching the man I love bear the weight of something so dark that he has even closed himself off from me.

Something he said he would never do. And I’m helpless. It sucks dragon’s ass.” ~ Shelly

T he mountain air had clung to Ra all the way home.

A raw, scorched thing, threaded with regret.

He’d sat in the ash and silence long after Viscious vanished, the shock of the deal burned into his skin deeper than any wound.

He’d thought if he stayed long enough, the old stones might leech the poison from his soul.

But the promise, sealed in fire and darkness, pulsed in him like a bruise that would never heal.

When he finally opened a portal and stepped back into the dragon realm, the world felt too bright.

The air was thick with the mingled scents of breakfast: spiced eggs, bread, and the ever-present hint of magic that lived in these caves.

Laughter floated down the stone hall, honest and unbroken, and the sound cut at him sharper than any blade.

He paused at the edge of the main room, rolling his shoulders back, willing his face into something that wouldn’t betray what he’d done. The warmth of the hearth, the low murmur of voices, the clatter of mugs–these were the things he fought for. And now he was going to ruin them, one lie at a time.

Elias was the first to see him. He lounged at the far end of the table, courtesy of the earth elemental’s magic, arms folded, a half-eaten roll in his hand, dark eyes sharp and searching.

Shelly sat beside him, her hair still damp from a shower, her gaze tracking Ra’s every move.

She didn’t smile. Instead, she stood slowly and crossed to him, her hand wrapping around his wrist. Her touch was gentle, but there was steel beneath it.

“You left without me,” she said, voice low and even. “And you were gone awhile. We were starting to think you’d gone and picked a fight with some demons just for kicks and giggles.”

Ra tried for a crooked smile, but it felt brittle. “I don’t giggle, Mery.”

She searched his face, her thumb rubbing slow circles over his pulse. “Was it bad?”

“Define bad,” he said, keeping his tone light, though it scraped coming out.

Elias joined them, his British accent dry as ever. “She means, did you leave the bastard in one piece, or do we need to start hiding body parts?”

Ra shook his head. “There was no fight.” His gaze dropped to the floor, then back up, meeting Elias’s eyes. “Just words. As I told you. He wanted a deal since I didn’t take him up on the first one. Simple.”

Shelly frowned, her hand tightening. “You’re lying.

Not about the fight or favor, but simple?

In my brief encounters with Viscious, even I can tell the man is deranged.

There’s nothing simple about the favor he’s asked of you.

I can feel it.” Her gaze softened, worry shadowing her features.

“Something is seriously wrong. What did he ask of you?”

He wanted to tell her. Gods, he wanted to spill the whole, twisted truth and let her carry it for a while. But the oath hovered at the back of his mind, tightening its grip, squeezing his throat whenever he even thought about defying it. He forced out a shrug, as casual as he could make it.

“He’s managed to find out about Aurora.”

“What the ever-loving hell did you just say?” Rory cut in as she pushed up so hard from the table that her chair toppled over backwards. Aston walked over from where he’d been sitting, glued to a computer screen, and wrapped a hand around her neck.

Rory didn’t let Ra answer; she just kept right on talking. “How on earth did he find out about her when we just found out about her yesterday?” Her head whipped around to Penny.

The witch held her hands up. “Don’t look at me. I’m on team good guy. Ra knows, I didn’t have any part in what some of my coven did, and I am not in cahoots with the dark elementals. Do not tell your dragon to eat me.”

Rory shrugged. “I trust everyone else here like family. You’re the newbie, the unknown. And you got in my head and saw my past. How else would he know?”

“How about a phone call you made to the other soul bonded where you freaking shouted into the phone that you had a sister?” Penny asked.

She was standing now, her hands on her hips.

“Tara said they were out on a mission. Do you honestly think there weren’t freaking demons around, or acolytes out looking for those very same Marks?

Think, Rory. You’re not stupid. Don’t let emotions get in the way of clear thinking. ”

Rory leaned back into Aston and then turned back to Ra, seemingly done with Penny for the moment. “What did he say?”

“He wants information on her.” He let the words hang, tasting the bitter tang of betrayal on his tongue. “He thinks she could be the key to something. Asked me to help find her.”

Shelly’s eyes narrowed. “And you said yes?” She held up her hand. “Of course you said yes, you have no choice. Because it’s not really your life you’re protecting, Ra. I know that. It’s mine.”

Ra met her gaze, willing her to see the lie for what it was–a shield, not a sword. “I said I’d try. Better me than one of his other monsters, right?”

Elias grunted, but there was a thread of approval in his tone. “You planning to go after her alone?”

Ra shook his head. “No. We do this as a team. She’s just a kid. If Viscious wants her, then we need to find her first and keep her safe. That’s all that matters.”

Shelly stepped closer, her forehead pressed to his chest. “You’re hiding something, ” she said into his mind. “I know you, Ra. You don’t come back from a meeting like that with your walls up unless it’s bad. Really bad.”

He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. “I’m just tired, Mery. It’s been a long night.” The words tasted like ash. When he looked up, his gaze bounced from Aston, to Liam, to Elias.

Elias watched him, arms crossed, his gaze unreadable. “You ever decide to tell us the rest, Ra, you know where to find us. We’re not going anywhere.”

“You know we’ve got your back,” Liam added. “You’re not the only one who would go to hell for one of us. We’d do the same for you.”

Ra nodded, but inside, the promise he made twisted tighter, its magic pulsing hot and sharp beneath his skin. He felt Shelly’s heartbeat, steady and sure, and tried to match his own to it, to anchor himself in her strength. But guilt gnawed at his insides, a living thing.

The two other females filtered in, faces bright with plans and purpose.Gabby and Tara bickering good-naturedly over the last muffin, Tara rolling her eyes and tossing an apple from hand to hand.

They greeted Ra with easy smiles and teasing jabs, and he answered as best he could, masking the tremor in his hands by taking the coffee Shelly offered and gripping the mug tightly.

He watched them, these people who’d become his family, and wondered how long it would take for them to see through him. Every word he spoke felt like a crack in the foundation. Every laugh was a lie.

As the morning wore on, plans formed. Aston had found Aurora’s foster home address after he’d managed to get past the sealed records.

He was seriously dangerous with a computer.

He’d also found the school she attended and her grades, which were good.

Ra volunteered to lead the search, citing his experience, ability to stay calm in tense situations, and anything he could think of that sounded reasonable.

Shelly watched him like she was waiting for him to break.

Elias let him take point, but there was a promise in his eyes: I’ll be watching you, brother.

After a moment, Penny’s gaze sharpened, and she caught Ra’s sleeve, her grip gentle but insistent. “Walk with me?” she murmured, already moving toward the quieter passage that led deeper into the caves.

Ra followed, grateful for the excuse to escape the press of too many watchful eyes.

The corridor here was lined with old tapestries, and if he wasn’t so focused on the shit show that was his life, he would have been curious as to where they’d come from.

But alas, he had friends to betray and an innocent girl to hand over to a villain.

Priorities. Penny stopped at a small alcove, her posture tense but her eyes soft.

She waited until he was close, then lowered her voice even further, almost conspiratorial.

“I got a call from Cordelia. She left me a message, and I returned her call this morning. She's one of the witches at Blackhorn. She had a paid visit yesterday–our coven is doing tours of the mansion and sort of Witch History 101. It was Aurora and her foster mother. Cordelia did a reading and . . . it shook her. She said Aurora’s balance is precarious. She’s in danger, obviously, but that wasn’t what she focused on the most on.

Cordelia felt something old attached to Aurora, something she couldn’t quite name.

” Penny’s brow furrowed as she studied him, searching for something, but he didn’t know what.

“She asked me not to tell the group yet. She wants us to approach her carefully. Aurora is very curious about witches and supernatural things, but being thrown into the deep end of the elemental world could be too much. She said the girl seemed fragile. She’s worried about spooking Aurora.

I trust Cordelia’s instincts, and I trust yours. ”

He wanted to laugh and tell her not to trust him. He was the last person she should trust. Ra’s heart thudded, a rhythm of guilt and gratitude. “You’re telling me first. Why?”