The Tempting Touch Of Fire (Elemental Awakening, Book 1) (25 page)

"Stay back," he ordered quietly, straightening his shoulders and adjusting his uniform. The flames had retreated, but I felt a heat roll off his body as he walked stiffly passed.

There were no pot plants in the house, nothing for me to reach out and calm my nerves with a soothing touch. Aktor may have maintained the outside of the property, but I was guessing he paid someone to do that and didn't actually come here often. In which case, indoor plants would not survive. I understood their absence, but I cursed it all-the-same.

One look over his shoulder at me and then Aktor reached for the door, just as the banging started up again. He pulled it open swiftly, his hand behind his back already alight. I couldn't see who stood across the threshold, but the fire on Aktor's fingertips snuffed out just as the old man muttered, "You could have announced yourself."

"The less of a scene I make the better, right now. Trust me," Nico said, pushing past Aktor without an invitation and immediately letting his eyes connect with mine. "Theo's OK," he added, making me collapse to my seat on the couch.

I hadn't realised I needed to know that, and yet I couldn't form the words to thank Nico right then.

"At least he was when I left him last." Well, small mercy I didn't make a fool of myself by gushing my thanks out loud.

"What's happening?" Aktor said, glancing out into the darkness of the night and then closing the door and locking it. That simple motion of flicking the deadbolt seemed ridiculous to me, when the
Gi
could make the house crumble to the ground with a single thought and the
Pyrkagia
could send a bolt of Fire to burn us to the ground instead.

"It started unexpectedly," Nico said, walking straight across the lounge to grab a clean glass from the trolley and pour himself a Scotch. "We were in peaceful negations and they gave no warning at all. Hell," he muttered, downing most of the glass in one go, "their ambassador was still in a room with the
Rigas
. Clearly they intended to sacrifice him all along. They have always been heartless bastards."

Great, not only am I one of Theo's enemies, but the type of enemy I am is apparently heartless in the eyes of
Pyrkagia
or, at least, Nico. I glanced across the room at Aktor and saw him frowning. A look of confusion on his face that I was sure he would normally never wear. Something wasn't right.

"Who exactly are you talking about, Nicodromos?" he asked. "We were under the impression it was the
Gi
."

Nico scoffed. "If only. No it's much worse than just the
Gi,
although their involvement is a foregone conclusion now."

I had a sinking feeling about all of this, and the way Nico looked at me, as though what he was about to say would harm me most, didn't help at all.

"No, Aktor. It's not the
Gi
, not yet. It's the Alchemists."

Aktor swore a litany in Greek, Nico smiled tightly in response.

"Just how bad are the Alchemists?" I asked, wanting to clarify that question with an
in compared to the Gi
tagged on the end.

Nico downed the last of his drink and grimaced.

"Alone, they are bad enough, but threatening to bring in another
Ekmetalleftis
branch makes them an enemy we have little hope of beating."

"Surely you've come up against them in the past?" I asked, my throat incredibly tight making swallowing painful right then.

"They've threatened to bring in the
Gi?
" Aktor asked, interrupting any answer Nico may have had to my question. "What have they got that the
Gi
would want?"

Nico's eyes flicked to mine. I knew the answer, but it still didn't make any sense. They didn't have me, I was here, not in the Alchemists' clutches. They could bluff, but would the
Gi
go to war without proof?

It happened so quickly I didn't even get a breath in to scream. Nico's hand flicked up and a ball of fire shot from his fingertips, incinerating a wooden beam above Aktor's head. The house shook, even as Aktor fired a bolt back at Nico, who deflected it easily. And then the ceiling collapsed on top of the old man's head, burying him in rubble.

I fell sideways to avoid flying debris, but couldn't quite miss being hit in the shoulder by a sharpened end of the beam. I felt the tip pierce my skin and the pain radiate through my body, as the air got punched from my lungs. I was pinned and the weight was crushing my chest and I was frantic to make sure Aktor's head was still attached. I hadn't seen if the falling beam had made clean work of it, but it was obvious Nico had been going for a killing shot.

Just as Aktor had said; Nico had aimed for the neck, severing Aktor's head before Aktor could sever his. And now the
Athanatos
was coming for me.

I pushed against the weight above me, but I couldn't get any leverage from where I lay. One hand was across my chest, crushed by part of the beam that had impaled me, the other was uselessly tucked under my side. I could still feel my toes and my fingers. I could feel everything. The pain made it hard to concentrate, but the Earth was calling, whispering encouragements, pushing me to keep trying harder before Nico made it to my side.

If I was lucky, he'd been caught by the fallout of the ceiling collapsing. If I wasn't, this was going to be over soon and I'd at least be able to get a full breath of air in my lungs.

I tried to wriggle on my back, but that pulled at the spot where the sharpened piece of wood pierced me. I felt blood well below my shoulder on my chest. A trickle of it held my attention and blocked out the pain for a suspended moment.

Then it hit the floor.

Nico must have done more damage than just to the ceiling and that beam, because somehow the drop of my blood seeped through a widened crack and found the soil beneath the floorboards. Earth washed through me and welcomed its daughter home.

Where have you been?
it asked.
We have been waiting
, it said.
They are here
.

No kidding. Now what?

Do they know where I am?
I asked and received a tremor in response to the Earth hearing my voice at last.

No, but they search for you. They mean you harm.

How many times did the Earth have to say that? And still it wouldn't elaborate further.

It was no use, the only answer it would give was that it just knew that
they
were looking for me and would do
anything
to get their hands on me in the end.

Let us help you,
the Earth said, whispering words of making the house collapse from the tremors it could create. The description was stark. The house would collapse around me so I'd be free, but there would be collateral damage. Nico I wasn't so worried about anymore, but Aktor may still have a head attached, so any further harm to him was unacceptable.

No!
I commanded, before the Earth could act to free me. There had to be another way.

I struggled for several pain-filled moments and managed to shift a millimetre in the process. Even if the Earth were to rattle the foundations of the building, I'd suffer through the entire ordeal, before being let free. I decided to conserve energy. When Nico - I was assuming it would be Nico - found me, I'd attack once we got away from the house and therefore avoid the chance of hurting Aktor more.

It surprisingly didn't take much longer. I heard a grunt and then the weight was lifted off me, bursting into flames and turning into ash above my head. I closed my eyes and held my breath, not wanting to inhale any of it. A hand brushed the still slightly hot embers from my face, the touch was careful, not harsh.

I flicked my eyes open expecting to see Aktor, what with that gentle brush of fingertips across my eyelids, but Nico stared back. Looking distraught and dishevelled.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, working to free more debris from my stomach and across my legs. "I had to do it. There was no other choice."

"Theo's going to kill you," I pointed out, finally able to get the arm from under my side up to check on my shoulder. The piece of sharpened wood had fallen out and already my body was trying to mend itself. I was certain, to manage the task completely, I'd need to have my hands or feet in the soil of the Earth.

"Yes," Nico replied evenly, "he's going to try. I know. But think how many lives I save by doing this. He won't be able to deny that in the end."

"He'll still kill you," I snapped, as the last bit of rubble was lifted from my frame. I sat up gingerly and stared at Nico, waiting for him to strike. My ears were straining for any signs that Aktor lived. I was desperate to go to him and check, but turning my back on Nico seemed wrong.

"Theodoros Petropoulos has lived a long time, Casey. He knows what is required to keep our kind safe and protected. He will understand in the end."

I didn't particularly want to argue with Nico, but a part of me was despairing that he was right.

"He'll still kill you," I repeated, because despite any arguments forming in my head, those seemed to be the only words I could utter.

Nico looked at me with pity in his eyes. If I could have scratched them out of his face before he could retaliate, I would have. In the end I settled for a glare and climbed to my feet.

"Theo has lost those he treasures in the past," Nico said steadily. "He knows how to survive and move on. He will also understand that this was the only way to defend our people from destruction. Ultimately, he will see the sacrifice of losing you to the
Gi
as a justifiable loss."

I had no words to counteract his. There was a truth in the depth of them that shattered my courage and heart. Theo was millennia old. Of course he would have lost people precious to him in the past. To forsake me for
Pyrkagia
was not a hard conclusion to make.

"There has to be another way," I said, almost to myself.

"Casey," Nico said softly. So softly that I knew what he was about to add would ruin it all. The hopes, the dreams, the futile desire to keep Theo as mine. "You are
Gi
. You don't belong here and Theo does not belong with you."

"I thought you supported us," I said, knowing I was sounding more and more desperate with every word.

"I will always back my cousin, but only if
Pyrkagia
does not suffer for it. We are what we are, Casey. And to survive that we have had to become hard."

"But I don't know them," I almost wailed, like a child who wasn't getting their own way. "This is my home."

"The Alchemists were aware of you. They know things about the other branches that we do not. Our spies can only infiltrate so far, but the Alchemists, they have ways. Means we don't even understand. We are the
Athanatos,
but they are not without skills themselves."

"What are you getting at?" I said, taking a furtive step towards where I thought Aktor lay.

"They asked the
Rigas
outright if he was harbouring the lost
Gi
princess. Casey," he said at the look of disbelief on my face, "can you honestly say you aren't her?"

"I have parents. Human parents. And friends I've known for years."

"They said you'd been missing for over twenty years. Stolen from your crib in
Gi
."

The world spun around me. The stars shone in the night sky overhead. But all I could see were my parents' loving faces, so proud when I opened my store. My big brother as he went off to Australia to make a name for himself. Sonya when I met her in our year nine science class. Auckland as it grew and grew. Parnell as the seasons changed. This was the world I knew.

But what if he was right? What if my life was the lie and
this
was the truth?

Holy freaking hell. I couldn't deal with this. I couldn't work it out in my head. Nico watched on with a look of pain on his face, as though he shared some connection with me he had no right to. I hated him. For doing this. Harming Aktor, possibly killing him. Hurting Theo, because this would hurt him, I knew it. I just
knew
it. And ruining me.

This ruined me. It utterly, completely ruined me.

I stumbled, but righted myself with an outstretched hand on a pile of rubble. Then promptly collapsed to the ground on my butt. I took a shuddering breath in and when that didn't help, took another and another. Until I was stifling sobs and shaking from head to toe.

"I don't remember any of this," I insisted, as Nico crouched down at my side. He didn't touch me, I was relieved for that. But heat rolled off him in an obvious attempt to calm me down with his
Stoicheio
. "Damn you, Nico," I whispered. "I became what I am three days ago, after spending two nights in a pit full of dirt."

Nico sighed. "Whoever took you, could have bound your
Stoicheio
somehow."

I arched an eyebrow at him. Really?

"It's possible," he defended. "I have no idea how, but if the Alchemists can steal our elements, they can sure as hell find a way to lock them up." I closed my eyes. "You know what I think?" I really didn't want to hear it, but my throat had closed completely and I couldn't make a sound. "I think the Earth found you and did what it had to do to make your
Stoicheio
return."

"Why now?" I managed to say on a whisper. He heard me though.

"Because the Alchemists want you for something. Why they've waited, I have no idea. But I'm telling you, Casey. They are serious. They are sacrificing their numbers to get you to come out. And in doing so, they are killing my people." He took a deep breath in. "I have no right to ask this of you, but I'd rather we did this amicably than... well, you can guess what the other way would entail."

His eyes flicked over to where Aktor lay beneath the debris. A look of remorse and agony crossing his face.

"You don't belong here. He doesn't belong with you," he repeated. "Please, do the right thing. I can hand you over to the Alchemists, but that would be a fate worse than death. The
Gi
are undoubtedly on their way. News of what's happening here is on the international channels. When they arrive, please,
please
, just go home with them."

I sat numbed to the bone and stared bleakly across the rubble strewn floor towards the sea. I could hear it, but not really see it. I just knew it was there, through the sounds of the waves washing up on the shore and the scent of salty brine on the air.

Dear God I didn't want this.
Here
was where I knew and loved. Brazil? The Amazon? A bunch of
Ekmetalleftis
I didn't even know - or had memories of? A single sob escaped my lips.

What if
this
was the lie?

And Theo. Could I leave Theo? Could I stay and watch the Alchemists and
Gi
unite to get me... and then kill him?

It should have been an easy decision, but when your heart's involved, there's absolutely nothing easy about it at all.

"I want to see Theo one last time," I said feeling utterly spent.

"No. Not a good idea," Nico shot back.

"Because he'd talk me out of it?" I asked. "Or because he'd kill you before you could hand me over?"

"Take your pick, either works. But the only correct solution to this disaster is you leaving
Pyrkagia.
Don't tell me you don't see it. Because even though I've only known you a couple of days, you're a good person, Casey Eden. You care. You love. You wouldn't seek a selfish result at the cost of so many lives. And they are dying, Casey. My people are dying because of you."

Oh, and wasn't that enough to make me hiccup and sniff like a pathetic wimp. This was all my fault. This had started with me and it would end with me.

But to never see Theo again? Ever?

The ache was too much, too deep. It was a part of me that would never get eased. It didn't matter that he wasn't mine to keep. My heart didn't care about little trivial details such as that. I was a woman and he was a man, to hell with what branch we belonged to. In my heart we belonged to each other and no one else.

But, did he feel the same way? Truly love me as deeply as I love him. He'd never said the words. But then, neither had I. However, I couldn't even console myself with his actions, because Theo Peters was the most confounding, confusing man I had ever met. One minute so very tender and loving, the next a blank mask and hard stare.

"OK," I said, seeing the relief settle on Nico's face. "But, we have to avoid the Alchemists. Because, Nico, he
will
kill you if I end up with them."

Nico swallowed thickly and nodded.

Then out of nowhere a voice said, "Not before I do."

Aktor's bolt of fire was precise and beautiful in its terrifyingly accurate strike. He was aiming for the neck, whilst making sure I didn't get caught in the crossfire. The skill required to execute such a manoeuvre was astounding. If I'd had longer to appreciate it, I would have. True talent, exceptional ability, no doubt because of his vast age.

But all I could think, whilst somehow managing to be impressed at the same time, was that Nico - even though he was betraying me and hurting Theo in the process - did not deserve to die. He wanted to save
Pyrkagia
lives and his argument had been sound, even if my heart wept at the notion I was
Gi
royalty and could never be Theo's or he be mine.

My bare feet found the soil through the rubble and my blood dripped off my fingertips, where it had made its way down from my shoulder wound, into the Earth.