Dragon Blood 2: Wyvern (13 page)

Kade tapped softly on the bathroom door several hours later. “Amber? Are you okay? Can I come in?”

She pushed her hair away from her face, staring at the shards that littered her vanity and floor. This was impossible. She couldn’t figure out what to do. Every time she tried, the jewels exploded.

“Amber?”

She wrenched the door open. “What!”

Kade glanced behind her. “What are you up to?”

“I thought it was time to take up a new hobby. What does it look like I’m doing?”

Kade glanced at Rian, which annoyed Amber even more. She pushed past him, striding to her bed. If they wanted to discuss her let them. She was tired. Not to mention exhausted. Ronan had left her an impossible task. Forming a ball of fire in her hand, she felt the energy within. It was too much. The jewels were too fragile for so much power.

Amber pulled a thread out of the fire. The rest started to follow, rushing to join the thread. That was the problem. The force of the power shattered every single jewel it came in contact with. What could she do different?

Rian came to stand beside her, the black drawstring bag held up. “What would you like me to do with your confetti?”

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth but she refused to let her anger go. “Find a bride to throw it over.” She frowned. Maybe that was it. The jewels might be too small. But Ronan had said the power could be stored in jewellery. For all she knew, they wore necklaces the size of boat anchors back in the Dragon Mage era.

Pulling out her phone, she ignored Kade who joined her on the bed. She watched Rian put the bag of jewel shards away in her duchess before she flicked through her contact list and dialled Ronan’s number.

“Don’t tell me you’ve figured it out already.”

“I need more. Try something around the size of a soccer ball.”

Ronan laughed. “And where would you wear it? In your crown?”

“They’re too small. They keep shattering.”

“Then slow down.”

“I’m trying. Just get me more, Ronan.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And you can shove your crown where the sun don’t shine.” She hung up on his laughter.

Kade leaned over her. “Do you want to tell me what you and Ronan are planning?”

Amber shook her head. “I can’t. He promised to kill me if I told anyone.”

“Are you mad? He’s dangerous. And I don’t care if his Gold informs him that I think he is. Every sane dragon believes exactly the same. How many people, Ronan included, have to tell you he doesn’t have friends?”

“Keep your voice down,” Amber hissed. “Do you want my mum up here? It’s my first day home. I don’t want to get grounded already.”

“It might keep you out of trouble.”

Amber pushed him away so she could sit up to glare at him. “I doubt it.”

Kade’s glare became a grin and he chuckled. “You’re probably right.”

Amber dropped back onto her pillow so she didn’t give into the temptation to return his grin. Her effort was in vain when he followed her. “Go away,” she muttered.

“You don’t really mean that. You’re just tired and hungry. That always puts you in a bad mood.” Kade moved closer, his body half over hers.

Amber could feel her anger start to evaporate. She tried to hang onto it. “Then leave me alone so I can sleep.”

“Not even a kiss goodnight?” Kade’s lips were close enough she could feel his heat.

Her anger finally faded and she reached up to pull him close. Seconds spun into minutes and Amber even forgot they had an audience, until the French doors were flung open. She nearly grinned at the sight of Hound, hands held out in a sign of surrender as her and Kade sprang apart to land on the floor, ready for battle and Rian held a gun pointed at him.

Amber extinguished the balls of fire in her hands. “Where the hell did you get that from? Put it away, Rian.” She waved towards the gun before she turned back to Hound. “What do you want?”

He withdrew two items from his jacket and held out a drawstring bag identical to the one Ronan had given her. In his other hand was an emerald the size of an emu’s egg. “Errand boy.”

Amber’s mouth dropped open as she stared at the emerald. It took her several seconds to regain the power of speech. “Didn’t he have one the size of a soccer ball?”

Hound grinned. “His message for that comment is that you can have the soccer ball when you learn how to keep it intact.”

Amber smiled as she imagined Crystal’s expression at seeing a jewel the size of a soccer ball. They all turned at the knock on Amber’s door. She searched the other side of the door and relaxed when she sensed it was her mother.

“What?”

“Dinner’s ready. Didn’t you hear me call up before?”

At a glance around the room, Amber guessed it had been when Hound had entered. “No. I’ll be down in a minute.” She motioned to Rian to take the jewels and lowered her voice. “Put them in the ceiling. Including the other ones. Mum’d freak if she found them.”

Hound handed over the jewels. He held a sealed envelop out to Amber. When she didn’t take it, he said, “Here,” shoving it into her hands before he left.

‘Read without prying eyes.’ Amber smiled at the words scrawled across the front and retreated to her bathroom. She tore it open and grinned.

‘Enemies are less costly. Burn this.’

It was so typical of Ronan. Very little that he did was straightforward. Everything had to be hidden. She held the letter and envelope over the sink and called fire to her hands. The paper darkened and flaked apart to fall in the sink. She washed it down before she headed downstairs for dinner, ignoring the curious looks of Kade and Rian as she shut her bedroom door on them.

Amber paused in the doorway to the kitchen. Her grandmother sat at the table, her back to Amber, her mother was at the sink rinsing off some dishes. Neither knew she was there yet.

“Inconsiderate. Never thinks of anyone but herself. Are we meant to eat a cold meal?” Helen’s fingers drummed on the table.

Donna continued to silently rinse dishes. Amber wished she had that ability. It just wasn’t her. Was it too late to run back upstairs and beg Kade to take her to his family’s castle? She straightened her shoulders. No. That seemed too much like giving in. She mightn’t fit here, but that didn’t mean she was going to let her grandmother send her running. She wouldn’t hide. That definitely wasn’t her.

She strode into the room and dropped into her seat. “Did you miss me, Grandma? I was tempted to steal the silver and bring it back for you. I bet you would have loved it. But I kind of think the castle servants would’ve missed it.”

“You stayed in a castle?” Donna joined them at the table. “You never said that. I thought you were staying at Kiani’s home.”

“That is her home.” Amber picked up her cutlery.

“If you don’t talk that boy into marrying you on your eighteenth birthday, you’re an idiot.” Helen pointed her fork at Amber.

“We’re not even dating,” Amber said.

“Then what are you waiting for?”

“Mum!” Donna glared at Helen. “Please. We talked about this. I thought we decided you were going to stop pressuring Amber.”

“I never agreed to anything.” Helen turned to Amber again. “Well, are you an idiot?”

“Probably. You’ll have to blame Dad. He must have read me too many fairytales when I was a kid. You know, Prince Charming, dragons, love and happily ever after.”

“The love and happily ever after come once Prince Charming slays the dragons,” Helen said.

“Hmm, maybe I had different fairytales to yours.” Amber took a mouthful of the well-cooked steak. She would have to remind her mother again that she only liked it medium these days.

“Dragons are always evil.” Helen pointed her fork at Amber again. “Don’t you forget it.”

Donna slammed her cutlery down. “Do you pair have to argue about everything? Even fairytales?”

Amber said “Of course,” at the same time as Helen said, “Yes.”

“You couldn’t get through one day.” Donna rose to her feet. “And you’re just as much to blame, Mum.” She pushed away from the table. “You pair can clean up. I’m going to bed.”

Helen ignored Donna, turning her attention to Amber again. “Where was this castle you stayed in?”

“Europe.”

“That’s a big area. How about being a little more specific.”

Amber shrugged. “I gave up trying to pronounce the name. They all kept laughing at my attempts.”

“What’s on your necklace?”

Amber pulled the topaz out from the neck of her jacket. “They gave it to me for my birthday.” And for kicking wyvern butt. She wondered what her grandmother would say to that information.

“Is it real?”

Amber grinned. “Yeah. They talked about a matching set. Earrings, bracelet, you know. But I thought Mum’d have something to say about it.”

“Next time forget about what Donna would say. You take the full set.” Helen shook her fork at Amber. “Understand?”

“Yep.” Amber finished her meal, rising to her feet.

“And do the dishes. You’re younger than me.”

She bit back the words that wanted to spill and put the plug in the sink. She could do this. It was only until the end of school. Then she was out of here. She didn’t know where she was going, but she wasn’t sticking around. She could last that long. Maybe.

A chair scraped across the floor. “Goodnight, Amber.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “Night.”

“And make sure you get more jewellery out of those kids. And start dating the boy. You’ve only got a year till you’re eighteen.”

Amber could only nod. Any words risked letting laughter escape. And she knew her grandmother was perfectly serious. She turned back to the washing up. At least now she’d have an excuse for accepting jewellery from Ronan. She could tell her mother that her grandmother had told her to take it. That was if she ever learned how to fill them with her power.

Looking at her hands in the water, she made fire start to form. A flicker danced under the suds, competing with the water to stay lit. Amber stared at it and she slowly smiled. Maybe, just maybe, she’d finally figured it out. Rushing through the dishes, she ran upstairs. Before she could open her door, her mother came into the hallway.

“Why’s your door locked, Amber?”

She reached out and turned the handle, swinging the door open. She watched as Kade and Rian disappeared out the French doors, glad her mother was at the end of the hallway. “It’s not.”

Donna strode towards Amber. “It was when I came up.” She looked into the room.

“What were you doing going into my room anyway?”

“I was trying to see if you had any washing after being away.”

A hand went to Amber’s hip. “You don’t wash this late at night. Why were you really going through my room?”

“It was locked so I didn’t go through your room, did I?”

“You tried to. Is that what it’s going to be like? No privacy?”

“I worry about you Amber. You didn’t seem yourself when you came home. And you hear all sorts of stories about the designer drugs rich kids use.”

Amber glared at Donna. “I don’t do drugs and neither do my friends. I’m tired. Jet lag. Did you expect me to be bouncing around? I’ve got school tomorrow. How excited am I meant to feel about that prospect after a fortnight in a European castle?”

“See, maybe it isn’t such a good idea for you to hang around these kids. You’ll never have their life. It’ll only make you dissatisfied with your own if you keep spending time with them.”

“Who says I can’t? Not everyone is born with money. Haven’t you ever heard of self made millionaires?”

“Oh Amber, be realistic.” Donna sighed.

“Well in that case I guess I’ll just have to take Grandma’s advice and marry Kade for his millions.” Amber stepped into her room, slamming her door shut and locking it. She rested her head against the timber, ignoring her mother.

She felt Kade come up behind her, brushing his lips against her ear. “Was that a proposal?”

Amber turned to face him, her hands resting on his shoulders. “I don’t know. I’m sure I can do much better than you.”

“Who? Ronan?”

Amber smiled. She wasn’t going to tell anyone about Ronan’s offer. “I was thinking more along the lines of Prince Charming. Do you know him?”

“I think he was eaten by a dragon.”

Her smile became a grin. “How terribly sad. I guess I’ll hang around with you until I find a better offer.”

“How gracious of you.”

“I know.” Amber couldn’t hold back a yawn.

“Looks like that jet lag is catching up on you. Bedtime.”

Amber was tempted to argue. She wanted to test her new theory on a jewel. Another yawn urged her to use caution for a change. She’d try again tomorrow. When she was rested.

Amber looked about as she floundered in a sea of blood. Around her floated the bodies of her friends and family as they moaned and begged her for help. She couldn’t save them. She had no power left. She didn’t even have the power to save herself. Again she sank beneath the blood red waves, trying desperately to struggle to the surface.

Striding across the waves came Paili. She wore a crown with a jewel as big as a soccer ball in the top of it. “Off with their heads.” She waved a hand regally towards the bodies that crowded around Amber, begging her for help.

Heart racing, Amber woke, keeping her eyes closed as she tried to slow her breathing. This was the third dream tonight, each one worse than the last. So much for getting to bed so she could wake well rested. She ignored the temptation to check the time on the alarm clock beside her bed. The last thing she needed was for more reports about her sleeplessness to get back to Ronan.

“Amber?” Kade pulled her close. “I know you’re awake.”

“So?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She pulled away from him, striding to the bathroom with a glance towards the alarm clock. It was only two. She couldn’t survive another night like last night. Closing the door, she turned on the light, glaring at the manhole. How was she meant to get the jewels down?

Bitting back the words she wanted to mutter, she swung the bathroom door open. Rian stood there. He looked towards the manhole and then back to Amber. She nodded and he came in, hopped up on the vanity and stretched over to the manhole. He removed the drawstring bags and the large emerald. When he dropped lightly to the floor he handed the items to Amber and left the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind him.

Amber locked the door and ran water in the sink. She eyed the emerald but decided to leave it to last. Tipping the new jewels onto the vanity, she picked up the largest one. A sapphire. Holding it under the water, she took a deep breath. A flame flickered to life, barely warming the water. She fed a thread of it into the jewel and tried to control the rush of the rest of the flame when it wanted to follow. It was easier to control under water.

The jewel shimmered and then shattered. Amber swore, then glanced at the bathroom door. No one disturbed her. She took a deep breath and chose a different jewel. She held a diamond under the water, calling up another flame. This time she stopped the moment the jewel shimmered. She lifted the diamond out of the water and stared at it. She felt her power, like something live, trapped inside it. Excitement rushed through her and she wanted to shout. She had to make do with a grin.

Flinging the bathroom door open, she held the diamond out to Rian. “Tell me about this.”

Rian took the diamond and examined the damp jewel. He met her eyes with a shrug. “A diamond. Flawless.”

“Nothing else?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

Kade crossed the room and took the diamond from Rian. “What’s going on, Amber?”

“What are you holding?”

“A wet diamond.”

Amber threw her arms around Kade and kissed him. She grabbed the diamond off him and closed herself in the bathroom again.

“Amber?” There was concern in Kade’s voice.

“Quiet.” She grabbed another jewel and held it under the water. This one shattered. Amber tried to tamp down her excitement. She couldn’t control her power to the level it needed to be controlled when she was this excited. Several deep breaths and she was able to fill another jewel with power. Amber stared at the ruby she held. How did she get the power out of it? Closing her fingers around the jewel, she felt the power straining at the confines. She called it and felt a flare as it returned to her, seeming to be greater than when she’d put it inside the ruby. Was it only jewels?

Amber dropped the ruby onto the vanity and opened the bathroom door. She ignored Kade and Rian as she rummaged through the items scattered on her duchess. She gathered a pair of gold hoop earrings, glass slippers on a silver bracelet and a plastic bead necklace. Hurrying back to the bathroom with them, she soon found plastic didn’t work, glass and silver were reasonable, but the power loved gold and rushed over the metal like flames on petrol soaked timber.

She took her necklace off and held it under the water. First she filled the topaz and then the gold. The chain was easier to fill than her earrings had been and Amber guessed it was due to the quality. When she was finished, she put it back on and slid to the floor, completely exhausted. Leaning against the timber door of her vanity, she couldn’t keep the goofy grin off her face. She didn’t even have to look in a mirror to know it was goofy. It felt like it.

“Amber?”

She turned to look at the door that separated her from Kade. She’d invite him in, but didn’t have the energy to open the door. “Yeah?”

“Can I come in?”

All of the internal doors had external locks and could only be opened by a key from the other side. “If you can.” It didn’t surprise her much when a moment later the lock clicked and the door swung open, Rian stepping out of the way.

Kade sat beside her on the tiled floor. “Have you sorted it out?”

“Yep.” The grin stayed in place.

“You still can’t tell me?”

“I wish. I’m bursting with it. I want to tell everyone.” She looked up as Rian handed her phone to her. Her grin widened. “Of course.” She called Ronan.

“It better be good.”

“I did it.”

“Of course you did. So why did you need to ring me at,” Ronan paused a moment, “nearly five in the morning.”

Amber giggled. “Because you wouldn’t let me tell anyone. I’ve got people all around me and I can’t share it with any of them.”

“I guess you want some jewellery now.”

“Yes. And make sure the settings are gold. As pure as possible. Gold is definitely my medium.”

Ronan chuckled. “I’ll send Hound with a delivery later today.”

Amber thought of the ruby teardrop Ronan had given her. “And I have a blood red ruby I want turned into an earring.”

“Should I find a matching pair?”

“I doubt you’ll find another one like it. I’m sure it’s unique. A bit like friends. They’re all irreplaceable.”

“Get some sleep, Amber. You’ve obviously been awake too long. You’re starting to sound like a greeting card. The kind that are only good for fire starters.”

Amber giggled. “I don’t need fire starters so I might just hang onto that greeting card.”

“Goodnight, Amber.”

“Good morning, Ronan.” She laughed as he growled and hung up.

Kade wrapped his arm around her, drawing her close. He pushed the door closed. “Do you realise we’re actually alone for the first time in ages?”

Amber looked up at him. A rush of heat went through her that had nothing to do with her powers. “What do you plan to do about it?”

Kade smiled as his head came closer. “I’m sure I can manage to think of something.”