Flame (Fireborn) (34 page)

"This is a
silly dream," I whisper to myself.

I hear my mom's
voice in my head. "Silly dreams are the best."

Her voice echoes
from my memories, and the usual pang of hurt grips my heart. I let my
body drift into the ocean, walking further in.

Amazed, I take in
the sight greedily. The water is so clear it's invisible, and I can
see through it to the ocean floor. It's white, completely pristine,
and devoid of any filth. A killer whale swims by, his dorsal fin two
feet above the surface. He circles me, swimming lazily around. I
should be scared, but I'm not. He's a gentle giant, and I beckon him
closer. When he comes he nudges my feet. I touch his wet skin,
marveling at how firm it is. Crouching lower, I peer through the
invisible surface as his wide face continues to nuzzle my ankle. Then
he makes a little sound and moves away, lazily circling me again. I
watch him for many minutes.

Suddenly I feel a
tingling sensation down the back of my neck.

"Of all the
dreams of all the creatures in all the galaxy, you had to walk into
mine."

My heart leaps with
excitement. I shouldn't feel happy, but I can't stop the eager breath
escaping my lips. When I turn he's watching me, and there's a relaxed
smile on his face I've never seen before. I wonder if I have the same
smile on my face because he's looking at me as intently as I am
looking at him.

"Is this your
dream?" I ask, unable to mask my happiness.

He looks adorable
when he glances at me. He points to the whale swimming further from
us. "Yes, but its turned into a joint effort."

I'm not sure what he
means by that, but I don't care. I open my arms wide because I want
to hold the ocean, the sand, and the whole world in my lap. I close
my eyes and say, "I think we did a pretty good job then."

He moves until he's
behind me. "I think so, too."

His breath is near
my neck, and I turn around. Instantly, I'm greeted by Rhys's broad
chest. In that second I realize he's not wearing what he usually has
on. Instead, a white buttoned up shirt is covering his tan body. He
leaves a few buttons casually open, and I see a slice of golden skin.
Dark shorts go past his knees, and his feet are bare. He looks
casual, and very sexy. He can hear my thoughts, and his grin
broadens.

I'm too happy to be
embarrassed. That's another reason I know this is a dream. I point to
my Angry Bird pajamas. "I seemed to have missed the memo about
the dress code."

"No worries,"
he says, flashing another white grin. His smiles are making me
delirious, and everything seems to glow brighter and become fuzzier
at the same time. I hear soft rustling, and cool air brushes my body
before something gentle touches my skin. Looking down I see a long
flowing dress. It's red, and the wind picks up the tail of the dress,
blowing it and my hair behind me.

"You're so
beautiful," Rhys says, his voice thick with everything he feels.
His gaze is so tender that I'm hypnotized by it. I feel so happy my
heart wants to burst with joy. The red cloth is blowing all around
me, and even though he's looking at me like I'm the most exquisite
woman on earth, my lungs are having trouble breathing.

"Rhys," I
choke out. "Not red. Please, not red."

A look of concern
and a flash of guilt cross his face and he says, "I understand."
He holds out his hands to me.

"Think of a
beautiful color," he whispers to me.

I let him take my
hand, and when our palms touch the breeze picks up. A quiet rustling
sound is heard, but our eyes never leave each other. His other hand
circles my waist. He shoots me another devastating smile, his black
hair perfect in the light. He looks down at what I'm wearing.

"Gold?"

"Golden eyes."
He looks so sweetly at me I wrap my arms around his neck. I fit his
body perfectly, and my gold dress is shining, shimmering as bright as
his eyes. We're swaying in the breeze, dancing as the waves play
around us. Questions swim in my head, and I know it's important I
find the answers, but I bat them away like flies. For once I'm not
thinking about escape and staying alive. I am happy, carefree and
filled with joy.

"I used to come
here when I was a little kid," he tells me. I watch his mouth
move, and I continue to even when he catches me. He looks amused.

Dreams
are a safe place for doing anything I want.

"Armin and I
would sneak off when we could. We didn't do much, just laid around,
sleeping. But this place holds some of my best memories."

"I can see
why," I say, pointing to the sand. "We need something like
that on Earth. It's like they're alive. They moved over me like
ants!"

"The particles
have a magnetic pull to blood."

I laugh. "That
makes absolutely no sense! Blood doesn't contain magnetic
properties," I inform him. "Even I know that and I'm a C
average in science."

"Now that makes
no sense." It's his turn to point out. "You get graded with
letters. How do you know how to improve? The letters tell you
nothing," he dismisses in his sexy accent.

"How do they
grade you in Sangine?" I ask.

His grip tightens on
me. "You probably wouldn't like it," is all he says. His
lips thin and I know we're talking too much about reality, so I lay
my head on his shoulders, listening to his gentle heartbeat.

"You're really
very handsome," I finally whisper to his chest.

"And you're
really very beautiful," he whispers to my hair.

"Is that why
you took me?" The question slips before I can halt it.

Hot
and cold.
Right now he's all hot. I don't want him to turn
cold. He's already sighing when I say, "Don't answer that."

"No," he
says quietly near my ear. "That's not why I took you. I had no
choice, Kenna. I'm wasn't born with freedom the way you were."
His voice is filled with such sadness and longing I shut my eyes.

"Let's not talk
about this anymore," I whisper.

We move together in
a circle, swaying with the water. Slowly doubt creeps into my
thoughts: about who he is, what he's done, and why he's sentenced me
to die. I hum loudly to cover the noise in my head, and he seems to
sense my distress. He hugs me tighter into his chest, breathing in my
scent like a starving man.

"I'll make
everything better." It's a lie. He can't. I know he can't. He
knows it, too. But I nod anyway.

Soon, much too soon,
I notice the sunshine waning and growing dimmer. I force myself to
step back from him. I gaze into his eyes, trying to memorize the
myriad of colors shimmering inside.

"Rhys," I
breathe. I don't know what to say, or how to express what I feel.
That one word seems to be enough though because he smiles.

"Kenna, you're
stronger than you think you are." He holds my face in his hands.
"You're special. You're a survivor." He looks deep into my
eyes. "Even when everything burns you won't."

Goosebumps rise
across my skin. I shiver from his words.

"When I wake up
am I going to forget all this?" I suddenly ask him, desperate to
know.

He gives me a sexy
smile. "No."

Relieved, I grin
back, unable to resist him. "So none of this is real?"

"Nope."
He's laughing at me.

I pull his face
closer to mine. "So none of this is real, and when I wake up
I'll remember everything," I repeat softly, my mouth a breath
away from his. Suddenly, he's looking at me with intensity and
hunger. I think about where we're at and I know it isn't really
paradise. I feel his arms around me, and his clean masculine scent
drifts through my nose and into my heart.
This
is paradise. I lean over, and touch my lips with his.

We meet in the
middle. As far as first kisses go this is the best one I've ever had.
He's soft and hard at the same time. His lips taste as fresh and
crisp as the water pooling around us.

When I finally pull
back, we stare at each other, breathless. "So when do we get to
do that again?" I ask, again, unable to stop myself. He laughs,
noticing what a truly impulsive person I am.

All he says is, "In
your dreams."

I attempt to frown
at him, but a smile is touching my lips.

Then the sky breaks
open with a roar, scaring me. It sounds like thunder when the clouds
part. The waves greet this noise with their own loud applause,
smashing into each other like giants. I can't hear my own thoughts. I
clutch him tighter.

He gives me the
saddest look I've ever seen, before he's gone, vanished from my
dreams.

Saguinox Encampment

He wished she hated
him.

It'd be so much easier
if she could.

Most people would hate
someone who imprisons them, and leaves them at the mercy of an alien
race. Deep in his heart, he always knew she wouldn't.

He pulls the crystal
shard from his skin, winching when blood rushes out. Carelessly, he
flips the white stone onto a table. It makes a loud clinking sound as
it lands. If Malachi ever saw him do that, Malachi would probably
stab him with it. Malachi "honored" him with a piece of the
precious crystal many years ago. Its powers allow them to communicate
with each other in their minds. It's especially useful during
battles, and it's most certainly meant to be taken care of, not
thrown carelessly about.

It's also not meant to
be used with the enemy. A picture of Kenna flickers in his mind, and
his chest tightens. The consequences be damned. It was all worth it.

The pain's more
excruciating than usual this time, and he grips his arm, trying to
numb the sensations. Somehow, that only makes it worse and he falls
back on the bed, shutting his eyes. Even with them closed, he can
still visualize the scabs and wound marks littering both his arms.
The crystal is a vault of energy, and with the right magic it can be
used for many things.

But, like everything,
its energy comes at a price.

The marks on his arms
won't heal for a while. And even when they do, there will always be
reminders on his skin, and especially on his soul.

There's a light knock
on the door, and he knows who it is even before it opens. He lets her
knock until she's finished.

"Yes, Lenora?"

Her big eyes peek over
the door. "How'd you know it was me?"

He sighs. "Most
people don't knock on a door to the rhythm of 'Mary had a little
lamb'."

She beams. "It's
the first song I learned in English!" She closes the door behind
her. The other Saguinox think they're mating, and he knows it hurts
her when the other warriors stare at her with a smirk. She accepts
this, though. It's safer if they think she belongs to him.

He sees her eyes go to
the bloody gash on his arm. She bites her lips in worry. "Maybe
you shouldn't communicate with her so much, Rhys," she advises
softly. "The crystal's going to kill you."

He can't tell her he
doesn't really have a choice. Kenna calls to him. "I'm fine,"
he answers, sounding more tired than he wants to.

He doesn't want to
admit it, but Lenora's right. He shouldn't be communicating with
Kenna. She'd said he was "hot and cold". She was right.
Everytime he felt a pull pushing them closer, reality would seep in,
and he'd be reminded of what he was, what he'd done, and what he
needed to do still. He should've never gotten close. He didn't have
to talk to Kenna to kidnap her. That hadn't been the plan. It had
always been Lenora who was supposed to get close; Lenora who had such
a fascination with all things human. Somehow he'd ended up with a
locker near hers, and the rest as they say, is history.

Rhys's eyes are closed,
but he knows Lenora's looking at him. She has a soft heart, and is
the biggest humanist he's ever met. She loves everything about
humans. She would even risk her life for what she believes in. That's
why she's one of the few he trusts.

"Maybe we
shouldn't have left her in there," Lenora begins again, worried.

"It's the only way
to keep her safe. You know what's happening right now."

"Maybe if we just
told her--"

"No. I already
told you what the King plans to do. She won't be able to escape Armin
again. You know I had to poison his powers to make him weaker. The
King is suspicious and will have Touchers on us next time."
Realizing how he sounds, he softens his tone. "She won't escape
again. Armin's too powerful, and now he feels like he's got something
to prove."

There's a long moment
of silence. "It's just ironic that to protect her we have to put
her right in the center of it all."

"It's been done
before," he answers, gritting his teeth. The cut from the
crystal is burning and aching at the same time. "They won't
think to look for her there."

"Were you able to
talk to them?" she asks. She doesn't say their name. She doesn't
need to.

"Yes. I've leaked
the codes and a blueprint of the building to them. They've already
sent someone in. He's in the compound as we speak."

"I wish we could
go get her. She probably hates us," Lenora says, almost
tearfully.

"Not quite."

"Maybe not
you
,"
she accuses. "But definitely me."

"Lenora," he
comforts her for the thousandth time. "One person not liking you
in the grand scheme of things isn't so bad."

"I know, but I
really liked her. I really like them
all
. I wish… I wish I
hadn't been born Saguinox," she confesses softly. "I hate
the violence, the way we kill people. The way we conquer."