12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I woke when the birds called to me, their corvid minds so tumultuous and full of panic that it set my heart racing. I reached out automatically to Greg's side of the bed but it was cold and empty. The dark of the night and the fear slammed me back into a night a few weeks ago when Ben had been attacked.

That wasn't now. I swallowed hard, trying to shake away my misery as I focused on the birds' panicked squawks in my head. Because I was freaking out too, I hummed a quick ditty and reached out to them properly.

I looked through their eyes and saw fire.

‘Fuck!' I swore. I didn't waste time with clothes but I did take the time to reach out and grab Terrance and jam him on my head. I threw open the door, shifted onto four and we pelted down the stairs many at a time.

When we shifted back to open the door, I was still buck naked. Where are my clothes? I demanded of Terrance .

I can only keep that which you were wearing. Since you weren't wearing a stitch… He trailed off. Bugger: I hadn't realised that was the deal.

The front lawn was on fire, the rose bushes were on fire, and some twat was standing poised to throw a fireball at Nina.

Scoundrel! Brigand! Terrance shouted in my head. He must be stopped before he harms Nina!

I couldn't agree more. A fireball left the fire elemental's hand but instead of going to Nina, where he was clearly aiming, Terrance called it straight at me instead. Got it! he cried triumphantly. Hold steady, my Queen. I'll absorb this little ember.

The ‘little ember' was a raging inferno and I could feel its heat as it roared towards me. You're sure we'll be okay? I asked dubiously.

I would never risk you! he promised fervently as the flames came less than a foot from us. He hasn't used any powder. I hadn't the faintest clue what he was talking about . Okay, then: here goes nothing.

‘NO!' I heard Greg roar as the ball of flames hit me.

The flames were hot – but suddenly they were less so. I had a moment of feeling warm and sun-kissed and then they were gone, absorbed into Terrance or the crown itself, I didn't know or care which .

I crossed the ground to the fire-elemental intruder who was staring at me dumbly and punched him with all my might. All my might was a little bit too much might, and his jaw shattered under my fist. He promptly passed out. ‘Son of a bitch,' I muttered, letting the unconscious body hit the floor hard.

‘Lucy!' Greg reached me and grabbed my shoulder, turning me to face him so he could examine me. His grip was tight and his gaze was anxious as he looked me up and down, studying me for signs of injury.

‘I'm okay,' I reassured him.

‘But how?' he said, totally confused.

‘Terrance,' I tapped my head.

Greg squinted at where I tapped. ‘You're not wearing anything,' he said finally.

‘Oh! Amber made the crown invisible,' I explained with a shrug.

He blew out a long breath. ‘The flames were coming right for you. The biggest mother-fucking fireball. I thought you were a goner.' He pulled me roughly into his arms before pressing his lips desperately to mine.

His tongue invaded my mouth and made me gasp. The smell of smoke curled around us and I could still hear distant flames crackling, but it all faded away as he kissed me like I was his sunlight and his air. ‘I'm okay,' I panted when we finally separated. ‘I'm okay, love.'

He nodded with visible effort and drew back a little. ‘You're okay,' he repeated slowly, hooking loose strands of my blonde hair around my ear. He blew out a long breath and stepped back.

‘Any idea who this little shit is?' I asked Greg, toeing the unconscious body.

‘A dead man walking,' he growled. He got out his phone, took a picture and sent it off in a text message.

‘Maxwell?' I asked.

‘And Roscoe,' he confirmed.

I grimaced a little. Roscoe and I hadn't exactly seen eye to eye on a recent kidnapping issue, and I wasn't sure if he was the type to hold a grudge.

Greg leaned down and slapped the unconscious man a few times across the face. When nothing happened, he reached into his pocket and pulled up a small vial. When he dripped two small drops onto the man's tongue, the redhead stirred.

His eyes fluttered open and he gave a low groan of pain, then looked at me and sneered. ‘The Domini send their regards.' His words were muffled; a broken jaw would do that .

I smiled. ‘That threat would work better if you could speak properly, darling.' I turned back to Greg as a sudden thought occurred to me. ‘Check on my parents?' I asked him in a low voice. The last time the Domini had struck at me, it had been my family they had targeted.

Greg nodded briskly. Pulling out his phone again, he stepped away and made a call.

‘So,' I said to the prone man. ‘Why did you throw your lot in with the Domini?'

‘Because we will be victorious. We will create a new world order!' Again, his words would have had more impact if he hadn't been slurring so badly.

‘Uh-huh.' I sighed. ‘Sure you will. Who do you answer to?'

Flames sprung to his hands. ‘Do you know that I'm not afraid of fire?' I asked, my tone conversational. ‘I was born a fire elemental. I'm actually an Alessandro.'

Not to mention I had a secret crown haunted by a fire elemental spirit of some kind, but he didn't need to know that – that was more fifth-date information when you were pretty sure they liked you and they weren't going to run off when you showed them a little more of the real you.

The flames on his hands spluttered and died as he stared at me in wide-eyed fear. ‘ Alessandro?' he stuttered. I guess my birth family's name still held some weight in the fire-elemental community.

‘Yep,' I confirmed.

A moment later flames sprang to his hands again. I sighed. He really wasn't getting the picture: no flamey the Queen.

I opened my mouth to say something sassy but the flames didn't come towards me; instead they turned inwards. He started to scream as he literally burned himself from the inside out, his eyes glowing with the light of inner flames.

I stared, mouth agape, as he burned himself alive – and with him all my evidence against the Domini.

Son of a bitch.