Dark Flame (Flame 3)

Fergus folded his arms across his chest and took a step back. Then another.

Juliet stared at the floor. Her skin was so hot, she felt as though she was on fire.

“I’ll give you two a minute.” Fergus whirled around and headed back out onto the patio.

Brannick turned to her, and his eyes widened. “Juliet, what the fuck is going on? You’re all silvery. Wait a minute. I know what this is. Juliet?”

She lifted her gaze to him and at the same time, tugged her hand from what had become a tight grasp. He stared at his own hand. “Shit. I’m glowing as well. This is so fucked up. We’re not connected you and me. We can’t be.”

She held her hands to her face. She was trembling with pure sexual need. All Brannick had to do was push her up against the wall, press his hips to hers and she’d come apart.

She knew Brannick was upset, but she was having the worst time calming herself down. She finally forced herself to move into the kitchen. She opened the freezer and pulled out a handful of ice cubes. Taking them back to the sink, she held them up to her neck and closed her eyes. She focused on the birds in her patio earlier and the yellow cat that kept disturbing their feeding.

Thinking about birds helped. A lot.

Brannick’s resonant voice, edged with anger, poured into the kitchen space. “Is this how it’s going to be? Are you going to keep trying to seduce me?”

“I promise that’s not what’s going on here. Just give me a minute.”

She took deep breaths and moved the ice cubes over her throat and up and down her arms.

“The glow is receding.” Brannick sounded calmer as well.

When the intensity of the experience passed, she stood upright. “Brannick, I don’t want this kind of connection any more than you do. Let’s just go get Mary, then you can go home. We’ll never have to see each other after this.”

The furrow between Brannick’s brows grew more pronounced.

She dropped the half-melted cubes into the sink, then walked back into the living area. “I’m going to change into some pants, then we can go.”

She passed by Brannick and headed to the master bedroom. She had no intention of levitating while wearing a dress.

She put on a dark blue top and a pair of matching slacks. Adding a pair of brown leather flats she made her way back to the patio. Brannick was already there talking with Fergus.

When she arrived, Fergus inclined his head to her, but quickly looked away.

Brannick asked Fergus if he’d talked to the rest of the security detail. He nodded, then tossed his chin toward the south.

Juliet followed the line of his gaze. One of the warlocks assigned to the alley levitated in their direction.

“He’ll be taking over for me,” Fergus muttered.

As soon as he arrived, Brannick offered Juliet his booted foot, but she shook her head. She wanted to say something more to him, even to apologize for how much her faeness had encroached on his life.

Instead, she slowly rose into the air. “I meant to tell you sooner. In the same way Emma took on Vaughn’s ability to fly, seems like I’ve got yours.”

“So I see.” Brannick’s voice sounded subdued. She wasn’t surprised. This thing between them kept taking hard, uncomfortable turns.

Though Juliet was worried about what was going on, she set aside her concerns and focused on Mary.

She rose into the air, slowly at first, getting used to her new vampire-based levitating skill. Some of the more powerful fae could levitate on their own, but she’d never been able to, though she’d tried countless times. Of all the magical alter abilities to possess, this one felt like freedom to her, like maybe she could truly find a new life in Five Bridges, even if she and Brannick parted ways. She could sense the ability belonged to her now, no matter what happened in her relationship with Brannick.

She entered Brann’s mind. Follow me. I’ll take us to the front entrance of the Fae Cathedral. Also, I can shield myself now.

With that, she covered herself in Brannick’s vampire disguise and began moving swiftly toward the southeast. She heard Fergus call out, “Where’d she go?”

She also heard Brannick’s explanation and that he’d shield Fergus.

It was better this way. Brannick and Fergus could work together, and she could go solo.