Charred Hope (#3, Heart of Fire) Read online

  But I can’t! He wanted to scream the words. Before he could remind her of his inadequacy, she took his cheeks in her hands and pulled his head down. Her kiss was deep and passionate, her warm lips claiming his with need he felt every time he saw her. His arms circled her instinctively, and he hauled her against his body. She tasted of the peanut butter protein bar she’d eaten before the griffins attacked, her velvety mouth his to explore while her hot tongue teased and tasted him.

  He’d missed the feel of her body pressed against his, the firm breasts and feminine shape. One hand slid down to squeeze her ass, and he pressed his hardening erection against her lower belly, wanting more than anything for a few minutes alone with her to strip her clothes off and make love to her until they both slaked the hot desire torturing him.

  Until she smiles again. God, he missed her contagious grin. There was so much sadness in her face now.

  The squawk of a griffin jarred him, reminded him of where they were and how little they could afford to ignore their dangerous situation.

  As if sensing the same, Skylar pulled away from their kiss, her breathing off and her sky-colored eyes riveted to his. She wound the fingers of one hand in his hair.

  “Did you mean what you said the day Gavin died?” she whispered, searching his gaze.

  He didn’t want to think of everything he’d admitted that day. It was the painful moment when he realized the truth about himself, about how he’d never be good enough for the woman in his arms.

  “Yes,” he replied just as quietly. “I did. You are my other half. Even if you hate me forever, you are my heart.”

  Skylar smiled. “I hope that’s enough.”

  His brow furrowed. The way she said it made him think she was referring to something other than their tangled up relationship. Before he could ask what she was talking about, she spoke again.

  “We need to help the others.” She planted her hands on his chest and pushed away lightly.

  He released her. “You going to shift into a lion?” he asked. “Can you do that without Mason around?

  “I don’t think so. I need to test what I can do. But I can shift into something, hopefully.” She glanced at the pacing griffins. “Are you ready for my plan?”

  “Which is …?”

  “I told you before. If you mean what you say, you’ll be ready to save me this time around,” she said. “God help us both, if you’re not. I’m gonna take a leap of faith that you’ll be there for me.”

  Skylar followed the movement of the nearest griffin with her gaze then stealthily moved past him. Chace watched, the reality of what she was doing not clicking until he saw her pace quicken.

  She was headed towards the edge of the plateau with a look of determination on her features that said she wasn’t going to stop.

  Leap of faith. Her intention slammed into him. Terror shot through him.

  “Skylar, no!” he shouted and darted forward to grab her.

  She ran off the cliff.

  His hand grasped nothing but air, and he dropped to his knees and leaned over the edge, his emotions tumbling and whirling within him.

  His Sky, the other half of his heart, the woman he loved, had jumped. His surroundings grew surreal, the sun too bright, the sight of her falling like watching a slow motion film. Emotions blazed through him, and he experienced the panic he felt the last time he’d seen her fall, when Gavin was there to catch her.

  This time, there was no one but him who could save her.

  “No!” he roared.

  A trickle of warmth hit his blood stream.

  I won’t let you die, Sky! Their fates were intertwined; their hearts beat as one. If hers stopped, so would his.

  Chace jumped, no longer caring what happened to him. He didn’t want to be in a world without his heart.

  Chapter Six

  Skylar recalled too well the first time she fell out of the sky: The rush of air, the way her eyes watered until everything below her became a splotchy blur of colors. She was falling fast enough that she could barely breathe and yet, she felt like she’d never hit the ground, because her mind and senses seemed to slow. She was stuck between panic and hope, between despair and the instinct that made her jump in the first place.

  Without Chace’s magic, they weren’t going to make it off the plateau or survive long enough for the dragons to find her. She definitely thought jumping off a mountain beat seeing Chace and his ex together.

  Maybe I’m being stupid about this. The thought would’ve made her laugh in borderline hysteria, if she’d been able to catch her breath enough to laugh. Or maybe I’m wrong and I’m about to splatter on the rocks below.

  The grey boulders that looked like pebbles from above were getting larger, closer, and sorrow replaced her hope. What if she was wrong? What if Chace’s magic really wasn’t coming back, and she was the last hope the others had of standing some chance against Dillon and Freyja?

  The ground was getting closer.

  Emotions bubbled within her. Regret, sadness …

  Anger.

  Was this all there really was? A life full of stolen memories and people who betrayed her?

  The thought of never seeing Chace again was worse than the idea of smashing into the boulders. Of everyone who walked away from her, he’d at least come back and owned up to the truth: he was broken, but he was willing to do what he could to make things right. She had a ton of unfinished business in her life, but there was only one thing she regretted doing in the last few seconds of her life – not taking a second chance on Chace.

  No matter how angry she was with him, he’d long since stolen her heart.

  Aware her time was almost up, Skylar closed her eyes and prepared herself to die, willing their bond to carry her farewell message to him.

  You’re my dragon, Chace. You fucked up, but so did I. I forgive you for hurting me. I’m just sorry that we’ll never get our pizza date.

  And then she released what she suspected was her final breath.

  A familiar, burning sensation went through her a moment before she was snatched out of the air. Skylar gasped at the sudden change in direction. She went from falling fast to soaring away from the boulders at a speed that made her neck snap and darkness creep into her mind.

  She blinked rapidly and saw how close she’d come to the ground. Disoriented by the sudden movement, she struggled to keep from falling unconscious at the speed with which she was climbing into the sky.

  Skylar twisted. Though her vision was blurry, there was no mistaking the teal shade of Chace’s wings as they beat the air around them, compelling them up the cliff towards the heavens.

  He flew away from the plateau where they’d meet Dillon, back towards the peak where Mason and Gunner still fought off half a dozen griffins. Chace deposited her on the ledge close to the great cats then soared into the sky overhead.

  Skylar trembled from the horrible adventure and struggled to shake the darkness out of her head. She sat back on her haunches, too unsteady to risk rising. Her gaze followed the massive teal dragon into the sky with no short amount of awe.

  She’d never been able to look at Chace in his dragon form without being stunned by his size and beauty. His long wings took him quickly towards the griffins. Within seconds, he was belching fire at one, charring its wings enough that it plummeted to the ground. He tucked his wings and charged at another, his forearm-long fangs snapping its neck in midair, before it had a chance to flee.

  He shredded the wings of another griffin with his talons then slung one down to the two felines to take care of before taking off at top speed to deal with the two griffins that decided to flee.

  Skylar watched his displays of incredible strength and agility, mesmerized by the creature’s beauty and fearlessness. It took a moment for the fog to clear from her mind enough for her to realize how right she’d been.

  With nothing but himself in the way, Chace had to make a choice. Either he loved her enough to save her, no matter what the cost, or he
wasn’t capable of overcoming his pride - ever.

  He really does love me. Tears filled her eyes. She swiped them away and climbed to her feet.

  “Now, I will definitely tell you I-told-you-so, you fire-breathing bastard,” she murmured to him. I knew you could do it. You just needed to trust yourself.

  Mason and Gunner were watching as well, the two felines standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their tails flicking. She joined them.

  “Looks like he’s fixed,” she observed with a shaky laugh. “Probably pretty pissed, too.” Which he deserves.

  Mason turned his large head towards her. Red blood contrasted with the black fur around his mouth. He shook his head then padded away. A few seconds later, she heard him shifting.

  Gunner seemed content to stay in his feline shape. He sat and continued to gaze at the sky warily, mouth open in a light pant.

  “What the hell happened?” Mason asked when he’d shifted. Wearing his jeans, he pulled on his t-shirt as he approached. “One minute we were batting griffins out of the sky. The next, you two were gone, and then he just appears.”

  “Yeah.” She smiled. A sense of pride went through her, as much from knowing she’d pegged Chace correctly as it was from marveling at how beautiful he was in the sky, now that he was back.

  Finished chasing the griffins, Chace appeared to be reveling in his first experience flying in weeks. He soared and rolled, shot up so high into the sky that she could barely see him then plummeted close enough to the mountains that it didn’t seem possible for him to stop. He spit fire and bellowed a few times, and played with an air current, hovering in place and tipping his wings back and forth to test where the wind would take him.

  “My god he’s beautiful!” she breathed. She could almost feel his joy. It was as powerful as his sorrow had been, the part of him that was missing now fully restored. “I wonder if I can change into a dragon now.” She sought out the magic.

  It was strong and warm, humming through her body. She hadn’t realized how much she missed the thrum of his energy. At one time, it had been overwhelming and annoying, a connection to a creature she had thought of as her enemy. Now, it was so much more: a bond she craved to a dragon that had just proven to be the man she prayed he could be.

  “No.” Mason rested a hand on her arm. “You may be able to shift, but you still have to learn things when you do. There’s no way you can fly the first time out.”

  “Ugh. True.” She eyed the cliff’s edge, unwilling to take a tumble out of the sky again. If she shifted into a dragon bigger than Chace, he’d be unable to save her this time, either.

  “We have to get off this cliff. I need a shower, and I could eat a damn deer.” Mason grated. He stepped away and began waving his arms to get Chace’s attention.

  Unable to help herself, Skylar simply grinned, eyes on the dragon circling above them.

  Will I be a pink dragon? She wondered.

  Chace drifted down from the sky and landed at the other end of the ledge. He folded his wings, his dark blue depths settling on her. He snorted and stayed put.

  She sensed he was probably mad at her. At least, she’d be pissed if someone she loved jumped off a ledge to prove a point. Even if that point was how much he loved her.

  Beaming a smile at him, she called out, “Let’s get off this mountain, dragon!”

  Chace’s eyes narrowed, and his ears flattened back against his head. She heard his growl from her spot across the peak.

  Skylar laughed.

  “He doesn’t sound happy,” Mason observed.

  “I really don’t care,” she said. “I won this round, and it was worth it.”

  Chace unfolded his wings and lifted himself into the air above them.

  Gunner gave a plaintive cry in his panther form, and Mason grimaced. Skylar, however, was eager to get off the mountain, even if it was by dragon.

  With gentleness that conveyed none of his anger, Chace picked them all up, one by one, and then began a gradual descent to the ground. Skylar watched the ground become closer, fascinated by the amount of strength it took for him to fly with such control and steadiness.

  Mason was right. It had been difficult for her to gauge her strength as a lioness let alone curb it so she didn’t hurt someone. How much harder was it going to be to do similar as a dragon? To fly? How did one learn in the first place?

  Chace’s magic was like a bonfire in her veins. It meant that she was able to turn into a dragon as well, now that his magic was freed. She had a feeling being a dragon was much more complex than being a feline but couldn’t wait to try it.

  He took them to a picnic area at the base of the mountains and hovered in a meadow capable of accommodating his sixty-foot wingspan. Releasing them all a few feet from the ground, he then landed a short distance from them.

  “We’re about three kilometers from the compound,” Mason assessed. “You all are welcome to return.”

  “Maybe,” Skylar said and folded her arms across her chest. “I have a few things to say to your boss.”

  Mason averted his gaze in a sign that made her stomach sink. They both watched Gunner running across the field. He dropped his shoulder and rolled, grunting as he wriggled in the grass.

  “Think he’s happy to be back on solid ground,” Mason said with a laugh. “I feel like doing the same thing.”

  Skylar’s smile faded.

  Mason glanced at her. “I should go. Freyja will be suspicious if I’m gone too long.”

  “If you’re serious about being on the winning side, why don’t you stay with us?” Skylar asked.

  He considered her briefly before answering. “I’ve gotta take care of a few things.”

  “Now that I know what I can do, I’m putting as many of your people to sleep as I can,” she added. “No more instigating this war between shifters. And your boss – she’s got a ton of shit headed her way.”

  “I know.” He studied her. “There are some people who deserve to know what we’ve done to them. Give me a day, Skylar, before you hunt us down. Enjoy your time with Chace, and let me break the news to those who don’t yet know they’ve been brainwashed. I’m going to tear down the organization Freyja built from the inside out.”

  Skylar’s anger with his involvement in the conspiracy of Dillon and Freyja softened. She believed him to be genuine. It was in the sorrow and regret she read in his eyes.

  “I can’t imagine how they will react,” she said. “You don’t have to do it alone, Mason.”

  “I need to,” he said firmly. “I’m making amends the only way I know how. I can’t change what I’ve done, but I can change what happens next. You’re right, Sky. They deserve to know and to be given a choice.”

  Pitying him, she nodded. She heard the rustling of grass behind her as Chace made his way across the field.

  Mason turned and began walking towards the forest.

  Skylar hesitated. “Mason.”

  He turned.

  “Thank you for doing this,” she told him. “Really. I know how hard it will be.”

  He nodded. Without speaking, he turned away and disappeared into the forest.

  Skylar watched him. She wanted to go with him, to try to help console those who were about to learn what she had the past few weeks.

  Let him have his second chance, she told herself. Chace had been given his and succeeded in recovering what he’d lost. Mason would, too. Tomorrow morning, she’d seek him out again to make sure he’d followed through, then put those who insisted on following Freyja and Dillon into hibernation.

  But Mason deserved the chance to right the wrongs he committed.

  Chace’s warm breath puffed down on her from above. Skylar craned her neck back to see his massive head hovering over hers, his sharp gaze lingering in the direction where Mason had gone.

  Gunner got up and shook himself off then issued a mewling sound.

  As if understanding what the panther shifter said, Chace responded with a quiet, rumbling growl.

  Gu
nner loped away into the woods.

  Skylar faced Chace. He glanced at her then leapt upward into the sky, as if he wasn’t done reveling in his newfound freedom.

  Or he’s too pissed to turn into a human right now.

  She shook her head, nonetheless proud. Her smile grew as she took in what remained in the meadow after he left it.

  “Cabin!” she exclaimed, trotting forward.

  The lights went on, and all the windows and door open in welcome.

  Skylar hurried inside, anxious to be in the one place where she’d always felt safe and happy. The cabin was as she remembered it: welcoming, cozy and humming with subtle magic. The door and windows closed when she entered.

  “How’s life, cabin?” she asked, fingertips tracing down the back of the couch.

  It didn’t answer.

  “How pissed is your dragon?”

  A stack of books was shoved onto the floor.

  “I thought so.” Skylar sighed. Knowing he was mad did nothing to temper her happiness. She’d learned something far more important this afternoon.

  Her eyes went to the bed where she’d first made love with Chace. She stood beside it, exhausted after her shifting exercises with Mason and the stress of being stuck on a peak for almost an entire day without decent food or water. Skylar slung herself across the bed and groaned.

  It was still the most comfortable place she’d ever slept in her life. Maybe it was the magic cabin or maybe it was just being able to lay down somewhere without worrying about dragons or griffins coming to get her, but she felt calm and centered after her swan dive off a mountain.

  The only thing that would make her life complete in that moment: a dragon shifter who wasn’t too furious to turn human.

  She grinned, not caring how upset he was at the moment.

  “I know just how to cheer you up, dragon,” she murmured. “Hey, cabin. You got any sexy lingerie around?”

  She waited a moment then pushed herself up to look around. At the bottom of the bed was exactly what she needed.

  Chapter Seven

  Chace didn’t expect it to take him until nightfall to cool down. Not that he was in a hurry to give Skylar a piece of his mind, especially since he was able to fly again.