Smolder (Crown of Fae #3) - Sharon Ashwood Page 0,48
dark magic, but it was still a fearsome creature. It killed a full-grown dragon. Their flames meant nothing to it.”
“Morran wouldn’t burn anyone but the enemy,” Leena replied.
“That’s not the point. A phoenix has more power than you or I could understand, and it’s dwelling inside another person. Binding with a creature like that makes Morran different from ordinary fae.” Anna shook her head. “He would never hurt you intentionally.”
“But?”
“We can’t understand what it must feel like to have that much power, much less lose it. He’s got to be messed up.”
“Maybe,” Leena said reluctantly. “It would make an ordinary life difficult.”
Anna shrugged. “Even with regular folk, some people can’t give a mate what he or she needs. It’s not personal. They’re just not built that way.”
How much was Anna talking about Barleycorn? It didn’t matter. Leena already feared much of what she said was true about Morran.
He was a prince, and she was a temple dancer—that was mismatched enough, but it was just the beginning of the gulf between them. He had commanded vast armies, enormous wealth, and unimaginable power. If healed, he would be the next thing to a god. After all, he’d held the south against the Shades for a hundred and fifty years before suffering defeat.
She was saved from her thoughts by a knock on the door. It was a male dressed in boots and leathers, holding two large, flat boxes.
“Pizza’s here,” Anna said. “This is Edgar. Edgar, Leena.”
Edgar nodded, giving Anna a cautious look. There was no debate about who had alpha-wolf status.
“Surrender the pizza,” Anna said, “and get out there on perimeter patrol.”
“I got cat food, too, like you asked,” he said, pulling two tins from his pocket before vanishing out the door.
“Doesn’t he get any food?” Leena asked.
“Don’t worry about Edgar,” Anna grumbled. “He probably ate a whole pie on the way here—that he charged to my account.”
Leena’s mouth watered at the savory scent, but she controlled herself long enough to ensure Kifi was fed first. The cat fell on the food with gusto.
“This pizza is for meat lovers,” Anna said, opening the box on top. “The other is vegetarian with extra cheese. No olives or pineapple. I have standards.”
Leena bit into a hot, spicy slice. Cheese, peppers, and basil danced on her tongue. “How did this recipe never arrive in Faery?”
“Probably because it never tastes the same when you make it at home.”
Leena took two more bites, not caring if she looked greedy. The last time she’d had a satisfying meal was before Lord Dorth’s banquet. She finished her slice within a minute, then loaded two of the meaty triangles onto a paper towel. “I’ll take these to Morran. He won’t have gone far.”
Kifi was starting on seconds and Anna was chewing, so Leena left, her own second slice in her free hand. It was hard not to fantasize about arranging inter-dimensional delivery service. The people of Eldaban, high and low alike, would adore this pizza concoction. If she survived this adventure, it might be a lucrative business venture.
Her thoughts turned serious again when she stepped outside. The heat of the day was fading. She caught the scent of a sea breeze, suggesting this crowded city must be near the coast.
She set out cautiously. It was dark, and they hadn’t caught Fionn. She couldn’t let her guard down for an instant.
Happily, she hadn’t gone two steps before she saw Morran sitting under the stand of oak trees. He wasn’t looking her way, so she took the opportunity to study his still form. The shirt Anna had supplied should have given him a more casual air, but nothing hid his nature. His tall warrior’s body was poised ready to burst into motion. He was strength and potential—the very essence of the Flame.
Morran got to his feet as she approached. She handed him the food.
“What is this?” he said, taking a bite.
“Pizza.”
“Ambrosia,” he countered, closing his eyes. “Food of the gods. I was hungrier than I thought.”
“There’s more where that came from.” She took a bite of her own slice.
Somewhere outside the fence, one of the workmen shouted. All at once, the block was flooded with light, as if a thousand captive suns had been released. Leena blinked at the sudden brightness flooding from the city’s thousand windows and streetlights. A cheer went up from inside the hospital.
“The horizon looks like a glittering crown,” she said, inching a little deeper into the oak tree’s shadow. The light made it easier to see, but also