Cursed by Flame (Dragonborn Daughters #3) - Kimber White Page 0,6
last dragon shifters on earth. But because of him, Durness was one of the largest Oasis Territories in the country. We hosted more than two hundred settlements. Two wolf packs. A bear clan. And various other shifter groups fortunate enough to escape the Ring-occupied territories in southern California.
“It’s a start,” I said.
“What about Rose?” my mother said. “Did you see her?”
My heart sank. I wished I had better news. “No,” I said. We kept a picture of Rose Kilgore taped to the fridge. Her father was a wind mage in the Circean coven. He came to us six weeks ago to report her disappearance. My father’s connection soon told us she’d fallen in with members of the Ring.
“You said they’ve sourced wind magic,” my mother said. “Were you able to tell if it was Circean?”
“I didn’t get close enough,” I said. “There was…” I stumbled over the words. Archer’s dark eyes flashed in my memory. Again, I imagined his wolf. I hadn’t actually seen it, but I felt it. Huge. Black. Powerful. Brutal. Deadly. Fire crackled in my palms. I closed my fists, but not before my mother saw.
“Rye,” I continued. “He was going to give me a sample. An injection. I left before he could.”
I don’t know why I held back the full truth. “That’s it then,” my father’s voice boomed, making the table shake.
“That’s not it,” my mother said, slipping out of his arms. “That’s not even close to it. We have to know. If they’ve taken a Circean witch and are using her connection to the Source, we have to put a stop to it. No matter what. I’m a member of the Five, Finn. The council leader. You know I can’t let that stand.”
No matter what. She wouldn’t say it, but of course I knew the implication. If Rose Kilgore couldn’t be brought back into the fold willingly, we’d have to cut her off by other means.
“I’m going back,” I said.
“The hell you are,” my father said.
“It has to be me,” I said. “I can handle it. There’s nobody else. I don’t care who they’ve got supplying magic. They can’t be stronger than me.”
“I don’t care,” my dad said.
“Dad,” I said. “This is what we do. This is what we’ve always done. We save who we can out there and bring them into the fold. Mom’s right. If Rose Kilgore is in trouble and needs our help, we give it. She’s a member of the coven. Period. And if she can’t be saved, then we have to make it so she can’t hurt anyone else. I’m not in any danger. They can’t hurt me at the Taurus.”
“What if they find out who you really are?” he asked.
“They won’t,” my mother and I said together. I went to him. I slid my arms around my father’s shoulders and hugged him. I felt the rumble of a barely suppressed dragon roar. But he softened a bit.
“I’m a Hayes,” I said. “the strongest fire mage in a generation. But I’m also a Brandhart. Test me if you want to. I know how to cloak what I am. Just like you. To them I’m just another human looking for a fix. A fix that can’t actually do me harm. But I can’t find Rose or understand how they’re sourcing magic if I can’t get close to it. So I’m going back.”
“I’m going with you then,” he said.
“No,” I said. “You think that would help, but it would only put me at greater risk.”
“If you do that,” my mother chimed in, “They’re liable to shut the Taurus down or move it. This is the best chance we’ve got to find Rose. I owe her father. The power we have comes with the responsibility to protect the rest of the coven. You married into that, my love. It’s the deal.”
My father snarled, but I knew that look. And he knew when my mother was right. She went to him and I took it as my cue to leave them alone. When I passed the fridge, I took down the picture of Rose Kilgore.
She was pretty. So young. Just sixteen. I’d only met her in passing once. She idolized my mother like most witches do. The great Gemma Hayes. Last of her line until me.
I prayed the rumors we’d heard weren’t true. But the Ring often preyed on young witches like her, seducing them with money, power, freedom. And all of it in exchange for their access to the Source so they could