Read Online 03] ES) Firestorm by Shannon Mayer - Free Book Online Page B

mother goddess.”
    I lowered Peta to the floor where she glared at Cactus, her thoughts all but written on her face. She didn’t believe him.
    My turn. “And she believed you?”
    “I told her the princess I loved still held my heart and I could never be unfaithful to her, even if I could never be with her.” Cactus’s tone was light and teasing but in the depths of his eyes I saw the yearning. The truth behind his words. I was the one he wanted. I was the princess sworn to another.
    I looked away. “Peta, why would Fiametta buy that?”
    “I’m surprised she did,” Peta said. “But that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. The queen keeps things close to her chest and lets no one in. Not even her children.”
    I walked out of the room and down the hall. “You can come, Cactus. But if for one instant Fiametta starts to pay attention to you—”
    “I’ll back out. Don’t worry so much, Lark. This will be slick as slug spit.” He jogged to catch up to me, swatting me lightly on the ass with an open palm. I arched an eyebrow at him.
    “Cactus.” Just his name, a simple warning. Peta was less subtle.
    “Keep your hands to yourself, prick.”
    The three of us stepped out of Cactus’s place and into the open cavern and just for a moment, disorientation flowed over me. Going from the green, cool, and flowering place that Cactus had created to the stark rock of the inner mountain I had to take a few breaths and get my bearings. The heat picked up with each step we took, like being inside a tiny box, we couldn’t escape the closed in air and for just a moment panic reared its head.
    I wanted to run, to get to Brand as quick as possible and ask him who was with us when we’d Traveled; just to get this over with. But if Cactus was right and the queen had her spies watching everyone, listening to everything, I had to be careful.
    Walking swiftly, I headed back to the bridge. I stepped onto the arched structure and bolted across. The heat from the lava flowed through the rock that made up the bridge despite how thick each piece of stone was.
    Peta trotted across, her tail flicking in the air and Cactus sauntered, smiling at me the whole way. I shook my head and spun, stepping right into the chest of a well-endowed woman. Bouncing off her, I took a couple steps back. “I’m sorry.”
    She was almost as tall as my six feet, which was unusual. Her hair was so dark a red, it was almost a purple tone, and her eyes were a pale gray. Other than her large chest, it was difficult to tell she was a woman. Her shoulders were incredibly broad and her hips narrow but between hips and shoulders she had a monstrous gut.
    She arched an eyebrow at me. “Terraling. What are you doing wandering around?”
    Peta strode between us, shifting into her full leopard form, her black spotted thick white coat rippling. “I’m watching over her, Fay. Leave the Dirt Girl to me.”
    Fay let out a low laugh. “Oh, then she’ll be dead within the week. Well done, bad luck cat.” She patted Peta’s head and strolled away, still laughing. I took a step forward and touched Peta’s head.
    “Don’t listen to them,” I said, knowing what it was to be the one your people looked down on.
    Peta let out a low growl. “We are not friends, Dirt Girl. Not by a long shot. I do this because I must.” She shrunk back to her housecat form and stiff legged, stalked away from me.
    Cactus was at my side a second later. “She’s . . .touchy. In all the four families, Peta has lost the most charges. They always die on her, and the mother goddess doesn’t seem inclined to stop handing her off to people.”
    “Lovely. And now everyone will think I’m next on the list.”
    “Why do you think Peta hasn’t told anyone she’s your familiar unless she has to?” Cactus arched an eyebrow at me and I realized he had a point. As long as Peta kept quiet, no one would make the connection between us and when I died, it would be one less death on her.
    Damn, that