Read Online Forged in Darkfire: An Amber Lee Novella (Amber Lee Mysteries Book 5) by Katerina Martinez - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Katerina Martinez
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curse Henry had lain on her she may have been able to use some of her own Magick to get out, but maybe throwing her scent around had been about as much as she could manage.
Then the Amber started to go warm in his hand, reminding him of its presence maybe. He opened his palm and watched the fire flickering golden and orange inside the little gem. It might have looked like a piece of the sun trapped inside a stone. Then a thought struck him. Damien took a step back, trapped the Amber between his thumb and forefinger, and wound back his arm.
He had never been a good pitcher, but he couldn’t exactly miss here.
CHAPTER 10
Wherever that thing pretending to be Henry was, it’s dead now.
Damien didn’t know how he had come by this information, but it came to him all the same in the split second it took for the stone to fly from his hand toward the cell. Just as he had suspected, the mouth clamped down hard as soon as the gem crossed the threshold and shattered it, releasing the trapped explosion within. Only there had been no explosion.
Instead of the heat he expected there was cool. Instead of the suck and pop of a blast, there was quiet. Instead of being hurled across the room from the shockwave he was standing perfectly still. He had raised his hands to protect himself from the light and the blast, but he lowered them now and found himself standing on a long, empty, windy pier.
And Natalie was at the end of it.
“Natalie,” he said, running toward her. She turned around and smiled and he took her in an embrace, burying his nose in the cinnamon and honey smell of her hair. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she said, “I chose to save your ass, didn’t I?”
He smiled at that. “Yeah, you could have let me take it.”
“No,” she said, “I couldn’t have.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” he said, pulling back and brushing the side of her face with his hand. “I’m here now and so are you. You’re safe.”
She nodded, but there was something about her eyes… they looked dull and muted. They didn’t have the same shiny brilliance that, despite being deep brown pools, he had seen them have before. Damien’s smile started to fade as if it had been washed away by the evening tide.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Damien… we…” she was struggling to find the words. “I can’t leave.”
He searched her eyes for an answer for a question his lips couldn’t ask but found none. “You have to leave. You have to wake up, Natalie.”
“I can’t,” she said. She turned her head and gazed across the bay. There, right where Damien had left it, was the roiling, churning black cloud—the Dark Fire. Arcs of green lightning were shooting across the sky and slamming into buildings and water, setting them ablaze with green fire. He could hear the roar of the flames even from here. And it seemed, somehow, that the storm was starting to move again.
To move toward the pier Damien was standing on.
“No,” he said, “That can’t be right. You have to wake up, Natalie. You have—” The shooting pain in his temple came back with a vengeance. It felt like he had been stabbed with an ice pick. He grimaced and fell back a few paces, and despite the pain he was in Natalie didn’t show any concern on her face. Maybe she couldn’t show any concern.
“She’s right,” said a voice from behind. Lily. Hers was also cold and unconcerned.
Damien spun around, holding the side of his head. “She has to wake up,” he said, “We freed her, didn’t we?”
Lily shook her head. “We freed her from Henry, but we were too late to stop the Dark Fire. It has already taken too much. She’ll be gone soon, Damien.”
“Gone?” He whipped around again and looked at Natalie. “She’s right there! How can you tell me she’s gone?”
“When the Dark Fire comes it’ll take what’s left of her. We should destroy her now before… she changes.”
“No,”
Then the Amber started to go warm in his hand, reminding him of its presence maybe. He opened his palm and watched the fire flickering golden and orange inside the little gem. It might have looked like a piece of the sun trapped inside a stone. Then a thought struck him. Damien took a step back, trapped the Amber between his thumb and forefinger, and wound back his arm.
He had never been a good pitcher, but he couldn’t exactly miss here.
CHAPTER 10
Wherever that thing pretending to be Henry was, it’s dead now.
Damien didn’t know how he had come by this information, but it came to him all the same in the split second it took for the stone to fly from his hand toward the cell. Just as he had suspected, the mouth clamped down hard as soon as the gem crossed the threshold and shattered it, releasing the trapped explosion within. Only there had been no explosion.
Instead of the heat he expected there was cool. Instead of the suck and pop of a blast, there was quiet. Instead of being hurled across the room from the shockwave he was standing perfectly still. He had raised his hands to protect himself from the light and the blast, but he lowered them now and found himself standing on a long, empty, windy pier.
And Natalie was at the end of it.
“Natalie,” he said, running toward her. She turned around and smiled and he took her in an embrace, burying his nose in the cinnamon and honey smell of her hair. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she said, “I chose to save your ass, didn’t I?”
He smiled at that. “Yeah, you could have let me take it.”
“No,” she said, “I couldn’t have.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” he said, pulling back and brushing the side of her face with his hand. “I’m here now and so are you. You’re safe.”
She nodded, but there was something about her eyes… they looked dull and muted. They didn’t have the same shiny brilliance that, despite being deep brown pools, he had seen them have before. Damien’s smile started to fade as if it had been washed away by the evening tide.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Damien… we…” she was struggling to find the words. “I can’t leave.”
He searched her eyes for an answer for a question his lips couldn’t ask but found none. “You have to leave. You have to wake up, Natalie.”
“I can’t,” she said. She turned her head and gazed across the bay. There, right where Damien had left it, was the roiling, churning black cloud—the Dark Fire. Arcs of green lightning were shooting across the sky and slamming into buildings and water, setting them ablaze with green fire. He could hear the roar of the flames even from here. And it seemed, somehow, that the storm was starting to move again.
To move toward the pier Damien was standing on.
“No,” he said, “That can’t be right. You have to wake up, Natalie. You have—” The shooting pain in his temple came back with a vengeance. It felt like he had been stabbed with an ice pick. He grimaced and fell back a few paces, and despite the pain he was in Natalie didn’t show any concern on her face. Maybe she couldn’t show any concern.
“She’s right,” said a voice from behind. Lily. Hers was also cold and unconcerned.
Damien spun around, holding the side of his head. “She has to wake up,” he said, “We freed her, didn’t we?”
Lily shook her head. “We freed her from Henry, but we were too late to stop the Dark Fire. It has already taken too much. She’ll be gone soon, Damien.”
“Gone?” He whipped around again and looked at Natalie. “She’s right there! How can you tell me she’s gone?”
“When the Dark Fire comes it’ll take what’s left of her. We should destroy her now before… she changes.”
“No,”
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