Chapter Eleven
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
Scarlett ran from the castle’s courtyard onto the gravel road they’d driven in on.
There were only two directions she could go, so she chose the familiar route along the tree houses.
Out in the inky night, the lit tree houses provided the only illumination.
A nice walk around the countryside sounded like just the thing while she wallowed in thoughts of Brayden.
Crickets chirped around her, and she shivered as a huge gust of wind blew straight through her clothes. Summer in Clair de Lune was colder than Soleil’s winter.
I’ll warm up if I keep moving.
Her chest tightened as she heard a car leaving the castle courtyard behind her. Was it paranoid to think James would’ve immediately narced on her to Brayden? The idea of him chasing after her like a naughty child was unbearable. As headlights flashed on the road, she ran toward the forest to hide.
From behind the thick trunk of an enormous redwood, she peeked out at the SUV, letting out an exasperated sigh when it pulled over where she’d left the road.
Fuck my life.
They probably knew she’d run into the woods to avoid them, which only increased her desire not to be caught.
A chill that had nothing to do with the cold washed over Scarlett as she stared at the wild forest. No moonlight streamed down through the trees.
If she went fifteen feet into the woods and crouched down, they wouldn’t see her.
James had said it was dangerous, but how dangerous could it be this close to the road?
Before she could lose her nerve, Scarlett scrambled through the trees with her hands out in front of her to make sure she didn’t hit anything.
She winced as a low branch scraped her leg.
Grasping the nearest tree trunk, she turned to see if she was still being pursued.
To her shock, she couldn’t see the road through the trees. She’d only come a short way—hadn’t she?
“Scarlett?” Brayden’s voice reached her from somewhere nearby. “It’s dangerous out here. Please don’t hide from me.”
She crouched down on the forest floor, touching the mossy base of the tree to steady herself.
I don’t want to see you right now.
It sounded like he was to her left. Maybe if she stayed in place he wouldn’t spot her. The sounds of unseen animals—or other things—washed over her. A wolf howled, and it didn’t sound far away. She whirled around when a human scream pierced the night air and leaves rustled nearby.
Okay, time to go back to the road.
Scarlett had just risen when a rotten, wrinkled form came into sight a mere twenty feet away.
She screamed, stumbling backward. The thing emitted a faint glow, and the mummified human corpse with black holes for eyes shrieked again as it came toward her, taking halting steps in her direction.
Another corpse emerged from the trees, marching forward in the same labored way.
Footsteps came at her. Brayden and James appeared.
“Scarlett!” Brayden yelled, and all desire to hide from them disappeared in the face of whatever these disgusting things were. Thank the Goddess they’d found her.
“Brayden,” she called in a shaky voice.
James said, “Don’t look at the wraiths!”
But it was too late. Those black holes had looked into her eyes, and she was paralyzed by them. Everything around her faded as she stared back—until Brayden came into view, grabbing her by the shoulders and breaking her eye contact with the creatures.
He shoved her into James’s arms. “Protect her.” Then Brayden spun around, hands up, looking down at the forest floor with his palms facing the corpses. A stream of fire emerged from his hands, illuminating the forest around them as he targeted the creatures.
Scarlett’s jaw dropped. How was he doing that? She remembered the hydra and the dire wolf from the boxing match. Was he some kind of dragon shifter? And he’d never told her?
His blaze surrounded the creatures, and, shrieking, they tried to protect their leathery faces. In seconds, they were piles of ash, the ground around them scorched black.
Brayden’s flames went out, plunging them into darkness once more. He rushed back toward her and James and reached for her with hands that had just been covered in fire.
Scarlett jerked back, afraid he might burn her. “What are you?”
The hurt in his eyes snapped her out of her fear and shock. He’d never harm her.
She grabbed his hand. It didn’t burn, but it was unusually warm. “That was wild. Your fire is incredible,” she said in a shaky voice.
He sagged with relief as he wrapped her in his arms. “Thank the Goddess you’re all right,” he whispered.
His breath caressed her ear, and warmth pooled deep in her core. The heat of his arms around her… Goddess. She almost forgot about his rejection. His smell was so similar to the forest, but with a distinctly male undertone that made her want to rub herself on him like a cat.
James cleared his throat. “You didn’t tell her about your power?”
Brayden released her. “I’m a phoenix.”
“And I want a full description of what that entails as soon as we’re out of here.” Scarlett turned to James and hugged him briefly. “Thank you for coming after me.”
“Of course. I told you not to come out here—the woods are full of wraiths.” He shuddered.
“That was a wraith?” Scarlett looked at the burned piles of ash. “How are people living so close to a forest with wraiths?”
A wolf howled, far too close, and Scarlett’s whole body shuddered.
“Yep. We’re leaving. Now.” Brayden’s tone left no room for argument. He and James walked on either side of Scarlett as they hurried back to the road.
Brayden didn’t stop scanning the trees as they moved. Scarlett relaxed when the SUV came into sight, but her mind was still reeling from what she’d just seen.
Back on the road, Brayden ran a hand through his hair as he stood with his back to the forest. “For future reference, don’t look wraiths in the eyes. They’ll literally eat you if they get close enough.”
Her eyes went wide as she pictured those puckered mouths tearing into her flesh. “I will never go into the woods alone again. What the hell are wraiths though?”
“They’re lost souls trapped in the woods for a thousand years as a punishment for abuse of magic.
The government stopped punishing people that way when the Hieratian Empire fell, but there are still a ton in the woods,” said Brayden.
“Are you sure you’re okay? I’ve never looked them in the eye. It’s supposed to be really strange.”
“It was strange, like I couldn’t focus on anything but its eyes. I’m fine now though. Thanks to you. Thank you for saving me.” Then she smacked him on the shoulder. “Why didn’t you ever tell me you could do that? And what’s a phoenix?” Scarlett shivered again. It was freezing out here.
Brayden’s focus was all on her as he wrapped an arm around her and steered her toward the SUV. “Let’s get in the car, and I’ll tell you.”
Scarlett sat in the front seat. James made to get into the driver’s seat, but Brayden elbowed him aside.
Scarlett raised an eyebrow as he climbed in and started the engine, pointing the vents so the hot air warmed her.
Touched by the kind gesture, she gave him a grateful smile as she held her hands up to the vents.
The engine idled as Brayden shifted to face her. “All adults in Clair de Lune receive a magical gift we call a valor. My valor is the phoenix. I wield fire, and I’m really hard to kill.”
“Valor… Dr. Bowen mentioned that term. Are you a shifter? Like the people at that boxing match I told you about?”
“No. I don’t shift into a literal phoenix—I can just create fire. Lots and lots of fire.”
She cocked her head to one side. “Why’d you keep that a secret from me?”
He gave her some serious side-eye. “I didn’t think you’d want to hear it. You got nervous every time I brought up anything to do with magic, so I kept that part of my life to myself.”
Had she come across that way? She’d always viewed magic with a fascinated respect. She had none, and that made her feel deficient. She asked her grandmother whenever she was curious about something magical, because she didn’t want to highlight her deficiencies to Brayden.
“I didn’t mean to be like that,” she said.
“I’m jealous you can do magic.” She turned around to look at James as it dawned on her he probably had a magic power too.
“What’s your valor? Can you do anything cool?
” Inside the warm car, the horrors of the night faded from her mind.
It was so easy to feel safe with Brayden and James.
“I’m a vox. I’m good at giving great speeches.” He gave her two thumbs up.
“Do you shift or do anything like what Brayden can do?”
Brayden huffed in amusement beside her.
“Nope. I’m a lover, not a fighter.” James winked.
She debated how to ask her burning question with tact. “Do you like being a vox?”
He raised his eyebrows. “You mean, do I wish I had a flashy, impressive valor like Brayden instead?”
“I was trying to ask that nicely.” Scarlett gave him a crooked half-smile.
“Honestly, being a vox suits me. I’m a civil servant, and a vox is more useful in politics than a phoenix.” He leaned closer. “I could show you—”
“Remember that party I mentioned earlier?” interjected Brayden. “My friend Minnie’s house is three minutes away from here. We could continue this valor discussion with drinks, if you’re up for it.”
Scarlett shifted in her seat and smoothed the skirt of her dress.
Miraculously, her silk corset dress had come out of the encounter with the wraiths with only a few wrinkles, and her appearance wouldn’t embarrass her at a party.
Did she want to go? It sounded like a lot after the long, emotional day, but she was wired from the encounter in the woods and had tons of questions.
As for what had led her out to the woods… A drink did sound like a great distraction from her failed attempt to kiss Brayden.
“Sure. Let’s do it.”