“Use you?”
In a lower voice, she told him, “You know. The fire.” She warmed the hand upon his arm, not enough to hurt, but to show him what she meant. “It was just me, my mom, dad, and sister. Bella is older, but she was married off to a warlord when she was just sixteen.” Mandy shrugged. “Where I come from, people try to get ahead by any means necessary. I just… I could never understand it.” Some of her friends’ families had just made do. They weren’t rich, weren’t living in the largest accommodations or able to afford real meat and vegetables, but the artificial foods had plenty of nutrients. And their families had been happy.
“I do not understand it either.” He lead her through the village, past the bartering area where villagers traded for food and goods. Past the groupings of huts where the elders and orphaned resided, surrounded by warrior housing. Dwellings consisted of wood and vine, some thatching, and very little stone. The scent of sweet kryllax gave the housing area the smell of honeysuckle and rose, and Mandy let herself feel at ease, giving in to Lore’s raw strength.
She knew he felt it, because he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
“I told you my parents sold me. But they sold me to a very bad man.” She whispered, “Red Francisco,” then raised her voice back to normal. “His people are basically a clan of powerful men and women who do bad things. A crime family.”
“Like the Nasuhl.”
“Yes.” They followed a path into the trees, away from the community, toward a group of interconnected pools that led out into the lake which bordered the village on one side. Women and children frolicked in the water while a group of warriors continued to patrol nearby.
Lore sat her on a bench of flat rock, far enough away to guarantee them privacy, yet close enough that they could watch the villagers swimming. Ondi birds flew overhead, a swath of color against the bright indigo sky. The clouds were wisps of white and pink framing the dual suns.
It truly was magnificent.
“These Franciscos.” He stumbled over the name. “They think they own you?”
“They do own me.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, in some parts of my world, slavery is legal. They call it indentured servitude, but those of us who are ‘property’ know the truth. We have no rights.”
He turned to face her, so she did likewise to better view him, not sure what this powerful, handsome warrior really saw in her. He and Zehn had liked her before they knew of the fire. And that gladdened her.
“Some clans in the tribes also own slaves.” Lore frowned. “When my parents left our clan, we settled in the Cloud Tribe because most of the leaders in Cloud care for their people. I am like my father. My eyes carry the taint of offworlder blood. And my ability to see into another’s mind makes many uncomfortable.”
This time she reached out to hold his hand. So much larger than her, yet he held her carefully, the honesty in his vulnerability a rare gift. “Lore, what I can do with my fire… You know it’s deep, powerful.”
He nodded.
“I don’t tell people, because everyone wants to use it. But it’s a bad thing. I hurt people.” She’d scarred her mother as a baby, and had forever been reminded that she owed her family for not turning her in as a child. She supposed they were right…to an extent. They could have turned her into the militant alliance, who normally handled violent kinetics. But instead, her family had bargained for wealth with criminals.
“I too can hurt people if I’m not careful. I only share with Zehn because others don’t like me in their heads.”
“But you can go in if you want?”
He hesitated, then nodded.
“Have you done that to me?”
“No.” Swift and sure.
She believed him. “Why not?”
“Because I care for you. I—” He swallowed, his tattoos appearing, his gaze brightening as his golden eye turned a bright green. “I have made mistakes. But I cannot help myself. You could find a male much more worthy than myself. Zehn is a great warrior and a fine mate. I’m lacking. I know this. But I would give my life for you.”
She hated that he thought so little of himself.
“I would never force you into anything you did not want. A warrior lives by his word.” Lore frowned, and she felt his upset. “But Mandy, you cannot know. It’s a battle not to give in to the instinct.”
“Instinct.”
“To claim you for mine and Zehn’s own. My heart beats for you. Pheltharhas tied us, Mandy of Earth. Zehn told me not to scare you away with talk of permanence, but I do not want there to be untruth between us.”
She saw him flush, noted the intensity with which he spoke. And she realized that for all their differences, she and Lore were a lot alike. Outcasts, powerfully gifted, and unsure of their worth. Mandy had been nothing but a bargaining chip her entire life. At first she’d been valued because of her supposed beauty. Then, when her pyrokinesis matured after puberty, her worth became tied to her ability to set fire to whatever was asked of her.
She’d never known love from her family. From her friends, yes, and from a few of her caregivers early on, when she’d been identified as a fire power. But her parents had never cared for her as person. Her sister had been as bad, concerned only with her status in life and what she could get from a proper marriage.
“Lore, why don’t you think you’re worthy? You’ve protected me and Zehn from danger. You’re strong, powerful, special. And so handsome,” she added, seeing his cheeks redden even more.God, he’s adorable.A seven foot tall barbarian who blushed at compliments. “Zehn loves you.”
