Light My Fire: Emerald Seer II

LIGHT MY FIRE

EMERALD SEER 2

Trace Broyles

Copyright 2011 by Trace Broyles

Smashwords Edition

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used factitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons (living, dead, or undead) is quite honestly coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission from the author or publisher.

Cover Design By

Tammie Gibbs

Once Upon A Book Cover

For Autumn and Maddox,

You inspire me to be the best I can

And I write for you always, to lead by example

Be what you were born to be.

Never settle for less than what you want.

Foreword - A brief recap of Ryder on the Storm – Emerald Seer I

Storm Sullivan has always been a Seer, part of one of the most powerful lines in history. After ten years on the run, Storm is forced to return home when her Aunt Trin is brutally murdered. As family secrets unravel, Storm finds she can no longer deny her destiny as the legendary Emerald Seer. Storm must find a way to harness her newfound powers and identify the murderer before she becomes the next target.

Ryder Cohen is an Immortal, in fact, he is the Immortal charged with destroying the Sullivan line. As a former enforcer for the Immortal Brethren he spent several centuries hunting down and wiping out the Sullivans to prevent the Emerald from rising. A prophecy foretold of the Emerald having enough power to revoke the immortality of the brethren and end their dominion over the supernatural community. But Ryder has his own secrets and has come to doubt the brethren’s version of the prophecy.

When Storm and Ryder meet for the first time, sparks fly - much to the chagrin of both parties. It quickly becomes clear that Ryder is not the threat against Storm. Despite Storm’s reservations, Ryder joins her protection detail. Three other Immortals, Lucian, Kell, and Pollux join him at Storm’s family estate – Willow Wood.

Storm discovers her Aunt Trin is bound to a Soul Mirror but their reunion is cut short when Storm’s estranged father shows up and takes her captive. Calling on her new powers, and with the aid of her dog, Pac Man, Storm is able to escape her father. The Seraphs, Immortals, and Storm form an awkward alliance to capture Storm’s father.

Roane, an unpopular member of the Immortal council arrives at Willow Wood insisting he speak with Storm. He reveals the greatest family secret – he fathered the anomaly, Jasper, who happens to be Storm’s father. All parties are shocked since Immortals are supposed to be infertile. Roane reveals he was involved with Damarra, a goddess of fertility who worked with a powerful witch to conceive the anomaly.

Ryder is then kidnapped by Jasper leading Storm and Roane to summon Damarra. The goddess is thrilled to see her granddaughter and offers her assistance in rescuing Ryder. She has been living among the ancient Tuathe De Danaan who are angry with Jasper for straying from his destiny which had always been to father the Emerald.

Storm rescues Ryder. Damarra and Roane take Jasper to the Tuatha De where his life will be forfeit. Ryder and Storm are wed, Shane and Dan leave for another assignment with the promise to return occasionally, and Lucian, Kell and Pollux decide to stay on for a while.

Light My Fire – Emerald Seer #2 continues the saga of Ryder and Storm but incorporates Lucian whose inner fire is becoming harder to quell in the presence of the powerful Emerald…..

1503 – Lucian

The witch lied. Damn her. Lucian vowed to pay her back tenfold if it was the last thing he ever did. Six months with the beast and the fire still burned through every inch of his being. The spirit remained angry and thrashed against him with enough force to make him wretch up whatever food he managed to choke down. Ryder seemed to be paying much closer attention to him. Worry creased his friend’s brow more often than not these days, and it certainly was not about the new recruits. The Scots, Kell and Pollux always eyed Lucian warily but learned quickly to leave him be. They both took to Ryder quickly, in spite of his brooding nature, and Lucian knew he could leave them soon enough. Maybe. If Ryder would stop watching him so damn closely.

Lucian remained resolved to tame the beast, and then take his vengeance on the witch with all the power of the Phoenix behind him. Anger writhed inside him, fury and fire warring for an upper hand. He refused to use its real name as punishment. The more Lucian tried to reason with it, the angrier it grew and the more it burned so he took to other methods. As strongest of the Immortals Lucian was the natural choice to cage the Phoenix and the witch promised it would submit to him in a few days. It was supposed to dwindle to a flicker. It was supposed to be easy for him after a short while. He should have known better. They all should have.

Present day - Lucian

How could you be so stupid! Really, Ryder, I don’t give a damn about your silly traditions. That was dangerous! We have no idea what it could mean for you! Storm’s voice carried down the hallway with enough bite to make an average man cringe. Lucian looked to his companions, Kell and Pollux, and rolled his eyes.

Looks like Ry should have explained it to her first. I warned him. The Scots chuckled in response and Lucian returned to reading over the crib instructions. His skin burned a little less today, seemed the Phoenix liked the nursery. Lucian had not been certain of it at first, not until a few days before when he was adding the whitewashed crown molding and chair rail while Angeline directed the Scots on where to hang some pictures. Lucian swore Pollux kept humming to annoy him and started to snap at the Scot when he realized it was actually the beast. It receded completely that day, curling into itself with a pleasant hum. Now that they were assembling the baby furniture, the beast seemed mellow once again. A welcome relief in light of the last few weeks since Storm and Ryder returned from their honeymoon. An unspoken tension followed them back from the trip, the unknown had a way of doing that to people, he supposed. Still, the beast picked up on the added strain and made Lucian pay for it.

Kell, hold the front and back steady. I’ll put the pins in the sides. Pollux’s voice broke through Lucian’s reverie.

Use the allen wrench, brother. Come on, do not break the thing. Lucian shook his head, the Scots still had a bit of the Scottish heathen in them. He was not of the mind to upset their expecting Emerald any further. Just use the little tool, and do it right, already.

We should have just built one the old way, Luc. This is ridiculous. Pollux muttered as he crouched down with the flimsy bit of metal.

I do not think the Emerald would take kindly to the old ways when it comes to her babe. Remember, she is relatively new to the world and this is all she knows. Though he would not admit it to anybody, Lucian found the new ways of child rearing to be quite ridiculous. Thinking back to his own childhood, when babes were carried in pelts and slept with their parents until the next babe came along or they were old enough to forage their own beds. Lucian was the middle child of nine siblings though two had died young. He did not even recall their names. Stretching his mind, Lucian realized he only remembered one name, Thome, his twin and closest friend. Memories of the others faded over time, even his parents were reduced to foggy images. For a time the thought saddened him but like the others of his adopted family, Lucian got over it. Immortals were marked as such for no particular reason they’d been able to discern. Lucian looked down to his arm, the tiny horseshoe shaped brand located just inside his elbow, mark of the Omega, appeared the day after his sixteenth birth year.

Luc, wake up, come on man, I want to finish this ridiculous thing today. What goes next? Kell looked over expectantly, the younger Immortal clearly dissatisfied with assembly duty. His brother, Pollux stood and tested the sturdiness of the piece, frowning and muttering about the old ways. Lucian shook his head.

Boys, we still have the changing table and the dresser to complete. The Scots groaned in response. Lucian smiled, What? We agreed to protect and serve; this is part of the serving part.

Pollux raised an eyebrow, YOU agreed to protect and serve, yet you seem to be just flipping through instructions.

Brother, I am an overseer and your senior by a couple hundred years. Deal with it. Lucian tilted his head toward the hall, Besides, I am listening to the argument so I know how to deal with Storm when she comes to check our progress.

Deal with me? Am I some fragile, porcelain doll, Lucian?

Lucian looked to the white framed door to see Storm Sullivan-Cohen delivering her now famous glare, arms folded tightly across her chest. Her auburn hair seeming longer and shinier; or perhaps it was the faint golden glow still illuminating her silhouette.

Er, well, when you do that glowing thing of yours I prefer to shield my eyes just so. Lucian reached into his pocket, whipped out the Ray Bans he just bought and slid them on. See, much better.

He was not sure if it worked for a moment but Storm broke into a fit of giggles, the golden glow rippling around her and fading. When she looked up, the Emerald’s eyes were green again. Storm nodded toward the back of the house. Lucian stood and strode across the room laying a light kiss on her cheek. Sliding his arm around her waist, Lucian frowned at the Scots, ignoring their disgruntled scowls, and tossed the instructions at Kell who caught them deftly. I will be back, boys, and it had better be done.

Storm

Lucian, you should have told me first. I am holding you just as responsible as Ryder. Storm could feel the rage ebbing inside her; Lucian had that effect on her. She related to his laissez faire approach to life, so different from Ryder. The last few months significantly improved his appearance as well. Lucian developed a deep bronze tone and filled out some, shedding the gaunt look he arrived with. Storm had taken to sneaking new clothes into his closet, pleased to see him wearing dressing less like a homeless vagrant. Unfortunately, the one thing she hadn’t been able to improve on became a sore spot for both of them. Storm felt very strongly about Lucian getting a real haircut. His coarse brown locks remained untamed, even when he attempted to pull it back. It flowed well past his shoulders and not in a sexy, romance novel way. Storm sighed and looped her arm through his massive one. A soft jingle of chains alerted her to Pac Man’s presence. He’d been more of a shadow than usual since her honeymoon.

They walked out the white-washed patio doors into the courtyard, Pac Man plodding along behind her. Lucian loved the orchard almost as much as she and it offered much needed privacy. As a wedding present, Lucian built a tunnel of trellises leading from the patio to the orchard. Damarra covered them with various flowering vines enchanted to flower year round. Storm inhaled deeply, her senses assaulted by the medley of fruits and florals.

The trees are nearly ready to be harvested. Lucian plucked an apple from the nearest tree and bit into, tossing a second to Pac Man.

Storm nodded and picked one for herself before speaking her piece. His other wives were not like me.

Storm, nobody is like you. It matters not. Our ways are set. Think about it this way, we are actually bound to protect you, as are all of the brethren now that Ryder bears your mark. Believe me, we needed to do it, for all of you. Lucian looked down to the slight swell of her abdomen, more notable beneath the fitted tank top. She instinctively placed both hands on her stomach, fear rearing up inside her for a brief moment. Storm forced it back down as Lucian touched her arm lightly, his voice softer than usual, Nothing is going to happen to you or the babe. We have laid every possible enchantment around the perimeter and Damarra enforced them with the aid of the Tuatha De. No creature of this world can enter without our permission. Relax Storm, you are safe here. As for Ryder, he is fine and will remain fine. I have noticed no adverse effects from the ink.

Dammit. Now he made her sound irrational. Could she blame the hormones? Ryder still paced their room, brooding. Storm could feel him, everything he felt, his regret and fear rolled into one massive worry. A pang of guilt hit her. Perhaps it wasn’t a terribly big deal that Ryder had the tiny emerald tattoo on his inner arm representing their union. But then again, if it were just a simple tattoo it would be different. Or if she were like his other wives, the ones represented by the similarly sized peacock feather, fleur de lis, and her least favorite, the musical note from his first wife, the siren. Shake off the jealousy, Storm, it is not becoming. Back on topic, hers, the tiny emerald bound them deeper, magically tied them together. Stupid voice of reason. Luc, this is different. We don’t know exactly what our bond will mean for our powers, do we? You just agreed, there are none like me. We don’t know what it will do to him. Think about it, Aunt Trin couldn’t handle my powers, what if they are too much for Ryder? I just wish you consulted Damarra first. Storm felt tears brimming in her eyes, the thought of losing Ryder tore at her, gave her chest pains and the urge to wretch.

Your grandmother has not returned from the Tuatha De in more than a month. You don’t want to summon her. Lucian looked away. His shoulders slumped as he turned from her. We couldn’t wait, Storm. Dammit. This couldn’t be good news.

Storm crossed over to Lucian and put a hand on his arm. Luc, what is going on? You have to tell me. I deserve to know.

Lucian reluctantly faced her, the fire flickering briefly behind his eyes. Dammit. He regained control and softened his voice again, "Storm, they know. The brethren know about you and the baby. We do