Page 71 of Blue Embers
“I did. A wife and son. They were killed early on in one of the first attacks before the war that drove us here.”
I prayed I’d never have to feel the pain so many Draak had experienced in their lengthy lives. I prayed Killian would never have to feel it about me and adjusted myself uneasily in my chair just thinking about it.
“It was a long time ago,” Lukan said. “And I have Keera now.”
“I can tell you love her a lot,” I smiled.
“I do. More than anything. She may be sweet but she’s a fighter in her own right and she’s a fierce protector. She brought me back from a darkness I didn’t think I’d escape from. The little thing is much stronger than she looks,” he reminisced. “It’s hard to believe she gave me two sons, a small female like her.”
I tilted my head. “Two sons?”
Lukan shifted in his seat, clearing his throat. “Before Ronan,” he nodded. “Our first son went missing. He was part of Valerio’s security force. They were sent on a mission and none of them came back.”
“That’s awful,” I said, a sense of Lukan’s loss sprouting inside me like it was my own.
Lukan was gentler than the others and harbored such sadness at the same time. I suspected Keera was at least partly responsible for his togetherness. Had I been in his place, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle it.
“What was the mission?” I asked.
“Valerio claimed it was about suspicious events in the outer territories,” Lukan explained. “Whether the mission killed him or something along the way, it doesn’t matter. We moved on. It was hard, especially for Keera. Vyctor was everything to her. She insisted she try and give me another son and after much debate, she did. She gave birth to Ronan. She almost died because of it, but like I said, she’s stronger than she looks. Strong in body and soul. We nearly lost Ronan to slayers when he was an infant, and Keera kept fighting. She never let tragedy control her.”
“I can see why you love her,” I said. “She seems like she has a beautiful heart.”
“To me, everything about her is perfect. I would kill for her. Die for her. Suffer for her. Any Draak would do the same for his Ashling and any Ashling, whether they know it or not, would act the same for their Draak.” He paused for a moment and though I’d let my eyes fall to my mug of coffee, I could tell he was looking at me. “Killian would do all that and more for you,” he said gently.
I looked up at him, warmed by the sentiment as well as a bit fearful over the idea that things would ever get to that point.
“It’s a little terrifying to know the things you might do for the people you love,” I said. “Let’s hope no one has to die or get hurt in the near future.”
I took in a deep breath, tapping my nails on the handle of my mug. Taking another sip of coffee, I glanced up at Lukan over the rim of my cup. In the last few seconds, however, his expression had gone rigid.
“Lukan?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”
Lukan’s head tilted ever so slightly like a dog hearing something off in the distance. He placed his cup calmly down on the surface of the table and inhaled.
“Seph,” he said, standing. “You should go and join the other ladies up the trail.”
When he began ushering me toward a back door leading straight into the woods behind the cabin, I started to feel tense. I put my coffee down, nearly knocking it over as Lukan began leading me along with more force.
“What’s wrong?” I asked again.
“We have visitors,” he said with more urgency, throwing open the back door. He shoved me through and pointed toward the hiking trail. “Go,” he said. “Fast.”
“But--”
Before I could pry any other answers out of him, he closed the door in my face. I could hear his heavy footsteps disappear into the house and found myself shivering, but not from the cold. Something was wrong and I trusted Lukan enough to not hang around and get in the way.
I spun, nearly tripping on the steps leading down from the elevated porch, and started jogging toward the woods. As soon as I reached the tree line, I concealed myself behind some pines and turned back to face the cabin. I saw nothing at first. Just empty, white land. I was half tempted to run back inside and demand an explanation when I finally spotted four, black SUVs driving up the dirt road leading to the driveway. I had no idea who they were, but if Lukan was worried, so was I.
I stayed behind the tree line, watching. The cars parked in a line in front of the cabin and from them came about a dozen people. A man and a woman with bright, red hair dressed in clothes too fancy for the snowy country, and numerous other men wearing tactical gear, all armed. I couldn’t make out faces from where I stood, but nothing about the situation was warming.
I crouched down low, trying not to be seen, and continued spying on the situation as both Malice and Lukan stepped out of the house to meet the intrusive guests. I could hear them talking, but I couldn’t make out any words. Just muffled sentences as the men calmly discussed something with the red-haired individuals, who seemed to be the ones in charge. My palms were sweating, even in the cold, as my nerves started to shake with worry.
For a while, nothing seemed to be happening. Just tense conversation. My heart was racing with the possibilities, though. How’d they know where to find the cabin and what did they want? I knew the red-haired ones had to be Zephyre. If not full blooded, then half, which, from my experience, wasn’t much more pleasant than the real thing.
Suddenly, I heard a whole new set of voices and I turned my attention to the trail behind me to see Everly, Keera, and Ronan walking up the path toward me. They were oblivious. They were talking to each other about something Ronan was holding in his hand. A stone or a piece of bark. I couldn’t tell and I had no time to figure it out. I stood and ran toward them as fast as I could. All three of them looked up when they heard my footsteps, which I was trying to keep quiet, but the fresh snow crunched loudly underfoot.
“Seph?” Keera said, smiling as if about to laugh at my clumsy approach.
