Page 34 of Tamed By Air (The Nature Hunters Academy 4)

“What have we here?” Viscious hummed, his voice sounding much too pleased for Ra’s taste. The king should be speaking through gritted teeth, not chatting as if he’s conversing over a cup of coffee. “A baby pharaoh has fallen right into my lap. And ooh, what’s this?” The dark king’s eyes widened, and his grin grew even wider. “I’ve known many elemental royals in my time, pharaoh, but I’ve seen precious few with eyes as black as yours. No, no, no, little pharaoh, you look much more like a demon than an elementalist. This is a pleasant surprise, indeed.”

Ra looked around quickly, not wanting to take his eyes off of the dark king for more than a second.

Viscious shrugged. “I’m not attacking you, young king,” he said. “You need not have any fear of me. I’m simply defending my territory from a light elementalist who has decided to attack unprovoked.”

“How did I get here?” Despite Viscious’s assurances, Ra kept his flames pouring toward the dark king. There were pit vipers Ra trusted more than Viscious. The king began to circle Ra, and Ra matched his movements, turning slowly on the spot, keeping the king in front of him. Flames filled Viscious’s eyes, and they danced like a kid hopped up on soda and sugar straws.

“There’s only one way you could have been brought before me like this,” Viscious said. “And that’s if you killed someone marked by me.” The dark fire king’s chin lifted as his brow rose. “Did you murder one of my acolytes, baby king? Have your eyes changed because your true power has been unlocked? Do you no longer believe the lies the light royals feed you?”

Tucker’s face filled Ra’s mind. For a split second, his stomach filled with regret, but it fled as quickly as it appeared. He didn’t have time to worry about the life of a boy who’d already attempted to kidnap Tara multiple times, not to mention thrown Ra’s own female into the underworld.

Ra didn’t think Viscious’s face could show any more glee as he said, “Youdidkill someone.” The fire king tapped his chin, all the while holding his power effortlessly against Ra’s. “I’m going to take an educated guess and say it was that Tucker boy. I sent him out to retrieve someone of interest, and he has yet to report back.”

“You should keep closer tabs on your pets.”

Viscious waved off Ra’s words and clucked his tongue. “Don’t worry yourself about that. Pets come and go. I’ve always found it’s better not to get too attached. I am a bit miffed he didn’t complete his mission. But his failure seems to have revealed an opportunity that is much more intriguing: namely, why exactlyyouare here.”

Ra frowned. “You said it was because I killed someone marked by you.”

The dark fire king nodded. “Mmm-hmm, yes, yes. You certainly couldn’t have shown up here without killing one of mine. But that’s not the true reason you showed up in my territory. Elementals kill my people all the time and then go on about their merry lives.Youmade the choice to open a portal after killing the little water elementalist.” His voice rose as he looked at Ra with open curiosity. “Youstepped right into my backyard.” He pointed behind Ra. “Quite literally. That’s my house. Right there.”

Ra’s eyebrows rose. He couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder to look at where Viscious was pointing. At first, Ra missed it. After a few moments, however, Ra could perceive through the tangle of trees and bushes a grand mansion nestled in the forest. Ra was pretty sure he only saw the building because Viscious allowed him to detect its presence. When Ra turned back to face the dark fire king, he felt a pulse of power, stronger than he’d ever felt from another elementalist. It reverberated through his body, all the way to his core, and then Ra’s flames made apoofand disappeared.

“I told you,” Viscious said, “I’m not attacking you. There’s no need to leave your weapon on display. Impressive though it may be, it pales in comparison to my own.”

Ra wasn’t surprised the king could extinguish his flame. Viscious was, after all, the darkfireking. Though Ra was a royal in his own right, elemental kings became kings for a reason. Power mattered much more than bloodline, and Viscious had power in spades. But that didn’t make the fact any easier to deal with. Ra’s go-to move when he was threatened was to cover himself with fire—a fire few were powerful enough to penetrate. Without his fire surrounding him, Ra might as well be naked. “Are we going to stand here comparing sword sizes, or are you going to tell me why my portal led me here?”

“I might,” the fire king said. “But I have some questions of my own. Quid pro quo, pharaoh.” Viscious chuckled at himself.

Ra knew better than to agree to anything when it came to dealing with dark elementals. He simply stared back at the dark fire king.

“Oh, you’re no fun, baby pharaoh. Fine, I’ll go first. An act of good faith. Killing my acolyte has brought you before me because the kill wasn’t fully righteous. It wasn’t just. There must have been some selfish ambition behind the act. You are no longer walking fully in the light, Ra.” Ra flinched, and he realized it was the first time the dark king had used his real name. He didn’t know what that meant, if anything, but something about Viscious’s voice sent chills up Ra’s spine. “Your soul has become corrupted.” Viscious’s eyes narrowed on Ra. The king had slowly closed the distance between them without Ra even realizing it and now stood only a foot away. “What has happened to your soul, little pharaoh?” Viscious’s voice was silky smooth.

Ra ignored the question. “Does this mean I’m in danger of becoming an acolyte?”

“Oh, Ra, I don’t think I like the premise of your question. There’s nothingdangerousabout becoming an acolyte. Far from it. Becoming an acolyte would only enhance your power. Unless you’re already weak, like poor little Tucker. But you’re far from weak, aren’t you, Ra?” Viscious sighed, forestalling any answer Ra might have given. “Alas, I don’t think a mere acolyte is your fate, pharaoh. Considering the change in your eyes, I would say you have a greater chance of becoming something far darker than an acolyte. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“It will never happen,” Ra said, his voice even. “I’d rather die than serve the dark.”

“I feared you might say something like that. And I’d be happy to put you out of your misery. But let’s put a pin in that little issue for a moment.” Viscious clasped his hands in front of him as he studied Ra. “They say the pharaoh, Ra, is so pure of heart that he refuses to take up the tainted power of his ancestors, that he refuses to share in their eternal fate. I must know how one who is that pure of heart has come to have his soul so tarnished.”

“Just lucky I guess,” Ra deadpanned.

“Hmm, I think luck has nothing to do with it,” Viscious said. “I think the darkening of your soul, perhaps, concerns a new toy recently acquired by the lord of the underworld.”

Ra’s mouth tightened.

“Elementals talk, you know?” the dark king continued. “They’re worse than a group of gossiping women. The entire supernatural world knows that Osiris has taken a consort. It is also known that she is an elementalist. And one final tidbit, that I now realize is quite significant. She’s the same female who was sent there by one of my acolytes. You see, I was recently called upon to remove the dark fire from a lovely little female. Unlike you, Ra, I’m not afraid to bargain with my supernatural colleagues. And Osiris, well, he seemed to need this female awfully bad. Apparently, she chose you instead of him. Yet, somehow, she is back with him. Isn’t that interesting?”

The amount of information the dark fire king knew shocked Ra, but he fought hard to keep it from showing on his face. How in the world did Viscious know that Shelly belonged to Ra but was no longer with him? Considering the state of his soul, it would not take Viscious long to figure out why the darkness changed Ra from the inside out, and was doing so even as they spoke. Ra’s stomach turned when his mind grabbed on to the word “consort.” Shelly wasnotOsiris’s consort.

Viscious folded his arms across his chest. “What to do with you?” he asked, though Ra knew he wasn’t seeking a list of options.

“I have no quarrel with you,” Ra said. Technically, that wasn’t really true. Ra worked for the light elementalists, which meant he always had a quarrel with the dark ones. But neither Viscious, nor any other dark elemental, was a priority at the moment.

“Regardless”—the dark fire king shrugged—“fate has brought you to me, and I will not toss such a gift aside. I think we can come to some sort of agreement. After all, it’s so much easier when someone is willing to work for me, rather than when I have to force them.”

“I would never willingly work for you.” Ra shifted on his feet. His skin felt tight over his muscles, and the ache in his chest intensified. He could feel his constant headache increase in intensity, but Ra forced himself to keep his eyes trained on Viscious. “There is nothing you have that I want.”

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