Forest Fire (#2 The Legends of Regia) by Tenaya Jayne Read Free Book Online Page B

his hands over his face and walked back to the bedroom. He pulled his pants on and sat down on the edge of the bed, turning his flask around in his hands. Should he take another drink? Did he need his sight or his strength more at this moment? Syrus punched the mattress. Damn it all to hell . He flipped the lid open and took a drink, fighting back the involuntary cry of pain in his throat as his eyes tore themselves open. If she was in pain, then he would be in pain, too.
     
    The sound of the bathroom door opening had Syrus on his feet. Forest walked slowly around the corner, into his line of sight. He couldn't read her expression. Tears ran freely down her cheeks. She stood still, facing him, her whole body taught as a wire.
     
    "Forest, what is it? What's wrong?"
     
    "Well…uh…it…" she stumbled over her words, her face slack.
     
    The next second her smile lit up the whole room and she squealed, jumping at him.
     
    "LOOK!" She cried. "Look, look, look! Their gone, Syrus! GONE!"
     
    "What's gone?"
     
    "The marks! The lovers marks are gone!"
     
    She thrust her upper arm toward his face. He looked closely at her skin. The straight line—the slave mark was still there, but the seven crescent lover's marks were gone. Her skin was pink, as though it had been roughly scrubbed.    
     
    "Oh look…my skin…gone…all gone…" Forest's words came out in jerky sobs, and she collapsed against Syrus, weeping uncontrollably.  
     
    He held her tightly, tears blurring his eyes as well.
     
    "I'm half-free."
     
    Syrus cupped her face in his hands and kissed her fiercely.
     
    She took a deep breath, steadying the spasms in her lungs. "Oh, Syrus, I've never been so happy in my entire life. These last few hours… ever since you got here…have been so wonderful, like a miracle even. And now half of my scars are gone." Her voice broke again. "I love you so much!"
     
      "I love you, too. More than I ever knew to be possible."
     

Chapter Six
     
    Shi hovered over Netriet as she slept, infusing her cells with energy pulled from The Heart. She was bemused at herself, not quite sure why she cared so much that this young vampire live. She considered Netriet's character equally split between good and bad. She had never saved the life of a vampire before. Maybe it was the novelty of the action that spurred her on, or possibly, it was her lack of having anything else to do. The Wood was now completely devoid of werewolves, now they had all marched off to war.
     
    Netriet moaned as Shi knit one of her broken ribs back together. Shi kept her in a deep sleep at all times so she wouldn't have to experience any more pain. She smiled unwittingly at the vampire. Netriet's courage and strength reminded her of Forest.
     
    She killed Philippe. I'd grow her a new arm for that if I could .
     
    Shi flew back to The Heart and cupped her insubstantial hands in the black flames of the manifestation. A small tongue of fire alighted on her palms. She took it back to Netriet. Slowly, Shi pushed her ghostly hands through the skin of Netriet's stomach; the fire rebuilt the walls of her interior organs.
     
      A few more hours in her care, and Netriet would be better than new. Much better. Shi smiled as she imagined how happy and amazed Netriet would be when she woke up and found she was so much…so much…better? Superior? A shadow of doubt crept into the periphery of Shi's mind as she flew back to the Heart. She reached in again and brought a small tongue of flame close to her face. The Heart was black. The world was filled with dark emotion. What was that doing to Netriet? The power was healing her body but what was it doing to her spirit? Her psyche?
     
    Shi brought the fire back to Netriet and sat down next to her. She toyed with the flame for a few moments. How many times had she infused it into the young woman? Could she remove it? Not without killing her. Should she kill her? What kind of monster was she creating? Would it have been a