Hunted By Firelight by Krista Street

Chapter 2

~ AVERY ~

The woman continued to crouch on the other side of the dome, her energy excited and awed. “Babe, this dome is the shit, seriously, even I couldn’t penetrate this with an arrow soaked in kuraia. But it’s been more than twelve hours. Don’t you need to eat, drink, and you know, pee or something?”

Pee?

The woman, who called herself Charlotte, stayed hunkered down and was careful not to touch the side of the dome as she chatted with me. Behind her, a middle-aged man and woman sat in the grass, anxiously watching us.

I squirmed again. Was that what was causing this very uncomfortable feeling low in my belly? That I had to pee? Or was having to pee what was causing the rumbling sound in my abdomen?

If one of those sensations meant I had to pee, then she was right. I did need to, quite desperately actually, but when that man—Major Jamison—had been here, even these unusual feelings inside me couldn’t have persuaded me to leave the dome.

My breath sucked in when I remembered him. He’d sat in the grass with me after I’d woken up, never leaving, never faltering, and insistent that I knew him. I could tell that he feltthings for me. His gaze had been so intense, his eyes glowing at times, and the growls that had come from him let me know that he wasn’t fully . . .

I scrunched my eyebrows together. What was that word?

Oh, yes, human. I knew that he wasn’t fully human, and for some reason, that scared the shit out of me. Not because I feared him, but because every time he grew near an unsettling somersaulting feeling began in my stomach.

I didn’t understand that feeling either.

And I didn’t like it.

It felt too . . . unnerving.

Thankfully, he’d departed when Charlotte and the older couple had shown up, although the displeasure written all over his face had let me know he hadn’t wanted to leave.

“So even though your memory is gone, it can’t all be gone, right?” Charlotte drawled. “If it was, you wouldn’t be able to talk with us since, you know, English is a learned language.”

Language. Right. That was the words we were making.

“Will this electrocute me if I touch it?” Charlotte brought a finger closer to the dome, forcing my attention back to her. Buzzing filled my ears as the magic in the curved shield responded.

“Um, I don’t know if you should do that. I don’t have full control over—”

A loud zap hit my ears when an electrically charged particle jumped out and zinged her.

Charlotte’s hand whipped back. “Motherfucker! It tried to fry me.” She waved her hand, shaking it.

I gave her an apologetic smile. I still didn’t entirely understand how this magical dome worked, but I did feel safe under it.

“And to think you made this.” She laughed, still waving her hand. “You’ve got serious game now, girl. Major Jamison wasn’t kidding when he said your new magic packed a punch.”

My smile faltered. Seriously, who was he? My uneasiness grew when his image readily appeared in my mind—his incredibly broad shoulders, his strongly cut jaw, his dark hair, and the weeks’ worth of beard that graced his cheeks.

He was very easy to look at, but his attractiveness was the deadly sort. He’d had predator written all over him even though he’d promised not to hurt me.

Predator. I cocked my head. What a strange word, but it had popped in my mind when I thought of him. Because somehow I knew that’s exactly what he was.

And as a predator, how did I know that I could trust him? Especially when his mere presence did something to my insides.

Ugh. His presence made me feel . . . I grumbled. I didn’t know exactly how he made me feel, but everything about him put me on edge in a squirmy sort of way. And not in the I-have-to-pee sort of way.

My fingers curled into my palms again as Charlotte continued talking.

I knew she was trying to put me at ease, and if I were being fully honest with myself, it was kinda working, but why couldn’t I remember who I was or how I got here?

Charlotte leaned back on the grass, tilting her head to bask in the sun as the couple waited a few yards behind her. “Hey, did I tell you that Eliza’s in the Processing Bay now? She just started her new job there, just like I’m now officially a member of Squad Three. She’s loving it so far but has a lot to learn. I think she’s secretly sad that she won’t see Major Fieldstone anymore. Oh! Speaking of my new commander and squad, whatcha think of my new get-up?” She jumped to standing and pivoted, giving me a clear view of her tall, strong body clad in a full-body black and dark-gray jumpsuit. The jumpsuit was strapped with weapons.

A bow was slung around one of her shoulders along with a quiver of arrows. The deadly weapon rested between her shoulder blades. Various knives and throwing stars were securely fastened into the multiple pockets that graced her legs, and she wore a belt that held one of those tablet thingies that Wyatt had carried too.

“Pretty fancy, eh?” Charlotte grinned, and her auburn hair flashed red in the sunlight. “It sure as hell beats the green cargos and T’s we had to wear during training, don’t ya think? And do I look badass or what? I especially like all the deadly shit I get to carry now.” She waved to the weapons on her legs, then crouched down again and went back to lounging in the grass.

She flashed me another smile. “Now, just between you and me—definitely don’t tell Major Fieldstone this—but half the reason I wanted to join the SF was for this very outfit. It’s killer, right?”

I laughed, momentarily forgetting about the power that strummed through my veins. “It’s pretty awesome looking,” I agreed.

She winked, her eyes twinkling. “I know, right?” She sat up again, all pent-up energy. Even though I didn’t remember her, I could tell that she wasn’t someone used to sitting still. “I wonder what you’d be doing right now if you’d gone to the Institute.”

“The Institute?” I rearranged how I was sitting again. Damn. This I-had-to-pee sensation was only getting worse, and the power inside me wasn’t helping. It continually coursed through my blood like lightning on water. It was so strong and my urge to urinate was only making it worse.

“Yeah, the Supernatural Ambassador Institute. That’s where you would be right now if all this crazy celestial shit hadn’t happened to you. You would have been starting your new job.”

I frowned, pulling my bottom lip into my mouth to nibble. Major Jamison had said the same thing. “I don’t remember that.”

Her gaze dimmed, some of her cheer faltering. “I know. It’s absolutely crazy what’s gone down. Eliza and I had no idea this would happen after you left for Bulgaria, but what do you say? Do you wanna finally come out of there and hang with me? I’ve missed you, and I have so much to fill you in about. Namely, the party you missed after our final tests, in which I may have gotten a bit intoxicated since they were serving fairy wine, and I may have hooked up with one of the recruits from our new recruit squad. Surprisingly, he was an absolute animal in bed. In the best way,” she added in a rush.

She glanced over her shoulder at the middle-aged man and woman still sitting in the grass behind her. They’d stayed quiet, watching raptly as Charlotte and I talked.

Turning back to me, Charlotte lowered her voice. “Although I don’t think the details of that conversation are something your parents want to hear.”

Nerves prickled my skin. My parents. Right. That’s who they supposedly are.

I craned my neck to see around Charlotte. The couple wore worried expressions. But even though I didn’t recognize them, I saw myself in their features.

The woman had the same dark hair as me. The man’s mouth of a similar shape to mine.

None of it made sense, because even though I didn’t know my name, I knew what I looked like, and I knew that I could be their daughter. Yet, I didn’t know them.

I abruptly glanced down, my breath coming too fast again.

What the hell happened to me?

“Fuck,” I whispered. I wrapped my arms around my legs and began rocking again.

My chest rose unsteadily as the anger, fear, and frustration grew strength inside me. The dome crackled, sending sparks skating along its surface.

Charlotte backed up an inch, her easygoing smile dimming.

I closed my eyes, willing myself to calm down, to not feel so freaked out, but the immense power that burned inside me—it was nearly overwhelming, and I didn’t know what to do with it.

Ever since I’d woken up and seen the dark-haired commander and the man he said was a vampire hovering over me . . .

Shit.

I squeezed my eyes tighter, blocking out the sunlight entirely. The force of the energy that hummed in my core, danced through my organs, and rushed through my veins—it was so consuming. So incredibly charged.

I took another deep breath, then another. Whatever this power was, it wanted out, yet I didn’t know how to let it escape.

“Avery?” Charlotte said quietly. “Girl, I know you’re scared. I know all of this is so fucking terrifying and confusing, but I’m here to help. I want to help you. You just have to let me.”

I opened my eyes to see her pleading expression and the concern on her face.

“We were friends, weren’t we?” The energy continued to hum inside me, boiling in my veins and crackling near my skin.

“We were. We still are. You, me, and Eliza have been the best of friends for the past three months, but just because you can’t remember me right now, that doesn’t mean I’m not your friend any longer.”

I swallowed, then squirmed again. Seriously, I was going to pee my pants. This feeling was so strong, and this power so overwhelming, that I’d probably urinate lightning.

“Can you remove the dome?” Charlotte tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear. “Let’s get you out of this heat and somewhere more comfortable.”

I squinted at the sun. It wasn’t hot under the dome, which apparently meant my magic also regulated the temperature in here, but my lower stomach was now cramping painfully.

I licked my lips. “Okay. I’ll try.”

Closing my eyes again, I concentrated on the magic vibrating inside me. It hummed through me, as if a part of me. I pictured happy, calming thoughts, or at least, what I thought might calm me.

Hot tea. A slice of cake. Flour dusted on my hands.

Some of the magical humming lessened, as if the tuning fork vibrating inside me didn’t thrum quite so loudly.

“That’s it,” Charlotte whispered.

I scrunched my eyes together more. Laughter and smiles. The smell of cookies. Sunshine on my face.

“You’re almost there,” Charlotte said encouragingly.

The scent of baking bread. Dancing till dawn. Silky flower petals between my fingers.

My breathing deepened, growing even. The vibrations lessened even more, not gone, just . . . less.

“Avery?” Charlotte said.

I opened my eyes, not because I knew that was my name, but because I’d learned that was what everyone called me.

She smiled. “Look.”

I glanced around me as warmth from the sun hit my skin. My jaw dropped. The dome was gone. Entirely gone. “It worked,” I exclaimed.

“Damn straight it did.”

“But how?”

“You tell me.”

I pushed to a stand, my legs protesting after sitting for so long just as the couple behind Charlotte burst into grins.

“Well done, Avery,” the woman called out.

I managed a placating smile, but my internal power still coursed through me, racing along my electrical synapses in bursts. At least right now, it didn’t feel quite so daunting.

“What made you release it?” the man asked.

I shrugged. “I thought about . . . happy things.” I frowned. “But how did I know about all of those things? How did I know those things made me happy and would calm me when I don’t actually remember any of them?”

Charlotte shrugged. “No idea, but one step at a time, eh? In time you may remember.” She held out her hand to me. “Come on. You’ve gotta be busting if that little dance you’re doing is any indication.”

My cheeks flushed because my legs were crossed, and I kept bouncing up and down.

Charlotte leaned down and whispered, “There are trees right over there. Nobody will think twice if you pop a squat.”

I muffled a laugh, somehow understanding what she meant, as the man and woman behind Charlotte took a step toward us. Their relief was so evident at my escape from under the dome that it nearly eclipsed my need to pee.

Nearly.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” I told them, then dashed toward the trees.

∞     ∞     ∞

Thankfully, I didn’t pee lightning. But the relief I felt when the liquid rushed from my body . . .

I needed to remember that the next time my lower stomach ached it was probably due to needing to pee.

Wind whistled softly through the trees as I stood and arranged my clothing. While thinking about my predicament still freaked me out, the fact that I no longer felt physically uncomfortable helped, if only a little.

Charlotte’s and the middle-aged couple’s voices carried to me on the breeze. I couldn’t see them since I’d stepped far into the trees to have privacy, but I knew they were waiting for me.

I placed my hand on a tree. Its bark felt like rough fibers under my skin. I ran my finger up and down it, marveling at its texture, when a branch cracked behind me.

I whipped around, my eyes wide, as images of Major Jamison returning flooded my mind.

But nobody was there.

Shaking my head at my reaction, I began walking toward where I’d entered the forest when another crack sounded.

I swirled around again only to see . . .

Nothing.

“Seriously, calm yourself,” I whispered under my breath.

Still, a sense of uneasiness filled me. I knew I was alone in the forest, yet I didn’t feel alone.

Twirling back around, I picked up my pace. Vibrations from the magic inside me hummed through my veins, skating along my skin, and electrifying my nerves.

By the time I reached the forest’s edge, I was running.

“Whoa, girl,” Charlotte said when I emerged from the trees and raced toward them. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

I stopped at her side, heaving. A ghost? An image of a translucent shape took form in my mind. Ah, someone that has died but has not left the world. That’s what a ghost is.

But then I knitted my eyebrows together. How come I remembered things like a ghost but not who I was or these strange sensations inside me?

The people who called themselves my parents took a step toward me.

“Everything okay?” the woman asked. “Charlotte’s right. You look scared.”

Some of my harsh breaths slowed. I still didn’t recognize her face or her voice, but she seemed genuinely concerned. I shook my head. This was all so confusing. “I’m fine. I just heard some snapping branches in the trees, like someone was walking in the woods or something.”

Charlotte tensed, one hand going for her bow, the other for an arrow.

I waved a hand. “It’s nothing. Really. Nobody was there. I think I’m just stressed and hyped up after everything that’s happened.”

Charlotte released her grip, but the tense lines around her eyes didn’t lessen. “We should head toward the capital. We have a room waiting in one of their inns. General McCloy has decided he wants us to stay here in the fae lands. He and Major Jamison think whatever happened to you is directly related to this realm and are hopeful that something here will fix your memory.”

Bryce—or rather, my father—nodded in agreement. “I’m just so thankful that Wyatt got you here in time to save you.”

“You were so weak yesterday,” Danielle agreed. “But today . . .” She looked me up and down. “You look so strong and healthy, and Wyatt said the healing witches think your memory may return in time.”

“You’ve spoken with . . . him?” I couldn’t bring myself to say Wyatt’s name. I was more comfortable calling him Major Jamison since calling him Wyatt made that damned fluttery feeling begin in my stomach again.

Danielle nodded. “He called us this morning with an update.”

Charlotte checked her device. “We should get a move on. I’ve been instructed to take you to the Hog’s Head Inn once I got you out of the dome.” She scanned the field. “Now, there should be an enchanted carpet arriving any second.”

I scanned the horizon. A mile away, the capital gleamed. Tall golden gates surrounded the city that was built on a naturally rising mound. I squinted. Thatched-roofed houses, gleaming walkways, and shops seemed to fill the city, and at the top of the steep hill, an imposing castle soared.

My shoulders slumped. I didn’t recognize anything about the capital either.

“Here it comes!” Charlotte said.

My eyes widened when a large carpet flew toward us, hovering just above the grass. It glided to a halt a foot away from us, and bobbed up and down, as if waiting.

“After you.” When I just stood there, Charlotte laughed. “Just hop on it. It won’t bite. I promise.”

My stomach let out another growl, so I slapped a hand over it. “Sorry. I don’t know why it keeps doing that.”

“It’s because you’re hungry. We’ll get something to eat at the inn. Now, onboard you go.” She herded me toward the carpet.

I tentatively raised my foot and placed my weight on the carpet. It dipped slightly when I stood but not much. I marveled at the feel of the carpet fibers sliding under my shoes. It didn’t feel solid, more like what one would feel if walking on a waterbed.

I frowned and plopped down. How do I know what a waterbed is?

Before I could contemplate my patchy memories, my parents and Charlotte were seated cross-legged beside me, and then we took off.

I yelped when the carpet flew over the grass, picking up speed with each second. Wind blew around us, and the scent of wildflowers filled my nose.

Unable to help it, I laughed.

My parents and Charlotte joined in.

“These are a delightful way to travel,” my mother said above the wind. “We used to come here when you were a kid, just to commission a carpet ride.”

My laughter faded at the hopeful look on her face. I gave her an apologetic shrug. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember.”

Her smile remained but looked forced. “No matter. In time you probably will.” She patted my hand, then laughed when we shot over a small mound in the land only to dip down on the other side.

“I fell off one of these a few years ago,” Bryce said good-naturedly from behind me. “I was fumbling with my phone, trying to get it out of my pocket. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was sitting. We shot around a curve, and I tumbled right off.”

My lips parted as I pulled my hair into one hand to keep it from blowing into my eyes. “Were you hurt?”

Danielle rolled her eyes. “Yes, he was, and hopefully he learned his lesson from it.”

“What happened?” Charlotte asked.

Bryce laughed. “I broke my arm, but it was easily healed within a week since I got straight to a healing center in the capital. That was when you were in your first year of university in the UK, Avery. You’d wanted to come visit me, but I’d insisted it wasn’t a big deal, so you stayed at school.”

His eyes dimmed, and my stomach clenched, although the sensation wasn’t from needing to pee. Since my stomach didn’t make a sound, I was guessing it wasn’t hunger either. Whatever this new sensation was, it was caused by Bryce and Danielle wanting me so desperately to remember them.

“Almost there,” Charlotte called out.

The tall gates to the capital appeared. Two large men with golden skin and wicked-looking spears stood on either side of the gate. As we sailed closer to them on the carpet, they stepped toward one another and extended their spears to make an X. A loud clang reverberated through the air as the carpet drifted to a stop.

“This will just take a moment.” Charlotte hopped off the carpet and sauntered toward the sentries. They said something to her, and she responded.

Their eyes turned silver, but whatever she’d said seemed to make them happy.

A second later, Charlotte was back on the carpet and we were flying at a more controlled speed through the now open gates.

“Only a couple minutes from here.” She grinned. “Then we can get settled and have something to eat until everyone else arrives.”

I tensed as we flew over the golden walkways. “Everyone else?”

Charlotte nodded. “Major Jamison’s coming back at some point today, and he’s probably bringing other SF members too.”