Born of Embers Read online

  She cocked her head and I watched the way the dark silk of her hair slid a bit from the ponytail she had created earlier. “I thought you didn’t know what I was by smell? How does the Council know what these part-bloods are?”

  Hiro jumped in, his voice low as he answered her, “It’s generally only rare shifters that can’t be identified through scent alone. All shifters smell of magic, the stronger the magic the stronger the shifter.”

  I could see the questions forming on her face as she thought about everything we had told her. “If the Council is good at finding part-shifters and ignores those who are weak or don’t shift, wouldn’t that mean they’ve already dismissed me?”

  “Not necessarily,” I answered, “it doesn’t happen often, but it’s possible the Council missed you. I can tell you’re strong, Nix. Whatever you are feels rare to me. What powers have you experienced so far?” I held eye contact with her as I searched for clues, answers, anything that would give me more information on the girl sitting in front of me.

  Her eyes narrowed and I could see her visibly stiffen. What was she hiding? Something just didn’t add up, and it was eating at me. Despite my reassurance, I, myself, wondered how the Council could have missed Nix and I was angry that she’d obviously suffered a hard life due to their ineptness. If they had found her would she have had an easier life? If she’d been found would we have met her sooner? Before those shadows were in her eyes?

  Hiro jumped in, his voice low as he told her, “It’s ok, Nix. You don’t have to share anything you’re not ready to.”

  Changing the subject, she asked another question. “So the Council basically steals babies and re-homes them? And the parents just let them take their kids away? What about older children or adults who the Council missed as infants? They just go along with everything the Council says and try to re-acclimate into shifter society?” Her brow was furrowed as she thought about the implications of the scene she’d just painted. She was clearly disturbed.

  Damien stepped forward now, settling himself on the floor at the other end of the sectional. Smart man. Staying low made him appear less of a threat. “Like Theo said, the Council is good at finding people but it’s obviously not a perfect system. In fact, they have Theo working on a computer program that will help them track better. The Council doesn’t steal them from families. It’s simple genetics. A pair of wolf shifters aren’t going to produce a dragon shifter. Part-bloods, on the other hand, can give birth to a very strong shifter. However, it still has to be in the family line. Generally the Council only takes babies and young children from families when the parents are entirely human, say an adoptive family, or if the child was abandoned. Frequently they are found in the foster care system.”

  Nix flinched. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who noticed as Killian’s lip curled back in a snarl. What did she have to fear from the foster system?

  “As for why the part-bloods don’t remember the Council’s investigators and why they agree to join our shifter communities… ” Damien glanced at Killian.

  Killian sighed, but picked up the thread of the conversation. I knew him well enough to know that he was worried she wouldn’t believe what he said or that she would shut down in the conversation because their relationship had not developed well so far. “You know I have psychic gifts. While my gifts are mainly in illusion, there are other psychic gifts. One is the ability to amend memories. There are always multiple Council members who carry this gift. It’s a gift that is common in mid-level Fae shifters, for example. It only works on humans and part-bloods, really.”

  She scrunched her nose, cocking her head as she studied him. “So, they’re like Professor Xavier or Jean Grey?”

  I burst out laughing at her X-Men reference. Oh yes, I definitely liked the way this girl’s mind worked.

  Killian couldn’t contain his smile either. “Yes, you could say that. They can alter the memory slightly. The part-blood will be amenable to their suggestion to relocate and the humans won’t remember the Council member who visited them as being a shifter or mythological. Any parts that need to be erased or reconfigured will be.”

  Nix frowned, leaning back on her arms. I heard Ryder clear his throat behind me, and I knew he was trying to either prevent a groan or a lecherous comment. The way that position thrust her breasts and hips out, and made her clothing cling to her form, was almost too much for me to take. My Kraken made a clicking noise in agreement, sending me images of her soaking wet, her hair dripping down her back and her clothing molding even more firmly to her form after she had been in the water to play with him. I leaned forward again, hoping it would help hide my reaction to her.

  With a quick look at the rest of us, Hiro took over the conversation again. “If you are a mythological it’s possible to force a shift. It would allow both you and the Council to find out exactly what you are. Predator shifters can also be forced to shift, though those are easier to identify by smell, because they have the same scent as their animal counterpart. It’s generally only rare shifters that can’t be identified through scent alone. Since they’re not as common their scents aren’t as widely known.”

  Her eyes widened as she studied us. “They could find out what I am?” She paused for a moment, looking confused. I could see that she felt torn. A part of her liked the idea of continuing with her life as she knew it, following the plans that she had already made. Another part of her—I hoped it was a large part—desperately wanted to find out her heritage.

  “How can I be forced to shift?” she asked, studying the room from her vantage point. I knew she’d picked that seat because it allowed her to keep an eye on all of us at once, as well as to monitor the exit. She was a very wary little thing, and a part of me ached for her. There were very few reasons one was wary at that age, and none of them were good.

  Hiro cleared his throat, sliding off the rocking chair he was on to sit next to Damien. She tensed for a moment, the muscles in her arms cording tight, before realizing he wasn’t coming any closer to her. “Someone with a specific control power could force the shift, but that’s a rare power—almost unheard of anymore. The best option, and one we’re equipped to do, would be to channel a strong amount of energy into you, which will call to the power inside of you and force your creature to awaken. Mythologicals are the only ones with enough power to force the shift and it takes a group to channel enough energy. The thing is, Nix, we’d have to lay our hands on you to combine the energy.”

  Nix hissed through her teeth, her brow furrowed. “You’d all have to touch me?” I could hear the guardedness in her voice though I could tell she was trying to hide it.

  I nodded, and then gave Hiro a pointed look. He widened his eyes, not wanting to be the one to fill in the rest of the blanks. Well, fuck. Sometimes being team leader sucked. “It works best if they touch bare skin, and most of the time you would be nude when it happened. Your clothes will be ruined in a shift, and can possibly hurt or suffocate you if you shift into something too small or something mid-sized that can’t break through the clothing.”

  It was as if a wall had slammed down over her eyes. She really did not like that answer. Her voice was cold as she addressed the room as a whole. “So, you would want me to strip naked in a room full of strangers, probably men, and allow them to touch me because it could awaken my inner creature?” Her laugh was harsh. “Wow, that is the worst line I’ve ever heard. You seriously did all of this just to get me naked?” Bitterness, revulsion, and anger were flaring off of her in waves.

  Rini and Hiro both reached forward, both appearing to want to offer her comfort but stopping themselves, knowing she wouldn’t welcome their touch. Damien sighed, running a hand through his dark curls. “Nix, I know how it sounds. If you have a strong preference, we can reach out to the Council and see if they will send female mythologicals to force the change. You do have the option of keeping your clothes on. It just doesn’t work as well and it requires more energy from everyone involved. If you’re insistent on it
though, it can work. Your team would just have to be prepared to remove you from the clothing should it be necessary.”

  Nix studied Damien, taking in his statement and apparently weighing it. God, I hoped she would agree. I wanted so desperately to know what she was, and I wanted her to stay with us. If she was rare, and I was sure she was, I doubted the Council would send her back to us. They would want to put her in protective custody and, with the Council’s propensity to push mythologicals to mate and breed, they’d surround her by the male population of mythologicals in the hopes of her finding mates quickly. My Kraken roared, demanding I not allow that to happen.

  Fifteen

  Nix

  I looked from face to face, studying each person in the room as my thoughts raced and whirled. I had no idea what to do here. Getting naked and allowing a group of guys I didn’t know to touch my bare skin had to rank as one of my worst nightmares. At the same time, if what they said was true—and no matter how much I wanted to doubt them a part of me knew it was true—I wouldn’t have to ever be helpless again.

  “So, if I’m not a dragon, what else could I be?” If I was going to end up as a rabbit, I probably didn’t want to know.

  Ryder shrugged, the movement easy and elegant. “We can’t guarantee. There are so many different mythologicals, creatures from every culture in the world, that you could be one of hundreds of different creatures. Dragon is our best bet at this point. You could just as easily be a Thunderbird or a Vegetable Lamb.” There was laughter in his eyes as he looked at me.

  “Okay, you seriously just made that up, right?” I couldn’t tell whether or not he was joking.

  Damien tried to smooth out the smile that was forming on his face, but it didn’t quite work. “No, he’s not actually. Thunderbirds are incredibly rare avians that have control over the weather. Vegetable Lambs are a fairy-like creature. They have absolutely no offensive or defensive skills but their psychic powers are considered infallible and they are greatly prized for that reason.”

  I scoffed. That would be just my luck. I thought of mythological creatures as fierce and strong, but from my limited research I knew that wasn’t always the case. There were plenty of so-called “weak” mythologicals. Ones who were limited by extreme weaknesses, frail bodies, fallible powers. Hell, look at Theo. I considered the gorgeous man sitting across from me. He was a fucking Kraken and there were still times he was helpless if he was too far away from water for his Kraken form to have its range of movement or use its control of water.

  “So, what if I decide I don’t want to shift? If I want to just live as a human?” I asked the question curiously, but I was sure I already knew the answer.

  “Alaska is full of shifters. We’re the home of the Council. If someone were to smell you, to suspect that you’re undocumented, they would call the Council in to evaluate you.” Killian’s eyes were hard and his voice was firm as he answered me. “You could leave—you’ve been out of their line of sight for the last eighteen years and could go back to that. But, you never know when you’ll run across another shifter and apparently the abilities you currently have don’t allow you to sense them. You’d have to spend your entire life in hiding, away from all people.”

  Damien hissed at his friend, “Don’t scare her, you asshole.”

  Killian simply shrugged, his eyes on mine. “You all can spin it however you want. She needs the truth.”

  Grudgingly, I was beginning to like this guy. He didn’t pull any of his punches. He told me how it was straight out. There was no posturing, no game, no pretty lies. He may be an ass, but he was an honest one. He wasn’t trying to play me, to give me a positive spin on the shifter culture. He was telling me what I needed to hear, whether I wanted to hear it or not.

  I kept my eyes locked on his emerald green ones and nodded once in gratitude. His eyes widened, but he shot me a grin in return. Wow, I hadn’t realized he had that kind of smile. A part of me felt a little bit dizzy at the force of it. I’m glad he didn’t use that too often or I’d be putty in his hands.

  “Killian’s right. Don’t sugarcoat things for me. Believe me, I won’t thank you for it when I find out you left the bad parts out to try and spare me. I need to know everything.” I met each of the guys’ eyes, holding their gaze, enforcing my statement.

  I leaned back on my hands as I considered what they were saying. I wanted to have an actual life. I wanted to be able to help people. My bubble may be large when it came to personal touch, but part of my goal for my future was changing that. I didn’t want my past controlling my entire future. I also didn’t relish the idea of some Council member messing with my head, stripping me naked, and removing my memories if they didn’t think I was up to snuff. I made a face of disgust. No, I really didn’t like that idea.

  “Fine,” I sighed the word, gritting my teeth as I squeezed it out.

  Ryder smirked, “You’re pretty damn fine yourself, girlie.”

  Perv. Hiro smiled up at me from his spot on the floor. “You don’t have to decide now. We aren’t going to turn you over to the Council. You can take your time.”

  Such a sweetheart. God, that was a tempting idea. Damien spoke up this time, his eyes soft but his voice hard. “Killian’s right, though. We may not turn you in, but any other shifter who scents you will. It is still your call though. As I said, we can call the Council in to be in control of the situation. Above everything else, we want you comfortable and safe.”

  I nodded, acknowledging his statement. I didn’t want to speak as I wasn’t sure how advanced Ryder’s lie detection powers were. They couldn’t know or care enough about me yet to have that kind of an opinion. “I want to know what I am. I don’t relish the idea of that choice being taken away from me because the Council decides they needed to know before I’m ready. I’d rather make the decision consciously and in my own control. Let’s just get it over with.”

  I stood and looked at Rini, “Will you come with me?”

  Fully expecting her to agree, I was surprised when she winced and gave me an apologetic look. “I’d love to, Nix, but this works better if it’s only mythologicals in the area. They need to be solely focused on you, and the amount of power that will be in the area wouldn’t be good for our animals since we’re already shifters.” She motioned to her and her guys and smiled encouragingly. “I promise we’ll stay close by, though.”

  Sighing, I accepted what was about to happen. “Thanks, I’d like it if you didn’t go too far. I would appreciate having a female at least semi-close.” Turning to the group of mythologicals I added, “I know you said it would be more difficult, but I prefer keeping at least some of my clothing on.”

  Theo nodded, standing from his chair. “Understood. If you’re comfortable with it we’ll give you one of our shirts. If it’s Killian’s it should be long enough to act as a mini-dress on you. Remove your bra, though, as that would be hell for us to get off of your shifted form.”

  I considered him, assessing his reasoning, and slowly nodded. “That should be acceptable.”

  Killian headed for the staircase, his stride wide and sure. He was back a few moments later with a long-sleeved shirt the same shade as his eyes. He balled it up and tossed it towards me. “Here.”

  I grabbed it from the air, holding it out to study it. It would probably hit about mid-thigh. Acceptable enough if I had underwear on. Hiro stepped forward, holding his hand up for my attention. I smiled at the move, which made him appear so much younger than he was. “We’re going to want to do this outside. I know it’ll be a little chilly but considering we aren’t sure what form you’ll take it’s for the best. We don’t want a dragon breaking through the front of our house.” He pushed his glasses up his nose, sending me a smile as he said it. I grinned back at him. Hiro was just so impossible to resist.

  “I understand. Rini, where do you think you could stay?” I turned to face her.

  She traded glances with the rest of the guys. “If we stay in one of the front upstairs bedrooms while
all of you head into the woods behind the house it shouldn’t cause a strain on any of you. We’ll be able to hear you from that distance if you yell, Nix. If you’re scared, or hurt, or afraid, all you have to do is call out and I’ll come for you. You’re my friend.” Her eyes were warm and sincere as they met mine.

  I couldn’t believe how ridiculously sweet this girl was. She barely knew me and was offering friendship and comfort as if it were the easiest thing in the world to do. I envied her that. I couldn’t bring myself to speak so I sent her a quick, albeit somewhat shaky, smile.

  “Will anyone see us out back?” I asked, worried about discovery from shifters and humans alike.

  “No, it’s spelled just like the clearing near your dorm,” Theo answered.

  “And Rini will still be able to hear me? How does that work?”

  “Shifter hearing. You don’t need to worry about humans hearing you—the barrier takes care of that—and there aren’t any other shifters in this neighborhood, so we should be safe to force the shift.” Once again, Theo set my mind at ease. I figured they wouldn’t do anything that would expose me at this point, but I was happy to have the confirmation.

  “Alright.” I nodded, then turned and headed to the restroom to dress.

  I studied myself in the mirror as I stripped to my underwear. I left my socks on because my feet got cold easily. I also left my bracelet on. I studied it in the mirror as I shook out Killian’s shirt. My bracelet was the only thing of my mother’s that Michael had let me keep and the only present he’d ever given me. It had been my sixth birthday and Michael had handed me the bracelet. He’d been the one to tell me it had belonged to my mother. She’d been gone so long I didn’t even really remember her. It was large, a three inch cuff of solid gold with a swirling engraving on it. I had considered selling it more than once for food or college money, but I couldn’t bring myself to part with it. Michael would have been furious if I had sold it anyhow. He had always insisted that I wear it. I had no idea why. Maybe it lessened his guilt a bit as he had gotten rid of all of the pictures of her and everything else that she had owned. I had a vague memory of a smiling woman with long, dark hair like my own. I wasn’t good at drawing so I couldn’t preserve her memory that way and it tore me apart that even those faded glimpses were disappearing as I got older. I had always wondered if Michael had killed her the way he enjoyed killing me. He had refused to tell me how she died. I only had a few hazy and choppy memories of that night, of the blood and the fear. Having her bracelet in Alaska with me felt like I’d helped a part of her escape him too.