Smoke and Ruin Read online

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Copyright © TIFFANY DAUNE 2014

  This edition published in 2018 by

  O F T O M E S P U B L I S H I N G

  U N I T E D K I N G D O M

  The right of TIFFANY DAUNE to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real people, alive or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Cover design by Eight Little Pages

  Interior book design by Eight Little Pages

  FOR MY FATHER, WHO KEPT ME GROUNDED SO I COULD FLY.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  NEVER REMOVE A blade from a wound. Her mom's warning cried through the howling wind. Could her spirit see Halen now—read her frantic thoughts? How else would her mom have known how desperately she wanted to let Dax sink to the ocean floor? He was a knife in her heart; if she let him go, death would follow.

  Holding on tortured her worn muscles as she fought the waves from stealing his body from her grip. The unforgiving ocean shoved Dax forward, ramming his head into her jaw. Screaming, the salt water rushed between her lips, choking her breath. She was a siren—she wouldn't drown, but it didn't stop the ocean from trying to claim her.

  She spewed out the brine as she shoved Dax back; not too far, just enough to hook her elbow through his. His limp body bobbed alongside hers, still unconscious since the moment their silver bracelets melded with their birth marks. She feared any second now she may suffer the same listless fate.

  Adjusting the water stone, she clutched the cylinder to her chest. This too she would gladly let slip into the ocean's depths if it weren't for the others. Her heart ached with the thought of Asair and Natalie; how his gaze flashed with rage when she wouldn't leave his side. She had wanted to fight, her magick was stronger than Asair’s, but Galadia's wand required her protection.

  Blinking the water from her eyes, she kicked toward the familiar shore. Dread swallowed her whole as her gaze drifted to her empty beach house. Rockaway was the last place she wanted to be, but where else could she go? At least here, Asair and Natalie could find her.

  Her toes grazed the sandy bottom as a wave shoved her forward. She unhooked Dax letting the next wave guide him to shore. She cast her gaze skyward as she made her way from the water. Clouds shrouded the moon, darkness her only friend. As she dragged Dax from the ocean's grip, she scanned the vacant beach, thankful winter lingered on the Oregon coast. Summer would bring bonfires, late nights, and parties, but right now, the beach promised to keep her secrets safe.

  She ran up a way, setting the water stone between the rocks. Even without sunlight, the crystal blue wand shimmered. A part of her wished she could leave it behind; she wished she had never set eyes on the cursed thing, and someone else's past and future was tethered to Galadia's wand.

  A wave rumbled along the shore. Her gaze darted to Dax, his body catching in the current. "Oh, hell no!" She sprinted across the sand, hopping over a rock, bolting for the ocean before Dax drifted away. "You're not getting away that easy." She heaved him to safety. Drained from the swim, exhausted from casting magick to push through the portal, she slowly dragged him toward the house. "Can you even hear me?" His head lolled to the side. She tilted him, being careful not to let his skull crack against the rocks, though the temptation to draw blood was great. His betrayal stung most. "I should leave you out here. It's what you deserve. Believe me, if those stupid bracelets hadn’t melted under our skin, I would let the ocean eat you alive. I don't care what it would do to me."

  She would welcome the pain of casting magick without the elixir remedy dragging her to the depths; face the fever, the puking, and even the nightmares if it severed the Guardian bond for good. Her birthmark glittered beneath the moonlight, a painful reminder separation wouldn’t come that easy.

  When she reached the garage doors another wound stabbed her aching heart. Dax slipped from her grip. She leaned into the doors as thoughts of her mom crushed around her. Her mom's warm smile, which had always brought her to a place of peace, flashed through her mind. Away from Asair, his magick, and the spell he cast to mask her pain, her emotions flooded with sorrow. Halen had outrun grief, but now she was its captured prey. She couldn't go inside. She couldn’t face this house alone. She glanced down at Dax. With his arms splayed at his sides, his skin a gray pallor, he could pass for a corpse. She sure as hell couldn't stay outside either.

  Swallowing back the rising tears, she punched in the alarm code. The double doors creaked open, stopping with a heavy thud. She scanned the street for signs of onlookers while she pulled Dax into the garage, ran back for the water stone, and hit the button closing the doors. Setting the stone on the ground, she stepped over Dax, heading for the jar marked nails. She dumped the nails, spreading them along her palm, and scooped the key hidden within. Her hand shook, unable to place the key, as if her body were fighting to let her enter, knowing once inside, she would succumb to the inevitable despair. Inhaling a deep breath, she placed the key within the lock. When she opened the door, the alarm sounded with steady high-pitched beeps. She punched in the code again, slamming the door, leaving Dax and the stone behind.

  Inside, loneliness nestled in her soul. She hugged herself tight staring at the bleak concrete walls as whispers of regret enveloped her.

  You left them alone.

  You should have fought.

  You're weak.

  You don't deserve the power.

  Your mother is dead because you.

  With the tip of her toe, she skimmed the long fissures lining the concrete floors where she had cracked the ground when Ezra had come for her. A lump swelled in her throat. He sac
rificed his life for Tage, why couldn't she?

  You killed them too.

  Murderer…

  The weight of remorse dragged her to the cold, hard floor. She tucked her knees to her heaving chest. Why—why couldn't she have died instead? Sobbing into her soaking sleeves, she rolled to her side. She lay with her cheek pressed against the cracked concrete, wishing she could crawl inside and dig her way out of this hell.

  WARM MORNING LIGHT spread across her battered body, while the chill of grief blanketed Halen’s soul. She turned away, bumping her head on the concrete stair. When she glanced up at the staircase, her breath hitched. Memories flooded her mind, never letting her forget she had left Asair and Natalie behind; how she had searched for Dax and found him by the pond; how instead of fighting, she shoved Dax in the water and dove in after him, then kicked toward the open portal. Coward. She had the water stone; she had more power than Asair or her sister, yet she was the one who ran. Her magick saved her from the clawing ocean, not strength. As she rubbed her throbbing head, every cell ached as if she were splitting apart from the inside out. Even her eyelids grew heavy at the thought of staying open. Already, fever pinched her skin, the nausea not far behind. She groaned, staring at the steps, seeming miles high, but her salvation sat upstairs in her mom's medicine cabinet. At least she hoped the coral and bone elixir was still there.

  Rising, her damp clothes clung to her body, the sand crumbling off like a winter molt. As she lifted her foot onto the first stair, she leaned into the wall for support. Her silver birthmark glittered in the sun beaming from the skylights. The reflected rays bounced along the walls, almost beautiful if it weren't for the gruesome reminder she was permanently tied to the douche bag in the garage. Her stomach roiled with the thought. Slapping her hand over her mouth, she sprinted, reaching the spare bathroom before hurling. She swiped her mouth clean with the hand towel, and ran the tap, sipping the cool water from the faucet. When she rose, she met her battered reflection. "Who the hell are you?" The words croaked from her throat. Sand matted her hair; scratches lined her face; a purple bruise formed along her jaw where Dax's head had rammed into her. Her shirt was stained not from her own blood, but her sister's. She clutched the sides of the sink as the image of an arrow stuck fast in her sister's back haunted her thoughts. She inhaled a deep breath through her nose and out through her mouth, keeping the next wave of vomit at bay.

  After turning off the faucet, she crossed into her mom's bedroom. As she passed her bed, the vanilla scent of her mom's perfume hit Halen like the death blow in a knockout fight. She gasped, choking back the tears, as she made her way to the on-suite bathroom. When she pried open the cabinet, she spotted a single vial of elixir on the shelf. Not enough coral and bone to cast much magick, but enough to stabilize her nerves until she figured out her next step. She tilted back the vial; the sticky sweet concoction passed her lips, slipping down her throat. At once, her flesh warmed with sparks trailing along her arms and legs. She peeled off her clothes, gathered them up, and placed them in the hamper. Ripped and blood stained, they were past cleaning, but the habit made her feel a little less out of control. She flicked on the tub faucet, running the water cool as the elixir drove her temperature higher. While the basin filled, she searched the drawers for more vials her mom may have stashed away. When she found nothing, she slipped on her mom's robe and headed into the bedroom.

  Her legs wobbled, unsteady with grief at the sight of the empty room. She perched on the edge of the bed. Grabbing her mom's pillow up in her arms, she buried her face in the plush down while sorrow tore at her broken heart like a starved beast. "Mom, I'm so sorry," she screamed into the pillow. She rubbed her cheek across the soft cotton. "I messed everything up."

  Tarius lives, her mom’s voice whispered past her ear. You must stay strong.

  "Mom?" Halen stood. "Are you there?" She dropped the pillow. "Mom!" A chain of little beeps drew her attention to the desk. Her mom's laptop illuminated with a picture of their smiling faces. They stood beneath the shade of an oak tree, clover at their feet. The sun poked through the canopy of leaves, highlighting her mom's deep auburn hair with coppery speckles. Halen grasped the sides of the laptop, wanting desperately to transport to that moment, to have her mom close, hold her, and never let her go. She never should have left her in that hotel room surrounded by the Hunters. "Dax." She hissed between gritted teeth. Dax scooped her in his arms and dived through the portal. Her death was his fault too.

  Halen scrolled through the last photo album they made together, a montage of cities where they had lived. Beside the album, a folder labeled Our Special Places tugged her curiosity. "What's this?" Had her mom started an album on her own? When she clicked on the folder, a single image filled the screen. The foreboding sculpture sparked her magick at once. The onyx angel marked the entrance to their rocky garden, a monument to her father. Its black gaze peered toward the ocean set on the spot where Huron battled the waves. "What? This isn't a special place. He's not even dead." Halen shook the sparks from her fingertips which rose so easily with the thought of her father. "I don't understand. Mom, if you're there, please show me."

  The patter of water slapping the tile floor answered instead. Jumping up, she ran into the bathroom. "Crap!" She skidded in the water, grabbing the towel rack to keep from falling. Once steady, she flicked the faucet off, and flipped the drain to tame the waterfall. When the level returned to normal, she secured the drain and tossed a towel over the puddle. As she swiped the floor clean, a crash echoed from downstairs followed by a thumping sound. Sparks flickered in her fingertips, racing up her arms and across her chest. Another thump electrified her sparks, triggering a wave of fear. Had she forgotten to set the alarm? She tightened the belt along her robe as she tiptoed into the hall. She peered down. "Hello?"

  Thump thump thump

  The sounds boomed from the garage.

  Was Dax awake? She ran down the stairs two at a time. At the door, she pressed her ear against the cool metal. The crash of glass shattering on concrete stole her breath. She jumped back, her heart beating wild against her chest. Would Dax harm her? Or would he leave and find the Tari? If he took off, she wouldn't have his marrow. Magick would be out of the question, and she might need a hell of lot to find Asair and her sister. She couldn't let him escape. Slowly, she cracked open the door, her other hand pressed against the air, ready to block any blow coming her way, when the door jammed. Her pulse raced as something brushed her feet. She swung downward, ready to strike, when she stopped midair.

  A calico cat peered up and meowed.

  "Spinnaker! What the heck are you doing here?"

  He purred while nuzzling her ankles with the top of his head.

  She scooped him up. "You stupid cat. I almost fried you." As if sensing the truth of her words he wriggled from her arms. She pushed back the door, only to find Dax blocking the way. She looked to Spinnaker, who now licked the ocean salt from his forehead.

  "Did I let you in?"

  Spinnaker meowed.

  "Come on then." She opened the side door, the cool morning air slipping inside. "Go on, before your mom comes searching for you." That's all she needed was her neighbor nosing around.

  Spinnaker protested rolling on the garage floor near the glass jar he knocked over.

  Halen sighed picking him up. "Sorry, buddy, but your mom will freak if you're missing." She tossed him outside, then closed the door, securing it with the deadbolt.

  She leaned with her back against the door staring at the unconscious boy on the floor. His damp clothes clung to his body, his skin flecked with goosebumps. "I guess I better take you inside." Tired, the thought of moving him with magick crossed her mind, but with only one bottle of elixir to her name, she needed to conserve. “Come on, you big lump.” Lifting Dax under his arms, she dragged him into the living room. She switched on the gas fireplace and tucked a pillow under his head.

  Though the flames cast a soft glow over his listless body, his lips remained a pu
rplish-blue hue. She winced thinking how his kisses ignited a fire beneath her skin, laced through her magick, and held on tightly like strangling reigns. So many lies had passed through those lips. Sparks swelled with her anger. She pumped her fists releasing the energy. "I'm not wasting my magick on you."

  Though, in her opinion, he didn’t deserve comfort—she had to keep him alive. So, instead of letting him freeze, she stripped off his wet clothes and covered him with a blanket. Her gaze drifted to his matching birthmark, the silver sparkling on his skin. If she stayed close to him, would the bond capture her heart? She feared loving him—she feared killing him—but most all, she feared his control over her power. What would it take break the bond? Death? Trailing her fingers across the swirl at his shoulder, the silver rippled beneath his skin. She flinched back as the silver transformed into a single circle. Her arm burned with a fiery pain. Crying out, she grasped her shoulder. Craning her neck, she witnessed the silver beneath her skin mimic Dax's mark. "What the hell?"

  She touched the newly formed circle. "What's happening?" She peeked beneath the blanket. His birthmark along his lower arm remained unchanged. A sick feeling twisted her gut as a horrible thought creeped into her mind—what if there wasn't a way to set Dax free—what if they were bound forever?

  No, there had to be a path to freedom. She wouldn’t live with the fear of this monster lurking along the seam of her soul, manipulating her magick. Fuelled with a frantic determination to separate her life from his, she charged through the living room and into the kitchen. She flung open the knife drawer. The steel blades glistened like the silvery curse beneath her skin. Choosing the sharpest one, used to fillet fish, she ran the tip along her forearm. With her shaking fist, she poked the little starburst pattern, wedging the blade below the inner swirl. Crimson washed over the Guardian stain, reminding her of the river of blood that plagued her thoughts—the boy and stag awaiting. Dax would gladly deliver her to Tarius. She wouldn’t let him try. She winced as she dug the blade farther.