Page 13 of Commanding Flame and Shield
“Aren!” I nudged him gently, whisper-yelling at my Commander, who slowly peeled one eye open to look at me. I didn’t have to see my face to know the grin stretched cheek to cheek was comical enough to make him open that other eye, mouth quirking. “It’s time.”
SIX
ASCENDED
AUGUST
The scent of coffee crept into my consciousness, and I smiled, pulling the blankets tighter against me and stretching out my hand, searching for Layla. As I started to stir, I felt a deep ache in my muscles, as though I’d run a marathon. My joints yearned to pop, and my pulse pounded away in my ears. The worst headache of my life set in, right as I heard her gently call my name.
“August,” she cooed.
Only. That wasn’t Layla. My heart started pounding, reality wrapping its cruel fingers around my windpipe, and I flew upright, coming face to face with Alvara—very much alive, real and more radiant than I even remembered, sitting on the edge of my bed. Everything about her seemed to release light—not like, she glowed, or anything crazy. She just seemed toemitlightness. Her long form somehow slender and simultaneously powerful. Like a majestic warrior of lore. An Elf fromLord of The Rings. Only, she wore normal clothes today—the same form fitting black t-shirt, and fitted jeans clung to her subtle curves. Even in those worn jeans, her muscles were obvious. The warrior held her head high, her shoulders back, body open to the world. She had a blade in the case on her hip, and her feet were bare—toes painted a glittering pink that seemed far too childlike for the warrior goddess. Her piercing eyes were kind, full of warmth, and she was smiling. Smiling,at me.
“Alvara?”
She nodded, and I saw the big man in the doorway shift slightly, arms crossed, pointedly watching me as though ready to come to her defense. Not like I’d stand a chance. He wore a tight t-shirt today, and I was intensely aware that the man’s arms were as large around as Alvara’s defined legs.
“Aren?”
I swore his mouth quirked up just a bit, as he too nodded. Sky-blue eyes sat below a strong brow, that gave way to curved cheekbones and a stubbled, angled jaw. Beyond the brawn, there was strength in the set of Aren’s features.
Her voice was clear, like a bell on the air. “Good morning, August. I know you have a lot of questions. We have much to discuss. But for now, you need to drink and eat—you’ve been out for a while. Ascension takes work, my friend, and by the looks of it, you did a great deal of it.” Alvara’s alluring smile broadened. Something deep in my chest stirred. An inexplicable desire to reach out and wrap my arms around her, to feel her hard body in my hands, rushed over me. I could vividly imagine her lips would be soft and sweet.
Fuck, what is wrong with you? Layla is waiting for you at home.
I snapped my mind back into the moment when she shifted her weight in front of me and shook my head to clear it. It was just something about that warrior-princess vibe, and her clearly having saved my life from whatever those things were that came for the power they believed was buried in me. A long-abandoned fantasy.
I nodded slowly, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed before accepting the cup of coffee in her outstretched hand.
“Where am I?”
“Grayshell.” She grinned with significance, like I should have known what in the hell that meant. “Our home. Your home, should you choose it.” She gently shrugged her shoulders.
“Layla!?” My panic choked the question, but she nodded again.
“She’s fine. She’s okay. She’s anxious about you, of course, but we have a team on guard, and they’ve cast a ring of protection around her home. Your home, I suppose.”
“Cast? Like a spell?”
“Of sorts. Humans call them that.”
“Like…magic? Are you a witch?”
“I’ve certainly burned for that accusation before.” Her brow furrowed, but her eyes still looked amused. “But no. Not in the black hat, chanting naked in the woods kind of way. I, um. I manipulate energy. We do. I mean, you can too.”
“I can—”
“Move energy. Yes. Although we don’t know to what extent yet. You’re just coming through your ascension.”
“Ascension?”
“Your rise, August. Your rise into your true power. What you were created for.” Her words took me back to the dream—the memory?—of the monster that attacked us.
“Who—who are you? What are you?”
“I am Alvara, sixth ascension, in the third coven of the hierarchy of Grayshell.Youare the seventh.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I looked to Aren for clarification, but the brute’s face was curled with amusement, and he pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. There was so much knowing there when his mirthful expression again found me. I wasn’t the only one bemused by her explosion.
