Steam (14 page)

He took a deep breath and continued speaking to the picture as if he was really talking to his dead wife. “But I’m in love with Sunny. I hope that’s okay.”

Sloan knew in his heart Dara wouldn’t want him to live alone and miserable for the rest of his very long life. And talking to Dara like this felt good. “You’d really like her. She’s a feisty one, that’s for sure. And don’t worry. She won’t let me get away with any shit.”

Resolved, he placed the photo on his bed. It was time to really let her go. He wasn’t doing her memory any justice be refusing to move on. He picked up the vase containing her ashes and carried it outside. Sitting down on the dew-dampened grass, he held the vase against his heart for a moment. It would be the last time he held her close and he wanted to take a few more seconds to really cherish her.

“Can I sit?”

Sloan jumped when Anna lowered herself to the ground without waiting for an answer. He hadn’t even heard her approach him. “What are you doing out here so early?” he asked, shifting around so he could see her clearly.

She shrugged and pulled her legs close to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. “Addison brought me here once to see the sun rise. I come here all the time now. I try to remember his smile and how he smelled and how his arms felt around me.”

Guilt swamped him. Had he really been so oblivious all those years? “I’m sorry,” he whispered, draping an arm across her shoulders. “Sometimes I forget I’m not the only one who lost someone in the last battle.”

She smiled at him, her expression understanding. “It’s okay.”

“Still…I should have checked in with you. We’re both handlers, after all. We need to look out for each other.”

Anna let out a watery laugh and wiped her eyes a little. He wasn’t sure if she was crying or rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She laid her head on his shoulder for a second. “It’s all right,” she said again. “I know what it’s like to lose yourself to grief.”

He closed his eyes. That’s exactly what had happened. He’d been lost, wandering around in a crushing sadness until Sunny had come crashing into his world and forced him to live his life again. “Thanks for putting up with my crabby ass for the last twenty-five years,” he said to the air handler.

This time, Anna’s laugh was more genuine. “That’s what family is for,” she said.

They stared at the horizon for a few minutes, comfortable with each other and the silence. Anna reached out and touched the vase he still cradled. “Are you finally ready to let Dara go?”

Feeling lighter than he had in years, Sloan nodded. “It’s not fair to Sunny for me to keep clinging to Dara’s memory.”

A gentle breeze stirred around them and Sloan recognized the taste of Anna’s magic on his tongue. He uncapped the vase and released Dara’s ashes. “Good-bye,” he whispered as the ashes disappeared into the air, floating toward the forest Dara had always loved. “You’ll always have a place in my heart.”

Anna’s hand crept into his and he held it tightly for a few seconds. “Sunny will be a great partner,” she said softly.

He squeezed her hand. “Thanks. And thanks for staying with me while I did this.”

Sloan breathed in and felt like he was ready to conquer the world. He wished he could erase some of the pain Anna must still be feeling. “Have you let go of Addison?” he asked quietly.

Her smile was sad when she shook her head. “I’m not quite ready. I think I’m afraid to let him go.”

“Why?” he asked.

She shrugged again. “I think I’m afraid if I let him go completely, I’ll be lonely. His memory keeps me company, you know?”

He did know. He sent a few silent prayers heavenward. One was a prayer of thanks for allowing him to find his new love, Sunny. He would always be thankful she came into his life. Another was a prayer for Dara’s eternal happiness. And the last prayer was one for Anna. He didn’t know exactly what he should pray for on her behalf. Should he ask for her to find someone to love? In the end, he just prayed for her to be at peace.

He tugged on her arm until she was pressed against his side and turned so he could rest his chin on the top of her head.

The sun came up slowly, turning the sky a fiery orange. It reminded him of Sunny’s flames. In that second, his heart stopped beating to keep him alive and began beating for his Sunny.

* * * *

It was the absence of something warm next to her that woke Sunny up. Even before she opened her eyes she knew the pillow Sloan normally used would be cold. Sure enough, the sheets next to her were cool; although, they still carried Sloan’s scent.

Her stomach growled and reminded her it had been twelve hours since she’d eaten. It was imperative she get breakfast and coffee if she didn’t want her stomach to digest itself. The kitchen staff wouldn’t be around yet but she could always grab a bowl of cereal and some fruit. She wasn’t all into the heavy breakfasts Raven and Leith usually insisted on anyway.

She was determined to work the whole day on summoning her flame and manipulating it into a deadly weapon. She hadn’t forgotten the hunter that had invaded her hotel room back in Canada. If Leith hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t have survived. Sunny never wanted to be put back in a situation where she couldn’t defend herself, and now she had the means to make sure it never happened. She just had to learn how to wield it.

She took a quick second to throw on some clothes before striding into the hall. Of course, she skidded to a halt in front of Sloan’s door when she realized it was wide open. “Sloan?” she called. “Do you want to get some breakfast before we practice?”

She studied her fingernails while she waited for Sloan to answer. When she didn’t hear anything, she poked her head in the room. “Sloan?”

He never left his door open. She’d always been curious about his room but he’d never invited her in. It was decorated in cool blues and deep, rich greens. A massive bed took up most of the room. The heavy wood of the headboard and dresser dated the room though. And the art deco mirror was at least a good twenty years old. The wallpaper pasted to the wall behind the armoire sported a faded chevron pattern. The turquoise ceramic vase, sculpted to resemble waves, was something she’d seen in one of the foster houses when she was about ten. It was almost like it had been tastefully decorated back in the late eighties, but hadn’t been updated since.

Her curiosity got the better of her and she stepped all the way in. “Sloan?” she called again. She didn’t think he was actually in the suite. She couldn’t hear any sounds from the shower and his walk-in closet door stood wide open. It made her feel better to call out though. At least that way, she could tell herself she tried her hardest to locate him before snooping.

The carpet was thick and squishy under her feet. Yeah, the decorations in the room had to be at least a couple of decades old if the shag carpet was any indication. And, holy moly, how big was his bed? She would probably need a step stool to get in the thing. The bed came up to her hips at least.

She approached the bed, determined to find out how huge it really was, when something lying near the edge of the mattress caught her attention. It was a framed photo. Picking it up, she glanced down at it and nearly gasped. The woman was stunning. Gorgeous, even. She must have been Sloan’s wife.

Sunny felt positively drab next to the woman in the photo.

Carefully, she placed the photo back on the bed and crept out of the room.

She trod heavily down the stairs and into the kitchen, hoping to find the room empty. Her hope was dashed when she spied Matthew sitting at the scrubbed table. He drank from a coffee mug and looked about as down as she felt. “Hey,” she mumbled as she trudged into the kitchen and helped herself to a cup of coffee.

She could feel Matthew’s gaze on her as she moved around the room and waited for him to admonish her for drinking caffeine. When he didn’t say anything, she looked at him with a raised brow.

Shrugging, Matthew took another sip from his cup. “You look like you could really use a pick-me-up,” he said, apparently understanding her silent question.

She grabbed a box of sugary cereal Raven had started stocking just for her, and poured a generous helping into a large bowl. She carried it with her to the table and grabbed the milk, adding it to her morning sugarfest. At least it had calcium. Besides, it wasn’t like Matthew was going to judge her. “You okay?” she asked Matthew.

“Yeah. I’ve got a lot going on at work and it’s starting to catch up with me, that’s all.”

The tone of Matthew’s voice was off and his answer didn’t sound very convincing at all, but she let it go. She’d get it out of him later. Plus, he didn’t look like he wanted to talk about what was bugging him anyway.

She crunched into her cereal, grateful they were in the kitchen and not the dining room like they normally were for meals. If was far less formal here and she didn’t feel the need to be polite. At least she managed to chew with her mouth closed. “Can I ask you something?” she said after swallowing.

“Sure.” Matthew sounded a little relieved to be talking about something else.

“Will you tell me about Sloan’s wife?”

Why was she doing this to herself? She must be a glutton for punishment.

Matthew looked at her with a sympathetic expression but started talking. “Well, I was only two years old during the last battle. And actually, my family wasn’t even at the battle. But from what I’ve heard, Dara was quite an extraordinary witch. She had remarkable control over her magic and could do as much with her power as Sloan, even though it wasn’t nearly as strong as a handler’s magic.”

The milk on her cereal suddenly tasted curdled and she put down her spoon. Here she was, struggling to manipulate a single flame to her will while this dead woman had had it all. She didn’t have it in her to hate the woman though. Sloan had loved her, which said something about her. He wouldn’t love someone so deeply if she was a bad person. He certainly wouldn’t still be grieving for her after twenty-five years if she was horrible.

Wow. Dara had been beautiful and talented. Everything she wasn’t. There was no way she could compete with Sloan’s memory of his dead wife.

Matthew squeezed her hand a little and she glanced over at him, unable to hide the tears threatening to spill. “I’m right there with you. Leith…”

He trailed off, looking helpless, and she understood he really did know what she was going through. “God, we’re quite the pair, aren’t we?” she said through a couple of sniffles. “We should do an ice cream night.”

He chuckled. “I have a better idea. Let’s meet one night this week and drown our sorrows in booze. There’s a pub in town that serves the best cocktails.”

She tried to imagine Matthew nursing a brightly colored drink from a margarita glass and failed miserably. “You drink girlie things?”

“No. I’m more of a scotch on the rocks man. But I thought you might enjoy a good tequila sunrise.”

Her heart loosened a little. It was good to have a friend. “It’s a date. When do you want to go?”

Matthew pulled out a small black day planner and flipped it open. “Well, I’m going with Raven and Leith—” the blond man’s name left Matthew’s mouth with a small whimper, but he kept talking like nothing happened—“to meet the dragons tomorrow night. How about the day after?”

“Sure,” she said immediately. It wasn’t like she had anything pressing on her schedule. She was only trying to learn to control her magic so that when the next battle happened, she didn’t end up dead. It wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait.

Matthew smiled and penciled the date into his book. “Seven o’clock okay?”

Before she could respond, Leith stumbled into the kitchen, looking distinctly rumpled, as if he’d just rolled out of bed. He headed straight for the coffee without saying a word and poured himself a large cup.

Matthew made a show of checking his watch. “Look, I really have to get to the office. I’ll see you at the pub if I don’t run into you before.”

He rushed out of the room, leaving a very bemused Sunny. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only seven in the morning, way too early for any sane person to be dashing off to the office.

Then again, she could completely understand his desire to avoid Leith. The last thing she wanted to do was face Sloan right then. Not that she had much of a choice. He was her trainer and she couldn’t really hide from him.

Sighing, she got up and dumped her now mushy breakfast down the drain and left, mentally preparing herself for a day spent with her one-sided love interest.

Holy crap.
This place was huge. Sunny clambered out of the limo, thanked the woman who’d driven them, and then stared at the massive rock face that housed the dragon prince’s lair. She spun around and grabbed Raven’s hand, making his arm jerk as she nearly jumped around in her excitement. “Thank you so much for letting me come,” she gushed.

A warm arm wrapped around her middle and gently pulled her away from Raven. “Don’t break the man’s arm off,” Sloan commented, his irritated tone completely at odds with the tender way he held her.

Matthew joined them, looking up at the dragon’s lair with an expression of awe. “I know these are part of the same cliffs I suggested searching, but it seems totally different up close than they were in the aerial photos.”

Sunny nodded, aware her mouth hung slightly open at the amazing sight. How the dragons had kept humans from finding their lair, she’d never know. The entire face of the cliff was carved like a giant palace. The ocean crashed feet from the entrance and at high tide, it would lap right up against it.

Leith started muttering about pompous ass-dragons as he climbed out of the car and Sunny goggled at him. Didn’t he realize the woman who’d driven them here was probably a dragon? She could have Leith barbecue if she wanted?

Luckily, the driver smiled slightly, as if she was used to hearing such words.

Soon, the little group of MacAlister witches were gathered a short distance from the cave’s opening. Sunny took stock of what was going on, trying to control her excited reaction a bit. She, Raven, Leith, Sloan and Matthew had all come to meet the dragons. Out of all of them, she and Matthew seemed to be most excited, but there was something sort of peculiar with Raven.