Violet Flames: Primordial Gods Book 1, page 12
“Later, Softy.”
“Later, Demon Spawn.”
I went down and exchanged my book finally. I ran back up to my room and engulfed myself in a world of romance and passion for the rest of the evening.
Chapter Thirteen
It was a gloomy day. I could hear the rain through the windows as I read my sister’s latest letter when I glanced up and noticed the time. I had to meet Valarian for practice, so I would not have time to write her back until later. I quickly got ready and left.
The kiss was all I could think about last night and this morning. I jogged down to the training center and still thinking about it while getting soaked with rain. I still could not believe that I had kissed him.
We do not mate where we live…that is what Cali said, and I had convinced myself that she was right as I continued to replay her words. It would be awkward afterward if we decided to part ways, especially if he was my trainer.
As I walked into the training center, I saw Valarian standing there with his arms crossed. He noticed how rain-soaked I was and immediately grabbed a towel and threw it at me.
“You’re soaking wet, Ember.” I blushed at his words as I caught the towel.
“You must have heightened senses, I didn’t think that you would notice,” I said, sarcasm lining my voice.
“I always notice when a woman is wet.” He smiled. I quickly ran the towel over my face, drying it off and hiding my lust-filled expression from him.
“We are going to try something new today, take a seat on the floor,” Valarian said as soon as I entered the room.
“Oh, really now.” I laid the towel out on the floor and took a seat on it, crossing my legs. The taste and feel of his lips were all I could think about, and it had me grinning like a fool.
“You keep dropping your shield to speak to me. Now that you can keep it up for longer, it is time to learn this.”
“Okay.”
Are you ready?
“Wait, what? What was that?” I was confused by hearing Val’s voice but not seeing his mouth move.
He had an excited smile on his face.
Don’t talk. Use your mind to speak to me, Ember.
I dropped my shield.
This is weird.
Shield up. I heard in my head.
“I can’t talk to you with it up.”
Yes, you can if you wield the thought to me. No one can hear our conversation but us. If you let your shield drop, other Vampires will be able to hear you. If you keep it intact, we can converse like this in private. When you think of a thought that you want me to hear, just think about saying it to me. It is easy. Try it.
I put my shield back up.
Can you hear me? I thought while thinking about saying it to Valarian.
Yes, I can. He took a seat on the floor in front of me and crossed his legs.
Can you hear my other thoughts this way? I was hoping he knew what I meant.
I can’t. I can only hear what you want me to hear when you wield your thoughts to me. Any other thoughts you have, stay unheard. Your secrets are safe if your shield stays up. He smiled again.
“Woah,” I said aloud.
Ember, focus.
I love the way he says my name. I checked to make sure my shield was tight. It was.
Did you hear that? I wielded the question to him.
Maybe. What did you say again? He looked at me suspiciously.
Nope, I can’t tell my secrets, I said as I smiled at him.
He just shook his head.
Can I talk to Zayn like this? I asked.
You can’t, but I can. Only Vampires can do this with others. It is a good thing to have if we are ever in a situation where we cannot speak. This is how you can communicate with me. If you are ever in danger and I am nearby, you can inform me.
Or if we are at the dinner table and I want to make fun of you without the others knowing. I teased.
That too. He laughed.
“Alright, time is up for today,” he spoke aloud as he stood up off the ground.
“Now, that is the coolest thing I have learned since I learned to wield a dagger!” I was so excited. He extended his hand to me and helped me off the floor.
“Do you get out much?”
“Hush your mouth.” I punched his arm. “Do you?”
“Nah, and I’m okay with it,” he said.
“So, Valarian.”
“Yes, Ember?”
“Are we going to talk about what happened?”
“I assumed you did not want to since you did not mean to kiss me.”
“Oh, so we are good then?” I asked.
“Sure, we are good, buddy.” He turned and quickly walked away.
Did he just call me buddy?
The rain was a light sprinkle now as I walked back toward the manor. My morning class with Val was usually my favorite part of the day. I had a feeling he was mad at me, though, especially since today’s class was extremely short. I did not know what I said or did.
Maybe he was mad because I kissed him, or it could have been because I freaked out when Cash came into the cave. I sighed. It was probably because I was sending mixed signals since I didn’t even know what I wanted.
When I got back to my room, I changed into dry pajamas and hung out for a while, reading my book. I barely got a few chapters in because I found myself wondering off about the kiss.
Once it was evening time, Cali and Zila came down. They were both ready to go and were now waiting for me to come out of the bathroom to show them what my outfit looked like—an outfit Cali had brought down and insisted I wear.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I said through the bathroom door.
“It is not that bad, Ember,” Cali said.
“I look like I should be going to a brothel.”
“We may do that.”
“Not funny, Cali.”
"I wasn't kidding. It's been a while since I visited those sexy ladies."
"I don't want to look like I work at one," I said as I slung the bathroom door open.
“Sexy!” Cali clapped her hands excitedly.
“You actually do look sexy, Ember.” Zila gave me the sweetest smile as her luminous silver eyes looked at me.
“Thanks.” All three of us girls were dressed similarly.
Cali had on a pink lacey top that showed off her Angel tattoo. She had it paired with a short black skirt and low-cut matching boots. She had a dagger strapped to her belt on her hip. She looked very sexy and underdressed.
Zila had on a tan shirt and a longer skirt that went to her knees. She was sexy too but in a more modest way. I did not see a weapon on her. She had on a cute pair of flats.
I was also currently wearing a knee-length skirt, but mine hugged my thighs. It had a slit about halfway up one of my thighs. I did strap my dagger onto my leg, the one with the slit. I never left home without it. I wore a gray semi-low-cut shirt and black mid-calf boots. I quickly threw a black leather jacket over it.
“Don’t do that, it throws off the aesthetics of the whole outfit.” Cali sighed.
“I am at least taking it in case I get uncomfortable.”
“Fine. Let’s go, ladies.”
Zila and I followed Cali out of the manor. I was glad the rain had stopped. I was under the assumption that this was an all-girls trip, so I was completely caught off guard when I saw all four of the males standing there. All of them were wearing trousers and button-up shirts, except Valarian. He was wearing a short-sleeved cotton shirt and I could see his muscles.
“Damn, we are going with the finest women around,” Cash said, grinning like the fool he was.
“It is about time. Come on, ladies. You all look lovely,” Zayn said with a big smile on his face.
I locked eyes with Valarian, his face looked pleasantly surprised. I bit my lip to keep from smiling as I stepped onto the portal. He moved over to me and leaned in close to my face.
“You look delicious, love.”
“As do you. Oh, I mean…” I smiled nervously at him.
“I would rather it be a bathing suit, but this is sexy too.” My mouth dropped open as the portal was willed to go.
I was so distracted by Valarian that I completely forgot about the portal making me sick. My body started to sway, and I slammed my eyes shut. I felt a hand touch my lower back to help steady me. I felt sick, and then we landed.
“Are you okay?” Valarian asked. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He still had his hand on my back.
“I am fine.” I let out a slow breath, trying to push the nausea down.
“Just breathe.” He rubbed his hand around on my back.
“I can soothe you, Red. But, if I do, you will never get used to it.”
“No, I will be fine. You all go ahead; I will catch up.”
I walked to the side of the portal by some trees and leaned against one, using it to hold my body up. I saw my group walk about twenty feet away to give me room, but they did not leave me. Everyone except for Valarian. He walked over to the trees with me.
“I’m fine, you don’t have to stand with me.” I did not want him here in case I got sick.
“I don’t mind.” He crossed his arms in that lazy stance of his. His muscles tightened under his shirt, and I looked away quickly and made sure my shield was up. I took a couple of deep breaths.
“I am good now. We can go.” He walked next to me quietly while we caught up with our friends. I looked around at the lands and noticed there was an abundance of pine trees. It was hard to see much since nightfall had come, but it was beautiful from what I saw in the moonlight.
“Alright, we are all here. Let’s gale outside Hallowshade’s wards. Ember, do you want me to gale you since you don’t know where we are going?” Zayn asked.
I glanced up at Valarian and then looked back at Zayn.
“Sure,” I said. Zayn put his arms around my waist, and we landed at the edge of a town.
As we walked through the town called Hallowshade, I noticed that all the little shops had closed for the evening, but they had an active town, from what I could see.
We stopped at a busy building. It was a saloon that was made entirely of wood logs. Little lanterns were hanging up the entrance. I could hear music, talking, and laughter pouring out from it.
After we went through the saloon doors and stepped inside, my eyes immediately took a sweep of the room. Everything inside the saloon was also made of wood. There were people playing games and drinking beer. There was also a band and a dance floor. It even looked like they served food. The place looked fun.
A man whistled loudly, and the music stopped. The entire bar went quiet, and they looked at us. I froze, my eyes darting around at everyone. I noticed there was a lot of Lycan here, but I also saw the eyes of Fae, Elven, and Casters.
An older gentleman, a Lycan, went up onto the stage area. I looked around at my friends, confused, and they were all smiling like they were expecting what was going to happen.
“Everyone, please welcome back, the King’s Guard!” he yelled, and everyone clapped and started howling.
Then the band started playing again. The older Lycan made his way over to us, went straight up to Zila, and kissed her on the cheek.
“Hi, sis. Are you faring well?”
“I am, brother.”
“Oh. Who is this?” He looked over at me.
“Kage, this is Ember Lavaris, our new King’s Guard member. Ember, this is my older brother.”
“Kage Moonfall, nice to make your acquaintance. Welcome to my place, the Howling Moon Saloon.” He grabbed my hand and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. “You are one gorgeous woman. I swear the King’s Guard has the most beautiful females from all the lands in one spot.”
“Aww, thank you. It is nice to meet you too.” I giggled slightly and blushed.
“I need a drink.” Valarian strolled off over toward the bar, and Cash followed him.
“You ladies and gentlemen, enjoy yourselves tonight. We will catch up later, sis. Nice to see you again, Cali.” He kissed her hand, and for once, the Angel blushed and stayed quiet as she smiled. Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle at the Lycan male. “A pleasure, as always, Zayn and Asher.” He smiled and walked toward the stage. He grabbed a guitar and started playing with the band.
“Let’s drink and eat.” Asher cracked his knuckles, then walked off toward the bar. I followed everyone. As soon as I got to the bar, Val handed me a drink.
“Here, I got you this,” he said.
“Oh, nice, thank you.” I took a big swig of it and coughed. It burned so bad.
“Easy there, killer.” Val shook his head.
“What is this?” I made a disgusting face as shivers went through my body.
“It is whiskey.” He smiled.
“Ember is a girl, V. She needs wine.” Cali reached for my drink to take it. I pulled it closer to me.
“No, I am fine with whiskey.” I smiled and took another sip, then coughed again. Val laughed as I shivered and made a face.
“I ordered four pizzas, wings, and fries,” Cash smiled proudly.
“That is a lot of food, Cash,” Cali said.
“That’s just mine, did you guys want something?” Cash teased, and Cali rolled her eyes at him. He winked at her.
“Good, I am starving.” Asher rubbed his stomach.
“I got us a table,” Zila said as she walked up to us. We all followed her.
The night went by fast. We ate food, drank liquor, and laughed. I was sitting at a table alone with Valarian after our friends took off.
I glanced around the room and saw Cash take the stage with the band. My eyes went wide when he picked up a guitar and started playing. He played exceptionally well. I was shocked at how beautiful it sounded and how weird it was to see this big, bulky man playing guitar.
“I didn’t know that Cash played guitar,” I said to Val.
“He learned to play because of a bet.”
“What do you mean?”
“We were at a bonfire one night and Cash was fiddling around with a guitar. Zayn bet he couldn’t learn to play because of his big hands. Being the man he is, Cash took the bet to prove Zayn wrong. Obviously, Zayn lost.”
“How much did Zayn have to pay?”
“Oh, they didn’t bet money. The loser had to run around the outside of the manor, all the way to the garden and back, naked.”
“No way. To the Gods?” My mouth dropped open.
“To the Gods. Zayn did it proudly. All of us guards, the servants, and even the king watched the event.” Val laughed hard.
“Are you serious? The king?” I threw my hand over my mouth.
“Dead serious. Those two will bet anything.”
“I will keep that in mind.” I locked eyes with him and he smiled at me. It sent shivers through my body and I quickly looked away.
My eyes landed on the dance floor, and I noticed some of our friends were dancing. I saw Asher dancing with Zila, they were acting like fools. They looked like they were having fun, it was adorable. I smiled at their silliness. I saw Cali dancing with a girl, then they kissed.
"I didn't know she liked women."
"She likes people for who they are, not what they are. She is a free spirit."
"I think that is fantastic. They all look like they are having fun."
“Why don’t you go dance?”
“I may in a bit, Val,” I met his eyes and smiled.
“Val?”
“Is that not your name?” I downed the last of my glass of whiskey. I was feeling good…maybe a little too good.
He smiled at me, picked up his glass, and downed the drink. He put his hand up and made a gesture at the bartender. That was his second glass, mine was only my first.
“You usually call me Valarian, I was just caught off guard.”
“Well, I assumed, since we are civil now, that you would be okay with me calling you Val.” I gave him a flirtatious smile, and for the love of the Gods, I decided to bat my eyelashes at him.
“Civil? Is that what we are?” He grinned.
“Yes, very civil.” I smiled big and leaned in closer to him. Alcohol had me completely letting my guard down.
A waitress came up and set two glasses on the table. I saw Val stiffen slightly. I looked up, wondering why. She was a beautiful blonde-haired Lycan.
“Thank you, Libby.”
“Yes, thank you.” I smiled at her.
“You’re welcome,” she said to us. “What are you doing after this, Val? Do you want to come by?” She gave him a flirtatious smile. Oh. So, they had…
Oh.
Val looked at me, I smiled at him and stood up.
“I think I shall go dance.” I picked up my fresh glass of whiskey and downed the whole thing.
To the God’s, it burned. I slammed the glass back down and slowly wiped my lips off with my fingers while staring at Valarian.
Asshole, I said, knowing only he could hear it. I then strolled off onto the dance floor.
Once I left the table, I did not look back at Valarian. I started dancing like I did not have a care in the world. It was probably because I had way too much whiskey—that and I was angry.
I was having so much fun when a male Fae came up and started dancing with me. It was a fast song, and he never touched me, so I did not care. Two songs later, it turned slow. He moved in close to me. I shook my head and turned to walk away. He grabbed my arm and held me there.
“Just one song,” he said.
“No, I would like to sit down now.” He pulled me closer to him, completely making my body touch his.
“Oh, come on,” he said with a seductive smile on his face. My hand went to reach for my dagger, but as soon as I touched it, the male was whipped away from me.
“She said no. Do you understand what it means when a woman tells you no?” Valarian was in the Fae’s face. I heard a large growl from him.
What the hell was that?
“Are you mated to her?” the Fae asked.
“She is a King's Guard and my friend. She also said no.”
“If you are not mated, then it is not your business, Valarian.”
The Fae turned toward me, and before he had a chance even to make eye contact, I punched him in his face, just like Val taught me. His hand went up to his face in shock. Val had a sexy smirk on his face as he watched the blood pour out of the Fae’s nose.
