The Alchemist's Flame Read online

  Doug frowned.

  “Necrophilia jokes aside, James is truly the very best of men.”

  “You know him so well?”

  “He’s my best friend. Anyone who tries to take him against his will goes through me. The things Neil can do pale in comparison to what I can do.”

  He studied me. “What is it about that guy that inspires such loyalty?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Elysia was just as adamant in defending him. She let Neil stunt her in an effort to free him, to free the grim. Her family’s fortune was set when she found him. Hell’s blood, my father would grovel at her feet.”

  “She knew that?”

  “Of course.”

  I glanced at the door to the hall. “You could take him now.”

  Doug snorted. “And bear her wrath—and yours?”

  I arched a brow, waiting for his true answer.

  “My hold would be temporary. That bond can’t be broken.”

  “Because she’s so strong?”

  “Because she loves him—whether she realizes it or not.”

  My mind flashed back over the events of the last few days. I had liked Elysia from the start. I knew she was kind and compassionate, and seeing her in that light made it understandable that she would want to free James. But deep down, I still harbored some concern that when she was up against it, she wouldn’t hesitate to use him—just like every necromancer did. Yet she was up against it now. She had been stunted, her immediate family attacked, and Xander had made it clear what he thought of her. And though she lacked her power, she could have presented James to Xander and claimed her place in the necromancer hierarchy.

  Suddenly, I understood why the azoth had failed. Deep down, I hadn’t wanted to heal her. I loved James, too. I was protecting him. If she remained powerless, I didn’t think she could command him.

  “God, I’m such an ass,” I said.

  Doug lifted his brows. “Are you expecting an argument?”

  “No.” I laid a hand over his heart. “Thank you.”

  His brows rose higher. “For what?” He sounded so apprehensive, I laughed.

  “For making me see why I’ve failed to heal Elysia.” I gave his chest a pat and took my hand away.

  “You figured out how to heal her.”

  “Yes.” I gave him a smile. “I’m not sure I actually like you, but you may not be the evil toady I thought you were.”

  “Thanks. I think.”

  I left him standing there and hurried from the room.

  James and Elysia waited in the hall, wrapped in each other’s embrace. James caught my eye, a small smile on his face. No doubt he had heard every word of my conversation with Doug.

  “You know how to cure Elysia,” he said.

  “Yes,” I answered.

  Elysia lifted her head, her eyes wide. “Did you find something else?”

  “No.” I walked over to join them. “Ironically, it was something Doug said.”

  She released James and turned to face me. “What—”

  “There’s a lot more to alchemy than just mixing potions, but James can explain it.” I offered her the two blood vials. “Take those to Ian.”

  She frowned.

  “None of that. Ask him to purify what’s left in Brian’s tube and get started on the foundation for your cure. I need to take Colby to the Offices and let Rowan know what happened here. Then I’ll be back.”

  She studied me for one long moment, then abruptly wrapped me in a hug. “Thank you, Addie.”

  James moved away from us. A shimmer of darkness, and he was the hellhound.

  “I guess he’s ready to go,” Elysia said.

  He walked to her, then rubbed his ribs against her hip like a cat would. A really big cat.

  I snorted. “What was that?”

  “Agreement?” Elysia said.

  “Does he purr when you rub his belly?”

  Elysia laughed. “I don’t know. I haven’t tried.”

  I twitched a brow.

  The portal whispered open, and James jumped through, one clawed hand reaching back to hold it open.

  Behave, Addie.

  “Like that’s going to happen.”

  Elysia gave me a smile then stepped through the portal.

  Shaking my head, I headed for the lobby.

  Colby was moody and withdrawn on the way to the Offices. I suspected he wasn’t happy about his failure on his first bodyguard assignment. He leaned his head against the seat and closed his eyes.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Just enjoying the silence.”

  I frowned. “Are you suggesting I continue it.”

  He leaned up to look at me. “No, I meant the magical silence. I can truly relax.”

  I sighed. “I’m sorry, Cole, but I can’t make the X Dust permanent.”

  “You mean you won’t.”

  “Yes.”

  He frowned and turned his attention to the passing scenery.

  “Cole—”

  “Save it. I don’t want to hear about how the world needs me.”

  “Well, it’s true, whether you want to hear about it or not.”

  He didn’t respond, so I let it go. I would try to talk to him later when he wasn’t as upset. We arrived at the Offices a short time later. Marlowe circled the block to take the service entrance. He parked near the back door and Cole was out of the car before it even stopped moving. I sighed and slid out after him.

  Marlowe arrived to hold the door as I got to my feet. I glanced at the limo. It looked like a delivery van.

  I smiled at the clever illusion. “Thanks, Marlowe.”

  “It was no trouble, ma’am.”

  I hadn’t been in the kitchen here at the Offices much since the first night I had snuck in the building and ended up kissing Rowan. Smiling to myself, I hurried across the room, dodging a couple of liveried servants carrying trays of empty coffee cups.

  Once in the hall, I debated between heading up to Rowan’s office or the library. He could be in either place. I decided to try the library and stepped into the main hall—nearly colliding with the man himself.

  “Hey!” I almost said his name and stopped myself. Rowan’s hood was up and he wasn’t alone. The older man looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him.

  “Good timing,” Rowan said. “Miss Daulton, I don’t believe you’ve met Dr. Steadham.”

  I offered my hand, but it wasn’t until his hand gripped mine that I remembered why he looked familiar. I had seen his picture in the paper this mooring. Dr. Craig Steadham. The new director of the Burn Unit.

  “Miss Daulton,” he said, his tone and expression neutral.

  “Dr. Steadham was kind enough to take time out of his busy day to meet with me,” Rowan continued. “He’s intrigued by the work you’ve done in developing new burn treatments.”

  “Is he?” Not that his interest was in any way connected to the possibility of needing such treatment himself if he hadn’t shown up at Rowan’s request.

  “Indeed, I am,” Steadham answered. He folded his hands before him, the pose stiff and his knuckles white. Did his tension represent fear or fury?

  “I suggested you provide a demonstration,” Rowan continued. “He’s only recently transferred to Cincinnati and has yet to witness what you can do.”

  “I would be delighted.” I smiled, trying to hide my frustration with Rowan.

  “Well, let me walk the good doctor out, then you can relay your purpose for this visit,” Rowan said to me.

  “Thank you, Your Grace.” I nodded to Steadham. “Nice meeting you.”

  “Likewise.” A muscle ticked in his jaw before he turned and followed Rowan do
wn the hall.

  I turned on my heel and jogged up the steps to the second floor and Rowan’s small office. Somewhere private where I could scream at him. Damn it. Hadn’t I told him not to take care of this problem?

  I paced as best I could in the small space, growing more annoyed with each passing minute. When he finally arrived, I had already considered and discarded a half-dozen arguments.

  Rowan closed the door and pushed back his hood. “I see you’re not happy.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  He circled his desk and settled into his chair with a sigh. “It’s imperative that your work be allowed to continue. If that means I have to play the Flame Lord card, so be it.” He picked up a manila envelope from the stack on his inbox and stopped to read a sticky note stuck to the cover. Did he think this argument was over?

  “I agree that my work needs to continue, but I want to earn that right on my own.”

  “You’ve already proven that you can do it.” He opened the folder and began flipping through the pages. “This is simple bureaucratic red tape. Much like this.” He picked up a pen and scratched his name across the bottom of the document. I was close enough to see that he had written Flame Lord. Even on paper, he kept his identity secret.

  “Don’t tell Cora I didn’t actually read this.” He flipped the page and signed another line. “Contrary to what she thinks, it’s a waste of time. I trust her not to give me something I wouldn’t want to sign. Besides, she’s the one with the law degree.”

  “Seriously?”

  He looked up. “You didn’t know that?”

  “No. But I can see that. She’s certainly a straight-shooting, take-no-shit-from-anyone kind of person.”

  “True.” He studied me. “Addie, I want you to keep healing people, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. I’m sorry you don’t approve of how I handled it.”

  “You basically went behind my back. I wouldn’t have even met Steadham if I hadn’t shown up when I did.”

  He frowned. “It wasn’t my intention to do this without your knowledge. You were busy, so I thought I could take care of this.”

  “You’re taking all the fun out of this argument.”

  He smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Sorry.”

  I sighed. “I want to show the world what an alchemist can do.”

  “You have.”

  “No, the world is only interested in what the Flame Lord’s girlfriend can do.”

  Rowan rose to his feet and walked over to me. “So? Use it. This isn’t about your pride, this is about helping people.”

  I gave him my back and walked to his desk, trying to find a way to argue that didn’t make me sound like a conceited ass, more interested in her own reputation than the good of others.

  “Or do you not want to be the Flame Lord’s girlfriend?” Rowan stopped behind me.

  I turned to face him, noting the slim band of color around his pupils. Rowan was all about control and confidence. These little glimpses of insecurity took me by surprise every time. “I very much want to be the Flame Lord’s girlfriend.”

  “Good.” His hands settled on my hips.

  “But I also want to be Addie Daulton, master alchemist.”

  “I don’t have a problem with that.”

  “I know you don’t.” I still remembered how he had praised me to those reporters.

  “So, how do I fix this?”

  “You can’t. I have to do this on my own.”

  He frowned, his eyes holding mine. “Okay. I won’t follow up with Steadham. I’ll leave it up to you to secure the contract.”

  I stared at him, unable to believe that he had given in so easily. “But this means so much to you.”

  “I know, I trust you.”

  Words failed me.

  “Addie?”

  “If you’re trying to get in my good graces, it worked.”

  Rowan smiled. “Well, that wasn’t my intent, but I’ll take it.” He pulled me closer.

  I rested my hands against his chest. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather be perusing that document?”

  He glanced over my shoulder at his desk and his lips curled. Without comment, he wrapped his hands around my waist and lifted me up to sit on the edge of his desk. “I would rather be perusing you.” The fire stretched deeper into the gray of his irises as he released more of his control.

  I snorted. “How does that work?”

  “Beats me. If I’m going to come up with good innuendo, you need to give me more to work with.”

  “And how do I make reading legal documents sexy?” I looped my arms around his shoulders. “Hey, baby, let’s get naked and read each other some legalese. Or is that Cora’s thing?”

  “Don’t know, don’t want to know. Let’s go back to the ‘Let’s get naked’ line.”

  I snorted, remembering his “Too much clothing” comment from last night. “Someone has a one track mind.”

  “Yes.” He leaned down and kissed me.

  Oh God, I loved kissing this man.

  He pushed closer, standing between my knees, and deepened the kiss. I tightened my arms around his shoulders as he leaned me back over the desk. He braced a hand against the surface and reached down to grip my leg just above the knee, then tugged me to him, lining up our lower bodies.

  I released his shoulders and reclined against the surface of the desk, arching my back as he moved against me. Papers crinkled and I bit back a laugh. Would Cora be appalled to see what he was actually doing with her documents?

  I glanced down, thinking to ask him, and found him watching me, eyes on full glow. Gold crackled through his orange irises like actual flame. He slid his hand up over my body, and I swore I felt the heat of his palm through my clothes. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, the cords in his neck standing out in sharp relief.

  Without warning, his office door banged open. I scooted away with a gasp. Had Gavin followed me here?

  Rowan whirled to face the threat and the air around us exploded in blue-white flame.

  Chapter

  15

  Blue-white flames encircled us, forming a protective barrier and blocking my view. I slipped a finger into the front pocket of my jeans and pulled out a vial of alchemical mustard gas.

  “What the bloody hell?” an accented voice demanded.

  The flames vanished, and I could see David standing on the threshold.

  “Exactly,” Rowan said, his voice low and dangerous. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I thought it was the boy. I thought he had lost it.” David was just as angry. “You let yourself get that far out of control?”

  “Out of control?” Rowan demanded. “I was nowhere near out of control.”

  I slid off the desk and hurried to step between them. “Thanks for your concern,” I said to David. “But everything is fine here.” I gestured at the open door behind him.

  “Everything is not fine here. He was in you. Hell, he was in most of this upper floor. Do you understand what that means?”

  “Yes.” I held his gaze. It meant that Rowan could ignite the whole top floor, me included.

  David shifted his frown to Rowan. “That is not control.”

  “How would you know?” Rowan took a step toward him. “I would rather feel than lock myself down like that.”

  David calmly met Rowan’s glowing gaze, his cool blue eyes giving no hint of any emotion he might be feeling. “Then you will pay the price. Again.” He walked to the open door, but hesitated on the threshold. “You do the boy a disservice. Next time, he will take the plane out of the air, and those deaths will be on your head, as well.” He turned on his heel and left the room.

  “Shall I chase him down and kick his ass?” I asked.
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  “No.” Rowan’s tone was subdued.

  Concerned, I closed the door and faced him. “The pompous ass doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

  “Actually, he does.” Rowan turned away and walked around his desk to drop into his chair. He braced his elbows on the desktop and covered his face with his hands.

  Unease gripped my stomach. “Rowan?” I circled the desk to join him.

  “He was right; I was in you.” He lowered his hands and looked up at me. “I shouldn’t let that happen.”

  I touched his cheek. “I trust you. Besides, I like it when you’re in me.”

  The corner of his mouth twitched upward.

  “I’m a bit better with the innuendo.” I winked.

  “Maybe I gave you more to work with.”

  “Are you inviting me to slide in that chair with you?”

  His expression sobered. “I’m probably going to need a few minutes.”

  I grew serious, as well. “That’s fine. All you have to do is tell me. I could do with a cold shower myself.”

  He chuckled and leaned back in his chair. He looked so tired.

  “But I’ll settle for a glass of cold water.” I hooked a thumb toward the door. “You want me to bring you some?”

  “No, I’m good.” He closed his glowing eyes.

  I watched him a moment, my concern growing. “Okay, I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

  “Thank you.”

  I let myself out of the room, then slumped against the closed door. That was twice now that I had heard another Fire Element criticize Rowan on his control. Was there more to this than I realized?

  A clink of what sounded like china echoed out of the stairwell, and a moment later, Cora emerged, a cup and saucer in each hand. I suppressed a groan.

  “Since when does a Brit turn down a cup of tea?” she muttered, then looked up and saw me. Her eyes narrowed. “Let me guess. You’re the reason David’s pissed off.”

  “Not directly.”