Free Open Flame (Dragon's Fate) by Lacy Danes Page A

mean.”
    The soft ice-fire eyes that had so captivated him were the mask to the strength that resided at her core. Complexity and protectiveness of those she held dear pulsed through her.
    “I don’t understand, Madoc. Time is made up. Time is not what we think at all, and after what I just did, distance is a fiction too. How else do you explain what I did?”
    His gaze dropped to the bites on the side of her neck. “Fina.” He touched the small round scabs.
    She trembled.
    “Those explain why. I don’t know everything about what I am. I do know that life is made up of things we cannot see or understand. It does not mean they are not real.”
    She stared at him, and her brow pinched. “I need more of an explanation than that.”
    “I shall explain what I know of time. Humans hear time in a clock like this, tick, tock, tick, tock. For me, when I concentrate on time, I hear tick-tick-tick-tick-tick, tick-tick-tick-tick-tick.” He glanced to the left and out the window into the evening’s gray light. “All otherworldly creatures that are time benders or timewears hear something similar but with slight variations, depending on what they do with time. When you concentrate and pop distance, do you hear the ticking?”
    “No. At least I don’t think so.”
    He concentrated his attention on her. “Try it. You need to check on Catherine to see if she is well. To know what your loss of control did. Open the window and look. When you wish, concentrate very hard on what your body is feeling, hearing, smelling. The more you know about how your power affects you, the more control you will have over your ability.”
    She bit her lip. “I do want to see what damage I did to my room and Pa.”
    “Well, then, let’s.” A smile curved his lips.
    She didn’t hesitate. “I wish to see my bedchamber.”
    She impressed him as well. “Concentrate and tell me what you are feeling.”
    A glow burst into the room. Within the glow, a small bedroom appeared.
    “I hear my heart pounding. I smell the fresh rain. My stomach is tense, and there is an odd popping sound in my ears. How strange I had not noticed those things before.” She smiled at him, and understanding flashed in her eyes.
    “Does your room look unharmed? Or do you wish to step through and come back?”
    “I need to step through.”
    “Very well.” He wrapped his fingers about her hand and squeezed lightly. “I will be right here waiting.”
    Fina stepped through the light, and the glow disappeared. Please let her be safe. Please let what she finds provide her comfort. He blew out a tense breath, pivoted to the window and the twilight that now captured the city’s rooftops. His stomach tensed. He should have tried to go with her. Her confession of her journey repeated in his mind. “Something came with me… The dark mist that followed me… It smothered me. Said I belonged to it…” The dark mist… Darkness. Hudson’s darkness or another’s mist?
    A flash of light reflected in the window, and he turned to the light. Fina stood by the end of the bed. Relief crashed over him, and he held in a rush of laughter.
    “How did your journey go?”
    “The room is fine. It smelled a bit smoky, and dampness slicked the floorboards. They must have poured water on the fire. I carefully walked to the kitchen to check and see how Pa and Catherine fared. She stood at the hearth cooking dinner, and Pa sat at the table reading. All looked well.” She walked to the vanity again.
    Madoc’s heart lightened. “Good. How are you feeling?”
    “Hungry, and relieved that I didn’t permanently harm my home and Catherine.”
    Madoc walked to her. “I have more questions about the dark mist…but they can wait. Dinner is soon. I had some lace sent from one of Paris’s best makers. May I get some to cover your bite marks?” He wanted to show off her marks to the world, but they would not understand.
    He gazed back at her in the mirror. Her eyes glistened with freshly shed