Free Prince's Fire by Cara Carnes

would surprise me.”
    “Oh, I bet you are wrong there.”
    “Such a shame to have so many powers you can’t control properly. The gods should have given them to someone more deserving.”
    “Do not make me get between you two because you might not like the choice I make,”
    Val barked before wrapping his arm around her. She saw Shana move, then sit back down when Fiona motioned.
    “It is difficult to deal with powers that were not meant to be yours.” Val gave her a shy smile, like he wanted her to know he was on her side. It made her feel better about the situation. “There is no shame if you cannot wield them properly. We only want to help you hone them in case you ever need to use them against the D’kalhiks.”
    “D’kalhiks? I have powers I am not meant to yield?”
    “Do you remember the story your Nana told you about the night your parents died?”
    Val’s soft voice cut through the rush of emotions. She had thought the story of a faceless enemy slaughtering young girls had been a horror story meant to keep her from misbehaving. The fact that her parents had died protecting her had been Nana’s way of telling her that she was loved.
    “Yes. My parents called upon the final judgment when they realized they were going to die. They each had one request for the gods. One was for me to be taken to safety, and the other was for me to inherit their powers.”

    Prince’s Fire

    57
    “Exactly. You were only meant to yield powers associated with fire, and your parents had powers of the earth and the air. At least that is what we are assuming based on what Shana has told us. Fiona has been doing some familial history research on you for the past few days apparently.”
    “So my parents really died protecting me?” She looked away, feeling tears sliding down her cheeks. Wiping them quickly, she inhaled slowly. It didn’t do any good to get upset about something that happened so long ago, but she couldn’t help herself. Knowing she had parents that really cared about her meant so much. She’d never really understood that fully until just now. Nana had made a halfhearted effort to provide for her and Shana, but love was never an emotion displayed. That had left her dreaming about her family, wondering if she really had any.
    “I want to learn more about them. Do you have something that would show me what type of people they were?” She turned, intent on talking to Val about her parents, but he pulled her into his tight embrace.
    “Fiona has been working very hard on that and will continue to do so.”
    Gitana looked over at the young woman with jet-black hair. Unused to generosity from a stranger, she found herself at a loss of what to say or how to act. She had grown accustomed to being ignored because of her decision to isolate her and her sister. But that had been the safest solution since she was different from everyone else.
    “Thank you so much.” The words meant so little in comparison to the gift, but it was all she had to offer. Rage over the death and destruction building in her. “Have the D’kalhiks been destroyed?”
    Jax laughed. “Son of a bitch, your woman has a fucking bloodthirsty way about her.
    That’s hot, man.” She cringed at Jax’s words. He seemed to have the same sense of humor as Cal did, though his language left a lot to be desired.

    58 Cara Carnes
    “They are still a serious problem for us. Your presence here is bound to cause quite a stir among them. The attack when you were an infant was their attempt at preventing the prophecy.” Val’s words brought back memories of Nana’s lessons.
    Never show fear.
    Never appear weak.
    Trust no one.
    Reve
    r
    al you powers to no one.
    Never take your powers for granted.
    Always be prepared for battle.
    “So they thought to prevent your ascension to your thrones by killing your mates while they were young, and if they know I am still alive, they will come after me again?” If the stories she had been told by Nana were to be