Born of Fire

Yeah, life was weird and it was wrong, but tonight . . .

Tonight, with his arms around her and his breath tickling her naked skin, everything seemed right.

Syn came awake with a start, senses alert. Shahara rolled over and draped a long, luscious leg over his thighs, making him instantly hard as her breasts pressed against his arm. Her intimate touch distracted him until he heard another sound.

Someone was outside his office, fumbling with the lock sequence. That succeeded in making the blood rush back to his head.

Extracting himself from Shahara without waking her, he reached for his pants and pulled them on. He opened the small drawer in his nightstand and pulled out a blaster, then he went to check on his intruder.

Like the rat people called him, he moved across the floor silently until he pressed the controls for the door. It shot up and showed him a startled friend.

Caillen stood on the other side with a perplexed frown. “What are you doing?” He motioned to the blaster in Syn’s hand. “Going to war?”

Syn lowered his blaster. “I didn’t know who was scratching around outside my door. It sounded like someone I might want to shoot.”

“Yeah, I guess you can never be too careful. But jeez, Syn, you gotta learn to relax.” He came in and started looking around.

Syn frowned at his actions. There was an odd aura surrounding him—one he’d never seen before. If he didn’t know better, he’d think Caillen was nervous. “Something wrong?”

“Yeah. Shahara’s missing without notice. Kase was the last to see her and she said she was with you. I didn’t believe her until I found your jacket in Shay’s house. You got something you need to tell me?”

Syn’s blood ran cold. I am so screwed. How was he going to explain this to Caillen? The man was going to explode, especially if he found out she was naked in his bedroom.

He turned around and put the blaster down on the counter as he tried to think of something that wouldn’t get his ass kicked by one of his best friends. “Yeah, I was with her.” When he faced Caillen again, a deep scowl lined Caillen’s brow.

“What happened to your back? You get clawed by a lorina again?”

Syn watched the recognition dawn on Caillen’s face. Rage contorted his features an instant before Caillen rushed to the bedroom.

“I can explain,” Syn said, following after him.

After opening the door, Caillen just stood in the doorway, his face completely white.

Syn looked from Caillen to Shahara who was still sleeping with her back to them. And though the sheets covered her body, they were draped in such a way that anyone could tell she was naked.

“You bastard!” Caillen shouted an instant before he turned and shoved Syn back.

“It’s not what you think.”

Actually it was, but—

Caillen caught him with a right hook to his left cheek. Caught off guard, Syn stumbled back, his face stinging from the blow.

When Caillen pulled back for another punch, Syn caught his arm and wrenched it behind his back. “Damn it, listen to me.”

“I’m going to kill you, you worthless piece of shit!” Caillen shouted. “You hear me, filch? I’m going to rip your heart out and shove it down your throat!”

Shahara sat up in bed, holding the sheet to cover her body. Her senses dazed, she scowled at Syn. “What are you doing? Let Caillen go.”

Without thinking, Syn obeyed. Caillen swung around and knocked him to the floor, then sat down on his chest. Syn blocked his punches, but couldn’t dislodge his weight.

“Stop it!” Shahara came off the bed and caught Caillen by his ear. She pulled him to his feet.

He cursed but, to Syn’s complete shock, didn’t hit her for the hold. “Let go, I’m not a child.”

“Then stop acting like one.” She continued holding him by the ear until she’d dragged him a safe distance away. “What do you think you’re doing?”

His face black, Caillen ground out between clenched teeth, “I’m going to kill him for raping you.”

Shahara started at his assumption. Looking at Syn who was now on his feet, she saw the hurt on his face. “He didn’t rape me, you goon. Gah, are you totally stupid?” She let go of his ear.

Caillen turned to face her in stunned disbelief. “You mean you slept with him? By choice?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, I did.”

Even more rage darkened his brow and Shahara wondered at its source.

“How could you do such a thing, Trisa? How could you crawl into bed with a common filch?” He looked her up and down as if she were unclean. “How could you ever willingly spread your legs for a convict? My God, I thought you were better than that.”

His lip curled in disgust, Caillen gave one last disparaging glare at Syn then quit the room.

Shahara started to go after her brother, but one look at Syn, and all thoughts of comforting Caillen vanished. He looked like a lost child—bewildered and wounded. Suddenly, she realized what Caillen’s words must have sounded like to him.