Thorns of Fate: Serendipity Saga Book One

Chapter Sixteen

I awoke with a metal table beneath my back. It was cold, sending a shiver down my back. Warmth was pressed to my mouth and it slowly drew me into clarity. A warm arm slid around my back, pulling me in.

My eyes flickered open to Carson above me, his wrist pressed against my lips and his other arm braced beneath me. As my eyes flitted up to his, he withdrew from my lips, pulling me into a sitting position.

He immediately pressed his lips against mine, pulling me close.

"Hey," I said as we broke apart.

"Hey," he whispered back.

A door behind him burst open and my dad stumbled in. He found me and his eyes analyzed my body. They narrowed on the wounds down my arm and leg. "That bastard," he growled. "I will have him destroyed."

"He fed from her," Carson rasped.

The ground beneath us shook and my father sucked in a long breath. It was several moments before the floor stilled. Damien was seething. His eyes glowed the color of fresh grass. A shiver rippled down my spine.

So, my dad was terrifying.

He stepped toward me. "Kyra, you need to relax and prepare for your coronation ball. My men and I will be going after Henrick. We will return for the ball." His eyes shifted up to Carson, "You, heal my daughter. And protect her in my absence."

Carson nodded.

Damien exchanged a hard look with me.

I sighed, looking at my broken leg. "Be careful, dad."

His eyes lit up and he leaned forward, kissing me on the forehead. He clasped Carson on the shoulder, sharing a quick glance with him and then headed out to track down Henrick.

"What happened?" I asked, once my father was gone.

Carson turned back to me, looking me over. He held his wrist up to my lips and nodded for me to go ahead.

I bit into his wrist and he spoke.

"You kicked Henrick's ass up until he drained you. Your magick actually stands up to his. That's...indescribable."

I looked curiously at him, holding his arm up so he didn't have to.

He continued, "Magicks are born with the innate draw to nature that is the ability, magick. It develops over time. The older you are, the better hold you obtain on the abilities. The best magick wielders can even manifest the element in full. You are newborn. You should be struggling to even be aware of your magick, not manifesting and throwing it around."

I looked down at my hands in awe. I dragged in, the gesture becoming easier, and my hands began to glow.

"You're getting control," he muttered, awed.

I flexed my fingers. It was becoming easier to wield. It was like I was digging deeper into my own memories, pulling them back, piece by piece. "It's like I'm supposed to know how," I responded in a quiet voice, trailing into silence.

My leg had knitted back together but was still tender. My arm seemed to have already resolved itself and the burn marks had washed away.

"Where's Kellic?" I asked, allowing him to slip my arm over his shoulder to take the weight off of my leg. He held me waddle to the door and assured me that he would take me to her.

We had been in some sort of medical wing in Damien's house. In order to get to Kellic, he hobbled me down corridors until we reached a hall guarded by two men. They nodded to Carson as we passed.