Beneath a Flaming Sky - Book Three (Moon Child Series)

Chapter Three

As dark spots blotted across my vision a roar vibrated through the air before the hand on my chest was gone. My eyes fluttered open to see a dragon, the heat from the blast of flame coming from his mouth excruciating. I took the moment of shock to grab my potions from my satchel and pour their contents onto the creatures. They sizzled and hissed as the potion disintegrated them to nothing and I fell to my knees as the dragon chased off the hooded man.

The dragon shifted before me into an incredibly scrumptious looking, topless man. His hair black as ink hung slightly in his eyes, the colour of fiery amber. His skin was tan and seemed to glisten with sweat as he approached me with angry steps. His eyes seemed to be aflame as his hands grasped at my shirt, pulling me to my feet and glaring at me.

“Who are you? And why do I keep dreaming of you?!” He spoke with a Scottish accent that in another circumstance I would have been drooling over. But in this circumstance, I just blinked in a daze at his question. I didn’t have time to answer as screeching in the distance sounded. Reaching for another potion I threw it to the ground and ran when the man was disoriented. I had no destination in mind, I just ran. That was too close. If it hadn’t been for that man, I would have been dead. In the moment I had accepted my death, but now that I was running again, I wasn’t willing to give up that easy.

Reaching one of my safe spots I sat silently, my heart still pounding as I thought over everything that had just happened. Who was that man? And why did he claim that he was dreaming of me? This was my own prison. Why would he be dreaming of me? My thoughts are interrupted by Luca’s voice.

“Please wake up soon, Mia. We all miss you.” A small tear ran down my face as I rested against a fallen tree.

“I miss you too.” I whisper into the air, knowing that no one would hear me.

***

The morning came after a long night of running and hiding from the creatures and I breathed a sigh of relief as the sky began to tinge purple then orange as the sun peaked over the horizon. I made my way up to my bedroom in the pack house and collapsed on the bed to rest. The one good thing about being in this sleeping curse was I didn’t need to sleep, which when you had to run for your life every night came in handy. It also gave me plenty of time to read all the books I wanted to that I couldn’t when I was awake. Being gamma of the Blue Moon pack took up more time than I’d thought when I was growing up and my hobbies were always put-on hold.

I could hear the creak of the chair that I knew was sitting beside my bed and smiled at the person who spoke.

“Wakey, wakey sleepy head.” Amelia joked. “I’m glad that Luca finally told you about the pregnancy I was dying to tell you, but he insisted we wait. I mean who were you going to tell.” She laughed and I shook my head in amusement. She often sat by my bedside for hours when she found the time and would chat as if I were able to reply back. It was comforting, and I enjoyed the fact that she felt like she could tell me anything.

“Now I know you can’t see the ultrasound, but I really wanted to show it to you so I had the doctor record it for me so you would be able to hear it instead.” My heart began to soar as I heard her fiddle with something and then the sound of a heartbeat on an ultrasound began to play. “That’s your niece. Nice strong heartbeat.” I was going to have a niece! I bet Luca was ecstatic. I was really happy for them. I knew that after Adrienne had attacked Amelia and caused her to lose their baby they’d discussed not trying again for a while, happy to just focus on them and their relationship. It broke my heart that once again Adrienne had managed to hurt my brother by taking away his child and me in the same day. But she was dead now, and they were moving on. I couldn’t be happier for them. I just wish I were there to share it all with them, but I would just have to settle for listening from the sidelines. The sound stopped and I heard some more shuffling before Amelia sighed.

“It is so weird being pregnant Mia. Luca doesn’t seem to get it.” I rolled my eyes. Of course he wouldn’t, he’s a man. “To have another person growing inside you, it’s unreal. I just hope that you get to experience it one day when you wake up.” When I wake up. Her optimism has me smiling sadly as I hug my pillow to my chest. I had lost hope a few years ago when I’d read everything I could on sleeping curses. Without my mate I was stuck here, forever in limbo.

I felt my hand being touched and my palm being pressed against something firm but soft. I glanced down at my palm in surprise when there was a little bump against it.

“She’s been kicking me ever since I walked in your room. I think your presence makes her happy.” Hot tears streamed down my face as I continued to feel the little kicks against my palm. After a little while Amelia placed my hand back on the bed I was obviously laying on and sat back down. “I think she knows what a great role model you are going to be for her. I’m hoping she inherits your eyes from your mums’ side. That green with Luca’s black hair, she’ll be beating the boys off with a stick.”

“They’ll have to get through me first.” I heard my brother growl possessively, making Amelia and I laugh at his already apparent protectiveness. He’d been like that with me and Hailey too. In fact when Hailey had developed a crush on a boy in her class Luca had not been too happy, especially when she claimed they would get married and have babies one day. So I wasn’t too surprised that he would be the protective father type. I felt a hand stroke across my forehead followed by a soft kiss and smiled sadly.

“I’ll be back later to chat some more.” Amelia said. I listened as she left, and when no more sounds surrounded me, I stood from the bed and made my way downstairs to the training grounds where I practiced some of my defence spells. I was used to having to fill the time I had before night fall came and other things preoccupied my mind, like staying alive. I’d read through all my books three times already in the four years I’ve been here and taken on so many hobbies I’d lost count. So I’d taken to strengthening my magic and preparing my potions for the creatures that chased me. When midday came around, I was lying in the grass, sick of training and staring up at the sky. It was dull, almost fake, and I began to miss the sight of the real sky, the smell of a fresh breeze.

I’d resigned myself to my fate, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t miss what I used to have. And what I could have had in the future. I’d watched all those around me meet their mates and fall in love, while I was left alone. It didn’t bug me too much because I knew that my time was coming. I trusted in destiny to bring me my mate. Well turns out that destiny is a b***h.

I laid there on the grass staring up at the dull sky for a few hours before getting up and making my way to my spell room. Grabbing some new potion vials I put them in my satchel and made my back out of the pack. I could see the sky beginning to turn orange as the sun lowered towards the horizon and I prepared myself for yet another night of running for my life.