Read Scorched by Darkness for Free Online Page A

the frost sprite, she was about to turn and head toward the distant shoreline when she caught the unmistakable tingle of magic crawling over her skin.
    “Here,” she said, abruptly dropping to her knees as she lightly touched the ice.
    With a liquid speed Torque was at her side, studying the small scorch mark that marred the ice. “What is it?”
    “The gargoyle.”
    Leaning forward, he touched the blackened ice. “Yes, I can sense that he released a spell.” He frowned in confusion. “Can you tell what he was trying to do?”
    Rya closed her eyes, concentrating on the unfamiliar threads of magic. It felt like a sticky web. Briefly confused, she tried to imagine what sort of spell would leave that precise residue.
    Then she snapped her eyes open. “He blocked the portal,” she said, genuinely impressed with the tiny demon’s quick thinking.
    Without warning Torque reached out to grasp her arm, urging her away from the point where Levet had presumably disappeared along with Finn.
    “Stand back,” he growled.
    “What are you doing?”
    “I traveled with the creature for the past three days.” Torque shuddered, continuing to pull her away.
    She dug in her heels, studying him with a startled glance. The thought of Torque being forced to travel with the gargoyle for more than a few minutes was…inconceivable.
    “Why three days?” she demanded.
    Torque wrinkled his nose. “The stupid creature had to find a witch who could use your betrothal ring to cast a spell that would allow me to open a portal.”
    Ah. She’d assumed that Levet must have some special magic. Instead, it’d been a witch’s spell. Her gaze briefly darted down, covertly ensuring the ring she’d made for Torque had been returned to his hand.
    She felt an odd pang of relief at the sight of the delicate band circling his finger. As if she would have been disturbed if it was missing.
    Idiotic.
    “So that’s how you found me,” she forced herself to mutter.
    “None of it would have been necessary if you’d just contacted me.”
    Rya rolled her eyes. “Or you could have remained with Baine and allowed me to look for my mother without interference.”
    Fire flared in his eyes. “No way in hell.”
    She blinked at his fierce response. It didn’t make sense. She’d been born a century ago, and carried his betrothal mark for nearly fifty years. In all that time, he couldn’t be bothered to remember she was alive, and now he suddenly acted like he was a dog and she was the bone.
    Unnerved by his possessive gaze, she gave a shake of her head and returned her attention to more important matters.
    “So why did you pull me away from the portal?”
    “The one thing I learned when I traveled with Levet is that you don’t want to be around when he releases a spell.”
    “Why?”
    “Because he blows things up.”
    Rya pulled her arm free of his tight grip and returned to the edge of the portal.
    “This one is no longer active,” she assured him, reaching out her hand to lightly trace the edge of the portal.
    “Then what’s the spell?”
    “It’s some sort of web,” she explained. “It’s there to act as a wedge.”
    “A magical wedge?”
    She shrugged. “The only way to explain it is that he stuck his foot in the door before it could slam shut,” she said in an absent tone as she concentrated on the mesh of power.
    Torque took a step closer, his heat wrapping around her to protect her from the chill. “You can open the portal?”
    Could she? Rya sucked in a deep breath. “We’re about to find out,” she said, using her magic to grasp the edges of the narrow opening.
    It was more difficult than she expected. The gargoyle’s spell was unfamiliar and the strands kept twisting into complex patterns that made it almost impossible to work her way past. Her limbs were shaking and a thin layer of sweat was coating her skin when she at last managed to shove open the doorway far enough to slip through.
    Before she could move, however,