Fire Danger (18 page)

There was a story in his mind, an indication that the meeting didn’t go the way the young Aleric had expected it to. “Does Donar like the way he is portrayed in the movies?”

He rolled his eyes. “Griff sees him periodically in Iceland. He is angry they get his name wrong and will complain to anyone who will listen that he doesn’t have a hammer. He does command lightning, much the same way Zeus does. As with most legends, his is mostly nonsense.”

“Why aren’t they a part of this?” She wondered what it would be like to meet a god. After a moment’s reflection, Rachel decided she could live for a long time without sighting one. Her experience with the few paranormals she had seen so far had been mixed.

He shrugged. “The gods prefer to live their lives without caring about humans. Most of them are indifferent to the battle. You will have to meet them eventually.”

Deciding she’d had enough history lessons, Rachel kissed Phoenix with a bold smack of her lips against his. “I want to make love to you, Aleric. I want to hold you and touch you and sense you inside me.”

He growled. “Come here, woman.”

He touched her hair, sliding his cheek over the short strands before moving to nuzzle her ear. She shivered at the puff of air. His teeth nipped lightly on her earlobe and he hardened against her belly. The fact that he was so much bigger than her gave her a sense of being cherished. Secure.

Phoenix urged her all the way down onto the bed and straddled her. He met her eyes and the mind link settled between them lightly, like a loose garment. She saw as if in double, up to his body and down, like a ghost image, herself in a different kind of reflection.

“I love that you are so much woman, without all the trappings of today’s modern female.” He feathered his hand through the hair at the juncture of her thighs.

Her passion for him, and fortunately his for her, never seemed to abate. “I love that you love it,” she managed, tendrils of need curling through her. She smoothed her hands over his shoulders and down his chest, his short chest hairs tickling her palms, and then back around to his powerful lats, made stronger by the need to support his wings. He flexed, the muscles rippling under her hands. His cock, full and hard, pointed toward her.

“Touch me,” he said in a growl. “Now.”

She obeyed, her hands sliding between his legs. The angle made it awkward, so within the mind link she told him what she wanted.

He grinned.

“Oh, yes.”
Even in the mind link, his voice was low and husky.

Phoenix pivoted until his body was over hers with his head near her legs and his pelvis over her head. His breath washed hot on her body, first on her thighs and then where his hand had been a minute ago. With her tongue just darting out, she tasted his tip and heard him gasp. He did the same, moving the curls to find her clitoris and lick it in return.

There was the ghost sensation again, partly hers and partly the desire pounding through Phoenix. It enhanced her passion, making her want it now.

She tipped her head slightly and engulfed his tip with her mouth, licking just behind the head. He was big, too big to take it all in, so she settled for taking him halfway down and wrapping her hand around his base. She mouthed and tongued him, and Phoenix stiffened further. A few drops of precome leaked from him and she took them in her mouth gladly.

Phoenix bit her clit. She jumped.

Then he began licking her, licking and tasting and taking small bites. He moved down, opening her lower lips and probing inside. The wetness coated her from inside her body, aided by him.

Rachel gasped, losing the rhythm on his cock, and he pushed deeper inside her mouth.

“Come for me,”
he demanded.

She shuddered, her world narrowing down to his mouth on her body. He licked her clit in a circular motion, around and around. She pulled her mouth free of his cock, afraid what she would do in the moment.

Then she was soaring, the orgasm stripping her of sense and reason. Her body coiled and arched, and she screamed her release. It seemed to go on forever.

Before the ecstasy had subsided, he moved again, pulling free of her hand. He pushed her open, wider. There was intensity in his gaze as he feasted his eyes on her body.

“So beautiful.”

Without further words he took her, sliding his cock within her ready body. She welcomed him, his hands on her inner thighs, keeping her legs wide. He plunged so deep it was like they were one, all the way to his root.

He settled between her thighs, his body keeping her open to his. She let her legs splay out, allowing him access to everything she had.

“Look at me.”

She did as he commanded and saw the love and need within him. He thrust once, twice, a claiming that went all the way to their souls.

* * * * *

Phoenix moved again, taking her hands in his and pushing them onto the bed, their joined fingers linked near her head. His primal need, the drive to own her, to put his final claim on her, to tell the world that she was his and only his made him roar, his eyes wild.

He thrust again. His body stiffened, and his mind opened to hers as the orgasm took him. It was primitive and it was raw and it was all the way. It started at his base and rippled to the back of his skull. It pounded through him and triggered her. She cried out and arched up into him. Release took both of them in a mutual outpouring.

Whatever the rest of the week held, this moment was perfect.

Chapter Thirteen

The day of the Chicago mayor’s visit to San Francisco didn’t feel any different.

All around the city, people were rising and beginning their days. Human minds chattered and hummed as they stirred into wakefulness, some by the natural rising of the sun and others more rudely, by clock or phone alarms. Soon the daily crush of commuters would begin, clogging the city with their mass. The mental waves were relatively quiet now, but that would change in a few short hours.

Around the world, Phoenix knew the others were also fighting their battles. He could sense their dramas playing out around the world. Their minds and bodies were occupied by their tasks, and their foes, just as he was. It had happened again and again in his time as Phoenix, and this one was no different.

But it was.

Rachel made all the difference. The woman whom he loved, his fire maiden, changed everything.

A familiar tingle on his back was his only warning. Phoenix jumped off the bed to a standing position right before his wings appeared. They exploded on his body, lengthening and unfurling. They reached toward the ceiling, a stance of readiness. This told him more than words ever could that their instincts had been right about this time and this day.

If Rachel had been sleeping, she wasn’t any longer. She leaned up in the bed and admired his form, complete with red-and-orange wings.

Her eyes glittered. Within her mind he sensed fear but also a ripening excitement, as if she was ready for the battle. “It is time.” She swept her gaze first over his naked body and then over the wings. “This is real.”

“Yes.”

JT meowed at them, not seeming at all fazed by the red-and-orange wings now on Phoenix’s back. He gave Rachel a pitiful glance and jumped off the bed. His soft paw pads made no sound as they carried him out of the room, but it was clear he was heading for his food bowl. Rachel rose from the bed.

“I’ll feed him and shower and then I guess we should go.”

If something went wrong, Phoenix had made arrangements for Rachel and JT to be taken care of. If she survived the upcoming battle but Phoenix didn’t, Rachel would have the power of Elementals, Inc. at her disposal. If neither of them made it, he had left instructions about the care of JT. If they got through this, he would be sure to introduce Rachel to the idea of being a part of their company. He had been happy to leave the company to Sphynx and their employees, but that would change. Things would be different, if there was a future for them.

It was still new to him, caring about anything other than his job and the Elementals. And they had been good friendships, those with his fellow protectors. But there were walls between them. There were things unspoken that would likely never be said. With Rachel he had brought down his walls and let another being in. If it wasn’t all the way yet, that would come in time. If they had time.

He heard the shower go on. He found her desire to have things in their proper place humorous. As if clean hair and proper grooming could stave off the beginning of Apocalypse. It had taken him a long time to learn the value of cleanliness. It hadn’t been natural to the fighter who lived for battles.

When she came out, naked and with wet hair, he wanted to toss her back on the bed and make sweet love to her. He wanted to bury himself in her body and forget the task at hand. It would be so good. She could ride them both to completion and he could see her body arch above him as she came. So good.

Then, with regret, he pointed to the front door. “Let’s eat out.”

She looked at his wings and then back at him. The expression of puzzlement and concern told him she wasn’t yet used to the idea that humans couldn’t see the paranormal.

“They won’t see my wings.”

“What about Haures? And her helper?”

“If we’re in the open, we might be able to draw her minion out.”

The corner of her mouth curved up in what he decided was an attempt to smile. Her shield was down. Dread, anxiety and a deep fear of the unknown beat inside her. But there was also a thrill that she could put her newfound fire talents to the test. It was a warrior’s thrill, the idea that combat was upon them. Whatever happened today would help shape their destiny and the destiny of all mankind.

“How are the others doing?”

He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “They are also engaged in their Challenges.”

“Hence, you can’t help each other.”

“We never can.” He pulled the shirt on and buttoned it. His wings slipped through the slits and settled along his back, folded until they almost appeared like a large muscle group. “It is the way of it.”

“I’ll get dressed,” she said.

* * * * *

Phoenix’s tablet told them that the mayor and the caravan would begin their journey at eleven in the morning. Streets had already been cordoned off for blocks around the hotel, and the sidewalks cleared of foot traffic.

Rachel was still amazed that nobody could see anything different about Phoenix, although humans gave him a wide berth. Mortals might not have the same senses as paranormals, but they also weren’t entirely blind to the idea that something odd was in their midst.

The sidewalk café, several blocks from the hotel, was quiet between the morning breakfast rush and lunch. They could see the cordons a few blocks away, and police sirens chirped from time to time, as if in reminder of the increased security. “What happens now?”

He took a sip of his coffee, for all intents and purposes casual. But his gaze darted around, assessing, weighing the situation.

Their breakfast was simple, croissants and coffee, and their check already lay in front of them. Rachel had felt the relief of the waiter when Phoenix had asked for it concurrent with the small meal.

“Thank God,”
the waiter had thought.
“They aren’t going to stick around.”

Money was under the sugar bowl, the cost of the meal covered in case they had to make a quick getaway.

The buzz and hubbub of human mental energy swelled around them, but Rachel had a very strong shield up against the ambient noise. She didn’t put up the complete wall she’d learned the day Arella attacked, as it kept Phoenix and others out too. They would need the communication.

“He must have a room somewhere where he can see the caravan,” Phoenix said. “I think…” He trailed off, his brows furrowing and his forehead wrinkling. Rachel had a quick glimpse of what he’d be like if he ever grew old. “There are bombs. Her human is close. I can sense his scent on them, and their fire gives me the power to feel them.” He gestured to his fingertips, and for a brief moment, flames danced on them. “Bombs are easy.”

He seemed disappointed, as if he had expected something more complex from Haures and her underlings.

She picked the position of several of the concealed bombs out of his mind. While she knew little about them, these didn’t look strong enough to kill someone in a heavily protected car. They were crude, slapped together with a simple timer. She understood what Phoenix thought—these didn’t seem sophisticated enough for a plot designed by a centuries-old Demonos.

“What do we do?” She also sipped her coffee and picked at the croissant. It was delicious and flaky, but tasted like crumbs in her mouth. Still, she forced herself to eat it.
You might need the strength,
she told herself.

“I stop this.” He said nothing else, and his mind was maddeningly blank. “I am trying to see if I can trace him through the signature on the bombs, but I still can’t pick him out. That blocker is too strong.”

Rachel breathed out a sigh of relief. There was no more thought in his mind of walking away and leaving humanity to its fate. There was only the desire to protect—her first, the other Elementals second. And distantly, more as a simple task to complete, the need to stop this plot and do his part to save humanity.

“What do I do?”

“You wait.” He gripped her hand. “I should have taken you somewhere safe, but I can’t help thinking that without you this doesn’t work. Do not put yourself in danger. You wait. I’m the Elemental.”

Like hell I wait,
she thought privately, where he couldn’t hear her.

“I’ll deal with the bombs.” He paused. “I can defuse them.”

“He’ll have a backup plan. He’ll have guns.” Rachel shuddered.

“I don’t want you in danger.”

“Too late for that.” Her tone was emphatic.

Fenley and her grandfather approached them, threading through the café until they stood in front of the small table. Both of their faces bore grim expressions. Their gazes darted around from the café to the street beyond and back again.

Phoenix and Rachel took in their expressions. She raised an eyebrow. There was no surprise in his mind, only satisfaction and relief.

“There is little time,” Fenley said without preamble. He ignored the dismayed looks of the people at the table next to them when he wedged his huge body close to Phoenix. “We have been watching your human. We know where his traps are. Where he is.”

Kamal, the man she was still getting used to as her grandfather, was watching her, his look unreadable.

“I thought you wouldn’t help,” Rachel said, her relief clear in her voice.

Fenley’s mate Brienne stood a short distance away. She was as slight and sleek as she had been the day they met the wolf pack. She motioned to the busy street. Her muscles moved under her skin, and Rachel remembered that Brienne was stronger than she appeared.

If they survived this, she was going to take up kickboxing or karate and get tough. Rachel wanted to be strong now. All she had was fire.

Unprepared or not, the battle was here.

Fenley had cuts and bruises on him, ones Rachel didn’t remember seeing before or after her daytime visit from Arella.

Fenley half smiled and shook himself, a motion that made his huge frame heave. “The pack had a discussion. I won.”

“Your pack defied you?” Phoenix frowned.

“It is the way of the pack. Tests are issued, and the winner leads. My win. My rules. Not all agree, but all obey.”

In the distance they heard the caravan. Through others’ eyes, Rachel could see the flags of the black cars making their slow way down the city streets to the hotel.

“Let’s go.” Phoenix rose from the table, rocking it slightly, and gestured to Rachel. Fenley and Kamal had already made their exit over the small fence that separated the café from the street. The big men were attracting attention. They were striking, even if you couldn’t see the wings or claws.

“I wouldn’t mind a piece of that.”

It had come from a man sitting alone at a table. He met Rachel’s eyes and then shifted his gaze to Fenley as if to say, “Your man? Lucky you.”

She shook her head, a small smile tugging up. She pointed to the exiting Phoenix, and the man grinned his approval.

Once outside, they gathered in the relative calm of a nearby doorway.

“I will help Rachel,” her grandfather said. “You must collect the bombs and take them into the air or they will cause much damage.”

Phoenix said nothing further. Good. There would be no
allowing
in this scenario. She would not stand idly by while they fought this Challenge. It was her Challenge too.

“I can melt them down.” Phoenix gestured to his wings and the fire faintly visible on his fingertips.

“Too many. It would take too long. We know where they are. We will help,” Fenley said.

She had an image of wolves in the sewers under the city, wolves lurking in alleys, sniffing, tracking.

Fenley handed Phoenix a sack. “Come. There is little time.”

Phoenix gave Kamal a penetrating stare. “Keep her safe.”

The elder Ifrit nodded. “I will do my best. I want her by my side in case Farouk shows up. Are you ready?” he asked Rachel.

There.
Rachel concentrated. There was a presence, a malevolent mind, hovering in…

It was as if the entire tableau was revealed before her. Looking through the wolf pack eyes, she saw the man who had eluded them. She knew where he was and where the bombs were. They were oddly placed, and even if they all blew up, they would not be close enough to kill the mayor.

The assassin was a small man, very unassuming. If she’d walked past him on the street, she wouldn’t have noticed him. The apartment building was two blocks away, but with a clean line of sight to the parade route as they turned the corner to Market Street. There was something around his neck, likely the blocker that had concealed him from their thoughts. Rachel made a mental note to thank the wolves for their visual aid later.

“I have him,” she said, projecting his location to the others.

“We see him now,” Phoenix said. “His device does not protect him from being seen with eyes.” He turned to Fenley. “We will have to come in from behind. The street is cordoned off in front.”

Rachel breathed out. “Go get the bombs. Grandfather and I will deal with the assassin.”

There was no sign of Haures. She was the key piece. There had to be something wrong. Haures was Phoenix’s Challenger, and there was no way she wasn’t part of this. Where was she?

She shot the question to Phoenix, who concentrated for a second and then furrowed his brows.

“I don’t know. I can’t feel her.”

“Something is wrong. This—” he gestured to the street and pointed toward where the caravan was, “—this doesn’t feel right, but it doesn’t feel wrong either.”

Fenley nodded, and Brienne approached them. “The threat is real. We have been watching.” Her voice was high, almost a yip. Brienne was struggling to hold on to her human form.

“I owe you,” Phoenix said to Fenley, a ring of an oath in his words.

“Go.” Rachel kissed him and shoved him lightly. “It will all be for nothing if we don’t.”

Phoenix shot a look at the other men. “Ifrit, my Rachel is in your hands. I am depending on you. Fenley, let’s go.”

* * * * *

Fenley’s mate ran point several feet in front of them. “We both have put our women in danger today.”

Fenley appeared unfazed. “It is what wolves do. She is an equal partner, in her way. And…there are times when there is no option. I would rather keep her safe, but the world will not be safe if you fail.”