Mystic Flame (Beyond Ontariese 4) (17 page)

This confrontation had been a lifetime in
the making and Malos had no intention of revealing his secrets. If
Hesuto managed to penetrate his shields—which was highly
unlikely—Malos would rupture a blood vessel in his own brain and
rob the arrogant Mystics of their victory. But Malos was far from
surrender. There was still plenty of hope that he could regain
control of the situation.

Malos might wear the robes of a Mystic and
command similar skills, but in his heart he was Rodyte. His mother,
Delaine, had been used by a Mystic. The callous bastard hadn’t
forced himself on her. He’d seduced her with pretty words and
trinkets then returned to the Conservatory when he’d finished
amusing himself. Malos resulted from the affair, but the Mystic had
no more interest in the child than he’d had in the mother.

Crushed and humiliated, Delaine fled to a
distant outpost near Rodymia. The outpost was primitive and savage.
Despite unimaginable odds, Delaine found a way to provide for her
infant son. She scrubbed floors and took in sewing. She stocked
shelves and waited tables. Many offered their protection in
exchange for her shapely body, but she refused to be the plaything
of any man.

Until she caught the eye of a Rodyte
commander.

Commander Pakraut was not used to having his
wishes ignored. Seasoned soldiers trembled in his wake and women
offered themselves freely, so Delaine’s rebuff fascinated him. He
returned again and again to the tavern where she worked, offering
her comfort and protection. Each time she refused, he grew more
determined to win her affection.

Malos had seen eight solar cycles when his
mother finally gave in and became Pakraut’s mistress. The wealthy
Rodyte leased a comfortable house for them and hired a tutor for
Malos. It was all very amicable and the relationship likely would
have run its course if Pakraut hadn’t seen Malos’ potential and
imagined the possibilities of having an Ontarian Mystic under
Rodyte control.

Hesuto released the forceful pressure on
Malos’ mind and took a step back. The Mystic’s expression didn’t
change, but Malos could sense his frustration.

Seizing upon Hesuto’s momentary distraction,
Malos reached out across the meticulously shielded link he’d
established with his apprentice. He needed to make this short and
succinct or the Mystics would realize he’d transmitted a signal.
Kellan would doubtlessly be scanned, but it didn’t matter. If
everything went as planned, Kellan will have completed his task
before the Mystics realized he’d returned from Linusia Prime.

He sensed Kellan’s mind and eased beyond his
shields.

Master
?

Not wasting time with telepathic greetings,
he said,
The time is now. You know what to do.

Have no fear. It shall be done.

The door in front of Malos slid open and he
quickly pinched off the link.

Mistress Alexia looked at Hesuto as the door
slid closed behind her.

Fear stabbed into Malos. Had the bitch
sensed him contact Kellan? It didn’t seem likely, but—

“How are things progressing?” she asked and
Malos exhaled.

“Slowly,” Hesuto admitted. “He has a level
of control I’ve never encountered before. Are you sure he’s a full
blood Ontarian?”

“Our scans revealed nothing unusual.” She
looked at Malos, gaze narrowed with speculation. “He frequently
visited his mother during his initial training and she lives very
near Rodymia.”

Hesuto rubbed the back of his neck,
appearing noticeably fatigued. “I’d be concerned if she lived near
Bilarri. Rodytes have no paranormal abilities.”

Malos wanted to laugh. These fools had no
idea what Rodyte training techniques could accomplish. Rodytes
might not possess Mystic abilities, but they had mastered mental
discipline. He’d learned more from his Rodyte trainers than his
Ontarian mentor by far.

“Keep at it. If you need a break, let me
know.” Mistress Alexia departed as abruptly as she’d arrived.

Hesuto faced him again, determination
gleaming in his dark eyes. “It’s obvious I can’t force information
from your mind, so it’s time for a new tactic. How well do you deal
with pain?”

The question was meant to intimidate but
Malos smiled. The only thing Rodytes knew better than discipline
was inflicting and processing pain.

Why can’t you love me
?

Evan’s question echoed through Dro Tar’s
mind, stirring feelings and igniting possibilities she’d silenced
fifteen cycles before. “It’s not that simple and you know it.”

“It’s only as complicated as we choose to
make it.”

She sighed and tried to climb off his lap.
He wrapped his arms around her and turned to the side, laying her
back across the bed. Her legs were already parted by his hips and
he pinned her arms against the mattress.

“Answer the question.” A surge in emotion
sped the swirl of his light green eyes. His face hovered over hers,
features chiseled by determination.

Did he honestly think an admission of love
would instantaneously solve all their problems? “I love you. All
right. So what? I love hamburgers and ice cream too. That doesn’t
mean they won’t make me fat and clog my arteries.”

He laughed, the flash of his perfect teeth
making him even more attractive. “It’s analogies like that that
make you irresistible. I’m fascinated by the way you see the
universe. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. We’ve
wasted too much time already.”

“Stop it. Just stop it!” She yanked against
his hold and twisted beneath him. He let her struggle but didn’t
let go. “You’re elite and I’m common. You’re a Mystic and
I’m…nothing.” The last word slipped out with a sob and she turned
her face away.

Releasing one of her hands, he gently turned
her head back around. “You are everything to me. You always have
been.”

Anger bubbled up through her insecurity,
driving away the weaker emotions. “You’re full of shit, Master
Evan. Forget ‘everything’. If I’d meant
anything
to you, you
would have fought for me instead of hiding in the
Conservatory.”

“That’s a cheap shot and you know it. You
can only tell someone you don’t want to see them so many times
before they believe you. If I’d had any idea you still cared for
me, I would have taken up residence outside your door.” His
expression remained calm, but his fingers tightened around her
wrists. “What are you so afraid of?”

His question cut to the heart of her
lifelong strategy. She’d always combated fear with anger and
bravado. Fear made her weak and a woman on her own couldn’t afford
any vulnerabilities. “Nothing.” The claim tore away another layer
of her emotional protection and her lips began to quiver.
“Everything.” Tears welled in her eyes and she tried to turn her
face away again.

Evan didn’t allow the retreat this time.
Resting his weight on his forearms and his knees, he framed her
face with his hands and stared deep into her eyes. “I know I’m
pushing too hard, but I will not risk losing you again. You said I
should have fought for you, and you were right. I just didn’t
realize you were the one I’d be fighting.”

“But how can an elite Mystic and a—”

He pressed his fingertips against her lips.
“No labels. No rules. Do
you
want to be with me? That’s the
only question that matters.”

Her lips trembled beneath his fingers and
tears escaped the corners of her eyes. “I do.” Her heart fluttered
at the phrase. It was unlikely he’d understand the human
significance, but she knew. It was a pledge, a vow, a promise to
share herself completely and with only him.

Lowering his head slowly, he held her gaze
until the very last moment. Then their lips met and reality
narrowed to that one moment and that one kiss. She parted her lips
and answered each gentle slide of his mouth with a similar
movement. He moved his hands back to her wrists, keeping her
focused on the kiss.

She drew his breath deep into her lungs,
absorbing his scent and melding it with hers. Their mouths fit more
closely together and she passed their mingled breath back to him.
His tongue teased her lips, tracing and touching but never leaving
his mouth. Needing some part of him inside her, she curled her
tongue around his and coaxed him beyond her lips.

His being brushed against her mind,
caressing and beseeching. She relaxed and opened for him, wanting
the connection as badly as he did. Desire, longing and tenderness
flowed into her mind. She hadn’t felt the pressure of him anchoring
the link.

Has it been open all this time?

He eased back and separated their lips. “I
didn’t leave it open to spy on you. I was still reeling from your
attention when our argument began. I will never enter your mind
without your permission. When will you learn to trust me?”

“I’m sorry.” She was being ridiculous. The
link was for her benefit. His empathic abilities allowed him to
sense her emotions any time he chose to use them. She either
trusted him or she didn’t. And she needed to decide. “I don’t mean
to be paranoid.”

He paused and kissed her before he said,
“You’ve had no one to defend you, no one to guard your back. That’s
bound to make anyone paranoid.”

She’d had Trey, but pointing that out to
Evan would have been extremely foolish. Besides with Trey she was
always a valued member of a team, not any more important than all
the others.

Something hot and secretive erupted within
his gaze. He levered himself off her and crouched on his knees. “I
think it’s time for a trust exercise.”

Uncertainty coiled in the pit of her stomach
making her entire abdomen feel tight. “I trust you.”

A sexy smile parted his lips and he cocked
his head to one side. “Prove it.”

“How.”

He moved off her and pulled her up until she
sat in the middle of the bed. He knelt beside her, gaze warm yet
cautious. “I want to blindfold you and I want you to restrain
yourself.”

“The blindfold is easy, but what do you mean
by restraining myself?” Their sexual interaction had always been
incendiary. This playfulness was new. She wasn’t sure how to deal
with a mischievous Evan.

“You have to agree not to touch me or try to
stop me no matter what I do to you.”

The tension in her belly escalated to a
cramp. “I don’t think…” Trust. She either trusted him or she
didn’t.

He stroked the side of her face with the
back of his fingers. “I will never harm you. Do you believe
that?”

“Yes.” And she did. He’d always been careful
with her, always remained aware of her needs and desires.

“Then show me. Lie back and raise your arms
over your head.”

“Are you going to bind me?”

He shook his head. “That would defeat the
purpose. This is about you freely offering your trust.”

Exhaling a shaky breath, she turned so her
body aligned with the bed and then lay down on her back. She raised
her arms over her head and looked up at him. “Do you realize how
hard this is for me?”

“I do. Trust is a precious gift and I will
treasure yours. Now close your eyes.”

He didn’t have anything to blindfold her
with, but she let her lids drift closed. Her skin tingled and she
gasped then felt a slight pressure against her eyes. “What did you
do?”

“Applied the blindfold.”

She tried to open her eyes and found her
eyelids immobilized. Apparently a Mystic didn’t need a silk tie or
a folded scarf to blindfold someone. What other surprises did he
intend to conjure? She took a deep breath, accepting the darkness,
allowing the absence of sight to free her other senses. This was
Evan,
her
Evan. He would never intentionally hurt her.

Silence stretched into the darkness as she
waited for his touch. Had he flashed from the room? Why wasn’t he
touching her? “Evan?”

“I’m here, love. Just relax.”

Right. Relax while she was stretched out on
a bed naked and without sight. Utterly vulnerable. She held
perfectly still, listening to the sound of her own agitated
breathing. What was he waiting for?

Something soft and insubstantial brushed
against her side. She flinched then exhaled and forced herself not
to retreat from the ticklish sensation. Was it a feather? No it was
even softer, like velvet or rabbit fur. She suddenly pictured him
kneeling beside her rubbing an entire rabbit again her ribs.

Before her laughter escaped he said, “This
isn’t a guessing game. Stop analyzing the sensations and just
feel.”

“Yes, sir.” She smirked.

“And don’t call me sir until you mean
it.”

The reminder sent heat curling through her
body, a slow melting sensation that started in her heart and ended
in her sex. Power and control. He needed her to release her
inhibitions and surrender to him.

Another long pause followed then he brushed
her other side with the soft cloth. He awakened her nerve endings,
stroking her skin from armpit to knee. Down one side and up the
other. How was he doing this without rocking the bed? He seemed to
flow around her without actually moving.

“You’re distracted again.”

“How are you doing that? I can’t feel the
bed move.”

His lips covered hers, the kiss hot and
demanding. Only their mouths touched, focusing her curious mind on
the sensual slid of his tongue and the warmth of his lips. She
responded to the familiar and used the tenderness to soothe her
anxiety.

Then his tender torture began all over
again. He touched her body at random spots, first teasing her with
softness then rousing her senses with something coarse. She never
knew where he would strike or which sort of stimuli he’d deliver.
Her skin tingled and her muscles twitched as restlessness took
over. She pressed her thighs together and rocked her hips, unable
to remain still.