Mystic Flame (Beyond Ontariese 4) (7 page)

She released her hold on his hands and
watched his face. His skin was flushed, his features tense, but he
hadn’t lost control. He slipped his fingers beneath her shirt,
stroking her torso as he raised the material. Skin to skin. Mind
links and Mystic transfers were easier to establish skin to skin.
He unclasped her bra, swept the cups aside and pressed against her
bare breasts.

“I need to enter your mind.” A muscle above
his jaw jumped as he paused to add, “I won’t hurt you.”

Her lips trembled. He’d hurt her more than
any other person in her life. She should shove him away and leave
him to suffer. Tension gripped her heart while desire sparked to
life within her abdomen. This was irrational. How could she feel
anything but resentment after all his actions had wrought? She
closed her eyes before he could see her vulnerability, glimpse the
scope of his power over her. Her lips parted, waiting for his
mouth, longing for the connection as desperately as she grasped for
her scattering anger.

Why had Trey set her up like this? She was
almost over Evan.

Maybe you’re not meant to get over him.
Did you ever think of that?
Trey’s voice echoed through her
mind as Evan’s lips pressed against hers. He pushed his fingers
into her hair, angling her face so their mouths fit more closely.
This wasn’t a kiss. It was a tangible link, allowing him to guide
her onto the metaphysical plane.

Light flickered within her mind, followed
quickly by sensation. She knew what she would see before the image
formed, but she wasn’t prepared for the emotional onslaught
unleashed by the memory.

She knelt before him naked, her hands
clasped behind her back as he filled her mouth with strong, steady
thrusts. His fingers tangled in her hair and he sped the rhythm of
his hips. “That’s it,
nephri
. Take it all.” This was the
last night they’d spent together. The brazen performance had
finally convinced the smugglers that Evan was one of them.

Heat suffused her body, starting in the
middle of her chest and spreading outward. The sensation descended
along her spine and triggered slow, distinct pulses between her
thighs. He’d only dominated her because the smugglers were
watching, but his aggression excited her like nothing she’d ever
experienced before—or since.

Allowing him deeper into her mind, she
wrapped her arms around his back and rubbed her breasts against his
chest. The images focused and the sensations built.

Evan bumped the back of her throat with each
forceful lunge, his hands tightening in her hair. “Harder, suck me
harder.” Pulling back, he waited for her to obey. She drew on him
firmly, her cheeks hollowing with each firm pull. “Yes!” Angling
her head, he pushed deep one last time and released his seed down
her throat.

The vision was so detailed that Dro Tar felt
his shaft pulse against her tongue and tasted the bitter saltiness
of his desire. She trembled in his arms. Her nipples tingled and
her core ached. They’d gone on for hours that night. Did he intend
to review the entire incident? He held her tight, his presence
constant in her mind. Was this more than a release for his sensory
overload? Was this retaliation? She’d called him a coward and shut
him out of her life.

She tried to push him away, but his hold was
unbreakable, both physically and mentally.

This is not a game. I’ll release you as
soon as I’m able.
His voice sounded strained yet sincere. She
gradually relaxed and the images flared.

He pulled out of her mouth, panting and
unsteady. “Very good.” She waited for his next command, her breasts
quivering with each ragged breath. He knelt facing her and rolled
both her nipples, his gaze intent on her breasts. “You’re like a
feast. So many delights, it’s hard to decide which one to sample
next.” He gave each of her nipples a fond lick then moved his hands
to her waist. “Stand up and part your thighs. I want to touch
you.”

She stood and moved her legs apart, offering
him full access to her creamy folds. Need throbbed with steady
rhythm deep inside her. Giving him pleasure had almost been enough
to trigger her release, almost. Now she wanted him there, needed
the fullness, the connection. He traced her slit with his
fingertips and she whimpered. One firm pass over her clit and she’d
come—and the smugglers would watch each wiggle, hear each moan.

Staring into Evan’s eyes, she tuned out
everything else.

He pulled her closer, holding her open so he
could circle her clit with his tongue. “Come for me,
nephri
.
Let me feel you come.” Pushing two fingers deep into her core, he
triggered a hard, pulsing orgasm. She clutched his shoulders, her
legs shaking as the firm stroke of his tongue brought ripple after
ripple of tingling pleasure.

“You do that so well.” He slapped her on the
ass before the last tingle passed. “Back on your knees. You know
how I like it.” She turned around and knelt, lowering her torso
toward the floor. He nudged her legs apart as she rested her
forehead on her folded arms.

His entry set the pace for their frantic
coupling. He thrust to the hilt with one swift drive then pulled
nearly out of her welcoming heat. His hands clasped her hips as he
took her fast and hard. She arched into each stroke, open,
surrendered, taking all of him. Heated flesh slapped against heated
flesh and her inner muscles gripped him with greedy abandon.

Dro Tar felt a real orgasm start deep in her
core. This was supposed to be about Evan. He needed to disperse the
sexual frenzy buffeting his senses. She groaned into his open mouth
and dug her nails into his back. Each sharp spasm accented the fact
he wasn’t really inside her.

His image arched, head thrown back as he
came in hard, shuddering waves. A sharp cry escaped his throat and
he clutched her to his chest. The vision faded and the cold,
austere stairwell returned. A long moment passed with just the
sound of their harsh breathing.

I want far more than that for us. I
always did
. She recalled his words so clearly, she wondered if
he’d sent them again. Tingling aftershocks skittered along her
nerve endings and he’d only touched her mind. She’d always gone up
in flames whenever Evan touched her. This was a perfect example of
why she needed to stay away from him. She couldn’t afford to lose
control, couldn’t afford to surrender.

“Are you all right now?” She pushed him back
so she could see his face. He nodded, but the contacts concealed
his eyes, masking his true expression. He trailed his index finger
from her temple to her chin then eased his hold on her torso. She
quickly fastened her bra and pulled down her T-shirt.

“I know you’d rather forget everything that
happened between us,” his voice was unsteady and hoarse, “but I
needed a shared memory, something I could construct quickly.”

She snatched his shirt off the floor and
threw it at him. “I don’t want to forget everything that happened,
just the part where you deserted us and two people died.”

Evan balled the T-shirt in one hand and
caught her arm with the other. “I am
not
a coward. This
could have been resolved fifteen cycles ago if you weren’t so damn
stubborn.”

“There’s nothing to resolve. I was there. I
saw what happened.” She pulled against his hand. He maintained a
steady pressure, determined to hold her without bruising her flesh.
Her brow knitted and her lips thinned. He cursed the filmy
substance covering her eyes, preventing him from gauging her full
reaction. His empathic receptors would tell him everything he
wanted to know, but utilizing the ability without her knowledge was
a violation of the Mystic Covenant. She was not accused of a crime,
so he had to respect her privacy.

“You saw me teleport out of sight in the
heat of battle.” He chose each word carefully, knowing her penchant
for using his words against him. “You have no idea why I left or
what I accomplished—”

“What you accomplished? Bron and Fitz died.
That’s what you accomplished!”

He pushed her back against the wall and
caged her there, one hand on either side of her shoulders. “It was
an ambush. Stromn had reinforcements waiting in another ship. I
intercepted the signal, but the second crew captured me before I
could return to assist you.”

She lowered her gaze, fiddling with the hem
of her shirt. “There was no indication of another ship. If you…I
don’t understand.”

He raised her chin and didn’t speak until
she looked into his eyes. “I was forced to watch the battle from
the bridge of the second ship. Dealing with me had delayed their
intervention. The captain wasn’t willing to risk endangering his
crew when you had backup on the way. Like a true Rodyte, he
deserted his ‘friends’ and took me with him.”

She scrubbed a hand across her eyes and
rested her head against the wall. “How did you escape?” Her
indignation had come down a notch or two. He hadn’t expected her to
smile and throw her arms around his neck. Still, she could seem a
little less suspicious.

The door opened and a uniformed employee
skidded to a halt. Her gaze narrowed as she took in his naked
chest. “Inform the front desk you’re participating in Sexcapades
and they’ll arrange for a discounted room.”

“Thanks for the tip.” Dro Tar ducked under
his arm and headed up the stairs.

Struggling into his shirt, he scrambled
after her. “We will finish this conversation as soon as we get to
our room.”

“No one else can understand you. Why wait
until we get to our room?”

Damn it! Whatever ground he’d gained was
lost in an instant. She was determined to think the worst of him.
They exited the stairwell and paused to get their bearings. “Are
these places designed to be confusing?”

She chuckled. “Actually they are. The longer
they can keep you in the casino, the more money you spend. Come on,
it’s this way.”

He didn’t offer any more information and she
didn’t ask. Once he had her alone in the suite, he’d start the
conversation again. They had both retreated from the conflict in
their own way. She’d used anger to insulate herself from the pain
and he’d used his training to distance himself from the
consequences of his actions. It ended tonight. He couldn’t control
how she reacted to the information, but she would hear the full
story once and for all.

The clerk had everything ready for them as
promised. After a quick stop at the front desk, they made their way
to the twenty-seventh floor. She unlocked the door and held it open
as he rolled the suitcase inside.

She flipped on a lamp and whistled,
obviously pleased with the accommodations. “Damn,” she whispered.
Walking through the main living area, she glanced into the
adjoining bedroom before inspecting the spa, which nestled in the
far corner against the windows. “So, where are you going to sleep?”
She arched her brow in playful challenge as she completed her
tour.

“I’m not here for relaxation. I have to
search through the journal entries.” It was as much a self-reminder
as a refusal to rise to her bait.

Taking the suitcase from him, she went into
the bedroom and placed it on the stand inside the closet. He
lingered in the doorway while she inspected the lavish bathroom,
enjoying her obvious excitement.

“Didn’t you hear each entry before you
transmitted it to Lord Drakkin?” She brushed by him and strode
across the spacious main room. Opening the draperies, she revealed
an unobstructed view of the surrounding buildings.

“It wasn’t necessary to inspect every entry
and I’ve only been responsible for the journal for the past eight
cycles.” She turned slightly as she enjoyed the setting, her
profile cast in shadow against the light. He knew her skin was as
silky as it appeared. Her curvaceous body was just as soft.
Tempting, passionate—
his
. She was a distraction he couldn’t
afford. Whether she believed it or not, Malos was up to something.
“The incriminating information could have been entered by another
apprentice.”

“If Vee kept this journal since the
inception of the Conservatory, there have to be thousands of
entries.”

“Hundreds of thousands. Vee began the
journal eleven hundred cycles ago.”

She turned her back to the window and cocked
her head. “How do you expect to go through them all before Malos
catches up with us?”

“I don’t. It’s possible to search the
entries using any number of criteria. The trick will be figuring
out which questions to ask.” His gaze swept the room. He was less
interested in the amenities than his companion. “I’d like to finish
our previous conversation before I start working on the
journal.”

Raising her chin, she crossed her arms over
her chest. “I obviously misjudged you. You’re forgiven. Now get
busy on the journal.”

He laughed. He knew it was the wrong
response, but he couldn’t help himself. She was simply adorable
when she was riled. Rubbing his forehead with his fingertips, he
glanced away. How could he combat her contrary nature and fifteen
cycles of misconception? “I appreciate your willingness to
reconsider your position. Still, it might mean a bit more if you’d
heard all the facts.”

“Nothing you can say will bring them
back.”

He sucked in a breath, shocked by her verbal
jab. Icy resignation stole through his being. “You’re right. None
of it matters anymore.” He pulled the journal out of his pocket and
sat at the round table near the windows. He couldn’t force her to
listen and he was sick to death of groveling.

You’re one mean-spirited bitch.
Dro
Tar chastised herself as she turned back to the windows and stared
out at the dancing lights. Evan hadn’t deserved the low blow. Why
was she so afraid to hear his side of the story?

He activated the journal with a terse verbal
command and a wayward tingle skittered down her spine. Their shared
vision had been an undeniable reminder of how well she responded to
his commands and how much he’d meant to her. So why was she forcing
him away?