Pyromancist (18 page)

Josselin took a step in Clelia’s direction,
his jaw tight, but Cain lifted a finger, shaking his head.

When Maya took Clelia’s arm, Josselin moved
forward, blocking their path, his body an arched bow.

“Joss,” Maya said, lifting her brow, “you’re
crowding us.”

Clelia regarded Maya uncertainly. The cut on
her lip still hadn’t healed. Josselin flexed his fingers, his
silver eyes mercurial in their brooding intensity.

“Josselin,” Cain said gently, “you’re
forgetting your manners.”

Josselin didn’t budge. In fact, it seemed
that he hadn’t even heard Cain’s subtle rebuke.

Maya rolled her eyes. “Joss, Clelia and I are
just going to have a girl talk. Sometimes women need some
space.”

Josselin stared at Clelia, looking as if he
was trying to make up his mind. Slowly, his shoulders relaxed.

“You remember what I said, Maya?” Josselin
said.

Maya gave him a syrupy smile.
“Perfectly.”

Only then did Josselin step aside for them to
pass.

They went back upstairs and took another set
of steps at the back-end of the yacht. It took them below deck to a
narrow hallway that gave access to the cabins. The first one’s door
stood open, so Clelia glanced inside. It housed two single beds.
They entered the second one that was a mirror image of the first.
There were four doors all together, so Clelia deducted that the
yacht could sleep eight people.

As if reading her mind, Maya said, “Lann and
Bono are sharing, and you, Josselin, and I each have our own cabin.
Cain has the master suite on the upper deck, next to the lounge and
the kitchen. This is yours. Cain asked me to give you a tour, but
this is pretty much it. Not much else to see.”

Clelia was surprised at the freedom they gave
her. She had expected to be tied up or handcuffed again, at the
very least sleeping under Maya’s wakeful eye.

“You’re letting me sleep on my own?”

Maya smiled. “Unless you want to share with
Josselin.”

Clelia could feel her cheeks burning.

“The attraction between the two of you is
obvious.” Maya opened a door at the end of the cabin to reveal a
shower and toilet. “Do you and Josselin have a romantic
history?”

Clelia looked away quickly, wringing her
hands together.

“Don’t worry. Answering personal questions is
optional. Not so where Erwan is concerned. Sit.” Maya pointed at
the bed.

Holding her breath for the coming
interrogation, Clelia sat down on the narrow cot, not because she
wanted to, but because she knew that where physical strength was
concerned, she was no match for the lean, sculpted woman.

Maya poised gingerly on the edge of the bed
facing Clelia. “I’m not going to pounce like a lion, so relax.” She
crossed her legs, rested a manicured hand on her knee and elegantly
folded one wrist over the other, making the simple act look
sensual.

“You look at me as if I’m some exotic
creature,” Maya said with a glint in her eyes.

Clelia lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry, I didn’t
mean to stare.”

“It’s all right. I’m used to it.”

Clelia looked up quickly. “It’s not an
insult. It’s just that you’re very unusual.”

“Unusual?” Her beautiful lips stretched into
a smile. “Most men say my beauty is beyond compare.”

“Yes,” Clelia said honestly, “I can see how
any man would say that.”

Maya’s expression softened. “Just ask
me.”

“Excuse me?”

Maya started swinging her leg. “Just ask the
question that’s on the tip of your tongue. I can see you trying to
swallow it down.”

Clelia looked at her hands. “All right. Where
are you from?”

“You mean you can’t tell by looking at me?”
Maya smiled ironically.

“No. I was referring to your accent. I can’t
place it.”

“I’m from Cape Town, South Africa.”

“It’s distinct. Very strong, yet easy.”

“Mmm. And you’re Japanese.”

“Supposedly a mix. Japanese-Italian.
Something in between.”

Maya leaned back on her arms. “A mixed breed.
Something we have in common.” She looked Clelia up and down. “I
like your looks.”

Clelia scoffed. “I’m short and pale and my
eyes are too big for my face.” She glanced at Maya’s body. “I don’t
have curves or muscles. I don’t have any illusions about my
looks.”

Maya arched a perfect eyebrow. “I’m sure Joss
will challenge you on that statement.”

Clelia felt the blood rush to her face again
and looked away. “And I’m sure we’re not here to discuss our
looks.”

“I’m not going to interrogate you. Joss
strictly forbade it, so relax.”

Clelia glanced back at her slowly. “Then why
are we having this conversation?”

Maya shrugged. “Small talk.” She flicked at
invisible crumbs on her pants, as if brushing Clelia’s comment
away. “Are you hungry?” There was a hint of conspiracy in her
tone.

“No.”

“There’s left-over cassoulet in the kitchen.
And ice cream.”

“Why are you suddenly being so nice?” Clelia
said.

“Because I know what a terrible cook Joss is.
What did he feed you? Pizza?”

“His food wasn’t bad. I just don’t have an
appetite.”

“
Look, I’m going to be honest with you.
Joss told me you’re not eating. He’s worried. You need carbs today
to counteract the side effect of the drug Joss gave you. If you
prefer, I can cook you some pasta.” She grinned. “I’d really like
to get Joss off my ass.”

Clelia blinked. “I can’t eat right now. Thank
you, anyway.”

Maya sighed. “Sure. Is there anything else
you need?”

“I want to know that my animals are taken
care of.”

“I gave you my word. The last time I went to
your house, they nearly ripped me apart. Joss seems to have better
success with those wolves. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that he
goes.”

With that, Maya got up. “I’ll leave you. Rest
if you want. Sleep.” She looked up at the ceiling, as if
contemplating the weather. Just then, Clelia heard the noise of the
engine and felt the vibration as the machines kicked into action,
readying to propel them forward.

“You’re free to move around as long as the
boat is in motion. If you jump while the engines are running,
you’ll be pulled underneath the keel and mauled to mince by the
blades. She’s a powerful vessel. At full speed, we’ll be traveling
at twenty-four knots. If the boat’s not moving, you have to say in
the cabin, or in the lounge. One of us will be around to make sure
you follow the rules. Lucky for you, that’s the only rule.” Maya
moved to the cabin door. “Call me if you need anything, otherwise
I’ll come back in an hour.”

Maya closed the door behind her. Clelia
remained seated on the bed. She was contemplating her situation.
She should be going upstairs to explore the deck, looking for
possible opportunities of escape, but she was frightened to face
the team members. Cain, especially, put her on edge. Standing in
front of him, it had felt as if he could see right through her. She
had been no more than a trembling, transparent jellyfish. Before
she could summon enough courage to leave the confines of her room,
a soft knock sounded on the door. Not waiting for an invitation to
enter, it opened to reveal the broad form of Josselin. Posing in
the frame, both his physical and emotional presence overwhelming,
he made the cabin seem smaller.

He closed the door and moved to her. “Do you
get seasick?”

She gaped at him. “Honestly, Josselin. I grew
up in a boat.”

“So did I.”

“And you get sick?”

“Every time.”

“You don’t look very ill.”

“I take tablets.”

She nodded, her words all dried up.

He sat down next to her. “Erwan will
come.”

“Unless he’s a magician, which he isn’t, he
has no way of knowing where to even start looking for me. You’re
mistaken. He won’t come.”

“He’ll know,” Josselin said patiently. “I’ve
planted enough discreet messages with his loyal friends around
town.”

Clelia frowned. “And what if he doesn’t?”

A look passed in his eyes.

“You can’t keep me indefinitely,” she said.
“He won’t find me. He won’t come. At some stage,” her voice
quivered, “you’re going to have to let me go or...”

Josselin’s steel eyes darkened a shade. “Is
that what you really want to believe? That I’ll kill you?”

She looked away and wrapped her arms around
herself. His hand on her shoulder startled her.

“Do I frighten you?” he said, his voice
sounding pained.

It was far from frightening. It was a memory
etched into the very DNA of her being. It was a need that, if she
acknowledged it, would blossom and grow to something huge,
something insatiable and incurable.

His fingers found her chin and moved her head
back to him. “Time is not on our side. You have to help me to keep
you safe, Clelia.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” she said,
licking her dry lips.

“Help me to find him.”

“Help you to arrest him, you mean. You know I
can’t do that.”

“I’m not asking you to betray him. I’m asking
you to help me find the truth.”

His hand brushed over her chin and up her
jawline to twist a strand of hair around his finger. His touch was
disarming, but she tried not to show the reaction he had
caused.

“I don’t believe you,” she said. “This is
bigger than just the fires or you chasing a criminal, and we both
know it.”

“Yes, little witch, this is much bigger. Just
how big, you have no idea.”

He held her gaze as his hand flattened over
her cheek, his expression changing into one of possession and
longing. He wiped a thumb over her bruised lip and traced it down
to the blue marks on her neck.

“Does it hurt?” he said.

“No.” It was only a whisper. She couldn’t
manage more. His touch stole her breath.

Knowing she had to get away from his hands
before she did something stupid, she inched back. Her retreat
seemed to flare a new kind of determination in Josselin as he moved
to her with the measured stance of a feline hunter. He pushed her
body down onto the narrow bed with his, not keeping his weight off
her this time as he took her face between his hands and peered into
her eyes, as if searching for her soul.

“I’m so fucking sorry,” he said.

His unpredictable action frightened her, but
it had also made her body come alive with an instant need.

Swallowing, she said, “It’s all right. It was
an accident.”

Those silver eyes of his swam with intense
emotion. “Say you forgive me.”

“I forgive you,” she said softly, not sure
she could resist him if he carried on torturing her with the
proximity of his body.

Now his expression seemed wild, just as she
remembered him before he had left town. Josselin was so
mercurial.

“Say it like you mean it.”

She touched his cheek. “You’re forgiven.”

He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened
them again, they had darkened.

“I want the truth, Clelia,” he said, his
breathing strained.

He pushed into her and she caught her breath
as his erection pressed on her tummy.

“Ah, that whisper of air is a truth in
itself.” He rotated his hips, pinning her down not just with his
body but also with his ever-changing eyes. “Do you feel that? Do
you have the same reaction too?”

His hand moved down her neck, stroking
lightly over her breast and belly to cup the female heat that
gathered and pooled under his palm.

“I can run my fingers over your naked flesh
to find out, but I’m too much of a demon to risk it.” He squeezed
softly, making her breath catch. “If I lay my hands on your bare
skin I may not be able to stop, so I need you to tell me if you
remember me like I remember you. Did you think of me, as I thought
of you? Do you dream of me, as I dream of you? I feel like I know
you, as if I knew your lips even before our first kiss. All this
time, I’ve savored your sweet blood on my tongue. I couldn’t kiss
you, then. You were much too young to kiss. Too pure. You’ve always
been too good for a man like me, so tell me that I’m crazy and tell
me to go away.”

She gasped at his confession, and again,
louder, when he moved and she felt his cock begging entrance into
her body. It was impossible to think.

“Ah...” He groaned. “That sweet intake of air
through your lips. It makes me think that you want me.”

“Joss–”

His name was a sigh, and before the word was
out, he caught it. He swallowed the syllables, his lips to hers,
not lightly, but passionately.

She opened up to him. Her lips parted for his
tongue as her legs parted for his body. She let him inside her
heart. If it hadn’t been for their clothes, she would have let him
inside her body too. She shaped her lips to his kiss, following his
lead and making his passion her own. Her body had a rhythm that
matched that of her heart, her legs wrapping around him as she
showed him the depth of her desire, passion unrequited and locked
away for too many years finding its way through her now, revealing
her soul and her truth, the unmasked verity he had asked her
for.

His hips rotated against hers, his body
crushing her, molding her, one hand pulling her thigh higher over
his ass while the other gripped her hair, holding her to him as if
he was afraid she would escape.

Whispers and moans, male and female resonance
heating the small space, filled her ears and the moment. The erotic
sounds closed in around her until nothing else existed but
Josselin’s breathing, his taste, the smell of his skin, and the
heat of his pulsing breath. The ebb and flow of their bodies drove
a tide in her, a wave building for the crush. She had dreamt of
this for so long and now that it was happening, she gave herself
over without hesitation.

If Josselin ever learned the truth, he’d also
learn that it wasn’t Erwan he wanted, but her. He’d be the hunter,
and she the prey, but she refused to think of it. She willed
herself only to focus on the fervor she felt in their bodies.