Rise of the Phoenix (Return To Avalore #2) (35 page)

She became aware of another’s presence, not by sound, for everything had remained silent, but by a rippling of energy within the cave. When she opened her eyes and snapped her head around, shock kept her from speaking.

She didn’t have to ask to know who the gangly Radren was. His very essence had been branded into her when he’d invaded her mind. Rishiki was taller than she expected. He had to be at least seven and a half feet tall, if not taller. His overly large eyes with bright yellow-rimmed pupils blinked slowly at her. Already dry, the beige clothing he wore shimmered in the dim light. Had he even gone through the water? Energy clung to him, vibrating all around him.

“Do not be alarmed.”
His voice sliced through her mind, bringing with it stabbing pain, but he didn’t step closer.

“Get away from me.”
She tried erecting a solid wall around her mind, placing one thick brick atop the other as Evan had done, until she surrounded it on all sides, but they were flimsy at best. She should have listened to Evan. Should have had Clayton help her, but it was too late.

“That is ineffective against my power. You should know that by now.”
His voice hadn’t risen in anger, nor had it sounded threatening, but pain lanced her mind again, deeper, stronger.

“Why are you doing this?”
Brienne tried to shove him from her mind again, only to be rewarded with a fresh stab that stole her breath. She couldn’t be Rishiki’s plaything to invade at will. She’d never survive it mentally intact.

He looked at her, his glowing eyes blinking as he considered his answer.
“I’ve come to thank you for your assistance. I owe my daughter’s life to you.”

Brienne grasped her head.
“You’re hurting me.”
A moan escaped her lips. Even if she wanted to stand, she couldn’t.
“I accept your thanks, now please, be done and go.”

“I cannot.”

The pain inside her mind intensified until darkness threatened to swamp her. Heat curled in her chest, the dragon struggling to surface. Whimpering, she rolled onto her side, gagging and retching as pain consumed her.

High above, a loud screech pierced through the night sky. A flash of blue brightened the holes in the rock ceiling above before disappearing again. Her heart raced, but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t speak, not even telepathically. She needed to call out to him, to beg him to return, but nothing came. She should never have left his side. He’d come back and found her gone. Hot tears trickled down her cheeks and onto the cool sand.

“He is strong, but has suffered much. He does not wish the same for you.”
The corners of his thin lips lifted.

Pain blasted through her again, and her field of vision narrowed. Her breaths came in short gasps.

The phoenix screeched again, the fiery bird swooping low so that she could see the blue flames once more, and then it was gone, all hope she’d had for his return disappearing with it.

“I am always a part of you. Should you ever have need, seek me, I will be there.”

This time, when Rishiki’s voice slid into her mind, not an ounce of pain followed them.

“Brienne, come to me now.”
The deep timbre of Evan’s voice slid into her mind. Even in slumber, her heart ached. Evan was lost to her, yet her mind refused to believe it. She fought against waking, unwilling to face her future without him in it. All she wanted to do was sleep.

Cool, wet hands caressed Brienne’s cheeks
. “Please, come to me. You can sleep later, I promise.”
The voice coaxed her to the surface as warm lips pressed to her own.

Her dragon clawed at her, thrusting her closer to wakefulness.

Fingers, now dry, caressed her cheek once more. “Brienne, I know you can hear me. Wake up now, love.”

Her heart pounded, and she struggled against the fog holding her back. She’d heard him. He was there. It wasn’t a dream. The back of her right hand burned as if kissed by fire.

“Just a little more, sweetheart, I’m waiting to see my mate…” He pressed his lips onto hers again, catching her gasp as she broke through the barrier holding her back. His lips slid over hers in a gentle caress, teasing her, torturing her with the lightness of his touch.

“Evan.” It was all she could manage, but when he tried to pull away, she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close, and sobbed into his shoulder.

“Shhh.”

“I thought I’d lost you forever.” She pulled her head back far enough to look into his eyes, but didn’t let go. If this wasn’t real, if this was part of her dream, she didn’t want to wake.

He sighed and shook his head. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to make it back. The phoenix is strong and stubborn, and once set free, it wouldn’t relinquish control back to me.”

“Then how?”

His jaw clenched. “It couldn’t stand your pain. Once we were back within the city, it tracked you here. Without my physical body, it was powerless to help you, and so it allowed me to take over again.”

“Rishiki.”

Pale blue flames licked at his skin. “I’m going to kill that bastard.”

Shaking her head, she pressed her lips to his jaw. “No.” She smiled up at him. “He did it for me—for us. He did it to bring you home. What better way to say thank you?”

“He hurt you. I felt your pain in my mind as my own. It was horrendous.” His hand stroked up and down her spine.

“It was, but I’d go through it again in a heartbeat to have you back.” Try as she might to be strong, her voice hitched.

“I’m sorry. Had I been able to save you that pain, I would have.”

“It doesn’t matter. None of it matters now.” She wiggled against him, needing to be close to him in every sense. “We have to go back to the castle. I think your family is going crazy. They keep trying to speak with me, but I don’t think I can share you just yet. There’s so much to tell you… the Erritrols—”

“It can wait. All of it. Drake saw me leave the castle. He knows better than to come looking for me just yet.”

Nuzzling his neck, she pressed against his mark, stroking it with her cheek before pressing her lips to the sensitive flesh. “I have so many questions I hardly know where to start.” Brienne lifted her head to gaze into the eyes she’d almost given up on ever seeing again.

He moaned as he sought her lips.
“There are so many things to tell you. Too many. It will take weeks—months, but right now I need to see you, and touch you.”
He deepened the kiss, devouring her as though he’d never get enough. His hand slid up her ribcage to cup her breast, pulling at the nipple through her soft lace bra.

She was being selfish. His family had grieved and worried right along with her. They had to be desperate to see him, but she couldn’t make herself utter the words to convince him to go back with her. Every fiber in her being needed him, needed the reassurance that he was there, and real, and that he was never leaving her again.

Nipping at his lip, she arched against him, needing more contact. At once, her hands found the hem of the T-shirt he’d been wearing when she’d left the suite to come to the waterfall. She tugged the damp material up as high as she could before breaking contact and allowing him to pull it the rest of the way.

“The pants too.”

He didn’t resist when she shoved them down as far as her hands could reach. She wanted them off, but when he lifted his body from hers, her arms tightened around him. His deep chuckle vibrated against her.

“You’ve got to let me stand if you want them removed.”

She nipped at his chin again. “Three seconds, no more.” She slipped her arms from around him, giving him room to maneuver.

Watching his every move, she shimmied out of her jeans and pulled her shirt over her head. By the time he came down to her again, the only things covering her were bits of blue lace.

“I’ll never tire of looking at you.” His voice grew husky. “I can’t wait another moment.” The urgency in his kiss fuelled her own. His touch, soft and gentle one moment, was desperate the next.

Finding her nipple through the blue lace, he licked and suckled at her while she writhed beneath him. She didn’t know what fuelled the desperation, but she wouldn’t deny it. When his hand came up to caress her rounded curves, she thought he’d pull the lace aside, but he grasped it in a firm grip and tugged. The lace all but disintegrated in his palm, leaving her bare for his perusal. He didn’t pause long, licking and blowing on her already tight nipples before heading lower.

His teeth found the edge of the fabric, tugging on it as though he’d tear the underwear off, but he just moaned and kept exploring with his mouth. His hot breath caressed her seconds before his lips did. Gasping, it was all she could do not to press her hips up and initiate the contact herself.

His tongue slid all the way up, dampening the soft lace and making her shudder. If he didn’t do something soon, she wouldn’t make it. “Please, Evan.”

“What do you want, my little spitfire?” He growled against her, making her quiver against his lips and the little muscles inside her clench in need.

“You, right now, Evan. I need you inside me, right now.” She could hardly breathe much less speak coherently.

He smiled against her, taking one more lick against the fabric before lifting his head and grabbing the panties in his palm. “Always so impatient.” With a bright flash of blue, the delicate garment tore free from her body, disintegrating into nothing.

“Yes, yes, impatient—now.”

Without uttering another word, he covered her body and brought his lips to hers. He plundered her mouth with his tongue, and then with one long, hard stroke, he filled her. Her breath caught in her throat. It was too much, yet not enough. Fire raced up and down her spine and she closed her eyes tight, trying to keep from shattering so soon.

“Let go, Brienne. Let go and let me feel your need for me, for my body.” His gruff voice sent more heat rushing through her to throb deep where their bodies joined as one.

She moaned against his shoulder, her teeth scraping back and forth as she fought for control.

He pulled back, taking his entire length from her sheath before slamming into her again.

She couldn’t keep from biting as his cock bumped her womb, sending spasm after spasm of fiery sensation pulsing through her. Not giving her a chance to catch her breath, he pulled out again, slamming home one more time. Spiraling higher and higher, she screamed against his skin, the sweet tension deep in her core blasting her entire being into sensuous bliss.

Evan didn’t move a muscle, just moaned, kissing her neck as her body gripped him, tightening and releasing over and over as she came.

Only once her orgasm had crested did he begin to move within her again. His long, deep strokes fanned the flames still burning hot deep inside her pussy. He found her mouth again, his lips and tongue driving what little sanity his body had left behind from her mind. Nothing existed in her world other than Evan and the heat curling inside her.

She whispered his name, over and over like a lifeline, grounding her in the present, warding off the unpleasantness of the past—the pain.

Unable to resist, her nails dug into his back. Her dragon wanted her mate as well, and was desperate for the reunion, but Brienne refused to give her freedom. What would happen if his phoenix decided to take charge again? Her heart hammered, and her breath hitched in her throat. They couldn’t chance it. She couldn’t be without him again.

“It’s okay, let her come out. I’m ready for her.”

Shaking her head from side to side, she fought against it, but the dragon had been too long without her mate. As much as she wanted to keep her leashed, she couldn’t stop the dragon from surging forth. Sniffing at his neck, she bucked beneath him trying to throw him off in a fit of anger, but it wasn’t hard enough to take him from her body, and they both knew it.

She fought, thrashing, growling as he sniffed at her neck, nuzzling the spot he’d marked as his. He responded to her growl with a low growl of his own, his chest pinning her down again as he brought his mouth to her neck.

Her body relaxed a little and when he pulled his hips back from her, she thrust up, taking him as much as he’d taken her.

He moaned against her skin, his hands capturing her smaller ones to keep her from moving, keep her from gaining purchase on the ground.

When she finally calmed and turned her head to the side, delivering her throat to him, he surged forward again, claiming her as though he’d never claimed her before, biting down onto her neck as he pounded into her body, giving her what she needed, what they both needed.

Her growls subsided into small pants and moans as she climbed higher and higher. Every cell in her body hummed as ecstasy rolled over her, around and through her. When she’d ceased her struggles, Evan released her hands. Lifting his head, he held her gaze as he thrust deep.

He pulled away, devouring her with his hungry gaze before gripping her hips and shifting her pelvis, and then driving home again, hard and fast. His moans drifted to her ears, enflaming the dragon. This was what she wanted—what she needed. She wanted him powerful and wild, taking from her while giving her release.