Frost and Flame

by Showalter, Gena

  Moans left her in a continuous stream.

  She’s ready for me.

  Heaving breaths, Bane surged forward, sinking his cock deep, deep inside her.

  Nola screamed, coming, squeezing his shaft, nearly wringing his pleasure from him. His mind momentarily blanked, overcome by sublime bliss. Do not come. When he came, this would end. Fight the need!

  Again he thought, Never get enough.

  Giving her time to adjust to his invasion, he inhaled, exhaled. “I’m so sorry I hurt you. Tell me you’re well.”

  “That was amazing.” She wiggled her hips before nodding. “I’m almost ready for more.” Wiggle, wiggle. Loud moan.

  “Tell me when you are ready. Then and only then will I move.” Or die. Whichever came first.

  After wrapping her legs around him—another new delight—she gave her hips another wiggle, this one less tentative. Louder moan. Urgent. She flattened her hands on his pecs—hot as brands, searing my skin. He growled softly.

  “Okay, yes. Move. Move!” she pleaded.

  He did, hard. Harder than he’d intended, pulling out, then slamming in. The bed shook, the headboard slapping against the wall. And she must have loved it. Moaning louder and louder, she undulated with more and more vigor. Then she wrapped her arms around him, too, cleaving to him. He quickened his pace, hammering in and out of her. In and out. The entire vehicle shook.

  She thrashed atop the bed and scoured his skin with her nails, all the while growing wetter and hotter. In that moment, she was everything he’d ever wanted, everything he’d ever needed, and a thousand things he hadn’t known he could have. Pressure, so much pressure. Strain. The urge to possess and be possessed.

  Then his communication ring vibrated.

  Bane uttered a dark curse. Aveline requests a videoconference now? The bitch must have sensed his pleasure and decided to ruin it. Damn her! He had strict orders to answer her call, as long as he wasn’t engaged in battle. He needed to stop and deal with her.

  Come on, come on. Stop!

  He’d had the strength to walk away from Meredith; he should have the strength to walk away from Nola, too.

  He fought with every fiber of his being. A vein pulsed in his forehead. Muscles went rigid. But... Nola gasped his name and gripped his ass, and he thrust harder. Need to come, to make her come, overpowered him. Resist? Impossible.

  Guilt lived and died in a single heartbeat, killed by Nola’s uninhibited response to him. More. In, out. Slamming. Driving into her. Pulling out. In, out.

  When he felt his testicles drawing up, he pressed his thumb against her clitoris. Like a magic button. She erupted a second time, shouting with wild abandon, her inner walls clenching on his length.

  Too much, too much. He threw back his head, bowed his back and unleashed a savage roar. The beast joined him.

  This is euphoria. His last coherent thought as shudders rocked him, and he saw stars. The rapture...

  When the stars faded, he collapsed atop Nola. Huffed for breath. Heart still racing.

  As she sighed with contentment, a strange sensation sparked, baffling Bane. He thought he might be... content.

  Nola had blown his ever-loving mind. She hadn’t let him top—she’d insisted on it. One had not dominated the other. They’d shared command, and he’d loved it. Another memory seared into my brain. One he would forever cherish.

  How could he give this woman up, ever?

  He couldn’t.

  Can’t lose her. Won’t. Not to circumstance, and certainly not to death.

  He’d planned to end his own life after Aveline’s defeat, but the idea had lost its appeal. Leave Nola without a guard? No! Never again experience this bliss? Hell, no.

  He could stay on Terra—and be subject to her will, if ever she decided to enforce it. And what if she changed, becoming like every other queen, as he’d once feared? The heart-eating thing...must have been a fluke, he decided.

  Besides, she’s worth the risk.

  With the thought, realization dawned and panic hit. I think I’m falling in love with her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Turn your afterglow into a party for two!

  OUTSIDE, THE STORM continued to rage. Nola fought to calm her labored breaths as Bane regarded her with a thunderstruck expression and rolled to his side. What thoughts tumbled through that head of his? What would he do next? Get up and leave without saying a word, or draw her closer for a snuggle?

  She waited, dazed by everything that had happened, expecting option A but hoping for B. Her first experience had been better than she’d ever envisioned. Blissful. One avalanche of pleasure after another. A communion of bodies and souls, crazy hot and...perfect. But she’d never felt more vulnerable.

  Waiting...

  She had a thousand questions for him. Namely, had sex been so earth-shattering every time, with every one he’d ever been with? How soon until they could do it again? Next time, she wanted to kiss, stroke and suck on him. Did he feel as if his defenses had crumbled, and he was nothing but an open wound, too? He must be! The thunderstruck expression hadn’t dulled.

  Still waiting...

  Bane didn’t pull her close, but he didn’t get up, either. Between panting breaths, his voice hollow, he said, “I need to contact Aveline. She tried to reach me while we were otherwise occupied.”

  She pasted on a small smile to hide her disappointment. “Do what you must,” she said, and oh, wow, her screams had scratched up her voice. She could work a sex hotline and make thousands!

  He underwent a metamorphosis right before her eyes, tensing, as if a heavy weight had settled over him. Next, he draped an arm over his eyes to shut out the rest of the world—to shut out Nola. Then he projected a staggering amount of guilt and regret.

  Great! Just when the sun had begun to dawn on her life, chasing away the darkness, he’d summoned an eclipse.

  The heat drained from her body, leaving her inundated by teeth-chattering cold. Somehow, she also felt scalded. Only minutes ago, she’d been resplendent. A woman worshipped by her man. Now, she was trapped in a miasma of confusion and contradiction. Powerful yet helpless. Certain yet clueless. Capable of doing anything and nothing, her heart both full and empty. Hopeful for the future, but terrified about what was to come.

  Did everyone feel like a roller coaster of emotion after sex, or only the aliens?

  Why couldn’t she and Bane be a couple in a romance novel, her magic vagina curing his wounds, his every problem?

  Had she made any progress with him? Had his heart mended even a minute amount?

  Trembles growing more noticeable, Nola folded the covers over her legs...torso...breasts. A type of armor, she supposed. Protection from her own vulnerabilities.

  As she scoured her brain for a topic of conversation, or maybe a plan of action, Bane shifted and winced, and she noticed the specks of blood on his bandage.

  “Your wound,” she said, breathless. “It’s opened up again.”

  “I grow more aware of it by the minute.” He fisted his hands and lowered his arm. Whatever had been on his mind, he’d obviously made a monumental decision, his expression determined. “Nola...dove...we must talk.”

  Her hopes plummeted. “Look, if you’re worried I’ll get clingy, stop. I’m no longer a virgin. I bet I can be with someone else.” I don’t want to be with anyone else.

  “No!” The denial burst from him. He clasped her arm and maneuvered her on top of him, flat on her stomach. Not missing a beat, he flipped their positions, pinning her down. Looming over her, he stated softly but firmly, “You will be with me and no one else. I will kill anyone who touches you, then kill their families and wipe their names from history!”

  He didn’t give her a chance to respond. He rose, the entire mattress shaking, and padded to the bathroom. The door remained open, the sound of running water dr
ifting to the bed.

  Alone, she hugged a pillow and smiled, his jealousy like a soothing balm. He might dump her, might even give her the “it’s not you, it’s me” speech, but he’d unwittingly shown his cards. He was as confused as Nola, just as hopelessly attracted to her, maybe even falling for the future queen.

  Future queen. Queen Nola. Queen Nola Lee. Once, the title had struck her as wrong. After all, she’d never felt as if she had a genuine purpose or great passion. She should have known “feeling” wasn’t the be all and end all. Feelings changed. They were often unreliable, and sometimes lied. Everyone had a purpose, what they were created to do. A reason they were born—a reason greater than themselves.

  Nola was born to rule beasts with kindness, understanding and love.

  Instinct shouted, Yes!

  So far, she’d failed to aid her people in any way. She hadn’t even given them another thought. Hadn’t fought for the privilege to rule, secretly afraid she’d fail. But she should try. As many times as necessary. Through her failures, she would gain the strength she needed to succeed.

  Only a split second later, her excitement popped like a balloon. Until Bane performed the Blood Rite, she couldn’t rule. Should she force the issue, or wait for him to decide it was the right time?

  Bane shut off the water and returned to the bed, pausing at her side. In the darkness, she had trouble making out the minutia of his features, but she felt...something. Terror? No, that couldn’t be right.

  A flash of lightning highlighted him for a moment, revealing haunted eyes glazed with—yep, terror. But what did he fear?

  “May I?” he asked, lifting a wet rag.

  He wanted to clean up the deposit he’d made in the Bank of Nola. An extremely intimate act. She licked her lips and said, “I...guess?”

  He peeled off the covers and sat next to her, gently stroking the cloth between her legs. Tone soft, he asked, “Did I hurt you?”

  Her cheeks heated. “During sex? Only for a moment. Afterward? A bit longer. I know you want to talk about ending us before we’ve really had a chance to start.”

  He closed his eyes, as if praying for strength. When he refocused, he tossed the rag and snuggled up to her, snaking an arm around her middle to tug her against him. His body heat engulfed her, and she almost—almost!—melted. Feels too good.

  What if she got used to sleeping with him and he decided to go through with the dumping?

  “Five minutes ago,” she said, pushing at his chest to no avail, “you were ready to give me the stinky boot. Now you’re cuddling me. What gives?”

  “We took the edge off. We shouldn’t need each other again.” He rested his chin on her crown and trapped her legs between his own, letting her bottom cradle his erection.

  “Why are you pushing me away, Bane?”

  “For my sanity, I must.”

  “Let me go, then. Walk away.”

  A terse pause. Gloriously gentle, he brushed the hair from her brow. “I’m strong enough to slay an entire army, but too weak to resist the urge to hold you.”

  The guttural admission played havoc with her emotions, sending her on another roller coaster ride. What if he followed through and refused to bed her again?

  Want to hold on to him and never let go, want to run away as fast as possible. Have already fallen for him. Will never fall for him, my heart guarded by hellhounds.

  “Tell me your plan to defeat Aveline,” she said to mask her upset.

  He trailed his hand from her thigh to her throat and gripped her lightly. Not in a threatening manner, but a highly sexual one courtesy of an extremely dominant male. “I plan to spend the next two weeks winning the weapons that will help us fight Aveline.”

  “Such as?”

  “Zion has a magic wand. Knox carries a healing sword, but someone insists I let the two live,” he grumbled.

  “She sounds smart.” She wiggled her bottom against his erection, muttering, “Besides, we already have a magic wand slash healing sword.”

  He bent his head to run the lobe of her ear between his teeth. “Did my dove just make a penis joke?”

  “Actually, I just uttered a statement of fact,” she replied with a shiver.

  His husky chuckle tickled her scalp.

  Bane...chuckling... Nola maneuvered to her other side, facing him, but his smile had already dimmed. Dang it!

  Picking up the conversation where he’d left off, he said, “After that, we will convince Vale, Zion and Knox to exit the war. Then, at the end of the two weeks, I will attend an Assembly of Combatants and win the All War. The High Council will then send armies of Enforcers to dethrone your world’s leaders. That’s when I’ll perform your Blood Rite. As we wait for Aveline’s arrival, I’ll train you. With your help, she will die. Finally, you’ll rule Terra.” He petted her hair and lapsed into silence.

  Nola suspected he’d gotten lost in his thoughts, several minutes passing in quiet peace. Fatigue hammered at her, and she closed her heavy lids, about to drift off...

  “Tell me what happens when you turn to mist,” he said, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

  Too tired to mentally debate the risks and rewards of sharing such personal information, she explained what she’d relived. How real it had been, how she hadn’t felt truly there, sitting beside her toddler self. How her parents had worried about hiding from a she-monster. How an Adwaewethian warrior had stood in the road, causing a horrific accident before murdering her mother.

  “The fact that your body turns to mist... I wonder if you actually go back,” Bane said, all but humming with excitement. “If you have an opportunity to change the past.”

  “You mean time travel?” No way. Just no way. Impossible. Except, nothing was impossible, was it? She was a hybrid alien, who was in bed with a full-blooded alien able to breathe fire and transform into a literal beast. What if she could go back and save her parents?

  “I told you each queen has a unique ability,” he said, his excitement already more pronounced. “This could be yours. An ability against Aveline!”

  Why would he want Nola to return to the past—

  The answer slugged her with stunning force, leaving her gasping. His wife, Meredith. He wanted Nola to save the other woman.

  She isn’t the other woman. I am.

  Nola choked down a cry of distress, crumbling inside. One moment Bane hadn’t been able to get enough of her, the next he’d hoped to use her to get back the woman he truly loved.

  Why am I so disposable?

  Bane jerked upright, dragging her with him, then framed her cheeks with his hands. “You can try to return to the crash on purpose. Will you? We must know what, exactly, you can do.” Hope shone in his eyes, brighter than the sun.

  The tears gathered once again. Do not cry. Don’t you dare. Nod instead. Good, that’s good.

  He smiled at her, the expression she’d dreamed of seeing, and it was as magnificent as she’d suspected. An exquisite display of undiluted happiness—with a dimple.

  “Thank you, Nola.” He pulled her close and kissed her lips.

  A swift peck, no tongue, and she felt like she’d been vivisected. Did he know how terribly he was hurting her right now? Would he care if he did?

  Unable to bear looking at him any longer, she closed her lids, drew a deep breath in and slowly released it. Though it pained her, she forced her mind to revisit the accident. Driving along the road...the hushed conversation between her parents...

  When the bed bounced, she gasped, her eyelids popping open. Not the bed, she realized, but the car. She’d actually done it on purpose!

  In the vision, or whatever it was, she sat next to little Nola’s car seat. The baby wiggled her arms and legs. There was no sign of Bane, not even a hint of his scent. A much-needed reprieve. She would use the time she spent in the past to gain control of her emotions in th
e present.

  Had she actually time-traveled, though? What if she could only see the past, not change it?

  Aveline killed with a touch, and Nola had the ability to...remember. How special.

  She reached out, her fingers ghosting through the child. How could she become solid?

  Again, the man appeared in the road. Nola braced. The car flipped, and finally settled upside down. He walked over and crouched, just as before, and had his conversation with the unseen woman. When he pulled her panic-stricken mother from the car, Nola didn’t panic. Not this time. She crawled from the wreckage, slipping through the mutilated door like a phantom—just in time to watch as the warrior sheathed his daggers, picked up a metal pipe and rammed it through her mother’s throat.

  Just like that, her mother went quiet, her body lax.

  Wheezing with horror, Nola pressed a hand her mouth. Her knees trembled, threatening to buckle.

  Heartbeat.

  Heartbeat.

  Heartbeat.

  Tears sprang again, momentarily blurring her vision. Her chest—raw. Her stomach—twisted. The cruelty of this man’s deeds...the savagery... He’d had no compassion, no mercy or care. He’d ended a life as violently as possible.

  And he wasn’t done.

  He grabbed her mother by the hair and tossed her back into the car.

  Nola’s tears spilled over, stinging her cheeks. Can’t let him get away with this.

  He lifted his hand, revealing a plethora of rings. A triangle of light glowed from one, the image of a flaxen-haired beauty in the center.

  “It is done, my queen,” he said, his tone bored.

  Nola’s muscles turned to stone. Queen?

  The woman smirked, beyond superior. “You shall be handsomely rewarded, Micah. That, I promise you.”

  Micah. Finally, Nola had a name. He will pay.

  With a low, intimate tone, he said, “Will you invite me back to your bed, sweet Aveline?”

  Nola sucked in a breath. Aveline. This flaxen-haired beauty was Aveline, Bane’s queen and Meredith’s murderer. The one responsible for Nola’s heritage and subsequent pain. The one who’d sent Bane into her life.