Maid of Ice

by Shona Husk

  Her mouth was slightly open as she watched. “Still impressive.”

  “You knocked over a glass and didn’t spill a drop. That’s useful.”

  Her lips curved. “I’ve done that before and no one has noticed. What made you realize?”

  It would sound like a bad line even though it was the truth. “Your eyes. I wasn’t sure at first, but they’d shine and the silver would shimmer to the surface like sunlight on water.” He knew his would be gleaming now because he was using magic, but for the first time in too long he wasn’t hiding what he was.

  She looked right at him, then reached out and brushed his cheek, her fingertips cool from holding the beer bottle. “I wore contact lenses to hide it for so long.”

  “It’s too pretty hide.” He’d never thought silver could look so tempting.

  “Why do your eyes, my eyes, change?” She was still close, still touching him.

  He took a chance and put his arm out and drew her onto his lap. She leaned against him and he let himself enjoy the simple contact. “I don’t know. Someone smarter than me would be able to answer all your questions.”

  He knew enough to get by and that was all. He’d never wanted to learn more because he’d never wanted to be part of it. He’d never gone so far as to deny what he was or hide in the shadows. That wasn’t in his nature. He wasn’t going to let some faceless group of psychopaths send him scurrying, if he did that then they won even though he was alive.

  “If you can use air and I have water then there is also fire and earth?” She took a sip of beer and turned so she could see his face.

  “Yes.” He was done talking about magic. There were other things he wanted to be doing now she was on his lap. She was working a kind of magic on him without even realizing.

  “And vampires?”

  “They have blood magic. A different type of blood magic to what we can do.” This was not the kind of conversation that ended up in his bedroom. It was weird to be talking about magic with a date, yet it was also interesting. He’d never once considered having someone he could talk to about this stuff. He’d expected to keep the two parts of his life very separate.

  “You can do more stuff?”

  “Like I said, I’m out of practice. No need for me to do it on a regular basis.” He’d used magic more when he’d been working as a stuntman. He’d been able to do all kinds of things, get extra height, land safely. Some people had thought him fearless, he wasn’t, he just had an advantage.

  “But I could learn? It’s not too late?”

  “It’s not too late.” He ran his palms up her thighs.

  “And you can teach me?” She drained the beer and he put it on the coffee table.

  “A little. Maybe. There are similarities in the way the elements are controlled.” She should be confronting her mother and asking for the truth. Not asking for him to help. He wasn’t a teacher. He was only Albah when it suited him.

  “It would be a start.”

  “Are you sure you want to get mixed up with the Albah? It can be dangerous.”

  “Maybe I like danger.” She kissed him, her lips moving softly over his.

  “There will be vampires,” he said against her lips.

  “Sounds like fun.” Her hands slid under his shirt.

  She wasn’t taking any prisoners and he was more than happy to surrender to her touch. Maybe it would be fun to hunt the Albanex and the maker with someone instead of on his own. He gripped her hips and stood, the air giving him a boost up.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck as though she expected him to drop her. “Can you levitate?”

  “Not from the ground up, only from falling. And I haven’t done that in a long time. I’m not that good. Some can. My father can.”

  “Damn.”

  Yeah, right now that would’ve been a very cool trick to pull off. “I have a few other things I can show you…in my room.”

  She pressed against him, her body warm and lithe. “I was beginning to think your reputation was all hype.”

  He carried her down the hallway to his bedroom, not sure what to make of what she’d said. “Don’t believe everything you read about me. I’m sure not even half of it is true.” If it was then he’d been married at least twice and had several secret babies. “I thought you didn’t want to be part of the gossip cycle.”

  “I don’t, but I want to know more about magic and what I am. If that is the price, then so be it.”

  He dropped her on the bed. “And this?”

  “This is fun.” She pulled him down and he let himself fall to the bed.

  “How long until you get that off?” He tapped the cast.

  “Ugh, ages. Six weeks, I think. I can work around it and I’ll try not to hit you in the head with it.” She grinned.

  His lips moved before he could think it through.

  “I think meeting you was fate,” she murmured.

  That almost took away his smile. He didn’t believe in fate. Luck, hard word and magic were about all he had time for. But she hadn’t deliberately broken her arm to meet him. She hadn’t even known what he was, even if she had known who he was.

  And when had that ever stopped him?

  Women slept with him because of who he was. If he was a no one or just a stuntman, they wouldn’t look at him twice—they hadn’t. Alina wasn’t that different, but she didn’t want him because of his fame. She was interested in his magic. He’d been interested in hers, and as reasons went he’d slept with people for a hell of a lot less.

  He hadn’t actually wanted some of them though, not the way he wanted her. She was in his blood like silver or magic and that was dangerous.

  * * * *

  Alina wished she didn’t have the stupid cast on as it meant that she only had one good hand. Her dress had ridden up her thighs and Finley was lying between them. If she was going to get his clothes off it was going to be hard work.

  His lips brushed hers before he started to work his way lower. Down her neck, over her collarbone. His hand was inching up her inner thigh. She’d worn black lacy panties because she’d fully expected to get lucky tonight. If she’d been going home alone after dinner, she’d have been very disappointed because when she made the time to date she wanted it all.

  She held her breath as his fingertips grazed her panties.

  The air around her cooled and her nipples peaked, pressing through the lace of her bra and thin fabric of her dress. He raked his teeth over one and the air rushed out of her lungs. “You made it cold?”

  “I did.”

  “Isn’t that cheating?” What else was possible? Until a few hours ago, she hadn’t even believed in magic, now she wanted to know everything.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never dated another Albah before.”

  She didn’t know how to respond to that. Surely he must have, or had he avoided them because he was trying to be human? Or were they simply that rare that he’d never run into one that he wanted to date? She’d never met another Albah.

  Maybe she was just drawn to him because of the magic. She didn’t know. Right now, she didn’t care either. “I didn’t think I’d be your first anything.”

  He gave a low laugh then drew her panties down. “I don’t have a smart comeback for that.”

  “You don’t need one.” She’d been banking on the sure thing. So far things were going well. “Just keep going.”

  He held her gaze. “I thought you were using me for my magic…I was wrong. I think you’re using me for sex.” Was he joking or offended? The moment stretched on for that little bit too long then he smiled.

  He could have anyone. Did the women he was usually with only want one thing? She ran her fingers through his hair. It could be growing out of a shorter style, but this probably was the style. The pale blond strands slid through her fingers like silk.

 
“Well, it’s a good thing you aren’t interested in my magic.” Because she had no idea what she could do if she tried. “And are only interested in my body.”

  “It’s a very nice body.” He drew back and pulled off his shirt. It was clear he was no slacker in the gym and the camera that loved to linger when he did shirtless scenes did him no justice.

  “Right back at you.”

  His smile widened then he leaned forward and kissed her. There was a hunger in his touch that had been missing before. Gone were the cautious kisses people shared with someone new. She was very familiar with them. She never usually got to experience much more than the awkward fumbles of the first time. But she wanted to know what it would be like to really get to know someone. This was her chance.

  His hand was between her thighs and creeping higher. She wanted to inch her legs apart and lift her hips so that he got the hint, but she didn’t need to rush this time…did she?

  Or was this it? One date. One night.

  No, this was more than lust. They were the same. They had magic in a world that didn’t believe they existed. If she’d never run into him at the hospital, she might’ve gone through her whole life never knowing what she was.

  His fingers finally found their goal. She groaned as he circled then slid deeper. She was already wet. She’d been waiting for this all evening, all day if she was honest. Now all she had to do was pray that he was as good in real life as he was made out to be on-screen.

  Her skin heated and all she wanted to do was strip off her dress and feel his skin against hers. Too soon he was moving and not in the good, let’s get this on way. He lay on the bed next to her and she turned to face him. Then he pulled her on to him. She straddled his hips.

  He ran his hands up her back as though searching for the zipper on her dress. Her lips curved as she let him feel around for a moment longer before lifting her arm to reveal the side zipper. “It’s here.”

  “That’s sneaky.”

  “I didn’t want to make it too easy.” Her dress came off in her next breath, then his hands were on her skin, gliding over her ribs and her belly and lower. She’d expected her bra to come off just as fast but he wasn’t in that much of a rush and he still had pants on.

  “Why don’t you come a bit closer?” He gripped her hips and gave a gentle tug.

  She moved, and then kept moving following the pressure on her hips until he was about to get a face full of her. She was so glad she’d taken the time to trim everything up, but that didn’t stop the heat from rising up her neck and also spreading down across her chest.

  He glanced up at her. “Can I taste you?”

  When he said that she wanted to die. No one asked and she’d certainly never done it like this. “You don’t want me on my back?”

  “No. This view is much better.” His hands glided over her skin as though he was worshipping her. “Unless you’d rather lie down?”

  She shook her head, then moved a little more forward as he slid beneath her. His hands were on her butt and his breath was on her inner thigh. She didn’t dare look down. It was all she could do to keep breathing.

  This was not a first date kind of thing. At least it wasn’t in her life. Sometimes the guy would try to get her to give him head, but what would she get out of it once he was done? Nothing. Rarely did they make the offer.

  Seriously, why was Finley single?

  Unless…was there a reason he hadn’t taken his pants off yet? Surely that would have hit the gossip columns and have been everywhere. She wasn’t able to think about what might be in his pants when his tongue swept over her clit. He didn’t need a map. And his tongue knew exactly what it was doing. The way he held her hips so he could feast made her blood heat. She could pull away if she wanted, but she didn’t want to move.

  And he’d better not stop.

  She placed her good hand on the headboard so she wouldn’t accidentally fall over, then closed her eyes so she could drown in the sensation before his tongue got tired. Her other hand was ready just in case she needed a little more. She usually did, but then she didn’t expect a one-nighter to take the time to work out what got her over the edge. She hadn’t expected Finley to make such an effort.

  The tension started in her belly and spread to her thighs. A tremor became a tightness in her chest as her breathing became little more than pants. When she came, it rolled through her and left her needing more. She wanted him, now.

  She moved back and he let her. She undid his pants, that doubt resurfacing. But her knuckles brushed a hard length that didn’t feel tiny. “I hope you have condoms handy.”

  He reached under the pillow. “I thought I should have some ready. Glad I was right.”

  So was she. Between the two of them they got his pants and jocks off.

  Definitely no reason he should be single. There must be some reason though. Unless it was just the issue of magic. That was a conversation for later, several dates later if they even made it that far.

  He rolled the condom on and glanced up at her. She didn’t give him a chance to ask the question she could see forming. If he was happy to lie there she was happy to be on top. Easing onto him felt so good. He gripped her hips again, this time with urgency, as though he didn’t plan on letting her get away. And she didn’t care how tight he held on. His fingertips bit into her skin as she screwed down hard, seeking her own release.

  Her eyes were barely open, but she was still able to see him. The way her hand was splayed on his chest as though she could hold him down. The way he was watching where their bodies joined. Her climax brought a moan to her lips.

  He gripped her hard as though to keep her there forever. “Yes.”

  For a few seconds neither of them moved. They were both breathing hard. Her skin was sweaty. She sighed and opened her eyes. “I might grab a shower.”

  That way if it was time for her to go, she could get dressed and be gone with no weirdness. If he asked her to stay, well, that would be interesting.

  Chapter 11

  Alina came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. He’d done the right thing and not followed. Now there was the look and the pause as though she didn’t know what to do. She glanced at her clothes scattered around his bedroom.

  He wanted her to stay the night. “I can grab you a T-shirt if you’d like to stay.” He was still naked. Except for his socks, a carefully placed corner of the sheet was all that was keeping him decent.

  “Which drawer? I can get it if you’d like a shower.”

  Which he would. “Top, pile on the left.”

  She turned away and he went into the bathroom. That she was staying now brought a new set of dilemmas. They’d have to do breakfast and then what? He’d only been half joking about why she was with him. If she only here because she wanted to know more about magic, she’d be disappointed because he didn’t have time to teach anyone. He was supposed to be hunting down a vampire, and the maker. But Alina was the only Albah he’d ever met his entire time in L.A.

  He tipped his face to the water. He hated showers and the way the water made his skin tingle on the inside like insects were running beneath the surface. Running water disrupted the magical energy; it would weaken his ability for a little while. Baths weren’t always practical, for a start they took too long.

  He forced out a breath and hoped that when he got out Alina was still in his room.

  She would be. He’d seen it in her eyes that she wanted to stay.

  He shouldn’t have invited her to stay. That wasn’t what he did. He shouldn’t be inviting anything Albah into his life. But it was too late for that. He was getting sucked back in. He turned off the shower and let a shudder race through him. It was always a relief when it stopped.

  He didn’t know how Alina managed. Unless her magic was so suppressed and weak, that a shower barely raised a ripple of disturbance.

  He
dried off and wrapped the towel around himself, ready to face the woman who was fast becoming his actual girlfriend, and not one cooked up by the gossip columnists.

  Alina was lying on the bed on her stomach in a T-shirt that had once been navy blue, her lace panties stretched across her ass. She typed one handed on her phone. She’d had time to go and get her bag while he’d been in the shower, and she’d made herself at home in his bed. It was a sight that would be too easy to get used to.

  He pulled out a pair of boxers. If she was wearing a shirt he’d put something on too. He didn’t usually bother. But then if he was home alone he could wear, or not wear, whatever the hell he liked.

  She looked up and smiled.

  His lips moved before he could think about it. He gathered up the towels and hung them up in the bathroom before joining her on the bed. His gaze landed on her ears. They were perfect human ears, no Albah fold.

  Someone had surgically altered them.

  Perhaps Albah changing their appearance was more common than he’d ever thought. It was certainly a good way to stop the Guardians from causing trouble. He ran his fingers through his hair and brushed the top of his ear. His very first agent had wanted him to get them fixed, as he’d called it. Finley had refused because he hadn’t wanted to change who he was. As a stuntman, it hadn’t mattered. Now no one cared.

  “Do you know where you got your ears done?” For some reason, it felt important to know. He trusted his gut even though he couldn’t see the future like female Albah. Magic wasn’t always obvious and the tiny things could make a big difference.

  She stared at her phone for a moment before looking at him. “Why? I’m not getting them changed back, and I’m not un-coloring my hair to be more Albah either.”

  “That wasn’t why I was asking. I’m curious. There’s a lot of weird stuff happening at the moment and it feels important.”