Aflame (Apotheosis)

by Daniels, Krissy

  Grayce offered a trembling hand to shake but Nikolas laughed, threw his arms around her instead and squeezed too damn tight. “Grayce.” Holding her at arm’s length, he studied her face and shook his head. Disbelief flashed through his stunning green eyes.

  “Oh my God, woman, you are gorgeous. You don’t know how happy we are to finally have you here.” His genuine smile put her at ease. Grayce was impressed at how she managed so far, considering she was trapped somewhere underground in a small space with two men. First instinct? Jump behind the couch and hide, or grab the small table and do her best to beat them away. She suppressed the urge. Yeah, she held it together pretty well, she supposed.

  “I, um, thank you,” she sputtered.

  Releasing her, not nearly as soon as she would’ve liked, Doctor Compton gestured for them to sit. With way too much grace for a man, he lowered himself into one of the armchairs. Zander claimed his spot on the couch nice and tight against her.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but Z has told me about what’s been going on. He also told me he tried to explain his...” He scratched his head. “Attraction to you.” He looked her square in the eye. “And yours to him?” Raising his right brow, he waited for her response.

  “Ah, yes, the soul mates bullshit.” Grayce huffed, folded her arms and slouched like a spoiled teenager. More of the sappy romance shit? Fucking awesome. Zander tensed next to her and squirmed in his seat. “He thinks we are connected somehow. Says we are meant to be together.”

  Doctor Compton nodded at her, his expression unreadable. The man was so proper the way he sat in his chair; back straight, hands folded politely on his crossed leg, chin lifted, not arrogant but respectful in manner, giving her his full attention. Strikingly handsome, Grayce thought. But so was Tyr and look where that got her. Fuck. Tyr. She cringed with the thought. Bile rose in her throat.

  “My dear, I’ve known this big lug for many—” A big sigh followed by a roll of his eyes hinted at a playful side that seemed at odds with his professional air. “Many years.” He smirked and tossed a quick glance to Zander, who reciprocated with a middle finger. “I can assure you with every fiber of my being the connection you share is very real.”

  His large confident smile showed off perfect white teeth, five shades brighter than the walls and furniture. “And now you two have found each other, the bond will get stronger.”

  Oh crap. Not him too. Uncertain if it was the stark room and bright light or that she was in the presence of two males, but agitation swirled like a fog in her brain. Stifled, heated and angry, she shook her head in an attempt to clear it of some of the chaos. “I can’t do this right now!” She didn’t mean to scream the words, they just came out that way. Shocked at her own outburst, she jumped to her feet.

  “Dammit.” Zander’s deep voice vibrated through her. “You need to hear this.” A heavy fist pounded the couch cushion. “This is my life. Our life.” Frustration thick in his voice, he pounded again.

  Grayce jumped back, wild with fury. Something cracked inside her, opening a chasm deep, deep down in the darkest depths of her soul. An intense heat rose from the abyss and filled her insides.

  “You fucking men are all alike.” Leaning forward, bringing herself nose to nose with Zander, she read the regret in his eyes.

  Too late for regret.

  “Don’t you ever fucking raise your voice to me. I’m not some pussy ass little bitch you can bully around.” Her breath caught in her throat as the internal heat fueled her anger, boosted her nerve. Urged her on. “I’ve been a pathetic victim for too damn long. I’ll be damned if I let you walk into my life and stake your claim. What did you think I would do? Swoon and fall into your arms? Are you fucking serious? Soul mates? What the fuck does that even mean?”

  Grayce shot a glance over her shoulder to make sure the other asshole was paying attention. Doctor Compton had a death grip on the armrests.

  “I gave my life to a man. Once. I will not do it again. Do you understand?” Zander leaned back as she stabbed at his chest with her index finger. Both heartbreak and remorse were evident on his face. Tears stung her eyes. She let them fall. Wiping them away would be useless.

  “Where were you when I was still worth saving?” she asked, knowing it would cut deeper than if she’d stabbed him with a sword. As the heated rage swelled, spreading from belly to limbs, her confidence grew. “He took everything. He ate me alive, and I let him.” An unwelcome memory of Tyr’s playroom sent violent shivers through the churning heat straight to her bones.

  “I hate all of you! Soul mates my ass. I’m holding on tight to the little piece of my soul that’s left.” Salty tears blurred her vision, but not so much that she couldn’t read the confusion in Zander’s eyes. “My soul. Not yours.”

  His own baby blues puddled as she fisted his shirt. “You fucking men should be thrown into the deepest pits of hell for what you did to me.” The anger was so intense, she saw nothing but red. Mind, body and soul, she was nothing but fire and fury.

  Zander’s shirt shredded like tissue under her grip. Tears poured down his face while Grayce threw all of her pain, all the rage and every prick of fear at him. God, it felt so good. Zander tried to place his hands on her wrists and she threw them off, taking a piece of his shirt with her.

  “Don’t. Ever. Touch. Me!” she shouted. Her own voice was frightening, like she’d been possessed and a demon spoke through her. She wanted them to feel every horror that’d been bottled up inside of her, wanted to punish them for what Tyr did to her. And more than anything, she tried to will her anguish into their souls and free her own from the burden she’d carried for too damned long. She tore her shirt over her head. “Look at me. Look at what he did to me,” she screamed, throwing her arms out wide.

  * * * *

  Mouth agape, Zander stared at his woman, his future, his life. His lungs ceased to perform their duty. He fell on trembling knees at her feet. “Holy Christ.” It pained him to look, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Scars riddled her torso. Some were small and round, a few were jagged and raised, most were long and thin. Not a damned one of them should’ve been there.

  “Who would want to be with this?” Her fury manifested itself as a red fog charged with electrical currents. In seconds, they were engulfed in a swirling gust of heated energy that crackled and buzzed in his ears, churned around the room, swirled and billowed between them.

  Aching to hold her and offer comfort, he raised his hands. She backed away and tore the thin cotton bra from her body. Round firm breasts, perfect in proportion to her narrow waist and full hips, bore as many, if not more, of the same sickening marks as her stomach.

  He glanced at Nikolas. A sheen of moisture coated his head and face, his eyes wild, not with fear like they should’ve been, but anticipation.

  “Z! Are you seeing this? You’ve got to calm her. Fuck. This is unbelievable.” Nikolas jumped from his chair, ran to the corner of the room and disappeared through the door panel.

  “How can I ever be whole? I hate you. I hate you!” Grayce screamed. A loud, guttural, soul-cleansing release.

  The deepest sadness filled Zander. A terrible ache permeated his bones. How could he let this happen? Why didn’t he find her years ago? Try harder? She could’ve been spared this anguish, this endless torment to her spirit. As she purged herself in front of him, he tried to absorb it, take it away from her. The physical pain was bad, but the emotional blow was downright devastating. He couldn’t fathom the amount of strength required to carry that much baggage around for so long.

  “Grayce, baby.” His voice trembled. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for scaring you. You have to stop. Look, look what you’re doing.” He gestured to the burning couch. Hair whipped around his face. The red energy consumed the entire room. He rose from the floor and locked gazes with her.

  “Look at me. You can’t hurt me. I won’t hurt you.” With caution, he stepped forward. She didn’t back away. Good. Her eyes reflected unspeakable pain. “I wo
n’t hurt you,” he murmured softly. “I will never hurt you. I can’t.” Slow and gentle, Zander grasped her hands.

  Her chest heaved with heavy jagged breaths. “I’m hot. Oh shit. It’s so hot in here.” A layer of moisture coated her body. It bubbled and danced across her heated skin.

  “Keep looking at me,” he whispered warily. “Breathe. That’s it. Breathe, baby.” Her breasts rose and fell as she slowly calmed. He inched his arms around her, never breaking eye contact. Grayce stared up at him, utterly lost.

  “What have I done? Help me.” Pleading eyes begged him. “What’s happening?” His tears still fell but he wiped hers away with his fingers. The temperature of the room dropped almost immediately.

  “That’s a potent temper you have,” he breathed against her ear. His lips brushed her cheek. “We’ll have to work on getting that under control.” Drawing a deep breath, he dropped his arms. “Nikolas,” he shouted over the panel. “You got an extra shirt back there?”

  Grayce looked down at her naked body, then snapped back to Zander. She swayed, her eyes rolled into her skull and he caught her, just before she hit the floor.

  “Not again.”

  * * * *

  Grayce woke in a sweat, heart racing, legs tangled in the sheets. Zander burst through the door practically freeing the hinges from the jam. “What is it? What happened?” Two strides and he’d settled her in his lap, twisted bedding and all.

  Her first urge was to curl into a ball and protect herself, but he cupped her chin with a strong hand and lifted her face. There they were again, those eyes. It really wasn’t fair, the power his gaze held. She wondered what would’ve happened if she’d made eye contact with him weeks ago when he first made his magnificent appearance at the gym.

  “It was only a bad dream.” She tried to sound stoic, knowing he wouldn’t buy it. “Nothing to worry about.”

  “You were screaming. I could hear you down the hall.” His nimble fingers worked their way through her tangled hair. Head pressed to his chest, his heart beat like the sweetest lullaby in her ear. She tried, but couldn’t hold back an exhausted yawn.

  “You need to sleep.” His body shifted gently and he laid her across the bed. A pang of fear stabbed her chest. No. No sleeping. No dreaming.

  “Please don’t leave.” Surprised by her own words, a blush warmed her cheeks. “Please, stay here with me. Don’t go.”

  Zander’s face lit up. “I would like nothing more than to stay with you.” His eyes sparkled. “Let me get the chair.” He pointed to the overstuffed cream lounger occupying the far corner of the room.

  No. Too far away. She scooted over and gestured for him to sit on the bed. “Please, I don’t want to be alone,” she whispered.

  Looking extremely pleased, he straightened the sheet and comforter and pulled them up to her chin. The mattress slumped when he lay down next to her on top of the blankets. Acting the noble gentleman, he stayed close to the edge. A feat not easily accomplished with a physique that spanned half the space. Desperate to be nearer, Grayce wiggled herself under the covers until she could feel his warmth. His breath caught and there was the slightest pause before he enveloped her in a hug and pulled her closer.

  Talk about epic progress. She couldn’t believe she was sharing a bed with this man. And felt safe. Certainly, she’d wake from this dream disgusted with herself. At least it was Zander, not Tyr invading her sleep time.

  “Thank you.”

  She yearned to say much more, but the words lulling around the tip of her tongue scuttled to the back of her throat to be swallowed.

  * * * *

  Grayce woke feeling warm and refreshed. For the first time, she surveyed her surroundings. The wall opposite the bed consisted of one big window that overlooked a plush green valley. The sun’s rays, weakened slightly by the sheer curtain, blanketed half the room. The four poster bed was made of pale wood. The bedding, plush, fluffy and perfumed with lavender, was hands down the most luxurious place she’d ever laid her head. An oval hand carved mirror hung above a matching set of dressers, also pale wood. The walls were void of any artwork and there were no personal items of any sort on display. Must have been a guest room.

  Zander’s arm lay heavy across her hips and his face nuzzled her neck. She needed to stretch but she enjoyed the warmth of his breath on her skin and didn’t want to disturb him. How was it possible she could come so far in a few days? She’s hated and feared men for so long. Now, she wanted this beautiful creature wrapped around her like a warm blanket. Was it the violent purging of her anger yesterday?

  Yesterday. Oh crap. It came crashing back to her like a giant wave of angry memories. What had she done? How had she—

  As if sensing her tension, Zander tightened his hold. “Are you okay?” His deep voice, thick with sleep and incredibly sexy, took her breath away.

  “I could have killed you.” Due to the massive arm hanging over her, it took much effort to turn and face him. She cupped his face with her hands and waited for his eyes to open. “Please just give it to me straight. Did I make that fire? Did I do that?” He nodded yes. “Was I able to do that because of you?”

  “No.” He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. “Because of us. It’s a part of you. It’s always been there.” His hand found its way to her heart. “You, are...” he paused, started to say something and paused again. “I tried to tell you before. We’re stronger together than we are apart. You have an incredible gift. It’s unusual for powers to manifest as quick as yours did. If you’re this strong now, I can’t fathom what you’ll be able to do after—” He stopped and squeezed his eyes shut. “Never mind. You shocked the hell out of Nikolas. I’ll bet he’s been in his lab all night trying to figure you out.” A playful, crooked grin spread across his face.

  Powerful? Grayce remembered something and smiled up at him.

  “What?” he asked, brushing his finger across her bottom lip.

  “I liked the way it felt...yesterday. I did feel powerful.” She loved having the ability to hurt him, or any man for that matter.

  “I’ve never lost control of my temper like that before. I mean, I’ve been angry for so long, but never out of control.” Worried she might say too much, she paused to collect her thoughts. It did feel good to talk to someone. She’d never had a confidant. For some reason, she wanted to tell this man everything. “I don’t think I could’ve stopped myself. I would’ve killed us all. I wanted to burn and burn and keep burning until the pain went away.”

  Zander chuckled.

  “What’s so fucking funny?”

  “I have what some might call an anger control issue myself. But yours, baby. It makes me look like a saint.” An angelic smile swept across his face. “And that foul mouth of yours. Shit. Makes me want to...” He shook the thought away. “You’re a little firecracker, you know that?”

  A question burned on Grayce’s lips. It took a few moments to build the courage to ask, afraid the answer might be exactly what she suspected. “How are you able to soothe and calm me just by making eye contact?” She picked at a loose thread on his shirt.

  “Soul mates.” She loathed those two words. This time however, she was a little more inclined to believe him. He kissed her forehead and pushed himself off the bed. “I need a shower, how about you?”

  She lifted the blankets and looked down at herself. Crap. Someone had covered her with a large black t-shirt. Zander, no doubt. “Um, I’ve got no clothes.”

  Zander pointed to the dresser on the right. “I filled your duffel bag yesterday, you know, before we um...” he scratched his head. “I put your clothes in there. We’ll get you more soon.”

  “I’m never going back to my apartment, am I?” It figured. Forever on the run. Her life story.

  “No Grayce. This is your home now.” He disappeared through a door she hadn’t noticed before and failed to close it behind him. The whoosh of running water piqued her interest and she lifted her head for a gander. Oh, for the fucking love of ever
ything. Zander. Naked.

  A drift of searing heat made its way through her lungs and spread through limbs, heart and head. In her wildest dreams she couldn’t have imagined a more perfect, beautiful man. The way his skin stretched taut and smooth over every muscle and vein on his sun kissed body reminded her of golden caramel. His chiseled muscle from head to toe didn’t look real. One hundred percent pure, raw, male power stood only feet away and the need to claim him overwhelmed her.

  She spied as he stepped into the glass encased shower. When she leaned over the bed to get a better view, a thumping, aching heat pounded in between her legs. The sensation was so intense her thighs clenched together. Shit. What was happening? She’d never felt anything like this. A flush burned her cheeks and her head felt detached. A relentless rhythm pounded down there. Was this lust? Was this what it felt like to want somebody? Unable to peel her eyes away, she shifted to get a better look until he disappeared behind the steam.

  Oh fuck, what now? Her body screamed for something. A release. It needed a release—or him. Why? A few days ago, she would’ve killed anyone who suggested she’d ever need a man, want a man. Her core grew hotter and a light sheen of moisture formed on her skin. Every muscle ached with hunger.

  * * * *

  Accustomed to being alone, Zander neglected to shut the door before he stripped his clothing and stepped into the flow of steamy water. He lathered up and hoped like hell to wash away the lustful urges he’d been battling for days.

  Laying in bed with Grayce had almost been his undoing. The beast in him had wanted to rip off her clothes and take her, because it was his right as her mate. The man in him had lain heartbroken, searching for a way to put the puzzle pieces of her life together.

  Zander had been tempted many times before by desirable women. He always turned them away. It was a no brainer. Cheating wasn’t his nature, and although he’d yet to meet Grayce, knowing she existed was more than enough to keep him faithful. Temptation was no match to the desire to be the man she deserved. He had spent many tortured nights alone in bed, starving for his woman’s touch, her embrace, her naked skin pressed against his.