by Larissa Ladd
Aira smiled slightly at the halting explanation.
“It’s fine. I wasn’t even aware of it,” she said. “And it’s not like you took advantage of me or something. Wait, you didn’t, right?”
Aiden’s eyes widened. “No! No, I would never, ever take advantage of a helpless woman,” he said firmly. A faint smile curved his lips. “Besides, why should I take advantage of a breathing corpse when I could’ve gotten action from any one of a ton of other women?”
Aira rolled her eyes, throwing herself back amongst the pillows and shifting over on the bed to allow Aiden to climb in next to her.
“You are not nearly as charming as you think you are,” she said tartly, watching as Aiden kicked off his slippers and pulled back the blankets on the bed. He hesitated a moment and then pulled his shirt up, over his head, casting it aside on the floor.
“Sorry, I can’t sleep with my shirt on,” he explained, blushing slightly. He climbed into the bed and settled near her, not touching but close enough that Aira could feel the heat of his body. For a long, tense moment they lay like that, not looking at each other, not touching, waiting for some signal. “And hey, I am every bit as charming as I think I am. You’re just annoyingly immune to my charms.” The comment from Aiden made Aira chuckle, and she took a deep breath and turned to face him, reaching out and hesitantly moving closer to him under the blankets.
“You get on my nerves all the time,” Aira said sleepily, shaking her head. Aiden’s arm slipped underneath her and then wrapped around, pulling her close to him. Aira was surprised at how good it felt—tingling heat running along the length of her, like in her dream. She blushed at the reminder. “You’d be a lot more charming if you weren’t constantly being a jerk.”
Aiden chuckled, and Aira caught sight of him rolling his eyes at her.
“I’m a jerk? I’m annoying? What about you?” he playfully tousled her damp hair. “You disagree with me just for the sake of disagreement. If I said, ‘Hey, Aira, have you noticed that the sky is blue?’ You’d say ‘No it isn’t, it’s green!’”
Aira snorted, feeling the fatigue stealing over her, a rising contentment replacing the panic she had been suffering moments before. “Actually,” she said, “There are some cultures whose languages don’t include separate words for blue and green, so to them the sky isn’t blue the way you’d see it.”
Aiden groaned. “See? See how right I am?”
Aira heard herself giggling.
“Hey, aren’t you going to turn off the light? I don’t like sleeping in a brightly-lit room.”
Aiden sighed. “Why do I have to do it?” he asked.
Aira raised an eyebrow, meeting his gaze. “Because I’m the poor, sick, decrepit girl you’re taking care of. Now get out and turn the lights off.” Aira chuckled lowly to herself again as Aiden sighed with exasperation, turning off the bathroom light and then the two lights in the bedroom. As darkness covered them, Aira remembered the panic of her dream—the darkness consuming her, eating away at her, pulling her farther and farther away. She was about to change her mind, to suggest that the bathroom light should be on; before she could summon the courage to admit her fear, however, she saw a spark in the darkness a few feet away from the bed. It bloomed into a yellowish fire, dancing at Aiden’s fingertips, barely illuminating his face. He made his way back to the bed and closed his hand as he stood next to it, extinguishing the flame in an instant.
In the darkness, Aira’s sense of nervous restraint fell away; all she could think of was the heat of Aiden’s body, her need to be as close as possible to the warmth and light of his fiery energy. As soon as he was settled next to her she reached out for him, finding him by touch, wrapping her arms around him and cuddling close without a trace of shame. “At least you feel nice,” she said absently, pressing her cheek to his shoulder. “You smell okay, too,” she added, her fatigue and sleepiness loosening her tongue. Aiden chuckled in the darkness, pulling her as close to him as possible and coiling his arms around her.
“I smell okay. Well, that’s an accomplishment, I guess,” he murmured. Aira’s hands started to move over his body of their own will, tantalized and thrilled by the tingling heat—like holding her hands a few feet from a roaring fire—that accompanied her caresses. Aiden made a sound, something between a gasp and a suppressed moan, and Aira realized what she was doing. She bit her lip, feeling ashamed of herself, and took a deep breath to suppress the sense of arousal that had been rising in her.
“Hey, you don’t have to stop,” Aiden said. His fingers played along her neck, against her cheek, and the heat from his energy flowed into her.
“I do,” she said. “We can’t… you know we can’t get involved, Aiden, and if we…” she pressed her lips together, swallowing again, trying to fight down the intense attraction she felt towards him.
“Dylan said it would work better the more contact we have,” Aiden pointed out. “I’m not suggesting we have sex,” he hurriedly added. “But you know… it wouldn’t be a bad thing to do less than that. It might help.” Aira considered it—she was heating up from the inside, Aiden’s energy flowing into her, burning away the fatigue and pain she had been feeling on a nearly constant basis for days. She knew it was a bad idea; she remembered her remark about bad life decisions and her sex life. But, she thought when Dylan had suggested sex might cure her entirely he had been joking. That didn’t mean she couldn’t touch Aiden, really touch him and feel that delicious tingle of contact between them. She began to caress him again, slowly running her hands along his ribcage, up to his collarbone, and down almost to his hips, taking in the sensation of his skin under her fingertips—the scattered, sparse hair on his chest, the velvety softness of his abdomen. It was becoming too hot underneath the covers, and Aira pushed them off of her, sweat beginning to form along her breasts and underarms even without the blankets. She hesitated a moment but then tugged her damp shirt up along her slick skin, pulling it over her head and tossing it aside.
In the darkness of her room, Aiden was almost glowing, and Aira realized that she was slightly luminescent as well, though her color was not the vibrant orangey red of Aiden’s aura—it was a faint, clean yellow. Aiden’s hands trailed along her body, grazing her breasts without stopping, caressing her shoulders, her arms, sending fire through her—more than just his energy, Aira was wrapped up in the fascinating sensuality of being almost naked in bed with Aiden. She needed more contact; her body was hungry—starving—for more of what Aiden had to offer. Without thinking, without reason or hesitation, Aira pulled herself up against Aiden and found his lips with her own, kissing him hungrily.
Aiden’s response was immediate. He clutched her tightly against him, deepening the kiss, probing her mouth with his tongue as a soft moan rose from his throat. His hands moved along her body, and Aira realized that his fingers were hooked in the waistband of her pajama pants right as he was tugging them down. She broke away from the kiss. “No sex,” she said, panting slightly—she didn’t entirely believe it herself but she knew, deep in the back of her mind, that it would be a mistake.
Aiden nodded. “No sex. Just contact.” Aira was uncertain that her boundary would be obeyed, but she kicked her legs free of her pajamas, letting them slide against Aiden’s body. He was still wearing pajama pants, but she could still feel the hardness of him, and for a moment she felt guilty—was she leading him on? She licked her lips. Even if she was, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting more, from needing more of the energy he was radiating into her, removing the cold, removing the darkness that was eating away at her essence. She kissed him again.
Aira startled when she heard a crack of lightning very close to the apartment, breaking away from the kiss and looking down at Aiden. His eyes were brilliant in the darkness, shining bright blue in his glowing face. “Don’t stop now,” he murmured, pulling her hips down against his. “Open up to me, Aira,” Aiden whispered, tumbling her off of him and onto her back, pinning her against the bed. “Come on, A
ira, open up.” Aira didn’t know what he was talking about—for a moment, she felt panic rise thinking that he was going to try and coerce her into sex. But his hands on her body remained respectful, not forceful as he caressed up and down her arms. He kissed her deeply, and Aira realized what he was trying to do as his energy pressed into her, pushing past the resistance of her mind. She relaxed against him, breathing steadily. The wind howled outside, another crack of lightning splitting the air as they moved together, touching and caressing.
As Aiden’s energy flowed into her, Aira remembered—fleetingly—the time they had been together, in her bed at her grandmother’s house. There had been something in that moment that she had never examined, a deep connection she had felt forming between them that had terrified her even as it had satisfied a need she hadn’t realized she had. Aira felt the connection between them forming again, felt the energy flowing out of her rapidly, even as she was taking Aiden’s energy in. Aiden’s passionate kisses were leaving her breathlessShe felt herself pulled in more and more, a sensation like fire racing along every nerve, every vein of her body. Aira’s head was spinning, her thoughts speeding up out of the labored pace that the poison had caused, words in languages she barely knew flooded through her thoughts with no context.
Aiden broke away from her lips, looking down at her with a faint smile as lightning continued to brighten the sky outside. “How do you feel?” he asked.
Aira, panting, shook her head with a smile to answer his. “Shut up,” she said with pretend petulance.
“How do you feel?” Aiden asked with more urgency. Aira pulled him down to kiss him once more—tenderly, not with the passionate fire they’d built moments before. She smelled smoke, looked around in sudden apprehension.
“We haven’t lit the bed on fire, have we?” she asked.
Aiden chuckled. “No. You’d know if we had. How do you feel?”
Aira pushed him off of her and sat up, realizing that the pain was gone from her body—completely and totally gone. She looked at him in surprise.
“What the hell did you do to me you salamander?”
Aiden laughed out loud, sitting up in a reclining position and eyeing her half-naked body with unabashed interest.
“I pushed most of the poison out of your system,” he said. “It was Dylan’s idea.” Aira looked around for her shirt, feeling a rush of anger. She should have expected the tactic, but at the same time, not to be told what Aiden was going to try—when it could have ended much differently—sent her into a sudden rage that she couldn’t quite suppress. She snatched up Aiden’s shirt instead of her own, caring more about covering her nudity than she did about the proper attire, and left her bedroom.
“Dylan!” she called out, rushing down the stairs. Aira spared a moment to feel something like gratitude for the fact that she was able to do that, and then the anger was upon her again. “Dylan, you come out of your freaking bedroom right now and explain to me why you and Aiden thought it was a good idea to trick me!” Dylan’s door opened and Aira checked her headlong pace, stopping short and pinning him down with a glare.
“It worked?” Dylan said, almost dropping the book in his hands as he stared at her. “Well, obviously it worked.”
Aira felt the anger rising up, crackling in her body like a raging fire she didn’t even want to suppress. “You asshole, you could have told me what you were trying!” She shoved Dylan, not entirely certain why she felt angry anymore, only certain that it was how she felt. Aira heard Aiden’s heavy steps coming quickly down the stairs.
“Might want to sedate her, bro,” Aiden was saying as he joined them, shirtless. Aira turned on her heel and glared at him.
“No. What the hell were you two thinking? This could have ended really badly—and what the hell? This is—I can’t even come up with words for how sneaky it is for you to get into my bed and take advantage of my weakness like that!” Aira was so focused on Aiden that she didn’t catch Dylan approaching her from behind until it was too late. His cold hands landed on the hot skin of her shoulders and he quickly murmured a spell, and soothing cool rushed through her body, suppressing the rage. Aira weaved and reeled, trying to pull free of his tight grasp. The spell gripped her and Aira didn’t quite retreat into the darkness that had given her so much fear, but the rage left her all at once, and Aira fell to her knees, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Aiden started towards her and Aira, still feeling an echo of the anger—more in keeping with her normal state of mind—scowled at him. “Don’t touch me,” she said, pulling free of Dylan’s grip and standing unsteadily as she made her way into the kitchen.
“What did you do?” Dylan asked Aiden as Aira turned her back on both of them.
“I may have given her too much energy,” Aiden admitted ruefully.
“You idiot, now she’s going to be more unstable than ever!”
Aira let out an indignant scream and slammed one of the cabinets shut.
“Neither of you is permitted to talk about me as if I’m not here while I’m standing right in front of you!” she said, pushing out with the force of her mind and holding both of them in her gaze. “Neither of you is to touch me without my permission. In fact, neither of you is to talk to me or about me, without my permission.” Her mind lashed out savagely, anger fueling her ability to compel, and she saw the persuasion rock both men. They both stood there mute for a long moment and Aira, not quite satisfied but somewhat mollified, grabbed an already-opened bottle of wine out of the fridge and walked quickly past both of them, pushing Aiden out of her way and climbing the stairs to her room.
CHAPTER 6
AIDEN WOKE UP WITH HIS head throbbing in pain, his eyes dry and aching; he hadn’t had a hangover in years, ever since he learned how to hold back on drinking, but this feeling was reminiscent of that feeling. After Aira had stormed back into her room, it had occurred to Aiden that he and Dylan had gone about their strategy entirely the wrong way; Aira’s interaction with Alex had wounded her—and he had taken advantage of the easy sensuality that was part of her nature. Admittedly, his move had been to help her rather than to harm her, but in retrospect he could understand why it had made her so angry.
The compulsion she had placed on him and his brother had made it impossible for them to discuss the issue—or even what the next steps should be. It had only lasted the night, as far as Aiden could tell; he would have to test it once he felt up to getting out of bed. He chewed on his bottom lip and looked up at the ceiling, feeling a sense of guilt and shame for what he had done. There was still work to be done, he reminded himself. Aira’s strength had to be brought up to its normal level—even with the poison out of her system mostly she was going to find control difficult until she established some balance. He heard the wind blowing outside—it wasn’t howling, but it was clearly under Aira’s influence. Aiden thought of the compulsion she had hurled at both he and Dylan at the same time and how potent it had been. It was beyond his ability to resist, and he had built up a tolerable level of self-control when it came to her ability.
Aiden sat up, rubbing at his face. He would have to talk to Aira. About everything—their previous sexual relationship, what had happened the night before. He felt the connection with her tugging at his mind—his bedroom shared a wall with Aira’s, and he was aware of her presence so close, and yet so far away from him. As he’d poured his energy into her, pushing out all of the earth-bound influence, he had pulled hers into him as well—he couldn’t have done it otherwise. It had reinforced the bond that had formed between them when he had first slept with her, making it stronger. Aiden shook his head, opening his door and staring at Aira’s, closed firmly against both him and his brother. He sighed. Something would have to happen between him and Aira. Aiden realized with a shock how easy it would be to lose his mind over her; the thought chilled him. He had never been so intensely attracted to another woman in his entire life, and yet, Aiden thought, they fought bitterly. He knew there was very little hope of anything more
between them, especially after what he had done to heal her.
Aiden pulled himself back into reality and made his way down the stairs, craving coffee. He didn’t even want breakfast—he needed caffeine after the restless night he had spent, waking up every few hours intensely aware of Aira in the next room, wanting to go to her and pull her into his arms once more. He remembered the heat of her body pressing against him, the taste of her lips, and the feel of her silken skin. He remembered the sound of her faint moans, and how she had moved underneath him. Aiden shuddered, coming into the kitchen and shaking his head. It was too tempting to run back upstairs and try her door, knock if needed, and do whatever it would take to convince her to fall into his embrace once more.
Dylan was in the kitchen setting up the coffee maker.
“Oh man, you have no idea how much I need that,” Aiden said, sitting down on a bar stool heavily.
Dylan glanced over his shoulder and smiled slightly.
“I’m feeling kind of bad about last night,” Dylan admitted, pressing the button to start the coffee.
Aiden nodded. “It was kind of a dick move,” Aiden said, resting his chin on his hand. “I have a problem, also.”
Dylan leaned against the counter, looking at him intently. “You bonded with her,” Dylan said quietly.
Aiden nodded.
Dylan shook his head and sighed.
“I didn’t mean to, but it was… you know, a heat of the moment kind of thing.”
Dylan nodded, waving his understanding.
“I heard the lightning and thunder. And smelled the smoke. Are you sure nothing went up in flames?”
Aiden smirked slightly. “Nothing went up in flames, but I was about five seconds away from going down in flames.”
Dylan snorted. “You didn’t have sex with her though, right?”