Souls of Fire

by Vanessa Black

  If I had one ounce of power within my grasp, I’d blow your sorry ass right off this bed for the way you’re acting!

  How am I acting? Aidan managed through his indignation at her thoughts. She was trying to pin it all on him, the manipulative lass.

  You’re acting like a horny school-boy. You’re trying to justify getting close to me, pretending you’re merely doing your duty, you self-righteous ass. When we both know that you can’t help yourself, I’ve seen the way you look at me … the lust in your eyes…

  Aidan’s hand tightened on her wrists, the words she had thrown at him hitting home more than he cared to admit! She had managed to see right through him. She had bested him; he wasn’t one to be bested … he never had been…

  You’re right, Aidan finally admitted softly, he could no longer see any sense in denying it. Absently he found his fingers playing with strands of her flaming-red hair.

  You’re playing with fire, Persephone warned.

  Aidan looked down into his palm, the red curls starkly contrasting against his tanned skin.

  So, don’t burn me, his mind whispered to her, and before he knew what he was doing, unable to resist her any longer, and needing to vent his confusion and need, he pulled her toward him, his hand cradling her head, his lips on hers, teeth tugging on her bottom lip, urging her to open up.

  Struggling against him at first, his touch eventually managed to reel her in. As a surrendering moan escaped her, her lips opened up under his, inviting him in. Aidan’s stomach was in knots as their tongues touched, hot and liquid desire rushed through him, burning a path down his body.

  So she had burned him after all, he thought vaguely, lost in her arms. He was drowning in her, unable to pull himself out from under the waves of passion rolling over him.

  Yes, take him, Aidan heard a voice, Persephone’s voice, but she seemed to be talking to herself. This voice had a different quality to it, though. It sounded dark and forbidding … foreign.

  Persephone’s arms suddenly broke free of his grasp. Instead of freeing herself and getting away from him, she wriggled closer into his body, her hands clutching at his hair and pulling him deeper into her embrace, her body pressed up against his, her mouth hot and desperate against his, their panting breaths mingling, out of control.

  With a desperate effort, born out of the sudden realization what he was doing and that his father would be furious with him, Aidan managed to free himself from her clutches, and hurriedly jumped off the bed, putting a ― hopefully safe enough ― distance between them.

  By the anguished and guilty expression that suddenly covered Persephone’s face, Aidan guessed that she must be thinking about her feelings for Aaron and how his own brother had just managed to make her betray him.

  “Are you satisfied? Did you get what you wanted? Can you leave me be now? Leave me be now … please … just leave me alone …,” Persephone begged, her voice tormented.

  Aidan watched in shock as Persephone suddenly started to cry, her whole body racked by her weeping.

  Aidan was powerless against the picture of misery Persephone presented. Against his will, his heart went out to her, and he suddenly found himself wanting to hold her close and soothe her … but how could he when it was his fault that she was crying? He had pushed, and pushed, until she had given in. He had made her cry.

  Something had just shifted inside of him, and Aidan was acutely aware of the dangerous position he now found himself in. The vulnerability she was showing made him forget about the darkness inside of her, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her again, something he knew he must avoid at all cost.

  His father had not cautioned him for nothing, and he had just gotten a taste of the very deep water he would be in if he ever touched her again. He had no choice but to stay away from her, leaving her miserable and shaking on her bed. What a hero he was!

  Heading back to his side of the room, he threw himself onto his bed, pulled the covers up and over his head and tried to drown out Persephone’s sobs.

  Were her tears for real, or was she so devious and cunning that she could pull off such a convincing act without even blinking?

  She had managed to completely reel him in. She had let him see her innocent and vulnerable side, making him feel guilty for making her cry.

  He had to hand it to her. She was good! She was really good, and he was in over his head!

  If he wasn’t careful, he would be the one destroying the world he had vowed to protect. And the blame would be all his.

  He had assured his father that there was no chance in hell he would ever be tempted by her. He had been too weak to admit the truth.

  His mind in turmoil, Aidan only fell asleep as the rising sun chased away the last remnants of darkness…

  Chapter 15 * Void

  My eyes felt tired, heavy and swollen when I opened them the next morning. Dawn had set in before I had managed to fall asleep. I had lain awake for hours, hot tears silently running down my cheeks, dampening the silk pillow underneath.

  Now I found myself squinting at the sunlight shining in my eyes. It seemed I had gotten no more than two or maybe three hours of sleep.

  With the force of an atomic bomb, the events of the past night suddenly rushed back to me. I had crossed a line I hadn’t even known was there. If I had, maybe I could have toed the line. But he had taken me completely by surprise.

  From the moment I had met him, he had behaved in a hostile and disdainful manner toward me. There hadn’t been the slightest indication that he found me the least bit attractive or would even want to get close to me.

  Then, I thought I might have detected a tiny spark of interest in his eyes when I came in from the bathroom, but a split second later he had gazed away from me, bored.

  So the dream we had shared had come as quite a shock to me. His lips would not have caressed my skin, would not have sought to touch my own if he hadn’t wanted me. His dream must have been a reflection of his subconscious desire for me. Maybe it had surprised him as well.

  If what Malcolm had said about the curse was true, and it really was created by the most powerful magic, then odds were Aidan had not had the slightest chance of fighting against the seed of desire the curse had planted in him.

  It appeared the power of the curse had outmaneuvered Aidan’s animosity toward me ― even if he despised himself for it, he would act upon the desire within.

  If that was the case, then he would not be able to resist me for long, and I would once again find myself in an impossible situation. Or, more precisely, an impossibly impossible situation!

  Actually, I was already there! It didn’t get more impossible than it already was. I had felt attracted to Aidan from the moment I had seen him. How could I not? He looked just like Aaron, beautiful and strong.

  A voice in the back of my head, one I tried to ignore, had even thought he looked better than Aaron. I suspected it had to do with the very tightly fitting black leather uniform he wore, and the aura of power and danger that surrounded him.

  The thrill I had felt when he had pinned me to the mattress, his deep blue eyes burning into mine … Just thinking about it made me shudder.

  In spite of the hate, anger and crudeness he directed toward me, and though I had pretended to detest his presence, I hadn’t been able to help feeling light-headed at his nearness.

  The weight of his body on mine…

  His touch sending shivers down my spine…

  Making my heart race…

  Butterflies in my stomach…

  When his tongue had slid into my ear, my body had shaken violently.

  And when we had kissed…

  I had been so into him, had wanted him so badly. I had never felt so weak in the knees before, I had never wanted anyone so badly … not even Aaron!

  The attraction and the pull I felt toward Aidan was even more dangerous than what I felt for his brother, and it made me want to betray Aaron, the man I had fallen in love with.

  Now, I was so c
onfused at my own reaction that I could no longer tell which way was up and which way down. I felt mortified at the betrayal I hadn’t thought I was capable of.

  I found myself reeling from the desire I felt for Aidan, even though we had not even connected on an emotional level. I didn’t even know who he was! The position I now found myself in represented a whole new kind of crazy.

  I was caught in the clutches of both Aaron and Aidan, which spelled disaster on a whole new level.

  Suddenly the threat to the world had become twice as large, the temptation to stray from the path of righteousness twice as great.

  Two brothers … two men with the power to pull me into darkness, and I didn’t have the slightest idea what to do about it!

  Slowly turning around, I could see the rumpled covers of Aidan’s empty bed. He had apparently snuck out before I had awoken. That was more than fine with me. I was in no mood, at all, for another confrontation ― of any kind.

  Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I lingered on its edge, taking a moment to stretch before getting up.

  The sunlight filtering through the large window next to my four-poster illuminated the space where I sat, managing to heat the wooden floorboards beneath my bare feet and infusing my body with soothing warmth.

  Walking toward an impressively large wooden wardrobe with elaborate carvings, I opened the door and took a peek inside.

  Malcolm had conjured beautiful and tasteful underwear, everyday clothing, as well as dresses for fancy occasions in my size.

  I had been amazed to see the beautiful garments. He had impeccable taste, and I had everything my heart could desire, and some things my heart hadn’t even known existed. He had outdone himself. He had even added matching shoes.

  Hastily changing into a fresh pair of undergarments, blue jeans and a nice snug red cashmere sweater, I then donned a pair of low-heeled red ankle boots and headed for the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair, and to take care of other necessities.

  Malcolm had told me the night before that we would start my magical training that day, and that I should come into the dining room for breakfast as soon as I was ready.

  I was sure there was a time schedule I would have to follow in future, but it seemed he was offering me a laid-back first day so that I could adjust more slowly to my new circumstances.

  Arriving at the dining room several minutes later, I saw that the table was only occupied by one other person, Malcolm. Everybody else seemed to have gone about their business, and he had apparently waited for me to arrive.

  “Good morning,” Malcolm said cheerily.

  Yikes, he seemed to be in a good mood. I honestly couldn’t say the same. I was seriously sleep deprived and felt like I had been punched in the gut and/or hit by a car and rolled over several times.

  “Morning,” was all I managed to mumble.

  But it seemed Malcolm was alright with sitting in silence while reading his paper. He actually smiled a bit at my tired entrance and seemed to be able to tell that I hadn’t gotten too much sleep.

  Well, judging by the appearance of the face that had stared at me through the mirror this morning when I had gotten ready, I could see that he would have noticed.

  I had managed to neatly arrange my hair, but there was absolutely nothing I could do about my face ― well, at least nothing short of using magic maybe.

  My eyes were somewhat bloodshot and still slightly swollen, and there were dark bruises underneath them. My lips were a bit swollen as well, though I guessed it could be for other reasons.

  Reasons I did so not want to get into at that moment, pushing the thought immediately out of my mind.

  I felt grateful for not having to entertain Malcolm at the breakfast table. I couldn’t stand being continuously talked to in the morning. I just wasn’t that kind of person. I needed a little silence before I started my day in earnest.

  The table was laden with all kinds of breakfast dishes to choose from, including deliciously fluffy pancakes, butter and syrup. Ladling some scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes onto my plate, I started eating heartily.

  I hadn’t realized it before I arrived at the table, but found now that I was actually quite hungry after the ordeal of my first night in the castle.

  But the very best thing by far was the freshly brewed hot coffee. The smell alone had already managed to make my mood lighter.

  After adding some milk, I took the first sip, closed my eyes in delight and let out an audible sigh…

  Silently I gave praise to the discoverer of the coffee bean!

  After I had finished, I followed Malcolm to the place we would be practicing magic.

  At first I was surprised to find we were heading in the direction of the underground tunnel system Aaron and I had first been kept in. Dimly I remembered Malcolm telling me that magic must be kept from seeping into our environment.

  So maybe it was even safer to start out underground as long as I could not control my powers. Even though I didn’t have access to them yet, as soon as I did, I might instantly be overwhelmed by them. So it was probably for the best to practice out of reach at first.

  Somehow I didn’t find that thought very comforting, though. Going back there would inevitably rekindle certain memories of Aaron and me, that ― in my own best interest ― I probably shouldn’t ponder on.

  So it was with slight trepidation that I entered a large underground cave some twenty minutes later.

  My trepidation shot skyward when I saw the two figures waiting for Malcolm and me. Aaron and Aidan were standing side by side, arms folded, with similar disapproving looks on their faces.

  It seemed the last thing they wanted to do right at this moment, was spend quality time with each other after having been separated for so long, not having known the other existed.

  The wounds that had been inflicted ran deep, and I could tell it would take time and patience for them to heal, and a careful approach for them to open up to one another. Now their company was being forced upon each other by greater circumstances, and they had not yet had a chance to acclimate.

  The picture they presented ― standing side by side, the same facial expression, same posture ― was enough to blow my mind. Had they not been wearing different clothing, I would have thought I’d had too much to drink.

  It was completely unnerving, and I silently prayed that Aidan had not breathed a word of what had happened between us last night to Aaron, or to anyone else for that matter.

  Somehow, I doubted he would do that, though. He had plenty to lose, I mused. His father did not seem like the type to tolerate disobedience, and he had been very clear on Aidan’s not kissing me at any cost. Aidan would not likely want his father finding out about his lack of restraint.

  And the disdainful look that had crept over his face as I entered, and the fact that he refused to even meet my eyes, spoke volumes.

  He appeared to be generally disgusted with himself for the nearness we had shared, and it was obvious he would not be seeking my company again if he could help it.

  His current attendance seemed to imply that he couldn’t, though. Just as he couldn’t escape Aaron’s presence, he would have to interact with me on some level.

  We were in this together, after all. He had no choice. None of us did. Crappy destiny and all…

  The difference between Aidan’s and Aaron’s reaction to my appearance couldn’t have been more pronounced.

  Unlike Aidan, Aaron’s arms immediately unclenched and relaxed at his sides and his eyes lit up excitedly, a warm inviting smile spreading over his face.

  I tentatively smiled back at him, my heart lifting at his welcoming stance. It felt good to know that at least someone here was genuinely glad to see me.

  That cheerful thought died a moment later when my mind flashed back to last night’s betrayal of Aaron’s trust.

  The fact that we couldn’t be together in no way justified that I had kissed his brother! It was wrong … on so many levels … but, try as I might, I had
not been able to stop myself.

  It had been too confusing … lying there beside a man who looked just like him … a man I was exceedingly attracted to … when I was not allowed in Aaron’s presence.

  My hormones had taken over, had gotten the better of me. I had been beyond reason. I had hoped to be better than that, apparently I wasn’t … I was a horrible person!

  “Hi,” I managed quietly.

  “Hi,” Aaron replied softly.

  Aidan’s eyes merely flicked toward mine for a second and away again, acknowledging my presence and dismissing me with one and the same glance.

  I ignored the slight hurt his reaction caused, vowing not to inspect my feelings too closely. It was better not to go there.

  When I came closer, Aaron suddenly said: “Wow, you look … err …”

  “Awful,” I finished for him. He had been too much of a gentleman to say it out loud, but ‘awful’ summed it up pretty much, I thought. At least that’s how I felt.

  “What happened to your lips?” he wondered.

  Crap, I thought wildly, his question completely taking me by surprise. Apparently the swelling had not yet receded completely.

  Though Aidan and I hadn’t kissed that long, it had sufficed to make my lips swell slightly. My crying fit that had followed had probably contributed to making the swelling worse than it might otherwise have been.

  Trust it to Aaron, of all people, to notice the now only just distinguishable inflammation. And it wasn’t helping matters that Aidan’s head had suddenly shot toward me at Aaron’s words. I sure hoped no one had noticed that.

  “Err, nothing. I just didn’t sleep all that well … you know, knew place, new mattress … sometimes my lips get that way when I don’t get enough rest …”

  Yeah, right, I thought even as I babbled. I could have sworn Aidan’s lips had slightly twitched just then. A split second later his face had resumed the same unpleasant look as before. I had probably only imagined it.