One Night to Burn (Fire, Stone and Water)

by Dawn, Autumn

  Finally Louise reached a conclusion. “He'll come soon enough,” she murmured. “Best to do this now.”

  Something in her mother's tone frightened her. She turned, but before she said anything, Louise’s head split, gaping wider and wider to reveal a double row of sharp jagged teeth in black gums. The creature hissed and sprang at her.

  Kira panicked and thrust the coffee pot out in an effort to stop the thing. The massive jaws snapped the glass pot, crunching it like spun sugar. Kira backpedaled, throwing coffee mugs and creamer at its head as she backed around the kitchen island. When that didn't work she flamed it. That barely slowed it, but it reminded her she had other options. She became spark and tried to dart away, frantically willing Raze to pick up on her distress and come help.

  The creature didn't pause, merely opened its jaws and inhaled like a giant vacuum cleaner. Within the sparks, Kira screamed as her substance was sucked toward the mouth.

  Apparently, that monster head was good for more than just biting.

  Kira fought and twisted but gained no traction. The thing was going to eat her.

  Raze rushed to her in a shower of sparks and shoved her out of the way. Disoriented, Kira materialized in a corner of the kitchen as Raze attacked. He didn't bother with fire, materializing a sword to hack at the intruder. The thing was quick, but not fast enough to escape the blade. Pieces of monster still dressed as her mother soon littered the floor, leaving streaks of gray blood. Even when it was completely dead, Raze was unable to burn it. Instead, he threw a small disk from his belt on the corpse. There was a sizzling sound as the remains bubbled into noxious, greasy smoke.

  Raze strode to her and quickly looked her over. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

  Kira stared at the corpse and swallowed, raising a trembling hand to her mouth. “What was that thing? Why does it look like mom?”

  He massaged her arm gently. “It seems your mother invited a doppelgänger to help her. I doubt she knew what would happen.”

  “Are you saying that thing took Mom’s body? Is she dead?” Her voice broke in a shriek. The idea was too horrible.

  “We need to check her apartment before we’ll know for sure,” Raze said, giving her a quick kiss on the temple.

  Kira swallowed her panic and followed on his heels, nearly trampling him in her rush to the apartment, but he wouldn’t let her go in, insisting on entering first.

  “We don’t know what’s in there,” he cautioned as he blocked her. “Let me clear the room first.”

  The wait was hard, but not nearly as bad as finding her mother’s gray body sprawled in the kitchen. “Mom?” Kira wailed, feeling utterly helpless.

  “She’s breathing,” Raze said grimly. “Let’s get her to the bedroom.”

  Kira fought panic as he laid her mother on the bed and summoned help, not wanting to be a distraction. Her hands fluttered helplessly and she clamped one over her mouth to keep from shrieking. Her mother was hurt.

  Her mother tried to kill Raze.

  Pressure built in her head. She pressed her skull in a vain attempt to contain the tension, but it didn't help. Fire burst through her body and itched in her fingers. She wanted to explode; she wanted to burn. Her hands fisted as she threw her head back, her entire body shimmering with contained fire. Distantly, she felt Kilauea respond. It vibrated with eagerness to dispense justice.

  Raze felt what was happening and embraced her protectively. They couldn’t afford for her to lose control. His stomach knotted as he thought of her in a cell of water, victim of the Fates’ displeasure. “Easy, my love.” He stroked her hair. “Keep the grief and calm the rage. If you cannot, Kilauea will defend you and the people of Hawaii will die.”

  She shook her head. She gloried in the heat and fire and didn't want it contained. Someone should die for this.

  Perhaps she spoke aloud, for Raze answered, “You're not thinking clearly. Let me help you.” He merged with her, spark to spark and followed the line of her anger to the volcano. He slowly decreased the flow, substituting calming energy, controlling the snorting beast that represented the volcano’s spirit. Kira fought him more than the beast, but neither were a match for him. The fire receded deep inside and she pulled away angrily.

  “I'm fine! I've got this.” She was trembling, but couldn’t have caused an explosion if she’d wanted to. She shivered at the sight of the last wisps of smoke drifting up from the blackened hardwood; without Raze’s interference, she could have burned the entire apartment and her mother with it.

  Losee arrived and at a nod from Raze, wrapped an arm around Kira’s shoulders, crushing a small disk under her nose. In moments she felt calmer, almost detached. She blinked. “What was that?”

  “You’re in shock. It will keep you calm until it wears off.” Losee moved them closer to the wall to make room as several elementals arrived. Brown and blue and red, the people she instinctively identified as earth elementals surrounded her mother like human EMTs, checking her vitals, consulting with Raze.

  At last Raze came to her and kissed her hand. “My love, your mother is ill. That she lives is amazing, but her vitality is drained. She will need time to recover. We can arrange for her care here, but she would be under guard to ensure your safety. Can you bear for her to be so close at this time? If you wish her moved, I give you my word we’ll admit her to an excellent facility for private care.”

  Shaken, she ran a hand through her hair. “She’s my mother.” Her voice was full of tears.

  Realizing she was in no shape to make decisions, he said, “All right. We’ll call the human ambulance and tell them we found her collapsed in the kitchen. It’s best they have a record. We’ll take the next steps after they’ve released her from the ER.”

  As Raze called 911, Kira stifled her tears. She needed to be strong now. She focused on that as the human rescue workers arrived and repeated the things the elementals had done.

  She overheard Raze telling the human EMTs that they would meet them at the hospital after his wife had a few moments to calm down, but Losee went ahead to deal with paperwork. The minute they were out of sight, she burst into tears.

  “What’s wrong with me?” she said angrily, wiping at the wisps of fire on her cheeks. “I’m stronger than this.”

  Raze did his best to comfort her, insisting she have a drink of fire wine and siphoning energy to her. “You’re a very new elemental. Controlling the fire inside is difficult even for those with years of experience.”

  She snorted. “Thank God I’m not pregnant then. Can you imagine?”

  He was suspiciously silent, so she smacked his arm. “Stop it.”

  He sighed. “I admit it’s a happy thought, but not one I’ll pursue until you’ll ready. You’re correct: it would be a bad idea until you’ve learned more control.” He noted her narrowed eyes and added mischievously, “I’ve no desire to live in a fireproof cave.”

  She felt a ghost of her former humor. With his help, she might get through this.

  The doctors were baffled as to what had caused the collapse, though they were leaning toward an exotic virus. There were no signs of stroke or heart attack. Sensing her frustration, they assured Kira her mother was in good hands and suggested she should go home and rest. Kira reluctantly agreed, knowing she wasn’t doing any good there. They didn’t need the scene that would occur if she should lose control and cry. Besides, she had things to discuss with Raze.

  How did her mother contact the doppelgänger? How had she known about it? Hurting Raze made a twisted kind of sense, but was she so angry that she’d try to kill her daughter?

  When they’d settled in the living room, she said slowly, “My mother tried to kill you. Do you think…do you think she wanted me to die, too?” Her throat closed over the words.

  He sighed. “No, love. She probably thought she could ‘free’ you from my influence and take you home. Control is important to her; she probably thought she was doing what was best for you.”

  “Murder is bes
t for me?” Kira cried. “That wasn’t for me; she hated you.” Bitterness and rage made the fire inside flare and Kilauea perked up, interested. He simmered down as Raze touched her and controlled the fire.

  Kira jerked away, muttering, “I hate it when you do that.” It was horrible to acknowledge, but she loved to burn, longed for wild conflagration. She was sickening.

  “You’d hate it more if I let you blow up Hawaii.” At her sigh, he added, “I had my sources research your mother’s connection with the Oracle. Did you know you are a descendant?”

  Kira recoiled. “What? How is that possible?”

  “The usual way,” he said with a touch of mischief. Sobering, he added, “I investigated your background when I found out you’d been turned. It was…disconcerting.”

  “You investigated me?” she demanded, indignant. “You jerk!”

  “I wanted to know who I was sharing my home with,” he said without apology. “I had your mother watched, but not closely enough; I’ve been distracted lately.”

  She thought about his late nights and would have asked, but didn’t want to lose the thread of their conversation. “So the Oracle is some way-distant grandma who now wants to kill me. Great.” It was horrible on so many levels.

  She hopped off the couch and raked a hand through her hair. With a humorless laugh, she confessed, “I thought you were awful for blowing up Pompeii, but look at me. I’m a monster.”

  Raze shook his head. “You’re young and very upset. Accidents happen without supervision.”

  He’d regulated her power all day, and she was afraid to know what might've happened if he hadn’t. She had visions of people around her spontaneously combusting. “I should leave, go somewhere where I can't hurt anyone.” Kira knew that she couldn't, not with her mother so sick, but her feelings weren't logical.

  Raze handed her a glass of the special wine and sat with her on the couch. He gathered her close, letting her rest her aching head on his shoulder. She felt the tickle of fire on her cheeks and ignored it. Stupid tears. She could stop crying if Raze would let her rage instead. Of course, people would die then…

  She felt empty and sick. If only the Fates had never found her. If only her mother hadn’t come to Hawaii. She hated herself, hated what she’d become. “I'm a monster.”

  “No, but I have kept you too secluded. I see that now. Forgive me, little one. I will take steps to correct it.” His touch became intimate and he brushed his lips over the corner of her mouth.

  Kira pulled away. She was too vulnerable, and not ready for that kind comforting. She felt like a dry, black lava field over simmering magma. She couldn’t take any more emotional upheaval.

  Raze sighed and sat back, nuzzling her hair. “It’s fine. Perhaps it’s best to wait.” He sounded frustrated, but resigned. “Things will look better after a good night’s sleep.”

  She laughed without humor. “You don’t mind?”

  He shrugged. “We’ll have hundreds of years, and I’m confident I’ll be able to seduce you sometime soon. What is one night?”

  She peered at him in surprise. If she wasn’t so heartsick, she’d demonstrate her appreciation. Instead she snuggled into his arms. Yeah, this guy had promise.

  Kira didn’t want breakfast, though she was ravenously hungry. Grumbling at her appetite, she sluggishly entered the kitchen on the hunt for fire food. She felt too dejected to go downstairs for lava.

  “Hey,” a voice called in greeting.

  Surprised, Kira whirled from the pantry, a glass bottle of something liquid and smoky in hand. “Hey,” she said, surprised to see a woman sitting at the kitchen table. Of Mexican descent, tall and elegant, she wore a friendly, curious expression. She didn’t look like a threat, but Kira had learned caution.

  The woman wasn’t offended by Kira’s wary expression. Rising, she extended her hand to shake. “Hi. I’m Cara, Tremor’s wife. Raze said you’d be up soon.”

  “Uh…” Kira decided to be upfront about her nerves. “I’m sorry, but the last person who showed up in my kitchen tried to eat me.”

  “Oh! I forgot. I’m sorry. I’ll just sit down until the guys get here, then. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

  Undecided, Kira finally twisted the cap off her bottle and took a swig, keeping an eye on her well-mannered guest. “I appreciate it.” Keeping the kitchen island between them, she asked, “How do you know Raze?”

  Cara smiled. “My husband is the earth elemental who was trapped with him all those years. I stumbled on their cave (or was led, depending on how you look at it) and accidently set them free.”

  Kira leaned on the counter. “Tell me about that.”

  Cara shivered. “Tremor wasn’t much more than a crumbling gargoyle when I found him. I felt sorry for him and eventually threw him a rock; imagine my surprise when he absorbed it.

  “Water was a dried out gray mummy, almost too stiff to move. I took some water from Fire’s…I mean Raze’s…prison and gave it to Water. Raze looked pretty bad, like a black husk.

  “Anyway, after a few trips it left a trail of liquid and Water was able to draw it himself. I got a little freaked out at that point and got out of there quick. Tremor found me after the Fates were done with me.” There was a grim silence.

  “You, too?” Kira said sympathetically. “They burned me. I still remember the smell of scorched hair.” She shuddered.

  “They dissolved me in mud,” Cara said grimly. “I woke up naked with two of the Oracle’s goons trying to kill me.”

  “Wow. I woke up in my room, starving and unable to eat normal food. I was a stick by the time I discovered lava. Raze helped,” she said grudgingly. “Did they put oil in your eyes?”

  “Stung like a bitch,” Cara growled. “I’d love to return the favor.”

  “Was this in Hawaii?”

  “No, I was in the States. If you were turned here, that means the Fates really get around. I wonder how we could track them?” Cara mused darkly.

  “That’s my woman, always ready to go for the throat,” a man’s voice, deep as a cavern, drawled. The stranger, who could only be Tremor, was huge, nearly seven feet. With a body of living marble, his skin was unnaturally smooth and clear with a pretty tracery of blue veins. His hair seemed to be pure white gold and he wore a navy blue, pleated kilt and nothing else.

  He studied Kira with eyes of copper-rimmed bronze.

  Raze kissed Kira’s hand. “Tremor, this is my wife, Kira. It seems our wives are already acquainted.” He gave her an apologetic look for not arriving earlier for introductions.

  Tremor bowed slightly. “Charmed.”

  Kira noticed Cara’s armband and earrings and wondered if they were her indestructible wedding jewelry. She rubbed her nose ring.

  “Manacles,” Raze murmured.

  She elbowed him.

  Raze checked the coffee pot and offered cups all around.

  Cara glanced at Tremor, who assured her it was safe. “Sometimes we can share food with other elementals,” he explained. “Coffee is safe for everyone except water elementals. They drink beer or slimy tea. Smells like fish.”

  Raze smirked. “Don’t mention that around Water. Krill tea was all he talked about for the first twenty years.”

  “Is he coming?” Tremor asked, draping an arm around the back of Cara’s chair.

  “Not today.” Raze served his guests and gestured to the basket that had gone unnoticed on the counter. “Cara brought you a gift.”

  “Chocolate and treats,” Cara said as Kira thanked her and investigated. “I thought I’d take you to the elemental mall after this and show you around. Tremor says you haven’t been.”

  “There’s a mall?” Kira darted a look at Raze. “You never mentioned a mall.”

  Tremor snorted. “For obvious reasons.”

  Raze smiled apologetically. “I was easing you into your new culture.”

  “Right,” Kira said skeptically. “When can we leave?”

  “After you’ve fed proper
ly,” Raze said, appraising her. He excused them, suggesting Tremor show Cara the house. He took Kira to the lava pool and stripped off her dress before she could blink. He took her mouth, swallowing her protest. “I need to show you how to charge your necklace,” he said as he picked her up and jumped into the pool.

  Kira squealed as lava splashed into her hair. “Raze! Why do we need to be naked to do this?”

  “We need to be naked to do this,” he said with an evil grin, lifting her around his waist. He nudged her entrance and slid his head inside, just enough to tease. When she gasped, he waited a moment to see if she’d protest and slowly lowered her down the full length.

  “I…I didn’t say…” she sputtered, but her breasts were heaving.

  “Are you saying no?” He held still as he teased her lips with soft kisses. “You may get off if you don’t like it.”

  She clenched her teeth as his mouth wandered to her ear. He knew how sensitive they were. Any minute she’d get off the arrogant jerk’s…big…hard…mm.

  Well, maybe it wasn’t urgent.

  His white teeth flashed as she simply clung, allowing him to plunge busily between her thighs. Her breasts bounced and he took a tip in his mouth, sucking hard. She screamed in pleasure and kept screaming as it happened again and again. He got her hot, kept her high and finished with a hot splash she actually felt; never mind the lava swirling around her body.

  She clung to him, spent, her thighs throbbing with pleasant heat as Raze carried her to the rim. How did he do that? He didn’t even ask, but she hadn’t wanted to refuse.

  Raze lay her down and took his time kissing her from lips to toes. She hadn’t known it was possible to climax from a suckled toe, but he made it happen…repeatedly. He made her squirm and moan, then mounted her and took her hard.

  It was bliss. When he was done, she couldn’t summon a spark, much less a conflagration.

  Raze collapsed at her side. Once his breathing was under control, he murmured. “There, you’re charged.”

  She touched the ruby, which throbbed like a heartbeat. “You do that with sex?” she asked incredulously. Her thighs gave a twinge of approval.