Steam

by Lynn Tyler

  Cursing herself for not paying more attention when she’d gone downstairs, she peered up and down the hall, hoping that at least one way would look familiar. Of course, both ways looked the same.

  Why had she thought living in a castle was a good thing?

  “Lost?”

  The voice was the last one she wanted to hear. Why couldn’t it have been Matthew who found her?

  “Can you show me the way back to my room, or are you too much of a jerk?” she snapped.

  Sloan drew even with her and tilted his head. “Not so sunny, Sunny? And to think, you had everyone thinking your personality matched your name.”

  She propped her hands on her hips and leveled a glare at him. She was so damn sick of hearing that joke. “Didn’t you know? The sun can burn you too.”

  “Oh,” said Sloan, motioning for her to follow him as he started down the hall. “So you’re also a little fireball? Fitting.”

  “Listen here, you,” she just about shouted. “What the hell is your problem? First thing this morning, you were all smiles, and now you’re the most sarcastic bastard in Scotland.”

  “You know many men in Scotland?” he said.

  Something about the way he said it, the possessive way he looked at her, made her grit her teeth.

  Without even stopping to think about the consequence, Sunny raised her finger and poked him in the exact center of his chest.

  Whatever she had been about to say flew out of her mind the second she touched him. Her power rose and seemed to latch on to Sloan. She couldn’t have pulled her finger away, even if she wanted to. The feeling was entirely sexual and she desperately wanted Sloan to bend her over the nearest flat surface and slide into her.

  It was Sloan who broke the contact when he stepped back and pushed her hand back to her side. There was no expression on his face at all. “Did you really not feel that?” she asked.

  Sloan’s mouth tipped up in a slight sneer, but she didn’t miss the way his eyes focused on her face for a moment. “What I felt was similar to what I feel whenever I accidentally touch Anna, or another handler.”

  “Liar,” she said. “At the table, you said it wasn’t like anything you’d ever encountered before.”

  “It did feel like that at first,” he admitted. “But the feeling has faded.”

  She didn’t believe a word of what he said, but she didn’t have a chance to accuse him of lying again. Anna came up behind them and squeezed in between them. She shook her head at Sloan and took Sunny by the elbow. “Come on, Sunny. I’ll show you the way back to your room. Sloan? Don’t you have some practicing to do?”

  Sloan nodded curtly and turned on his heel, stalking away without another word.

  Still irritated, Sunny stuck her tongue out at his back. She knew it was childish but at this point, she didn’t care.

  “Thanks,” Sunny said to Anna.

  “No problem. But he’s not all bad. Before his wife, Dara, was killed, he was really fun to be around.”

  Against her will, her heart softened when she heard about Sloan’s wife. How much pain must the man be in?

  Not that it was any excuse to be a jerk, she told herself harshly. Don’t let your guard down. You’ll only end up hurt.

  Chapter 10

  The water in the pond swirled as Sloan made it ripple lazily. He wasn’t really trying to do too much with it right then. He was working off some of the magical pressure that built up in the last few days. Besides, if he did anything too drastic with it, he wouldn’t be able to see Anna training Sunny.

  It had been three weeks since Sunny had come to the castle. Three weeks since Sloan had first felt a buzz of sexual thrill awakening in his body after a quarter of a century.

  He’d tried hard to avoid her at all costs. He’d been rude and mean. He’d stopped coming to meals until Raven had threatened to lock down his magic if he didn’t eat. He had taken to isolating himself in his room―not much different from before. No, the only difference was that now, something in him desperately wanted to be out of the confines of the four walls and close to one person in particular.

  Of course, he hadn’t been able to avoid Sunny completely. Fate seemed to be working against him. He always seemed to open his suite door just as she passed by and he either had to walk down to breakfast with her or look like a fool.

  All the accidental body contact didn’t help. At least three times a day, he would find himself touching Sunny, whether their shoulders brushed against each other in the hall to reaching for the same platter at exactly the same moment.

  If his magic was a separate entity, he would have thought it was angry with him. It had taken to zapping him every once in a while. And the tugging of his magic towards Sunny’s was getting almost unbearable. He would have to figure out what to do but since it required he talk to Raven or Leith about his attraction to Sunny, he had yet to say anything.

  And, God, he was like a horny teenager again. He had wet dreams at night, always featuring a very naked Sunny. He required multiple cold showers a day just to deal with the constant erections that seemed to spring up every time he encountered Sunny.

  He couldn’t risk getting too close to the young woman, so he continued refusing to help with Sunny’s training.

  Raven hadn’t been too pleased when Sloan had refused to work with them, but he hadn’t had much choice in the matter once Sloan explained how his magic didn’t respond well to Sunny’s. The excuse wasn’t exactly true. Of course, water and fire normally didn’t mix well, but he was experienced enough to help Sunny learn to control her magic. He didn’t want to get any closer to her than necessary.

  Was it selfish? Sure. But he didn’t know how to tell Raven the real reason behind his refusal to help train the new fire handler. The man had a never-ending line of girlfriends and hadn’t once found someone who kept his interest for longer than a few months. How could he possibly understand Sloan’s fear of getting hurt again?

  Still, it was impossible for him to stay completely away from Sunny. Her personality totally matched her name, and everyone had to smile when they were around her. Sloan felt happier just being in the same room as her.

  Right then, Sunny was trying to summon a small ball of fire and manipulate its size. She’d managed to create the flame but it was either getting too big to hold or it was snuffing out entirely.

  Anna instructed Sunny how to concentrate properly and, curious to know how the air handler controlled her own power, Sloan wandered to the other side of the pond so he was closer to the women.

  “Calm down and clear your mind. Concentrate on the flames,” Anna said. “Breathe from your diaphragm.” She pressed her hand to Sunny’s abdomen.

  Sunny tried again but still wasn’t successful. Sloan could read the frustration on her face and he ached to intervene. He had a feeling that even though air and fire magic matched well, each element would be controlled completely differently.

  Over in the field, Anna spoke again and the brisk breeze carried her words clearly. Sloan wondered if she had created the breeze so he could hear her words. Was this her way of involving him in the training? “Once you’ve created the flames, concentrate on what you’re trying to do with them. Like this.”

  Anna stilled and held out her hand. A tiny tornado formed instantly, dancing on her palm. “Now that I have the wind, I’m going to forget about creating it. Instead, I’m going to focus on the size and power.”

  The air handler was completely frozen even as the tornado grew in size. It hopped out of her palm and continued to grow until it was massive. She sent it off through the field toward the forest.

  Sloan couldn’t help but be awed by Anna’s display. The tornado was huge, easily big enough to rip the castle apart stone by stone, and yet there was only a slight breeze. The air handler was manipulating the size of the tornado while keeping its power low.

  Impressed, Sloan stopped playing with the water and watched the tornado’s progress. There wasn’t even a stray leaf that fell from t
he trees as it hit the woods.

  Anna called it back, shrinking the funnel’s size until it would fit inside a bottle. All of a sudden, it started ripping up the ground, chewing through it as if it had teeth. Once again, Anna had manipulated its size and strength, making the tiny funnel as destructive as a full sized tornado.

  After the little funnel had drilled a three-foot hole in the hard ground, Anna held out her hand and the tornado jumped back on to it, as harmless as a kitten, before making it disappear entirely.

  Sloan grimaced as Sunny burst into applause. An unpleasant feeling churned in his stomach, and Sloan was man enough to admit it was jealousy. He wanted her to look at him with the same admiration. He briefly thought about lifting the entire contents of the pond into the air and fashioning it into a floating waterfall but then both women would probably figure out he was showing off.

  Instead, he sent the pond into a series of waves, each high enough for a professional surfer to ride.

  Glancing over his shoulder at the women again, he frowned to see Sunny wasn’t paying attention to him at all. Anna grinned at him, and sent him a knowing look. “Watch how Sloan can control the water in the pond,” Anna said to Sunny.

  Sloan tried hard not to puff up like a peacock when the redheaded fire handler turned around. He let more magic slip from him and the waves coalesced into one giant wall of water, big enough to sweep a house off its foundation. He let it hover at the edge of the pond for a second before sending it crashing down.

  Instead of clapping for him, Sunny looked confused. “How does the pond have that much water? Is it really that deep?” she asked.

  So much for impressing her. “I drew the water up from the soil, too,” he said. “If there had been an underground spring, I would have been able to make the wave much bigger.”

  Sunny nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Can you create water?” she asked.

  Sloan shook his head. “No, not the way you can create flame. Actually, I think you’re the only one who can simply create your element. The rest of us use what we have on hand.”

  Anna nodded her agreement. “Yes. I don’t create the wind so much as I manipulate the air currents to my liking.”

  “Hmm. So once you have the element shaped the way you want, you concentrate on manipulating it.”

  Anna nodded again, looking like a proud mother whose baby had just taken her first steps. “Exactly.”

  “So…” Sunny created a tiny flame in her palm and held it up for them to see. “If I stop concentrating so much on keeping the fire lit, I could better control it.”

  Sloan held his breath as Sunny narrowed her eyes and stared at the flame. It flared to life, growing and taking shape until it was the size of a dinner plate. Sloan backed away from the ball of fire as his face started to warm. “Try controlling the temperature,” he suggested.

  So much for not getting involved.

  Sunny narrowed her eyes even more and he couldn’t help but smile at the way her nose scrunched. She was far too cute for her own good. She let out a breath and the fire cooled. “Like this?”

  “Exactly,” Anna praised.

  Cautiously, Sloan approached the fire. The temperature didn’t rise as he moved closer and once he was close enough, he threw all caution to the wind. “I’m trusting you, Sunny,” he said and stuck his hand in the fire.

  The flame was pleasantly warm and tickled a little. It was an amazing sensation and Sloan had to force himself to step back.

  Sunny, on the other hand, looked completely panicked. “What the fuck did you do that for?”

  Anna glared at him but patted Sunny on the shoulder. “We had to test it sometime, dear.”

  Sunny sent him an angry look and Sloan retreated to the pond again, creating a whirlpool in the center just for something to do.

  “The real advantage handlers have over other witches is that they can combine their magics to create something completely different,” Anna lectured as Sunny began bouncing her fireball up and down. “Watch.”

  Anna summoned another tornado and made it collide into Sunny’s fire. Instantly, the tornado became a fire funnel.

  Sunny gasped and smiled. “That’s so awesome.”

  Sloan stood by and watched. He could add his magic to Anna’s to create a water funnel but it would only extinguish Sunny’s flames if he joined in and the point of the whole exercise was to teach Sunny how to control her magic.

  The fiery tornado rotated quickly, picking up speed and racing across the field. Anna frowned and twitched. “Pull back on your fire,” she said to Sunny.

  Nothing happened though and Sloan turned to see Sunny’s face screwed up with concentration. Her normally milky skin was flushed and sweat trickled down her face. “I can’t,” she said in a strained voice.

  “Concentrate,” Anna instructed. “I’m going to dissipate the tornado.”

  The tornado disappeared but the tower of flames remained, dropping to the ground and roaring out of control. The flames spread out at a remarkable pace, speeding toward the castle on one end and the woods on the other.

  Sloan pulled his gaze away from the fire and glanced at Sunny again. She was kneeling on the ground, panting with her hands outstretched. Still, the flames spread.

  Understanding hit him at once. She had totally lost control of the fire.

  The flames were bearing down on them and the heat was indescribable. No one would be able to survive if they were caught up in the fire.

  Acting quickly, Sloan lifted the water from the pond and drained the surrounding soil of all its moisture and dumped the liquid on to the fire. The fire sizzled and died just short of the three of them.

  Sloan stared at the empty pond and wilted grass around it. It would take some time before the ground would recover from him leeching it of all its moisture, never mind the damage it had received from Sunny’s flames.

  He’d never been so scared in his life. Not even during the last war when he’d witnessed his wife’s death. His heart hammered so hard, he could barely hear Raven shouting from the castle or Leith’s voice as he rushed over.

  Turning, he came face to face with a dazed Sunny. Unable to deal with his panic, he took it out on the fire handler.

  Chapter 11

  Sunny gaped at the flaming funnel hopping along the ground. What had gone wrong? One second, she had been amazed at the fire tornado and the next, the magic had taken over. Sunny had tried everything she could think of to reclaim control of the flames. She had regulated her breathing, emptied her mind, and had stayed perfectly calm.

  Until she realized the flames were racing for Anna and Sloan, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Then the panic had swelled and the fire had responded by gaining strength.

  The scent of smoke still hung heavy in the air even though Sloan had put out the fire, and Sunny coughed, trying to clear her lungs. She stared at the ruined field, and started to pant. What would have happened if Sloan hadn’t been there? The fire would have consumed everything in its path. Including the people she’d come to care so much about. A wave of dizziness hit her, and she locked her knees to stay upright.

  “Sunny?” Someone was calling her name and she tried hard to focus on the voice but everything seemed fuzzy.

  A hand landed on her shoulder and she was turned gently. A face appeared directly in her line of vision and she blinked, still trying to bring herself back to the situation at hand. She only vaguely realized Leith was talking to her but the buzzing in her ears prevented her from actually understanding those words.

  Her arm was suddenly gripped in a harsh grasp and someone spun her around. Sloan got right in her face and started shouting. “You little idiot. You could have destroyed the castle. You need to get it together before you kill someone.”

  That snapped her out of her stupor. She blinked and stared at Sloan. “Seriously?”

  “Yes, seriously. Grow up, little girl, and control your magic.”

  Out of the corner of her e
ye, she saw Leith make a move toward them, but Raven held him back. Good. She could handle this. If he wanted a fight, she’d give him one. “I’ve only been training for three weeks. I wasn’t prepared for how my magic would react to Anna’s.”

  Sloan didn’t look impressed. “She told you your magics feed off each other. What did you expect?”

  That was it. A red haze covered her vision and her hands shook. Small flames were shooting out of the tips of her fingers, but she didn’t even try to put them out. “Shut up, Sloan. I’m doing my best. And it’s not like you’ve been bending over backwards to help me. If you’re so damn concerned, get off your high horse and help me.”

  Something hot sparked in Sloan’s eyes, and she had half a second to take a deep breath before he slammed his mouth down on hers.

  They had been dancing around each other for days. Small touches here, hot looks there. It had been driving her crazy, and each time, her arousal spiraled higher and higher. All the lust that had been building up in her, despite her best efforts to deny it, came roaring to the surface.

  Rage and passion fueled the kiss and she bit at his lip, demanding entrance. He growled and opened his mouth but didn’t let her take control. Instead, he pushed his tongue inside and explored her mouth roughly. She shivered when his hands cupped her hips, his fingers tightening in a bruising hold as they fought for control of the kiss.

  Need rushed through her, pooling between her legs and making her clit plump up in excitement. She gripped a handful of his hair in both fists and pulled him closer so their teeth ground together.

  They spun higher and higher, their breath mingling until they were literally breathing each other in with each inhale.

  Her mind was totally consumed with one thing only. More.

  Desperate for some kind of relief, Sunny pushed herself up to her toes and released her hold on Sloan’s hair to wrap her arms around his neck. Once her grip was firm, she hooked one leg around his thigh and started grinding her pelvis against his muscular thigh. One of Sloan’s hands slid from her hip to her ass and he kneaded it firmly while guiding her movements with the other.