“Why didn’t you say anything?”
Seth met Griff’s steady stare. “Would it have made a difference?”
“No. Yes. No.” The incubus sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“There’s your answer.” Seth rose and stalked around the room, straightening things, putting everything in its place. “I got enough of that crap growing up.”
“Fair.” Griff’s legs hit the floor with a solid thump. Leaning forward, he propped his elbows on the desk and spun a pen between his fingers as he spoke. “What’s the time line here? How long do we have to get your element back to you before… Yeah.”
Seth’s throat tightened. How to answer? Soften it? Tell them the truth? Both men fought to find something to look at other than him. Tough truth, then. “I’m already fading. I can feel it happening.”
“Fading?”
He faced Dominic. “Pretty much. I’ll get weaker and weaker. Then I’ll just go up in a puff of smoke. My soul is like oxygen to the element while the element is like oxygen to the soul. One can’t exist without the other. When they’re separated, the soul suffocates and the flame is snuffed. It’ll be like I never was.”
“Not gonna happen, man.” Dominic took the seat he’d vacated. “We’ll force her to put it back.”
That was the thing, though. Part of Seth wondered if she could. He didn’t know if the theft had been an accident or not, but part of him believed—or wanted to believe—she was telling the truth. That she hadn’t taken it on purpose. He’d seen her face, had held her as she came apart in his arms. Every element had been manipulated in that moment. Or maybe he’d been the thing manipulated. Maybe she wanted him to think it was an accident. Only one way to find out, and that was to give her the chance to put it back.
“Earth to the royal ifrit.”
Seth glanced at Dominic. “Chances are the king won’t bother you. If he does, nothing I say or do will make any difference whatsoever.” Anahita, the woman from centuries ago, floated to the forefront of his mind again.
He’d thought he’d loved her, had risked asking her for what he wanted and needed in the bedroom. She’d complied, even seemed willing. When all was said and done, though, she’d gone to his father’s first wife, Seth’s mother, and complained that Seth was twisted. His mother had taken offense and reported the gossip to the king.
The king hadn’t given a damn about any of it. What pissed him off was that a slave had been spreading rumors that made the royal household appear less than perfect, less than controlled in his execution of every action. The king had called the court together and questioned Anahita. Brutally. Rivers of blood ran before she recanted her story. Then Aganjú had cut off his tie to the woman’s elemental flame. Seth had been chained to the woman with express instructions the guard was not to free him until the sister cuff swung free. He watched her element starve to death for twenty-four hours. She’d gone up in a wisp of smoke. The guards had freed him when she was gone, and Seth had immediately gone to pack his belongings.
Lost in the memories, it took a moment for him to realize the women had reentered the room. He blinked quickly, trying to chase away the bitterly vibrant colors of the past. He didn’t need to be haunted, not right now, and especially not while he was wide-awake. Looking over his friends’ women, his focus settled on the witch.
Pale and shaking, she still found it in her to meet his gaze.
Bully for her.
Lifting his chin, he forced himself to draw a measured breath. “Tell me.”
* * *
Eden had followed the women into Griff’s office, insistent she’d share the information with everyone at once. That would be plenty, because this wasn’t going to go over well. For the first time in her life, she was afraid she might actually wimp out and run.
Her mentor had given her a solution. The thing was, she knew Seth was going to believe she was lying. She couldn’t blame him. Had the tables been turned, she’d have thought the same. Why? The solution involved…involved… Eden’s mouth was so cottony she thought she could knit a scarf right off her tongue.
“Speak, witch.”
Seth’s command chilled her fevered body. How was she going to do this without throwing up? Rubbing her upper lip, she nodded. “Okay.” Her raspy voice sounded like she had a three-pack-a-day habit. “Can I get a glass of water?”
No one moved.
Her shoulders hunched involuntarily. “Is there any way I can talk to you alone?”
“There’s nothing you can say to me I won’t repeat to them, so go ahead.” A cruel smile pulled the corners of his lips up. “Wow me.”
“Bastard,” she breathed.
“Understatement. Now tell me. How do you plan to return my element?”
“I don’t.”
The room erupted in a chorus of denials, threats and harmonized blustering.
“I can’t.” She had to shout above the din. “I can’t,” she repeated when the group settled.
Seth’s unnatural pallor was intensified beneath the fluorescent lighting. “You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not. I can’t put it back.”
His eyes were glazed, his lips parting on a soft exhale.
Eden desperately wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him. Being rebuffed wasn’t on her to-do list for the evening, though, so she stayed where she was. “I can’t put it back, Seth. You have to take it.”
The way his chin jerked up made her step back sharply. “With the connection to my element severed, I have absolutely no control over what happens between body and flame.”
“Not necessarily.” She focused, trying to remember exactly what her mentor had said, how she’d delivered the information. “Your bond can only be severed with your Keeper’s consent. So even though your element resides in me at the moment and is under my influence, the element is still theoretically tied to you unless your Keeper says otherwise. Your Keeper is your dad, right?”
“Theory won’t save my life, witch. And yes, the king is the Keeper of all ifrits’ elements, but it’s possible for an ifriti to find a Keeper of his own. The Keeper is the one person an ifrit’s element recognizes as an equal or greater power source. The element can switch Keepers in that case. It’s an irrefutable bond even the monarchy acknowledges.”
She nodded, the movement shallow and jerky. “Then it’s still alive unless the king severs that connection or we find you a new Keeper.”
“The last alternate Keeper was identified and recorded more than 1,100 years ago.”
Eden’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “A millenia?”
“They’re not something you put on your grocery list to simply pick up.”
“Then you have to call the element home. To you.”
“And if I can’t?” His words, soft and low, were laced with implied threat.
“Then, uh, it was suggested we recreate the situation in which the element was lost in the first place.”
“Lost?” He moved toward her with undisguised fury, stopping short and bending forward until their faces were mere inches apart. “It was never lost!”
“I know.” Her whispered admission made him step back, reestablishing the distance between them.
“If you think to toy with me, to force me to bed you again, you’ll see me dead before dawn.”
Bailey stepped in between them and wrapped her arms around Seth’s waist. “Please. Don’t do this. When I was in such a similar situation with Griff—” she glanced at the incubus standing behind her “—you were there. You were the one who told me…” She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “You told me that survival was more important than anything else that…happened. You told me to do what I had to do, not matter what it was, to make it through my metamorphosis from mortal to immortal. Remember? This is no different, Seth. You have to survive. The how of it doesn’t matter.”
Eden wanted to despise the woman, resenting her easy intimacy with Seth. But the truth was, neither Bailey nor Rhyan had been a
nything but kind, albeit reservedly, and it was hard as hell to hate them under the circumstance. Then there was the fact Bailey had a point. Seth’s survival was more important than anything else.
Rhyan stepped up to Seth and laid a hand on his chest. Dominic growled and she muttered, “Shut up, Fabio,” without turning around.
Seth’s mouth kicked up at one corner.
“Don’t think about anything but surviving for us, Seth. You have to do this. For us. All of us. You’re the heart of these men.”
Bailey nodded. “I second that.”
Rhyan’s fingers curled into Seth’s chest and Eden wanted nothing more than to be the one touching the man. Any touch they shared at this point would be laced with animosity, though. Not good.
Rage-filled eyes turned to her and he arched a brow. “I suppose I’ll consider it taking one for the team.”
Goddess, the anger in him.
No, this wasn’t going to be good at all.
* * *
Seth had a brief moment to wonder if he’d even be able to get it up again. If he could find a way to perform on command, he’d have to better control the outcome this time around and retrieve what was intimately his. The reality that he’d lost control in such a fundamental way… Maintaining a stranglehold on his body and emotions had been a way of life since he’d left the ifrit. Hell, if he were honest, it had been a way of life for as long as he could remember. His father valued control above all else. Seth knew he would have to loosen that hold to retrieve his element, and he wasn’t sure he could do it. If he failed, though, it was game over.
Dragging a hand down his face, he stared at the witch. The memory of her pale, soft skin heating and pinking under his palm made his cock twitch. That answered the first question, he supposed. Getting it up wouldn’t be an issue. Maintaining control, though? That was something else altogether.
He ran a hand around the back of his neck and stared at the floor. “You’re sure there’s no other way.”
“If there was, I’d take it.”
The vehemence in her answer shocked him, and he peered at her through the fringe of his lashes. “You sound like you feel a little shortchanged.”
She stared away from the group, studying an unremarkable file cabinet as if it held the answers to the universe. “I didn’t want this,” she murmured.
The taunt escaped before he thought to stop it. “You wanted it enough earlier.”
Her chin whipped around. “I wanted you, and if memory serves, you sure as hell wanted me too, Sparky.”
Dominic huffed. “Have to give her props for the nicknames.”
“Yeah,” Griff said drily, “because it’s relevant to the moment, Fabio.”
“Screw you.” The nephilim crossed his massive arms and flipped his hair over his shoulder.
Seth shook his head in disbelief. “You know, if the security industry ever ceases to be lucrative, you could make shampoo commercials.” He caught the witch’s wry look a split second before she spoke.
“Goddess knows he’s pretty enough.”
His stomach spun into hard knots. “You won’t look at him.”
Silence descended over the group. They collectively froze, seeming to hold their breaths and wait to see what came next.
Hurt warred with pride as the woman straightened and faced off with him, wrapping her arms around her core. “You know what? Forget it. This isn’t going to work.”
Those knots in his belly doubled up. His skin tightened so much it felt as if it would split. “To use your own turn of phrase, are you pussing out?”
“Not even close. I’m just not willing to get my freak on if you’re going to put the majority of your effort into being a jackass.” For a split second, her chin wobbled. Seeming to catch herself, she bit her bottom lip hard enough he knew she’d split skin.
“Everyone out.” The command was little more than a whisper. “Now.”
“Not wise.” Griff stepped between him and the witch. “We need to get some kind of contract that guarantees she’s not going to do more harm.”
“I doubt there’s a Hippocratic oath for practitioners of this flavor.” Seth leaned around Griff to meet the witch’s gaze.
“There’s not. I’ll give you a vow, though.” Cupping her hands and lowering her voice, she said, “I vow to Maat, Goddess of Justice, that I will subject myself to whatever form of justice she deems appropriate should I intentionally bring you harm.”
Power moved beneath Seth’s skin. His muscles twitched. If she could garner Maat’s attention by simply speaking the terrifying goddess’s name aloud, the witch was someone to reckon with. He fought to hide his shiver and failed. “You shouldn’t have invoked her wrath.”
“I’d only have something to fear if I intend to cause harm. I don’t.” She took a step toward him. “I never did, Seth.”
“Leave us.” His command skated across the air, little more than a breath, but this time people moved.
Griff opened the door and ushered the others out. “We’ll be outside.”
Seth glanced over his shoulder. “I’m taking her upstairs.”
Griff stiffened. “Wise?”
“Probably not.”
One of two things was going to happen. He’d recover his element and go on his way, or he wouldn’t. And if he didn’t, this was the last time he’d ever have sex.
He intended to make this memorable.
Chapter Six
Eden flushed as Seth’s guard dogs left the room. The reality of what was about to happen fueled the tension between them like a high-performance engine approaching red line. Everyone knew what she and Seth were about to do. That part didn’t really bother her. What put her emotions in a strangle hold was whether or not Seth wanted this, wanted her. The idea that he didn’t desire her at all, that he’d have to work to get through sex like it was torture, really chapped her ass. Her still tender ass.
A hard flush rushed her cheeks.
The metallic click of the door closing was like a grenade pin hitting the floor. She flinched, waiting for the explosion.
“Problem?” Seth moved toward her.
“Not so much.” Stepping out of reach, she shifted to put the desk between them. It didn’t stop him. He changed course, matching her step for step, until he closed in. Eden forced herself to still. There was no help but to face him. “How do you want to do this?”
Pure sexual dominance slid over his face.
For just a moment, Eden couldn’t breathe. Air became a commodity her body didn’t care about. She wanted him, craved his touch. Her lips parted, breath suddenly coming short and fast. Raw desire flooded her sex.
He blinked slowly. His nostrils flared as he drew a deep breath. Then he spoke, his words igniting on the air remaining between them. “You’re about to get the education you came for.”
Black spots danced through her vision. Her nipples pearled. Lungs seizing, she wheezed, “Education?”
“Same terms we negotiated earlier. Safe words are changing, though. You’ll respond with green if you’re willing and able to continue a scene when I ask you how you’re doing. If a scene gets too intense, you’ll use the word yellow to slow the play. Red calls full stop at any point. And unless you call red?” He reached out and traced a finger along her collarbone. “Your ass is mine for however long it takes to get this done.”
“I didn’t… I thought we’d just… I don’t know.” The blush that had faded returned full-force.
His mouth curled. “I don’t do missionary. If you didn’t want my brand of loving, you shouldn’t have taken what was mine.”
Chest tight and hands clammy, she could only nod. He knew. He knew she wanted him even now, and he was going to make her pay. The truth stretched taught between them, caught up in the whirlwind of the brewing emotional storm. “So, what now?”
He swept an arm wide. “Now? I take you to my playpen and we’ll see what you’re made of.”
The way he was grandstanding grated. She knew she’
d screwed up royally, but the subtle threats and dark innuendos were meant to do nothing more than wear her down. She needed to be on her game. Summoning her courage, she cocked her head and forced a seductive smile. “Lead the way, Sparky.”
She followed him from the office, down the hall and into the elevator. He slid a key-card into the slot and the doors closed, the car ascending with a smooth hum. In the tense silence, she took a moment to examine the turmoil that threatened to choke her. The desire to please him, to serve his needs and foster his control, shook the foundation of what she thought she knew about herself. His wellbeing had become critical, riding the forefront of her thoughts even as she wanted to bend him to her will. “It’s not natural.”
“What’s that?” Seth asked, never taking his eyes off the red digital display that counted the floors as they passed.
She raised a shaking hand to her throat and stroked. How to answer him?
When she remained silent, he slid his gaze to her and back to the readout. “One.”
Tantalizing fear cartwheeled down her spine. “You said we were done playing.”
“And then I said we were starting again and reiterated the parameters.”
“I didn’t agree.”
“You certainly did.”
“When?” she demanded.
He turned to her, his every movement a study in control. “When you stole my element and then told me to retrieve it. When you followed me out of the office and when you willingly stepped into this elevator.”
“I didn’t mean to take anything,” she growled.
“So you’ve said.” In one lithe twist, he pinned her against the wall. “Repeatedly.”
Eden’s hands fisted Seth’s open shirt, her thumbs grazing his external obliques and reveling in the way they tensed under her caress. Chancing a quick glance into the palest green eyes she’d ever seen, her heart tripped. She’d never wanted anyone like this. He ignited her passion by simple proximity. His dark smell was an aphrodisiac that left her senses overstimulated, her mind blank.
When she licked her lips, his eyes focused on her mouth. “Again.”
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