In fact, Sasha had cornered him a little while ago. “You need to make sure she takes care of herself. That she eats. There is still poison in her system, and I’m not sure how it will affect her.”
“I’ll try,” he said, not sure how that was going to work.
Sasha gave him a pointed look. “You better do more than try.”
If he ever saw the slimy Were-cat that hurt Hellfire, he’d rip the fucker to pieces. The thought that she’d been fighting the prick while he sat mere feet away still burned him. He’d never thought about it before, but obviously Phoenixes and other Supes don’t all possess the quick healing abilities that the Dracones did.
Sami looked at Hellfire and sighed. He had a sinking feeling that this was going to be a very long trip. Following Sasha’s orders should prove fun, more likely not. Hellfire had already balked at eating breakfast, saying she wasn’t hungry and that they needed to get going.
“I need to go talk to Zander about where to go and how to access the portal,” he told her.
Tierney’s dad had raised Sami and Jax. He was the Lord of their clan, and the one who brought them to Earth from Tartaria fourteen years ago when their enemy massacred everyone in their village, including Sami and Jax’s mother.
Hellfire nodded. “Fine, I’ll come with you.”
Sami shook his head. “I think it would be better if you didn’t. Zander is recovering from some brutal torture the Ilyium inflicted on him. We try to keep him as calm as possible.”
Unfortunately, though Zander was immortal and normally healed fast, a spell had been used on him and now he was healing human-slow. Each time they brought him out of his magical coma, Zander didn’t last long before the pain became too much and he had to be put back under.
Hellfire looked disappointed. “Oh, sure.” She glanced wearily around the great room.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said. He also wanted to tell Dimitina where he was going.
HELLFIRE WALKED OUT onto the balcony for some fresh air.
Wow, it really is amazing here. What I wouldn’t give, to have a home like this for Nix. For all of us, then maybe everyone would chill a bit.
It was an impossible dream, she though as she took in the lake down below and the surrounding mountains.
“It’s something, isn’t it?” a voice said and Hellfire turned to see the tall amazon woman that Sami had been about to fuck the night before. She studied Goldy, feeling like an ugly duckling beside the beautiful swan.
“It is.” Hellfire turned back and looked over the railing. It was a long way down. She probably wouldn’t win any points if she tossed the amazon over the railing.
Goldy moved closer. “I told Sami he needed to go with you.”
Hellfire wasn’t short at five-foot-eight, but now she glanced up at Goldy who was just about Sami’s height.
Gah, she’s even made for him.
“Why would you do that?” Hellfire asked. It was clear the woman cared about Sami.
Goldy shrugged. “He needs to know once and for all.”
Hellfire frowned. “Know what?”
Goldy narrowed her eyes on Hellfire. “I may have just met him a few days ago, but I really care about him. Sami is sweet. Kind. Understanding, and fierce when needed.”
Hellfire kept her face blank. Goldy sure knew a lot about someone she claimed to have just met. Hellfire wanted to squirm under Goldy’s stare.
“He didn’t deserve what you did to him and from what I’ve been told, he almost didn’t survive it. But, I know he needs to figure out what. or who, he wants,” the amazon said.
Almost didn’t make it? What is she talking about?
“Well, maybe I don’t want him,” Hellfire said.
Goldy smirked. “Yeah sure, whatever. I will tell you this though, if you hurt him again, I will find you and I will tear you to pieces, that you can count on,” she said vehemently as she rubbed her belly. Hellfire frowned at Goldy’s hands and then understanding dawned.
“You’re pregnant?” she asked, eyes widening in surprise as nausea filled her.
Goldy smiled. “Yes, we are.”
“We?”
Still smiling, Goldy rubbed her belly again. “Yes, Sami and I. We’re pregnant.”
Hellfire blinked. Holy fuck. He really hadn’t wasted any time, had he?
Feeling sick, she turned away. “Nice talk. Gotta go.” Without a backward glance, she hurried inside only to run into Tierney, who looked ready to give Hellfire a talking to as well.
Hellfire held up a hand, stopping her. “Please! Where is the bathroom?” she asked, trying not to sound as frantic as she felt.
Don’t puke in front of her, don’t do it!
Tierney frowned and pointed down the hall. “Fourth door on the right.”
Hellfire wanted to run, sprint actually, to the bathroom but instead she walked as fast as she could. When she found the room, Hellfire located the light switch and flicked it on. Then she shut and locked the door. She spotted the toilet and lifted the lid in time to empty her stomach of its meager contents. When she was done, Hellfire flushed, lowered the lid, and sat down. Burying her head in her hands, she let out a groan. Starting to shake, Hellfire finally got up. After rinsing out her mouth, she wet her face, and glanced up into the mirror.
Well, don’t I look like utter crap!
Whatever attraction she shared with Sami the other day must’ve just been a fluke. Hellfire grimaced. After the sparkling Goldy, her own ragged reflection in the mirror left no doubt of why Sami moved on. He was probably wondering what attracted him to her in the first place.
When Hellfire walked back into the great room, a pixie, or what she figured a pixie would look like, stopped her. The girl appeared to be around eighteen and stood about five feet tall. She had long, wild, blue-black hair.
“I’m not eighteen. I’m twenty-two,” the girl growled at Hellfire, shocking her. “And I heard about you, fire-girly.” She glared, making Hellfire step away from her as her eyes began to glow a dark blue.
Gah! I’m really getting tired of everyone attacking me. I don’t need this shit. Especially not from some little girl. Sami better get back here soon.
“Well, I never heard about you,” Hellfire said, glaring right back as she made her way over to one of the couches near the heat of the fireplace.
I need to sit, just for a minute …
“I’m not a little fucking girl, I’m Genna. GennaD,” the girl snapped, following her. A red glow ringed the blue in Genna’s eyes as her power began to sizzle and snap around her.
“Whoa, chill.” Hellfire moved further away but Genna followed her and backed Hellfire up against the stones of the giant fireplace. Then she poked Hellfire in the chest. “Teddy Bear Sami may not be my true brother, but he’s my true brother’s brother, so it’s like he’s my true brother, and I’ma warning you, you better take good care of that big lug. If so much as one single crooked hair on his messy head is hurt, I’ll fry your skinny ass. And believe me, I can do it too. You might not survive my magic dragon fire!”
Hellfire stared at the girl. What the hell? She was trying to understand all that Genna had said when Sami finally stepped into the room.
“Genna,” he growled.
Genna jumped and moved away guiltily. Jealousy flickered inside Hellfire when Genna turned and with a big smile, hurried to Sami. She waved him down so she could whisper in his ear though her voice was loud enough for Hellfire to hear. “Sami, my true brother’s brother, you need to watch your back, ’specially ’round her. You hear me?” Genna glanced at Hellfire before looking at Sami. “Don’t make me haveta come to save you too,” she added.
SAMI LOOKED DOWN at Genna, bewildered and stunned by her actions. He didn’t even realize she liked him.
“A course I like you, silly,” Genna said then frowned. “Wait, do you want me to come with? I am super good at frying bad guys and my hands are still itching to be used.”
Sami smiled as he remembered ho
w Genna took care of the Ilyium in the mine by shooting fire from her hands. “No, I think I’m good, thanks.” The Ilyium had ended up pretty crispy.
“They did, didn’t they? Too bad we didn’t have any hotdogs, marshmallows, and roasting sticks,” Genna said with a speculative gleam in her eyes.
Sami choked. “Genna, you really need to stay out of people’s heads. It’s rude.”
“That’s what my true-brother keeps saying, oh and Caden too, but I don’t listen to him,” Genna said with a shake of her head.
“Well, you should at least listen to Jax then,” Sami said.
Genna started to say something then she frowned, and anger sparked in her eyes. “You are just trying to subtract me!”
Sami’s eyes widened and he had to hold back his laugh. “No, I’m not trying to distract you. I think you do a good enough job of that yourself. But you do need to keep out of people’s heads, it’s rude, Genna.”
She smirked up at him. “I am good at that, aren’t I? And it’s better to know what everyone is thinking than be ambushed by something ’cause you don’t know what you might not know you know, you know?”
Sami sighed. Her twisted logic was enough to give anyone a headache, but impossible to argue. “Look, I need to get going.”
“You know I’ll come with if you needed me, right?” she whispered.
Sami smiled and shook his head. “Thanks, but really, I’m good. And besides, Caden needs you here.”
Genna huffed. “You’re no fun. But you are correct.” She grinned, then with a last warning glance at Hellfire, took off down the hallway, mumbling something about making sure Caden was resting.
“Sorry about her,” Sami said, feeling even more sorry for Caden than usual. They’d rescued him when they rescued Sami’s brother and Tierney’s father just recently from the Ilyium.
Hellfire shrugged. “They all love you, I get it. After all, what’s not to love, right?”
Sami felt anger surge in him at her snide tone and her beef with him that he still didn’t understand.
Hellfire sighed. “Sorry, I’m just worried about Nix and—”
“Okay,” Sami said, willing to let it go but Hellfire wasn’t done yet.
“I’m just, I mean …” Hellfire glanced in the direction Genna had gone and then towards the balcony, and Sami understood.
“Yeah, Genna can be a bit much if you don’t know her, or even if you do I guess, and—” He looked out the window at Goldy on the balcony. He’d said his goodbyes earlier and though part of him wanted to go reassure her that he’d come back, he knew it would make leaving harder. Or did he fear that it was a lie?
No. No matter his attraction to Hellfire, or the fact his soul felt like it was dying without her, he would guard himself. Keep his distance. He owed it to Goldy and his baby, regardless of what she said to him earlier. He wasn’t about to open himself up for any more heartbreak.
As they were about to leave, Tierney came up and pulled him into a hug. “You know you don’t have to go, right?” she whispered and Sami noticed Thaniel peering out at them from the kitchen.
He glanced down at Tierney. “I know and believe me, I don’t want to go but I need to.”
Tierney gave a resigned sigh. “I knew you’d say that. Be safe, okay?”
“I’ll try,” he told her, hugging her back.
“You’d better. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you.” She swiped at her purple eyes.
“I know, and I’ll miss you too,” he said, knowing it would be true. “Take care of Jax for me.”
Tierney smiled. “You know I will,” she said as his brother walked into the room.
Thaniel had inched a little closer, though he still hung back uncertainty in his eyes as he watched Sami and Tierney hug. Then Jax clapped Sami on the back, and though Thaniel was peering at them through his long pale blond hair, Sami detected a touch of envy in the Were-leopard’s eyes that made him curious.
Tierney grinned up at Jax with love shining bright in her eyes, then turning back to Sami, she pulled his head down and kissed his cheek. Her voice filled his head as she spoke telepathically to him.
“As much as I hate Hellfire right now, I sense there is more going on with her, so be safe, watch your back, but follow your heart. And know that no matter what happens, we love you. If you need us, let us know.”
“Yeah bro,” Jax said, his thought filling Sami’s head.
Sami let Tierney go, then he gave his brother a man hug. “I love you both as well.”
Chapter Nine
Female Stuff
SAMI TURNED TO FIND Hellfire watching them with a strange look on her face. Finally, he looked at Thaniel. “Help yourself to any of my books, and if you want to check the monitors, I’d sure appreciate that.”
Thaniel nodded but didn’t say anything. With a last glance around, Sami looked at Hellfire. “Where is your brother?”
“He’s waiting outside. Still trying to reach our older brother and sister,” she said.
“Alright then,” Sami looked at Tierney and Jax. “I’ll see you when I see you I guess,” he said as he started for the door with Hellfire beside him.
“Did you get a hold of them?” Hellfire asked Brimstone who was pacing near Sami’s truck.
Brimstone nodded. “Yes, finally.”
“You didn’t tell them about Nix, did you?” Hellfire asked.
Brimstone shook his head.
“What did you tell them?” she asked, eyebrow raised in curiosity.
Brimstone shrugged. “I just said we were chasing down a lead on something and might be out of cell range for a few days.”
Hellfire started to say something, but didn’t.
It was silent in the truck, each of them lost to their own thoughts as Sami drove them to Spokane. They were on the interstate heading through the city when Hellfire turned to Sami. She’d been careful not to sit too close to him this time, unlike the last time she rode in his truck and for that, he was grateful.
“We have plenty of time before our flight. Can you take the next exit? I need to stop at a drugstore on the way,” she said. Sami nodded and put his signal light on then moved over to the proper lane.
“What? Why? Can’t you find what you need at the airport?” Brimstone asked.
“Maybe, but I need some female stuff, and they may not have what I need at the airport,” she answered and Brimstone made a gagging sound.
Sami chuckled and pulled off the interstate. “Just so you know, if you’re planning to take any drugs or medication with you, the portal will render them useless.”
“Really? How weird,” Brimstone said.
“I wasn’t planning on it, but how did you find that out?” Hellfire asked.
“Zander once told us about it. He’d tried to bring medicine back to Tartaria a long time ago for some villagers, but the medicine ended up being useless.”
“Huh, I’ll file that away for info I probably will never need,” Hellfire said.
Sami chuckled. At least in Tartaria, he didn’t have to worry about the thousands of Ilyium Tranqing him. Without the drugs, the Ilyium would never be able to hold a Dracones.
“Thanks for taking us to Tartaria, and ah, booking and paying for the flight,” Brimstone said while they waited for Hellfire to come out of the store.
“Yeah, sure,” Sami said suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation, especially since he really didn’t want to delve too deeply into why he was helping them.
“I’m sorry about Hellfire—” Brimstone began then at Sami’s frown, he waved as if to dismiss it. “You know, for whatever she did that hurt you. She can be a major bitch, but she is usually not mean.”
“It’s okay man, not your fault,” Sami said, glancing out the window. He so didn’t want to think about how she had fucked him and then told him to get lost, never mind talk about it.
“Well, I just want you to know I, we appreciate you doing this. We’re worried about Nix and I know you don’t want
to be here. I can’t really blame you,” Brimstone said.
Sami shrugged. “Yeah, it’s all fine, I get it. I’ll do whatever I can to help you find your sister.” After which, he’d come home to Goldy.
As they boarded the plane, Brimstone glanced around at the seats in first class.
“Nice,” he said and sat down in the single seat, leaving Sami and Hellfire to sit in the two seats behind him.
Together. Something Sami dreaded. Even though he’d made up his mind that he was with Goldy, other parts of him hadn’t yet gotten the memo. He’d been achingly hard all morning for Hellfire and knew it was going to be brutal sitting beside her the whole way.
“Hey, why don’t I sit there and you can sit beside your sister back here?” Sami suggested.
Brimstone looked up at him like he was crazy, and shook his head. “Yeah, not a wise idea, buddy.”
With a frown, Sami glanced back to see Hellfire glaring at him. Then she shoved her backpack into the overhead compartment and slid into the window seat. Sami sighed. After stashing his pack in the compartment, he sat down suddenly felt bad. He hadn’t meant to hurt her.
Shit, now I’m worried about her feelings.
Damn this connection he had to her. He needed to try to block it or…break it.
As he sat there, Sami grew increasingly aware of her every move. His heart began to race and he ached to be with her again. Stop it! He scolded himself and shifted in the seat, trying to get comfortable. His erection was more than obvious, though there wasn’t much he could do about it. Suddenly, Hellfire turned and stared right at him then she glanced down, and Sami felt heat rush through him. His cock twitched and he wanted to groan.
Hellfire smirked. “You okay there, big guy?”
The way she said it reminded him of the sex they’d shared a week ago in her room. Hellfire chuckled. This time he did groan. With a sigh, he decided to try to ignore it. He laid his head back and closed his eyes. He could feel Hellfire’s eyes on him for a moment longer before she turned to stare out the window again.
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