Heart of Fire

by Lisa Edmonds

  He kissed his way down my body, then slid down the bed and pushed my leg to the side, his mouth moving up my calf and thigh. It had been a long, lonely month, and no one could ever accuse Sean of lacking skill. Blissful minutes later, I shuddered and sobbed his name as waves of pleasure rolled through me. When I opened my eyes, he was above me, looking at me with such heat that I felt scorched by his eyes alone.

  “Please,” I said, my voice rough. “I need you.”

  He’d already stripped off his jeans when I wasn’t looking, so there was nothing between us when his body covered mine. I held him between my thighs as he looked down at me. “Condom?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “Not necessary.”

  He lowered his head to my breasts, teasing first one and then the other, and then he raised himself up, met my gaze, and pushed into me.

  My back arched and I screamed, my fingernails digging into his forearms. He was hot, impossibly hot, and my cries were desperate and ragged as he moved, pushing me back toward the edge.

  He leaned down to bury his face into the side of my neck. “Release your magic,” he growled.

  “Your room,” I said, gasping for air. I was full of blood from two master vampires; magic sizzled on my skin, far stronger than normal, waiting to be unleashed.

  He drove into me so hard that I cried out. “Don’t hold back,” he told me, echoing my words to him from only minutes before. “Don’t hold back with me, Alice. Not ever again.”

  There was more to that command than just the release of my magic, but then he was moving faster and I lost all ability to think about anything other than the surge building inside me. It was so much more powerful than the first time that I felt a thrill of fear in the midst of the pleasure. I reached up and grabbed his arms just as the full force struck us both.

  I threw my head back with a cry as my magic poured out like a hurricane of white and green, with threads of black, purple, and red. Sean shuddered and his golden magic blended with mine. The power of our combined magic tore through the room. I heard crashing and sounds like things breaking.

  Sean leaned down and kissed me as his body pulsed inside me and our magic thundered around us. His room was being demolished but he didn’t seem to care. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and we trembled and shook together.

  In the past, when I’d released my magic during sex, its return to my body brought another wave of pleasure, one we shared. This time, however, it came back with a vengeance, boosted exponentially by the vampire blood I’d consumed. For Sean, it was a rush of power that raised his wolf and made him snarl and collapse onto his forearms, his breathing suddenly ragged as his eyes glowed.

  I had only a brief second to brace myself before magic roared back through me like a freight train going full speed. Too much, too fast, too strong, my mind warned, but there was nothing I could do to stop it.

  I screamed, but not with pleasure. I had a second to see Sean above me, his eyes wide, before the sheer force of it sent me plunging headlong into oblivion.

  21

  I came awake slowly. I hurt everywhere, as if I’d been beaten black-and-blue from head to toe. I was wrapped in someone’s arms, my head tucked under his chin, my nose pressed against hot flesh that smelled like a forest in spring.

  “Name of the driver?” I mumbled.

  “What driver?” Sean asked, his voice a low rumble that vibrated along my skin.

  I groaned. “Of the truck that hit me.”

  His arms tightened. “I don’t know what to do to help you.”

  I didn’t know either. “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

  He exhaled. “I can do that.”

  As more of my senses came back online, I realized we were both naked and still in his bed, though I couldn’t see anything of the room since my face was turned toward his broad chest. He was wrapped around me in such a way that I wasn’t sure where my body ended and his began. His body heat had seeped into me until my own temperature was closer to his, adding to the sensation we were one body instead of two. I knew this kind of closeness was comforting for shifters, but I’d always thought I would find it claustrophobic, uncomfortable, and too much like being restrained. To my surprise, I found I rather liked it.

  “What day is it?” I asked him.

  “It’s about one o’clock in the afternoon. You’ve been unconscious for a little over three hours.”

  That magical backlash had really done a number on me. He could have said I’d been out for three days and I would have believed him.

  “Has this ever happened to you before?” Sean asked.

  “No, but this is the first time I’ve released my magic after drinking from two master vampires. If I’d had any idea it would boomerang so badly, I would have held it back.”

  He kissed the top of my head. “So, how do we make sure this doesn’t happen again?”

  “Practice.”

  I felt him smile. “Now that sounds like a plan.”

  “By myself, I mean. Or Malcolm can help me.”

  A long pause.

  I sighed. “That is not what I meant. I need to practice controlling the backlash of magic. I don’t have to…you know…in order to create it.”

  “You have to admit, it’s more fun that way. Not in this case, maybe,” he added quickly. “But in general.”

  “In general, yes, it is far more fun that way.”

  His fingers traced over my ribs on my right side. “You got some new ink since I saw you last. Is this a cat?”

  I’d wondered when he was going to mention my new tattoo. “That’s no ordinary cat. It’s Bastet.”

  He chuckled. “I suppose as a wolf I shouldn’t approve, but I can’t think of a more perfect choice for you than a warrior goddess and protector.” He squeezed my hand.

  I squeezed back. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”

  “What, by screaming in agony and passing out during sex?” he asked dryly. “Please, Alice. You’re going to have to do better than that to scare me after everything I’ve been through with you.”

  I smiled. “I guess, comparatively speaking, this wasn’t so bad. Not even any blood involved this time. How dull for you.”

  “One thing I’ve never experienced is a dull moment with you,” he said.

  I laughed and was surprised that it only hurt a little. The pain was fading. I stayed where I was, however. Soon enough, we’d have to get up and face the harsh reality of the day. No one would fault me for wanting to steal a few more minutes while we could.

  I sensed tension in Sean’s body and guessed that he wanted to talk about some of those harsh realities. I was right. “So, what do we deal with first? The attack at the protest or the fact Vaughan bit you?”

  I started to pull away, only to find he wasn’t letting go. “I’m not going to hold you if you don’t want me to,” he said, his mouth near my ear. “But it might help you talk it out if we tried things my way, just this once.”

  His arms loosened, but I stayed where I was. What the hell; why not try it his way, just this once?

  I told him everything: Larry the demon, the deranged spirit I’d sensed that night on the Stroll, the poltergeist assault on the stairs, the attack near the diner, and finally the demon who’d burned me at the protest. He listened quietly, his hand rubbing my back.

  “Any idea how you got on this demon’s shit list?” he asked when I’d finished.

  “None whatsoever. I haven’t run across any demons lately.” Well, except for the half-demon Scott Grierson, but he was dead. “And I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with this case, since Larry the water department demon came by before I even talked to Mark the first time.”

  “Is this why you’ve had Malcolm shadowing West for three days?”

  I scowled. “We needed eyes on West. It was the best option.”

  “Alice.”

  “And it kept him out of the line of fire,” I admitted. “A high-level demon could discorporate him.”

  “And
that, in turn, could kill you.”

  “Not likely, but it could, though that’s not why I’m trying to keep him clear of danger.”

  “Of course that’s not why you’re doing it.” Sean kissed my shoulder. “But you’re doing the same thing to him you did to me: taking the decision out of our hands. Malcolm’s a grown-up ghost. He has the right to decide when and where to fight. I am concerned he’s a vulnerability for you, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get a say in this.”

  “I truly do need him shadowing West unless we decide to tag his car, which is something we need to revisit.”

  “You know where I stand on that. I haven’t changed my mind. But there’s something else we have to talk about first.”

  I swallowed. “Charles.”

  It was Sean who moved then, pulling away just enough so I could see his face. There were shadows under his eyes. Despite his flip response to my apology, it was apparent he’d been worried.

  He traced my jaw with his fingers. “I would kill him for you, if you weren’t capable of doing it yourself.”

  “I don’t want to kill him. That would bring the kind of trouble to my door I don’t want.”

  “My pack will stand with you against Vaughan and the Court,” Sean stated. “By biting a pack associate, Vaughan attacked all of us.”

  “I’ve already drawn blood on behalf of myself and your pack, if you’ll recall. It was very nearly a fatal wound. By shifter custom, the debt is paid.”

  He laced his fingers through mine. “You’re very calm about this; too calm, in fact. What’s going on in your head?”

  “I’m not as calm as I look.” I let a little of my anger show in my voice. “I’m furious. I’ve been violated.”

  Sean’s eyes went gold. If Charles had been within reach in that moment, I was fairly certain the vampire would have been in pieces. “All things considered, you showed restraint by not killing him outright last night.”

  “I thought about it. Instead, I ripped out his throat and he knows I could have killed him on the spot if I’d wanted to. That news is going to spread. I am not a passive victim. I’m no one’s prey.”

  “There’s something else, isn’t there? I can see it in your eyes. There’s more to this than him biting you when you were in his care.”

  “Yes.”

  He tucked my head back under his chin. “Tell me.”

  Partial truth time. “I’m registered as a mid-level air and earth mage, but I’m not. I’m a high-level mage with blood magic and now, because he drank from me, Charles knows it.”

  Sean went still. He knew the value of that kind of information, how it could be used against me. “I should kill him.”

  “I understand why you feel that way. Please let me deal with this part of the problem, Sean. My abilities are my secret—or they should have been.”

  He raised my chin to look into my eyes. “Yesterday, when I asked who was after you, you wouldn’t say a word. Today, you told me far more than I ever expected. Why?”

  “Charles took the information from me by force. I’m giving it to you by choice. Maybe it’s about balancing the scales, or maybe it’s about tearing down one more barrier.” I ran my fingertips along his jaw. “Plus, I had a little time to think things over.”

  He caught my hand and kissed my palm. “What have you been thinking about?”

  “You said the other day that you’d like to try again. I’d like that, too.”

  He kissed me, hard. I was suddenly acutely aware that we were both naked and certain parts of him had noticed too. His hand slid down my side to my hip and I wrapped my leg around his.

  When my stomach growled, however, Sean drew back and frowned. “When did you eat last?”

  “I had a bagel.” I hesitated. “Yesterday morning.”

  “Jesus Christ, Alice.” He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand straight up. He had the sexiest bedhead I’d ever seen. “What am I going to do with you?”

  I ran my nails over his hip and was rewarded with a very wolf-like growl. “I have a couple of good ideas.”

  Despite the fact his body was clearly voting in favor of those ideas, Sean shook his head and grabbed my wrists so I couldn’t continue my explorations. “You need to eat,” he said firmly.

  I dipped my head under his chin and nuzzled his jaw. “I can think of other things I’d rather do with my mouth.”

  He made a sound somewhere between a growl and a groan. “Alice Worth, you are going to eat. How do you expect to take on a harnad if you take such poor care of yourself?”

  I lifted my head and glowered at him.

  He rolled us over so fast that I squeaked. We ended up on the other side of the bed with him on top of me. That was more like it. I tried to reach for him and found my arms were pinned at my sides. He leaned down and kissed me so hard that I forgot everything else for a full minute.

  Finally, he lifted his head, his eyes twinkling. “Take a shower, and I’ll make eggs, bacon, and waffles, and a whole pot of coffee just for you.”

  That might have been the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to me.

  I didn’t get eggs, bacon, or waffles.

  When I emerged from the bathroom in a towel, my hair wrapped in another, Sean was waiting for me, fully dressed and holding his phone. My go-bag was on the bed, along with the small duffel bag Charles had given him the night before.

  I took one look at his face and knew our brunch plans were canceled. “What happened?”

  “A couple of things. First, I just got a call from Vaughan’s security man, Bryan Smith. The vamps have Clint Ravell.”

  “Excellent. Not as good as having Travers or Andrews, but it’s a start. What else?”

  “They also have two confirmed missing vamps. Smith said we’d get more info when we come in to talk to Ravell.”

  “And?”

  His mouth turned down. “You need to call Agent Lake. He’s apparently very concerned about you disappearing and has been leaving you messages. He just called me.”

  My eyebrows went up. “He called you?”

  “He thought I might know where you were. I told him you were fine, but he wants to speak to you personally to make sure you’re all right.” Sean rolled his shoulders to relieve tension. “I know you’ve said nothing happened between you, but I’m not sure if I’m the ‘other man’ in this scenario or he is.”

  “We had a moment or two,” I admitted. “He’s a fed, but a good one. You know me and how I feel about SPEMA. I wouldn’t say that lightly.”

  “I appreciate the honesty.” Sean regarded me. “Whatever happened before, it is what it is, but last night and this morning changed things. I’m not interested in sharing you, Alice.”

  “I’m not interested in being shared or in having a fling with a fed, even if he is one of the good ones. And that goes both ways. I know it’s not unusual for a shifter, especially an alpha, to have more than one lover, but that’s not going to work for me.”

  His eyes glittered. “I figured as much when you reacted the way you did to Rachel Barrow flirting with me.”

  “How about how you reacted when I mentioned Lake that first time?” I countered. “And I don’t care who flirts with you. You’re a good-looking man; it’s going to happen. I only care about how you respond. And if it’s something that helps us with a case and I know it’s just a role you’re playing, I can deal with that, as long as you give me the same courtesy when I need to bat my eyelashes at someone.”

  “You think I’m good-looking?” He was grinning, the bastard. He knew exactly how gorgeous he was.

  I shrugged. “If you’re into the tall, handsome, and muscular thing, I guess.”

  Sean chuckled and reached into the small black duffel bag. He brought out my gun and its holster, my wallet, my keys, and my little notebook. “This was all we could salvage of the stuff you had with you. Your phone was toast.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad my wallet survived; I wasn’t looking forward to getting all that crap
replaced. I’m going to need a new phone, though.”

  “Already taken care of.” He picked something up off the bed and held it up. It was a fancy new phone.

  I shook my head. “I’ll get my own.”

  “It’s clean—no tracking software, no surveillance mods.”

  “That’s not what I’m concerned about.”

  Sean eyed me. “Is this like the furniture thing? I’m still not allowed to give you anything?”

  I frowned at him.

  He sighed. “It was part of a batch I bought two months ago for my company. I only paid forty dollars each because we were setting up a new service contract. If it makes you feel better, you can pay me the forty bucks.”

  Reluctantly, I took it. He showed me how to scan my fingerprint and the screen unlocked. I had a bunch of missed calls and text messages. Some were from Bryan, two were from Kim Dade, and the rest were from Lake.

  “It’s the same number as the old one,” Sean said. “I saved your sim card from the old phone, so you still have your contacts and old messages.”

  “Thank you. I’ll get you the forty bucks.”

  He took advantage of our closeness to nuzzle my neck. “You smell good,” he said, lips against my skin.

  “You mean I smell like you and your soap,” I teased.

  He wrapped me in his arms and kissed my shoulder. “Yes, you do, and I like it.”

  I slid my hands around his waist and rubbed against him. “I can tell.”

  He held me still. “If you keep that up, we won’t be getting over to see Clint Ravell for a while.”

  “Spoilsport.” I started to move away, only to find myself crushed against his body as he kissed me.

  When we came up for air, Sean said, “Get dressed. We’ll have to grab something to eat on the way.”