Master of Fire

by Angela Knight

  Lifting her head as he lowered his, she found his mouth. He didn’t stop thrusting as they kissed desperately, tongues swirling, tasting each other, hungry for every sensation.

  Ravenous.

  She could feel her orgasm building hotter, drawing tighter, with every driving stroke.

  Closer. Closer . . .

  I don’t want it to be over so . . . The explosion of pleasure detonated in her belly and rocketed up her spine.

  And magic flooded from her hands, her eyes, her mouth, in a river of sparks that spiraled around him and dove into his flesh.

  Oh, no! Not this soon! It was only a preliminary burst—it would have been far more intense otherwise—but it was enough to blow the secret.

  With a gasp, Giada struggled to contain the flashing energy, but it was too late. She heard his shout of surprise.

  He convulsed with a roar, coming, his last furious thrust wringing another climactic pulse of magic and pleasure out of Giada’s dazed body.

  Even as she cried out in helpless delight, her heart sank. Dammit, her second time hadn’t been anything like this. Probably because a human’s body had to make a more dramatic change to become a vampire, with everything from bone and muscle to digestive system changing into its new, more powerful form. Her own body had stayed basically the same; only her brain had changed to allow the manipulation of magical forces.

  Not that it mattered. He knew now. And he was going to be furious.

  ELEVEN

  The combination of magic and a violent orgasm wrung Logan’s body like a rag. When he finally collapsed on the floor beside Giada, he felt dazed, as stunned as if she’d hit him with a board. He lay there for a long moment, staring blankly at the ceiling.

  “I’m sorry.” She sounded hoarse.

  “Morgana?” This was going to hurt. Once he could feel again, it was going to hurt like a bitch. “Did Morgana send you?”

  “No. Well, yeah, kind of. There was this necklace . . . But no, she didn’t send me. It was your parents.”

  He discovered he could in fact move when his head jerked to stare at her. The fury that roared through him blasted away his numb shock. “My parents put you up to this?”

  “No! No, not to seduce you! They ordered me not to sleep with you, but Morgana . . . and then I couldn’t . . .” She broke off and shook her head. “I’m making a mess out of this. Look, Logan, there’s an assassin after you. Somebody’s killed twelve Latents so far. Arthur and Guinevere were afraid you’d be next. And they were right. He’s tried to get you at least twice I know of.”

  Suddenly a lot of things were painfully clear. “But you saved me. That’s why that woman tried to shoot you in the department parking lot—to get you out of the way.”

  “I think so, yeah.” She sat up, looking miserable—and infuriatingly delicious in her nudity.

  He looked around for his clothes, found his T-shirt, and dragged it over his head. “That’s why Davis died—because this bastard was after me and missed?”

  She raked both hands through her tousled blond hair as he located his jeans and boxers. “Yeah. There was more than one bomb, but I didn’t realize that. The gas we smelled at the scene—he’d rigged the line to explode, but I deactivated it. I didn’t realize he’d set a second device.” Giada met his gaze, anguish in her eyes. “I fucked up.”

  “That’s not all you fucked,” he growled with deliberate vulgarity as he pulled on his clothes. “If Arthur ordered you not to sleep with me, why in the hell did you do it anyway? Twice?”

  She bit her lip as tears welled. “The first time, Morgana had given me a necklace that compelled me to . . . And this time”—her voice dropped—“I had a vision.”

  “A vision.” He snorted. “Where have I heard that one before?”

  For the first time, a flare of anger pierced her visible misery. “I’m not lying, Logan. I saw the sheriff’s grandkids. Heather was wearing some kind of suicide vest with a timer, and she was terrified. And a Dire Wolf had Andy. You attacked it. You were a vampire.”

  “So why in the hell didn’t you just tell me any of this? ‘Hey, Logan, an assassin is after you, so Daddy sent me to play bodyguard.’ ”

  Storm-cloud gray eyes narrowed. “Because Daddy said you were too stiff-necked to let me hang around if I was up front about this.” Her anger was every bit as hot as his now. “Arthur said they needed a Maja who was also a chemist, so the bodyguard would have an excuse to stay close.”

  “So you are a chemist.” He curled his lip. “At least there’s one thing you didn’t lie about.”

  “You know, I’ve saved your life twice now, you jackass. So get off my back.” She bounced to her feet, gorgeous and naked in her rage. He couldn’t quite subdue his erotic appreciation as she stalked over to her discarded jeans and jerked them on.

  “Twice? I count once. And since I damned near took a bullet for you, Witchypoo, I figure that makes us even.”

  She wheeled to face him. “Not even close. Remember the mortar in that old man’s farmhouse? It would have blown you to hamburger if I hadn’t disabled it first.”

  He was far too pissed to concede the point. “Fine. I’m grateful. That still doesn’t give you the right to make me a vampire without a little fucking warning.”

  “I did what I had to do.” Giada jerked her zipper up. “I’m sorry I lied to you, but if you weren’t such a stiff-necked idiot, I could have told you the truth!” Opening the French door, she reached out, snatched her T-shirt, and jerked it on over her head.

  Then, without a backward look, she stalked out onto the deck.

  “You know,” Smoke drawled, “she’s right. You are an idiot.”

  Logan whirled to see the cat standing in front of a shimmering dimensional gate. “Where the hell have you been?”

  “Hunting your would-be killer.”

  “Did you find him?”

  “He seems to have some kind of magical shielding.” The gate vanished as Smoke sauntered over to the coffee table and leaped onto it with no effort whatsoever. “That’s the reason Giada has had so much trouble tracking him down.”

  “Giada said she thought it was a Dire Wolf. Magic just bounces off those bastards.”

  The cat hesitated. “I think it’s more than that, Logan. The bomber is human, so we should have been able to detect him easily. Something blocked us. That implies . . .”

  “Magical shielding.” A chill of dread ground across his heart like a glacier. Logan followed the cat and dropped onto the couch. “God, tell me it’s not those damned Dark Ones again.”

  The Dark Ones, alien magic users who fed on life force, had tried to invade last year. The resulting conflict, christened the Dragon War, had damned near destroyed the Magekind. And if Avalon had fallen, humanity itself would have been next.

  “I doubt it.” Smoke’s ears flattened as his black tail lashed. “I’m told the barrier around the Twin Earths has been strengthened, so such an invasion shouldn’t be possible again.”

  “So how can this bomber raise a magical shield?” Logan leaned forward to brace his elbows on his knees, the better to meet the cat’s blue-eyed stare. “The Direkind don’t use magic. Are we sure that’s what it was?”

  “I saw this creature. It certainly fit the description I’ve heard, though I’ve never seen a Dire Wolf before. I didn’t fight in the Dragon War.”

  Logan frowned, interested. “Why not?”

  Smoke sat back on his haunches and curled his tail around his toes. “I was . . . otherwise occupied. And before that, of course, we did not even know they existed.”

  Logan knew his friend well enough to realize there was a lot more to the story than that, but he also knew better than to press. Smoke didn’t answer questions he didn’t care to answer, period.

  Abandoning the subject with a mental shrug, Logan went on to a topic that bothered him far more. “Why did you lie to me, Smoke? I asked you if Giada was a Maja, and you said no.”

  The cat sat back and curled his tail
neatly around his paws. “I have walked among the Magekind a very long time, boy. Giada is the best potential mate for you I’ve ever met. You two fit like a key in a lock.”

  Logan stared at Smoke in astonishment. “Let me get this straight. You were matchmaking when you lied to me?”

  The cat’s tail unwound from his haunches and started to lash. “You felt it, too, boy. I could see it on your face every time you looked at her. You’re in love with that girl.”

  “I don’t even know her! The woman I fell for doesn’t exist. She’s lied to me from the moment I met her. I never even thought she was capable of that kind of deception.”

  “She wasn’t the only one lying, boy. You never told her what you are either.”

  “Because I thought she was mortal! You don’t tell our secrets to mortals. I was doing my duty.”

  “So was she.” Another angry tail flick. “Arthur ordered her to lie, because he knew if she showed up and told you the truth, you wouldn’t let her anywhere near you.”

  “Bull. I’m not stupid enough to turn down protection when I’m being targeted by a magical killer.”

  “You’d have seen her as too much temptation, and you know it. I’ve watched you with Majae for years, Logan. Any woman who tempted you too much was one you got the hell away from.”

  Logan opened his mouth for an angry retort, only to realize Smoke was right.

  “Did you think we wouldn’t notice, Logan? Everybody saw it. Why do you think Morgana sent Clea? She figured you’d only see her as a mortal fuck buddy, like the rest of your lovers.”

  That stung enough to tell Logan it had an element of truth. “I have a right to decide when and where—and with whom—I become a Magus. It’s my life, Smoke. Especially since if I go blood-mad, somebody’s going to have to kill me.”

  “You’re not going to go blood-mad.” The cat’s ears flattened against his skull in frustration. “You’re not some weak-willed little brat—that’s the whole problem. You could teach stubborn to a dragon. The Hunger isn’t going to have a prayer against you.”

  His real fear burst out of his mouth. “What if I hurt her?” Logan shot to his feet and began to pace. “Jimmy Cordino killed the Maja Arthur sent to Change him.”

  “Ah, so that’s it.” Smoke’s voice softened. “Jimmy didn’t love the girl who turned him.”

  Logan stopped his agitated pacing to glare at the cat. “For the last time, I’m not in love with Giada Shepherd. She didn’t say a word in the past three weeks that wasn’t a lie.”

  “Smoke.”

  Logan’s head snapped around. Giada stood in the open doorway to the deck.

  Giada’s face was dead pale except for two bright flags of color on her cheeks. “I’ve got to go to Avalon to report to Arthur,” she told the cat, without even glancing in Logan’s direction. “I made a preliminary report to Guinevere, but he’s going to want the details.”

  “I’ll go with you.” Smoke started across the coffee table as if about to hop down.

  “No. Someone needs to stay with Logan in case they try for him again.” Despite her cool tone, pain gleamed in her eyes. He could see it, though she refused to meet his gaze directly.

  Dammit, how much had she heard of his argument with Smoke? Just enough to wound her, apparently. “Giada . . .”

  She gestured, opening a dimensional gate. Before he could think of another word to say, she was gone.

  Giada had miscalculated. Again.

  Her heart sank as she performed a magical scan of the Pendragon home, detecting Arthur’s sleeping mind inside. Of course he’s asleep, she realized in disgust. The sun is still up. Being a vampire, Arthur would be in the Daysleep, recharging his magical batteries. Gwen was apparently out, probably consulting with other Majae about the new Dire Wolf problem.

  Dammit. Giada wanted to get this over with. Take the punishment for her many sins, then retreat to her own Mageverse home to lick her wounds in peace.

  She had no doubt there would be punishment. Arthur did not suffer disobedience, and as for Guinevere—well, Giada would be lucky if the Maja didn’t turn her into a frog for real.

  Actually, spending the rest of her life on a lily pad didn’t sound all that bad. At least in frog form she wouldn’t keep reliving Logan’s scornful words to Smoke: “For the last time, I’m not in love with Giada Shepherd. She didn’t say a word in the past three weeks that wasn’t a lie.”

  To make matters worse, he was right.

  Brooding, Giada turned and looked across Avalon toward the setting sun. She probably had another half hour before Arthur woke. No point in going home when she’d just have to turn around and come right back. Might as well cool her heels in Guinevere’s garden while she waited.

  When Gwen and Arthur had first approached her about serving as Logan’s magical bodyguard, they’d given her a tour of the flower garden that lay behind the house. Now Giada wandered into the backyard for a second look, hoping for a little distraction from the blend of nerves and raw pain currently knotting her stomach.

  Rosebushes and various exotic Mageverse flowers rioted in bright blooms, perfuming the air with a delicious blend of scents. A spring danced in the garden’s heart, water leaping from clustered stones to roll down into a little pool.

  Fish swam lazily in the clear water, scales brilliant with color, fins and tails floating behind them like trailing scarves. A pretty wrought iron bench stood beside the spring, offering a lovely view of both pool and garden. Giada dropped onto it, numbly watching the leap and sparkle of the water in the light of the setting sun.

  It felt as if someone had sandblasted the skin off her body. She’d never realized emotional pain could be so intense.

  “I’m not in love with Giada Shepherd. She didn’t say a word in the past three weeks that wasn’t a lie.”

  Yet as much as those words hurt, they were nothing compared to the explosion of agony Mark Davis had felt when the assassin blew up the house. The pain she’d sensed would probably haunt her as long as she lived. She knew the guilt would.

  He’d died because she’d screwed up.

  No, not screwed up. She’d fucked up. Davis was dead, and his wife and child were even now dealing with the loss. To add insult to injury, the bastard who’d killed him was still roaming free.

  Yet another thing Giada had fucked up.

  She’d been so intent on forcing the assassin to tell her who’d hired him, she hadn’t even noticed the approach of his furry accomplice. Not until the creature had slammed Smoke into a tree and batted Giada out of the air like a slow baseball pitch. If it hadn’t been for Smoke, she’d be as dead as Davis.

  She was only dimly aware of the tears that started to roll down her cheeks.

  Giada had no idea how long she floated in a swirl of misery before an alarmed female voice jerked her back to awareness. “Giada?”

  She started and swiped her hands guiltily over both wet cheeks as Guinevere hurried across the garden toward her. To Giada’s surprise, the garden was now twilight dark, the sun almost completely behind the horizon. How long had she sat in a stupor, anyway?

  “What’s wrong, child?” The Maja’s eyes were too wide as she sat down on the bench and took Giada’s hands in a warm, strong grip. “I felt your pain from three blocks away. Something else has happened. Is it Logan?”

  “No, he’s fine.” One sex partner from becoming a vampire, but fi ne. “I was just thinking about Mark Davis.”

  Sadness flooded her lovely eyes. “Logan always spoke so fondly of him. And if I know my son, he’s taking it hard—and probably blaming himself.” She sighed.

  “Is Arthur awake yet? I need to give you both the . . . details.” Of how I so totally screwed up. Oh, God, I dread this.

  Gwen frowned, her eyes searching Giada’s face before her gaze softened. “He should be up in a few minutes. Why don’t you come inside the house and have a cup of tea while he gets dressed?”

  Giada doubted she could keep anything in her stomach, considering
that it was currently a solid mass of knots. Still, it would give them both something to do with their hands. “Thank you, that sounds lovely.”

  When Arthur strode into the living room, Giada’s teacup rattled on the saucer she’d balanced on one knee. The big warrior frowned at her, narrow-eyed. “What the hell’s going on? Gwen said one of Logan’s teammates is dead.”

  Giada realized his wife must have spoken to him through the Truebond psychic link they shared.

  Gwen gestured him to a chair. “Have a seat and let the child talk, Arthur.”

  Unable to sit any longer, Giada put her cup on the coffee table and rose to her feet even as Arthur dropped into one of the armchairs.

  Putting both hands behind her back and bracing her feet apart in an approximation of a parade rest, Giada began to tell the whole painful story. She left nothing out, from her stupidity in accepting the necklace from Morgana to Mark’s murder to the battle she and Smoke had fought with the Dire Wolf.

  She finished with the vision that had convinced her to make love to Logan for the second time, even though it meant violating the orders she’d been given.

  When she finally stopped talking and dared look at Arthur, his sculpted cheekbones were scarlet with rage. Her heart sank as she braced herself.

  Here it comes.

  “Let me get this straight.” He spoke in a terrifying whisper of rage that chilled Giada’s blood to ice. “Despite your orders to stay the hell away from my son, you made love to him anyway. Twice. You failed to detect the explosive device that killed one of his men, and which damn near killed both of you, too. And when you captured the killer, you let him get away.”

  Giada lifted her chin and fought to keep her eyes from dropping from his hot black gaze. Her braced knees shook. “Yes, sir.”