Ignited By Flames

by Day, Vella

  Blake stepped in and turned on the water. Greer dropped her towel from around her body and joined him.

  His eyes widened. “How am I supposed to concentrate with you all naked?”

  “You are funny, but who says you have to concentrate? That’s why I’m here. To help you get clean.”

  Greer picked up the soap, wet it, and then dragged it down his chest. He clasped her wrist. “Maybe I should do that.”

  “Because I’ll distract you too much?” She’d forgotten how wonderful flirting could be.

  “Yes.”

  She lifted her chin. “Okay. I’ll rinse and get out of your way then.” The only problem with taking a bath was that afterward she needed to wash off the soapy water.

  Greer dunked under the powerful stream, did a superficial cleaning, and stepped out of the shower onto the bathmat.

  “I’ll be quick.” Blake scrubbed his arms and legs. Once he finished with his face, he washed his hair and then rinsed.

  After turning off the shower. When he stepped on the mat, Greer was there with a towel. She patted his chest, enjoying how his black scales pulsed against his sand colored ones, and his eyes shimmered that pretty teal.

  The fact she’d walked away from him this evening still boggled her mind. What had she been thinking pushing him away like that? Now wasn’t the right time to think about it though. As Blake said, they had other things on their minds—like making love. More than anything, Greer wanted to make their mating official.

  When she finished dragging the towel down his chest, she took hold of his cock.

  “You’re asking for trouble,” Blake said with a grin.

  “I like trouble.”

  “Is that so? Let’s see how much trouble we can get into then.”

  Greer laughed for the first time in what seemed like days. “You’re on.”

  He scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. She’d already pulled down the spread, so when he set her on the cool sheets, she sighed at the delightful softness caressing her back.

  “I don’t ever want us to be apart again,” he said.

  “Neither do I.” She looked hard at his handsome face. “I love you, Blake Masters. I want us to be together forever.”

  “You took the words right out of my mouth. I am a workaholic. I hope you can deal with that.”

  “You could always become a detective instead of a bank manager.” It was what he said he wanted to do.

  “Would you like that?” he asked.

  “I only want what you want.”

  He leaned over and kissed her quick. “Tonight is not the time to decide my future—other than making sure you’re in it.”

  Her heart soared hearing those words. “Mmm. For that to happen though, you’ll need to do something first.”

  Blake climbed on top of her and nabbed her nipple between his teeth. “Do you mean this?” he asked right before he switched to the other side.

  “It’s a good start.” A really good start.

  Blake worked his way down her body, making every scale under her skin light up. It was when he reached the apex of her thighs while massaging her breasts that her teeth sharpened in anticipation. This once in a lifetime event was the ultimate loving experience, one she had dreamed about for as long as she could remember. While their meeting hadn’t been under the best of circumstances, it had tied them together in an intense bond.

  The memory of running away from him in the woods this evening might never go away, but Greer vowed to make it up to him. The first swipe of his tongue turned her thoughts back to the moment. She arched her back in total bliss, clutching the sheets as the delicious waves of pleasure entered every cell of her body.

  With Blake’s fingers pinching her nipples and his tongue moving faster and faster, her climax quickly approached. Greer wanted to give Blake just as much pleasure since it wouldn’t be fair to have multiple releases to his one during their mating ritual.

  She ran her tongue along her sharpened teeth. “My turn,” Greer panted.

  He looked up. “For what?”

  Blake was so cute. He was always the giver instead of a receiver. “This.”

  Greer scooted out from under him and pressed on his shoulder so that he’d roll onto his back. His eyes flashed teal. “This might be a bad idea,” he said.

  “I’ll be careful.”

  “Care has nothing to do with it. My need for you is so out of control right now that I want to take you hard and fast right now.”

  Greer smiled. “That sounds wonderful, but if I don’t taste you, I don’t see how we can become one.”

  Blake reached between his legs and lifted his cock. Eyes wide in anticipation, she leaned over, released his cock from his fingers, and then went to work licking, sucking, and thoroughly enjoying making him come. The man seemed to be a pillar of restraint though. His grunts did grow louder with each lick, and she swore that a talon poked out of one of his fingers, but he never came.

  Before she could pump her fist up and down again, Blake flipped her onto her back. He straddled her in a flash and then drove into her hard. Her dragon roared and rejoiced as her whole body shook with total bliss. When he kissed her, devotion and love poured out of him. He was dominant yet respectful at the same time. Only Greer didn’t want that much respect. She wanted some hard core, heart-pounding loving.

  With her feet firmly on the bed, she lifted her hips to meet his every thrust with one of her own while her nails dug into his skin. As he hit her sensitive spot over and over again, she had to break the kiss and drag her lips to his neck. Whether Blake followed her lead or was just overwhelmed with the same amount of lust too, she didn’t know, but he placed his mouth on that soft spot between her shoulder blade and neck. Both of their scales were glowing and pulsating, creating quite a spectacular light show.

  When Greer pressed her teeth against his neck, Blake hammered into her once more. They then plunged their teeth into each other’s necks and held on for dear life. Heat, light, love, and lust soared through her veins. If she didn’t know better, Greer would say that they had been transported to another realm, just as her ginormous orgasm claimed her.

  Blake moaned, withdrew his teeth and came hard inside her, stretching her to the maximum. Greer wasn’t aware of much other than believing she was floating somewhere with Blake in her arms—exactly where she wanted to be.

  As if by instinct, they each licked the residue of their bite marks and then kissed the area gently.

  “I wish I was better with words,” Blake said. “I’d love to be able to describe what I’m experiencing right now, but I can’t. It’s too amazing and overwhelming.”

  She patted his hard ass. “No words are needed—just a few seconds of rest.”

  When she jerked, it implied they’d both fallen asleep. Blake slipped out of her and headed back into the bathroom where he returned with a wet washcloth.

  Without a word, he cleaned her up and then himself. After tossing the cloth back into the bathroom sink, he slipped into bed and pulled her close. “Did I ever tell you that I love you?”

  Greer could barely remember her own name. “I don’t know, but you’ve shown it time and time again, and that’s all that matters.”

  Blake hugged her hard. “We make a good pair, Greer Caspian.”

  She smiled, more content than she had ever been in her life. “Yes, we do.”

  As sleep overtook her, the image of Meena appeared, reminding her that all would be well. How right she had been.

  Blake awoke a little before dawn. Not wanting to wake his sleeping beauty, he headed to the kitchen. Everything about this cabin was upscale. He even touched the kitchen counter to make sure it wasn’t a figment of his imagination. It was real all right. Blake was still unsettled about who this Kenton guy was, but considering he’d led him to Greer, he’d let it go for now.

  Oh, crap. Blake had kind of promised he’d let Griffin know that Greer was okay. While he only had one bar on his cell phone,
it was enough to send a text. Blake told Griffin that they were staying in one of Fay’s cabins and all was well. He’d let Greer spill the good news to her family about them being mated now.

  Blake walked over to the large picture window and stared into the faint light edging its way between the trees. A total sense of peace surrounded him as the intermittent small flashing lights zoomed about. He suspected these were the lightning bugs Griffin had mentioned. How they could protect anyone, he didn’t know, but Kenton certainly seemed to believe it too. Given the powers this man possessed, Blake decided he might be right.

  Now that he and Greer were mated, he allowed himself to relax. With the ability to communicate telepathically, they could converse around others without anyone overhearing their conversation. He’d been told that if Greer experienced any pain or anxiety that he too would feel it in his bones, indicating he needed to be with her.

  After a few minutes of reflection, Blake returned to the kitchen, noticing a box of peach tea on the counter. Had Greer told the fairies this was what she liked to drink, or did these special beings just know? If they were that intuitive, they’d have his special blend of hickory nut and bean coffee. Blake opened cabinet after cabinet and spotted it on the third try. Okay, that almost unsettled him.

  Not one to turn down his drink of choice, he boiled some water for Greer’s tea and brewed his drink in the coffee maker. As much as Blake would like to explore these woods with Greer today and pretend as if nothing had happened, he couldn’t ignore the fact that the intruder from Earth was still out there.

  First that ass had tried to frame Kaleena for murder, and then he had drugged both him and Greer. There must be something they could do to bring this guy to justice. After fighting with the werewolf for such a prolonged period, the man’s essence was deeply embedded in Blake’s mind. He wouldn’t be forgetting that aura any time soon.

  The Guardians had to be aware that making sure this creep didn’t return to Earth was important, though after him getting away from Blake yesterday, maybe they should send him on his way. What Blake feared now was that others might follow in his path. Blake couldn’t imagine having a lot of these creatures on Tarradon, all with the ability to change into anyone they chose and do whatever they wanted. Yikes.

  The teapot whistled, snapping him out of his musings. He dipped the peach tea bag in a cup of boiling water and then poured himself a cup of the fresh brewed coffee.

  He carried both drinks into the bedroom, set Greer’s tea on the bedside table, and waited for her to rouse.

  When she opened her eyes and smiled, Blake’s life was complete. “Hey, sleepy head.”

  She rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?”

  “A little after dawn. I couldn’t sleep so I got up to have some coffee and made you peach tea.”

  She pushed up with her hands to sit up. Greer picked up the drink. “How do I know you’re not a Changeling who drugged this tea?” She winked.

  “Can a Changeling do this?” he telepathed.

  The look on her face was precious. “I forgot we’d be able to communicate telepathically. That’s awesome.” She sipped her tea, blew out a breath, and then set it down. “Hot.”

  “Just the way it should be. By the way, I texted Griffin to let him know you were okay. He was worried about you.”

  “You had service?”

  “One bar.”

  “I wanted to call you yesterday but had nothing.”

  He smiled. “It’s okay. I found you.” Blake sat on the edge of the bed. “What do you want to do today?”

  Her lips slanted to the side. “What I want to do and what I should do are two different things. I’m worried about Kaleena. I know she is home, but what’s to stop that Changeling from trying to get to her again.”

  She had a good point. “I take it you want to check on her?”

  “Would you mind?”

  Blake wouldn’t mind anything Greer wanted to do, as long as he could be by her side. “Not at all. We just need to come up with a plan for eradicating this werewolf.”

  She clasped his arm. “We need to warn Finn and Kaleena, as well as the others that he is on the loose.”

  “Griffin knows. Why don’t you get dressed, and we’ll return so we can let Finn and the others know what we are up against in case Griffin hasn’t filled them in yet.”

  Greer pulled back the spread. “Let’s do it.”

  The sight of her naked body caused his dragon to roar, but he had to resist, something that was really hard to do. For the sake of the others though, he forced himself to move.

  Once they’d cleaned up the cabin, they were greeted by a beautiful morning. He didn’t remember the stone pathway before, but Blake had probably been overwhelmed at the time. When they reached the main path, he looked over his shoulder at Greer. While his mate was smiling, the cabin they’d just spent the night in was gone.

  “Ah, Greer.” Blake pointed behind her.

  She spun around and froze. “Wait a minute. Where did the cabin go?”

  “That’s what I would like to know. We did just mate in there, right? I mean, we can communicate telepathically now, so last night really did happen.”

  Greer placed a hand on his chest, and Blake swore her heat went right through him. “It most definitely did.”

  Okay, they still could communicate that way. “The strange thing was when Kenton told me about the cabin, he said that I wouldn’t be able to find it by myself. Maybe that’s because he made it exist.”

  “Wait a minute. Who’s Kenton?”

  “He’s Fay and Meena’s brother.”

  “Good to know, but the cabin certainly existed since I had already been there a little while before you showed up.”

  “Maybe we stepped through a portal and didn’t know it?” It was a crazy idea, but then most things that had happened recently had been totally out of this world—literally.

  Greer nodded. “I can’t think about this now. My head is still trying to come to grips with the mutant werewolf. Maybe Kaleena or Finn can help with what is going on.”

  Blake smiled. “All I know for sure is that I love you.”

  “Aw. I love you too. By the way, we’ll need to pick up our cars on the way home.”

  “We can do that.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Kaleena squeezed Greer’s hand. “You and Blake didn’t have to leave your little paradise to warn me. I know I have to be careful.”

  Blake stepped next to Greer. “We want to keep you safe.”

  Kaleena’s eyes widened. “Look who’s talking. He came after both of you. You are the ones in danger.”

  “We know. It’s one reason why I think Greer and I should go to Earth—at least for a few days,” Blake said.

  The door to Kaleena’s condo opened, and Finn walked in. He stepped over to his mate, gave her a hug and then a kiss. They looked into each other’s eyes as if they were communicating telepathically. It was the only way it seemed to make sure the Changeling hadn’t managed to become one of them again.

  Finn faced them. “What did you decide?”

  Greer didn’t know what he was referring to. “Decide about what?”

  “About what we’re going to do regarding the Changeling.”

  Blake crossed his arms. “I don’t have a plan, which is why we’ve been discussing taking a little trip to Earth. I want to talk with your Detective Murdoch, as well as speak to this Ophelia person. I want to see what advice she has to offer.”

  Greer smiled. “I think Ophelia will know how to take this guy down. I have always wanted to meet your family, Finn. Kaleena has talked about them often, and I’d love to see Silver Lake again too.”

  “You should join us,” Blake said.

  “That is a great idea,” Greer telepathed. “Please do,” Greer said to Kaleena and Finn. “It will be a good emotional break. Isn’t your Thanksgiving right around the corner?”

  Finn smiled. “Yes, it is, and I think it’s a splendid idea. Kaleena, are
you up for it?”

  “Are you kidding? I’ll be able to get out whenever I want, and having your mom fuss after me will be quite comforting.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Finn said. He turned to Blake. “What do you hope to learn from Kalan Murdoch?”

  “It’s more like we need to warn him about keeping close tabs on these Changelings. We can’t afford to have any more of them reach Tarradon.”

  Finn nodded. “I totally agree. I’ll contact the bar right now to let them know they’ll need to find someone to cover my shifts, but then we’re free to head out.”

  “I’ll notify the bank that I’ll be taking a little vacation too.”

  It had all sounded so easy until they had to deal with logistics. “I’ll check with Tory to see if she can work a few extra days. If she has to close the shop for a while, it won’t be a big deal.”

  “Do we think we can get everything set up by this evening?” Blake asked.

  Everyone nodded. Kaleena looked up at Finn. “I say we start packing.”

  Blake had never been to Earth and was looking forward to the trip. Truth be told, he’d never even been through a portal before. Being with Greer, away from that evil Changeling who could transform into anyone at will, would be wonderful. He and Greer could truly enjoy each other without having to look over their shoulders all the time.

  “Ready?” Greer asked.

  The four of them were standing in a field. “Yes, but I don’t see any portal,” Blake said.

  She chuckled. “That’s because we haven’t created it yet. Now that you’re my mate, you will be able to do this too.” She slipped what looked like a scale out of her pocket and swung her arm clockwise in a circle three times. She then changed directions and made two more circles. As if out of thin air, a circle of light appeared.

  “That is really cool,” he said, probably sounding like a geek.

  “It is quite miraculous. Since we’re going to Finn’s house first, he’ll lead the way.”

  “What do I need to do?” Blake asked.

  “Just hold my hand and walk through the lighted circle.”