Dark Flame (12 page)

“It is strange.” A rueful smile touched his lips, and he moved a little closer to her. “But it’s been great, hasn’t it?”

She took in a long stream of air and released it slowly. “More than I can say.”

~ ~ ~

Brannick glanced over his shoulder, and seeing that Fergus was making an elevated sweep up the canal in the direction of the main bridge, he took Juliet in his arms. The memories that had started to surface showed him how comfortable he’d been with her in the dreamglide. Because of it, he couldn’t help but feel a powerful attachment to her in real-time.

She seemed so familiar to him now. And yes, they’d talked a lot, and everything she’d just shared with him about the Fae Cathedral and the Village, she’d already told him in a dreamglide.

Still, part of his mind shouted a warning. He’d never planned on pursuing a relationship with any woman in Five Bridges. He would be wise to let her go.

Yet, he’d been Juliet’s lover in the dreamglide for five months. And right now he wanted to know what would it be like in real-time?

“Brann, we don’t have to do this. We don’t have to do anything.”

“I know. But I want to.” He let his concerns slide away as he settled his lips on hers. He felt her entire body melt against his, a perfect fit. God, she felt good in his arms as the recently remembered dreamglide memories now merged with the real thing.

After a moment, he drew back, kissed the freckles on her right cheek, then the left. He’d definitely done this before.

“I love your freckles.” He kissed the curls dangling near her forehead. He caught the strawberry scent of her shampoo. But did he know it from the White Flame club where he’d originally met her? Or had this been in the dreamglide as well?

He couldn’t help himself; he kissed her again.

Her voice entered his mind.
Oh, Brann, you feel so good.

You do, too. But this is a bizarre experience, holding you and kissing you while knowing I’ve done this hundreds of times before.

It’s amazing.

Reluctantly, he drew back. “But we have work to do.”

“We do.” Juliet turned away from him and actually shook out her hands and fingers. She then glanced at him and smiled. “You get to me so quickly, you know.”

He loved that she’d said that to him. He loved her dark blue eyes, her freckles and her mischievous smile. He wanted to take her back to her small office and bend her over her desk again.

But other things were much more important. “We have Mary to think about now.”

“Yes, we do,” she said.

With difficulty, he let her go. She lowered her chin and blinked a couple of times, then turned away from him.

Fergus landed once more on the patio and dipped his chin to Brannick. He immediately turned toward the canal.

Brannick felt a strong pull within his chest as he watched the wolf, a sensation similar to the way the dreamgliding memories arrived. Only this wasn’t a dream, but it definitely felt very fae.

As he stared at the shifter, he realized he was once again experiencing an instinct more in keeping with the
alter
fae community than with his vampire self. He turned back to Juliet. “Fergus should come with us.”

A frown deepened between her arched brows. “The wolf?”

“You sound surprised.”

“It’s just that he can’t create an invisibility shield like you can. He’s not a vampire.”

Brannick glanced at Fergus again, but he felt the same pull as before.

Fergus was a powerful man and ally. His mane of hair went all the way to the middle of his back. The wolves, especially the alphas, grew their hair out long and wore braids to hold it away from the face. Although, he’d seen some with leather straps across their foreheads.

His
alter
instincts continued to warm up but with a fae tone rather than the cold, direct manner of his vampire nature. “Juliet, I can’t explain why, but Fergus needs to be with us as we hunt for Mary.”

Juliet caught his arm with her hand. “I’m feeling it too, though I’m pretty sure the weight of my conviction is coming from you. You seem to be reacting more like a fae than a vampire.”

He held her gaze tight to his. Something similar had happened between Vaughn and Emma, this odd transference of powers. He’d watched Emma levitate when she’d never done so before, and she’d had Vaughn’s complete skillset while doing it.

Now here he was with Juliet. She’d used a vampire shield while on the bridge and had later taken on some of his physical strength to bring him to the second bedroom.

“You know what amazed me? I can recall how you carried me to the other room. I still find it hard to believe, even though I told you to do it.”

He watched her lips curve. “Would you like me to show you how strong I am?”

“I would.”

She moved over to stand next to him. “Drape your arm over my shoulder.”

When he did, she caught his forearm from behind and locked it in place. “Now, slowly ease your weight onto me.”

He didn’t want to hurt her. The muscles he carried could do damage to such a willowy female. But as he began to relax and transfer his weight to her, damn if she didn’t hold steady.

Even she seemed surprised. “I can do this better than before. I mean, I doubt I’d ever be able to pick you up and carry you around, but can you feel the strength I can take on?”

“I can.”

He removed his arm from around her shoulders and stared at her for a long, difficult moment. He felt uneasy suddenly. He knew what had happened to Vaughn and Emma. The couple was engaged, for Christ’s sake. A witch and a vampire.

He didn’t approve of the species mixing like this. Life was hard enough in Five Bridges without becoming the brunt of anti-species hate.

He also thought the level of intimacy that kept expanding between them was a big mistake. “This isn’t right.”

Juliet searched his eyes. “I get it, Brannick.”

“You do?” He wasn’t sure he believed her.

She turned her gaze away from him as though remembering. “This feels like a kind of forced connection, something neither of us wants. Though it is reminding me of decisions I made when I set up house in Lotus Tree. I haven’t dated once during the four years I’ve lived in Five Bridges. I haven’t wanted to. Life here, in the world of the flame drugs, requires a different focus. Staying alive, for one thing. And helping others as needed, like Mary right now. Anything else is exactly as you’ve said. It isn’t right. Maybe that’s why dreamgliding worked for both of us. It wasn’t real. Not like this.”

He was grateful she understood and that they seemed to be on the same page. But it didn’t help much; her sincerity made her even more appealing. “I’m with you.”

She settled her hands on her hips. “All right then. So, you and I aren’t going to take this seriously, whatever this is.” She waved her hand back-and-forth between them. “Agreed?”

“Yes.”

She nodded briskly. “Good.” She glanced at Fergus and saw one of the warlocks land on the patio. “What are your new fae instincts telling you about the rest of our security detail? Should they come with us?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. You mentioned earlier that I could use my vampire cloak and disguise us while we moved, but an entire group could become problematic. Three of us, if needed, yes. Besides, I think they should stay here and continue to guard your home. I don’t want Roche anywhere near this property, whether you’re present or not.”

“I like the sound of that, especially since Roche is cozy with the dark covens in Elegance Territory. If he ever got his hands on any of my personal property, he might be able to have a witch conjure a dangerous spell against me.”

Brannick cringed at the thought. “I hadn’t even considered the possibility of a spellcaster being involved. Then we’re agreed, the rest of the security detail will remain in place.”

“Yes.”

“All right. Now, how about we have a chat with Fergus, then get over to the Fae Cathedral?”

~ ~ ~

Juliet inclined her head in agreement and gestured for Fergus to come in from the patio.

As Fergus drew close, he moved to stand on the other side of Brannick. She felt a strong wave of heat emanate from Fergus, very sexual in nature. She hadn’t been around a lot of shifters, but she’d heard about the alpha cycle that tended to force the men into a heavy mate-hunting period. Even she felt drawn to him, as though whatever natural musk he exuded called to all women.

Brannick turned toward her, scowling.
What the hell is going on?

She felt her eyes go wide. Busted.
Sorry. It’s something about Fergus. He’s very wolf right now.

Well, dial it down because your sudden interest in him is like a fire creeping over my skin.

She stared at Brannick, aware of just how little it would take for him to start brawling with the wolf.

She drew close and took Brannick’s hand. Some things, especially with a hot wolf hanging around, needed to be said aloud. “You’re my man, Brannick. For as long as this mission holds. I’m with you.” She avoided eye-contact with Fergus.

Brannick’s nostrils flared. She saw more than one emotion pass quickly over his face: Lust, pride, and of course fear of what they were sharing together. “You’re with me.”

He glanced at Fergus, who slowly dipped his chin in acknowledgment.

Brannick then explained to Fergus their current plan, but he didn’t let go of Juliet’s hand.

She knew it was important to sustain the connection for a few more minutes, to cement their relationship in front of the wolf, but the intimate connection with Brannick started having a powerful effect. Her knees suddenly weakened and desire tore through her. Had her statement of belonging to Brann somehow triggered something inside her? Whatever it was, it felt very
alter
in nature, not something a normal human would experience.

The fae weren’t big on traditional marriage, but those couples who grew committed to a relationship shared a powerful connection that enhanced an aura around each of them, especially when they were close. Her fae sage advisor, Agnes, had that kind of relationship with the man in her life. It had been unsettling at first to witness the faint silvery light that pulsed when they were near each other.

Agnes had also told her that the stronger the fae connection, the more powerful the sexual urge became, even at times overwhelming.

Right now, as she held Brannick’s hand, her need to be with him physically had her chest in a stranglehold. She could hardly breathe, and she ached all over again between her legs.

Fergus folded his arms across his chest and took a step back. Then another.

Juliet stared at the floor. Her skin was so hot, she felt as though she was on fire.

“I’ll give you two a minute.” Fergus whirled around and headed back out onto the patio.

Brannick turned to her, and his eyes widened. “Juliet, what the fuck is going on? You’re all silvery. Wait a minute. I know what this is. Juliet?”

She lifted her gaze to him and at the same time, tugged her hand from what had become a tight grasp. He stared at his own hand. “Shit. I’m glowing as well. This is so fucked up. We’re not connected you and me. We can’t be.”

She held her hands to her face. She was trembling with pure sexual need. All Brannick had to do was push her up against the wall, press his hips to hers and she’d come apart.

She knew Brannick was upset, but she was having the worst time calming herself down. She finally forced herself to move into the kitchen. She opened the freezer and pulled out a handful of ice cubes. Taking them back to the sink, she held them up to her neck and closed her eyes. She focused on the birds in her patio earlier and the yellow cat that kept disturbing their feeding.

Thinking about birds helped. A lot.

Brannick’s resonant voice, edged with anger, poured into the kitchen space. “Is this how it’s going to be? Are you going to keep trying to seduce me?”

“I promise that’s not what’s going on here. Just give me a minute.”

She took deep breaths and moved the ice cubes over her throat and up and down her arms.

“The glow is receding.” Brannick sounded calmer as well.

When the intensity of the experience passed, she stood upright. “Brannick, I don’t want this kind of connection any more than you do. Let’s just go get Mary, then you can go home. We’ll never have to see each other after this.”

The furrow between Brannick’s brows grew more pronounced.

She dropped the half-melted cubes into the sink, then walked back into the living area. “I’m going to change into some pants, then we can go.”

She passed by Brannick and headed to the master bedroom. She had no intention of levitating while wearing a dress.

She put on a dark blue top and a pair of matching slacks. Adding a pair of brown leather flats she made her way back to the patio. Brannick was already there talking with Fergus.

When she arrived, Fergus inclined his head to her, but quickly looked away.

Brannick asked Fergus if he’d talked to the rest of the security detail. He nodded, then tossed his chin toward the south.

Juliet followed the line of his gaze. One of the warlocks assigned to the alley levitated in their direction.

“He’ll be taking over for me,” Fergus muttered.

As soon as he arrived, Brannick offered Juliet his booted foot, but she shook her head. She wanted to say something more to him, even to apologize for how much her faeness had encroached on his life.

Instead, she slowly rose into the air. “I meant to tell you sooner. In the same way Emma took on Vaughn’s ability to fly, seems like I’ve got yours.”

“So I see.” Brannick’s voice sounded subdued. She wasn’t surprised. This thing between them kept taking hard, uncomfortable turns.

Though Juliet was worried about what was going on, she set aside her concerns and focused on Mary.

She rose into the air, slowly at first, getting used to her new vampire-based levitating skill. Some of the more powerful fae could levitate on their own, but she’d never been able to, though she’d tried countless times. Of all the magical
alter
abilities to possess, this one felt like freedom to her, like maybe she could truly find a new life in Five Bridges, even if she and Brannick parted ways. She could sense the ability belonged to her now, no matter what happened in her relationship with Brannick.