Wicked Flames (Solsti Prophecy) (16 page)

“I can’t wait for you to meet her too. I want to see if you feel the same connection I did.”

“I know. I want to see what that’s all about.”

“Plus, her eyes. They’re exactly like yours and Gin’s. It’s so weird.” Brooke played with Kai’s wet hair, spiking it into a Mohawk. “All right, chica, I have to finish my bath. Catch you later.” Brooke ended the call and looked at Kai. “I want to see if I feel the same thing again, when she’s here.” Though her encounter with Ashina had been brief, she’d been overwhelmed with the feeling that she somehow knew the woman. But the sensation defied explanation, and they hadn’t had much time to talk.

“I know you do, Sprite. And maybe I can help you figure it out, since our bond is more fully formed than it was when you met her.”

Brooke smiled. ‘Yes, it is. But can you think clearly with your current case of sex-on-the-brain?”

He grinned and pulled her close. “Always. Although, having sex helps cure sex-on-the-brain.”

Through their bond she felt his need building, and it stoked her own. But her body was still hyped with excitement at her newfound skill. “First, let me practice some more. I need to concentrate. Then we can play.” She kissed him tenderly, then gave a playful shove to his chest. Not that she could move him. He was six and a half feet of unyielding muscle.

But he scooted back to his side of the tub, leveling her with an intense, melting stare. “I’ll consider that a promise.”

She blew him a kiss and got back to work.

T
HE
T
HIEF

A
SONIC
BOOM
SHOOK
THE
stone mansion and the thief jumped. For show, of course. As guests’ voices rose and they looked around like startled deer, acrid fog shot through the halls. Torth’s version of smoke bombs. They didn’t just land in one spot, they rolled, seeking to cover as much ground as possible, pouring clouds in their wake.

The lights went out. Panicked creatures rushed for the door. The thief murmured a spell, twisting open the huge fake gem on her ring. She held it over the glass in front of her and three drops of blood fell to the surface. A tiny poof of mist wafted up to her, indicating the spell had been negated. Step one, done.

She reached into her glittery clutch, retrieving a small, wooden-handled dagger. She whipped off the sheath and positioned the glowing blade at the lower edge of the glass. It shone with a blue light, almost vibrating in her palm. She’d stolen it years ago from a mage, and it never left her side. With one swift thrust into the side of the case, the glass shattered. Step two, voila.

She grabbed the transportation amulet and tucked it into a tiny pocket in her bra. Unable to use it, thanks to the shielding wards, she’d have to wait until she got away from Mulvari’s land. Sheathing her blade and hiding it in her purse, she strode out.

Chaos reigned in the halls. Even the fire bulbs over the framed painting were out. She had to hand it to Sebastian. That was no easy feat. His smoke bombs must have included an added element to dampen them.

She walked past the room of sculptures where she had spotted Mulvari earlier. No sign of him now. Probably hiding somewhere, with a dozen guards to protect him.

Two elves ran by but skidded to a halt in front of her. A blast of heat reached her before she spied what had stopped them, and since elves were among the few creatures shorter than her, she got a good look at the results of her and Sebastian’s manufactured clusterfuck.

The foyer was full of flames, engulfing the huge wooden door and tapestries hanging near it. Gray smoke billowed up to the high ceiling. The thief pasted a concerned look on her face and headed for the back of the house.

Disappearing down the hall she had just emerged from, she ran into a wall that wasn’t there before. She thrust a hand out to steady herself and found—

“Where are you going, fae?” a gruff voice barked.

Craning her neck, she locked eyes with the dark-haired Watchman.
Fuck
. His nosey ass was the last thing she needed.

From his impressive height, brown eyes glowered down on her. She should give him attitude. He should be concerned for the safety of the guests, not acting like a grumpy giant. But she found herself entranced with the raw power he exuded. He managed to look menacing and just at the same time. He could probably lift her with one hand. And even with his scowl, she didn’t miss the full lower lip that she had the sudden urge to bite.

She took a step back and feigned innocent confusion, widening her eyes and blinking rapidly. “I’m trying to get out. Do you know if Mulvari’s okay?” Maybe if she brought the focus to the real criminal, he’d go find him.

His dark gaze swept her body. “Mulvari isn’t—”

Three guards ran in their direction, shouting and waving their arms. “We need your help, Lash. The fire has spread and the gate—”

Thank you, guards
. She ducked around the demon’s massive body and darted down the hall, far enough away from him that clouds of smoke rose between them. Pulling the shadows around herself, she ran, dodging demons and fae.

The long hall took her into a huge kitchen. Finding it empty, she saw a door on the far side, leading to the backyard.
Perfect
. Focused on it, she charged forward and tripped. Tumbled ass over black strappy heels onto the stone floor.
What the—

A growl came from a drooling mouth. Red eyes glowed in the dark. Shit. How did a hellhound get inside? Her concentration broke with her fall, so the beast could see her as well as it could smell her. She scooted back, but not before its snapping teeth locked onto her ankle.

She kicked the dog in the nose, forcing it to loosen its grip enough to jerk her leg free. The wound wasn’t deep but dammit, it was messy. Blood dripped on the floor. It would attract the other hounds. The hound in front of her snarled. She needed out of here, pronto.

Reaching for her mage blade, she drew off its sheath. The overgrown canine barked at the glowing metal. The thief waved it back and forth. The hound looked confused then mesmerized, as she’d expected it would, as it tracked the brightness.
Kind of like how birds like shiny objects.
She plunged it deep into the animal’s neck. A tiny whimper cut off and it thudded to the floor.

Clambering to her feet, she raced for the door, keeping the knife in hand in case more hounds showed up. And since she was now leaving a blood trail, they surely would. Damn smelly beasts.

She burst through the door and across the backyard, cloaking herself once again. The night air swirled cool caresses against her wet leg.

Deep baying echoed off the stone walls of the house as four hounds charged around the corner.
How did they pick up the blood scent that fast?
They ran across her trail and stopped, muzzles brushing the grass. With renewed growls, they changed direction to follow her.

She ran as fast as she could, gritting her teeth against the pain in her ankle, heels sinking into the lush lawn. Voices carried on the gentle wind, from the sides or front of the house, she guessed. All she cared about was getting to that rear gate.

The thief reached it and grabbed the handle. Locked.
Who locks the gates from the inside?
Damn Mulvari. She looked up. Not as tall as the front one, but still at least seven feet of straight, smooth wood.

She yanked a bracelet off her wrist. It looked like a simple braid of metal, a trinket one could find anywhere. Pressing a button on the inner curve, it snapped open and extended to a length of about four feet. A hook formed where the original circle had been, and as she flung it to the top of the gate, the rope extended farther.

The sound of barking drew close behind her. With the hook secure, she threw her clutch over the gate and grasped her magic rope in both hands. Hauling her weight, digging her heels into the wood, she climbed as fast as she could.

A hound jumped up and snapped, its teeth coming too close to her uninjured leg. She resisted the urge to kick it, needing to get the hell out of there.

At the top, she straddled the gate and wrenched her hook free. She pressed the button again and the length disappeared. Placing the bracelet back on her wrist, she looked down the other side. The wood surface was rough and unfinished, but no one was there.

Thud!

The gate shook with the weight of a hound slamming its massive body into the wood. Scrambling to stay upright and not tumble back into its waiting jaws, she squeezed her knees tightly and struggled for a handhold. Those goddamn beasts easily outweighed her. She clutched the gate but then another, larger, hound threw its body against the wood. The gate jolted hard, and her balance was lost.

She let go and fell down the back side, skidding awkwardly against the gate. Her head bounced against it as she slid, and she landed hard on the grass.

Another thud rattled the gate and she rubbed the back of her head, wincing. Next she inspected her ankle and found two ugly punctures.

Shaking her head, she mentally cursed a foul streak. She didn’t heal as quickly as Lash demons did, but at least the wounds were already closing. She’d picked up her clutch to call Sebastian when she heard keys scrape in the gate’s lock. Damn it. Taking off at a full sprint, she ran away from the stone wall.

Black night yawned before her. The mansion backed up to the mountains, and she’d climb all night if she had to. She wanted to fist pump the air, but needed to put a bit more distance between her and those damn hounds first. Thirty feet away…now forty—

Her feet slid and shot out from under her. She gasped. She was falling. Arms flailing, feet churning, she felt nothing around her. Saw nothing in front of her. Not even the moon lit her way. She must have gone over a cliff. A ravine? What…

She landed hard on her back. The air whooshed out of her lungs, and her head bounced on small rocks. Her body rolled, sliding downward.
Down where?
Darkness closed in fast, blanketing all her senses.

C
HAPTER
17

T
HE
GRAY
LIGHT
OF
DAWN
attempted to fight its way into Gin’s bedroom. It was having a heck of a time, only able to squeeze out a thin border around her room-darkening shades. She needed pitch-black to sleep.

Well, usually. Last night they could have had a midnight sun and she probably would have nodded off. Sex with Mathias was beyond incredible. Beyond hot. It was like a nuclear bomb exploding in her soul, wiping out everything that had been before. He’d melted her body from the inside out, worshipping her with his mouth one minute and telling her what to do the next. He’d owned her. But he’d also respected her and made her feel beautiful.

She glanced at him lying next to her. The dim light allowed her to see only his profile. He lay on his back, one arm over his eyes, his chest rising and falling with even breaths.

That chest…that tattoo. She didn’t expect the bold swirls mixed with intricate, jagged lines. It was different from anything she’d ever seen and she wanted to look at it again, but the room was too dark. She could crack the shade just a bit…

“You’re staring.” His deep rumble startled her.

“I didn’t know you were awake.” She nibbled her lip. “You looked so peaceful.”

He rolled to his side and propped up an elbow. “You look…” He lifted a lock of her hair. “Sexy.” He moved closer, his face inches from hers. “Delicious. Good enough to eat.”
 

“Yeah?” She skated a finger down his bicep.

“Hell yeah.” He moved fast. His lips covered hers at the same time his knee nudged her legs apart. She shifted beneath him, cradling his warmth and loving his weight on her. She couldn’t resist squeezing his tight ass, then traced around his hip and snuck her hand between their bodies. Her fingers wrapped around the rigid steel of his erection.

“So hard for me,” she whispered.

He flexed into her hand. “Turn over.”

Holding his gaze for a moment, she debated teasing him, then decided she wanted whatever he had in mind. She rocked her hips, and he pushed back to his knees to let her up.
Damn.

That position gave her a perfect view of his arousal, jutting thick and proud from his ripped abdomen. This time she didn’t allow any debate. She moved swiftly forward onto her knees, taking his cock into her mouth.

“Fuck,” he groaned, dropping a hand into her hair.

She made a humming noise deep in her throat and pulled back to flick her tongue over his tip. Her hand pumped lower down his shaft, in time with her mouth. Shifting her knees around toward the side of the bed, she changed her angle so she could look up at him.

His lips were parted. His eyes watched her mouth working him. Every chiseled muscle of his torso flexed. A surge of feminine power coursed through her, taking in the evidence of her effect on him.

His palm landed on her ass with a smack. She didn’t let up. He tasted too good. A drop of liquid burst on her tongue and she swallowed it, delighted at his response.

He caressed his way down her bottom and dipped teasingly between her legs. She stilled, helpless to do anything but drown in the sensation of his fingers stroking her, and eased back to release him. “No fair.”

“You didn’t listen, Ginger.” He threaded his other hand through her hair, using his grip to pull her head back. “Get on your belly.”

She complied and shot a glance over her shoulder at his chiseled perfection. God, she wanted to lick every inch of him.

He got off the bed to grab his pants, digging around in the pocket. The rip of foil echoed in the room as he prowled back onto the bed, hazel eyes glinting in the early morning dimness. He looked like some kind of predatory sex god, and his sight was set on her.

With powerful, deliberate movements, he guided her legs together and planted his knees on either side of her. God, yes. She was pinned, intoxicatingly vulnerable, and vibrating with anticipation. He rolled the condom on. He dropped kisses down her spine, lingering at her waist. “You smell incredible,” he murmured.