Rafi knelt on the bed, sitting back on his heels as he lifted her, keeping her back to him, and straddling her legs around him. She fed his huge, hard-ridged cock into her body. As she leaned back to take him within her, he pulled her arms behind her, arching her back. He bounced in a slow gravitational rise and deep fall, filling, releasing, and reclaiming with every bounce.
Maintaining the arch in her back, knowing this pounding was nailing her G-spot each time, Rafi bounced faster, reveling in Sylvia’s wetness covering his thighs, the softness of her body as she surrendered to both their pleasure and her infinite trust of him. The sense of tipping upon him, Rafi groaned, lifting her with his cock until he was off his heels, and she on her knees. Her hips became a deepening blue as he pounded hard within her, overcome by the need to swim for air, seeking only her to buoy him. His seed exploded, releasing him into her seas to float away within them.
Chapter Fourteen
The bartender slid an ice cold beer in front of Theo, his second, when the air changed. His eyes rose and raked the room, picking out the redhead who moved with the walk of a woman who got whatever she wanted. Gorgeous, creamy skinned with long auburn hair and a crisp white sundress that made her curves, and they were sublime, pop. Every man at the bar shifted gears, and the sense of positioning, of game playing, began.
Mr. Too Eager hopped off his bar stool and offered his seat, receiving a vague smile. Mr. Slick caught the bartender’s eye and motioned for her drink on him. The college men, whose open, hungry appraisal meant they had no chance, and Mr. Over the Hill, whose eyes measured, wondering if Sugar Daddy was in her vocabulary, were all left in her chill.
Theo’s vantage point, with his back to the wall and an easy in and out, let him watch her give the room a quick once over, then move to the empty seat next to him. She met his gaze with a frank look, clear green eyes holding his ice-blue stare until he’d seen what he needed to see.
“This is a questionable choice,” Theo said. “There are forty people here.”
“If I was so inclined, I could level this,” Pirro replied, flipping his red hair over his shoulder and pressing his breasts into Theo’s arm to speak into his ear. “If I did, these forty would be the first to die. This is up to you.”
“Why do you care? You created your path, walk it,” Theo’s voice was low, the taunt, obvious.
“All who know of me will perish, human or otherwise. No one can stop me. You, your sister, and the Tina woman are loose ends, Brother. I’m cleaning up Rafi’s mess.”
Theo laughed, leaning closer, gripping the hair at the back of Pirro’s neck and staring into his eyes, his voice low, unhurried, and dangerous. “Your mess, Pirro, and yours alone. Rafi died trying to make you see your madness, but instead, you’ve jumped in feet first, determined to sink in your own quicksand. Tell me, how does it feel to be rogue, alone, brotherless for all time? You traded your nobleness for a few grains of megalomania, a self-lauding that will end in your death.”
“Enough. Either leave with me now and meet death outside, or I will end you here and send this building’s occupants with you. You are dead either way, Brother. The timing is up to you.”
“I am not afraid of your delusions, Pirro, however mighty you think you might be.”
With a small gesture for Pirro to walk first, Theo threw a twenty on the bar and followed the redhead’s swinging hips out, calculating. The Suites have a sizeable parking garage, it will have to do. We’ll cause a scene, but not at first. I hope my dragon skin is Djinn proof, and that Rafi gets Sylvia out of this building. Pay attention, Brother. The tornado is coming.
RAFI LOOKED AT SYLVIA, her body tucked into his, fingertips tracing his chest. Blue eyes flicked up, catching his as the realization hit them both. She whispered, “It feels funny again.”
Pirro is here. Still, Pirro no longer looks for me, only Sylvia. I move as unknown magic in the world. This is my advantage.
“Get up, love. Do you trust me?”
“With my life.” Sylvia grabbed her clothes, dressing with shaking hands.
“It won’t come to that. Pirro is here. I have to get you to safety. Go out on the balcony.”
“Theo! We have to warn him, Rafi.” Sylvia picked up her purse, looking at the door.
“Theo is a fully functioning dragon, love. He can hold his own. You cannot defend yourself. Theo would make the same call, and you know it, Sylvia.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want to you jump.”
“You mean off the balcony? From the fifth floor?”
“Yes. Are you ready?”
“What? No! This is insane.”
“Sylvia, we have no time to lose. I will catch you. The longer we take here, the longer Theo has to hold off Pirro. Hold my clothes and don’t drop them.”
Oh, my God! This is crazy. Pirro could kill Theo! I, oh, screw it.
Eyes on Rafi, she swung a leg over the railing. “I love you. Catch me, OK?”
His laugh rumbled, and he nodded.
Scared but determined, she flung herself out into nothing.
AT THE TOP OF THE PARKING garage, Theo shifted as Pirro dissolved into smoke, twisting into a spin, picking up cars, clearing the area.
I’ve got to conserve strength, let him play offense while I figure out what might work.
With a hard downbeat, he lifted off, watching within the twister as Pirro shot a Miata at him. He avoided it, feinting right. Cars flew into Pirro, and Theo saw several cars folding together.
Fuel
Theo shot fire, and the cars exploded, causing the twister to stagger and reduce while pelting his dragon skin with painless shrapnel that fell to the floor without inflicting injury. “Thanks for that nice scratch, Pirro. You missed a spot.”
PIRRO SWERVED, HIS winds pushing cars into a mountain of metal before careening back, zigzagging to get Theo between him and the cars.
Shockwave. Dammit!
Theo shot up but not fast enough. Pirro’s wave caught him, smashing the dragon into the top of the stacked cars. The pile shifted, metal screeching as Theo fell to the ground, dazed, a Volkswagen Beetle bouncing off his back legs. The tornado grew wide, rising high as he scrambled to get his feet underneath him, desperate to get into the air.
I can’t make it over him in time.
He stretched long and low, aiming for Pirro’s base, breaking his contact with the ground. The twister tumbled to the left, shrinking before reconnecting with the ground. Several rotations later, Pirro’s funnel recovered.
Theo did it again. Why is this happening? He must need the contact, and my magic prevents it. He angled for a third attack, sliding under Pirro and holding in place beneath the nadir of the funnel, beating his wings to push his body down and avoid being sucked into Pirro. Based on Rafi’s experience, not a place I want to visit.
The keening, raging wail emanated from Pirro, who kept moving, pulling the tornado’s tail off Theo. He adjusted and kept disrupting, attacking and displacing the tip of the whirlwind, then threw back his head and released dragon fire into the center of the twister. From the road below, the glow filled the night. The twister imploded, dropping away to nothing.
It can’t be that simple.
The scrape alerted him. He turned, eyes traveling along the huge chest and neck of a green dragon five times his size.
“Time to die, Theo,” it hissed through a spray of gold and copper sparks.
Theo lifted. I trust my mobility in the air far more than on the ground. Rising, the huge dragon’s wings beat down, pushing him towards Theo far faster than Theo could dodge. Jaws crunching, the great beast tore Theo’s wings from him, then tossed his body over the side of the parking ramp to the concrete below.
THE GROUND RUSHED UP at Sylvia, starring in horror at the pool deck below. The rug slid under her body, lifting her up and away from the motel.
“A magic carpet? Are you serious, Rafi? I couldn’t ride out on you? My heart is beating out of my chest.”
> The rug made a bump, and Sylvia squeaked. “OK, OK, we’re good. Stop being a stinker.”
They glided into the back of Tina’s place, landing behind her pool enclosure. Rafi dressed to the sound of Puddles’ enthusiastic barking. They made their way to the front door, Tina’s hugs, and a sense of having dodged a bullet.
“Tina, put Sylvia and Puddles in your car and drive. Get as far away from here as you can. Leave a number with Sean for me, but tell him not to put my name on it. I want to protect Sean if I can. Go now. All three of you are in danger.”
“What? I can’t do that, Rafi. I have court tomorrow.”
“Go to court if you must, but don’t stay here and keep moving every night.” Turning to Sylvia and pulling her in for a kiss, he murmured, “I have to help your brother. Stay safe. I love you in every dimension, for all time. You will not see me, but know this in your heart.”
“Why not? Rafi, what are you saying?”
His whisper rumbled in her ear. “I am your death sentence, love. Pirro feels magic. You had to jump from the building so that my shift would be beyond the walls of the hotel and feel like unknown magic in the world. I will not endanger you. Do not look for me.”
Scratching Puddles on the head, he looked into the dog’s eyes, adding, “Whatever it takes, keep them safe.”
With a final smile for Sylvia, he slipped out the door, gone to smoke in an instant, rocketing back to the motel.
“This is crazy, Sylvia. I didn’t spend three thousand on a security system to take Panic’s Road-trip.”
“Tina, do you trust me?”
Her eye-roll said volumes.
“Then we have to go. Take what you need and let’s get out of here.”
RAFI WAS A QUARTER mile from the parking garage when he saw an enormous dragon fling Theo’s wingless body over the edge. Diving to catch him, Rafi watched Pirro as he spat Theo’s wings after him, then fade to smoke. Rafi swirled in low, circling Theo’s body and wings and crossing into the interdimensional plane.
“Greetings, Rafael. Who have you brought?”
“Theo. Pirro tore his wings off. It’s bad.”
Haseya knelt next to Theo, her hand on his forehead to quiet the pain for a moment. “Theo, can you hear me? It’s critical that you hold this form. Do not shift, regardless of the pain. Nod if you understand.”
Theo nodded, smoke puffing from him. A switch flipped. It’s as if Pirro ripped my backbone from me.
“I cannot stay,” Rafi told Haseya. “His sister and a human are also in danger.”
Zayn came from a room at the back of the hut, holding a happy-faced, dark-eyed baby.
“Brother.”
“You have a child? A son?”
“A daughter. She is my second light in the world’s darkness.”
“You have found a new path, Brother. Still Djinn, yet more.”
Zayn looked at Theo, the horrific damage to his back, the shredded, broken wings next to him, and the obvious agony in his yellow eyes. “You fought with valor to protect those you love, Theo. Heal my Brother. I step into this fight in your place.”
“No, Zayn,” Theo whispered, sparks falling from his snout onto the dirt floor. “I can’t ask that of anyone.”
“You did not have to, my Brother.”
Haseya took their daughter, kissed Zayn and whispered, “When Theo is whole, we will both join you. This Pirro cannot prevail, laying waste to life unchecked. We must restore balance and let life’s circles continue unmolested.”
With a nod, Zayn and Rafi vanished.
Chapter Fifteen
Flinging Tina’s suitcase into the trunk and maneuvering Puddles into the backseat, Sylvia climbed into Tina’s Nissan 370z. Tina slid behind the wheel, pressed the start, then hit the code to open the garage door. She twisted to back out and froze, seeing the men holding up badges in the spotlit driveway.
Sylvia whipped around. “Tina, that’s Detectives Boggus and Murphy. No matter what happens, take Puddles and get the hell away from this house. Promise me!”
“I promise, but damn, girl. What is going on? Do you need a lawyer present?”
“I have done nothing, so I don’t think so. Turn off the car.”
Sylvia climbed out of the car. “Detectives.”
“Ms. Bravian. We’d like to ask you a few questions. Will you come with us, please?”
“Of course. Tina, can you watch Puddles for me?”
“Sure. Call me if you need anything.” The faint stress placed on the word meant Tina was ready to come in guns blazing if she needed her.
“Love you, Thanks, girl.”
Sylvia walked out of the garage, uneasy, as the detectives flanked her to walk to their car.
AT THE STATION, SYLVIA sat waiting. I’m in an interrogation room. Holy crap! What on earth happened at the hotel? Is Theo ok?
Boggus watched her through the glass. I can’t shake the sense in my gut that this girl is innocent. She’s a pawn, but a pawn of what?
Murphy entered the room and sat across the table from Sylvia. He began by running down the standard list of her generic information. Sylvia’s openness and simple eagerness to help earned her a small smile from Murph.
“Can you tell me where you were tonight?”
“I was at the Embassy Suites, and Rafi gave me a ride to Tina’s.”
“Where is Rafi now?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where is your brother?”
“He was at the hotel bar when I left; I don’t know where he is right now. Why?”
Murphy ignored that and pressed, passing a photo across the desk, “What can you tell me about this?”
The picture was of the top level of the parking garage, every car totaled. Some appeared to be smoking. Sylvia gasped.
“What happened? Where is this?”
“Your hotel, Ms. Bravian. Your brother is not in your room or on the hotel premises. We need to determine if he saw anything.”
“Did you call him?”
Her panic is real. She might have a crumb of an idea about this, but she’s as confused as she looks. “He is not answering his phone.”
Sylvia looked at the picture again, horrified, as Boggus opened the door. Murphy got up.
“I’ll be back in a moment, Ms. Bravian.”
Murphy closed the door as he left the room and looked at Boggus. “Max, that woman is not lying and none of this makes a damn bit of sense.”
“Agreed. I took eyewitness reports saying a woman fell off the fifth floor, her floor, but there’s no body. You took reports about a tornado, a fire, and a huge gator flying off the top of the parking garage, but again, no body. People lie all the time, but these accounts aren’t lies, they have no purpose, and something shook those witnesses. A gator-flinging tornado on a parking garage? We’re way past weird, Murph.”
“I need to make a call, Max. I’ll be a few minutes.”
“Go ahead. I’ll talk to her. I don’t think there’s much there and I’m ready to cut her loose. She’s scared, though. The brother is tight with her. We need to find him.”
“HELLO, NANA, IT’S ME, Patrick, in Florida.”
“Paddy, are you well?”
“I am. I wondered if you’d listen to a wild tale and give me your thoughts.”
“Tell me a tale, Paddy Murphy.”
“I’ve got a reservoir that exploded in two directions and drained 15 billion gallons of water back into the earth. I’ve got another huge lake that lost 15% of its water in one night, and an eyewitness who says there were two tornados on the surface, wailing and acting like they were dueling. Witness also says they merged and sank just before an explosion. I’ve got two men whose faces don’t show up on photos. There’s a sheriff from a town out in New Mexico who has weird ice-blue eyes. He’s gone missing. I’ve got a parking garage whose top floor looks like a tornado sat up there and spun while compressing cars into bricks, a woman who seems to always be where the trouble is, yet radiates innocence. A wind event fl
attened her house after the lake level dropped. Does any of this sound like there’s an, um, unusual explanation?”
“I can think of one, but you won’t like it.”
“Nana, I’m out of logical, that’s why I called.”
“Paddy Murphy, you’ve got a Djinn. From the sound of your tale, I think two. The fellow with the odd eyes could be something, but I’d bet he’s not a Djinn, and your woman is nothing, just a witness they want gone. Djinn can’t hurt humans... well now, I suppose they can, but they shouldn’t. Perhaps they were plying trickery, and she saw. Now they want to scare her, shut her up.”
“Okay, I’ll read up on that. Could they be anything else?”
“I doubt it. You’re describing profound magic. Versatile and powerful, Djinns live to make human life difficult. Djinns do all the things you describe. Shock waves, winds, even electrical surges. Djinns appear as anything or nothing. Be careful, Paddy. That nice dog could be a monster.”
“Thanks, Nana. I love you.”
“Ah, I love you, too. Pay attention to those tingles, Paddy Boy. They are a protection.”
Murph disconnected. Dog. Dog. She mentioned a dog at the reservoir. Bravian’s dog survived the event. Something... alternative? First, to read up on the Djinn.
THEO’S DESPERATE SCREAMS into the dirt gave Haseya pause. Perhaps this is his time to cross. Am I making a mistake?
“Theo, if your body tells you this is wrong, we can stop. Each life has an end.”
This struggle, to stay in form while undergoing the rebuilding of my spine and wings, is exhausting. I’ve never come so close to being some place... else. I could go. It feels... easy.
The dirt made him sneeze, eliciting excruciating pain from neck to mid-tail. Theo panted, holding in place.
I can’t leave Sylvia alone in the world. My sister needs me. She is worth this time of suffering.
Swimming for Air Page 8
