Playing With Fire

by Adrienne Woods et al.

  “This is all my fault,” I whisper.

  Liam snickers. “What are you talking about?”

  “I should have helped you cross over. I should have had my elemental sword. I should have made sure your soul was safe. I… I…” Tears threaten to fall at the brim of my eyelids, and I look away.

  Liam scoots closer, wrapping his arms around me. “You couldn’t have known any of this was going to happen.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I had a job to do. But I was so worried about losing you after I’d finally… I was so stupid. I’ve put your entire soul in jeopardy. I should have remembered about the wraiths. I need to fix this—”

  “How would you even fix it, Eva? It’s not like you can just turn back time and make it all better. We’re here now. And I highly doubt God—or your Guild or whatever, is going to answer any prayers right now. They put us here for a reason. My guess is, they’ll come get us once they’ve decided our fates. That’s how it works, right?” Liam says, placing a crooked index finger under my chin and forcing me to look at him.

  “I don’t know,” I breathe. “Honestly, I don’t know anything anymore.”

  “Come on, don’t be like that. We have each other here and now, and you know there’s something special in that. Don’t you?” he asks, his eyes searching mine. The green flecks twinkle, daring me to defy his inquiry.

  “There’s not a question of—”

  “Good,” he says, cutting me off. “Because as far as I’m concerned, this is a good thing. We were given something, you and I, and we shouldn’t be sitting here feeling sorry about that.”

  “You don’t understand, Liam. Even if the wraiths don’t take our life force, Purgatory itself will still drain it away from us. Eventually, we won’t be who we are. We won’t even remember each other,” I say, trying to ignore the crushing sensation in the center of my chest. “Our souls aren’t meant to be here. We aren’t meant to be here. This was designed as a place to neutralize souls and make them weak and pliable. Strong wills aren’t seen kindly upon in the grand arc of the universe. We all have our laws.”

  Liam’s left hand rises, scratching at the back of his head.

  “How long do we have? Before we begin to lose ourselves?”

  “I don’t know,” I say, shaking my head. “But I suspect not long. I already feel like my memories are slipping from me. I should have been more worried about all of this sooner. I should have remembered—”

  “And I should have done a lot of things differently. What’s your point, woman? We can’t let the past dictate what we do now.”

  My eyes widen and mouth pops open slightly. I can’t believe this is the same Liam. Being here has already altered his perception of who he is. His worries of abandonment, of being unlovable, all of it. It’s fading away.

  “What?” he says, scrunching his face.

  “Uhm, nothing,” I say, shaking my head and trying to smile reassuringly.

  Inside the pit of my stomach, a new kind of terror stretches big and makes room. Liam has been here longer than I have, and this place is already messing with my mind. How much longer do we have before he succumbs? I need to find a way to fix this. And fast.

  Liam sighs, “You know, Eva, I don’t know much about all this supernatural stuff—at least, not the way you do—but I do know I’m grateful for it. I’ve never felt so unburdened. So at peace with who I am and even my future. I feel like it’s all gonna work out.”

  I snort. “I wish I could be so sure.”

  “What has you so worried?”

  “Did you miss everything I was just saying?” I say, eyes wide.

  “No, but I think you’re missing everything I am. Eva, I’m dead. I don’t know what that will ultimately mean for me, but I do know I don’t have time to waste worrying about it. Maybe that’s a lesson I should have learned when I was alive. We only have right now,” he says, running the back of his fingers along my cheek.

  “But there’s so much you don’t understand,” I whisper, trying to follow where he wants to lead.

  “And I don’t care. I need you here with me. Right now, in this moment. I don’t want to do what’s logical, or practical. I want to follow where my heart is leading me. Can you trust that?”

  His hazel eyes plead with me, and I can’t help but let my guard down. I sigh, releasing my shoulders and leaning into his touch.

  “What do you want me to do?” I ask.

  “Let go. If all we have is right now, then be here. Focus on me, on what we both want. Then it’s something they can never take away—even if…” his voice trails off, “it will still have happened.”

  “What are you suggesting?” I ask, my heart suddenly thrumming loudly in my ears.

  “I’m suggesting we let go—that we hold on. Eva, I want to experience you. I want you to experience me, too. I want to be connected in a way neither of us have ever felt before. Is that too much to ask of this godforsaken universe? I want to show you how much your love has meant to me, even when I didn’t know—” he says, sliding his hand down my neck and tracing along my collar bone.

  A shudder rolls through me and, despite myself, my anxiety begins to melt away. Would it hurt to be selfish? To give in and simply be here with him? To open up and give him all of myself?

  Suddenly, a flash of insight sweeps through me. Maybe he’s not the only one who’s felt unlovable. My god, it’s something we’ve shared all along…

  Tilting my head to the side, I give in to his touch, focusing on the heat from his hands on my cool skin. The water has all but dried off now, but this little alcove is anything but warm. It doesn’t matter, though. Fire creeps slowly through my veins, enticing every aspect of my body to relax and give in.

  Liam bends forward, placing his lips against my shoulder as he shifts his hips closer. His right hand reaches around, running along my left arm, and sending goosebumps through my entire body.

  I close my eyes, letting out a soft moan.

  His touch, it’s so gentle and so sure at the same time. I’m suddenly consumed by it and want nothing else in this whole wide existence than to be his. Body and soul.

  Leaning back onto the moss, I reach for him to follow me.

  “Are you… I mean, are you sure about this? I don’t want you to feel like I was pressuring. It’s just that—” he begins.

  I place my index finger over his lips, clamping them shut. Concern sweeps across his features as he watches me intensely, but I slip on what I hope is a seductive smile.

  “Liam, you’re right. We may only have this moment and I don’t want to spend what little time we have worrying about a future that may or may not come. I have fantasized about this moment with you more times than I can count. I know it might sound silly or weird. But I have. Now that it’s here, I am so ready. I want to know what it feels like. What you feel like,” I whisper, knowing this might be our only chance before I have to do something drastic.

  Without another word, he bends forward, his lips crushing against mine. Heat rolls off his body as he presses his hips forward. My body begins to vibrate, tingling with excitement for what happens next.

  I feel his excitement grow, both in his kisses and in his body’s response to our connection. Despite myself, I’ve seen him in this act—but never truly thought in a million years I would experience it with him. Regardless of how many times I’d fantasized about it.

  Breaking from my lips, his kisses trail to my cheeks, my eyelids, eyebrows, and into my neck. As his breathing gets heavier, mine does as well. Somehow, I’m unable to keep centered and calm. My thoughts of plans and next steps melt away, and all I want in the world is to stay here forever—to touch, feel, experience Liam for as long as possible.

  Liam pulls back slightly, his dreamy eyes locking with mine.

  “Where have you been my whole life, Eva?” he whispers, placing gentle kisses on my lips.

  “I’ve always been here,” I whisper back, running my hands through his gorgeous dark hair.

 
A sexy smile graces his lips, brightening his face and melting my heart.

  “I know what you said about this place, but I think you’re wrong. This is heaven,” he says, running his left hand along the side of my face. “It has to be.”

  Reaching up, I pull his face to mine and flick the tip of my tongue against the fleshy part of his lower lip. My hands roam, groping at the muscles of his back, tugging him closer to me. As if pushing the “on” button, Liam springs to life with more fervor as he hoists my legs up over his hips.

  I suck in a breath, allowing my hands to travel to his backside in an attempt to urge him forward.

  For a moment, he hovers, waiting just on the border of entry. My body pulsates as he rests there, waiting for one more silent approval from me. In response, I raise my hips, slowly opening myself to his advances as I take him in me, inch by inch. Like a gateway opening for the first time, I feel everything about him as he slides inside. My body bursts with excitement, wanting more of him—all of him. Everything he is, was, and will be.

  With one hand free, he wanders my body, finding his way to my breasts as he gently squeezes and pinches. Unable to help myself, a moan escapes my lips and I clutch at him, urging him to continue.

  Liam groans softly, closing his eyes and thrusting forward.

  “Oh, God…” he murmurs into my ear as he lowers his torso to mine.

  I shudder as his breath races across my skin and I bite my lip to keep from screaming in pleasure. Imagination only takes you so far—and this… it’s beyond my comprehension.

  Our movements begin to sync up, as we thrust against each other in a dance of the most intense energy I’ve ever felt. It rises like a magical force, binding us in space and time to a place where no other thoughts or worries could even attempt to enter.

  “Eva, you—oh my God—” Liam says, his words disjointed and breath jagged.

  With a sudden burst of creativity, I press my right leg into the ground, rolling us both over.

  Liam’s eyes widen in surprise, but he collects himself quickly.

  “You’re a take-charge kind of woman, I see,” he says playfully. “I love it.”

  Raising an eyebrow, I grab hold of both of his hands and raise them above his head. Pinning them down with my left, I bend in, placing small kisses along his torso.

  “Guardian, remember? It’s in my blood,” I say, flicking my tongue across the sensitive places, making him squirm beneath me.

  Smiling, I slowly rock backward. His eyes close as he’s buried deeper—touching even more sensitive places within me than before. We rock backward and forward, intertwined in one another. Liam sits up, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his face between my breasts. He plants kisses on my chest, taking one breast in his hands, the other in his mouth. The intensity of it catches me off guard and I rise quickly from him, trying to compose my body’s reactions. But it’s no use, the swell reaches its tipping point and unleashes its torrent within me.

  “No, no… oh, yes,” I cry out, finally giving in to it.

  Liam is seconds behind me, clutching at my waist and holding me tightly to him, as he thrusts upward. His release is hot, and sticky, and messy, and it sends another tremor through me.

  “Oh, Eva,” he says, placing his hands on either side of my face and drawing me to him. He kisses me hungrily at first, but it tapers to soft, gentle ones. “That was—you were…” he says, brushing strands of hair from my face. “I’m just…”

  “At a loss for words?” I offer, planting my own kisses along his cheeks.

  “Yes,” he nods.

  I laugh softly, unable to hide the joy welling inside me.

  “So, I’ve officially made love to an angel,” Liam says, laughing softly as he plays with the ends of my hair. “How strange is that?”

  Silence sits between us for a moment as I take in his words.

  “Technically, I don’t know what I am anymore,” I say, looking up at him.

  He holds my gaze, running his fingertips along the curve of my body. “You’re still an angel to me.”

  Chapter 14

  Recompense

  Wrapped up in Liam’s arms, I can’t imagine a more euphoric place. Comfortable bliss takes hold, lulling us both into an easy sleep, but rest doesn’t linger long for me.

  Nearby, a moaning wail pulls me from my slumber, instantly putting me on edge. My eyes pop open and, in the darkness, a strange, purple light beyond the waterfall greets me. Beside me, Liam’s breathing is slow and deep, and I would hate more than anything to awaken him. For once, he seems to be resting comfortably.

  However, my Guardian instincts niggle at me to get up and check things out. After all, what if the wraiths were to traverse the water? Or something else? We wouldn’t stand a chance. Slipping carefully from his arms, I inch away slowly to take a look around. There's no sign of intruders in our little sanctum, but there's no telling what could be just on the other side of the falls.

  Even over the crashing of the water beside me, I make out another cry in the distance. Its proximity makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I slip a tentative foot into the water. Shooting a final glance at Liam, I immerse my lower body into the water and walk through the waterfall. To blend myself into the movement, I walk to the edge of the falls—but only enough to be able to see through the crashing water. When nothing unusual stands out, I crouch down and slowly move forward into the eerie light.

  With only the tip of my head visible once I’ve cleared the waterfall, I sweep my gaze from one side of the lake to the other. There’s no sign of movement in the water, but as I turn to face the way I’ve come, the moonlight illuminates the source of the wails. The landings on both sides of the falls are covered with wraiths, all milling about as if they’re looking for something they’ve forgotten.

  “Oh my God,” I say, my mouth dropping open in horror. There’s easily fifty or more at various points along the waterfall’s cliffside. Covering my mouth with my hand, my mind whirls in a hundred different directions.

  How do I protect us from all of them? I don’t have clothes, let alone a weapon. I should have kept the makeshift one I made earlier with us at all times. What was I thinking?

  Narrowing my eyes, I watch the wraiths’ movements. They all mill about, not really active, but not inert, either. Why are they not converging? Is the water keeping them away? Or is it something else? Do they need to be able to see us in order to make a move? How fast can they move if they were to see someone they… wanted?

  I swallow hard. I’m not sure I want to know the answer to that. Whirling around, I peer to the other end of the lake. Would it be wise to make a move? Move slowly from here to the other end and make a run for it?

  In the center of the lake, the purple glow is intense, tugging at a memory just out of reach. There’s something special about it, but I’m not sure what. Closing my eyes, I place my fingertips to my eyebrow, trying to recollect. But just like grains of sand slipping through my fingertips, the idea is hard to hold onto.

  Purple… swirling… light…

  It’s like a gateway to another world, only we’re trapped in the one place without an out. Well, unless you wanted to talk to the…

  My eyes flip open.

  The Intermediaries!

  Assessing the water with new eyes, I search the space for the telltale sign—a swirled design with a center of bright, white light. Like a plug being pulled or the form a shell. From this angle it’s hard to tell for certain, but as I slowly back up, tendrils of it become evident.

  This is no ordinary pool of water; it’s the gateway meant for communication. Like the single phone call a human receives at the police station.

  My insides twist with this new information, urging me to take action—or at least remember there is action that can be taken. But my mind continues to contort and twist, and thoughts jumble up. If I were to talk to them—if I were to explain that we don’t belong here, maybe we can get out. I could take Liam with me a
nd we’d be—

  I turn back to the waterfalls, clinging to a new plan. But off to the right, I make out a form moving with more certainty than any wraith would be able to muster. He moves quickly, traversing the rocky cliffside toward the edge of the waterfall.

  Liam—I need to get back to him.

  Without another thought, I dive into the water, bypassing the waterfall completely by propelling myself under it. When I come up on the other side, I spit out water that’s tried to make its way into my nose and lungs. I grope at my eyes, trying to wipe away the water so I can make sure Liam’s okay.

  “Eva? What are you—?” Liam says, sitting up. With the soft purple light reflecting from the lake, I can barely make out his figure, but I can see the outline of him—and another body making its way toward him.

  “Liam, get up. You have to move,” I croak, forcing my legs to push me through the water. The resistance is brutal, and I slam my knee into the edge of the rocks as I pull myself out.

  “What is it? What’s going on?” he says, making his way to me. Despite being dry, he wraps his arms around me.

  “I knew it was just a matter of time,” Jake says, flicking his head to the side and sending water flying. “If there’s one thing wraiths are good for, it’s being living-dead metal detectors. Well, living-dead-living detectors, anyway.” He scrunches his face and the purple shadows contort his features, making him look far more ominous than in actuality.

  “What do you want, Jake? We already told you, we want nothing to do with your—”

  “Oh, I’m over all that,” the incubus says, waving a hand in front of him. “Besides, the two of you really aren’t my type. Too goodie-two-shoes for my liking. Though that was before I got to see you in full glory…” He takes a slight step back, placing a hand on his hip. “Maybe if I had done that, we’d be in a different place right now.”