“I think I do.” After all, she’d waited for him, too.
“No, you couldn’t understand what it’s like.” His hands slipped inside the cups of the bra, carefully positioning her breasts in the lace. She could feel his arousal, but he wasn’t pressing take things farther. “You look at me and you hardly ever back away. You treat me like I’m a man. You talk to me.” He shook his head like it was a miracle. “I’ve never had anyone who’d talk to me before. Even when we argue, I only feel passion from you. Never disgust.”
Hope felt her heart turn over. “I feel passion for you. Why would you doubt that?”
Kingu ignored the question. “You make me feel hope that I thought was bled from me long ago.” He sighed, in contentment as he finished adjusting the bra and she remained before him, letting him touch her. “I’ve been alive for so long that the centuries run together, but this short time with you has been the greatest joy of my life.”
Hope titled her head back to look at him thoughtfully. His words reminded her of the way people had reacted to him yesterday. How the Banished Phases had whispered in pitying or frightened tones that she was “The Monster’s Woman,” as she walked through the Cloudland.
This man was so alone it made her want to cry.
Kingu needed her so much. His aloof mask was already slipping and she could see his desperation to have someone care for him. To have her care. Through their connection, he was exposed to her in a way he never could have been with anyone else.
No one had ever needed Hope, before.
It was an amazing feeling, even if it pissed her off that the other Phases didn’t show him the least little bit of understanding for all he’d been through. Being held as a slave would make anyone suspicious and moody and lacking in self-esteem. The other Elementals misjudged him and then left him alone, starving for companionship.
Morons.
Kingu had survived hatred, isolation, slavery, torture… How did he retain his sanity? Keep his tenderness? The man must have a will of iron to endure that kind of degradation and come through it with his soul intact.
She needed to prove to Kingu that they really were destiny. Until Kingu really believed it, he would never be able to relax and let go of his past. He would always be worried about his “missing” soul, or his exotic looks, or whatever other bizarre concerns he had.
He would never be free.
She stared up at him as he caressed her breasts. Kingu wasn’t trying to turn this into a prelude to sex. He was just exploring her body like he was mesmerized by the feel of her skin. As hot as the fire inside of her was burning, Hope was content to just soak in his touch.
“You make me happy, Kingu. Very happy. Even when you’re being stubborn.” She whimpered as he brushed his fingers over her exposed nipples.
Kingu swallowed thickly at the soft sound of pleasure. “Why are you allowing this? Why aren’t you scared of me?”
“I told you. I like monsters.” Hope’s hand slid over his, holding it in place over her breast, pressing it even tighter. “I like you.”
Kingu liked her, too. That was pretty obvious. He cleared his throat, his expression lost. Like he was standing in the middle of a foreign landscape and he knew that he was never going to find his way back to where he started. “Hope, I really would do anything for you. I told you that and I meant it. I will give you anything, if only you’ll stay with me.”
“Well, I’m still waiting for the poodle skirt.”
He lifted one hand and gave his finger a loud snap. The outfit she’d requested lay on the bed, looking surprisingly like she’d envisioned. Hope hadn’t really described all the details, and the ones she had rattled off had been kinda weird, but Kingu just… got it.
Hope felt tears burn the back of her eyes. How could he not see that they were soul mates? She’d just have to make him see. “Thank you, monster.”
“I promised you more.” He snapped his fingers again and racks of clothing appeared. So many different styles and colors that it dazzled her to look at them all. They filled her room, the hallway, and every other spot she could see. There was no way she and Kingu were even going to be able to walk through the house without getting lost in rhinestones and feathers and sequins.
Hope bit back smile and regarded the thousands of outfits seriously. “I think I’ll just take one at a time. Less of a storage problem. Can you just make me something new every morning, instead? Would that be okay?”
“I would love to start each day watching you get ready.” He snapped his fingers again and the clothes went away. “Can I help you put your bra on tomorrow?”
“I already forget how to do it without your expertise. Kiss.” Hope leaned up to brush her lips against his again, satisfied that this time he followed orders and kissed her back.
“I have already forgotten what I would do without you at all, Hope.” Kingu’s eyes glowed with something warmer than just lust. Something bigger. Something that made Hope’s heartbeat speed up. “I’m sorry I was… short with you before. Of course, I will see that Metal Phase free, if you want. It was a small thing to ask.”
Hope wrinkled her nose. “Well, you can’t help free Lycus, now.” She shook her head. “Absolutely not. If I let you do that, you’ll twist it all around in your head and start getting paranoid that I’m a harlot, again. And not in a good way.”
“Oh for gods’ sake.” Red eyes rolled up towards the ceiling. “I would think no such thing. And how could anyone be a harlot in a good way?”
Apparently, he’d never met Hera, of the Heat House. Frankie’s Match gave seminar courses on the joy of manipulation, with a whole lecture on “using men’s sexual stupidity against them.” Hope had flunked it, obviously, but she didn’t feel too bad about the failing grade. No Fire Phases did well in that class. They were a straightforward group about some things.
“Kingu, if I let you help with Lycus, you’ll think that’s the reason I’m standing here naked. You don’t see yourself the way that I see you.” She stared up at his beautiful, brutal face. “You still don’t believe that I genuinely want you. You’ll think you have to buy me.” She patted his arm. “Really, it’ll be better if I just save Lycus myself.”
A frown tugged at his brow. “By yourself?”
“Sure. Don’t worry. I’m positive I can pull off one little jailbreak. I scouted the location yesterday and I’ve been planning it.” She gestured to the maps and blueprints that she’d taken from his library. They were spread out all over her bed.
He arched a brow. “Was my ancient map of the Cloudland always burned like that?”
Hope winced, even though Kingu’s tone was simply conversational. “No. It accidently caught fire. Somehow.” Why did things only go up in flames when she wasn’t trying? “Sorry. Was it really valuable?” It looked really valuable.
“Yes.” He nuzzled her hair.
“Shoot. Well… I can pay you for it. I swear. I have money. Not here, but if you’d take an IOU. Or maybe I could just fix it for you.” She nodded enthusiastically at the idea. “I’m used to fixing things. Do you have tape?”
Kingu’s mouth twitched. “Don’t worry. The map is useless, since I have no desire to explore the Cloudland. Ever.” His pressed a kiss to her temple. “Tell me of your plan for this jailbreak.”
Hope brightened. “Well, I’ve almost worked it all out in my head. All I need it a little dynamite and I’m good to go.” Hopefully, she’d have better luck with this dynamite than she’d had in the past. It tended to blow-up at inconvenient times around her.
Stupid jinx.
“Uh-huh.” Kingu didn’t look convinced that explosives were such a good idea. “I’ll come along and just… watch, then.”
“Watch?” Hope repeated skeptically. “This started out as you watching and became steadily more hands-on.” She looked down at his palms covering her breasts and promptly lost her train of thought. The contrast in their skin was so… hot.
Kingu thought so, too. He followed her gaze
and she could feel his arousal growing.
Hope gave a soft, involuntary sound as he pressed against her, big and hard. “Oh dear.” She wished she didn’t have to give Kingu more time to adjust before they had sex. Hope had to let him feel comfortable, but in the meantime, she was going out of her mind. She rocked against him, her body growing even wetter.
Kingu’s eyes gleamed. There was no way he could miss the scent of her desire. This time, he didn’t accuse her of thinking of Zakkery. He just looked surprised and sort of smug.
His fingers left her breast and traveled downward, under the lacy edge of her underwear. He could have vanished them right off her body in half a second, but he seemed to like the sensation of slipping past the waistband. Of being allowed to touch her blonde thatch of curls beneath the silken barrier. His hand was so big it overflowing the small front panel of the panties as he very gently explored the new territory.
Hope swallowed as he traced along the seam of her body. “Please.” Her legs parted, giving him better access. His wide palm spread her open to his touch and started a slow massage. “Oh yes.” Her head languidly fell back against his chest.
He gave a rumble of pleasure, liking that reaction. “What if I promise to do nothing but observe your rescue mission, unless you need my help?” His voice was a seductive murmur. “It would be completely my decision to come along, in no way based on your incredibly soft body and propensity to get into trouble.”
Hope tried to think logically through the sensual haze. “Now, you’re trying to manipulate me.”
His teeth grazed the side of her neck. “Is it working?”
“Yes.” It came out as a gasp. “I mean, no. If you come along, I’m sure you’ll still get involved and…” She trailed off with a sigh as one large finger slipped inside of her. “Oh dear.” There was no way she’d be able to hold out against this. He pressed upward and she melted into his touch.
“Gods.” He sounded out of breath. Kingu was supporting all of her weight now, not seeming to notice as he somehow managed to stroke every nerve ending in her body. He eased his finger deeper like he was amazed by the sensation. Amazed that she let him. “I had no idea you’d feel so good.” He groaned as she shifted her hips and his finger sunk in right up to his knuckle.
Hope’s mouth parted in pleasure. “Oh, I feel very, very good, right now.” She’d always known she was a sexual person. Most Fire Phases were. At least, when they found their Match. Her whole body was going up in flames. She gave another whimper as he pulled out only to slide back in.
Kingu let out a hiss. “Fuck. You’re so tight.”
And he was so big.
Hope heard the worried undercurrent in his tone and quickly reassured him. “I was made for you. When we make love, you’ll fit inside me perfectly.”
His whole body jerked at her words, his hand becoming rougher than before.
“Oh, Gaia, I knew it would be like this.” The slow burn of desire was becoming an inferno as he stoked in and out of her. Her arm came up to wrap around his neck, gaining leverage as she rocked against his palm. “This is why I waited for you. No one else could ever be so good at this”
Red eyes met hers. “Mine.” The word wasn’t possessive so much as reverent.
“Yours.” Warriors liked to be reassured. And it was the truth. She was his and he was hers. That was the way it worked.
His finger went faster. “I want to come on your mission with you.”
“What…?” Hope tried to concentrate on his words and completely failed. His thumb moved and her mind went blank.
“Say yes, Hope.” This time is was a command and a second finger squeezed inside her.
“Oh God.” She loved it when he didn’t play fair. She was so aroused. So totally at his mercy. He could do anything, have anything, just so he didn’t stop. “Yes.” She panted. “Yes. Fine. You can come, if you let me come. Right now.”
He hesitated, looking strained. “Tell me what you need to finish.”
Her gaze lifted to his, hearing his wariness. He stared back, looking braced for some kind of insult, because he didn’t already know. Did he really think she was going to start complaining?
“Do exactly what you’re doing only harder.” She panted.
His eyebrow compressed in concern. “Harder?”
“You won’t hurt me. I just need a lit bit more.” Dazed blue eyes stayed locked on his. “Please, Kingu.”
The sound of his name had his finger slammed into her. It hitting some magic spot and Hope screamed in release. The whole world exploded, as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her. All she could do was hold on and chant his name.
Just for a second, she though she saw stars.
Kingu let out a long breath as she collapsed against him. His hand still milked the final tremors from her body as if he couldn’t bear to leave her. “Oh, we’re going to be doing this a lot. I need to see it, again.” His mouth glided over her cheek. “And again. And again.”
She swallowed and looked up at him. “You cheated. No fair seducing me to get your way. You’d better behave on our mission, I mean it.”
“Of course, treasure.” He restarted the steady thrusting of his finger, harder than before, and Hope sighed in helpless surrender. His teeth gently nipped her ear. “You won’t even know I’m there.”
Chapter Fifteen
The Revolution-element works itself rarer and rarer;
so that only lighter and lighter bodies will float in it.
Thomas Carlyle- “The French Revolution”
Kahn, of the Light House died in the Fall.
Not literally.
He could still feel his heart beating. He still blinked and swallowed and breathed. Even though he no longer slept more than an hour at a time, he continued to get up each morning and go through the repetitive tasks of daily life.
But, he was still dead.
Filled with nothing but a blind, consuming rage at the world. Sometimes weeks would go by and he’d barely notice. When the plague took his six younger sisters and his cousin, Mara, it killed him, as well. Kahn was only alive in the technical, biological sense.
And that son-of-a-bitch Chason wouldn’t let him rest in peace.
Kahn stalked through the thick foliage of the Light Kingdom. Usually, he took solace in the knowledge that he was the only person for miles. But, of course, his cousin-in-law had to screw that up for him, too.
Since the Fall, there were only six Light Phases left and even that small number bothered Kahn. He had never been a social butterfly, but now being around anyone made him feel agitated and claustrophobic.
He just wanted to be alone.
Not surprisingly, the Light Kingdom stayed bathed in constant light. The sun never set here. As a result, the trees and plants of the kingdom grew to wild and unprecedented heights, with trunks the size of small buildings. The ancient rainforest towered hundreds of feet over the ground, shrouding the entire kingdom. The incredible, golden light fed the plants, but it never reached the ground. Instead, the actual inhabitants of the Light Kingdom lived in shadows. Since only about five percent of the light filtered through the trees, the Light Phases existed in an endless, misty, green twilight.
Rainforests were beautiful.
But, living in one meant no roads or large structures. The forest swallowed up any attempts to build. The trees wouldn’t allow for a lot of expansion and the Light Phases wouldn’t cut many of them down. As a result, they endured a Spartan lifestyle. Unlike the spectacular castles and gravity defying architecture in so many kingdoms, the Light House built their homes in and around the vast forest. Modern conveniences were sketchy at best. Electricity flickered in and out, as the trees disrupted the service. Nobody gave a lot of thought to upgrading anything but battlements, even before the Fall.
So many Houses were about high art and scholarship.
The Light House was about survival.
Light Phases were a paranoid bunch. They hated anyone knowing where
they lived and slept. The Light Fortress itself was a wooden stronghold, all but invisible amid the forest. If anyone invaded their homeland, they’d have to actually find the Light Phases before they could begin their attack.
No outsiders came here.
Except, his fucking cousin-in-law.
“Kahn!” Chason jumped down off the edge of the Light Fortress’s platform and stalked after him. The jerk-off was used to people instantly following his orders. “Get back here! It took me this long to find you and I’m not done speaking with you, yet.”
“Yes, you fucking are.” Kahn turned to jab a finger at him. “You and I have nothing to say to each other. I mean it. Not ever, again. When Mara was alive, I had to put up with you, but no more.”
“Someone stole her body, Kahn. Someone stole my Match out of her crypt and I want to know who it was.”
“Well, it wasn’t me!” Renewed fury went through him at the suggestion. “I don’t need her fucking body. Mara and my sisters are gone. I’ve accepted that.” That was a lie. He would never fully accept the loss. “You’re the one who’s Norman Bates-ing over there in Magnetville.”
“I’m not accusing you of taking her.” Chason shot back. “Not this time, anyway.” He caught up with Kahn, grabbing his arm and spinning him around. “I need to know about your tattoos.”
Kahn’s gaze involuntarily slipped down to his left forearm. The tattoos were memorials. Light House warriors used them as a method of commemorating the dead. Typically, there was one thick, tribal marking for each of the people lost. But, Kahn didn’t stop at seven neat tributes to his sisters and cousin. Instead, he compulsively added more and more, until every inch of skin from his wrist to his elbows was covered.
It was the only outlet he had for his grief.
He saw no reason to tell Chason that, though. Truthfully, he resented having to say anything to the condescending son-of-a-bitch. They had detested each other from the moment they’d met and Mara’s death just brought all their resentment to the surface. Some of her final words to each of them had been pleads to get along.
Treasure of the Fire Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 4) Page 23
