by Quinn Loftis
Gabby grumbled. “There are so many things wrong with that sentence.” Why was she still pressed up against him? Why wasn’t she stepping away and throat punching him so she could test his theory?
“I hate to interrupt,” Professor Frost called from further up the mountain, “but I need you two to work through the whole soul-bonded thing a little later. Perhaps after we keep the volcano from cooking the whole island?”
Gabby started to step back, but Liam released one of her hands and put his hand on the back of her head. He held her still as he pressed his lips to her forehead. It wasn’t a quick kiss and it wasn’t soft. It was firm and long enough that it was clear he was in control of the situation.
She closed her eyes and let herself soak in the moment of tenderness. She had rarely experienced any tenderness in her life. She had rarely been touched in any kind way, and she found herself enjoying it more than she should. He finally dropped his hand and stepped back. He didn’t let go of the hand he’d been holding since they’d started up the mountain. But instead, he turned and started moving again, pulling her along with him.
They didn’t speak as they jogged up the rest of the way until they were standing beside Professor Frost.
Gabby looked up and was shocked to see how close they were to the top of the volcano. She could see the small eruptions that didn’t make it over the mouth of the mountain but fell back into the inner inferno.
She glanced at Liam and saw sweat trickling down his face and neck. She wasn’t sweating at all. She looked back at Frost and saw that the professor wasn’t sweating either.
Gabby realized they weren’t affected by the heat like Liam because of their affinity for fire.
“Are you alright?”
Liam heard the concern in Gabby’s voice and forced himself not to wrap an arm around her. She cared. She might not realize it, but the look in her eyes made it clear that she was concerned about him.
“I’m fine, beautiful,” he said gently. What he didn’t say was that he was hot as hell and could seriously use a cold shower and not because he’d just been pressed tightly against her.
“Is he going to be okay being this close to the top?” Gabby asked Professor Frost.
Liam wondered if his face matched the shocked expression on Frost’s face. Gabby’s voice was firm and clearly confrontational, as if she planned to do something about it if he wasn’t safe.
Frost recovered more quickly than Liam did. “Not without help,” she admitted.
That had his attention as he turned back to the professor. “Um, what?” he asked as he felt Gabby’s hand tighten on his.
“You’re going to need some help protecting your flesh from the heat,” Frost told him.
“You didn’t mention that down at the bottom, teach,” Liam pointed out.
“I don’t have to disclose all information to you until I feel it’s necessary,” she said.
“It’s kind of necessary now,” Gabby said.
Liam wondered if she knew she sounded like an angry mate defending her male. He’d be lying if he said her protectiveness didn’t make him want to strut around like a peacock with its tail feathers splayed for all the world to see.
“You are correct, Gabby,” Frost agreed. “It is necessary. And you are the one who needs to give him protection.”
Liam felt his soul bonded go completely still next to him. He looked at her and saw that all of the blood had drained from her face.
“Me?” she asked, her voice quivering. “How am I supposed to protect him? Why am I supposed to protect him? Why not you? You’re the professor. I’m just a student. I can’t protect anyone from a flipping volcano. I’ll be lucky to protect myself.” Her words came out in rapid-fire fashion, and Liam found himself completely enraptured by her combined anger, outrage, and worry for him.
“I have faith in you, Gabby,” he told her.
“Well, you shouldn’t,” she snapped. “In fact, you’d be better off putting your faith in an ape with a magic wand.”
“I’m not sure what an ape with a wand has to do with this,” Frost muttered.
“It has everything to do with this,” Gabby said, her voice rising an octave.
“Gabby,” Liam said gently.
“No,” Gabby said, holding up her hand to stop him. It was cute she thought he’d listen and obey, like a well-trained dog. She was going to learn that, though he might worship the ground she walked on, he wasn’t going to let her put herself down or believe the shit her parents had fed her.
“Listen to me,” Liam barked as he stepped closer to her. “We’re soul bonded. Our magic is powerful together. It’s meant to work together. Let your power flow into me and use it like you would to protect yourself.”
“I told you that just because you believe something doesn’t make it true,” she said as her eyes darted around, looking everywhere but at him.
“Why can’t you protect him?” Gabby asked Professor Frost for a second time.
“Oh, I can,” Professor Frost answered. “But I don’t have to. His soul bonded is here to do that for him.”
The expression on Gabby’s face was priceless, and Liam might have made a comment about it if they were in a different situation. But he currently felt like his insides were cooking. “Will you at least try?” he asked her.
Gabby’s eyes jumped to his, and he hated the fear he saw there. Liam didn’t know what she was afraid of, and that made it worse because he couldn’t fix it.
“If you two will excuse me for just a second,” Frost said as she opened a portal. “And Liam,” she said before stepping through, “please try not to die.”
“Did she seriously just leave us at the top of an active volcano?” Gabby gasped and her face paled even more, if that was possible. “This cannot be happening,” she muttered.
“What are you afraid of?” he asked as he tried not to waver on his feet. The heat nauseated him, and his head swam. But he was not about to pass out and leave Gabby alone while Frost was gone. Nor was he going to let himself cook on the side of a mountain.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said as she sniffed and raised her chin slightly.
“Right,” Liam scoffed. “And the Easter Bunny is real and is BFF with the tooth fairy.”
Gabby glanced at him and her eyes widened. She stepped closer to him. “You’re not looking too good,” she said.
“You really know how to make a guy feel wanted, Gabs.” Liam chuckled. He stumbled, despite his effort to stay still, but managed to stay on his feet. Liam lost his grip on her hand, the hand he had refused to relinquish since he’d grabbed it when they’d started on their trek. He felt the loss of her immediately.
“Liam?” she questioned as she reached for him. “Are you okay?”
“Honestly, babe, I don’t think I am,” he said. His heart was pounding painfully hard in his chest, and it was becoming difficult to breathe.
“Dammit. Dammit. Dammit it all to hell!” Gabby said as she stomped her foot. It would have been adorable if Liam could see straight, but his vision was blurry and he saw two of her.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to damn everyone to hell,” Liam pointed out. Was he slurring his words? He couldn’t tell because things were beginning to sound muffled. Maybe he really was dying. “Let’s just damn the people who deserve it. Although, I might be considered one of those people because I haven’t exactly been the most upstanding guy. So maybe let’s put some parameters around the people we consider damnable.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Gabby barked at him. She squeezed his arm. Liam thought she might be trying to steady him but couldn’t be sure. That was funny, too, because he was so much bigger than her. If he did fall over, there was no way she would be able to prevent it.
“Exactly that.” He tried to lift his hand to point at her, but it sort of just flopped. Awesome. A useless arm to go with the useless body. “I’m talking about hell and damnation because you were just dealing ou
t damnation to the whole world,” he explained. For some reason, it seemed to make perfect sense to him.
“Can you see okay?” Gabby asked. She was frowning. She seemed to be attempting to get him to look straight at her, but Liam couldn’t get his eyes to be still.
“Not great, but I already know you’re beautiful, so I don't have to see you.”
“You can’t say stuff like that to me,” Gabby scolded. “Now, tell me how you’re feeling. Damn Professor Frost for leaving us here,” she muttered.
“I feel like I need my soul bonded to touch me,” Liam said, and he meant it. Something in him was suddenly screaming at him to get her to touch him.
“I am touching you.” She squeezed his arm.
He shook his head, or at least thought he did. “No. Skin to skin. Touch me, beautiful. Please.” Liam felt his magic running along the inside of his skin, like water running just under his flesh. It was reaching for her. He also felt his soul tugging in his chest. If a human being, without any sort of powers had asked him how on earth he could feel his soul, he wouldn’t have been able to explain it to them. He just knew that the straining in his chest was his soul, and it was determined to get to its mate.
“Liam, I can’t,” she started.
“Touch me,” he said with as much force as he could muster. “Put your hand under my clothes and over my heart,” he instructed.
Gabby’s mouth dropped open. She looked at him like he’d lost his mind. Maybe he had. He didn’t care. He didn’t just want Gabby, he needed her. “Please, baby.” He pushed every ounce of sincerity he could into his voice.
“Do it," another voice said, and Liam recognized it as Josie’s. “You have to touch him if you want him to live.”
Gabby turned to look at the woman, and when she looked back at Liam, tears ran down her cheeks. She released his arm and began lifting the layers of clothing he’d put on because of the dropping temperatures. He hadn’t known he was going to be at the top of a freaking volcano. When she finally reached his shirt, he felt the hot air hit his skin and then her hand was on him. Flesh against flesh. “Damn,” he sighed as his eyes closed. He pushed his magic through his own flesh and into hers. He could have done it while he’d been holding her hand, but he’d wanted it to be her choice. Liam had wanted her to choose him freely, but that flew out the window when he realized that unless he joined their bond, he was going to be a pile of ash on a mountain in Hawaii. It wasn’t exactly how he’d seen his day ending, and he really wasn’t ready to be soot.
His soul wasn’t going to be left out. Liam felt the invisible strand that would connect them begin to push through him and into her. He could see it in his mind's eye, and it was bright gold, strong, and power was pulsing down it. Gabby gasped, and his eyes snapped open.
His vision was no longer blurry, and his arms were working again. He reached up and cupped her face. Liam moved until his lips were an inch away from hers. Her warm breath blew over his face, and her scent swirled around him. “Thank you,” he said quietly.
“What happened?” she asked, her voice just as quiet as his.
“Our souls connected, and our power merged. It’s not complete, not until we consummate our bond, but it’s enough to keep me from melting like a popsicle in August.”
“Our souls?” she asked. Her eyes were searching his, and her lips trembled.
Liam nodded. “I told you, baby, you’re my soul bonded. We’re meant for each other.” He wiped at the tears with his thumbs and wished he could take the worry and fear from her eyes.
“We can’t be,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not, I can’t, this isn’t…” She stumbled over her words, and Liam could feel her trying to pull away from him.
“Gabby.” Josie laid a hand on her arm. “If he’s been able to push his magic into you and it’s created a bond…” Josie looked at Liam for confirmation and he nodded. “Then it’s true. If he tried to push his magic into me, there would be no soul bond with it, because we aren’t meant for one another. My body would reject it. But when he pushed his magic into you, the soul bond began. He’s inside of you and you are inside of him.”
“As it should be,” Liam said.
Gabby looked at him and then to Josie. She started to shake her head, but Josie said, “No. Just stop. Whatever you’re thinking, stop. We have a damn volcano to deal with, and from what I've heard from Professor Frost, you’re a badass. That’s what we need to see right now. Just consider Liam your side boy toy.”
Liam snorted. “I think you mean sidekick.”
Josie slapped him on his back. “Nope. I said it like I meant it.” She turned back to Gabby. “You’ve got this.”
“What do I do to protect him?” she asked, her voice much steadier. Liam dropped his hands but laid one on top of the hand Gabby still had under his shirt. He’d be happy if she never moved it.
“Picture your fire covering Liam all over but not burning,” Josie explained.
“To protect?” Gabby said as she looked at Liam and ran her eyes up and down him in a critical way.
“Exactly,” Josie agreed. “You want all of him to be protected. His flesh, his internal organs, his lungs… All of it needs to be encased in your fire.”
“Just don’t get pissed off at me and forget your fire is protecting me, yeah?” he said with a wink.
Chapter 9
Tara stared at the massive lake of ice before her, which extended as far into the horizon as she could see. Being from Kentucky, she didn’t have any intimate knowledge of the Great Lakes, including Lake Michigan, where she now found herself, but she’d imagined sandy beaches and serene shorelines, not a frozen tundra. Surrounding her were Elias, Professor Warren, the Hydro Academy instructor, and Lawson and Cara, a fire soul-bonded couple. They’d picked a secluded, wooded area to do their work, and Tara couldn’t help thinking she was in the wilds of Alaska rather than somewhere in Wisconsin.
“We’ll need to work fast,” said Professor Warren. “This lake has never frozen completely over, and it won’t do so on my watch.”
“And just exactly how are we going to thaw all this?” Tara asked.
“We won’t thaw it all. We just need to keep it from freezing entirely. The lake supplies millions of people with drinking water. It can’t be compromised. But it won’t be easy. You and Elias will dig deep into the earth’s crust, bringing up warm magma, while Cara and Lawson will focus on heating the top of the lake.”
Tara chuckled, “Psh, magma … yeah right.” The others merely stared at her stone-faced. “What?” she finally asked.
“Don’t worry, luv. I’ll do the heavy lifting,” said Elias. “Just keep close to me.”
Tara’s eyes went wide. “Um, okay.”
“Well, then,” said Professor Warren, “let’s get started.”
Lawson and Cara's hands immediately ignited. Without speaking, they began channeling a jet of flame toward the frozen surface of the lake. In moments, the ice began popping, then fizzing, then breaking off in chunks before bobbing along the surface of the water. Professor Warren held her hands out before her. The water writhed and roiled. Soon, a current was created that carried the chunks of ice off to the deeper parts of the lake. The two fire elementalists began walking around the shoreline in opposite directions, angling their jets of flame out in front of them.
“Our turn,” said Elias. He squatted and placed his palms on the ground.
“And, um, what exactly am I doing here?” asked Tara as she knelt next to him.
“Just put your palms on the ground. You should be able to feel my magic digging deeper into the earth.”
Tara obeyed. As soon as her palms hit the dirt, which she was surprised wasn’t the slightest bit chilly, she felt the vibrations of Elias’s magic.
“Now,” he continued, “make a conscious effort to force your magic into the ground. Let it join with my own. It will want to merge with mine.”
She screwed up her face and imagined sending pulses of light from her body
into the earth. Tara wasn’t sure how she knew what to do, but when the magic left her body, it felt as natural as breathing. She could feel her magic intertwine with Elias’s. Together they sent their power deeper and deeper into the ground. She could actually feel the earth parting beneath them, making way for their combined forces of will. Tara expected the power to wane as the magic traveled deeper. Instead, it grew stronger, as if it was drawing strength from the earth itself. Miles and miles passed, then Tara gasped and pulled her hand away.
“It’s hot!”
“That would be the aforementioned magma we talked about,” said Elias.
“I don’t like that.” Because honestly, who would willingly burn their hands and think “Oh, this is fun?”
“It’s okay. Imagine your hands are encased in rock, pure quartz crystal. It has a very high melting point.”
Tara put her hands on the ground again and pictured they were covered in crystal. Somehow, it worked. She could still feel the heat, but it was no longer unpleasant.
“Now,” said Elias, “we pull.”
She imagined dragging the magma upward from deep within the earth. The popping and sizzling of the lake intensified. She took a moment to glance over at the surface of the water. The ice was rapidly disappearing.
“Good job, Tara,” said Professor Warren. “This is actually progressing better than I expec—”
Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, cutting off the professor’s words.
“Elias?” asked Professor Warren, “what are you doing?”
“Not me,” he replied.
“Then what the hell is it?”
Elias closed his eyes and held very still. He cocked his head. “Uh, oh.”
“What uh, oh?” asked Tara. “Why is there an uh, oh? Uh, ohs are not allowed when we’re pulling freaking hot magma from the earth’s core. Uh, ohs are for when we spill milk and crap like that.”
“I’m not sure what it is,” said Elias, “but it’s big and moving this way fast.”
