She had no idea how long they stayed like that, but after a while she heard shouting in the hall outside.
“I don’t care, Job! It’s all over the realm that there’s some Mara imposter running around the Cold Kingdom and I want to see her!” Nia, of the Water House was not a woman with a calm and lilting voice. Her demand echoed through the Cold Palace.
Mara quickly got to her feet and headed for the door, not wanting her best friend to disturb Chason’s rest. She marched out into the hall and saw that it was now packed with people. Phases from just about every House had showed up, all of them wanting to see the undead Magnet Queen for themselves.
Mara’s chin notched up as the crowd gaped at her. She was used to having her every move watched, but the walk down the hallway seemed overwhelming. Trying to look as regal as she could in a blood covered bathrobe, she headed for Nia. There were gasps and whispers as Mara swept by. Most people stepped backwards as if they were frightened of her. Some made quick signs of prayer. A few had cameras and were taking pictures.
Mara pretended not to notice.
Up ahead of her, she spotted Job trying to reason with Nia. Ty and Tharsis were standing next to her, as were several others. Mara had always been closest to the Water House, so they were the only people in the crowd she cared about speaking to at the moment.
“Hello, Nia.” She said, stopping just outside the isolated area where they’d congregated. “I hear you found your Match and you’re expecting a child. I’m so happy for you.”
Nia looked past Job and spotted Mara. Her eyes went wide. “Oh my God.”
Everyone stared at Mara like she was a ghost.
“I told you.” Job sighed. “It’s uncanny.”
A large man with dark hair and mercury colored eyes stood next to Nia. Mara had never met him, but it didn’t take a genius to deduce he was Cross, of the Shadow House. “What does Freya say about this woman?” He demanded.
“We haven’t run the tests, yet.” Job told him. “But… she certainly seems like Mara.”
Gion, of the Air House stepped forward so he was behind his Match. For the life of her, Mara still couldn’t image the Darth Vader of the Elemental realm with Ty. The girl favored sweater sets and Hello Kitty jewelry. Gion wore a sinister black cape, probably to hide the bloodstains of his enemies.
“Even if she is Mara, you still haven’t explained what Chason did to get his hands on her, Job.” He pronounced. “There’s no line that lunatic wouldn’t cross. You know that.”
Mara’s eyes narrowed at him.
“I know that if she’s Mara, whatever Chason did was worth it.” Job sent Gion a pointed look. “And it’s no less than what you and I would’ve done in his place.”
Gion glanced down at Ty and sighed.
“Hi, Mara.” Isaacs, of the Air House sounded like he was simply running into her at a coffee shop. He was leaning against the wall, sunglasses over his eyes. “Been awhile.”
“So it seems.” She cleared her throat. “How have you been, Isaacs?”
“Gone blind. Been exiled. Your Match tried to crush me with a car. The usual.” He lifted a shoulder. “How ‘bout you?”
“I’ve been dead, apparently.”
He nodded. “Yeah, alright. You win.”
“You can’t even see her.” Gion pointed out. “How would you know if she’s Mara?”
“Because, Chason hasn’t killed her yet, Einstein.” Isaacs snorted. “You think that maniac would let anyone pretend to be his Match without us seeing the explosion all over the realm?” He shrugged casually. “Hell no. Chason did something and got her back. Seems obvious to me. Hell, I’ve half expected it happen. When you’re insane and have no scruples you can accomplish anything.”
“You would know.” Cross muttered.
Tharsis, of the Water House ignored them. “How many princesses does it take to screw in a light bulb?” He asked Mara in a serious tone.
Several incredulous looks were flashed in his direction.
Mara’s lips curved. Thar had told her that joke on her Phazing Day, trying to help her relax before the ceremony. “Princesses don’t screw in our own light bulbs.” She answered quietly. “We have commoners for that.”
The corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Good enough test for me. Hey, Mara.”
“Hello, Thar.”
Nia rallied herself. “We have to be sure.” She moved to stand in front of Mara. “You look…” She trailed off, slowly shaking her head. “Alright, if you’re Mara, what’s the last movie we watched together?”
Mara thought about the question for a beat. No one else had been there that completely ordinary Tuesday afternoon; just Mara and the Water Phases. To her, it had been less than two weeks since that day, so it was simple to recall everything that happened. “North and South.”
Nia wasn’t letting it go at that. “Armitage or Swayze?”
“Armitage. We were in your bedroom in the Water Palace, debating the merits of John Thornton vs. Mr. Darcy. I voted Thornton. You voted Darcy. Then Ty said, ‘Why not try both flavors?’ and we laughed so hard we had to rewind the scene where Margaret rejects his proposal.”
Nia let out a shaky breath, still not convinced. “That’s a good scene.”
“You hated it.” Mara reminded her. “You ranted about Margaret’s idiocy for a solid five minutes. We had to rewind it, again.” She arched a brow. “Elizabeth vs. Margaret was likewise discussed, with the vote three to nothing for Eliza Bennett.”
Nia’s eyes filled with tears.
Mara kept going. “Then, I believe, we discussed how much better the film would be if Mr. Thornton had more nude scenes. It was agreed that it’s a failing of many Victorian novels.” She squinted in deep concentration. “At that point, we gave up all pretense of watching the film and just fast forwarded to the kiss at the train station.” She arched a brow. “Would you like to know what we were wearing?”
Nia grinned. Ty gave a watery laugh.
…And then they were both hugging her.
Mara stumbled back under the force of their greeting, her arms going around them and holding tight.
Tharsis watched his sister and cousin embrace Mara. “She’s really Mara, Job.” He said softly. “Trust me.”
“Told ya so.” Isaacs called.
“Jesus.” Job whispered. “She’s really Mara. I couldn’t believe it, but it’s her.” He stepped forward, one hand coming up to touch the top of Mara’s head. “Mara,” he cleared his throat as if he was having trouble talking, “you’ve been missed.”
Mara smiled at him, her eyes meeting his. “Thank you for taking care of Chason.”
“I’ve tried, but the boy was lost without you.”
“He kidnapped my Match.” Gion put in sourly.
“Mine, too.” Cross agreed.
“Doesn’t matter.” Nia waved the abductions aside with typical Water House ease. “Mara’s back, so Chase will stop his free fall into madness and…”
“Mara!”
It was a roar of panic and raw agony.
Mara jolted, instinctively turning towards the sound. Chason was calling for her. He was awake. Thank Gaia. He sounded so anguished, though. Was he in pain? What if he was dying? Damn it, where was Freya?!
“I’m here, Chason!” She started back down the hallway at run, but he appeared in the doorway of his room before she got halfway there.
Chason had yanked the tubes and wires off his body and was on his feet. She had no idea how he managed it in his state, but Chason was somehow heading towards her just a few hours after nearly dying in her arms.
He no longer looked vulnerable.
He looked wild.
His head tilted at a predatory angle as he stalked towards her. People scrambled out of his path. Shirtless and covered in bandages, he barely even looked like the Magnet King. Purple eyes stared at her, swirling with something untamed.
Mara felt her heartbeat speed up. How could someone so out of control be so attractive?
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“You’re real.” He got out, his voice a dark rumble.
“Yes, I know.” This wasn’t the time to notice how incredibly gorgeous he was. “Darling, I don’t think you should be moving around so much…” Her words ended in a squeak as he grabbed her. A massive hand shot out, seizing her wrist and yanking her forward against. “Chason, you’re hurt!” She cried, trying to pull away from his chest so she didn’t reopen his wound. “You were just shot!”
He didn’t seem to care. His eyes roamed her face, like he was memorizing it. “Mara.” He breathed and lowered his forehead to hers.
Mara sighed in surrender and stopped trying to fight him. “Chason.” She whispered back, unsure of what else to say to him in this state.
“You’re real.” He repeated dazedly. “You’ve really come back.”
He finally recognized her. She could tell by the way he was looking at her that he was awake and aware and finally seeing his Match.
Mara’s panic faded into joy. “I never left.”
The oxygen sawed out of his lungs, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and he grabbed her even closer. Chason’s arms came around her in a desperate embrace. She could feel his heart pounding as he clutched her close like he was afraid she might vanish.
Mara mouth parted in shock. He’d never hugged her like that before.
Not ever.
It was wonderful.
“Oh God.” Chason’s buried his face against her neck, his whole body seeming to melt against hers. If it wasn’t for his grip on her, he would have sagged to the floor. He clung to her like he wanted to absorb her right into his skin. Like she was all that kept him from falling into nothingness. Like she was his very salvation. “Oh God, thank you.” It was a prayer.
It was all Mara could do not to cry as his shoulders shook with the force of his emotions. “I’m sorry.” She leaned against him, the way she’d wanted to from the moment she saw him standing in the Smoke Kingdom. Even before that. Deep in a coma, she’d still longed for him. The warmth of his body engulfed her. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I’m sure Vandal attacked you because of me. I don’t even know why, but…”
“You think I care about that?” He raised his head to meet her gaze, his eyes glistening with tears. “Without you, my entire world went dark. You think anything matters at all, compared to having you back?” His hands came up to caress her hair, his expression desperate. “Don’t leave me, again.”
This kind of stress couldn’t be good for his recovery. “You’re upset. If you calm down we can…”
“Upset?” He gave a slightly crazed laugh. “I almost ended the universe from missing you, Mara! I thought you were gone forever. I thought I was lost in the darkness.”
Mara shook her head. “You could never be lost, Chason. I told you, I’ll always find you.”
His eyes glowed hot at that answer. And then his lips claimed hers, drinking deep. He kissed her the way that she’d always wanted him to. Hard and possessive and not at all like a polished aristocrat. Mara’s toes curled against cold floor, unbelievably turned on. Her fingers dug into his strong flesh as his mouth ravished hers.
Wow.
His tongue was really talented.
Mara moaned, dazzled by the passion he’d unleashed. She’d tried everything she could think of to ignite their love life and make it –well-- better. Less tidy and more fun. She’d thought it was just her who wanted a level of informality that they never quite reached. Something a little… dirtier. Clearly, she’d been wrong. Chason’s hand tangled in her hair, holding her still as he took without asking. It was messy and scorching and perfectly imperfect.
A second later they were jumping out of the Cold Kingdom.
Chapter Fifteen
Man is always more or less at the mercy of nature and the elements
Kenneth Grahame- “Of Smoking”
Sullivan Pryce lived in a cardboard box.
At least, he might as well have, given the security of his home.
The windows were at ground level, with no bars or spikes to protect against invasion. The residences on either side were close enough to easily act as staging points for a siege. Palm trees grew close beside the roofline, so anyone could set them on fire and engulf Sullivan’s bungalow, too. Or, hell, they could just set the bungalow on fire to begin with, since there was no moat to stop them.
Teja, of the Fire and Cold Houses looked at Sullivan’s orderly house, neatly outlined in white twinkle lights, and saw nothing but her Match’s certain death.
What was she doing getting mixed up with this human? He was a goddamn child. A fragile being who was centuries younger than herself and who didn’t even have the sense not to piss off people who could crush him like a bug.
Crush him even easier than a bug, actually.
Bugs at least had the instinct to skidder away. Compared to the Elementals, Sullivan was like cute little puppy who was about to be smashed with a hammer and was too dim to even notice.
He refused to stop being a police officer. He kept arresting the Phases Teja sent to watch over him. He was deliberately inciting her family. It was like he was trying to die horribly.
And yet this stubborn, frustrating, too handsome human was her Match.
Teja had known it from the first moment she saw him.
He was her responsibility, whether or not either of them liked it. Teja had to look after him, because their paths were linked. The Fire House believed in destiny and Sullivan Pryce was hers. So, there was really only one thing a caring Match could do when faced with Sullivan’s suicidal tendencies.
Well, really, there were two.
She could lock him up until he saw reason. Dungeons were always a reliable problem solver for Fire Phases. But then she’d have to deal with Sullivan every day, for feedings and whatnot, and that just seemed like a bad idea. Teja didn’t want to get close to the human. She didn’t want to grow attached to him.
The Fall had taught her that growing attached just led to pain.
But biology itself wouldn’t let her just walk away from Sullivan, either. All her instincts screamed that she needed to be with him. Ignoring him wasn’t working and he was determined to get himself killed. So, fine.
Time for option B.
Teja stalked up the walkway of Sullivan’s house and rang the bell. Jesus, there was a glass window in the door. She looked up at the porch’s ceiling and prayed for patience. Why didn’t he just invite serial killers in for cake? They needed to have a very serious discussion about security here.
She leaned against the doorbell in aggravation, so it chimed in an annoying loop of sound.
“Alright.” Sullivan shouted from inside. “Hold on, I’m coming.” His eyes narrowed when he spotted her through the glass partition. “Teja.” He wrenched the (unlocked) door open. “Finally decided to show up and face me, huh?”
For a moment, Teja just stared at him and wondered why in the world she’d been given this man as her Match. Damn it, he was just stunningly, stunningly beautiful. Especially the warrior’s mark on his cheek. It took a lot for an Elemental to scar, so they were always an exotic turn on. How did he get it? It must have been a glorious battle.
Sullivan tilted his face to the side, so his scarred cheek wasn’t as visible. He seemed annoyed and uncomfortable with her attention, which was probably to be expected. A guy who looked like Sullivan was no doubt sick of women ogling him.
Teja cleared her throat. “Of course I showed up. You’ve abducted my nephew. And not in a fun way. You did it just to piss me off.” Fire Phases enjoyed a good kidnapping, but Sullivan was taking it too far.
“I arrested Alder because he’s stalking me.” Sullivan shot back. “And I know you’re the one who sent him here, so don’t bother to deny it.”
“I sent him.” Teja agreed.
“Why?” Sullivan demanded. “What do you want from me?”
Teja sighed. Letting him go free would be the right thing to do. Too bad for Sullivan, Fire P
hases were genetically incapable of acting selfless.
“I think we should have sex.” She told him instead. “Right now.”
Sullivan’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“Sex.” Teja could’ve explained all about Phazing, but he wouldn’t understand it anyway. Better just to put the basic idea in his language. “It’s the only logical way to deal with this.”
After they Phazed, maybe she’d have some peace and quiet at home. Sullivan would belong to her under Elemental law and sex was undoubtedly how humans got “married,” so he couldn’t escape her under that set of customs, either. The other Fire Phases would relax about Teja somehow letting him get away and Sullivan would have to accept her family’s protection. Phazing would solve everything and also be… pleasant.
All in all, it was perfect plan, even by Teja’s own high standards.
She looked at Sullivan expectantly.
Sullivan stared at her for a long beat.
“Right.” He finally said… and stepped back from the door. “Come in.”
Teja came as close to feeling triumph as someone with no emotions could. Sullivan was resigning himself to the inevitable faster than she’d expected. That was good. She wasn’t in the mood for a lot of human-y reticence, so his easy capitulation to her orders was a positive sign that their relationship could work.
Such a perfect plan.
“We need to get some stuff cleared up before we go too far, though.” Teja warned, marching into his house. Instantly, she spotted at least five defensive weaknesses she’d need to rectify. How had he not been picked off by assassins long ago? She’d definitely need to rip out some walls and install a tiger pit.
First they had to establish the ground rules, though.
She’d already made up her mind how this Phase-Match would work. That was part of the plan, too. No hearts and flowers. None of the Fire House’s passion and sentiment; just the bald, firm facts of life. Teja didn’t have emotions anymore and she liked it that way. She was tapping into her practical Cold Phase genes and laying out all the rules of the Phase-Match, impassively and inflexibly.
It was the only way that Teja could risk Phazing with Sullivan.
Queen of the Magnetland (The Elemental Phases Book 5) Page 25
