“Ignis, I can take care of myself. Plus, I thought not all of you got along.”
“We coexist. To coexist we must respect each other’s element, it is necessary. Mother incorporated the law because when we fight there is an ice age. The first occurred as children—the damage was horrific and Terra suffered the most; I will not hurt my brother again. He loved the dinosaurs, and it was millions of years before Mother allowed us humans. Again we fought, but the damage wasn’t near as bad because most of the brothers matured before too much damage was done. Humans adapted. And as annoying as they are, we are all fond of them. Some more than others.
“I am the oldest and most powerful, but Mother Nature tempered us all with some humility. Water can put fire out, yet I can boil water. To mix us will cause smoke and trust me—you do not want Fumus here, he is better on land where our mother can keep an eye on him. I don’t have time to put up with him.”
“Why don’t you and Nimbus get along?” Flame asked as she placed more paper on the fire.
“We get along fine, but in our early years we were all headstrong. I would make fire and Nimbus would douse me. I would scald the water, boil the fish with volcanic eruption and infuriate Nimbus. We couldn’t find a way to work together and so our annoyance turned to tolerance and our tolerance turned to acceptance. When we fight, things die. If we were to fight all the time, everything would die.”
“Fire, I need to get aboard Barkley’s vessel. This is important to me. You are always asking that I trust you, now it’s your turn to trust me. I’ve made love in a volcano; this should be a walk in the park.”
She could hear him grumbling from the ashtray that she was important to him. “I have no way to protect you or come to you without causing the destruction of everyone else on board. You know what will happen if I feel you are in danger—consider yourself warned.”
His words made her shudder, Flame had no doubt he would sacrifice any and all for her. “Will Nimbus help?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you so worried?”
“You are mine to protect.”
“Part of protecting someone is knowing when someone else can do a better job…for the moment.”
“Nimbus will take your raft safely to Barkley, but make no mistake, any threat to you and I will incinerate the vessel. Once you reach dry land, the bastard is mine.”
“But, Fire…”
The contents of the ashtray burnt out on a popping sizzle and poof. He was gone. Flame felt a shiver run up her spine. There was no doubt her element was deadly when pissed; for Barkley’s sake, he had better behave. She jumped when water splashed against the porthole, then again when a gust of wind ruffled her hair. Nimbus and Ventus were making their presences known. Flame had the strangest sensation engulf her and she gasped for air. Another was also keeping a close watch, something so powerful it gave her goose bumps. Either Father Universe or Mother Nature was there for a split second—no doubt checking up on their sons and the turbulent emotions that electrified the air.
Flame curled up under her blankets. She had an odd thought. If Fire grew desperate, he would send a lightning bolt from Fulgor to open a portal. Or he would appear in a fireball. The boat would burn and Fire would end up in the ocean with her. She knew he wouldn’t die; Nimbus would escort him to Terra where another blaze would be started with Ventus aiding. Since she was Fire’s lover, she knew the other elements would keep her safe. But there were others aboard the yacht, Ray and Sam on this one, and though Barkley was a waste of skin, Flame was no murderer.
Flame tucked her arms beneath her head and stared at the ceiling. She was a ticking time bomb. Flame had no control over when or where her firewall would activate. Internally, she damned herself for not even experimenting to see if there was any way she could control the intensity. And what would happen if—God forbid—she did find herself in danger and Ray and Sam were privy to the outcome. They’d either think they had gone nuts or think she was a freak. Was she a freak?
The idea was thought provoking. Maybe not a freak, but a force to be reckoned with. Damn. Flame had always taken care of her own troubles. Or had she? Flame had turned a blind eye when an arsonist turned up burned by ‘accident.’ In her heart, she knew Ignis was responsible for fire. Oh, perhaps there were times when an arsonist got careless, but Flame wondered if their carelessness was spurred on.
Sighing, Flame rolled over. Human laws couldn’t incarcerate an element. If that were so, tornados would be prosecuted for first degree murder, willful planned destruction. How would you jail a tsunami? An avalanche? Why not lock up a blizzard?
Flame sighed; her pondering would get her nowhere. It was apparent at an early age Flame’s ability to see the elements in human form was a rarity. Only Mother Nature and Father Universe governed their sons. The only reason Fire hadn’t already burned the vessel and taken her home was because he respected her love of her race—humans.
How long would Fire keep that respect?
Chapter 7
Flame was settled into the large raft. Ray was giving her last moment reminders of her duties, but it was hard to concentrate on what he was saying when every so often Sam’s cigarette would catch the breeze and flicker to life—offering a narrow-eyed, disapproving glimpse of Fire. Flame was feeling lucky the small ashy blaze wasn’t a big enough portal; she had no doubt Fire would climb through it and scare the shit out of everyone on the yacht.
“The gun is small, but it’ll stop someone in their tracks if you know just where to hit,” Sam was saying when he handed her a small black gun in a sealed water bag. She was able to stick the weapon in her sock under her pants; she grimaced knowing once the vessel was in sight that small weapon would have to be settled between her ass cheeks. Once she boarded Barkley’s vessel and made her way to a washroom, she would remove it from its protective covering.
“Got the warrant?” Ray asked.
“Of course, the second we hit land or the coast guard moves in, I’ll slap the bastard in the face with it,” Flame replied.
“Where is it?” Sam asked and gave her a once over.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” was her saucy taunt. Again, Sam’s cigarette blazed and she could see Fire waving a naughty finger at her.
Flame adjusted her bra, surprised neither man seemed to notice her bust line had grown a half size. The warrant had replaced the padding, it was a bit difficult to mold to her breasts and if Barkley caught her off guard and squeezed a tit she might crackle—or he might get a paper cut. Her t-shirt wasn’t skin tight but exposed a nice view of her tummy in a teasing fashion. Her tan-colored pants weren’t quite bell bottoms and fairly loose, but she needed to hide the weapon.
“Now remember, we’ll be tracking you; the device is in one of your ration packets. Make sure you cling to the rations once you board; they’ll think it’s just trauma. Do not lose it,” Ray warned.
“Something tells me you won’t lose me even if I do lose the device,” Flame said as Sam’s cigarette flickered.
The vessel was aimed in the direction of Barkley’s yacht. With the help of a plane, the yacht was spotted six miles off the starboard side. The wind was against them and yet the vessel had no problem veering in the right direction. Sam had marveled over the fact, but Flame had shrugged. The second she was pushed away from the vessel she too was headed towards the Barkley yacht with the wind in her face, without the aid of a paddle. Something told her she would make it within range in a short time. Fire couldn’t burst onto a raft; Flame knew he would be anxiously spurring his brother Ventus on.
Ray and Sam were waving at her as she slipped away. Once they were no more than ants in the distance, she pulled out a lighter and flicked it open. Fire appeared in the tiny blaze and with Ventus’ help the flame grew larger. Fire was definitely disapproving.
“There is still time to turn back,” Fire said.
“You know I can’t do that.”
“I can have my brothers steer this hunk of rubber to the ne
arest island where I can appear in a heartbeat and take you home to your fireplace.”
“And ruin my first sea experience,” she replied cheekily.
“Flame,” he warned.
“Let me try it my way, I’ll be on the yacht shortly,” she said in a reasonable tone. “At any time, you can burst onto the scene—literally, and save me.”
“If anyone so much as touches you…”
“You will obliterate them into the universe where they will spend eternity tormented and tortured.”
“Hmmm, I was going to say burn them to ashes, but I much prefer your thinking.”
“Just give me a few days; if you need to, you can explode onto the scene.”
“Get what you need to get done, Flame. Get it done fast.”
Flame closed the lighter. But not before a gust of wind hit her and she was forced to inhale the burning tendrils. She gasped for a second, invaded by Fire that slid down her nasal passages into her throat searing her to her core. There was no pain, just a deep sense of being claimed. Fire was inside of her. She felt the heat between her legs and Flame shuddered, wondering what just happened.
A wave splashed, soaking her and she gasped anew. A puddle of ocean water pooled near her feet and Flame scooted onto her hands and knees staring. She made out the shimmering image of a handsome man. She cocked her head to the side.
“Nimbus?” She had felt his presence in the rain forest but hadn’t caught a glimpse. Ironic, she thought, he really is a tall glass of gorgeous water.
Ocean blue eyes gazed at her with intensity, his blue-black hair glimmered. Flame was mesmerized; she could only imagine the brilliance of all nine brothers in a room together. They would be stunning.
“Fire wants to give you a message,” Nimbus said. “There is one way he can eliminate your fear.”
“I’m not afraid.”
He gave her a cheeky smile. “His apprehension then. If any man on that vessel tries in any way to force you into sex—his cock will burn off the second he tries to plunge it into your heat, or should I say your volcano tempest.”
Flame’s eyes widened in surprise. Nimbus vanished. The image alone was thought provoking—and really really disgusting. She should have known Fire would protect her body from herself, even if she were hell bent and determined to go through with this. She scowled wondering what would happen if someone attempted an unwanted kiss. Flame looked warily around and taking a Kleenex from a pocket, she spit into it. The sheet caught fire with acid. Screeching, Flame dropped it overboard.
“Creepy,” she whispered. “Albeit, effective.”
Flame settled back against the hard surface of the raft; she gazed up at the clear blue sky. Few clouds marred the heavens’ perfection. A dark object rolled with the waves to her left and Flame watched a blue whale lift its formidable face for her admiration. And she did admire it. The creature was no doubt added protection, a body guard. The largest sea-faring mammal in the world. At a thought, Flame swallowed hard. Fire had asked his brothers to watch over her. The whale could snap a yacht in half otherwise.
It was hard being protected by the elements. Their wrath was formidable; just ask any who had witnessed a natural disaster. The waves that guided her on her course rose and fell in a gentle motion, with Nimbus at the helm and Ventus fueling the wind. Flame clutched the survival rations close. There were more important issues that needed addressing. Flame had a woman and her three children to save. With only Fumus as protection, she would need to move that much more quickly; darn Fire and his overprotective streak. The only way Flame could do that would be to get Barkley onto dry land. Her mission was to disable the yacht. She would not fail. Her biggest challenge would be keeping Fire calm while she did her job. Barkley will be easier to handle.
In the distance, Flame could just begin to make out the outline of a craft. She knew Barkley would settle the yacht beyond the reaches of the coastguard. She was again reminded of the complexity of international waters. She would have to be doubly careful. No doubt, Barkley had hired skilled marksmen with the dangers of pirates. There was most likely a weapon already trained on her.
With the elements propelling her in a steady direction, Flame had cut three quarters off her traveling time. With reluctance, she slipped the gun unobtrusively from her sock to settle the weapon between her ass cheeks. She wiggled then shifted to her knees where she remained. The last leg of her journey wasn’t going to feel pleasant.
Damn this is uncomfortable.
The yacht grew larger until Flame could make out the images of a number of people, all male, standing port side and near the bow of the vessel. A number of them were armed, and for a split second, the raft seemed to stop dead and then moved cautiously forward. The raft lumbered in a rolling fashion amidst the waves, the rise and fall aiding in making her sea sick. Anytime a man shifted a weapon ever so slightly, the raft did a duck and weave behind a large wave.
Flame steadied herself against the side of the raft, praying she wouldn’t blow a hole in her ass if she fell back. The idea stayed with her until she felt the blood drain from her face. By the time she was close enough to see Barkley’s face, Flame didn’t need any acting expertise to look like warm death.
“Oh my God, get me out of this damned ocean.” Flame’s words sounded pathetic to her own ears and she gagged. Salt water splashed her in the face making her gasp in surprise.
“Where the hell did you come from?” Barkley asked. “I haven’t seen any vessel on our radar.”
“I’ll answer anything you want if you will just get me out of here.”
Barkley seemed to think it over. Flame lifted her face to gaze forlornly up at him. The water had dripped from her face to soak her t-shirt outlining her breasts, made that much more rounded and melon-sized while hiding the warrant for Barkley’s arrest in a water proof sealed bag. Ocean water in the raft soaked her pant legs. She knew she was a disheveled mess, but Flame also knew a damsel in distress turned Barkley on. He pictured himself as a great knight, saving the ladies, making them reliant on him until he could reveal his brutal nature. By then it was too late, a woman was trapped and at his mercy, when he had none.
“What’s your name?”
“Flame.”
He laughed. “Sounds like a stripper.” She could see he enjoyed the idea.
How about I strip tease my sock down your throat and the gun up your ass?
“Haul her up. Send her to my sitting room after she’s cleaned up,” Barkley said to a man. He then gazed down at Flame. “Welcome aboard.”
Flame felt her heart hammer with victory. A massively-built man helped her on board; no doubt he was a body guard except she detected no weapon. He looked like a Neanderthal, dark hair and soulless dark eyes. Baseball mitts for hands. His pecks looked like they were trying to escape the confines of his tight blue t-shirt. When he hauled her up into his arms, he pressed her against his rock hard chest, up off her feet for a few moments. Flame hoped he didn’t grip her ass near the gun, either he would suspect something—or be totally grossed out.
“Anything to declare?” His voice was deep, throaty.
If he only knew how close she was to blowing a hole in his toe—just an ass crunch away.
“Well, I do declare you are huge,” Flame said batting her eyes flirtatiously. That made him grin. There was something in his look that made Flame wary. Muscle bound and subspecies he may look, but there was a shrewdness about him that sent up warning flags. Perhaps a step up from Neanderthal…
The Cro-Magnon set her onto her feet and roamed his hands over her body, checking for weapons. He touched a few intimate places making her stiffen but nothing more.
“Feel anything you like?” She was sassing him on purpose.
“Maybe.”
When he reached for her survival kit, Flame did put up a fuss. “You can’t have this,” she wailed. Cro-Magnon narrowed his eyes onto her, no doubt prepared to snatch the box away. “There’s food in here and a blanket, it’s all I have.” Fl
ame began weeping.
“Now, now dear, everything is fine,” came a soothing voice. A somewhat smaller man came over and patted her shoulder. He scowled at Cro-Magnon. “This young woman has no doubt been through an ordeal. The survival kit is a security blanket. Now, what is it you said your name was again?”
“Flame.” She was snuffling for effect.
“Flame, I promise you Jag will only look through the box at the contents. You can hold it and keep it.” The small man’s gaze was stern and Flame was surprised when Cro-Magnon—Jag—conceded.
Flame opened the box and let Jag search the contents.
“Where’s the flare?” Jag asked.
“I used it days ago,” Flame said now smiling. She wanted to give the impression she was a little unstable. If found wandering somewhere on the yacht she wasn’t supposed to, she needed for these idiots to think she had no control over her actions. “No one came. The light was pretty, like dancing fire. The box takes care of me. It feeds me and keeps me warm. It’s like opening magic. So you see, it must stay with me.” Her eyes widened for emphasis.
“Uh-huh…”
Both men glanced at one another with expressions that made Flame know her ploy was working.
“I think maybe it’s time to take you below and get you something to eat.” The smaller man began leading her away. “I’m Garrett. You are indeed a lucky young woman to have found yourself on Mr. Barkley’s yacht.”
“I know who Barkley is!” Flame exclaimed.
“Really?” Garrett looked surprised.
“Well, of course. He’s that big puppet dog on Sesame Street. Oh, I just love him.”
Garrett sighed. “Never mind. Let’s just get you into dry clothes.”
Chapter 8
The view from the sitting room where Barkley lounged was beautiful. As far as the eye could see, blue sky met breathtaking blue water. His long legs were crossed at the ankle, in the expensive attire he admired. His polo shirt was white as snow. Flame summed him up. He was handsome, clean cut, tall, well groomed. Wealth practically oozed from his entire being. He was a cocky bastard to be sure. Flame disliked him immensely.
Fire's Flame [Elements Book 1] Page 7
