“Strike him again, and I’ll put him on the throne before the ventilation system sucks your sorry leftovers out of the building.”
Seth stiffened.
The king’s mouth thinned into a hard line. His fists opened and closed as he considered her, his gaze flicking to his son and back only once. “He cannot ascend to the throne. You’ve stolen that from him, stolen his blood right.”
Eden lowered her hands. “How?”
Seth pulled her into his side. “When you severed my connection to the king.”
“But I didn’t mean to.” And that was the hell of it. She hadn’t. Again. All she knew was that Seth hadn’t wanted to end up king, and… “Oh, shit.”
“This is larger than ‘oh, shit,’ little heka.” King Aganjú seethed power.
Well, she could do the same. Unleashing control of her elements, the storm raged. The ground trembled. Flames hovered in the air around them. Control like she’d never known swam victory laps in her veins. She could do this, would do this, for Seth.
King Aganjú’s eyes widened. “No one controls the elements with such ease.”
“None but the Elemental Guradian,” Seth said, stroking a hand up and down her back.
She wanted to purr at the voluntary caress.
“Fiction.” The single word was hurled like a challenge.
“No.” Eden grinned. “Nightmare.” Waving a hand at the storm, the clouds parted to reveal the setting moon. “And if you think this is impressive, oh, great and mighty however-you-say-your-name, you should stick around for the full moon ceremony tonight. I’ll rock your socks.”
Seth’s grip tightened. “No rocking anyone’s socks but mine.”
Her heart lurched. “Mean that?” she asked, never taking her eyes off the king.
“With every bit of what I am.”
The king’s gaze grew so cold it crystalized. “You will not return to the ifrit until you are free of this woman.”
Seth went so still Eden reached out to touch him, to ensure he was real. “You’re disowning me.”
“Until you are man enough to retrieve your flame, you are not strong enough to rule.”
“Then I bid you farewell, King Aganjú. My element has a new Keeper, one whom I will be pleased to serve. So long as she lives, I shall remain loyal to her.”
The king’s eyes flared bright, and then he was gone.
She rounded on Seth. “I’m not your Keeper. I can’t be.”
“You most definitely are. I have to have a Keeper to nurture and feed my flame. Until you, it was the king’s job. But when our elements united, it became impossible to truly separate them. It’s like trying to pick a single raindrop out of a lake.” He grinned, genuine affection shining through. “You’re stuck with me.”
“But…but…” Tears blurred her vision. “It could happen again. I could steal your element again. I could kill you.”
“No. You could’ve killed me. You didn’t. You used the control I gave you, both in person and in the elemental plane. You ran the power grid, baby.”
Understanding dawned. When they’d shared the most fundamental connection, when their souls had touched, she’d taken from him what she needed—control—just as she’d given him what he needed—emotional connection. Still, she needed to hear it, to know.
“What did I give you?”
“Hope, Eden. You’ve given me hope.”
A fist of tears lodged in her throat, an unuttered cry. “You don’t do repeats.”
“No, I don’t.”
Her shoulders sagged. She should have known. “I’ll get my things.” Goddess, how could she sound so broken over a man she’d known such a short time?
He grabbed her arm. “Uh-uh, Eden. Look at me.”
“I can’t.”
“Look at me,” he commanded.
“We’re done playing.” She wrenched her arm free. “I have to go.”
“You’re not leaving me.” He hooked a finger under her chin. “Look at me.”
Blinking furiously, she met his brilliant gaze.
“We’re not done playing until I say we’re done.”
“You don’t get to tell me…” Wait. “What?”
A whirlwind of raw emotion shone from him. “You touched my soul, Eden. A man doesn’t just walk away from that.”
“But—”
“And he doesn’t let the woman walk away, either. I’m doing a repeat, tonight and every night, until you’re done with me.” He brushed a soft kiss over her lips. “Then? I’ll do what I have to do to convince you stay longer.”
“Longer?”
His grin turned mischievous. “That’s one.”
Heart hammering, she fought to control herself. And failed. Miserably. Not that she cared.
Throwing her arms around him, she breathed in the warm, dry scent of his skin.
“That’s two,” he said in a husky voice as his arms banded around her.
She grinned into his chest. “I liked topping you. I think I want to try it again.”
“About that.”
Risking a glance at him, she smiled. “I’ll do better this time.”
“There’s no next time, baby.”
“Then there’s this time.” She looked around the room. “Because there’s some stuff in here I want to try out.”
“Fine,” he growled. “I’ll show you how to use it.”
“Nope.” She backed away, curling a finger in a come-hither motion. “Next time.”
“You’re not topping me, Eden.”
She’d never tire of hearing her name on his lips. “Well, I’m certainly not bottoming this go-round.”
“You want to negotiate?”
“You’re a switch and, apparently, so am I. We can flip for top.” She grinned. “This time.”
“Every time,” he said, stalking toward her.
Sounded like the perfect way to spend the rest of her life.
From stable hand to a name on the door of a corporate American office, Denise Tompkins has been many things. (Never a waitress, though. Thank-you cards for her sparing the unsuspecting public from this catastrophe can be sent in care of her agent.) Writing has always been her passion, though. And writing romance? An absolute dream come true. Her theory is that a kiss should be meaningful regardless of length; a hero can say as much with a well-written look as he can with a long-winded paragraph and heroines are meant to hold their own. She’s no Cinderella, and Shakespeare wrote the only Romeo and Juliet, so Denise sticks to women who can save themselves and tortured heroes who are loath to let them.
Denise and her husband live in the South, where all foods are considered fry-able and bugs die only to be reborn in bloodsucking triplicate. Visit her online, at www.denise-tompkins.com, anytime.
ISBN-13: 9781460332313
ELEMENTAL DESIRE
Copyright © 2014 by Denise Tompkins
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Tompkins, Elemental Desire
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