Of Flame and Promise

by Cecy Robson

  “Looking forward to it.” I slumped on the side of my bed when Gem simply stared, his features alternating between anger, frustration, and worry, but mostly disappointment. I’d disappointed him, again. I’d hurt him, again. How could things be so ass-suckingly miserable?

  I buried my face in my hands, trying not scream, but mostly trying not to cry for us. Was it over? That’s what it felt like then. I’d tried so hard. I really had.

  Gemini reached for my hands, taking each one carefully. I raised my chin to find him kneeling before me, my jaw clenching so tight it pained my gums. God, I was angry, and hurt, and humiliated. He’d left me for Genevieve when I’d needed him most. Okay, not really. Protecting the earth came first; I got it. But it was hard knowing he was with her when I’d needed him with me.

  “Hi,” he said. When I didn’t answer, his gaze softened. “You feel far away from me. My wolves and I hate it—we hate it. I don’t want us to fight. Will you let me hold you?”

  It was then that I threw my arms around him like a wimp.

  “You left me,” I said.

  “No.” He gathered me to him, stroking my hair. “I stepped in to execute the duties as second–in-command. Nothing more.”

  “That’s not what it felt like.” My throat twisted into a painful knot. “Especially given who you left me for.”

  “I would never leave you for another.” His body curled around mine. “You’re the only one I see and desire.”

  I clutched him tighter, wishing I could hold him forever, as my insecurities spilled from my mouth. “I went into this whole thing with you and your folks kicking and screaming. But despite my mistakes I committed to it. I did my best to make them like me, and I failed at every turn.” My voice trembled. “You might have noticed today wasn’t our best day.”

  He stilled with his palm between my shoulder blades. “The introduction of my parents has…not gone as I’d hoped.”

  “No shit,” I muttered. I pulled away and trailed my fingers down the side of his face. “How’s your mother?”

  “She’s well,” he answered.

  His silence thereafter told me what I already knew. “She hates me….They both do, don’t they?” Who was I kidding? Hate was probably not a strong enough word.

  “It’s not that they hate you, Taran,” he finally said. “It’s simply that…they haven’t seen…” He worked his jaw. “They just don’t know you,” he added quickly.

  My hands slipped away from his neck. “Really? This is the best you can do?” I stood and walked to the window looking out to the front of the house, although I couldn’t see anything past the disaster this day had been.

  “Tonight is another moment for grace and understanding,” he said. “Let’s get dressed, go to dinner as planned, and try again.”

  “I can’t go, babe,” I told him truthfully. I pressed my hands against the window ledge and leaned forward. “You go with them. You won’t screw things up. If I show, locusts will swarm the building and a plague will unleash upon the earth before we even get our salads.”

  Strong, reassuring arms circled my waist. “This is my parents’ last night. I need you with me, as my mate, and my love….”

  I choked down the sob his words stirred.

  “Our time with them has not been ideal,” he continued. “But every intention came from your heart.” He kissed my head. “And that’s all I can ask.”

  “But they hate me,” I insisted.

  He didn’t exactly deny it. “Taran, regardless of what my parents think or feel, I love you. No one could ever change what you mean to me.”

  I wasn’t so sure. I turned around and crossed my arms. Whatever emotion Gem saw in my features caused him to frown and hardened his stance. He stepped forward, his strong body pressing against me, his gaze claiming mine. My eyes widened briefly, only for my lids to lower and my heart to thump. As I watched, his hand fumbled to close the blinds.

  I knew what he wanted before he touched me, before his fingers peeled off my robe and panties in quick, fluid motions, and long before he lifted my hips and hooked my ankles behind his back.

  I knew because I wanted it, too. We both needed to feel something other than uncertainty. We needed that something good only our bodies could give us.

  At first his kisses and wandering hands were slow and reassuring, his way of proving he was here with me, and not going anywhere. But I wanted more—his passion, his lust, and maybe his aggression to prove how hard he could love me. So when his hands smoothed across my bare skin, my teeth found the curve of his neck, and my nails his firm ass.

  A guttural moan broke through his throat, my aggression inciting my lover to tap into the beasts caged inside him and fuel the man holding me in his grip.

  Good. I didn’t want slow, or gentle, or careful. I wanted primal hunger, a man barely in control. Just as I wanted the hardness sliding across my belly and prodding me hard.

  My breath hitched with how fast he pinned me against the wall, his urgency to enter me sending chills along my limbs. My body, although ready to accept his, wasn’t ready enough. Not for someone my lover’s size. I gritted my teeth as he rubbed against me, his smooth skin stroking me and stimulating those tightening regions that begged for his touch.

  Slowly, he made his way in, both of us cursing when he filled me. I clasped his jaw, my eyelids heavy and my irises swimming with lust. He growled at my inviting smile just once before crashing his lips against mine.

  It had taken him time to enter, but that leisurely pace was now long forgotten. He withdrew, only to slam into me hard. Again. Again. And again, forcing my body to slide against the cool wall.

  “More,” I begged. “Please, more.”

  And that’s exactly what he gave me.

  This position minimized my movements and allowed him to seize all control. I wasn’t subservient by any stretch, but I made exceptions when it came to Gem and our moments alone. So instead of dominating, I allowed myself to succumb, welcoming every inch of him, the aggression behind those thrusts, and his strong body pressed against me.

  My legs flailed uselessly and sweat poured down my back in rivers as his hips rammed me. I screamed his name, pleaded for him to go faster, and spoke dirty words to fuel our passion.

  I bucked—trying to move, trying to breathe, trying to do more than scream with pleasure. God, what was he doing to me?

  Whatever he did, I could only plead for more, refusing mercy and urging him forward with the tilts of my pelvis.

  My heart threatened to punch through my chest. Sex with Gemini was going to kill me. I knew it then. A sinful smile spread across my face. Yeah, and what a way to go. I bounced against the wall with every grind of his hips, every deep thrust, begging him not to stop, to go harder until I surrendered to the wave of pleasure engulfing me.

  My nails dug into his shoulders when I lost control, my way of trying to endure the ardor tightening my core. As the wave peaked and my legs kicked out, I squeezed my eyes tight. Tears of pleasure streamed along my cheeks, but my lover wasn’t done with me yet. Another wave of ecstasy struck before the first could fully cease.

  I didn’t feel him move us, too blinded by one last mind-blowing orgasm that bowed my spine. My back hit the mattress with Gem falling on top of me, panting hard, while I struggled to take large gulps of the sex-charged air.

  My eyes met his, my body quivering from the rush and the way he took me in. “I love you,” he gasped. “Nothing will ever change who you are to me.”

  Chapter 13

  I had this great idea—a seriously kickass idea. The Grizzly’s Song was one of the premier restaurants in the world, renowned for its breathtaking views and exotic dishes that ranged from venison to pheasant. Meals were comprised of game meat, peeps. Game. Wolves like that sort of crap, right? So I called in another favor to Misha once I discovered the waiting list was three months long, and booked us a table for four.

  Well, we all know how well my great ideas had gone during this little meet-and-
greet adventure. Because of the restaurant’s remoteness, the path leading up the mountain was, let’s just say, from hell. I don’t think we passed more than two cars along the way. Mostly, I think local residents were smarter than we were and knew to avoid what was apparently nature’s version of the spin cycle. I don’t get carsick, ever. I did then.

  Momma and Pop? Their heads hung out the windows long before we pulled into the restaurant’s circular drive. The valet opened the SUV door, a big smile firmly in place. “Good evening. I’m Kevin. Welcome to the Grizzly’s Song. How is your evening?”

  “My evening sucks, Kevin!” I slipped around him and threw open the rear passenger-side door. Momma’s lovely pursed lips and snow-white face greeted mine. I whirled on Kevin. “What kind of sadist designed your roads? Look at her. She’s nothing short of death on French toast—no offense, Momma.”

  Kevin must have heard this rant several times in his valet parking career and kept his grin. “Oh, yes, the road to the Grizzly is quite windy. Which is why we offer a helicopter service at the bottom of the mountain for an additional fee.”

  Okay, wasn’t aware of that one. Thanks, Kevin, for making me look like a cheap bastard. I turned back to Momma and tried to help her out of the SUV. She glared at my hand but allowed me to assist her. Yeah, Steel Magnolias is bullshit. This woman would never give me a kidney.

  Her skin returned to its normal olive tone when we reached the top of the stacked stone steps. But she had a wolf to hook her up and ease her nausea. Pop didn’t. He only had his son, who practically carried him out of the rear. We should have turned around twenty minutes ago, but Siri insisted we were almost there. Well, we would have been if the road were a straight line rather than a hideous spiral that made our bellies churn.

  Pop draped his arm around Gemini and leaned heavily against him. “Maybe the fresh mountain air will help?” I offered rather desperately.

  Pop responded by puking all over the second step. Some guy appeared with a hose. I guessed it wasn’t the first time some poor sap spilled his stomach contents here at the Grizzly. Momma hurried to her husband, but not before one less-than-enthusiastic glimpse my way.

  If it were possible to nut-punch the “Grizzly” I would have then.

  —

  Let’s just say dinner wasn’t fun. Every time Gem or I tried to initiate conversation, his parents remained tight-lipped. In all fairness, Pop wasn’t feeling well, and Momma was clearly worried about him and likely pissed at me. Gemini, in his last-ditch effort to make me look good, made a show of explaining how famous the restaurant was, the exotic cuisine that changed with each season, and how it was all my genius plan.

  Yay for me.

  As it was, my stomach remained topsy-turvy following the windy ride. I took a few sips of my quail soup and some bites of bread, which is more than poor Pop managed. Gemini and his mother didn’t feel right eating without him and requested their meals be wrapped.

  Forty-three minutes. That was how long we lasted at the Grizzly, including the time it took us to pay the tab. Pathetically enough, it was only two whole minutes more than the drive there.

  Gem slipped into the SUV after tipping the valet, who continued to grin as if my world wasn’t imploding around me. I glanced toward the backseat, where Pop lay slumped across Momma’s lap. If she wasn’t with him, I’d be flinging myself over the seats and starting chest compressions, thoroughly convinced the old guy had coded.

  I quickly turned around when my stomach twisted as Gem took the first bend. “Are you all right?” he asked me.

  I tried to shake my head, but that only made me dizzy and churned the quail soup fighting to stay down. “I’m sorry,” I said, meaning it, but Jesus, how many times could I apologize?

  “It’s not your fault,” he said quietly. “You meant well.”

  I sighed. Yeah, and how many more times could he say that?

  Gem’s dark eyes were marked with worry as he maneuvered the vehicle around the perilous turns. I didn’t like it one bit. While he’d never expressed what he’d hoped to accomplish from my encounter with his parents, it was obvious nothing had gone as planned. “I’m sorry,” I said again, since maybe I couldn’t say it enough.

  “Taran…” was all he managed.

  He slowed the SUV as we rounded a more precarious curve. The rest of us collectively groaned. Good God, we weren’t even halfway down the mountain yet.

  I lowered my window to breathe in some air, only for screams to punch through the opening. Gemini screeched the SUV to a stop in time to see a group of men dragging a man and a woman from their vehicle.

  My magic stirred a warning as Momma yelled, “Vampires, Tomo!”

  She was right. And their protruding fangs and bloodthirsty eyes told me they planned to do more than feed.

  Gemini flung open the door. “Stay here!” he yelled.

  Yeah, right.

  I hit the seatbelt release and bounded out, stomping as fast as my platform heels could take me. The cold mountain air struck my face, slapping the nausea down and forcing me to take in the scene ahead of me. As he ran, Gemini shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it aside. From one leap to the next, his twin wolf ripped through his dress shirt, cutting in front of him and tackling the closest vamp. One wolf joined the other as Gem’s remaining half changed.

  Bloody ash spilled from his powerful fangs as he fought the other vampires. But I couldn’t stop and watch. I stumbled to where the woman lay motionless on the ground. I pushed on her shoulder, shaking her hard. “Hey, are you okay?”

  I recognized too late she was also a vampire. Sharp nails dug into my throat as she hoisted me from the ground. But I wasn’t helpless, and she was messing with the wrong chick. With a pained grunt, my fire of blue and white engulfed me, igniting her in a wash of flame.

  Ash exploded in my face as my body struck the ground. I rolled onto my side, grunting from the impact. “Gem, it’s a trap!”

  I’d barely choked the words out when another SUV screeched around the bend and more hissing vampires charged out. From behind me, yet another loud engine roared.

  An old utility truck sped forward to where Momma was lifting Pop’s slumped form from our vehicle. The truck was gunning for them, ready to mow them down. I raced forward, unleashing my power in one primal scream.

  Blue and white electrified heat rocketed from my core, spiraling and striking the truck’s face. The impact born of rage and fire flipped the truck directly above Momma, who curled against her mate’s limp form. In a burst of angry flames, the truck soared over the guardrail, the impact of the crash shaking the mountain.

  A whooshing sound and a pained snarl had me reeling back to the other fight. Tribesmen in the forms of two wolves bounded toward me. I crouched low, my hands shaking with the energy crackling in my palms. “Come on, Mommy’s waiting for you,” I said under my breath.

  I rammed my hands out, the bolts I released spinning like blades and slicing the wolves in half. My head whipped around, searching for Gem, only to catch sight of the vamps closing in on Momma and Pop.

  Momma carefully released Pop and stood slowly, her body unmoving while her eyes took in the encroaching vamps. I ran forward, cursing, knowing I wouldn’t reach them in time before the first vamp attacked.

  I wasn’t fast, but my power was.

  I fell forward and slapped my hands against the asphalt. My magic released the moment my palms connected with the road, sending a ripple of fire in a building crest of blue and white light. The ripple swelled, striking the hissing vampires’ backs and engulfing them in fire.

  Momma lifted Pop over her shoulder, bounding over the flames and away from the fight. They were safe, but not for long. The sound of peeling tires alerted me that more Tribesmen had arrived. I couldn’t see them through the billowing smoke overtaking our surroundings, but I knew they were there and that the danger was far from finished.

  I looked right and left, trying to get a sense of what would attack next. The energy I expended riv
aled that of my biggest supernatural brawls. But I wasn’t done, and I refused to let Pop and Momma perish.

  A werecat punched through the smoke. I released my lightning, singeing its snout off, but missed the werecougar charging behind him.

  I lashed out again, detonating its skull with my lightning and killing it mere feet from where I stood. Yet as hard as we fought, we were outnumbered and trapped. But it was what happened next that robbed my lungs of air. Gem’s black wolf, the one with a white left paw, rocked from side to side, abandoning his prey before collapsing onto the road.

  My hands trembled with energy as I released more lightning and raced toward him. But my efforts were in vain. A gun blast followed an odd whooshing sound. A sharp, stinging pain pierced my back. I remember trying to scream before the vampire jetting toward me morphed into a blur of color and everything faded into darkness.

  Chapter 14

  I blinked my heavy eyelids open as spurts of the attack fought their way through the fog continuing to dull my senses. I tried to swallow, coughing from the dryness stretching from my throat to my belly.

  At first, I thought the fight had been nothing more than a bad and twisted dream, since all I initially felt was Gem’s naked body on top of mine. But this wasn’t our bed, and Toto, we were a long-ass way from Kansas.

  We lay huddled in a corner. Cold, dank air claimed the parts of my body his large form failed to shield. I shuddered. But it wasn’t just because of the chill. It was because our night had gone from bad to dangerous, then landed headfirst into deadly.

  Dim light from a small bulb shone through heavy metal bars a few feet away, cutting lines into the concrete floor. The Tribesmen had apparently shoved us into a large cell. Wall-to-wall cinder block pressed against our backs like cold and lecherous hands. I tried to push the strands of hair gathered around my face only to discover my hands were bound behind me. “God,” I muttered.

  Gem stilled above me. “You’re awake,” he said, sounding relieved.