Touching Fire (Touch Saga)

by Airicka Phoenix

  Closer! I willed him, sinking my nails into his back, urging him farther into my arms.

  He broke free despite my protest. His damp lips kissed a hot trail down the length of my neck. Up again to my ear.

  “I love you,” he rasped.

  I burned. I froze. I stiffened. I stopped breathing. I weakened.

  But before I could let the tears fall, before I could squeal with happiness, before I could open my mouth, a loud crash shattered the moment and we both jumped.

  Across the room, in a million jagged pieces, the lamp that had been sitting on the end table lay broken across the floor. Far across the floor. Like clear across the room across the floor. I was lightheaded and dazed, but even I knew that was impossible unless someone had deliberately pitched the thing.

  “Stay here.”

  Ever the man of action, Isaiah strode across the room. He stood over the shards of ceramic a moment, before glancing up at the end table, a deep furrow between his eyebrows.

  “It had to be the hallows,” I said, scooping up my shirt off the floor and pulling it on. I laughed shortly. “Can’t believe I just said that with a straight face.”

  The same eyebrows that had been knitted tightly together shot up like raven wings about to take flight. “The what?”

  I snatched up his top and went over to him. “Those things Ashton was telling us about. The spirits or souls or whatever.”

  It took him a moment, but he nodded slowly when he remembered. “I guess they didn’t like what we were doing,” he mused, reaching to take his shirt from me.

  I drew it away before he could close his fingers around the fabric. “Guess not.”

  The corner of his mouth drew up. “Can I have my shirt back?”

  I shook it out and folded it neatly. “No. I need to talk to you and I concentrate better when you’re topless.”

  It was a lie. The last thing I wanted to do was talk when he stood before me, all that beautiful craftsmanship bare like some banquet to the gods. Everything from his broad shoulders to the rigid V disappearing into the waistband of his jeans set the fire alarms in my head ringing. It would take a very strong willed and possibly dead woman, not to salivate at all the delicious muscle. Then he had to go and fold his arms over his chest and I was suddenly all about picking up where we were interrupted and screw stupid, meddling spirits. Let them wreck the whole room.

  The tendons in his arms bulged and like any teenager, I had to start wondering why there was all that unnecessary space between us. Wasn’t that kind of a waste?

  Blue eyes twinkled as they watched me try and fail not to ogle. But God was he ogle-able and touchable and kissable and a whole lot of other ables that were very R-rated. Maybe giving him his shirt would have been a good idea.

  He rolled his tongue over his bottom lip and that crazy, crazy idea of returning his top went zipping out the window. In fact, I was now thinking of ways to set all his tops on fire.

  He shook his head, chuckling. “You know I can read your mind, right?”

  I moistened my own lips. “We should talk.” Before I forget why I’m being a good girl.

  He inclined his head and motioned towards the sofas. Safe. Definitely safer than the bed. I dropped his shirt into my open duffle and followed him to the sitting area.

  “We’re going back in the morning,” I told him once we were both seated.

  All traces of humor instantly vanished. He stiffened. “What?”

  I knew he wouldn’t take the news lightly. I knew he would argue. But I was also hoping he would at least hear me out.

  “Ashton says you can’t stay here. It’s not safe for you.”

  A look of puzzlement crossed his face, but he nodded like it made sense. “Okay.”

  “He found a way for you to return in the morning.”

  Again, he nodded. “Okay.”

  I rubbed my hands down the length of my thighs. “I’m going with you.”

  “No!” He didn’t even wait for me to finish.

  “Isaiah—”

  “No,” he said again. “I brought you here for a reason, to be safe. Why would I let you go back?”

  I bit out a hard laugh. “Well, you’re not letting me do anything. I’ve already decided. If you go back, so am I.”

  “Damn it, Fallon!” He leapt to his feet and paced over to the unlit fireplace. Someone must have put it out after I left the room. “I’m not budging on this.”

  “Well, neither am I.”

  He sighed. “Then why come here? We could have just—”

  “Kept running?” I finished for him. “We needed a break. You needed a break. Also, I never knew you wouldn’t be able to stay. Do you honestly think I would have agreed if I’d known?”

  He continued to pace, reminding me of a caged animal. “Ashton will never agree—”

  “I’ve already talked to him. I told him if you can’t stay, I’m not staying.”

  “Why would you do that?” He rounded on me, his eyes alit with fury. “Why would you risk—”

  “What am I risking, Isaiah? My life? What life? I don’t belong here. I knew that the moment we arrived. My life, as screwed up as it is, is with you. You’re the only family I have.”

  “No!” With an aggravated growl, he pushed his face into his hands and rubbed viciously. “Damn it!” He whirled around and landed a furious kick to the mantel. White powder rained to the floor from the dent in the marble. “No! I’m not letting you. I don’t care if I have to tie you up, you’re staying here where it’s safe.”

  “Okay can I just point something out here?” I didn’t wait for him to respond as I pushed on. “Have you forgotten that I kind of need you around to keep me from killing people?”

  He stilled as I knew he would. He turned and his eyes met mine.

  “Still think I’ll be safe here without you?” I challenged. “I mean, how long do you think Ashton will put up with me gnawing on his people?”

  He tore fingers angrily back through his hair. “This wasn’t how this was supposed to end.”

  I went to him, freed the inky strands from his violent fingers and held on to them. “We’ll figure it out, okay? It’ll be tough, but we can do it. We’ll go south. We’ll cross the border. I don’t know, but it’ll be okay.”

  He raised sorrowful eyes to face. “For how long?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

  His arms slipped around me and I was tucked into his chest. “This isn’t what I wanted for you.”

  I rested my cheek against the slope of his shoulder. “Not exactly what I wanted either.”

  He exhaled into the top of my head. “I guess this means you should get some rest. I need to find Archer or Ashton and get our supplies together.”

  I stopped him before he could let me go. “Stay with me until I fall asleep?”

  After a quick bathroom run to brush my teeth and change into the shirt I’d stolen from him, I joined him in the center of the enormous bed. A part of me wept at the thought of having to give it up. I hated that I finally had a room and I would lose it after only a few days. It wasn’t fair.

  “Brazil,” Isaiah murmured as we shifted into position with him on his back and me tucked into his side with my cheek resting above his heart.

  “Brazil?”

  He drew the sheets up around us. “Yeah, we should go there.” He tucked his free arm beneath his head and stared up at the ceiling. “We could get a house and start fresh.”

  I felt my lips curl. “That sounds nice.”

  “It’s far enough south that we won’t have to worry about—”

  I raised my head and pressed a finger to his lips. “Tell me about the house.”

  His blue eyes bored into mine as he gently wrapped his hand around mine and drew my fingers away. He flattened both our palms on his chest.

  “Something just big enough for us and maybe a—”

  My gut sank at the direction of his thoughts. The hurt was a physical twang in my chest. I captured th
e hand he used to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. “You know we can’t … we can’t ever…”

  “A guestroom,” he murmured and I gritted my teeth, knowing full well that wasn’t what he’d meant to say. “Hey.” He captured my chin and forced my teary gaze to his. “We’ll figure it out, right?”

  Blinking back the hurt, I nodded. “Keep going.”

  He combed long fingers through my hair, his gaze going back to the ceiling as though he could see it all up there.

  “Somewhere close to the beach.”

  Clearing my throat, I rested my chin on his chest and watched him. “I’ve never been to the beach.”

  He grinned. “Me neither, but I’ve seen pictures. I’m thinking Alter do Chao, or Praia da Fazenda. Just you and me on the sand all day. I could get work at the docks or a garage and you can do whatever you want to do.”

  “No working weekends,” I put in.

  He shook his head. “No weekends. That’ll be just for us. We’ll go exploring and—”

  “Snorkeling.”

  He laughed. “Sure.” He lowered his eyes and met mine. “The only thing we’ll worry about is what we’ll do that day.”

  “No more looking over our shoulders.”

  “No more running.”

  I smiled. “I like that.”

  His fingers framed my face. “I’ll make it happen, Fallon. I promise.”

  Chapter 16

  I knew it was time to get up the moment I felt the warm trail of Isaiah’s hands down my back. I smiled into the taut flesh of his chest.

  “Morning.”

  A tender kiss was pressed into the top of my head. “Morning.”

  I raised my head enough to peer down into his face. “Did you sleep?”

  “Like a rock.”

  I snorted. “Liar.”

  With a chuckle, he pulled me under him and pressed his lips into the side of my face, leaving a hot trail downward to the curve of my neck. His hands splayed across my back, curving me into the front of his body as he stole every ounce of breath from my lungs. My eyes closed as my will succumbed to his. I felt the shift of my perspective as everything else faded but that moment and him.

  “I don’t know what’s happening to me,” he confessed in a husky breath into my skin. “I can’t stop touching you. All I want is to touch you. I feel you under my hands even when you’re not there and I feel half mad with the need to find you and hold you. I am powerless to resist you.”

  My fingers curled into his shoulders. “Don’t resist me.”

  He pulled away only a fraction to peer down into my eyes. His nose grazed the side of mine as our brows touched. I drew him closer, closing every gap between us but one, our lips.

  His heart drummed against mine in a hard tattoo of longing as he tempted my lips a little more with his next words. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  I smiled, slowly melting on the inside. “Prove it.” My arms went around his neck. I felt his quiet chuckle vibrating between us just before his mouth touched mine.

  It was light, soft and sweet and so perfect first thing in the morning. I felt it pour into my system like a quick shot of espresso. Every nerve ending blistered awake. My toes curled. If I hadn’t been already hopelessly in love with him before, that moment would have sealed it for me. But like all good moments, that one shattered with the hard bang of the doors flying open and Archer charging in like he owned the place. Knocking was clearly not something he was taught.

  “Not to interrupt this beautiful moment, but we’re ready to get you two on the road.”

  No! I wanted to whine. Just a minute longer. I didn’t want to stop, but Isaiah was already pulling away.

  He smiled at my scowl and took my hand. “Later,” he vowed, giving my fingers a gentle squeeze. It wasn’t what I wanted, but I nodded and watched as he climbed out of bed. Together, the two left my room, closing the doors behind them.

  Grumbling, I threw back the sheets and headed into the bathroom for a shower. Who knew when I would get the chance again, in a clean tub? I double checked my bag, which was kind of useless. It was an age-old habit to return everything I used back to the duffle after I was finished, so there was really no need to do a walkthrough of the room. But I did and wished I hadn’t.

  I didn’t want to leave the room. It was mine. It was my room. My first ever. It was ridiculous how attached I’d gotten to four walls, but part of me wanted to weep. Served me right for letting myself think this would be my final resting place.

  Heartbroken, I threw the strap of my duffle over my head and headed for the door. I didn’t look back when I stepped through and went in search of Isaiah.

  I didn’t have to go far. He and Archer were waiting for me at the end of the corridor. They glanced up when I joined them.

  “Ready?” Isaiah asked.

  I nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

  Together, we made our way to the foyer and a waiting Ashton. Next to him was Celia with a disgruntled Lally clinging to her hand. The girl glowered at me when I reached the trio.

  “What do you have to say?” Celia said, nudging Lally over to me.

  Lally huffed, folding her arms over her thin chest. “She deserved it.”

  “Lally!”

  Her small lips pinched and unpinched as she glowered down at my feet. “I am sorry I locked you in the closet.”

  I blinked. “What? You didn’t—”

  “Lally has the ability to manipulate the thoughts of others,” Celia said, staring hard at her daughter. “Apparently she overheard me asking Delphi to show you to the dining room and took the task upon herself to get into Delphi’s mind. She only told me this morning or I would have made her apologize sooner.” Her feline eyes met mine. “I am truly sorry for her atrocious behavior, Fallon.”

  I stared down at the pint-sized brat and grimaced. “So Delphi had nothing to do with what happened?”

  Celia shook her head. “She had no knowledge of what she was doing, and probably still doesn’t.”

  “I need to apologize to her then,” I said, feeling horrible. “I wasn’t very nice to her.”

  “That is all right,” Celia said. “Lally will apologize for you, right after she finishes cleaning the mess she made in that broom closet. Conjuring demons and fire. Really.”

  “What?” The girl spun around. “Mom—”

  Celia put up one finger, halting her mid rant. “Not another word or you will be sent to stay with your grandmother.” I was shocked how quickly Lally’s mouth snapped shut. “I am so disappointed in your behavior.”

  “Conjuring demons?” I broke in. “You mean those things that were in there with me?”

  “They weren’t really there,” Lally muttered grudgingly. “You just thought they were.”

  “No,” Celia corrected. “You made her think they were. What have I told you about using your powers like that, Lally?”

  The girl rolled her eyes. “To not to. But I didn’t make the fire happen.”

  “Do not lie to me, Lally!” Celia warned. “You are already on very thin ice.”

  “But I didn’t—”

  “That is enough.”

  I hated that I felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. She was only five after all.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” I said. “No harm done.”

  Then, Lally did something that surprised even me. She threw her arms open wide and lunged for my legs. I nearly toppled over when they locked around my knees.

  “I will miss you,” she said loudly.

  Not sure what to do, I patted her lightly on the back. “Yeah, me too.”

  She tipped back her pixie-face and her eyes met mine, the chill in them sending shards of ice through me. “You are still going to die,” she said quietly for my ears only. “And your blood will kill everything it touches.”

  Before I could react, she pushed away and scampered back to her mother, who put an arm around her shoulders.

  “You okay?” Isaiah touched my back.


  I dampened my lips, my gaze fixed on Lally, who stared back with that cutting glare. “Yeah. Fine.”

  It was still dark when we left the enormous doors. I stared up at the smear of blue and black and wondered how that was possible when the sun had been breaking over the horizon through my bedroom terrace only minutes before.

  Thalious and Thanos were waiting for us when we descended the steps. They threw back their enormous heads and reared. Their manes of flames snapped and flickered. Their tails swished. I was still not a big fan.

  “It was a pleasure to meet you, Fallon.” Celia joined us at the bottom of the steps, her pale hands clasped delicately in front of her.

  I nodded. “It was nice meeting you, too. Thank you for everything.”

  Celia smiled. “I hope you know that you will always have a home here.”

  Not sure what to say to that, I inclined my head before turning away.

  Ashton helped me in while Isaiah took our duffles to the wooden box at the back of the carriage. We sat in silence until Isaiah joined us, shutting the door behind him. The carriage rattled as Archer hopped onto the bench at the front. I braced myself just as he shouted ha! And the carriage gave a jolt.

  “You can still change your mind,” Ashton said, speaking for the first time.

  I shook my head. “It’s better this way.” I glanced down at my hands. “Thank you for everything.”

  He dropped back against the bench with a disgruntled huff. “Don’t thank me. Not when I haven’t done anything to deserve it.”

  “You risked a lot to get us here,” I argued. “I know you tried to help Mom, although she was too stubborn to accept it, and you took me in without question. I could have been some lunatic for all you knew.”

  He leaned ever so slightly forward. “There are a lot of things I wish I could have done differently, but we learn to deal with the hand we’re given. I will always be there when you need me.”

  No one said another word the rest of the way to the massive iron gates. The carriage stopped and we tumbled out.

  “Why was it still night time beyond the gates, but midafternoon here?” I asked as we made our way through the sunny meadow.

  “Ashton was keeping everyone indoors until we reach the nexus,” Archer said. “It would make things awkward if someone were to see you.”