A Roaring Fire

by Kim Faulks

  That seam where I wanted to be.

  I dropped my hand to her zipper and ran my knuckle down the crease. Her shudder raced through the mattress. Her body jerked under my touch.

  Her legs clamped shut trapping my hand. “My turn,” she growled and rose from the pillow.

  Goddess above she was sexy when she was in charge. She pushed me backwards, craning over my body to straddle my thighs. Her hands worked fast, untangling my belt and working the button before moving to my shirt.

  Buttons opened, my skin exposed.

  Cold air fondled with icy fingers. I shuddered, shrugging off one side of my shirt and then the other. She pulled me upright, easing the sleeves down until my chest was bare.

  “My Dragon,” she murmured. Her fingers traced my shoulder blade, where my wings tear free. “My Tormentor.”

  My Dragon shuddered as she spoke to him. Making love wasn’t a simple process. Both of us craved her touch, we hungered for her love. Her knee brushed mine as she climbed free. She kissed the tops of my shoulders, lingering at the place where it tickled the Tormentor.

  The keening call ripped through my head. Faint traces echoed along my throat.

  I’m here…my Dragon growled, rising like the merciless surge of the ocean. I’m here…

  I followed the heat of her breath across my skin, and down my spine where the Tormentor’s spines pierce through. Her hands slipped under the waistline of my pants to cup my ass. I braced my body, punching the mattress on either side, and raised my body from the bed.

  She moved without a sound, barely dipping the mattress as she shed my trousers, leaving me bare, whispering in that guttural all-knowing voice. “Nothing you do goes unnoticed, Dragon. Not in this second, or in the seconds to come. We trust…trust in the Goddess. We trust in each other. You encourage that trust, and that’s why we cannot fail.”

  A shiver raced, standing the hairs on my arms. This woman was more than the demon wolf that frightened others, she was more than the destroyer the prophecy predicted—she was one of the most powerful Seers I’d ever known.

  Even stronger than the old woman who sent Marcus to Alpha, to Abrial, and it was this compelling seer who spoke now.

  “We trust, Victor. We trust in ourselves and we trust in the bonds we form with each other…for in the end family is all that matters and that bond is stronger than blood.”

  Whispers of cloth dragged my gaze to her. She shed her clothes to stand naked in front of me. Her small breasts stood firm against the hard edges of her ribs. Her stomach was flat and toned from all those years as a lone wolf. She’d fought, she’d hungered. She’d lived for years without the touch of another, until she found me.

  I traced the fine hair on her stomach until I dipped to her navel.

  The small thatch of dark hair glistened as she climbed onto the bed to mount my legs. Long blonde curls fell forward, tickling my thighs as she lowered her head.

  My cock twitched under the heat of her breath. The frigid air faded away under the bold caress of her tongue. I fisted the sheets and raised my head. Through the curtain of blonde hair, I watched as her mouth met the head of my cock.

  Warmth swept through me like the warm edges of a pool.

  My Dragon shuddered. Where she touched me, she also touched him.

  Dear Goddess of mercy.

  My clothes were gone…my sanity hung by a thread.

  And there wasn’t a lifeboat in sight.

  Her fingers curled around the base, sliding up the shaft to meet her lips. I speared my fingers through strands of her hair to see her face. Soft lips, warm mouth. Her tongue ran along the underside, finding my vein, each pulse dragged me closer to oblivion…and closer to her.

  “Look at me.” Fire lashed my throat. I swallowed, easing the blur, and tried again. “Look at me.”

  She raised her head, amber eyes found mine. This was the moment I wanted. This connection was deeper than her mouth, and sexier than any part of her body. I dropped her hair.

  My stomach muscles tightened as I raised my head. I slid my hands under her arms and lifted. My cock fell from her mouth, smacking against her chest and stomach.

  I rolled, pulling her under me. Her lips glistened with the remnants of her act. I dropped my head and kissed the ridge. My tongue snaked out, licking the edges of her mouth and then pulled back.

  Black wisps danced around the glint in her amber eyes, like broken shards of glass. Her shadowed wolf waited, ready to consume me. Whispers lingered deep down in the center of my mind…

  Let me out, Victor…I want to run free…let me out.

  I pulled my focus back to her, to the feel of her body underneath me, to the smell of our love. Her thighs clenched, her nails dug. She pushed and pulled, throwing me against the mattress and climbed on top.

  Slow, circular grinds of her hips came at me like drugging waves. I reached for her breasts, cupping the soft flesh as they bounced. She closed her eyes, lips parted, breath rushed—more, deeper.

  I dropped my hands to her hips and thrust. She dropped her head forward, blonde curls bounced and slapped her shoulders. Sex looked good on her. She came alive from the clench of her muscles to the rosy flush on her skin.

  I reached for her hands, fingers entwined as she climbed that mountain inside her body. Lightning ripped, tightening my balls, tearing through me, and deep down the Dragon purred with seduction.

  I gripped her hands and pulled her forward, dropping her lips to mine and dragged her into the maelstrom of the three of us.

  Dragon, me, Dragon, me. Senses sparked, alight with desire, inflamed by love. She bucked, riding the frenzied waves as they lapped her body. Her climax raged like a river of need.

  My hips jerked at the sight, liquid heat spilled as my cock pulsed. I dropped her hands and pulled her to the mattress beside me. Here I found my center, here I found my rush.

  “I think that was more for me than for you.”

  Her breathless words filled my ear as I nuzzled her neck. “Then you’d be wrong.”

  My heart thundered in my ears drowning out the sound of her breaths.

  “I want you to know I’m never going to leave again, no matter what happens. This time I’ll stay.”

  I pulled away and stared into her eyes. Fear lingered in there. “Good, that’s good. If you run, I can’t…”

  …protect you.

  “Whatever happens we stick together, that’s the plan. We’re stronger if we fight together.”

  She nodded and closed her eyes. “Yes, the four of us are stronger together. We always have been. It’s just taken me all this time to find you.”

  “Four?”

  She leaned in. Her breathless whisper filled my ears. “You, the Tormentor, me and the shadowed wolf. They’re the only ones we can depend on. You can trust her…my wolf. She is violent and cruel, but she will never betray you…she can be trusted.”

  Trust. I leaned back and stared into her eyes. She wanted me to trust the wolf that could end the world. She wanted me to trust the one prophecies were written about…

  Her shadowed wolf had saved me. She’d taken the demon’s blade for me.

  Trust. I could trust her…I prayed Odessa was right.

  “We can always leave, run away together.” I muttered. “We can find a new cabin and I can make it snow forever.”

  “That sounds nice,” she murmured. “That sounds real nice.”

  Her breaths deepened, exhaustion stole her one slow exhale at a time. I watched the tremble of her lips and tried to find reason for her remark. Had she seen something? Did she know something?

  Her chest rose and fell like the rush of the sea. I lowered my head against her shoulder, took comfort from her warmth, and sent out a silent plea.

  Don’t let her leave Dragon.

  Don’t let her leave us…

  The response was sudden as though the Tormentor and I mingled as one.

  His growl echoed like an oncoming storm…

  Never.

  4<
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  Marcus flinched and turned to me. “We’re doing what?”

  “We’re taking the kids into town to see the lights.”

  “Human lights,” Marcus bit. “You want us to parade ourselves in front of a bunch of human houses and stare at goddamn Christmas decorations?”

  My stomach clenched tight like a damn fist. Why couldn’t he look past himself for once? I fought to keep my emotions from my face.

  “That’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Abrial growled behind me.

  I stepped to the side, flattening my spine against the wall to let the Alpha pass and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “It’s a lovely thought, Victor, thank you. I only wished others were a little more considerate.”

  “I’m considerate enough to pay the damn utilities, or is that not good enough anymore?”

  I winced at the sting in his words. Marcus was unraveling from the inside. Abrial stopped in front of him and raised her hand, placing it on his arm. “Yes, it is. You know it is. But have you seen the need in these kids’ eyes? Have you seen the sheer desperation that echoes from each and every one of my people, and your people now? They want, for just for one second, to be wrapped up in something other than death and destruction. They want bright lights to take them away from all this, and so do you. You’re just too damn stubborn to admit it.”

  He stared down at the small Alpha, but what she lacked in size, she more than made up for in heart. My brother’s shoulders sagged…the burden was too much for one to bear. The corner of his mouth twitched.

  The powerful Bloodletter driven to his knees by one little wolf. “Lights, so that’s what you want…you want lights?”

  She nodded, holding his gaze. “That’s what I want.”

  Electricity sparked. Was this what Odessa and I looked like? So intense, so consuming. My body hummed with the remnant of our love.

  Yes, we looked exactly like this.

  “How many cars do we have?” Marcus asked, his tone softer.

  I mentally searched the garage and driveway. “Four, including Goulding’s Bronco and Gunny’s Jeep.”

  “We’ll need to do two trips,” Abrial muttered.

  One brow shot high. “How many are you taking?”

  “There’s ten children, and their mothers, plus ten or so of the others…and Owen, we can’t leave him behind. He might not live to see another Christmas. I want to make this one special.”

  “Neither will the rest of us if you keep adding names. And I guess you’ll want treats?”

  The Alpha’s eyes glistened and her smile spread wide. “Treats, now that would be lovely, Marcus. See, you can do this.” She leaned in, reaching up on the tip of her toes to plant a kiss on his lips and murmured. “And they said a bull can’t be tamed.”

  The smirk died on his face. “Who said that?”

  I wrenched my gaze to the ground and bit the insides of my cheeks. Still the grin spread, pulling the soft flesh from between my teeth. I took a step backwards, staring at the cracks in the wall. “I’ll organize the cars then.”

  Neither said a word as I turned and made for the other end of the house. Evander leaving home had turned everyone’s world upside down, but we needed this to bring us together.

  The cars were loaded, drivers set. I gripped the wheel with Odessa by my side. Heaters blasted hot air hard enough to dry my eyes. I blinked and scanned the rest of the convoy while kids and adults laughed and sang to some old tune about wolves and snowmen.

  “I have no idea what they’re saying,” I muttered and watched Goulding pull out as the lead car.

  Odessa hummed along and tried to interpret. “Cold paws and sodden fur, first flakes of snow brings the moonshine glow. He comes when the ice is full, stealing more than young dreams and thick warm wool.”

  “No wonder the kids can’t sleep at night when you sing stories like that.” I wrenched the wheel and pressed the accelerator.

  “It’s just a story, but it’s more the meaning. The snowmen they associate with the humans, they take everything else from us, so why not our hopes too.”

  I lifted my head and glanced into the rearview mirror. Gunny was behind me there in the dark, hands on the wheel just like me. She was here to give dreams, not take them away.

  We left behind our home and headed to town. The passengers chatted, oblivious to Odessa and me.

  “I’m looking forward to seeing Zadoc tomorrow,” she murmured and placed her hand on my thigh.

  I kept my focus on the road and tried not to think about the warmth of her hand, or my brother’s arrival. I’d seen him once since Evander found him alive.

  When Gunny called, we’d rushed to some construction site in the middle of nowhere. The sight that waited for us was heartbreaking.

  Consumed by fear and rage, Zadoc had shifted, and he couldn’t shift back.

  Gunny and her team carted him and Joslyn in the back of a flatbed truck to somewhere they could protect him, somewhere they could hide him until we finally made it there.

  Marcus had entered the massive shed first. I’d followed close behind him and the rest of the family followed. The sight of him struck harder than any blade. Broken, destroyed, he huddled in the corner. Broken wings slapped the ground with a whoop, whoop, whoop and a pathetic hoarse cry filled the space.

  It’d taken eleven of us to calm him.

  But only one could bring our brother back to us—Joslyn.

  She’d been the shining light around him. The only thing his Dragon responded to. He’d watched her every movement as we entered the shed, and growled when we came close to her sitting on the floor in front of him.

  I remember Marcus’s fear at the sight. I remembered the shake of his voice when he said. “Come away now. Come over here where we can protect you.”

  But the pregnant mortal never moved a muscle. Instead, she scooted closer to him and answered. “I’m safer here than anywhere, so right here is where I’ll stay.”

  I’d never seen something so reckless. I turned my head. Odessa glowed in green dashboard lights. A wolf was one thing. They were strong…they were immortal.

  But a human. A very pregnant human was another.

  Joslyn could’ve been hurt. She could’ve been killed.

  Instead, she walked her hands along the floor and heaved her body to stand. She faced the Dragon and stared him down. Her voice was still, calm and controlled and more forceful than either of us could be. “That’s enough now. I need Zadoc back, and I need you to give him to me. You’ve done your duty, you protected me. But I’m safe now. I’m here surrounded by your family and I’m safe.”

  She’d stepped closer with her hand raised in the air and by the Goddess if that Dragon didn’t lower his head for her to touch him.

  “I think being around family is the best thing for him right now.”

  I nodded and tried to fight the sinking feeling as I drove into town. In the distance, lights sparkled as if the stars had settled amongst the houses. The closer we came, the brighter the glow.

  “It’s beautiful, look kids.” Odessa turned and pointed out the window.

  Behind me, wide eyes and wider smiles filled my vision. I followed the former Deputy winding around Nyx’s glaring streets to where the best decorations and the brightest lights waited. We watched as kids walked along the streets, hand in hand with their parents. Silence filled the air.

  Tiny breaths fogged the windows.

  Distant empty stares found every twinkle and every light.

  There were no sounds inside the car, no laughter, and no talk.

  Old men waited with candy, old women with a smile and a steaming cup of chocolate. Children laughed and danced around their parents, eyes wide, filled with joy…and it hit me how different we were.

  The divide between mortal and immortal widened, until now I hadn’t sensed how great the divide. It wasn’t just a life span that divided us—it was the haves and the have nots—it was the prejudice—the hostility.

  It was al
l of those things all wrapped up in this one tiny moment. I could feel their heartache. I could sense their longing. These little shifters wanted so desperately to belong and not just belong to anyone...they wanted to belong to them.

  “Not for us.”

  A tiny voice broke through filled with anguish.

  “Pretty lights, not for us. Nothing for us.”

  I strangled the steering wheel as Odessa reached through the divide. “Not yet, little one. But one day it will be.”

  The old man raised his head, catching sight of the car. He lifted his hand in a wave before he stilled. I saw the moment he understood who watched his house from a distance. The disheveled clothes and knotted hair from the wolves made an easy target.

  The smile wavered and froze. He dropped his hand. His mouth moved in silence. The old woman followed his gaze to our car and then along to the others in our wake.

  The sudden snarl was heartbreaking. Her lips peeled back, white teeth shone. Those around her spun as she pointed. Her lips moved. I could almost hear her curse from here.

  I eased off the brake and pulled out onto the street as the old man herded the families into the safety of their house and followed. The thick wooden door was slammed, seconds later the lights outside flickered and then died.

  We weren’t wanted, not here and not now.

  Not for us. The little one’s words struck deep.

  We hung back from the other houses, still the mood had been changed. They no longer wanted the pretty lights and the buzz of excitement.

  “I don’t know about you but I’m craving some hot chocolate of my own. How about we head home and make some? I think I heard Gunny talk about wiring something up. How much do you want to bet it’s lights for our tree?”

  Dead air answered. Odessa cut me a look of despair. I wanted to save them. I wanted to heal them. Instead, I turned the Jeep around along with the other cars and we headed for home.

  We piled out of the car and headed for the comfort of family. Odessa and the other mothers tried to encourage the little ones by laughing and joking. The little ones tried to smile, but the old man’s reaction had taken its toll.