Mystic Flame

by Cyndi Friberg

  The interrogation room was small and heavily shielded. As if the containment collar wasn’t enough. The three cables attached to the collar had been stretched to their limits and attached to stout anchors on the walls. The “precaution” kept him standing, barely able to move. His hands were bound in front of his body and Hesuto hadn’t spoken since he entered the room at least four hours before.

  This confrontation had been a lifetime in the making and Malos had no intention of revealing his secrets. If Hesuto managed to penetrate his shields—which was highly unlikely—Malos would rupture a blood vessel in his own brain and rob the arrogant Mystics of their victory. But Malos was far from surrender. There was still plenty of hope that he could regain control of the situation.

  Malos might wear the robes of a Mystic and command similar skills, but in his heart he was Rodyte. His mother, Delaine, had been used by a Mystic. The callous bastard hadn’t forced himself on her. He’d seduced her with pretty words and trinkets then returned to the Conservatory when he’d finished amusing himself. Malos resulted from the affair, but the Mystic had no more interest in the child than he’d had in the mother.

  Crushed and humiliated, Delaine fled to a distant outpost near Rodymia. The outpost was primitive and savage. Despite unimaginable odds, Delaine found a way to provide for her infant son. She scrubbed floors and took in sewing. She stocked shelves and waited tables. Many offered their protection in exchange for her shapely body, but she refused to be the plaything of any man.

  Until she caught the eye of a Rodyte commander.

  Commander Pakraut was not used to having his wishes ignored. Seasoned soldiers trembled in his wake and women offered themselves freely, so Delaine’s rebuff fascinated him. He returned again and again to the tavern where she worked, offering her comfort and protection. Each time she refused, he grew more determined to win her affection.

  Malos had seen eight solar cycles when his mother finally gave in and became Pakraut’s mistress. The wealthy Rodyte leased a comfortable house for them and hired a tutor for Malos. It was all very amicable and the relationship likely would have run its course if Pakraut hadn’t seen Malos’ potential and imagined the possibilities of having an Ontarian Mystic under Rodyte control.

  Hesuto released the forceful pressure on Malos’ mind and took a step back. The Mystic’s expression didn’t change, but Malos could sense his frustration.

  Seizing upon Hesuto’s momentary distraction, Malos reached out across the meticulously shielded link he’d established with his apprentice. He needed to make this short and succinct or the Mystics would realize he’d transmitted a signal. Kellan would doubtlessly be scanned, but it didn’t matter. If everything went as planned, Kellan will have completed his task before the Mystics realized he’d returned from Linusia Prime.

  He sensed Kellan’s mind and eased beyond his shields.

  Master?

  Not wasting time with telepathic greetings, he said, The time is now. You know what to do.

  Have no fear. It shall be done.

  The door in front of Malos slid open and he quickly pinched off the link.

  Mistress Alexia looked at Hesuto as the door slid closed behind her.

  Fear stabbed into Malos. Had the bitch sensed him contact Kellan? It didn’t seem likely, but—

  “How are things progressing?” she asked and Malos exhaled.

  “Slowly,” Hesuto admitted. “He has a level of control I’ve never encountered before. Are you sure he’s a full blood Ontarian?”

  “Our scans revealed nothing unusual.” She looked at Malos, gaze narrowed with speculation. “He frequently visited his mother during his initial training and she lives very near Rodymia.”

  Hesuto rubbed the back of his neck, appearing noticeably fatigued. “I’d be concerned if she lived near Bilarri. Rodytes have no paranormal abilities.”

  Malos wanted to laugh. These fools had no idea what Rodyte training techniques could accomplish. Rodytes might not possess Mystic abilities, but they had mastered mental discipline. He’d learned more from his Rodyte trainers than his Ontarian mentor by far.

  “Keep at it. If you need a break, let me know.” Mistress Alexia departed as abruptly as she’d arrived.

  Hesuto faced him again, determination gleaming in his dark eyes. “It’s obvious I can’t force information from your mind, so it’s time for a new tactic. How well do you deal with pain?”

  The question was meant to intimidate but Malos smiled. The only thing Rodytes knew better than discipline was inflicting and processing pain.

  Chapter Eight

  Why can’t you love me?

  Evan’s question echoed through Dro Tar’s mind, stirring feelings and igniting possibilities she’d silenced fifteen cycles before. “It’s not that simple and you know it.”

  “It’s only as complicated as we choose to make it.”

  She sighed and tried to climb off his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and turned to the side, laying her back across the bed. Her legs were already parted by his hips and he pinned her arms against the mattress.

  “Answer the question.” A surge in emotion sped the swirl of his light green eyes. His face hovered over hers, features chiseled by determination.

  Did he honestly think an admission of love would instantaneously solve all their problems? “I love you. All right. So what? I love hamburgers and ice cream too. That doesn’t mean they won’t make me fat and clog my arteries.”

  He laughed, the flash of his perfect teeth making him even more attractive. “It’s analogies like that that make you irresistible. I’m fascinated by the way you see the universe. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. We’ve wasted too much time already.”

  “Stop it. Just stop it!” She yanked against his hold and twisted beneath him. He let her struggle but didn’t let go. “You’re elite and I’m common. You’re a Mystic and I’m…nothing.” The last word slipped out with a sob and she turned her face away.

  Releasing one of her hands, he gently turned her head back around. “You are everything to me. You always have been.”

  Anger bubbled up through her insecurity, driving away the weaker emotions. “You’re full of shit, Master Evan. Forget ‘everything’. If I’d meant anything to you, you would have fought for me instead of hiding in the Conservatory.”

  “That’s a cheap shot and you know it. You can only tell someone you don’t want to see them so many times before they believe you. If I’d had any idea you still cared for me, I would have taken up residence outside your door.” His expression remained calm, but his fingers tightened around her wrists. “What are you so afraid of?”

  His question cut to the heart of her lifelong strategy. She’d always combated fear with anger and bravado. Fear made her weak and a woman on her own couldn’t afford any vulnerabilities. “Nothing.” The claim tore away another layer of her emotional protection and her lips began to quiver. “Everything.” Tears welled in her eyes and she tried to turn her face away again.

  Evan didn’t allow the retreat this time. Resting his weight on his forearms and his knees, he framed her face with his hands and stared deep into her eyes. “I know I’m pushing too hard, but I will not risk losing you again. You said I should have fought for you, and you were right. I just didn’t realize you were the one I’d be fighting.”

  “But how can an elite Mystic and a—”

  He pressed his fingertips against her lips. “No labels. No rules. Do you want to be with me? That’s the only question that matters.”

  Her lips trembled beneath his fingers and tears escaped the corners of her eyes. “I do.” Her heart fluttered at the phrase. It was unlikely he’d understand the human significance, but she knew. It was a pledge, a vow, a promise to share herself completely and with only him.

  Lowering his head slowly, he held her gaze until the very last moment. Then their lips met and reality narrowed to that one moment and that one kiss. She parted her lips and answered each gentle slide of his mouth
with a similar movement. He moved his hands back to her wrists, keeping her focused on the kiss.

  She drew his breath deep into her lungs, absorbing his scent and melding it with hers. Their mouths fit more closely together and she passed their mingled breath back to him. His tongue teased her lips, tracing and touching but never leaving his mouth. Needing some part of him inside her, she curled her tongue around his and coaxed him beyond her lips.

  His being brushed against her mind, caressing and beseeching. She relaxed and opened for him, wanting the connection as badly as he did. Desire, longing and tenderness flowed into her mind. She hadn’t felt the pressure of him anchoring the link.

  Has it been open all this time?

  He eased back and separated their lips. “I didn’t leave it open to spy on you. I was still reeling from your attention when our argument began. I will never enter your mind without your permission. When will you learn to trust me?”

  “I’m sorry.” She was being ridiculous. The link was for her benefit. His empathic abilities allowed him to sense her emotions any time he chose to use them. She either trusted him or she didn’t. And she needed to decide. “I don’t mean to be paranoid.”

  He paused and kissed her before he said, “You’ve had no one to defend you, no one to guard your back. That’s bound to make anyone paranoid.”

  She’d had Trey, but pointing that out to Evan would have been extremely foolish. Besides with Trey she was always a valued member of a team, not any more important than all the others.

  Something hot and secretive erupted within his gaze. He levered himself off her and crouched on his knees. “I think it’s time for a trust exercise.”

  Uncertainty coiled in the pit of her stomach making her entire abdomen feel tight. “I trust you.”

  A sexy smile parted his lips and he cocked his head to one side. “Prove it.”

  “How.”

  He moved off her and pulled her up until she sat in the middle of the bed. He knelt beside her, gaze warm yet cautious. “I want to blindfold you and I want you to restrain yourself.”

  “The blindfold is easy, but what do you mean by restraining myself?” Their sexual interaction had always been incendiary. This playfulness was new. She wasn’t sure how to deal with a mischievous Evan.

  “You have to agree not to touch me or try to stop me no matter what I do to you.”

  The tension in her belly escalated to a cramp. “I don’t think…” Trust. She either trusted him or she didn’t.

  He stroked the side of her face with the back of his fingers. “I will never harm you. Do you believe that?”

  “Yes.” And she did. He’d always been careful with her, always remained aware of her needs and desires.

  “Then show me. Lie back and raise your arms over your head.”

  “Are you going to bind me?”

  He shook his head. “That would defeat the purpose. This is about you freely offering your trust.”

  Exhaling a shaky breath, she turned so her body aligned with the bed and then lay down on her back. She raised her arms over her head and looked up at him. “Do you realize how hard this is for me?”

  “I do. Trust is a precious gift and I will treasure yours. Now close your eyes.”

  He didn’t have anything to blindfold her with, but she let her lids drift closed. Her skin tingled and she gasped then felt a slight pressure against her eyes. “What did you do?”

  “Applied the blindfold.”

  She tried to open her eyes and found her eyelids immobilized. Apparently a Mystic didn’t need a silk tie or a folded scarf to blindfold someone. What other surprises did he intend to conjure? She took a deep breath, accepting the darkness, allowing the absence of sight to free her other senses. This was Evan, her Evan. He would never intentionally hurt her.

  Silence stretched into the darkness as she waited for his touch. Had he flashed from the room? Why wasn’t he touching her? “Evan?”

  “I’m here, love. Just relax.”

  Right. Relax while she was stretched out on a bed naked and without sight. Utterly vulnerable. She held perfectly still, listening to the sound of her own agitated breathing. What was he waiting for?

  Something soft and insubstantial brushed against her side. She flinched then exhaled and forced herself not to retreat from the ticklish sensation. Was it a feather? No it was even softer, like velvet or rabbit fur. She suddenly pictured him kneeling beside her rubbing an entire rabbit again her ribs.

  Before her laughter escaped he said, “This isn’t a guessing game. Stop analyzing the sensations and just feel.”

  “Yes, sir.” She smirked.

  “And don’t call me sir until you mean it.”

  The reminder sent heat curling through her body, a slow melting sensation that started in her heart and ended in her sex. Power and control. He needed her to release her inhibitions and surrender to him.

  Another long pause followed then he brushed her other side with the soft cloth. He awakened her nerve endings, stroking her skin from armpit to knee. Down one side and up the other. How was he doing this without rocking the bed? He seemed to flow around her without actually moving.

  “You’re distracted again.”

  “How are you doing that? I can’t feel the bed move.”

  His lips covered hers, the kiss hot and demanding. Only their mouths touched, focusing her curious mind on the sensual slid of his tongue and the warmth of his lips. She responded to the familiar and used the tenderness to soothe her anxiety.

  Then his tender torture began all over again. He touched her body at random spots, first teasing her with softness then rousing her senses with something coarse. She never knew where he would strike or which sort of stimuli he’d deliver. Her skin tingled and her muscles twitched as restlessness took over. She pressed her thighs together and rocked her hips, unable to remain still.

  “Don’t fight it. Let the pleasure come.”

  Something warm and firm closed around her beaded nipple. Oh, she knew that sensation. His lips tightened and then drew upon her, sending zings of pleasure deep into her abdomen. She arched into the caress as her core clenched and her breasts ached.

  His fingers circled her other nipple while his mouth continued to suck. She wanted to run her hands through his hair and hold him close, but she’d promised not to touch him. His teeth applied sudden pressure, drawing a sharp gasp from her throat. Before the sting subsided, he soothed her with his tongue.

  Intensity threaded through tenderness, the combination was dizzying. He moved between her legs then bent her knees, opening her thighs for the next phase of his game.

  “You’re already wet.” His voice was low and thick with emotion, yet he wasn’t using their link to share his feelings. “Can you come before I touch your clit?”

  “I don’t know. I never have before.” But she felt as if her entire body had been electrified.

  Something cool washed over her chest, starting near her neck then swirling around her right breast. She shivered then sighed as he created an equally warm sensation. Her nipples tightened, anticipating more attention and her clit throbbed, more than ready to become part of the action. The coolness built and concentrated over one nipple as heat settled over the other.

  “Please. Release my eyes. I need to see what you’re doing.”

  “Do you promise not to interfere?”

  It was a compromise and she eagerly accepted, desperate to be free of the darkness. “I won’t move. I promise.”

  His chuckle was soft and sexy. “I didn’t say you couldn’t move. You just can’t hinder me or run away.”

  “I understand.”

  Her lids tingled and a faint light filtered in through her lashes. She blinked then slowly opened her eyes. He knelt between her thighs both arms extended. Energy created a blue nimbus around his left hand while golden light accented his right. Fire and ice. He was manipulating elemental magic. She’d never seen him do this before, had no idea it was within his power. Apparentl
y having Vee for a mentor had its advantages.

  Tiny flames sparked from his right hand, arcing through the air to dance across her flesh. She gasped and trembled. Despite the dramatic delivery, the sensation was mild and pleasant. Still, she’d thought he’d conjured a candle or something. This was amazing.

  The blue glow around his left hand burned brighter then shimmering specks floated downward, dusting her breast with tingling specks.

  “Which do you like better?” He looked at her and smiled.

  “The contrast is hard to beat, but I think the heat feels better.”

  He lowered his left hand as the glow faded. Then he moved his right hand closer to her breast. “Don’t be afraid. I will not hurt you. Remember, this is a trust exercise.”

  His hand hovered over one breast and then the other, heat following his movements. She shifted restlessly, grasping fistfuls of bedding to keep her promise not to touch him. Mystic flames swirled around her nipples, pulling sensations into her breasts from all over her body. She tossed her head and arched her back, restrained by her promise.

  The flames continued to orbit her nipples while he trailed kisses across her taut abdomen. He ringed her navel, pushing heat inward with the slow press of his tongue. The flames sizzled in response to the energy surge and she yelped, surprised not hurt.

  Without touching her anywhere else, he pushed one of his fingers into her core. She tightened her inner muscles, thankful for the fullness yet desperately needing more. His lips returned to her nipple and pulled pleasure up through her body with the relentless suction of his mouth.

  Her inner muscles clenched around his finger, making her back arch higher. She floated. Then everything went still. His teeth closed upon one nipple as the Mystic flame licked the other and the combined sting shattered her control. Pleasure rippled through her, the spasms firm and rhythmic.

  “You are so beautiful when you do that.” He pulled his hand back and added a second finger as he pushed back inside. “Do it again.”