by Kate Kelley
His eyes flared and he came in closer, his grip tightening on my wrist. “Have you forgotten that I’m an expert-level Fire Elemental who trained with the Fire miliary as well as an underground demon terrorist group? You should probably be afraid of me, Peterson.”
I growled again and his nostrils flared a his eyes darted over my face. “What didn’t you like about that?”
My breathing picked up and I inched closer to him still until our faces were inches apart. I looked at his lips, the stern, sensual mouth that had ravaged mine properly twice already. I felt the strangest urge to bring my mouth to his again. That kind of mouth could get addicting. “My name is Rai,” I said, low in my throat.
He abruptly let go of me and stepped back, his eyes still pulsating copper.
I took a deep breath, my fingernails cutting into my palms. I burned somewhere lower with a need that surprised me. Why was I always attracted to assholes?
I took a deep breath. “Tell me about your involvement with Wildfire and I’ll stay--until morning. Then I’ll leave.”
And I meant it. I didn’t want this mess. I wanted stability, and normalcy. But first, I wanted answers.
Wolfram crossed his arms and studied me a brief moment before nodding and striding out of the hallway. I followed him into the kitchen where he began setting out pots and pans and gathering ingredients from his cupboard. I took a seat at the bar.
“What, are you a chef too?” I asked. As if on cue, my stomach rumbled loudly. I was really hungry this time. I felt like eating that box of dry spaghetti Wolfram had just taken out of the cupboard. Something red flew at me and I caught it, my reflexes doing the work for me.
An apple.
“Thanks,” I said, biting into it, the juices running down my chin. I wiped them away and watched Wolfram light the stove with his magic, because of course he would.
“Tell me about Wildfire,” I said as the water worked up to a boil.
He poured stewed tomatoes and paste into a pot, then sprinkled it with a barrage of seasonings. “My baby brother was killed, did you know? Along with my father.”
He took a head of lettuce from the fridge and began chopping it, his back to me. I swallowed and set the half-eaten apple down. “No, I didn’t.”
Chop, chop, chop. “Ah. I thought maybe Zephyrine had told you.”
“No, she didn’t,” I said, my voice hollow as I stared at the marble counter. “I’m sorry.”
Wolfram put the lettuce and a chopped tomato in the salad bowl, then took out balsamic vinegar and honey, and began stirring up a salad dressing. “Well, that was years ago. We never found the killer. I was in the military at the time, and when I found out, I was incensed. I became obsessed with finding the killer. I went off the wall for about twenty years.”
“Okay, wait. Aren’t you, like, thirty years old?” I couldn’t help it, the words just popped out.
Wolfram put the dry spaghetti into the pot of boiling water. “No, I’m not. Humans live, what, a century, max? I always forget. Elementals live awhile longer.”
My eyes widened. “How much longer?”
He approached me after turning down the flame and took a seat across of me. “Well, technically, we’re immortal.”
If I’d had a drink in my hand, I would have spit it in his face. “What?”
Wolfram shrugged. “It’s not really the point of the story.”
I shook my head. “Sorry. Continue.”
He inclined his head. “After they were murdered, I became obsessed with finding their killers. Although, we never found my baby brother’s body, so a part of me held onto the idea that he was still alive.” He paused, his throat flexing. I could see the pain was still fresh, even after all that time.
He continued, tracing his finger along a pattern in the marble. “We’d been at odds with the Air Kingdom for some time, and my mother sent my father and their new baby away to Earth to lie low. They stayed in the inn. At that time, it was a second home we used as a hideout. Most elementals won’t cross over to Earth.”
My heart lurched. I had a suspicion I knew what room of the inn they were murdered in, but I didn’t want to be insensitive and blurt that out too. Perhaps Rosa wasn’t crazy after all, and the ghosts of Wolfram’s father and brother haunted room thirteen.
“I was approached by the Wildfire leaders not long after. They claimed to be a resistance to the peace treaty attempts between the Air and Fire Kingdom. They claimed to know that the Air Kingdom was secretly plotting against the Fire throne, had killed my father and brother, and were planning to kill my mother and other family next.”
I watched his tortured face but didn’t say a word. I dared not, lest he stop speaking.
“I joined them. Gave in to their offers, thinking they were the only ones truly honoring my family and the Fire Kingdom. For three years we ravaged and raided Air, Earth, and Water Kingdoms. We killed soldiers, those who weren’t looking for a fight but were just trying to defend their kingdom. I told myself it was all part of finding my brother, avenging my father.”
His eyes burst with copper and his fists curled tightly on top of the counter. I wanted to reach over and cover his hands with my own, to ease his burden. Instead, I curled my own fists on my lap.
A thick strand of hair curtained the right side of Wolfram’s face as he bent his head lower. When he spoke, his voice was an octave deeper. “I left after three years one day when we went to raid the Air Kingdom. That day, the leader, MacKay, killed a young boy. He must have been ten or eleven. I’ll never forget his bravery. His little arms outstretched as he stood in front of his mother. His mother had been sick, I think. She was weak, lying in her own bed. He was trying to protect her--” Wolfram’s voice broke and I sucked in a breath.
“You don’t have to keep telling me if you--”
“I just stood there and watched as he executed him, sliced off his head with one clean blow, and his mother after him. I protected the evil prick when Air soldiers came to avenge the young boy and his mother’s death. I killed soldiers for him that day. And when I got home, I washed the blood off and I puked, all night. I didn’t eat or sleep for days. I couldn’t get that young boy’s face out of my head. The fear in his little eyes. The desperation in his mother’s eyes. I still see them, in my dreams. After that, I packed my things and I left. I vowed never to return to Wildfire, or to my Kingdom, or even to the Elemental realm. I’ve been staying on Earth for a good fifteen years. I never want to return.”
A tear slid down my cheek and I wiped it away. Wolfram’s eyes locked onto mine and quickly glanced away, his face hardening. “Don’t cry for me. I’m just as guilty as MacKay.”
“You are not. You had no idea that he would do that--”
We both turned as the water boiled over the spaghetti pot and Wolfram jumped up to turn the heat down and stir it. He then strained it and mixed the sauce in. I watched him silently as he plated two servings of salad, spaghetti and garlic bread. He put a plate in front of me and grated fresh cheese over top my spaghetti, then took out a wine glass and poured a dark red wine into it.
“Thank you,” I said, watching his face. It was expressionless again, as if he hadn’t just poured out his heart to me a few moments before.
He sat across from me and I swirled the spaghetti onto my plate, then stuffed it into my mouth. “Mmm,” I hummed appreciatively. It was delicious, all of it, and I didn’t stop eating until every last morsel was gone from my plate.
I wiped my mouth on my napkin and took a healthy sip of wine, looking across to Wolfram. He set his empty plate aside, a smirk on his face. “Were you hungry?” he asked mockingly.
I tried not to smile. “Maybe a little.”
He drained his wine glass and poured another. “The reason I told you that story is so you know that I have nothing to do with Wildfire now, and that I had nothing to do with those recent fires.”
I took a sip of wine and a light buzz filled my body and head. “You also told me so that I wouldn’t l
eave.”
Wolfram was silent.
“So Wildfire was responsible for the fires? The one next to the apartment building and the one at the inn? Why would they do that?”
“To taunt me, I suspect. To kill innocent people, to punish me for leaving. They don’t like people leaving, and they’re desperate to have me back.”
Cold crept up my spine. “Do they know where you live?”
Wolfram shrugged. “Probably. It doesn’t matter. Fire doesn’t hurt me. Their attempts are futile, and if it comes to a deathmatch, I’ll win. I was always their best fighter.”
“Fire doesn’t hurt me either,” I said quietly, gauging his reaction as I took a sip.
Wolfram frowned at me over his glass. “I know.”
He looked at me like I was wrong, somehow. His family had said I smelled wrong. I shouldn’t have been able to create an explosion or smoke...what was wrong with me?
I polished off my glass and poured another and Wolfram crossed to the fireplace in the living room behind me and lit it with his hand. It was a cozy room, with a loveseat and recliner, wooden coffee table, fireplace. No TV, though. What was I supposed to do tonight?
I tapped my fingers on the marble counter as I finished a third glass of wine. “I’d like to take a shower, if that’s okay with you,” I said to his back as he poked at the fire. I realized he was arranging burning logs with his bare hands. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to that.
He stood and turned. “Of course. Its upstairs to the right, through the bedroom and on the left.”
I scooted off the stool and swayed a little before righting myself. Had three glasses of wine really affected me that bad? I peeked at Wolfram, who frowned at me, and I giggled as I hightailed it out and up the steep staircase. I turned to the right directly into a giant master bedroom with a giant four-poster bed and the most luxurious, fluffiest, pure white duvet on top of it. A trunk, that resembled an old-fashioned pirate treasure chest sat at the foot of the bed. A sofa with a gray fur thrown across it adorned the opposite wall.
I turned to the left into a giant bathroom with dark burgundy marble covering the floor and walls. Another jacuzzi adorned the right corner and right next to it was a double shower--shower heads on opposite walls of the shower. The only problem was that the doors of the shower were pure glass--see through. Well, as long as Wolfram doesn’t come in, it shouldn’t be a problem.
I started the shower and waited for the temperature to heat up. The candelabras were already lit, creating a soft glow in the room. I shed the awkward black robe dress I got from Zephyrine and because my underwear were already gone, I slipped into the shower and closed the glass door with a click.
The water was heavenly, the streams on me like a soft summer rain. I washed my hair and body with some honey-scented shampoo I found and soon the glass door was fogged up. I probably stayed in too long, but I couldn’t help it. I closed my eyes as the water washed over me and I cleared my mind of everything that happened. The illness, imprisonment, explosion, Zephyrine’s death, Wolfram’s story, the eventual talk with my dad. I cleared it all out until I only felt the water running down my skin.
Eventually, I reluctantly turned off the water and stepped out. For a moment I panicked, looking around for a towel. I should have asked where they were. I opened a tall, slim door in the bathroom and sighed in relief as I took a fluffy white towel from a shelf and dried off, then wrapped it around myself as I looked to pick up the robe dress. I held it up and smelled it, then reared back. Sick. It smelled like sweat and blood. No thanks. I bet Wolfram had a t-shirt and shorts I could wear.
I opened the door a crack and peered in. No Wolfram. Good. I crossed to a tall white dresser and pulled open a drawer. Boxers and socks. Nope.
I pulled on the second drawer. T-shirts. Eureka!
I pulled a butter-soft, worn-out charcoal shirt and opened the next drawer. Nothing. Shit. Did we still have the backpack? My leggings were in there. I dropped the towel and pulled on the t-shirt. It slid over my skin like water and fell to just below my butt.
I can’t go out there with nothing on my lower half.
I dug into his boxers drawer and pulled out a pair with a drawstring, then pulled them on. They fell surprisingly short, to mid-thigh, and I pulled the drawstring until it would stay on my hips, and tied the long strings twice. That would have to do. At least I was comfy.
“I should have asked if you had any clothes.”
I jumped out of my skin at the voice and turned. Wolfram stood in the doorway, his eyes faintly copper as he looked over me.
I felt my cheeks heat. “Sorry, I forgot to bring my clothes up and then I obviously didn’t want to go downstairs in a towel…” I combed my fingers through my wet tresses.
Wolfram put his hands in his jeans pockets, his gaze lifting to my face. “That’s quite alright.”
I stood awkwardly before picking up the towel and crossing to him. “If my clothes are still in the backpack, I can do a load of laundry for you. Although I suggest we burn the robe dress.”
Wolfram’s copper gaze burned brighter as he looked down on me and took the damp towel from my hand. His fingers brushed mine and I almost jumped from the shock. My heartbeat picked up and my skin washed over in goosebumps, hardening my nipples in the process, which was clearly visible through the super-thin shirt. Shit.
What the fuck was wrong with me? I took a deep breath to focus myself and turned to gaze around the bedroom, my eyes landing on the bed. I had an intense urge to sink into the bed with the man in front of me, feel his strong arms around my body.
Fuck.
“I have a maid that handles the laundry. She’ll pick it up in the morning.”
I looked back at him and nodded, noticing his eyes dipped to my chest. Butterflies tore through me and I looked away again, fiddling with the hem of my--Wolfram’s--shirt.
“Is my bedroom across the hall?” I blurted.
Wolfram stilled. “This is the only bedroom.”
“Oh. I can stay on the loveseat.”
“No need.”
I scratched my arm as I gazed at a painting of a tree above the unlit fireplace. There were fireplaces everywhere.
“Honestly, I don’t think you’ll fit on the loveseat. It’s fine.”
It wasn’t quite bedtime, but I was tired. The day had taken its toll, especially since I hadn’t slept the night before.
Wolfram took a step toward me, his masculine, clean scent all over me, too close. I stared at his throat as he spoke. “You’re a guest in my home. Take the bed. I can sleep on the floor here.”
He gestured to the thick rug next to the bed. Well, fine, I wasn’t going to argue about it anymore. I crossed to the bed and slipped under the covers, sinking into the soft surface. Oh my God, but it was amazing.
I rolled to the right suddenly as a weight depressed the side of the bed. My eyes flew open and landed on Wolfram sitting on the edge of the bed. His eyes were still bright copper.
“Are you angry at me? You can share the bed if you want,” I said with a smile, the words slurring slightly as sleepiness and wine mixed in my body.
Wolfram’s jaw clenched slightly. “No. I was going to remind you not to leave before I get up tomorrow. You can use my phone in the morning and we can go pick up your car.”
I watched his eyes flicker like flames, entranced. “If it isn’t towed by now.”
He leaned forward and captured my chin in his hand. I felt his breath on my lips and my own breath stopped. “It’s not. I promise.”
Then he got off the bed and crossed into the bathroom. I lay there, heart pumping wildly as I listened to him start the shower. I still felt his hand on my chin and memories of his kiss danced in my head. I turned to my right side, angrily trying to get comfortable even as I listened to the click of the shower door open and close. I tried not to picture him naked with water trailing down his sculpted body, and failed. I wondered about his tattoos, the sun shape on his chest. He had said Fire Ele
mentals descended from the Sun god. Was there such a thing as these other gods? If anyone could be descended from gods, it was Wolfram.
A low thrum started in my lower body and I squeezed my legs together. It’d been too long since I got laid, that’s all. I squeezed my eyes closed and plugged my ears, then tossed to the right. Suddenly all sleepiness left my body, and I sat up, shoving the covers off of me. At the same time, Wolfram came out of the bathroom, a towel slung low on his hips, and I froze. I swear my ovaries probably exploded, also. I crossed my legs, the movement catching Wolfram’s eye. Heat flared in his eyes again.
“Okay, I’m sorry I’m here. I’ll leave as soon as I can tomorrow.” I got up and crossed the room, but Wolfram caught my upper arm and pulled me back. “What are you talking about?”
I swallowed. “Your eyes. They’re bright copper. I know enough to know that means you’re angry, and every single time you look at me, your eyes glow copper.”
Wolfram let go of my arm. “It means other things too. I’m not angry.”
I frowned. “It’s fine. I don’t care.”
Wolfram stilled. “Okay.”
I waited for an explanation, but he was still silent, watching my face. I rolled my eyes and turned away, stalking to the bed and laying on my belly, my arms folded under my arms. I stared out of the window, the moon giant and white in the clear, navy sky.
I was very aware of Wolfram’s footsteps and watched him as he approached his dresser, his back to me. He pulled out a pair of boxers and dropped the towel.
My jaw dropped and I buried my face in the pillow, biting off a scream of frustration. He was deliberately taunting me at this point. I turned my back to him and a moment later, he was on the other side of the bed. He pointed to the extra duvet at the foot of the bed. “Are you going to use that?”
“No.” I eyed his chest, the trail of hair disappearing down the front of his gray boxers. I stopped myself there and wrenched my eyes away.
Wolfram tugged the blanket off the bed and laid it on the floor, then reached over me, his abdomen inches from my face as he grabbed the pillow on the opposite side of the bed. My sex tightened and ached and I covered it with my hand under the cover when he withdrew and plopped the pillow down, then lowered himself to the floor. He snapped and the candelabras around the room went out, dropping us into darkness.
