Force of Fire

by Ali Vali

  “I promise,” Piper said as Rowen suffered the same fate. One of the attackers took the book, but he didn’t seem to know what it was so he threw it into the fire burning below.

  The scene was chaotic and violent, and the people scattered into the trees, not fighting back, and she didn’t understand. When the killers had finally left, the worshippers had come back and lowered the two bodies off the top and placed them on the funeral pyres that had been erected. The old man with the straw cape gathered their ashes and the charred book and glanced at Piper as if in silent request for her to follow him. He took everything into the jungle and put the stone jars along with the book in a small stone vault buried in the ground.

  He led the others away into the darkness after they covered it, and Piper instantly knew they’d roamed for centuries until generations later decided to start building on the stories of those long-ago times that had sprouted from this place. In all those years of the construction and expansion of the Mayan empire, this place was forgotten. The last time it was inhabited for anything was the fire ceremony that Lumas and Rowen had begun but had died before the fire went out.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Oakgrove, Present Day

  Piper opened her eyes, and she lay still pressed on top of Kendal with Kendal’s fingers still buried inside her. Life sometimes surprised you in ways you couldn’t imagine, like showing you very detailed memories of things you had never experienced yourself, but lying in the arms of the person you loved was more of a dream that never failed to bring joy into your existence. She lifted herself up and combed Kendal’s hair back and kissed her.

  “Are you okay?” Kendal asked softly in that deep burr that seemed to seep into her chest and heat her blood.

  “Considering your fingers are in the right place, I’m perfect.” She kissed Kendal again and started to rock her hips. “Being with you like this opens my mind to all the things I need to keep you safe…to keep us safe.” She exhaled deeply when Kendal squeezed her ass hard enough to get her attention. “I love the way you love me, but right now I need you over me and holding me.”

  Kendal flipped them over and held her weight off her by resting on her elbow, but her other hand stayed in place. Having Kendal between her legs made her nipples come to hard points of need, and she ran her leg up the back of Kendal’s thigh. “I want you to make me yours all over again.” She knew they had to go back soon, but not before she had her fill of Kendal’s fingers inside her and the way they slid in and out, making her crave the orgasm that wasn’t too far off.

  “That’s it, baby,” she said, putting her fingers in Kendal’s hair and tugging her head down, biting her lower lip. “Don’t stop.”

  She placed her feet on the backs of Kendal’s legs, making it easier to thrust up into the hand between her legs as she kissed Kendal hard and long. This time it wasn’t about slowness or control but belonging to someone so completely that it robbed you of any inhibition you thought to have.

  “Oh my God,” she said as the rush of pleasure made her clamp the walls of her sex around Kendal’s fingers, and the orgasm swept through her so fast she stopped moving. Kendal seemed to realize it, and she stilled her hand as the last of her spasms pulsed in her sex. “Good Lord, the things you can do to me,” she said when Kendal finally pulled her fingers free.

  “I do feel like beating my chest every so often,” Kendal said and laughed. “But then you do the same things to me, and I think it’s time for that right now before we go back to the house.”

  Piper pushed on Kendal’s shoulder and got her to roll over so she could move, and when Kendal was on her back she straddled her thighs low enough that she’d have access to the wetness she knew was waiting on her. “Do you remember the day I came up to your room at the Piquant?”

  “That’s a hard day to forget.” Kendal’s eyes drooped until they were only halfway open, but she figured it was because she was stroking her clit. “It was the first time I got to see you in your underwear, and it took everything I had not to drop to my knees and beg you to let me touch you.” Kendal took in a sharp breath when she pinched her rigid clit and tugged hard a few times.

  “I think that was the first time I realized that I needed you to touch me, and I’d pray you never wanted to stop. It was a little scary since I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but you reached inside me and claimed some part I’ll never get back.” She returned to her soft stroking and saw that Kendal’s breathing was starting to deepen. “It was okay, though, since that part was waiting on you, and I almost cried at the joy of being found.”

  Kendal raised her hand and moved it up her body to one of her breasts and smiled. “You are so beautiful.”

  “No need to flatter, baby. In this position I’d think it’s clear that you’re getting lucky.”

  “It’s not flattery if it’s the truth. You’re many things to me, love, but that doesn’t blind me to the fact that you’re incredibly beautiful.”

  “Declarations like that deserve to be rewarded,” she said and lowered herself until she could put her mouth on Kendal again and bury her fingers inside her. She moved at the pace Kendal had set and came close to patting herself on the back when Kendal let out a groan so loud she felt it in her chest. Just as quickly as she came, though, Kendal was sitting up, seeming to put her body between her and the path that led to the house.

  “Wait right here,” Kendal said, getting up and handing her the shirt that had fallen to the ground.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, but she spotted Hill through the trees standing like a statue but not averting her eyes. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered as she put her shirt on and searched for her underwear, having to hold Kendal back when she finally got them on. “No matter how satisfying you might find it, warrior mine, you can’t kill her.”

  “Says who?” Kendal said, her hands on her hips and obviously not finding Hill a threat.

  “Let me get some things straight with her, and if she doesn’t get it, then be my guest.” She kissed the middle of Kendal’s chest above her breasts and sighed. “Now will you get dressed before I have to kill her myself? I don’t like to share.”

  “I wasn’t spying on you,” Hill said to Kendal’s retreating back when she walked past her without a word after she’d dressed. Piper hadn’t seen her mad very often, but having someone, no matter if it was an old friend, see something so intimate was probably what set Kendal off, and she couldn’t blame her. This part of their lives wasn’t for anyone else but them.

  “Hill, what the hell are you doing out here?” she said as she turned around after buttoning up her pants. The briefs Kendal had worn still lay on the chaise, so she folded them into a small bundle and wrapped her fist around it. “I thought I made myself clear before. There’s nothing between us, there never has been, and no matter what, there’s never going to be anything between us.”

  “I told you I wasn’t spying. That’s not my style unless someone hires me to do it for a cheating spouse, and even then it’s not my favorite thing to do.” Hill shoved her hands low into her pockets and couldn’t seem to look her in the eyes. “You made your choice, so what can I do but accept it? I may have wanted something different, but I’m not an asshole that’s going to try to mess things up for you.”

  “Do you remember watching her that day we were out here?” she said, not believing she was asking the very same question but for different reasons.

  “Yes. She cut my camera in half.”

  “You should remember that if anything like this ever happens again. Kendal Richoux is a little different than your average businesswoman, so try not to get on her bad side. You won’t get another chance to make it up to her.” She started walking, not caring if Hill followed her or not. “And this better be the last time you come somewhere you’re not invited. Do you understand me?”

  “Perfectly, and I’m sorry. Trust me, that’s the last thing I needed to see, but maybe it’s a good thing I did.”

  She stop
ped and glared at Hill like she’d completely lost her mind. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “You really love her, and maybe I didn’t believe it until right this minute. I’m sorry, and I hope you’ll still be my friend.”

  “I never stopped being your friend, even after I knew you wanted more, so it wasn’t for me to make that decision for you. All I can do is be perfectly clear that I love her, and more importantly, I belong to her. I’m never leaving her unless she sends me away.”

  “I doubt that’ll ever happen.”

  “You’re right, and don’t forget it.”

  They walked back into the house, and Piper stared at the skinny, bald man sitting in their living room with his eyes closed. She wasn’t worried about who he was yet, so she climbed the stairs, leaving Hill to deal with him since she’d obviously brought him.

  Kendal was already in the shower when she entered their bedroom, and she stripped, dropping clothes on the way to the bathroom. She was immediately picked up so she could wrap her legs around Kendal’s waist, so she kissed her, feeling the residual tension in her body. All she could do was kiss her until Kendal relaxed.

  “Does she finally get it?” Kendal asked when she let her down and put her head under the spray.

  “It doesn’t really matter, since the only one who needs to get how much I love you is you.” She squirted some bath gel onto the sponge and washed Kendal’s back before turning her around. “But she does get it, and I think she was only there to tell us she brought that guy Leonardo. Or I’m guessing that’s who the guy downstairs was.”

  “Just as long as she knows I don’t like sharing, much less letting anyone see you naked. That really pissed me off.”

  She kissed Kendal’s bicep and smiled. “I know, baby, but it could’ve been worse.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “I could’ve been right in the middle of what I was doing,” she said and winked.

  “If that had happened she’d be sporting a dagger out of her forehead,” Kendal said, and Piper didn’t think she was kidding.

  * * *

  Convel stayed on her porch with Lowe as the four large cars stopped in front of their place. She figured they’d be forced into one and their next stop would be the slayer’s home, where she’d have to tamp down her desire to kill, if only to keep Lowe from suffering from the one thing she wanted to do more than anything. When the door to the second car opened, she was surprised to see Tala emerge in a pair of jeans and a white linen shirt.

  “My queen,” she said, lowering her head and glad to see Lowe do the same.

  “It’s been a long time, Convel, but I hope not so long that you’ve forgotten how to greet an old friend,” Tala said with her arms open.

  “How can you be so forgiving?” she said as her feet betrayed her and she moved closer. She’d loved this woman for so long, and it had killed a huge part of her heart when she couldn’t have her. It felt good when Tala’s arms came around her in a friendly embrace, and she let go only when Lovell emerged from the car.

  “Because I’m your queen and protector no matter how far away you are from me, and more importantly, you’re my family. The children Lovell and I have will bind us together just as much as it did Lovell and me.” Tala took her hand and squeezed it. “It’s time to come home and know them. You’ve kept everyone waiting long enough.”

  “Sometimes there’s no going back, no matter how much we want it,” she said, and Lowe rubbed the small of her back.

  “That’s only true if you’re not wanted, cub, but that’s not the case, and you know it,” Lovell said.

  “And who’s this?” Tala asked, as if to change the subject.

  “This is my mate, Lowe Carey,” she said, and Lowe lowered her head to Tala and Lovell.

  “It’s good to know you,” Tala said as Lovell took her hand. “Before we go, I’d like to talk to you inside.”

  The people in the first and last car came out and surrounded the house to keep the two royals safe, but so many people didn’t make sense considering no one here knew who Tala and Lovell were. When they entered the run-down small house, Convel felt shame for the first time for how far she’d drifted away from her family and friends only to end up somewhere like this.

  “You left the pack because you didn’t want to live by the rules that govern all of us, and I can understand that,” Tala said to begin after she’d chosen the small dining table to sit at. “You are under no obligation to follow my order, but I’d like you to listen to me before you refuse.”

  “If you need something, just ask. I had plenty of reasons for leaving, but lack of loyalty to you wasn’t one of them,” she said as Lowe took her hand.

  “Wasn’t it?” Tala said, but with no trace of malice. “Sometimes, no matter who we are, we want things we can’t have, but I think it’s fate’s way of telling us that perhaps we shouldn’t get everything we desire. In the long run it’s not what we need. From the look of things, we’ve both ended up with who we need to make us complete as far as mates, but it still pains me that you haven’t come back.”

  “I don’t think I can now. Too much time has gone by,” she said, and Lovell sighed. “I know you don’t have any patience for me, sister, but I never could measure up to you, and I’m too old to start trying, even if I wanted to.”

  “You know that each of us has different talents,” Tala said, as if she had all the patience and time in the world. “On the battlefield, perhaps Lovell is the strongest, but that’s not what we’re asking you to do.”

  “Then what?” She spoke sharply, and Lowe squeezed her hand hard enough that she felt her nails dig into her skin.

  “You need to travel with Asra and help her with the threat that’s coming to all of us.”

  She laughed, thinking Tala was joking, but from the firm set of her mouth, that wasn’t the case. “I know she’s your friend, so send Lovell if you want, or ask me anything but that.”

  “Lovell will do her part in this, but I need you to go with Asra and her mate when the time comes.” Tala’s voice was now devoid of any kind of emotion, and Convel guessed she was trying her best not to end that statement with “it’s an order.”

  “If I go, am I coming back?”

  “Nothing in life is a guarantee, but I’m sure you’re smart enough to make it back,” Lovell said.

  “Where would I be going?”

  “That we’re not sure of yet, but once our elders and theirs get together, I’m certain they’ll tell us the first destination. If you agree, you have to promise you’ll keep your feelings for Asra under wraps. You’ve already broken a treaty that’s punishable by death, so don’t add to that by trying to provoke her into a fight you can’t and won’t win.”

  “You have so little confidence in me?” she asked with a smirk.

  “Asra probably doesn’t need any help, but there’s more than one slayer in Asra’s house, so I doubt you’ll get even a tooth on her,” Tala said with a shrug.

  “And if you do, I’ll rip your throat out myself,” Lovell said.

  “With such an enticing invitation, how can I refuse?” she said and bowed her head.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I appreciate you coming here to see us, but if I could ask you to wait in Charlie’s place outside,” Kendal said to the man who jumped to his feet when she and Piper entered the room. “Hill can show you where it is.”

  “I really need to talk to you as soon as possible,” the man said. “My name is Leonardo, and my employer made me promise I’d find you. It’s a matter of saving someone’s life.”

  “Please give me an hour. Then I’ll come back with my wife, and we’ll do what we can to help you.” She took Piper’s hand and studied Leonardo. He appeared a little different from the first picture she’d seen of him sitting in Hill’s office. Why he needed to talk to her or had gone to the trouble of finding her was a mystery, but right now she didn’t have time to satisfy her curiosity. A meeting with her persona of Kendal Richoux s
houldn’t have made the difference in keeping someone alive.

  “Please, if you can give me ten minutes as soon as you can.” Leonardo pressed his hands together and seemed genuinely concerned about something.

  “I can’t put off the meeting I have coming up, so either wait out back or we’ll reschedule, but if you’ll excuse us,” she said when the front-gate bell rang. She pointed Hill toward the back and left to meet Tala and the others who’d come with her, fully expecting Hill to take him out.

  “I’ll wait, however long it takes.”

  Rolla was already outside, and he nodded to her and Piper. “Who was that?” He pointed to the living room.

  “Someone who’s been asking questions about me and Piper from the time we started trying to uncover the secret of the Sea Serpent Sword and somehow found Hill. He wants to talk to me about someone who’s in trouble, I guess, but I have no idea who.”

  The cars stopped, and she suddenly had an urge to strap a sword on. From the way Piper held her hand, she figured she’d read her mind. “It’ll be okay, so relax,” Piper said softly before standing on her toes and kissing her cheek.

  “Asra, thank you for inviting us,” Tala said when she stepped out after Lovell. Kendal bowed and straightened when Convel appeared with the young woman she’d seen when she’d followed their trail back to the house close by. “We all come in peace. You have my word.”

  “Our friendship means you have no need to give such promises, your highness. Welcome to our home, all of you,” she said, waving them inside.

  Tala had brought a few people aside from her security people, and they all followed one of the staff to the dining room, where lunch was waiting. She sat at one end of the table and Piper at the other, since Piper had requested that seating arrangement to better observe everyone who’d come. It didn’t happen often, but sometimes Piper experienced an instant flash of something when she was sitting around someone, and this was the perfect relaxed setting to allow it to happen.