by N M Thorn
Breathing hard, he was staring down at her as she sat back on her heels, gazing up at him. She was so pretty, with her eyes fogged and her cheeks flushed. Her slightly swollen lips were parted, and her beautifully shaped breasts were rising and falling with quick breaths. And she had no idea how hard it was for him to stop. He moved his hand over the thick mane of her dark hair and smiled sadly.
“Angie, you are…” His voice caught. “I can’t, I’m sorry…”
“I see the flames dancing in your eyes and I can feel your fire energy rising,” she whispered, gently running her fingers over his cheek. “And it’s okay. You know that I’m a witch. Your fire energy can’t hurt me.”
“Maybe not the fire energy. But the real fire can still hurt you,” he objected quietly. “My fire energy is what creates the deadly blast when I revert into my natural state. But besides that, there is also a real fire within me.” He got up and spread his arms, allowing the fire to surface. The fire ignited brighter in his eyes and the small flames rushed up and down his arms. “You see it? This is what can happen if I lose control. You’re not impervious to fire, Angie. I can burn you and I would never forgive myself.”
She followed the flow of the flames on his arms and got up, standing in front of him. “I see it and I’m willing to take the chance. I trust you to control your fire.”
Gunz laughed mirthlessly. “Angie, look what you did to me... With you, I don’t trust myself.” He shook his head, stepping away from her. “I can’t take that chance. I can’t do it. I’m sorry.”
“Are you saying—,” she started to say but cut herself off and cleared her throat. “Are you saying that you had never been with a woman since you became a Fire Salamander?”
“I’m not ready to talk about it,” he said awkwardly, looking to the side.
“I guess it’s a yes,” she said. “Gunz, you need to talk to your mentor—”
“Really? You want me to talk to Kal about my sex life?” asked Gunz choking on laughter.
“Of course not!” said Angelique, putting her hands on her waist. “There has to be an easier way to suppress your fire… You can’t live like this. This is what I want you to ask Kal about.”
Gunz chuckled. Women can be persistent when they want something.
“There is a way,” he said, extinguishing his fire. “But something tells me you’re not going to enjoy the intimacy with a third person present in the room.”
“Excuse me?” she exhaled, blinking at him furiously.
He laughed openly. “Kal or a Master of Power can control the fire within me, allowing me to relax my mind,” he explained. “But never mind. I shouldn’t be talking about all that. I shouldn’t even think about it, especially now when…” His voice trailed away, and he bit his lip. Then he remembered what Angelique said about his habit of biting his lip when he was troubled and released it.
“Especially now? You never talk about your private life, Gunz.” She picked up her jacket from the floor and brushed it off with her hand before putting it back on. “You’re so shy and so guarded at the same time. It’s practically impossible to pull you into any personal conversation.”
Gunz thought that she sounded a little hurt and cringed, cursing himself for his awkwardness in everything to do with women.
“Angie, I’m sorry if I hurt you—”
She chuckled, interrupting him. “You didn’t hurt me, silly. You’re hurting yourself. You need to find a way to live a normal life, Gunz. You can’t always be in control.”
“I have to. I have no choice,” he objected firmly. “But unfortunately, right now I’m not in control of anything. I feel like someone put a noose around my neck and squeezed it, pulling me into a hundred different directions. And none of these directions are good. I can’t breathe, Angie. But like Jim said, I need to cowboy up. And I need to do it fast.” He smiled, raking his fingers through his hair. “It’s not a good time for me to think about my personal life.”
“It never is…”
Gunz waved his hand, unfolding the fire curtain of his portal. “I need to get ready for my next move,” he explained, hoping that he wasn’t hurting her feelings by asking her to leave. “But before I take you home, can you promise me something?”
“I’ll try. What is it?”
“Angie, I need you and Jim to do what Kal said,” he said softly. “I need you both to step away from all this and let me deal with it alone. I also need you to severe your psychic connection with me. Just until I sort things out and get everything under control. Eve is extremely dangerous, and things are escalating too rapidly. Both of you can get hurt. I would feel a lot better knowing that you’re safe and I don’t need to worry about you.”
For a split-second, Angelique looked like she was ready to cry, but she nodded and approached the wall of fire. She glanced at him, her eyes reflecting the flames of the portal. “Gunz, listen… I care about you. If staying away from you will keep you safe, I promise to do it.”
Gunz lifted her gently, and she embraced him, softly kissing his cheek.
“You know where to find me when you’re ready,” she whispered into his ear. “And I know how to wait.”
Gunz stiffened the sigh and carried her through the veil of fire.
Chapter 26
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
The darkness took over the city, replacing the sunlight with the yellow gleam of electric lights and the bright headlight flares of the evening city traffic. Gunz drove into the parking lot of the Temptress of the Night club and stopped there, carefully surveying the area. Despite the gloomy, cloudy sky, the area in front of the club was illuminated by a few neon lights, giving the whole building a mysterious and inviting look.
At the door, he noticed two large men who were playing the roles of bouncers but most likely were personal guards of the owner of the club. Gunz had never met the Demonic Queen personally, but he heard enough to know that she never travelled without her entourage which included a few werewolves that served as her bodyguards. Normally, werewolves were staying within their packs, considering that it was beneath them to serve other supernatural species. But the Demonic Queen managed to hire a few strays who lived outside the restrictions of any local packs and didn’t mind making a few extra bucks.
Gunz quickly scanned the bouncers just to confirm his theory—both men were werewolves. He shuddered inside, thinking how much he hated dealing with their kind. He pulled his gun out of the glove compartment and checked the magazine to make sure that the bullets inside were silver. He clicked the safety on and stuffed the gun into his belt behind his back, hiding it under his shirt. Before leaving the car, he checked his pockets to make sure that his Swiss army knife was there and threw his FBI badge inside the glove compartment.
He was about to leave the car when he noticed a man approaching the guards. The man was obviously a human, but the guards stopped him and produced handheld metal detectors, quickly scanning him for weapons. While their metal detectors looked similar to the regular airport security metal detectors, even from this distance, Gunz noticed some differences. He had no doubt that these devices could detect not only magnetic metals but silver as well.
Gunz grunted frustrated but pulled the gun out and shoved it back inside the glove compartment. A gun loaded with silver was the easiest way to deal with werewolves, and he hated the idea of leaving his gun behind. On the other hand, he was positive that his Swiss army knife wouldn’t set off the security detector since it was enchanted, and beheading would work on werewolves just as well as any silver bullet through the heart. Either way, it wasn’t his goal to fight with the guards. He just needed to get inside the club, so he could search for the succubus he met at Missi’s Kitchen.
He put up an unconcerned look on his face and strolled toward the club. As soon as he reached the entrance door, the guards stopped him. Now that Gunz was standing close to them, he could appreciate their full grandeur. Both were over six feet tall with wide shoulders, massive chests and ov
erly muscular builds that couldn’t be concealed even by their black suits.
Werewolves in a businessman’s clothing, thought Gunz, snickering inside. You don’t see something like that every day.
Brutal and short-fused by nature, werewolves preferred the freedom of movement and the heavy, constricting business suits wouldn’t normally be their clothes of choice. But in this case, it was easy to guess that their attire was the choice of their boss, the infamous Demonic Queen.
“Stop!” growled one of the guards, his hand making a move toward his side, betraying the presence of a concealed weapon beneath his jacket. “This is a respectable establishment. We don’t let your kind in.”
Gunz raised his hands up and chuckled, exuding the air of innocence and cluelessness. “Whoa, guys, what do you mean ‘my kind’? What kind of kind is that?” he asked, winking at them. “I’m just another man, looking for a few hours of good time.”
The guards exchanged an amused look and barked laughing. “You are not a man,” said the second guard after he could finally contain himself. “I’m not sure what you are, but you reek of magic-shit and this establishment is for normal humans only. Get the hell out of here, little monster, before we break every bone in your body.”
Gunz plastered a shocked expression on his face. “I reek?” He lifted his arm and pretended to sniff his armpit. “And here I thought I took a good long shower before coming here. Oh, wait… Did you sniff my butt when I wasn’t looking? I didn’t notice you moving.”
The guards exchanged angry looks and their lips curled into identical snarls. Both shifted forward, towering over him with malice. Gunz jumped back, putting some distance between him and the guards and snickered.
“I think we started on a wrong foot here, boys,” he said peacefully, suppressing the overwhelming desire to laugh. “Let’s try it again. I’m just a man, standing in front of two mutts, asking them nicely to let him through.”
Both werewolves howled in rage and sprung forward. As fast as they were moving, they were no match for him. Easily avoiding their outstretched arms, Gunz slipped through the narrow space between their bulky bodies and stopped a few steps behind them, folding his arms over his chest. As soon as the werewolves realized that they were outmaneuvered, they spun around, ready to attack again.
“What’s going on here? What’s with all the commotion?”
Gunz heard a pleasant female voice and turned around. A tall woman in a dark business pantsuit was standing in the club’s doorway. He had never seen a business suit looking so sexy on any woman before. She had the height of a model, but her body wasn’t a skinny straight-up-and-down type that some of the models had. Her flowing curves and delicate waist were accentuated by her jacket that was just a touch too tight around the chest area and its lapels were seductively pulled apart on her full breasts.
Her large brown eyes, deep and foggy, were slightly veiled by her long eyelashes. They promised all the pleasures of the world to any man who was lucky enough to catch their attention. Her full coral lips were open a little, and a soft blush was playing on her high cheekbones. Her obsidian black hair was falling freely to her back and was partially covering her chest. On the front, the long wavy strands of her hair were carefully styled to provide just enough visibility of her tastefully exposed breasts to make any man wish to see more.
“Your Grace,” said both werewolves at the same time, bowing to her awkwardly.
The Demonic Queen waved at them with her well-manicured hand dismissively and her eyes darted to Gunz. She gave him a quick once-over and her lips stretched into a slow sensual smile that made her look even more attractive if it was even possible. Without any rush, she sauntered toward him, swaying her shapely hips gracefully. Her every move was radiating a raw feminine sensuality so powerful that his mind got clouded before she even attempted to use her magic.
The queen stopped in front of Gunz, staring down at him with interest. He arched his eyebrow at her, but then decided to go with the flow and gave her a bow in the best style of a medieval knight as Kal taught him. She chuckled and lightly touched his shoulder, asking him to rise.
“Fire Salamander,” she exhaled. The tip of her pink tongue moved over her upper lip from one corner of her mouth to the other. “I’ve heard that there was one in Florida, but I had a hard time believing.”
Her seductive magic enveloped him, and he drew in a sharp breath. For a split-second, all the thoughts in his mind got scrambled as his body responded to her magic and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. But the queen let go of him right away, an uneven smirk curving her lips.
“You are a Fire Salamander,” she said. “It’s been more than a thousand years since I met the last one of your kind. You know how rare the real Fire Salamanders are?”
Gunz nodded, not quite sure that the gift of coherent speech was available to him yet. The queen stared down at him, enjoying his state of confusion. Her eyes moved to her bodyguards, and she nodded at them.
“You can let him pass,” she ordered. “He’s human enough and I’m sure he’s not going to cause any problems or create any fire shows. Are you, hon?” She gently lifted his chin with her fingers and Gunz met her eyes.
“No, ma’am,” he replied, his voice cracked. “No problems, no fire.”
“That’s a good boy.” She laughed, her hand caressed his shoulder while sending the next wave of her toxic magic through him. Then she switched her attention back to her bodyguards. “By the time my girls are done with him, the only thing that’s going to be on fire”—her eyes slid down to Gunz’s crotch—“is his loins. This boy hasn’t touched a woman in ages. No wonder he has such shapely biceps—all the morning exercises he has to do in the shower...” She giggled, winking at Gunz, her fingers squeezing his upper arm appreciatively.
Gunz grunted, channeling some fire to cleanse his system of her magic. The queen noticed his attempt and her eyes flared with playful twinkles.
“Just relax, Child of Fire,” she said, gesturing toward the entrance. “Let my girls do their job. I promise—you’ll enjoy it. I’ll tell them to be gentle with you.”
Gunz silently bowed to the Demonic Queen and walked inside the club. As soon as the door closed behind him, he stopped, leaning on the wall, trying to catch his breath. His head was still swimming, and he could feel the succubus’ magic circulating in his system. He closed his eyes and focused on the fire within.
“Hey, boss, what did the lecherous queen mean by morning exercises in the shower you do?” asked Mishka. The wyvern’s high-pitched voice in Gunz’s murky mind was so unexpected that he flinched. “I’ve been with you for a while now and I’ve never seen you doing any kind of exercises in the morning.”
Gunz almost choked. “Mishka, I’m not going to discuss this with you,” he whispered quietly, feeling his cheeks burning.
“Why not?”
“Because it wasn’t nice of her to imply something like that.”
“So?”
“And because it’s personal,” he hissed. “Why am I even answering your questions?”
“Oh, personal…” muttered Mishka. “Do you mean she was talking about your intimacy issues?”
“Mishka! Enough!”
“Fine, fine. Jeez, boss. You’re so touchy,” mumbled Mishka. “I can never understand you humans. Everyone loves to have sex, but no one wants to talk about it. I bet humans are just so bad at it that they don’t want to embarrass themselves.”
“No, Mishka. Because gentlemen do not kiss and tell,” whispered Gunz. His mind cleared out and finally he was able to experience the world around him.
“Next time you spot a gentleman, let me know,” said Mishka snidely. “I have never seen one yet.”
Gunz rolled his eyes and didn’t answer, focusing on observing the club. The main room was dimly lit with red and pink lights, with the brightest spotlight on the stage. The club was packed with customers, but luckily there was still an empty table at the far end of the room. Even though
the table was away from the stage, it worked for Gunz perfectly. From this place he could easily see all the girls that were dancing, serving drinks and promenading between the tables.
He probed the room carefully. All the club employees were demons—and since it was gentlemen’s night, most of them were succubi. But every single willing customer was human. The succubi were gliding between the tables, gently touching customers and infecting them with their magic.
Each succubus, sultry, alluring and deadly to a man, was hungrily craved and desired by the unsuspecting humans. The more magic succubi channeled, the more eager the men became, lust dripping from their every pore. They were cheering the dancing girls, throwing money on the stage, ordering drinks and begging for private dances. The club was swimming in cash and the air was thick with the energy of magic.
Just sensing succubi’s magical energy was poisoning Gunz, making him weak and dizzy. His body was reacting in ways he never suspected was possible and he had to keep circulating his fire to keep his head in the game. He noticed a few girls taking customers to the side rooms for a private dance. He was sure that the majority of feeding was happening behind the closed doors of these private rooms. Nevertheless, Jim told him that no one ever got killed or injured here and Gunz switched his attention to searching for the fake blond he met at Missi’s Kitchen.
A few minutes later, he found her. Tonight, she wasn’t blond, sporting a short red wig, but Gunz recognized her right away. Her wrists were decorated by a number of heavy bracelets to conceal the fresh pink scars of recent burns. Gunz got up and waved at her, gesturing for her to come over. The succubus smiled at him seductively and moved toward his table.
