Just Breathe Part 13

"You look like s.h.i.+t." She leaned against the jamb and followed his scent as he shuffled past.

"So do you."

The nerve! The door shut, and she spun to face him, her floor-length hem bowing out like an open umbrella. "Now, now. This is our special night. You're not seriously still pining for your dead girlfriend, are you? I thought you'd be over her by now. She was just a stupid Wyldling, anyway."

"I loved her."

Scarlet waved a hand, dissipating the sudden scent of ocean. "You'll come to love me in time."

He snorted and looked away.

He was angry. She'd use it to her advantage.

"Let's go 'round back to conduct our...business." Scarlet walked to the patio door. "If you'd like to consummate our union out there, we can do that, too. You inside me again, under the moon, f.u.c.king in tune to the howls of the wild beasts roaming the night. Your seed spilling into me..." Heat rippled around her, curling the air, melting the carpet under her feet and the crinoline under her dress. The liquid remains of her gloves slooped down her arms. She shook the mess to the floor.

G.o.d, here came that o.r.g.a.s.m again. She pushed the heat toward him, perfectly willing to share.

His expression remained neutral. His Fire didn't answer hers.

He would not ruin her wedding. She felt her irises heating. Teeth clenched, she pointed to the door. "Outside. Now."

He walked out. No trace of Fire in his wake.

What the b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l?

She followed him to the fire pit she'd lighted earlier. Out here in the middle of nowhere, the privacy fence surrounding the property was overkill, but one couldn't be too paranoid. Never knew who might be watching. She stepped within inches of him and gazed into his blank face.

"Are you ready to take the oath?" Saliva filled her mouth with metallic need. She laid her hands on her hips.

"As I'll ever be."

"Fine." She grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the blaze. Cold Water rushed to meet her Fire. She tore her freezing fingers away.

He popped a smile. "I'm sorry. Does that hurt? Sometimes my emotions just run wild."

The b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

With one hand submerged in the blazing coals, she pointed a red-hot finger in his face. "Lose the Water, or the deal is off and Wyldlings continue to die. I'll Firewalk to Eidan and tell him to cut the Fyres loose in the Dreaming now. I'm not f.u.c.king around, Gavin." The finger flared, reddening his cheeks.

He didn't flinch, but the Water ebbed away, retreated up his arm, and returned to his chest. She clasped his cool palm, this time without any pain, and immersed their entwined fists in the flames.

His head jerked and jaw clamped. Agony spread across his face. Good. He could use a little discipline.

"We call upon Incendius to witness our sacred oath and to ensure the vows made in this binding ceremony are carried forth as stated."

The flames transformed from dancing yellow and orange wisps to pure red lava erupting in thick, seductive waves. The mini-explosion fed itself, bubbling on a continuous loop of peaks and troughs, and fading back into its base in the brazier.

Sweat dotted Gavin's face, and his eyes widened as Incendius provided a small sample of his power by discharging a flash of scalding heat into their folded fingers. The burning pleasure was so intense, Scarlet could barely keep her Fire together. She had no idea how Gavin still stood.

She paused a moment to collect herself. "I, Scarlet, pledge my Fire to Gavin Ca.s.sidy. Immediately following the proper consummation of our union, I will disclose the location of the door into the Dreaming and a.s.sist Gavin in removing the Fyres within. Should I neglect to complete these tasks in a reasonable amount of time, I forfeit my Fire to Incendius and accept whatever punishment he wishes to bestow." She gazed into Gavin's eyes. "I swear this oath on my life. Until death do us part."

Incendius's raw, raging power sizzled through her and shook her grip on Gavin's hand. The G.o.d may have been irritated by her mention of removing the Fyres from the Dreaming, but he knew Scarlet was loyal to him. She'd find a way to pay him back.

"Your turn," she whispered, stroking Gavin's sweaty red cheek.

"Not yet. I have one more stipulation." His deep, strained voice injected a double shot of hunger into her core.

"A stipulation?" She raised a brow. "You know, the deal will be much more pleasurable for both of us if you'll stop resisting me."

"I plan to resist you every step of the way. Feel free to back out now." His Fire sputtered toward her, a terrible taunt, and his expression turned stark. "I want you to swear you won't harm Zoe Morgan. If you hurt her, the same punishment applies."

Her Fire shrieked. She shoved him away and stepped back. "What?"

"You heard me." A grin swallowed half of his face. He rubbed his raw, pink palm. "If you want me that bad, it shouldn't be a problem."

So Zoe, the little b.i.t.c.h, had somehow survived. Scarlet's lip curled. She'd shred Morgan to pieces. No way she'd agree to Gavin's terms. Scarlet would murder the wh.o.r.e herself, and this time, she'd stay dead.

Gavin's smile widened. The irresistible smell of his black hatred hypnotized her.

How could he do this to her?

Finish it, Incendius called from the brazier. I tire of your petty head games.

"Take it or leave it. I don't have all night to waste on you." Gavin started to back up.

She s.n.a.t.c.hed his hand, brought it to her lips, and licked his Fire off it. His biceps jerked, but he didn't pull away.

Dear Incendius, he was delicious. Raging hunger pounded against her insides, filling her core with white-hot pa.s.sion.

She was getting off on his f.u.c.king hand. Imagine his c.o.c.k inside her again. Sliding in and out, filling her full of him...

"Fine," she spat. She plunged their entwined fists into Incendius's embrace in the fire pit. Gavin didn't flinch. "I swear I won't hurt Zoe Morgan."

He tightened his grip. Vengeance lighted his eyes. "Good. Because if you do, you'll have a lot more to worry about than Incendius's wrath. I'll make you s.h.i.+ver in cold h.e.l.l for eternity, b.i.t.c.h."

Hissing, she answered with a push of potent pheromones through her skin. s.e.x and cinnamon saturated the night air. "Make your pledge," she said through clenched teeth.

He s.h.i.+fted weight between his feet but held her gaze. "I, Gavin Ca.s.sidy, bind my Fire to Scarlet's. Once we consummate our union, she may take my Fire as she wishes. If I refuse her my Fire, it will be forfeited to Incendius, and I'll accept whatever punishment he wishes to bestow. I swear this oath on my life." A tic claimed his cheek as he paused. "Until death do us part."

The flames burning their hands stretched higher, bloomed like a flower, and wove the ribbons of their individual Fire so tightly together, Scarlet couldn't tell where hers ended and his began. A complete, perfect union for a Fyre Elemental and the object of her obsession.

She mentally tugged, and a piece of herself flinched on the other end of the tether. Tucked snugly within his soul, her Fire laughed, while his bowed against the inside of her chest. Trapped.

Ashes to ashes...

Gavin was hers. Finally.

Thank you, Incendius. She bowed her head. I shall treasure this gift forever.

The pulsing lava flared bright red, yellow, and orange.

With Gavin under her command, she'd take out Eidan in no time. And pay him back a thousand fold for Fire-raping her a few weeks ago.

She tested her grip on her Fire inside him. It fluttered, beating like b.u.t.terfly wings against a gla.s.s jar. She couldn't wait to get her hands on him, though he seemed about as interested in having a root now as she did in taking a swim.

She'd wear him down soon enough. He had no idea what he'd gotten himself into. A bond like theirs wouldn't allow him to simply ignore her. She smiled to herself.

He broke free of her grasp and rubbed his blistered skin. The fire in the pit snuffed out.

"Time is running out. You'll get the Dreaming back when you cooperate. Until then, I have no control over what the Fyres do to the Wyldlings. I'm just a bishop on the Council, after all. If I were Archelemental, things might be different." She picked at her blood-red nails.

"You'll need a lot more Fire than what I've got to overthrow Eidan. And if you somehow manage it, the Sentinels won't allow you to take more than your due."

"You seriously underestimate what your Fire does for me, my love." She laughed and mussed his hair. Her little pet husband. "Just as you enjoy playing games, so do I. I vow to be of no use to you until I get what I want."

More Fire seeped from her pores, warming the s.p.a.ce between them. G.o.ds, she boiled with desire for him, and her Fire frenzied for another taste.

She slid her gaze down his chest and palmed the delicious package waiting below the belt to be opened. It was curiously...deflated.

"Doesn't pumping me full of pheromones take the fun out of it? Even if it did turn me on, a chemically induced hard-on is pure biology-cause and effect. I can a.s.sure you, there are no feelings other than disgust attached to the promise of mindless s.e.x with you." He tilted his head to the side. "Though I do get quite a bit of satisfaction from knowing something so base and meaningless can control you. You're pathetic, Scarlet." He spat on the ground near her feet.

Her Fire bashed the pen of her chest. She shot a hand shot to his neck and clamped down. She'd find a loophole and end Morgan permanently. "My patience with you wears thin, lover. Our first order of business will be you learning your place."

"I know exactly where I stand with you. Get your f.u.c.king paw off me." He wrenched free but stepped closer. Flames danced over his skin and cried out to her.

The arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.d. But d.a.m.n it, his hatred was positively o.r.g.a.s.mic. She bit her lip and swallowed the saliva filling her mouth.

Let him simmer for a day. He'd taste even better tomorrow once he had a chance to torture himself properly over what he did.

"Why don't we celebrate our new partners.h.i.+p with a kiss?" She angled her head up and caressed his lips with her breath.

His mouth lowered and hovered just above hers.

Dear G.o.ds. She closed her eyes.

"I said I'd f.u.c.k you. Kissing wasn't part of the contract." The black fuel burning up the wick from his chest into hers brought her to the cusp of release.

A swirl of cold air tickled her trembling lips. When she opened her eyes, her beautiful mate was gone.

But he'd left a taste of his fear behind in the Fire that now joined them. She sampled it, sucked on it, turned it over to inspect it. This wasn't a fear of her. It was fear of what he'd done to Zoe by joining with Scarlet.

Scarlet tossed her head back and laughed. She might not have to kill Zoe after all. Once the b.i.t.c.h found out about Gavin and Scarlet's union, she'd suffer right alongside him.

Best. Wedding gift. Ever.

Chapter Seventeen.

September 14 At ten o'clock p.m., someone tapped lightly on Zoe's window. Her heart took off at the speed of light, leaving her staring at the curtain in shock.

She hurtled out of bed and shoved the drapes aside. Squinting to sift through the darkness, she whispered, "Gavin?"

The pool of light beaming from her room revealed the beautiful face of the person she least expected to see outside her window. Her shoulders fell.

"Sinnder. What do you want?"

His long, reddish locks tilted with his head, and a hint of a smile curved one side of his mouth. "To talk."

Zoe's hand trembled on the window frame. "I have nothing to say to you. And I have to be up early in the morning. Leave me alone."

"I was hoping for a tour of your bedroom. Maybe a sleep over. Unlike a Sentinel, I could stay all night. Keep you warm."

His hot cardamom breath tickled her nose and instant-messaged a wild surge of heat from her stomach to her aching core. She struggled to remain upright. Jesus. Christ.

"Take your Fyre tricks and hit the road. I'm not interested." She started to close the pane, but he touched her hand. His Fire called to her. Easy to see how people got sucked in by Elementals. She knew better, and she found it hard to resist.

Gavin still couldn't resist.

She closed her eyes. Uncalled for, Subconscious. Not his fault.

"I need your help." The seduction left Sinnder's voice, replaced by something akin to cold determination. What was this about?

Glancing around the neighborhood, she said, "I'll come out there."

"It would be...bad if anyone saw us together." His eyes lost all signs of manipulation or trickery. No flickering red, just warm brown. Tempting, but not for her.

She pulled away from the opening and waved him through, hoping she wasn't making a terrible mistake. But Sinnder had had plenty of opportunity to hurt or even kill her and hadn't done either.

Yet.

The Fyre brought along a gust of heat as he crossed the threshold. The combination of his big body and larger-than-life ego devoured the empty s.p.a.ce in her tiny room. He glided over to the bed and picked up the wrinkled piece of paper peeking from under her pillow. "What's this?"

s.h.i.+t. She s.n.a.t.c.hed the song Gavin had written for her out of Sinnder's hands. The same tune that had played while they'd had s.e.x in his car the other night. She pounded back the memory with a giant mental hammer. "None of your business. Now, what do you want?"

His eyes narrowed on her. "You miss him."

She folded her arms over her chest, fled to the corner, and faced him. "So?"

Sinnder bulleted across the room in a streak of crimson and stopped inches from her. She gasped. How did he do that? Pulse racing and eyes wide, she let out her breath slowly.

A strong, dangerous predator leaned in, close enough to kiss her. Or rip out her throat. His nostrils flared, and he turned his nose to her neck. He must have smelled her fear. Her excitement. He filled his lungs and shut his eyes. When he snapped them open, they were red.