Just Breathe Part 41

He mouthed, 'I love you,' and laid a fist over his heart.

She blew him a kiss and smiled. 'I love you, too,' her lips replied.

His muse's angelic voice and the image of her surrounded by singing whales seared into his memory, drowning Scarlet's sputtering Fire under fathoms of Water.

You wanted me? Here I come, b.i.t.c.h.

Chapter Forty-four.

In stunned awe, Zoe laid her head on Lily's side and absorbed the scene before her like an IMAX movie.

The Tongans braced themselves against Lily and channeled Water into the whale as the flaming Archelemental colossus streaked toward them. The sea rose and fell with fifty-foot tidal waves. Whales sang. Their perfectly tuned melody packed enough Water to steam flying red figures into oblivion without even touching them.

One by one, dozens of human Waeter Elementals, who only days ago had professed their unwavering loyalty to Lana, swam over and joined Lily, too. As each pair of hands landed on the whale's skin, Lily's Water brightened. Soon, it blinded. Behind closed lids, Zoe concentrated on the blue infiltrating her body. She wasn't an Elemental, but she had plenty to share. She'd give it all if she had to. Take it, Lily. Take everything.

As Water pumped from countless sources clinging to the great whale's body, the volume of Lily's song grew. Vibrations shook the ocean, the air, the Dreaming itself.

Zoe opened her eyes. The Fyres were gone-presumably having either died or abandoned their posts. Screaming Eidan swooped in. Thousands of humpback voices-whale and Elemental-lifted the tune to its climax. The music buoyed, swallowing searing heat and exchanging it for liquid emotion. The intensity must've been too much for the Dreaming. The tension that had owned the realm for months popped like an egg yolk, and blue saturated everything-the chorus of singing voices, the coolness caressing Zoe's skin, the ocean air, the salty sea. The entire Dreaming was blue.

An eardrum shattering bellow sizzled out of Eidan, and his humanoid body reverted to formless, twisting flames. Steam drenched the sky. The Archelemental inferno dwindled. With no choice but to succ.u.mb to the Water or get the h.e.l.l out while he still had a chance, Eidan screeched out of existence, leaving a heated warning in his wake: "Incendius will have his revenge."

Bring it, Zoe thought.

The moment he was gone, the ocean calmed. The wind died. Terror and panic dissipated, swallowed by the sea of peace. It was like the Fyres had never even been there.

Victory cries rang out. Tears, laughter, celebration. The whales sang a new song of hope and light. Zoe laughed, too.

The Dreaming was free.

Fire roared in his ears as Sinnder tumbled out of the Dreaming through the rent in the Veil and splattered like a wet dishrag to the floor of the empty warehouse where the Dreamweaver had been held.

His skin riddled with Water blisters, Sinnder was in agony. Which just made Him angrier.

s.h.i.+t. s.h.i.+t. s.h.i.+t... He could not lose it here. Too many people around. He had enough blood on his hands already. The only blood he needed now was Scarlet's. No one else could get hurt because of what she'd done to him.

Once he devoured her, he'd be free.

He lay on the cold, unforgiving cement, willing the Fire into submission. No good. Too big. He'd lost control...couldn't do it...

A zap of crackling electricity jolted him out of his frenzy. Gavin climbed out of the s.h.i.+mmery hole. How Sinnder envied him. For so many reasons.

"You decided to join me." Sinnder put on a show of false bravado, hoping his calm voice would squelch the rage inside of him.

"What's the plan? I want this b.i.t.c.h done." Gavin rubbed his glowing red tattoos.

He licked his lips in reply.

Not him, Sinnder warned.

Using Firesight, Sinnder glanced at the red blaring through Gavin's s.h.i.+rt. "You've got the leash that'll lead me to Scarlet. I'll do her for you."

Gavin shook his head. "No. She's mine. After the h.e.l.l she put Zoe and me through, I'm gonna hammer the final nail in her coffin."

I don't think so.

Sinnder and his Master grinned. "You can't take her alone, mate." And Sinnder had as much claim over her as Gavin. Even more.

Gavin studied him for a long moment, probably reading his aura. "Let's go." He started for the door.

"Whatever you say." Sinnder followed him.

Whatever I say, He whispered, grinding against Sinnder's c.o.c.k.

Mind on something else... Hurry...

"You and Zoe worked out your differences, I see. She's a nice girl." He flashed a smile as he walked beside Gavin through the corridors.

Gavin paused and faced him. "Do you enjoy being Eidan and Scarlet's lapdog?"

The Master rumbled, coursing heat through his extremities. Sinnder barely managed to keep a puff of smoke from escaping his nostrils.

Gavin c.o.c.ked a brow. Must've noticed the red s.h.i.+fting in Sinnder's aura. "You deny it?"

Sinnder grunted and continued onward. "I don't deny it."

I do.

They stepped out of the warehouse into the dark. Luckily at this late hour, no one else was around. Gavin led him to his car, and they drove off.

"When this is over, I don't want to see your face again." Gavin clutched the wheel, his knuckles white.

"I'm sure you won't." Sinnder's blisters had started to heal, thanks to his Master's gifts. He felt stronger already. He worked his fingers open and closed, testing their strength.

I always take good care of you.

Too true. Though he might have preferred Hawthorne's healing to his Master's. What would her hands have felt like on his skin? Cool. Soothing. Different. He closed his eyes for a moment.

Forget her, the Master hissed.

He wished he could.

Sinnder rested his arm against the window and rapped it lightly with his knuckles. Worry sprouted and tangled its vines through his aching chest. What if Scarlet was out in the open? He was pretty sure he had enough Fire to kill her after the damage she'd sustained in the battle, but if he lost control...

He'd waited a thousand years. What was another few days? Or weeks?

No more waiting. If you don't do it now, I will.

He straightened. The leather seat protested under him.

Gavin turned to him at a stoplight, beads of sweat dotting his face. He wound down the window. "Are you always this agitated?"

"Only when Waeter Archelementals try to drown me." And a millennium's worth of hunting comes to an end.

The burn swelled within his soul, doubling its size. Sinnder tightened his internal grip, but he'd lost some ground. s.h.i.+t, he had to get out of this car.

"How close are we?" He squirmed, begged Him to wait a little while longer.

Gavin rubbed his chest. "f.u.c.k, mate, can you turn the heat down? It's bad enough I've got her to contend with-"

"How close?" The words came out as a dangerous growl. Sinnder's insides itched like mad, and no amount of mental scratching provided relief.

"I dunno. Maybe ten minutes."

"Just tell me where she is." He bit down on his tongue and focused on the pain.

"No deal. I have to see her die with my own eyes. If I let you go without me, I'll never know for sure that she's gone for good."

"Drive faster." His voice was slowly becoming someone else's. Deepening, growing, projecting... And Sinnder not only knew, but feared that voice.

Gavin glanced at him and punched the gas pedal.

"I'm curious. Why didn't you tell anyone the other night about the deal I struck with Scarlet?"

Pity? Understanding? Empathy? All of the above. Sinnder scrubbed his face and absently counted the pa.s.sing mailboxes. After the tenth one, he said, "Wasn't my business." And Zoe didn't deserve any more pain on her plate than Sinnder had already dished out.

Gavin's gaze s.h.i.+fted from the road to Sinnder. "Well, I...appreciate your keeping quiet."

You're such a saint, Fynn. The Master chuckled.

Torrents of Fire whirred within him, fighting, bullying, consuming. Sinnder shut his burning eyes and softly banged his head on the window.

Gavin wisely kept his mouth shut the rest of the way. As promised, ten minutes later, he pulled into a dirt drive in the middle of nowhere.

The Master spurring him, Sinnder bolted out of the car and up to the door. He went inside without knocking.

Scarlet lay on the lounge, one arm above her head. "It's about time you got here." She sat up and shot her gaze behind him. "And you brought my husband. How kind of you."

Firesight revealed a thick red chain of Fire linking Scarlet and Gavin's souls together. Sweat coursed down his cheeks. The Sentinel stumbled closer as Scarlet yanked the fiery leash. Sinnder empathized with Gavin's effort to resist her, but his own Fire enjoyed the show a little too much. When it turned on him, Sinnder wouldn't be able to save Gavin from it.

Not good. Not b.l.o.o.d.y good.

Sinnder clenched his teeth and inched toward his prey.

She stared at him as if cataloguing his Fire. A grin slid across her lips. "How about a three-way before you try to kill me, Sinnder?" She rose in a swift flurry, red leaping off her skin. Stronger than he'd hoped.

He wouldn't be able to do this by himself, and Gavin would be no help. f.u.c.k.

I told you I'd take care of you.

The tiny, hidden well of compa.s.sion that had risen when he first met Hawthorne bubbled in weak protest. Gavin doesn't deserve to die.

Fire evaporated the Water with a split-second flare.

"How about you f.u.c.k yourself?" Gavin crossed his arms, Fire tattoos glaring like fresh lava.

"Only if you watch." Scarlet grinned, then s.h.i.+fted her attention to Sinnder, her crimson eyes narrowed. "And you..." A hot hand slithered up his arm to his neck. Fingers gripped his throat. "You, matey, have been a naughty boy, hiding all that Fire. Dear f.u.c.king G.o.ds, it's beautiful." The pressure on his neck increased. "Eidan won't like this one bit. The equinox comes, and Sinnder manages to secret away such a stash?" She tsked.

"Eidan won't find out." The voice was no longer his. Both Scarlet and Gavin raised their brows. Gavin stepped back, but Scarlet held firm.

The room superheated.

No, no, please no... I don't want to hurt anyone except Scarlet. Let me have her. I'll- You are not strong enough without me, Sinnder. The Master smiled. You can accept me or fight me, but either way, I win.

Scarlet straightened. "Who's in there with you? I want a bite." She wrenched his face to hers and licked his lips. When she drew back, she closed her eyes and ran fingers across her mouth.

"You like the taste?" Fury lit the long, inescapable fuse that would lead to tragedy in a few short moments. Master was right. He would win. He always did. Only a matter of time now. "You should recognize the flavor. After all, it was your Fire that turned me into the monster I am today."

"Flattery will get you whatever you want." She loosened the strap on her cami and let it fall down her shoulder. A hard, tight nipple stared up at him. Not the kind of Fire he was looking for. "You can tell me how I turned you into a monster while we f.u.c.k." She waved Gavin over with a sly grin.

The Sentinel worked his jaw and shook his head slowly. He had to know something bad was about to go down, yet he stayed put.

Scarlet pouted. "Fine. Then you and me, Sinnder. Gavin can sit on the sidelines and brood while he jerks off. He's good at being late to parties. Totally missed the one I threw for Serena the night she died."

A mixture of shock, hatred, and vengeance shadowed the Sentinel's face. He raced forward, Water pulsing at the tips of his fingers, and went straight for her throat. An invisible force Sinnder knew all too well clubbed Gavin, knocking him through the air like a home run into the wall on the far side of the room. He landed with a breath-stealing smack and rubbed the back of his head.

"You f.u.c.king b.i.t.c.h. You killed Serena to get to me?" Eyes glazed, he choked over the words.

Scarlet's irises flamed red. Her top lip curled. "Of course I did. And I'd kill a thousand more to protect what's mine. You belong to me, Gavin. Don't let that stupid wh.o.r.e Zoe make you think anything different."

As the Sentinel recovered, Scarlet s.h.i.+fted her attention back to Sinnder. She slithered up close and stroked the diamond-hard erection pressed against his hip. Surprise igniting her smile, she traced its outline with red tipped fingers. "You're a big one, aren't you? I'm gonna make you come so fast, you won't know what hit you."

Oh, he was about to get off, all right. Just not in the way she expected.

"Since we're talking about the past, let's you and I share a stroll down Memory Lane." Sinnder's voice deepened further. He circled her as he spoke. "It's been a while, so you probably don't remember the home you razed in early 600s Ireland. I imagine you burned many things back then. But this particular home happened to be mine."

Gavin struggled to his feet, wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, and watched with great interest. No way he'd make it out alive now. A shame, but the Master cared nothing for the victims of his pain. Only the results mattered.

Flames loosed from Sinnder's eyes, scorching his sockets.