Burning Bright (Ivy Granger) (31 page)

When the visions passed, our lips were no longer touching,
but Ceff had slipped his hand inside my shirt to rest on the skin at the small
of my back.  My pulse quickened as my body became hyper aware of his touch.

We’d learned that if we wanted to keep touching, then it was
best to maintain constant skin on skin contact or risk another round of
visions.  This was Ceff’s way of telling me he wasn’t letting go.  That was
good because I wasn’t done with him either.

“What was that for?” I asked.

His hand on my back worked in slow circles and warmth
flooded my body.

“I lost you today,” he said.

“I got better,” I said.

“It is not funny, Ivy,” he said.  “You died.  I keep telling
myself that you are here, you are whole, but my mind does not quite believe
it.  I need to feel you, to know that you are really alive.”

I licked my lips and smiled.  I wanted to go visit Jinx, to
see with my own eyes that she was okay.  But Ceff needed reassurances too, to
know that I was safe and whole, just in a much more tactile kind of way.  If I
listened to my heart, I had to admit that I needed that too.

 Visiting my friend was important, but that didn’t mean I
couldn’t take a detour along the way.

“Change of plan, Forneus,” I said.  “Ceff and I have to run
an errand.  We’ll meet you and Sparky at The Emporium.”

“An errand, right,” he said, rolling his eyes.  “Fine, but I
am not sticking around if Kaye returns.  That witch is scarier than a starving
pack of hellhounds.”

I turned back to take in the battle still raging within the
carnival grounds.  Multicolored light and smoke streaked the air.  Kaye was
scary alright.  She struck fear into me before when she was at half strength. 
Now that her powers had returned, she was downright terrifying.

I shivered and Ceff pulled me close.  His fingers trailed
along the inside of my waistband and I shivered again, but this time the
response had nothing to do with fear.

“You.  Me.  Loft.  Now,” I said.

It had finally happened.  Ceff had turned me into a
monosyllabic sex fiend.  If Jinx were here, she’d throw me a party.  But I
didn’t need a party—all I needed was Ceff.

I grabbed his shirt and started dragging him down the street
toward my apartment, Forneus chuckling behind us.

C
eff’s hand
sent shivers up my spine as we entered the loft and kicked shut the door.  Shedding
my jacket and weapons while continuing to touch each other, skin on skin, was
like a game of naked Twister.  Fun, but challenging.

I removed each of my blades, a dozen stakes, and a utility
belt full of charms and Ceff pulled a trident and a small blade from sheaths on
his leg and back and tossed them onto the growing pile of weapons.  He lifted my
burner phone from his pocket and set it on the counter.

“My phone,” I groaned.  “Jinx is going to kill me.”

“Why would she kill you?” he asked.

“That phone’s not waterproof,” I said.  “I should have
thought of that before you went swimming in the harbor.”

“The phone is dry,” he said.  “I formed a pocket of air
around the device, keeping the water at bay.”

“Your water magic can do that?” I asked.

“You would be amazed at what my water magic can do,” he
said, eyes shifting to pale green and beginning to glow.

 “Then amaze me,” I said.

“I thought that you would never ask,” he said.

His mouth slanted over mine and I moaned.  The fatigue that
had held me down all day vanished with the flick of his tongue.  Our kisses
deepened and Ceff pulled me further into the loft apartment.

“Shower or kitchen?” he asked, lips moving from my mouth to
my neck.

“Shower,” I said.

Now I was the one doing the pulling.  I dragged him into the
bathroom, shedding clothing as we went.  I fumbled at the button on Ceff’s
pants and growled.

“Here,” he said, his lips grinning as he kissed my neck. 
“Allow me.”

His hands slid between our bodies as he deftly undid his pants. 
His hand brushed against my body and I moaned.  Desire rose up through me and
my skin burned.

I tugged at his jeans, growling again as they caught on his
hips and toned buttocks.  Ceff’s body was a thing of perfection, absolute
beauty, and it was all mine.

He stepped out of the jeans and I pulled him closer.  He
turned on the shower and my skin began to tingle.  His skillful hands returned
to my body, and additional tendrils of water began to slide across my skin,
coaxing it into a frenzy of desire.

“You are really here,” he said, voice ragged.  “You returned
to me.”

My magic rose up to meet his, water and fire filling the
room with steam.  Tears mixed with water and sweat, but I smiled as I laced my
fingers in his hair.

“I will always return to you,” I said.  “You can’t get rid
of me that easy.”

I raised myself up on tiptoe as I guided his head down
toward mine.

“I never want this to end,” he said, his breath whispering
across my face.

“Then don’t let go,” I said.

I pressed fiery lips against his and water and heat filled
the room.  For this precious moment, the rest of the world slipped away.  We
didn’t let go of each other, not for hours.

I
pulled a tank
top on over my head and winced at the pain in my chest, side, and abdomen.  My
skin had knit together over my wounds, but the areas where I’d been shot with
poisoned arrows were still tender—a constant reminder of the danger I’d faced,
and would soon face again.

I wasn’t going to kid myself.  The faerie courts may think
I’m dead, but that wouldn’t last.  As soon as the Moordenaar realize that I am
alive, they’ll be back to finish the job.

The only way I’d ever be safe from the faerie assassins was
to learn how to control my wisp powers.  Then I’d have to go before the faerie
courts and prove that I wasn’t a menace—well, no more so than any other law
abiding fae.

I just wished that learning how to control my powers was as
easy as signing up for a class, but there was no correspondence course for what
I needed to learn.  The one person who might be able to help me control my
powers was my father, and he was still missing.  With no other strong leads,
I’d have to wait until the summer solstice and use my key to enter the door
into the wisp court.  Until then, I’d have to keep a low profile.

That was going to be a challenge.

I shrugged into a black hoodie, zipped it, and pulled the
hood up over my head.  I cast a forlorn look at my leather jacket and shook my
head.  There was nothing salvageable left.  We’d have to throw a funeral for it
when Jinx got home.  Instead of my favorite leather, I grabbed a denim jacket
and tossed it on over the hoodie.  I slid on a pair of dark sunglasses and
checked my reflection.

I looked like a gangbanger, but at least my eyes and skin
were covered.  I couldn’t risk anyone on the streets recognizing me, or seeing
me glow.

“Should I cut my hair?” I asked.

“Oberon’s eyes, no,” Ceff said, eyes wide.  “Why would you
do that?”

“You know, to hide my identity,” I said with a shrug.

“You cannot even see your hair with that hood up,” he said. 
“And I have never seen you in that jacket.”

“True, I do look…different,” I said.

Of course, that could have been due to the goofy grin I
couldn’t seem to lose no matter how many times I scrubbed at my face.  I’d
heard of earth shattering sex—maybe we’d shaken something loose inside my
brain.

My phone beeped and I sighed, texting Forneus a quick
reply.  Texting while wearing gloves sucked.  My “be right there” had more
misspellings that an ogre’s ransom note—and I should know, I’d had to decipher
one while working a kidnapping case last month.

“Okay, time to go,” I said, heading for the door.

“That is the seventh call from Forneus,” Ceff said.

“He’s just worried about Jinx,” I said.  I took the stairs
two at a time.  Was there a spring in my step?  Hell yes, even with my injuries
I felt better than I had in days.  “After that little scene earlier, Arachne
doesn’t want to wake Jinx up until we get there.  She’s worried she’ll have a
pissed off Jinx and an injured demon on her hands.”

“Ah, that makes sense,” he said.

I frowned, slowing my pace.

“Actually, I’m more worried about her trying to wring my
neck, not Forneus’,” I said.

“Why would she be angry with you?” he asked.

I swallowed hard, but answered truthfully.

“You know that night I told you about, when we killed Puck
and put a stop to the drug dealing and prostitution at Club Nexus?” I asked.

He nodded and I looked away.

“Well, Forneus saved Jinx’s life and from the way their lips
were locked, I’d say she was very, very appreciative,” I said.

“Those two finally kissed, and the world did not end?” he
joked.

“Nope, but then things went sideways and Forneus saved her
life again…but this time Jinx hit her head,” I said.  I bit my lip, face
flushing.

“What happened?” he asked.

I was walking fast again and we were nearly at The Emporium,
so I stopped and met Ceff’s curious gaze.

“I screwed up,” I said.  “To save Jinx, Forneus had to take
on his fully demonic form and…and I freaked.  He was everything I feared.  He
was a monster, evil incarnate.  So, Torn and I hauled Jinx’s ass out of there
and when she woke up and couldn’t remember that kiss…”

“You pretended it never happened,” he said.

I sighed, throat feeling tight.

“Yeah, I never told her,” I said.

“You were trying to protect her,” he said.

“But I knew better,” I said.  “Deep down, I knew that Forneus
genuinely cared about Jinx, but I’d spent my entire life afraid of the monsters
that no one else could see.  So I pretended that I was doing the right thing,
protecting her from a monster, but who am I to judge?  I’m not human.  I never
was.  And now I’ve gone and lied to my best friend, because I’m too afraid to
see the good in people.”

“She will forgive you,” he said.  “Give her time.”

“I don’t know if I deserve forgiveness,” I said.

And that was the crux of it.  How could Jinx forgive me if I
couldn’t forgive myself?

“We all deserve second chances,” he said.  “And you do see
the good in people.  You saw the man I wanted to be when I was broken and
beaten and at my worst.”

“That was easy,” I said.  “You are a good man.”

“You took in Marvin and gave him a family when he looked and
smelled like a bloodied garbage heap,” he said.  “You gave him a chance when
most people would have looked the other way.”

“He was just a kid,” I said.

“You, Ivy Granger, do see the best in people,” he said.  “If
it took you time to believe in Forneus, then maybe there is a reason for that. 
Maybe he has not always been worthy of Jinx.”

I thought about what Ceff had said.  Forneus had been an
irritating, arrogant, manipulative, self serving prick when we first met.  It
was only more recently that I’d begun to suspect I’d made a mistake in keeping
Jinx from him.  Maybe Ceff was right.

“Even so,” I said.  “I don’t think Jinx will see it that
way.”

“There is only one way to find out,” he said.

I took a deep breath and strode up the hill, closing the
distance to The Emporium.  It was time to face the music.

J
inx was
surprisingly quiet.  Instead of raging at me or lashing out at Forneus, she
just wrapped her arms around herself and mumbled her thanks when Arachne woke
her up.

Before leaving the loft, I’d packed her a change of clothes,
figuring the rockabilly fashion maven would feel more comfortable in a strappy
dress than the turtleneck she’d worn to cover the marks the incubus had left on
her skin.  But even a cherry red dress and platform pumps weren’t enough to
break her from her funk.

“No thanks,” she said, slowly shaking her head.

I gave her a probing gaze and she hunched into herself. 
That was so unlike Jinx that I flinched.  Jinx was spunky and confident and vibrant
and alive.

“Hey, um, Ivy, can you help me with this?” Arachne asked,
waving me over to the other side of the kitchen.

“Sure,” I said, keeping one eye on Jinx.  When I reached the
corner, I looked more closely at Arachne who was twitching like a kid on a
sugar high.  “What’s up?”

If she’d unleashed another horde of fire imps, she was going
to have to find someone else to clean up the mess.  I was officially dead, and on
vacation.

“Um, it’s just, you know, I think Jinx just needs some
time,” she said, tugging at her hair.

“What do you mean?” I asked, heart starting to race.  “She’s
getting her energy back and healing from the incubus attack right?”

“Yeah, she’s fine, physically,” she said.  “It’s just, I had
this friend from school who got taken advantage of at a party…and Jinx reminds
me of her.”

“Jinx reminds you of your friend?” I asked.

I wasn’t following what Arachne was saying, but that was
partly because I was only half listening.  Forneus was over trying to talk to
Jinx, but she just sat there looking at the floor.  There was something
seriously wrong with my friend.  There were plenty of pointy objects in the
kitchen and Jinx hadn’t grabbed a single one.

“By the Goddess, Ivy, look at me,” Arachne said.

I pulled my eyes from Jinx and cocked an eyebrow at the kid.

“Sorry,” I said.  “I’m listening.”

“It’s not that Jinx and my friend look or dress the same or
anything,” she said.  “What they have in common is that they were both
raped…and all I’m saying is that you need to give her time.  She’s not going to
heal from this overnight.”