Fire Pearl (Beyond Ontariese 5) (8 page)

“I told you already,” she whispered. “Why are
the details important?”

He eased her to arm’s length, his gaze softly
glowing. “I’m not sure they are, but I can’t be sure unless you
explain exactly what happened. Is there some reason you don’t want
me to know?”

“What happened that night was rather
personal.”

“You won’t embarrass me. Was the vision
triggered while you were having sex?”

She swallowed then tentatively licked her
lips. How could she explain what had triggered the vision without
admitting her only lover had been a selfish jerk? “I was in the
shower after Faujer had finished with me.”

“After he ‘finished with you’? That’s not a
phrase most people choose to describe making love or even having
sex. You told me Faujer never hurt you. Did you want to have sex
with him?”

Twisting out of his grasp, she crossed her
arms over her chest and moved several steps away. “I thought my
mother was a space pet. I grew up watching her barter her body for
credits. Faujer saved me from being raped by one of her customers.
He challenged the man for the right… Space pets are expected to
make themselves available to the entire crew. At least with Faujer,
it was only one man.”

“You’ve never been with a man because you
wanted him, because you felt an emotional connection and wanted to
express—”

“No! All right? I saw Faujer as the lesser of
two evils. He climbed on top of me, took his pleasure and left me
feeling dirty and used. I was in the shower that night, imagining
what it would be like to have a man consider my pleasure as well as
his own. My fantasy took on a life of its own and suddenly I wasn’t
with Faujer anymore.”

Who were you with?
The question hung
unspoken between them. She wasn’t sure if she intercepted his
thought or if she read the question in his eyes.

“I know this is embarrassing,” his tone was
gentle, cautious, “but I need to know. Did your fantasy—did you
have an orgasm during your fantasy?”

She raked her fingers through her hair and
looked into his eyes. Why should she be embarrassed? Anyone would
have responded as she did to such powerful stimuli. “Yes. I was
still tingling from the orgasm when I walked back into the bedroom
and heard the conversation going on inside Faujer’s head.”

“And that’s when you teleported?” She nodded.
His gaze swept her from head to toe before settling on her face.
“I’d convinced myself it wasn’t possible, but there’s something you
need to know. Your coloring is distinctive. The pearlescent sheen
to your skin and the streaks of fire in your hair are generally
found in females called the
jumanna
.”

“What does that mean?”

“The word means fire pearl and
jumanna
magic is unique. A fire pearl gathers and disperses energy during
sexual acts.”

Aria laughed. “Then there’s no way I’m a
jumanna
. Sex for me has been anything but magical.”

“I’m sorry Faujer was a bastard, but it’s
possible your gift hasn’t been fully awakened. Your first surge of
Mystic power was accompanied by sexual release. When I combine that
fact with your unique coloring, I’m left to wonder about the nature
of your gift.”

“You want me to see if I can make it—surge
again?”

He flashed a sexy smile. “Actually, I was
thinking more along the lines of seeing if we could make it surge
together.”

Fantasies were one thing. Could she really…
This is what you’ve wanted since he popped into your dressing
room
. He didn’t react to the careless thought, so she blew out
a ragged sigh. “I thought you weren’t allowed to touch me like
that.”

“If you are truly a
jumanna
, touching
you ‘like that’ is inevitable.”

His words both excited and disappointed her.
She was rapidly starting to think that this entire setup was an
elaborate come-on. Had he seen her onstage and…but the dreams had
been going on for almost a year. If he was a stalker, he was the
most patient stalker in the galaxy. “Is triggering my gift the only
reason you want to touch me?”

He crossed to her in two long strides and
cupped her cheek with his palm. “It’s the only way I can reconcile
my obligation to Vee with my feelings for you. If we discover you
don’t possess this gift, I’ll locate another mentor. I don’t think
I can resist touching you.”

She closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek
against his hand. For ten long months, she’d hidden away, hating
that she was different, longing for someone to look at her and
smile. His thumb brushed her lower lip and he pressed a kiss
against her brow.

“Look,” he whispered.

Opening her eyes, she found the top of the
tent gone. Or had he made it transparent? Brilliant stars twinkled
in a velvet black sky and a cool breeze washed over her body. He
scooped her up in his arms and laid her on the mound of furs. Her
breath hitched then released in a sigh. She was mesmerized by the
panorama.

“It’s amazing. I’ve never seen so many stars.
Are the moons always so bright?”

He spread out beside her, slipping one arm
under her neck. “Only in the desert does the sky reveal her true
beauty. I told you the desert guarded many secrets.”

She smiled, relaxing into the softness.
Bathed in moonlight, his features transfixed her, made her bold.
“Show me more.”

His head lowered slowly. Her heart beat
faster the closer he came. The night wind bore his scent. Her lips
tingled in anticipation.

“Close your eyes.” He kissed her lids,
ensuring her obedience. Avoiding her parted lips, he feathered
kisses across her features. “You’re so incredibly beautiful. I’m
almost afraid to touch you.” His throaty chuckle sounded before he
added, “Almost.”

His mouth covered hers and Aria buried her
fingers in his hair. Desire swirled within her, hot, tingly
sensations that made her arch and moan. She met the first brush of
his tongue with an enthusiastic response. He chuckled and
retreated, pressing her down into the furs.

“As enjoyable as this is for both of us, it
is an exercise. You need to concentrate, focus inward, search for
any increase in your Mystic energy.”

She nodded, uncertain if she could do what he
asked. She’d wanted him for months and she still wasn’t sure that
the rest of it was anything more than his imagination. He kissed
her again, using only his lips. His hand wandered from her neck to
her shoulders and briefly skimmed her breasts. She trembled, her
nipples instantly peaking.

His mouth pulled away long enough for him to
tug his tunic off over his head. She caressed his chest, his
shoulders and arms, ravenous for the feel of his warm flesh. His
eyes gleamed in the starlight, the red rings softly glowing. He
rose to his knees, drawing her up with him. “Raise your arms.” She
pulled her gown off and tossed it to the tent floor with a
mischievous smile. “I wanted to do that,” he grumbled.

“I wanted this more.” She pressed her breasts
against his naked chest and wrapped her arms around him. Coiled
strength and suppressed power, his body fascinated her. She rubbed
against him like a cat, eager for attention. “You’re not finished.”
She eased her fingertips inside the waistband of his pants.

“Not tonight.” He moved her hand to his
chest, separating their bodies. “Your entire life has been cast
into disarray. I’d like nothing more than to make love to you, but
not until you’ve had time to adjust to all the changes.”

Her aching body resented his nobility while
her mind appreciated the consideration. She was far too ambivalent
to make a rational decision.

But another thought sent a chill through her
mind. If the story was just a come-on why would he deny himself
now? “Why do I need to be naked if we’re not going to make love?”
With a toss of her head, she sent her hair cascading over her
breasts and folded her hands in her lap.

“Because I need to touch you.” He lowered her
to the furs again and pressed against her side, fanning her hair
out around her. She wiggled into the softness, acutely aware of her
nakedness. “Relax. Look at the stars and let your senses guide
you.” He stroked her arms, gently moving her hands upward until her
fingers sank into the fur above her head. She wanted to touch him,
to taste him, and feel him moving deep inside her. “You’ll have all
that and more, just not tonight. Now pay attention to your body.
Trust your instincts.”

He’d effortlessly read her thoughts. She
swallowed hard and pressed her lips together, unsettled by her
vulnerability. Would she always be so transparent?

One of his hands cupped her breast as his
lips closed around the other, drawing firmly on the sensitive
crest. Relax. She was supposed to look at the sky. Vast, endlessly
black. Her anxious breathing rubbed her breast against his hand.
His fingers rolled her nipple, sending darts of sensation into her
abdomen. The night wind was cool, so why did she feel so hot?

Bending her knee, he positioned her foot
against the fur and caressed his way back up her inner thigh. He
cupped her mound for a moment then draped her other leg over the
bend of his knees. Her thighs parted, her back arched, and all she
could see was stars. Her belly quivered as his fingers began their
sensual dance. He stroked her skin, exploring her body with careful
touches and soothing caresses. Faujer would never forgo his
pleasure long enough to concentrate on hers. Drakkin wasn’t Faujer.
Drakkin… His fingers parted her feminine folds, pausing as the
night wind accented her heat. The firm suction of his mouth matched
the persistent throbbing between her thighs. She needed more than
these teasing touches. She needed…

Feel the slide of my fingers. You’re so
soft, so wonderfully hot. Accept my presence in your mind and let
the pleasure build.

She felt the gentle movement of his fingers,
up and down, around and around. He pushed into her mind and her
core throbbed rebelliously. She wanted him there, inside her.

I am inside you. Share yourself with me.

Her fingers tangled in the fur as he focused
on her clit. The firm, circular motion made her body shake. She bit
her bottom lip to keep from screaming down the stars. He moved
through her mind, scanning, stimulating. She opened for him,
surrendered to him, body and mind. Tighter and tighter the pleasure
wound, building beneath his fingertips. She tossed her head and he
nipped her breast, holding her in place.

Energy sizzled along her nerve endings. Her
nipples tingled, her core clenched. Her being melded with Drakkin,
sinking into him and saturating him. She arched her back,
increasing the pressure of his fingers. Colors danced before her
eyes, flashes of light and muddled images.

Pleasure burst and the image focused, forcing
the breath from her lungs. Reality paused as the vision took over.
A dark-haired woman perched on the edge of the vanity in Aria’s
dressing room. Her back pressed against the mirror as she held her
knees, brazenly offering herself to her lover. “Now,” she panted.
“Fill me now.”

The man laughed and Aria stiffened. “It will
seldom be as easy as it was in the corridor.” She knew that voice!
How could Faujer be in her dressing room on Earth? He rubbed
against the woman, teasing her without pushing inside.

The vision released and sensations swept over
Aria. She absorbed each scalding wave with a hoarse little cry.
Drakkin’s touch gentled. His lips moved against her damp skin, part
soothing whisper, part tender kiss.

“Did you see them?” she panted, her body
humming with newfound energy.

“Yes, but the vision was yours. You are
undoubtedly a
jumanna
.” She rolled to her side and he
wrapped her in his arms.

“They were in my dressing room. How did he
find it so quickly? For that matter, how did he get to Earth?”

“You recognized the man?”

“That was Faujer,” she said with a
shudder.

“The woman is a Mystic. Her name is Noll dar
Joon.”

“As in the mortal enemies of the House of
Aune?” Import slammed into her, driving back the lingering tingles
of her release. It was real. It had to be real. How else could she
explain what she’d just seen and
how
she’d seen it? Her
ex-captor was on Earth searching for her with the help of an
Ontarian Mystic. There was simply no way all that could be
coincidence.

He brushed her damp hair back from her face.
“I created a temporal shift when I brought you here. We will remain
out of sync with the rest of our dimension until I release the
shift. You’re safe here. They can’t find us.”

“I want to believe it’s that simple, but how
did Faujer know where to look? This doesn’t make sense. Who is Noll
dar Joon?” Now that she was starting to comprehend that all this
was really happening, fear spread through her like poison.

She wasn’t a baseborn Rodyte. She was the
daughter of Ontarian Mystics. She let that concept resonate for a
moment before she forced herself to face the rest. She was being
hunted by people with powers similar to Drakkin’s.

Drakkin smelled her fear and pulled her back
into his arms. “You are safe, my love. No one can find you and I
will never allow anyone to harm you.”

She nibbled her bottom lip and tears swam
behind her long lashes. “Then it’s true? All these stories are not…
You were telling me the truth?”

If her fear weren’t so obvious, he might have
grown angry. “Why did you think I told you all this?”

“To distract me from the fact that you’d
kidnapped me.” She glanced away from his face as if she were
embarrassed by her reasoning.

“And why did I kidnap you?”

She made a sweeping gesture indicating their
position and her nakedness.

He chuckled. “I could have seduced you on
Earth if that’s all I wanted from you.”