SkyFall (Taken on the Wing Book 2) (42 page)

Every informative word Flay shared with
Tempest over the past few months flashes through Tempest
’
s mind. The precarious jumble of memories
of their conversation and the hard instincts of the moment become an intense
rush of action. Flay
’
s words were mostly warnings
about keeping it safe for her relatively fragile gryphon lover but after seeing
how Soar responded to her longer and sharper canines she will do as she
pleases.

Tempest
’
s tail finds it
’
s way around Soar
’
s leg, just beneath his barely exposed
ass as his knees lock, fusing them in place. Then he pushes his wings wide
behind him, bracing them against the wall on either side of the door.

“
Here,
”
he groans.
“
Right
here.
”

She can
’
t agree more and slides her nails around
his back and scratches him with approval. Other than his back to the door
instead of hers, they stand in their favourite place to make love.

“
Don
’
t make me wait,
”
Tempest breathes. The words come easy now
but a wave of weakness warns she
’
ll need rest again soon.

Soar
’
s bruising fingers release her ass as he
pulls one leg up, cradling her knee over his elbow.

“
Now,
”
she barks and as his cock finds her
entrance, she seals her lips on her bite-mark under his ear, driving a shout
from his lips. Tempest
’
s other foot comes off the
ground as he takes all her weight in his arms then lowers her as he thrusts.

“
Tem
…”
a deep shudder silences Soar and for a
moment nothing moves.

“
Yes, my love,
”
she moans.
“
I
need this.
”

“
God,
”
Soar gasps as he digs his heels in. By
simply shifting his weight he buries himself inside her again and again. Each
time he fills her, her spirit heals and the long agony of their separation is
driven further away.

As soon as she links her hands behind his
neck Soar keeps his pace steady. He knows her signals. Each move is timed
exactly right and she
’
s on the road to release. All
he has to do is hold out until she gets there.

“
My
gryphon,
”
Tempest whispers and licks at
the wound on his lip. Her skin hardens as if shifting to scale and each
movement courses pleasure over the entire surface. As she nears her peak, her
throat stiffens and something Flay said comes to mind but she doesn
’
t remember what and pushes the memory
aside.

Soar senses her impending release and
welcomes his and for a moment Tempest
’
s
breathing is blocked, her orgasm seeming connected with whatever is going on in
her throat. Her growl clears it as Soar swears and grabs her chin, pushing her
head away.

As his knees fail, they sink to the
ground in an explosion of ecstasy and fire. Tempest
’
s legs lock around Soar
’
s hips, binding him in place as she rides
out the last of his powerful orgasm.

“
Oh, shit,
”
Soar
moans as he rocks back on his butt and kicks them clear of the doorway.

Over the smell of slightly singed
feathers coming from the ridge of his wing is the stink of burning fabric.
Tempest
’
s laughter masks a shout of
'fire' from the tunnel
a
nd they roll clear of the
burning curtain just in time to avoid setting Soar
’
s singed wing alight.

“
Oops,
”
she giggles.

Soar scrambles to find her trousers
before the eyrie gryphons arrive with chamber pots of sea water.

“
Damn it, damn it,
”
he curses as he grabs
for a pair of his to put on her. Tempest
’
s
are lost under the mound of burning curtains. It isn
’
t a simple fire. The heavy fabric
immolates with a throat full of very flammable thick, dragonkin acid.

“
You alright?
”
Tempest can
’
t make out who shouts from the
hall.

“
Hell, yeah,
”
Soar
’
s satisfied grin makes her heart pound.
“
My fucking God I set you on fire.
”

“
Stay back,
”
another
voice outside hollers.

“
Tell me about your day, Soar,
”
she asks as Soar pulls the sleeping mat
into the farthest corner from the door and nestles Tempest in his lap.

“
My day?
”

“
Yes,
”
she
yawns.

“
Didn
’
t waste any time did you?
”
Talon
’
s voice reaches them through the smoke.

“
Piss off, Talon,
”
Soar
mutters.

Tempest
’
s cheeks redden and Soar wraps his
fingers over her blush. Dark grey human silhouettes appear and disappear as
loads of water are dumped on the burning curtain. Human form protects their
wings from the fire but their efforts only add steam to the smoke and the fire
burns on as merrily as before.

“
I learned something today, Tempest,
”
Soar says.
“
I
learned that when you have nothing to fight for then you have nothing worth
fighting for.

“
I don
’
t want you to go to Calgary. I don
’
t want you to ever leave the
eyrie again or my den for that matter but keeping you here would turn you into
someone other than the female I fell in love with and would make me someone
neither one of us would like.
”

“
I don
’
t want to go either,
”
she says, unable to hide her fear. To be
separated again so soon threatens to tear away the small measure of security
she
’
s found.

“
If we do nothing,
”
Soar rests a hand on her stomach and lets
his voice fade with the stillness of their moment. In spite of the hustle at
the door, nothing intrudes.

Tempest is the female who will fight for
his children as hard as he will. She
’
s
everything he
’
s ever wanted and with each
wrapped in the scent of the other it
’
s
a proud moment for him to share his small family with everyone in the eyrie.

“
If we do nothing then these little
dragonkin have no future except service under Aledaar and I won
’
t stand for that.
”

“
No,
”
Tempest turns to watch the fire. The
remains the water won
’
t extinguish are scooped into
the pots and hurried to the main entrance.
“
I
won
’
t either.
”

Three days after Soar departs with Flay,
Tempest portals to Calgary. Flay took him only a few hours after the fire. The
portal route was complicated, she explained, seeding new portals before even
passing through the one before them and hopping through their route to the
green dragonkin hiding place.

The unique discharge of the final portal
not only had to be timed right, but also had to have the correct electrical
field to verify she is a friend.

They won
’
t talk if I get it wrong.
Flay said.
We
’
ll be dead.

Here
’
s to getting it right.

There
’
s been no word since.

No gryphons guard Cooper
’
s building and the sky above is empty
except for a helicopter tracing the Bow River. November settles over the city
with cold temperatures, bare trees and deep snow. Ice lines the river shore.
Weak noon light only brings grey to the newly reclad buildings that had been
stripped of their glass the previous summer.

Cooper
’
s balcony appears intact. The
red-cushioned furniture Tempest and Cooper sat on is gone. At first she thinks
the pieces have been put away but it
’
s
more likely they were stolen by the tornado.

Nothing to do but try and get in. A grab
and go will be ideal.

Tempest alights on the snow covered
cement patio and studies the windows. The sliding door is open a finger
’
s width and the heavy curtains are torn
behind the glass, evidence some windows were broken by the storm and replaced.
Someone has been looking after things since Cooper was taken.

A large pack strapped to her front covers
much of the red leather including her altered trousers. Shadow called it
maternity armour and wondered how she would look fighting in them.

Talon said
‘
no.
’

Tempest slides the door open enough to
pass then she yawns, a deep full body gasp for air. The warm room hits her hard
with drowsiness that dulls her senses and muffles her ears in the feel of good
warm wool.

“
Darn,
”
she mutters. It isn
’
t a good time to lose her senses.

The room is somewhat intact. Several of
Cooper
’
s sculptures have been knocked
over. One lies broken on the floor and another rests on one end of the sofa.
The portrait of Cooper still hangs although it
’
s off kilter. Otherwise slivers of day
stab through the curtain and a single bulb in the kitchen casts more shadow
than light.

Tempest goes straight for Cooper
’
s bedroom. He warned it will be safer for
her to bring the box with the relic still inside but just in case she has a key
and a handkerchief sized piece of thin leather to handle it.

A few steps into the hall she receives
her only warning she isn
’
t alone. A large, un-winged
gryphon appears from behind and clamps a hand over her mouth as the other holds
a cold steel knife to her throat.

“
The rules, Cherry,
”
Lawrence
hisses.
“
Remember
the rules. Talk about anyone but yourself and you
’
re dead.
”

Tempest lets herself go limp in his arms,
daring a small nod. How could she have let the big male get behind her
unnoticed? The answer is simple. She
’
s
plain old tired and her smell and hearing were the first to go.

“
The last dragonkin here left me
unconscious on the floor for two solid days. Will sons of bitches. They took
Cooper and killed a number of his guard.
”