Treasure of the Fire Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 4) (35 page)

Even
after that video of the Home Depot Sullivan had never actually believed that
something like that was possible. He wasn’t a man who believed in mystical
powers, or God, or anything supernatural.  He was a cop.  Not just by vocation,
it was part of his very DNA.  He would have been a cop, even if he’d never worn
a policeman’s uniform a day in his life.  Sullivan believed real, solid
evidence that he could see --live and in person-- with his own two eyes.  In
fact, even viewing this madness firsthand, he actually couldn’t process it.

What
the fuck was going on?

Teja
was astonished, too, but for a different reason.  “Lycus?”  She looked him up
and down.  “Aren’t you supposed to dead?”

“Many
times over.”  Lycus glanced at Sullivan, his eyes flicking to the gun, and then
back to Teja.  There looked to be a giant hand-shaped bruise around his neck.  “This
human is your Match?”

“
No
. 
Well, probably not.  It’s probably just a mix-up with our energy.”  She
sighed.  “What are you doing here?”

“Searching
you out.  We must discuss Hope.”

“You
know where she is?”

“Yes. 
She’s been kidnapped by a monster.”

Teja
rolled her eyes.  “Is that all?  Shit, I was actually getting worried about
her, too.”  She shook her head.  “Alright.  Let’s go find the rest of my idiot
family and you can tell us the whole story.  Sullivan,” she pointed a finger at
him, “go home, for now.  But you and I aren’t done discussing this.”

Then
she vanished.

Just…
disappeared into nothing right in front of him.

Lycus
met Sullivan’s stunned eyes.  “You have my sympathies, human.  A woman like
that will be difficult to claim.”

And
with that he was gone, too.  Leaving Sullivan standing in the park, surrounded
by broken glass from the street lights and the distant voices of
trick-or-treaters singing
Monster Mash.
 For one small moment, Sullivan
was eleven years old, again.  Reading Marvel comics with a flashlight under his
family’s mobile home, hiding from his father and wishing magic was real.

“Holy
shit.
”

The
Cult members
were
mutants.  How could it possibly be possible?

And
what the hell was he going to do about it?

Man is a
microcosm, or a little world, because he is an extract from all

the stars
and planets of the whole firmament, from the earth and the

elements

Philipus Aureolus Paracelsus

Kingu’s jaw dropped.  “You
know you’re from the Star House?”

“Well,
I know my mother was probably a Star Phase.”  Hope settled deeper into his
lap.  “How could I miss it?  I’ve collapsed buildings just by walking past
them.”

Kingu
looked stunned.  “But, you never said anything…”

“Well,
I told you I was adopted.  I didn’t really think about mentioning the Star
Phase thing.”  Hope hesitated.  “My family’s kind of kept that hidden.  Some
people might want to quest after me or something, thinking I’m especially
special, so we never tell anyone.  Obviously, I would’ve told
you,
if
I’d thought of it, though.  Sorry.”

She
was keeping
way
more important things from him, but now probably wasn’t
the best time to bring up that her adopted House consistently made the realm’s
most wanted list.

“Hope,
you
are
especially special.  The books say that seemingly bad luck is a
sign of a Star Phase of great power. 
No one
seems to have worse luck
than you, so it’s possible you are one of the most powerful members of that
House.”

“That
really doesn’t make me any less jinxed in my day-to-day life.”  Hope made a
face.  Why was he so stuck on this?  She hated dwelling on the fact that she
wasn’t a biological Fire Phase.  “Besides, I’ve never been able to do anything
with my powers.  They create chaos all around me, but I can’t –like-- harness
them to win the lottery or anything.  I know.  I’ve tried.  My energy is
useless unless you want to see pipes burst or have wasps attack you in the
shower.”

Kingu
looked strangely amused by her grumbling.  “I often have similar thoughts about
my own powers.”

“You?” 
Hope scoffed.

“Me. 
I can’t do anything except manifest simple three-dimensional objects and the
occasional unicorn.  Even then it requires too much energy.  It will take time
for me to regain all my strength.”

Hope
blinked at that.  Not at the fact that even his amazing powers had limits, but
that he’d shared the limits with her.  Warriors didn’t discuss their weaknesses
unless they had a massive amount of trust in the person they were sharing with.

It
was humbling. Had this man ever trusted
anyone
before?  She kind of
doubted it.

“You’re
still young.”  Kingu brushed a hesitant hand over her hair, his mouth curving
when she didn’t pull away.  “Your powers will fully manifest, too.  Then,
you’ll see how extraordinary you are.  How rare.”

She
leaned into his touch.  “You think I’m extraordinary and rare because I’m a
Star Phase?”

“No. 
Because you are Hope.”

Her
heart melted.  “Good.  Because, I’m
not
really a Star Phase.  It’s not
who I was raised to be and I don’t feel any connection to that House.  I have a
real
family and
they’re
who I am.”

Kingu
didn’t look convinced.  “There’s more, you know.  Sometimes a Star Phase is
sent as a blessing for a man who’s endured much to deserve her.”

Hope’s
eyebrows soared.  “And it didn’t even occur to you that
you
are that
man?  Monster, you spent thousands of years as a slave.  Isn’t that suffering?”

“Not
enough suffering to deserve you.”  He said simply.

…And
Hope was lost.

She
stared up at him in helpless love.  Every last bit of her belonged to this
man.  How did he not see that?  How could he not understand they were destiny? 
It wasn’t that he was ignoring her assurances.  It was like he wasn’t
hearing
them all, at all.  Like he was incapable of processing her words.

“Kingu…”

He
cut her off.  “And I already
told
you I don’t a soul, so I cannot be
your soul mate.  It’s impossible for many other reasons as well, if you want a
more detailed list.”  He nodded.  “The first being that Gaia wouldn’t send me
any kind blessing.  I’m not part her Divine plan, so she’s forsaken me.”

“Isn’t
the whole point of a Divine plan that stuff
can’t
fall outside of it? 
By definition, everything has to be part of the whole, including you.”

“No,
I’m not.  And even if I
was
, no higher god would send someone like you
into my clutches.  Not even they are that cruel.”

“God,
I love being in your clutches.  How many orgasms did I have at your nefarious
hands this morning?  Three?”

“Four.” 
The correction was immediate, just as Hope knew it would be.

“Really? 
I could’ve sworn it was three.”  She lied.  “Maybe you still owe me one.”

Red
eyes narrowed.  “You are teasing me, but the fact remains that I stole you.”

“Yes,
you did.”  Hope liked remembering that part.  “You walked into the arena and
just told the Banished Phases you were taking me.”  It had been
sooo
romantic.

“No,
I stole you from another man.  Your soul mate.”

“You
think so, huh?”

“Yes.” 
He looked at her and Hope knew he believed right down to his “missing” soul.

What
a dope.

“Well,
I guess if you’re
so
sure, we should stop this, then.”  Hope leaned back
from him, putting distance between them.  “I don’t think anyone but my soul
mate should touch me, do you?  He’s probably kind of jealous.  You can’t blame
him, really. 
You
sure wouldn’t want another man seeing me naked, if I
were
yours
.”

Kingu
didn’t like that logic.  “You
are
mine.”

“Apparently,
I’m not.”  Hope shrugged unhappily and got to her feet, taking care to rub
against his erection as she stood.  She almost grinned when his gigantic body
jolted.  God she loved how big he was… and how easy it was to tease him. 
“Sorry.  It’s this whole thing where I’m just a present for some lucky,
tortured guy.  I only belong to my soul mate.”

“No.” 
The snarled word was in direct contradiction to everything he’d just said, but
he didn’t seem to care.  Warriors weren’t a logical breed sometimes.  Kingu
forgot to be depressed about his lack destiny or braced for rejection.  He
stabbed finger at her, looking pissed.  “You only belong to
me
.”

Poor
monster.  It was almost too easy.

Hope
sashayed out of the room, ignoring his scowl.  “I just hope my soul mate gets
through with all his suffering and gets here soon, because I’m
sooo
hot
and achy.  I need his hands on my body.  Pushing into me --hard and fast-- and
feeling me explode around him…”

“Fucking
hell.”  Kingu stormed after her.  “Hope, I swear to every god in the world, if
another man touches you, I will destroy him and every single person he’s ever
fucking
met
.  He has not
known
suffering until he tries to put
his hands on you.”

“Oh…
look, now you’re upset.  Well, we’ll talk about it later.”  She headed up the
stairs.  “I’ll be in my room.”

“What? 
No! 
Shit.
”  Footsteps thudded behind her.  “Do
not
go in there,
again.  I can’t follow you into your bedroom and you know it!”

“Well,
you
could
.”  Hope paused right in front of the open door and turned to
look back at him.  “You don’t even have to ask, monster.  I’ll let you into…
anyplace.”

He
loomed over her, breathing hard.  “You’re doing this deliberately.”  He
accused.  “You think it’s funny that I want you this much?”

“No. 
But, I think it’s funny that you think I’d ever want anyone else.”  Hope
stepped backwards over the threshold and nearly grinned at his sound of extreme
frustration.  She stood just on the other side of the doorway and wondered how
she could get him to follow.  He had to take her right now, if he was going to
exorcize the ghost of her “other” soul mate.  He had to see that she’d let
him.  It was the only way he’d ever have any confidence.  “I need release
sooo
badly and, if I can’t have my soul mate, I guess I’ll just have to do it
myself.”

“I
will do it for you.”  His eyes were heavy.  “You came four times this morning
when I was holding you.”

“Three.”

“Four.” 
It was a growl.

“Well,
whichever, if you’re not my soul mate, it would be
wrong
to let you do
that, again.  My body is
his
and I doubt he’d want to share it.  I have
a feeling he’s possessive.”  She pulled her sweater over her head and tossed it
to the floor.  Her nipples jutted out from the scandalous bra he’d created for
her.  “The next time I come, it’ll be for him. 
Every time
I come it’s
for him.”

Kingu’s
fist put a hole in the wall.  “You sure as hell weren’t thinking about him this
morning, because you were screaming
my
godsdamn name!”

He
was still not getting it.

Hope
pulled out the big guns.  “Oh, I
was
thinking about him.  Believe me.”

Kingu’s
expression darkened, his voice going strangely calm.  “You were, huh?”

“Yep.” 
Hope hopped up on the mattress and expectantly toed off her sneakers.  This
wouldn’t take long.

His
jaw ticked and he leaned a shoulder against the door jam.  “Come out of the
room, Hope.”

Hope
hid her victorious grin and unfastened her earrings, tossing them onto the
nightstand.  “Sorry.  I have to sit here and think about my soul mate while I
touch myself in naughty ways.  You could probably watch.  He might not mind
that
too
much.”

The
toe of his shoe was maybe three centimeters from her bedroom carpet.  “Come out
of there,
now
.”

Hope’s
blood thickened at the quiet warning.  She could see how aroused his was and
her defiance was making it worse.  Warriors loved to punish defiance.  He’d stopped
yelling and was now intent on gaining her surrender.  Hope nearly purred with
anticipation.

“Come
in here and get me.”  She sat in the middle of the bed and waited.  “I’ll warn
you, though, I’m very in love with my soul mate and I won’t accept anyone
else.”

That
did it.

The
idea that she would give body to another man enraged him, but it was nothing
like the wrath she saw now.  Hearing Hope say she loved her soul mate sent
Kingu careening right over the edge.  She saw his eyes narrow and every muscle in
him body tighten.  Then, he was shoving away from the doorframe and stalking
into the room after her.

Hope’s
mind made a jackpot sound.

She
watched, unafraid, as he prowled into her bedchamber and stopped by the foot of
the mattress.  “Why, Kingu, I do believe you’re in my room…”

The
rest of her words ended in a squeak as he grabbed her ankle, the one with the
plastic cuff, and yanked her towards him.

The
fabric of her skirt slid up her around her thighs as he dragged her across the
mattress.  Hope’s palms automatically came up to grip the bedclothes, steadying
herself as he took command of her body.  He shoved her legs apart, grabbed the
edge of her lacy underwear and just ripped them off of her.

He
really liked doing that.

He
wasn’t gentle.  Not at all.  He didn’t hurt her, but his hands were rough and
demanding.  Claiming her.  Not like exploring or foreplay, but like he was
going to mark her as his.

Hope’s
eyes went wide.  Big hands found her core and she cried out.  The folds of her
body instantly became hot and wet, screaming for his attention.

Relief
flashed across Kingu’s savage face, quickly followed by triumph.  He loomed
over her, out of control with the force of his arousal.  “Are you thinking of
him, now?”

“Yep.” 
There was a challenge in her tone and he went positively caveman on her in
response.

Hope
wasn’t sure how he managed it, but Kingu caught her arms and dragged them above
her head.  One massive hand held both of her wrists and the other unfastened
his belt.  The next thing she knew, he was looping the belt over one of the
massive bedposts and securing her to it.  Kingu was looming over her, huge and
shadowed, and she nearly came right there.

“Oh
God.”  Hope gave an experimental tug and found her wrists fastened tightly.  “Oh
wow.”  Her eyes went to Kingu, again.  She was panting, now.  Visions of
monsters and their helpless victims making her crazy with desire.  Even with
her limited experience, Hope knew he was doing this exactly like any Fire Phase
would want:  Dominant and sort of fun.

At
least,
Hope
thought it was fun.  Kingu looked deadly serious.

His
palms covered her whole body in a wide sweep.  The texture of them felt
deliciously rough and they quickly shredded the delicate fabric of her bra. 
That was the fanciest underwear she’d ever owned.  Hope felt almost bad to see
the pretty black lace shredded right down the center.