Taken by Fire Read online

  “I’m just plain wise. And don’t you forget it.” Bending his head, he kissed her playfully, little pecks that tickled her jaw and neck as he peppered her with attention. “We should head back to my place. I want to spend time doing this right. Slow. In a bed.”

  “Mmm … sounds good.”

  He pushed himself up, just as his cell rang. “Shit. Hold on.”

  As he scrambled around to find his phone, she hopped out of the vehicle, fully naked, and just stood there. The night was cold, which didn’t bother her, and the stars were like glitter against the black sky. On the horizon, a full moon rose up behind the trees, and somewhere close by, a howl broke the silence.

  “That’s Cujo,” Stryker said, as he fished around in his pants pocket. “Rik’s other half.” He finally got his phone out and open. “Yeah.”

  Mel didn’t stick around to eavesdrop. The outdoors called to her, the sense of freedom a beacon. She’d always been stuck inside a room or apartment or house when she was in control, and when she did get away to shop or take the occasional stroll through a park or something, she hadn’t been able to relax, had been too paranoid that one of Phoebe’s enemies was going to grab her.

  But now she could walk through the grass and savor the velvety texture on the soles of her feet as the cool breeze caressed her bare skin. The waterfall was a rush in her ears that vibrated her entire body. In the glow of the moon, the water rippled, and the fine spray became fluid beads of light. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

  At the edge of the water, she stopped, opened her arms, and threw her head back. A sense of peace flowed through her, and for the first time in her life, she almost felt … alone. Not alone as in no one was near, because she’d always been lonely. This was an airy, calm wholeness. Like she owned her body completely. There was no Phoebe in the background.

  She didn’t know if this was a result of the suppressant drug or of something else, but it didn’t matter. Her eyes stung with the purest, most intense joy she’d ever known.

  She was going to be happy here, and that was something Phoebe couldn’t take away.

  As if she could relate, the Rik-creature howled, and there was no mistaking the elation in the sound. Rik and Cujo had obviously found a balance and mastery over their abilities. It gave Mel hope, which piggybacked on the success she’d already had with Stryker earlier. Now, if she could use her powers in a steady, slow stream, she might be able to create the same effects while not burning herself out.

  She might also ease the effects on Stryker. Reaching deep for her newly banked powers, Mel kneeled on the river’s shore and dipped her fingers in the water.

  Go slow, go slow, go slow. She kept up the mantra in her head as the tingle of her gift rose up from her chest and streamed down her arm. At her fingertips, the surface of the river began to harden, until a thin sheet of ice had spread to several feet. A bead of sweat formed on her brow as she struggled to keep control. Her natural instinct was to fire everything she had, in part because restraint was painful. Agony was a wave of fire that sizzled over her skin. Her muscles felt like they were pulling away from her bones, and stabbing bursts of pain were railroad spikes in her brain.

  Slow, slow, slow …

  She couldn’t. Crying out, she let loose in a focused stream of power. Instantly, the water, which had formed a crust over the surface for twenty-five yards on each side of her, solidified. Ice cracked as it overtook the rushing river, and suddenly, absolute silence filled the night as the waterfall became an ice sculpture. A beautiful splash of crystal pouring down on a river of glass.

  “My God.” Stryker stood behind her, eyes wide as he took in the sight. He was wearing his pants now—no shirt, and behind his fly, evidence of what her gift did to him drew her gaze. “It’s amazing.”

  “Well, I am an art history major,” she teased as she stood and stepped out onto the ice. “And I could totally get a job at an ice rink.” Her nakedness didn’t bother her, and in fact, it felt natural to be out here with her creation, with Stryker’s eyes glued to her. Slowly, seductively, she padded toward the waterfall, feeling his hot gaze on her ass. As she got closer, she heard the soft gurgle of running water beneath the thick sheet.

  “How strong is the ice?” His voice was low. Husky.

  She reached for one of the icicles that had formed at the base of the waterfall. “It’ll support your weight,” she said over her shoulder.

  “Good.” The ice creaked and groaned as he moved carefully toward her. “Because we’re going to do something new for your next lesson. You’re going to discharge during sex.”

  “During?” Oh, now, that sounded interesting. She broke off the shaft of ice and turned, drew a sharp, appreciative breath at the sight of Stryker standing there, his eyes burning with raw need. He didn’t give her time to say anything. He dropped to his knees, palmed her thighs, and buried his face between her legs. God, she would never grow tired of that.

  Pleasure swamped her, and she cried out at the exquisite sensation of his tongue lashing her clit and pushing inside her. A tiny bit of her power remained, and she called on it, channeled it into the stick of ice in her hand. Stryker groaned as the effect gripped him. One hand left her thigh, followed by the rasp of his zipper. When his hand didn’t return to her leg, she peeked, nearly came at the sight of him working his cock as he feasted on her sex.

  A blush heated her cheeks as she handed him the ice. “I made a toy.”

  His eyebrows climbed high on his forehead. “Damn,” he breathed. “You made an ice dildo.”

  It looked exactly like a hard cock, complete with veiny ridges and a mushroom cap. With a wicked smile, he slid the tip between her folds. Moaning, she threw her head back against the wall of ice behind her, and when he pushed the dildo inside her, she arched into his hand, taking it deep. His tongue went to work as he fucked her with the ice, and when he latched onto her hard knot of nerves, the climax took her with such force that she nearly lost her footing.

  Stryker caught her, held her steady with one hand as he continued to pump the melting ice in her core. It scraped over tissue still sensitive from the earlier sex, and she came again, this time with a cry that rang out in the chill night. A howl joined hers, and distantly, she wondered if Rik communicated with her wolf, because it would have one hell of a story to tell.

  Suddenly, Stryker was gripping her hips and pulling her down to her hands and knees. His mouth met hers in a deep, wet kiss, and then he spun her and brought her ass up against him. The ice slid from her and was replaced by his hard, hot flesh, the contrast making her moan.

  “You’re going to come when I do,” he said thickly, each word punctuated with a pump of his hips. “And I want you to use your power. Fucking turn this place into a winter wonderland. It’ll probably trigger my ability, but it’ll be a good practice for me to keep it under a four-pointer.”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Hurry.”

  He moved against her, powerful, hard thrusts that slipped them both forward on the ice. The erotic slap of his balls hitting her sex joined the sound of their panting breaths and the occasional snap of ice as it thawed and the water moved beneath it. Stryker’s fingers dug into her hips, a biting pain that added to the rush of adrenaline and pleasure that warmed her all the way to her marrow.

  “God, this is good.” He pushed deep before drawing back so only the head of his cock was inside her. For a long moment, he stilled, his entire body quivering. “Not yet. Shit … not … yet.”

  Feeling naughty, she rotated her ass and pushed back, swallowing him with her core. His hiss accompanied a tighter grip on her hips, and then he covered her so his broad chest was a blanket on her back, and his teeth sank into her shoulder.

  An orgasm built swiftly, hovering dangerously out of reach. He had complete control, and as he held her like that, unmoving and completely dominating, it was she who began to quiver.

  “Please,” she moaned.

  He released her, licking the place
he’d bitten, and then his mouth was at her ear. “Come now. Let your power rip.”

  He sliced his hips forward, and the climax that had been smoldering lit like a torch. His name fell over and over from her lips, and then he joined her. The pleasure was as intense as burning gasoline flowing through her veins. Through the ecstasy, she reached for her power, and even as her well filled, she let it loose.

  The result was beyond anything she could have imagined. The temperature plummeted. Grass froze. The earth turned to frost. Crystal flakes formed in the air and spiraled around them like they were in a snow globe. And all the while, she orgasmed, one long, constant climax.

  “Fuck … oh, fuck …” Stryker’s moans were barely audible over the rumble of the earth shaking beneath them. “God … damn.”

  Minutes later … had to be minutes … many of them … Stryker stopped moving. Her bones turned to gel, and she fell over. Stryker eased down onto the ice with her, his cock still inside her, sweat sticking them together. The insides of her thighs were wet, evidence of his orgasms—several, or maybe, like hers, one incredibly long one.

  They lay like that until their breathing became normal and he began to shiver. “That was … wow,” she murmured.

  “Ah … yeah.” He helped her up, and she noticed that his legs were as wobbly as hers. “It was like your power fed mine, and both fed my damned orgasm. I’ve never … Jesus.” He wiped the back of his hand over his forehead. “Best sex I’ve ever had. By a long shot.”

  Awesome. She was grinning like a fool as they wobbled and stumbled their way back to his car. “Food. I need food.”

  “Let’s get you some.” As he gathered her clothes from the car, his expression turned glum. “Then I need to take you to the cell.”

  Yeah, that sucked. But she’d be out again in the morning. “It’s okay. We’ll gradually lengthen the time I’m in control, and soon, I’ll only need to be there for a few short hours.”

  His smile was terse, as if he didn’t believe it or didn’t like even that option. A sickening thought sank to the pit of her gut. Maybe he didn’t want to be tied to her like that. She could certainly understand, given what Phoebe had done to him. But now wasn’t the time to freak out about it. Making it through the coming days and weeks … that was priority.

  Because she knew that Phoebe was going to do her best to destroy everything, from Melanie to ACRO. And if anyone could do it, Phoebe could.

  Stryker hated taking Mel to the cave, hated the thought of her being alone there.

  But if she did switch over, the last thing he wanted to do was be around Phoebe. And so he forced himself to leave her there with the guards, and he walked around the ACRO compound aimlessly.

  Missing her. Feeling that it wasn’t fair he could go back to his house and she had to share a body—and everything—with fire-bitch.

  She’d had to share everything her whole life—and with Phoebe, so it didn’t constitute sharing. Mel literally got the leftovers, the scraps.

  She had nothing of her own. She deserved something to call hers.

  And he realized what he could do to rectify that, at least in a small way, for right now.

  He spent the rest of the evening and into the dawn working nonstop on the small guesthouse on his property—about half a mile from the main house, it was a two-bedroom, one-bathroom, one-story house with a decent enough kitchen. And no furniture.

  He spent time cleaning it out … fixing the electricity. And the heat, even though that didn’t really matter to her. Hauled a couch and a rug and some other things from his own house over to hers.

  He had nothing to put inside the bedroom besides the clothes Dev had sent over, but he’d rectify that today—maybe he could take her shopping for furniture or something before they practiced. Because the time to leave for Itor’s compound was coming closer—Stryker could feel the battle brewing in his bones, the place was practically vibrating with nervous energy. Training for everyone had been ramped up and even support staff had been working overtime.

  He cleaned the kitchen, put in some of his own dishes and pots and pans, and wondered if he had time to go grocery shopping before she woke up.

  But no, the sun had risen and he knew she would worry when she didn’t see him first thing in the morning. So he jumped in the shower and then dragged on fresh black BDUs and got to the cave in time to stop a meltdown.

  She’d been trying to keep it together, but he saw the start of tears when he went inside to take the fire blanket off her. He let her rush to the bathroom and then hugged her when she came out.

  “You were late. Sorry, I just got nervous,” she whispered against his chest.

  “I had a good reason. Come on, I’ll show you after you eat some breakfast, okay?”

  He knew taking her back to the house where there was no food wasn’t the best idea, waited while she ate a huge breakfast at the cafeteria, picked at his own food impatiently.

  Nervously. Like he was about to propose or something, and God, he was an idiot. Here, I made you a house.

  Maybe he needed to rethink this.

  “What’s wrong, Stryker? You’re distracted,” she pointed out as she put down her fork, the food in front of her having been demolished.

  “I am, a little. It’s just … I have something to show you.” He didn’t say much more than that and she didn’t press as they walked back to his house.

  When he guided her past it instead of heading inside, she looked at him curiously.

  “Come on—don’t worry, it’s a good thing.” At least he hoped it was. And when they got to the guesthouse, he unlocked the door and let her step inside.

  And then he handed her the key. “This place … it’s yours,” he said finally.

  She stared between him and the key. “Mine? You want me to stay here?”

  “I’m not … it’s not that I want you to stay here. Unless you want to. Shit.” He stared up at the ceiling for a second to get his bearings and then looked back at her. “I wanted you to have something of your own while you’re here. You said you always had to share. And the cave’s no place to call home. So while I want you at my house, you can stay here too. Get some privacy. Fix it up any way you want. And then later, if you want a bigger place, ACRO has other houses …”

  She cut him off with a kiss, wrapping herself around him like she’d never let him go.

  “You need to help me christen this place,” she told him after she’d kissed him breathless. “I can’t think of a better way than this.”

  “No food … so I’ll have to eat you,” he murmured.

  “I like … that thing—with your tongue,” she said shyly, and oh, yeah, he liked that too. A lot. And in a matter of seconds, he was hoisting her onto the kitchen table, tugging her jeans off … throwing them across the room. He peeled her top off too, just because he loved seeing her naked.

  And then he pulled one of the chairs as close as possible to her.

  “I know the kitchen’s one of your favorite places,” he murmured right before he buried his face between her legs; her calves were thrown over his shoulders and she was so open to him. Tasted like heaven as he licked and laved until she was practically writhing off the table for him.

  Her moans alone could make him come all over himself. But he held back, reveling in her orgasm as he continued to tongue her through the contractions.

  When she was quivering, tugging at his hair, he moved back, kissing his way up her belly to her breasts. She leaned toward him and collapsed into his lap and he held her for a few minutes.

  “I don’t think we’re done,” she murmured, her hand sneaking between them to stroke his cock through his pants.

  “We’re definitely not done, baby,” he groaned, letting her work him for a while, until his balls tightened and he knew he wanted to come inside her. He tugged her hand away gently and then stood with her against him, kicked the chair away and turned her toward the higher counter. Bent her over it and spread her legs. “Yeah, just like that.
Beautiful.”

  She looked over her shoulder and wiggled her ass at him.

  “Wench,” he growled, and reached for the spatula on the counter near her. Spanked her with it lightly. When she responded, he continued until she was telling him she could come like this.

  He wanted to feel that.

  “I’ve never used one like that,” she said breathlessly.

  “I like introducing you to new things.” He spanked her until her ass was a pretty shade of pink and she was squirming and her sex was glistening and then he knew he couldn’t hold on any longer. Unzipped his pants and didn’t bother to step out of them.

  Took her quickly, filling her deeply, and then both groaned together when his cock was buried in her to the hilt. “Don’t use your power,” he rasped. “I don’t want to bring down all that hard work on our needs.”

  She spread her legs wider, arched back into him while he stood there, trying to breathe. And then he began to move against her, hips slapping the back of her thighs, their moans mingling together, and yeah, this was definitely the most fun he’d ever had in the kitchen.

  Stryker had fallen asleep almost immediately after they’d made love. He’d muttered a sleepy “Sorry to be a typical male, but …”

  And then he’d conked out. It was no surprise, given that he’d been up all night working on this incredible house, and then the sex had taken the last of his energy. She’d shaken him awake and urged him to the couch, where he’d collapsed, falling right into rattling snores.

  She’d wandered around the house, exploring, touching, and tearing up whenever she thought about what Stryker had done to give her something of her own. Something that would never be tainted by Phoebe. Mel didn’t deserve any of this, and to be honest, she wasn’t sure why Stryker had given so much of himself, but she needed to give back.

  Somehow, she needed to do something for him.

  She showered, found lots of new clothes in the closet, and dressed in the green-and-white sundress, paired with strappy white sandals that sat among the twelve pairs of shoes lining the floor. Dev had certainly kept his promise to send things to wear.