Emerald Flame: A Paranormal Romance (The Flame Series Book 6) Read online

  She disengaged first. She smiled and planted a kiss on his lips then gave him a push with both hands on his chest. It was such a friendly move, he took in a ragged amount of air and returned to his seat. He didn’t dare look at her.

  He set to work on the remaining enchiladas, chasing every few bites down with the beer.

  As soon as he was done and he saw she’d finished as well, he rose from the table. He picked up both plates and headed into the kitchen. Once inside, he saw three of her staff, all wolves, talking quietly and laughing at the end of a long, stainless-steel worktable.

  One of them was saying, “You’ve heard this one, right? Three wolves walk into a bar…” When she didn’t say anything more, all three women busted up laughing. That was the joke. The wolves never came back out.

  When they caught sight of him, their laughter died off.

  Each eyed him warily then offered respectful nods of their heads. He knew their pack ranks as though emblazoned on each forehead. They would be low in any pack in part because of the abuse each had suffered. It wasn’t fair, but ranks changed as wolves grew stronger and healthier.

  He addressed the woman in the middle, a sturdy-looking female with a direct gaze. She wore her long red hair in braids. “Just wanted to thank you for a delicious last meal. Appreciate you holding the kitchen for us. Where do you want these?”

  “Set them right there, at the end of the counter. We’ll see to them. And whatever you need, Alpha Warren, yours to ask.”

  He nodded in return. He always expected deference from any wolf he encountered. His rank afforded him that right. But her sincerity told him she respected him as well.

  Kiara, beer bottles in hand, added her thanks. After setting the bottles near the plates, she led him back through the dining room.

  Once again in the foyer, he thought she would take him back to the hallways he’d seen earlier. Instead, she moved toward the fountain to the right. That’s when he spotted a much smaller hall. “You have your own quarters.”

  “I needed the privacy. I also have extra security in this space as well.”

  He wondered if she brought her lovers here. But the idea she’d had other men in her apartment brought a growl rumbling in his throat. A fine layer of shifter fur rose on his cheekbones and the backs of his hands.

  “Are you growling?” She turned toward him, her large brown eyes startled and wide. She took in the state of his fur.

  “Yes.” He didn’t want to admit why.

  She glanced around, frowning. “Do you sense danger?”

  He caught her arm. “No. It’s not that.” Even though it was no business of his, he had to know the truth. “Do you bring men here?”

  At that, she burst out laughing. “No, Warren. No men. I know, it’s lame, but I just haven’t been interested.”

  Was she interested in him? Would she date him if he asked? “Why don’t you see men?” he asked quietly.

  “Again, not much interested. I’ve been busy with my rescue work.”

  Her lips were parted as she stared back at him. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking until he caught her rich freesia scent once more. It was laced with desire and a depth of need that had him hardening.

  She glanced at his hold on her arm and she drew in a long, deep breath.

  He realized where he had hold of her was alive with electric sparks that came off his palm. From that connection desire flowed like nothing he’d experienced before. What was happening between them seemed to ignite his storm and his doubts about her returned. Kiara was a witch. Nothing could change that and a witch had hurt him badly once. He didn’t trust the alters of Elegance Territory.

  As though comprehending the direction of his thoughts, she said, “I have additional security protecting my apartment because I have a spellroom just off the living area and across from my bedroom. I know you have every right to be suspicious of my kind. If I were in your shoes, I would be the same way. But I promise you that whatever witch-like things I undertake, while you’re here, I’ll discuss with you first. How does that sound?”

  Extremely considerate and he began to relax once more. “Sounds good. I appreciate it.”

  She seemed nervous suddenly and lowered her voice. “Warren,” she began. She even swallowed hard. “Well, I suppose I should give you a choice here. I can set you up in your own room, if you want. But I was hoping you’d stay with me, through the day I mean.”

  Once more, he took hold of her arm and again the electric impulses popped from his palm to her skin. She even gasped.

  God, he wanted this with her. Would his storm come alive during sex?

  It didn’t help that his alpha needs were cycling strong right now. “I want to be here, with you. But that means we share your bed.”

  “All day?”

  “Yes.”

  A shudder ran through her and her flowery scent grew stronger still. “All day. Good.”

  When he released her arm, she turned back down the short, private hall then suddenly vanished right in front of him. Had she cloaked herself again? If so, why? If not, where the hell had she gone?

  She reappeared abruptly. “Sorry about that. It’s my security spell.” She took his hand and there it was, her apartment. Her door was wide-open as well.

  When he moved inside, she closed the door then he heard a dead-bolt slide home.

  He took a long look around, but couldn’t exactly make his feet move. He was too stunned. “What am I looking at?” This woman was full of surprises.

  “What can I say? I like to lounge, and I wanted colorful lights over the ceiling. Too much?”

  He wasn’t sure. Not that it mattered. Kiara had a right to create whatever environment she wanted to live in. Yet, somehow, he liked it.

  The large open room had a fireplace to his right made like the rest of the burrow with a lot of dark gray stone and what looked like reclaimed lumber above the mantel. Scattered over the same earthen floor as the foyer, were thick rugs, a sofa, and two oversized lounging chairs with attached ottomans.

  The fabrics were green and looked soft to the touch. Multi-colored throws were draped over the backs. Each piece sat at different angles to the fireplace, with lamps and small tables nearby.

  But it was the ceiling that drew his eye. It was a long, curved arch set with a rock mosaic in swirls of every color imaginable. It traveled the length of the room to a dining area and a kitchen at the far wall.

  Strung across the ceiling were a variety of colored lights with small, round globes. The effect was festive and playful. “Did you create this from a dream?” He couldn’t fathom the artistry. “Was it a witch thing?”

  “This has very little to do with me being a witch. I was an artist before I came to Five Bridges.”

  An artist. “It shows.”

  He found it disturbing, beautiful and so sensual that more crackles of electricity chased over his arms and shoulders.

  She moved behind him toward the wall and flipped a switch that lit up the ceiling lights. Several of the strands blinked through different colors in sequence.

  Drawing close to him, she said, “I love reclining and watching the lights. It’s very relaxing. I keep the temp in here on the cool side, so I can have a fire when I want it, even in July. I know, it’s very indulgent. But there are times when it’s necessary for my sanity.”

  He looked at her and considered her words. “Because of the shifters you bring here.”

  “Yes. And the work I do in the other four territories.” She didn’t elaborate on her stress-level. She didn’t have to. He’d been in Five Bridges long enough to have seen it all as well.

  There was so much suffering and death in his world. More than anything, he wanted to change that. But nothing could be accomplished in Five Bridges until the power of the cartels was destroyed once and for all. He just couldn’t see an end-point, not with such high levels of drug addiction in each of the five territories. The alter experience by its nature, by the abrupt cessation of a normal human
life, carried tremendous despair. It was no surprise so many people turned to the flame drugs for relief.

  “Come on. Let me show you the rest of the apartment.” She took his hand and again his palm crackled with electricity, but she didn’t pull away.

  She took him across the room to an arched opening halfway down the living area, not far from a solid, rustic wood dining table. He saw another small hallway, with an arched ceiling and more water-smoothed rocks and soft lights.

  To the right was a passage that carried a hint of herbs in the air. “My spellroom.”

  “I can tell.”

  She drew him, however, to the left down yet another short hall, with more soft lights, more rocks. Yet it felt very different. For one thing, the air was significantly more humid.

  He heard the sound of water flowing over rocks before he saw it. Once in her bedroom, yet another surprise waited for him.

  “Holy shit. You made this, here? Underground?”

  “I did.”

  His chest and throat grew tight. “But how is this possible?” He’d never seen anything more beautiful or more welcoming.

  A waterfall tumbled over large boulders in an extraordinary grotto she’d constructed opposite her bed. The water then flowed into a pool at least twenty feet across. The edge of the pool was made up of rocks as well, with a couple of flat entry points. Most of the pool was below the room’s floor level.

  Incredible.

  “Yes, it was another indulgence.” She released his hand. “Care for a dip?”

  His mouth was agape. It took some doing to close it. “Yes.” But he continued to stare and wonder at what she’d built.

  She was stripping off her clothes before he finally came out of his astonished stupor. She dropped each piece off to the left of the dark, rock-laden pool.

  When she turned to face him, she was fully naked. She didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed and his wolf loved it.

  Her body was free of hair, so her sex was fully visible, a sight that forced his mind a little more out of its stunned state.

  This was woman, what she could bring to his life. A different way of looking at everything, a lightness of spirit he didn’t possess, a frequent smile despite the scars that streaked over her breasts and abdomen. He knew she’d been tortured and here was the evidence. In that sense, they’d both endured similar pain and suffering.

  She sat down on the flat portion of the pool’s edge, carefully swung her legs over then slid into the water.

  He approached the grotto, still stunned. The pool was a few feet deep. She fanned her arms to keep herself afloat. An herbal smell rose from the water, a witch’s concoction. His senses told him it kept algae from forming. There it was again, more of a warlock’s ability to detect things than a wolf’s. “You keep the pool pure with a potion.”

  “I do.”

  Her long brown hair floated around her shoulders. He took his boots off first then began to strip out of his clothes. As he did, she slowly gained her feet so that she stood with her shoulders visible.

  When he lost his shirt, her gaze fell to his chest and got stuck there. The air became perfumed with her floral scent. His nostrils worked like bellows, laboring to take as much of it in as he could. Fur sprouted on the backs of his hands again, then over his chest and along his cheekbones.

  In that moment, he stopped thinking about anything except what his wolf wanted. As he started unzipping his leathers, he flexed his pecs for her. When her mouth fell open and she licked her lips, desire poured over him in heavy waves.

  ~ ~ ~

  Kiara had longed for this day since she could remember. From the first time she’d seen Warren so many years ago, she’d wanted him.

  Now he was here and about to fulfill at least one of the many fantasies she’d had about the man.

  Slowly, she moved to the edge of the pool just to watch him. Even though she had a good imagination, she really hadn’t pictured the actual size of his chest and the shape and strength of his pecs and abs. She lifted her chin and felt a howl form in her throat. Odd, except Maeve had experienced something similar. The more she had aligned with Alpha Braden, the more she took on his wolf characteristics.

  Kiara accepted that the same thing was happening to her, though in her case she couldn’t see where it would lead. Whatever was happening between her and Warren right now, a future with him was impossible. He trusted witches about as far as he could throw them, and she could not see herself living with wolves permanently. They were just too different.

  But that didn’t change how much she wanted to have sex with him.

  He slowly and carefully lowered his black leather pants, especially keeping the teeth of the zipper from biting his arousal.

  Her gaze became fixed on his erection, the large head and the long, thick stalk. He would fill her and then some and she couldn’t wait.

  His thigh muscles were angled and powerful. She found it hard to breathe.

  “Like what you see?” His voice had deepened.

  She shifted her gaze to his face. “You’re magnificent.”

  The emerald of his good eye glinted as he followed her lead and sat down on the edge of the pool. She moved back in the water to give him room as he swung his long, powerful legs over the side. He dropped into the water and submerged just as she had.

  The pool was a good depth for an indoor grotto, five feet at the shallowest end, and nearly ten where the water splashed from boulders into the pool. It gave her what she needed. A place to float, to relax, and to rest. And in extreme cases, she would bring a suffering wolf here for several rehab sessions.

  She didn’t go to Warren right away. Instead, she let him enjoy the water. She kept the temperature regulated so that it wasn’t too cold or too warm. She had a sophisticated pump system that heated the water as it made its way back to the top of the boulders.

  He eased back and floated. His arousal had diminished but she liked the partially-erect view.

  She decided to follow his lead and once more stretched out and let the water support her.

  She felt Warren move in her direction, and her heart rate sped up. He moved in behind her then slid his arms around her waist. He kissed her cheek then her neck.

  His resonant voice hit her ear. “Thank you for this. You’ve overwhelmed me and that doesn’t happen often.”

  Her chest warmed up. After all this time, Warren had his arms around her. What she’d desired for so long was finally here.

  She turned slowly to face him and slid her arms around his neck. She reached up and petted his face and the scarred side of his head. She wasn’t surprised when he tilted his head and kissed the scars on her neck. They shared this much in common. Witches had tortured, scarred and nearly killed them both.

  “I’m sorry you were hurt.” He kissed her neck again.

  “I’m sorry a witch almost killed you when you first arrived in Five Bridges.”

  He leaned back and slid his hand to the back of her neck, beneath the heavy weight of her damp hair. “My scars don’t bother you, do they?”

  “Not at all.”

  He shook his head slowly. “Why?”

  She ran the back of her fingers over his cheek and along the line of wolf fur. “I see the man. That’s all.”

  She felt him grow very still.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “You can’t know me. We’ve had only a few serious conversations during the time we’ve known each other.”

  She tilted her head. “Warren, what I know about you isn’t what you’ve told me or shared when we’ve talked. It’s about what you do and how you interact with those around you.”

  He sighed. “I need you to understand this can never become anything. I would never bring a witch into my pack. Never.”

  She knew her response couldn’t be flippant. Of all Warren’s qualities, he was a serious man who rarely smiled.

  She lowered her hands to grip his arms. “I will never have a claim on you, I know that. I’m a g
rown woman and I have my own life, my own purpose. The truth is, I have no interest in mating with an alpha and consigning myself to Savage. What I want here, in this moment, is exactly what you’re offering, a powerful, physical experience.”

  She slid her hands up his arms and caressed his shoulders. “You and I are the same in that way. You don’t want me to disrupt your life as the leader of the Caldion Pack and I don’t want to give up any aspect of my work in each of the territories.”

  She felt his tension release. “That’s what I needed to hear.”

  He kissed her and she had the profound pleasure of feeling his arms tighten around her, pulling her close. His tongue searched her mouth, then drove in a steady rhythm that soon had her moaning.

  Her hands drifted over his thick shoulders and down his heavy, muscled arms. She’d been wanting this for so long. Now he was here, in her pool.

  Her fantasies had become reality.

  The water helped her to lift up and slide her legs around his waist. She used a bit of levitation to force her hips close so she could feel the stiff length of his arousal.

  He drew back and searched her eyes. “So, you want me.”

  She smiled. “Bad, wolf. Real bad.”

  “There is something I want to say to you first. I’m grateful for what you did tonight to save my fellow Border Patrol officers and for bringing me here. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” She leaned toward him. But instead of kissing him on the lips, an instinct that felt very wolf made her take a different tack.

  She tilted her head then parted her lips, but aimed for his neck. She opened her mouth wide and bit him, not a soft bite, either, but something animal-like.

  Fu-u-u-ck. His telepathic voice was as rich and as deep as when he spoke aloud. That’s hot, Kiara. How did you know to do that because my wolf loves it.

  I have no idea. It just felt right.

  Chapter Three

  Standing in the water with Kiara’s legs wrapped around his waist, Warren couldn’t believe Kiara had just done something more wolf than witch. Biting was an effective form of foreplay for his alter species. The feel of her teeth grinding into his skin had his cock as hard as flint. He wanted to bury himself inside her.