Chapter 10
Guy was pushing the gas pedal to the floor with Jason in the passenger seat holding tight to the ‘oh shit’ bar above the door.
“Think you can slow down a little bit?” Jason said loudly.
“Duck your head between your knees,” Guy exclaimed and took a hairpin turn at sixty miles per hour.
“You’re going to kill us before we even get there!” Jason complained.
Guy glared at him, “I want to get there before Tiara disappears again. If she’s gone by the time we get there, who knows when she’ll pop up again? Plus Zachary is still there… what if he blows his top?”
Jason shook his head, “Whatever.”
A loud bang from the driver’s side of the car made both of them jump and the car to start wobbling erratically. The bang was followed by a noise that sounded like a machine gun being fired. Guy was forced to slow down and finally limped the car over to the side of the road.
“Great!” Jason exclaimed, “Now we’re being shot at for your speeding.”
“Do you want to drive?” Guy demanded.
“Yes, I’d love to.” Jason shot back.
“Go to hell,” Guy yelled and got out of the car.
“You first!”
Guy slammed the door hard enough to break the glass in the window and stalked toward the back of the car. He stopped next to the rear tire and Jason craned his neck just in time to see Guy participate in some kind of angry war dance in the middle of the street.
Jason undid his seatbelt and opened the door to get out. “What’s got you doing the modern version of freestyle?”
“The damn tire’s flat!” Guy yelled and ran up to it, kicking as hard as he could. His face scrunched up in pain and he bent over a little bit, lifting his foot off the ground.
“Well, breaking your toe isn’t going to help,” Jason smirked.
“That wasn’t my intention,” Guy said through clenched teeth.
“Well, use your magic to fix it!” Jason exclaimed in a voice a few octaves higher than normal.
Guy gave Jason an incredulous look, “I don’t have a spell to fix a flat tire you moron… I’ve never even heard of one.”
“Then what good are you?” Jason demanded.
“Hey, I’m the one who found the spell to locate Tiara,” Guy shot back.
Jason leaned over the trunk of the car toward him, “That’s great but doesn’t mean shit if you can’t get us there.”
Guy shook his head. “Lift up the car,” he ordered while kneeling down next to the tire.
“I’m not that strong,” Jason growled.
Guy ran a hand over his face, “Then get the damn jack out of the trunk of the car.”
Jason glowered at him, “I need the keys.”
Guy’s glare intensified and Jason grumbled while going back to the front seat to get the keys out of the ignition. Once he had the trunk open, he got the jack and handed it to Guy then looked back inside with a frown on his face. Guy stood up after he got the tire off and flung it across the street.
“Now give me the tire,” Guy demanded.
“What tire?” Jason asked.
“For the love of… the one in the trunk you idiot!”
“What tire? There isn’t one there!” Jason yelled back.
Guy limped around to the back of the car, and pushing Jason aside he pulled up the carpet lining of the trunk bed and stared in horror… no tire. Everything went quiet with the exception of a few bugs chirping before the imminent explosion occurred.
“SON OF A BITCH!” Guy screamed then glared at Jason. “This is your fault.”
“My fault?” Jason yelled back. “How could it be my fault?”
“I don’t know.” Guy yelled in frustration then slammed the trunk closed. Without another word he started walking down the street.
“Where are you going?” Jason asked.
“Where do you think? We have to get there somehow.”
Jason shrugged and walked after him, quickly catching up due to the limp.
“I still think you were driving too fast,” Jason said.
“Jason?” Guy said kindly, “I may not have a spell to fix a flat tire but I do have one that will make you mute… indefinitely.”
They continued on for a while in silence before Jason spoke again.
“Really, you can do that?”
Guy looked over at him and started laughing, “Idgit.”
*****
Carley glanced over at Zachary. They had been watching Tiara for over an hour now and thankfully Zachary hadn't so much as flinched. The only indication of his mood had been the way the muscles in his jaw jumped from time to time due to gritting his teeth. She was proud of him for not making his move the same moment Craven had backed off of Tiara.
She returned her gaze to Tiara who was now walking ever so slowly through the graveyard. She noted that Craven had leaned against a statue, simply watching her practice. She’d also been looking for Nighthawk, but so far hadn’t seen him anywhere. Carley sighed knowing the Indian could be right beside her and she’d never know it.
Craven could feel the souls watching him instead of the necromancer who was here to save them and he knew it was time for him to leave. He’d also been able to sense the phoenix since their arrival and was curious about what he would do. So far he’d done nothing but Craven could literally feel the tension coming from the other man.
“He thinks we do not know he is here,” Craven said softly.
“The phoenix is not a threat to her,” Nighthawk appeared behind Craven.
“I’m sure he’s not… with you protecting her,” Craven murmured as he slowly faded from sight.
Nighthawk didn’t bother to respond to Craven’s statement. It didn’t matter if he was there to protect her or not… the phoenix posed no threat. If anything, Nighthawk knew the phoenix would protect her just as fiercely as he did. However, what Craven could not sense was the bond that had been forged between the little one and her phoenix. Due to the telepathic link between them, Nighthawk had accidentally discovered it.
That would be another lesson he would have to teach her… to block her mind from being read by an enemy with the potential to do so. He looked out at Tiara and tilted his head to the side, watching the moonlight play with her long silver hair.
She exhumed an unearthly beauty and the moon only served to enhance it. He was aware that even in the sunlight she glowed, and that made her appear very attractive to any demon or human, especially those with less than pure intentions. The phoenix would be smart to guard her well… for her hunger would summon many.
Carley had glanced back at Craven wondering when he was going to leave. Her eyes widened when she saw Nighthawk standing in the shadow of the statue speaking to Craven. She couldn’t tell what he was saying but smiled in satisfaction when Craven spoke once more before disappearing into the darkness.
Nighthawk’s eyes met hers from a distance, startling her, and then he too vanished from sight.
Carley quickly checked to see if Zachary had noticed the Indian but found his attention was still focused on Tiara who had traveled further away. She hoped Nighthawk would not interfere when Zachary decided to approach Tiara.
“Word to the wise flameboy, only fools rush in,” she whispered then slipped back and out of sight.
Zachary glanced back at Craven only to see the demon was no longer standing where he had been. Slowly standing up to get a better view of the area, he searched the graveyard and waited to see if he could locate Craven’s movements. Turning full circle, he noted that Carley had also disappeared on him… he was fine with that. Zachary took a step and plummeted off the side of the monolith, landing in a soft crouch.
Tiara continued walking through the cemetery with an expression of deep concentration on her face. She’d been focusing so hard on keeping her necromancy in a tight circle around her that she didn’t realize right away she was only aware of things within a couple feet of her. Souls that were sitting atop their headstones as she walked by would suddenly look up as if they hadn't noticed her until her necromancy reached them.
She expanded her awareness wanting to take it all in and raised her eyes. The thin clouds filtering the moonlight gave her surroundings a soft blue hue. That light reflected off the polished finish of the newer headstones, but the older stones and statues absorbed the light, making those areas look darker. Her steps slowed, she had been here before… within the rows and rows of graves.
Tiara’s heart thudded in her chest as the dream came back to haunt her and she stumbled on uneven ground. Falling to her knees, she stared down at what had tripped her. The ground was broken here… left behind by something that had recently crawled out of it.
Pushing off the ground, Tiara looked up in horror as a surge of souls slammed into her and realized that in her panic, she’d lost control of her necromancy.
She spun around ready to call on Craven to help as the souls began entering her in swarms. She’d expected to see him there, watching her with a disapproving expression on his perfect face. Not finding Craven anywhere, her panic escalated, causing her power to surge over a wider area, making the situation worse.
‘Pay attention!’ Nighthawk thundered.
Hearing the reprimand so loudly in her mind actually startled Tiara and she jerked her power inward. The mistake caused the huge amount of souls that were caught up in it to swirl around her before entering her from all sides with so much force she was nearly lifted off her feet.
She stumbled, gripping the top of a headstone to keep her footing. She would not lose to them! The invasion was quick, painful, and left the hunger riding her. Tiara breathed through it as the last of them finally crashed into her.
Zachary had taken up residence behind a huge cross in order to keep a closer eye on Tiara. When he saw that she was in trouble, his protective instinct took over and he started to move away from his hiding spot. However, he stopped mid-motion when he heard her voice grumbling angrily at someone.
“Damn it Nighthawk, why did you let Craven leave so soon?” Tiara hissed into the darkness not caring if he corrected her on her verbal form of communication. Feeling her panic subside, cold tears rushed down her hot cheeks.
Zachary gripped the edge of the cross and scanned the area for the Indian who had carried her away from Nile. That had to be whom she was talking to, but he still couldn’t see the illusive man anywhere.
When Nighthawk didn’t answer, Tiara angrily wiped a hand across her face, “Fine, you stay in the spirit world, chief. I’ll take care of my damn self and when this is over I’m going back to my cabin so you will go away and leave me alone.”
She felt the breeze touching her heated skin and sighed heavily knowing that she wasn’t really mad at Nighthawk… and it was probably best that he didn’t show himself right now. Wanting the breeze to stop touching her, she slammed her power outward hoping it would take the sensual caress with it.
Nighthawk held himself rigid, feeling her hunger calling to him as he watched her pitch her dangerous little fit. If she wanted to act like a child, then she would suffer the consequence.
At first, her necromancy swept through the area she had already cleaned, encountering nothing. But it then swept out a good distance into the cemetery, brushing over more souls searching for their way home. Nighthawk could tell she was at least attempting to control the outflow when she latched on to the same amount of souls she’d summoned a moment ago. She then began to pull it back in, dragging the souls toward her the hard fast way.
Zachary watched with wide eyes as a swarm of souls shot toward Tiara as if they’d been caught in a violent windstorm. But it was what followed behind them that caught his full attention and darkened his gaze.
This time Zach didn’t hesitate. Indian or not, Tiara was finished training for the night and those two Skitters coming toward her were toast.
Nighthawk narrowed his eyes at the two demons rushing in to claim their prey. Quick movement from the phoenix told him that he need not interfere. The man moved gracefully behind the Spinnan, his eyes pitch black with the dark flame of his enraged fire.
Yes, he was very aware of what the phoenix fire was capable of and, while this phoenix was only half demon… it was more than enough to make him a very powerful force to be reckoned with. The little one had chosen her lover well.
Tiara kept her eyes wide open, accepting the punishment she’d just caused herself and prayed it would override the hunger that had surfaced. As the translucent souls thinned out around her, she caught a glimpse of the monsters as they took a running jump toward her… only to burst into flames.
The charred bodies of the Skitters fell to the ground with the sound of burning logs cracking. Zachary now stood in their place… breathing heavily and looking mad as hell.
“Enough!” Zach yelled and quickly closed the distance between them, grabbing her by the upper arms and shaking her. “What are you trying to do? Get yourself killed? Stop it!” As soon as he quit shaking her, he moved closer to wrap his arms around her in a fierce hug.
Tiara blinked in shock before spinning around, almost gaining her freedom, but those arms locked around her and pulled her back against Zachary’s hard body. She instantly started to struggle, pulling away from him to free herself.
“Oh no you don’t,” Zach whispered harshly in her ear. He jerked her back against him, wrapping one arm around her ribcage and the other up across her breasts to grip her shoulder before tightening his hold. “Stop running from me!”
Tiara grabbed his wrist and tried to pull it away from her shoulder in an effort to unlatch his ironclad hold. Her eyes darted around wildly trying to check the surroundings for the rest of her team… to see if they had come with him.
“Where are they?” she demanded. “Did they come with you?” She tried a new tactic, attempting to duck out of his arms by dropping straight down but Zachary just jerked her back up and let her struggle.
“Where are who?” Zach growled trying not to hurt her and keep a hold of her at the same time but she was making it very difficult. “Will you stop fighting me?” he yelled in exasperation.
“The rest of the team,” Tiara cried, kicking at his shins when he lifted her feet off the ground. “You’re hunting me… right? What are you waiting for? You have me… why don’t you just burn me like you did those monsters?”
“Stop it,” Zachary yelled burying his face in the arch of her neck. He lowered his voice to a soft burr, “I would never hurt you. You know that.”
“Then why are you here?” Tiara jerked again causing his hand to slip off her shoulder and down to her breast, cupping it. “Let me go,” she begged breathlessly. She wasn’t strong enough to fight her way loose, and with the hunger so high, she wouldn’t be able to fight him off much longer. “Please.”
“No,” Zachary squeezed his eyes shut not wanting to let go… ever.
Tiara’s eyes widened remembering she wasn’t alone. “Nighthawk,” she whispered desperately, “Help me.”
Zach’s eyes darkened to pitch black when he heard Tiara call another man’s name. He didn’t want to let her go and wasn’t about to let some weird Indian take her away… not again. Dark flames suddenly erupted around them, sealing them in a protective circle none would dare to cross.
Nighthawk approached and stood near the flames making no attempt to enter. Perhaps the phoenix could tame her fiery temper and feed her hunger at the same time. As long as she remained safe, he would not interfere in this.
Tiara felt the soft warmth of the flames the moment they appeared and the memories of her and Zachary together caressed the hunger, making it spike higher. Slowly, she stopped struggling and gave in… leaning back against his chest knowing she was doomed.
“You’re going to trap me with my own weakness?” Tiara asked and wondered what it would be like to spend the rest of her life in one of Storm’s prison cells. “Are you going to make love to me before turning me over to Storm… ease the hunger before sending me away?”
“I want to make love to you,” Zachary answered and nuzzled his face against her cheek. “If it is a prison cell you’re looking for, then you can have this one.”
This was the first moment of peace he’d had since waking up… keeping her here was starting to look like a wonderful idea. Both sides of his soul craved Tiara… loved her and he would do anything to keep her with him.
“Why would you want to touch me... the daughter of Deth?” Tiara asked softly and closed her eyes when Zachary’s embrace loosened.
She felt her eyes burn a little believing Zachary was going to let her go after speaking Deth’s name. Instead, she gasped when she felt his hands slowly moving across the exposed areas of her skin. For a moment, she wondered if he would really let her stay in this prison instead of Storm’s cold jail cell.
“I don’t need to trap you with the hunger… we made a deal, remember?” Zachary whispered letting the flames raise higher around them. “I am your lover!”
“I was wrong to make that deal with you and I’m sorry,” Tiara pleaded in a calm voice. “Just because I’m half demon doesn’t mean I’ll bind you to the deal.” She turned her head and looked up at him hoping he would see that she was telling the truth.
“We are more alike than you think. It was you who unknowingly made a deal with a demon… me, and I am binding you to it.” Zachary brushed his lips against hers. “If it were up to me, I would drag you back to the castle kicking and screaming but Storm has forbid me from doing that. If you come back to us, it will be of your own free will because you are on no one’s hit list.”
Tiara’s eyes widened and she quickly glanced around at the surrounding flames. This wasn’t fire… it was so much more than that. She had always assumed Zachary was just a fire starter… that’s what everyone called him. Tiara gave up her train of thought when his hand slid underneath her shirt, his fingers strumming her nipple into hardness.
Quickly turning in his arms, she rose up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his in a desperate kiss. She didn’t want to talk anymore… she didn’t want to think past this moment. The shiver that raced down her spine wasn’t from fear when Zachary reached down to lift her skirt up her thighs.
Zachary slid her up his body trying to keep his sanity when she wrapped her legs around his waist and threaded her fingers through his hair. Reaching back to cup her bottom, his fingers twisted in her underwear and ripped them off in one quick jerk.
Tiara groaned against Zachary’s lips, reveling in the roughness he was exhibiting… and she wanted more.
Zach finally forced the willpower to pull back from her lips long enough to speak. “Whether you come back to PIT or not, I am still your only lover. If you break that deal… it is then that I will hunt you.”
Tiara looked down at him and saw the seriousness in his expression. She could feel him hard and heavy between her thighs and as if to answer him, she used her thighs to lift herself higher. Reaching down between them with one hand, she made quick work of the button and zipper of his jeans, freeing him from his pants.
Zach stared up at her with barely restrained hunger when she arched her hips slightly and then, ever so slowly, lowered herself down on him.
“Damn,” Zach whispered on shaky breath. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
Tiara tossed her head back when he cupped her bottom again and lifted her up then thrust his hips while dropping her at the same time. She tightened her legs around his waist and used his shoulders as leverage to help him. A loud gasp escaped her when he angled his hips just right and hit the perfect place deep inside her.
“Yes,” Tiara moaned, “Right there.”
Zach smirked and lowered himself to his knees, letting Tiara’s feet fall to the sides.
“Move for me,” Zach growled and moved his hands to her hips. He’d had an ulterior motive by lowering them. His flames reached up… touching her bare skin and hidden places. His head lulled back for a moment as he touched and tasted her through the flames.
Tiara groaned when the flames reached for her like they’d done the first time they’d made love. She swiveled her hips, keeping the same slow rhythm.
Zach pushed up the edges of her shirt until it was bunched above her breasts, revealing the mounds of sweet cream to the moonlight. Lowering his head, Zach’s lips closed around a hardened pink nipple and suckled gently.
He was bound and determined to make love to her with purpose this time. She felt so wet, tight, and perfect around him… squeezing him like he was her possession instead of the other way around. She was his and his alone. He was now touching her everywhere through the flames, causing her such a high that other parts of her would not be protected… as was his intention. She would not hide from him this time.
Delving into her mind, Zach began sifting through her memories of the last few weeks… not only memories, but her thoughts and feelings as well. He caught a quick glimpse of Craven, reaching out and touching her face… of Nighthawk always watching her. It was the first time he’d ever been able to see the elusive Indian and he filed the memory away for later.
Zach saw himself through her eyes and gave a moment’s pause. For the life of him he’d never imagined what he would look like to her, but the emotions attached to those memories were very enlightening.
Pulling out of the mind link, he looked up at her through half-lidded eyes and saw a gorgeous woman who had no clue of her sexual hold on him. She tightened deliciously around him and her cries became louder.
“Don’t stop,” Tiara begged. “Please!”
“If you stay with me,” Zach whispered seductively, “then it will never stop.”
Tiara’s body convulsed almost violently as her orgasm pulsed through her.
Zach gritted his teeth as his own release came the same time as hers, sending his seed deep inside her. This was what he’d wanted… the knowledge that it wasn’t the hunger that had caused her to still when he touched her. He knew it wasn’t because she could control the hunger now. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her… she had sealed her fate.
