Hellfire (12 page)

Ginny swallowed more water.
“Maybe the significance is that there aren’t enough male Lemurian warriors. Dax
obviously earned his sword, but so did Eddy. Maybe, in order to win this war,
women need to take up arms.”

Alton shook his head. “I hate
to think we’ve come to that. I was raised to believe women are the weaker sex.
Eddy, and now you,
are
showing me differently. For
whatever reason, if the spirits of ancient warriors inhabit the swords, those
women in your swords had to come from somewhere. I need to learn more of the
Crone’s history.
Who she was and how old.
I’ve never
seen a Lemurian old enough to actually look old before.”

Ginny ran her fingers along
the blade of her sword. “Are you in there, DarkFire? Can you tell me what your
name was? I can’t imagine your mother naming you Crone.”

“Ginny!” Alton snorted. “You
can’t ask your sword things like that!”

“Why shouldn’t she?”

The voice really did sound
like the Crone’s.

Ginny flashed a cocky grin at
Alton. “Thank you, DarkFire. Will you answer my question?”

The blade glowed brightly,
then
dimmed just a bit. The sword spoke. “I was called Daria
in my youth. I fought alongside men during the DemonWars. In those days long
ago, Lemurian women were expected to take up arms in the fight to save our way
of life from demon rule. Many women warriors carried crystal, and many lost
their lives in those horrible battles, but they fought bravely, though our
numbers were sorely depleted when the wars finally ended. Then the dark times
came and the women warriors were taken away. Only I, because I chose exile
before the purge, remained free. I have waited all these years for the one who
would fulfill the prophecy.
The one who would call me
DarkFire and carry me once more into battle.
You are that woman. The
DemonWars are upon us once again.”

The dark light in the blade
dimmed. Ginny raised her head and looked into Alton’s serious gaze. “I think
DarkFire just answered a few of my questions. The ‘dark times’ must refer to
when Lemuria sank beneath the sea. What do you think?”

Alton shook his head. “I’ve
never heard any of this, but crystal doesn’t lie. The Crone, Daria, must have
been a fighter during the DemonWars. It’s hard to believe, but it explains so
much. I wonder exactly what she meant by ‘the purge,’ and why this knowledge
was kept from us?”

He stood and held his hand out
for Ginny. “I have a scabbard that might work for DarkFire. I always wondered
why my grandmother left me a scabbard that was too small for my sword. Now I
wonder if it was hers.”

He opened a closet and
rummaged through for a few moments before dragging a cloth bag out of the back.
Then he lifted out a beautifully tooled leather scabbard and handed it to
Ginny.

“It’s beautiful. Alton, are
you sure you want to give this to me?” She ran her fingers over the leather,
which felt as supple and fresh as if it were newly tanned.
“Your
grandmother’s?
It must be ancient.”

He nodded. “She chose the
spirit world shortly after I was born. I don’t remember her, but my mother gave
that to me when I received my sword. My father insisted I use the scabbard from
his father, and since this one was too small, I put it away.”

He ran his fingers over the
leather. “I never dreamed I was saving it for you, Ginny, but that must be the
way of it.”
You are the woman warrior of the prophecy. I
can think of no better demon fighter to carry this into battle.

Ginny blinked back the sudden
rush of tears.
Will I ever get used to your voice in my
head?

I hope so.
Come. I don’t know about you, but I could really use a long soak in a hot pool.

Ginny nodded. Carefully, she
slipped DarkFire into the leather scabbard. The fit was perfect, as she knew it
would be. Then she took Alton’s hand as he tugged her to her feet, grabbed her
bag, and followed him down a dark hallway that led toward the back of his
rooms.

She felt strangely
disconnected, as if her feet moved independently of her mind. Was this her way
of accepting and adjusting to so many changes? She clung to Alton’s strong
hand, hating the weakness in herself that had her counting on him to guide her.
She was not one to blindly follow, yet what choice did she have? Until she
understood her new reality, she’d have to follow his lead.

They emerged in a naturally
formed cavern with a small pool on one side. Candles burned in sconces along
the wall. Their dim light reflected off spring-fed bubbles churning in the
middle of the pool. Dark water overflowed and trickled out through a narrow crevice
at the far end of the cavern. The air was hot and humid, the steam coming off
the roiling water an invitation that was seductive beyond belief.

Ginny drew up short at the
edge. There was only one problem. She hadn’t brought a suit and she wasn’t all
that sure about getting naked with a guy she hardly knew.

Alton’s eyes twinkled. “You
know me better than you think. Don’t worry. I may look, but I promise not to
touch.” He cocked one eyebrow in her direction. “I was a good boy last night,
wasn’t I?”

Ginny shook her head,
laughing.
“Yeah.
You were a perfect gentleman. I’ll
admit
,
such behavior was highly unexpected.” She
glanced at him, unwilling to tell him the entire truth, the fact she couldn’t
think of a single guy she’d ever known who would have been as well behaved.
She’d never once felt threatened by him, even when they’d slept all curled up
together.

Even though he’d obviously
been aroused, he’d not pushed the issue at all. She’d trusted him then. She
trusted him now, but as tightly strung as she felt, it was herself she was a
little concerned about. She flashed him a cocky grin she was far from feeling.
“Anyway, I’ll trust you, but you’d better be good. I’ve got a sword now, big
boy.”

“And a fine sword it is,” he
said, but she thought his laughter sounded forced. He stared at her for a long
moment, but his thoughts were hidden from her. Then he set his sword and
scabbard aside and pulled his shirt over his head, removed his boots and
slipped his blue jeans over his long legs.

Ginny caught
herself
staring and quickly turned away. She gently placed
DarkFire beside HellFire, slipped out of her shirt, sandals, and jeans, and
with her back to the pool, unhooked her bra and removed it. She curled her
fingers in the elastic waistband, closed her eyes, and quickly shoved her blue
panties down over her hips.

She should have felt
embarrassed, undressing like this in front of him. She didn’t. No, she felt
powerful. Not merely feminine, but very, very powerful. After everything that
had happened to her today, how could she not?

Turning with complete
confidence, Ginny walked across the stone floor and sat on the edge of the
pool. Not until she’d slipped into the warm, bubbling water did she raise her
head and look into Alton’s eyes.

He watched her with a secretive
little half smile on his lips. She frowned, more curious than she wanted to be.
What?

You’re
beautiful. More beautiful than any woman I’ve ever seen.
Beautiful
and strong and nothing like I first imagined.

Oh?
She laughed, and glided across the pool until she stood directly in front of
him. The water came just to the tops of her breasts. She figured her dark skin
against the dark stone pool made her almost invisible and that helped her
relax. She wondered if she was all teeth and reflecting eyes when she smiled at
him, which made her smile even wider. “So,” she said, staring into his
twinkling eyes, “are you going to tell me what you first imagined?”

Alton threw his head back and
laughed. “If you like, but it’ll probably get me in trouble. I thought you were
brave and beautiful and a complete pain in the ass. I remember thinking that
Dax had chosen Eddy, which made her his problem. I wasn’t sure I wanted you to
be my problem.”

She knew she was asking for
it. Couldn’t help
herself
.
Couldn’t
stop the words, the body language, the unwelcome need rushing through her arms
and legs and the very soul of her.
She drifted closer. “So, what’s the
problem now?”

“That I’ll
never, ever get enough of you.”
He reached for her. She shoved her
worries aside. Forgot the promises she’d made herself. She didn’t hesitate,
didn’t think about appropriate behavior or whether she should be the one to
behave. Didn’t even worry about her longtime hands-off policy with men or the
fact she’d once thought him arrogant and rude.

No, she did the only thing
possible. She kicked off from the sandy bottom of the pool and floated into
Alton’s waiting arms.

He was naked. Ginny was naked.
The water was warm and bubbling with natural effervescence springing forth from
deep within the world’s crust. Alton’s blood thundered through his veins,
powered by a heart that couldn’t have beat faster or harder if it tried.

She slid against him like a
wet seal, all sleek woman and perfect curves. When the taut, puckered points of
her breasts connected with his chest he thought he might lose it altogether.
He’d never felt so aroused, so terribly in need.

His intentions flashed from
well behaved
to
wanting Ginny now
in a heartbeat, and when she wrapped her gloriously long legs around his waist
and settled her warm and perfect sex against his belly, he didn’t even try to
bite back his groan.

Part pleasure, part pain, all
need.
Desperate, clawing need growing stronger each second,
more powerful with every point of connection.
Her long, strong arms
around his shoulders, her fingers buried in his hair, muscular thighs clasping
his waist, and the erotic tickle of dark pubic curls caressing his belly.

He searched for her thoughts
and found only sensation. Her mind was spinning in a riot of color and light,
of fire and ice and song without words.
Pure sensation, pure
desire and need.

She raised her head and found
his mouth with hers. The warm, wet brush of her lips sucked him into everything
Ginny was feeling, deeper into her mind, her thoughts without words. Their teeth
clicked, tongues twisted and danced as Alton turned his head
just so,
as Ginny’s lips molded
that
way.
He ran his hands along her spine, tracing each vertebra with flying
fingers, cupped her firm bottom in the palm of his hand, and lifted her against
him.

His cock strained hard and
hot, trapped tightly between her body and his, but he didn’t try to force
entry, didn’t shift his hips in search of that next step, that final thrust
that would lead to penetration and that much-desired connection. Her sex felt
swollen and hot against the underside of his erection, her body strained close
against him, undulating with a slow, sensual rhythm that called to him, enticed
him—took him to the edge.

He wanted her as he’d never
wanted anything in his life.

But he’d promised and they
were too new. They both understood their situation was too precarious, their
worlds at risk and now was not the time, no matter how much his body argued he
take her, that he make love to her.

Somehow he managed to hang on
to that one point of sanity—the words they’d spoken, almost in jest, the
promise he’d made to behave. That stupid, idiotic promise he’d give anything to
break right now.

Ginny was the one who ended
the kiss, the one to finally break their connection. Her chest heaved with each
labored breath as she rested her forehead against his breastbone. He felt her
shoulders shaking, her whole body trembling, and his breath caught.

“Ginny? Are you okay?
Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Gently he touched the line of her jaw with his
fingers.
Lifted her chin.

She raised her head. Tears
streamed from her eyes.

Tears of
laughter?

“Aarrrgggh!”
He lifted her high, tossed her into the pond, and dove after her. They both
came up laughing. Standing in front of him, Ginny shook her head like a wet
dog. She sent water flying in all directions, took a deep breath, and grinned
at him. Then she raised her arms and looped her hands over his shoulders.

She was still giggling. “I am
so sorry, Alton. I really am. I tell you to behave and then I act like a damned
hussy.”

He kissed her nose. “Hussy
works for me.”

“Well, it doesn’t work for
me.” She shook her head slowly, but at least she was smiling. “I don’t do sex
with guys I hardly know.” She chuckled and glanced away, obviously embarrassed
to say the words out loud. “I rarely have sex with guys I know. That’s not me
and it’s not smart.”

“I agree, but there’s
something about you…” He kissed her again, a mere meeting of lips that wasn’t
nearly enough. Leaning his forehead against Ginny’s, he took a deep breath
while he gave his heart a chance to find its normal cadence. “Like I said
before, from the first time I saw you, I was interested.”

“I know the feeling.” She
kissed him back, a gentle press of lips to lips that left him wanting so much
more.

Obviously, Ginny felt the same
way, as reluctantly as she pulled away. She shook her head. “Damn.” A short,
sharp laugh punctuated her soft curse. “That’s not easy. Oh, Alton…I don’t want
to rush into anything. So much has happened in the last day since you called me
from Bell Rock…. I feel as if my life has been tossed into a vortex and it’s
still spinning.”

“For what it’s worth, it’s
really good to know that at least you’re interested.”