The Tempting Touch Of Fire (Elemental Awakening, Book 1) (9 page)

"All things can be moulded to compliance," he answered swiftly. "Some just take more force to break than others."

"Is that supposed to be a threat? Because I'd like to point out it was you tied up by vines, not me."

"And it was incredibly enjoyable. You are introducing me to new delights every day, Cassandra. I cannot wait to see what you will do in our bed."

I stopped in my tracks. Theo just kept walking, chuckling loudly, highly amused at himself. He bounded up the stairs and didn't look back. I was standing on the edge of the tree-line, just before the half destroyed pavers that surrounded his house. Going any further seemed like a really bad idea. So I sat down on the edge of the grass and just sighed.

I did feel better, there was no denying it. Whatever that was in amongst the trees had done it. Whatever I now was, obviously needed that, and that's why I was so weak. Theo had said I was stressed and needed to feed. Had I just fed? I felt full, but that was just bizarre. Feeding off trees.

Oh God, I needed answers and the only person in this world willing to give them had just walked in that house. The only person I could turn to, even if I couldn't trust him, enjoyed making me squirm. I wanted to be angry at him. I wanted to find that hatred I'd felt from before. But Theo had rushed me to what I needed. He had stayed with me when I continued to panic. He had placed himself in a compromising position, well aware I should think, of what I could do whilst surrounded by nature. Yet he didn't walk away, he held me closer and closer still.

He was an anomaly. A contradiction of himself. I was meant to be his enemy, and I truly believed that hadn't entirely changed, but still he invited me into his house. He risked...
something;
pain, ostracism, to get his father to let me stay. That couldn't have endeared me to him, yet when he held me, in amongst those trees, I could have sworn I was held by someone who cared.

Who was I kidding? This was an arrangement, nothing more, and Theo intended to collect payment for all of this. And payment involved his bed.

A bubble of hysterical laughter erupted from my mouth. Oh, he was going to be disappointed on that one. Not that I thought I could fight him off, I wasn't stupid. Theo had a hold on me stronger than anyone had managed to have in the past. I swear all he would have to do was look at me in that way he does, with hunger and desire and intent, and I would melt. To hell with his ability to make me feel lust, I wasn't sure I could deny him if he hauled me to his bed, even right now.

So, he would get his payment, there was nothing I could do to prevent that. But I sincerely believed it wouldn't be payment he was used to. How could it be? When I was completely and utterly inexperienced in that department. He was going be so disappointed. It almost made the whole thing worth it.

But then, no one likes to be the worst experience someone's ever had. Not only was I a hated
Gi,
I was also going to be a let-down. I wondered if he'd brag about it. I wondered if, after all this was over,
Pyrkagia
in the city would come to my deli just to point and whisper harsh words.

My fingers absently ran through the blades of grass at my sides, soothing me, making it impossible to get nervous about probable embarrassments to come. I glanced down at the beautiful dress I wore, saddened to see dirt smeared across the delicate material, ruining it beyond repair. I'd have to remember that, if I needed to
feed
again. I wondered how often I did. I wondered how it actually worked. If I fed off plant life, what did Theo feed off? His father had instructed him to,
play with me, feed from me, and enjoy me
. So, could Theo feed off me?

It sounded a little creepy, at least the way I replenished involved nature not humans. He was sounding more and more like a vampire, but without the blood.

Suddenly a shadow fell over me. I looked up expecting to see Theo and hearing some smart comment about taking too long. Instead I met the compassionate looking eyes of his butler.

"Miss Eden. Your bedroom is ready. Would you care for a meal before you retire?"

"What's Theo doing?" I said, getting to my feet and stretching. I really had wallowed enough for now, might as well get some answers.

"He has already retired, Miss Eden. He will be dining in his room tonight."

Ah, no. I had questions for the man, he wasn't going to get out of it that easily. I eyed the butler, he seemed to be waiting on my instructions. He'd also prevent me from doing what I wanted to do, I was sure. He looked somewhat frail, but I could see steel glinting in those hazel eyes.

"Thank you...?" I left the sentence open.

"My name is Aktor," he said with a small bow.

"Thank you, Aktor. My name is Casey." I offered a smile.

"The master has requested I call you either Miss Eden, or Cassandra. Which would you prefer?"

"Well," I said frowning. "Neither."

"Oh," the butler looked shocked. "Shall I choose then?"

"My name's Casey," I insisted.

"And the master has already voiced his preferences," Aktor shot back, a little of that steel coming out at last. I sighed loudly, clearly showing my disgruntlement.

"Then by all means call me Cassandra. Heaven forbid I get addressed as some nineteenth century maiden." Aktor smiled, something about what I said amused the man. He nodded his head, and swept out a hand toward the building.

"After you, Cassandra." I humphed but started walking across the concrete.

"Dinner in my room would be fine, Aktor," I instructed, trying to sound authoritative and decisive at the same time.

"That is excellent, Cassandra," he replied, pulling the door open for me to precede him inside. "I shall take you to your room and retrieve your meal." I nodded and followed him up the grand staircase to what looked like a delightful guest bedroom on the same floor as Theo's. In fact, only one door down. I was thinking it might even have a door between the two, but my attention wasn't on that, it was on the butler, hoping he'd leave soon.

He bowed, smiled and left without another word. Very efficient.

I waited a few minutes, then when I thought the coast was clear walked down the hall to Theo's door. I could have knocked. I could have run away as my heartbeat demanded. But Theo was being imperious and I needed answers, so I wrapped my hand around the door handle and opened the door, pushing my way inside.

He was shirtless, standing in front of a blazing fire. The light of the flames reflected off every ridge of muscle on his torso, a small sheen of sweat coated his skin and made me lick my lips. His dark hair was ruffled, as though he'd only just run a hand through it, and his eyes were entirely golden, staring at the flames in a trance.

I sucked in a breath at the glorious sight of him and his gaze came up to my face.

"Your room not good enough for you?" he asked, voice deep and way too smooth for the look on his face right then.

"I have questions," I said, forcing myself to keep my eyes on his face and not his chest, which was hard to do because he'd turned when he heard me gasp. I now had an unfettered view of heaven.

"Well," he said, striding towards me with purpose. I almost jumped on the spot and let out a squeak. "If you insist on doing this here and now." He reached past me, his naked chest within inches of my lips, and closed the door at my back. I heard a key turn in a lock, the click indicating I was trapped, and then he backed up and walked away, leaving me panting for breath.

I watched as he opened a window and then threw something out onto the concrete two stories below. It made a tinkling sound, which somehow carried over the crackle of the flames in the hearth. I realised, with a sinking heart, that it was the key to the door. He'd locked us in and thrown the key away.

"Um," I said, dawning comprehension slamming into me, letting me know I was way out of my league here.

"Come, Cassandra. We might as well start your lessons now." Theo walked towards the bed and I had the resounding realisation that these lessons had nothing to do with what I was.

But instead, with what I could be for him.

"Ah!" I cried, then frantically looked around the room for an escape.

Bathroom door. Walk-in wardrobe door. Door back to my bedroom.

I ran for it, jerked the handle, rattled it in its frame. It was locked and there was no key. I think I was about to start sobbing.

"Shhh,
Oraia,
" Theo purred behind me, his hands wrapping carefully around my shoulders. "I was teasing," he whispered against my cheek. I didn't think he was teasing. I think he chose to pretend he was now, once he'd seen the depth of panic on my face.

A small sob escaped my lips.

"Casey, relax. I will not make you do a thing you do not wish to. God, what you must think of me. Come," he said gently, pulling me away from the door, the door which meant escape despite being locked, towards the fireplace. "Sit in front of the fire and just breathe."

He settled me in one of the two wing-backed chairs which stood angled to the hearth. He watched me for a second, then deciding I wasn't about to bolt, took the seat opposite.

"I see I am going to have be more careful with you than I realised," he announced quietly. "You are like a delicate little bird, flitting delightfully from branch to branch, but as soon as something scares you, you delve into the thick foliage to hide." I could tell he was studying me, but I was resolutely staring at the flames. "Tell me," he asked, in a deep, but utterly gentle voice, "is it just innocence or have you been harmed by someone?"

I felt the blush rise up my cheeks and prayed, uselessly, that he'd think it was the heat of the fire. I had no experience. None at all. Wanted or unwanted. My reactions were entirely due to my inability to get close to the opposite sex. Nothing else.

"Can we just concentrate on my questions, on what I have become, and not talk about what I used to be."

Theo sighed, but didn't push me. "All right. Ask away."

My eyes flicked up to his, but didn't quite make it. He was still bare chested. I stifled a groan.

"Can you please put a shirt on?" I asked, prepared to embarrass myself further to hide all that tempting skin.

Theo barked out a laugh and then said, "Of course." He rose in one swift motion and disappeared towards his dressing room. I used the moment to suck in a deep breath. The smell of charred wood met my nose. Not unpleasant, rather comforting in fact. Of course, that's because it reminded me of Theo.

I was a lost cause.

He returned too quickly, a shirt hastily thrown on and buttoned up. It was still untucked. I don't think it improved the vision. Well, at least, I don't think it was enough to stop me drooling anyway. He settled himself into his seat and carefully watched me. My eyes had returned to the fire.

"Have you had something to eat?" he asked.

"Aktor was bringing me dinner to my room," I said, then thought of something. "You said I needed to feed from the plants earlier, so did I? And does that mean I don't need real food to live?"

"Your body still requires nourishment, so yes, you must eat
real
food. But your soul also requires nourishment, and no amount of calories will manage that. You must commune with your
Stoicheio
for at least fifteen minutes each day. You can use the forest while you stay here. It should provide all the sustenance you need."

I nodded. "OK," a deep breath in and out, "what exactly is a
Stoicheio
?"

"Your element. What makes you an
Ekmetalleftis
."

A frustrated groan escaped my lips. Ask a question, receive an answer that leads to only more questions. This was like a never ending circle, I was stuck in a loop in which I'd never find the end to allow me back off.

"An
Ekmetalleftis
," Theo said, no doubt registering my frustration and kindly deciding to put me out of my misery, "is an Elemental. Someone who controls an element, or
Stoicheio
."

"And my element is?"

"Earth, or
Gi
. Mine is Fire, or
Pyrkagia
."

"Earth, Fire, Air, Water. So, four?" I asked, finally feeling like some answers were making sense.

"Five actually, but don't fret about that. The fifth element is extremely rare and no 
Ekmetalleftis
alive today has command of it. Concentrate instead on the main four;
Gi, Pyrkagia, Nero,
and
Aeras. Nero
for Water and
Aeras
for Air."

I ran a hand through my hair and started playing with the strands. I almost wanted to start chewing on them, like Sonya does, but I just couldn’t bring myself down to that level yet. I did have some standards left. I stared at the dark blonde between my fingers. I wondered if all
Gi
looked like me. All
Pyrkagia
seemed to look a little like Theo, so it stood to reason.

"Do I look like a
Gi?"
I asked, meeting his eyes.

"Your eyes are the same shade, but your hair is not. I attribute your hair dye to helping cloud my judgement. Had your hair been dark brown, I would have recognised what you were sooner."

My eyebrows rose up at those words. "Two things," I said, anger beginning to replace the fear and overwhelming panic of before. "First; I became this
Gi
thing less than forty-eight hours ago. I was completely, and utterly, human before then. So stop going on about me pulling the wool over your eyes. I'm not that Machiavellian." Theo's eyebrows rose on that. "Second; I don't dye my hair. This is natural."

He sat up in his chair. For some reason that was more convincing than my repeated insistence that I'd been human until yesterday morning. "Prove it," he whispered.

My head pulled back. How the hell do I prove that?

"Um, how?" I lifted my hair off my shoulder and stared at it again. "I don't have dark roots," I suggested. His eyes rolled to the ceiling and then back to me. When they settled they were alight with gold flecks.

"There is one way," he husked, voice deep and deliciously silky. I stared at him, confused, then watched as his gaze slid down my body, leaving a wash of heat in its wake, and came to rest at the juncture between my thighs.

"No freaking way!' I said with conviction. "First you cop a feel and now you want a peep show?"

He gave me a lascivious smile.

"You'll just have to take my word for it," I announced.

"Oh,
Oraia
, you will show me. Maybe not today, but I will have my 'peep show' as you call it. And you will
love
giving it to me."

"You are so full of yourself," I declared, astounded at his confidence.

He shrugged. "I am
Pyrkagia
, it is what we do."

I stared at him for a moment. "OK, explain that," I demanded.

"You feed off nature. Plants, animals." Animals? "The life that surrounds humans. I feed off Fire." His hand swept out to indicate the flames in the hearth. "I must sit in front of a fire for at least fifteen minutes everyday. I choose night time. Aktor always has the fire in my bedroom blazing when I retire. I get what I need here."

Well, that made sense. I started to relax.

"But, my kind is different from all other
Ekmetalleftis
." And here comes the tension again. "We can also feed off other forms of heat. Such as," his voice lowered, his eyes began brightening to only gold, "passion, desire, lust. It is all a Fire of some description, is it not?"

I blinked back at him. And I thought
I'd
become a freak.

Theo wasn't nearly done with freaking me out though. "You are the most delicious meal I have ever partaken." I squirmed in my chair, his eyes blazed only gold. "You are bubbling over with unfulfilled passion, yet it is so contained. You are contained. You offer a glimpse, now and then, a tempting, tantalising taste. And then deny me further. I find myself addicted to that next glimpse. Craving that next delicious morsel of Fire from deep inside. For some reason, I can't seem to stop myself trying to pull that passion out. You intrigue me. My reaction to you intrigues me."

The crackle of the fire in the hearth was all that met the end of his words. Poignant, I think.

"No witty comeback? No scathing put-down? Casey," he murmured, "give me something to go on here."

I couldn't help it, I smiled. He was just such a tease, even when discussing otherworldly, freaky things such as this. He returned my smile with one so natural it made my heart sing. I wasn't meant to let him do that to me, but Theo had a way about him that made me melt, made me want something I couldn't identify, but knew I'd be missing if I never got the chance to try.

"There it is," he breathed, his eyes closing slowly as he sank languidly back into his chair. My mouth dropped open as I stared at him.

"Did you just feed off me?" I asked, incredulously.

"Ah-ha," he nodded, not even bothering to form words right then. How dare he? I wasn't prepared to offer up anything like that? Had he tricked me? His eyes
were
gold. Did I taste nice?

Oh, shut up.

"Well, you can stop right now!" I commanded.

"Can't," he answered, eyelids still closed. "Even the Fire of your temper tastes sweet."

"Theo!" I shouted and he started laughing.

His eyes opened and beautiful, stunning gold stared back at me.

I felt like a gazelle looking into the hungry eyes of a lion. "Behave," I said slowly, using his favourite reprimand on him.

"Why couldn't you be
Pyrkagia
?" he whispered. I don't think he wanted an answer. Well, at least, not from me.

We stared at each other for minutes as the gold slowly seeped from his eyes. When nothing but hazel looked back at me I felt I'd lost something precious and rare. I felt bereft.

"It is late, Cassandra. We both need sleep." I nodded, I did feel tired, but strangely very much alive. "I have work to do in the morning, but we can continue your education tomorrow afternoon," Theo suggested.

"I'll be at the shop until six."

"No," he said firmly. "You have starved yourself for the past two days, maybe longer, I'm really not sure anymore." He did sound a little lost saying that, as though he still refused to believe I'd only been a
Gi
since Thursday morning. He shook his head to clear it of those confusing thoughts. "You need to spend the morning in amongst my trees, replenishing. Let Sonya handle the store, you will commune with nature. Tomorrow afternoon we'll resume this conversation, and then tomorrow evening I will show you off."

"Show me off?" That seemed to be the only note of worth from his entire speech.

"The sooner my people get to see you, quell their curiosity, the sooner I will know how much security you will need. You are in enemy territory, Casey. Whether by design or chance, it is still enemy territory to you. You must act accordingly. Despite that, my protection should be enough to keep you safe."

"You
are
a Prince," I offered, a little sarcastically. He could have told me that titbit sooner.

"Indeed," he replied smoothly. "But even then, there are disgruntled subjects in my father's realm. I wouldn't have a job otherwise."

I cocked my head at him and raised my brows in question. He sighed.

"Casey, I need sleep, you have worn me out." I laughed outright at that, he smirked. "Can we cover your unending questions tomorrow afternoon, please?"

I grumbled out a yes and stood to leave, then stared at the locked doors.

"You threw the key away," I pointed out, my heart deciding it needed another workout on that little remembered fact.

"Yes, I did," Theo said frowning. "Well, you can take the bed and I'll sleep in one of the chairs by the fireplace," he suggested.

I just stared at him. Was he mad? He started laughing, thinking it was all a very amusing game no doubt. He crossed the space to the door that separated our bedrooms, wrapped a hand around the door handle and I watched as heat made the locking mechanism melt. It took a few seconds, but when he pulled his hand away, the brass knob was glowing and the door stood slightly ajar.

"I won't be able to lock it again," he admitted, looking over his shoulder at me. "I'll have Aktor fix it tomorrow. Is that all right?"

An unlocked door between our rooms. It was going to be bad enough that I knew he slept on the other side of the wall, shirtless I was picturing, but now the door wouldn't even remain closed. I'd probably hear him snoring. He'd no doubt hear me toss and turn from panic at his proximity. I struggled to maintain my composure at those thoughts.

Theo let out a long breath of air.

"I can be trusted, you know," he said softly. "I have never, in my entire existence, forced myself on a woman."