The Soothing Scent Of Earth (Elemental Awakening, Book 2) Read online

  I couldn't see a problem with that. I wanted him. He wanted me. Why was he fighting it?

  "Casey," he groaned again. "Oraia, you're swaying on your feet. You need food and sleep. In that order. Not me staking my claim on you against the shower wall."

  Oh.

  "I kind of liked the shower wall idea," I complained and received a rumble of laughter back. He pulled away slightly, managing to win his battle of wills. To take back a small semblance of self-control.

  "Oh, Cassandra," he whispered. "Where has my little bird gone? The one that flits from tree branch to tree branch, and then hides in the foliage when she gets scared."

  His hand cupped my cheek, his thumb stroked gently across my skin.

  "I think I like this new attitude." His face fell briefly. "But not the reason why you've had to grow so much, in such a short amount of time. Please, Casey," he pleaded. "Let me care for you tonight. Let me hold you, feed you, protect you. Tomorrow we'll investigate this new Pyrkagia dynamic between us." I pouted, his lips twitched. "Thisavros, I will claim you again. Mark my words."

  Another vow, that sent a shiver of anticipated delight through my frame.

  "Cassandra," Theo warned. "Stop throwing your Pyrkagia Stoicheio around." This time said in a low growl. "I am only capable of so much restraint in one night, and your heat is scorching, begging for me to entwine it with mine."

  I chewed the inside of my mouth and lifted my eyes to his. He murmured a few words in Greek which had a decided air of cussing about them, and then ran his fingers through my wet strands. Without another word he finished what he had started. Washing my hair with shampoo and conditioner, rinsing the suds away. Cleaning me. Caring for me.

  He was right of course, not that I'd tell him. But I was beyond exhausted. A physical and emotional wreck. I needed his tender, caring touch, as much as I needed him. But Theo had recognised what was more important right now. His ability to sense what I needed and to give it to me, was perhaps the sexiest thing I had ever witnessed in my life.

  The shower was switched off and Theo spent several minutes drying me with a fluffy white towel. So carefully, to make sure he didn't press too hard against bruises, or rub roughly over sensitive scrapes. He spent several moments on the scar alone. I knew his attention was not to dry it, but to absorb what had been done to me.

  With a frown line back on his handsome face, he wrapped me up in a robe and led me back into the main room. It was grand. Rich furnishings, plump cushions, and deep, dark coloured, extravagant fabrics. He led me to a table where a domed plate sat waiting. It may have been there before, I wouldn't know. My eyes had been blurred when he carried me through here. I had missed everything. But my gaze eagerly took in the entirety of the room now, unhindered by those ridiculous tears.

  "Are we safe here?" I asked, as he pulled a chair out and helped me sit down. He lifted the lid on the plate and fussed with the place setting before he answered. An obvious delay tactic that sat heavily on my heart.

  "Isadora has had Stoicheio shields on this hotel for years. It's as safe a place as we can have in Gi territory."

  Of course. Isadora was an agent of Pyrkagia sent on missions past to spy on the Gi. She'd have a safe bolt-hole to go to, if things became treacherous. The knowledge didn't soften the blow.

  "Is that why she had to be here?" I asked, noting the bitchiness of my tone.

  Theo took a seat opposite me and leaned over the table to place two small club sandwiches on my plate. They looked to contain eggs, ham, lettuce and thin slices of tomato. A very simple fare, but considering my lack of nutritious meals lately, an appropriate choice to begin with.

  "No," he said at last. "Isadora will be needed if we plan to make it out of Gi land alive."

  I closed my eyes briefly, but was not able to stop my mouth from digging a deeper hole.

  "And we couldn't do that without her?"

  Theo just looked at me for a long moment. Then, "I will do whatever is necessary to protect what is mine. Even if what I deem necessary infuriates my Thisavros."

  "I'm not infuriated," I argued, taking a small bite of a sandwich to prove I was capable of being reasonable.

  "Casey," Theo murmured with a smirk gracing those kissable lips. "Your Pyrkagia is singeing me with its ire. You are infuriated. Suck it up."

  Suck it up? I glared at him, feeling a rush of something unfamiliar wash through me, urging me on, raising my temper, just as it was raising the temperature in the room.

  "Cassandra," Theo purred, his eyelids doing that sexy droop thing. "Oh fuck." He shifted in his seat, as though trying to get comfortable. "You need training," he breathed, as his hand slipped down the front of his robe, making my mouth gape open at where it was blatantly heading. "A sledgehammer has more finesse than you do right now."

  His hand slipped into the gap of his robe and wrapped around his hard length.

  "Oh, Casey. Oraia, you're going to make me come."

  "How do I stop it?" I squeaked, more than just a little horrified to be using Pyrkagia to make Theo a wanton mess. He'd used his own on me in the past, but never to this extent. It felt a little wrong, if not a whole lot wicked.

  "Hmm," he mumbled. "I'm not sure I want to teach you right now."

  "Theo!" I demanded.

  "Casey!" he shot right back, flashing me gold from his eyes. He was panting slightly, a vein on the side of his temple set an erratic beat to match his heart. "Perhaps the lesson is in watching the result," he murmured, and then made quick work of undoing the robe's tie, and opening the two flaps to reveal his stunning glory.

  His impressive sex sprang free, making me gasp and begin a pant of my own.

  "You want to touch it, Thisavros?" he asked, a wicked gleam to his eyes. "Wrap your hand around it, like this?" He encased his thick length with his palm and began to pump slowly. "Or your lips? Milking me of every drop."

  I moaned, he threw his head back, spread his legs wider and let himself go. I thought he'd given himself over to the pleasure, but several beautiful seconds later his head tipped back down and hungry golden eyes landed on me.

  "Uncontrolled Pyrkagia Stoicheio can be overpowering." Each word was interspersed with a stroke of his hand and a groan. "For some it will render them unconscious."

  Oh freaking hell. He must have seen the mortification on my face, because he chuckled, a sexy sounding noise from deep within his chest.

  "I am a Prince of Pyrkagia, I can handle a little Fire. But Cassandra," he purred, "Your Fire blazes like none I have touched before."

  With that, his hips rose off the chair, his back arched and a sexy, deep groan spilled from his lips, as his release shot into the air followed by a roar that rattled the nearby glass in their window frames. His whole body jerked with each ejaculated pulse, that seemed to go on forever. Finally, several erotically magical minutes later, he collapsed against the chair and muttered more words in Greek.

  His eyes found mine. A sense of wonder, and that possession that never seemed to leave, staring back at me.

  "How has this happened?" he whispered. "How the hell could I be so fortunate?"

  I shook my head, but his words dampened my own arousal, despite the erotic show he'd just put on. There was so much to tell him. So much that had happened, that was still to happen. How did I put any of it into words?

  "Sweet little Gi," he murmured, straightening himself up, but not breaking eye contact with me. "Come here."

  I blinked.

  "Come here," he repeated. Then again, softer, lower, "Come... here."

  I scrambled off my seat and crossed the small space to him, climbing up onto his lap with the sure guidance of his hands on my hips. His lips brushed softly against my temple, then started to lay a trail down my neck, up to my jaw. His hot breath washed over my cheeks, his eyes holding mine trapped. A prison I gladly succumbed to.

  "However this plays out," he murmured against my lips, his hands smoothing down my back, over my arms. "I will always love you. No matter what comes
next. I will always love you. Whatever you become." He knew. He already knew I was changing, and the transformation wasn't done. "I will always love you."

  For the love of God, would the tears never end?

  He picked me up, cradled me against his chest, as he walked the short distance to the bed. Reaching down and whipping the covers back, he gently lay me on the surface. Unravelled the tie to the robe at my waist, slipped my arms out of the sleeves, and then repeated the process with his own. Then he slid into the bed beside me, wrapped my body up with his, and lay a tender kiss against my lips.

  It occurred to me, as my lids grew heavy, the sensation of lying in a comfortable bed stealing all tension from my frame, that it was the first touch of his lips to mine since we'd reunited. I wanted more. I wanted to deepen the kiss, to take and give in equal measure. But he stroked my hair, offered soft, short caresses with his mouth, and then settled us both into a more comfortable position under the covers.

  His self restraint amused me and surprised me. This man confounded me at times, but I'd never complain again. I needed rest, I needed his unconditional love. I needed this.

  Just as sleep stole my last conscious thought, he murmured in amongst my hair, "I will always love you."

  And I realised, belatedly, that I still hadn't said those words aloud to him.

  Chapter 10

  Had This Been An Enormous Mistake?

  I woke to warmth. To crisp clean sheets and the smell of laundry detergent. To a soft, feather filled mattress and the sweet, sweet soothing scent of the Earth through the delicate fragrance of orchids. For a brief, confused moment, none of it was familiar.

  But then the soft touch of a heated palm, the wet, hot lick of a tongue along the seam where my thigh meets my pelvis, and the rush of Pyrkagia Stoicheio that burst into an inferno of Fire deep down inside, brought it all back to me in a thunderstorm of emotions.

  "Oh," I managed to breathe out on a sigh. Joy and elation taking over from fear and anxiety. "Ohhh," I moaned, as Theo's wicked tongue delved deeper between my thighs. "Theo," I pleaded, unsure what I was pleading for.

  "Hush," he chastised gently against my leg. "I have a debt to pay."

  A debt? "Wh...what?" I stammered, as my hips jerked off the bed when his lips nibbled on my most sensitive part.

  A heavy palm came down on the flat of my stomach to ground me.

  "Be still, I'm concentrating," he advised, then blew hot breath across my moist folds.

  "Oh God, Theo!" I cried out.

  "There it is," he purred. "Oraia, you are so beautifully full of Fire. It drives me utterly crazy."

  A long finger swept down the middle of me, coating itself in my juices. I lifted my heavy head and watched as his gold-filled eyes came up to mine. He slowly slipped the digit between his lips and sucked.

  "You taste divine," he murmured. "You feel divine," he added. "I can't get enough of you."

  A growl followed and then several seconds of bliss took all cognitive thought and reason. My head fell back on the pillow and I gave myself over to the sensations he was creating. Delicious, fiery, passionate, lustful. Without an ounce of shame I ground myself against him, lifted my hips and sought more.

  With such a devotion to his task Theo ate me with relish. The sounds that came from the back of is throat mixed with the erotic groans I was making, filling the room up and reverberating inside my head. I writhed beneath him, his hot hands holding me up off the mattress and firmly in place for him to feast. His tongue delved rhythmically, forcing himself as deep as he could go. Which would never be enough. I wanted more of him. I wanted all of him.

  I felt my Stoicheio reach out and wrap itself completely around his own. His ecstatic groan drowned out all other sounds. He began to rock his hips against the bed, seeking his own release. But still he didn't stop what he was doing and give me all of him as I sought.

  "Ah-ah," he chastised, as I ramped my influence up further. "My debt must be paid in full first."

  "What debt?" I demanded, feeling frustrated and bursting with the impending need to explode all at once.

  "Your Pyrkagia last night stole all my reason," he said, lifting his head, denying me his tongue, but quickly answering my mewl of protest with two fingers sliding inside my core.

  I groaned, rocked my hips and for a while forgot what I had asked him. When his lips and tongue returned to aid his pumping fingers I practically fell apart, only to be denied when he pulled back.

  "Theo!' I scolded.

  "Delayed gratification is well worth the pain, my sweet little Gi."

  "What has got into you?" I complained, collapsing back on the bed, realising I was at his mercy completely.

  "I only wish to fully pay what is due."

  Oh, freaking hell. What was he going on about?

  "Theo," I almost whimpered.

  "Soon, Cassandra. Feel the build of your Pyrkagia, feel it calling to your soul. Calling to mine. Can you?"

  I ached in places I hadn't ached for months. Delicious, delectable, decidedly naughty places. It was hard to see past the fervent desire to climax, to find that release and shatter into a million pieces. But he waited for my answer, offered a flick of his thumb or a soft sweep inside every few seconds. Reminding me of what he alone could give me.

  Time stalled, as the world closed in to just me and Theo. His hot breath right there, centimetres away from where I longed to have his lips and tongue. His fingers teasing, but never quite delivering on the promise.

  "Theo," I complained.

  "Feel it, Casey," he urged. "Feel your soul's desire."

  Frustrated, I shook all over with unfulfilled longing. I had him, but then I didn't. Because in all reality, he had me.

  He muttered a few words in Greek when it was obvious I wasn't able to see meaning in his words. Then with one dip of that glorious head of midnight dark hair, his tongue flicked over my nub, lips wrapping around it securely and he sucked hard. His fingers pumping, his teeth nibbling, I broke apart in a beautiful array of glorious colours. Fire surged within me, curled around my heart, flushed my entire body and then stretched out its arms and beckoned Theo.

  Oh.

  Now I got it. His Stoicheio blended with mine, his gasp and guttural groan let me know I'd caught him, and then in a move so quick I couldn't track it, he rose above my body, all flexing muscles and sleek shining bronzed Adonis. His arm wrapped around my shoulders, as a hand landed on my hip and lifted my rear off the bed's surface.

  Then with golden eyes holding my heavily lidded ones, I felt him brace at my entrance. The hot, pulsing, hard tip of his erection straining for entry.

  "Good?" he asked, panting for breath and fighting his control.

  "Fantastic," I replied, meaning every word.

  "Debt paid," he murmured and rocked his hips sinking himself deep inside.

  I stretched to accommodate him fully, he worked himself a few times in and out to ensure he was as deep as he could go, and then his lips came down on mine in a bruising, possessive kiss.

  He never stopped the rhythmic pump of his pelvis, piercing me completely with each hard thrust in, adding to the sensation of being consumed with the synchronised thrust of his tongue inside my mouth. I groaned and he swallowed it down. I writhed beneath him and he met each movement with a corresponding rock of his hips, thrust of his hard length inside, press of his chest against mine.

  He pulled back to let us suck in much needed air, but never faulted his movements where we met. His lips trailed over my slick skin, licking, sucking, teeth grazing.

  His mouth reached my ear and he whispered, "You stole all reason last night. I have never, ever taken and not given in return. Your Stoicheio owned me. You owned me." His pace increased as his words became moans, from either frustration or mounting desire. "The things we can do together, Thisavros. The things we will make each other feel."

  A groan, a circular twirl of his hips and then a grind in exactly the right spot and I detonated.

  Theo shoute
d out, then his Stoicheio wrapped around mine, fuelling me, fuelling him. Mine rose to meet it in a dance that burned brighter than the stars, hotter than the sun. It consumed us. It melded us into one. It made us become something else, together.

  "Oh yes, Casey," Theo groaned in abandon, his hips pumping in an erratic, entirely out of control way. Hard, fast, possessive.

  I felt him strain; his entire body from his sweat slicked back, to his strong, thick thighs, to the hard, enormous length of him buried inside. His eyes met mine, gold intertwined with the gold. And he bared his teeth in a predatory warning.

  "I claim you, Thisavros," he growled and dipped his head down, sinking his teeth into the soft flesh at the side of my neck, right where it meets my collarbone.

  Fire coursed through my body, through our bodies, out into the room. A blaze of flames flared up around us, the sheets of the bed catching alight, as the smoke alarms in the ceiling started to wail and we both teetered on the edge of the abyss, and then fell over.

  Theo shouted his release to the heavens, the feel of where he had bitten sinking deep into my bones, my being, my soul. I screamed as my orgasm matched his, my fingers digging into his flesh leaving curved marks of my own on his skin.

  "Mine," I growled, unsure where that insistent and urgent demand came from.

  Theo's movements slowed, his eyes came down to meet mine again and a smile spread across his beautiful, sated looking face.

  "Oh yes, sweet little Casey Eden. We are Thisavros to the other. Nothing can ever sever this bond. Mine," he said with a purposeful rock of his hips. And then he added, as if it was just an afterthought, "Call the Fire off, Casey. You're going to burn the hotel down."

  Me? I did this? I stared around the bed, noting the scorched sheets, and burned pillows, and smoke darkened ceiling above our heads. Sucking in a deep breath I concentrated on pulling my Stoicheio back towards me, which was easier than anticipated. I felt Theo shudder above me, still inside me, and then the various fires in the room snuffed out and the alarms went silent. Pyrkagia swirled around us briefly, then dissipated into the heated air.