The Soothing Scent Of Earth (Elemental Awakening, Book 2) Page 20

  "Oh, Oraia. You look so beautiful taking me like that."

  He shifted slightly above me, but I was too busy to lift my eyes to see what he was doing. Too content concentrating on my task. He tasted enticing, a flavour I was sure made just for me. Slightly salty, mixed with the musk of man, and that ever present scent of rosebuds in Spring and Mediterranean spice. Theo's scent. Sending me into a dizzying spiral of arousal.

  "You like this," he said above me, that cocky, self-assured tone in his voice. "Cassandra," he purred. "You're so wet."

  I did lift my eyes to his on those words. Seeing his gaze focused over my head and not on me, I released my hold on him and looked over my shoulder. Hanging right across from the bed, on the far wall, was a long mirror. And reflected in the glass was me. Knees spread, back bowed over an erect Theo, everything on display. And yes, I was very wet indeed.

  "Theo!" I chastised, returning my attention to him. He shrugged, as if to say, what ya gonna do?

  With a chuckle he said, "Do you want to stop, Oraia?"

  I raised an eyebrow and returned to my task. He wanted a show, he'd get one.

  Several seconds of my undivided attention on his more than impressive erection and Theo was putty in my hands. Still issuing the odd command, "Harder. Faster. Oh, fuck yes, like that. All the way, Cassandra. Right to the back of your throat. Yes!" But still holding out on giving over to his fervent desire to find release.

  Knowing Theo he had a plan. Something involving my satisfaction as well, no doubt. But I had other ideas. With his hips rocking, his breaths panting, and his voice a husky rasp, I slipped my hand between my legs and ran a finger through my folds. For a second he didn't say or do anything in reaction to what I had started to seek on my own. Then, maybe because he'd just reopened his eyes, he groaned, bucked and swore in Greek.

  Oh, yes! The Greek was out, I was almost there. Theo was about to lose it big time.

  My finger, coated in my juices, slid inside deliciously slowly, and then started up a rhythm that matched the slide of his shaft across my lips.

  "Aetheros! Casey!" he cried.

  Two fingers, and the well placed rubbed on my thumb and I was moaning along with him.

  "Deeper," he husked. Clearly riveted to the mirror now. "Can you manage three?"

  My fingers were no where near as big as his, so three fingers slid in with relative ease. Still stretching me deliciously wide, still making me hum and groan and buck against my own hand.

  "How close?" he breathed unsteadily.

  I nodded my head to indicate I was almost there, but didn't stop my sucking and stroking of his shaft, as well as my own ministrations.

  "I'm going to come hard, Oraia," he moaned. Yeah, me too. There was something altogether erotic about what we were doing, and we hadn't used an ounce of Pyrkagia.

  For some reason that thought did it for me. Pyrkagia induced orgasms were unbelievably good, but knowing Theo and I could lose ourselves to just each other's touch was... magnificent.

  I moaned as the orgasm claimed me, making me buck against my fingers and hand, imagining them being Theo's. My cries of release made my lips vibrate against his hard length, as I continued to rock above him. From his reaction, he definitely approved.

  Words tumbled across his lips in Greek, as he bucked, shouted out a sound of victory, and then began to spill his seed. The first drop coated my tongue and then I was hauled up his legs and chest and being kissed so hard, as his release continued to pulse between our bodies.

  Still determined to protect me from swallowing, I think. And there was something sexily chivalrous about that, which was soon replaced with carnal thoughts, as the kiss deepened and my toes curled and the orgasm that had just left me turned into a rush of sated sparks, making goosebumps appear all over my body.

  "Theo," I breathed against his lips, as his hip thrusts slowed and his moans of ecstasy levelled out.

  "Casey," he almost whimpered against me, bringing his forehead forward and resting it next to mine. "My beautiful, clever, talented little Gi. I love you."

  My lips curved into a well deserved smile. Theo sounded completely bowled over, as though he couldn't believe his luck.

  "I love you, too," I whispered, laying a soft kiss against his lips. His arms squeezed tighter about my waist and his mouth pressed harder into mine, tongues tangling, legs tangling, body tangling. Perfect.

  Several minutes passed as we explored each other's lips, our heartbeats returning to somewhat of a normal pace, and our breaths settling into manageable pants.

  "Come on, you," he urged, when we'd stopped kissing and just lay tangled for a while. My head on his chest, his fingers running through my hair, our bodies flush against each other, almost glued together. "Let's get washed up and then I'm afraid we're going to have to make a run for it."

  I sighed, but let him peel me off his chest and help me to my feet. We were both looking a little dishevelled, a shower was definitely on the cards. Theo led me by the hand to the bathroom, turning the taps on in the stall and then offering me my toothbrush as the water heated up.

  As much as I didn't want the cocoon of our perfect shared moment to be over, he was right. It was time to turn our attention to dangerous matters.

  "What did Aktor say?" I asked around a mouthful of toothpaste.

  "The Aeras have received his request, but as yet not replied."

  I spat, rinsed, then asked, "So, do we go straight there or hang around somewhere neutral until they give permission to enter their land."

  "Anywhere, but here," he murmured, a semi-repeat of what we'd discussed yesterday.

  I nodded and slipped into the shower. Seconds later Theo's hands took over the task of soaping up my skin. A delightful sensation of hot water, smooth skin, and... Theo. I returned the favour, and then once we'd completed our full body cleanse, we both towelled off in silence.

  Dressed and packed some time later, we stared at the door to the little haven we'd shared, knowing what stood on the other side.

  "We have tickets out of Belém to Lima," Theo said, eyes still on the door, one hand on his overnight bag, the other clasping mine. "It should take another couple of hours to reach the airport from here, then almost five to get to Lima."

  "Is Lima Aeras territory?"

  "No, we should be safe there while we wait for permission to go to Urubamba."

  Silence as I digested that.

  "By this time tomorrow we could be with the Aeras," he added, not sounding elated about that idea at all.

  "First we have to get out of here," I pointed out, adding my own two cents worth of worry.

  "Yes," he replied tight lipped. We stared at the door. "Can you sense them?"

  "The Gi?" He nodded. I let myself reach for the Earth unsure what reception I would receive.

  Gi Stoicheio rushed through me, filling me up and making me gulp in surprised air. Theo's hand tightened in mine and his Pyrkagia swelled in reaction to my obvious delight at being connect to Gi again. A hot hand cupped my neck, as Theo turned me towards him. Gold sparkled back at me, possibly matching the brilliance of my green.

  "Beautiful," he whispered, awe coating every word.

  I smiled, floating on his affection. Only to have the smile falter when the Earth whispered on the air, in the scent of the orchids in the room, There you are. We've been looking for you.

  Oh, freaking hell. We? The Earth? Or the Gi themselves, led by the Basilissa?

  Chapter 20

  Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire

  Who's 'we'? I asked. A question posed in direct reaction to my fright, that didn't take into account the fact that the Earth could be controlled by the Gi.

  Us, it answered, in what had become a typical ambiguous fashion.

  Are the Gi nearby?

  Yes, it replied, no note of concern evident. But that question had been the wrong one to ask, hadn't it? Of course Gi were nearby, that's why Theo had stayed awake all night, enforcing our shields.

  Is it sa
fe for us to leave? I tried instead.

  Never safe for Aether, the Earth ominously replied.

  A frustrated sound slipped out, and Theo tensed.

  "What is it?" he demanded, gold washing my face when I glanced at his eyes.

  "I can't get a straight answer from the Earth. Gi are nearby, and it's unsafe. But I can't tell if it means it's specifically unsafe outside this door, or in general. As usual, it's being cagey."

  Theo shook his head, a look of bemusement crossing his face. Of course, when he asked his Stoicheio a question, he always got a straight answer. With me, it was never that easy.

  I took a deep breath in and searched for my Pyrkagia side, finding it waiting, burning softly; ready for when I needed it. My hand spasmed in Theo's, perhaps because that was why my Pyrkagia was so close to the surface right now. Whenever I was near Theo a Fire simmered down low. Touching him in any way, made the flames lick higher and higher.

  Is it safe? I asked the Fire.

  Never safe for Aether, the Fire answered and blew all hope of getting a foot up on the Gi.

  "We're just going to have to risk it," I announced. "If the Gi are out there waiting, we'll fight our way through. If not, we'll try to slip through their ranks without being detected."

  Theo swore softly, then straightened his shoulders.

  "Come on," he said, sounding like he was about to mount the side of a battlefield trench. "The car's directly in front of the door, I'll unlock it as soon as we're on the doorstep. Hold onto your Fire, and keep an ear out on the Earth."

  I've been scared a few times recently. More frightened than any person should have to ever be. But opening that door onto the unknown, knowing that my Stoicheio probably had a lock on what would happen next, but was not divulging it to me, was somehow the highest level of angst I'd experienced yet.

  My heartbeat thundered in my ears, my palm became sweaty where it was clasped tightly in Theo's. My vision sharpened, as adrenaline flowed through my veins. Sounds became ominous, scents shot to life. The smell of green leaves as soon as the door cracked open assailed me. The soft, moist, fragrant stench of rotten vegetation. The pungent odour of animal faeces. The sweat of a person off to the right. My eyes soon told me he was human. The smell of gasoline in the car's petrol tank in front of us. The sickly, sticky scent of tar on the ground beneath our feet as we crossed the short gap between the cottage and the SUV.

  But no one else. No other Ekmetalleftis in the vicinity. No animal about to charge. No tree about the pound down a thick branch on top of us.

  I realised I did have a weapon. One the Earth couldn't interfere with directly. Or at least, I hoped that was the case. And thinking that the Gi could mask their scent, or confuse me with imagined smells was a concern. But something told me, right now in any case, that what I could smell was legitimate.

  I breathed out a long puff of air and relaxed my shoulders. Theo sensed the change in me, but other than a concerned flick of his eyes, said nothing. Letting my hand go as I climbed in the passenger side of the car, and throwing the bag he held in the back seat from the driver's door. We both slipped in, the vehicle started, and within seconds we were pulling out onto the highway.

  Here smells didn't help me, even if I were to open the window at my side. We were travelling too quickly for me to pick up accurately what each scent meant. So, that left the unreliable and tenuous link I had to Earth, and my Pyrkagia side, which seemed to be as much in the dark as we were right now.

  We were blind. Tearing along the motorway without a compass or chance of seeing danger before it was on us. Jittery did not even cover how I felt, right then.

  Theo's hands held on to the steering wheel with single minded focus, his knuckles not quite white yet, but clenched tight. His eyes darted all over the road ahead, easily as jittery as me. I felt the Earth's pull, the further we travelled from Santarém. The call for help, for me to save it. I could no longer tell if it was truly a message of desperation from the Earth itself, or a trap set by the Gi. Distance didn't provide an answer, it just made the Earth's call that much more wretched to my ears.

  With a heavy heart I sent one last thought out to my Stoicheio, I'll return for you. I promise. Then with a concerted effort I cut myself off from the first Element to have claimed me.

  Pyrkagia swirled inside, trying to fill the void left behind. Trying to bolster my emotions, to let me know I was not alone. One hand covered my mouth to stifle my cry of pain, the other rubbed over my heart to still the ache. Theo glanced across the space between us, then flicked his gaze back out the front.

  "Everything all right?" he asked, softly. No doubt aware how ridiculous that question was. Nothing was all right, and even when we left Gi territory and I reunited with the Earth, there was no guarantee things would be all right then.

  "We're on our own," I whispered. But couldn't voice the rest. He must have guessed what I meant, because he didn't question me further. Just reached over and clasped my palm in his, steering now with only one hand.

  Belém grew closer on the horizon, but without touching Gi I had no way of knowing if we'd escaped detection. Or if the Basilissa was following us out of her territory, determined to capture us when we stopped moving at last. The temptation to check in with the Earth was astounding, but whenever the thought materialised, Fire would quell the urge.

  By the time we parked the car at the airport, I was a nervous wreck, Pyrkagia burned too hot inside, and Theo was having trouble keeping his attention off my body.

  "You need to rein it in," he whispered, as the cooling tick of the car engine filled the still air inside the SUV. "It's taking everything in me not to reach out with my Stoicheio and tangle with yours."

  "It's not a conscious thing," I argued.

  "Make it a conscious thing," he shot back.

  I glared at him, meeting his too bright eyes, gold simmering on the edges, but with obvious effort he was working to keep it contained. I closed my lids, sucked in a deep breath and reached down inside myself, searching for all that heated Pyrkagia, determined to ask for a reprieve.

  Need focus, the Fire murmured in my mind. No distractions, it added.

  Please, I urged. Just leave Theo alone.

  Thisavros, Fire said with a crackle and hiss. Impossible to exclude.

  I huffed out a frustrated breath. Just who was in charge here, anyway? Turning in my seat, I lifted determined eyes to Theo. He looked as hard as stone, that blank mask I'd seen on him in Auckland was back. I'd forgotten how desolate it made me feel.

  "I think," I said slowly, trying to reason through what was happening with me, "that my Pyrkagia side is trying to protect me from Gi influence. They must be near, because it refuses to quieten down."

  Theo's eyebrows rose on those words.

  "Really?" he said, sounding completely doubtful. I guess his Pyrkagia didn't act like that, then.

  I nodded. "It also said you need to harden up." A small stretch of the truth, but I was summarising here. "As my Thisavros you've got no choice but to enjoy the ride."

  His lips quirked slightly at the edges and then he ran a hand over his face.

  "You do realise," he finally replied. "That I will have a blatant erection when we walk through that airport."

  My lips tipped up at the edges.

  "Well, it's still gotta be better than a Gi attack, because they tapped into my connection with the Earth," I offered.

  "Good point," he agreed, adjusting himself obviously with one hand on the crotch of his trousers. "There's always the mile high club," he added, giving me a wink and then sliding from the car.

  He came around my side of the vehicle, bag already in hand, and stood waiting as I gathered my wits after that statement. When I climbed down from the car he smirked.

  "Imagining things, Oraia?" he queried. "Just how does one do it in an aeroplane bathroom?"

  I shook my head. "Let's get on the plane first, shall we? Then you can plan your seduction, which I sincerely hope does not include a pub
lic toilet."

  He chuckled, flicking keen eyes around the carparking area we were in. "There are other ways to join the club," he murmured, but he seemed a little more distracted now. Or maybe the correct term was focused; on the environment and not the heat burning inside of me.

  We walked with purpose across the open space, not sure if we should feel safer outside, or in the terminal itself. Concrete beneath our feet, concrete surrounding us as we walked through the glass doors. And way too many people to make me feel at ease.

  Good, the Fire said inside. This is good, it added. Hide, we will do the rest.

  The rest? Oh, good grief, what the hell did my Stoicheio have in mind? This was entirely new ground I was standing on. Before I was clumsy and unskilled when wielding my Element. Now my Element was wielding itself, and I was locked out of the picture completely. Was this part of being an Aether? I wasn't a born Athanatos like Theo, did that mean my relationship with my Stoicheio would always be different than his? A visitor occasionally allowed to control the power, but more often than not, only because the power let me.

  It was a disturbing thought, and I wasn't yet at the point that I trusted either of my Stoicheio enough to let them lead the way without worry. There wasn't much I could do though, my Pyrkagia had a plan and was refusing my interference. And my Gi was cut-off. I was just along for the ride. Rather like Theo was every time his attention swayed back to me.

  We approached the check-in counter and Theo pulled out two passports. Surprising me that he held mine in his hand, too. He'd thought ahead, thank God. It hadn't even crossed my mind that the Gi had smuggled me into Brazil without documents. At least I'd be leaving legally.

  I didn't utter a word while he talked in Portuguese to the airline staff, my eyes were on the surroundings. On the people who milled around, or scuttled past like ants on a mission for food. Every now and then my gaze would be captured by an oversized pot plant, the desire to reach out in some capacity and touch was so great, that my Pyrkagia would flare like an inferno until my eyes moved on.