Marie Harte - Aftershocks

Closing the door behind her, she leant back against it. Her limbs still felt like rubber, and her heart beat so fast she worried it might explode. Ellie could feel him prodding subtly at her mind and concentrated to shore her mental walls.

She did not still love Cadmus Storm.

Annoyed, she nearly ripped the curtain from the shower rod and turned on the water. She breathed deeply and watched the rivulets of water slowly run down the curtain, heading towards a certain end in the drain.

“What have I done?” she whispered, aware she had made a monumental mistake in dealing with Cadmus Storm.

Stepping into the shower, she washed him from her body, wishing she could as easily wash him from her mind. A month ago, she’d been eager to profess her love. She’d thought that two people who had bared their souls to one another, who had shared intimacies so profoundly deep that they shared one another’s thoughts, could live and love together despite their differences.

They’d shared thoughts, but apparently not the same feelings. Though she could understand Cadmus’ hurt when he’d found out she had lied about her identity, his reaction had been too intense, too unforgiving for a man supposedly in love. The rejection had felt all too familiar. Another man she loved, another push away.

Now, to top that off, she’d slept with him again . Let him into her small, uncomplicated world.

Working herself into a lather, she decided to do the same to her hair and washed it like crazy. Suds and bubbles floated around the stall as she massaged her scalp, trying to rub some reason into her growing insanity. A moment of weakness, make that two moments of weakness, and she once more found herself vulnerable to Cadmus.

And who had been the idiot to suggest he stay here with her, when he could have been safely ensconced in Foreia, a world away? Oh, that’s right, she’d volunteered. Am I a sucker for pain, or what? Gritting her teeth, she shoved her head under the spray and rinsed thoroughly.

Much as she hated to admit it, the sex had been to-die-for. Considering he’d initiated her into the wild world of hedonism, it was no wonder she still wanted him so badly. Cadmus possessed bedroom skills that would put Casanova to shame. Those hands, that tongue. She flushed and turned the water temperature colder.

Well, there was no turning back now. She’d declined her father’s offer to take Cadmus off her hands. And since experiencing Cadmus between the sheets again, her libido had firmly left its hiatus.

Ellie told herself to be strong. She’d keep their relationship basic, physical. Purposefully ignoring the image of Cadmus smiling, of his generosity when they’d been shopping, of his protective instincts that were more courtly than overbearing, she washed herself with the special lemon soap her mother made and grimaced. Thoughts of her mother only emphasised how wrong two different people could be for each other. Ethim and Amanda, her Djinn father and human mother, always seemed to be at odds. Affection existed, enough to have created Ellie and put a sparkle in her mother’s eyes after one of Ethim’s visits. But nothing more than that, nothing long-lasting.

And if her father found out what she and Cadmus had been doing… Not that she particularly cared, she reminded herself, but staying in Ethim’s good graces might just help her mother finally reconcile with him. Hell, it couldn’t hurt.

Letting the water pound at the knot in her neck, she stood under the warm shower and managed a plan, of sorts. Cadmus wouldn’t be here that much longer. Despite the ache that thought produced, she knew she couldn’t ignore the facts. She had no willpower when it came to the Earth Lord, and he knew it. So Ellie would sleep with him while keeping her heart distanced, safe. That way when everything ended and he returned to Tanselm, she would survive, and perhaps look back on this interlude with fondness.

Fondness? She snorted. At least be honest with yourself. Nothing about Cadmus calls to mind fondness. Fury, lust, laughter. But ‘fondness’?

“You’re much too quiet in here.”

She stifled a gasp and turned to find a naked Cadmus watching her with steady brown eyes.

“Why don’t you join me?” she offered, determined to stick to her plan, and smiled. Distance, Ellie . Remember, keep it just physical . “There’s just something about a naked man in the morning that sets me off. Especially when he’s wet.”

He said nothing as his gaze drifted over her. His erection spoke for him.

He sighed. “I’d like to withhold sex to get you to tell me what’s wrong. But I have no self-control when it comes to you.” Stepping into the shower, he closed the curtain behind him and pressed her against the shower wall. “We’ll talk later, baby. You can count on it.”

Before she could protest his high-handedness, his lips found hers. Like a switch, her mind shut down as feeling erupted within her body, bypassing her hardening heart.

Cadmus stared at the taillights of Ellie’s car through the window of her living room. She could say what she wanted, but the stubborn woman was running away. He curled his fist and forcibly withdrew the energy suddenly shaking the small apartment. Breathing deeply, he retreated into himself, trying to understand how the best sex of his life had ended so badly.

Last night had been a dream come true. He’d finally had Ellie Markham in his arms, where she belonged. Waking up to find her wrapped around him in bed, he’d been helpless to deny taking her all over again. Like a fever heating his blood, she made him burn. Echoes of discord faded when he held her close, joining her in incredible climax.

But when she’d shot out of bed, leaving him alone and wanting, he’d known she hadn’t felt the same peace he had. What the hell had he done to put that distress in her eyes? He knew for a fact she’d felt the same desire, the same rapture he had. Ellie was not a quiet lover. He liked the passion that dwelled deep within his little Djinn. But his enthusiasm faded as he recalled that wounded look she’d worn in the shower.

Baffled, he shook his head. Trust a woman to muck up outstanding sex. No doubt Ellie was throwing conspiracies and evil motives his way. As if making love to the most desirable woman he’d ever met was a means to some nefarious end. He doubted he’d ever truly understand a woman’s thought processes, and Ellie was more confusing than most.

He wondered if she really intended to visit her mother this morning, or if she’d lied simply to escape him. Cursing, he ran his fingers through his damp hair and dressed in rumpled jeans and an Outpour T-shirt. After making a pot of coffee, he stepped out onto her small balcony and inhaled the rich scent of earth, thriving pansies and burgeoning bulbs beginning to prosper in Seattle’s rich brown soil.

A faint vibration shook the air, an arch of danger mixing with a spreading Darkness Cadmus recognised. He turned around to see Jonas suddenly appear in the middle of Ellie’s living room.

“Ever heard of knocking?”

Jonas scowled. “Made yourself right at home, I see.”

The Djinn wore a dark brown vest and trousers, his powerful build clearly showcased by the formfitting clothing. Deep gouges marred his left shoulder, and a smattering of blood covered his temple. A bruise lingered at the edge of his mouth.

“Been brawling again?”

“The wraiths really don’t like you Storm Lords or anyone bent on helping you.”

“Why are you helping us?” Cadmus watched Jonas like a hawk. “You’ve been feeding me that ‘it’s best for everyone’ crap for over a month. Tell me the truth, Jonas.” A sudden vision hit him as he stared at the Djinn. But unlike the other visions he’d had, this one brought no pain, only confusing pictures of possibilities.