Marie Harte - The Fire Within

Before he left her view, however, he turned his head to peer at the restaurant full of earnest gawkers and muttered something under his breath. Returning his attention to the sidewalk, he took a few steps and left her sight, much to her simultaneous disappointment and relief.

But the remembrance of his polished face staring into the glass stunned her, and she had to force herself to swallow the eggs congealing in her mouth.

Since when did Darius Storm have blue eyes?

Darius cursed at the sun peering through the window right into his face. He loved the outdoors, particularly the heat from the golden sun hovering in the sky, but not first thing in the morning.

Grunting, he threw off his covers and slid out of bed. Needing something to soothe his grumbling stomach, he threw on a pair of jeans and stomped downstairs into the kitchen. Never pleasant in the morning, he felt doubly foul today after suffering heated fantasies about Samantha Brooks all night.

As much as he felt attraction, he now felt annoyance, frustration and anger at the infuriating woman for invading his sleep—rest he prized dearly.

“Well, well, well,” Cadmus drawled from the kitchen table. He sat with a mug of steaming coffee as he perused the newspaper. “It’s nearly noon and you’re finally awake. If I didn’t know better I’d think you were turning into the nocturnal Djinn.”

Darius glared at Cadmus and subtly focused on his brother’s mug, in no mood for humour. With a curse, Cadmus let go of the now burning cup and glared back.

“What’s got you so irritable? You just woke up.”

Darius poured himself some coffee and smiled through his teeth. “I had a lousy night, okay? And what the hell are you doing here? I thought you had a job.”

Cadmus shrugged. “I’ve decided to try another occupation. I wasn’t meeting many women building houses.” He grimaced. “The primitive construction techniques here boggle the mind.”

“Not so primitive,” Aerolus denied as he joined them in the kitchen. “It’s a lot easier to build things when you rely on sorcery. It’s more difficult to create from bare wood, clay and water.”

Both Darius and Cadmus shared a glance.

“And to what do we owe this honour?” Darius asked dryly as he watched Aerolus settle next to Cadmus with a small smile on his mouth.

“Arim contacted me this morning.”

Darius immediately pounced, excitement replacing his frustration. Only Arim could return them home. “What did he say? Did he give you the spell to take us back?” The damned sorcerer kept in contact as often as he could with promises of return to Tanselm. He and the queen continued to lead the fight against the Netharat , who had apparently retreated to regroup.

“No.” Aerolus paused, his eyes thoughtful as he stared at Darius. “Apparently the spell is within each of us, or ’within our grasp,’ as Arim put it. He intends to visit as soon as the situation settles. Our spellcasters have just recently reinforced the borders.”

Cadmus snorted. “They should have done that months ago. What the hell have they been doing in our absence? I knew we never should have left.”

Aerolus sighed. “Cadmus, it’s as I’ve said before. Time here moves much more quickly than at home. A year has passed here, whereas only a few weeks have passed in Tanselm. To our benefit, that gives us more time to find our affai. ”

“Come on, Aerolus,” Darius chided. “You don’t really believe the females here capable of sating a Storm Lord, do you? Even in Tanselm, only a select few could handle our powers.”

“Yet that didn’t stop you from bedding as many as you could find.” Aerolus’ stare made Darius flush, an uncomfortable feeling of guilt swamping him. But what should he feel guilty about? The women he’d bedded had enjoyed every minute of bedsport and had known exactly what they were after when they invited him.

Aerolus didn’t so much as blink when he added, “So tell us of your adventure last night.”

“Adventure?” Cadmus looked from Aerolus to Darius. “What’s he talking about now?”

Not knowing why but unwilling to discuss Samantha with his brothers, Darius tried to shrug off the question. “He’s talking nonsense, as usual. Just like a certain sorcerer we know.” He turned to Aerolus. “It’s obvious to me now how alike you and Arim are. Annoying and riddled with questions.”

Cadmus chuckled. “He’s got a point, Aerolus. You’re as closemouthed as a flatfish and full of sorcerer innuendo.”

Darius relaxed. The attention had shifted.

“Maybe so,” Aerolus conceded with a smile that immediately set Darius on the defensive. “But that still doesn’t explain Darius’ encounter with a certain woman last night, does it?”

Cadmus immediately switched focus. “So it’s a woman that has you breathing fire.” He shot Darius a sly look, overly curious. “Tell us about this female, Darius. What does she look like? How does she feel ?”

Scowling, Darius swallowed the rest of his coffee and poured another cup. “I had a run-in with an attractive woman last night, that’s all . And I have no idea how she feels .” She’d felt like fire, a combustible combination of honey and warmth that went much deeper than her sensual beauty. Seeing the curiosity on his brothers’ faces, however, he had no qualms about keeping Samantha to himself for a while.

Glaring at Aerolus, he snarled. “She’s a woman like any other. And keep your damned nose out of my business.”

“Just curious.”

“How the hell did you know about her anyway?”

Aerolus flushed. “Arim mentioned her.”

Darius clearly saw Aerolus’ discomfort, and that made him more interested. He normally never sensed anything from his brother that Aerolus didn’t want him to see.

“Really?” He shot Aerolus a hard look. “Funny how much he shares with you and not the rest of us.” Darius paused. “Are you sure you aren’t experiencing more of Mother’s gifts than you’ve mentioned?”

“No, just the teleportation.” Aerolus looked decidedly uneasy, and much as his brother annoyed him, Darius could sympathise. The more time he himself spent in this world, the more strange power seemed to course through him. The ability to funnel heat through his body had always existed. Now however, he found himself possessed by an astonishing and not altogether welcome gift, one no doubt inherited from his mother’s and Arim’s side of the family.

“We’ve all experienced some odd bursts of power since coming here.” Cadmus ran a hand through his hair. “It was my ability to foretell those numbers that allows us to live here comfortably. Who knew six numbers could grant such prosperity?” He grimaced. “Imagine Tanselm having a lottery. A waste of wealth on the ‘lucky’.”

“And yet without that wealth we’d still be living in the woods.” Aerolus took a long swallow of coffee. “Not the best place to find a mate.”

Aerolus paused a moment in thought. “Remember what Arim said before we left. And there you will also find that the blood of your mother runs strong in you. Now that we know Mother and Arim are related, it becomes clear where her abilities come from. She is a sorceress, just as powerful as Father was a Storm Lord, I’d imagine,” he said more to himself than the others.

“Tell us something we don’t know,” Darius said sarcastically. He should have waited another hour before rising. Cadmus could be a pain in the ass, but when Aerolus grew introspective, it gave him a headache.

“Think about it,” Aerolus continued, making Darius groan. “Cadmus foretold the winning lottery numbers. I can teleport in growing distances. And Marcus has been moving objects with his mind.”