Suddenly, the air itself felt charged, crackling with electricity. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Hazel felt a breath of optimism flare through her. Maybe this would actually work, maybe all she had been missing all those long, pain filled years was the presence of two hotter than sin dragon warriors.
Before her thoughts could drift any farther away, Jayce’s voice interrupted. “Hazel,” he said sharply, “focus on me.” He inhaled deeply again, “follow my breaths.”
Hazel watched his chest, trying desperately to do what he asked and a tingling started deep in her center as they all sat, breathing together.
“Now, feel inside. Slowly, calmly, step by step. Go in, past your skin, past muscle and bone…”
As he spoke, her thoughts drifted. She followed his direction, his words sinking into her and her eyes slid shut despite herself. He continued his soft, deeply spoken litany, and Hazel could feel herself drawing deeper inside herself.
A heat started to grow. It started as an ember, rocking through her body in waves. She focused on that heat, reaching for it, and suddenly it was a conflagration, burning her up.
“Hazel, wait…” She was barely aware of Nika’s voice over the white noise pounding in her ears, her body writhing as the ache stared to grow, overwhelming her senses.
“Stop, Hazel, focus…” But she didn’t hear him. She was on fire, desire and lust stronger than she’d ever felt before racking her body. She felt the floor move beneath her and suddenly there were hands on her, pulling her even closer.
Jayce’s mouth was hard on hers, feeding her urgency, his tongue pushing past her lips, her front pressed solidly against Jayce’s, and their bodies fused together as both of them exploded.
“Jayce. Jayce, stop…” Nika’s voice washed helplessly over both of them. Nika grabbed Jayce by his shoulders, pulling him back. Jayce growled into Hazel’s mouth, and she threw her arms around him, desperate to keep him right where she needed him.
Nika gave one more jerk using all of his strength to pull Jayce off of her as he started to rip her shirt, tearing the fabric to try and reach bare skin.
“Jayce!” he shouted with one more mighty pull, finally detaching them and shoving Jayce towards the door. Jayce fought the whole time, his golden eyes molten on Hazel’s own burning violet.
“Go, Jayce. Get out of here!” Nika said, his voice as hard as his expression. Jayce finally turned around, his own face mutinous but listening to Nika’s directive as he stomped down the stairs.
Nika turned to give her one last look, still sitting on her knees now in the middle of the room, breathless and trembling and burning as he turned to follow Jayce out of the attic.
Chapter 10
“Come on, grandma.” Hazel whispered roughly, “Give me something.” She continued to rifle through books and ancient texts, desperate for some answer, some clue. Hazel’s mind drew up the memories from that morning despite her best efforts and it had her heart racing wildly all over again. That had been unexpected. She laughed slightly, if a touch cynically, at the gross understatement.
The fire that had exploded between them still sat, hot and buried, barely contained. She could still feel it there and knew it would take nothing at all to send her up in flames again. She thought of Jayce, and not being able to look either one of them in the eye since earlier that morning. With a jolt, Hazel realized she had been sitting in the middle of her grandmother’s study, staring off into space for several long minutes.
With a shake of her head at her own foolishness, she continued to flip through the stack of old, leather bound books in front of her. Hazel felt like she had gone through everything there was to go through two hours later after combing through the last dusty shelf.
Just as she turned, brimming with disappointment at not finding any clues about the dark spirit Eidolon or her mysterious connection with the smoking hot dragon warriors, something drew her eye to the green velvet high backed chair sitting in the corner of the room.
It was covered in a fine layer of dust and motes danced in the streams of sunlight that surrounded it, coming from the large, stained glass arched window just behind it. There was a hand knit throw blanket draped casually over the side of the arm as if her grandmother had just got up and would be back at any moment, but Hazel knew that wasn’t true.