Blood Flame (Flame 1)

Her own wounds were very minor, just the bruising from being handled roughly.

When she felt restored, she looked up at the spell and saw that the silver streaks belonging to Connor were even more prominent and that made her smile. They were sharing powers now.

She thought back to seeing Evan again for the first time in nine or so years. Given the relatively small size of Five Bridges, she should have seen him long before now. Which meant Evan had been living a secret life in the alter world probably with the help of his dark witch girlfriend.

Connor had been right; Evan wasn’t really interested in justice. He’d become a killer. Maybe his grief had begun the process, but the alter transformation had taken his unbalanced mind the rest of the way.

“Thinking about Evan?” Connor’s voice rumbled against her ear.

“Yes.”

“Me, too. Earlier, he could have killed me on the bridge. He had his sword at my throat.” He related what had happened while she’d been attempting to hide out.

“So, why didn’t he?”

“He wanted me to see you hurt by those vampires. That was where his pleasure lay.”

“You’re right. He was bleeding badly from his abdomen, but he sat up and forced me to watch you being hit.” She thought for a moment. “And I agree with you. I don’t think he’s dead either.”

“Probably not. His witch is no doubt healing him as we speak. Although it seems like an oxymoron, a dark witch healing anything.”

Iris smiled. “I don’t think the worst of the witches are about defining anything as good or bad, only what serves their self-interest. Death can be of use to them, so can life. It’s a twisted moral system.”

“You’re right.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’m almost healed up myself, but I’m sitting in wet leathers and I’d like to get out of them.”

“Of course.” She rose to her feet, though she already missed cuddling with him.

She had it bad.

He took her hand. “How about we get cleaned up together?”

There was a look in his eye as he led her through the open French doors of the bedroom, into the hall, and across the threshold of the way-too-small bathroom.

She smiled as she stripped off her hot-pink t-shirt and savored the way his gaze settled heavily on the mounds of her breasts. She put her hands beneath them and pushed them up and together, creating a deep line of cleavage.

He groaned. He’d been unbuttoning his leathers, but apparently couldn’t refuse her invitation. He slid his hands behind her back, dipped his head then spent a serious minute kissing her breasts and tonguing the cleavage between.

She cooed her appreciation, but finally released her girls to attack his pants herself. The leather wasn’t cooperative so he suggested she get rid of the rest of her clothes while he pulled off his boots, peeled down his leathers, and lost his tank.

She’d already set the shower to running so that by the time she was undressed and the water was warm, he was in a beautiful naked state, his clothes in a pile. She set her hair loose from her ponytail, then hopped in, sliding beneath the spray and moaning.

“I love the sounds you make.” He eased himself into the small tub as well.

“The warm water feels wonderful.”

There was barely room for him alone, which meant she had to let him squeeze by her in order to reach the water. He had to do a serious knee bend to get his hair wet. He’d been in the muddy stream so she handed him her favorite sage shampoo.

As he worked the dirt from his hair, her gaze fell to his cock. Because he was busy getting clean, she allowed herself a good long look. He was in a half-aroused state which she thought one of the best looks on a man. This led to other ideas. Grabbing the bar of soap, she lathered up then began to fondle.

He’d been washing his hair with brisk hands but the moment she began a slow glide from the tip of his stalk to the base, he froze and met her gaze.

“Feel good?”

He merely smiled as he continued to lather and rinse, but he kept his gaze on what she was doing.

She played with him, teasing the rim with her soapy thumb then all the way to the tender tip. She kept doing this until he was making a chuffing grunt at the back of his throat. He was fully erect and her body started getting yet another brilliant set of ideas that would involve planting her feet on the edge of the tub and climbing on board.

But he finished rinsing off and gestured for her to take his place. “Your turn, Iris. Get under the water because I want you clean.”