Brandon blinked. The very fact that his dad had that much control over his dragon implied that the firestorm sparked a change.
Or the consummation of the firestorm had led to the change.
What if being Pyr was about satisfying the firestorm?
What if the firestorm could change everything?
What if consummating the firestorm meant that Brandon’s dragon-shifter nature could be shed forever—or, at least, better controlled? This could be the opportunity that Chen had told him about! Chen had insisted that Brandon could weaken his dragon by the removal of the scales and that this could create the chance to banish his dragon forever. The old guy had been vague about the details, maybe because there was no way to predict when the firestorm would happen. The idea made perfect sense to Brandon.
What if his dragon had roared because it knew its days were numbered?
The idea was exciting. Even thinking about Liz had driven the dragon further into the shadows. This could be his chance to ditch it forever. Brandon had to find out the truth.
They were almost at Hale‘iwa, so he pretended to wake up. He let the guys razz him and accepted Matt’s apology for taking the vial, his thoughts churning all the while.
There was one good thing about his dragon nature. Courtesy of his keen senses, he could find Liz anywhere, even without knowing her last name or where she was staying. Having inhaled her scent, he could follow it wherever she went. That made his quest simpler.
It also reinforced his theory that being Pyr was about the firestorm.
Even better than that, Brandon could shift shape once everyone was asleep, fly back to Kane‘ohe, and track Liz to wherever she’d gone. He knew that the heat of the firestorm would light his path. He could find her before morning. He could have his answer soon and maybe evict the dragon for good.
He guessed that consummating the firestorm would do it.
Because now Brandon wanted more than just sex. And the firestorm had made “someday soon” become “right now.” Could the firestorm deliver? Could satisfying the firestorm limit his dragon’s powers? That would make it possible for him to have a normal relationship with Liz and to be a man she might want to be with.
To have the future he desired.
That was a stronger incentive than anything else in the world.
When Brandon went back to Kane‘ohe tonight, he’d have to be careful. His dragon might feel threatened by his choice and want to rumble one last time. He’d have to be ready for a fight with his own dark side.
But it was easy to walk into a fight knowing that he might win.
And that the prize could be everything he’d always wanted.
Liz was restless.
She told herself that events of the evening had rattled her, but she knew that wasn’t it. She was all a-tingle, her skin dancing with awareness. She felt the rhythm of the ocean, the pulse of the earth, the caress of the air. And that was nothing compared to her feeling attuned to the throb of lava in the volcano on the island.
Liz had believed for years that her gift was gone, that she had given it away. She saw now that was an illusion. Moving to the concrete jungle had dulled her connection to the planet over the past years, making it possible for her to ignore her legacy.
To imagine that it was out of her life forever.
But there was still something about Hawai‘i that had awakened her.
Her Firedaughter powers were asserting themselves, and that made Liz uneasy. Things were never easy when her powers were present and accounted for.
Beyond that, having her powers back meant that she could be tested, as her mother had been.
She could fail, as her mother had.
Liz shivered and paced. Outside the window, the eclipse proceeded with steady grace, the sky darkening with every passing moment. Liz prowled her hotel room for far too long before finally going to bed. Once there, she tossed and turned in the darkness, afraid to sleep despite her exhaustion.
She was never going to sleep.
Liz got out of bed again and opened the sliding glass door. She stepped outside in her nightgown, noting that the eclipse was almost complete. The moon was turning red, casting a bloody glow over the world. It looked unreal.
So did the dragon flying in the night, his form silhouetted against the rusty red orb of the moon.
Liz took a breath. Her gift was back, then. She might as well make her peace with the change. She heard her mother’s instruction in her thoughts again as she watched the dragon’s progress.
There are beings who share this earth with us. They hide themselves from casual view. Mortals cannot see them. Only we, the daughters of Hecate, can lift the scales from our own eyes. We can see the dead. We can see the immortals. We can see the beings that are myths come to life and those descended from other realms. This is our sacred trust, to witness and say nothing. Leave these creatures be. But if they come to you for aid, give it willingly.
Liz stared at the dragon, aching with longing for her mother.
The dragon passed the moon, his silhouette becoming hard to discern against the night sky. Liz sighed and wished for more of her mother’s wisdom. She wished she had paid more attention. She wished—but wishing accomplished nothing.
How would she survive if she were tested?
Liz closed her eyes and wished.
Then she relived every second of Brandon’s marvelous kiss. Again.
Hours later, Liz was still wide-awake. She felt as if all of her senses were on overdrive. The perfume of the slightly crushed lei was almost overpoweringly sweet, even though it was over on the dresser. The warm breeze wafting through her open window carried the scent of salt and beach. It tempted her to go into the velvety night and explore the paradise that surrounded her. The sheets were so smooth that they were like silk beneath her skin.
But, worst of all, she still felt that simmering heat of unsatisfied desire. It wasn’t like her to lie awake, yearning for sex, and it certainly wasn’t like her to fantasize about a guy she barely knew, but Liz was consumed with thoughts of Brandon.
She couldn’t stop replaying the memory of his scorching kiss. It was the one good thing that had happened to her and she couldn’t leave the memory alone. If Liz had tried to imagine a perfect kiss, that would have been it. It had been romantic and sweet, passionate and demanding, too. She wanted another one, with all her heart and soul.
There was more to the connection between them than simple physical attraction. He had a mystery about him. She sensed that he had some powers, as well.
The soft crunch of approaching footsteps made her eyes fly open, and she sat up in bed. Liz crept to the sliding door to her room, the one she had left open to the ocean breeze. She saw the silhouette of a man on the path that wound through the bushes beyond the patio outside her room.
Liz might have been alarmed, but an orange glow lit her fingertips, surrounding her hand. It was just like the light she’d thought she’d seen when Brandon approached her on the beach. It sparked and burned, brightening with every passing moment, in defiance of every scientific law she’d ever learned.
Liz smiled, knowing who had come to find her.
And honest enough with herself to be glad.
Who said wishes didn’t come true?
When she looked up from the radiance, Brandon had stopped in the path, as if waiting for an invitation or an acknowledgment. The moonlight and the sparks between them made anything seem possible.
Even a happy future with her returned powers.
Brandon raised a hand and saluted her, a spark flying from his fingertips to collide with her own.
“Want to go for a walk?” he asked, his tone soft and teasing. He did have an accent, and she was sure it was Australian.
Liz smiled at him. His appearance when she’d been thinking of him, the steady indigo radiance of his aura, and her own reaction to him made it easy to forget the glimpse she’d had of him in that dust. It made it easy to dismiss her earlier trepidation.
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He was just a man, a gorgeous man who wanted her.
This was the chance she’d wanted to have.
And she wasn’t going to let it slip away.
She opened the door wider and walked toward him, giving him a moment to look. The lace top of this nightgown left very little to the imagination, and she was glad she’d chosen to wear it. She felt powerful and sexy, glittering with allure. She felt beautiful. The sparks between them burned more brightly, turning from orange to yellow, then sparking off Brandon. The light in his eyes told her that he liked what he saw.
She was amazed when the glow between them lit to paler yellow. It would be a white-hot fire soon, and she wouldn’t be able to stand it. Already her knees and her resistance to him were dissolving. Her skin was tingling, and her body was pulsing with desire. She was warm despite the breeze, and wide-awake.
“No, I want another kiss instead.” Her voice sounded huskier than usual, and he smiled. Liz stopped in front of him, watching that golden radiance grow so bright that it pushed aside the light of the moon. She frowned at it, unfamiliar with the specific magic that would cause such an effect. Was this a new manifestation of her own powers? Or had Brandon caused it? “What is this? Do you know?”
Brandon grinned and reached for her hand. His touch was warm, the feel of his skin against hers making Liz’s mouth go dry. He laced their fingers together, holding their palms an inch apart. A golden light shone there, shining so vividly that Liz could hardly look at it. “Destiny,” he said with complete conviction. “A sign that we were meant to be together.”
Liz smiled despite herself. “Tonight?”
Brandon was completely serious, his gaze intent. “Longer than that. For good. It’s a sign that we were meant for each other, that this was meant to be.”
Liz had to indulge her scientific skepticism. “Maureen could have chosen another restaurant. Then what?”
“Then my friends would have, too. It was fate that we’d meet tonight, Liz.” He was so certain of it that Liz wanted to believe it, too. “And that’s bigger and stronger than either of us.”
“You can’t believe that,” Liz protested, even though she loved the romance of the idea and wished it could be true. Once upon a time, she’d believed in destiny and karma and the overwhelming power of good.
“I do.” His conviction tempted Liz to take another step closer.
“But we can’t know already that there’s anything permanent in this,” she protested, the conviction fading from her words. “We don’t even know each other.”
Brandon tightened his grip on her hand, looking so determined that it sent a shiver through her. “No, we can’t know that, not by ourselves. That’s why we have to trust the flame of the firestorm.” His smile was confident, his gaze so unswerving that Liz chose to believe. “The firestorm knows, and I believe.”
The firestorm. It was the perfect name for this sizzling lust that had filled her body at the sight of him, the perfect term for the overwhelming tide of desire that distracted her from everything other than Brandon.
Maybe it was Hawai‘ian magic. It was certainly Brandon’s magic. Liz could dig up the details later. She didn’t want to lose the mood of the moment, not when those flames were licking and dancing and driving her crazy, not when they were lighting Brandon’s face so he looked golden and powerful.
“Is the firestorm always right?” she asked. She put her other hand on his chest, smiling at the flurry of sparks that exploded from the point of contact.
“Every time,” he vowed, his other arm sliding around her waist to pull her closer. “A force of nature can’t lie.”
Liz smiled at that truth. They stood staring at each other for a long moment, the light dancing between them, the heat building to a crescendo; then she stretched up and touched her lips to his.
That was all it took.
Chapter 3
Perfect! Brandon couldn’t have asked for more than this. He’d wondered how he’d awaken Liz without frightening her, but she’d been waiting for him. Plus she wanted exactly what he wanted. Maybe she had felt the magnetic pull between them. Maybe her intuition had told her that he had no choice but to come to her.
That had to be a good sign.
Brandon’s sense of the powerful influence of destiny increased, making it seem inevitable that everything would work out perfectly between them. His resolve seemed to make the firestorm burn even brighter.
Liz was wearing a pink slip of a nightgown, and he was sure he’d never seen anything so sexy in his life. The top was made of stretchy lace that hugged her breasts tightly; then the solid skirt skimmed over her waist and hips, ending at her thighs. There were narrow straps that went over her shoulders. When she’d walked toward him, the firestorm’s golden light had gilded her skin, making her look precious.
She was both delicate and feminine, and, yet again, he knew she would be incredibly striking once she got a tan. Her dark hair hung loose over her shoulders and had started to curl. But he was glad to see she had purpose, too. She was serious in a way that the beach girls weren’t and he guessed that she was smart. That she looked at him this way was icing on the cake.
When she smiled at him, he couldn’t believe his luck.
When she kissed him, he was convinced that nothing would ever go wrong in his life again.
Liz wound her arms around his neck and kissed him with all the passion she’d shown earlier. She smelled sweet and spicy, the scent of soap mingling with the heat of her own arousal. That she was excited by him made him even harder. His arms were full of her softness and heat, the flames of the firestorm dancing between them and over them, lighting everything with its golden glow.
He wanted this magical moment to last forever.
He kissed her less gently this time, kissed her deeply, and loved how she responded to his touch. Her fingers were knotted in his hair, and he felt her rise to her toes. This time she did rub her pelvis against him, and Brandon nearly lost it.
The heat of the firestorm raged through his body, firing his blood and inciting his passion. She opened her mouth to his kiss, demanding more of him as she hadn’t earlier, and Brandon would give her all he had. Their passion sparked, heating the air around them. Brandon felt their hearts pound as one again and reveled in the sensation. This was kismet, up close and personal. Liz was everything he wanted and he was going to ensure that she felt the same way about him by the time they were done.
He caught her up in his arms and headed for the doorway, assuming this was her apartment. The bed was unmade, probably because she’d just gotten up, but the sheets smelled of clean laundry and Liz’s skin. There was no better aphrodisiac for Brandon. He sat on the edge of the bed, cradling her in his arms, loving the feel of her buttocks against his thighs. She kissed him hungrily, spearing her fingers through his hair and holding him closer.
Brandon kissed her neck, her ear, her throat, wanting to taste her from head to toe. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed down the straps of her slip. Her breasts were freed of their lace prison and he filled his hands with them, bending to take one nipple in his mouth.
Liz moaned in pleasure. She arched her back, displaying herself to him in a way that drove him crazy. He pushed the slip down to her waist and feasted on her breasts, teasing each nipple to erection and making her writhe in pleasure. He loved how responsive she was, the fact that he could please her so much making him yearn to give her more. He was harder and thicker than he’d ever been, but he was determined to wait.
Even if it killed him.
There would only be one first time for them, and no matter how many more times they were together, the memory of this night had to be perfect.
He bracketed her waist in his hands and eased her back on to the bed, kissing her belly as he did so. Liz grabbed the slip and tugged it over her own head, tossing it aside, and Brandon paused to look at her. He ran his hands over the length of her, admiring that she was both sleek and feminine.
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sp; “You’re gorgeous,” he murmured, watching how the light of the firestorm danced between his palms and her body, turning her skin to gold as if she did have that tan already. “Perfect,” he added, then slid down the length of her. He cupped her buttocks in his hands and bent to taste her sweetness.
Her moan of pleasure nearly drove him out of his mind.
But he’d drive her crazy first.
Liz was lost in a realm of pleasure and didn’t want to ever find her way out of it. Brandon touched her with the mix of tenderness and surety that she was already associating with him, the combination making her want more and more. He caressed her, he stroked her, he teased her nipples so that they were aching and hard. He kissed her as she’d never been kissed before.
And when he went down on her, she thought she would explode. She’d never gotten naked so fast and felt passion rise so quickly, but the power of this moment was overwhelming. Liz had denied her instincts for so long that she had no intention of stopping the tide now.
Brandon’s tongue flicked against her, his breath driving her crazy. She felt his teeth graze her and writhed on the bed as she’d never writhed before. She had her hands locked in his hair, her hips were bucking of their own accord, and all her muscles were taut in anticipation. She was gasping and her heart was pounding, a trickle of perspiration sliding down the middle of her back.
It was that light, those strange flames that licked her body and fed her passion. The entire room was radiant gold, even though there were no lights on, the darkness illuminated by the sparks that burned between her and Brandon.
This was a love spell that totally delivered.
And so did Brandon. Liz hadn’t had a partner before who was so determined to give as to receive. He urged her higher with every flick of his tongue. Liz struggled beneath his grip, not really wanting to break free. Her every nerve was singing and her blood was filled with an incendiary heat. She was sure she couldn’t stand it any longer.