Passionate Flames, page 9
Fay suddenly morphed into a tiny creature, and when she fluttered around Angelique and Thane, a sense of warmth filled her. Angelique’s heartbeat slowed, almost as if she had been transported to some euphoric state.
A moment later, the small blonde woman stood in front of them once more, but this time she wasn’t smiling. “I’m sensing trouble.”
That was an understatement. “A dark entity escaped from my realm. I was allowed to leave because Fate asked me to come to Tarradon to watch over the children of the Guardians.” She looked up at Thane and took his hand. “And to be with my mate.”
“I’m happy for you both, but I sense this dark entity has other plans for you.”
Thane squeezed Angelique’s hand as a signal for her to tell her tale. “Most likely. Do you know what his plans are?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
Angelique explained what Mange had already done and how he’d managed to avoid detection. “When he was attacking me, I managed to pour only some of my light into him. If it hadn’t been for the help of a goddess, I might still be unconscious.” Or dead.
Fay paced. She eventually stopped and faced both of them.
“There is one way to defeat him,” Fay said, her gaze off to the side and her finger pointing. “Yes, I’m sure of it.”
Angelique’s pulse soared. “What can I do?”
“Mate with Thane. He will inherit your white light and you his magic. Together your powers will be stronger than most in this realm, allowing you to eliminate this scourge permanently.”
Thane wrapped an arm around Angelique’s waist and squeezed. “Wow, that’s amazing and fantastic. Thank you,” he said.
“You’re very welcome, but you will need to be careful. This Mange is crafty.” Fay smiled and then disappeared.
Wait! Damn, Angelique still had questions, the most pressing of which was even if they mated could she take Mange down alone or did the two of them have to be together? Angelique also wanted to ask if she’d ever be able to shift. Even though she’d been told she couldn’t, regardless who she mated with, she wanted a second opinion.
Poor Thane. He’d be so disappointed to learn she couldn’t be his mate in the truest sense if she couldn’t fly away with him. On the other hand, he would become even more powerful when he mated with her. The white light she would give him could cripple even the worst of the dark lighters.
He turned her around. “What do you think? Once we mate, when we both hit Mange with our white light, we could finally eliminate him,” Thane said.
The gold scales on his hands pulsed, and his eyes sparkled. Clearly, this was what he wanted.
Angelique had reservations. “I’m not sure.”
“Not sure about what? Whether our combined powers can take him out or about mating with me?” he asked.
You’ve never told me you loved me. Angelique realized she was being petty since romance had no place in their survival.
“Neither. It’s just that we don’t know each other all that well. Mating is a huge step, even though I am in complete agreement that Fate sent me here to be with you.” She hadn’t meant to sound so clinical, but if she allowed emotion to color her decision, she would give in too soon.
A wave of darkness crossed his face. “Really? We don’t know each other? After all we’ve been through?” He cupped her face. “Angelique, I want you. I need you. You are my mate. I thought you felt the same way.”
That might be the closest thing to a proclamation of love that she’d get. “I do, but can we go on a date first before we take the plunge?”
Thane lowered his arms. “You want to date when Mange could kill you at any moment?”
He wouldn’t kill her—or so she hoped—but he might kill Thane. She didn’t want to sound stupid, but she had her reasons. “Just one date, and then we’ll mate.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes.”
“A date it is.” Thane grinned. “Where would you like to go?”
“Someplace where Mange won’t want to be.”
“Okay. We can discuss our plans on the way back to the open area.” After they walked down the path in silence for a bit, he stopped. “I have a destination in mind. If he tries to get near us, we’ll notice him.”
“Where’s that?”
Thane grinned. “Let me surprise you. As soon as we arrive back in Avonbelle, we’ll stop at your place so you can pick up a bathing suit, and then I’ll grab mine.”
“Our big date is going swimming?”
He frowned. “Don’t tell me you never learned how to swim.”
She’d never been, but it didn’t look too hard. Angelique lifted her chin. “It won’t be a problem.”
“Good. We aren’t actually going swimming. I plan to rent a canoe so we can travel around one of the prettiest lakes in all of Avonbelle Province.”
Angelique had to admit she liked this side of Thane. Not only was he romantic, he loved to challenge her to try new things. Yup, the man was a keeper.
Thane might not have thought through this date completely. When they arrived at the lake, the ranger handed them life preservers and paddles, and then showed them to a long wooden dock where a canoe was tied up.
“Just bring her back by six. Don’t want you to get lost in the dark,” he said with some kind of strange accent.
Since Angelique was looking around with apparent wonder, this man must not have been taken over by Mange. For now, they would be safe.
“We’ll be back by then for sure.” Thane wasn’t about to comment that with his excellent night vision, it would be impossible to lose sight of the shore or this dock. Worst case, he’d figure out a place to shift and then fly them to safety.
Thane held out his hand to her. “Step into the middle of the canoe but be careful because it’s not that steady. Face forward and sit on the front seat.” Making sure Angelique didn’t fall, Thane kept his grip tight. Once she sat down, he stepped in.
“I’ve never done this before,” she said. “Have you?”
“Once. I figured it would be fun for us to learn to do something together.”
“I like that idea.” Angelique grinned. Yes! He’d chosen wisely. “What do I do with the paddle?” she asked.
“You’ll be the one steering. If you put the paddle in the water on the right side of the canoe, we’ll go right. And vice versa. Don’t worry about trying to move us forward. I’ll do the majority of the work.”
Once they settled in, Thane pushed off. While the lake was over a hundred acres in size, the calm winds made the water smooth and easy to maneuver on. It took a bit of work to get them in sync, but eventually they were able to make their way along the shore.
They’d been moving for about twenty minutes when Angelique stood up. Before he could remind her how unsteady the canoe was, she lost her balance and fell in.
“Angelique!” He held out his hand. “Take a hold. I’ll help you get in.” Thank goodness she was wearing her life preserver.
Clearly, he wasn’t paying attention because when he bent over to help her, she yanked hard enough to cause him to go head first into the water. When he emerged, Angelique was laughing.
“You did that on purpose?” he asked, not understanding why anyone would do that.
“Of course I did. While the views were lovely, it was hard to talk to you while looking straight ahead.”
“Why didn’t you say something? We could have stopped and chatted.”
With her paddle in hand, she kicked her way over to him. “I felt like a swim.”
He’d never known anyone like her before. “But you’ve never been swimming.”
She tapped the life preserver. “This makes it easy.”
He tried to stand so he could right the canoe but found he wasn’t able to touch bottom. She continued to swim around him, holding onto the paddle for support.
“Help me right this,” he said.
“How?”
“Press down on your end while I lift my mine.” Within seconds, they had it flipped.
“Ugh, it’s full of water,” she said.
“We’ll have to swim it back to shore and empty it out.”
Angelique smiled. “Or we could have some fun in the water first.”
He laughed. “Weren’t you the one who accused me of having sex on my mind all the time?”
She dipped her chin. “I remember saying no such thing.”
“Ah ha. Is that how this is going to be?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” she reached below the water and grabbed his covered cock.
Needing to make sure she was safe before engaging in wild crazy sex in the lake, he lifted her hand from his crotch. “You distract me, Angelique Carson.”
“Good. I’m trying to.”
He stilled for a moment. “How do I know Mange didn’t take over your body? You’re usually not this friendly.”
Treading water, she grabbed his face and kissed him. When she wrapped her legs around his body and pressed her pussy against his erect cock, Thane totally believed this was Angelique and not some dark monster.
When he hugged her though, the life preserver was in the way. Thane leaned back. “How about we take this to the shore?”
She looked around. “There’s a small sandy beach over there we could use.”
“With what I have in mind, that’s going to be too public.”
She pressed her body against his, but their vests made it impossible for him to feel much. More than anything, Thane needed her naked.
“What do you propose?”
“Let’s move the canoe to shore, and I’ll show you.”
Together, they pushed and guided the boat to the sandy beach. Once on solid ground, he lifted it up and dumped out the water. After setting it down, he took off his vest, and Angelique did the same thing.
She smiled. “Much better. I miss seeing your chest.”
With her gaze focused on him, she approached, but he held up his hands. “I thought we’d fly out of here and find someplace more secluded. What do you say?”
She stroked her chin. “How about we hike through the woods a bit and find someplace comfortable? It’s more adventurous that way. And take your vest. It might come in handy.” She winked.
“And here you led me to believe you were full of white light.”
“I am,” she said acting all innocent.
“I think you are the devil in disguise.” He tapped the tip of her nose.
She laughed. “Don’t tell me you believe in a real devil?”
“Not exactly, but Mange seems to fit the bill.”
Angelique sobered. “You’re right about that. Come on. Let’s see how much trouble we can get into.”
Angelique had always come across as a woman with a wicked business sense, not someone with a wicked sense of humor. She’d only arrived in Edendale a short time ago yet had managed to build a solid business in only a few months. While he’d seen her laugh, he’d never experienced this spicy side of her—and he really liked it.
Too many of his family members complained that all he did was work, claiming his focus was on fighting and defeating evil and not on enjoying himself. Looking at Angelique made him realize what they said might be true. From now on, he would heed their advice. It was time to have some fun. That didn’t mean he’d let down his guard for the evil demon threatening to harm them.
Thane followed Angelique into the woods. Except for a few furry sardons racing up and down the trees, no one was about—at least not of the shifter variety. They hiked up a ridge and were able to admire the view of the lake below. Too bad the path on both sides dropped off too steeply to make enjoying this delightful woman possible.
Angelique stopped and pointed. “Is that a cave through those trees?”
“I’ve never been around here before, but let’s check it out. I hope you don’t mind spiders, rats, or bats.” He wanted to see what she was really made of.
She spun around and punched him. “Are you trying to scare me? I’ll make sure even the scariest animals stay away from us.”
He laughed. “You are such a joy.”
“Is that so? Then come on and show me how much.”
When they stepped inside, darkness enveloped them. While his shifter vision allowed him to see just fine, he took Angelique’s hand. “Better let me lead.”
Even though they both had a sexual encounter in mind, this was a date, and he wanted her to have a great experience. Thane needed to show Angelique how much she meant to him, that he—the man—desired her just as much if not more than his horny dragon. The last thing he needed was a woman who mated with him because it was the only way to keep them both safe.
Thane took a right turn down a cave tunnel and halted. Angelique bumped into him.
“What is it?” she asked.
Thane moved to the side to let her see the incredible view. Before them was a grotto of sorts with a large clear pool of aquamarine blue water that seemed to be lit from below.
“It’s amazing,” Angelique said. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
He hadn’t either. “Let me see if it’s safe to swim in.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe Mange managed to lure us here somehow and poisoned the water before we arrived.” Okay, that sounded really paranoid, and Thane was not the conspiracy theory type, but he didn’t want to rule it out.
She placed a hand on his. “That’s not how he works. When, or rather if, Mange comes after me, he’ll harm me with his darkness, not hurt me with some poison. How about we enjoy this beautiful adventure and not let that evil being spoil our date?”
Angelique was a truly remarkable woman. “You read my mind.”
Before he could stop her, Angelique jumped in without her life preserver. Wanting to make sure she stayed safe, he went in after her and found the water temperature significantly warmer than the lake. Nice. It was almost as if a hot spring fed this grotto.
Angelique surfaced and moved toward him, sometimes kicking her legs and other times propelling herself with her arms. While he wouldn’t really call it swimming, she was trying.
Once Angelique was close enough, she reached out and wrapped herself around him. “This is incredible. Had you heard of this place before?” she asked.
“Nope. This is new for both of us.”
“It’s cozy in here,” she said in between kisses. “And very private.”
“It is. You don’t sense anyone closing in on us, do you?”
She blew out a breath. “If I did, I’d tell you. Now can we get back to what I want to do?”
Thane floated on his back and dragged Angelique on top of him, her back to his chest. “Let’s float here for a bit and enjoy nature.” His little minx wiggled her butt, setting off his internal need.
“You’re no fun,” she said as she reached between her legs and tried to grab hold of his dick.
That was it. With two powerful kicks, Thane reached the edge of the grotto. He swung her off him and moved her onto the rocky ledge. “Stay there.”
A second later he was on the solid ground that was composed of intermittent rocks and sand. He lifted her up and set her on a sandy part.
“You are strong,” she said with lust in her eyes.
“Strip,” he commanded.
She grinned “Yes, sir.”
In seconds, Angelique took off her two-piece black bathing suit while he stepped out of his trunks. Now to do what he’d wanted since this date started.
Chapter Eleven
Angelique had no idea that Thane could be so spontaneous. She looked around their private retreat for a place to enjoy him. Aw hell. Even though it was mostly rocks, that wouldn’t deter her. She picked up her life preserver, dropped it on the uneven ground and knelt down in front of him. As quick as she could, she reached for his cock with one hand while she drew his butt closer with her other.
“To think I thought you were almost angelic,” Thane said with a sparkle in his teal eyes.
“Even as a pure white entity, there has always been a bit of bad girl in me just waiting to get out. Actually, it was when I met you that I finally let that side have some sinful pleasures.”
Thane laughed. “You are good for my soul, Angelique.” When she drew him deep into her mouth, he sucked in an audible breath. “And for my needs,” he whispered.
They’d just made love last night, so why did she crave him so quickly and intensely? Fate sure was working its magic on her. Thane grabbed a handful of her wet hair and twirled it around his fist. Given all of his grunts, he was enjoying this interlude as much as she was. Pumping her fist hard, she licked the side of his cock before encompassing it again. She yearned to have Thane touch her in this intimate way too.
“Your turn.” He practically shouted his demand as he lifted her to her feet. “Wait here.”
He nabbed his life preserver, placed it above hers, and then slowly lowered her onto her back. He knelt and spread her legs. Oh my, yes. This was exactly what she hoped they’d be doing today.
He leaned over and drew her tit into his mouth, sending sparks of desire straight through her. She clawed at his shoulders and then dragged her palms down his muscled biceps. Thane might be slick with water, but his pheromones were filling the space with a delicious scent. In theory, shifters had more intense reactions to everything, but she bet white entities had just as much.
He pinched her nipple with one hand as he slid his fingers between her legs, delving them into her opening. Angelique bucked. “Please take me now.”
Thane slid his hand from her breast to her cheek and then kissed her. The combination of their tongues tangling and his finger relentlessly pressing on her most sensitive spot caused her climax to nearly swallow her whole. Even she was surprised at the brightness and intensity of her white light and how it nearly encircled them both.
Thane removed his finger and was about to mount her when he stopped and looked toward the exit.
Oh, shit. Was Mange coming? Had she been so involved in Thane that she hadn’t sensed him? “What is it?”
“I’m sensing two Guardians.”
She relaxed. “Guardians are good. Maybe they’re on some secret mission.”
