DaughterofFire (8 page)

“Come for me.”

His words spurred her climax on and she came hard and fast,
her muscles like a vise around his cock. He followed her over the edge, roaring
out his pleasure over the sound of the waves. Finally he stilled and let
himself collapse over her back, nuzzling her neck, and slowly stroking the
length of her tattoo.

“Wow.” She could feel his breathing against her back, the
ragged pace finally slowing.

“We better get some clothes on, baby. Sam will be here
soon,” he said as he pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck.

He stood and pulled his body from hers. Kalama felt the loss
of him deep in her core. Straightening, she turned and looked at him. She was
falling hard and fast for the handsome scientist. If she wasn’t careful, she
might lose her heart to the
haole
.

Walking over to him, she placed a quick kiss to his lips.
“Get dressed fast. I don’t want Sam to see you naked. That’s only for me to
enjoy.”

She giggled as he swatted her behind. Shaking her head at
her own girlish behavior she looked for her clothes and quickly got dressed.
She never giggled.

Sam arrived about thirty minutes later, laughing and teasing
them when he discovered that the gas had run out. The friend who brought him
had a spare gas can and helped them fuel up again. Sam ribbed Jack mercilessly
about the incident. They all shared a good laugh as the friend sped away,
leaving Sam with them.

Once they had the boat up and running, the trio headed off
back toward the Big Island. The Bishop Museum had sent over pictures and all
the pertinent data on the break-in to Sam, making their little trip a wasted
endeavor. Kalama bit her lip and remembered the way Jack’s body had felt
pressed to hers, how his cock had felt like magic buried deep inside her. It
hadn’t been a wasted trip after all.

“So I had someone check out the Maui theft and email me the
pictures. I’ve got them on my phone for you to see,” Sam said, pulling the
phone from his back pocket and tossing it to Jack.

Kalama yanked a soda from the cooler and offered it to Sam.
She met his gaze and gasped at the look he gave her. He mouthed the words,
I
know
, to her before turning his attention back to Jack.

“What you know,
braddah
?”

“I talked to the kahuna before I came to get you. I know
about you.” Sam’s words were barely a whisper over the sound of the water. “Can
I see the pictures, please?”

Jack handed her the phone and she scrolled through the
pictures.

“This is Kaiwi O Pele, Bones of Pele.”

Sam nodded at her words. “Someone dug up a huge plot of land
right near there. Again, looking for something.”

Kalama sighed and looked over the pictures, focusing on the
details such as the disturbed earth and the lack of footprints.

“Damn,” she swore under her breath. Once more it seemed her
aunt had beaten her to the tiki piece. There were only two remaining. A chill
cut through, her chased by guilt. While she’d been having naughty fun with
Jack, her aunt already had three pieces of the tiki.

“It’s okay, Kalama. We’ll find a way to stop her,” Jack
whispered, his words for her ears only, before turning his focus away.

“Ka’hu.”
The word came low, barely escaping past
Sam’s lips. “Guardian.”

Kalama lifted her head and met Sam’s eyes. “What did you
say?”

“I know what you are, guardian. My
kahuna
told me you
were coming,” Sam said, flashing a sly smile. “I won’t tell Jack.”

Kalama looked at both men, and then let out a dry laugh. “He
knows. My aunt tried to drown us before you got here.”

“She’s out of control, Kalama. You need to stop her. I like
my islands right where they are,” Sam said with a sigh.

“I know. I’m pretty fond of them too. Unfortunately I have
no clue where the other pieces are.” Kalama flopped down on one of the benches
running along the sides of the boat, the enormity of the task before her
finally taking its toll.

“One is at Hulihe’e Palace on the Kona side. The
kahuna
told me to tell you it is in one of the display cases on the lower level.”

Kalama looked over at Jack, standing so strong and steadfast
at the wheel. Strangely she found herself growing more and more attached to
him. He’d somehow managed to get under her skin and she wasn’t entirely certain
she wanted him gone. She sighed at the thought. There was no way she could get
permanently involved with a mortal. Her uncle, Kane, the ruler of all Hawaii
would never allow it. A wave of sadness washed over her for a moment but she
shook it off, determined to enjoy the time she had left with Jack before she
was forced to let him go.

“We’ll just have to get to it before she does,” Jack said,
tossing the statement over his shoulder, and she couldn’t help but notice the
strong lines of his back.

He was starting to understand but neither he nor Sam had a
clue what was still to come. She would have to confront her aunt and fight her.
The ground was going to shake and the heavens would cry. Lava would run like
blood and there would only be one survivor. She sent a silent prayer to Kane to
protect the mortals on these islands when the battle finally came.

* * * * *

It was evening by the time the trio pulled into Kailua
Harbor. Since Kalama told him her plan to break into the Hulihe’e Palace once
the tourists headed for bed, Jack’d been on the edge of his seat. He still
couldn’t believe Sam, a dedicated HPD officer, was willing to assist them. Sam
had gone to the station house, which sat about a block away down the road. He
figured he would be able to keep tabs on the cops in town from there and tip
off Jack and Kalama if trouble was headed their way. That left Jack and Kalama
alone in Kona with a palace to break into and a tiki piece to steal.

Unlike Honolulu, most foot traffic in Kona died down around
ten. The joke among the locals was that they rolled up the sidewalks at seven.
That meant they had a couple hours before the street would be vacant enough for
Kalama to make her covert attempt to get the tiki piece from the palace.

So they sat at Sam Choy’s Kai Lanai Restaurant, their rental
car parked just outside waiting for them. The table was in a semi-secluded area
of the patio with an almost perfect view.

Jack grabbed the water glass in front of him and looked out
the open-air walls, enjoying the stunning two hundred and thirty degree view of
the ocean below.

“Relax, Jack,” Kalama said, dragging his focus from the
ocean to her beautiful face. He loved how the soft light of the setting sun
caressed her features.

“We’re going to break into a national park site. I’m not
sure I can relax,” Jack said before taking a sip of his water.

“I’m going to break in. You’re going to watch.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.” She
picked up her fork, wiggling her eyebrows at him playfully before taking a bite
of her fish wrapped in
ti’
leaves.

“I just bet you do,” he said with a smile before attacking
his food. “Going to pull some hocus-pocus to get us in?”

“No, I thought I’d pick the lock and go from there,” she
said, her mouth thinning in annoyance.

“Does your name have a meaning? I know lots of Hawaiian
names have special meanings,” he said, quickly changing the subject. Apparently
having amazing sex with her after she saved them from a typhoon didn’t give him
the right to poke fun at her magical powers.

“Her name means living flame. Apropos for a fire guardian,
isn’t it?” The voice was a low hiss that surged over his shoulder like a barrel
wave.

Jack barely turned his head before the speaker came into
view, sliding into an empty chair at the table.

“Nani? What are you doing here?” Jack asked. He didn’t know
why his lab assistant was on the leeward side of the island. He’d left her in
charge of HVO and was a little more than curious as to who was watching the
site.

“Kalama can tell you.” Nani turned her attention to Kalama,
the woman’s icy gaze seemingly boring through his lover.

“
Aloha
, auntie,” Kalama’s voice was incredibly tight
and laced with barely concealed anger. “Trapped in human form again, I see.”

“Thanks to my brother. But I won’t be for long. When I
regain my strength I’ll have all the tiki pieces and your mother will finally
get what she deserves.”

Jack eyed both of the women, not fully sure of what was
going on but ready to grab Kalama and pull her to safety if needed. His
protective streak had kicked in as soon as Nani had shown up. A multitude of
questions jumped to mind about Nani but he kept quiet for the time being.

Everything seemed to click into focus and Jack finally
understood what was going on. The disturbances had started around the time Nani
came to work for HVO. She’d never seemed to express any concern about the
vandalism that happened on the rim. In fact, now that he thought about it, Jack
realized she even appeared to enjoy the disruptions. It had never occurred to
him that she was the cause of the trouble.

“I know what you did all those years ago. My mother finally
told me what really happened to my father. You killed him,” Kalama said.

A small rumbling began to shift the ground beneath Jack’s
feet. That meant only one thing, Kalama was pissed. He looked at her and
noticed that her eyes, usually inky obsidian, were ringed with red. They glowed
deep in her face.

He reached out and placed a hand over hers, lightly
caressing his fingers along her knuckles. The gesture was not overt, but Nani
caught it with those sharp eyes of hers.

“You should have been mine. But as soon as she arrived you
wanted her. A whore like her mother.”

“Don’t ever speak to her like that again,” Jack rose to his
feet, sidestepping just enough to put Kalama behind him. He stood almost eye to
eye with the woman. “If I hear you call her a name like that every again,
goddess or not, I will make you sorry.”

Nani raised a hand and set a single fingertip on his chest.
She snarled at him and her eyes snapped with anger.

“Watch yourself, Doctor. There is no way you can hurt me.”

Jack’s chest began to tighten and he was having trouble
pulling in air. His arms felt thick and heavy. Water was filling his mouth and
pouring down his throat and he was unable to stop it. He tried coughing but
nothing seemed to help. Air was in short supply. He was drowning where he
stood.

“Stop it, you’re killing him.” Kalama clutched his hand
tight and jumped to her feet, glaring at her aunt.

“You’d be wise to watch your tongue around me,
manini
.
I may be in human form but I can still cause you and your little pet harm.”

“Stop please, don’t hurt him anymore.”

Nani pulled her hand back, a look of disgust on her face.

Jack felt the air rush into his lungs and it almost knocked
him to his knees. He gripped the edge of the table with his hands to steady
himself, unable to let go of Kalama with the other. “You don’t scare me. Kalama
gripped his hand tighter, as if drawing strength from him. Jack felt the heat
from her palm surge through and pass to him. It was one of the oddest
sensations he’d ever experienced. Of course, he’d never gotten romantically
involved with demi-goddess before, so he was pretty much treading on virgin
territory in every aspect.

“Mark my words. I will destroy your mother once and for all.
Get off the island while you can. Take him with you. This is not your fight.”
The look on Nani’s face softened. For the briefest moment the hard veneer
around her cracked and Jack saw the goodness deep inside. She did love her
niece.

The glowing in Kalama’s eyes faded to a slow burn, the red
that had ringed the irises melting away. “Auntie, I have to stay. She’s my
mother. Hawaii is my home. I can’t let you destroy it.”

Nani seemed to contemplate this for a moment. “Give me the
piece and run away. Be warned. Any
aloha
I might have felt for you died
when you took him from me. You’re just like your mother. I’m going to tear you
apart and then I’m going to rip a hole in the sea and swallow these islands.”

Kalama’s grip tightened even more as she and Nani stared at
each other as the minutes ticked by, neither woman backing down.

“I warned you,” Nani said with finality and strode away from
the table.

Silence wrapped itself around the table as she helped him
slip back into his chair. His legs and arms still felt heavy and unwieldy but
at least now he could breathe. Kalama seemed lost in her own thoughts leaving
Jack to simply wait.

“I’m sorry I can’t help you more,” Jack said, embarrassed at
his weakness but all his training was nothing against a pissed-off goddess with
a grudge.

Kalama looked over the table at him, her eyes glowing with
something other than anger this time. She reached a hand across the space and
caressed her knuckles down his cheek in a tender gesture.

“You helped me more than you know. I was afraid she was
going to kill you. I was scared she would take you from me.”

The silence stretched between them once more.

“Let’s pay and get out of here. I won’t be comfortable until
that tiki piece is in my hands and we’re safe at home on the Hilo side,” Jack
said, digging for his wallet. The sooner they found the piece, the sooner this
madness would end.

Kalama visibly shook and the only way to keep the fear from
her eyes was to beat her aunt to Hilo.

“Come on. It should be dark enough for your cloak and dagger
act now. Let’s roll,” he said, tossing more than enough money on the table and
grabbing her hand. “We’ll stop her. I promise.”

The moon shone like a big silver ball in the sky by the time
they arrived at Hulihe’e Palace. Situated as it was on the seawall overlooking
Kailua Bay, Kalama could remember a time when the
Ali’i
ruled the
grounds. Kalama would have liked a blanket of darkness but she had plans for
that pesky orb.

The brightness of the moon off the water was paramount on
Jack’s mind. In fact it was all he’d talked about for the first ten minutes
they’d been on the property. She’d done her best to reassure him, even telling
him to wait in the car, but to no avail. He wouldn’t leave her side. The
protective vibe he was throwing off was pretty sexy. The way the moonlight
skated across the defined muscles of his body, emphasized by the soft, blue
button-down shirt he’d worn was pretty sexy too.

Giving herself a mental slap, she pulled her focus off of
Jack’s amazing frame and turned to the chore at hand. Looking around, she made
sure no one was in the immediate vicinity before climbing over the lava rock
wall that ringed the property. A small house sat to one side of the palace and
served as quarters for the groundskeeper.

“I can’t believe this is a palace. It’s like a really nice
beach house,” Jack whispered as he followed close behind her as she made her
way toward the back door of the structure.

Kalama shook her head and stifled a giggle. It was a common
misconception. When mainlanders heard the word palace their brains immediately
headed toward Buckingham.

“This was a popular summer home for the
Ali’i
. The
piece we’re looking for is inside among the other artifact from Kalakaua and
Liliuokalani’s reigns.”

“How are we going to find it?” Jack asked

“We’re not. It’s going to find us.” She tossed him a smile
and headed up the back stairs of the palace.

The sound of crunching grass came from the left.

Kalama wrapped her arms around Jack’s neck and pulled his
head down until his lips met hers. The kiss was gentle at first—a tool to cover
up their covert operation— then became a slight pressure that fueled the
already raging fires inside her. Kalama groaned low in her throat as Jack took
charge and deepened the kiss, his tongue wetting the seam of her mouth, begging
entry. She gladly gave it to him. He rocked his hips forward, his erection
straining at the front of his cargo pants. The first brush of his hardness
against her stomach sent a shock through her very core. All thoughts of the
tiki pieces, breaking and entering and everything else slipped from her mind as
she continued to allow Jack to consume her.

She ran her fingers through his thick hair, savoring the
feel of the locks.

“What are you two up to? You shouldn’t be here,” the gruff
voice cut through the sexual haze Jack was creating with his magic lips and
talented hands.

She pulled back and glanced over Jack’s shoulder to meet the
annoyed stare of the groundskeeper. He was an older man with a wizened face and
a knowledgeable stare.

“Sorry, uncle.” Kalama slid her hands down from Jack’s neck
but let them rest on the strong muscles of his pecs, unwilling to break the
contact. It had been hours since he’d last been inside her and Kalama found
herself bereft at the thought.

“You take that stuff on home, sistah,” the old man said as
he seemed to fight the smile simmering just below the surface of the annoyed
expression he wore.

Kalama flashed him a grin and a wink. “We will, uncle.
Mahalo
.”
She stepped away from Jack, letting her hand slide down the buttons of his
shirt.

“Hurry on, now,” he said with a smile and continued on his
way around the grounds. Apparently he’d spied them on his evening stroll.

Kalama waited until the caretaker had rounded the corner of
the house before turning back to Jack.

“We need to hurry. He’ll most likely be back around in no
time. I’m calling for help,” Kalama said. She headed toward the seawall and
looked up at the moon.

“Who are you calling?”

Kalama pointed toward the moon hanging over their head.
“Her. She sees everything. If anyone knows where that piece is, Hina will.”

“Let me guess, another relative?” Jack asked.

“Yes, another aunt. But a good one who loves me and will
help us.” Looking around to make sure they were well and truly alone this time,
she headed down the steps in the grassy area.

Turning her face to the sky, she smiled and took a deep breath.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on the moon, her aunt Hina, and whispered
her plea into the still night. The sound of Jack’s breathing and hers mingled
with the ocean lapping against the rocks just beyond the seawall in front of
her.

“Making trouble again, little one?”

Kalama’s smile widened as she opened her eyes. A petite
woman with silvery streaks in her pitch-black hair sat on the rock wall. A
white muumuu that almost glittered in the moonlight hugged her slight frame.

“Auntie.” Kalama crossed the remaining distance and hugged
the woman fiercely. “Jack, this is Hina.” Catching Jack’s eye over her
shoulder, she gestured him down from the porch. “The goddess of the Moon.”

Jack made his way across the grass until he stood in front
of her, towering over her like some Nordic god. Kalama smiled at the picture it
made.

“How do you do?” He gave her a small smile, clearly still
not use to people simply popping in and out of thin air around him.

“I’ve been watching you, Dr. O’Connor. I think you care more
about Hawaii, and my niece, than you admit to yourself,” Hina said, a laugh in
her voice.

Kalama flushed under her Aunt’s knowing gaze. As the Moon
goddess, Hina saw everything that happened under the light of her home. Kalama
knew exactly what her Aunt had seen in Jack.

“Auntie, we need to know where the tiki piece is. Can you
help us? My mother and Hawaii need my help.”

“I see what’s in your heart, my girl. Kane will help you
when the time comes. Be brave enough to ask for his help.”

“The piece, please,” Kalama said, knowing full well that
Hina was talking about Jack.

Hina nodded with a smile and pointed toward a large lava
boulder that was partially buried in the grass.

“There. Dig there but make sure to put it all back before
you leave.”

Kalama walked to the spot and examined it. She looked up to
Jack and gestured for him to join her.

“Thank you. We appreciate your help.” But Hina was gone.
Vanished as quickly as she came. Kalama knelt down and began to dig in the spot
the Moon Goddess had shown them. Jack knelt beside her, the heat and strength
of him radiating around them.

“I’m not sure I could get used to your relatives coming and
going the way they do. The whole vanishing into thin air thing is a bit
disconcerting.”

His fingers brushed hers as he helped her dig. She stopped a
moment, thinking of how to phrase the question that burned on her mind. Licking
her lips, she looked up at him, his handsome features outlined in the glow of
the moon.

“Would you want to? Get used to my family?” The question was
soft, almost not making it over the sound of the waves just below.

“Yeah, I think I would…but how?” he asked, taking one of her
hands in his.

“I don’t know. But we figured out this tiki puzzle, we can
figure out my little immortality issue if we put our heads together. We make a
good team.”

Jack laughed and returned to digging. “This would go a lot
faster if we’d thought to bring tools. Maybe there is one over by the
caretaker’s house. I’ll do my best ninja impersonation and see what I can
find.” Jack stood and took off over the grass. Kalama laughed softly, almost
certain from his movements that he had some sort of theme song going on in his
head. If the situation weren’t so dire this little jaunt would have been a fun
adventure.

She continued using her hands to dig the hole deeper,
searching for the tiki piece. Her hands were a wreck by the time Jack returned,
a spade in hand. He wore a pleased expression on his face.

With the newly stolen spare the pair made short work of
finding the tiki piece. Kalama let out a little cry of happiness when they
struck pay dirt. Wrapped in a plastic tarp, the wooden section lifted out of
the ground easily. Kalama peeled back the covering and looked up at Jack.

“We did it.”

“Come on, baby. Let’s get this thing home. Go back to the
car and wait for me. I’ll fill in the hole and return the spade, and then we
can get out of here.”

Kalama nodded, brushing her hands on her shorts as she rose
to her feet. Holding out her hands for the tiki piece, she smiled down at Jack.
The look in his eyes spoke volumes. Kalama knew she needed to find a way to
stay with Jack in Hawaii. Clutching the piece tight, she walked to the rental
car across the street, glancing over her shoulder to watch Jack in the
moonlight once more. She’d come home. Now all she had left to do was figure out
how to keep it.

* * * * *

The tiki rested between them as they drove the Saddle Road
toward Hilo. It would take two more hours to get home, but Kalama had insisted
that they drive back now. She was desperate to get back and give the piece to
Pele.

“Why don’t you get some sleep?” Jack asked.

“I’m good,” she said, leaning her head back against the
cushioned headrest and staring at the stars.

“How about some air?”

Kalama watched as her window slid down, filling the interior
of the car with fresh island air. The nearness of Jack and their brief but
scorching encounter at the palace left her panties wet and her body aching.

“When we get back to Hilo we can take…”

Her words stalled in her throat and her head snapped back in
his direction as Jack’s fingers slid over the top of her tank top, dipped into
the neckline and captured a nipple. “Jack.”

He was focused on the highway but his fingers worked magic
on her hardening peak.

“Um, Jack,” she said slowly, the words slipping past her
lips in a soft sigh.

“Want me to stop?” Still staring straight ahead on the
lonely road cutting through the black lava fields, he continued to concentrate
on his driving, as cool as the ice that formed on Mauna Kea in the winter.

“No.” She’d rather cease converting oxygen into carbon
monoxide. He rolled her nipple between his fingers, the bud hardening. Pleasure
shot down her body and pooled in the juncture between her thighs.

A naughty thought filled her head. If Jack wanted to play on
the solemn drive up Saddle Road, she give him back as good as he gave.

Feeling playful, Kalama twisted in her seat. She shifted
closer to him and leaned in to nuzzle his neck. “I loved having you inside me.”
She ran her tongue over the curves of his ear and bit the tender flesh of his
lobe gently. He shuddered under her touch.

“I loved being there and can’t wait to be there again. Maybe
we should settle down so I don’t crash the car.” His voice was husky and thick.

“Just because you’re driving doesn’t mean I don’t want one
or more of your fingers in my pussy.”

Jack groaned, the sound rumbling low in his body and teased
at her senses.

“Tease,” he whispered, before playfully pushing her back
into her own seat. “Take off your shorts and panties.”

She smiled at him and made short work of the pieces of
clothing standing between her and paradise.

“Spread your legs, baby.”

She did as he asked, feeling wicked at riding bare-assed
across the island in the middle of the night. This was the craziest thing she
had ever done, which said a lot for someone two hundred and seventy years old.

His hand slid between her legs and found the slick source of
her desire. Knuckles brushed her folds and sent a jolt of moisture to her core.
Gently he glided a finger into her slippery, hot pussy. The rough texture of
his skin scraped along her flesh, making her moan.

She arched her back off the seat and spread her legs even
wider as she pushed herself toward his sweet invasion of her body. She clenched
around him, savoring the feel of his thick finger buried in her body, wishing
it was his cock instead.

“Jack, please,” she urged.

He withdrew his single digit, and added a second, then
inserted them both into her dripping pussy. Kalama felt as if she would shatter
into a million pieces as he steadily thrust his fingers in and out of her
pussy.

His thumb moved up her tender folds to her clit.

Kalama groaned when he made contact with her trigger point.

“Is this what you want, Kalama?” He pushed his fingers
deeper while his thumb held steady against her throbbing clit.

“Make me come, please.” Her voice trailed off as his fingers
began pumping with more urgency into her pussy. Faster and harder, he pumped
into her as the pressure gradually increased. She got ever closer to the edge.
He pushed his thumb against her clit and she flew apart.

Her hips jerked off the seat and she screamed, filling the
cool night air streaming through the open window with his name.

With one final shudder she succumbed to the aftershocks of
the climax. Jack eased his hand away and brought his fingers to his lips.
Kalama watched as he licked his fingers clean of the taste of her.

She looked down at the sizable bulge tenting his cargo
pants.

“Want me to help you with that,
ku’uipo
?” she asked,
snuggling up to him. A sense of something deeper than lust shot through her as
the endearment passed her lips. She’d never stayed in one place too long, never
gotten really close to another person. Especially a mortal.

“
Ku’uipo
, huh? I like hearing you call me sweetheart.
So tell me, how does a demi-goddess handle relationships? Can you ever, you
know, become mortal, I mean if you wanted to…” He raked a hand through his hair
in obvious frustration. “I’m making a mess of this.”