Magic of the Wood House (The Elemental Phases Book 6) (16 page)

“I
knew you weren’t gonna let me set the pace for long.”  Sullivan sat up to yank
his jacket off.  His hands were so tender when they touched her, but they
impatiently ripped at his clothes.  The khaki fabric hit the floor with half
the sleeve ripped off.  His powers were trying to get free, adding to his
strength.  Sullivan stared down at her for a beat and then gave his head a slow
shake.  “I feel… The energy is growing.   It’s...”  He trailed off.

“I
know.  Phazing’s always like that.”

Sullivan
snorted.  “If this is normal, then I must be dating the wrong girls.”

“No
kidding they were the wrong girls.”  She frowned in annoyance, already plotting
to kill every other woman her Match had even looked at.  “What were their
names?”

“Darlin’,
I don’t remember anyone but you.”  He pulled his shirt off over his head, not
bothering to unbutton it, and kicked off his shoes.  “Have I mentioned that
you’re beautiful?  Or is it breaking the no-personal-stuff rules to keep saying
that?”

It
probably was, but Teja didn’t care.  “Just start hurrying, Sheriff.”

“I
told you, I want to go slow, so it’ll last.”

“Well,
I’m
not gonna last if you keep it up.”  Teja attacked the fastening of
his pants.  “Typical that I get the most contrary Match in the world.  I should
ask you to go slower, so you’ll speed up.”

“I
thought you were about issuing order and not asking permission.”  Still, he
didn’t move as she fumbled with the zipper of his jeans.  Her fingers brushed
against him and his eyes closed with pleasure.  “This is the strangest day of
my life.”

“I
wish I could say that, but you’ve met my family.  Once, they accidently set
Chicago on fire.”

That
momentarily got his attention.  “Your family stared the Great Chicago Fire?”

“Well,
to hear them tell it, a cow set them up.”  She rolled her eyes.  “They blame
that cow for everything, I swear to God.  I keep telling them the damn thing’s
been dead for a hundred years, but they won’t let it go.  I seriously have to
hear about this evil cow
all the time
.”

Sullivan’s
mouth curved.  “I shouldn’t find that funny, should I?”

“No,
you shouldn’t.  They drive me insane.  We should just let them get Banished and
save ourselves the headache.”

He
actually laughed at her grumbling.  His happiness somehow shifted her desire to
an even higher gear.  She was going to lose her mind if she couldn’t get him
inside of her soon.

“Teja,
every minute I’m with you --even the weird ones-- is so
magical
…”  He
trailed off with a bemused expression.  “You’re just awesome.  In the
‘inspiring of awe’ sense of the word.”

“I
know.”  She got Sullivan’s pants unfastened and slipped her hand inside of
them.  He felt so good.  So warm and firm.

“Oh
fuck
.”  Sullivan jerked in her grasp and she grinned.

The
Phazing energy was going to explode.  The Fire and Cold powers Teja held would
get loose and meet Sullivan’s Wood energy at any moment.  It was the
culmination of Phazing.  Teja had the belated realization that Sullivan wouldn’t
understand it, though.

“Sullivan,
when I tell you, you have to do something, okay?”

“Okay.” 
Sullivan drew out the word like a prayer.  “Right.  Anything.  Hang on.”  Two
second later, he was finally stripping off his pants.  “Now, we can start
hurrying.  I…”  He hesitated and then swore.  “Fuck.  Wait.”  He grabbed his pants
again, fishing in the pockets for his wallet.  “Condom.  I’d better fucking
have it.”

Teja
ignored that.  “When I tell you to, you have to release your energy.  It’s
dormant inside of you and when it hits mine, you’ll feel it wake up.  I’m sure
of it.”

“I
already feel energy.”  He muttered.  “I feel like there’s a damn lightning
storm… Oh, thank Christ.”  He held up a condom triumphantly.  “Do these things
have expiration dates?”

“I
don’t know.”  She didn’t think they even worked with Elementals.  “Look, the
full Phazing energy is bigger.”  She ran a hand over the width of his chest,
because she couldn’t help herself.  Sullivan was the awesome one.  “You’ll
understand when it happens and then you have to drop the barriers and release
your powers.  It should be instinctive.  Don’t fight it.”

Sullivan
ripped open the condom and nodded vaguely while he put it on.  “Right.”  He edged
Teja back onto the sofa cushions.  “Energy and release.  Absolutely.”

“No
argument for once?”  Teja kissed his scarred cheek, loving the feel of it under
her mouth.  “Good boy, human!”

“Funny.” 
Sullivan body covered hers, pressing her into the pillows.

Teja’s
control weakened even more.  Her breathing got ragged and she parted her legs
so Sullivan could fit between them.  His palm traveled up the inside of her
thigh and Teja jolted.  The Fire and Cold energy slipped out in a brief pulse.

“Oh…
God
.”  Sullivan’s eyes went blank with pleasure as her powers hit
against him.  “Jesus.”  He was still noticeably careful when he touched her,
but there was a new urgency as he caught her leg up and opened her wider. 
“Darlin’, whatever you just did… Do it again.  And again.  And
again
.”

Teja
would have laughed if she still had emotions.  Or if she wasn’t struggling just
to breathe.  “I’m not going to be able to hold it back much longer.”  She
warned.  “You sure you’re ready?”

Sullivan
made a scoffing sound and stroked her breast, again.  “Christ, yes I’m sure.” 
He moved forward so he was right at the entrance to her body.  “Are you sure that
you’re
ready, though.”  He really was a born protector.  “You sure that
you’re still… sure?”

Teja
answered the question in the most effective way possible.

She
released her energy.

Fire
and Cold powers flowed between them, free and incendiary.  Teja could have
sworn she saw the power slam into Sullivan’s.  Bright and twirling, it washed
over them.  There was a throb of pure pleasure deep inside of her.  It was
perfect.  Better than anything she’d ever felt.

But,
Sullivan had to let go, too.

Damn
it, he had to release his own powers so they could complete the Phazing.

“Holy
fuck
!”  Sullivan bellowed.  He pushed inside of her, as if he couldn’t
help himself.  One hand found the streak at her temple again, fisting in her
curls.  “Oh Jesus.”  His body slid into her as far as he could go.  “
Teja.
” 
He squeezed his eyes shut and began to move in and out.  Faster and faster.

Teja’s
head fell back in ecstasy.  This was what she’d been waiting for all her life. 
This sense of connection and rightness.  Of belonging.  It was amazing.  Sullivan
Pryce, the chief skeptic of all things Elemental, was magic.  In that moment,
it was all so clear to her.

“Sullivan,
you have to drop your barriers!”  She cried, arching to meet his thrusts. 
“Please.  Do it now. 
Please.
”

Dazed
brown eyes opened to meet hers.  “How?”

Teja
tried to think, but she had no idea how she could explain it to him.  It just
happened
,
the same way your heartbeat and your breath went in and out.  Not even the strongest
Phases could hold back their Phazing energy when they’d gone this far, so
Sullivan should have already been releasing his.  She knew he had enough power
to combine with hers.  She could feel it.  He just wasn’t letting it free.

Shit.

“Sullivan!” 
Goddamn it, she was so
close
.  She wouldn’t be able to hang on for much
longer.  What was going on?  Had she somehow misinterpreted their bond or was
he doing something to stop the Phazing?  He was a human.  Maybe he had to
choose…

Before
Teja could figure it out, her body exploded.  She couldn’t stop the orgasm from
ripping through her, sending her system into complete meltdown.

Sullivan
was right behind her, his stunned eyes locking on hers as he came.

Intimate.

It
was too intimate to have him watching at her like that.  He could see too much.

Teja
knew she should look away…  But she didn’t.  Not even when Sullivan bent his
head so he could kiss her again, his gaze still meeting hers.  “Thank you.”  He
sounded awed.

Teja
almost
felt an emotion.

And
it
almost
felt like huge, world-changing, never-getting-free-of-this-man
love
.

Only
that would be the stupidest thing she could ever possibly feel.  Because they
hadn’t Phazed.  Sullivan’s energy hadn’t reached out to grab hers, even though
it should’ve been a biological imperative.  There was no way he could’ve
resisted the pull of the Phazing energy.  Not if his powers had felt the full
force of it like hers had.

Which
meant that Sullivan Pryce might be Teja’s Match… but she clearly wasn’t his.

There is
little of human interest in a storm; it is an absorbing element.  You may see
flame and smoke, and hurrying men, and human passion at a great conflagration;
but they are all earthly and nothing more.

Haskell’s Account of the Battle of Gettysburg

Christmas
Morning

“You
want some…?  Uh…”  Sullivan stared inside his refrigerator, hopelessly hoping
that something edible would magically appear behind the jar of mustard and the
carton of expired milk.  As usual, magic was missing in action, so he had to
make do.  “Some --uh-- cookie dough?”

His
cousin Melanie had brought over tons of the stuff when they’d trimmed the
tree.  Christmas cookies and decorating went hand-in-hand, but it was kind of a
stretch for a breakfast food.  Sullivan didn’t have many other options, though.

He
held it up so Teja could see the tube over the edge of the door.  “It’s
chocolate chip.”

She
didn’t even look his way.  “I’m fine.”

Since
they’d gotten up that morning, Teja had been even moodier than usual.  Call it
a wild guess, but Sullivan was betting that she regretted sleeping with him.

Huge
fucking shock.

He
could’ve told her it was a mistake.  In fact, he
had
told her.  It pissed
him off that he’d somehow disappointed her, but he wasn’t surprised.  He’d
suspected from the beginning that Teja had wanted some mysterious, unexplained,
Cult-y
something
from sex and that she wouldn’t find it with him.  How
could she, when he was just a human?  Sullivan had known that everything would
go bad as soon as they tried the “Phazing” thing and she realized he wasn’t an
Elemental.  He should have worked harder to resist temptation.

But,
Jesus, it had been incredible.

Sullivan
shook his head and tossed the leftover cookie dough back into the empty fridge. 
“Alright, look,” he walked through the archway and into the dining room to join
her, “do you want to --like-- talk about it?”

Teja
was standing in front of the bookcase, staring at the stacks of comic books on
the shelves.  “There’s nothing to talk about.”  She said quietly.

“Is
that some kind of girl-code that means I fucked up?”

“No. 
It means that I already know what I have to do, so there’s no sense in dragging
it out.”  She pulled free a well-worn graphic novel, flipping through the
pages.  “This is the only piece of you in this whole house.”  She murmured. 
“Everything else you hide.”

Sullivan
shifted uncomfortably.  His house looked bland because he’d never cared about
it enough to decorate.  It wasn’t where he belonged.  On some level, he’d
always known that.

“I
grew up reading about superheroes.”  He muttered, wanting to talk about
something else.  His gaze skimmed over the haphazard piles of
Batman
,
Green
Lantern
,
Thor
, and
Ghost Rider
.  “I should sell these. 
They’re probably worth a fortune.”

“Except
you won’t.”  Teja said and she was right.  “What do you like about them?”

I
want to believe in magic and they’re as close as I can get.

Sullivan
hesitated, surprised that he’d almost said that out loud.

“Another
private question?”  She guessed when he remained silent.  “Damn it, is it
really
that
hard for you to share anything?”  Teja was the one who came
up with the rules, but she somehow made it sound like
Sullivan
was being
unreasonable for following them.

His
jaw tightened in frustration.  “As a boy, comic books offered me an escape.” 
He heard himself say.

Teja
glanced up at him, an odd expression on her face.  “An escape from what?”

Sullivan
turned away.  “My father and I didn’t get along.”  He said shortly and moved
into the living room.  Going into work seemed like a bad idea, but it was weird
not to be getting ready.  There were always a ton of domestic calls on
Christmas.  “Did you check on your cousin Freya, yet?”

“She’s
still asleep.  Or out cold.  However you want to split that hair.”  Teja gave a
distracted shrug.  “She’ll be fine.”  She followed him, looking more determined. 
“Sullivan?”

“Yeah?”

Teja
took a deep breath.  “Did you… feel anything last night?”

Sullivan
turned to look at her incredulously.  “Did I
feel
anything?”  He echoed.

She
made a face at him.  “Not just physically.  Did you feel anything with your
powers?
”

“I
don’t have any powers.”  How many times did he have to tell her that?

“Except
you
do
and they didn’t link with mine.”  She squared her jaw, like she
was about to rip off a bandage.  “Our energies should’ve connected.  They
always
connect when you’re with your Match.”

It
didn’t take a psychic to see where this was headed.  “So, now you don’t think
I’m the right guy for you.”  Sullivan translated.  The sinking feeling his
stomach made him glad he’d skipped the raw cookie dough for breakfast.  He’d known
this would happen, but it still burned.  “I’m a human, Teja.  There’s nothing I
can do about that.”

“You’re
not just a human.  You’re an
Elemental
.  If you can’t Phaze with me,
then I’m not your Match.  That’s just the way it works.”

Sullivan
crossed his arms over his chest.  “I never said I was your Match. 
You
said that.”

Teja
didn’t appreciate that comment.  She somehow managed to look like she was the
injured party.  “
I’m
not blame for this.  
I’m
the one who’s been
pushing for us to Phaze, all along. 
You’re
the one who’s been insisting
that it wouldn’t work.”

Sullivan
arched a brow.  “Yeah, and seems like I was right, wasn’t I?  I knew this would
happen.”  He’d tried to hold back everything he could from her, anticipating
the heartbreak, but it still hurt like hell.  “I kept telling you it was a
mistake to get involved, but you wouldn’t listen.”

“You’re
just a fucking genius, I guess.”  She snapped.  He had the weird feeling she
was angry at his response.  Teja studied him, like she was trying to read his
mind.  “Do you want to say anything else?”  She prompted when he stayed quiet.

Sullivan
shrugged, not looking at her anymore.  He’d expected her to leave and now it
was happening.  Only a lifetime of not belonging to anyone kept him from begging
her to reconsider.  Hell, it was almost a relief to get it over with so
quickly.  If this didn’t happen now, it would just happen later and hurt even
worse.  Sullivan was used to be alone.  It was safer.

“What
would you like me to say?”  He asked instead.  “You told me that you don’t want
me to be your boyfriend or whatever.  I expected that, so…

“
Why
did you expect it?”  She interrupted, looking increasingly enraged by his calm
acceptance.  “I just don’t understand what’s going wrong here.  Fire Phases
always
know their Match.  I
still
look at you and know you’re mine.  But, you
don’t even seem to care.  What do you sense that I don’t?”

“I
just always knew it would be a mistake to get attached to you.” Sullivan said
truthfully.  “I knew you wouldn’t stay.”

Teja
ran a hand through her hair.  “Why would you think your own Match would leave
you?  That doesn’t even make any sense.  Matches
always
stay together.”

“You’re
leaving right now.”

“Because,
I’m not your Match!  That’s what I’m trying to tell you.  You’re mine, but I’m
not yours.  It’s rare, but it happens.”

“If
you say so.”

She
kept trying to convince him.  Or maybe herself.  “Your energy didn’t connect
with mine, which must mean you have an
actual
Match out there.  Someone
who’s probably looking for you.  Someone who feels things, and who isn’t frozen
inside, and who can give you what I can’t.”  She rubbed at her temple.  “Rule
Five of being a Fire Phase says I have to protect my Match from everything,
even myself.  So, I’m doing what’s best for you and letting you go find her.”

Sullivan
knew that there was no one else out there for him.  All of his instincts told
him so.  Still, he nodded at Teja, because it was better than making a fool of
himself and telling her she was the only one he’d ever want.  “Fine.”  He
agreed, shortly.

Teja
blinked, surprised out of her martyrdom.  “Fine?”

“Fine. 
I’ll find someone else.”  He just wanted her to stop talking and leave him
alone to be… alone.

Teja’s
lips pressed into a tight line, looking even angrier than before.  “
Fine
. 
Find someone else, if you want.”

“Fine,
I
will
.”  But that wasn’t what he wanted and there wasn’t a damn thing
he could do about it.

“Fine!” 
Teja shouted.  “And when you do, try to be more open with her than you have
been with me.  It’s fucking annoying when you talk and reveal
nothing
.”

She
was giving him dating advice now?  Sullivan’s temper sparked.  He’d been trying
to deal with their inevitable break-up in calm and dispassionate way, but the
woman was
out of her mind
.  She was tearing out his goddamn soul and
leaving him alone with
nothing
and she wanted to lecture him on the
importance of communication?

He
got to his feet.  “Because you’re such a fount of information, right?”  He
snarled.  “What exactly have you been expecting me to reveal?  You flat out
told
me that you didn’t want any emotions between us, Teja.  You said you didn’t
want to share.”

“I
don’t have emotions!”  She bellowed.  “
You’re
supposed to, though.”

“Oh,
I’m feeling things.  Believe me.”

She
shook her head.  “I swear to Gaia, I’m starting to think that you
deliberately
didn’t Phaze with me.  I think it’s a human thing.  You’re somehow controlling
your powers, because you don’t
want
me for a Match.  You’re a human, and
humans can choose, and you don’t choose me!”

“So,
it’s
my
fault, now.”  He gave a harsh laugh.  “Very convenient for you.”

“What’s
that supposed to mean?”

“It
means that you have been terrified of knowing me since the first moment we
met.  You’ve wanted me
gone
and, now that you have the opportunity to
walk away, you’re twisting it all around so you’re acting heroically and I’m
the bad guy.”

“That’s
bullshit.”

“You’re
scared and we both know it. 
That’s
what this is about.  This energy
thing is just the first excuse you could latch onto.”

“That
is
bullshit!
”

“Tell
yourself whatever you want.”  He turned away, before he said something he
couldn’t take back.  Rarely had his emotions been this frayed.  Everything
inside of him was screaming that this was wrong.  That she wasn’t supposed to
go.  Teja was
his
.  “What are we even arguing about?  You already said
you’re done, right?”

“Maybe
I am, but you never even
started
, so you
can’t
be done.”  She
retorted.  “You think
I’ve
been scared?  At least, I fucking showed up! 
I’ve admitted that you’re my Match. 
You
were preparing for the end
before we even began.  You didn’t put
anything
of yourself into this
relationship.”

“What
have
you
put into it?”  He retorted, even though Teja had a point.  He’d
always known that she was a temporary flame in the frigid wasteland of his life. 
Kingu had been right the night before.  What would happen if you started to
rely on the heat and then it vanished?  Wouldn’t the cold just be ten times
more oppressive than before?

“I’ve
put plenty into being your Match, Sullivan.”

“You
started off telling me that you felt nothing for me and never would, remember? 
All that’s changed is that now we’re wanted criminals and you don’t like having
sex with me.”

“Of
course, I like having sex with you, you moron!  That’s not the point.  Your energy…”

He
cut her off.  “Stop with the goddamn energy!  Focus on reality for a minute.” 
He jabbed a finger in her direction.  “You’ve said and done fifty-thousand
weird things to me, but I’ve gone along with it, haven’t I?  I’ve been the
easiest going guy in the world, as matter of fact, because I wanted to be with
you.  So, you trying to blame me for this mess is
ridiculous
.  You’re
the one who’s had an eye on the exit since day one.”

Teja
stared at him.  “You went along with it, because it’s not real to you.”  She
sounded like she was piecing things together.  “
I’m
not real to you. 
You said yourself that you never saw this as lasting.  You never thought that
I’d stay with you.”  She blinked.  “You really don’t trust me, at all.”

“I
don’t trust anyone.  Don’t take it personally.”