Sins of the Flesh (Half-Breed Series Book 2) (22 page)

Knives flipped in a whirl as our chef sliced and diced, moving meat and vegetables around on the grill. The kids cheered, and with a quick smile their way, he piled the rings of onions into a little mountain. My breath locked in my throat as I realized what he was going to do. With a flick of his wrist, he’d poured oil into the center of the stack of onions. Flames erupted from the middle, shooting up.

“Pele came back to Maui,” he told the kids. “This her volcano.”

The kids clapped. I guzzled sake. The little onion volcano sputtered, the flames dying into a puff of smoke, and I relaxed. It was okay. Nothing beyond sautéed onions. A spark leapt from the column of smoke. I shrieked, tossing my water onto the onions. Water beaded, sizzling and dancing across the hot surface. The chef froze, knives in each hand. Everyone stared.

“Sorry. Muscle spasm.” I put the glass down and gulped the rest of my sake. Crap, I needed to stop freaking out. Nothing had happened in two days, and whatever revenge Cleo had for me, it would probably be a whole lot more personal and painful than burned onions.

“Bathroom,” I whispered to Irix, scooting my chair back. What I really needed was fresh air, but a splash of cold water on my face would have to do. Just a few moments to get a grip on myself, then I’d shovel down grilled shrimp and vegetables with the rest of the patrons.

“You okay?” Irix motioned to my empty water glass with concern.

I smiled. “Yeah. I’m fine. Get me another sake though, would you?”

There was nothing untoward as I made my way to the restrooms. I paused by the door, walked in, then scrutinized myself in the mirror. I looked like crap. My bruises were healing under concealer and foundation, but there was a panicked look in my eyes and tense lines around my mouth. Steadying my heartbeat with a few deep breaths, I turned on the water and splashed my face. Better. No more panicking. I might be young. I might be only half demon, but I had skills. And so had Irix. And if the worst happened, I had a whole lot more than a glass of water in my arsenal.

Finally calm, I used the facilities and washed my hands. The door opened, and the click of high heels echoed through the room barely a second before a seductive curl of power touched me. No, she wasn’t going to take me out by turning a crowded restaurant into an inferno, she was going to kill me in the women’s room. Why not? It wasn’t like our contentious relationship hadn’t been one huge stereotypical catfight since the beginning.

After my freak-out over the onions, I was surprisingly calm. Cleo leaned against a stall door after giving it a quick inspection and watched me dry my hands. She didn’t seem particularly angry – more determined. And wary.

“Your Irix is the most intriguing man on the island. He’s certainly the best looking man on the island.”

Okay, talking as opposed to blowing me into a million chunks or setting me on fire. Talking was good, even if the topic
was
my boyfriend.

“That’s because Irix is an incubus.” I paused at her confused expression. “A sex demon.”

Her eyes widened. “I was mistaken. He’s the most intriguing man on the planet. Beautiful
and
skilled in sexual intercourse? I must have him.”

The talking was taking a dangerous turn. I’d try to keep a rein on my temper, but I wasn’t about to hand over Irix like a breakfast sandwich. “And what if he’s not interested?”

She waved a hand. “Nonsense. He’ll fall in love the moment he sees me. I have the looks and the passion to match his. We’re meant for each other.”

“And if he says ‘no’, is he going to join the collection in your arboretum? A pine, or an oak tree, perhaps?”

Suicidal, I know, but I’d rather go out with a bang than a whimper.

Cleo had the grace to look embarrassed. “That was a phase I was going through. Now when I lose my temper, I just set things on fire. Not that it matters. He won’t say ‘no’. They never do – at least not for long.”

We were clearly at an impasse as far as Irix was concerned, but at least we were still talking. Tension thickened the air, but neither of us had lost our temper – so far. This fascination with Irix was a new thing. I needed to discover more about her, her motives, the mage who’d awakened her, and what he’d offered.

“So why are you here?” I waved my hand around. “Why show up and start burning up the island after resting for so long?”

She shifted her weight, eyes not meeting mine. “Fire is what I do. Earthquakes, volcanoes, fire. These have always been my islands. I made them, and all who dwell here – including the humans – are mine.”

“Why now? What do you want, besides Irix?”

“The same thing you want – to live, to have the respect and fear of those I rule.”

I got the whole ‘live’ thing, especially knowing there was a price on my head. I even got the respect thing. But fear? Cleo wanted control, and everyone I knew that wanted control had a deeper reason. Insecurity, fear, a need for predictability and order made humans crave control. I assumed goddesses weren’t that much different.

“The moment I stepped foot on the island, I heard stories of Pele. Heck, even the hibachi chef is making mini onion volcanoes in your name. Every year tourists mail back lava rocks because they are afraid of Pele’s curse. Half the plants on the island have some legend tied to you. You can’t get much more fear and respect than that.”

She shrugged a shoulder. Her whole posture screamed nonchalance, but there was a pleased smile hovering around her lips.

“Why now? Why come here now, and why burn the possessions of people who clearly revere you?”

The smile turned into a tight frown, and the air crackled. “Not your business, sister. All you need to know is that I’m awake and I’m taking your man.”

Irix. Shit, I’d been holed up in this bathroom for far longer than expected. If I didn’t get out of here soon, he’d be liable to come looking for me. And I really didn’t want him near Cleo.

“We’ll table that one for later discussion.” I pushed away from the sink and headed to the door only to find the doorknob smoking and red-hot.

“Do not walk away from me when I am speaking with you. It’s rude.”

That was dangerously close to something my mother would say – and Cleo wasn’t my mother. I couldn’t leave without severely burning my hand. Heck, I wasn’t sure I could leave even
with
burning my hand. The sensible thing to do would be to apologize and make nice with Cleo. It’s what my elven half would have done. Unfortunately, my demon half seemed to be calling the shots lately.

“What’s rude is accosting me in a bathroom, threatening to steal my boyfriend, then refusing to let me return to my dinner.”

More than the doorknob began to smoke, light-gray tendrils wafting up from the baseboards and trim. “What’s rude is your insolence and lack of respect while you are visiting
my
islands.”

She had a point, although up until tonight, I hadn’t known they were
her
islands. And as far as I knew, being a guest didn’t involve turning over one’s boyfriend to the hostess. I doubted that was in even the strictest of etiquette books. I opened my mouth to try to diffuse the situation, but my words were drowned out by a high-pitched shriek.

Both Cleo and I blinked. Then the sprinklers kicked in, dousing the pair of us with water.

It was
cold
. I caught my breath, instinctively raising my arms to cover my head. Cleo screamed loud enough to be heard over the fire alarm and flailed about like an electrocuted banshee. Words in what I could only assume were Hawaiian poured out of her, fast, loud, and angry. I knew she had an intense dislike of water, but from the way she was acting, I expected her to start melting like the wicked witch.

Instead she turned to me, still beautiful, even with drenched hair and clothing. She shook – either with fury or cold, I didn’t know — and said something I decided must be a string of curse words.

I might not understand what she was saying, but the message came through loud and clear.

“This wasn’t my fault. You set it off with your melted doorknob and smoke show. I can’t even turn it off. I think the fire department has to do that.”

“
You
.” The words were hissed, but somehow I still heard them over the deafening alarm and loud spray of the sprinklers. “You once again show your disrespect for me. Just as you always have. I may be your little sister, but I am also a powerful goddess who will not stand for such behavior. You attack me in my own home, on my islands? This is war.”

Holy shit. We’d been fine, just talking, and I’d thought maybe, Irix issue aside, we might be on the path to peaceful negotiations. And now it was all over thanks to fire code requirements.

“I didn’t do it! I promise, Cleo, err, Pele. I didn’t do this.”

Just then a sprinkler head snapped, and a gush of water dumped down right on top of the goddess’s head. Oh for fuck sake. Could I have any worse luck?

Yes, yes I could. Pele screamed, fire erupting from her. I ducked under the sinks, rolling across the wet floor. We were locked in a bathroom. There were only so many places for me to run and hide, and if this fire was anything like the fire servants who had been setting Maui ablaze, all the water in the toilets wouldn’t help me.

I huddled under a towel dispenser, readying my energy as the fire rolled along the wall where I’d just stood. I prepared to fight – and to die – but Pele must have decided that vengeance could wait for a drier opportunity. With a wave of her hand, the fire coalesced into a humanoid shape and slid to the door, burning right through it.

Cleo ran, and I saw what was on the other side of the door. Panic. Patrons running and slipping on the wet floor as the staff tried to hustle them out. Hibachi grills steamed, and damp clouds of gray filled the air, hindering the evacuation. The servant had burst through the door like a fireball then split into several beings, each intent on consuming the restaurant as quickly as possible.

I stood, completely soaked and barely able to see from the heavy downpour of the sprinklers and the fog of steam. The sinks were white blobs in a dark, shapeless countertop. I grabbed an edge, envisioning the bathroom layout in my mind as I felt my way along the counter.

The doorway was hot, crumbling into charcoal under my hand. Once into the main room of the restaurant, I hesitated. Which way was out? I could see glowing red lights, but the steam and smoke made them indistinct blurs. Were they exit signs or the decorative neon lining the room? Taking a chance, I headed toward one, banging my hands and legs on chairs and table corners as I made my way forward.

A hand grabbed my arm, and I nearly had a heart attack.

“Amber! Damn it; where have you been? The whole place is on fire.”

Duh. And what did he mean ‘where had I been’? I’d told him I was going to the bathroom and never returned. But now wasn’t the time to get into an argument.

“Can you see? I’m disoriented from the smoke and can’t find the exit.”

He picked me up, tossing me over his shoulder in a very uncomfortable and unromantic move. Then he blew a hole through the wall. The explosion shook the building, and I covered my head as lamps and ceiling tiles rained down around us. Concrete debris filled the air, eliminating whatever scant visibility remained. Irix walked forward, climbing over chunks of rock, cement, and metal rebar as we exited the building. Then he kept going until we were well away from the action.

By the time he sat me upright on the ground, I was coughing and spitting, wiping thick white dust from my skin and eyes. My entire body, dress and all, were covered with wet white ash. And Irix was just as bad. Looking down at me, he smoothed the wet hair from my face then kissed me lightly.

“Next time you go to the bathroom, I’m coming with you.”

Chapter 19

P
eople were clustered in groups outside the restaurant, huddling near their cars as they watched or looked for family members. Smoke poured from the building, flames visible through the big windows. Fire sirens screamed over the building alarm.

“She accosted me in the bathroom,” I told Irix, clutching my arms around my chest with a shiver. “We were talking, and I think we were actually getting somewhere when she got angry. Not as angry as I’ve seen her before, but mad enough to smoke. That set the sprinklers off, and she thought I did it on purpose, like a declaration of war.”

I turned buried my head in Irix’s chest. “It was going so well, and now it’s even worse than it was after our lobby argument. She thinks I attacked her.”

He rubbed my hair, swaying as he held me. “You’re going to need to humble yourself to make this right. That’s not easy for a demon to do, and it’s darned near impossible for an elf to do. Can you?”

I thought about how short my temper had been when it came to Cleo. This was a misunderstanding. I hadn’t attacked her, never meant to go on the offensive. If I had to do a bit of groveling, I’d just need to suck it up and do it. “Gifts? Demons like gifts, and I’m assuming goddesses do too.”

I felt him nod. “We’ll strategize later. Right now there’s at least one fire servant tearing through the restaurant that the fire department isn’t going to be able to stop, and given Pele’s mood, I doubt she’s going to call it back.”

Pulling away from Irix, I turned toward the fire. Kristin had said the offering would make it stop, but I didn’t know who the summoning mage was, let alone what he used as an incentive to wake Pele.

“Should I try my plant magic?”

Irix shook his head. “You’re going to need every ounce of energy, in case things with this goddess go even further south. Let’s observe, see what happens, then I’ll blow it up once the humans are safely out of the way.”

Blow it up. The first little explosion of Irix’s at the beach fire had worked, but the one at the ranch hadn’t. In order to make sure these fire servants left and stayed gone, he was going to need to pull out all the stops. It would take a big explosion, probably a series of big explosions, to make this all go away. And that would definitely alert the angels to his presence.

Cleo couldn’t mean to burn the whole island down. She’d have to stop eventually. Although, by the time her temper cooled, a significant portion of West Maui could be nothing but ash.