Exile in the Water Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 3) (26 page)

Gion
exhaled loudly.  “Do the hair thing, again.”

It
took Ty a second to figure out what he wanted and then she obligingly tossed
her head back.  She even added a new step and threaded her fingers through it,
fluffing the curls.  The turquoise streak slid against her cheek.

Gion
made an appreciate sound.  “I love your hair.”  His body was stiff with
arousal, his eyes sliding over her skin like a caress.  The Air energy pulled
at her.  Ty closed her eyes at the feel of it.

“No.” 
Gion commanded.  “Keep looking right at me.  Take off the panties and lie back
on the bed.”

Ty
opened her eyes.  “You just love giving orders.”  She began stripping off her
underwear.  “If this turns out to be a trick or something, I really will put
you in the stocks.”

“I
have never been more serious, in my life.”  Gion’s gaze went down to the
junction of her thighs, as Ty slowly removed the white silk.  “That’s it.”  His
jaw clenched so tight Ty wondered how his teeth didn’t crack.  “God, I knew
you’d be beautiful.”

Ty
flushed and tossed the panties aside.  “Now what?”

“I
told you, lay back and then open your legs so I can see.”

Ty
eyed him warily.

“It
won’t hurt you, angel.  Trust me.”

Ty
was nervous, but she did trust him.  She trusted Gion with her life.

Throwing
herself into the game, Ty lay down, angling her body so she could still see his
face.  She carefully parted her thighs, exposing herself to Gion’s view. 
Stretching her arms up over her head like a pagan sacrifice, she cleared her
throat.  “I expect some very nice return on this, since, so far, I’ve done all
the work.”

“I
thought I was on break.”  Gion’s breath sawed in and out as he watched her. 
“Jesus, do you know how many times I imagined you like this?”

She
grinned, suddenly feeling very much in control despite their positions.  “Are
we counting all the perverted fantasies you had when I was an innocent minor?”

“If
I could’ve gotten away with it, you wouldn’t have stayed innocent for long.”

“If
you’d have introduced yourself and been
nice
, maybe you could’ve gotten
away with it.”  Ty couldn’t imagine ever be unresponsive to Gion.  Even at
eighty-four, she’d been adult enough to recognize the energy between them.

If
he’d been a different sort of man, one not so good, Gion would have approached
Ty that first night.  Ty had been idealistic in her youth.  Romantic.  Gion
probably could’ve talked her out of that white dress with nothing more than one
of his slow smiles and a “please.”  Ty hadn’t known Parald, back then.  She
would’ve assumed that Gion was her Match.

Gion
should
have been her Match.

The
thought filled her head and Ty didn’t try to fight it.

“Jailbait.” 
He dragged his gaze away from her body and smiled.  “Ready?”

“For
what?”

Air,
hot and strong, blew right across the core of her.

Ty
arched off the bed, her mouth falling open in shock.  “Oh my God!”

Gion
made a sound halfway between a laugh and groan.  “Damn, I knew that would
work.”

Ty’s
hand twisted in the sheets as she rocked against the energy flowing over her. 
“
Gion
.”

“Yes?” 
He sounded hoarse.

She
made a whimpering noise.  “It feels really, really good.”

“I
know, angel.  Keep your legs open.”  The Air energy got harder and more
instant.  “The only upside to not having you for eleven years is I stored up a
lot of ideas of what I’d do to your body when I finally got you.  I’m
incredibly creative.”

“Most
Water Phases are.”  Ty looked over at him, her eyes glazed.  The Air sucked and
pressed and kissed places no one had ever touched.  “Can you make it go up a
little bit?”

The
Air instantly shifted and her head fell back.  “Oh Gaia.  Yes.  Right there.” 
Ty’s heels dug into the mattress.  She moved her body, allowing the Air to
stroke her fully.  “You invented this just for me?”

“Everything
I do is for you, Ty.”

“Thank
you.”  She whispered breathlessly.

“Believe
me, it’s no trouble, at all.”  Gion watched the Air sliding over the core of
her.  “Of all the things I can do with my powers, this is the only one I’ve
ever really enjoyed.”

Ty
tried to focus.  “Your powers are wonderful, Gion.”  His childhood still
haunted him.  She wanted him to know that the Air energy was something good. 
“They’re gentle and wonderful.  Don’t think otherwise.”  The words came out
choppy as he drove her even higher.

“You’re
the only gentle, wonderful thing in my life.  You’re beautiful.”

“And
you are just…
soooo
talented.”  Ty bit her lip, helpless against his
words and energy.  “It’s amazing how talented you are.”

He
smirked.  “I can do better.  Do you want it steady or pulsed?”

“What?”

“Steady
or pulsed?”  He demonstrated the difference and Ty gasped.

“Pulsed.” 
Her body twisted in pleasure.  “Oh Gaia,
pulsed
.  Harder.”  The pressure
built up to unbearable levels.  She had never heard of any Air Phase being able
to do this.  Gion needed to patent his idea for the good of the world.  “
Please
.”

He
looked strained.  “You like that?”

“Yes,
yes, yes, yes,
yes
.”

“Just
let go, angel.”

“
Gion!
” 
Ty came in a rush of heat and energy.  It was incredible.  Just how Ty imagined
Phazing with the right person would be.  She felt the Air energy caressing
her.  Saw how the jagged pieces of Gion would fit perfectly with the missing
parts of her.  For a moment, Ty’s world was exactly how it should be.

Then,
the Water powers went wild, trying to get free and encountering that immovable
block.  The energy slammed against the bars of its invisible cage, ricocheting
inside her head.  It screamed for release.  Screamed for the Air powers.

Ty
cried out, her hands going to her temples.

“Shit!” 
Gion dropped the screwdriver and raced for the bed.  “Ty!  Damn it.  I knew you
were too sick for this.  Look at me.”  He grabbed her up in his arms, examining
her face.  “Are you alright?  What happened?”

“I
don’t know.”  Ty looked up him with damp eyes.  “Something’s wrong.”

“What?” 
His hands skimmed over her, looking for injuries.  “Do you need Freya?”

“No. 
It’s not from the attack.  It’s
me
.  I’m just… broken, I think. 
Inside.”

Gion
shook his head.  “You’re not broken.”  He pulled her against his chest and
leaned back against the headboard.  Painted dolphins and seahorses frolicked on
the towering, antique surface.  “You’re hurt, but you’re not broken.”  He
hugged her and let out a shaky breath.  “You scared me.  All day, all you’ve
done is scare me.  Getting in the middle of a war.  Going to Freya to erase our
connection.  And now this.”

Ty
cuddled closer to him, pulling the sheets up around her.  “Something’s wrong
with me.”  She repeated.  “My energy isn’t right.  It’s blocked or something.”

“You’re
positive?”

“I’m
a genius.  I can tell.”

“Alright.” 
Gion’s voice was calm, but she felt his heart slamming against his ribcage.
“What are we going to do?”

He’d
said “we.”

Ty
felt herself melt.  She tilted her head back to look at him.  “We’re going to
fix it.”  She felt the need to reassure him.  “Don’t worry.  I’m pretty
talented myself.”

“You
won’t sever our connection, though.”  Gion studied her.  “Not unless…”  He
trailed off.  “Not unless you
have
to in order to feel… fixed.”  He
sighed like a man who’d just bet everything on a long shot.  “I’ll agree.  I
will.  I’ll agree to sever it and let you go, but only if you
really
have to.”  He looked tortured.  “Please.”

Ty
kissed the side of his jaw.  “If it comes between my energy not being right and
giving up my connection to you… I promise, my energy will just stay broken.”

Gion
glanced at her sharply.

Ty
smiled.  “I like your energy.  A lot.”

His
mouth curved, relief filling his face.  “My energy likes you, too.”  One of his
hands came over to touch her cheek.  “Everything about me likes you, angel.”

Ty
leaned against his palm.  “Gion?”

“Yes?”

“You’re
a very good man.”

He
met her eyes and something moved across his expression, something infinite and
tender.  “I’m not.  But, you make me a
better
man.”

Ty
was quiet for a long moment.  “So, when I was in that jail cell in Mayport
Beach, you had already invented different ways to touch my body, huh?”  She
asked, trying to lighten the mood.  “Did you –like-- picture them when I was
refusing to talk to you?”

“I
always picture them.  I’ve imagined taking you in so many ways that there
aren’t numbers high enough to count them all.”

It
was crazy, but Ty found that very arousing.  “Always?  When you were being a
jerk to me just now, you were still envisioning me naked?”

“Oh,
yeah.  I love it when you argue with me.  Even when I mad, I’m hard as a rock.”

“When
I was in human court that time?”

“I
had some incredible brainstorms about ripping that neat little suit right off
your body.”

“When
I was in the Air House dungeon?”

“You
were in handcuffs, Tritone.  Even a good man would have had fantasies about
that.”

Ty
laughed.

Gion
gave her one of his rare, beautiful smiles.  “You like hearing about how much I
wanted you all these years.”

“I
do.  Your perversions are contagious, I guess.”  Ty reached up and stroked the
golden streak in his hair.  Pulling it free of his ponytail, she wrapped the
brilliant highlight around her finger, tugging slightly.

Gion
jolted.  “I always wanted you to touch me.”  His eyes drifted shut.  “That was
always featured front and center in my daydreams.”

Ty
leaned forward to kiss him.

He
liked that.  Ty had a feeling that he would.  She grinned against his lips as
Gion threaded his fingers through her hair, angling her head.

Ty
pressed closer, her mouth opening under his.  She loosened her grip on the
sheet, letting it fall from around her.

“Stop,
angel.”  He pulled back.  “Your energy isn’t well enough to do this right,
now.”  Even as he said it, Gion’s free palm traced downward, caressing the
curve of her waist.  He didn’t put his hands anywhere near her thighs, as if he
was concerned about triggering any memories of the attempted rape.  The
situations were so completely different that Ty didn’t give Parald a thought,
though.

Gion’s
fingers brushed against the bruise Lansing left on her side when he kicked
her.  His jaw got tight, again.

“Tell
me some more about how pretty you think I am, then.”  Ty suggested playfully,
not wanting to talk about the Agora attack.  “You said you like my hair.”

“I
love your hair.  It was the first thing I noticed about you.  The rest of the
music hall turned gray, somehow, and all I saw was the color of your red
curls.  Like a vision.”

“A
vision.”  Ty soaked up the compliment like a sponge.  Around Gion, Ty
remembered the romantic eighty-four year old she’d once been.  No man had ever
said something so poetic to her.  Especially not a man who mattered like Gion
did.  Actually, Gion was the only man who’d ever mattered.  “Anything else you
like about me?”

“
Everything
else.”  His hand came up to tenderly brush the pink bandage on her
forehead.  “I like every single thing about you, Ty.  I would sack kingdoms for
you.”

“Aw,
would you really?”  Ty fluttered her eyelashes, not believing his flirting, but
enjoying it none-the-less.

“Yes,”
Gion solemnly intoned, “without a second thought.”

“And?” 
Ty toyed with the ends of his golden streak, getting into spirit of this. 
“Keep going.”

“You
want more sad stories of my hopeless desire?”

“Not
so hopeless, apparently.”

He
chuckled.  “Well, before I left for the human realm today, I left a letter for
you in this room.  I saw this fairytale bed.”  Gion’s gaze went to the draping
fabric above their heads.  “And I pictured us like this.  But, I still never
thought it could happen.  Not really.”

“I’m
keeping that note.”

“No,
you aren’t.”

“Yes,
I am, too.  I was worried that you might not come back.  Then, I saw your note
and it made me smile.  I think I’m going to frame it.”  Ty reached over so she
could open the drawer of her nightstand.  She’d already read it fifty times. 
She held up the thick sheet of paper for him.  “Ta-da.”