Forbidden Magic (12 page)

Instead he used words. “You’re mine, Ginny. I won’t let anyone take you from me.” She exploded, her body convulsing around him. Pure light shot out from her skin to surround her in ethereal beauty.

Ram saw it, felt the light touch him as pleasure raced down his spine and detonated. He pounded into her as he came, drowning in the intense pleasure.

He barely felt the burning in his hands wrapped around the iron headboard.

Chapter Nine

Ginny lay on Ram’s chest, feeling his heart beat against her breasts. She could still feel him deep inside her body.

Warmth spread through her. She loved Ram. He cared for her, cared enough to at least fight.

It wouldn’t work, of course. How do you fight an angel? Yet she loved hearing him say it, loved feeling like she mattered.

A smell singed her nostrils. Like…burning flesh and metal. She felt Ram move beneath her.

Alarm chased out the languid feeling. Lifting her head, she looked up.

Sparks flew and smoke curled up from her iron headboard where Ram gripped it. The bars beneath his hold were softening, bending.

Realization slammed into her. Oh God, he was a human soldering iron. Bile rose in her throat. “Ram! Let go!” She shot up to her knees, barely feeling him slide from her body as she grabbed his forearms. Hot skin. Bunched muscles.

“Don’t touch me,” he shouted, lifting his body and throwing her off him. “Stay back.” Ginny landed on her butt on the other side of the bed. Staring in utter horror at him.

Sweat poured down his face and every muscle bulged and rippled. Then he gave a mighty pull.

The entire headboard broke apart. Ram lifted the pieces over his head, careful not to hit her.

There were chunks of misshapen iron stuck to his hands, and sparks shooting from his fingers, melting the iron into his hands. Oh God…

The smell made her stomach heave, but she focused on trying to help him. “What do I do?

Tell me!”

“Just stay clear.” His voice was tight but calm.

She watched as he rested the long piece of ruined wrought-iron melted to his hand on the bed. Shifting in an unbelievably fast motion, he shoved his foot onto the hot piece of iron and pulled.

She heard his skin rip as the iron came free. But before she could even blink he grabbed the piece stuck to his left palm and fingers in his bleeding right hand, and ripped that off too.

“Your hands!” They were torn and bleeding. She reached for him, desperate to do something.

Anything. Maybe her magic would rise and—

Ram leaped off the bed, then turned, his face dark and violent. “I’ll heal, but you can’t touch me.” His gaze flickered to the ruined headboard, then back to her. His mouth flattened and white lines appeared like cracks. “If I had touched you, I would have burned your skin right off.” She hated that bird and dropped her gaze to glare at it. “Shit, your tat.” A second streak of jagged lightening was shooting from the thunderbird’s eyes. She looked up. “I’m calling Carla.

You said she might be able to see what the creature is doing when the bird woke more. You now have two streaks of lightning, and I think…” She trailed off as she scooted across the bed so she could look closer. “His eyes, they are slightly opened.” He stood utterly still, blood dripping from his hands.

Fear and worry made her frantic. Was he shutting down, pushing her out? Her chest felt like a house fell on it. Unable to draw a breath, she put her hand on his hip, desperate to keep the connection between them. “Please.”

“Use my cell. Carla’s in my contact list.” Then he turned and strode into the bathroom.

Her lungs unlocked. She grabbed the phone, frantic to find a way to save Ram.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Ginny opened her door, wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that she’d thrown on. Sutton West stood on her porch, his bald head gleaming in the porch light. He was bare-chested, a sign that he’d used his wings to get to there. He had one beefy arm around Carla.

She looked tiny next to him.

Ginny stood back as they both came inside. “Ram is in the family room.” Sutton lifted his arm from Carla, strode past her and through the archway dividing the formal living room from the big kitchen and family room area.

Carla stopped and put her arm on Ginny’s shoulder. “Are you okay, Ginny?” The concern in Carla’s voice filled Ginny’s throat. The panic she’d been holding down broke through. “My iron headboard melted to his hands.” The horror of it consumed her as she saw it again in her mind. “He ripped it off, and his hands…oh God.” Tears flooded her eyes and ran down her face.

Carla’s gaze filled with sympathy and she wrapped her arms around Ginny, holding her for a minute. Then she pulled back and said, “Ram would never have called me, Ginny, he needed you to do that for him. You helped him more than you know.” The witch’s kindness surprised her. In the past, it had been hard to have friends when she had to lie to them about what she was. After a while, it was easier to just have acquaintances. She’d even kept her distance from the witches, because they were too smart, saw too much, and she feared what her father would do to her, or to Eli, if they found out she was a Halfling. Keeping her distance was habit.

Yet Carla treated her like a friend. Like she mattered too, not just Ram. “Thanks,” she said softly.

The two of them walked into the family room. Ram was dressed in his black pants and boots and standing behind a huge L-shaped couch. Sutton stood just to one side of his friend. The two men took up a huge chunk of space in the area between the kitchen and family room.

“My hands are healing,” Ram said, facing Sutton and obviously answering a question. “Not a problem.”

“But the bird,” Sutton gestured to the thunderbird. “The lightning streaks are new.” Carla moved closer and tripped over the rug that ran beneath the sofa and coffee table.

Sutton reached out and steadied her, as if he’d done it a thousand times. Carla barely noticed

—she was focused instead on Ram’s tattoo. “His eyes are cracked open a slit.” Ginny moved up next to Ram and put her hand on his arm. “I saw that too.” She looked at the witch. “So the bird is waking? Will you be able to see him, find out what he’s doing?” Ram lifted his arm, putting it around her shoulders and pulling her close without touching her with his fingers.

“I’ll try,” the witch said.

Sutton put his hands on Carla’s shoulders. “Opening your third eye?” Carla nodded.

“Lean against me, Carly.” He tugged her back to his chest, and cradled her in his arms.

“There, I feel your magic rising.”

Ginny felt a shift in the atmosphere, that must be Carla’s magic. At least it wouldn’t cause bloodlust in Ram. The way Eli explained it, once the soul of the witch mated, her magic didn’t stir the curse.

Silence fell over the room but for the sounds of their breathing.

She saw Carla’s eyes slide closed.

“Her third eye opened,” Sutton announced.

Ginny slid her arm around Ram’s waist in an irrational need to hold him to her. Minutes ticked by, stretching her nerves. All Ginny could think about was Ram. The way he’d made love to her in his backyard. Then coming to her when he found out she was in agony, finding a way to help her.

But the biggest moment for her was when he relinquished his control to her. He trusted her as much as she trusted him. That was something so huge and precious and rare.

Love.

God, she loved him. She couldn’t lose him; but even worse than that would be her father ascending her then taking away her emotions.

And then she’d feel nothing for this man. Their shared moments, their growing feelings would all mean nothing.

She looked up at his harsh profile. Thought of all he’d been through in his life. He relied on discipline and self-control with no softness, no comfort.

Except when he was with her. She gave him the caring he deserved. Her heart swelled with love for him, desperately wanting to give him all the love he’d missed out on.

Ram looked down at her, his hard gaze gentled. Leaning down, he brushed his mouth over hers, then stood straight again.

Just a touch of reassurance that they were in this together.

“Oh dear crone.”

Carla’s sharp voice burst Ginny’s bubble of warmth.

Ram stiffened and said, “What is it?”

Ginny watched as Carla opened her eyes. The witch was pale. She blinked, then said, “I saw the thunderbird. He’s waking, and he is furious. Hateful. Vile.” She leaned back deeper into Sutton. “And part demon.”

“Fuck,” Ram snarled, jerking his arm from Ginny and striding to the sliding glass door that led to the backyard.

“What does that mean?” Ginny asked desperately, swiveling her head between Ram and Carla.

“I don’t know exactly. But the bird is waking, and as he does, he’s gaining an electrical charge, a form of lightning.” Carla turned, breaking Sutton’s hold on her and walking to Ram.

“He’ll kill you. The electrical charge will grow until you burst into flames.”

“How do you know?” Ram asked, his words soft and measured as he continued to stare out into the dark.

“I saw it. The bird had done it time and again every generation he was reborn into a man.” Ginny saw the witch shudder, her long braid twitching.

Then she added, “Spontaneous human combustion.”

“Heard of it,” Ram said in that flat voice.

“Carly,” Sutton said from where he stood by Ginny. “What can he do? There must be something.”

Carla put her hand on Ram’s back. “You only have half a soul. You have to find Shayla.

Convince her to mate with you and seal your souls. Then she should be able to control the bird and stop it.”

Ginny heard the words and felt her entire world shatter. Felt her hope die. The truth cut her deep and vicious.

He belonged to another woman. Pure and simple.

Ram reached out, laying his hand on the window of the big slider. Sparks flew. The glass cracked. “Chase a witch who ran from me. Can’t. I’ll kill her.”

“Ram!” Panic cut through the self-pity and clawed at her chest and throat. “You’ll die! You have to go after Shayla.” She was losing him. One way or another. “Carla, how much time does he have? How long?”

The witch turned, her face heavy with pity. “You’re accelerating it. Every time the two of you have sex, it makes the bird insanely furious. You’re in the bird’s way of what he really wants.”

Shayla
. They all knew it.

Ginny felt like a steel-toed boot kicked her in the chest right between her breasts. The pain, it was different than what her father did to her. This hurt worse, sharper and deeper. It felt like all her insides were cracking. Breaking. Shattering.

Carla walked to her, her hand settling on her arm. “If you care about Ram, let him go.”

“Let him go?” she asked stupidly.

“Carla, don’t,” Ram warned.

But she didn’t listen, the witch kept talking. “It’ll give him time to find his real mate. The one who can save him. The one that the bird wants.”

The pain detonated, an explosion so loud, she couldn’t hear anything else. Heat flashed through her like a firestorm. Ram wasn’t hers. She’d wanted to love him, but she’d hurt him.

Not. Hers.

“Ginny!” Ram’s bellow penetrated the roar in her ears.

But it didn’t matter. Because her father hovered in front of her. “It is time, daughter.” He held out his hand. “Ascend and you will hurt no more.”

For the first time in her life, ascension didn’t sound like a bad deal. No more pain. No memory of hurting? Of losing Ram?

The pull was so powerful and desirable, she began to lift her hand.

Chapter Ten

Light burst from Ginny, so blinding it seared his eyes and left him in total darkness. But he didn’t stop lunging for her.

Her father was trying to ascend her. He knew it right to his defective soul.

Ram hit something, some force that threw him back.

As he flew through the air, he evaluated. The only explanation to what was happening was that the angel was in the room with them. Ram had to get around him to Ginny.

He landed on the wood floor and rolled, and the impact jarred loose a memory.

Carla tripping on that rug. Ginny had been standing on the rug. That’s how he could get to Ginny.

Ram came to a rest on his stomach and slid out his hand. He was trapped in blackness, unable to see even shapes. There, he felt the edge of the rug. Quickly he calculated. Ginny had been standing to the right of where Ram was now, behind the back of one side of the couch. It was near the edge of the rug.

Sure now, Ram sat up, fisted the rug and jerked hard. He heard the furniture move, and then…

Ginny tumbled into him. He could feel the hot light pouring off her, but managed to get his arms around her.

He felt something, some force, trying to pull her away from him. “Ginny,” he lowered his face to her ear, forcing her to hear him. “I won’t let you leave. You’re mine. Hold on to me, angel, hold tight.” He kept talking to her, willing her to stay with him.

“Ram?” she finally answered.

The intense light dimmed enough that he could see the shadow of her. “Yes, angel, it’s me.”

“You’re not mine. You belong to Shayla.”

Her voice was so broken it killed him. He knew his fingers were sparking but it wasn’t as bad as before. Fucking bird needed to recharge. He had a few minutes to touch her. Ram found her face with his palm, fitted his hand to the curve of her jaw and said, “No. I belong to you. Stay with me, Ginny. We’ll fight together. I swear it.” He held her tighter, cradling her in his lap.

But he continued to feel that pull on her, the force tugging her, trying to drag her away from him.

He was still losing her. Damn it! Desperation revealed the raw truth in his heart. “Please, angel. I love you. Don’t leave me.” Then he lowered his mouth to taste her lips, to fill her with his love.

The brutal light vanished.

Ginny was safe in his arms.

But for how long?

***

Ram looked at Carla and Sutton, both staring with wide eyes at him and Ginny. “Don’t ask Ginny what happened here tonight. Don’t ask her what she is.” He had to protect her from her father’s punishments.