Warrior from the Shadowland (27 page)

“You’re
the one who took my Match back at the police station.”  Cross sited on Abel
like a laser scope.

“Why
should you have a woman like that?”  Abel retorted.  “Let her get her rocks off
with a Stone Phase and see which of us she prefers.”  He snickered.  “No pun
intended.”

Nia
made a face.  “Cross, sweetie, this one you can kill.”

“Thank
you, baby.”  The sword spun around Cross’ hand. “Do me a favor and keep on
touching me.  I’m feeling…
right
all of a sudden.”

Abel
pulled his own sword free.  “I’m a soldier.  I’m God.  You’re an insane, nobody
from the backwater Shadowland.  Just walk away, leave the woman and I’ll let
you live.”

“No.” 
Cross said, simply.

Abel
held out his free hand like a shield poised to touch Cross when he got close
enough.  “The Reprisal is coming.  I can hear them.  Do you think you can beat
me and get out of here fast enough to stop them from killing you?”  He sounded
amused.

“Yeah,
I think I can.”  Cross lowered his sword.  “Nia, hang on.”

There
was a gigantic swell of power.  With Abel poised to use his powers against him,
Cross was apparently willing to use the Shadows and it wasn’t even
close
to a fair matchup.  Chason had never even heard of anyone controlling so much
energy.  How could Cross possibly hold so much power and stay alive?  It
swirled around the room like a cyclone of Shadows, faster and faster.  The
darkness and formless edges of it circling inward towards Abel.

Chason
knew then what had happened to the dead Phases that his men had sensed, but not
seen at the hospital.  Cross had just… erased them.

Nia’s
eyes widened in wonder as the Shadows brushed up against her, doing no damage.

Abel
screeched in horror and panic as the same Shadows ate into him like acid.  He
dropped his sword and tried to escape the darkness.  He backed up right into
the wall.  “Stop it!  What are you doing?!”

Cross
kept staring at him, dispassionately.  “No one takes Nia from me.”

Then,
Abel simply… vanished.  As if he broke into tiny bits and blew away.  The
Shadows swallowed him and left nothing but an echoing scream of pain.  The
twisting mass of darkness spun like a garbage disposal, obliterating every
shred of him.

Chason
swallowed, new ideas churning in his mind.  Shadow Phases couldn’t do that.  No
Elemental could do that.  How could he get Cross to join the Reprisal and do
that to Parald?

The
Shadows receded, drawing back into Cross, although Chason had no idea how he
supported them.  The weight had to be enormous.  How did he even function?

“You
rock!  No pun intended.”  Nia leaned up to kiss Cross’ cheek.  “Damn, that was
cool!  I knew you could control the Shadows.  I told you.”

“You
told me.”  Cross agreed.  He glanced over at Chason.  “Don’t touch my Match,
again.”  The power of the warning darkened the air, ominously.  “Next time,
I’ll kill you before she can stop me.  Understand?”

Chason
nodded.  “Understood.”  He would have done a lot worse to anyone who’d
kidnapped Mara.

Gion
came back to life with a colorful string of curses.  “I hate it when Stone
Phases do their freezing sideshow act.”  He glowered over at Cross.  “Did you
actually behead that asshole or did Nia’s bleeding heart and batting eyelashes
get in the way, again?”

“He’s
dead.”  Cross confirmed.

Nearly
every Reprisal soldier in the Magnet Fortress was there, now, shoving their way
into the room.

“Sir!” 
Lansing dashed forward when he saw Chason’s injuries.

Everyone
else focused on Gion with murderous rage in their eyes.

“Well,
shit.”  He stepped forward and grabbed Nia with hand and Cross with the other. 
Gion’s icy blue eyes locked on Chason for a moment.  “One day…”  He let the
words trail off, meaningfully.

Then,
he jumped them right out of the Magnet Fortress.

For all
wants are satisfied, all disorders of nature are removed, no life is any longer
a burden,

every day
is a day of peace, everything you meet becomes a help to you, because
everything

you see or
do is all done in the sweet, gentle element of Love.

William
Law- “The Spirit of Love”

The
Shadow Castle had never seemed so cold.  Cross glanced around the gray stone
interior and wished he’d taken Nia somewhere else.  Unfortunately, the only
other option had been his rundown shack and that seemed like an even worse
choice.

Damn
it, why had she insisted on coming to the Shadowland?

After
they’d gotten back to the police station, Gion had vanished and Cross used the
Shadows to get rid of the Reprisal bodies.  He hadn’t been exaggerating when he
told Nia that he felt right.  He did.  The wrongness had faded and the Shadows
somehow just seemed…
right
.  Simply being around Nia calmed their
agitation and lessened the pressure inside of him.  But, when they’d touched
her in the Magnet Fortress he’d felt something new:  Control.

The
Shadows didn’t hurt Nia.  Instead, the more intense contact with the Water
Energy stabilized them.  For the first time ever, the weight of the Shadows was
actually listening to Cross.

Which
was good, because nothing else was listening to him, at all.

Melanie
refused to let Ty and Tharsis go without writing them some kind of “show-up in
court or else” tickets.  It looked like two-thirds of the Water House was going
to be doing some serious community service hours in Mayport Beach.  Either that
or they could just
not
go back to the human realm and face the judge. 
But, that wouldn’t go over real well with Melanie.  Cross had tried arguing
that Elementals didn’t even have standing under human laws, but he’d been
ignored.

Then,
Cross had jumped Nia, Tharsis and Ty back to the Water Palace.  Ty hadn’t said
anything about the deal she’d cut with Gion to her cousins.  Cross figured that
he’d give the kid a break and tell Nia
for
her.  Of course, that just
led to yelling and dire predictions about what Gion might want in payment. 
Cross had pointed out that they could just kill Gion if he tried anything too
underhanded.  It seemed logical to him.  But, the others had ignored him.

Finally,
that fight had calmed down and Cross had prepared to stay at the Water Palace. 
He wasn’t leaving Nia, so he figured they could just live in her kingdom.  God
knew, there was plenty of room.  Except, Nia had asked to come to the
Shadowland.  Cross had no idea why.  He’d pointed out that the Water Kingdom
was so much better than his home in every possible way.  Nia would be far,
far
happier in her perfect, pastel castle.  But, she’d ignored him and here they
were.  In the chilly, gloom of the Shadow Fortress.

Cross
ran a hand through his hair and glanced down at Nia.  She was looking around
the massive rooms and cobweb-y corners like she was about to go on a decorating
show and plotting her strategy.  “Baby, can we just go?”  He always felt
uncomfortable here.  Like his mother was going to appear and scream at him for
coming into the castle without permission.

Nia’s
turquoise gaze met his and Cross sighed at the determination he saw there.

Nia
knew exactly how uneasy he was.  That’s why she was pushing this.  So, he
wouldn’t be stuck in the past.  Because, he was the Shadow King, and this was
the Shadow Castle, and he had a right to be here.  Because, Nia had seen his
memories and she was trying to help him get over them.  So, Cross could move on
with her.

Shit.

Nia
managed to be right even when she didn’t say anything.

“Alright.” 
Cross muttered.  He stuffed his hands into his pockets.  “We’re here and I get
that you’re trying…”  His voice trailed off as Nia unbuttoned the top button of
her blouse. “What are you doing?”

“I’m
hot.”  She blinked up at him.  “Don’t you think it’s stuffy in here?”

Actually,
he thought the great hall was one of the coldest places in the universe.  Or it
had been up until now.   “Um…”  Cross looked around.  They were the only ones
in the Shadowland and still he felt like eyes were watching Nia.  Staring at
the tops of her breasts.  Gaia knew he was.  “Stuffy?  We could go outside.”

“No,
I’m fine.”  Another button came undone, revealing the blue lace of her bra. 
“Do you think we should put a piano in here?  Ty can play the piano.  I think
she’d like that.”

“Yeah,
sure.”  Nia could put in an orchestra pit for all he cared.  If he’d ever had
any delusions that he’d inherited Job’s polite genes, Cross pretty much blew
them by shifting his head so he could have a clearer view down her blouse. 
“Whatever you want.”

Another
button went.  “We need a TV, too.  Do you even have a TV in this place? 
Tharsis can’t go a week without Saturday morning cartoons and my family needs
to be here a lot.  I think we should alternate between kingdoms, don’t you?”

“Uh-huh.” 
Cross agreed, not really sure what she’d just said because all his attention
was on her erect nipple, barely visible through the bra cup.

Nia
caught him staring and grinned.  “Are you listening to me?”

“I’m
trying.”  Cross swallowed as her shirt slid down one shoulder.  “You’re trying
to seduce me, aren’t you?”

“I
think that’s a movie line.”  Nia finished off the last button of her blouse and
managed to slide it off, all the while keeping a hand on his arm.  “We’ll have
to get a rug, too.  A big one, for right there in front of the fireplace. 
Would you rather warm or cool tones?”

“Warm.” 
Cross’ voice had gone deep with Shadows, again.  “You’re right.  It’s really
warm in here.”  He cleared his throat.  “Nia, this is a bad idea.”  And yet, he
couldn’t tear his eyes away from her half naked body.

“You’re
always saying that, but I don’t
have
bad ideas, sweetie.”  She assured
him.  “Look at my rebellion.  Sure, we hit some snags and I didn’t find the
Quintessence, but I found something even better.  I found you.”

Cross
felt his heart turn over.  “Wasn’t it
me
who did the finding?”  He
challenged, trying not to be hypnotized by her acres of flawless, soft skin. 
“And I know that the Shadows didn’t hurt you earlier, but that still doesn’t
mean we can be a hundred percent sure it’s safe for us to Phaze, so… Oh, shit.”

Nia’s
skirt puddled to the floor, so she was standing there in her pale blue
panties.  She’d just reached behind her back and unzipped her skirt while he
was talking.  “Do you think we should tour the bedrooms?”  She asked,
conversationally.  “Or are you okay here?”

“What?” 
Cross had no idea what those words meant.

“Yeah,
I like it here, too.”  Nia kicked off her shoes and instantly lost three inches
of height.

Cross
was still fully dressed.

He
topped her by a foot.

He
still had his damn sword.

And
Nia was still in total control.

If
she kept going, they would Phaze.  There was no way Cross could stop it, now. 
Even if he let go of her and tried to walk away, the headache would
incapacitate him.  The Shadows were very,
very
happy with the Water
energy swirling in the air.  They’d go nuts if he stopped touching her.

Nia
began manipulating the pulse of her power, so it was like a warm jet of water
hitting every sensitive point on Cross’ body.  The sensation fogged his mind
and destroyed his honorable intentions.  “This would be a lot easier on me if
you’d be good.”  He tilted his head back, as the energy pulsated against his
erection.  “Cheating, baby.”  He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut.  “God,
that is so cheating.”

Nia
smiled, wickedly.  “I know.  It really is.  I’m such a bad girl.  Ask anyone. 
I don’t like following rules, or listening to advice, or making things easier
for my Match.  I think you’re about to get into trouble, Cross.”

He
loved it when she said his name.  Cross opened his eyes so he could meet her
turquoise gaze.  “In about five seconds, we’re going to be past the point of no
return.  I don’t think the Shadows will hurt you.  They didn’t before.  But, we
can’t be positive and I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop if things go wrong.”

“You
don’t have to be sure.  Because,
I’m
sure you’ll be able to stop.”  Nia
stepped closer so she could keep her body touching his, even as she let go of
his arm.  She reached behind her back, again.  “And, even more importantly, I’m
positive that the Shadows aren’t going to harm me.  Don’t worry so much.  I
told you.  My ideas are always fantastic.”

Cross
really wanted to nuzzle the streak at her temple.  It was right there.  He
could just lean down and bury his face in her hair.  “I love you so much,
baby.  If you get hurt...”  His words stopped abruptly as her bra hit the
floor.

Cross
forgot how to blink.

“I
wanted my Match to love me for
me
.”  Nia’s nipples got even tighter
under the weight of his stare.  “And you apparently
do
, since I’ve
really done nothing but get you into sword fights since we met and still you’re
hanging around.  And I’m very stubborn.  I want to Phaze with my Match.  So
we’re going to Phaze, Cross.  Even, if I have to tie you up, which actually
might be fun.  If you can’t trust yourself, trust
me
.
 
This will
work.”

“Alright.” 
Cross said, evenly.  He knew a losing battle when he saw one.  And right now he
saw two.  Perfect.  Her breasts were really, really perfect.  The Phazing
energy was roaring in his head.  He couldn’t stop it and the reasons why he
might want to, faded away.  “Take the rest of your clothes off.”

Nia
faltered for a beat as if she hadn’t expected him to agree so fast.  “Really?”

“Now.” 
There were more tender ways to phrase that, but Cross couldn’t think clearly
enough to come up with them.

Nia
didn’t seem to mind.  “Well, I did most of the work, already.”  She took a step
back so just her index finger stayed touching on his arm.  “If you want the
rest off, I think you’re gonna have to do it.”

She
was teasing him?  Cross arched a brow at the challenge; which was pretty
astonishing since he could barely process anything past the curves of her
body.  Cross actually managed to drag his gaze away from the swell of her
breasts.  Instead, he focused on the pale blue silk of her underwear, which was
also a lovely view.

The
remainder of her clothes vanished instantly, just like they had back in the
hospital lab.  Only this time Nia didn’t panic and Cross didn’t feel like a
freak.  This time they both knew what they were doing.

Nia’s
mouth curved.  “Show-off.”  She backed away another few inches.

Cross
made a sound halfway between a groan and a growl as he took in the sight of her
naked body.  He closed the distance between them.  “Last chance.”  He warned.

Nia
froze.

So,
did Cross.  For a second, he thought she’d come to her senses and changed her
mind.  Cross jaw clenched as he tried to reign in the Shadows.  He couldn’t
blame her.  The castle wasn’t the most romantic spot in the universe and Nia
had to feel vulnerable, being naked when he was still dressed.  He should stop
this.

Then,
Nia beamed.  “Cross, you just moved towards me.”  She looked overwhelmed.

“Well,
I’m not an idiot.”  Cross muttered, relief filling him.  “Do you want to stop,
baby?” 
Please say no. 
“We can stop.” 
Please say no
.

“No! 
It’s just that you usually keep that two feet of space between us, unless I
break through it.”  She explained.  “But, just now you moved towards me. 
That’s really good progress!  I knew I could reach you.”

“I’m
reached.”  Cross agreed a little desperately.  “Let’s talk about it later.” 
The Phazing energy was all but burning the air.  Nia wanted to do this.  He’d
given her a chance and now there was no going back.  So aroused that he was
about to lose whatever was left of his mind, Cross grabbed her wrist, maintaining
contact as he maneuvered her further into the room.  “I promise we’ll talk
about whatever you want
later
, okay?”

Nia’s
eyes widened as he took over.  Cross walked her backwards until the back of her
knees hit the dust covered sofa.

He
didn’t consciously use his powers.  The dust cover just vanished as he pushed
her down onto the red velvet cushions.

Fuck.

He
hadn’t meant to do that.  He couldn’t lose control.

Cross
started pulling off his clothes manually, trying to maintain discipline.  His
first impulse was to just vanish them, too, but he wasn’t sure where things
went after they disappeared into the Shadows.  He’d been able to get Nia’s
clothes back at the hospital, but he didn’t want to risk getting stuck in the
palace with no pants or…  He made the mistake of looking at Nia.