Page 2 of Kazmyr: Molten for Her
Despite everything—smoke, terror, adrenaline—I snorted. “Good news. I wasn’t planning on Frenching a sticker.”
The molten giant’s chest heaved, extinguisher foam still clinging in tufts that made him look like a grumpy marshmallow Santa. But instead of fury, his molten eyes gazed at me with something like reverence.
“Jenna Maple,” he repeated, my name carried on a breath that smelled of smoke and exotic spice. “You came.”
"Didn't have much choice with a burning building at my back." I tried to push away from his chest, my palms sinking into hard muscle radiating impossible heat. "Besides, your portal blocked my escape."
Holy shit. My brain finally processed our position… sprawled across his massive form, my thighs bracketing his waist, his hands spanning my ribcage like I was small and dainty. Heat poured from him in waves, not just from his body but from his scars. Those glowing fissures—Ember Marks?—pulsed brighter wherever my skin made contact with his, as though my touch fueled whatever fire burned inside him. Wait, why did I instinctively know what to call them?
He stood while holding me to his chest.
"Put me down," I demanded, my voice embarrassingly shaky.
He didn't move, just stared. His pupils expanded, golden irises narrowing to thin rings as he inhaled deeply. "The heat fever..." His words came slow, each one careful and measured. "The registry was correct. You carry the flame-signature."
"I didn't sign up for any registry," I snapped, shoving harder against his chest. "And I'm not anyone's 'Asset' or breeding material, so you can forget whatever alien mating ritual you had planned. Do you always huff terrified women like essential oils?"
His brow furrowed, horns catching the strange ambient light. "The Intergalactic Dating Agency?—"
"Never heard of them. Now let me go before I find something bigger than a fire extinguisher to hit you with."
The giant actually complied, carefully setting me on my feet before rising to his full, imposing height. Seven feet tall, minimum. His shoulders blocked out the ceiling lights, casting me in his shadow.
For the first time, I took in our surroundings. We stood in what appeared to be a ship, but unlike any vessel I'd ever seen. The walls and floor were obsidian stone, veined with the same glowing ember lines that marked his skin. The entire space pulsed with living light that seemed to beat in rhythm with his breathing.
"This is the Heartforge." His voice lowered to a reverent rumble. "My ship. My home." He paused, golden eyes burning into mine. "Our sanctuary."
"Our nothing," I corrected, backing away. "I don't know what kind of cosmic mistake brought me here, but?—"
My retreat halted when my spine hit a wall that hadn't been there seconds before. The stone was warm against my back, and as I turned to look, glowing symbols etched themselves across the surface. A circular rune flared at the center of the floor where we stood, pulsing an angry red.
The giant's ember marks brightened in response, his massive form drawing closer though he hadn't stepped forward. "The ship recognizes our bond."
"There is no bond. I feel like I just got auto-subscribed to an alien marriage plan without clicking accept." I insisted, heart racing. "And I don't appreciate being trapped."
"Not trapped." He gestured to the circular rune. "The Fire-Seal requires consent. Say yes, and the ship will open to you as it does to me. Without your agreement, the Heartforge holds us here until we reach understanding."
Understanding dawned, hot and uncomfortable. "Your ship... demands consent?"
His nod was solemn. "All bonds among my people require willing agreement. The technology is ancient. The ship will not force what is not freely given."
"So if I say no?"
"The rune will not activate. We remain here."
I barked a laugh, bitter and sharp. "Sorry, big guy, I don't kiss on first abductions."
The sound that rumbled from his chest wasn't anger but something startlingly close to amusement… a low, vibrating growl that shivered through my bones and pooled heat low in my abdomen. What the hell was wrong with me? I should be terrified, not... whatever this was.
"I am Kazmyr of Vorthar." He pressed a fist to his chest, right over the largest of his glowing scars. "Guardian of the Obsidian Gate. The Living Heartforge." His eyes never left mine. "And you are my flame-born."
"I'm a fire inspector from Seattle who was investigating a suspicious warehouse blaze and was apparently almost murdered during the investigation," I corrected. "Not your anything."
Kazmyr leaned closer, inhaling deeply as though scenting me. His pupils dilated further, drowning the gold in black. Heat rolled off him in palpable waves until sweat beaded along my hairline and trickled between my breasts. His gaze followed the droplet's path with predatory focus.
"Your body recognizes the truth your mind rejects," he murmured, voice deepening to a register that made my knees embarrassingly weak. "I can smell your response."
"That's called fear-sweat, and it's not a compliment."
