Page 38 of Fire's Storm
We move through the sanctuary corridors, maintaining a careful distance that feels like torture. Every accidental brush of our hands sends sparks dancing across my skin. By the time we reach his quarters, electrical current races visibly beneath my skin in jagged, lightning-like patterns.
The door closes behind us with a heavy thud.
For a heartbeat, we stand frozen, the air between us charged with something more dangerous than electricity.
Then Vulcan moves—so fast my human eyes can barely track him. His massive hands frame my face with shocking gentleness, claws carefully retracted even as a tremor runs through his powerful body.
"Phoenix," he breathes, my name a reverent prayer on his lips.
Something in me shatters. I'm Captain Ward, who's spent years proving I'm tougher than any man on my team. I'm Phoenix, who's never needed anyone. I'm a professional who's always in control.
But right now, I'm none of those things.
I rise onto my toes, hands grabbing fistfuls of his midnight-blue hair, and drag his mouth down to mine.
The kiss isn't gentle. It's fire and lightning and storm. His taste fills my mouth, making my head spin. Electricity arcs between us, actual lightning dancing across our joined skin.
"Fuck," I gasp against his mouth.
He growls in response, the sound rumbling through his chest and into mine. His arms wrap around me, massive hands spanning my back, and suddenly my feet leave the ground as he lifts me effortlessly.
So strong. The thought slips through my mind unbidden. I've always been independent to a fault, rejecting help even when I needed it. But there's something about the way he handles me—not like I'm weak, but like I'm precious—that short-circuits my usual defenses.
The ceremonial robes become unbearable, an intolerable barrier between skin that needs to touch. I tug at the fastenings, fingers clumsy with urgency.
"Off," I demand against his lips.
Vulcan's eyes flash with blue fire. In one smooth motion, he tears the robe from my body, the expensive fabric giving way like tissue paper in his powerful hands. The display of raw strength should alarm me. Instead, heat floods my core, thighs dampening in primal response.
Holy shit.
His gaze rakes over my exposed skin with such hunger it feels like a physical touch. His nostrils flare as he scents the air.
"You're perfect," he growls, voice deeper than I've ever heard it.
I should argue. I'm muscled from firefighting, scarred from a lifetime of pushing limits. I'm not soft or curvy like women in magazines. But the raw appreciation in his eyes silences my insecurities before they fully form.
Instead, I reach for him, tugging at his own robes impatiently.
"Your turn."
He sheds his clothing in seconds, revealing a body that makes my mouth go dry. Massive shoulders. Powerful chest. Ridged abdomen tapering to narrow hips. His skin shimmerswith subtle scales in patterns that remind me of stormy skies. And lower...
Damn.Proportional is an understatement.
I've never been shy about my desires, but something about the intensity of his gaze makes heat rise to my cheeks. His eyes track the blush as it spreads down my neck to my chest.
Without warning, he lifts me again. I wrap my legs around his waist instinctively, gasping as my sensitive core makes contact with the hard planes of his abdomen. He carries me to his sleeping platform, the massive bed covered in dark sheets that will show every strand of my copper hair like fire against the night.
The moment he lays me down, insecurity flashes through me. My body is changing—faint blue-white scales shimmer along my forearms and hips, electrical current races visibly through my veins, my temperature runs hot enough to register as a fever in a human.
I'm not what I was. Not fully human anymore.
Vulcan stands at the edge of the bed, his gaze tracking every inch of me. Instead of hiding, I deliberately stretch, displaying myself to him, refusing to show weakness even in vulnerability.
His reaction shatters any remaining doubts. His eyes glow with electric blue fire. A visible shudder runs through his powerful frame. Scales ripple more prominently beneath his skin as his control slips.
"Mine," he rumbles, the word more animal than human.
