02 Wrath of Flames Read online

  “Cheer up, Girlfriend. Knowing your mama she’s letting you have your space and deepened your love with your man. At least she isn’t like your father who disapproves of Ethan.”

  “Father can get over it. He doesn’t even know my angel. He could at least pop in and say howdy and make judgments after a meetin’.”

  “It is a father’s prerogative to not like the man nailing his daughter eight ways to Sunday. He’ll come around. If not I’ll poke him in the eye again.” Floa laughed, but was serious. She either bit someone with all those tiny sharp teeth or punch them in the eyeball. “When your dad sees how much you are in love he’ll soften… Blossom, don’t Translocate Panther! You know he hates it.”

  “Row.” Panther meowed as if in agreement, hackles raised and locked in place. He relaxed when Blossom kissed him between the ears and picked him up with a grunt.

  “Then let’s go up and get started. I’m backlogged in orders since Ethan’s battle. I can work and help you plan the extravaganza you call a weddin’.” Kanade took the dishes away before scooping Blossom and Panther together to wait as Floa clapped her hands and all four of them instantly appeared in her second office away from home. Dress had already spit out fresh clothes and Kanade went to the bathroom to change out of her bikini to sigh in comfort.

  Floa and Kanade talked plans while she multitasked in writing her mother a letter and enchanting a ring to allow any lock to be opened simply by pressing it on any lock and saying the customer’s chosen activation word.

  Merlin and Morgane’s room hadn’t changed in the tower. He still had to walk through the silver door, which still felt unnerving. It remained impossibly huge thanks to spells which gave more room than what would be natural. Dress was gone from the room with floating furniture. A flying bed, several sofas and other strange objects flew over everywhere, but impacted nothing. Shelves lined with journals, potions and supplies were packed into many shelf levels. Two separate computers sat on desks stacked with more books and papers. The only difference from last time was the blue barrier wasn’t there, but now Ethan saw an extensive science lab fully stocked with every chemists wet dream of supplies.

  Merlin jumped and fell into a plush pillow in the middle of the room. A second one sat five feet away. “Sit sit.” The Wizard gestured. “It is good you wear only shorts. Less distraction. Are you comfortable sitting naked?”

  “In front of another man? Sorry, I don’t swing that way. Why are you wearing what I can only assume is armor?”

  “I need to safeguard myself if a spell goes awry, especially around you. Plus it’s flame retardant so you can’t set my ass on fire.” Both men chuckled. “Fine then. Sit and let me reapply the link of bodies.”

  A minute after sitting and watching Merlin’s eyes glow eerily, the blue magic marble was absorbed into his skull. Soon after, Ethan got disoriented again. “To start with, I was unable to find any reference to a glowing fist. It is a mystery I’m looking forward to making love with. But I need to ask if you’ve observed differing colors when one caster points.”

  “I’ve seen a lot of blue. Some white. Several times a bluish white. Blue-green and yellow.”

  “Yellow, what was the target?”

  “Kanade making my pubes disappear.” He said without thinking of a better way to explain.

  Merlin’s merry insanity didn’t really change. “Good. Morgane did the same when she’s in the mood to give me a blow job a few centuries back when she learned from a Nymph. Yellow is a harmless curse women use especially to rid excess body hair. Orange are deadly curses. Over time the curse your woman uses will stunt hair growth and eventually stop it forever.” Merlin stretched. “Blue is a neutral color for Spirit Energy. White makes nature change. Green is movement and yellow are curses or illusions. Orange can kill if no treated in time. Intent of the caster modifies the color. And as you likely know, just because you can see a rune doesn’t mean you can invoke it without knowing it’s true purpose. Anyone can activate a rune, but to create, enchant or cast it isn’t possible without understanding.”

  “Then how was I able to make the orb? I didn’t know the meanings of circles or the J.”

  “But you understood the intent to make light. Deep down all beings know circles are light. The sun is a circle and therefore the purest light. The rune you think is J is called Sphere. Your hand cupped, mimicking Sphere to rest in it. The other, inner circle simply locked it all together and wouldn’t vanish till you stopped giving energy by concentrating.” The High Wizard said while bouncing his knees impatiently. “But right now your stamina is weak. Your Spirit Energy as an Elemental is stronger than I can realize. You can practice tracing runes at your level on your own time, Chap. For two hours we’ll do basic Caster exercises to strengthen what you can command and develop your skills in a Wizard’s arts, though I doubt I can ever dub you a true Wizard.

  “Like earlier, focus your Spirit Energy into a fist… wait, can you do a finger?” Ethan tried and shivered all over and was unnatural, Merlin feeling the effects too. “What a peculiar sensation. Your body doesn’t like it apparently. Alright, fist out and hold it for as long as possible.”

  A minute later Ethan was covered in sweat and shook from serious effort. Merlin reached forward, placed a finger on his head and like Kanade did, the strain washed away. “Again.”

  An entire new training regimen had begun.

  Two hours went by in a flash when Merlin flipped his wrist and there appeared a sheet with ten runes and their common names. “Memorize these. Once that is done I’ll tell you what they can do alone and in short connections. We are done for today. I’m going to go chase rabbits. Want to join me?”

  “Some other time maybe.” He said while looking over the paper and felt the link he’d felt for the past two hours disappear. “I’m on a hectic busy schedule once again. But I do have a question.”

  “I have time for one question so long as it’s simple and won’t take time from terrorizing the bunnies.” Apparently the Wizard was serious.

  “About the stories and movies based on Merlin and Morgane Le Fay… you two are always portrayed as… well…”

  “Mortal enemies?” Merlin cackled, brown eyes glinting. “Who else but our women can turn us inside out and backwards with a stern glance or give us a hard-on just by walking away. Women are man’s mortal enemy. Always have been and always will be. She is my rival who can put me in my place or I in hers. She is my opposite yet equal. What would you call her other than my nemesis?”

  “Your handler.”

  Merlin got a dreamy look. “She is rather good at spanking me when I try being naughty.”

  “With that, I’m out of here.” Ethan got up and walked through the silver door after the Wizard snapped his fingers. “Have a good afternoon.” He said in passing the Ogress secretary.

  “And to you, Elemental.” Was a rather cheery reply from the horned woman.

  Ethan rode the elevators own to Kanade’s floor, one almost completely vacant. He moved to the one with a wooden box outside her door, a drop off for items needing her specialty for permanently imbuing her craft. He knocked. “Come in!” came the voice who always put a smile on his face.

  Inside the room he first spotted Blossom curled around Panther with eyes pleading ‘Get me the hell out of here!’ yet he didn’t move. Kanade had half a pile of items done as Floa continued firing off wedding ideas. Sadly, Kanade no longer wore the inspiring bikini. Tight jeans and a white blouse.

  “How goes it, Ladies?” He asked as he came to Panther’s rescue and carefully scooped Blossom into his arms and sat down with the slumbering Pixie. Blossom snuggled and got tiny fistfuls of reddish brown chest hair, not waking slightly. Panther though pounced and curled around his master’s neck and gave a rough lick on his neck as heartfelt thanks. At least it seemed that way.

  “We completely redesigned the ceremony. It will be outside. I’ll get Merlin to make sure it will be a clear day.”

  “But won’t it be snowy
?” Ethan asked, confused.

  “Of course. Yes it will be cold, but Kanade volunteered you to be our outdoor bonfire. Odin and I have too many babies to have the ceremony inside and we have gotten E-mails and letters that will have almost every offspring we had and our descendants… well so far the RSPV’s number three hundred and fifty plus thousand. Oh, don’t get frazzled, Ethan. We’ll make pyres you can light. This is going to be the grandest event of this millennium.”

  “So you volunteered my services huh?”

  Kanade hung her head, blue hair trying to hide, but if she was sorry she wouldn’t be smirking so adorably. He noted. “Well no one has your abilities, Darlin’. There will be fireworks aplenty, but we’ll get much of the attention before Floa’s grand entrance.”

  Floa meanwhile was rubbing between her covered breasts where a silver patch was revealed, showing her soul mate had been found, after the Spirit King gave Odin back his ability to find his true mate. “And that will remain a secret till the wedding day. Kanade, that will stay between us. If Odin finds out we’ll have to start over from scratch.”

  “Who wouldn’t want that?” the Enchantress rolled her swirling gold eyes.

  “If I didn’t know better I’d say you want to get married too, Girlfriend.” The Pixie ribbed right back.

  Kanade shook her head. “Floa, I am married. Just because I don’t like bein’ center of attention or havin’ a grand fanfare. Like Ethan, I like simplicity. I’m not my mother who is just as bad as you are. Bein’ a hopeless romantic doesn’t have to extend into flauntin’ my husband and snubbin’ my nose to those who, like you, spend centuries searchin’ for. My weddin’ night was hotter than yours will ever be anyway.”

  “Touché.” Floa admitted defeat. A rare event.

  “Besides, it saves all kinds of headaches.” Ethan agreed.

  “And cash.” Kanade tacked on.

  “Just wondering, what are your costs running?” He wondered.

  Floa’s violet eyes turned to the sheet, black lips counting. “Two billion three hundred million so far.”

  “Good grief.” He chuckled and Blossom pulled a few chest hairs as his rumbling roused her. The pain was temporary. “Good thing your husband to be is flipping the bill.” Floa smiled. “Hey, Kiddo.”

  “Greetings, Uncle Ethan.” Blossom yawned. “I was a good girl and was nice to Panfer.” She lisped, purple eyes hopeful.

  “She was a good girl.” His love admitted while writing on an amulet.

  “Alright then. What would you like to see?”

  “Can you make a fire monkey?” Blossom gushed, coming wide awake.

  “What? No teddy bears anymore? Well I like monkeys too.” He whispered in a conspiratorial tone that had her mother leaning back with a gentle smile of adoration.

  Hand out over the coffee table, he willed an orange and red monkey to be created and manipulated from a harmless fire. Thanks to Celestia’s guidance on how to create different shapes, using fire came in handy in more than simply heating certain areas of metal.

  A bright monkey with a long tail sprung to life, but was harmless, created not to burn. The simple creation started bouncing around while Ethan made sounds like a Howler Monkey. Blossom giggled in delight and hopped off his lap to find her hand passing through the foot and a half tall blaze.

  “Despite being a comic book and gaming geek, Ethan, you will make a terrific father one day.”

  Kanade thought I’m going to make sure of it.

  After a few minutes of listening to a child’s giggle the mother said “Blossom, your auntie and uncle need rest. And it is time we worked on opening portals.”

  “Aye, Mama.” Blossom said as the monkey vanished.

  “I’ll walk you out.” The hostess said and stood, giving the child a quick kiss.

  “Off you go, Big Guy.” Ethan said while removing the living neck brace and setting him down. Kanade and Floa were buy speaking so he got up and headed for the bathroom.

  The spacious tub was more like a hot tub, mainly for larger species. Memories in it for months came back. It was his only release to soothe pain from Blake’s brutal training and today was no exception. His cracked rib was down to a sore throb, but not so much as overworked muscles. But because the ceramic tub had so much space it had more than enough to fill up to his neck while sitting. He turned on the cold water and put in the plug to stop draining. As it filled he took off his swim trunks and relieved a full bladder in the toilet basin. Afterwards he slipped off his gauntlets.

  The sense of being watched had him glance over his shoulder to find Kanade chewing her bottom lip while fanning a flushed face. He smiled. “Like what you see?”

  “More than I can truly believe.” Her not ashamed look gave him a sudden salute downstairs for her viewing pleasure. “Screw it! I can’t wait anymore!”

  ‘Rip!’ came as Kanade shredded her top and jeans, wearing nothing underneath. She nearly ran in the spotless bathroom, clothes not even touching the ground before she was on her knees and put him in her mouth, loving his taste and his rumble of satisfaction when her tongue rolled around as she bobbed her head. He could barely sit on the tub’s wall without falling from her expert maneuvers.

  Before he could even react she was on her feet and took him in her aching channel, hard, fast and to the hilt which made her moan. He grabbed her glittery butt cheeks and stood easily, her legs locking around his waist. “Oh! Oh! Yes!” she yelled as he slammed into her, driving her senses wild. There was a sizzle as he stepped into the tub completely on fire. The ice cold water kept flowing as steam quickly filled the apartment.

  A Climax blindsided her and she cried out, feeling a pleasure pain as she got bitten hard and her own teeth sunk deep in his collar. Kanade tasted his blood, making her next screaming orgasm occur again within seconds, only stronger. He growled in pleasure as she lapped his wound, loving how she took from him. He didn’t break her skin again, but his possessive bites drove her wild. She approved as she bit him again, loving the taste as well as the water they made love in.

  His roar had her lock him inside, not letting a drop of seed try escaping. His flames dimmed and he leaned back, still one with her when she reached behind some scented candles and pulled a knife. He went still. “Babe, why do you have a knife in the bathroom?”

  “For you, Darlin’. I was hopin’ for yesterday’s repeat and made sure to be prepared.” She leaned away and drew the razor edge along her collar, barely feeling the cut in her buttery state. She put it back and gently leaned close to kiss his sore lips before leaning. “Take from me now.”

  Not needing a second invitation, his tongue wiped the running blood, savoring her wonderful taste that was sweet as she is. Her eyes flew wide as she felt his dick engorge in her clenched channel. “Hot damn! My blood is like a super aphrodisiac for you. You have no idea how bad I wanted you in me.”

  Knowing she meant in the lake, he understood, all too well, but didn’t say anything. Rather, he started thrusting, making her gasp louder each time till she tensed and shook entirely from the strongest wave of release she ever felt to date.

  For the next three hours they made serious love, going underwater from time to time till it was as if water never bothered him.

  As they got out all fingers pruned he said “Nell was right. She does know what she was doing.”

  “Havin’ balls to the wall sex was what the doctor prescribed. I prefer shower sex, but that was fun. And the way you get so huge after tasting my blood was a pleasant surprise.”

  “Good thing we heal so fast. But I also noticed your pussy holds on so tight I’m comfortably strangled when you take my blood.”

  “Glad to please my angel as much as he pleases me.” She said, putting on a bra. “On another note, how did it go with Merlin?”

  “Just holding power in my fist as long as possible. I’ve got to memorize a few runes. He’s also teaching me how to be sensitive to activated energy, which is difficult since mine is so much more potent. It�
��ll take me awhile to get the ball rolling. But during dinner can I get you to do that thing you did to give me a boost? If I work at every spare moment, my progress will increase.”

  “You know you simply need to ask. After what you did to me in the tub I’ll do just about anythin’.”

  “Good to know… Might as well drink this now.” He said and drank half the potion before stuffing it in a pocket and putting on the gauntlets. It wasn’t a bad tasting drink, just bland. Thankfully he didn’t need to breathe in it again.

  The castle chimed and they went down for dinner. The team was already gathered, but Blake’s tail nub was covered in gauze. The Blademaster wasn’t mad at all, but was solemn after Reevy revealed to the table that the hunt for Sheedan would begin in six hours, taking over half A and S Class teams to track her down and end her existence. She was part of a team going since they were already familiar with the Agas Demon of illusions and deception.

  The filling meal was over too quickly and real work awaited. Ethan gave Reevy a hug for good luck before Kanade flew them home.

  Panther already lounged in the middle of the bed atop a crinkled sheet of unnatural silvery paper. “Off Panther, Off!” Kanade half ran to the bed and picked the ornery cat off. She carefully worked wrinkles out of the sheet upon her thigh and blew off black hairs. A black tail went straight up before sleekly heading back to his scratching post to sharpen his claws. Kanade read the paper more than once.

  Below came the ‘Ting! Ta ta Ting! Ta ta Ting!’ of Celestia hard at work. The clock said six thirty so he decided to get in a little early and make up for lost time. At the desk drawer he pulled out the safety glasses and started stuffing earplugs deep in the ear canal. Before reaching the door Kanade sighed loudly in relief and answered his unspoken inquiry. “My parents finally responded. Mother really wants to meet her new son-in-law. They will be comin’ for Floa’s weddin’.”