Page 28 of Dance of the Phoenix
I burst out laughing. I’d never seen Ragnor acting so childishly. It was beyond refreshing. In fact, it made him seem the age that he appeared to be—in his late twenties. And Magnus too. I’d never talked to him like this, let alone seen him freely express his emotions not just in front of Ragnor, but me too.
Soon we arrived at Ragnor’s town house, and we settled in the living room this time. Ragnor and Magnus pushed the two sofas to the walls, creating a spacious area for me to train in.
Ragnor turned to Magnus. “Once we start, you may feel certain pains you cannot fathom.”
Both Magnus and I frowned, but before I could speak, Magnus said, “All right.”
Ragnor then faced me. “When you’re ready, do it.”
I didn’t need to be told twice about what to do. It was self-explanatory. So I closed my eyes, and with a force of will, shouted inside my head,Stop!
Pain exploded behind my eyelids, and I sucked in a breath, forcing my eyes open. Magnus stood there frozen while Ragnor walked toward me. “Hold on,” he told me quietly, “and hit him.”
I gritted my teeth as I willed my legs to move toward the Lieutenant. Once I was right in front of him, I raised a shaking fist and sent it into his midsection. He was immobile, the impact unseen.
Ragnor nodded and said, “Now kick him.”
I didn’t have the capacity to feel sorry for the helpless Magnus with all the pain pounding in my head, so all I could do was oblige. I shot a kick to his shin before the pain suddenly became unbearable and I lost my balance, falling down on my ass.
And just like that, time slipped out of my control, and without me even thinking anything, it resumed on its own.
Magnus grunted and staggered back, glancing between Ragnor and me with bewildered eyes as he cradled his stomach. “What the hell?”
Ragnor smirked. “I have to say, it’s quite satisfying, seeing you so confused.”
Giving him a filthy look, Magnus rubbed the places I’d hit and narrowed his eyes on me. “Whatever your power is, I didn’t even see you moving,” he said with a hint of awe.
Then he stretched his hand toward me, and I took it, letting him help me up on my feet now that my own pain had subsided. “Sorry for that,” I murmured, massaging my temples. “But for what it’s worth, I have to suffer when I use it too.”
“And I guess you’re not going to tell me what it is,” Magnus said.
Ragnor didn’t reply, and when I turned to look at him, I saw his gaze on Magnus, who was still holding my hand. Heart jumping in my chest, I shook Magnus off and quickly said, “So what now?”
As his eyes narrowed, swirling with emotions that made my heart race, Ragnor said, “Let’s do it again.”
Once Magnus and I were ready, I stopped time once more and bit my lip as the pain returned. Before I could move, Ragnor was suddenly in front of me, his hands cupping my face, forcing my eyes to lock with his glowing ones. “Keep holding on no matter what,” he said, and before I could question him, his lips crashed against mine.
The kiss shocked me so much I froze. Thousands of thoughts exploded in my head, causing the pain to rage on even stronger. I groaned, needing him to step away so I could gather myself and keep holding on to time, but then his tongue flicked against my lower lip, causing me to gasp and him to deepen the kiss in return.
My entire body melted as I grabbed his shirt and kissed him back, heat burning every fiber of my being. The pain was a nuisance, but the more he kissed me, the less I could focus on the pain.
Lust poured through me as he ravished me, his hand fisting in my hair while the other arm grabbed me, pulling me closer and tighter to his body. I shuddered, melting against him as his kiss turned even more ferocious, as if he couldn’t get enough and, in all frankness, neither could I.
It felt as if we hadn’t touched each other in ages, and the sudden hunger I felt was all-encompassing.
But as abruptly as he started it, Ragnor ended it, stepping away from me, causing me to sway desperately forward, needing his hands on my aching breasts, flicking my pebbling nipples, cupping the blazing heat between my legs ...
Then I saw his face, saw the anger and frustration there, and I froze once more. And when he said, “Don’t ever let another man touch you,” it was as if he poured a bucket of ice all over me.
My eyes widened as my lips parted. “What?”
But just then, with his touch gone, the pain returned with a vengeance, reminding me it was still there, and I cried out, pleading with it to bereleased.
Time resumed, and I fought for breath, needing some sort of reprieve. I walked to one of the sofas and sat down, wiping the perspiration on the skin of my forehead with my sleeve as I closed my eyes and leaned back, sighing.
“Um, I don’t feel any pain this time?” I heard Magnus say, confused.
“Consider it your one pass,” Ragnor murmured, his voice lowered, laced with a threat that confused Magnus but made tension spread through my body.
