Page 10 of The Lawgiver's Firebrand
Daire caught her shoulder before she raced off. After a moment’s hesitation, he thought,What the hell! He wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulled her against him, and slammed his lips to hers. Once he shoved inside her mouth, her tongue met his. He sucked with vigor. Time was short. Pleased with her response, he released her as quickly as he had kissed her. The occasion called for speed, not gentle seduction. He was adaptable. The witch would be his later. “Stay safe.”
Ari stammered as if stuck for words. Her chest popped in and out while she licked her lips, avoiding Daire’s gaze. “Yeah. Well. I’ve got shit to do.” Ari diverted her attention to a Firebrand who had posted himself at a doorway where he helped control the stampeding crowd.
With the exit handled, she rushed to help others, evading Daire’s satisfied grin. He looked around, a dense cloud spreading into the ballroom from the kitchen.
Near the opposite wall, Daire located Nerina, who was leading an elderly satyr toward an exit. He spotted her mate, grabbed his shoulder, and marched him to the same door, where he convinced the couple to leave.
By now, half the large room was filled with smoke. No visible flames yet. Daire rubbed his watery eyes. Removing a decorative handkerchief from his jacket pocket, he held it over his nose and mouth.
Though his vision blurred, he spied attendees stampeding for the door, cramming through it into the hallway and down the stairs. By restraining terrified party-goers, he slowed the onslaught, trying to create some order.
While Firebrands at the doorway shoved and pulled guests to prevent them from crowding others, Daire lifted a succubus off the floor where she’d been trampled.
She grasped her knee, moaning. Her voice raspy from smoke, she whimpered, “It’s twisted.”
With her cradled in his arms, he passed her off to a demon, who assisted her down the stairs.
Daire stayed at the door to help control the panicked crowd. He searched for Ari but didn’t see her, the haze thickening like dark storm clouds.
His handkerchief having disappeared, Daire breathed into the crook of his elbow, his eyes stinging, the smoke soupier. With a free hand, he guided guests toward the exit while struggling to hold others back.
He whipped his head around, hearing a cry for help. Through the dense cloud, he observed the shadow of a body huddled in a corner. A female. She was sobbing, frozen, an arm slung across her eyes as if not seeing would protect her from harm. Her reaction was not uncommon. In a crisis, some people fled, some helped others, some froze. But if she didn’t move, she’d soon be overcome.
Staggering from smoke inhalation, Daire plodded toward her, brushing a few hysterical guests out of his path. When his vision worsened, he lost sight of the female. Her cries for help had ceased. While calling out, Daire waved his hands in front of his face as if he could brush aside the haze.
No answer.
Dropping to his knees where the air was purer, Daire crawled to her. He scooped the nymph into his arms. Straightening his legs, he hoped he had the strength to get her out.
Suddenly, Ari appeared at his elbow. Flicking her wrist, she cast a spell, surrounding Daire, his cargo, and herself in a bubble of fresh air. “It won’t last long,” she said. “I’m running out of power.”
“Feed from me,” Daire said.
“No. You need all of your energy.”
By the time her protection spell dissipated, they had reached the stairwell.
Soot blackened Ari’s weary face. Brushing errant strands of hair from her eyes, she looked exhausted. But he’d never seen anyone more beautiful.
Both of their heads swiveled toward another cry for help.
“Don’t leave me. I’m over here,” it called out.
Before he could shove the nymph at Ari for safekeeping, the crazy Firebrand witch raced toward the call, shouting over her shoulder, “Get her to safety. I’ll be fine.”
His last view of Ari was her sinking to her knees, creeping under the smoke, and coughing.
He wanted to drop his charge and chase after his Firebrand witch, but he no longer saw her through the thick haze. Just then, the nymph in his arms reminded him of his responsibility by locking onto his shoulder with a death grip and sobbing into his tuxedo jacket.
No one else was around to help the female escape the burning building. Daire coughed from smoke inhalation but struggled through the exit and down the stairs toward cleaner air. He told himself that Ari was a female warrior who knew how to survive.
ChapterFive
“Whereare you? Keep calling out,” shouted Ari, hand-and-kneeing it beneath the smoky haze.
Though the reply was weak, Ari crawled toward the voice, using it as a beacon until she spied pant legs and the soles of dress shoes. She paused to hack up smoke, wipe acrid tears from her eyes, and brush strands of hair back from her face. The stylist at the salon would have a fit if she could see her work now. Exhausted and barely able to go forward, she ignored her problems, making her way to the male in trouble.
Ari had lost count of the number of Aeternals she’d helped to safety by casting spells to put them in a protective bubble where they could breathe or by using her magic to increase her own strength so she could lug heavier males to the exit. She knew enough about her mage abilities to know her powers were waning. Until now, she’d channeled from others to feed her gifts, to re-invigorate herself, but few Aeternals were left. Those who were needed their own vigor to escape. She couldn’t risk weakening them.
