Page 1 of Fire & Ice

Prologue

One Year Ago

The thick fog swirls around my ankles as I walk through the forest. An eerie stillness blankets everything, muffling even the crunch of leaves under my feet. My heart beats faster, and heat pools in my lower abdomen. Someone else is here. Somewhere in this ethereal landscape waiting—for me.

A gentle breeze blows through the trees, carrying the fresh scent of pine and something else—a masculine, sea salty fragrance that appeals to all my senses. A soft growl in the darkness. I spin around, peering through the mist. There, leaning against a tree, is a silhouette I would recognize anywhere. Tall and broad-shouldered, clad all in black. Even obscured by shadows, he radiates a predatory grace that takes my breath away.

Our eyes meet across the clearing, blue ice meeting amber flame. A spark ignites between us, surging through the air in a crackle of power and desire. My heart nearly stops, then kicks into a fierce, pounding rhythm.

I take a step toward him. He pushes off the tree, prowling through the mist in my direction. Closer and closer, until he looms before me, radiating heat and temptation. He reaches for me. His hands close around my waist, pulling me against him with irresistible force.

A jolt shakes me at his touch, fire racing over my skin. I gasp, tilting my face up to his. Our lips meet, and the world goes up in flames. This gifted kisses me like he's starving, and I'm the only sustenance that can satisfy him. His lips are soft yet demanding, coaxing my mouth open so his tongue can plunge inside.

I moan, sinking into his embrace. My hands wind into his soft black hair, relishing the silky texture of each strand. He growls again, the sound vibrating against my lips, and hitches me higher against him.

The kiss deepens, spinning out of control. Our power awakens, ice and fire mingling in a dance as wild and primal as our desire. The glade seems to tilt around us, fading into shadow and mist. There is only him, only his touch and taste and the scent of woods, the sea, and ash enveloping us.

I break away with a gasp, struggling for breath. My heart hammers as I meet his gaze. His eyes have turned almost white as ice, burning into mine with raw need.

"What is this?" I whisper. "What's happening?"

"I don't know." He brushes his lips over my throat, igniting trails of icy desire with each feather-soft caress. "All I know is that I had to find you. Had to touch you. Had to..." A nip of teeth at the curve of my shoulder, sharp enough to make me shudder. "...have you."

The words spark heat low in my belly. I fist my hands in his shirt, clinging as he continues his exploration.

But when his mouth claims mine again, slow and deep and intoxicating, I realize this feels dangerous, like balancing on the edge of a precipice with no safety net to catch me if I fall.

I suck his lower lip between my teeth, biting down just hard enough to make him hiss. He jerks against me, fingers digging into my hips, and the ache between my legs intensifies to an inferno.

"Minx," he growls, but there's laughter in his voice. Amusement flickers in his pale blue eyes when I release his lip, eyes heavy-lidded and dark with desire. "Two can play at that game."

His hand slips down to grip my thigh, hiking it up around his hip, and I gasp at the new angle it provides, our bodies pressed so tightly not even a whisper could pass between us.

His eyes gleam in triumph. The hand on my breast drifts lower, tracing a path of fire over my stomach, and slips under the hem of my dress. His touch is feather-light, teasing, as he explores, watching my reactions carefully.

I suck in a sharp breath when his fingers brush the inside of my thigh. "Hmmmm," I hum, my own grip on his shoulders tightening. I'm wound so tightly already, and his teasing is only fraying what little control I have left.

"What is it?" His fingers dance higher, and it's all I can do not to squirm. Or beg. "Tell me what you want."

The words catch in my throat, pride warring with need. I want to wipe that self-satisfied smirk off his lips. I want to make him as desperate and aching as I am.

Most of all, I want those clever fingers to slip exactly where I need them.

His gaze drops to my lips as I part them on a shaky breath. "Say it."

I surge forward, crushing my mouth to his in a kiss meant to devastate. He groans, the sound vibrating against my lips, and his control seems to snap.

His hand moves swiftly, pushing aside the flimsy barrier of my silken briefs. Two fingers slide into me without warning, and I cry out at the sudden intrusion, clenching around him.

"Yes," he hisses, dragging his lips to my neck. He sets a rough, pounding rhythm, stroking all the way in on each thrust. "Just like that. Let go."

The coil of heat in my belly pulls tighter and tighter. I'm drowning in sensation, in the slick slide of his fingers and the bite of his teeth at my throat. The tension builds and builds, ready to break—

A sharp crack of sound splits the air. The dream shatters into fragments around us as I'm wrenched violently awake, panting, and disoriented. Caught between the dream world and reality. Then it hit me. It was only a dream. Wasn't it?

I blink up at the plain stone ceiling above my bed, my heart pounding, and rub at my eyes with the heels of my palms, trying to clear the lingering fog from my mind... That dream...it had seemed so real. I could still feel the ghost of his touch, and a bewildering ache between my thighs.

Chapter 1

---