Chapter 23
Marcus
A tidal wave of need swept me into branding her as mine. I demanded more from her than I’d ever asked of another woman. I cared nothing for propriety, for tenderness, but needed to enforce my hold on my bride. My affai.
The primitive energies of the Storm Lords seethed in my blood, and in the dim corner of my mind, I imagined I heard my father’s encouragement. Water swept through the room like a burst dam, pushing and flowing between and through us until we were one with the element and with each other.
I ran my hands down her back to rest on her taut ass, pulling her into my thickening erection. Drinking her passion through a bruising kiss, I continued to stoke the storm of our excitement, rubbing against her, my cock heavy and throbbing.
I would have had her naked and under me when a loud voice interrupted us.
“Whoa, waterboy! Time out! That’s a plasma screen TV for Light’s sake!” Cadmus hissed in displeasure as Tessa and I broke apart.
I stared around the soaked room, standing in a growing puddle.
Aerolus appeared behind me, his mouth open in what had to be a first.
Aerolus, stunned speechless?
He closed his mouth and blinked as if waking from a dream. “Sorry to intrude.”
Tessa, obviously embarrassed, tried to step away from me.
I latched onto her wrist and tugged her close once more, refusing to let her go. Not now, after a battle with my conscience that I’d finally won.
Aerolus continued, “What were you doing in here?”
With a wave of my hand, I removed the water soaking everything.
Then Aerolus managed some wind, leaving the room completely dry, Cadmus’ precious television still in working order.
“Satisfied?” I asked.
“More than you are at the moment,” Cadmus muttered.
Tessa blushed. “Real nice, Cadmus.”
Aerolus stared at the ceiling with a frown.
I announced, “Sin Garu was here.”
Cadmus swore.
Aerolus glanced from me to Tessa. “You’re all right? Both of you?”
Cadmus shook his head. “I was just outside in the yard, and you’re telling me Sin Garu was here? In our living room? In our protected house?” He shook his head in disbelief. “What did he want?”
I growled, “He wanted Tessa.”
“He wanted you more,” Aerolus said in a vague voice and kept staring at the ceiling. “He was dissociated across planes, an advanced and difficult spell even for a sorcerer of my caliber. Yet you defeated him. You defeated him?” The statement was more a question.
Aerolus normally knew everything about everything, his mage powers having grown exponentially while in this world. Yet now, he must have felt the lingering magic of one of his own spells that he hadn’t cast. Which confused him.
And my brother didn’t do confusion. At all.
“I sense some irritation, Aerolus.” Despite the situation, I wanted to laugh. For once, I knew something my annoyingly intelligent brother didn’t.
“Irritation? No.” Aerolus took a deep breath and appeared the soul of calm, but I heard a subtle agitation he couldn’t hide.
