Excerpt of Awaken the Fire by Naomi Bellina

Star tapped her finger on the console, beating out a fast staccato, until a look from Zander stilled her.

"My dear, I'm working as fast as I can. Irritating noises won't bring the connection up any quicker," he said, his own hands busy at the keyboard. "There's a geomagnetic disturbance between here and Earth interfering with my signal."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to annoy you. I'm nervous," Star said.

"You're impatient," the wizard replied, then returned his full attention to the apparatus in front of him.

Star was impatient. It had only been three days since she'd seen Adam, and she missed him already. Vesta, Roven and the other inhabitants of Kastra were doing their best to make her feel welcome, but she missed the magical man who had captured her heart, and yearned to hear his voice.

For the hundredth time since she'd quit smoking, Star longed for a cigarette, though she was pleased to find the craving got weaker every day. Giving up smoking this time was not the intense agony it had been all the other times she'd quit. After she'd discovered she had magical powers, she'd been able to tap into a reservoir of strength and willpower. Patience, however, was still a virtue that needed work. Just as she was about to move closer to Zander and offer assistance, he held up a hand.

"I've got him. There's going to be static, and you'll only have ten minutes or so."

Star grabbed the device Zander held. It was an odd apparatus, like part of an old phone, with a receiver at one end and the transmitter at the other.

"Star? Are you there?"

His voice was not crystal clear, but she knew it was Adam. Her heart skipped a beat and a delicious warmth spread through her whole body.

"I'm here. How are you?"

"Busy, lonely, horny-how about you?"

"The same." Star closed her eyes and could almost feel Adam's strong arms around her and smell his special scent. "What have you been up to?"

"Taking it easy and having a little fun. Vesta and I have visited the spa a lot, and Roven has started teaching me a new martial art form, Jengundon. The next time you see me, I'll be relaxed, have great skin and be able to throw you to the floor."

Star smiled as she pictured working out on a mat with Adam, something they had yet to do together. He was not overly muscular but was lean and strong. Getting him to the ground would be a challenge, one they would both enjoy.

"I look forward to that, and especially what happens after you get me on the floor."

Star glanced at Zander. "Could we have a little privacy here please?"

"I need to stay in the room. The connection isn't entirely stable," the wizard said.

"This conversation is about to move to the steamy level. If you get all embarrassed and uncomfortable, don't say you weren't warned."

Zander sighed. "Fine. Remember, ten minutes. I have to cut the connection then anyway. If you lose him, I doubt I'll be able to get it back, so you might want to discuss your business first before you engage in verbal sex." Zander whipped his robe around then was gone.

"Did you scare him off?" Adam asked. The warmth of his smile echoed in his tone, and she longed to see his face. His mouth would be curved into a seductive grin, his deep brown eyes crinkled at the corners. She itched to run her hands along the stubble on his jaw.

"I did. Now we know how to frighten a wizard."