Repentant Rogue

"Repentant Rogue"

F18

Usual disclaimers apply.

Follows immediately after "Demon Rogue".

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Previously on Zankou…

Zankou flinched, his own anger igniting.

"Bastard!" Gripping the neckline of the loose grey shirt he still wore, Phoenix yanked, hard, the shirt tearing in two as it came away in her hands.

Zankou lost his balance and pitched forward onto the floor of Phoenix' office, his wife stepping swiftly out of the way. Falling on all fours, Zankou's chest heaved as he watched one of the larger Tiger sharks within her floor-level aquarium make a tail-sweep pass beneath him. Twisting his body, he attempted a lateral roll, but Phoenix thumped a foot into the small of his back, splaying him flat, the shock rushing the breath from his lungs. The one-way barrier between him and some of the sea's most voracious predators was less than a foot away from his nose.

Phoenix' satisfied murmur from above was just as deadly. "Who's got carte-blanche now, lover?"

oOo

Continuing…

Zankou struggled to contain his fury. His wife had good cause to berate him, but he would not be humiliated in this way. He forced his body to relax and turned his head to look at her, poised above him.

"Nice view from down here, my love," he said, suggestive heat deliberately lacing his tone. "I can see you are wearing my preferred red lacy–"

"One-tracked, mind in the gutter–!"

"That's how you like me, vixen," he hurriedly reminded her. "Don't deny it. Now stop with the superiority tactics and do something about the fact that I'm half naked and you want to be."

"Wrong, lover," she said, her lip curling. "Right now, I want to cut you up into little pieces and feed you to Sammy shark and his friends. They missed out on breakfast when the Charmed Ones collected me sooner than I expected."

"The punishment isn't fitting the crime, Phoenix. You have to realize that I was under the influence of the Nexus. They were not my deeds. When I realized what I'd done–” Zankou tensed, his muscles bunched for action. A small Bull shark had come to investigate him and they stared, eye to blunt eye.

"But it was your idea to infuse yourself with an unpredictable unknown force. This ridiculous need of yours to be something you're not– “She bent over him to punctuate her point, and Zankou's pulse quickened at the sight of the cleavage her opened blouse presented. She straightened quickly, as if she noticed his avid gaze, her fists balling at her sides. "Slut!" she spat. "Piper was right. You never learn, so I'm going to teach you."

Tiring of her game, Zankou shifted his weight, looking for leverage. Phoenix moved fast, replacing the foot in the small of his back with her knee and locking a hand onto the back of his neck, immobilizing him.

His jaw flattened to the floor, Zankou's words were muffled. "Phoenix, we both know what it means when you close the windows and turn on the floor lights. So what's with the open glass? These guys are snapping at my nose right now."

"I've bumped it up a notch, stud. Being attacked– no, mutilated by the man who professes to love me, has given me a taste to live dangerously."

"Right now, I'm the one living dangerously, not you." Zankou figured it was time to end this. Phoenix may have his face to the floor, but she hadn't done anything about his arms.

He flung a hand behind him, knocking her sideways. His shoulder protested at the awkward angle and reverberating jolt, but Zankou ignored the pain, rolling with the momentum until Phoenix was under him. Mindful of her earlier injuries, he kept as much of his weight from her as he could, without giving her the opportunity to escape.

"Now, are you going to play nice?" he asked through a clamped jaw.

"No!" Taking advantage of his leniency, Phoenix pushed up hard and dislodged him, flattening his back to the floor. Straddling his waist, she flung his hands into the water. Something smooth and inquisitive nudged at his fingers, and Zankou jerked his arms back, crying out before he could stop himself.

"What was that?"

Phoenix grinned and glanced past his head. "That was Sammy's bigger friend."

Pressing all of her weight onto his chest and hips, Phoenix grabbed his wrists and stretched them above his head, the water lapping at his arms to his elbows. He lifted his shoulders, trying to gain control of his limbs, but invisible shackles across his forearms prevented his escape.

"Dammit, Phoenix, what have you done?"

Her eyes darkened, the battle-light replaced by a liquid heat. Her mouth parted as she ran her tongue across her lips. "Just a little magic, darling. We both know I couldn't have overpowered you without it. Don't worry. The important things can still move."

Zankou's heart raced. He couldn't see what was behind him, but he felt the wet coolness of the water and anticipated the hungry investigation of its occupants. He went cold all over as his fingers were gently nibbled.

"This has gone far enough, Phoenix," Zankou said, testing which muscles worked. He could bunch his shoulders and upper biceps, swivel his waist and hips and tense his thighs, but his elbows and knees had fields of energy securing them to the floor.

"Not nearly far enough, my love," she purred, nuzzling her face into his neck. "Keep struggling. It feels delicious."

"Look, the immobility could be fun," he panted, his efforts sapping his strength, "but my hands would be much better employed pleasuring you."

Phoenix stole the last of his breath with her lips, thrusting her tongue into his mouth and drawing on him deeply. He allowed the assault, but only while he thought through his next move. She was rough, more forceful than usual, seeking to punish him; her hands urgent on his body, her mouth demanding and hungry. Zankou's eyes glazed, his body stimulated by her onslaught.

Pulling back till she was astride his hips, Phoenix ran her hands down his chest to his waist. "Oh, but you still can pleasure me, lover. Let's get rid of these ridiculous things, shall we?" She grasped the waistband of his stretch trousers and slowly began to peel them down his hips. "Magic has its uses, but when it comes to undressing a man, I always like to do it myself."

Zankou felt he should be revelling in this, but her strange behaviour and the threat of the predators investigating his submerged hands limited his enjoyment. Phoenix had no such inhibition; her eyes were glassy, lips wet, and her breathing shallow as her fingers brushed him. Zankou's hips jerked, and he felt something softly snap at one of his fingers, tug on it strongly, then let it go.

"Phoenix!"

"You're okay, babe. That one didn't have teeth." Phoenix dispensed with his pants, then leaned back over him, brushing his mouth with hers, nibbling his lips. "You just worry about the ones that do."

"That's what I'm doing! Phoenix–” He was cut off by her mouth on his, but he flung his head away, desperately looking behind him. Small fish darted away, and two large Eastern Blue gropers glided in for their turn to investigate his hands. Several of his fingers were being lipped now, and Zankou grunted, desperately pushing up with his shoulders.

"Let me go, Phoenix, and I'll do anything you want."

"Begging, Zankou? My, my, that's so unlike you. I should have thought of this ages ago." She bent her head to his collarbone and he felt the moist tip of her tongue trail along his skin. He trembled, a mixture of dread and desire.

Appeals were getting him nowhere; she was determined to punish him. Thinking furiously, Zankou needed to gain the advantage.

"Go down on me, baby," he urged, disguising his panic with what he hoped was a confident sensuality.

Her lips skated across his chest, tongue lapping and teasing his nipples hard. "Not yet," she breathed. "Plenty of time for that."

"Wrong, beautiful. I'm losing interest fast here, so if you want a challenge, it's below the waist, not above it."

She pulled back, eyeing him warily, then glanced down.

When she looked up again, he flicked an eyebrow.

Her mouth twisted. "Damn you! You can't even keep it up for a minute."

Zankou didn't bother to tell her it had a little to do with design and a lot to do with fear.

Phoenix shimmied down his body and butted his hips, taking him into her mouth. He blinked hard and bit down on the involuntary hiss through his teeth, gluing his gaze to the ceiling above.

"It's very frustrating, my love," Zankou mused, clearing his throat, "that I can't stroke your shoulders while you do that. You know how I love to dance my fingers across your skin just to feel the little shivers ripple through you." He fixated on the unlit spotlight in the ceiling, keeping his mind on his goal, not on what she was doing. "I get such pleasure–" he gritted his teeth, "… when I massage the nape of your neck… probe the hollows below your ears."

Phoenix was so skilled at this, talking was already difficult. Zankou sucked in air and his vision was hazing. He refocused on the spotlight's smooth globe, desperately imagining the small filament within it, but even with the threat of the marine marauders underneath him and their persistent tugging on his fingers, Phoenix' expertise and his own lust threatened to consume him.

He set his jaw and tried to continue. "My fingers yearn to stroke… the exquisite velvet of your breasts where they flatten against me. And you usually give this huge shiver all the way down to your toes when I do."

Phoenix paused at her task, and Zankou felt he was punching through.

"And when it's time to guide your rhythm, I'm so stoked up, I run my fingers through your hair and massage your scalp in firm strokes." He bit his lip as he hovered on the edge. "I can't do any of that right now," he said, swallowing hard. "And when you mount me, I won't be able to cup your breasts in my hands… rub my thumbs across them or drag my nails down your ribs and grip your hips as you ride–"

"Enough!" Phoenix raised her head, tugged off her G-string and threw herself on top of him, positioning her hips and sliding onto him hard.

The shock of it forced the air out of his lungs and Zankou nearly lost it.

Ripping open her blouse, Phoenix grabbed his wrists and wrenched his hands out of the water, thrusting them against her breasts. Her eyes were shut and her mouth open as she furiously rocked against him, her muscles already quivering over him. He squeezed her breasts, massaging and pinching them, giving her what she craved.

Biting down to deny himself, Zankou allowed her all the time she needed. Phoenix came with an agonizing cry that he'd never heard from her before. His own release was violent and he answered with a lusty shout. Collapsing on top of him, her head thumped against his chest, her lips stirring against his skin.

"Bastard," she gasped, "you did that on purpose."

He grinned, a mixture of relief and amusement, running his now freed hands up and down her back. "Everything I do has a purpose, my love. I'm in total control."

Phoenix lifted her head, her eyes fired with something else.

"Always?" she asked.

"Always–"

Zankou cried out as he was half-rolled, half-thrown into the aquarium, with her following him. The shock of the cold water had him gasping, his mouth filling with water. Greater than the fear of drowning was the threat of the sharks who would feast on him while he did it. Grabbing Phoenix by the waist, he thrust toward the surface and the edge of the glass floor, scrabbling to get a hand-hold. Phoenix was fighting him, pulling him under and away from the edge.

"Phoenix!" he yelled. "Let me help you!"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, laughing in his face as he fought to keep their heads above water.

"Oh, you can help me all right," she breathed, fastening her mouth onto his and feeding from him. Her hand snaked down his hips and massaged him, again creating an interest against his will and better judgement.

"Phoenix, we've got to get out of here before–"

"Zanky, my love, look below you. What do you see?"

Struggling to stay afloat, he peered beneath the water's surface, at the bright fish darting away from their disturbance. Relief washed over him, his muscles going weak as they started to sink again. A burst of annoyance, then anger at how she had tricked him, returned fuel to his limbs, pushing them back to the surface.

"What do you see?" Phoenix panted, lightly clasping his shoulders as they both trod water.

"Goldfish," he growled. "How long have they been there?"

"You don't think I'd throw myself into an aquarium of man-eaters, do you?"

"When did you get rid of the sharks?"

"As soon as you asked for head," she giggled. With an uncharacteristic girlish croon, she smoothed her hands over his wet hair. "I wouldn't let my big brave stud get nibbled by some hungry fishies now, would I? Not when I was gobbling him up myself." She giggled again, and rubbed herself down his length. His body stirred in response, pardoning her even if his head wasn't ready to.

"Witch! This was all just an act from start to finish!"

Phoenix grinned, her eyes alight with mischief. "Zanky, I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I adore you. And all your faults."

"Ouch! True love isn't supposed to qualify–"

"True love is realistic and forgiving, and right now, you've got a lot of making up to do." Phoenix cupped his face in her hands and gently kissed him.

Peeling the wet blouse from her shoulders, Zankou hitched Phoenix' skirt around her waist, revelling in the weightless slide of her body on his. Thrusting his tongue into her mouth, he ground his hips against hers, locking an arm around her back. Their legs clashed and tangled as they struggled to stay afloat. Losing the battle, they broke apart, laughing and spluttering.

"Hang on," he warned and spun her around, grasping the glass floor with his fingers, capturing her between him and the edge. Looking deep into the playful gleam in her eyes, he shook his head slowly. "You could have been less cruel with your punishment."

"You had to learn a lesson," she said. "You're too cocky, too sure of yourself, spouting, 'I will be all powerful', 'you will pay the price'." Phoenix' face was twisted into a look of superiority, her voice mimicking a deep baritone that sounded nothing like him. "You're full of it, Zanky."

"I am, am I?"

"Yep, but you're an exquisite-looking demon with magic fingers and mind-blowing moves, and so I put up with you."

"You do, do you?"

She nuzzled his neck. "Yes, I do."

"And what does putting up with me entail?" he growled.

She pulled back to look at him, cocking her head to the side.

"I have to listen to your rants about the Charmed Ones, your tales of incompetency of your henchmen, the futility of the Avatars, and the way they all insult your intelligence–"

"–and my absolute superiority."

She flicked a glance through her eyelashes that made his throat tighten. "That too. And none of them appreciate you like–"

"–like you do."

"Like you think you deserve to be appreciated." Phoenix shook her head, her cheeks dimpling to suppress her smile.

Zankou felt his eyes widen in mock disbelief. "Is my wife making fun of me?"

"Never!"

"That's good, because if she is…"

"What?"

"There'll be no more of this."

"No more of what?" Phoenix' mouth opened in a wide 'O'.

Zankou grinned, engorged again and feeling wicked with the desire to tease her. "No more feather kisses," he said, suiting action to word. "No more hot nuzzles." He breathed into her ear, then trailed his lips down her neck. "No more beard rubs where you like it – low, very low." His hips stroked against hers, his body searching for her warmth.

Phoenix growled softly in her throat. "How low?"

He slid into her, sure and strong. Phoenix threw back her head and clung to his shoulders. The caress of the water and the ease of movement of their buoyant bodies had him shuddering as her guttural groan of pleasure reverberated between them. His hips started up the deep powerful rhythm she liked and she wrapped her legs around his waist. The heat of her skin against his and the moans of delight rippling up her throat packed Zankou with a power that was more satisfying than anything he felt with the Nexus within him. He feverishly rained kisses upon her eyes, mouth and neck, moaning heavily against her skin as the pressure built within him.

Phoenix clamped around him as she gave an ear-splitting scream. Flinging her head forward, she bit down on his neck, her nails digging into his shoulders, shaking with release. Amazed at the potency of the pain-pleasure that coursed through him, Zankou bellowed his own gratification, clinging to the glass edge floor with the little strength left in him.

Chest heaving, he kissed her deeply, raggedly breathing in air, unwilling to let go of the glorious merging with this woman. None suited him so well, stood up to him so fearlessly, complemented him so absolutely.

"I love you, witch," he whispered, almost too soft to hear.

oOo

The ugly horse upon Phoenix' desk rocked slightly, contracted then expanded, smoothly rippling, dilating and morphing into something more human. The figure perfected itself, lifted her head, stretched, then rearranged into a sitting position on the desk.

From the darkened corner of the room, Veronica watched the lovers in the water.

A plan birthed, then matured in her mind.

oOo

More Rogue to come…