by Amy Sumida
Slick tongues twisting and lips moving savagely against each other; our kiss was the spark that set our passion's kindling aflame. I groaned and picked up my pace. But Az would have none of that. He pulled out of me and dragged me up his body by my hips as he simultaneously slid down the bed and between my thighs. I pressed my hands against the glass window behind our bed. A lush, jungle-like growth of plants filled the view, blocking the rest of the butterfly garden, but I wasn't appreciating the exotic flora at the moment. Instead, I leaned my cheek against the cool surface as I enjoyed the heat of my husband's tongue lapping eagerly at my sex.
Within a few minutes, I was shivering and shouting through my orgasm as Azrael pulled me more firmly against his mouth. But then suddenly, he slipped out from beneath me and got to his knees behind me. His shaft glided into me and his body pressed mine against the glass. I cried out as Az spread my legs wider and then grabbed my hands to hold them firmly over my head on the window. He slammed into me but kept his torso tightly against mine; pinning me to the glass.
“I learned something from my classmates,” Azrael whispered in my ear.
“Something naughty?” I glanced back at him hopefully.
“Oh, yes.” His smile matched his wicked tone. “They call it the Halo Effect.”
“Halo?”
“As in our angelic halos; the powerful light all Angels can exude. I use mine to give compassion when needed,” he explained. “But I heard that I can also use it to give pleasure; extreme amounts of pleasure. Shall we test the rumor?”
“Yes, please.”
Azrael eased out of my body and turned me to face him. He knelt, sitting back on his heels, and I straddled him with my back leaning against the window. The pillows had been pushed out of the way and it felt as if I were on display even though no one could see us. In my head, a window meant visible. A naughty surge of excitement filled me without the embarrassment of actually being seen. Then Azrael slammed up into me, and I felt even more naughty.
Az bracketed my face with his hands and kissed me until I could feel it in my toes. I gripped his shoulders tightly as his hips started an easy rhythm. The scent of orchids and sex hit my nose and the sweet taste of him tingled in my mouth as the sounds of our merging flesh smacked wetly around us.
Then Azrael began to glow.
A white haze drifted out from his body and seeped into my skin. My limbs went liquid for a moment, hanging loosely as my mind blazed with desire. Then it erupted inside me—an explosion of rapture—and I screamed from the onslaught of aching, tingling lust as my body worked without thought; slamming down on Azrael's cock as if I needed him to survive. I did; I couldn't live without that beautiful piece of silky flesh splitting me and filling me with heat. Every one of my nerve endings came to life in the most delicious ways. Azrael's eyes widened as I growled and shoved him onto his back.
I held my angel down as I took what I needed; my hips hammering frantically against his, desperate to get his sex deeper into mine. My hands spread out on his chest and my feet dug into the mattress so I could bounce onto him violently. But that wasn't enough; I wanted more. I dropped to my knees and shoved my breast against his lips. Azrael groaned in delight and sucked my nipple into his wet heat. He tongued me expertly, raining more sparks onto the unstable powder keg inside me. I kept pummeling our bodies together until the powder caught and blasted through me. I clenched around Azrael spasmodically and his shouts added to mine.
I collapsed over him, and Azrael clasped me tightly to his chest as if trying to hold us both together. Our breaths started to slow along with our heartbeats. With a reverent touch, he pushed back my wild hair and kissed my cheek.
“I love the halo effect,” I whispered against his chest.
Azrael and I laughed low and lustily together until he began to harden inside me again. Then the laughter turned back into love.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Sunshine drifted through the net that stretched over the top of the open-air, butterfly garden. The net was to keep the butterflies in while also allowing the rain and sun to nourish the plants. I luxuriated in the current sunlight as I stretched out on the soft grass of the central meadow in the garden. My cats were lazing with me; Kirill behind and beneath me, Lesya curled up on his other side, and Nick sleeping half over my stomach. The scent of tropical flowers rolled in and out like the tide with the warm breeze while the sound of steady breaths and purring settled my soul. It was pure Bliss.
Then Nick got up to find something to kill.
I suppose that's the way of all cats; we sleep, storing up our energy until we pounce. Nick woke Lesya, who crawled to her feet and tottered off to pick flowers. I adjusted my head on Kirill's chest so I could see his face. I'd rather stare at him than plants any day. He smiled softly at me and stroked my hair with a contented sigh.
“Zis makes everything vorth it,” Kirill murmured. “Your head on my chest, our daughter happy nearby, and sun shining down on us; making stars in your hair sparkle brighter.”
I had a stripe of starlight hair just above my left ear; a pure white lock that twinkled like stars. It seemed ironic that they'd shine brighter in the sun. Although come to think of it, they glittered in any light. The glow wasn't due to a reflection, it came from within the strands themselves. I'm not sure, but I think it may actually be stars, or perhaps an echo of them. Or a reflection of the star inside me.
“And you looking at me like that,” I added to Kirill's list of worthwhile things. “I would do anything to keep that look on your face.”
Kirill pulled me up his chest, and I turned to slide over him; pressing my hands against his heartbeat as I pressed my lips against his. His fingers wove through my hair, pressing against my scalp to draw me closer. The smell of lion and man overpowered the blossoms around us, and I groaned into our kiss. It was just getting good when a laughing little girl pounced on us and ruined the mood.
But neither of us minded. Kirill and I joined in Lesya's laughter as we turned to tickle her together. She squealed, throwing her flowers in the air, and a rain of petals floated down around us as she giggled.
“We've received another summons from Athena,” Odin said as he walked up.
Now, that was a mood killer. Our laughter died as Kirill and I stared at each other over Lesya's head.
“Is it bad?” Lesya asked with a serious, cerulean stare.
“It could be, Kotyonok,” Kirill said gently. “But Mama vill take care of it.”
“Okay,” she said in the trusting way of children.
Kirill looked at me. “You go ahead, I'll stay vith her.”
“Thank you.” I kissed him and then our daughter goodbye.
Kirill gave me another grim look before he picked Lesya up. Then he pasted on a grin and tossed her up in the air. Lesya's giggles returned, and Kirill nuzzled our daughter as I followed Odin out of the garden. There was nothing like seeing Kirill and Lesya together; their long, dark hair swinging and their sapphire eyes sparkling. I decided to focus on that image and burn it into my mind as I often did when I killed someone. I remembered all of my kills to prevent myself from turning into a psychopath, but perhaps I'd been focusing on the wrong things. Maybe it wasn't death that would keep me sane but life and love. We draw to us what we focus on after all.
“Did Alex say anything?” I asked Odin.
“Hestia is missing.”
“Hestia?” I asked in surprise. “So, Narcissus didn't go for Apollo?”
“It appears not.”
“Then he either got wind of Athena's plan or has other motivations.”
“I think Hestia is weaker than Apollo,” Odin mused as we headed downstairs. “He's culling the herd and gaining confidence.”
“Humph. I didn't think Narcissus had the brains for that.”
“It's an animal technique, Vervain,” Odin pointed out. “It doesn't require a lot of brains, just instinct.”
“Fair enough,” I muttered.
We stepped out of the
elevator to find the rest of my men waiting for me. They were worried. Rarely did all of them feel the need to attend me. Even Toby was there, his long, raven hair gleaming like glass. The black feather that hung from the end of the slim braid at his temple nearly disappeared into that darkness but its magic made it gleam in a different way than his hair. Toby's strange eyes—deep blue with a ring of oak brown around them—stared at me steadily. All of my men stared at me in a similar fashion. Yep; definitely worried.
“We'll figure it out,” I said brightly. “We always do.”
“I'm sure we will, Lala,” Re agreed. “It's just unsettling. I wish I'd never found that damn mirror.”
“I think it was the other way around, and the Mirror found you. Regardless, there's no point in wasting wishes like that.” I kissed his cheek. “Better to wish for things you can have.”
“But all of my important wishes have already come true.” Re smiled tenderly at me.
The other men didn't so much as groan; there had been too much raw truth in Re's words. Re's raw truth; now, that was kinda funny. But no, even I couldn't tease him after that naked honesty.
“Mine too,” I said instead. “More than I wished for.”
And that was the truth as well. My fulfilled wishes stood before me and played with our daughter in a butterfly garden above me. These men were my happiness, and if I had to fight every day of my life to protect that happiness, I would, and I'd count myself lucky.
“I'm the one who let Narcissus out,” I said. “If he's been taking the Greeks, I need to set things right.”
“Let's hear what Athena has to say before we go vowing vengeance on Narcissus,” Trevor cautioned. “The guy rose my hackles, but we still don't know for certain that this is his doing.”
The other men grimaced at Trevor.
“You weren't in that mirror with us.” Trevor shook his head adamantly. “Everything was an illusion; nothing could be trusted. It makes you really think about how things are perceived. I want some solid proof of who's behind this. I want to be certain I kill the right god, and I'm not tricked again.”
“It was confusing in there,” I confirmed. “And you're right, Trevor, it messes with your mind. It reminds me of coming out of Iktomi's Internet after he tortured me. Reality becomes suspect. You feel as if you can't trust your own eyes.”
“Iktomi,” Odin hissed. “That's one son of a bitch I'm relieved to know is dead.”
“It took a lot to kill him,” Azrael added.
“At least we know Narcissus isn't that strong,” I said. “If it is him, he shouldn't be too hard to kill.”
The men groaned.
“Sorry.” I grimaced. “I didn't mean to jinx us.”
“Don't concern yourself with jinxes,” Re said confidently. “The Fates are on your side, remember?”
If only Re had known that those words were a jinx even worse than mine.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“She was right behind me,” Athena said. “No more than two feet away.”
The Greek Gods shuffled behind the Lady of Olympus. There were more than Olympians with Athena today. Torrent was still there with Artie but there was also Morpheus, Dionysus, his wife Ariadne, Donnie's wife Amphitrite, their son Triton, and the Erotes (Greek Gods of Love). They all looked nervous. Their pantheon had just come under attack a few months ago; Triton and Athena were the most affected. Well, them, Zeus, and Hera. Zeus had been roasted over a campfire and eaten; you couldn't get more affected than that.
“Just tell us what happened, Athena,” Odin said gently.
“We were all taking shifts watching Apollo, Artemis, and Torrent,” Athena said. “Hestia was with me, but I was focused on Apollo. I didn't think to look for her until the end of our shift. Anteros and Himeros came to relieve us and that's when we noticed that she was gone.”
“We went to her home, but she wasn't there either,” Himeros said. “Hestia never leaves the mountain, but we've searched Olympus and she isn't here.”
“Show me where you—”
Before I could finish, a couple of Greek gods who I didn't recognize came in with Cephissus They weren't dragging him exactly, but he wasn't coming peacefully either. Cephissus finally managed to pull his arms free of their death-grips—though I think it was because they let him—and straightened his clothes indignantly. The two gods who were escorting Cephissus nodded at Athena and then took up positions near the door to the living room we were meeting in.
I'd been in this room before, back when Zeus owned the place. It had an entire wall that was open to a terrace with an incredible view of Oceanus. Salty air shifted the chiffon curtains lazily. They looked similar to the ones that had been there before but the rest of the room was very different. A baby grand piano immediately grabbed the eye, its glassy, ebony surface the darkest thing in the room. The rest of the furniture posed before the piano, upholstered in soft gray velvet, and a matching carpet covered the tile floor. To add a gleam to the gray, an abundance of mirrored surfaces invaded the room. Those surfaces were making me as nervous as the Greeks, but I refused to be cowed by reflections. The room would be good for me; aversion therapy.
Cephissus plopped down on the only available seat, the piano bench, and glared at Athena. “What do you want?”
“Your son,” Athena said. “The Council needs to question Narcissus but no one has been able to reach him.”
Cephissus smirked. “I'll tell you the same thing I told her.” He jerked his thumb at me. “I gave my son a part of my territory, and he made it impenetrable. You can't pass through; no one can.”
“How did he do that?” Athena stood to confront Cephissus, and the River God paled. “Tell me, Cephissus, or I shall hold you responsible for your son's actions.”
“You can't do that!” He shouted and stood. “I had nothing to do with his choices. All I did was provide for my child as any parent would.”
“You're harboring a fugitive,” Athena said coldly. “A murderer who may have killed two Olympians and the Goddess of Revenge. Those are grounds for execution and if you keep us from Narcissus, I shall execute you instead.”
“You can't!”
“I can,” Athena assured him. “And I will if you don't start talking.”
“I don't know how he did it,” Cephissus growled.
“Narcissus must have told you something,” Athena insisted. “How do you get in touch with him?”
Cephissus clamped his mouth shut and glared stubbornly at Athena.
“Put him in a cell,” Athena said to the gods who had brought Cephissus in. “Perhaps the dungeons of Olympus will loosen his tongue.”
Cephissus' eyes went wide, but he kept his silence. The guard gods grabbed him by his upper arms and pulled him from the room. As Cephissus passed me, he gave me a vicious smirk. It sent chills down my spine.
“He knows something,” I said after he was gone.
“I don't doubt it, but he's not talking, and I'm not feeling up for torture,” Athena said and then sighed deeply. “I'll get back to him later. What were you about to say before he was brought in, Vervain?”
“Oh, I wanted to take a look at the area where you last saw Hestia,” I said.
“Of course.” Athena motioned to the doorway. “I'll take you there.”
I followed Athena out, and everyone came with us. It was a large group; too big for even Olympus' elevator to fit us all. And yes, Olympus has an elevator; it runs from the boat dock in the cavern below to the peak where Athena's palace rules. We took it down one level to the main plateau where the other Greek Gods of Olympus live. We had to split up to go down, but my men came with me. Athena didn't wait for the others once the elevator let us out, she immediately started heading into the maze of palaces, courtyards, and gardens with a confident stride.
Athena took us to one of the smaller gardens that spotted the plateau. A construction I would have called a gazebo, except for the fact that it was made of marble, stood in the center of the verdant square. I sup
pose it could be called a pavilion. Around it, spindly trees spotted the area and other assorted foliage grew in controlled disorder. It was a good location for an ambush; hiding places abounded. Athena took me to the hideout her and Hestia had been using; a nook behind thick bushes and under the cover of a collection of lemon trees.
“Right here.” Athena pointed to the spot. “That's where I was, and Hestia was over there.” She waved a little to her left.
I went to where Hestia had been and took a deep sniff. Trevor did the same. My dragon senses outperformed his wolf, but it never hurt to have backup. I let my dragon rise inside my mind and change the scents into visible trails of color. There were only two traces left in the area strong enough to have been made recently, and I recognized one as Athena's. The other had to be Hestia's.; a buttercream yellow that glowed softly. I followed it back further into the trees where another scent loomed up.
