by Scott, J. S.
Athena wasn’t exactly a woman—she was a goddess—but Kristoff wasn’t about to remind her of that. The truth was, she was isolated in this uninhabited area of the Olympic Peninsula and hadn’t seen another soul except him for thousands of years. “I’ll study them again,” he answered, gesturing to the scroll to make Athena feel better. He knew the prophecies by heart, but the Fates were real bitches to understand sometimes. Most of what was written could have many different meanings. “There has to be an answer.” There had better be, because he wasn’t about to see his Sentinels destroyed and the Earth ravaged as it had been when the Evils ruled the Earth. Every Sentinel had a drive to protect human life, and his was greater than the others. It was his duty, his purpose.
“My Sentinels won’t fail me, Kristoff. You won’t fail me,” she murmured, her voice not wavering.
Kristoff felt his gut clench, hoping Athena was right. The goddess had given him back his life, and he’d rather die than fail her. “No, I won’t,” he agreed, brushing off all thought of failure. It wasn’t an option. Too much relied on him and the Sentinels doing what they were created to do.
Athena worried her long, very blonde braid that hung over her shoulder, stroking the tail of it thoughtfully. “Hunter is getting very close to the edge. Send him to me,” she demanded quietly. “I can help him.”
Kristoff stared at Athena, dumbfounded. “I bound his powers. He may already be beyond saving,” he answered, his voice vibrating with sorrow. “How can he find you? And why him? You haven’t ever wanted to see another one of the Sentinels before.” Hell, if Athena could help Hunter, he was all for it. But she’d never mentioned the possibility of intervening in the past. She left all Sentinel communication to him. “He’s damaged, Athena.”
She raised a blonde eyebrow at him questioningly. “You actually think he could hurt me?”
Kristoff barked out a humorless laugh. Hell, no. Athena was a goddess, even though her powers were limited. She might look like a blonde angel, but she could kick Hunter’s ass in a heartbeat. “No,” he answered aloud. “I’m more worried about Hunter pissing you off.”
“I can hold my temper, Kristoff. I’m not arrogant enough to believe that I’m invincible, and I don’t feel the need to rule the Earth. I just want to help the Sentinels. Send him.”
His goddess had commanded, and he’d obey. “Just don’t kill him. He might be a major asshole, but he’s still one of my men,” Kristoff requested. “How will he find you? Do you want me to transport him?”
Athena shook her head. “Just give him my location, transfer the information to him. He’ll find me.”
“Would you like to give me any more clues about why you even want him here?” Kristoff already had enough things that he didn’t know. He’d really like to be clued in on why Athena wanted Hunter in her invisible palace and how the hell he was even going to get here.
“He needs to be healed. That’s all I know right now. And he needs to enter my territory willingly.”
Athena looked agitated, and Kristoff knew that she had moments when she wasn’t all-knowing, even though she was a goddess. Information came to her like it came to him…in too damn small amounts, and only when it was time. “I’ll send him.” Rising to his feet, he added, “I’ve got to go. Things are going south pretty fast.”
Athena got to her feet gracefully. “I have one more thing I have to tell you before you leave, something that might come as rather a shock,” she said gravely. “I would have told you before, but I didn’t know until today.”
“Yeah?” Kristoff answered guardedly, his voice graveled. She was a goddess and he was a demon king. He wasn’t sure what Athena could actually say to surprise him.
But he was so wrong. So very wrong. Athena managed to drop a bomb on him that knocked his whole world off its axis. He left her presence, still stunned and shaken, knowing his world would never be quite the same.
Talia landed on top of Drew in unfamiliar surroundings, her brain completely scrambled.
Obviously Drew had slowed down his transport from the restaurant enough that she was still conscious, but fast enough that she was pretty damn dizzy. She sat up slowly, her head spinning, straddling Drew as she ran a hand through her hair to push it back impatiently, moving the blinding curtain from her face.
“You okay, love?”
The husky baritone came from beneath her, and her eyes flew to Drew’s concerned face. “Yeah. I think so.” She put her hands on his chest to get her balance. “Where are we?”
“Kristoff’s house. I’m not sure my place is safe anymore.” He sat up, holding her straddled across his lap. “Kristoff’s home is warded with better security. He only leaves it open to a few of his Sentinels.”
Talia assumed the Winston brothers were three of those Sentinels allowed unrestricted access to Kristoff’s home. “Are the people in the restaurant in danger?”
“I summoned the warriors to come there as soon as you felt the presence of Evils. Rescue Sentinels are only allowed to fight in self-defense, which is why Hunter is in trouble so damn much. The warriors can engage in battle if they feel an Evil’s intent to harm. They’ll do their best to drive the Evils back to the demon realm where they belong,” Drew replied, his voice grave.
“How do you fight the Evils? Obviously you’ve had conflicts,” Talia queried curiously.
“I let them take one shot at me, and that’s all they get,” Drew answered gruffly. “Once they try to kill me or harm a human, they’re fair game.”
Somehow it didn’t seem fair that a rescue Sentinel couldn’t defend himself until an Evil attempted to behead him, and Talia told Drew just that.
“It’s the rules. Every Sentinel has a purpose and his own set of rules. We rescue humans from themselves. For the most part, rescue Sentinels are strong enough that regular Evils don’t tangle with us. But I appreciate your concern, mo chridhe,” he told her, amused.
“So you can summon other Sentinels?” Talia asked, still not happy that some Evil could try to behead Drew before he could defend himself.
“Only in an emergency, when another type of Sentinel is needed. An official summons can be sent to other types of Sentinels. I can’t summon one of my own kind,” Drew answered glumly. “If that were possible, I’d be summoning Hunter’s ass every minute so he’d stay out of trouble.”
He grasped her hips as she tried to slide from his body, keeping her positioned exactly where she was. “Stay,” he requested, part demanding and part pleading with her.
Talia’s head was starting to clear, but Drew’s proximity made her feel intoxicated, the masculine, musky scent of him enough to make her want him all over again. Her breath caught as her eyes met his, the light amber glow enthralling her. Her panties grew wet and she wriggled against his long, hard length, needing him possibly even more than she had the night before. Images from the previous day exploded in her mind, visions of pleasure like she’d never known before. It wasn’t just her desire for a handsome male like Drew; it was the way he made her feel beautiful. His intense possessiveness and protectiveness, traits she would have thought would be off-putting, were actually the sexiest things she’d ever seen. And it made her want to own him, own his desire as badly as he seemed to want hers. The fact that he needed her with a desperation that bordered on insanity was breathtaking. “C-can we stay here?” she asked nervously, watching as his face grew more and more intense.
“Yes. Kristoff would want it if we were in danger.” Drew’s voice was husky and hungry, and it didn’t look like his appetite was for a chocolate truffle. “If you don’t stop imagining those dirty little things in your head, you’re going to be experiencing them momentarily.”
His words were a dark, sensual threat, and Talia felt her entire body start to tremble with longing.
Damn. Will I ever stop wanting him the moment he’s close, the instant he touches me or looks at me?
<
br /> Frankly, she doubted it. Drew emanated carnal, fierce desire when he looked at her, and Talia didn’t think there would ever be a time that she wouldn’t respond immediately to the intensity of his gaze, the way he smelled, his naughty little words. Drew Winston was everything she’d always needed, even though she’d never recognized the longing in her heart and soul for such a man until he’d opened the floodgates. And only Drew had been capable of doing it. “I waited so long for you,” she murmured, unable to keep her emotions leashed.
“Not nearly as long as I waited for you, mo grha,” he growled, his nimble fingers unbuttoning her lightweight sweater to get to her flesh. The buttons popped as he grew impatient and ripped the garment open, tore the front of her bra in half and buried his face in her chest.
Talia cried out in relief as Drew ravaged her breasts, taking the hard, sensitive nipples into his mouth and sucking, bringing both of them to painful peaks. She leaned her head back with a moan that she barely recognized as her own as his large hands cupped her ass and pulled her wet core tightly against him, the denim between them an irritating barrier to what she really needed. Drew pillaged, and Talia responded with an elemental carnality that was overwhelming.
Her fingers speared through his hair, urging him faster, harder. His emotions were beating at her and suddenly, the door to her empath ability opened to Drew, and his ferocious hunger for her nearly made her come undone, as it roared through her body with a strength that would have knocked her sideways if he hadn’t been palming her ass to keep her in place. “Oh, God. Drew. I need you to fuck me right now.” She clawed at his buttoned-down shirt, popping the fastenings to get to his bare skin. “Mine,” she declared in a possessive, sultry voice as her fingers met the smooth, heated skin of his ripped chest. But it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. Her short nails dug into him, needing to mark him as her own. As Drew groaned against her breast, Talia nipped at his shoulder, the need to claim him overpowering her.
I’m feeling Drew’s emotions.
Yet…they weren’t. They were an extension of her own need. She’d opened herself to Drew, exposing herself to the innate desire of their souls to bind, and it was damn near excruciating. It was an insatiable, overwhelming drive to mate. And now that the door had swung wide open, she was unable or unwilling to close it again.
Drew had them both naked in a heartbeat, his strong hands lifting her off his lap and onto her knees. The floor was a gleaming wood, and it was hard, but Talia never noticed. “Now, Drew.” If she didn’t feel him inside her in the next few seconds, she thought she was going to die from unsated longing.
“Easy, mo chridhe,” Drew crooned softly in her ear as he covered her body with his, his chest against her back. He moved her hair aside and bit gently at the back of her neck, making Talia whimper in her need for him to mark her.
“I feel you, Drew. I feel us. Please,” she begged, not comprehending how Drew managed to live with this kind of erotic torture.
“I’ll give you what you need, Talia,” he answered gruffly, straightening, running a palm soothingly along her back.
His fingers delved between her thighs, and he let out a strangled groan. “Bloody hell. I can’t wait. You’re so ready for me right now.”
“Yes,” she said eagerly. “Yes.”
Drew impaled her in one smooth stroke, a thrust that left her breathless and sighing with the sheer bliss of feeling him buried inside her.
“No control,” Drew warned, his breath heaving as he pulled back and slammed into her again, his groin meeting her ass with a satisfying slap.
“I don’t care,” Talia panted. She wanted it rough and possessive, fast and furious. Nothing else would do for her right now, and she knew Drew needed the same thing. This animalistic joining was the only thing that would help either one of them now.
As Drew hammered into her with a driving force that slid her forward on the slick wood, all she could think about was the fact that she felt like she was going to fly into little pieces that would burst into flames. White-hot fire pulsated through her entire body, and she lowered her head to the wood, desperately pushing back against him, meeting him stroke for stroke.
“If you’re going up in flames, take me with you. We’ll burn together,” Drew rasped, his hands gripping her hips to hold her in place. “You’re mine, Talia. My mate. I won’t survive if you don’t take me as yours.” His declaration was possessive, yet eloquent for a man/demon who had known very little love in his life.
As a fresh rush of heat flooded her being, Talia knew she would never reject Drew. He meant too much to her now. He was the missing piece of her soul, the bright part, even though he thought his soul was dark. “I want to be yours,” Talia gasped, every nerve vibrating as she felt her impending climax. “I need to come. So bad.”
“Mine! My woman to satisfy.” Drew reached in front of her and stroked a hand between her thighs, finding the throbbing bundle of nerves between her wet folds. He worked her relentlessly, like a man possessed, his cock driving deep, his fingers working her slick clit until she was totally mindless.
Talia’s orgasm hit her with a force that would have sent her whirling into space if Drew hadn’t had her firmly in his grasp, one arm going around her waist as the force of her climax took her body over. Her channel gloved him tightly, milking his own release, ripping a tortured groan from his mouth as he buried himself inside her once more and held her tightly against him, as though he never wanted to let go.
Talia moaned as Drew straightened, pulling her limp body against him. Both of them were slick with sweat, breathing hard from the cataclysmic joining they’d both experienced. He stroked one hand across her belly while the other held her in a solid grip around her shoulders, holding them together skin-to-skin, his cock still buried inside her. “Will you really be mine?” he asked in a hoarse voice, his breath warm against her ear.
“Yes.” There was nothing else to say. She wanted to be with Drew worse than anything she’d ever coveted before.
Drew sat back, turning Talia and lifting her onto his lap, frowning as he saw her reddened knees. “I hurt you.” His fingers lightly traced the red areas.
Talia burst into laughter. “Like I really noticed? You just rocked my world. It was worth it.”
Drew kissed her, an embrace that was so adoring, so reverent, that Talia felt her eyes begin to water. After he ended the tender intimacy of his lips languorously exploring hers, he whispered huskily , “I’ll make sure you’re never sorry.”
Talia’s heart squeezed inside her chest, aching for Drew because this was one of his vulnerable moments, a time when he didn’t feel he deserved happiness. “I’ll never be sorry, Drew. You’ve made me happier than I ever thought I could be.”
Suddenly, both of them jumped as they heard a rumble that sounded like it had started beneath them and was moving closer and closer.
Drew dressed them with his magic, helping Talia to her feet. For the first time, she noticed that they were actually in a bedroom, a grand bed right across the room. Despite her alarm, she was hit by the irony that they’d just used the floor when such an enormous bed stood so close.
He wrapped his arms around her, and Talia reached out with her senses, trying to identify the roar vibrating through the house. She closed the door on her empath abilities and just tried to…feel.
It took Talia precious seconds to realize what the deafening noise really was. “Evils! I can feel their underlying presence. They’re trying to mask themselves by creating a diversion—”
Her alarm turned to all-out panic, but before she could finish voicing her suspicions to Drew, she felt herself being seized by sharp claws, and she sank into instant, complete darkness, her only comfort the feel of Drew’s arms still tightly around her as she succumbed.
Drew had never been to the demon realm, but he knew immediately that was exactly where he and Talia had been transported. T
he noxious smell alone was a dead giveaway. He held his woman a little tighter, his arms tightening convulsively around her as he viewed his surroundings. They were locked in a cell, a prison that wasn’t quite small enough to make him react like he did in the punishment cell, but nevertheless, it was going to be a confinement he couldn’t flash his way out of. He had no power here in the demon realm, and he wasn’t much different from a human as long as he remained here.
He looked down at Talia, scowling as he saw the slash on her shoulder, a mark left by the Evils. He slapped his hand over the small cut to stop the bleeding with direct pressure to the wound. It wasn’t big enough to be harmful. It was a scratch, really. But his gut reaction was as strong as if they’d sliced up her whole body. One mark on her body, one second of pain, was enough to make him want to tear apart the Evil that’d left it there.
The bastards had obviously transported them quickly, fast enough that Talia was unconscious. “Assholes,” he muttered fiercely, shifting her body to lay her gently on the bench, the only item in the barred prison. He lifted his hand gently from her laceration. It had stopped bleeding, but he shuddered to think about the risk of infection in this squalid atmosphere.
Striding over to the front of the enclosure, he yanked at the bars, frustrated when they didn’t budge. Bloody hell! Did the whole demon realm reek as badly as the prison? He didn’t see another soul—the cells next to him empty—but he could hear the wailing moans of pain coming continuously from what had to be a short distance away. They were loud and probably human, and it triggered his instinct to protect all humans, a feeling he barely noticed because he was already overwhelmed by the more powerful drive to protect his mate. He needed to get Talia away from the demon realm, and he let out an anguished snarl as he fisted the bars of their cell and shook them. They barely rattled. His strength was minimal here, nothing more than that of a regular man, and it made him nearly insane.
