After Dark

by Gena Showalter

  “Or until I kill you,” he snapped.

  She laughed. “Or until Paris kills you. But I hope you guys will play nice for a little while, at least. Do you have any idea how sexy you both are right now? And if you want to kiss or something while rolling around, don’t let me stop you.”

  “Uh, Bianka,” Paris began, beginning to look uncomfortable. “Kaia’s in Budapest. She’s helping Gwen with the wedding, and thinks you’re hiding to get out of your maid of honor duties.”

  “I am not maid of honor, blast it!” But at least Kaia wasn’t worried. The hooker, she thought with affection.

  “That’s not what she says. Anyway, I don’t mind fighting another dude to amuse you, but seriously, he’s a Sent One. I need to return to—”

  “No need to thank me.” She held out her hands. “A bowl of Lysander’s popcorn, please.” The bowl appeared, the scent of butter wafting to her nose. “Now then. Let’s get this party started. Ding, ding,” she said, and settled down to watch the battle.

  CHAPTER 7

  Lysander could not believe what he was being forced to do. He was angry, horrified and, yes, contrite. Hadn’t he done something similar to Bianka? Granted, he hadn’t stripped her down. Hadn’t pitted her against another female.

  There was the tightening in his groin again.

  What was wrong with him?

  “I will set you free,” he told Bianka. And sweet mercy, she looked beautiful. More tempting than when she’d worn that little bit of nothing. Now she wore a green-and-black tank that bared her golden arms. Were those arms as soft as they appeared? Don’t think like that. Her shirt stopped just above her navel, making his mouth water, his tongue yearn to dip inside. What did I just say? Don’t think like that. Her pants were the same dark shades and hung low on her hips.

  He’d come here to fight her, to finally force her hand, and judging by that outfit, she’d been ready for combat. That...excited him. Not because their bodies would have been in close proximity—really—and not because he could have finally gotten his hands on her—again, really—but because, if she injured him, he would have the right to end her life. Finally.

  But he’d come here and she’d taught him a quick yet unforgettable lesson instead. He’d been wrong to whisk her to his home and hold her captive. Temptation or not. She might be his enemy in ways she didn’t understand, but he never should have put his will above hers. He should have allowed her to live her life as she saw fit.

  That’s one of the reasons he existed in the first place. To protect free will.

  When this wrestling match ended, he would free her as he’d promised. He would watch her, though. Closely. And when she made a mistake, he would strike her down. And she would. Make a mistake, that is. As a Harpy, she wouldn’t be able to help herself. He wished it hadn’t come to that. He wished she could have been happy here with him, learning his ways.

  The thought of losing her did not sadden him. He would not miss her. She’d placed him in a vat of oil to wrestle with another man, and he was angry, that was all.

  There was suddenly a bitter taste in his mouth.

  “Bianka,” he prompted. “Have you no response?”

  “Yes, you will set me free,” she finally said with a radiant grin. She twirled a strand of that dark-as-night hair around her finger. “After. Now, I do believe I rang the starting bell.”

  Her words were slightly slurred from the wine she’d consumed. A drunken menace, that’s what she was. And he would not miss her, he told himself again.

  The bitterness intensified.

  A hard weight slammed into him and sent him propelling to his back. His wings caught on the sides of the pool as oil washed over him from head to toe, weighing him down. He grunted, and some of the stuff—cherry-flavored—seeped into his mouth.

  “Don’t forget to use tongue if you kiss,” Bianka called helpfully.

  “You don’t lock women away,” Paris growled down at him, a flash of scales suddenly visible under his skin. Eyes red and bright. Demon eyes. “No matter how irritating they are.”

  “Your friends did something similar to their women, did they not? Besides, the girl isn’t your concern.” Lysander shoved, sending the warrior hurtling to his back. He attempted to use his wings to lift himself, but their movements were slow and sluggish so all he could do was stand.

  Oil dripped down his face, momentarily shielding his vision. Paris shot to his feet, as well, hands fisted, body glistening.

  “So. Much. Fun,” Bianka sang happily.

  “Enough,” Lysander told her. “This is unnecessary. You have made your point. I’m willing to set you free.”

  “You’re right,” she said. “It’s unnecessary to fight without music!” Once again she tapped her chin with a nail, expression thoughtful. “I know! We need some rock in this crib.”

  A song Lysander had never heard before was playing through the cloud a second later. Like a siren rising from the sea, Bianka began swaying her hips seductively.

  Lysander’s jaw clenched so painfully the bones would probably snap out of place at any moment. Clearly there would be no reasoning with Bianka. That meant he had to reason with Paris. But who would ever have thought he’d have to bargain with a demon?

  “Paris,” he began—just as a fist connected with his face.

  His head whipped back. His feet slipped on the slick floor and he tumbled to his side. More of the cherry flavor filled his mouth.

  Paris straddled his shoulders, punched him again. Lysander’s lip split. Before a single drop of blood could form, however, the wound healed.

  He frowned. He now had the right to slay the man, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He did not blame Paris for this battle; he blamed Bianka. She had forced them into this situation.

  Another punch. “Are you the one who’s been watching Aeron?” Paris demanded.

  “Hey, now,” Bianka called. No longer did she sound so carefree. “Paris, you are not to use your fists. That’s boxing, not wrestling.”

  Lysander remained silent, not understanding the difference. A fight was a fight.

  Another punch. “Are you?” Paris growled.

  “Paris! Did you hear me?” Now she sounded angry. “Use your fists like that again and I’ll cut off your head.”

  She’d do it, too, Lysander thought, and wondered why she was so upset. Could she, perhaps, care for his health? His eyes widened. Was that why she preferred the less intensive wrestling to the more violent boxing? Would she want to do the same to him if he were to punch the Lord? And what would it mean if she did?

  How would he feel about that?

  “Are you?” Paris repeated.

  “No,” he finally said. “I’m not.” He worked his legs up, planted his feet on Paris’s chest and pressed. But rather than send the warrior flying, his foot slipped and connected with Paris’s jaw, then ear, knocking the man’s head back.

  “Use your hands, Sent One,” Bianka suggested. “Choke him! He deserves it for breaking my rules.”

  “Bianka,” Paris snapped. He lost his footing and tumbled to his butt. “I thought you wanted me to destroy him, not the other way around.”

  She blinked over at them, brow furrowed. “I do. I just don’t want you to hurt him. That’s my job.”

  Paris tangled a hand through his soaked hair. “Sorry, darling, but if this continues, I’m going to unleash a world of hurt on your frenemy. Nothing you say will be able to stop me. Clearly, he doesn’t have your best interests at heart.”

  Darling? Had the demon-possessed immortal just called Bianka darling? Something dark and dangerous flooded Lysander—mine echoed through his head—and before he realized what he was doing, he was on top of the warrior, a sword of fire in his hand, raised, descending...about to meet flesh.

  A firm hand around
his wrist stopped him. Warm smooth skin. His wild gaze whipped to the side. There was Bianka, inside the tub, oil glistening off her. How fast she’d moved.

  “You can’t kill him,” she said determinedly.

  “Because you want him, too,” he snarled. A statement, not a question. Rage, so much rage. He didn’t know where it was coming from or how to stop the flow.

  She blinked again, as if the thought had never entered her mind, and that, miraculously, cooled his temper. “No. Because then you would be like me and therefore perfect,” she said. “That wouldn’t be fair to the world.”

  “Stop talking and fight,” Paris commanded. A fist connected with Lysander’s jaw, tossing him to the side and out of Bianka’s reach. He maintained his grip on the sword and even when it dipped into the oil, it didn’t lose a single flame. In fact, the oil heated.

  Great. Now he was hot-tubbing, as the humans would say.

  “What’d you do that for, you big dummy?” Bianka didn’t wait for Paris’s reply but launched herself at him. Rather than scratch him or pull his hair, she punched him. Over and over again. “He wasn’t going to hurt you.”

  Paris took the beating without retaliating.

  That saved his life.

  Lysander grabbed the Harpy around the waist and hefted her into the hard line of his body. Soaked as they both were, he had a difficult time maintaining his grip. She was panting, arms flailing for the demon-possessed warrior, but she didn’t try to pull away.

  “I’ll teach you to defy me, you rotten piece of crap,” she growled.

  Paris rolled his eyes.

  “Send him away,” Lysander commanded.

  “Not until after I—”

  He splayed his fingers, spanning much of her waist. He both rejoiced and cursed that he couldn’t feel the texture of Bianka’s skin through the oil. “I want to be alone with you.”

  “You—what?”

  “Alone. With you.”

  With no hesitation, she said, “Go home, Paris. Your work here is done. Thanks for trying to rescue me. That’s the only reason you’re still alive. Oh, and don’t forget to tell my sisters I’m fine.”

  The sputtering Lord disappeared.

  Lysander released her, and she spun around to face him. She was now grinning.

  “So you want to be alone with me, do you?”

  He ran his tongue over his teeth. “Was that fun for you?”

  “Yes.”

  And she wasn’t ashamed to admit it, he realized. Captivating baggage. “Return the cloud to me and I will take you home.”

  “Wait. What?” Her grin slowly faded. “I thought you wanted to be alone with me.”

  “I do. So that we can conclude our business.”

  Disappointment, regret, anger and relief played over her features. One step, two, she closed the distance between them. “Well, I’m not giving you the cloud. That would be stupid.”

  “You have my word that once you return it to me, I will take you home. I know you hear the truth in my claim.”

  “Oh.” Her shoulders sagged a little. “So we really would be rid of each other. That’s great, then.”

  Did she still not believe him? Or... No, surely not. “Do you want to stay here?”

  “Of course not!” She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, and her eyes closed for a moment, an expression of pleasure consuming her features. “Mmm, cherries.”

  Blood...heating...

  Her lashes lifted and her gaze locked on him. Determination replaced all the other emotions, yet her voice dipped sexily. “But I know something that tastes even better.”

  So did he. Her. A tremor slid the length of his spine. “Do not do this, Bianka. You will fail.” He hoped.

  “One kiss,” she beseeched, “and the cloud is yours.”

  His eyes narrowed. Hot, so hot. “You cannot be trusted to keep your word.”

  “That’s true. But I want out of this hellhole, so I’ll keep it this time. Promise.”

  Hold your ground. But that was hard to do while his heart was pounding like a hammer against a nail. “If you wanted out, you would not insist on being kissed.”

  Her gaze narrowed, as well. “It’s not like I’m asking for something you haven’t already given me.”

  “Why do you want it?” He regretted the question immediately. He was prolonging the conversation rather than putting an end to it.

  Her chin lifted. “It’s a goodbye kiss, moron, but never mind. The cloud is yours. I’ll go home and kiss Paris hello. That’ll be more fun, anyway.”

  There would be no kissing Paris! Lysander had his tongue sliding into her mouth before he could convince himself otherwise. His arms even wound around her waist, pulling her closer to him—so close their chests rubbed each time they breathed. Her nipples were hard, deliciously abrading.

  “Out of the oil,” she murmured. “Clean.”

  He was still in the loincloth, but his skin was suddenly free of the oil, his feet on soft yet firm mist. The cloud might belong to him once more, but she could still make reasonable demands.

  Bianka tilted her head and took his possession deeper. Their tongues dueled and rolled and their teeth scraped. Her hands were all over him, no part of him forbidden to her.

  Goodbye, she had said.

  This was it, then. His last chance to touch her skin. To finally know. Yes, he planned to see her again, to watch her from afar, to wait for his chance to rid himself of her permanently, but never again would he allow himself to get this close to her. And he had to know.

  So he did it.

  He glided his hands forward, tracing from her lower back to her stomach. There, he flattened his palms, and her muscles quivered. She was softer than he’d realized. Softer than anything else he’d ever touched.

  He moaned. Have to touch more. Up he lifted, remaining under her shirt. Warm, smooth, as he’d already known. Still soft, so sweetly soft. Her breasts overflowed, and his mouth watered for a taste of them. Soon, he told himself. Then shook his head. This was it; the last time they would be together. Goodbye, pretty breasts. He kneaded them.

  More soft perfection.

  Trembling now, he reached her collarbone. Her shoulders. She shivered. Still so wonderfully soft. More, more, more, he had to have more. Had to touch all of her.

  “Lysander,” she gasped out. She dropped to her knees, working at the loincloth before he realized what she was doing.

  His shaft sprang free, and his hands settled atop her shoulders to push her away. But once he touched that soft skin, he was once again lost to the sensation. Perfection, this was perfection.

  “Going to kiss you now. A different kind of kiss.” Warm wet heat settled over the hard length of him. Another moan escaped him. Up, down that wicked mouth rode him. The pleasure...it was too much, not enough, everything and nothing. In that moment, it was necessary to his survival. His every breath hinged on what she would do next. There would be no pushing her away.

  She twirled her tongue over the plump head; her fingers played with his testicles. Soon he was arching his hips, thrusting deep into her mouth. He couldn’t stop moaning, groaning, the gasping breaths leaving him in a constant stream.

  “Bianka,” he growled. “Bianka.”

  “That’s the way, baby. Give Bianka everything.”

  “Yes, yes.” Everything. He would give her everything.

  The sensation was building, his skin tightening, his muscles locking down on his bones. And then something exploded inside him. Something hot and wanton. His entire body jerked. Seed jetted from him, and she swallowed every drop.

  Finally she pulled away from him, but his body wouldn’t stop shaking. His knees were weak, his limbs nearly uncontrollable. That was pleasure, he realized, dazed. That was passion. That was what human men w
ere willing to die to possess. That was what turned normally sane men into slaves. Like I am now. He was Bianka’s slave.

  Fool! You knew this would happen. Fight. It was only as she stood and smiled at him tenderly—and he wanted to tug her into his arms and hold on forever—that a measure of sanity stole back into his mind. Yes. Fight. How could he have allowed her to do that?

  How could he still want her?

  How could he want to do that to her in return?

  How could he ever let her go?

  “Bianka,” he said. He needed a moment to catch his breath. No. He needed to think about what had happened and how they should proceed. No. He tangled a hand in his hair. What should he do?

  “Don’t say anything.” Her smile disappeared as if it had never been. “The cloud is yours.” Her voice trembled with...fear? Couldn’t be. She hadn’t showed a moment of fear since he’d first abducted her. But she even backed away from him. “Now take me home. Please.”

  He opened his mouth to reply. What he would say, he didn’t know. He only knew he did not like seeing her like that.

  “Take me home,” she croaked.

  He’d never gone back on his word, and he wouldn’t start now. He nodded stiffly, grabbed her hand and flew her back to the ice mountain in Alaska, exactly as he’d found her. Red coat, tall boots. Sensual in a way he hadn’t understood then.

  He maintained his grip on her until the last possible second—until she slipped away from him, taking her warmth and the sweet softness of her skin with her.

  “I don’t want to see you again.” Mist wafted around her as she turned her back on him. “Okay?”

  She...what? After what had happened between them, she was dismissing him? No, a voice roared inside his head. “Behave, and you will not,” he gritted out. A lie? The bitter taste in his mouth had returned.

  “Good.” Without meeting his gaze, she twisted and blew him a kiss as if she hadn’t a care in the world. “I’d say you were an excellent host, but then, you don’t want me to lie, do you?” With that, she strolled away from him, dark hair blowing in the wind.