“You answer my questions with questions? What the hell kind of game are you playing with me?” her voice shook with anger and frustration.
“It is not a game I play with you. I am trying to ascertain how much information your mind can safely handle right now. That is all I’m doing.” He lifted his hands in the air in a show of surrender then took her hands into his. “Evie, take a hot shower and think about what you want to ask me. You know what questions you can safely ask.” When she was about to shake her head in refusal, he gently squeezed her hands. “Don’t argue with me. You know you need to clear your head and think before you ask any of your questions. Take a shower, collect your thoughts, and maybe even sleep a bit. You will feel much better.” She begrudgingly realized she was not going to get anywhere with him at the moment. She stood and began to walk back towards the room she awakened in as he told her, “Everything you need is in there.” She waved noncommittally back at him with one hand as the other slammed the door behind her.
Chapter 7
The bathroom was white and sage green marble, the shower against the back wall of the bathroom was a welcoming sight. The shower doors were frosted halfway up like white-capped waves. She sighed, shoulders relaxing at the thought of a soothing, hot shower. Suspicious and cautious, she tip-toed over to it and yanked the doors open to check inside. Empty. She blew out the breath she had not realized she was holding. What did she think she would find, a monster? She opened the cupboards under the sink to find only towels folded in two neat rows. No soap, shampoo, or toothbrush to be found. A guest bathroom without toiletries? She would have to make the best of it. Something was better than nothing.
Turning back to the shower, she turned the lever to hot, holding her fingertips under the shower heads until the water was hot. Shedding her clothes with haste she paused, startled to catch her reflection in the floor length mirror on the door. Just below her breasts was a bluish band of bruising, almost encircling her waist. Her hands trembled as she ran her fingers lightly over the bruises, remembering Sid’s body pressed painfully into hers. ‘Isn’t it ironic that agony reminds you that you are alive, but during such bone crushing pain, you wish you were dead’ his words burned into her mind with intrusive intent. Light headed from the memory, she let out a controlled breath, turned and leaned against the cool, marble surface of the sink for a minute. Eyes closed, she collected her thoughts, she couldn’t lose control now. She wouldn’t get through this ordeal if she did. She needed to find out what was going on so crumpling into a heap of weakness wouldn’t do her any good. She stood up, winced from the newly awakened pain to her ribs and proceeded to the shower.
The hot water was absolute bliss! She let the water run down her back, then turned to let it run down her front. She closed her eyes, raising her head to the spray as if it could wash the last forty eight or so hours away from her. She thought about the events that had occurred, apprehension coiling in her chest at the thought of the events that will no doubt occur in the not so distant future. As if to dispel the feeling, she pressed the palm of her hand against her chest, the rapid beating of her heart feeling like the only certainty in her life right now. Feeling a frisson of panic tingling through her veins, she clenched her fists to her sides. She had to remain strong. Shoulders tense, she rolled them to release the tightness that had set in days ago. Was everyone crazy or was it her? She shook her head and turned her back to the water. A bar of milky soap sat in the tray. Leaning over, she picked up the soap, brought it to her face, and inhaled deeply. Crisp and clean like a thunderstorm on a hot day, the soap smelled like him, like Kratos. The scent caused her breath to hitch as awareness burned low in her belly. What kind of a name was Kratos, anyway? Was it Greek or Latin?
She lathered up her hands, leaned forward, and began at her feet and worked her way up. Feeling the stubble on her legs, she scrunched her nose in irritation. She wished she had a razor right now. As she turned to rinse herself off, she noticed a pink razor sitting on the shelf next to her. Eyes narrowing upon the razor, she could have sworn it wasn’t there a moment ago, was it? Was she so tired that she hadn‘t noticed it? She used to think of herself as pretty observant but apparently, she was not. Opening the shower door, she scanned her surroundings. Empty. With hesitance, she closed the shower door again. Picking up the razor, she inspected it as if it would grow teeth and bite her. Mentally shaking off her paranoia, she shaved her legs.
Rinsing herself she was thankful to feel clean again, briefly thinking that her shower would be complete if she was able to wash her hair. Turning to shut off the water, she spied a brand new bottle of shampoo sitting on the shelf she had found the razor. She picked it up, the water sluicing down her slack-jawed face and dripping into her mouth. She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion as she stared at the bottle, questioning her sanity yet again. Was the shampoo there a moment ago? If she was insane, she mine as well have clean hair. A nervous bubble of laughter burst from her lips. Surprised by her own response to the situation, she stifled it with her hand slapped against her mouth. She decided to wash her hair, after all, that was why the shampoo ‘showed up,’ right?
Lathering her hair up with the lavender scented shampoo; she closed her eyes, tilted her head back into the water, and rinsed the soapy bubbles from her hair. She refused to analyze why her favorite scented shampoo magically appeared in the shower. As the foamy water streamed down her back, thoughts of Kratos and how warm and hard his body felt sifted without warning through her mind. In the deep recesses of her mind, she felt as though his body and scent were familiar to her. As if she knew every sculpted, golden inch of him. She reluctantly admitted to herself that she wanted to feel him against her again. His proximity gave her a sense of awareness and safety that she didn’t understand. She had never met him before, and yet, he was familiar.
Eyes closed, she pushed the water from her brow, back to the ends of her hair and wrung the soap and water from her curls. She scrubbed her face with her palms, and then wrapped her hands gently around her neck. Fingers locked behind her neck, she arched her shoulders back into the water. Her breathing was uneven; thoughts of what Kratos’ bare skin must feel like rubbing against her own skin invaded her mind. A memory sifted through her consciousness, their naked bodies pressed intimately together in an embrace of ecstasy. She sucked in her breath, was it a memory? She dismissed her musings, a little ashamed at her bizarre and promiscuous thoughts. Given her circumstances, sex was the last thing she should be thinking about! But, the images seemed to tumble through her mind against her will. A flash of a memory, his fierce blue eyes glittering with need as he clasped her shoulders while his lips descending upon hers.
She suddenly felt light-headed and staggered, as if she was not quite mentally present. The water sluiced down, a finite lapse in time causing the droplets of water to stutter and then resume it’s descent to the drain. Shaking her head, her body felt a bit feverish as the heavy and balmy air robbed her of fortifying breaths. She felt a haze of lust ripple through her body and cloud her vision. A throbbing sensation began to build between her legs, causing her to clench her thighs together. With trembling fingers, Evie trailed her finger tips across her collarbone, her palms skimming lower, cupping her breasts. She sucked in a shaky breath, as she pinched her nipples. She trailed one hand down to her nest of curls, her middle finger dipping into her moist throbbing heat. Just as she was about to press her finger into herself, another hand covered hers, pressing her finger and his simultaneously deep into her. What was she doing? Her mind raced to shake her out of the spell she seemed to be under, but the exquisite pleasure over rode her good sense.
She heard a moan and realized, as she licked her lips, that it was from her. Her butt quested backwards with urgency, snugly pressing against a very large and hard cock. She knew it was Kratos, but how could she? His scent and warmth was familiar and intoxicating. She wanted him so badly that she felt like she would not live another minute, she could not breath until he touched her. She mo
aned, as his hand moved her finger and his methodically in and out. Her eyes still closed, she dropped her head back against his collarbone. His other hand came up to cup her breast, his thumb rubbing incessantly back and forth across a hardened nipple as she heard his breaths quicken an unsteady beat.
On a moan, eyes closed, she responded as he continued to press her finger and his in and out, “I want to come. I need to come. Now.”
Pulling her finger and his out, he spun her around and pressed her to the back of the cool marble. He grabbed her hips and kneaded the skin before sliding them down to cup her ass. She watched with satisfaction as his eyes widened as her breasts bounced when he lifted her. His hungry moan vibrated against her palms as she slid them up the heated planes of his muscular chest. She wrapped her legs around his waist, causing her throbbing folds to fit perfectly against his hardness. Her breathing was uneven, as if she had run a marathon. This was madness yet she couldn’t stop herself. It was as if somewhere, deep inside of herself she knew that she needed him at this very moment.
His head was down as the water dripped off of his forehead, mouth open as droplets of water found their way into his mouth. Evie ran her hands through his hair, pulling his head back to look at her. His face was a mask of savage sexual hunger. His narrow cheek bones stark, like a starving man. His breath sawed in and then out through his open lips, mixing with her own uneven breaths. He stared into her eyes; the pupils of his glittering blue orbs dilated and appeared to brighten as if illuminated from within. Biting his full bottom lip, he leaned his head towards hers, groaning as his lips made contact with hers. His tongue swept the deep recesses of her mouth and tasted like an intoxicating ambrosia of sweetness that catapulted her passion to a fevered pitch. Evie pressed his head to hers, as if she couldn’t get enough, making him buck against her, a jolt of pleasure coiling up her belly. He thrust his tongue into her mouth again and again as she moaned in ecstasy and frustration. He drank from her lips like a man who could not quench his thirst. Holding her still against the shower wall with his massive body, one hand held the back of her head against his wet mouth as the other hand worked its way down her quivering belly. She arched her back as his fingers slowly circled her swollen sweet spot. Her breaths quickened as she dropped her head back, briefly registering shadows and feathers behind him. As if wings had burst from his back. Lifting her arms she leaned forward, hands skating across his broad shoulders to feel the heated skin of his back. Her forward momentum instigated a current of pleasure to course through her body with such force; she held her breath as her nails pressed half moons into his shoulders.
She pressed her mouth to his. “Please,” she moaned, gently nibbling his bottom lip in frustration. Swallowing her plea with his tongue, Kratos pressed himself deep into her eager heat, pushing in with a vigorous thrust, his testicles bouncing against her ass. She murmured an expletive at the surprising burn she felt deep in her womb as he hissed in a trembling breath at her tight passage. Her body shook at the intrusion, her last sexual experience having been a distant memory. Their eyes locked onto each others, his pupils dilating in ecstasy. He thrust into her and pulled out with a deliberately slow glide, as the immediate pleasure engulfed her. Eyes never wavering from each others hungry gaze, their breaths mingled as the hot water shrouded them in a warm mist. He leaned forward, lazily blinking his eyes as he pressed his forehead to hers, all the while methodically rocking into her. The intimacy sent a familiar jolt to her heart, as if they were one and had been in the past.
They were locked in a sexual battle of pending release, as she dropped her head back against the shower, arching and thrusting her breasts up, inviting his watering mouth. His teeth gently latched onto a rosy nipple, tonguing it, which catapulted her into a shattering release. She screamed something unintelligible as her body quivered with her orgasm. He groaned at her release, ramming into her with abandon. His prior languid thrusts now savage in there intensity. His release was not long after hers, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as a guttural roar erupted from deep inside his chest.
His breaths came in panting bursts as she cupped her hands behind his neck, trying to catch her breath. They stared at each other in silence, searching each others eyes. His luminous blue irises subtly dimmed as his pupils adjusted in size. Her legs still wrapped around his waist, Evie felt the tickle of something light and soft graze her legs and toes. She furrowed her brow at him as he cocked his head to the side, his look patient and almost…inhuman. Nervous, she tenuously lowered her legs, stood, and reached her arm around him to feel what had tickled her. Her lips parted in awe, as long, wet feathers greeted her probing hand.
“Are you an angel?” she breathlessly asked as her hand dropped like a rock by her side. He smiled and chuckled as he shook his head no. He Stepped away from her, spread his wings, and let the long feathers involuntarily ruffle to shed the water from them. The silky down of the feathers expanded and then retracted, disappearing into slits in his back. Frantically, Evie pulled his arm, partially turning him to inspect his back. She ran her hands up and down his smooth skin but no mark or indication of feathers were visible at all whatsoever. Gently, he stilled her questing hands. She pulled away from him and his image blurred and then rippled before disappearing.
Evie’s body jerked, as if she was thrown back into herself. Momentarily disoriented, she stumbled and then righted herself as she looked at her surroundings. Steam. Water. Soap. Bathroom. That’s right, she was in the shower. Sensation slowly returned, alerting her to the fact that she had a few fingers from her left hand deeply embedded into her nether region. Slowly removing them, she realized with acute clarity and tenderness that she had just experienced the most amazing orgasm of her life. During a daydream she had not known she was having. The worst part was that it was by her hand. On a groan of acute shame and embarrassment, Evie turned into the water and shakily rinsed herself. With unsteady breaths, she turned off the water and let the cold air refresh her body. She slowly lowered herself to a kneeling position on the tiled floor. What the hell just happened?
After a few minutes passed, she stood and stepped out of the shower and pulled a towel around her, absently noticing how water logged she was. How long had she been like that? How could she have become so immersed in such an intense and sexual daydream? It had seemed so real, so familiar.
It wasn’t as if this sort of thing happened to her frequently! The sex with Kratos had been so intense, it felt as if it had truly happened. Pressing her palms to her cheeks, she let out a shaky breath, walked into the bedroom, and proceeded to rifle for clothes through the Armoire and bureau. Pulling out a few things with a little more force then necessary, she was a little surprised and miffed that she was disappointed that it was only a daydream.
Throwing the clothing onto the bed, she stood in front of it, gripping the towel haphazardly wrapped around her body. Shit! She just had explicit dream sex with a complete stranger, hot and realistic sex. A sudden hysterical bubble of laughter escaped her lips before she stifled it with both of her hands. The towel dropped to the floor. She was convinced that she had finally lost control and was, indeed, crazy.
“Shit.” Out loud, the expletive was not nearly enough to convey her anxiety over her situation. At least she hadn’t had a seizure during her daydream, especially when she discovered his wings.
Wings!
“Wings?” she questioned herself and the situation out loud, as if it would redeem her sanity in the eyes of whoever discovered or ‘retrieved’ her. Retrieve was the word both men had used multiple times. As if she were a package, an inanimate object without feelings or objections to
being abducted.
Naked and silent for a moment, she snapped out of her musings long enough to pull on the simple white cotton bra and matching panties she had found that were conveniently, her size. Once she was safely ensconced in the practical undergarments, she sat on the side of the bed, holding a pair of blue yoga pants and a charcoal grey T shirt. She sa
t for a short period of time pondering her connection to Kratos. After all, she didn’t know this him, did she? Yet, she felt something towards him, an inexplicable lure that she couldn‘t quite comprehend. The episode in the shower had felt almost…familiar.
Haphazardly stuffing her limbs into her clothes, she walked into the bathroom to check herself in the mirror and organize her hair into something less than a mop of tangles and knots. Flipping the light on she glanced at herself in the mirror and was riveted by the sight before her. Her green eye glittered as if illuminated from within and her grey eye, well, appeared as though it was fluid. Like molten silver, swirling in her eye socket, no pupil apparent. She stared at herself in awe, watching herself as if detached from the reality literally staring her in the face. It was her, but not really, was it? She shook her head to the side, as if to dispel the image staring back at her. Her black curls moved fluidly about her head like a slow motion liquid halo. Cautiously, Evie leaned over the sink to stare at the freakish anomaly appearing before her. With tremulous fingers, she traced the pale skin below the molten silvery eye. No pain or discomfort greeted her. Abruptly moving back from the mirror a step, she was unable to look away from her foreign reflection. A voice sounding distant and annoyed intruded on her thoughts. Remember who you are, what we are.
“What if I don’t want to? What if I’m afraid of losing myself, losing who I am right now?” Evie asked her reflection, desperation clouding her sanity; after all, she was talking to herself. Somehow, she knew the reflection was merely a fragment of her identity. She needed to hear the truth, and the truth would only come from her.
Her reflection leaned forward slowly as Evie held her breath. Her reflection responded to her question, independent from her, her body language a symphony of motion.
“You will not lose anyone or anything because, quite simply, you choose it. You are the measurer of lots and choose destiny, therefore, why not choose your own?” Her reflection’s smile ancient, she or it, leaned back and morphed into her mirror image once again.
The Allotter:The Threads of Destiny Page 6
