A simple brush of my lips against his—that was all it would take to bring him back to full speed. One breath of mine would be enough to supply him with a lifetime of vitality. Careful not to bang into the arrow's shaft, I braced my hands against the back of the red and plaid cushions on either side of him.
I hadn’t kissed a man of this world or my own in eons. I had been a young woman the last time. My eyes fluttered shut as my heart began to thump like a rabbit. His scent filled my nose as my lips neared his. He smelled of a mix of pine and fresh winter snow, and it made me want to spread my arms out and dance in the falling flakes.
With his mouth already slightly ajar, it would be easy for me to expel enough of my breath to revive him and then some. My lips pressed against his. Heat flared up, burning the apples of my cheeks. The soft lusciousness of his mouth had me lingering longer than I needed to.
Even though he was unconscious, and it was by no means a kiss, his lips were inviting. So much so that I flinched back at the sound of his moans.
However, that slight, jarring movement was nothing compared to the way I nearly jumped off the floor when I heard the front door swing open.
Chapter 4
“What the hell is going on here?” the woman rushing at me shouted.
I was tempted to shoot her with my bow for speaking to me in such a manner until I saw the swell of her belly. I would never strike down a woman filled to the brim with more life than her own.
I had seen more women and animals through their pregnancy than all the stars in the sky. Although I couldn’t respect them all for how they’d wound up pregnant or blame the many who had been impregnated without consent, I still envied them for being able to give the gift of life.
“Who the hell are you and what did you do?” She pushed against my chest and swarmed the man on the couch.
How could I have, even for two seconds, been enticed by his magnetism when he has a woman? A female that is carrying his seed. I took a step back, feeling foolish for the first time in my life.
“Xander!” Her eyes darted between his leg, the pool of blood on the floor, and me as she kneeled on the sofa beside him. “Xander, answer me. Are you okay?”
“He will be, if you let me finish tending to him.” My voice was as cool and as clam as it could be. I didn’t intend to offend her or become the target of her vengeful heart.
“Help him? How were helping him? It looks to me as if you were trying to seduce him while he was rendered unconscious. Who does that?”
“Me!” I exclaimed.
“Yes, you. You are nearly naked and you had your lips pressed against his. Who are you anyway?” She felt the top of his forehead and then grabbed his wrist, checking his pulse.
“I will have you know I was doing no such thing. Xander was injured in the woods. I helped him back here and was about to remove the arrow from his leg.”
The accusation offended me greatly. I am no trollop. I take great pride in my chastity and my commitment to protect other women, not only all over Earth but also on Olympus.
Shaking her head, she demanded, “What on earth were you even doing in the woods dressed like that. This isn’t Halloween. And I know for a fact there is not, nor has there ever been, a cosplay event anywhere near Callisto Falls. I guess you could work at the After Dark gentleman's club. Still, that wouldn't explain why you were in the woods wearing a leather bikini like a wood gnome or fairy.”
Examining her attire and comparing it to my own, I realized she was dressed more conservatively, in a long dress like shirt that hung over her full belly and some kind of stockings or tight pants under that. Only her wrists and ankles were exposed. I, on the other hand, had much of my flesh exposed for the eyes to feast on. In Olympus, clothing was not an issue. Many sauntered around with nothing on at all. We were not ashamed of the human body.
That didn't negate the need and hunger for all things sensual and sexual many experienced. The gods had always had an appetite for the many pleasures in life—be it bodies sliding all over each other, rich and exotic foods, or lavish clothes and textiles. We were an indulgent bunch of beings.
“Perhaps, you are right. My attire is not the most befitting, but I can assure you I am not employed at any After Dark club. I just like to hunt and feel as if I am one with my environment. An overabundance of clothing restricts that for me.”
“That is exactly why I like to hunt and roam in my bear form whenever possible.” Xander grunted as he leaned forward.
I stepped forward to aid him, but a quick glower of the woman's eyes stopped me in my tracks.
“Xena, it is okay. She really is here to help me, and I wouldn’t have made it back to the cabin without her.”
“Great! So, your job here is done then. I can take care of it from here. I trust you can find your way back to whatever tree you crawled out of? Uhh…” Her hand pressed into her side as her face scrunched up, her eyes never leaving mine.
“You should sit and get your feet up.” I ran to her and held her by the elbow, directing her into the soft and fluffy chair situated beside the sofa. I could have sat her down next to Xander, but I still needed room to work on his leg.
“Xena, I keep telling you that you shouldn’t be working still. I moved back here to help you so you wouldn’t have to do this to yourself.” He sat up and reached forward to grab the first aid kit.
“Xena, your children will be born any day now. You should be taking it easy and allowing your body to prepare for the work it needs to do.” To say “days” was being generous. She would be lucky if she made it another twenty-four hours.
“What do you know about me? And why do you say children?” she asked as she popped the handle on the side of the chair, elevating her legs.
“It is what I do. I am a midwife. I help women through pregnancies and assist during the birthing process. I can tell you are with twins by the way you are carrying. Have you not seen a physician?” I grabbed the white box from Xander’s hands, and told him, “You, sit and I will get you fixed up.”
“Yes, maim,” he answered and eased back into the softness of the couch.
“We don’t have any female or shifter physicians in the area. I am on my own with this.”
“You most certainly are not on your own. I am here with you.” The octave of Xander’s voice rose enough to show his aggravation.
“I am here as well. At least for the time being. I don’t know if I will still be here when you are ready to give birth. Actually, I am here on what I would consider official business. But I will do what I can to help make you comfortable.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned the shifter thing. She is a bear, isn’t she? My sniffer is all kinds of out of whack with the pregnancy. Nothing smells as I remember it should.”
“What I am does not concern you. That being said, your anonymity and the secrecy of your nature is safe with me. I am not here to harm but to rescue a lost creature that doesn't belong here.”
What I found in the first aid kit was frustrating. As a goddess, I’d never had much need for such supplies. I thought mortals would keep a stockpile of life saving items on hand.
“I’m sorry. What did you say your name was? It was very rude of Xander not to introduce us properly.” She sneered at him.
“Yes, of course. That would be because no formal introductions were made between him and I. He was injured, and we rushed back to the cabin. My name is…” I paused as I considered giving my real name. Xander had already been clear on not being interested in myths and legends. I just so happened to be one and the same. Maybe they had heard of me, or maybe not. Given the circumstances and controversies surrounding Callisto’s death, I thought it best to go with an earthlier name—one that still resonated with me.
“Selene. You can call me Selene.”
I took a seat on the wooden table Xander's leg was propped up on, being cautious about how I sat so that my lady parts didn’t show.
“This is going to hurt. I won't lie about that
. Do you have any kind of pain reliever you want to take before I get started?”
“Not unless you have time to grab me a bottle of bourbon?” he chuckled. “I will be fine. I handle pain well. I am man after all.”
So tough and strong, he put on a good show of his masculinity. I would have thought it was to impress me before Xena had arrived, but clearly, he wanted to prove his worth to her.
“Here is the deal. I need to twist the arrow to make sure it’s not lodged into your bone. Once we determine that, I will know best how to get it out with the least amount of damage.”
“Can’t you just pull it out?” Xena asked.
“If I do that, I risk a few things. The shaft can break off, leaving the arrow head in his leg. If that happens, we will need to cut a fairly deep and wide incision to locate it. We can’t leave it in there. If not embedded in the bone, it will move around and continue to twist and cut through healthy tissue.
“If it is lodged in the bone, we will need to make sure we have a low enough hold on the shaft to get the best possible leverage to avoid breaking it. If we twist, and it’s free from the bone, a little extra cutting around the entry wound will allow it to come out more freely.”
“Wow. You really do know what you are doing. I would have probably poured some alcohol over the wound and yanked the damn thing out.”
“That may not have been a great move. Not to say that it wouldn’t just come right out, but who wants to risk making it worse?” I arched my eyebrow at him. “Ready?”
He nodded and closed his eyes.
I gingerly took the shaft of the arrow and began to twist it back and forth. Instantly, I was relieved to know it wasn’t in the bone. The only other thing to determine was how deep it was, and considering the distance between us was not that great, the odds were against us. The closer he was to my bow when it went off, the more likely the arrow had penetrated deeply.
“Okay, so good news. It's not in the bone.” Eyeballing the exposed length of the shaft, I felt confident that a small cut would allow me to get it out.
“What is the bad news?” Xander questioned with hesitation.
“No real bad news. I just need a blade.” I wanted to pull out another arrow to compare but thought it best if I didn't expose the way I could conceal my weapon.
“My hunting knife is in my jeans.”
“Now that you mention it, Xander, where are you clothes? And why on earth are you only half shifted?”
“Woman, how should I know. I think the injury somehow stunted my ability to shift back. Hence why I have this pillow over my lap. I would prefer to be decent when she pulls the arrow out. You can probably grab a knife from the kitchen as well.”
“I’ll get it. You keep working on him and make sure he doesn't lose any more blood. I have never seen his skin so pale.” Xena pushed the front of the chair back down with her legs and got up.
I shouldn’t have let her, but everything happened so fast, and she wasn’t at any real risk of losing the babies. Even if she went into labor now, she was full term. Sensing it wouldn’t change things, and I needed the blade to proceed.
My presence near him and my breath circulating in his lungs were the only things really keeping him alive at that point. Once I got my arrow out, he would heal at his own pace.
“Here you go.” Xena handed me a shiny and pointy knife with a very sharp blade.
The glint of a charm she wore on a chain caught my eye, and I asked, “What is that you have hanging from your neck?”
“Oh, this old thing. It’s the moon and the stars with a cub sitting on the moon. My momma gave it to me when I was just a baby. She told me, if I felt as if I was losing hope, to look to the stars for guidance and courage. She promised me I was never alone so long as Callisto was watching down over us.”
“Ah, I see. That is beautiful.” I took the knife and turned back to Xander's leg.
It would have been much easier to assess the wound if his leg wasn’t covered in an inch of thick fur. I started with the tiniest of slits on either side of the shaft. If we were lucky, that would be all it took to release the projectile. I didn’t have a problem sticking my finger in there to fish it out, but I preferred not to.
Gently, I tugged on the shaft. It partially slid out before giving me some trouble. I at least knew the resistance was not caused by anything other some flesh. I tried turning it slightly and sliced a tiny bit deeper on each side. This time, I was confident that it would be enough.
Pulling the shaft with a little more force. I was pleased with the ease in which it popped out of this leg. I quickly poured the alcohol over the wound and pressed a piece of gauze against the hole in his leg.
“See that.” I held up the fully intact weapon, proud of my work.
“Nice.” He sucked in a short breath, obviously trying to hide his discomfort. “Do I get to keep that as a reminder of today?”
“I am afraid not. If I let you keep this, I might have to kill you.”
Chapter 5
“What is wrong with you people?” Xena did not find the humor in our joke.
There was something enthralling about the way we could connect over one simple phrase. In Olympus, if someone threated another person, they had better be prepared to put up a fight or fall to their opponent’s hands. Threats didn’t get tossed around so lightly up there.
Keeping pressure on the wound with one hand, I opened some of the larger bandages. I was glad that Xander had a roll of long, stretchy fabric. It would be very useful in making sure that the bandages didn't fall off if he tried to move around too fast. I didn't take him for the kind of person who would sit around waiting to heal.
“I am going to take another look at the wound before we wrap it up. How are you managing?”
“All things considered, not too bad. The pain has subsided considerably since you removed the arrow. Thank you for helping me resolve this issue.”
Thankfully, he still hadn’t mentioned I had been the one who’d shot him in the first place. Although, my not wanting him to keep the arrow should have cued Xena to the fact that it belonged to me.
As I lifted the gauze, the fur on his legs receded back into his skin. I had expected him to shrink down when he fully reverted to his human form, but that was hardly the case. In fact, I think that the power and girth of his thighs were even more evident when not covered in fur.
“When you are done bandaging, I really need to get dressed.”
“Of course. Nudity doesn’t faze me, but yes, that would be the appropriate thing to do.” As I gave his wound another thorough cleaning, I could tell that he was already starting to heal.
The rate in which a bear shifter healed was beyond me, but I was sure that his recovery was in part based on my breath of life. I hope it doesn’t become too obvious that something bigger than him is at work here.
“This is going to heal up quite nicely. I was concerned you would need to be stitched up if we had to cut too deep. This shouldn’t take long to close up on its own.” I put a new non-stick pad over the hole. The bleeding had subsided for the most part, so I secured the bandage with a few pieces of white tape. “I am going to roll this wrap around your leg to keep the pad in place. I don’t trust the tape.”
Taking one end of the stretchy brown cloth, I wrapped it around his thigh, working my way away from the center of his legs. My hands slid over the hair left behind, and I was surprised at how soft it was. His skin still felt as silky as could be.
Touching him felt forbidden and way more enjoyable than it should have been. My gaze drifted up to his, and when our eyes met, it felt as if an explosion of colors went off in my stomach. He held my gaze as if challenging me to look away.
How could I? His eyes drew me in, and the scent of him suddenly became more noticeable. It was unlike anything else I had ever imagined a man could smell like. Maybe it was the bear in him that gave off a unique woodsy mix of human and animal pheromones.
“Eh hem.” Xena cleared her throat as
she stood over me. “Is there something else I can do to help you with that?”
“No, I don’t think that is necessary. I am nearly finished here.” How disrespectful of me to make eyes with the father of her unborn children. What kind of person am I? What did Elysia do to me? It was as if I being consumed by humanity.
Desire for the company of a man was something I’d written off a long, long time ago. There were gods who would have taken what they wanted with no regard for anyone else, least of all a human mortal. Not to say that I wouldn’t take what I thought should be mine, but I wouldn’t do so from a blooming woman.
“When you're finished, do you need a ride back to where ever you came from? It would be my pleasure to help you with that.” The offer was less than gracious on Xena’s part, and understandably so.
“I guess it is almost time for me to be on my way. I still have a stag to hunt and only a certain amount of time to do so.” Where she could possible drive me to was beyond me. From my vantage point, I couldn’t see what was around us to even make up a place.
I much preferred being able to look down on Earth. Between sending Ceryn back to Olympus and finding an eligible man to fall in love with, I had a tight window to make it all happen, but I loved a challenge and a good hunt. A double hunt ahead of me would be a most excellent test of my abilities.
“Perhaps if you could tell me something, it would help me decide where my hunting will take me next.”
“I will try,” she stated, bringing over a trash bag for the mess.
I could tell she wanted to finish her sentence with “whatever it takes to get you out of here.”
“First of all,” Xander interjected, “you are not going anywhere until you let us repay you with a meal. Xena and I are phenomenal cooks. It is the least we can do to say thank you. You look like you could use a hot meal, and it has been a very long afternoon.”
The Huntress (An Olympian Fallen Shifter Novel) Page 3
