He repeated the movements, over and over, feeling her body arching into his strokes, her sheath tightening on him, pulsing, burning him until he could no longer resist his own need. When his release thundered through him, he felt her orgasm bloom as well, heard her faint scream. Felt his heart pounding hard against her breast. Her nails biting into his shoulders. Her mouth sliding over his jaw.
He shut his eyes and gathered her close, hoping his legs would continue to hold them up.
When Andrea’s mouth touched the corner of his, he turned his head far enough to capture her lips, feeling a last surge of heat rush through him when their tongues met, stroked.
It took a long time for his lungs to slow their wicked pace, for his heart to ease back into a normal rhythm. Equally as long for hers to do the same. He smiled against her mouth. It had been a long time since he’d been so desperate for a woman.
His smile faded. And a very bad time for his libido to kick in, with his quarry as the target of his desire.
As if she’d finally realized their positions, Andrea stiffened in his arms.
Reluctantly, he eased his hips backward—gritting his teeth against the need to stay inside her warmth—then set her on her feet. “Are you all right?”
“I think we’re both sick,” she muttered, sliding away from him along the wall.
Kallan tugged his pants back up, wincing, and kept an eye on her.
But she just grabbed her own jeans, then stood at the sink, holding them in front of her and looking at her torn panties two feet away.
He felt a surge of satisfaction as he recalled the need that had been coursing through them both when he’d ripped her panties off.
And a twinge of guilt at giving in to the desire with his enemy.
“I’ll grab you another pair of underwear,” he murmured, noting the faint flash of relief crossing her face. Something ached in his chest.
When he left the room, he heard the sink come on, and imagined her washing. His body jerked as if in preparation, but he tamped down the idea of more. Once was bad enough. At least he knew the Medusas couldn’t get pregnant, and—if she had really been without a man all this time—it didn’t matter that he had no condoms. He tugged open two dresser drawers before finding her underwear, and blindly grabbed something that turned out to be a shocking pink thong. It didn’t matter. He made it back into the bathroom in time to see her drying her inner thighs.
Hot color washed up her throat to her face, and she avoided his eyes as she took the panties.
He knew he should look away, but he couldn’t help himself, watching her pull the thong up and on, then the jeans she yanked up, hiding those beautiful legs. And more intimate places.
She sat on the toilet lid, head bowed, and he washed himself while keeping an eye on her. She may attempt an escape, after all.
But she sat quietly until he finished. When he turned to her, he debated pulling the handcuffs from his pocket.
“We can’t do that again,” she said at last, lifting her head.
He raised one eyebrow. “Really?”
“I accused you last night of being sick, but maybe we both are.” She looked away for a second. “I have a perfectly good vibrator for this, and sleeping with the man who’s come to kill me is all kinds of stupid.”
He pondered her words for a moment. “I don’t think you’re stupid, Andrea.”
A humorless laugh passed her lips. “Right. It doesn’t matter. Either you’ll kill me before my PMS starts, or I’ll kill you when it does. But anything like this between us is foolish.” She rubbed one palm on her knee. “At least you know what to expect.”
He frowned at that odd statement but let it go. “I think you know I can’t kill you before I get the amulet, Andrea.”
Her cheeks went chalk-white, and she averted her eyes.
“And I can’t take it in the way you’re imagining.” He sighed. “I need to think about this a little longer. Dig a bit more into the myths.”
“You won’t find anything about the cup there. Not about how to take it.” Her tone was more confident now, and her blue gaze met his again. “If I’m not mistaken, I’m the first of the Medusas unlucky enough to have survived her first encounter with a Harvester, long enough for the Harvester to discover the secret of the fabled Medusa’s Goblet.” She held his gaze for a moment. “And if you don’t kill me without trying to take the cup, you will die when my PMS hits.”
“Well, that will be bad for me, won’t it?” he said lightly. “Come, let’s go downstairs. I need to do some reading.” He offered his hand to her, holding his breath all the while.
She eyed his fingers for a long time before she finally put her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet.
He curled his fingers around hers and towed her along the hall to the stairs. It was a dilemma, to be sure. Goddess, help me, he thought.
He dug through the same archives he’d dug through during the night, hoping his tired brain had missed something. Anything.
It hadn’t.
While he skimmed obscure texts and more modern lore, Andrea sat at the table, an open book in front of her. Kallan knew she wasn’t reading though. She hadn’t turned a page in more than half an hour, instead staring down at the book blankly.
He debated emailing one of his cousins about the problem, but he didn’t want anyone to know he had found the Medusa. Or worse, that he hadn’t yet killed her.
Goddess, he’d never find the solution this way.
“Let’s go for a walk.”
Her head shot up, blue eyes wide. “You think you can keep up with me?” she asked after a second.
He smiled. “I didn’t say you’d be walking freely.”
Her mouth flattened when he pulled the handcuffs out of his pocket.
To his surprise, she didn’t say anything when he bound them together again, just averted her face.
He led the way out of the house, pausing on the front porch to survey the surrounding area. “This way.” He strode toward the pathway just visible to the rear of her car. Into the forest.
Andrea kept up with him easily as he climbed over fallen trees and rocks in their way. It would have been simpler, perhaps, if he hadn’t handcuffed her to himself, but in addition to keeping her with him, this way she was occasionally forced to accept his assistance, which he enjoyed.
Perhaps he was a sick bastard, he mused, slowing his pace as they went deeper into the woods and the trail narrowed. Realizing the woman he wanted most was his enemy had just turned his world upside-down. His family’s enemy, a monster created by the Goddess.
He frowned up at the dark canopy of leaves above them. He wondered if any other Harvester had ever been tempted by his quarry. Or had surrendered to the temptation. If so, he was certain he’d never find that in the lore.
“Wait.”
He stopped walking at her quiet command, his gaze shifting in the same direction she looked. A doe and her fawn looked poised for flight several yards away, the mother watching them closely. Kallan held his breath as the fawn bent back to the small patch of grass. From the corner of his eye, he saw Andrea’s smile. He caught her hand in his without thinking about it first.
Her fingers were stiff in his for a long moment, then relaxed a little.
He turned to look down at her, studying her. The top of her head reached his chin, her dark hair curling in the slight humidity. Her bright gaze stayed fixed on the deer, but he knew she was aware of him by the way her pulse skittered in the hollow of her throat.
“Did I hurt you?” He kept his tone low, trying not to frighten the nearby animals.
She didn’t move anything but her eyes, shifting her questioning gaze up to his face.
“Earlier. Was I too rough?”
Color washed up her cheeks, and she swallowed, turning her attention back to the doe and her fawn. “No.” It was barely a whisper, her reply.
His heart pounded a little harder as he thought about taking her here, right here in her forest. It was foolish. He
couldn’t. She would never agree to it anyway.
But he couldn’t stop the images behind his eyes, not now that he knew what she looked like, what she felt like around him, the way she sounded.
When she turned to look up at him again, he realized he’d tightened his grip on her fingers. Her expression was quizzical, then awareness surfaced, turning her eyes darker, like midnight velvet.
Kallan lifted their joined hands slowly, giving her time to stop him. When she didn’t, he dragged his open mouth along her knuckles.
Her lips parted slightly.
He bit one of her knuckles lightly and felt her shiver. “Maybe I am sick,” he breathed. “But I still want you.”
She shut her eyes, her throat working as she swallowed. “Bad idea, Harvester.”
His jaw tightened. For some reason, hearing her use the name his family had claimed many generations ago made him angry. He wanted to hear her use his name instead. Preferably while they were naked in her bed, bodies joined intimately as they had been earlier.
Instead of protesting, though, he nibbled his way down her finger until he could capture the tip in his teeth, then sucked it into his mouth.
Her breath came faster.
Kallan slid his tongue along the side of her finger, feeling her shudder. “Are you wet yet?”
A squeak passed her lips.
He smiled around her flesh and sucked. Her nipples pressed tight against her shirt, and his mouth watered.
The doe had apparently had enough of their intrusion and took flight, leaping into the trees with her fawn on her heels. The sudden movement startled them both, and Andrea tugged her hand free of his lips, blushing.
“Have you had enough walking yet?”
He sighed. “No. I thought maybe being in the fresh air would help clear my head. Help me find a solution.” He moved to stand in front of her. “Instead, I find myself ready to take you here against a tree.”
She bit her lower lip and looked away.
“Andrea.” He wished she would discourage him, as apparently he no longer had a will of his own. That said nothing good about him, he realized. He curled his free hand into a fist at his side instead of lifting it to cup her breast as he wanted.
She met his gaze, her own troubled. “I don’t suppose you’d just leave. Let me alone.”
Something in his chest tightened, and he shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Besides, I’ve already found you. That means others can find you as well.” Somehow, he hadn’t thought of that before, and it unsettled him. Any of his dozens of cousins could be on their way to Andrea’s mountain now, following the same vague clues he had, intent on killing her. And none of them knew they couldn’t take the amulet after they did. Somehow, that bothered him less than the idea of one of them killing her.
“You have to figure something out soon then. You only have a day or so.”
Then her curse would kick in, and she could kill him instead of the other way around. And with far less difficulty.
Kallan sighed, tipping his head back to look up at the dark green canopy for a moment. “I’ll figure something out,” he said at last. “Let’s walk some more.”
She looked away, her mouth turned down, as they began to walk.
He linked their fingers again, ignoring her slight start at the touch, and led her deeper into the forest.
Though they walked for nearly two hours, he couldn’t quite find his way around the only solution to present itself thus far: he could take the amulet and then kill her, or kill her without retrieving the amulet. Neither option was palatable, yet it was his duty as a Tassos. The Harvesters of the Medusas, since the first Medusa. To destroy the amulet would break the protection on her family, exposing all of them as monsters his family would eliminate. Somehow he’d never realized exactly what it would mean to kill someone. Anyone.
Chapter Three
Andrea rested her head on her folded arms on the kitchen table, only half listening to Kallan typing on his keyboard. She didn’t want to die just yet. She knew for sure she didn’t want to be mutilated before she died.
But she didn’t look forward to killing the Harvester either.
She never should have had sex with him. She knew it. She’d known it beforehand.
And she should definitely not still want him.
When the phone rang, it was a relief. For a few seconds. Until she realized it was Thalia. “My cousin.” She didn’t think she needed to explain her mental caller I.D. to him.
Kallan held her gaze for a long moment. “Don’t try to let her know what’s going on,” he said at last. “I know where a lot of your cousins are located, and I’m not the only one.”
Her heart pounded harder at the implication, but she got to her feet and picked up the receiver. “Hello, Thalia. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Andi, but I think you need to get away for a while.”
She frowned, feeling Kallan’s presence behind her. Close behind her. Close enough to hear her conversation. “What do you mean?” His body heat teased her.
“The Harvesters are out and about. I’m afraid for you.”
Andi shut her eyes for a second, then opened them again when he put his hands on her shoulders. She shot him a glare and moved away, back toward the table. “I’m fine.”
“Please don’t ignore this, Andi. You know I’m hardly ever wrong.”
That was true. But she wondered if her cousin realized she was very often late with her flashes of intuition. Far too late in this case. “Okay. I’ll give it some thought, all right? Mom said something the other day about visiting.” Gods, had it only been two days ago? “And Aunt Lydia just called yesterday too. I could go to see either of them if anything seems odd.”
His hands settled on her shoulders again, massaging the tense muscles there.
She didn’t bother to shrug him off this time. He was persistent. “I could even come visit with you,” she teased, forcing a lightness into her tone.
Her cousin cleared her throat. “I actually have company right now,” she said after a moment, and Andi could almost see her blushing. “You remember I met someone in Athens last summer? Well, he’s come again to stay for a while.” Even over the phone, the emotion in Thalia’s voice was obvious.
One more cousin safe—none of the cousins who’d fallen in love ever had the curse land on their heads. A tiny bit of relief made her relax further under Kallan’s touch. “That’s terrific, Thalia. When do the rest of us get to meet him?”
“We’re talking dates,” the other woman said, a hint of a smile in her tone now. “I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“Good. And thanks for the warning. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. I’ve got to go, Andi. Talk to you soon. But promise you’ll be careful. Danger is coming from more than one direction.”
She pushed the off button on the phone and shut her eyes, ignoring the slight sting in them. She was not envious of Thalia’s good fortune. She was just in an impossible situation here.
His warm breath brushed the top of her head a second before his lips. “That was good.”
She wanted to tell him to go screw himself. She wanted a weapon to swing at him. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her and carry her down onto the nearest flat surface.
Her eyes popped open. Damned hormones.
His hands slid down her sides and wrapped around her, settling her back against his chest as if he’d read her mind. She hoped he didn’t have that ability.
“What have you found?” she asked instead, keeping herself upright instead of relaxing further.
“Not a cursed thing.”
She blinked. She hadn’t really expected he’d tell her, but the resignation in his tone told her his reply was the truth. She inhaled unsteadily. “I guess you have to make up your mind then. You or me.”
“There has to be something else.” He sounded frustrated now, as if he were gritting his teeth, and his grip on her tightened marginally.
Andi shut her e
yes. No matter how torn he seemed to be about his destined tasks, she had no doubt he’d do them eventually. And if not, she’d do what the Medusas had been doing for millennia and eliminate the threat to her. That was her destiny.
“We need some supper,” he murmured, sliding his face along the top of her head. “If I let you have a paring knife, will you promise not to try to stab me with it?”
She smiled in spite of herself. “I don’t need a knife to kill you, you know.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” He squeezed her tight against him for a heartbeat, and she felt her pulse quicken.
Stupid. She moved away. “I’m not sure what’s in the house,” she said, clearing her throat to get rid of the rasp in her voice.
“You have plenty of food here.” He walked with her to the refrigerator and tugged open the top freezer door. “What are you in the mood for?”
She snapped her mouth shut when the first thought that popped into her head was, “sex”. Obviously, her hormones were still kicking after the taste she’d had of him that morning. “Fish. Veggies.” No, wait—not just from the taste of him earlier, but the regular boost of her hormones before full-on PMS kicked in.
He stepped aside and let her take two packages out of the freezer, then he shut the door while she moved to the island with them. She put the fish into the microwave to defrost. He watched as she found a pan and poured some oil into it, then added the vegetables and fish once it was snapping over the heated burner.
When his phone rang, he took it from his pocket absently and thumbed the on button without looking at the screen. “Yes?”
“Kallan.”
His burgeoning smile vanished. “Stavros.”
“Have you found her yet?”
“No.” He glanced at her when her quizzical gaze lifted from the stove to meet his.
“I’m getting closer. My information is looking good. I’ve found an excellent prospect, dropped out of college right after the last Medusa died and has never married.”
His heart stopped beating. He couldn’t tell his cousin the problem facing them. He didn’t want any of his cousins coming here. Especially not this cousin. And not just because he didn’t want him to know Kallan had found her and not killed her.
Hunting Medusa Page 5
