by Jo Carlisle
The demon only laughed. “First gutting, and then emasculating. He must really be special. Tell me, is he your mate?”
She hesitated a beat too long, and she knew he read the truth in her eyes. “None of your business.”
“Right. Well, I’m pea green with envy that he belongs to you, Kassandra. Should you ever wish to have him off your hands, you know how to reach me.”
She doubted very much that day would ever come.
“On second thought…Watch out, love, or I may just try to take him from you.”
Of that, she had no doubt whatsoever.
Just as she knew that the demon was her very last worry when it came to losing Luc.
Luc came awake slowly. His brain was sluggish, as though he’d been on an all-night drinking binge, but without the pounding headache. He moved around some, finding himself in a soft, comfortable bed. It was so nice, he couldn’t get motivated to get up.
“You need to eat. Especially after last night.”
Raising his head, he saw Kass carrying a tray into the bedroom. Then he noticed he was in her bed, not in his own room. A fragrant scent reached his nose, a combination of steak, eggs, toast, and coffee.
His stomach issued a loud growl, and she laughed. “Apparently, I’m not a minute too soon.”
“I’m starving,” he admitted. Then the memory of last night hit, and he glanced around warily. “Where’s the demon?”
“Legion went home last night after he helped me clean you up and get you in bed.”
“You say that like taking care of your lovers is a chore he’s done many times.” The idea irritated him to no end, though it shouldn’t have.
“Definitely not a chore, especially where you’re concerned. But, yes, he has assisted me in the past after we were finished playing with some slave or party guest.”
His annoyance increased—which, in turn, annoyed him. He didn’t want it to matter so much that Kass obviously had quite the history with Legion, the super-hung, proficient-in-the-dungeon demon. It did matter, though—too fucking much.
“How often have you played with him?” he asked, pushing up to recline against the headboard.
Setting the tray across his lap, she straightened, looking amused. “Are you jealous?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Fuck, yes!
“In that case, it won’t bother you to know we’ve shared many subs, or ‘pets’ as Legion calls them. He has an insatiable appetite for sex that far surpasses my own, and that’s saying a lot. His taste, as you’ve likely ascertained, runs mostly to men. And that suits me marvelously, as I prefer for my ménage partners to be bisexual males—guy action turns me on like a solar flare, yet I like for them to pay attention to me as well. Further questions?”
He scowled at her expression of amusement. At first he thought she was making fun at his expense. But as he replayed last night in his mind, he began to see things in a different light.
Last night…Gods, yes.
That had been one of the most extraordinary scenes of his life. A man could live for centuries and never experience a sexual encounter like that one—so intense that it was soul-changing. Not a one of his past scenes at the resort back home could begin to compare. Was that because with Kass he’d given up complete control for a change, rather than being the one in charge, or feeling obliged to please the guests?
Yes, he decided. That important shift had made all the difference. Never, ever, had anyone focused solely on breaking down his mind and body, on making him new. Sex had rarely been about himself, but about others. And sure, the income it brought to the Fontaine brothers’ fortune. At least that was true for him—he couldn’t speak for Soren or Aldric.
“Luc, eat,” Kass said softly, settling on the bed beside him.
“Thank you, the breakfast is delicious.”
“You’re welcome. Have to keep you healthy if you’re going to survive living with me.” She winked, and he smiled in return.
“Then you’re going to have to feed me quite a lot, if last night is any indication.”
“Last night was…special. Any scene involving Legion takes on a whole new degree of titillation and danger. I don’t think anyone, even another immortal, could hold up to indulging too often with him.”
In a way, he was glad to hear her say that. “But there will be more?”
“Of course. He’s a horny bastard, in case you didn’t notice. And he’s quite taken with you, so I don’t think he’ll stay away for very long.”
His dick twitched at the thought and made a valiant attempt to revive itself, but the poor devil wasn’t up to the task yet. “How long have you known him?”
“A thousand years, give or take.”
Blazing hell. That was a long history indeed. Then again, if the demon and Kass were going to become a couple, they would have done so long before a millennium had passed. Luc had nothing to be worried about.
There it was again, the stab of anxiety when he thought of losing Kass. Was it just because she’d saved his life, then continued to bring him more pleasure than he’d experienced in the past few decades combined? No, he had to be honest. Great sex was part of it, but not all.
He felt drawn to Kass. She was strong, and capable of giving as good as she got. Protective, he thought, recalling how she’d laid into Legion for being too rough. She treated those around her, even her slaves, with kindness and consideration—as shown when she’d asked for volunteers to feed Luc rather than ordering those of her choosing to service him. And of course, she was sweet on Taryn.
Kass was incredible. Beautiful. She smelled like heaven.
She’s my mate!
No denying it any longer. Oh fuck. Did she know? Was that the reason she’d kept him here with lame excuses about why she couldn’t yet send him home?
Luc didn’t have one clue what he was supposed to do now. Their lives were so divergent; neither of them belonged in the other’s world.
“Is something wrong?”
Pulled from his thoughts, he took in her concerned face and shook his head. “No. Should there be?”
“Not at all.” Rising, she took his tray. “I’ll take this back to the kitchen, and then Serena wants to speak to me about something. In the meantime, you may find one of your Chosen to drink from if you have need.”
“And after that?”
“Fetch Taryn or one of the guards, and the two of you can practice your fighting skills. I may be occupied for a while.”
Kass’s eyes didn’t meet his as she swept from the room.
Odin huddled against the snowy mountain, shivering with cold.
Not only had the journey been a long one, fraught with peril, but he’d arrived only to be met with the rock face of the Fates’ door solidly closed against him. He was freezing his gods-damned balls off, and he had no idea how long they might make him wait, or if they’d ever deign to see him. If they didn’t—
No, they must. He had to have an answer to his dilemma. Even if he had to wait for an eternity.
That won’t be necessary, ruler of Valhalla. Enter.
That cool, feminine voice, urging him like a siren’s song, chilled him as the cold hadn’t done. He couldn’t resist the order now if he wanted—if one of the Fates spoke directly in one’s ear, one had no choice but to do her bidding. That was the chance one took in meddling with them.
Fuck. The mountain rumbled, the shaking seeming to reach deep into its bowels as the rock face slid open to reveal a passage lit by torches. Sucking in a deep breath, he told himself he was a god. He was capable of taking whatever they dished out.
Leave your pride in the snow, or the rest of you can remain outside with it.
Double fuck. With an effort, he cleared his mind of all thoughts the trio might deem the least bit offensive. Which, as it happened, was just about everything in his brain. So he focused on the cavern, the dancing patterns the flames made on the walls as he made his way deeper inside. He simply followed the dirt path, trusting the voices to l
ead him where he must go.
Soon he came to a large, round, cathedral-like chamber. A fire pit blazed in the center, and around the pit three beautiful females wearing gossamer white robes sat on plump pillows. As always, awe at the sight of them lodged his heart in his throat.
The Moirae. The apportioners of life.
Clotho was the spinner, the one who spun the delicate thread of a new life from her distaff to her spindle. Blond and serene, she tipped her head to look at Odin, and he blinked from the brightness of her light.
Lachesis, the allotter, with hair to match the flames before her, measured each thread of life and thus determined how long each person’s portion would be. This made her much feared and sought after, by those who dared to bargain for more.
And finally, Atropos, or Aisa as some called her. She was the Fate who decided the manner in which each person would die. When the person’s time was done, she cut the thread of life with her shears. This understandably made the raven-haired beauty the most feared and reviled of the three companions.
The very gods were afraid of them. Even Clotho, who could decide not to spin the thread of life in the first place, leaving would-be parents lost and heartbroken. Odin couldn’t believe he’d forgotten—even for one second—what these females were capable of.
“You may approach,” Clotho told him in a deceptively gentle voice. “And you may sit.”
He didn’t mistake it for a request. Wasting no time, he walked to the circle and planted his ass between her and Lachesis. He didn’t have to state his business, as the allotter did that for him.
“You’re here to discuss your Valkyrie, Kassandra, and her defiance of our edict regarding the vampire Luc Fontaine.”
“Yes.” He nodded respectfully and waited.
“Never has a Valkyrie shirked her duty,” Aisa said coldly. “She has ignored the will of the Moirae and flouted the rules of the gods. There is only one way to right the wrong she has committed.”
“Only one?” he ventured to ask. “Surely there is another—”
“You wish to bargain with us?” Clotho interrupted.
This was dangerous territory. He fought not to appear nervous.
“I’d never presume to do that.”
“I thought not,” Aisa said. Her lips curved into a slow smile, and her eyes glinted wickedly. “Perhaps there is another way.”
With that, she slipped her robe from her shoulders. The other two did the same and their skin gleamed golden in the flickering light, full breasts pert and rosy tipped. Mesmerized, he could only watch as they moved to surround him. He did not possess the will to resist as they divested him of his clothing. As his breeches were lowered, his cock sprang forth, proud and eager, the purplish tip leaking.
Three sets of hands pressed him down, and three mouths began to lick his balls and shaft. “Sweet gods,” he breathed. When was the last time they’d had a male visitor? If their attentions were any clue, it had been a long, lonely winter.
Aisa straddled him, lowering herself onto his cock. As his rod pierced her core, he hissed at the wonderful clasp of her silken heat squeezing him. Holding her hips, he pumped, establishing a steady rhythm as she bounced above him.
A tendril of trepidation wormed its way into his heart as he considered what he was actually doing: I’m screwing the Fates.
Was there caution to heed from that very real play on words?
Probably so.
That didn’t stop him from laving Clotho’s pussy when she sat on his face. He ate her sweetness with gusto while Lachesis kissed his chest and tweaked his nipples. It was as close to heaven as he’d ever get, and he selfishly took. Damn the price.
All too soon, his orgasm loomed. It washed over him like an ocean swell, and he exploded, spasming along with Aisa. Clotho found her release as well, and he swallowed her honey, thinking it was the finest ambrosia. He was spent, but not finished.
The other two moved off him, and he pushed Lachesis onto her back, parting her legs. “I wouldn’t leave you wanting, beauty.”
From the corner of his eye, he caught the approving looks exchanged by the other two females and knew he’d done the right thing. If he’d failed to attend to one of them, his selfishness would’ve cost him even more.
Putting that from his mind, he cupped the redhead’s ass and brought her to his mouth. Worming his tongue between the folds of her pussy, he fucked her slowly, until she was writhing, yanking at his long hair.
With a chuckle, he gave in and fastened his mouth to her, sucking with voracious enthusiasm. In moments she cried out, hips bucking, her delicious essence flooding his taste buds. Exquisite.
Carefully he lowered her bottom and helped her sit up. In the silence that followed, the females began to don their robes once more, and Odin took that as his hint to get dressed. Quickly he did, then took his place by the fire once more to await their judgment.
They looked around the circle at one another, communicating without words. Clotho nodded, spun a new thread from her fingertips, and handed it to Lachesis. The redhead measured a very short length and laid it aside. Then Clotho spun another. This time the thread was much longer. Lachesis laid it beside the first and looked to Aisa.
The third Moirae raised her gaze to Odin’s, her expression impassive. “These new threads belong to the Valkyrie and the vampire—and these are their futures as they’ve been altered by her actions. I don’t think I have to tell you which of them now holds the shorter thread.”
Emotion tightened his throat. Sadness. Anger.
“I thought there was another way!”
“There is. Listen closely, ruler of Valhalla,” Aisa said, “or else miss this second chance the Fates have granted to your favored warrior.”
Odin hung on their every word. And when they’d finished, his heart wept for Kassandra.
And the painful choices she had yet to face.
7
Kassandra found Serena fussing with the furniture in the large entertainment room they used for their big parties.
“Parties” was a rather tame word for their full-scale adult gatherings their immortal friends and acquaintances clamored to attend. Their eagerness was probably because of the various delectable treats on offer for their guests’ enjoyment—and that wasn’t in reference to food and drink, though there was always plenty of both.
No, their guests delighted in the pleasures of the flesh the sisters so generously provided for their indulgence. The body slaves were on spectacular display in outfits that hid little, and they were instructed to see to the guests’ every desire. As the evening went on, clothing and what scant inhibitions each visitor possessed were shed, and some would disappear to other rooms. More still would remain in the main entertainment room, having sex in full view of others, or playing voyeur.
Whatever their taste, all left totally satisfied, and eager to return in the future.
“Are we having another party?” She stopped to watch her sister move a lamp from one table to another. “No one will care about the décor, you know.”
“We are. And they’ll notice the details, at least when they first arrive. The women always do, noses stuck in the air, inspecting all the flaws.”
“It’s all in your head. Nobody notices anything except what sorts of amusements have been provided for the evening. Beyond finding a hot, willing partner, they couldn’t care less.”
“Be that as it may, the palace will look fabulous.”
“Right before everyone gets drunk and trashes it.”
Serena straightened from fluffing a pair of pillows and frowned at her. “What’s your problem?”
“Nothing.”
“Since when is it a crime to want things to look nice?”
“It’s not, sorry.”
“You haven’t been the same since that vampire came to stay.”
“You say that like he’s an ogre,” she pointed out testily. “He’s a worthy male and…” Damn, she really wasn’t ready to reveal what Luc was to her
, and now she’d piqued Serena’s curiosity. “He’s fitting in very well here.”
Her sister narrowed her eyes. “I’ll say. Taking right to it like Cupid to his bow. Haven’t you set any boundaries for him?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked sharply.
“Don’t ask me. Find your vampire if you want the answer.”
“You’re the one who brought it up.” Kass rolled her eyes. “Whatever. So, when’s the party?”
“In three nights. Which reminds me—go visit Lucinda and buy something new to wear. Your wardrobe is getting old and drab.”
“Old? Gods, you’re such a bitch,” she griped, scowling. “At least I don’t have to throw a party just to get some action.”
“Hey! Now that was just uncalled for.”
Kass grinned. “An eye for an eye. And you can get someone else to help you decorate this time. I’m on strike. Ta!”
Turning on her heel, Kass walked out, leaving her sister to rearrange to her heart’s content. No doubt she’d drive all the servants nuts before the palace was done to her satisfaction. Kass didn’t care as long as they left her out of the preparations.
And her clothing was not old, dammit.
As she made her way upstairs, Serena’s comment niggled at her brain. What had she meant by Luc taking to this life like Cupid to his bow? Why would Kass question his boundaries? She assumed Serena meant sexually, but that didn’t make sense. They were all very open in that regard. Even the servants and body slaves were permitted to play among themselves as long as their other duties were fulfilled. They could even take mates.
Puzzling over the matter, she stepped onto the wide landing. At the end of the hallway was an open sitting area graced by floor-to-ceiling windows. For no reason in particular, she walked to the windows and stood looking out over the pool and surrounding grounds. It was then that she saw.
An unexpected and very unwelcome spurt of jealous rage spread through her like a fever. Considering the lifestyle she’d introduced to her vampire upon his arrival, and her reinforcement each day since, her feelings weren’t fair. But reason fled, and she stood rooted to the spot.
