The Forgotten Trilogy

by Cecilia Randell

  He stepped back, his expression unreadable. “You really are being selfish, aren’t you?”

  Where is this coming from? It was as though a stranger had invaded his body.

  Then the conversation they had had in his apartment came back to her. “Is that so bad? Do you not want this?” She supposed she would leave him be if he asked her to let him go. She was not such a monster as to force this moment on him. Yes, she had decided to grab her happiness and hold on with both hands, but she would not force it.

  Shadows moved in his eyes. “Are you doing this for the power? I didn’t miss the boost you got after your nights with the brothers.”

  Had he overheard Ailis? Bat opened her mouth to protest, and stopped. Could she honestly say that the thought hadn’t occurred to her? No. Was it the reason she wanted Finn tonight? Also no.

  “I see.” He took another step back, but there wasn’t anywhere for him to go. The cabins on this boat were small.

  Bat shook her head, her dark hair flying. “You don’t see, Finn.” Heat built within her, part arousal and part anger. “And stop assuming things. I haven’t answered your question.”

  His lips thinned. “Answer me then.”

  She had to remember that the question of romantic entanglements was a different matter from dealing with Balor. She also had to remember that he had been hurt too, and recently. Someone wanting him for his power was a jab that hit all to close to the wounds Grainne had inflicted upon him.

  Trust. He trusts me to guide the way to Balor’s defeat. We have to build the trust between us for this type of relationship too. What they had was all too new, and all to fragile, despite all the pretty words that had been exchanged up to this point. He has pinpricks in his soul as well.

  Finn had been the calm one through this whole thing. He’d been the one to come to her and offer his body that day in the garden. In his apartment, he’d been the one to first admit that what he felt was more than the physical, even if the admission was couched in hints and subtle words. He’d been the one to keep her company after the brothers ran amok through her heart after her night with Dub.

  He’d done it all for her. And inside him, under that oh so calm exterior, he hid the holes and tears of his own soul.

  He needed to heal, just like she did. And Bat knew all too well that in order to heal, you needed to uncover the wounds.

  These were his wounds, and he was finally beginning to show them to her. She, more than anyone, knew the pain a calm exterior could hide.

  She grasped her necklace and pulled her shoulders back. “I cannot say the thought of a power boost did not cross my mind. I would be an idiot if I was not thinking of ways to prepare for what will come tomorrow.”

  He scowled.

  “But—“ she held up a hand, “I could have gone to any of the brothers if that was all I wanted. I didn’t. I came to you. You already know how I feel about you. You know it. I understand you have pain in you, just as we all do, but I will not play this particular game with you. I will not allow you to push me away because of imagined slights.” She dropped her hand. “If you truly do not want this, I will not stop you from leaving.” Bat shuffled along the side of the bunk and toward the door.

  He caught her arm. “No.” His teeth dug into his lower lip and his brows pulled together low over his eyes. His red-gold hair was soft in the low lamplight. “No, not like this.”

  The heat and anger in her faded away in the face of his obvious confusion.

  “I—“ He ran his free hand through his hair. “I didn’t want my first time with you to be on a boat, anchored off of a mythical island, while evil waits for us,” he continued. “But you are right. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or the next day. I hate that the circumstances are forcing us together like this. I admit that originally I thought I’d be satisfied with your body. Gods, when I went to you in the garden that day, I fully intended to use you, and allow you to use me. But you…” He let go of her arm and scrubbed both hands into his hair. “I said I would be there, whatever you needed. I did not question when you wanted all four of us. I even understand it, to a degree. You are a goddess, I would never presume to tell you what your needs should be.” His arms dropped and his shoulders slumped. “I don’t know how to say this.”

  Bat reached up and laid her palm against his cheek. There was so much pain and confusion reflected in this not-man’s eyes. She only knew pieces of his history, but this was a man who’d been alive for millennia. Maybe even as long as her. “You can tell me when you are ready.”

  His eyes slid closed and he pressed his cheek into her hand.

  “I want you,” he said. “So badly. I want this to be more than flesh and desires and sacrifices.”

  Bat slid her hand to his neck and pulled him down her. She laid a soft kiss against his lips. “It already is.” She did not try to tell him again that she loved him. She did not attempt to give him grand declarations or reassurances. She kept her words simple, and she put the entirety of her sincerity behind them.

  He bent to her, and their lips met once more. Again it was soft, almost chaste.

  He straightened. “If we are doing this tonight, then grant me one thing.”

  Her gaze focused on his lips. Their color had deepened, inviting her to explore. “What is this request?”

  His eyes dilated, the hazel becoming a slim ring around the pupil. “Allow me to worship you.”

  The heat that had become a banked fire during their earlier conversation flamed once more. Her lips curled up into a soft smile and she glanced up at him through her lashes. “I could allow that,” she teased. Her hand skimmed over his shoulder, down one well-muscled arm and back up, then settled over his chest.

  His heart was pounding.

  She’d done that to him. Her lower belly tightened as moisture gathered at her core, readying her for what this man would do.

  Stepping forward, He pressed his chest to her breasts. He widened his stance and brought his hands to her waist, holding her against him. One slid around to her back and pressed her into his groin. He was already aroused, the length of him pressing hard against her belly through their clothes.

  Finn stepped forward, and she was forced to move back. Her knees hit the edge of the bunk. He lowered her to the narrow mattress, angling them both to avoid the bulkhead.

  He pulled away, and hit his head. “Dammit.”

  Bat giggled.

  “This is the other reason I wanted to wait. No damn room on this boat.”

  And everyone will hear us, Bat silently added. She didn’t say it aloud, scared that would be the last straw for Finn and he’d leave.

  She reached out for him, skimming her fingers along his thigh and over his hip before running them across his lower abdomen just over his groin. She pushed a trickle of her power into the touch.

  He shivered. “Well now, and why are you wasting such hard earned power?”

  “With a reaction like that, I do not believe I would call it wasted,” she replied.

  He caught her wrist, forcing her hand to her side. “I said that I would be the one worshipping you, goddess.”

  Her lips pulled down. Did that mean she was supposed to lie there without participating? She wasn’t sure she wanted to do that. Not if it meant having to keep her hands to herself.

  Finn came over her, his body slotting between her legs. “Sshhh.” He kissed her forehead, then over each eye. His lips skimmed over her cheeks before settling over her own. They kissed, the movements slow and easy, almost lazy. They tasted each other, taking their time.

  He moved to her jaw and worked his way to her ear. “Let me do this.” His teeth closed over the tender flesh of her earlobe and tugged. “Please,” he added.

  It was the ‘please’ that got her. A ‘please’ from this not-man swayed her every time.

  He didn’t wait for her answer, only kissed down her neck, leaving a trail of warmth. He propped himself up on one elbow, freeing his other hand, and studied
her face.

  Slipping that free hand under the helm of her sweater, he rested his calloused palm over her belly, pressing his fingers in and kneading her. “I adore how soft you are.” He worked the sweater up her torso and over her breasts, revealing her crimson bra.

  She may have worn it hoping this very thing would happen…

  He paused, staring at the bright fabric against her dusky skin. “Your skin is amazing.” Finn ran a finger along the swell of each breast, right where her bra ended.

  Her nipples puckered under the thin fabric. His lips parted and for long seconds he only stared, that one finger idly stroking her.

  He looked… enraptured. As though he had anticipated this moment for longer than a few months and was determined to savor it.

  At that moment she truly did feel worshipped.

  Finn rolled to his feet, and she nearly followed him, not wanting to loose the contact with him.

  “Sshhh…” He placed a hand to the middle of her chest and pushed her back against the mattress. “I’m just getting rid of a few pesky pieces of cloth. The bunks too narrow for the both of us.”

  He grabbed the bottom of his sweater and stripped it away in one movement. The white t-shirt underneath was gone a moment later. Two moments later he stood before her in nothing but his skin.

  He’d stripped down as though his clothes were poisonous—or cursed. Just like the other three of her not-men. Bat bit her lip in an effort to keep in the laugh that wanted to bubble to the surface.

  The golden lamplight outlined every plane of his body. It cast shadows that she wanted to explore with her hands and mouth, and highlighted intriguing swells of muscle. This was her first chance to examine Finn, and she took her time.

  A light trace of hair covered his chest before narrowing down to his belly and lower. His manhood was framed in the same red-gold that graced his head. Right now it was a standing proudly erect, flushed a dusky red. His thighs were as muscular as his arms and shoulders, though not overly thick, and his calves were graceful.

  She finished her inspection with his feet. Her hips rolled. She’d never been aroused by a man’s feet before, but somehow Finn’s were… entrancing. They were large but not overly wide, nor did they have extra flesh. The nails were trim and clean, and his toes were slender.

  Those toes flexed, as though Finn knew just what she was thinking, and had decided to tease her.

  Bat lifted her gaze back to his. His face still held the same flushed and serious expression.

  “Now,” he said. “It’s time we got you out of your own clothes.”

  Bat sat up to finish pulling off her sweater, and Finn stopped her, kneeling beside the bunk. “No. Let me.”

  She let her sweater go. Finn grabbed it and slid the thin cotton knit over her head and off her arm. Then he reached around and unhooked her bra, only fumbling a little as his big fingers struggled with the small hooks. When he peeled the thin fabric away from her, he again paused and stared.

  She straightened her back, forcing her breasts forward. She sat there proudly, allowing her lover to gaze upon her.

  He raised a hand and hesitated just before it would have made contact with the round flesh of her left breast. “May I?”

  She nodded, the movement a single dip of her head.

  His heated palm settled over her. She sucked in a deep breath, forcing the soft flesh into his hand. She flushed and her nipples drew tighter, the areoles darkening to a deep pink. He switched his hold to her other breast, lifting and kneading it. Then he abandoned that one as well, skimming his palm down her arm and then back up, before repeating the motion on the other side.

  “Lay down, please.” She complied, and he continued his exploration of her body, still using just the one hand.

  When he made it to her jeans, Bat was flushed all over, and more than ready for additional stimulation—for his lips and tongue to follow the path of his fingers, for his touch to deepen, for his body to cover hers and press her into the mattress.

  She rolled her hips, asking silently for what she wanted. He had said he wanted to worship her, but she suspected he was the one to cast a spell over her. Why else would she, Bat—a once fertility goddess—lie silently waiting and yearning for the slightest touch of this man?

  His hand remained between her breasts, the touch warm and just heavy enough she knew he meant it when he said he wanted to lie there without moving. Then that hand skimmed down her body until it reached the button on her jeans. He teased the sensitive skin there before finally slipping the button open and pulling the zipper down.

  Bat shifted her hips again. She was willing to play this game with him, but she was not above doing what she could to urge him along. Shifting her hips in a little circle, she let out a pleading moan and lifted her rib cage, thrusting her breasts high.

  Finn’s hand froze and Bat took a peek at his face. He still wore that worshipful expression, lips parted and eyes soft. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips and then he lowered his head. He placed soft kisses against her collarbone, working his way lower until his mouth hovered over the peaked tip of her left breast. She couldn’t help the small sliver of pride she felt at the fact that while her flesh was abundant, it was firm enough that her breasts didn’t sag to the side.

  The golden-red-haired not-man licked along the underside of that breast then took her straining nipple into his mouth, biting it lightly before sucking. He continued his attentions in this manner until Bat couldn’t hold it in.

  “Finn…” she breathed out.

  He switched to the other side, giving that mound the same treatment.

  The heat at Bat’s core increased until she was moving her hips in small circles, anything to relieve the sudden need to move. “More,” she said, her voice husky. There was power behind the order, a goddess ordering her supplicant.

  The low vibrations of his chuckle traveled through her. He didn’t answer, but he did move, shifting down her body. His warm breaths puffed against her sensitive skin, and his tongue darted out in teasing licks as he made his way south.

  Then he finally removed the rest of her clothing. Bat lifted her hips to assist in getting the denim off of her. As he worked the material over her legs, she continued the dance she’d begun with her hips, the movements wholly instinctive by this time.

  When Finn had stripped the last of her clothing away, he threw it into a shadowed corner of the cabin and returned to the place he’d left off, his mouth directly over her mound.

  “Spread for me goddess,” he ordered.

  By this time, Bat was beyond caring about orders and pleas and who was worshipping who. She pulled her legs wide. Finn settled between them, his wide shoulders and pale skin beautiful between her thighs. His hands settled in the curve where thigh met groin, his thumbs perfectly positioned to pull apart the lips of flesh that guarded her core.

  His lips lowered and settled over her. He licked up her slit then found the button of pleasure every goddess knew, even those dedicated to celibacy. He played with her there, nipping and licking the sensitive flesh until Bat could no longer hold back, and she came with an intense moan and jerk of her hips.

  He lifted his head, and Bat moaned again at the sight. Mussed red-gold hair over glowing hazel eyes. His mouth was stretched in a fierce grin, and her juices glistened around his mouth.

  Finn licked his lips. “And that is how to worship a goddess properly.”

  Bat, her muscles now limp with satisfaction, chuckled. “I would say that was an acceptable offering.” Sensing the game was over, she finally moved. She half sat, grabbed his head, and pulled him up for a passionate kiss. She could taste herself on him.

  That kiss had the heat within her building once again. Breaking the kiss, she whispered, “And I would say that sacrifice deserves a reward.” She flipped him over so their positions were reversed. This time it was her turn to play. She repeated every thing he had done, teasing him with nipping kisses and licks, until she reached his straining cock.r />
  “While I appreciate the attentions, my Finn, there are many ways to worship a goddess, and many offerings you may present.” She wrapped her hand around his engorged manhood. “And this is a very fine offering.”

  Then she bent her head and took him into her mouth, sucking in a slow and teasing rhythm. The hot flesh was silky against her tongue.

  Bat wasn’t sure just what had come over her. With each of the brothers their love had been passion filled, yes, but the acts themselves had been fairly straightforward. There’d not been a lot of… play.

  What Finn had done had called to a part of her long buried. A part of her that hadn’t seen light since before the uniting of Upper and Lower Egypt, since before she’d stood between Seth and Horus.

  With the brothers, this intimate act had been more that between a man and a woman.

  With Finn, he had treated her as the goddess she used to be—as the goddess she still was. And now that goddess wanted to play, at least for a little bit.

  Bat opened her senses and continued her ministrations. One of her hands held the base of his cock steady, and the other slipped down to cradle his balls. Both hands set up a rhythm of steady squeezes.

  When she had things exactly as she wanted them, she raised her eyes and met Finn’s gaze.

  The wondering look was gone, and in its place was pure need. His face had flushed and his lips pulled back in a snarl. His fingers had dug into the sheets and his muscles were locked. Not a sound escaped his mouth, not a movement was made by his body.

  He was a warrior holding onto the edge of his control. He was a man on the verge of breaking. He was a sacrifice laid out just for her.

  And he was beautiful.

  Bat gave one last hard pull on the flesh in her mouth before pulling away. His eyes followed her like a cornered animal.

  “This is a very fine offering, indeed,” she purred, her hands still on him. “Do you want me?” When he didn’t answer right away she tightened her hold on him.