Wicked After Dark: 20 Steamy Paranormal Tales of Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Mina Carter

  As he treaded carefully along the carpeted floor he accidentally kicked one of the toddler's toy cars. The siren of the police car rang out in the quiet house. Hercules quickly picked it up and smashed it in his hand. He stood frozen in place expecting someone to catch him in the act. He silently cursed himself.

  When he rounded the corner into the hallway to Kane's room, he could hear light footsteps approaching. Kane had woken up from his slumber, dragging his feet in his little footsy pajamas and rubbing his eyes. "Uncle Hercules?"

  Hercules picked the boy up and held him in his arms. "Hey little man. How about we go on a little adventure."

  "Where's Mommy and Daddy?"

  "Mommy and Daddy are sleeping. We're going to go by ourselves. Okay?"

  "Okay."

  Hercules walked through the toys on the living room floor carrying Kane in his arms. It looked as though he was going to make a clean getaway.

  That was until Kane began to cry. "My car!"

  "Shh, Uncle Hercules will buy you a new one tomorrow. I’ll buy you anything you want, just stop crying."

  After a minute of coaxing, Kane settled down as Hercules teleported to Laila's apartment. He was breaking so many rules. Kidnapping and entering a human's home without their knowledge. He surely was going to Hades for this. But he didn't care. His friend's happiness meant more to him than his own fate right now.

  Hercules entered Laila's room with Kane in tow. He knelt on the side of bed watching her breathe. Her chest rose and fell in a steady manner, proving she was in a deep sleep. He only hoped she was a heavy sleeper. Hercules turned to Kane and whispered. "Can you make the girl sleep?"

  Kane looked at Hercules confused. "She is sleeping Uncle Hercules."

  "Shh, I know she's sleeping." Jeez, this was not going to be easy. "Here, give me your hand." Hercules placed Kane's hand on the top of Laila's head and held it there with his own.

  "Girl is sad."

  "I know little man. I know. Now, listen to Uncle Hercules. Close your eyes and sleep."

  Kane closed his eyes as instructed. He hoped this was going to work because there would be no other way to help Laila. He watched her eyes flutter open for a quick second before she fell back to sleep. Kane went limp in his arms. It had worked. He was glad he stayed and watched Somnus teach Kane how to begin using his powers. He still had a long way to go before he could come to mastering them, but he was grateful that it worked at that moment.

  Hercules quickly returned Kane home to his bed and teleported back to Olympus. He banged on Aesculapius' door.

  After knocking for what felt like forever Aesculapius came to the door. "What in the name of Olympus is going on?" He swung the door open. "Hercules? Why the Hell are you banging on my door on this ungodly hour?"

  "No time to explain. We're running out of time." Hercules grabbed him by the arm and teleported back into Laila's apartment.

  "What? Where am I Hercules?"

  "Shh! We're in a human's home." Hercules whispered.

  "What? Are you crazy? Do you know what Jupiter would do to us if he found out we were here. I'm out of here."

  Hercules pulled him to the doorway of Laila's bedroom. "Aesius, please. I need your help." He called him by the nickname he and the other gods had called him since they were children. It was much easier to say then his full name.

  "No, I will not help you."

  "Aesius, please. If not for me, then do it for Somnus."

  Aesius stood in the door frame contemplating if he should help. Hercules needed to persuade him a little more. "You know what Somnus has been going through lately. She is the reason he's in pain. She is his mate. Please Aesius she's very sick."

  "Ugh, fine! What's wrong with her?"

  "How the Hell should I know? You're the God of Medicine. You tell me."

  Aesius tiptoed over to the bed. "Wait, what if she wakes up?"

  "She won't."

  "How do you know that?"

  "Because I had Kane put her to sleep. Now, hurry up. I don't know how long she will slumber."

  "That's great. Just fucking great. Do you realize how much trouble you're getting us into? Your father is going to kill us."

  "He's not my father!" He hated when others called Jupiter his father. He never associated him that way and he never would. Hercules yelled a little too loud and looked over to Laila afraid he had awakened her. "Don't worry, I will take the blame for all this. Just hurry the fuck up."

  "Okay, okay." Aesius knelt by the bed, closing his eyes. He held his hands over her body. "It's her stomach, and her reproductive organs. She's in a lot of pain."

  "No shit. Can you help her or not?"

  "Yes." Aesius lifted her shirt to just below her breasts and pulled her pajama bottoms down a bit. He placed his hands on her stomach. He closed his eyes as his hands began to glow. A bright orange light penetrated her skin making her whole midsection illuminate. It only took a minute or two before the light died down and Aesius stood. He pulled her shirt down then pulled the navy blue quilt over her sleeping body.

  "Well?" Hercules questioned anxiously.

  "Well what?"

  "Did it work?"

  "Does a human male develop Angel Lust if he dies face down?"

  "I don't even know what the Hell that means Aesius."

  "Well, you see when a human male dies vertically or face down, most likely traumatically, the blood settles at the lowest part of the body causing an erection..."

  "Okay! Okay! What is wrong with you? You're a sick, sick God Aesius. All I asked is if it worked."

  "It's my job as a God to know about the human body. It did work by the way. She should be fine now."

  "For Hades sake, that's all you had to say. Let's get the Hell out of here please." Hercules pushed Aesius out of the room shaking his head. "Angel Lust."

  Chapter Ten

  Laila opened her eyes feeling a warm sensation in her belly. The mornings were usually the worst time of day for her. It was when she wasn't too busy to forget the pain. Only this morning was different. She felt different. She had showered, dressed, and ate breakfast without so much of a twinge of pain. It was like a miracle. But, she didn't make too much of it. She knew the aching, burning, or cramping would rear their ugly faces soon enough.

  She had to admit, being able to move around all day without being in agony felt wonderful. She even got to do yoga, which was something she always wanted to do. She'd previously tried yoga before, but being in some of the more difficult positions caused her too much distress, and she never did it again.

  There were times when she wanted to go for a short jog or even a long walk through the city, but was never able to. Today she felt as if she could. She grabbed her purse and walked out the door. Luckily, she was able to leave her apartment. The building manager had her door fixed right away after Hercules ripped it from the wall. When the manager asked what happened to it she blamed it on faulty hinges. Which was utterly ridiculous, but it was all she could come up with at the time.

  As she reached in her purse for her keys, she came across the small card with Somnus' number on it. She flipped the card over and read the other side. The Garden of Love was the shop where the flowers had been purchased from. Maybe she could go to the store and see if they had any information on where Somnus lived. She doubted they would tell her anything if they did know, but she had to give it a try. He was all she thought about morning, noon, and night.

  There was something eerily wrong with the way she felt about him. She barely knew him, yet the connection they shared was deeper than any feeling she had ever experienced before.

  Laila raised her hand in the air to hail a cab. The driver was instructed to proceed to The Garden of Love Flower Shop. It was a short ride, but Laila didn't want to take any chances by walking a long distance, just in case her symptoms came back.

  The cab stopped in front of the store. She stepped out and looked at the awning with the shop's name on it. It was a small quaint little shop located in the mid
dle of a busy block with plenty of pedestrians filling the sidewalk.

  Her footsteps quickened as she was anxious to see if the employees there would help her find Somnus. She pushed the door open and a little bell chimed as she walked in. Her breath caught in her throat when saw a little redheaded boy with crystal blue eyes sitting on the floor of the shop playing his toys. She recognized him immediately. He was Somnus' godson.

  She hurried over to the counter to speak with the redheaded woman behind the counter. She was obviously the child's mother. The resemblance was undeniable. "Can I help you miss?"

  Laila pointed over to the small boy. "Is that your son?"

  Val looked over at her son who was pretending to crash the cars together and laughed. "Yes, he is."

  Laila bit her bottom lip pondering on whether to continue or not. "Then you know Somnus? He is your son's godfather isn't he?"

  Just as Val was about to answer Cupid came through the curtain and picked up Kane. Kane then turned to his father and pointed towards Laila. "Girl sad."

  "The girl isn't sad son." Cupid apologized to Laila. "I'm sorry he doesn't understand yet. Can we help you miss?"

  Val interjected before Laila spoke. "She was asking for Somnus. What's your name miss?"

  "Lailani. Lailani Love."

  A spark of recognition lit in Cupid's eyes as he looked at his wife. "Laila?"

  "Yes, Laila."

  Cupid set his son back down on the floor. He walked over to Laila taking her hand. "Well, it's nice to finally meet you Laila. You probably don't remember, but we've met briefly once before when my son was born."

  "Yes, I remember. How is he doing now?"

  Cupid looked down at the light of his life. "Kane is just fine. No side effects from the surgery at all."

  Just as Cupid was going to continue talking, Kane walked over to Laila, taking her hand. He yanked it so she would bend down to his level. She knelt beside him as he put his hand on her face. Her eyes closed and tears flowed from behind her closed lids. Minutes felt like hours had passed. When she opened her eyes she met Cupid and Val's worried expressions.

  Kane nodded his head and she responded with the same action. As she stood the curtain to back of the store opened.

  Standing in the doorway was the one man she so desperately wanted to see. The one man who made her feel like a sexy, desirable woman. The one man who had awakened feelings inside of her she never knew existed. "Laila?"

  Without thinking she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Somnus!"

  He put his arms around her waist, giving her a light squeeze. "Laila, what are you doing here?"

  She let go to face him. "I came to find you."

  "How did you know I would be here?"

  "I didn't. I was just hoping the store where the flowers came from knew how to find you. I never asked Hercules where you lived."

  Before Somnus had a chance to respond Hercules strode through the front door of the shop. "Guys, we're going to be late. Have we forgotten..." Hercules stopped mid-sentence stunned to see Laila standing there. She was last person he was expecting to see there. He was only going to remind them they had an appointment with Jupiter this morning. But, he was ever the gentleman and sauntered over to the beautiful blonde. Hercules took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Well, hello Laila. Nice to see you again."

  Laila parted her lips to utter a response, but was quickly quieted by Somnus' rage filled gaze. In a flash he was on Hercules. Hercules had to play into it because Laila still had no idea of their powers. It would have looked unbelievable if he stood there with Somnus pummeling on him without him budging. So, he allowed Somnus to vent his anger.

  Somnus' eyes turned a sinister black. "Don't you ever touch her again!"

  Val ran over to the front door and pulled down the gate to shield what was going on in the store and Cupid handed Kane over to her. Cupid tried to separate his friends, but as he placed his hand Somnus' arm it was burned. Somnus pushed him away flinging him across the room.

  Laila watched in horror at the man she ached for turn into a complete monster. In her heart she knew this wasn't him. As he stopped swinging his fist into Hercules' face, she placed her hand on his scorching skin. She whispered to him. "Somnus?"

  Somnus grabbed her by the arms, slamming her against the wall, kissing her passionately. Forcing his tongue into the seam of her lips.

  "Somnus, please don't!"

  Hercules and Cupid grabbed their friend and brought him behind the curtain. Not a second later a flash of light was visible under the thin fabric that separated the rooms.

  Laila wasted no time running towards the exit. She lifted the gate and bolted out of the store. She ran until she couldn't run anymore. Her throat seizing from thirst, her ribs feeling like they were being stretched apart because she rarely exercised.

  As soon as she stepped inside her apartment and closed the front door behind her, she collapsed to the floor. She sobbed uncontrollably, her stomach muscles wrenching involuntarily. A few minutes later she passed out.

  *******

  Somnus was flung into the sofa in his home by his friends. They held him there until he calmed down and his eyes returned to the light amber color they normally were.

  "Are we good or do we have to contain you some more?" Hercules asked out of breath.

  "No. I'm fine."

  Cupid adjusted the lighting in the room and sat across from him. "What the Hell was that all about?"

  Somnus rose from the couch making his way to the other side of the room. "I don't know. I saw Hercules kiss Laila's hand and I don't know what happened after that. Everything is a blur. Oh my God, Laila. Is she okay?"

  Hercules assured him she was. "She's fine. We got you out of there before you did any real damage."

  Somnus ran his hands over his closely shaven head, then placed them on the wall. "Why don't you guys just put me out of my misery?"

  "We wouldn't do that even if we could." Cupid replied. "Besides, you can't help yourself. You are just going to have to learn to control yourself around Laila."

  Somnus crossed the room. "I'm never going to see Laila ever again! Never! I will not put her in danger any more than I already have." He'd made the decision not to see her weeks ago and he meant it. There was no way he could have known she was going to show up at The Garden of Love. But, when his eyes met hers, his heart melted. His loins ached for her touch. He wanted to do more than hug her. He wanted to wipe her tears away, pick her up in his arms, and make love to her.

  But, all that had changed when he saw Hercules kiss her hand. An animal instinct took over him. He had a desperate need to protect her and kill anyone who touched her. The urge to claim her as his own was powerful, and when he tasted her strawberry flavored lips, he came apart at the seams. Everything had gone dark at that moment. The next thing he remembered was sitting in his home as the thick black fog cleared from his mind.

  Hercules reminded him of one important fact. "How do you plan on staying away from her when she's your mate?"

  "She is not my mate!"

  Cupid and Hercules looked at each other with arched eyebrows, then at Somnus. "Yes, she is.” they said in unison.

  "Oh, who am I kidding? You guys are right. But that still doesn't change anything. I can't take a chance hurting her again. Besides, I can't have sex with her again, how can I possibly make her my mate. Especially after I raped her."

  Hercules bowed his head before he spoke. "You can have all the hard loving sex you want with her."

  "Hercules are you crazy? She's sick. Have you forgotten?"

  Hercules stood face to face with Somnus. "She's not sick anymore."

  Somnus was confused at Hercules' proclamation. Furrowing his eyebrows he demanded to know what was going on. "What do you mean she's not sick anymore?"

  "Now, before you go flying off the handle again. I had to do it. You deserve her."

  "Hercules, spit it out! What did you do to her?"

  Hercules paced as he spok
e. "Cue, don't get mad either."

  Cupid pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh God Hercules, what did you do now?"

  Hercules continued to pace. "Last night, I went to your house Cue and took Kane..."

  Cupid rose from the sofa closing the distance between them. “You what?!"

  Somnus held Cupid back. "Wait, let him finish."

  "I took Kane to Laila's house and had him put her to sleep. I brought him right back, I promise. And I never let him out of my sight for a minute. Then I came back here and made Aesius come with me to Laila's. I had him heal her. She's perfectly fine now. She will never feel pain again."

  Cupid was furious. "What the Hell were you thinking Hercules?! Kidnapping! Healing Laila without discussing it with anyone first! You have done some pretty irresponsible things, but this one takes the cake."

  Hercules felt genuinely bad for what he'd done, but he knew it was for the right reasons. "I'm sorry. I thought..."

  Cupid interrupted him again. "You thought what? That doing this would make everything all better without us suffering any consequences. Have you forgotten about the trouble we went through with Val?"

  "Yeah, but that turned out well." Hercules reminded his friend.

  "Yeah, but we escaped spending the rest of our immortal lives in the Underworld by the skin of our teeth."

  Somnus was trying to absorb all that he had just heard. Laila was better? He felt so elated at the idea of having her as his mate. Being able to make love to her made his cock grow hard at the thought. Then it dawned on him. It didn't matter if she was better or not. He still couldn't control himself around her.

  Before Somnus had a chance to process everything, Jupiter teleported into his home. The expression on his face was displeasing to say the least. His deep voice echoed throughout the room. "What is going on?! Are you boys insane. Is there a day where you don't cause trouble? I swear if I didn't feel so guilty about what I did, I would have disintegrated you all long ago."

  Somnus saw the look on Jupiter's face. Regret apparent on the King of Gods face wishing he could take back what he'd said. "What do you feel guilty about Jupiter?"

  "It doesn't matter now."