by Nina Bangs
Daria chased the thought from her mind with speech. “I want to make you feel good.”
Jeez, talk about cheesy lines. You’d think when a person was standing at a major fork in her life’s path she’d come up with something a little more poetic, words for the ages.
She placed one finger over his lips when he raised his head to answer. “I want to put my mouth on you.” Fine, so she wasn’t a poetic harpy. She didn’t dress up what she wanted in pretty words.
His eyes flared hot. “Since we’re courting danger, I’ll sit there.” He pointed.
She looked. Gulp.
“Lucky for you, I’m not afraid of heights.” With one lithe motion he rose, stepped onto the bench where he’d just been sitting, and then sat down on the back with his bare feet firmly planted on the seat. He didn’t even reach down to brace himself with his hands.
Brave man. He was sitting on the edge of lots of empty air. One careless moment and it was impact earth. The fact that he could fly didn’t lesson the fear factor for Daria. “Um, don’t you want to at least hang on to something?”
“I’ll hang on to you.” Something in his gaze said there were several layers of meaning to his reply.
Holding his gaze, she moved to a kneeling position on the seat. He spread his legs and she edged between them. Then he wrapped his legs around her and buried his fingers in her hair. His safety depended on her strength.
His smile was a smoky fire just before it burst into flame. “You’d always be a man’s anchor, harpy lady.” There was a hint of yesterday in his husky murmur, of his Highland roots and before that the seas he’d sailed as a Viking.
Her hands shook with her need to touch him. She smoothed her fingers over his muscular thighs before cupping his sacs in each of her palms. They lay warm there as she lowered her head to slide her tongue the length of his shaft.
He shuddered, his pleasure a soft murmur of encouragement. Gaining courage from this proof that she was on the right track, Daria traced a spiral staircase on his cock with her tongue, starting at the base and ending somewhere beyond their self-control.
He got a firmer grip on her hair. “This could come to a head quickly.”
She tried not to laugh. Laughter could make him lose his balance. Instead she slid her lips over him, taking him deep into her mouth, enjoying the sensual overload— velvety smooth skin, heat, and the scent of arousal.
Skimming her teeth lightly over his erection and then tightening her lips around him got the desired result.
With a groan of lost control, he released her hair, leaned over until he could grip her bottom, and lifted her onto his lap.
Left straddling his hips, she looked down. “Ohmigod, no!” They teetered on the edge for a second until she froze in place, afraid of doing anything that would send him plunging backward.
“Don’t worry, I have great balance. A Viking washed overboard fast if he didn’t.” His voice was a mixture of laughter and desire.
“What’re you doing?” She had a horrible suspicion. Amazingly, her terror was mixed with a rush of anticipation.
He buried his face in the hollow of her neck, and his warm breath triggered a rash of goose bumps. “I think you know.”
Then before she could marshal the hundred or so reasons why this was a really bad idea, he cupped her bottom and lifted her onto his cock.
Daria had no way of bracing herself, and she gasped at the shock of his erection stretching and filling her. She was wet and already clenching around the hard length of him when he began to thrust into her.
Once again she froze, not even giving in to the urge for one little wiggle. “I’ll do the moving. You work on the balance.” She was breathing hard, and her words came out in little gasps. The air was cool, but they were both covered with a sheen of sweat.
“Good luck.” His eyes gleamed with the joy of what they were doing.
It was incredible what the promise of a spectacular orgasm would drive an otherwise sane harpy to try. With her common sense shocked into silence, she carefully maneuvered her hips and legs until she was kneeling on the narrow ledge while still straddling him.
“There.” Triumphant, she lowered herself onto him slowly this time, allowing herself to wallow in every erotic sensation. That lasted for, oh, about fifteen seconds.
Then everything started to whirl out of control. The heaviness built low in her belly as she raised herself off him and then sank back down. Faster and faster, caution giving way to the frenzy of her rush toward climax. She wasn’t aware when he grasped her hips to steady them.
Daria knew she was making little sounds of eagerness, but she couldn’t control them. He made no sounds, but his grip on her hips tightened.
The final moments were primitive raw sensation as the rocking of their gondola and her own frantic movements pushed her toward… toward…
Declan threw back his head and bared his fangs, a testament to all that he was. In some part of her mind she noted that he hadn’t tried to bite her.
It was coming, coming, coming—
“Do you trust me, Daria?”
Coming, coming. “Yes.”
With that, he fell backward into space just as her orgasm exploded with a spasm that curled her insides into a knot of such intense pleasure, she swore she saw several lifetimes pass before her eyes.
Somewhere she was aware of Declan’s shout and that they weren’t falling anymore. Her legs were wrapped around his hips, holding him inside her. He was slowly drifting above the ground.
Drifting, drifting as the spasms grew less and less.
“Close your eyes, harpy lady.”
And she did.
When she opened them, she was lying on her side facing the poster that had started the whole thing. Daria didn’t care what Sparkle said, she was taking that poster with her when she left the Woo Woo Inn.
If she turned over, she knew he’d be there. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that. Any more than she was ready to analyze some of the undercurrents running beneath the surface of their lovemaking.
He touched her shoulder. “You didn’t become harpy when we fell.”
“I trusted you to do the flying. The flight attendant didn’t serve my drink on time, though.”
His laughter warned her.
She rolled over and smiled at him. “That was beyond…” Sometimes words failed.
His grin was all pleased male. “If it wasn’t almost dawn, I’d be exploring every one of those posters with you.”
Dawn. Reality closed in on her. “I didn’t hear any sounds of battle, so I suppose the Guardians did their job.”
“For now.” The truth of their situation made his eyes look weary. “I’d better leave messages for the two remaining council members before I go to sleep. They’ll want to be here to help.”
This wasn’t her idea of post-lovemaking chatter, but Fenrir had to be discussed. “What can he do if we bring in some powerful allies and just wait him out? All we have to do is hold him off until after the summer solstice.”
Declan rose and then helped her up. He started pulling on the clothes he still had. “Fenrir is goal-oriented. He’d have no qualms about slaughtering innocents to get his way. He won’t be bound to the church much longer. We can’t just hole up here if he decides to take his battle public. I don’t even want to think what would happen if humans got involved with this.”
Okay, so now she was officially depressed. She walked to her closet, aware of his gaze on her behind every step of the way. She smiled. “I can feel your eyes, vampire.” His soft laughter was wicked in all the right ways.
“So what do you still have to do tonight?” He didn’t ask to stay.
She didn’t invite him. “I have some things to talk over with Kal. Then I’ll try to contact Mom and Aunt Ocypete. It wouldn’t hurt to have another two kick-butt harpies on our team.” She was making light of it, but she dreaded facing her mother.
He headed for the door as she finished pulling on fresh clothes. M
aybe she’d go barefoot for the rest of the night. All of Sparkle’s shoes gave her nosebleeds.
Declan waited at the door for her to join him. When she did, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. There was a gentleness to his kiss that didn’t say dangerous night-hunter. Not at this moment at least.
He leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Next time, sweetheart, I want to be on top.” Then he left, closing the door softly behind him.
Daria grinned. He was such a guy.
Her grin had faded by the time she reached her brother’s door. This wouldn’t be fun. He’d wanted to argue with her right after she’d escaped the clutches of the terrible twosome. She’d postponed the inevitable by chasing after Declan when she sensed he was in trouble. But she owed her brother an explanation.
Daria heard his footsteps approach the other side of the door and arranged her expression to mimic the work-obsessed sister he’d expect to see.
Kal opened his door and glared at her.
She didn’t wait for his invite before strolling past him into his room. Taking the offensive usually gave you a leg up on the opposition. “It’s time we took stock of where we are, Kal.”
When she turned toward him, she got a good look at his face. As always happened when she saw him without his magic, his beauty shocked her. He had an uncompromisingly male face, all the strong lines women loved along with a sensual mouth and those incredible violet eyes, Sheesh, who really had violet eyes? Not her. Her eyes were plain old hazel without Kal’s magic. The only thing that made them special in any way was a thick fringe of dark lashes.
Kal raked his fingers through his blond hair. “I don’t have a clue why we spent months getting ready for this damn test. It’s like you set out to purposely dynamite any chances you might have of passing. You won’t take a shot at Declan, the candidate with the best chance of putting a big smile on Hades’s face. And you’re involved in something you’ve chosen not to share with me.”
She winced at the hurt in his voice.
“You don’t even look like a harpy anymore.” He must’ve seen the accusing expression on her face, because he grimaced. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t look like one either. When did things get so complicated, sis?”
Where to start? Maybe Daria needed to work through her feelings about being a harpy. And she owed it to Kal to do it in front of him. “You know I’ve always wanted to be like Mom. I’ve tried. No one practiced harder than I did. No one believed more than I did. But these last few days have shown me a side of myself that scares me.”
He offered her a tight smile. “Tell me about it.”
“Sure, I’ve been around places where humans hung out, but I never really got to know any of them. Since I’ve been here, I’ve found I like smiling, I have fun helping people, and—” here came the hard part “—I like looking nice.”
“So what does that mean?” His expression gave nothing away.
“Maybe we’ve never fit in with all the other harpies because we really don’t belong with them.”
The silence went on for way too long.
“Why are you showing your own face, Kal?” Might as well get everything out into the open.
“Sophie, the wereleopard I told you about, is someone I want to spend more time with.” Kal looked uncomfortable. “She talks to me, even with that horror of a face I’ve been wearing.” He walked over to the couch and collapsed onto it. “That’s not enough, sis. I don’t want her to be my friend; I need her to be my lover.” He almost seemed to sink into himself. “Is that asking too much? After twenty-eight freaking years, I want a woman who doesn’t ask to be paid when she climbs into my bed.”
Daria blinked away tears. Why hadn’t she ever seen her brother’s pain? “Hey, I understand. You’re not the only one questioning your life goals.” Life goals sounded so sterile, but wasn’t that what this was really all about?
“So you like Declan?” He carefully skirted the other “L” word.
She nodded. “You and I are twins, Kal. I’m not surprised we’re sharing some of the same feelings.”
For the first time since she’d stepped into his room tonight, he smiled at her. “Okay, emotional purging over. You came here for something. Out with it.”
Daria joined him on the couch. “I don’t want you to use any more of your magic on me while I’m at the Woo Woo Inn.”
“And when it’s time to go?”
She allowed the question to drift free for a moment before answering, “I don’t know, Kal. I really don’t know.”
“What are you and Declan involved in? I saw you come into the inn with him earlier. You weren’t just returning from a quiet walk in the woods.” He gave her a sharp look. “Ganymede told everyone a wild story that didn’t make much sense. Said he couldn’t guarantee our safety, and he thought everyone should leave. Not many details. I’d like to know what we’re up against, sis.”
“I’m surprised anyone stayed.”
He shrugged. “Only a few did. The werewolves are up for anything that promises excitement. Eris stayed. She won’t leave if you’re still here. Mel didn’t leave. Don’t know why, unless he’s the judge. I hope he isn’t, because he sure doesn’t like you. Walt, that debunker guy, is still here. Again, I haven’t a clue why. Sparkle told all the humans who work at the inn not to come back to work until she called them. The cook said she’d stay. Ganymede was pretty happy about that.”
“Won’t one of the humans tell the police about what’s going on here?” Wouldn’t the cops get a surprise if they paid an unexpected visit?
“Ganymede wiped the memories of anyone who left.” She’d run out of questions. Time to tell Kal the truth. Ten minutes later, her brother sat staring at her blankly.
“No one could make that up.” He rubbed his hand across his forehead. “You’re not bailing, are you?”
“I can’t.”
“Because of the vampire.”
She smiled. “Yeah, but the fate of the universe had a little to do with it too.”
“I get your point.” He remained quiet for a few moments, then returned her smile. “Guess you can count me in. You’ll need all the help you can get.”
Leaning over, she hugged him. Right now she didn’t care that harpies didn’t do much touching. Kal needed to know how much he meant to her. “Thanks.”
“What about Mom? This isn’t something we should keep from her.”
“When I leave here, I’ll contact Mom and Aunt Ocypete.”
His smile widened. “Better hope she doesn’t come.”
She shuddered. “Yeah.” Mom would not be sympathetic to her daughter’s identity crisis. She’d tell Daria to suck it up before she kicked her behind all the way back home.
“Let’s get rid of the magic.” Kal stared unblinking at her as he chanted the words that would strip Daria of her harpy camouflage.
When he was finished, she got up and rushed to the mirror. The face that stared back at her no longer had black rings around the eyes. Gone were her tattoos and piercings. Without any makeup she looked kind of… plain. Talk about a blank slate.
“Great.” She headed for the door. “I’ll keep you in the loop.” Pausing with her hand on the doorknob, she looked back at her brother. “Tell your wereleopard you had an extreme allergic reaction to the sesame seeds on your burger bun. That’s why your face looked all swollen and gross.”
“Will do.”
Smiling, she closed the door. She’d give her brother all the help he needed to hook up with his wereleopard. To hell with harpy tradition. Feeling good about herself, she headed back to her room.
She was almost there when Walt intercepted her.
“Glad I caught you. I wanted to give you these.” He waved two sheets of paper at her.
“Come on in.” She unlocked her door, and he followed her inside. “What did you find out?”
“First, I think I found one of the Mackenzies you asked about. He goes under the name Grim Mackenzie, but I dug deeper and found a t
rail that led back to a Grim Mackenzie.” He handed her one of the papers. “Here’s his e-mail addy. Sorry I couldn’t get a phone number for you. He lives in Alaska. Some kind of wilderness nut. Hope he’s the one you’re looking for.”
Daria smoothed her fingers over Grim’s name with fingers that shook. She’d about given up hope of finding any of Declan’s kids. Please let him be the right Grim, and please give her the right words to convince him to contact his father.
“And here’s the good stuff.” Walt handed her the second sheet of paper. “When the gods first realized Fenrir was going to be a problem, they tried chaining him up. Didn’t work. He broke all their chains. Finally they ordered the dwarves to make something Fenrir couldn’t break. The little guys made a magic ribbon called Gleipnir. When the gods wrapped that around Fenrir, he was caught. It wouldn’t break, and it neutralized his power.”
Daria looked down at the paper. “And this is?”
“This is what the ribbon was made of.”
“The footsteps of a cat, the roots of a mountain, a woman’s beard, the breath of fishes, the sinews of a bear, and a bird’s spittle. You think Home Depot will have this stuff?” They were in big trouble.
Walt shrugged. “Look, I just do the research.”
He’d done a lot better than she had, and she wanted him to know that. “You’re a genius, Walt. Endless appreciation coming your way. I’ll understand if you want to leave, though.”
“Are you kidding? This is the chance of a lifetime.” His expression turned sly. “I’m counting on you to make sure no one wipes my memory clean this time.”
“You won’t be allowed to take pictures. Will anyone believe you?” Humans either made fun of what they didn’t understand or tried to debunk it. Walt would be coming from the other side of the aisle this time around.
“Who knows? But I’ll know it’s true. And that’s all that counts.” He rose and left her staring after him.
Morning light filtered through her curtains, and she suddenly felt exhausted. Reaction to everything that had happened tonight was setting in. But she still had two things to do.
Turning on her laptop, she sent Grim an e-mail. Her tired brain had trouble forming words that would entice this stranger to find out more about his supposed father. She couldn’t come right out and ask him if he was a vampire. If he wasn’t, her mail would freak him out. When she finally hit send, she prayed he’d pick up the phone and call the inn’s number.
