The Impetuous Amazon

by Sandy James

  “Like I always tell you, Sarita,” he said, “you’re too little to be worth their effort. Just a snack, not a meal.”

  “Sarita’s like Jell-O,” Gina added with a smirk in the good-natured way she always teased her closest Amazon sister. Their camaraderie was akin to the bond between Megan and Rebecca, and it surely came from the pairs training apart in their early days as Amazons. “There’s always room for Sarita.”

  Sarita glared at Gina and then growled at Johann over her shoulder, loud enough he smiled in response. Next time he passed water, even a small mud puddle, he was going to get it. A good soaking was well worth it if his teasing got her past her fright.

  Megan laughed. She’d moved behind him, put her elbows on his shoulders and rested her chin against her hands while she watched the computer screen.

  She smelled wonderful. Having her body pressed against his back was enough to make him hard with need.

  “It’s all related, isn’t it?” she asked. “Just like I thought.”

  Johann tried to push aside the desire to turn, grab her up in his arms and carry her to one of the beds.

  “Johann? You okay?”

  After he regained some self-control, tenuous though it was, he nodded. “I don’t see how all this could be happening if it wasn’t related. Just too damn many coincidences.”

  “Where are we going to throw down with Max?”

  “That’s what you’ll have to tell us. Has he tried to call to you again?”

  “No. Not yet.” Megan shuddered. “If we didn’t need him to lead us to where we need to be, I’d concentrate on shutting him out entirely. I hate having him in my head.”

  Before he could give her any encouragement, Artair and Rebecca joined them.

  “We’re heading to bed,” Rebecca announced.

  “Take the blue room.” Megan nodded at the hall. “You should try to get Rhiannon to flash you back to Avalon so you can be with your kids tonight. Tomorrow might be…difficult.”

  “The kids are fine,” Rebecca replied. “Beagan and Dolan will keep watch over them. And I—I already said my goodbyes.” She glanced at her husband, a blush tinting her cheeks. “I need to be with Artair tonight.”

  Knowing grins were passed around as everyone wished them pleasant dreams, then Rebecca led Artair down the hall.

  “Do you two want my room?” Megan asked Sarita and Gina.

  “Nah,” Gina was the first to reply. “The chair’s fine. It’s a recliner.”

  “I’ve got the sofa,” Sarita added. Then she shot Johann a grin. “You two take the other bedroom.”

  It wasn’t like there were many secrets in the world of the Amazons, so Johann shouldn’t have been surprised they knew he and Megan were a couple. He’d explained about the fight between Rhiannon and Freya. He’d told them that Megan was Freya’s daughter and about her new powers. Although he’d avoided telling them about his connection to Megan, they had to know something was different—something more than a Sentinel watching out for his Amazon.

  “Go on,” Gina said. “You two lovebirds go be together.”

  He refused to feel any embarrassment over wanting Megan. They were consenting adults. When he looked at her, he noticed her blush, and he flashed her a smile.

  Closing the laptop, he stood and took her hand. “There’s nothing else we can do tonight. We need our rest.”

  Megan glanced back at her sisters. “You need anything? Pillows? Blankets?”

  Both shook their heads but didn’t reply. Megan turned off the lights. The television cast an eerie glow over both of the women Johann had personally trained.

  Tomorrow, they would be putting their lives on the line to save humanity. No one outside of the Amazon force would ever know or appreciate their sacrifice. Either those missing kids would be rescued or they would perish, but there would be nothing marking how these remarkable women and Artair MacKay were involved.

  It all seemed unfair.

  “Life’s not fair,” his father had always said. “Get over it.”

  Megan led him toward her room. Once inside, she dropped his hand, shut the door and leaned back against it. She eyed him like she was the predator, he the prey. Fire raced through his body in response.

  Before Johann could make a move, she pushed away from the door, whipped her shirt over her head and launched herself at him. Her hands were everywhere at once, touching all the right places, as she kissed him long and deep. Between strokes and caresses, his shirt and pants ended up on the floor. Her camo pants followed suit.

  Thinking of picking her up and setting her on the bed, he had to bite back a startled gasp when she fell to her knees. She dragged his boxers down his body as she looked up at him, blue eyes full of passion.

  “Megan, you don’t have to—”

  “Shut up, Joeman. You talk too much.”

  She wrapped her warm fingers around his erection. He sucked in air for a good five seconds. All his response did was cause a wicked grin to spread across her lips. Then she put those beautiful lips to good use and he lost all ability to think at all.

  She destroyed what little self-control he’d enjoyed as she thoroughly loved him with her mouth and her hands. Damn, how he wanted this to last forever even as he realized he could only stand a few minutes of the exquisite torment. He threaded his fingers through her hair and groans spilled from his mouth.

  Megan chuckled as she ran her tongue up and down the length of his cock. “Easy there, boy,” she said before returning to torture him a little more.

  Johann couldn’t hold back. Needing desperately to be inside her, he grabbed her under her arms and dragged her to her feet. He sat back on the bed as she stepped between his spread thighs. The panties were quickly removed, and he stretched back on the bed, settling her so she straddled his hips.

  She took charge again, a role he was happy to surrender to her. The woman was so open, so free of inhibitions, and her sheer joy in sharing her body with him only excited him more. She reached down to give his erection one last, tantalizing stroke then guided him until he was firmly planted inside her.

  * * *

  Megan couldn’t get enough of Johann. From the moment that door had closed and she had him alone, she needed to touch him—every inch of him. She didn’t want to speculate on what made her feel so desperate and why she had to get as close to him as two human beings could be. Probably the danger they’d be soon facing, but if she thought too hard, it would steal away some of the pleasure. So she let those ideas scatter.

  When he’d been at her mercy, she had savored every gasp, every growl, as she’d driven him out of the cool calm he always seemed to maintain. From the way he’d reacted, she was sure she’d been a resounding success. Knowing how crazy she could make Johann only made Megan want him more.

  Now they were joined. One flesh. One purpose. One goal. She set a rhythm he eagerly followed, pushing his hips up against her, rocking her body with each stroke inside her. Nothing had ever felt so perfect.

  She’d wanted to torture him, but she was as much at his mercy as he’d been at hers. The pace intensified, whipping her body into a frenzy as that wonderful, familiar knot tightened inside her until she didn’t think she could take it for another second. Then the knot snapped, sending wave after wave of delight racing through her.

  He was a mere heartbeat behind as he forced his hips up and shuddered, whispering her name over and over in a chant that melted her heart. Her body was so sated, she collapsed on his chest and gave it a kiss before resting her cheek against his warm skin.

  Johann idly caressed her back, rubbing tingling lines up and down the length of her spine. As his body softened and slipped from hers, Megan released a contented sigh. His fingers stilled and his soft snore made her smile.

  There was so much they needed to talk about. So many things
to plan. So many things to say.

  Like I love you, Johann Herrmann.

  But he needed his rest.

  Tomorrow they would be facing Maksim Popov, Natasha and Chernabog—the meddling Ancient who’d set this whole crisis in motion. There would be another Ancient threatening them as well. Tomorrow they would try to find and rescue Freya.

  And tomorrow, everyone Megan loved might die.

  Artair. Rebecca. Sarita. Gina.

  And Johann.

  Any of them could die—just like Sparks had died.

  The tears took her by surprise. She’d never cried before a mission before. Not wishing to let her Sentinel know she was afraid, Megan rolled off him and to her side.

  In his sleep, Johann moved with her, pulling her back up against his front. Two spoons nestled together in a drawer.

  A perfect fit.

  Would passion always flare so hot right before a battle? It explained the sultry glances between Rebecca and Artair right before a fight. Good sex was probably the only upside of facing an enemy. And, damn, that had been really good sex. Did she need Johann? Could she be that vulnerable?

  Fire. I am Fire. I don’t need anyone else.

  Liar. You love him. And you know damn well you need him.

  Sleep began to weave its magic, and she gave herself over to the blessed darkness, ready to rest and hoping, for just this one night, there would be no dreams.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Just stick it in your ear, Megan,” Johann said.

  Her responding glare scorched him. “Stick it in your ear, Joeman.”

  He had to laugh. “I meant the earpiece.”

  “Oh.”

  He savored her contrite look and Rebecca’s chuckle. Megan fiddled with one of the tiny beige marvels of technology Rhiannon had given him before she’d gotten so pissed off she’d withdrawn her help.

  “Are you sure it won’t slip inside my ear and disappear forever?” Megan asked. “It’s so damn small.”

  “Won’t disappear. Promise.”

  The Amazons—and Artair for that matter—held the small transistors in their fingers, resisting Johann’s instructions. Artair’s reluctance wasn’t a surprise. The guy was as old as Methuselah, and he still refused to trust any kind of electronic gadget. But Johann had hoped the Amazons would be more willing to try an upgrade, especially in communication. Despite the mental bond the Amazons had, their weak spot was knowing where the others were and what they were doing.

  Surprisingly, Artair stuck the receiver in his ear first. “How do you turn it on?”

  “One quick tap with your finger and it’s on and sending your voice. Another tap turns it off and you go silent, although you can still hear everyone else. We should always be able to monitor what’s happening with everyone in the group. The things are programmed to reduce any outside noise and pick up only close voice patterns. If you’re talking to someone, we can hear both of you.”

  Rebecca put hers in and gave it a light tap. “Can you hear me, Artair?”

  “I’m standing right next to you, Becca mine. Of course, I can hear you.”

  “Well then, go to the bedroom.” She shooed him away with the back of her hand.

  He obliged his wife.

  “Can you hear me now?” Rebecca asked, several times.

  “You sound like a cell phone commercial,” Megan said, obeying Johann and putting her transistor in her ear.

  Sarita and Gina followed suit and headed down the hallway.

  Megan went to the bathroom and shut the door.

  Johann gave his own device, which was already in his ear, a tap.

  “Can you hear me now?” Rebecca asked again.

  “Yeah. This is cool,” Sarita said. “You there, Gina?”

  “Yep,” Gina replied. “I could get used to this. Megan? Yours working?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Megan’s voice piped over the system. “You picking all this up, Artie?”

  “Aye, lass, and I remind you yet again my name is nae Artie,” Artair’s deep voice scolded. “I can hear you all, but I’m not sure I want that many feminine voices buzzing in my ear. Don’t you agree, lad?”

  Johann laughed. “Absolutely. That much chatter from women can be a bit exhausting.” When four Amazons started to protest, he gave his earpiece another quick tap before he said something else that would get him in trouble.

  The women brought their gripes back to the kitchen.

  Fiddling with the final adjustments on his phone, he checked for all the Amazon’s GPS implants. For the first time since he’d had them inserted in the women, one was absent.

  Megan’s.

  He turned to where she now stood beside him and roughly ran his hand over her hip.

  She slapped it away. “What are you doing?”

  “You’re not on my screen. I’m looking for the implant.”

  She didn’t seem appeased as he reached for her again. The other Amazons, however, looked vastly amused.

  Johann got Megan to stand still long enough to discover the familiar small bump—the one he wanted to caress like some type of touchstone—was gone.

  “Shit, Megan. It’s not there.”

  She glanced down at where his hand rested against her hip. “So get another one. I probably fried the last one when we—” She stopped talking and started blushing. “You know—when we were at Freya’s temple and things got a little too…hot.”

  Her sisters obviously got her drift because they giggled like a bunch of teenage girls at a slumber party. They might be fearsome warriors, but underneath that strength were women just like any others.

  “I don’t have another one, damn it. And I can’t get my hands on one before all this goes down—especially because Rhiannon won’t give me any more help.”

  Every instinct Johann had learned as Sentinel, and everything the girls were telling him of their own uncanny Amazon perception, said tonight was the showdown—the battle between good and evil to determine the course of humanity’s future.

  A damn sobering thought.

  His toys kept him grounded, made him feel as if he was in control of a situation in which anything could go wrong. That GPS implant had been like an invisible rope binding Megan to him, and he had to swallow a moment of panic that he’d lost that connection.

  “What did you say happened to it?” Rebecca asked with a grin, coming closer to stand next to him and stare at the computer screen. “Shit, Johann. Is that supposed to be me?”

  He stared at the small avatar that marked the location of Rebecca’s implant. “Yeah. Why? What’s wrong with it?”

  He’d picked characters to use for all the Amazons, matching each to the woman’s personality. Rebecca’s was a blonde dressed like a 1960s hippie. He figured it suited her Mother Earth vibe.

  “Makes me look like I’m some flower child—like I was at Woodstock or something. I’m not that old.”

  “Look,” Sarita said, pointing at the screen. “I’m The Little Mermaid.”

  Gina reached over his shoulder and grabbed the gadget right out of his hand. She was so damned tall—an inch or so below his own six-two—she was the only Amazon who could pull off that feat.

  “What am I?” She stared at the screen, but didn’t seem to recognize the icon. “Who’s that?”

  “That’s Amelia Earhart. Famous female pilot?” he asked when the identity didn’t seem to register with Gina.

  “She disappeared flying solo around the globe,” Rebecca added. “Good choice for Air. Shoot, Gina, she even looks like you. Short hair and all.”

  Johann snatched his phone back from Gina. “Don’t touch my toys,” he said, tempering the scolding with a note of humor.

  Gina gave him a slap on the ass.

  Sparks shot
from Megan’s head. “Don’t touch my toys, either.”

  He loved the jealousy in her voice.

  “What was Megan’s?” Sarita asked.

  Like he’d tell her that.

  “Yeah, Joeman,” Megan chimed in. “What was I?” She leaned against him and rubbed her breasts against his upper arm.

  “A red fox.” He couldn’t believe he’d just blurted it out. She’d turned his brains to mush with a mere touch. At least Megan appeared pleased with his choice, judging from her brilliant smile. Then she kissed his cheek.

  “Did you hear that?” Megan asked. “He thinks I’m a fox.”

  The other Amazons laughed.

  It was comforting how easily they’d accepted what was happening between him and Megan. After they defeated this enemy, there would be some trying times when the goddesses realized he intended to keep Megan—to marry her. If she would have him.

  No. She loved him, damn it. She’d never given him the words, but he knew she felt it in her heart.

  At least Freya was on their side, and he was pretty sure he could sway Ganga and Ix Chel as well.

  Rhiannon was probably a lost cause.

  For a few brief moments, he’d forgotten Freya was missing. If an Ancient as powerful as Freya was destroyed, the world irrevocably changed. Sometimes for the better—sometimes for the worse. But the balance would be disturbed. He genuinely liked Freya. She’d surely make a hell of a mother-in-law if he could convince Megan to marry him when this whole mess was over.

  Johann refocused on the mission. He glanced over to see Rebecca stuffing her quiver with arrows. Sarita and Gina were both checking the blades of their swords.

  “Are your weapons ready, ladies?” Rebecca asked, fulfilling her role as Guardian.

  “So that’s what’s on your sword,” Megan exclaimed, smiling at Gina.

  “Pardon?” Gina asked.

  “The jewels. Mine are rubies. Rebs has emeralds. Sarita’s got sapphires. I didn’t know what fit Air. You’ve got all of ’em and more.”

  Gina held up the hilt of her sword, turning it so the jewels glimmered in the light. “Ix Chel gave me all the colors of her rainbow.”