by MK Mancos
The blush started all the way down on her chest and swept upward. She rose to get milk and sugar for the coffee. Anything so she didn’t have to sit at the table bathed in memories of Jager making love to her while his son sat across from her with that stupid knowing grin on his face.
Jager let out a low sexually-charged laugh. “Don’t run from your feelings, Lucilla. I know you enjoyed yourself last night.”
He was shameless.
“I don’t remember running anywhere.” She grabbed the condiments and returned to the table. “Now, if we can get back to the discussion.”
Jager nodded. “I’ll look at it from a business perspective, Lucilla can take the social, and Zeus…” He stopped and made a motion with his hand. “Do whatever it is you do.”
“Spy,” Zeus provided. He rose from the table, Styrofoam cup in hand. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. If I hear anything else, I’ll let you know.”
He started to go out the back door, but stopped and looked at his father with a wicked gleam in his cool gray eyes. “Keep it safe.”
Lucilla’s face became endangered of combusting. When the door closed behind him, Lucilla slapped her palm on the table. “He’s awful.”
Jager shrugged. “I wasn’t much different at his age. Though I don’t think I was near as arrogant.”
Lucilla thought perhaps Jager had been more arrogant, but was humbled at his downfall. She chose not to mention that particular point.
She took a few steps, coming close enough to him to cup his face in her hand. “You’re a good man now and that’s all that matters.”
His eyes went molten. “We’re alone again.”
“I did notice that.”
Jager backed her up against the cabinet. He had a habit of trapping her against immovable objects for some reason. Like he thought she’d try to run away or something. Someday she might tell him she had no intention of going anywhere. But, for now, it was fun to keep him guessing.
“Are we going back to bed?”
He shook his head and lifted her up onto the countertop. “What’s wrong with here?”
Lucilla draped her arms around his neck. “Nothing, I suppose. But sex on a countertop does have that clichéd feel to it.”
“So does a bed, but you didn’t complain about that last night.” He began to kiss his way down her neck, pulling on the collar of her shirt for better access.
“Last night was our first time—”
“First of many.”
Lucilla gave a half laugh, half moan as he connected to a sensitive spot behind her ear. The man definitely knew how to turn her on at light speed. But then, he’d once been a god, surely he had intimate knowledge of what pleased a woman. At the moment she didn’t care, as long as she received all the benefits of his experience.
Jager raised his head from the hollow of her throat. “Where do you want to continue this?”
Two minutes later they were lying in the fallen leaves of the apple orchard, going at it like a couple of satyrs.
Though a light autumn breeze rustled the trees, at ground level it was a scorcher. How did Jager manage to put out so much body heat? The man must have been made out of muscles and flames. Everywhere he touched, he left burning pleasure in its wake.
A hard ball dug into her back, right above her tailbone.
“Mmm.” She arched her back, trying to get away from the pain.
Jager moved deeper, pinning her to the ground.
She twitched again. “Ow.”
He pulled away, his face awash in concern. “Sorry. Sorry.” He showered her face in kisses. The next thrust sent the object digging into her butt cheeks.
She put her hands on Jager’s chest and pushed. “Wait. Time out.”
He moved off her and sat back on his knees. “What’s wrong?”
Lucilla leaned forward, reaching behind her. Her hand connected with the remains of an apple, flattened from their ardent lovemaking. She threw the thing out of their range and held her arms out for him. “I’m good now.”
“You’re always good.” He met her halfway then reversed their positions. “I’ll protect you from violent fruit.”
Tenderness moved through her. There wasn’t anything about him she didn’t find attractive. He was gorgeous, smart, sexy and just plain fun. So much fun. Goddess, it was the most attractive attribute he possessed.
Everyone needed to experience the heady excitement of having fun with their lovers. If laughter was the best medicine, it also was the most potent aphrodisiac. At least for her.
Lucilla stretched out along his large body, loving the feel of him beneath her. Happiness sang in her veins.
Jager placed his hand on her neck, lifting her hair. “You should see yourself right now. You’re taking my breath away, you look so beautiful.”
“I was just thinking the same thing about you.”
He smiled knowingly.
It was hours before either of them uttered another word.
Chapter Ten
The room was already crowded by the time Lucilla arrived. She hated walking in late. Hated being the center of all attention. Even now, the many eyes of those assembled spied her at the door and turned to watch her enter and take her place in the family row.
“I thought you weren’t coming?” Aunt Rebekah grabbed her bag from Lucilla’s seat, where she’d stashed it.
Lucilla leaned over to whisper into her aunt’s ear. “I wasn’t going to, but after the bombshell Zeus dropped on Jager Cronus, I thought I should at least make an appearance.”
“That’s something else we need to discuss—the fact you’re seeing a Titan.” Aunt Rebekah pursed her lips in disapproval.
“It’s a bit more than seeing him.”
Lucilla didn’t know her aunt’s eyes could get so big, or her skin turn such a color, but obviously she was wrong.
“Lucilla—”
The High Wizard took his place on the dais, calling the meeting to order. Not a moment too soon either. Aunt Rebekah would have worried the point like a dog with an old shoe. Who was Rebekah to judge? She didn’t know Jager personally. She hadn’t stood basking in the light of his admiration. No, the only thing Aunt Rebekah had were thousands of years of bitter history that had nothing to do with Jager in the first place. He hadn’t even been leading the Titans when the trouble started between their people.
Lucilla sat in her seat, stewing in indignation. She shot a frown in her aunt’s direction. “Jager is a good man.”
“His kind is plotting to wipe us out.”
“His ex-wife is plotting. Not him. Big difference there.” The words were forced out between Lucilla’s clenched teeth. She crossed her arms over her breasts. Anger boiled like one of her aunt’s brews right under the surface of her skin. It heated her neck all the way to her ears.
“Doesn’t mean he won’t side with them when the shit hits the fan,” Rebekah whispered.
“As if he owed them any allegiance after what they did to him. Believe me, he hasn’t forgotten or forgiven the treachery. If I know nothing else in my life, it’s that Jager Cronus will do everything in his power to help us. He already is. What are you doing but hurling accusations?” A sudden sharp memory of their intense lovemaking from the night before scudded through her mind, igniting sparklers in her soul. “He’s the best man I’ve ever met.”
Lucilla hoped Aunt Rebekah didn’t detect the little hitch in her voice at the end of her diatribe.
No such luck.
“You’re in love with him,” Rebekah accused.
“For longer than I wanted to admit.”
Aramis slid into the seat beside Lucilla, effectively cutting off what was becoming an uncomfortable conversation. The Blacktalons had seating on the other side of the chamber, where the out-of-towners sat. “You aren’t going to believe what I just heard.”
“Try me,” Aunt Rebekah said dryly. She shifted her gaze to meet Lucilla’s. Irritation remained vivid in her eyes.
“Rhea has gott
en herself a djinn.”
A sinking feeling, as if someone had just pulled the plug on a drain and let all the water out, centered under Lucilla’s breasts. “I have to go make a phone call.”
One look at Aramis’s face confirmed he thought the same thing she did. Now all she had to do was verify the identity of the traitorous djinn. Granted, there were a lot of them out there running around, but Esmeralda’s behavior the week before had been odd, to say the least.
The djinn had never made it a secret they longed to have powers like the witches, who were not beholden to the whims of a master. If Jager wondered what group would be politically motivated enough to side with the Titans in the coming conflict, he need look no further.
She rose from her seat, keeping her head low, so as not to call attention to herself as she snuck out of the chamber.
The phone on the other end was already ringing by the time she made it to the vestibule.
“Hello, sweetheart. Is your meeting over?” Jager’s voice came through the line like melted butter and honey.
“No, just starting. Listen, Aramis just told Aunt Rebekah and me that Rhea has a djinn in her pocket.”
A colorful array of expletives rolled out. Lucilla held the phone away from her ear. She nodded a hello at two old witches walking by as they gave her scandalized expressions.
“Jager? Jager?” she tried to get his attention. “Whoa, honey. Slow down. What was that? Baby, I don’t think that’s possible, no matter how limber she is.”
Finally he let out a long breath and ended his tirade. “Sorry. Rhea knows exactly how to push my buttons.”
“Apparently.” Lucilla leaned against the wall between a display case of trophies from various regional witching contests and a statue of Merlin. “I think there’s a good chance the consulting Esmeralda is doing is for Rhea.”
“My thoughts exactly.” He lowered his voice. “I’m going to call in a favor from Zeus. The boy owes me big time.”
“What are you going to have him do?” Though she didn’t particularly care for Jager’s eldest son, she didn’t want to see him come to harm.
“A little recon with the rogue djinn. He’s a good-looking kid, a former god, and Rhea’s son. I think it’s pretty safe to assume Esmeralda might be persuaded to talk to him, if she believes he’s on Rhea’s side in the conflict.”
“And if we’re wrong and it’s some other djinn?” Lucilla frowned when she noticed someone had stuck a piece of used chewing gum in the folds of Merlin’s bronzed robes. She dug a tissue from her purse and picked it out. Was there no respect for authority figures anymore?
A purely male sound purled through the phone. “Then I have the satisfaction of knowing Zeus has one of my castoffs.”
Lucilla smiled in spite of the truth stretching. Let him rewrite history if he wanted. It didn’t matter to her, as long as he knew where he belonged now.
They said their goodbyes and Lucilla crept back into the chamber as the High Wizard Rowan Erlich made a mandate for the entire witching community to ready their resources should the Titans launch a surprise attack.
“What about the Legion Halloween Dance? It’s less than a week away. Will it be cancelled?” someone in the crowd shouted.
Conversations erupted throughout the room. High Wizard Rowan raised his hands for silence. Then a spotlight landed directly on Lucilla while she tried to make it to her seat undetected.
“Why don’t we let Lucilla Wainwright answer that question?”
The ground needed to seriously open up and swallow her. Now.
She straightened the front of her dress and fiddled with her hair, trying to control the nerves snapping throughout her body like frayed power lines. As the Dance Committee Chair, all major decisions regarding the annual event landed on her shoulders.
She cleared her throat. “If the Titans’ complaint were with the entire Para community, I would perhaps see a need to cancel the dance. However, we only know of them going after the Council—no offense to our esteemed leaders—” Several of the Council members shook their heads at her, whether to acknowledge they were not offended or as a reflection of her hopelessness, she had no idea. “I have to therefore assume they wouldn’t risk taking on the other species at a festival designed to include all Parakind. The fallout would devastate their bid to rule.”
Aramis rose, coming to her side in solidarity. “I agree with Lucilla. If the Titans push too hard, they alienate the others. If they wish to rule, they can’t do it by force. Not without a full-scale war spilling out to the Norms. The question is—would they hazard discovery?”
Lucilla put her hand up in the air. “I just want to stress one point, if I may. Not all the Titans are for the takeover. History shows us Rhea has attempted this once before and managed a successful coup. We should exercise extreme caution, but not paint every Titan with the same brush.”
Whispers fluttered through the crowd.
Aramis leaned into her, speaking between closed lips. “Good way not to call attention to your boyfriend.”
“Then can we expect cooperation from your Mr. Cronus?” High Wizard Rowan placed his hand in the long folds of his sleeves, awaiting her answer.
Her face burned. Every gaze in the room was glued to her.
This time, however, it didn’t intimidate her. She lifted her head and shoulders and looked Rowan straight in the eyes. “Yes. You have his full support.”
“Very well.” He waved her to sit back down.
She remained standing. “Not so fast.”
With the entire Witches Council watching, she walked with military posture to the front of the hall. “If I may address the assembly.” She made it a statement, not a question. Her steady gaze penetrated into the eyes of Wizard Rowan.
“Make it short and succinct, please. We’ve a full agenda.”
She turned to face the audience. She’d say what she had to say and take as long as she damn well pleased. After being the butt of their jokes for so long, she figured it her due.
“I know I’ve been the butt of jokes and ridicule for most of my existence, but I will remind you that I do come from one of the oldest and most respected of witching families. I’ve worked my non-magical fingers to the bone to make a success of my business. And I’ve succeeded. So, I demand my voice be heard on this issue. It’s that important.
“Jager Cronus, along with his son Zeus, has agreed to come to our aid and side with us in the coming conflict with the Titans. That is true. We owe them our gratitude for bringing this matter to our attention, rather than letting us be blindsided by a war we never saw coming.
“Odd how that’s possible in a group with such eminent prognosticators. Or is this the true reason we’ve been at odds with the Titans for centuries? Because you knew this day would come?” She held up her hand to halt any heckling that might spring from those listening. And they were listening—raptly.
“In my business, I come into contact with all the para species. I know their quirks and foibles and there are none of them without faults. Including us. We have an opportunity here to create something better. Let’s ensure none of the other species gets it into their heads to attempt a coup on this scale again. Enter into dialogue with them about organizing some sort of cross-species consortium to iron out problems before they come to a head.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re dating a Titan,” someone yelled.
Lucilla put her hand over her heart. “Correction. I’m in love with a Titan.” There was a collective gasp. She ignored it. “But that’s only part of the reason. The other is because I know it can work. There aren’t any species in the Parakind that I haven’t matched. Successfully. If it can work one-on-one, I know it can work in a forum of mutual respect.”
Quietness filled the room, until the sound of a single person clapping cut through the uncomfortable void.
Aramis stood, continuing his solo applause. Soon, he was joined by Aunt Rebekah. Before long, the entire witching community were on thei
r feet applauding her impromptu speech and the wisdom behind it.
Slightly embarrassed, but no less proud for standing up for herself and her position in the community, she started back for her seat.
“Wait!” Wizard Rowan’s voice filled the hall. The applause died.
He stood from his place, hands resting on the dais. “You do come from a unique perspective, Ms. Wainwright, that is true. Your idea has great merit and shows a great love for not only this community, but all Parakind.
“It occurs to the council that—as you so aptly pointed out—you not only have intimate knowledge of all the species, but as an extremely successful matchmaker, you have their confidence as well. We can think of no better person to chair such a consortium.”
They could have knocked her over with a levitating feather. If she’d ever questioned their respect, she need do that no more. She had it.
Lucilla was allowed to reclaim her seat.
The rest of the meeting faded into the background as Lucilla quietly made plans as to how best to protect the Legion Halloween Dance attendees and decide how best to select those individuals for the consortium.
On the way home, Lucilla stopped off at the party store to pick up her costume for the dance. She’d thought about going elegant again this year, but since it was the first time she’d be there on the arm of a handsome man, she wanted it to be different. Fun.
And sexy.
She’d called two days before to reserve a hot Playboy Bunny costume, complete with black hose and high heels. Jager wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her. Not that he needed much encouragement to grope her. It seemed a mandate with him. If they were in a room together, he found an excuse to capture, hold and fondle every place on her body he had access to.
Not that she minded. But one thing often led to another, and before either of them could offer a protest or catch their breaths, they were tumbling to the floor and making mad monkey love.
A hand waved in front of her face as the delicious contemplations fled.
“Here you are, Ms. Wainwright. It’s due back on Tuesday. There is a two-hundred-dollar deposit that is refundable provided you return the costume in the same condition it was rented.”
