Val grinned. “Sure, I believe you. Every bit of this is for me.”
“It is, love. If Demitri has to screw me every night for a year in order to save you, I’ll have to put up with it.”
“You’re a shit, Leon.”
“Love you, too, babe.”
“Shut up,” Demitri said. “Feel me, asshole. Do you love it?”
“Hell yes.” Leon groaned into Val’s thigh, his body jolting with Demitri’s thrusts.
The man was good. Demitri knew exactly how to give and take, never hurting, never letting up. He rode Leon hard and fast, and at the same time made Leon feel the most ecstasy he’d ever felt.
When Demitri pulled out, Leon made a noise of vast disappointment. “What the hell?” Demitri wasn’t following the plan.
“Get yourself inside Val,” Demitri said.
Yes.
Val scrambled to obey. She lay down under Leon and grabbed Leon’s cock, guiding it into her. In seconds, Leon was buried inside her, and at the same time, Demitri pressed back into Leon.
Double penetration. No wonder Val begged for it. Leon couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but feel. Val was warmly squeezing his cock, her beautiful lips within reach of his. Demitri filled him from behind, his huge, beautiful cock fucking him and making him feel things Leon had never been aware he could.
Leon felt complete. Whole. For the first time since he’d drifted away from home, he felt like he belonged. He belonged to these two people, a beautiful woman and a gorgeous man.
It didn’t even matter that they weren’t really human. Right now they were simply Val and Demitri, two people, who both amazingly loved Leon Dupree.
Dark sensation swamped him, cutting off all thoughts. He heard himself screaming, felt burning heat flush his body, felt a searing pain as the necklace Val wore sizzled his skin.
Leon came. He was pounding into Val, filling her before he even realized it. At the same time, a scalding heat filled him from behind. Demitri’s come, the semen of a demigod.
Leon fell, limp, spent, happy. Demitri lifted Leon out of the way, then he held Val down on the bed and slid his already erect cock inside her. Val laughed, her hips dancing. Demitri held her close, pressing her hard against him. When Demitri finished and rose, the outline of her necklace was burned onto his skin as well.
They all bore the mark now. The faience beads were hot, smoking, but Val didn’t say a word. Her eyes were filled with pain, but she remained silent, holding it in.
Demitri lifted the broken piece of pendant. He fitted it against the mark of the other piece on Leon’s chest. Leon winced as the piece burned into his skin.
Demitri did the same to his own chest, marking it, then he laid the pendant piece on Val.
She screamed. The hot pendant fitted right against the other broken piece, and the two halves fused together.
Except they didn’t. Demitri held them together, cursing, commanding them to become whole, but the pendant remained broken. Val was writhing and screaming, the necklace red-hot.
“Stop!” Leon shouted. “You’re killing her.”
Demitri stared at Val a moment, then he ripped the necklace from her and dropped it to the floor. Val put her hands over her face and wept in anguish.
Leon grabbed the oil and started rubbing the soothing liquid over the burns. “It’s all right, chere. It’s over.”
Demitri gently touched the seared outline between Val’s breasts. His voice was full of sorrow. “I’m sorry, baby. I was so sure it would work.”
“Damn it, we can’t give up,” Leon said.
Tears silently trickled down Demitri’s face. “It’s not working—it’s only causing her more agony.”
Val gave Leon a watery smile. “Thank you, Leon. You tried.”
Leon felt his own face wet. “I’m not ready to lose you. Damn it, Val, I just found you.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I love you both.”
“No,” Leon said again.
His words cut off as bright light filled the dark room. It became sunlit as day, though the clock proclaimed it was still the middle of the night.
“Your time is up,” the god Apollo said as his body manifested. He was naked, muscular, handsome, and wore a circlet of leaves on his head. He pointed a long finger at Val. “Valenarian, it is time for your sacrifice.”
Demitri threw the bottle of oil at him. Apollo flicked his fingers and the bottle shattered, sending shards of glass and steaming oil across the floor.
Demitri was on his feet, his tearstained face dark with rage. “She has until the new moon. You have no right.”
Apollo regarded him disapprovingly. “She is a creature of the gods, as you are. We can take her anytime we wish. And you. Remember that.”
“Fuck you.”
“Is that any way to speak to your father?”
Val slid out from under Leon and to her feet. Leon rose beside her, putting his body protectively between her and Apollo.
“It’s all right,” Val told him. “I made my choice, made the agreement. I’ll go.”
“Like hell,” Leon growled.
Apollo’s voice turned weary. “If they interfere, they die.”
“Please.” Val stepped in front of Leon and placed her hands on his broad shoulders. Her touch was smooth and cool. “I’m doing this so you that will be spared. You and Demitri.”
“I don’t give a damn why you’re doing it,” Leon began.
“I know about the gods, Leon. They can exact terrible vengeance, especially on mortals who thwart them. Let me do this for you.”
Demitri snatched the necklace off the floor. It had cooled, no longer burning. “So, you’re saying that you’ll give up your life so that we may live?” He said the words slowly, as though each one was significant.
Val nodded. “Giving it gladly. Aphrodite’s bargain was unfair. I will let myself be punished, and you and Leon may live out your lives without fear.”
Demitri’s anger vanished. To Leon’s astonishment the big man laughed, then he brandished the necklace in the air.
“Aphrodite!” he shouted. “I call upon you to tend your servant. Come to me!”
Apollo swelled, his light filling the room until Leon felt his skin burning. “What have you done?” the god demanded.
“What have you done, Father?” Demitri laughed. “You’ve lost.”
Val glared at Demitri. “Stop. Don’t make him kill you.”
“He won’t.”
Before Leon could ask what he meant, the room filled with another light, this one slightly paler, like moonlight. A sweet scent followed along with a faint ringing of chimes.
Aphrodite appeared by the window, wearing the thin Egyptian gown she’d worn in Luxor Temple. Bangles whispered on her arms, and she smiled.
“My creature has passed the test,” she said. “Release her to me.”
Apollo gave her an incredulous look. “Your test?”
“Did you really think I’d let you kill Val without impunity? I gave her a puzzle that would test her resources and her courage. I wanted to see whether she’d make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save those she loved. And she did it.” Aphrodite beamed at Val, her beauty making Leon’s eyes ache.
“What if I hadn’t passed?” Val asked in a small voice.
“Then you would have perished,” Aphrodite said. “And Leon and Demitri with you.”
The heat and the sun-brightness in the room increased. “We did not agree on the test,” Apollo rumbled. “She offered her life to me, and I will take it. You may have the mortal Leon as compensation. I know how you like beautiful males.”
Aphrodite hissed, her power suddenly intense. “Reminding me of Adonis is not the way to placate me.”
“I don’t wish to placate you. I want my sacrifice.” Apollo held out his hand, and a band of light laced around Val’s throat.
Val screamed, and Leon threw himself in front of her. Demitri slammed himself protectively over them both, taking the f
ull brunt of the light. He threw back his head in wordless agony, then his face went gray and still. Demitri fell to the floor, and the light vanished. Val dropped to her knees beside him, a horrible keening coming from her throat.
Apollo froze, arm still raised, looking down at the body of his son. “You bitch, look what you made me do.”
“You did it yourself,” Aphrodite said tartly. “What a waste.”
“Wait a minute, are you saying he’s dead?” Leon knelt quickly on Demitri’s other side. He couldn’t tell whether Demitri breathed or not, couldn’t find a pulse.
Val flung herself across Demitri’s chest, weeping. His own pulse racing, Leon pushed her gently away and laid Demitri flat on the floor. He pulled Demitri’s head back, laced his hands together, and started CPR.
“What is he doing?” Apollo asked.
“Trying to save his life,” Leon snarled. “Now get the fuck out of my house.”
“Val,” Apollo snapped. “Come with me now.”
Aphrodite’s power filled the room. “I said no.”
Apollo’s power expanded to meet hers. The houseboat began to rock, too weak to contain the volatile magic of gods. Leon’s few pieces of furniture crumbled into dust.
“Stop,” Val shouted. She leapt to her feet. Leon was sweating, still pumping at Demitri’s chest.
I can’t save them both, Leon thought, and he felt tears trickle down his cheeks. I’m not strong enough to save them both.
He heard Valenarian screech. Out of the corner of his eye, Leon saw her change from beautiful woman to creature of brilliant light. Her teeth were sharp as a lion’s, her claws like those of a grizzly. She flew at Apollo, snarling invectives, her claws bent to kill.
“Val, no!” Aphrodite shouted, but Val was already attacking Apollo.
Val’s aura was flushed with rage, her need for vengeance crackling in the air. Only this time she wasn’t taking vengeance on a wronged woman’s behalf—she was trying to destroy the being who’d killed her mate. But she couldn’t destroy him—he was a god who would crush her like a fly.
A long, low growl sounded from the veranda that overlooked the river. Now what? Leon thought distractedly. Sweat poured down his face, but he couldn’t stop pumping Demitri’s chest. Damn you, Demitri, breathe!
Glass broke as a huge tiger sprang through the windows and went straight for Apollo. Val rolled quickly out of the way and became human-shaped again, her midnight blue eyes wide.
The tiger fought Apollo, the two of them rolling over and over, tearing a hole in the bedroom wall and tumbling through it into the living room. The tiger snarled and bit, and Apollo could barely dodge its blows.
Finally Apollo scrambled to his feet and faced the tiger, panting. He looked less like a powerful god and more like a handsome human who’d been in a fight. His lip bled and his cheeks bore claw marks. His laurel coronet hung askew, and torn leaves were scattered over Leon’s drab carpet.
Apollo stared at the tiger in something close to terror. The tiger rose on its hind feet, its huge head touching the ceiling, and suddenly it became a woman.
She had long black hair, large dark eyes, melonlike breasts, and four strong arms tipped with long fingernails. She was as beautiful as Aphrodite, but in a wild way. This woman had never been civilized.
“You killed my son,” she hissed. The language she spoke was alien to Leon, but somehow he understood it.
“I didn’t mean to.”
The woman whirled so fast she was a blur. When she stopped, sixteen red gashes had been torn across Apollo’s chest. “You gave him to me, and you are not allowed to take him back,” the woman said. “That is the way of the universe.”
Apollo lifted his massive hands. “Fine. I’ll take Valenarian and go.”
The woman hissed again and flames burst from the tips of her fingers. “You will take no one. Be gone, and do not return.”
Apollo stared at the woman a moment longer, his face ashen. “You win,” he said, then his voice dropped to a mutter. “Again.”
Light flashed, and Apollo disappeared, fallen laurel leaves and all. The brightness in the room dimmed, Leon’s lamps illuminating the broken wall and furniture, Demitri lying lifeless, and the three women standing upright over him.
The black-haired tiger woman knelt next to Demitri, her look turning to concern and deep love.
“My son,” she whispered, and touched his forehead. “Come back to me.”
Demitri heaved a sudden breath and opened his eyes. Leon backed away, his hands aching from pushing Demitri’s chest.
Demitri blinked a few times, his gaze confused, then he focused on the woman and sat up in amazement. “What the hell just happened?”
Val crouched next to Leon, her eyes wide. “Apollo killed you. He was aiming for me. I’m so sorry.”
“I remember now.” Demitri ran his fingers through his hair. “That was death?”
“Take it easy,” Leon said. “You were gone for a while. You need to get checked out.”
“I’m a demigod,” Demitri said, his voice hoarse. He reached up and clasped the woman’s hand. “You brought me back.”
“I did.” She ran a fond hand through his hair. “Be well, my son. And be happy.”
“You’re Demitri’s mother?” Leon asked.
Val looked at the woman with great respect. “I’ve always wondered about you.”
“I am called Kalika, a daughter of Kali. I come from the tiger people of the Indus Valley.”
Val’s eyes sparkled, a hint of her old smile returning. “You’re a wronged woman, then. Apollo left you high and dry with a baby to raise. Would you like me to exact a little vengeance?”
Kalika laughed gently. “Apollo did not leave me. He fled me when I finished with him. I seduced him because I wanted his seed. I knew that a divine son I bore would be special and magical.” She stroked Demitri’s hair again. “I was right.”
Demitri struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on Leon, but his strength was returning quickly. He reached out to take his mother’s hand. “Thank you.”
Kalika brushed his cheek then kissed it. “These are the creatures you love?”
“This is Val and Leon.”
“A demon and a shifter. Such interesting company.” Kalika lifted her brows, but her dark eyes were warm. She rested her hands on Leon’s and Val’s heads. “But if you love them, I will give them each a gift.”
Heat seared through Leon, and he cried out in sudden pain. Val gasped beside him.
“What did you do?” Demitri demanded.
“Valenarian will no longer worry about her demon becoming impossible to control. She nearly cured herself by her great love for both of you, but I simply gave it an extra guarantee.”
“And Leon?” Demitri asked.
“He will be able to stay with you as long as he wants, and retreat either to Olympus or to my valley when you are both weary of the world.”
“You made him immortal?”
“Semi-immortal. He will answer to the same laws as you—the gods alone will be able to cause his death.”
Leon looked at her in amazement. “That makes no sense. How could you make me immortal?”
“I have many powers, shifter. I must go now. My time outside my valley is limited.”
She hugged Demitri, love in her eyes. Then she hugged Val and, last, Leon. It felt very strange to have four arms around him, but it also felt protective.
Kalika kissed Demitri again, shifted back into the huge tiger, bounded past the staring Aphrodite, and leapt out the window. Light flashed, and she was gone.
“Goodness,” Aphrodite said, blowing out her breath. “How very unusual.” She put her head on one side, studying Demitri. “What was it like to have a mother with four arms?”
Demitri shrugged. “I never thought it was odd. Two-armed women looked wrong to me until I got used to it.”
Aphrodite’s beautiful face clouded. “I’m not used to anyone not thinking me supremely beautiful.”
/> “Oh, I think you beautiful.” Demitri grinned. “For a two-armed woman.”
Aphrodite frowned, not mollified. “Put the necklace on Val. We need to finish this.”
Leon lifted the necklace from where Demitri had dropped it and hung it again around Val’s neck. It fitted against the burn marks on her skin.
Demitri found the broken pendant and held it against the other piece. The necklace heated again, then a light appeared between the two cracks. The light grew in intensity, then faded just as quickly. The pendant sealed together.
The necklace dropped, cool and whole, against Val’s chest, and the burn marks on her skin vanished. The burn marks disappeared from Leon and Demitri at the same time.
Leon sagged in relief. “Welcome back, chere.”
Demitri wrapped his arms around Val from behind, tugging her back against him. “I love you, Val. Innocent woman or crazed demon, it doesn’t matter.”
“Very touching,” Aphrodite said. “But that’s all over. She is one being again. Be happy, Val.” Her voice gentled. “I’ll miss you.”
Val looked at her in surprise. Val’s eyes were blue now, a shade between the demon darkness and the sky blue that had been Valerie’s color. “I thought you were going to take me back to the temple.”
“No, dear. You served me well, but you need this life.” Aphrodite gave a breathy little laugh. “Besides, I don’t want that tiger woman coming to chastise me for taking you from her son. She’s quite . . . formidable.”
Leon grinned at Demitri. “Your mom’s the greatest. Bet she and my mom would get along just fine.”
Val gave them both a wistful look. “I always wanted a mom.”
Leon hugged her. “Now you have two.”
“I’ll be going now,” Aphrodite said loudly.
Val broke from Demitri and Leon and went to her. She knelt at Aphrodite’s feet and bowed in true supplication. “Thank you. You have given me the greatest gift.”
Aphrodite smiled, appeased, and lifted Val to her feet. Aphrodite hugged her suddenly, looking almost warm and human. “Be well, my dear. Now I will give you another gift.” She kissed Val’s forehead, and Val’s body flooded with sudden light.
Leon started for her, but the light faded, Aphrodite smiled at them, and dissolved into mist.
Mortal Seductions Page 27
