“Then let the keeper of Ostara blow the sabbat horn so that the ritual may commence.”
He spoke words she didn’t understand, some kind of declaration based on the intensity and volume. He pulled the horn free from his belt and put it to his lips. He tilted his head back, sucked in a deep breath, and blew. The horn was not of this world, it couldn’t have been, for the sound sounded like many trumpets together, horns and animals blended in a call that could wake the entire forest for miles around. His robe fell open when he had tugged on it, and she saw that he was indeed naked underneath. Every inch of him was carved like a statue, tanned and muscled. The erection already stiffening toward her was long and thick and more than a little intimidating. Yet the sound of his horn, the blended music of nature, raw animal, and power, called to her, honing and perfecting her attraction to Tallisun until it bloomed into full-blown lust. She wanted to dance around that altar, revel freely in the wild, and pull the horned god onto the rabbit pelts with her until the sun rose.
She was swaying on her feet when the horn call ended, and he looked down on her, his golden eyes blazing like fire, hunger evident in his stare. Her eyelids fluttered, and she was heady with that sound still echoing in her mind, beckoning the wildness within her to join with the maleness of the god in front of her. She would be his offering, a sacrifice on the altar.
Her head lolled back, and she laughed. How buoyant she felt, drunk with the energy in the clearing and the call of his horn. Her reticence faded in the wake of its power, and all she wanted was to see the ritual through. He could have laid her down in the middle of Times Square and she wouldn’t have objected.
“I do not usually blow the sabbat horn in this realm,” he said, sliding his hand behind her neck to support her head. “It is typically done before I step through the veil. As nothing about this sabbat has been typical thus far, I thought I would change that tradition. But perhaps that was a mistake. I see it has affected you quite strongly.”
She reached up, tracing the line of his antlers and down along his face. “It was so powerful. Just like you.”
Her legs no longer wanted to support her, and she nearly fell. He swooped her up and draped her on the altar, slowly, seductively, his antlers still tinkling with the adornments when he bent over her, stroking her hair.
“Now what?” she asked quietly. “What do I do?”
“Accept me.”
His lips followed the request, and the moment they closed over hers, the drunken sensation spun around inside her head. He was kissing her most thoroughly, his tongue plunging deep and swirling around until her pussy grew damp, but she still heard that horn as though he were blowing it again. He parted her legs, and she opened for him, and without breaking their kiss, he moved in between her thighs.
Only then did his lips wander, traveling down her neck, kissing her cleavage while he untied the knot of her blouse. He moved his head carefully, avoiding grazing her with his antlers, while he freed her breasts and kneaded one with his hand while teasing the other nipple with a gentle lick.
She let out a breath and arched beneath him, shuddering at the waves of need he was coaxing from her, an energy building as high and mighty as the phantom tree. He moved his kisses downward, running his tongue along her ribcage and down her belly. Part of her began to wonder whether he had ever bothered with this sort of thing with the women before her, those who had been only marginally aware of his existence. How she pitied them, for they had been sorely missing out.
He parted the reeds of her skirt, and her mind blanked on thoughts of any woman he may have been with before. Her mind blanked on everything but the feel of his hot, wet tongue on her clit and the vibration of his moan adding to the pleasure while he tasted her. She reached for him, taking hold of his antlers and hanging on while she thrust against his mouth, growing wetter and the sound of the horn in her mind driving her to grind her hips. Her body slid along the sensual tufts of soft fur, too soft to gain traction when she tried planting her heel and pressing her groin harder to him.
His tongue worked faster now, dipping inside her slit, and she grabbed one of his hands and pulled it to her breast. He tweaked her nipple, kneading and rolling it, until she cried out.
She was right on the edge when he stopped, and she let out a groan of frustration.
He slid up her body, and she could no longer wait to feel him inside her. Tallisun as a lover was like no man she had ever known. The power was intoxicating, and his scent, his hard body, the feel of his antlers, stiff and phallic when she groped them—she would never again know anything so magnificent. She longed for him to plunge into her with that thick cock while at the same time regretting it, for this was one experience she never, ever wanted to end. If only she could be such a revelation to him, grant him as much mind-blowing passion as he was giving her. But he was a god, and she was a mere mortal. Their coupling to him was about his ritual duty, and it would be over soon. All she could do was hang on and enjoy every second of the ride, and try not to think too much about what would happen when it was finished.
***
By all the glories of spring. This was not what he’d intended when he’d selected his own ritual partner.
Harper stretched his patience to the thinnest, thrusting her hips against his mouth while he lapped at the sweet musk he had not sampled on a woman in too long to recall. Her full breast in his hand, her clit in his mouth, and his cock ready to explode before he even claimed her as ritual demanded...none of this had been in his thoughts when he’d first asked her consent. True, he had enjoyed the thought of being with her, knowing he already desired her. But that she would respond to him thusly, like two animals fiercely coupling in the wild, took him on a journey he had no idea how to return from.
She tugged on his antlers, which would begin to loosen soon. Still, they were secure at the moment, and he grunted in pleasure at the sensation. Her insistence drove his own to new heights. He wished for hours more in which to enjoy the ripe fruit of her body, but the ritual must be complete before full dark, which was all too near upon them. In any case, his cock was fraught with need, his balls already tight and ready to empty themselves. He was not used to being so desperate, like a young and untaught lad. But he had to have her. Now.
He slid up her body, pausing to suck on her breasts and watch with profound satisfaction how they turned to long, pink nubs from his efforts. He rose up over her, positioning himself, feeling the slick heat beneath the tip of his throbbing cock. The smoldering desire in her dark eyes conquered the last bit of reserve he had left. His robes draped them both, covering what he was about to do from the wild woods around them. He drove himself into her, trying to push in with a slow, steady motion, but instead thrusting in with a wild grunt. She caught her breath when he did, and together they moved, hips grinding, muscles flexing, sweat mingling with sweet breath and moans of seduction.
The god of spring felt the energy pour forth, not merely from their act of joining, but from the roots of the tree. It spread over them like a blanket of power, strengthening him. His own energy joined in, pushing outward, intertwining with the life surging around them. They were connected, Tallisun and Harper, male and female, god and mortal. And their connection stretched to all life, pushing into roots in the ground, swirling around leaves in the trees. Never before had the connection implied in his ritual manifested itself in such a profound, palpable way. Was it his companion, his need for her? Was it the location they had chosen, outdoors in a space where such power already existed?
The sensations flooding his body threatened to overtake him, but this was a sacred ritual that required the god to give thanks. He uttered the prayer in two tongues, changing back and forth so that his maiden could understand some of its meaning.
“Mannai a tomasta. I call to the spirits of the universe. Adowai to-shai a Ostara, and as the god of the sabbat, keeper of the old ways, I offer thanks. I show reverence for the power of new life, the union of male and female, the magic by which w
e are all formed.”
He closed his eyes and heard the primal call of his horn, pushing him to forget the ceremony and fuck her harder, push himself deep and claim this female as a male heeding the urges of his body. He could speak no more. His hips responded, and he plunged faster, taking his possession. She was his, in that moment, and she clutched at him, her nails raking down his sweating back as the final moments of his will drew near an end.
Harper seized up and yelled his name, shuddering around his cock as climax took her. Thank the heavens, for not even one more moment’s control was within his grasp. He let go as well, letting out a warrior shout and emptying himself inside her. The magic followed, the power of a god bringing forth his essence on a sabbat, turning the clearing into a thick haze of musky sex and powerful connection. His antlers were already tingling, beginning the process of loosening, while he ground out the final few thrusts and collapsed beside the woman who had just shown him a sabbat like no other.
There was barely room for him beside her, and only with him turned on his side. She turned also, making more space for him. For a time, there was nothing but the sounds of their heavy breathing and the now faint, almost imperceptible blast of his horn. The call echoed through the universe, a vanguard ahead of the energy he had just sent off to aid the wheel of the year. That power would move the forces of nature, turning the height of spring to the waiting heat of summer.
The two faced one another, Tallisun propped up on one elbow to keep his antlers out of the way. He gazed down at the woman he had no idea would be such a lustful partner, letting his eyes roam her seductive contours. Perhaps he should have realized there was a fire in her that would tax every bit of his reserve. He had chosen her, after all, to be the partner in a standout sabbat, a rite marking the year of the Thousand Seasons. The era had gone out with a blast of his horn and an explosion of yearning that he had not attributed to a female in a very long time. There were other things that he desired, of course. The hunt with his father was one, as well as to be acknowledged by the god of the forest as a worthy and capable heir to the title. A hunt made him at once alert and yet relaxed, fulfilled even while questing for his latest catch.
Now, his latest conquest lay beside him, trying to still her breaths by taking in deep inhalations, and he felt himself split in two. He was both the conqueror and the conquered.
With a smile, he reached out and ran his hand over her hip.
“So,” she said after a while, glancing up at him.
“So?”
“That was, well, something.”
He eyed her. “Something is perhaps better than nothing, but I am not sure you are saying our ritual was satisfactory.”
She pushed herself up on one elbow, mimicking his pose. “No, I’m not saying it was satisfactory. I’m saying you were out of this world.”
He gave her a grin. “I thought I was most fully in this world when we were joined.”
She screwed up her face at him. “You’re really going to make this difficult, aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “You expressed grave concern that I would not fulfill your needs as a partner. I intend to be quite clear that your experience was adequate.”
Harper ran a hand along the arm he now draped over her hip. “God of Ostara, my experience was so far beyond adequate that I have no words. Is that clear enough?”
Tallisun leaned in and kissed her, feeling his heart pick up pace at the velvety feel of her lips brushing his. “Most clear, thank you,” he said when he pulled back.
“Thank you. Although I do hope you have healing powers in your bag of tricks. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to walk after this.”
She sat upright, letting out a whoosh of air, and then she gasped. “Oh, Tallisun. Look!”
Harper was pointing to the ground, and he sat up to see. He blinked and looked again.
“Is this what happens in your rituals?” she asked.
He shook his head, and the motion was enough to feel that his antlers were coming loose. But he hardly noticed, for his eyes were fixed on the clearing. All around them, far beyond the circle where he had scattered petals over dirt, rocks, and occasional spotty patches of green, a blanket of soft green stems had erupted in bunches. Thousands of flowers shaped like tiny white balls had blossomed on their tips, making a white-green carpet.
“How?” she asked. “There’s not even any daylight. Was it your magic?”
“Our magic,” he said. “Blended with that of the tree and the surrounding area. I felt the connection when we were joined.”
“I did too,” she said, whispering with a quiet awe. “I feel sorry for the spring maidens who have slept through all of this.”
“They have never slept through this,” he said. “For it is new to me as well.”
She leaned over and kissed him, and he stroked her hair while exploring her mouth.
“Have you ever made the spring ritual a double-header?” she asked breathlessly.
He didn’t bother asking what she meant, for he knew what she wanted. Without a word, he pulled her onto his lap, which was already stiff and ready to act on her suggestion. He bit her lower lip playfully, grabbed hold of her bottom through the scratchy reeds of her makeshift skirt, and helped guide her right where he needed to feel her.
After he had finished making her scream yet again, they sat together for a while in silence, gazing at the flowers blanketing the area and basking in the remnants of energy that floated around the clearing. The base of Tallisun’s antlers itched and tingled, a persistent reminder that his task had been successful for another year. It was time for the shedding, and the ceremonial mounting of the set in the Chamber dedicated to the Ostara sabbat.
“What do you think was different this time?” Harper asked after a while. “Is it because we were outside, by the phantom tree, that all this happened?” She waved her hand around to indicate the carpet of blooms.
He scratched at his head. “I am not certain.”
“Or maybe it was because you like me.” She grinned at him.
He growled, but with a tinge of amusement. “We are back to that again.”
“It’s true, isn’t it? You’re not going to deny it.”
“If I had not felt we could be compatible, I would not have asked you to be the spring maiden.”
“The god of spring has a crush on a girl.”
“A crush?”
“It means you’re attracted to me.”
“I should think that has been made quite obvious.”
She stood up in front of him. “I’ll have to say, it never occurred to me that I would find antlers so hot on a guy. Holding onto them earlier made me crazy.”
She reached out and grabbed them before he got a chance to warn her, and he tried to pull back, but she caught hold and pulled. He heard the crack, and he could tell she had, too, because her eyes flew wide with horror. The shed gave way in her hands, and she staggered back two steps, her mouth open.
“Oh my god,” she said.
Now he laughed, a loud, deep belly laugh that felt carefree and most welcome.
She shot him a glare. “Why are you laughing?”
Her eyes were as big around as a goblet now, and he laughed harder.
“It’s not funny.” She gaped at the rack in her hands. “Or are you going to tell me now that the antlers were, in fact, glued on all along?”
He rose and took them from her. “They are real. I shed them each year after the spring ritual, remember? I told you.”
“Oh. Right.” She blinked, a wide, innocent blink that brought the grin back to his face. “Still, I am so sorry.”
“It is no matter. This saves me from having to hook them through the iron scroll work on the Counsel gate in order to pry them off.”
She was staring at his head now. “You know, you could almost pass for human this way.”
He shot her a skeptical look. “I should think not.”
“Well, not your eyes. They almost glow, there’s so
much gold in them. But the no-horns thing is an interesting look for you.”
“Do not get used to it. They will begin growing back before the month is out.”
She raised her brows at him. “Are you offering me a chance to get used to it?”
He stared at her. The words had just slipped out. He hadn’t meant them the way he realized now that they sounded.
“Never mind,” she said before he could answer. “That wasn’t the deal.” She adjusted her blouse and shrugged. “We’re two grown adults who engaged in an evening of fully consensual and mutually satisfying sex. No need to tie any strings to it, right? I’m a modern woman, and you’re a modern...oh, well, I suppose not all that modern. But you’re a god who doesn’t have time for a relationship. I get it.”
The way she shrugged off the idea of future contact, much to his surprise, sent a ruffle of irritation through him. She spoke in quick, flippant words that made it seem she was ready to be done with him. She was correct that seeing one another again hadn’t been part of the “deal”. Still, her willingness to put their time behind her in such a rapid and decisive manner rankled.
“It appears you understand the situation, then,” he said. “You agreed our time together would be just for the ritual.”
“I do, and I did.” She was hugging herself now, and he realized that since most of the energy from their coupling had taken flight, a chill had crept into the clearing.
He stood and took up the hide blanket, wrapping it around her.
“Well,” she said.
“Well.”
“I guess that’s it then.” She was eying him.
Was it? She seemed quite eager to be rid of him now that the deed was done. This was a most unusual feeling for him. Not that he ever lingered with the females after the ritual concluded. But he took his leave in his own time, not because the maiden was practically shoving him back through the veil.
His brow furrowed. “I should see you back safely to your camp.”
She smiled at him. “I think I can make it a few hundred feet on my own. I’m camping by myself, remember? Even if you walk me there, I’ll be alone when you’re gone.”
Tallisun: God of Ostara (Sons of Herne, #3) Page 7
