“We know what Xerxes is capable of. What he does to women…”
Alek stopped, and I turned to face him again, bile rising in my throat. I wanted to scream. I knew where this was going, but I didn’t think Alek would desert me. He was supposed to be family. He was always on my side. “You know what he did to Gretchen, and he only had her for a little more than a day, Jared. He’s had Manda for months. If she’s still alive, it would be kinder to put her—”
A roar exploded from my chest. Heat surged forward, and flames covered me from head to foot as my phoenix pushed forward, seething and wanting to kill.
“Should I kill your mate for you and put her out of her misery?” I shoved Alek backward, sending him flying down the walk with two singed spots blackening his shirt. My clothes, thanks to a little extra spell from Calliope, were flame retardant, even to my beast’s fire. “Would Gretchen be better off dead, Alek?” I marched toward him, my phoenix wanting nothing more than to punish him for even thinking that death was better than living for my mate.
He growled and leapt to his feet. His beast matched my anger, and a scream from deep in his chest sent me tumbling backward as a focused sonic wave slammed into my chest.
Fucking Gryphon. “Leave me, Alek. I have nothing left to say to you. If you won’t stand with me, then I’ll do this alone.” I climbed to my feet and glared.
He gritted his teeth, but didn’t speak. We’d been friends longer than we hadn’t. Family. But now. Now, I wasn’t sure what we were. What we would ever be again.
Alek turned away from me and left me alone on the parapet.
I would save Manda. I had to.
I turned the opposite direction and hurried toward the tower stairwell. What am I going to do? I was just one man. One beast. I couldn’t feel Manda. I wouldn’t be able to track her, even though I knew we were meant to be together. We hadn’t bonded. I had nothing to go on except determination.
A few minutes later, I found myself exiting the castle through the back entrance, around the block, and then across Main Street Circle toward the café. Maybe Bella or the other pixies would have an idea. There had to be someone left in this town that would help.
Chapter 12
GODRIC
“Tell me who cares about Manda. If not Charlie, who is it?” I whispered into her ear as I dipped my fingers into her slick folds again. Her hips undulated and thrust toward me, begging wordlessly for more. Soft mewls and cries slipped from between her lips. I was harder than stone, but my goal kept me focused. She was a master manipulator, but she’d met her match. I wouldn’t be distracted again. I would torture her until she couldn’t stand the longing. The hunger. The need to release.
“Fuck me,” she hissed back, slipping a hand to the back of my neck and pulling my mouth to meet hers. Her tongue dove into my mouth, and mine tangled with hers for control. She tasted like honey and cinnamon and heaven, and fuck, I was losing my mind in her again.
Magick be damned.
I thrust two fingers deep and then pulled them back, smiling against her lips when she whined into my mouth and tried to follow my hand with her hips.
Pulling away from her mouth, I asked again, “Tell me, Calliope. Give me something. Who will help me?”
“He won’t help you unless I’m with you. He won’t trust you.”
A man. That was progress. I rewarded her slip of the tongue with another few thrusts with my fingers inside her sex. She rode my hand and panted.
“Please,” she whined, shuddering hard in my arms, needing release like she needed air to breathe.
I tightened my hold around her waist with one arm and drove deeper with my other. Her body clenched, and I withdrew before she could crest.
An angry hiss blasted my face. Her hooded eyes were turning black again.
I teleported from the alley to another, throwing her off balance. She wasn’t used to the movement, couldn’t concentrate through it. The creature within her receded, and she became a writhing desperate woman in need of an orgasm once again. And again, I didn’t give her what she needed.
A low keening cry escaped, and I claimed her mouth again, muffling the sound to the outside world.
“Do you need to come, Calliope?” I whispered against her lips.
“Yes,” she said, the word more of a gasp.
“I’ll give you what you need. Just tell me who he is,” I said, flicking my finger back and forth across her clit. “Help me help you.”
“You won’t help me. No one ever helps me.”
My body tensed at her admission. Something deeper than just her mistrust of me was at work. Anger surged within me. The desire to right the wrongs she’d suffered blossomed in my chest.
I shouldn’t care.
I couldn’t care.
I had a mission. And she wasn’t it. Calliope Hart was just a means to an end. At least that’s what I kept trying to tell myself. But deep inside, I knew this female already meant more to me than any other woman I’d come across in my long life. Fucking magick. Fate’s timing was terrible.
“Please,” she begged again, rocking against my slow-moving hand.
“I will help you get to Russia,” I whispered. “I just have to save my niece first.”
“Fuck you, Godric,” she said, her voice nearly a sob. “If he gets to them, I will have to die to save them. I don’t want to die again.”
Die to save them? Again? That sounded a bit more purposeful than my inner demon wanted to consider. My fingers stilled inside her body. Surely she wasn’t contemplating suicide… “I thought you weren’t afraid to die.”
“I’m not.”
“Because…you’ve died before?” I said the words, not really believing them.
“It’s not pleasant,” she bit out. “Without help—y our help—I will. And he will win.”
“Who will win? Xerxes?”
“The monster hunting me is worse than Xerxes.”
I shook my head. “You said you just—”
“Once this body dies, I won’t remember anything. Anyone. It’s the only way to protect what he’s after.”
“I’ll protect you.” And I would. The thought of her dying, of losing her, felt as though someone had stabbed me through with a blunt wooden stake. When did I start caring? It doesn’t matter. I did care. She was mine.
“Whatever comes. Whoever comes, I’ll protect you. You are mine. No dying.” I felt the change in her body—the moment she relaxed and let down her guard. The moment her pheromones changed.
The moment she believed me.
I wouldn’t let her down.
“Give me this chance.”
She gave me a questioning glance through her still-hungry eyes and then spoke. “We have to find Jared. He thinks Manda is supposed to be his mate,” she whispered between needy sobs.
Good girl. I thrust hard and fast and rubbed across her mound with the palm of my hand. She arched her hips toward me and buried her face in my neck before a cry of relief ripped from her throat. Her arms tightened around my neck, and her sex clamped down hard, holding my fingers deep inside her while she came.
When the last tremor from her climax subsided, she released me, and I slowly pulled my hand from her sex, sliding my fingers across her hypersensitive clit on my way out. A surprised squeak escaped her mouth, and she pushed against my chest. I obliged her wordless request for space and took a step backward, bringing my fingers to my mouth.
She watched, wide-eyed and interested.
I licked her essence from my fingers and smiled at her sweet and musky flavor. “Until next time,” I said, keeping my tone low and dark. I wanted more, but I needed to find this Jared person. And keep my mate nearby. I refused to lose her to the man hunting her or because of her desperation to avoid capture.
And the dying thing. I wasn’t keen on that part of her story, either.
Chapter 13
CALLIOPE
My body was a mass of quivering jelly. He’d made me come harder than any man had—ever
. And I’d lost control. I’d given up Jared’s name, my only leverage. And for reasons I couldn’t quite explain, I trusted Godric when he’d said he’d protect me. When he’d called me his. Those words. That promise. The way he’d held me. It’d struck a chord so deep that I’d just let go and embraced his claim.
This is bad.
Maybe it was the bond growing between us. The extra connection because his blood was inside me, but it felt like more than that. The promise had felt genuine. Like he cared about me. No one ever cared about me. No one did anything for me unless I did something for them. I’d given him Jared’s name, but I hadn’t done anything else. I hadn’t promised him that Jared would help or that I would get Jared to help.
But I was going to. Even if it meant I didn’t get to Russia in time. Even if he caught up with me. I trusted Godric. Gods, this was bad. So very bad. But…I’d never had a Djinn in my corner before. Maybe he would be strong enough. Fast enough. Maybe this time would be different. I’d spent nearly a thousand years in this body, and I had no desire to give it up. And maybe with Godric, I wouldn’t have to.
I glanced up at him again, and heat spread from my neck to my face. He was still licking my arousal from his fingers. The expression of desire and hunger on his face nearly made my knees buckle beneath my body like all my bones had turned to rubber.
His hand shot out to steady me, and I couldn’t help the smile that tugged the edges of my mouth. What was I? An infatuated, hormonal teenager? I was being ridiculous over a man. A gorgeous-tanned-muscled-sex-on-a-stick man with enough dominance that I’d never have to wear “the pants” around him. He made me feel small and feminine and dying to please. No man had ever elicited that feeling from me. Not in four thousand years.
And I would lose him.
Tears welled in my eyes. Eventually, either by the curse that haunted me or by the hand of the monster who’d hunted me since I’d left Greece four thousand years ago.
“Calliope, I meant what I said.”
I nodded and sucked in a quick breath. “I know. I believe you. It’s just that—” I stopped before admitting that we’d have to run forever. We’d never have a moment’s peace. Never be able to relax.
And that he’d die if we ever had sex.
I left that part unsaid, too.
I couldn’t have him physically, but perhaps I could bask in the emotional nirvana of his presence for a while longer. Control was my middle name. I wouldn’t falter. I could keep him just far enough away that the curse wouldn’t take effect, right?
I tugged my jeans up from my thighs, over my hips, and fumbled with the zipper and button for a moment before managing to get put completely back together.
“Where do we find this Jared?” He touched my arm and inclined his head toward Main Street Circle.
“He’s in the castle, but I need to make a quick pit stop in my shop. And whatever you do, don’t blink. Most here would kill you straight out just for being a Djinn.”
He nodded and turned. “What do you need in your shop?”
“Armor.” I started down the alley and breathed a little easier when I heard his footfalls following closely behind. No argument. At least he wasn’t completely unbendable. I might have to die soon, but it would be on my terms, not because of some stray bullet or knife at an inopportune moment.
I walked cautiously down the sidewalk, but it was deserted. The only Djinn I sensed was the one walking directly behind me. If Xerxes had sent more wolves to scout the town, they weren’t showing themselves. Sanctuary was silent for now.
It wouldn’t last. We needed the most protection we could get. That included the garments I’d enchanted last week with the same properties as bullet proof polymer—my latest clothing experiment. It would deflect bullets and slices from blades. A straight-in stab with a blade would still go right through, but most small wounds would be avoided completely.
I jogged forward the last few steps to where the door of my shop should have been. My chest tightened and disappointment filled my gut like I’d swallowed a brick. It was trashed and empty. The big French doors hung open like a gaping mouth.
“Calliope, wait,” Godric said, catching my arm and pulling me back.
“There’s no one inside,” I said, my tone harsher than I’d meant for it to be. “If there are dogs still inside, they better leave,” I shouted into the wrecked store. “Cause I’ll rip your fucking hearts out with my bare claws.”
A blur went past me, and I rolled my eyes and followed Godric inside. He reappeared at my side a moment later. “There’s nothing here, Calliope.”
“Oh yes, there is,” I said, marching through the broken piles of hangers and stands. “I hope.” Each piece of my clothing was worth a fortune, and those fucking dogs had known it. There wasn’t even a shoe left on the display wall. Not one fucking piece of anything. But there was no way they’d found my personal vault.
I climbed over my smashed-up display counter and disappeared into the back room. Godric rushed behind me, blurring fast enough to send a breeze of wind through my hair. “Stay with me.”
“You afraid I’m going to disappear on you? I need you, remember? You orgasmed my leverage out of me, so now I’m dependent on you like a fucking wimp of a female, waiting for you to be true to your word.”
“It would be helpful if I knew what we were looking for and also what or who you fear?”
“I’m not quite up to that much sharing. You already know more about me than most people in this town, and I’ve lived with them for centuries.” I stopped in front of a smashed-up, empty wooden shelf. But it was still securely fastened to the wall. A grin grew on my face, and I waved my hand in front of the shelf. It moved slowly forward and then to the side, shoving broken bits of wood and other debris as it went.
“I didn’t think mermaids could use magick like that.”
The incredulity in his voice was somewhat amusing. I snorted, stepped into the small dark room and flipped the light switch. Clothes were stacked in neat little piles from floor to ceiling, and the ones I sought were safely tucked into the back corner.
“I’m not a mermaid.”
“I’ve heard old wives’ tales of mermaids’ siren songs. The black eyes and claws.”
“I am not a mermaid,” I spat out again. “Those damned fish people are just scavengers. Picking up our scraps. They have no powers of song or anything else. Their claws resemble ours, but that’s where the similarities end.”
“So if I get you wet, you won’t grow a tail?” he asked, his face straight and sincere.
I picked up a black shirt and threw it at him over my shoulder. “No. I don’t have a tail. But I do have fucking claws. Should I show them to you again? Put that shirt on.”
“So then…” He trailed off.
I shrugged my shoulders and spun on my heel.
“Siren. I’m a siren, okay. Put the damn shirt on so one of Xerxes human goons doesn’t fill you with bullet holes when they come back to destroy the rest of the town.”
“You care?”
“I shouldn’t,” I growled back then yanked my shirt off to replace it with one of the polymer bulletproof shirts. A low moan sounded from Godric’s chest, and he stared at my breasts with longing until the new shirt was in place. I took vain pleasure in the fact that the sight of my breasts had turned him into a mumbling idiot. Not that any man would’ve reacted differently; I had great tits.
“Why hasn’t Xerxes’ army already come back?” He turned to the wall and knelt, reaching for a box of my personal things. “What’s in here?” He flipped it open to reveal a letter and a journal—the letter and journal I would need if I died.
“To Rose, in the case of my death and reincarnation…what the fuck? You come back to life if you die? As a baby? Is that what you meant by getting a new body? Have you been a man before?”
“Yes. No. No and no.” I slammed the lid back down on the box and yanked him away from the shelf. “Leave it be. It’s personal.”
�
�So many mysteries to discover.” His lips quirked in a smile, but he straightened and didn’t make any attempts to go back to the box. “So why hasn’t Xerxes’—”
He is never going to quit. I sighed. “I assume it’s because we still have two fire-breathing Drakonae in residence. They are probably gathering something to bust down the outside castle wall and the protective ice barrier Diana slapped over the top like the lid on a bottle. But no one will listen to me. So they’re all holed up, waiting to be blown to pieces.”
“Who is hunting you, Calliope?” He tugged off his shirt, revealing a hard eight-pack of rippling abdominals. His shoulders and arms could’ve been sculpted from marble. Every part of him was cut and defined and…hard. My mind wandered to the hard length only semi-hidden in his pants. I wanted it. Wanted him. For as long as I could have him, and that made me a selfish monster…just like the one coming to kill me.
“A monster like me.” My answer was flat and hard. I needed to focus, not be distracted again by the sexual prowess of the man standing only a few feet away.
“You? You’re not a monster.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I know monsters. You’re not one. Another Siren?” He pulled on the shirt and jumped a little when it started to conform to his body. “What the fuck?”
“Yes, another Siren,” I answered and handed him two more shirts. “The shirts are spelled to fit to your body. Hold these.”
“How many of these shirts do you have?”
“Just these. I hadn’t had time to make many yet.”
“Calliope?” a familiar male voice called from the front of the store. “Are you here?”
Godric’s chest rumbled with a growl, but I pushed around him, shushing as I went. “No blinking,” I whispered. Then raising my voice, I called to the visitor. “Jared, I’m in the back. A vampire is with me, so keep the fireballs to a minimum please.”
My Vampire Knight (Sanctuary, Texas Book 6) Page 6
