“You were not summoned to this meeting, god of Lammas,” Munsola said. “This does not affect your sabbat.”
“It affects all of us if you go through with your plan to remove my brother.” Feillor swept up to Anduron and stood beside him. “For we all have unique insights and backgrounds that suit our needs for the keeping of pagan rituals.”
“Someone get him out of here,” Veramus spat. “We do not have time to waste on argument.”
“Anduron is entitled to have someone speak on his behalf,” Herne said. “I would hear my son’s words on the matter.”
“Of course you would,” Veramus said. “And as they are twins, he undoubtedly will have much to say as to why his brother should be spared. Too much to say when the sabbat falls on the morrow. If Anduron is to be replaced, we must do so without delay.”
“Replace a sabbat keeper overnight?” Feillor said with a laugh. “Impossible. What of the time of purification and preparation?”
“In dire circumstance, a proxy may be used to observe the ritual,” Sandovar said.
“Dire circumstance implies the death or disappearance of the sabbat god,” Feillor replied. “Not that one has merely vexed you.”
“He has vexed the entire realm,” Munsola said. “Word has already spread about his foolishness. Many are calling for his removal.”
“Which should be done by proper procedure, not in the heat of the moment.” Feillor turned to his brother and clasped his shoulder. “I know all too well that there are times when acting in the best interests of mortals is the right thing to do. Even if others do not agree.” He looked up at the counsel. “He should not be punished, nor the sabbat ritual improperly observed, because his compassion spurred him to act.”
“He will be remanded to seclusion until a full trial can be held,” Rathmar said. “In the meantime, we will send another as proxy to bed his witness.”
“No!” Anduron said, stepping forward. “You cannot send another to her.”
Herne cocked his head. “Why not? Are you so eager to keep the female for yourself?”
His brother shot him a questioning look that he ignored. “She will not consent to carnal relations with another male so readily. Her granting of sexual favors was done only on the condition that I prove myself worthy in ways that mattered to her.”
Herne let out an indignant growl. “Which is why you should have approached another witness as soon as the stubborn wench tried to exact her own terms.”
“Perhaps her consent is not required,” Veramus said. “Just her obedience.”
Feillor grabbed Anduron’s arm as soon as he tried to jump forward. “No sabbat keeper would ever agree to such a disgusting notion. Free will of the female partners is tantamount.”
“If I may,” Feillor said, yanking Anduron back, “mere hours exist until the sabbat. Would it not be far simpler to just allow my brother to perform the ritual and settle the rest of the matter afterward?”
The counsel members traded looks.
“Very well,” Veramus said, giving Anduron a sharp grin. “The god of Mabon you will stay for the remainder of this sabbat.” He leaned forward and folded his hands on the table before him. “Provided another witness is chosen. This one has proven far too problematic.”
Anduron’s hands closed into fists. “It is too late to select another.”
“On the contrary.” Rathmar held up a copy of the parchment Jenna had shredded. A name in the center was circled in sparkling red ink. “One has already agreed to ratify your offering and participate in the carnal ritual.”
His stomach twisted. “That is not possible. I approached no other.”
“Which is why Martauk was sent in your stead.”
“Martauk?” He shot a glance at the man standing stiff beside the wall.
His eyes were hooded with guilt. “I am sorry. It was my duty to obey the request.”
“As it is Anduron’s duty to fulfill the ritual,” Rathmar said. “You have heard the terms of our concession to allow you to oversee the coming sabbat. Will you comply?”
He looked up at Feillor, who was staring down with an empathetic expression. “Perhaps it is the best you can hope for,” he said.
Anduron smiled. “After the experience you had with the woman you now call your mate, I think you know better than that.”
Feillor gave a single nod. “Then Salina and I will beseech the gods on your behalf.”
Anduron turned to face the counsel.
“Well?” Herne asked. “Will you concede?”
He lifted his chin. “No. I will not.”
Anduron reached over and took hold of the veil pendant Feillor wore around his neck, yanked it off, and shut his eyes. He had phased out of the chamber before anyone could stop him.
***
Jenna hadn’t been asleep for long when she’d fallen into a dream about Anduron. They had freed all of the earth’s animals from captivity and stood hand in hand in a massive field of green. They watched while all manner of creatures, from colorful birds to frolicking puppies to trumpeting elephants, united in celebration of a new world. They turned to one another, Anduron’s eyes glowing even brighter than the sun behind him, and he pulled her to him.
“Jenna,” he murmured in her ear. “You are mine now.”
With their lips pressed together, they tore the clothes from one another until they were naked. Then down in the grass, they celebrated their victory—his mouth and hands everywhere she needed them while she explored the muscular, immortal body she couldn’t stop thinking about.
“Jenna,” he said again, the sound of his voice bringing her body to life. She reached for him, wanting to pull his hard cock close, position it to slide inside her.
“Anduron,” she whispered, working the hand inside her panties faster. “Please.” Yes, she was so ready for him, aching, close to coming. But wait, how had her panties gotten back on? Hadn’t he just torn them off of her?
A strong hand grasped her wrist. “Jenna,” the voice came, louder this time.
Her eyes fluttered open to find one gold and one silver eye smoldering above her.
“Anduron?”
He was there, seated beside her on the bed. The hand he’d captured was indeed down her panties, wet from rubbing the clit that ached for release now. She flushed hot while she yanked it away and scooted herself upright, sitting against the headboard. “Where have you been?”
“You were dreaming about me,” he said, leaning closer. “I heard you whisper my name.”
“I thought you weren’t coming back.”
“I tried to get here as soon as I could. But I was...detained.”
“What happened?”
“It is a long account, and I fear I do not have much time.” He lengthened the cording of the veil pendant. “Jenna.”
He closed in, kissing her, looping the pendant over her head. Her body was throbbing and primed for him already, thanks to however long she’d been fingering herself during her dream. She moaned and gave a little shiver.
After sliding his arm around her, she felt the odd vibration, the heavy pressure that filled the room. When she opened her eyes, he’d phased them someplace else. They were in a bed much larger than her own, white and fluffy, with a canopy and nothing but gleaming marble in a crystalline-lit room that was massive—maybe as large as the vet clinic.
“Where are we?” she asked.
Anduron shifted his body, pulling her against the length of him. “We are still in your dream.”
He plundered her mouth with his tongue, moaning while he ran his hand along her body, skimming her back and curving around her bottom. Goose bumps rose up wherever he touched, and she arched with a desperate whimper. He kneaded the flesh of her buttocks while he pressed his hips against her, letting her feel his hard cock through his leggings. Yes, her dream was coming to life, although in a bit of a different setting than she’d first pictured, and she gave into it eagerly while he thrust his pelvis against her. She dragged one of h
is hands up to cup her breast, and she wiggled in pleasure when he flicked his thumb across her nipple. Maybe this was still the dream, and if so, she would make the most of it.
Anduron pushed her panties down, driving his fingers in along her slit, and he growled. She was still so ready for him that when she ground her hips without shame, she heard the wet sounds of her pussy while he rubbed her. Her breath came in gasps, and she opened the front of his silky brown tunic, kissing his hard, warm chest, running her tongue along that perfect flesh until she came to his small, brown nipple. She bit down on it, flicking her tongue playfully over that hard nub, and he stiffened.
“Is this the ritual?” she asked, sucking in a breath when his fingers began working her clit back and forth.
“It is my own private ritual. For you.”
He slid her nightshirt upward, exposing her to his gaze. “So beautiful,” he murmured. His tongue ran circles over her erect pink nipples, and when she tried to grab him, pull him where she wanted, he captured her wrists and held them over her head.
“Now, Anduron,” she whispered, thrusting her hips up. “I can’t wait anymore.”
His eyes were golden orbs of flame while he rose up, settling himself between her thighs, and she let out a moan of relief in thinking she would get him inside her. But instead he slid lower, his tongue drawing lines of desire down her belly. He released her wrists and pushed her thighs apart, kissing the mound of her pussy before giving her clit a delicate, teasing lick. He kissed the hood of that bud, pushing a finger inside her pussy, rotating and thrusting it until she grabbed his hair and thrust upward. Her clit pounded, demanding climax, and as he continued to flick it with his tongue, she got closer to the edge of orgasm. A second finger joined the first, stretching her wide, and she screamed his name.
“God, yes, Anduron! I’m coming.”
She bucked against his face, moaning wickedly, while shudders of ecstasy ran up and down her body. The force of her release brought her fully awake, and she gasped. This hadn’t been a dream at all. She was here, now, in a room that wasn’t her own.
She was gone from her guest house.
Jenna pulled away, jumping to her feet—which proved a bit of a mistake, as Anduron’s attentions had left her legs a bit shaky.
“Gran,” she said, steadying herself against the bed.
Anduron sat up, blinking, his cock jutting out from his lap. “As much as I find your grandmother’s company pleasant, her name is not what I would expect to hear during lovemaking.”
She tugged down her nightshirt and glanced around for her abandoned panties. “Gran was sick earlier. I had to take her to the hospital.”
He frowned while she shimmied into her underwear. “Is she all right?”
“The doctor said she should be fine. But I left her at home with the phone beside her bed and promises to check in with her every hour or two. She’s there alone, Anduron. I have to get back.”
Anduron’s brows knit, and his lips worked on silent words while he fastened his dark leggings.
“What is it?” she asked when he gave her a wide-eyed glance.
“I have phased you with the veil pendant three times in less than twenty-four hours.”
“So?”
“I told you before, even with the gentler, more stable energies of the pendant, even with my own power shielding you, numerous human transports through the veil in a short span is not recommended.”
She pushed a hand through her mussed hair. “I can’t just leave her! Why did you bring me here if you couldn’t get me back?”
He glanced away. “I...confess I was not planning that far ahead. When I saw what you were doing, when I heard my name on your lips, I acted without thought. Forgive me.”
“What would happen if you took me back now?”
“The effect of the veil energies on humans is unpredictable. At best, you might experience a chemical imbalance. Many rapid transfers can degrade cellular structure, causing damage to various systems.”
“How long is it normally recommended to wait?”
“Ideally, a matter of days.”
Her mouth fell open. “Days? I can’t wait days. I have Gran. My job. Andy.” She huffed out a sigh. “What’s the least amount of time?”
“I cannot say with all certainty. An hour or more would be wise. I am sorry I did not consider the consequences more closely. This is something I find myself accused of quite often of late.”
“Why bring me here at all? Why not just stay over there?”
He sank back down on the bed. “I wanted time alone with you without being discovered, and I knew your house would be the first place they would look. They would not likely expect me to return here so soon.”
She wandered up and stood in front of him. “They who? And why are they looking for you?”
His shoulders sagged in a posture she hadn’t seen on him before. Remorseful. Defeated. “I was brought before the Counsel to answer for my actions at the animal facility. That is why I was unable to return to you sooner.”
Her arms folded. “Answer for what, exactly? You rescued those poor creatures.”
“The Counsel does not see it that way. It is being viewed as unjustified interference in human matters. Many in my realm agree, it would appear. There has been great dissent.”
“So what does the Counsel plan to do about it?”
“Plenty. First of all, they ordered me to find another woman to bed for the Mabon ritual.”
She gasped, her hand covering her mouth for a moment. “But what we just did...you took advantage of my dream knowing you were going to go sleep with someone else?” A sick wave passed over her stomach. “Is that why you wouldn’t go all the way? You’re saving yourself for another?”
He rose and took her hands. “No, Jenna. You misunderstand. They commanded it, but I refused. It was their one condition for allowing me to remain sabbat keeper, for this season, at least.” He looked down at their joined hands. “I could not comply.”
“Why not?” she asked, her voice scratchy, weak.
“Do you not know?” He glanced up, his eyes searching hers. “Would you rather I had agreed and never returned to you? Gone off and taken another to my bed in order to hold my position as god of Mabon?”
“No,” she admitted. “But shouldn’t you have? Isn’t your calling more important?”
“There is the calling of my heart and the calling to which my father appointed me. I used to think they were one in the same.” He lifted her chin. “Now I know better. I have you to thank for that.”
Her heart skipped. “What are you saying?”
“That my desire to free the unjustly imprisoned should not be limited to one small gesture on the sabbat. It is a duty I should attend all year long.” He raised his eyes as if looking to the future. “If my role as sabbat keeper restricts me from helping others as they ought to be, then it is time to seek another destiny.”
For a brief moment, she thought he was going to tell her he defied the counsel because he wanted her. A selfish notion, really, riddled with romantic idealism. Anduron had noble goals that were much larger than the fact that she’d fallen head over for him almost as swiftly as he’d come into her life. And why should he return that favor? She was the reason he was in this mess.
Now it was her turn to sink down on the bed. “This is all my fault. If only I hadn’t put conditions on your request, made you commit a crime by breaking into that factory, none of this would have happened.” She gazed up at him, a lump forming in her throat. “I’m so sorry.”
“No.” He sat down beside her. “Do you not see? Had you not shown me your passion for your cause, shared the tender heart that beats with a fury to save animals unjustly treated, I would not have been able to see that my path lies in a different direction.” He tucked hair behind her ear. “Thank you, Jenna.”
Their lips met, his with a soft, reverent touch. It was fairly chaste, compared to other kisses they’d shared, but her hand dropped to his thigh
, sliding upward. She found his cock hard and straining in his leggings. With a muffled moan, he took hold of her hand and pulled it away, breaking off the kiss with a tiny smile.
“You don’t want to?” she asked. “Even if there’s no ritual to save yourself for?”
“I do. Perhaps I am too well conditioned by my many years in service as the Mabon keeper. I am trained to withhold myself during the harvest season until the proper hour of the sabbat.” He paused. “And there is something else I should tell you.”
The look on his face brought back the thickening in her throat. Was there an immortal girlfriend somewhere? Oh god, what if he had a wife?
“It’s okay,” she said, squaring her shoulders bravely. “You can tell me.”
“The animals we saved...the Counsel ordered them returned.”
A wash of relief hit, followed by guilt that she was even momentarily happy that his other news didn’t involve another woman. “They’re giving them back to the factory?”
He nodded. “I argued against it, but the mage-seers were called in to change memories of events surrounding our...adventure. Were the animals left missing from their cages, the factory owners would still be negatively influenced by the actions of a god.”
“So they should.” She got up, fists clenched. “Those poor animals. Thinking they were finally free, only to be sent right back into torment.” She glared at him. “Don’t your people have the slightest bit of compassion? Are they a bunch of wild barbarians?”
“That is what they say about humans, which is largely why most immortals abandoned your realm long ago and refuse to allow our interference.”
Her head drooped. “I thought I’d finally made a difference—a real difference.”
“Your first victory to that end still remains in your possession. I had nothing to do with Andy’s rescue.”
Her answer was interrupted by a huge pressure shift in the room, making her ears pop. Two bald women in robes, along with one older man and a huge, bulky man with a bare chest, antlers on his head, and a long, gnarled staff in his hand, appeared out of nowhere.
“Father,” Anduron said, getting up and pulling Jenna to her feet. “I have given you my answer. I pray you would respect it.”
Anduron: God of Mabon (Sons of Herne, #7) Page 9
