Pride swelled in his chest. His Sabrina was loyal and courageous. It didn’t feel strange to refer to her as his. She’d freed him so she belonged to him.
A low growl vibrated in his chest. And if there was one thing he knew how to do it was how to protect what was his. He hadn’t been able to save the Lady or his friends from Hades, but he would not allow Sabrina to fall into the devil’s clutches.
“You okay?” she asked.
Was he okay? No, he wasn’t. If worrying about Hades wasn’t bad enough, being stuck in this small vehicle with Sabrina was becoming torture with each passing mile. He could smell her soap, the slightly musky perfume of her skin. He closed his eyes briefly and inhaled. His cock stirred, more than ready to take her and claim her once again.
He heard the soft brush of material when she moved, her soft breathy sigh as she waited for him to answer. He opened his eyes, swallowed hard and faced forward. No, he wasn’t the least bit fine.
“I’m fine,” he told her.
She snorted under her breath but left him alone, for which he was very grateful. It would be so easy to get her to pull the car over, drag her into his arms and rip away her clothing. It would be a tight fit, as space was limited, but he could manage. He was highly motivated.
A ringing emanated from her purse, breaking the uneasy silence. “Shoot. Will you dig out my phone for me?”
Arand reached into her oversized bag and found the ringing piece of metal and plastic. Phones had changed much over the years, but he’d never actually used one. He handed it to her and she gave him an apologetic shrug. “I usually would never talk on the phone and drive but these are extenuating circumstances.” She clicked on a button. “Hello?”
Arand focused his enhanced hearing so he was privy to both sides of the conversation.
“You almost there?” He recognized her friend Jessica’s voice.
“Yeah, not long now.”
“When you get there, run a circle of salt around the perimeter of the house. It will help keep the evil out.”
“Where am I going to get salt?”
“I had Tilly put some in the box of stuff in the backseat of the car.” Jessica paused. “There’s some incense there too. Burn it.”
“Okay.”
“Tilly and I will be there as soon as we can.”
“No.” Sabrina shook her head even though her friend couldn’t see her. “Stay away. I don’t want either of you involved in this. It’s too dangerous.”
Arand glanced at Sabrina and could sense her growing fear. There was so little they could do against the might of Hades. Right now, it felt as though he was toying with them, leaving them alone so their fears would build.
Sabrina ended the call and tossed the phone on top of her bag. He carefully tucked it inside in case they needed it later. Although, he had no idea what her friends could do, if anything. They were human and no match for a god.
“We’re almost there.” Sabrina turned off and drove on a narrow road before turning off onto a dirt-covered one. “I haven’t been here in a while.”
Arand reached over and took one of her hands in his. “We will get through this together. I will protect you.” He would die to keep her safe, but she did not need to know that. First and foremost, he should be concerned about his duty, about breaking the curse and finding the Lady. But his priorities had changed.
Sabrina was the most important person in his world. She’d given him freedom after years of imprisonment, she was ready to fight side-by-side with him against impossible odds, and she’d shared her body with him, giving him comfort after years of being alone. He would honor that gift, and her, always.
He gave her hand a little squeeze as she wheeled the car between two large cypress trees and cut the engine. “This is it.”
Sabrina didn’t want Arand to let her hand go. Just that minor contact bolstered her courage, and she desperately needed the boost. Her skin was clammy and it felt as though an entire swarm of butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach. Talking to Jessica hadn’t helped. Her friend was obviously worried, and Sabrina knew the precautions she’d suggested were stopgap measures at best and wouldn’t stop the coming storm.
Waiting for Hades to strike was like waiting for a hurricane, never knowing exactly where it would hit or with how much ferocity.
She stared at the little house with the chipping white paint and wondered what Arand saw when he looked at it. Sabrina saw love and safety and happiness. Home. She missed her granny so much. “We should get inside.”
She grabbed her bag, opened the door and climbed out, listening to the sounds of the bayou around her. They enveloped her like a lullaby, adding to her sense of safety. She loved the city with its vibrancy and people. The city gave her a living and the best friends ever. But this little house on the edge of the swamp would always be home.
“Get the box, will you?”
Arand shook his head. “I need to keep my hands free to fight.”
Of course he did. Not looking at him, she opened the back door and yanked out the large box, balancing it on her hip while she shut the door. The path to the house was starting to become overgrown. She really needed to get out here and do some maintenance work or hire someone to do it. The last thing she wanted was the house to fall down due to neglect. And the swamp would claim it quickly if she weren’t diligent.
Sabrina trudged up the two steps to the porch, keeping one eye open for gators. You never knew when one of them might get it in his head to take a nap on the front porch. She was very aware of Arand walking behind her, his gaze constantly moving, searching through the thick growth of trees and the thick vegetation.
She set the box down and dug her keys out of her purse, selecting the right one. The lock turned and the door opened. A closed-up, slightly musty smell hit her nose and she grimaced at the reminder of how long it had been since she’d last been here. Her granny would not be pleased.
Sabrina lugged the box inside and set it on the kitchen table. The floor plan was open with the kitchen, dining area and living room all flowing into one. Off to the left side of the house were two small bedrooms and a tiny bathroom. Everything was just how it had been when her granny had passed. The white starched doily sat in the middle of the table, the pale-green Depression glass bowl sat on top of it, empty now, when it had always been filled with fruit.
The door closed and she turned to face Arand. He was looking around the space with obvious interest. The covering on the sofa was worn, the flowered pattern long faded and a thin layer of dust coated the furniture. “This is where you grew up?”
She nodded. “Yes. After my parents were killed I lived here with Granny LeGrande until I moved into the city to pursue my career as an artist.”
His gaze sharpened. “You are an artist.”
It struck her like a sledgehammer how little they knew about one another. Yes, they’d had sex. Yes, they were on the run together from a vengeful god. But there were fundamental things they had yet to learn about one another. It saddened her that they might not get the chance even though she knew it was silly to feel that way.
“Yes. I paint and sketch.” She pointed to a framed sketch she’d done of the swamp about five years ago. Granny had hung it on the wall with pride.
Arand strode over and stood in front of the small piece, studying it intently.
“I paint in oils now as well, but I still do a lot of sketches. The tourists like to buy those.” And she was beginning to babble.
Arand turned to her, his gaze intense. “You are very good.” He shook his head. “No, you are exceptional. You capture the vibrancy of the place even in a pencil sketch.” His gaze narrowed. “There were two unfinished pieces leaning against the shelf in your living room. Were they yours?”
With everything else that had happened, Sabrina had forgotten all about them. “Yeah.” She wandered around the room, touching a small glass bowl she’d bought for her granny for Christmas one year. “I started them a while back but
put them away when I wasn’t quite sure how to finish them.” She paused beside an old-fashioned Victrola and lovingly rubbed the rich wood. “I’d forgotten them until last night.” Was it only last night? It seemed as though weeks had passed since then.
She squared her shoulders and walked away from the living room, away from Arand. “We need to get to work. Jessica said there was a box of blessed salt in here.” She dug though the box and pulled out the salt. “We need to pour a line of this around the house.”
“Sabrina.” Arand was behind her without her even hearing him move. For a big man he was incredibly quiet and stealthy when he moved. He put his hands on her shoulders and tugged her back against his chest. She resisted for a moment before allowing herself to lean on him.
The memories of her granny, coupled with the fear of what was to come, were wearing her down. All she really wanted to do was crawl into bed and cover her head until this was over.
“You said we needed to stay alive for a day. Twenty-four hours, right?”
She felt the brush of Arand’s chin on the side of her head as he nodded. “Yes. From midnight to midnight.”
She glanced at her watch. “Great, it’s not quite eight in the morning. That’s a lot of hours.”
“I know.” His breath whispered against her ear, sending goose bumps rushing across her flesh. Now was not the time to become aroused, not that her body was paying any attention to that directive. No, her traitorous body was tingling, every nerve ending totally alive with anticipation. Maybe it was the fact she knew their lives were on the line that made her want to jump his bones so badly. Or maybe it was simply the man himself.
No, not man, but a shapeshifting warrior of great courage and loyalty.
He moved closer and there was no mistaking the hard thickness that pressed against her butt. Arand was aroused too. Damned if that didn’t send her already aroused libido into overdrive.
“Salt,” she reminded him.
He brushed a kiss against the side of her neck and she almost melted into a puddle on the spot. Her neck was one of her biggest erogenous zones. “I’ll take care of it.” It took her a second to realize he meant he’d take care of putting down the salt and not her sex-starved body.
“Okay. Yeah, that would be good.” She cleared her throat and stepped away. “I’m going to burn some of this incense and fix us something to eat.”
Arand watched her, his big body totally still, like a predator poised to pounce. His dark eyes seemed to penetrate her bravado and, for a brief second, she almost threw herself into his arms. Pride came to her rescue. No sense in learning to depend on a man who wasn’t going to stay. She was on her own, except for her girls, that is. She could always depend on them.
Determined to ignore Arand and the way he made her feel, she pulled out containers filled with muffins and croissants. There were also apples, bananas and a container of melon slices. Looked like Tilly had realized they wouldn’t want to take time to cook but would want fast, easy food. A small block of cheddar, a bottle of juice and several bottles of water rounded out their food stash.
Arand put his long, muscled arm around her and she sucked in a breath, but he was only reaching for the box of salt, not her. She swallowed her disappointment, telling herself she was glad, that this was no time to indulge in hanky-panky.
The door opened and closed, almost silently and she knew he was gone. The air was different and the space emptier without him. “Suck it up and get over it,” she told herself. She grabbed the incense burner and set it on one end of the kitchen table and lit it. The sweet aroma immediately filled the air. Sabrina blew on the end of the incense stick until a bright ember glowed.
She wandered over to the kitchen window and peered out into the encroaching swamp. She caught a glimpse of Arand, the muscles in his back rippling as he moved, pouring a thin line of salt around the house.
As though he felt her gaze on him, he turned and looked straight at her. She couldn’t look away, caught in his potent stare. It was he who looked away first, and he continued his trek around the house, pouring a steady stream of salt as he went.
Flushed and extremely aroused, she turned away from the window and busied herself readying the food. Surely Arand would be hungry when he came inside. The guy hadn’t eaten in more than five thousand years.
Jessica waited impatiently as Tilly gave her staff final instructions. When she was done, Jessica held up her phone. “Can we call Jules now?”
Tilly nodded. “It’s still early, but he should be up by now.”
Jessica dialed the number she’d programmed into her phone an hour ago. “Come on,” she whispered as she waited for it to start ringing. There was one ring. Then a second. Was Jules still in bed? No matter. They couldn’t wait any longer.
“Girl, you’re up early this morning.” Jules gruff voice filled her ear and Jessica had never been so glad to hear it.
“I need a favor. We need a favor. Tilly and me.” Her knees were a bit wobbly so she sat in one of the colorful chairs, wishing she had a coffee. As if by magic, Tilly swooped in and placed a large paper cup in front of her. The rich aroma of coffee was like manna from the gods.
“Calm down, girl. Tell me what you need.” She could hear the clink of a dish and figured Jules was probably getting some breakfast.
“We need to borrow your truck.”
“What’s wrong with Tilly’s car?”
Jessica nibbled on her bottom lip, wondering just how much she could or should tell Jules. “Sabrina has it.”
There was a long pause on Jules’ end and Jessica held her breath, wondering if he’d loan them his truck without more of an explanation. “I’ll be at the store with the keys in about a half hour.”
Jessica released a huge breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Jules.” She hung up and turned to Tilly. “Half an hour.”
Tilly nodded. “We need to stop at Granny Ledet’s on the way out of town. She has some protection amulets for us.”
Jessica nodded, more than willing to take help from any quarter. She sipped her coffee and pulled out her grandmother’s journal from her bag. She opened it and began to read, wanting to make sure she had all the knowledge she might need to help save Sabrina and her friend’s warrior.
Morning had dawned in North Carolina. Aimee Horner stifled a yawn as she started a pot of coffee brewing. It was strange to have a houseful of people after living here alone for so long. Roric, stealthy as the tiger that was part of him, slid behind her and wrapped his strong arms around her. “You snuck out of bed.” His tone let her know he was less than pleased by that discovery.
Aimee laughed and turned in his arms. “I needed coffee.”
Roric grimaced. “I do not understand how you women can drink the stuff.”
She laughed again. It was amusing to her that none of the immortal warriors liked coffee, all of them preferring tea. “Are any of the others up yet?” Marko and Kellsie and Araminta and Leander had elected to stay with them for a week or so. They all had a sense of impending doom, a sense that the final act of the curse was about to play out.
Aimee was incredibly thankful that they were all safe. It was hard to wrap her head around the fact that she and the other women were now immortal, a gift from their warriors. But the Lady of the Beasts was still out there, as was Arand. They had no idea where he was or what was going to happen with him.
They were almost certain they knew the name of the woman who was supposed to release Arand from his animal form and begin the final phase of the curse, but they had no idea when the event would actually happen.
There was no way they could descend upon the woman and tell her what was about to happen. She’d think they were all crazy. And there was always the outside chance if they approached her Hades might kill her outright. With only one warrior left to be set free, and three recent losses, there was no telling what Hades’ state of mind was.
They were all still discussing their op
tions, trying to decide on the best course of action.
Roric’s lips brushed hers, pushing away all negative thoughts. He cupped her ass, pulling her tight against his erection.
“Any coffee? Whoops, maybe I’ll take a rain check on that.” The amused female voice had Aimee jumping away from Roric. Caught red-handed.
The humor of the situation struck her and Aimee started to laugh. “There’s coffee. Come on in, Kellsie.”
Roric growled and stalked out of the room and up the stairs.
“Someone isn’t happy,” Kellsie pointed out. With her lush figure, blonde hair and blue eyes, Kellsie looked good even at this hour of the morning. If she wasn’t such a wonderful friend, Aimee could easily be envious of her.
“He’ll live.” Aimee pulled down two mugs and filled them. Both of them took a sip and gave a sigh. “Roric doesn’t know what he’s missing.”
Kellie grinned. “Neither does Marko. My big ol’ bear can’t stand coffee. He’s very fond of juice, will tolerate tea, but hates coffee.”
“Any coffee?” Araminta, her waist-length hair loose, trudged into the kitchen bleary-eyed and wrapped in her bathrobe.
Aimee and Kellsie looked at her and laughed.
Araminta paused and glanced down at her robe as if to make sure it was still closed. “What?”
“You tell her, Kellsie. I’m going to check my email.” Aimee was expecting an important email from work, and with people working in different time zones and from home, email came in at all hours of the day and night.
She opened the laptop and waited until it was fired up. The muted voices of her friends gave her a sense of pleasure, of belonging. Aimee scrolled through her mail, ignoring the obvious junk mail. Honestly, she really didn’t need anything to enlarge her penis, and Roric certainly didn’t need any help in that department.
One email made her stop. It had come through the website. She clicked on it and the first sentence made her gasp. “Roric.” His name was little more than a whisper. “Roric,” she called again, this time much louder.
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