“Toni.” His rough voice sent a shiver of longing through her. She suppressed it and met his black gaze.
“So you really are a shapeshifting warrior?”
He nodded. “An immortal. A warrior of the Lady of the Beasts, a goddess few in the world remember.”
That much was true. Toni certainly had never heard of her. “What are you doing here?” It seemed strange to her that she’d run across such a being in the bayous of Louisiana. Maybe the rainforest of South America near some ancient ruins. That would be easier to believe.
She started to laugh and slapped her hand over her mouth. It didn’t help. She’d obviously lost it. Nothing in her life made sense.
Stavros looked concerned, and there was nothing she could do to reassure him at the moment. She was clinging to her sanity by a thread.
He scooped her into his arms as though she weighed nothing at all and carried her toward the small home. She held on to him, needing something to ground her on this crazy night. Maybe she was in shock. Fine tremors wracked her body from head to toe.
He carried her inside and kicked the door closed behind him. The place obviously had a woman’s touch. It was evident in the little touches. The pillows on the sofa, the glass bowl on the table and the pictures on the wall.
Did he live here with someone?
He sat on the sofa with her on his lap and held her against his warm chest. “I’m sorry. What happened tonight was my fault.”
She sat up straight, resisting the urge to lean on his strong shoulder. “I don’t understand. You didn’t hire those men to harm me, did you?” It seemed unlikely since he’d rescued her. Nor did he match the description that her potential kidnapper had given Stavros.
He shook his head and his long, silky hair brushed his shoulders. “No. But my interest in you has brought you to the attention of Hades.”
She knew her mouth was open, but really, things just kept getting stranger and stranger. “Hades? As in the devil?”
Stavros frowned. “The Greek god of the Underworld.”
Toni had a million questions, but for now, she just went with the flow. “Why would he be interested in me?”
“Because I am.” Stavros stood and placed her gently on the sofa. She’d die before she’d admit that she missed his solid presence under and around her. When she was in his arms, she felt protected. Safe. And that was a myth. They had no real connection other than their few meetings, even though Stavros had saved her life.
He hunkered down in front of her and placed his hands on the sofa on either side of her hips. He gazed at her, and she could see sorrow reflected in his eyes.
“This all started five-thousand years ago.”
Toni had a feeling she wasn’t going to like this story one bit. “Go on.”
“The gods of Olympus were at war with the Lady. They are power hungry, never content with what they have.” He stood and began to pace the confines of the small room. He reminded her of a jaguar she’d seen at a zoo years ago when she was a child. She’d always thought it unfair to cage such a majestic beast.
“We fought,” he continued. “Battle raged. In spite of our prowess in battle, we were losing.”
“We?” she asked. Were there more of him? It boggled the mind.
Stavros flashed her a smile that made her pulse jump and her nipples tighten. “I am one of seven warriors. There is Roric the white tiger, Marko the bear, Leander the lion, Arand the wolf, Phoenix the phoenix and Mordecai the serpent.”
The way he said the last name with a slight growl of displeasure told her there was another story there. “So there are seven shapeshifting immortal warriors.” Even saying that aloud sounded crazy. But crazy was her new reality.
Stavros nodded. “Yes. The Lady cast a spell on us when she realized we could not win.” He began to pace again. She watched him prowl around the room, the tension increasing with each passing second. “We were trapped in our animal form, but we were saved from Hades. He was unable to take us to Hell. Instead, he sent some of his demons to watch over us in this realm and took the Lady back to his domain and imprisoned her for five-thousand years.”
This was like something out of a fantasy novel. Come to think of it, hadn’t she skimmed a graphic novel with a similar storyline the last time she’d visited her favorite comic shop in New York?
“Then Hades came up with a new plan. He wanted the power of the Lady’s warriors to help him take over the world.”
This sounded like the plot of a B-movie. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She was a sucker for a good B-movie. “What happened?”
“Because of the spell the Lady had put on us, Hades could not free us. But somewhere in the world there was a special woman for each of us, one who could free us after thousands of years of captivity. So Hades had his demons build a carnival with a very special ride—a carousel where we seven warriors were displayed. The carousel was hidden from the regular carnival goers, but it drew the women, one by one, and we began to be set free.”
“Holy crap.” This was incredible. It was hard to believe it was all true, but it was either believe the story or check herself into the psychiatric ward at the nearest hospital for evaluation. And she wasn’t willing to do that.
Stavros straightened, hands on his lean hips, lost in the past. As she watched, he shook off the memories. “Once we were released from our captivity, Hades had twenty-four hours to kill us or convince us to come over to his side.”
“What did you do?”
The look he sent her was filled with anger. “I escaped and spent many years in the remote rainforests of the world.”
“And the woman who freed you?” No, she wasn’t jealous at all, merely curious. At least that’s what she told herself. She ignored the burning in her gut as she waited for him to answer.
“Hades thought she was dead, but she was saved and lived. I watched over her for many years.”
“And the others?”
He waved away her question. “It is enough for you to know we defeated the god and the curse. As a consequence of the bargain Hades made with the Lady, the god cannot harm any of us or the chosen mates of the warriors.”
Wait, did he say mates? “Some of the warriors have wives?”
Stavros smiled and she curled her toes. He was lethal to her senses when he was rough and serious. When he smiled, he was irresistible.
“Yes, the rest of them have mated. Four of them with the women who freed them, and two others with women who played a part in our defeating Hades.”
Wow. That was a story she’d love to hear someday. But she needed to get back on track. “What does any of this have to do with me?”
When Stavros came to crouch in front of her once again, she knew she wasn’t going to like his answer. His smile was gone, replaced by a solemn expression that had her shivering once again.
“Hades is a vengeful god and he feels cheated. He cannot harm any of us or the Lady.”
“You already told me that,” she reminded him.
Stavros trailed his fingers over her forehead and down the curve of her cheek. “He will harm anyone who is important to me. That is how he plans to take his revenge. He already tried it with two of the women before they were mated to my fellow warriors.”
That didn’t sound good, but Toni still didn’t understand. “I get that, but what does it have to do with me?”
“Ah, Toni.” Stavros leaned in close and nuzzled her neck and her ear. Tingles raced down her arm and her pussy began to throb. She could feel the heat pouring off his big body and smell his unique masculine scent. “Hades knows what you mean to me.”
“What I mean to you?” She knew she sounded like a parrot, but it was impossible to assimilate everything coming at her so quickly.
He nipped her earlobe and then laved the small sting. Toni’s breathing increased and she
clutched at his shoulders, scoring them with her short fingernails.
“Ah, Toni. Hades has discovered my biggest weakness. You. There is nothing I won’t do to protect you, to make you mine.”
Then he kissed her.
Chapter Six
Stavros knew he should slow down. He’d thrown a lot at Toni, including how he felt about her. But he couldn’t help himself. He needed to kiss her, to touch her, to reassure himself she was still alive and safe. He’d almost lost her tonight.
At first, she didn’t return his kiss. She was motionless beneath his touch, not responding but not pushing him away either. Just when he decided he needed to pull back and give her time, her lips moved beneath his.
He caught her soft moan in his mouth and pushed his tongue between her parted teeth. She tasted sweet and warm and welcoming. He was quickly becoming addicted to her kisses.
He placed his hands on either side of her hips to keep from dragging her down onto the couch and ripping off her clothes. A pounding need to claim her raged inside him. The jaguar part of his nature wanted him to get on with things. But the human part knew he had to take things slow. Toni had been through a lot tonight. It was a miracle that she was letting him kiss her at all.
Her tongue tangled with his. Her breathing quickened and the rapid pounding of her heart echoed in his ears. He inhaled and the spicy scent of her arousal tickled his nostrils.
Toni wanted him.
In spite of everything he’d told her, the entire shocking story, she wanted him. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d pushed him away and tried to run. That would probably be the most sensible thing to do.
Maybe he should take her somewhere else, somewhere safe and leave her alone. Maybe Hades would forget about her if he did so.
But deep in his heart, Stavros knew there was nowhere in the world that was safe from Hades’ far-reaching grasp. And he could not leave Toni even if he wanted too. She was his heart.
He was no longer acting intelligently, but going totally on instinct. He slanted his mouth over hers, tasting and teasing until it was no longer enough. The others had told him he’d know when he met the woman meant to be his mate. He hadn’t believed them.
He did now.
Stavros wrenched his mouth from hers. Toni’s eyes were half closed and filled with passion. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Heat rolled off her silky skin. She was wearing a tank top, which showed off her strong, slender arms to perfection.
“Yes or no.” His cock pounded in time to his heartbeat. He wanted Toni more than he wanted his next breath, but it was her choice. “If you say yes, you’re mine.” He knew he should explain it better than that, but it was taking everything inside him not to throw her over his shoulder and drag her into the bedroom. It was the closest thing he had to a lair. Clichéd, yes, but that didn’t lessen the intensity of his feelings.
Toni belonged to him. Was his to protect. And he would do so, no matter the consequences. Walking away from her was no longer an option. He knew what he had to do.
Toni swallowed the lump in her throat that threatened to choke her. The way Stavros looked at her made every cell in her body stand up and sing. Oh, she wanted him. More than she’d ever thought it possible to want a man.
But he wasn’t a man. He was a shapeshifting immortal warrior. And she was human. That couldn’t work. If she slept with him, he’d eventually leave her like everyone else in her life had.
For once in her life, she didn’t care. Sure, there was heartbreak in her future, but she knew that making love with Stavros would be more than she could even imagine.
He was staring at her, his bare chest covered in a light sheen of sweat. The muscles of his shoulders were bunched, his body tense. His eyes were black pools of myriad emotions. She couldn’t read all of them, but the one she recognized was need. He wanted her and she wanted him. It would have to be enough.
“Yes.”
Toni didn’t know what she expected, but his slow smile wasn’t it. And wow, was he hot when he smiled. It made him look younger. He had an ageless quality about him, but there was something old in his eyes. Of course, he’d lived longer than she could even imagine.
Stavros stood and stared down at her. “You won’t regret this.”
She kind of was already. The sex would be hot, but she was afraid he’d ruin her for any other man. Before she could think to change her mind, he pulled her to her feet and swung her into his arms. He kissed her again, and she forgot all her doubts. Rational thought didn’t stand a chance against his kisses.
She knew he was walking, could feel the play of the muscles in his chest as he carried her into another room. She glanced around when he laid her on a bed. The bedside lamp was on and illuminated the space. The room was sparse, but the bright yellow paint on the walls and the pretty lamp and vase on the nightstand gave every indication that this was a woman’s bedroom.
“Who lives here with you?” The question came out sharper than she intended. She wasn’t jealous. Not at all. But she didn’t want to be the other woman.
“I don’t live here.” He took off her shoes and dropped them to the floor. “This place belongs to Arand’s woman. It was her grandmother’s home.” Stavros rolled off her socks and tossed them away.
“Oh.” Really, what else could she say? Glad you’re not a cheating bastard would certainly upset the mood.
He reached for the opening of her jeans and slowly pulled the zipper down. “I do not have any other woman,” he assured her.
It was a good thing she wasn’t afraid of him, or his dark scowl would scare the pants off her. She almost laughed at her turn of phrase when he pulled her pants down her legs and tossed them aside.
She blinked and he was naked again. That was some trick he did, making his clothing appear and disappear on command. She licked her lips as she gazed at his perfect form. He growled low in his throat and it was so much like a jaguar it startled her. It was a little frightening, and if she was being honest, sexy as hell.
He knelt on the mattress by her feet and crawled up the bed until he was hovering over her. Heat radiated from his big body. They were inches apart but not touching. “I want you naked. I want to see your bare breasts, to cover them with my hands.”
She felt like fanning herself. It was growing hotter in here with each passing second. Reaching down, she grabbed the hem of her shirt and dragged it up and off. She wasn’t wearing a bra, hadn’t bothered with one after her shower earlier this evening.
His eyes narrowed and he licked his lips. He looked dark and dangerous looming over her. Her pussy clenched in response. Stavros inhaled deeply and slowly smiled as if he knew how her body reacted to him.
Stavros cupped her breasts with his large hands, plumping the mounds. “Beautiful.” He rubbed his thumbs over her distended nipples, wringing a moan from her throat. She arched up, wanting more of his touch.
He growled again, leaned down and lapped at one pebbled tip. His tongue was slightly rough, and the stimulation sent a stab of pleasure racing to her pussy, making it throb. Toni moaned, threaded her fingers through his hair and dragged him closer.
He purred. Honest to God purred. She cried out, unable to stop herself. It was like having a warm, wet vibrator attached to her nipple.
Her eyes practically crossed when she imagined what that might feel like if he explored her pussy.
As if he could hear her thoughts, Stavros released her breast and began to kiss and lick a hot path down her torso. He tongued her belly button, flicking in and out of the small indentation. He nipped at her hipbones, letting her feel his teeth. Not enough to hurt, but enough to drive her arousal level through the roof.
She writhed and moaned beneath him, trying to encourage him to hurry, but he would not be rushed. By the time he knelt between her thighs and spread them wide, she was ready to throttle him.
He inhaled a
gain and she had to ask. “Can you smell my arousal?”
He licked his lips and her pussy clenched in response. “Oh yeah.” The way he said it left her no doubt he was telling the truth. Toni had no idea just what he could do. He was immortal and a jaguar, but what did that all mean? Enhanced senses obviously.
And then he dipped his head between her legs, and she no longer cared. All she knew was she wanted more of the way he was touching her. He stroked that amazing tongue of his over the slick folds of her pussy. She forgot to breathe when the tip flicked the tiny nub of nerves at the apex.
And when he closed his lips over her clit and sucked, she lost her mind.
Toni grabbed fistfuls of the covers beneath her to anchor herself in the sensual storm engulfing her. She’d never felt anything near this before. Stavros owned her body, playing it like a master.
Her breasts ached for his touch. Her mouth yearned for his kisses. Her skin craved his caress. But there was no way she wanted him to stop what he was doing. He teased her clit with his tongue and then gently sucked on it.
Toni thrashed her head from side-to-side as she struggled to breath. She was so close.
When he rimmed her opening with his finger, she went wild, arching upward. Stavros gave her what she wanted, pushing not one but two thick fingers inside her. Her pussy clamped down around him. God, that felt incredible.
He pulled his fingers almost all the way out and then thrust them deep again. Toni pumped her hips, encouraging him to finger fuck her. He growled and the vibration shot through her clit.
Toni screamed as she came. Her entire body spasmed, and she felt the hot release deep in her pussy. Her cream coated his fingers, but he kept pumping them in and out until she was completely wrung out. Only when she collapsed against the mattress, totally spent, did he stop.
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