I shook my finger at Sebastian. “You’re teaching me that language as soon as possible.”
“Yeah,” said William. “It would have been nice to have a heads-up before Mátyás sacrificed his immortality.”
Sebastian, who had been sharing a secret smile with Mátyás, blanched. “You what?”
Mátyás shrugged it off with a casual lift of his shoulder. “Oh, Papa, please. Living forever has been such a hassle. I’m glad to be rid of it. Now I can finally grow older—”
“And die,” Sebastian finished, grief heavy in his tone, as if he’d lost Mátyás already.
Weirdly, I don’t think any of us at the table outside of Sebastian had really considered the implications of that particular cost of Mátyás’s sacrifice. William’s eyes were wide. My hand covered my mouth in horror. Mátyás tried to act nonchalant, but the hand that held his coffee mug trembled.
“Everyone dies,” he said with a sniff. “It’s natural, Papa.”
“What’s natural is for a father to die before his son, not live on long after.”
“Oh, Sebastian,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”
But Sebastian wouldn’t be consoled. He got up and walked away from the table, leaving William and I to stare at Mátyás.
“Are you really ready to die?” William asked.
“Of course not, stupid,” Mátyás said a bit harshly. “I’m not doing it anytime soon either, so you can all stop burying me already.”
So we left it at that and talked about the weather and what their plans were now that the excitement was over until Sebastian came back from wherever it was he’d gone off to.
He gave Mátyás’s shoulder a brief squeeze before sitting down but otherwise didn’t mention it again.
William and Mátyás explained that they’d had enough adventure and were ready to head back to Madison. They offered to caravan with Sebastian and me, but Sebastian had another idea. From his coat pocket, he pulled out two airline tickets.
“Paris,” I read. “Are you sure?”
“We need a vacation from our honeymoon,” Sebastian said with a tired smile. “It was what I could get on short notice. Unless you think we’ll be haunted by Gods and Goddesses . . . ?”
I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be having double vision now that my second Goddess had gone, but I’d also embraced the fact that “normal” life for me was anything but. “We’re always going to be haunted,” I said. “So we might as well do it in style.”
Speaking of style, I was a little dismayed at Sebastian’s choice of replacement hotel. The place was called the Thunderbird and the entire building seemed to be decked out in what could only be called Native American-inspired, politically incorrect tackiness. There were totem poles in the reception area, for crying out loud.
“This is a little different from the Saint Paul,” I muttered quietly. While the concierge printed our receipt and key cards, we leaned our elbows on the desk.
“Kind of cool, huh?” Sebastian smiled broadly enough to show off the pointed tips of his canines. “We should have come here in the first place, don’t you think?”
“Sure,” I said somewhat wanly, not being nearly as fond of kitsch as he was. “Well, it’s only until we can get a cab in the morning for our flight to Paris.” Now that I was excited about.
Our room was a sight to behold. A ginormous throw rug decorated in faux Indian designs covered a large section of the floor. The light fixture was a rustic-looking wagon wheel, and over the bed hung an overly romanticized Western-style picture of a Native warrior on horseback.
“Is this place for real?” I asked as I set my suitcase on the floor near the TV.
“This is one of those it’s-so-wrong-it’s-right places,” Sebastian assured me. He flung open the window blinds to let in a view of Highway 494. We could see the airport’s Humphrey Terminal and the large stretch of Fort Snelling military cemetery’s precisely spaced white headstones.
“Great view,” I said, coming up beside him. Cars and trucks stood in bumper- to-bumper traffic. I sighed. At least it wasn’t snowing. The day had stayed cold, which meant the sky was crystal clear—not a cloud in sight. The sun shone so brightly it hurt my eyes.
“I don’t care what you think.” Sebastian sat down on the bed with a happy bounce. “This place is cool.”
“I wonder what Micah would think of it.” Micah was a sometime friend who was Dakota Indian and, as it happened, the embodiment of the Trickster God Coyote.
Sebastian lay back and tucked his arms under his head. Apparently noticing the wagon-wheel light fixture for the first time, he snorted. “Are you kidding? Who could take this seriously?”
Seeing Sebastian stretched out on the bed—the lean lines of his body outlined against taut fabric—caused Lilith to quiver along my nerves. I think I must have growled seductively, because he looked up quizzically at me.
Well, it was our honeymoon, wasn’t it?
He must have understood the look on my face, because a slow smile spread across his.
“Do you want to watch some cable?” I teased, as I lowered myself onto the bed and proceeded to crawl up the length of his body.
“Or how about some sightseeing?” A broad smile spread across his face.
I kissed his chest chastely. “Great idea. I mean, it’s worked out so well.”
“Honestly, I am a little sad we never got to the theater or that park with the giant cherry in it,” he murmured in between the soft pecks on his lips that I gave him. Reaching his arms up, he caressed my shoulders.
“Too cold,” I said, nibbling lightly on his lower lip.
“Still, the Guthrie is supposed to be pretty good,” he said, pretending disinterest.
“We can come back,” I said, deepening the kiss. “Or see something in Paris.”
“I don’t know. I think we should really go—ah!”
His suggestion was cut off by a well-placed squeeze. I straddled Sebastian and put my hands on his chest as though to hold him down. Lilith purred deep inside, combining Her strength and mine. Sebastian’s eyes widened in surprise, but his smile was wolfish.
Leaning down, I kissed his lips. He opened his mouth to mine, and I felt the sharpness of his fangs against my tongue. The sensation excited Lilith. At Her prompting, I slid my hands down Sebastian’s body until I caught his wrists. I pulled them up over his head and pinned them there with all of Lilith’s strength.
“Oh my,” Sebastian said, his body clearly responding to his enjoyment of our turnabout position. His cock strained against the fabric of his jeans and pressed into my mound. I ground against it slightly, making Sebastian struggle against his bondage. His resistance only served to arouse me.
I felt the tips of my nipples stiffen. I kissed him again, deeply, and let my body leisurely stretch across his, teasing my own sensitive breasts. Sebastian arched his back urgently. Our bodies pressed together hotly.
And we hadn’t even taken our clothes off yet.
That needed to change, fast.
Letting go of Sebastian’s wrists, I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it aside. I allowed Lilith’s strength to tear my bra off with a snap. Sebastian’s hands instantly cupped them, his thumbs stroking the sensitive areolas. Shivers ran down my spine, deep into my core. I threw my head back and rocked against him with the rhythm of each caress. He groaned.
Taking pity on him, I lifted myself up just enough to unzip his pants and free his cock.
I gripped his shaft in my hand, and Lilith flashed him a toothy, possessive grin. Sebastian actually looked a bit nervous, if also hopeful. I don’t think he was disappointed when I took him into my mouth or with the fierceness of my . . . er, Her . . . or was it Our skill?
The disorientation I felt wasn’t the ground-swaying sort of having two Goddesses fighting over bodily possession of me, but it was more than a little disconcerting to be awake at the same time as Lilith. It had happened before, but rarely have we been quite so integrated, and, shall we say, in tune.
Lilith and I were having fun.
Quickly shimmying off him, I tossed off my pants and underwear.
But Sebastian was ready for me. Taking hold of my wrists this time, he flipped me onto my back. The bed bounced on squeaky springs as we switched positions. I felt Lilith retreat slightly, as he pressed his lips into mine hungrily. It was my turn to play.
Arching my back, I returned his probing, strong kiss. My nipples tickled against the fabric of his shirt. My legs stretched to receive him. We met each other in a pounding, heated rush. I gasped, but he held on tightly.
His head bent to nip lightly at my neck, but he only taunted me with each soft bite. He drew no blood, but his intense rhythm took my breath away.
It didn’t take long at all until I came and he followed shortly after.
“Wow,” I heard him say under his breath as I fell into a deep, satisfied sleep.
We had an easy morning filled with a complimentary continental breakfast and a lot of sheepish grins at each other over the breakfast table. “You know,” Sebastian said finally. “We could do that again anytime . . . the three of us.”
Lilith purred deliciously at the idea, but I couldn’t help but shake my head with a little laugh. How lucky was Sebastian? He could have a ménage à trois anytime he wanted. Of course, it had been nice to have Lilith there. It felt strangely complete, like more of me had participated.
“Yeah,” I finally said into his smiling face, which was beginning to show a trace of anxiety over my slowness in responding. “We’d like that.”
In fact, Lilith was already imagining all sorts of scenarios involving Sebastian-Lilith shows of strength. My cheeks burned deep crimson even as I leaned over to whisper some of Her more tantalizing ideas into his ear.
We got so excited by the possibilities that we managed to miss the shuttle to the airport. Miraculously, an unhired yellow taxi waited just outside the door.
I was so pleased that we weren’t going to have any more airport mishaps that it wasn’t until we we’d missed the turn into the terminal that I noticed our cabbie was a troll. Not just any troll either. He was the mossy- haired bus-driving troll I’d seen earlier.
“Um, sir?” Sebastian was saying, pointing to the rapidly retreating International Terminal. “I think you missed our exit.”
“It’s a troll, Sebastian,” I explained, my voice nearly cracking with frustration. “We’re going to miss our flight. He’s probably going to eat us or whatever it is trolls do.”
The car slowed into a steep turn as we headed for the Mendota Bridge. It was a huge, ornate stone bridge that spanned the Mississippi.
“I demand a toll,” said the troll in a voice that sounded like gravel. The car continued to slow, and we veered onto the shoulder. He hit the emergency blinkers as we came to a stop in the middle of the bridge.
Sebastian was frowning and seemed to be gauging whether or not troll blood was poisonous to vampires. At least, that’s what I figured, anyway, when I saw his fangs descend.
“What do you want?” I asked.
The troll turned to face us. His skin was the color of slate, and his eyes glittered darkly, like obsidian. Large ears drooped from a deeply wrinkled face. “I want your other Goddess. Where is She?”
His eyes seemed to search my whole body, as though I might be hiding Athena in my jacket pocket.
“Um, Greece?” I had no idea where She went after She stole Mátyás’s immortality.
“Bring Her back,” the troll demanded.
I didn’t really want to.
Beside me, Sebastian’s head swiveled suddenly, like a predator tracking prey. My eyes followed his gaze and I saw three young men clambering up over the railing of the bridge. They had on matching navy hoodies, but I could see the curl of a goatee on one sharp chin.
Larkin and my kidnappers!
“They work for you!” I said with sudden realization. Had Fonn been in on it too? After all, she had been at the ritual when Larkin conveniently hadn’t been and gave up chasing us the second we’d headed toward the hotel.
Sebastian snarled. “Who are these guys? The billy goats gruff?”
I would have snickered, except at that same moment I got an idea. Wrenching the car door open, I stepped out onto the shoulder of the road. Cars whizzed by, tires singing on the metal grating of the bridge’s surface. The troll quickly scrambled out after me. Sebastian, on the passenger side, leaped out and headed straight for the approaching boys.
Leaving me and the troll.
Standing up, he was massive. He had square, broad shoulders and the kind of slender waist I’d find very appealing, except for the whole knuckle-dragging thing he had going on. The troll lifted two bruising, hammer- shaped fists; I raised Lilith.
With a familiar surrender, I closed my eyes. Lilith’s lava-hot spirit coursed along my veins, filling my body. I expected to happily sink into that no- place bliss and wake up to the aftermath, but when I opened my eyes I saw a rather surprised-looking troll.
He’d been bringing down his fists, Incredible Hulk- style, to smash me into the pavement. I stopped them easily with one hand, which I held over my head. My other hand slapped, open palmed, hard into his chest. He flew back about ten feet and stumbled back onto his butt.
Cars careened out of the way to avoid hitting him where he’d landed near the center aisle.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian laying down a little vampire smack down on the little billy goats. Even though there were three of them, they had no chance against his preternatural speed. One would only just be recovering from a smack upside the head when Sebastian appeared behind another to rip deeply into fleece and down with sharp fangs.
Feathers fairly flew.
Honks alerted me that the troll struggled back to his feet and had begun to charge me like some kind of faerie rhinoceros. I felt Lilith smile wickedly. My heart pounded in my chest but, for once, not with fear. Adrenaline coursed through me with each beat like an aphrodisiac. He was nearly on me. I took in a deep, exhilarated breath. Then, in a flash, I grabbed him by the coat and swung him in an arch, à la some World Wrestling Entertainment star. One part of me registered that he was far too heavy for my normal muscles, while another reveled in the ease at which I hefted his weight. Once I had good momentum going, I let go. He sailed over the railing and off the bridge. His screams echoed in the river valley followed by a deep-sounding splash.
Meanwhile, over by Sebastian, Larkin was the only one left standing. He caught my eye and shouted, “I’ll always love you!” Rushing over to the railing, he paused for a moment. Then, with a bob of his Adam’s apple, hoisted himself over the barrier and jumped after the troll. As soon as they could pick themselves up, the other two followed suit.
Sebastian and I leaned over the edge. Where the current bubbled, there was an open spot in the river, but I couldn’t see any trace of the troll, Larkin, or the others.
“Oh my God.” I could tell I was upset because I reverted to my pre-pagan swearing. “Do you think they’re okay?”
“This is how the fairy tale ends, isn’t it?” Sebastian asked. “That’s how you defeat the troll, right?”
I nodded. “But do you think they’re alive?”
“I don’t think they’re dead,” he said. “That seemed more like an escape than a suicide.”
“So they could come back.”
“Maybe,” Sebastian admitted.
“Okay. There’s one more thing I need to do for it to really be all over.”
“What’s that?”
“I have to break a really old love spell.”
Lilith’s heat retreated, leaving me suddenly chilled. I shivered, feeling the soreness creeping into my muscles. An airplane roared overhead. Sebastian and I tracked its progress as it came in for a landing.
“Do you think we can still make our flight?” I asked.
“We’re sure as hell going to try,” Sebastian said, making a dash for the driver’s door. I hopped into the fro
nt seat beside him. “What about your spell?”
“I’ll do it while we drive.”
“And then you’ll explain why you needed to do it, right?”
“Right,” I said without hesitation. My new life with Sebastian was going to be all about full disclosure.
Sebastian nodded as his eyes watched for a break in the bridge traffic. The muffler sputtered loudly as he revved the engine.
I buckled my seat belt and tried to remember what exactly I had done when I first ensnared Larkin in the spell. Had I made a sachet or a pouch? Did I sprinkle him with herbs?
I couldn’t remember!
It just hadn’t been that important to me at the time. I’d probably recorded it in my Book of Shadows, but on the night I’d fled from this town I’d left my journal behind along with everything else—except my cat.
Maybe what mattered more than the details was the intent. What I wanted with Larkin was closure. I wanted to break the spell to free him from his memories of me. I needed to make this right.
In my lap I cupped my hands into the shape of a bowl. I imagined filling my hands with bluish light. The car jerked as Sebastian swerved across lanes, but I concentrated on filling my hands with the energy of release. As I poured into it my regret, I also added forgiveness—for what Larkin had done to me but also for past callousness. I had better angels to answer to these days, even if one of them was the Queen of Hell.
In my mind’s eye, a blue ball sparkled between my palms. Flashes of color representing my emotions flickered and danced in the light like fireflies. Once I got the impression I’d put in all the healing energy I could, I brought the ball to my lips and I mimed kissing it. After sealing the spell, I blew it in Larkin’s direction.
I took a moment to release any excess energy into the floorboards of the taxi and then through the tires into the earth. Slowly, I came back to myself. The heater smelled of dust and stone.
“We’re kind of stealing this cab, you know,” I said to Sebastian, who was busy passing a semitruck that slowed as the road inclined.
Honeymoon of the Dead Page 22
