The Amazon and the Beast (Mythos Book 1)

by Hati Bell

“What, you don’t even wanna cuddle afterwards?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re such a girl,” she teased back. “I’m burning inside. You have no idea how that feels.”

  “Actually, I do.”

  “Oh? Who did you drink aphroditsia with before then?” she asked sharply.

  He sighed. “I’m thousands of years old, Kellsey. I have a whole past with women.” Not that he remembered most of them. Their faces paled in comparison to Kellsey’s fire.

  An uncertain look appeared in her eyes. “Do you… do you not want me because I’m not very experienced? I mean, Macan was my first….”

  He really didn’t want to talk about her and Macan. “When I found out about you and Macan, I wanted to kill him,” he confessed. “I was going to challenge him during the Blood Games.”

  “That doesn’t sound fair,” she said. “Macan isn’t a warrior. He’s a musician. He doesn’t even wear a combat hieroglyph.”

  “Never said I was fair,” he said, and he walked to his travel bag.

  “What stopped you? From killing him, I mean.”

  “He gave you something I can’t give you,” he said as he pulled a shirt from his bag. “He made you happy.”

  “You can make me happy too, Lee. We can make each other happy. Especially now.”

  If the circumstances had been different, he would’ve already taken Kellsey as his lioness and had cubs with her. However, he could never have his own family.

  His eyes nearly popped out of his head when she took off her bra. “Fuck. Your nipples are pierced.”

  “It’s an amazon tradition,” she declared.

  “Didn’t know you were traditional,” he said hoarsely. “You don’t wear a high-necked corset.”

  “The great thing about not growing up in an amazon tribe is that I can choose which traditions I follow, and which I don’t. For example, I love close contact weapons like my knives. Speaking about close contact….”

  “If I touch you, I won’t be able to stop,” he admitted.

  She sighed. “We’re talking in circles. I never asked you to stop. In fact, I’m asking you to begin.” She restlessly began to caress her breasts.

  Leroy’s breath hitched. “Shit, Kellsey….”

  “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do,” she said, and she ran her fingers over her nipples.

  He was about to explode. It felt like the Earth just shifted beneath his feet. He shot to the bed, as if in a trance.

  It bothered him that she was pleasuring herself while he was standing next to her. And why should he deprive himself of the joy of pleasuring her? Hadn’t he already suffered enough? He hadn’t asked for the curse. He wasn’t even the one the curse originally was cast upon. It wouldn’t be long before he changed into a monster. It never was. Maybe it was time to just give in to his addiction.

  He grabbed Kellsey’s hands and she moaned. Her beautiful golden eyes looked at him reproachfully.

  “Let me,” he said and he moved her left hand over her flat stomach to her tiny thong.

  “Finally,” she sighed.

  He laid her other hand on her breast. “Pinch your nipples.”

  “Why don’t you do it?”

  “Don’t challenge me, Kellsey. I feel like a centaur who fights the bit. If I let go of the reins, I don’t know what might happen.”

  Kellsey came up on her knees and leaned against his chest. “You know how I feel about centaurs and reins. Let the reins go, Lee. Let them go.”

  “I can’t give you what you want. Not in the long run.” He didn’t know how much longer he could keep still while her naked body was pressed against him.

  “You know, I can think for myself just fine. Has it ever occurred to you that you might be wrong?”

  “I know you,” Leroy said and he couldn’t stop himself from caressing her hair. He had dark fantasies about her shiny, curly hair. Fantasies that would remain locked deep inside his heart because he couldn’t give her the one thing she wanted so much. She could forgive him his past. She would even lovingly put him in a cage three days a year. But Kellsey Callahan grew up in a big, rowdy family. One day she’d want kids. Something he could never give her.

  “If you know me, then you know I don’t just give up,” she said stubbornly. Her hand slid under his shirt and his heart beat like a drum.

  “I know.”

  She tried to straddle him, but he wasn’t having any of that. This was his fantasy. His rules. He gave her a little push and she ended up on her back with him between her thighs.

  He took her mouth in a scorching kiss and nibbled his way back down her body, his gaze on her large breasts. Her back arched when he pulled a nipple into his mouth and sucked.

  “So hot,” she moaned, her hands going to his head when his lips locked to a breast.

  He let her nipple go with a pop, grabbed her wrists and pulled them above her head. “Don’t move them.”

  She did as he asked and he showered her breasts with kisses as his palm nestled between her thighs.

  “Spread your legs,” he ordered. “Wider.” He pressed his palm against her mound and she bucked her hips, wanting more friction.

  He slid a finger inside of her without warning, while at the same time pulling her nipples piercings, hard. She gasped, her eyes dilated and her hands grabbed his shoulders.

  “What did I say about your hands?” he growled. He pulled back his fingers and flipped her onto her stomach in one smooth move. “On your hands and knees.”

  She moaned when his hand smacked her left cheek. Yeah, his amazon liked a bit of pain with her pleasure.

  Fuck. He could come just by looking at her luscious ass. But this wasn’t about him. It was about her. He was the moth. She was the flame. He inhaled her delicious, unique, wild scent and… fire.

  Fire?

  There was a loud bang that shook the walls. He lifted Kellsey off the bed and put her on her feet.

  “That sounded like wildfire,” she said, out of breath. Her pupils were still dilated and her cheeks were pink but otherwise, she seemed fine.

  “Get dressed,” he said as he grabbed his jeans. He saw that Kellsey had already put on her pants. Her tee followed.

  Their door slammed open. Satiros stood in the doorway with two vampires at his side. “It’s not them,” he said tightly and he left as quickly as he came.

  Leroy cursed. There was only one reason why Satiros would burst into their room.

  ***

  Half an hour later, once again, they stood in front of Satiros’ desk. The auctioneer had dropped into a chair with a glass of wine. His white hair was singed and burn holes speckled his robe.

  “Tell me that you still have the helmet,” Leroy said, hoping against hope.

  Satiros chugged back his wine and cleared his throat. “It appears that the helmet was stolen.”

  Of course it was stolen. So far, nothing was going according to plan. It wouldn’t change the outcome though. “I don’t care. I want my helmet,” Leroy said.

  Satiros shrugged. “We shook hands and I promised to sell the helmet to you during the auction, which makes it an oral contract. Technically, the helmet is yours,” he dared to claim.

  The sneaky goat. “How can the helmet be mine, if I don’t possess it?” Leroy tried to keep his temper in check instead of biting Satiros’ head off.

  “You’ll have to find it first, Leandros,” Satiros said on a tone like he was explaining something to a three-year-old. “Since the sale was closed before the helmet was stolen, well, that means that finding the helmet is no longer my responsibility.”

  Leroy’s claws shot out. Satiros’ eyes bulged out when they clamped around his throat like a vice. His lion uttered a satisfied growl and Leroy immediately felt better.

  “You know what I am, Satiros?” he asked. “Well, aside from pissed-off.” The satyr produced some guttural sounds but couldn’t form any words.

  “I think he’s trying to say something,” Kellsey said. Leroy relaxed his grip
on his throat.

  Satiros wheezed out a strangled “a lion?”

  “Not any lion, you worthless goat. I’m a Nemean lion.” There was no point in hiding the nature of his beast anymore. By now, all of Oban would know about it. Rumors spread quickly in the Highlands. “So, I’m asking again. How do I find my helmet?”

  “And just in case you refuse to answer, you might want to consider this,” Kellsey said. “Giant scorpions are nothing compared to what I can call upon your ass.”

  “She has a Kraken named Krikky that will reduce your house to crack,” Leroy agreed.

  “He prefers to be called Krik nowadays,” Kellsey said. “He’s going through a teen phase.”

  Satiros swallowed. “I thought those were just rumors.”

  “No rumors,” Kellsey said. “A giant scorpion infestation can be annoying, but if I release Krik, he will level your villa. There will be left nothing more than sand to play with in a box. You know, like Troy after the gods destroyed it.”

  “Well, if you put it like that, I might have a way to find the helmet,” Satiros said hastily. “I had it secured by a white witch. She put a geographic tracking spell on it.”

  “Magic GPS?” Kellsey asked. “Nifty.”

  Leroy let go of the satyr. “Why didn’t you say that to begin with?” he grumbled.

  Satiros dropped into his chair and adjusted his cravat. “Do you have any idea how much a white witch asks for a simple GPS spell? As if their precious white magic consists of diamonds or something. One always talks about those poor black witches who were wiped out, but I’m the real victim here. I loved the black witches with their straightforward dark magic. Without them, there’s no more competition left between witches. Those white witches almost ask an arm and a leg for the most basic spell. Since I haven’t used the GPS spell yet, I was going to ask for my money back,” he admitted sheepishly.

  “Witches don’t do refunds,” Kellsey said and she rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows that.”

  “They will if they want to do more business with me,” Satiros rebuked. “Thor’s hammer and the helmet of Hades are just the beginning. The Roman gods are as good as defeated. Soon I will have an even larger stock of items that I can sell and….” He suddenly seemed to realize that he wasn’t alone and swallowed his words.

  Leroy had run out of patience. “I don’t give a shit what more items you’re gonna get,” he said. “Give me the witch’s map.”

  The satyr hesitated.

  “Kraken,” Kellsey said ominously.

  Satiros’ shoulders sagged and Leroy gave her a wink.

  10

  KELLSEY

  Leroy immediately wanted to go after the helmet, but Kellsey pointed out that they could always find the helmet. Their guide, however, left in an hour for Rinjani’s pond, where Leroy’s rescue lay. “We have the witch’s map. According to the map, the helmet is somewhere in Europe.”

  “‘Somewhere’ being the operative word,” Leroy growled, while stuffing clothes in his bag. “I’m going to kill that cheap goat.”

  Kellsey grinned. Leroy was so sexy when he was angry. And angry was an understatement about how Leroy had felt when he discovered the limitations of the witch’s map. Though limitation wasn’t exactly the right term for the fact that Satiros had bought the cheapest version of the map. As a result, they could only see the continent where the helmet was. For the exact location, they had to upgrade to the deluxe edition. And, of course, hope that the thief wouldn’t put on the helmet, since it was futile to chase after someone invisible.

  “At least we know where to look once we’ve healed you.” She couldn’t care less about a helmet while Leroy was dying.

  They left the villa and took a taxi to the center of Senggigi. The cabby gave them a smile that was lost on Leroy’s frown. They got out in front of a sign that said, “Happy Cafe”. The street was practically abandoned and was only populated by a hobo.

  It wasn’t long before they had found their guide. He stood in front of a van and was younger than Kellsey had expected, about twenty-ish. Next to him stood a siren who looked cool despite the early-morning heat that already had Kellsey sweating.

  Zlatan had long, black hair, pulled back in a ponytail, and an angular face. However, he was taller than the average kumiho, and, judging by his muscular arms, also more ripped.

  The siren wore a floral dress. Her blond hair hung loosely over her shoulders. She looked sweet and innocent. Like a virgin in ancient times, right before she was sacrificed to a sea monster. Her blue eyes drifted over Leroy for a moment and no longer looked so innocent. When she noticed that Kellsey threw her a dirty look, she hastily looked away.

  Kellsey thought the blonde would make a great gift for Krik. She could tie her to a rock and yell, “Release the Kraken!”.

  She smiled to herself and pulled her phone out when she heard that she’d received a message. It was from Shay.

  Hi, chicky. Scarab just canceled their gig because their guitarist had to chase after “Kellsey Callahan, the love of his life”. Isn’t it great that your arrow wasn’t wasted? It can never hurt to have a back-up lover.

  Oops. She’d totally forgotten about Macan. Her eyes automatically went to Leroy when she was reminded of Cupid’s arrow. He was talking with their guide.

  Another beep followed. This time it was a message from Levi.

  Macan came by looking for you. He carried a hydra with him with a heart drawn on it. I don’t like hydras, Kells. I don’t like them at all. You got something to do with this?

  “Crap.” How in Hades did he get his hands on a hydra? Those beautiful creatures were rare in this dimension.

  She turned the sound of her phone off and put it in her bag. She put on an innocent look when she found Leroy scrutinizing her. She’d totally missed the conversation between him and their guide.

  The siren cleared her throat and looked at Leroy.

  “Oh, right,” Zlatan said. “This is Celest.”

  Celest gave Leroy a hand and held it for a little longer than was necessary.

  Kellsey considered crushing Celest’s hand.

  “Is she coming with us?” Zlatan asked, with a chin jerk to Kellsey.

  “Yeah.”

  The lad stiffened. “Q didn’t mention an amazon would join us.”

  “Got a problem with that?” Leroy asked.

  Their guide frowned. “No, of course not. I just don’t like surprises.”

  “Don’t worry. I left my tribe at home,” Kellsey joked as she took her bag from her back.

  Zlatan ignored her and stepped behind the wheel. The siren sat on the passenger’s side. Kellsey and Leroy got in the back. Leroy sat on the farthest side of the backseat as if he was afraid to accidentally touch her.

  She sighed. Brick by brick, he rebuilt a wall between them and she didn’t like it one bit. It seemed as if all the intimacy they had shared in Satiros’ villa had evaporated. Okay, so she might have begged him, in an aphroditsia-induced state of mind, to extinguish the fire inside her, but still.

  Every time she thought they had become closer, he pulled back. She had been fifteen years old when she had met Leroy and for her it had been love at first sight. On her seventeenth birthday, she had offered herself to him on a silver platter, but with a steely face Leroy had asked her to leave his bed. She recalled how mythos referred to them as the Seven Deadly Sins. Well, she certainly wasn’t Pride. Maybe it was time to throw in the towel.

  She pursed her lips and gazed out the window as if there was something interesting to see. The car went past villages, temples and a mosque before they drove into the rugged inner lands.

  “So, how did Qasim and you meet?” she asked Zlatan.

  “Q has a website,” was his response.

  Ah, Qasim’s nomad network he was always talking about. “Maybe I should take a closer look into his network,” she said. “Especially when it has such good-looking guys in it, like you.” Leroy stiffened beside her, but she couldn’t have cared less.
His message last night came through loud and clear: she was on his no-shag list. It was amazing that she only figured that out now. He wasn’t the first guy afraid to ask her out, not willing to take on her brothers.

  Zlatan didn’t respond. His jaw tightened and then a mask of indifference slipped over his features. If she didn’t know better she’d think he was trying to ignore her. Perversely enough this made her want to chat with him all the more.

  “So, tell me, Zlatan, how does a kumiho end up in Lombok? I thought your kind usually lived in crowded places?” Places where they could rip people off.

  “I like the quiet,” he said and he cast her a defiant look. “And what are you doing here without your sisters? I thought your kind usually lived in tribes?”

  His tone bordered on rudeness. Leroy’s head snapped up and he looked as if he wanted to bite Zlatan’s head off.

  Kellsey put her hand on his and shook her head. Zlatan obviously had a history with amazons. Maybe his mother was one. He wouldn’t be the first bairn who was dropped off at his father’s. “I’m a bit of a freak,” she admitted. “I was raised by brothers instead of amazons. Qasim is one of them.”

  He was clearly taken aback by this news. “You’re a Callahan,” he said, sounding less hostile this time. “Is it true what they say about the Callahans?”

  Another question she had grown accustomed to. “And what is it they say, Zlatan?” she asked sweetly.

  “That a dhampir, a werewolf, and a djinn live under the same roof.”

  “It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke,” she jested. “But aye, we all live under the same roof.” Zlatan frowned and Kellsey let out an internal sigh. It didn’t look like she’d found a friend in their guide.

  When a new silence fell, Celest turned to Leroy. “And what are you? Werewolf? Dragon?”

  Kellsey was no longer surprised that mythos seemed to sense that Leroy was a shifter. Not that he would reveal his nature to Celest, of course. The siren would soon find out that a sweet smile didn’t automatically mean that….