Where a Goddess Belongs

by Stephanie Julian

  He shook his head. This woman—no, this goddess gave him all sorts of ideas he’d never had before and he couldn’t tell if they originated from him or from her. And did it really matter? He only knew he needed to get her to the lucani and make sure his sister was safe. Then maybe he could get his head back on straight and figure out what the hell he was gonna do now that he’d burned the only life he knew to the ground. “Then what the hell happened back there?” Den asked again. “You scared the shit out of us.” “I am so sorry about that.” Her voice held a deep sorrow that made Jacoby want to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. “I didn’t mean to hurt you—” “I’m not talking about what you did to us. I’m taking about you hurting yourself.” She fell silent and Jacoby glanced in the mirror to make sure she was okay. Not crying. Crying would be bad. If Den had made her cry, he’d have to beat him. She wasn’t. At least, he didn’t think she was. She looked mostly confused. “You’re not afraid of me?” “Why would we be afraid of you?” Jacoby asked when Den seemed to have lost his voice. “Because of the way I used my power against you. It was the only way I could think of to get you to release me. I didn’t want you to be touching me when I turned it on the Mal.” “Shit, no. I’m not angry about that. I’m pissed off that you hurt yourself. Are you okay?” “Yes, I’m fine.” In the rearview, Jacoby saw her lips curve in a smile and he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t realized how much stress he’d been holding until it lifted. “So what happened, Kari?” Jacoby glanced into the review again because he couldn’t help himself. “Why’d you pass out?” He heard her shifting around the seat behind them a second before she put one hand on his shoulder and the other on Den’s. Her touch sent electricity sparking through his body, causing his hands to clench around the wheel. He wanted to reach for her but the twisting road required both hands on the wheel. Den grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. It should’ve made Jacoby uncomfortable. Why it didn’t wasn’t something he wanted to explore right now. Instead, he pressed the gas pedal a little closer to the floor as they hit a relatively straight stretch of road. The faster they got to the wolves, the better he’d feel. They were too exposed out here on the road. And he didn’t want anything to happen to her. “I overextended myself. I haven’t had to use that much power in so long that I forgot how to regulate it. I’m afraid I might have caused some of those men serious damage.” She sounded so upset but he shook his head. “You know what they have planned for you. Don’t feel sorry for anything you do to them to keep yourself safe.” “I understand that. It also goes against everything I am.” “Yeah, well, don’t do it again.” Den’s tone gentled some but not much. “We’ll handle the Mal.” “You can’t handle the demon.” “You didn’t give us the chance.” Den’s voice rumbled with anger and Jacoby shot him a glace to get him to shut the fuck up. “I’m not trying to be mean but you couldn’t have handled the demon.” Her hand gripped his shoulder tighter and he had to resist the urge to put his hand over hers. “And this one had a hell of a lot of power. I’d love to know what it was doing with the Mal. I haven’t seen one in centuries and I know they don’t normally walk freely on this plane.” This plane. Tinia’s teat, that rattled him. Theoretically, he knew there were other worlds, realms, planes of existence, whatever the hell you wanted to call them. But they’d always been more idea than reality. Now... Damn, he’d actually seen a demon. From hell. Aitás was much more real now than it’d been before. It was going to take some time to come to terms with that. Says the man who can interface with machinery.

  He shot a look at Den and figured they both had pretty much the same look on their faces. Shock. Disbelief. A whole lot of “holy shit” and “what the fuck.” Den was the first to find his voice. “We had no idea the Mal are working with a demon.” “I know that.” Kari’s voice coated the darkness inside and out of the car with warmth. And made Jacoby’s cock swell against the zipper of his pants. “This demon’s no low-level grunt, either. He’s hierarchy. And that’s a whole other worry on its own.” “Why does that make a difference?” Den asked. Before she could answer, she yawned. “Because it means Charun is either working with the Mal or he doesn’t know what his minions are doing. And that’s probably worse than anything else. Without Charun to keep them under control, the upper-echelon demons are brilliant and bloodthirsty and powerhungry. And they have absolutely no conscience.” Jacoby shook his head, trying to think. “So why the hell are they working with the Mal?” Kari’s hand tightened on his shoulder. “I don’t know but whatever it is, it’s not good.” “What did he say to you?” Den asked. “It was talking to you, wasn’t it?” “It was taunting me, telling me how obsolete and useless I was. It didn’t seem to have a purpose, unless it just wanted to piss me off.” “Can you think of any reason it would want you?” She fell silent for several long seconds, her index finger tapping a steady beat against his shirt. “No. I don’t have any idea why they’d want me. Unless...” “Unless what?” Jacoby couldn’t chance looking in the mirror. The road had started to twist again as they began to come out of the mountains. “Maybe they want what Charun wanted. To be free of Aitás. They can only spend a limited amount of time on this plane or they risk being wiped from existence. They were created to serve Charun and given limited powers, so they wouldn’t be able to revolt or escape...” She paused and Jacoby realized why immediately. “If they take your power, will they be able to cross through to this plane more easily and stay longer?” She removed her hand and slid back into her seat and he immediately missed her touch. “Possibly. Probably, yes. It makes sense. What I can’t figure out is why Charun would allow it. He wants out but he knows the demons can’t be allowed to roam. They’re too unstable, too violent.” “Maybe he doesn’t care,” Den said. “Maybe he doesn’t know.” Jacoby shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t matter. The end result is the same. They’re working with the Mal and we need to figure out how to fight that.” “I’m not sure there is any way to fight them.” Kari sounded much more somber than she usually did. And tired. “I need to talk to Amity and the rest of my sisters. We need...” another yawn that made her sigh, “to figure out how to send them back to Aitás.” He and Den exchanged a worried glance as she yawned again. “We’ve still got about five hours of driving before we get to the wolves, why don’t you stretch out and take a nap?” Jacoby suggested. Den would’ve demanded, which was why Jacoby had spoken up. “We’ll wake you if anything happens,” Den added. “You look tired.” Jacoby winced. He knew better than to tell a woman she looked less than perfect. Den should, too. Kari chuckled. “Yes, I’m sure I do. I feel tired. But I think I should be awake if they catch up to us.” “Aren’t you wiped out, magically speaking?” “I am, actually.” She paused. “But...” Jacoby knew she wanted to say something else. He didn’t know why she would hesitate. What wasn’t she telling them? “But what?” Den prompted. “What’s wrong?” “Oh, nothing’s wrong. Nothing that a good long sleep would cure. Or...” “Or what?” Den’s frustration coated every word. “Spit it out.”

  “Well, sex is always a good way to recharge my battery.” Jacoby’s mouth actually fell open seconds before his libido leaped at the suggestion in her words and threatened to make him pull to the side of the road and climb over the back seat. He couldn’t chance a look in the rearview but he did glance at Den, who looked just as dumbstruck as he was sure he did. But in the blink of an eye, his expression flooded with lust. Holy shit. Did she mean—Could she possibly want— “Well, you both don’t have to answer all at once but I hope I didn’t scare you into silence.” Her tone held amusement but Jacoby thought he heard a little hurt as well. And that was unacceptable. But... Holy shit. Did she just want him to pull over to the side of the road? Or did she just want Den to crawl into the backseat? Jacoby wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep the car on the road if he had to listen to them— “As much as we would love to take you up on that offer,” Den had to clear his throat before he could continue, “I think we need to get to the wolves as so
on as possible.” Her sigh made Jacoby struggle to swallow a groan. She sounded so...disappointed. Oh, fuck. Join the club, babe. “I suppose you’re right. Okay, I guess I’ll just stretch out here for a little while and—” “But as soon as we get to the wolves,” Den continued, “all bets are off.” He couldn’t help himself. Jacoby had to look in the rearview. Her smile, sleepy and sexy as fuck, threatened to obliterate his concentration. His cock swelled, threatening to split his zipper and his hands tightened on the wheel hard enough to make it creak. “Then I guess I have something to look forward to.” Her gaze met his in the mirror before sliding toward Den. “Drive safely. Wake me if you need to.” Jacoby heard her shift around on the seat then silence. Which held for at least ten minutes before Den finally cracked. “She’s out. Jack—” “We need to ditch this car and find something else.” Den’s heavy sigh filled the front seat. “We need to talk about this.” No, they really didn’t. At least, not now. “We can talk about it after we find another car.” “I need to know if you’re gonna be okay with this.” “This being a threesome? We don’t need to talk about it now.” “But we are going to talk about it. Jacoby kept his mouth shut and his concentration focused on the road. “Yeah, we’ll talk.” Jacoby just didn’t know what the hell he was going to say.

  Chapter Six

  Den practically bit his tongue in half to keep from prodding Jacoby into saying something more. But he knew his friend and he knew it would take Jacoby a while to process what he was thinking and feeling. And, for the first time in a very long time, he had no idea what Jacoby was thinking. Usually, they were on the same page. Usually, whatever Jacoby said, Den agreed with and vice versa. Not now. Den wanted Kari with a grinding ache that had only intensified the more time they spent together. He wanted to strip her naked and give her anything she wanted. She wanted both of them. And, while Den had no problem with that, he was pretty sure Jacoby did. They’d never shared a woman, even though their tastes generally tended toward similar women. Women whose personalities weren’t overblown or loud. Quiet. Gentle. Stable. Kari wasn’t any of those things. She said whatever came into her head, expected you to do the same and never backed down. She could be quiet but she was never cowed. Hell, they’d been holding her against her will for the past three months but she’d never been pissed off at them. She’d smiled and flirted and made Den have to fight to keep his libido in check. She’d never tried to escape, although he now knew that if she’d wanted to leave, she would’ve walked out the door and neither of them would’ve been able to stop her. She had much more power than he’d suspected, probably more than anyone had known. And he’d make sure no one ever took that away from her. At least until she was ready to give it up on her own. To Jacoby’s sister. “You’re thinking so damn hard, you’re giving me a headache. Give it a break, will you?” Jacoby’s voice threw him out of his thoughts and Den turned to stare at him. “I thought you wanted to wait to have this talk.” Den kept his voice down, not wanting to wake Kari, but he heard something in Jacoby’s voice that made him draw in a deep breath. He guessed he should’ve expected this. Jacoby had a much shorter fuse than Den. “It’s been an hour. I’ve had enough time to think. And I think it’s a bad idea.” Shit, really? He’d lost an hour in thought. “What’s a bad idea? Do you mean going to wolves? Trusting them with my mom and your sister? Or the fact that a goddess wants to sleep with us? Pick one, Jack.” “You know which one. Don’t be an ass. I’m taking myself out of the equation.” Den stared at him, shaking his head. “Just like that? Do you really think you have the final say?” “I still have free will. I don’t have to fall in bed with her just because she snaps her fingers.” “Are you telling me you don’t want her? Because I know that’s bullshit.” Jack’s jaw tightened until Den thought the bone might crack. “I’m saying I don’t think I want to share her.” “So you want her for yourself?” Another pause, this one longer. “Of course I do.” “Then it’s me you have a problem with.” Now Jacoby’s hands tightened on the steering while until his knuckles went white. “I don’t have a problem with you. Don’t fucking put words in my mouth.” “Then say what the fuck you mean. I’m getting sick of trying to read your mind.” “I’m trying to save our fucking friendship. You’ve been lusting after her for months.” “So have you.”

  “But you can handle her, Den. To you, she’s a woman. To me, she’s still a goddess. I was raised to believe they were untouchable. And I might not be able to get beyond that.” “But we’ve lived with her for the past three months. You know she’s so much more than a myth. She’s a woman, too. Flesh and blood and desire.” “And that’s why I can’t even consider it. She’s not just a woman to me. She’s an ideal. And I might need to believe in that more than I believe in the woman.” Well, shit. This was an angle Den hadn’t even considered and it made him shake his head. “Then you need to tell her.” “I plan to. I just didn’t want you to fight me about it when I do. And as soon as my sister’s safe, I’ll leave.” “What do you mean?” “You know what I mean.” Yeah, Den was afraid he did. And that was a whole other problem. They’d been a team for the past ten years. Den knew he could function without Jacoby. He just didn’t want to. “No. There’s a way to handle this that doesn’t require us to split up.” “Well, when you figure that out, let me know.” Another silence fell and this time, neither of them broke it for a half hour. They’d finally gotten into a more populated area and they needed to ditch this car for another. Since it was three a.m. on a Sunday morning, they decided a used car lot would be their best target. No one would probably notice the car was gone until Monday morning. By that time, they should be in den territory and the car would be long gone. It wasn’t hard to find the right car. A gray Honda with a few years on it, old enough that the electronics wouldn’t be a problem. Although with Jacoby’s powers... Yeah, that still made Den want to hit something but he managed to keep his mouth shut while they pulled into the dark parking lot and made quick work of getting into the Honda and getting it started. Then Den carefully maneuvered Kari out of their old car and into the new. She never woke, which worried Den. But not enough for him to insist they wake her. They’d be at the den in a few more hours and would wake her when they got there. Until then, he and Jacoby would have to deal with each other. “Jack...look, we need to stick together. The Mal’s going to come after us and we’re going to need to watch each other’s backs.” “Don’t you think I know that? I’m trying to stay the fuck out of your way.” “Why would I want you to do that?” “So you and Kari can be together.” “But she doesn’t just want me. She wants both of us.” Jacoby’s jaw clenched so hard, Den swore he heard his teeth crack. “And that doesn’t bother you? Honestly?” “The only person I’d even consider making this work with is you.” “And if I can’t get past having to share her with you...what then?” “Then we’ll working something out. Right now, we just need to focus on getting to the den without getting caught. I’m not sure they know exactly where we’re going but they probably have a pretty good idea. We need to figure out how to get there without getting caught.” “Do you even know where we’re going? I mean, I have a general idea but I don’t figure we’re going to be able to just walk through the front door.” “We can worry about that when we get closer. Right now, I think we need to figure out how to contact them and let them know we’re on our way.” “I don’t think Cole’s going to post his phone number on Facebook.” Den was glad to hear Jacoby somewhat back to his normal, occasionally sarcastic self. But he was right. They’d been counting on having Kari guide them. But she was still down for the count and he didn’t want to disturb her unless they absolutely had to.