Clashing Tempest (Men of Myth Book 3)

by Brandon Witt

  At his words, I gave my cock one final pump and shot over the floor again as his thrusts filled me with more of his cum.

  Thirty

  BRETT WRIGHT

  “I still think it’s a strange choice if werewolves really don’t like water.”

  Shane yawned and stretched his beautiful body. “Why? Unless there’s a tidal wave or something, it’s not like I’m gonna get wet.”

  I turned my attention from him, back to the picture window that looked out over the ocean. Already my skin was aching from being on land so long. I couldn’t imagine how I had ever managed when I was growing up.

  The window was the one adornment in Shane’s place. Everything else that took up space in the one-room house was only to meet basic needs. A tiny bathroom was adjacent to the kitchen. No pictures on the walls. No extra furniture. Only the oven-stove combo, sink, fridge, and bed. Even the bed was nothing more than a mattress set on a metal bed frame. A pile of neatly folded clothes lay next to the bathroom door. That was it. The concrete walls were a deep tan, the floor and ceiling both the natural cement gray. The space was spotlessly clean.

  The sparseness of the surroundings made the view of the ocean, framed by the jungle’s vegetation, even more captivating.

  I turned back to him, grinning, and motioned toward the bathroom. “At least you still bathe.”

  “Only when I have a hot guy in there with me.”

  His expression made me want to get back out of bed and return to the shower to relive a few of the choice moments we’d had a couple of hours ago.

  Shane let out another yawn.

  “I’m sorry I kept you up most of the night.”

  He rolled his eyes. “No, you’re not. At least you’d better not be.”

  He was right. The part of me I’d been suffocating for the past many months felt like it had finally been able to breathe.

  I knew I was going to return. Knew I’d found my home with the mers. Found the family I was meant to be a part of. Return as long as the Royals didn’t prove my immortality theory to be flawed. Even as I was ready to return to the ocean immediately, I knew I was going to have to do something about the whole gay thing. I couldn’t suppress it forever. No wonder I’d been moody and on edge so much of the time. Not that I hadn’t had enough reasons, or that I hadn’t always been moody. But still, no sex? Wasn’t helping. Maybe I could come to land every few weeks and get that particular need met.

  The thought was revolting. Living a double life. I’d already done that. Plus, every few weeks was not going to cut it.

  “What are you thinking?”

  I looked back over at Shane. “Sorry, a lot on my mind.”

  He readjusted on the bed, turning toward me. “That makes sense. You’re planning on meeting with the Royals today. That’s kinda huge.”

  My gaze flicked to where his cock had flopped over as he’d shifted, the weight of it causing it to hang across his leg and rest on the white sheets. I forced my gaze back to his face.

  He grinned, knowingly.

  “Yeah. I guess I should get going, really. I found out where they are a lot quicker than I was afraid I would, thanks to you, but I shouldn’t take any more time than I need to. There are too many others depending on it.” In the light of day, Wrell and Nalu were pressing themselves upon my mind. Already I was feeling guilty for having such great sex so soon after their passing.

  I pushed that thought process aside too. No need to go down that road. What Shane and I had done hadn’t hurt them or made it any worse for the mers. If anything, I felt more ready to face the vampires than I had the entire time. Even if the lack of actual sleep had left me a little tired.

  “I’m thinking I might come with you.” An apprehensive tone was in his voice that I hadn’t heard since the night before on the beach.

  I peered at him quizzically. “You mean come face the Vampire Cathedral with me?”

  He nodded slowly. I couldn’t tell if his apprehension was over the thought of dealing with the Royals or my reaction to his suggestion.

  Such a thought hadn’t even entered my mind. The idea of it was both appealing, since I would need as much help as I could get, and off-putting. “Shane, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I’m not in a place where I can offer—”

  “Oh, knock it off. I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve made that mistake before. Hookups and relationships are two different things. One I want. One I don’t.” The caution had left his tone. Though not unkind, his expression left no doubt to the validity of his statement.

  There was a story there; I felt certain. One that I could relate to. Damaged loves damaged.

  “Then why?”

  “Honestly? Sounds fun. I’ve been ready to move on from here anyway. Think I told you I was considering heading to Europe next. Why not have a little adventure before I go.” He motioned around the tiny house. “It’s not like I have anything tying me to this place. One call to the landlord, throw my clothes in a duffle, and I’m good to go.”

  I considered him. I nearly shouted “Yes” at the offer but held back. I wasn’t exactly sure why. True, the obvious came to mind—this guy’s a stranger, he might be playing for the other side, he’s a werewolf. I chastised myself for this last one. Like I knew anything about werewolves. I was a demon. That was supposed to be the worst thing, so who was I to judge.

  “You might need some more muscle. I don’t know who you’re going there to save…” His voice trailed off, his eyes narrowing. “Is it some boyfriend and now you’re worried about him finding out about us?”

  The idea actually made me laugh. “No. Not hardly. I’ll fill you in on the way.”

  His eyebrows rose. “On the way? Does that mean you’ve made up your mind?”

  I hadn’t even realized I’d said that. Well, why the fuck not? So far, it seemed like the path had been laid pretty clear for me. Might as well keep up the trend. A path to the Royals. Still wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad sign.

  “Yeah. I guess it does.”

  If I’d had any remaining concerns that Shane was going with me for the sake of some romantic crush, they vanished at his reaction. His lips broke into a smile, and he sat up. “Awesome! I’ve been needing some excitement. Haven’t had any reason to be all wolfie since the pack, other than running.”

  “All wolfie?” For some reason, even though I’d known he was a werewolf, the thought of his body actually transforming into wolf form hadn’t entered my mind.

  He paused. “That bother you?”

  I raised my hands in defense. “No. Not at all. Just hadn’t thought of it.” At the notion, I felt a glimmer of hope blossom in me. Demon powers and a wolf. Maybe we could pull this thing off.

  Shane smacked his hands together in a loud clap and made to slip off the bed. His excitement over the certain confrontation with the vampires gave his body a nearly electrical charge, making him seem even more powerful than before. “Great! Let’s get the fuckers!”

  I reached out and grasped his arm. “Shane.”

  He turned back to me. “Yeah?”

  “I’m going on a rescue mission, not to take down the whole cathedral.”

  He shrugged. “That sounds good to me.” Then he winked. “Besides, you never know what might happen.”

  I couldn’t help but feel myself get excited at his eagerness. Again he started to move off the bed, but I held onto his arm.

  “What is it?”

  It was my turn to feel a little insecure. “Well, it’d been a long time before you, and I doubt we’ll actually have any time while were dealing with vampires. I was just thinking—”

  That same eagerness flashed through his smile as he turned fully back toward me and rose to a kneeling position. His cock was already halfway erect as he moved to get on top of me. “Can’t think of a better way to get this thing underway.”

  “Uhh, Shane?” I put my hand over his chest, keeping him from lowering all the way onto me.

  “What?”

/>   “There’s no way I can have you in me again right now. As much as I want to.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Hmm. Can barely remember the last time I’ve done that.” He reached between us and grasped my dick, beginning to pump. “This is just the tool I’d choose to end such a dry spell.”

  Thirty-One

  FINN DE MORISCO

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. Like we don’t have enough problems.” I looked from Caitlin over to Newton, his wings appearing even more extraordinary, confined in the tiny hotel room. “And you’re okay with it?”

  Before Newton could respond, Caitlin stood up from where she’d been perched on the side of the bed. “Okay. Number one, you should know better than to think I’m gonna follow what some dweeb fairy tells me to do. Number two, and more importantly, I resent the implication that he’s in charge simply because he’s a man.” She looked in his direction with raised brows. “Or a male at any rate.”

  “Okay, Caitlin, put your feminism flag down for a minute. I wasn’t saying all that, and you know it. I was simply pointing out that Newton has a little more common sense than you do.” I raised my hands before she interrupted. “Or at least the ability to stop and assess a situation before jumping into it because he feels like it.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and addressed Schwint before turning back to me. “I don’t know how you date my brother. He’s such a know-it-all. And for your information, Finn, following the vamp was Pewlet’s idea to begin with.”

  Newton let out a frustrated sigh. “Does that never get old? I’m going to start calling you Catherine or something.”

  “Yeah, that would make a lot of sense. And no, as long as it drives you crazy, it doesn’t get old.” She grinned at him. Caitlin looked tougher than ever and even more beautiful than usual. For the first time in over a decade, her hair wasn’t some outrageous color. She’d shorn it into a tight pixie cut and let it go back to her natural black. The wild hair had been drawing too much attention when she was around the locals. I would have thought that, with all the tourists Montezuma had, a little colored hair wouldn’t raise many eyebrows. It seemed I was wrong. Of course, Cate had always drawn more than her fair share of attention, only it didn’t matter when we were back in San Diego.

  Schwint interjected before either Newton or I could retort. “All right, kids. Let’s stop the verbal sparring. What’s done is done. Let’s try to focus on how this might affect us.” He leaned toward Newton, who was still sitting on the bed, next to where Caitlin had just vacated. “Since it’s impossible to follow a vampire without their knowledge, as I’m sure you know…”

  Newton gave him a withering stare.

  Schwint nodded. “I hoped so. Well, since he obviously knows, have you noticed any reaction from him?”

  “Nothing aggressive. He’s looked at us several times. I’m certain he knows who we are.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. “Yeah. I’m sure he does. It’s not like Gwala is going to keep it a secret from the vampires in the area that my sister is nearby and that she isn’t to be harmed.” I glared at Caitlin. “At least until he’s ready for you to be harmed. I can’t fathom why you’re trying to make it easier.”

  It surprised me when she gave me a straight answer without any of her normal consternation. “If Gwala or any of the others want me dead, or Newton, we will be. You said so yourself—they already knew we were here and where we were. If there’s a chance we could learn something from this fucker, we might as well try. Granted, the chances are small, but I’m sick of doing nothing. Nearly two months of doing nothing but sit in that damn cave and watch a fairy preen his feathers. Even my ex-girlfriend was doing more than me, at least until Dad was well enough to go home. Everyone is either helping Mom and Dad or Cynthia. I can’t—”

  “You’re here. You’re close. We don’t know when an opportunity to rescue Cynthia could arise or what you’ll need. Your time will come.”

  “Fine, but until then, Finn, I’m going to follow the vampire.”

  “But why? Why take the chance? He knows you’re watching. Do you really think he’s going to slip up while you’re there to see? What is there to see anyway?” We’d already been through this, and try as I might I couldn’t keep the frustration out of my voice. “I’ve got enough to worry about already, surrounded by vampires, increasing my powers—”

  Caitlin cut me off by throwing out her arms in exasperation, the fingertips of her left hand smacking against the wall. She shook them, never taking her eyes off me. “That’s the point! You’re helping our family every second, and you expect me to continue to just sit here? Maybe following the redhead would lead to something. And as far as him slipping up, he has before, or at least close enough. He attacked Brett in the alley and let you see him. Before he could fully be out in the sun, he tried and failed to get Brett and Peter before the sun had set. He didn’t even kill Brett’s roommate.”

  A bitter laugh escaped before I could rein it in. “I don’t think him changing Sonia into a vampire constitutes him slipping up. I’m not really sure the other things do either. I still don’t see what you could find out from him.”

  “Not being sure didn’t stop you from going to the Square when you were trying to help Brett. It’s okay for you, but not for me?”

  “And look where that got us. None of us would be here if it hadn’t been for me going to the Square, which you’ve brought up many times.”

  The room fell silent. Caitlin paused in her pacing to stare out the window toward the ocean. Newton went to the far-off place in his mind he disappeared to. Schwint slipped his hand into mine. The gesture made me want to curl up where we were seated on the bed and go to sleep. I was suddenly exhausted.

  Caitlin and Newton had moved out of the cave the day after Omar had tried to kill us and Gwala had shown me the merman. We’d already known the vampires knew they were hiding there, but having them bring Schwint’s mangled body to Newton for healing confirmed it. Caitlin hadn’t seen any reason to continue staying in the cave. I guess I couldn’t blame her. What was the point?

  I’d come two days after the drama with Omar. I’d been nervous enough, I hadn’t stayed in their hotel room for more than a couple of minutes. I needed to thank Newton for helping Schwint, and I hadn’t been aware how much I had missed Caitlin until she stood in front of me. It had been the first time since we’d separated that I’d come to see her. Now here I was, three weeks later, back again and not even thinking about the time. Something about finally having an idea of why the Royals wanted me so badly gave me a sense of entitlement. I was too valuable, and as long as I did what Gwala wanted, neither of my sisters would be in trouble. Until they found a warlock more powerful than I, which I couldn’t fathom taking very long. Of course, then all of us were in trouble.

  The hotel room was pretty basic. Clean, but nothing extra. The only adornments were paintings that hung above each bed. Beachscapes that looked like they had been done as a freshman art project.

  I watched Caitlin as she stared out at the sea. I wasn’t sure which one of us had it harder. She’d never gotten to see Cynthia, but I think that was a blessing in some way. It was torturous to have her so near and be unable to even let her know we were here. I couldn’t tell what Cate was thinking, but her body was even more rigid than normal, like it was ready to erupt at a moment’s notice or shatter into a million pieces.

  “At least you got a room with a good view.”

  Startled, she flinched as my voice broke the silence. Actually flinched. Caitlin. She really was about to lose it.

  Turning from the window, her smile was small and sad. “You should have seen the first place Newton tried to get us to stay. No window at all, and the shower looked like some place a serial killer hangs his victims to let them bleed out.”

  I grinned, trying to ease the strain between us. “Sounds kinda up your alley.”

  She smiled back, which appeared somewhat genuine. “I guess you’re right, actually. However, I like
my bathing experience to be somewhat creep-free. As lame as this place is, it’s a far cry from where he tried to get us to stay.”

  Newton shrugged from where he reclined on the bed, his wings now vanished. “It was cheaper, nearly a third of the price of this place.”

  Caitlin made a sweeping motion, encompassing the depressing space. “And that should tell you something.”

  “She made us wander up and down the streets in the middle of the night looking for a new hotel. It was like we were on a parade.”

  She glared at him, but it seemed more in affection than actual irritation. Wonders never ceased. “If you’d shown your wings like I told you, it really would have been a parade.”

  “How are you guys paying for this, anyway?” I was surprised the thought hadn’t occurred to me before.

  This time, Caitlin’s smile was most definitely real. She thumbed her finger toward Newton “We’re not! Can you believe it? Mr. Goodie-goodie here is actually charming them into thinking we’re paying.”

  Before I could respond, Newton sat up straight, a look of indignant consternation coming over his face, a tone of pride creeping into his usual bored cadence. “I pay for the room in other ways. We both do. Ways that save them more money than they could have rented this room for to begin with.”

  Caitlin rolled her eyes. “He’s constantly making me fix something. A crack in the wall here, a loose doorknob there. If Cinderella had magical powers and was only able to use them for household chores, she’d be me.”

  “Sounds like the Pewlet I know.” Schwint reached forward and slapped the other fairy affectionately on the thigh. “Sorry. Newton.”

  Caitlin left the window and returned to sit beside Newton. “Gotta hand it to him, he’s not a complete Boy Scout. He saw some dude being a total bitch to his wife. Newton did some charm and had him trip right into this muscle-for-brains and spill his drink all over him. The guy got a black eye and a chipped tooth for it. Wish I’d thought of it myself.”