Orpheus gripped her jaw and turned her face toward him. “Don’t look,” he whispered into her ear. “Look at me. I’m right here.”
Thankful for the escape, she buried her face in his chest. His steady breath in her ear calmed her. Tucked into the cocoon of his embrace, she could almost forget they were careening across a river of the dead toward their probable doom.
The boat came to rest on the opposite shore, and Orpheus swept her by the waist, out of the boat and along the path away from Charon before she could blink. A screech the likes of which Alena had never heard before came from the direction of the boat—Charon.
“The drachma is a sand dollar again,” she said.
The dark figure swung its scythe in their direction, slicing through the foliage behind them.
“He can’t leave the boat, but I’m not sure how far he can throw that scythe. Come on. The path leads that way.”
He pointed toward a house at the center of the island, and they gladly hurried away from Charon.
“What is this place?”
“I’m sure our next deadly trial. Hopefully one that will end in us finding the grimoire.”
They reached the stone manor, and she allowed him to take her hand and lead her inside like a child. With a grand stone entrance and a suspiciously open door, the house welcomed them, bursting of the scent of baking bread. A fire blazed in the grate.
Alena eyed a chair near the hearth. “Can we rest? Just for a moment? I’m so tired.” She rubbed her temples.
“Not here. It’s too exposed.”
He led her up a flight of stairs to a hall of rooms. Each, upon inspection, was empty.
“We’re alone here,” Orpheus said, standing in the doorway of the last room. White curtains blew in from the open window, and a plush white bed waited at the center. On the bureau rested a pitcher and a bowl of fresh fruit.
“Someone has been here. The fruit is fresh.” Alena yawned.
“It could be a trap.” Orpheus rubbed his face as if he too struggled to keep his eyes open.
Alena reached into her satchel for the enchanted stone she used to test for curses and poisons. Crossing to the side table, she dunked it in the pitcher of water. It did not change color.
“This water is pure. We can drink it.” She poured a glass and drank it down, slaking her thirst, then dug into the bowl of fruit, holding the stone against a shiny red apple. “This is safe to eat.”
Orpheus breathed a sigh of relief and closed and locked the door behind him. “We’ll rest here, take shifts. Just for a little while.”
He joined her at the bowl, drinking his fill and then taking a bite of the apple. Alena chose a cluster of grapes from the dish and popped one into her mouth. She poured a small amount of water into the basin and washed her face and hands. Her basket had grown heavy on her shoulder. She removed it and moaned at the relief. She rolled her neck.
“Lie down. I’ll keep watch.”
Resisting the draw of the white bed was futile. She crawled under the covers and laid her head on the pillow. Orpheus shifted uneasily, his eyelids heavy with sleep.
She held out her hand. “Come. Lie beside me. Just a short sleep, and then we will continue on. We’re safe here.” She wasn’t sure how she knew they were safe, only that she felt it to her bones.
Orpheus inhaled deeply. “We can’t trust the gods.”
Alena could barely comprehend what he was saying. Her eyelids were heavy, and the light in the room rippled as she edged toward sleep.
Whatever strength or resolve he’d had abandoned him quickly enough. He approached her outstretched hand and slipped into bed beside her.
Chapter Eight
Orpheus told himself he’d keep watch. He didn’t trust the gods or this strange house in the underworld. But despite his resolve, no sooner had he stretched out beside Alena and settled her head upon his chest than he drifted to sleep. When he woke, he felt refreshed, which was odd, because it appeared no time had passed. The light streaming through the sheer window dressing shone on the floor in the very same place it had when he’d crawled into bed.
“Oh, that felt good.” Alena ran her hand down his chest and over his stomach. She paused, seeming to catch herself, and removed it to her side. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
But Orpheus caught her wrist and placed her hand back on his torso. He loved it when she touched him. Her heat. Her scent. He brought her fingers to his lips and pressed a kiss against the tips.
“Orpheus…” She stared at him through hooded eyes.
He reached for her and rolled her on top of him. The look of surprise on her face made the corner of his mouth twitch. Let her be surprised. This was what she did to him. His cock was hard as stone, and all he wanted to do was bury himself in her. He wouldn’t hide it. Not anymore. Not when his every waking thought and dream was of her.
“We should—” Alena seemed to forget what she’d been about to say.
For several heartbeats he stared up at her, believing she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
“You are and always will be the one who holds my heart, Alena.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “If we ever make it out of this, I’m going to marry you properly and make the Alexandria elite regret the day they suggested you were anything less than my queen.”
She laughed. “I know you’re only saying that because you think we won’t make it out of here, but I’d love to see the looks on their faces.”
Willing his expression to be as serious as he could make it, he reached up and cupped her face. “Marry me, Alena.”
Her lips twitched as if she believed he was joking at first, then fell as she examined his face. “Yes.”
Her lips lowered to his, her mouth hungry, wanting. He rolled them over and settled his weight between her thighs. The woman was a rare beauty. Orpheus exulted in the feel of her soft breasts pressed into his chest. He trailed his kisses down her throat as his hand worked at her belt.
“Be my lover, Alena. We may never have another chance. I swear I will wed you if we survive, but for now…”
Alena arched beneath him, rubbing against him through the thin layers of their clothing. Gods, he wanted her. He ached to be inside her. But he wouldn’t force her. No, if she wanted him to stop, he would, even if he had to handle things himself. His hand worked under her tunic and found her tight flesh.
“Alena?” He rose off her, allowing cool air to snake between their bodies. “Will you have me?”
“Yes,” she said, tears glistening in her eyes. “I want this. I want to have you before we die.”
Orpheus tossed her belt aside and pushed her tunic higher on her hips and then over her head. Her exposed breasts plumped, luscious and peaked, over the gentle roundness of her belly and the mound of her sex. Gods, she was a feast, and he intended to taste every part of her. He removed his loincloth and pulled off his chiton.
“I…” She covered herself with her hands as he knelt on the bed between her knees. “I’ve never done this before.” Her tense, almost worried expression gave him pause.
“Touch me, Alena,” he commanded. When she looked away, he repeated in a firm but gentle voice, “Do not be afraid. Look at me. Touch me.”
She moved her hand tentatively to stroke her nails up his thigh, her eyes settling on his face. This wouldn’t do. Alena was a lion, not a scared little bird. He removed her hand from his thigh and wrapped her fingers around his cock. Her eyes grew large, but he didn’t stop there. He guided her touch along his length.
“This is what you like?” Her voice was husky.
“Yes. Now let’s find out what you like.”
He cupped her breast, weighing it in his hand before rolling her nipple between his fingers. She gasped, her eyes closing. He leaned forward to pull that nipple into his mouth and smoothed his palm down her side. When his fingers found her center, he took his time, rubbing circles until she writhed on the bed beneath him.
“Ple
ase,” she begged.
He did not make her wait.
Positioning himself, he entered her slowly, allowing her body to adjust around him. Oh, she was tight, soft, and warm. He moved above her, supporting himself on his elbows so he wouldn’t crush her. She wrapped her legs around his hips as he slid in deeper.
“What is this magic?” she asked into his jaw.
“You haven’t felt anything yet.” He pulled out slowly, then thrust into her until she made a high-pitched moan.
“More,” she cried.
He was relieved by her demand. No more could he restrain himself. He pounded into her, his hips thrusting until reality blurred and he caught himself coasting toward a bright light. She dug her nails into his back, and he was there, pitching over the edge into the abyss, her body wrapped around his as they soared above everything.
A moment later, he collapsed beside her, panting.
“That’s not what I expected,” she said.
“What did you expect?”
She propped herself on her elbow. “I didn’t think it would feel like…” She ran her hand up her torso and wrapped her fingers around the base of her throat. “Like flying and falling all at the same time.”
He gave her a lazy smile and rolled onto his back. “Well, I for one would like to send you to the stars again sometime soon.”
She trailed her fingers along his sternum. “I’d like that very much.”
Orpheus was nothing if not a man who loved a challenge. He reached for her once again.
Chapter Nine
Alena understood they should be continuing with their quest, but she couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed. They’d made love more than a dozen times, and still she wanted more—more passion, more kisses, more pleasure. More unadulterated love which he poured over her with whispers like prayers in her ears as they worshipped at the altar of each other. Her heart pounded in her chest, and with every beat, she only thought of Orpheus. Beside her, he was hard in all the right places and as handsome as the first day she’d seen him. Just thinking about the way he’d moved inside her, again and again, made her flush with heat.
How long had they been in this room? Hours? The light was the same. Although, considering they were in the underworld, she wasn’t sure if it ever changed.
“Would you have done this with me if we were not about to die?” he asked her, his eyebrow arching.
The question surprised her. “I wouldn’t have had the opportunity. We weren’t speaking to each other.”
“I was speaking to you. It was you who was avoiding me.”
“I thought... I thought you were only after one thing.”
“And now that I’ve had it? What now?”
“You tell me.”
“If it were up to me alone, and if we survive this quest, I’d like to have the rest of you.”
“You’d have the rest of me? It seems there is none of me you haven’t tasted yet.” She lifted the sheet and looked down at herself, eliciting a small laugh from Orpheus.
“I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d like to marry you.”
“We hardly know each other.” Aside from the time they’d been together on the ship, she’d spent more time hating him than in his company.
“I know you. I know you better than anyone. You are a descendant of Circe and one of the most powerful sorceresses alive. I know you heal the villagers for free when they can’t pay you. I know you can read and write, which is admirable on its own, and that you also enjoy it. And I know you’d make an excellent wife. Also, I know you could have chosen to turn me back into a human immediately at the stream, but you wanted to teach me a lesson.”
She flashed him a crooked smile. “Maybe.”
“I forgive you.” He rolled her on top of him. “Would it be so terrible to be married to a barber?”
“A barber who can charm the birds with his own voice and who kisses like Eros himself.”
“How do you know how Eros kisses?”
“I don’t, only that your kisses are the finest in the world.”
Was her mind playing tricks on her, or had he just blushed? Her stomach growled.
“Let me get you some fruit,” he said, rising from the bed. He paused, staring into the bowl.
“What is it?”
“The bowl is full.”
She sprang from the bed, another pang of hunger rippling through her stomach. “The water pitcher is full again too.”
They looked at each other in horror. “How long have we been in that bed, Alena?”
Her eyes searched the room for any clue, but the light hadn’t changed; the temperature was exactly the same. Her gaze fell on her apothecary basket. Hand trembling, she reached down and drew a finger through a layer of dust that had settled on the top. At least a day’s worth of dust, maybe more.
“Orpheus, something isn’t right.”
“I feel strange. Weak. Like we haven’t eaten in days.”
She opened her basket and retrieved a sprig of enchanted mint from one of the jars. “For clarity.” She popped it into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
Almost instantly, the room changed. Paint peeled from the walls, the drapes hung in torn shreds in front of the window, the bed became a filthy, dusty, and stained mess, and it was hot, as hot as where they most certainly were—Hades.
“We need to leave here, Orpheus. Now.”
“What do you see?”
“Get dressed.”
He chose another apple from the basket. “We should take the food in your satchel.”
She raised a hand to her mouth and stifled a gag. Her stomach roiled. “It is rancid. Full of maggots.” She turned away and heaved, but there was nothing in her stomach to eliminate. When he still didn’t put the apple down, she retrieved the rest of the mint from her bag and placed it on his tongue. As soon as the magic took effect, he tossed the rotten fruit back into the basket in disgust.
“Gods, it is another trap. But I thought you tested it!”
Alena pulled the pale green crystal from her pack and placed it in the water. It turned dark almost immediately. “It did change. I just couldn’t see it through the illusion!”
Orpheus began to dress quickly. “This entire time, the gods have been slowly starving us to death.”
“We should have known.”
Alena tried not to reveal her shock when she saw how thin Orpheus looked. They must have been in bed for days. She finished dressing and lifted her bag onto her shoulder. But Orpheus wasn’t moving.
“Hurry. We have to find the grimoire before one or both of us collapses.”
“Was it all an illusion?” he asked her.
Their eyes met.
“No,” she said quickly, surprised at how much she wanted him to know the truth about her feelings. She paused and offered him a soft smile. “Now let us live to prove it.”
He nodded and charged toward the door. Her legs felt frail as she followed him into the corridor, but she pressed on. As they passed through the hall, she saw the house for what it was. Each of the rooms was filthy, some with pairs of skeletons still embracing in the beds. This was a place of forgetting. A place where one could sleep their life away.
They left the house and continued along the path they’d been following, which led up a steep hill. The climb was difficult in their debilitated state, but as they reached the top, they saw a Greek temple in the distance, its white marble pillars gleaming against the rich green of the surrounding hillside. Panting and exhausted, they helped each other across the glade and up its marble steps. There, on the altar, lay their prize, a massive golden book engraved with the same ornate peacock they’d observed on the doors.
Alena swayed on her feet and caught herself on Orpheus’s arm. “Do you feel that?”
He nodded. “Power. Pure, unadulterated power.”
The grimoire was as long as the full length of her arm with a width as wide as her shoulders and a thickness at least a cubit deep. It looked to Alena to be both an
cient and brand-new. “How will we even carry it? It’s monstrous.”
She approached it cautiously, scanning the altar for any source of danger. It couldn’t be as easy as just taking it. Despite the fear and foreboding flooding her senses, she forced her aching legs to move her toward the grimoire.
“Alena, look!” Orpheus pointed to her right.
The gold doors they’d come through had sprouted from the earth beside them.
“This is it then,” she said, reaching for the book. “The end of the path. Let’s take it and return home.”
“No!” Orpheus yelled as energy crackled in her ears. He lunged for her. “Don’t touch it!”
Chapter Ten
Orpheus stopped Alena just in time, hands gripping her wrist from behind her, his heart hammering against her back. “When you reached for it, lightning formed in the air around you like a cloud.” He shook his head and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “It’s protected with strong magic.”
“Of course it is.” Alena’s voice cracked through dry, parched lips. “Cleopatra wants vengeance. She wouldn’t want this grimoire if it weren’t ultimately powerful. The gods aren’t going to just let us take it.”
“No.”
“But Orpheus, we have to try.” She rotated in his arms to face him. “Look at us. We can hardly stand. If we don’t seize the grimoire now and go through those doors, we are as good as dead.”
Orpheus scowled. If anyone was going to touch the thing, it had to be him. He refused to put her in any more danger. He was sure now that he loved her. If they survived this test, he would marry her, even if he had to carry the pigheaded woman home over his shoulder. And if this grimoire was cursed, he would do his best to save Alena from it. If one of them had to risk death, it was going to be him.
Rubbing a hand across his mouth, Orpheus tried to think through his growing hunger and weakness. He licked his cracking lips. “If we knew the nature of the magic protecting it, we could use either logic or magic to defeat it.”
The Tanglewood Witches Page 5