Fire and Fantasy: A Limited Edition Collection of Urban and Epic Fantasy

by CK Dawn

  “We don’t get that a lot. Our coloring is so opposite. I am fair and light haired while he is darker on both accounts. Most people don’t even believe we are siblings.”

  “True, but now that I know, I can see the resemblance. You have the same eyes.”

  “So, what are we having for dinner?” Xander bellowed into the room.

  Xena and I looked up. Xander hobbled out fully clothed. His hair, now combed back away from his face, exposed more of his strong wide set jaw and nose. I had an overwhelming eagerness to run my fingers through his thick, shiny black hair.

  “Why don’t I go out back and pick some vegetables so we can get dinner started? When I come back in, I can get you a change of clothing if you would be more comfortable in regular clothes.” She may have been trying to be nice, but a look of annoyance and borderline disgust still showed on her face. I let it slide.

  “Thank you, Xena. I would appreciate that.” If changing my clothes made her feel more at ease, I would gladly wear something she found more appropriate. It sounded as if she had been through enough, and I didn’t want to cause her any more stress.

  “Perfect,” Xander said, hobbling back into the small living space. “I will get started in here.”

  Xena shook her head as she walked out the front door but didn’t challenge him on the fact that he should be resting.

  “I know I said we would cook, but would you want to give me a hand in the kitchen?”

  In the kitchen? Preparing meals was not something I had experience with. I didn’t even know where to find a kitchen on my compound. Handmaidens and kitchen moms took care of those tasks, not a goddess of my standing.

  “I’m not much of a cook, but I am good with a knife. If you want something cut then I am your girl.”

  He flashed a grin at me, and his eyes lit up.

  “If you tell me what or how to do something I am a quick learner.” I walked the short distance over to the kitchenette area. The cabin was small, and under any other circumstance, would have made me feel claustrophobic.

  Xander opened a few cabinets and drew out jars of dried herbs and spices before opening the ice box and pulling out a wrapped and plucked bird. He turned and put them on the kitchen table.

  “Don’t be shy now. Come on over here. You said you were good with a knife. Do you think you can break this chicken down into eight pieces?” He slid a large knife onto the table beside the bird.

  “That I can do.”

  “I will get you the cutting board.” He took two steps in my direction, and his leg went out from under him.

  With sharp reflexes, I reached forward to catch him, but the weight of his body came right down on top of me—sending us both to the floor.

  A wide range of emotion flooded me. Stunned by the fall, I had an overwhelming urge to start laughing, but I didn't want to be rude and have him think I was snickering at him.

  “Hi,” he said, his voice soft but still deep and rugged. Something hard and rough clung around the edges, but he possessed a tremendous amount of tenderness and compassion inside of him.

  It oozed out in the way he cared for his sister. The fact that he trusted me to do the right thing by not being frightened or threatening to cause him harm. He could have run from me, but he’d allowed me to help him.

  “Hello.” For as big as he was, I didn’t feel crushed under him. Instead, I felt as if an unspeakable warmth was covering me. It flooded down to my toes, flaring between my legs the most.

  The tiny bursts of tingling, followed by a throbbing need, was an unfamiliar sensation. I now understood how easy it was for people to become addicted to wanting more, and I began to understand the chemistry that drove lovers together.

  His eyes peered into my soul as if he could unlock all my secrets with just a look alone. If he had asked, I probably would have poured my heart out to him. Thank the gods he didn’t.

  “We may have had one of the most unusual of chance encounters today. And even though you shot me in the leg, I am really glad our paths crossed.” Brushing the hair away from my face with such tenderness I nearly melted, he added, “I hope it isn’t really out of line, but I have this driving need to kiss you.”

  Pulling my lips into my mouth, I rubbed them together nervously. I suddenly felt young again and vivaciously eager to learn more about him and what a man like him had to offer a woman like me.

  My muscles tightened with the fear of saying yes, but saying no felt even more terrifying. What if this is my one chance to feel his lips pressed against mine again? If only he knew that our lips had been locked when he had passed out.

  “Not as out of line as it is for me to say how badly I want you to.”

  His eyes narrowed and a serious and feral expression took over. I should have pushed him off me. I should have run out of his cabin and not stopped until I found my Ceryn. Before I had time to change my mind, his lips were covering mine.

  It wasn’t just his lips that took me by storm. It was his tongue as it pushed past my exterior and dove deep into my mouth. The taste of him, unlike anything on Olympus, was wild with the promise of ecstasy.

  He swelled against my thighs. I silently thanked my Gods that he was more clothed than I, as I didn’t know how I would have been able to restrain my desires if our bodies were any closer together.

  A rough, guttural growl hummed against me as he deepened the kiss. Our tongues dancing, probing, and exploring, we nearly devoured each other.

  A kiss to end all kisses.

  Six

  His mouth took me somewhere I wasn’t comfortable being, even though I had never wanted anything so astutely. Pulling back my lips, I closed the kiss and started to wriggle free from under Xander.

  My hands pushed against his soft shirt, and I realized his hard body seemed to be pulsing with energy. “I can’t. I’m sorry. This just isn’t me.”

  “Oh, I didn’t mean to disrespect you. I thought the vibe between us was mutual.” His eyes widened slightly as his brows came together with surprise and disappointment.

  Rolling onto my side, I pushed up so I could get back to my feet. Xander didn’t make a move to follow my lead. Instead, he sat there, staring at me. Having eyes of admiration on me wasn’t something foreign, but it was usually women who viewed me as more of a maternal figure and not a mate.

  Xander’s lips curled up to the left, forming a smirk. His eyes hungrier than before. I was no stranger to the look of a wild animal, and the way he assessed his prey before he went in for the kill. Only I didn’t think he intended to cause me harm. Instead, he seemed to want to explore all things pleasurable and satisfying.

  “What is that look on your face?” Even though I asked, I didn't expect an answer—at least not a truthful one. Even the gods were liars and twisted the truth so that it would suit them or protect their innermost desires. That was how we protected ourselves.

  “This look on my face? You mean the one that says I respect you but have every intention of making you mine? I don’t have that look on my face, do I?” The smile grew more devious.

  Before I could retort or even process the meaning behind his desire to claim me, the front door swung open—which was laughable at best. No mortal had the capacity to make any god or goddess their own. It just didn’t work that way.

  “I can’t believe how well the garden is growing this year. I swear, since last night, everything in there has doubled in size. It is as if the gods are looking down on us with great fortune. I mean look at the size of this zucchini!” Xena held up a fat vegetable at least a foot long.

  It was impressive, and my mind wandered to a place it had never gone before. The size of a man’s penis had never concerned or interested me. Now, I found myself remembering how much of a bulge I’d felt growing against me as Xander and I had kissed.

  By the looks of it, Xena had picked enough vegetables to feed half of my maidens at once. Maybe I looked very hungry. She carried them in the front of her dress until she managed to dump them out on the sma
ll counter beside the sink.

  “What the hell are you doing lying on the floor?” she asked, half amused and half concerned.

  “You’ve never seen a grown man take a rest on the kitchen floor?” He smiled playfully at her.

  “Did you fall? Are you hurt? Maybe you should be resting instead of cooking. Let the women serve you. The way it should be,” Xena said as she started to wash the zucchinis.

  “Is that what that asshole told you? That your place as a woman is barefoot and pregnant? Serving him and his every whim with no regard for your own needs or wellbeing? This is the shit that I am talking about, Xena.” He got up and heaved toward her.

  “You look at me and listen to me.” He softly took the zucchini and turned her to face him. “It is a man’s job to serve his woman and to provide a good life and a safe and happy home for her. It is his job to create an environment where they can work together as a team to do and be better every step of the way. Not to go backward or to stomp all over anyone who gets in their way.

  “You deserve everything that is wonderful in this world, and in a few days, you will have more than just yourself to think about. You will have two babies who will look to you to teach them how to treat others and how to be expected to be treated.”

  Looking down at her feet, Xena nodded.

  “Look at me, sister, and tell me that you understand and believe what I am telling you.” Xander lifted her chin with the tip of one finger.

  “I understand, and I want to believe you.” Her eyes darted around as if to look anywhere except directly into his.

  “We can work with that.” Grabbing either side of her head, he pulled her in closer and pecked her on the forehead with a quick kiss.

  My heart melted like a piece of chocolate left out in the sun—sweet, gooey, and dripping all over the place. By the other gods, I might have shed a tear at how beautiful his words were to her.

  He got it. He understood what a woman wanted or needed. I was colored impressed, and I really admired the way he spoke up about it to her. He didn’t let the bullshit ride out. His intentions with her were genuine and true. I could feel it resonating inside of me, and I hoped that it resonated with Xena.

  How a man treated me was an afterthought and not something my future depended on—other than the fact I only had another day and a half to find Ceryn and someone to mutually fall in love with. Even if I did find that kind of love with someone, it didn’t matter. I would be going back to Olympus to live out the rest of my immortal life with Ceryn while my lover remained on Earth to grow old and eventually rot in the earth.

  From what I had witnessed, love seemed fleeting and usually was only as good as the moment in which a person lived it. Nothing like that ever seemed to last, at least not with the Olympians. Whether it was my nature or not, I was a cynic at heart.

  “Owe!” Xena yelped, pulling me from my inner thoughts. “Uhh!”

  She nearly went down to her knees as she turned and grabbed a hold of the back of one of the dining chairs.

  “What is it, Xena?” Xander rushed to her side.

  “I don’t know. It was a very sharp pain. I have never had a pain like that.”

  “Let me take a look at you.” I joined Xander at her side. “Let’s get you to lie down first. I think it best we get you all the way down and not just in a chair. Where do you lie your head at night?”

  Looking at me sideways, Xena asked, “My bedroom? It is to the right of the bathroom.”

  “Okay, let’s help her to her sleeping chamber.”

  Each holding one of her arms for support, Xander and I led her back to her room.

  “I am going to go get the bird cut up and start prepping dinner while you take a look at her. I’m sure she is just hungry,” Xander suggested once we eased her onto the bed.

  “That’s a fine idea. Once I get her situated, I will come assist you.” Before I could say anything else about it, he had already backed out of the doorway.

  “Let’s get you to sit up at an angle and get those feet up nice and high. Is this the first sharp pain you have had?”

  “Well, I had one earlier, but not this bad. I have more pillows in the closet behind you.” She pointed to the far corner of the cozy room.

  Once I maneuvered her body in position, I sat beside her. I was pleased that in the amount of time it took to get her comfortable, she hadn’t had another pain. My first concern was that she may be starting to contract.

  “Do you mind if I put my hands on you?” I found it always best to ask before touching someone, even if they needed it.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  Closing my eyes, I rested my hands over her belly, sliding them around slowly. Sensing and feeling. Connecting to my intuitive nature and the thread of femininity and fertility that ran through all women.

  “Your babies are doing well. Do you want to know the sex, or do you prefer to be surprised?”

  “You can tell that? That can’t even be possible.” She didn’t look convinced. “I think I will wait because, if you are wrong, I don't want to be disappointed.”

  “Fair enough, but I have never been wrong. I am capable of many possibilities that would surprise you.” Winking at her, I stood up. “Listen, you really need to take it easy. At this stage in your pregnancy, taking long breaks between activities is best. I think you are in the safe zone for delivery, but it is best for those cubs to come out when they are ready, not when they are being forced out by external environmental hazards. You get what I am saying?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I do.”

  “Also, we need to up your water. I don’t know what your habits have been, but you need to double your water intake when you are pregnant. Especially at this stage.”

  “At least the bathroom is super close to everything in this home. I just don’t know what I am going to do when they are born. This is my brother’s home, not mine, and there is no extra space.”

  “Well, the good news is that babies don’t take up a lot of room at all. I am sure by the time you and your children need a space of your own, you and Xander will have had plenty of time to come up with a plan. From what I have witnessed, he is a good man.”

  “He is, and that is the problem. I don’t want him to stop his life to make mine better. I need to figure it out on my own. Don’t get me wrong, I completely appreciate what he does for me, but it also fills me with a tremendous amount of guilt. I don’t want him to suffer because of me.”

  “He’s a grown man who can make his own decisions, and I could be wrong, but I think he is more than capable of setting boundaries. From where I am standing, his goal is to make sure you do the same.”

  My heart bled for her. I wanted to take her into my arms and into my world and protect her and her children from the ugliness of this world and the man that has such a heavy influence in her life. I feared the path she might choose.

  The bond between Xena and Xander was great. They were clearly willing to sacrifice their own needs to make sure the other got what the needed—which was both commendable and highly dangerous under certain sets of circumstances.

  “For now, relax and know you have a safe home. The rest will come with time. You can’t have all the answers right away. I will bring you a glass of water and then help Xander get dinner going.”

  “Thank you so much, Selene. Before you go, I want to apologize for how I treated you when I first came home. You seem like a really nice woman, but you have to see it from where I stood. And, no offense, but I still don’t understand why you are dressed like that or where you would even have an outfit like that made. Please go back in my closet and grab something to wear. You look like you should fit into my pre-pregnancy stuff. It is the least I can do since you did stay to help us. I know you were supposed to be out there hunting. I can’t imagine how precious your time must be.”

  Patting her on the hand, I smiled “Don’t worry about me. I never miss my mark.”

  I sorted through her closet, not sure what to make of the cloth
ing. Everything was much different and way more constructive looking than what we adorned ourselves with back on Olympus. I was tempted to put on an outfit like the one Xander wore, but I finally found a dress that looked as if it would suit me.

  Seven

  Xena needed to rest, but I needed to gather as much intel about her boyfriend's hunting habits as I could. Maybe I should have asked her when we were in the privacy of her bed chamber. Getting her to open up about it in front of Xander may not prove to be productive.

  She didn’t want to upset him, and he didn't want her talking about him. Still, I wasn’t sure where to start my hunt. After dinner, I would need to get back out there and start pursuing him. My tracking skills were second to none, but with the time crunch and nowhere to start, the odds were not in my favor.

  Xander’s eyes lit up as soon as I walked back out of Xena’s room. His hands still moved against the cutting board, chopping up a carrot, but his eyes never once faltered away from me.

  “Wow. You could probably wear a dirty rag and still take my breath away.” Xander’s mouth hung slightly open.

  “Me?” I laughed. “One thing I can assure you is that you will not find me ever wearing dirty rags. I might get covered in mud while I am on a hunt, yes. But wearing dirty rags? I think not. I would sooner go nude.”

  “That works for me too. I won't judge you if that is what makes you feel most at ease.” His brows did a quick wag. “I thought you were going to help me cook?”

  “Me too. You seem to have started without me.”

  “I told you I was going to get things started. Don’t worry, there is still more to do.”

  “Oh, good. My first priority was to make sure your sister was okay. She just needs more rest. What kind of job does she have?” I sauntered over to the kitchen to assess what he was doing.