“I do,” I said as I looked up at him.
My breath caught as the water began to saturate his hair and poured down the front of his gorgeous body. Liam reached for me and his smile was like a sunrise to one who had previously lived in darkness.
He stood directly underneath the water, letting it pour over every curve and hollow, caress every sinuous line like a lover’s hand.
“This is what I need,” I said, reaching for him.
Liam held me close and I closed my eyes, pressing my face into the curve of his neck as he bent over me.
“There’s nowhere else I want to be,” I whispered.
With his hand underneath my chin, Liam tilted my face upward. With the gentle touch of his lips I felt his magic course through me. I moaned and he deepened the kiss.
Liam moved his hands to my waist and lifted me against the wall, holding me in place with his body. I wrapped my legs around his waist and before I could wonder how good it was going to feel, he was inside me.
No need to worry about condoms anymore. I wanted to thank him again for the ring, because I loved the feel of his bare cock inside me. He thrust in, deep and slow, holding me against the wall.
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Liam took my face in his hands, his lips hovered against mine, whispering something softly in Faerie and then in English. “I want to watch your face while I make love to you. Show me what you feel in your eyes.” Our lips barely touched and still I could feel the power flowing between us. It was as he’d first described when he told me about fairy kisses. Our souls touched. There was no more need for words. Liam kissed my face as he moved slowly in and out of my aching pussy. It felt as if I was burning from the inside out. A combination of my passion and his magic fueled the fire as I clung to him.
Liam moved faster and I was surprised to hear myself crying. My tears were a mixture of relief to be near him and fear that this might be the last time. What would the world be like without this body, without this face? I ran my hands through his hair and pulled him back enough to look into his eyes.
“I will kill anything that comes near you,” I said, still crying. “Whatever is out there, it can’t have you.”
Liam kissed me hard, pressing me tighter against the shower wall as he reached down and grabbed my ass. He moved faster now and I could feel the first tremor of orgasm beginning deep inside me.
“Come on me,” he whispered.
That was all it took. His sexy words sent me over the edge. I came, hard. I clung to him while my muscles contracted, and felt him shudder with release.
Liam lowered me so that my feet touched the tile, but he continued to support most of my weight. I wrapped my arms around his waist, still overcome with emotion.
“You’re not blocking me from your magic, are you?” I asked.
“Not at all.”
He rubbed my wet hair, slicking it back so he could kiss my forehead.
“Then why am I not in a trance like I was before?”
“For one thing, you haven’t been looking directly at me the whole time. Plus, the rain has a much stronger effect.”
“That’s right. You said your grandmother called it ‘Mother Nature putting her two cents in’. Damn. I really wanted to forget everything.” He laughed softly. “I knew you were trying to get me in the shower for a reason.”
“I really did want a hot shower. I wasn’t trying to use you.” He pulled back and turned his face toward the water. “I don’t mind being used,” he said playfully.
“Really, that wasn’t my intention. But when I mentioned the shower my next thought was getting you underneath the water.”
“Ah-ha.” Liam turned back to me and reached for the shampoo. “Let me wash your hair and try not to worry.”
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“That’s easier said than done. You’re still gorgeous and I can hardly keep from jumping you again, but I was hoping to—”
“Leave the world behind?”
“Yes.”
“I understand.” He put his hands on my shoulders and turned me around. While he started washing my hair, Liam continued to talk. “It means a lot to me to see how much you care, but I’m not lying when I say it’s hard to kill a fairy shaman. Don’t let the word fairy fool you. Besides, it’s not as if we’ve got a duel at dawn or anything. There are still a lot of questions left to be answered and two nasty barghests to track down. Maybe what you need is not to forget, but to focus all your attention on the task at hand.
Sometimes it’s impossible for me to not worry. If that’s your problem, you could always help me with spellwork, ingredients and whatever else I might need.” His suggestion sounded more than reasonable and I was relieved to have somewhere to focus my nervous energy.
“You mean making myself useful might help?” I said sarcastically.
His long fingers paused and I sighed, wanting him to get back to massaging my scalp.
“You are always useful. You know what I meant.”
“Well, as long as we’re focusing on the tasks at hand, I’ve got a question for you. If Cernunnos is a demigod, why does he answer to Oberon? Shouldn’t a demigod trump a king?”
Liam tilted my head back and started to rinse my hair. Damn. I could get used to this.
“He doesn’t exactly answer to Oberon so much as they have an arrangement. I’ve never known the particular details.”
Maybe one day I’d work up the nerve to ask this question to Cernunnos.
“Whatever started their arrangement,” Liam continued, “happened long before I was born. I don’t remember ever hearing anyone speak of it. But you’re right. In my reasoning at least, a demigod trumps a king.”
I laughed softly as I wondered what Cernunnos might have done to get himself in such a situation. Yes, I naturally assumed it was his fault.
“Maybe he slept with someone he shouldn’t have and Oberon didn’t go along with that whole ‘screwing a demigod doesn’t count’ business.” The shaman’s laughter echoed in the shower. “You’re probably not far off.
Underneath all his bravado, the Horned God has a very strong sense of justice. I could see him volunteering his services to make up for some sort of error in judgment.”
“Or he and Oberon might be lovers,” I suggested.
I glanced at Liam who looked as if this thought had never occurred to him. “Could be,” he said thoughtfully. “If that’s the case, at least Oberon and I aren’t blood relations.”
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“That’s sick,” I said, laughing.
“As I said, it’s something I’m glad of. I have never shared a lover with a relative and have no intention of starting. Even with a demigod.” His words had a light tone, but I could tell this was something Liam felt strongly about. Not that I blamed him. The thought grossed me out too.
Liam put some body wash in his hands and started lathering me up. I was really enjoying this. As he caressed my back I ran through a few more possible connections in my mind, trying desperately to put all the pieces together.
“Hmm. The former executioner that Cernunnos mentioned, do you think any of this has anything to do with him?”
“His name was Ja-rel.”
“I thought you weren’t allowed to speak his name.”
“Cernunnos isn’t allowed to speak his name. I’m already unseelie, so what the hell do I care?” He stopped lathering me up and I turned to face him. “Now that you mention it, I’m not sure. I heard that Ja-rel had a family, but I never knew them. It’s been twenty-five years since his execution and since I last said his name or even heard it.”
“What was he executed for?”
“Trying to overthrow the king.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t the fae think of anything besides power?” He laughed. “Do humans?”
“Fair point.”
We finished our shower and moved back into the bedroom. I was wearing a purple robe I’d bor
rowed from Liam and towel drying my hair when I looked at the clock.
“It’s been an hour and twenty minutes. Do you think Nym is lost again?”
“Shit. I didn’t realize it’d been that long.” He was already wearing a long, black robe and started slipping into a pair of matching pants. “I’d better go put a sign out front.”
He took a piece of poster board from the closet in the hallway and I followed him into the kitchen.
“You’re seriously going to make a sign?”
“What? It’ll work. Besides, this saves me the trouble of standing out in the cold and flagging him down.”
“Why doesn’t he just bring Aurora?”
“She must be working tonight or he’d have thought of that by now.” I watched, laughing as he wrote with a marker, “Hot elf wanted, seek position inside.” He added at the bottom, “And bring the sign with you.” 126
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“I don’t want anyone else to see it,” he explained.
I didn’t point out that I’m sure someone else would read the sign before Nym brought it inside. The thought was too entertaining.
Liam then spoke a few words over the sign and sprinkled it with some kind of glitter.
“I’ll be right back,” he said.
I assumed he was going to tape the sign to the mailbox, because he didn’t have a stake. While Liam was gone, I decided to take a quick look at the books he’d left on the table in his bedroom. One of them was a bestiary. I scanned the index quickly and had just turned to the page labeled “barghest” when Liam walked back in.
The image I saw provoked all sorts of emotions in me, not the least of which was revulsion.
“Holy shit. You’ve got to be kidding me.” I turned the picture toward him. “We’re going looking for this? On purpose?”
Liam moved toward me with a grace I admired, especially after all we’d been through lately. His motions, like his sex appeal, seemed effortless.
“I’m afraid so. Keep in mind, this is only one person’s perception of what a barghest looks like. Think about it. How many different ways have you seen a werewolf portrayed in pictures? That’s not even counting movies.” I looked at the frightening image again. At a glance, I could understand how this creature might be mistaken for a werewolf. Upon closer inspection, there was something different about its face. The jaw was larger and more angular than that of a werewolf. The ears were longer and came to extreme points. Plus, it didn’t have fur on its face or ears and the skin in this area appeared slightly green. The claws were longer than pictures I’d seen of a werewolf and so were its arms. However, the rest of the body had a wolfman look to it. To the untrained observer like myself, it looked like a werewolf. A really fucking ugly one.
Underneath the picture was a caption and I read it aloud, “The barghest is a most valuable tracker because it can swallow its prey whole, vomiting the victim back up without causing harm.”
I made a face and tried not to feel nauseated. “That’s disgusting.” Liam was listening to me, but busy sorting supplies on the floor. “Yes, but probably why they’ve been sent after me. If they have been sent after me.”
“So they could bring you back to some psycho unharmed?” Before he could answer someone knocked at the door.
“Probably Nym,” we said together.
I followed Liam to the door where we found the elf waiting, holding Liam’s sign.
“Here you go, smartass,” he said, handing him the poster.
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Nym was wearing black leather pants and a tight blue dress shirt, complete with a matching ankle-length coat. He looked as ravishing as ever and I wondered why exactly Liam had never slept with him. Maybe he was only attracted to Cernunnos. After all, I’m not attracted to other women. I supposed it was entirely possible that Liam didn’t find Nym attractive the way I did. Still, looking at the elf, I found it hard to believe.
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t personally interested. I was merely enjoying the view.
Nym smiled at me as if he understood the look I was giving him. It was obvious he liked to be admired.
“How did the summoning go this morning? I’m assuming you called me because you have new information and need my help with something.”
“You’re right,” Liam said. “Come in, make some tea. We’ll be here awhile.” 128
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Chapter Eighteen
“I came prepared this time,” Nym said.
He tossed his coat over the back of one kitchen chair and pulled three tea bags from his pocket. He started filling the kettle and glanced back over his shoulder. “Is anybody going to tell me what happened today or do I have to guess?” Liam had already gone back to his stack of books in the bedroom. Nym gave me his sarcastic hands-on-hips pose and I flashed him the barghest drawing.
“We need help finding two of these. You up to it?”
“I’d rather put out a forest fire with my ass.” Liam’s laughter echoed down the hall. “That won’t be necessary,” he called. “Bring the tea in here and I’ll explain everything.”
Nym winked at me. “I finally get an invitation to his bedroom and it’s all business.” A few minutes later Nym carried two cups into the bedroom and handed one to Liam. We found the shaman sitting on the floor with several books opened around him.
I put my cup on the table and joined him on the floor.
“You’re not going to drink it?” Nym asked.
“I’m waiting for it to cool,” I told him.
Liam took a sip of tea, but didn’t appear to really notice the hot liquid. His attention was on the book in his other hand.
“You promised to explain,” Nym said, snapping his fingers to get Liam’s attention.
“I’m getting there,” Liam said, still distracted.
“Oh. I’ve got something else for you,” he said to me. He put down the book and pulled a silver locket from inside his robe. “It’s for Cernunnos’s hair.” I inspected the locket briefly. It was just as beautiful as the ring. “Wow. I’m not used to getting this much jewelry in one day.”
He shrugged. “You can’t put a lock of Cernunnos’s hair in just any old locket.” Nym waved his hand and nearly spilled his tea. “Whoa. What the fuck? You got a lock of Cernunnos’ hair?” He turned to me. “You fucked him, didn’t you?"
Before I could reply—and I really didn’t know what to say—Nym asked, “Isn’t Cernunnos a centaur? How the hell is that even possible?!”
“He has more than one form, you know,” I said. “Did you seriously think I would screw a horse?”
“Ah, so you did—“
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“I’m not confirming, I’m just saying,” I interrupted.
“If you’re just saying, then how do you know he has another form?” The elf gave me a self-assured look as if he’d won something. “So, how big was his cock?”
“The details are unimportant,” Liam cut in. “What you need to know is what he said and how and why I need your help.”
Nym looked sullen. “She totally fucked him and I don’t even get to hear the details.”
Liam sighed. “Just listen.”
While he relayed the morning’s events to Nym (minus the fantastic sex) I drank my tea. When Liam reached the part about the goblin king, Nym paled.
“I never thought I’d say this, but we really need to find out who Gunthar was screwing,” Liam said.
Nym sat down his cup with trembling hands. “It was me,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Liam’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve been sleeping with Gunthar, but I swear it’s not me you’re looking for.” Nym moved so that he knelt beside Liam, putting his hand on the shaman’s shoulder. “I should have told you before. That’s where I heard the rumor about someone wanting to steal your magic. Gunthar told me. Liam, you’ve got to believe me, I would never hurt you or anyone else.
Especially not some poor girl in The Courtyard just trying to have a good time.”
He turned to me then. “You do believe me, don’t you? Gunthar must have been sleeping with someone else. We weren’t exclusive or anything. For him to just hint at the magic thing like he did, his other lover must be powerful, someone he was afraid to betray.”
“Why do you think so?” Liam asked.
“Because he normally doesn’t hint. If Gunthar’s got something to say, he says it.” Nym put a hand over his heart. “Holy shit.”
“What is it?” Liam asked.
“The night I met you at Pixie Styx, the night I told you the rumor, I’d just left Gunthar.”
“You’d just slept with him and then went home with the she-wolf that same night?” I asked. “That’s impressive.”
Considering the performance I’d witnessed through his memories, impressive was an understatement. Not that I had any room to judge him after the day I’d had.
“We’ve become friends,” Nym said, rolling his eyes. “We don’t always jump into bed. Gunthar and I didn’t have sex that night, but he told me he’d heard someone was after Liam. He didn’t have time to elaborate; he was writing a letter that he passed to 130
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his servant just as someone knocked at the door. I assumed it was some official business and left the back way.”
“That probably saved your life. It sounds as if you barely missed whoever we’re looking for,” Liam said.
“So you do believe me?”
“Of course,” we answered together.
The elf threw his arms around Liam. “You’re my oldest friend,” he said softly. He pulled back then, looking afraid again. “You don’t think Cernunnos will come after me by mistake?”
“No,” I answered. “He’s got the advantage of knowing the name and gender of whoever is out to get Liam.”
“With my power, they could kill Oberon,” Liam explained.
He left out the fact that whoever absorbed his magical power would also inherit the throne of Faerie. He finished explaining a few more details and when Nym was caught up to speed he said, “The main reason I called you is because I need your energy. All jokes aside, I’m really tired and I don’t think Luna has much energy to contribute either.”
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