A vision flashed through my mind of my hands pulling Cernunnos to me by the horns.
“You’re after my magical elf essence?” Nym said, back to his usual flirtatious self.
“I can’t think of any stronger. But first we need to prepare ingredients for a spell and then I hope you’ll help us track the barghests. I promise things will not be as dangerous as you think.”
“What do I need to do for the spell exactly?” Nym asked.
“You’ll need to give your energy to me freely. Basically I need your consent and a quick kiss.”
Nym’s smile widened. “You’re going to kiss me?”
“For the spell,” Liam clarified.
“I don’t care what it’s for,” Nym teased. “Luna, what do you think about this?” I decided to give my honest opinion. Besides, it was only for the spell. “I think it’d be hot to watch you guys kiss.”
Liam looked shocked, but Nym looked proud.
“I really like her,” he told Liam.
The shaman smiled as he made a list and passed it to me. “These are some of the things I’ll need. They should all be in storage downstairs. Can you two get them for me, please?”
Nym took the list from me and gave it a glance. “And what will you be doing?”
“Taking a ritual bath to cleanse my aura.”
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I looped my arm through his and pulled Nym toward the door. “Come on, don’t push your luck.”
“Thank you,” Liam called after us. “It’s the door at the end of the hall.” When we reached the door Nym asked, “Is he really that tired or did he need an excuse to kiss me?”
I laughed. “I don’t know how much this morning’s ritual took out of him, but I’m certainly tired.”
Before Nym had a chance to read between the lines, I changed the subject. “You’ve really been fucking the goblin king?”
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. He’s not some grubby little troll, you know.” I was surprised. “I honestly don’t know what a goblin is like.”
“All goblins are not created equal. Gunthar is sexy as fuck.” I laughed at the way he used the word “fuck” to mean almost anything.
“Really?”
As we reached the foot of the stairs, Nym gave me a knowing look. “He rocked my world. I shit you not. If you weren’t already otherwise enamored, I’d suggest you give him a try.”
His willingness to share was a bit shocking, but not when I considered the source.
“That’s sweet of you, but I’ll stick to my shaman.” And perhaps the occasional demigod.
I was developing a habit of using that term, “my shaman”.
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” he said, moving past me and into the room.
The space before me looked like something you’d expect to see in a movie about wizards. There was a kitchen down here also and it was filled with jars and numerous other containers, all of different shapes, sizes and colors. A sign on the fridge read,
“Keep potions refrigerated”. The jars that were full had labels while others remained empty and unmarked. There were baskets full of dried herbs. Bundles of fresh herbs hung from the ceiling in neat little bunches.
Liam had an entire apartment filled with more magical supplies than I’d ever imagined. Nym picked up a large, empty basket. “We’ll probably need this,” he said.
I took the list and read the ingredients aloud as we searched.
“What does he need a lantern for?”
“And why does he have half a dozen?” Nym said. “Look in here.” Along a shelf in the back room were six lanterns. Each was unique in design and color.
“Pick one,” Nym said.
I looked them over and finally selected a bronze lantern with lavender cracked glass.
“Pretty,” Nym said.
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The next ingredient on the list was ground unicorn horn. I was surprised to find it in a neatly labeled jar. Since I didn’t know how much he needed, I put the whole jar in the basket. I was glad Nym knew what most of these things looked like, because I had no clue.
“What does pixie dust look like? I thought that was a drug?”
“It is, but it has other uses. Ah, over there.” Nym picked up a small glittery vial.
“This is enough to get sky high. I hope it’s enough for his spell.” A rope of dried sage, dried anise and caraway seeds completed our list.
Once we were back upstairs Nym took the basket into the kitchen. I went to the bathroom to see if Liam was ready. The smell of incense greeted me as I paused in the open doorway. Liam’s back was turned to me and his long, white hair trailed over the rim of the tub and onto the floor. The room was lit with candles and soft, sultry music drifted from a CD player on the counter.
“You can come in,” he said. He hadn’t turned to look at me.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you,” I said.
Liam turned then and flashed me that devastating smile of his. “You didn’t. I can feel it when you walk into a room.”
Wow. That was sexy. I moved closer and sat down beside the tub. I gave myself another minute to take in how great he looked, propped against the back of the tub. His arms were spread wide, resting along the rim. The candlelight reflected off the moisture on his chest, making each sexy curve seem amplified.
“We have everything you need,” I said softly.
“Thank you. I appreciate your help.”
I continued to watch him and sighed as I remembered the feel of his skin. To keep my mind on the subject at hand, I asked a question I’d been wondering about since that morning.
“What did Cernunnos mean when he told me he lacked the magic to find the barghests? I didn’t realize a demigod lacked anything.”
“Don’t tell him that. It’ll go right to his head.” Liam sat up and handed me an empty bowl. “Can you move behind me and pour the water over my head?”
“Sure.”
He tilted back his head and while I poured the water over his hair, Liam explained.
“Cernunnos hunts by sight, sound, smell and instinct. He is made of magic and has many powers, some I’m sure I don’t know about. But no matter how hard he tries, he can’t work a spell.”
“That’s interesting.”
“I should hurry before Nym walks in and I start confessing about my attraction to Cernunnos.”
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Liam laughed softly as he rose. “I haven’t.”
I watched hungrily as the water ran down his body. There’s a first time for everything and this was the first time I’d ever envied drops of water. They got to roam over all the places that only my eyes had time to touch.
When my gaze met his again, Liam was smiling. “We’ll get to that again later,” he said suggestively.
“Sorry.” I shook my head as I reached for a towel and passed it to Liam.
“Don’t be. It’s always nice to know a beautiful woman enjoys looking at me.” He stepped out of the tub and wrapped the towel around his waist.
“Put the hair in the locket, if you haven’t already. Having a piece of Cernunnos’
hair could only add power to the spell.”
“Are you really so tired from this morning that you need Nym’s energy?”
“I’m sure he’d like to think I’m using this as an excuse to kiss him. Even though the ritual was very simple, summoning a demigod is quite draining.” He let the towel fall to the floor, giving me a nice view of his ass.
“There are some robes in the back of my closet that you and Nym should wear for the spell.” He looked back at me again as he said, “And nothing else, except for the locket.” With a wink he added, “Tell Nym he can keep on his jewelry too.” I left the bathroom and found Nym waiting. He was resting at the foot of Liam’s bed, looking c
ompletely at home and sexier than I wanted to admit. When I repeated Liam’s instructions he smiled. “I knew he wanted to get me naked.” As I moved toward the closet Nym brushed against me. Maybe it was because he looked so sexy that I reached out to him with my mind. Everyone is entitled to an occasional lapse in confidence. Especially if you find yourself in the presence of a smoking hot elf who has a thing for your boyfriend. I knew through this contact that he was simply enjoying the game. He liked nothing more than a great tease and had no intention of coming on to Liam or me unless he was invited. I also knew that he wouldn’t mind such an invitation. However, the warmth and closeness I felt when he was near was still that of a dear friend. I must have paused too long, or maybe Nym could feel when I was reading his thoughts and emotions.
“Nothing has changed,” he said softly. “I’m not after your shaman.”
“I didn’t meant to suggest—”
“You didn’t,” he said. “But I could read that look on your face. If Liam wanted to sleep with me it would have happened a long time ago.” He leaned closer and pulled me near so that the front of our bodies touched. The gesture was incredibly sexy. His lips touched my ear as he whispered, “I know you’re in love with him.” I pulled back, certain my surprise showed.
Nym smiled. “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know that nothing has changed. Understand that I’ve been waiting a long time to get naked with 134
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Liam.” He laughed softly. “Under any circumstances. A kiss is the best I could hope for.”
I hugged him. I couldn’t help myself. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Nym, but I’m starting to love you too.”
He winked as I pulled back from him. “I know. You can’t help yourself. For what it’s worth, I’m starting to love you too. Now let’s find those robes and get naked.” Liam’s closet was big and well organized. The robes he’d mentioned were in a section at the back, all by themselves.
“These must be the ones he uses for different spells and rituals,” Nym said, running a hand over one of the robes. “I’m not sure of the significance of the symbols on some of them. Should we just pick one, did he say?”
“He wasn’t specific.”
One hanger in the middle of the robes was empty. I assumed Liam had already selected a robe and had it in the bathroom with him. While I was in there I didn’t pay much attention to anything besides him, so that was possible. There were a few in various shades of purple, some in black and one in white.
“I’m going with this one,” Nym said, pulling the white robe off the hanger. “Not that I want to look virginal or anything. It suits my coloring.”
“Yeah, it does.” I decided to go with a plain black robe. There were no symbols on either of the robes we selected. They were both made to hang open in front with no sash of any kind. They also had about a three-foot train.
We stood there for a moment, both of us waiting to see who would get naked first.
“You’ve already seen me in the alley with Liam,” I reasoned. “What difference does a thong and bra really make?”
Nym laughed as I pulled my shirt over my head and started to unzip my jeans.
“You did relive my naughty encounter with Tina the she-wolf.” He started unbuttoning his shirt. Before long I was down to my bra and panties. I decided not to hesitate. No reason to get nervous or shy now. We watched each other the whole time, neither of us wanting to be the first to comment.
Damn, he had a nice body. Sure, I’d seen him naked through his memories, but memories didn’t compare to flesh and blood.
As I slid the cool satin robe over my shoulders Nym said, “I can understand why Liam can’t keep his hands off you.”
I smiled. “I can’t understand why he’s never had his hands on you,” I teased.
“Elf-meat isn’t for everyone,” he said.
I laughed so hard I cried.
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Chapter Nineteen
“Elf-meat?”
We walked out of the closet, still laughing at Nym’s comment. Liam was standing at the table in front of his bookshelf. He’d moved the books to the floor and was using a mortar and pestle to crush some of the ingredients we’d gathered. His hair was still wet.
He was wearing a long, black robe with silver symbols embroidered along the hem, and nothing else.
“I’ll be ready in a few minutes,” he said. “Luna, your locket is on the bed.” Nym and I regained our composure and he slipped the locket over my head. It hung right between my breasts. As strange as it may sound, I didn’t need to be told that Liam had put Cernunnos’ hair inside. I could feel it.
Nym and I sat on the bed and waited for Liam’s instructions. I could see how tired he was now and though I wanted to help, there was really nothing I could do. After a few minutes he said, “It’s ready. You two, sit here.” He indicated a spot in the middle of the floor and we moved to obey.
“Right in the middle,” he said. “I’m going to cast the circle around you.” Liam placed the lantern in front of us and opened its little door. Beside the lantern he placed the bowl of herbs he’d just finished mixing. Next he began to put white candles around us until we were sitting in the middle of a perfect circle.
Liam stepped inside the circle and lit the candles one by one. Nym and I remained silent as he spoke in Faerie. Liam took the dried anise in his hand and tossed the small white flowers around the circle. As he spoke I could feel the power rising around us, building to the point that the hairs on my arms raised.
When he turned at last to Nym the shaman’s eyes flashed with purple lightning as he indicated that the elf should stand.
Nym rose and before I could prepare myself, Liam put his hand against the back of Nym’s head and kissed him. The kiss was brief, but deep. I saw a spark pass between them and knew what Nym was feeling because I’d felt it too. There was nothing like a fae shaman’s kiss. As Liam pulled back from him a bright, glittery substance trailed from his mouth. It looked as if he was literally drinking some of Nym’s energy.
Nym trembled as he sat back down and I put my arm around him. Liam took the bowl of ingredients in his hands, took a deep breath and exhaled over them. His breath looked like golden smoke filled with glitter. I’d never seen anything like this and sat watching in awe.
Liam knelt in front of us and poured the bowl’s contents into the lantern. When he closed the small door, the lantern glowed as if a very bright candle were inside.
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Liam stood up and waved his arms in an opening sort of gesture. As he did this, power rushed over me and then vanished.
“It’s finished,” he said softly.
He had barely spoken the words before he started to lean forward. Instantly, I was at his side, putting his arm around me. I hadn’t known I could move so fast.
“What do we do now?” I asked.
“Now we rest until dark. That lantern will show us the barghest’s footprints. Since we suspect they are tracking me, we’ll start close to the house. But they won’t come out until nightfall and I’m exhausted.”
“Let me help you,” I said, guiding him toward the bed.
“I’ll clean all this up,” Nym said.
“Shit. That reminds me. There’s a potion for you sitting on the kitchen counter,” Liam said to Nym.
“For me? Why do I need a potion?”
“To stop you from craving me after that kiss.”
“Oh yeah. That would help.”
As the elf turned for the kitchen Liam said, “Thank you, Nym.” I expected some saucy reply but instead he said very seriously, “You know you can count on me. Now get some rest, both of you. You look like hammered shit.” Liam was still laughing at his reply when we heard Nym say, “Blah. What did you put in that potion, vinegar?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“If I’m going to stick around until dark, I’m putting my
clothes back on,” Nym said.
“Unless—”
“Get dressed, Nym,” Liam said. As he sat down on the bed the shaman smiled at me. “If he didn’t at least try, I’d be offended.” Liam slipped out of his robe and slid between the sheets, naked. “Come here,” he said.
I let the borrowed robe fall to the floor and climbed into bed beside him. He put his arm around me and I snuggled against his chest. Even though our lives were in danger, I felt safe. Here I was in bed with a man I had only known for a few days, naked while a sexy elf was in the next room. I’d never felt more at home.
“What if we oversleep?”
“I’ll wake up on time.”
“How can you be sure? You didn’t set an alarm.”
“Because I told myself when to wake up. You’d be surprised what your subconscious mind can do. It’ll wake you up on time without the annoying alarm.”
“If you say so. What about Nym? I feel guilty leaving him to do everything.” 137
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About that time Nym walked back into the room. “You both look exhausted.
Besides, I’ve cleaned up after spells before. Get some rest. If Liam’s internal clock fails, I’ll wake you up.”
The sound of ice rattling in a glass woke me. Liam was sitting on the edge of the bed, fully clothed and holding a drink. The smell of lime greeted me as I took a deep breath.
“I thought you might like one of these before we start monster hunting, as you called it.”
I sat up, then realized I was still naked and pulled the cover up over my breasts.
Liam noticed and gave me a questioning look.
“In case Nym comes back in.” Not that it mattered, he’d already seen me naked. I figured covering up was a reflex. I wasn’t used to being quite so comfortable in nothing but my skin.
Liam passed me the drink. “I wouldn’t worry. He’s snoring on the couch.”
“What is it?” I said, indicating the drink.
“Bourbon and ginger ale with a splash of lime.” I took a sip. “It’s good. I didn’t know you could mix drinks.”
“I can make potions. Is it really surprising that I can mix a drink or two?”
“I suppose not.” I took another sip and admired how good he looked, dressed all in black once more. “I take it the drink is to help steady my nerves. This is going to be scarier than you’re letting on, isn’t it?”
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