Tied In Knots (Immortals Book 7)

by LJ Vickery

  “If Matthew’s telling the truth, and Charlie is on the West Coast, you’ll be there first,” Marduk had told Waylon, “and the rest of us will follow tomorrow.”

  “All of you?” questioned Waylon. At Marduk’s exhausted nod, he had asked, “What about your women? Will they come too?”

  Marduk shook his head. “We’re leaving Lenore in charge here,” the god had announced to the room. “Plus, our other pregnant ladies, Holly, and Glory, along with my newly delivered wife—will remain. Nobody will dare bother them. They are women you don’t want to mess with.” Marduk had sent a pointed glance Jake’s way. “I have a feeling Anna falls into that category as well. Am I right?”

  Jake remembered being so tired, he could barely nod. But he’d agreed with Marduk, waving absently to other immortals who were straggling off to their rooms, before dragging his own sorry ass from the main house to the cottage. It had been a fucking long night…day…he hadn’t remembered what it was. He only remembered thinking he was getting too old for these all-nighters. It screwed with his brain.

  When he’d entered through the door to his cottage, soft music had come from upstairs, which confused him. Dorian had decided not to room with him, but had moved to the witches’ similar dwelling. He had this one all to himself.

  He’d removed his jacket and boots, padded softly up the stairs in his socks to crack open the door across from his bedroom, following the music. The dim light from the hall had thrown a streak of illumination across the solid pine cannonball four-poster inside, and curled on her side in the middle of the bed, knees bent and hands bunched under one cheek, had been the unmistakable blonde mop of Anna. She lay fully clothed on top of the comforter.

  He’d eased quietly into the room, drawing the fuzzy blanket from the foot of the bed to spread up and over her compact body. She’d stirred but didn’t waken. He’d had the urge to plant a kiss on top of her curls, but denied himself. She was worn out from an emotional evening. He turned to go and stubbed his toe on the nightstand.

  “Shit,” the expletive escaped from his mouth and he turned to see if he’d disturbed the sleeping beauty.

  Eyes had slowly opened. “Jake? It that you?” Anna asked with a small, sleepy voice and a yawn.

  “Yeah. Sorry. I stubbed my toe. Go back to sleep.” There’d been movement on the bed as she sat up, and like a little munchkin bird from the old movie, she’d rubbed her eyes with her fists. How damned cute was that?

  “I tried to stay awake for you,” she admitted.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” Jake said, but enjoyed the hell out of it.

  “Purely selfish.” She seemed more awake by the minute. “You owe me after all.”

  Jake’s mind, already overtired, drew a blank. “Owe you?”

  His puzzled voice had elicited an amused snort.

  “That’s right,” she reminded him. “My shoes and socks are already off, so I’m paid up. You,” she looked him up and down, “not so much.”

  Fuck. What were the chances that all the blood in Jake’s body had rushed to his cock? His instant hard-on had left him reeling.

  “Are you, uh, sure this can’t wait ‘til another time?” Had there been whining in his tone?

  “Welching on a bet?”

  Jake heard the amusement in her voice and growled. “Not on your life.”

  But he’d flinched when she turned on the bedside light. Damn. She wanted to get a good look. But he hadn’t backed down. The question remained, however, did she know what he’d want after she had her little peep show?

  “Anna,” he warned. “I know where this will lead, but you need to make sure you’re on board.”

  In answer to his question, Anna had shocked the shit out of him. She scooted over on the bed to make a place for his body, then lifted the hem of her shirt up and over her head, revealing a plain, white cotton bra.

  “Now stop stalling.” Her words hit him right in the gut. His cock grew even harder, and the buttons on his shirt seemed to elude his fingers as he worked them clumsily through the holes.

  He swallowed, drugged by the way her sharp eyes roamed over his chest, missing nothing, and he’d been sure she catalogued the scar under his right pec, the bullet mark next to his belly button, and the knife wound to his left bicep. He couldn’t help wondering how he measured up to her once-upon-a-time lumberjack. She hadn’t let him worry long.

  “So beautiful.” She came to her knees as if she wanted to get closer and touch him, but held herself back. “The rest, Jake,” she whispered.

  He’d somehow gained his belt, slowly undid the buckle, and whisked it out of the loops to drop on the floor before he hit his stride and became bold. Her gaze had made him feel young. And for the first time in his life, he could understand the high that strippers might get from an appreciative audience. Jake had lowered his zipper slowly, watching Anna watch him.

  His pants had dropped to the floor. His boxers, a plain black pair, tented enormously in the front as his prick struggled to get loose. He’d lost some of his swagger. “I’m, uh, a little excited.”

  Anna had licked her lips. “Nothing little about it,” she breathed.

  Then she’d taken the initiative. Faced with Jake’s unaccustomed reluctance, Anna had helped him with his last shred of clothing. She’d inched toward him on her knees, beckoning him to bring his thighs in contact with the bed. He could only comply. She’d worked the waistband of his boxers away from his body, before drawing them out and down, revealing his cock, hard with need.

  “Ahh.” The noise escaped from him, just before her lips closed over the glistening head of his cock. He’d arched into her warm mouth, her curls brushing his belly, certain the pleasure was going to kill him.

  “Anna.” He cleared his throat raspingly. “Anna, stop.” He’d put his hands under her arms and drawn her up his torso. “If you don’t want this to be over in seconds,” he murmured into her hair, “you have to behave.”

  He’d dragged her the rest of the way up his body and tasted her lips. Her warm, inviting mouth had been redolent of the jasmine tea she’d had earlier.

  “I still have far too many clothes on,” she purred, and his brow had knit in consternation at how she was still dressed.

  “Easily remedied.” Jake had reached for the clasp of her bra, then stilled. “Although you didn’t lose these at poker,” he’d teased.

  Anna had lowered her head and nuzzled his chest, slipping downward again. She whispered into his belly, kissing her way from the bullet scar to the line of dark hair that led to the part of him she seemed to want to explore further.

  “We’ll have to have a rematch,” she’d mocked, “And next time, I’ll lose.” Slyly, she’d reached out with her tongue and swiped the shiny drop from the head of his cock. Again.

  “Bad girl.” Jake had hauled her upward once more, and with one flick, tossed the bra aside and revealed her breasts. Lovely.

  This time, it was Jake who’d lowered his head and given a quick nip and tug to one taut nipple. Light brown. So pretty. A fantasy come true.

  Anna’s skinny jeans had been the next to go, followed by her utilitarian panties, which looked exquisite, being lowered off her shapely ass. But that wasn’t where Jake’s attention had been riveted. No. It had been the soft blonde patch of hair at her apex that held him enthralled. It had begged to be explored.

  He lowered Anna gently backward onto the bed.

  “Open your legs for me.”

  She’d obeyed so nicely, and his eyes devoured her moist pussy, while his mouth watered to follow.

  Anna had laid there, spread and vulnerable, before blowing his mind. “I don’t know why I’m not having second thoughts about this,” she admitted. “Perhaps I’m crazy for you because you’re obviously a wonderful, caring man.” She grinned up at him then. “Or maybe it’s because your body is smoking hot or,” she suddenly went serious, “because you’re the first man I want to make love to who understands exactly what I am.”

&
nbsp; Jake had understood. Put all three of those things together and it was a heady combination. Headier than anything either one of them could deny.

  His head dipped between her legs and she’d tightened her fingers in his hair. His light kisses seemed to be maddening to her, the quick swipes of his tongue infuriating. “Jake. Please.”

  He’d played with her a few seconds longer before going all in. Parting her nether curls, he gave a curt pinch to the bud awaiting his attention, and received a keening wail for his troubles, which had told him everything he needed to know. Anna was more than ready.

  He’d impaled her on his fingers, first one, then two, scissoring into her G-spot, causing her entire body to buck off of the bed. And when he’d sucked her clit up into his mouth, she came with an intensity he’d never imagined possible.

  “Uhh.” The sound from her mouth had been unintelligible, her orgasm taking over, whipping through her body again and again; pleasure that wouldn’t let go as the inner walls of her pussy grabbed at his drenched fingers. Jake’s cock had been so hard by that point that the ache stung him from the base of his spine to the depths of his balls. But before he found his satisfaction, he had made sure his mouth and fingers wrung every last bit from her drenched pussy.

  “Stop. Stop,” she laughed. “You’re killing me.”

  She’d tugged his head up―he allowed her to move him―and inched her way down, under his body, her lips trailing fire over his neck as she went “You’d better put that magnificent cock inside me, before I run out of steam,” she’d purred. And licked.

  Jake had obliged in one thrust, causing him to see stars. His balls had pulled up and his muscles clenched to the task at hand.

  “Nobody’s running out of steam for a very long time.” He’d growled. His cock had snugged into her tight, warm pussy, and damn, it had felt so right.

  ****

  Jake, buckling into his seat on the plane, sighed in contentment. He’d loved his woman into the daylight hours, until Marduk’s call had come that Charlie had been found. That was good news. A positive coda to an even more wonderful morning.

  More than twenty-four hours without a wink and fucked dry, Jake finally gave himself over to a satisfying sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Charlie?”

  She blinked back to her fucked-up reality and vaguely noted that Dorian, not Bee-Dee, now had the phone and said goodbye, hanging up on DEA headquarters while promising to keep an eye out for someone named Waylon. But then he brought his focus back to her.

  “You need to pay attention. I have to tell you the rest.”

  Charlie stirred, and her eyes settled on his stern visage. “There’s more?” She sighed and questioned in a voice that sounded small, even to her own ears.

  “There is, and the gods owe me big time for breaking everything to you,” he groused, but with a not-so-upset shrug. “The reason you’re involved in this at all is because you are related to Ishkur.”

  That finally snapped Charlie out of her stupor. She really liked the older man, uh, god. But how could she possibly be related? She didn’t have to ask. Dorian kept talking, filling her in.

  “Back in the 1600s, Ishkur married a human and had a daughter. That daughter went on to produce many more generations of daughters, right up until you…and Maity.”

  Charlie remembered the tattoo that Ishkur had on his neck. “His daughter’s name was Pearl,” she said, almost to herself. “My mother’s middle name. Mine and Maity’s too.”

  “I wasn’t aware of that, but I like the feeling of continuity it evokes.” Dorian actually smiled at her. “Anyway, because you have a tiny bit of immortal blood in you, it made you a candidate to be what the gods call their Chosen.”

  “Don’t tell me.” Charlie wasn’t stupid. “A Chosen is some kind of mate, and because of my god blood, I’m destined to marry Absu. Am I right?”

  “Yes, you are.” Dorian ran a hand through his dark hair. “Although nobody will force you, it has been the gods’ experience that their mates feel the same attraction as they do for their females.”

  “Which explains my confusion.” Charlie gave a wry twist of her lips. “I crave Absu to the point of obsessiveness. I’m completely drawn to him, yet he and I are completely incompatible in bed.” She didn’t care who knew. If she and Absu were going to be stuck together by some odd, fated decree, she wasn’t about to keep that fact quiet any longer. Dorian’s ears turned red, but he continued.

  “Yes, I’ve been made aware of your, uh, problem with Absu’s sexual prowess, but I have a thought on that one.”

  Charlie perked up, eager for any scrap of information that would solve the dilemma. “Go ahead,’ she allowed.

  “Most of the gods have an alter ego, some beast or elemental being they turn into when agitated. I was told some fairly hilarious details of my granddaughter’s mating with her serpent husband, and his reluctance to show her his true self. You mentioned, in your rant, that Absu seemed to look bigger the other night, with patches of white on his body? I’m betting he was trying to hide something.”

  Charlie blinked. Could that be it?

  Dorian took her silence as permission to continue his speculation. “My guess is that Absu is probably holding some creature back for fear of hurting you.”

  Charlie’s mind once again went back to the instant when Absu had come close to bringing her to a real orgasm, and she wanted to shout to the rooftops. Hallelujah! Absu had been a mixture of himself and something else. Something with claws. Something that had bitten her. She shivered with a flash of need and desire. And if he hadn’t stopped…

  “Okay.” She grinned. “That’s good news.” She tried to quell her elation, but couldn’t wipe what had to be a silly smile from her face. “Now, tell me why he is invisible?”

  “It’s a long story, which I’m sure he’d be happy to tell you. But the bottom line is, until you’re mated, unless you’re within a hundred yards of him, he stays incorporeal. Ishkur too. Although his hundred-yard rule stays put until he finds his Chosen.”

  Strange. But Dorian was right. Absu could fill her in on the details later. She had enough to sort through without adding more questions to the heap.

  Another light clicked on in Charlie’s head. “Wait. Does Maity―”

  “Yes,” Dorian interrupted. “For some reason, Maity can see Absu and the other gods when they are invisible, and can talk to them too. There’s a form of communication that the gods use that takes place with a mind link. She picked up on it very quickly.”

  “Smart girl.” Charlie let her shoulders relax for the first time since she’d been blindsided. “Smarter than me,” she admitted, and looked over to where her daughter stared off into the distance. It was the look she got when Ken’s car came in the driveway and she was waiting for the door to open.

  “Are you expecting someone? Now that I kind of know what’s going on in Maity’s head, she’s got a company’s-coming look on her face.”

  “Huh. Must be Waylon Blau and his entourage,” Dorian guessed

  “And they are?” Charlie probed.

  “Here we go again,” Dorian groused. “King Waylon is a Lauernley, related to Lenore, Angie, and Addie May.”

  “Okay. Don’t bother telling me how yet. I’ll sort relationships out later. Just tell me what that is.”

  “That I can do,” Dorian supplied. “He’s the male version of the famed Lorelei’s of the Rhine Valley, and he’s, uh, blue.”

  “Of course, he is,” Charlie gave a nervous hiccup. She was beginning to see how ludicrous this all was, and if she could work her head around it, it would be fodder for a lot of teasing with the fun women, uh, goddesses, at the compound, and perhaps the possibility of a happy outcome for her and Absu. “And he’s visiting because?”

  “Okay. This is the bad part.”

  Charlie rolled her eyes. “Why does everything have to come with a bad part?”

  “There’s an extremely evil goddess who hates these gods. S
he is determined that they shouldn’t find their Chosen.”

  “As in, she wants to kill the Chosen?” Charlie swallowed hard. That was a little more “bad part” than she had anticipated.

  “No. She’s not allowed to kill them.”

  At Charlie’s questioning glance, he added, “Don’t ask. It’s an Underworld decree thing. Anyway, the offshoot is that if she can keep a Chosen away from her fated mate until mid-September, the gods all forfeit their existence on Earth and get hauled back to the Underworld without their women.”

  “For…forever?” Charlie’s heart clenched. That was just awful. She’d seen the way Marduk and Tess looked at each other, the way the rest of them couldn’t keep their hands off their mates. Then there was the baby, Girin, and the fact that a bunch of the women were pregnant. “That’s horrible,” she finally said, and squared her shoulders resolutely. “If I can help by marrying Absu, I will. Even if sex sucks.” She didn’t want anybody to suffer, and besides that, she and the god were compatible in every other way. It wouldn’t be a terrible hardship.

  A strangling noise came from Bee-Dee’s direction, but when Charlie glanced at her, she merely looked resolute. Dorian eyed his cousin with speculation. Clearly, something was going on with Bee-Dee, but Charlie couldn’t begin to guess what it was.

  “That’s great,” he came back to Charlie, “but there are a couple more sticking points.” Dorian looked across the lawn toward the parking lot. The blue contingency got out of the taxi, while he continued his litany, although Charlie noted they weren’t moving. They were staring intently at the sky. Was that strange behavior? Who was she to say?

  “Of course, there are. Hit me with them.” Charlie had digested everything so far, and as she watched the blue guys give up their sky watch and stalk toward the sandbox, she braced for more.

  “There’s a mating ceremony, and once it’s complete, you’ll be a goddess. An immortal.”