“Act like a petulant child, I’ll treat you like one!” he said as he marched back down the trail toward Enthrall’s home.
“You spank me again, I’ll show you a petulant child!” she threatened.
He was not fooled. She was bent across his shoulder, and he could scent her arousal as her hips sat so close to his face when he turned to look at her rounded rear.
“You liked it,” he said smugly.
“Did not!” she denied.
He ran his hand up her leg, toward her thigh now covered with chills, “Yes, you did,” he insisted, “I can smell you.”
“Oh, just shut up and walk,” she snapped at him as she propped her elbows against his back and rested her chin on her hands.
Destroy grinned and inhaled again. He loved that his woman was not in the least afraid of him. She thought herself his equal, able to stand against him with ease no matter the opposition.
It excited him when she argued with him. And he wasn’t sure, but he thought maybe it excited her, too.
Chapter 17
The sun was just setting as Enthrall looked up from the stove where he worked and saw Destroy striding across the clearing toward his home — Rowan thrown across his shoulder, a steady stream of swear words falling from her mouth, a huge smile on Destroy’s face.
He chuckled and shook his head as he plated the dinner he’d made of cured ham, cabbage, potatoes and cornbread and placed it on the table. He put a pitcher of his signature sarsaparilla tea and three glasses on the table as well.
Destroy didn’t stop. He trudged right up the porch stairs and into the living room. He turned toward the kitchen and smiled as he put a still mouthy Rowan on her feet.
Rowan looked around herself and realized that she was in Enthrall’s home. She spun on her heel and saw Enthrall standing at the table watching them and with a fire in her eyes said, “I hate him! I’m going to make him sorry he kissed me!”
Enthrall raised his eyebrows, trying to hide his smile, “He kissed you?”
“He did! And he kissed me for a long while, too! He… he didn’t just kiss me. He… well, I don’t know what he did, but it was a long, long kiss.”
“I see. And did you tell him to stop?” Enthrall asked patiently.
The fire in Rowan’s eyes stuttered. No. She hadn’t. “Well, no. I didn’t. It didn’t occur to me.”
Again Enthrall said, “I see.”
“But he didn’t ask if he could, either!” she sputtered. She turned on Destroy, “You didn’t ask! Tell him!”
“No, I didn’t ask. But she liked it.” Destroy tapped his nose and smiled at Enthrall.
“I did not!” Rowan protested.
“I could smell… ” Destroy started to say, but Rowan cut him off.
“Nothing! You could smell nothing!” she was mortified that Destroy would tell Enthrall that he could smell her arousal when he spanked her. “That was it. Nothing more,” she shouted, glaring daggers at Destroy.
“As you wish, my sweet Row,” Destroy bowed to her.
“Rowan, my name is Rowan,” she insisted.
Destroy simply smiled at her.
Enthrall, more than a little amused with the situation and admiring the hell out of Rowan for standing up to Destroy with absolutely no fear at all, chuckled as he said, “I’ve made dinner, perhaps you could wash up and join me.”
Rowan, recovering her composure, completely pretending that she wasn’t cursing a blue streak — all directed at Destroy — as he carried her into Enthrall’s home, accepted immediately. Happy to change the subject she said, “Thank you, Enthrall! I’m starved. I’ll go wash up right away.” She turned to leave the room and pointed at Destroy, “You just keep your words to yourself, Ribbons,” she advised on a glare.
“Of course,” he answered sweetly, batting his eyelashes at her. As she passed him, he couldn’t help adding, “though you do smell so sweet.”
Enthrall burst out laughing at the veritable growl that left the little female at Destroy’s words.
As soon as the bathroom door slammed, Destroy grinned at Enthrall, “She likes me.”
“You know, Destroy? In spite of the numerous threats I heard her spouting all the way across my yard, I tend to think that perhaps you are correct,” Enthrall said.
Destroy went to the sink to wash his hands and clean up for dinner. He and Enthrall seated themselves and waited for Rowan to join them. Some minutes later she walked into the kitchen, smoothing her hands over the new dress she wore. Her hair had been brushed and tied back with a yellow ribbon. She wore a pretty yellow dress that hugged her figure as though a seamstress had sewn it just for her. Her pretty little feet were bare, and when she raised her eyes to Enthrall’s, there were tears in them. “Thank you,” she said breathily.
Then she looked at Destroy, “Thank you, Destroy,” she said, nothing but sincerity in her voice.
“You are very welcome, Rowan,” Enthrall answered.
“You look beautiful, Row. So beautiful. And as long as those tears are happy tears, I’ll buy you a thousand dresses,” Destroy told her.
Again she ran her hands down the fine silk of the dress, “I’ve never worn anything so beautiful. I’ve never even seen anything so beautiful.”
“You deserve nothing less,” Destroy said. “You will always wear clothing like this. Always. You deserve the most beautiful things in life. I shall give them all to you.”
Destroy asked Enthrall who sat smiling as Rowan appreciated her new dress, “Did you get her others?”
Enthrall nodded, “I did. I got her another silk one, green. And some nightgowns and under things. I also bought her a cotton sundress, like the one Carolena gave her, but smaller so it will fit Rowan better. And a hairbrush.”
Destroy reached out, placing his hand on Enthrall’s forearm where it rested on the table. “Thank you, Enthrall. I am indebted to you.”
Enthrall found that he liked this Destroy much more than the one he’d met all those years ago. He was able to answer sincerely, “No, you owe me nothing. It is what friends do for one another. I am pleased that I could help you provide for Rowan.”
Rowan took her seat, all ire she’d felt for Destroy earlier completely evaporated. She smiled at him as they began to eat. Yes, she’d been irritated, but it had been fun. She’d enjoyed the verbal sparring the two of them seemed to do so well.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Carnage threw back the covers and practically flew out of their bed, slapping his hand to his chest, “Saaay noo!” he snarled at Carolena.
“I have no choice. I have to,” Carolena answered, her voice raised as she threw back her own covers and hopped out of bed.
“No!” he mock shouted, trying to keep his voice down so he didn’t wake Lily.
“Yes!” she whisper-screamed back.
“‘Arnge noo go!” he said.
“I know you can’t go. And I’m sorry. But I’m the only one that can do this. I really need to do this. I have to process my father’s estate. I have to, Carnage. Lily and I will come straight back as soon as we’re done. I promise. It shouldn’t be any longer than a few weeks, a month at most.”
Carnage’s eyes went wide and he did shout then, “Leelee?! Leelee staaay!” he was snarling and stomping his feet and pointing at the ground to indicate that Lily would stay right here.
“‘Es! Staay!” he bellowed, his face a contorted mask of disbelief. There was no way both his wife and his daughter were leaving him to go out into the human world alone. Absolutely no way!
“But Lily can pass for human. No one will detect a single thing if she’s with me,” Carolena explained, going for the calm voice that usually soothed her Goyle.
Carnage stalked around the foot of their bed, stopping when he stood right before Carolena. He reached out very gently and lifted a lock of her hair, his eyes went wide, then he pointed toward Lily’s bedroom.
“I know. I know her hair is silver. But otherwise she looks human.”
He snor
ted and wiggled his huge fingers in the air, much the same way that Lily liked to do when the purple wisps would float from her fingertips. Then he glared at Carolena.
Carolena knew he was right. She just didn’t like the thought of being separated from her daughter.
“Alright. I’ll think about it. Okay?” she asked.
Carnage glared at his woman. “No ‘Kay!” he snarked at her and pulled the quilt off the bed before stomping down the hall to the sofa to spend the night.
Carolena shook her head, followed him down the hallway into the living room and stood there waiting for him to acknowledge her.
He didn’t, but she had no doubt he knew that she stood there.
“Carnage. Talk to me. There’s no reason to act like a child.”
He didn’t turn over or even look at her. All he did was pull the quilt over his head, only his horns were sticking out of the top of it.
“I can still see you, you know. Carnage, I have to go. I have to go take care of this. I have to see to settling his estate. Sell off all his holdings, or at the very least give the lawyers permission to sell off his holdings. This is business that I must see to.”
Carnage gave no answer. He didn’t want her to go. He knew exactly what she needed to take care of. He couldn’t talk, but that didn’t make him an idiot. He knew from his years of being around humankind that there was business to be settled when one of them died. And he knew that Carolena was the only heir her bastard father had. He just didn’t want her to go. He needed to protect her at all times. His beast demanded it. But he couldn’t go. Times weren’t as they once were. It had been hundreds of years since he’d been away from Whispers. He knew that civilization had grown, changed, that his people were considered fantasy, legend. If he were to be seen, it would be an irreversible tragedy — to allow humans to know that paranormal creatures really existed. So if she went she’d be unprotected the entire time she was away from him. And she wanted to take their daughter — their magically gifted, silver haired daughter. So that he could feasibly lose them both. Still hidden under the quilt he shook his head sharply.
He heard Carolena sigh.
“What if I take protection with me?”
He didn’t come out from under his quilt, but he listened a little more.
“I could ask Enthrall to escort me. I’ll ask him to accompany me, watch over me for you.”
Carnage pulled the quilt from his face, but still didn’t look at her.
Carolena smiled — he was so massive, and dangerous, yet so childlike in some things. He truly did respond just as Enthrall had told her he did when she first came to Whispers — emotionally, all his responses were emotional.
“Would it make you feel any better if I ask Enthrall to go with me?”
Carnage shrugged.
“And if I leave Lily here with you? You’re right, I should leave her here. No reason to risk her safety because I have to venture outside.”
Carnage turned over and faced her, but said nothing, just watched her.
“I promise, I’ll finish up as quickly as I can and come running straight back to you and Lily. And I’ll bring you gifts, too. Okay?”
“Trawl go?” Carnage asked.
“Yes, I’ll take Enthrall if he agrees to go with me.”
“‘Kay.” Carnage made a point of frowning, scowling, even pointing to it, but repeated, “‘Kay,” so she’d know he would deal with it, but he wasn’t happy about it.
“Come back to bed. Let me show you how much I love you. How much I’ll miss you while I’m away.”
Carnage allowed her to take his hand, pulling him toward her. He followed her to their bedroom, grinning ear-to-ear. And when she dropped down to her knees in front of him, pulling his shorts to his ankles, his eyes rounded, and he swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched her lick her lips, knowing well what came next.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
The Windigo paced just out of eyesight behind Enthrall’s home. He’d waited for hours for the Witch to go to sleep. And still he waited. He didn’t know what kept her, and he was losing patience quickly. He moved into the shadows and reappeared on Enthrall’s front porch. Careful to keep himself out of the moon light. He peered through the windows, and finally he knew the reason she had not come to bed. She was asleep on the sofa, a book resting on her stomach. The Gargoyle was seated on the floor, also sleeping, with his head leaning against her knees where they were curled up beneath her. Across from her sat Enthrall in his wing-backed chair, quietly reading, keeping watch over both of them. He was desperate to get the Witch away from Enthrall, away from all others. He needed her. He had plans. And this one was so powerful, surely she could be of help to him. He’d just about decided to invade Enthrall’s home when he saw the Vampire’s head come up suddenly. Slowly he looked around the room, his eyes missing nothing. Enthrall set the book aside and stood, again perusing the room and all in it. His gaze wandered to the windows looking out on his front porch. His eyes narrowed, and he quickly stepped in that direction, pulled the door opened and rushed out onto the porch. But there was nothing. He found nothing.
The Windigo snarled his irritation as he stepped back into the shadows and faded away from Enthrall’s home.
Enthrall whipped his head this way and that, sure he’d heard a snarl, but there was no one there. He closed the door again before ripping it opened one more time, trying to catch someone unaware. But still, there was no one. Enthrall closed and locked the door and resumed his seat across from Destroy and Rowan, keeping watch over them as they slept.
Chapter 18
Destroy and Rowan were sharing breakfast when there was a knock on the door. Rowan rose to answer it, but Destroy jumped up and rushed to the door, beating her to it. “You should allow me to answer the door. You have no way of knowing who is calling. They may wish you harm — allow me to see to your safety.”
Rowan rolled her eyes at the over-confident Goyle and placed another bite of breakfast in her mouth.
Destroy opened the door and stood back, inviting whomever it was inside. As he rejoined her at the table, and Carnage, Carolena and Lily followed him to the kitchen, Rowan snarked, “You sure they can be trusted?”
“I believe so, but I shall stay ever vigilant regardless,” he answered without missing a beat.
“Where is Enthrall?” Carolena asked.
“He’s sleeping. He kept watch all night, so now he is resting,” Rowan explained.
“Oh. Well, I suppose I can come back later,” Carolena said.
“Do you need him? We could awaken him if it’s an emergency,” Rowan offered.
“I do need to speak with him, but I can wait,” Carolena replied.
“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind, seeing as how it’s you, Carolena,” Destroy said.
“What he minds is having others speak of him as though he is not there,” Enthrall grumbled as he made his way into the kitchen.
“Enthrall! I thought you were sleeping,” Carolena exclaimed. “I’m so sorry, did I wake you? I can come another time,” Carolena offered.
Carnage wandered over to the kitchen table and helped himself to two pieces of bacon from the platter placed in the middle of it. He handed one to Lily and crunched on the other one himself.
Carolena watched him, “No, thank you. I didn’t want a piece,” she said coolly.
Carnage snapped his eyes to hers and as he popped the last bite of his slice into his mouth, smiled at her sardonically, then waved at her as though to say, “Weren’t you making arrangements to leave us?”
Enthrall watched Carolena and Carnage interacting with a raised eyebrow. This was highly unusual. “I was only resting, Carolena. It’s alright. Did you need to speak with me?”
“Yes, I do,” she answered, before turning her attention back to Carnage, “Stop behaving like a child!”
“I’ve come to ask you a favor, Enthrall. You are the only person I can turn to, but if you’d rather not, I completely understand,” she said.
“Thank you, Destroy, but you can’t. I need someone who appears human,” Carolena explained.
“Human?” Enthrall asked, surprised.
“Yes. Unfortunately neither Carnage nor Destroy can help me, which is why he’s being so difficult,” she said as she thumbed over her shoulder at her male.
Carnage started shaking his head almost violently, “Noo!” he said.
Carolena just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Enthrall when he asked, “What is the favor?”
“I need someone to accompany me back to Philadelphia. I have to settle my father’s estate, and Carnage is having a fit because he doesn’t want me to go. And even more so because he doesn’t want me to go unprotected.”
“Ah, so you’ve decided to go home to handle your father’s business?” Enthrall asked.
Carnage was now nodding just as vigorously as he had been shaking his head while he pointed at Carolena. “Leenah goo! ‘Arnge ificul,” he struggled to say.
Lily looked up at Enthrall and said, “If Mama goes, Papa be’s mad.”
Carnage pointed at Lily, nodded his head and crossed his arms across his chest.
“I see,” Enthrall said to Lily. “But Mama’s coming back.”
“I know,” Lily said, completely unconcerned.
“My point is, Enthrall, I would appreciate it if you could accompany me home so that I can tend to all I need to and get back safely and as quickly as possible. Carnage doesn’t want me to go alone, but for obvious reasons, he can’t go to protect me. He thinks me unable to take care of myself, so an escort is in order,” she shot Carnage a very impatient glare, “So, will you please go along with me?”
Carnage was pointing at the floor, “Heeere home,” he snarled.
“I know here is home,” Carolena growled back at him. “I still have to go there. To where I grew up. You know this, we’ve talked about it all night!”
Destroy, Book 2, Whispers From the Bayou Page 14