Paranormal Magic (Shades of Prey Book 1)

by Margo Bond Collins

  She shivered, but she didn't fight him off. Instead, she reached her hand back and gripped his length, hesitantly at first like she wasn't sure what to do with it once she'd touched it. Pan reached between them and showed her how he liked to be stroked. She caught on quickly.

  When he was on the brink, he rolled back over, breaking the contact. He wasn't ready to be finished off before he tasted her. She turned, accepting his kiss while he settled between her thighs. Pan reached a hand under her clothing and she jumped at the contact.

  "Virgin?" he rasped out as he licked the delicate structure of her collarbone, enjoying how her skin held a rosy blush to it as she became aroused. He brought both his hands back to her hips, willing to move a bit slower for her benefit.

  She nodded.

  "What's your name?" Pan bit her earlobe and licked it lightly to ease the sting. She jerked against his lap.

  "Syrinx." Her delicate voice lilted over the syllables. Sear-inks. She attempted to grasp his cock a second time, but Pan wouldn't allow it. He pushed her arms over her head and held her hands captive there.

  "I'm not done getting to know you, Syrinx. Please keep your hands to yourself until we are further acquainted." He was able to secure both her wrists in his left hand while he reached down and unfastened the fibula brooches holding her clothing together over the shoulders.

  "W-what..." She shivered as he tongued one sensitive, puckered nipple through the thin fabric. "...do I call you?"

  "You don't know me, then?" He used his right hand and his teeth to untie the cord at her waist. He peeled the layer of fabric from her skin, freeing her from its confinement. "My name is Pan." He released her hands to run his over the bared flesh of her thighs, and leaned back to view the treasure hidden between them.

  "Ah, I have heard tales of your prowess through the forests and mountains where I've traveled. They say Arcadia is where you call home. You are a long way from there, are you not?"

  "You've heard all good things, I hope. Arcadia's not too terribly far away. I needed a change of scenery, and I come to find the current view beautiful, indeed."

  Before she could respond, he parted her folds and took exceedingly long, leisurely licks at the core of her. She twitched and shook beneath his hands, gripping his hair, pulling a bit too roughly with one hand while the other fondled her own breast. He inserted a finger, then two, mimicking the act of lovemaking, and finally a third, preparing her for him.

  She moaned, unable to answer coherently. After several minutes, she came against his mouth, writhing and panting. Syrinx shuddered so hard Pan had to hold her body down, as if it would float away otherwise. He crawled up her body, held his cock at her entrance, and she urged him on with the lifting of her hips and he dove in, shoving all the way through her maidenhead. The sting would fade faster the quicker it was done. He hated causing her pain, but slowness prolonged the process.

  Syrinx winced and tears formed in her eyes, but she did not push him away. Pan kissed her, seeking to distract her from the intrusion as he remained motionless. The worst of it was over, and now he needed the passion to overcome the discomfort. He hummed softly to her, focused on relieving her pain rather than how good it felt to be nestled within her. It seemed to work; at least he thought so, since Syrinx wiggled as though she, too, could no longer stand the torment from the lack of motion.

  Following her cue, he pulled back, almost completely out, and drove back in. The strokes were slow and precise, but she was tight, wet, and an exquisitely beautiful woman. Control was lost to him in no time at all, and his thrusts became quicker, primitive. Pan felt himself tense up and a rapture so strong coursed through him as he came in powerful bursts within her, bringing Syrinx to a second peak. Her skin seeming to glow as his seed filled her. His power hummed within him and he closed his eyes to call it back.

  "Syrinx, no!" One of the dark-haired nymphs dropped to her knees at the edge of the clearing, gawking. "Do you realize what you have just done?"

  Pan sat up, staring from one female to the next. What was he missing?

  "Klytie!" Syrinx scrambled out from under Pan, struggling to redress herself. Klytie winced at the smear of blood that graced Syrinx's thigh.

  "He's not going to be pleased," Klytie murmured as the other nymph joined her.

  "Who's not going to be pleased? What—"

  "Syrinx impaled herself upon the nature god's heavy spear."

  "Oh, that's bad..."

  "Klytie, Daphne, you aren't being helpful." Syrinx pulled the leather cord at her waist into a knot with a dramatic tug and glared at the nymphs.

  "Can somebody please explain to me what in the name of the gods is going on here?" Pan asked.

  The one referred to as Daphne replied, "Syrinx was promised by Silenus to Dionysus in an act of loyalty." She nodded, as though the motion made the remark an official order.

  "So?" Pan urged, but then he slapped a hand to his forehead as muffled phrases of Dionysus' announcement the night before came to his mind. Syrinx was the woman whose virginity Silenus was offering to Dionysus as tribute before he took her to be his bride. The virginity Pan had just taken from her.

  Fuck.

  "So," Klytie repeated in a clipped tone, ignoring the startled look on his face, "she was to be presented and mounted beneath the full moon this evening. But she's defiled herself upon you. This could result in her death."

  "You three were the ones who woke me with your enticing giggling and twitching your rear ends in my direction, seeking my attention."

  Daphne coughed delicately against her fist. "You were supposed to go for Klytie or myself. See how we are naked?" She motioned to her nude form. "Yes, we were pretty obvious about it." Though she teased, there was a strange tone to her voice. Almost like she was relieved he hadn't gone after her. When she met his gaze, her expression was sad.

  Of course it is. Dionysus is going to blame her and Klytie for letting me near Syrinx. Why wouldn't she be upset?

  "Just like a male to go for the only one unavailable," Klytie mumbled.

  "Why did it take you this long to realize I hadn't captured either of you and Syrinx was no longer in your group?"

  "That damned Apollo." Daphne huffed, shaking her fist toward the sky in the direction of Olympus.

  Before Pan could ask what Apollo had to do with anything, Klytie cut in. "He desires Daphne and me, and he believes we are his property until he declares otherwise." So much for their supposed availability. All three of them had been off limits. If a god had his eye set on a female, it was wise to stay out of their way until they lost interest. But why would Syrinx purposely throw her virginity at him? She never tried to stop him; she'd urged him on. Initiated it even.

  "Which will be for eternity, because Apollo is selfish and greedy." Daphne remarked. "He flashed us to the gates of Olympus—couldn't even make the effort to come to us—in order to explain in detail what being 'his' meant. Like we're simpleminded." She snorted. "I'll have my way with whomever I so choose. He can turn his pretty blond head in another direction if he doesn't like it."

  Pan stared at her. If Apollo heard such open vehemence he could very well kill her for it. Daphne was either very brave or very foolish.

  "Apparently, Apollo objected to the thought of us sullying ourselves with your..." Klytie trailed off as she stared at his manhood and sighed wistfully. "Would have been worth his anger, I think."

  They were all addled in the brain.

  At last, the nymphs ceased their chatter, and Pan was able to direct his attention toward Syrinx, who had listened to the conversation in silence. She seemed different somehow. Surely he hadn't impregnated her. He'd never done so with a human before and figured he wasn't capable of it at that point—he wasn't exactly chaste. "Why would you allow me to take your virginity if you knew it was promised to another?"

  Morosely, Syrinx lowered her gaze and her delicate upper lip curled to one side. "I am to be given to man against my will in front of a group of onlookers, and afterward
I am promised to be the wife of a drunken idiot who is already nearing old age. I wanted one time with someone who knew what they were doing, and who may have the common decency to take care and not hurt me the first time through. You met all the requirements."

  She met his stare, looking both fierce and worried at the same time. "I may have been dishonest with you as I knew who you were from the very start. And while I played along with Klytie and Daphne in waking you, I desired you for myself as much as they did." She lifted her chin a little higher. Pan found her defiance incredibly appealing, and wanted nothing more than to have her again, with or without the nymphs present.

  Klytie groaned. "And now we all will be punished due to your impulsiveness, child. Come. We must get you cleaned up and redressed. Hopefully Dionysus will be too caught up to notice something amiss." One should hope. Unfortunately the god of wine rarely was taken unaware and had a keen sense of observation. Even Pan couldn't pull one over on him, and he'd attempted to fool the god on several occasions, all in good fun. Something told him Dionysus wouldn't be amused this time.

  Syrinx curled her lip, and Pan couldn't help but cringe at the thought of Dionysus hovering over her. If only circumstances were different. What he would have given to claim her as his own, to take her back to his home in the Arcadian forests and enjoy her every day, every night.

  He was at a loss as he watched the nymphs cart Syrinx away with them. Pan couldn't approach Dionysus about it, as bringing the situation to light would only endanger Syrinx, and he couldn't stand the thought of her being harmed. The only way to avoid it would be to hide her and hope Dionysus never found out. But if he did, and Dionysus discovered what happened, he could go into a rage. It was said Dionysus became as unpredictable and unstable as the effects of his wine on mortal men. If that was the case, Pan wasn't sure what would happen as a result of his wrath.

  * * *

  The remainder of the day was spent in the clearing, contemplating all that had transpired and the various consequences that could arise from it. He kept reliving the morning in his mind, wondering how he could have seen the truth and stopped himself from falling into the trap laid out for him. That was what virginity was: a trap. If a beautiful female was still a maid and throwing herself at a man, there was a good reason. Pan should have known. He probably had known, but he had been too busy thinking with his dick.

  By the time he snapped out of his thoughts, all he knew for certain was he still wanted Syrinx. He barely registered night had fallen until he heard the distant voices from the mountain. Reality crashed down upon him, forcing him to become aware he'd chased Syrinx near to the site of Dionysus' makeshift temple. Like he really needed to add further insult to the other god.

  The responsible thing to do was to attend, if only to ensure Syrinx wasn't harmed if the truth came out. If Dionysus didn't notice, then there was no harm. If he did...

  Pan wondered if there was some way he could put a stop to the whole event without revealing the slight to Dionysus in the process. There wasn't, unfortunately. Dionysus would never turn away from the opportunity to take the virginity of a woman and then plaster her with wine. Sometimes he shared her with the entire group that came to witness the action.

  He faltered. Maybe it wouldn't come to that, considering she was promised to Silenus, but he would stop them if it progressed past Dionysus. There was no way to prevent the Olympian from doing what he was promised, not without revealing the reasoning and causing more trouble for everyone involved. That didn't mean he couldn't be there to save her if something terrible did occur.

  Pan paused when the glow of a fire revealed the location of the site through the thicket of trees. The whole reason he'd left Olympus was to distance himself from the egotistical gods that lived there. His father had not approved of the decision, and had called Pan selfish to seclude himself away in Arcadia. Sometimes he grew lonely, and it was such an instance that drew him to Kithairon and Dionysus' orgy the night before. Now an innocent woman was in a perilous situation because he'd not followed his one truest desire and steered clear.

  I don't know what to do to make this right.

  Hesitating didn't give him the answers he sought, and stealing Syrinx would place her in a lifetime of danger. Not acting wasn't any better. There was no easy way to solve it. All paths led to danger for the mortal woman, and it wasn't good enough. Pan braced himself anyway, and marched toward the firelight, head held high.

  The crowd was infinitely smaller that evening. For once, no women were present, which was surprising. Did all the nymphs run off? Nearly two dozen men stood or reclined with kylixes of wine, conversing and smiling, waiting for the ceremony to end so they could partake in another night of gratification. No one seemed to find anything amiss and continued consuming the rich liquid in the name of their patron god.

  He had heard rumors that Dionysus favored one circle of followers above all others, and perhaps these were those men, though he couldn't be sure. Soldiers, scholars, even a prince was present. Then again, he'd also heard about six or seven different origin stories regarding his own parentage so he didn't hold everything he'd heard in passing as truth.

  "Pan?" A familiar voice questioned to his left, drawing his attention from the man of royal birth conversing with one of the guards flanking him. Turning, Pan saw double and he blinked. Ariston laughed at the reaction and pushed his twin forward. "I take it you were unaware my brother and I shared the same face. We get that rather often."

  Ariston and his twin both had the same long, golden hair and sapphire eyes. Even their build was identical: strong and athletic. Try as he might, Pan couldn't find a distinguishing feature to tell them apart aside from their clothing—Ariston's sandals were well-worn in comparison to his twin's. The brother looked Pan up and down with a scowl, reminding him he hadn't clothed himself after his encounter with Syrinx, and he was, so far, the only nude male present. He shrugged. Nudity didn't bother him in the least, nor did it seem to draw a critical eye from anyone else. Only Ariston's brother seemed opposed to it. Nevertheless, he conjured a chiton as he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself when Dionysus arrived.

  "So you're the god my dear brother calls a friend?" Bitterness colored Ariston's brother's words. Pan wondered if the man merely disliked him on sight or if there was bad blood between the twins. Perhaps he took issue with the gods in general. The best option would be to ignore it, as he already made a mess of things earlier and didn't need to stir up more unnecessary trouble.

  He tried to be cordial. "I was unaware Ariston had a brother at all. What is your name, mortal?" Still, he couldn't help himself. The words hit their mark, and the man curled his perfectly formed upper lip.

  "Surely you've heard of me, though you have never seen my face. Ariston never mentions me because he loathes living in my shadow."

  "Narcissus! How wonderful to meet you. Seen any good reflections lately? And by the way, I have seen your face. Many times. If I knew Ariston had such a burden to bear, sharing his face, I would have taken him far, far away from here to escape." As anticipated, the barb was dead on.

  Ariston quickly disguised an outburst of laughter with a fit of coughs, earning an icy glare from his brother, who stomped past Pan, shoving him hard on his way by. Strong resolve for a mortal to push a god, as most would have killed him for it. Pan was sorely tempted, but the only thing that kept him from smiting the human on the spot was Syrinx. It would not do to infuriate Dionysus right away.

  "Never a dull moment when you're around. Don't mind Adonis. He's angry with me because he was practically a love slave to Aphrodite for several fortnights now—I lose count how long—and when she discovered he had a twin, she wanted a matching set. I refused, and she discarded him because she couldn't have her way." Ariston leaned back against a tree trunk and observed his brother's retreating form with a frown. "He was too attached to her, I think."

  So that was the infamous Adonis. Goddesses and nymphs had been whispering about the mortal's ph
ysical perfection in awe for about as long as Ariston had said Adonis had been with Aphrodite. Pan would bet those same people were not aware he had a twin either. "Aphrodite tends to do that to men. Why did you bring him here of all places?"

  Ariston sighed. "I'd mentioned it to him, mostly in passing. As a way to bring him out among other people again. Instead of moving on, he's hoping to make Aphrodite jealous by showering himself with nymphs. He said I owed it to him to come along and participate in order to doubly irritate the goddess."

  "Is he not afraid Aphrodite will retaliate with hostility?" Pan observed as Adonis spoke to the tall, dark-haired man Pan had met the night before as he was arriving, and the man was rushing off in a hurry. Melancton, if he remembered the name correctly, was a warrior; he still wore his leathered armor. There were several scars on the man's arms, including a jagged one down the inside of his left forearm. Adonis motioned around to the small crowd, probably questioning where the nymphs were. Melancton shrugged and moved on, his eyes scanning the trees as though expecting someone.