Inevitable (The Curse of Avalon Book 2)

by Sariah Skye

  I giggled. “Ah, I can already understand that.” A crack of thunder made us jump, and he shivered.

  “The storm huh? Still bothering you?”

  He shook his head. “Not so much now you’re here.” He tipped my chin upward with the crook of his finger.

  “Are you okay? Really?” I asked him cautiously.

  He smiled. “I am. Hurt for a bit, but I’ll be fine. I am sorry, if you thought I took advantage of you. I never would.”

  Nodding slowly under the intensity of his words, I knew he meant it. “I know.”

  “I do enjoy the kissing, though. I would do it more often, if I thought…” he breathed out, frowning wryly.

  “If you thought what?”

  “I don’t want to push you, Avie,” he said, eyeing me carefully. My expression must have given him permission, as he leaned forward slowly, pressing a kiss against my lips. My eyes closed, and I enjoyed the sensation, the heat warming my pores as he increased the intensity carefully before pulling away. “Get some sleep, Avie…” he snaked a hand over my jaw, brushing my messy blonde hair over my shoulder, before gently pulling me towards him. I nestled my cheek against his chest; his own musky scent heaven as I curled against him. How is it possible these guys smell so good? Natural scent or soap? I didn’t know, but it was alluring. I breathed deeply, wrapping my arm around his waist, pushing one leg between his. Xander was asleep almost instantly, but I was another story.

  Being pressed against him, his thigh twitching in his sleep and inadvertently rubbing between my legs; watching his peaceful, attractive face, and the slow smile that quirked his lips occasionally I couldn’t concentrate on sleep. All I could think about was how aroused I was, especially after experiencing the dreams of the liberating, freeing dance of the witches, twirling around the fire. It reminded me of the opening credits of Outlander, which was currently on my ban-list of things to watch. I seriously couldn’t handle being reminded even more of sexy Scottish men.

  Come to think of it, I couldn’t watch much TV at all right now; something always reminded me of the boys. I wondered if I’d ever enjoy a program again.

  A small, satisfied sigh escaped Xander’s slightly-parted lips, and the mere sound sang pangs of desire low into my belly. I stifled a groan, desperately wanting to clench my legs together to relieve some tension, but I’d probably break Xander’s in between my own, so…not a good idea. And definitely not a good idea adding more friction down there!

  Reluctantly, I pulled myself out carefully from the tangle of Xander’s body, hoping I wouldn’t wake him. He groaned lightly and shifted, flinging an arm over where I had just been laying. He had squirmed out of the blanket that covered him, all the way down to the gray waistband of his boxer briefs. I had to actively stop myself from allowing my gaze to dip any lower.

  I sucked in a breath, nearly jumping backwards off the bed. If I didn’t leave, now, I was going to jump him, period.

  A disgruntled snort sounded out from the floor nearby where I’d landed; a peeved Sierra had raised her head and yanked her outstretched paw away. “Sorry,” I whispered. She was alone, and I chuckled; she’d probably had enough of puppy duty. I couldn’t blame her, caring for little ones would be rough. I patted her on the head gently and she sniffed.

  I was about to traipse out of the bedroom when a cold chill across my bare boobs reminded me I was topless. Wandering around a dark house full of incubi, half naked, and not able to succumb to their advances was definitely not a wise move.

  My eyes wandered around the dark room, searching for my top to no avail. Sighing in defeat, I wrapped my arms around my upper body to prevent my boobs from bobbing and smacking me in the face (something all big-boobied girls were familiar with: the nipple slam to the eye…the struggle was real!) I searched around the bed, tip toeing carefully so not to wake Xander, who looked relaxed and peaceful—and utterly sexy, the way his jet-black hair was messy and tumbled into his face. My mind wandered again, imagining how it’d feel if I climbed over the top of him, and—

  STOP! I shook myself out of a horny daze. “Shirt…must find…a-ha!” I said triumphantly, finding Xander’s gray V-neck tee tossed on the floor alongside the bed. I quickly pulled it on over me—double checking to see if I was actually wearing shorts. I was; very short shorts, but they were there.

  Before I exited, I paused in the doorway. “Sisi,” I said, motioning to Xander when she perked her head up. “Watch him, will ya?” I don’t know if she understood me, but her ears perked, and she raised slowly, stretching out her limbs, and jumped onto my side of the bed. She looked smug as she laid her head down on my pillow. Snickering, I left them behind and traipsed out of the bedroom, and down the hallway, making my way to the kitchen, secretly hoping that one of the guys was there for company. From the large window across the room, the rain and thunder still poured and rumbled from outside, occasionally flashing and illuminating the quiet room. It was probably better that I was alone, due to the constant horniness and the buzzing magic in the back of my mind. It had subsided, but being near Xander, dealing with the guilt, and the sexually liberating dream-visions of Avalon left me…restless. “Too bad no one’s awake for sexy Tai Chi Chih again,” I said to myself, smirking at the thought again of being pressed against Bash and Xander’s taut, warm bodies.

  Don’t go there, Ava!

  Sighing, I decided to wander down to the workout room downstairs and get some time on the weights, hopefully burning off some of this excess pent up energy.

  Upon reaching the halfway point down the stairs, I heard the unmistakable sounds of a movie being played on the TV downstairs, and I grinned, realizing which one it was, as Mandy Patinkin loudly declared, “My name is Inigo Montoya…you killed my father…prepare to die!”

  I snickered quietly, cowering against the wall. Who was watching The Princess Bride? Concentrating, I pictured the magic in my mind and pretended to tug at it. My skin tingled gently, and I hoped my invisible shield was up as I crept down the stairs. I turned the corner to see a shirtless Bash on the treadmill, jogging at an easy pace, sweat beautifully glistening on his neck and chest, and reciting every word to the movie on the screen, appearing entirely enthralled with the storyline of Princess Buttercup and Westley.

  Pausing to watch him in both fascination and amusement, I stealthily hung out near the wall. As he pumped his arms, I tried not to let my eyes linger too long at his tight backside, in a pair of form-fitting, black jogging shorts. I smiled mischievously to myself, realizing I could probably grab a good handful of his tush, and he’d have no idea I was here…except for the cold, wet nose that was currently sniffing the air nearby me. Percy had emerged from somewhere unknown.

  I gently motioned for the large puppy to shoo, but he wasn’t budging as his ears raised. I wasn’t sure if he could see me, but he could definitely smell me. He let out a small bark and sat on his hind quarters, wagging his tail from side to side on the floor.

  Bash’s gaze quickly turned in our direction and his eyes widened in surprise. He grabbed the remote on the tray of the treadmill, and quickly changed the channel of the TV to some random program with something blowing up and people screaming. He rolled his eyes, sighing in exasperation seeing Percy sitting there. “Oh shit, it’s just you.”

  I couldn’t help it and let out a peal of giggles. “As you wish!” I taunted, doubling over and smacking my thighs as I giggled at his embarrassment.

  Bash narrowed his steely-blue eyes at me, pressing a button on the treadmill and stopping it. “How long have you been here?”

  “Enough for you to declare the six-fingered man needs to die!” I said, with a wink and a smirk.

  His cheeks flushed a deep red. “Hey, it’s hilarious!”

  “I’m not saying it isn’t! Why be embarrassed?” I asked, still chuckling.

  He shrugged. “Doesn’t exactly seem like the most masculine thing to watch, huh?”

  “So?” I challenged. “It’s funny, and sweet.”

  �
��Sure…” he shook his head, smiling. “What’s got you up?”

  I sat down on the padded weight bench with a sigh. “Weird dreams.”

  “Dreams?” He repeated with concern.

  “Not like yours,” I said, and he breathed thankfully. “Just weird dreams of witches and dancing around fires…and lots of boobies.”

  “Boobies? Sounds like a dream come true to me!” Bash said, waggling his eyebrows.

  I rolled my eyes. “Ha. No, it’s weird; two of them said they were my family? Igraine and Morgause?”

  “Really?” Bash reached for a white towel, slung over one of the rails on the treadmill. He reached back and wiped the back of his neck, and trailed it forward, rubbing it all over his sweaty chest, and down his stomach. I raised a brow, biting my lip as his muscles stretched and flexed. He grinned under my weighted stare, and snapped the towel in my direction, effectively pulling me out of my haze.

  I shrugged. “I’m sure it’s just more of this Avalon weirdness.”

  “Or…maybe not. You are connected, and you’ve had past visions of it before,” Bash said, tossing the towel over his shoulder, and contemplatively scratching at his chin. “Bizarre.”

  “This magic is out of control,” I said, defeated. “I just want it gone. Surely there has to be a way?”

  Bash sat across from me, on another empty weight bench. “Your father seems to think it’s a really bad idea.”

  I scoffed. “Well, fuck him.” Then I cringed. “No…wait don’t do that. Ew. But—forget him! He doesn’t have to deal with this shit.”

  He smiled wryly, leaning over to cup his hands over my knees. He looked up at me and grinned. “I haven’t been able to figure out a way to get rid of it, anyway. And if he knows? He’s not offering. But…”

  “But?” I repeated, hopefully. “There’s a ‘but’?”

  He nodded singly. “Yes. But I believe that I may have found a way to quell it so that it doesn’t bother you. Block it, if you will.”

  My eyes widened, and I clutched his hands excitedly. “You’re kidding me, right? That would be—that would be fantastic!”

  Bash grasped one of my hands and pulled it to his lips. “Yes, it would; we all just want you to be comfortable here. With us. And if it helps you, well, thank the gods for it.”

  A slow smile spread across my face, as his lips sensually brushed over my knuckles. “So, what is it?”

  He patted my knee and nodded towards the stairs. “It’s in my lab. Let’s go.”

  “Come on, boy,” I said, motioning to Percy, urging him to follow us up the stairs.

  “Wonder where the rest are?” Bash wondered out loud about the other pups. “I haven’t seen Trystan lately, I assume he must have them.”

  “Probably.”

  Percy and I followed Bash through the dimly lit house to his bedroom, which was a true shrine to nerd-dom, full of electronics, and comic book art all over the walls. Near his desk was a hidden door that slid into the wall, exposing Bash’s secret laboratory and library. Hovering his hand over a spot in the wall near his desk, the room opened, revealing rows of wooden bookshelves, containing some new and some very old books, a long table full of stones, pouches, vials, burners, tubes, and other such mad-scientist looking things. A tall cabinet on the far side of the wall hid the contents of many various ingredients to his concoctions, but I’d never actually looked inside. And any spot of bare wall was covered with posters of fancy cars and motorcycles, and various TV and shows, ranging from Harry Potter to Star Trek to—surprise! —The Princess Bride. I muffled a giggle silently at the sight. I knew that Bash was a very complicated man, and this just proved it. I hadn’t been in here often, feeling intrusive for being in his private space.

  On the table a stone mortar and pestle were strewn about haphazardly, next to a black iron cauldron and a tarnished, dirty pot with lid that once contained the power of Avalon—the so-called “Holy Grail”. I stood hesitantly in the door way as he went to the table, grabbing a long pair of silver tongs, and reached into the cauldron with them.

  I cringed the second the utensil passed the brim, smoke and steam welled up and spilled out of the sides.

  Bash noticed my reservation and beckoned me to enter. “It’s okay, really.”

  “Sure…” I said, nervously twiddling my hands in front of me, but I reluctantly entered. Percy had decided to sit this room out, opting for the plush, blue covers on Bash’s curtained, canopied bed instead. “Traitor…” I muttered at him, but he ignored me.

  Bash pulled out a long, silver chain, raising it high into the air, exposing the blue-jeweled talisman hanging from it. I squinted suspiciously at the familiar stone, wrapped in a silver-pronged jeweler’s setting. “Hey, that’s the Excalibur stone!”

  Bash nodded. “Yes, I’ve been doing some research. I think that this, imbued with this magic-dampening potion, should help quell your magic until you can get better control over it.” He gently blew on the stone, setting it chain, and all onto a white cloth nearby. He covered it with the cloth, rubbed it dry, and handed it off to me. “Excalibur was a powerful weapon—wherever she is—and the stone contains a magic all its own. Like the power of Avalon, as far as I can tell.”

  Gingerly, I allowed Bash to place the amulet in my hand. I turned it over, letting the thick chain dangle from my fingers, eyeing the craftsmanship. It was crude, but effective; several rough pieces of silver zig-zagged along the back, with various symbols carved into them. I flipped it over, rubbing the pad of my thumb over the cool, smooth stone.

  “I did the best I could, but I’m an alchemist, not a jeweler,” Bash said with a modest chuckle.

  “No, it’s fine,” I insisted. The skin on my hand tingled wherever the jewel touched briefly, before quickly subsiding. I pulled the long chain over my head, and let the jewel fall to my chest. It was a large stone, about the size of a fifty-cent coin, so it didn’t fit between my boobs, but rested over the top of them. Immediately when the metal and stone touched my skin, I felt a pleasant wave of calm warmth slip over me, like that first, sunny day after a cold winter without a jacket. I beamed. “I think maybe it works!”

  Bash smiled widely. “Good. I’m not sure if it’s fool proof, but I combined all the magic and elements I could. New and old. It’s been steeping in this potion for around forty-eight hours, and the metal was tempered with herbs and other things to promote magical control. I think it should work well, but every time you feel your magic starting to get out of control, just grasp the stone tightly and let it work.”

  “So…hopefully I won’t nearly kill any of you with the magic?” I asked hopefully.

  He nodded. “That’s the goal, anyway.” He turned for the tall cabinet on the far side of the wall, and pressed his hand to a silver disc. It released the mechanism, revealing the contents inside. Rows and rows of colorful potions in glass, various herbs, stones, and metals in pouches and—surprisingly—shelves full of modern medications in brown bottles. He paused, skimming the contents of the cabinet for something in particular. His hand landed on a tall, glass bottle with blue contents. He turned, raising it up towards me in some sort of toast. “Are you having trouble sleeping?

  “I was…but…” I palmed the stone in my hand, squeezing it thankfully. “I think this will work, though. Hopefully it’ll stop all the weird Avalon dreams.”

  “I hope so, but they at least don’t sound terribly unpleasant,” he said wryly, twisting off the cap and taking a quick swig. “It won’t be long before this works. You’re more than welcome to stay,” he said, with a playful wink, “but I won’t be much company. In about five minutes I’ll be out like a light.”

  “It’s that strong?” I asked, hesitant.

  He nodded. “Yeah, this is the strongest stuff I have.”

  “What’s it made of?” I inquired.

  He raised a brow, smirking. “You do not want to know.”

  I grimaced. “No, I suppose not.”

  Bash raised his arms over his head, l
etting out a long yawn. “Four minutes, maybe,” he said, with a sleepy chuckle. He joined me in the doorway, setting his hands on my hips, as he gazed wearily into my face. “Ah, beautiful Ava…soon maybe you’ll feel safe enough to join me one night, huh?” He said, his words somewhat slurred as if he’d been drinking.

  I palmed the stone again. “Soon, maybe,” I said smiling flirtatiously, gently pressing myself against him, as his hands wandered around my waist, resting firmly on my backside. He lowered his face towards me, his eyes heavy and hooded and my lips parted in anticipation—

  —when he bypassed my lips entirely and rested his head on my shoulder.

  I snorted. “Bash?” I smacked him gently in the chest, urging him awake. His head flew up, eyes still heavy, but barely open. “Get to bed, I can’t carry you.”

  “Are you coming?” he asked groggily, as I pushed him backward towards his bed.

  “Maybe next time.” I poked at Percy to move over, and he obliged with a doggy grunt, taking up residence at the foot of Bash’s bed. I was thankful it was a large bed, because between the massive dog and the large, blond incubus, there wouldn’t be room for much else.

  Bash listlessly fell into bed, and I pulled the covers up around him as he snuggled into the pillow. I kissed his cheek gently, reaching up to ruffle his wavy locks easily. “Goodnight, Sebastian.”

  “Mmm…night, Avie…” he muttered just barely, before his breath became even.

  I debated momentarily if I should go back to my bedroom, but a telltale rumble of thunder reminded me the weather was still sketchy, so I made my way back downstairs to the back bedroom where Sierra and Xander were still sleeping. Sierra opted for the floor again when I entered, turning a handful of times on the plush rug below, and laying down with a sigh.

  I thought about removing my shirt and sleeping bare skinned next to Xander, but even with the new, magic-quelling amulet, I didn’t want to tempt fate. I slid into bed carefully as not to wake him, easing my body next to him gently. I smirked, feeling his hardness jab into my buttcheek. I had to resist the urge to palm him in my hand and wake him up to try the effectiveness of the stone. My body thrummed with need, especially being so close to him—to any of them. But again, I didn’t want to push my luck, so I settled for some spooning, cuddling up against him carefully. He rustled and flung an arm around me, still sleeping while he buried his face in my hair.