“How?”
Flamed grabbed her by the arms and turned her away from the bed. “Do you love him?”
“Yes.”
“Then show him. Don’t let him push you away or it will kill him.”
With one last look, Flame left.
Dagan’s agonizing scream reverberated into the depth of her soul. She climbed on top of him and straddled his waist. He tried to buck her off. His hands came down hard and shoved at her chest making her fall backwards slightly. She grabbed his hands and righted herself but he continued to throw her off him.
“Get out, Reese,” he managed through tight lips. “Go home.”
She knew she couldn’t hold him for very long, even in his weakened state, he was too strong. She was running out of options and she didn’t know how long the fit or seizure would last, so she did the only thing that came to mind. She kissed him.
Reese bolted forward and planted her lips on his. Dagan stopped writhing. She slid her hands forward and clasped fingers with him, lying on his chest. He heaved deep breaths and held on tight. When his eyes opened, she eased back.
“I love you, Dagan.”
“Stop,” he huffed. “You have no idea what you’re saying.”
“I love you.”
He bucked his hips, trying to dislodge her. He stared at her with tortured eyes. “Get out of here, go away.”
Now she was just pissed. “Fine,” she growled. Getting up and standing by the bed, she looked down at him and said, “You don’t want me here. I get it. I’ll go stay with Enki and work with Gilgamesh until my training is done.”
She had only taken a couple of steps before Dagan roared and flew off the bed. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his naked body, then pushed her up against the wall. She flattened her hands against the smooth surface and pushed away but his body held her in place.
Placing both hands roughly on her hips, he inched them up, taking her shirt with them. When he got to her breasts, he cupped them in his hands and squeezed. He shoved the flimsy material aside to pluck her nipples before lifting the shirt over her head and tossing it away.
“Reese,” he whispered against her neck.
“Oh, Dagan,” she sighed.
He coaxed her around but still kept her plastered against the wall. His lips captured hers. The kiss became ravenous, a dying hunger. She shivered from the forcefulness of it.
Pulling away, he laid his forehead against hers and breathed heavily. “If you don’t go, I’ll not be able to stop the fury. I’m too weak.”
“Will it hurt you?”
He chuckled. “No, but I fear it will consume you.”
“And if you don’t let go, it will kill you.”
“My choice,” he rasped.
“Not gonna happen,” she retorted.
Easing back, he raked a searching, desperate, hopeful gaze first across her exposed breasts then into her eyes. “You know not what you’re doing.”
“Kiss me.”
He growled low in his throat. “It’ll be rough and hard and very long.”
“I already knew that.” She ran her fingers up his gloriously naked length.
A faint smile twitched at his lips. “I’ll have no control once I let loose. It may not be pleasant for you since I’ve held it off so long. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Will it hurt more than when you left and never told me the truth of it, Dagan? If you love me…kiss me.”
He clutched her hips as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, the tension in his body like a bow string ready to snap.
“Dagan,” she murmured against his lips.
“What?”
Reese ran her hands up his spine to his shoulders and back down again, squeezing his butt cheeks. Slowly, she felt some of the tension leave his body. His mouth lit a path of wetness down her neck to her breasts where his teeth lightly bit her nipples. She cried out.
With a strength she thought he no longer possessed, Dagan lifted her up. She circled her legs around his waist. He sucked one nipple into his mouth, bit it then licked the pain away. He moved to the next and repeated the wonderful torture.
His eyes darkened and a pained expression marred his features.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
He didn’t speak. She noticed how hot his skin became. She somehow knew that meant the fury was coming.
“Don’t fight it. Don’t fight this.” She laid her hand against his heart.
Again, his mouth took hers. He grabbed at the button on her jeans and ripped them open. Roughly, he set her feet on the floor and tore the pants from her body then ripped the panties away. He spun her to face the wall, lifted her high.
“Dagan, what are you doing?”
“Wrap your legs around my waist,” he ground out. “Now!”
She awkwardly encircled his waist with her legs. He quickly lowered her so she could feel the tip of his shaft at her entrance. He plunged inside.
It wasn’t pain she felt. She braced herself against the wall for each thrust. Dagan had been truthful when he’d said hard. He entered her with a hungry, driving force.
With his hands at her hips, he lifted and lowered her body in time with his thrusts, going deeper and deeper. She felt her muscles tighten and the release violently convulse around him.
Reese shook from the explosive passion. How could Dagan still be standing and holding her weight in his weakened state? Dagan leaned into her, lightly compressing her body to the wall with his own. He kissed her shoulder blade.
“I’m sorry, baby. Did I hurt you?” he murmured.
She gave a soft chuckle and lazily tilted her head back to meet his heated gaze. “Are you kidding? That was incredible.”
A smug smile curved his lips. “I’m glad you thought so.” He slid her legs down to the floor, then picked her up and carried her to the bed. “That was only the beginning.”
Hours—or days—later, Reese awoke wrapped in Dagan’s arms in the middle of his enormous bed. She felt weary and pleasantly sated. Dagan had been right when he said she didn’t know what she was getting herself into. She’d lost count of how many times he reached for her through the night or day. Over and over, he eagerly made love to her. When she thought she couldn’t take anymore, he produced a soothing lubricant to ease her body for his invasion.
She lightly stroked his chest, making circles around his taut, brown nipples.
“What are you thinking?” he asked in a husky, sleepy voice.
Her hand stilled. “I didn’t know you were awake.”
“You expect me to sleep when your exquisite fingers are stoking my body?”
“Surely, you can’t—I mean after all that—again?”
He answered her question by brushing his lips against hers and grasping her hand to move it lower. She felt the hard ridge of his erection through the thin sheet.
She breathed a faint sigh. “Is it always like this?”
A crooked smiled curved his lips. “Yes and no.”
“What does that mean?” She snuggled closer.
“If you mean will I always love you with such ferocity? Yes, because I can’t help myself.” He rolled them so she lay beneath him. “If you mean will we have these relentless bouts of sex, not unless we want them. Generally, the consummation is the most ferocious of the joining. It will taper off over time.”
Reese wrapped her arms around his neck as he settled himself between her legs. “So what happens now?”
He laid his head on her chest. “I go before the Pantheon to receive their punishment.”
“No.” She framed his face and brought it up to see his bright green eyes.
“I must. It is our law, Reese. I have defied them more than once. It’s time.”
She clutched onto him. “What will they do?”
“I don’t know.” He rose up to look into her eyes. “I want you to go home, Reese.”
“I’ll wait.”
He rested his head between her b
reasts. “You’re an exasperating female.”
“So I’ve heard.”
She snuggled him closer, liking the way it felt to have him here like this.
When Reese woke, she knew she was alone. A sick dread filled her. Dagan had gone to face the Pantheon for their punishment. Jumping up, she retrieved her clothes from the floor and hastily put them on.
“Flame,” she called out.
Nothing happened.
“Flame!”
Dagan’s friend appeared before her. “You called, my lady?”
“He’s gone. He was gone when I woke up. He told me he had to go before the Pantheon for punishment.
“It has begun.”
“Yes,” she retorted hotly. “I need you to get me there.”
His face sobered. “I cannot.”
She grabbed his shirt in fisted hands and pulled him to her face. “You can and you will.”
“No one is allowed, especially humans.”
“Look, buster, I’ve recently found out my father is a nephili, I’ve faced demons, Kur, and the man I’m in love with is a demigod who walks through time. I can face the Pantheon.”
He chuckled. “Technically, he’s not a demigod because both his parents are gods. Now, Gilgamesh, on the other hand…”
“Flame. Don’t care. You can give me the politically correct version later. I need you to get me to the,” she waved her hands above her head, “wherever we need to get to, right away.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and raised a blond brow. “And how will you get in?”
She gave him a faint smile. “I have a plan.”
“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” Dagan had always liked that particular human verse. He thought it appropriate under the circumstances. His entire body felt as though it had been plowed over by a herd of the mredí, a form of elephant indigenous to his planet, and his head felt ten times too big because his brain had swelled and would break out of his skull any minute. It took the last vestiges of his strength to drag clothes over his bruised body and all his willpower to do it without waking Reese and making love to her again.
As before, he appeared fully armed and in his general time walker attire, not wanting to give a quarter in this battle. A show of strength if nothing else.
The members of the Pantheon were seated in their proper regal positions when he arrived. Strolling forward to the bottom of the arena, he bowed before them as was proper.
“So, Time Walker, again you come before us well-armed. Is that to suggest that you will fight our decision?” Ki purred.
He stayed silent. She would not bait him into a scene of insolence to add to the pile of charges the Pantheon already held against him.
A soft chuckle from somewhere behind him announced the presence of Inanna.
“You are bold, Dagan. I will give you that. Still, you disobeyed orders to relinquish the protection of Reese Whittaker.” She stopped in front of him. “Do you deny this?”
“No, my lady.”
“No,” An stated. “As well you should not since we are fully aware that you performed the démarr without our sanction. And with a human.”
“And I would do it again, my king.”
“You are insolent,” Ki offered.
“He is my son,” Enlil announced.
His father’s outburst stunned Dagan.
Inanna said, “We know his bloodline, Enlil. But this deed cannot go unpunished. This matter had been discussed and still he chose to ignore the order.”
“To perform the sacred ritual with a human is unheard of and will not be allowed.”
“Well it’s too late and you better damn well get used to it.”
Her voice bounced with the acoustics in the arena. What the hell was Reese doing here?
The king stood. “How dare you enter this hall, human.”
“Don’t give me that human crap,” Reese threw back. “I’m not your servant and neither is he.”
Reese came to stand by his side. She grazed her fingers across his.
“How did you get in here?” Ki asked.
He noticed the sideways glance Reese cast at Enki, who sat silently in the upper tier watching the scene with interest.
“What matters is that I am here and I’m not going away. I’m his mate. We have performed your ritual, done the deed, and now we’re bound together as per your customs.”
Reese paced before the gathering. “I love Dagan and he loves me. Why is that not enough for you? Because I’m human. You say it as if the word sticks to your tongue.” She glared at Inanna. “I’ll tell you this. We were good enough to do everything for you when you could not do for yourselves. We tended the fields, brought sacrifices so you could sit on your lazy butts and rake in what humanity toiled.” She lifted a brow then frowned at them. “Not to mention, at least some of you have taken it upon yourselves to dally with humans over the ages, but that’s okay, even if children are produced.” Reese shook her head. “I must say, that’s a poor example you so-called gods present.”
Dagan had to fight to keep the smile from curling his lips. Her chin rose in defiance.
“Get the guards,” Ki roared. “Have this female thrown out.”
Dagan grabbed Reese’s arm and pulled her to his side. Facing the Pantheon he growled, “No one will touch her.”
Inanna’s temper flared. “Are you not in enough trouble already? You would stand against us? Surely you know you cannot win.”
“He would not stand alone.” Enki finally stepped down. Enlil and Ninmah stood with him.
“We have made our decision,” Reese said.
He tried to keep her behind him, but she shook her head and squeezed his hand before stepping in front of Enki.
“Dagan feels very strongly about his duty as a time walker. I respect this as should you. I won’t ask him to give up his duties and he hasn’t asked me to change my life for him. He chose to take the risk of giving up his life to protect me and has done this time and again for all other humans he protects against Kur and his army.”
Nammu moved forward and everyone in the room lost some of the bluster. “What are you saying, my child?”
Reese blew out a breath. “I’m saying that he wants to continue as a time walker and he’s a damn good one. You need him.”
“And what of you?”
“I’ll continue to do my work as an archeologist on Earth.”
The mother of them all floated toward the center. A frown captured her brows and lips. “You would separate yourself from him, your blethred?”
A strand of hair had fallen into her bright eyes. “We haven’t worked out all the details yet.”
“Dagan, have you not explained to your woman about the fury and how it affects our race?”
Dagan bowed low before Nammu. “We were otherwise engaged.” He straightened and sent a devilish grin Reese’s way. She blushed.
Turning his attention back to Nammu he said, “First, I had not planned on ever seeing her again. We haven’t had time to discuss the rest for I was uncertain as to what would happen when I came here.”
“That is sound thinking on your part.” She walked over to Reese and framed her face in both hands. “You are so beautiful, with quite the temper.” Winking, she said, “Keep a leash on it. Control is what you will need to handle this one.” She pointed to Dagan.
Reese smiled and shot him a quick glance.
Nammu stood regally before Enki, Enlil and Ninmah. “You three seem to always manage to have ruckus surround you.” Moving closer to Enlil, she scolded. “He has your traits engrained in him.”
“That he does, Great Mother.”
“Enki, you created this problem so long ago, and now, in a roundabout way, you bring us a new weapon to fight against it.”
“Only too happy to help, Great Mother,” Enki offered, his lips twisting in wry humor.
“An,” Nammu called.
“Yes, Great Mother.” He appeared instantly at her side.<
br />
“I have witnessed the pain and agony Dagan has suffered not only over the last couple of days, but before. I decree that it is more than enough punishment for his crime.”
“But…”
She held up her hand. “We must come to terms with the facts. We created then interacted with the humans. Lines get blurred, laws change; it is the way of things.” Nammu faced the rest of the Pantheon. “However, this does warrant close attention. We have no idea what other surprises await. Mankind is an evolving species and no longer limited to our rules.”
An bowed. “Yes, Great Mother.”
“Dagan, take your woman from this place. Explain to her the extent of our race and the fury.”
“As you wish, Great Mother.” He grabbed Reese’s elbow and escorted her toward the door.
“But…” Reese protested.
“Not now, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear.
Dagan scurried Reese as quickly as he could back to his dwelling. He closed and locked the door.
“Well that was interesting,” she said as she moved farther into the room.
“Quite.” He followed in her wake, dropping his weapons along the way.
She turned, recognizing the all-too-familiar look in his eyes. She squealed and took off running with him in chase.
He caught up to her in one long hallway, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her against his rock hard body. He inhaled her incredible scent and rubbed his already swollen cock against her behind.
“Did you mean what you said?” His hot breath sent shivers across her skin.
“What?” She groaned when his hand caressed her breast through her shirt.
His free hand unbuttoned her jeans and then unzipped them, sliding his hand down the front and into her panties. “That you would be willing to find a way to make this work…us?”
“Yes,” she breathed.
She gently rocked her pelvis.
“Good,” he murmured against her neck. My woman.
Easing his fingers from her, Dagan picked Reese up and carried her to his bed where they stayed for the rest of the day and well into the night.
Hours later when Reese woke, the darkness swelled and the bed was empty. “Dagan?”
“I am here.” His voiced drifted from the dark.
The Fury Page 25