The Pandora Principle: A Paranormal Romance Novel (Divine Resonanace Book 1)

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The Pandora Principle: A Paranormal Romance Novel (Divine Resonanace Book 1) Page 15

by Noree Cosper


  30

  Hermes leaned against the wall as he kept me pinned under his gaze. "Why did you run from me?"

  I shrugged and tossed my phone on the end table beside the couch. "I had something I needed to do. Where's Serenity?"

  "And this something has you smelling like smoke?" He sighed. "What have you done this time?"

  I glared at him. "You're not my dad."

  He gave a rough laugh. "I would certainly hope I'm nothing of a father figure to you."

  "You're nothing of anything to me," I said. "We never can be. We should mark that night as a happy memory and move on."

  "Damnit. How many times do I have to tell you it's different?"

  My fists clenched at my sides. "Because your past speaks louder."

  He crossed the room before I finished exhaling and wrapped his hands around my wrists, sending tiny shocks along the fox and up my arm. I gave a small gasp, and he pulled me against him, with his lips only inches from mine. My heart twisted into a knot, and I licked my dry lips.

  Even another night would never be enough for me, and it remained all I could have. Though we belonged to the same world, we were on opposite sides. He'd seen centuries of lovers and would have many more when I was dust. All the reasons swirled around my head in a thick fog that strangled me from the inside.

  That's when the locks trapping the ker unclicked. I slammed my forehead into his nose.

  He pushed away from me, holding a hand to his face. "What the fuck?"

  "There's only one way to keep you with me. Like your other girls and boys, you'll eventually abandon me." I rolled my shoulders back as the world took on a darker tint.

  His eyes widened. "This isn't you talking. Cassi, you need to fight it."

  Yes, fight me. A voice hissed in my brain. You'll only lose. You're weak. Love is weak.

  Love? Since when had I started loving Hermes?

  I stared into his eyes as my heart seemed to rise into my throat. Nothing good happened to those who fell in love with gods. I wouldn't be any different, but maybe loving him could hold the ker at bay.

  I closed the distance between us, wrapped my arms around his neck, and slammed my mouth into his. The kiss was hard and angry at first, filled with my clinging desperation, but he changed it, sliding his tongue along the contour of my upper lip. One hand rested on the small of my back, and he pulled me in closer while the fingers of the other stroked my cheek. A tension between my shoulder blades dissipated, and I relaxed into him as the box stopped rattling.

  He lifted me up by cupping my ass and I wrapped my legs around his waist. We shuffled down the hall and into my bedroom with our lips locked together the entire time. I needed his touch, needed his scent of olives surrounding me more than I needed to breathe. Okay, I still needed air, but this came close.

  The bed creaked as we collapsed on top of it, finally breaking our kiss. He stared down at me with his eyes almost black with passion before he swooped down to graze his lips along my collarbone. His hands slid over my ribs, down my hips and along my thighs, leaving little jolts in their wake.

  I pushed him away long enough to yank my t-shirt over my head and toss it on the floor, followed by my bra. Hermes ran his tongue down my neck and between my breasts as I slipped his shirt up to play with those hard muscles underneath. He grazed my right nipple with his teeth before he took it into his mouth. I arched my back with a loud gasp and gripped the bottom of his shirt.

  "Oh, you like that?" he asked. "But what would the Fates think? Maybe I should stop..."

  "Don't you dare," My breath caught in my throat.

  Hermes's tongue traveled lower, circling around my belly button as he removed my pants. He nipped at my ankle softly and trailed kisses up my leg to my inner thighs. My fingers gripped my sheets when his tongue found my slit, causing an anticipatory throb to echo through me.

  "If my words aren't enough to make you believe, then I'll have to show you." He grinned up at me. "Tonight, I worship you."

  He flicked his tongue against my hardened bud, sending delicious tremors through my body, before he plunged it inside of me. I groaned and my hands tightened into fists full of 600 thread count cotton. He drove me to the brink and pulled back with a pause. I gave a frustrated cry, unable to articulate what I needed at that point as the electricity of his touch that I'd come to love faded away. Not for long, though.

  He returned, glorious in his nakedness, and hovered over me, resting his weight on his elbows. He slid his rigid shaft along my folds, and I moaned as a heated shudder passed through me. His cock pushed against my hungry opening, and I raised my hips, loving the little bursts of heat that spread from my loins to the rest of my body. He pressed his forehead against mine and locked his gaze with mine.

  "It's just you and me, now," he said. "My name will be the last one you scream."

  My joyous shout bounced off the walls as he plunged into me. My fingernails dug into his arms as I bucked my hips up with each of his thrusts. The rattling of the ker and the darkness had faded away to nothing. Hermes filled every part of me, and I welcomed him. We were the only two that existed in this whirling storm of passion. My blood roared in my ears as my orgasm thundered through me.

  "Oh god, Hermes," I cried out.

  He threw his head back and gave a rumbling moan as he exploded inside of me. We lay there panting, staring into each other's eyes for several moments. He chuckled and rolled to one side, taking me with him, and planted a small kiss on my temple.

  "Told you I'd make you scream my name," he said.

  "Actually, you said it would be the last name. That's still up in the air."

  "Oh, this isn't over." His embrace tightened around me. "We have tonight, and tomorrow, and the next night, until forever."

  "I won't live that long," I muttered. "And we'd probably get tired of each other."

  "We'll figure something out," he said. "The point is I want to be with you, if you want me."

  I yawned, as my eyelids fluttered. "We can see where this goes."

  I drifted to sleep wrapped in his arms, but even that could not keep the nightmares away. My aunt's dead eyes glared at me, and she pointed her finger. Her lips moved, but I couldn't understand what she was saying.

  I woke with a gasp to heavy air that seemed to hold me down and a burning in my wrist. I whimpered as depression sank into me. Beside me, Hermes struggled to sit up. Serenity stood over us with a pistol pointed at me. However, it wasn't Serenity that stared at me behind those eyes.

  It was Moros.

  31

  “Isn't this interesting," Serenity's voice took on Moros grating rasp. "A god and a pandoran in bed together. I doubt either of your families would be happy about that."

  "Get out of my daughter," Hermes said through gritted teeth.

  "Funny, you didn't seem that concerned for her a few hours ago. You were busy with another girl." Her eyes slid to me as she chuckled. "Always the same."

  I sat up, clutching my sheet to my breasts. "Why are you doing this?"

  "You can't guess? It's all for you? You and your little family." Moros waved the gun in Hermes's direction. "Not that his family is much better. They took my form originally, and left me a spirit trapped in a box. Only to be released by your dumb ancestor. But hey, the last few centuries have been fun."

  "Poor you." I shifted my body closed to the edge of the bed. "Plaguing humanity must be tiresome."

  "It'd be better if your family wasn't always showing up to ruin things. But hey, we're going to fix that. It's why I'm here, after all. At first I wanted you. You'd lead me to the others. But then, I found this wonderful demi-god, just ripe and ready for me." Serenity's hand trailed over one of her breasts. "So much pain inside. It's almost as if she never had a happy moment, until she met you. Then you went and did her dad, and she thought she'd lost you. But I was there, ready to snatch her up."

  "Always the bottom feeder," Hermes said. "I told you before, find another place to prey on."

  Mor
os turned the gun on him. "You expect me to be frightened by you? I was around since long before you were seed in Zeus's well used cock, and I'll be around much longer yet, especially now."

  "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. "Besides the fact you like to overshare."

  "One whispered word in the right ear, and Daddy would be up in arms." Moros slid Serenity's gaze to Hermes. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

  "That's if you could still speak." Hermes sat up. "You can't defy me even in your spiritual form."

  Moros pressed the gun to Serenity's head. "Back off, Messenger, unless you want your favorite's gifted brain all over the wall."

  My heart pounded in my chest, and little flames flicked across my knuckles. "Hey, how about you get out of my friend and we deal with this just you and me?"

  "Why would I do that? She has so much untapped potential," Moros said. "I haven't felt this kind of power in millennia."

  "You're not going to get near my family with her," I said. "They'd kill you on sight. Not that I see how you're going to do that with me, either."

  "We have ways. But you do have a point." Moros smiled and leaned closer. "I can already sense the ker in you, struggling to get out. Let's see if we can't help her."

  I shoved my hand in Serenity's face and flared the fire up. Moros lurched back with a gasp, dropping the gun. Hermes lunged forward and grabbed Moros by the front of Serenity's t-shirt, jerking her closer to him.

  A thunderous boom reverberated as the gun went off and set my ears to ringing. Serenity's body flew into the wall near the window, bounced, and toppled to the ground. She was on her feet and out my bedroom door in an instant. I flung the covers off, leapt out of my bed, and was halfway across the room before I realized Hermes wasn't ahead of me. He sat in bed with his hand pressed against his side. Blood oozed through his fingertips.

  "Go," he said. "Don't let him take my daughter out of this house."

  I sprinted through the hall into the living room, leapt over the couch, and planted my foot in Serenity's back just as Moros was opening the door. She slammed face first into the door, and we both toppled to the ground. That would leave a bruise I would have to apologize for later. I rolled back and hopped to my feet.

  "You're a complete coward," I said. "And I think Hermes is going to kick your ass for shooting him. After I do of course."

  Moros rose in a fluid motion. "You'd really beat up your best friend."

  "If it gets the job done," I said.

  Moros grinned. "That's what I wanted to hear."

  With a gravelly growl, Moros leapt at me with Serenity's arms stretched wide. I squatted down, rolled on my back, and planted my foot in her solar plexus. With an oomph, she slammed into the couch behind me. I got to my feet and grabbed her by her head before she could recover. It thunked against the carpet with a muted thud. The box rattled, and laugher filled my head as a rush went through me. I wanted to see her bleed.

  "Excellent," Moros said.

  I gasped and backed away. What in Hades was I thinking?

  Moros stood. "I'm going to have so much fun with this one. The things I will make her do with her own hands. And when she finally breaks, it will be delicious."

  Heat flashed through me, and tiny flames danced around my closed fist.

  "Are you planning on burning your friend?"

  "Just you," I said. "I'll rip you from her and send you screaming to the pits of Tartarus."

  Serenity's head went back as a whispering cackle filled the air. "Better than you have tried, little girl."

  I gave an inarticulate scream and flew at her. Moros spread Serenity's arms and closed her eyes with a grin. The shock jarred my body as I crashed into her, and we hit the ground again. The box creaked open and the ker slithered forward with her anticipation reverberating in my mind.

  Moros stared up at me with Serenity's eyes, which should have been gold, but were a dull brown instead. I let out a long breath, and the heat pulsing through my body dissipated. I'd almost fallen for their trick. If I'd given into my rage and the anguish sitting in the pit of my stomach, the ker would have seized control, leaving me only a passenger as it consumed my soul. Hermes might take out both of them, but he will have lost both of us while they escaped to find new hosts.

  I gazed into Serenity's eyes. "I seem to be saying I'm sorry to the people I care about. I'll fix this."

  Better to sacrifice one instead of two, right? Besides, this had always been my destiny.

  Moros smirked. "How noble."

  I planted my fingers on Serenity's brow and pulled with all my inner might, not that I needed to. Moros leapt into me, jerking Serenity's body in the process. A gray haze filled my vision as he slithered around my mind, leaving a trail of gloom in his wake. I toppled off Serenity and curled into a ball, clutching my head with a whimper.

  This was a part of Fate. I was doomed to exist as a puppet of the daimons, as so many other pandorans, as my mother had. I sobbed and curled tighter. Why should I be the only one to suffer? The world needed to feel the inevitability of pain. No matter what anyone did, in the end, we were all doomed. If I brought it about sooner, all the better. The ker's laughter filled my head again. And in the most violent way possible.

  "Cassi?" Serenity sat up and touched my shoulder.

  I slapped her hand and put my back to her. "Don't."

  I took a deep breath. I needed to regain control from the monsters inside of me. How long could I hold out? It was only a matter of time before the both of them would overpower me. My heart plummeted in my stomach as another wave passed over me. What was the point of all of this? I was a failure after all. I had known that years ago, when I'd run away. Fighting this prolonged the agony.

  Just give in, Moros's voice whispered. Let us take care of everything. You don't even have to think, to feel anymore.

  Yes. I could just drift away to nothing.

  "Cassi, listen to me." Hermes gripped my shoulders as he rolled me on my back. "You need to resist."

  I blinked at his obscure form. "Why? This is how it's supposed to go."

  He leaned closer as he tilted up my chin. "I told you, the Fates aren't that powerful, and neither is he."

  "What are you doing?" I asked.

  "I'm giving you hope."

  His lips closed over mine and the taste of olives filled my mouth, but that wasn't the only thing that filled me. His power flowed into me, blowing away the shadows attempting to eat away at my soul. Moros and the Ker shuddered, trying to regain their lost ground. Nope. With a mental blast, I sent them tumbling back into the box in the back of my head. The locks clicked with a resounding echo.

  I let out a breath and gazed at the beautiful face of the god I'd lost myself to all those weeks ago.

  32

  I stuffed the last pair of jeans into my suitcase, shut it, and climbed on top so I could close the metal latches. I slid off to the floor and rolled over on my back with a huff. That was it. All my favorite things in life crammed into an old plastic relic that existed before my mother's time.

  Serenity knocked on the door frame. "Packed already?"

  I tilted my head back for a better view of her. "Yeah. My flight leaves in a few hours you know."

  She sat beside me with a small sigh. "I was kind of hoping you'd miss it."

  "Me too. Why do you think it took me so long to pack?"

  She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Do you really have to go?"

  "It's already been a week," I said. "Even with the power that Hermes's gave me, I can't hold them back forever. I need to go home and lock them away."

  "What will I do without you?"

  She stared at the floor as she played with the hem of her jeans. She still hadn't completely recovered from her possession. The shadows under her eyes weren't as deep as the ones that hung in her golden irises. Over the past week, she'd stuck close to me, barely going out, even to classes. They were something both of us had avoided.

  I
patted her on the arm. "It'll only be for a little while. Besides, you'll have Hermes here."

  She rolled her eyes. "What's going on between the two of you?'

  I shrugged. "I don't know. He saved my life when he didn't have to, so he's not evil like I've been taught. But to love a god..."

  "Never works out well." She smiled at me sadly. "But you're stronger than my mother. Maybe things will be better."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Are you giving me your approval?"

  "Not really. It's still weird, but he's a god, and they do what they want."

  I stood and stretched. "I should get going. It takes forever to get through DFW airport."

  She rose to her feet and hugged me. I stiffened with my eyes widening before returning the embrace. Here was Serenity, the girl who tried to avoid physical displays of affection when she could, actually seeking it out. This ordeal had changed both of us, and maybe not all in bad ways.

  I pulled away and took the urn containing my aunt's ashes from my dresser. Thanks to Hermes, the police had stopped questioning me about my possible involvement in the events at the hospital and had finally released her remains to me.

  "One last trip home," I said.

  With my luggage in one hand and the urn in the other, I left the place I'd come to know as home for the last three years and the girl that had become my soul sister. I closed my eyes and let out a long breath. This wasn't forever. I'd be in and out, and to Hades with whatever other plans my family had. My life was mine and I was going to take control the right way this time. I would stand up to Aunt Dahlia and let her know how I felt. I marched down the steps with my chest lifted and found Hermes leaning against his car with his arms crossed.

  "I figured you would need a ride," he said.

  I glanced around at the other parked cars. "I should have had a taxi waiting."

  "Yeah." He grinned. "I sent him away."

  I set my case down. "All right then."

  I stared out the window as we rode in silence along the highway toward the airport. All the words I wanted to say jumbled in my head the minute I would open my mouth. After a while, I couldn't stand it and flipped on the radio. The melody of a string quartet filled the car. I glanced at him with a rueful smile.

 

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