“I’m not.” Gabriel prowled back to Maximus and knelt in front of him. “Thinking of the things Gryphon could do to her without us there to protect her…it drives my cat crazy.”
“I know.” Maximus scratched at the flesh blistered on his wrists.
“I already tried to remove these.” Gabriel indicated the wormwood restraints encircling Maximus’s wrists and neck.
The vampyr nodded, but changed the subject. “What about Kat?”
“I have no idea.” He hadn’t even thought of her. What type of friend did that make him? “The last time I saw her was when I left the kitchen to get the box of toys. She was playing the X-box, and I cautioned her to stay out of the kitchen unless she wanted an eyeful.”
“Gryphon obviously knows our vulnerabilities.” Maximus tapped a finger against a wrist restraint and motioned to the steel cage they were housed inside. Steel was the only thing that could contain a shifter. “How did he learn Sameya’s weakness? We don’t know what he sprayed in her face. How did he even know she was with us?”
“I don’t know.” Not liking Maximus’s labored breaths, Gabriel sat down and pulled him against his chest. “My best guess is he had the house bugged.” He ran his fingers through the chocolate strands of his mate’s shoulder length hair. “I’m going to kill him, Maximus.”
“If he’s left a single mark on Sameya, he suffers first.”
Gabriel could get on board with that. They sat for a while in silence. Maximus lying on his side, with his head reclined on Gabriel’s legs.
“You think we pushed her too hard in the kitchen, Maximus?” He couldn’t stop thinking about the things they’d done to her. The things she’d allowed them to do to her. Nary a complaint from her, and he’d sensed her reticence with the butt plug. He’d also tasted the spice of her excitement.
“She needed to know what we’re about if she’s going to make an informed decision whether to remain with us.” Maximus went into a coughing fit that racked him harder than a grand-mal seizure. Wormwood sickness worked rapidly and was lethal ninety percent of the time if not countered almost immediately. Gabriel prayed for a miracle from every god he knew about. “We can’t pretend to be something we’re not.”
He wanted to tell Maximus to conserve his energy and stop talking, but that felt like giving up. “But we could’ve taken it slow. We don’t have to fuck her together before the month’s out.”
“Don’t go soft, Gabriel.” The vampyr squeezed his thigh, his grip so slight it was obvious his strength waned. Panic clogged Gabriel’s chest with a hard knot, but Maximus continued to talk. “The monsters in us need to take her that way to make her ours. She needs to know what it’s like, to determine if it’s something she can handle.” A weary sigh rattled from his mate’s lungs and Gabriel resisted embracing him tighter, as if that’d dampen the danger of the wormwood. “We both know not all women are capable of accepting our demands in the bedroom without the double penetration. Sameya seemed to handle us fine. Better than fine. That woman gives as good as she takes.”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” He trailed his fingertips over Maximus’s cool brow. His lowering body temperature a bad symptom. “She was scared of us in the beginning.”
“I wouldn’t have classified her as scared.” Maximus licked parched lips that were cracking as Gabriel watched. His long-time mate was losing strength faster than he’d like. “She was determined to remain alone and have nothing to do with us. But scared….”
“She was scared, Maximus. We forced ourselves on her.” Yet he felt no regret about that. Probably because coercing a mate was a common denominator among the mystics and shifters.
“She was frightened that we’re her mates, but not afraid of us.”
Gabriel nodded. Maximus spoke true. Sure of her capabilities, Sameya was too arrogant to be fearful of anyone. Which brought to mind the predicament they were in. “We didn’t even protect her when she’s at her weakest, why would she remain with us? I wouldn’t.”
“I…don’t know. We can hire security and get Kat’s coven to drench the house in wards.”
“If Kat’s alive.” Gabriel grimaced over those words. To give the thought life unsettled him.
“Before we can worry about any of that, we have to get out of here.” Maximus’s eyelids drooped, and his mouth sagged to one side.
“You okay?” Gabriel nudged his shoulder.
“Feel wi—wa—weird.” His vampyr smacked his lips. “Tung…pheel…phat.”
Tongue feel fat, Gabriel interpreted Maximus’s slurred words. At least that’s what he thought he said.
Maximus went into a very real grand-mal seizure, eyes rolling into his head, foaming at the mouth and his entire body jerking.
Gabriel went feral, his cat roaring their grief.
***
Sameya’s head pounded like a heavy metal drummer resided within. Throat dry, ears ringing, and eyes scratchy, she blinked several times before finally elevating her eyelids enough to peer about. The over bright room caused her to cringe and made her head hurt worse.
Where the hell was she?
“Thank the Blessed Mother you’re okay.”
She turned her head in the direction of the voice. A tall woman with long brown hair, and teal eyes stared at her. She seemed familiar in an irritating sort of way. They weren’t friends, Sameya knew that much.
“How does your head feel?”
Sameya caught the woman’s wrist before her fingers could graze her forehead.
Kat. She recalled the other woman now. Maximus and Gabriel’s witch. The one who’d collared her.
“I don’t like to be touched.” Frowning at the iron cuff on her wrist, she released Kat and lifted her other arm. Another one on the other wrist, both etched with Atlantian magical symbols. Memories scrambled back into her head so fast she grimaced at the sudden ambush. She had no idea who her attacker was, but there was one thing she was very certain of…he was a fool to come after her, even if he had executed his attack brilliantly.
He will pay. Once I find him.
Rolling to her side, she sat and scooted to the edge of the bed. Still naked with the dildo in her ass and vibrating, she should’ve been embarrassed, but instead fury clambered along her spine. She’d locate the nearest bathroom or closet and shut off the sex-toy, but weirdly she preferred one of her men remove the gadget.
My men? I’ve officially lost my mind. They’re not my men. She threw her legs over the side of the mattress. She really should remove the object rather than save the honors for Gabriel or Maximus. Survival was priority number one, and she had no clue if she could walk with the toy stuffed up her ass.
“Take it slow. You’ve been out for an entire day.”
Sameya looked over her shoulder at the other woman. Seriously? In what universe had she been thrown where a witch mothered her?
However, the solemn lines etched onto Kat’s forehead suggested her concern was sincere. That fretfulness was a novelty in Sameya’s world where no one worried about her. Ever. Unless they feared she planned to reap them.
“Are Maximus and Gabriel alive?”
“They were when we were brought here. Gabriel was injured. Maximus shackled in wormwood.”
Wormwood. Not good. He wouldn’t sicken and die as fast as a young vampyr would, but even the oldest and strongest of them would fall quickly to that particular lumber.
“What’d he spray in my face?” It still reeked whatever it was.
First on the agenda…locate a washcloth and scrub this shit off my skin.
“It smells like rose petals.”
Not expecting an answer, she elevated her eyebrows at the witch. Curious how the attacker discovered that in aerosol format, rose petals act as a cerebral flat liner to a siren. Only another siren could’ve fed her assailant that information.
“They’re my best friends, and I failed them.” Kat stared at her hands as she twisted her fingers together. “My magic should’ve protected us from an infiltration.
I didn’t even know these goons were there until it was too late.”
“So you’re to blame? Good to know.” Sameya stood, finding her legs surprisingly steady. Walking didn’t shift the gadget in her bottom or hinder her movement either. Another plus in her favor.
“Yes,” Kat said in a very small voice. “I’ve brought shame to my coven.”
“You’re an idiot.”
Kat’s head snapped back, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Whoever’s magic this is, it’s stronger than yours. He is to blame. Your pity-party is counter-productive.” She tested a small serenade and was delighted when it didn’t rebound in her head. Serenading herself was an experience she never wanted to repeat. “Why aren’t you wearing iron fetters?” Other than the bump on the witch’s forehead, she appeared relatively unharmed.
“No need for shackles when his magic does the job easy enough.” A displeased scowl settled on Kat’s face.
“Get over yourself.” Sameya despised fragile women. And she hadn’t suspected the other woman would be a weak link. Most witches weren’t. “You might be strong for your age, but even I have no problem swiping through your magic. That spell you had around the house wouldn’t have contained me for two minutes.”
“Yet, the magic in the collar I created keeps you trapped to the men.”
Sameya grinned. She could work with cocky. “That’s different. It’s mixed with Maximus’s power.” He is damn strong, not to mention persuasive. And she was feeling a whole lot of protectiveness knowing her mates were somewhere and in danger. “Vampyrs are unaffected by my siren spell. That means so is his magic.”
The bedroom door opened. Kat’s shoulders snapped straight, and her glare waylaid the entrance. Patience taxed, Sameya watched as a soldier entered. She’d recognize the arrogance of a leader anywhere, and this man wasn’t wearing it in his demeanor.
“Good to see you’re awake, Sameya.”
Interesting that he knew her name when she had no idea who commanded him. She inclined her head. “Wish I could say the same.” Since he wasn’t the leader of this expedition, she didn’t bother asking for his name.
His gaze traveled the length of her naked body, his eyes darkening. “You brought this on yourself.” He clucked his tongue at her.
Typical henchmen style to lay the blame on others.
The stranger made a ‘come here’ motion with his hand. “Gryphon wants to see you.”
“Gryphon?” Hadn’t Gabriel said that name when she’d first met him?
“Your captor and new master.”
Imbecile. No one mastered her. “We must not keep his highness waiting. But….” She trailed a fingertip around her bellybutton, drawing his focus. “You’ll understand if I demand some clothing first.”
He held up the bag he carried in his left hand. “Of course, Sameya. Gryphon sends you attire. I doubt they’re what you’d prefer, but slaves aren’t allotted finer wear.”
“You think I’m a slave?”
He touched the iron shackles on one of her wrists before offering her the bag of clothing. “Those were specifically made for you. Iron laced with magic.”
Atlantian magical inscriptions that can subdue a younger siren, but not one of my advanced age. Proof the one she sought was younger than her and wasn’t aware of her immunity. The siren responsible for her predicament would suffer.
Gryphon’s guard stepped closer, peering down at her. She hoped he didn’t think he cowed her with the way he towered over her. “He’s promised to give you to me when he’s finished with you. A reward for helping bring you to justice.”
If not for his seriousness, she would’ve laughed. She kept her head bowed and tried to humble her voice. “Lucky you.” If she were lucky, he’d think her intimidated.
“Very lucky.” One of his fingers flicked a nipple. Sameya knocked his hand aside. His long fingernails gouged into her neck and he shoved her to her knees, but only because she allowed his attack. No need to alert him to her vigor just yet.
Kat gasped.
A browbeaten appearance served her purpose. Hands tangled in her hair, he smashed her face into his soft crotch. Anger spiked at being manhandled, and she ground her teeth to keep from biting into the delicate flesh.
“I hope he keeps one of your mates alive long enough for me to fuck you in his presence. Probably the tiger. I’m sad to say the vampyr is almost gone.”
Yeah, he looked and sounded as heartbroken by Maximus’s nearing demise as she would be about his death later. Behind her, Kat’s breath hitched with obvious tears. Sameya guessed the other woman wept for Maximus.
If either one of her mates were harmed they’d all live to regret it for a very long time.
“On your feet, slut. Master has a show for you.” He jerked her to her feet, his nails drawing blood. “Not the first blood you’ll shed for me.” He licked the substance off his fingers. “I like my women to endure pain for a long time. But not as much as Gryphon does. You’ll be pleased when he finally tires of you.”
Such arrogance to deem her defeated.
Sameya ignored the stinging of her flesh as she pulled the iron-laced dress over her head. Fools. The entire lot of them. It’d take more than a little bit of iron and a blast of rose petals to trounce her.
The garb barely covered her bottom, but the low cut of the material in the front almost had her breasts spilling over the fabric. He hooked a chain to a loop on her wrist-cuffs and led her from the room. Like a goddamn dog. The offenses against them were mounting.
Chapter Eighteen
Sameya entered the chamber with the guard guiding her with his iron leash. The room housed a single rectangular table that could’ve fit twenty guests but only two chairs were in place. A domineering male sat in a chair at the head of the table. She’d bet this was the leader of the gang…and wouldn’t you know it, he was a griffin. Probably why he’d chosen the name Gryphon, but that was assuming they were one and the same.
The man was strong and advanced in years, but he’d be easy to sway with her serenade. And not because he was overweight, but one brush of his power against hers and she knew she’d outgun him without much effort.
His beady-eyed gaze traversed her body, making her feel soiled and in need of a long hot shower. He patted the spot next to him, while tapping his belly with the pudgy fingers of his other hand. “Won’t you join me, Sameya?”
As if he truly believed she had a choice. Arrogant creatures and their idiocy! She would enjoy exposing his error. The guard led her to the male, whom she presumed was Gryphon, and handed the length of chain to the man.
“Sit.”
“Are you Gryphon?”
“Yes.” He yanked, and she went to the floor in front of him, her knees protesting the impact with the marble floor. “But I prefer Master. At least for a time. After I tire of you, Mondo here”—he flicked a hand with long fingernails at the guard who’d walked her in—“will have the privilege of owning you.”
“You’re confident of that outcome.”
“I know your secret weaknesses, siren. Rose petals and iron.” He gulped a finger of liquor from a glass, his lewd gaze navigating her body once more. “Did you remove the dildo in your ass?”
She ground her teeth together. “No.”
“I fingered you after you were down.” Bile hit the back of her throat. Violated when she couldn’t defend herself…he was a sick and twisted bastard. She’d make sure he writhed in agony for that affront. “You’re soft. I’ll enjoy feasting on your pain.”
Griffin’s ate the agony of their victims. Everything began to slowly come together. Sameya was a powerhouse of magic, a timerelic of power that’d survived countless generations, the rise and fall of nations, all of that meant she’d last longer than his average prey.
“Another siren gave up our secrets to get me out of the way?”
Gryphon offered no reply, but she needed none. He trailed a finger down her neck, and she flinched away. “I have a bit of sport for u
s to watch before I dine on you.”
At least twenty henchmen entered the room in a single file. They must expect a lot of trouble out of her…or someone. Dread morphed through her.
Gabriel was wheeled in first, trapped in a steel enclosure in his tiger form. He could barely move. Their eyes met and he snarled, ramming the lock with a shoulder, knocking the crate about. The men pushing his crate were caught off guard and tumbled to the floor amid hollers and screams to get him under control. Gabriel continued to ram the door, but it didn’t budge.
A curtain in the corner of the room was yanked down, exposing Maximus. Naked and bound to a cross, his back was littered with oozing lacerations. The bearer of that whip lifted a wormwood tipped flog and laid another set of wounds across the vampyr’s back. Maximus jerked, but only a groan came from him. Knowing he suffered caused her fingertips to sizzle and a buzzing to echo in her ears.
Sameya drenched the room in a serenade so potent it would’ve killed a young mystic. As a result, several of Gryphon’s henchmen dropped where they stood, dead before they hit the floor. The one who wielded the cat-o’-nine-tails plummeted to the floor with a startled yelp after she pointed at him. She turned toward Mondo, who was on his knees at the door sobbing. She’d met children with more bravery. “Bring me the witch immediately.”
The remaining men were reaped without a glance in their direction, the thuds of their dead bodies hitting the floor like dominoes.
“How? You’re in iron. And the Atlantian symbols etched in them are strong enchantments.” Nothing Gryphon could do now except follow her commands, and she could see the resignation in his eyes. He’d already accepted his death.
“Catch up on your history, Gryphon.” She smacked his cheek. “Or get a siren old enough to know the truth of a timerelic’s vulnerabilities. I’m too old for the iron to bother me. As for the inscriptions…they’re my spell.” Which meant someone high up in E’Neskha’s organization was responsible for this treachery because none but the most trusted were aware of the etchings. “The spell can’t be used against me.”
Taboo Kisses Page 13