Jase’s demon prowled inside him, desperate to beat the shit out of Mercury, but Lindy was in trouble now. “I’ll kill you for this, kid, but I swear to the Source I won’t actually screw Lindy until she’s draped over the altar. Whatever the personal cost, I swear I won’t tell her Saul’s plan.”
Lightning forked through the sky as the oath settled around him like a lead cape.
Mercury stood up. “Then grab ahold of me.”
Jase lunged for his arm, his grip so tight it bruised the youngster’s flesh. Then the pair of them vanished.
* * * *
Neptune’s elite squad—all black leather and full-face motorbike helmets—swaggered across the field. Lindy grabbed the SUV’s keys, but damn it, how many keys could one guy have? She fumbled through them, trying to find the right one.
The stench of rotting seaweed surrounded her as the merwarriors came closer. Escape? Impossible. Okay, time to fight. She turned and put her back against the car, humming of strength and victory.
“I screwed her last night. Neptune won’t want her now she’s not a virgin!” Mercury yelled as he materialized behind them.
The leader snorted with derision. “A piece of shit like you couldn’t screw the top off a soda bottle. Either way, our orders are to take her to Neptune.”
Mercury sank into himself, totally deflated. His skin paled, and his shoulders drooped. His voice dropped so low that Lindy struggled to hear. “Saul sent me to tell you to stay safe.”
He vanished before Lindy could tell him it was too late. Instead, she sang louder and hit a note two octaves higher than top C. The helmets blocked her song, and Neptune’s warriors still slow-marched toward her.
“O-kay, then. Looks like I’m the star guest at a fish-head conference. Seems a mite overcrowded, though. Time I took a few of you out.” Lindy hissed like a wildcat and slashed at the nearest fish-fingered freak. Her talons made no impact on his leather jacket.
Her would-be victim mocked, his words clear despite his helmet, “Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.”
Weirdly, she wondered how the helmets could let out their words but block her song. Circe’s dark magic, she supposed. How the hell did she fight them now? Battle madness and all-out attack? Or find a gap between them and run like hell? And how was she supposed to outrun motorbikes?
The leader laughed from beneath his helmet. “Admit defeat and come with us.”
“Or, she could brush off you losers and come with me,” Jase snarled as Mercury dumped him in the field.
JASE’S SKIN GLOWED like crushed rubies. His horns—all polished ebony and savage points—stood tall and proud. His thighs split the seams of his jeans, and since he grew almost a foot taller in full demon mode, the bottoms flapped around his knees.
He ripped off one merman’s helmet, right along with his head. Blood spurted in a huge arc, making dull green patches on Jase’s ruby-hued flesh. It dripped down his body and pooled invisibly onto the grass. As the merwarrior crumpled to the ground, the torrent slowed to a sludgy green trickle.
Fangs elongated, Jase knocked another helmet askew and bit out the owner’s throat. More blood flowed. Ignoring the carnage at his feet, he threw back his head and roared. He was born to do this. To protect his woman, he gave his demon free rein…almost. If he surrendered completely, he might never find his way back. For now, he’d channel its superhuman strength and its constant craving for violence to keep Lindy safe. A punch in a merman’s gut, a stomp that fractured ribs and punctured the victim’s heart.
Lindy finally got the car door open and the engine running. She skidded across the grass to Jase’s side. “Get in.”
Jase’s demon reveled in the blood and gore, but his warrior’s heart demanded he protect his woman. The mermen were either dead or unconscious, so for now the best he could do for her was avoid getting caught by the authorities. As he slid in beside her, he reined in his demon side—the side of him he hated. Only, not so much today. It went to bat for Lindy, and that forged a link between them. Maybe. His body shrank back to normal size. His horns flattened until they vanished beneath his hair. “Did they hurt you?”
“No, but they were about to,” she answered as she drove over the mermen’s motorbikes. The frames crumpled inward into twisted hunks of black metal, and their tires burst.
Chapter Eleven
Jase loved the way Lindy’s eyes shone as she drove over the mermen’s bikes. He wanted to stroke her arm or hug her, but he’d forfeited any right to touch her when he turned brutal and bullying back in the hotel room.
Lindy stared at the mangled metal in the rearview mirror. “Okay, I guess they weren’t ‘Born to be Wild.’”
Back in human form, Jase gave a theatrical wince, grinned back, and shook his head.
Her smile brimmed with mischief, and she rested her hand on his arm. “What? I’m a Siren. I sing songs. At least I didn’t go with ‘Bat out of Hell,’ or worse, Arlo Guthrie’s ‘I Just Want to Ride My Motorcycle.’ Not that they can now I’ve crushed them.”
“And you don’t know any modern songs?” Jase laughed. Teasing her about her music might be a way back into her good books. He’d never felt so damn guilty in his life. He fidgeted in his seat; then he reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn’t sweated this much since his prolonged involuntary visit to the underworld. His life wouldn’t be complete if he didn’t pull Lindy into his arms and cling to her forever. He’d promise her the world if she’d only forgive him, and he’d get it for her too.
After his cock-up in the hotel, he’d do anything to regain her trust. Most of all, he wanted to strip her borrowed clothes off her body and check her for bruises. Then he’d fuck her until she was too weak to stand.
Neptune’s minions had almost carried her off to use as a sex slave—all because Jase lost control of his demon. He’d sworn to the Source not to touch her before the solstice, but it chafed deep in his soul. At least he’d kept Lindy safe. He clenched his fists rather than stroke her thigh or fondle her hair. Two seconds later, he unclenched them in case she thought he looked threatening. Demons’ breath, he could fall for this sparky-natured Siren. No. Strike that. He’d fallen so far he was drowning, but with her, he never wanted to come up for air.
He reached across and ran one finger down her cheek, but despite her hesitant smile, she kept her gaze on the road. He never felt as ashamed. He hated the strained atmosphere he’d caused between them. “Saying sorry’s not enough, is it? I ballsed up, princess. Let me make things right.”
Lindy giggled, and he took it as a temporary truce. At least he was making headway here. Maybe the Fates got things spot-on when they paired him with a Siren.
He’d nearly lost her to the mermen, and the thought of living without her almost took him to his knees. Now that he recognized the depth of feeling, of love between them, he wanted to spirit-bond her to him for all eternity—and that wasn’t something immortals did easily. Worse, even if she was willing, he wasn’t free to claim her yet. All he had to do was accept her—species, history, and all. Then, once this mess with Neptune was over, he’d do anything to convince her to stay with him. Only, she’d have to forgive him for his stupid sexual games first.
He’d pushed her away repeatedly all because of his stupid prejudice, but Lindy accepted him despite his demon. He’d make peace with his dark nature if it meant she’d stay at his side. He needed to woo her properly, but where were his witty conversation and charm when he needed them? He wanted to say something to make her smile. Instead, he squeaked, “So, princess, how are the broken bones holding up?”
She chanced a look in his direction. “My ribs are back to one hundred percent, and although my wrist is still a bit sore, it’s getting there. So, are you going to turn all red-skinned and horny again? Or are we good?”
Her kind heart had kicked in, just as it had when she’d upset young Merc, and she threw him a lifeline. His smile widened into a full-on grin. “You always make me horny. If you forgive me, I could make it
worth your while.”
She laughed. “You’d better. Okay, as a soon-to-be ex-virgin sacrifice and outstanding car thief, where should I be heading? Those jocks will babble like babies when Neptune’s goons question them. Then we’ll have a hit squad outside our hotel.”
He looked up as their stolen SUV whizzed past a signpost. “We’re not far from Leeds. Let’s ditch the car at an out-of-town supermarket and buy some new clothes. Once we look a bit more respectable, we’ll head into the city center and take the train to Harrogate. Tomorrow, we can shop properly; then we’ll hire a less conspicuous car and move on.”
Lindy sped up, but a few miles later, she turned down a quiet country road and pulled into a turnout. “Okay, Jase, it hurts when you keep blowing hot and cold, but I owe you for saving me…again. Let’s put everything behind us and start over.”
He’d never meant to hurt her, at least not after he’d accepted that he wanted her to be his. Only he’d damn near got her kidnapped and raped…just because he couldn’t accept her for what she was. His demon side wanted her as much as his human side, but all it knew was violence and pain. Courting a woman was beyond it, but it went crazy the moment he let her out of its sight. When he left her angry or unsatisfied, his demon clawed at his heart and demanded its freedom. When it saw her surrounded by Neptune’s goon squad, it screamed inside him give her their heads on a plate.
That’d be after it had shredded their flesh and spread their entrails across the ground. For once, Jase had been willing to oblige.
When they parked up, Jase dragged Lindy out of the vehicle and into his arms. Her sweet, floral essence flowed over him and shoved the last remnant of his demon aside. Then he noticed she was staring across a field full of heifers toward a copse of trees.
She didn’t say anything, just buried her hand in his long hair, went up on tiptoe, and kissed him. Jase made a low rumble—half demon growl, half contented purr—then he kissed her back. His world stopped turning, and heat exploded through his balls. Lindy was born to be his. As usual, Saul had been bang-on the money about him and Lindy, but like a fool, he hadn’t listened. Jase forgot all the things he’d lost, all the things the Sirens’ lies had cost him. Every part of him—body, soul, and demon—cried out for him to make her his.
She gave him that grin that melted his heart and stiffened his cock. “Jase, that copse of trees looks pretty secluded. I’m desperate here. If we grab the blanket from the back, could you screw me over there? It won’t take long. Please?”
He hated that she added that “please” when she wanted some loving. And what was with that “not take long”? He wanted to spend hours, days maybe, exploring her body. If he had time, he’d tongue her cunt until her pussy overflowed with liquid passion and her nipples beaded into hard red peaks. He dreamed of her writhing beneath him—uncontrollable and desperate—begging him to sink his cock inside her. And thanks to the oath he’d sworn on the Source, until the solstice, all he could do was dream.
When she was panting for it, he’d sink his cock inside her, one slow inch at a time. Merc’s dead meat when this is over. Jase hated that he had to leave her wanting…again. His balls were almost blue with frustration. And he tried not to think about his cock.
Waiting for the solstice was worse than any torture Pluto’s demons had inflicted. Lost in his dilemma, Jase tried to think, but his cock had taken control of his brain. He wanted to screw her slowly, then fuck her fast. Damn it, any way at all would be good. He’d love her until the cows came home; then he’d love her some more. If he put her off again, she’d surely walk away. Not only would he lose her—possibly forever this time—but he’d hurt her again.
Confused and conflicted, he needed to think on his feet. Hang on…till the cows come home. He looked at the field full of heifers and grinned. He didn’t like it, but at least he had a plan. “Lead on, princess. I haven’t wanted a woman the way I want you since I proposed to Cardea.”
There he went, saying the wrong thing again. Sometimes, he was dumber than his demon. He’d never responded to any woman—not even Cardea—the way he did Lindy. And did I have the wit to tell her that? Hell, no. Like a dumb-ass demon, I practically told her I still loved the stupid, self-centered nymph who betrayed me. When I fuck things up, I do it in style.
Didn’t she know he burned to love her completely? A quickie in a field might calm his cock, but it would leave him wanting more—wanting forever. He craved her on a cellular level, but his oath forced him to delay things. Okay, time to test out his acting abilities. He grabbed the car blanket, took Lindy’s hand, and let her pull him across the field to the trees. The heifers looked up from their grazing, and a few moved closer.
“Shoo, you stupid animals.” Lindy waved them away and walked faster. The trees stood on a slight hillock, and behind it the land spread out into a patchwork of yellow rapeseed plants, golden wheat, and arable grazing. Every aspect of Yorkshire was beautiful, from its heather-clad moors to its rolling dales, but it paled compared to Lindy.
Jase spread the blanket where they couldn’t be seen from the road; then he kissed Lindy again. Their kiss was intoxicating. His cock stiffened. Her lips were soft, sweet, and sensual. His desires exploded. His woman was astounding. Then she caressed her way down his chest and unfastened his jeans. He’d do anything to please her, except he couldn’t fuck her yet.
“Commando,” she murmured appreciatively as she caressed his cock. Demons’ breath, the way she stroked and squeezed his dick melted his muscles. His knees buckled, and as he sank onto the blanket, he pulled Lindy down on top of him. Her giggle delighted him. A roll of his hips pinned her beneath him, and he ran his tongue around the folds of her ear. She shuddered with pleasure, so he did it again. “Are you comfortable? Would you rather be on top?”
She giggled again. “First time, remember. Missionary position’s fine.”
She arched her back and thrust her breasts toward him. Not one to refuse an invitation, he slid his hands inside her borrowed pullover and stroked her breasts. “Perfection. Can I take off your top and see?”
Lindy nodded, and he felt her relax as he tugged the pullover over her head. She’d abandoned her beer-sodden bra back at the farmhouse. He gasped at how beautiful her bare breasts were. Soft, round orbs that I just have to taste. Perfection. My woman’s a Siren, and she’s utter perfection. He stroked and squeezed gently before pinching her nipples. She moaned again. Sirens could sing a man into submission, but her every soft sigh was music that soothed his soul.
Her nipples crinkled into red peaks, and her areolae blossomed like scarlet poppies at the tops of her breasts. They were delicious and beautiful, the ideal size to fit in his hands. With a strangled groan, he lowered his head and tasted her soft, sweet skin with his tongue.
Oath bound or not, he didn’t think he could stop.
WHAT IS IT with me and the giggling? I’m not some teenager out for a Saturday-night fuck. Whether Neptune’s clock was ticking or not, something about Jase made Lindy hot and horny. Desperate for him. Whenever he looked her over, his hungry gaze made her breasts ache and her cunt overheat. As Jase’s tongue rasped over her nipples, she arched her back. Her breath came in quick, hungry gasps, and she murmured, “Yes. Please.”
She convulsed, her body craving his, desperate to experience every sensual pleasure he could show her.
When she grasped his cock, she couldn’t close her fingers around it. Magnificent male, but I’m running on borrowed time. Her pussy creamed, soaking her borrowed sweatpants. She finally had a chance to love him, and she intended to make the most of it. Determined to do this right, she thought of all the best bits in those sex manuals she’d studied so diligently.
His dick twitched and grew, so she caressed its length, then took his balls in her hand. With a soft squeeze, she stroked them over and over; then she found his raphe—the vertical line that divided his scrotal sac. He shuddered when she scratched her fingernail over it, and his eyes took on a glazed, do-that-again look.
He groaned, and his hips thrust toward her. No wonder her sisters enjoyed sex whenever and wherever they could. Heady with power, she licked her lips and stared at his beautiful dick. He was slick, wet, and…still growing. Who’d have known a demon could get so big? That was one secret she wouldn’t be sharing with her sisters. Since he’d lost his first and only love, Jase was on loan to her…permanently, she hoped. She twisted around and tasted the precum seeping from the rounded end.
He tasted all woodsy, fresh, and sweet. Lindy thought she’d never get enough of him. She licked her way from the top of his cock to the base as if savoring a melting ice cream…but there was nothing soft or slushy about his erection. Her tongue swept over his balls, and she sucked one into her mouth. Another suck, and his whole body shuddered. With an impish grin, she looked up into his face, and she swirled her tongue around him again. Then she started on his other ball.
Those how-to books she’d studied so eagerly told her “lick his raphe,” so she did. Repeatedly. His spine stiffened, and his head shot up. He roared out his pleasure, and she thanked the gods that just the cows could hear. Certain she was driving him crazy, she nibbled her way up his cock as though she was eating a king-size corn on the cob.
He groaned and cried out, “Gods, yes.”
Judging by his reaction, she was definitely doing it right. Her tongue swirled around his broad tip; then she sucked him deep into her throat and started to hum. Okay, she hummed of love and forever, but it wasn’t the same as singing for him…not really. She pulled back, blew air down the length of him, then—greedy for more—she sucked him back between her lips.
He shuddered above her. With a groan, he raised himself up to his knees and elbows and withdrew. “Lindy, princess, lay back and spread your legs for me. Let me show you how this should be.”
Giving It Up for the Gods Page 9