Giving It Up for the Gods

by Kryssie Fortune

  “But maybe you should let maintenance know about the broken bed. Don’t forget to shut the door on your way out,” Jase added with a grin.

  Aware she was intruding, the cleaner backed out of the room, but her gaze never left Jase’s chest. As she closed the door, he heard her murmur, “That man’s a real sight for sore eyes.”

  Lindy scrabbled to her feet and perched on the edge of the bed. He wasn’t sure, but he thought tears glinted on her eyelashes. He’d never felt so wretched, not even when Cardea wept after he’d seduced her. She’d been his boyhood’s dream, but Lindy was his soon to be soul mate, and he loved her with a man’s abiding passion. In a cruel turnabout, she wept because they hadn’t had sex. Cardea had wept because they had.

  Once he was free to fuck her, Lindy wouldn’t cry rape and condemn him to centuries of torture in the underworld. And again, Cardea had been bloody willing. If he ever got his hands on the stupid nymph, he’d kill her for all the misery and pain she’d caused him.

  Lindy pouted. “Hey, wake up, Jase. Is it all the coitus interruptus? Because, damn it, it’s driving me crazy. What do I have to do to get rid of my virginity? I suppose, thanks to that cleaner, the moment’s passed.”

  He could feel her frustration. His Siren was a woman who fought dirty, and the narrow-eyed look she shot his groin was worrying. He shook his head, and if his cock wasn’t throbbing, he’d find the whole damn situation funny. “Sorry, princess. Even if I was still up for it—and yes, the pun is intended—maintenance is coming to look at the broken bed. We’d better get dressed and hire a fresh car. Saul texted me while you were in the shower, and he said to meet up with us out at Aldborough. He even offered to shout us dinner in the local pub.”

  She blinked to hold back her tears. “Whatever. Can we stop somewhere on the way and fuck? Come on, Jase. I’m desperate, and honestly, I’m scared.”

  That was one hell of an admission for a Siren to make. Usually, they’d face down anything with a wisecrack and a mocking grin. His instincts screamed to protect and cosset her, but her words rubbed salt into the wounds his oath inflicted.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Lindy watched the wall clock tick off seconds as Jase signed the contract and settled the bill for the hired car. Time was running out fast. Nine and a half hours until midnight, and if she hadn’t lost her virginity by then, Neptune’s soldiers would find her. She just knew it.

  She needed to hole up somewhere and hide forever, preferably with Jase. The North Pole perhaps? But she was more sun worshiper than ice maiden. Finally the clerk handed Jase the keys to a nondescript beige car. Jase held the passenger’s door open. “In you get. Since we’re meeting up with Saul and Merc soon, we’ll head off to Aldborough.”

  As they left Harrogate’s elegant streets behind, Lindy stared at the sunshine-yellow rapeseed plants, sugar beet, and wheat growing in the fields. “Why Aldborough? What’s so special about a tiny Yorkshire village?”

  “My people, the Romans, or more specifically the Romano-British, built a town there because of the river crossing. Isurium Brigantum, as it was known then, stood at the junction of Dere Street and the road up to the Antonine Wall. They worshiped Mercury above the other gods, probably because messengers passed through here daily. Of course, that sparked trade, and that’s another of Merc’s areas of expertise. Not that it ever did the poor kid much good.”

  She would have demanded details, but she spotted a turnout down a deserted side road. “Jase. Stop and back up. Park up down that last road on the left, and look, fields full of crops, not cows. We can screw somewhere out of sight, and voila, I’m home safe.”

  For a moment, she thought he’d keep driving, but he gradually drew the car to halt. His gaze flicked briefly to the dashboard clock. When Lindy saw, her lips narrowed into a thin line and her eyebrows pulled together. Her furious glower should have withered the nearby crops. “Jase. I don’t care if we’re late when you clock in with your mates. It’s time to put up or shut up, pal.”

  He paled but parked up as she demanded. She practically dragged him into the fields. Neptune’s balls, is he really so damned unwilling? Determined to make this good for him, she reached for his cock, but he already had a massive hard-on. At least his body responded to her, whatever his emotions. “Okay, Jase, let’s get this over with. No foreplay. No interruptions, just do me quick.”

  Her urgency sparked something primordial inside him—at least it did if the way his cock twitched was any indication. She’d seize the moment, screw him senseless, and get herself off Neptune’s to-do list. Jase’s smile blossomed slowly, and he gazed into her eyes. Dev-ast-ating male, and for the moment, he’s mine. Her pussy was slick and wet. Steaming for him. And judging by the look in his eyes, her virginity had just become an endangered species.

  Jase rested one hand on each of her shoulders and ravaged her lips. His kiss was wicked and enticing, a promise of delights to come, but she hadn’t time to waste on his lips. She wanted him inside her, now. Lindy dropped to her knees, her face level with his cock, but there wouldn’t be any oral action going on this time. Nothing except sex—a deep penetration that gave her the chance to stick two fingers up in Neptune’s face.

  This, she decided, was definitely a win-win situation.

  She entwined her fingers through Jase’s and lay back, tugging him down on top of her. Desire hit her like waves crashing on rocks. Jase was everything she’d dreamed of in a lover…but they weren’t lovers yet. Soon. Very soon. Heart racing, pussy steeped in her cream, she rocked her hips beneath him. Was that me who mewled? Damn it, I’m a Siren. We demand and we take, not tremble and moan with this soul-tearing hunger and frustration.

  He caged her with his body, careful to take his weight on his hands and elbows, and she eased his jeans over his butt. His hand slid inside her top, and he tormented her breasts with his fingers.

  Every pinch of her nipples fired up the longing in her heart—and in her cunt. “Yes, Jase. Now.”

  For Jase, she’d sing her heartsong of love and forever, but between them, they couldn’t even manage a one-night stand. Everything came down to a quickie in a sunlit field. Then a lightning bolt flashed through the clear blue sky and struck the ground just inches from her head.

  Lindy wriggled free, wrapped her arms around her knees, and pulled them up against her chest. “Has Neptune found us?”

  Jase sat up and put his arm around her shoulders—his touch more about reassurance than sex. “He wouldn’t advertise like that if he had. I’d say it was a wake-up call from Saul, but whatever he’s after, it can wait.”

  In his primal form, Saturn wielded lightning. Didn’t he? Surely he didn’t sideline as a Peeping Tom? Only, he’d known just where to find them. The thought of him watching her getting it on with Jase made her feel sick. The sneaky bastard was no better than Neptune and his voyeuristic mermen. Not that it mattered. It was time she got down and dirty with her own personal demon, whoever was watching.

  Jase sniffed the air and grimaced; then he leaned in for a kiss. Lindy parted her lips for him, trembling slightly when—without breaking the lip-to-lip contact—he laid her back down on the soft carpet of moss. “Saul’s just going to have to wait.”

  He fumbled at the button on Lindy’s jeans, but she sniffed and turned up her nose. “Something around here stinks of bad eggs.”

  Jase wrinkled his nose. “Sulfur. It’s one of the main ingredients of Harrogate’s spa water. That lightning must have opened up an underground spring. I tasted some once, and believe me, it tastes even worse than it smells.”

  Lindy retched. She tried not to inhale as the stinking fumes enveloped her and made her choke. “Damn it, Jase, it’s bringing tears to my eyes. That, or it’s sheer frustration. Sorry, but I can’t do this here, not when that stench burns my throat. How about we head out to Aldborough, get there early, and take a room in that pub where you’re meeting Saul?”

  He pulled his jeans back on, took her hand, and led her toward the car. Damn
it, does he have to give up so easily? Her cunt throbbed with unfulfilled desire, but the stench of sulfur pooled like poison in her belly. Her mouth tasted the way the underworld must smell. She needed to breathe some clean air.

  Trying to hold back her tears, she dragged her feet. Her spirits hit rock bottom, but she had to stay strong if she was going to avoid being tied down on Neptune’s altar. Come on, Jase. Fuck me, please. Maybe the Fates were keeping them apart for a reason. Or maybe the Fates were frigid bitches who weren’t getting any, but that didn’t give them carte blanche to mess with Lindy’s sex life.

  As she slumped down in the car seat, she felt as sulky as a rebellious teenager. Jase kept his eyes on the road, but his downturned lips and furrowed forehead showed his frustration. Finally, more to lighten the mood than because she cared, she asked, “What’s with Mercury, then?”

  “Long story.” He shrugged.

  Fearful, furious, and close to tears, she snapped, “Apparently we’ve got nothing better to do.”

  His frown deepened, and his cheeks flushed. “Lindy, I’m sorry. I swear things will get better. Yeah, Merc. Right? You get that he’s Saul’s grandson? The son of Jupiter—one of the slimy bastards Saul fathered. I mean what sort of kids murder their own mother? They turned on Saul like a pack of rabid wolves, killed his wife, stole his rings of power, and shared them between themselves. Without them, Saul’s a shadow of the god he once was. It’s definitely time he got his rings back. Anyway, princess, Jupiter is the worst of the lot. He’s a cold bastard who cares as little for his son as he does his father.”

  “Not a happy family, then; but he’s not the only one,” Lindy told him. “Sirens grow up without a father too. Mum can’t even remember my dad’s name.”

  Jase gave her a long look. “But your mother didn’t keep you in a cage, did she?”

  “Get real. No one grows up in a cage.” Lindy laughed.

  Jase kept his voice low and his face calm, but his anger reverberated through his every word. “For millennia, Merc’s family treated him worse than you would an animal, starved of everything. The poor kid knew nothing about love or affection. Demons’ breath, he could barely walk upright when we found him, and I’ve never seen anyone so thin. He was half-starved, totally feral, and he could barely string two words together. Jupiter tossed his son into one of Pluto’s black holes and forgot about him. Every time one of Merc’s followers worshipped him, he should have grown stronger. Instead, his ever-loving family found a way to divert that strength into themselves.”

  Lindy shook her head, barely able to take Merc’s story in. “Seriously? I’ve heard that Pluto’s oubliettes are dingy, dark, and freezing. That sucks. I hope Merc’s family rot in hell. Saul excepted, of course. That’s not going to happen, since Pluto rules the underworld.”

  Jase’s eyes darkened, and for a moment, she saw the demon he hid within. “Yeah, between Jupiter, Juno, Pluto, and Uncle Neptune, the poor kid was seriously screwed. Saul searched for him for centuries, but have you heard of Mercury’s net? Vulcan created it to capture and hold gods. Legend says Merc stole it, but that’s another lie. It’s forged of dark metal, but it stretches indefinitely at its user’s bidding. Those bastards draped it over the hole they chucked the kid in, and it blocked him from the sight of the other gods.”

  Lindy compared her carefree childhood to Merc’s upbringing. “I always knew Neptune was a psycho freak, but Jupiter takes the biscuit. How did Mercury get loose?”

  “I summoned my legions and offered freedom for whoever discovered Mercury’s whereabouts. One of my foot soldiers reported back that Pluto wouldn’t let anyone in his darkest punishment hell, so I checked it out. It wasn’t like I didn’t know the way. Once I’d found Merc, I told Saul, and between the two of us, we busted the poor kid free.”

  Sympathetic tears welled up in Lindy eyes as she tried to imagine the horrors Merc had endured. No wonder he acted more like a rebellious teenager than an ancient god. “No one deserved to grow up like that, and it certainly explains why his mouth moves ahead of his brain sometimes.”

  As sorry as Lindy felt for everything Merc had endured, she needed to concentrate on her own problems. Losing her virginity should be such a simple thing, but she hadn’t managed it yet.

  By the time Jase finished telling her of Mercury’s past, they’d arrived in Aldborough. The first thing she noticed was that the village pub didn’t do rooms. Tears misted her eyes, but she blinked them away. When Jase took her hand, her smile was so brittle she thought her cheeks would crack and splinter. Right now, she couldn’t think about anything but bedding her demon.

  He leaned in close and dropped a tender kiss—not brotherly, please—on her lips. “Let’s get out and stretch our legs. There might be a bed-and-breakfast lurking around the corner.”

  Jase embodied complication, confusion, and charm. The way he blew hot and cold hurt her deep inside, but his tenderness settled like a bandage over her wounds. For him, this seemed to be more about foiling Neptune than fucking her. Her dreams of a one-night stand had evaporated the first time Jase kissed her, but he didn’t feel the same. Maybe he still carried a torch for this Cardea woman, but she was desperate to give it up to someone, and he topped her do-me-now list.

  Sirens prided themselves on being strong, feisty females. She’d survive when he moved on…maybe. Anything was better than sticking around and seeing him with another woman. Her heartsong—the melody a Siren sang to the man she wanted to have and to hold forever—bubbled up inside her. For Jase, she’d sing a melody of love and binding. Yeah, like he’s really up for that. He hated anything to do with Sirens. With him, her passion burned brighter than a million candles—more like a gasoline-soaked bonfire—but she refused to go up in flames. Not when he wanted her body, but not her brain.

  Jase pulled back, and she almost screamed or begged, anything for another tender moment in his arms. When he held the car door open and helped her to her feet, she glanced across at the village green and froze. “Jase? Do you see what I see? Is that really Merc doing a rain dance around that tree?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Over on the village green, Mercury skipped and danced around like a lunatic. He waved when he spotted Jase and Lindy, giggled manically; then he wobbled and sat down in the shade of the central tree. He started picking daisies, and as he made a chain, he rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky. His legs shook as he struggled to sit up, but fits of giggles overtook him.

  Jase swore and started toward him. “Damn it, the stupid kid’s drunk. What the hell is Saul thinking letting him come here alone?”

  Lindy stared, bewildered. “Why here?”

  Jase kept moving toward Mercury, but he called over his shoulder, “The Romano British worshipped him, even if he couldn’t answer their prayers. Thanks to his family, he wasn’t even sure he was human, let alone a god.”

  Lindy felt for Merc, but that didn’t explain why he weaved around this village like an underage cider drinker. All he needed was an askew baseball cap and an empty bottle in his hand.

  Jase stopped and pointed at the ancient church. “Saint Andrews sits over the ruins of the kid’s temple. There’s even a statue of him inside. He’s attuned to the power running through the village. Imagine if you’d never tasted coffee and someone poured two hundred double-strength espressos down your throat. You’d be trembling like one of those leaves on that tree Merc was dancing around. He’s overdosed on centuries of worship, and his body can’t process it quickly enough.”

  Lindy stared at the teenage god spread-eagled on the grass. Merc opened his arms and legs wide like a child making snow angels; then he pulled them tight against his body. Clearly amused by his own antics, he did it again and again.

  Lindy watched and wondered. “Jase, I don’t understand. If the other gods diverted his worship, what’s driving him crazy?”

  His answer was a knife through her heart. “They weren’t very good at stealing, whatever they thought. Most of the strength li
ngered in those stones, and his presence here has released it. The poor kid’s stuck in a shower of all the things his childhood lacked. Imagine he’s a drinker who’s a million times over the limit—a bit like you last night.”

  Lindy blushed and looked away. Neptune’s balls, it wasn’t like she’d set out to get trashed. And was it her fault she hadn’t eaten yesterday? They’d been busy avoiding Neptune’s warriors; then she’d gotten involved with one super-sexy demon, but he kept avoiding sex with her because of her heritage. Throw in a few curious cows, and she was screwed. Well, not screwed but…

  She’d all but begged Jase to order mineral water, but the big, bad demon had ordered vodka martinis and practically forced her to drink. Looking back without the beer goggles and hangover, it was almost like he’d intended to get her wasted—not that he’d needed to. She was already his for the taking. Only he hadn’t been taking much.

  She hung back and let Jase try to quiet the teen before the locals called the police. With his long dark hair, sculpted muscles, and sensual lips, Jase made her heart pound. And don’t get me started on his eyes. They’re melted gold that warms my soul. And still something nagged at the back of her brain.

  He’d made sure she drunk herself into a stupor; then the bed broke in the night. Even the cleaner found the door open and wandered in. Surely his demon senses would have warned him about that. A vague memory bubbled up inside her, but the implications left her breathless. When they fled Country and Western Heaven, they’d crossed that pack-horse bridge. She’d hated every second of it, but back then she hadn’t known Saul was a god. Once they were back on solid ground, he’d turned to Jase and said, “I’m agriculture and open fields, not crossing and transitions.”

  Saturn—Saul, or whatever he called himself—was the devious god of agriculture. He’d sent cows, and later a lightning bolt…which meant he really had been dogging them. She stopped dead and stared at Jase. Not a minion, then. And so much more than a demon. Damn, that meant… No way! But nothing else made sense. Not only had he played her, but he’d lied from the moment they met. Well, more not told her everything than lied. He was a conniving lowlife…but he’d stolen her heart. And what did he give her in return? Nothing. Just played games and refused to have sex.