Giving It Up for the Gods

by Kryssie Fortune

  Lindy relaxed as his voice lost the unearthly rumble. She chewed on her lower lip to hold back her inner music, but she’d give anything to sing for him now.

  As his demon retreated, Jase slowly returned to his sculpted, bodybuilder’s physique. His pupils still flamed with passion, but his face was stark. “You left me.”

  She ran her hand over his stubbly beard. “You chose Cardea, and I walked away. Without you, I have nothing left except my pride—and that doesn’t keep me warm in bed. Tell me the truth. Why are you here?”

  He still held her against his chest. “Because you are. I begged Circe to send me wherever she sent you. She warned me it wouldn’t be good, but Lindy, the darkness, the cold, the endless somersaulting through a frozen void brought back so many bad memories of my fall. I couldn’t… Honestly, I wouldn’t have made it without my demon. He saved my sanity, but I couldn’t contain him until I held you.”

  He’d followed her to Scopuli, but he hated Sirens. Could he… Did he… “Jase, put me out of my misery. Did you come to shatter your half of our claiming? Are you going to spirit-bond with Cardea?”

  His demon roared inside him, and he gripped her tighter. “Honestly, when I was younger, I thought I loved her. I seduced her, but things didn’t go well. Even back then, I realized that she liked my gifts more than she liked me, but I was young, stubborn, and stupid. I promised her the world and begged her to forgive me when I’d done nothing wrong. Seems I always mess up around virgins.”

  Lindy gasped and tried to pull out of his arms, but he held her as though his sanity depended on it. Perhaps it did.

  Jase sniffed at her hair, and when her floral essence hit him, he dropped a tender kiss on her forehead. “Demons’ breath, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I had a lucky escape when Cardea refused to listen. She wept for days, and when the Sirens found her, they believed I’d raped her. I hated your entire race for that. Now I see that if they hadn’t interfered, I’d have been stuck with that empty-headed nymph for all eternity. It’s hard to admit, but I owe your sister Sirens for saving me from a disaster. If I’d claimed her, I’d have been stuck with a half-wit when I love you.”

  He loved her? He freaking loved her. She inhaled deeply, then grinned like a loon. Why had she thought the sun was too bright? Or that there should be clouds? Everything was perfect. Jase loved her. How amazing was that?

  Jase grinned back. “The only other virgin I’ve deflowered was you. The circumstances sucked, but if you give me a chance, I’ll spend eternity making it up to you. What I’m trying to say is, I love you. That’s set in stone, and I’ll do anything to make you love me back.”

  She ran her fingers through his hair, “Kiss me again. Then tell me you love me, and Jase, make me believe it. Neptune’s balls, I want to, but…”

  He stood with her cradled in his arms and raised his dark head. “Come on, you Sirens. My demon’s dormant now, but I’m not. Gather round, and for once in your lives, listen.”

  The platoon of warriors poked their heads over the stone barrier. At a signal from their veteran leader, they stood tall, bazookas ready as they ringed the plaza. Curious Sirens gathered in nervous groups, all ready to tackle the demon if he hurt Lindy.

  Jase held her until the crowd gathered; then he raised his deep voice over the hubbub of female voices. “Once I wanted to wipe your race off the planet. Now, even though I never raped Cardea, I’m grateful for your interference. Without it, I’d never have found Lindy.”

  He put her down as though letting go of his most prized possession and dropped to one knee. “Lindy, you have my heart and soul. I love you with everything I have and everything I am. Spirit-bond with me, and let me spend eternity showing you how much you mean to me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jase waited, but every part of him—his mind, body, and heart—rested in Lindy’s hands. A Siren’s hands, and if she didn’t hold tight, his life was over. Every don’t-touch-me gesture and I-hate-Sirens comment he’d made haunted him. Whatever he’d felt for Cardea was a pale reflection of the love and longing he felt for Lindy. And like a fool, he’d made her think he didn’t love her.

  Tears hung on her lashes like dewdrops, then trickled slowly down her cheeks, but she smiled at him. Confusing, complex woman. Mine. The way her lips curved and her gray-hued eyes shone like polished silver fascinated him. He studied the rise and fall of her chest, the way her hair caressed her shoulders, and even the upright tilt of her chin.

  He heard a low hum rise up from her throat; then she broke into a song of joy and joining. Her Siren song bound them in the earthiest of ways. Every cell in their bodies thrummed as electricity ebbed and flowed between them. Passion flared like never before, and he loved how her nipples peaked. Apparently his Lindy needed him inside her. He’d gladly oblige, but her sisters flanked them.

  Lindy radiated contentment and desire. No one, not even Jase’s demon, could stand against her lure. Not that it wanted to. His cock pulsed in rhythm with her song, but he basked in her enchantment. Her voice was mesmerizing with a haunting beauty that reverberated through his soul.

  As he knelt at Lindy’s feet, a woman elbowed her way to the front of the crowd. She looked enough like Lindy for him to know they were related. Her mother, perhaps? When she raised her voice in counterpoint, giving her approval, his soul resonated to their tune.

  Two curious schoolgirls, innocent enough to have attracted Neptune’s attention in a couple of years, found a harmony and added their voices. Around the rocky windbreak, warriors stood like sentries. Weapons lowered, and they raised their voices like a perfectly drilled choir. The plaza throbbed with passion and power.

  Lindy’s voice trilled above them, building the spell of love and commitment. Without missing a beat, she knelt to face him and brushed her free hand over his cheek. He raised the hand he held to his lips and kissed her fingers.

  As the beauty of the Sirens’ song built into something wondrous and unworldly, Jase held her hands in his and rose to his feet. She stood alongside him. Just where he needed her to be…permanently.

  Her voice crescendoed into a chorus of, “Yes, yes, yes.”

  The Siren choir harmonized chords and counterpoints, welcoming Jase into their midst. Slowly, not wanting to break the spell, he stepped behind Lindy and slipped his arms around her waist. Lindy loved him. After this astounding outpouring of love and acceptance, he’d never doubt that. He turned them in a slow circle, acknowledging the entire Siren race as family, and as he did, peace filled his heart.

  His past didn’t matter. His thirst for vengeance slid from him, replaced by joy and love. These women were family now, as much bound to him as he was bound to them. With a final chord of climax, the song died away slowly, and the singers fell silent. The magic lingered as the Sirens dispersed.

  Finally alone with Lindy, he kept his arms around her waist but moved around her until he stared into the silver depths of her eyes. He lowered his lips to hers in a gentle salute that welled up into passion and sensual heat.

  When they broke apart, Jase asked, “What just happened?”

  Lindy leaned her head on his chest. “I sang my heartsong for you. Sirens only sing it once—for the one person they love above everything and everybody. My sisters recognized it and blended their love and approval into my song. I love you, Jase, and my whole family knows it. They opened their hearts to you, and whatever you feel about Sirens, they just adopted you into their family.”

  “And I’m honored,” Jase told her truthfully. “But don’t make any plans for tonight. I’ve got a few of my own, and every one of them revolves around spirit-bonding with you.”

  Lindy relaxed against him. “I’d like that. I’m pretty sure I can persuade Mum to move in with one of her friends for the night.”

  He straightened a table, pulled up a chair, and tugged her down onto his knee. “I’d prefer to go off alone somewhere. Perhaps my home back in Yorkshire, or we could check into a high-class hotel somewhere. What
ever you like. This time, princess, I guarantee there’ll be no fire alarms or broken beds.”

  Lindy blushed, bashful but needy, and she concentrated on her shoes. “Are you going to phone up a helicopter or something? I’d rather not wait.”

  He chuckled. “Thanks to Circe, we don’t have to. Her spell and your parentage charged you up like a solstice battery. You were supposed to empower Neptune when he fucked you on that altar, but instead you supercharged me. Your love permeates every cell of my body, strengthening and replacing everything the Roman gods tore from me. I’ve already regained most of my strength, and that’ll only get better the more you and I…” He saw her complexion pale and realized he’d managed to say the wrong thing. Again. “I swear, princess, I’d give up every vestige of power I possess if it means I get to stay with you.”

  Her smile was back, illuminating her face and filling his heart with joy. “I love your farmhouse, Jase. If we could go back there without Pluto’s minions surrounding the place, that’d be great.”

  Relieved she liked his home, he nibbled on her earlobe and murmured, “Consider the minions squashed. Now, introduce me to your mother; then we can make ourselves scarce.”

  * * * *

  Lindy preferred Jase’s transportation skills to Circe’s, but he was a full god reclaiming his powers. Even the demon lord inside him was stronger than the witch. Jase and his demon did no-frills magic. One moment Lindy stood in her mother’s kitchen, inhaling the smell of freshly baked bread and cakes. The next she was in Jase’s bedroom, shivering in anticipation.

  Jase stood in front of her, all arrogant and bossy. “Come here.”

  Liquid fire pooled between her legs. She ran her tongue over her lips and moved a small step closer.

  When she lifted her arms to hug him, he grinned. “Arms over your head. And. Don’t. Move.”

  Okay, so my bossy god wants to play. She stood like a temptress, weight on one leg, the other slightly bent at the knee. Arms stretched overhead, she lifted her chin and let her hair cascade over her shoulders.

  Jase moved behind her and unfastened her skirt. As it settled around her feet, he stroked his way down her bare legs. Again, excited tremors shook her body.

  When he reached around her and unfastened her blouse, she moaned and arched her back, thrusting her breasts forward in invitation. He ignored them, lowered her arms to her sides, and slid the blouse from her body. The fabric felt cool and crisp on her skin, but she was burning. Craving. Longing.

  Next, he slipped her bra straps from her shoulders and slowly opened the clasp. This man knew erogenous zones she’d never thought of, and her pussy was already wet for him. He kissed his way down her spine, one vertebra at a time, and chills shot through her. She wriggled and tossed her hair, but he moved on to her panties. Kneeling behind her, he rolled them down her thighs and let them fall to the floor.

  Desperate and eager, she whimpered, “Is it my turn yet?”

  He landed a soft slap on her bare ass. “Not until I’ve checked you for bruises.”

  Possessive, bossy male. Mine. He ran his hands over every bare inch of flesh he’d revealed, and, finally satisfied she’d come through her adventures unscathed, he lifted her from her feet and carried her to the bed. He spread her over the sheet, kissing her nipples and fingering her clit as he undressed.

  Lindy bit her lower lip as she watched him kick off his borrowed jeans. Her man was droolworthy in the extreme. Her gaze devoured him. Finally alone and naked, he lowered his massive body over hers.

  “I won’t bite you this time, princess, not unless you ask me to. But, Lindy, my best dream involves you biting me back.”

  His eagerness for this and the hint of insecurity in his voice touched Lindy’s heart. Jase was a warrior god, a demon lord, and he wasn’t going anywhere until their spirit-bond snapped into place.

  She smiled and whispered, “Try to stop me.”

  His grin was devilment, magic, and sensual promise. “Then spread those sexy legs of yours, princess. Let me claim what’s mine.”

  When had she become so obedient? Sirens were snarky creatures, always up for the fight, but with Jase, she…surrendered. Legs wide, arms around his neck, she writhed her hips against him. Wet from the slow, sexy way he’d undressed her, she didn’t need foreplay. When the head of his cock brushed against her pussy, she demanded, “Now.”

  He thrust inside her, deep enough to touch her womb and curl her toes. She felt as though her body splintered into shards of fire and delight, but she needed more. Another thrust, and rational thought vanished. She curled her legs around him and hooked her ankles together. She clung to him like a limpet, matching him thrust for thrust. Any lingering concerns she had evaporated, and when Jase held her like this, nothing else mattered.

  Her tiny fangs scraped over his neck, and he shuddered. Her tongue shot out, licking a small target on his neck; then her instincts took over. Fingers curled into talons, she sank her teeth into his vein as she clawed at his back. His blood was warm and earthy, a spicy mix of frankincense and heat.

  Orgasm after orgasm shook them, and as they came, his fangs pierced her flesh, tasting, taking, claiming, sharing, joining. Finally, when he was again balls-deep inside her, her body exploded into heat and belonging. He felt the instant the spirit-bond slipped into place, binding them together for all time and heightening their pleasure as he bellowed, “Yes.”

  He spilled his seed inside her like a hot fountain brushing her womb. She shuddered with pleasure, unhooked her long legs from around his waist, and trembled in exhaustion as another orgasm shuddered through her. How did I ever think I’d be the one to exhaust him?

  Jase stroked her hair back from her face. “I love you, princess.”

  She felt his love on a primal level and knew how much their joining had meant to him. Every thought, every feeling—from the shame of his fall to his disgust of Cardea—flowed between, all wrapped up in the deep, abiding love he felt for her. He was her partner, her equal, and they’d stand together as one until the end of time.

  Afterward, they lay, limbs entangled. Their bond magnified every tender touch, every loving look. Their happiness overflowed.

  Then Merc’s voice echoed from the wood-paneled parlor where they’d sat just two days ago. “I checked earlier. There’s no one home.”

  “Some messenger you are, kid, if you can’t find either of them. You losing your touch or what?”

  “Come on, Grandpa. According to Circe, they’ve just spirit-bonded. We should give them a little privacy, don’t you think?”

  “I’m just going to check they’re safe. Jase is ignoring any telepathic message I send. And don’t call me Grandpa.”

  Jase gathered Lindy’s clothes in an instant. “Get dressed, princess. I don’t intend to let them to see you naked ever again.”

  And honestly, neither did she. As she donned the silk underwear her mother had given her before they left, she ogled Jase as he pulled on his jeans. She shimmied into her Siren-designed skirt—all see-through gauze, layers, and net—threw on a top, and dragged a brush through her hair. The stark, sensual hunger she saw on Jase’s face stopped her in her tracks.

  After a time-out for some kisses that almost saw them back in bed, he took her hand and led her downstairs.

  “Your timing sucks.” Jase grinned as he sauntered into the parlor, Lindy at his side.

  Merc rushed over to her. “I let you down. Damn it, Lindy, I nearly got you killed. Are you okay?”

  She shot Jase a loving glance and nodded. Judging by the glazed look on Jase’s face, he made a brief mental contact with Saturn. As she nestled into his embrace, she reassured the youngster, “I’m better than okay, Merc. I’m ecstatic. Time to ditch the guilt and learn a little control. Honest, kid, after an upbringing like yours, you did good.”

  Merc’s smile blossomed, and he gave Lindy a mischievous wink. “See, Grandpa, we should give them some privacy. Let’s go home.”

  Saturn kissed Lindy’s cheek. “J
ase is closer to me than a brother, so welcome to the family. We’ll catch up later.”

  As he and Merc vanished, they heard him say, “And how many times, kid? Don’t call me Grandpa.”

  Loose Id Titles by Kryssie Fortune

  Giving It Up for the Gods

  * * * *

  The SCATTERED SIBLINGS Series

  To Wed A Werewolf

  Curse of the Fae King

  Kryssie Fortune

  I always said I had a book in me. Easy words, but I never picked up a pen. Then my heart valve broke. Prognosis shocking—operation amazing. With a new lease of life, I decided to reach for my dreams.

  Thanks to Loose-Id, I’ve taken my first step on a writing career.

  I have two grown up children of whom I’m inordinately proud and a husband I adore after almost 40 years of marriage. (Yes, I was definitely a child-bride.)

  I’m fortunate enough to work for one of Britain’s biggest (and best) TV companies. If I’m not writing, I’m growing my own vegetables or Skyping my adorable grandson in London.