Haven

by Dria Andersen

  Did they exchange words at all? They had to have spoken, right? None of that mattered when her nails scraped the back of his neck. Nothing but the heat engulfing his shaft, the fire rushing down his spine. He was lost, his mind gone, sensations, smells, sounds, his only focus. Sweat dripped into his eyes, down his back as he picked up speed, desperate thrusts into her eager body. Magic from Haven flowed between them. Light painted the walls, the ceiling. Color swirled between them and for a moment their minds touched. He took in that energy and strength flooded his body, adding to his high.

  Her eyes opened and he drowned. The green orbs pulled him under. He sipped her gasp of surprise, licked her bottom lip before sucking on it. His tongue explored her mouth, learning every crevice. Her pleasure was there in her mind, an open book to him as the spell pulsed, heightened, opening her further to his exploration. He drew the magic into his body and used it to feed the erotic images in her mind.

  Her thighs tightened, the slick heat of her sex squeezed him and her orgasm tore through them both. He drove in deep one last stroke before his world exploded. His heart stopped, his body flew apart as pleasure he'd never experienced washed through him. He collapsed.

  "My God." She whispered.

  He grunted, rolling her over before he crushed her under his weight. His hands roamed her back, he burrowed his head into her neck and he inhaled, pulling her scent into his lungs.

  "Name," he whispered hoarsely. "What's your name?" He had to have her again. His beast was sated, well fed from their magic, but the man…the man wanted her still. She was a drug in his system, a heady combination that pushed caution and good sense to the back of his brain.

  She wiggled her hips and his stomach tightened, his erection springing back to life, just that fast.

  She moaned, her lips trailing a path across his collar bone. She bit his ear, pulling the lobe into her mouth. "Destiny."

  He guided her hips until her wet center was positioned over his throbbing shaft. He entered her in a single stroke.

  Destiny.

  Yeah, he would remember Destiny. He was sure of it.

  Chapter 2

  HE WATCHED HER SILENTLY FOR HOURS, her face alternating from frustration to finally, triumph. She'd found his gift to her. A dangerous gift, one he would surely pay for if discovered, but made worthwhile by the look on her face. Her dark eyes were lit with victory and the wind around him in her orchard picked up its speed in response to her excitement. There were so few gifts one could give a goddess, if he had to pay for this one, so be it. Especially since Oya guarded the souls he needed.

  Melodrama aside, the future of the Earth depended on him getting those souls. He’d noticed blank spots forming around the earth, and its many realms. Blocking his sight of his many responsibilities. There was only one being he knew that left a trail of voids in its wake. He squelched the shaft of fear skittering down his back. If Ofeere was stirring…

  The wind died as suddenly as it'd started and she swung around to face him. Her beauty was renowned and not lost on him. Her long, oval face glowed with her power, her large brown eyes displaying her conflicting emotions. Her full lips firmed, straightened into a taut line as her expression closed down. She gathered herself to her full height of six feet.

  "Rugaba, you did this?" she pointed to the well she used as a window into the world.

  He leaned casually on the tree next to him. "You know I cannot get involved, rewa." It was as close to a lie as he could come. Any word from his mouth became truth and he had worked too hard for that gift to see it wiped away by a lie.

  She tipped her head to the side, her long black hair trailing her shoulder, she saw through his omission easily. "You cannot become involved, yet you harbor those abominations." Her eyes were hard, mouth set in an angry line.

  "I only police them, mi okan, it has kept your warriors safe these last few centuries." It was an argument they had frequently.

  Reigning in the Ajo was the only thing he could give her after his betrayal. Yet she didn't see it that way. The Ajo were stealing power from her temple, she wanted them wiped from the earth. She'd never understood that the Ajo were the price for her interference on Adro. The primal source always demanded balance. Balance was why he'd come today, why he'd risked his gift to her.

  "They have broken their treaty with you, yet I am bound by careless words I said in anger." The wind around them picked up, bending the trees in her anger. Her normally covered hair whipped around her body in a sensual dance. They stared at each other, trees lining the worn path on either side of them sending leaves dancing between them. Always a showdown between them.

  Rugaba straightened, unfazed, her anger nothing new to him. She turned away from him, his first point in this round.

  "You are a goddess, Oya, yet even you must answer to a higher power." He kept his voice calm. He couldn't afford to anger her further, not when he'd come to ask a favor. It was time to release the Kokoro souls, and only she had the power to do it.

  She turned to him, her expression sly as she walked closer to him.

  "I have all three women in position, and thanks to someone's help, the amulet is in play. Are you here to stop me?" Only an inch separated them, her scent wrapped around him, tempting him to close the inch between them.

  He stepped back, his body burning for her. "As you have said, they broke the treaty. The Amanda won't stand in the way of your hunters."

  She nodded, a smile blooming on her face. "Then I will release the souls you need."

  His relief was immediate. He didn't bother trying to figure out how she knew what he'd come for. The souls would be reborn, that was all that mattered. "Thank you, rewa."

  Her eyes softened, and for a moment and like every time he saw her, regret was a weight on his chest.

  "In truth, Rue, I released the souls centuries ago, you didn't have to risk you and yours for this boon you have given me." She said softly as he turned to leave.

  Rugaba fought down the triumph that moved through him at her words. He didn't trust her expression. "You released the souls already?" he wanted to be sure.

  "They needed to be mature for your purpose. No matter what is between us, I could not risk Earth in this coming war. The voids are already spreading."

  "Then it will be soon?" His mind spun with details. There was much he needed to do. She was right about the voids, and having the souls already mature was a huge boon.

  "I want no part of this war."

  Rugaba chuckled. "But you are so good at war, mi okan." She was after all a war goddess.

  Her lips turned up slightly. "I fight to protect what is mine."

  "Then prepare yours for what is to come." Right now the blank spots on the Earth were small, but history dictated that the voids would grow bigger, the more Ofeere escaped his prison.

  Her face sobered instantly. Rue's hand reached out instinctively to comfort her, but she stepped back quickly, her face as torn as he felt.

  "Rewa," he whispered. His betrayal stood as a wall between them. One her anger would not allow him to scale. The time for should've could've had passed though, and now they were stuck in this dance.

  "Careless whispers," she said sadly.

  Rue nodded and turned to leave, he accomplished what he came to do, there were no other words needed. He quickly transported himself from Alafia to Earth. He had work to do, and according to Oya, not much time to prepare. His first trip would be to the Mina, he needed to know who the souls were. It would be too much for Oya to give him, the fact that they had already been reborn was gift enough. As soon as he found out who they were, he would send the Amanda to protect them. The Earth could not survive another war.

  ***

  Five days after her disastrous attempt to investigate Haven, frustrated and dusty, Liliana was shoved into a plush office and met with a suspicious, near hostile glare.

  "Look what I found snooping around outside," her captor announced.

  She pulled her arm from his hand and adjusted her
t-shirt and jeans. Instinct told her trying to break into Haven was a bad idea, but she'd felt guilty from her failed attempt the other night.

  Caught trying to pick one of the locks at the back door, the bouncer let it be known with a shake of his head that he didn't want to hear anything she had to say.

  He'd silently led her through the club that had been transformed. Gone was the dance floor from a week ago. Large, comfortable looking sofas and chairs were scattered across the floor, and the place looked for all intents and purposes like the private club it claimed to be. The loud rap music was replaced by the quiet murmurs of conversation and soft jazz. The bouncer led her down three flights of stairs, through a dark hallway, and into this large office. Her sneakers were soundless on the gleaming wood floor as she was led and shoved into a leather wing chair. She took in the pale gray walls covered with bold landscapes and looked for an exit. She pinned her eyes to the painting of what looked like the coast of Chiuta, the Cagyn realm. It was a deserted beach scene that captured that perfect moment right before sunrise. The ocean met the edge of the black sand, some of the grains sparkling as they caught the growing light. She wished she was there, watching the sky change from purple to blue as the sun rose. She'd been to Chiuta once when she was a child, too young to appreciate its beauty. Now after years on Adro she longed for a glimpse of the Demi realm. Any glimpse, even if it wasn’t of her native Legba.

  "Close the door Fallon, so we can talk to our guest uninterrupted."

  Liliana watched the man behind the desk warily. His eyes were hard, icy hazel ringed with green, startling in his dark brown face. His sharp cheekbones and squared chin made him impossibly handsome. The snub nose softened his features enough to make him semi-approachable. The power emanating from him was intimidating, but not threatening. He sat back in his chair and stared at Liliana, regarding her curiously. The silk shirt he wore was open at the neck and rumpled, she guessed he'd either slept in it or had not yet fallen asleep.

  "What's your name?" he asked her.

  The door closed with an ominous click and she flinched. The one called Fallon walked around her and sat on the edge of the large teak desk, a smirk on his face. She recognized him as the bouncer from the other night.

  "I knew you were trouble, shorty." He shook his head.

  "Name, lady," the man behind the desk demanded.

  "Destiny." The lie was automatic, one she used often.

  Fallon snorted. "Apt."

  "Let's try this again, I’m Xavier and you are?" Xavier leaned back in his chair, tucking his hands behind his head. It brought attention to the muscles bunched underneath his shirt. He was a sexy man.

  Those damn Cagyns.

  Her research told her the head of the Amanda was one of the creatures. Sex on a stick, the whole lot of them. The corner of his mouth lifted in a small smirk as he caught her looking at him.

  Liliana opened her mouth, another lie at the tip of her tongue. A growl from behind the desk closed her mouth with a snap.

  "Please don't let another lie slip past your lips, Trouble." Fallon crossed his arms over his chest, amusement dancing in his eyes.

  "Look, clearly I made a mistake, if you let me go-"

  "Whoa, whoa, with all that extra, lady. Let's get your name first, then I'll decide if you can go." Xavier's eyes speared hers.

  Her mind worked furiously, trying to figure a way out of this mess. Could she tell him why she came? Why not? The worse he could do was, tell her to get lost. No, the worst he could do was send her home. She shuddered.

  No.

  She'd kept ahead of hunters for over three years, no way would she give up now. She couldn't afford to be sent home yet.

  Before she could make up a story, two hard raps sounded from the door. Liliana's stomach dropped, then clenched in hard lust. Her body betrayed her as another knock sounded.

  Crap!

  He was here.

  Her five-day respite was over. She knew who was on the other side of that door. She didn't have to see him, she could feel him. Feel his energy behind the door, calling to her, pulling responses from her body she desperately tried to deny. Fallon's eyebrow rose in question, a moment before the door was opened.

  He walked into the office, though walk didn’t accurately describe the swagger he had. It was more like predatory stalking. His muscular body moved with a sensual and dangerous grace. She suppressed a moan as her body heated, tuning itself to him, reaching for him even as her head screamed in denial. His eyes narrowed as he spied her.

  "Not now, Leo," Xavier told him.

  So that was his name. Leo. She whispered his name, tasting it on her tongue. She didn't bother asking the other night, and in her mad dash to leave the room, waking him to find out was out of the question.

  "Now is probably a good time, Xavier." Fallon said simply.

  She looked between the males, curious at their byplay. Their faces held small similarities that defined them as family. Where Xavier and Fallon faces were all sharp and hard edges, Leo's face was slightly rounded, softening his slashing cheekbones. His broad nose and squared chin was a little different, but they all had those full sensuous lips. She remembered the feel of Leo's on her body and shuddered in need. Leo's eyes traced her face, his gaze a caress. She sighed as fire raced through her blood and pooled in her abdomen. His thick eyebrows bunched and his tongue darted out to wet his lips. The moisture on his bottom lip sent shivers down her spine. She adjusted in the chair, crossing her legs to still the burning.

  "How long has she been here?" Leo asked Fallon.

  "I just caught her trying to break in," Fallon supplied.

  "Do you know her?" Xavier's gaze narrowed on him.

  Leo shrugged. "Last time I saw this broad, she was sneaking out of my hotel room, leaving nasty notes."

  A flush crept under her skin. "It was one note, and it was not nasty."

  Xavier sat back up, looking between the two of them. "So you came here looking for him?"

  "Yes." She seized on to the excuse.

  Xavier pushed himself up from his desk and marched around to face her. He snatched her backpack from her shoulder and pulled out the wallet with all of her illegally obtained identification. She sighed, this was going to hell faster than she’d anticipated.

  "You seem incapable to telling the truth." Xavier growled.

  Fallon smiled. "Tell me about this note."

  "Fuck you, Fallon." Leo snarled. His jaw bunched, fists clenched at his sides.

  "It was not a nasty note." She stood, embarrassment and guilt stained her cheeks.

  "'Gotta go, don't bother looking me up, not interested,'" Leo recited her hastily penned note.

  Fallon choked to hide his laugh. "You're right, bro. That was nasty."

  She cringed and lowered her head. "Sounds bad when you say it out loud."

  "Liliana Thomas." Xavier read aloud, putting an end to that conversation. He typed the name into the computer on his desk.

  "You told me your name was Destiny." Leo pinned her with a stare that sent a shiver of foreboding down her spine.

  "Oh, the irony." Fallon laughed outright.

  Liliana's heart dropped. Fallon was right. The irony of her fake name hit her along with the wave of fury emanating from Leo. They'd marked each other, partially mated even.

  She was his destiny.

  She looked to the door for escape. Xavier was angry, this she knew, but the look on Leo's face was pure, banked fury. He moved a step closer to her, and she shifted one more step to the side. They moved in this dance until she was backed into a wall. The slate scraped along her back.

  "Now, baby, why would you go and lie about your name?" His derisive tone cut through her. His large body dwarfed her own five nine frame stealing her air and her personal space.

  Liliana's heart pounded at his nearness, her breath coming in heated gasps. Her breasts swelled with arousal.

  "Everyone lies about his or her name." Her tone was crisp, clipped, as her accent threatened to
push through in her panic. She pushed against the brick wall of his chest, for all the good it did. He was entirely too close for her comfort.

  She struggled to put distance between them. "It was supposed to be a one night stand. You can't possibly think I would give you my real name." Her voice was shaky, her argument weak. She knew absolutely nothing about one-night stands, let alone any etiquette that went along with it. But he didn't know that, so she infused as much confidence in her tone as she could muster.

  "So let me get this straight." Leo leaned over a breath from her face. He braced his arms on either side of her head. "You would let a total stranger into your body, but giving him your real name is preposterous?" His voice was low, dangerous, sending thrills straight to her womb.

  Liliana should've been running for the door, instead her nipples beaded and her body arched into his. "That's how a one night stand works."

  Goddess his nearness stole good sense. Now that she knew Xavier was his brother, she wondered if the heat was from their mating, or the natural pheromones Cagyns were said to produce. She prayed it was the latter. The former would put her in way too much trouble. The way her stomach tightened, cramped with arousal, she could barely think straight.

  His lips turned up into an arrogant smile, dismissing her false bravado. "I'm hurt."

  Damn him. Her chest expanded with the effort to draw in air.

  "There are things I did to this body that I wouldn't normally do to a one night stand." His large hand traced the column of her throat, squeezing slightly then released.

  She should've been scared, anything but so damn turned on. Even as she chastised herself, her breath hitched. His dominance touched every erogenous zone in her body.

  "Manners, Leo," Fallon called from behind them.

  Leo stared at her for long moments, ignoring the command.

  "Back up, Leo," Xavier said from his desk.

  Liliana drew in a shaky breath, thankful when Leo took a step back.

  "If you weren't looking for me, what were you doing here?" His face dared her to lie again.