by Susan Illene
“That’s your…” Her eyes rounded as her gaze slid past me.
I spun on my heels in time to catch Kerbasi flinging a fireball at Lucas. He turned sideways to dodge it, but the flame grazed his chest and caught his shirt on fire. He ripped it off and tossed it away. There were scorch marks on his skin where the flames had burned him.
Now that was just cheating. The only range magic Lucas had was a weak smiting ability, but that wouldn’t do much damage against someone as powerful as Kerbasi. He had to duck when another flaming ball went flying at him. It flew over his back and hit the wall of a house behind him—where it thankfully extinguished—but that didn’t discourage the guardian.
Kerbasi started sending smaller baseball-sized flames at a rapid-fire speed. Lucas flashed around, but couldn’t move fast enough to avoid them all. Black and red scorch marks trailed across his chest and arms.
I didn’t need Ireth’s encouragement to step into the fight anymore. There was one way I could protect Lucas. As soon as I could get close enough to him, I leaped up and wrapped my arms and legs around his body. The heat of the balls singed the back of my clothes, but went out as soon as they touched my skin.
“Sensor,” Lucas growled into my ear, “this is not a good time for foreplay.”
A ball of flame almost singed his hair off so I climbed higher on him to protect his face.
“This is a great time for foreplay.” I gave him a quick kiss.
As soon as our lips parted I caught a flash of orange and black fur flying by. I turned my head in time to catch Sable latching her teeth onto Kerbasi’s groin and clamping down. He screamed and tried to yank her off, but she held on with fierce determination.
I grinned. That was my cat.
Sable wasn’t going to be able to hold her own for long with still being weak from an illness, though. I hopped off of Lucas and pulled my knife from of my pocket, running up to the guardian. He was swatting at the shape-shifter, still trying to remove her. Every time he struck her, her teeth tore into him some more.
I plunged my knife through his chest and straight into his heart. He looked up in stunned amazement before crumbling to the ground, taking the cat with him. The blade wouldn’t hold him for long, but at least it would keep him down for a bit.
Cheers went up among the fae spectators. A group of children jumped up and down pointing at Kerbasi and laughing. Everyone else was looking at Sable, Lucas, and me with admiration in their eyes. If I’d known fighting a battle with the guardian was all it took to win them over I would have suggested that to the council.
I looked down at Sable. “You can let go of him now.”
For still being weak, she had a remarkable grip on him. The cat slowly unclenched her jaw, revealing a bloody mouth. I picked her up and hugged her close to my chest. I could sense the pain she felt from Kerbasi’s blows, but she didn’t seem to mind me coddling her.
Lucas staggered up to us. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah.” I ran my hand along her back. “He struck her a few times, but I don’t think anything is broken.”
“Good. That was an unexpected move on her part, though it worked well enough. I’m surprised she knew to do that.” He lifted a brow.
I cocked my head. “Guess she had a good trainer.”
“I’m rather certain Garvan does not instruct his cats to attack the groin,” Nienna said, coming up behind me.
“Then Garvan lacks vision.”
She didn’t argue the point.
Kerbasi moaned from where he lay on the ground. When he started to reach for the knife, I kicked his hand away and stomped the blade deeper into him. His body jerked once before he fell unconscious again. He was going to stay out as long as possible if I could help it.
Sable wiggled out of my arms and hopped to the ground. She walked over to Lucas, sniffed him, and then sat down to clean herself as if she didn’t have a care in the world. At least licking up the guardian’s blood on her fur would help her heal faster.
Ireth joined our group. “It appears you are able to control the guardian with a little help.”
She looked down at Sable, who continued to lick her paw.
“The guardian has had his fun for the day.” Lucas rubbed at his chest. It was bloody, but it looked like the burn marks had already begun to heal. “He shouldn’t cause any more trouble before we leave in the morning.”
“We’re staying the night?” I asked.
He closed the distance between us and pulled me to him. “I see no reason for you to travel back to Fairbanks this late in the day. There are better things you could be doing with your time.”
“I’ll have to let my pilot know we’ll be staying.” Ulric would be expecting me by dark.
“Where is he now?” Lucas asked.
“He said we could find him at The Slap and Tickle.” I managed to keep a straight face while saying the name.
Lucas’ lips twitched. “We’ll go there after we get cleaned up.”
I glanced down at Kerbasi. “We’ll have to take him with us.”
“He should find the place particularly interesting.”
For once, Lucas didn’t look upset over the prospect of having the guardian tag along. That sent my alarm bells ringing, but we had to go regardless. I’d just have to deal with whatever kind of place it might be.
Ireth moved closer to us.
“All three of you better stay out of trouble if you’re going to stay here for another day. I don’t want to see any more fights or fires.” She scowled at the scorch marks on the cobblestones.
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Lucas reassured her.
Chapter Six
It took almost two hours before we were ready to head out. None of us had eaten all day and the men needed food even more than usual after expending so much energy to heal themselves. Nienna was nice enough to bring us steak dinners from a nearby tavern while we took turns in the shower.
She’d stuck around for awhile and kept me company until Lucas ran her off. I was going to have to work on his social skills. They could be almost as bad as Kerbasi’s.
We stepped outside and Sable ran in front of us.
I sighed and kneeled down in front of her. “You’ve got to stay here and guard the house, girl.”
She gave me a look that said she wasn’t fooled.
“Get in the house.” Lucas pointed at the open doorway.
She flattened her ears at him.
He picked her up, ignoring her struggles, and put her in the foyer before quickly slamming the door. While he was locking it, she yowled loudly from the other side. It was a good thing we’d gotten someone to board up the living room window while the men were getting ready. She’d shattered it to get out of the house during Lucas and Kerbasi’s fight. I hoped she didn’t decide to break another one.
“You’re going to pay for that later tonight,” I warned him.
Whenever she got angry with me I didn’t get much sleep. She’d turn herself into a larger breed of cat—often a tiger—and proceed to take up as much of the bed as possible. Sometimes she’d even take to clawing the sheets up. I’d gotten used to the fact that I’d have to buy at least one new set each month.
“We’ll see,” he said, guiding me down the steps.
Kerbasi followed closely behind as we made our way through the city. Every fae we passed kept a healthy distance from us, but some of the braver ones smiled and waved at Lucas and me. They didn’t give more than nervous glances at the guardian.
The Slap and Tickle was situated between a bank—I’d wondered if they had one in the city—and a small café. It stood three stories tall and had windows at every level covered with heavy drapes. Music poured out the door when someone opened it. The tunes were upbeat, but unfamiliar. It almost sounded like a Scottish reel.
Despite the name of the place, I wasn’t prepared for what I saw when we walked inside. There was a bar running across one side of the room—that was at least familiar—but it was everything else
that took me by surprise. A naked pixie stood in the middle of the room with pieces of fruit strung all over her body. Two men were nibbling at the strawberries and grapes on her with glee. Other than pants, they weren’t wearing anything else.
In another corner of the room a nude male fairy danced sensually before two orcs. One of them was licking his feet while the other encouraged him. There were a few more side shows in other parts of the place, as well as topless waitresses running around providing drinks.
When I could finally find my voice, I looked up at Lucas. “I thought the fae frowned upon their races intermixing like this.”
“For bonding purposes, yes. For casual entertainment in establishments such as this one, they’ll look the other way.”
“Huh.”
“These people are disgusting.” Kerbasi sneered. “I do not understand the appeal of such behavior at all.”
The guardian wiped his hands on his pants as if that could somehow rid him of the filthiness around him.
Lucas chuckled. “If you’d allowed Sable to finish the job, you wouldn’t have had to worry about getting any sexual urges again.”
Hell, I just didn’t want him to ever breed with anyone. Little Kerbasi’s running around would give me nightmares.
“I do not need castration in order to keep my form pure,” he said haughtily. “There is nothing here that could tempt me.”
“Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?” I grinned as an idea formed in my head.
“Money in my mouth?” He looked at me like I was crazy.
I waved him off. “Tell you what. I won’t force any humanity lessons on you for the next week if you can sit in front of that dancing fairy pair over there for the rest of the time we’re here without your body responding to them.”
Kerbasi’s gaze ran across the room until he found the couple I spoke of. They were hot. The female fairy had ample breasts and generous hips she knew how to move with seductive ease. The male next to her was lean and muscular. He had no shame as he jutted himself out toward his observers.
Half the time the couple focused on each other, but for the other half they teased the audience. They touched men and women near them with a familiarity that would have had me sticking a knife in their eyes.
“I do not think so.” The guardian shook his head. “Even sitting close to them would be a sin.”
“He’s not up to the challenge,” Lucas said with disappointment in his voice. “Let him be, sensor.”
Kerbasi stiffened. “I am strong enough to handle it—if I chose to.”
“Yeah, sure, we believe you,” I said, patting his arm.
The guardian looked away, focusing on the wall. I could sense his emotions wavering.
“Not that I would lose this bet, but if I did what would you win as a prize?”
“Just bragging rights.” I shrugged. “Getting to tell everyone you got a boner—including Kariann—would be enough for me.”
“Leave that woman out of this. I do not understand why she insists on pestering me.” He shuddered.
Kariann was a six-hundred-year-old vampire who loved to tease Kerbasi every chance she got. The last few times she’d come over he’d ran as soon as he’d seen her.
“Are you going to take the bet or not? I’ll understand if you’re too scared.”
He worked his jaw. “One week with no lessons?”
I nodded.
He stared at me as he considered the bet. I held my breath and waited for his answer.
“Then it is a deal,” he said.
Lucas thrust some coins into Kerbasi’s hand and shoved him in the direction of the elves.
The guardian shot him a dirty look before slowly making his way across the room. We watched him until he settled down in a chair three feet from the couple. He sat there ramrod straight with his arms crossed.
“He won’t last,” Lucas observed.
I looked up at him. “I hope not. A week of not being able to give him humanity lessons to keep him busy would kill me.”
“A week of being near him at all would drive me into a murderous rage,” he said dryly. “Where is your pilot?”
“Upstairs.” I’d been too busy taunting Kerbasi to worry about Ulric, but I’d known where he was the whole time.
We made our way to the second floor and down a long hallway with a row of doors on either side. The werewolf was in the one at the end with a female elf. My senses were already being deluged with the lust in the place, but it was clear in my mind that they were getting hot and heavy in there.
I hesitated in front of the door. “They’re busy.”
“He’s probably been busy since he got here, but he knew you’d be coming if he told you where to find him. Interrupt him anyway.”
Lucas made it sound so simple. I took a deep breath and put my hand on the knob. It turned easily as I opened the door. As soon as I peeked my head through I got an eyeful of Ulric’s pale hairy ass.
“Hey,” I shouted at him.
The werewolf stopped pounding into the woman under him and turned his head to look at me. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead and his light brown hair was tousled.
“You ready to leave?” he asked.
“No, we’re staying for the night. Meet us at Lucas’ house in the morning.”
Even if Ulric didn’t know exactly where the house was located someone could give him directions.
“How is your cat doing?”
“Much better.” It felt odd to be talking to him like this. The female elf poked her head out to the side so she could see me and grinned. I had to fight the urge to look away when she pulled him closer.
“Good. I’m glad to hear that,” Ulric said in a strained voice. The elf was nibbling at his neck.
“She’ll let you get back to your business now,” Lucas said from behind me.
I gave Ulric and the woman an apologetic look and shut the door.
“Come, sensor.” He took my hand and guided me toward the stairs.
Rather than going back down like I expected, he led me up to the third floor. We reached the top and I froze. It was a large open room with lounge furniture spaced throughout. Only about a half-dozen patrons were in it, plus one flirty waitress.
As Lucas pulled me toward a dark corner my thoughts raced. I wasn’t like the other people in the room. Maybe in another century or two I’d work up the courage for public sex, but not yet. Lucas was the one who had a thing for exhibition.
He stretched out and pulled me down with him onto a chaise lounge sofa. I sat there woodenly as he brushed my hair aside and began kissing my neck. We’d once been in a similar situation, but I’d let him have complete control that time. Even now I knew his touch would eventually get to me. Then I’d end up doing whatever he wanted.
I swung my leg over and straddled his lap.
He lifted a brow. “What are you up to, sensor?”
I began unbuttoning his shirt, scooting back so I could trail kisses down his chest as I pulled the fabric away. He reached up to touch me and I slapped his hand.
“Oh no you don’t. The only thing you get to do is sit here and let me do all the work for once.”
If we were going to be doing things where strangers could see, I wanted to control how it went. Even the thought of dominating him made me feel powerful.
“Someone is getting brave,” he said, leaning forward so I could pull his shirt all the way off.
I smiled and reached for his belt.
“It’s my turn to show everyone you belong to me.”
“I won’t be the one to stop you.” He laced his fingers behind his head.
As soon as I got his pants open, I took his cock in my hand. My fingers could barely get a good grip on it. I stroked him once to test his reaction. His eyes lit up and a groan escaped his lips. It still amazed me to see this man—who’d once wanted nothing more than my death—now enjoying my touch.
“You’re not going to torture me the same way as I did you, are
you?” He didn’t look like he entirely minded the prospect.
I kissed his mouth deeply before pulling away. Then I licked my fingers before running them over the head of his cock. His gaze turned intense.
“Take your shirt off. I want to look at you if I can’t touch you.” His voice was full of command.
I squeezed him hard. “Answer a question first and I will.”
“What is it?” His face was strained.
“When was the last time you slept with a woman besides me?” He’d asked the reverse question when he’d had me at his mercy more than a year ago.
Lucas remained quiet so long I decided to pull my hand away as punishment. His hips arched toward me, but I shoved them back down.
“Answer me,” I ordered.
His eyes glowed. “It has been nearly two years if you must know.”
Shortly before I’d gone to Fairbanks then. That’s when things had begun to change for us, though it took a while longer before we admitted what we felt for each other.
I took hold of him again and stroked him some more. He relaxed on the sofa, but kept his eyes on me.
“Your shirt?” he inquired.
“Oh, right.”
In one smooth motion I pulled it over my head and set if off to the side. My bra still covered me, but he could see a lot more than before. I ran my hands down his chest before scooting back as far as I could to take him into my mouth. I couldn’t fit much of him, but I sucked on him well enough to make his breath turn ragged.
After a minute I stopped and lifted my head. “When did you first know you loved me?”
He gave me a devilish grin. “I do believe it was the first time I saw you cut a man’s head off with your sword.”
I mulled that one over. Back then I’d still considered us enemies and hadn’t sensed any emotions coming from him that would have given him away. Then again, he was a master of covering them up—most of the time I couldn’t tell what he was feeling. My senses told me he spoke the truth, though, so I took his answer as an honest confession.
I rewarded him with my tongue.
He fisted his hands in my hair, but I didn’t protest. There was still one more question I had to ask while I had him at my mercy. The other fae in the room might have been busy with their partners, but I could sense their attention on us. His answers were a good way to show them how serious we were. Lucas might be stubborn and prideful, but he’d never been ashamed to admit his true feelings for me.