Skin of a Goddess (Goddess Ascension Book 1)

by Victoria C. Johnson

  Vivien lightly grips my shoulders, and I feel the heat of her mouth against my skin. My body reacts before I can try to control it. My natural shields, responding to the imminent pain, are triggered. Vivien’s teeth snap down to bite me, and there’s a sound of rock hitting rock.

  Vivien cries out and pulls away, hand over her mouth, blood pouring down. Her lip is cut, and it seems that she’s chipped a fang. I know I’m in deep shit, especially when the other two vampires go to her while turning to look at me suspiciously.

  “What have you done to her?” Celeste glares, not nearly as blinded with my supposed charms as she was earlier.

  I shrug a little helplessly, trying to ignore the copper scent filling my nose and coating my mouth. “I have a natural defense; my skin becomes hard so my body cannot be harmed. I didn’t intend to, but it appears that my skin reacted when she tried to bite me.”

  Fleur looks at my skin with interest. “You do look different.”

  “Was it a mistake, or did you mean to protect yourself from Vivien’s bite, and cause her severe injury in doing so?” Celeste asks, looking down at Vivien critically.

  “You broke my fang!” Vivien glares up at me once her lip has healed, eyes bleeding red.

  “Sorry about that. Will it heal itself?” I ask.

  “No!” she shrieks back. “It will never heal!”

  “Fleur, help Vivien clean up and get someone who can help her. I’ll deal with this matter,” Celeste says.

  Fleur gives her a pout before helping Vivien to a standing position. Both of them give me dark looks as they leave the room, though, luckily, Vivien has stopped with her annoying wailing. I look over to Hunter to see him quickly hide a satisfied grin. Owen looks puzzled and alarmed. I ignore the vampire blood soaking into the upholstery of the couch.

  “What’s the new plan?” I ask Celeste, allowing myself an amused smirk when I see she’s taken Vivien’s chair as well as her power.

  Celeste sighs and says, “I’m sorry, but the situation is still the same. No one will accept the blood of your consort for you as well, since you’re the more powerful of the two of you. If you hope for a meeting with the master anytime soon, you still need to be fed from.”

  I give a puzzled frown. “What do you suggest? Nothing can break through my skin, if you’re hoping to cut me then lap the blood up.”

  “No, I don’t suggest that we go that particular route again. We’re able to feed off of your emotion and feel your essence from that,” Celeste says with an indulgent smile.

  “You can feed off of any emotion, correct?” I ask her.

  Celeste nods easily. “Yes, although I suspect lust or passion are the strongest emotions for you to convey. It’s up to you what emotion you think you can offer that will be powerful enough for me to get enough substance from.”

  “How powerful must it be? If I think of the last time someone made me particularly upset, will it be enough?” I ask.

  “It may be, depending on how angry they made you and how recently it happened. It’s usually stronger if the emotion comes from the moment and not a memory,” Celeste explains.

  “Your recommendation?” I ask, since she so clearly has one.

  Celeste gives me a bright smile, confirming my suspicion. “If it were me, I would engage with the male you’ve brought with you. Depending on how much chemistry you two have, it may take just a kiss to satisfy me. If you have little, then it may take more. It depends on how … attracted you are to one another.”

  I give a little grin. “Luckily, that’s never been one of our problems. What do you think, Hunter?”

  He looks at me, obviously conflicted. I’ve never asked about his sex life. At least, not that much about it. I don’t know if he’s into giving shows, watching, or prefers none of the above. I myself have no problem with anything. I don’t mind having someone watch. In fact, I find it pretty erotic to give someone pleasure without even touching them.

  “I’ve never been much of an exhibitionist,” Hunter says, eyes flashing to Celeste and Owen.

  I know what that means. From what I can tell, he’s had a fairly basic and not overly exciting sex life. Which means having one partner and doing it in missionary in the dark. I may have to resort to the memory idea.

  “You said it won’t have to be full-out sex?” Hunter asks Celeste.

  She doesn’t look annoyed at him speaking to her directly, probably because she’s looking forward to things. “No, if you two are as attracted to one another as she says, then you’ll probably only need to make out for a while with light groping. That being said, if one of you is uncomfortable or not feeling it, then it won’t work. Or it will take more effort, and sex may be necessary. If you two get into the moment, I should warn you that I won’t stop you from doing anything you want to do in front of me.”

  “If you don’t want to do it, I can search my memory archive. In fact, I’ve had strong feelings of anger fairly recently.”

  I give him a significant look so he knows he was the source of said anger.

  He smiles at me crookedly. “I know. I’m still not completely forgiven for the cranberry and vodka. I think we should try the emotion in the moment thing with lust. I want to help.”

  I can’t help but smile at him for that, feeling my eyes turn more amber. “Thank you for that, Hunter. I appreciate your willingness.”

  “Great!” Celeste claps her hands excitedly. “You two can stay on the couch while I watch from over here. Owen will stay with me, if that doesn’t bother you. I may have to take excess feelings out on him, you understand.”

  “I don’t know …” Hunter starts to say, but I cut him off with a shake of the head.

  “We’d be happy to have Owen stay here with us.” I whisper to Hunter, “If she has her human here to pleasure her, then she will be less inclined to join us, which I assume would make you uncomfortable?”

  He blinks his lovely green eyes at me in surprise, and then quickly agrees, “Oh, yes, we don’t mind at all if he stays with you.”

  Celeste gives me an amused smile and says, “He really is a shy one, huh?”

  “You have no idea, but he’s generally worth it.”

  Hunter rolls his eyes at our antics. “Will either of us be able to feel you feeding off of our emotions?”

  Celeste thinks about it for a moment before answering, “You may feel a tingling or sense of loss, which will make you try to satiate your needs more. It won’t hurt, if that’s what you’re wondering. It will also result in a very short connection between us that will wear off when the energy I’ve taken from you is used by my body. I’ll only be able to sense your intentions toward me and other slight emotions.”

  “When do you think the energy you gain from us will wear off?” I ask.

  She shrugs and says, “I won’t be taking much, so it probably won’t last longer than a day, depending on how strong the energy is.”

  “I’m ready,” Hunter says to me.

  I say with a wink, “Then come and get me.”

  Hunter smiles slightly at the challenge, but his eyes still hold calculated heat. He crosses the room in quick, long strides. He hovers over me and glances down at the blood on the seat before going to my other side. When he sits, he hesitates briefly.

  Before he can change his mind, I make a move on him. I lean over to him, molding myself up against his side. I reach up and gently cup his face, coaxing him to bend down to me. Instead of kissing his mouth, which he obviously expects, I kiss the top of his scar.

  Hunter makes a little sound of surprise, and tries to tug me down to his mouth. I resist, suckling and biting lightly as I make my way over to his ear. I bite his earlobe lightly, and pull a little. With the hand not busy steadying his face, I play with the little curls at the back of his head and massage the back of his neck. He starts to hold me back, gripping my waist on either side.

  In an effort to get a better angle, I pull my legs up on the couch and straddle him, now on my knees. I let him pull my fa
ce down to his and let him kiss me full on the mouth. His lips are firm yet soft, rubbing against mine with exquisite care so slowly and sensuously. He bites my lower lip lightly, and pulls it away from my top one. I let my mouth fall open so his tongue can swoop in with scorching heat. He twirls his tongue around mine playfully, stroking in a tantalizing rhythm.

  I place myself more firmly in his lap and rub myself against his groin. He groans in my mouth, making me bite his lush bottom lip sharply with my slightly pointed teeth. He growls lowly and kisses me deeper yet. He tongue strokes mine in a way that reminds me of other parts of my body I’d like for him to stroke.

  Hunter pulls my head down more firmly by tugging my hair sharply, making me groan from the sweet urgency. He possessively cups my neck as his other hand moves up my waist to the side of my breast. I gasp when I feel him there, and twist my body to the side, trying to get more contact. He gives a purely masculine chuckle as he gives into what I want and fully palms me in his hand.

  I twist my hips more firmly against the growing length in his pants as he kisses me passionately. He can feel the hardness of my nipple through the thin cloth of the dress. He gives the nipple a calculated pinch, so it’s just enough pain to increase the pleasure.

  It’s all I can do not to yank away our clothing. I make myself settle for arching into his hand and making our lower bodies press together. I run myself firmly against him in the same rhythm as his tongue against mine. I allow one of my hands to sneak down his chest to grasp him through his pants and stroke. He groans and switches his hand to my other breast to give it the same attention.

  I begin feeling outside awareness, a certain pull at the edges of my consciousness. True to her word, it’s not painful or alarming, just unusual. I can feel her siphoning away my lust and passion, making me ever hungrier for more of it. I feed from his mouth savagely, biting and pulling at him.

  I’m about to unzip his pants and set him free when I hear, “You started the party without me!”

  It’s like a bucket of cold water has been splashed on us. I look down at Hunter and see his eyes clear and harden as other things soften. I pull my dress more firmly around my chest before moving to sit next to him once more.

  Across the room, Celeste sits in the chair. Her eyes are glazed over and glued to us. I look for Owen, then see him kneeling in front of her. Well, at least I see his legs and back. His head has disappeared under her dress, though I can see it firmly moving over her as he pleasures his mistress. Celeste gives him no attention, all her energy focused on Hunter and me.

  I look at the door to the room, where it had been closed, to find Fleur in the archway. She no longer has Vivien, which I’m pleased to see, but looks both annoyed and sullen. If there’s one thing I definitely don’t feel like dealing with, it’s a sullen vampire jealous of missing me make out with my temporary husband.

  Celeste’s eyes close briefly as her face transforms to a look of ecstasy. When the look fades, she pushes Owen’s head from between her legs. He comes out from under her dress and once again moves to the corner of the room. His face appears impassive, but his eyes hold heat and typical male satisfaction.

  “That was … brilliant,” Celeste tells us with a bright and lusty smile. “You two do have a great passion for one another. I may actually be sustained on your energy for days, for all that I didn’t take much essence away from you.”

  “Are we cleared to meet with Loren?” I ask, voice normal and not overly husky, for which I’m proud.

  Celeste smiles with a nod. “Yes, I didn’t feel anything at all malicious from either of you. Of course, you’ll still have to wait until his schedule opens up, but as soon as it does, you’ll both be welcome to see him.”

  “Thank you,” I say, both of us ignoring Hunter.

  Celeste turns to Fleur with a dark look. “I could have enjoyed more if you hadn’t come barging in, interrupting things. You will be punished for your actions.”

  “Isn’t missing it punishment enough?” Fleur asks.

  Celeste hisses with contempt. “Not nearly. If you knew the experience I just had, you wouldn’t even ask.”

  I look at Hunter out of the corner of my eye, trying to ignore the blatant signs of regret on his face. I understand that he’s private, but is our pleasure with one another really something that he has to be so ashamed of?

  Celeste turns to us. “I’ll check to see when Loren is available.”

  Fleur smiles. “Don’t be silly, Celeste. Loren could feel the hum of their passion from rooms away. You didn’t think it would go unnoticed, did you? He’ll see them now.”

  Chapter 15

  Hunter

  “Loren has about thirty minutes to spare before his next appointment,” Celeste says as she leads us farther into the manor.

  “That’s plenty of time,” Peitho says, quickly accommodating.

  I trail more reluctantly behind them, knowing my place.

  After the make out, things have been a little awkward. Oh, fine, it’s been a lot awkward. For one thing, I’m not usually one for putting on shows for strangers. For another, I liked it way too much. Peitho awakens feelings in me that are damn scary. I can’t help but feel a little embarrassed that I was so easily swayed to forget everything else around me. It shouldn’t be that easy. I shouldn’t want these things, let alone enjoy them.

  I can tell that she’s picking up on my feelings. Hell, she’s probably used to randomly fucking in front of strangers. Me? Not so much. I’ve been a one-on-one, private kind of guy.

  “You’ll be meeting him in his bed chamber as he prepares himself for a meeting. He’s particularly eager to meet you, Peitho, especially after the emotions he just felt from you two,” Celeste says, nodding at Peitho to show that she’s been paid a great compliment.

  No need for her to mention that it was me and my amazing skills that got Peitho all hot and bothered enough to feed from. Hmm, it does sound a bit disturbing when I put it like that. I wonder what Julian would say. He’s much more used to these sorts of situations. Intimacy is more openly talked about where he’s from. What if that’s the kind of person she needs?

  “Here we are,” Celeste says, stopping at a door and hesitating before knocking. “I may be granted to stay with you when you meet with him, and he may order me out. I just wanted to warn you before we enter. Also, what happened to Vivien was told to him. Luckily, he found great humor from the story and holds no ill will toward you for the incident.”

  “Thank you, we’re prepared,” Peitho says.

  I feel more uneasy than before, but remember to keep my face blank and to hold my tongue. Though the whole “staying silent and pretending not to be around” thing is really starting to get old. You’d think a dragon prince would be some kind of status around here, but apparently not. Since we’re brutish lizards. Really charming.

  Celeste knocks on the door. After a moment, a male voice casually says, “Come in.”

  The three of us enter the room. There’s a large, opulent bed to the right, fit to hold many bodies. The room has been styled in burgundy and gold, with rich fabrics and accents.

  My eyes then adjust to the people in it. There are two men on either side of the room with their arms behind their backs, standing at the ready. They’re obviously bodyguards. They are tall and imposing, with amazingly blank faces, as if nothing is going on around them, despite that they’re both very attentive. There is, in fact, a lot going on around them.

  There are three other people in the room, all male. A vampire is sitting on the edge of the large bed, feeding from a human next to him. Another vampire is kneeling in front of the first, pleasuring him. All three men are naked. It takes me a moment to look away from the riveting performance of one vampire suckling at a human’s neck as the human moans, and another vampire pumping steadily up and down.

  I look more closely at the actual men and not what they’re doing, since the rest is nothing I particularly feel like seeing. The vampire feeding and getting pleasured is
Loren, as the guards’ eyes keep shifting to him. He appears to be a fairly small man, inches shorter than me, and has medium-length dark blond hair, brown eyes, and a chiseled face.

  The human seems to be built like Loren, with dark brown hair and a young face, maybe late twenties. The other vampire is a bit larger that Loren and the human, with shaggy blond hair. I can’t see either of their eyes from this angle, and none of them turn to us, even though they know we’ve entered. I don’t find power games amusing. In fact, I don’t find such shows amusing at all. I’m not homophobic, I just don’t like seeing this sort of thing in general, whether it’s between all men or a mix of genders.

  Loren groans, giving one last strong pull at the human’s neck. The vampire below him works more furiously until Loren groans harder and bucks. I look quickly away, but the sounds coming from them quite clearly tell me that Loren has finished with both of his companions. At the cost of being rude, I turn my body to the side so I don’t have to look at the bed.

  I look at Peitho, and she doesn’t seem surprised or upset about what she’s seeing. Maybe she’s seen things like this before. Maybe she’s good at keeping a blank face. Celeste looks like it’s a usual occurrence, which doesn’t make me feel better at all. What if there are even more tests?

  Loren pushes both men away from him and slips on a robe. He turns to us with a shark-like smile. “Ah, don’t tell me you’re the beautiful Peitho!”

  He comes forward and takes her hands.

  Peitho says, “It is an honor to meet you, Master Loren of the European Coven.”

  “Please, call me Loren,” he says with an easy smile, though his eyes stay calculating. “Your visit is certainly a surprise, but a very pleasant one. I was sorry to miss your earlier display, but rest assured, I felt its effects even at a distance.”