Sins of the Flesh (Half-Breed Series Book 2)

by Debra Dunbar

  Irix pulled into the parking area and nearly ripped the parking break from the floor of the car as he set it. Smoke curled from the peak ahead, and signs all over the parking area declared the spot temporarily closed due to volcanic activity. I hopped out and cast one last look back at Irix who stood with arms folded across his chest. Light flashed — he had reverted to his demon form, wings stretching out before folding tightly behind him. He was ready for trouble, but this was the second time he’d transformed himself. Add to that the explosions he’d produced across the island, and the angels had to have noticed. My heart sank, thinking that once again he’d need to dash back to Hel or face death.

  I climbed up the rocky slope to the crater, shivering. Even with the noonday sun, it was chilly up here. The wind sweeping unhindered across the island didn’t help. But, oh man, the view. The valley below was thick with clouds, peaks rising above them. The sun was in a clear, deep-blue sky, the ocean merely a darker blue line on the horizon.

  The Haleakala Crater reminded me of the Mars exhibit at the Air and Space Museum – all red pockmarked rocks and burnt-umber sand. The cinder cone was a huge dished-out section at the top of the crater, the rocks and sand streaked with orange, black, and white. I walked around the edge to the figure seated on a glistening, black chunk of lava.

  “It’s beautiful up here. Not a drop of water in sight.” I sat on the lumpy ground, well aware my position was significantly below hers on the rock.

  “That’s how I like it.”

  I picked up a handful of orange, pebbly dirt and let it sift through my fingers. “I’m sorry for everything that has happened this week. The humans need you. Fire is their greatest tool. They never would have advanced to where they are without it. They need you just as much as they need me.”

  She exhaled, a short and bitter laugh hitching the end of her breath. “I know. It was childish to let my anger and jealousy of you harm them and their endeavors. Unworthy of me, I’ll admit.”

  That was a relief. I watched the low clouds imprisoned in the valley below. “So, do you want to return to your rest?”

  She bent to pick up a rock, her black hair cascading in a curtain around her face. “I can’t. I’m trapped. I cannot cure that man’s pineapple trees. I’ve tried over and over, but the disease always returns.” Sitting back upright, she examined the rock, her face inscrutable. “Plants are not my strength. I was foolish to take the deal, but it has been so long since someone called to me for help. I wanted to help. And I wanted to walk this world again.”

  There was sincerity to her voice, and sadness. There were millions of Pele tchotchkes on the island. Everyone had a Pele story to tell. They all revered her, but no one ever called on her. She was of the past, and I couldn’t blame her for wanting to be in the present. I wasn’t sure what to say in response.

  The red rock in her hand softened, dripping from her fingers to the ground, where it sizzled as it hit. “I am sorry too. I get so jealous. The sailors, the surfers all call on you. You get to walk the world without sleep. And you always get the best of the men.” She nodded toward the valley. “He waits down there for you, your Irix. You, with all the power of the sea in your hands, and that demon would defend you with his life. If only I inspired such devotion in my lovers.”

  “What about Kamapua’a?” I remembered Kai’s story of the goddess’s tumultuous affair with the hog-god.

  Cleo snorted. “He’s a pig.”

  I shrugged. “Aren’t they all?”

  There was shocked silence, and then she laughed. The woman was beautiful when she laughed, all the husky passion more powerful than even my pheromones. She was truly a goddess.

  “Yes, they are. Did you know I turned him down when he proposed? We had a huge battle, and when I saw his power, I couldn’t help but be attracted to him in spite of his ugly appearance.” Cleo glanced sideways at me and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “He becomes beautiful when he’s overcome by lust. And his prowess more than makes up for his boorish nature.”

  “That’s love.” I smiled up at her, feeling the odd bond we shared wipe away the fear and awe her presence usually inspired. “Why don’t you go find him? I’ll bet if you strut by his home just out of reach, he’ll come running.”

  A dreamy look came into her eyes before she shook her head. “Someday, when I awake again. The farmer’s trees are beyond my abilities, but I’m unable to leave until I complete the contract.”

  “What if the trees were cured? Would you go back to your rest then?”

  She sighed. “I don’t want to, but I will if that’s the bargain I must make. I’ll admit failure and return to my rest before you swallow the sun with your vast sea. Again.”

  I glanced up at the bright orb. “Swallowed every night only to be reborn each morning. There’s no getting rid of you, sister, or the sun,” I teased.

  She shocked me by reaching out and grabbing my hand, her face averted. Her fingers were soft and smooth, warm like a blanket fresh from the dryer. “I miss you. Even if you are annoyingly cute and cheerful. And wet.”

  I’d had the idea since before we drove here, but had been afraid to voice it. I was too nice sometimes, a Pollyanna when it came to forgetting people’s dark sides. I did it with Irix, and I didn’t want to do it with Cleo. Irix I trusted. I wasn’t sure I could trust this goddess, but I had to follow my instincts.

  “If I heal the farmer’s grove for you, will that satisfy the terms of your contract? Will you be able to stay then? I won’t demand that you leave.”

  She started, her hand suddenly hot in mine. “Why would you do that for me?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe I like having you around. Sometimes. Not all the time. And not when you’re trying to steal my man away from me or burn my hair off.”

  She chuckled. “So, peace?”

  “Peace.” I gave her the hippy hand signal for said word. “Do we need to call in Lono to witness this or something? Vow it before a Ti plant?”

  “Ugh, no. I can’t stand that guy. He’s no fun at all. I’ll just take your word for it.”

  We stood, and I hesitated before turning toward her. “Got a bit of a dilemma, though. I don’t have enough energy to heal his tree grove. Do you think you could give me a boost?”

  Hopefully I wouldn’t have to get intimate with her to share her energy.

  She wrinkled her face. “How do you not have enough energy? What did you do, drown a small continent last night?”

  I tried to look casual. “I’m just coming off hurricane season, and there was that big storm in Southeast Asia. I’m a bit low.”

  Cleo’s sigh dripped with exasperation. “Okay, just don’t grab my breasts or anything. Hands only. I’m not getting it on with you.”

  I bit my lip. “Damn. Are you sure? Because it might be fun.”

  I felt a sharp elbow in my ribs, hard enough to nearly knock me off the crater. “Pervert.”

  I did smile then. “Pot and kettle, sister. Pot and kettle.”

  ***

  I gasped when we turned down the lane toward Hayworth’s house. Black cankers covered the trees. Spotted leaves and twigs carpeted the ground, leaving the trees practically bare. The fruit was stunted and misshapen.

  “You’re going to kill yourself,” Irix growled as we passed row after row of diseased trees. “Either she’s going to fry us both with an overload of energy, or you’re going to burnout curing the entire orchard at once.”

  “It’s her biting your head off praying-mantis style that I’m worried about.” We’d reluctantly decided the best way for me to use Cleo’s energy was if Irix acted as a middleman. Sex demons exchanged energy via sex. Irix and I had already established a bond, but neither of us had such a bond with Cleo. Both the goddess and I were more than reluctant to get it on with each other, and Irix had basically announced sex between me and Cleo would be ‘over his dead body’.

  So that left Irix and Cleo. I’d never seen Irix ‘doing the deed’ with anyone except me. The idea of him a
nd Cleo made me nauseous, but there was no other way to transfer the energy.

  Of course, Cleo was thrilled. She’d vanished as soon as we’d made the arrangement to meet her at Hayworth’s orchard. No doubt she was waiting, all sexy with black lacy underwear and red lipstick. I’d need to restrain myself from killing her.

  We parked at the side of the dirt driveway and walked down the rows of trees to the center of the orchard. Cleo was already there, clothed in flames. Hayworth sat a few feet away, caged by a ring of carefully controlled fire.

  “He tried to run away.” The goddess sneered. “What a worthless human. I’m almost embarrassed for answering his plea.”

  I nodded, taking a deep breath and steeling myself for what was to come. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

  Cleo smirked. The fire garment vanished, leaving her gloriously naked – all brown skin, black hair, and flashing dark eyes. She beckoned to Irix, a naughty smile curving her full lips. The air grew electric, charged with the heady aroma of her pheromones. I caught my breath, drawn in by her seductive beauty. No wonder moths flirted with death around a flame. Death would be an adequate payment for one touch of her hand.

  I was so outclassed. Putting a hand on one of the trees, I glanced at Irix and saw him watching me. Not Cleo, me.

  “Ready?” The soft word said it all. Sex didn’t always equate to love, and even if it did, there was more than one kind of love in the world. Loving wasn’t a zero-sum game. Caring was a bottomless well of emotion. He could enjoy sex with Cleo – heck, I’d enjoy sex with Cleo right now – but it wouldn’t threaten what we had any more than my love for Kai threatened it.

  I did love Kai. And I loved Irix. And someday we might add to those who had claim on our hearts. None of that weakened what we shared. In fact, it strengthened it.

  “Ready.”

  Irix approached Cleo, pulling his shirt over his head in a move that made the muscles bunch in his arms and shoulders. Her eyes snapped to the muscles in question, taking him in.

  “Beautiful,” she murmured as she reached out and traced her fingers lightly over his chest. “Please allow me to remove the rest.”

  Not waiting for his response, the goddess knelt, reaching up to unsnap Irix’s jeans. With a careful pull of the zipper, she eased the pants slowly down, her long hair brushing against his legs and feet.

  I could almost feel the softness, as if it were my skin being touched by her hair. Jealousy had vanished the moment she’d touched him, and all I felt was lust. Watching them together was oh so sexy. I never thought I’d be so turned on by watching my lover with another woman, but I was.

  On her knees, she looked up at Irix from beneath dark lashes and smiled. Her hand brushed up the inside of his thigh to cradle his balls, while the other gently stroked the length of his cock. He watched her as intently as I did, his breath hitching as she took him in her mouth.

  I’d expected different of Cleo. The entire ride to the orchard I’d envisioned her demanding Irix service her, or her riding him from on top. I’d never once thought she would be so turned on by giving, or that watching them would make me want to touch myself, to time my orgasm with theirs.

  Irix’s eyes closed, that muscle working in his jaw, from pleasure this time instead of anger. His hand smoothed back her hair, gently tracing the lines of her face and neck. Cleo made a small sound of satisfaction, and I felt it – felt the energy flowing from her to Irix and then to me. It was like a sonic boom, and I stumbled from the impact.

  Every neuron fired at once, and I gasped. Irix threw back his head. Cleo drove him balls-deep into her throat. Climax rushed through me, raising every hair on my body. And I let it go.

  In a wave, the energy crashed through the orchard, red-orange and gold. Trees shuddered and steamed. I shook, ecstasy turning to agony as the energy overloaded my synapses. It poured from me – from my mouth and eyes, my feet and hands. Every cell vibrated and ejected the energy in a desperate effort to survive. All the while my brain, my spirit-self, organized and sorted atoms and molecules, creating, rebuilding, eradicating.

  When the last screamed out of my body, I found myself holding the trunk of a tree – a healthy living tree with deep-green leaves and thick, heavy fruit. A breeze blew, carrying the sweet scent of green and pineapple.

  “You okay?”

  Irix’s voice was husky. I smiled, seeing the typical heavy-lidded expression he got after a particularly good roll in the sheets. Cleo gave the tip of his cock a quick lick and grinned at me. I grinned back, every last bit of possessiveness and jealousy gone.

  “Yeah. I’m fine.” I was more than fine. I’d never done this without ending up dizzy and exhausted, no matter how much energy I was carrying. Right now I felt ready to run a marathon. Even my nasty sunburn was gone.

  Cleo stood, patting Irix on the shoulder and tilting her head to give his ass an appraising glance. The ring of fire containing Dennis Hayworth vanished into a puff of smoke. He stared openmouthed at the trees then bolted. I dusted off my hands and smiled in satisfaction.

  And a song rang through my ears like a chorus of thousands. The air buzzed with a tight electricity. I gasped, panicking as I recognized that energy, knew exactly what would appear before us in mere seconds.

  Irix swallowed hard, a resolute look on his face.

  Cleo sprang into action. She flicked her wrist, and Irix was gone and I was next to the goddess, her arm draped around my shoulder.

  A light so bright I had to shield my eyes glimmered before us, coalescing into an androgynous being with skin like marble and white-blond hair. Cleo tilted her head, watching with curiosity, but I’d been down this road before.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I asked the angel.

  He seemed frozen like he truly was a statue – a statue of astonishment with his mouth hanging open and blue eyes wide.

  “Elf.”

  “Yep,” I replied cheerfully. “Just helping out some trees with a friend.” No demon here. Go away. Go far, far away.

  He snapped his mouth shut and composed himself. “Are you the same elf that was in New Orleans?”

  “That’s me.” I smiled, feeling like my lips were about ready to fall off my face with fear. “I get around. Gotta do what I can to help the environment, you know?”

  The angel narrowed his eyes. “So I hear. A demon has been sensed here. I’ve come to bring it to justice.”

  Cleo laughed. “A demon? I would hardly tolerate such a thing on my island. You must be mistaken.”

  He frowned. “And you are?”

  “Cleo,” I chimed in. “She’s a fire goddess. Gave me the extra oomph I needed to heal these trees.”

  “A goddess.” The angel raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Looks more like a witch to me.”

  I felt the heat rise from Cleo’s skin, saw a faint tendril of smoke. So I gave her a quick kick and froze my hideous smile into place.

  “Well, it was nice meeting you... angel person. Have a nice day. See you soon.”

  He ignored my less-than-subtle hints to go away. “I’m here looking for a sex demon. Have either of you seen an incubus or succubus?”

  Cleo snorted. “No. That’s me. I do a lot of... sex magic. Because I’m a sex witch.”

  The angel blinked. I felt a zap of electricity, as if he were searching us, searching the area. Cleo sucked in an affronted breath and snapped up a shield, rebounding the energy to the angel.

  He angled his head, regarding her. “All right. Seems you witches and elves have the situation under control.”

  The angel vanished, and I slumped with relief. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  Cleo gave me a quick hug. “It would be horrible of me to turn your boyfriend over to his enemies after giving him a blow job. Besides.” She batted her eyelashes. “Irix is a beautiful, sexy man, and that blurry pale thing was simply repulsive. Blech. Was that one of those angels you told me of?”

  “Yep.”

  “Well, stay clear. I don’t like the looks of that
one at all.” Cleo surveyed the orchard, nodding. “Thank you, sister. I owe you one.”

  Before I could reply, she was gone, leaving me stranded at Hayworth’s orchard without the keys to the BMW. With a laugh, I pulled out my phone and dialed for a taxi.

  Chapter 27

  I left my carry-on bags with Irix and walked back through the terminal to pick up a bottle of water and magazine. He’d planned to stay with me another week at college before he headed to his New Orleans house to take care of a few things. He’d also promised to be at my graduation, and to follow me if I ended up getting that internship in California.

  I’d had a tearful good-bye with Kai, with promises to visit. She was rooting for a Napa Valley internship but said with some savings she’d be equally excited to visit me in New Orleans. Kai, Darci, Jordan, Kristin and my other friends, all at the house I’d share with Irix – the thought warmed my heart.

  A bag of trail mix, water, and a couple of trashy magazines later and I was heading back, eyeing the gates as I passed to see where the other travelers were headed. Seattle. Denver. San Francisco. I paused to see a woman sitting alone at an unmarked gate, her head bent as she read a newspaper. Changing course, I walked over and sat next to her.

  “Thought you were going back to the Big Island?”

  Cleo shrugged, folding her paper. “I’ve spent a lot of time in Hawaii. Time for me to travel a bit.” There was an awkward silence as the goddess looked down at her hands. “I just wanted you to know that I’m very grumpy when I come out of my rest. And the whole pineapple farm thing had me a bit on edge. I’m sorry if I was a little harsh.”

  I guess that was as close to an apology as I was going to get. Hey, she was a goddess. “I’m not much of a morning person either.” I looked up at the blank destination sign. “Where are you headed?”