And crying.
Shit, he’d made his mom cry. Damn it, he should just bounce his head against the wall a few times himself because when his dad caught up to him…
He heard Robert Stevenson’s voice in the background, his deep, steady tone trying to calm his mother, trying to get her to say something other than “He knows.”
Yeah, really could’ve handled that better.
It took at least a minute before he heard someone pick up the phone. Then his dad sighed as he brought the phone up to his mouth.
“Hello, Son.”
Oh, hell. His dad sounded just as bad as his mom, practically on the verge of tears.
“Damn it, Dad. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have just dropped that on Mom. I thought about coming home but we’ve got games and… Shit. Shit.”
“Brandon, are you okay? Did something happen? Did… Did you hurt someone or did… How did you find out?”
“It’s kind of a long story and we probably shouldn’t get into it on the phone. Look, I’m fine, honestly. And I didn’t hurt anyone. I met someone and, well, I met someone who let your secret slip. Our secret, apparently. I just needed you to know that I know. And that I need to take a few days off from the team and I’m gonna use you and Mom as my excuse. I don’t think the coach’ll actually call to check up on me but if he does, I need you to cover for me. I’m gonna tell him you were injured and I need a few days for emergency leave.”
“Brandon, how… what…”
“Dad, really, it’s okay. I even get it.” Kind of. At least, he understood the need to want your kids to have a normal life. Later there’d be time for questions and answers. “I just need to know you’ll do this for me.”
A pause as his dad took a deep breath. “Of course we will. And you’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah.” He might not be later, but he didn’t need to get them riled up now. They’d want to come down here and help and he didn’t think he could deal with that right now. “We’ll talk, Dad. Just not now. I gotta go. Just tell Mom I love her, okay? And I love you too.”
“Brandon—” His dad sighed. “We’ll be waiting for your call.”
“I promise. As soon as I can. Love you both.”
He hung up so he couldn’t hear his mother crying. Then he called his coach and lied through his teeth.
Chapter 10
Lucy couldn’t stop watching the hall, waiting for Brandon to emerge from making his phone calls.
She was so focused on waiting for him, she missed Catene slipping into the room.
“Lady Lucy, can I come in?”
Lucy turned to see the girl standing in the doorway to the kitchen, literally wringing her hands. Catene’s blue eyes held shadows and she worried her bottom lip with her teeth.
“Of course. Come here and sit with me.”
Catene practically ran across room to get to her but checked herself before she hit the couch where Lucy sat. As if she were afraid of Lucy.
Gods be damned, she’d never wanted to make the girl afraid of her. But she had kept her at arm’s length because of her own selfish fears.
Reaching for the girl’s hand, she drew Catene down onto the sofa and wrapped her arm around her shoulders.
At nearly nineteen, Catene stood a few inches taller than Lucy but was just as lushly built. And so damn beautiful, from the copper hair to those sapphire blue eyes. She looked nothing at all like Lucy… but then, maybe that was the point.
Catene looked almost startled at the show of affection from Lucy but she covered it fast by staring down at her hands, now twisted together in her lap.
“What’s wrong, Catene?”
“Is Brandon going to be okay?”
“He’s already healed and Dane doesn’t expect there to be any lingering health problems.”
The issue of his being berserkir, well, that was something else entirely.
“Was it… Was it my fault, Lady? Did I screw something up? Did I mess up the spell somehow? Did I—”
“Catene, sweetheart, no.” Lucy pulled the girl closer, feeling the fear eating at her from the inside when Catene laid her head on Lucy’s shoulder. “It was nothing you did. If it was anyone’s fault, it was mine. I didn’t take the time to consider all the consequences. I didn’t look closely enough at the situation because I wanted him. And I let that blind me to everything else.”
“But how could you have known what his parents did to him as a child?”
Lucy’s lips twisted in a wry smile. “That’s the problem with being a goddess. You think you should know everything.”
“How is anyone supposed to know everything?”
Lucy just shook her head. “You’re not. But no one tells you that.”
Catene paused, as if thinking that over. Then she took a deep breath.
“Lady, I don’t think I’m the person everyone needs me to be.”
Lucy froze. Did the girl actually know? She knew Ty hadn’t told her. Lucy wouldn’t put it past Nortia to say something to Catene about what her future held. But her sister goddess would’ve told Lucy. Probably. Maybe.
“Catene, what are you talking about?”
“I know how much power I have.” The girl’s voice shook, just as her entire body did. “And I know I’m supposed to use it to help my community. But, Lady, I couldn’t help Brandon. I didn’t know what to do… I couldn’t think and—”
“Catene, shh. Listen to me.” Lucy ran a hand down the girl’s bright hair, hugging her closer. “You didn’t panic. You kept it together and that’s all anyone could have asked for. Sometimes there is no right way to handle a situation. Sometimes you do the best you can with what you’ve got.”
And this girl was doing one hell of a good job, considering she didn’t have all the pieces of her own puzzle.
“Mom.”
Lucy squashed a smile at the hint of anxiety in Ty’s voice. Only one person was able to put that note in his tone.
Catene stiffened beside her but didn’t turn to look at Ty. And as much as Lucy wanted to ease this awkwardness for her son and this very strong young woman, it wasn’t her place. They’d have to work it out for themselves.
Just as she and Brandon needed to find their way. Together. She was responsible for him now.
“Ty, is something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong. Just checking in with you.”
And the fact that Catene sat here beside her meant nothing to him. Right.
“I’m fine, Ty, but I’m sure Catene could use some sleep. Why don’t you walk her home?”
Of course, sometimes people could use just a little bit of a shove in the right direction. Catene stiffened next to her but her breath caught in her throat and she started to bite that lip again. Across the room, Ty looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. He had been the one to say they didn’t have that much time.
Well, my son, consider this my first step toward doing something about this messed-up situation.
Then Ty blinked, and his face cleared back to his default expression—bored indifference. She would have smacked him across the back of his head if he’d been closer. Now who was hiding? Instead, she stood, pulling Catene to her feet as well. The girl could barely stand, she was that tired. Apparently she hadn’t slept at all yet and it was almost Wednesday morning. “I want you to get some sleep, sweetheart. Ty will take you back to Kyle’s or to your mom’s, whichever you want. And Ty, I want you to stay and make sure she’s okay. Do you understand?”
That order wasn’t merely her interfering with their lives. She was worried about the girl, worried about what might happen if Charun realized who Catene was. What she was.
Ty’s mouth flattened into a straight line but he nodded. Good. He understood. Not that she thought he’d leave Catene, but sometimes men needed to be reminded of certain things.
Lucy didn’t think he was aware of the deep breath he took before he came forward, hand outstretched for Catene’s.
After a split-
second hesitation, the girl reached for him with her back straight. She tossed her hair over her shoulder as her chin tilted back and Ty’s gaze followed the flow of copper.
The naked longing on his face nearly cracked Lucy’s heart, but he hid the look between one blink and the next, took Catene’s hand and tugged her toward him.
As Catene blinked up at him, he brought his free hand up and brushed it along those bright waves. Then he shocked the hell out of both of them by dropping a kiss on her forehead.
“Let’s go, Catene. I’m pretty sure Kyle’s crawling the walls by now, waiting for you.”
They disappeared out the front door after grabbing coats from a rack on the wall. And Lucy stood there, just staring at the door until she heard Brandon clear his throat behind her.
“Everything okay?”
She turned to find him leaning against the wall to her left. The man looked steady as a rock, his dark gaze glued to hers, broad shoulders strong enough to take everything she’d thrown at him the past few days.
Simple jeans and a white T-shirt shouldn’t be so damn appealing, but on him they looked edible. Especially with those bare feet.
“I should be asking you that. How did your parents react?”
Sighing, he rubbed a hand over his short dark hair. “About as well as you think. Shock, tears, a whole hell of a lot of what-the-fuck.”
She took a few tentative steps toward him, then decided the time for being tentative had passed.
She still had Charun’s demon on her ass. Brandon may have lost the career he loved because of her. And after so many millennia, she was tired of putting aside what she wanted for what she needed to do.
Her steps quickened until she fairly flew across the floor to him. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she tilted her head back as she felt one hand cup her nape while the other pressed against her back and drew her even closer.
He didn’t kiss her right away, though. He stared down into her eyes, searching for something. And when his gaze narrowed and he lowered his mouth to cover hers, she figured he’d found whatever it was he needed to see.
His lips moved over hers like liquid heat, coaxing a response she held back only so he’d keep kissing her like this. Like he loved her.
The hand on her back began a slow slide upward, under her hair, wrapping his fingers in the strands and tugging her head back even farther. His tongue breached her lips, making her moan into his mouth even as his hips arched into her so she could feel his thick erection straining against the zipper fly.
Her hands flexed into his back, making him groan into her mouth. She wanted him again. Right here. On the floor, on the table, she didn’t care where. She only knew she needed to be naked now. Their clothes fell to the floor next to them; lucky she hadn’t just disintegrated them.
Brandon didn’t even pause for a split second. He merely tilted his head to get a better, deeper angle on her mouth and let his hand slide down her back to cup her ass.
The next thing she knew, he’d lifted her with one hand on her ass, the other still plastered to her neck to hold her mouth on his.
He started to walk and she barely had time to realize it before he set her on the dining table. At least, she figured it was the dining table from the smooth, cool wood beneath her. Without a word, he put his hand on her shoulder, pressing her down until her back hit the table.
“I’d go down on you and eat you like breakfast but I can’t wait.”
She wanted to tell him she didn’t care what he did, just so long as he made her come, but she couldn’t form the words. Her brain had fallen into neutral while her body dropped full-gear into lust.
She could smell her own arousal, practically taste it. She wanted to taste Brandon but she wanted him to make love to her even more than she wanted to kiss him.
He apparently felt the same. Grabbing her legs, he slid his hands down until he had her ankles, which he then lifted to his left shoulder.
It put her at the perfect angle—
He thrust into her, his thick cock feeling even fuller because of the way he had her legs pressed together, and forced a moan from her throat. Sinking deep until his thighs pressed against her ass, he held there, staring down at her, one arm wrapped around her legs.
That gaze made her so hot, so needy. She needed him. More. Always. His free hand reached for her breasts, palming one and massaging it until the nipple was so sensitive, the ache spread through her entire body. Her clit throbbed, tucked between her thighs, untouched. Her sex pulsed around his swollen shaft, as if enticing him to move.
Instead he just stood there, watching her, switching his hand to her other breast and playing with that nipple until she could barely breathe, and each tiny ripple of her sex around his cock threatened to throw her into orgasm.
Which was exactly what she wanted. She wanted to come, but first she wanted him to shaft hard and deep and fill her with his seed.
Lifting her hips, she tightened those muscles that were already clenched around him and watched his eyes narrow even further. The muscles in his arms trembled and she felt that quiver pass through the rest of him. Even in his cock, which seemed to swell even more.
“You know I love you, right?”
It took her a second to realize what he’d said in that soft, soft voice, but she heard the meaning loud and clear.
Tears welled but she blinked them back. Instead, she nodded. “Yes, I know. And I love you, too.”
She wasn’t about to lie or hold back anything now. Not when every second brought her closer to a vow so true, it would change not only her existence but the lives of her son and the lucani, as well. She owed him that. And he would own her from now until their time was done. His expression hardened into pure sexual bliss and finally, finally he began to move.
Slowly at first. Not what she’d been expecting. She’d expected him to ravish her like he’d done in the other room. But this was more a claiming.
He withdrew as if savoring every friction-filled second, his eyes closing even farther but never completely. He never broke their connection and she fell into a state of heightened bliss, where every thrust pushed her closer to the brink of meltdown and every retreat made her moan in abject delight.
It made no sense, nothing made sense. Only Brandon’s control of her pleasure made perfect sense.
Sweat began to slick his body as he worked her, his cock sliding smoothly, eased by her free-flowing juices. The wet sounds rang out in the room, as did the sound of his thighs smacking her ass.
He groaned and spoke her name, lighting off a series of sparks low in her gut. The first sharp orgasm struck her and she cried out, her hands reaching above her head for the side of the table, to anchor her, ground her. Her eyes tried to close but she forced them to stay open, to watch his face as he pounded into her now, fierce and hot. His gaze burned, the connection between them palpable.
And when he came, she watched him throw his head back and his hips forward, lodging his cock deep inside. His chest rose and fell and she felt each panting movement against the back of her thighs. Which just made her shiver and shake.
And when he laid openmouthed kisses along the backs of her calves, the heat that had started to dissipate after her orgasm gave a little flare.
But just as she thought he might want another round, he gave a little laugh and pulled away just far enough to help her sit up.
“So now what?”
His question wasn’t unexpected. The man certainly was direct. But she conveniently sidestepped the question she knew he was asking. The one about what the future held for them.
“Now I think we need to speak with my sister goddesses and try to determine what, if anything, we can do about Charun.”
***
They got dressed, though Lucy had to admit she wished he’d just stay naked.
Brandon had a beautiful body, so wonderfully male. Even the scars added to his appeal. She wanted to run her tongue over each and every one of them, to bite the strong muscles i
n his arms that flexed as he pulled up his jeans and the abs that rippled when he pulled his shirt down over his head.
He caught her staring and his mouth curved in a wicked grin but just as he opened his mouth to say something, Sal burst through the front door.
“Lucy! You’ve got to come quick.”
Fear coated his words, digging into her with sharp talons. Brandon turned as she scrambled to finish buttoning her jeans.
“What’s wrong? Sal, what is it?”
The salbinelli skidded to a stop in front of her, his hooves scratching the wood floor in his haste.
“Attack at the village. Tukhulkha demon. Several injuries. Cole’s already sent a team including Kyle and the sicari.”
An ice shaft plunged directly into her heart. She might have fallen over if not for Brandon, who wrapped an arm around her waist and plastered himself to her back. She appreciated the solidity of him because her body went boneless with fear.
“I can send you and Brandon directly to the bar.” Sal had already begun to draw power. She felt it gathering in the air around them. “You’ll be there before the cavalry but maybe your berserkir will be enough to scare it off again.”
“Then send us.” The firm command in Brandon’s voice made her heart begin to beat again.
She nodded when Sal looked at her and he wasted no time transporting them. They arrived in the middle of a fierce battle. The fury of sound stunned Lucy for a few brief seconds as she took in the scene.
Three wolves lay on the floor of the bar, unmoving. Caeles slumped, bleeding and unconscious, barely keeping at bay the tukhulkha demon that’d attacked them the other night, while another demon wrestled with two other wolves.
Brandon made a move toward the two wolves and their demon but she grabbed his arm before he could get ahead of her and wade into the fight.
“Caeles. Brandon, you need to get Caeles and the injured wolves out of the fighting.”
Brandon’s gaze arrowed in on her son, lying motionless on the floor. Then he looked at the others who were still fighting. Nodding, he crouched down and headed for her son.
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