by Celia Aaron
I turned my thoughts back to the present and greedily took in the female’s form as she ambled down the street, her hips swaying tantalizingly. I waited for the usual lust to rise inside me, the darkness clamoring for its next feeding.
But there was something different about this female. Something more than the common pleasure of a night and then nothing. Just looking at her seemed to calm the seething blackness inside me, if only for a moment. I sensed that, like me, my demon was given pause by her. I’d never felt anything like it.
As I dropped to a lower building as stealthily as a cat, I saw she was deep in thought, her walk slowing as she stared at the moon. Why was her gaze so rapt?
I jumped from rooftop to rooftop, keeping her always in my sights. Something about her made me itch to watch her. I’d discovered her name was Lilah, but not much more than that. No one could tell me anything else—even when I used forceful persuasion—other than a vague description of the strange runes etched on her. Perhaps she was yet another assassin, sent to dispatch me for bedding some demigod’s lover. The thought excited me all the more. Danger was always the headiest aphrodisiac.
I suspected the runes were a warning in some ancient tongue, but couldn’t be sure until I saw them up close. But I never got close. Never let her know I was near. I’d been tailing her through local dives, watching her speak with my informants. She was a wily one, never giving any details about herself while she gleaned bits and pieces about me along the way. She’d amassed enough intel to discover Red-Handed, though her information was a little stale.
There was a time when I’d frequented the place often, enjoying the women I picked up so easily. The location had been a bar for over a thousand years, only recently reincarnated as a goth club for Underworlders and unsuspecting mortals.
For the past century, I’d only gone there as a matter of necessity when Corinne wasn’t available. Once Lilah took up residence at the bar over the past few weeks, I had followed.
I kept to the VIP section, watching her from a dark corner booth. I needed to know why she was after me. For now, though, I would enjoy the cat-and-mouse game. I had plenty of time to wait her out, watching her all the while. And I’d always been a voyeur.
A scent on the air made me wrinkle my nose. Foul dog. I cursed silently as the wolf from the bar crept up behind Lilah. She had continued her journey toward the Seine, still looking at the night sky. I’d wanted to rip the wolf’s throat out when I saw it pawing her at the bar. It had been a fight just for me to keep a level head.
It didn’t help that the female always wore outfits that spoke to my darker side. Nonexistent skirt and crimson corset? She was a lure for any Underworld male who saw her, especially so to one like myself. I wouldn’t fall into her trap, but that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy watching her bait it.
Clever witch—her outfits had become sexier the more desperately she tried to find me. She knew enough about me to realize what I craved, and her appearance alone was something I would have found hard to resist. No matter that she was stalking me, maybe even intent on killing me for some past wrong that I’d long forgotten.
Her long black hair, now in a careless ponytail, reached the middle of her back, lingering there, undoubtedly tickling her fair skin through the laces. Her high, plump breasts were revealed more and more each night she visited Red-Handed, tonight being the pinnacle of their exposure. Her curvy waist only enhanced her voluptuousness and had left me hard in my trousers on more than one occasion.
I turned my attention back to the wolf and watched and waited for Lilah to notice it. She was uncharacteristically unaware; still pondering the night sky, now with determination set into the fine planes of her face. The wolf continued stalking her, not even attempting to hide in the shadows. His arrogance was an affront. But Lilah didn’t sense him.
When the wolf was upon her, she finally turned. It was too late. The wolf shoved her into a dark alley and pinned her against the wall. I crouched just above them.
“Bitch, you’re gonna pay for what you did.” The wolf’s snarl raised my hackles.
“Bad dog!” she cracked and tried to claw his eyes. The wolf was too fast. He hurled her to the ground onto her back, no doubt scraping the exposed skin raw. She rolled away and got to her feet. The beast did not abate. It ripped at her top and flayed her corset to get to her delicate flesh.
Just the thought of the wolf’s claws touching her made my blood chill, as if it weren’t cold enough already.
3
Lilah
I HELD IN the scream that threatened to bubble up from my lungs. If I didn’t, I would only attract mortals, signing their death warrant. Nothing comes between a wolf and its prey and lives.
Backed into a wall, I tried to fend him off with my hands, but he knocked them away and redoubled his efforts, his claws shredding my corset and scratching my skin. Once my breasts were revealed, his tongue darted between his lips and wet them with anticipation. Though he was still in mostly human form, the wolf’s claws had lengthened into deadly tips that could destroy my flesh as easily as they’d scored the fabric.
I tried to summon my bow from the ether, but the wolf was too close. He would be on me before I could even nock an arrow. Instead, I snagged the dagger from my boot and tried to level the playing field.
“Want to play some first?” His voice was guttural, animal. The wolf danced out of my reach, hovering in a silvery pool of moonlight that wafted through the clouds above.
I pointed the glinting tip at him. “You may win in the end, but you’ll bleed first.”
Emboldened, he came at me again. I backed up a pace and lashed out at him, cutting a gash into his chest. He yowled with pain but didn’t stop his approach, high on power and adrenaline. Even if Artemis’s strength had flowed through my veins, the wolf would still be a formidable adversary.
When I threw a vicious right cross, he dodged and backhanded me across the face with enough force to snap a mortal’s neck, stunning me. My head whipped to the side, and I spat blood. Lightning streaked through my vision, and I was lost for a moment. Slowly, the world came back into focus. I was on my back. The wolf was snarling at my throat. I turned my head away and tried to push him off. He barely moved.
My knife lay on the cobblestone street only a few feet away. If I could only get to it, I might have a chance of escape.
The humiliation at running from battle hurt worse than the wolf’s claws. But I could never beat him like this, not with my power stripped and his at peak.
His eyes had gone completely yellow. Feral.
He tried to open my legs with his knee. I glued them shut with all the power in my body. Still somewhat dazed from the last blow, I swung weakly, just missing his nose. He let out a howl that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end before settling his entire weight on top of me, forcing the air from my lungs.
With a violent push, the wolf wrenched my knees apart. Holding me down by my throat with one hand, he used the other to rip his fly open, freeing his shaft. His eyes were bottomless pools of lust, the yellow seeping into them from the center. Disgust roiled inside me, and blood pounded in my ears as I tried to marshal my strength against the monster.
“All right, slut. Let’s see what you got.” His voice was inhuman.
Stars burst in my vision as the wolf tightened his grip on my throat, cutting off my air. I tried to scratch his face. He easily batted me away and rammed a rough hand up my thighs to rip off my panties. He threw them aside as I struggled against him.
I heard Artemis’s voice in my head from all those centuries ago. “No man, mortal or immortal, can ever force a warrior maiden of mine. You are impervious to males because you are their betters. They are beneath you. You are imbued with the power of a goddess.”
Artemis had been full of pride at her creations, the fierce females who accompanied her on the hunt and guarded her while she slept. No man could ever defeat them in battle, and no man could take what was not given. No more.
He grinned and traced a slow lick up the side of my face. “Gonna make this fun for me?”
Despair filtered through the anger. Still, I refused to give up. I wouldn’t let this happen. I was one of Artemis’s warriors. No male could take what was not given. But the wolf’s grip around my throat was making the world fade. I kept struggling against him, getting weaker by the second as the beast redoubled his efforts to take me. Reaching out again, my fingers grazed the edge of my dagger’s hilt. As I gasped for breath and my vision dimmed, I worked the dagger into my hand. With a weak thrust, I stabbed the wolf’s side. It wouldn’t be enough to stop him, but it would hurt. Hot blood sprayed onto my chest. What in Hades? The wolf leaped away.
I rolled to my side and into the moonlight, once more feeling the hum the glowing orb gave me. I hitched in some breaths and blinked away the spots that clouded my sight. The wolf lay in the shadows, his unearthly yellow eyes gleaming at me. Blood spurted from a deep slash in his neck as he hopelessly tried to stanch the flow with his hand. His mouth worked as if to say something, but could only open and close with a clicking noise.
The cause of his wound was apparent—a large Underworlder stood watching me. The blade in his hand dripped the wolf’s blood onto the stones in lingering droplets. He was easily six and a half feet tall and impossibly broad.
“Gods.” My breath left me in a whoosh as I struggled to sit up. My chest was covered in the wolf’s blood. It coursed down my breasts and pooled on what was left of my leather skirt.
“Ugh.” I started trying to brush the blood off, wiping my hands on the shreds of my corset.
I glanced up to catch the male watching unabashedly as I rubbed the blood from my breasts. His dark gaze seemed to pierce right through me as I brought my arms up to cover myself.
“No, don’t stop. I was rather enjoying it.” A rakish smile turning the corners of his full lips.
Alarm bells went off in my head. I couldn’t get a bead on what exactly he was, which was troublesome. There were a host of immortals from the Underworld—a land the mortals only knew of in myth—who traveled to earth in search of adventure or a new life. Though some made trouble and likely came to earth because they had bounties on their heads, most just sought to live lives free of the highly stratified society that ruled in the Underworld. I had only been to visit a few times. Getting a free pass to and from there was no small feat unless one had the right connections.
I prided myself on my immortal radar. The male in the killer suit before me flew right under it.
One thing was certain—he was powerful. Strength emanated off him like a blast of cold air, which made my nipples embarrassingly hard in my current situation. This keeps getting better and better.
“Could you, er, toss me that fur stole?” I tried to ignore the deep crimson blush that warmed my cheeks. Knowing he knew I was blushing? Mortifying.
“Must I?” He took in the full length of my body in the moonlight. I shivered despite myself.
His accent was French with a hint of some older European tongue. I couldn’t place it, though it was familiar. The dark hair that tickled his ears was a deep chocolate that played handsomely against his tan skin and dark suit. He must have been frozen into his immortality right after he got back from Cannes. Lucky bastard.
The male reluctantly turned and grabbed what was left of the stole. He reached his long arm out to offer it to me as he stood a few steps away, the smirk on his face giving him a roguish appeal.
Cad. “You realize if I reach for that, I can’t cover myself?” I tried to keep the exasperation from my tone but didn’t quite manage it. I was no exhibitionist, especially not to a stranger who could mean me harm.
“Of course I do.” He gave me a wicked grin and dangled the stole tantalizingly just out of my reach. “Now, do you want it or should I just take it with me and go?” He went to take a step away from me.
“Son of a bitch.” I grabbed it as quickly as I could. He glanced back to my breasts, and he drew in a sharp breath, no doubt noticing the stiff peaks of my nipples.
“There’s no need for that kind of language, carissima.”
I could feel him watching me closely as I fastened the stole around me as best I could. At least the girls were covered, which was an improvement.
He sighed like he had just caught the closing credits of his favorite movie. Then he offered me a hand. I took it, feeling a tingle of cold snaking up my arm as he set me easily on my feet. It was not an unpleasant feeling.
After arranging what was left of my clothing, I returned to the task at hand—sizing up my “rescuer.” I cringed just thinking of the word. Lilah de Artemis needed a rescuer? How the mighty hath fallen.
“Where are my panties?” I asked before thinking what that would sound like aloud. The blush deepened even more.
“What panties?” His tone was innocent as he kept his gaze fastened on me.
I searched the cobblestones for my thong. No luck. “Gone. Great.” I spared a look toward the wolf. He was still holding his wound. Too bad it wouldn’t kill him. The only way to permanently slay an immortal was to take his head, give or take some gruesome injuries. So he lived, though I didn’t miss the opportunity to land what had to be an extremely painful kick to his goods. The wolf wailed and clutched himself with the one hand that wasn’t busy at his neck. He gave me a look of pure acid that promised retribution. But I wasn’t worried. I’d be long gone by the time he healed.
He didn’t know how lucky he was; I would have done a lot more than just kick him if we weren’t out in the open. What was worse, now I was in the debt of some stranger who had all the manners of a naughty frat boy. Party hats all around!
“We should leave this area before someone finds my handiwork.” The stranger’s tone wasn’t the least bit worried. He seemed as if he’d just spray-painted a little graffiti or taken a piss on the sidewalk instead of nearly beheading a wolf.
“Shall we go to your place?” Another playful smile graced his mouth as he sidled up to me.
“I think not.”
His angular face took on a look of mock disappointment as he tsked at me.
I smirked and bent down to retrieve my dagger from the wolf’s side.
The stranger let out an appreciative whistle. “Kitty has claws.”
I followed the curve of his mouth as he did so, and I couldn’t help licking my lips. A look of pure heat stole across his face as he watched me clean the blade on the wolf’s shirt.
“And I like to sharpen them on doggies.” I gave the wolf one last parting gift, a backhand to the face to match the one he’d dealt earlier. Rising, I steadied myself and did my best to put on a mask of indifference.
Inwardly, I was shaken. It had been a close call, and I could only pray that Artemis hadn’t seen my weakness through one of the many viewing pools in the Forgotten Forest of Olympus. The shame of having to be rescued was already too much to bear. If Artemis or my sisters had seen the entire affair, it would have been the icing on the cake of self-loathing.
Ignoring the likelihood of Artemis laughing at me until it hurt, I eyed the Underworlder apprehensively. I wasn’t about to let anything else get the drop on me, no matter how handsome he was. Problem was, I wasn’t ready to let him go quite yet. I needed information, and this creature might just be old enough to know the one I was searching for. This might even be a stroke of luck for once.
I couldn’t allow him to bolt on me. Brandishing my dagger, I moved to his back. He remained still, watchi
ng me with interest over his shoulder, neither threatened nor threatening.
“I have a few questions that you are going to answer.”
“It doesn’t have to be this way, carissima.”
The word lilted off his tongue. I didn’t know what it meant, but sensed it was somehow a compliment. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t about to fall for any sweet words. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice—you get the picture. Now, walk.” I cut through the smooth fabric of his coat and shirt, then nicked his skin to make sure he knew I meant business.
“Of course.” He shrugged and gave me one last, long look before he turned and started down the hill toward the glittering Seine. I followed close behind and kept the threat of my blade at his broad back. He was large and strong, easily able to overpower me. But I had the blade, and Artemis had trained me well. I was in control and was going to stay that way. The memory of the wolf clawing and pressing into my soft flesh would make sure of that.
We walked in silence for a while as I tried to collect myself and push all thoughts of the wolf from my mind. As wolves went, I was zero for two. Next time I saw one, I was going to run, not walk, the other way.
This creature was different. Whatever he was, my body responded to him for some bizarre reason. Even now I felt a warmth creeping up my thighs as I watched the breeze ruffle his hair. His broad shoulders seemed made for me to dig my nails into, or even my teeth. Stop this madness. This is the kind of thinking that got you into this mess!
Thank the gods Iphi and Elena weren’t here to see me going weak in the knees over a male. Even gentle Shala would lose her lunch if she knew I felt anything other than scorn for the creature I held at knifepoint. Warrior maidens had no time for males and scoffed at any being who was fool enough to make advances… At least, most warrior maidens did.
After a century of kicking myself, I still took every opportunity to relive my folly with Farrow. I should have shot him through with an arrow the first time I set eyes on him.