by Celia Aaron
The scent of the flowers that bloomed in the garden at the tip of the Île de la Cité woke me from my reverie of regret. The Underworlder hadn’t spoken for several blocks, politely leaving me alone with my thoughts. Not letting that sway me, I began my interrogation. “Tell me why you were following me.”
“How do you know I was following you? I could have been following the wolf.” His voice was the smoothest silk.
Good point. “Well, then, tell me who you were following.”
“You.”
Ass. “Glad we got that cleared up. Now, why were you following me?”
“Perhaps I wanted to be your knight in shining armor, rescuing you from the dog.” He said the last word with a palpable disdain.
“Altruism? I don’t think so. Try and tell me the truth this time, or my dagger might just slip.” Of course, I didn’t particularly want to hurt him. He had done me a good turn. Even so, I was all too familiar with how a good turn could rapidly become a kick in the teeth.
“Fine, carissima. If you must know, I was curious about you.” His simple answer had the ring of truth.
“Why?” Before I could blink, the creature had whipped around behind me and pulled my dagger arm behind my back. He yanked me into the shadow of a cathedral overlooking the river and pressed his lips to my still-tender neck.
4
Lilah
One hundred years ago
Forgotten Forests of Olympus
Running through the trees, quick and silent as the wind, my feet easily maneuvered over fallen limbs, leaves, and patches of moss as I tracked my prey. My sisters had already given up the hunt and headed back to the lodge to await Artemis’s return from her trip up the mountain. But not me. I was ready to take down the stag, one of the largest I’d ever seen in the Forgotten Forests of Olympus. A creature so magnificent would make a perfect offering to Artemis – not to mention feed the warrior maidens for a week.
Up ahead, the brush gave way to a verdant clearing, the sun’s rays making the grasses grow high and thick. I crept to the edge and spotted the stag grazing on a patch of milk thistle. It was almost too beautiful to take from the forest, but Artemis would make sure the deer’s spirit awoke in the breast of another proud creature.
I nocked my arrow and steadied my bow, taking care to aim for the heart. A kill with no suffering was the best gift I could offer to the massive animal. Right before I let my arrow fly, I sensed a presence on the other side of the glade. So did the stag, which bolted off into the underbrush before I could get my shot off.
I edged up to a sapling for some light cover, warily watching the tree line. The forest was full of hunters and prey, and I intended to stay the former. After a few tense seconds, a magnificent wolf stalked into the greenery. Challenging a wolf wasn’t high on my list of priorities, so I began to back away, hoping to circle around and catch the stag in my sights once more. But as I moved, the wolf fixed its gaze on my position. I froze. It let out a low warning growl that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I quickly re-nocked my arrow, but this time for defense.
The wolf approached, its clear blue eyes seeking me in the tangle of bushes. It crept ever closer until it stopped and lifted its nose, scenting something – me, no doubt – on the air. The wolf let out a wild bark and suddenly fizzled into a million beams of light. I had to blink against the glare. When I opened my eyes, I found a handsome man standing before me, naked as the day he was born. His golden hair fell past his shoulders and his square jaw was shadowed with a few days’ worth of growth.
His chin had a proud tilt to it and his eyes, still that striking blue, were full of swagger. “I know you’re in there, female,” he called. “You can come out. I won’t hurt you.”
I stifled a laugh as I lowered my arrow. Thank the gods he won’t hurt poor little me.
Keeping the bow at my side, I climbed the rest of the way through the thicket and emerged into the sun. The wolf seemed taken aback.
“Expecting a nymph, were you?”
“I was hoping for one, yes. But it looks like I found something even better.” He raked my body with his eyes. The male stood unashamed as a prodigious erection took shape for all the world, and this warrior maiden – emphasis on maiden – to see. I stared at it, suddenly overcome with improper thoughts. I’d never seen a male naked before and had been so long sequestered with my sisters that I hadn’t given a thought to the world outside. Clearly, he was from beyond the Forgotten Forest or I would have spotted him long before now – wolf or no.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was on the trail of a rogue wolf from my pack. I’d heard he may have strayed into these woods. He’s a silver wolf, with fur much lighter than mine. You seen him?”
I gripped my bow more tightly. “You should leave. Artemis rules here and suffers no males to trespass.”
“Does she now?” He crept ever closer.
“Stop that,” I nocked an arrow in the blink of an eye.
“Sorry.” He held his hands up. “I just wanted to get a better smell of you.”
I blinked back at him, unsure of how to answer that.
“You smell like night-blooming jasmine. You know that?”
“You should go.”
“You sure you want me to, sweetheart?”
I caught the sound of Lynxia not far behind us in the forest. She must have doubled back from the lodge to try and take down the stag right from under my nose. Figures.
“Go, now. Someone’s coming!” I gave him a light shove, though his muscled body didn’t move an inch.
“Look, darling,” he said, his drawl more pronounced, “I’ll leave right now if you promise to meet me here tomorrow. Same time, same place. Deal?”
“No. I don’t make deals with males. Just go!” I pointed the arrow at his heart.
“I’m not leaving until you agree.” He grabbed a long stalk of grass, nibbling on it.
If Lynxia spotted the naked male in the clearing, she might kill him first and ask questions later. Even if she didn’t kill him, it would only be a matter of time before Artemis found out I had been consorting with a male and then I’d be in deep trouble.
But the vexing wolf wouldn’t move. He just stood there crunching the blade of grass between his teeth as Lynxia prowled ever closer. After a brief standoff, when I realized that the male was serious, I finally bit out, “Fine. I’ll meet you tomorrow.”
“I’m gonna need your word on that, sweetheart.” He held his hand out. I reluctantly gripped it and he stole a kiss on the back of my hand before striding toward the opposite end of the glade.
“By the way, what’s your name?” he called over his shoulder.
“Lilah.”
“Nice to meet you, sweetheart. I’m Farrow.” He transformed into the wolf and silently disappeared into the underbrush as Lynxia emerged behind me.
5
Roth
She was in my grasp, her pulse racing as I pressed my lips to her throat. I couldn’t help myself. Which was strange. I hadn’t felt such lust for over a thousand years. Not since I was a newly made immortal, supremely interested in the delights of the flesh.
Back then, I had relished the darkness inside me, sharing in its pleasures and indulging it in its every whim. For centuries, I dallied with all manner of immortals, satisfying their darkest desires while sating the burning needs of the demon that lurked inside me. I did so willingly, savoring every female, though never sleeping with the same one twice.
Each release was a revelation. I reveled in my gift, sharing it with all my willing victims. And they certainly were willing. Some even returned and begged me for more. But I was already on to the next conquest. Never looking back. Never caring about what happened to my former lovers.
Now, of course, I realized feeding the demon with love of the flesh wasn’t a release, and it wasn’t a gift. It was a curse. What I kept inside me needed sexual energy to survive, thrived on it as if it were manna from heaven. And I was damne
d to give in to its needs.
The lovers only fed its lust until it wanted more and more, and I was helpless not to give it what it wanted. Though I knew I was kidding myself. There was no it. I’d known for quite some time. Knew that its deeds were my deeds, and just like the demon, I was damned. The darkness and I were one and the same, and so it would be until someone ended my immortality. I knew all too well that the price of disobedience to the beast within was too high, as I’d learned so many years ago.
Despite being shackled to the wheel that crushed me every night on a bed of pleasure and pain, I continued the charade—bedding women to sate my needs and keep my sanity. It was the only existence I’d ever known since that cold night under the stars so long ago.
Lilah’s scent, like night-blooming jasmine, caught on the air and added to my confusion. I realized I wasn’t interested in just any flesh. I wanted her flesh. I couldn’t see her as she walked behind me, though I’d watched her enough to know her hips were swaying erotically, especially in those boots with the heels that had to be at least five inches high. I thought of stripping each boot off and licking up her thighs to that warm crevice. I could sense something in her responded to me. She was fighting it.
I wanted to rub the silky fabric of her thong between my thumb and forefinger. I’d snapped them up when she wasn’t looking and stuffed them into my pocket. I didn’t plan on sticking around, so having a little memento couldn’t hurt. But now, I’d lost control.
I hadn’t meant to overpower her. The last thing I wanted to do was frighten her after what the feral mongrel had done to her. But she was too lush, too inviting. And I knew she desired me. Could smell her arousal. Just a taste, and then I’ll let her go.
She hitched in a breath as I whisked her into the dark overhang of a Gothic cathedral on the banks of the Seine. No one, save the gargoyles that sneered down from the weathered columns, could see us as we melded into the shadows. The peaks of the buttresses loomed up into the night, ever reaching for the stars. I was more concerned with what stood before me here on the ground.
I inspected the marks left by the cur on her delicate neck and cursed myself for not killing the bastard. But angering the wolf clans wasn’t a wise thing to do, and I had enough enemies already.
I released her from my grasp but not my gaze. I was so close I could feel her heart beating wildly, like the flapping of butterfly wings. She didn’t try to leave, only fixed me with a defiant glare. Unfazed, I leaned in and grazed her neck with my lips.
“I won’t hurt you, carissima,” I whispered against her ear as I stroked my fingertips down her collarbone. The endearment from my native Latin somehow fit her; she was beloved, though undeniably deadly.
“I can’t make you the same promise.” Although the words were a threat, her breathy voice told me another story. Her dialect had a certain lilt to it. It became more pronounced whenever she was going through a strong emotion, like now.
I laughed against her skin, making her heart beat even faster. She had already positioned her blade hand along my side, near my heart. I didn’t care. The scent of her arousal taunted me, and my cock answered with a thorough, hard ache.
She was at war with herself. Enjoying my touch, but not giving herself over to her desires. Something told me that her allowing me to touch her, ever so slightly, was a feat. A glint along the blue vein of her throat caught my eye.
“Who has marked you, carissima?” I cocked my head to get a better look. The runes were silver and seemed to pulse with each of Lilah’s fluttering heartbeats. They were in an ancient language no one had written for thousands of years. I recognized them all the same. A warning. One I would heed, though I cursed the gods.
I slipped my hand farther down her chest and stroked the upper swells of her breast beneath her stole. “Tell me, in whose service are you?”
She stiffened against me, no longer under my spell, and pressed the blade into my side. I pulled her close, ignoring the pain in my ribs, searching her blue-gray eyes. My anger warred with the erotic feel of her budded nipples pressing against my hard chest. “You seem an unlikely assassin. I suppose that’s why they chose you. Knew I couldn’t resist. Wise of them.” I let the anger and the desire mix in my voice.
I should have known this was just another trick. I was used to it, but this time it angered me. There was something about this female. Something I wanted to believe was real, true. It couldn’t be, not with those runes on her neck.
She twisted away from me and darted into the street. “All the same, aren’t you? Always trying to take advantage, no matter what, just like the wolf.” Bitterness marred the melodic tone of her voice.
That stung. “The same as that dog? Never.”
“Then why did you attack me?” She still held the blade as I approached.
I towered over her, my voice dropping low. “That wasn’t an attack, carissima. If it were, you’d be dead.”
6
Lilah
“I'M NOT YOUR goddamned carissima.” I tried to calm the pounding of my heart. “My name is—”
“Lilah.” He adopted the same nonchalant tone from earlier.
A sliver of fear pierced me, cooling the fire that had been burning for him just moments ago. I cursed myself for my weakness under his touch. When would I learn my lesson? Would it take another forlorn century?
I began moving the blade in my hand, keeping my wrist loose in case I was going to have to use the business end. He still had a hungry look in his eyes as he watched me, taking in my every move and staying just out of my reach. But he wasn’t afraid. His actions were steeped in strength. He’d been holding back with me, even as he overpowered me. And didn’t that just get my missing panties into a bunch?
“Who are you?” I tensed slightly in case he tried something.
He let out a long sigh, as if the question was one he’d heard far too many times. “Roth,” he answered simply, perusing me closely, gauging my reaction.
Unfortunately, I had never been much for poker faces. “B-but I’ve been looking for you for months!”
“And I’ve been watching.” A playful gleam danced across his eyes.
“Son of a bitch.” That was all I could manage, amazed the very thing I needed most stood right in front of me.
“Why so surprised?” he asked. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out you were searching for me? I’ve lived in this city for hundreds of years. My spies are everywhere—here and in the Underworld. And anyone would draw attention when she goes looking for the most powerful incubus in the world in his own backyard.” His tone turned slightly chiding at the last, as if scolding an unruly child.
I made a mental note to find out whoever narced on me and give him the beating of his immortal life.
“You still haven’t told me who you serve, carissima. From the looks of you, it must be Aphrodite, though I had thought she was no longer smarting from our last little run-in. Goddesses can be so very fickle, as I’m sure you well know.” He absentmindedly rubbed his chest as he spoke, bringing my gaze down to the rippling fabric and smooth tan skin that peeked out from just above where the collar opened at his throat. I swallowed hard. Focus.
“I told you. I don’t serve any goddess.” I shrugged as if to say that was all the evidence I could offer.
“Your mark tells another tale.” His dark eyes hardened like rounds of shiny coal.
A wail of a police siren sounded nearby, and I allowed him to pull me into the safety of the shadows once again. Roth shielded me from view as police cars gunned up the street next to us, sirens blaring. The flash of the lights illuminated the stoic faces of the saints carved all around me. Some of their visages were turned up in supplication while others seemed to be watching me with intense trepidation, a feeling I should have shared. Instead, I felt exhilarated.
Roth stayed between me and the passing cars. His scent was clean but with a hint of something spicy I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I breathed in deeply, and for the first time rea
lized I might be in over my head. He seemed to notice my reaction and ran his fingers along the exposed line of my shoulder as he slowly leaned in for a kiss. I felt myself letting go again and gave him a light reminder that I held the dagger at his stomach, twitching a button off his shirt with the razor edge.
“Ah, carissima. Always on the defensive.” He frowned and stole a quick brush of his lips against my forehead before straightening once more, ignoring the prick of my blade against his hard stomach. He turned his head toward the last of the police cars, and I took in his profile—strong, square jaw with just a hint of five o’clock shadow, inhumanly long eyelashes, high cheekbones, and a straight nose. Gods, he is gorgeous.
I snapped out of my trance, realizing I had to think quickly and with a clear head. If he was smart, and I had no doubt of that, he would probably bolt once the cops were out of the way. I couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not when I was so close.
This wouldn’t be a simple bag-him-and-tag-him routine. He was far too powerful for me.
Roth’s age alone made him daunting. Each year of an immortal’s life only made him stronger, increasing his power exponentially. If the stories I’d heard about Roth were true, then he was likely one of the strongest immortals living beyond the confines of the Underworld. By the look of him, he turned from mortal to immortal in his early thirties, but that change would have been thousands of years ago.
I’d been barely twenty-five when the quickening happened to me. One minute I was quilting piecework with my mother, carefully stitching together scraps of cloth from old dresses and kerchiefs; the next I was lying on the dirt floor of our one-room log cabin, quaking from head to toe. I remembered the very square I had been working on so painstakingly—a cornflower-blue patch with yellow flowers on it from a dress I had worn to my younger sister’s wedding the year before.