“Chaos is not going to like this.”
He gently touched her shoulder. “Why do you insist on staying here? You are free. Let’s go. What is keeping you here?”
“Our kind are never really free. You are bound to me and I am bound to the one who knows my name.”
“Even when that one throws you in a pit and leaves you there to rot?” Zared shook his head. “Hades has forgotten you. That’s the only reason Chaos was able to set you free. You’d been down there so long Hades has forgotten you exist.”
Delilah turned her back on her brother, unwilling to reveal the torment caused by his careless words. “He hasn’t forgotten me,” she whispered.
“You better hope he has, sister mine. If he finds out you’ve been entertaining yourself with his son…” She heard his ragged sigh. “It will be better for all of us if he’s forgotten. In the meantime, you ask that creature you’re curling up with what he wants me to do next. And once he figures out Plan B, have me summoned.”
She nodded without turning around. He made no sound as he departed, but she knew the instant he was gone. Tears blurred her vision and her chest burned with sobs she refused to release. He hasn’t forgotten me, her heart cried out to the Hall of the Dead.
* * * * *
Meagan snuggled into the sun-warmed contour of Gareth’s body and sighed. It had taken forever for her to fall asleep. Justin had rubbed her back, rocked her in his arms like a child, and left her alone to succumb naturally. Just when he was ready to abandon the endeavor, she drifted off.
Roses and the stronger scent of Jasmine filled the warm breeze. She stretched and rolled onto her back, gazing up at the bright blue sky. Sunshine hurt her eyes but warmed her naked body, making her feel brazen and daring. “Why is there a king-size bed in a field of flowers?” She turned her head to smile at Gareth.
He lay on his side, facing her, his head propped up on his arm. Sunlight gleamed in his rich dark hair, contrasting sharply with his eyes. Justin was handsome in that boy-next-door, friend-you’ve-known-forever sort of way. Gareth muddled her thoughts and made her act irresponsibly. He was the stuff of fantasies.
“Would you rather I put the bed in a room or make love to you on a mountain of furs? The possibilities are endless.”
Heat curled through her as sensual images filled her mind. Beds, bathtubs, tables, all the positions she’d seen in movies and read about in books. Just looking at him was enough to fire her imagination. “Why wouldn’t you finish making love to me in Justin’s body? Is this what you meant by unconventional or was it something more?”
He traced the slope of her shoulder with his index finger, his glistening gaze racing on ahead. “I didn’t have protection, so that was as far as we could go in my borrowed body, but I won’t pretend to be disappointed by the development. I wanted to be your first, not him.”
Chuckling softly, she pointed out, “He is you, Gareth. I was making love with you.”
His mouth captured hers, his arm slipping beneath her neck. She rolled to her side and molded her body to his, parting her lips, welcoming his tongue. His hand found her breast already achy and sensitive. Without instruction or hesitation, she raised her leg and hooked her calf over his hip, bending her knee.
She expected to feel his penis surge into her, but his fingers accepted the invitation instead, petting, stroking, playing. Clutching his shoulders, she tried not to think about the pain he’d caused, to wonder if it would hurt again or if she would feel…
He rubbed against her, around and over, but not into her. She held perfectly still, accepting the intimate massage, allowing him to stimulate her clit. Her core throbbed, impatiently waiting for the thrust of his thick shaft.
“Now,” she whispered. “I’m ready now.”
He chuckled against her kiss-dampened mouth. “Ready for what?”
“Ready for you.”
Catching the underside of her knee, he pulled her forward. “Ready for this?” he asked and filled her in one slow, steady drive.
She arched her back, taking him deeper. They both gasped.
“Yes, oh yes!”
He cupped her bottom, anchoring her tightly as he rolled onto his back, bringing her with him. For a long moment, she lay sprawled on top of his muscular body, impaled by his erection, breathless and dazed. She stroked his chest, listening to the steady thumping of his heart beneath her ear. How could this be a dream? It seemed so real, more real than before, or maybe just more…
“Are you all right?”
“I think so.” She parted her thighs. He slid deeper and she cried out. It didn’t really hurt, but her body stretched tightly to accommodate him. The pressure surprised her.
She sat up, balancing her weight on her knees.
“Very nice.” His hands cupped her breasts as she paused, adjusting to his presence deep inside her.
He bent his legs, creating a support for her back, while his fingers reacquainted themselves with her nipples.
“I’ll give you pleasure again. Your release will make it easier for me to move.”
Her entire body tingled in agreement, so she only smiled.
“Relax against my legs and lift up just a bit.”
Meagan closed her eyes and did as he asked. Each pass of his fingertips triggered ripples of pleasure along her internal muscles. With her body stretched tight around him, the sensations were accentuated. She gasped and jerked, clasping his thighs for stability.
“That’s right.” Hard, throbbing spasms of pleasure erupted and her body bathed his in liquid appreciation. “Very good. Now lean forward and ride me.”
He guided her hands to his chest and showed her what he meant. Lifting her hips nearly off him, he groaned when she eagerly pushed back down. Apparently, she didn’t need his help. She found a rocking rhythm that had him gasping and arching up into her. The warrior in him wanted to turn over, to pound into her, to dominate, but he loved her too much to ruin this moment with fear.
He loved her too much?
Shocked by his own thoughts, he tried to concentrate on the pleasure building low in his belly. How had this happened? He couldn’t love her. It was forbidden.
He clasped her silky hips and matched her movements, increasing the force and depth of each thrust. She cried out, her head thrown back, her inner muscles squeezing him tightly. Gareth arched off the bed, buried completely within her heat as his body shook with release.
She collapsed across his chest, her face pressed against his throat.
Mmm, a Meagan blanket. Very nice. He stroked her back, her hips, wondering how long they could lie like this before her legs fell sleep.
“Gareth?”
“Um hum.”
“How long can you stay with me?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m assigned to protect you until Morpheus tells me otherwise.”
“Do you always do what Morpheus tells you to do?”
“I’m a Dream Warrior. Morpheus is the Dream Master. Yes, I must obey him. He can end my existence with a thought.”
She pushed against his chest, sitting up, their bodies still joined. “And would he? Would the Dream Master blink you out of existence?”
“I’ve not done anything so far to make him do so.” He spread his arms. “Obviously.”
“Are Dream Warriors born? Were you ever a child?”
“No, Dream Warriors are created beings, we were never children.”
Cocking her head, she ran her hand through her hair carelessly. “Then, you don’t have parents or siblings?”
Her interest in the specifics of his existence troubled him. Was she simply curious or did she feel an emotional connection with him? It was unwise to encourage any attachment. He was unsure how he was going to handle his unexpected affection for her. This was not good.
“The other Warriors are my family.” His voice was curt, impatient.
“I never really had a family.”
The sadness in her tone made it obvious he’d misjud
ged her thinking. This wasn’t about him at all. It was about her. “You’re human. You had to have had parents at least.”
“I had a father. My mother died while I was too young to remember her.”
Gently rubbing her thighs, he asked, “Why does this make you sad?”
“I guess it shouldn’t. Why should I miss something I never had? But I do.” She shifted restlessly and Gareth raised his legs, allowing her to relax against them. “Maybe if Dad had been different, I wouldn’t have wanted a mother so badly.”
“Your father didn’t love you?”
“No, he just loved whiskey more.” Pink tinged her cheeks and she shook her head. “Listen to me. I sound like a petulant child. My father was an alcoholic, but he loved me. He wasn’t abusive or neglectful. I think in many ways, he just didn’t know what to do with me. I could read long before I started school and by second grade they knew I had unusual aptitudes, so I was sent to an institute for the gifted and talented.”
“You were educated at this institute?”
“Yes. And I went from the institute to MIT and from MIT to the Carroll Foundation. Dad died of cirrhosis of the liver when I was nineteen.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. There is nothing petulant or childish in those memories. You’ve been alone in the world your entire adult life.”
She smiled, splaying her fingers across his chest. “I used to have a rich fantasy life. I think that’s part of the reason why I’ve had such a hard time dealing with the incubus’ attack. My dreams were sacred, intimate, and safe. Even when life wasn’t a dream come true, I was free to dream. He took that away.”
He framed her face with his warm, capable hands. “You will feel safe again. No matter what it takes, you will feel safe again.”
Chapter Ten
“Where is she?” Hades roared.
Chaos stared at his father with dispassionate interest. Their features were similar, he supposed. Hades was easily described as brutally handsome, where people struggled to label his overall appeal. Taller and more heavily muscled than his son, Hades intimidated with a glance and demanded attention with the roar of his deep voice.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Hades tried again.
Placing his knuckles on the highly polished desktop, Hades leaned forward bringing his face a hair’s breadth from his son’s. Chaos refused to flinch. Refused to blink. He fixed his ever-morphing eyes on his father’s endless black stare and waited.
“The succubus was incarcerated for a reason.”
“And that reason being?”
“Irrelevant to the present circumstance.”
Chaos pushed back his chair. The desk prevented Hades from advancing. “I’m not sure I agree.” He crossed his legs, tapping his fingertips on his boot indolently. When the summons had come from his father, he had flirted with the idea of ignoring it. Their relationship was rocky at best. But he had questions. Elements of Delilah’s tale didn’t add up and he wanted answers. So, here he sat in his father’s ornate office, listening to him rail. “She’s a fascinating creature. Why did you lock her up?”
Hades crossed his arms over his massive chest and glared down at his son. “You will tell me where she is, so I can return her to the pit where she belongs.”
“Not until you tell me why she belongs in the pit and why it took a full cycle of the moon for you to realize she had been released.”
The bluster deflated from Hades and he met his son’s gaze without fury or affect. “This creature you harbor nearly destroyed Olympus. She used her wiles to tempt and influence until we were on the brink of civil war.”
“This was before my conception, I take it.”
“Yes. It was a long, long time ago.”
Chaos pondered this new information, debating how to proceed. “What I really need is a way to control her. Tell me her name.”
His lips compressed into a grim line and his night-black eyes bored into Chaos. “It is a vile temptation, too addicting for any man to resist. I knew her name once, but I had Athena take the knowledge from me.”
“Then how did you trap her in the pit?”
“Don’t you understand? I laid the trap while I knew her name and then had Athena erase my memory. I can no longer control her. Your precious Delilah will disrupt this world in ways we can only imagine. And then she’ll come for you!”
* * * * *
Meagan heard muffled voices and sat up in bed. Gareth was nowhere in sight. When had he gotten up? He’d better be one of those voices. A shiver of fear tingled down her spine. Who was he talking to?
Light crept in around the blinds on her window and panic raced through her system. Her gaze flew to her alarm clock. 9:25 a.m.! Why hadn’t it gone off?
It was Saturday!
She chuckled. How ridiculous was that? She’d been more frightened by the possibility of being late to work than having an intruder?
Crawling out of bed, she slipped on a pair of jeans and a baggy tee shirt. She eased open her bedroom door, peering out into the main room of the apartment without revealing her presence to those participating in the conversation.
Gareth faced the same blond man she’d seen in his car the day they met. Half a head taller than Gareth’s “borrowed body” the blond man laughed at something Gareth said and she watched deep dimples frame his killer smile. Oh, that was so unfair. No one that masculine should have dimples.
“I know you’re there, Meagan. You might as well join us.” Gareth spoke the words without turning from his friend.
Reinforcing her calm with a deep breath, Meagan pulled open the door and stepped into the outer room.
“This is Ryder. He’s been keeping an eye on Ms. Vellmos and thought you’d like to know she’s doing fine.”
“Keeping an eye on?” She turned to the blond. “Are you… Does Sheri know she’s under surveillance?”
He flashed that blinding smile. “Nope.”
“Is it safe to presume you’re not a police officer?” Both men chuckled and Meagan crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you Justin’s friend or Gareth’s?”
“He’s a Dream Warrior.” Gareth approached, his expression cautiously amused. He ran the back of his fingers along the curve of her cheek, but his crystal green gaze focused on her mouth. “Morpheus dispatched him to protect your friend. As of right now, Sheri is unaware of his existence.”
“Why does Sheri need… Wait a minute. How can you be a Dream Warrior? I’m awake.” She addressed the question to Ryder with her eyes.
“Gareth is a clumsy infant when it comes to the ways of the Warrior. If Morpheus had entrusted you to my keeping you would know pleasure like nothing you have ever imagined.” He stalked toward her as he spoke. “I would take you in my arms.” She quickly sidestepped his outstretched arms, but Ryder was too fast. His hands passed right through her body and Meagan yelped. “I would take you in my arms.” He did it again.
Rolling his eyes at Ryder’s foolishness, Gareth pulled her away from the other Dream Warrior. “He’s not really here. Just like me, he’s only corporeal in the dream realm.”
Without warning or precursor, a shimmering golden being flashed into sight to Meagan’s right. She gasped and pressed her hand to her pounding heart. Now what! The being was male, tall and lithe, wearing a simple…dress that fell in wide pleats to mid-thigh. His nicely muscled chest was partially exposed by the upper portion of the garment. The fabric blended beautifully with his gold-toned skin.
His head tilted as he looked at her and she noticed gently flapping wings protruding from his closely fitting cap. Similar wings extended from his shoes. Okay, winged messenger god. She searched her memory for his name. “Hermes?”
Offering her a sweeping bow, he then turned to the men. “The Fates have spoken. The timeline has stabilized.”
Meagan laughed. She couldn’t help it. “Sleeping with me really was all it took?”
“I’m sure you were delightful, but it’s a bit more complicated than that.” H
ermes smirked at her. “Morpheus is not convinced it’s over. He thinks they have simply paused to regroup.”
“Who are they?” Gareth took the question right out of her mouth.
“Morpheus wouldn’t tell me the specifics, but I know he’s had Kane camped out on the banks of the river Styx. Stands to reason he’s narrowed his search to the Underworld.”
Rubbing her temples, Meagan slowly shook her head. “I don’t know what’s hurting my head worse, the fact that you’re talking about all of these mythological places as if they’re real or the fact that I’m believing every word.”
Gareth slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. “So, what are our orders?”
Hearing the tension in his voice, Meagan glanced at Gareth’s face. If she didn’t know better, she’d think…he didn’t want to leave her. Warmth pervaded her being, bittersweet in its intensity. She wrapped her arm around his waist, molding herself to his side.
“Wait and watch. Like I said, Morpheus doesn’t think it’s over.”
“He thinks the incubus will return?” Dread doused Meagan’s momentary contentment.
“The Fates say no, but…” The messenger paused, obviously hesitant to finish the thought.
“They’ve been wrong before?” She finished for him.
Hermes nodded.
“Well, looks like I’m back to being a spook.” Ryder blinked out of sight. “It was nice meeting you.”
“It was nice meeting you, too. And Ryder.”
“Yes.” His disembodied voice responded.
“Sheri Vellmos is a friend of mine, a good friend.”
She heard his good-natured chuckle. “Yes, ma’am.”
Her gaze moved around the small room, searching for proof that he had actually been there. If he had never really been there, then what was to say that he actually left? “Did Ryder really leave?” she asked Gareth.
He assured her with a quick nod, his attention focusing in on the messenger god. “Did Morpheus mention how much longer this body will be available? I know the embolism limits my time here.”
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