Welcome to Dunvegas

by Meankitty Publishing

  “Nah, just wondering where to start.” His smile became predatory, and the heat of his eyes burned her.

  She bit back a gasp when he slid down. The hair on his chest moved over her skin with a delicious friction. She wiggled, stilling when his mouth covered the tip of her breast. Her fingers drifted into his hair, scratching his scalp lightly.

  He sucked her nipple into his mouth and then released it with an audible pop. His tongue felt deliciously rough and scratchy and she groaned when he repeated the process on her other breast. “Lucian.”

  He licked the underside, nipping the soft flesh there. She moved up towards his mouth, but he began biting and licking his way downward. He cupped her through her panties and smiled when she jerked up against his hand. “You’re wet, Desi.” She got even wetter at the deep, rough voice of his telling her so.

  He pushed her legs open, sliding his fingers up and down before pressing against her behind the barrier of lace. She wiggled but he held her still. His fingers slid under the sides, barely brushing her sex. She moaned and opened her legs a little wider.

  Desi watched him as he lay between her legs, staring down at her as if she were a feast and he didn't know just where to start. “These have to go.” He slid his thumb up and touched her clit.

  Her whole body tensed as he pressed against it, moving in minute circles designed to torment her. She grabbed his wrist, thrusting her hips against his hand. She heard a ripping sound and, “Ah, hot damn.” And then his mouth was on her.

  Lucian plunged his fingers inside her, reveling at the sensation of her muscles pulling at them. She let her legs open further. He looked up at her and saw that she watched him, her eyes hungry. He grinned and pulled his fingers out, sucking them into his mouth. “Nice.” Before thrusting them home again.

  When he stopped, she made a small, protesting sound that became a shriek at the end. He spread her open and sucked her clit into his mouth, alternately sliding his teeth across it or sucking. Her legs jerked in time with each lick or nibble. She tasted and smelled like cinnamon. He trust his fingers inside again, reaching far enough to flick against that little spot that many couldn't find if they had a map, a flashlight and a damn compass. But he knew right were it was.

  He fastened his mouth on her clit at the same time. She shuddered at the first lick; at the second pass, her eyes widened and she gasped. When he nudged the spot with his fingers again, her juices sluiced in a hot, wet flood that made him growl and suckle her a little harder. His tongue danced over her clit, drawing her response out even longer.

  Her hands twisted in his hair and she rocked her pelvis against him. Her mouth opened and she began to writhe. She screamed, finally, a long drawn-out wail followed by another shuddering climax.

  “Wow.” Her voice was faint and breathless, making him grin.

  “You ain’t seen nothing yet, sweetheart.” He kissed her hard, sliding his tongue inside her mouth. He tangled his fingers in that long, dark hair, jerking her even closer.

  She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, hauling him as close to her as possible. He allowed it for a moment and then pulled her away. She blinked up at him dazedly until he turned her around to face the headboard.

  He gripped her hips and slowly slid inside her. At the feel of her tightening around him, his balls ached to plunge in as fast and hard as possible. But he wanted it to last, so he gritted his teeth and savored each inch of her covering his cock like a hot, wet glove. When he was halfway inside, he gave in and thrust so fast and far that his balls slapped against her clit.

  She gave a muffled cry and moved back against him. With each thrust, she cried out, her hands gripping the headboard so hard that her nails dented the wood.

  Every move they made was a battle. She began to rock her pelvis, rotating it with each inward thrust of his cock. He gripped the soft globes of her ass with his hands and held her still, grinding against her. She hissed in a breath, sobbing. “Please don’t stop, harder.”

  He was happy to oblige her. His thrusts became even more frenzied, but she kept up with him. The sound of their flesh moving together was loud in the room, underscored by his growls and her whimpers. His pulse began to thunder, and he felt his balls tightening, spiraling out of control. His movements became more frenzied. “Baby, hold on.” He lifted her up higher and felt his control slipping away.

  She muffled her scream against the pillows and he echoed it with one of his own. He pulled her close, holding her against him until their breaths slowed and their skin cooled.

  He turned her around and brushed her hair out of her face, kissing her on the nose. “So, you understand right? Dreaming of Desi is fine, but the reality is much better.”

  “I do.” She grinned up at him. “Do you understand that with me, you get both?”

  “I’m getting very sleepy.” Lucian yawned and she pinched him. He wrapped his arms around her, and for the first time in a long while, Desi took the night off, falling asleep with a smile on her face.

  (Return to Table of Contents)

  NightMare in Dunvegas

  By Sela Carsen

  What in Hera’s name was a ParaPleasures Expo? And why was it happening in his favorite casino?

  Nicolas Hippotakis strolled through the dungeon-like atmosphere that pervaded the Dunvegas resort, eyeing the conference attendees askance. They were easy to spot, actually. Aside from the leather and chain lanyards holding their conference badges, they were draped with lengths of condom packets and gleefully carting around boxes featuring plastic penises in varying sizes and colors.

  Then there was the couple copulating on the floor of the lobby. That was a big clue.

  ParaPleasures? It was a sex convention!

  He snorted. Just what he needed. All he wanted to do was close the deal and get the hell back home.

  “Mr. Hippotakis.” The voice was a sultry purr. Not surprising, considering that the speaker was his casino hostess, Amanda Bast. Her feline heritage was obvious in the tip-tilted eyes and erotically languorous walk. She glided closer and placed her claw-tipped fingers on his arm. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea you were coming in today. I’ll arrange a suite for you immediately. Perhaps you’d like a private table for Blackjack?”

  “Sorry I didn’t give you any advance warning, Amanda. This business trip came up suddenly. I don’t think I’ll have time to play.”

  “Mr. Hippotakis, there’s always time to play.” Aphrodite’s apples. If that voice didn’t get his engine running, nothing would.

  Nope. Not a single piston fired.

  And damn if that wasn’t annoying. He was surrounded by people with sex on the brain. He had a black book full of women who would just love to service his needs. But lately, those needs had been seriously flagging. He was pretty sure he could perform if he really wanted to—he just hadn’t wanted to lately. With any of them. Blonde, brunette, redhead. Tall and lean or small and curvy. None of his usual ladies intrigued him anymore.

  Thank Hera that business was occupying his time at the moment. The letter he’d received from Mr. Fritz, the mysterious owner of Dunvegas, had catapulted him from his Colorado mountain ranch to this parched cityscape in hours. In fact, he still had no clear idea what exactly Mr. Fritz was offering for sale.

  All he had gleaned from the note was that this item was something he'd been seeking for a very, very long time.

  “Not this time. I need to find the stables, though.” He looked at his watch. “Now.”

  The gold suit she wore shimmered as she led him through the lobby. The elevator doors closed and the noise of the casino was abruptly silenced. Amanda slid her employee card into the panel and they descended. For a very long time.

  Suddenly, the unmistakable refrain of “What’s New, Pussycat?” jangled from Amanda’s cell phone. Nic eyed the suit that fit her like a second skin. Where did she have room for it?

  She drew the slim phone from what had to be her bra. If she wore one. Damn. She raised an eyebrow as she answered,
but Nic just shook his head.

  “Yes? Hello, Will. A package delivered? Certainly. I’ll meet you at your suite. Ten minutes? I’ll be there.”

  As she hung up, the elevator dinged. The doors opened to the suffocating scent of rot and death. The last time he’d smelled something like this, he’d been on a pig farm where all the creatures had been poisoned with anthrax.

  Nic and Amanda both recoiled at the stench, the elegant hostess pressing a manicured hand over her nose. Her large eyes widened, the pupils thinning to vertical slits as she arched her back and hissed.

  Nic’s head went up and he snorted, trying to get the reek of filth and flesh out of his head. “Stay in the elevator, Amanda. Go back up and do not return. You’re out of this now, you hear?”

  She hesitated. “Mr. Fritz will be very upset if I lose one of his high rollers. Do you need me to send security?”

  “No. I can handle this.” At least he was fairly sure he could handle it—as soon as he figured out what it was. “Go back. Be safe.”

  This time, Amanda nodded and punched a button on the panel. The door slid shut, leaving him in hell.

  The unmistakable sound of a horse’s scream short circuited most of his brain and he fought to retain reason. An urbane voice reached through the chaos.

  “Mr. Hippotakis, I presume?” A dapper, elderly gentleman in a designer suit stepped out of the shadows.

  Nic’s nostrils flared. Evil. It wasn’t dead, rotting meat he smelled. It was evil.

  “Are you Mr. Fritz?” He needed to know his opponent, but he had never met the reclusive and mysterious owner of the casino.

  “In a manner of speaking. It’s one of several names that I’ve found useful. I’m very pleased with your prompt response to my note.”

  “You implied I didn’t have much choice if I wanted to obtain the…item.”

  “An accurate assumption. Would you like to see it?”

  Nic’s entire body was on fire with the effort not to charge the man. If he was right about Mr. Fritz’s true identity, it wouldn’t do any good anyway.

  He allowed the older man to lead the way. Dim light flickered, barely penetrating the murky darkness. Had the place been cleansed of filth on several planes, it would have been an ideal place for horses. The stalls were large and well-equipped. It occurred to Nic that the disgusting state of the stables might be an illusion, designed to drive him to fear and fury.

  Mr. Fritz laughed abruptly. “You’re smarter than I gave you credit for, Mr. Hippotakis.” He waved a hand and the dungeon brightened. The scent of fresh hay and clean water replaced the reek of evil, although not entirely.

  They reached the last stall. Inside stood one of the most beautiful mares Nic had ever seen. Sleek and lean with a heavy chest and masses of mane and tail, the golden bay held her finely sculpted head with pointed delicacy, nostrils flaring to show the bright red lining of panic. Her dark eyes rolled and she danced back as far as she was able.

  At her movement, the metal clanged. She was chained to a bronze manger by a manacle around one slender ankle.

  “What the hell is this, Fritz?” He stepped into the stall and turned on the man, who smiled back with a mouthful of teeth.

  “It’s your destiny calling you, Mr. Hippotakis. I mean to take you back to your roots and recreate your ancestors.” As he spoke, his gnarled hands made swift signs in the air, each stroke of his fingers leaving a fiery trail.

  Nic reached out to knock him back, get him out of the way so he could lead the terrified mare out of this stable of the damned, but he couldn’t. A wall of invisible power had slammed into place between him and the wizard, locking him in the stall with the horse.

  Fritz laced his hands behind his back now that the task was done and nodded, apparently satisfied with his work. “Alcippe here is a very, very distant cousin of yours. A descendant of one of the four wild mares of Diomedes, just as you are. Gifted by Hera with the ability to shift from horse to human.”

  “And Hera would be beyond pissed off if she discovered what you were doing here.” So where was she, he wondered.

  “She would be...if she found out. Hera does not see what happens down here. Her power is limited under the Earth's surface. And since Alcippe has been in my care below ground since she was a mere foal, she's not even on Hera's radar.”

  “What do you want with us?”

  “Ultimately, my goal is to breed a few more like you. Rebuild a herd of vicious, man-eating horses. Untamable and savage. It appeals to me.”

  “It would, you freak. We no longer eat the flesh of men.” The mare whinnied in agreement.

  “Then I suppose you’ll be here for a very long time. At least until…” Fritz let the words die off and Nic followed through.

  “Until what?”

  “Until one of two things happens. Either you provide me with a foal I can mold to my wishes. Or until Alcippe learns to talk.” With that, he spun on his heel and walked away, humming the tune to Mr. Ed.

  ~*~

  A string of expletives escaped Nic as he heard the elevator door slide closed after the old demon. He banged his fist against the solid air that trapped him in the stall.

  Trapped. He was trapped. No clean air, no room to run. He might as well be chained. The reminder of chains brought him out of his panic spiral. He wasn’t alone in this prison.

  The mare was backed into a corner, her ears flat against her head. She stamped her front hoof against the stone floor of the stable, striking sparks. Her lips were curled back from her teeth—teeth that didn’t look normal. Several of them were pointed.

  “Shit,” he muttered, spreading his hands at his side. Trapped in a stall with a man-eating mare. A mare who should be able to shift, but didn’t…or couldn’t. And he had to teach her to shift because he sure as hell wasn’t going to play stud. Not for that freakshow, Fritz.

  “Steady, Alcippe. Steady, girl.” He took a few steps to the side, circling until he reached the stone manger to which she was shackled. The chain was sunk deep into the rock. No help there. Alcippe had retreated from him, pulling the tether until her leg stood out, leaving her off balance.

  The only way to get the chain off was for her to shift. A slender human foot would slide right through the cuff.

  Easy. He snorted.

  “All right, girl.” The mare tossed her head.

  “Sorry. Alcippe. Not girl.” He put his hands down. “Let’s start over. My name is Nic Hippotakis. I’m like you.”

  A faint voice touched his mind. “Not like me. Never like me.”

  He smiled. There she was.

  “I’m just like you, Alcippe. Do you know what you are?”

  “I know what I was. I was not born here. I know that I was free.”

  “What happened? Do you remember?”

  “Not well. I was only a foal. Wolves. I think there were wolves.”

  Nic ground his teeth. The bastard had stolen someone’s baby. And if he’d used dogs or wolves, the dam was probably dead.

  “Do you remember when this happened? Do you know how old you are?” From the looks of her, she was in her prime. Age was relative with his breed. They were born as horses and lived their youth running wild. They had to have reached sexual maturity to begin their two-legged lives, and when they shifted for the first time, they emerged as adult humans.

  “That man tells me that years have passed. But I can’t trust what he says.” She shoved her head forward, knocking his shoulder back. “I still don’t know if I can trust you.”

  Nic sighed and looked around. “I only know one way to prove to you that I’m as you are. Stay back.”

  It had been so long since he’d let this side of him rule. Too many obligations in the human world kept him on two legs. He always meant to find time to shift and run free, but time never seemed to find him.

  A shock of electricity ran through his body, suspending him as he changed. The buzzing wore away and he shook his head. His forelock fell into his eyes and he shook his head
again.

  Alcippe stood shivering, but not screaming. Slowly, she reached out her nose, ears pricked forward.

  “You…you…”

  “I told you. I’m like you.”

  She blew through her lips. “No. Not like me. You’re still different.”

  “A different breed. I’m Andravida. You look like a Spanish horse. Andalusian, perhaps.”

  “What’s Andravida?”

  “The mares who were our dams were all different breeds. We looked different, with different characteristics. When we were freed by Hercules, we moved across the world. My dam stayed in Greece and we became a breed known as the Andravida. I’m descended in a direct line from her.”

  “I know nothing of descent or of my line.”

  “When we escape, it won’t be difficult to find out who you are.”

  “And how are we going to escape? I’ve tried everything. This chain keeps me here.”

  “The chain can’t hold you if you become human.”

  “Human? Like you? Like that man?”

  “Fritz is no man. He’s evil. A wizard who works black magic.” Nic snapped his jaws together, finding satisfaction in the one feature that differentiated him from other horses. His teeth. “When we get out, I’m going to tear that man limb from limb.”

  “I thought you said we didn’t eat the flesh of men.”

  “For him, I’ll make an exception.”

  Alcippe whinnied and he joined her.

  “First, you need to shift.”

  She backed away from him. “I don’t know how. I’m afraid. What do I know about being human?”

  “I’ll help you, Alcippe. But I won’t lie. The first time is painful. Even though I was warned, it still took me by surprise. Have you ever been stung by a bee or a wasp?”

  “Never. At least not that I remember.”

  “You’d remember this. Your first shifting will feel like a hundred bee stings. I wish I could tell you different, but you have to keep moving through the pain.”

  She shuffled her legs restlessly, the chain clanking an ominous toll.