Zurlo, Michele - Riley [Daughters of Circe 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Michele Zurlo

  Careful not to dislodge anyone or anything, she turned to face Soren. His teal eyes opened slowly. He smiled and blinked twice. Love welled in her chest and she returned his lazy smile. Riley could tell the moment his memory of recent events returned. Darkness clouded his eyes and he rolled away from her to sit up.

  For the longest time, he didn’t move. She stared the broad expanse of his shirt-covered back, unsure what to say that would make everything all right. After an eternity, he stood and shoved his feet into his boots. He kicked at the place where the fire had gone out, sifting the ashes to make sure they were sufficiently cool.

  Riley sat up and hugged her knees to her chest in an effort to get some control over the pain his rejection caused. She bit her lip, screwed in her courage, and looked up at him, hoping to catch his eye. It didn’t happen. “Soren?”

  Soren kicked the bottom of Teigh’s foot. “Sun’s up. Time to get moving.”

  A groan came from Teigh. He shifted and rolled, flexing his arms and legs gingerly. His eyes didn’t open. Eventually, he settled back into a light slumber.

  Soren growled.

  “Don’t think you can threaten me with that shit. I’ll get up when I can move my fucking muscles again.” Teigh cracked open his eyes and glared in Soren’s direction. “I haven’t had to sleep on the ground in far longer than I can remember. Remind me to bring a sleeping bag next time you get the urge to hike overnight.”

  He had been trying for humor. Riley appreciated his attempt, but she couldn’t summon even the ghost of a smile. Soren snorted and started toward a clump of trees. “Take care of business. We’re out of here in five.”

  She knew that had been directed at her as much as Teigh. His big hand covered her shoulder and he pulled her into his embrace. She trembled in his arms, not from fear of what Soren would try to do, but from a breaking heart. No matter how she tried to reason with herself, she couldn’t quite brush away the way Soren’s treatment hurt.

  “Just a little while longer, Circe, then we’ll have him back.” Teigh’s whispered assurance broke the last barrier. What if they didn’t get him back? What if they lost him forever?

  The dam burst, and her tears flowed. She started with a hiccup, but soon torrents of sobs wracked her ribs, tearing her apart from the inside. Teigh pulled her across his lap and held her. He smoothed one hand over her hair and rocked her gently. She didn’t know how long she cried. The five minutes of Soren’s decree had come and gone by the time she ran out of tears, and still he didn’t reappear. No doubt he heard her breakdown and stayed away on purpose. Chickenshit bastard.

  Teigh led her to the stream. She crouched down and dipped her hand in. Icy cold water leached the warmth. She cupped some in her hand and brought it to her face to wash away evidence of her grief. Strength flowed through her. She took off her jacket and pushed up her sleeves. Slivers of sun peeked through the clouds just as she plunged her arms in.

  Her teeth elongated and her vision sharpened. Just below the surface of the clear water, her nails grew and her hands curved. In the distance, she heard the sounds of Soren returning. Heat overwhelmed her body. She jerked her arms from the water and stripped off her shirt.

  “What are you doing?” Next to her, Teigh stood, alarm causing his eyes to grow wide and round. “It’s like fifty degrees out here.”

  “Hot,” she said. “I’m burning up. He bit me. I’m shifting.” A new scent invaded her consciousness. “He scratched you. You’ll turn, too.”

  Teigh’s nostrils flared. “With the full moon tonight.”

  Riley lifted her gaze and looked into the sun. She saw the face of her father. Displeasure twisted his features, warring with grief. In her head, she heard his words. I warned you against choosing mortal men, Circe. You made your decision. I cannot help you, but I will not hinder you.

  “Now,” she said, answering Teigh. “The sun feeds my power. I’m turning now. This isn’t how the power was supposed to come back to me. I don’t know what to do with this.”

  She slipped out of her jeans and panties seconds before her limbs changed shape. The wavering reflection in the stream showed a gorgeous, majestic wolf. Riley didn’t think she was being vain in her assessment. Encountering a wolf like this in the wild would have stolen her breath.

  When she looked up at Teigh now, her entire perspective had shifted. His jaw dropped. “Gods, Circe. You’re incredible. You shimmer with all the colors of the sun. Gold, red, black, yellow, it’s all there, moving, swirling through your fur. I could look at you for hours and never see the same image twice.”

  He knelt down in front of her. One hand reached up tentatively, and stroked her fur. His lips parted and he inhaled sharply. Fear scented his blood with extra spice and his heart beat faster.

  A twig cracked. Her ears perked up, gauging Soren’s distance. He would arrive within thirty seconds.

  “Eternity. You pulse with power and you feel like forever. For the love of all the Gods and Goddesses, Circe, shift back before he comes.” The bleakness in Teigh’s expression tore at her heart. She didn’t mean to cause him pain. “We aren’t ready to take him on. We need our daughters to even the fight. Please.”

  Riley didn’t know how she shifted in the first place, and she sure as hell didn’t know how to shift back. She lifted her face to the sun, begging her father for assistance. He said he wouldn’t help, but he also said he wouldn’t interfere. She called on the ancient power running through her veins stronger with each passing second. Heat filled her once again. Her bones changed shape. Within seconds, she crouched, naked in Teigh’s arms.

  A snort came from across the brook. Soren stood in his human form, completely clothed. His fists rested on his hips and a breeze ruffled his golden hair. “Now is not the time for that, Teigh. Dress her before I take her as she is.”

  Riley stood, anger supplying the heat this time. “I’m right here, you son of a bitch! If you have something to say to me, then say it to me.”

  His lips thinned, pressing together so tight they turned stark white. Riley held her ground. She might be naked, but that didn’t matter. At last, he yielded in their silent war. “Get dressed.”

  * * * *

  Teigh followed behind Circe, watching her for signs of returning power. The episode at the brook had scared his soul nearly across the river Styx. Power, energy unlike anything he’d felt in his lifetime, radiated from her. This wasn’t just the return of her original powers. This was something completely new and different. Everything in nature evolved over time. He didn’t expect the magic returning to her to be the same. He honestly thought she would end up with less than she had before, not more. The fire creature standing on the bank before him had power that easily dwarfed what Circe originally had.

  She might be the daughter of the sun, but in the vast scheme of things, she was one of the lesser Goddesses, beneath the notice of most immortals. History had bastardized her legend, churning it into a twisted and pale imitation of the real thing. Where they had been attacked and viciously murdered, history made her out to be a seductress with an island of slave-men she transformed into swine. No mention had been made of the full-scale slaughter of dozens of innocent women and men. Teigh closed his eyes against the pain and blocked out images of his grandchildren’s lifeless bodies.

  One wolf. She had made one man into a wolf to save his life. Soren’s survival meant the rest of them would have another chance to live in peaceful, harmonic bliss. They had all pinned their hopes on him.

  “Teigh?”

  Her concern broke through his heavy thoughts. Reality crashed back around him. She wound her arm through his and squeezed his bicep. Sunlight glinted from her hair, reminding him briefly of the fiery wolf she had become.

  He kissed her temple. “How are you holding up, babe?”

  Her gaze shifted from him to Soren, who walked several feet in front of them. “I have no idea where we are. He wants to find Torrey, and I would be hard-pressed to find the sky right now.”

&nb
sp; “We’re a half mile away.” Soren threw the statement over his shoulder. “I can smell them.”

  Circe lifted her nose and sniffed daintily. Her nose twitched and she nodded. Wisely, she said nothing. If Soren suspected she wasn’t turning into a wolf in the normal way, his demons would likely go ballistic and demand a sacrifice right now.

  A smile lifted the corners of Circe’s mouth, and the clouds moved away from the sun. Teigh’s spirits lifted just from watching her. She winked at him.

  “Soren?”

  Soren grunted in response. Teigh wanted to punch his lover for making Circe cry. Perhaps if he took the time to look at her, to remember his love for her, then it would be easier to fight the demons controlling his actions. Teigh hadn’t seen them after that first morning, but then, his transfer of power to Circe had not been complete until later that day. He was nothing but a mortal man now.

  Well, he would be a werewolf with tonight’s moon. He hadn’t seen that coming, but it didn’t bother him. He had spent most of the last three thousand years around wolves. Becoming one seemed natural. The scratches in his back itched, and he felt the heat of transformation triggering through his system.

  “You do know you’re in for a whole lot of makeup sex for this, right? The kind where we tie you up and tease you for hours without letting you have an orgasm?”

  Soren paused. He threw a long look at her over his shoulder, not bothering to hide his longing and grief. The urge to hit him receded as the amount of pain running through Soren’s heart slammed into Teigh with a physical force.

  “If you live through this, I doubt you’ll want that from me. I doubt you’ll want me near you.” He spoke barely loud enough for Teigh to hear. The wolf-lady next to him didn’t have a problem.

  She met his challenge with an unwavering voice. “I love you, Soren. Nothing will change that.” Her hand tightened on Teigh’s arm, and his heart wept even as it swelled with tenderness.

  Soren’s face crumbled. His head inclined, and the emotions of struggle played out over his features. Then he turned away and continued walking.

  Circe winked at him. “He’s coming around. That damn demon has been dancing around him for an hour and he hasn’t noticed it.”

  “He noticed it now.”

  She shrugged. “He didn’t hear half of what it said. Your plan was solid, Teigh, though I don’t think I can get him to have sex with me again.”

  “Shhh.” Soren’s hearing could pick up any little thing she said, so it wasn’t wise for her to gloat this near to him.

  “Do you think Caiden will tie him down with those wicked knots? I think we should all take turns teasing him. I’ve been thinking of the most delicious things for us to do. Have you ever had whipped cream?”

  Teigh grinned. He hadn’t yet tried the dairy dessert, but he had seen it plenty of times. There were so many things he wanted to sample. “We could lick it off him. He’d squirm all over the place. I also miss the flavor of honey.”

  “You could lay me across his chest and fuck me right on top of him. We could blindfold him so he would be limited to listening and feeling.” She giggled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I love you, Teigh. This is going to happen for us. I know it is.”

  “We’re here.” Soren’s pronouncement jerked Teigh’s attention away from Circe’s sweet smile.

  Teigh stopped at the point where the trees opened up to reveal two large log cabin-style homes. Just over the hill, he spied a third home under construction.

  Four male werewolves appeared from nowhere, greeting them with crossed arms and sour expressions. He recognized Shaden, Marius, Demetrius, and Flynn. Teigh blinked a few times, shocked at the lack of warmth until he realized they stared at Soren.

  Chapter 9

  Shade stepped forward. Every bit as large as Soren, dark as sin everywhere Soren seemed to have been kissed by the sun, Shade made for an imposing figure. Riley had seen him glower before, but he’d never elicited the desired effect. Torrey often rolled her eyes and ignored him. His daughters had him so firmly wrapped around their fingers that a trembling lip negated his intention.

  Just now, chills raced down Riley’s spine.

  “Riley, it’s always good to see you. To what do we owe this honor?” Shade addressed the question to Riley, but his stare remained glued to Soren.

  Soren’s gaze dropped to the ground. His jaw set hard. When she heard his teeth grind, Riley set a reassuring hand on his arm. He flinched and jerked away as if she’d burned him. On her other side, Teigh squeezed her hand where it still gripped his bicep.

  “It seems I’m your mother-in-law and these are two of your fathers-in-law.” She released Teigh’s arm and spread her hands wide. “Surprise.”

  Desiree and Torrey ran from the house. They showed no signs of slowing down once they made it to where their men stood. Shade caught Torrey and Marius caught Desiree, halting each in their tracks.

  “Father! That’s my father!” Desiree grit her exclamation from between her teeth. She stared longingly at Teigh. “Marius, let me go.”

  Torrey didn’t protest Shade’s hold. She stood a little behind him and eyed Soren warily. Her light brown eyes edged in silver, and the welcoming expression on her face cracked. Her gaze flicked from Soren to Riley to Teigh and back. She turned to Riley, questions swimming in her eyes that didn’t need a voice. “Desiree, stay back.”

  At Torrey’s quiet command, Desiree ceased struggling. She zeroed in on Soren, which is where everyone else’s gazes were parked. Her eyes widened in understanding. She exchanged an almost imperceptible glance with Torrey. Without warning, the two shifted and sprang forward. The sound of rending seams was lost in the inhuman squealing that followed.

  Shade and Marius shifted. Each bounded in Soren’s direction. He shifted, meeting his brothers in battle. The noise of hostile snarls filled the air.

  Flynn didn’t shift, but he did close the distance between him and Riley. He tried to snatch her up, but she batted his hands away. Before Soren had bitten her, she wouldn’t have been able to see his approach, much less protest it. He would have been able to take her off to wherever he intended before she would have processed what happened. Now the playing field had evened out.

  He settled for herding her and Teigh away from the battle.

  Riley watched as Torrey landed on one demon. She held it down with her paw and ripped the head clean off. Behind her, a fire bloomed. Demetrius knelt next to it, having used his command of fire to summon it. She tossed the body in first. A shower of sparks burst, and then she tossed the head into the orange flames.

  Desiree did the same with another demon. Riley gasped in shock. She hadn’t seen that second one. Three more appeared. Torrey and Desiree made short work of two, but even more appeared. Hundreds.

  “There are too many,” she said. “They can’t do this alone.”

  With that, she called power to her body. She heard Flynn’s gasp at her transformation, but she didn’t pay it much mind. Her lover, her sister, and her friend were in serious jeopardy. The demons, which looked like red-tinted leprechauns without the clothes, had multiplied. Riley had no idea how many attacked Torrey and Desiree.

  She jumped into the fray, systematically decapitating demons and tossing them into the fire Demetrius had built. Sharp teeth bit her legs and body. Everywhere she looked, the sea of demons threatened to overwhelm her. Renewing her efforts, she fought hard. Soren’s sanity, their future, and that of their daughters were at stake.

  Her backside bumped into those of Torrey and Desiree. The demons had managed to corral the three of them, surrounding them on the edge of the valley clearing. Memories of a similar circumstance, only with humans instead of demons, surfaced. That battle had been futile. There had been too many of them, and her reluctance to use her magic to harm them had led to their defeat.

  Well, she had no such compassion this time. The magic she used to transform them all had worked on the humans as well, turning them into something befitting their a
ctions. Gathering all the iron in her will, she sent forth a pulse of magic. It behaved as a blast wave, knocking them down. Those closest to her incinerated. The she-wolves attacked those that remained. The tide of the battle had turned. Never again would these souls have the chance to attack her or those she loved.

  When everything settled down, Riley searched the tangle of wolves for Soren. She found him pinned to the ground. Shade’s jaw opened, unclamping from Soren’s neck. He and Marius backed away. Riley rushed between them and shifted. She fell to her knees next to Soren. He stared up at her, his expression unreadable.

  “Are you all right?” She smoothed her hands over his neck where Shade had bitten him, but she found no injuries.

  “He didn’t fight me.” Shade’s voice came from behind Riley, but she didn’t turn around. She didn’t take her eyes from Soren, whose fathomless eyes stared at her with an emotion she couldn’t name.

  After far too long, Soren shifted back to his human form. He sat up, hooked his hand around the back of her neck, and pulled her to him. The post-shift, wolfish scent of him held her just as much as his hand. He paused with his lips one tantalizing inch away. Tension and anger vibrated from him. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t turning handsprings over the fact they had freed him from the demons.

  He exhaled hard and released her. “I barely had the energy to shift back. What the hell have you done to me?”

  She reached for him, but he pushed her hands away. Anguish constricted her chest and she had to force herself to breathe. “Soren, please don’t do this.”

  Slowly, and with a great deal of difficulty, he lumbered to his feet. She rose with him, careful to keep her distance. Once vertical, he scowled at her. “I trusted you, Riley. All this time, I thought I was a danger to you, and it turns out you’re the greater danger. If losing myself is what it takes to be with you, then I don’t want to be with you.”