by Hati Bell
“Of course not,” she said. “I’ll still follow your lead during our road trip.” She froze when he grabbed her chin. She felt heat radiating off him like a roaring bonfire.
“No more innuendos,” he said sternly. “No sending hot glances my way like you want to see me naked.”
Kellsey pouted, but kept her mouth shut. No, that one was just too easy. Instead, she decided to ask a question. “And why exactly not? I always thought that you just didn’t want me. Simply saw me as a little sister. We both know now that’s not the case. So why do you still keep me at a distance?”
Leroy’s eyes flashed. “Some things are just not meant to be,” he said as if the words were being pulled from him. He walked away without any further explanation.
***
Satiros’ villa lay near a quiet bay which was strewn with black rocks and palm trees. The driveway had a row of banana trees. There were few cars in sight. Most mythos visited remote areas by a djinn taxi or a portal that connected different areas with each other.
Two vampires stood guard at the door. One of them was feeding a dog.
Kellsey looked at the building next to the villa. “Any idea where we need to be for the auction?”
“Maybe you can ask that dog for directions,” Leroy joked.
“I can’t talk with dogs,” she confessed. “Which is the same, by the way, with all human animals.”
“You telling me you can talk with a Kraken but not with Fifo?”
“Sad but true,” she admitted. “I can only talk with mythical animals or with mythos in their animal form.” Which reminded her of something. “Except with you. I tried to reach you when you attacked me in the cage, but it was like there was only white noise.”
It was as if a wall fell before Leroy’s eyes. “We have to be in the building on the right,” he said and he marched passed her.
She realized she’d hit a nerve and filed that information away for later. She had discovered more about him over the past twenty-four hours than in the last ten years. She wasn’t going to let him go before she’d solved the mystery called Leroy Leandros.
The building where the auction was held was packed with creatures in all shapes and sizes, some of which she had never seen before. She waved when she suddenly saw Conn Buchanan. Shay’s favorite werewolf looked like all alpha werewolves: big, brawny, and with an aura of danger that hung about him. He had the same long strands of silvery hair as Kuno.
“Hi, Conn. We missed ya during the Games,” she said, and she gave him a hug.
“Lass,” he returned her greeting. “Leandros.”
“Buchanan,” Leroy said.
“So, whatcha doing here, so far from home?” she asked curiously. She’d heard of problems in his clan. “Everything okay with the whelps? I heard there was an epidemic among the bairns.”
A pained look appeared in Conn’s eyes, which he quickly masked. “It’s nothin’ that we canna solve by ourselves,” he said and after a nod, he walked away.
She watched him leave, a bit surprised by his hasty retreat, and tensed when she saw Spike. The vampire leaned casually against a wall. Before she could point Leroy to him, he’d already grabbed her arm.
“This way,” he said. “He’s probably also here for the helmet.”
Spike saw them, paled, and slipped away into the crowd. She couldn’t blame the vampire for wanting the helmet. Once Riz found him he was a dead vamp.
Leroy led her to the front of the auction block. On the platform stood a man with hooves. She assumed it was Satiros the auctioneer. His checkered suit and old-fashioned cravat gave him a whimsical appearance.
His yellow eyes sparkled and he stroked his goatee. “Ladies and gentlemen, at last, the time has come for the arms auction. We start with Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir.”
“A hundred ice diamonds!” a frost giant shouted.
“A heart’s desire from Her Royal Highness, Latifa Khan, Queen of all djinn,” a man in a turban bellowed.
Leroy grinned at Kellsey. “How does Kartal like his new flying bike? Or did he give it back after he refused Latifa’s proposal to share her harem with her?”
She snorted. “You know Kartal better than that. Only way you can pry a bike out of his hands is when he’s dead. He claimed that it would be rude to return a gift.”
“Sure, sure.”
She picked up a glass from the tray of a passing waiter. She took a sip and almost spit the stuff out. “It tastes like piss!”
“Some things never change,” Leroy said and waved away the waiter who offered him wine. “That’s probably the cheapest wine Satiros could get his hands on.”
Kellsey put the glass down somewhere and followed Leroy to a large painting whose image kept changing. She saw pearls passing by that supposedly belonged to Venus and a cage with Odin’s ravens. When Thor’s hammer passed by, the painting lost its color.
“Looks like Mjölnir’s sold,” Leroy said. When she looked at him questioningly, he explained, “Objects turn gray when they’re sold.”
Her heart skipped a beat at the next picture. It hurt to see the beautiful chestnut centaur in reins. To her horror, the image suddenly changed into a dull gray. “We have to free him. Slavery is just wrong!”
“Kellsey….”
“We have to help him.” She turned and almost bumped into a passing amazon.
“Sister,” the amazon said, and she put a hand on her shoulder.
Kellsey wanted to return the greeting, but then she saw that the amazon held reins in her other hand. Before she knew it she’d drawn her knives.
More amazons appeared before her, and Leroy yanked her behind him.
“Step aside, Lee. I’m not letting them leave with that centaur.”
“Is there a problem, Nirika?” one of the amazons asked.
“There’s definitely a problem,” Kellsey hissed as she stepped next to Leroy.
“He’s already broken, Kellsey,” Leroy said softly. “Look at his eyes; they’re pitch black. You can’t heal a broken centaur.”
Her mind reached out to the centaur, but she didn’t get any response. It seemed as if a black wall was built in front of his psyche. He seemed… empty. “Nobody’s incurable,” she said stubbornly. She turned to the amazon with the reins. “I want to buy your centaur.”
The amazon narrowed her eyes. “Find your own damn horse. This beast is not for sale.”
“He’s not a beast,” Kellsey said through gritted teeth. “Centaurs are noble creatures and shouldn’t live in slavery.”
“What tribe do you belong to?” Nirika demanded to know. “Have you shared your perverted ideas with the queen? If not, I’d love to do that for you, sister.” This time the “sister” sounded venomous.
“I don’t have a tribe or a queen. I have brothers.” Never before had she been so proud about that.
“An amazon with brothers?” Nirika had the well-known “in what universe does an amazon have brothers instead of sisters” expression on her face.
Kellsey clutched her knives tightly in her hands. A passing waiter scurried away, anxious not to end up in the middle of the simmering brawl.
“You’re the nomad amazon,” Nirika said, clearly only now realizing who Kellsey was.
“I’m not a nomad,” Kellsey protested.
“An amazon without a tribe is a nomad,” Nirika persisted.
She really hated short-sighted people, but decided to let it go. “Name your price.”
The amazon glanced speculatively at Leroy. “We’re always looking for strong fathers.”
“Forget it!” Kellsey shrieked while she had to force herself not to scratch out Nirika’s eyes.
“That’s mighty selfish of you, sister,” Nirika said disapprovingly.
Leroy threw the amazons a threatening look and pulled Kellsey away. His hand rested firmly on her arm.
Nirika gave her the stink-eye and then walked away with her sisters and the poor centaur.
She felt her heart break. “Look what
they did to him, Lee. Centaurs are… I don’t even know what they look like in their human form. Nobody knows anymore. And once we forget what they look like they will disappear forever. Out of sight is out of mind. Out of our memories is out of our existence.” She shook off his arm. Nirika had already left the hall, but she could still catch up with her.
Leroy wrapped his arms around her like steel bands. “They’re about six feet five in their human form,” he whispered in her ear. “No one can kick as hard as a centaur. A centaur is the only mythos that has more than one animal form. They can completely transform into a horse or into a horse-man like you know them from drawings. That’s how much control they have over their beast.”
“Sounds like you know what you’re talking about,” she said softly.
“My best friend was a centaur,” he admitted.
Sometimes she forgot how old Leroy was. It was hard to imagine that he was born in an era before the Amazon-centaur war. “We should free him in honor of your best friend,” she said.
“Not today. We have more important things to do.”
“Like what? Buying a helmet for Riz’s ever-expanding collection? I know it’s not because you’re chasing after a cure for yourself.” Oddly enough, he didn’t seem the least bit worried that he was dying.
Leroy grabbed her hand and motioned to Satiros. He apparently thought the last word on the centaur was said and she let him entertain his illusion. In her mind, she was already planning a “free the centaur” mission.
The auctioneer gave his microphone to his colleague and left the stage. They followed him as he walked down the hall into a room that looked like a study. It had ceiling-high bookcases, a fireplace and a reading lamp on the oak desk.
Satiros bent over her left hand and turned it up to her wrist–the wrist that she dreamed one day would display her promise signs with Leroy. “Welcome to my humble abode, agape mou. Ah, you’re still single,” he said, satisfied after a look at her tattoo-less wrist. He looked over her shoulder. “Where are your sisters?”
“I don’t have any sisters,” she said, used to the question.
“An amazon without sisters,” Satiros said as he smoothed his goatee into a point. “Now I’ve heard it all. Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting? Tell me you don’t belong with Leandros,” he called out dramatically. “Tell me you’re going to take part in my auction. I could easily fix you up with a djinn trio who would spoil you immensely. An amazon without a tribe would be in high demand. A long-distance relationship on different continents belongs in the range of possibilities.”
Leroy frowned. Kellsey grinned. She knew his offer was meant as flattery. For some mythos, like nymphs, it was the highest possible honor to be able to choose a keeper who lived to pamper you. “I’m Kellsey,” she said. “And no, I don’t belong to Leroy,” she denied for the second time in a day.
The satyr took out wine glasses and handed one to her. “Does this also taste like piss?” she asked.
Satiros burst out laughing, not offended in the least. “No, my dear amazon. This comes from my private collection and tastes like the nectar of the gods. It’s a special drink for my special lady Kellsey.”
“Kellsey Callahan,” Leroy emphasized.
Satiros let her go as if she had the bubonic plague. Red wine gushed over the rim of his glass and ended up like a bloodstain on the carpet. “You do know that my offer was merely a joke, right?” he said. “No need to mention it to Riz.” He subtly tried to take back her wineglass.
“I don’t think so,” Kellsey said sweetly and she held the glass out of his reach. “And you shouldn’t worry about Riz; you should worry about me. If you had insulted me, I’d tell you that by plunging a knife in your chest.” Oddly, this earned her an appreciative look.
“You’d better not drink that,” Leroy warned her.
“Don’t treat me like a child, Lee.”
Satiros stroked his goatee. “Oh, right, you’re still here as well, Leandros,” he said dryly. “I thought you declared you would never buy something from me again.”
“My exact words were that I would rip off your head if you ever conned me again,” Leroy corrected him.
Satiros pulled a face. “I was told that it was real arachnid venom.”
“It was squid ink,” Leroy argued.
“Oh, well, that’s all in the past now,” Satiros said as he fluttered his hand.
Kellsey wondered why Leroy had needed spider venom. She wanted to ask him but got distracted by her heart, which suddenly started beating erratically.
Boom.
Boom.
BOOM.
It was the same feeling she got whenever she saw Leroy. As if a swarm of butterflies was released inside her stomach and molten lava coursed through her veins. She pressed the cold wineglass against her flushed cheek.
“I heard you have the helmet of Hades,” Leroy said. “I wanna see it.”
His deep voice sent shivers down her spine and she had the sudden urge to pounce on him. Before she succumbed to that desire, she perched her ass on the corner of the desk.
Satiros’ eyes lit up. “It’s my most treasured showpiece,” he boasted. “It will be auctioned tomorrow, after sunset. So you will have to wait.”
“I wanna buy it now,” Leroy said.
“You know how it works, Leandros. You have to patiently wait for your turn. What I can tell you, though, is that the queen of the djinn has offered me two wishes for it.” Satiros started his sales pitch, while Leroy rolled up his sleeve.
Kellsey took another sip of her wine when she saw his bare, muscular arm. Heat coursed through her veins and she felt a trickle of sweat slide between her breasts.
“I have something worth more than wishes, fairy gold, and diamonds,” Leroy said. He raised his arm so Satiros could see the red tattoo on his wrist.
“Oh, shit,” Satiros groaned.
Kellsey giggled when a drop of sweat formed on his pointy nose. “You’re sweating, too,” she said cheerfully. It seemed important to point that out.
“Do you refuse to pay your blood debt?” Leroy asked.
“You sound so sexy, Lee.” Kellsey picked up a book from the coffee table and used it as a fan.
“Of course not,” Satiros vehemently denied. “I accept your payment, but I can only do that tomorrow during the auction. Mythos come from everywhere expecting to bid on the helmet. If I don’t sell it throughout the auction, my reputation will be ruined.”
“What reputation?” Leroy sneered.
“I’m so hot,” Kellsey puffed and she pulled her tee over her head. That was much better. She fiddled with the clasp of her bra, but Leroy pushed her hand away.
He looked at her with narrowed eyes. “She needs a room,” he said.
Satiros looked at Leroy knowingly and grinned. “With a king-size bed, I assume?”
“No, you stupid goat,” Leroy growled. “Just a room where she can sleep.”
“That’s not nice. Goats are people too!” Kellsey hollered.
“Ehm, no, we’re not,” Satiros said dryly and he looked back at Leroy. “Should I also have a room prepared for you?” he asked, his grin still intact.
“I will sleep in the same room as Kellsey,” Leroy said through clenched jaws.
“Leroy wants to sleep with me,” Kellsey said, and she put her arm around his waist. The world suddenly looked all bright and shiny.
9
LEROY
When he walked back into the room after a long, cold shower, he found Kellsey sprawled out on the bed. She was wearing a tiny red thong and his mouth went instantly dry. Her feverish eyes glowed like molten gold when they roamed over his body. Her cheeks were pink and her tongue kept licking her lips, wetting them and making them glisten. No other woman was as tempting as Kellsey and it was all he could do to not go lie down beside her. Which was exactly the reason why he’d changed his clothes in the bathroom.
He knew he should’ve stopped her when she wanted to drink the aphroditsia.
It was what her brothers would have done. Satiros wouldn’t even have offered her the aphrodisiac cocktail if her brothers had been present. Or if Leroy had claimed her. Satiros’ questioning look hadn’t escaped him, but he’d refused to show what Kellsey meant to him. Even when his lion had tried to claw his way out when Satiros kissed her hand. His lion adored her and was a possessive bastard. As a man, though, he could never publicly claim Kellsey. Not without putting her in danger.
“It wasn’t red wine, was it?” Kellsey asked.
His eyes shot to her restless legs, which clung to the comforter as she rubbed her thighs together. “It wasn’t wine,” he confirmed. “It was liquid aphroditsia.”
“My body’s on fire, Lee,” she moaned.
His blood heated when she called him by his nickname. He had built a wall around his heart and decorated it with barbed wire, but whenever she looked at him like that a crack appeared in his wall. It was going to be a long night. “Go to sleep, Kellsey.”
She sent him an incredulous look. “Do I look as if I could fall asleep?”
She looked like a sex goddess. He wanted to devour her. Once again he cursed the gods. Then he cursed Satiros because he’d given them a room with a king-size bed. He stepped to the rickety chair by the windowsill.
“I know you want me,” Kellsey said, as though she stated a simple fact.
Her directness was another thing he appreciated about her. With Kellsey he immediately knew what she meant. She didn’t play any games. She deserved him to be at least as honest. “It doesn’t matter that I want you,” he said.
“Why not?” she asked, almost breathlessly.
“You deserve more than a one-night stand,” he answered, kicking himself for not taking the glass from her.
“What makes you think I want more than a one-night stand?”
He lifted a brow. “Are you trying to tell me that sex is the only thing you want from me?”
“That’s right. Got an itch to scratch here, in case you haven’t noticed. A night of hot monkey sex is the only remedy.”