Where a Goddess Belongs

by Stephanie Julian

  Chapter One

  “Three freaking months since I was kidnapped, and I haven’t had a decent drink or gotten laid the entire time. I deserve a damn medal.”

  Sitting on her bed in her room in a tiny cabin surrounded by a forest, Kari Vitelli, otherwise known as Akhuvitr, Etruscan Goddess of Healing, heaved a sigh and pouted.

  She hadn’t spoken loud enough to attract the attention of her two totally hot captors...who’d been perfect gentlemen for the past three months. And that was totally not cool.

  Was she ugly? No, she was not. Not even by this century’s wacked-out standards.

  She didn’t even need a mirror to tell her that. Not that her captors had allowed her to have one. She understood. She supposed if she was industrious enough, she could break it and use it as a weapon.

  But that would mean she’d have to be willing to injure her two gorgeous bodyguards. And she certainly wasn’t willing to do that. They were way too yummy to harm. And other than not allowing her to leave this little bungalow in the woods, they’d done nothing to hurt her.

  Truth be told, when she wanted to leave, she would. No one would be able to stop her.

  Well, no one who didn’t want to hurt her. And she really didn’t think they did.

  She wasn’t sure she could outrun her captors on one of their outdoor walks. And she hadn’t wanted to test the locking spells on the doors and windows to see if she could break them. Didn’t want to alert anyone who might be watching through the tiny cameras scattered throughout the house that she retained a pretty decent dose of her powers.

  As the Goddess of Healing, Kari’s powers were... Well, they weren’t exactly made for blunt force, which she’d need if she wanted to leave this building on her own.

  Her powers were more persuasive. Much more subtle. And devastating if used in the right way. Or the wrong way, depending on your point of view.

  She didn’t want to use that power on her guards.

  “Is it too much to ask for them to look at me and want me? Seriously, I’m not heinous.”

  She’d never had trouble enticing men into her bed, not in all the centuries she’d been alive. Her dark hair waved down her back to generous hips and a pretty decent ass. Her eyes were big and brown, her lips full and her nose adorable. And her tits were pretty damn near fantastic.

  She had all the assets needed to be worshipped. Which she had been. For a millennium.

  Lately?

  Not so much.

  Turning from the window with another sigh, she contemplated heading out of the bedroom and into the living room where her guards were either playing cards, watching TV or reading. She loved seeing big, brawny guys with books in their hands. Made her a little less skeptical about the direction the human race was heading.

  Just a little.

  Then again, Den and Jacoby weren’t exactly normal humans, were they?

  No, they were not. But just because they were aligned with the Malandante didn’t mean they were all bad.

  Did it?

  They hadn’t asked to be born into the Etruscan race’s equivalent of the League of Assassins, had they?

  And she was in no way convinced they were cut out for the roles they’d been chosen to play.

  With that thought lingering in her head, Kari waved her fingers at the tiny camera in the corner of the ceiling then pushed off the bed and headed for the front room.

  She didn’t try to hide her approach. She’d learned she couldn’t creep up on either of them. Their hearing was too good. An interesting fact she’d tucked away for later. For what purpose? She didn’t know. Most likely she’d forget about it a few days after she no longer spent every waking second with these two men.

  Which wouldn’t be long now.

  She was fairly certain she knew why she was being kept against her will. At least, she was pretty certain she knew why the Mal wanted her enough to kidnap a goddess.

  What she didn’t know was what these two men wanted with her. Because it damn sure wasn’t what the rest of the Mal wanted.

  “Good morning, Lady. Would you like something to eat?”

  Mug in hand, Jacoby stood in the entryway to the little galley kitchen to the left of the front entrance.

  Keeping a few feet between them meant she didn’t have to bend her head back so far to look into his eyes. If she plastered herself against him, her cheek would rest right between his pecs. She would love to splay her hands over those pecs and stroke the tight muscles. Then she’d let her hands slide down his torso and wrap around his body to pet that tight ass.

  Jacoby had the body of an athlete. Sleek. Infinitely pettable. He also had the dark eyes, black hair and strong features of a classic Roman centurian. Gorgeous.

  As always, she flashed a smile at him and watched an answering warmth fill his eyes. It wasn’t attraction. It was genuine warmth.

  Nothing at all like the barely concealed desire she saw in Den’s eyes.

  But both of them were too good to let that emotion show on their faces. You could never be sure who was watching.

  “Good morning, Jacoby. How did you sleep?”

  “Fine, Lady. Thank you for asking. And you?”

  Her smile grew. They did this dance every morning. The polite pleasantries, the offer to make her breakfast, no matter that it was close to noon.

  Time to shake things up a little.

  She hadn’t wanted to upset the status quo until now. Hadn’t wanted the men behind those cameras to think Jacoby and Den should be replaced because they were getting too close to their captive.

  But since she’d overheard Den’s phone conversation last night, she knew it was time. Things had changed, wheels were turning, blah, blah, blah...

  Whatever, it was time to make a move.

  “Actually, I would love some scrambled eggs and toast. And tea. It’s a little chilly this morning, isn’t it?”

  Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Den unwind his big body from the chair he’d commandeered in the living area, his attention totally focused on her. The chair was large and leather bound. And nearly too small for him.

  She had images of herself riding him on that chair...while Jacoby stood to the side, his cock in her mouth.

  If only.

  If Jacoby was the athlete, Den was the life-sized version of an action figure. Wide shoulders, bulging arm muscles, rock-solid pecs and eight-pack abs. He hadn’t touched her since the moment they’d arrived at this little cottage, wherever this may be, but she remembered in perfect detail just how strong he really was.

  During her kidnapping, when he’d been accompanied by the other man—a true Mal down to the oily coating on his soul—he’d picked her up and carried her like she weighed no more than a child. It made her want to shiver just thinking about it.

  His strong arms tight around her. The power of his legs as he ran. The solid muscles of his chest against her cheek.

  It was enough to make a girl reconsider a vow of celibacy. Not that she’d taken one, of course.

  Tinia’s teat, how boring would that be?

  Den was definitely not boring.

  Where Jacoby was conventionally handsome, Den...wasn’t.

  His nose had been broken at least once and not set properly. He had beautiful, ice-blue eyes and sharp cheekbones, but the stupid women of this time probably never gave him a second look. They were probably frightened off at first glance.

  Kari was not frightened of him. She could barely restrain herself from climbing him like her own private tree. All that yummy strength was enough to give a girl heart palpitations. Even a girl who happened to be a goddess.

  Amity had always said Kari was slightly off her rocker. Kari wouldn’t necessarily argue the point. Still,
despite the fact that they’d kidnapped her and made it perfectly (though apologetically) clear she wasn’t allowed to leave, she’d fallen completely in lust with these men. And when she left, which she planned to do in the next few days, she wanted them to come with her.

  That, of course, was going to be the tricky part.

  After blinking at her for a second, Jacoby finally got over his shock at her request. “Of course, Lady. Let me—”

  “It’s Kari, Jacoby. Please call me Kari. It’s not like we haven’t spent almost every second for the past three months in the same five rooms together.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly and she knew her slight barb had found its intended target. She figured it held a little more punch simply because it was the first time she’d even hinted at the fact that she’d been taken against her will.

  “Lady Akhu—”

  “If you don’t mind,” she turned to include Den, who’d come up behind her, “I really do prefer Kari.”

  Jacoby took a deep breath and his gaze shot to Den’s for a split second. “Lady Kari, why don’t you have a seat in front of the fire and I’ll get your food ready for you.”

  She smiled at Jacoby and his eyes widened in response. Then she turned to Den and let her smile become just the tiniest bit warmer.

  And had the satisfaction of seeing him freeze.

  Ah, the power of sex.

  Jacoby continued to hold her on that pedestal reserved for deities—which she was, of course.

  But Den...

  With a quirk of her lips, she slipped by Den into the living room...but not before trailing her fingertips along his wrist. Out of view of any of the cameras.

  She felt him stiffen then freeze in place.

  Now we’re getting somewhere.

  Dentatus Glabrio—who usually pounded anyone who wasn’t a direct blood relation or his superior who didn’t call him Den—held onto his control. Barely. The little goddess with the lush body and the warm brown eyes was going to be the death of him. Either he was going to die of sexual frustration or he was going to give in to the lust riding him hard and take her to bed. Then he’d be as good as dead because the Mal would kill him for disobeying orders. But the need to touch her got worse daily. It didn’t matter that she was a goddess, a living embodiment of the ancient Etruscan race’s need for the divine. To Den, first and foremost, she was a woman. A beautiful, warm, funny, smoking hot woman who pushed every single one of his buttons, including a few he hadn’t known he had. It also didn’t matter that his superiors would kill him if he dared touch her. They had plans for her. Plans that didn’t include their mindless muscle stripping her naked and sliding his cock as deep inside her as he could get while Jacoby watched. Or joined in. He didn’t have a preference at the moment. So either way, he was screwed. And not in a good way. Plus, he and Jacoby had way too much riding on their plans. There were too many lives at stake. But later...

  Vaffanculo, he was an idiot. There was no later. He couldn’t allow himself to think about the possibility of later. Right now, they had to stick to the plan. Because if anyone found out what they were going to do... Out of the corner of his eye, Den caught Jacoby making a slight motion with his hand while he said something completely different aloud. “I’ll get her breakfast. Why don’t you have a seat at the table, Lady Kari?” Jacoby’s hand motion wanted to know if he was okay. The great thing about knowing American Sign Language...practically no one else knew what they were saying to each other. Den nodded and said, “Okay,” answering both Jacoby’s and Kari’s question. To anyone watching them through the cameras, it would appear he’d responded only to Jacoby’s statement. But Jacoby understood. He knew Den better than anyone else in the world and his dark eyes made it clear Jacoby didn’t totally believe him. Didn’t matter. That was the only answer his friend was getting for now. Returning his attention to Kari, Den saw her staring at him with one golden brown eyebrow raised. As if she realized there was something going on. Kari might have the reputation of being a hardcore party girl, but these past few months stuck in this cabin with her had shown Den that there was more to this goddess than met the eye. But what he did see made him realize why the ancient races had willingly sacrificed themselves to their deities. Absolutely fucking gorgeous from her brown hair that fell in waves almost to her waist to the tips of her tiny toes, nails painted with what had to be magical paint that seemed to change colors daily. Right now, it was neon blue. Yesterday it’d been a murky forest green. When she moved to slip by him, he blinked and almost tripped over his feet in his haste to get out of her way. He knew if she touched him, he’d do something incredibly stupid. Like wrap one of his huge hands around her tiny neck, drop his mouth over her full lips and kiss her until he couldn’t breathe. Shit. He sucked in a sharp breath as her hair brushed against his arm as she walked to the dining table. Fuck, he was totally losing it. He couldn’t afford to lose it. He had too much riding on his shoulders to lose his shit now. “I’m going to walk the perimeter. Be back in ten.” He felt her gaze follow him as he moved to the door but he didn’t stop. He needed a reminder of what was at stake. Pulling out his phone, he pressed the only contact in his favorites. “Hey Mom, how’re you feeling?” “Hello, Den. I’m fine. How are you, sweetheart?” As always, his mother sounded thrilled to hear from him, the love in her voice evident. But he could also tell she wasn’t fine. He could hear the weakness in her voice. Weaker than the last time he’d spoken to her. When had that been? Last week? No, almost two weeks ago. Rage boiled in his gut but he shoved it back down before it leaked into his voice. “Busy, as usual.” “I guess you still can’t tell me where you are but can you at least tell me if you’re eating enough? You’re built like a tank. You need fuel.” This was an old argument. For years, he’d chafed under against his mom’s over-protectiveness. He’d sometimes felt like he was suffocating and he’d pushed back at every opportunity. Until he’d realized how ill she was. “I’m eating just fine. Jacoby makes sure. You know he can’t go two hours without food.” She laughed but had to stop after a few seconds to catch her breath. A few months ago, that weakness wouldn’t have been as noticeable. The disease was progressing faster than he’d expected. Which meant the time to put their plan into motion was running out. “That boy’s so skinny, he needs to eat often. Takes after the rest of his family. Especially that sister of his. That girl is a twig.”

  And because that was a subject he couldn’t afford to get into, he steered the conversation in another direction, one sure to divert her attention. “Have you talked to the doctor about that cough? It sounds like it’s getting worse.” He could hear this mom sigh through the phone. “No, I haven’t. And I’m not going to because I know what his answer will be. Is there anything you want me to tell your dad? He’s been so busy lately I’m sure he hasn’t had time to call.” Which was a polite way of saying his dad still hadn’t gotten over the fact that his son was considered useless among the Mal, only good enough to be a grunt. “I’m sure he has been. Hate to cut this short but I gottago, Mom. Love you.” “Love you, too, Jacoby. Stay safe, sweetheart.” He disconnected with the same warring thoughts he always had. He loved his mother enough to commit unspeakable acts. And he wanted to strangle his father for being unable or unwilling to do whatever it took to make sure his wife was healthy. Which meant it was up to Den to make sure she was. By whatever means necessary. His gaze turned toward the door of the cabin in a remote section of the New York Adirondacks. Was she listening? Kari, as she insisted they call her, might act like she never took much notice of anything going on around her. But Den knew her outward indifference hid an insatiable curiosity. Anyone watching through the security cameras only saw the flippant, totally uninterested goddess, living up to her reputation as a free spirit. Only he and Jacoby knew how closely she watched everything, how she ate up their need. How she’d slowly been getting closer to both of them, how her fingers would sometimes brush against his skin as they passed in the hall. Or how she let her gaze stay connected to
Jacoby’s just a little longer than before. Maybe—The door opened with a creak and Jacoby stepped onto the porch. His shoulders blocked out the light from inside for a few seconds before he closed the door behind him and joined Den. “How’s your mom?” “Getting worse, though she won’t admit it.” Jacoby sighed heavily. “I’m sorry.” “Not your fault.” Jacoby shook his head and Den knew he wanted to say something else but you never knew who was listening and when. It made him want to hit something. “You wanna go hit the bag?” They had a small but decent workout setup in the basement, the only place in the whole house that didn’t have cameras. Unless they just hadn’t found them yet. “Or do you wanna bareknuckle it out here? I’ll go easy on you.” A reluctant smile curled Den lips. “You’d have to be able to land a punch first.” “It’d only take me one to knock you out.” “I’d see it coming a mile away. You telegraph.” Jacoby shrugged. “Don’t need to be sneaky if you’re fast enough to get out of the way.” It was an old argument and one they revisited often enough that it’d become habit. But it was still true. “Where’s the lady?” “Sitting in front of the TV watching something on the Hallmark Channel that has the words ‘prince,’ ‘baby’ and ‘bride’ in the title, though I’m pretty sure they’re not in that order.” “We’re not supposed to leave her alone.” Jacoby’s eyes rolled. “You know she’s not going anywhere. We both know if she wanted to leave, she would.” Yeah, he’d figured that out already. The question was, why was she staying? “So,” Jacoby continued, “have you decided what you’re going to do when this assignment’s over?” And that was Jacoby’s code for “we need to talk about our plan.”

  The plan to steal a goddess out from under the nose of the Malandante while simultaneously getting his mother and Jacoby’s sister away and throwing themselves on the mercy of the lucani king.

  The plan that would probably end in abject failure but was the only one they’d come up with that had a slight possibility of working.