by K. F. Breene
“Why are you telling me this now? Why not when we started the hunt for a larger magical defense?”
“Lightning Rods are incredibly dangerous, and this man was done all kinds of wrong by a Demigod. Gianna was a big lover of BDSM—do you know what that is?”
“Yes. I don’t live under a rock.”
“Do you like it?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“Hurry up. We’re almost to the SUVs.”
“I’ll take that as a maybe. Well, she didn’t believe in safe words. She beat him bloody, I’ve heard. Cut him. Tortured him. By now, I imagine he is severely mind-fucked, and won’t trust easily. He’ll be more dangerous than the giant. He might be a death sentence. But maybe, just maybe, with all of you working together…all of you…” He paused, his gaze pounding into mine, trying to get his meaning across. He meant the kids, obviously. I shook my head, but he continued before I could object. “Maybe you’ll have a shot. He would be the ultimate score for your party. With his ability to detect and counteract Zeus magic, he’d sufficiently cover your Zeus blind spot.”
The various rocks and boulders littering the way lifted into the air as we walked down the mountain, the giant clearing the road for his car. The SUVs were parked just up ahead. Donovan would have to lift the cars and turn them around.
“Where is this guy?” I asked as Kieran glanced back at me. He’d stopped in front of the huge boulder that had blocked the cars, which was now lifting into the sky.
Harding shook his head, the shadows making his strong features more severe but not diminishing his handsomeness. “Telling you would be crossing the line. I’ve given you too much information as it is. Tell the team and work it out.”
“What are you even talking about?” I asked in annoyance. “How is this crossing a line? Who would know you’re the one who told me?”
“If you suddenly knew everything about this guy, including his location, without creating any kind of paper trail, people would know you had an informant. They’d want to know who, because they’d want to silence or steal that informant. That’s how it works in the minefield of Demigods. I do not want them to know I am whispering in your ear. I’m not back on the radar yet. I’d like to keep it that way.”
I huffed through my nose. “Okay, I’ll let Kieran know.”
“Good. A hint should be enough for his team. They’re pretty sharp. How are my kittens, by the way?”
I crinkled my nose. Back home, Harding had temporarily possessed a small white cat. He’d remained connected to the cat while it did the nasty with a feral cat. So gross.
“They are four months old, in case time got away from you. Two of them seem unnaturally big, and those two won’t let us re-home them. They scratch and bite anyone that tries.”
“Good. Let them hang around. They can be guard cats.” He stopped me and turned, the mirth leaving his eyes. “Above all else, Alexis…” He put his hands on my arms. His touch would have sucked energy from me had he been a normal ghost, but his hands felt like actual hands, with a warmth that soaked into me. “Stay safe. He is the most dangerous of all. While I definitely want to pry you away from your Demigod and show you the incredible pleasure you’ve only dreamed of, now is not the time. It won’t be a matter of backing off if you don’t think you can get him—he’ll want to kill you to keep his secret. Have a care.”
With that, he was gone, his warning and his touch still burning through my body uncomfortably.
8
Alexis
“What was that about?” Kieran asked as he drove us back to the Airbnb.
He’d told the rest of the team to get in the other SUV, and Jerry had surprised everyone by suggesting that Bria or Red ride with him in case he got separated. He didn’t have a phone.
“What, with Harding?” I asked, sliding my hand over his upper thigh.
“Yeah. You two seemed pretty intent.”
“I’m not allowed to tell anyone. In other news not at all related to this, do you know what a Lightning Rod is?”
“Yes.”
I leaned closer so I could slide my hand along the crease of his thigh and down over his delicious bulge. He sucked in a breath.
“Well, a Lightning Rod that everyone thinks is dead actually isn’t. He would be an unbelievable get for your magical arsenal.” I applied a little pressure and rubbed his growing hardness. I ran my other hand up over my breasts, my nipples tight, desperate for his touch.
“Do you know his name?”
“No.” I rubbed back up, finding the button on his jeans and popping it. “He apparently has a human ID and is living as a recluse on a mountain in the non-magical zone. He’s supposed to be incredibly dangerous, very distrusting because of a gross past, and intent on killing anyone that uncovers his secret.”
I leaned in more so I could use both hands to pull down his zipper.
“Oh, baby, I can’t focus with you doing that,” he said with uneven breath, lifting a little so I could make room for my hand in the front of his jeans.
“That’s okay. That’s all the info I have. You can get Henry on it. Tomorrow.” I ran my lip over my teeth, remembering what Caily had said, feeling the pinch of worry that I would lose Kieran. “Just focus on driving.”
I slid my palm against his warm skin, dipping my fingers under the waistband of his boxers. His smooth shaft filled my palm, hard and ready. I moved the seatbelt out of the way so I could lean over his pant line, pulling his girth from its confinement.
“I want to fuck you so bad, Kieran,” I said, then licked his tip.
“Hmm.” He spread his large hand out over my back. “Suck it in, baby.”
I circled the head with my tongue before taking it in and sliding my lips down his velvety skin. Sucking languidly as I came back up, I circled the tip again before bobbing back down, taking it in as far as I could. His groan spread tingles through me, tightening my breasts and making my core pound. I increased my speed, taking pleasure in his delight, feeling the desperate ache for him pooling in my gut.
The car swerved to the side and stopped quickly. He rolled the window down, but I kept going, feeling a thrill that someone might see. He stuck out his hand and waved everyone on. I continued bobbing on his hard length, working my hand in tandem, feeling him tightening up.
Once the window was back in place, he turned, clicked off my seatbelt, and grabbed the bottom of my shirt and pulled it over my head. I unhooked my bra.
“Suck on my nipples, Kieran.”
He did so without hesitation, flicking one with his tongue before fastening his scorching-hot mouth around it while undoing the button on my jeans. I moaned as he moved to the other, helping his harried fingers with my zipper. He pushed my jeans down and off, my panties quick to follow.
He came back up, as desperate for me as I was for him, his kiss hard and needy. His fingers trailed a line of heat down my center before dipping in. His thumb toyed with my clit, the pleasure pounding through me like a steady, insistent drum.
“Fuck me,” I urged, finding his cock again and stroking.
He pulled my leg across him as he lifted me, his strength incomparable, moving me over his lap. Once in place, I dragged his cock against my slickness before stopping when his tip bobbed against my opening. His callused hands cupped my butt cheeks, and his fingers involuntarily squeezed the moment I finally sat down.
“Heavens, yes,” Kieran said, thrusting upward and impaling me fully.
I groaned and my eyes fluttered, the sensations always so fresh with him. I rolled my hips before gyrating forward, his girth filling me. He thrust, lifting me up, slamming me down with pleasure. I met his thrusts, crying out.
“Yes, Kieran,” I said, gyrating faster now. The car rocked with our movements. “Harder.”
Hands at my hips, he continued to lift and pull me back as he thrust, creating glorious friction. I held on to his massive shoulders, the muscle playing under my palms. His tongue swirled with mine, mimicking our rhythm as it picked up.<
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Chest tightening, unable to get enough air, I rocked, each movement sending waves of delight through me. His cock pummeled me exquisitely, hitting all the right places. He dropped his hand between us, still kissing me feverishly, and manipulated my nub.
“Oh…fuck!” I fractured around him as an orgasm swept me away.
He shook under me, calling my name.
“I love you,” he said softly, his kiss turning languid. “I will keep you safe. No matter what happens, I will never let anything happen to you.”
With every ounce of my soul, I believed him.
When I walked into the large kitchen area the next morning, most everyone was already sitting at the huge long table. When a house could sleep fourteen, the vacation rental owners clearly anticipated large gatherings for meals. Donovan stood at the stove, steam rising from various items sizzling on pans. Jack stood behind him, watching the proceedings with a look of longing, and Bria worked at the long counter cutting fruit.
Jerry sat in the far corner by the window. He’d stayed at the house last night so Kieran could keep an eye on him, and also because he had no place else to go besides his creepy lair. His warm, golden-tan skin had been freshly scrubbed, the shower tiles probably blackened because of it, and the clothes he’d borrowed from Kieran stretched tight across his chest and fell short on his long legs. At least there was no peep show, though.
Not seeing the kids, I looked for their souls on my radar. Both of them were moving around upstairs. They’d be down shortly.
A hush fell over the room.
“Talking smack?” I asked, beelining to the coffee pot.
“Always,” Bria replied without looking up.
Kieran watched my progress from his position at the head of the table. “I told them about the Lightning Rod,” he said.
“It would be incredible to have someone like that on our team,” Henry said. “It would close down one of our big blind spots.”
“I got the feeling that pursuing him would be incredibly dangerous. More so than going after Jerry.” I poured myself some coffee.
Jerry didn’t look away from the window upon hearing his name.
“From what I heard,” I said, keeping it vague, “it sounds like we’ll probably have to kill him if he won’t join us. He’s too desperate to keep his secret to just let it go.”
“It was the same way with Jerry,” Thane said, and it seemed like rest had made him forget his Jerry jokes. Until he muttered, “Right, Jerry?”
Donovan huffed out a laugh. “Jerry usually kills trespassers.”
Jerry still didn’t look away from the window. Apparently he didn’t care that he’d been dubbed someone to poke fun at.
“But a Lightning Rod is much more dangerous than a giant,” Henry said. “He probably has more reach than Lexi, and Kieran’s magic would make his lightning more powerful instead of less, since water can carry an electrical current.”
I felt Daisy before I saw her, trudging into the kitchen with her hair pillow-rolled around her head, her eyes puffy with sleep, and her silk pajamas much too glamorous and expensive, given everyone else in the house was wearing sweats and T-shirts.
“Daisy, have you heard of a Lightning Rod?” I asked. Since she wasn’t magical and was training to fight in a magical world, she had tasked herself with learning all there was to know about magical types. “The magical kind, not the metal rod.”
She narrowed her eyes at me and stopped walking. “It is the crack of dawn, Lexi. Attacking me about work stuff is totally messed up.”
I put a hand to my ear. “What’s that? I couldn’t hear you through all that teenage angst.”
Jerry finally turned from the window to glance at Daisy. She met his stare.
“You’re not very big for a giant,” she said.
“Big enough that my feet hung off the bed,” he replied smoothly, before turning back to the window.
“Fair enough.” She trudged to the refrigerator and took out the orange juice. “Lightning Rod is a somewhat rare magic of Zeus’s line, and it almost always manifests as a level five. The actual name for it is Thunderstroke. As the name implies, the practitioner can harness the power of thunder, creating deafening booms that rattle windows and disorient the enemy. Most notably, however, is their ability to control and manipulate lightning. They can pass lightning through conductors to strike someone miles away. If they practice enough, they can rain lightning from the sky with ninety-nine percent accuracy. A strike is like that of natural lightning—almost always kills, but some people have gotten lucky and walked away. From the first strike, anyway. The magic user can basically electrocute at will. Bolts can be divided up to strike many people simultaneously, although accuracy goes way down with that method. Best way to kill a Thunderstroke is to sneak up on him or her. Unlike you, Lexi, they can’t sense people outside of Zeus-like magic. They can’t sense humans at all. I’d slip in right behind them and, boom, stab them through the back of the neck and into the brain stem. Then I’d bend them on top of me just in case the split second it took to die was enough to rain down lightning.”
Jerry jerked back around to look at Daisy again, this time with wide eyes.
“You’d best get stronger if you hope to pull that move off,” Zorn said lazily from the table.
“Okay. Fine—”
“Speaking of electricity, close the fridge door,” I barked. “You’re wasting it.”
Daisy slammed the door harder than was necessary, orange juice container still in hand. “Yes, I’d need more strength.” She twisted her lips to the side. “Fine, then. I’d get a long-range rifle and place a kill shot to the head.”
“With a noise suppressor, I hope,” Zorn said.
“Obviously. I’m not a novice.”
“Yes, you are. And where would you get such a gun? You haven’t been able to steal mine.”
“I have one. Stole it off a redneck kid back home. Idiot thought he was going to get lucky with an underage teen. I broke his jaw and took his shit. Asshole.”
I held up my hand to stop all conversation and leaned toward Daisy as Mordecai entered the room. “What?”
“Sorry about swearing,” she muttered. We had a rule that she had to watch her mouth. Apparently, she thought I was more concerned about her language than the whole creepy older guy thing.
My voice filled the whole room. “What were you doing spending time with a guy who has an obvious agenda? A guy I assume is way too old for you. What if he’d tried to force you?”
“Obviously I would’ve killed him and had Zorn help me cover it up.” She gave me a you’re so dumb stare while popping out a hip. “I’m not an idiot.”
“You certainly sound like an idiot, taking risks like that.”
Mordecai shoved Daisy out of the way and opened the fridge. “I was there with her, just out of sight. I would’ve stepped in if anything had happened.”
“I wouldn’t have needed your help with that guy,” she said.
“Which is why I didn’t step in.”
“Why were either of you there in the first place?” I asked, my blood pressure rising. “When was this? Where was I?”
“This was a few weeks ago when Zorn charged me to increase my arsenal of unregistered weapons. That guy stole it from someone and was bragging about it on a private chat. I figured it would be a good weapon to acquire. You were at a meeting in the government building, and I knew you wouldn’t be able to call and check up on me. I pulled it off without a hitch. Don’t worry, that moron is too stupid to track me down, so he can’t turn me in or sue me for medical bills.”
“Well executed,” Zorn said, his voice ringing with pride.
“She is a child,” Jerry said in accusation.
“My first beating in the foster home at four years old—at least, the first one I clearly remember—stripped me of childhood, giant. I’m where I want to be. Mind your business.” Daisy poured herself a glass of orange juice.
“Close the refrigerator door,�
� I yelled. Sure, the owner was the one who’d get stuck with the electricity bill, but I’d spent my whole life trying to save money. It wasn’t the kind of thing you could just turn off.
Mordecai slammed the door shut and scooted to the table without anything to show for all his staring.
“This has got to stop,” I said. “Zorn, you’ve gone too far. Daisy can’t be in those kinds of situations. She’s too young for that. Too inexperienced.”
“We are headed into increasing danger,” Zorn replied, flipping a page in the magazine he was reading. “Daisy and Mordecai are at risk because they’re dear to you and Kieran. Might I remind you that Mordecai came inches from death, and Daisy was kidnapped and had to save herself. Not putting her at acceptable risk decreases her chances of survival. You need to trust her judgment. From all I’ve seen so far, it is impeccable.”
I heaved out a wary sigh. He was right; I knew he was. But the knowledge that she’d put herself in danger terrified the parent part of me, no matter what the outcome had been. I was responsible for her, and the last thing I wanted was for her to be in harm’s way, for any reason.
Still, I nodded. Daisy wouldn’t want to be sidelined. Neither would Mordecai. I’d tried to keep them away from our battle with Valens, but they’d both shown up in the end. I’d tried to keep them away from the battle with Aaron’s people, too, and they’d both almost been killed.