Cursed

by Nancy Corrigan

  And when she got her hands on the goddess, Tegan was going to wring her neck.

  Ian was her gift, huh? At the moment, he felt more like a damn Trojan horse.

  Chapter Six

  Tegan stood at the same bend in the hallway leading to Ian’s cell that she’d stopped at yesterday. Several minutes passed. Her feet remained frozen in place while her body came alive. Every inch of her skin craved his familiar touch.

  She blew out a breath and tried to regain control. It did little good. Her mouth tingled, and her clit thumped. All she’d done to reach the heightened state of arousal was picture him chained to his bed.

  Aroused and at her mercy. She groaned. The male tempted her.

  “How am I supposed to do this?” And not make a fool of herself. The pheromones she gave off told anyone with an enhanced sense of smell how much Ian affected her.

  She contemplated turning around and leaving him. Her promise to return nixed the idea. She put one foot in front of the other and approached his cell. The first hint of cinnamon drifted on the air.

  Ian.

  Dizziness gripped her. She braced a hand against the wall and drugged herself on his scent. Strength returned to her limbs with each deep breath, along with determination.

  Her visit had one goal: unlock Ian. She planned to carry out her task and hightail it out of there. Otherwise, she’d take him up on his earlier offer and ride him. She couldn’t. Their fantasy encounters had ended.

  At his door, she stopped and listened. The steady beat of his heart reached her ears. It didn’t race as it had yesterday, nor did she hear the rattling of metal cuffs or squeaks from the bed frame. He’d remained lucid. She closed her eyes on a sigh of relief.

  “Are you going to stand there all night, angel?”

  Angel. Her belly did a little flip. The nickname he’d given her made her feel feminine. She shook off the soft emotion. For the time being, she had to focus on duty, not love or sex. She’d made a promise, and she’d fulfill it.

  “Well, Tegan?”

  “Of course not.” She turned the lock and slipped inside his cell. Complete darkness met her. Why, she didn’t know, nor did she care if the lights had gone out. She didn’t need the visual of him bound to the bed again. Once had been enough. She closed the door behind her and leaned against the cool metal, giving her eyes a chance to adjust to the dimness. “Just judging your mood, Hunter.”

  “Hunter? Have you forgotten my name already?”

  She peered at the bed but couldn’t see his hazel eyes she felt boring into her. Shadows encased the mattress. “There’s no reason to use it.”

  Silence answered her.

  She shrugged, tightened her grip on the silver key, and strode toward him. Halfway across the room, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her gaze darted to the bed. She sucked in a breath at the sight that met her. Wrinkled sheets, no Ian.

  “Wha—”

  An arm hooked around her waist, and she was yanked against a hard body. Her air rushed out. The scent of cinnamon filled her lungs with her next breath.

  Ian.

  “Oh, but there is a reason.” Ian pressed his lips to her ear. “I want to hear it.”

  “It’s not going to happen.” Tegan pushed at the arm locked around her. He tightened his grip, and she growled. “Let me go.”

  An answering rumbly sound shook his chest. It whipped through her. She closed her eyes and fought her instant lust.

  “Say my name first, Tegan.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t get to order me around, Hunter.”

  He clamped his mouth over the wildly beating vein in her neck. Flat teeth pressed against her skin. She froze. The lick of his tongue tore a moan from her. Nibbles along the column of her throat weakened her knees. She leaned into him, the reaction one she couldn’t stop. He eased back, and his heated breath sent tingles skipping across her wet skin.

  “I told you that between us, the only power you have over me is what I give you, and”—he trailed his lips to her ear—“I’m not giving you any until you say my name.”

  She dug her nails into his arms but didn’t push him away. She clung to him. Ian had always commanded her body and directed her pleasure. All it had taken was his touch. The addition of his confident voice whispered in her ear heightened his appeal.

  He caught her earlobe between his teeth and gave it a tug. “Say it.”

  “How did you get free?” she asked to change the subject.

  Ian shoved her shirt out of the way and stroked his fingers over her stomach. She focused on her breathing, anything to avoid giving in to his seductive charms.

  “Don’t ignore me, Hunter.” She swallowed hard. “How did you get free?”

  He used his other hand to turn her head. Hazel eyes captured hers. “Say. My. Name.”

  “Ian.” She heard the word come out of her mouth. Tegan hadn’t meant to let it escape. His focused stare demanded her obedience. She had no choice but to give it.

  The skin at the corners of his eyes crinkled. She couldn’t tear her gaze away to see the smile she knew caused the reaction.

  “Thank you, Tegan. Now kiss me. I’ve missed you.”

  He pressed his mouth to hers and gently licked the seam. Unable to resist, she parted her lips. He slipped inside and slowly twined his tongue with hers.

  He always greeted her the same way, kissing her as if they had all the time in the world to love each other. It made her feel special. Treasured. Loved.

  It was a lie.

  He’d always walked out of their dream and welcomed another lover into his arms. A real one, not the figment of his imagination he’d thought her. Not his fault. She had been a dream to him. He, on the other hand, became her reason to live.

  They needed to talk or put their dream encounters behind them.

  She turned her head, breaking the kiss, and his parted lips skimmed over her cheek, leaving heat and shattered promises behind. “Release me.”

  “You don’t really want that.” He trailed his fingers lower, not quite covering her jeans-covered mound, but close. So close her clit thumped, eager for his touch. “You want me to lay you down and finally make love to you, don’t you?”

  “Yes.” The word was out of her mouth before she knew she’d spoken.

  “Thank goodness, baby. I ache. I need to feel your greedy body gripping my dick.” Ian kissed the spot right below her ear. “Might die if I don’t.”

  He popped the button on her jeans. The zipper got tugged, and the satin barrier of her panties got shoved to the side. He plunged two fingers into her core and pumped them before she could react.

  “So wet. So hot for me. Fucking love it.”

  Tegan whimpered. She’d craved his voice whispering in her ear. Every time he came to her, she hoped it’d be different, that they could talk and give each other relief from the raging desire. She’d yearned to finally feel him loving her from the inside out. Just the thought of coming around his thick cock flooded her core with welcoming arousal.

  But they hadn’t been allowed to share that intimacy. Minerva had ensured their visits remained a tease only. Why? The bitch had a reason, and Tegan would bet it wasn’t for Tegan’s benefit.

  This had to stop. He didn’t know everything.

  She opened her mouth to tell him about Minerva. He spread the two fingers lodged deep inside, stretching her. Her words got lost on a low moan, and her thoughts scattered. All she could focus on was how he caressed her. A delicious burn spread along her inner muscles. It’d been so long since she’d taken a man into her body.

  He ground his cock a little harder into her back.

  “Tight. You’re going to squeeze me. Strangle me.” He worked her neglected sex, rolling his fingers and stroking her sensitive flesh. “You’ll make me explode, won’t you?”

  Another wanton sound, something between a groan and sigh, crawled up her throat in answer. She dropped her head against his chest, too lost to the sensations he created to do more.


  He grasped her chin and turned her head. His eyes ensnared her. The brown and green streaks glowed. A trick. The dimness of the room messed with her perception of reality. She blinked, and his beloved eyes filled her vision, normal and full of longing.

  “I’ve waited so long for this. For you.” He brushed his lips over hers. “I need to fill you up. Leave my mark on you. Be with you in every damn possible way.”

  He couldn’t fuck her, not until she found out why Minerva had stopped them in their dreams. Tegan grasped his wrist. He bent closer and took her mouth on another slow exploration. Her thoughts scattered once more.

  With one hand covering her sex and the other over her throat, he held her immobile for his seduction. Over and over, he stroked her tongue with his. His pace quickened. He moaned his pleasure into her mouth. She savored each decadent sound and gave him hers.

  He nipped at her lips, sucked on her tongue, and took her to the brink. Each pull created an equal tug on her womb. He released her tender flesh and kissed her harder, faster until their teeth banged. She followed his lead without thought. They’d shared too many kisses not to.

  The wicked melding of their mouths became her world. The sounds he made and the way he worked her body with thrusts and curls of his fingers added to it. Nothing had ever felt so good. So right. So important.

  She needed to come for him.

  For them.

  No! She tightened her grip on his wrist and tugged. She had to tell him about Minerva. He didn’t obey Tegan’s unspoken demand. He rubbed circles over her clit with his thumb. Heaviness settled low in her belly. Quivers danced along her inner muscles. He added a third finger, shoving them deep inside her. She groaned with the added fullness. Each thrust sent another delicious pulse through her body. All the while, he kissed her as if she was the only woman in the world.

  It was too much. She’d wanted him too long. Her orgasm built under his skilled touch. He pushed her higher. Every muscle tightened. She sucked in a breath of…

  Cinnamon.

  His scent filled her lungs, seeped into her body, and became the essence she suddenly needed to breathe in.

  The first wave of her release swept along her core. Her fingers fell from his arm. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and the world fell away. Blackness engulfed her. She floated on the intense pleasure whipping through her body, head to toe. On and on the waves of release swept over her. Each ripple grew more powerful. Her breath caught and her body tensed impossibly more. It felt as if she were breaking apart.

  No! She thrashed in his arms. Something wasn’t right. No orgasm had ever shattered her. That was what she felt. Her soul had been scattered, lost in the endless waves of ecstasy.

  Ian. She whispered his name in her head, the best she could do while he still loved her mouth.

  He banded his strong arms around her and pressed her tighter against his body. His touch centered her, seemed to pull all the little pieces back…

  And built them up around him.

  The sensation passed. Reality returned, but she felt him there, hovering in her soul.

  He’d left a piece of himself inside her.

  Like a god could.

  Tegan tore her mouth from his and stumbled out of his grip. He focused hazel eyes on her.

  Glowing hazel eyes.

  Curses whipped through her head. Disbelief followed. He took a step toward her. She scrambled back, but he advanced on her in a predatory swagger that warned she would soon become his.

  Forever.

  “Stop.” Tegan held up a hand. Ian froze and glanced from her palm to her face. His brows pinched. “What are you?”

  Chapter Seven

  Ian heard Tegan’s words but couldn’t make sense of them. He shifted his focus from her mouth to the sultry brown eyes of his personal goddess. Fear widened them.

  What had he done?

  He reined in the lust consuming him as completely as the rage that had landed him in Hell.

  “Answer me.”

  Her low, rich voice cut through the hazy fog blanketing his brain. The huskiness to it didn’t match the trembling in her limbs.

  Dammit, all he’d done was kiss her. And make her come all over his hand. He shook off the thought before the desire he felt for Tegan turned him into a hungry beast.

  She dropped her arm and curled her fingers into a fist. “What are you?”

  He glanced at her white knuckles. The sight of them bothered him as much as her anxiety-stricken eyes did. He snatched her hand and tugged her into his embrace. She pushed against him, but he slid a hand to the back of her neck and held her still.

  Gaze locked on hers, he told her the truth. “Yours.” He pressed his lips to hers. “I’m yours.”

  A shaky sigh fell from her mouth. He captured the sound with a kiss. She didn’t fight his gentle seduction, the only kind he could give at the moment. It took every ounce of control he had not to push her up against the nearest hard surface and plunge into her.

  He twined his tongue with hers, but she didn’t respond as she had moments ago. She remained stiff in his arms.

  He pulled back. Wary eyes watched him. Something bothered her. “Tell me.”

  She licked her lips, and her eyelids fluttered. He enjoyed the sight. It made him wonder if she enjoyed his taste as much as he did hers. Her flavor was as sweet as she smelled. He bent his head to indulge his craving for more. She stopped him with a finger over his parted lips.

  “Wait, Ian. We’ve been manipulated. This isn’t real.”

  He trailed his hands down her back to her lush ass and kneaded her plumpness. It would feel so damn good to take her from behind. He pushed the thought away. Focus. He had to focus on Tegan, not sex. He flashed her a lopsided grin.

  “You feel real, and your tight body squeezing my fingers certainly felt real. Plus…” He reversed the path of his hand and slipped his hand under the plain black T-shirt she wore. With practiced ease, he unhooked her bra. He might not have fucked Cynthia, but he’d worshipped her body. For the first time, though, guilt choked him.

  Let it go. I didn’t know Tegan was real.

  A deep breath of vanilla-scented air eased the tightness in his chest. Regret would destroy him. He’d learned that after his family died. The past couldn’t be changed. Only the future mattered, and his included Tegan.

  He caressed her skin, slowly inching his way to her chest. Her breaths quickened, and her body tensed. Before she could push out of his arms, he captured one of her breasts. She froze. Desire softened her soulful brown eyes, no hint of fear. His unease faded. Whatever had frightened her had nothing to do with him. He hoped.

  Ian ran his finger over her nipple. It pebbled under the simple touch. He gave her a knowing smile. “Plus, I wasn’t able to touch you in our dreams. I can now. Means this is real.”

  “It is, but…” Tegan turned in his arms, forcing him to release her nipple. He settled his hands on her hips. “But what we feel is only lust and not something we can give in to.”

  Lust? Hell yeah, he felt it. He also knew it wasn’t the only thing driving him to be with her. He loved her. He was pretty damn sure he had from the first time she’d looked at him. Then, her gaze had perused him, burning him with the desire displayed in her brown depths. She’d shifted her attention to her wrists, then the empty black space they’d always met in, and approached him. She’d fisted his dick through his silk boxers and stroked him. No hesitation. No shyness. She’d kissed him and worked his body as if it belonged to her.

  After that night, it had. Tonight gave him the right to claim hers. The crazy thought surfaced. He pushed it away before the hungry beast he felt awakening inside him took over. It wasn’t only her body he wanted. He’d win her heart and heal the crack in it, exactly as he’d promised.

  “Look at me, Ian.”

  He did.

  She laid a hand over his cheek. “You’re not human.”

  “Yes, I am.” Though with the raging lust gripping him and demanding he fuck Tegan
until he exploded, he felt more animal than man. Three years of lusting after her would do that. “Even Arawn said so.”

  “Ahh…” She glanced over her shoulder at the bed. “He visited you.”

  “Yes, he said he wanted to make sure I was human too.” He tapped his Huntsman’s mark. “Only this makes me more.”

  “No, you are more.” She scrunched her nose. Damn if it didn’t make her look adorable. And hot. And his. “I just don’t know what, but Minerva does.” Tegan shoved out of his arms.

  He considered yanking her back. The look of anger on her face stopped him. He balled his hands. “Who’s Minerva?”

  “Arawn’s mate.” Tegan hooked her bra and buttoned her jeans. Dressed, she leveled murderous eyes on him. “And the fucking bitch who set me up with her son.”

  Son? He frowned. “Wha—”

  “You’re a demigod.” Tegan leaned closer. “It’s the only explanation for what you just did. But I don’t know how it could be possible. Arawn should be the only male who could impregnate her, and he can no longer have kids.”

  Ian ignored her crazy words. His mother was human. He’d seen the video of her giving birth to him. What bothered him was the accusation in Tegan’s expression. It cut at his heart. Three years he’d wanted her, and she looks at him with…regret? “What the hell did I do?”

  She thumped her hand against her chest. “You left a piece of yourself inside me.”

  Sharp teeth filled her mouth, and a deep growl rumbled in her chest, reminding him the woman he loved wasn’t human. She was the demigod, not him.

  “That’s impossible.”

  She snorted and ran a hand through her hair. “So I would’ve thought, but it’s true. I feel you in my soul.”

  Well, fuck. He liked the sound of that. Too bad she didn’t. “Look, you’re the demigod. Maybe you took a piece of me.”

  She backed up. Rage contorted her features. “I don’t want you.”

  “Like hell.” He waved his fingers, the scent of her arousal still on them. “You want everything I can give you.”

  She straightened her shoulders. A careful mask slipped over her features, hiding the angry look she’d worn. “In our dreams, I did. Those ended. In the real world, you and I are nothing to each other. This”—she waved a hand between them—“won’t happen again.”