Giving It Up for the Gods (7 page)

Torn between throwing herself into his arms and saying point-blank she wouldn’t be joining some demon harem, she licked her lips and smiled. Well, maybe for one night or even a month—make that a year—she could enjoy his sensual side. His red-eyed gaze fixed on her and he grinned. A-maz-ing. She wriggled her hips, trying to ease the pressure building in her pussy, but he was offering comfort not sex.
More’s the pity.

As if he could read her thoughts, Jase sprang away and paced, horns extended, pupils glowing. His skin gleamed with red lights. He stared at Lindy with a hungry gaze and pursed lips. His body… Well, his hard-on showed how much he wanted her. It stood proud in his jeans, and she wanted to lean in, free it, and suck it between her lips. It hurt that this man made her want to do wicked things to his body, but he just wasn’t interested.

“Rein it in and listen,” Saul snapped.

Again Jase rested his hand on her shoulder, and gradually his humanity defeated his demonic nature. His smile was wicked, devilish even, and it gave her a glimpse of his fangs. “Sorry. I got a bit carried away there.”

The way his skin faded from ruby-red back to his normal, olive-skinned complexion fascinated her. She hadn’t known demons could transform that way. Whatever form he took, she wanted him to hold her—or better yet, fuck her. She’d never craved a man’s touch the way she did his. The shame of it was that his demon half wanted her, but the human part of him…didn’t. Demons supposedly discarded lovers like drinkers did empty beer cans. Deep down, she craved faithful and forever. So much for her one-night stand.

He plunked down in the second armchair. One glance in his direction, and her heart beat faster. Body overheating, she managed a smile.
Magnificent, beautiful male. I wish he was mine.

A new song filled with love, lust, and longing took root in her heart, but she clamped her lips shut. No way would she let the soft trill of notes spill from her lips, not for a man who couldn’t care less about her. When he sat forward, elbows on his knees, chin between his hands, she longed to switch chairs and snuggle up on his lap. Best of all, if his hard-on was anything to go by, he might still be up for sex. There was nothing dormant about Jase.

For the first time, she understood what drove her sisters when they screwed the males they’d enchanted. She hadn’t known desire was a two-way street, which meant Sirens enjoyed their lovers as much as their lovers enjoyed them. Sure, they had various tricks and games to bring their menfolk to heel, but Lindy had never bothered to learn them.

More’s the pity, she thought as she stared at Jase. Only, she wanted a willing lover, not one bound to her by her song. Besides, no one had ever enthralled a demon.

Lindy curled up in her chair like a wary kitten or maybe a leopard cub waiting to pounce, but she kept her gaze on Saul. “I must be more tired than I thought. I keep wandering off in some sort of daydream. Again, why did Neptune pick on me?”

Merc burst into the room, and the way he was engrossed in his computer tablet made him seem more adolescent teenager than ancient deity. “Did I leave my charger— Oh, great, I’ve interrupted something I shouldn’t, but I thought you’d have told her about Circe by now.”

Steam didn’t come out Saul’s ears, but his frown made the teen back off. And there went Jase, doing that seductive red-skin-and-horn thing again.
Damn it, no daydreams. Not when Circe’s involved in this mess.

She shot to her feet as though she’d escaped an electric chair. “What the hell’s Circe got to do with this? You mentioned her earlier, but I thought we were talking hypotheticals and ancient history here. That bitch stood beside Juno and used her magic to rob us of our birthright. On top of everything, she saved Neptune from your wrath. Everyone knows she hates Sirens, but why has she singled out me?”

Seriously, could her day get any worse? The entire preternatural world despised Circe; then a few centuries back, she’d vanished without a trace. “Look, Mr. Saturn, I’m sorry, but I want nothing to do with her.”

Jase snarled. “She’s a stinking piece of trash who meddles in things she shouldn’t. Now that she’s resurfaced, she’s become Neptune’s favorite soothsayer and oracle.”

Saul concentrated on Lindy. “When her scrying showed her your inner strength along with the fact that you were still virgin, she realized Neptune could use you to break his curse. Since he named you for the solstice sacrifice, it’s a bloody good bet she told him what to do. If he tastes your blood as he screws you on one of the ancient pagan altars, then he’s home free. Bastard that he is, he’ll probably drain your blood and bathe in it. I’m sorry, Lindy, but he’s taken the idea to heart.”

“Hey”—Mercury grinned and offered Lindy his hand—“come to my room. I’ll do you as often as you like. See, problem solved.”

Lindy hissed. Her fangs lengthened, and her fingers extended into talons. “I need a man, not a boy.”

Jase growled. His back broadened. His horns straightened, and his jeans ripped as his thighs muscles stretched. His skin looked dusted with ground-up rubies. He shoved Lindy behind him, swiped Mercury’s hand aside, and stalked toward him—a lethal predator homing in on his prey.

“Damn it, boy, do you have a death wish?” Saul nudged Mercury toward the door, but it slammed shut. “Jase, stop being a jerk and open the damned door.”

Jase growled and took another step toward Mercury.

“I don’t know which one of you is the most annoying—the ancient god trapped in a sixteen-year-old’s body or the demon pretending to be a man. Calm down.” Saul stood between Jase and the boy. “There’s no harm done. Don’t make me choose between family and friends. Get some control here, please. Lindy, tell him you’ve no intention of fucking anyone but him.”

Jase grabbed hold of Lindy and pulled her close. “Protect her. Keep her. Fuck her myself,” he rumbled, his voice deep and unearthly. He grabbed her good wrist and hauled her up against him. “Whether I want her or not.”

Really? So unwilling? Thanks, pal. You might as well stick a knife in my heart
. She couldn’t do this, no matter how much sensuality her demon projected—and she was talking seismographic here.

Since she couldn’t break free, she kicked barefoot at his shins. “Back off, mister. I’m after a one-night stand with a human, not bullying from a monster. This is just too weird, but no way am I screwing any of you tonight or ever. And Jase, whatever you did to the door, undo it. Now! I’m going to get some sleep, but I’ll be leaving in the morning.”

The longer Jase held her, the calmer he seemed. Lindy felt torn. Part of her wanted to run, but instead, she stroked his cheek. At her touch, his horns shrank and lay back against his head. She was a fool to crave his kiss—crave him—so badly, but if he fingered her pussy, he’d find it damp with desire. Almost, she forgave him his earlier rejection, and she unconsciously arched her back to draw his gaze down to her breasts
. Yeah. That’s definitely working
. With a soft sigh, she pressed one leg between his and ran her foot up and down his calf.

Jase’s whole demeanor softened, and with a tender smile, he leaned toward her. As his lips inched toward hers, the door swung open seemingly of its own accord, and Mercury shot through it. He glanced up the stairs, apparently thought better of it, and headed off to the kitchen.

Lindy’s libido withered in an instant. She remembered Jase carrying her up those stairs and dumping her on the bed. No matter how much her body demanded his touch—just desperately and forever—she wasn’t risking him rejecting her again. She slid out of his arms. As she stormed up stairs, Jase made to follow.

Saul grabbed his arm. “Okay, my friend, no one’s touching your girl, so shove your demon back in its box and listen.”

Chapter Seven

Five minutes of pacing, sweating, and swearing, and Jase regained some self-control. He stared down at his ruined jeans. “I hate when I turn like that. All I can do is cling on to the small threads of humanity I have left, but it’s getting harder. I hate that too. Damn it. I hate my demon. Period.”

Saul looked at the torn denim ventilating Jase’s thighs. “I don’t know. If you just turned green instead of red, I could hire you out as a lookalike for the Incredible Hulk. After he’d transformed of course.”

“Screw you.” Jase grinned without rancor.

“I think we’d both prefer it if you screwed the girl, but before you do, we should talk. Look, I’ll take Merc off somewhere and leave you alone with Lindy before the kid does any more harm. The thing is, I’d prefer you not to fuck her until the summer solstice and the feast of Neptunalia.”

“And I’d prefer to fuck her tonight. At least then I can get her out of my system. She’s like a virus coursing through my blood, and the quicker I do the deed, the quicker I can recover. The last thing I need is to hang out one-on-one with a Siren, even one as drop-dead gorgeous as her. You know how I suffered because of their flapping tongues and preening egos. Besides, what if Neptune gets to her first?”

“Don’t let him,” Saul shot back. “Look, he’s named Lindy as the solstice sacrifice rather than take any random Siren her sisters offered up. Big mistake. My revenge is a long time coming, but that slimy bastard is going down. And his brothers and sister are going down with him. Anyway, back to your Lindy. Her only way out is if she fucks someone else firs—”

“Yeah, me. And that’ll be tonight,” Jase snapped.

“That’s your cock controlling your brain. Come the solstice, whoever screws her first gets a hit of restorative power. Just make sure it’s you. Listen, when Neptune named her, it was like all the faces of a Rubik’s cube clicking into place. Her heritage and Neptune’s stupidity combined with Circe’s spell. Lindy will be ripe and ready come the solstice. Of course, you’ll have to duplicate Neptune’s methods, ropes, stone altar, blood, and all.”

Jase considered a moment. “So why brush her off onto me? I admit that I want her, whatever her origins, but you could do with a bit of added oomph too.”

Saul’s forehead creased, and his lips pursed. “Like I said, she’s not mine. Neptune and his siblings murdered their own mother—the woman I loved to distraction. Damn it, they should have just killed me and gotten it over with. I miss Lua every minute of every hour of every day. My children are monsters, and they were desperate to steal the power woven into my rings. I’d have given them the bloody things to save Lua. Instead, they left me dead inside and stole ninety percent of my power.”

Jase wanted to say something comforting, but all he managed was a paltry, “Want to go at it in the gym?”

“No. I want my rings back, and I’m going to start by reclaiming the one on Neptune’s index finger. Remember how humans say revenge is a dish best served cold? Well, I’ve had millennia to plan mine. If you and Lindy do this right, I can at least take down one of the bastards I spawned.”

Jase pictured Neptune’s barnacle-encrusted fingers stroking Lindy’s flesh. Anger burned through him, rousing his demon. His horns itched, and heat seared his pupils. He knew if he looked in the mirror, he’d see red flames dancing in his eyes. As usual, he battled the change, but his demon roared inside him, demanding the sea god’s head on a plate. “He dies if we do this?”

Time slowed as he waited for an answer. The air thickened with menace. Jase prowled, more demon than man. Saul wanted vengeance, but Jase wanted blood.

Finally Saul promised solemnly, “He does once I get my hands on him. My Lua was worth a million of a heartless bastard like him. After her, I can’t even look at another woman. You know that. According to my informant, Neptune won’t even be able to lift his trident, let alone wield it unless he screws her while she’s still a virgin. Just wait until one minute past midnight on solstice eve. Whoever fucks her first gets her innate power.”

“And Lindy? Will she be weakened or hurt?”

“That’s the good bit.” Saul grinned. “Solstice power is building up inside her now Neptune’s specified her. She doesn’t feel it, won’t ever be able to use it, and she certainly won’t miss it.”

Jase wiped the back of his hand across his face. “Then I guess I’ll spend the next two days with a permanent hard-on.” He groaned. No way did he want to spend the next two days protecting a loudmouthed Siren—not even one who touched the tender instincts he thought Pluto’s demons had tortured out of him.

The Sirens had corrupted Cardea, the nymph Jase had intended to marry. He’d been young, stupid, and in love. Like an idiot, he’d thought she loved him back. Maybe in her own way she had, but her lies cost him centuries of beatings and burnings—endless torture that soured his soul.

Cardea had been sweet and vulnerable, at least until the Sirens dug their claws into her. Now Saul asked him to protect one of the creatures that had damn near destroyed him. “You’re sure your informant’s reliable? And suppose Lindy’s not willing to wait?”

“My informant’s come up trumps so far. She’s one of Circe’s handmaidens, I think. All she wanted in exchange for her information was my protection when I’m back at full strength. And as for Lindy, don’t tell her. Agree to fuck her but keep putting her off until the right moment. Think of it as a reversal of the chase Cardea led you.”

Jase flung back his head and laughed. “I don’t think my acting coy and bashful will hack it. Leave it with me. I’ll think of something.”

* * * *

Lindy lay on the bed, but her thoughts wouldn’t stop whirring. Fury, frustration, and longing surged through her. She wanted to punch something—or more specifically, someone whose name began with
J
—that or crash about as she packed up her stuff. Except she had nothing to pack. Not even her clothes were her own, apart from the beer-stained belt around her waist.

She grabbed the hairbrush from the bathroom and dragged it through her tangled curls. Not that she achieved more than some split ends and an aching wrist. Too restless to settle, she cut a thin strip of fabric from the discarded bits of Jase’s shirt and used it like a ribbon to hold back her hair. Still wide awake, she rested her elbows on the windowsill and stared out into the night. Then she saw them.

Headlights ringed the building just outside the protective barrier that had made her shudder when she passed through it earlier. Whoever was out there—and she was pretty sure they were Neptune’s merwarriors—couldn’t get in, but that meant she couldn’t get out. So much for her resolve not to screw the men downstairs. Her best option was to march back to the sitting room and compel one of them to fuck her. Right here. Right now. One note should do it, and the way things were panning out, she’d even settle for Saul. Damn, the kid’s offer to do her was looking better by the minute, but cradle-snatching wasn’t her style.
And could somebody please explain how a centuries-old god looks about sixteen but acts about twelve?