Haven (2 page)

"
'I got
something you been waiting for'
" Chrisette Michelle sang, her voice
echoing through his mind right as a vision with short cropped black curls
snagged his attention.

Curvy hips moved and
swayed captivating Leo. Her short skirt and tank top displayed brown skin the
color of fine whiskey and twice as potent. He hardened instantly, his erection
swelling, pushing against his leather pants. Her eyes lifted and Leo was
trapped in their depths. Tilted up at the corner, her eyes held just the right
amount of mischief, of daring. It was a siren's call and one Leo knew he had to
answer.

            She lowered her eyes and
turned her back to him, hips working, tempting him closer. A coy peek from over
her shoulder tightened his dick, and dried his mouth. She ran her fingers
through her short hair, her full lips lifted in a smile.

Yeah, she knew he
was feeling her.

He moved closer,
shoving humans aside as he made a beeline to her. She turned around colliding
with his chest. Her hand lifted, touched, tracing the thin trail of black hair
leading down his abs.

            No words were exchanged,
their eyes met, burned, heightening the awareness between them. Heat pooled in
his abdomen as his hands skimmed the smooth skin of her narrow waist, a light
caress that aroused him further. Her skin was silk, warming under his touch.
Her mouth opened on a sigh and he took full advantage, stealing her lips in a
kiss.

Ask him how they got
to the hotel, he didn't know.

How they got a room?
Hell if he could remember.

When their clothes
came off? Damned if he cared.

Oh, but the feel of
her when he slid in. Oh Gods, he could write a book about it. The way the walls
of her sex clenched around him, pulling him deeper. The greedy nips of her
teeth on his shoulders.

Yeah, he remembered
that.

Little puffs of air
brushed his ear as her whispered cries urged him on. Ahh, the silky skin of her
thighs as they slid against his. Long legs wrapped around his waist, heels
digging into his back as she met his thrust, he remembered that too. Memories
of the way her back arched, her breasts lifted in the air, her lush mouth
parted in ecstasy would be burned into his brain.

He would never
forget her scent as long as he lived. Peony and moonlight, he'd never look at
nighttime the same way again. Leo clenched his teeth, squeezed his eyes shut as
he fought to keep his human skin. His hands tightened on her hips as his beast
fought for dominance.

Did they exchange
words at all? They had to have spoken, right? None of that mattered when her
nails scraped the back of his neck. Nothing but the heat engulfing his shaft,
the fire rushing down his spine. He was lost, his mind gone, sensations,
smells, sounds, his only focus. Sweat dripped into his eyes, down his back as
he picked up speed, desperate thrusts into her eager body. Magic from Haven
flowed between them. Light painted the walls, the ceiling. Color swirled
between them and for a moment their minds touched. He took in that energy and
strength flooded his body, adding to his high.

Her eyes opened and
he drowned. The green orbs pulled him under. He sipped her gasp of surprise,
licked her bottom lip before sucking on it. His tongue explored her mouth,
learning every crevice. Her pleasure was there in her mind, an open book to him
as the spell pulsed, heightened, opening her further to his exploration. He
drew the magic into his body and used it to feed the erotic images in her mind.

Her thighs
tightened, the slick heat of her sex squeezed him and her orgasm tore through
them both. He drove in deep one last stroke before his world exploded. His
heart stopped, his body flew apart as pleasure he'd never experienced washed
through him. He collapsed.

"My God."
She whispered.

He grunted, rolling
her over before he crushed her under his weight. His hands roamed her back, he
burrowed his head into her neck and he inhaled, pulling her scent into his
lungs.

"Name," he
whispered hoarsely. "What's your name?" He had to have her again. His
beast was sated, well fed from their magic, but the man…the man wanted her still.
She was a drug in his system, a heady combination that pushed caution and good
sense to the back of his brain.

She wiggled her hips
and his stomach tightened, his erection springing back to life, just that fast.

She moaned, her lips
trailing a path across his collar bone. She bit his ear, pulling the lobe into
her mouth. "Destiny."

He guided her hips
until her wet center was positioned over his throbbing shaft. He entered her in
a single stroke.

Destiny.

Yeah, he would
remember Destiny. He was sure of it.

HE WATCHED HER
SILENTLY FOR HOURS, her face alternating from frustration to finally, triumph.
She'd found his gift to her. A dangerous gift, one he would surely pay for if
discovered, but made worthwhile by the look on her face. Her dark eyes were lit
with victory and the wind around him in her orchard picked up its speed in
response to her excitement. There were so few gifts one could give a goddess,
if he had to pay for this one, so be it. Especially since Oya guarded the souls
he needed.

Melodrama aside, the
future of the Earth depended on him getting those souls. He’d noticed blank
spots forming around the earth, and its many realms. Blocking his sight of his
many responsibilities. There was only one being he knew that left a trail of voids
in its wake. He squelched the shaft of fear skittering down his back. If Ofeere
was stirring…

The wind died as
suddenly as it'd started and she swung around to face him. Her beauty was
renowned and not lost on him. Her long, oval face glowed with her power, her
large brown eyes displaying her conflicting emotions. Her full lips firmed,
straightened into a taut line as her expression closed down. She gathered
herself to her full height of six feet.

"Rugaba, you
did this?" she pointed to the well she used as a window into the world.

            He leaned casually on the
tree next to him. "You know I cannot get involved, rewa." It was as
close to a lie as he could come. Any word from his mouth became truth and he
had worked too hard for that gift to see it wiped away by a lie.

She tipped her head
to the side, her long black hair trailing her shoulder, she saw through his
omission easily. "You cannot become involved, yet you harbor those
abominations." Her eyes were hard, mouth set in an angry line.

            "I only police them,
mi okan
, it has kept your warriors safe these last few centuries."
It was an argument they had frequently.

Reigning in the Ajo
was the only thing he could give her after his betrayal. Yet she didn't see it
that way. The Ajo were stealing power from her temple, she wanted them wiped
from the earth. She'd never understood that the Ajo were the price for her
interference on Adro. The primal source always demanded balance. Balance was
why he'd come today, why he'd risked his gift to her.

            "They have broken
their treaty with you, yet I am bound by careless words I said in anger."
The wind around them picked up, bending the trees in her anger. Her normally
covered hair whipped around her body in a sensual dance. They stared at each
other, trees lining the worn path on either side of them sending leaves dancing
between them. Always a showdown between them.

Rugaba straightened,
unfazed, her anger nothing new to him. She turned away from him, his first
point in this round.

            "You are a goddess,
Oya, yet even you must answer to a higher power." He kept his voice calm.
He couldn't afford to anger her further, not when he'd come to ask a favor. It
was time to release the Kokoro souls, and only she had the power to do it.

She turned to him,
her expression sly as she walked closer to him.

            "I have all three
women in position, and thanks to someone's help, the amulet is in play. Are you
here to stop me?" Only an inch separated them, her scent wrapped around
him, tempting him to close the inch between them.

            He stepped back, his body
burning for her. "As you have said, they broke the treaty. The Amanda
won't stand in the way of your hunters."

            She nodded, a smile
blooming on her face. "Then I will release the souls you need."

His relief was
immediate. He didn't bother trying to figure out how she knew what he'd come
for. The souls would be reborn, that was all that mattered. "Thank you,
rewa
."

            Her eyes softened, and
for a moment and like every time he saw her, regret was a weight on his chest.

            "In truth, Rue, I
released the souls centuries ago, you didn't have to risk you and yours for
this boon you have given me." She said softly as he turned to leave.

Rugaba fought down
the triumph that moved through him at her words. He didn't trust her
expression. "You released the souls already?" he wanted to be sure.

             "They needed to be
mature for your purpose. No matter what is between us, I could not risk Earth
in this coming war. The voids are already spreading."

            "Then it will be
soon?" His mind spun with details. There was much he needed to do. She was
right about the voids, and having the souls already mature was a huge boon.

            "I want no part of
this war."

            Rugaba chuckled.
"But you are so good at war,
mi okan
." She was after all a war
goddess.

Her lips turned up slightly.
"I fight to protect what is mine."

            "Then prepare yours
for what is to come." Right now the blank spots on the Earth were small,
but history dictated that the voids would grow bigger, the more Ofeere escaped
his prison.

Her face sobered
instantly. Rue's hand reached out instinctively to comfort her, but she stepped
back quickly, her face as torn as he felt.

"
Rewa
,"
he whispered. His betrayal stood as a wall between them. One her anger would
not allow him to scale. The time for should've could've had passed though, and
now they were stuck in this dance.

            "Careless
whispers," she said sadly.

Rue nodded and
turned to leave, he accomplished what he came to do, there were no other words
needed. He quickly transported himself from Alafia to Earth. He had work to do,
and according to Oya, not much time to prepare. His first trip would be to the
Mina, he needed to know who the souls were. It would be too much for Oya to
give him, the fact that they had already been reborn was gift enough. As soon
as he found out who they were, he would send the Amanda to protect them. The
Earth could not survive another war.

***

Five days after her
disastrous attempt to investigate Haven, frustrated and dusty, Liliana was
shoved into a plush office and met with a suspicious, near hostile glare.

            "Look what I found
snooping around outside," her captor announced.

She pulled her arm
from his hand and adjusted her t-shirt and jeans. Instinct told her trying to
break into Haven was a bad idea, but she'd felt guilty from her failed attempt
the other night.

Caught trying to
pick one of the locks at the back door, the bouncer let it be known with a
shake of his head that he didn't want to hear anything she had to say.

He'd silently led
her through the club that had been transformed. Gone was the dance floor from a
week ago. Large, comfortable looking sofas and chairs were scattered across the
floor, and the place looked for all intents and purposes like the private club
it claimed to be. The loud rap music was replaced by the quiet murmurs of
conversation and soft jazz. The bouncer led her down three flights of stairs,
through a dark hallway, and into this large office. Her sneakers were soundless
on the gleaming wood floor as she was led and shoved into a leather wing chair.
She took in the pale gray walls covered with bold landscapes and looked for an
exit. She pinned her eyes to the painting of what looked like the coast of
Chiuta, the Cagyn realm. It was a deserted beach scene that captured that
perfect moment right before sunrise. The ocean met the edge of the black sand,
some of the grains sparkling as they caught the growing light. She wished she
was there, watching the sky change from purple to blue as the sun rose. She'd
been to Chiuta once when she was a child, too young to appreciate its beauty.
Now after years on Adro she longed for a glimpse of the Demi realm. Any
glimpse, even if it wasn’t of her native Legba.

            "Close the door
Fallon, so we can talk to our guest uninterrupted."

Liliana watched the
man behind the desk warily. His eyes were hard, icy hazel ringed with green,
startling in his dark brown face. His sharp cheekbones and squared chin made
him impossibly handsome. The snub nose softened his features enough to make him
semi-approachable. The power emanating from him was intimidating, but not
threatening. He sat back in his chair and stared at Liliana, regarding her
curiously. The silk shirt he wore was open at the neck and rumpled, she guessed
he'd either slept in it or had not yet fallen asleep.

            "What's your
name?" he asked her.

            The door closed with an
ominous click and she flinched. The one called Fallon walked around her and sat
on the edge of the large teak desk, a smirk on his face. She recognized him as
the bouncer from the other night.

"I knew you were
trouble, shorty." He shook his head.

            "Name, lady,"
the man behind the desk demanded.

            "Destiny." The
lie was automatic, one she used often.

            Fallon snorted.
"Apt."

            "Let's try this
again, I’m Xavier and you are?" Xavier leaned back in his chair, tucking
his hands behind his head. It brought attention to the muscles bunched
underneath his shirt. He was a sexy man.

Those damn Cagyns.

Her research told
her the head of the Amanda was one of the creatures. Sex on a stick, the whole
lot of them. The corner of his mouth lifted in a small smirk as he caught her
looking at him.

            Liliana opened her mouth,
another lie at the tip of her tongue. A growl from behind the desk closed her
mouth with a snap.

            "Please don't let
another lie slip past your lips, Trouble." Fallon crossed his arms over
his chest, amusement dancing in his eyes.

            "Look, clearly I
made a mistake, if you let me go-"

            "Whoa, whoa, with
all that extra, lady. Let's get your name first,
then
I'll decide if you
can go." Xavier's eyes speared hers.  

            Her mind worked
furiously, trying to figure a way out of this mess. Could she tell him why she
came? Why not? The worse he could do was, tell her to get lost. No, the worst
he could do was send her home. She shuddered.

No.

She'd kept ahead of
hunters for over three years, no way would she give up now. She couldn't afford
to be sent home yet.

Before she could
make up a story, two hard raps sounded from the door. Liliana's stomach
dropped, then clenched in hard lust. Her body betrayed her as another knock
sounded.

Crap!

He was here.

Her five-day respite
was over. She knew who was on the other side of that door. She didn't have to
see him, she could feel him. Feel his energy behind the door, calling to her,
pulling responses from her body she desperately tried to deny. Fallon's eyebrow
rose in question, a moment before the door was opened.

He walked into the
office, though walk didn’t accurately describe the swagger he had. It was more
like predatory stalking. His muscular body moved with a sensual and dangerous
grace. She suppressed a moan as her body heated, tuning itself to him, reaching
for him even as her head screamed in denial. His eyes narrowed as he spied her.

            "Not now, Leo,"
Xavier told him.

So that was his
name. Leo. She whispered his name, tasting it on her tongue. She didn't bother
asking the other night, and in her mad dash to leave the room, waking him to
find out was out of the question.

            "Now is probably a
good time, Xavier." Fallon said simply.

She looked between
the males, curious at their byplay. Their faces held small similarities that
defined them as family. Where Xavier and Fallon faces were all sharp and hard
edges, Leo's face was slightly rounded, softening his slashing cheekbones. His
broad nose and squared chin was a little different, but they all had those full
sensuous lips. She remembered the feel of Leo's on her body and shuddered in
need.  Leo's eyes traced her face, his gaze a caress. She sighed as fire raced
through her blood and pooled in her abdomen. His thick eyebrows bunched and his
tongue darted out to wet his lips. The moisture on his bottom lip sent shivers
down her spine. She adjusted in the chair, crossing her legs to still the
burning.

            "How long has she
been here?" Leo asked Fallon.

            "I just caught her
trying to break in," Fallon supplied.

            "Do you know
her?" Xavier's gaze narrowed on him.

            Leo shrugged. "Last
time I saw this broad, she was sneaking out of my hotel room, leaving nasty
notes."

A flush crept under
her skin. "It was one note, and it was not nasty."

            Xavier sat back up,
looking between the two of them. "So you came here looking for him?"

            "Yes." She
seized on to the excuse.

Xavier pushed
himself up from his desk and marched around to face her. He snatched her backpack
from her shoulder and pulled out the wallet with all of her illegally obtained
identification. She sighed, this was going to hell faster than she’d
anticipated.

            "You seem incapable
to telling the truth." Xavier growled.

            Fallon smiled. "Tell
me about this note."

            "Fuck you, Fallon."
Leo snarled. His jaw bunched, fists clenched at his sides.                  

            "It was not a nasty
note." She stood, embarrassment and guilt stained her cheeks.

            "'Gotta go, don't
bother looking me up, not interested,'" Leo recited her hastily penned
note.

            Fallon choked to hide his
laugh. "You're right, bro. That was nasty."