How to Worship a Goddess (15 page)

Blessed Goddess. She searched but couldn't seem to find any bite marks.

She did note his swollen knuckles and the beginning of a bruise on his cheekbone. The damn sickness had caused her to miss those before.

“What happened? How did it get in? Why did it leave? What did it want?”

“Whoa, slow down, babe.” He grabbed both of her hands in his and held on. The firm pressure caused some of her anxiety to lessen. But only by a little. “It's gone now. Turned tail and ran, if you can believe that. I'm fine. Everything will be okay. Just tell me what that thing was.”

Lucy couldn't stop continuing to check him for injuries. “I can't believe a
tukhulkha
demon got in here without my knowing. I can't believe I forgot to close the shades.”

Her hands shook as she ran them over Brandon's face and down to his shoulders until he sat up, gathered her into his arms and held onto her.

“Yeah, we were a little focused on other things last night.”

She wanted to laugh but couldn't force the sound through her vocal cords.

“A little focused” was putting it mildly. She'd been so wrapped up in him, she'd forgotten one of her most basic routines.

And this morning, a demon had gotten through her wards to infiltrate her home.

Something that felt a lot like fear slid through her, chilling that afterglow down to nothing.

“Look.” Brandon nipped her earlobe. “You rest for a while. I'll throw some things in a bag and you'll come stay with me for a little.”

Shock made her mouth drop open as she turned in his arms. How could he even think—

“No. Absolutely not, Brandon. I'm not going anywhere with you. And you can't be anywhere near me. That demon found me here. It got through my wards and my wards are not insignificant. It will find me no matter where I go.”

She should've known he wouldn't take that well. His entire body stiffened against her, and that strong jaw clenched.

“Hey, babe.” His voice deepened to the point she could almost imagine it was a growl. “You might have slept through it but I went head-to-head with that thing and I'm still here. But that doesn't mean I'm an idiot who wants to hang around to get my ass kicked in round two. And no offense, but you're not exactly well hidden out here. That demon doesn't know who the hell I am. It won't know where to look for you if you come with me.”

Could he be right?

She'd had no dreams, like Tessa had had. Charun had had to search for Tessa and only when she got weak was the god able to find her.

And Brandon was right. The location of her home was no secret. All
lucani
knew where to find her, as did the
streghe
and the
Fata
.

But what if the demon came after her wolves or her sons? She couldn't protect them if she wasn't there. She could warn the boys, tell them to lay low. She had no doubt Ty could take care of himself. She'd tell Caeles to hole up with the Downbelow band in the city. And she would stay with Brandon and keep an eye on him.

Before she could open her mouth to agree, he stood, set her on the bed and looked down at her. “Where's your overnight bag and your underwear drawer?”

Chapter 6

Lucy still wasn't sure this was a good idea, but she had to admit the closer they got to his home, the more safe she felt by his side.

And the more curious she became about the man driving this ancient behemoth of a truck. Brandon called it a classic. She wondered what he'd say if she reminded him that she'd been around when Ford had introduced the first mass-produced car. As a matter of fact, she'd owned one, fresh off the assembly line. Probably best not to bring that up at the moment.

Luckily, the huge black truck appeared to run well, and the inside was spotless and boasted a radio that wasn't even a dream when this car was two decades old.

Apparently they shared a love of satellite radio. But not stations. He'd chosen classic rock. Meaning anything from the '70s and '80s. She tuned hers to the music of the 1940s. Or Sinatra. The man had a golden voice.

What else would she learn about him? She wanted to know everything.

And yes, she knew she shouldn't. She shouldn't be so interested in an
eteri
. Shouldn't want to spend so much time with him. Shouldn't be putting him in this kind of danger. Which just proved she was still in shock after her bout with sun sickness and learning about the demon, or she never would've agreed to come stay at his apartment with him.

Fifteen minutes after packing her bag, Brandon had bundled her into his truck—the tinted windows affording her relief from the sunlight—then driven her back to the borough of Mount Penn, just outside the city of Reading. He'd parked behind a large older building, not very far from Salvatorus's home. The goat-legged
salbinelli
ran a safe house for Etruscans in the city. If anything happened while she was here, she knew Sal wouldn't be far away.

“The door's just over there.” Brandon pointed at the set of two plain steel doors. “I live on the ground floor. The neighbors are pretty quiet. And they're nice too. Mrs. Finegan, my neighbor, is probably at church and the Monteiths upstairs don't get up until around noon on Sundays. They're young. They like to party.” He grinned, as if he was remembering one of those parties. “The Salingers left Friday to visit their daughter in Connecticut.”

“How long have you lived here?”

“A few weeks after I signed, I found the listing in the paper. Got sick of living in a hotel and, since I knew I probably wasn't going to be called up anytime soon, I figured I'd find a place I liked. Not just something convenient.”

With that in mind, she looked at the building again. It'd begun life as a two-family home, probably built sometime in the '40s or '50s. But it'd been carved into four apartments sometime in its past. The building looked exotic, she decided, with its ornate arched windows and stucco facade. She wondered if the building's appearance had been part of its appeal.

“Well, come on then. Let's get you inside while I don't see anyone.”

Brandon slid out of the truck then made his way to her side. After he'd made sure her bloodred hooded cape completely covered every inch of her skin, he picked her up and carried her to the door. She thought about protesting. But she liked it too much.

And he had no trouble carrying her and her bag at the same time. Made her want to sigh in abject devotion.

Once he had the door open, he set her down in a hallway that split the building in half and stuck his key in the only door on the left side. Another door on the opposite side sat further down the hall.

Standing there waiting for him to open the door, she felt a slight tug of magic against her own. It wasn't unusual for old buildings to retain traces of a former resident's energy. And since Reading had a larger-than-normal population of magical beings, the fact that there was magic here didn't surprise her.

Still, when Brand swung open the door, the strength of the energy increased.

Waving her through, he followed close behind, carrying her bag. His bulk made her feel protected, cherished. Safe. Even though she knew he shouldn't have been able to beat off that demon. What the hell had happened in her bedroom before she'd awakened?

Whatever it was, she couldn't believe she'd slept through it. Or that she'd been so stupid as to forget to close the shades and had practically torn into Brandon afterward.

Then to let Brandon hustle her out of her home and into his… She was obviously rattled and she didn't rattle easily.

“Sit on the couch, babe. I'll be right back.”

Brandon walked down the short hall to the left and through the door at the end, leaving her to look around.

He'd obviously rented the apartment furnished because everything was beige—beige sofa and chair that practically disappeared into the beige walls and beige carpet in the living room to the right of the entry. Oak end table and coffee table added a little color but matched the dinette set behind the small kitchenette to the right of the door.

The personal touches around the room helped save it from being bland. Framed pictures on the side tables, and books. Lots of books. Brandon obviously liked mysteries and thrillers.

A huge television consumed almost one whole wall in front of the TV, and he had an Xbox and a Wii. A library of games and movies any video store would kill for filled the bookshelves on either side of the TV.

And then there were the hockey sticks.

They occupied two corners of the room. There had to be at least twenty of them. Just the sight of them made her smile. She walked over to examine them, noticing they all had tape with a date on the shaft. Milestones, she guessed. There was also a collection of pucks in a basket on the floor, also dated. She'd just begun to take off her cloak when Brand walked back into the room. And set her heart pounding.

What was it about this man?

He was handsome, no doubt about it, but it wasn't just his looks. There was just something about him, something indefinable. And that smile…

“Yeah, I know, it's a guy cave. Sorry. My parents haven't been able to visit lately or it'd be neater. But it's clean. I'm not a complete slob. My mother made sure I knew how to work a vacuum and a dust rag.” He put an arm around her and drew her over to the couch before sitting and settling her on his lap. She let him tuck her head under his chin. “So, you want to tell me about this problem you have with the sun?”

She sighed, knowing every piece of information she gave him would make it that much harder to wipe his memories later.

If
you
even
can.

She knew she was coming close to the point of no return with Brandon. At a certain point, not even the most experienced
strega
could completely erase an
eteri
mind because those memories became embedded. Ripping them out meant damaging those parts of the brain.

So
what
are
you
going
to
do?

“I call it sun sickness. As a moon goddess, I harness the power of the moon. The moon reflects the light of the sun, so my power is tied to the sun, but when I'm exposed to the full power of the sun, it's an overload. It leaves me vulnerable.”

“And that's what happened this morning?”

“Yes. It had nothing to do with the demon.” She pulled away to look up into his serious dark eyes. “I want you to tell me exactly what it said, Brandon.
Tukhulkha
demons aren't known for backing down from their prey.”

Brandon sighed. “It said I'm not exactly who—no, it said
what
I think I am. What the hell did it mean?”

Lucy thought about that for a moment, thought about the energy she'd felt when they'd arrived here. “I'm not really sure, but it could mean the demon sees something in you, a hidden trait or the trace of a magical ancestor you didn't know you had.”

His eyebrows lifted nearly to his scalp. “You're kidding, right?”

“No, not at all. Many seemingly normal people have traces of the ancient magical races in their blood. Most of them don't have any power at all. Some have an affinity for animals, for nature, but they can't control the elements. That doesn't explain why the demon would run without engaging you, though.”

He gave her a wry smile. “So the fact that I love honey and like to climb trees means there's a bear in my past?” He snorted. “Maybe I just plain frightened the thing away.”

Shaking her head, she sighed. “I'm sorry, Brandon. As much as I'd like to stroke your ego, I don't think that's what happened.”

His smile lit the banked flame of her libido. “Well, I got something else you can stroke.”

She burst into laughter at his lecherous look then had to catch her breath when he smiled along with her.

The man made every nerve ending in her body sizzle and pop. That smile… Damn, she'd have to change her panties at the rate she was going. But it wasn't just his looks.

The man had taken on a terrifying blue demon to protect her. After she'd wiped his memories. That wiped away her smile in a second.

“Brandon…”

He nodded, his expression turning serious. “Yeah, I know. We need to figure out what's going on with the— What do you call that thing, anyway?”

“A
tukhulkha
demon. They work for Charun.”

“The god of the underworld, right?”

“You've been doing some homework, haven't you?”

“A little, yeah.” His gaze held steady. “Is there a chance this Charun guy can do what he says?”

She shivered as a chill ran up her back. “Yes. I think… Yes.”

“What would happen to you if he did?”

“I'd cease to exist.”

And that frightened her. Hell, it downright terrified her and that made her even more furious.

“Hey, babe. We'll figure something out.”

His arms tightened around her, and she fought the urge to sink into him and forget everything. But that wasn't going to happen. She was a goddess of the moon. She didn't do frightened. She was frightening.

“Brandon, I'd like to introduce you to someone later. Someone who might be able to shed a little light on who your ancestors were.”

“Yeah, I'd rather not have to call my parents and ask if they're witches or werewolves. So who's your friend?”

Hmm, how could she explain Sal? “Better if you just keep an open mind.”

He stared at her for a few seconds before nodding. “I can do that. So, you hungry? I'm not much of a cook but I can whip up something edible.”

Sliding off his lap, she stood, tossing her hair over her shoulder and staring down at him. “Why don't you let me take care of the food? Maybe you'd like to rest for a while.”

The least she could do was feed him, especially after everything that'd happened. Leaning back into the couch, Brandon let his arm rest across the back of the cushion. He looked relaxed. How did he manage to be so calm all the time? The man had found out only yesterday that magic existed, as did deities. And fairies and elves.

Yet here he sat, smiling up at her as though he didn't have a care in the world. She'd wonder if maybe he'd gotten his head knocked into the boards a few too many times, but that would just be mean. He might not have gone to college but he wasn't stupid. Far from it. He always seemed to be one play ahead.

“Yeah, ya know, rest isn't what I'm thinking about at the moment.”

Her lips twitched into a smile at the blatant heat in his gaze. And damn if she didn't feel her sex go slick and hot. How did he do this to her? Maybe he did have some magical powers that she just couldn't sense.

Or maybe she'd finally met the man she'd been waiting for her entire life. The man who made it all worthwhile.

Wouldn't that be the world's greatest cosmic joke? That she'd met the man who she could actually stand to spend eternity with and he'd be gone in another forty or fifty years.

The thought caused her heart to thud painfully in her chest. This was why she didn't allow herself to fall for
eteri
. They lived so few years, in the grand scheme of things.

Better to only use them as a diversion then set them aside before they could hurt you too deeply.

Pasting on a false smile, Lucy turned toward the kitchenette she'd seen when they'd entered the room—and found herself spun around, then lifted off her feet and lowered onto Brandon's lap. She automatically spread her legs so her bent knees fell on either side of his thighs. Her hands fell on his shoulders. She told herself it was to hold him at bay.

But she could already feel her body softening in preparation. So she stiffened her arms.

Instead of being deterred, he leaned closer. “Why do I get the feeling I wouldn't like what you were just thinking about?”

She tossed her hair over her shoulder and gave him her best cool gaze. “I don't know what you mean.”

Those beautiful eyes just stared into hers. “Yeah, that's pretty much bullshit. What the hell just happened, Lucy? Whatever it is, it's not good.”

There was no way she would discuss this with him. He'd never understand. They never did. She looked him straight in the eyes, ignoring the ache in the pit of her stomach.

“There's nothing wro—”

One hand cupped the back of her head, holding her in place for his mouth to take hers.

But when she expected him to force her to part her lips for his tongue, he tricked her. His lips teased hers, pressing featherlight kisses even as his hand tightened in her hair, almost to the point of pain. The combination left her panting.

Gods, how did he manage it? It must be magic. She had no other explanation for her reaction to him.

And he didn't try to hide his reaction to her. She felt the hard ridge of his cock press against her sex, spread open and covered only by the thin cotton of her yoga pants. Thankfully, she'd worn underwear or she'd be seeping through. As it was, she felt the moisture slip from between her lower lips.