Lust Eternal (9 page)

And then once he was gone, when that roiling pillar of
enchanted fog rose up to consume him…

“And come back to me, my Keeshan. Come back to me.”

Keeshan emerged from the mist like a berserker, not stopping
meekly where he usually did but powering directly over to Duvalli’s dais. The
hounds were so startled they didn’t even snap at him. Rather they took one look
at him and backed up as far as their chains would allow.

“You have her,” Keeshan snarled, right into Duvalli’s smug
face. “You’ve had her all along.”

The Dark Djinn, surprised by this unexpected visit, stood
and adjusted his tunic. He edged around Keeshan’s looming form, sauntering to
the stone table against the wall upon which his mirror sat. He poured himself a
drink, pretending to ignore the fact that Keeshan had followed and was looming
still. He took a nonchalant sip. “So you finally realized.”

“You bastard. I ought to wring your neck.”

“Of course I took your sister. You took mine.” He smirked.
“An eye for an eye and all that.”

“I did not take your sister. She gave herself to me.
Willingly.”

Now Duvalli did show a flicker of emotion. A dark emotion.
“And I ought to wring your neck for
that
.”

“She loved me.”

“You broke her heart.”

“No.
You
broke her heart. You’re the one who
separated us.”

“Really.” Duvalli rubbed his temple. “I don’t have time for
this.”

Keeshan glared around the austere chamber. “What the hell
else do you have to do?” He stepped closer, hand curled into an ominous fist.
“Where is she?”

Duvalli took a step back. “She is…safe.”

“That’s not good enough. I swear unto all this holy and all
that is not, if you have hurt Lisette, I will kill you. I will hunt you down to
the ends of the earth and I will make you pay.”

“Ohh. I am so frightened.” The Dark Djinn affected a
shudder.

But then he shuddered for real because Keeshan slammed him
into the wall. The hounds, impotent and chained, howled.

“Shut up!” both men yelled at them in tandem.

Keeshan bent closer, let Duvalli catch the stink of his
rage, the certainty of his intent. “Let me see her.”

“No.”

Keeshan’s fingers tightened, closing around his neck.

“You cannot see her.”

“Why the fuck not?”

Slowly, Duvalli inched away until he was free. He massaged
the red marks on his throat. There would likely be bruises. “Because.”

“Not good enough.” Keeshan’s vehemence mounted. Truly, if
Duvalli did not give him some form of satisfaction soon, he would kill the man
and damn the consequences.

The Dark Djinn sighed. “Why are you so damn stubborn?”

“Show her to me.”

“You won’t like what you see.” A sneer.

“Show me.”

Without another word, without another demur, Duvalli walked
to the alcove and ripped open the curtain to reveal his one and only companion.

Keeshan froze at the sight of his sister. He had ached for a
glimpse of Lisette throughout the millennia—but not like this. Never like this.

She was lovely as ever, as fresh and young as the last day
he had seen her. Her head was tilted as though something had amused her and she
was just about to laugh. Her features were serene. At peace.

But she was still.

Utterly still.

Still as stone.

She was…a statue.

“It was the Great Djinn’s doing,” Duvalli muttered, storming
up the steps to his throne, hoping perhaps to regain his dominance. Or at least
the illusion of it. “When it was revealed that I had taken her, the Great Djinn
was…not happy. Accused me of tinkering with the delicate balance of life or
some such twaddle.”

“The Great Djinn does not deal in twaddle.” Keeshan’s hand
trembled as he lovingly stroked a familiar cheek. It was hard and cold. But he
swore he felt
something
there. Some vestige of life.

“Oh. She’s not dead.” Duvalli grunted. “She is the immovable
object.”

“You being the irresistible force, I presume?”

Duvalli shrugged. “In theory, I suppose. As with the mirror,
when emotions run too high, she…freezes up. It’s damn aggravating.”

“She turns to stone when you pursue her?” Keeshan rather
liked that. For one thing, it meant Duvalli had not been indiscriminately
tormenting her for centuries. It meant she had a retreat.

“Something like that. This was the Great Djinn’s way of
protecting her.”

“Protecting her?”

Duvalli’s lip thrust out in something of a pout. “I know.
Really? Protecting her from me? I’m the one who needs protecting. From her.
Why, the first time I came to her she nearly gored me in the…well, never mind.”

Keeshan growled.

“Don’t get all outraged.” Duvalli took a sip from his
goblet. “The only way I can…have my way with her is if she’s willing. You
should be pleased to know that it took me at least a century to get a kiss.”

“She kissed you?” Every hair on Keeshan’s nape stood on end.

Duvalli held up a hand. “Of her own accord, I assure you.
And unlike you, I did not have an incantation to draw on her flesh.” He shifted
in his seat and readjusted his tunic. “It has been…frustrating.”

Keeshan bared his teeth. “I couldn’t be happier. But now
that I know where she is, I am taking her back with me.”

“To the lamp?”

“Yes. And you will not stop me.”

Duvalli shrugged with one shoulder. “No. I won’t stop
you…because you cannot take her.”

Keeshan leapt forward. “The hell you say!”

“Back off, you mongrel.” Duvalli scooted back in his chair.
“It’s not because I will not allow it. It’s because, like the two of us, she is
stuck here between worlds until the spell is broken.”

“The spell
you
wove.”

Duvalli nodded. “It was more intricate than I planned.
Probably on account of my rage at the time. Never cast spells when you’re
angry, by the way.”

“Who are you trying to fool? You’re still angry.”

“I have not forgiven you for Circe. I never will. But I am
not angry.”

“Liar.”

“Regardless.” Duvalli adopted a bored expression. “It’s a
moot point. If you break the enchantment, your sister shall be freed as well.”

Keeshan’s heart thudded. He had spent the last two thousand
years trying to find a way to free himself and he had always failed. But before
it had been only his own destiny that lay in the balance. He glanced at
Lisette, her lovely face frozen. Now he had someone else counting on him. He
would find a way to break the spell. He would.

A new resolve, a new hope, rose within him.

Keeshan glared at his nemesis. “When I come back, I expect
to see her again. And you’d better take good care of her, you bastard.”

Duvalli studied his fingernails. “No need to be rude.”

Keeshan snorted. “No need to be civil either.”

“Will you be back soon?” It had always been at least a
century between their meetings. Now they’d met twice within a matter of days.

“Now that I know you have her? You will be seeing me very
soon.”

“Oh dear.” Duvalli tossed back the remainder of his drink.
“That’s what I was afraid of.”

But he was talking to himself. As usual. Keeshan had already
left. The Dark Djinn stared at the gust of roiling smoke that marked his departure
and sighed. He frowned at the statue in the alcove.

Damn it all. He wished Keeshan hadn’t found out about her.
He’d always been a stubborn bastard but now he was truly driven. And Duvalli
did not want Keeshan to solve the puzzle. He did not want to give up his
treasure. Lisette gave him far too much pleasure.

He poured himself another drink and took a healthy swig. No
matter, he reminded himself. Keeshan would never break the enchantment. He
simply didn’t have it in him to do what needed to be done.

It seemed like Keeshan was gone forever and to Aimalee all
the light in the world dimmed. She sat on the throne and asked the mirror to
show her friends, one after the other, and then once she was up to date she
experimented with other requests. She discovered, to her delight, there was HBO
and internet access. But sadly no email.

But even that entertainment didn’t distract her thoughts for
long. She couldn’t help thinking that without Keeshan it just wasn’t the same.
Exactly when her captor had become her companion, she wasn’t sure. But he had.

She no longer constantly stressed about being away from her
work—she certainly no longer worried about being separated from Carter. But
other thoughts had begun seeping in. For example, what would it be like to
leave this place? What would it be like to step back into a world with no
Keeshan?

Standing to pace, she glanced at her watch once again—only
to remember she wasn’t wearing one—wondering when, if, he would return.

The Dark Djinn was such a powerful force and Keeshan had
been in such a state when he’d left. She was certain he would issue an
impossible challenge, fight for his sister’s honor…and possibly lose. She
couldn’t bear the thought of him hurt. Or worse.

She was just about to storm over to the mirror and demand to
see Keeshan when a coil of mist began to coalesce in the corner. She clasped
her hands over her heart, hoping, praying that it was him and not…something
else.

When his large and looming familiar form took shape, she
nearly wept. Instead she launched herself into his arms. They closed around
her.

“Keeshan! Oh Keeshan. I am so glad to see you.”

His face was taut. His body rigid. He kissed her briefly.

“How did it go? Did you find her? Did he have her? Is she
all right?”

Keeshan didn’t answer, he merely held her tighter. She
allowed it—even though the vise of his arms made it difficult to
breathe—because she sensed he needed her. And she loved being needed.

Clearly his audience with the Dark Djinn had been
difficult…and then some.

He buried his nose in her hair, taking in her essence as
though she was his salvation.

After an eternity, he finally spoke. “He has her. He always
has.” He lifted his head and his gaze burned into hers, limned with a haunting
darkness.

“Is she…”

“Safe? I think so. She’s been ensorcelled, like us.”

“Ensorcelled? How?”

“She’s a statue.”

Aimalee’s chin dropped.

“He can only bring her to life when his emotions are
quiescent. I can only hope that means he has not been able to punish her in my
place. I can only pray she has not suffered much.”

“Oh Keeshan.”

“He said if I can find a way to break the spell, she will be
released as well.”

“That’s wonderful.”

He frowned. “It would be. If I had a clue how to do it.”

She chewed on her lower lip. “Do you think the answer is in
the library? In one of the books?”

“Doubtful.” Her suggestion elicited a smile. He ruffled her
hair and bent to kiss her. “I’ve been through every book a thousand times.
Besides, spells are situational. Each one is shaped to suit the needs of the caster.”

“And Duvalli cast this spell?”

“Yes. In a fit of rage. It is knotted in quite a tangle.”

“We just need to untangle it.”

Keeshan sighed and scrubbed at his eyes. “I am so tired.”

“Come.” Aimalee took him by the arm and led him from the
mirror room, out onto the great patio and over to the sleep chamber. “Let’s
rest.”

“You know I cannot sleep, Aimalee.”

“Yes.” She knew. He’d told her. He hadn’t slept for two
thousand years. But there were other ways to relax. “We will just rest. Try not
to think about it. Sometimes that’s when the answers come.” She led him over to
the divan. “Take off your tunic.”

Keeshan shook his head. “Really? Aimalee, I am not in the
mood for that.”

“That’s a first.” She pressed him back on the pillows. “It
may surprise you, Keeshan but I am not asking you to perform.”

“You’re not?”

She helped him remove the tunic and was temporarily stunned
by the vision of his bare and brawny chest. She quickly thrust thoughts of lust
away. She wanted to soothe him. Not demand her own release. “Roll over. On your
stomach.”

“On my stomach?”

“Honestly. What kind of women have you had visiting you
here? Has no one ever given you a massage?”

“A massage?”

“To relax you?”

He mulled it over. “I do not believe anyone ever has.”

“Well.” She hiked up her lace dress and straddled his hips.
It was a far reach. “You are in for a treat.” She set her hands on his
shoulders, marveling at how tiny they were against the great brown expanse of
his back. He flinched just a little at the first tentative touch. But when she
did it again, he didn’t flinch.

She began with a light massage, manipulating his muscles and
tendons as she had learned in a class she’d taken in college. He was hot and
hard. She tried to ignore her pleasure, focusing instead on him, finding where
he was tense, digging in when she found a knot.

He groaned.

“Did I hurt you?”

“You always hurt me.”

She smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “Keeshan. That’s
not nice. Come on now. I am trying to help you relax.”

“I’m not very relaxed.”

“Focus.” She bent back to her work, molding, kneading his
flesh all along his broad back. Over his tight arms and down his flank. He
began to fidget. “Are you all right?”

“Can I…” He lifted up, readjusted something beneath him and
then settled back down. “Ah. Better.”

As Aimalee realized just what he had been adjusting,
excitement flickered. The mood shifted. A little demon inside her stirred.

All of a sudden, relaxing him was the last thing on her
mind.

Slowly, deliberately, she wiggled around a little, grinding
her crotch on his ass until he groaned and muttered and hissed imprecations.
She bent forward, allowing the lace of her bodice to scrape against his
sensitized skin. Then she slowly sat up again, gently scoring her nails along
his back as she rose.

He shuddered. His entire body quaked.

“Aimalee…” His voice was a deep, rumbling rasp, raking the
shadows. He tried to rise.

She pressed him back down. “Not yet, Keeshan. I’m not done.”
She made a halfhearted attempt on his shoulder. “Hmm. No. That’s not right.”
She lifted up her skirt and scooted forward from his ass and onto his back,
rubbing her damp core along his flesh. She knew the second he realized what she
was doing. His entire body went rigid. But she didn’t give him a chance to
think about it, didn’t give him an opportunity to resist. She suckled that
tender spot at his nape. “Umm. That’s better. Isn’t it?”

He growled in response and tried to rise once more.

“No, Keeshan. Let me. Just this once. Let me.”

Her words must have had some effect on him because he
subsided and lay there, quiescent and trembling as she feasted on his flesh. On
his nape, his neck, the lobes of his ears. And then lower across his back, to
the vertebrae along his spine and then, finally, to the hint of a crack where
his breeches began.

She was no longer on him at this point, merely crouched by
his side, working him with her fingers and her lips and her tongue—occasionally
with her teeth when she felt a nip was in order. So when he decided to turn
over, she had no leverage, no way to stop him.

No will to stop him, for that matter.

He turned and…oh. Oh.

His cock rose like a restless dragon, creating a delicious
ridge in his breeches. She had a sudden urge to taste that too.

Trembling, she traced his length. It was a light touch, a
trifle teasing. He hissed and thrust his hips, seeking more. She gave him more.
Two fingers, one on either side of his throbbing cock. He closed his eyes and
collapsed back. “Yes. Aimalee. Yes.”

This, she took as encouragement.

She tugged at the band of his breeches until his cock sprang
free and…

She gasped. It was so beautiful. So full and hard. So
velvety smooth. She touched him again but all delicacy, all restraint had fled.
His body tightened and quivered like a bowstring.

He muttered, growled something. Something feral.

She bent her head, allowing her hair to trail over his upper
thighs. A tendril or two fell between his legs to tease the two tight orbs at
the base of his cock. He flinched.

But she wasn’t done yet. Not by a long shot.

She took him in her mouth. Just a bit. Just the tip. Her
lips stretched around his girth and she shuddered as his essence, his scent,
his taste, swamped her senses. She worshiped his cock, laving at the tiny drop
easing from the eye. He tasted wonderful.

Ignoring his moans and groans, his frantic little thrusts,
she took him deeper, savoring the hard hotness under her command. Savoring the
perfume of his arousal as his body heated and released beads of desperate
sweat.

She sucked at him and he bobbled in her mouth. With one hand
she teased his length as the other drifted up his chest in search of a
pebble-hard nipple.

She worked him. Worked him until he whimpered, “Please,
Aimalee. Please.”

“No.” She glanced up and smiled. “This time we please
Keeshan. Just relax and let me finish.”

“But…”

Whatever he planned to say went unsaid. Because she had gone
back to work, determined to draw from him the release he always gave her.

She took him back between her lips and massaged him with her
mouth. When she took the errant trails of her hair and dusted them over his
balls, he gasped and writhed, so she did it again and again until he was
panting.

And then her finger slipped lower, deeper.

He stilled. Even his breath ceased at the direction of her
exploration. And ah, she found it. That sensitive spot between his balls and
his ass. Something she’d read about in a biology tome and certainly never
tried.

He roared, thrusting his hips up, sinking his cock deep down
her throat then jerking out and thrusting again and again.

Hot jets of cum exploded in her mouth. Aimalee gobbled it
up, licking and sucking and slurping, desperate to get every tiny drop. He was
salty. He was sweet. He had a flavor unlike anything she had ever tasted and
she couldn’t get enough.

It came and came but she didn’t mind. She nursed him and
milked him until there was nothing left but tiny aftershocks of his bliss. He
was boneless in his release, near oblivion, but he reached for her and pulled
her up, tucked her into his embrace. And together they closed their eyes and
rested.