Shadowed Magic (The Enlightened Species Novella) (6 page)

Eros creased his brow then fished deeper into the bag to find a pair of dark purple satin thongs. He held them up like he’d hit a jackpot. “You probably want … panties.” The word panties coming from his deep rumbling voice made her smile. Then he took a closer look at them and stretched the waistband between his fingers with an expression of confusion.

“These are panties, right?” His gaze never left the strip of satin.

Aymee couldn’t help but chuckle as she raised her lower legs for him to help her into them. “One of my favorite pairs. The thin strip goes in the back.”

He nodded, a very serious expression on his face. Sliding them to her knees, he lifted her to her toes and finished sliding them up while supporting nearly her entire weight with one arm. As he lifted her by her elbows, Aymee struggled to keep her face neutral and not show how much his hold hurt her wrenched shoulder. Holding her extended from his body suspended like a doll, he pulled one arm in pivoting her mid-air to take in the panty fit between her butt cheeks. “They look most uncomfortable.” He set her back on the damp towel covering the counter.

The twitch behind his jeans didn’t match his ‘uncomfortable’ evaluation. “Is that all they look, Eros? Uncomfortable? They aren’t uncomfortable at all. Since my ass feel like it went through a cheese-grater these are far more comfortable than ‘grannie panties’.” He lifted the nightie with a quirked brow

“You know grannie panties … the kind old women wear … they come up to here…” She held her hand level with her belly button to demonstrate. “… and they have so much material in the back, they droop at the crack.”

Eros chuckled and shook his head. “Aymee you should come with a dictionary.” He gathered the black lace from the bottom to the neckline between his hands. “Can you raise your arms?”

She almost said no just so his hands would have to touch her more in trying to dress her, but he probably already thought she was a wimp when it came to pain so she obediently raised her arms as high as she could with her shoulder strain. She could almost kiss his chest when he lifted the material up guiding the straps over her damaged hands, down her arms and released it to pool around her hips. She shimmed her breasted to get them settled into the triangle cups … umm hmm. That was the reason… it had nothing to do with seeing Eros's eyes widen with appreciation. The silver color seemed to shimmer momentarily.

“It’s time for your medication.” He turned and walked stiffly into the bedroom. Aymee tried to scoot off the counter. Despite the burn on the back of her legs and ass, she got to her feet. The black satin flowed the rest of the way to her ankles. She had bought it for a special occasion seven years ago. The occasion never happened, so the romantic gown had sat in the bottom of her drawer unworn. It had an elegance that if anything made her feel more seductive than the ‘in your face’ titillation of a sexy teddie.

She took a tentative step, grateful when her legs merely shook rather than giving out completely under her. At the door, she nearly ran smack into Eros’s chest. The water he held splashed across her bruised breast.

“Bugger!” He exclaimed.

Aymee couldn’t help it, laughter rolled through her uncontrollably. She braced her better hand against the door jam as her eyes blurred with tears. Maybe it was her subconscious way of releasing all the pent up and buried emotions from her experience, she didn’t know. What she did know is that her belly muscles hurt from laughing so hard and she couldn’t seem to stop. Tears streamed down her face and she knew she was going to fall over any second yet her laughter continued. Eros glanced from one of his hands that held several tablets to the half empty glass of water then back at her. His face held concern. He probably thought she’d snapped and needed a padded room. Hell, he might be right. Aymee leaned into him taking deep giggle-filled breaths. She puckered her lips in an effort to be silent. Eros shifted toward the bed letting her use him for support, and Aymee made it mostly under her own steam. The laughing fit had passed though she could feel it bubbling just under the surface.

She sat at the edge of his massive bed. At least the silk material felt better against her ass than terry cloth. Eros squatted in front of her and dropped pills into her good hand. He reached up and brushed the tears from her cheek. “Feel better?”

She nodded. Surprisingly, she did, in a way. He handed her the glass after she popped the tablets into her mouth. She drained the glass. “You want more water?” He took the glass out of her hand.

“No.” She stared into the reflective silver of his eyes. She’d never expected him to be so … kind. Aymee raised her hand to cup his cheek. “Thank you for … everything.”

“It is my honor, Aymee.” His voice husky while his gaze held sincerity. Aymee’s breath caught in her throat. She leaned in and placed a gentle kiss to his lips. He blinked hard, then searched her face intently. “Aymee … I--”

She silenced him with another kiss. He responded with passion. She felt the points of his dentes against her lips imploring her elementally to open herself to his kiss. She couldn't deny him, didn't want to deny him. Her lips opened, Eros's tongue plunged into the depths. His taste, rich, heated her blood like Jack Daniels. Slow sensual tongue strokes drank her in. Dizziness overwhelmed her, and her balance hinged at his mouth mastering hers. Floating, she soared to a higher level, then settled into a cushion of clouds. A layer of warmth covered her body, tingled across her skin. Every nerve screamed for more of him. She moaned again as darkness enveloped her.

****

Eros could taste the taint of narcotics with the brush of her lips to his. Her eyes closed, lips parted, a sensual expression on her face captivated him. He lifted her into his arms, pulled the covers down and tucked her into his bed. Aymee moaned huskily. He knew it wrong to do but the temptation to look into her mind was too much. His erection surged hard and throbbed at the vision of the two of them kissing. The details of her dream kiss filled him with lust as he searched her expression with awe. The erotic stimulation of a simple kiss displayed plainly as her eyebrows lifted slightly, her ruby lips moistened by the tip of her pink tongue and puckered slightly. Eros waited until the pills pulled her toward a forced sleep to do what he desired most. He brushed her lips with his thumb reveling in the softness.

“
Jacob.
”
He telepathically called to his son. Pulling himself from her side, he silently left the room and closed the bedroom door behind him to deny himself the view of her.

“
S
’
up
Pop?
”
Jacob’s voice was distracted.

“
Come
to
my
house
and
stay
with
Aymee
until
I
return.
”
Eros felt the ripple of his son's arrival via port before he’d completed the sentence. Jacob's brows creased in question.

“Where are you going?”

Eros held a finger to his lips reminding Jacob to speak softly, though with narcotics, Aymee would probably sleep through an earthquake. He dropped four pills into Jacob’s hand. “If I am not back, wake her in …” He checked the clock above the river stone fireplace in his living room. “ …four hours and have her take these.” He’d only included one pain tablet to the muscle relaxant, antibiotic and vaginal chemistry pill.

Jacob gave a curious look into his hand. “Human medical mojo, I gather?” Eros clasped his son’s shoulder in embrace and Jacob mirrored it. “No harm will come to her, Father.” Those words assured Eros that Jacob would guard Aymee with his life. His children had been raised to hold honor above all else. The same way Eros’s brother Tenebrae had raised him.

Eros had never met his parents. His only knowledge of them were the stories his brother had told him. His mother had died giving birth to him and his father had released his living energy to join her in the hereafter leaving Eros in the care of his brother. Tenebrae’s death after the fall of Atlantis had devastated Eros for many millennium. Family meant everything to him.

Eros ported to his first destination. He arrived in Umbrae and Enlil’s sitting room just as his sleepy daughter was feeding her young. He could only stay a moment but he needed to see for himself Umbrae was safe. She smiled at him groggily with one infant to her breast while another fed from blood at her wrist. Her bloodmate Enlil sat beside her with the other two infants cradled in his arms waiting their turn.

Eros relieved Enlil of baby, Erisa. Her green/gray eyes gazed up at him with intelligence. “She sure knows her grandpa.” Enlil commented.

“Indeed.” Eros adored the three girls and one boy Umbrae had delivered safely just three months earlier. However, Erisa had been the tiniest of the four and being named after Eros, she held a special place in his heart.

“So what brings you by at the crack of dawn, dad?” Umbrae asked.

“I need to know what a woman needs.” Eros answered, Umbrae understood he wasn’t much for small talk.

“That’s the universal question isn’t it?” Enlil chuckled.

Eros grinned too realizing he’d misspoke. “I meant to ask, if a woman were to be away from home for a period of time, what would a woman pack?”

Umbrae chuckled. “You’re asking a wash and wear girl what to pack for a woman?”

Eros hadn’t thought of that. His daughter didn’t own a brush, she finger combed her short hair. Enlil required more maintenance in toiletries than Umbrae probably did. By saving grace, Irsu stepped into the room rubbing her eyes. The girl’s had had a late night. Irsu lifted Jestyl from Enlil, gave the baby a kiss then handed her back to her father. “Let me get dressed and I’ll go with you to Aymee’s apartment.” She walked out before Eros could argue and returned a few minutes later wearing jeans and a halter, her hair in a high ponytail. “You want to port or fly?”

“I’ve never been in her residence.” Eros handed Erisa back to Enlil and kissed Umbrae on the cheek. “Have you flown in shadow before?” He asked Irsu.

She nodded. “Many times with Othos.” Eros knew Othos and Irsu had become quite close over the last few years and gone on missions together, so he wasn’t surprised by her familiarity with the Sicarius shadow ability.

He pulled a conduit chain from his pocket and waited while Irsu clipped it around her neck. “I’ll be back shortly.” Irsu said her goodbyes to Umbrae and Enlil and they stepped to the front door.

Eros removed his shirt and shoved it into his back pocket, grasped the dangling end of the chain and shadowed them both before they exited the house and took to the sky. They landed on the roof of Aymee’s martial art studio. Aymee’s best friend and business partner, Jess, had installed an escape hatch from Aymee’s apartment above the sparing rooms to the roof. Irsu dragged him by the chain silently lifting it. He gave her enough slack to drop into a giant closet of some sort then followed her in. Releasing the chain and shadow as soon as his feet sank into the thick padding of the carpeted floor. Irsu removed the chain and handed it back to him.

“This is actually the second bedroom, but Aymee converted the entire room into a closet when she and Jess had the other renovations and addition built.” Irsu made her way through the sea of clothing racks.

Eros looked around shocked. Clothes, shoes, boots, purses, belts, scarves, and jackets … everything perfectly organized by function and color. A rainbow of T-shirts took up half a hanging bar then the color started over with blouses. Below the hangers were tiny three-tiered bleachers, each tier held rows of shoes. No wonder Jacob didn’t pack anything appropriate for Aymee, it probably never occurred to his son to seek her wardrobe in a separate bedroom.

While Irsu busied herself in the ‘closet,’ Eros explored. Aymee’s apartment was small and cozy and immaculately clean. It had a small kitchen area and a two-seat table next to a window overlooking the street in front of The Ryu. A kid on a skateboard rode past and Eros narrowed his eyes. The kid was familiar for some reason. Perhaps he was a student of the Ryu? Though Eros had never instructed himself, many of his sons had, and Eros had stopped by on several occasions … to see his sons … not to catch a glimpse of Aymee.

He turned back and took in the living area. A leather sectional sofa, dominating the room, sat directly across from a mid-sized flat screen TV on a glass stand full of knick-knacks and keepsakes. The bottom glass level had dragons made of wood, blown glass, ceramic and pewter metals. She must have been collecting them her entire life.
She
likes
flying
mystical
creatures
. He smiled. Nearly every surface had one or two of the mythic beasts. Dragons were intermittently placed along the loaded bookcase that filled the wall beside the TV stand. He scanned titles hoping to learn more about her. The two upper shelves held non-fiction, predominately books on martial arts, meditation, spiritualism, etc. The sight of a few self-help manuals seemed odd.
Men
are
from
Mars
and
Women
are
From
Venus
. Complete rubbish in his opinion. He withdrew the
Kama
Sutra
flipping through the pages. He remembered the origins of the pleasure generation within the Hindu Indians well. It had been fascinating to observe. A theme repeated by humanity over history. Much like Sodom and Gomorrah, the renaissance and the sexual revolution in America. The Hindu went from a ban on even the mention of anything intimate to treating sensual scent, touch, taste and more like a spiritual experiment. The brave men and women who ultimately began to document and share their sexual openness made sexual acceptance the norm of society ... for a short time. The cycle would begin anew.