Stone Passions Trilogy (79 page)

Jenna inhaled slowly as tears welled in her eyes. Medusa brushed her thumbs over Jenna’s cheeks and smiled softly, “Do not cry for me, child, for I am at peace. Now, where was I? Ah, yes: Perseus.

“He arrived just after the sun set, a glorious man in his prime,” she sighed, looking out across the water as if she could see the boat he had arrived on. “He took one look at me and declared his undying love, promising me the world if I would run away with him.”

Turning to Jenna, her eyes dancing with laughter, she murmured, “I don’t think he was very smart because he never thought to question why I was on this accursed island all alone. He simply ignored anything that didn’t make sense to him. He ignored quite a bit.”

Jenna put her fingers over her smile, not wanting to disrupt the flow of Medusa’s tale. Heaving a voluptuous sigh, Medusa’s smile faded, “He was in love with love, with beauty and romantic ideals. We were lovers for a few weeks before he finally became curious as to why I disappeared during the day. He followed me but he wasn’t very discreet and I knew he was there but I let him see. I had hoped….”

Her words trailed off and the sadness that had abated returned, burnishing her dark eyes until they were endless pools of night. Shaking the mood away, she curved her lips upwards in a sensuous smile, “I was a fool. When he saw me, he grabbed his sword and swung, slicing off one of my snakes off in the process. He grabbed the severed snake and fled and when the night came I had a chunk of hair that was much shorter than the rest.”

“How did he escape the trap?” Jenna asked softly.

“As I said,” she murmured with a smile. “It was his destiny to leave this island. He only had the one path and for a few weeks I had a lover that was neither Apollo nor a human slowly turning to stone. And from that union I had one child, neither imp nor gargoyle, simply… mine.

“Of course, the fates took him away from me and I do not know what happened to him,” she closed her eyes and breathed through her delicate nostrils, fighting for composure, something Jenna understood far too well. Reaching out, she simply took Medusa’s hand in her own, offering silent comfort, knowing words would be inadequate. “I don’t know if he even survived for he was an anomaly and the Fates are quite odd when it comes to anomalies. I think perhaps they kept him to themselves. Or they killed him. I try not to dwell on it since it has been so very long.”

Medusa squeezed Jenna’s hand and smiled in gratitude, “Of course, I could have asked my lover to search for him but that just seems… crass. He knows all of my darkest secrets but that one and it is the only one that matters.”

“What is the child’s name?” Jenna asked softly, her heart racing in her chest at the thought of bringing Medusa her long lost son.

“He is lost to me, Jenna,” she murmured softly. With a gentle smile, she added, “Please do not open old wounds.”

Jenna’s eyes widened in her face at Medusa’s perceptiveness, making the beautiful woman laugh. Reaching forward, Medusa ran her fingers lightly along Jenna’s jaw, “I have been around for many years and your thoughts are clearly written in your eyes. At this point I am simply grateful that two of my boys have found love and happiness. It is all a mother could ask for.

“Now, come, let me show you the rest of my home,” Medusa grinned, standing up and smoothing the front of her diaphanous gown before holding a hand out for Jenna to take.

As Jenna slid her hand in Medusa’s she slowly came to her feet, eager to see the rest of the place but apprehensive. “Will I fall into another trap?”

Medusa looked at her with wide, dark eyes, her expression blank for a heartbeat before it melted into a breathtaking smile, “No, my dear. You have already been tested and you have passed. There are no more traps.”

Jenna breathed a sigh in relief, having no desire to go through the rabbit hole again and discover another life she would have to turn her back on. Silently, she followed Medusa as she gave a tour of her home, pointing out the various works of art and telling the stories behind a few of the pieces. She explained that every creature comfort was provided to her, courtesy of Apollo and a few of the gods who had taken pity on her, though they did not break the rules by joining her on the island. Except for Poseidon, who used to use the water to visit her upon occasion, though it had been many, many years since he had been there.

She let out a long sigh, “So many of the old gods have grown weary of this place and have returned to Olympus. Only Apollo remains and I think the only reason he stays is his desire to fuck a human.”

Jenna’s brows pulled together in a frown, “I have always thought Apollo had taken many human lovers, and not just females.”

Medusa laughed her light, tinkling laugh, “No. He has bedded mortals but not humans. Do you see the difference?”

Jenna grinned and shook her head no and Medusa laughed harder, “The mortals he bedded were not human, at least not entirely. They were the children of lesser gods or supernatural creatures, half-breeds. Poor Apollo is the only god whose radiance is too much for a human to endure and most become ill as soon as they enter his personal realm.”

“I’m sure a little nausea would be worth it to experience Apollo’s kiss.”

Medusa snorted, “This is techni-color vomiting, heads exploding, stomachs erupting sick. No, until Melanie, poor Apollo believed no human would be able to get close enough to touch.”

Jenna scowled slightly as she finally put Medusa’s words together, “But I thought Omari….”

Medusa smiled as realization dawned in Jenna’s head and her jaw dropped, “No.”

“Yes.”

“Holy crap,” Jenna breathed, still unable to believe it. They had stopped in a room that was amassed with soft, luxurious pillows and Jenna’s legs simply gave out. It was perfect timing as the cloud of pillows cushioned her fall.

“It has always been Omari’s intention to give you and Rhys time to get to know one another,” Medusa murmured, lounging back against another mound of pillows. “He had procured the ambrosia for Melanie days before he sent the two of you off on this little quest. It’s very romantic if you think about it and one of the reasons I fell in love with the scoundrel.”

“
Deus ex machina
kind of takes on new meaning when you actually have a god that interferes,” Jenna muttered.

“He doesn’t solve any insurmountable problems without exacting a high price,” Medusa corrected. “And his interference can sometimes be worse than had he left it alone. It can be a double-edged sword, you know. Taking anything from a god is always a risky proposition.”

Jenna nodded her head in agreement as Medusa sank further into the pillows, a soft smile on her lips, “He has given me some of the happiest years of my life but also so much misery and I will miss him when I am finally able to leave this accursed island.”

“Won’t you be able to see him?” Jenna asked, disconcerted by the sad smile curving Medusa’s lips. “I mean, once the curse is lifted and you’re able to travel?”

Medusa shrugged her delicate shoulders and simply smiled.

Moments later, the room was invaded by three raucous children and Rhys, the noise animated and exuberant. Raphe curled up next to his mother as the older two stayed by Rhys’s side as he sat down next to Jenna, pulling her into his arms and kissing the top of the head. Jenna had to smile as Michael and Leo continued talking to Rhys, as Medusa wrapped her arms around Raphe and hugged him to her, a gentle, motherly, smile on her face as she held her youngest son.

Leaning against Rhys, Jenna asked, “I take it the gargoyles age at a normal rate?”

Medusa’s lips curled up in a smile as she kissed the top of Raphe’s head, “Yes. They age as humans until they reach the age of twenty-five, or so, and then they remain beautiful young men forever after.”

“Your mother is right,” Jenna breathed later that night as she lay in Rhys arms. Trailing kisses along the strong column of his throat, she purred, “You are a beautiful young man. You’re also a beautiful gargoyle and right now I am torn.”

“Why is that?” he asked, his hands moving leisurely over her body, stroking the curve of her waist, the flare of her hip.

“I never want to leave this haven,” she said, punctuating the words with light kisses across his collar bone. “But I’m eager to return home and see my daughter, to hold her in my arms and hug her until my memories of never having her are erased.”

“Soon enough,” he assured her, pushing the soft material of her gown off her shoulder and kissing the naked skin beneath.

Pushing herself up until she straddled his waist, she looked down at him, “What’s going to happen when we return to reality?”

He gently traced the line of her jaw, the length of her throat. His finger hooked into the gown and gently pulled the fabric down further, exposing her breast though his eyes never left hers. Lightly, he brushed his thumb over her sensitive nipple, gazing at her as if she were the sun and the stars, “What do you want to happen?”

She covered his hand with hers so that they were both cupping her breast, “I never want this to end.”

He smiled slightly, “But that doesn’t answer my question. Would you consider moving into the castle with me?”

Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she asked, “What about Ferris?”

He chuckled, “There is plenty of room for her, even with three additional gargoyles.”

Her grip on his hand loosened and he resumed gently torturing her nipple. “I’d have to think about it before I made any decisions.”

“Of course.” He raised his head and captured her nipple between his lips, plying it with his tongue until pleasure spiraled outwards, pooling in her lower belly with the need to be filled. He released the hard nub with a soft pop before placing a reverent kiss over her heart.

Suddenly, she was flying through the air, landing with a soft
whoomf
on a pile of pillows as Rhys’s hard body covered hers. He gazed down at her with burning chocolate eyes, passion and possession making the brown depths glow. His skin was burnished as he growled, “Put your arms above your head, Jenna.”

With a sultry smile, she slowly raised her arms until they were stretched out above her. Her eyes widened in surprise as vines twined around her wrists, binding her arms in place. Excitement pulsed in her groin, knowing what was to come. Breathlessly, she murmured, “Don’t blindfold me this time, Rhys, I want to see everything.”

Rhys’s smile darkened as he slowly drew his fingers up and then down the soft skin of her underarm, “Everything?”

Uncertain, she nodded slowly and every hard surface became a mirror, reflecting the image of Rhys’s body covering hers into infinity. The warm candle light made Rhys’s skin gleam, made her skin glow, and it was beautiful and erotic and perfect. She wished she could capture the beauty but she knew that her artistic skills were not up to the task and for that she was sorry.

Tilting her head back, giving Rhys easier access to her sensitive throat, she caught the reflection of his muscled bottom overhead. She followed the sinuous curve of his butt as he flexed and the muscles contracted. In that moment she was grateful that he had cut off his long hair; she wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the perfection of his body had he kept his hair long.

His movement was slow, fluid, as he kissed and nipped along her shoulders, her ribs, her navel, pulling the dress down as he went. Her breasts were thrust upwards, her nipples pointing towards the reflection, and she swallowed. In that moment she was beautiful. The contrast between Rhys’s auburn hair against her sun-kissed skin was almost too much as he kissed her softly and she felt his love in each brush of his lips.

Bending her knees on either side of Rhys’s hard body, she opened her body up to him, trusting him completely. He reached down and grabbed the hem of her dress, leisurely dragging it up her legs. Lifting off her body just a bit, he slid the material upwards until it was gathered around her waist, until she was exposed on top and below. His fingers continued moving along her thigh, lightly drawing circles on her skin and making goose bumps break out over her flesh, making her shiver.

His head moved between her legs and she held her breath, unable to tear her eyes from the sensual reflection overhead. Everything had a dreamlike quality to it and when Rhys drew his tongue along the swollen folds of her sex she shivered again. She was stretched out and bared to him, naked and vulnerable, and she had never felt safer or more cherished.

Warm fingers wrapped around her thighs, holding her in place as Rhys feasted on her sex, torturing her with fingers and tongue. His head moved and his hair brushed against her inner thighs and she couldn’t look away. His large hand slid up her body, his fingers long and elegant as they covered her breast and pulled at her nipple. She was a voyeur in her own seduction.

Lifting her eyes she caught her own gaze and had to catch her breath: who was that exotic creature whose face was flushed with love and desire? Blue eyes stared back, a knowing look in the liquid depths. Her lips were parted, her skin dewy and blushing and she was fully alive, completely at peace in her own skin and reveling in her sexuality.