What a Goddess Wants (30 page)

Wake up. Now.

Her heart pounding, she tried to rip herself out of the dream. Only she couldn’t quite manage it.

“Oh, come now, Thesan. You know you’re not strong enough to fight me.” Charun chuckled. “You’ve managed to hide yourself well enough, but you always knew—”

“Tessa! Tessa, wake up!”

Gasping for air, her eyes flew open and she looked up into Cal’s sharp gray gaze. His hands tightened on her shoulders as he shook her, her head snapping back and forth painfully before he pulled her tight against his chest.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Tessa. What the fuck happened?”

She blinked a few times, trying to catch her breath, but the anxiety, the
fear
she sensed from Cal made it almost impossible. Staring into his eyes, she forced herself to focus on breathing, on bringing down her heart rate. But she needed him to help her.

“Cal.” She lifted her hands to cup his cheeks in her hands, feeling his anxiety like a swarm of angry bees against her skin. “We need to get out of here. Now. I can’t put Flavia and the babies or Eric at risk.”

Cal stiffened and glanced behind her. Tessa realized he was holding her in his arms in the hallway. He must have gotten her out of Flavia’s room while she’d been asleep.

Good. The last thing she wanted to do was terrify Flavia.

“Fine.” He set her on her feet, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the stairs to the upper floor. “Let me tell X where we’re going, and then we’re getting the hell out of here.”

***

“You’re going to do
what
?”

Cal wasn’t about to repeat himself. They didn’t have much time, and he wasn’t sure he could force the words out of his mouth again. The first time had been bad enough. And if X didn’t get out of his way, Cal was going to have to move him. Forcefully.

“You heard me, X. Now move your ass.”

His brother stood in front of the door leading to the outside, his mouth open, speechless. Cal would have to remember that when he needed to shut X up, all he had to do was shock the shit out of him.

Cal decided that was a good thing. If he’d shocked X, maybe he’d get the same reaction when he went to grovel for help from the only man he thought had the power to help him and Tessa now.

X started to shake his head and then couldn’t seem to stop. “And you actually think Dad’s gonna go for this? After what you said to him the last time you saw him?”

Cal winced. That had been a bad scene.

All right, maybe bad wasn’t harsh enough.

The last time he’d seen their dad, Cal had said some truly unforgiveable things and his dad had responded in kind. Since then, neither of them had said anything to the other.

For Tessa, Cal would talk to his dad.

She stood behind him, her hand wrapped around his like a vise. She hadn’t said a word since he’d grabbed their stuff and practically dragged her up the stairs to the first floor and toward the front door. Her skin held a sickly pale hue, but it wasn’t because she was drained. She was scared. Maybe terrified was the better word.

He needed to find a way to get Charun off her back permanently. So far, he hadn’t come up with one damn idea. Taking her to Cimmeria should buy them some time.

He’d wanted to make a clean getaway, but X had caught up to them before they could.

“I think going to Cimmeria is the only option we have left until I can find a way to get Charun off her back.”

“But… you know…” X started shaking his head again, flashing a look at Tessa. Cal knew exactly what X was thinking.

There’d be no sun in Cimmeria.

Tessa’s hand tightened convulsively on Cal’s and he turned to look into her eyes. They were round, her pupils dilated, and he swore she’d turned a lighter shade of pale.

Yes, he knew exactly what he was asking her to give up. But only for a short time. A year, maybe two. He wanted her safe. Wanted her where he could best protect her. This was the best he could come up with. It would have to be enough because nothing else had worked up to this point.

“I understand what going to Cimmeria means,” she said. “And I’m ready.”

Damn, she made him want to wrap her in his arms and not let go. To put his mouth over hers and kiss her until he couldn’t breathe anymore.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, Tessa. You know that, right?”

“Yes.” She nodded, a slight smile curving her lips. “I know you will do whatever you can to protect me. But right now, we need to get out of here before Charun sends one of his demons. The sun is setting. We don’t have much time. Once we’re gone, Eric can shut the wards tight.”

There was that trust again. Shining in her eyes. But he had to be sure she knew what she was getting into. “You know what that means, right? There’s no sun in Cimmeria, Tessa. You’ll be weakened. You—”

“I’ll have you.”

The ferocity of emotion that shot through him made him ache to kiss her, to lay his claim to her. Right here and now, in front of his brother. Hell, he wouldn’t care who was watching.

The strength of that emotion didn’t scare him as much as it would have only a few days ago. And if he had the time, he’d even admit to knowing exactly what he felt. But they didn’t have time. He knew in his gut they were running out of it.

And really, it was what he should have done when she’d first come to him. He’d just been too damn arrogant and stubborn to do it. If he had to go crawling back to his father for help, he would.

“Yes. You’ll have me.”

“And me. I’ll go with you.”

X started away from the door, but Cal caught his arm to stop him.

“You need to stay here. Help Frentani with security. I don’t think—”

“I’m not helpless, Cimmerian.” The doctor stepped out of the stairwell from the basement, not looking at all happy. “This place was warded by one of the strongest
streghe
I’ve ever known. Tessa, are you really sure this is the right course of action?”

Tessa nodded. “Absolutely. If Cal says this is what we do, then this is what we do.”

Frentani sighed, his mouth flattening into a line as he looked back at Cal, a warning in every taut muscle.

Cal didn’t have time for a pissing match. “X is staying. I don’t doubt your wards, Doc, but what if? What if a demon gets in here? Do you really want to be the only one protecting Flavia and the babies? X is a damn good fighter. Together, you two can hold this place. I don’t think there’ll be an attack because I think the demon will follow Tessa. But… wouldn’t you rather have the extra pair of hands?”

Cal didn’t wait around for either X or Frentani to answer. They’d wasted enough time as it was. He headed for the door, Tessa following behind him. After a brief hesitation, X moved away but laid his hand on Cal’s shoulder.

“Be safe, Cal.” Then he shifted his gaze to Tessa and smiled. “I’ll see you soon, Lady.”

Her answering smile wobbled a little but it was there. “I look forward to it, Extasis.” Then she turned to Frentani. “I’m sorry for bringing this to your door, Eric. I didn’t—”

“No, Tessa. None of this is your fault. Just… be safe.”

Then Frentani’s gaze slid to his, and Cal saw a warning there. He nodded once before opening the door and leading Tessa out into the twilight.

***

“Cal, are you sure I’ll be welcome in Cimmeria?”

Tessa couldn’t contain her question any longer. They had only started making their way through the forest surrounding the doctor’s home. Cal seemed to be following a path only he could see.

He didn’t falter. “I’ll make sure of it. Don’t worry, Tessa.”

Ah, if it were only that simple.

“What about your father? I know you and he are… estranged. I don’t want to be the cause of any further problems between you.”

Cal snorted. “Sweetheart, my dad and I don’t need any help from anyone to find something to argue about. We do just fine on our own. My mom will be thrilled to see you. And so will the other
aguane
.”

Her foot caught on the edge of a tree root and she tripped, just a little stumble. Cal caught her arm and pulled her close. He’d never let her fall, but she knew she should shut her mouth and concentrate.

But nerves and fear made her chatty.

“You never did explain to me how the
aguane
came to be living in Cimmeria.”

She wasn’t sure he’d answer at first but then he slid a glance over his shoulder at her. Even in the dark, she could tell he was assessing her state of mind. And yes, she really did need to hear his voice.

“They’ve been there for little more than a century now,” he said. “Cimmerian females are born so rarely that when our father was growing up, there were none of mating age available. So my father and five other men led a raiding party into Italy. I heard my dad say once that they chose Tuscany because they figured the women would be able to cook.”

His snort of laughter surprised her, and she wished she could see his smile more clearly in the fast-falling dark. “They got their wish there. They just didn’t expect the Italian temper that came with the cooking ability. Anyway, about two days into their scouting trip, the men were on their way to Florence when they came upon a hunting party. Only the hunters were
Malandante
and they were kidnapping the
aguane
.”

Tessa caught her breath. The
Mal
were Etruscans who’d been born with a gene to be bad. Evil, deadly, magically bad.

“They’d already killed one of the women because she put up a fight,” Cal continued. “My dad and the other men killed the
Mal,
and according to who you ask, the women either threw themselves at the men in gratitude or the men made them an offer they couldn’t refuse and brought them back to Cimmeria.

“My guess is the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Whatever really happened, the outcome was the same. There are now six
aguane
living in Cimmeria.”

“And they’re happy?”

Cal’s hesitation was slight but noticeable. “I’ve never heard my mom complain. And even I have to admit our father is different around her. Almost… gentle. But,” he sighed, “I gotta warn you. I figure as soon as my dad opens the door, we’re gonna start in on each other. And it could get bad.”

Then something else occurred to her. “Do you… I mean, do the Cimmerians have a pantheon? I’ve never heard you mention any gods or goddesses.”

“My people have never been much for deities. About a millennia ago, we had a complex polytheistic system like the Etruscans, Romans, and Greeks. But our gods were vicious, just like we’d been, and they massacred themselves centuries ago. In a weird way, their destruction saved our culture. Without gods to cause division among the rank and file, we learned to live together, if not always in harmony. You won’t have to worry about any—”

He stopped, going so silent and still that she swore he wasn’t breathing. She froze as well, though she couldn’t quite contain her gasp of surprise.

Cal’s hand closed over her mouth, and she barely had time to panic before he put his lips right against her ear.

“We’re gonna have to run.” A pause. “Now.”

As if her body knew what he wanted her to do even before her brain did, Tessa was ready when Cal took off.

She leaped forward and poured every bit of her energy into making sure she didn’t slow him down too much. She knew he had to shorten his stride for her, but he kept their hands locked together and pulled her along.

Brush cracked and popped beneath her feet, so loudly she swore it could be heard in the next state. Whoever or whatever Cal had sensed was sure to hear them.

And Tessa was no sprinter.

At first she heard nothing but the beat of her heart in her ears and the harsh inhale and exhale of her breathing.

Cal ran silently.

It was dark enough that she could barely see where they were going, but Cal had no problem maneuvering and she stayed as close to his path as she could. Still, she was running blind in a forest. At night. And fear made for a lousy run partner.

When Cal came to a stop, she didn’t stop in time, slamming into his back and nearly making him fall. He kept to his feet only through sheer force of will and caught her around the waist to stop her forward momentum.

He didn’t bother with an explanation, and in the very dim light of the rising moon, she saw him dig into his jeans pocket and then withdraw something small and white.

When he turned to the huge old pine in front of him and started to draw something, she had to bite her tongue to keep from asking questions. She didn’t have a clue what he was doing, and now that they’d stopped, she heard—or thought she heard—whatever it was that’d spooked Cal.

The soft
shush
of air moving was her only warning. Then a dark mass hit her and took her to the ground.