A Spartan's Kiss (41 page)

She kissed Tabithia on the cheek, startling her, before pulling away and vanishing.

The witch had travel skills! Shit. That sucked.

Tabithia’s phone vibrated in her hand a second before the ring tone hit her ears. One glance at the screen, and she smiled so big it hurt.

Aeros.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Aeros stood outside his LA home and stared at his phone. He should call her. Act normal. Pretend nothing was wrong. Taking a deep breath, he counted to ten and released it. Slowly, he dialled her number. What if she was still in her closet? Still harming herself? Leaving her home had been the hardest thing he’d ever done in a long life of hardship. He barely remembered walking out and had no idea if he had even shut the door.

The phone rang once, twice, and he held his breath until with a whoosh it left him at the sound of Tabithia’s voice in his ear.

“Aeros! Ares is at the club. We have to get over there and—”

“Tabithia, hold on, slow down.” His brain struggled to process the excited quality of her voice and the meaning of her words at the same time.

She sounded pleased to hear from him. Should he ask where she was?

“I can’t. Aeros, we need to move it. I’m in LA at my aunt’s. Can you meet me at the club? And, oh, shit, I need to get hold of Sammie. We were supposed to meet her, and Aeros, we… I mean, I… I need to talk to you.”

Ah, shit.
What did that mean? She needed to talk to him?

She rushed on before he had a chance to speak. “But not now. We promised Sammie we’d be at One Eye’s, and your jerk of a…” He heard her pause, then hurry on. “Well, anyway, whatever Ares is, he’s messing things up, isn’t he?”

Relief flooded his senses so badly he sank back to lean into his SUV.

“Aeros? Are you there? Where are you? Can you use that spell once more? Does it have any juice left? Otherwise—”

“I’m in LA, Tabithia. You weren’t home, so I came here. I was worried.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered so softly he could barely hear her. She sounded sad now, and that was the last thing he wanted. She wanted to talk. He’d meet her and they’d talk. Could he tell her he knew she harmed herself?

“Tabithia, we can simply go to One Eye’s to meet your friend. We don’t need to go to Evie’s. Your friend is protected, and, trust me, I spoke to Ares. He knows the deal now. He had”—how to explain the insecurities of a god? He hardly believed it—“issues.”

Tabithia was silent for several long seconds, then she huffed a laugh. She sounded happy. Had she missed him?

“Huh, ya think? He, like, imprisoned her forever and shaved her head, for God’s sake. I mean, who does that? And then he brought over women—”

He interrupted her rant with a grin. “I need to see you. I don’t want to talk on this phone. I want you. Now.”

She was silent for a long, intense moment, then murmured, “Um, okay.”

“I missed you. I wanted you with me. Not out there alone.”

“Aeros, I—”

“No, I will come to you. Stay there. Where you are.”

“I’m getting on my bike now. I’ll be at the south end hub. Meet me there, okay?”

South end hub. He knew the place, but…

“No, meet me here and we’ll head out to meet your friend together. If Ares is still being an ass, we’ll go afterward to Evie’s and straighten things out.”

He heard her bike start up and winced. Gods, he hated her on that bike.

Over the sound of her engine she said, “All right. That works better. Maybe we can take your big SUV?”

Now why did that question make his cock twitch? “Yes, anything you want, sweetheart.”

“Oh, interesting. Anything I want, huh?” Her purring tone had him hard as stone within seconds.

“Tabithia, be careful.”

“I am always careful, Sparkie. Later. Five minutes, okay?”

Five minutes. She sounded excited. To see him? Did this mean she needed to cut herself to feel better before seeing him? Or that after she cut herself she could be happy? Had she been happy in his home? With him?

Gods, he needed answers. He wanted to hold her close and never let her go.

“Ten minutes. Be careful.” He couldn’t help saying it again. She laughed and disconnected, but not before he heard her tyres squeal.

He hated that bike and her on it. She drove too fast and took too many risks. He needed to protect her.

The house was empty. He knew the men had all taken their downtime, except for Aaron who’d gone to the council in his stead. For now, his second could take over for him. He needed to secure Tabithia. Make sure she was safe. The bedroom was still rumpled and well used from their day here. The pendant caught his eye. They’d left it on the bedside table.

A plan took root and grew. If he couldn’t love her enough to help her stop hurting herself, maybe he could tell her to stop. Order her.

Tabithia hated his orders.

But he hated the thought of her hurting.

Could he order her hurts away?

* * * *

Ten minutes to the second, Tabithia pulled up to Aeros’ LA mansion, her heart racing and her nerves quaking. He’d known all this time that she cut herself. He’d not simply heard she sliced her skin, but had seen her cutting herself. Her most shameful secret, the most cowardly, sick thing she did, and he knew.

She knew one thing about Trouble—her aunt didn’t lie. She didn’t candy-coat anything. The truth hurt at times, she always said, but the truth of their words was sometimes the only thing they could claim as theirs.

Trouble had taken away Tabithia’s biggest obstacle in loving Aeros.

The knowledge freaked Tabithia out so badly she felt like her stomach would never settle down, yet she felt suddenly okay. Now that he knew the most shameful stuff, and still he wanted her, had wanted her the entire time, she somehow seemed free from what she had done. What held her back, she thought suddenly, from being with him, having him?

She parked her bike, her hands trembled alarmingly but she wasn’t sure if it was nerves or fear. Both maybe.

“Tabithia!”

She turned, nearly knocked off her feet by Aeros’ hug. He raised her up and spun her in a circle, smiling up at her, like he’d done before. The breath whooshed out of her to make room for all the happiness filling her. Then she registered his face. He was bruised, his perfect bottom lip bloody and a big cut bleeding down his jaw.

“Ah, goddess! What happened to you? Aeros, put me down. Oh, gods, should I call Sorcha?”

“Tabithia, it’s nothing, baby. I beat the hell out of Ares for talking to you alone.”

Her eyes widened into disbelief. “You did what?” Happiness threatened to burst past her throat and spill out all over them.

‘He can heal you.’

Yeah, she guessed he could. Did. Had? Maybe. He’d beaten up a god? For her?

“Tabithia, I’ll kill anyone that ever threatens you. Kiss me, you took too long.” He eased her down his strong, warm body slow enough for her to get a good idea just how much he’d missed her.

“I didn’t take too long, and I was careful. Wasn’t that what you said? Be careful?”

She cupped his face, skimming her hands over his hurts and murmuring a childhood spell to ease the bruises.

He grinned and captured her fingers and kissed her fingertips. She smiled up at him and couldn’t hold back the need to feel him again. Surprising her, he grabbed her close at the same time she tugged him down to kiss him for all she was worth. His lips parted under hers, and she dived in, exploring him boldly, loving how his big arms tightened around her as if she might try to escape. She kissed him until, with a groan, he turned them and pressed her back up against something, the garage, the SUV, she didn’t care. She only felt—felt him, big and strong, hard and so perfect, against her, wanting her as much as he always had.

He lifted his head then kissed her again, barely moving back once more to stare down at her.

His dark gaze held hers mesmerised as he murmured, “Never leave again.” He lifted a hand from around her waist and smoothed his hand through her hair. “Don’t leave again.”

She smiled up at him—what else could she do?

“Aeros, I’ve been gone for only a few hours.”

Half of her worried he knew exactly what she’d been doing, but the other half simply was too thrilled to have him back in her arms to care.

“A few hours too long. Tabithia, I’ve lived for centuries alone. I don’t want to be alone any longer.”

“Oh,” she breathed out the breathy sound and barely kept off the
oh my
.

He let her feet touch the ground but kept her plastered to his big chest, simply caressing her back and hair. “So this club, One Eye’s. You go there often.”

It wasn’t a question, but she sensed his uneasiness.

“I used to.”

He still looked like he wanted to say something, so she shrugged in his embrace and rubbed his chest.

“I was alone, too. Not centuries, but…alone all the same.”

“And now you are with me.” He nodded as if that was enough.

Surely, he’d heard rumours of her partying. She knew he had. But all he did was nod and accept her. Would he always?

When she stayed silent, he brushed a tender kiss to her lips. “We’ll fill both our lives, eh?”

Warmth heated her chest. “Yes, I suppose we will, if you can stand me.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Stand you? I can’t stand not to have you. I want you right now, Tabithia. Always.” He pressed the rigid length of his erection against her hip. “Always. But I want more than sex from you. I want that nap you promised. I want to see you eat. I want to see you sleeping in my bed. I want you, woman. You.”

The breath left her in another small whoosh. His passionate words, his intense expression and firm grip on her like he’d never let her go, did odd things to her. Happiness bubbled up, and she squealed, unable to keep the sound inside any longer.

“I want you too, Aeros. I always have, I think.” She reached up on tiptoe and kissed his jaw. He was all bristly again, but she loved the shadowy beard against her lips. And her thighs.

“Damn, sweetheart.” He gripped her butt and dragged one leg up to press her her tight to his body. “I want you now, but I am thinking you’re going to make me wait, aren’t you?”

Tabithia ran her hands over his shoulders and breathed him in. Samantha was waiting. They had to go and help her out with the demon, Agni, then maybe…

“We should go and help Sammie out.”

He groaned heavily into her neck, his breath hot and moist along her sensitive skin. “What of Dare? Do you still want me to go straighten Ares out?”

She giggled at the idea. But he’d already straightened Ares out, hadn’t he?

“I’m sure Dare can take care of him. Let’s go and see what Sammie needs, then go make out in your SUV.”

“Make out?” He pulled away to grin down at her and swatted her butt.

Startled, she jumped, shocked at him.

“I want a bit more than that, baby.”

She tugged his arm until he partway let her go, but kept one arm around her waist when she turned. “Huh, we’ll see about that. Let’s go. Sammie does not like to be kept waiting. She’s a bit…intense.”

“Intense?”

“Well, let’s just say she is pissed off at a demon and wants to hand him certain body parts.”

Aeros pulled her to a stop and turned her to face him. Expression serious, he waited for her to go on. Uh-oh.

“She wants me to aid with anyone he’s brought with him.”

“In what way help her, Tabithia?”

“Oh…” She bought some time by dragging the sound out a bit longer than necessary. “She usually has me along as a distraction.”

Aeros pulled her to a halt. Lips close enough to kiss her, he said, “Not a fucking chance of that happening, sweetheart.”

Oh my
. Her Spartan was not on board for a little harmless flirting with the enemy, huh?

And Sammie would…kill her if she didn’t do her part.

Well, shit.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Aeros thought Tabithia might have softened her description of her friend from insane to intense so he would not forbid this adventure. Samantha Silversword stood watching him with an intelligence that didn’t miss much. Blue eyes, so light they reminded him of the moon, flashed once when she observed his arm around Tabithia’s waist. Staring up at him, she seemed to realise he wasn’t about to let Tabithia flirt with anyone, for any reason, because she sighed heavily and rolled her eyes.

She said something, but Tabithia chose that moment to press her rounded bottom into his groin, effectively ending his thought processes and apparently his hearing because Samantha tossed her black hair and walked off, barely turning around to ask if they were coming before she headed down the bar to meet up with two well-known demons. Whatever Agni had done, the fire demon might have bitten off more than he could handle. If Aeros had known it was Agni Samantha had in her sights, he might not have been so worried. Torment didn’t bother him in the least. Both demons would see him with Tabithia, the first woman he’d ever been with, and know her for who she was to him.

His. His bonded. Soon, he’d claim her. Once he did, he’d forbid her to cut herself again. He might just forbid her the bike, as well.

Tabithia tipped her head back, running a small hand along his arm, and his brain did a full stop.

“Well, we’d better get on with this programme or she’s going to flip out on us, not the little fire demon.”

Little? Agni was many things, but little was not one of them. The demon stood as tall as Aeros, if not a few breaths taller. Lean, but muscled from years of sword fighting, the demon was a force of nature when he fought. Aeros didn’t doubt for a moment the demon was more deadly than all his Spartans put together when pissed off and more intelligent than was good for the puzzle-loving demon. Aeros had seen the man stare at a problem for weeks, strategise and plan, until finally finding the answer. He had one of those one-track minds that drove most people insane to be around, but aided them more than once in the long years he’d fought with the man. Fire was his nickname, and he was quick to temper. His light hair and golden skin marked him as a member of the fire demons. His way with the ladies was legendary, though, and, if he thought Samantha was his, he wouldn’t see her trap until it was sprung.