Blessed (20 page)

“Baby, slow down, I’m not going to last.”

“Fuck me, Aiden, she growled and looped her legs over his ass. “Hard.”

Gripping her hips, he growled then drove himself into fast and hard, just like she wanted. Everything inside of her tightened, her entire body throbbing as her he fucked her to orgasm, her throat hurting as she screamed and contracted around his cock, raking her nails down his back and clinging to him. The pleasure was overwhelming, soul destroying, and she clung to him as if he was the only thing keeping her anchored to this world. Throwing his head back, Aiden let out a deep groan as his hips jerked into her and she felt his cock pulsing with his release. With a sigh he collapsed against her, pulling her into his arms but not removing himself from her body.

“Fantastic.”

All she could do was make a vaguely agreeing sound as she tried to figure out if she was dying.

After a long, long time she lay in a panting bundle of buzzing nerves pressed against him. Moving slowly as he pulled out, he stood then removed the condom and cleaned up with a handful of tissues from the box next to the bed before collapsing back on the mattress. Cuddling closer to him, she smiled against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back. A few quiet minutes went by. He slowly smoothed his hand down her hair and her back in long, leisurely caresses and she wanted to purr like a content cat.

Her thundering heart slowed, happiness filled her. She was here, in Aiden's arms, in his bedroom. And it was better than she’d ever imagined it could be.

He glanced at the brass clock beside the bed and let out a quiet sigh as reality crept back in. “What time do you have class in the morning?” he asked quietly.

She groaned and flipped over onto her stomach, looking at him and drinking in the sight of his bare, muscled chest. “Well, I have your class at ten, and I'm supposed to study with Chrissy after lunch.”

He nodded, looking at her with a serious expression. “Would you like to sleep with me tonight?”

She felt embarrassed and tried to lighten the mood. “I thought we just did sleep together.”

With a grin, he tugged her into the mound of pillows and tucked the blankets around both of them. “I meant in my bed with me tonight, you minx.”

She pretended to ponder this, tapping her lips with a fingernail. “Well...as long as you promise not to snore or steal the covers. This bed is big enough, so I don't have to worry about you hogging all the room.”

He smiled and pulled her close for a gentle kiss. As the kiss deepened, she felt him stir against her leg, and he moved back. “We do need to get some sleep. So try not to be so tempting please.”

With a soft laugh, she cuddled into him. He held her close and nuzzled his face against her hair, whispering, “You're a perfect fit in my arms.”

Eliana let her eyes drift closed, lulled by the sound of his breathing and the deep comfort of the bed. The stress of the day caught up with her, and she started to drift off.

As she was falling asleep, she heard him murmuring into her hair in a foreign language. “What are you saying?” she asked in a sleepy voice.

“Giving thanks to Odin and asking for his continued blessings,” he said, his breath flowing across her neck.

She thought about how lucky she had been today, and she said a prayer as well.
I don't know who is watching out for me, but thank you. Thank you for keeping me safe, for blessing me with good friends and family, and for sending Aiden to me.

She didn't get a direct answer, but she felt a sense of comfort and security wrap around her, like her mother's arms or a warm blanket. Listening to the soft sound of his praying, and wrapped in the blessings of the gods, she fell asleep.

Linda rolled onto her side and threw up into the dew-covered grass, tears of agony coursing down her face. Dry heaves shook her as her body tried to get rid of the memories her mind contained, of the torture her soul had just endured. The scarf she wore over her dyed red hair fell off, and the strands stuck to her sweaty forehead. The scarf and big glasses lying in the grass by her head were an effort to disguise her from being identified as Linda before she and Dillon reached the safety of their home in New York.

Dawn began to break over the distant tree line as she lay panting on her side.

Dillon leaned on the hood of their Jaguar, watching for any incoming traffic. They had pulled off to the side of a country road in Pennsylvania, and she’d made it as far as the edge of the field before Eris's summoning became too strong to put off any longer. She made the journey to the Spirit Realm to report her failure to her goddess.

And she had paid a heavy price.

Now, two hours later, her soul had finally returned to her body. Eris had personally tortured her. Linda's mind shied away from the memory before it drove her insane. Things had gone so wrong so fast, but least she’d managed to get most of the chemicals they needed before the police showed up.

Dillon knelt into the grass next to Linda, wiping off her mouth with a handkerchief he had produced from his pocket. For a moment, she let herself lie there, grateful to feel the wet grass against her cheek, the stroke of Dillon cleaning her face.

“What did Eris have to say?”

Linda shuddered and gripped her arms around herself as she fought off another dry heave. “The only reason I'm not still entertaining my goddess is because this situation might still be salvageable. One of Her prophets said we need to 'find a mother's sin and a mother's vanity; that way leads to Destruction.'“

Linda wiped a hand across her quivering lips. “She knows about your little adventure in the woods with Eliana, Dillon.”

Staring off into the tree line, Dillon paled. “How did she find out? Did you tell her?”

“No,” she snapped. “Do you think Lucifer and Eris don't talk to each other? She didn't know you tried to kill the girl, only that you attempted to recruit her. Evidently, Lucifer bought your story about using the Barghest to intimidate her.”

Dillon let out a sigh and stroked her hair back. “I've been listening to the radio, and I haven't heard anything about the raid on the store yet. Looks like they are keeping it under wraps. Lots of chatter on the police scanner though. They've put out an APB with your description. Will Eris protect us from the police?”

“Yes. Well, sort of. I have one month to solve the prophet's riddle. If I fail...” Linda turned red then pale then a sickly yellow. “If I fail, Eris and Lucifer are going to make an example of us.”

Dillon sat with a thump next to her, too shocked to care about the dew soaking his Armani pants. “Tell me what I can do to help you, and pray David succeeds where we have failed.”

Linda nodded, leaning her bright red hair against his shoulder as she began to plan.

****

Sunlight warmed a portion of Eliana's leg as she dozed next to Aiden. She’d woken occasionally during the night, comforted by his large body sleeping next to hers. In the light of the morning, the warmth of his body seduced her, and she cuddled back into him. Closing her eyes, she drifted back into a comfortable sleep on the soft sheets.

Dimly she heard the sound of a phone ringing. It wasn't her ringtone, so she didn't stir when he got up to answer it. She opened her eyes and watched him as he talked into the phone. His red brown hair was an unruly mess, probably from a combination of sleep and her hands running through it last night. She sat up and moved behind him, placed a dozen gentle kisses before moving off the bed.

Feeling the call of nature, she mouthed the word bathroom, and he pointed to a door on the other side of the room. She grabbed his shirt from the floor, all too aware of the way he was devouring her with his gaze. As she sauntered past him, he grabbed her hand and mouthed the word beautiful. She grinned and moved to the bathroom with an extra sway in her hips, her footsteps silent on the thick carpet. Aiden made her feel so good about herself, so confident and….and loved.

No, it was way, way too early to be thinking about the ‘L’ word.

She used the bathroom and washed her face with a nice smelling soap on the sink. With a grimace, she tried to comb the snarls out of her hair and gave up. Using her finger, she brushed her teeth using his toothpaste and gargled with his mouthwash to get the fuzzy taste out. When she looked into the mirror she couldn’t help giving reflection a silly grin. Wait until Chrissy heard about this.

Then her grin faded as she realized she couldn’t tell Chrissy anything, hell she couldn’t tell anyone anything. Her stomach sank and she turned around, no longer wanting to look at herself. In all the chaos of the last few days she really hadn’t had a chance to think about what everything that had happened meant to her future. If she did become a Chosen, she’d forever be living in a secret world and she wondered what she would do for a living, or if there was even a point in going to school anymore. Then again, every Chosen she’d met seemed to have some kind of side job, so maybe there was a chance she could still use her business degree. Like maybe her god or goddess of choice could really use an office manager.

She snorted back a laugh, then took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Right now wasn’t the time to be stressing out about the future. She needed to focus on the present and worry about keeping herself alive long enough to have a future. Funny how a few days ago her biggest fear was failing a class on religion and now it was not being eaten by a demon dog or being framed as a terrorist. Then again, a few days ago her greatest wish had been to have someone as amazing as Aiden in her life, and now she did. The feeling of being with him, of making love to him, of just being in his presence, was just about the most wonderful thing she’d ever experienced.

And she wanted to feel more of that joyous sensation, right now. Preferably while she rode him to their mutual satisfaction. The memory of his body over hers, of his scent filling her soul just like his cock had filled her body, made everything south of her belly button tighten. Gods there were so many things she wanted to try with that man.

Feeling a little more normal, and horny, she went back out into the bedroom to find Aiden gone.

With a frown, she wondered if she should look for him or wait here. It was after 7 a.m., so she had time before she had to return to her dorm room and get ready for class. It seemed like another world now, a place so different from this world of magic and danger, and incredible sex.

She was bending to retrieve her discarded skirt when he came up behind her and threw her onto the bed. She let out a shriek and smacked his arm. He grinned unabashedly at her, looking somehow both utterly masculine yet boyish. “Sorry. I had to use the facilities myself.”

He gave her a gentle minty kiss and rolled her back into the pillows, tucking her into his arms with a sigh. Immediately she snuggled into him and sighed as well. They both laughed and cuddled together for a few, blissful minutes. He stroked his hand over the curve of her butt where it showed under the edge of his shirt.

“Who was that on the phone this early?”

“My mother.”

She scooted on the bed and eyed him. The dire way he’d said that made her want to laugh, as did his sour expression. When he looked at her his frown melted away and he reached out to stroke her cheek. He seemed to really enjoy touching her and she sure as hell enjoyed being touched.

“Why the frown? Are we in trouble?” she asked with a small smile.

He laughed. “No, but she did invite you to come to the country club tomorrow night for a benefit dinner they’re throwing. And, by invite, I mean if I don't bring you, she will come hunt you down. She is very eager to meet you.”

“Meet me? Why?”

“Because you’re my student, among other things.”

She groaned and buried her face in the fluffy white pillow. “Do you think she knows about...us?”

He traced the edge of her exposed hip. “Considering I think we left your bra in the den, I believe the staff put two and two together.”

“Great, your mom thinks I'm a hussy,” she said into the pillow.

“No, my mother does not think you're a hussy. Besides,” he murmured into her ear, “you're not a hussy. You're a potential Chosen and my lady. That earns you big marks in her books. Not to mention you’re also smart, beautiful, and courageous.”

She peeked at him with one eye and rolled over onto her back. His compliments made her want to giggle in a totally immature way, but she held it in and asked, “How do I get to the country club?”

“I'm going to have Jack come pick you up at your dorm. Until things settle, I don't want you driving anywhere by yourself. The chances for someone to...hurt you are much greater when you're alone. But I won’t let that happen, I promise. ” He pulled her into his arms again and cupped her bottom with a gentle grip.

The reminder of yesterday sobered her, and she held his hand. Hardcore feminists would have been pissed at how much comfort she took in the knowledge that the powerful man beside her would help keep her safe. “Aiden, I have to get back to my dorm. Are you going to follow me there?”

With a nod, he said, “I'll follow you as far as the entrance to the dorm parking lot. Remember what I said: stick to crowds, lock your doors, and keep your cell phone on you at all times. I'm going to spread the word among the Chosen to keep an eye on you.” As he talked, his fingers traced patterns on the soft curve of her bottom that gave her goose bumps.

“So I'm going to have stalkers? What a lovely thought.”

“I wish I could keep you here, safe in this house until your time of Choice, but that isn’t possible. We have to live our lives, follow our dreams, and do the best we can. We're no good to ourselves, or our gods, if we remain hidden from the world we're supposed to protect. The things I try to protect you from may be the actions the gods use to judge you by. Once you’ve been Chosen, and I have no doubt you will be, you’ll be able to defend yourself and I won’t have to get grey hairs worrying about you.”

Trying to lighten the mood, she gave him a narrow eyed look. “Are you sure your grey hairs are from worrying about me? I mean you are getting older.”