Destiny Bewitched (17 page)

They were panting and
sweating, bruised and bloody and desperate as hell. He looked into
her eyes, a stark look of pure lust – dark and sensual but full of
possession. He was taking his war prize. And she was it.

Growls tore from his
throat as they moved faster. She felt it too – the urgency, the
longing. It built in her belly, growing with intensity as they
fucked harder and harder.

Then Geo bent his head
and sucked her nipple into his mouth, tickling it with the tip of
his tongue. Pleasure tore through her like a riptide and she went
spiraling, drowning under the current of sensation.

Geo made a gruff moan
from the back of his throat then spilled into her, his body rigid
against hers. His breath stayed at her ear, heavy and warm while
they slowed their racing hearts. He covered her face and neck with
kisses while keeping her off the ground with an arm under her ass
and the wall at her back. Though the kisses were sweet, she
shivered, only now feeling the chill.

Suddenly, his demeanor
changed and he set her down then stepped back. Briskly, he grabbed
a towel from his pack and cleaned himself then handed it to her,
avoiding eye contact.

“What’s wrong?” She
heard the panic in her voice.
What did I do?

“I’m sorry.” He paced
in front of her once…twice. “I didn’t pull out. I…I’m so
sorry.”

Oh.
She smiled. “I’m on the pill.
It’s all good.”

He stopped and gave her
a questioning look. “What?”

“I can’t get pregnant
so you can, um,” – she averted her gaze – “you know…”

“No, I don’t. I can
what?”

Was he laughing at her?
She peered up at him. No, he looked truly perplexed. “So you can…”
Her mind went blank. “Brand me with your seed,” she mumbled then
winced and gave her head a shake.
Did I really just say that?

Silence then a
strangled snort came from the demon. Her head snapped up. He
was
laughing
at her!

She went to shove his
chest. “Shut up!”

He grabbed both her
hands and pulled her into his body. His lips descended on hers, hot
and tasting like bliss. He pulled away too soon, leaving her dizzy.
“Don’t get embarrassed, love. I think you’re adorable.”

She grinned up at him
like a smitten puppy dog. Was she smitten? Her smile faded. This
was their second intimate tryst and there was no wine to blame.
Maybe violence made men go all Horny He-man but she had no such
excuse.

Geo took her hand and
led her to the bed. “Come on. You’ve got my blood on you. Let me
clean you up.”

His
blood on me? She sighed and
reached for the canteen and towel on the table. “You’re the one who
got hurt. Sit down.” With a little push, he plopped onto the side
of the bed and stared up at her.
That’s better.
She smiled.

“I like taking care of
you.” It was a mild protest but he didn’t stop her when she wet the
towel.

“That goes both ways,
baby,” she said then flinched. Did she just call him a pet name?
Shaking off that slip, she rubbed the small spots of blood off her
arm and down her side then threw on the t-shirt she’d been wearing
to bed. “I let you take care of me plenty, but this time” – she
approached him with the towel and a smile – “it’s my turn.”

He gazed up at her with
an expression of awe. Despite the blood and the muscles, he looked
innocent in a way – like he had no idea what to make of her. Had no
one cared for him before?

She looked him over and
sighed. “I can’t believe I let you screw me against the wall while
you’re hurt.”

He chuckled. “I’m not
hurt. I heal fast.”

Ignoring him, she
focused on what she thought was the biggest wound. She lifted his
heavy arm, wiping the blood away gently. But his skin was perfect –
no sign of injury.

His lips quirked. “Very
fast.” His gaze traveled over her body. “And it’d have been worth
it even if I didn’t.”

She felt herself melt.
Pull it
together!
After pouring more water onto the towel, she moved
to stand between his legs. She started on his face, washing the
blood from his forehead. His eyes drifted shut and he let out a
relaxed sigh. She took a moment to study his face. With the
washcloth, she traced the lines on his forehead that often crinkled
with distress. She moved down the side to his strong jaw that
sometimes clenched tight when he was frustrated – or when he tried
to hold back his amusement at her smart-ass comments. Then she
wiped across the dimpled chin that jutted out with pride.

His breaths came slowly
now, in a peaceful rhythm. She hadn’t realized she’d stopped
washing until he opened his eyes. He drilled through her soul with
a silent look that seemed to speak volumes. The room suddenly felt
thick with tension. Geo’s hand rested on her thigh – so hot against
her skin she was suddenly aware of nothing else.

“Um,” she cleared her
throat. “I need more water.” She stepped back and guzzled a few
sips before wetting the towel again.

His chest and shoulders
still needed cleaning. She tried to approach him from the side but
he grabbed her legs and pulled her between his again. With a little
smirk, he gave her a squeeze, signaling she should stay there.

She did. And as she
gently wiped the blood away, visions of the fight swirled in her
mind. Geo limping. Geo clutching his stomach in pain. His mouth
bleeding. Getting kicked over and over in the ribs. He did this,
sacrificed his body, for her. And why? What had she given him in
return? Besides a hard fuck up against the wall. He had no
guarantee her plea to Gaia would even work. Only she knew it was
almost positively
not
going to work.

There was that bitter
taste of guilt again.

His hand moved up her
thigh, skimming across her skin and resting just under his
shirt.

“Geo.” She took a deep
breath. “You don’t have to do this anymore. This is too much to ask
of you.”

He shrugged. “As I said
before, I don’t have anything better to do.” The hand under his
shirt, so close to her ass, began rubbing small circles on her
skin.

“You could live,” she
insisted, trying to keep her head despite the heat growing between
her legs. “Instead of risking your life every night.”

“I don’t think I knew
what living was until…” He stopped.

Until what?

The room was thick with
silence again.

He dropped his hand
from her leg and she frowned. “What brought this on? Do you really
think I’d desert you here?

Bending down to swipe
the towel across his chest, she looked him in eye. “You were going
to.”

He glanced away. “That
was before.”

“Before what?”

Silence again.
Before what!
When no response seemed forthcoming, she grunted in frustration.
Strange, confusing
man with mysterious, annoying answers!

“I fear you have a
distorted view of what a real man is, Samantha,” he finally
said.

Another non-answer!
“Probably.” She
thought of her dad and brothers. “No one has ever fought for me
before.” Even her high school boyfriends had been scared off by her
brothers. Maybe it was her brothers’ way of showing they cared
about her. Who knew when it came to testosterone?

Geo was the most alpha
male she’d ever met. Protective, possessive. But she didn’t feel
like she was being smothered by his ego. And he was patient and so
far, had made good on his claim he never yelled. He’d make a
wonderful father. She smiled, envisioning his large hands cradling
an infant’s head, so calm and gentle. Too bad there wasn’t some way
to keep him.

Suddenly, he latched
onto her legs and fell back, taking her with him onto the bed. She
squealed as she landed on top of him.

His hands boldly
stroked up her thighs and over her ass. “Come,
matia mou
, my seed wants to
brand you again.”

She bit her lip to keep
from laughing.

He rolled her
underneath him then went on to prove why he was a ten in bed. Many,
many times.

“Skinwalkers,” Aedan
said with a grimness that made Samantha’s heart sink.

They stood just behind
the divider of the ring, Geo on her right, Aedan on her left. Their
opponents, two bulky half-naked men stepped into the ring.

In her mind she pulled
up the index card she’d made to catalog the supernatural creatures
at Selene’s house. Skinwalkers: Native American descent. They had
the ability to transform, much like a werewolf, into whatever
animal they wore as a pelt over their heads.

“Well, that’s not too
bad, right?” She forced her voice not to tremble. They’d barely
recovered from yesterday’s fight. She’d hoped to get a little
break, but their names were on the board that morning. Aedan had
said it was because they were now a crowd favorite – the wild card
to bet on. Goody for them.

There had only been
three fights before their turn. Geo had made her eat a hearty
breakfast then watch all three fights. Then more commentary on
strategy – that time from both men, until she’d been dizzy with
information. She’d walked away only to be dragged back ten minutes
later for their match.

The skinwalkers circled
the ring slowly, their fur-covered boots kicking up dirt. On each
of their heads sat a lifeless coyote head, teeth and all. The gray
pelts fell down and across their shoulders. Their huge jaws were
set in a malicious expression and their eyes seemed to glow from
underneath the pelt. Or maybe it was a trick of light.

She shuddered. “Those
are coyote skins, right?” Now that she looked more carefully, they
seemed awfully big for coyotes. “Even big coyotes can’t be that
bad.” She looked back and forth between the two men beside her.

They shrugged.

She rolled her eyes.
Men! “I think we can beat them with sword skill alone.”

Geo’s head snapped
toward her. “No. Protection circle for you again. Do some…witchy
stuff like last time.”

She huffed at his
patronizing tone.

His lips twitched.
“Only try to keep the opponents on the other side of your magic.
Not me.”

“Keep talking to me
like that and you’ll be spewing your guts like the Shadow
Dyad.”

Aedan chuckled behind
her.

“Protection circle,” he
pushed. “I want your word.”

She perched her hand on
her hip. “I can take care of one coyote easily. I almost had those
three werewolves before you found me, remember?”

He took a step toward
her. “When I found you, you were unconscious,
remember
?”

Damn he had a point.
But that didn’t stop the anger beginning to rise.

“Vow to me you’ll be
cautious.”

“I’m always cautious,
but I really don’t think –”

Losing his patience he
snapped, “Samantha. This is going to go down one of two ways.
Either you do what I tell you or I withdraw your name and sign up
for singles.”

How dare he!
She opened her mouth
to cuss him out then froze. Wait. He would do this alone? For her?
She blinked up at him. But…why?

Geo’s eyebrows
descended in a puzzled expression. “Is that what you want?”

“No, of course not.”
She shook her head. “I just don’t understand why you –”

The gong interrupted
her thought. “Geo and The Red Phoenix!” the announcer yelled. The
crowd hooted and hollered. Geo stared at her, ignoring it all.

With urgency in his
voice, he pleaded, “Keep my mind at ease, Samantha. Vow it.”

She sighed deeply then
nodded. “I’ll be cautious. I’ll make a circle.”
Then leave it to slice me up some
coyote.

“Thank you.” He smiled
slightly.

“Go on.” Aedan dropped
his hand on her shoulder then gave her a little push. “Fight hard
for your sister, lass.”

Yes, fear was not an
option. Boldly, she followed Geo into the ring, giving herself a
little pep talk as they went. Again, Geo walked her to a spot,
kissed her forehead, and commanded her to stay put. Dutifully, she
drew her protection circle, trembling inside. Then, swallowing back
the pit of trepidation, she unsheathed her sword and gave her
opponents the stare-down of a warrior.

Yes, Xena Warrior Slut is here to send you
home with your tail between your legs
.

One of the skinwalkers
gave a little smirk. Then they exploded. No long, painful
transformation where they’d be left vulnerable. One moment they
were men, the next they were…

Her jaw dropped. They
sure as hell weren’t coyotes.

“Son of a –”

“Sorcerer’s whore,” Geo
finished in a whisper.

Worgs. Large enough to
ride on and covered in gray fur, thicker on the top like a mane.
Four eyes, two on each side of their heads narrowed in her
direction. Their teeth were at least three inches long. Claws that
rivaled a werewolves’ dug into the dirt. Erebus had nothing on
these guys.

“Geo?” She kept her
gaze on the beasts. “These are
not
coyotes.”

He unsheathed his sword
and widened his stance. Eyes focused on the worgs he said, “Your
five-year plan, Samantha, do we die today?”

“No.”

“Good girl. Stay
focused.”

Right. Focused.

One lunged at Geo. But
he was quick, dodging the beast’s claws and striking his side with
his sword. Geo looked so small next to the worg. She gulped.

The other opened its
mouth, baring its oversized teeth as if it were grinning at her.
Then it backed up to the other end of the ring.

What the hell is it
doing?

She shook her head.
Who cares!
Focus!

Using her familiar
would be her best shot. Animal versus animal. She threw all her
magic into the form meant for her – the animal spirit every witch
was born with, and could call upon in times of distress. This would
deplete most of her energy but would be the most effective magic
against the worg.