Skin of a Goddess (Goddess Ascension Book 1) (20 page)

“If you don’t want to do it, I can search my memory archive. In fact, I’ve had strong feelings of anger fairly recently.”

I give him a significant look so he knows he was the source of said anger.

He smiles at me crookedly. “I know. I’m still not completely forgiven for the cranberry and vodka. I think we should try the emotion in the moment thing with lust. I want to help.”

I can’t help but smile at him for that, feeling my eyes turn more amber. “Thank you for that, Hunter. I appreciate your willingness.”

“Great!” Celeste claps her hands excitedly. “You two can stay on the couch while I watch from over here. Owen will stay with me, if that doesn’t bother you. I may have to take excess feelings out on him, you understand.”

“I don’t know …” Hunter starts to say, but I cut him off with a shake of the head.

“We’d be happy to have Owen stay here with us.” I whisper to Hunter, “If she has her human here to pleasure her, then she will be less inclined to join us, which I assume would make you uncomfortable?”

He blinks his lovely green eyes at me in surprise, and then quickly agrees, “Oh, yes, we don’t mind at all if he stays with you.”

Celeste gives me an amused smile and says, “He really is a shy one, huh?”

“You have no idea, but he’s generally worth it.”

Hunter rolls his eyes at our antics. “Will either of us be able to feel you feeding off of our emotions?”

Celeste thinks about it for a moment before answering, “You may feel a tingling or sense of loss, which will make you try to satiate your needs more. It won’t hurt, if that’s what you’re wondering. It will also result in a very short connection between us that will wear off when the energy I’ve taken from you is used by my body. I’ll only be able to sense your intentions toward me and other slight emotions.”

“When do you think the energy you gain from us will wear off?” I ask.

She shrugs and says, “I won’t be taking much, so it probably won’t last longer than a day, depending on how strong the energy is.”

“I’m ready,” Hunter says to me.

I say with a wink, “Then come and get me.”

Hunter smiles slightly at the challenge, but his eyes still hold calculated heat. He crosses the room in quick, long strides. He hovers over me and glances down at the blood on the seat before going to my other side. When he sits, he hesitates briefly.

Before he can change his mind, I make a move on him. I lean over to him, molding myself up against his side. I reach up and gently cup his face, coaxing him to bend down to me. Instead of kissing his mouth, which he obviously expects, I kiss the top of his scar.

Hunter makes a little sound of surprise, and tries to tug me down to his mouth. I resist, suckling and biting lightly as I make my way over to his ear. I bite his earlobe lightly, and pull a little. With the hand not busy steadying his face, I play with the little curls at the back of his head and massage the back of his neck. He starts to hold me back, gripping my waist on either side.

In an effort to get a better angle, I pull my legs up on the couch and straddle him, now on my knees. I let him pull my face down to his and let him kiss me full on the mouth. His lips are firm yet soft, rubbing against mine with exquisite care so slowly and sensuously. He bites my lower lip lightly, and pulls it away from my top one. I let my mouth fall open so his tongue can swoop in with scorching heat. He twirls his tongue around mine playfully, stroking in a tantalizing rhythm.

I place myself more firmly in his lap and rub myself against his groin. He groans in my mouth, making me bite his lush bottom lip sharply with my slightly pointed teeth. He growls lowly and kisses me deeper yet. He tongue strokes mine in a way that reminds me of other parts of my body I’d like for him to stroke.

Hunter pulls my head down more firmly by tugging my hair sharply, making me groan from the sweet urgency. He possessively cups my neck as his other hand moves up my waist to the side of my breast. I gasp when I feel him there, and twist my body to the side, trying to get more contact. He gives a purely masculine chuckle as he gives into what I want and fully palms me in his hand.

I twist my hips more firmly against the growing length in his pants as he kisses me passionately. He can feel the hardness of my nipple through the thin cloth of the dress. He gives the nipple a calculated pinch, so it’s just enough pain to increase the pleasure.

It’s all I can do not to yank away our clothing. I make myself settle for arching into his hand and making our lower bodies press together. I run myself firmly against him in the same rhythm as his tongue against mine. I allow one of my hands to sneak down his chest to grasp him through his pants and stroke. He groans and switches his hand to my other breast to give it the same attention.

I begin feeling outside awareness, a certain pull at the edges of my consciousness. True to her word, it’s not painful or alarming, just unusual. I can feel her siphoning away my lust and passion, making me ever hungrier for more of it. I feed from his mouth savagely, biting and pulling at him.

I’m about to unzip his pants and set him free when I hear, “You started the party without me!”

It’s like a bucket of cold water has been splashed on us. I look down at Hunter and see his eyes clear and harden as other things soften. I pull my dress more firmly around my chest before moving to sit next to him once more.

Across the room, Celeste sits in the chair. Her eyes are glazed over and glued to us. I look for Owen, then see him kneeling in front of her. Well, at least I see his legs and back. His head has disappeared under her dress, though I can see it firmly moving over her as he pleasures his mistress. Celeste gives him no attention, all her energy focused on Hunter and me.

I look at the door to the room, where it had been closed, to find Fleur in the archway. She no longer has Vivien, which I’m pleased to see, but looks both annoyed and sullen. If there’s one thing I definitely don’t feel like dealing with, it’s a sullen vampire jealous of missing me make out with my temporary husband.

Celeste’s eyes close briefly as her face transforms to a look of ecstasy. When the look fades, she pushes Owen’s head from between her legs. He comes out from under her dress and once again moves to the corner of the room. His face appears impassive, but his eyes hold heat and typical male satisfaction.

“That was … brilliant,” Celeste tells us with a bright and lusty smile. “You two do have a great passion for one another. I may actually be sustained on your energy for days, for all that I didn’t take much essence away from you.”

“Are we cleared to meet with Loren?” I ask, voice normal and not overly husky, for which I’m proud.

Celeste smiles with a nod. “Yes, I didn’t feel anything at all malicious from either of you. Of course, you’ll still have to wait until his schedule opens up, but as soon as it does, you’ll both be welcome to see him.”

“Thank you,” I say, both of us ignoring Hunter.

Celeste turns to Fleur with a dark look. “I could have enjoyed more if you hadn’t come barging in, interrupting things. You will be punished for your actions.”

“Isn’t missing it punishment enough?” Fleur asks.

Celeste hisses with contempt. “Not nearly. If you knew the experience I just had, you wouldn’t even ask.”

I look at Hunter out of the corner of my eye, trying to ignore the blatant signs of regret on his face. I understand that he’s private, but is our pleasure with one another really something that he has to be so ashamed of?

Celeste turns to us. “I’ll check to see when Loren is available.”

Fleur smiles. “Don’t be silly, Celeste. Loren could feel the hum of their passion from rooms away. You didn’t think it would go unnoticed, did you? He’ll see them now.”

Chapter 15

Hunter

“Loren has about thirty minutes to spare before his next appointment,” Celeste says as she leads us farther into the manor.

“That’s plenty of time,” Peitho says, quickly accommodating.

I trail more reluctantly behind them, knowing my place.

After the make out, things have been a little awkward. Oh, fine, it’s been a lot awkward. For one thing, I’m not usually one for putting on shows for strangers. For another, I liked it way too much. Peitho awakens feelings in me that are damn scary. I can’t help but feel a little embarrassed that I was so easily swayed to forget everything else around me. It shouldn’t be that easy. I shouldn’t want these things, let alone enjoy them.

I can tell that she’s picking up on my feelings. Hell, she’s probably used to randomly fucking in front of strangers. Me? Not so much. I’ve been a one-on-one, private kind of guy.

“You’ll be meeting him in his bed chamber as he prepares himself for a meeting. He’s particularly eager to meet you, Peitho, especially after the emotions he just felt from you two,” Celeste says, nodding at Peitho to show that she’s been paid a great compliment.

No need for her to mention that it was me and my amazing skills that got Peitho all hot and bothered enough to feed from. Hmm, it does sound a bit disturbing when I put it like that. I wonder what Julian would say. He’s much more used to these sorts of situations. Intimacy is more openly talked about where he’s from. What if that’s the kind of person she needs?

“Here we are,” Celeste says, stopping at a door and hesitating before knocking. “I may be granted to stay with you when you meet with him, and he may order me out. I just wanted to warn you before we enter. Also, what happened to Vivien was told to him. Luckily, he found great humor from the story and holds no ill will toward you for the incident.”

“Thank you, we’re prepared,” Peitho says.

I feel more uneasy than before, but remember to keep my face blank and to hold my tongue. Though the whole “staying silent and pretending not to be around” thing is really starting to get old. You’d think a dragon prince would be some kind of status around here, but apparently not. Since we’re brutish lizards. Really charming.

Celeste knocks on the door. After a moment, a male voice casually says, “Come in.”

The three of us enter the room. There’s a large, opulent bed to the right, fit to hold many bodies. The room has been styled in burgundy and gold, with rich fabrics and accents.

My eyes then adjust to the people in it. There are two men on either side of the room with their arms behind their backs, standing at the ready. They’re obviously bodyguards. They are tall and imposing, with amazingly blank faces, as if nothing is going on around them, despite that they’re both very attentive. There is, in fact, a lot going on around them.

There are three other people in the room, all male. A vampire is sitting on the edge of the large bed, feeding from a human next to him. Another vampire is kneeling in front of the first, pleasuring him. All three men are naked. It takes me a moment to look away from the riveting performance of one vampire suckling at a human’s neck as the human moans, and another vampire pumping steadily up and down.

I look more closely at the actual men and not what they’re doing, since the rest is nothing I particularly feel like seeing. The vampire feeding and getting pleasured is Loren, as the guards’ eyes keep shifting to him. He appears to be a fairly small man, inches shorter than me, and has medium-length dark blond hair, brown eyes, and a chiseled face.

The human seems to be built like Loren, with dark brown hair and a young face, maybe late twenties. The other vampire is a bit larger that Loren and the human, with shaggy blond hair. I can’t see either of their eyes from this angle, and none of them turn to us, even though they know we’ve entered. I don’t find power games amusing. In fact, I don’t find such shows amusing at all. I’m not homophobic, I just don’t like seeing this sort of thing in general, whether it’s between all men or a mix of genders.

Loren groans, giving one last strong pull at the human’s neck. The vampire below him works more furiously until Loren groans harder and bucks. I look quickly away, but the sounds coming from them quite clearly tell me that Loren has finished with both of his companions. At the cost of being rude, I turn my body to the side so I don’t have to look at the bed.

I look at Peitho, and she doesn’t seem surprised or upset about what she’s seeing. Maybe she’s seen things like this before. Maybe she’s good at keeping a blank face. Celeste looks like it’s a usual occurrence, which doesn’t make me feel better at all. What if there are even more tests?

Loren pushes both men away from him and slips on a robe. He turns to us with a shark-like smile. “Ah, don’t tell me you’re the beautiful Peitho!”

He comes forward and takes her hands.

Peitho says, “It is an honor to meet you, Master Loren of the European Coven.”

“Please, call me Loren,” he says with an easy smile, though his eyes stay calculating. “Your visit is certainly a surprise, but a very pleasant one. I was sorry to miss your earlier display, but rest assured, I felt its effects even at a distance.”

“I’m glad we were able to give you some small pleasure,” she assures him.

“Fabulous. I’m actually unsure as to why you’re here. Would you care to explain? Please, come sit with me and we can talk about it more comfortably,” Loren says, motioning at a little sitting area to the left of the room.

He takes a loveseat, where his human sits dutifully at his feet. The vampire who he’d been with stands next to him. Peitho and I make ourselves comfortable in two chairs across from them.

“Unfortunately, we’ve come here with a serious concern. I’d like to thank you most sincerely for seeing both of us on such short notice,” Peitho says solemnly.

Loren waves away her words. “Of course, my dear. Hopefully the next time you come here it will be a social call. Please continue.”

Peitho nods her thanks, silky hair slipping down to frame her breasts. The breasts I had been so recently touching. I find it amazing that without even trying, she can turn me on. From the littlest and most innocent of actions, she sends my blood racing. Even when I wish it wouldn’t.

“Myself and seven of my companions were chosen by the Olympians to be their immortal representatives,” Peitho begins.

“What fun! You’ll have to get invited to all of our events!” Loren tells her while absentmindedly patting his human’s head as if he’s a dog. I keep my face as expressionless as possible as I peel my eyes away.

She nods with a small smile. “Yes, it’s a great honor. The eight of us are on our first assignment, representing the immortals at the shifter convention. You may have heard of it? The hotel it’s being held at is mere hours from here.”

“Indeed, I do know the convention that you’re speaking of. I sent my human to be the vampire representative there.” Loren nods, looking more serious now.

“Yes, I thought so. In fact, he’s the reason we’ve come to talk to you,” she says calmly.

Loren suddenly looks serious. “Really, what has he done? Vincent has been with me for decades now, and I believed him to be well versed in how to behave and represent the coven.”

Peitho takes a small breath, only visible from where I am, watching her so closely. “You may not know that two shifters from the convention have been found murdered and tortured. They were found on two separate occasions. At least four people were taken from the convention, as well as one attempted abduction against one of my fellow daimons.”

Loren pushes the human at his feet away so he can sit up. “Has the culprit been found? What about the victims?”

“All of the victims have been different supernaturals. None of them have any obvious connections. It’s being assumed that the people responsible for the disappearances and murders are the same, and probably attending the convention,” Peitho says.

Loren nods. “The only reasonable assumption. What does this have to do with Vincent?”

Peitho takes another steadying breath. “When I contacted someone about what may be happening with the people taken, he informed me that there’s been a recent increase of supernaturals sold in auctions on the black market. I was also told that the leader of the crime ring involved in this believes he is a vampire and tries to feed from the victims as well as torture them. Some of the supernaturals being sold in the auctions are corpses that the leader of the operation has accidentally killed. There’s only one person at the convention with a connection to vampires, which would be Vincent.”

“You’re suggesting he’s behind this?” Loren’s vampire companion says angrily.

Loren turns sharply to him and growls, “Malcolm, were you invited to this conversation?”

Malcolm gives him a rather pouty look, like a puppy that’s been scolded. Even I can tell that he’s a young vampire, which means he must be a mere infant. The human at Loren’s feet knows to bow his head, avoid eye contact, and not to speak.

“You’re saying that the leader in charge of these auctions believes he’s a vampire when he isn’t?” Loren turns to Peitho.

She nods at him and says, “Yes.”

Loren sighs dramatically. “Then it may well be Vincent. I’ve had him for decades now, and I believe his mind has become slightly … addled.”

“Yet he was sane enough to send to a group of supernaturals as your advocate?” Peitho asks him in disbelief.

Loren gives her a look that tells her if she questions his judgment, she’ll be sorely disappointed. “I didn’t realize that such delusions may cause him to become violent. I also didn’t think that everyone would be so ill-protected that he would be able to do something like this, which we still haven’t confirmed he’s responsible for.”

“What makes you believe that this could be Vincent?” she asks, and it pacifies him slightly.

Loren says, suddenly seeming very tired, “He has been with me for about nine decades now, with an extended life through the sharing of blood. He’s begun to think that because he’s lived longer than most humans and still looks relatively young, that he’s immortal too. I’ve tried to remind him that vampirism is something you’re born with, and it can’t be transferred. He … hasn’t been receptive to these ideas.”

“If I may, Master?” Celeste asks Loren for permission to speak.

He gives her a tired nod.

Celeste turns to Peitho and me, saying, “Vincent has been known to attempt to visit the humans kept in the manor. He has tried to bite them to feed from their blood and was controlled into submission. We thought that his problem had resolved itself, as we haven’t had an incident like that in some time. He does still visit the humans, and we thought it was because he was visiting his own kind.

“Hearing you has me thinking that this isn’t so. Vincent, for the past three decades, has stopped socializing with the other humans here. I think he continued to visit them because he was under the false impression that he could feed from their emotions as we do.”

Loren just looks at Celeste blankly for a moment, and I’m unsure if such a look is a good or bad thing coming from him. He finally says, “It’s possible. Someone should have been keeping a closer eye on him to see that he was fully recovered from his delusions.”

“I am sorry that we’ve failed you, Master.” Celeste lets her head fall.

“I’ll see that things are corrected,” he reassures her, though it sounds more like a threat.

“Then you’re saying that the leader of this group is probably Vincent?” I ask.

Loren gives me a startled look, as if he’d forgotten that I’m in the room. Peitho gives me a look, and I know I really shouldn’t have spoken, but time is of the essence here. I don’t care to hear about how they should have looked after him and people will be punished accordingly for the mix up. What’s done is done, and now it’s most important that we try to fix it.

“Darling, I really should be upset that you haven’t trained your consort in the ways of polite society, but he’s such a treat to look at, I forgive you,” Loren says to Peitho, but he continues to look at me out of the corner of his eyes.

Oh yes, I really shouldn’t have spoken.

Peitho says quickly, “Thank you for the compliment, Master Loren, and I’m most thankful that no offense was taken from his outburst.”

“Indeed. I’m not sure that my human has enough connections in the world that he could form an actual group to cause this much trouble. I know of no one he speaks to on a constant basis, other than the people who come here,” Loren says.

The human at Loren’s feet lifts his head slightly.

Loren sighs as if very put upon and says, “Wesley, my pet, do you have something to add?”

Wesley looks up at all of us through his hair, which has me shifting uncomfortably in my seat. I hope to never see such a dead, broken expression on someone’s face again. It’s the sort of look that gives me shivers wondering how it was acquired.

“There was a werewolf here, visiting coven members to be fed from. Vincent was in the feeding room when he came, and the two struck up a conversation. They kept in touch since the werewolf left,” Wesley says.

I sit forward, but before I can say anything, Peitho asks, “Did his name start with a B?”