Son of No One (14 page)

By the time dawn broke, Cadegan had to cede victory to his lady vixen. She did indeed wear him out and leave him begging for the mercy of a few hours of sleep.

But it was far from peaceful. His dreams tortured him with nightmares of his father's legions coming for her and ripping her out of his arms. Of having to watch her die before him.

When he awoke, he felt as though he hadn't slept at all.

“Cadegan?”

He scowled at the deep masculine voice in his ear. Opening his eyes, he found himself spread out over a man's body.

What the hell?

Furious and stunned, he pulled back, ready to battle. Then he froze in all-out shock.

That was
his
body he'd been lying upon.

And he was in Josette's.

 

9

Jo was terrified to be staring at her own body, from the outside of it. “Cade? Is that you? Please tell me that's you I'm looking at.”

“Aye, lass … that be
you
in me body?”

She nodded. “What's happened to us?”

Cadegan held his hands up to inspect them. Then, the moment he realized he had female breasts and that they were exposed, he snatched the sheet to cover himself.

She laughed at his actions. “Awkward doesn't quite cover this, does it?”

He shook his head.

“Oh, hello!” She jumped as a part of
her
anatomy hardened unexpectedly. Cringing, she bit her lip. “So that's what
that
feels like. It's not exactly comfortable, is it?”

“Nay, love, and especially not when 'tis obvious to others.”

Likewise, he was grimacing, and crossing and uncrossing his arms.

“What?”

Making a very unattractive grimace, he squeezed his biceps over “his” breasts. “How can they be in the way and yet be so small and squishy?”

“Hey now! I could make that … well, okay, you're seriously not small, but still! That's rude! And for the record, I am a solid B cup.”

“B cup?”

“Means those,” she pointed at his breasts, “are normal size. Average. They're not
that
small.”

He grinned, only it wasn't nearly as charming on
her
face as it was on his. In fact, it was extremely creepy to look at yourself from another body.

How could Tabitha and Amanda cope with this as twins? She'd always thought it would be cool to have an identical twin.

It wasn't. She hated looking at herself. It was like a vicious, cruel mirror that pointed out every single flaw, from every single angle. “I am so going on a diet when I get back in my body. And you better watch what you eat, bucko, while you're in there. If I gain so much as one pound, I'll … figure out some way to punish you for it.”

She moved to scratch an itch on her thigh and cringed as she brushed her hand through the hair there, and especially the hair under his arms. “Oh my God, I need a bush hog, in the worst way! Some serious manscaping needs to be done to this body. How do you stand being so hairy? It's everywhere, except on your head where it's supposed to be.” She started scratching all over, and in particular, her face and chest. “It's like having fleas.”

“Don't you even take that tone to me. I promise you 'tis no comparison to the itchies I have in me nether regions. What is
that
and why?”

She paused in her scratching. “Oh yeah, I haven't had the money to get
that
waxed lately. You're right. It's itchy there too. We're even. Kind of.” She dropped her hand to her lap and sucked her breath in sharply as she accidentally racked herself. Oh holy God and his saints!

In utter misery, she fell sideways in the bed and groaned in agony.

“Breathe, lass. It'll stop in a moment.”

She couldn't speak as she writhed on the bed, cupping herself. When she finally recovered enough to draw breath again, she looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I'll
never
laugh again when a guy gets racked in a movie. Holy cow! I barely touched it! What happens when you actually get kicked there?”

“There's one lesson you don't want to learn. Ever.”

“No kidding. Protect the jewels! I think my first call to action is a super-industrial cup. I see now why men liked codpieces.”

Suddenly, the color washed from Cadegan's face. “I have no powers. Are they with me body?”

That couldn't be good. Her heart pounding, she met his panicked gaze. “I don't know. How do you use them?”

He shrugged. “'Tis the same as moving a limb. I think it and they do it.”

She closed her eyes. “Now what?”

“Picture us clothed.”

She did, and when she opened her eyes, she burst out laughing.

Cadegan not so much, as he stared at her in his body, wearing a lacy pink V-neck tee and jeans. “That is an abomination on me body. Could you please have a little respect for it and me dignity? I've so little enough that I can't spare to lose any more.”

“Sorry.” She changed her clothes to a white man's shirt, then grinned. “I have to say, though, that
I
look rather hot in chain mail. I like that look.”

He snorted. “You say that, but your muscles are so weak, I can't lift me arms. How do you cope with no more strength than this, lass? Uh, this is hell!”

She daintily plucked at the mail sleeve on “his” arm. “Well, for one thing I don't walk around in a hundred pounds of armor every day. There's a good reason my boyfriend's so buff.”

He paused at her words. “Boyfriend?”

Jo cringed at what she'd inadvertently said. “Sorry, I didn't mean to assume anything.”

He smiled at her. “I like the sound of that. Except, I think I'm more of your girlfriend, right now.
Duw!
This is so disturbing, and in so many ways.” Hissing, he placed his hand to his stomach. He grimaced and groaned.

“Oh yeah. PMS. Sucks, don't it?”

“'Tis like a wicked stitch from running.”

“Yeah, one with steroids. Just breathe through it. It'll pass in a second.” While he followed her advice, she put him into a shirt and jeans that were more suited to his tastes.

She reached out and touched his face that was her face. “You're right. This is so disturbing and yet…” She leaned in to kiss him. “Want to try something kinky?”

“I don't understand.”

“I've always wanted to know what it was like to make love as a man. Haven't you ever wondered what sex feels like for a woman?”

“Nay, not really. I haven't had all that much of it as a man. And from what I have, they didn't seem to enjoy it near as much as I did.”

There was a strange note in his tone. “What? Were you paying them for it, or something?”

He blushed.

“Oh my God, you were!” She shook her head. “Cade, there's a big difference between sleeping with a prostitute and a woman who's attracted to you.”

“That I wouldn't know, lass. You're the only woman I've ever touched who wanted me to for any reason other than coin or shelter.”

His words choked her. How could any woman
not
want this man? Heck, for that matter, if she was a prostitute, she'd pay
him
. She couldn't imagine a male this hot and gorgeous not fighting off every female who laid eyes on him.

“I will always want you, Cadegan, and never for any reason other than love. I don't care what you look like or where we are.” She kissed him again and laid him back on the bed.

She tried to remove their clothes with her powers, but she still didn't have the hang of it. Rather, she resorted to peeling him out of his jeans and tee the old-fashioned way.

Cadegan shivered at the sensation of her scraping his body with her whiskers. “Remind me, I need to shave more carefully for you.”

She looked up with an arched brow. “What?”

He fingered her lips. “I never realized how harsh me beard was on your skin, lass. It's like sandpaper.”

“Yes, but I like the sensation.” She dragged her chin over his breast and around the nipple.

Cadegan sucked his breath in sharply as chills exploded over his body. “Aye, I can see the appeal now.”

She laughed. Until he reached down to cup her.

Jo couldn't breathe at the sensation of the exquisite pleasure that went through her as he gently squeezed her body and danced his fingers down the length of her. “Now I know what to do for you down there. Wow! I had no idea how good this feels for a guy.”

He nodded. “Sadly, I've had a lot of practice working it on me own.”

She gaped as she realized what he was telling her. “So you should have gone blind by now, huh?”

Laughing, he kissed her. “Well, there's not much else to do, truth be told. Only so many times you can throw the dice without losing all sanity, eh?”

She tsked at him. “You didn't tell me this little nugget when I asked what you did for fun.”

“Not exactly something one admits the first time they meet a stranger. Hey man, what's your favorite pastime, alone? Tossing me oats in me sheets, of course.… Aye, nay, that confession doesn't appeal to me.”

“Tossing me oats in me sheets,” she repeated, then laughed. “I love the way you explain things.”

“Like a wombat in a cornfield.”

They were both laughing now.

Until she kissed him again.

Cadegan breathed her in and shuddered at the emotions she awoke. Happiness. Joy. Warmth. Protectiveness. For centuries, he'd lived in a numb cocoon. Feeling nothing. No laughter. Just survival.

But she was like sunshine to his darkness. Breath to his lungs.

And when she slid inside him, he cried out.

“Nice, huh?” she breathed in his ear.

Yes and no. Honestly, he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. “This is so peculiar, lass.”

“Yeah, it's really weird, but not. Same, but different.”

Yet it wasn't just the pleasure in his body that made this moment unique. It was the warmth in his heart that came from being held by someone who cared about him. Someone who didn't look at him with disdain or fear.

Or worse, bored indifference.

That was why he'd mostly avoided sex with women. With the exception of Æthla, he'd known they were watching the half-hourglass while he was there, just biding their time until it ran out or he finished with them.

And while Æthla had shared her body with him, he'd felt her reserve every time they were together. Her fear. Since he'd never slept with anyone other than prostitutes, he'd attributed it to her noble, innocent status.

Never to cold, blind hatred. Or to her ruthless ambition that drove her to use his desperate, bleeding heart to keep herself and her family safe, while wishing him dead and buried.

But this was so different. Josette gave herself to him openly. Without reservation.

With humor and love.

And best of all, Josette didn't just love him.

She actually
liked
him—it was unfathomable.

Most of all, it was exceedingly dangerous for all his kind. Throughout history, his species had been laid low by the gentle hand of a maid. He'd already come close to losing his life over one.

Now …

He couldn't stop himself from wanting her. From needing to feel her touch his flesh.
She will be the end of me
.

But could there ever be a better way to go?

Jo closed her eyes as she buried her face against Cadegan's neck. This was the strangest moment in her entire life. No wonder men craved it. She was nestled in utter warmth. In tender softness. A blanket of limbs. But there was more to it than that. She felt so safe with him. Accepted. In all the world, even when her life was quickly diving into hell, she felt him pulling her out of it.

Yeah, it made no sense. She was still losing her house. Still without a real job.

Yet she knew as long as he was with her he'd do anything to give her shelter. He'd protect her with the last breath of his life.

“I love you, Cadegan.”

“And I love you, lass. More than you'll ever fathom.” He barely spoke the words before he cried out in orgasm.

Jo laughed at the sound as she surrendered herself to her own. But she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Yes, it was awesome.

Still, it was
so
weird.

Panting and content, she rolled from him and started laughing. “So does this make me a lesbian, or just
really
narcissistic?”

“A lesbian?”

“Woman who craves women.”

“Ah … I have no idea. But were I a woman, I'd definitely be one.”

She arched a brow at him. “Really?”

He ran his hand over the arch of her brow. “Aye. You're the only man I'd ever do this with.”

She laughed at his gentle teasing. “You're so wrong.”

“'Tis true though.”

She rubbed her nose playfully against his. “I've got to get my body back. While I like wearing you, I'd rather wear you as a blanket on top of me and not the skin I'm walking around in. It has this whole Hannibal Lecter aspect that's really creeping me out.”

“Hannibal Lecter?”

“It's a TV show and book character. Not really important. Like a wombat in a blender.”

He snorted. “I'm not sure what this blender is, but I think I should be feeling bad for that poor wombat.”

She burst out laughing. “I adore the twisted way you see things.”

“And I adore
you
.” He picked her hand up and as he started to kiss it, he scowled fiercely. “I never realized how revolting I was.”

“What are you talking about?”

He rolled her over to touch the scars on her back. Something that made her realize just how deeply scarred he really was. There had been so much damage done to his body that she could barely feel his hands on her skin. It was an odd, numbish sensation.