The Moon, the Madness, and the Magic (3 page)

The music blared, and the low lights inside the bar flashed to the beat. She stepped to the doorway and smiled. Her succubus rose. She liked the music, the lights, and oh, how she loved the scent of males. A plethora of alpha males, Weres, fae, demons, and shifters of all sorts, a veritable feast for her feminine wiles.

They all turned their attention in her direction when she entered the club. Celeste pushed her succubus nature beneath her wolf and dimmed her fae glamour. Looking at the hungry expressions on the faces staring at her, she was certain one of these men would gladly volunteer to ease her needs if that became necessary. For now, she wondered if she could handle letting destiny decide her life-mate, especially after glancing around the bar and seeing all the delicious possibilities. Hell, she might technically be a virgin, but she’d always had a good imagination.

However, she didn’t really have a choice if what the Council and Celia, their Seer, believed was, in fact, true.

At least she’d have variety to satisfy her here among the accepting humans and the people of the Lore. Opportunities abounded, enough so she could steal into one of their dreams later and satisfy her immediate cravings. Most of the male guests at Fantasy Lodge had to sleep
sometime
.

So many fabulous men, so many options, something to suit anyone’s preference or tastes. Soon, she’d discover what her own were like.

* * * *

Strange how the straight men kept their distance from Rourke like he was lethal or something. He threw out a couple of football comments to the dude at the bar wearing a Steelers T-shirt, just small talk, but it was no-go. Except for Dane and the bartender, not a single straight male in the place said shit to him, and every gay male made a point of mooning over him. Crazy night. He had to admit he drew the attention of several guys who dropped more than a few blatant hints about being available if he swung that way. The two hot chicks draped by his sides didn’t deter them, and neither did the one with her hand on his thigh, aiming a bit higher.

He scrubbed a hand across his chin. Unfortunately for everyone, and for some reason, nothing but that blonde in the hall, the one with the short skirt and cloak of pale waves veiling her tight little ass, got it up for him. When he’d passed by her, she’d had him so hard he could’ve pounded nails with his cock given the chance. Hell, he’d been so aroused once her scent had sparked his cock to life, his mind had gone blank. Then the women and one or two of the guys here in the club had given off enough sexual pheromones to start an orgy.

Even the quiet guy, the sweet thing sitting at the table next to the bar, had started to look tempting. The male flipped back his long, brown locks as he swept his tongue over his pouty lips and parted them. His large, golden eyes flashed with renewed interest and entirely too much hope until Rourke pulled himself together and shook his head.

The three women had their hands all over him, and for a brief, desperate moment, Rourke reconsidered the blowjob they’d offered earlier, but the blonde kept walking and soon disappeared into the crowd. Rourke’s body and mind shut down as suddenly as it had turned on in her presence. He stood and excused himself to go look for her, but when he turned the corner to the deck, she seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

He had to find her.

Chapter 3

The Lodge

Rourke turned off the shower and towel dried in front of the mirror, examining himself. Something was different. If he thought shit was weird back in Chicago, he figured that was the tip of the iceberg after last night. Weird seemed like it was just beginning.

He ran a palm across his chin. He needed another shave. Lately, he always needed a shave. Not only were his eyes constantly changing shape and color, his dress shirts were too tight to button, and his T-shirts were suddenly pulling across the chest and in the sleeves. Not to mention his thighs tested the limits of his pants. He flexed. His lean muscles bulged. Working out didn’t account for putting on this much bulk, and not an ounce of it was fat. He was packing on nothing but pure muscle.

Everywhere.

He cupped his heavy balls and ran a hand up his cock, watching it engorge. He grew instantly larger. Maybe the image in his head of the fragile blonde’s sensuous mouth sucking his cock had something to do with it. When his balls swelled high, tight against his body, not only did the size of his erection amaze him, he was shocked he could even get aroused so soon after jacking off in the shower. Not five minutes had passed since he’d come harder than he had in years.

Lately, he noticed he was hung better than a porn star. His cock had always been adequate. Average. Above average. He wasn’t sure. He’d never worried, never even thought about his cock size. But this new, super-sized equipment? This had him at least wondering. He was huge, enviable by any standards. He didn’t need a ruler to know he’d been nowhere near this size before.

He didn’t even recognize his new body. It was steeled, gunmetal hard. And his sexual stamina? He’d never had any complaints in the past. Unless all his partners had faked their orgasms, he assumed he’d never left anyone wanting.

Who was he to question his sudden good fortune? Whatever brought about this extreme virility was stronger than the claims for an extended dose of Cialis.

Rourke finished toweling off and chose to ignore his rampant hormones. Last night in the bar, he’d caught the flowery scent of the one woman he wanted to bury himself inside, and he’d been burning up and aching hard when she’d been in the room. Damn, he’d been horny as hell since he’d arrived, and then last night, after she’d disappeared, no one had appealed to him. His cock had refused to cooperate.

Even with all the available pussy at the club last night, he hadn’t wanted anyone after the blonde sneaked out. He hadn’t lacked offers. Availability wasn’t the problem. The men had been as curious as the women, attractive and sexy and damn interested in him. Hell, almost too interested—like they’d suspected he was toting some heavy-duty equipment behind his zipper. He’d avoided the men’s hands as best he could. They couldn’t seem to get enough of him. In self-defense, he’d asked a few women to dance, but after a quick kiss, some body-to-body grinding, and a careless grope or two, he’d felt nothing.

Where the hell had this hard-on been last night when the brunette wanted to fuck him or when the redhead offered to blow him? Shit, he’d needed it working then, not now. His big, impressive cock had been useless and unresponsive to every advance.

None of them was the one his body was looking for.

For some reason, his hormones zeroed in on the blonde, and now, he couldn’t find her. Not that he hadn’t tried. A sixth sense told him what, no,
who
his body wanted and needed, and although he knew she was close by, he couldn’t get a bead on her.

Rourke went to the dresser and took out his tennis shorts. He stepped into his shorts and pushed his straining cock to the side so he could zip up without maiming himself.

As he picked out a shirt, he chuckled, thinking about a comment one of the chicks had made about having to compete against both sexes.

He bunched his shoulders, shrugged, and stretched before he pulled the shirt over his head. He fisted his hands, wringing tension from his body. His muscles wanted some action. If he didn’t find what his body craved soon, lethal was where he was headed.

He picked up his tennis racket and popped a couple of balls in his pocket, all the while fighting his impulses. Shoes, he needed his shoes, and socks. He spotted them, picked them up, and walked through the door to the adjoining room.

“Dane, get up. I need to work off some tension.” Rourke sat down on the corner of the bed, all the while hating to admit his dick was leading him around by the nose.

“No doubt,” Dane mumbled into his pillow before he rolled over to his back. He stretched and spread out on his bed with a moan, his morning hard-on standing at full attention. “You should have fucked the redheaded twins yourself instead of forcing me to uphold the family honor. I’m beat to hell after doing the two of them and the brunette.” He lifted his head and grinned up at Rourke.

Dane rolled back to his stomach, flashing Rourke his naked ass. “Man, that brunette had one fine mouth. My cock’s still throbbing.”

Rourke cringed. He didn’t need to think about that now, not as blood surged to his own cock. The pressure made his balls ache with need as his erection pushed against his shorts. “Shut up. No talking.”

Shit!
Not a good subject under the circumstances.
“Get up and put on some clothes. I’ll meet you outside in ten.” He bounced a tennis ball off Dane’s golden buttocks for good measure, picking up his tennis shoes and socks before he headed to the door and walked out barefoot.

“Not without caffeine,” Dane shouted after him.

“I’m buying.” He needed one, too. A large cup of steaming, hot coffee, and if Dane was going to be any sort of competition this morning, he better get him a double espresso.

* * * *

Celeste stepped from her room onto the veranda, straight into the familiar, fresh scent of mountain pine. The movements of the butterflies fluttering around the morning glory vines on the trellis matched the ones in her stomach. She’d dodged a bullet last night. There wasn’t much chance she could avoid him forever. Besides, what was the point? Despite the bright sun warming the early spring morning, a shiver of expectation ran up her spine. Sooner or later, they had to deal with their destiny.

Almost in answer to her inner turmoil, the soft breeze blowing gently down the green slopes sent the forest magic to soothe her. A magnificent white unicorn appeared at the edge of the forest. In a blink, the magical creature turned into pure light and sifted onto the veranda in the form of a woman.

Celeste gasped. “Celia! Do you have to do that?” Even though Celia was her father’s younger sister, she wasn’t the kind of woman one could call “aunt.”

“I like a showy entrance. Always have.” She hugged Celeste and pecked her niece on the cheek. “How are you holding up, darling?”

“Well enough, under the circumstances.” Her aunt’s powerful magic rode on the spring air, weaving its way through Celeste’s hair and over her body, relaxing the tension from her shoulders. Finally, the spring sun beat down, warming her soul and pinking her pale skin after the long, cold winter. She let out a long sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

“Surely you can find a nocturnal outlet to soothe your needs while you await your assignment.”

“Celia, please. I’ve never done this before. And thanks to the clothes you set out for me, my assignment almost found me.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it? It means he’s attracted.”

“He was, and so was every other breathing organism in the place.” The one male capable of withstanding Celeste’s compelling seductive nature for all time was here, and it unnerved her. He’d be able to support her cravings and sustain her internal succubus as well as her sexual drive for centuries if he accepted his position. “With that getup you arranged for me to wear last night, I set off every male and female pheromone in the place. I was surprised the sprinkler system didn’t go off with the heat radiating off everyone. I wasn’t sure whether he was feeling me or the general lust in the air.”

“Even if he rejects your mate bond, this is the perfect place to work out your frustrations.”

“I hardly know anything about sex, let alone my true nature. With so little self-control and knowledge, I wouldn’t risk letting loose my succubus on innocent men, not without more experience.”

“The lodge is famous for attracting those looking for any and all types of sexual encounters, including the unusual, with no strings attached. You should find a willing partner with some experience to guide you.”

Ha, no strings.
If only it were going to be that simple.
“Like that’s going to be possible for me under the circumstances. If the Council’s plans are successful, the strings waiting for me will be like a spider’s web ready to snatch me up, weaving and trapping me as well as my prey.”

“All this was part of the hand you were dealt the night you were conceived, my darling girl. We know how much fate plays in the future, but there is always the chance of a good twist.”

“I know. I’m not complaining. We depend on the return of the prince, and the Lore needs a strong leader to assure the peace. I resigned myself to this fate a long time ago.”

“Your mother’s fae qualities should have been immune to your alpha shifter father, but she failed to recognize his
incubi
nature, the one he inherited from his own mother. This is what has come to you as the result.”

The details of her ancestry were a popular romantic tale among the Lore. Desperate and hopelessly in love, her father had claimed Celeste’s irresistible fae mother in her sleep and impregnated her, changing the fae princess and her life for all time. Once her mother had fallen in love with her incubus lover, she’d crossed the lines of the fae, and as punishment, the immortal princess couldn’t return to her own world until after her child reached maturity. Celeste had been raised right there on the far side of Enchanted Mountain, close to the Tabh’rs, the portals or doorways between all the worlds of the Lore. Because she was an innocent of mixed heritage, she was a welcome and familiar visitor in all the realms, though she avoided the Underworld for personal reasons. A demon would stir her succubus nature too soon, and she wouldn’t risk it. She had a role to fulfill for all her people.