fOR WHO THE spELL tOLLS

  “With my father, not for,” I chided him with Bram’s own words, but added a sly smile.

  “As I was saying,” he frowned, giving me the feeling that he wasn’t in a very good mood. I was already more than certain it was because of my “date” with the vampire. “Since Bram worked with your father all those years, it seems a no-brainer to distrust him. Who’s to say that he’s not setting us up?” He took a deep breath. “As far as we know, he could be your father’s newest mole.”

  “At this stage of the game, my father would prefer to have us assassinated if he or someone who worked for him knew where to find us. To Melchior, we are worth a lot more dead than alive.” I took a deep breath. “Once you, Christina and I are out of the way, there goes The Resistance.”

  Knight nodded as he ran his hands through his hair, and eyed his boots before bringing his attention back to me. “You make a good point, but I still don’t trust Bram.”

  I shrugged and sighed, having already considered the question of whether or not Bram could be trusted. “I can’t say for sure if Bram is completely truthful.” I sighed, looking at the fireplace and watching the flames dance along the log before consuming it. I brought my eyes back to Knight’s, and was awed as the firelight reflected in his beautiful blue eyes, making them appear almost red. “But I also know that sometimes you have to take a chance in life. Without Bram, we could be headed down a one-way street with no chance of escape. “

  “Then it’s a chance you’re willing to take?” Knight continued, narrowing his gaze on me as he cracked his knuckles.

  I shrugged. “I think the answer to your question is pretty obvious.”

  “You’re going with yes, you do trust him,” he said, exhaling a pent-up breath. “Then I guess it waits to be seen.”

  As if to signal the termination of the conversation, he lifted the fire iron and poked the log in the fireplace, which crumbled into embers. Reaching for another large log, he bent over and plopped it onto the fire grate, stoking it with the iron. Standing up, he wiped the debris from the log on his pants before holding his hands behind his back to warm them. The flames of the fire fanned and flickered behind him, creating an aura that silhouetted his swollen deltoids, broad shoulders, and accentuated his trim waist and shapely thighs. I suddenly flashed on the sexual torture he’d inflicted on me in the Suburban while we were en route to this lodge.

  Maybe it’s time to prove just how much of a bitch payback can be, I told myself. It probably also didn’t help that the embers of jealousy were still smoldering inside me.

  Silently, I came to my feet. I could feel Knight’s eyes on me and saw the question in their depths, as if he insisted on finding out what I was up to. But I just stood there, staring at him boldly, with no trace of bashfulness or shame in my gaze. Then, as seductively as I could, I grabbed the top of my long-sleeved shirt and simply pulled it up and over my head, allowing the tendrils of my hair to snake back around my shoulders, and fall across my collarbone, adorning the black lace of my push-up bra.

  “You’re not the only one who can replay memories of us in our more … carnal moments,” I said quietly, with a cunning smile.

  Knight chuckled, but there was a fire in his eyes that burned even more brightly than the fire behind him. I watched his eyes travel down to my breasts, where they loitered on my cleavage. After a few seconds, he brought his attention back up to my face again.

  “Is that so?” he asked, another chuckle dying on his lips, but leaving a slight smile in its wake.

  “It is,” I said simply.

  “So tell me all the naughty thoughts swirling around in that head of yours,” he demanded.

  “All in good time.” I unbuckled the button of my jeans, pulling the zipper down as slowly as possible. Knight’s eyes never left my body as I slid the jeans down the lengths of my legs. I felt his gaze penetrating my black lace underwear and a blush started to creep across my cheeks. Refusing to allow any timidity or hesitation to consume me, I forced the anxiety aside, and chose instead to channel my inner femme fatale.

  I approached him, adding an extra sway to my mostly naked hips. I stepped onto the hearth and glanced up at him, the top of my head only grazing his shoulders. Somehow, the fact that he was so much taller and bigger than I was, not to mention that he could snap me like a twig if he wanted to, turned me on … a lot. There was just something about him—he just made me feel so feminine. I ran my fingers up his shirtfront, dipping my index finger into the recess of his clavicle. With a simple shake of my hand, I could feel a pile of my fairy dust already manifesting in my palm. I opened my hand and allowed the dust to rain down Knight’s shirtfront. At the same time, I walked my index finger down the center of his chest, while imagining the fabric of his shirt separating beneath my fingers. I watched as the image I held in my mind played itself out in reality as Knight’s shirt divided in two, revealing his stunning chest.

  Knight’s chest never failed to impress me with its deep valleys and sumptuous peaks of pure muscle. His exceptionally broad shoulders are definitely something to write home about and his biceps are probably the size of my head. Sinking my face into the ropey muscles of his lats below his arm, I kissed a soft trail, feeling him wince when I touched an especially ticklish spot. Somehow, knowing this enormous man was ticklish—someone who was bred to defend the Netherworld and exterminate any would-be threats—was sexier than sexy.

  “My daydreams always begin with a memory of this,” I said as I spanned my hand across the soft skin of his naked chest. I outlined the pale pink, raised scar that started at his collar bone, and crossed all the way down through his right pec. He’d told me a long time ago that he’d earned the scar in a battle with a werewolf, and although some might consider it a blemish on his otherwise flawless chest scape, to me, he couldn’t be any more perfect.

  He started to reach out to touch me, but I shook my head and firmly pushed his hand back down to his side. I intended to assert my own right—I was in charge now, and just like he’d formerly done to me, by teaching me the true meaning of sexual frustration, I was anxious to return the favor. But I was going to one-up him.

  “Your rules, huh?” he whispered.

  “My game, my rules.”

  I stepped away from him and unclasped my bra, letting the straps drop down my arms. I crossed my arms against my chest, cleaving my breasts together so the mounds appeared even larger, but I shielded my nipples with my arms.

  “No fair,” Knight whispered.

  I smiled as I dropped my hands to my sides, the bra falling until it landed unceremoniously on the floor. I glanced up at Knight, and relished the fact that his eyes were riveted on my breasts. To be able to possess such power over him gave me a rush, in and of itself.

  “You have the most beautiful body I’ve ever seen,” he said in a hushed tone. I could feel my nipples hardening as he scrutinized them.

  “That’s nice,” I answered, trying to sound as indifferent as I could. I had to remind myself not to get too caught up in my own lustful thoughts, since the whole point of this game was retribution. I brought my fingers to my breasts and outlined my alert nipples, feeling goose bumps starting as my nipples hardened even more. I pinched one rosy bud between my index finger and my thumb, rolling it gently. “Whenever I think about your fantastic body, something… happens to me,” I continued, remembering I had a story to tell.

  “Something happens to you?” he repeated, his voice coming out incredibly breathy. I could see the outline of his penis already straining against his pants. I had to resist staring at it because every time I glanced at it, my giddiness exploded and threatened my delivery, my payback.

  “Something that makes me want to … touch myself,” I finished, savoring every second of the control I had over this incredible man, this unparalleled creature. As a soldier created in Hades’s own image, Knight was the strongest they came. He was brawny and powerful and now this enormous beast hung onto my every word, unable to tear his eyes away from me. And
it was so painfully clear that any power he might have had was useless against my own—the age-old wisdom of womankind.

  “Where does it make … you want to touch yourself?” he whispered.

  I cocked my head to the side, pretending to ponder his question. “Here,” I said, lazily looping my index finger around my nipple. “And, maybe here too,” I added, encircling my other nipple. “But, mostly down here,” I finished as I slid my finger down my stomach before rubbing the outside of my lace panties. Feeling the soft lace, a stinging sensation started from deep down within me.

  Knight’s eyes fastened on my panties. I continued to graze my fingers across the lace, gasping whenever I strayed too close to the sensitive nub cresting my thighs. Suddenly anxious for more than playful wandering, I pulled my panties to the side, baring myself to Knight. I watched him inhale deeply as the pulse quickened in his neck.

  I slid my finger down my vagina, feeling how wet I was. As soon as I skimmed my nub, I moaned out in response, while my knees threatened to collapse. I snatched my finger away as if I’d just been scalded and inwardly chastised myself. I was getting too caught up too fast, too turned on.

  “I want to taste you,” Knight ground out.

  “Hmm, that sounds like a personal problem,” I said with a haughty laugh, never having imagined I would so enjoy playing the role of the dominator but the truth of it was that I did.

  Knight’s eyes narrowed. “You’re deliberately trying to torture me.”

  I didn’t say anything right away as I backed up until the leather couch touched my calves. With my eyes still locked on his, I hooked my finger through one side of my panties and drew them down my naked thighs, letting them fall on the floor. Stepping out of them, I sat down on the warm leather.

  “You’re getting me back for the car ride, aren’t you?” he inquired with a powerful stride forward as he stepped off the hearth.

  I cocked my head to the side. “Maybe, and maybe not.”

  Then, prepared for the grande finale, I took a deep breath, and seeing that his eyes were still locked on mine, I opened my legs. Even though it was a simple act—a mere parting of the thighs, I sensed my own power emanating through me. It was as if the single motion of spreading my legs wide open and allowing Knight to behold my naked flesh channeled the enticement of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, herself. I felt like I alone possessed the key to Knight’s libido. His eyes traveled the length of me before resting on the space between my legs, and I could see them change. They seemed to go from being sexually charged to ravenously hungry.

  At that moment, I had complete mastery over Knight.

  “Whatever game you’re playing,” he panted, “I give up. You win.”

  Closing my thighs, I laughed, savoring the command I had over him. “That was easier than I imagined.”

  I started to sit up from the couch, but he was instantly in front of me, his eyes glowing in that weird and wonderful way. Putting his hand against my shoulder, he pushed me back down onto the couch.

  “Don’t think you’re getting off that easily,” he grumbled. Removing his shirt, he let each side slowly slide down his muscular forearms. Dropping to his knees, he faced me again, and the irises of his eyes were completely eclipsed by the white glow.

  “Feeling slightly threatened by Bram?” I asked, even while wondering if I was taking this game too far.

  Knight narrowed his eyes at the mention of Bram and I wasn’t sure but it looked like they burned a little more brightly. “Not threatened,” he answered. “But let me remind you that I have something Bram doesn’t …”

  “And what is that?”

  “The beast,” he answered with a low, animal growl. It was as if the beast were speaking through him. I felt myself throbbing, my sensitive parts swelling at the thought of the beast within Knight and what it was capable of. I didn’t say anything, but noticed the rise and fall of my chest increasing as my heartbeat began to race.

  “And it might be more fitting to say you’re the jealous one,” Knight continued.

  “What?” I replied, pretending offense.

  “So what’s MJ to you,” he mimicked, even going so far as to use a girl voice. I threw a sofa pillow at him. He caught it and threw it on the floor, the smile dropping from his face. “Spread your legs,” he commanded in a voice that told me not to argue.

  With my former power diminishing, I simply obeyed his demand and opened my legs to him. I watched his eyes shift from my own as they settled on my swollen female flesh. The pulse in his neck sped up to match his shallow panting.

  He didn’t say anything as he studied me, but simply allowed his eyes to devour me. Despite the sensation of being vulnerable, almost like I was being displayed to him in the most exposed fashion, the sexual goddess within me allowed me to vanquish the feeling immediately. Once again, I savored the intensity of the power I still held over him.

  With another growl, he buried his face between my legs and the feel of his tongue sucking and pulling at me was almost too much for me to endure. Just when I thought I was about to orgasm, he pulled his tongue away before plunging it deep inside me, causing me to moan out.

  “I can never get enough of this,” he groaned. His tongue again found my nub and he thrust two fingers inside me as I arched up against him, screaming out my surprise. He pulled his mouth away, but continued plunging his fingers inside me, burying them as high as he could.

  “Open your eyes and watch me feel you,” he commanded.

  Even though it was difficult, I opened my eyes to find him staring at me. Then he averted his gaze to his busy fingers and together we watched as he pushed them in and out of me. I felt him curving his fingers to follow my inner channel as he drove his hand deeper inside me, deeper and faster. That was when he found my G spot. I grew wetter as the smoldering ember deep in my gut turned into an incendiary. My legs were trembling and I clamped my eyes shut tightly, knowing an orgasm was imminent.

  “Look at me or I’ll stop,” he barked.

  I opened my eyes just as blissfulness exploded within me and I ground my pelvis against his hand. I cried out, as he impaled me even harder. Without another word, he pulled his fingers out and ripped off his pants, his erect penis bouncing behind them. Grabbing both of my legs, he positioned them above his shoulders as he coaxed himself to me. I felt the head of him at my opening and wrenched myself away in an effort to retain some sense of control. Glancing up at me, he growled again before gripping my thighs and pressing my hamstrings against him. He leaned forward until I could feel him at my opening as he smiled down at me. Ultimately, he knew we’d both won. With that recognition, he thrust inside me as deeply as he could. I screamed out as I buried my nails into his back, feeling him pull out of me again. Gripping his taut rear cheeks between both of my hands, I sunk my nails into his soft skin at the same instant that he penetrated me again. This time he seemed to delve in even deeper than before. He wrapped his hands around my ankles and widened my legs further above his shoulders, pulling slightly away from me so he could watch himself entering me. He put his fingers on the nub between my folds of feminine flesh and started rubbing it back and forth, and then in circles.

  “You’re going to come for me again, do you understand?” he asked, but it was more like an order.

  I simply nodded, at a loss for words. While his fingers continued dancing against me, he put his other hand on my right nipple and pinched it. There was only a slight pain before something began blossoming in my stomach, and I cried out in the throes of another orgasm.

  Knight chuckled and pulled out of me. “Get on your knees.”

  I dutifully turned over and felt him gripping me by my upper thighs as he yanked me backwards. Seconds later, he slammed himself into me as I screamed out.

  “I could stare at you like this forever,” he said in a tight-lipped voice.

  His thrusts suddenly gained momentum as he pushed himself into me as deeply as he could. I bucked beneath him so he wrapped his arm around me t
o anchor me in place, while reaching around to touch my sensitive spot again.

  “Third time’s a charm,” he whispered into my ear.

  His wish became my command and I bucked as another orgasm seized me. As soon as I came down from the high, he thrust into me with renewed vigor. He clutched a handful of my hair and wrapped his hand around the back of my neck as his breathing came in short gasps. A few moments later, he arched against me stiffly.

  Now relaxed, he pulled out of me as he collapsed on the couch with a wide grin.

  “You are temptation’s finest,” he said, panting softly.

  FOUR

  One night gone, one night to go. Then we would invade the Netherworld.

  For the first time since deciding on a plan, I could feel my stomach tightening with anxiety and I felt sick. I had no idea why these feelings of apprehension and uneasiness hadn’t hit me earlier, but now it seemed like they were trying to make up for lost opportunity.

  “Great, good job,” Knight said out loud, speaking to Erica through the Bluetooth in the Suburban. We’d already left the lodge in Garmisch and traveled through two portals, so I had no idea where we were now. I glanced outside my window to view miles of rolling hills, complete with white picket fences and nondescript houses. Since we were still driving on the right side of the road (well, according to American custom, anyway) we could still have been in Germany or maybe we were now back in the States.

  “Everyone is motivated and ready,” Erica continued. Her tone was so chipper, she might as well have announced that her kindergarten class was ready to put on the school play. “I’ve moved all the soldiers to Compound One, and all the civilians are currently staged at Compound Two. Fagan is also orchestrating the draft so all eligible recruits will be relocated to Compound Four.”

  “What are we doing in terms of weapons for those creatures who are less than magically inclined?” Knight asked, concentrating on the road ahead of him. I studied him, trying to get any sort of indication as to whether this whole thing was making him nervous or not. But there was nothing in the inflection of his voice nor his posture that even hinted to fretfulness. Instead, he appeared as always—calm, cool and collected, like the serene Loki I knew so well.