Avet, Danica - Ain't No Bull [The Veil 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) (9 page)

* * * *

Avyn Locke stared at her sisters. They’d returned to their safe house hours ago, but hadn’t come to talk to her about their mission until now. Seeing the shame on their faces, she understood why they’d waited, but that still didn’t help her.

“So what you’re telling me is that some random Amazon beat you up and stole your bull,” she said, trying to make sense of the story.

Blanche, the second oldest in their family, hung her head. “We took a shortcut through the old Black Dog Camp since that’s where the minotaur brought us. She was there, almost as though she’d been waiting for us.”

Carly nodded adamantly, her red hair wild and disheveled. “She was strong, too, Avyn. Like a…like a…” her voice trailed off.

“Like an Amazon?” Avyn asked mildly.

Drucilla, Francine, and Glenda giggled while Carly turned red. Avyn rubbed her temples. This was very not good, she thought. That minotaur was important to her lover, more important than she was.

Eve, the youngest of the group stepped forward. “I don’t think the minotaur knew who she was.” She was the only one in the group who showed any intelligence other than Avyn.

Giving her baby sister a doting smile, Avyn asked her why.

“Because she didn’t know what we were doing with him. She just started talking shit and then Carly called her a fat ass,” Eve recited calmly, ignoring the daggers her third sister glared at her. “That’s when she attacked. I think she probably would have let us go if Carly hadn’t opened her big, fat mouth.”

Avyn glared at Eve. “Ladies do not swear, Eve.” The others cringed. “What else happened?” Not that she really wanted to know. What they’d told her so far was bad enough.

Drusilla stared at the floor, wringing her hands. “We might have um, vandalized her car.”

Avyn drew in a deep breath through her nose. She wouldn’t lose her temper. She was in a sea of tranquility. She was calm, she was calm…she was going to burn them to a crisp!

All six of her sisters jumped when a ring of fire surrounded them. They shot terrified looks at the inferno of fury they’d unleashed, otherwise known as their eldest sister.

Avyn stood. “Do you realize what kind of trouble you’ve caused me with this?” she hissed, her eyes twin flames of gold. “Do you have any idea what could and will happen to us, all of us, if we don’t bring that minotaur to Ormond?” They didn’t answer, just crowded together before her rage. “Do you?”

They still didn’t answer, which is probably what saved their lives. She sent a column of fire out the living room window and into a snowdrift. It melted instantly, leaving a bare spot in the ground. It also bled off some of her anger so that when she turned back to her incompetent siblings, she was somewhat calm.

“You find that Amazon and either kill her, or find someone who can kill her. Then bring that minotaur to me. I want him here yesterday, sisters!” she shouted, letting the ring of fire puff out of existence.

Avyn’s sisters scrambled from the room with little whimpers of fear and one even coughed pathetically. Once she was alone, she slumped in her chair, her ladylike posture long forgotten. She would be lucky if she survived passing this news along to her lover. There was a good chance he’d kill her flat-out, but of course he did like to torture. She’d helped him do enough of that over the centuries to know his techniques by heart. Yes, she was in a lot of trouble all because one wide-assed Amazon didn’t know how to keep her nose out of other people’s business.

Tapping her fingers on the arms of her chair, she stared into space, plotting. If she left this in her sisters’ hands, they’d only screw up again. They might all be from the same, devilishly intelligent father, but unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for their mothers. For the most part, they’d all been starry-eyed bimbos without a single thought in their heads. Traits they’d passed down to some of their daughters. Not Avyn though, no way. She knew just how crafty those Amazons were. No, she needed a backup plan in case her sisters missed again.

Avyn couldn’t afford for them to miss again. Their window of opportunity was very small on this mission and Ormond wouldn’t hesitate to throw her to the wolves if it fit in with his plan. She shuddered. She needed some help and she knew just where to get it.

* * * *

Izzy helped Grant clean the kitchen even though it wasn’t her usual habit. Back at home, the men cleaned everything while the women trained and protected. She just couldn’t resist the chance to chat with him and find out more about him.

“I have twelve sisters,” he said as he scrubbed a pan. “I’m actually the youngest of our herd, so they all think they own me. Their mothers, too.”

That explained so much. “What about your mom? Is she this protective of her other children?”

“I’m her only child. She was one of the first swans in the harem, but it took her a long time to conceive.” He let the water out of the sink and set to scrubbing it with a single-mindedness Izzy found amazing. Who knew cleaning sinks could be so interesting? “Dad hadn’t bonded with any of the others in the harem until I was conceived. After I transitioned, my stepmoms all moved away to join other herds since Dad couldn’t mate with them anymore. So now, the family is all Mom has since her friends left.”

Izzy mused over Grant’s words. Bella had every right to be protective of her child. Great, now she felt like shit and she’d have to apologize to the heifer. She snorted.

“How many swans does your dad have in his harem?” She knew they kept harems, she knew Grant would, and for some reason that really pissed her off.

He paused to scratch the side of his nose. “He had five including Ma, but like I said she’s the only one left. He said he didn’t need more than that.” He shrugged and went back to scrubbing the sink. “My sisters and mom have been trying to get me to start my own harem for the last thirty years, but I wasn’t ready for that.”

Shit, he was speaking in past tense. Izzy carefully stepped away and put the dishes in the cabinet. She didn’t want to think of him romancing some heifer, and she sure as shit didn’t want him imaging her as part of his herd. Amazons did not share well. At all. She wiped a hand over her face and shook her head. What was she thinking? He was driving her insane.

“I think I’ll go unpack while you finish up,” she said, giving him a quick, empty smile. She needed to get away from him for a little while. Maybe she’d trek around the property some, see if there had been any attempts to get into Grant’s house. Sure, he was a security expert, but she was better.

“Isola,” he called before she made it to the bedroom. Turning, she saw him leaning against the sink, arms crossed over his chest. “I don’t plan on having a harem.” He gave her a slow, sexy smile that made her nipples harden. “You’re more than enough woman for me, babe.”

Chapter Ten

Grant kept his smile in place as Isola stumbled into the guest room. Once the door closed, his smile fell and he closed his eyes, willing his hard-on to go away. Fuck, had she really asked him how minotaurs mate and bond?

His cock leapt beneath his zipper. Yup, she had. He’d almost charged her then, had seen the fear of his reaction in her eyes, which had been the only thing stopping him. There was one very small, very important detail he’d left out, but it was his ace in the hole and if she knew about it, she’d run for the hills.

He was almost positive she held the other half of his ring. Otherwise he wouldn’t feel this intense connection to her. Mentally rubbing his hands, he smiled.

Someone knocked on the door, dragging him away from thoughts of what he wanted to do to Isola and how often.

Ricky stood on his porch looking as frisky as a colt. Damned bear. Grant felt as though he’d gone a few hundred rounds with a badger.

“I see our little missy hasn’t been making things easy on you.”

Grant smiled without humor. “If you only knew,” he sighed, flopping into his easy chair. “She’s like a boulder going downhill: I don’t which direction she’s going in until she hits me.”

Ricky chuckled. “I wanted to drop your truck off,” he said tossing the keys at Grant’s head. “The Bailey twins were about to take it for a spin when I came across them.” He turned to go. “Oh, and you might want to brace yourself, ’cause Aunt Bella called your sisters and the rest of the old harem to let them know about Isola. Oh, and she told your dad, too.” He laughed loudly. “Talk to you later, cuz.”

Grant stared at his empty doorway, feeling panic creeping in. This wasn’t good. Oh, shit, this was worse than not good. This was a fucking disaster.

His eyes shot to the guest room. If Isola responded to the rest of his family the way she had his mother, there would probably be a slaughter. He shuddered. He needed to keep her away from them until he could convince her he wasn’t as crazy as they were.

He forcibly calmed his racing heart. They wouldn’t come over this very instant. No, they’d wait and make him think everything was fine. Then when he least expected it, they’d spring on him like four-legged ninjas. Grant scraped his hand through his hair. He’d have to up the timetable on seducing Isola.

Gods, when he’d told her about minotaur mating, he’d seen the heat in her eyes. She might not want to be his mate, but her body wanted him almost as much as he wanted hers. It was his job to make her lust burn like a living flame. His mouth crooked up in a sly smile. He could do it. He’d been building his repertoire of skills for over a hundred years. He’d find whatever her weakness was and exploit it shamelessly.

Stacking his hands behind his head, he stared up at the ceiling. His nostrils quivered. The scent of roses came from the direction of the window directly across from the recliner. His smile widened with wicked intent. He would make her regret telling that lie about taking a vow of chastity.

* * * *

Izzy saw the damned bull smiling at the ceiling. She’d slipped out of the guest room and snuck outside. She could have been halfway to Eustis by now, but she’d wanted to catch the bull in an unguarded moment.

He was unguarded, all right, she thought as her mouth watered. Sitting in his recliner with his knees spread wide, she had an unfettered view of his crotch. And it was worth staring at, Izzy admitted as she pressed her thighs together. The man was thinking of something naughty because he had a hard-on that could shame a redwood.

She watched as one of his hands left the back of his head and stroked down his wide chest. Izzy whimpered. She wanted to use her hands on him, then her mouth, taking the same pattern down his torso over the light covering of chest hair and that sexy arrow pointing right to the prize.

Grant unzipped his jeans and there it was...the biggest, mouthwatering cock Izzy had ever seen in her one hundred fifty-something years. Her knees buckled and she had to grab the window ledge to keep from falling.

Was he about to jerk off? Right there in the living room? Where some innocent Amazon could wander out and see? Her body flooded with heat. He was, oh gods, he was!

She watched, mesmerized, as his big hand wrapped around the base of his cock, squeezing slightly. The blue denim framed his erection like a present that had just been opened and was waiting for a little appreciation. She had plenty of that. His shaft was so thick, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to wrap her hand around him. The bulbous head was plump and wide. Veins ran the impressive length, making her tongue tingle with the need to trace each one. Her breathing quickened.

Izzy was riveted as he stroked up once, a soft moan escaping his mouth. His face was still upturned, so she felt safe watching him pleasure himself. And boy, did he! Slowly at first, he stroked up and down in long, smooth motions until a bead of cum glistened at the tip of his cock. She licked her lips, imaging his taste would be salty, wild, and clean. Her fingers clenched on the wood of the window ledge, her fingernails scraping deep grooves into it.

She saw Grant’s chest was moving faster now as he struggled to get air in his lungs even while his hand pumped more rapidly. Even through the glass she could hear his ragged breathing and the soft clicking as his hand moved up and down the sleek column of flesh. Izzy’s inner muscles clenched with want, soaking her panties through. She didn’t care. This was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen since, well, since Grant had come out of his bedroom with just those jeans on.