InSpire (6 page)

“I will. You witches are a dime a dozen. I will hunt your entire coven down until one of them helps me. You will have all your sisters’ blood on your head.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Wouldn’t I? Need I remind you who I really am?” Athena wasn’t sure what she was missing, but it must have been something big. Sheila changed her tune very quickly after that comment.

“No.”

“So will you help me?” Athena was standing next to Darian now. She held his free hand and pleaded with the witch. She wanted to go home. Darian was her forever. This was how it was going to work for them.

After a moment of silence, Sheila looked at Athena. Darian was still holding his threatening position to her left. Her eyes fell on Athena’s. Something in them must have changed her mind. Her features softened just before she spoke. “It will take more than just my power to give you back your life.”

“How much more power?” Darian backed away from her a little.

“I will need three members of my coven to perform the ritual. It will take me a few days to gather them here.”

“You have twenty four hours.”

“I can’t possibly!” She stood up and actually stomped her foot like a petulant child. If the situation hadn’t been so intense it would have been funny.

“You will!”

“Fine.”

“We will meet you here in twenty four hours. You will be here with only those you need or I will be here with a compliment of soldiers willing to take out some witches.” His confidence in his words was tangible. Athena was not sure what he meant, but if a threat was what it took count her in.

“You wouldn’t?” The look of panic on Sheila’s face was priceless. She knew he was being deadly serious right now.

“Try me.”

He grabbed Athena’s hand and pulled her back toward the bike. Her mind was clearly reeling from what she just witnessed. They didn’t speak all the way to the bike. She put her helmet on and wrapped her arms around him. He took off back toward the town they just left. There was a little hotel just on the outskirts. She was sure that was where he was headed, but they blew right by it. He pulled down a dirt road instead. They traveled down the road for a mile before she saw a beautiful old farm house. He pulled in front of it and shut the motor off.

“Home for the night.” He took his helmet off and smiled.

“Where are we?”

“This is a friend’s house. They have gone to Florida for a few days.” Darian was lying to her again, but he couldn’t hurt her. He wasn’t sure how she would react if she knew he had fathered children. It wasn’t something you surprised on someone the day before they were going to be changed forever.

“A friend?”

“Yes. Would I have a key otherwise?”

He swung open the door to reveal the inside matched the outside. It was decorated with antiques and some of the oldest wallpaper she had ever seen. He led her to the staircase and pulled her up the stairs. It was so dark she tripped on the last step. He waited until he was in the doorway of the bedroom to turn on the light. The room was extraordinary. It was simply dressed with antiques and a queen size bed with a handmade quilt on it. It wasn’t the finest on the planet, but it certainly looked comfortable.

“Let’s get this off of you.” He slid her jacket off. Then he grabbed the bag and set it on the floor.

“Why don’t you get comfortable?” He had walked over to the bed and sat down. The springs let out a horrible noise as they took on his weight. It was clear this room hadn’t been used in a little while.

“Do they have a tub?”

“Sure.”

“I could really use a hot bath right now.”

“Here let me.”

He walked through the door in his stocking feet while pulling his shirt over his head. She heard him turn the water on. She took some time to look around the room. She couldn’t believe Darian knew the people that owned this house. It didn’t seem to suit his personality at all. The pictures on the wall showed an older couple. There were a few with children in them as well. They all seemed to have familiar faces but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“It’s ready.”

“Good.” She kicked her boots off and headed toward him.

He was sitting on the side of a bear claw tub. The water was steaming and full of bubbles. It amazed her how well he knew her. Scanning over him she noticed his abs looked fabulous covered in moisture. His animal magnetism was driving her crazy.

She could have sex with him now, bath be damned. Her desire for him was growing stronger by the second. She decided to make him feel a little of the torture she was going through. Darian watched from his perch as Athena tried her best to do a strip tease. It was not something one would see in a strip club, but it meant more because it came from her heart. She dropped each item off her body one at time while dancing around the room. It amazed him how talented she was. There was no music playing, but it was clearly going in her head. He was smiling at her the entire time. Finally naked, he took her hand and helped her into the tub. She sat down slowly as the water was scalding hot.

As she relaxed back into the water she felt him rubbing the sponge on her shoulders. He took his time washing every inch of her. She wanted him to really go slow when he got in between her legs but he didn’t. He just skipped over it and smiled at her. She couldn’t help but show her disappointment. He only smiled at her enjoying the sweet torture he was inflicting on her. It was his way for paying her back for the strip tease. It made him chuckle a little to see her squirm.

“My turn.”

“Your turn for what?” He stripped quickly and slid into the tub behind her.

“Aren’t you going to wash me?”

“Oh.” The flush of red spreading across her face made him even more excited.

She took the sponge, moved around to the front of him, and straddled his lap. She felt his already hard shaft against the inside of her thigh. Nothing would please her more than to sink down on top of him, but she was not that forward. She started to wash his body painstakingly like he did hers. When she got to his shaft she brushed it slightly then moved on.

The look on his face suggested he was disappointed. She smiled at him. His hands gripped her waist tight and positioned her over him directly where she needed to be. Sliding her hands between them, she guided his hard shaft into position. A gasp escaped her. His girth filled her in seconds. As her body adjusted, he cupped her breasts and sucked her left nipple into his mouth. His mouth made her hard quickly.

She started to rock up and down on him. She loved to feel his entire length entering her. It sent shivers all over her body. The more he sucked on her nipple the closer she got to climax. Her thighs squeezed him tightly and he moaned. Her hand reached between them, cupping him. She knew he was close, so she moved even faster. He put his thumb on her and she screamed out his name as they climaxed together.

“I needed that.” She collapsed on his shoulder completely spent.

“So did I.”

“I love you, Darian.”

“I love you, Athena.” 

He gripped her butt and stood up. He grabbed a towel and threw it around her. He carried them over to the bed. He laid her down then climbed in beside her. Sleep took her quickly.

He laid there watching her for a while. It was clear she was dreaming again. He hoped this time it would be happy memories. They were getting so close to getting their lives back. He stared at her for an hour before he fell asleep.

“You know one of these days this will all be yours.” Athena and her father stood on the balcony of the palace looking out over Spire. There was pride in his eyes.

“What if I don’t want it?”

“You really don’t have a choice. You are my only heir, Athena. As such my kingdom will one day be yours.” His explanation should have been enough for her, but it never was.

“I just don’t know if it is what I want.”

“You will in time.” He wrapped her up in his arms like only a father could.

“You know I still miss her.” She wiped a tear from her eye. Thoughts of her mother always made her sad.

“As do I.” He kissed her forehead attempting to comfort her.

“Will I ever see her again?”

“Maybe.”

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“I don’t know.” They took a seat at one of the little tables. It was perfectly appointed, just as it had been when her mother was the Queen. She believed in having things beautiful and right.

“I am old enough now. You promised you would tell me when I was old enough to understand. Please.”

“Fine.” The servants had laid out some coffee for them to drink. It was his favorite not hers. He brought his up and sipped it while she just stared at hers.

“So?”

“Your mother was out on a mission when it happened. She was one of the best captains I have ever had. She led a group after a coven. When they arrived they were outnumbered. Your mother fought the witches off, but was killed by one of their demons.”

“How could a demon kill her? Wasn’t she the Queen?” It didn’t make sense to her. She knew they weren’t immortal, but they were almost impossible to kill.

“We are able to be killed. Yes we live for a very long time, but no creature under heaven is infallible, Athena.”

“Oh.”

“Now, can we have breakfast?”

“Sure.”

“What’s wrong?” Athena was crying uncontrollably. It didn’t seem to matter how many times he called her name. She was in his arms still crying.

“Just a dream.”

“What happened this time?” He sat up on the bed and motioned for her to put her head on his shoulder.

“I remembered the day father told me what happened to my mother.”

“Oh. And what was his version of reality?” That mischievous almost evil tone was back in his voice.

“Are you saying it might have been a lie?” She sat up wanting to know why he was behaving this way. Her story was sad, not funny.

“Possibly. Tell me what he said?”

“He told me she was killed on a mission. He said she had taken a group to dispatch a coven and that one of the demons got her.”

“That’s a good one. I guess I should have known he wouldn’t tell you the truth.”

“And what is the truth?”

She moved to the edge of the bed and put her feet on the floor. Darian was sure if he didn’t tell her the truth she was going to bolt. He couldn’t let her go when they were this close.

“Your father killed your mother in a jealous fit.”

“How do you know this?” He was looking directly at me. The truth was in his eyes.

“I was one of the royal guard, Athena. I had to know.”

“Why didn’t you stop him then?”

“This was before you and me. You have to understand, I took orders. I didn’t question them.” It was almost impossible for Darian to convey to her how it was to be a royal guard. She grew up with the privilege of being royal. She had no way of knowing what it was like to guard one. The secrets he was forced to keep were too numerous to count. The walls in that castle could tell tales of murder, revenge, sex and adultery. And that was just her father.

“Did you ever try to tell me the truth?”

“I assumed you knew. The entire kingdom knew what he had done. He was always a very jealous man. Your mother wasn’t even his first bride. She was just the first one to survive birth. I’m sure she wasn’t his last.”

“Does that mean I am no longer the only heir?” She got up and started pacing the floor. Finding out she was not quite human was bad enough. Now to find out her father actually lied to her, she was thrown.

“Yes, but you would still be the rightful heir. You are the oldest of all of his children.”

“I can’t believe I might have siblings!” She stopped pacing and looked out the window. All this was just too much.

“You may.” He walked over and put her in a tight embrace.

“Now I have to get back home.”

“Why don’t I go fix us some lunch?”

“Is it that late?”

“Yes.” He walked over to the dresser and put on some jeans. He grabbed a few things and put them on the top of the dresser for her. She wasn’t sure how exciting it was to wear someone else’s clothes but wearing her dirty ones wasn’t an option. The clothes he left out fit her perfectly. It wasn’t like she was the average size, so having clothes fitting perfectly out of someone else’s dresser seemed like an impossibility. Comfortable in her new outfit, Athena walked down the stairs to find Darian setting the table.

“I thought breakfast for lunch would be a good idea.”

“I love breakfast.”

“We have a few hours to kill before we need to head back.”

“Are we going to be there first?”

“Of course. I am a constant strategist.” He was confident in his plan. He had also planned out breakfast perfectly. She had hard fried eggs while he ate his disgusting runny eggs. It did make her happy to know how well he really did know her.

“I figured. Did you really mean what you said?”