Constant Cravings (22 page)

Underneath the picture was a caption and I read it aloud, “The barghest is a most valuable tracker because it can swallow its prey whole, vomiting the victim back up without causing harm.”

I made a face and tried not to feel nauseated. “That’s disgusting.” Liam was listening to me, but busy sorting supplies on the floor. “Yes, but probably why they’ve been sent after me. If they
have
been sent after me.”

“So they could bring you back to some psycho unharmed?” Before he could answer someone knocked at the door.

“Probably Nym,” we said together.

I followed Liam to the door where we found the elf waiting, holding Liam’s sign.

“Here you go, smartass,” he said, handing him the poster.

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Nym was wearing black leather pants and a tight blue dress shirt, complete with a matching ankle-length coat. He looked as ravishing as ever and I wondered why exactly Liam had never slept with him. Maybe he
was
only attracted to Cernunnos. After all, I’m not attracted to other women. I supposed it was entirely possible that Liam didn’t find Nym attractive the way I did. Still, looking at the elf, I found it hard to believe.

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t personally interested. I was merely enjoying the view.

Nym smiled at me as if he understood the look I was giving him. It was obvious he liked to be admired.

“How did the summoning go this morning? I’m assuming you called me because you have new information and need my help with something.”

“You’re right,” Liam said. “Come in, make some tea. We’ll be here awhile.” 128

Constant Cravings

Chapter Eighteen

“I came prepared this time,” Nym said.

He tossed his coat over the back of one kitchen chair and pulled three tea bags from his pocket. He started filling the kettle and glanced back over his shoulder. “Is anybody going to tell me what happened today or do I have to guess?” Liam had already gone back to his stack of books in the bedroom. Nym gave me his sarcastic hands-on-hips pose and I flashed him the barghest drawing.

“We need help finding two of these. You up to it?”

“I’d rather put out a forest fire with my ass.” Liam’s laughter echoed down the hall. “That won’t be necessary,” he called. “Bring the tea in here and I’ll explain everything.”

Nym winked at me. “I finally get an invitation to his bedroom and it’s all business.” A few minutes later Nym carried two cups into the bedroom and handed one to Liam. We found the shaman sitting on the floor with several books opened around him.

I put my cup on the table and joined him on the floor.

“You’re not going to drink it?” Nym asked.

“I’m waiting for it to cool,” I told him.

Liam took a sip of tea, but didn’t appear to really notice the hot liquid. His attention was on the book in his other hand.

“You promised to explain,” Nym said, snapping his fingers to get Liam’s attention.

“I’m getting there,” Liam said, still distracted.

“Oh. I’ve got something else for you,” he said to me. He put down the book and pulled a silver locket from inside his robe. “It’s for Cernunnos’s hair.” I inspected the locket briefly. It was just as beautiful as the ring. “Wow. I’m not used to getting this much jewelry in one day.”

He shrugged. “You can’t put a lock of Cernunnos’s hair in just any old locket.” Nym waved his hand and nearly spilled his tea. “Whoa. What the fuck? You got a lock of Cernunnos’ hair?” He turned to me. “You fucked him, didn’t you?"

Before I could reply—and I really didn’t know what to say—Nym asked, “Isn’t Cernunnos a centaur? How the hell is that even possible?!”

“He has more than one form, you know,” I said. “Did you seriously think I would screw a horse?”

“Ah, so you did—“

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“I’m not confirming, I’m just saying,” I interrupted.

“If you’re just saying, then how do you know he has another form?” The elf gave me a self-assured look as if he’d won something. “So, how big was his cock?”

“The details are unimportant,” Liam cut in. “What you need to know is what he said and how and why I need your help.”

Nym looked sullen. “She totally fucked him and I don’t even get to hear the details.”

Liam sighed. “Just listen.”

While he relayed the morning’s events to Nym (minus the fantastic sex) I drank my tea. When Liam reached the part about the goblin king, Nym paled.

“I never thought I’d say this, but we really need to find out who Gunthar was screwing,” Liam said.

Nym sat down his cup with trembling hands. “It was me,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Liam’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

“I’ve been sleeping with Gunthar, but I swear it’s not me you’re looking for.” Nym moved so that he knelt beside Liam, putting his hand on the shaman’s shoulder. “I should have told you before.
That’s
where I heard the rumor about someone wanting to steal your magic. Gunthar told me. Liam, you’ve got to believe me, I would never hurt you or anyone else. Especially not some poor girl in The Courtyard just trying to have a good time.”

He turned to me then. “You do believe me, don’t you? Gunthar must have been sleeping with someone else. We weren’t exclusive or anything. For him to just hint at the magic thing like he did, his other lover must be powerful, someone he was afraid to betray.”

“Why do you think so?” Liam asked.

“Because he normally doesn’t hint. If Gunthar’s got something to say, he says it.” Nym put a hand over his heart. “Holy shit.”

“What is it?” Liam asked.

“The night I met you at Pixie Styx, the night I told you the rumor, I’d just left Gunthar.”

“You’d just slept with him and then went home with the she-wolf that same night?” I asked. “That’s impressive.”

Considering the performance I’d witnessed through his memories, impressive was an understatement. Not that I had any room to judge him after the day I’d had.

“We’ve become friends,” Nym said, rolling his eyes. “We don’t always jump into bed. Gunthar and I didn’t have sex that night, but he told me he’d heard someone was after Liam. He didn’t have time to elaborate; he was writing a letter that he passed to 130

Constant Cravings

his servant just as someone knocked at the door. I assumed it was some official business and left the back way.”

“That probably saved your life. It sounds as if you barely missed whoever we’re looking for,” Liam said.

“So you do believe me?”

“Of course,” we answered together.

The elf threw his arms around Liam. “You’re my oldest friend,” he said softly. He pulled back then, looking afraid again. “You don’t think Cernunnos will come after me by mistake?”

“No,” I answered. “He’s got the advantage of knowing the name and gender of whoever is out to get Liam.”

“With my power, they could kill Oberon,” Liam explained.

He left out the fact that whoever absorbed his magical power would also inherit the throne of Faerie. He finished explaining a few more details and when Nym was caught up to speed he said, “The main reason I called you is because I need your energy. All jokes aside, I’m really tired and I don’t think Luna has much energy to contribute either.”

A vision flashed through my mind of my hands pulling Cernunnos to me by the horns.

“You’re after my magical elf essence?” Nym said, back to his usual flirtatious self.

“I can’t think of any stronger. But first we need to prepare ingredients for a spell and then I hope you’ll help us track the barghests. I promise things will not be as dangerous as you think.”

“What do I need to do for the spell exactly?” Nym asked.

“You’ll need to give your energy to me freely. Basically I need your consent and a quick kiss.”

Nym’s smile widened. “You’re going to kiss me?”

“For the spell,” Liam clarified.

“I don’t care what it’s for,” Nym teased. “Luna, what do you think about this?” I decided to give my honest opinion. Besides, it was only for the spell. “I think it’d be hot to watch you guys kiss.”

Liam looked shocked, but Nym looked proud.

“I really like her,” he told Liam.

The shaman smiled as he made a list and passed it to me. “These are some of the things I’ll need. They should all be in storage downstairs. Can you two get them for me, please?”

Nym took the list from me and gave it a glance. “And what will you be doing?”

“Taking a ritual bath to cleanse my aura.”

Nym raised an eyebrow. “We don’t get to watch?” 131

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I looped my arm through his and pulled Nym toward the door. “Come on, don’t push your luck.”

“Thank you,” Liam called after us. “It’s the door at the end of the hall.” When we reached the door Nym asked, “Is he really that tired or did he need an excuse to kiss me?”

I laughed. “I don’t know how much this morning’s ritual took out of him, but I’m certainly tired.”

Before Nym had a chance to read between the lines, I changed the subject. “You’ve really been fucking the goblin king?”

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. He’s not some grubby little troll, you know.” I was surprised. “I honestly don’t know what a goblin is like.”

“All goblins are not created equal. Gunthar is sexy as fuck.” I laughed at the way he used the word “fuck” to mean almost anything.

“Really?”

As we reached the foot of the stairs, Nym gave me a knowing look. “He rocked my world. I shit you not. If you weren’t already otherwise enamored, I’d suggest you give him a try.”

His willingness to share was a bit shocking, but not when I considered the source.

“That’s sweet of you, but I’ll stick to my shaman.”
And perhaps the occasional demigod.

I was developing a habit of using that term, “my shaman”.

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” he said, moving past me and into the room.

The space before me looked like something you’d expect to see in a movie about wizards. There was a kitchen down here also and it was filled with jars and numerous other containers, all of different shapes, sizes and colors. A sign on the fridge read,

“Keep potions refrigerated”. The jars that were full had labels while others remained empty and unmarked. There were baskets full of dried herbs. Bundles of fresh herbs hung from the ceiling in neat little bunches.

Liam had an entire apartment filled with more magical supplies than I’d ever imagined. Nym picked up a large, empty basket. “We’ll probably need this,” he said.

I took the list and read the ingredients aloud as we searched.

“What does he need a lantern for?”

“And why does he have half a dozen?” Nym said. “Look in here.” Along a shelf in the back room were six lanterns. Each was unique in design and color.

“Pick one,” Nym said.

I looked them over and finally selected a bronze lantern with lavender cracked glass.

“Pretty,” Nym said.

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The next ingredient on the list was ground unicorn horn. I was surprised to find it in a neatly labeled jar. Since I didn’t know how much he needed, I put the whole jar in the basket. I was glad Nym knew what most of these things looked like, because I had no clue.

“What does pixie dust look like? I thought that was a drug?”

“It is, but it has other uses. Ah, over there.” Nym picked up a small glittery vial.

“This is enough to get sky high. I hope it’s enough for his spell.” A rope of dried sage, dried anise and caraway seeds completed our list.

Once we were back upstairs Nym took the basket into the kitchen. I went to the bathroom to see if Liam was ready. The smell of incense greeted me as I paused in the open doorway. Liam’s back was turned to me and his long, white hair trailed over the rim of the tub and onto the floor. The room was lit with candles and soft, sultry music drifted from a CD player on the counter.

“You can come in,” he said. He hadn’t turned to look at me.

“I didn’t mean to disturb you,” I said.

Liam turned then and flashed me that devastating smile of his. “You didn’t. I can feel it when you walk into a room.”

Wow. That was sexy. I moved closer and sat down beside the tub. I gave myself another minute to take in how great he looked, propped against the back of the tub. His arms were spread wide, resting along the rim. The candlelight reflected off the moisture on his chest, making each sexy curve seem amplified.

“We have everything you need,” I said softly.

“Thank you. I appreciate your help.”

I continued to watch him and sighed as I remembered the feel of his skin. To keep my mind on the subject at hand, I asked a question I’d been wondering about since that morning.

“What did Cernunnos mean when he told me he lacked the magic to find the barghests? I didn’t realize a demigod lacked anything.”

“Don’t tell him that. It’ll go right to his head.” Liam sat up and handed me an empty bowl. “Can you move behind me and pour the water over my head?”

“Sure.”

He tilted back his head and while I poured the water over his hair, Liam explained.

“Cernunnos hunts by sight, sound, smell and instinct. He is made of magic and has many powers, some I’m sure I don’t know about. But no matter how hard he tries, he can’t work a spell.”

“That’s interesting.”

“I should hurry before Nym walks in and I start confessing about my attraction to Cernunnos.”

“I’d forgotten a cleansing bath had that effect.” 133

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Liam laughed softly as he rose. “I haven’t.”

I watched hungrily as the water ran down his body. There’s a first time for everything and this was the first time I’d ever envied drops of water. They got to roam over all the places that only my eyes had time to touch.

When my gaze met his again, Liam was smiling. “We’ll get to that again later,” he said suggestively.

“Sorry.” I shook my head as I reached for a towel and passed it to Liam.

“Don’t be. It’s always nice to know a beautiful woman enjoys looking at me.” He stepped out of the tub and wrapped the towel around his waist.