Shafted (10 page)

“Oh Tero, he knows this. He’s the embodiment
of love and love can’t exist without patience, sacrifice and
especially forgiveness – you big goof!” Her form started to waiver
and the dome began to shrink back on itself. “But Bro, before you
shoot her with your little black beauties there, maybe you could
think about giving yourself one night to hold on to when
you’re...living with Uncle Grumpy?”

“Psyche I can’t do—”

“There’s a gift in your quiver from your
cousin, Morpheus. He said to tell you all you need to do is open
the vial and whatever mortal is within twenty feet of it will
believe they are dreaming until you put the stopper back in.”
Before he could say a word she held her hand up to stop him. “Tero,
think about it, one mortal lifetime locked away in a cell with
something good to hold on to? Or eternity locked in that same cell
with nothing...well you know what I’m saying.”

She blew a kiss he felt brush his cheek and
the dome collapsed back in on itself, shrinking until it vanished
in a pin prick of light under the frozen surface of the lake.

It was so tempting to take Psyche’s advice.
If Callie believed them being together was a dream, he could always
cancel his brother’s arrow with his own after and she wouldn’t know
the difference.

Shorten his sentence
and
be with Callie? He’d be crazy not to. He also knew
better than to tempt fate or himself by staying in the room down
the hall from her tonight or he might just do it. The cramping in
his muscles meant he had to stay close, and he had to make sure she
was in range so when he got the chance he’d have a clear shot, but
he didn’t have to be a martyr about it.

He’d wait till he saw her light go on
upstairs, then he’d camp out on the parlor sofa till morning. A
picture of her lying on that sofa earlier with the firelight
turning her skin to warm silk was all it took and his body sprang
to attention adding an even stiffer muscle to his list of
complaints.

Guess the back seat of the car would have to
do.

Chapter 14

Callie flopped herself across her bed without
turning on the lights. Making peace with Christian had been a good
thing, but couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Everything in
her needed to go after Teran but she couldn’t leave Christian
standing there. The man might be self absorbed, but he wasn’t blind
or without feelings and the look on his face had said it all.

After they’d talked things through she had to
give him credit. He’d taken it very graciously. He’d even offered
to stay on until Grandee’s place was back in order, for old time’s
sake, but she still felt awful and with no idea where to look for
Teran, just wanted the day over with.

Something about the way he’d left hadn’t sat
right. He’d been gone for a few hours now and she had a terrible
feeling Teran wasn’t just out, he was gone. Hugging a pillow she
scrunched it into her belly trying to somehow fill the hole. It
didn’t work. With every tick of the clock the empty ache got worse.
If her fears were true, what was she going to do? Callie’s eyes
started to burn with the threat of tears and she had to blink
several times.

A blue flash lit the room from outside the
window facing the lake and caught Callie’s attention. Was someone
taking pictures with a high powered flash? Who would be out there
doing that at this time of night?

Another burst turned the curtains purple and
drew her to the window. Reaching her hand out she pulled the
curtain back enough to look out, but not enough to be seen from
outside.

With the room dark it didn’t take much time
for her eyes to adjust. The moon’s silver touch created the
illusion of something glowing under the surface of the frozen lake
and clearly illuminated a lone figure standing on the edge of it; a
black silhouette in a sea of blue and grey.

Teran!

Relief turned her knee joints to rubber and
she had to grab the window casing or risk ending up on her butt. He
hadn’t left. The blood circulating through her system picked up
speed. Maybe she still had a chance after all.

He started slowly making his way toward the
path she knew would hide him from view until he reached the top.
She wouldn’t be able to see him...which meant he wouldn’t see her
either. Suddenly she wasn’t tired anymore.

Charging into the adjoining bathroom, she
clicked on the light to brush her teeth and freshened up, ignoring
the voice in her head telling her she was acting like a
teenager.

As she fluffed her hair her ring’s twin
rubies caught the light and seemed to frown at her. For a moment
she was back sitting at her grandmother’s feet in front of the fire
that last autumn night they’d spent together; the night she’d given
Callie her ring.

She could still hear Grandee’s voice. “You
don’t betray it; it won’t betray you. Hang on to your heart girl
and the ring there will keep you safe.”

Focusing on the face looking back at her from
the mirror, Callie saw her grandmother’s fire flickering in her own
eyes for the first time in her life.

Maybe safe wasn’t good enough anymore.

Lowering her hand she started to tug on the
ring. “Sorry Grandee, but I can’t keep making excuses and hiding
behind fairy tales and imaginary curses any longer. It’s time to
quit running.”

A final twist of the ring and it was off.
Tucking it deep in the front pocket of her pants she marched over
to the dresser and opened the top drawer. Lifting out a wisp of
silk she held it in front of her and looked into the dresser’s oval
mirror. “Okay Jamison, if there’s any truth to that Amazon heritage
stuff, its time to live up to it. You have a man to ambush.”

Chapter 15

Anteros reached the top of the path and
thought better of staying in the unheated garage overnight, heading
for the house instead. He slowly opened the back door hoping he was
being quiet enough not to disturb anyone.

“Psst, Teran.”

“Ahhhh!” He nearly jumped out of his skin and
barely managed to tuck his bow under his coat before Callie flicked
on the hall light. “Zeus’s beard woman, you trying to give me a
heart attack?”

She didn’t say anything, and as soon as he
saw her clearly, he couldn’t if he’d wanted to. The short silk robe
she had on left no doubt she was wearing very little else. She took
one step toward him and he took one back.

“Callie? What are you doing?”

A small smile graced her lips and his heart
sped up. She advanced again and he forgot to think, staring at the
sinuous curves of first one bare leg then the other. Still silent,
she reached out and took his ice cold hand in her warm one and
gently tugged him toward her. All but that one now very stiff
muscle forgotten, Anteros mutely followed.

In the back of his mind some annoying little
prick kept yelling about choices and honor and consequences, but
the sway of her hips beneath the shimmering silk of her robe on the
way up the stairs made it easy for Anteros to shove his annoying
protests aside.

Somewhere between the back door and upper
hallway he’d given up the fight. The part of him that housed the
mouthy little prick knew he’d hate himself later for what he was
about to do, but was too far gone to stop.

Psyche’s arguments had eaten away his already
crumbling resolve. He was damned one way or another, and if
choosing only one lifetime of suffering over eternity was the
cowardly thing to do, so be it. He was tired of carrying everyone
else’s heartache, just once he wanted his heart to fly free and he
wanted it to fly with Callie.

Morpheus’s magic would ensure she’d have no
regrets, believing it was all a dream and he would free her from
Eros’s shot with one of his own and then he’d be gone. But not
until he’d made this one night as perfect for her as he could, and
he had something to hold on to once he was locked away.

The door to her room clicked shut behind them
and Callie twined her arms around his neck bringing her body in
perfect alignment with his. Fires ignited in places he didn’t know
he had.

“Callie—”

“Shhh, no talking.”

A feather light touch of her lips was all it
took and his arms wrapped around her pulling her tighter to him.
Burying his face in the tender spot where her shoulder and neck
join he inhaled deeply and his head started to spin. God she
smelled good.

“Callie, wait.”

“No. No waiting.”

It took every ounce of will power he had left
to gently grab her elbows and lean back out of reach. A tiny
whimper escaped her lips and Anteros’s heartbeat sped up another
notch.

“Callie, not wait as in stop; wait as in I
need to get my coat off.”

Callie’s face heated. Never having been the
aggressor, and with limited experience to draw on, it was taking a
lot of courage to stay on course. And with him out of reach, she
wasn’t sure what to do with her hands.

Teran tossed his coat in a chair and stopping
in front of the dresser reached over to pull the chain on the
little Tiffany style lamp sitting there. He turned toward her
holding her hostage with a dangerous gleam in his eyes and as each
button on his shirt gave way, a delicious flutter in her belly
answered.

A quick yank made short work of the last of
them and a shrug shifted the material off his broad shoulders.
Callie started to chew on her lower lip as his arms twisted behind
to finish the job stretching the impressive display of his chest
before her hungry eyes.

Arms still trapped behind his back by his
sleeves, he was on her, dipping his head down to capture her lips
with his own bringing all that male real estate flush against her.
Callie responded, instantly allowing his questing tongue access and
wrapping her arms around his neck. Arching her back pressed her
taut nipples against him and her soft moan melded with their
kiss.

An answering groan rumbled in his throat, and
having finally escaped one sleeve, his long fingers tangled in her
hair coaxing her to tilt her head where he wanted. In the mean
time, the hand she lost track of, having found freedom as well,
worked its way up to the side of her neck, its thumb tracing tiny
circles from her chin down the vulnerable column of her throat.

The world spun and the sound of Teran’s
ragged breath sent the blood rushing through her veins. Pin points
of stars danced on the underside of her eyelids and her hands
gained a mind of their own. One of them explored the fascinating
contrast of hard muscle and soft skin across his shoulder blades.
The other found the growing bulge behind the zipper of his
jeans.

The heel of her hand brushed the warm velvet
tip escaping past the top of his waist band and suddenly Teran’s
hands were under her arms lifting her off her feet. Never once
releasing her lips he maneuvered them until the calves of her legs
hit the edge of the bed. He guided her with one hand behind her
back and laid her gently down on the mattress.

Shifting away and standing so his legs were
between hers he cupped her thighs and slowly slid his hands up but
not nearly high enough for her.

“Move up.”

He reached up to undo the button and zipper
of his jeans never taking his eyes from her. She tried to remember
how to breathe and scooted further up the bed. Teran stepped out of
his pants, but didn’t come any closer. His dark gaze slid over her,
first taking in the cloud of hair spread out around her head, then
her face, where he paused on her swollen lips before traveling on.
He focused on the points of her breasts clearly straining against
the thin material of her robe and his nostrils flared.

“Show me.”

Anteros’s tongue seemed twice its normal size
and his voice came out hushed and full of gravel. He’d seen her
eyes grow wide getting her first look at all of him and wanted to
beat his chest like some horn-dog satyr. Her lips parted the
tiniest bit and he ached with thoughts of what he’d love her to do
with them.

He took a step toward her and a tiny wrinkle
creased her brow giving him pause. She glanced at the lamp on the
dresser and her hand absently tugged at the hem of her robe.
Considering how stunning she was lying there, radiant enough to
make a siren jealous, her sudden shyness melted his heart – and he
was having none of it. He needed her with him all the way.

Speaking to the part of her trying to hide,
he lowered his voice, moved slowly but steadily forward and glanced
at the tie holding her robe closed.

“Trust me.”

Her eyes stayed wide and her hand moved
toward her belt but hesitated. Not sure if he wanted to scream or
revel in anticipation, a bead of sweat broke out on his temple.

“Please.”

Her tongue peeked out to moisten her lips and
his sack tightened another notch. Slowly slipping the tie free,
Callie parted the two halves bearing all but what a tiny pair of
black panties covered.

Anteros almost lost it right there. He knew
she’d be beautiful but the pale coral tipped globes quivering
before him, the velvet curves and valleys leading to the delicate
barely there scrap of lace and shadowed treasure beneath, sent the
‘all hormones on dick’ signal and his penis visibly bobbed at what
it wanted.

Callie’s attack of self conscious nerves
vanished. Teran was put together as perfectly as one of those
marble statues from a museum. To her eye all the hard planes and
defined muscles swelled and dipped in all the right places and
could stand up to any of them, only this work of art definitely
needed something bigger than a fig leaf.

Thick and long, proudly curving up and away
from his body Teran’s shaft and the firm sack hanging below were
every bit as beautiful to her as the rest of him.

He crawled up on all four beside her,
bringing to mind some sleek jungle predator. He held his hand out
to her and helped her sit up.