Under the Bridge (14 page)

Jason got out, too. Resting on arm on the top
of his car, he looked her over, seeming amused. “You want to catch
a movie tonight? My treat.”

She huffed out a breath. He wasn’t afraid of
competition, was he? “I’m…involved with Ash.” She wasn’t always
sure what that involvement entailed, but she wasn’t about to
provoke a troll, not over a guy she had no interest in.

Jason looked at Ash, a subtle excitement in
his gaze. “He’s not afraid of competition, is he?”

Ash started walking their way.

“Bye, Jason.” Billy walked quickly toward
Ash, placing one hand on his chest in faux greeting. She pushed a
little.

He allowed her to stop him, sliding his arm
around her waist. “
Liebling
? You brought a dinner
guest?”

The way he said it made her shiver. “He has
places to be.”

Ash glanced at him. “Pity.”

Jason winked at her. “Later, then.” He met
Ash’s gaze one more time before sliding back into his car.

Her shoulders relaxed as he drove off. She
turned to go inside, but Ash’s arm didn’t move. She glanced up at
him. “Eyrnie had a family emergency. He left me the truck, but the
starter went bad. Jason gave me a ride home.”

He frowned, but let her go, following her
inside.

She set her backpack on the bench and sniffed
the air. Dinner smelled good, and she could see cookies on the
table. Grabbing a cookie, she went on, “I’m worried about Eyrnie,
and we need to do something about his truck. I don’t want to leave
it there.”

“I will take care of the truck,” Ash said,
stirring a pot on the stove. “Call him.”

She tried, but got the answering machine at
his house and on his cell. She frowned and tapped her fingers on
the table. With a fae, family emergencies could mean anything from
accident to outright battle.

Ash handed her a cup of hibiscus tea. “Let’s
eat, then we can investigate further. You may need your strength.”
He’d made Pho soup, and it was delicious. By now, she expected only
the best from his cooking.

As he was finishing, he said, “I’ll get the
truck if you’ll clean up.”

“Oh. Okay, here’s the keys.” She had no
concerns about his ability to fetch the truck; he was a troll. If
he wanted to, he could probably carry it home.

She stood and reached for her dirty dishes,
relieved that he was leaving. Jason had made things awkward, and
they’d been unsettled before that.

“Wait.” Ash touched her gently, his face
stern with concentration. He seemed to fight some instinct, his
eyes searching hers as if reminding himself of…something. His mouth
touched hers, and his kiss tasted of violent restraint.

She responded cautiously, then with a sudden
spurt of hot lust. Shaken, she eased back, but he didn’t release
her mouth. He kissed her until they both shuddered, pulling her
hard against him.

He tore his mouth away, breathing hard. “I
want you.”

It took a moment to clear her head. “I
deserve a man who loves me.”

His hands stayed firmly on her hips, but she
could feel him take a mental step back. He didn’t say anything to
trivialize her statement. After a moment, he looked at her
intently. “Would you like it if I could feel that? It would make it
harder, you know.”

Harder to leave her, taking his offspring?
Harder if he slipped and bit her? Trolls were jealous types. She
knew he had to be angry over Jason, but he hadn’t hurt her; he
hadn’t even yelled.

She glanced at the dinner table. He’d eaten
before he dealt with her, a pretty significant fact when dealing
with a troll. “Are you saying you can’t love?” she challenged
him.

He pondered that. “I suppose I could. It’s
not natural to my kind, you know.” After a moment, he let her go.
“I’ll be back.”

I’ll be waiting, she thought.

She didn’t like doing dishes, but it did let
her do something mindless. Since she didn’t want to think about
Ash, she let her mind wander. It was as she was finishing the last
dish that she glanced aside and saw her teacup. Entranced, she
stared at it, suddenly fascinated. Rinsing her hands, she dried
them, looking at it all the while.

Inexplicably, she began to shake.

Drawing a deep breath, she went to the pantry
and looked at the big jar of rosebud tea at the top. She pulled it
down and set it on the butcher-block counter, quickly snatching her
hands away. Her chest felt tight, and she swallowed hard.

She thought about the pillar she’d created at
the college, the way the power in her seemed to be awakening. She
thought about something her mother had always told her was far too
advanced for her. Grabbing a handful of barley flour, she sprinkled
it on the counter. Swallowing hard, she said, “Show me Eyrnie.” The
power in her stretched and yawned, and the flour shimmered. It took
the shape of a pooka.

She held her breath. This kind of seeking was
supposed to be too difficult for her, and she’d never managed it in
the past. Now, it took little effort, and the three-dimensional
image was sharply defined. Eyrnie’s pooka form stood over a fallen
pooka. Eyrnie’s chest heaved, and he bared his teeth. The pooka
before him backed off, limping badly. There were other bodies on
the ground.

A smaller pooka rushed forward and became
Eyrnie’s mother. She threw herself to her knees beside the fallen
pooka, weeping. Dismayed, Billy could only presume it was Eyrnie’s
father.

Ash spoke from beside her, making her jump.
“Is it her mate?”

She stared at him. “I don’t know,” she
whispered. The image dissipated.

She ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t
know how to get to the Dream Lands. It looks like it would be too
late to help, anyway.” She glanced at the tea, distracted. “She
poisoned me,” she said softly. Her heart ached.

Ash followed her gaze to the tea, and his
frown cleared. “Ah. You figured it out.”

She gave him a dirty look.

“You wouldn’t have listened if I’d told you
directly,” he said mildly.

“How did
you
know?” she demanded
suspiciously.

“I pay attention to my food.” He absently
began scraping the flour together, already in cleaning mode. For a
troll, he sure cleaned a lot.

Still upset, Billy crossed her arms and
slowly paced. “She was trying to keep me powerless. She forgot the
tea when we were in the Wood, though. Maybe she thought I wouldn’t
give her trouble. I don’t know.” She thought about the production
her mother had made of finding just the right trees at a certain
time of night to travel. “She didn’t want me to know how to make
gates.” She caught herself running her hand through her hair again.
She looked at Ash, who was finishing the dishes. “You know how to
make gates.”

“
Ja
.”

“You could teach me.”

There was a long silence. “You want me for
your teacher now?” The words had bite. “Tomorrow, it will be
advisor. You don’t need a troll in your court.”

“What court?” she demanded. She thought about
what he was saying and came to a bitter conclusion. It hurt.
“You’ve decided you can’t love, haven’t you?” Figured. Maybe she
just wasn’t lovable. She ignored the fact that Eyrnie had never
thought so. She couldn’t think of him now.

She couldn’t help lashing out. “So what’s it
to be, hit and run romance? Are you planning to stick around for
the pregnancy, or will you pick up the offspring in nine months or
so? Should I request a deposit for my services now, or do we settle
on half up front, half—”

“Stop it.” He set down the dishtowel.

“Why? You’ve made it clear what you want. I’m
just trying to be accommodating.”

He growled low in his throat and trapped her
against the counter. “I’m not trying to hurt you.”

A tear slid down her cheek. “Too late,” she
said tightly.

He made a pained sound and lifted her to the
countertop, pressing between her knees. He ignored her attempt to
push away and pulled her flush against him.

She hissed. She was so tightly wound, she
hurt. She hated that he didn’t care about her, but he could still
make her feel this. He’d hurt her, and she wanted him to make it
better. She was such a sucker.

He buried his face against her neck and
slowly licked her. She quivered. “Something for you, then.” He
whisked her t-shirt off and dispensed with her bra, ignoring her
struggles. His lips were soft as he kissed her breasts, swiping his
tongue over them in lazy licks. The whisper thin armor was no
impediment; it had been designed to cushion blows, not halt a
lover’s caress. He took his time, treating the soft flesh like
vanilla ice cream topped with fresh red cherries.

She tried to kick him. He trapped her feet
with his legs and worked his way down her belly.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” she gritted. She
couldn’t take
that
, not when she was trying to hate him.

He made a low growling sound, and unbuttoned
her jeans as if he hadn’t heard her. The way his eyes were glowing,
she wasn’t sure he had. She struggled, so he flipped her belly down
on the floury counter and swatted her butt. She froze in shock and
then tried to crawl off.

He got the jeans off and tossed her socks,
easily subduing her. He held her down with an arm across her lower
back and kissed the glowing mark on her rump. Then he lowered his
face and licked her wet cleft.

Billy squealed and squirmed, the flour
sliding coolly between her flesh and the hard wood. If it was an
awkward position for him, he didn’t seem to mind. Soon his finger
joined in the teasing, thickening until she was uncomfortably full.
She remembered what he’d said, how he was readying her for full
possession.

She could not resist. Pushing up with her
arms, she pushed against his tongue and finger, moaning. It felt so
good, and she screamed as she climaxed.

He flipped her over and slid her bottom to
the counter’s edge. Hooking her legs over his shoulders, he moaned
against her wet flesh. She thought dazedly that the way he was
going at her, it almost seemed as good as sex for him. He was
ritualistic, hungry. Instead of fighting him, she leaned back and
let him have his fill.

Eyes closed, she felt something heavy and
hard rubbing against her. She didn’t look as he teased her with his
naked length. “I don’t want to be pregnant.” The motion didn’t
stop, and she opened her eyes.

His were hot and yellow. He handed her a
pinch of flour. “Then sheath me,” he growled. He was permitting her
to accept him without consequences.

She looked at the flour and at his massive
erection. He didn’t look as if he wanted to stop, even if she
refused to continue.

He must have read her expression, for he
leaned down and kissed her. After that, she no longer wanted to
deny him. She whispered to the flour, and it flowed down, covering
him with a protective film.

He eased the head of his shaft inside her.
She moaned…and the window blew inward.

Ash swept her off the counter as glass
tinkled over the floor. He slowed her fall with an arm around her
waist, but she still landed badly. Fortunately her armor absorbed
much of the blow as her arm and hip hit the polished wood.

Ash growled and rose up…and up. Shedding his
glamour, he assumed his true form, stomping toward the gunmen who
burst into the kitchen with a growl like an enraged bear. Billy
risked a peek and saw him grab the nearest man—there were
several—and rip his arms off. He threw the shrieking man at
another, knocking them both down. Bullets bounced from his thick
hide, pinging off his tusk. He couldn’t have been safer if he were
a tank.

A low explosion took out her kitchen wall,
sending shrapnel flying. Billy ducked, and even Ash staggered.
There was a blinding flash, and she was seized in a steel grip.

“Hello, love.” Jason hauled her up against
him and laid a knife-edge against her throat. “Sorry about the
mess.”

She gripped his wrist and started to mutter
in the Old Tongue, but he pressed the knife closer in warning. “No,
you don’t. Keep the Tongue in your head, missy; I’ve no interest in
fae magic tricks.” He looked at Ash. “Now, shall we deal, troll, or
do I draw a new smile on your girl’s neck?”

Ash stared at him with big yellow eyes.
Casually, he reached down and picked up the man whose arm he’d
ripped off. As the man moaned, he fished inside his chest and
pulled out his heart. Tossing the body aside, he bit off half the
still beating organ, chewing it like an apple.

Billy gagged and tried to turn her head, but
Jason wouldn’t let her. “Naw, this is good for you. I’m guessing
you weren’t thinking about what he really was earlier. Not good to
deceive yourself, is it?” He nuzzled her ear. “No worries; I’ll
take care of him.” He backed toward the kitchen door, dragging her
with. To Ash, he called, “You coming, big guy? Or do you concede
your girlfriend to me?”

Ash rumbled and followed, tossing the rest of
heart over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed shrewdly as moved
closer.

“Atta boy,” Jason murmured, and tossed Billy
aside as Ash committed to a charge. Lickety split, he was out the
door.

Ash didn’t bother with the door, charging
through the wall. Seconds later, there was a second crash of wood
and glass. Billy stood and ran to check, staring at the jagged hole
that had been her front door. The men were nowhere in sight.

Shaken, she ran a hand through her hair and
hurried into the kitchen to dress before another disaster could
strike. Blushing miserably, she wondered how much of the show Jason
and his men had caught.

Not that the bodies strewn over her floor
would ever tell. Feeling light-headed, she leaned on the counter
and stared at the mess of blood and shrapnel. How would she get rid
of the bodies? It wasn’t like she could call the cops; they’d ask
all kinds of awkward questions, and a fire would draw attention.
Since she didn’t have a bulldozer, she’d have to use magic.