Inevitable (The Curse of Avalon Book 2) Read online

  “No… Mathias—that’s not fair,” I pleaded, probably unconvincingly.

  “Ava, you deserve to be loved. To be worshipped. For now, let me do it.” He didn’t wait for me to answer, pushing his hand between the cotton fabric and my skin, pushing my underwear down my thighs, exposing my entrance to him.

  “But—” I couldn’t speak, as he firmly pulled my legs apart, and buried his face between my thighs.

  I cried out in pleasant surprise, feeling the fire at my core increase tenfold. I bucked against him, clawing at the sheets as he intensified his movements, biting gently, kissing, and sucking my clit, alternating his mouth with his fingers.

  I cried out, as the pressure increased. My vision became blurry as he continued, placing his hands under my ass for support, and lifted me against his mouth. He licked a path around the swollen peak of my clit before sucking it gently, sending insane feelings of pleasure throughout my body.

  Moaning and panting furiously, as my orgasm neared I buried my face in the crook of my elbow to stifle my cries. He inserted a finger slowly inside me, probably testing to see if it’d hurt, but I was more than ready for him. He crooked the finger, while nipping and sucking with his mouth, and firmly massaged the small bundle of nerves deep inside, causing me to cry out loudly.

  “Oh…my…” My release grew closer, and I began bucking against his mouth as he continued his movements, bringing me closer to the edge.

  He inserted another finger, and I gasped as he applied more gentle pressure, his teeth gently scraping against the taut bud under his tongue.

  I tensed around his hand, and I shattered. No, I exploded into a million pieces as I thrashed beneath him; the orgasm rocked me to the core and flung outward to the tips of my fingers. Every nerve, every pore stimulated as my release crested. My breathing quickened through the ebbs for an indeterminate amount of time before it quieted. I dared to open my eyes; the sexy sight of Mathias’ looking up at me from between my legs expectantly was enough to rack out another gasp.

  My breath was still quick, but the magic that was surging quelled. “I didn’t—magic you, did I?”

  He shrugged. He kissed my clit once more—earning him another gasping moan—before he prowled over me on his hands and knees, resting on his side beside me.

  I frowned and dared to glance down at him. I was surprised to see his hard-on had disappeared. I wasn’t sure where the “rest” of it went, but I wasn’t about to ask. “Did you—”

  He grinned. “I guess they weren’t kidding when they said sex between an incubus and cambion was potent.”

  “Uh huh,” I agreed, regaining my breath, feeling totally sated. “But we didn’t actually have sex.”

  Mathias placed a light kiss just by my ear. “Watching you orgasm was absolutely the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

  I lifted a brow. “Oh. Now you can say that word,” I kidded, reminding him fondly of one of our first conversations.

  He chuckled. “I can always say the word, I just believe it’s better—more intimate—when you talk about it with someone you care about. I wasn’t sure if you’d care about me at that point, so I was…reserved.”

  I smirked. “Right…”

  He started to raise, kissing me on the lips, as he pulled down his blue comforter from the corner of my bed down, inviting me to slide under.

  I moved to my side, as he placed the warm blanket over me, feeling satiated and more peaceful than I had in a while. He shifted himself until he spooned against me, curving his body against mine, and draped a heavy arm over me. We snuggled together under the silken comforter, and feeling safe and spent, I found myself dozing off beside him.

  The screaming sound of a shrieking banshee awoke me from my glorious, sated slumber.

  “What the hell?” The horrifically loud, high-pitched sound was piercing on my ears. I tried press my hands against my ears and sat up awkwardly.

  Mathias was already awake and moving. Still in his boxers, he rummaged in the dark in the dresser, quickly pulling on a pair of jeans. He tossed me a t-shirt and a pair of drawstring pants. “Hurry, Avie! That’s the alarm—the wards on the house have been tripped!”

  My eyes widened. “Oh fuck!”

  “Fuck is right.” Mathias agreed, flicking on the light, the brightness assaulting both of our eyes. He zipped the jeans and motioned for me to hurry.

  Stumbling and flopping around groggily like a fish out of water, I managed to pull the pants on, tying the string at the waist. Mathias’ gaze fell on my still-exposed breasts, and a little flush washed over his cheeks.

  I smirked. He shook himself out of his boob-entranced haze as I yanked the black t-shirt on quickly. He grabbed me by the arm, and we thundered down the hallways and stairs, meeting up with Xander in the hallway outside his bedroom. He lifted a brow, noticing Mathias’ and my casual, rumpled appearances, but didn’t scowl like I would have expected. Instead he grinned his sexy, half-smile and nudged me.

  “Feeling better?” He asked, grinning cockily.

  I slapped him in the arm scoldingly, and he chuckled. The three of us went the rest of the way downstairs together.

  The living room was full of yelling and howling. All the dogs were barking, Nessie was howling, and Frankie was trying to imitate her. Trystan was in the midst of them all, trying to communicate with them but they were inconsolable.

  “Bash!” Mathias called, his voice boomed over the loud alarm and the barking animals.

  Bash thundered down the stairs, skipping two and three at a time as he dashed. “That’s the west ward!” I noticed that he carried a silver sword, and the dragonmetal stunner that I’d ripped off a swarthy Collector who tried to kill me a couple of weeks ago. He thrust the stunner towards me. “You need to be armed.”

  “What do you think it is then?” I triumphantly grabbed the weapon and held it close to me. Bash cringed briefly. When I’d first met them, I was pretty sure I threatened all of them with it at one time or another.

  Hey, I wasn’t going to be a damsel, dammit.

  “Can you shut that shite off?” Trystan shouted amidst the noisy dogs in a pair of shorts only, his canine counseling not going well at all. His hands clutched his hair in frustration, grumbling angrily in Gaelic.

  “On it!” Bash went to the large canvas nearest to the front door—a photo of Splitrock Lighthouse Xander had taken—and waved his hand over it. A handful of clicks sounded, followed by a motorized whir, and the photo opened, exposing an elaborate panel of circuits and lights.

  “Dude!” I said with surprise.

  “This place is wrapped up tighter than Fort Knox,” Xander said, coming up next to me. I noticed that he wore nothing but boxers, and a white tank, smeared with various streaks of paint. Black and red streaks slashed his arms; he even had a black smear underneath his eye. I reached up, gently rubbing away the offending paint with the pad of my thumb. It faded but didn’t disappear totally. He grinned down at me affectionately.

  “Xan.” Mathias was in a closet on the other side of the panel, as Bash shut off the alarm with a click of a few buttons. Mathias pulled out several weapons, holding various swords and whatnot by their hilts and handles.

  Xander pulled my hand away, kissing it quickly, and pointed at a long, silver katana; it’s hilt wrapped with purple ribbon—I think it what it was anyway. I only recognized its type from karate movies, I was ashamed to admit. He also pointed to another silver gun. Mathias tossed it at him, and Xander caught it deftly in his right hand. “Can never be too prepared!” He said, with a wink.

  “That looks like mine,” I said, holding up my silver stunner. I’d never shot it before, but I rubbed my fingers across the smooth, cool metal affectionately.

  “Yes,” Xander agreed, with a smirk. “But mine shoots to kill.”

  I frowned, pouting. “Aww…what if I want to kill?”

  “Soon, Avie. Soon,” he said with a laugh. “Let’s master that one first, kay?”

  “Aye. I don’t
need my nuts blown off,” Trystan agreed, taking two golden daggers from Mathias. “At least yours will only stun them for a bit. A welcome respite, actually,” he said, with a grin.

  I just stuck my tongue out at him, figuring that making a joke about his nuts wouldn’t help any.

  “Can you tell what it is setting everything off, yet?” Mathias asked, taking his own longsword from the closet, closing the door behind him.

  Bash shook his head. “No. Nothing is showing up on video.”

  Xander cocked his weapon; it made a loud double-clicking sound. “Locked and loaded. Let’s find him.”

  Mathias nodded, but glanced at me hesitantly. “It’s probably safer if you stay here, with the dogs.”

  I shook my head vehemently, glaring angrily. “No way. You’re not leaving me here!”

  “Aye, she’s safer with us out there, then in here alone,” Trystan said. “And anyway, there’s no way all these dogs will stay here.” Rocky barked in affirmation.

  I patted my leg. “You coming, boy?”

  He barked in affirmation, as the large male sidled up to me.

  “I think Avie is safe,” Trystan kidded. Rocky bared his teeth, a low rumble escaping his throat.

  I held the stunner at my side and patted Rocky’s head with my free hand to calm him. Trystan instructed to the other dogs to stay put, and Nessie responded by plopping down on her backside, ears perked up an alert, eyes narrow as she waited to pounce on possible intruders.

  “Stay together,” Bash instructed. “Mathias and I will take lead, Avie in the middle, Trystan and Xander in the rear. Okay?”

  Everyone nodded in agreement. Bash opened the security panel and pushed a button, releasing the front door, and we emerged from the house into the inky blackness.

  Chapter Eight

  It was a full moon—thankfully—or else we wouldn’t have been able to see. That, coupled with the bright plethora of stars, lit our way as we stealthily crept through the property.

  Several raccoons darted around nearby, and Trystan snapped a warning to them. The two of them squeaked and darted off for the woods.

  “Be careful, Sammy’s den is out there,” Trystan said, motioning his head towards the woods.

  “Oh good,” I said dryly.

  Trystan flashed me a mischievous glint over his shoulder. “I was talking to the critters.”

  I grumbled. “Right…”

  Besides the sounds of crickets and a nearby owl, it was pretty much silent, only adding to the anxiety of the situation.

  Bash and Mathias were ahead of us, weapons raised; Bash had a large, serrated, menacing axe at his side. The silver chrome flicked the moonlight from above back to me, just making it appear scarier. I swallowed nervously.

  Xander and Trystan were at my side, Rocky slightly in front, nose in the wind, sniffing for anything unusual.

  “What do you think it is?” I asked quietly, my normal voice too loud in the quiet din of night. I didn’t ask the obvious question that hung in the air; was it my mother? She’d already penetrated the wards once, glamoured as Trystan; it probably fooled them. But, we didn’t think she had the strength the glamour anymore—for now. That could change at any time, of course.

  “I doubt it’s her,” Xander said, his tone holding back.

  “But?” I asked, uncertain if I wanted to hear the answer.

  “It could be one of those scummy Collectors,” Trystan said.

  I groaned, recalling the large, red demons—honest to god demons from the bowels of hell—that we encountered in the ritual chamber under the Stargazer. Well under. “Do you think they’re still working for her?”

  “Undoubtedly, though I have no idea what she’d offer them this time,” Xander said. He flicked his head, tossing one of the jet-black locks of hair that fell into his eyes aside. “Hell, we don’t really have any idea what she was offering in the first place.”

  “Judging by all those body parts and severed limbs, chances are it wasn’t a date,” Trystan offered, his tone full of snark.

  “Um, ew,” was all I said, grimacing.

  Mathias and Bash stopped dead in their tracks.

  “What?” I demanded anxiously, the tension in the air palpable. Glancing around, I noticed the house was dwarfed in the background; we’d walked further than I thought. I had walked the grounds before, but in the dark and in potential peril, I was painfully aware at just how large the property was. After all, it was an entire “township.”

  Mathias moved his free hand backwards, one finger raised in the air, indicating that I should be quiet.

  “Something’s not right…” Bash deliberated to himself. He reached for the axe on his belt and rose it high, angling it protectively in front of him, and edged carefully towards a mound of shrubbery a few feet in front of him.

  Protectively, Trystan and Xander crowded me, their weapons also raised.

  Bash stepped forward, slowly. With his free hand, he pulled out a small flashlight from his pants pocket, clicked it on, and shined it into the woods.

  I gasped, and collectively the guys murmured in shock. Directly in front of us stood Sammy, the three-legged bear on his hind quarters. His jaws were open wide in a snarl, his one front paw was reached out, claws drawn, but he was completely motionless.

  “Aww, Sammy…” Bash said, frowning.

  Trystan and Xander nodded at each other, and Xander raised his blade higher, putting himself in between Sammy and me. Trystan, weapon still at the ready, walked over to the bear.

  “Is he okay?” Mathias asked, with concern.

  “Aye. Just stunned,” Trystan said, inspecting the bear carefully.

  “What happened?” I inquired.

  “This whole area is stunned, not just Sammy,” Bash explained, motioning around us. Everything beyond a ten-foot radius from us was in full motion; trees rustled, and a late-night zephyr brushed across my shoulders, raising the ends of my hair behind me. But everything directly around us and Sammy was totally still. It was a strange effect.

  “What did it?” Xander inquired. “Think it was Collectors?”

  Bash shrugged. “We know they have the ability, but…why now?”

  “Enough of the why, how about we free this poor guy?” Mathias suggested.

  “Right,” Bash agreed, handing the flashlight to Mathias, and searching for something else in his pocket.

  “Wait!” Trystan thrust out an arm, clutching Bash’s rummaging hand. “I don’t know what it is, but Sammy says there was some kind of…light.”

  “Light?” Bash repeated, confused. We all took another glance out at the dim woods. Besides Bash’s flashlight, it was pitch black. “You can hear him?”

  “Aye. His body is frozen, but his mind is not. He’s okay though, otherwise,” Trystan insisted, patting the bear reassuringly on the back. I cringed, not wanting to think about Sammy’s reaction to that if he were mobile.

  Rocky had broken rank and was sniffing around on the ground. He cautiously smelled the bear’s hind leg and sniffed at the ground in front of him. His ears pressed back onto his head, and he let out a bark.

  I broke away from the guys—not like they were far—to follow him. I knelt on the ground beside Rocky, still thankful Sammy was “frozen”. “Uh, guys…” A dark, viscous liquid puddled on the ground. It was half absorbed into the ground, the rest congealed atop, frozen by whatever magic was holding Sammy there. I gulped, standing precariously, as I realized how close I was to Sammy’s outstretched paw. I carefully reached out, noticing shreds of brown cloth attached to his massive claws.

  Trystan fingered the cloth, as Bash knelt, closer examining the liquid on the floor. “It’s blood, I think. But it’s really, really dark. It must be…old?” He suggested, scratching his head.

  “Or alien,” I replied, with a shudder.

  “Uh, guys…” Trystan said hesitantly. He took a step back, his eyes fixated on something before him.

  I followed his gaze to Sammy’s claws, which twitched slightly,
the shreds of cloth jerking in the air. I cocked a brow, confused.

  “Shit!” Xander exclaimed, jumping in front of me, flinging his body on top of mine, dropping us to the ground.

  The sound of an unknown shriek, and a sensation of heat brought the guys to attention. I cried out in surprise, as the bright light blinded my eyes. An explosion jarred the area, and Sammy let out a loud roar. I dared to look up from underneath Xander’s heavy shoulder. I screamed, seeing a bright, large fireball shriek through the woods directly for us.

  “Crap!” I shouted, feeling a strange ebbing inside the back of my mind. Xander also seeing what I saw, wrapped an arm around my head, and bowed his over me, cringing as the fireball screeched.

  I waited for the impact—for the heat—but after a moment, felt nothing. I glanced up, realizing that it fizzled out about six inches over us, spraying sparks around us like an exploding firework. “The hell?”

  “Your shield blocked us!” Xander cried triumphantly. Another fireball screeched through the woods, directly towards Bash as he reached for something in his pocket. He quickly uncorked a vial, throwing it and its contents in the air. A shower of silver glitter exploded around us, dissipating another fireball shooting towards us.

  Rocky whimpered, probably uncomfortable, as Trystan had been attempting to shield him from the blast. He squirmed out from the eagle-shifters grip and sniffed at Xander and I carefully.

  I reached out and scratched the top of his nose appreciatively. “We’re okay.”

  “Is that all of them?” Mathias asked, finally dropping his sword at his side.

  “I think so,” Bash said, relaxing slightly.

  Xander glanced at me sheepishly, his solid body covering mine. I remembered that I was supposed to be scared, because right now I was feeling anything but. His closeness, his musky scent, the paint marring his perfect, olive complexion, and the heat in his eyes matched the summer air with the same heft.