Flame of the Phoenix: Hades' Carnival, Book 6 Page 6

  His cock, which had already been awake before him, was hard and ready to perform yet again. This woman would always tempt him, would always hold his interest. She fascinated him with her quick mind and sharp wit. With her tough outer shell and the soft woman who lay beneath it.

  Tilly murmured and shifted on the bed. Her elbow hit the wall behind her and she frowned. He ran his hand over her arm, rubbing the sting away. Her eyelids fluttered open and she stared at him. Then she smiled. It lit her entire face from the inside.

  “Good morning.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss against her forehead. Then he rubbed his nose against hers.

  The sheet rustled as she pushed herself up in a seated position. “What time is it?”

  “Just after ten.” Like the rest of the warriors, he was always aware of what time of day it was.

  “That’s late.” She scrubbed her hands over her face and shoved her hair out of her way. She’d taken it down last night when they’d showered and it hung down her back like a thick curtain.

  “What time do you usually get up?” There was no detail he didn’t want to know about her, the big and the small.

  “Butt crack of dawn.” She gave him a shove. “You gotta move. I need to go to the bathroom.”

  Phoenix swung around and rose from the bed, not the least bit shy about the fact he wasn’t wearing any clothes. He stretched his arms over his head but had to bend them to keep from hitting the ceiling. A bone in his neck cracked, realigning itself after the uncomfortable night in the cramped bed.

  He turned to see Tilly’s eyes partially glazed over as she stared at his ass. He smiled. “Like what you see?”

  She pushed off the bed. “It’s too early for me to spar with you. I need coffee.” He caught her as she tried to go by him, wrapped his arms around her from behind and rocked her in his arms.

  “You do like what you see,” he teased.

  “You know you’re fine.” He heard the smile in her voice and laughed. He released her and patted her on the behind. She whirled around and frowned at him.

  He laughed again, feeling better this morning than he had in years. She shook her head and turned away, but not before he caught the smile tugging at her lips. “I’ll put on coffee,” he promised.

  “I’ll be forever grateful.” She trudged into the bathroom and shut the door, closing him out. The gesture was symbolic. Tilly was rebuilding her walls again. And he’d spend the day knocking them down. He was looking forward to it.

  He held his arms out by his side and manifested a pair of jeans. Now that he had his full power back it was easy to do such things. Usually, he did things the human way, especially around others. But sometimes he wanted to flex his power, and there was no one around to see him. He glanced at the bed, and in the blink of an eye it was remade, the top blanket smooth. Leaning down, he picked up Tilly’s discarded clothing and set them on the bed. The room was as good as he could make it.

  Barefoot, he padded to the kitchen and reached for the coffeepot.

  Tilly stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were a little bloodshot and her hair looked like a rat’s nest, but other than that, she looked the same. There was no way for anyone looking at her to know she was in deep trouble.

  And trouble had a name—Phoenix.

  It was bad enough that Hades was probably after her. Adding a serious threat to her heart on top of it was more than she could handle. “What have you done?” she muttered to her reflection.

  She’d had the best sex of her life, for one thing. Her body was still humming with satisfaction. And just seeing Phoenix’s naked butt had set her motor revving yet again. For a woman who’d always prided herself on control, it was a sobering thought.

  “Enough.” She had to worry about Jessica and her own safety. There was no room for a relationship. Tilly snorted. How did one have a relationship with an immortal warrior? Her friend Sabrina managed, but she was immortal now too.

  Tilly grabbed her comb and attacked her hair. When the tangles were finally dealt with, she braided the thick mass. A shower. She needed a shower. Even though they’d had one before bed, last night had been warm. And sharing a tiny bed with a big man generated a lot of body heat.

  She turned on the water and stepped beneath the stingy spray. It didn’t take her long to wash away the sweat. If only she could get rid of the rest of her problems so easily. When she was done, she dried off, wrapped the towel around her and hurried back to the bedroom. She could hear Phoenix moving around the kitchen and smell coffee in the air. Wonderful, life-giving coffee.

  When she entered the room, she was surprised to find the bed made and her clothing neatly piled on the end. She grabbed her overnight bag off the floor and set it on the bed. It didn’t take her long to dig out underwear, a pair of cut-off jeans and a tank top. Once she was dressed, she folded her dirty clothes and tucked them into a pocket in her bag. Then she stuffed her bare feet into a pair of red canvas sneakers and left her childhood bedroom behind.

  Phoenix was leaning against the kitchen counter staring out the window when she joined him. He held a coffee mug in his large hand, resting it against his stomach. He was wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. The jeans were zipped but not buttoned. Sex on a stick. That’s what he was with his washboard abs and broad shoulders. Tilly had a weakness for men in nothing more than a well-fitting pair of jeans, and Phoenix’s jeans fit him like a second skin.

  She started to sweat. Then he turned her way and smiled and she thought her body might spontaneously combust. “Coffee?” he asked. She managed to nod.

  He set down his own cup and handed her a second one that was sitting by the coffeepot. Their fingers grazed when he handed it to her. Ribbons of pleasure shot up her arm and she frowned. Was it her imagination or was she growing more sensitive to his touch?

  “Have you talked to Mordecai?” Tilly wanted news.

  Phoenix shook his head. “I figured they’d call us if they had news.”

  She took a sip of her coffee and sighed as it seeped into her veins. It was just the way she liked it, not too strong and not too weak with two sugars. Damn, the man even made good coffee. “I’m not waiting.”

  Tilly found her purse and dug out her phone with one hand, not willing to relinquish her coffee. She had another swallow as she called Jessica’s number. Nothing. The call wasn’t going through. She tried Sabrina’s number and the same thing happened. Worried, she set down her mug and stared at her phone. “I can’t get through.”

  Phoenix frowned and closed his eyes. “I can’t mentally reach either Arand or Mordecai.” He opened his eyes and they were dark with concern. “Hades must be blocking us the same way he’s jamming communication with the Lady.”

  “That can’t be good.” Anything that had to do with Hades was bad as far as she was concerned.

  “It’s not, but there isn’t anything we can do about it.” His calm answer infuriated her.

  “We can go back.” She tossed the useless phone back in her purse. “I think we should go back.” Tilly hated being cut off from her friends. She also hated being here where the memories threatened to choke her. “After all, we survived the first battle with Hades because we were all together.”

  Phoenix closed the distance between them and took her into his arms, but she wasn’t in the mood to be placated. “Let go of me.” She shoved at him and was surprised when he actually let her go. Perversely, now that he wasn’t holding her, she wanted him to. He had her totally confused.

  “We need to stay here.”

  She opened her mouth to blast him again but paused when she noticed the tension thrumming through him and how his hands were fisted. He was just as frustrated as she was. Tilly released a huge sigh, totally deflated. She knew he was right, but that didn’t make it any easier.

  “I can’t just stay cooped up in here all day.” Coming here had been a mistake. She th
ought she’d moved beyond the hurts of her childhood, but she was wrong. The past was more vibrant here, more alive. Every room had dark memories that haunted her. She’d go mad if she had to stay inside this house much longer. The echoes from the past were too loud and painful.

  “Let’s go out back and sit on the deck,” he suggested.

  It was better than nothing. She grabbed her mug and detoured by the half-full coffeepot to get a refill first. The temperature might already be creeping up, but she needed caffeine, and they didn’t have the supplies to make an iced coffee. Hot would have to do. In fact, they didn’t have much in the way of supplies at all. Some fresh fruit, cheese and a loaf of bread. Enough for breakfast and lunch, but beyond that they’d have to venture out. Of course, there were those cans of beans in the cupboard if they got desperate.

  Phoenix held the back door open for her. She had a feeling he’d wait forever if necessary. Tilly stepped out onto the porch and breathed in the thick, warm air. Something inside her settled and she perched on the porch rail. “There used to be chairs out here.” She’d forgotten that.

  “It’s a nice place to sit and think.” He caught the eave of the porch roof and leaned forward, staring out into the tangle of trees and vegetation.

  She tried not to notice how freaking hot he looked, but it was a losing battle. “It used to be nicer. Not so overgrown.” There, she was making conversation like any normal person. Not scintillating conversation, but it was better than sitting there with her tongue hanging out watching him.

  “It’s beautiful in a wild way.” He turned to her. “Much like you.”

  Tilly set her mug down on the porch. Her hand was trembling too much and she was afraid she might spill it. “What do you mean, like me?”

  “Ah, Tilly.” He prowled toward her and cupped her chin in the curve of his hand. “You’re so cautious and watchful, like a wild doe being stalked by a hunter.” He traced the curve of her bottom lip with his thumb, and she had to fight the urge to touch it with her tongue. “So tough, but so fragile on the inside.”

  She pulled away from him. “I’m not fragile,” she insisted. She’d worked hard not to be weak.

  “Don’t you know we’re all fragile, Tilly? All of us have a soft core. If we didn’t, we’d be nothing more than monsters.”

  His words made her chest ache and she was suddenly fighting back tears. “I don’t want to be weak.”

  He went down on his knees before her and clasped her hands in his much larger ones. “You could never be weak. In many ways, you’re too strong. You find it hard to let others help you even though you’re the first one to offer help. It doesn’t make you weak to need someone else, Tilly.” He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed each one.

  This wasn’t sexual. Wasn’t about getting her into bed. No, this was something totally different. She felt—cherished. That was the right word. No one had ever made her feel this way before.

  She wasn’t sure how she felt about this powerful warrior who was on his knees before her. All she knew was that she was in over her head. He touched parts of her she’d thought no longer existed.

  “Did you ever have happy times here?” he asked her. He lithely came to his feet and stood beside her.

  Although her first instinct was total denial, she forced herself to stop and think about it. “Yes. The early years were good, when Daddy was working regularly and not drinking so much. I remember Mama singing. She used to sing a lot.” Tilly hadn’t heard her mama sing in years. She had the sudden urge to call her and ask if she still sang.

  “After she left him, I pulled away from her just like I did from him.” It was a sobering realization to understand she was as much at fault for the estrangement between her and her mama as her mama was.

  “You were a child and you were hurt.” Such simple words, but they held a profound truth.

  “Yes. I pulled away from everyone.” She wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged herself.

  “Even your granny?” he asked.

  Tilly smiled. “Granny is a force of nature. You kinda get caught in her wake and pulled in whether you want to or not.”

  Phoenix threw back his head and laughed. “I think I’d like your granny.”

  “She’d sure like you.” Tilly ran her gaze up and down his manly form. “She likes the good-looking ones.”

  Phoenix grinned and it made him seem not quite so hard. He’d never look young. There was too much ancient knowledge in his eyes and a sense of timelessness surrounding him. It was ridiculous how much she liked making him smile.

  “What are we going to do?” Tilly had a sense of time running out.

  “Whatever we have to,” he told her. There was a set to his shoulders, a stubborn tilt to his head that told her he meant every word. He’d do whatever it took to save her.

  Everything inside her screamed in protest at the thought of him putting himself in danger. They’d been friends and then lovers, but now they were something more.

  Tilly was at a loss at how to fight the intense feelings he stirred in her. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to any longer.

  Hades grabbed another demon by the throat and drained the creature’s life force from it. The power was pitiful compared to what he usually wielded, but it was better than nothing. Even weak, he was more powerful than all the demons in his domain. He had to be or they’d run rampant, spilling out into every other dimension.

  He reached for another one. It tried to fight him, but Hades simply sent a spike of power shooting through the pitiful creature and cut off its heartbeat. He tossed the body aside, disgusted that he hadn’t been able to gain any energy from the demon at all.

  Hades threw back his head and roared his displeasure. Every demon shuddered and the walls of Hell shook with his anger. Mordecai had escaped Hades’ vengeance. Not only was the immortal serpent beyond his reach, but now so was the woman he loved. Jessica Miller was now a part of Mordecai, the two of them one.

  It was sickening how these immortal warriors gave up part of their power to a mere human. And yet they keep doing it. “Why?” he muttered.

  “If you could understand that we might still be together.” He whirled around and scowled at his ex-wife.

  “I’m in no mood for you today, Persephone.” He would have blasted any other god or goddess who dared to enter his domain uninvited. Maybe not Zeus or Poseidon. His brothers were as powerful as him. Or as powerful as he’d been. He hated being weak. Would not stand for it.

  He grabbed another demon and killed the creature in front of her, draining its power. The buzz of energy flooded him. It was better than a shot of pure caffeine and made him horny. He ran his gaze over Persephone. There had never been and would never be a woman finer than she.

  “Want to go to my room and talk about it?” He sauntered toward her and noticed the slight inhalation of breath. The pulse in her neck fluttered wildly. She was as affected by him as he was by her. He was glad he wasn’t wearing one of his customary hand-tailored suits and was clad only in leather pants and boots, his chest bare. She’d always preferred the more barbaric side of him to the cultured businessman.

  Hades trailed his fingers over the slender column of her neck and smiled when she shivered.

  “Damn you, Hades.” She closed her eyes and momentarily leaned into his touch.

  He smiled at her. “Don’t you know? I’m already damned.”

  She took a step back and turned from him. “I can’t do this with you. Not again. You value vengeance and power more than you do me. I know that.” She glanced over her shoulder and her smile was filled with sadness. “Call me if you ever decide I’m worth more.” With that, she disappeared.

  The pain in his chest caught Hades off-guard. He frowned and leaned against the wall. He hated weakness. And Persephone was definitely a big one of his. He took a deep breath and crooked his finger at the closest demo
n. With a sense of its own doom, the creature trudged toward him.

  He needed to recharge. Now that Jessica was out of reach, it was time to look for Tilly Ledet.

  Chapter Seven

  Tilly wandered around the overgrown yard the next morning, careful to watch for snakes and other critters. Phoenix was right beside her, a silent sentry. She couldn’t believe they’d been here a second night. Every hour they waited for news felt like an eternity. The only break they’d had was when they’d driven to a local store for a few groceries yesterday afternoon.

  Both of them were growing tenser as time passed. She’d lain awake for hours last night with Phoenix’s arms wrapped around her. Not even his lovemaking could drive away her fears for long. She’d already decided she was heading home this afternoon no matter what. Not knowing what was going on with Jessica was killing her.

  She just hadn’t told Phoenix her plans yet.

  She hated not being able to reach her friends and worried about Jessica. Would Mordecai and the others be able to find a way to thwart the angry god? It had taken the Lady of the Beasts and her warriors five thousand years to outsmart Hades. It didn’t look good for Jessica or herself.

  “What was it like to be held captive in your animal form all those years?” She’d never asked him before, not wanting to bring up bad memories for him. But they’d dug through her past, and he knew things about her very few others did. She wanted to know more about him.

  It would also serve to take her mind off her own problems.

  Phoenix stopped and tipped his head back toward the sun. The powerful rays seemed to soak into his tanned skin. His red-and-gold hair shone like a halo around his head. “I would not wish it on my worst enemy.” The quiet way he spoke gave his words more punch than if he’d yelled them.

  Tilly reached out and took his hand. It was warm and strong. “You don’t have to talk about it if it hurts you.” That was the last thing she wanted.

  He closed his fingers around hers and squeezed. “I don’t mind.” He led her back to the porch and they sat on the step. “Time passed differently during those years. A hundred years might pass in the blink of an eye and a single day might feel an eternity.”