Page 46 of Incubus

“That’s it.” He gave me a rakish smile and settled his hands on my hips, bringing me in close to his strong body. I relished it, loved the feel of being so close to him. I couldn’t wait another second and brought my lips to his. Oh, gods.

“Wait, wait.” He pulled back. “Now tell me. When did you leave Artemis’s service?”

“A century ago.” Why was he asking questions? I needed him on top of me right now. My answer made him look the slightest bit crestfallen, but I took the opportunity to claim his delicious mouth. He answered with a firm kiss that made me melt for him, so all I could think of was having him inside me, pronto. It was an agony tearing myself away from him, but I needed to lose my clothes and his as soon as possible. I leaned back and stripped off my shirt but couldn’t go another second without his kiss.

He gripped my shoulders and held me back. “Hold on. Just a few more questions.” He wanted me to keep my clothes on? Surely not. “Was there another sister of yours, a warrior with powerful magic?”

Why would he want to know about anyone else but me? I batted the thought away, intent on tasting him again.

“With golden hair and green eyes?” His eyes darkened. “Perhaps a mark on her neck? Just here.” He stroked across my throat with his fingertips.

“Elena.” My closest sister was a knockout, by mortal or godly standards, and she had a red birthmark on her neck just as he’d described.

His eyes lit at my words. He was no doubt pleased with me, pleased enough to take me here, under the stars. Surely.

Already, I felt on the edge of letting go, the pressure building inside me until—

“Paris!” Roth’s voice boomed through the night, and in an instant, I was shoved aside.

My heart broke into a million jagged pieces. “Paris.” I was already on the verge of tears for being separated from him. Roth had tackled my precious Paris and was tussling with him on the ground.

“Stop! You’ll hurt him!” I looked around for the blade I’d had only seconds ago that my beloved Paris had handed me. I would take the blade and kill Roth for hurting my sweet Paris.

No. Wait.I shook my head to try and clear it as the males rolled and punched on the ground before me. Something wasn’t right. But what? I sat back down on the bench and, looking up at the arbor, tried to remember what just happened. I was lying here, looking at the roses, and then… Things began to come into sharp focus, and my ears began ringing as if I were shell-shocked. Giving my head another hard shake, I felt the fog lift. It was replaced with sharp rage.

“You son of a bitch!” I redoubled my efforts to find the blade, but now for an altogether different purpose.

Roth had gotten the better of Paris and was on top of him, his hands wrapped around Paris’s throat. With a powerful kick, Paris sent Roth flying backward into the koi fountain. I readied my dagger, but Paris blew me a kiss and was gone.

The fanged bastard had skipped, a power only vampires possessed, which allowed them to travel short distances in the blink of an eye.

Roth flew out of the water and howled with rage when he saw his quarry had disappeared. He yelled into the night, “Paris, I know you can hear me. If you ever touch her again, I’ll send you to Hades myself!”

I thought I could detect a diabolical laugh on the wind in response but couldn’t be sure.

One look at Roth made me take a breath. He stood, drenched from the fountain, his shirt clinging to his muscled body, and his hair hanging in wet ropes. The embers in his eyes were smoldering pits of pure anger that made me hold my ground, not wanting to raise his ire further. But when his gaze alighted on me, there was something else radiating from him.

He rushed to me and kissed me roughly, staking a claim that I belonged only to him. Being swept up in his arms and captive to his sensuous mouth sent my every nerve ending tingling. He was demanding yet gentle as he cradled my face with one hand and pulled me to him with the other. I should have pushed him away, but my body answered his call, yielding to his powerful touch. His tongue explored my mouth, taunting and teasing in a way that made me desperate for more. No one had ever had this effect on me—not in my time on Olympus or on earth. Not even Farrow. It was as if Roth answered a question I never knew I’d asked. I wrapped my arms around his neck, standing on my tiptoes and loving the feel of my hands in his wet hair.

The wind blew by again, a violent swirl of chilly air, and this time it carried a definite voice.

“Tick tock, Lilah.” The cruel whisper made my blood run cold. The threat was implicit, and it came not from Paris, but Ares.

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