Awakened (Eternal Guardians Book 8) (23 page)

He nodded again, and a heavy tingle zipped through his groin. “Right there. When Athena found out what Medusa had done, she turned her beautiful hair into snakes and her lower body—that which had tempted Poseidon so—into a snake.”

“I remember this story. But the way I heard it, Poseidon raped Medusa.”

“Why would Athena punish her for that? Rape isn’t the female’s fault. Medusa was a victim. No, Athena turned Medusa into a gorgon because there’s power in sex, especially when it’s performed in a sacred place. And she punished Medusa because when Medusa claimed that power here, in the virgin goddess’s own temple, Medusa broke free of Athena’s hold.”

Elysia looked back down at the altar, and as color rose in her cheeks, Damon knew exactly what she was imagining. The same hot and wicked thing he was imagining. “Power, huh?”

“Incredible power.”

She bit her lip. “Does Athena know we’re here?”

“Doesn’t have a clue. She only monitors this island during the survival phase of recruitment.”

Elysia hesitated for only a second, then walked her hands down the edge of the altar, shifted to her side when she reached the end, and moved between it and Damon. “In that case…” The instant her hands made contact with the hard wall of his chest, electricity fanned out beneath her touch, making his muscles quiver and ache for more. “I might be up for a little power grab.”

He was still one step lower than her. Leaning to the side, he skimmed his fingers up the back side of her thigh. “You might be, huh?”

“Mm-hm.” Her fingers tiptoed to his shoulders, and she eased closer. “What did you have in mind,
ómorfos
?”

Gods, he loved it when she called him that.

“Just this.” He tipped his head and leaned around her, brushing his lips softly against the side of her neck. His hand moved higher, tracing the back of her thigh and circling inward until his fingertips skimmed the bottom of her sweet little ass. “And this.”

Elysia trembled, wrapped one arm around Damon’s neck, and used her other hand on his jaw to tip his mouth toward hers. Their lips met, and her sweet scent surrounded him. And as he pushed her lips open with his tongue and drove into her mouth the way he wanted to drive into her body, all the frustration and waiting of the last two days exploded inside him in a burst of white-hot lust.

He moved up the last step, fisted the back of her skirt, and pulled it higher. Wrapping his other arm around her waist, he hoisted her up onto the altar, and pushed between her legs.

Her hands landed on his shoulders, but instead of pulling him in, she drew back from his mouth. “Athena isn’t going to show up here and turn me into a gorgon, is she?”

“We know where to hide on this island. We won’t let her.” Damon nipped at her swollen bottom lip. “And this isn’t about her. It’s about you. And me. And this.”

He claimed her mouth again and stroked his tongue back along hers, dragging her into a kiss that wasn’t only filled with promise, it burst with passion and with trust and with every bit of hope she made him feel.

Tonight was about her. About making her feel special. He might not be able to give her back her family and her home, but he could show her how blessed he was to have found her.

And, maybe, just maybe, by showing her that here in this temple, she could steal a little of Athena’s power for herself and find a way to pass that first Siren elimination.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

E
lysia was in heaven. The sweetest and most perfect heaven she could imagine.

She ran her fingers up to Damon’s jaw and kissed him gently, softly, groaning against his tongue as it tangled with hers and she drew him into her body and heart and soul.

He moved closer, slid his hands over her shoulders and pushed the straps of her dress to fall around her biceps. Easing away from her mouth, he lowered his lips to her right shoulder and kissed a line of heat all the way to the base of her throat.

Elysia moaned and dropped her head back. Stars twinkled above, but she couldn’t focus on any one. His wicked tongue circled the bones at the base of her throat, distracting her from the view. And when he licked his way up the other side of her throat and kissed his way out to her other shoulder, all she could focus on was him.

Electricity arced inside her. Grasping his face in her hands, she pulled his mouth back to hers and kissed him again, wanting to taste him deeply, wanting to feel him everywhere. His hands moved around to her back while he drove her wild with his mouth. He found the zipper of her dress and inched it down. Cool air washed over her spine and was quickly replaced with a wave of heat as his palm brushed the length of her back.

Her stomach tightened. Tingles rushed over her skin as his hands drifted back to the straps against her arms and he pushed the dress down her rib cage, freeing her breasts from the molded cups of her dress.

He drew back from her mouth. Groaned at the sight of her nipples pebbling in the cool night air. A shiver raced down her spine while he looked his fill. He’d seen her naked the other night in the hot springs, but he hadn’t stared then as he was doing now. As if he couldn’t get enough. As if he was memorizing every curve and plane. As if he was plotting his path to touch and taste and lick and suck.

“Damon.” She fisted the center of his black T-shirt in one hand and pulled him toward her. “I want you.”

His dark gaze lifted to hers. Hot. Focused. Filled with so much desire, her sex clenched in anticipation.

In one swift move, he reached back, pulled the T-shirt over his head, and tossed it on the ground. “I’m all yours,
emmoní
.”

Laughing, she closed a hand around the edge of the rose tattoo on his right biceps and pulled him into her. And when his lips found hers and his tongue immediately drove into her mouth, the laughter turned to a moan of approval.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and rocked against the length of his erection. Dragging his lips from hers, he pressed hot wet kisses against the corner of her mouth, across her jaw and down her throat. He cupped her breast in his hand, squeezed as he worked his lips down her collarbone. Leaning her head back, Elysia clutched his strong arms and moaned. He lifted her breast and lowered his head, taking the tip into his mouth to lick and lave and suckle, and the pleasure was too good to fight. She let go of his arms, braced her hands on the altar behind her and arched her back, giving him more, giving him whatever he wanted, giving him everything.

His erection pushed against the heat between her legs every time he shifted, making her moan, making her body tremble. He circled her nipple, scraped his teeth along the tip until she quivered, palmed the other breast, and did the same.

“Lie back,” he whispered.

Elysia lowered herself to the altar. Cool stones pressed against her spine. Damon’s hands landed on her hips, and, gently, he scooted her back, his hot breath washing over her breasts, her abdomen, and finally her thighs. Lifting one foot, he tugged off her shoe, did the same to the other, and set her feet on the edge of the altar. And when he had her positioned the way he wanted, he lifted his gaze to hers, smiled a possessively devilish grin, and slowly pushed her skirt up until it pooled around her hips.

His gaze drifted down, and then it was his turn to groan long and deep. “Oh,
emmoní.
”

She shivered at what she knew he was seeing. She’d bypassed panties tonight as well, hoping she wouldn’t need them, and now she was glad she had.

His hands landed against her inner thighs, pushing her legs wide. Tingles ran over her skin where he touched, and when his hot breath fanned the sensitive flesh between her legs, she trembled.

“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” He pressed his lips against her hipbone, moved to the apex of her sex. Holding her breath, she watched as he lowered his head and trailed his tongue down her center and back up again.

“Oh, Damon…” Her eyes drifted closed. She dropped her head back and moaned. Pleasure arced outward from her sex as his tongue found her clit and circled. Lifting her hips, she helped him find a rhythm. Groaned when he drew the hard bud into his mouth and suckled. Shuddered each time he released her to trace his tongue down to her opening and back up again.

Yes, this was heaven. The only kind of heaven she wanted. He skimmed one hand up and over the skirt at her waist to cup her breast. The other slid down her inner thigh, across her sex. One thick finger pressed deep inside her as he continued to torment her with his tongue.

Electrical energy gathered in her core. She grasped the silky locks of his hair while she rocked against his mouth. Heat raced down her spine. Tingles radiated outward from her sex. Shifting against the altar, she rose to meet his mouth, lowered, arched her back, trembled because the pleasure was so damn good.

He licked faster, drove deeper with his finger. Drew her clit between his lips and suckled. And when the orgasm hit, it was like a bolt of lightning crashing into her. White light exploded behind her eyelids, causing her to arch her back and scream his name.

Slowly, she became aware of Damon’s lips caressing the inside of her thigh, moving up to the sensitive line of her hip, then across her lower abs. And she felt the rain. Soft droplets striking her nose, her breast, her leg, her foot.

Blinking several times, she opened her eyes and lifted her head to look down at him. His hair was damp from the rain, but he didn’t seem to mind. A victorious grin curled his wicked lips. “Feel powerful yet,
oraios
?”

Yes, she did. But not powerful enough.

Pushing up on her hands, she grasped him at the shoulders and pulled his mouth back to hers. Rain pelted their cheeks, their noses, ran down to slide over their fused lips. His tongue darted into her mouth, and he groaned. She tasted him mixed with her desire, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. She needed everything.

She pressed him back, climbed off the altar, grasped him at the shoulders, and turned him so his back was against the cool, hard stones. Her hands swept down to the waistband at his hips, and she popped the button free while she kissed him again. His fingers threaded into her damp hair as he leaned into her, devouring her mouth while she ripped his pants open and shoved her hands inside to grasp his firm, toned ass.

“Elysia,” he whispered against her lips. “My Elysia.”

She shivered because he wasn’t wearing underwear either. Tearing her mouth from his, she shoved his pants all the way to the ground and dropped to her knees. “I need to taste you. Now.”

He groaned at the words. His cock sprang up, hard and hot and pulsing. While he kicked off his boot, she clasped her hand around the steely length and drew it toward her lips.

“
Skata
, Elysia.” He kicked off the other boot and pushed his pants the rest of the way down his leg. “Let me get these o—” Her mouth closed around the tip. “Oh holy gods.”

He fell back against the altar as she took him all the way into her mouth. The head of his cock brushed the back of her throat. Releasing him, she ran the flat of her tongue along the underside of the head, then sucked him deep all over again.

“Fuck,
emmoní
, that feels so damn good.” His fingers slid into her hair, and he gripped the back of her head, pushing forward with his hips so his cock breached the opening of her throat. Relaxing her gag reflex, she sucked him deeper, loving the way he moaned and rocked and trembled against her.

Her sex tingled. She dropped one hand between her legs and stroked her aching clit as she drew him deep, released, and did it again. Fire flared hot inside her. He swelled in the back of her throat. She stroked her fingers faster, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. She
needed
everything.

Releasing him, she pushed to her feet and shimmied out of her dress. “Get up on the altar. I need you now.”

“Yes,
emmoní
.” His voice was thick with lust and desire as he kicked his pants the rest of the way off and scrambled onto the hard stone. The rain fell faster. Somewhere above, thunder rumbled like an ominous warning.

Elysia climbed over him, braced her knees on each side of his hips, and leaned forward to kiss him. His mouth immediately opened, his hands slid into her hair, pulling her into him. Shifting her knees back, she found his cock with her hand and stroked him from root to tip until he groaned.

“
Skata
,” he whispered against her lips. “Take me. Use me. Fuck me,
emmoní
. Do everything you want to me. I’m yours. Only yours.”