Blood Binding, page 2
Deep in the woods, the stone shuddered as the first rays of daylight caressed the blood mandala. The beast that had been sleeping for nine hundred years shuddered and flexed his wings. He launched skyward and followed the scent of the blood on his digits. He hoped that the village was still there. Someone was going to have to ease him into the modern world. He had been out of circulation for some time. He wondered what current fashions were. He missed togas.
Chapter Two
Nine years later.
Athena Will grinned as she brought out a tray of fresh croissants and slid it into the display case. This new shop was amazing. The location was perfect, and her staff was happy with the commute downtown.
She went around the case and took the photo, sending the image of the fully stocked case through social media. She arranged a chocolate croissant with a cup of coffee and made it her picture of the day. Once the image was posted, it was time to prepare and wait.
Lily smiled and checked her phone. “That looks amazing, Atty.”
“I am getting better at this.” She chuckled at the first of the clients from the highrise above them.
Grinning assistants from traders, accountants, and officers-above-all trooped down and hovered over the display case. Atty enjoyed the species and the specialties that she served.
Over the last decade, she had gone from working in a chain coffee shop to opening her own shop to being courted to move to the new build in the middle of downtown. Now, instead of the goblins, trolls, and pixies of the suburbs, she was selling coffee to vampires, gargoyles, and elves who all had offices in the building above.
Atty liked to work in the back. She liked baking, making puff pastry, and filling items with so many calories she had been worried about her clients until she caught on that they were getting nearly all of their calories from her shop. That was when she had introduced sandwiches and salads from eleven until two. Speaking of that, she needed to get the vegan salads ready before she made the cobb salads and the other assortments with bacon and shredded meat in the mix.
She headed out back and got the leafy greens she had washed and spun the day before, and she grabbed the thirty boxes and started stuffing. In two hours, she had made a hundred twenty salads, keeping the vegan salads separate from the others in a different display. She checked the time and pushed the cooling rack out before pushing out the second rack with salads and sandwiches.
Rose was in charge of the vegan line, and Lily took the other one. At exactly eleven, the assistants came down again and began to deplete the new supply.
Atty made some fruit tarts for the afternoon break, and the coffee machines hissed, groaned, and kept up with the flow of clients. The air was filled with coffee and herbal teas. The scent of baking ran in a heavy thread under it all.
Atty was happy. She had friends, a social life, a business that was doing well enough to start over if she had to, and a steady stream of customers who smiled when they walked into her shop. She loved those smiles.
When her backstage prep was done for the day, she verified that the fridges were stocked and the shipments were put away. Everything was neat and clean when she relieved Lily for her break. Lily grabbed some treats and went up to one of the auditing companies to take her break with her boyfriend.
As she stepped up to the counter, Mr. Seran came into the shop and grinned. “Anything left over? Mr. Cassian is rather hungry today.”
She nodded, checked the time, and picked out five sandwiches, including a chicken curry salad that the owner of the building favoured. She loaded a picnic basket that she kept for just such occasions and included a thermos of dark roast and six desserts. The basket was covered, and he grinned and said, “Put it on his tab.”
“I will. Have a pleasant afternoon.”
Mr. Seran paused. “It’s a full moon tonight. Are you doing anything tonight?”
She was about to answer when Rose looped an arm around her. “We are having a girl’s night. It’s her birthday, so we want to make it special.”
Mr. Seran grinned. “If it won’t get my head removed, how old are you tonight?”
Rose snickered. “She looks great for thirty, doesn’t she? I mean, I know that you gargoyles don’t show signs of aging, but humans like Atty are gone before you know it.”
Mr. Seran inclined is head. “Yes, but in the right settings, they can burn very, very bright.”
Rose grinned. “And you are a poet. We are at the Whispered Dark tonight. Lily is loaded, so she sprang for a VIP room.”
Lily came back and grinned. “I just have to pass it off as a grocery expense to my dad, and all is good.”
Atty chuckled. “I am ready to run if the bouncers show up.”
Mr. Seran raised his brows. “You would run in a room full of vampires and predatory shifters?”
“Uh, maybe I will just slip out the back door.”
Rose chuckled. “I can’t wait to see what lurks in the alley.”
Atty chuckled. “Washing dishes then?”
Lily nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you, boss.”
Atty laughed. “Of course, you do. If anything happens to me, you lose your easy access to your boyfriend.”
“There is that. I will keep you safe, boss, but it is up to you to have a good time.”
Mr. Seran nodded. “Happy birthday, Miss Will.”
“Thanks.”
He left, and they started cleaning up. Clients came and went, and when they closed up at six, when the building above them went quiet, they got changed in the restroom and applied makeup. There was a lot of giggling, and the last of the pastries mysteriously disappeared.
Atty was already having a good time.
Dinner at an Italian eatery with more of Atty’s friend group caused a lot of laughter and forced some of the better-off members to buy the dinners for the closer tables irritated by their raucous presence. It was at moments like this that Atty realized her friends were really loud.
A fleet of taxis was waiting to take them to the nightclub, and Atty ended up smashed between two occasional bed partners. “Jaxen, Leo. Nice to see you two again.”
The vampire made room for her as Leo pressed his troll muscle against her. There was more than just his thigh making an imprint. Atty looked up at him. “Really, Leo?”
He chuckled.
Jaxen smirked, “You know, Atty, I have always been in awe of your choice of bed partners. Over the years, you have run through nearly every species that the city has to offer.”
She blushed. “I just didn’t know if I would like one above the others. So, I kept trying them on. Most of them are still friends though.”
“I was simply referring to your open-minded nature when it comes to thugs like Leo.”
She didn’t defend him. Leo was a thug. That was how they had met. He was security at a party she was invited to. He had flirted, and to his shock, she had flirted back. He had met her for coffee at her shop, and half a dozen dates later, they became a couple and then drifted apart. It was the same scenario with Jaxen. They met, they dated, they became lovers, and they parted on good terms. Half of the people at the party were ex-lovers who wanted to dance. The club was their next stop.
She looked at the vampire who could have been cut from the dictionary depiction of one of his kind. “So, why are you here slumming it when you normally don’t come in contact with lowly humans?”
He pinched her chin between his fingers and thumb. “You know that I make exceptions.”
“Yeah, I know. But what I don’t know is why you let Lily book one of the VIP areas for this party. I know how you guard those.”
He pressed a kiss to her lips. “We are celebrating you. That is a worthy sacrifice for one of the treasured spaces.”
The cool press of his skin on hers made her sigh. He was always cool unless he had a few drops of her blood. That was all he had ever needed to take. A low growl sounded in the cab, and Leo said, “Can you not do that in these tight quarters?”
The cab halted, and they got out, Leo holding the door for her and taking her hand as he helped her up and out. Jaxen got out on the other side and walked around, his suit impeccable as always.
Atty held onto Leo’s arm as he escorted her to the rest of the group. Lily gave her name, and they were on their way in when an arm crossed Atty’s chest. “No humans.”
Jaxen murmured, “When did we start that rule?”
He stepped out from behind Leo’s broad back.
“Uh, Mr. Hallowgate asked us to stop the humans from coming in to play bait.”
“This human and her friends are always welcome, and one free drink for each of them.”
Atty smiled. “Also, I won’t be here often. And if you think I am human, you are really not paying attention.”
Jaxen laughed. “Come along, Atty. We are missing your party.”
Her dress was cut low, and in the flare of lights, her scars glowed against her skin as they approached the doors. The marks had mellowed to silver over time, but no one who actually saw them would have mistaken them for anything other than a power-binding, which made her definitely not human.
The velvet rope was lifted, and they went inside.
The heat and pounding sound went right through her soul. Lily rushed back and grabbed her, hauling her through the club and up to the VIP lounge. Leo and Jaxen followed with big grins.
The first round of drinks was ordered, and the girls hauled Atty to the dance floor. She leaned her head back, listened to the music, and shimmied as she rocked her hips and twisted to the beat. The day on her feet fell away as she danced with her friends. She loved loosening up, and the dance floor was the second-best way to do it.
She laughed when shots were delivered to the dance floor, and she drank the blue alcohol with one swig, and the others did the same. The pixie server grinned and took the empties back to the bar.
Atty closed her eyes as the booze rushed through her. The music shifted, and arms wrapped around her. She turned to find Leo swaying with her. “Hey, sweetness.”
He chuckled. “Isn’t that my line?”
She ran her hands over the thick plains of muscle. “It was. You didn’t want to play anymore.”
“It was far more than play, Athena.” His hands curved over her hips. “I wanted to keep you.”
“But I don’t want to be kept. You know that.”
“But I want to keep you, treasure you, worship you.” He smiled and stroked her neck.
“I don’t need worship. I need things I can’t remember from a spell that is lost to me.”
“I can take care of you.”
“I don’t want to be taken care of, or at least, not by you, Leo.”
He sighed. “Why not me? Jaxen?”
She smiled. “No. No one that I have met in my time in the city. And since I don’t want a gargoyle, my journey playing Goldifucks is over. Time to be a boring old spinster is upon me. Now I just have to learn to spin.”
He laughed and swayed with her. “I can offer you lovely accommodations under a bridge if you want to play stereotype.”
She grinned. “I always want to play with you, Leo. Just like I have been missing the others, but it isn’t fair to you guys for me to string you along, so I came clean. You are not what I am looking for in forever.”
“I could be if you let me.”
Atty laughed. “You are going to outlive me by a century. It isn’t fair to you to hitch yourself to someone like me.”
“You have had other offers.”
“Yeah. I have. You know that. None of you are for me.”
He chuckled. “Then, I guess, I can watch you dance.”
“That is a weird kink, Leo.”
He pressed her hips against his. “You gave it to me.”
“Aw, go find a nice girl who can bench press a car. Leave me to lesser men. Wait. I have gone through them all. I am on a celibacy kick right now.”
He sighed. “That is a definite pity, but I do like your dress.”
She smiled. It was navy chiffon and had a beaded bodice with a neckline that ended just above her navel. Her scar was out for anyone to see. Tonight, it was glowing brightly. It loved a full moon.
Jaxen came up to them and said, “I am cutting in.”
It was his place, and he wasn’t asking. She pulled Leo to her and kissed him softly before she said, “Just make sure she can lift a mid-sized sedan. It’s what you deserve.”
He grinned and surrendered her.
Jaxen enjoyed salsa dancing, and tonight was not any different. She spun, her skirt flared up, and she twisted back into his arms. When they had powered through the song, she was sure that most of the level below and at least half of the folks in the VIP lounge had seen up her skirt.
She was sweaty when she finally had a seat and another drink. Jaxen cuddled up next to her and whispered against her neck. “So, why did Leo look like you took away his favourite toy?”
“Um, because I did? I have made my way through the city, and no one feels right. I just want a chance to—”
“Miss Will? May I have a moment of your time? There is someone I want to introduce you to.”
She looked up and saw Mr. Seran. “Oh, hey! You came out.”
He grinned. “Yes, I did. I have someone who wishes to make your acquaintance. May I borrow you for a moment?”
“Sure. Everyone can borrow the birthday girl.” She grinned and looked over at her party. “Back in a minute.”
She got to her feet, swayed, and Mr. Seran caught her arm. She walked with him to a quieter part of the VIP area with another rope and bouncers of the gargoyle kind.
A man with silver skin covered with tattoos was sitting among some very deferential gargoyles. Well, she guessed he was covered with tattoos based on his wrists and neck.
Mr. Seran walked with her and smiled. “Miss Will, this is Mr. Cassian. He wanted to express his birthday wishes.”
She was guided in front of his long legs, and the gargoyles looked at her curiously, but the slowly standing form of the man she was guided to that had her full attention.
His voice was low and slow, and it plucked at interesting bits inside of her. “Good evening, Miss Will. I thought we had more time.”
He kept rising higher until Leo would have a run for his money. He extended his hand to hers, and she looked at his hand as it moved toward her. She put her hand in his out of politeness, and when she gripped the surprising warmth of his fingers, she saw a small crimson dot. Her thumb brushed it, and her soul caught fire. She stared into his midnight eyes, and her pulse thumped in her veins.
She knew that dot. That was her blood, and he was wearing it on his hand.
“It has been nine years since we met, pet. Have you gotten all you wanted?” He pulled her in close.
His lips came crashing down on hers in the softest, warmest kiss, and she was swept away as her mind scrambled to figure out how she had woken stone.
Chapter Three
Atty swooned. There was no other way to describe it. He overpowered her in every way, but he was so careful about it that it was sweet.
Cassian caught her back with his free hand and lifted his head. “You taste like alcohol.”
She blinked. “It’s my birthday. It’s a party. I am having fun.”
Jaxen’s voice rippled over them. “Mr. Cassian, it seems that you have custody of the birthday girl. We can’t have a proper party without her.”
Cassian looked at him. “You are getting her drunk?”
Jaxen grinned. “Only with the best of intentions. She gets nervous when she dances around people, so we offer her cocktails. She drinks them, knowing her reaction to them.”
Atty realized some of what was happening. She eased away from Cassian. “Thanks for the... uh... greeting? I have to get going now. The party kind of grinds to a halt if I am not there.”
He didn’t release her. He just looked at Jaxen. “You allow her to engage in this behaviour?”
Jaxen nodded. “I don’t allow her anything. She isn’t mine. The other men waiting, she isn’t theirs. She is her own self and her own being. We are here to celebrate that, and if she takes one of us home, we consider ourselves lucky.”
Atty blushed. “I said I was going to stop doing that.”
He reached out and cupped her jaw, stroking her neck. “I wish you luck in trying. We are not going to make it easy. We miss you, Atty.”
She looked at Mr. Cassian and nodded. “It was nice meeting you. Good evening.”
Jaxen chuckled. “You should come and dance. Atty loves dancing.”
Athena snorted as she was eased away from the man who let her go because he chose to. She suspected that nothing escaped his grip.
They were on their way back to the dance floor when Rennaulk ran up to her and hauled her out for a dance. The elf liked a combination of elven court dances and dirty dancing. It was a challenge but definitely fun.
* * * *
“Seran, how many partners has she had?” Cassian watched his mate flit and flutter on the dance floor.
Seran winced. “At best count, sixteen. They court her, they become lovers, and then she declines permanent association. The males do go on to other lovers, but they stay in Athena’s orbit. She asks them to move on, and several do not. The elf, the troll, and the vampire are those who remain fixed around her. They appear to crave her.”
Cassian nodded. “Of course, they do. They all crave magic, and she is a feast.”
The next question was amusing. “Will you destroy them, sir?”
“No. They have helped her become what she wished to become. Free. She dove into all the things that the wolves had denied her. Now she knows what she wants, who she wants, and she wants it at all. I think she has begun to miss her magic, and when she needs it, she will come to me.”
He watched Athena twist and writhe in the elf’s arms, and his claws wanted to emerge and rend that golden skin to shreds for cupping her hip and slipping up her inner thigh in a lift to the music.
Her body was remarkably limber, and watching her, it was almost like she was dancing for him. He watched through the partition, and she did love to use her body to the fullest. Sweat gleamed on the scars in her chest, and her marks glowed as the moon climbed higher, as it had been the night she spoke to him and asked him for his pledge. He took in her blood and guarded it. He learned the new ways and took over the funds he had accumulated from his hoard. Seran and his brethren had guarded it well, and the funds were enough to buy him the space he needed in this new world. The space for physical comfort was at a premium here. So many species competed for the room to nest and spread. The gargoyles of his sect had kept space for him, ready for him.
