What was wrong with her? She’d never become aroused during any other vision quest she’d taken.
“Arand.” The word sounded rusty, as though he wasn’t used to speaking. At least that was consistent with the daydream she’d had in the café. Maybe her mind was simply combining all her thoughts together to help her sort through them. She could deal with that.
“What just happened?” Maybe if she got him talking, the vision would play itself out and she’d find herself back in her living room with her carved wolf sitting in the corner.
That thought made her incredibly sad and she found herself having to blink back tears.
He spread his arms out to his side. The guy was only a few inches taller than her, but he was built like the side of a mountain, wide and unyielding. “You have released me from the curse.”
Okay, that was new. She’d never dreamed that before. Knowing she’d probably regret it, she asked anyway. “What curse?”
He narrowed his gaze and strode toward her. She jumped up from her seat on the sofa and backed away from him. “Stay right there. That’s close enough.”
He frowned and she sensed his displeasure. “You’re afraid of me.”
She was kind of afraid. Any woman would be when faced with a large, naked stranger, even if it was only part of a vision. Still, she wasn’t about to admit it. “Not afraid. Cautious.”
His lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. She found herself wondering what he’d look like if he did smile. He was hotter than any underwear model or actor she’d ever laid eyes on. It was taking all her willpower not to melt into a gooey heap at his feet he was so darn sexy. Of course, he wasn’t real so it was okay to feel that way. Or at least that’s what she kept telling herself.
“You were telling me about the curse.” she reminded him. If she could figure out why her subconscious had conjured him, she could get rid of him.
She nibbled on her bottom lip. And she wanted him gone, didn’t she? Of course she did.
He raked his fingers through his shaggy mane of hair, leaving it tousled and sexy. She curled her hands into fists at her side to keep from reaching out to touch his hair to see if it was as soft as it appeared.
“I am an immortal warrior of the Lady of the Beasts.” There was both pride and affection in his voice.
Okay, that wasn’t what she expected, not at all. She’d never even heard of the Lady of the Beasts. “Go on.”
“I was one of seven, all part-men, part-beast. We lived in peace until the Greek gods came. They wanted power and took it, forcing my Lady to fight.”
She took a small step back. Anger radiated from him as he spoke, and she didn’t want that fury directed her way.
Eyes narrowing, he glared at her. “The battle raged for weeks, months, years. Who knows how long? Time is fluid during such times. There were too many of them—gods and goddesses, warriors and demons.”
She shivered when he mentioned demons and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a sudden chill. She was afraid the story wasn’t going to have a happy ending. “What happened to the Lady?”
Anguish filled his eyes and his jaw hardened. “We fought and would have continued to fight, but Hades was getting too close.”
“Hades?” She knew who he was. “What happened then, Arand?” His name flowed easily from her lips.
“The Lady knew she couldn’t defeat them, that Hades would capture her.”
“Not kill her?” she interrupted to ask.
He shook his head. “No, a god does not kill another. That is the only rule they all abide by. It would set a bad precedent.”
“Makes sense.” If one god killed another then no one was safe. “Then what did he do to her? And what happened to you?”
He began to pace like a caged animal, striding from one end of the room to the other. Not that he had much space to maneuver, but he was using every square inch of it. The room seemed to shrink with him in it. He exuded such power and energy it filled the area.
“What happened?” He whirled around and pinned her with a glare. “She cursed us, her loyal warriors.” He stalked toward her as she continued to move away until there was nowhere left for her to go. Back against the wall, she faced him.
His breath was almost hot against her cheek as he leaned inward, blocking everything else from her field of vision. “For more than five thousand years, we sat in our animal forms, unable to move, to eat, to talk. The only thing that kept us sane was the ability to absorb the advancements of mankind. As history changed, we learned and waited.”
His anguish made her heart ache, and she reached out to him, touching the hard curve of his jaw. “I’m sure she felt she was doing the right thing.”
His glare let her know he didn’t share her opinion. She dropped her hand back by her side. He was crowding her, but she didn’t really feel afraid of him. Crazy, but true. His nudity was a bit of a problem though. His erection was bumping against her stomach. He seemed oblivious, but she certainly wasn’t.
“Hades could not take us to Hell as he took the Lady, but he could not afford to leave us unattended. For century upon century, Hades’ minions guarded us, at first in damp caves, later in castles and finally warehouses. Then several decades ago, everything changed. His demons built a carousel, placing all of us on the ride. But it was never shown publicly as Hades’ carnival toured the world, searching, forever searching.”
Sabrina was half afraid to ask, but knew she had no other choice. “Searching for what?”
He cupped her face with one large, rough hand, holding her prisoner with his black stare. This man was dangerous, and she was very glad she wasn’t his enemy. “For you.” He gently brushed the pad of his thumb against the side of her cheek. “For special women like you, ones who could release us from captivity.”
Warmth spread from her skin where he touched it and meandered through her entire body. She fought the sensual lethargy threatening to engulf her. “So only a small group of women could break the curse?”
He nodded.
She nibbled on her bottom lip. The whole carnival and carousel idea was obviously an offshoot from the wolf she’d purchased. It all made sense when she broke it down. The curse clearly was a manifestation of her fear of whatever evil seemed to be stalking her.
Sabrina was more convinced than ever that she was having some sort of vision quest designed to help her understand what was happening in her life. Many times what she was shown during her deep meditations was meant to be a metaphor, a symbol for something she needed to know or understand. She’d ask Jessica and Tilly what they thought. In fact, she’d call them as soon as she pulled herself out of this vision. But first, she needed to pay attention to what Arand was telling her.
“Yes. One by one, they found the carnival and the carousel, releasing the first of us decades ago. I am the last.”
“So what happened to them all?”
His scowl deepened and the power of his anger sucked the air from the room, making it hard to catch a breath. “Mordecai, that devious serpent, killed the woman who released him and joined Hades.”
“Killed her?” Her voice squeaked and dread filled her belly. She didn’t like this part of the story at all.
He continued on as though he hadn’t heard her at all. “Phoenix and Stavros disappeared, their women also dead.”
She was trembling now and wanted out of this vision. She’d had more than enough of this place. She put her hands over her ears. “La, la, la, la, la.”
He twined his strong fingers around her wrists and pulled her hands away from her head. “What are you doing?” There was deep concern in his voice.
“What does it look like? I’m trying to pull myself out of this vision I’m having. I’m so deep in my meditative state it’s like a dream I can’t wake up from.”