Destiny Bewitched (2 page)

She blinked once then
waited for him to correct himself. When she realized he was
serious, she rolled her eyes. “Oh my Lord, I’ve died and woken in a
historical romance novel.”

“Clearly much has
changed since I last observed your world.”

Clearly. And she’d be
educating him promptly.

“Where is your
sister?”

“The Underworld
Games.”

His expression darkened
and he set down his empty bowl. “The Underworld Games? A mortal
witch? Impossible.”

Placing a hand on her
hip, she told him irritably, “It’s not impossible. She was taken to
repay my father’s debt to the overseer. You have to let me go, Geo.
She’s only fifteen. Her powers haven’t manifested yet. She’s
defenseless and surrounded by creatures she’s never seen before.
Who knows what they’ll do – ” Emotion lodged in her throat, choking
off her words.

Geo’s expression
softened as he gazed at her. “Even if you’re right, how do you plan
to save her? You’re skilled with a sword, yes, but there’s only so
much one mortal witch can do.”

Well, yes, there was
that. “I’ll figure it out when I get there.”

He stared at her for a
long moment then, seeming to have made some silent decision, stood
up and declared, “All right. I have a deal for you. I will take you
to the Games and you will do something for me in return. It’s a
three-day journey through some of the most treacherous terrain in
this realm. You won’t make it by yourself, sword or no, fearsome
female.” A smile played at his lips. But not in a condescending
way, more as if he was remembering something. “I will escort you,
keep you safe, and procure food.”

This was starting to
sound a lot like,
me
Tarzan, you Jane
. And just what did he want in return? The
way he was ogling her body, it had better not be what she thought.
Her gaze swept over his fitted brown t-shirt, bulging muscles
visible through the fabric. Although….

“In exchange,” he
started, catching her gaze, “you will contact Gaia and tell her of
my good deed. That’s all. Just one small favor.”

Not a bad deal. If the
werewolf fight was any indication, she was unlikely to survive a
three-day journey toward the arena. That was assuming she even knew
how to get there, which she didn’t. She’d walked into the
Underworld yesterday without a plan, carrying only a satchel of
essentials and her sword. She really needed to work on the whole
looking before she leapt thing. But Nikki was here, somewhere, and
Samantha was her only hope.

Could she trust Geo? A
demon. No matter how temporary he claimed his…condition was, he
still remained a demon. Evil. Selfish. But he’d offered her food.
He’d made no threats against her. And deep down in her gut, she
felt his goodness. There was more to this demon than met the
eye.

“Let me get this
straight,” she said. “You’re going to travel with me for three days
and all you want in return is for me to send a little message to
Gaia?” It sounded too good to be true, which meant it probably
was.

“Does it look like I
have anything better to do?”

Well, no. “What do you
have to offer me for protection? Can you do any cool tricks?”

He smirked once then
sobered. With a compelling voice he ordered, “Step out of the
circle.”

And damn her body for
wanting to obey. Quickly, she locked down on her muscles to keep
from moving. But it didn’t matter. She groaned with the effort to
remain still. Only a moment later, both feet were out of the circle
– her only protection, gone.

“Come,” he commanded
from across the room.

She couldn’t resist
gliding toward his silky voice no matter how hard she tried.
Standing before him, she kept her gaze on the ground, silently
wishing for the strength to pull away.

“Kneel.”

She dropped to the
ground, wincing at the hardness under her knees. Damn him. She was
vulnerable – at his mercy in every way.

“Look at me.” His voice
was a tender whisper.

She raised her head.
Warm copper eyes stared down at her. There was no pride or
arrogance there. Intelligence. Compassion. Could she truly have
found a…
good
demon?

He lifted his hand
toward her face and she flinched. But to her surprise, he stroked
her cheek with the back of his hand. She almost purred.

“Such a pretty girl.”
His husky rasp slid through her like a shiver. “Do I meet your
approval?”

Oh yes.
She nodded then pulled away
from his hand.

He spun around, giving
her his back. “I’m also handy with a sword.” She felt her eyes
widen when he pulled out the biggest sword she’d ever seen from
behind the cabinet. More than four feet long, he handled it with
ease.

He chuckled when she
gulped. After he placed it back behind the cabinet, he asked, “Now
will you tell me your name willingly or must I pull it from
you?”

She hated being on her
knees in front of him. “Let me up and I will.”

At once, she felt his
power recede. Her body was her own again. She rose to her feet and
dusted off her jeans. Geo turned and dipped the second bowl into
the cauldron to retrieve more soup.

“Sam,” she said,
squaring her shoulders.

“Sam? A boy’s
name?”

“Short for
Samantha.”

A heart-breaking smile
stretched across his face when he turned from the cauldron.
“Samantha,
sfagéa
to̱n lýko̱n, me ti̱n omorfiá kai ti̱ fo̱tiá
.” He held out
the bowl full of soup and she snatched it from his hand before she
could remember her manners.

“I don’t speak Greek,”
she told him between mouthfuls of her meal. “What did you say?”

“Samantha, slayer of
wolves, with beauty and fire.” His gaze fell on her hair.

Unruly orange curls had
plagued her all her life. It was hardly beautiful, especially with
the suffocating humidity of the Underworld. She probably looked
like a poofy tabby cat that got stuck under a hand dryer. Still,
heat spread to her cheeks at the compliment.

“So, Samantha, do we
have a deal?”

She’d be stupid to
refuse. Not only did he offer protection, but directions to the
holding place of her sister. And all for one small request in
return. Only one problem. Unlike most witches, Samantha and Mother
Gaia weren’t on speaking terms. A fact she’d keep hidden for
now.

“Deal,” she answered
with a smile.

“Very good.”

Her stomach growled
again and she slurped down the contents of the bowl. The soup
tasted delicious but her palate was growing less picky the longer
she went without food.

“Ease up, dove,” he
said with a chaffing grin. “There’s plenty more soup.”

Suddenly
self-conscious, she put down the bowl and wiped her mouth with the
back of her hand. “When do we leave?”

“Straight away. If
you’re ready.”

She peered around her,
noticing the absence of windows. What time of day was it? How long
had she been out? When she turned back to Geo, her sheathed sword
sat in his outstretched hand. He was giving it back to her?

At her puzzled
expression, he explained, “A show of good faith.” He yanked it back
when she reached for it and gave her a stern glare. “But if you
slit my throat while I’m not looking, I’m going to be very
angry.”

She arched a brow and
snatched the sword. “Just keep your hooves to yourself and we won’t
have a problem.”

He scowled down at her.
“I don’t have hooves. And I told you, I’m not really a demon.”

“Tell that to your
horns,” she muttered under her breath.

A warning growl rose up
from his throat.

Touchy, touchy.
Obviously, he was a smidge defensive about the whole “not demon”
thing. Dependent on a powerful supernatural male in the middle of
an identity crisis? Her luck sucked.

Geo left the cabin to
fill the canteens with water from a nearby stream. Sam stuffed a
backpack he’d thrown on the floor with the blanket from the pallet
and a few cooking items he’d instructed her to pack. Kneeling on
the floor, she checked her own satchel as well, making sure all
items were accounted for.

Grimoire – check. Herbs
for potions and spells – check. Water bottle – check. Snickers bar
– squished.

“Aw, man.” She tossed
it back in the bag.

A growl tore through
the cabin, startling her. She spun toward the noise so fast she
fell on her ass. A giant…dog would’ve been an understatement, flew
out of the shadowy corner and landed on thick paws in front of her.
Pitch black in color, covered in bulging muscle, it bared its
oversized teeth and snarled.

Holy mutant flea
bag!

She crab-walked
backward a few feet, never taking her eyes off the beast, until she
felt her sword under her hand. “Nice doggie,” she whispered,
dragging the sword closer.

She jumped to a crouch,
the sword unsheathed and at the ready. The thing’s eyes glowed red
as it stared at her weapon. “Nice possessed doggie.”

The fur on its back
rose up and its chest rumbled menacingly. Heart pounding, she kept
her sword steady in her hands though inside she was shaking. “Okay
Cujo, I’m all for animal rights – I support PETA and all that – but
if you attack me, I’ll stick you with this nice sharp sword.”

In answer, the
oversized mutt growled.

“Erebus.” Geo’s voice
filled the cabin. She hadn’t even heard him come in. “Down, boy.
She’s a friend.”

Great. The demon had
the equivalent of a pet mastiff on steroids and already the thing
didn’t like her.

Apparently Erebus
wasn’t the obedient type. He growled again, and a line of drool
dripped from his mouth. “Not very well trained, is he?” she said to
Geo, gaze still locked on the dog.

“He’s not a pet. Put
your sword down.”

“What? No way.” In the
middle of a showdown with a dog-beast that looked like it wanted to
gnaw on her bones – the sword was going nowhere. “One of us is
making it out of this alive. I’d prefer it be me.”

“Samantha.” She eyed
Geo from her peripheral vision. “Put down the sword. Trust me.”

There had always been
strays living in the trailer park where she’d grown up. One had
Nikki cornered when she was about twelve. It had growled and
postured like Erebus. Sam had a rock in her hand and had been ready
to fight the thing, but Nikki got down on her knees and put out a
hand toward the snarling fur ball. Sam had watched, wide-eyed, as
the feral dog’s demeanor changed. And it had eventually backed down
and let Nikki get to safety.

Maybe the technique
would work on mutant dogs of the Underworld too. A dog was a dog no
matter where it lived, right? With a heavy sigh, she slowly sunk to
the floor, placing her weapon on the ground.

“Good girl,” the demon
coaxed. Was he talking to her or the dog? When the dog came closer,
she noticed what swung between his legs and rolled her eyes. The
demon was talking her down like
she
was the snarling beast.

Geo knelt beside her
and Erebus relaxed. His tongue lolled to the side as he trotted
over to greet them.

“You might want to
consider obedience classes,” she said, following Geo’s lead and
patting the dog’s shoulder. The thing was several inches taller
than she was on her knees. His short fur was soft but he stunk like
an animal died and he rolled in it. Typical dog.

“I told you he’s not a
pet. He’s…a companion.”

“A companion?
Wonderful. Now there’s nothing to stop him from eating me.”

Geo sighed wearily.
“Why are you obsessed with things eating you? You’re edible all
right, but not in that way.”

She blinked. Did he
just imply she was hot? Pushing that odd thought aside, she
answered, “Did you see those werewolves you saved me from? There
was hunger in their eyes.”

“They didn’t want to
eat you. They wanted to mate you.”

Her stomach dropped and
she had the sudden urge to hug him for saving her.

Erebus lowered his big
muzzle toward her face, startling her backward. Geo placed a hand
on her arm. “Stay still. He just wants to sniff you.”

The dog leaned into her
neck, his breath tickling her sensitive skin. She tried to remain
calm, but considering he’d looked ready to tear her to shreds only
minutes ago, it was difficult. With a final huff in her ear he
backed away, seeming content with her odor. Of course the dog
approved, she hadn’t showered in a few days. “Where’d he come from?
One minute, I was here alone. The next, he leapt out from
nowhere.”

“He’s a shadow hound.”
Now his name made sense. Erebus was the god of shadows. “He travels
in and out of shadows. I saved his life when I found him wandering
the desert, dehydrated and starved. And he’s saved mine countless
times since.”

“Isn’t that sweet?” It
was sweet. But Erebus still made her shudder. She hoped she’d never
have to be alone with it.

“Go on, boy.” Geo
stood. “We’re going into the desert. No shadows for you there.”

As if he could
understand him, Erebus turned around and leapt toward the dark
corner of the cabin. And then he was gone.

“Weird,” she
muttered.

“You’ll find lots of
weird here.” He grabbed up the backpack and rummaged through the
cabinet, placing odds and ends inside.

“Geo?”

“Hm?”

“Why didn’t you force
me to put down the sword with your power?”

He turned around to
face her. “Because you need to get used to trusting me.”

“And if I hadn’t put
down the sword?”

“I’d have stopped
Erebus before he hurt you.” He gazed at her sincerely. “I will
protect you, Samantha. No matter what.”

Because she was his
ticket home. This pretty little witch was his first opportunity to
take control of his dismal situation – though he had a feeling
keeping her safe for the next three days would prove more difficult
than he was ready for. He rummaged through drawers, tossing the
essentials in his pack – a lighter, a hunting knife, spare t-shirt
and pants, a bar of soap.