Shadow Revealed (The Enlightened Species Book Two) (14 page)

Sending Zakel to Jess’s front door a week before the bash was perfect. Umbrae had been spotted leaving the High chambers with Irsu, the leader of the hunt. Jess was sure to stay and defend her property. Opportunity knocking—are you going to answer? Hell yes he was. He stepped into the lounge. Ten of his most loyal lounged around, waiting for this moment. One of which was his son named/numbered Six. The Volaticus males looked at him expectantly. Six could have been Osiris’s twin, further perpetuated by the facial tattoos that matched Osiris’s. The slight pattern variation on his sons’ neck tattoos differentiated them.

“Gentlemen, we are going to Mesa.” He pulled down a screen he’d prepared weeks earlier, giving the group a geographic to port to. Like a well-oiled machine, the group ported in a mile behind where Osiris’s recon soldiers had taken cover. He silently approached on foot with reinforcements.

****

Innanna slowly walked through Gil’s apartment suite and sipped her second glass of bloodwine. Gil had laid her gently down on his couch after they had arrived, and then he dashed into his kitchenette and prepared her the first glass right away. He refused to move from in front of her until she had finished the entire glass, then he’d gotten her another. Handing it to her, he’d ordered her “stay here,” and then he ported to somewhere else in the compound, leaving her to explore.

Rubbing her fingers down the comforter on his bed, she spotted his button-down shirt thrown across the back of a chair. Setting her glass on the bedside table, she grabbed the shirt, holding it to her nose. She breathed in the rich male scent, smiling in mischief as she slipped out of her shredded clothing and pulled on the button-down shirt, rolling the sleeves to a length that fit. She felt naughty and sexy wearing his shirt and nothing else, being surrounded by his smell. It felt intimate.

Her discarded clothing on his floor, she again rubbed her fingers longingly across the comforter on his bed. What would it be like to have a male like Gil as a lover? To have all that intensity focused on her? A delicious shiver went up her spine at the thought. Throwing caution to the wind, she impulsively climbed onto the bed, squeezing one of the oversized pillows to her chest, imagining it was Gil. She couldn’t help her arousal. It was always him. His fault. He did this to her. She’d never felt this way around any other male. Damn it, she must be out of her mind to be in his suite. He didn’t see her this way. Why was she so bound and determined to torture herself when it came to him? He would never see her as desirable in her true form. At best most people thought she was cute, childlike, adorable, and fragile—oh, she hated that one. Sure, she could seduce most males if she used her human personification. She had never bothered, never really wanted a male. Not even during her rare estrus had she been willing to make the effort.

Only Gil tempted her. She had planned on trying to seduce him the night his aunt had died. Even if it meant using her ability to increase her height, she’d been willing to try anything to make him see her as desirable. Fates, how she longed to feel his hands rove her body, touching her, finding all her secret places, bringing her to the place she’d only ever found alone. Would he be gentle? Or would he dominate? He was rumored to be an amazing lover. Every time she heard females speak of him she wanted to claw their eyes out. Today she had risked everything for him. She just wanted to be in his life again. Be his friend once more. She’d been so focused on eliciting more from him three centuries ago, she hadn’t fully appreciated the friendship between them.

****

Innanna was too … distracted. She’d failed to notice Gil standing in the doorway of his bedroom, a halter and drawstring sweats clutched in his fist, spellbound. He watched as Innanna ground against his pillows. One of his shirts rode up her perfect legs to wedge between her thighs. The shirt twisted and tightened against her tucked-in waist. Partially unbuttoned, the top had fallen down one shoulder. The swell of her apple-sized breast rose and fell above the edge of the gap. Jasmine swirled through the room, rolling off of her in her arousal. His dentes slid into his mouth, and he was riveted by the look of ecstasy on her beautiful face. Eyes closed, her long eyelashes fluttered when her hands traveled over a particularly sensitive spot. He stored away the map of erogenous zones she unintentionally showed him with her expressions.

His shorts were uncomfortably snug against his erection, but they became downright painful when she slid one of her hands from the pillow, reaching under the edge of his shirt. Using her thumb and forefinger to tweak her nipple, she gave it a gentle squeeze, and a soft moan escaping her moist, ruby lips. Gil tried to step back and give her privacy. Innanna was definitely enjoying herself. His feet refused to move. Her soft, delicate hand left her breast to trail downward, releasing buttons as she went, inch after delectable inch of the softest looking skin revealed for his ravenous gaze. Oh, sweet Fates, he swore never to wash his sheets again.

“Gil, Miguel just got called to the chortal to meet Innanna’s mother. I suspect they will be knocking on your door any second.”
Nin’s voice penetrated the haze of lust Gil was beginning to sink into.

Silently cursing, he stepped out of the doorway and quietly pulled the bedroom door closed behind him in hopes of not disturbing Innanna’s
…
ministrations. A soft
taptaptap
struck his door.
Damn.
He still held the sweat pants and halter he’d borrowed from Jess. Should he re-enter the bedroom and offer Innanna the clothes, or should he answer the door and let Innanna face her mother wearing nothing but his shirt? Indecisively he just stood there.
Taptaptap
, her mother knocked a second time. Innanna yanked open the bedroom door, meeting his gaze, and color rose into her face. She must have realized that he had shut the door and therefore had seen her.

“That’d be yer mother,” Gil blurted, not exactly sure what to say.

Innanna glanced to the clothes in his hand, looked down at her attire, buttons undone down to her belly, revealing her cleavage perfectly. Gil whimpered when she pulled the gaping sides together, denying him the titillation. That was just plain mean of her. Meeting his gaze reluctantly, her face reddened further as her eyes shifted to the modest clothes he still held.

“Personally, I think ya look great.” Gil winked, holding the borrowed clothes out to her.

Innanna took them from him and narrowed her eyes with suspicion. He was glad she seemed irritated rather than humiliated. “Are you going to answer the door?” she snapped at him. He had a knack of bringing out the feisty in her.

“Naw. They can stand out there all damn day fer all I care.” Gil shrugged, grinning at her annoyance, prodding her to alleviate her discomfort. “I’d rather watch ya change into Jess’s sweat pants.” He folded his arms across his chest. One side of Innanna’s mouth quirked, an eyebrow rose in question. Oh, yeah. He knew how to get to her. “Better yet, stay in my shirt. It suits ya.”

Leaning against the wall next to the door where she stood, Gil watched the play of emotions work across Innanna’s face. He’d seen her fuddled plenty of times, and he actually kind of liked it; it made her more approachable. She was definitely fuddled now.

Taptaptap
, “Innanna. It’s Mother. Are you okay?” Leanna’s muffled voice came through the door.

Gil casually crossed his ankles and remained leaning against the wall. Innanna rolled her eyes and tossed the sweats onto the bed from the doorway. “Fuck it,” she muttered.

WHAT!
He did not just hear those words leave that perfect, sinfully polite mouth. Gil picked up his chin off the ground. He couldn’t wait to see what she’d shock him with next.

She did up a few more of the buttons to make Gil’s shirt somewhat modest, and then she marched over to fling open the door for her mother and Miguel. “I’m fine, mother,” she barked by way of greeting. This just kept getting better and better.

As she stepped into the room, Leanna’s eyes widened, taking in Innanna swimming in Gil’s shirt. Then she looked over to where Gil leaned against the wall just outside the open bedroom door. The mussed up bed was visible from where she stood. Gil gave Innanna’s mother an unrepentant grin.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was worried. Miguel said you fainted and needed to feed and lay down before you could return. I thought I would come and check on you.” Her mother was the most powerful Oracle alive, yet all Gil could see was a mother who’d just walked in on her daughter in a presumably compromised position. Priceless.

Like most of the Volaticus non-warrior females, Leanna was petite. At five foot, she was at the lower height range of average, though slightly taller than Innanna. Her eyes were more blue than violet. Like her daughter’s, they were too large in her beautiful face. Lithe, well-formed curves rounded out the small woman. Long, delicate fingers smoothed her short blond hairstyle. Was it a nervous reaction?

“Miguel, you could have warned me, you traitor,”
Innanna accused her protégé. For some reason Gil could listen in on what should have been a private path between the two. Either Innanna wanted him to listen or she still hadn’t closed the path she created with him earlier.

“And miss out on your parents finally getting a clue that you are all grown up? Not on your life.”
Miguel’s humor was unmistakable through the telepathic mentor bond. Gil’s head snapped up as he realized that the ability to hear what the two were saying wasn’t coming from Innanna, it was coming from Miguel. The male had abilities Gil didn’t know about, and Innanna didn’t seem to realize what Miguel was doing.

Miguel began to speak to Gil directly.
“Innanna was born a few centuries before the fall of Atlantis. She spent the next 7000 years in the sidhe hills of Ireland before her mother took the Presiding Oracle position and relocated to Greenland 3000 years ago. She’s no youngster. Her powers and abilities make her well respected, even feared. Few treat her as an adult. It drives me crazy. Her family treats her like a child in every way that doesn’t involve her gifts.”
Gil gave the male a subtle nod. That was just wrong. Miguel was right—it was time her mother got a clue. He appreciated the insight.

He heard Innanna show vulnerability to Miguel in her next question.
“What do you suggest I do? Throw Gil down and hump his brains out in front of her?”

Gil’s already engorged erection jumped to attention as the image she’d presented leaped into his brain; that worked for him. He met Miguel’s amused gaze over Innanna’s head. Did Miguel want Gil to be with Innanna? What was up with that
? “Inna, let yourself go, for hell’s sake. Even a moron could see you’ve been hot for the guy for centuries.”
Gil didn’t miss the fact that Miguel had just called him a moron. He’d had no indication that Innanna felt anything for him. Hell, he’d only seen her a handful of times since … oh, hell. He was a moron.

“Gil doesn’t see me that way, no one does, except you, and you’re gay so it doesn’t count. Only when I’m tall does he look at me.”
Gil clenched his jaw. She didn’t think she was attractive in true form. He made it his goal to rectify that idea toot-sweet.

“Could have fooled me.”
Miguel shrugged, calling Innanna’s mother’s attention to the fact the two were talking.
“What have you got to lose that you want to keep around anyway?”

Innanna turned to face Gil, an unfamiliar vulnerability in her violet eyes. She was giving him an apologetic “please go along with this” kind of look. Hells yeah. He let his desire for her show in his eyes and Innanna furrowed her brows, confused. This was going to be a challenge.

“As you can see, mother, I am fine, better than fine.” Gil nearly whooped when Innanna straddled his crossed ankles and leaned her body against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. The top of her head pressed against his heart. He brought his arms around her, holding her to him, and she snapped her eyes to meet his; she’d come into contact with the obvious evidence of his arousal pressed against her stomach. He gave her a slow, sexy grin, capturing her gaze. Forgetting everyone else in the room, Gil felt himself falling into the violet depths. Her passion quickly replaced her confusion. Nope, Baby-face, he was not pretending, and he wanted her to know it. Innanna swallowed hard, the sound loud in the silence of the room.

“Perhaps we should wait for Innanna in the solar,” Miguel offered, breaking the awkwardness. Leanna gave Gil a look that promised dire consequences should her baby get hurt, and then she turned and followed Miguel back into the hall. Innanna kinetically shut the door behind them. Gil could hear every word they said from out side the door

“Damn it. What is that girl thinking? He’s a womanizer. Always has been,” Leanna said from outside the door.

“Maybe she is just looking for kicks too,” Miguel offered.

“Hmm.” Innanna’s mother seemed to change her tune when she thought it was Innanna taking advantage of him. Gil found it funny how females did that. “Well, that would be a good match then. That male is easy on the eyes for sure.” Innanna groaned at her mother’s comment, banging her forehead against his chest.

“I agree. Don’t tell Gary. He tends to get jealous.” Miguel’s voice faded off, telling Gil they had rounded the corner. Gil knew Miguel’s long-time partner well. Gary was a hell of a caterer. He was in the kitchen working on Jess’s menu right now. He hadn’t had a lot of contact with Miguel before. Didn’t matter, Miguel was topping his list for the protégé-of-the-year award.

Chapter Thirteen

“Thank you for that. My mother can be overbearing at times.” Innanna attempted to pull from Gil’s arms. He held tight.
Please don’t tease me about my mother,
she prayed as her eyes traveled up the heavy muscles beneath her palms on his chest to reach his gaze. He still gave her his same sexy grin. The look of desire in his eyes caused her belly to flip and her blood to heat. She must be hallucinating.