Wicked Memories (CASTLE OF DARK DREAMS) (20 page)

Kayla left his apartment with him, wondering if she’d just made a huge mistake.

Thorn stopped beside the roller coaster. Kayla looked around. Other than some workers who were clearing away rubble and boarding up the restaurant windows, the pier was empty.

“You’re lucky to be doing this with
me
. Being the owner has perks.” He fiddled with the ride’s controls and then guided her into the front seat. Thorn slid in beside her. “A regular visitor would zip right through the ride, no pausing.”

Puzzled, she glanced at him. “Isn’t that the whole purpose of a roller coaster, to careen around curves and plunge into the depths at warp speed? Then when you get off you can throw up. It’s a thrill ride.”

Thorn shook his head. “Not this one. The joy is in the intentional pause.”

“If you say so.” Her stomach was in knots. Sitting next to him was its own thrill ride.

He put his arm across her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side. “No matter what happens on the ride, just go with it.” Thorn leaned close. “I’ll keep you safe.” His breath warmed the side of her neck while goose bumps gathered at other more exposed parts of her body.

She could only nod as they began to move. Kayla reached for his hand and he gripped it hard. His warm hand enveloping hers gave her more confidence than the protective bar holding her into the seat.

Her stomach did somersaults as the car laboriously chugged up the first steep incline. She knew what was coming. They’d reach the crest, pause, and then plunge down the other side leaving her stomach at the top still looking around stupidly.

Kayla was tempted to close her eyes. From her experience with the Ferris wheel, she suspected that strange things would happen on this ride too. But Thorn was with her, so she kept them open.

“Umm, haven’t we been climbing a long time?” Of course they had. This was a Nirvana experience. She looked down. The pier seemed an impossible distance below them.

“The farther to fall.” He sounded energized by the whole thing.

Kayla thought he was crazy. Finally, they reached the top and she looked down the other side. She gulped. “Uh, the tracks drop into the water.” Logically, she knew they didn’t. This had to be an illusion. But that didn’t stop it from looking real.

Thorn just smiled at her. “Go with it.”

“Don’t have much choice.” Those were her last words before they rocketed down the hill into the Gulf.

She was still screaming as the water closed over her head. Then she stopped. So did the coaster. Her brain felt scrambled. She should be holding her breath, fighting to swim to the surface for air to fill her tortured lungs. She wasn’t. Kayla was breathing easily as she floated free of the car.

Puzzled, but calming a little, she looked at Thorn. Her eyes widened. He was naked, every beautiful inch of his body bared to her view. She glanced down. She was naked too. They were naked together . . . Kayla stared around her. This wasn’t the Gulf.

First of all, it was daytime because she could see sunlight filtering through the surface of the water above her. The water was warm, sliding over her body in a silken flow.
This was an illusion.
But it felt real.

Everything was so gorgeous she wanted to cry from the sheer joy of staring at it. Brilliant coral competed with equally colorful small fish.

She looked at Thorn. He was by far the most spectacular thing in the water right now. He’d given her this moment. With a few strokes he reached her side. He ran his fingers through her hair, which floated around her.

Thorn needed no words. She recognized the desire in his eyes, the flare of excitement and invitation. Illusion or not, Kayla knew she wanted this, wanted
him
.

She couldn’t stop her hands from shaking as she cupped his face and drew him close. Words. He might not need them, but she did. She wanted to tell him how right this felt and how wrong. Right for now, for this time cocooned in soft sea currents. But wrong for any tomorrows. The Stanleys didn’t love vampires, didn’t even date them. And vampires? Why would they bind themselves to humans, puny creatures who died too easily and too soon?

She didn’t have time to think more brooding thoughts before he covered her mouth with his. Thorn’s lips slanted across hers. They tasted of the sea and hunger. Kayla parted her lips, welcoming him in. His tongue explored, hot with promises. His fangs were down, and she carefully traced them with the tip of her tongue. What if biting completed his sexual experience? Then he deepened the kiss and she forgot about biting.

Thoughts tumbled and tangled with emotions and senses. Happiness exploded like bright flashes behind her eyes. Smooth skin slid over smooth skin. How the heck would they make love floating in the water? She banished the thought. Thorn would find a way.

He finally broke the kiss to nibble a path from the sensitive skin behind her ear to the base of her throat. The only sound she could hear was the mad pounding of her heart, and if pulses turned him on, then hers would drive him into a sexual frenzy. His lips lingered at her throat for what seemed like forever. He
didn’t
bite her.

Thorn skimmed his fingers over her shoulders and then lowered his head to her breasts. She arched her back, floating effortlessly as he closed his lips over her nipple. Tangling her legs with his, she gave herself over completely to the sensation of him teasing the nipple with the tip of his tongue and drawing it into his mouth. He sucked, and she felt the pull all the way from low in her belly to the nipple in question.

She wanted to moan,
needed
to moan. Next time they made love there
would
be sound. Next time? Would there be one? This thought was less organized than earlier thoughts. It floated away before she could really consider it.

When he released her nipple, she slid down his slick body and wrapped her arms around him. She dug her fingers into his butt cheeks, felt him clench, and wished she could glide around him and bite that temptingly tight ass. And here she’d worried about him biting her.

And since everything she wanted to touch was within floating distance, she slid lower. She cupped his balls and massaged them gently as she gazed up at him. He’d flung his head back and closed his eyes. His throat was taut, vulnerable. She didn’t associate that word with Thorn, so this moment was special.

Was the water getting warmer?
Maybe it was just her.

She wanted to hear him groan with pleasure. But in this silent world the only senses remaining were sight, touch, and taste. Right now touch was front and center.

Kayla twirled her fingertip around and around the long hard length of his cock. Then she substituted her mouth. She kissed and nibbled her way from the thick base of him up to the head. Kayla was just about to close her lips around him when she felt his fingers grip her hair. He pulled.

Thinking had finally been removed from the equation. Kayla didn’t reason why he’d stopped her, only felt a sense of deprivation and disappointment. But she would get over it. She had other things to do.

She would swear the water was getting warmer.

But it seemed that Thorn had things to do too. He pulled and pulled until most of her body had floated past him. Then he transferred his hands from her hair to her thighs. He nudged them apart and slid his tongue the length of her inner thigh. Then . . . then . . . he flicked his tongue across . . . She screamed in her mind.

Kayla sucked in her breath—amazing that she could do that—and spread her legs farther apart. The sensation . . . Not only the warmth of his tongue but also the ripple of water touching her . . . right
there
.

Damn, the water was hot
.

Not as hot as her, though. She bucked and thrashed as his magic tongue tortured, teased, and tore away any preconceived beliefs of what making love with Thorn Mackenzie would feel like.

Finally, she couldn’t stand it one more moment. Her body clenched and clenched some more, begging, howling its silent need. Now. Now. Now. She had to get his attention. Leaning over, she clawed at his back and yanked on his hair.

Kayla couldn’t hear it, but she’d bet he was growling. He gripped her around the waist and forced her down until she was standing on the sea floor. Then he backed her against a huge boulder she hadn’t noticed before.

Inside her head she was now cursing the water that wanted to float her away. Wasn’t going to happen. Thorn cupped her bottom with his large hands and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around him and then gripped his shoulders.

Hot water, hot water, hot, hot water
.

He slid just the head of his cock into her and paused. What the hell was that about?
More
. She gave him a gentle hint by biting his shoulder.

Then he buried himself inside her. She gasped as he plunged and then moaned as he withdrew. From there everything was a watery blur. Her gasps and moans formed an ever-quickening rhythm. All her senses coalesced into one shiny ball of ecstasy, and she rode it to an alternate universe. One where pleasure went on and on as something hot and explosive built inside her.

Almost. There. Kayla knew she was sobbing, but she couldn’t stop. Nothing should feel this good.

He thrust into her one last time.

Kayla froze. That pleasure beyond reason, beyond description expanded and expanded until she thought she couldn’t hold it in. But she tried. She clenched her body and didn’t breathe, didn’t think, even willed her heart to still as wave after wave of spasms shook her.

She felt Thorn shudder against her even as her spasms started to fade. Kayla held on to them as long as she could but finally they were gone. She felt limp and satiated. He
hadn’t
bitten her.

Eventually, she grew aware of her surroundings again. Thorn floated beside her, his arm around her waist. He wore a startled expression.

“What?” She celebrated the return of her voice. And then she felt it. “Jeez, this water will boil the flesh from our bones.”

Now he looked worried. “Let’s get out of here.” Thorn dragged her through the water and back onto the roller coaster. He threw a switch and then they were rocketing out of the Gulf and up the last incline. The cool breeze brought reality with it.

Kayla remembered. Naked? She looked down. Relieved, she realized she was dressed. Just an illusion. No, she could never classify what had happened beneath the water as “just” anything.

Strangely shy, she glanced at Thorn. Then she widened her eyes. “Wait. Your hair is wet.” Kayla touched her hair. “So is mine.”

“Yes.” He didn’t look surprised.

“I thought that was an illusion.”

“Did it feel like an illusion?” He smiled but didn’t look at her.

“No.” She knew her voice had softened, and Kayla feared her tone would tell him too much. She wasn’t ready to put herself out there, to allow him to see all of her.

Thorn nodded. “That’s Eric’s genius. He has the power to create illusions that are . . . real, even if they feel surreal. I can’t explain it. I don’t think anyone can. We absolutely experienced everything in that illusion.” He paused to study her. “Do you regret the realism?”

“No.” She seemed stuck on that word. “What about the heat?”

He laughed. Kayla loved his laughter. She wanted to wrap herself in it and wear it forever.
Now you’re wandering into shark-filled waters.

“I think our combined passions shorted out a magical wire in Eric’s underwater fantasy. But even if I’d ended up cooked, it would’ve been worth it.”

Kayla thought that was probably one of the strangest compliments she’d ever received. And she didn’t care that she wore an idiotic grin.

When they left the roller coaster, Thorn invited her to stop by his apartment to dry her hair. She welcomed any excuse to stay with him longer.

Kayla was busy thinking about impossible dreams that somehow didn’t seem quite so impossible right now when Thorn opened his door and stepped inside. He stopped. She slammed into his back.

“Why did you . . . ?” She peered around him. “Oh. My. God.”

A huge gray wolf sprawled on Thorn’s couch. Kayla had only seen wolves in the zoo, but they couldn’t come close to the size of this monster. The wolf watched them from cold yellow eyes. She resisted the urge to turn and run.

Thorn reached back and clasped her hand, but he didn’t take his gaze from the wolf. The air thrummed with tension.

Thorn finally spoke.

“Welcome, Loki.”

16

“Loki? I don’t—”

Thorn squeezed Kayla’s hand. She got his message and stopped talking. But when he tried to keep his body between her and Loki, she moved around him. Her glare said what she thought about his attempt to protect her.

“Loki is a shape-shifter. The wolf is one of his forms.” Thorn damned himself for suggesting she return with him. He didn’t want her anywhere near this god.

“Oh?” She infused that one word with all the questions she wanted to ask.

Suddenly the image of the wolf shimmered and became a man. Thorn heard Kayla’s muffled gasp, but he kept his attention on the god.

Loki stood. He was tall and lean, pale with shaggy black hair and eyes the same yellow as his wolf’s eyes. He was into blending. No Viking gear for him. He could’ve passed for any human on the street with his jeans, boots, and black jacket. Until you looked into his eyes. What he was lived in those eyes.

“Your name, vampire?” Loki’s gaze settled on him.

“I’m Thorn Mackenzie. I own Nirvana.” Thorn decided to keep his conversation to a minimum. He didn’t trust Loki. And his feelings had nothing to do with the fact that Loki had a face women would like or that Kayla was doing lots of looking right now. Okay, so his feelings had a little to do with that.

“You recognized me.” Loki made it a statement.

“Grim said you were coming. I’m Viking. I grew up hearing tales of you and the other Norse gods.” He shrugged. “Besides, what other wolf would be lying on my couch?”

Loki rewarded him with a nod of approval and shifted his attention to Kayla? “And you?”

Kayla still held Thorn’s hand. She gripped it tightly, but that was her only sign of nerves. She met Loki’s gaze.

“I’m Kayla. I work for Sparkle Stardust.”

She bit her lip, and Thorn knew she wanted to say more, but she didn’t. He relaxed a little.

Loki gave her his first smile. It transformed his face. Thorn hated him.

“I’m certain there is more to tell than that, Kayla.” Loki lingered on her name.

“Now that you’re here, we have to make plans.” Thorn knew he sounded abrupt, but he couldn’t care less. He didn’t like the sudden flare of interest in Loki’s yellow eyes when he looked at Kayla.

“What plans? I’ll tell Aegir that Asgard is not a happy place right now because the gods and goddesses know what he’s doing.” His smile turned sly and malevolent. “Aegir is no longer a strong god. He fears the others.”

Could’ve fooled me
. Thorn tried to look awed and attentive. Not difficult considering the legend that was Loki. Too bad that every time he saw Loki’s glance slip to Kayla, Thorn’s fangs grew a little longer.

“After I destroy his hall, he’ll leave this place and hide.” Loki’s expression said getting rid of Aegir would take a half hour tops.

“You have to rescue the humans first.” Kayla’s grip had loosened.

“Rescue humans?” Loki looked puzzled. “Why would I do that? I only care about Aegir.”

“Aegir has to be holding close to a hundred people hostage in his hall. You can’t leave them to die.” Her expression had turned mutinous. She dropped Thorn’s hand.

Loki’s stare said clearly that he could.

Thorn tried to block the insistent voice urging him to use persuasion.
It’s an addiction. Resist it
. Even if it worked on Loki—and that wasn’t a given—the blowback would zap him unless he kept using it.

Instead, Thorn turned to the human skills he’d honed over the centuries. He smiled—not enough to show fang—so Loki would believe he liked him. He didn’t. Then Thorn tried on his best obsequious face. “This shouldn’t be a problem. Why don’t we go over to the castle and talk about it? They have a comfortable conference room. You can eat and drink. Sparkle will have a place where you can relax afterward. She’ll have all the nonhumans there.” His expression slid into ingratiating. “No one would want to miss meeting one of the world’s most famous gods.” That much was true.

Loki considered it and then nodded. “We’ll talk. But if you want to rescue the humans, you’ll have to do it yourself. I agreed only to stop Aegir.”

“How can we save the humans? They’re underwater.”

Kayla said what Thorn was thinking.

Loki shrugged. “That is your problem. Surely with a roomful of nonhumans you can come up with something.”

Just freaking great. Thorn pulled out his cell phone and called Sparkle. He didn’t wait for her to say anything. “Get all the nonhumans to your conference room. Now.”

“Did I imagine the meeting we had about, oh, an hour ago? Talking again won’t change anything.” She sounded annoyed.

“Loki is here.”

“Oh.” Silence. “Well, bring him. I’ll have everyone there.”

“Order food and drinks.” Had to keep the god happy.

“Sure.” The one word came out on a tired sigh.

As he returned the phone to his pocket, Thorn wondered what other things were happening in Sparkle’s life to cause that sigh. Then he remembered Ganymede. Thorn would add cursing and putting his fist through a wall to the sighing.

He spoke to Loki, but watched Kayla from the corner of his eye. “Let’s go. Sparkle is rounding up all the nonhumans. Did you see Grim on your way in?”

“I saw no one. I came directly to this room.” Loki joined them at the door.

Kayla stared up at the god with wonder in her eyes. “Does that mean you can dematerialize?”

Loki’s gaze softened. He smiled again. “Yes. Would you like to try it before I leave?”

“Definitely. What a rush. We . . .” She glanced at Thorn.

Whatever she saw on his face wasn’t good.

She looked away. “We’d better get over to the castle.”

They walked across the street, Kayla between Thorn and Loki. Thorn’s head still hurt from the persuasion he’d used two nights ago. The pain didn’t help his mood.

Jealousy was an ugly thing. He didn’t try to justify the emotion. Since he couldn’t control it, he may as well own it and do it up right. “A lot of people have written about you, Loki. They always depicted you as a trickster and deceiver. Do you think they were fair to you?” Thorn glanced at Kayla to see if she got that Loki was scum.

Kayla’s expression said she thought Thorn should keep his mouth shut. Loki could crush him beneath his heel, scrape off Thorn’s remains on the curb, and not interrupt his conversation with her.

Now that was just insulting. Thorn curled his lip, exposing his fangs. She’d never really seen what happened when his vampire nature took over completely.

Kayla stared at Thorn from eyes wide with alarm.

Don’t. Lose. Your. Temper.
Thorn had the sense to lower his head so his fangs were hidden.

Loki didn’t look angry, though. He seemed interested. “Trickster? Deceiver?” He remained silent for a moment. “An accurate description. I’m the ultimate con man. I’m successful because I’m smart about what I do, and I hate everyone equally.”

Thorn stared at him.

“I’m only joking.” Loki didn’t look as though he was joking.

Thorn thought that partnering with this god would always be a life-or-death experience, one in which your “partner” could decide to eliminate you along with the enemy.

Loki wore a calculating smile. “I enjoy manipulating events. What’s the fun in doing something if you can’t tweak noses or pull tails?”

“Sure. Fun is important.” Finally, they’d reached the conference room. Thorn held the door for Kayla, and just managed to stop himself from slamming it in Loki’s face.

Sparkle was already seated along with the nonhumans from both parks. Thorn and Kayla sat next to her. No one looked at them. They were too busy watching Loki, who had taken the seat at the head of the table. He looked as though he thought it was his rightful place.

Kayla poked Thorn with her elbow. “I can’t believe you insulted Loki. What were you thinking?” Even though she didn’t want to admit it, the expression of primal savagery she’d seen on Thorn’s face for just those few moments had triggered something primal and savage in her own heart.

He shrugged. “Loki’s tough enough to handle the hard questions. Besides, he wasn’t insulted. You worry too much.”

She settled back into her chair with an irritated huff. Kayla tried to get her mind off Thorn by focusing on the meeting.

Sparkle stood. “Welcome to the Castle of Dark Dreams, Loki. We appreciate that you’ve agreed to help us. I—”

Loki held up his hand, effectively stopping whatever Sparkle had been about to say. He didn’t stand. “I’m here because my great-grandson asked me and because I hate Aegir. Tomorrow night I’ll go out to where the sea god has his hall and I’ll blow it out of the water. I’ll explain the . . . concerns those in Asgard have about what he’s done and then I’ll return home. You have until then to plan a strategy to save your precious humans.” He yawned. “Now, I’ll need a place to stay and something to eat.” He studied Sparkle. “Do you supply any women to entertain me?”

“No.” Sparkle had narrowed her eyes to amber slits.

Loki’s lips tipped up in a faint smile. “Too bad. I suppose I’ll have to supply my own entertainment.”

Kayla decided that smile should worry Sparkle. Loki was a gorgeous man, but he frightened her in the same way Banan had scared her. Loki was a predator. But he was a powerful one. They needed power right now. Lots of it. You took the good with the bad.

Silence enveloped the room as Sparkle called for someone to take Loki to his suite and to make sure he had food and drink along with anything else he wanted, within reason. Then she sat down.

Once he’d left, Grim coughed. “Sorry about Great-granddad. He’s a bit of a jerk. But we need him.”

Sparkle waved away his apology. “We’re just happy to have one of the gods here.” She cast a reproachful glance at Zane. “We could’ve used a few more.”

Thorn leaned forward. “So how do we save the people Aegir is holding?”

Kayla waited as the silence dragged on. She didn’t know how they’d receive suggestions from a mere human, but she had a skill some of them lacked. Because she didn’t have super anything, she had to be able to make plans and organize to assure her success in life. This wasn’t much different than putting a case together.

“I have some ideas.” She watched as they all turned to stare at her. No pressure. “I don’t know if anything I say will be workable, but at least it’ll be a start.” A lot depended on how powerful they were.

“We’ll certainly consider your input.”

Holgarth sounded so patronizing that she wanted to smack his stupid wizardy face.

“First we’ll need a ship to handle the rescued humans. One of those ships from the cruise terminal on Harborside would work. Someone will have to captain it.”

“I can do that.” Anticipation gleamed in Sparkle’s eyes.

“Oh, God, no.” Eric looked truly horrified.

Kayla saw the same horror mirrored on everyone’s face. She rushed to fill in details. “We’ll need someone to cloak the ship so the Coast Guard can’t see it. We’ll also need some kind of illusion to convince everyone the ship is still where it should be.” She thought for a moment. “There aren’t many people left in Galveston, so hopefully no memories will have to be wiped.”

“Sparkle can’t captain the ship.” Zane still hadn’t moved on from that detail. “It’ll be an instant shipwreck.”

Sparkle glared at him. “I’ve lived for thousands of years. I have more skills than you’d think. Besides, I bet it’s all electronics now.” She placed a finger over her lips as she thought. “Someone with strong magic could manipulate the controls manually.”

Everyone in the room with even a bit of magic suddenly found the ceiling, walls, or floor fascinating. Kayla would have laughed if the situation wasn’t so dire.

“Assuming we can get the ship away from land and out to where Aegir’s hall is, then we have to save the humans once Loki blows it up.” Now things got tough. “The concussion from any explosion will kill them.”

Grim spoke up. “I’ll talk to Loki. He has enough power to simply rip the hall apart instead of blowing it up.”

“Problem. How do we get the people to the surface before they drown?” Thorn looked as though he had his doubts about the whole plan.

A man with long blond hair and brilliant green eyes answered Thorn. “We were never introduced. I’m Murmur, the demon of music. I have the power to create melodies that can take physical forms. I’ll have to work quickly, but as long as I have someone down there that I can connect to, I can create huge musical bubbles around groups of about fifty people and float them to the surface.”

Kayla jumped in. “Great. Banan and Kel can be there and ready when Loki dismantles the hall. As soon as there’s an opening, they go in, find the people, put them into two groups and then wait for Murmur to send down his musical bubbles.”

“Not to be the voice of doom, but all of this will take time. People will drown while they’re waiting for the bubbles.” Thorn looked frustrated.

“Excuse me. I have something to offer.”

Startled, Kayla sat up straight. A voice in her head? Feminine. Frantically she scanned the room. Thorn was doing the same.

“The Siamese cat wearing the exquisite diamond collar.”
The voice sounded impatient.

Kayla looked at the man she’d noticed the first time they’d all met. The one with the cat on his shoulder. He smiled at her. The cat did not.

“I’m Asima, messenger for the goddess Bast. I didn’t offer my goddess’s services because she has no affinity for water. But I have amazing powers in my own right.”

Sparkle made a rude noise.

The cat hissed at Sparkle.
“In spite of the slut queen’s disbelief, I think I have a solution for keeping the humans alive.”
She took the time to groom one white paw.
“If Murmur can send me down in my own personal bubble, I can put the humans into a brief stasis. They won’t have to breathe until they reach the surface.”

Thorn looked impressed. “You can do that?”

“I can do many things that few appreciate.”
Asima threw Sparkle a cat glare.

“Wonderful.” Kayla tried to ignore the total weirdness of everything being suggested as she ticked off a list in her mind. Only a few more details. Huge ones. “So how do we keep Aegir and his people from simply sinking our ship before we can do squat?”