Fallen Gods: Lotus Blooming Page 2

  There was no harm in checking the place out, seeing how it had changed since he’d left. So what if the place was overrun with demons. The nasty creatures wouldn’t bother him. They only plagued the humans. And from what he’d heard of Earth over the past thousand years or so, they deserved it.

  He started walking down the narrow concrete sidewalk toward the woman he’d sensed when he first arrived here. Although she was mortal, Thena Cooke as she called herself had worked hard to develop what most humans ignored. Her powers were stronger than a human’s powers should be. That intrigued him. And he wouldn’t deny that her smooth caramel skin, the way she held herself and moved with such grace, and her shapely figure, which her loose-fitting clothes didn’t complement, had caught more than his eye’s attention.

  He knew she’d noticed him. Her current mishap distracted her. But she had the strength to feel him. Priapus respected that quality in her. He meant her no harm. He’d never wished harm on any human. They just hadn’t wanted him around. Jealous of what he had, the men on this planet had scorned him, convincing their women to do the same.

  The moist night air hung heavily around him while he watched her get out of her car. Tall and slender, her legs thin, her breasts ripe and full, her waist narrow, she moved silently across her yard, reaching to pick up her newspaper, and then headed toward her house.

  He left his body standing there in the middle of the block, his spirit gliding through the darkness toward her while she worked to unlock her front door. When she looked over her shoulder, he moved closer, wanting to see her face. She looked right at him, her dark eyes staring at his soul, sensing him.

  Her brow creased, while she looked down, relying on her inner eye to see him. Long thick eyelashes fluttered down over her eyes. Her eyebrows were long and thin, nicely arched, accentuating her high cheekbones and narrow face. Straight black hair pulled back into a bun allowed him to see the narrow arch of her neck. He wondered if she would shudder, let out a breath, if he were to place a kiss at her nape.

  She was stunning, absolutely beautiful, her skin dark like rich milk chocolate. Even though his presence worried her, confused her, it also made her curious. She wanted to know who he was, and why he was here.

  Moving backwards, sinking back into his body, he took a few steps toward her home, watching while she turned and opened the door to her home.

  Priapus scratched his beard, the damn thing itching. It had been so long since he’d taken human form, walked on the streets of this planet. So much had changed. Tidy yards yielded no gardens. The houses were close together, and similar, as if no one dared to stand out. He’d heard how populated the planet had become, how they communicated with each other around the planet now. They had become scientific on Earth, having no time for worship, or for gods.

  Thena shut the door behind her. The urge to open it again and march out there and demand whose powers she felt, overwhelmed her.

  “You just lost your damn job,” she muttered, messing her hair up when she ran her fingernails through it. “This is the last thing you need to be thinking about. Let that power go.”

  Staring at her dark living room, she didn’t move for a minute, trying again to reach out with her mind and feel the air around her. Whoever it was, they weren’t in her house.

  Dropping her bag on the couch, she moved through the dark rooms to her kitchen, opening the drawer where she kept her candles and her athame, her ritual knife. She pulled out a few blue candles, already in small glass holders. Lavender would help her after the night she had. And a hot bath.

  “I just can’t believe after eleven years working for Benn Plastics that I’m just out the door.”

  She gathered her bag of lavender and her candles and headed toward her bathroom. Soaking in lavender was the best way to calm herself, get rid of the negative energy she’d allowed to fill her. Too much anger and resentment clogged her senses. A hot bath and the powers of lavender would help soothe her.

  Leaving the bath to fill, she removed her work clothes, and then stared at herself in her mirror while securing the pins in her hair.

  “The powers that be, protect me,” she whispered, running her hands over her hair and then down her naked body. “I stand before you in my purest form. Blessed be the Gods and Goddesses.”

  Taking her ceremonial bowl, a simple ceramic piece her grandmother had given her as a child, she poured the dried lavender petals into it and then sprinkled them over the water. She watched the steam slowly rise as the hot water filled her tub.

  Quickly, the soothing aromas of the dried plant filled her bathroom. Their energy caressed her soul, easing her mind and helping her anger to dissipate. Opening her medicine cabinet, she pulled out her matches and lit the candles on the back of her toilet.

  In spite of the rich aromatic smells sifting through her bathroom, something else moved in around her as well.

  The power had returned. Well, if he wanted to approach her, there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. There was no evil, no ill feelings surrounding his power. Nonetheless, such raw strength unnerved her. She stepped into the hot water, feeling the power of the lavender tingle against her skin.

  “Oh light of the moon, wrap around me, protect me, keep me from harm.” She knelt into the water, cupping her hands and pouring the powers that filled her tub over her body. “Lavender you caress me, soothe me, bring light to a soul that has darkened.”

  A warm breeze brushed over her skin, barely touching her, but alerting her senses, bringing her nipples to hardened peaks, and at the same time sending a shiver straight to her toes. She couldn’t match the power that rushed through her.

  Sinking deeper into the water, she searched with her mind to find the source of the power that had joined her. No matter how hard she focused, she didn’t find anyone in her home in any of her rooms. And she was ruining the pleasure of her hot bath by dwelling on it. She sank deeper into the scented water, focusing on the strength of the small lavender plant that had been used for centuries to help soothe frazzled nerves.

  Closing her eyes, she ran her hands over her body, letting the water trace paths over her breasts, her thighs and legs. It soothed her body, cleansed her soul, allowed her the peace that she needed so that she could think clearly, figure out what her next path in life would be.

  When she reached the moment of pure relaxation, the hot water covering her up to her neck, a sensation rippled through her that she was being watched. Again there was no evil, no threat, almost more like a curiosity, amusement.

  Whoever claimed this power, seemed to understand her need to relax, to allow the tension from being fired to fade away from her. Thena knew lavender had strong powers, but it wasn’t strong enough to make her feel so relaxed, so at peace with the world. The owner of the power had compassion, felt for her plight, and wished to ease her tension by helping the lavender along.

  How thoughtful.

  Lazily she opened an eye, running her hands over her body underneath the water. She felt arousal too. Whoever was part of this power enjoyed the view of her that they had.

  “If you dare to approach me, then let yourself be known.” She glanced around her empty bathroom, then at the door, which was all but closed. Barely an inch of space allowed her to see beyond into her dark bedroom.

  Her heart raced, but she didn’t fear the unknown. As long as she could remember, her mother and Gramma had always told her that harm came only to those who feared what they didn’t know.

  Something explored her, making her heart flutter, her breath quicken, her mouth go dry as she gasped for breath. She could feel the brush of power, like an intense energy pressing through the air penetrating her skin. A swarm of emotions—excitement, misery, and incredible loneliness—filled her to the point where she couldn’t move.

  Who are you? There was no way she could speak. Thinking as loud as she could, her body floated in the water, slowly rising until she was no longer submerged in the steamy wet heat.

  She opened her e
yes quickly when suddenly her front door opened. Someone had just entered her home.

  She sunk to the bottom of the bathwater, splashing a fair bit of it out of the tub. Nervous energy tingled through her as she struggled to stand. She didn’t hear anyone moving through her home, but someone was here. It was more than the energy that had surrounded her before. A person was in her home.

  Water splattered on her bathroom tiles as she stepped out of the tub, grabbing the towel. Her wet feet left a trail on her wooden floor. She walked through her dark bedroom, sucking in a breath. The man’s presence greeted her before she saw him.

  Chapter Two

  “You didn’t need to get out of the bath for me.” Priapus closed the door behind him, staring at her, her skin moist with nothing more than a towel covering her.

  His cock throbbed to life at the sight of her. Long and slender, her dark skin glowing in the dim candlelight. Her ripe breasts were full, the soft flesh pushed upward above the towel.

  Suddenly the clothes he wore seemed burdensome. Heat swarmed through him like a fever, erupting to life. Something primitive ignited deep inside him, building, creating an ache that pulsed through him until his cock held the brunt of it, hard and ready.

  Thena looked at him, wide-eyed, while her breath came heavily, making her breasts rise and fall before him.

  “Who in the hell are you?” Her voice shook and he could hear the rapid thump of her heart racing too fast, proving the effect he had on her.

  “I assure you, I have nothing to do with hell.” It amazed him, the amount of power he felt radiating from her.

  But what captivated him even more was how incredibly beautiful she was. Dark brown eyes filled with intelligence and curiosity gave him the once-over. His body hardened as her gaze traveled down him and back up again. Her full lips were dark, like a midnight rose, and barely parted while her breath brushed over them. Once again he was captivated by her long slender neck.

  The towel she wrapped around her stopped just as her long slim legs began. And her bare feet, narrow and perfectly shaped, with dark polish carefully applied to each toenail. He took her in, the fresh scent of lavender adding to her intoxicating beauty. Returning his attention to her face, he fought the urge to make the towel she grasped disappear.

  “Who are you?” she asked again. One thing she sensed instantly, he was the source of the power that had approached her in the parking lot, and wrapped around her in her bathroom.

  “That towel barely does you justice.” A hint of a smile lit his eyes.

  Thena gripped the towel, feeling him pulling at it with his mind. “Powers that be, stay away from me. Powers that be, stay away from me. Powers that be, stay away from me. So mote it be.”

  She watched him warily.

  “Now answer my question.” She should just throw him out, try one of her stronger spells to send him sliding out the door on his rear.

  No matter how powerful he was, he was out of line for entering her home without a proper introduction. He’d ruined the power of her lavender, although she had to admit the anger at being fired had left her. But at the moment, that wasn’t the point. If she had half a mind, she’d send him right out that door.

  Something about him was different though, something that made her hesitate. And it had nothing to do with his intent gaze, the rather large size of his frame. Power radiated from him, raw, in its purest form. She’d spent a lifetime among witches and wizards, and sorcerers. No one she’d ever met came close to bearing the strength she felt coming from the man who’d just sauntered into her home. And although she knew she should be pissed, he intrigued her.

  “You called for me. I wouldn’t have just barged in if you hadn’t. I do have manners.” He knew he didn’t answer her question, give her his name.

  But he was surprised to feel her energy leave her, wrap around him, confine his powers. They were weak, like being confined by thin paper, but not as weak as he’d expected a witch’s powers to be. In fact, he’d never known a witch who could touch him. She not only touched him, she stopped his thoughts.

  He tried searching hers, needing to know how well she knew her history, what gods she prayed to. What he pulled from her was curiosity, fascination. Her lack of fear, and her sultry body wrapped in nothing more than a towel, distracted him. He struggled to come up with a suitable name that would satisfy her.

  It didn’t help that he’d hovered over her bathtub, aching to pull her into his arms. He’d already seen what she had to offer. Her full round breasts, and the smooth skin that dipped down between her legs made it real hard for him to think clearly enough to come up with a name to give her. Blood pumped quickly to his large cock, and if he allowed it to harden too much, she might lose her confidence. He adjusted the long coat around him.

  “I called for no one. I’ve done a simple incantation here and you storm in on it. And if you had manners, you would have knocked.” The way he was looking at her made her tummy do little flip-flops. Nerves spilled over each other throughout her, making her shaky, her knees grow weak.

  No one had ever entered her home before like this. With the amount of power emanating from him, she knew she had little to offer him. He wasn’t seeking out the village witch. Although the way he looked at her, she guessed he’d seen something he liked. That thought caused her heart to race in her chest. There was no way to tell the extent of his powers. But anyone who could pull her toward him the way he had, allow her to feel his powers wrap around her, was pretty damn strong.

  “You said, ‘if you dare to approach me, then let yourself be known’.”

  “Oh my gods!” Thena stumbled backward, almost losing grip on her towel.

  She’d suspected his presence in the bathroom with her. But to be strong enough to be with her, hear what she’d said, and then moments later walk through her front door. What was this man?

  Priapus moved quickly. Grabbing her arm, he stabilized her, while she looked up at him with large brown eyes, beautiful sultry eyes, that at the moment showed confused astonishment.

  “It’s okay,” he murmured, willing her to calm down.

  The moment he touched her he sensed her strength. She was truly a witch. Not one of those old hags who claimed to control the elements, cast spells for a coin and rob all around them. No. Not at all. Thena was the real thing. In fact, there was untapped power hovering around her like a loving shadow. He wondered why she hadn’t attempted to harness it.

  There was nothing more embarrassing than being in a stranger’s grasp with nothing more than a towel on. Thena couldn’t catch her breath. He was the power she’d sensed at the factory and when she’d arrived home. His hand branded her skin, sending heat rushing through her so fast she couldn’t get her bearings for a second. She swallowed her embarrassment, knowing if she didn’t, he would best her and she’d be at his mercy.

  And she had no idea what he wanted. One thing she did know, with such strong magic, anything he wanted he could have. That in itself should justify her being scared. It didn’t though. Such power fascinated her. And it was controlled, strong, nothing like anything she’d ever sensed before. Tingles rushed through her, like goose bumps. Suddenly her breath came harder while her mind imagined what he might want.

  His hair was long, like someone who’d been living on the streets and didn’t have a way to shower or care for it regularly. A full beard covered most of his face, and hung past his chin. The coat he wore hung almost to the floor, giving her no indication of what his body looked like other than the fact that he was tall, with broad shoulders. But his eyes, a soft green, glowed with passion while he kept his gaze locked to hers, as if he could see into her deepest thoughts, and enjoyed what he saw.

  “Maybe if I undressed too, you would be more comfortable,” he said, reaching for the lapel of his coat.

  “No. You should leave,” she said quickly, taking another step backward, gripping her towel with her fist while pointing at him with her other hand. Take your hand off of your coat, she thoug
ht to herself, working to move her energy toward him.

  “You don’t want me to leave.” His gaze lowered to her hand, and he reached out, touching her fingers with his own.

  Energy rushed through her when his fingertips grazed over hers, fiery hot, sending a flush through her that almost made her faint. No one she’d ever met had ever touched her like that, and with a mere brushing of flesh, fingertips caressing fingertips. Her heart raced, heat rushing through her veins that consumed her so quickly she couldn’t think straight. She yanked her hand back, still feeling his strength even though she no longer touched him.

  “Don’t tell me what I want.” She wouldn’t admit that he had her curiosity so piqued that she didn’t want him to leave. And she wouldn’t think about the fact that someone with such internal strength might be able to sense her thoughts. She fought to clear her mind. “Leave this house. Get out, now.”

  He smiled. And in spite of his beard, she couldn’t help notice how charming a grin he had.

  “You asked me to come here, and now you want me to leave already?” He took a step closer, realizing she struggled with some success to close her mind to him. “Thena, I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “How do you know my name?” she barely whispered, her mouth suddenly too dry.

  Terror should be gripping her, standing in front of this stranger in no more than her towel.

  An excited curiosity rushed through her instead. Her insides tingled with a sexual energy she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Warmth grew between her legs. Her body charged with an ache to reach out and touch him, feel the raw power again that she’d experienced from the brush of his fingertips, from the touch of his hand. Underneath all of that hair, she imagined a sexy god, raw and untamed, confident and all-knowing—the man of any woman’s dreams.