BOOK 3 - Myth Ch. 04

MYTH

Myth took a deep breath and knocked on the door louder than she meant to, need and nerves making her hand heavy. The key was hot in her palm so this was the right place, but it felt too familiar to use it. She banged on the door again before she lost her courage.

The door opened, and Norrix stood in front of her. He wore only a towel low on his hips. He had another towel on his head, rubbing it to dry his hair. Norrix's damp skin glowed, and a drop of water slid from his shoulder down his chest. Shocked at herself, Myth realized she wanted to taste it. She licked her lips.

"Ember I thought we agreed—" Norrix draped the towel over his shoulder. "You're here. I was hoping you would come."

Myth dropped her eyes from the water sliding across so much bare skin to the carpet, but found herself focused on his bare feet. There were drops of water there too. He had strong feet with long toes. She raised her eyes to his calves and thighs. The towel did little to hide an erection. Of course he was expecting Ember. Norrix was planning to use his vessel. How did he treat Ember? Like the men treated witches or like an Esne?

An unfamiliar, bitter sensation roiled in her stomach as she wondered if Ember liked being with Norrix. Ember didn't seem scared of Norrix, but people thought Myth wasn't afraid of Iqiohr either. Ember talked back to the men but she wore clothes that hid even her face from view. Maybe they weren't nice to her and she had to hide the damage that way. Maybe she just wasn't broken yet. Myth hoped Ember got away before that happened and wished she was strong like Ember.

"Are you all right?" Norrix opened the door wider, extending an arm to invite her in.

Her gaze swept over Norrix's stomach, so bumpy with muscles. She clenched her hands at her sides to avoid reaching out to touch the ridges. Above his muscles his chest was flat, but his arms and shoulders curved. She wanted so badly to touch Norrix and for him to touch her. This was dangerous. Iqiohr would skin Norrix and make her watch.

"Hello?"

Eyes flying past his lips, formed into a smile, she met his eyes. He was laughing at her. Amused at her desperation. She flushed, feeling the heat flow from her middle all the way to her face. Clearing her throat she found her voice. "I need the knife you won at the auction. I can't go home without it. Please. I'll do anything."

His eyes darkened and he leaned forward, so close his breath tickled her ear. "Anything?" He made the word have three slow syllables that made her shiver. "Tell me your name."

How did he know she had a name? She'd never said it to anyone. Her mother had used their telepathy to tell her stories. It was the only way to keep their sanity as they lived in the mage's world. Myth and her mother had both been born into it, Myth's grandmother Lore captured when she was a girl, along with her mother Saga.

"My name is Myth." Why had she told him her name? The names of all the women in her family were closely guarded secrets, never uttered aloud. She, and they, were only ever called Esne.

"Myth."

She'd thought his voice was dangerous before, but when he said her name not only did more parts of her awaken, she needed more. She ached for him in places and ways she never had for Iqiohr.

Myth nodded and scooted past him into the room before she could change her mind. "I know you're ready to use your vessel, but you can use me instead. You can do what you want. I'll... I'll be good for whatever you like." Would he beat her? Maybe he would give her a scar that let her mind go somewhere else when she looked at it. The pain would be worth retrieving the knife, but Iqiohr would see the marks on her body and punish her when she returned to Aztlan. No, she had to hope whatever Norrix did to her didn't leave any proof behind.

Her breathing picked up, her blood ran fast and hot in her veins. On the verge of a panic attack, pulse pounding, she turned to examine the room. She'd never done this with anyone other than Iqiohr before, but all the men in Aztlan seemed to like it even if the women didn't, and she needed the knife. She could do this. She had to, so she could go home before Iqiohr found out she had lost it, or what she had to do to get it back.

Myth walked to the dining room table and bent over it. Pulling her dress up to expose herself, she closed her eyes and hoped it would be quick.

Behind her Norrix took a deep breath and closed the door.

Myth waited, gaze averted. She might have to do this, but she didn't have to watch him. She wouldn't look at him, this man she was so drawn to. If Iqiohr even suspected she thought of someone other than him, he would punish her. She realized she was trembling and forced herself to stop, but still flinched when Norrix touched her hip. His fingers felt cool, but heat surged under her skin. She tensed in anticipation of the slimy, cold gel to make her numb. Mages used it to prevent witches who didn't give them magic from feeling pleasure.

Instead her dress was pulled down. Her hopes plummeted with the hemline. He didn't want her and she didn't have anything else to offer him.

Fingers wrapped around her arm, lifting her up and turning her to face Norrix. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to see the handsome face of the man who had just destroyed her life.

"What was that?" Norrix sounded furious. She knew this mood. She wouldn't get anything from him now. He took a deep breath and blew it out. When he spoke again his voice was gentled. He held a hand to her chin and tipped her face up. "Myth?"

She didn't know how he wanted to use his vessel. Myth opened her eyes. "I... I was ready and waiting for you."

"No, you weren't. You weren't even close to ready."

"I'm sorry. Do you not have the gel?"

"Gel? What gel?"

"So I don't feel anything."

Norrix's jaw clenched and his eyes changed to completely black. He released her arm and stepped away from her, like she disgusted him.

Tears threatened to spill, and she widened her eyes to keep them in. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I don't know how to be your vessel. I know you already have a vessel you share with the other man, I saw you holding her hand. I will try to be as pleasing as that one. Just tell me what you want me to do!" Her pulse raced and her voice rose in pitch. There was another way Iqiohr used her, a way she liked less because there was no numbing gel and she felt all of it. But she had to make Norrix happy or he'd never give her the knife. She fell to her knees and locked her hands behind her head.

"What the—" All Norrix's muscles stretched and grew tight, making him seem bigger and become something dangerous. The towel flashed more thigh at her as Norrix paced and ran his hands through his hair. A growl rumbled from his chest. "Stand up."

He sounded like the ferocious wolf that ate girls and grandmothers. Maybe wolves were real and not just in stories. Trembling, Myth rose to her feet. Arms wound around herself, she stared at the floor and tried to be small.

Norrix's breath burst from him all at once. "I'm scaring you. I'm sorry. I don't want you to be frightened of me. You of all people need never fear me." His body relaxed, the tension bleeding away. He smiled. It was a nice smile that made his eyes lose the black color. "Ember is a friend of mine. That's all. Stryx and I don't have, use, or share... vessels. Ember is Stryx's Draga, like you are mine. He would never hurt her, like I would never hurt you."

Draga sounded like another word for Esne. Women still belonged to men. And she'd seen what men did to them. Myth swallowed hard. "What do you call what you do to your Dragăs?"

Norrix moved faster than she could see. One second he was across the room from her, the next his arms were around her, pulling her to him. She kept her arms wrapped around herself, but he pressed one hand to her head so her cheek lay against his chest. His heart beat under her ear.

"Love. We love our Dragăs."

Bewildered, Myth gaped. Love was common in the stories her mother shared with her, but she'd never heard a man talk about it before. The love she knew about from stories was nothing like how men treated women.

"The physical part of that is called sex, fucking, making love, or screwing. But Myth, what happens to you is called rape. It shouldn't happen to anyone."

Now she understood. He knew she was used, damaged. Of course he didn't want her. She wished she knew what Iqiohr wanted the knife for so she could find something else for him to use. Iqiohr thought she didn't have magic, that she could only have children who would have magic. But Myth did. It was bound to hide it, so Iqiohr couldn't steal it from her. If she used it she couldn't ever hide it again. If she used it to find a replacement that worked better maybe he would forgive her for losing the knife.

"The polite thing to do is probably get dressed, but I'm afraid if I leave the room you'll disappear." Norrix released her from his embrace but tugged her behind him over to a sofa. "Sit here and talk with me. Please."

She settled next to him on the couch, but he didn't let her go. His strong fingers stroked her hand, thumb rubbing back and forth over her wrist where her pulse couldn't decide to beat faster or calm under his touch. Her skin tingled and heated.

"You don't need to fear me, Myth. I will not hurt you."

"What do you want from me?"

"Everything." His deep voice made this word have four syllables that made her shiver. "All of you. And I want to offer you everything and all of me in return."

That sounded like love in the stories she knew. Was it possible outside Aztlan there were men like the ones in the fairy tales?

"Ask me for anything. Except for the knife. I already know that's what you're here for. Ask me for something else and I will do it."

Anything? It was hard to think when Norrix touched her. His bare leg pressed against hers, his thumb still drew dizzying circles on her wrist. She wanted him to touch her more. An ache she'd never felt before made her want to squeeze her thighs together. Iqiohr wasn't here. He wouldn't know what she did in this room. It might be her only chance to make part of a story real. "I want a kiss." She rushed the words out. "Kiss me like in a story." Myth closed her eyes and waited, wanting to remember every second of her first, and probably only, kiss.

But Norrix didn't kiss her. She flushed, mortified at the rejection. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—"

"Myth."

He kept saying her name. Her name. Something in her tummy fluttered when he said it in his deep voice. She opened her eyes. Norrix's eyes were all black, but they weren't scary this time. His black eyes made her feel tingly, like he was eating her with them.

He shifted to face her. "I need to know what kind of story."

"What kind?" She blinked. "A story like...like my mother told me. With a prince and a princess."

His voice was deeper, more growly. "There are lots of stories and lots of kinds of kisses. Are those the only kinds of stories you know?"

Feeling inadequate she nodded.

"Okay. A kiss from a prince to his princess then."

Even though she didn't have to, Myth kept her eyes on Norrix's as his head lowered. He stopped, his lips almost touching hers. Before she could change her mind Myth raised her face the needed fraction of an inch and touched her lips to his.

Norrix's lips were soft and moved over hers in gentle caresses. Savoring the sensation of another person touching her this way, she didn't move, content to try and memorize the moment so she could replay it later.

Her body had other ideas. She wanted to touch him but her hands hovered in the air, years of being terrified of touching someone else battling with her need for Norrix. He caught her hands and placed one on his ribs, the other on his shoulder.

Myth mimicked Norrix, moving her lips over his. The growly sound he made emboldened her, intensified the ache between her legs and hardened her nipples. She didn't mind that growl. It might be okay if he turned into a wolf and ate her up now. One of her hands traveled his ribs and brushed his nipple, the other slid from his shoulder, up his neck and into the soft curls of his hair.

His tongue slid against the seam of her lips and a sharp tooth scraped her. She gasped and opened her mouth, giving a startled moan when his tongue slid inside. Pulling herself closer, she licked at his tongue in return.

He broke their kiss, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I..." Myth touched her lips. They tingled and tasted of Norrix. "I think maybe you're like the big, bad wolf more than a prince."

Norrix's lips curved into a smile, revealing one fang. "I can do big and bad, but I'm no wolf."

Fangs should be scary. Monsters had fangs and black eyes. It depends on if the monster is yours or not. Emboldened, Myth touched the point with the tip of her finger. "What are you?"

"Vampire. Do you know any stories about them?"

She nodded. "Vampires bite, and can't go in... But I saw you in the sun!"

"We can go into the sun on special occasions. That's a story for another time though. Tell me what else you know about vampires, other than we bite." Norrix moved fast again, capturing her finger in his mouth and pressing both fangs against her skin.

Heat rushed through her. No one ever even brushed against her skin for fear of punishment. Norrix could bite with his fangs and touch her deeper than skin. He could touch her blood.

Norrix moved fast again. He released her finger and pulled her close. His head dropped to her throat. "What are you thinking, Myth?"

He murmured the words against her skin of her neck, the erratically beating pulse there carrying the words through her blood, making hot trails from her neck to somewhere low in her middle. "I want... I want you to bite me."

His groan made her shiver. Myth allowed herself to touch, sliding her hands up his shoulders into the curls of his hair.

"We're about to cross the line from PG-13."

"I don't know what that means."

"It means a different kind of kiss from a much naughtier story than your mother ever told you."

Myth didn't recognize her voice when it said, "Show me what vampires do with their Dragas."

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NORRIX

Kiss the girl. Zax might get all her pop culture references wrong, but she always knew what she was talking about.

Norrix kissed his girl. Her small hands fluttered like small birds, unable to decide where to land. He set her hands against his skin and let her explore. She pulled him towards her and he let her, shifting to brace his body over hers, he froze as her scent changed from warm, sweet apples to have a slightly sour odor. Reversing directions, Norrix pulled back and broke their kiss. "You smell scared."

Myth wrinkled her nose. "I smell?"

Norrix buried his face in her neck and inhaled. "You smell like sweet apples to me. When you're scared your scent changes. It's less sweet. When I was leaning over you, your scent was sour. And your heart beat too fast."

"I'm nervous."

"Only things you like are going to happen in here, Myth." He liked how her breath caught and her heart beat a little faster when he said her name.

"What about..." Her gaze went to his erection.

"Don't worry about that. I can deal with a hard on. I can't deal with knowing you're afraid, especially of me." He spread his arms, one hand on the back of the sofa, the other on the arm of the sofa. "Here, you can have your way with me."

Would she? Esnes were nothing more than sex slaves and breeders to Mages. He never would have opened the door naked except for a towel if he'd known it was her on the other side. She'd shown up expecting him to use her, and that first impression at the door certainly didn't help. Although he had liked it when she inspected him thoroughly and her arousal spiked.

He wanted her, but the drive to possess her was tempered by the fact he couldn't begin to imagine the circumstances his Draga had to live with. She'd even told him Esne was her name. Norrix wanted to murder the world. It was a good thing she couldn't scent him or hear his heart beat. Rage simmered under his skin. He wanted to rip the heads off everyone who had ever hurt her. He took slight satisfaction in the fact that Zax had killed one of them. Maybe the other one would screw up while he was here.

The vampire in him didn't like not being the one to protect and avenge his Draga, but he'd settle for that if it eliminated threats to her. The need to bite her and drink deep so he could track her had venom building up in his fangs and he struggled to rein that part of him in.

Myth calmed his monster right down when she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his chest, over the heart that beat for her. Now the beast wanted to purr.

Her exploration was tentative at first, curious, but also unsure and wary. Like a tickle when what he wanted was a scratch that scored his skin. It was a deliciously agonizing frustration as she methodically touched him everywhere except his dick. He was pretty sure she ran every individual strand of hair on his head through her fingers. She could probably give his tailor more accurate measurements with her hands than he took with his tape measure. He thought she'd be able to draw every scar and muscle from memory with her tongue.

The best part was her reaction. Her apple scent grew warmer, then hot like cider. Her arousal hung thick in the air. He took deep breaths he didn't need to fill his lungs and try to calm himself down. It wasn't an effective technique.

His blood sang and he was wondering if his fangs could actually explode, or if the furniture was going to snap in his grip, when a delicate fingertip traced the grooves of his abs, again. She'd done that several times, but this time her finger slipped under the hem of the towel. He groaned and she froze. "Don't stop, Myth. You didn't do anything wrong. I like when you touch me."

<><><><><>

MYTH

Myth reveled in being able to touch Norrix and the way he reacted to her. His muscles jumped and flexed. His eyes darkened to black and he didn't try to hide his fangs anymore. The sofa creaked where he squeezed it, but he didn't let go. He didn't tell her what to do. Even though it was obvious what he wanted, and he was strong enough to make her obey, he remained patient with her.

But it wasn't enough. It was doing things to her body too, and only him touching her again would help with that. What was happening to her?

"I-" Myth swallowed against a dry throat. The sensations of her hard nipples against her dress and heat in her belly made her want to squirm. "I want you to touch me too."

"Thank fuck for that."

She laughed as his arms closed around her, pulling her close to his chest. Instead of leaning towards her this time he leaned back, dragging her on top of him. No trepidation this time, she relaxed against him, turning her face up for a kiss.

Norrix's fingertips brushed the side of her breast. Tingles radiated through her, adding to the heat she already felt. She needed something more, all these physical feelings were new though, and she didn't know what.

"Will you bite me?"

"Definitely." His fingers drew lines and circles over her back. "But not yet."

"Why not?"

"A vampire's venom for his Draga is potent and it might affect your thinking. I want you to have a clear head for now."

Myth stiffened in his arms. He wanted her to be his and take away her decisions too.

"Your scent is bitter. Don't be upset. You don't know all the things we could do. While you decide what you like or don't like you should be thinking clearly." Norrix rubbed his thumb over the pulse in her neck. "I promise I'll bite you later."

"Maybe I won't let you."

"I just want you to—"

Myth sat up, reached for the hem of her dress and yanked it over her head. She hurled it to the floor and sat naked atop Norrix. "I'm not a child."