Chapter 17

"Hold on there, Dracula. I already got my hands full. I don't need any more men in my life, but thank you for the offer."

"You speak as though you have a choice."His lips were still deceptively soft at the corners, but I glimpsed the tip of a fang when he smiled.

"Well, you see what I figure is this"-I swung my feet up onto the slab of the table—"you must like your women willing or, as you've already pointed out, we'd have gotten over the preliminaries by now."He raised an eyebrow but kept silent. "So, if I'm not willing, and you won't try anything unless I am, then I do have a choice."

"I guess you'll just have to stay with me until you are willing."He shrugged his shoulders as if I were his already, it was just a matter of time.

I hate men who are too sure of themselves. I don't care how good looking you are; that kind of confidence makes you distasteful in my book.

Then he continued and made it worse, "Or until I get bored and decide to kill you."

"Ah, a true romantic."I grimaced.

"A realist,"he purred. "When you've lived as long as I, it becomes harder for things to hold your interest and once my interest is gone, so is your purpose here."

"You could always just, oh, I dunno"-I shrugged—"let me go."

"After you've seen my home, my secrets?"He raised a brow. "That wouldn't be prudent."

A shiver shot through me. If Huitzilopochtli had his way, the only way out of there for me would be death. I swallowed past the dryness in my throat and tried to act nonchalant.

"Paranoid much?"

"Just plain survival instinct."He spread his hands as if there were nothing he could do about it.

"So, basically, you could attack me at any second."I wanted everything spelled out. "It's not as if I've got a thousand and one stories to entertain you with and who knows when you're gonna decide my lack of tact isn't funny anymore. I'll have to sleep with these on."I lifted my gloved hands. "That's not comfortable."

"No harm will come to you."Huitzilopochtli let his gaze wander over the blades on my gloves. "So long as you offer none to me or mine."

"Until?"

"Until I decide otherwise."

"I rest my case."I shook my head. If the situation hadn't been so serious, I'd be laughing at the guy's childish debate tactics.

"I give you my word to notify you in advance."His lips twitched a little, and I strongly suspected he was enjoying himself.

"You're gonna give me a heads up before you try to kill me?"I snorted. "Goodnight, Wesley, good work, most likely kill you in the morning,"I quoted The Princess Bride; half-hoping for a laugh, but he only frowned at me so I shook my head. "Great, thanks so much, Dread Pirate Roberts."

"It's more than I offer most of my enemies."A little line appeared between his startling eyes. "At least you can sleep without your gloves on... and who is Wesley?"

"Fair enough,"I conceded, ignoring his ridiculous question. Who doesn't know The Princess Bride? Besides, it was more than I'd offer him too. Given a chance, I'd kill him with any means available to me. In his sleep if possible. I know, not very honorable, but I'd adjusted my sense of honor when I started hunting Gods. I'm only human. Even with my magic, the odds were stacked against me. I do what I have to do to even things out.

We shared a long intense look; sizing each other up. I felt my stomach turn as I watched cold calculation fill his eyes. Huitzilopochtli looked at me as if he could see my entire future; not because he was psychic, but because he was going to create it. In those eyes, I saw enslavement, torture, and, finally, death, but more importantly, I saw the pleasure he'd find in each. This was one sick bastard.

Before I could give in to my nausea and vomit all over his beautiful table, a group of people walked in and ended our staring contest. Led by a sharply-dressed Chinese man, they stopped short when they saw us, and I quickly pulled my legs off the table in case I needed them to do some running.

My unease must have been evident because Huitzilopochtli held his hand up. "Vervain, calm yourself, I've already told you no harm will come to you. You have the word of a god, what else do you need?"

"Less bad asses coming toward me would be a good start,"I muttered but made an effort to at least look as if I were relaxed.

"Did you just say you granted this human protection?"The woman speaking was gorgeous and runway model tall.

She had long, golden hair trailing to her feet in shimmering waves. It caught the sunlight and sparkled; making her look as if she were walking in a halo. Her voice was high but soft and curious. I looked down at my sweat-stained self and grimaced. Yay, I'd get to add a feeling of inadequacy to my gut-churning terror.

"I've granted her a reprieve."Huitzilopochtli's eyes glittered. "Come in, everyone, and meet my new guest."He waved a hand imperiously toward me.

"Is this your new concubine?"A smaller woman stepped around the bright Amazon.

She was as dark as the other was light, as petite as the other was tall. They were a perfect foil for one another. And did she just call me a concubine?

"You always did have a thing for humans."A Native American man with a black mohawk eyed me. His hairdo looked odd paired with his Brooks Brothers suit, but who was I to judge; the fashion police? "I have no idea why,"he added scathingly.

"Me either,"I mumbled.

"She's a prospect."Huitzilopochtli stretched his arms along the back of his chair and looked me over yet again.

I gave him a grimacing head shake as if I couldn't believe his audacity. Frankly, I was beginning to feel like a whore for horny gods. Maybe that was it; maybe the Gods just thought all human women were easy. Maybe Goddesses were high maintenance and took a lot of effort to get into bed. I looked over the blonde and had a feeling that I'd nailed it.

"You've brought a mere potential lover here? Now?"The Chinese man finally spoke, and his voice had the clipped tones of a military commander. He held himself like a soldier as well; back straight, arms loose at his sides, one near the hilt of a long sword hung on his hip. He had a thick onyx braid hanging down his back. It swung a little even though he held himself rigidly still.

"She interrupted my work."Huitzilopochtli slowly tore his eyes away from me to regard his friends. "She was at the rally with Thor, and a few others probably, though I didn't see them. She saved that son of yours, Lir."

A stocky, dark-haired man looked over at me and his gaze was a mixture of respect, rage, and relief. It was one of the strangest looks I'd ever seen; next to the Vampire God's blood stare of doom, of course. Lir, thankfully, transferred the look to Huitzilopochtli.

"So, you failed, Hummingbird."Lir made it a statement, not a question.

"Hummingbird?"I shifted my gaze to the Aztec with a look that clearly said he wouldn't live that one down, but he seemed completely unfazed by it.

"Yes, Fiachra lives."Huitzilopochtli shrugged; ignoring my interruption.

"Who's Fiachra?"I looked from one man to the other until it clicked. "Oh, the guy giving the speech was your son? Wow, he must take after his mom, huh?"

I tried to compare this guy's craggy countenance to the perfection of his son's and just couldn't see the resemblance. One face belonged on a romance novel and the other on a wanted poster.

Lir went back to glaring at me. "Who are you?"

"Me?"Oops, now what? "I'm nobody. Just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. You know how it is."

"With Thor?"Mr. Hummingbird raised his perfect brow again.

"Was that who that was? Thor? As in the Norse God?"I was trying really hard to look innocent, but I'd never been good at it. "He said his name was Mark."

Huitzilopochtli shook his head. "If you continue to lie to me, Vervain, I'll be forced to take the truth from you. I know you're important to him. He made it abundantly clear when he charged me, shouting your name."

I swallowed past the dry lump which had suddenly formed in my throat. Thor charged him? I vaguely remembered hearing someone calling for me. It must have been Thor, but as far as me being important to him? Doubtful. He was probably just upset that his enemy made off with someone from his group. Then again, Thor did say they needed me. Maybe I was important, just not in the way my perverted mind had initially assumed. I couldn't help it. You try being surrounded by gorgeous men and not think about sex. Not possible. Plus, there was that kiss.