Blown Away Read online

  Shamash, who’d been in the Underworld and just met Candy, seemed as dumbfounded as Jake at the news.

  “She can’t always connect,” cautioned Marduk. “Her situation is more like a poorly tuned radio, but she’s getting better at it with practice. In light of the new evidence, she’s got gods’ blood in her. Watch. I’ll give her a try now.”

  Candy. It’s Marduk. Can you come to my office?

  Can I hum to your soffit? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

  Marduk laughed, and even Enlil had to admit to being amused.

  Office, Candy. Office.

  Oh. Gotcha. Be right there.

  “She’ll be here in a minute.”

  Jake shook his head in disbelief.

  Marduk got back to the logistics of their mutual problem. “Since our mated males will be unwilling to leave their Chosen, our only option for someone to accompany you to California would be one of these three.” He pointed to Enlil, Lahar, and Shamash. “However…” His eyes narrowed at the gods who were waiting for his next edict. “Only two of them will be visible around Candy: one who is her mate, and one who shares her blood. The other one will have no connection to her whatsoever, and is only corporeal due to another woman in residence.” He looked at Lahar, who Enlil also figured as the man out, and they received a shrug. Marduk ignored it.

  “We’re about to find out who the two lucky contestants are.” He waited for any disagreement, but the three gods took it in stride, waiting.

  Candy knocked quietly and entered the room. Cool beans that head talk shit. She sent to the group. Too bad I haven’t learned how to direct it to only one of you at a time, because when I call Enlil an asshole, everyone has to hear it. She smirked, knowing she’d just zinged Enlil’s ass, but he refused to rise to the bait.

  Marduk cut off any further insults, speaking out loud to include Jake in the conversation. “I’m going to have these four take a walk outside until one of my gods disappears.”

  Jake still didn’t look up to speed.

  “The one who’s not connected to Candy, but to another current resident here, will mist out as soon as they’re more than one hundred yards from the compound and their enabler. Of the remaining two, one will be Ms. Lane’s potential mate, and the other her ancestor. Those will be your two choices on who heads to California.” Marduk nodded, satisfied with his reasoning.

  Candy, however, exploded. “One of these pervs is coming to California? No way, Marduk.” She turned to glare at the stoic face of her boss. “Right, Jake?” she demanded. “Right?” Damn. He didn’t answer. Candy groaned. “Oh. Fuck me. Thanks for nothing. You already made your gods-damned peachy plan, and I’m screwed,” she seethed. “Just ruin my fucking life.”

  By Jake’s determined face, she knew to admit defeat. God dammit. She turned and threw up her hands to the three competing gods. “Fine. Let’s take our walk of shame and see which one of you is screwed along with me, because I’m telling you right now, it will be my priority to turn your life into a living hell.”

  “I wish there was another way, Candy.” Jake attempted to assuage her, but clearly he’d made up his mind. She’d have to stay strong and suck it up.

  “I’m going to get my coat,” she growled, and slammed out of the office door.

  Candy bolted upstairs to get her parka, then took a moment once in her room to calm herself with a deep breath. She needed to get her shit under control. No one could force her to mate with one of those macho Mesopotamians. She didn’t have a clue as to Shamash’s nature, but knowing Enlil’s stubborn ass, she’d be damned if she let him into her bed even if she did have to do the fucking ceremony with him. And hell, if he didn’t like the hands-off rule, he could go find his friggin’ Chosen someplace else.

  She wouldn’t even begin to acknowledge the little kernel of truth in the back of her head that some kind of love/hate attraction had grown between the two of them. Or that it might be nice―for once―to have a male interested in the real Candy, not the undercover one she put out on jobs. As much as he purported not to like her, Enlil still believed her pretty kickass, which was an unusual reaction from anyone but her team. And she had to admit the arrogant immortal was hot as hell. The concept of her workmates naked? Gag reflex. The fantasy of Enlil’s bared immortal skin? Of his naked ass? Were those her girly bits tingling? Shit.

  Honestly, Enlil had her more than confused right now. He’d given her every indication he couldn’t stand being around her, but now with two gods as competition, he vied for position as top crotch sniffer? Could it be that he just hated to lose?

  Candy grabbed her coat and ran down the stairs, meeting the turbulent trio of suitors in the foyer.

  “Let’s get this over with,” she barked, then added, “and everybody keep their noses to themselves.” The gods looked puzzled over her choice of words, but tough crap. She called this game from here on out.

  The group walked out the door and headed across the yard.

  “Anyone counting?” Enlil inquired after a few minutes.

  “No need to count.” Shamash sounded sharp with Enlil, like he’d been hurt by his friend’s earlier hostile attitude. “Once we get ten feet past the boulder with the split in it, we’ve hit our mark and one of us will disappear.” He seemed smug, Candy realized. Perhaps he thought it wouldn’t be him poofing out.

  They trudged through the snow, breath clouds showing bright white in the moonlight.

  “We might have asked Emesh to turn on some heat,” Lahar groused. He’d donned his leather jacket and it didn’t look like it took the cold very well.

  “This won’t take long.” Enlil also seemed pretty sure who’d get voted off this particular island, and Candy inadvertently shivered. She had her suspicions as well, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t tweak Enlil’s nose before he got too cocky.

  Candy stopped the group before they took another step. “Listen. I want to try something for my own curiosity.” She glared hard at Enlil, but he didn’t argue. Good. She wasted no time. Closing the distance between herself and Lahar, she grabbed the front of his jacket.

  “Come here, hot stuff.” She plunked her body smack up against the hard planes of the dark-skinned god, grabbed his head, and yanked him into a deep kiss. Hmmm. Nice lips. Interestingly scratchy facial hair, sleek body. Impressive hard-on. But only a semi, not a “rager” as would be expected from someone who couldn’t wait to claim you. Lahar would be good for a peck on the cheek before morning tea, but anything else…bleh.

  Enlil growled behind her. Ooh. Mr. Grouchy didn’t like it. She let go of Lahar and sent the wind god a scorching glare. “You’ll get your turn, big guy.” She thrust past him with one hand. “Stand down.” Candy ordered. And much to her surprise, Enlil actually backed up a step.

  “You. Sunny-boy.” Candy sidled up to her second candidate.

  Shamash, grinning, had clearly figured out the drill and stepped into her personal space, ready for the same treatment.

  This time Candy’s hands found lush, unruly curls and her fingers inadvertently wound their way up into their compelling softness. Sham’s bottom lip had been pierced, and ooh, how entertaining to manipulate it with her tongue. She went in for the kill. Nothing unpleasant here. But where was the wetness between her legs? Where was the excitement? Candy tried to keep herself from snorting―the guy sported zero wood. Nada. Zilch. What was he up to? Why pretend to be in the game?

  Candy drew away, not in the least bit winded. But within seconds her breathing became erratic. The reason for that? Not Shamash. Nope. Her lack of air had everything to do with the next kiss on the docket. Thinking of the blustery god, waiting, Candy had trouble filling her lungs. What the fuck? They’d locked lips before. She dragged her feet toward Enlil, then stopped. Shit. This wouldn’t be the kiss of life the blustery god had given her after she’d drowned. For this lip-lock, she’d be wide awake, and consenting.

  Candy cleared her throat. “Well, Goldilocks, what do you say? Are we on?” She had
trouble forming the words, and her feet actually refused to move any closer. Fuck. Enlil closed the distance between them in one confident stride and swept her up into his embrace.

  His lips should have been rough and demanding like his personality, but no. He was all softness. He coaxed and teased her lips open, until his tongue found hers and she groaned, lost. The pressure deepened on both sides. He wrapped his strong body around her, but dammit, he wasn’t close enough. She squirmed to get nearer, digging her fingers into his biceps and dragging him in tight.

  His tensile strength became sweet torture where his arm muscles flexed under her fingertips, and damn. She wanted him skin to skin. She wanted her legs up around his waist. She wanted that raging hard-on pressed to her soft belly, inside of her. Oh yeah, her brain registered. Raging hard-on. Quite obviously, the kiss affected him too, because besides the petrified wood, his heart beat extra fast against her chest.

  This kiss was unlike any other she could ever remember. It tore into her core and shook her down to her boots. The wetness she thought she might feel with the other two? Zilch. But in Enlil’s heady embrace, her pussy flooded, a complete puddle. She wrenched her head back, shocked at herself, only to meet his glittering, hooded eyes.

  His cock ground hard into her muscled abdomen and presented as stone-like as the horns that she spied suddenly emerging from his head. Huh. She’d heard about these horns, and damned if she wasn’t driven to reach for them. Up his arms and across broad shoulders, her fingers danced and threaded through his hair. She reached her goal, two solid protrusions peeking from his scalp. She stroked. He moaned and she went wild, delivering her caresses with abandon as he dove in and claimed her mouth again.

  The smell of Enlil engulfed her senses; crisp mountain air and other earthy things tugged at her city-girl brain. Scents she couldn’t identify, but needed desperately. They drove her mad with longing.

  Candy would have ripped the clothes right off him to get a good long taste of his skin if a less-than-discreet cough hadn’t eventually sounded behind her. She wrenched back and turned, barely able to catch her breath.

  Smugness registered on the two watching faces, but―as she whipped back toward Enlil―not on his. He looked as stunned as she was.

  “So.” Candy shook herself, then cleared her throat and backed off from the wind god. Damn. Her legs wobbled. “That was…interesting.” She scrubbed the back of her hand over her mouth and Enlil scowled. Well, screw him. This shit wasn’t her fault. “Let’s hit the yellow brick road and get the rest of this over with, shall we?”

  Someone needed to disappear.

  Fuck me. Candy gave an inward groan. It would be just her luck, after that mind-blowing kiss, that Enlil was the one who’d poof out.

  Chapter Three

  Enlil stalked back to the compound, Lahar by his side. He’d known the god of cattle wasn’t in the running for Candy.

  “Why did you even bother?” Enlil asked gruffly, angry and unable to get the picture of Candy’s compact body pressed up against the other two gods out of his head.

  “Hey.” Lahar gave him a look that said “duh.” “We’ve been invisible for how long? And I’m supposed to throw away a shot at some female contact? Whoa, man. Can that woman kiss.”

  Enlil growled long and low. “You stay away from her.” His gut tossed and his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. He forcibly had to keep himself from decking Lahar. “She’s mine.”

  Lahar gave a quick laugh. “I know that, idiot,” he scoffed. “And it’s not me you have to worry about.” Lahar gave a brief gesture over his shoulder. “It’s Shamash who seems to think he’s in the running.”

  Enlil looked back to where the god and Candy remained standing, and everything inside his head turned a blinding red. Silhouetted in the bright moonlight, the agent’s hand remained on Shamash’s arm, and her eyes moved down to the front of the sun god’s jeans. Enlil growled. Good friend or not, if Enlil didn’t keep moving, he would maim Shamash where he stood.

  Enlil walked away with concentrated effort. Candy wouldn’t appreciate any dick moves like decapitation of the competition, and he would not give her any more excuses not to like him. Wait. Like him? Shit. He needed a reality check. What did he care if she liked him? If Candy was truly his Chosen, he’d claim her―sappy “liking” shit be damned. And there was nothing Candy could do about it.

  Then Enlil remembered the way she’d clung to his body. His prick throbbed at how she’d rubbed herself against him, and how good it felt. But it pissed him off beyond belief that Lahar and Shamash had received the same treatment. He stifled a growl. Once she admitted who she belonged to, there’d be no more of that.

  She wouldn’t be putting out for anyone but him from this point forward, and sex would be a perk he’d demand after his enforced four hundred years of celibacy. He almost roared. The material of his jeans rubbed uncomfortably over his erection. Yes. That was it. He needed sex from Candy. Sex. As for the other wishy-washy bullcrap that passed between mated couples? He wanted nothing to do with it. He didn’t have to pay attention to the brash agent any place other than in the sack. Chosen or not, once mated and physically sated, she could go her way―with her nasty little attitude―and he could go his. Sounded like a win-win situation to Enlil. Now if his fucking shoulder would just light up, he’d boot Shamash’s ass out of the running, immediately.

  “You need to get on her ancestral search right away, and find her lineage.” Enlil didn’t ask Lahar as much as tell him. “Usually Shamash does the tracing, but I don’t trust the bastard not to skew the data.”

  “I’ll start in the morning,” Lahar agreed half-heartedly, then yawned.

  “You’ll start now.” Enlil snarled, menacingly.

  He got a definitive flying eagle from Lahar.

  ****

  Candy held back from walking to the house with Lahar and Enlil, keeping the curly haired god by her side, laying a light, restraining hand on his arm. As soon as Enlil got out of earshot she posed the question that had been foremost in her mind.

  “What are you playing at?” She looked pointedly down at the flaccid, yet impressive bulge in Shamash’s pants. “As much as I loved the tongue tag, I didn’t get any fuck-me vibes from you.”

  Shamash looked ahead and made sure Enlil remained out of hearing range. “That’s because I’m very distantly your many times removed great-grandfather, and even though not disgusting,” he assured her with a long look at her lips, “kissing you didn’t turn me on. Sorry.” He shrugged. “I can only have protective instincts for you. Nothing lusty.”

  “So why the charade?” Candy’s curiosity was tweaked.

  “The key term here is ‘protective instincts’.” Shamash posed. “Every cell in my body knows you belong to Enlil.” Candy gave him an unintelligible, muttered few expletives. “But I’m also one of his best friends and I know everything about him, including a past that I’m not at liberty to divulge.”

  Candy raised a brow questioningly, but Shamash begged off.

  “Uh, uh.” He shook his head. “Enlil has sworn me to secrecy upon pain of dismemberment, and I kind of like my member right where it is. But to get back to why the act?” He looked sure of himself now. “I’m putting myself between you and Enlil so he can rethink his asshole-ness, and get to know you rather than be controlled by his immediate need to fuck you.”

  Candy was grateful for his crass assessment.

  “He’s obviously attracted to you, physically…because you are definitely hot. But even if you weren’t, he has no choice but to want you because you’re his Chosen. Now, the fact that you two will be husband and wife? He’ll do it, but deny there’s such a thing as a fifty-fifty partner. This whole loving and sharing with a Chosen isn’t going to sit well with him.”

  “Because he still thinks like an ancient-ass Mesopotamian god?” she guessed.

  “In some regards. Yes,” Shamash answered.

  “Well, screw that. The whole thing doesn’t sit well
with me either,” Candy spat, poking Shamash in the chest. “You guys might live by some fucking archaic code about chest beating and mating, but this is the twenty-first century and you can bet your damned loincloths I’m not ruled by the same screwed up edicts you are.”

  Candy meant the words as she said them, but an honest part of her understood her hormones had blipped way off the radar while she’d been in the clinch with the big prick. Despite her bravado, she clearly had no choice but to be physically attracted to Enlil too. Dammit. Why did he have to sport such an abrasive personality? Any one of the other gods would have been better. Most were sweet beyond belief. Then there was Mr. Stick-up-his-ass, supposedly her squeeze for everlasting eternity. Who decided this fucked up shit?

  Candy sighed, but had to be honest with Shamash. “You know, I’m attracted to him. And I can be in it for the sex if that’s what he has to offer. But the idea of eternity with that arrogant asshole? I am not even close to okay with that.” She stomped her feet, changing the subject. “And right now I’m freezing my ass off.” Candy blew into her stiff hands. “So I suggest we go tell our bosses who’s still in the Candy lottery.”

  She punched Shamash in the arm. “And I won’t give away your game.” In fact, she kind of liked the idea of making Enlil a little jealous-green around the edges. “How will you handle it if I grab your dick when the urge hits to tweak Enlil’s ego?”

  Shamash grinned. “My cock is at your disposal, madam.”

  Candy laughed. Such a gentleman, and clearly willing to put his tender man-parts at risk for her.

  Enlil and Lahar stood at the door with Marduk and Jake as Candy and Shamash walked up. Clearly Marduk had been given the story.

  “I’m good as a part-time ghost,” Lahar admitted amiably, dismissing himself. “And right now,” he yawned, “this spirit needs some shut-eye. Good night all.” He moved into the foyer and headed up the stairs.