Fate Of The Minotaur (Her Dragon's Bane 5) (7 page)

Pausing once more, he looked down the next alleyway and across to the street where he had to go. Looking up, he could see the ornate house that Tara had described to him, missing gargoyles and all. He steeled himself, knowing what was to come, only hoping that this was as Tara had told him and he would live to see his Sybil again, to touch her warm skin and kiss her soft lips.

Come on
, he urged himself. So he ran, not looking upwards, even when he heard the sound of the gargoyles, stone against stone, as they detached themselves from the roof and made their deadly dive towards him. Tara had told him not to kill them, although not why. But right now, he wanted to shatter them into pieces. Their wing beats were getting louder; he tried not to imagine them hurtling towards him, although his mind continued to question how something made of hard stone could possibly stay in the sky.

At the last moment, he ducked under a porch that hung over the street, the sound of tiles shattering filling his ears and the remains of the broken pieces spilling down to land at his feet. A scraping sound, and then he saw the shadow of the gargoyle pass across the street, gaining height for its next attack. Fin didn’t hang around; he made for the house he had been told contained Sybil.

There he hammered on the door—enough to wake the dead, he thought ironically.

When the echoing of his banging stopped, he stood and listened, acutely aware of the silence on the other side of the door. While above him, the sound of scraping stones told him the next gargoyle attack was underway.

He lifted his hand and hammered again. The sound so loud in the deathly quiet of the town. Surely, he could be heard, surely someone would come. But who would that someone be? A shiver passed through him and he transferred the wooden stake from his belt to his hand. If it was a vampire, he needed to be ready. But please, let it not be Sybil.

Through the haze of sleep, she could hear a noise. Waking, she sat up, still fully clothed, and listened. Silence. Maybe it had been her dream. The house, not nearly as dead as its inhabitant, creaked and settled around her, as if begging to be awoken and filled with light. And then it came again. A loud, thundering thudding on the door.

She slipped her legs off the bed and went to the bedroom door, opening it to see if Angus was awake too. That thought made her shiver. Did she want to wake him in the day? Did she want to be in his company more than she had to? He was so charming, so deathly mesmerising.

Nothing in the house moved. Sybil needed to know who was at the door. Reassured that it could not be a vampire, she made her way downstairs, looking at the iron bar across the door and knowing she was safe unless she removed it.

As quietly as she could, she walked to the door, standing with her ear pressed to it. A hard thud made her step back, the sound of splintering wood filling the air. Someone was attempting to break the door down. Moving away, she was about to head upstairs and find Angus when she heard a familiar voice.

“I will destroy you,” Fin was bellowing from outside.

“Fin,” she called, and ran to the door, trying to force the iron bar back. It was too heavy. Maybe there was another way in. Turning, she was about to head to the sitting room Lord Angus had taken her to, figuring she could drag the shuttering from the window and let him in, when a hand caught hold of her shoulder.

“What is this, an attack?” Lord Angus glared at her with eyes aflame. His fangs were growing longer and she knew he was going to kill her without a flinch of remorse.

“No. It’s Fin. He’s come to help.”

“Who is this Fin?”

“A friend. The friend who rescued me.”

“Then he has come to take you back?”

“No. No. I gave you my word. Let him in. Or at least help him. He’s been attacked.”

“Yes. By my gargoyles. They are there to stop anyone coming in, or out.”

“Lord Angus, please.” Another thud and more splintering; dust came from the ceiling, covering everything in a dirty thin coat, making the room look as pale as Sybil’s host.

“He is destroying my house!” His voice was cold with fury. Too fast, he was past her and at the front door, pulling the bar back as if it was a twig. No effort at all for this supernatural creature of death.

Sybil ran to him, grabbing hold of his arm when he went to grasp Fin, who fell through the door at the sudden shock of it opening. The two looked at each other, the vampire as shocked as Fin. It gave Fin enough time to raise his wooden stake, but Sybil reached up and stopped him, putting her body between the two beasts.

“No. No, Fin.” She looked at him, pleading with him to put down the wooden stake. “He is our only hope of stopping what is to come.” She looked at the pale figure, knowing his super-speed would no doubt mean he would escape Fin’s anger and kill her friend instead. She couldn’t really believe her next words, but still she said, “He is the good guy.”

Fin looked at Sybil in disbelief, and when Sybil glanced at Lord Angus, the same expression registered there also. She guessed it was a long time since anyone had called him the good guy, or even thought good things about him at all.

“I will move back, creature. You, in turn, will rest your … weapon to your side.”

“Fin,” Sybil encouraged, pushing lightly on his arm to make him lower the stake, while with just the faintest of rustling, Angus moved away to the doorway. With one long, lingering look outside at the daylight, while making sure no sunlight touched his skin, he shut and bolted the damaged door.

“Now what?” Fin asked, not taking his eye off Lord Angus.

“Now you convince me not to kill you.” He placed no threat in his voice, Lord Angus didn’t need to.

“Lord Angus, Fin is my friend. If you harm him in any way, I will not help you anymore. I swear you will never make me tell you what you need to know.”

Angus swept towards her, but Fin blocked his way. “I have many ways of making people talk. All very painful.”

“I thought we had got past that. Fin is not here to hurt you, he simply wants to make sure I am safe and take me home when this is over.”

Fin hefted the wooden stake in his hand. “Or I could stick this in the blood sucker and we can leave now.”

“No,” Sybil said forcefully. “That is not an option. I came here of my own free will, and despite what either of you might think, I am staying here from my own free will.”

The two creatures glared at each other. Neither of them wanting to accept being forced to stay under the same roof. But Sybil stood firm. Eventually Fin lowered his stake and Angus retracted his fangs. Although both of them looked hard done by. Like a couple of schoolboys.

“Now, that’s better. I suggest we all go upstairs and try to get some rest.”

“And you swear not to leave.”

Sybil sighed. “We swear.”

Lord Angus stalked off upstairs. Fin and Sybil followed. She placed her hand in his and smiled up at him; Fin squeezed her hand but couldn’t raise a smile. “Thank you for coming, Fin.”

He grunted and then said, “I promised to protect you.”

“I’m sorry I drugged you.”

“Do you know what it was like to wake up and find you gone from the bed and nowhere to be found?”

“Yes. I suppose I should have left a note. How did you find me?”

Lord Angus had stopped; he turned to Fin. “Yes. I would like to know that too.”

“Lucky guess. I knew what your vision was about and then I saw the house with the two gargoyles missing.” He squeezed her hand tightly and then let it go; she knew he didn’t want to say more. Not now, at least.

“Here is your room, Sybil. I will show this … to another.”

“No. He is going to sleep with me.”

Angus had a look of pure distaste on his face when he said, “You would sleep with a monster?”

Fin clenched his fist and was about to swing at Angus, but Sybil pushed him back and then said, “Yes. It’s my choice.”

“You know what he is, despite the…” Angus fluttered his fingers in the direction of Fin’s face, “mask.”

“I know exactly what he is,” she said firmly, closing the conversation with a “sleep well, Lord Angus.” She pulled Fin forward, wanting to part the two men before any more trouble erupted.

As she closed the door, Fin went to the window, which was shuttered and bolted. For a moment, he looked down at his hands, and then he turned around and simply asked, “You know what I am?”

“Of course.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done.”

“You are the Minotaur. And the stories are true.” She came to him and grasped both of his large hands in hers. “Fin, you don’t have to answer. I know what you have done. For me, at least.”

“Sybil, I don’t deserve your friendship.”

“Fin, I think we have gone past friendship.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, using her fingers to turn his face to hers when he would have shied away. His lips were so comforting, so unsure, and exactly what she needed. Her hands went around his neck and she pressed her body against his.

“I should have told you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she insisted.

“Sybil, I want you.”

“Then let’s make these next few hours about us.” She took his hand and led him to the bed. There she slowly undid his shirt, and pushed it off his shoulders, kissing his toned bronze skin as it was exposed. He groaned, his reaction to her touch evidence of his desire for her.

Fin fumbled with her clothes, his fingers trembling as they undid the buttons of the coat she still wore. Then they set to work on her sweater, pulling it over her head when she put her arms up, seeing her smiling face as it popped off her head. He bent down and kissed her again, his hand going to the small of her back and holding her in place as his mouth ravaged hers.

When he nipped her bottom lip a small cry escaped her, and his arousal grew further. Lifting her, he placed her on the bed, his hands quickly removing the rest of her clothes until she lay in only her bra and panties. His eyes raked over her soft, plump body, admiring her curves and the swell of her breasts. Unable to keep his hands off her flesh, he unclasped her bra and allowed her breasts to fall free into his willing hands.

Sybil felt a little embarrassed; she had never been naked with a man, yet alone a man who wanted to make love to her. And yet the look in eyes told her he felt nothing but desire for her voluptuous body. Then, when his mouth claimed her breasts, she felt her desire rise to meet his, also. His warm mouth covered her breasts, sucking her nipple into it, his tongue rolling over the little bud until she was whimpering in need. The dull ache between her thighs grew to an urgency that could not be denied.

Opening her thighs, she urged him between them, hoping for some satisfaction. Fin gave her that and more. His fingers, more gentle than she could have believed, removed her panties and then pushed into her heated, wet sex. Her back arched; he pushed deeper, breaking her with his fingers and then massaging her inner walls until the pain passed and pleasure returned.

His thumb circled her clit, his fingers pushing deeper inside her, while his mouth returned to nurse at her breasts. Her orgasm grew, her hips thrusting wildly in the air, while small cries left her mouth to fill the silent house.

She moved beneath him, her body taking the pleasure he offered. His fingers slid in and out of her and she grasped at him, her voice high pitched as she crested her orgasm. His mouth still licked and sucked her breasts, the taste of her skin so sweet.

In his pants, his cock grew harder, needing to be freed and plunged into her hot, eager sex. But he was afraid he would hurt her, as he had hurt so many humans throughout his life. Yet his intentions were pure and true; he only wanted to make her happy.

When he pulled away from her, she stroked his face and kissed his lips.

“Make love to me, Fin,” she said softly against his ear, her breath sending goose bumps down his back. His cock seemed to swell further, needing some kind of release. He didn’t want to hurt her, would he be too big for her? “It’s OK,” she promised.

“I’m scared I’ll hurt you.”

“I’m tougher than I look, Fin. We can take it slow. Real slow. We have all day.”

He looked into her clear eyes and saw her love for him there; he choked back the flood of emotion that threatened to consume him. She wanted him, and he wanted to be inside her more than anything. If this was their last day on earth, if his long life was to come to the end at the hands, or teeth, of a vampire, then at least let him have consummated this love he had for her.

He pushed his fingers into her heated sex and brought her arousal back to life. She began to undo his pants, pausing every so often as waves of pleasure washed over her. Eventually, with his help, she freed his cock and stroked it. Now it was his turn to groan, the sensations flooding him too much. If she didn’t stop, he would come in her hand and he wanted to come inside her.

Placing his large hand over hers, he stilled her, and then moved his body, to position himself between her thighs. She eased her legs wider apart to accommodate him, and then he felt her hold her breath as his cock pushed against her entrance.

“Argghh,” he groaned as the head of his cock slipped inside her tight sex. Her inner walls held him viselike as he pressed forward. She sheathed him so perfectly, her inner walls stretching, yielding for him. Harder he thrust, more confident, and more eager to impale her completely on his cock. In and out he moved, each thrust going deeper until he had to stop and let the sensations fill him and then subside. If he moved too quickly, and entered her too fast, he would come right now, her body intoxicated him with its need.

Beneath him she writhed, the pleasure she was experiencing only too evident. As he lay still, inside her, he looked down on her perfect face and then kissed her lips; she was altogether too good for him. And that goodness seemed to permeate her skin and wash over him where their bodies touched, and he wanted to be good and pure. He wanted to be hers forever.