Kim Harrison - Hotter Than Hell

The druid was a big, fit guy with some hand-to-hand skills. They circled, then sparred against each other, flesh and muscle straining, moving through firelight and shadow while the crowd cheered and shouted. Sweat stung Bern’s eyes, and he tasted blood when Lanc got past his guard once to strike him in the face. Excitement built deep in Bern’s gut and the clarity that only came with combat focused his whole attention on the struggle.

For a while he almost forgot the purpose of the challenge while he concentrated on the fight. Then he caught sight of Ginger. She was flushed and her eyes were bright with excitement that sent a zing of lust straight to Bern’s groin. But her arms were tensely crossed, and she also looked annoyed.

“Enjoying yourself?” she called sarcastically when she had his attention.

The momentary distraction almost cost him, but he caught Lanc’s sudden kick out of the corner of his eye and quickly countered. He ended up with a hard foot grazing his thigh as he turned. He returned the favor with a hard kick to Lanc’s solar plexus that brought the man down.

Enough of this toying with his prey.

When Lanc tried to struggle up again, Bern knocked him unconscious.

Ginger rushed up to him “Are you all right?”

“Oh, yeah.” He grinned, and kissed her, pulling her tightly against him. “Never better.” The loincloth left nothing to her imagination about how he was feeling. The cheering crowd faded away from his attention as he concentrated only on the woman in his arms.

Her hand brushed against the erection straining against the soft leather. Then she pried herself out of his tight embrace. “Not yet.”

“Oh, come on!” he complained. But he understood when she pointed toward the sword buried in the ground. He laughed. “Right. Well, at least I don’t have to pull it out of a stone.”

“Uh…”

“What?”

She looked at him strangely, and asked, “Doesn’t Bern mean ‘bear’?”

“Yeah…” He crossed to the sword. Bits of earth clung to the blade as he pulled it out and held it up for all to see. He waited for the cheering to die down, then shouted, “For Britain and the White Lady!”

The roar this time was deafening.

“Must have sounded good,” he murmured.

Ched came up to him, taking both him and Ginger by the hand. A trio of young women accompanied him. One of the girls held a stag-horn headdress. The other girls made quick work of stripping off his and Ginger’s clothes.

After fastening the headdress on Bern, Ched turned to the crowd and proclaimed, “Behold the queen and king of summer. This mating will bring fertility to the land! Let the festival begin!”

“You know, I’m beginning to think—” Ginger started.

“Don’t.” Bern grabbed her and kissed her.

He swung his naked lover up into his arms and covered her mouth with his. While his tongue probed inside that sweet, responsive warmth he carried her to the cloth-covered mound of grass and flowers that was to serve as both bed and altar for them to mate upon.

“Put me down!” she demanded.

“Don’t chicken out on me now,” he pleaded.

Ginger laughed wickedly. “Not a chance.” She remembered his directions to just look at him, but the crowd was the last thing on her mind at the moment. She wanted to taste him, and that was what she did.

The crowd cheered. A wave of raw sexual energy washed over her. The lust channeled by the masses shot through her, and she projected it back to the people around them. In that moment the goddess filled her, and she worshipped the god of summer and king of the land with all the fervor and passion due him.

Bern pushed her gently onto her back on the soft, fragrant altar. He knelt over her, poised at the moist opening of her vagina. He waited while her hips rose pleadingly.

“Now!” she demanded.

But he didn’t move until her gaze finally met his. “The night is just beginning,” he told her.

Then he entered her, and his worship of the goddess began in earnest.

“Ahem.”

The embarrassed throat-clearing, followed by a second voice demanding, “Cover your shame, woman!” was the last thing Ginger expected to hear after the night she’d enjoyed.

Besides, she wasn’t sure how shame was supposed to be covered, especially when what she felt was marvelous. All right, she was sore and tender in places, and rather hung over, though not in the having-drunk-too-much-alcohol way. Who knew too much great sex could make you groggy?

Could you have too much great sex?

If it could be done, she’d done it tonight.

“Colonel, sir,” the embarrassed voice whispered. “Excuse me for waking you up, but—”

“Rouse yourself, man!” the other voice boomed.

Ginger giggled. “Please don’t,” she murmured. “Not on my account. Not just yet, anyway.”

“Wha? What?” Bern muttered.

She felt his breath brush her cheek when he spoke, and realized that he was the warm weight lying half on top of her. The cool morning breeze skimmed across the rest of her, teasing one bare nipple to a hard peak. Maybe that was the shame the guy was talking about. Was that any way to talk to the goddess’s own—

That voice…There was something familiar about it…

“Is that you, Dr. White?”

Ginger’s eyes flew open and she caught sight of a familiar, concerned face.

“Sergeant Kaye?” Oh, good Lord, she was naked in front of a colleague! She didn’t recognize the man standing next to him, but the stranger was frowning down at her with utter disgust written all over his face.

“His name’s Percy Perkins, and he’s a jerk,” Bern whispered. He sat up and said, “I hope you brought us some clothes, Kaye.”

The sergeant held out the dress Ginger had worn last night, and a long tunic for Bern.

“Of course you realize that I intend to report this infraction,” Percy said.

“Infraction of what?” Bern asked. “There’s no rule against team members fraternizing.”

“You led an orgy! Your disgusting behavior roused the indigenous population to—”

“He didn’t get any, sir,” Kaye put in.

Bern scratched his jaw. “I can see how that might make him cranky.”

“Not to mention being named Percy,” Ginger added. “That alone probably put the guy into years of therapy. Could you sue your parents for giving you a name like that?” she asked Bern.

He shrugged. “Ask Percy.”

“Well?” she said.

Percy declined to respond. But his posture, though it seemed impossible, became even more tense.

“I could use a shave,” Bern said. “And a bath.” He sprang to his feet and helped Ginger up. “How about you, sweetheart?”

“Definitely.”

“Have the team meet us at the bath, Kaye. But give us a few minutes, will you?”

They could hear Percy spluttering as they walked away.

She slipped the white dress over her head, and they walked arm in arm across the field toward the villa, frequently stepping over and around still-sleeping revelers.

The spring ceremony had apparently been a great success.

Kaye went off to his assignment, and Percy followed behind them, making the occasional disapproving sound. The morning sun shone down, the sky was blue, the earth was green, birds sang, and Ginger was happier than she’d ever been before. They had the blessing of the goddess, she supposed.

They passed the old bishop preaching to a small group of revelers who looked thoroughly hangdog and hung over. Myrdyn gave them a pleasant nod when he saw them pass him by.

“We must be good for business,” Bern said.

“If he baptizes all those people, the energy in the pool is going to be whacked out for days,” Ginger said.

“That is hardly a scientific explanation of a temporal malfunction, Dr. White,” Percy complained.