served the food straight into the vehicle. Even when nature’s call forced them to seek out proper facilities, Namtar had only donned the shoes and one of the shirts Annie had purchased, not taking the time to change into his new pants. The need for haste was clear in every tense line of Annie’s body and he would not cause her more distress by delaying their journey northward.
At first he had doubted the wisdom of seeking refuge in a place the villain might think to look for her, but she had explained that no one, not even her former fiancé, knew the location of her childhood home. Annie had fallen silent for several hours after that. Grateful that the talk she had insisted they have had been postponed, Namtar had remained silent as well, honoring her need for time with her own thoughts until she began to speak of her own accord.
Finally, in fits and starts, she’d told him of the small town of Dorris in northern California where they were bound, and of the house she had inherited there upon the death of a great-aunt, the woman who had raised her from the time she was a very small child. She hadn’t had a happy childhood. That much was obvious, though Annie hadn’t gone into great detail about her early years.
He did know her parents had both died when she was too young to remember and that the great-aunt who had raised her had been her only remaining relative. The Theophilus and Kartopholos families were both infamously unfortunate people and tended to perish early in their lives. Her mother’s two sisters and her father’s younger brother were all dead before Annie was born. She had no cousins, no grandparents, no aunts or uncles. She was an orphan, most likely from a cursed family line if Namtar were to hazard a guess.
The Greek gods had been most cruel to their human followers. In the days before they fled to their own lands in the Underworld, Zeus and his Olympians had wreaked havoc on the human race which still carried on into the modern age. The family names of Annie’s parents indicated their roots in the ancient world, and their mysterious misfortune smacked of Olympian interference.
As he ran his fingers through her black curls, Namtar wondered if one of Annie’s ancient ancestors had been as beautiful as she herself, a temptress who had run afoul of some lusty god and earned a curse for herself and her descendants until the end of time.
The thought brought a smile to his face. Claiming Annie for his own was already a compulsion, but the knowledge that he would be stealing a cursling from the Olympians was a temptation all its own. They derived power from their active curses, strength he would steal when Annie became his human consort in the Sumerian Underworld where the Greeks held no sway.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, her breath coming faster and suddenly louder in the small space. She’d parked the car, but he hadn’t noticed until that moment. With a wave of his hand, he shut off the motor.
“Of many things.” He leaned closer, until their lips were only a few inches apart.
“You looked…hungry.”
“I am. Famished.” His hand threaded more deeply into her abundant hair, ready to tug her closer, closing the space between them until he could feast upon her lips.
“Then I should hurry and check in before the restaurant closes for the night.” She was out the door and leaning back in the window before he could blink. He wondered if she had always moved so quickly or if it were a side effect of the magic newly awakened within her. Perhaps he’d find out as he chased her around their chamber tonight…
“I’ll order us both some grilled chicken or something while I’m checking in. I figure it would be better if you wait in the car. I know the police are only looking for me, but if Roger’s looking for us he might ask about you and you’re certainly a more memorable person than I am.”
“I would disagree, but I will wait.”
She turned away only to spin back a
At first he had doubted the wisdom of seeking refuge in a place the villain might think to look for her, but she had explained that no one, not even her former fiancé, knew the location of her childhood home. Annie had fallen silent for several hours after that. Grateful that the talk she had insisted they have had been postponed, Namtar had remained silent as well, honoring her need for time with her own thoughts until she began to speak of her own accord.
Finally, in fits and starts, she’d told him of the small town of Dorris in northern California where they were bound, and of the house she had inherited there upon the death of a great-aunt, the woman who had raised her from the time she was a very small child. She hadn’t had a happy childhood. That much was obvious, though Annie hadn’t gone into great detail about her early years.
He did know her parents had both died when she was too young to remember and that the great-aunt who had raised her had been her only remaining relative. The Theophilus and Kartopholos families were both infamously unfortunate people and tended to perish early in their lives. Her mother’s two sisters and her father’s younger brother were all dead before Annie was born. She had no cousins, no grandparents, no aunts or uncles. She was an orphan, most likely from a cursed family line if Namtar were to hazard a guess.
The Greek gods had been most cruel to their human followers. In the days before they fled to their own lands in the Underworld, Zeus and his Olympians had wreaked havoc on the human race which still carried on into the modern age. The family names of Annie’s parents indicated their roots in the ancient world, and their mysterious misfortune smacked of Olympian interference.
As he ran his fingers through her black curls, Namtar wondered if one of Annie’s ancient ancestors had been as beautiful as she herself, a temptress who had run afoul of some lusty god and earned a curse for herself and her descendants until the end of time.
The thought brought a smile to his face. Claiming Annie for his own was already a compulsion, but the knowledge that he would be stealing a cursling from the Olympians was a temptation all its own. They derived power from their active curses, strength he would steal when Annie became his human consort in the Sumerian Underworld where the Greeks held no sway.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, her breath coming faster and suddenly louder in the small space. She’d parked the car, but he hadn’t noticed until that moment. With a wave of his hand, he shut off the motor.
“Of many things.” He leaned closer, until their lips were only a few inches apart.
“You looked…hungry.”
“I am. Famished.” His hand threaded more deeply into her abundant hair, ready to tug her closer, closing the space between them until he could feast upon her lips.
“Then I should hurry and check in before the restaurant closes for the night.” She was out the door and leaning back in the window before he could blink. He wondered if she had always moved so quickly or if it were a side effect of the magic newly awakened within her. Perhaps he’d find out as he chased her around their chamber tonight…
“I’ll order us both some grilled chicken or something while I’m checking in. I figure it would be better if you wait in the car. I know the police are only looking for me, but if Roger’s looking for us he might ask about you and you’re certainly a more memorable person than I am.”
“I would disagree, but I will wait.”
She turned away only to spin back a
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