ThirteenNights Read online

  Thirteen Nights

  Sabrina Garie

  Book one in the Divine Temptation series.

  Annie’s always been different. An empathic Amazon, she hides her emotional anomaly beneath legendary fighting skills. Not wanting to pass on her genetic disorder, she’s always avoided the Thirteen Nights Ritual—the Greek pantheon warriors’ annual breeding rite. Months from thirty, she’s duty-bound to participate. When she meets Tai, who inflames her body and nurtures the gentleness she’s had to keep secret, thirteen nights of pleasure don’t seem nearly enough.

  As a half human, Tai has survived by being smarter and more lethal than his brethren. While the male warriors accept him for his achievements, the Amazons never give him a second look. Until Annie, whose smile is warm and real and whose body shudders with desire—for him. Determined to have her, he hacks into the Thirteen Nights database and rearranges the pairings to make Annie his partner.

  But Tai’s actions are forbidden, subject to death. To stay together, they must take on the Greek pantheon.

  A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

  Thirteen Nights

  Sabrina Garie

  Acknowledgements

  No writer ever really works alone. Many thanks to Jennifer, awesome critique partner and the godmother of this story. She knows what that means. My gratitude also goes to Lisa, Denise and Grace, critique partner, beta reader and editor, whose advice and insights keep me on the straight and narrow. Sort of. What makes all these ladies so special is that they still let me fly.

  First Night

  Annie hovered in the alley, watching the human family walk hand-in-hand past Neutral Ground, the Washington DC pub that was her destination for the evening. Their happiness bubbled into the air and wrapped around her senses. A dull ache formed in a secret corner of her heart. Closing her eyes tight, she wished the yearning away. Amazons do not marry, they do not raise families.

  “Why are you skulking in my passageway, Antiope?” The velvet-soft voice whispered into the wind behind Annie. The sound so enticing it sent goose bumps marching down her neck. She stiffened and turned to face her inquisitor. A slim sylph woman stood firm behind her, white-blonde hair and a cloak whipping around her body as the fall winds plied their trade. The steel in her gaze was at odds with her delicate stature. Power, lots of it, hid in that petite body.

  “Hello, Sylla,” Annie greeted her old friend, the half-siren, half-oracle proprietress of Neutral Ground. Sylla’s reputation for fairness and diplomacy, backed by her exceptional powers of voice and foresight, had established the venue as a trusted sanctuary for all interpantheon negotiations and delicate events. As one of the Amazons’ top negotiators, Annie spent a good chunk of her adult life within the antique walnut-paneled walls of Sylla’s domain. Three blocks from the Capitol building, the Democrats and Republicans also used the place for behind-the-scenes parleys. The club allowed Senate and Congressional staffers and other humans to mingle unknowingly with the denizens from the supernatural world. The venue existed in one form or another since DC became the US capitol. Annie was sure if she looked hard enough, she’d find a George Washington Slept Here memorial sign somewhere inside.

  “Why aren’t you inside, preparing for the evening’s…festivities?” Sylla’s pause indicated she knew the event was not always the sexual pleasure fest many hyped it to be. Every fall, when the Hunter’s moon filled the night sky, the Amazons and the Gargareans—the warrior races who guarded the Greek pantheon—met at Neutral Ground to find a breed partner for the Rite of Thirteen Nights. Matched on the first evening, each pair would spend the next twelve nights together to conceive a child. Female children would be raised in the Amazon crèche, males in the Gargarean.

  “Most Amazons are jumping out of their skin to get started,” Sylla continued.

  Annie was not most Amazons.

  Sylla glided from the door and circled around her. Even though Annie preferred male lovers, she often felt the sensual pull of the siren. Shivers crawled down her spine, her lower body clenched in primal need. “Are you reading me?” As a half-oracle, Sylla could sense the past and future.

  Sylla paused, her head quirked as if in question, and her skin tightened around her cheekbones. “The aura around you has changed. You’re at a fork in time.”

  “Meaning?”

  “A point when an individual decision decides how the future unfurls. Despite your own trepidations, you are meant to be here tonight, old friend.” Although Sylla’s voice sounded firm, sweat beaded across her forehead.

  “Did that drain you?” Annie asked. The lack of worshipers and the slow destruction of the natural world in the modern era weakened the pantheon immortals who drew their power from nature and human adoration. Amazons were mortal, their enhanced strength and stamina had been written into their genetic code and remained intact.

  Sylla nodded. “It’s getting worse, takes more energy to do less. But that discussion is for another time, Antiope. Tonight is about you. Come.”

  Annie followed her through the alley entrance, up a back stairway into a large, open room. The walnut paneling gleamed from hours of polishing. A series of small, thick, two-person tables were set up in a grid pattern throughout the space, each equipped with computer pads built into the frame adjacent to each seat. A bar nestled in the corner manned by a water sprite mixing drinks for an eclectic range of tastes.

  Sylla directed her to the justice nymph in the corner giving out name tags and data cards to a long line of participants. The breed pairing was hidden in the monthly speed dating event held at Neutral Ground. The nymph would also oversee the voting, the DNA compatibility tests required by the Amazon Elders, and the couples’ breeding agreements. For the Amazons, the exchange had to meet strict genetic regulations, but choice was also considered in the coupling. Her older sister Marta participated in prior years and filled her in on the details. Annie had avoided this for as long as possible, not wanting to pass her otherness to a child. But her thirtieth birthday was only a few months away, and all Amazons were sworn to participate before they reached thirty.

  A strong drink in hand, she found her seat by matching the number on her name tag with the table number. Following the instructions on the card, she swiped it over the datapad and put her thumbprint on the screen where directed. That would tap into her medical records to ensure genetic compatibility. A bell rang in the distance and the first male slid into the seat. A small human. She smiled politely but knew that weak frame could never handle an Amazon lover. Humans were not forbidden, but strongly discouraged. Not all were as frail as this one, but humans usually wanted more than the Amazon vows permitted. The bell couldn’t come soon enough. Annie clandestinely hit the no button on the pad.

  A giant of a man swaggered into the now-open seat, all testosterone and appetite. Linebacker shoulders, six-pack abs straining against a muscle shirt chosen to show them off, thighs so big they could choke a horse—and probably had. Elaborate tattooing covered his left arm from shoulder to wrist, detailing every victory, every kill. Similar markings ran diagonally across Annie’s back.

  He touched his card to the pad and instantly his resume popped up on her screen. Black belts in karate, kendo and Kung Fu, expert sniper, awarded the Golden Shield—the Gargarean symbol for valor—six times, hobbies included hunting, archery and jousting. Okay, the man could kill, but who was he really?

  “I’ll give you a good ride. You’ll be well-sated. I’ve fathered two already, one on a first-timer.” Typical Gargarean—built for show and incapable of mincing words. His eyes burned over her, intent blazing so fierce she felt the heat crawl across her skin. It was said the male warriors went celibate for six months before a breeding to build their lust to a fever pitch. Fr
om that look, she’d say it was true for this one.

  She nodded, splaying well-manicured, fire-engine-red nails on the table. The male covered one hand, pushing the his palm against the tips.

  “Yes,” he rumbled. “They’ll feel good tearing through my back when you lose control.” He laid his left arm out in front of her, an invitation to test the strength of him, and show off his prowess. As expected, she walked her fingers along the planes and angles of his muscles, periodically digging her nails in to test his reaction to different pain levels—to see if he really could handle her and show respect for his military achievements. Those muscles would ripple well under her fingers and nails.

  A Gargarean in his prime, proven in battle and the bedroom. She should want this. Damn the little voice in her head that told her that it wasn’t enough for the father of her child, so she rated him acceptable, not preferred. Some part of her she kept well-buried thought it would be nice to find someone with an interest beyond weapons and bloodletting. Someone who could handle, I don’t know, maybe a conversation. The next twelve nights joined at the groin could be a lifetime.

  Each new Gargarean who plopped down in front of her merged into the next one until she couldn’t distinguish among them. They all rang the same—deadly, dominant and completely interchangeable. She knew she was a desired partner, and would be many of these men’s first choice. The male warriors liked to boast about knocking up the first-timers, it was worn as a sign of their sexual prowess. The DNA compatibility test would have to choose one of them for her. She didn’t really care.

  Lost in frustration, she didn’t register the newest candidate in front of her. The blue light on the screen identified him as Gargarean, but he lacked the giant muscular proportions of the male warrior race, that scent of pure dominance and heightened testosterone. Oh, his eyes revealed menace and the lethality of the warrior-bred and his arm tattooing was as detailed and complex as the bigger men who came before him. But he had the lean, muscled strength of a human soldier, the power he emanated more subtle and highly controlled. From the way her lower body pulsed, she liked it. A lot. When she eyed the screen with more focus, the mystery resolved itself. Tai, human father, Amazon mother, given to the Gargareans at birth. That explained his size. “How did you survive their training as a youth?”

  “Your mind can bring you to places your body cannot.”

  “That’s not a very Gargarean philosophy.” Or Amazon for that matter, even though she agreed with him. “How would your background play out over the twelve nights?”

  “Each night more attuned to your needs than the next. You would be seduced across all dimensions, pleasured in the realm of mind, body and spirit.” He flashed her a smile that promised all kinds of sin, but those deep brown eyes, so tender and soulful, pledged warmth and humor. With that, her panties were drenched, her nipples bullet hard, and tingles ran up her spine straight into her brain. Swallowing, she struggled to pull it all back under control and explore this possibility in more detail.

  “Your expertise is…” She lifted an eyebrow. “Cyber security.” She placed her hand on the table as she did for all the others. Instead of using his palm to test the bite of her nails, he ran his finger across her knuckles and down her thumb, a lingering caress that promised gentleness, not just a good, hard ride. When he offered her his arm, she did the same up his wrist to his elbow, watching lust flicker in his eyes as her fingers glided across his skin. “You’re not like your brethren, in many ways it seems.”

  “No, but I think that’s the pot calling the kettle black and it pleases you.” His voice lowered a decibel, the sound a rough caress around her body. “Why? Most of your sisterhood reject me out of hand for my size, my human heritage, even my talents.” His gaze locked onto hers and held it in an iron grip. He might be small for a warrior of the Greek pantheon, but he made it clear he was no less potent and he wasn’t going anywhere without an answer.

  “Because you’re different…like me.” She was not at all sure she should have confirmed his observation but she felt no deception coming from him. “It tempts me.” She gave him her biggest, sexiest smile.

  “Choose me.” His gaze still tethered to hers, he glided his forefinger along her lips in a quiet tease. “I’ll make it worth it to you.”

  She nodded, too choked up with hunger to speak. The bell rang, she tapped first choice and he was gone. Several more exchanges she’d never remember occurred and the event ended. As per the rules, she would return home and receive a text identifying her partner chosen by some algorithm designed to maximize genetic strengths with some respect to the choices of the individuals. Once received, she would tap her thumbprint onto her phone pad, which would serve as a binding breed agreement and a commitment to deliver the child to the appropriate camp.

  On her way out, Sylla stopped her. “Did you find someone who meets your…needs?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “Good. I created Neutral Ground to provide the space for new beginnings and new ways forward. Remember that.”

  * * * * *

  Tai wanted Antiope and no other. While he believed she would choose him, he survived a miserable youth in the Gargarean training camp with a frailer half-human body by never leaving anything to chance. As soon as the last bell rang, he rushed downstairs, snagged a seat in the backroom of Neutral Ground, ordered a beer, and before it arrived, hacked into the warriors’ breeding database.

  A grin crossed his face when he confirmed that she had indeed ranked him first, but it turned to a frown when he discovered they had not been matched. She had a genetic anomaly that would be exacerbated when mixed with human genes to the detriment of any progeny destined to be a warrior. Fuck that and whatever the hell that meant. Only her smile reached her eyes when she looked at him, and the passion that shone in them had him hard enough to hammer nails in concrete. The rest of the Amazons made no attempt to conceal their distaste at his physical size. When he participated last year he had not been matched but had not cared. I could rewrite my DNA records and switch the pairings.

  He explored deeper into the data to assess any dangers. Interesting. The genetic prohibition stemmed from Amazon law, not Gargarean. He was subject only to Gargarean law and the will of the Gargarean Elders. Even if they caught him, the punishment should be minor. His coding skills were unparalleled. The only way to catch him would be if he got Antiope pregnant, which was unlikely. The warrior races’ fertility had been on a steady decline. On average, the Thirteen Nights ritual produced one child a year. The risks were minor. He’d take on a hell of a lot more to have her. He changed the designations and made Antiope his partner.

  While he packed up to leave, a beautiful white-blonde siren slipped into the seat next to him. Sylla. All those from a pantheon located in DC knew of her.

  “Stay,” she commanded and he had no choice. Even the extreme warrior training he survived didn’t allow him to resist a siren’s voice when it came unexpectedly. “You’re a game-changer.” The gleam glowing bright in her eyes said she was sure he’d done something. “The future is at a crossroads, it can go in several directions. Your actions will force a moment of choice that will determine the path we take.”

  “Change is needed.”

  She nodded as if in agreement. “Show me.”

  Unsure if she used her power of voice to command him or he wanted her to see the truth, he leaned forward and offered his head to her touch.

  She placed her hands to his temples and closed her eyes. Her white lashes disappeared into her ghost-pale skin. When she opened them, she raised an eyebrow, then lightly slapped him across the cheek. “Naughty, but arguably necessary. Know this, game-changer, you are one of the reasons this establishment exists. Pantheon justice usually forgets that. You should not.” The last words were tattooed onto his psyche by Sylla’s power. “You may leave. Be good to her, she’s my friend,” she whispered and was gone before his body returned to his control.

  Second Night

  He
r drink poured, Annie took a large swig before she jumped into the shower and scrubbed herself pink with a loofah in preparation for the evening’s activities. Anticipation thundered a storm in her bloodstream as she slicked her body with jasmine oil and slipped into a sheer, black-lace baby doll that split open right below the breasts to reveal her well-toned abs, pierced bellybutton and crotchless black panties tied on one side for easy removal. Black satin mules completed the outfit and displayed long, leanly muscled legs to their best advantage. Her sister Marta had talked her into buying this getup, arguing that since she was sworn to the Amazon way of life, she might as well enjoy it.

  According to the ritual, the male was required to demonstrate his power and aggressiveness during the first coupling. Stimulation and easy access would make it good for them both. Losing herself in sexual pleasure until she was well-sated might drown out the doubts about this whole process that nagged at a part of her brain. At least she got Tai, her preferred lover. An odd choice, she knew, but she had always followed her instincts, no matter how much it baffled her sisterhood.

  A glance at the clock indicated he’d arrive momentarily. To prepare, she stroked herself until her juices flowed down her thighs and the scent of her lust perfumed the room. When the doorbell rang, she ached to be taken. She opened the door to a single rose and eyes that flamed with raw hunger the instant he took in her attire.

  “I’m glad my appearance pleases you,” she said as she took the rose and caressed the petals down her neck to her breasts. She liked the way he looked as well. Black hair curled seductively on the shoulders of a leather jacket, a body carved from steel and a focus so intense his gaze burned through her skin. It had been a long time and he was someone she’d choose to scratch an itch any day.