Chapter 24

I thought Huitzilopochtli hadn't heard me, but then he went still and just lay above me; filled with coiled tension. I could feel the magic surging through his body; tingling and teasing my skin. His chest expanded against mine as he took a deep breath and then he released it, shuddering.
"Now, it's I who must ask for your forgiveness."He raised his head to look at me, and I stared at the crimson of his eyes as they swirled frantically. "The blood, when combined with lust, drives me to madness if I'm not prepared for it. Did I hurt you?"
"No."I looked away; unsure what to say or do. "I'm fine."
"Do you forgive me, Vervain?"The pleading in his voice yanked my eyes back to him. His eyes were normal again, as normal as they could get.
"I guess it's only fair."I tried to concentrate on what Thor had said, but it was so hard not to be drawn in by the earnest expression Huitzilopochtli wore.
Was this the same man who'd struck me last night? Then I realized that his behavior was perfectly in line with that of an abuser. If you asked a battered woman why she stayed with her man, she'd probably tell you something along the lines of; "He's actually a very good man, he just gets angry sometimes."Abusers know how to keep their victims in line. Insert moments of kindness in between the torture, and you'll create a victim who will defend you. Child abusers use the same technique.
Huitzilopochtli laughed and it brought me out of my morbid musings. It was the velvet laugh I both enjoyed and hated. In one graceful movement, he rolled off me and helped me from the bed. He didn't let go until we were near the hidden door to the bathroom.
"There's a change of clothes for you inside the bathroom. When you're done, come out to the garden."Huitzilopochtli motioned to the open doors.
I nodded numbly and entered the bathroom. After the weird wake-up call I'd just had, I welcomed the sanctuary and looked around carefully. I'd nearly been struck dumb by the bathroom the night before so I hadn't been truly able to enjoy it. Yes, dumbstruck by a bathroom, it was that fantastic. The dress he'd left me was hung on a golden hanger across the room from me, and it was stunning, but it paled next to the beauty of its surroundings.
It was as if he'd brought the jungle inside. The bedroom's sumptuous red carpet ended abruptly at the doorway in a green carpet of grass. Not green like grass, I mean there was real grass covering the floor. Along my right was a wall of windows with a door in the center; open to the encroaching jungle. To my left was a slab of stone with a basin carved out of it. A handle placed nearby controlled the release of a miniature waterfall which would pour into the sink from beneath a long mirror. The mirror was set into a rock wall whose every nook and cranny sprouted ferns and bright, monstrous orchids with sword-shaped leaves curling over the slab counter. Antique crystal jars of toiletries hid among the leaves; adding a little sparkle.
There were trees growing inside the bathroom as well; one by the bedroom door and one at the end of the room near the tub. The dress hung on the latter. The bathtub was the most unusual feature of all. Made of the same stone as the counter, it was sunk into the floor to resemble a natural pool. I had bathed in it the night before and it took me forever to find the hidden levers for the water. At the very top of another plant-filled rock wall behind the tub, a platform jutted out. With the turn of one of those hidden levers, water flowed over this and into the middle of the pool; allowing for a choice of shower or bath.
The grass grew right up to the pool and plants grew out of the floor randomly. Near the tub, there were boulders of differing heights with flat tops for toiletries or sitting. One of the boulders had a lid which lifted to reveal a toilet. Very ingenious, but also very frustrating if you happened to be a person unaccustomed to searching for toilets inside rocks. I had actually wondered for a few confused moments if maybe Gods didn't share our bodily functions.
The room was amazing, and so was the dress, but it seemed so out of place in it. I walked over and touched the soft material. It was red of course—the man just didn't like change—made of yards of velvet and lace, but not just any velvet and lace. Silk velvet so soft I wondered if they made blankets out of the stuff so I could wrap myself in heaven while I slept, and Venetian lace; the real stuff some old Italian lady made by hand with dozens of little spindles. The sleeves were little puffs that ended in a froth of the lace and the bodice was a deep square saved from being immodest by the lace that trimmed it. It curved in at the waist and then out at the hips, and was gathered at different points to show layers of even more lace beneath. It was a dress that belonged in another century. Or in a museum. Not on me.
I stripped; leaving my underwear on the counter with my dagger. Yes, I slept with it again, even after the bruising it had given me. I washed my face and then frowned at myself in the mirror. I was being seduced by a dress and a handsome face. I glared at the dress over my shoulder; wishing for a pair of ruby slippers to match. There's no place like home. There's no place like home. I was being primped, polished, and pampered. It was vastly preferable to some cold dungeon and the seduction of it all was almost too tempting, but when it came down to it, the wizard was a bipolar, womanizing Aztec with a thirst for blood, and I, like Dorothy, desperately wanted out of Oz.
I saw to the rest of my morning needs and then slipped the dress—I wasn't sure if it was even considered a dress, maybe the correct word would be gown or tent—over my head. It was unbelievable, and I felt as if I belonged in some Gothic novel, but I soon discovered the reason women used to have maids. I needed help with the laces. I squirmed and stretched, but I just couldn't reach. Oh, well, so much for making a stunning entrance.
I stuck my head out of the sliding glass doors. "Hey, Hummingbird Man."
"I presume you're calling for me."Huitzilopochtli came through the lush growth holding a magnificent rose.
"I require some assistance."I turned and showed him my back while I held the bodice to my chest with both hands.
He laughed softly, and I felt his breath tickle my shoulders.
"My pleasure, little witch,"he spoke against my skin a second before brushing his lips along my shoulder. I shivered and jerked a little. Then he handed me the flower and went to work on the laces. "There, now turn around and let me see you."
I did as he asked; feeling awkward and wishing I knew why. He stepped back and his eyes feasted on me. There was no other word for it; he looked at me so slowly from head to toe, eyes widening slightly and finishing with a flick of his tongue across his lips. I felt completely consumed by the time it was over.
Huitzilopochtli took the rose from me, broke most of its stem off, and tucked it behind my left ear. The symbolism wasn't lost on me. Back home in Hawaii, a woman wore a flower behind her left ear only if she were in a serious relationship. If you were single, the flower went on the right. I reached up to correct it, but his hand stopped me.
"I may not have taken your body."Huitzilopochtli pulled a long curl of my hair forward and stroked it tenderly as if he were stroking something much more intimate. "But you're mine; make no mistake about that, Vervain."
"Whatever you have to tell yourself."I glared at him and suppressed the urge to crush the innocent flower in my fist.
He smiled indulgently, as if I were a misbehaving child, and it set my teeth on edge, but I allowed him to lead me into the jungle. There was actually a little path through the trees, and we followed it to a clearing where a stone table was laid with linen and bone china. He seated me in a carved mahogany chair with a red velvet cushion. I peered under the tablecloth at the stone it lay on. Was I about to eat breakfast on an altar? I let the cloth drop. I'd rather not consider the possibility. I focused instead on watching him lift the domed silver lid off my plate.
"Eggs Benedict?"I stared at the perfect hollandaise sauce and the crisp homefries. "How did you know this was my favorite?"
"I shared your mind when I tasted your blood."He grinned unabashedly. "You were hungry and thinking of breakfast."
I looked at him sharply. Breakfast hadn't been in the forefront of my thoughts. Had he heard me turn to the borrowed magic? Did he know what I could do? More importantly, could I still use one of the stolen powers to escape?
"Coffee?"He poured the steaming liquid into a delicate teacup in front of me.
I added sugar and cream, stirred, and then sipped. It was pure Kona. What the hell? Did he just happen to have all of my favorites on hand?
"Thank you."Mama didn't raise me to be rude. "Huitzil . . . oh, I can't keep calling you that. I know it's your name, but we're going to have to go with a nickname from here on out, and I can't stomach Hummingbird."
"You want to give me a pet name?"He beamed in delight.
"Not a pet name."I glared at him. "A nickname; a shorter word for you. What was your name in English again?"
"Blue Humming—"
"Blue,"I interrupted. "I like it. Short and to the point. Blue it is."
"You want to name me after a color?"He wasn't so pleased by that.
"It's just a shortened version of your name."I was very pleased with him being displeased. Then a thought occurred to me, and I chuckled. "It'll be an accurate description of certain parts of your anatomy if you keep pursuing me."
Huitzilopochtli frowned a good five minutes until comprehension flared to life. "You're referring to a state of male frustration, I believe?"I giggled in delight and sipped my coffee as he continued. "Hmm, I must admit it's never presented itself as a problem to me before. I guess I'll have to pleasure myself if you drive me to such a state, and I'll make you watch as your penance."
I choked and nearly spewed coffee everywhere. "You'll what?"
"If you're so unaffected by me, then whatever I choose to do to relieve myself will not matter to you, correct?"His eyes sparkled over the rim of his teacup as he took a sip.
"You're disgusting."I felt a shiver run through me as I pictured him stroking himself next to me in bed. Oh, crap; I wouldn't last a week. I had to get out of there immediately.
"We'll see how disgusting you think it is when you lay beside me."He cut into his meal. "Maybe I'll try it out tonight if you refuse me again. I knew this would be fun, but I didn't anticipate how deliciously naughty it would be. I do so love the chase."
What a typical man and in typical male fashion, he'd probably stop wanting me as soon as I gave in. Except, in this case, his waning interest wouldn't mean a break-up, it would mean my death. I swallowed hard and fought back my rising panic.