Chapter 13: The Original Foxy Mama

Amrita? What's that?

It sounds like either a mystical elixir or the latest medicine shown in TV commercials with people dancing, happy because they've found a new pill.

But with Daji's sensual, lush lips on mine, I can't think about anything else. I realize I'm naked. Naked!

When did that happen? Did she just strip me and examine me? That should unnerve me, but it doesn't.

I don't feel like I've had sex, but I ask the question anyway. "Did we—"

"No. Give me credit. Don't listen to my nephew," she whispers in my ear. "I want you to remember everything that will happen between us. I want you to remember it to your dying day. I want you awake and screaming my name for hours."

"Hours?"

"This first time. You do have to work tomorrow."

She had to remind me. The words set off alarms. I can't sleep with an employee. I can't kiss an employee. Even if she's an immortal fox spirit who's watched world history unfold.

She also has a history of torturing people, and her own uncle warned me about getting involved with her, although he did it with his own brand of love.

So warm. She's so warm, wrapping herself around me. She pulls me up to a sitting position and devours my mouth with hers. "Mine," she whispers. "My mortal. I've been waiting for you to notice me. Can you blame a fox spirit for seizing the opportunity when it literally fell into her lap?"

"What happened with the egg, and the collection?"

She nuzzles me, and I can feel her hair, which suddenly has shades of autumn in it. "Stop worrying for tonight."

"Can't, I'm the boss."

Rippling laughter shoots through her as I hold her. "You're the caretaker, like all of your family before you."

"Did you—"

A nip on my ear is both painful and erotic from this ultimate older woman. "I didn't have my way with everyone in your family. You're the first. The others wouldn't have DREAMED of it. But you…you eat mythology and fantasy and science fiction for breakfast. You're perfect."

"The egg! Tell me, or this stops right now."

Sighing, she ruffles my hair. "You are so cute when you're being the boss. Very well. I've helped maintain the collection for years. I put the Cosmic Egg of Divine Insight back in the display case and locked it. The Olympian virgin helped me. Besides, nothing short of a total explosion could do damage to that room. That makes sense, doesn't it? Given the potential for disasters?"

I can't think when she's this close to me. Did I feel attracted to her before?

I want to remind her that she's the one who said I had the power of destruction, life and death, in my hands.

"You said the egg could completely rearrange—"

"I may have exaggerated. Forgive me?"

She presses her firm breasts against my chest., and I'm not thinking rationally anymore. Not that it's my first time with a woman…I'm a tech geek, but I like to think I defy the stereotype. However, Daji is something else entirely.

Are the legends about her exaggerated? Is she really cruel enough to let people walk barefoot on ice and get frostbitten to death?

She's my employee, supposedly, but she knows more about this place than I ever will. And she's right—if it's existed for centuries, I'm the caretaker. The latest in a long line. I almost work for these gods, these mythical beings.

"Mmmm," she murmurs. "You feel nice. So strong. I'm pleased I got to you before some of the gods." Heat simmers in her eyes. "You're mine. You were always mine. I think I'm going to mark you on your cute little neck. Everyone will know you belong to me."

"Mark me, like werewolf bonding?"

She nips me lightly, her teeth grazing my bare shoulder. "You'll be my mate. It's been so long since I've had one. And you, too. I know from your file about that girl, your fiancée."

The mention of Annabel still hits me in the gut. My software launch went bust the same day as my engagement, and then Mom and Dad showed up on my doorstep while I tried to pick myself up off the floor. "We have something to tell you. Gram and Grampa died…"

In many ways, I came here to escape all that. When the lawyer, Mithra, handed me the deed and title to the inn, I felt like I was getting a first-class ticket to paradise.

Daji grips my shoulders, her eyes burning. "Forget about that human woman. She can't compare to how good I'm going to make you feel right now."

"We were engaged." I pull back, scooting away from her. "You can't expect me to—"

Her eyes narrow. "Have you even thought of her since you arrived?"

Blinking, I admit in a moment of complete honesty, "No."

I haven't had the time, even lying in bed at night. But Annabel and I were together for four years. You'd think she would cross my mind during the last three months. That a scent, a sound, or a sight would remind me of her.

"Then don't use her as an excuse." She pounces like the fox she is, straddling me. "You weren't meant for her."

Warm, soft, and feminine, she surrounds me, her skin glistening in the light. "You're going to feel things you've never felt before. All I need to do is claim you, and you'll be mine. And don't insult me by saying you can't get involved because I work for you. In a way, we work for each other. You're the caretaker, and I'm the goddess. You're my boss, I'm your secretary. It balances out."

I really rack my brains to find a flaw in that logic. Give me time.

My hands have a will of their own, though. They grip her round, luscious behind. She moans. "Oh yes. You know how to touch me. Your hands are made for this. I'm going to enjoy taming you."

Taming me?

"But first things first." She positions her fangs directly over my neck. "I'm going to bite you, and you'll belong to me. Brace yourself. It'll hurt at first, but then you'll feel a rush of hot pleasure. And then, you'll feel what I feel. Everything."

I hesitate.

If I bond with Daji, she'll have even more power in the inn than she does now. Her fate and mine will be intertwined. She'll be a part of the family. I might even have fox babies.

Her black eyes take in my reaction. "You don't want to be bonded with me?"

"It's not that…"

And it's true. I'd like to have a special someone. A fox spirit goddess would be all my childhood dreams come true.

However, I'm still not sure. I mean, we haven't even had a first date yet. Or slept together.

Feeling brash, I lick my lips. "Biting sounds great, but you haven't sampled the merchandise yet. Maybe you want to try before you buy? Maybe you should see how good in bed I am first?"

And I brace myself for the fury of a fox-woman scorned.