Goddess of the Rose (Goddess Summoning #4)(47)

"What is the danger, Empousa?" he rumbled.

With an effort, she kept herself from biting nervously at her lip. "I don't know exactly. All I know is that the roses are sick, which means the rose wall that surrounds the garden is probably sick, too. My intuition tells me that possible weakness is somehow dangerous." She held her breath, waiting for his snarl. Instead, he surprised her by bowing his head slightly to her.

"You were right to summon me, Empousa. I should not have questioned your authority. If the boundary between the worlds is weakened, I must guard against those who would use it as an opportunity to slip into our realm."

"So as I try to heal the roses, I need to focus on the rose wall first?"

"That would be wise, Empousa."

Mikki nodded and said, more to herself than to him, "That's what my gut was telling me. Good thing I listened."

"Your gut?"

"Yeah," she said hastily. "Hecate said I should follow my gut and I'd do the right thing."

He snorted. "The goddess said gut?"

Was it possible his dark eyes were glittering with humor?

"That's not exactly how she put it." Surprising herself, Mikki smiled at him. His eyes locked with hers, and Mikki could feel the sudden weight of his stare as if his look could bridge the space that separated them and touch her with its intensity. And she felt something else, something that she recognized from her dreams. Mikki felt the stir of desire. He was dangerous and frightening, but he was also a powerful, overwhelmingly masculine being. As in her dreams, she was drawn to him by a hot chain of fascination. Holding his dark gaze, she said, "Hecate told me to follow my instincts, and that's exactly what I intend to do."

As if he had become tethered to her gaze, the Guardian moved to her until he stood near enough that he could easily touch her. "And what is it your instincts are telling you right now, Mikado?"

Mikki's breath caught. She could feel the heat from his body. Standing up several steps had brought her almost eye level with him, and she was, once again, struck by the impossible contrasts that made up his face . . . handsome and fascinating . . . bestial and dangerous.

He's not part man, part beast. He's more than that. He's part god . . .

Slowly, he lifted his hand and took a thick strand of her hair that had escaped from its golden tie between his thumb and forefinger. While Mikki stood frozen, he let her hair slip like water through his fingers. His deep voice rumbled intimately between them.

"Can you not speak, Mikado? Where is the brave priestess who commanded me into her presence? Is my nearness enough to frighten her away?"

"I'm frightened, but I'm not going anywhere," she said resolutely and was pleased to see his eyes widen with surprise at her honesty. Purposefully mimicking his gesture, she reached up and touched a shiny length of dark mane that spilled over his shoulders.

As if her touch was an electric charge, the Guardian jerked back from her. His voice was raw and hoarse. "Have a care, Empousa. You might find the beast you awaken is not as tame as the roses that are yours to pet and pamper." Then, with a growl, he whirled around, his hooves biting into the marble pathway. He was leaving, abruptly and without warning . . .

"Wait!" she yelled after him.

The great creature froze, his broad back turned to her. With a jerky motion his head swung so he glared over his shoulder.

She met his eyes again and could almost see herself reflected there - a weak, indecisive woman who, like an inexperienced young girl, had called him back to her without knowing for sure what she wanted to say.

The image angered her.

Hecate had chosen her as High Priestess, Empousa of the Realm of the Rose. She had summoned him. It had been her instincts that had alerted them to a possible danger. It didn't matter that she didn't totally understand the danger. She was doing what Hecate had chosen her to do. And damnit! He had touched her first! What the hell game did he think he was playing, and by what right did he think he could dismiss her? She was no girl child dressed up in the robes of power. She was a grown woman - independent and intelligent. She didn't tolerate patronizing men, with or without hooves and horns. Mikki slitted her eyes at him and spoke slowly and distinctly.

"There are things I need to know before you run away."

"I do not run - "

"No!" She shouted the word, ignoring the warning in his voice. "I speak with Hecate's authority. This time it's your turn to listen and answer."

His face was alien in its mixture of man and beast, but she was certain she saw approval register in his dark eyes.

"What is it you wish to know, Empousa?" he said. Turning, he walked the few paces back to her.

She felt his approach as if he changed the pattern of the air around them. She swallowed hard, careful to keep her voice businesslike and her mind from wandering.

"I need to know if there is one area of the rose wall that is more easily penetrated than the rest of it. Maybe a place where there is a break in the roses, like around a door or a gate."

He considered, then nodded, his shaggy mane spilling over his broad shoulders with the movement. "Yes, there is a gate in the roses, and it makes sense that that is where the barrier might be most easily breached."

"Do the handmaidens know about this gate?"

He nodded again. "Yes, Empousa."