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A daemon summoner talking to and befriending a god-touched crossed no lines. Erin did not know Nadir was more than a summoner, and no one else would know either.
CHAPTER24
ERIN
Blaine stood, unmoving, as the wild woman was escorted into his office by Jake and a nearly stumbling Daniel, who was sporting a fresh bruise above his right ear. Blaine sighed. This week hadn’t been Daniel’s strongest performance.
He turned his attention back to the woman. Most newcomers would stare in awe at his lush furnishings; the sumptuous surroundings were a reminder of his power and prestige within the city. Or perhaps they’d walk up to the floor-to-ceiling windows, breathless, and take in his singular view of the city framed by the Rocky Mountain foothills.
Her gaze paid no attention to the room, the view, or his wealth. She looked only at him as she stalked into the chamber like a panther scrutinizing her prey, oblivious to all else.
Sudden recognition flooded Blaine’s senses. A hair-raising tingle swept across his skin, down his back, and to the tips of his toes. Power emanated from her, and he could swear the ground beneath her trembled with every step she took. This was the woman from his dream, the one who’d danced with satyrs and nymphs and howled at the moon with abandon. Her raw animal magnetism struck a chord deep within him.
She was trouble with a capital T.
“Miss Erin Bevin, Sir,” Jake announced the newcomer. “This is Mayor Blaine York.” Jake motioned to a couch across the room from Blaine’s desk. “Would you care to take a seat?”
Erin ignored the offer, choosing instead to stand. “I’m good.”
Blaine paused. Did she remember him from the bacchanal dream as well? Based on her lack of overt reaction, she might not. Perhaps the gods had given him the dream as a warning? Or a promise? Blaine shook his head.
“May I fetch you some water, tea, or coffee?” Jake asked, his brow knit in confusion. No doubt he was also trying to figure out this interloper.
She held up a half-drunk bottle of wine. “I’m all set, thanks.”
Erin’s entire demeanor oozed confidence, despite the clear juxtaposition in power. The newcomer wildling wasn’t fazed. Her simple black dress and heels complemented her athletic frame. Her mop of short, blonde hair appeared as if she’d dried it in a wind tunnel, reminiscent of a lion’s mane. The natural pink flushing of her lips and cheeks looked like she’d been exerting herself. Did they flush like that in the throes of passion?
Blaine’s gaze drifted downwards as Zeus’ appreciation for the newcomer’s physique stole into his mind. Her breasts, barely contained by the flimsy black dress, stirred an ache within him. Zeus saw Erin as a wild beast in need of taming, though her lithe form held an undeniable appeal. Blaine sensed his deity’s primal desire to conquer and subdue her indomitable spirit, to bring the defiant woman to heel. With effort, Blaine wrested control of his wayward thoughts back from the god, mentally chiding Zeus’ baser instincts. This was no mindless nymph for Zeus’ pleasure; Erin was a force unto herself who would bend to no man. She’d been the one to deliver the blow to Daniel’s temple. This woman was a force of nature.
“Thank you, Jake. You may leave us. Oh, and please arrange for Daniel to be seen by a doctor.”
“Sir?” Jake, no doubt unsure by his boss’s break from protocol, hesitated.
Blaine waved him off, and Jake demurred, exiting the room and closing the door behind him, guiding a pliant Daniel along with him.
Was it in his best interest to have Jake remain in case Erin got out of hand? Sure. Yet he wanted to be alone with this rare creature, so unlike the other god-touched he’d known.
“Welcome to Denver,” Blaine said. “And thank you for meeting with me.”
Erin barked out a laugh. “I had the impression this meeting wasn’t optional.”
Did she not understand his position in the city hierarchy? More curious than perturbed, Blaine crossed to the sofa and sat. “If you’d followed the standard practice of introducing yourself to the City Chief on your arrival, Daniel would not have brought you in.”
“You’ll have to forgive me; this is all pretty new to me.” Erin joined him on the couch, claiming the far end. “And I’m not new to the city.”
“And yet you are a new devotee in my city. Who is your mentor?”
“Mentor?” she replied, brows knit in confusion.
Her surprise appeared genuine, which flummoxed Blaine. “Your mentor would have inducted you into our order, instructed you how to revere your chosen deity, and guided your growth.”
Amusement twinkled in her eyes. “Nope, no mentor for me. Dionysos spoke to me directly.”
Blaine hesitated. Could she speak the truth? He’d heard of rare instances where the gods metaphorically called new devotees, but he’d never encountered one in person. No wonder she was a wildling. Further, one dedicated to the god of wine and madness. Could she be any more different from him? Fascination warred with his need to maintain order and control in his city. This woman would need to be finessed. He couldn’t sanction her for not following protocols when she had been blind to the god-touched ways.
She took a drink from her bottle of wine, seemingly oblivious to his opinion. A drop of deep purple liquid hung on her lower lip a moment before her tongue snaked out to capture it.
Her uninhibited mannerisms captivated him. Yet he felt like a schoolboy, imagining how her lips tasted, fantasizing about laying a trail of kisses from her chin, up along her neck, to that ear that barely peeked out under her hairline.
