If he were being honest with himself, it was easier to pretend he didn't find her extremely attractive if he didn't have to look into her eyes. He could get lost in the copper and gold swirling in her iris. The fan of thick, black lashes made the color pop even more so.
He swallowed hard and sat at his workstation.
Normally, the yarrow would be dried for maximum effect. But he'd spilled the rest of his dried product so he would have to make do with what he had available and worry about replenishing his stock later.
The light thump of his knife cutting the flowers from their stems lulled him into a state of relaxation. He thought back to the first time he'd laid eyes on the goddess who was now sleeping in his bed.
Years ago, during his first summer as sole forest guardian, he'd been investigating reports of a possible disease hurting the trees in his territory when shrill screaming erupted from a nearby stream. At first, he feared a drowning and prepared to call the Naiads to rescue the victim, but the screams gave way to laughter, so he approached with more caution.
That's when he saw her. The goddess ran through the small stream, water splashing up with every footfall. Her Amazon warriors followed behind, giggling when the cold water sprayed on their bare skin. Artemis leaped into the air with a shimmer of light. She was blindingly beautiful when her golden wings were outstretched. Iridescent feathers woven throughout made the sight overwhelming and awe-inspiring.
Artemis had been smiling. He remembered that with the utmost clarity. Her smile lit up her face like sunshine from within. The women played in the running water until they were drenched, laughing the entire time.
He knew at that moment he'd do anything to return that smile to her face.
And now, she lay on her side because her back was too wounded to be comfortable. Logically, he understood there wasn't much he could have done for her in the moment as she hadn't been in his realm, but that didn't do much to assuage the guilt firing in every neuron.
With a sigh, Jace shook his head and went back to work. His blade crushed and tore the blossoms before they were mixed with honey he'd collected earlier. The bees had settled and waited for him to get what he needed after he explained the situation.
They all wanted to see Artemis healed again.
The figure on the bed stirred with a small moan of pain. Mixture in hand, he made his way over to her as she began to wake.
“Goddess, I have something for your back if you'll allow me to apply it for you.”
Artemis gave a sleepy snort. “Now you ask permission to touch me.”
“In all fairness, you were not conscious before. I did what I thought was best,” Jace replied.
She huffed a small breath and rolled onto her stomach. The muscles in her back were strained and tense with discomfort.
He applied the honey and yarrow mixture to the worst of the burns first. The bleeding had otherwise stopped, but the singed skin was still at risk for an infection. Every touch of his fingertips caused a small twitch in the muscles.
“This will work a lot better if you relax,” he explained.
“I don’t like men touching me,” Artemis snapped.
Jace spread more of the concoction across the discolored skin in silence. “I would never hurt you, goddess,” came out just above a whisper.
She sighed. “Artemis. My name is Artemis.”
“I'm aware. It seems disrespectful to refer to you as anything except your official title.”
She turned back with a sarcastic glint in her eye. “You've seen and touched my naked body. I'd say we're friendly enough for first names.”
He gave a nod she couldn't see. “As you wish, Artemis.”
The word wrapped around his tongue in an elegant embrace. He wanted to say it again and again. He wanted to scream it until his throat became raw. He wanted to know how it felt to whisper her name at the peak of ecstasy. He never wanted to speak another name again for the rest of his existence.
“Thank you,” Artemis paused a mere heartbeat as she remembered, “Jace. Thank you, Jace.”
His name on her lips stirred sharp-winged butterflies in his stomach. He wanted to beg her to say it once more.
Her mouth opened and, for a moment, he thought his wish would come true. Instead, she cleared her throat and asked, “Will you help me go outside? The sunshine will aid in my healing.”
He frowned. “Are you sure?”
Artemis glared. “You may help me or I will go myself, but I'm going out into the sunlight.”
Jace sighed in resignation. “We have to drape the sheets over your body for now.”
“Thank you, Jace,” she said again as he pulled the fabric tightly around her once again.
Her use of his name washed over his soul. He would do anything she asked if she would keep saying it.
Together, they were able to fashion a suitable covering for a short trip outdoors. Artemis attempted to tie much of the fabric herself until pain engulfed her strength.
Jace led her across the room with one hand placed under her forearm. His touch was firm enough to aid in her balance but gentle enough so as not to overwhelm her sensitive flesh.
He felt her relax as soon as they emerged from the shadows of the doorway. Together, they walked to a fallen log. Only when she was perched on it comfortably, did he release her from his grasp.
Artemis closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the sky. A look of pure bliss overtook her face and Jace felt heat spread across his neck and chest.
She was even more beautiful when bathed in sunlight. Not quite back to her former glory and power, but something else, and ethereal all the same.
Her mouth dropped open on an exhale before turning upward into a smile. “That's much better.”
Jace remained standing; near but not close enough to be considered hovering. Light wind lifted stray hair from her face, and he envied the breeze for being allowed to touch her with impunity.
They remained like that until a darkness eased into the setting.
Without warning, a dark cloud claimed the sky. The wind changed, picking up with intensity. Stray leaves and twigs swirled around the couple as the once gentle breeze became more forceful.
Jace moved closer to Artemis and took on a protective stance as he scanned the horizon for looming threats.
It was the smell that announced their arrival; a fetid, metallic scent which intensified the longer it lingered. The air became saturated with the scent of blood and gore, of rot and despair.
Artemis and Jace exchanged fear-filled glances. That particular odor was never a good omen.
A figure dropped down from the low-hanging cloud. Her taloned feet scored the ground with angry slashes as she adjusted her stance. Blood-soaked feathers covered her body where normal humans would have skin. Her arms blended into wings with sharp nails on the end of abnormally long fingers. Sharp angles defined her bird-like face. The only truly human characteristic she had was her eyes and those were filled with fire and fury.
Before them, stood a harpy.
Chapter 6
The hounds of Zeus, harpies were dispatched on behalf of him and no other. Voracious bird-women sent to collect those he wanted found. They were a violent, horrible bunch and Artemis had never enjoyed dealing with them. Judging by the contempt on his face, Jace didn't like them either.
“What do you want?” Jace demanded.
The creature tilted her head sharply to one side. “We have no quarrel, dryad. I come for the goddess.”
Artemis sneered. “You think to collect me, foul beast? You think to fight so unmatched?”
The harpy let out a peal of cawing laughter. “I know your secret. I can smell your bloody, burned flesh from here. Your blood has naught as much magic as usual. Even this pitiful forest spirit holds more mystical strength than you do now. Brought low, are we? How does it feel to be afraid, Artemis?”
Artemis stepped forward, reaching for a power that was no longer there. It felt like a limb missing. Still, she lif
ted her chin. “How dare you speak my name,” she hissed.
“Claiming you will be easy. I shall enjoy your pathetic struggles.”
Jace stepped in front of Artemis, pushing her behind him, though she fought it, sputtering at the thought of being protected, or having to now rely on any aid she could get. He spread his feet wide and held his arms out to the sides. “You shall go through me first.”
The harpy laughed again. “I will destroy you.”
Artemis moved alongside Jace. “You should take heed, Nicothoe. I have seen his power, felt it on my skin…” she glanced at Jace, and then back at the creature. “If you think to underestimate a dryad, it should not be this one.”
The woman hissed at the use of her proper name. “Zeus gave orders. I am to bring you to him. His desire dictates this be done with you alive, but accidents happen.” One set of talons raked more soil as she took a step forward. “Your sad excuse for a guardian will not stop me from collecting my reward.”
Guardian? Artemis slanted a glance at Jace, and seeing the word settle into his expressive face was enough to confirm that yes, this Dryad thought he guarded her. And maybe not just now.
Artemis raised an eyebrow, glaring at the harpy. “You truly believe Zeus will reward you with anything beyond a swift death?”
Nicothoe narrowed her fiery eyes. “The King of Above will honor me for giving him the thing he desires most: the body of the goddess, Artemis.”
Artemis scoffed at the ignorance of the creature. “Zeus will kill you the instant you return, with or without my presence. Your only hope is he does it quickly and without much pain.” She did not add that if he’d attacked her, the one he supposedly wanted most, then he would of course bend his harpy servants in half once he was through with them.
Nicothoe hissed, low and full of hatred. “He has promised me a role at his side. We will rule the mortal world together.”
“Zeus doesn't share his victories, you stupid creature. Success will only hasten your death,” Artemis replied.
“Enough of your lies,” Nicothoe snarled before she launched herself at the goddess, knife-like fingernails leading the charge.
Artemis was unprepared for a physical brawl in her weakened state. Her maneuvers were slow when she’d once been lithe and strong. Her body was clumsy and she stumbled over the log where she’d been sitting minutes ago. She hissed as her back came in contact with the ground. The wounds ripped open further as she twisted, trying to get to her feet.
Jace was ready, however, and he faced off with the Harpy, he held a up a large branch and swung it around with ease. The impact knocked the harpy onto her back.
Jace knelt by Artemis, his breath coming in harsh pants. “That won’t keep her for long! We should run.”
Artemis clenched her jaw at the very thought, but she let Jace help her to her feet, and they rushed through the forest hand in hand. She found that she wanted him to keep holding on to her, and that in this new body that could be wounded, even tragically, his strength was something she needed. It helped her face the truth: she could actually die in this body. Or worse, become a slave to Zeus for eternity.
That thought gave her the extra energy to keep pushing faster.
Jace was still breathing hard when he showed her a place in the forest dense enough to hide. Artemis braced her hip carefully against a tree, now surrounded by overgrowth, trying not to touch her back to the twigs and leaves. They were only inches apart and Jace was staring into the clearing, watching, guarding.
Between breaths, she asked, “Is it true? You watched over me?”
His gaze shot to hers and caught. He licked his full bottom lip and nodded.
They stayed like that, panting, eyes drilling into one another, trying to see… in. Artemis did a crazy thing then, she lunged forward and pressed her lips to his. At first, she merely put pressure there, hoping something would happen, fearing that she’d done something silly and… well, human.
But Jace gently touched her chin, tilting it, showing her where to put her mouth so that they could taste one another in a more practiced way. She'd never felt another mouth against hers and wasn't prepared for the surge of lust that came with it. This was a new kind of power, one that Artemis had no idea she’d held. Not with such force. She would worry about the ramifications later, but she felt it fitting to have her first kiss happen in the heat of battle.
“Thank you,” she said, pulling away.
Jace's eyes flashed a brilliant green, lit from within as a bit of power had transferred from the goddess to him. He touched his lips and smiled, but they both smelled the harpy’s return at the same time. Jace leaned in once more, but Artemis stopped him this time with a small smile.
“Go,” she instructed before collapsing back down in exhaustion, not hiding the warmth she felt from the inside out.
Jace entered the clearing with a snarl, and it almost made her laugh to hear him growl, his anger obviously more from being pulled away from her embrace.
Artemis moved to where she could see through the trees. Jace squared off with the creature, and he eyed the harpy, now with the hatred of a man who’d been interrupted. “You seem to have made one miscalculation, hag.”
Nicothoe searched behind him for her prey. “And what, pray tell, was my miscalculation?”
Jace raised his arms and smirked. “This is my forest.”
The air filled with a loud rumble. Nicothoe looked around in confusion as the ground beneath her feet began to shake and tremble. She flapped her wings to lift from the unsteady earth, but vines and roots sprang up from the ground in choreographed perfection to wrap around her feet and legs. The length of green vine squeezed tight, driving thorns deep into flesh.
Nicothoe screeched in fear and anger as she tore at the plant matter slowly surrounding her. Her sharp nails gouged at anything in reach, spraying shredded feathers along with bits of tree.
Roots returned to the earth, dragging their unwilling captive along as her fingers left trails of desperation in her wake. Her fury could be heard until the soil sealed her in for a fate Artemis did not want to think about.
Jace rushed to where Artemis lay, now trembling with exhaustion. “We need to get you inside,” he said.
She could feel sticky wetness cooling on her back where the wounds had re-opened so there was no argument on her part.
Artemis allowed him to help her stand. She wrapped her arms around his neck for stability during their short trek back to the house. Neither of them mentioned the kiss, though they shared enough meaningful glances to acknowledge the warmth between them, but she was grateful for the silence on the subject. Her emotions were still confusing. They tumbled back down low now that the fight was over and the pain had arrived to smooth away the joy of a first kiss.
“I need to get those wounds treated again,” Jace said as he returned Artemis to the bed.
She groaned in agreement. “I do not like feeling pain so strongly.”
Jace chuckled as he settled onto the bed next to her. “Most would agree with you.”
She dipped her head forward as he began to apply his honey and yarrow salve. Her muscles quivered with every deliberate brush of his fingertips. She wanted to lean into his touch until she could only feel his heartbeats against hers. She wished she could be someone else, someone who could fall into a dryads arms with abandon after being helped so thoroughly.
“Thank you for saving my life,” she whispered over her shoulder.
Jace was silent for several heartbeats. “It is my duty, goddess.”
“What did I tell you about using my name?” She turned and looked at him. “Jace,” she said pointedly.
He looked off to the side, a veil of indecision coming down over his expression. “Apologies, Artemis.”
Her eyes flew wide in surprise. “You're hurt!” She reached out to prod at his cheek.
“Ouch! Hey!” He jerked back in surprise.
She showed him her red stained fingers. “You're bleeding too.”
“It's nothing. You’re in my care, not the other way around.”
Artemis raised an eyebrow. “It is my fault you got injured. The least you can do is allow me to help you tend to it.”
Jace sighed and passed her the bowl. “As you wish.”
She gave him a triumphant smile. She scooped a small finger-full of the salve and eyed Jace's face. Her clean hand gently gripped his chin to turn his head so she could see the small wound better. Her touch was feather-light as she applied a thin layer of honey to his cheekbone.
She released his jaw. “All finished.”
Jace turned back to face her and froze. She'd moved forward to see her handiwork and his motion put them mere inches apart for the second time that day. Her breathing became labored as if she'd run a long distance to get to this moment.
He moved back slowly. “Would you like more tea?”
Artemis cleared her throat. “Is it good tea or the same swill you gave me earlier?”
“The very same.”
“Pass,” she answered, disgust evident in her tone.
“It helped with your pain, did it not?”
“It's absolutely vile.”
Jace sighed an irritated note. “Your healing is progressing a bit faster than an average human so you should only need one more cup.”
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Just one,” she agreed.
She drank a few sips, glaring the entire time, before handing it back and curling up on her side.
“You'd better have clothes for me when I wake up or I’ll think you like keeping me here and naked, oh guardian,” Artemis admonished before drifting off into a peaceful slumber.
Chapter 7
Jace stepped outside once again. He stood in the full sunlight and let it wash over his body. Forest spirits weren't meant to spend their days inside, away from the sun. They were part of nature.
But his goddess took priority.
He shook his head. His goddess? Artemis belonged to no one, especially not a mere dryad like himself. No, she'd be off as soon as she healed and he'd be back to watching from afar where he belonged. A dryad's primary purpose was to protect and maintain the forest. Unless their territories were threatened, the majority of tree nymphs did not get involved in the affairs of immortal gods.
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