Juliet frowned. “Why can’t he be with me? What’s wrong with me?”
Hades smiled gently at her. “It’s not you, my dear. We gents from Olympus have a reputation to dally with mortal women. The benefit is that their life span is short. Soon, they are joining me in the underworld. Their stories fade. What we did with them fades into obscurity. You, Juliet, are almost as immortal as us. When Ares is done with you, and trust me he will be, you can keep popping into his life. A bad penny so to speak.”
Juliet growled in response. It caught in her throat as she felt her hand taken captive.
“It’s great seeing you, Uncle. We’ll see ourselves out,” Ares replied a moment before he led Juliet out of the VIP lounge.
Neither of them spoke as they strode together hand in hand, down the hall past the hotel. Halfway through the chaos and bright lights of the casino, Juliet stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart lodged in her throat. She struggled with everything in her to free herself from Ares. She had superhuman strength and she almost didn’t get loose. She barely fled before he had hold of her again.
“What the fuck?” Ares demanded.
Juliet lifted a trembling hand and pointed towards the heart of the gaming floor. A tall man with wavy hair and a five o’clock shadow stood next to the most beautiful blonde Juliet had ever seen. He was dressed in jeans and a leather coat. She was in a floor length cocktail dress. The sight scared her shitless.
“Dillion,” she said. “Dillion MacMurray. He’s a vampire hunter. And I’m number one on his kill list.”
Ares didn’t answer. He just stared with his mouth open. His gaze was locked on the blonde.
She shook him violently. “Ares.”
His answer came out in a breath, “Aphrodite.”
Juliet tugged hard on Ares’s arm. “Ares, we have to go. Please.”
His hand clamped down like a vise on her wrist. Without a word, he tugged her along with him past the slot machines and the flimsy plastic chains that barricaded the game tables from the rest of the gamblers.
Juliet fought like hell against him. She didn’t figure she would get anywhere but she had to try. She shouted over the noise but she knew he couldn’t hear her. “Stop, please. He’ll kill me, Ares. Didn’t you hear me say that?”
His voice didn’t reach her ears. It filled her mind. Do you forget I’m a god? He’s not going to touch you. I won’t allow it.
“But…”
Just trust me, Juliet. Please.
She tried to vocalize another protest but it fell silent as they skidded to a stop next to the other couple. She didn’t know how she could feel it but she sensed that Ares wasn’t breathing. He was anxious. Like a fourteen year old boy with a crush anxious. She’d roll her eyes in disgust if she weren’t in fact about the most terrified she had been in her entire life.
Aphrodite gave Ares a coy smile as she fluttered her lashes. “Ares.”
Hatred for the Greek beauty nearly burned away the fear that consumed Juliet. Almost. She was still scared shitless, especially with the evil grin that was plastered across Dillon’s face. He was the cat and he was just about to feast on the canary. She gripped tight to Ares’s hand.
“Aphrodite,” he replied.
“What are you doing here?”
“Considering where we’re standing, I think that answer is obvious. I stopped by to see my uncle. Had some business to attend to.” Ares pointed to Dillon with a snarl. “Who’s your friend?”
Aphrodite beamed at Dillon as she ran her long, perfect fingers across his chest.
Ares body trembled as he watched.
Juliet could feel the anxiety he shared with her switch to rage in a mere second. Violent rage. Rage so strong three slot machines near them combusted in a shower of sparks sending gamblers running.
“This is Dillon MacMurray. Ironically, he brought me here on business too.”
“What business could that be?” Ares countered.
Dillon smiled at Ares. “Oh, I’m sure you know.” He turned his attention to Juliet. “Long time, no see. How about we remedy that? I know you hate running into me. How about I just put an end to that?”
“Rather not, asshole,” Juliet replied, her voice a weak squeak.
It must have been the first time the Goddess of Love noticed she was there. Aphrodite pulled her hand away from Dillon and fanned herself. Juliet watched her scowl as she stared at Ares’ and Juliet’s hands joined together. Aphrodite’s voice hitched up a few octaves. Several mirrors and crystal vases shattered in response. “And who might this be, Ares?”
Dillon answered before Ares could speak, “Beautiful, this is Juliet Foucault. She’s the reason I’m here. She’s a vampire from about 1785 and she’s been cutting a bloody trail since.”
Ares pulled Juliet tight to him and held her close. “And she belongs to me.”
Dillon slipped a hand into the back pocket of his blue jeans. He yanked free a thick wad of folded paper. He took care as he unraveled it. Then he flipped it towards Ares to display a world map. It looked like one that had been ripped out of an encyclopedia.
Juliet didn’t have to ask what the check marks drawn on it were. She stared across the gaming floor trying to ignore him.
“See all these marks?” Dillion asked. “Those are all the near misses I’ve had with your fuck buddy there. Those are all places where she took a life to feed. MMA fighter’s and sick people. Five years I’ve tracked her. Nearly half the countries in the world. So do me a favor, buddy. Turn her over to me. You won’t miss her. From what Aphrodite says, you don’t keep a woman long. You go through them like old socks.”
Ares let go of Juliet.
She whimpered for a moment until he tugged her behind him. She noticed the smug grin on his face as he approached Dillon.
“You almost caught her in these places?”
“Yes, I did,” Dillon answered.
Ares traced a lazy finger around the circumference of the map. The paper smoldered. Small flames devoured the paper quickly. “Funny. The whole fucking world belongs to me. Stop hunting what is mine.”
Dillon dropped the map and stomped on it to smother the blaze, cussing a blue streak the entire time.
The fire beneath Dillon’s feet mirrored the one raging in Aphrodite’s eyes. “Scraping the bottom of the barrel for this one, aren’t you, darling?”
“Hey, bitch,” Juliet defended as she peeked around Ares.
Ares held out an arm to still her. Then he turned his attention to Aphrodite. “If you’re so worried about the women I sleep with, why did you leave me?”
Aphrodite glanced away as she bit her lower lip. “Leave you? I never belonged to you. Yes, you were amazing in bed. But if you remember correctly, I belong to another man.”
“Or men. Multiple men. You get around, sweetheart.” Ares pointed to Dillon in disgust. “This mortal is just another notch in your bedpost. So don’t criticize who I sleep with or I will have a little conversation with Hephaestus about your newest conquest.”
Aphrodite snarled at him. It was rather unattractive on the goddess of love and beauty. “You wouldn’t have the balls.”
Ares glanced down at Juliet. He smiled at her. “I think I do actually. If you see any of our kids, tell them Dad says hi. See you later, sweetcheeks.” He looked at Dillon. “And I’m serious. Stay the fuck away from Juliet. If you so much as breathe on her wrong, it’ll be the last breath you take.”
Aphrodite grabbed Dillon’s hand and hauled him away through the casino in a huff.
Ares wrapped an arm around Juliet’s waist and escorted her to the lobby and out the front door. “Let’s go before I run into any more family members. Or ex-lovers.”
Juliet wasn’t about to object. The whole night was unnerving to say the least. First, she was seduced by the god of death then told she wasn’t worthy of the god she did share her bed and her body with. Then to run into the goddess of love, the woman who still had possession of Ares’s heart? It was all too much.
Intimacy with Ares was nothing like it had been in the many cursed centuries that Juliet walked the earth. What they shared buried into what was left of her soul. She tasted him, she breathed him in, she felt every emotion that coursed through his heavenly body.
And his every thought at the moment wasn’t of her. It was of Aphrodite, of the jealousy he felt. He didn’t want to make love. He wanted revenge sex to soothe his soul. A lot of it.
Juliet pushed him away and freed herself from his embrace. “No.”
“Excuse me?” Ares demanded.
“I won’t be her replacement. You love Aphrodite. You’re not about to take out your anger of losing her on me.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
Juliet turned on her toe and started down the sidewalk through the crowd.
“Get back here, Juliet,” Ares ordered.
“Peace out, god of war,” she answered as she threw back two veed fingers over her head.
“Get back here. I’m not coming after you. And if Dillon finds you, I won’t stop him. Do you understand me?’
Juliet shivered at the thought. But it didn’t stop her from walking away and disappearing into the crowd.
Chapter Four
The night air caressed Ares face as he walked down the sidewalk past the stately Georgetown homes. He shoved his hands in his slack’s pockets with a huff. He hated wearing a tuxedo. It drove him crazy. There was no room to move if he were to find himself in a fight. And being who he was, that happened frequently. It felt like he was wrapped tight in a several thousand dollar straight-jacket. And he wasn’t a happy camper about it.
He glanced at the expensive homes surrounding him. Less than an hour ago, he was standing on the strip in Las Vegas watching Juliet disappear into the crowd. Like he wasn’t pissed off enough. Running into Aphrodite had a tendency to leave him raging mad. He’d loved her for thousands of years. It was an all-consuming love, one that possessed him to his core. Legends were written about their love affair. It was that amazing. There were other women and for her there were other men. But for him none of them compared to Aphrodite.
He stopped suddenly. That was until now. He closed his eyes and calmed the fury in his mind. It took a moment for him to adjust. Over nearly an entire country, he reached out for her. She was there, a vibration that charred him. It was a feeling he couldn’t get enough of. It was sweet pain, one he was addicted to.
Juliet was awake and alive. He knew that she would be. Aphrodite was too furious to let Dillion out of her grasp to go hunt the vampiress. Ares’s threat was as empty as Dillion’s head. He smiled to himself. It didn’t stop the anxiety that coursed through Juliet. She felt alone, abandoned.
His brow creased as he plunged deeper into the intimate connection he held to her. Sad. She was sad. Lonely. He blew out a steady breath. Heartbroken.
The little bloodsucker had feelings for him. Was she in love? It was hard to tell. But one thing was for certain. It was time to cut her loose.
He cocked a grin to himself. Or get her back into his bed wrapped tight in his arms. And as soon as she dozed off, that was what he was going to do. He’d deal with the undead little spitfire in the morning.
The smell of a sterile atmosphere filled his nostrils. Moments later, he could taste iron on his tongue. He opened his eyes to break away from her. She was feeding. The Angel of Death struck again. He started his stride again with a sense of purpose.
He made his way past the row of cars up the driveway of the largest, most opulent of the mansions in the neighborhood. There was a party going on inside. He didn’t want to do this. He tried to talk himself out of it ever since he appeared in Washington D.C. Asking for help from dear, old Dad was against his nature. But this was beyond his abilities.
After centuries of lying dormant on Olympus, Zeus found the generation of humans he thought he could plant the seeds of change in. He wanted a peaceful, productive world and with the great advances in technology, these were the mortals that could accomplish it. Except he forgot to factor in his own offspring into the strategy. The other gods ran amok creating chaos like they did when they were in Greece. It didn’t stop Zeus from moving off the mountain and into his new, comfy digs outside the Capitol.
Ares didn’t bother to knock on the ornate wooden double doors. He walked right in. After all, wasn’t it home? The new Olympus? He watched the frazzled butler scurry across the foyer to him. The dull roar of voices having a good time in a room out of his view filled the air.
“Mister Romeo,” the butler greeted out of breath.
“Where’s Dad?” Ares demanded.
“Senator Lynch is in his office. He is expecting you.”
“Thank you, Oliver.” Ares breezed past him and the revelry in the other room and strode down the hall to his father’s study. It made perfect sense that his father was a United States Senator. He and the others in Congress made the laws for the most powerful nation in the world. And with the untold wealth that Zeus could create, he had all the right lobbyists in his pocket. He was one step away from Speaker of the House. He didn’t want to be the President. After eight years at the most, the President was out and gone along with this ideals. Zeus could keep his seat for eternity if he wanted. And he planned to do just that.
Not only did he find a comfy spot in Washington, he used his influence to get his precious Athena a job in the Pentagon where she could seduce the top officials in the military to do her whims. Ares wasn’t even sure what his sister did for a job. All he knew is she was the happiest she had been in several millennium.
He didn’t bother to knock on the study door. He stormed inside to find his father standing behind his desk sorting through a small pile of envelopes. Salt and pepper hair neatly parted to the side, a chiseled face with a touch of stubble, dressed in a tailored tux - Zeus had movie star looks that would make any mortal female swoon.
Zeus looked unfazed by his son’s intrusion. “It’s good to see you, Ares. Staying out of trouble?”
Ares huffed. “Why do you care?”
“Because when you get your nose out of joint, the rest of us have to clean up whatever you’ve destroyed.”
“I’m fine, Dad. Thanks for asking. What do you want? Why did you summon me?”
Zeus set the envelopes on the desk. “Hades told me about your little friend.”
“That was quick for the old man. Did he tell you that he hit on her?”
“He left that out. He didn’t leave out the part that you’re sleeping with a vampire.”
“It’s none of his fucking business.”
“Language.”
“Oh, forgive me, your excellency.”
Zeus shook his head as a growl escaped his throat. “Where is she?”
“In Vegas. As soon as I sense her fall asleep, she’ll be in my cave.”
Zeus glared at him. “You have to stop ghosting people, Ares. What if someone saw you?”
Ares grinned at his father. “I’ll kill them.”
Zeus slammed his fist on his desk. “Enough. Enough with the attitude. I am getting sick of this. You sense her? You’ve already gone too far. Do you know what could happen if you were to procreate with this...this creature? Vampires don’t die, Ares. Neither do their offspring. And think of the stigmatism she carries with her. She kills mortals. She feeds on them.”
“The weak ones. The ones who are dying. And the occasional fighter. She’s the Angel of Death, Zeus.”
“And appropriate to work with Hades. Not to be your plaything.”
Ares sighed. “Then help me. And you should know if I’m coming to you for help I’m desperate.”
Zeus st
ared at him wide-eyed. There was no doubt Ares shocked him. “What do you want my help with?”
Ares sucked in a quick breath before he spoke. “Change her. Don’t make her human. Make her into something else. Anything. Mermaid, siren, whatever. I’m not picky. If you don’t want me to be with a vampire, then change her into something you’ll approve of. I can’t let her go. Make her into something I’m worthy to love.”
Zeus frowned. “You’ve developed feelings for this creature?”
Ares shoved his hands in his slacks pockets. “I have.”
“And Aphrodite? What about her?”
“What about her?”
Zeus settled in his leather chair and tilted back a bit as he studied his son. “You’ve been together for thousands of years. Your affair is legendary. You’re ready to give her up for this...vampire?”
“We haven’t been together for a while. Thanks for staying up to date on that. Aphrodite is dating a vampire hunter.”
“Is that so?”
“Look, Zeus, I’m not here to chitchat. I’m sure you have some shindig out there to prepare for.” Ares threw his thumb over his shoulder towards the noise. “There’s probably a shitload of people in the other room ready to throw money at you. Can you help me or not?”
Zeus stared at him for a long moment. “No.”
Ares snarled. “Then what do you want of me? You summoned me. I’m ready to get out of here.”
“Stay away from the vampire. End it.”
Ares glared at him. Then he felt it. A smothering drowsiness filled the far recess of his mind. He closed his eyes and let it take over for a moment. Then he thought of Juliet. He focused all of his concentration on her. Then he thought of her safe, tucked in the red satin sheets of his bed. The drowsiness grew faint until it was just a slight irritation. She was now in another country away from this madness. It was that easy to move her. His cock stiffened as imagined her naked. It was time to get home.
He opened his eyes and grinned at his father. “When was the last time I listened to what you had to say, Dad? I’ll do what I want when I want. And I want Juliet. You think there’s consequences of us being together? Fuck the consequences. And fuck you. I’ll figure out another way to keep her.”
Blood Lust Page 4
