“What’s going on?” Achilles asked with pain still evident in his voice. Why hadn’t I felt him approach or even heard him approach? It was odd that I hadn’t been able to at least feel him when he was so close.
I stood up and brushed myself off. “Nothing.” I walked away from them all and towards Erebos who was sparing with Theseus. “Greetings, Erebos,” I said as I smiled at him.
He smiled at me. “Greetings, Artemis. How may I help you this day?”
“Could you teach me some advanced magic techniques?” I asked.
Erebos blinked twice and then said, “I’m not sure that I can teach you anything. You know quite a bit more than me, actually.”
“I know witch magic and the magic I picked up, but I don’t know much Sidhe magic,” I answered.
He rubbed his chin a moment and then said, “Well, I could teach you a few of my special talents and some of the nature magic. It might be better if we had a few Sidhe who each possessed different abilities.”
“Whatever you think is best.”
He smiled. “I’ll round up some Sidhe and meet you back here after lunch. Is that okay?”
“Thank you.” I said with a smile.
Theseus touched my arm gently as I went to turn around. “Are you alright?” he asked softly.
I patted his hand reassuringly. “I’ll be fine. Eventually.”
He wanted to say something else, I could tell, but I walked away before he could. I could feel Ares, Achilles and Koda watching me, but I ignored them. I needed to be away from them for a while. I walked to a halfbreed and a full werewolf sparring with each other. “Mind if I join?” I asked them.
They turned and bowed to me. “Princess,” they said at the same time.
I waved my hand dismissively at them. “Call me Artemis. We’re pack members so there’s no reason we can’t be on a first name basis.”
The male werewolf on the left was quite possibly the tallest man I’d ever met. His body was corded with muscle and if I hadn’t heard him speak just now, I would have thought he could only scream at people. He did have bright green eyes that showed intelligence though and he looked older than the most of the others. “I’m Thor.”
I swallowed my laugh and asked, “And how old are you, Thor?”
He frowned a moment in concentration and then turned to Ares who was standing across the field watching us. “How long ago did we meet?”
Ares looked down at the ground as he thought. “We met around eight hundred Anno Domini I believe.”
Thor nodded, turning back to me. “So then I am around seventeen hundred years old.” He frowned a moment and then nodded again. “Yes, that sounds about right.”
I turned and looked at Ares, wanting to ask how old he was since he was older than Thor, but then remembered I was trying to ignore them. I turned back to Thor. “Well, then I shouldn’t be a problem against you.” I looked up his massive frame. “Not that I thought I could beat you physically anyways.”
The halfbreed was a woman who looked no older than twenty, but the looks she gave me made me think she was much wiser than me. “What’s your name?” I asked.
She smiled. “I’m Daisy Mae,” she said with a thick Southern accent. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
I shook her extended hand and smiled sweetly at her. “I love your accent. It’s a pleasure meeting you, too.”
“Why aren’t you just the sweetest thing ever? How old are you?” she asked.
“I’m over one hundred years old,” I replied. “And how old are you?”
“Only twenty-nine,” she said with the sweetest smile on her face. “I’m one of Koda’s daughters.”
I stepped forward and hugged her. “Well, then this is a more appropriate way to greet you.”
She laughed and squeezed me tight before letting me step back. “I’ve heard so much about you. I am so happy I finally got to meet and talk with you.”
I didn’t want to be rude, but I wasn’t exactly in the mood to socialize. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Daisy Mae.” I turned to Thor. “So, how about that fight?”
Thor sized me up, looking from the top of my head to my toes. “You sure?”
I smiled, but it came out more as a baring of teeth. “Yes.”
He smiled at me, apparently pleased at my reaction. “What are the ground rules?”
“No half-shifts, I don’t need you bigger than you already are. Magic is permitted, but no lethal kinds. This is just a match for fun and to hone my skills.”
Thor smiled wide, his teeth lengthening as he did. “Sounds fun. How about we start in full shift?”
I stripped my shirt off over my head and tossed it to Daisy Mae. “Sounds good.” I pulled my bra, pants and panties off and gave them to Daisy Mae, too, and then dropped to my hands and knees as I shifted. The shift was smooth and pain free, but moving into my wolf form brought forth the feelings I’d suppressed. I clenched my teeth together as I fought the rage that tried to surface.
Thor yipped at me, and I turned to face him. He was almost as big as Ares, but still slightly shorter. A fight between the two of them could be catastrophic. I wagged my tail to show him I was fine and then crouched down and began circling him.
He circled with me with slow, graceful movements. I had no idea how an animal as big as he could be graceful, while I was such a klutz. He sprang at me, and I rolled to the right, spinning around and snapping at his flank, but he dodged before I could get him.
He was good. Fast and agile. I was incredibly outmatched. If this had been a real battle a smart wolf would roll on her back and beg for mercy. This wasn’t a real battle though and I wasn’t particularly smart. I charged forward, straight for his face and then slid underneath him, snapping my jaws around his forepaw. He yipped in pain and then spun around to attack me. I backed out from under his body, releasing his leg and danced around him.
You’re good, but you’re too slow. He said to me.
I lifted my lips in a snarl and smile. Then why haven’t you caught me yet?
He lunged forward, his teeth flashing just to the right of my neck as I darted under his front legs and out the side. I knew he wasn’t trying his hardest and it was only a matter of time before he caught me, but I would make him work to catch me.
He darted forward, and I barely had time to run away. I ran around him and bit his tail. He growled and before I could get away, jumped on top of me, pinning me to the ground.
This is cheating! I yelled indignantly. A real wolf would never fight like this!
Ah, but we are not real wolves, are we? I struggled underneath him, trying to get away, but he held me down. Do you give up?
NEVER! I yelled just before I whined.
“Step off of my mate, Thor,” Ares said in a menacing tone from nearby. I couldn’t see him since Thor was pinning my head to the ground with his neck.
I growled at Ares to butt out, but Thor stood up off of me. You don’t have to listen to him.
Thor shook his head. He is beta. I have to listen to him.
I exhaled. Sorry.
Thor nudged my shoulder with his nose. Did I hurt you?
No. Just irritated that he stepped in when you weren’t hurting me.
It’s his place to protect you. He heard you whine and therefore thought I might be hurting you. He knows I would never purposefully harm you, but accidents do happen. What would you like to do now?
I shifted forms and took my clothes from Daisy Mae. “I think I’ll go take a bath. Thank you for sparring with me. I look forward to sparring with you further in human form soon.”
Thor bowed his wolf head and trotted over to his clothes.
“Are you hurt?” Ares asked from behind me.
I finished zipping my pants up and walked away, ignoring him. I shouldn’t be mad at Ares, but I just wanted some time without them hovering over me. I couldn’t even play fight with a member of the pack without him intervening.
My body was surprisingly sore so instead of walking
, I teleported from the training grounds into Achilles’ room. The room was thankfully empty and the wall where the vampires had attacked years before was blessedly fixed. I stripped my clothes off and started the water for the bathtub.
I was standing outside of the tub watching it fill up when I felt him behind me. “You know I can sense you so why bother sneaking up?”
“I’m concerned for you and I wasn’t sneaking, I was just being quiet,” Ares answered.
I stayed in my position, not facing him even though I needed his touch. I needed a bath and time to process my feelings as well though.
“Achilles told me what happened,” he said softly.
There had been no inflection in his voice. So, either he was hiding what he was feeling, or he wanted me to ask. Do I give in and ask, or do I stand here silently?
I blew out air through my nose and gave in. It wasn’t Ares’ fault I was in a predicament. “And?”
“I understand why you’re so upset now. It must have taken a lot to refuse him once you got that far. What made you do it?”
“You,” I whispered as tears leaked out of my eyes silently. “I couldn’t bear the thought of hurting you. Yet all I did was hurt Achilles.”
Ares stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the tub with his chest. “I can’t make this decision for you, Artemis. I don’t know what the right answer is or what I should tell you to do. I love you and I’m a very jealous man. I don’t want to share you, but at the same time I don’t like seeing you or Achilles in pain.”
I looked up into his face and saw the anger and pain twisting his handsome features. “You’re my mate, my passt genau. How can I cheat on the only man that’s ever given me a home?”
“He is your mate and passt genau as well.”
I shook my head. “He’s not my passt genau. You know it and I know it and Achilles knows it. I may be his destined mate because I released his powers, but that is different from the connection we have. I feel Achilles in my heart and my head, but I feel you in my bones and my soul. You may both share my heart, but only you have my soul.”
Before I could wrap my arms around Ares, he squashed me in a hug, bruising my lips with his intense kiss. In two seconds my despair evaporated and the love Ares felt for me seeped in to lift my mood. He pulled back and wiped my eyes. “I love you, Artemis Lupine. I just wish I could fix this. I wish there were a way to make us all happy.”
“If you let her mate with me that would help,” Achilles said from the bathroom doorway.
“How long have you been there?” I asked in shock. And why hadn’t I felt him arrive for the second time in less than an hour?
“Perhaps because you were too busy with Ares’ tongue in your mouth,” Achilles replied tautly.
I jerked at his hostility. “Achilles.”
He rubbed his face and then slammed his fist into the wall. “I’m sorry, Artemis. This pain is eating me up. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. All I can think about is you and the bond we have yet to complete.”
“It is not fair for you to lay this burden upon her. She just returned to us!” Ares said as he pushed me slightly behind him. He was acting protective of me from Achilles, which was a very bad sign.
“She just returned to us and already you have mated with her! I know I agreed not to mate with her, but I had no idea how hard it would be,” Achilles said as he stared at Ares.
Sensing I was not needed for this argument, I climbed into the now full tub and turned the water off. The warm water felt amazing against my skin and I relaxed into it. I had no idea what to say to Achilles or how to fix this issue, so I closed my eyes and relaxed, trying to ease the pain I was feeling.
“You are just being selfish and keeping her to yourself!” Achilles yelled.
“Listen to yourself! She’s only back for a month and you’re already pushing her and pressuring her!” Ares responded.
“You would be doing the same thing in my position!”
“I would be arguing with you, but not pressuring her and causing her pain! A male does not cause his female pain!” Ares bellowed, the walls shaking with the power which was leaking out as his control waned.
Achilles jerked as if the words had pained him. I clenched my eyes tighter, wishing to disappear. “Artemis? Is he right? Have I caused you pain?”
I didn’t want to answer. I couldn’t lie to him because he’d be able to tell. I couldn’t tell him the truth without him getting upset. “Why can’t we go back to how it was two days ago? Everyone was happy. Everyone was sharing well. Can’t we just erase today and pretend it didn’t happen?” Without a word Achilles spun around and left. This time I could feel him and his anger as he turned. “Achilles! Wait!” I called, standing up in the tub.
“Let him be, Artemis. He needs time to think,” Ares said as he turned to face me. I could tell it hurt him to argue with Achilles so, but we both knew it was necessary.
“I needed time to think and no one left me alone,” I complained as I settled back into the tub.
Ares smiled and grabbed the sponge and liquid soap. “I’m sorry, Sunshine, but I can’t stand leaving you alone when you’re in pain.” He pulled a stool out from under the bathroom sink and sat down on it behind me.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he dipped the sponge in the water and squirted soap on it.
He pushed my head forward gently and then made slow, soft circles on my back. “I am washing your back.”
I wanted to object and yet, I didn’t. I loved it when he washed me. “I wish you hadn’t intervened when I was fighting Thor,” I whispered as he washed down my right arm.
“You whined and instinct overruled logic. I couldn’t stand there and watch another male pin you under him while you whined.”
He moved to my other arm, and I asked something I’d wanted to know since my memory had returned. “Did you ever discover the true reason for Matt’s betrayal? Who it was they had?”
“Yes,” Ares answered curtly and then stayed silent as he rinsed my back and arms off.
“And?” I prodded.
“And it doesn’t matter anymore,” he said.
“Ares.”
He sighed and set the sponge down. I turned around and crossed my arms on the top of the tub and looked up into his eyes as he told me what had happened.
“The dhampirs took a female wolf he was fond of and held her prisoner. They beat her bloody and then sent him pictures. It would have been a simple matter for me to have Victor help us extricate her, but Matt tried to solve it on his own when we were in France and they caught him. I asked Victor about the girl when I found out, but that wasn’t until we were at the Dragon’s Lair, and he informed me that she had been killed a week after we left France. No matter what Matt would have done for them, the girl was dead.”
No wonder he had been acting so differently. I would have sacrificed almost anyone to get Ares back. “Poor Matt,” I whispered.
Ares growled. “The end result was his fault. Had he come to me early on I could have saved her and his life. I do not regret punishing him for his betrayal. No one who betrays the werewolves deserves to live among us.”
He was sincere and yet I heard the bitterness in his voice. He wasn’t only angry at Matt and the people who caused it, but he was mad at himself as well. “Ares, it’s not your fault.”
Ares sighed and leaned his forehead against mine. “I wish I believed that.”
“If you think about it, it was my fault. If you hadn’t been distracted by me and my immaturity, then you would have noticed…”
Ares grabbed my chin and stared into my eyes. “Stop. Matt’s death was not your fault.”
“He was jealous of us, Ares. He wanted to be loved like you love me. He was jealous of how much time you spent with me instead of him. I could see it, but I didn’t say anything to you.”
“What he did was his own decision. He betrayed you and tried to hand you to Maurice. No one should do that to a pack mate, especially not a pup like yo
u had been. Do not blame yourself for another’s reckless actions,” he whispered as he stared deeply into my eyes.
I smiled at him and whispered, “You should take your own advice, Alpha.”
Ares smiled and kissed my lips softly. “You’ve become very wise since I first met you.”
“Being one hundred will do that to you,” I whispered as I looked down at the water.
Suddenly water splashed over the side of the tub as Ares climbed in with me, wrapping his arms around me and holding me against him. “I tried to find you. I searched all over the world and threatened hundreds of people, but no one had seen you. Achilles couldn’t find you with your bond either. It was as though you were invisible. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you all these years. If I could take them all back I would.”
I nuzzled his neck and kissed it softly. “I know.”
17
Artemis
Over the days that followed, I continued sparring with Thor, and Erebos brought Sidhe out to teach me Sidhe magic I did not yet know. I was learning quite a lot in a short amount of time and I could tell they were impressed by me. Slowly my reputation built within the Sidhe community and changed from fear and hatred to awe and respect.
After a long training session, I sat on the ground and ran my fingers through the grass to calm myself. My training group dispersed and Achilles and Ares walked to my side. “We should visit Father,” Achilles said with a smile on his face.
Ares nodded. “Alright.”
I smiled and grabbed each of their hands. “Ready?” They nodded and I teleported us to the front steps of the castle. The two werewolf guards jumped in surprise and then bowed when they recognized Ares and Achilles.
Achilles led the way through the castle to his father’s chambers where he knocked loudly on the door.
The door opened a moment later and Zeus stood before us with his long, white beard and handsome face. His power was extremely impressive, pressing down upon me in a way I hadn’t noticed the last time I’d been here, which was strange.
Achilles stood in front of Ares who stood in front of me. I wanted to move forward, but Ares gripped my hand to still me.
Artemis Lupine- The Complete Series Page 56
