by Winter Rose
“Can you feel emotions too?” Vulcan asked me. Could I?
“I suppose I am pretty good at reading people, but I can’t read minds or anything.” I could have sworn he said not yet under his breath.
“You have speed and strength, and I also detected allure.” That I did laugh at, allure was a trait Sirens possessed, along with Incubi and Succubi.
“She shows traits of each of the goddesses. But there will be one way to tell if she’s the one …” Four sets of eyes looked over to me. All at once, their gazed heated as if they had only just realized how I was dressed.
The atmosphere in the room weighted significantly. My skin prickled under their scrutiny, each of them shamelessly took their time examining how much skin the nightdress exposed. My lips became dry, so I used my tongue to dampen them. Their gazes homed in on my mouth.
My breath caught. The chill in the air became painfully apparent, stimulating my highly sensitized flesh. My nipples pebbled against the soft fabric of my dress, and each of the men noticed. Eros groaned as Vulcan’s chest rumbled with a growl. Their energy signals were heavy, lust-filled clouds.
“Do you possess a mark, Luna?” Magnar’s voice was strained, his eyes smoldering. I didn’t reply, unsure as to what he meant. The four men looked at one another, locked in a silent argument. Ehre sighed and turned so that his back was facing me. He dragged his loose hair away from his back, and a strangled sound escaped my throat.
Like his front, the Elvish symbols traced the lines of his back. His corded muscles flexed under my scrutiny. When my eyes found it, words evaded me. It stood there stark against his pearlescent skin, just below his shoulder blades. I stepped down from the bed, and my breath shook along with my hands. I stopped a few feet before the men and turned in a half circle so that my back was facing them.
I shrugged down the top of my nightdress, freeing my shoulders, pressing the soft material against my breasts with one hand. With the other, I pulled the rest of the back down. My naked flesh came to life, the breeze in the room rose every single hair on my body. I swallowed, the energy that they exuded was thick with desire. A shiver crept down my spine, my horrific dream was now a distant memory. All I could think of; was how close they were.
Someone cleared their throat; they sounded much closer.
“Shit.” The pad of Eros’ fingers traced circles between my shoulder blades. Every inch of skin that he graced hummed. I was burning, but somehow my hair rose as it does when I’m cold. “I should be pissed, or at the very least concerned, but I can’t be right now,” he murmured before his fingers disappeared.
Before I could move, another pair of hands slowly pulled my dress back over my shoulders, covering my naked flesh. My breath caught; the slow graze of his soft touch made my eyes roll into the back of my head. The move was possessive, protective, and all kinds of sexy.
“You’re doing it again,” Vulcan’s strained voice feathered onto the back of my neck. I was a mess of nerves and sensations. Every time one of them touched me, my sensitivity increased tenfold. I could smell everything; hear everything. Like with Eros, my skin blazed under Vulcan’s touch. He pulled me around to face him; mere inches separated us, the distance too great. I couldn’t get my hammering heart under control.
He stepped back, curling his long fingers under the hem of his black tunic and in one smooth motion, pulled it clean from his body. My heart was now in my throat. Magnar and Eros stepped forward, both mirroring Vulcan’s intense gaze. In perfect synchrony, they too removed their tops.
The four shirtless men that stood before me could not be more different from one another.
Vulcan was the largest of the group, his broad chest and back four times the size of the average supe. He was obsidian made flesh, and like the precious stone nothing about this man was soft; but my gods, he was stunning. Just by his presence alone, the air was made thicker. The sheer power that this man encompassed could make taking a breath a laborious chore.
With his hulking muscles, Vulcan looked to be the epitome of strength. Black tattoos covered his arms and chest. They followed the lines of his muscles on either side of his body. I tried to distinguish their shape in the candlelight, but my eyes were playing tricks on me. I could have sworn that I saw them move.
Magnar was not far behind Vulcan in the height and mass department. Like words that cover the pages of a book, Magnar’s scars told a story. There, against his moonlight skin, alongside his sapphire knotwork tattoos, the story told of a great Warrior who has survived many battles.
Eros’ beauty was plucked straight out of the heavens. The gods themselves would be envious of the golden skin that covered his vascular body. He was a masterpiece; the chiseled muscles that covered his body would make any sculptor weep at their beauty. He carried a flame within him that lit him up from the inside. The way his skin glowed reminded me of how the gods were depicted in art, always with a halo of light surrounding them. He wasn’t just light; Eros was the sun.
Ehre was equally as impressive as the three men before me. His still-shirtless chest rose and fell with each steady breath he took. The symbols across his body stood harshly against his pale skin. Everything about Ehre was harsh, from the lines of his face to the cut of his muscles. I believe that when the gods created him, he was so perfect that they became arrogant, and he wore their arrogance in every single feature.
The weighted seconds that I admired the men felt like an eternity. They each stood there patiently, allowing my hungry eyes to absorb every inch of their hard flesh. Together, as though it were rehearsed, each of the men slowly turned until they revealed their backs. There, side by side, under each of the men’s skin stood a mark. Upon their skin was a crescent moon—the exact same mark as my own.
Chapter Fourteen
“That’s not possible.” I couldn’t quite decide if I wanted to hyperventilate or run. How did they have the same mark as me?
“Luna, you are so much more than what you think,” Eros said. He held out his hands like he was soothing a skittish colt.
“But that’s ... I mean, how?” I started to feel panic rising in my chest; this was not normal. The chances of each of these men having exactly the same birthmark as me … It was impossible.
“This mark means that you have been touched by the divine. Luna, you are not what you think. You are … so much more.” Eros edged closer; my muscles coiled to pounce.
Regardless of how hot these guys were, and believe me they were, they were fucking crazy.
“Luna, please sit. You look like you’re going to bolt.” Magnar took a step toward me, and I flinched. The hurt in his eyes made me instantly sorry.
“Maybe we do this tomorrow, in different, more respectable circumstances,” Eros’ crooned.
“She won’t still be here if we leave it until tomorrow.” Ehre was an arsehole, but at least he wasn’t a stupid arsehole. “She needs to hear this now.” He stood before the door, blocking my only exit; my hackles rose.
“Guys ... think about it. This is her first night in a strange place. She has just had a bad dream, and we all storm in here like the castle is on fire. She is in this room, alone, with four guys. Four strange guys,” Eros reasoned.
“But we would never hurt her.” Vulcan sounded offended.
“She’s in her nightwear for gods’ sake; she couldn’t be more vulnerable right now.” Eros scrubbed his face with his hands, his voice pained.
“Get away from the door, Ehre. Luna is no prisoner here,” Magnar ordered. Ehre scowled, his eyes lingered over me briefly, before he shrugged his shoulders and stepped away from the door.
“Fine.” He walked across the room to the chaise lounge before draping his long body across it. “But if she runs, I’m not chasing after her.” He was such an arrogant arsehole.
“Luna, we don’t believe what you had was a dream,” Eros stated. Oh, Eros, why are the pretty ones always the craziest?
“What was it, then?” I edged closer to the door and further away
from the crazy.
“Do you know the story of creation?” Eros asked. I cocked my brow, confused at the change of direction in our conversation.
“Doesn’t everyone?” I deadpanned.
“We saw your grades,” Ehre smirked.
“What the fuck is your problem, pointy ears? Do you seriously love being in pain that much that you feel like baiting me?” He smirked, and like a lady, I refrained from throwing something at his head.
I could feel a surge of energy in the air that Eros directed toward Ehre in warning. Instead of looking worried like any sane person, he just looked incredibly bored.
“Don’t mind my brother, Luna. He spends his life in perpetual frustration,” Eros said, which caused Magnar to cover up a laugh with a cough.
“As Eros was saying,” Vulcan interrupted and shot the three warning glances. “Could you tell us what you know about creation. How our worlds came to be?” I looked around the room, completely confused with the direction of the conversation.
“Luna, you asked me earlier if I knew what you were … well, I do. But for me to explain, I need for you to answer this.” His eyes pleaded with me.
I sighed, “before or after the Titans?”
“After,” he replied, rewarding me with one of his half smiles. I took a deep breath and began to recall everything I remembered.
“After the twelve Olympians defeated the Titans, they created the heavens and the earths. The gods fought over everything—their thirst for power never quenched. This continued for eons until they finally called a treaty. The treaty called for the world to be split into realms, that each of the gods would be a patron of. They distributed the realms and the powers that came with them equally.”
“What of Hades and Zeus?” Ehre fired, his tone snarky.
“Hades became king of the Underworld, and Zeus became king of the heavens,” I replied.
“How did they decide who had what?” Rather than just allowing me to tell the story, he was trying to trip me up. Arsehole.
“The gods tricked Hades, trapping him in the Underworld.” Vulcan shared a look with someone behind me. “What—is that not right?”
“Do you know how the gods created us, Luna?” Eros asked.
“Sure, I mean, I never really took history, but I can remember what I was taught by the Priestesses when I was younger.” Nobody said anything, which meant they obviously wanted me to tell them what I knew, so I got on with the impromptu history lesson.
“Each of the gods created Vessels in their own image, with their own powers, hence why there are so many different species.”
Magnar made a sound that confirmed what I was saying was correct. “Yes, but do you know how we came to be? Our races?” He pointed at each of the guys in the room.
“I’m not sure what you’re asking me? As I understand it, all the races were made that way.”
Ehre chuckled like the prick he was. “You are correct when you say that most supernaturals have one creator. Vampires, Wolves, Elves, Dragons, Sirens, and Jinn are different though. Our races were created after the other species and for a very different reason …” I had no idea what reason the Elf was speaking of.
“I want to tell you a story, little thief, but I think it would be easier for me to tell it if I wasn’t concerned that you were about to run away at any given opportunity.” As Magnar spoke, I realized I was now practically next to the door, my knife’s hilt biting into the palm of my hand. “Have a seat before the fire, Luna. If after this, you would still like to leave, then we won’t stop you. But you still need to know where you fit into all of this. You need to know what you are.”
I took a deep breath and went to sit before the fire. I would listen to what Magnar had to say. The opportunity to find out what and who I was, too tempting to turn away.
“So, you know that Poseidon is the most powerful god, next to Zeus and Hades?” I nodded. “He, unlike his brothers, had no desire to rule over the heavens. Which is why they all agreed that he would live in and control the seas,” Magnar explained.
“Which I always found stupid,” I mumbled.
“What makes you say that?” Eros asked me.
“Well if Zeus and Hades wanted the most power, why would they allow Poseidon to take the waters without a fight? The water would be the biggest energy source. It virtually covers each realm, including the heavens.” The four men look at me, with both shocked and impressed looks.
“Very clever, little thief,” Magnar said as his eyes lit up. “Hades and Zeus were too blind with greed to realize that Poseidon would have the advantage. Their only goal was to control the heavens and in turn, become king of the gods.”
Ehre rolled his eyes at Magnar and continued, “As you said before, the gods populated the earth with Vessels in their own image. What the gods didn’t foresee was what happened next. Their Vessels began to thrive. They built kingdoms, cities, temples and statues to honor and worship the gods. As they began to pray, energy started to feed into the heavens. That energy was converted into pure power.”
“The Vessel’s prayers were literally fuel to the gods,” Magnar cut in, causing Ehre to scowl.
I couldn’t understand why I never heard this story before. Either they were both privy to council secrets, or they were crazier than I had imagined. I looked across the room to see if the other two were just as confused as me. Their expressions were grave. Yup, these guys are definitely one goblet short of a pitcher.
“There are never more prayers said than in times of war. Hungry for more power and equipped with this knowledge, the gods began to meddle. They whispered greed and envy over the different species, wars over land and titles broke out across the realms,” Magnar continued, his voice like silk. “Many of the Vessels died in battle …” If our history classes back at The Estate ever sounded this good, I probably would have listened. “The Vessels newfound fear of death encouraged more prayers.”
“Hades and Zeus literally used the Vessels as their own personal power supply,” Ehre’s voice rang true against the beating of my heart. “They never realized the repercussions of their actions.”
“What repercussions?” I asked causing him to give me a satisfied smile, happy to know something I didn’t. Why did I want to hit him so much?
He ignored my death glare, completely unfazed, and answered, “Themis scales are the natural order of things, and they must always find a balance. When the Vessels lived, their energy fed into the heavens.”
“And in their death?” I asked Ehre, battling the sense of dread I felt. Deep down, I think I knew where all that power had to go.
“When a soul sheds its earthly shell, the amount of energy that is released into the universe is immense. The heavens were becoming too powerful. So, to keep the balance, a new realm was created.”
“The Underworld,” I whispered.
Images of a room made from black stone filled my head, my raw, shackled wrists. “He’s gone.” I shivered as the memory of my dream echoed through my mind.
The dying embers in the fireplace before me breathed to life, lively flames licked the top of the flume. Heat instantly soothed my shaking, and it melted away the stiffness in my spine. I looked around the room in confusion. Vulcan was sat on a padded armchair, his eyes sparkled, and his lips rose in one of his half smiles. I melted a little further.
“Death was a new concept for the eternal gods. You were right before when you said that Hades was manipulated into harnessing the gift. Zeus tricked him into thinking he wanted the power over death for himself. Hades took the bait, taking the power before his brother could, but soon he realized his mistake.” My skin crawled as Magnar spoke; unbeknownst to my discomfort, the king didn’t stop.
“Because things must always find a balance, death could not exist in a plane where life was created. Death could only exist in the new realm. Trapped for eternity with the Vessels spirits, Hades had gotten his wish. He had been given a kingdom to preside over, and more power than he could ever fathom.
But the new god of death was far from happy.”
“But what has this got to do with your species, or me even?” I asked the four.
“Patience, little thief,” Magnar continued. “The six goddesses of Olympia begged for Zeus to put a stop to the fighting. Once Hades was trapped in the Underworld, they saw no more reason for the wars on the earths to continue. They grew fond of their creations and tired of seeing them perish.”
“Zeus, on the other hand, had grown drunk with power. Now that he was king, the energy was fed directly to him, and he reveled in it. To stop the goddesses plotting to end his power supply, Zeus, with his first decree as king, declared that no god could meddle in the lives of the Vessels.”
“Together, the goddesses found a way around the law. They each created a new species of Vessel that would be impervious to death and disease. Vessels that would be so powerful, they were able to stop the wars and unite the realms in harmony,” Ehre continued over Magnar.
“The goddesses seduced and tricked Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades. They each impregnated themselves with the energy of the three most powerful gods. With that energy, Aphrodite created the first Sirens. From Hestia came the Dragon shifters, Demeter created the Elves, Athena the Vampires, and Artemis the Wolves. Lastly, Hera bore the Jinn,” Magnar explained. “We are the ultimate weapons. Unable to die because of Hades’ blood, with dominion over the seas and sky. Nothing is impossible for us.”
What Magnar said didn’t make sense. I couldn’t quite understand.
“So why were we never taught this at The Estate? It seems like something the Koray would have bragged about. Wolves aren’t exactly the most modest of creatures.” I couldn’t exactly see Kingsley sitting on this information.
“Because of what happened next,” Ehre started as he unfurled himself from the chaise. Great, of course, there is a next.
“The Vessels were physical representations of the gods’ power—the stronger the god, the stronger the creation. The original kings of our kind believed that they were superior to all other species, because of their creators. They were so powerful; no other species could stand in their way. They did not declare peace over the realms like the goddesses had planned. Like their other creators, they became drunk with power. They believed that their birthright allowed them to rule over all supernaturals. They raged wars, wiping out entire species that refused to submit to them. They destroyed Hybrids and made interspecies mating a crime punishable by death.”
