by Billi Jean
“Whoa, slow down. Hold it. Are you saying Zeus and Apollo wanted you? And Ares? And they all just stopped by, like for a visit?” Tabithia knew she was spluttering but come on. Three Greek gods? “But you’re a Celt, like me, right?”
“Aye.”
“Well then, why did Zeus stop by in the first place?” Not that it mattered, but hell, this was a boatload of information for one person to take in all jumbled together.
More lip-nibbling from the witch. She cleared her throat and said, “He first came to speak with Ares about some battle. When he saw me with Ares, he ordered Ares away. Ares left, and Apollo flew in from the skies and took me. Ares stormed his brother’s home and dragged Apollo off me. There was a fight.” Dara cringed and wrung her hands again. “It was dreadful. I thought they’d kill each other and leave me deep in the mountain.”
“Deep in the mountain?”
Dara nodded emphatically. “Yes, Apollo lives in a mountain. High in the mountains, and through a secret passage that looks like part of the rock.”
Ah, okay, this was getting weirder. “But on this plane? Or another?”
“On this plane.” Quickly she frowned and nibbled her lip. “Or maybe another. I don’t know. Ares won, and took me up to his home. I don’t think he exists on this plane.”
“No, it’s not exactly on this plane. Sort of to the side.” She and Trouble had bartered with another witch for Ares’ location. Then they’d had to spell some draining magic just to reach him. She’d done the voodoo while Trouble had done the spell to hide their breaking and entering. Now she just might be angering the god again. And his men.
Dara watched her nervously.
“Go on, then what? How’d mister warmonger get you up north?” Way north. Ares didn’t exactly live on another plane because he lived in the freaking clouds. As in, his palace sat on top of fluffy, white, beautiful clouds. She still couldn’t quite wrap her head around that and she’d seen it. Been there, done that.
“He won, of course. He entombed Apollo in the walls of his palace, and then grabbed me and I was suddenly in his fortress in the clouds. He imprisoned me in the chalice, after shaving me and dressing me as a slave. He removed my tattoos and bound my powers to the chalice so that I had nothing.” A sob escaped.
Tabithia had a hard time not simply breaking her ‘no touch’ rule and hugging the other woman.
“Hold on, hold on. So, Ares won out over Zeus and Apollo?”
“Zeus never knew, I think, that I was taken, and Apollo was beaten fairly by his brother.”
“But Zeus is like the king of the Greek Gods.”
Dara smiled sadly and shook her head. “He really wasn’t interested in me, I am sure. He merely showed an interest, and Ares flew into a rage.”
“Huh, and then Ares imprisoned you for like two thousand years?”
Green eyes round, Dara breathed, “Goddess.”
“Sorry, I guess I should have cushioned that, but really, we don’t have time to chit-chat. Here are the issues, as I see them. One, you need to get free. Two, I can’t let you without A, pissing Ares off, B, alienating the Spartans, and C, making myself a target for Ares and his groupies.” Not to mention Aeros, who even now she thought she could sense waiting for her.
Dara’s eyes rounded out as the list grew. “Oh.”
“And that doesn’t include the fact that, if we do this, we might be causing an intra-god war. I mean, come on, can you see it? The Celts against the Greeks? I’d buy popcorn, but I’m not placing any bets.”
“I… I… So, you willnae aid me?”
Tabithia rolled her eyes. “Geesh, did I say that? Of course I will. We just need to be sneaky about it. First of all, you’re still bound by whatever he’s got you down for, right?”
“Yes, I am still trapped in the chalice.”
“So I need to reach you, free you from the chalice, escape the Spartans, and then you can go your merry way, true?”
Dara looked shell-shocked. “You can free me?”
“Sure.” Sure, she could try. Dara didn’t need to know that, though. Confidence is what Dara needed. “With your help, I can. You make the traps believable so the boys won’t be suspicious, right? And I’ll reach you. The sooner the better, though… What?”
Dara shifted on the couch and frowned harder, looking apologetic before she even spoke. Something wasn’t going to go so smoothly, was it?
“I am quite far from you. I believe at least a day or two…”
Crap. Okay, well, that was okay.
“I am sorry. I spun a spell to remove the chalice from those nasty mages you gave me to.” She gave Tabithia an accusing look when she said that, then rushed on, “But I’m sure you can find me. It just might be a few days.”
Tabithia brushed her concern aside. “No problem. I’ll survive, right? So, the plan is set. We’ll see each other in two days tops, true? And when I come, you need to be in that chalice, got it? I’ll take it from there. Easy-peasy. Got it?”
Dara nodded quickly, but didn’t look enthusiastic.
“Just remember, stay in your chalice, ‘kay?”
“I will…”
At her hesitant look, Tabithia frowned. “But?”
“You didn’t give me your name.”
“Ah, well, it’s Tabithia, but most call me Tab.”
Scrunching her nose, Dara shook her head and grinned. “I shall call you Tabithia.”
Huh. Well, that made two people, if you counted Aeros. And speaking of him, she needed to get back.
“I gotta run, Dare.”
“Dare?” The witch looked caught between outrage and humour.
Tab grinned and hugged her quickly. “Yeah, Dare. I like it. I mean you’re willing to fight a god for your freedom. That takes daring, so yeah, Dare.”
“Dare.” Dare sounded the word out as if tasting it.
“Gotta run. I’ll catch you on the flip side.” Not waiting on a reply, ‘cause really, the girl had no clue, she quickly concentrated and left the mist and comfy couch behind.
She only hoped the guys wouldn’t be too upset when their jungle adventure ended up with nothing. Oh, she’d give them the cup, just not what was inside the cup. Aeros, she knew, would not be a pleased little general. And why she felt something close to fear, she couldn’t guess.
Maybe because, for once, she didn’t want to run from what her reaction might be to a man if he touched her. Held her. Kissed her.
Dreams were all she would be losing. No way could she be happy with someone, and chances were? They’d not be happy with her.
Ah, well. Life, it sucked at times.
Chapter Nine
Aeros couldn’t stop pacing—back and forth, back and forth in front of where Tabithia had disappeared. Just like on the plane, he had a feeling she still sat where he’d last seen her, but had somehow hidden herself. It pissed him off.
Why did he think she still lingered here? He could smell her.
She smelt like sugar-coated cinnamon, not this damp heat making him sweat even more than ever, but a soft, warm hint of something pure and clean. Before she’d smelt like jasmine and reminded him of the flowers blooming from patios and street vendors in his long ago home, Sparta. Now? She drove him nuts with that sugary scent. He wanted to lick her like candy, suck on her sweet-scented body and consume her.
He could close his eyes, if he wanted to look like a total fool, and scent her even now. Bets were she was sitting where he’d last seen her.
Scrying.
Whatever she was doing, it was taking too long.
“Aeros, man, you’ve got to settle down.” Aaron sounded amused.
Glancing at his men, he frowned, realising they were all watching him. All wore different expressions, but most were amused.
The Bard nodded. “You’ve got it bad, brother. Best try to temper your words if you wish to win her over.”
“No more ‘ordering’, seriously. She is one woman you can’t expect to follow your lead simply because you order
it.” Narc wore a smirk he wanted to pound off his too-handsome face.
Ajax snorted. “Follow? She’d probably have to be dragged kicking and screaming. Not that a fine temper isn’t good in bed. She’s a wild cat, Aeros, best be wary.”
“Wild but very beautiful. Best try to smile more. And be kind. Don’t be so gruff,” Aaron suggested.
Gruff? Pausing, he levelled them all with a look such comments deserved. “I am not gruff, nor do I wish you to speak of her in such a way. If you have time to talk, you have time to prepare a meal. She should eat. We’ve—”
“I’m not even close to hungry, but thanks.”
Spinning in place, he was confronted with not only Tabithia, but a softly smiling Tabithia. Immediately, his guard went up. Something was not right. Something was very wrong. This woman used a smile the way he used a scowl. His balls drew up in something close to fear. His skin prickled. He met her icy, emerald eyes, only then realising he was holding his breath.
“Don’t look so surprised. I told you I don’t like an audience when I scry. Now, ready to hit it?”
She had told him something about not wanting them to watch her, but he’d assumed she would be here to watch. Next time, she would be. He’d simply order his men not to look at her.
“You—”
“Are ready to go. So, let’s hit it.”
“Tabithia.”
She stopped from turning away but the smile faded from her beautiful face and the fury he guessed she tried to hide from him lay spread out before him on her delicate features. She blinked and plastered on her fake smile again.
He tried to recall what he was going to say, but it became impossible with her standing there merely watching him and waiting. If he had to guess, she itched for an argument.
Ares, what the fuck did you get me into? No answer was forthcoming, but he wasn’t surprised. He’d never shared that close a bond with his god. Still, the god had some explaining to do when next Aeros stood in front of the arrogant jackass. He barely held in a vile curse, recalling that she didn’t like him cursing, and managed to ask, “What did you learn?”
She rolled her eyes dramatically and blew out a breath as if he were asking her to give him the impossible. Give? The woman didn’t give anything. Why was that, he wondered?
“Well, I learned we have around two days to go. A few more hours of this”—waving her arm in a sweeping gesture, she indicated the jungle—“then perhaps one more, two at the most in a cave, well, I’m guessing a cave system.”
“A cave system?”
“Yes, we need to keep going. Soon enough we’ll be out of this jungle, but don’t get your hopes up, because first we need to find the entrance. From there, it will be a few days, tops, before we can fetch your god’s godhead.”
She sounded more like a snarling cat than a witch when she spat out the word godhead.
Obviously, the chalice wasn’t his god’s godhead. And if it wasn’t that, then what was it? Ares had lied to him. He shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was.
Something about what she said didn’t ring true. Holding her gaze with his, he waited. He’d learned long ago, silence often proved the best attack when people chose to lie to him. Surprisingly, Tabithia didn’t even fidget. She stood watching him, her left eyebrow rose, and she grinned up at him, red head tilted to the side. He thought he heard a cough from one of his men that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
“Are you having trouble following?”
Following? For some reason he felt like he’d follow her wherever she went, forever. The image of doing just that with her in a pair of black thigh-highs and a laced-up bodice had him sweating even more. Somehow, he even pictured a little pink bow at the top of her curvy bottom, right where the black lace of her thong would caress her perfect ass. Would she dress thus for him?
“Spartan, are you listening to me?”
He focused on her face and felt his face grown hot, realising he’d been fantasising on his sexy image of her more than Tabithia herself. His erection strained against his BDUs with a vengeance. He feared she’d hear the pulse each time he sucked in a shallow breath.
“Spartan?”
“Yes, I understand you.”
Both eyebrows up, she shook her head and gave him a bemused smile. “Okay dokey then, let’s hit it.”
She turned and was partway past his men when he caught her upper arm. Before he could blink, she had the silver tip of a knife up to his throat. The cool sting surprised him. He felt blood drip down his neck.
“There is no touching, Spartan.”
Slowly, he released her arm. An emotion—fear, he thought—shifted over her face, before it quickly disappeared. For a brief instant, he thought he glimpsed pain as well. He’d barely touched her, yet she had reacted as if he were the enemy. What kind of life did she lead?
He swore he could feel the coolness of her slim arm, where he’d so briefly caressed her, easing the blaze burning him alive. His cock throbbed, demanding things he’d not thought of in centuries. If ever.
Why? Why her? Why now? Had Ares known? Ares’s last words to him made his anger simmer to the point of real rage. Had his god sent him here, knowing Tabithia was his? Had Ares known he would be forced into this situation? The chalice was obviously much more than he’d been led to believe. Sweat beaded his brow and he reached up to wipe it off before it dripped into his eyes. The chalice had to be trapping a witch. How else could it attack them and cause Tabithia such anger?
Face set in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she dropped her hand, twirled the slim butterfly knife, snapping the blade back into the two separate pieces that acted both as a hilt and sheath. She looked off balance, unsure, almost, as if she were hiding her unease with anger. Did she feel what he did for her? The draw? Attraction?
“I simply wanted to have you answer my question, Tabithia. I did not mean to startle you.”
She made to go again, and this time he let her. She’d not answered all his questions, but she would. Soon. They must fetch this being. If she was a witch wrongly held by Ares, he would bargain for her release. Surely, his god would see he couldn’t keep another immortal in such a way. Surely.
He ignored his doubts and concentrated on keeping up with Tabithia. Control. He simply had to gain control of his body again. His erection needed to back down. His body heat needed to stop as well. He’d been too hot for weeks. Perhaps longer. The heat had made him so uncomfortable he’d even called Dominic. Not that the mage had answered his call. He should have mentioned it when he’d dropped over to see Dominic about Tabithia, but he’d forgotten.
Up ahead, Tabithia swung a look back over her shoulder as she paused to climb over a massive tree blocking their path. “We should hunt out a place to stop for the night in a few hours, just in case there are any more surprises in store for us.”
“Surprises?” Narc grumbled.
She laughed, a soft, melodious sound that nearly had him stumbling. She had a sexy laugh—soft and sweet. Something sharp lodged in his chest at the sound. Did she laugh often? From all he’d learned about her, and that was not much, she was a strong witch, gifted from a strong coven and a strong line of witches. Rumour held that her aunts were more protective of her than mother bears of their cub. Some rumours held that Tabithia sought danger, raced mortals on motorcycles, fought in bar fights and immortal fight clubs, and was a mercenary for hire.
Watching her slim back and rounded, firm backside in her black fatigues, he couldn’t imagine her in battle. The feel of her knife gave him pause, but the short sword had stayed at her back. Could she wield such a blade?
Throughout the rest of the day, he had enough time to think about her obsessively. She wouldn’t respond to most of his questions and, when she did, she hushed him more times than not. Even when she stopped along the overgrown trail, she’d not tell him what had caused her alarm. Each time, she would halt in her tracks like a deer sensing danger before she’d continue on again several moments later. If h
e had to guess, she saw things he and his men couldn’t track.
And he had to guess. She wasn’t speaking. In words, that was. Oh, she spoke volumes with her disgusted looks. He doubted, if push came to shove, she would have their backs in another assault.
He’d suggested stopping once—only once. She’d muttered something about men being such babies and kept marching.
The heat was gruelling. The pace? Not so hard. The stopping and starting, though, was driving him close to madness.
He’d hoped to have time to talk to her. Warm up to her. He was a good man, a solid dependable immortal. He’d never harmed a woman. He’d never stray from her. He’d provide her with a safe home. He was focused on his men, he could see that, but that was a good quality for a man. Wasn’t it? He could protect her, and, if not, his men would.
An image of her parting that damn flood of water nagged at him because in essence she didn’t need him to protect her. Did she?
And why in the name of Hades was he even thinking thoughts like this about her? Dominic had said he believed the Spartans could have true bonds, but that didn’t mean Tabithia was his.
No matter how hard he tried not to think of her as his, or in his life, or a part of him, he couldn’t stop. It was nerve-racking. Insane. She was an immortal witch. She would live a long life, but not an eternity like he would. Well, at least that was what he assumed. He had no idea if he’d live forever or until next week. But, no matter how long he lived, what would he hope to have with her? She would hate him when he took the chalice back to Ares. Even if he could win the witch’s freedom upon return to Ares, Aeros wasn’t fooled into thinking Tabithia would believe him if he told her he’d try.
No, Tabithia wasn’t letting the other witch go so easily. She’d not simply accept his word. She distrusted him now. She saw him as a reflection of his god—a god who had imprisoned one of her own kind. She’d fight him. The thought of fighting her made him physically ill.
