by Setta Jay
She heard the sound of rushing water and sped in that direction. She still smelled like him. The bastard had made sure of it, marking her as his. She needed to get that scent off, because it was addicting, and she couldn’t afford to get attached to him. He’d make her lose her focus, try to take her over; hell, he was already attempting to rule her. The male was a force unto himself. Power bled off him and licked at her, causing her beast to betray her. Her cat was completely lost to him, she knew it; the animal had dug in, trying to scrape away Ileana’s will. Every touch pushed her animal that much closer to the surface. Even now, miles away, the beast wanted to go back to him and roared for the taste of his blood. The beast would start the blood bonding now and screw Ileana’s need to keep her memories buried.
How was she going to get through it all without losing her mind? The links, the need, his power and warmth all fought against her at every turn.
She sucked in air and forced calm. She needed to think clearly and knew she wasn’t. Panicking wouldn’t change the fact that she was in the middle of a mating frenzy with a cocky Guardian who set her temper on fire. She needed ideas and a clear plan. Her life was changed and there was absolutely nothing she could do to go back. She needed a way forward to use it to her advantage somehow.
She came to a cliff overlooking a flowing fall that washed into a rock-filled river below. She stood there looking without truly seeing anything as her mind focused on answers.
Mating a Guardian would give her more power; she could feel the tendrils of new strength already growing inside her. When she’d been in the room, the arousal had distracted her from feeling anything but him, and need. Now, if she stilled, she felt it, just under the surface, but there and growing. Power.
She’d been so focused on the negative, the fact that he was taking away the cold, making her weak, when in reality, being with him would only make her better equipped to achieve her goals. She just had to prevent him and their bond from luring her away from what was truly important to her.
The mountain wind came in gusts brushing through her fur. The tendrils whipped off the rushing water to glide over her body, and she soaked it in because her body still wanted him, burned for him. He was too damned gorgeous; she wanted to do things to him she’d never cared about before. She wanted to taste every inch of skin, play with those piercings in his nipples. She wanted to play in general. It had to be the needs of her beast flowing through her. She shook her head. She’d always had a close bond with her animal and now she felt disjointed, uncomfortable as she forced back the rioting desires of the cat.
If she was honest, she’d own that the Guardian made her feel too much. Waking up in his arms had been too much, the intimacy and warmth too big a temptation. He was the strongest of their kind, practically a God among her people, beautiful, powerful, enough to make any female lose her mind, her focus.
She’d lived her entire life without attachments for a reason. The cold, the loneliness stayed her course, was the constant fuel that drove her when the hunt seemed like it would never end.
She stared into the crystal water. Her existence had turned on its side. Could she adapt to the changes? Her stomach churned.
The Guardians wanted the same thing she did. Elizabeth and her group dead. They may not be allowed to kill Apollo, but she wasn’t bound by the same oath to the Creators. If she gained more strength and his ability to teleport, would it be enough to take out a God? Her mind reeled. This could be the best opportunity she’d ever had to finally end it. To finally avenge her parents’ death.
He wasn’t like other males who would want to keep her from her goals, because they matched. Mostly. She relaxed a fraction more. Her mate was a Guardian, and even with the frenzy riding them he would always do what needed to be done. That’s who they were and why the Creators would have chosen them out of all of the other Immortals.
Her only choice was to change her entire way of thinking. Her secret was out, at least to the Guardians. She couldn’t go back to being a ghost, to the life she’d had. Not that she wanted to. She may not like the changes, they may unsettle her, but logically speaking the changes were to her advantage. Staying cold and alone wasn’t going to happen with the frenzy. Jax had shown her that. He’d made it blatantly obvious that he had no intention of letting her leave his bed. A shiver of desire ran through her body, remembering his words. How possessive and intense he’d been. She needed to rein the male in, and there would be a struggle there. She chuffed. Because if he thought she’d be a soft sweet female, agreeing to his every demand, he was mistaken. She’d been on her own too long to have someone order her around now.
She felt a little lighter, like a weight had lifted.
Soon she’d be more powerful than ever before. She already was, which meant the blood bonding wasn’t absolutely necessary. She smiled at that. She’d get his ability to teleport, added strength, and all of the Guardians in her mind, much as she still hated that part. Mating a Guardian had given her a tactical advantage she’d never imagined possible.
And as much as it angered her that the Guardians had lost Apollo to Elizabeth, it would only make them search harder and offer her an opportunity she’d never considered. Not in her wildest dreams. It was possible she’d have a chance to destroy the God who’d once imprisoned her parents. Who’d tormented them and ultimately painted a target on their heads. Her heart sped. She had better odds than she’d ever had, she just needed to get used to the other changes, and she would. She was strong and smart.
Her mind still rebelled at needing anyone and she did, he was the only male she wanted between her thighs, the only male to feed her needs. The only fact that assuaged that particular dependence was that it was mutual. He needed her just as much as she needed him.
She wanted to see just how many abilities she would get before she was forced to complete the blood bonding, because she planned to avoid that for as long as she could. She’d never wanted another being to see her at her worst, her weakest, but her pride wouldn’t allow him to see that part of her. She respected the male, but she didn’t know him and she wouldn’t let him see the pathetic creature she’d been until she absolutely had to. She would adjust to anything else, just not that, not when the power of the mating was already coming to her.
She felt an itch at the back of her neck and stilled.
Her ears twitched. The cat was alert to something down the mountain, but with the wind kicking up in the opposite direction, she couldn’t place what exactly was setting her animal off. She bounded away from the cliff’s edge, into a sturdy tree for a better vantage point.
She peered down the mountain and saw what had alerted her. Her tail twitched as she cocked her head, analyzing the scene for long minutes before hopping down to wait.
*****
Jax stepped into the war room, the place Bastian would automatically go. It was the most secure place in the manor.
Conn was at his desk, tapping away at his computer.
“Hey, man. I hear congratulations are in order.” The wolf grinned, peering over his laptop before raising an eyebrow. The wolf handled office shit for the Guardians, finances funneled through Earth Realm and stuff the Mageia Covens helped with in the other Realm. The manor was the only place in Tetartos juiced with enough of the right amount of technology and magic to tap into Earth Realm’s Internet servers. That meant the wolf was stuck at the manor if he needed to use those particular tools. That or hit any of their places in Earth Realm, but with Conn’s mate in Tetartos, he seemed to prefer the manor if he needed to look shit up.
“Thanks.” Jax smiled and leaned against the desk. “Any luck at the Emfanisi?” His brother knew the real question was whether Mia had found a damned mate. That would make all of their lives easier, especially now that he’d found his.
“No,” Conn growled. It must have been bad. “Don’t ask.”
Conn raised an eyebrow. “So where is your mate?” His brother’s amber eyes glittered as the bastard smirked at him before
adding, “Bastian said she’s feisty and tried to kick your ass. Did she put you on time out?” The smirk turned into a full grin as the male leaned back in his chair, his red plaid shirt gaped over a black tee and Conn’s ink peeked from the rolled sleeves as he rested his hands behind his head.
He flipped off his brother as he mentally checked her location for the tenth time since she’d run from him. He wasn’t sure how much time he’d be able to give her before his skin crawled off his body. He fought the need to go to her, but it was a fucking challenge. The longer they were separated, the harder it was to stay away. How the hell had Dorian stayed away from Rain for so damned long. That brother had to be a fucking masochist.
“Fuck you. She was pissed we lost Elizabeth’s Kairos. She wants Elizabeth dead. And she heard Bastian tell me that the Kairos used the same block he’d used when taking Apollo. She lost her shit that the God is loose,” he drawled. “Cyril and Elizabeth had something to do with her parents’ death. She wants blood.”
Conn’s eyes grew hard. “Rightfully so.”
“Ileana’s also a mystery, so we’ll need to keep a lockdown on the Guardian link for a while.”
Conn nodded. His brother would spread the word to the rest of them through the personal links, because Jax couldn’t; Ileana would hear anything coming to or from him now.
Jax stretched his neck.
“Has anyone told Mia?” Jax asked his brother. He may have joked about the she-wolf planting a boiled bunny in his place, but making her confused beast angry could be worse.
Conn’s humor fled at the question, a frown formed before he spoke. “No, not yet. Are you planning to keep your mate here?”
“No. I wouldn’t have even stayed here last night if I’d thought I could deal with teleporting her a second time. Shit, you weren’t kidding at how fucked up that is. I’ll have to get her out of here after her run.”
“Where is she running?”
“North. The opposite direction the wolves take.”
Conn nodded, but he looked off and Jax wondered if Conn was having a mental chat with his mate. That question was answered a few seconds later.
“Dacia said Mia was still sleeping when they went to spar, and she’s going to check on her now, but, no, we haven’t told her about your female yet. I’d like to get through the rest of the Emfanisi parties before I have to go there.”
“Yeah, there’s still a chance she’ll find her male and this won’t be a problem.” The Emfanisi went for a week, so that meant Conn had a few more days of parties to escort the wolves to. Many Immortals who came in from the wilds might only stay in the city for a day or two. Only newly matured Mageia and Immortals were requested to attend the entire week, ensuring they’d met all potential matches. Mia and the other sisters had met the local clans, but there was still a chance that the next few days would bring a mate to her.
The door clicked open and Bastian walked in, shutting the door behind him. The Kairos nodded in greeting, a hint of amusement in his dark eyes.
“Where is your female?” Bastian raised a brow. Definitely humor.
“Running,” he growled. “Any luck tracking the Mageia?”
“I just came from the male’s home. One of the Kairos knew who he was and roughly where he lived.” Kairos had eidetic memories and provided transportation and deliveries to anyone for a fee, so if any had ported the male at any time in his life, the Kairos would have remembered.
“Clues?”
“Nothing to indicate what he planned to tell Elizabeth.” Bastian paused. “He was not well liked by the neighbors. I have a few more places to check and people to question. Uri agreed to assist if I need blood memories from anyone.”
Jax nodded before he asked Bastian the question still in his mind from the night before. “Did my mate have a scent to you? Drake says she doesn’t, and she was surprised that I’d scented her.”
The Kairos grew thoughtful before speaking. “When you brought her near, I smelled you and Mageia, but both were faint. Nothing else. My senses aren’t as honed as yours, though.” Bastian’s eyes grew darker, the only indication that he was confused by the question. After millennia of fighting together, Jax could easily read the male.
“She was wearing a Mageia’s dress.”
Bastian nodded slowly. Jax had obviously answered his unspoken question. “If she’s not a Mageia, then an Ailouros? The hint of Mageia was slight, but I hadn’t thought about it only being on the dress. It makes sense that Drake would have detected the difference.” Drake’s senses were the most powerful of all the Guardians.
Jax nodded at Bastian. “Yeah, she’s a blend of felines.” He hadn’t seen exactly what her cat looked like, either while in her dream or when she’d jumped from the balcony. The only thing he’d seen was a furry ass, white with black and gold markings. Another thing he’d enjoy learning.
“Is my scent the same?” He questioned his brothers.
“Yes,” Conn answered before Bastian. “She hadn’t been using some kind of spell?”
“She said she was born with no scent and her thoughts confirmed it.”
“That’s interesting…” The chair creaked as Conn leaned forward. “Where has she been hiding?”
“I don’t know,” he growled. Frustrated that he didn’t have answers to even the simplest of questions about his mate.
Conn laughed and Bastian leaned on the desk with his arms crossed. The bastard’s lips curved, the Kairos equivalent of hilarity.
“Fuck you both.”
Bastian shook his head. “I need to get back, but congratulations.” His brother smacked him on the arm before heading to the door.
Jax needed to collect his mate and take her home, to their home.
Chapter 12
Outside the Guardian Manor, Tetartos Realm
Furious snarling loosed birds from the trees to flap away in uncertainty and fear. Ileana watched as the small red she-wolf stalked out of the tree line, hackles raised. She tilted her head at the animal, wondering at the blatantly enraged response. When she’d watched the animal from her earlier perched position, she’d observed the wolf scenting the air as she tracked up the mountain. Logic said that the female was heading her way since Ileana appeared to be the only other one up there.
She wasn’t necessarily surprised at getting a visitor, but she was thinking it would have been more along the lines of a welcome-to-the-club meeting. Immortals were curious and she was near the Guardians’ compound, so it wasn’t a shock to be tracked down.
Since she currently held two scents, Jax and Jax’s come, it wasn’t a stretch to assume the female tracked that. It also gave her some irritating possibilities for the wolf’s attitude now. Damned Guardian.
The snarls grew louder as the animal neared, forcing Ileana to consider her options. She could knock the female on her ass now or do so when she attacked. For some reason the whole scene irked her. She was forced to acknowledge that she was likely dealing with one of Jax’s lovers; that particular possibility made her cat hiss, demanding blood.
What also didn’t sit well was the fact that being this close to the Guardians’ domain indicated that the wolf was likely part of Conn’s new pack, a sister-in-law, which presented more potential complications to delivering a severe beat-down to the aggressive, obviously young wolf. No seasoned Immortal would have lost such control of their beast, and she couldn’t see any humanity in the animal’s gaze. If she damaged the female, it would make working with the Guardians potentially more difficult. She hated having to be logical, denying her cat the fight she was itching for.
Since Red was obviously out of control, Ileana’s choices were less than pleasant. Slapping the wolf down and sending her back with her tail between her legs sounded appealing but would only make Ileana a bully. She was the stronger, more skilled fighter. That only left her with letting Red tire herself out. Easy, but nowhere near as gratifying as skinning the female would have been.
She blew out an irritated breath and resol
ved to play nice, even though her cat wanted blood. She forced her jealous animal back, but the inner feline was clawing for freedom. Her beast’s desire to deliver the female to Jax’s front steps missing all of her pretty red fur was a little out of control, but that was the picture burned in her mind, making the option hard to entirely dismiss.
Her animal had her shaking her head and fighting to not play cat and wolf with the small female. Ridiculous. She’d never been possessive of anything.
Red finally stopped stalking and lunged. Fury and a distinct lack of fighting skill hadn’t helped the female’s cause. Ileana easily bounded out of the way while denying her cat’s desire to pounce and pin the wolf. She was by far the faster animal, but still she considered just a tap. She growled in annoyance. She’d have no self-defense excuse, the Guardians would call bullshit if she tried it, so she couldn’t bloody the she-wolf without being a complete bitch.
The wolf better get her shit together fast, because Ileana wasn’t sure how long her act of kindness would last. Yes, she wanted to work with the Guardians, but would they really expect her to take shit from the young beast attacking her?
She’d never had to consider anything but herself, and she wasn’t sure what the polite niceties were in this case. No matter how she looked at it, beating the shit out of a young wolf would never put her in any of their good graces.
The snarling female was making a lot of noise. She wondered when the bitch would snap out of it, lose the anger, but the more she watched the wolf, the more she realized the female was so completely lost to her beast that there didn’t seem to be anything left. It was eerie. Ileana couldn’t help feeling a tiny twinge of pity. Red snarled and Ileana dodged another attack, remembering times over the centuries when she’d been alone and lost to her own beast, but had she ever been this bad? She wasn’t sure.
