by Setta Jay
Drake, Ileana is going to search my grid with me. It would be a damned nightmare. He’d have to beat his cat back. The animal wanted a chance at hers, needed to pin her down and claim her fully. She’d been careful not to challenge him in the last week, so he knew she still wasn’t ready, but her time was running out and her stance was almost challenging enough to make him change his mind and fuck the fact that they had no time to indulge.
Then Bastian will take Erik and do another area.
Got it, he answered his leader. Drake wouldn’t question him, would trust that Jax knew what the fuck he was doing in subjecting himself to Ileana’s scent while on the hunt. That or the dragon was so pissed and eager for another set of eyes that he didn’t care who it was.
Jax steeled himself for the challenge he’d face.
Shifts had been long as he’d chomped at the bit to get back to her, so at least that wouldn’t be a problem with her next to him.
Running a hand over his face, he growled. The sight of her body gleaming a beautiful gold in the sunlight was already screwing with his head. His dick pulsed against his zipper, begging for freedom.
“Meet me at the house. You’re getting clothes on before we leave.” He teleported home, leaving her there, avoiding one more damned port than wasn’t absolutely necessary. He rolled his neck, already too tempted to take a taste of her and leave her limp and unconscious. He grinned. She’d be beyond pissed if he did it again. It was almost worth putting off the hunt to see his fiery mate lose her mind and unleash her fury on him. Then he could take what he wanted.
His lips tilted higher as he walked through the balcony doors. The scent of them still hung in the air. He left the doors open. Shaking his head, he stepped back outside. He’d always want her, having her an hour ago didn’t mean a damned thing.
He watched as she bounded through the foliage and leapt up and over the balcony railing. The light fall of her paws on the floor sounded, and he was caught by the sleek grace of the movement as his cat battered at him to lose control. She was gorgeous in her feline form. The face of a lioness, yet white with a scattering of black and pale gold stripes over her spine and tail. Unique. Beautiful.
“Dress quickly,” he growled as she transformed and strode into the closet with barely a glare in his direction.
“I wish you would have brought some of the short-sleeved tees,” she groused a second later, and he shook his head. He bet she did, but no way in fucking hell would he chance her arms getting burned if they encountered hell beasts again. He’d nearly lost his shit at the wolf’s cabin. It had taken all his will to continue the investigation knowing his female was hurt. He didn’t care that it was unlikely they’d be dealing with hell creatures unless they found Elizabeth. He’d spelled her clothes to protect against the acidic blood, but that only helped when the material actually covered her damned skin.
“You’ll get over it,” he stated.
She secured her sword harness. The metal was spelled to form into her fur like the clothes would. He tracked the sway of her hips in the tight clothes. His fingers twitched to grab her and rip the clothes from her body. Tempting as it was he took a deep breath and braced himself for the fucked up day ahead instead. In seconds she was beside him and they were porting away.
Chapter 23
Tetartos Realm
Jax’s eyes were fixed on the twitching tail ahead of him. He let his tiger loose and forced himself to keep his focus on their surroundings as they bounded through the thick forest, but it ended up on her ass every damned time. He was to the point that he hoped she’d get his porting ability soon, because teleporting with her was too damned intense. They’d both had to fight to gain a little control, and the scent of her wet and ready for him was like a slow burn in his senses.
She bounded through the trees in the moss-covered forest he’d been combing through with Bastian. He barely noticed the foliage that occasionally slid over his fur. The cool mountain air was damp, but no rain filtered in yet.
Your father was a lion? he asked. He wanted to learn more about her, but he hadn’t had time to pull any information out of her in the last week. If he hadn’t been getting her dreams, the memories, he’d have been completely in the dark.
He fucking hated the nightmares, hated seeing her in pain and hurting. Hated the blinding fury that came every time they started. She was so damned strong and fiery, but there was a softness, a vulnerability to his mate that fucking killed him. There wasn’t a damned thing he didn’t like. Even her stubbornness and drive for vengeance was admirable. To hold on to that drive for millennia and not end up a bitter hard female was a feat. His mate was perfect. He just needed her to let him in fully, let him ease all the nightmares. She’d freed him from his prison and he wanted to do the same for her.
He moved up to her side, eyes still scanning through the trees as they neared another rise. Searching like this was tedious as fuck, but he was happy to let his beast out. If it would stop fighting to claim Ileana, he’d lose some of the tension, but the animal itched to pounce. Just hoping she’d run from him, but they had work to do. As much as they could.
Yes. My mother was a tiger, she finally answered.
You were one of the first Immortals? She was curious about him, which pleased him. Maybe something useful would come of this excursion; they needed to get to know each other better. He didn’t have high hopes of finding Elizabeth. There was just too much terrain to cover and they’d started with areas where Cyril and Elizabeth hadn’t already had compounds. Elizabeth was a wild card, would she stick to the pattern or mix it up. They just didn’t know.
I was, he finally answered, wanting to see just how much she’d dig to learn something about him.
They made it through more thick forest up to a rise. The massive trees with curving heavy branches prevented the winds above from slamming into them. Beasts scattered in the opposite direction, instinct telling them when a more powerful predator was closing in. He was glad they hadn’t made it to the higher elevations yet. He wasn’t thrilled with her having to be in the cold. Remnants of her dreams made him fucking hate the cold and the damned snow he’d seen her fighting through. He shook off the memories before a growl escaped his throat.
You served Apollo? Ileana asked, digging enough that it lightened his mood, even though he heard her blatant distain for the God clear in his mind. She wasn’t alone in her hatred of the bastard.
His mate had obviously spent time reading her history books. As one of the original Immortals, he was created fully formed by the Creators to care for and train the Gods in specific skill sets. He’d been tasked with training Apollo in his warrior abilities.
He wondered how much information the historians had been able to dig up about him from Immortals in the Realm, because fuck knows he and his brethren had never given anyone answers about their pasts.
I was assigned to him, yes, he agreed, though he wasn’t pleased to admit it. What do the history books say about me, kitten?
That you’d been appointed to him and that you’d left him at some point to work for Aphrodite before the Creators came back. He was happy to know the historians appeared to have only the bare minimum of knowledge about his life.
Yeah. That’s the gist of it.
There was a long silence as they hit the top of the foothill, no caves or signs that anyone had been traipsing anywhere they’d been so far. Only beast tracks, nothing that gave a hint or any scent of a shifted Immortal. Just clean air and he was happy for that. It was a break from hunting demon-possessed in Earth Realm, where the air reeked of exhaust fumes and urine. What could he say? City alleys littered with homeless humans and rodents seemed prime hunting grounds for the bastard demons the Tria sent to disrupt the Realm. He didn’t look forward to the mess they’d have to clean up when this was done.
At least Brianne was back. She and Vane both. He was relieved as shit, he’d only seen them for a moment before going home to his mate the night before. Vane had changed. They both had
. In small amounts that came from the power; it had to. They still had their smart-ass humor.
His kitten didn’t disappoint again. After he’d allowed the silence to stretch, she filled it. How did you become a Guardian?
He thought for a second before answering. The Creators chose those of us who played a part in the Gods’ downfall. I was one of the ones who helped P locate the artifact that was used to call the Creators back. We spent years looking for it because Ares and Artemis had hidden it.
Her eyes shot to him. You called the Creators back? There was an air of surprised awe in her voice that made his cat happy.
I was one of three.
Who besides you and Pothos?
Sander. It was getting time to change the topic. He was happy that his female wanted to know about him, but she didn’t need to know some of this shit yet. She had enough nightmares, she didn’t need his.
So you weren’t in Apollo’s breeding labs?
No. He took a second and then elaborated without making her fish. I was the first Ailouros ever made. I broke free of the island before the God had any females that were compatible. Ladon and Irina were the only ones to get the hell out with him. Two people who were gone now, but had been with him then. Ladon was asleep with Aphrodite, his mate, and Irina had fallen before the Creators had come back.
No others had wanted to leave Apollo’s island with them. They’d still been loyal to the fucking God. That was all well before the bastard turned to taking in dark energies and adding Hermes’ Immortals into his experiments. The decades that followed proved the bastard could also turn into a twisted fuck only concerned with amassing an army by abducting any Immortal he could find along the way.
The first?
Yes, kitten. The transformation had been fucking painful as shit, but he had become stronger as the God promised. His beast had also given him enhanced senses and more stealth. He’d already been the strongest and fastest of Immortals, but with his cat, he became more so. He and the beast had bonded well through the centuries and he enjoyed the freedom his other form offered.
Apollo hadn’t realized that Ladon and Jax had known they’d need those enhancements to ever get free and to somehow fight back the Gods, who were becoming too dangerously strong and arrogant to be allowed freedom in the Realms. Being used as guinea pigs had seemed well worth the risks. Apollo had already successfully experimented on a few of Ares’ Immortals, males who’d come to the God for sanctuary, Jax thought derisively, and instead they’d been turned into a Geraki and a Phoenix with little to no choice in the matter. He and Ladon had seen how it had changed the two Immortals; they had become a force of nature.
Truth was, he and Ladon had been reckless and cocky as shit, like they’d always been. If they’d seen the Gryphons the God had later created, they might have thought twice about what they’d done, but then again maybe not. They’d needed power in a world that was slowly becoming out of control. Yeah, it worked to their advantage that Apollo had only attempted giving Immortals two beasts much later. Experiments that had failed horribly and cost those Immortals their lives. The more darkness the dickhead God had consumed, the greedier he’d become, one beast apparently hadn’t seemed like enough to him.
Did you attempt to free the Immortals? she asked with a harsh tone to her words. He wondered if she was blaming him for something. Maybe for her parents, who’d likely have been in the labs.
Yes, he ground out, offended that she even asked. There were several escapes we helped orchestrate until Apollo and Hermes locked the place down tight. A few went in and stayed to try to find a way out from the inside. P, Sander and I worked in secret to find a way to call the Creators back. Too much bad shit was happening at the time. The Realms were close to toppling from the wars that were coming. Only three Gods stayed pure, but even they were arrogant assholes to some extent. They had decided to try to fight their siblings with inferior armies instead of finding the box to call the Great Beings back. They hadn’t wanted to pay for their siblings’ bullshit when the Creators came back.
In the end the punishment was a fucking joke anyway. To take a nap. He shook his head.
He looked around again. They were moving downhill now, heading into another valley. She bounded gracefully into a tree, climbing and jumping to reach the highest levels. Her flanks were sleek and beautiful as she balanced and scanned the area below.
*****
Ileana felt an odd sense of peace blending in with the buzzing arousal his nearness caused.
Jax’s cat was magnificent. They’d been in a routine and he’d never transformed in front of her until now. She’d been stunned still at the sight and sheer strength of him. She was forced to keep a tight leash on her animal, but it was worth it to see the beautiful massive white tiger. To feel its power.
Hers.
She bounded over a fallen tree. The Guardian had gotten completely under her skin and brought questions that had plagued her for days. Like whether he’d been a breeder. She’d already guessed he’d left Apollo before her parents were ever born. She’d had a vague idea of the time frames. Her parents had been young when the labs had fallen, but she hadn’t liked the idea that no one had attempted to free them or any of the Immortals from their prison. His calling the Creators back had saved them all.
She bounded around a thick rock outcropping as he launched over the top of it.
She’d never asked Astrid what her relationship was with Ileana’s parents. Had never asked what they’d all gone through. Didn’t need to learn what possible horrors they’d endured. She couldn’t imagine any of it being good, and she wouldn’t have made Astrid relive shit when it hadn’t mattered. In the last few days, though, she found herself wondering more about the female who’d taken one look at her and helped her for centuries. Had given her knowledge, had even offered her a place to live, not that Ileana had accepted it. She’d been loyal.
She hopped up to another limb and looked out into the green valley below. It was too lush to detect much of anything, but there were some rock outcroppings on the other side that looked like possible cave entrances. She saw just how much of the range they still needed to search. It went on for miles and miles, all covered by the thick canopy. It would make for good cover, a host of potentially good locations for Elizabeth to hide.
Caves up ahead, she murmured in the link.
Yes, he answered and she looked to see him standing in another tree silently checking the area. She hadn’t even heard him, had he ported up there? Probably. His height in that form would have been an advantage if there was any way to see through all the foliage below.
She couldn’t help but admire the way the fighting leathers clung to his thighs and ass. Everything about him called to her. He glanced her way and she stilled, mesmerized by the banked heat in his gaze. The sexual tension filled the air along with the scent of the combined arousal.
He was just too potent an enticement to make this job easy. She understood why he hadn’t taken her with him before. Now she felt it burning between them. They had to find Elizabeth and the God. She forced her mind to get back on task; she’d wanted to hunt with him and swore to herself that she could handle it.
He cursed and jumped down from the limb, transforming in midair into his cat. He looked up and she hopped down from branch to branch before landing in the soft dirt next to him. No more talk of labs. No more talk of anything, she needed to get it together fast or they’d be rolling around in the dirt and getting nothing done.
She felt his eyes on her, and the look was heated even in his animal form. Arousal was a soft hum in her blood no matter the avenue of her thoughts.
She forced her mind to the nightmare task ahead. They still had hours of this and she refused to be a detriment to the search. They could deny themselves.
Chapter 24
Tetartos Realm
They’d been searching for eight hours if her internal clock was correct, and she honestly wasn’t sure if it was. Ileana felt almost feverish and her
concentration was almost completely lost. She’d taken human form well over an hour ago, having been forced to leash her animal because the damned thing was practically in heat. The beast had been swishing her tail for attention while they were supposed to be focused, but it was the low purr she hadn’t been able to stop that ended it. She clamped her teeth down tight in frustration and changed form. Jax had transformed as well and the look he’d given her was filled with so much promise she’d nearly moaned.
“Are you okay?” Jax asked.
“Yeah.” She’d deal. Finding Elizabeth was what they needed to do.
She rolled her neck. They’d combed through miles of forest and nothing. No sign of Immortals and too much time next to Jax with no relief. It was starting to get dark by the time they made it down to another deep valley. The whoosh of the waterfall ahead was the focal point that kept her moving. She refused to be the one to stall the search, but she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to at least jump in the water and cool her flushed skin for at least a second. She felt a trickle of sweat make its way between her breasts. It wasn’t even hot out, but her skin was on fire. They’d barely spoken since transforming. Had avoided even looking at each other and widened the distance between them, but nothing worked anymore.
She eyed the gleam of blue ahead and added an extra burst of speed to the already fast pace. Another quick look around assured her that they were still alone and there wasn’t a hint of Immortal scent anywhere.
She heard him growl; the noise ran over every nerve in her body.
Drake, nothing in our grid. We’re finished today, he announced in the Guardian link, and the sheer relief she felt was staggering. She was beyond processing Drake’s response. She was done. Her blades fell to the dirt as she unzipped and toed off her boots. He was there, porting just in front of her on the sloped bank. The water was clear and looked absolutely perfect. The spray from the small fall misted over her cheeks. She barely glanced at the beauty of it, more interested in the crystal cool water and the ease she’d get from her male. The river was small with rock curving around it to form a natural pool.
