Ryze Series: Books 1 & 2

by N. Isabelle Blanco

  Liz, never too far behind her sister, turns on Xreak with a sarcastic expression. “And you think it’ll work on Eve?”

  Xreak grimaces. “You’re right. But still . . .”

  Fuck. Soleria’s coming back with us.

  And if I even open my mouth to try and speak against it, after the little stunt I just pulled off with Cyake, I’ll open myself up to a world of painful prodding.

  I can already sense my sister eyeing me.

  Turning to her, I bare my teeth.

  Her eyes merely bounce to Soleria, then back to me.

  Fuck my life.

  “I’ll meet you all back in Enzyria,” I tell Cyake. It’s time I get fucking out of here.

  “We’re all heading together,” Liz announces.

  “Where are we going?” I hear Soleria ask behind me.

  Too close behind me. My entire body reacts to her presence.

  “We’ll explain everything when we get back. I promise,” Evesse says.

  “Did anyone see where Dyletri went?”

  At Ismini’s soft spoken question, I turn around to seek him out.

  What the hell? He was just here.

  Xreak dematerializes as well without saying a word.

  “Come. We’ll help you girls get back.” Smiling, Liz walks up to Ismini.

  Sil joins Evesse, placing a hand on her arm.

  My sister, that Judas, bounds up to a stunned Soleria and loops arms with her. “Hi! I’m Ianythi. Goddess of the Wild.”

  Soleria seem near catatonic. If that expression wasn’t so cute on her, I’d be more worried.

  Cute?

  “G-Goddess?”

  “Yup. That one’s twin. He’s the God of the Hunt. Pretty obvious by looking at him, isn’t it?” My smiling, scheming, gremlin of a sister points at me.

  I already told her that in the dream, Zyt’is.

  Soleria can’t even bring herself to look my way.

  “Alright, is everyone ready?” Zen asks.

  “Yo, Zen. Do you realize you guys have the same hair color?”

  Everyone ignores Cyake’s stupid question.

  What seems like seconds later, we all arrive back in Enzyria.

  I should head straight for my room, but the pull is too strong. I materialize right in the main foyer.

  My sister appears with Soleria.

  Almost immediately, I see the nauseous look on Sol’s face.

  “Oh. Oh Jesus.” Feeling blindly behind her, she stumbles backwards—

  I appear next to her, hands on her waist to steady her.

  We both tense. The gods be damned, but the feel off that small waist in my hands . . .

  She jumps back away from me and squeaks, “Don’t.”

  Nythi appears next to her and steadies her by the arm. “Sorry. I forgot that most humans feel sick when transported that way. Here, come sit.” She leads an unsteady Soleria towards the massive stairs.

  Away from me.

  The heat in my blood rises, nearly blinding me. I can’t tell if I want to break something apart or simply fuck that luscious redhead into the very stairs she’s walking towards.

  My eyes drop down to her ass.

  It’s round. Thick. A perfect handful. Barely contained by those fluffy pajamas.

  She has me fucking salivating.

  Nythi helps her sit on the stairs. Evesse and Ismini run to join her. They’re all taking turns asking Soleria if she’s okay, when slowly, the golden-hued lights of the foyer playing through her blood-red hair, she looks up.

  Taking in the megalithic foyer and all its decorations for the first time.

  Her baby blues widen with a childlike awe at all the marble statues of us gods, the massive gold dome overhead . . . “Guys.” She blindly reaches for Evesse’s sleeve, fisting it. “This is . . . This is real.” Watery, excited eyes drop down to focus on her friends. “This is all fucking real, isn’t it? It’s really happening.”

  Evesse laughs and Ismini giggles lightly. “Yeah,” Eve tells her stunned friend. “This is real.”

  Suddenly, a wide smile stretches across Soleria’s face. “Holy shit!”

  All three laugh.

  And I can’t fucking take this anymore. I’ve never been this horny in my entire life.

  My entire fourteen-millennia-old life.

  I had three nymphs sharing me the night before, yet the sight of one mortal smiling is fucking with me like this?

  The sexiest female you’ve ever seen.

  Yeah. It’s time to go.

  Cyake sidles up to me. “Bro. You good? You aren’t looking so good.”

  “Sphynx,” is all I tell him.

  His eyes widen. “What? Now?”

  “Meet me there.” And with that, I’m gone.

  I’m going to take care of this problem forthright. Fuck this. There’s no reason why a single human female should be affecting me this badly. None.

  If sex is what my body wants—again—then that’s what I’ll give it. Enough times and with enough females to finally ease this fever in me.

  Come tomorrow, I’ll be back to my old self. I’ll bet money on it.

  Chapter 6

  Two days later

  – Enzyria

  IANTHEN

  I lasted half hour at Sphynx, much to Cyake’s annoyance. Wasn’t my fault. Wilks, one of the Hyren bouncers there, gave me a tip on Lisrn.

  He was spotted a few miles out of Thousand Oaks, California.

  And anyone that knows Lisrn, knows one very irrefutable fact: wherever he goes, his big brother Enteax is usually close behind him.

  So what did I do the moment Wilks imparted this knowledge on me? The right thing. The responsible thing.

  I left to track down the lead.

  Cyake had two blondes wrapped around him as I headed back out the door. He glared at me for my desertion, but I’m sure he ended up just fine.

  However, despite my goal, I couldn’t return to Enzyria to use the viewing chamber.

  Not with her here.

  Not until after I got laid.

  So instead, I dematerialized my way to Thousand Oaks to hunt the old-fashioned way. No biggie. The drive on the empty roads in my McLaren more than made up for it. Sure, dematerializing is fun, but nothing beats going full speed in a well-made monster.

  Another reason to give those forsaken mortals props.

  That was two days ago. Did I find anything? No. Not even a trace of their scents.

  I told myself I wouldn’t return without purging this hunger on another female, yet here I am. For the viewing chamber, I tell myself. Because it’s been more than a day since I searched for my prey.

  But when I regain form on the dimension, I find myself deep in the multi-colored woods on the south side of the plane, the sun beating down through the canopy.

  Confused, I look around. What the fuck?

  Am I where I think I am?

  The sound of crunching leaves reaches me. Ears twitching, I scan my surroundings—

  That musky, sweet scent is like a bomb going off in me. Closing my eyes, I swallow back the saliva flooding my mouth.

  “Ouch!” I hear her hiss.

  My heart is a pounding monster in my chest, a beat so loud I’m having a hard time thinking past it.

  She’s here in these woods.

  Fuck. Did she somehow pull me to her?

  Another series of footsteps. What sounds like foliage being pushed aside.

  Finally, I hear her burst into the small clearing.

  “Oh! It’s . . . you.”

  Opening my eyes is a huge mistake. In a pair of dark, tight jeans that hug her like a second skin, black sneakers, and a t-shirt, she stands there, arm’s crossed.

  That baby doll face is a little green. Same way she looked after my sister dematerialized with her. “How did you end up here?” I ask her.

  She sighs and rolls her eyes. “I thought allowing my newly turned friend to practice on me was somehow a good idea.” Her lips tug down in a small pout.
/>
  I burst out in a laugh and shake my head at her. “Let me guess which one. Evesse?”

  “Well, duh.” Her guard finally drops, along with her arms, and she begins walking closer to me. “Ismini is on a date that I’ve put money down is going to get her laid—”

  “Dyletri! Baby, oh God, I . . . fuck, I can’t! It’s too . . . shit!”

  Soleria nearly trips over her own feet.

  I don’t blame her. My entire body tenses. The world seems to start moving in slow motion. My eyes rise to meet Soleria’s—

  “No fucking way,” she whispers at me, like we’re two conspirators caught red-handed.

  There’s no chance to answer her. The God of Lust does it for me; in the form of a loud, monstrous growl.

  Ismini’s high-pitched whimper echoes next.

  Soleria’s jaw unhinges and her brows shoot upward. “Oh my God. Where the fuck are we right now? Please tell me I am not hearing what I think I’m hearing—”

  “I’m so fucking close. Oh God. The way you look . . . uh, Dyletri.”

  Soleria slaps her hand over her mouth.

  “Oh, you’re hearing it,” I tell her, eyes bouncing anywhere but her.

  “Come with me, baby. You’re about to make me come so hard. Come with me.”

  Alright, man. Even I have to admit. My friend isn’t sounding too civilized.

  That poor girl is getting fourteen-millennia worth of pent up godly lust unleashed on her . . .

  “But . . . oh, fuck. I want to feel you, please!”

  . . . not that she isn’t loving every moment of this.

  And if I’m not mistaken, we’re on the east side of the valley, the stretch of woods right behind the temples.

  Looking up, I confirm my suspicions. The tops of our temples dominate the skyline.

  Dyletri lets out a sound I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard before in my life. “You will, baby girl. You will. So tight. So good. Come with me like this. I need to taste you.”

  Soleria seems to jerk herself out of it. “Okay. I can’t. This is wrong. I’m assuming the compound’s back that way?” Eyes dilated and cheeks flushed, she points at a random spot behind me. “Yeah? Good. See you later.”

  She starts stomping by me.

  The smart thing to do is let her go. She’ll be temporarily lost here, but I can send someone to look for her.

  Like that we won’t have to be near each other while worked up like this.

  From the valley, Ismini and Dyletri’s cries grow more frantic.

  Damn. They’re tearing that temple up.

  Between my legs, my dick pounds, begging me to chase after Soleria. Take her into my own temple. Give her every aching inch until she’s screaming for me twice as loud as her friend is for Dyletri.

  Her immortal friend.

  Soleria’s human. I can’t touch her with a ten-foot pole.

  Know what else I can’t do? Let her go off in these woods alone.

  Steeling myself, I flash after her, joining her twenty-feet away. “Wait. I’ll take you.”

  Gasping, she jerks away from my outstretched hand, her cheeks blushing harder. “I—I can’t.”

  Her aversion to my touch makes me scowl.

  One hand raised, Soleria turns to face me. “I don’t know why, but that shit makes me sick. Like really, really sick.”

  Ah. So that’s what it’s about. Why the fuck do I feel relieved at that? “It’s quite common actually.”

  “Really?” She stares at me, genuinely curious.

  I rip my stare away and begin walking next to her. “Most humans are sensitive to it. Some humans, about twenty-two percent or so, have extreme sensitivity.” I can feel her staring at my profile.

  “Those are some pretty specific numbers, don’t you think?”

  My lips twitch at her smart ass tone. “We do have a ‘mega-doctor’ in the family, after all. And he’s big on data.”

  She giggles softly, the kind of giggle that makes a male want to spread her thighs wide and lick her up.

  I mash my molars and crack my neck.

  “You’re talking about Vedlyl, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  Besides me, she trips over a protruding rock. In a flash, I’m facing her, one hand wrapped around her delicate, petite arm. Careful. She’s human. Breakable.

  In other words: unfuckable, I remind my randy-as-hell cock.

  Soleria breathes deeply while steadying herself. “Sorry. I’m just really tired. Haven’t been sleeping much lately.”

  I release her arm before my inner tension causes me to hurt her. “Why?”

  She blinks at my harsh tone. “The last two weeks have been rough. My best friends were missing.”

  My chest softens at her admission. “I’m sorry about that.” I mean it. It’s one of the tragic circumstances of humans getting pulled into our world.

  Soleria is actually one of the lucky ones. For some reason, she was meant to know about our world.

  What happened to her friends.

  She’ll be around for Ismini’s death.

  The same girl getting pounded by her would-be executioner.

  Man, that’s all too fucked up.

  “It’s not your fault.” Shrugging, Soleria begins walking again.

  I’m right on her heels. “You do know the compound miles away, right?” Damn, those jeans really do fit her like a second skin. Did I say her ass was amazing?

  Spectacular. I meant spectacular.

  My pupils dilate, senses narrowing in on her.

  What I wouldn’t give to have her on her knees right on this ground, ass in the air as I feed my cock into her.

  That howl is starting to build in me . . .

  She waves over her shoulder, oblivious to the beast gaining strength behind her. “Let me just get to a point where the world isn’t spinning so bad, then you can teleport me.”

  Just like that, she brings me back to the moment with a laugh. “Teleport?”

  “It’s what you do, isn’t it?”

  “It’s not quite as smooth as that.”

  “Oh, trust me. I know.”

  I chuckle again.

  “I’m a serious idiot though. I knew I was depleted and I still stayed awake last night.”

  I move ahead of her, willing a large, purple quartz boulder out of her way. “The insomnia still? Even after meeting back up with your friends?” When she doesn’t answer, I stare back at her.

  “You know what? I’m ready. Let’s go. Let’s do this. Transport.”

  I’m taken aback at the eerie desperation in her tone. “Umm . . . You were nauseous two seconds ago. You su—”

  “Yup.” Baby blue eyes focused on a spot over my shoulder, she nods eagerly and holds her arm out. “Let’s go. Giddy-up. Ándale, muchacho, muévete. We don’t have all day.”

  She’s Spanish? Either that or she’s perfectly fluent enough to tell me “come on, boy, move it” with zero hint of an accent.

  Although, come now. What else could explain that juicy hourglass figure? The width of her hips and ass?

  That temper.

  Latin women are notorious for having goddess-like egos and temperaments. Two things Soleria seems to have in spades.

  Maybe she’s mixed.

  As that never-ending Hyren curiosity starts to take over, I can’t help but give her another once over.

  Not the typical Spanish woman you see in New York, but now that I’m paying attention, I can definitely see it.

  Fuck. They’re also notorious for being hellions in bed. Not that I’ve ever had one.

  Some gods have the self-control to be with humans. Me? I never tried. Never wanted to. Letting loose during sex is necessary for males of my species. Being gentle while fucking is a skill I never bothered developing.

  A fucking mistake—literally.

  Because suddenly I’m dying to back Sol up against one of those trees and see if her bite will be as rough as her bark—

  “Hellllloooo? Child? Are we going somewher
e?”

  “Stop calling me names that are better suited to you. I’m ancient compared to you.” Chuckling, I place my hand on her arm and will us back into the compound.

  She jerks upright as soon as we arrive, awe-filled eyes aimed straight ahead, any nausea and unsteadiness forgotten. “Holy moly. What’s that?”

  The viewing chamber. Hundreds of feet of marble built in a perfect circle beyond those golden double-doors. The dome above is made up of quartz due to necessity, but the way it fractures the light brings out the gold veins in the marble.

  “We call it the viewing chamber,” I tell her, watching as those wide eyes bounce all over.

  Childlike awe. Just like yesterday when she first arrived.

  “No fancy word for it?”

  I laugh at her question. “Twenty-four hours knowing about us, and you already picked up on our language.”

  A rueful smile is aimed my way. “That weird shit. Yeah.” She jerks her head towards the chamber. “So what’s the name of this place?”

  “If I translate it, it would be Il Ikile Orovish. Although we don’t call it that. It’s just the viewing chamber.”

  “Can I . . .” She points ahead shyly, eyes shimmering.

  Skin glowing.

  Bow-shaped lips glistening.

  Pale skin blushing.

  My vision blurs, heart-racing, the inner growl of the wolf inside me gaining strength once more . . .

  “Can I?” Soleria asks me again.

  That growl leaks out of me, without consent, forming words before I can make sense of what the Hyren in me is about to tell her. “You can do whatever the fuck you want, female.”

  Her throat bobs with her stunned swallow.

  Before she realizes I was talking about my body—not just, you know, life—I motion for her to follow me.

  “Lord Almighty.”

  Yup. Definitely awe.

  Don’t look back at her. Don’t—

  Too late.

  Her head’s tilted back as we walk deeper into the chamber, lashes practically kissing her burgundy eyebrows as she stares above us. “Whoa.” She whistles low under her breath.

  Inside me, I can practically feel the wolf rolling over at the sound, panting with eagerness.

  To give my hands something to do—before I grab her and accidentally break her—I yank my hair into a low ponytail.

  “What do you do in here?”

  Alright. Safe question. Easy.