Chaotic War (Sons of War #3)

by Lia Davis

  Inching backwards, she watched him, her gaze still lit with fear. Power flowed around her, but he guessed she didn’t know it was coming from her. He relaxed his body and sat back in the chair. The last thing he needed was for her to teleport herself somewhere unfamiliar to him. Plus, he didn’t have the time to track her down. “I’m here to help you and Rayna.”

  Still, she watched him in silence. He took a breath and tried again. “What is the last thing you remember?”

  “Where am I?”

  “Markus, can you have Gwen come to Blair’s room?”

  A snarl inside his mind was his brother’s initial reply before he growled out, “My mate is resting.”

  “Blair is awake and a little freaked out.”

  Fine.

  Studying Blair, he answered her question. “You’re in Serenity Cove, Maine.”

  The girl stared back at him, wide-eyed and pale. She averted her gaze to glance around the room. After several moments, she said, “Are you like him?”

  Seth forced back a growl, guessing the him she spoke of was Garrick. He was nothing like that bastard. “I’m not cruel, nor do I mean you any harm. My brothers and I want to protect you and your sister.”

  “Rayna.” It came out as a whisper, but his dragon ears had heard it. Blair met his stare then. “Where is she?”

  “I was hoping you’d know.”

  She shook her head. “He’ll kill her.”

  Curling his hands into fists, Seth breathed in then exhaled. “Did he say that?”

  “Not really.” Blair shivered, and when he reached for the covers, she scooted off the bed and inched to the door.

  A light knock sounded, making the girl jump and whirl around as the door opened. Gwen entered and met Seth’s gaze. Her blonde hair hung loose, cascading over her shoulders. With a gentle smile, she said, “Leave us, please.”

  Seth glanced to Blair, who had moved closer to Gwen and stared at her in awe. He nodded and made his way out of the room. As he shut the door, he noted Gwen taking the girl’s hand and speaking to her softly. “My name is Gwen. You are safe here.”

  “Are you a goddess?”

  Gwen sighed and spoke with a smile. “Yes, and so are you. Or you will be someday.”

  The door clicked closed, shutting him out of their conversation. Without glancing at his brother, Seth growled. “She should be enjoying her friends in school or something.”

  “I agree.”

  “I’m going to get Rayna.”

  “I know.”

  Seth glared at Markus. “And?”

  Markus shrugged and pushed off the wall. “I didn’t stop Ty from going after Ash even though I didn’t trust the female. I’m not going to stop you. Nothing in the three worlds would stop me from going after Gwen.”

  Just then, the door opened. Gwen smiled wide and Blair looked a little more relaxed. “Blair, this is Seth. And that one,” she pointed to Markus, “is my mate, Markus. The reason I have a constant craving for rocky road ice cream.”

  Blair giggled and her cheeks colored. “Will you make sure Rayna is safe?”

  Seth nodded. “I will ensure it personally.”

  Gwen handed a slip of paper to Markus, who pointed to Seth, indicating for her to give it to him. She sighed and offered the note to Seth. Her brows drew together and she opened her mouth to speak, but Markus let out a warning growl. Most likely to stop the female from speaking a new fate for Seth.

  Placing the note in his hand, Gwen said, “Stay safe.”

  The females and Markus left him standing outside of Blair’s room. Opening the paper, he stared at the address and the note from Gwen.

  Blair says very few people know about the location. It was their special getaway.

  Crumbling the paper in his hand, he rushed to his room at the end of the hall and grabbed his tablet. After a quick search in the maps app, he teleported to the roof of the mansion. He knew the general area of the Rocky Mountains where the address was, so all he had to do was search for Rayna. Then bring her home, where she belonged.

  ***

  Rayna shivered as she entered the cool, damp cabin. She’d bought the place a few years back on a whim. Somewhere she could call hers. Only her mother and Blair knew about the place. She felt safe here.

  Like she belonged in the natural setting. Plus, there was no cell service that deep into the valley. Or cable, or a landline. She was as secluded as she needed to be to escape her busy life and her crazy ex.

  She checked her phone and frowned. Blair hadn’t called her in a couple of days. That was so unlike her kid sister. However, Rayna brushed it off. Blair was probably hanging out with her friends.

  A knock sounded on the front door, making her jump. She chuckled and shook her head. Chicken. She moved to the door, peeking out the window before she got there. A tall man with short, dark hair stood on the porch.

  A new neighbor? Not taking chances, she eased the chain in place and opened the door as far as it allowed. “Yes.”

  “Rayna Winters?”

  Uh oh. “Why do you ask?”

  He smiled a sexy smile. “I apologize. My name is Seth Sullivan. I’m a friend of Blair’s.”

  Not likely, creeper. “You’re a little old for Blair.”

  When she tried to close the door, he placed his foot in the crack. Her pulse kicked up several beats per second. Suddenly, the peace she got from being secluded in the mountains turned to bone-freezing fear.

  His nostrils flared. “You have no reason to fear me. I’m here to take you to Blair and protect the both of you.”

  “I don’t believe you.” She managed to shut the door and ran toward the back of the house. When she reached the back door, it flew open and another large man filled up the frame.

  She heard footsteps behind her and she ran to the kitchen, grabbing a butcher knife. “Stay away from me.”

  The man from the front door came into sight, his hands raised. “You need to come with me now.”

  She shook all over. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  The second man appeared out of thin air and Rayna gasped, not believing her eyes. People didn’t just appear. “Who are you? What are you?”

  The first man charged the second, hitting him like a linebacker. They hit the floor and slid into the wall. She took that opportunity to run.

  She raced around to the front of the house and climbed into her car, then cursed as she realized she didn’t have her keys. A loud crash made her glance in the rearview mirror. The second man lay on the ground; the front window of her cabin, along with most of the wall, gone.

  The first man jerked the car door open and held out his hand. “Please, Rayna. You have to trust me.”

  Shaking her head, she scooted across the gearshift to the passenger seat. Suddenly, the man jerked, his eyes growing huge. There was a black arrow sticking out of his chest. He held her gaze as he pulled out his phone then threw it to the ground.

  Yeah, no cell service.

  She opened the passenger door and scrambled out of the car. When she straightened, she met the second man. He placed his hand on her forehead, and then everything faded away. A moment later, she was in some kind of bedroom, but not hers.

  The man released her with a shove. Another man with long, black hair turned to her and smiled. A sting, like a needle shot through her arm. “Where am I?”

  The black-haired man glanced from her to the one who’d brought her there. Wait? How had she gotten there?

  “Forgive me. My name is Garrick.”

  Garrick. He was handsome and smelled nice. Offering him a smile, she extended her hand. “Rayna.” After scanning the room, she leaned in and asked, “How did I get here?”

  Garrick took her hand, and instantly, images of dinner and drinks formed in her mind. They’d had a date? No, that didn’t seem right. A sharp pain arched through her head.

  “Come. Lie down, please. I’m afraid the wine hit you too fast.”

  “Okay.” She nodded. Sleep sounded nice.
>
  Garrick tucked her in and kissed her forehead. “I’ll sleep in the next room. If you need anything, just call out to me.”

  “Thanks.” As soon as her head hit the pillow, sleep took hold of her.

  “See you in the morning.”

  Chapter Nine

  Zavier materialized in the foyer of the mansion and let out a roar. The damned drakon had stolen his mate. Storming through the entryway to the study at his right, he tried to rein in his dragon. He had to get back to the Underworld, back to Elle.

  He burst through the door and froze. Markus sat at his desk, studying his computer intensely. But that wasn’t what caught his attention. It was Blair and Gwen sitting in front of the flat screen, playing a video game that drew his gaze. The teen laughed as she challenged Gwen.

  Advancing to Markus’s desk, he said. “I need to get back to Hades.”

  “Not possible,” Markus stated in a low growl. “Drake and Ty are bringing Seth in.” He glanced at the females then stood and motioned for Zavier to follow him.

  Once outside the study, Markus faced him, his eyes full dragon. Fury swirled around him. “Seth found Rayna and tried to bring her here. Eros showed and hit him with a black arrow.”

  Dread settled in Zavier’s stomach. A sick feeling rose up. The black arrow of Cupid turned the heart dark, made the receiver less compassionate, and many times, turned them away from everyone he or she loved.

  The idea of Seth becoming a heartless bastard weighed heavily on Zavier’s heart. “Please tell me Aphrodite can fix it.”

  Markus threaded his fingers through his hair. “I haven’t called her yet. Hell, I haven’t told my own mate.”

  A moment later, Ty and Drake materialized with an unconscious Seth between them. Markus moved up the stairs two at a time, following the two as they carried Seth to his room. He called out as soon as he reached the top, “Ariel and Thea.”

  The nymphs met them at the room, both with frowns on their faces. It was Thea who spoke. “We can’t counteract anything the arrow did, but we can, hopefully, slow its progress.”

  Markus nodded and focused back on Zavier. “What happened in Hades?”

  “We found the drakon, then he sent me here, leaving Elle there.” Zavier worked his jaw. His dragon paced and snarled beneath the surface. “I don’t like her being alone with him.”

  Ash entered the room and stared at Seth while wrapping her arms around her middle. “The drakon may be crazy, but it’s rumored that he cares for Nyx. Elle is safe with him.”

  Thea walked over to them, waving her hands to shoo them out of the room. “Go hold your meeting elsewhere. Seth needs to rest.”

  Giving their brother some quiet, Zavier, Markus, Ty, Ash, and Drake made their way down to the control center, as Zavier liked to call it, in the basement. “Do you know if Garrick moved locations again?”

  “He would be stupid if he didn’t,” growled Drake.

  Ash sat on the sofa. “Ty and I could go searching around for some Imperials and make them talk.”

  Markus shook his head. “Let’s wait for Seth to wake and see if he can tell us anything.”

  Zavier sank down in his office chair and started up his computer. “If Eros hit Seth with a black arrow, it’s possible he took Rayna to Garrick.”

  “And hit her with the red one,” Ash added softly, sadness in her tone.

  If Rayna mated Garrick, there was no stopping the male from changing a divine law and proclaiming himself king. Zavier shook his head. Was it even possible? Well, he didn’t want to find out. “We have to find him and get Rayna and Seth together before our bastard brother can mate with her.”

  All they had to do was track Garrick down. That was easier said than done.

  ***

  Elle watched the drakon pace the large cavern he’d taken her to. He mumbled to himself as he tracked back and forth. His tail whipped side to side with each stride. She couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or something else.

  “Why did you send Zavier away?”

  Both heads stretched around his large body to gaze at her. “He is evil. Son of Ares can’t be trusted. Must not give it to him.”

  Elle pursed her lips and breathed in and out to calm her irritation. The drakon didn’t make sense. “No. Zavier is my mate. You have him confused with his brother, Garrick.”

  Both heads tilted to the side and studied her for several moments. “You are not mated.”

  “No, not yet.”

  He turned his body and lowered his heads closer to her. She had to back up to keep her personal space. “Why? If the dragon-god is your mate, then you mate him.”

  She opened her mouth then closed it. Dragon-god? She’d have to use that on Zavier when she got home. “It’s complicated. I was raised human, and in my world, we mate for love.”

  “Blah. Excuses.” He laid down, shaking the ground. “You do not love him?”

  “I…” She frowned, and it was her turn to pace the cave, which suddenly shrank in size. Did she love Zavier? Could she love him then lose him? Yes. She had already fallen for him. Denial had been her friend for too long. “I do love him.”

  She stopped pacing and sat on the dirt floor beside the drakon. “I saw his death.”

  “How?”

  “I have visions of the past and future.”

  He snorted, blowing dirt across the space. “No, silly goddess. How does your mate die?”

  “He will be stabbed by the Divine Dagger.”

  The drakon shook both heads and let out a chuckle. “No. You wrong. If you saw him stabbed by a dagger, then it is not Zeus’s.”

  Hope bloomed in her heart. “Do you still have it?”

  “I do.”

  “Can I have it? I’ll keep it safe, protected against the evil Garrick.”

  A low growl rumbled through the cave. “No.”

  Her heart skipped a few beats. Anxiety churned in her belly. She had to get the Dagger. Garrick would kill the drakon to get it. She opened her mouth to speak, but Zander added, “You must blood promise to take it to Zeus. Only Zeus can have it.”

  “Done. I promise. Anything to ensure my mate lives.”

  His heads stared at her for several long moments. “You are trusted. I will give it to you without the blood promise. Don’t break the trust.”

  “You have my word.” She stood just as the Dagger appeared at her feet. Picking it up, she held it, testing its weight. The handle was gold with hand-carved olive leaves and a sun at the end. She guessed the blade was silver-coated steel. Magical energy surrounded the Dagger, sending tingles up her arm.

  She held it to her chest. “I will deliver it to Zeus myself.” She leaned down and kissed the top of each of the drakon’s heads before she teleported back to the mansion and her mate.

  Chapter Ten

  What in Hades happened here? Elle asked herself after materializing in the room she and Zavier shared in the basement. Balled up paper littered the floor and trailed to Zavier’s side of the room. He sat on the edge of his chair with his elbows on the desk and his face inches from the computer screen.

  Her chest ached. His hair was disheveled, and his white dress shirt was pulled out of his pants and wrinkled. As if he sensed her, he looked up and she frowned. Shadows circled his eyes. Anger, fear, and fatigue rolled off him in large waves.

  “Have you been up all night?” She scanned the office, noting it looked like he’d been robbed.

  “I need to find Eros and Garrick. And kill them both.” He let out a growl she’d never heard from him.

  What is wrong with him? Then she felt it. A dark, yet familiar presence. She focused on the energy, and a vision formed in her mind. Seth. Oh, gods. He was still as stone in his bed. Darkness surrounded him. “What happened to Seth?’

  Zavier stood and prowled toward her. “Eros shot him with a black arrow.”

  No. Not Seth. “How?”

  Zavier blew out a breath and fisted a hand in his hair as he told her what he knew. Elle wrapped her arms aro
und her waist while sending the Dagger to a safe hiding spot in her Underworld home. They had to get to Rayna. “Are you sure Seth and Rayna are mates?”

  Zavier nodded. “Aphrodite said it was highly possible. So that’s a yes.”

  Turning around, Elle rushed to her studio on the other side of the curtain that divided the room. She grabbed a sketchbook from the top shelf over her work table and opened it to the drawing she’d done of Zavier’s death vision.

  When Zavier stepped up behind her, she closed the book and faced him. Call an all-hands meeting. Has Nik returned?”

  “Yes, but why?”

  She didn’t answer. “What about Cyrus?”

  “No. He and Amissa are at the griffin clan.”

  She moved to the door. “We need everyone. Well, except Seth.”

  Zavier grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. “What are you planning?”

  “A rescue. Or kidnapping. It depends on how you look at it.” She grinned and held up the sketchbook. “I know where Garrick is. Or, at least, I saw it from the inside.”

  He held her stare for several moments then pulled her against him and pressed a kiss to her lips. Need and desire flooded her mind and body. Damn, it’d been too long since she’d taken his blood. In that moment, she wanted so much more. She wanted him deep inside her.

  With a growl. Zavier ended the kiss and stepped back. “I will mate you soon.”

  She closed the gap and kissed his cheek. “I accept you as my mate. I can’t see being with anyone else. If you die during this mission, I’ll go to Hades and kick your ass.”

  A sensual, one-sided smile formed on his lips. “Deal.” He narrowed his gaze and asked, “Where is the Dagger?”

  “I have it in a safe place. Let’s go plan our attack.” She pivoted on her heels and stalked across the gym to the stairs. If they worked together as a unit, then they all might make it out alive.

  Gods, she hoped so.

  ***

  Zavier was too restless to sit so he stood, leaning against the wall next to the study door. For some reason, Elle was being secretive. Maybe he was just being paranoid.