by Lia Davis
Ty and Ash sat on the sofa. The weaver, Selene, sat on the floor playing with her two-year-old son. Drake sat in his usual spot at the round table next to Markus’s desk with Nik beside him. They whispered among themselves, pointing to the laptop on occasion.
He focused on the female, his female, pacing to the window and back to the center of the room. She clutched the sketchbook in her arms, and her brows were drawn as if she were plotting world domination. She very well might be. In the two days since her powers had been unlocked, she’d grown stronger. In both power and confidence.
When Markus and Gwen finally joined the group, Zavier almost asked his brother to excuse Gwen from the meeting. She looked tired and way too stressed for a mother-to-be. However, Zavier knew it would be wasted breath. Gwen was a stubborn female.
Gwen sat on the sofa next to Ash, who immediately took her hand. The fatigue seemed to ease after a moment. Besides being a minor goddess of the hunt, Ash also possessed her mother’s ability to aid in easing symptoms from pregnancy and childbirth.
After Markus took his seat behind his desk, he motioned to Elle. She glanced to Zavier and frowned before opening her book. She folded the pages back and turned the sketch around for everyone to see. A very detailed drawing of Garrick stabbing Zavier stared back at him. Fuck. It was one thing to hear her stay she’d seen his death, but to see it for himself was a kick to the gut.
“I had this dream the morning Nyx unlocked my powers. In the vision, Garrick believed he had the Divine Dagger. But I have the Dagger, which means Garrick has the second dagger that looks like it. The one that can turn an immortal human. I don’t have to ask any of you to make sure this doesn’t happen, but that’s not why I’m showing it to you.” Elle handed the drawing to Nik. “Have you been in that room?”
He studied the sketch, his brows bunching together. After what seemed like minutes, he nodded and lifted his gaze to Ty. “Yes, and so has Ty.”
Ash calmly spoke next, even though Zavier smelled the fury building around her. “It’s the facility in Oregon. I can lead you there.”
Elle took the sketchbook, closed it, and hugged it to her. “There’s one more thing. I promised the drakon I’d give the Dagger to Zeus.”
Markus nodded. “We’ll go with you.”
Hell yeah, they would. Zavier pushed off the wall and crossed the room to Elle. She smiled sadly and wrapped her arms around his waist. “We’ll head out at sunset. It’s too close to dawn to go now.”
“Agreed. Plus I want to talk to Seth.” Markus stood and scrubbed a hand over his face.
Elle met Zavier’s gaze and her eyes widened slightly. “Gwen and I may be able to help him.”
Selene shook her head. “Not while he is asleep. If you two merge your dark and light powers, Seth would need to be awake and give his permission.”
“She’s right. Plus, it will take a great deal of power. I’d consider asking Aphrodite to take Gwen’s place. The baby is taking a lot of her energy as it is.” Ash stood, briefly met Gwen’s gaze, and then walked out of the room.
Zavier tensed as Elle’s power rose up. When she moved toward Gwen, Zavier stopped her. “What is it?”
“Something’s wrong.”
He smiled. “With Gwen? No. It is as Ash said. Well, according to what Markus told me. Then again, he doesn’t know any more than us.”
“I have to talk to her.”
Zavier kissed Elle’s forehead. “After you get some rest.”
Gwen stopped beside them and cupped Elle’s cheek. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. What about you?”
I’m fine. Tired, but great. I’m having twins and need more rest. But I want to keep that a surprise for Markus.
Elle laughed and hugged her sister tight. “I’m so happy for you. Go get some rest.”
Gwen grinned. “You, too.”
Markus came over and scooped Gwen up in his arms. “Have a good day.”
Zavier linked his fingers with Elle’s and tugged her out of the study to the stairs. Once they were in his room, he rushed to the windows and closed the heavy drapes, effectively blocking out any sunlight from entering the room when it rose in the next hour. “So you accept me as your mate?”
A shy smile formed on her lips. “I might.”
“Don’t play with me, female.”
She waved her hand and instantly they were both naked. “My mother said I am more powerful than any of her children.”
“Did she?” He stalked closer, his hands itching to touch her. “I don’t want to talk about your mother.”
“I plan to test that power at nightfall.” The green in her eyes flashed brighter as she closed the gap between them. “I’m not running anymore. Not from my powers, and not from you.”
He framed her face with his hands. A desire he’d never felt before bloomed inside of him, fueling the wildfire Elle had started the day she entered the mansion. “Gods, I love you.”
Dipping his head and not giving her a chance to respond, he captured her lips in a knee-buckling kiss. She tasted as sweet as she smelled, like vanilla and spice. When their tongues met, an electric current zinged through him like their powers were meeting for the first time.
He broke the kiss and trailed kisses down her cheek to her throat. Her nails scraped against his scalp as she fisted a handful of hair. A low growl escaped him and he cupped her ass and carried her to the bed.
“You are mine.”
Elle gazed up at him, her lids heavy with desire. “Yes. Always.”
He struck, biting the sweet spot of her throat. She jerked under him but moaned, then wrapped her legs around him. With a quick thrust, he filled her and nearly came at the raw passion and power building between them.
They moved together in a sensual dance, slow at first then faster. Pleasure built with each thrust. As soon as he withdrew his fangs from her throat, she bit his shoulder. Pain turned into pleasure, pushing him over the edge.
Elle’s body shuddered then she screamed her release, her pussy clenching around his cock. He roared as his own orgasm crashed over him.
Pulling out, he rolled to his back, taking Elle with him so her head rested on his chest. She snuggled into him and let out a soft laugh. “I feel you everywhere. On my skin. Inside me.”
“It’s amazing.”
“Yes.” She propped herself on her elbow and stared into his eyes. “I’m falling in love with you.”
He raised a brow. “Falling?”
She laid back down, a wide smile on her sensual mouth. “Okay, maybe I’m already half in love.”
“I’ll take what I can get.” He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. Her teasing turned him on. His dragon approved of her playfulness. They’d wasted too much time avoiding the mating. Not anymore. He’d claimed her and was going to show her how much he loved her every day of their existence.
A moment later, she started to snore lightly. He smiled and combed his fingers through her black hair. “Sleep, my goddess.”
She’d need her rest. Because at sunset, they would pay Garrick a little visit.
Chapter Eleven
Zavier called it the anthill. Not much activity on the outside, but once you kicked it…
He was right. Elle saw why. Her powers that allowed her to see the true nature of others told her there was a swarm of descendants living inside the compound. “This must be the main location. At least one of them. It’s like a community in there.”
Zavier growled beside her. “Gary is an idiot for keeping Rayna here.”
Yeah, Elle thought the same thing. “It’s too easy. Markus, how is it on your end?”
Markus, Ty, and Nik were on the other side of the facility. “I smell a trap.”
Ash chimed in from the other side of Elle. “Yep. Even though Garrick is here, I don’t sense Rayna.”
“Neither do I,” Elle said. “Well, let’s give Gary what he wants.”
Elle focused on the back of the large main building and ignited it with flames
. That was the cue to go in. She, Zavier, and Ash materialized to the front door. Elle reached out with her mind, jerked the door from its hinges, and tossed the thing behind them.
Here come the ants.
Ash already had her bow out and pick off Imperials as she stormed through the building. Elle glanced to Zavier. Her mate was holding his own alongside Ty, who’d flashed in a moment ago. She had to tear her gaze from him. It was easy to admire how sexy he looked as he fought.
Focus, Elle. She took shadow form and moved with inhuman speed to the hallway on her left. Like a ghost, she advanced without notice while searching for the energy the second dagger would hold. Then she felt it. She opened the door to her right and froze. It was the room from her vision. The cage she’d been held in sat directly across from her.
Shaking off the fear of losing Zavier, she moved to the drawer Garrick had pulled the dagger from in the vision. It wasn’t there. Damn. Just then, a dark presence entered the room behind her.
“Looking for this, female?”
She shifted back to solid form and faced Garrick. “You do know that isn’t the Divine Dagger.”
He laughed. “Of course. However, it will still give me the power to kill a god or a dragon or two. Plus, with Rayna as my mate, I have what I need to take Zeus’s throne.”
“You’re insane. The drakon who gave me the real dagger has nothing on you in terms of crazy.” Elle caught the flash of anger in Garrick eyes and the tick in his temples. Checkmate, asshole.
She sensed Zavier a moment before he barreled into Garrick’s back, sending them crashing into the cage. They rolled on the floor, fists flying. Could she zap Garrick with a god bolt without hitting Zavier?
Suddenly, Zavier went flying across the room and hit the wall then slid to the floor. Come on, Z, get up. Garrick gripped the dagger and stalked to her mate. Oh no, he didn’t. She charged at the dragon and kicked the dagger from his hand then swept a leg out and knocked his feet out from under him. He grunted as he landed on his back.
She rushed to the dagger, but Garrick beat her to it. A groan sounded to her right. Glancing to Zavier, she blew out a breath of relief to see him straighten. Garrick noticed too, and the vision of Zavier’s death flashed in her mind.
When Garrick faced Zavier, Elle screamed, “No,” then teleported to stand in front of him, the moment Garrick threw the dagger. It hit her in the chest, barely missing her heart. Her powers weakened and a wave of dizziness made her stumble. Zavier’s arms were around her, then he roared painfully, jerked the dagger out of her, and threw it at Garrick.
The tink of metal hitting the floor was the last sound she heard before passing out.
***
She wasn’t dead. Zavier could feel her through the mating bond. “Elle. Hang in there.” He rocked her, whispering in her ear. “You are strong. My goddess of night, I love you.”
Footsteps pounded down the hall and stopped at the door. Ash knelt down beside him, but he growled and turned so the other female couldn’t touch Elle.
“Z, we have to get her back to the mansion and call Nyx. The dagger will make her mortal.”
He heard Ash’s words but they didn’t register at first. He pointed at the dagger where he’d thrown it. When someone—he wasn’t sure who—picked it up, Zavier rose to his feet, lifted Elle in his arms, and teleported to the mansion.
Laying Elle on his bed, he smoothed out her hair and pulled the covers over her. A moment later, Gwen rushed in. “What happened?”
He didn’t answer. Tears stung his eyes but he refused to let them fall. If his mate died, nothing or no one was going to stop him from hunting Garrick down and killing him. In fact, he was going to do just that.
Standing, he moved to the door but stopped when Gwen touched his arm. The haze of anger and revenge cleared. He stared into sky-blue eyes filled with tears. “Garrick tried to kill me and she jumped in the way of the dagger.”
He settled on his knees beside the bed and bit into his arm, opening a vein for his mate. Lifting her shirt, he held his arm over the wound and let his blood drop into it. Nothing happened for several moments. Fear gripped his heart like a vise, squeezing. Why wasn’t she healing?
The dagger will make her mortal. Ash’s words drifted in his mind. No. No!
“Elle!”
He opened his mouth to tear into his wrist again. She needed more of his blood. It had to heal her. Tears dropped from his eyes.
A charge similar to Elle’s energy filled the room, a moment before Nyx materialized on the other side of the bed. Her eyes went black as she stared at her daughter. Dark power swirled around her, growing. “Gwen, I’d leave the room. The dragon can stay. Make sure no one enters.”
Gwen paused but nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Nyx placed a hand on Elle’s forehead and whispered something in ancient Greek. Elle’s skin glowed briefly. The wound knitted itself back together. Nyx conjured a chair and sat in it. “We wait.”
Zavier nodded and crawled under the blanket with Elle to hold her close, breathing in her warm vanilla scent. Mortal or not, he loved her. Garrick was going to pay for this and all of his crimes.
Chapter Twelve
Elle felt like death warmed over, times infinity.
And she was warm, too warm. She blinked several times before the haze of sleep cleared. The woodsy scent of her mate filled her senses. “Morning.”
Zavier hovered over her instantly and peppered her face with kisses. “How are you feeling?”
“Good.” Searching within, she started to panic as the events from the compound came back to her. Garrick. The dagger. Oh gods. “What happened?”
That was when she noticed they weren’t alone. She glanced to Nyx sitting in a chair beside the bed. “Mom.” Elle’s bottom lip trembled. “My powers are gone.”
“The dagger made you mortal. I restored your immortality. I thought you might want the choice whether you want your powers back.”
She had her out, to be immortal but somewhat normal. No magic to deal with. And she could walk in the sun without bursting into flames. The best thing, she had a choice regarding her fate.
However, she did lose her wings, which meant no midnight flights with Zavier.
Glancing around the room, she briefly met the stares of Gwen, Markus, and her mother. The fight wasn’t over. Garrick still had Rayna, and apparently, had plans to mate with her. Not on Elle’s watch.
She’d vowed to help bring Garrick down, and that was what she was going to do.
“I will need my powers and goddess status if I’m going to help take down Gary.”
Nyx smiled then leaned in to place a kiss on Elle’s forehead. “As you wish, my beautiful daughter. Oh, and I will take away the annoying sun irritation.”
Elle’s heart bloomed. Giddiness filled her. “I can walk in the sun without tons of clothes and my big, floppy hats?”
Laughs filled the room, and Nyx nodded. “Yes. Although I do recommend sunscreen.”
A moment later, power slammed into her, stealing her breath for a second. Sitting up with a gasp, Elle welcomed the dark power, allowing it to touch each part of her. She felt great, energized.
Nyx straightened and addressed Markus. “I’ll deal with Eros. His wife owes me a favor. You focus on Garrick and his Imperials.” Then she left, dematerializing.
Markus cleared his throat and took Gwen by the hand. “We will leave you two alone.”
After the door clicked closed, Zavier kissed Elle. Raw passion flared between them and she moaned. Breaking the kiss, she cupped his cheeks. “I love you. Always.”
“Ditto. Just don’t try to save my life ever again.”
She smirked. “Only if no one tries to kill you.”
A huge smile formed, reaching his eyes. “Fair enough.”
She kissed him quick and then asked, “Where is the second dagger?”
“Markus has it.”
“Good. I think it should go the Zeus with the real one.�
��
Zavier kissed her throat, then her collarbone. “I agree. We can do that later, though. First, I want to make love to you until neither of us can walk.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. “My mate, my heart.”
“My love, my soul. I will love you for eternity”
“As will I.” Elle flipped him over, surprised at the sudden burst of power. Or maybe the dragon had let her take control. It didn’t matter. She was a goddess of night and mated to a dragon. Life was amazing.
The End
Coming next in the Sons of War series
Bound by War
Sons of War Character List
The world of the Sons of War is complex with the introduction of characters in each book and the gods they descended from, it can be a bit overwhelming to keep up with them all. I put this list of main characters and the gods to help you remember who is who. As the series grows, so will this list.
The Gods
Zeus – The king of gods. He’s the god of sky and weather, law, order and fate.
Leto – Zeus’s first wife and titan goddess of motherhood. Mother to Apollo and Artemis
Hera – Zeus’s current wife and the Olympian queen of the gods and the goddess of women and marriage. Mother to Ares.
Ares – The god of war and creator of the Sons of War
Aphrodite – Goddess of love and beauty.
Eros – God of love and desire. Son of Aphrodite.
Elizabeth – Minor goddess of desire. Daughter of Eros
Artemis – Goddess of the hunt.
Nyx – Primeval goddess of night.
Hades – King of the Underworld and lord of the dead. One of Zeus’s brothers.
The Sons of War and their mates
Markus – Son of War. His dragon is black with a blue undertone. He’s the leader. Mated to Gwen.
Gwen – Granddaughter of Aphrodite on her father’s side and one of the Fates on her mother’s side. Mated to Markus.
