by Setta Jay
Gefn breathed out, knowing they’d feel it if Kara were dead. Thule would feel the impact. So she was either in the other world, likely in a prison cell like the one they used to contain the otherworldly God they held, or she’d gone somewhere else. The latter wasn’t likely.
Are we going to get Kara? Is this the purpose of your portal? To save her? she mentally sent to the beasts and had confirmation of her suspicions through a yowl that felt like assent. Is she there?
“Spa and Velspar think Kara is there, but it does not feel as if venturing to this world is necessarily about retrieving her. Not in their emotions.”
“Then why?” Dagur growled.
“If they could talk, I would know that, would I not?” she bit out as the beasts paced, staring up at Hroarr.
“Does their purpose have to do with the good of Thule?” Hroarr demanded while looking at the beasts.
She felt a wave of emotion that seemed to confirm her brother’s question as both animals yowled again. She nodded when her ruling brother’s gaze came to her.
“I go through first,” Hroarr declared as he sent out power, slamming the doors open and directing his elite warriors behind them. Laire stepped in line with Hroarr’s warriors as she tried to still her anxiety and the desire to demand Laire stay in the palace, where she knew he’d be safe from the unknown. They’d already lost too many lives to this world. She would not lose Laire. One look at the blond warrior made her heart sink. She could not do that to him. It would look to the others as if she didn’t have faith in him. She blew out a harsh breath, hating this while feeling drawn to it as well.
“Should Dagur stay?” she asked Hroarr.
Spa and Velspar snarled and pushed at Dagur.
Hroarr looked down and with a word, “No,” he stepped through the watery air.
She built power inside her as she and her beasts strode through beside Dagur. She couldn’t shake the feeling that her mysterious winged male was awaiting her on the other side. In a world that could lead to Thule’s salvation, or possibly a battle for Gods.
Chapter 2
Mystical Lake, Earth Realm – Minutes later
Son of a bitch.
Pothos was ensnared in the beautiful lust-filled gaze of a Goddess of Thule.
His fated mate.
And potential instrument of his death.
Winds whipped through the dark forest flanking the turbulent banks of the moonlit lake. He sucked in the cool mountain air as he battled lust and the need to protect not only his family, but a female who could likely want him dead. Primal power raged over the water and trees while locking them in place. His muscles tensed against the magical hold unleashed by the beasts who’d come through with his female. His ears were still ringing from the roar of power the cats had unleashed upon stepping into his world.
The fact that several of his Guardian brethren as well as his fucking father were behind him only added to his agitation as he assessed the two male Gods that stood beside his Goddess just above the soft ripples of the once calm lake.
Kilt-wearing Thulian warriors had gone down on one knee above the waves and stayed there as massive power held them all immobile against the backdrop of the iridescent blue of the open portal turbulently flickering behind them. He barely heard the breeze rustling leaves in the otherwise silent forest beyond.
You will leave here the minute I free us of the beasts’ hold, P’s father ordered through their telepathic link. The God had been steadily losing his mind for the past several minutes. P understood that Hades was worried, but the last thing they needed was the furious Deity starting a fucking war. That was the reason P had positioned his body in between his damned family and the female who was fated to him. Hades was too damned powerful, and P could only hope the massive black lynx-looking beasts could maintain the magical hold until P could figure out a way to fix this shit.
Father, you need to calm the hell down, P mentally growled back. He knew his dad was convinced that the Thulian Gods would want P dead because of the secret of his birth. Apparently P had a Thulian priestess mother and she’d warned Hades to keep him away from Thulian Gods. All before handing P over as a damned baby. He understood that, but his father was conveniently forgetting that fated mates were exactly that. Fate decided, and in this case, it was relentless along with having an apparent sense of humor. P’s flesh pulled tight with the need to claim his female no matter how dangerous she might be to him.
Pothos, you will do as I say. Hades had always been protective; the God’s centuries in a stasis unit hadn’t changed a thing about that.
I’m not leaving, he bit out.
His gaze slid back to his Goddess, watching as long tendrils of golden hair slipped from the clips holding the sides back. Those soft strands flirted with her bare shoulders and the heavy curve of her breasts pushing against her snug leather vest. She was the most beautiful creature ever fucking created, and he’d had her in his arms not fifteen minutes ago. A place he wanted her again as soon as possible.
Enemy or not, she’d sealed their fate the moment she’d put her soft hands on his chest. That single touch had turned him into a damned animal intent on nothing but having her. That thought should have jolted him, because all that should matter at the moment was protecting his brethren and father.
What do you need, P? Drake asked from his position behind him. The dragon leader of the Guardians was his closest friend. They were brothers more than cousins, and he knew the male was silent as he ordered all other Guardians to stay the hell in Tetartos, the Immortal Realm of their world.
He opened his telepathic message to include Brianne, Sacha and Bastian, who were all there with their mates and Drake. Do not let my damned father do anything stupid. Remember that Goddess is my mate, and nothing is to happen to her. He’d already given all the Guardians her telepathic image upon teleporting back from Thule, but he refused to take any chances.
The others gave their tense assent as Drake responded privately, I won’t let him do anything stupid. The weapons are still in the air, and they can’t seem to move any more than we can. The first thing Drake and his powerful mate, Era, had done was remove the golden staffs from the Thulian warriors.
His concentration was shot, so his only response was a grunt, while ignoring mental communications and rants from his furious father along with questions from other Guardians he didn’t have the capacity to answer.
He clenched his jaw, hoping for some clarity. Everything was changing. His muscles pulled tight as power swelled from the depths of his body. He forced back a groan as he fought to hold the growing abilities while at the same time battling insatiable lust for the beauty in front of him.
He stifled a growl as his cock pulsed, demanding freedom. Through the darkness he could see her pouty as fuck lips and wondered if they were still swollen from his kisses. Mating frenzy seemed too light a term for what he was feeling. He’d seen his brothers brought down by it, but he hadn’t truly understood how distracting it was. How fucking demanding the need would be.
Her heated gaze flickered over his bare chest and the nerves jumped as if she’d slid her hands over the sensitive flesh. There was no missing the lust and frustration flickering over her face before she trained her attention on the massive lynx. Her reaction to them was completely different. He saw anger and even pain on her face, and he assumed she felt betrayed at their actions in holding them all in place, not to mention the fact that one of her beasts had come to sit in front of P. He glanced down at the black animal who’d come to him. Its pointed golden ear nearly reached P’s chest in its sitting position, not an easy feat when perched in front of a nearly seven-foot Demi-God. He wasn’t sure what the hell was going on with the creatures, but they were too powerful to ignore. He glanced back to see his Goddess’ eyes shutter for a split second before the emerald depths blanked of the pain.
The feathers on his outstretched wings lifted from both the turbulent weather and his agitation at seeing her upset. The massive black ap
pendages had been the one barrier he could have created between those of both worlds before the cats stunned them in place. He gritted his teeth as he tried to flex and break the hold. He mentally growled at himself. He was a warrior and needed to fucking focus.
The Thulian God in the middle was the one to watch. The male hadn’t spoken, but there was something dangerous about the silence and the way his gaze took in everything at once. The male’s eyes had landed on him after taking note of their cat’s position in front of P. Even Pothos could tell that it meant something for the powerful beast to sit in front of him. P studied the warrior God. His long black hair was tied back, and it was hard to see his expression through the short beard. There was a distinct air of power and savage ruthlessness that reminded him of a darker version of his dragon leader, Drake. The very air seemed to still at the dark Thulian God’s command, “It is time we speak instead of fight.” The words were spoken in the ancient language of the Creators.
“By all means, talk.” Hades’ autocratic command came from behind P’s position.
He gritted his teeth. Father, you need to calm the fuck down. He wished the cats had done something to seal P’s father’s mouth when they’d locked down the God’s powers. P added, The Goddess is in this mating frenzy with me. That means if any of them kill me, she’ll suffer the consequences.
He wasn’t entirely sure of that, but had seen lust in her eyes, and he needed to give his father some reason not to try to battle the Thulians when, or if, they were allowed any kind of movement. Who the hell knew how long the cats were going to keep them like this, and would they loose their hold on the Thulians before they freed him and his family? That was the question, and he didn’t like being this damned powerless.
Explain this, his father demanded.
Sacha, his father’s mate and the diplomat of the Guardians’ calm voice filtered through the winds, using the ancient language of the Creators. “How about we start with introductions. I am Sacha. Who am I speaking with?”
The kilt wearing male spat out, “I am Dagur, and your male has disrespectfully addressed my brother Hroarr, the ruling God of Thule. I will have this insulting God’s name.”
Hades’ response sounded like a sneer. “You are addressing Hades, God of Earth, and you will watch your tongue when speaking to my Goddess.”
“Enough,” Drake growled toward Hades.
Eyes shifted to the dragon. “And your name, male?” the one called Dagur demanded.
P could smell the smoke he knew was lifting from Drake’s lips as he ground out, “Drake, leader of the Guardians of this world. And your Goddess, her name?”
“My sister’s name is none of your concern, male.”
He saw the Goddess’ eyes harden in frustration, likely at her brother, but there were other emotions flickering in her beautiful features. Her attention was too focused between the cat at his feet and P. As if the rest of the world didn’t exist or matter. It was exactly as he felt.
The dark Viking-looking God, Hroarr, didn’t speak or even seem to care what his brother said. He watched, possibly as an intimidation ploy. P didn’t have the concentration to deal with any of that.
Dagur’s golden gaze shot daggers at the lynx in front of P. Some of the male’s brown hair had torn freed from the tie, whipping in his face as the winds kicked up, flapping at the leather kilt he was sporting. The male growled, “Sister, do something about your beasts’ hold.”
Brianne spoke through the Guardian mental link. It looks like we’re about to get a view of what’s under that kilt. The wild redhead was standing behind P with her Demi-God mate, Vane. The tone held a hint of sarcasm, but his sister Guardian was bloodthirsty as shit; he didn’t doubt for a minute she was looking for vulnerability.
I’m not sure if I should be furious and jealous or cringing at the direction of your damned attention, my lark, Vane mused, though there was definitely a hint of danger to the tone. The two were a unique hybrid pair. Vane was the lion shifter son of Athena, and Brianne was a powerful Guardian Geraki, an Immortal bird of prey. As individuals they’d been deadly. As a mated pair they were ten times as lethal.
Now P understood the sensation because he seemed to be gaining the power of his female. After one fucking touch, the elements themselves seemed to call to him, dragging the scent of his wet female into his lungs, forcing him to stifle a growl.
I’m more interested in what the male said, Sacha said with her usual calm. The logical diplomat of the Guardians was now his father’s mate. Her words made P realize that he’d known exactly what the kilted God had said, and hadn’t even processed the change in the God’s language. He relayed the words through the Guardian link.
Hades snarled, You can understand their language now?
Anything to do with Thule in relation to P set his father off, and that was the last thing he needed when he was barely holding it together. The power pulsed under his skin as he answered, When the Goddess and I were interrupted by her guard, their words started to unlock in my mind. All Guardians and Gods could understand any language of their world. He wasn’t sure if his connection to the Goddess was what gave him the key to hers, or maybe it had to do with his Thulian half. All he knew for certain was that he’d understood the words without thought.
After what seemed like a lifetime of posturing, Hroarr directed his hard green eyes at Pothos before commanding, “Your name?”
“Pothos.” He said the word while gazing into the eyes of his Goddess. The apparent hitch in her breathing made his dick ache.
Hroarr’s next demand shook the ground with power. “Why were you in Thule? How were you there?”
Even knowing he should be on guard and alert to changes in Hroarr, P’s attention kept going back to his golden-haired Goddess. She was incredibly beautiful, and the wild need to have her was making it impossible to concentrate on anything but getting inside her. Being a Guardian and Demi-God warrior meant nothing in the face of the damned mating frenzy.
He swore he heard a sexy shudder in his female’s breathing, one that matched the harsh thud of his own heartbeat. He wanted to hear her sigh as he thrust into her body.
He mentally bit off a curse.
“I was not there to start a war with your world,” P stated cryptically in the old language because he honestly had no idea how he’d opened a portal to Thule, and in the end it didn’t matter how he’d been led there.
P, are you okay right now? Sirena, the Guardian healer’s telepathic tone held a world of concern, and he knew it was partly because she was one of the Guardians left behind in Tetartos. P had no doubt Drake was fielding frustrated questions from all of those itching to be here, to do something. They were warriors; being forced to sit still was not in their natures. But his sister Guardian and he had always been close, and he’d known she would be grilling him at any moment. Everything had happened too fucking fast. His unintended trip to Thule, meeting his Goddess, and the grueling way he’d teleported back from that world with only minutes to inform his Guardian brethren that he’d found his mate before the air charged to signal the portal was opening.
How much time had passed? Fifteen minutes? Twenty? It was as if time had slowed to a halt.
I’d say I’m pretty screwed, he pointed out, not bothering to lie to Sirena.
Hroarr interrupted his mental conversation. “Interesting. You say your world…” The dark Viking’s voice was deep and too damn calm with the power it emitted. “Yet it seems as if you have a connection to Thule.”
Hades growled, “This is my son’s world.”
Tension grew thicker as Hroarr eyed P’s father.
Sirena’s voice cut off those thoughts, but not the pain and power surging violently inside him, threatening to rip him to pieces if he didn’t loosen his iron grip. Do you feel a telepathic connection to your female?
P cringed, thinking he would have already checked that if he were capable of thinking clearly, because all mated pairs shared a telepathic link. He swore he’d consi
dered it initially, before his female had stepped into his world. Who knew if his bond with her would work the same as normal pairings? Theirs was far from normal. P’s muscles twitched as he refocused. When he detected a bright mental connection to the female in front of him, he took in a deep breath and eyed her flushed face. Yes, he sent to Sirena before adding, The connection is there.
If anyone said anything else in the time he spoke with Sirena, he was deaf to it all. Only his female’s face and the healer’s voice were cutting through the ringing in his ears.
His mind conjured a million questions as more ability rose inside him, relentlessly. He breathed through it, wondering whether the strength he’d gained would allow him to break free of the beasts’ magical hold. And if he were to gain freedom from the hold, would he be able to use this new powerful ability on the Thulians to protect his family? The problem was that the power was far from controlled. He wasn’t sure he could single anyone out with how damned raw and wild it was getting with each passing minute. He could end up mesmerizing the entire fucking group if he unleashed it now. And that was only if it affected the Thulians in the same way it did his own damned brethren and father.
His father’s soul ability had worked on the Thulian Goddess Kara, whom they’d imprisoned after her attempt to capture Hades about a week ago. The female was still unconscious after their battle and being put into the copper-infused cell that dampened her abilities.
Hroarr’s next words broke through his thoughts. They held a challenge to what Hades said about this being P’s world. “I can see that he is your son.” He and his father looked a lot alike, aside from P’s tattooed sleeves and the gauges in his ears, their dark hair, blue eyes and midnight wings were a family trait. Hroarr’s attention shifted from him to where Hades stood behind him. “And yet my sister’s beasts claim him.”
“He has a way with animals.” It was Bastian who’d calmly stated the words. The male was there with his mate, Tasha, just more members of his family that he wished were anywhere but here in this fucked-up situation.
