by Setta Jay
But you can leave? His father’s tone held a hint of exasperation mixed with relief.
Yes, he gritted out, knowing where his father was going. I’m not leaving her here.
Just the thought of doing that, abandoning her, made his jaw tense. He wouldn’t leave her to feel stranded and trapped, especially not when he’d been responsible for taking her there in the first fucking place.
Add that to the fact that some deep-seated part of him hated the idea of being separated from her at all. He shook his head. The lust he understood, the protective instincts, but it probably wasn’t normal or sane to have this much affection for a female he didn’t know. Maybe it had to do with the fact that they’d both been thrown into this chaos together.
He moved to stretch his legs only to have her entire body turn into his. When her head snuggled into his chest, he stilled, his hand suspended in the air for a few beats before he let it rest on her hip. He leaned down and kissed her head before he could think about it. She felt good. They felt good.
Touch was something he’d rarely engaged in because his power to enthrall had always been barely leashed, keeping him at a distance from even those he cared about. It had always been smarter to stay in the shadows when small doses of power slipped free, always drawing others in.
His father sighed in obvious frustration. Where is she now?
With me. Sleeping.
His cock twitched, reminding him that the frenzy was still there. Need for her was already building again, because this was only a short reprieve. They were effectively screwed. Pun intended, he thought sardonically. At least until they finished the bond.
He added to his silent father, When she wakes, we’ll see if she has enough of my power to leave with me. The words were meant to ease Hades, because P had a bad feeling that it wouldn’t work, at least not until they were fully bonded. The spell confining this place was powerful.
It could very well be that she’d need his priestess mother’s blood through a blood bond. That was one of the stages in a traditional mating ceremony. One of many steps he’d have to eventually explain, though he’d been hoping to skip that one. His father hadn’t needed a blood bond to finish the soul connection that bound his father to Sacha for eternity. But that was Hades; he was literally the God of fucking soul abilities. P might be able to see a soul when he chose to look beneath the surface, but he’d never been able to concentrate power to manipulate a life force as a weapon, and he sure as hell hadn’t ever been able to completely tear the essence from a body.
His female rubbed her forehead on his chest before tucking her hands under her face. He stared down at her before manipulating the air to softly dry her skin and hair like he should have done before. She made a small purr-like snore a second later, and his lips twitched.
His father was silent, and P could almost feel the male’s mind churning with distrust of P’s Goddess. Have you gained any of her power?
Yes, and it’s strong. I also feel her connection to the cats. Now, tell me what happened at the lake?
He listened to the details of his father’s account, frowning because nothing made sense about these Gods of Thule. His eyes caught on the pool beside them. There were animal heads carved into the ancient stone; he cataloged the shapes of dragons, wolves, bears, birds and cats all spilling water from their open maws.
He took in more details of his surroundings to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. He didn’t hear or sense anyone; not even animals or insects entered the pavilion itself. The closest he could tell, there were only those colorful, now chirping, birds outside the temple area.
He and his female were alone, unless he counted the souls in the falls and the statues of females with dresses made of ivy. He couldn’t see the brilliant lights of the spirits from their location, but he could feel the magic of this place.
His father finally came to the end of his story… and then the bastard left.
At least a few things were positive, and P pointed some of that out. At least Gefn warned us that Hroarr was powerful enough to break the beasts’ hold. She hadn’t needed to, but he’d truly felt her desire to stop any problems between their worlds. The other interesting part of his father’s detailed account was that Gefn’s brother hadn’t attacked or tried to harm Hades or the others when he’d had the upper hand. Third, the priestesses had done their part in getting Hroarr and the cats from Earth, though his father hadn’t known what they’d said to Hroarr to motivate him to return to Thule. They were all positives in the way of finding some kind of tentative truce between the worlds.
When did they leave?
About half an hour ago.
No one has come here. And he had a feeling if Hroarr could access this place, he would have. P was a little surprised that he hadn’t sent the priestesses back to check on Gefn. They had to be trusting his female’s beasts to keep a mental watch on her through the bonds he’d seen. That was what she’d told them to do, not that P had expected them to obey. Not with how concerned they’d been when they left.
And if Hroarr is playing it straight, we’ll have Apollo put back in a fucking box soon. He could hope.
Hades growled, Not until I’m done with him.
P understood his father’s need for the God’s blood. Apollo had done some horrible things in his time, and Sacha had been one of the victims of the bastard’s experimentation to breed the perfect army all those millennia ago.
His female murmured something incoherent again, and he looked down at her closed eyes.
Once Gefn wakes up, I’ll ask her more about her brothers and why they took Apollo in the first place.
His father paused. Fine.
Drake hadn’t spoken much, no doubt waiting for Hades to finish his tirade, but P closed the link with his father, and they were on a private connection now. Are you okay?
I am, P assured the dragon.
Sirena wants blood tests from you both.
I think we’re past that point. I’m not sure we’ll have a choice but to go through the steps. He paused. I’m half Thulian, so that has to mean something, and biologically Hades was compatible enough with my mother to have me. I also doubt that those cats would have encouraged this match if they thought it would hurt her.
True, but they may not care if it hurts you, the dragon growled.
He nodded. If I can get Gefn out of here, I’ll get samples for Sirena to check.
Good. Sirena worries. Hell, I worry with you in another fucking world, the dragon ground out.
I know. Is everything else okay? He now felt guilty for not adding Sirena on this call.
Alyssa’s baby blew another wall out of the manor. Drake sounded tense as he relayed the details behind those staggering words. Something his father hadn’t shared in his tale.
Fucking hell, but Alyssa and the babe are safe and healthy? And Gregoire?
He could feel the dragon’s frustration and concern through the bond when he added, Gregoire is out of his mind with worry for them both. Era and I were just there with them.
P shook his head. Alyssa and the baby needed to be safe. Gregoire would lose his mind, they all would if something happened to the first Guardian child. That little girl was a gift to them all.
All we can do is watch. Sirena won’t leave their side until the baby comes. We have months, which seems like fucking nothing, the dragon bit out. For now we need information from your female before your pigheaded father attempts to exchange Kara for Apollo.
You’re really letting him go alone, P snapped, not believing that for a second, no matter that his father’s reasoning made sense. Hades thought he was fucking invincible. Hell, maybe he was.
Fuck no, but I don’t waste breath arguing with your father. I will take care of it.
P’s lips curved. Having his father awakened after all the thousands of years the God had spent in stasis ended up being a full-time job. One P’d taken as personal penance for his part in the Creators sending all the Gods to sleep. It hadn’t mattered t
hat he’d rallied for his father’s freedom, the Creators hadn’t allowed any of the Gods to stay awake. That guilt had always followed P, and he knew the same went for Drake because the dragon’s mother and father, Aphrodite and Ladon, were both still asleep.
He assured Drake, I’ll figure out why they took Apollo in the first place and see if this exchange is some kind of trick.
Good. Watch your back.
P had known the second his Goddess had awakened. He’d felt her tense against him a while ago, but she hadn’t spoken, and he wanted to know what she’d do or say. It didn’t take long to know that she’d heard his mental conversation.
She was up in a flash. “Who was that in your head? He said Hroarr offered an exchange to get Kara back?”
He would trust her with as much as he could. If they didn’t talk and figure this out, they were going to get nowhere. So far she’d proven she didn’t want war. That was why he hadn’t cut off Drake when he felt her wake up. “That was Drake, my cousin and the leader of the Guardians. He was at the lake with his mate. And, yes, your brother offered an exchange.”
He didn’t like not having her in his arms. She was gloriously nude and didn’t seem to care about that as she faced him before starting to pace. Her thoughts were broadcasting to him and he tried not to feel guilty for creating a block to his own. This side effect of the mating frenzy was about to tell him all he needed to know to protect the ones he loved. The deception would let him know if he could truly trust her.
Too much was at fucking stake.
Chapter 10
Fólkvangr, Falls of the Dead – Thule
Gefn still had his scent on her skin and she mourned the loss of being wrapped in his strength. She’d been shocked that she’d slept with him. She’d been vulnerable to him, and her cats had made their approval known. Their trust in the male made her shake her head.
Waking up cuddled into the warmth of his hard body with the sound of voices in her head had jolted her. It had taken a moment to realize that it was the mind speak he’d told her of. After that she’d been completely caught up in what was said.
She gazed at Pothos and was instantly shaken from her thoughts. He hadn’t moved, and the sight of his nude gorgeous body dried her lips. Licking them had drawn his eyes to her mouth and reminded her of his kisses. He looked so different, no less beautiful, but completely changed. She sucked in air and spoke more breathlessly than she’d intended. “Where are your wings?”
He stood with the grace of an animal, and with a rush of power the magnificent wings unfurled from his back. The sound of a harsh flap of wind against feathers was intense.
“Better?” His voice was a sexy rumble that called to her.
She wanted to explore every inch of his body, those magical wings, and even the intricate images on his arms.
“I was only surprised that they were gone.” Air stuttered from her lips and she knew he heard it. She looked away from him. He distracted her too much, and she needed to focus. After a moment she added, “We need to see if I can leave here. I need to talk to my brothers.”
“I don’t think it’s possible yet.” She swore there was a hint of regret in his tone. She was about to ask more when he spoke. “Will your brother really exchange Kara for Apollo, or will he attempt to keep them both?”
“He will do the exchange.” Hroarr would be more concerned about getting Kara back. And now that they’d found Pothos, the other God wasn’t important. Spa and Velspar had been right to draw her to him, the male’s presence in Thule was exactly what their world needed to survive.
Now she needed to figure out what that meant for Pothos’ world? His family? Would they relocate to Thule? She wouldn’t leave them to die, because no world could survive with only the power of two Gods, even if it also held the handful of impressive beings she’d seen at the lake. She was sure Hroarr would welcome more power in Thule. As long as they didn’t cause strife.
Her heart beat rapidly as her emotions raged with all the complications in their situation.
She blamed Dagur for the mess, mentally cursing her reckless brother in ten different languages. They had been the ones in the wrong, and that left a sour taste in her mouth, especially when she thought of all they’d lost because of his actions. Dozens of their warriors had been senselessly destroyed, and with birthrates so low it was a blow to Thule.
A part of her wanted to hate Pothos and his people for those deaths, but his world hadn’t invaded Thule. This was Dagur’s fault.
If only Dagur had waited for Hroarr to get to the palace, none of this would have happened. They would never have blindly stolen a God. She understood Dagur’s thoughts and reasons, but that didn’t make it better. At the time he’d known that Pothos’ world couldn’t survive with only one God. But what of Pothos’ father? Where had he come from? That begged the question as to whether there were more Gods somehow hidden from the spell Dagur had used to search the ether.
“Can your Gods hide themselves or leave your world?”
He hesitated. She knew he didn’t trust her, but how were they to solve anything without talking? She changed questions, planning to return to that later. “Did my sister indicate what made her go to your world? Why did you keep her there?” She felt his eyes on her as she paced. She pushed the heavy waves of her hair off her face and felt her hands shaking. Desire. She wanted to be in his arms again.
When their gazes met, she felt the spark of heat all the way to her core. His eyes were on her lips before they dragged down her overheated body. How could she want him again so soon?
His eyes trailed over her body, and it seemed his mind was where hers was.
He finally took a breath and answered, “My father, Hades, sent out a magical call to an old ally in Thule. Your sister came to our world instead of this Agnarr.” That statement stopped her need to pace. The stone in the ring her sister had left behind, that had called her to Earth. But if Hades had been an ally of her dead brother, had Kara always known, and why hadn’t Gefn heard of it before now? It made sense that her brother had traveled to Pothos’ world, because how else would his priestess, Eir, have met Hades? Venturing to other worlds was commonplace for the Gods of Thule, but forging an alliance with a God of another world was not. And not telling anyone about said alliance was outrageous. Or should have been, even considering Agnarr’s arrogant and reclusive nature.
She needed to talk to Kara; obviously she had the answers they needed.
When Pothos continued, she watched him closely. “After your sister came through, she instigated a battle in her attempt to steal my father away to Thule. It ended with your sister locked in a cell.”
Gefn hated the thought of her sister in a cage and firmed her lips. At least her frustrating sibling hadn’t been killed.
Why hadn’t Kara told them about the world if there were Gods still there? And why try to take a God with such obviously powerful beings at his side? Gefn had felt the power radiating from those who’d been at that lake. They were not full Gods, but a few were at least children of Gods, like Pothos. Had her sister truly been so arrogant?
She groaned, knowing Kara.
Pothos seemed lost in thought so she asked, “You were there?”
“I wasn’t.”
She thought of the warriors that had left with her sister and closed her eyes as her heart sank.
“What of her warriors?”
“Some are alive, imprisoned.”
“Have they been harmed?” Gefn felt fury rise at the thought of them being tortured because of her sister.
“They haven’t been tortured. They were questioned, but the language barrier was a problem. And your sister is unconscious, but otherwise whole.” Winds whipped around her in wild gusts that howled through the trees as clouds built to match her roiling anger.
What had her sister been thinking? Gefn would gladly string up both her siblings for their combined idiocy. She didn’t care what their motives were.
“I need to see my brothe
rs. We need to at least try to leave this place.” She had to see for herself that it wasn’t possible. She inhaled the clean air mixed with sex. The scent of their coupling only reminded her of the erotic torment she’d suffered while… teleporting, as he’d called it.
The thought of being trapped here for eternity was reason enough to attempt it anyway.
He was suddenly there, towering over her. Instead of feeling threatened, she felt protected as he put his hand on her cheek. His touch was electric, sending shivers down her body.
He spoke gently. “I can try, but I doubt it will work. At least not yet.” She had a feeling he was hiding something from her.
“What are you not telling me?” she demanded suspiciously.
Maybe it wasn’t possible for her to leave. That made her heart rate speed. He’d said that she’d gain his power, and she was, she felt it in her veins. But she didn’t know how to use it or decipher what was there inside her. Teleporting was the most important at the moment. He’d also said they would be mentally connected, but she wasn’t sure how…
Suddenly each and every reaction and hesitation that had shone on his face passed through her memories. Every single one, including the guilt. She spun from his touch in the air current and felt like a part of her was ripped away when she faced him from several steps away.
Tension filled the air around them, making it almost too thick to breathe freely.
“Are you hearing my thoughts?” she demanded with narrowed eyes, because it felt true. He’d listened to her private thoughts and worries. Was listening to them still.
She could see the guilt in his eyes and in the way his jaw clenched and unclenched, but the world seemed to stop moving when he admitted his deception. “Yes.”
Winds lifted her hair and the water surged up from the pool as she felt the full effect of her mortification. Her skin heated as she tried to remember each thought.
