by Julia Mills
Instead of giving up on bating Ares into a confrontation, Juliette doubled her efforts, digging up ancient history and throwing it in the arrogant deity’s face. “If you don’t start talking, I just might have to call Aphrodite’s hubby, Hephaestus, and get the details of that day he caught you and the little woman canoodling in the forest.” She paused for just a second and then asked, “Tell me, what was more embarrassing, having your naked butt caught in a net or having your naughty bits shown off to the rest of the gods?”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than the shimmering walls around her began to shake, turning a brilliant shade of red with sparks bouncing all around like electricity dancing along a puddle of water. Once again, the ground shook beneath her feet and Juliette found it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Holding her stance, ignoring the fear growing within her, the demi-goddess scoffed, “I didn’t ask for a show of your power, I asked for an explanation.” Looking up to the clouds overhead, she went on, “The sooner you tell me what the hell is going on, the sooner I shut up.” Taking a quick, short breath, she added, “Better yet, just put me back where I was and we’ll call it even.”
Just as quickly as it had started, all the godly theatrics ended, leaving Juliette once again standing alone in a metaphysical prison with no clue why she was being detained. The only difference was this time her ears were ringing and her brow covered with sweat.
Slowly turning in a circle, looking for any surprises and waiting for Ares’ next move, the demi-goddess stood completely still when her eyes fell upon a man lying with his back to her upon a velvet chaise that had most definitely not been there when her tirade had begun. Stepping closer, she could only gasp when the man groaned in his sleep and rolled onto his back.
Shaking her head and once again looking overhead, Juliette growled through gritted teeth, “I swear by all that is holy, if one hair on my mate’s head is harmed, I will gut you where you stand, Ares. You mark my words.”
Chapter Six
Checking Lee’s vitals by using what she’d learned in her undergraduate anatomy class, Juliette could only sit and stare. She was happy to have him with her, to know he was okay but couldn’t help but curse the pain in the ass god who had made it all happen. Why now? What was Ares up to? What crazy hoops would they have to jump through to be free of the God of War’s tyranny?
Pushing the hair off Achilles’ forehead, she marveled at the sparks of their connection as they skittered up her arm and flowed through her body. Shivering, she had to work hard to control the feelings simply being near her mate awakened within her. Achilles Giannopoulous was unlike any man on earth. Not only was he strong, loyal and fierce in battle, but he also possessed a warmth missing from most of the warriors she had met in her many lifetimes. He wasn’t afraid to tell a joke, be the life of the party or throw back his head and laugh. She had witnessed his random acts of kindness ranging from something as simple as helping the littlest boy on the soccer field learn to kick a goal to anonymously delivering food to those unable to do so for themselves. His generosity knew no bounds.
Her King’s emotions were not hidden like most. He did not mask the pain he felt for those less fortunate, the joy he felt when the underdog won the battle or how proud he was of his friends when they succeeded. It was all there for everyone to see, glistening like the stars in the sky, within his expressive cobalt eyes. From the first time she’d laid eyes upon him all those centuries ago, there had been no doubt in her mind that once he decided to allow someone into his heart, he loved them with every fiber of his being, holding nothing back and making a personal commitment to see to their welfare for all time.
Laying her hand over his heart, she smiled at the strong, steady beat and even more so at the way her own heart immediately beat in time with his. Her King was nothing short of her own personal miracle, someone she had waited so long for, it was almost hard to believe he was there.
Letting just the very tip of her finger trace the aristocratic line of his nose, then across his high cheekbones and finally down his strong jaw, she couldn’t help but be mesmerized by how handsome he truly was. Laying her head on his chest, hoping he didn’t wake up and catch her, Juliette sighed and for just a moment, let go of all her worries and simply enjoyed being with her mate.
Drifting on a cloud of pure bliss, the demi-goddess jumped up with a start as Lee’s chest vibrated under her head as he said with a low chuckle, “Well, who do we have here?”
Suddenly embarrassed and tongue tied, Juliette rubbed her palms on the legs of her cargo shorts and stammered, “Ah…well, I…I mean…” She sighed and rushed, “Hi, I’m Juliette.”
The knowing grin that crossed her mate’s face was priceless and caused the heat from the blush on her cheeks to intensify. The demi-goddess was now in unchartered territory. She had never been in love before. Never met the man she would spend the rest of eternity with. Never actually had feelings for any man other than Achilles and for the first time in her life she was with him. To say she was flabbergasted was a gross understatement.
True to form, her King worked to make her feel comfortable with her rapidly changing circumstances and snickered, “Well, hello there, Juliette.” He sat up and then immediately stood, his six-foot-three-inch frame making her feel almost petite. Taking a step forward, he held out his hand and added, “I’m Achilles, but my friends call me Lee.”
Taking his hand with the intention of shaking it, Juliette was surprised when her mate pulled her close, put his arm around her waist and purred, “And since you already admitted to knowing I am more than I seem, I will admit that I have been waiting to do this my whole life,” while lowering his lips to hers.
At the first touch, Juliette was transported to another place and time where only she and Achilles existed. It was gentle at first, a simple meeting of two that began with him gently kissing first one corner of her lips, moving to the center, and then working his way to the other corner. A slow burn began deep within her, building, gaining heat with each touch so that when he nibbled and teased along her jaw, her fingers wound into his short blonde hair and she held him close.
His teeth on her ear lobe accompanied by his whispered, “My dreams of this moment pale in comparison to the reality that is you, agapiméne mou. You are absolutely magnificent.” Making visions of their naked bodies entwined as they made love dance through her consciousness.
Lee’s words of love and affection unleashed Juliette’s heart and soul. Unable to hold back, she needed to show her mate that, just as he had waited for her, she had waited for him. She needed him to know that he was the culmination of every dream, fantasy, wish and desire she had for the future and most importantly, that although they had only met in person for the first time, she loved him so completely that there was no doubt she would cease to exist without him.
Pulling his face to hers, Juliette looked deep into her King’s eyes and in the language of their ancestors murmured, “Me óli tin kardiá mou, tóra kai gia pánta, s ágapó, Achilles, o vasiliás mou.”
The grip he had on her waist tightened, pulling her closer to his body, the evidence of his attraction pushing against her stomach caused her excitement to skyrocket. His pupils dilated. His nostrils flared. He got a cheeky grin as he lowered his head and just as their lips would’ve touched whispered, “And with all my heart, I love you, Juliette Bakoyannis, my queen, now and forever.”
No sooner had he spoken the last syllable than he slammed his mouth to hers, demanding entrance and growling low in his throat when she opened completely without hesitation. This kiss was all passion and possession, a meeting of two souls claiming one another for all time.
Juliette’s fingers wound tighter in Lee’s hair as his tongue slid alongside hers. His hands gripped her butt as his hips thrust forward. Lost to their passion, the proof of her excitement wet the inside of her thigh as her King lifted her feet from the floor and her legs instinctually wound around his waist.
They were imm
ediately on the move, Lee’s long strides caused his erection to bump her already aroused clit through their clothing, making rational thought almost impossible. Juliette tore her lips from his, gasping for air as her King dropped to his knees, set her butt on the chair and began tasting and teasing the tender flesh of her neck, while his nimble fingers made quick work of the zipper on her shorts.
From one breath to the next, Achilles fingers slipped inside the waistband of her pink cotton panties. The heat from his touch as his fingers tenderly massaged the sensitive skin of her butt, working their way across her hips and onto her stomach, stoking the blaze already burning within her.
Her legs spread of their own volition causing Lee to chuckle against her neck. Goose bumps rose on her arms and danced up and down her spine. Juliette shivered in his arms as she held him close, loving the way her King knew exactly what she needed even before she did.
Teasing the curls at her center, Achilles leaned back, once again looked deep into her eyes and this time with a sexy growl grumbled, “You are absolutely perfect.” As his fingers moved through her wet curls.
Unfortunately, their enjoyment was cut short as a low chuckle, immediately followed by a loud, “Ahem,” echoed through the room.
Jumping to his feet, Lee spun towards the sound, keeping one hand behind is back touching Juliette’s hip as he growled, this time with incredible menace, “Who are you and what is the meaning of this intrusion?”
The mountain of a man with onyx eyes and a thick well-manicured beard, dressed in a custom made black suit, let his large paw-like hands fall to his sides, as he grinned like he had a secret and snorted, “I am Ares, God of War and you will address me with the respect I am owed.” The deity took a threatening step forward and added, “I am, after all, the reason you are here.” He gave a sweeping gesture with one hand and had the utter audacity to wink when he added, “The reason you two lovebirds are together.”
Lee went to step forward but held still when Juliette placed her hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Don’t.”
With her clothing back in place, the demi-goddess stepped around her mate, crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Oh really? And what price am I to pay for your generosity?” She poured all the anger and frustration she felt at her imprisonment and that of her King’s into the last word then added, “Do tell, uncle dear,” with all the sarcasm she could muster.
The demi-goddess could feel her mate’s shock, hated that she had sprung such important news on him and had not had time to explain who she was. Sending a quick mental message and hoping for her mate’s understanding, Juliette whispered, “I am so sorry. I promise to explain as soon as the asshole is gone.”
Trying not to grin as he replied, “I’ll hold you to that,” Juliette stared at Ares, waiting for an answer.
As usual, her uncle made a production out of his response which did little more than irritate the demi-goddess. “Price? Oh, dear niece, there is no price. I simply wanted to give you and your…King,” he placed a scary emphasis on the word, paused, raised an eyebrow and then continued, “to have some alone time to get to know one another.” The God of War waggled his eyebrow before adding, “And from what I could see, you were taking full advantage of my gift.”
Unsure what Ares was up to, but knowing without a doubt he was scheming, Juliette decided to play the subservient female card and smiled sweetly as she said, “Thank you so much, most benevolent Ares, brother to my mother, Hebe, for the gift you bestow upon us.”
Just saying the words made her want to throw up and she could feel Achilles disbelief but loved him all the more when the only thing he said was, “I have no clue where you’re going with this but lead on…I’ll follow.”
Keeping an eye on her uncle as he took several steps forward, the demi-goddess almost laughed out loud as he once again winked and then he snapped his fingers. In the blink of an eye his black suit changed into his usual golden armor and along with it a shimmering golden throne, adorned with his crest and a black velvet seat appeared to his left. Making a production out of swinging the tail of his cloak to the side as he sat upon what he obviously perceived as his seat of power, Ares finally got comfortable, returned his gaze to Juliette and nodded, “Now, that is better. I would expect nothing less from the daughter of my favorite sister.”
It took all the demi-goddess’ considerable control not to burst out laughing. For the God of War to say that his youngest sister, the one whom he neglected and abused, was his favorite was the biggest joke she’d ever heard, but there was more at stake than her mother’s honor. Juliette knew whatever Ares was plotting was going to be dangerous to not only her health but that of her mate’s.
Taking a deep breath, she changed tactics and simply asked, “What can I do to show favor to the most revered God of War and my beloved uncle, Ares, for all he has given to not only me, but also my mate.”
Smiling like she’d just told him he’d won the lottery, Ares, placed his elbows on the arms of his chair, steepled his fingers in front of his chin and furrowed his brow as if he was deep in thought. After almost a minute of impatiently waiting, Juliette was just about to scream when Ares finally answered, “Your gratitude is a true blessing dear niece, one that I treasure more than most.” He tapped his index fingers together. “Did I not bless you and your journey to earth all those many years ago?”
Pain at the memory of her uncle’s curse and all the memories of all the lifetimes she had been forced to live until the time was right for she and Achilles to become one weighed so heavily on her heart that the demi-goddess bowed her head. It was only her King’s hand on her elbow and the strength she felt him lending her that allowed Juliette to answer, “Yes, uncle, you did.”
Nodding as if he truly believed what he had done to her was a blessing and not a curse, Ares let one hand fall to his lap and with the other he held his chin through his beard in a poor attempt at a dignified pose while asking, “And have you not enjoyed many, many centuries of life on earth, living among the humans, learning their ways? Have you not even been educated by scholars even greater than Socrates and have you not had a profession with authority over your male counterparts?”
Juliette didn’t like where Ares was going with all his questions and she was definitely more than a little pissed that he continued to drop one bomb after another about her past on her unsuspecting mate. Thank the gods Achilles was made of sturdy stock and for the most part was taking everything in stride, but that did not negate the fact that she was dreading their conversation when all the crap with her overbearing, egotistical uncle was over.
Focusing again on Ares, who was waiting for his answer, the demi-goddess stepped forward and replied, “Yes, uncle, everything you have said is correct and I am very thankful and feel incredibly blessed.”
Rising from his throne, the deity walked forward until he stopped just a few feet in front of the couple, smiled first to Achilles and then to her before leaning his head just a bit to the side, narrowing his eyes and asking, “Then you would have no problem honoring me with a quest, beloved niece and her most honorable mate, Achilles of the Kings of the Blood, in honor of all that I have done for you?”
Wanting to call forth her godly powers and blast her uncle in the crotch, Juliette took several deep breaths and reached for Lee’s hand. Once her fingers were wound through his, she could at least think past the red haze of fury Ares invoked within her. Trying to think of an alternative to accepting the God of War’s quest and sadly coming up empty-handed, Juliette let out the breath she had been holding and nodded, “Of course, Ares, God of War and most beloved uncle, we would be honored to take up a quest in your name. You only need ask?”
As Ares smiled like the cat that ate the canary, a stone the size of a softball instantly grew in the pit of Juliette stomach and all she could say to Lee was, “Hold on, my love, I have a bad feeling I’ve just doomed us both.”
Chapter Seven
Lee had stayed quiet for as long as he could. The
proverbial straw had broken the camel’s back and the King was without a doubt absolutely fed up with the God of War’s antics. Stepping forward, remembering all the unanswered prayers he’d offered to the fickle, unresponsive, childish gods while his friends were dying all around him on the battlefield, Achilles squared his shoulders and asked, “What could we possibly do for you that you cannot do for yourself with the mere snap of your mighty fingers, great benevolent Ares?”
The archer knew he had failed at keeping the contempt from his tone when the spiteful deity raised a single eyebrow and took what the deity apparently thought was an intimidating step forward. There was also no mistaking the evil gleam in the god’s eyes when he asked, “What is this? One of Zeus’ great warriors doubts his own abilities?”
It was obvious he was being baited into a fight he couldn’t win, but that didn’t stop Achilles from quickly answering with, “No, I do not doubt my own abilities.” He let go of Juliette’s hand and took another step forward. Now so close to the God of War he could see the soullessness in his fathomless black eyes. “I do, however, doubt your ability to be straightforward about what you truly want us to do.”
Pausing for a just a second when Juliette’s hand touched his back, the King quickly continued, “I have no idea what my mate has been through because of you but I am sure I’m not going to like it. I have waited almost three thousand years for her.” He leaned forward. “I know time means nothing to you but it damn sure does to me and now that my mate has come to me, I intend to make our union formal as soon as possible. So, just get on with it. Tell us what we have to do to satisfy whatever wild hair has deposited itself squarely in your rear end and we will be on our way.”
