by J. S. Scott
“Lay off, Zach,” Hunter growled, not wanting to talk about his intimate acts with Athena.
“I’m just saying that maybe she’s the one. I’d take Hell on Earth versus paradise any day if it meant staying with Kat. Any place without her would never be paradise. It would just be lonely,” Zach shared genuinely. “I think I’d go slowly insane without her.”
“I won’t go insane,” Hunter denied, but he knew that he very well might. Just the thought of Athena leaving forever made him crazed.
Mine!
“Nope. You’re already in Crazytown. You’ve been vacationing there for a while,” Drew answered stoically. “You’re changing, Hunter. Athena could be your one chance to be happy.”
“I can’t be happy if she’s not.” Keeping Athena from finally going to the Elysian Fields would be selfish. After all she’d been through to try to protect humankind, and after thousands of years alone, she deserved to be with her family in a better place than with him on Earth. “We don’t even know what the future holds here.”
“We’ll get Kristoff back and regain the balance. We have to,” Zach said emphatically. “Like it or not, those mental pictures that Athena threw into our minds hit home. We have to win this thing, make sure the Evils don’t rule the world.”
“Athena is right,” Hunter rumbled. “It won’t happen unless we have all of the parts of the puzzle, all of the prophecies fulfilled. I’m not happy about Athena going into the demon realm. She might be powerful, but she can’t slay an Evil. And she needs to get to Goran to return all of the Evils to their original state. He’s the leader, and he’s the Evil that absorbed all the power. The others get their power from him because their creators are gone. Every one of us has a job to do in order to save the Earth, including your mates.”
“And yours,” Drew snapped back at Hunter before he let out a masculine sigh. “I know she’s right. I don’t want to think about the day that I can’t protect Talia if the Evils overrun the Sentinels completely. We’re in a dangerous situation right now, barely hanging on. Athena was right when she said that none of us are thinking about the future. But it will kill me to see my wife vulnerable in the demon realm.”
Hunter didn’t mention that Athena had slowly lost her power over time before their temporary mating, probably because she’d slowly given it all to Sentinels to keep them going. He liked to give his brothers a hard time, but Athena’s sacrifice would weigh heavily on both of them. It sure as hell bothered him.
“It will kill me, too, but I get that it’s worth the risk, considering the alternative,” Zach admitted flatly, staring blankly at Hunter. “Since when did you become the rational Winston?”
Hunter grinned at his two brothers. “I guess since I began to worship a goddess of wisdom and truth.” More seriously he said, “I understand how you’re both going to suffer because of your instincts to protect your radiants, but wouldn’t you rather suffer for a day than for eternity if everything goes to hell here?”
Zach and Drew were silent for a moment before Zach said quietly, “Who’d have thought Hunter would become a damn philosopher.”
“I’m not. I’m the same asshole I’ve always been,” he grunted. “But I think we deserved her smack-down for not thinking about the future.”
“Agreed,” Drew acknowledged.
“Hunter, I wish we would have known everything about your situation a long time ago. It sucks that you were constantly punished for something you couldn’t control. And we’re your brothers. We should have supported you instead of kicking your ass,” Zach said remorsefully.
Hunter wasn’t sorry for anything he’d done or the punishment he’d taken. He shrugged. “It kept Athena in existence.” His actions were just that simple…and that complicated.
“Don’t let her go the way I almost did with Kat,” Zach warned ominously. “Kristoff isn’t here to knock some sense into your head like he did with me. Temporary or not, she’s your radiant. Make it permanent.”
Mine. Mine. Mine.
The words echoed in his mind. He didn’t like to be reminded that there would be a day, probably very soon, that Athena would disappear from his life completely.
“I can’t,” he told his brothers hoarsely. “She’s not really mine. We were put together to solve a common problem.”
“Horseshit!” Drew exclaimed loudly. “When is she going to be transported away to the Elysian Fields?”
“I don’t know,” Hunter said huskily, looking at his two brothers desperately. “Who knows when the Fates will think she’s no longer needed. I’m assuming after we rescue Kristoff and the balance is stable again.”
Zach shook his head. “Who’d want to go to the ultimate paradise when she could stay here with us?”
Drew snickered. “Then she’d have to be mated forever to Hunter.”
“I don’t think she’d have a problem controlling him,” Zach replied, amused.
Hunter blew off their sarcastic remarks. “She doesn’t try to control me. This is the first time she’s really lost her temper. Well, the first time she’s been really mad.” Maybe he’d pushed Athena’s buttons a few times to watch her eyes turn to scarlet flames, but he knew she’d never disrespect him by misusing her power. “She doesn’t abuse her strength.”
“I guess we deserved this set down,” Drew mused. “We weren’t thinking. Being here in his empty house reminds me of how much we owe Kristoff, and how much Talia wants to get to know her father.” He paused before adding, “And I have to admit that I miss him.”
“We were going to try to rescue him,” Zach reminded his brother.
“A suicide mission,” Hunter injected. “The Evils will end your existence in the demon realm and leave your mates unprotected after they kill both of you…and me. If that’s what you decide, you know I’ll follow you.”
The Winston brothers might not be siblings by blood, but they were brothers by choice, making the bond between them ever stronger. Hunter knew that whatever Zach and Drew decided, he’d be with them.
“No. Athena’s right,” Drew conceded. “We need to plan our attack carefully. We’re going to need some of the other Sentinels to join the mission.”
“I’m glad you’re finally seeing reason.” Athena’s voice sounded by the entry to Kristoff’s living room.
Mine.
Hunter’s cock was instantly hard, and he wanted to wipe the troubled expression from her face by burying himself inside her until she looked like she did last night: wanton and responsive, her eyes shooting fire as she climaxed gloriously beneath him.
“We are,” Drew answered gravely. “I don’t think we have much choice.”
“You don’t,” Athena agreed darkly, raising a brow at Hunter.
That’s my woman. God…she’s magnificent.
“I’m thinking we should give you Kristoff’s ring. You’re here now and able to lead the Sentinels.” Drew started to twist the large ring from his finger.
“Don’t,” Athena demanded. “I don’t need the ring to manage any of you. You, Zach, and Hunter will lead this battle. I’m just going to be a…” She stopped as though thinking of the word she wanted. “Consultant,” she finished hesitantly. “I can’t kill an Evil, so in many ways your power is more important than mine.” She started to pace the living room, this time with her hands behind her back like a general. “We’ll need to utilize warrior Sentinels. I’ll leave those selections up to you. You know who is the best and the strongest of the fighting force.”
“What about the toxins? Aren’t they going to affect all of the Sentinels?” Zach asked, his tone respectful now.
“I can handle that when we get to the demon realm.” Athena dismissed the problem with a wave of her hand. “My main purpose there will be to get to Goran and Kristoff so I can restore the Evils to their original forms and rescue my demon king. But there are other benefits as well. The tox
ins are easy for me to negate, and I can watch over your mates while you tackle the Evils. Once Kat has guided all of you to the demon realm and Talia restores power to all of the Sentinels, their work will essentially be done. But we’ll need them there in case we need their skills again.”
“Do you think Kristoff is still alive?” Zach asked hesitantly.
Athena stopped pacing and dropped into one of the vacant chairs. “I do. My only fear is that he won’t be the same man who entered the lair of the Evils. He could be…altered.”
“How?” Drew asked urgently.
“He won’t die easily. He’s a Sentinel, but he still has the powers of a demigod—”
“That’s exactly what he told me and Talia,” Drew interrupted. “But how could he be altered?”
“Different,” Athena said evasively, as though she didn’t want to explain completely. “The Evils are masters at torture. The sooner we plan and execute this mission, the better.”
Hunter saw both of his brothers flinch before their expressions grew remorseful. “Then we plan, and we fight,” Hunter rumbled, standing up to hold his hand out to Athena.
She slipped her hand into his without hesitation, an action that slammed Hunter in the gut. His goddess trusted him completely. Him…a man who had never deserved trust in his human life or his Sentinel existence. After pulling her to her feet, he wrapped an arm around her waist protectively. Maybe she didn’t need his protection, but he was going to have her back any damn time she needed it, and maybe even when she didn’t.
Mine.
Drew and Zach got to their feet as Athena asked them, “I trust you two can rally the forces we need?”
The men nodded considerately, acknowledging their duty.
Hunter knew Zach and Drew were rather in awe of their female creator and in some ways…so was he. But his amazement and fascination with Athena was completely different and definitely carnal.
Mine.
“I understand why you did what you did,” Hunter whispered gruffly in Athena’s ear. “But if you ever do that again, I’ll spank that gorgeous ass of yours until you can’t sit down. Understand?” He let his imagination run free, deliberately sending her vivid images of her over his lap, completely naked, dishing out erotic pain and teasing her with pleasure.
Athena looked up at him, her eyes shooting traces of flame. “You wouldn’t dare,” she sputtered, her voice quiet so only Hunter could hear her.
“Try me, Princess. I’m pretty foolhardy, especially when it comes to you,” he rasped, not quite able to clear his mind of having her naked and begging for him to fuck her.
He felt Athena shudder, the vibrations shooting a streak of electricity along every nerve ending in his entire body. She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again, apparently speechless.
Hunter grinned down at her mischievously as he teleported them both back to his house, his brothers watching as they disappeared. Zach and Drew gave each other a content and knowing look before they hurried back to their own mates, leaving Kristoff’s home eerily silent once more.
Hunter tried to show her the world in twenty-four hours. They trotted around the globe, Athena able to see the changes that had occurred since the reign of the gods as they chased the daylight in various countries. To say the world was incredibly different was a radical understatement. For her, nothing was even recognizable. Any sign of the worship of the gods was ancient rubble. Her father’s temples, her temples, shrines to the other gods and goddess of her time were all…
“Gone. There’s nothing left,” she murmured quietly as she strolled around the Parthenon with Hunter, looking at ancient Greek artifacts with dismay. “I should have known, of course. I’ve watched television for years, seen the images in papers, books, magazines, and on the television. But it never seemed real.” She felt lost and insignificant. Her time had long passed, yet she was still here after all of her fellow gods and goddesses had vanished to the Elysian Fields. Even the revelations from the oracles that had always seemed so real to her were long dead; only their instructions from ages ago remained. The Fates’ revelations were only residual magic, the plan set up thousands of years ago. “Seeing the world as it is now is like watching and reading about a fictional universe. But everything really has changed. I really am alone.” Athena felt a profound emptiness as she thought about the ancient ruins she’d viewed around the world, the gods that had once been so powerful and revered now reduced to rubble and myth.
“You’re not alone,” Hunter growled, putting a steely arm around her waist. “Your Sentinels are still here, still fighting your battle. The world is like this because of you, Princess, because you cared enough to sacrifice yourself for the human world to survive and continue to progress.”
“Honestly, it wasn’t that big of a sacrifice,” Athena told Hunter as she turned to look at his face. “I was easily exiled, even by my father. I’m not sure how any of them will receive me.” From what she had heard, the Elysian Fields was a pretty big place, and she could probably stay away from her family and the gods who had seen her banished.
“Then stay here,” Hunter growled, wrapping both arms around her waist. “I thought you’d be happy there.”
Athena shrugged. “It’s hard to tell how happy I’ll be since I’ve never been there.”
I want to stay here with you. Every instinct was clamoring to beg Hunter to mate with her, keep her by his side. But she didn’t want him to agree out of pity or a sense of protectiveness from the mating instinct. “If we don’t bond as real mates, I won’t be able to stay. It’s part of the deal. I’m ready for something different. At least the gods will be familiar.” They may not be happy to see her, but even if they weren’t, it was better than being imprisoned alone.
Athena suddenly felt her form disintegrate, only to reappear in Hunter’s kitchen, a room she loved. Athena had taken a few minutes to redecorate this morning before they left, so the room had been completely remodeled with vivid colors and new appliances. She didn’t care if she didn’t need to use them. She liked the cheery room. Hunter hadn’t said a word about the change. He either didn’t care or he approved. Athena hadn’t had a chance to ask him.
“If you don’t think you’ll be happy there, then be my mate, Princess. Stay here with me,” Hunter commanded as he crowded her against the new refrigerator Athena had manifested that morning.
She tried not to look at his face, but her gaze was drawn to him. His expression was intense, his eyes burning amber as he waited for her answer. She searched his eyes, trying to figure out if he really wanted her to stay, or if his mating instinct was prodding him to convince her. Athena wanted to believe he wanted her forever, but she still had lingering doubt. It was an uncertainty she couldn’t ignore.
Raising a hand to his face, she cupped his whiskered jaw as she said in a voice that was barely more than a whisper, “You’re trying to protect me, Hunter.” She couldn’t decipher his thoughts. His sole focus was on convincing her to stay with him. The reason why wasn’t clear. “If we bond, it will be forever. I’ll never be able to go to the Elysian Fields. I’ll change form just like Kristoff and be a powerful radiant rather than a goddess.” Not that she cared, but her opportunity to go be with her own kind would be forever lost. If he shunned her later, she would still remain earthbound.
She watched as Hunter took a shuddering breath and pressed his body flush with hers before he spoke. “Do you really think I’d ever let you go once I claimed you forever?” he growled, having picked up her erratic thoughts. “I’d fight for you, Athena. Christ! I live and breathe for you now.” His chest was rising and falling hard, like he was having difficulty speaking. “I’m not afraid that I’ll want to go back in time and not have you as my mate. I’m worried about the damn future and whether you’ll want to get away from me. I don’t think I’d survive if you left after we bonded. Hell, I’m not sure I’ll survive now if you leave
.” His voice was harsh, as though everything he said was difficult to say. “I’m a selfish bastard to want you forever. You deserve a hell of a lot better than me, but nobody will ever want you more than I do.”
Nobody had ever wanted her at all, but Athena knew Hunter made up for all of those lonely times and more. She stroked his jaw, trying to soothe his tortured emotions. He was spiraling out of control, and she needed him grounded to make his decision.
“I want to stay here with you, Hunter. No matter what you think, I couldn’t have picked a better mate for myself. I don’t want to go,” she told him softly. “I just want to make sure you know that this decision is forever. I won’t leave you. I’ve been inside your mind, in your darkest of places. There’s nothing to fear there.”
Hunter pinned her against the fridge, a hand planted on each side of her body. “I’d be fucking terrified if I were you,” Hunter rumbled in a self-deprecating voice. “Be absolutely certain, Princess. Make sure you want a loser like me for life.” He breathed out slowly, as though searching for control.
Athena’s breath hitched as she felt the heat of his exhalation waft across her cheek. She could feel his tension, his anxiety as he waited for her to respond. “I’m sure. I’ve been sure. I just didn’t know how to ask you if you’d let me stay as your permanent radiant,” she confessed, releasing a soft sigh as she felt his body relax slightly. “Someday you’ll realize what a special man you really are.” Her words were a vow to make him understand what kind of man he really was. It was an undertaking she planned on starting as soon as they were permanently mated. He’d teach her about the twenty-first century, and in return she’d show him how unique he was to her. His self-loathing had to stop. He’d hated himself for too long, and for no reason other than following his nature. His destiny hadn’t been his own to choose. No Sentinel or human could have fought as long and as hard as Hunter.
“And someday you’ll realize what an asshole I am,” he grunted, stroking her hair as his penetrating amber gaze mesmerized her.
