Zeus’s dark eyebrows dipped low and his golden eyes shone, the softness that had been in them a second ago obliterated by the anger rising inside him.
A lightning bolt crackled in his hand.
As much as Valen wanted another shot at his uncle, he had more important matters that needed his attention.
Valen grinned. “Maybe next time.”
Stepped.
Golden arcs of lightning chased him into the darkness of the teleport to the Underworld and then out the other side into the mortal realm, but they merely danced around him, not touching him or Eva.
He landed on the hillside in Rome and that lightning struck the rods in the city, and thunder rolled across the land.
Eva.
He looked down at her in his arms as she moaned and wriggled again. He needed to take her somewhere safe but he couldn’t take her to his apartment.
The only place open to him, the place where she would be most protected because the wards surrounding it were impenetrable and ancient, created from the combined power of him and his brothers, was also a place where she might not be safe.
Or she might be.
It was a risk he had to take.
He just hoped Esher wasn’t in the mood to murder mortals today.
CHAPTER 26
Esher pressed the power button on the remote, calmly set it down on the low coffee table nestled in the centre of the couches, and looked over to his right, towards the door of the mansion.
Someone was coming.
Someone not of his blood.
He curled his lip, rose onto his bare feet and started towards the door.
It slid open and Valen walked in.
If it had been only his brother who had shown up on his doorstep, he wouldn’t have cared, would have welcomed the company in fact.
But Valen had brought something into his home with him, something wretched.
The mortal female.
He narrowed his blue eyes on her where Valen cradled her to his chest.
“Temper,” Valen snapped.
His gaze leaped up to meet his younger brother’s golden eyes. They glowed at him, warning him to tread carefully.
Valen was the one who needed to be careful.
He was the one in danger.
Esher flashed his teeth on a snarl and crossed the long room to his brother.
“You dare,” he hissed and flung his arm to his right, towards where the doors into the courtyard had been parted to reveal the night. His hand shook as he pointed at the full moon, not needing to look at it to know exactly where it was, because it hung heavily over him tonight, pulled at him in ways he was too weak to fight. “You dare bring that filth into my house on this night?”
“Calm yourself, Esher.” Valen set the mortal down near the door, slid it closed and rose to his full height as he turned to face him. “Last I checked, this was still our house. It belongs to all of us. You just get to stay here because you’re daddy’s precious little boy… because you’re more fucked up than I am.”
Fucked up?
He snarled and advanced on his brother. “You want to see how fucked up I am right now?”
Valen stood his ground, chest heaving beneath his black t-shirt, the fight to control himself as visible as the one Esher waged.
“Back off,” Valen snarled.
He couldn’t. Not tonight. Valen should have known that.
His brother’s golden eyes flicked towards the door to the courtyard, a brief glimmer of remorse crossed them, and then they were cold again, hard and unrelenting.
“She stays.” Valen folded his arms across his chest and placed himself between Esher and the mortal.
Protecting her.
Esher’s top lip curled back off his emerging fangs. “She only gets to stay if we are interrogating her now, and that look in your eyes… that disgusting way you dare to block my path to her… says it is not the case.”
He sidestepped so he could see the wretched creature, trying to discern what had gotten into his brothers recently to make them turn into pathetic males, so eager to please those who should fear them.
Those who would hurt them.
No one hurt his family.
He flashed his fangs at the wretch.
He would make sure this one couldn’t harm Valen.
Valen appeared in his path, pressed his hands against his chest, and shoved him back. “Calm the fuck down.”
He couldn’t.
Not tonight.
On a snarl, he launched himself at Valen and stepped at the last second, disappearing and reappearing on the other side of him, in front of the sleeping female.
He raised his right hand, growled as he felt his nails sharpen, and brought it down in a vicious arc aimed at her throat.
Valen grabbed his arm and hauled it backwards before he could strike her, spinning Esher to face him.
Esher grunted as pain exploded across the left side of his skull and Valen’s punch drove him to his right, sent him sprawling across the tatami mats. He growled and shoved himself up, was on his feet in a heartbeat and on his brother in the next.
He slashed his claws down Valen’s front, ripping through his black t-shirt, and Valen hissed and stumbled backwards, evading his next blow.
“Calm down,” Valen snapped and blocked the rest of his attacks, their forearms clashing hard, sending dull pain echoing along his bones. “Calm down or I’ll call Keras, because you’re being a dick and I thought you were stronger than this!”
Esher staggered from that blow, his hand dropping to his side as it registered and hit him hard.
He stared at Valen, at the blood that trickled down his chest and soaked into his black t-shirt, and the cuts that littered his face.
He had done that.
He shoved his hands into his black hair, clawed it back and pressed his palms to the sides of his head as he unleashed all his rage and pain in a roar.
The mortal female gasped.
Valen was by her side in an instant.
Not to shield her from him, but to coddle her.
He could only stare as his brother tended to her, his actions soft and gentle, more than tender.
The sight of him acting that way brought painful memories to the surface of his dark mind and he didn’t want to entertain them, didn’t want them invading his life again, not when he was struggling with the sway of the moon and the havoc it wreaked on him, and the darkness that pushed inside him.
He edged away from them, each step more difficult than the last when the darkness wanted him closer to the female, his fangs in her flesh and his claws tearing her to pieces. His hands shook against the sides of his head and the sound of water running outside stopped as the darkness rose within him, pushing harder and breaking through his carefully constructed barriers.
Seizing control of him.
Valen froze and slowly turned to look at him. “Get a lid on that right now.”
He couldn’t. Not even when he knew that his power would hurt his own flesh and blood if he didn’t get it back under control.
Even Valen wasn’t immune to it.
There was water in him.
Just as there was water in the filthy mortal.
Water he would command to do his bidding.
He fought against his hands as they lowered from his head, warring with himself as he tried to stop his body from moving, the darkness from taking shape inside him and unleashing the other side of himself.
The side he loathed.
But couldn’t defeat.
“Take her away.” Because he could see that she meant something to Valen, and that hurting her would hurt his brother. His blood. He couldn’t bear it if that happened. “Take her away!”
It was hard enough to control himself around Megan, but he did his best because Ares was clearly in love with her and he wanted his brother to be happy.
He wasn’t sure he had enough willpower to contain his darker side if Valen added Eva to their group.
&nb
sp; “She stays,” Valen said, his tone brooking no argument, and Esher snarled at him. Valen huffed and eased back onto his feet, coming to face him. “The wards are strongest here and she has daemons after her. They want to hurt her in order to turn me to their side, and the gods only know I would do it, Esher. I would do anything for her.”
Esher reeled from that blow too, took another handful of steps backwards as it sank in swift and fast, making his head spin.
Valen was already in love with her.
Darkness surged, obliterating the happiness he wanted to feel for his brother on hearing he had finally found someone to love, devouring it as it demanded he sated it with blood and violence.
Because the wretched mortal might hurt Valen.
He stared at her.
Weak, but toxic. All mortals were the same. They were treacherous. Cruel. Vicious.
He shook his head as his darker side whispered in it, words that tried to seduce him into surrendering to it, giving in and giving it control. He wanted to do it. He wanted to punish her for the hold she had over his beloved brother, turning him into a male willing to risk death and ruin for her.
If he dealt with her, Valen would be safe.
He had to protect his family.
Didn’t he?
He could not allow anyone to harm them.
A flash of his reflection whisked across his eyes, there and gone in a heartbeat, an image of his face daubed with blood and his eyes blazing crimson.
He clenched his fists, felt them trembling and the blood in his veins vibrating with his power. The very air around him shook as the urge to unleash it grew fiercer.
“Esher,” Valen whispered. “You okay?”
Esher tore his eyes away from the female when Valen stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body.
Making it clear that in order to eliminate the danger the mortal represented to Valen, he would have to go through Valen himself.
He could not hurt his brother.
If he remained here, he would end up doing just that, whether on purpose or not. The pull of his power was too strong, controlling him too easily tonight. It would take only a slip in his control for him to do something terrible.
Using their own blood against them.
He took another step back and teleported, disappearing just as Daimon appeared in the mansion, his pale blue eyes filled with concern as they landed on him.
Darkness engulfed him and he welcomed it, the brief connection it gave him to the Underworld taking the edge off and helping him claw back some control.
He hoped Daimon wouldn’t follow him.
He knew his brother had come for his sake, not Valen’s, their bond so powerful that they could sense when each other was in pain, but he wouldn’t go back.
Daimon could deal with Valen in his stead, and call in their brothers.
Hopefully, by the time he returned, the mortal would be gone.
He landed on a rooftop overlooking the Shibuya district of Tokyo, a short distance from the mansion where it stood in extensive grounds near Yoyogi Park.
He wasn’t sure why he had picked this spot.
Because it was close enough to his brothers that he would be able to sense if they needed him, or because he was testing himself?
Hundreds of mortals milled around below him, waiting at the lights at the busy intersection, some watching the giant television screens on the buildings overlooking the crossing and others busy talking to friends. Cars sped along the wide street, heading beneath the building below him that formed a bridge over the road. More mortals spilled out of the section of the building to his right, from the train station there, some heading towards the famous meeting spot near the statue of Hachiko, a faithful dog, and others hurrying for the crossing as the lights changed.
Neon illuminated the entire area, including the pedestrian street to the left of the building opposite him, affording him a clear view of everyone below him.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had dared to leave the mansion when the moon was full.
The temptation to leave the rooftop and venture into his favourite Starbucks in the lower section of the building opposite him tugged at him, but he resisted it.
It would be too much.
The sweeping front of the building was glass on the level where the café seating was situated, revealing just how busy it was to him.
Too much.
He had never tried to enter the coffee shop and order a drink from the mortals when the moon was out on his side of the planet, let alone when the moon was full.
It would be disastrous.
Besides, it felt good up here, more relaxing than he had thought possible, everything rushing around him distracting him from the pull of the moon.
The wind buffeted him as he stood on the roof, carrying the scent of snow and chilling him through his pale grey-blue shirt and dark jeans.
It was peaceful to stand above the world like this, looking down on it like the moon that hung above him, casting its warm light on him and soothing him even as it tore at him, lured him into sinking into his power and unleashing it.
The crossing lights changed again, and the mortals swarmed, forming a tight ball in the centre of the road that broke apart a moment later as they went on their way.
Ants.
Hideous creations of the gods.
He sneered at them all.
Esher closed his eyes, drew down a deep breath and expelled it slowly, seeking balance again and restoring some control over himself.
The wind picked up, whipping through his black hair, and he stretched his arms out at his sides and stepped up onto the edge of the building, letting it chill and shove at him.
He opened his eyes, tipped his head back and fixed them on the moon suspended overhead against the inky sky, faint stars shining around it. It pulled at him, full and beautiful, entrancing him and holding him under its sway.
Mesmerising him.
He lost himself in it, the sounds of the mortal world falling away from around him, and reached his arms up, stretching them towards it, part of him aching to take hold of it and bring it down to him.
Heat spread across his left side.
A metallic tang flooded his mouth.
His hands dropped and he flinched as his left arm hit something, and warmth bloomed over his hip.
The odour of blood filled the air.
His blood.
Esher looked down at his side.
And the blade protruding from it.
A violet haze wobbled around the edges of his vision and he frowned as he reached a trembling hand towards the black hilt of the dagger. Dark purple smoke swirled around the blade, writhing like a living thing, angry and agitated. Hungry. He swallowed hard and gritted his teeth against the fire spreading through his side, sinking into his flesh and creeping into his veins.
A hand appeared in view before he could reach the dagger.
Wrapped around the hilt.
Yanked it from his flesh.
Esher flung his head back and screamed.
Water exploded from the streets below, geysers shooting high into the night air as the pipes burst one by one, spreading outwards with him at the centre.
A deep voice echoed in his ears as he went down.
“Give your sister my regards.”
CHAPTER 27
Valen scooped Eva up into his arms, stifling a wince as the cuts across his chest stung, and carefully manoeuvred her into a position where he wouldn’t get blood all over her. He carried her over to the TV area on the right side of the long rectangular room and eased her down onto the couch, shutting out the way Daimon was glaring at his back, as if he was responsible for Esher’s outburst and disappearance.
Maybe he was.
He had forgotten the moon was full.
“What’s up with her?” Daimon ended his call to their brothers and pocketed his phone as he edged closer, but didn’t pass the barrier of the couches in the TV area.
; The whole damn section of the house seemed ridiculously out of tune with the rest of it, which Esher had kept more traditionally in line with old Japanese houses. The dining area at the other end of the long room had a low rectangular wooden table and seating more fitted to the mansion—butt-numbing cushions. He never had been able to get comfortable with the Japanese way of things.
Sitting on hard floors just felt like punishment to him.
“Nothing.” He finished settling Eva on the couch, stifling another wince as he stuffed some cushions around her so she would be comfortable, his focus wholly on her well-being rather than his own.
Little frowns flickered on her brow, her eyes still a bit too glassy for his liking as she stared at him, miles away and locked in her own body.
He hoped to the gods that she hadn’t come around at any point on Mount Olympus and that was the cause of her current stupor. He was banking on it being just the after effects of being hit with Zeus’s power to render her unconscious.
“Nothing?” Daimon scoffed and moved a little closer. “Nothing my arse.”
Valen looked over his left shoulder at his brother, rose back onto his feet and came to face him. “Nothing.”
Daimon shook his head, and it was a wonder the soft white spikes of his hair didn’t collapse. How the fuck he managed to style it that way, Valen had never figured out. It was either some sort of magic, or Hong Kong and Japan had incredible hair products.
“Don’t lie to me, Brother.” Daimon pulled his long black coat off, revealing his standard dark navy roll-neck long-sleeved top, and a pair of black jeans, together with a set of very wicked silver throwing knives and shuriken strapped into the holster he wore over his shoulders.
His brother shared his love of imbuing steel with his power and letting it fly. While Valen delivered a nasty shock that way, sometimes enough to end the daemon if they were weak and young, Daimon delivered a blast of ice the equivalent of a sudden onset of frostbite.
Valen had witnessed daemons lose limbs to it in the blink of an eye.
The slashes across his chest burned and he couldn’t stifle the grimace this time. Shit. He gritted his teeth and tugged his black t-shirt up, his entire torso blazing as his muscles shifted. Fucking damn. He hissed through his clenched teeth as fresh pain rolled through him and gathered a clean section of the t-shirt into his right fist.
Valen (Guardians of Hades Romance Series Book 2) Page 30
