Ares

by Heaton, Felicity

  “I meant it,” Ares interjected and looked down at Megan. She tore her eyes away from the man and looked up at him. He brushed his knuckles across her cheek. “I love her and she is mine. Forever. I will not change my mind.”

  “Is that what this is about?” Megan looked over at the woman. Persephone, she presumed, although she didn’t look old enough to be Ares’s older sister, let alone his mother. “Because he loves me?”

  “You know of my son’s problem.”

  “I do... and what about it? He’ll get his power back, we’ll stop this apocalyptic event from happening, and then his father will let him back into the Underworld.”

  “And what will happen to my son then?” Persephone said, a sense of darkness in her tone.

  Megan frowned at her and her insinuation that she would leave Ares and hurt him. She wrapped her hands around his bare arm and held on to him.

  “I’ll go with him.”

  “You will?” Ares said and she smiled up at him, seeing the shock that had been in his voice reflected in his eyes.

  “I will.” She had barely finished speaking when Ares kissed her, his mouth mastering hers, and making her forget about their company.

  She kissed him back, lips playing against his, absorbing his love and how happy she had made him with only two words. He had looked happy and shocked when she had said that she loved him, but it hadn’t compared with the joy that had shone in his eyes when she had admitted she was going to go with him to the Underworld.

  The horses whinnied.

  Persephone cleared her throat.

  Ares broke away from Megan and stared down at her, his bare chest heaving as he breathed hard and his eyes twinkling with affection.

  A dark voice rolled over her, the language blacker than it had ever sounded when Ares spoke it, and she stuck her fingers in her ears, trying to block out the words. Her head ached and felt as though it was splitting in two. Ares pulled her close to him, pressing her right ear to his broad chest and covering her left ear with his hand.

  Persephone turned away, flowing back down the hill and then into the darkness. The pair of horses at the front reared and kicked out, and then turned, heading back into the rift. Megan caught a brief flash of the black chariot they drew and Persephone standing beside Hades on it, looking back at her, and then the earth shook.

  The ground healed itself and the hill flattened, the vines returning to their original form.

  The poppies and cornflowers remained, waving in the evening breeze.

  “Sorry,” Ares whispered and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Father doesn’t speak the mortal languages.”

  Megan emerged from his embrace and stared up into his beautiful dark eyes. “When I go with you to the Underworld, will it still hurt me?”

  He shook his head and gently stroked her cheek as he inspected her ears, worry written across every handsome line of his face. “No. You will understand it and it won’t hurt you.”

  “That’s a relief... or it would be if your father wasn’t so damn scary. Is he annoyed with me because I called him an asshole?”

  He smiled at last. “No. He looks at everyone like that. You come to learn the subtle differences in his expression. That was concern.”

  “Concern?” She stared at the vineyard, trying to figure out just how his expression had been anything like concern. “He looked as though he wanted to murder me.”

  Ares chuckled, a rich throaty sound that made her smile too. “He is very protective.”

  Her smile widened and she stroked his bare chest, teasing him with the light touch, and held his gaze. “I guess that runs in the blood then...”

  He growled and kissed her, hard enough to leave her breathless.

  “It does,” he whispered against her lips. “I want to kill anyone who looks at you, even my brothers... even my father.”

  She shivered from head to toe, heat curling through her. She had never had a man act possessive of her before, and she discovered that she liked it. She liked that Ares wanted to protect her from the world and that he had stated she belonged to him, and that he would do anything to keep her.

  It made her feel loved and cherished.

  Special.

  “What did he say?” She looked back at the vineyard again, her curiosity getting the better of her.

  She had just met his parents and his father had clearly had something to say about her and where their relationship was heading. She hoped she had reassured them both that she didn’t intend to break their son’s heart.

  “He wants to meet you, when you’re ready.” He pressed another kiss to her hair and held her closer.

  She leaned her cheek against his chest. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to meet your father. No offense, but he scares the crap out of me.”

  He laughed. “You get used to him, and he won’t hurt you. I’ll make sure of that.”

  She leaned back and raised her eyes to his, needing to see the silent promise in those words. He really would protect her from anyone, even his father. She settled her hand on his cheek and swept her thumb along his lower lip.

  “It must be nice having a protective family. They all seem to look out for you.” She wasn’t sure where that one had come from and wasn’t prepared for the pang of jealousy mixed with loneliness that accompanied it.

  He sighed and curled his fingers around her shoulder, holding her. “You’re not alone now, Megan. I will protect you, and I will look out for you, and in time my family will become your family too.”

  She had never considered that but she found that she liked the idea, even if some of his brothers and his father scared her a little, and even if it did seem as though it would be a long time before they accepted her.

  Ares fell silent and his expression turned pensive, his dark eyebrows meeting hard and causing his eyes to narrow on her.

  What was he thinking to make him look so deadly serious all of a sudden?

  “Did you mean what you told my mother?” he said in a low voice, one edged with a touch of darkness and a demand to answer him honestly.

  She smiled and shook her head. “Do you think I’d lie to get rid of your parents?”

  “It crossed my mind.”

  She sighed, lifted her hands and held both of his cheeks, keeping his gaze locked on her. They had both been alone too long if they had difficulty believing the things they said to each other.

  “I meant it, Ares.”

  His look softened and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Tell me again... look in my eyes and tell me... will you come with me to the Underworld?”

  She held his gaze, looking deep into his eyes, and nodded. “I will.”

  His sensual lips curved into a wide grin and then he kissed her. She had just started to melt into him when he moved her on the saddle, easily lifting her and settling her on his lap, her legs astride the fuel tank.

  She blushed.

  She would never look at his bike the same way again.

  He shuffled behind her, leaning back, and his jumper brushed her right arm as he dressed.

  When he bent down to his left, she looked over her shoulder at him, curious about what he was doing.

  He snagged her backpack and put it on as he righted himself, and then slid one arm around her waist. “Hold on tight.”

  “Wait,” she said and he relaxed against her back. “We will live in the nice part of the Underworld though... not the bit with the dead people?”

  He chuckled into her ear. “Of course. You’ll have free rein to make my palace—”

  “You have a palace?” She craned her neck and looked over her shoulder at him.

  “You thought I lived with my parents? I’m nine hundred and thirty four. I haven’t lived with my parents in centuries.” The incredulous but horrified look in his eyes tugged a smile from her.

  He scowled at it.

  She couldn’t help it. She had never heard a man sound so mortified and he had just given away his exact age.

 
; She frowned. “You do realise you’re nine hundred and one years older than me?”

  He shrugged. “Men are meant to go for younger women. It’s natural.”

  “A nine hundred year age gap is natural?” She shook her head. “I think I have to reconsider this whole relationship.”

  Ares growled at her, the sound dark and vicious, warning her that he hadn’t taken that as a joke. “You’re mine. You will come with me to the Underworld and live in my palace, and there you will stay with me.”

  Her whole body flushed with heat, a shiver bolting through her, caused by the possessive snarl in his tone and the thought that he would never let her go now that he had her.

  “You sound like your father.” She smiled but he didn’t. She had forgotten he didn’t like it when people said his father had abducted his mother. She ran her hands over his thighs and leaned back against his chest, wanting to lighten the mood and ease his anger. “Say it again.”

  “You’re mine,” Ares purred into her ear and she shivered again. “Forever.”

  Megan smiled.

  She liked the sound of that and the thought of sharing a palace with Ares.

  Sharing his world.

  She held on to his arm around her waist and relaxed against him, warm all over, heated from her heart outwards by the thought that she was no longer alone. All they had to do was get his power back and stop whatever event the oracles had foreseen, and they could have what he had promised her.

  Forever.

  The world swirled into darkness.

  CHAPTER 23

  It had been almost a week since Amaury had stolen Ares’s amulet and he hadn’t shown up in the city again yet.

  It had been a few days since Megan had said a handful of words that had changed Ares’s world, and he hadn’t stopped wanting to kiss her yet.

  She snuggled closer to him, slipping her arms around his waist beneath his long black coat and tilting her head back, her eyes dark in the low light coming from the nearby path through the park.

  He wrapped his arms around her, dipped his head and kissed her, claiming her mouth in the way he wanted to claim her body again—rough and possessive, stamping his mark on her.

  She purred against his lips, a murmur of pleasure that echoed within him. He shifted one hand to between her shoulder blades and frowned at how cold the leather of his spare holster was. He touched her shoulder and found her dark red jumper was cold too.

  He reluctantly released her and pulled his coat off.

  It had arrived as a special delivery this morning, sent from Tokyo with Esher’s name on the return address label.

  Ares understood why Esher was keeping his distance and hadn’t brought the new long black coat to Ares himself. The moon was full now and would be affecting Esher’s mood, turning it blacker than it was on a normal day.

  He didn’t want Esher around Megan when he was likely to lose his cool. Gods only knew what Esher would do to Megan should their paths cross while he was under the sway of the moon.

  He looked down at her.

  She stood before him, her expression soft and warm with affection, speaking openly of her feelings for him. He wanted to kiss her whenever she looked at him like that, and it was hard to resist the urge that tore through him and tamp it down.

  They had come out to the gate every night over the past week and waited to see if the daemon would show his face. Hanging out with her had driven Ares crazy and he had given in to his desires every time, spending most of the night making out with her in the concealing darkness of the park.

  “I still don’t see why I have to carry this thing.” She nudged the silver gun hanging under her left arm, a dark look on her pretty face.

  He settled his coat around her shoulders. “Because I say you do. I know you don’t like them, but you’re a good shot and I want to know you’re safe if anything happens.”

  “Like Amaury showing up? Maybe he’s gone to a different gate?” She slipped her arms into the sleeves of his coat.

  “He wouldn’t. Each amulet is different and specific to one gate.” He pulled the coat closed across her chest, his knuckles brushing her breasts, threatening to get his motor revving again. His gaze dropped to her kiss-swollen lips and he wanted to scoop her up into his arms and devour them.

  She gazed down at the hem of the coat. It dragged on the wet grass and she grabbed the material near her hips and raised it.

  “We’ll have to get me one of my own.” She smiled up at him.

  He started to smile back at her.

  A coppery stench hit him, sending his gut swirling.

  Ares slowly turned to face the daemon, unsurprised to see it was Amaury standing on the path under the streetlights, brazenly holding his damn amulet.

  He took a step back and moved to shield Megan, partially blocking her from view as he stared the daemon down. “You know I can’t let you use that to open the gate.”

  Amaury’s hazel eyes slid to Megan and then back to him. “Move aside or your girlfriend is toast.”

  His free hand caught fire.

  Ares stood his ground, refusing to give in to his threats. He expected Megan to move behind him but she bravely remained standing in the same spot, half-exposed to Amaury.

  She looked down and Ares frowned.

  Was she staring at his backside?

  She couldn’t possibly be gawping at him at a time like this. A quiet beep reached his ears and he smiled inside, an arrow of pride hitting him in the heart as he realised she had just used his phone. That was his woman.

  Black smoke swirled beside him as Daimon appeared, the dark ribbons caressing the shoulders of his black coat, trailing over the spikes of his white hair and curling around his gloved hands.

  Amaury scowled at him and then threw his hand forwards, unleashing a blast of fire.

  Daimon easily countered it, creating a wall of ice in front of him and Ares with a casual sweep of his hand.

  The daemon shrieked, teleported right in front of Ares and all hell broke loose.

  “Protect Megan.” Ares threw himself at Amaury, tackling him to the ground.

  They rolled together, both throwing and landing wild punches, and then broke apart.

  Ares came up on his feet, ending up facing Megan and Daimon, Amaury between them. Megan’s beautiful face contorted into a vicious sneer and she drew the gun he had given her.

  “I can protect myself. You two focus on him.”

  When had his woman taken command of this situation?

  He attacked Amaury again and flicked Daimon a look that warned him not to obey her. This was his fight.

  “Are you going to help him or not?” Megan scowled at Daimon.

  “Not.” Daimon’s cold voice cut through the darkness. “I like my balls where they are.”

  “This does not fall under that dumb fuck with Ares and he fucks with you rule that you all follow.” Megan waved the gun in Daimon’s face.

  Amaury used Ares’s distraction against him, barrelling into his stomach and taking him down, landing on top of him. The blond male grinned at him and punched him hard, knocking his head to one side. He punched him again with his other hand, knocking it the other way, and Ares growled.

  Maybe a little help wouldn’t hurt.

  A loud crack broke the still night, echoing around the buildings.

  Ares cursed under his breath at the same time that Daimon cursed out loud and the daemon shrieked and teleported, leaving the powerful stench of his blood in the air around Ares.

  He should have put a silencer on the damn gun.

  Megan stood before him, both hands locked around the weapon, her eyes enormous. The gun shook wildly in her grip and Daimon took it from her and pocketed it.

  Ares scanned the darkness, trying to track Amaury. The daemon wasn’t going to give up now, not even when he was injured. He would still attempt to get the gate open with the amulet.

  “Where is he?” Daimon’s pale blue eyes searched for their prey.

 
Ares got to his feet and sniffed. The disgusting smell of daemon blood hit him hard but this time he grinned rather than grimaced.

  It didn’t matter if Amaury made a break for it now. He would easily be able to track him when he was bleeding so badly.

  A bright flash of light exploded off to Ares’s left and a blast of heat and cold swept over him.

  He rolled to his right, coming to his feet close to Megan and Daimon. His younger brother had his hand held out in front of him, his black leather glove coated in sparkling frost. Ares’s gaze snapped to the melting wall of ice just yards from where he had been standing and then thanked his brother with a glance.

  The ice shattered and fell to reveal Amaury on the other side, his lips twisted in a sneer and his eyes glowing around the edges, shining from the dark depths of his grey hood.

  Ares ran at him and he turned, sprinting away.

  Towards the gate.

  He gave chase, boots pounding the wet grass, and heard Daimon and Megan running to catch up. He didn’t want Megan near Amaury or the fight, but he needed Daimon as back up and he was damned if he was going to leave her unprotected.

  Amaury launched a round of small fireballs at him, peppering the air with them, and Ares focused and stepped, disappearing and reappearing in the tight gaps between them.

  Megan shrieked behind him.

  The sound cut off.

  His heart slammed to a halt against his chest and then kicked back into action when she appeared a few metres off to his right, closer to the gate.

  Daimon swept his eyes over her, evidently checking for damage.

  Ares growled, his mood degenerating as thoughts of her injured crawled through his skull. Such a brief trip with Daimon shouldn’t hurt her if she hadn’t touched his hands, but he couldn’t be sure.

  He glanced at her and she looked alright, but his mood didn’t improve.

  It only worsened.

  The sight of Daimon shielding her with his body, keeping her tucked close behind him, sent him off the deep end.

  Megan was his.

  A piercing flash of purple light burst in the darkness, blinding him for a second. When his vision came back, Amaury had halted and was facing him, a grin spreading his lips.