Divine Destiny- the Divine Chronicles Book 2

by JoAnna Grace

  That night, he carried Avery to their suite. She was exhausted and he could feel her energy seeping away. He deposited her onto her bed, kissed her forehead and turned to leave.

  “Stay with me,” she pleaded. “I’ll behave, I promise.” She crossed her heart and gave him a sexy smile.

  Ryse chuckled and shook his head. “Oh temptation, thy name is Avery.” But he could no more deny her than stop his heart from beating. They changed clothes and Avery cuddled up next to him in bed. “Good night, my love.” He sighed as he relaxed, his Princess tucked into his arms.

  “Night, bay-bee,” she said with yawn.

  The corner of his lips pulled back. By the gods, she was enchanting.

  Before he slept, he prayed to the gods, thanking them for the woman in his arms, her life and the life they would have together.

  AVERY STOOD IN the shower, letting the extremely hot water roll down her back. Her arms were stretched out as she leaned out the tiles. Gratitude had to be given to the person who designed this shower. It was an entire corner of the bathroom. The triangle of floor to ceiling tiles and showerheads had an unlimited supply of hot water and floral smelling shampoos.

  “Mind if I join you?” Ryse stepped into the shower, not waiting for her response.

  “I, um, guess not.” She turned her back to him, self-conscious of her nudity. Yes, he had seen her naked and she had seen him. But things were different now. Avery lathered up a sponge and wash herself to distract from the butterflies inhabiting her belly. Ryse seemed to be completely ignoring her as he washed his hair and cleaned himself. Only when she had to reach for the shampoo did she turn to see him shaving at the mirror built into one of the tile spaces. She met his eyes for a moment and thought about how she had awakened this morning.

  Sure that she was in a dream, Avery moaned at the feel of lips on her stomach. When she blinked her eyes open, she found Ryse lying between her legs. His hands were on her hips, his lips grazed her stomach and sides.

  She’d giggled and ran her hands through his hair. “Well good morning to you, too.” He nipped at her belly and tickled her.

  His brown eyes shifted up to hers. “Your shirt was pulled up and I couldn’t resist. Your skin is very—bitable.”

  Avery’s body coiled tight. The look in his eyes was anything but playful. Her breasts grew heavy and with every kiss she became more and more aroused. Ryse’s lips traveled north. He pushed her shirt up inch by inch until his fingers brushed the underside of her breasts. Under his touch her skin heated and tingled.

  She buried her hands into his hair and urged him up upward. He willingly came, pressing kisses to the lower curve. When his mouth closed over the taunt peak, Avery arched off the bed. The thrill pushed her further into his hot mouth. Ryse closed his hand over her other breast and sensation swamped her. The suckling on one side, kneading on the other, combined into pleasure she had never known.

  “Perfection,” Ryse whispered as he switched breasts.

  Avery felt his aura. It pulsed heavily with his need. His whole body was pulsing. As he merged their lips, his weight pressed her into the mattress. She cradled him between her hips and felt the extent of his desire. It was a shame that they couldn’t take it any farther; she wanted him with bone-deep desperation. And she could feel how badly he wanted her.

  “Ryse?” she panted, her whole body tingling from his touch. All she received was a grunt and his lips sucking on her neck. “Why are you torturin’ me?”

  His head popped up and his brows dipped down. “Torture?”

  “You said we can’t be together and yet you’re teasing me like this. It’s almost cruel.”

  “Well, I would never want you to think of me as cruel—or a tease, for that matter.” With a wicked grin on his face Ryse slipped down her body and nestled his shoulders between her thighs. Avery had never been driven so mad in all her life.

  As she stood in the shower and thought about what had happened next, her body heated up. Her cheeks flushed and she had to turn away from Ryse. She wasn’t familiar with all the gods, but when Ryse’s mouth was on her, she had cried out to them. It seemed silly to be shy now. But she was.

  “There are warm towels for you, my love.” Ryse kissed her shoulder before exiting the shower. Avery had to take a few minutes to get control after he left. The attraction she had for Ryse was all-consuming. It made it difficult to think of anything else.

  Pulling the towel around her, she stepped out of the shower to see Ryse slipping on a pair of pants over his boxer briefs. With his back turned, she saw a full view of his tattoo. The giant sword going down his spine was a work of art. It was instinct to reach out and touch it. With one finger, she began tracing the curves and symbols. The areas she touched glowed golden then faded. His skin sizzled under her finger. Ryse glanced over his shoulder.

  Avery felt his aura open more. The sensation of two invisible hands on her shoulders made her gasp. Kneading her in the lightest way, they massaged down her back. The heat of his aura made her body melt into his. She laid her face against his strong back; her head fit right beneath his shoulder blades, a place that had been molded for her. She wrapped her arms around him, placing her palms on his chest. He took in a sharp breath. A smile stretched across her face and she kissed his back in several places.

  “Your kiss is a brand on my skin,” he said softly as he laced his hands over hers.

  “As long as it’s markin’ you as mine.” Avery kissed him once more and pressed her face to his back. “Nikki told me about your tattoo. It’s pretty amazing that Ares drew it himself. Will you mark me when I’m yours?”

  Ryse turned and took her by the hand. Together they sat on the chaise lounge in the bathroom. Ryse pulled her on top his lap, her legs on either side of him; her towel stretched and pushed up to her thighs. The towel was the only barrier between her and complete nudity as she sat on his lap. Ryse liked her in this position. She would remember that.

  “I would mark you today if I knew without a doubt you had made up your mind about me. But there are still questions in your eyes.” He pushed back a damp curl from her face. “I will wait until all uncertainty has left.”

  “I’m not that uncertain.” Avery blushed. To prove her point, she bent to brush her lips over his. What was meant to be a simple kiss soon became two mouths tangling together. Before it went too far, Avery turned her head so that Ryse’s lips moved to her chin. “How exactly does this mating thing work? How do you mark me?”

  “Inside and out.” He pressed a kiss to her collarbone. Holy Crap! “First you are branded with my mark.”

  “As in cattle brand?” She was appalled.

  Ryse laughed against the skin of her neck. She shivered. “No, it is a tattoo—a smaller version of mine. My Elites and Generals have theirs on their right shoulders.”

  “So I’ll have a tattoo on my shoulder?”

  Ryse peeked up at her from under those thick black lashes. “No. I think yours will be right,” he said as his finger skimmed the upper rim of her towel along her chest before pulling the towel down and nearly exposing her left breast, “here.” Ryse kissed the spot over her heart.

  Dizziness came over her as she tried to catch her breath and slow her erratic heartbeat. Her eyes nearly rolled back in her head at the feel of his lips on her. “Th—then what?” she stuttered.

  Ryse fisted his hands in her hair and pulled her lips down to meet his, burying his tongue into her mouth. When he pulled away, they were breathing hard, hearts racing, and hormones raging out of control. “Damn.” Slowly her eyes blinked open. “Will it always be like this? So intense?”

  He smiled up at her. “Yes.” He kissed her again, tasting her lips a final time. “It’s like this with mates. Nothing can compare.”

  Avery wondered how much of the attraction was organic and how much of it was simply a spell woven into her blood by the gods. She didn’t want to dissect that just yet. It was perfectly fine to be under a spell if it meant she and Ryse would have
this magnetism forever.

  But one thing did bug her. “Do you have to use the term mating? Every time you say it I think about those wildlife documentary shows I used to watch on television. They are usually talking about lions or warthogs or something equally barbaric.”

  Ryse’s laughter filled the bathroom. It was such a lovely sound. “I can definitely be animalistic with you, my love.”

  Avery gave a nervous giggle. “Well there has to be about a hundred different terms for mate.” She made air quotes. “Spouse, companion, better half, consort. Hell, I’d even answer to being your old lady. But mate rubs me wrong.”

  “What about lover?” Ryse touched her cheek. Avery hid her blushing face. The way he said the word turned her inside out. “Get dressed, my lover. Today you shall see what I do. We’ll see what you think of me after that.”

  AVERY WAS READY quickly. Nikki had come to help her get dressed and braid her hair. Of course, with Nikki, nothing was simple. The braid on her head was intricate and beautiful and had a couple flowers laced through it. “What are we doing today?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Today the Master intends on you getting acquainted with his Thracian side.” Nikki’s eyes did not meet hers in the mirror.

  “Ah, hell.” Avery fretted all the way to car. “Where are we going?”

  “To the Thracian Training Center, my dear sister.” Avery turned to see Prince Hayden walking out of the castle behind them. He was casually dressed in jeans and a hoodie, his shoulder length black hair blowing in the wind.

  Sister. The thought made her stagger in her steps. Family. If she married Ryse, Avery would have a family. Hayden put his arm around her shoulders in an act of familiarity. “You don’t have a weak constitution, do you?”

  “What do you mean?” She slid in the car. He simply grinned. “Hayden?”

  The car dropped them off in front of a collegiate brick building four stories tall. A dark-headed man as wide as a barn door guarded the front entrance. He wore the standard black of Thracian guards. The only difference was above his left breast—the insignia of Ryse’s men: the sword of Ares.

  “I am Platon.” He bowed deeply. “The Master requested you join the men in the contest pit at the rear of the campus,” he bellowed in a baritone voice. “I will escort you through.”

  Hayden nodded and the three of them followed the guard. Avery questioned the need of an escort. She was quickly informed that most of these men were un-bound warriors in training. “Which means?”

  “Which means they are all looking for a hot Deity chick to bind themselves to. And you fit the ticket, sister.” Hayden put his arm protectively around her waist. Nikki walked closely behind them. “The Thracians come here to train. Upon graduation, they are assigned to the general armies since all the royal families have guardians. You, however, are fresh meat and of the finest cut, no less.”

  “If I may,” Platon asked. Hayden nodded. “It is the highest honor to be selected by Master Ryse to stay here and work at the center in any capacity. To be bound to the Master’s mate is of equal honor. There are over nine hundred men here right now that would fight for that position. Some would even beg.” He turned and continued walking.

  “Oh.” Avery felt the need to crawl into a hole and hide. She looked at Nikki and whispered, “That minor detail wasn’t in the book.”

  “Most Thracian Masters never take a mate, milady,” Platon called over his shoulder. “Since Master Ryse is also a Deity, he did. You are the first. The men who serve you will go down in history.” He walked them into the dormitories where the whispers and stares immediately began. Avery gazed around at the men who were doing anything from playing video games to writing and reading to talking and eating. It mirrored any all-male college campus in the human world. Except these males had very large muscles and intense eyes that followed her every movement as she walked through their common area. All of them were typical Thracians: taller than average, broad shouldered, and intimidating as hell.

  The four of them exited the dorms to a training area. The expansive space contained a climbing wall, tires laid out in a grid on the ground, a muddy area covered with wires that the soldiers had to belly crawl under. There was an obstacle course and a rope climbing course the men were to climb. It was similar to the police training that Frank had mentioned to her years ago.

  They entered another building that replicated the first. This one obviously housed the classes. Instead of food and video games, these men carried books and laptops.

  Avery couldn’t help but be aware of all the Thracian soldiers following in her wake. Men stopped what they were doing to join the procession. The term circus freak popped into her head and she cringed internally. Externally, she tried to remain as composed and confident as the Prince walking next to her. Even with Platon leading, Hayden holding on, and Nikki following, she felt exposed. The faces of the men were a blur. There wasn’t enough time as they crossed the expanse of the common area to focus on anyone in particular—except for the one Thracian who was given as wide a berth as they were. Avery spared a glance in his direction before her feet were planted and Nikki nearly ran into her back.

  The Thracian was standing away from those gathered to observe. He was only an inch taller than the others, but it was enough to make him stand out. He had blond hair past his shoulders, half of it tied back from his face. That face could have stopped traffic in the middle of NYC. It was flawless, so smooth it was unreal. With pouty lips and a boxed jaw, this man was worth a second look. As beautiful as his face was, it was his eyes that caught her attention. They were the color of a sandy beach—odd eyes that met hers for a short second before turning downward. He angled his face away as if hiding those unique eyes.

  “What is it?” Hayden gently tugged her forward, but the instinct to go to this man, talk to him, was too great for Avery to ignore.

  “I have to—hell, I don’t know.” She frowned at Hayden. “I need to talk to him.” Avery pointed at the soldier and to her great astonishment his face went from tan to white to red.

  Hayden gave her a confused glance before he nodded and waved the soldier over. Avery nearly laughed when he turned around trying to see who the Prince was summoning. Surprise lit his face when the crowd moved away as Avery approached. He bowed his head and went to one knee.

  “Princess?” He swallowed hard.

  “Stand up. Please.” The soldier obeyed with haste. “I’m not comfortable with the kneeling thing yet. Heck, I’m not too comfortable with the Princess thing yet, but I’m workin’ on it.” She laughed nervously and the soldier smiled. He had a kind face that made her instantly comfortable in his presence. “You have really unique eyes.”

  He looked away again. “Yes, milady.”

  “Why do you hide them? Dyna has unique eyes and she doesn’t hide her face.”

  The young soldier popped his gaze up, then down again.

  Avery tried to hide her smile. “What’s your name?”

  “Dante, at your command, milady.”

  “I’m Avery.” She stuck her hand out to shake. All the Thracians around them took in a collective breath as Dante slid his hand into hers. There was something that made his peers nervous—or jealous, if the stares and shocked expressions they received were any indication. Hayden had a single brow raised as he and Nikki watched the reactions of the Thracians.

  Avery leaned in and whispered, “You draw as much attention as I do.”

  Dante chuckled with her. “You shouldn’t be touching me,” he whispered back in the same conspiratorial tone.

  Avery rolled her eyes. She assumed Ryse had everyone afraid of offending her in the slightest. “Yes, I know. But where I come from it’s just good manners to shake someone’s hand upon introductions.”

  “As it is in my country.”

  “Where is that?”

  “I grew up in a Haven South of Rome, milady.” This didn’t surprise Avery. Nikki had explained that all Olympians who didn’t or couldn’t assimilate into
the human world remained in the Haven’s. With his eyes and unearthly good looks, Dante would fit in perfectly with her at the freak show.

  Hayden stepped up. “Not to interrupt, but we do have somewhere to be, sister.”

  Avery nodded, but kept her eyes on Dante. Her gut was telling her there was a reason those sandy eyes caught her attention. There was no rational explanation. She wasn’t sexually attracted to him. Dante intrigued her in a new and unfamiliar way. It felt wrong to simply turn and walk off.

  As if he saw the indecision in her face, Hayden made the verdict for her. “Dante, is it?”

  “Yes, my Prince.”

  “Hand your things to someone who can put them safely away. You will come with us.”

  Dante’s eyes touched on a few Thracians before he found a willing pair of hands. Avery noticed the fellow student took his books as if they carried a hex. Nonetheless, the soldier scurried off after Dante nodded in thanks.

  “Okay then.” Avery tried to break the awkward silence that followed. “Let’s go see what’s goin’ on.”

  Hayden pulled Avery back to his side and Dante fell in step with Nikki. Platon gave the new member of their entourage a curt nod before leading on.

  “Have a liking for the brute?” Hayden whispered, wiggling his brows.

  Avery elbowed him. “I’m following a gut reaction. Ask me when I figure all this Olympian crap out.”

  Hayden laughed out loud and patted her arm. “Gut instincts are usually the gods’ way of nudging you in the right direction.”

  When they exited the building, the sounds of many men gathered in one place filled the air. Even louder was the whistle their escort let out. It got all the attention of the men standing around. When they turned, the chatter stopped.

  “Make way!” Platon yelled to the mob. The throng parted, letting their entourage pass by. Avery tried to remember that this was a much different world that the one she was used to. Here, she was a Princess, royalty. As she walked through the crowd and into a large circular area, she kept that in mind. There was an instant when she felt as though she had stepped back in time. “There is a Roman soldier at my back and I just stepped into the mini-Coliseum. This is kinda freaky,” she whispered to Hayden.