by Debbie Long
Copyright © 2020 by Debbie Long
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of a brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Book cover created by Debbie Long (Images fantasy covers)
Edited by Debbie Long, Andy Blake
This book is dedicated to my beautiful aunt Julie Dear
You will always be my light, In the dark
Other books by Debbie Long
Sacrifice book 1 (guardian series)
Coming soon
Betrayal book 2
Hidden Fae Queen book 1 (Elemental Academy series)
Coming soon
Hidden World book 2
Lost Fae Princess book 1 (Queens of the Fae series)
Dark Fae Princess book 2 (Queens of the Fae series)
Lost Wolf Alpha book 3 (Queens of Fae series)
Queens of the Fae book 4 (Queens of Fae series)
Pixie (Pixie Hollow Academy)
Coming soon
Ava (Pixie Hollow Academy
Kings of Silverlake Prep
Oueen of Silverlake Prep (coming soon)
Chapter one
Morgan
As I stand here in front of these gods looking down at us with scorn and hatred, and Zeus gazing around with an amused expression, it makes me want to hit them. My hair whips around me as my magic glares to life. The women look at me like I am something they want to chew up, spit out and stamp on for good measure. So, I reign it back in, breathing deeply and look back at the asshole who is sat centre stage on his big old throne like a golden turd.
Fuck I hate these people. Sorry correction, gods.
“These Fae have been running amuck and causing havoc while we have been locked away like animals.” Spits Aphrodite. She gives us a look of contempt like it was our fault she was locked away instead of one of their own.
“Yes, quite.” Booms Zeus as he sits there, rubbing his beard that is as white as snow. “But is it these girl’s fault that their kind has been running wild?”
“Of course, it is. We need to eradicate them. They are a disease that we should never have created.” She cries.
Fuck my life, she is a dramatic bitch.
I roll my eyes, gazing up at the heaven as Clarissa huffs out an irritated breath and Violet giggles at my face. I hide my smirk.
“Do you find something funny blessed child of Hera?” Zeus muses.
“I just think that you are all sat there, thinking you are better than us when we have been fighting for our own lives for the last few months. For most of our lives actually, by one of your own, for you to think you are superior to us.” Violet answers.
“You see.” Thunders Aphrodite. “They have no respect for us.” She sneers down at us, and it ruins her pretty face, making her look evil, unlike the pictures of her elegant beauty.
“Why would we respect someone that we didn’t know existed?” I ask. “Why would we respect someone that is sat there saying they want to erase all fae kind that we are a part of.”
“Because they have caused destruction.” She screams. I think being confined has made her lose her goddamn mind.
“Calm yourself, sister.” Zeus scorns. They are all looking at her in shock as she gazes back at them, an unhinged look in her eyes. “Now, we have the matter of your kind little ones. They have indeed caused great destruction, and I will give you a chance to save them if you will.” He looks to his brother, the one sat there with a trident and looking far too gleeful for my taste.
Fuck, what do they have planned?
“And what would that be?” Clarissa asks.
Zeus shares another look with his brother, and I sigh loudly and tut at their stupid communication they seem to be having.
“You will play in the games.” Those around him gasp.
The one called Hera and Hecate actually pale.
“You can’t be serious Zeus. You are sending them to their deaths.” Hecate exclaims, clutching her hand over her heart.
“I am serious, and if they are these powerful queens, then a few games will be easy for them.” He replies.
“You know that is not true. They will perish in there against the demi-gods. How will they survive such brutal games?”
“If they can defeat Zegareus, they can compete in the games. If they make it to the end alive, they will save the fae kind and be the queens they were born to be.” Zeus gazes down at us, his blue eyes piercing into my own. They linger on me and my back twitches. I roll my shoulders to rid myself of the itch between my shoulder blades. “Will you accept that challenge?” I swear they all lean forward.
“What are the games?” I ask.
“Does it matter?” Aphrodite grips.
“Yes, it matters. I want to know what I am getting myself into, and if I want to risk my sister’s lives.”
“You don’t care about your own?” Hecate asks me.
“Yes, I do, but I care about their’s more.” I reply. “I want to know what these games consist of and what we have to do.”
“Very well.” Zeus booms. “The games only happen every hundred years. It is to rid the world of the weak and for the strong to protect the earth and other worlds. You will be tested. You will be fought, and you will have to prove your worth. There are others that you will be fighting against. You will be put into teams of three that will be put through their paces and set trials and tasks that you must complete to pass that level. There are five levels, and everyone gets harder. To win, you must reach the fifth level first. If you win, you win the lives of all fae, including your own.” I look into those blue eyes that flash silver. He smiles, showing all pearly white teeth, but he looks like a shark waiting for its next meal than a god that is meant to protect all.
“We accept.” Violet says.
I gasp as my wrist burns, and a mark of a lightning bolt burns into my skin. I give Violet a stern look. Clarissa looks like she wants to punch her and to be honest, so do I.
“It is done. You will compete in the games. You have one month to train, and in that time, you will not see your mates. You will train with us all so we can see your strengths and weaknesses.” I see the gleam in his eyes.
I stare back, unyielding. Bring it on.
Cole
One of those assholes came in to tell us our girls were taking part in some god games. We made him explain, and to our horror, they could die in there.
We haven’t seen since we got here and won’t until the games are over and they either come out alive or dead. We have asked to see them before they go into that arena but was told no that they needed to focus.
We saw who they were up against and horrified isn’t the word I would use. One guy is massive, like a mountain. He even rivals Marcus in height and size, and that’s saying something. The girls are just as fierce and look scary as fuck. I don’t think I have been so scared in all my life, but I fear for Morgan and her sister’s.
I look over my shoulder at the other men who are transfixed on the TV. We have noticed an increase in crime on Earth. America's rate has been baffling us, and we could help if only they sent us back, but they have said we are to stay here.
“You know, have you noticed that petty crime is stupid? People are looting, destroying cars and destroying houses. It doesn’t make any sense.” I say to the rest.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Ash replies, scratching his new buzz cut. I think Violet will hate it. I chuckle under my breath at her temper and how scared they are of her.
“We need t
o get back to earth somehow. I saw a ripple in the forest, but the god that allowed me to walk through there steered me away. I think that is how we can go back home.” I say to them.
“Problem is, this place is being watched, we are being watched.” Trey replies from where he is stood. He looks out the window with a frown.
“Then, we work out a plan.” Grumbles River. He especially feels irritable. They refuse to let his beast free. He is a big guy, but in his bear form, he is even bigger.
I rub my eyes, fed up with staring at the stark white walls and decor of this place. The only colour is the slash of gold on the pillars and furniture. I feel like I am in a temple, a far to clean temple at that.
“Maybe we can create a distraction so some of us can escape this place.” Beth says to me. “There are thirteen of us. We can get some of us out. One from each fae realm.”
“Yeah, then you can get word to our people that their queens are being put through these trials and be prepared for an attack from the gods if they fail.” Jade replies. “not that they will,” she says in a hurry. “But we have to be prepared for anything that might happen.”
“Your right.” I rub my face, thinking it over. “I just want to know what they gain from this, putting our girls through these trials that have nothing to do with them or our traditions.”
“Well, that’s easy to answer.” A voice says behind us.
We all turn, startled that someone may have heard what we have just said, and our plan is out the window before we have a chance to enact it.
“What the hell are you doing here, Hercules?” I bark. I try not to snigger like the rest, but the guy is a pompous ass. He isn’t like the rest of the gods; he doesn’t glow that golden colour when they are near. He just looks normal, apart from the clothes he is wearing that is. Think Greek, white sheets like clothing wrapped around his waist with a golden belt and a lightning bolt showing who is parents are, and his broad chest bare for all to see.
“I just came to inform you that your female has started her training and tomorrow I get to put them through their paces. I do wonder if they will come back to you after I have had my way with them? Because let’s face it, I always get what I want and who I want.” His cocky behaviour has the shifters growling. Even my inner beast doesn’t like this guy, and a deep throaty growl comes from me.
“Leave now.” Is all I say.
His smile stays in place as he moves away. His laughter echoes through the walls making me clench my teeth.
“Let’s get started then.” I say to the others who nod their agreement.
Don’t worry girls, we will not leave you alone in this place.
Chapter two
Violet
I hate the way we are being stared at like we are some sort of disgusting animals. My beasts want to escape, and my skin is itching to let them escape for a while, but we have been told we can’t go exploring and our room is far too small to let them out a bit. Even Clarissa is going stir crazy, and her hellhound wants to come out also. I often wake in the night to see her half shifted. Her hands replaced by claws, her nose billowing smoke.
We promised that we would escape to roam the grounds in our forms one day. I would love to see what she looks like.
We are heading to our first training with Poseidon, nothing like easing us in gently with the god of the sea. When we enter the room, he stands looking bored as we enter. What an ass.
“You’re late.” He barks.
“We are not, we are right on time.” I shoot back.
“You know, you should have more respect for your superiors.” His eyes flash like a thundering sea. But he doesn’t scare me, none of them do.
“I will show you respect when you and your people show it to us.” I swear I see a smirk. “We know we are here for your own personal fun and games. We didn’t ask to be dragged here and threatened when we have done nothing wrong.”
“You are right, but we also don’t care.” He flicks his fingers, and a wave of water comes over the balcony. It hits me square in the chest, knocking me back into the wall, where I slide down and gasp for breath. “Now, I have the unpleasantness of training you first, and I don’t think you will be a match for me. Why you have been bestowed the gifts of the gods is beyond me, but things work in the oddest ways.”
Morgan sees his move coming and knock the water out the way with a flick of her delicate wrist. His smirk drops and he advances again. He creates a spear of ice, aiming it right at her. Again, she counters his move with one of her own and turns it back on him. She twists her body to the side, grabbing the spear in her hand and throwing it back at him, using her air element to enforce the speed. He moves just in time and this time he aims at Clarissa. I use the earth to knock her to the ground. She falls with a hiss, and the water whooshes over her head. She stands, locking her gaze on the god and he goes still as a statue. She beckons him with her finger, he calmly walks to her.
Morgan then uses her vines, gathering them from the earth below to bind his hands and legs. Clarissa lets his mind go, and we all look down at him in triumph. He glares up at us, pure hatred in his eyes that flash a silver.
“Don’t underestimate us. We have trained with the best, and you are no match for us.” I sneer at his cold look, but I also see respect though he is quick to lock that down.
We leave the hall, heading to our next challenge of the day; Ares, the god of war.
“That was quick,” Morgan says to me.
“He was too cocky and thought a bunch of eighteen-year-old girls was easy to take down. They don’t know who we are or what our powers and magic can truly do. That will be their biggest mistake, and I bet he has already told them what we can do.”
“They’re all too cocky.” Clarissa states. Her wings are outstretched, and she rolls her shoulders with a sigh. “I do wonder why you two don’t have wings like daddy dearest. Do you feel an itch between your shoulder blades?” She waits for an answer.
“I do, but I just put that down to my dragon wanting to come out.” Morgan answers.
“Yeah, same.” I say, and just as I say it, my back itches. “Maybe we do, they just haven’t emerged yet.”
“But why? How did yours come out?” Morgan asks.
“I can’t quite remember. I think I was upset and was told to hide them and my magic because in the below world you don’t have blue magic or multiple demons.”
“Let’s not dwell on it. We have more important things to do than worry about wings. I mean, it’s not like we don’t have awesome powers anyway. Do we really need more?” I say as we reach the door to the other training room.
“Your right,” Morgan replies. “Let’s go in.” She sighs, then pushes the doors open to see Ares standing there in full battle armour and a sword in his hand.
I snicker into my hand. When he looks my way sharply, I cover it with a cough. He doesn’t smile or greet us. He just points to the weapons. We walk towards them. I go to grab one but pause. The steel sword, with a gold hilt, doesn’t feel right. I only went towards it because it looks pretty badass.
I walk away from it, feeling Ares’s gaze on my back. Ignoring him, I walk down the line of the weapons against the wall. I stop when a dagger catches my eye, the little blade has an inscription down the silver metal. The hilt has a purple colour to it and purple flowers. I grip the hilt, gasping as it hums in my hand. When I get a closer look, I see paw prints the same as my tattoo.
I look up in wonder at my sister who has the same look. They too have a weapon in their hands, Clarissa a heavy-looking sword, but she holds it as if it weighs nothing. Hers also has the symbols of her tattoo. Morgan is holding a thinner sword, with vines entwined around the blade.
We all turn to look at Ares, who is watching us with rapt interest. He quirks an eyebrow. All we can do is stand and stare at him, waiting for some sort of instructions. He just stares back at us, trying to work us out.
He moves towards the door, stopping to look back at us. “Wait here.” is all h
e says before striding away in a clink of his golden armour.
We watch him go with a frown.
“Guys. Is anyone else’s weapon humming in their hand?” Clarissa murmurs.
“Yeah, mine is. It’s odd, I feel like it is a part of me.” I mutter, looking at the dagger in my hand. I look at theirs wondering why I received the dagger and they swords. Just as the thought pops into my head, the dagger shifts in my hand and elongates to a thin sword. I gape at it and then at my sister's, “did you see that?” I gasp out.
“Yeah, that was pretty cool.” Morgan has a strange look on her face.
