Ashes of War (Sons of War)

by Lia Davis

  “Have you seen my fan brush?”

  “Your what?”

  She fisted her hands. “Fan brush. It’s a paint brush shaped like a handheld fan.”

  He stepped to the curtain, which divided their areas and flung it open, then stormed over to the workbench and pointed to the wall. “I organized them by size. I don’t understand how you can find anything in all this mess.”

  The muscle in her jaw flexed. “It’s my mess and I know exactly where everything is.”

  She pushed past him and yanked the brush from the hook and slammed it to the table next to a painting he hadn’t noticed until just then. His heart stopped briefly and all he could do was stare at the images on the canvas. “You dreamt this?”

  Her shoulders dropped. “Two nights ago.”

  He faced her and an ache formed in his chest. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was twisted in a messy bun on top of her head. Reaching out, he brushed a finger across her cheek. She jerked away from the touch, which only made him advance and grab her into a tight hug. “You haven’t slept since then?”

  She pressed her paint-stained hands to his chest. His skin under his black, cotton shirt burned from the touch. After a moment she relaxed into him. “No. I felt his pain. I’ve never done that before.”

  Zavier picked her up and carried her to the sofa on his side of the room. Sitting, he cradled her against his chest and stared at the painting. She’d captured Ty towered over a dead female inside some kind of lab or torture room—Zavier couldn’t tell which due to the lack of details in the background of the image. He had a hunch that once it was finished, it’d resemble the room where he’d found Ty. Standing in front of Ty, Garrick held a large dagger that looked identical to the one Hades guarded in the Underworld. The dagger was supposed to be a one of a kind and the only thing that could kill an immortal dragon or a god.

  Pulling out his cell from his pocket, he snapped a picture and texted it to Ty and Markus.

  ****

  Ty stared at the phone screen, frozen in place. Anger mixed with confusion as he studied the painting. No one but Zavier knew the details of his captivity and Z didn’t know much beyond what he’d walked into.

  Yet, here it was, a moment in time ripped out of the day Z found him—only it wasn’t like he remembered. He didn’t recall Garrick being there or possessing the divine dagger. The more he stared at the photo, the more familiar the scene became. A dull ache formed in the middle of his forehead, then images flashed through his mind.

  His vision blurred as he scanned the room. Too clean. Everything was too clean and smelled of beach and something else he couldn’t place. A shuffle of feet against concrete sounded from behind him, but he couldn’t turn to see who it was.

  “Hello?” His voice sounded hoarse and his throat ached from screaming during the last torture session. He shuddered at the memory. They’d bound his legs and arms with magically enhanced chains he couldn’t break and something dripped down on his face. Drop by slow, agonizing drop, the mystery fluid hit his eye, burning and eating away at his skin.

  “Don’t speak. They will hear you.” The male voice came from behind him.

  “Who are you?” he asked in a lower tone.

  “One of your brothers. Tyson, it’s Nik…”

  The male’s voice cut off the instant the door opened. A moment later Elizabeth’s face filled Ty’s vision. She grinned as she took the time to appreciate her handiwork on his face.

  Ty dropped his phone and clenched his head as sharp pain sliced through his skull. He stumbled backward. Rage filled his veins and his dragon roared in his mind, making the headache intensify.

  Cool feminine fingers wrapped around his forearm and he shot out one hand, grabbing her by the throat and twisting to slam her back against the wall. A fierce growl erupted from him, shaking the house.

  A male spoke from a few feet behind him. “Ty, what the hell is wrong with you?”

  Cyrus? Why is the griffin here? Confusion moved into his already clouded mind. Shaking his head, he focused on the female he trapped against the wall. Emerald eyes set into a rounded, creamy-toned face stared back at him.

  “What trick is this?” he growled.

  “No trick. It’s Ashlynn, remember?” She removed her hand from his arm and placed her palm against his heart. “Feel me? I’m here. You’re here. We’re safe.”

  Footsteps behind him shuffled to the door, making him jerk his head toward them. Ashlynn’s hand touched his cheek and she continued to speak in soft soothing tones. “Let them go and focus on me.”

  He returned his gaze to hers and frowned. “Ash?”

  She smiled. “Are you back?”

  Yes, no…where in Hades did he go? Unsure if any of it was real, he glanced over his shoulder in time to see Cyrus usher a protesting Amissa out the door. Then he met Ash’s gaze and watched how the deep emerald green seemed to lighten, then darkened as he traced her bottom lip with his thumb. Her cheek blushed as her skin heated. He dipped his head and brushed his lips across hers.

  A jolt of familiar, sensual energy rushed through him and straight to his cock. He flattened his body to Ashlynn’s and deepened the kiss. Her tongue thrust inside his mouth, tangling with his. He released her throat and roamed her body with his hand, needing to feel her. When he didn’t find bare skin, he ripped her clothes from her in one swift motion.

  Breaking the kiss, he lifted his head to gaze into her eyes. “I’m back, goddess.”

  She smiled and nipped at his bottom lip. “Good. Now fuck me.”

  He should walk away. Leave the female alone. They couldn’t be trusted. Yet, he couldn’t make his feet move, or make his hands stop roaming over her clothed body, seeking bare skin.

  Ashlynn was a drug to him and his dragon. They couldn’t get enough of her.

  He lifted her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Against his better judgment, he was going to savor every moment. Laying her down on the bed, he hovered over her, studying her. She was beautiful. Her long red hair fanned out over the white comforter. “What is it about you?”

  She pressed a finger to his lips. “Stop thinking. Take what you need.”

  The fire in her green eyes dimmed slightly, inviting compassion and a promising passion. Yet so had Elizabeth’s gaze, he recalled, the night he saw her at the bar. The same night she lured him to Garrick and his torture began.

  Pain shot through his skull. He gripped his head with both hands and rolled to his back. Ashlynn’s cool fingers brushed across his skin as she began to message his scalp. Instantly, the headache eased. “How do you do that?”

  Continuing to rub circles on his head and temples, she shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

  Her scent said she lied, but somehow it didn’t bother him. In fact, he feared he already knew the answer. Neither of them were ready to admit it. The feelings and the draw toward her were similar to what he’d felt with Elizabeth. Only with Ashlynn the pull was stronger, the desire more intense. “Ashlynn?”

  “Call me Ash, please.”

  “Ash.” He liked the sound of her name.

  She sighed and pushed off the bed and moved toward the door, then turned. “We need to call a meeting with your brothers. We have six days to figure this shit out.”

  He stilled and scowled. “Six days?”

  “Eros has moved up your judgment.”

  Rising from the bed he stalked to her, hands fisted and irritation building. “When were you going to tell me?”

  She placed a hand on his chest and pushed. “Don’t go dragon on me. I was going to at my townhouse before we were interrupted, then Amissa and Cyrus came by. It slipped my mind.”

  He should call her out on the oversight, but he couldn’t. Shit just seemed to be coming at them ninety miles a second. “Fuck.”

  “Yep.” She pivoted and left him standing in the doorway, watching her ass as she stormed down the hallway.

  Fuck.

  Chapter Six

  Garr
ick entered his office at the east coast headquarters of the Imperial Order and froze at the sight of Eros gazing out the window. Without turning, the god of desire spoke in a deep raspy tone. “It’s a great view of the ocean you have.”

  “What do you want?” Garrick growled.

  Eros chuckled and glanced over his shoulder, dark blue eyes boring into him. “I have some information about your brother, Tyson. I think you’ll find it very interesting.”

  The hairs on the back of Garrick’s neck rose and he scented the air, taking in the aromas of the room. The one smell he expected wasn’t there. Eros was telling the truth, or what the god of desire believed to be the truth. “Say what you came here for and leave. I’m busy.”

  Eros chuckled as he sat in Garrick’s office chair. “Sophia’s child is alive.”

  Garrick’s heart stopped for a brief moment. His dragon growled and nudged him to ask where she was so they could bring her home. “Where is she?”

  The god smiled. “I do not know.”

  Garrick fisted his hands. “Why are you wasting my time?”

  Holding up a hand, Eros rolled his eyes. “The woman is not your daughter, as Sophia wanted you to believe.”

  Enough with the riddle crap. “Eros, I’m out of patience.”

  “She is Tyson’s daughter. It seems she played both of you.”

  Fiery rage filled him. The child was his. “You lie.”

  The god raised a brow. “You need to tread lightly before you accuse a god. There are very few of us who give a shit about the Sons of War.”

  Screw that. He’d be damned if Ty would take another thing from him. However, Garrick wasn’t stupid. He could play nice until he got what he wanted. “How do you know for sure?”

  “I overheard your brother tell Ashlynn. Because he refused to join a triad with you and Sophia, the storm daemon tricked him into getting her pregnant before she went to you to complete the bond.”

  Not possible. He’d have known, wouldn’t he? Ty would had told him. Or not. Yet another betrayal from his brothers. “I don’t believe Ty’s side of the story. He was jealous of my mating. They all were.”

  “One way to get back at Tyson would be to take his daughter or his mate.”

  Casting a narrow-eyed glare at Eros, Garrick asked, “What’s in it for you?”

  A wickedly evil grin formed on the god’s face. “Revenge for the death of my Elizabeth.”

  ****

  Ty paced the living room of his beach house while his brothers watched via Skype. Ash sat on the sofa waiting for someone to say something. Moments ago, he’d told Markus, Seth, and Drake about his captivity and lack of memory. Oh, and the real reason why Ash was with him.

  After a long, painful silence, Markus spoke. “Gwen and I will search for a weaver. In the meantime, you need to try to remember what happened. Even the smallest clues can be helpful.”

  Nodding, Ty stopped pacing and rubbed his eyes under the shades. “I’ll try.”

  The name Nik kept turning around in his mind and for the life of him he couldn’t remember ever knowing anyone by the name. At least he hadn’t remembered coming in contact with a Nik in the five centuries he’d been on earth.

  Then there was Ash. The female captivated his dragon. The damn beast paced under his skin, wanting to feel her soft, creamy skin. To drown in her strawberry scent.

  Giving the female his back as well as the others in the room with him, he met Markus’s heavy stare in the monitor and snarled. Of course his brother watched him. Markus was more like Ares than the rest of them, meaning the male always watched, listened, and plotted their next move.

  “Six days. I should just have Ash take me now, but the female is too damn stubborn. Do you know anyone by the name of Nik?”

  Markus raked a hand through his hair. “I agree with Ash. You will remain with us for as long as we have. We will find the proof. As far as Nik…I’m not sure. We do have a brother named Nikolas. However, the last I heard, he moved around too much for Ares to keep track of him.”

  Ty stilled, his mind racing through possibilities. When they were created, there were thousands of warriors who’d fought in the war between the gods and their earth-bound children. All but about a dozen of them died, only six stayed in Olympus.

  He never bothered to get to know any except Markus and Seth. For some reason Ty felt a deeper connection with them, like he was meant to stay with them. Now it all made sense. He was meant to serve a purpose in protecting not only earth, but Olympus as well.

  “Do you think it’s possible he is being held by Garrick?” Why else would he be in the same room as Ty during his torture?

  Markus sat back in his chair, brows drawn together as if in deep in thought. “It is possible. It’s also possible he’s there by choice.”

  Great. That’s all they needed, two Sons of War working together. “Like he is on Garrick’s side? No, that doesn’t fit my flashback. The male who tried to talk to me was locked in a cage.”

  Ash stepped forward. “Are you sure?”

  Ty shrugged. “Maybe sixty-five percent? The voice came from behind me.” The dull ache returned in his temples as he tried to remember. Shoving the pain away, he focused until what he searched for surfaced. Then everything faded. It was like the spell Garrick placed on him didn’t allow anything else to be revealed. “I heard chains as he spoke.”

  Ash paced the floor. “Garrick moved his prisoners around periodically. The locations were something he never shared with me. At the time, I didn’t press or nose around because I didn’t think he’d actually capture a dragon and be able to hold him.”

  Ty grunted and folded his arms as he leaned against the wall. “We know better now.”

  With a quick jerk of her head, she glared at him with narrowed eyes. Just as quick, her lips dipped into a frown and she averted her gaze. “I should have stayed longer, learned more about his operations.”

  Without another word, she stormed out the front door. Ty pushed off the wall to follow her, but Markus cleared his throat. “You need to reconsider coming home. Together we can figure this shit out.”

  Instead of answering his brother, Ty shut off the computer and chased down his female.

  He found her sitting in the sand several feet from the beach house, her back to him. When he reached her, he sat down beside her. “The past can’t be changed. All we can do is move forward.”

  “I was sent to build a case, to find out the truth about Elizabeth’s death. I got nothing from Garrick but anger, jealousy, and hatred. It was draining to be around. I should have been stronger.” The sickly, sour scent of her anger drifted around him.

  “You’re not mad at yourself, so stop acting like it. Point the anger at the right person.”

  Her lips pressed together in a thin line as she studied him for a long moment. Finally, she spoke. “And who you are pissed off at?”

  He shrugged, stretched his legs out and leaned back on his elbows. “Garrick, Sophia, Elizabeth…myself.”

  “Hypocrite.”

  He laughed while his dragon growled. “Ditto.”

  A small smile lifted the corners of her lips as she turned to gaze out over the ocean. They sat in silence for a while before she spoke again. “I never slept with Garrick.” She’d drawn her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Sensing she wasn’t finished, he remained silent and let her continue. “I’ve only been with one other man.”

  His dragon clawed at him from within and growled, wanting to get closer to her. Rising up on one arm, he gently took her chin and turned her face to his. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “I’m not sure. I just didn’t want you to think I…”

  Not giving her time to finish her statement, her cupped her cheek and pressed his lips to hers. The gentle caress was unlike anything he’d experience. It was more personal than the kisses they’d shared before. She moaned, leaned into him and opened, inviting him in.

  Sinking his fingers into her thick, silky hair, he
tugged her closer. He slid his tongue inside her mouth, tangling with hers. Heat rolled through him while his dragon surfaced a little more. He pulled back, breaking the kiss, and held her desire filled gaze. She was beautiful and for the first time, he noticed the light dusting of freckles scattered across her nose.

  Leaning in, he kissed the tip of her nose. “We’ll figure this out. You are a strong female…with a pure heart.”

  She sagged into him as if his words chased her doubts away. His heart swelled and his dragon puffed out his chest in pride for making their female feel better.

  Their female.

  Realization settled in. The man wanted her as well. Yet he couldn’t have her. She was a goddess and he was under a death sentence. No, he wouldn’t put her through a mating only to lose him.

  He stood and offered her his hand. “Come, let’s get some rest. Tomorrow, we travel to Maine.”

  Chapter Seven

  The ocean was calm in the crisp early morning. Small waves broke on shore reaching out and kissing Ash’s bare feet. The peach glow of the sunrise filled the sky. Closing her eyes, she sent out a call to her mother.

  “Artemis, goddess of the hunt, I summon you.”

  A few moments later the goddess materialized beside her. “This is lovely.”

  Ash didn’t answer. The scenery was indeed beautiful, but the report she had to give her mother was not. Delaying it would only piss off her mother, so Ash spoke her mind. “He didn’t do it.”

  “Do you have proof?”

  “No. He has no memories of the time he was held captive. Elle had another vision of the past.”

  Artemis sighed. “A painting will not please Eros’s search for vengeance.”

  Fury boiled in her veins. “Nothing is going to please him. He paid Ty a visit and threatened Amissa’s life. Did you know that?”