I shifted nervously in my seat. “I don’t know how to dance.”
Achilles grabbed my hand and pulled me up and out of my seat. “Then I shall teach you.” Ares growled and Achilles stopped, turning to face him. “Ares, please.”
Ares exhaled and looked up at the ceiling. “Two dances and then we trade off.”
Achilles half bowed to him in thanks and then twirled me out onto the dance floor.
“I don’t know how to dance, Achilles and I especially don’t know how to do that fancy dancing that everyone here is doing,” I said nervously as I looked at the other couples around us.
Achilles smiled down at me and placed one of my hands on his shoulder and held the other. “All you need is a man taught properly and dominant enough to lead. Just relax and let yourself feel the music.”
He spun us around and surprisingly I didn’t trip over my own feet! I smiled up at him and let him lead as we waltzed along with the other couples. The music was incredibly beautiful and with Achilles leading me I was left to simply enjoy it all.
He smiled brightly at me and said, “See, you can dance.”
I laughed. “At least that is what everyone else thinks right now.”
He winked. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
He made me twirl and I laughed happily as the colors of everything around us blurred. He stopped my twirling and pulled me against him, holding me tightly to his body with an arm around my lower back.
I stared into his eyes and saw such passion and love in them that it made my breath catch. We stood still in the center of the twirling and waltzing around us and yet none of the noise and movement mattered to me in that moment. He bent down and kissed my lips softly, sending a pleasant electric surge through my body. I kissed him back and then leaned away. “How do we dance to this song?” I asked, in an effort to change the subject from our kiss.
Achilles smiled and led me in a strange dance. We kicked our legs, spun away from each other, he dipped me and then we looped arms and all of the couples switched from partner to partner until we returned to our original dance partner. I laughed happily as we performed the moves and the music made me forget all of my troubles. The song ended and I curtsied to Achilles as I saw the other women doing the same to their partners.
Achilles kissed the back of my hand and smiled at me from his bowing position. “Thank you for the dances.” He took my hand and gave it to Ares who was next to us.
Ares smiled at me. “You looked gorgeous out there.”
“That was all Achilles. I don’t even know how to perform these dances,” I said as a new song started and Ares placed our hands in the appropriate positions.
“Then I shall make you look even better,” he said with a smile.
He walked us into a circle of other couples and we all joined hands. This dance was much more synchronized than the others. “What is this dance?” I asked as I learned the repetitive moves. Step side to side, release hands and dance in a small circle, kicking your feet out. Come back to the others, rejoining hands and walk two paces to the left, then shuffle kick your feet forward three times. Step left twice and then right once and then dance in a small circle kicking your feet out again.
“It goes by many names, but I call it the Branle de Bourgogne,” he answered.
Soon I got the hang of it. Every time I danced in my own little circle I couldn’t help but laugh and smile happily. It was the first real bit of fun I’d had in a really long time. Ares was smiling too, his perfect, true smile and the sight of him dancing and spinning happily with me made me happier than a hundred dead rabbits could.
“I have to say I’m surprised you’re such a good dancer,” I admitted to him as we continued the dance.
Ares smiled. “It is but one of the many surprises about me that you will soon learn. You have to remember that I have been alive a very long time, Sunshine.”
As we neared the band he cleared his throat. The band leader nodded his head and the traditional song changed to one song from the two thousands that I remembered from my high school days. Ares pressed me close against him and began to grind his body into mine. I had seen my fellow classmates dance like this, but I had never done it, or experienced it. Ares moved behind me and helped me move my hips along with the beat and his movements.
I could feel Achilles’ anger skyrocket as I reached back and wrapped an arm around Ares’ neck, pressing us even closer together. I didn’t want him to be mad, but at the same time I knew Ares was doing this for me. I deserved something for me.
Ares and I danced until the song ended and then he bowed to me, holding my hand and kissing the back of it softly. “Thank you for the dances.”
I curtsied and said, “It was an honor to dance with the great Prince of the Sidhe and Werewolves.”
He stood up and hugged me tightly. “You’re too perfect for me.”
I laughed and shook my head. “I am definitely not perfect. You, sir, are too good for me.”
He nipped my ear playfully. “I could be bad if you wanted me to.”
Achilles cleared his throat and we both turned to smile at him. “Did you enjoy your dances?”
I nodded my head. “I did. You’re both incredible dancers! I never thought about you both knowing how to ballroom dance before.”
“Perhaps you would like to dance with the man who invented ballroom dancing then,” said Zeus from behind me.
I turned around and curtsied. “It would be a great pleasure for me to dance with the King of the Sidhe.”
He picked my hand up and kissed my fingertips softly. “The pleasure is all mine, my dear.” He winked at me and then spun me away from his two sons and back onto the dance floor. The song was slow luckily and Zeus led us in a simple box step. “I see there is still tension amongst you three.”
I sighed. “Yes, but I don’t see how to fix it. Achilles is upset because he wants me to mate with him, but Ares doesn’t want that. I don’t want to upset Ares, yet I do feel the draw to Achilles. But every time I start kissing Achilles I feel like I’m betraying Ares.” I groaned and leaned my forehead against his shoulder. “What do I do?”
Zeus patted me on the back and then hugged me. “You need to make the decision that is right to you. I love both of my sons and want to see them happy, but I’m not going to tell you to do something that you might regret or that will make you uncomfortable. Give it time, dear. You’ve only been back with us for a short while. There is no need to rush things.”
“Thank you. May we take a break? I would love to keep dancing, but I’m tired.”
Zeus bowed to me and led me back to Ares and Achilles. “I return your beloved to you and thank you for allowing this old man to dance with such a beautiful woman.” He leaned close to me and whispered, “Good luck.”
I frowned at him and watched as he walked away laughing.
“What was that about?” Achilles asked.
“Just some fatherly talk from Zeus, nothing that needs to be discussed. I think I need a glass of water.”
Ares and Achilles looked at each other a moment, communicating in that strange silent guy way and then they both ushered me back to our table. I sat down and accepted the glass of water Achilles handed to me. I hadn’t noticed until I’d said something, but I was incredibly thirsty and a little lightheaded.
“You should have told me you were lightheaded,” said Ares softly.
I shook my head. “I wasn’t until I told you I needed a glass of water.”
A Sidhe woman with green colored skin knelt before me. “May I assess your health, Princess? I am a healer.”
I looked at Ares who nodded his head. “Sure,” I said, “But I don’t think it’s necessary. I just got a little dehydrated.”
She smiled sweetly at me and placed one hand on my stomach and one hand on the center of my chest. She was silent for four of my heartbeats and then pulled her hands away. “You’re in very good health. Drink plenty of water and stay away from alcohol since it dehydrates.” She stood up and
turned to Achilles, motioning for him to follow her. He obeyed and they talked a few yards away.
Ares stroked my cheek. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel fine, Ares. I didn’t mean to startle you both.”
Suddenly, a pain flashed through me. Achilles’ anger was like a whip of fire against my skin. I gasped in pain and turned to face him. He stood alone where he and the healer had been talking a moment ago. Why was he so angry all of a sudden? His back was to me, making it impossible to gauge his problem from his face.
“What’s wrong?” Ares asked.
“Achilles is very angry,” I whispered.
Achilles stood up straight and turned to us, a smile on his face. “Sorry, Artemis. I saw someone I did not wish to. How are you feeling?”
He was pretending as though he wasn’t mad, but I could feel the anger and pain simmering beneath his smile. His eyes were also pinched, a sign of pain. “I’m fine. How are you? Why are you in pain?”
He sighed, looked down at his feet and then laughed. “This bond is burdensome in a few areas. I’m fine, just dealing with feelings about something I cannot deal with. You needn’t worry, you have done nothing and I am not mad at you.” He reached down and patted my hand reassuringly.
Why were men so stubborn? Why did they have to be hard asses all the time?
* * *
We returned to Hera’s court and the rest of our pack to find a hundred Sidhe dressed in battle armor and practicing with swords, bows, and axes. Our pack watched from the sidelines, but I could see them taking it all in as they tried to memorize the moves.
Koda waved at us from the front where he was practicing using a bow and arrow with Erebos. I jogged over to him and asked, “Can I try?”
Erebos nodded his head and handed me a wooden bow instead of the silver one he had been using. I notched an arrow, aimed and released. The solid “thunk” of the arrow hitting the target brought a smile to my face even before I saw that I’d hit the very center of the bulls-eye.
Erebos whistled. “Wow. You are definitely a natural with a bow.” He turned and yelled, “Hephaistos!”
I watched as the tall Sidhe with forearms as big as my legs jogged up to us. “Yes?”
Erebos pointed to me. “You remember Artemis, right?”
Hephaistos dropped to one knee and bowed his head. “Princess.”
I still wasn’t used to this type of treatment, especially not after pretending to be human for so long. “Stand, please.”
He stood up and looked at Erebos who said, “She’s a natural, as you can see.”
Hephaistos smiled. “Indeed she is.”
“I would be greatly appreciative and honored if you would make me a bow and set of arrows. Your brand was great,” I said.
He bowed. “Thank you. I’ll return as soon as it’s finished.”
I spun around and jogged to find Ares. “Ares!”
He turned from his discussion with a pack member and looked at me. “What’s wrong?”
“What happened to the humans? All those people we gave the brand to? I completely forgot to ask with all of this mayhem going on.”
He averted his eyes a moment and said, “That’s something we should discuss later.”
“Why? What happened?” I asked frantically. “Where are the townspeople and all of the other humans from everywhere that we went? What happened to them?” Everyone had stopped practicing and turned towards me, but I didn’t care. I had to know what happened.
Ares took my hands in his. “I’m sorry, Artemis. We were locked up so we couldn’t help them. It’s all my fault and I know it doesn’t make it any easier, but…”
“They’re all dead, aren’t they?” I asked in a small voice.
He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly against him, offering me his warmth and touch as my mate and pack mate to soothe me. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
Every person I’d grown up with in the town. Every person who had believed in me and wanted to be saved from the preternaturals. They were all dead and it was my fault. I knew that I should be sad, that tears should be pouring from my eyes, but the only thing I felt was anger.
I pulled away from Ares and saw my glowing body reflected in his eyes. “The vampires killed them?”
Victor walked over to me from the castle. “Yes, my father had anyone bearing Ares’ marked killed.”
“When is the battle?” I asked through clenched teeth as I tried to reign in my anger and power.
“We leave in the morning,” Victor said softly.
I inhaled deeply and shoved the anger and power down. I could open it up and use it tomorrow. I noticed that everyone was still staring at me, so I turned away and walked towards the other side of town. With the anger pushed away my grieving surfaced. Tears streamed down my face and body wrenching sobs forced me to stop and sit down as I cried over the losses. People had died because they trusted me. They might have lived if I hadn’t come to them. If the vampires had come and given them the choices, they might have chosen differently and been allowed to live, albeit as slaves. My head and body hurt from the fierce sobs breaking out of me. How could I save the world from the vampires when I had doomed hundreds or thousands or however many people to death already?
“Artemis, it’s not your fault,” said Achilles softly from beside me.
There was no way I could defeat the vampires. I was just a worthless girl on a power high. I should have given myself to Maurice before Hera had stolen me. Then everyone would be safe.
Achilles squatted down in front of me and grabbed my arms. His body was glowing and his eyes were solid white pearls as he looked into my eyes. “You listen to me! Giving yourself to Maurice would not have accomplished anything except your torture and possibly our deaths as we tried to rescue you. Do not ever think about giving yourself to that monster! I would sooner give up my life than see you in his hands.”
“If you died I would die too,” I whispered softly as I wiped at the tear tracks on my face.
Achilles stopped glowing and the warm gentleness returned to his eyes. “Yes, I know. I was just trying to make a point.” He sat down beside me and I let him take me into his arms. “It was not your fault. It was Maurice’s decree and his vampires who executed them. The only person you should be mad at is Maurice.”
He was right, but it didn’t help the pain I felt in my heart. Inside it felt as though I had stamped their execution orders with my brand.
He rubbed his hands up and down my arms and started to sing in a language I didn’t understand. His voice was amazing and the language was incredibly beautiful. We sat together for at least an hour and he didn’t stop singing until Ares approached us.
Ares sat down and picked my hand up in his. I expected him to be angry that I had run off and he had found me with Achilles, but he did the most unexpected thing I could expect. He started singing where Achilles had left off. Achilles joined Ares and the brothers sang to me while the grief and sorrow I felt eased and then settled into a low ache.
They stopped singing when they determined I was no longer in pain and cuddled around me from both sides as comfort. Ares kissed my cheek and stood up. “I’ll be on the training field when you’re ready to return.”
“Ares,” I whispered. He looked at me and the sadness in his eyes made me struggle for a moment. “Thank you,” I finally managed to say.
He dipped his head in acknowledgement and disappeared around the corner of a building.
Achilles stroked my hair and whispered, “I love you, Artemis. I’m sorry that things are so difficult for you. If there is anything I can do to make it easier, please tell me.”
“You’ve done so much already, Achilles. More than I could have hoped for.”
He adjusted our position so that I was leaning against his chest and hugged me tight. “Will you please stay beside me during the fight tomorrow? I know you don’t like the idea of us guarding you, but if it were up to me I would leave you behind for the fight. After you were
gone so long, we’ve had so little time to spend with you.”
“My life always seems to be hectic. We rush from one fight to another or one place to another. I just want this war to be over and the world to return to what it was, or as close as it can be.”
“Will you stay by me?” he asked again.
I nodded my head and turned to face him. “Yes, but you have to focus on yourself and not me. If I get into trouble I can always use the sunlight magic.”
Achilles smiled. “I will try to remember that.” His smile wilted a moment and then he kissed me on the lips. Unlike Ares’ kisses which filled me with a raging fire, Achilles’ kiss filled me with an electric buzz, as if I was holding a live wire.
His hands ran from my shoulders to my stomach to my back and then he pulled me closer to him. It felt wrong to be kissing someone other than Ares and yet it also felt so incredibly right to kiss Achilles.
He pulled away first and I knew without looking that both of our wings were out and that my eyes were pearl white like his. He smiled one of the first true smiles I had ever seen on his face, and yet I could sense sadness in him as well. He kissed my lips quickly. “Come on, we should get back. I’m sure Hephaistos has your bow ready.”
I nodded my head and let him help me stand up. It took a moment of intense concentration for me to calm my powers and bring my wings in. I was suddenly glad that he’d pulled back since I hadn’t.
We walked back to the field where everyone, halfbreed and Sidhe, were now practicing together. It warmed my heart more than a million kisses could. Koda put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me away from Achilles and towards Hephaistos and Erebos. “You have to see what Hephaistos worked up for you.”
“Sweet,” I said excitedly as we increased our speed to get to Hephaistos.
Hephaistos smiled at me and then blushed. “I got a bit carried away, but I think you’ll like what I’ve made.”
I smiled at him. “I’m sure I’ll love it. You’re work is always beautiful.”
He picked up a covered bundle from the table behind him and slowly unwrapped it, revealing a beautiful bow. Never before had I seen one so exquisitely crafted. The frame was covered in intricate carvings of vines which matched the ones on my face and arms. The string and frame were both a glowing silver color and seemed to throb as though alive. “I made sure not to use any silver since I know you’re allergic to it, but I couldn’t make you a bow simply out of simple wood.”
Healed by Fire Artemis Lupine 3 Page 14
