by Lila Jean
“T—girl! I’m serious.”
Tina frowned. The wolf shifter heiress wouldn’t even say Tina’s name out loud as if she was afraid someone would overhear. “What’s wrong?”
“King William, that’s what’s wrong,” Amy said, her voice dropping to the barest whisper. Tina had to smoosh the speaker against her ear to hear what Amy was saying. “He wants you, Tina, and he wants you bad. Like kill-people-to-find-you bad.”
“Jesus,” Tina muttered, though she wasn’t altogether surprised. “He hasn’t threatened you, has he?” A flicker of anger shot through her at the thought.
“No, worse.”
Tina balled her hand into a fist, stiffening as she prepared herself for the news. “If he so much as touched you, Amy, I’ll gut him. I’ll fucking—”
“Calm down, Hercules. Jesus,” Amy snapped. “But thank you, I guess, for defending my honor or whatever.” The wolf shifter’s voice softened. “No, he’s been coming here day and night for the last few weeks.” She huffed. “He’s said several times now that he wants you to come here alone like he knows you and I can still talk to each other. I think he’s been subtly trying to get me to deliver that message to you.” The heiress shuddered. “I don’t like the way his eyes linger on me, Tina. Fuck, that man creeps me out.”
“You and me both,” Tina said, slumping into an armchair. She had already told Amy everything King William had done, but the kingdom of Wolfcrest wouldn’t depose their king. Even Amy’s father, one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the world, hadn’t dared to stage a coup against King William for kidnapping Amy or bringing Damara back to Earth.
No, Tina wouldn’t get any help from within Wolfcrest. She, Amy, and her princes would have to figure this out some other way.
“You should stay with us,” Tina said, her mind already made up.
“I wish,” Amy said wistfully, a mischievous twinge in her voice. “All that man candy …”
“Is mine,” Tina finished for her friend, knowing full well Amy was just messing with her. Amy would never try to sleep with any of Tina’s princes, not in a million years.
“I know, I know,” Amy said, laughing. “Just wanted to ruffle your feathers a bit, oh fair goddess. Just like old times.”
“Miss you too, idiot.” Tina chuckled. “Seriously, though. Come stay with us.” Her voice lowered instinctively. “You’ll be safe here since Zane is the best at this cloak and dagger stuff.”
“Like I said, I wish that could happen,” Amy said with a huff. “I’m watched twenty-four seven. I’m pretty sure there are even cameras hidden in my room.” Tina could hear Amy shiver even through the phone line. “That’s totally illegal, even here in Wolfcrest, but no one cares anymore. King William has lost his mind over this Damara stuff, and I’m afraid he’s trying to keep an eye on me so that he can kill you and force Damara into me instead.”
“Oh, fucking awesome,” Tina said, rubbing her temples.
“Yeah, I’m super thrilled about that.” From Amy’s tone, Tina could almost hear the eye roll as her friend spoke. “I’m sitting in my shower right now, which is the only place there’s no camera because it just won’t fit, with the water running and my hand covering my mouth to muffle my voice.” She groaned. “This has to stop, Tina. You need to stop this guy.”
“We’re working on it.” Tina sighed.
“Look,” Amy said with a groan. “We probably can’t talk much, if at all, in the coming months.” Her voice broke, but only for a second, and Tina wished she could put an arm around her buddy to cheer her up. “I need to burn this phone, scrub your contact info, and get the hell out of dodge.”
“I agree,” Tina said with a disappointed sigh. “You need to get out of there as soon as possible. Tonight, even. Come stay with me.”
“I’m trying, babe, I’m trying, but I can’t go to you, I’m sorry but I just can’t.” Amy’s voice took on a somber tone, and Tina could imagine the heiress running a hand through her long blond hair. “I can’t put another target on your back, not when everything is so messed up already.”
Tina smiled, grateful for her amazing best friend. “We’ll fix this.”
“You’d damn well better, woman.”
Tina chuckled, and a moment later Amy joined in. Their laughter faded, though, and they just sat in silence for a moment. Tina could already picture them sitting beside each other on the couch one day, talking about all this as though it were in the distant past. “I miss you.”
“You too,” Amy said softly. “I—crap, got to go.”
“Is everything …?”
“Yes, ish. Kinda. Love you, idiot. Don’t die. Bye.”
With that, the call ended, and Tina stared momentarily at the phone while she processed all Amy had said. With a sigh, she shoved the phone in her pocket and leaned her head against the armchair, staring at the ceiling as she closed her eyes and wondered what on earth she would do to save them all.
She didn’t know how, but she would put a stop to this, to King William, to the missing dignitaries, to the looming sense of war. This would all end, and soon.
6
Anthony
Anthony lay naked beside Tina, his arms around her as she snuggled, asleep, against his chest. Outside, crickets chirped a soft song in the long night, the sound a gentle chorus with Tina’s breathing as the melody. She smiled in her sleep, her hand resting on his chest, her fingers bending a little with each of his breaths.
He ran his hand through her hair, tucking a lock behind her ear as he wished he could give her more. More safety. More security. More stability. Just … more. She deserved a home where she felt comfortable and at ease, not a life on the run. While Flynn and Killian kept an eye on the perimeter for this shift, and while Zane continued to exhaust his network to learn of the new god who had arrived on Earth, Anthony was finally left to relax with Tina. He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger on her skin, the blistering tingle of her touch shooting ripples of desire clear down to his soul.
“We won against the kings once already,” he said softly. “We’ll win again and end this once and for all.”
Soon, Draven would leave to meet with his father, one of the only kings to respond so far to a request for a meeting. The dragon prince might have been a sarcastic sex-addict, but Anthony had to admit Draven radiated charm and class. The dragon could win people over, and that alone gave Anthony hope that, perhaps, they would have at least one ally by the end of the week. Even one would be progress.
Beside him, Tina stirred. She scrunched her eyes together and twisted, mumbling something incoherent about gods.
“It’s okay,” he said, brushing his hands over her hair in an attempt to soothe her. “You’re safe. It’s all right, Tina.”
She stilled briefly, and at that moment, every vein in her body glowed brilliantly white, like a lacy patchwork of roads under her skin. She bolted upright, eyes open and glowing as well, with no irises visible through all the light.
“No!” Anthony sat up with her, holding her close in an effort to help her fight this. “Push him away, Tina!” He tucked her hair behind her ears and held her face, pleading with her unseeing eyes. “Break the connection!”
“I—I can’t—” To her credit, she was able to speak this time. “It—he’s too strong, I just—” She grimaced, her glowing eyes closing as she fought him off.
“I’m here.” Anthony wished he could go into the connection with her and break some faces, even immortal ones, or do anything at all to make this stop. “I’m with you, and we’ll do this together, Tina.”
7
Tina
This time, going into the god connection hurt.
Searing pain rocked through her like a dozen bees stinging her neck and arms, unyielding and unwavering, constant and cruel. Tina grit her teeth, pushing back against the pain. She tried to resist even as she was pulled into the god connection, fighting it the whole way, and doing her best to block out the unwanted visitor who seemed h
ellbent on talking with her.
It didn’t work.
She fell in an exhausted heap, frustrated and on the verge of punching someone’s teeth in. Zane had said visualizing the brick wall would keep the current god out, but that it wouldn’t be enough to block the communication of a new god come to Earth, which meant another god had come to join them.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
Tina pushed to her feet, glaring into the pitch black, waiting for a new visitor to come and say hello, though hopefully this one he would be less of an ass than visitor number one.
A flurry of annoyance and nerves fluttered through her, and even though her palms began to sweat, she squared her shoulders and waited patiently for whomever had dared to drag her in here. If they were expecting to find some scared little girl, they were going to be sorely disappointed.
As it had the first time, a man’s face appeared in a flash of red and gold blistering through the darkness. He was gorgeous, his squared jaw brushed with dark stubble, the sultry curl of his lips drawing her eye, the side-swept black hair framing a handsome face. But his eyes, same as the first, blazed with white light.
But what concerned Tina most of all was his sheer presence. Power and authority radiated from him, blistering out like rays on a sun, and deep within her, Damara stirred. Tina’s intuition flared that this was bad, so very, very bad, and to not upset him under any circumstances. Each little twitch of his eye or downturn of his mouth released another flurry of concern through her, and Tina knew with this one she had to tread carefully.
Unlike the first visitor, this one stared at her in silence. He simply watched her, as though he were sizing her up. Tina wondered if she should speak, but again, her intuition told her to remain quiet.
As quickly as the connection between her and the god had appeared, without so much as a single word spoken between them, it began to fade. Tina wasn’t sure why, or who was doing it, whether it was her, Damara, or the other god, but the shadows slowly overtook every glimmer of golden light. As the golden lines comprising his face began to fade, the mysterious god smiled knowingly, but unlike the first god, he didn’t fight it.
As the mysterious second god’s face disappeared into the shadows, Tina was left with only one distinct impression, and it settled deep into her bones. Whoever this guy was, he was dangerous. Damara wasn’t afraid, of course, but she was incredibly wary.
8
Anthony
Anthony cradled Tina’s head in his hands, begging her to fight the connection, doing and saying anything he could think of to bring her back to him.
Thankfully, as quickly as it had come, the blazing white light in her eyes and veins faded. Tina collapsed into Anthony’s arms with a weary sigh, chest heaving, and he could feel her racing pulse thudding against her chest as he held her close to him. Sweat lined her brow, dripped down her face like rain, but he was just glad she had come back.
“Thank goodness.” He cradled her head against his shoulder, holding her as tight as he could. “What a relief.” His shoulders relaxed as he held her, gratitude dripping from every word.
“Oh, man,” Tina rubbed her eyes and sat upright, though Anthony hovered close by, never letting her go too far away from him. She ran a hand through her hair and stared at the comforter, her eyes glossing over in thought. “How odd.” Her voice trailed off, almost too quiet for him to hear as if she were talking to herself.
“What happened?” Anthony balled his hand into a fist, his jaw tensing as he thought of all the ways he would rip this god a new hole. “What did the god say? If he threatened you, Tina, I swear—”
Her soft hazel eyes met his, and her beautiful gaze melted a bit of Anthony’s anger. His shoulders relaxed, and he tenderly ran a hand along her arm. She tried to smile, but the corners of her mouth barely lifted. “It was a different god this time, Anthony.”
He flinched, surprised and almost positive he had heard her wrong. “Another one?” He shook his head, staring at her blankly. “But that’s unprecedented.”
“This one’s different.” She shrugged. “Different human body, with a different god in it.” Tina stood and paced around the bed, her long dark hair curling elegantly around her shoulders. “He didn’t say anything, just watched me, like he was sizing me up.” She shuddered. “This one actually makes me nervous, Anthony, way more than the last one. This new god has power, maybe even power to rival Damara.”
Before Anthony could say anything, Tina whipped out her phone and quickly dialed someone. While her thumbs tapped along the screen, he let his eyes wander down her body now that she was free of the covers, admiring her bare arms and the thin white tee that barely covered her breasts. Beyond that, she wore only a pair of tight boyshorts, the fabric hugging her ass and tastefully revealing the cheeks of her butt and her beautiful, long legs.
Warmth shot down his thighs, but nothing could rival the way she warmed his heart. While Tina waited for whoever was on the line to pick up, Anthony used the phone Zane had gotten him a few days ago and texted the tiger shifter a few details of what Tina had said, asking their resident spymaster to look for more info while Anthony took care of his mate.
“Ray, oh, thank goodness,” Tina said with a sigh of relief, but Anthony bristled at the High Priestess’s name. Though he never could place why, he still didn’t like the woman, and he doubted he ever would. Shifter instinct was funny that way, and he had learned long ago to always trust his wolf’s judgment of a person.
“Just checking in,” Tina said after a pause. “You’re hidden? You’re safe? And the others … uh, huh. Okay.” She paused, and Anthony took the opportunity to gently grab her hand and tug her toward the edge of the bed. Her mind elsewhere, Tina sat beside him, the phone still pressed to her ear, and Anthony caught the muffled voice of the High Priestess.
Tenderly, lovingly, Anthony kissed Tina’s neck, nibbling ever so gently on the delicate skin at its nape. She barely stifled a moan directly into the phone, and she shot him a playful little glare. He grinned back and continued his march along her neck, nibbling gently at every stop, doing everything in his power to soothe her, to show her she was always safe when in his arms.
“Okay, keep me posted,” Tina said, clicking off the phone. She grinned at Anthony. “Were you trying to make me moan into my phone on a call?”
“Maybe,” he said, nipping at her shoulder. “More importantly, I want to make sure you’re okay.”
Her playful glare softened, and she watched him affectionately. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she said, her voice softening.
“I mean it, Tina.” Gently, he brushed his fingers along her forearm, savoring the sparks of warmth and joy he felt each time he touched her soft skin. “Really pause. Think about it.” He caught her eye and momentarily lost himself in the beautiful greens and browns, losing himself in her presence, in her devotion, in all of her before he could collect his thoughts again. “Answer honestly.”
“Of course, I’m okay.” She smiled and leaned her forehead against his, inhaling his scent, leaning her delicate hands against his chest as the warm touch of her skin shot trails of blistering need through him. “I have you.”
He pulled her into a deep kiss, and together, they sank against the mattress, her on top as he held her waist, possessively holding her on top of him as she straddled his body. He gently grabbed her thighs, holding them apart, testing her flexibility as he nudged her legs open a bit wider. His eyes drifted down the sleek curves of her body, and his dick hardened at the sight of his beautiful, charming, and resilient woman on top of him.
Her lips pulled gently away, and as her eyes fluttered closed, she brushed her nose against his. “We should probably tell—”
“I already did.” He held the back of her head and pressed his mouth against hers, his inner wolf clawing at him to take her, to show her yet again that he could show her pleasure, that he could keep her safe at all times, even while he was between her legs. A growl built in his throat as his wolf’s instincts and need
s slowly took over, eager to possess her, to claim her, to prove himself worthy of her love, to show her the depths of his devotion while he made her moan his name.
With the super speed her goddess magic had given him, he flipped her on her back, taking her position over him in the blink of an eye. With his hand beneath her head, he made sure not to give her whiplash while in no uncertain terms declaring himself in command.
Anthony kissed her neck, eliciting small moans with each flick of his tongue against her warm skin. He grinned, another growl rumbling in his throat. Before she could speak, he flipped her onto her stomach, grabbed her waist, and lifted her beautiful ass toward him. She stretched her arms against the mattress for support as she giggled, apparently loving being thrown around like this. Good, he would make a mental note for later. More rough sex would definitely be on the menu.
He grabbed her underwear and tugged, snapping off the boyshorts with a sharp pull. She gasped, her body stilling momentarily as she leaned into his other hand, which still held her waist. She dragged her nails on the comforter like a happy cat, almost purring with desire and wicked glee.
“I love it when you do that,” she said, breathless.
“I know.” He ran his hands down her back, savoring the curve of her spine beneath the white shirt. It would hurt her if he tried to rip this off of her, so he settled for sliding it off her head in one fluid motion, leaving her bare back and exposed ass in front of him, his for the taking.
Anthony pressed his rock-hard dick against her entrance, teasing the folds with the tip of his cock, running the head along her slick skin as he played with her. She leaned into him, apparently eager for him to enter, but he wouldn’t indulge her so quickly.
“Impatient, my dear?” He leaned over her, pressing his chest against her back as he wrapped a hand around her waist from behind, still teasing her with the thoughts of all he could do to her on this bed, between these sheets, of all the ways he could bring her pleasure.
