by Lila Jean
“How did she sneak up on you, of all people?” Zane hissed to Anthony.
“I don’t know, damn it!” Anthony growled back. He focused the full weight of his glare on the god standing before them, his hands balling into fists.
Zane grabbed Tina’s waist, tugging her backward, but they had nowhere to run. The goddess had blocked off their exit, and the only place to run was toward the temple. “This is bad, Tina,” Zane said quietly, his voice a whisper. “I couldn’t be sure until I saw it in person, but this is worse than I thought. Glowing eyes means the god is in control, not the human. Her host is nothing more than a meat suit to that goddess right now.”
“What?!” Tina said under her breath. “I didn’t even know it was possible for the god to take over!”
A gap appeared between Anthony and Flynn, and Tina caught Venus’s gaze for a brief moment. The goddess seemed to look through her, into her, as though she were piercing her very soul with nothing more than a glance. “You’ve been a busy girl, Damara,” she said softly, her lips curling into a soft smile as she gestured to the five princes. “As always.”
“Why did you come to Earth, Venus?” Tina asked, but the words once more spilled from her lips without conscious thought. As her connection with Damara grew stronger, more and more of the goddess’s thoughts and feelings bubbled to the surface, begging to be freed, and Tina would do everything in her power to ensure the goddess got her fair say.
“For so many reasons,” Venus sighed wistfully, her gaze drifting out over the ocean as the wind toyed with her hair. “To feel the sun on my skin again. To fuck. To right a very old wrong. But namely, for you, Damara dear.” The goddess said Damara’s name with an icy twinge in her voice, and Tina instantly tensed with concern as Venus continued. “It’s almost hard to believe we were friends once, Damara, nigh inseparable.” The goddess laughed, eyes glossing over. “My, how times change.”
Tina’s gaze drifted briefly to the four guards behind Venus, their stoic gazes as plain and unmoving as statues as they no doubt waited for a command. The obedient soldiers didn’t even seem to breathe, and as she surveyed the scene before her, the final pieces of everything that had seemed wrong finally clicked into place for Tina. “You tried to trick me into thinking you were an ally.” She frowned deeply. “You said you were worried about me, about Damara, but you lied.”
“Like I would ever care about her.” Venus snorted derisively. “But look at you, so clever. I’ve spent the last few centuries slowly convincing Damara I’m no longer a threat, that bygones should be bygones, biding my time until we were both allowed back to Earth. Oh, but not you, little human. You saw right through me, didn’t you? To think, Damara almost got away.”
Tina balled her hands into fists, and a surge of fury boiled within her as Damara reacted to Venus’s statement. “Why would you try to trick Damara?” Tina asked, as furious as the goddess within her. “What did she ever do to you?”
“She took everything from me,” Venus said, her voice dark and dangerous. “And I’ll take everything from her.” The goddess snapped her fingers, and brilliant white light shot from the sand, upward into the sky. It was like a transparent wall, a barrier between Tina and her men that shifted and glimmered with its own pulsing energy.
In a sudden rush, the light shifted, pushing her men aside. Tina shoved her shoulder against it, trying to break through, but it was like trying to knock down a locked door. Her shoulder ached from the pain, and she nursed it as her princes collected themselves, Zane banging his fist against the wall, ripples of light shooting along it, but the barrier didn’t so much as budge even with Zane’s enhanced strength.
“Tina!” Beside Zane, Flynn pounded his fist against the barrier, his voice distant and echoing, as if underwater. Behind him, her other princes’ forms shimmered, and soon, they all shifted. Her black wolf, massive dragon, white tiger, and brilliant eagle attacked the barrier with everything they had, blasting fire and tearing at it with wickedly sharp claws, but the barrier didn’t so much as dent under the assault.
This is bad. Tina glared at Venus, tense and on edge, wondering what to do against a goddess running on full-burn, in full control of her host. Against Venus, a fledgling host like Tina barely stood a chance, but Damara was immensely powerful, and Tina wasn’t about to throw in the towel. Using cunning and her considerable magic, she would get her and her men out of this mess.
Somehow.
“I’ve waited so long for this moment.” Venus grinned maliciously, slowly walking closer. “I’ve planned everything out.”
“Of course, you have.” Tina suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, wondering what the hell Damara had done to earn this goddess’s hatred.
“First, I’ll break you,” Venus said, twirling a lock of Tina’s dark hair around her slender finger, as though she were playing with her food. “I’ll break bones, break your body, make you immobile.” She chuckled, the sound light and airy, a chilling contrast to her words. “Then, I’ll kill your men, one by one, and make you watch. Then, and only then, I’ll let you die.”
Oh, hell no.
“Don’t you dare touch them,” Tina seethed, fury and fire burning within her. “Stop this, whatever it is.” She gestured to the iridescent barrier around her as she attempted to reason with the goddess before her. “Whatever happened in the past—”
“You still don’t have her memories, do you, little human?” With a few steps, Venus walked through the wall, now mere feet away. The woman sneered, her nose crinkling with a subtle twinge of wicked glee. “You don’t know what ‘this’ is, do you?”
Tina was on her own, and if she was going to get out of this, she had to be clever. Until she thought of something, she had to stall. “What is it?”
“Of course, you don’t know.” Venus chuckled darkly, speaking almost to herself. “The temples have magic, little one, powerful magic that’s tied to the goddess it belongs to if she knows how to awaken it.” Venus tossed her beautiful hair, flipping it over a slender shoulder. “I saw that trash heap Epara. You clearly don’t know anything about your goddess, little human, and your ignorance just sealed her fate.”
Tina gritted her teeth, nearly growling with unbridled anger from both her and her goddess, but she had to rein it in. She had to stay focused, clearheaded, and clever.
Deep in Tina’s core, something scratched at the surface, and it briefly felt as though Damara’s magical energy were being slowly siphoned out of her. It was a horrible, sudden sensation, like falling through a floor, and with nothing else to go on, Tina fleetingly wondered if Venus’s magic was trying to pull Damara out of her. A jolt of adrenaline shot through Tina at the thought, and even though she wasn’t sure what this enemy goddess was doing, she wasn’t going to sit around passively to find out.
If Tina wanted to get out of this, she had to get Venus mad enough or annoyed enough that she let down her guard, had to lull the goddess into a false sense of security so that she could land a few well-placed blows and knock her out. Though Tina didn’t really like the idea, as it relied way too heavily on what-if’s for her taste, she had no other options.
Time to piss off a goddess.
“What did Damara ever do to you, Venus?” Tina stretched out her arms in a frustrated gesture. “Why bide your time so you could return to Earth together? That’s a lot of effort, considering goddesses can’t die.”
“Because,” Venus said, grabbing Tina’s throat, the movement so sudden and surprisingly strong that she was pinned between the goddess and the iridescent barrier behind her. “Because on Earth, with the right weapon, a goddess can die her last death.” Venus withdrew a blade from within the folds of her skirt, sneering as her grip tightened on Tina’s neck. “Thank you for trapping her, little human. I’ll finally be free from life in Damara’s shadow.”
“I don’t think so.” As Tina had learned in her countless hours training with her princes, she grabbed Venus’s hand, digging her nails into the skin like claws, and la
nded a devastating blow on the woman’s gut. Venus caved, falling to the sand, and Tina slammed her knee into the goddess’s nose before her guards could so much as blink.
As Venus fell to the ground, the white light flickering in her eyes, the guards finally snapped to attention and rushed forward. Tina, however, dipped into her magic, summoning it as quickly as she could, and her skin glowed white on command. As she had so often before, she felt the overwhelming, almost orgasmic connection to her surroundings, and as she connected to her world, she had to focus intently on the task at hand or risk a deadly distraction. She could hear every heartbeat. Sense every breath. Feel every gust of the breeze as it kissed her exposed arms and neck.
Though she could control the guards’ hearts and even make them explode, she didn’t have the time or desire to kill. For now, she had to simply disarm them and get out of the barrier. For that, she would use a different power.
Her body hummed with lust, and it radiated from her like perfume, infecting everyone nearby. None of the ten men spoke or moved. They could only watch as she ensnared them, her power securing each man’s complete and undivided attention. The guards stared at her, frozen as if he wanted to rip her clothes off right then and there, their expressions hungry for her as their eyes drifted to her chest and thighs.
“You want me,” she said softly. It wasn’t a question.
“More than anything,” one of them said, his deep voice booming.
“Then tell me how to lower the barrier.”
Several of the men spoke over each other, but Tina hushed them. “Only one of you speak.” She nodded to the closest man. “You, answer me.”
“Knock her unconscious.” The guard nodded toward Venus, who tenderly felt at her nose, still apparently loopy and trying to stand after that wicked blow to the face.
“Do it, darling. Quickly.” Tina gestured toward the goddess, careful to keep her control on the guards. “Do it now.”
“I’ll do anything if it means I get to have you.” His gaze drifted to her chest, lingering altogether too long on the line of cleavage exposed by her shirt, his jaw tensing as he seemed to internally debate something. Finally, he broke from the other immobile guards and, without so much as hesitating, landed a vicious blow against Venus’s temple. The goddess slouched on the ground, and the iridescent barrier sputtered and disappeared around them.
“Thank you,” Tina said, still maintaining careful control on the waves of lust radiating from her body.
The nameless guard returned to her, reaching for her waist, and she took a careful step back as her princes swarmed around her. Her darling lovers each shifted back into their human forms, naked and muscled, the five of them forming a protective circle around her. The guard frowned, cocking his fist, apparently ready to fight if it meant he got to tear her clothes off.
He wouldn’t have the chance. Tina had used him, yes, and part of her felt bad for using her powers to control him through lust, but she’d had no choice. “Stop,” she told him. “Don’t fight them.”
“You’re mine, and I don’t share.” The guard threw a blow at Killian’s face, and to his credit, the eagle shifter didn’t move a muscle. The fist landed hard on Killian’s impenetrable jaw, her magic making him as immovable as a mountain, and the guard’s fist cracked against his rock-hard skin. The guard gaped momentarily at Killian before the eagle shifter landed his own punch squarely on the guard’s nose, knocking him clear on his ass.
The other guards raced toward them, and while her princes could easily take them, Tina didn’t have the time or patience for a brawl. Reinforcements could come at any moment, or worse, Venus could reawaken and activate the barrier once more, and Tina didn’t know where the edge of the temple’s grounds really was. She and her princes had to get out of there and fast.
“That’s enough, all of you!” she shouted, lifting her hands toward the remaining guards. With the full weight of her newfound power, Tina reached into her soul and accessed her magic as quickly as possible. It came to her effortlessly, as though Damara were supplying whatever fuel she could.
In a rush, the guards’ thundering heartbeats pulsed in her ear, loud and drumming, racing far more quickly than mortals’ hearts ever should. White light raced through her veins, filling her soul, propelling her forward.
One by one, the guards dropped to their knees, hands on their chests, gaping as she pressed their bodies to the limit, pushing each to the brink of what they could endure while she held their lives in her hands. This was Damara’s magic, the gift she had given to Tina when she was forced to Earth, and Tina would not let Damara down.
“You will not follow us,” Tina said, strangely calm as the magic burned and blistered its way through her body, hot as a fire in her veins. “Neither you nor Venus will ever harm Damara. She is safe, and I will never let you touch her.”
The words connected her to the goddess within her, and for a split second, Tina felt as one with Damara. The connection was overwhelming, flooding her brain with power, and her control slowly began to slip. With that, a final burst of energy tore through her, almost too much to bear, and the edges of her world went dark.
As she fell to her knees, entirely spent, the last thing she saw was Venus’s immobile body lying still in the sand, those blazing white eyes closed in defeat.
16
Tina
When Tina woke, she lay beside a fast-asleep and half-naked Zane in a stunning four poster king size bed, rays of sunshine bursting through curtains that danced in the breeze. A stunning view of crystal blue waters and a cliff with a sprawling mansion on it was visible through the curtains, with dozens of red roofs between her and the ocean.
“Where am I?” she said, slurring a little as she leaned up on her elbows.
Beside her, Zane stirred and blinked himself awake, his bare chest a delicious and inviting sight despite her splitting headache. “Oh, thank goodness.” He let out a long sigh and pulled her to him, wrapping his strong arms around her in a tight hug, seeming to forget his goddess-given super strength for a moment. His warm skin pressed against her body, soothing her, drawing her in for more with every passing moment she was in his safe and happy arms.
“Zane, what happened?” She pulled away, her hands on his shoulders, looking deep into his blue eyes since he wasn’t wearing glasses in bed.
He quickly fetched them from the nightstand and ran his hands through his hair a few times, as if intentionally making it messier. “We got the hell out of dodge, that’s what,” he said, rubbing his thumb tenderly along her jaw. “Anthony, Flynn, and Draven tried to kill Venus while you were out, but she was just conscious enough after your attack to defend herself. We got away before she regained her full power and reactivated that damn barrier.”
Zane’s touch sent splinters of relief through her, and his grateful smile warmed her heart. “You were brilliant, Tina,” he said, grinning. “You radiated power and majesty, and it was absolutely incredible to behold.” He kissed her knuckles, the gentle sensation like a happy shiver up her arm. “It was even more impressive than our showdown against the kings in Epara.”
“Thanks, professor,” Tina said with a playful smile, her strength already returning. “I feel more connected to Damara every day, and I knew she had my back. It was as much her as me.” Tina glanced around the beautiful room, taking in more of the ornate gold and red detail along the walls and the rich crown molding by the ceiling. “What is this place? Where are we?”
“We’re in Spain since I had to get you as far away from Venus as I could. This place is bustling right now, full of tourists, and we can slip into a crowd effortlessly here. We’ll be safe.” He sighed with relief. “You were out for ten, no, wait.” He checked his phone briefly. “Twelve hours. I was getting worried, wondering if I would need to call a doctor friend of mine to check on you after all.”
The door burst open, and Anthony pushed his way past Draven to get into the room first. “Thank goodness you’re okay!” The wolf smiled wi
de, kneeling beside her as Draven caught up.
“Pushy much?” the dragon shifter said with a huff of indignation. His eyes shifted to Tina’s, and he smiled ruefully. “I knew you’d be fine. You’re too tough for a damn fairy to take out.”
“Damn right.” She winked.
Flynn and Killian followed the other two, and soon the massive bedroom suite felt a little smaller as five burly, muscled men took up residence around and on the bed with her.
“I texted everyone,” Zane said with a small smile. “We’ve kept shifts in here with you, all on the promise everyone else would know the moment you woke up.”
“Thanks, my darlings,” she said with a happy grin. “You’re the best, all of you.”
“But mostly me,” Draven said with a sly grin.
Tina rolled her eyes in answer, grinning at her dragon prince. It wouldn’t matter if she’d been impaled with a spear, he would find a way to make her laugh to take her mind off things.
“That was far too close for comfort.” Anthony kissed her knuckles, his warm touch shooting ripples of pleasure and comfort up her arm.
“I agree,” she said with a warm smile and a kiss on his forehead. “That brings up a confusing point, however.” She tapped absently on her lips, reviewing her fragmented memories of her confrontation with Venus. “She said that barrier she constructed was the temple’s territory, and it was infused with magic from her. It was directly connected to her.” Tina sighed with frustration. “If I can somehow connect with Epara, maybe we can all go back and be safe.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that.” Flynn rubbed the back of his neck. “None of the temples in Olympus have that ability.”
“I’ve been researching it,” Zane said with a frustrated sigh. “No luck yet.”
“Damn.” Tina’s shoulders drooped, and her mind raced over everything she had learned from Venus, the vendetta, the trick that had nearly cost her and Damara their lives. “Venus would have killed you, all of you, to get to me. She was ready to murder us all. You five, the loves of my life, you almost died.”
