by Lila Jean
“Let her try,” Anthony said with a derisive snort, bristling as he crossed his arms defiantly. “She wouldn’t get far.”
“She’s a goddess, Anthony,” Tina said softly, trying to make her point clearer. “She’s in full control of her host, with full access to all her memories and full control of her power and abilities.” Tina sighed, frustrated at this nasty turn of events. “If that’s the case with Venus, it’s probably true for these other two gods as well.”
She ran a hand through her hair, the locks hiding most of her face as she said what she had been afraid to admit since she’d woken up. “If you die trying to protect me, I’ll never forgive myself. I can’t lose any of you, and I almost did.” Her heart broke at the thought and though she felt deep sadness, it was quickly dwarfed by anger. “That cunt tricked me, tried to make me think she was my ally, all so she could get close enough to kill me. And all of you.” Tina balled her hand into a furious fist, ready to beat the damn bitch’s head in for her betrayal.
“What a coward.” Flynn crossed his arms over his massive chest, his expression livid. “I bet when Damara does eventually go home, which had better be a long time from now, she’ll rip Venus a new hole.”
“Her? Forget that.” Tina gritted her teeth. “If I ever see Venus again, I’ll do it myself.”
“That’s my girl,” Draven said with a wink.
Tina smirked, a sliver of pride breaking through the fury.
“Venus won’t last long,” Zane said, running his hand along Tina’s arm absently as he spoke, still shirtless and gorgeous as ever. “When a god or goddess takes over like that, it burns through the host’s body, and the vessel can’t last for more than about six months at that intensity.”
“The gods won’t eat,” Flynn added with a somber nod. “They won’t sleep or care for the body at all when they do this.” He crossed his bulky arms, the muscles pressing against his pecs. “In this mode, the gods burn through the body without caring at all what damage they’re causing on the human host, but they can last for months without rest in this state.” The demigod sighed with disappointment. “I’ve heard of it before in Olympus, and it’s heavily frowned upon, but many zealots will do anything for their gods, even sacrifice their lives as a willing short-term host if it’s what the gods want.”
“So that’s probably why the gods didn’t announce themselves,” Tina said, tapping her finger thoughtfully on her lips. “They never planned to be here long anyway.” She rubbed her temples, frustrated. “They really are here to kill me, and they each seem to have a different motivation for it.”
“We won’t let them.” Anthony set a possessive hand on her back, his dark features softened as he looked at her warmly. She smiled with gratitude, feeling safe in her protective wolf’s presence.
“Right,” Zane agreed. “If the gods are burning through their hosts, it means they will be on a timeline and must rush things. We can’t wait them out, though, because the gods can just come back again and again in different bodies. Their priests will do anything for them, and Olympus will probably help if the gods ask.”
“Let’s pray we get Olympus as our ally before they do,” Flynn said with a defeated groan. “Once that alliance is made, it will open the floodgates of hell.”
“Drama much?” Draven rolled his eyes. “Jesus, calm down.”
“Calm down?” Flynn raised one astonished eyebrow. “In Olympus, there’s a temple for every god and goddess ever known, each rife with descendants and priests or priestesses who will gladly lay down their lives for their gods.” Flynn began to pace, laying out the worst-case scenario in a hushed and hurried tone. “If Olympus and the gods unite, we could have an endless army of gods and goddess to battle, each with their own vendetta and abilities, all of them after Tina.” Flynn stared at Draven. “How the hell can I calm down?”
“Guys, it’s okay,” Tina said, doing her best to soothe her darling men as they grew more and more apprehensive. Even though she was a little nervous, too, she had to rein them in first while she thought of a plan. “It’s going to be fine. Whatever happens, we simply need to work with what we have.”
She paused for a moment, thinking through the situation, weighing pros and cons. “Flynn, I think your father will keep them at bay, at least for the moment. If they come after me, they’ll be coming after you, and he wouldn’t sacrifice you. At least for now, he’s going to do everything in his power to ensure your safety, and that means not siding with the gods who want to come over. Not yet.”
Flynn paused for a moment, eyes glazing over as he seemed to process her words. He hesitated, shoulders relaxing, and eventually nodded. “You’re right,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck absently. “Thank you for talking me down.”
“Of course.” She nodded, glad he was calm and centered again. She needed her strong demigod to be clearheaded and focused. “I think we have another problem though.” She ran her thumb over the tattoo on her wrist, the one that had appeared the day she and Damara had fused. “When Venus tried to take me out, I felt something clawing at my insides. It felt like she was trying to pull Damara out of me.” She shuddered at the memory, the sense of hopelessness, the looming dread of losing the beautiful goddess deep in her body. “It was terrible.”
“You’re safe.” Zane’s soothing hand tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ve never heard of that happening, though. I didn’t think that was even possible. Flynn?”
Flynn shrugged and shook his head, apparently equally bewildered. “To my knowledge, it’s impossible.” He knelt over Tina, his hand cupping her cheek as he examined her face like a doctor checking for illness. “As far as I can tell, you’re still connected and always will be. The only thing that can break your connection is death.”
Tina nodded, comforted by the idea that her theory might have been wrong but simultaneously still concerned. “We need to find out who these other gods are, though we shouldn’t engage with them.” She sighed. “Once we have more info, we can make a solid plan. Zane?”
“On it.” The tiger shifter nodded and pulled out his phone, thumbing through something she couldn’t see on the little screen. “I’ve been researching, cashing in every favor, following every lead.” He grinned mischievously. “Sooner or later, we’ll find them.”
“And then what?” Anthony asked ominously.
Tina sighed, slouching against the headboard. “And then we come up with a plan to convince them to go home and stay home. To let Damara remain here on Earth with me.”
“No biggie,” Draven said with a shrug. “Easy, really.”
“Not helping, smartass,” Flynn muttered.
Tina frowned, her mind already racing at a million miles an hour. It didn’t matter how many gods they sent her way, nor would Venus ever get that close again. Tina and her princes were armed and ready, equipped with powerful new information about Damara and her temple that Tina knew, deep down, would make all the difference. She and her men would prevail in the end, no matter how the odds were stacked against them. Especially since, considering the stakes, failure simply wasn’t an option.
17
Draven
To Tina’s delight, her princes had removed the furniture in one of the rooms in their Spanish villa, giving them an open area in which to spar and train. Though it didn’t have any mirrors to help her perfect and refine her form, she did have the best teachers the world had to offer.
“Good, elbows in,” Draven said as she moved through a sequence with the dagger he had given her back in Epara during the competition. “Right, excellent,” he said again as she moved through the last movement, a strange angle to the wrist that she had never quite gotten right before today.
She grinned in triumph and winked at her sexy dragon shifter. “Thanks, sensei.” Effortlessly, she spun the dagger in her hand, tossing it gently in the air and catching it despite the spinning blade.
“Now you’re just showing off.” Draven smirked. “I’m so proud.”
&nb
sp; Tina laughed and tucked the blade away in the sheath tied at her ankle. Nowadays, she always kept the dagger on her, even though her magic grew stronger and stronger. She never knew when she would need it most, and she liked to keep it close.
Draven pressed himself against her from behind, his hands on her hips as his fingers slowly pushed under her shirt. As she rose, he kissed her shoulder. “Perhaps we’ve earned a bit of reprieve, boss?” He nibbled her neck in the raw and feral way that always drove her nuts, and her eyes rolled back into her head as tendrils of pleasure snaked down her spine at his intense touch.
“Not quite yet,” she said, his electric touch giving her a wicked little idea. “First, spar me.”
“All work and no play.” He chuckled. “You’re starting to sound like Killian.”
“Come on, do it,” she said, laughing. “Only this time, add your flames.”
His smile fell at her suggestion. “I don’t want to hurt you, Tina. The magic you gave me, those flames can burn anything to ash.”
“All the more reason to avoid them.” She winked. “I won’t hit back or touch your hands, so I’ll just duck and dodge. It’ll be good practice.” She smirked. “If you’re worried, go slow. You have good control, and I know you’ll be careful.” When he shook his head, apparently still not sold on the idea, she smirked. “How about this? I’ll let you choose whatever sexual position you want when we’re done.”
“I’m not going to put you in danger, even for such a glorious promise,” Draven said, frowning.
“Draven, baby, come on,” Tina said with a sly smile, batting her eyes teasingly. “Look, I need to practice. The gods aren’t going to go easy on me, and neither should you.” She crossed her arms to make her point. “They’re going to have deadlier magic than a few fireballs.”
“Hey, now, don’t dismiss my awesomeness,” he said with a grin.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she said, kissing his cheek. “But my point still stands.”
“Fine.” He groaned, shoulders drooping a bit as he seemed to realize he’d lost the argument. He paused, watching her a moment as if giving her a chance to back down, but when she didn’t, fire engulfed his fists, the flames licking his exposed arms, safely away from the rolled sleeves of his shirt. “Ready?”
“Ready.” Tina stood in fighting position, hands up, ready to duck whatever came her way.
Draven slowly launched a fist toward her shoulder, clearly going easy on her, and she rolled out of the way, dodging the blow as if he had warned her it was coming. She sighed and bit her tongue, deciding not to chide him into faster attacks just yet, since she wanted him to be comfortable with this, too. Her strong and darling dragon just didn’t want to hurt her, and it would take a few easy blows for him to realize he wouldn’t.
As their makeshift dance continued, the fire whizzed by her face, a little closer each time. Her heart skipped a beat with each near-miss, adrenaline pumping, palms a bit sweaty with anticipation as she carefully stepped out of the path of each punch. Finally, it seemed like he was getting the hang of their little dance, and his confidence showed as each blow became a little faster.
“Maybe slow down—” Before Tina could finish her sentence, Draven’s fist sailed toward her shoulder. She blocked it effortlessly, thanks to the months of training with all of her brilliant warriors, but her skin came into contact with the fire blistering over his arm.
At first, she expected pain, and a lot of it. Instead, she felt a pleasantly warm sensation, almost as orgasmic as the lingering kiss of his lips on her bare body every time they indulged in their carnal need for each other. It raised the hair on her arms, and a ripple of ecstasy shot through her.
“Jesus, sorry! Tina, are you …?” Draven paused, a confused look on his face as he examined her skin. No burns, no blisters, not even a bit of red where his fire had touched her. “You’re fine,” he said, letting out a little sigh. “How—”
“You got your power from Damara’s magic,” Tina said with a shrug. “Maybe that makes me immune. Let me try something, baby. Could you summon up your fire again?”
Once more, Draven summoned the magic from his body, the crackling flame burning on his fist. Tina reached out tenderly, cautiously, years of the fire is bad, stay away warning snapping in her mind, but she touched the flame without incident. Again, it kissed her skin like it was a part of him, nothing more than a beautiful extension of his soul that wanted only to explore her and bring her pleasure, same as him.
“Wow.” Tina ran her hand through the flame, dragging her fingers along his as she played with the fire. He grinned and cupped her face, the fire engulfing her skin just as it had his, and the entire sensation was like a warm shower. He kissed her, letting the fire engulf them, swirling around them toward the floor.
“Don’t you set this house on fire,” she chided her dragon between kisses.
“Sorry, boss.” With a huff, the fire went out, but his embrace deepened, and his lips explored hers with playful abandon. Draven was her source of joy and laughter, her constant reminder of all things good in the world, even when things got rough, and it was so perfect that his power could destroy others while bringing her only pleasure.
He was perfect.
As his hands traced the curves of her shoulders and fell to her waist, his kisses brushing along her jawline, Tina smiled and surrendered to him completely. She trusted him, loved him, enjoyed every second she spent with her powerful dragon, and now that it was just the two of them, she wanted to show him her love.
Draven seemed to sense the shift in her, because as he pressed her against the wall, his kisses got rougher, his breath heavier, his grip on her thighs tighter. It was as if she’d suddenly set of something in his brain, and she suspected he had every intention of cashing in her promise to let him choose whatever position he wanted.
He had her pinned against the wall, his strong arms pinning her torso to the wallpaper as he lifted her against it until she straddled him. She moaned, arching her back as much as she could against the wall, leaning her hips into him for support. The thick bulge in his pants grew, and she smiled with desire and her brimming love for him, willing him to take her right then and there.
Draven bit her neck, tender and slow, careful to illicit only enough pain to produce raw pleasure. She moaned, leaning into him, wishing she could ride him while they were both on fire. That would have to be a dream for another day when they weren’t in such a flammable environment.
With one fluid motion, he tugged her pants lower, pulling off her underwear until there was just enough room for his fingers to reach past her jeans and toy with her wet entrance. She grinned beneath his kiss, losing herself in his warm and sensual touch, delighting in his strong hand on her hip and the way he could bring her joy with nothing more than a flick of his tongue on her lips.
“What are you doing, mischief maker?” she asked, breathless from his kisses.
“You’ll see,” he said, voice gruff and dark as he surrendered to his primal instincts. He dragged his teeth gently along her neck, shooting ripples of pleasure through her body as his fingers pried open her sensitive folds. He toyed with her, never plunging his fingers into her, his thumb rubbing her sensitive bud as he played with her.
“Do it, oh God, do it,” she moaned, wishing he would take her already.
“So bossy.” Draven chuckled and nipped her jaw, not slowing, instead feeding off her pulsing need for his cock to fill her and seeming to relish the simple act of teasing her to the brink even while most of her clothes were still on.
Finally, he unzipped his pants, not bothering to take them off, and pressed the tip of his cock against her entrance. He didn’t undress, didn’t wait for his pants to fall, simply thrust himself inside of her in one fluid stroke. She gasped, loving the sensation of his cock inside of her, shivering with delight as he slowly pulled out. Once his head neared her entrance, he bucked into her again mercilessly.
Tina pressed the heels of her bare feet agai
nst the back pockets of his jeans, urging him harder, faster, loving the way he impatiently pounded her, rocking her hips against his as he tugged gently on her hair and bit her neck. He had never thrust into her with such abandon, such need, that it felt as though he were screwing her for the first time.
“More,” she demanded.
“As you command,” he said, his voice breathless with lust. “My woman gets everything she wants and more.”
“I want you, Draven,” she said, eyes fluttering closed as she ran her hands through his hair. “I want all of you, everything.”
“Done,” he said softly, his voice more tender than she had expected, and he seemed to give himself completely over to every thrust, every kiss, every rocking movement of their hips grinding together.
Her climax built in her navel, rough and raw and fierce. She gave herself over to it, losing herself in the primal need she felt for her dragon shifter, the way he could always make her laugh and always make her feel at home, no matter where they were or what happened. She laughed with overwhelming bliss as she rode her orgasm, and it wasn’t until she screamed his name that he finally released himself inside of her.
They remained like that for several minutes, Tina breathing heavily as Draven’s brow rested against hers, his strong grip on her ass holding her in place. She smiled, brimming with joy, and kissed her dragon deeply.
“Hope you’re ready for round two, boss,” he said, his fingers sliding up her waist as he slowly let her return to her feet. “Because we’re going to do that again, right now.”
“I’m game.” She kissed him on the jaw, his stubble deliciously rough against her lips. “What other positions shall we try?”
18
Zane
