The Wolf's Hunt: A Reverse Harem Fantasy (The Goddess's Harem Book 2)

by Lila Jean

  “LEAVE!” Tina shouted, her voice rich with authority and power. Her chest vibrated with the order as she gestured toward the road, casting out the god who had dared invade her home.

  An unseen force lifted him clear off his feet, casting him over the fence and onto the road. He rolled, the flames in his whips extinguishing, and he laid for a moment on the asphalt as he recovered his breath. He stood and glared at her with unbridled hatred, but Tina didn’t so much as flinch.

  “IF YOU’RE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO CONTINUE,” she said, back arched and chin lifted in regal power, “YOU WILL DIE IN BOTH WORLDS.”

  With the immense power flooding Tina’s body, with the radiating light and energy pumping through her, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she could make good on the threat.

  Ares paused, eyes wandering over her as he pondered her words, but eventually, he sneered, the wicked grin full of malice and hatred. “Not even you can do that.” He stood, smacking the whips against the asphalt, reigniting them as they raged and burned the air around him. “You’re coming home, Damara.” His eyes drifted down Tina’s body. “You’re mine, and you need to remember your place.”

  “No one speaks to my mate like that.” Draven’s sword glinted in the sunlight as he walked up beside her, glaring at the god outside the walls. “No one, asshole.”

  Tina nodded. “I’m not yours, Ares.” She grinned, radiating wicked glee, just to piss him off. “I never was, and I never will be.”

  The god’s smile faded in to a disgusted frown, but before he could say anything, Venus appeared in the street. Tina nearly gasped in surprise, since it didn’t make sense for her to be there. One moment, Ares stood alone on the road, and the next, Venus was walking toward him, fuming, a look of strained concern on her face as she glanced from Ares to Tina and back.

  “What are you doing here?” Ares snapped, the air above the flaming whips shimmering in the heat. “You’re supposed to be—”

  “Odin is coming,” Venus interrupted, glancing at Tina. “I couldn’t delay him anymore, not when Damara’s temple just released all that power,” the goddess of love and beauty scowled, hand trembling with fear. “Odin’s coming, Ares, and you broke your oath to him. You know what that means.” Venus pointed at Tina, scowling at her with intense hatred. “Stop playing with your food, Ares. Kill her now!”

  39

  Tina

  These fucking assholes. Tina gritted her teeth, glaring between Ares and Venus, a full understanding of their plan finally rolling over her. Venus had been distracting Odin so that Ares could kill her outside of the agreement, most likely to completely void it.

  “It’s not that you couldn’t wait to kill me,” Tina snapped, glaring daggers at Ares. “You were afraid I was going to win!” She balled her hands into fists. “You were afraid Odin would declare me the winner, permitting Damara to stay on Earth!”

  “Hardly.” Ares scowled. “I was concerned you would discover your true powers before our fight.”

  “Because you know you’ll lose now that I have.” Tina laughed dryly. “You’re afraid. Coward.”

  He growled, the sound of his skin tightening on the leather handles of his whips loud in the otherwise dead-silent temple yard. “You don’t have all your power, little girl. You and I both know it.” He cracked his whips against the asphalt again, and the flames burst to life. “Time to die, little one.”

  “You won’t touch her,” Flynn said, standing alongside Draven.

  Tina briefly turned her head to see Anthony and Zane behind him in their shifted forms, her beautiful white tiger and black wolf growling, teeth bared as they slowly stalked toward the gods, flanking her. Above her, Killian circled them in his eagle form, his enhanced eyes focused on the gods, no doubt waiting for a chance to strike a deadly blow. On the path beside her, Draven’s form shimmered with the threat of a shift, and she knew his massive dragon would give the god a run for his money.

  “You’re not immortal in that delicate little human form,” she reminded Ares with a sinful little grin of her own. “And my men are better fighters than you’ll ever be.” It was just a taunt, mostly to rile him up and get him off his game, but it would probably work a god as prideful as Ares.

  Ares’ scowl deepened, and Tina had to resist the impulse to laugh at his hurt pride. It was almost too easy to throw him off his game, to twist his own sense of self-importance and use it as a weapon against him.

  “Your dagger, boss,” Draven said, his hand outstretched toward her even as he glared at the gods at the edge of the temple. She took it and gripped it tight, the hilt still a bit wet from where it had fallen into the small lake in front of her home, and the blade instantly glowed white from the sheer amount of magic coursing through her veins. This time, she knew, it wouldn’t fail her. With Epara awakened and her body humming with renewed strength, her blade would work with deadly consistency.

  Ares cracked his whip across the walls separating Epara from the main road, and a thundering boom echoed throughout the landscape as the fire crashed against an invisible forcefield, which momentarily glowed white on impact. Tina groaned in pain as she felt the hit deep in her body, gritting her teeth through the splitting agony, but her forcefield held strong. For now. Her head swam, and spots danced along her vision. If that was the effect of just one hit, even from such a legendary and powerful weapon, she doubted she could keep this going for long.

  “Can Epara keep them out?” Tina asked quietly, leaning toward Flynn. “How much can the temple itself do now that it’s awoken?”

  “You control it,” Flynn whispered back. “Since you haven’t had a chance to practice, you’ll have to go on instinct.” He gently brushed his fingers along her back, a sweet reassurance that he, and her men, would always be there for her. “I doubt we’ll be able to keep them both out until Odin arrives. They’re both really strong.”

  Outside, Ares continued his assault on the barrier, and ripples of pain shot through Tina each time. She winced, pushing through each blow and holding the temple as best she could. At first, Venus simply closed her eyes and stood in the street with her arms outstretched, as though she were silently summoning something.

  Tina watched the goddess warily. “What’s she—”

  The ground rumbled, and with a roar, thick roots shot from the ground at Venus’ feet, thrashing against the barrier. Each hit felt like a sharp sting against Tina’s back, and she gritted her teeth at the onslaught.

  “Tina!” Flynn set a hand on her back, steadying her as her knees bent with the brunt of the brutal attacks.

  “I’m fine,” Tina said, grimacing, trying to regain her balance. “Venus’ ability to control the earth is even more powerful than I thought it would be.” Another limb smacked against the barrier, and the blow nearly knocked her over. “I don’t think we should stall them or wait for Odin.” She frowned. “I was supposed to fight Ares anyway. Let’s not wait around to see if Odin changes the rules on me again.” She balled her free hand into a fist. “If we don’t handle this before he arrives, Odin may cancel the god challenge and say everyone, including Damara, has to go back.” She shook her head. “Better to end this now.”

  “Think you can really kill the god as well as the human host?” Flynn asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

  “One way to find out, baby,” she said, shooting a confident wink over her shoulder at the gorgeous demigod. “Let’s send these assholes packing.”

  “Whatever you say, boss.” Draven’s voice was practically a growl, his form shimmering dangerously as he neared his shift, ready at a moment’s notice to transform.

  “Killian, Anthony, and Zane are going to keep Venus occupied,” Flynn said in a hushed tone. “Draven and I will help you with Ares. We’re ready on your signal.” He kissed the back of her head reassuringly. “You’re in charge.”

  “Duh, she always has been.” Draven shot Tina a panty-melting grin. “We’ll follow your lead, boss.”

  “Fight me!” Ares shouted, i
nterrupting them. “The laws were broken, woman.” He sneered. “Today, you’ll leave Earth one way or another. It may as well be with courage. Face me!”

  “I intend to.” Tina raised her hands, and a rush of air blew past her as the forcefield came down. She figured Ares would try to attack the moment the forcefield fell, but he somehow managed to leap through before it had even completely disappeared. The force of him tearing through the energy field ripped through her core, almost sending her to her knees as he assaulted her temple and, by default, her.

  Ares raised his whips, the fire sizzling through the air, his glare focused on her as he prepared to bring the skin-melting flames down on her face. Beside her, another rush of air sailed past, this time from Draven’s wings as he fully transformed into his dragon, roaring as he shielded her with his body. His skin erupted as the mystical flames blazed to life around him as the fire whips crashed onto his skin. He roared in pain but quickly brushed them off with his wings, snapping at Ares with his mighty jaws.

  The air around Tina crackled with electricity as Flynn summoned his lightning, and all around her, Anthony, Zane, and Killian rushed toward Venus. The god of love and beauty scowled, her face contorted with anger and hatred, and Tina wondered if maybe she could have helped Venus, rather than become enemies, if the other goddess would have just listened and spoke up all those centuries ago. If Venus hadn’t tried to kill her, they might have even been able to work this out.

  Now, Tina had no choice. Venus had threatened her, Damara, and her beautiful men, and she would die for it.

  Anthony snapped at Venus, drawing blood, his super speed always moving him out of harm’s way before the goddess could land a blow. Briefly, Tina wondered if her own enhanced magic had also affected her men’s powers, since they seemed faster and stronger than ever before.

  A whip cracked by her face, and she dodged easily thanks to her months of intensive training with her incredible soldiers. Draven roared, apparently disgusted that Ares had come so close, and breathed a wall of fire onto Ares. The god rolled out of the way as the fire consumed a large section of Tina’s orchards, the fight slowly moving out to the garden, where everyone would have more room to move.

  She ran up the path with Flynn in tow. “Draven!” she shouted. “Throw him in the water!”

  Draven snorted and spun, too fast to see, his tail smacking hard against the god and shooting him into the water. Most of the whips extinguished, but that wasn’t what she had been hoping for.

  “Flynn, your lightning—”

  “Of course!” he shouted, smirking. He summoned his lightning into his hands and channeled it into the water, the electricity coursing through the small lake and slowly cooking the god in its depths.

  Ares froze in place, muscles locked by the lightning coursing through his body, his glare locked on Tina as he gritted his teeth silently through the pain.

  “Draven, look out!” She pushed Flynn to the side as a dagger sailed through the air, aimed at his heart. It nicked her shoulder, and a bolt of pain shot through her arm as she yelled in agony, wine-red blood leaking from the deep cut. She looked up at Venus, who glared at her, another dagger in her rival’s hand, ready to go, but her massive black wolf dug his teeth into Venus’ arm. Venus screamed in agony, punching Anthony’s face, but Tina’s beautiful wolf didn’t let go.

  The distraction had stopped the flood of lightning into the pond, which had freed Ares. The god of war pushed himself out of the lake, chest heaving, spitting water as he stood, the extinguished whips at his side already beginning to smoke as they once more heated up. “I’m going to enjoy killing you, little human.” His nose wrinkled in disgust, his voice low and dangerous. “So very, very much.”

  “You won’t be the first to try.” Tina dipped into her magic, the blade at her side brimming with light and power. “Nor will you be the last.”

  Ares attacked her, his still-extinguished whips cracking in the air around her. She dodged, always looking for a chance to land a blow against him, an eye always on his heart and neck, waiting for an opportunity to end this once and for all. She swung several times, Flynn dueling by her side as Draven snapped his massive jaws at the god from behind, the three of them keeping Ares occupied.

  Draven and Flynn never once went for a final blow, instead using their attacks to distract him, to draw his attention, to increase the chance she could land a deadly blow in his heart. Once or twice, she was able to swing, but each time, Ares twisted out of the way at the last second, his muscle memory impressive, and her dagger instead landed in his shoulder. He groaned in pain as the magical blade seared his skin, turning bits of it to ash, blocking him from healing, but it still wasn’t enough to slow him down.

  Tina had no idea how long they fought, but it seemed like ages. Even with her training, this intense battle was wearing on her stamina, and she wished she could access the final depths of her magic, the final connection to her goddess. If she could, she knew she could end this once and for all, and yet it sat ever just so out of reach, driving her wild in her desperate search for it.

  With the heat of battle raging around her, with the building exhaustion in her limbs and bones from two fights back to back, from a night of not sleeping, from the rescue of her priests and priestesses and Ray’s betrayal, she couldn’t go on much longer, and she didn’t have the energy to reach deep enough and connect with Damara, not while she was dodging deadly blows from Ares.

  A quick glance at her men confirmed similar predicaments. Draven’s movements slowed just a hair, while Flynn was breathing noticeably heavier. Killian and Zane still struck at Venus with deadly precision, but she began hitting them more regularly, and blood dotted both of their backs. Only Anthony seemed to be avoiding getting hit, but he was such a blur that Tina couldn’t be sure.

  She knew one thing for sure, though, and that was that these gods were going full burn, burning through their host’s bodies with no regard for the body’s health, and they could go for much longer without rest than she or her men. If nothing else, Venus and Ares could wear them down, and with Odin on the way and the tide of the battle slowly turning against her, she had to face the harsh truth that she might not, in fact, win.

  As she surveyed the battleground, she caught Venus’ eye. The rival goddess glared at her with such intensity, such hatred, that she once more felt the scratching sensation on her chest, the feeling she had long assumed was a technique Venus was using to draw Damara out of her, to kill her by removing the goddess she had come to love and cherish like a best friend, like a sister. It was so powerful, so overpowering, that she staggered, fighting it with all of her might, doing everything she could to protect Damara, to keep her on Earth, to keep them connected.

  But as she once more looked at each of her men’s faces, saw their weariness, saw their exhaustion, she was afraid. Not for herself, of course, but for them. If the tide of the battle turned against her, they would pay for it. Venus had said herself the only way to kill a god in both worlds was with a special weapon, so by doing this, Tina could be sure Damara would be safe as well. Tina couldn’t bear to see her princes harmed, wouldn’t let them die, not for her, not when she loved them so fiercely that it hurt.

  If Tina had to die to protect her men, she would. No question. Tentatively, uncertain for the first time in a long time, Tina stepped back from her fight with Ares, Flynn looking at her warily, clearly concerned, and she gave in to the scratching sensation in her chest.

  At first, it was terrifying, because she slowly lost control of her body. Her fingers went numb, she lost sensation in her toes, and a cooling shill crept up toward her neck from her navel. She gave herself to it, hoping against hope this would save her men, knowing in her core that they would be safe.

  But instead of a rush of darkness and death, she felt power. It slowly replaced the numbness, filling her with energy and strength, renewed focus and love for everything around her. Bit by bit, she seemed to awaken, and the depths of her power finally came within
reach.

  That was when it finally clicked for Tina. The scratching hadn’t been Venus trying to draw Damara out of her at all. It had been Damara, simply wanting to be heard, to be allowed to go full-burn. All this time, Damara had simply been asking for permission to take over, if only for a time, and set things right.

  Relief flooded through Tina as she gave herself fully to the goddess within her, completely trusting that Damara would always have her back. Even more important, though, she knew Damara would protect the five princes Tina loved with all her heart.

  40

  Flynn

  A blinding burst of white light sailed through the sky from behind Flynn, knocking him, Ares, and even Draven over. The flames on Ares’ whip huffed out from the force of the sudden gale, and Flynn lifted his hand to protect his eyes as he instinctively looked at the source of the light.

  Tina. Or, rather, Damara.

  She hovered in the air above him, her skin pulsing with white light, her dark hair flowing around her face, and her eyes blazed white. Damara came through with powerful majesty, a force to be reckoned with, but Flynn’s heart sank. He looked briefly at Ares, the god kneeling as he glared at the goddess hovering before them all, and Flynn was terrified that he had just lost Tina for good. He cared for Damara, of course, but Tina was his mate, his lover, and his woman. To thinking of losing her, even to the goddess that gave her such immense magical ability, terrified him.

  Damara opened her mouth to speak, but to Flynn’s surprise, thunder interrupted her.

  “I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!” a booming man’s voice echoed through the temple and its surrounding landscape.

  Anthony, still in his wolf form, looked up and, quick as a bullet, shoved the white tiger beside him into the grassy field opposite the temple. Venus, too, rolled out of the way of something above them, and Killian dodged something in the sky, his shrill call echoing over the land as he expertly dodged something Flynn still couldn’t see. Seconds later, a blur fell from the clouds, landing hard on the asphalt road outside, shattering the road and leaving behind a small crater. In it stood Odin, furious, the air around his body sizzling as though he were about to erupt into flames.