Denying Ecstasy (The Guardians of the Realms Series)

by Setta Jay

  He was confident that Bastian was making headway with his. As a Guardian, his brother’s Kairos powers were enhanced. He was able to partially teleport unlike the others of his race. It was a gift of the Creators and something only he and Sacha could do. It was like fighting air when they were in battle mode. Bastian would solidify only enough to strike a blow. It was an impressive thing to watch. Not that Dorian could spare a glance. He had enough to fucking deal with. It was taking all of his concentration to keep the damn place from burning down while he fought the beast.

  He dodged another strike. The ofioeidis coiled its long body so that the barbed tail was rattling near the right side of its head, protecting one side of its neck, leaving only the left vulnerable for attack. Its massive head was more dragonlike than snakelike and didn’t bend back enough to guard against Dorian’s blades.

  Seems like the skin is tougher, he said through the link in irritation.

  Yes, Gregoire growled back, making it clear his brother was not happy with that particular fact.

  One down in Ouranos. Drake’s voice was deathly calm through the link. Fuck, if they were competing, they’d all lost hard against him. He couldn’t even use his dragon fire. Hell beasts were immune. No, Drake was just fast at cutting any creature down.

  One more double slice from his blades and Dorian narrowly missed another strike. The big body was starting to uncoil while Dorian moved, which was exactly what he’d hoped for. The heat of the fire coming from its mouth nearly scorched his skin. The good news was that it seemed to be moving a fraction slower as it lost blood. The tainted blood burned his arms, and the bite of pain kept him focused on the battle instead of his dick. This was what he lived for. He got off on the surge of adrenaline that fueled him.

  The minute the tail was free of the coil, Dorian struck. He teleported to the tip and skewered it through the point right between two sharp barbs. Sparing no time, he used his other blade to hack into the thick scales. After two clean swipes, he managed to teleport away just as the creature roared and shot flames in his direction. The bloody tail flailed, but he was already on the other side of the beast’s head. He pulled more water from the lake as he scented smoke from other flames erupting around them.

  Drake’s voice came through. Brianne, go help in Limni.

  Good, Brianne would work on the other beast. A second later he heard a loud battle cry and grinned. Brianne loved a fight just as much as he did. He could imagine what was happening to the creature she was fighting. He’d known it’d made it closer to the city, but that was as far as he’d tracked it, too busy dealing with the beast in front of him.

  Dorian continued making cuts, but the progress was slower without his other blade. He looked over to where it lay on the ground. The rest of the tail had finally slid away from it. He ported back and picked up the sword that was still stuck between the sharp points of the tail. The minute the creature opened its mouth to fry his ass, he launched the blade and tail down its throat using a boost of telekinetic power. He teleported away while the creature’s harsh noises filled the air. It tried to dislodge the blade, but Dorian had made sure it lodged deep, the barbs cutting into its throat and rendering it incapable of spewing anymore fire. Thank fuck for that. He went in for the kill. His muscles burned from the added strength it took to get through the thick, hard flesh and bone. The head finally made it to a pile on the ground.

  Two down in Ouranos. Sacha, go help Conn and Jax.

  One down in Limni, he reported and looked to Bastian, who had maybe one or two blows before his creature was down. More reports of one and, soon, two down in the other cities. There were still a few warriors dealing with the remaining hell beasts on the rise.

  He saw Brianne working with some of the warriors to take out the last beast and shook his head. One cat was too aggressive and not nearly fast enough to miss the whip of its barbed tail. It struck hard into the male’s stomach. The easily eight-inch spikes impaled him and then slammed him into the ground. Shit. There would be some damage for the healers to repair. He and Bastian teleported over, working as one they detached the tail. Getting the cat free of the area was priority if they were going to save the male from any more damage. The beast whipped its bloodied stump and sent Dorian flying into a severed ophiotaurus head. He looked down, irritated. He’d landed right on a damned horn. He dislodged it from his bicep as Bastian teleported the cat to the healers and other warriors up near the city. It bled like a bitch, but would heal. He checked Brianne’s progress. She’d be pissed if he got in the way of her kill, so he cut down another stray beast as he glanced over.

  Bastian appeared next to him a second later.

  “Is the cat good?” he asked Bastian.

  “Yeah, the healers said they’d be able to care for the wounds.”

  Dorian nodded at his brother’s words, and they cut down a few more beasts, but didn’t see any others. He and Bastian turned in time to see Vane teleport in. The Demi-God brother of Uri’s mate immediately started ‘helping’ Brianne. Dorian shared a half-hearted smirk with Bastian.

  We may as well get a front-row seat, Bastian said.

  Dorian grinned, but it was tight. As the fighting ended, his dick was starting to make itself a fucking menace again. He needed relief, but what he gained at his own hand was little to nothing. His arm was bleeding, but he didn’t care. He focused on Vane and Brianne, glad for a distraction. They weren’t done yet; cleanup would take time once it was all over.

  “So much for that chat we’ve all wanted to have with Vane,” Dorian said to Bastian.

  “She’s a grown female, and Conn was right; she doesn’t tell us who we can fuck.” That had been the argument that had stopped the conversations about beating Vane for touching their sister. Well, that and Conn’s taunt for them to do it because he wanted to see what she would do to them for butting in on her life.

  He looked around, making sure that no other beasts were coming. All that was left was the ofioeidis and cleanup. Other warriors were gathering to watch Vane and Brianne. The remaining cats were only getting in the way of the fight. Dorian pulled power and doused more hot spots in the meadow, making sure that no more flames would flare.

  You guys are missing out, Dorian said to the others.

  Brianne glared over at him, and he grinned back at his sister.

  What’s going on? Gregoire asked.

  We have two warriors, Brianne, and Vane, all working on the same ofioeidis. All we need is popcorn, Dorian said.

  Chuckles sounded through the link.

  He’ll learn, Sirena said matter-of-factly through the link. The warrior is all taken care of. Anyone else injured? she asked.

  Dorian would be damned before telling her about his wound. It would heal on its own, the bleeding wasn’t as bad. He was much better off avoiding his sister Guardian for the time being.

  He heard Brianne yell at the two warriors to get back. He could almost feel the bastards’ cocks shriveling up. She was fierce when pissed off, and she was right to be angry. They should have backed off when she arrived. They were only in the way, trying to prove themselves, but their abilities wouldn’t help them against one of those beasts. He shook his head. That stupidity was what had gotten the other warrior impaled.

  Brianne’s red hair was back in a braid, and she’d retracted her wings to fight. She tossed one warrior out of the way just as the beast’s head moved around and shot flames in her direction. Vane teleported to her and flipped her out of the way. The Demi-God thought he was saving her from being scorched. Dorian shook his head at the male’s mistake.

  Bastian grinned in Dorian’s direction. All the males knew what it was like fighting alongside their sisters. The females were fierce and more than capable of taking care of themselves. She would have gotten out of the way.

  Each and every male, except Drake, had gotten multiple beatings in their early years after becoming Guardians. The males were forced to fight their instinct to protect the females. Their sisters hadn’t app
reciated those impulses. It only pissed them off, and shit, they fought dirty, proving they were more than capable and their skills were to be respected.

  He fucked up big. She’s going to kick his ass good now, Dorian mused through the link, still fighting to keep his dick down. He appreciated the small distraction from his personal hell.

  Would you assholes shut the fuck up! Brianne snapped through the link.

  What’d he do? Uri asked.

  Spun her away from ofioeidis fire, Bastian provided.

  He’s outing their relationship in a big way, Jax said, and Dorian could tell that he was loving just how fucked Vane was going to be once the fight was over. He probably wished he could be there to witness the Demi-God’s beating.

  Swear to Gods, between your yapping and these stupid cats, I wouldn’t be so worried over the Demi-God. Keep in mind that I don’t care if any of your dicks work… and, Dorian, don’t tempt me to get all up in your business, I’ve been cool as fuck even though you’re in the wrong on this one. Rain doesn’t deserve this shit, Brianne shot back through the link, and he could see her fighting with a perfect titian brow cocked high in his direction.

  Silence filled the link, and Bastian cocked a brow in Dorian’s direction. She’d single-handedly knocked them all down. Him more than the others. Dorian frowned. Brianne was one of the few that hadn’t busted his balls. It hadn’t been like her to keep quiet on anything, but they’d been fighting in different locations with all of the activity.

  Report, Drake said.

  All hell beasts are down, fire’s out, and the last serpent isn’t far behind, Bastian replied.

  The others reported that they were all starting to help the warriors with cleanup. The fun was gone. None of them wanted to deal with an angry Brianne. They all liked their dicks where they were.

  The remaining cat got in the fray, and this time Vane teleported in and tossed the male out of the way. Vane looked around for a split second, probably searching out Brianne, and it was if everything else happened in slow motion. The beast reared and struck as Vane was spinning. It latched onto the male’s shoulder. If he’d moved slower, it might have been his head. Fuck.

  Brianne roared while everything else went quiet. Bastian and he teleported and helped Brianne slice through the neck. They got Vane free as quickly as possible. He was unconscious almost instantly, which was scary as fuck. The male was a Demi-God, closest to a Guardian in power. It shouldn’t have knocked him out like that. They laid Vane’s body out on the ground, the serpent’s teeth still lodged in his flesh.

  “Damn you!” Brianne shouted at Vane as they pulled the jaw apart, removing the teeth from bone and flesh. They didn’t want more venom getting into him. Before they could do anything else, Brianne was yelling completely incoherent things at the knocked-out Demi-God while ripping his leather shirt with her sharp talons. Before Dorian knew what she planned to do, she put her lips to the gored flesh and sucked. She spit blood and hopefully poison over and over while Bastian and Dorian forced the serpent’s still flailing body back. She quickly flipped Vane’s body over and did the same to the holes in the back of his shoulder.

  Sirena, Vane’s down, ofioeidis bite. Dorian hated having to say it.

  His heart clenched painfully for his sister. He’d never seen her with a male, and watching her now made him wonder just how long she and Vane had been seeing each other. It was obvious she cared for the Demi-God more than any of them imagined. He cringed hard. It could only end in more pain. She and Vane weren’t mated. The races didn’t mix. If either found their true mate, it would be painful if they were as attached as it seemed. He clenched his jaw, not liking the idea of his sister feeling that kind of pain.

  “Shh, Brianne, he’ll be fine. You’ll get to beat the shit out of him later,” he said to her as he rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. He glanced up at Bastian. The emotion coming from her was too raw, and he didn’t know what the fuck to do to fix it. She was always a ball of energy and fire.

  Bastian shook his head, sadness in his eyes as they looked at their sister.

  Brianne was shaking under Dorian’s hand, and he felt like a piece of shit as she continued to yell at Vane for his stupidity.

  The beast venom was obviously stronger in the new breed, or it wouldn’t have landed the Demi-God on his ass so quickly. With the other variety, the venom wasn’t deadly for an Immortal, it only incapacitated so the beast could decapitate its prey. What would this breed’s do? He listened for Vane’s pulse. “His heart is beating, and he still has his head. He’ll be fine.” He tried to reassure her. It was likely the unknown that was scaring the shit out of Brianne.

  Bring him to me, Dorian, and, Bastian, get me the ofioeidis’ head too, just in case something’s different, Sirena responded.

  Brianne got up and glared down at Vane. She looked pale and wobbly. The poison was getting her too.

  “I’m taking him to Sirena. Are you good to meet us there?” he asked her. She didn’t look okay. Her eyes were glassy. Bastian grabbed the big head and gently had Brianne hold onto his arm, which she did in a kind of daze, completely out of character; the venom was hitting her. Dorian lifted Vane’s unconscious body and teleported the two of them away.

  Erik, Alex and Uri were there before them. Erik lifted his twin out of Dorian’s arms and carried him through the doors toward Sirena. Brianne looked worse than before. Fuck. He lifted her up into his arms, she could rail at him if she wanted, but she didn’t fucking look like she could walk. She looked as if she was trying to speak, but no words came out. Son of a bitch. Uri held the door open, and they all went inside. The others looked as tense as he felt. He had the added tension of being in such close proximity to the female he needed to avoid the shit out of. He laid Brianne in the bed next to Vane. He felt her lose consciousness as he cleared the door to the infirmary.

  “She tried to suck out the poison,” he said to Sirena. Her eyes flashed with pain and sympathy when looking at Brianne. He wondered what Sirena knew of the relationship. Brianne cared for Vane in a way that made Dorian angry as fuck. Did Vane feel the same for her? Was that why he’d come to fight at her side? They’d been playing a dangerous game, and Brianne deserved so much fucking more than falling hard for a male that could never truly be hers. She deserved a mate. He might not, but she fucking did.

  “Dorian, get showered in the back, and I’ll heal your arm.”

  “It’ll be fine.”

  Sirena shot him a look that had him walking to the back to shower. Gods, she could be a bitch. It wasn’t like he was going anywhere until she reported on Brianne. Cleanup in Limni could wait. He wouldn’t leave before knowing his sister was okay, no matter how much he wanted out of the place.

  By the time the blood was off and he was in the flimsy pants from the stack on the shelves, he saw Drake standing inside the doorway.

  Sirena started talking. “Okay, it seems like the poison is acting the same as with the other breed. It’s looking like it was mainly meant to incapacitate, at least as far as I’ve been able to tell, I’ll have to do more tests. Both are unconscious, but internally everything looks fine at the moment. I need to get working on whatever venom I can extract from the head. I have no idea how long they’ll be out. We haven’t had a bite in nearly a century, and this one was potent.” The look on Sirena’s face didn’t bode well. He could see she was hiding something as she looked at Drake.

  Chapter 4

  Guardian Manor, Tetartos Realm

  “How are you?” Alyssa asked as she walked up to Rain’s seat in the courtyard.

  Rain spent most days avoiding the shit out of the staff and swimming in the pool or in the lake by Alyssa’s home. Her friend had been rescuing her daily since learning she was mated to a male that wanted nothing to do with her. It had been a week since she found out, and the symptoms were irritating the shit out of her, but it wasn’t like she had much choice but to deal with it.

  “Frustrated. How about you?” She grinned at her frien
d and then noticed something wasn’t right. Her friend was wearing her usual cargo shorts and tank top; for someone that enjoyed making clothes, she dressed simply. Rain looked closer and noticed tension around Alyssa’s pale green eyes. “What’s going on?”

  “More fighting. This time they’re all fending off hell beast attacks.” Alyssa rolled her neck.

  “Are you worried?” She eyed her friend. Gregoire was a Guardian, and a few hell beasts were no match against them, no matter how many there were. She couldn’t understand why her friend would be concerned about him fighting them, but Alyssa had been acting off in the last week. Rain suddenly felt like crap, she’d been so preoccupied with her own issues she hadn’t pried it out of Alyssa.

  “No. Yes. I don’t know. I’m not used to being a Guardian’s mate. My instincts are telling me to be with him, fight next to him, but he just about lost his mind when I told him I wanted to go,” Alyssa said as she sat in the chair next to hers. “When steam started coming out of my ears, he explained that it wasn’t that he didn’t think I’d be able to handle the beasts. He just said he’d be too distracted with me there. The irritating part is that the big oaf is right.” Alyssa blew out a frustrated breath. “I hate to admit it, but it bugs me even more that Alex is fighting by Uri’s side. I’m perfectly capable of having my male’s back. If he wasn’t so damn mental… I know this is what he does, I just haven’t gotten used to it. Logically I get it, but emotionally I’m losing my shit. He gets even one small cut and I don’t give a damn, I’m there, and whatever beast dared lay a paw on my male gets dismembered.”