Sacrifice for the Gods: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Ruling the Gods Book 1)

by Mae Doyle

  “She’s mine,” Etris hissed, gesturing at me with the knife. “I want her blood.”

  “No, she’s yours.” Wydar pointed at the body of Sara on the floor. “You took her blood and took her from her family. You won’t be doing the same to the other one, Etris. It’s not the agreement. You’ll break the accord.”

  “Fuck the accord. I came to bathe in virgin blood, you filthy gods, and I was denied that. You would deny me of this virgin?” Etris took a step closer to me, obviously trying to probe the limits of my magical protection. I could feel her aura as she moved closer, but the warmth around me kept her from getting too close.

  “Virgin blood.” Aruer locked eyes with me and I felt my entire body heat up. I suddenly wanted to break free of the protection that he offered me and fling myself at him. I’d never been with a man before, but I knew what to do, and my body was crying out for him.

  The flames of desire licking up my core had turned into a furnace, and I burned molten. Biting my lower lip, I had to stop from squeezing my legs together to relieve myself. The pressure was intense and almost unbearable, especially when I looked into his eyes.

  Aruer was looking at me like he wanted to strip me and fuck me on the altar. His eyes roamed my body, and I felt his searing gaze on me. The desire on his face was pure and unadulterated, and I wondered if it was as obvious to anyone else as it was to me.

  Judging from the look on the other gods’ and Etris’ faces, yeah, it was. Wydar and Suros were looking at me with interest, but Etris frowned. Deep lines appeared on her face, and the dark liquid from her eyes was now dripping down her distorted chin.

  “You can’t have her,” she growled at the gods. “She’s not for you to take. She’s not a little plaything, you know. She’s mine to kill.”

  “She’s ours.” Aruer raised his voice so that it could easily be heard throughout the church. “You speak of her like she is just yours, Etris, but you forget that you are not the only one she belongs to. You can’t speak for all of us when you try to decide what to do with her.”

  “I need her blood. It is part of the deal!” Etris’ voice rose into a screech as she rose into the air. She now hovered over me, her arms spread wide, the dagger still gripped firmly in her hand. If Aruer let down his magic protection, or whatever it was, I was screwed.

  So. Screwed.

  “You don’t speak for all of us, you dark goddess,” Suros shouted. “You don’t make that decision on your own, Etris!”

  He moved closer to me, actually stepping in between Etris and me. I could feel the warmth flowing off of his body. He smelled like summer, like a fresh meadow, like the heat radiating off of you before you jump in the lake. I wanted to lean closer to him and feel more of his heat, but when I tried to move, I realized that I was stuck firmly in place.

  Aruer was staring at me. He still had me held in position and wasn’t about to let me go, especially if that meant that I was going to get closer to another god.

  “I will have her.” Etris floated higher above all of us. The dagger no longer glowed purple, now it had a dark halo around it that partially obscured it, but I could still see the sharp outline of the blade. “You may think that you can save her today, gods, but I will be back for her, and I know that her parents can’t save her, not even with the magic I’ve given them.”

  Wydar flicked his wrist up at her and she howled, a cold blast of air pushing her farther up to the ceiling. The vaulted ceiling of the church had huge exposed rafters, and she hit one of them with a thunk, her back slamming into it.

  Etris opened her mouth, her jaw dropping low and twisting and screeched. Immediately, all of the druids, elves, and fairies in the pews stood and cried out in response, each of them raising their hands to her.

  Goosebumps popped out on my skin as the fairies took to flight, their glittering wings beating frantically as they lifted out of the pews. The druids grabbed onto huge vines that shot in through the windows and lifted out of the pews, while the elves sprung up and ran down the center aisle to the door.

  Etris screamed again, releasing a huge burst of energy that shot a hole in the roof of the church. Bits of wood and shingles splintered and shattered, falling down on us, I ducked involuntarily, but none of the debris hit me.

  It all landed on the protection spell Aruer had performed and bounced harmlessly away from me. I gasped as the pieces fell to the ground with a clatter.

  As soon as Etris and her creatures left the church, it was deathly still. Nobody moved except for my mom, who was released from her bounds by Wydar and fell sobbing on Sara’s body. My dad turned to me, his face drawn and hollow, but he couldn’t speak.

  I couldn’t speak.

  Aruer released me, but I felt useless, like I didn’t know what to do with my body. Sara was gone from us, but we expected that. What I didn’t expect was to put myself on an angry goddess’ shit list.

  “I want to go home.” Turning to my dad, I reached out and plucked his sleeve. He looked back at me, and shook his head a little, like he was trying to focus. His eyes cleared some and he took my hand. I relaxed at the warm magic flowing into me from his touch.

  “We’ll get you home, Emily. You’ll be safe there, okay? I promise you, we won’t let anything happen to you there. Etris won’t be able to get you, we have charms and protection spells. Everything will be okay.” He had barely finished speaking before Aruer spoke up.

  “You think that you can keep her safe at your house?” His voice was sharp and twisted, like Etris’ blade, and my stomach turned even as fire flared in me for him. “You think that you can save her from Etris, the first and only goddess, the ruler of spring and bringer of life?”

  “More like a bringer of death,” I shot back. “She murdered my sister and none of you did anything to try to stop her!” I swept my angry gaze over the three gods. “None of you tried to save her!”

  “She knew her role.” Suros was maddeningly calm, and I glared at him. “It didn’t have to go this way if she had just abided by the laws of the agreement, you know. But she broke them, so Etris was allowed to break them, also.”

  “But she can’t have Emily. My mom had left Sara’s body and come to stand by my dad. “We will protect her. Leave us on our earth and let us mourn our daughter.”

  “Silly witch,” Wydar said softly. It was the closest thing to kindness that I’d ever heard come from him. “You think that you can protect her? Etris gave you your power, but she did not give you nearly as much as we have.”

  “She’s our blood.” My father lifted his chin and tightened his grip on my hand. I felt magic starting to bind us together, but before he could complete the spell, it was severed.

  Aruer frowned at him. “Do not try to bind her to you, mortal being. We are the only ones who can save her now.” He turned to me and held out his hand. My body instantly pushed me to reach for him. I wanted to know what it would feel like to have him touch me, to feel his power coursing through me, but my dad held my hand fast. Even though we weren’t magically bound, he wasn’t about to let me go.

  “I want to stay.” I had to force myself to say the words. I needed to stay with my parents, but my body, my core, and my heart wanted to reach for the gods.

  Suros sighed. “We do not have time for this,” he said, and waved his hand in the air.

  Chapter 7

  Before today, I’d always thought that my parents were the most powerful witches that I knew. My mom and dad could perform any spell, conjure whatever they wanted, and make charms without paying any attention and still have them turn out perfectly.

  When I was seven, I’d wanted a bounce house in the backyard. I’d seen one on TV but never been in one before. My mom had told me that we couldn’t rent one, but then she and my dad did one better.

  They turned the entire backyard into a bounce house. No matter where you stepped or jumped, you were immediately catapulted up into the air. it was like they had loosened the laws of gravity itself and allowed us the freedom to do w
hatever we want.

  Sara and I flipped and jumped all afternoon. When she fell down hard on her wrist, striking it on a rock, my mom had simply waved her hand and healed it so that we could get right back to jumping.

  So, yeah, I’d always thought that my parents were really powerful, but they didn’t compare to these gods. At the time of the pact, the three gods and the goddess gave my ancestors their magical power. This spread out slowly throughout the world, giving select families who were willing to pledge their obedience to my family and to the gods and goddess power as well, but my family has always been the strongest.

  That’s why they need our blood. Blood from a regular witch family simply wouldn’t do. It has to be the virginal first daughter of the third son from our family.

  This was what I was thinking about as I floated up through the air. I could see my parents below me, frantically chanting and waving their hands, trying to combat the magic that was sweeping me away. Sweat broke out on both of their brows as they fought the spell lifting me away from them.

  But it wasn’t coming close to touching the magic that surrounded me now. I closed my eyes and opened my mouth, feeling the magic sweeping through my body. It throbbed and coursed through me, making it feel like my very veins were singing. Every cell of my being was more alive than ever, even more alive than when Etris had first touched me and brought my magic to life.

  It was in me all along, just dormant and waiting. Now it was coursing through me, but that didn’t even compare to the magic surrounding me.

  The three gods floated near me, and I opened my eyes just in time to see them reach out to hold hands. They formed a triangle around me, their energy pinning me in place. My head dropped back, and I felt my arms swing out involuntarily as they circled me, chanting.

  Something big was happening, and there wasn’t anything that I could do to stop it. It struck me that I was completely at their mercy, unable to do anything to stop them. Not that I wanted to right then. Their power surged through me, making the throbbing in my core almost unbearable. I wanted release – no, I craved it, needed it, but spinning freely in the air meant that I had no way to help calm the throbbing between my legs.

  The gods chanted louder and I started to swirl. Even as I tried to catch a glimpse of my parents below me, I couldn’t focus my eyes. Everything was moving too quickly past, everything becoming a blur.

  I felt my stomach shift and I worried that I might throw up, but before I could, everything in the church went black. The air was freezing and I shivered, forcing my arms in to wrap them around myself and try to warm myself up. Tiny pinpricks of light surrounded me, but the gods kept their hands tightly together and kept chanting.

  I spun slower now, giving me a chance to look at each of their faces. Wydar’s eyes were closed tightly in concentration, a small crease between his eyes showing me how focused he was. His silver hair gleamed in the dark, making it look like he was glowing.

  Suros was next to him, practically radiating heat. I remembered that he was the god of summer, which would explain why he was so hot. He looked calmer than Wydar, his forehead smooth and unbothered, and my gaze dropped to his full mouth.

  He chanted and I found myself staring at his lips. They looked delicious and kissable and I wondered what it would be like to press myself against him and lean into his kiss. The thought made me quiver, but before I could focus on it for too long, I spun more, and was right in front of Aruer.

  His eyes were open and locked on me. There was bright color in his cheeks, but it was his swirling eyes that drew me in. They were hot pools of lava, both inviting me to swim in them and scaring the shit out of me.

  Those were eyes that I could get lost in. They looked inviting but I had the feeling that I’d only end up drowning if I let myself fall into them.

  Without realizing what I was doing, I reached for him. Aruer’s eyes widened and he stopped chanting. My eyes locked on his lips and I swallowed hard.

  I needed him to save me. I had no idea where we were, and the sudden realization that we weren’t on earth any longer shot through me, sending cold daggers of fear through my body. We’d left everything that I knew behind and were hurtling through a cold darkness.

  Through space.

  I gasped and the spell broke. Instead of feeling like I was floating through the air with the three gods as my guides, I felt myself start to fall. Gravity pulled down on me, hard, my feet suddenly dragging through space as the rest of me struggled to keep up with the gods.

  They continued floating higher and were going to leave me behind if something didn’t happen. I opened my mouth and screamed, but no sound came out. It was either whipped away from me or I couldn’t make any noise, but I felt the darkness from around us pour into me. It filled my lungs like a thick liquid, making it hard for me to catch my breath.

  Then hands wrapped around me, pulling me to a warm body. I threw my arms forward, instinctively grabbing onto to who I knew was Aruer. He wasn’t going to let me fall, and he pulled me up with him, helping me break free of the gravity threatening to suck me back down to earth.

  “Relax,” he whispered in my ear. His voice was like warm honey and I melted into him, letting my body relax and mold against his. “You have to relax, Emily, or I won’t be able to take you all the way.”

  Take me where? I wanted to ask, but was too afraid to open my mouth again, so I dug my chin into his shoulder and allowed my body to melt in his arms. He was stronger than he looked, his body completely wrapped with muscle. Every part of him felt like it was surrounding me and keeping me safe. Even though I knew that I should be afraid, he was a god, for goodness’ sake, I couldn’t help but feel like I could trust him. When I closed my eyes, I could feel that we were going faster, but I didn’t open them.

  Honestly? I didn’t want to see. I didn’t want to know that I was making a mistake in trusting Aruer. I didn’t want to think that leaning on him and allowing him to wrap his arms around me and keep me safe was a dumb move.

  I’d just seen my sister murdered.

  My parents held in place with magic stronger than theirs.

  I needed to believe that someone was on my side, and out of the three gods taking me somewhere, Aruer was definitely the one to trust.

  I hoped.

  ***

  My entire body ached. It felt like I’d been on rollercoasters all day long and then had tried to eat my way through the concession stands. My stomach rolled and twisted, but I was too afraid to open my eyes and see exactly where I was, so I kept them clamped shut.

  Who knew what was waiting for me?

  The last thing I remembered was taking Sara to the church for the sacrifice. There had been hundreds of creatures there, and then the gods showed up…

  And the goddess.

  Oh, shit.

  I wasn’t in my bed.

  The realization made my eyes fly open and terror shoot through me.

  I gasped, pushing off of the bed at the same time so that I could struggle up to a seated position. The gods had taken me from the earth, but I didn’t know where I was. I could be anywhere, they could have left me in space…

  I shook my head. No, none of that made any sense. We’d been in space, but space didn’t have beds. Space didn’t have a mattress so soft that I felt like my entire body was on top of a giant marshmallow. Space certainly didn’t have a centaur standing by my bed.

  “You’re awake. Good.” The centaur held a clipboard and made a note on it before looking curiously at me. “How do you feel? You were out for quite a while, and Aruer wants a full report immediately.”

  My tongue felt swollen and I shook my head, still staring at him in shock. A centaur – a real one, not just one that was in a book for kids. I knew that they existed, sure, but actually seeing one in real life?

  Yeah, it was enough to make me feel like I was slowly going crazy, except for the fact that I knew that everything was really happening. My sister was dead. I wasn’t on earth any longer. And apparently
my doctor was a centaur.

  The centaur had a strong body with deep brown fur, but his face was friendly. He frowned a little when I didn’t answer right away and walked over to me, his hooves clopping on the tile floor. Before I could move away, he grabbed my wrist, obviously checking my pulse.

  “Are you okay? Do you understand me?” This time, he spoke slower, probably thinking that I was some sort of an idiot that simply couldn’t understand him.

  I nodded. “I’m sorry, yeah. I understand you. I’m just a little groggy, but I’m okay.” My stomach rumbled, a loud sound that he obviously heard from the way he raised his eyebrow at me.

  “Okay, I’m hungry,” I admitted. “But I’m fine. Where am I?”

  The centaur scoffed and pawed the floor with his front right hoof. “You’re in Autumn King Aruer’s castle, of course. He brought you to his realm so that he could protect you from Etris. From what I heard, you and your family put on quite the show back on Earth.”

  “He brought me to his realm?” This time, it was terror that forced me to sit up straighter. “No, that’s not possible. That’s not something that people can do. You’re a dream. A fever dream, probably.” I flipped the covers back and swung my legs around, gasping when my bare feet hit the cool floor.

  “A fever dream,” I repeated, slowly rising to a stand. I was still wearing the gold dress that I’d had to put on for my sister’s ceremony. Even though I’d been in bed for who knows how long, it wasn’t wrinkled or twisted. That was just more proof that this was a dream.

  Clothes wrinkle when you get ripped through space and then crash in a bed for hours. There’s no way that this was real life.

  “Not a fever dream, Emily,” the centaur said, coming around the bed and offering me his arm. I eyed it suspiciously for a moment, but then took it. What the hell. I might as well enjoy my dream.

  He was steady and warm, and I leaned on him as I took in my surroundings. The bed was a huge four-poster bed with fluffy pillows and deep brown sheets. The quilt on top look hand-made, knit together with gorgeous fall colors, and I reached out to brush it, surprised when I felt the veins of leaves.