by Anna Edwards
The island must be scouted. I need to know the full extent of what we’re up against and the layout of the land. Not having my powers is a nuisance. I’ve never been without them before, and it’s left me feeling vulnerable, something a god like me should never experience.
We’re all incredibly powerful.
Immortal.
Even if I do run into trouble, though, I’ll have no problem defending myself. Sparring and training with my brothers for battle has molded me into a seasoned warrior.
Hopefully Eva and Fontus won’t be bothered by the others residing in the house while I’m gone. When they wake, they’ll be annoyed I’ve left them behind, but I’m more than aware they need to rest. I don’t want them in any more danger. They’ve both been through enough and need to regain their strength for what’s to come.
Finding my shorts, I stab my legs into them and pull them up my muscled thighs. Walking barefoot through a jungle isn’t appealing—my lack of footwear won’t get me very far. As I button up my shorts, I spy some scuffed, well-worn trainers under a tatty table in the corner of the room. Discarded and on the verge of falling apart, it looks like their owner abandoned them. Kneeling down, I drag them out. Stuffing my feet into them, they fit, which is a relief.
My eyes bounce back to the occupants of the bed. They look so peaceful together. The dawn sunlight slowly creeps over the mattress—its warm glowing rays already washing over their entwined legs.
Lovers come and go. I’ve never done permanency. That’s just not me. Never been me. I tumble from one bed to another without a twinge of guilt at the broken hearts I leave behind. I shouldn’t be experiencing this possessiveness. A sense that they're both mine.
After what happened in the bathroom, I think it’s for the best I put some distance between us today. The magic of the island is far too strong, even for me. Hopefully they’ll start questioning some of the other residents while I’m away.
Moving stealthily to the door, I slip out without a sound, and making sure it’s closed properly behind me, I hurry down the corridor. I need to be gone before they awaken. There’s no telling how many miles I have to cover to find the measure of the land.
Soft muffled moans and groans emanate from behind closed doors. Magic washes over my skin, sending goosebumps in its wake. Whatever Pluto is doing, it’s making his plan to breed soldiers successful. How long has he had this little operation running? Where are the offspring?
I frown at that nagging thought.
Unseen, I descend the stairs. It looks like everyone else rises later. Not surprising when all they do all day is fuck. The air is still cool as I step out of the front door, yet already there’s a hint of the coming heat of the day. Striding purposefully toward the tree line, I keep my wits about me.
Reaching the end of the long, knee high grass that brushes my bare legs, I pause. Shading my eyes from the brightness of the sun with my hand, I spare a quick glance back at the house. My gaze lingers on the window at the top.
Their window.
I’ll return for them.
That certainty is sure and strong in my soul.
Stepping into the trees, frightened birds screech, startled by my presence. The sound of their movement comes from high above, but I don’t see them through the thick lushness of the vibrant green leaves. Moving inland is the most logical plan. The coast can be searched another day. Traversing the thick brown roots sticking up from the earth, I head west.
I can sense Apollo has left us before I even open my eyes. His domineering presence fills the room with a feeling of safety when he’s here. The sounds of love-making filter up through the wooden floorboards of our room and bring bile to my throat. The spell Pluto weaves is incredibly powerful.
Rolling away from Fontus, he continues sleeping, I lay on my back and place my hand on my stomach. I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve been a spoiled brat most of my life. One of father’s favorite children, I’ve never wanted for anything, but now it’s time for me to grow up. The sea has healed my powers. With Apollo’s abilities bound and Fontus’ less than mine, I’m the most powerful of us all, at the moment. I need to use that power to ensure we find out everything we can about what’s happening here, and I know just who to speak to first.
Climbing from the bed, I press a soft kiss to Fontus’ head. He stirs, and sleepy green eyes look up at me.
“What are you doing?” his voice is husky from sleep .
“I’m going to get us some breakfast,” I tell him as I pull on the sheet I’ve fashioned into a dress. Fontus folds back the bedcovers and stumbles out of the bed, looking for his tatty shorts. “No.” I place my hand on his toned thigh. “Rest.”
“Not happening, Eva. There’s no way you’re wandering around on your own.”
Fontus’ eyes roll. I can tell he’s feeling dizzy, and reaching out to him, I help him sit back on the bed.
“I’ll be fine, Fontus. You’re still recovering and need to rest.” I place a hand on my hip and stare him down.
“I need to protect you.” Fontus tries to stand again, but I’m quicker.
There is a glass of water by the side of the bed. I swirl my hand and form a pair of cuffs with the clear liquid. One cuff wraps around his wrists and pulls him back onto the bed while the other cuff fixes itself to the bedpost, keeping him in place.
“Eva. Take them off,” he growls at me in annoyance.
“Do you agree to rest?” I question with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s too risky. I can’t let you walk around unprotected.” He looks around the room. “Where’s Apollo?”
I shrug my shoulders.
“Gone.”
“Abandoned us?” he questions.
“I don’t know. I hope he sends reinforcements if he has.”
A strange warmth floods through my body. It’s mysterious in nature, but it tells me that Apollo is still on the island. Fontus stops struggling against the water cuffs as if he’s just been hit by the same sensation.
“He’s still here,” Fontus confirms. His breath labored with the thick lust swirling in the room.
“I know.” I wave my hand and the water cuffs disappear. “You’ll know if I need you,” I tell him. It’s the magic surrounding us, weaving us closer together so we’re almost one.
Fontus looks down at the bed. He’s deep in thought for a few moments before looking back up at me with a beautiful, big smile on his face. “I will know. I’ll rest for an hour more, and then I’ll start questioning a few people.”
I lean over him as he settles back into the bed and press a longing kiss to his lips. I know if I don’t leave the room now, the spell on us will have me fucking him for the rest of the day, and Apollo when he returns. I make sure the makeshift sheet dress covers as much of my body as possible and tiptoe into the corridor and down to the kitchen.
The elderly lady I met before stands at the stove cooking what looks like bacon and eggs. She mixes the hearty breakfast together over a flame that dances in the cool breeze of the early morning coming in through the open door.
“Breakfast is in the dining room. If you want anything special, let me know.” She looks up at me with a smile, and I return it.
My stomach rumbles, suddenly feeling very hungry at the delectable smells filling the kitchen.
“Some of that would be nice, if that’s ok?” I ask and pick up a plate from the large stack on the counter next to her. “Do you need any help?”
She shakes her head.
“This is my job. You should be with that man of yours.” She looks down to my stomach. “I meant it when I said getting pregnant will make you safer.”
I place my hand on my flat stomach as the lady places some of the bacon and eggs onto my plate.
“Knowing more about the island will keep me even safer, and I think you’re the person who can tell me what I need to know.” I take a seat at the counter and pick up a fork. Spearing a piece of bacon and egg with it, I take a bite. It’s delicious, the best food I’ve
ever tasted, and being a demigoddess, I’ve eaten in many places around the world.
“You’re wrong. I can’t tell you anything.” The lady places the rest of the food onto the plate and disappears out of the kitchen door. It’s one of those that flips backward and forward until it settles on its hinges.
I take another couple of mouthfuls while I wait for her to return. I don’t have to wait long. She re-appears with an armful of dirty plates and begins to wash them up with her back to me.
“Eva,” I tell her. She doesn’t turn to face me. “That’s my name. What’s yours?”
“Nothing important,” she replies still feverishly scrubbing the dishes to get them clean.
“It’s important to me.”
She puts down the dish she’s holding and bows her head.
“Go back to your man. Don’t do this. It will only lead to trouble.”
“How do you know?”
I hear a sob come from her and get to my feet. But then stop when she starts to lift the back of her top. The suntanned flesh of her back is marred with silvery scars that can only come from the tail of a whip.
“This is how I know.” She lowers her top and turns to face me, her eyes red at the rim. “You’ve so much of myself in you. Heart and spirit. A love of the sea. Don’t fight this—it’ll break you in ways that you can never imagine.”
“You’re a water goddess.”
“I was a demigoddess. Have you heard of The Lady of the Lake?”
“Isn’t that Arthurian legend?” I try to remember my schooling, but I didn’t pay a lot of attention in history. It wasn’t my subject.
“It was based around me, but the story was skewed over the years. My father was a Roman god, my mother his Celtic lover. I lived in a spring near Hadrian’s wall until I was captured by Pluto. My name is Coventina.”
The name rings bells in my head, but all I remember is her disappearing a thousand or so years ago.
“How long have you been here?” I ask, fearing the answer.
“Too long. I was the first breeder. This place is my home now. I don’t even know if my spring still exists.”
“You were the first breeder?”
“I gave Pluto his first child for his army. I lost count of how many he took from me after that. Endless, until I was too old. He was surprisingly sentimental about me being his first, and he allowed me to remain here unlike the many others he killed.”
The bacon and eggs suddenly stick in the back of my throat. I can’t eat any more. I think I’ll bring it all back up if I do.
“Can you tell me about this army?”
“On the other side of the island. That’s where he keeps them until they are old enough to go into battle for him. There weren’t many at first, but now there are so many of you here, and in the other camps as well. I fear it won’t be long before he has enough to take over the Earth. He hates the inhabitants of the land above him. They bow down to Jupiter and not him. He will see them all destroyed for that betrayal.”
“Why did you stay? You could have used the water to escape?” I push away from the counter, and coming closer to her, I wrap my arms around her. She leans her head against my shoulder, and I feel the wetness of her tears soak into the sheet.
“I put my foot in the sea once. I felt my body slipping away with the current. I allowed it to take my powers for another to use. I knew, as you do now, that this needed to be stopped. The problem was I didn’t have the two men you have by your side. I was alone.”
“T-two men?” I stutter. Apollo needs to be hidden from sight. His presence if discovered would lead him into trouble. “I only have Fontus.”
Coventina pulls back from where she’s shed her tears and runs a hand down my face.
“No, my darling. I sense the truth. You have a weapon that could destroy Pluto if used in the right way. Apollo does have the ability to wield his powers—he just doesn’t know it yet.”
Tossing restlessly on the bed, I throw an arm over my eyes to keep out the light streaming in through the window. Eva’s been gone for ages. The minutes have ticked by endlessly, and my worry only rises.
I should have gone with her.
None of us should be alone in this place.
It’s not safe for any of us here. I wish Apollo had taken us with him. Whatever peril awaits us on the rest of the island, we should face it together.
Releasing a sigh, I rise from the bed, bare feet slapping against the wooden floor. I may not be at full capacity, as Eva pointed out, but I can still fight.
I head for the bathroom and quickly wash before putting on my previously discarded shorts. The sounds of sex and pleasure emanate from the walls. It appears the other occupants are awake.
I still don’t understand why they haven’t tried to escape or at least try to leave this house. All the magic induced fucking. Is this what they want? To be Pluto’s puppets? Their children ripped from their arms to be used to destroy the world?
I imagine Eva pregnant. A small innocent babe cradled in her arms. She could have conceived already. She could be carrying my child.
Gripping the sides of the white porcelain sink, a pair of green eyes stare back from the mirror in front of me. Instead of feeling anxiety at the prospect I might be a father, all I can wonder is whether the baby will have the same color as me? I’ve never imagined myself as a dad. Being immortal, I have all the time in the world. Yet I know that if Eva is pregnant, I will protect her and our offspring until my last breath.
The sound of the bedroom door opening drags me from my thoughts. Smiling at my reflection in relief, I hurry back to greet her.
My feet stop dead in the doorway when I realize it’s not Eva. A tall gaunt stranger is standing in middle of our room. A mane of white hair flows down his shoulders, bright in contrast with the black he’s dressed head to toe in. Just behind him are four large males, who remind me of nightclub bouncers. Muscled, mean looking with steely, determined expressions.
“Who are you?” I ask, dread curling around my heart.
Tilting his head in my direction, the stranger’s gaze bores into mine, icy and remote. “My name is Ambrose. You will refer to me as Principal Ambrose. I govern this island and everyone on it for Pluto. Where’s the female you are with?”
“She went for a walk.” It’s not completely a lie. I know Eva is questioning others, but instinct tells me that if Ambrose finds that out, it will be dangerous for her.
Turning, he addresses two of the guards. “Find her. Bring her to me.”
Both bow their heads in response before leaving.
Ambrose returns to his observation of me. It makes my skin crawl the way he stares at me. Being the center of this man’s attention is a very bad thing—I’m not certain how I know, but I do.
“Now you’ve had time to settle in, I’m here to check both of you over and make sure you are indeed healthy and able to procreate,” he tells me tonelessly with just a hint of disgust.
Edging farther back into the room, I put the bed between us.
“What do you mean by check?”
Clicking his fingers, one of the men behind him, carrying a black leather bag, hurries to a rickety wooden table. The fact it looks like a doctor's case is the first thing I notice.
Ambrose watches me unblinking, drinking in my reaction as it’s snapped open and the contents are laid out.
Metal gleams in the sunlight, clamps, retractors, forceps and other things I know are used to be inserted to examine women internally. Two syringes are among the items together with empty vials for taking blood and clear sterile pots.
My mouth goes dry as the guard hands Ambrose a pair of blue latex gloves.
“I require a sample of your blood and a specimen of your semen,” he informs me, snapping the gloves on and working them down his long skinny fingers. “It’s better that you don’t resist me.”
Panic makes my chest tight and breathing rapid. I’m not about to give either of them up voluntarily. I’ve got to warn Eva. Get h
er out of here and into the jungle where, if we’re lucky, they won’t be able to find us.
For the first time since he entered the room, an emotion glimmers in Ambrose’s eyes. Dark amusement. “You’re not the first on the island, and you won’t be the last to try and defy me. I always get what I want, boy. There’s no escape from this place so give up any notions of playing hero. Here you are nothing but filthy animals sent to breed. If you disobey the rules, you will not enjoy the results.”
“No.” I shake my head, grasping onto my courage. “I’m not going to give you what you want.”
Ambrose's lips stretch in a twisted smile. “I thought you might say that. Hold him down.”
The hulking guards come at me as one. Nimbly I leap across the mattress, evading one as he makes a grab at me. Their master is blocking the exit. Grabbing a chair, I slam it into the second guard, and the wooden frame shatters against his body. It stuns him enough for me to make a run for the bathroom. The door looks solid enough to keep them out. If I can block it with something, I can chance escaping through the window. Being on the top floor, the drop is high, but I know it won’t kill me. Suddenly, searing pain erupts through my veins—a burning spark sets my body alight in a chain reaction. It sends me smashing to the floor beside the bathtub. The agony is so intense for a moment I think I might pass out as colored blotches dance in front of my eyes, blinding me.
“Do you feel my power? Yours may be bound here, but mine are not. I can rip your insides apart without even laying a hand on you.” Ambrose's mouth is close to my ear, his sickly sweet breath causing the hairs on the back of my neck to creep up. “Such sweet suffering.”
Bony, gloved fingertips shimmer across my cheek as a whimper slips from my throat. Now I understand. He’s the reason everyone stays compliant. He’s the monster heading this camp and ensuring it’s successfulness. Twitching in pain, my limbs feel heavy, and I’m unable to move them as my sight returns. The first thing I see is Ambrose's sinister face above me.
“Keep a hold of him,” he instructs his guards, holding up a syringe. “I don’t want to waste a drop.”
