by Meg Xuemei X
“I’ll take the next shift,” I said.
“You never need—” Paxton stopped cold, staring. But not at Lucifer and Ares, though neither had slept despite their exhaustion. Paxton stared at the entrance to the cave, his face pale as if he’d seen a ghost.
I followed his gaze. A giant of a man covered in blood from head to toe appeared at the mouth of the cave. The monsters outside growled, yet none attacked him. One large hand gripped a longsword, while his other hand held a small roasted beast and an old waterskin.
My mouth fell open. He grinned at me, looking more like a demon than my beloved death demigod. Even so, I’d recognize my Héctor in any corner of the universe.
No matter how he looked, he was mine.
I shrieked in joy, jumped off Zak’s warm chest, and sprang toward Héctor.
He stepped in as if he owned the cave, tossed the roasted beast and waterskin at my other mates. Axel caught the meat and Paxton got the water.
Héctor opened his arms. “Lamb, come here.”
I threw myself into him with hot tears all over my face. I’d never been so happy to be called Lamb.
“My love, my love!” I cried. “I thought I lost you.”
I grabbed him to me, kissing him with bruising force, despite the monsters’ blood painting his face and making him the biggest badass monster. He kissed me back with the desperation of a drowning man.
And just like that, lust swirled alive in me, burning in my veins.
I needed to fuck him brutally to make sure he was real. I needed to have his cock deep inside me, filling and stretching me, to be convinced that he had truly returned.
With the last ounce of my will, I tore my lips from his, though I wanted to kiss him to the end of the world. But under the circumstances, if we kept going, we wouldn’t be able to stop. And it wasn’t the right place or time to fuck any of my mates.
Raw need and desire shone through Héctor’s sapphire eyes that held the mystery of the galaxies, even though he’d lost his demigod power.
Pressing my palm against his face, I swept my gaze to my other mates. Hunger and lust burned in their eyes, even though we were still trapped in the cave with our immortal enemies and besieged by monsters.
Our bodies always responded eagerly to each other.
“Miss me, Lamb?” Héctor asked with another smug grin that made me improperly horny, his thumb brushing over my cheek that was still wet from my tears. “I said I’d always return to you. You should have faith that I’ll keep my promise.”
That got me crying again. For how long could he keep his words? I turned my gaze to him, studying his every contour hungrily, and my heart ached at the sight of gray hair dotting his sideburns.
He’d started aging.
Axel stalked to us and patted Héctor on the shoulder, tears sparkling in his hard, amber eyes. “Good to have you back, brother. Just don’t fucking do that again. Our mate wanted to die with you when she saw you didn’t come back.”
Héctor nodded at Axel, Zak, and Paxton with a grateful look. “You took care of her and kept her safe.” Then he turned to me and said sternly. “You won’t be silly again, Lamb. If anything happens to any of us, you’ll continue to live and live well for the rest of your mates.”
Tears filled my eyes again. “Don’t say that. I’m not going to lose any of you. Not again.”
Silently I vowed to find a way to fix Héctor and make him an immortal at all costs.
Axel peeled away to stand guard as Zak and Paxton neared, letting us enjoy the reunion.
“My kin,” Zak choked, clasping Héctor’s hand. “We almost lost you.”
“Nay, stop it,” Héctor said. “We aren’t sappy fools.”
“Brother.” Paxton grinned and gripped Héctor’s shoulder.
Héctor returned the grin, and I wrapped my arms around all three of them.
“What the fuck?” Ares barked in utter bitterness. “I saw you go down, death demigod. The beasts of the Void eat gods and immortals like candy. How could you survive the onslaught? It was impossible!”
Héctor swept his cold, murderous stare toward Ares, his knuckles white on the hilt of his sword. My fingernails cut into his muscled forearm. I wouldn’t let him engage with the God of War in a battle as long as he was mortal.
“You shouldn’t have listened to rumors about the Void, Ares,” Héctor said flatly. “You should try to walk among the beasts. When they get familiar with you as they are with me, they won’t touch you either.” He arched a brow. “Not man enough to do that? Your reputation will never recover if anyone hears that you cowered in a dirty corner, hiding from some wild animals.”
Ares snarled, but he didn’t take Héctor’s bait and walk out of the cave.
“He’s mortal now,” Lucifer said. “That’s why. The beasts of the Void don’t care for a mortal. He won’t satisfy their hunger or boost their energy, unlike us.”
“A mortal?” Ares frowned, then let out a burst of sadistic laughter. “I would have known if I weren’t distracted by a bunch of demigod losers, including my brat. Of course the Void monsters have a taste only for gods and immortals.” He stared at Héctor as if studying a bug. “But how and when was a death demigod turned into a human?”
“Shut your filthy hole,” Axel yelled at his father. “No one wants to hear your voice.” He didn’t call Ares a motherfucker anymore since the shameless, diabolic god had ridiculed him on that name-calling.
“You need more vocabulary, my bastard son,” Ares said. “I taught you better.”
Veins jumped on Axel’s neck, and his hand tightened on the hilt of his sword.
“Axel, don’t pay him any attention,” I said. “He isn’t worthy to lick the dirt under your boots.”
“How, Héctor?” Paxton whispered. “What happened to you? What can we do to help?”
Zak’s gaze fell on the gray hair near Héctor’s temples. He sucked in a ragged breath. “Did you give up your immortality by healing me?”
“I bet he did,” Paxton said softly. “When we thought Buttercup was gone, Héctor mentioned that he was cursed with death’s touch, yet blessed with giving back one life. But he didn’t say that the cost was his immortality.”
Héctor didn’t respond, but he didn’t have to. Paxton had pieced everything together.
“He didn’t say he’d be stripped of his demigod power, either,” Paxton continued. “He was meant to give up his immortality for our mate, but Buttercup turned out all right, so he brought Zak back from death with his eternal life.”
Zak swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as thick emotion gripped him. “You dealt the death card wrong, brother. You should never have traded your life for mine. From now on, how am I going to comfort our mate? You broke her heart.”
The demigods had once fought each other for power, ego, and territories, and now they’d die for each other like true brothers.
Héctor traced my jawline tenderly with his knuckles. “I’ll have one lifetime with you, and that’s more than my eons of living in utter loneliness.” His voice turned steely as he scanned my other mates. “My Lamb will have you. And all of you will be there for her for eternity. Now stop acting like sentimental fools. The most important thing is we’re together now, and we’ll get our mate out of the Void.”
“I won’t lose you, Héctor. We’ll find a way,” I said, sweeping a tearful gaze at all my mates and wiped the tears with the back of my hand. I’d been crying a lot ever since I reunited with my mates in Hell. “I won’t lose any of you.”
“We’ll search to restore our brother’s immortality at all costs,” Axel vowed. Zak and Paxton nodded, determination shining in their eyes.
A vile giggle burst from the corner.
“Haven’t you all learned?” Ares snickered. “All these unfortunate events started when you brought the little hybrid to your fold. Marigold will be the death of every one of you. You enjoyed riches, entitlement, and powers beyond measure before you hooked up with her. Look where yo
u are now. You’re beggars in a cave. Is one shared pussy worth it all?”
“That’s rich, Father, really rich,” Axel sneered back. “You tried to take my mate from my bed and have her for yourself, but you failed miserably. My darling mate tossed you into the Void with a flicker of her pinky, and look where you are now. All alone, unwanted and despised. Even your sometime ally wants nothing to do with you.”
Axel gestured at Lucifer. Ares flicked a glare at the devil before opening his mouth to retort at my mate, but Axel cut him off.
“I now have three true brothers and one true mate. We share everything. We’d die for each other without a blink. And that is worth more than any riches or powers we could have had with you.”
The five of us faced the war god, our solid stance lending weight to Axel’s words. Paxton folded his arms, his biceps bulging, while Zak and Héctor glared.
“You have nothing,” Axel spat. “You are nothing. But don’t worry, Father. No one, not even your Olympian pals—whose opinions you still care about more than anything—will laugh in your face this time. Your shame will stay here with you forever, until you rot in the Void.”
“You didn’t get it right about the pinkie part, Axel,” I protested. “I flicked my wrist. But I’ll try a pinkie next time for your sake.”
Axel gazed at me fondly. “You do that, Cookie. Now give me a kiss.”
“You damned brat!” Ares hissed, his face purple with rage. “I’ll teach you—”
My mates raised their weapons, ready to battle the god again, and Ares deflated like a leaking balloon. He was in no shape to fight the five of us.
“Save your breath, Ares, if you’re smart,” Lucifer said, his horns pressing against the cave wall. “You won’t win the fight, and I’ll stay neutral.”
“How could you let this go?” Ares demanded. “That little hellion ruined our lives!”
“I’ve met with worse betrayal,” Lucifer said. “So quit bitching, Ares.”
“What a day,” I said. “The Father of Betrayal lecturing the God of Losers.”
“I don’t take it personally, even though you lured me here, Celeste,” Lucifer said. “On the contrary, I applaud your ingeniousness on exploiting my only weakness. However, we’ll have to work together to defeat an armada of carnivorous monsters if we want to get out of this plane.”
I snorted. “Right, working with the devil and a jackass god, and no one is wiser.”
“You and your mates will see reasons,” Lucifer said.
Outside the cave, the monsters’ bone-chilling howls continued. The predators wouldn’t give up their hunt.
Ironically, the only one they didn’t want to eat was my Héctor, not that I’d complain about it. My heart was filled with exuberance and happiness at my love’s return. As Héctor had said, all that mattered was that we were together.
I’d make sure we’d always stay together.
“Don’t waste time on those gremlins,” Héctor said, pulling me with him toward the corner we formerly occupied. “I brought you food. Let’s eat.”
My stomach instantly grumbled, and my mates laughed, happy to hear the mundane sound from me. I glowered at them before laughing with them.
We retreated to our space with Zak and Axel standing guard. Paxton took the roasted beast from Axel and handed me the waterskin.
“Drink your fill, Buttercup,” he said.
I took a swig and passed it over to Héctor. He drank and then gave it to Paxton, who also took a gulp and sighed in satisfaction. Then he stalked to Zak and Axel and they both had their share of the water.
Lucifer and Ares stared at our waterskin with envy and greed. It seemed that they were ready to lunge at us to take our food and drink.
“Don’t. Even. Think. About. It,” Zak warned, his hard, unyielding eyes watching our enemies. No lightning shot out, but he made up for it with his hand firmly on his sword.
The sky demigod gave the waterskin back to Paxton. “Have Rosebud drink more. She needs it. It’s important to keep her hydrated.”
Paxton returned to our corner and urged me to drink more water. I’d bet the demigods had never taken care of anyone else like this.
Paxton, Héctor, and I sat on the ground in a half-circle, sharing the roasted meat. I took a bite from the rear leg. The meat tasted surprisingly delicious, like a smoked rabbit. Angel whined at my shoulder, and I gave him the rest of the leg. The hellhound tore into the food eagerly.
Héctor narrowed his eyes at Angel. Then he rose and strode out of the cave. Though I knew the beasts would not harm him, my heart still constricted until he came back safely a few minutes later. He tossed a newly killed beast’s body near the cave’s mouth.
“Hound,” Héctor said. “You eat that and guard the entry.”
He didn’t want my hellhound to take a portion from me. Angel didn’t complain since he now had an entire carcass to rip into. He swaggered to the entrance, crouched, and started tearing his food. Now and then, he raised a head, bared his fangs, and snarled at the monsters outside the cave.
Having two heads was convenient.
“Sorry I was delayed and made you worried, Lamb,” Héctor said as he sat back across from me. “When I realized the beasts of the Void had no interest in me as I’m a mere mortal, I killed a few, including the small beast you’re enjoying. As your leading mate, it’s my duty to provide for you. It took me a while to get the fire going to roast this beast, and also to find the drinking water for you in a lagoon.”
I gazed at him with stars in my eyes while I tore another chunk of meat from a leg that Paxton offered me and chewed it cavewoman style. My mates wouldn’t demand I have table manners under the circumstances. They always accepted me no matter what I did. But then I didn’t bitch about their caveman style either.
When Héctor and Paxton each had a half-full stomach, they got up to replace Zak and Axel for guard duty, glaring at the hungry god and the devil in the other corner without compassion. To add insult to the injury, I flung a leg bone at Ares’s nose. He ducked and cursed.
I giggled.
“I love it when you’re naughty, Cookie.” Axel grinned at me.
“Carpe diem.” I smiled back. “Humans are right about ‘seize the moment.’”
Zak and Axel gazed at me with heat in their eyes. They hadn’t heard me laugh for a while.
A sudden violent wind swept into the cave, drawing our attention back to the wailing and howling of the beasts outside.
More monsters hopped onto the roof of the cavern despite Angel’s fierce growls of warning. My hellhound was smart enough not to venture out to chase the monsters, knowing he’d be outgunned. Some beasts stomped overhead, and some seemed to stab and scratch the roof with their horns.
Bits of dust fell from the cave ceiling. I stopped eating and looked up, my throat tightening.
“Fuss no more, Lamb,” Héctor said, glancing at me. “Your mates will take care of any inconvenience.”
“I know that,” I said. “I’m not fussing.”
“Get our mate to settle down for the night,” Héctor ordered Zak and Axel as if they were my servants. “My Lamb needs a good sleep.”
He’d declared himself as the leading mate. I was surprised no one had contested him for that title and privilege, but then my other mates had been busy and overwhelmed.
Héctor returned his hard, cold, hostile stare to our immortal enemies, his large hand firm and unyielding on his blade. Paxton stood at his side, and my faithful hellhound guarded the cave entrance vigilantly. Zak and Axel urged me to rest, and I curled up with them.
The monsters never ceased howling, and I doubted I would sleep. But with the beasts outside and our enemies trapped in the far corner, maybe we were safe enough to try.
For now.
CHAPTER 4
__________________
Rain battered the rooftop.
My eyes popped open as the monsters’ outraged yowls grew urgent. I raised my head to peek outside. Rain plummeted in
heavy sheets, yet the monsters remained, not giving up on their future meals.
I shivered as the fierce wind flung the pelting rain into the cave. Angel’s growls turned to whimpers as he backed away from the entrance. He didn’t like the rain.
When I lived in Crack, I prided myself on taming the wilderness. But compared to the Valley of the Monsters, my old wild country was practically farmland.
Axel pulled me against his chest to offer me more warmth, and Zak pressed against my back to do just the same. They’d shielded me from the biting wind with their large, muscled bodies for half of the night. Despite their efforts to lend me their body heat, the cave remained icy cold. If the Void hadn’t nullified their demigod powers, they’d have made us warmer.
I snuggled closer to my mates, waggling my ass.
Axel chuckled. He cupped my cheeks and kissed me deep and hard.
Potent lust swirled in me like a live wire. Liquid fire pooled between my thighs. From a few paces, Héctor and Paxton swept their heated gazes at me. All my mates always responded to my every whim and need, and they knew exactly what a girl wanted.
Our mating bond lay open.
Thankfully, even the Void couldn’t suppress our bond. In retrospect, when I thought I’d lost Héctor to the monsters, I’d been in a very dark place. I hadn’t had the presence of mind to check out our bond, which had never been broken.
Now with the renewed mating fever coursing in our veins, I urgently needed to ride a mate, or all of them. The more the merrier. I licked my lips at the sight of my delicious mates. That was how deep the mating heat had gotten me.
My mates felt it just as strongly, perhaps more so. The unbridled lust in Paxton’s violet eyes burned the brightest due to our unfinished mating ritual. He was the only mate who hadn’t completely mated me—we had been interrupted. The mating call between us had reached its fever pitch until it drove us to either madness, or to finish the mating dance.
A thought slammed into me. The Living Flame in me was but half-formed because the sea demigod and I didn’t close the mating circle.
