“Well, where else would I keep it?” I said, smirking at him. I grabbed a pair of chipped coffee mugs out of a small dish rack and cracked the cap on the bottle. Rohan leaned against the counter next to me and accepted the drink.
“This was where we cast the charm to see the hounds,” he said, then swallowed went quiet, staring fixedly at a specific spot on the floor.
When I looked I saw a dark splotch on the carpet. I wandered over to it and crouched down, touching it lightly then sniffing my fingers. Ursa blood. I frowned. “Something else you want to share?”
“Yeah,” he rasped. “Keagan got attacked by one of the rogue hounds here. That was before Deva learned she could control them. The idiot was trying to help me and nearly got himself killed.”
“Sorry, man,” I said, standing and looking at him.
He took a deep swallow from his mug and shook himself. “He survived, thanks to Deva. But that’s the only significant thing I remember. Is anything else coming to you here?”
I gravitated back to the kitchenette, sipping the icy liquor and savoring the cold burn as it slid down my throat. The news of the ursa’s attack hadn’t sparked anything, but something about this kitchenette did, though I couldn’t nail down what.
“Nothing concrete. Impressions of feelings. More of the same, really.” I closed my eyes, sifting through the myriad emotions and trying to put words to them. “Desperate, protective . . . fuck, I’d do anything for her, wouldn’t I?”
“We all would. But it goes both ways.”
“That wasn’t lost on me,” I said, recalling the determination on Deva’s face when Ouranos confronted her.
I tossed back the rest of the vodka in my mug and stalked to the drums, agitated by our lack of action, but more so by the lack of a clear direction to take.
“I need to fucking do something. Can we recreate that charm? Maybe it’ll help if I can see the hounds again.”
“We can try. I’ll get the others.”
A few moments later, all seven of us were positioned around the space. Bodhi sat at the piano looking dubious and Keagan was still scowling. Maddie, Sandor, and Willem were the only ones who looked eager to help.
“I don’t see what this is going to accomplish,” Keagan said. “Deva was the one who could call the hounds.”
“Do you remember the song?” I asked.
“Yeah, of course I do,” Keagan said.
“Then just humor me. Let me hear the beat. If it triggers even a small memory, it’ll be worth it.”
Keagan shrugged and started to pluck out a bass rhythm, which I picked up on the drums. A moment later, the others filled in with their respective instruments until the space was filled with an almost hypnotic melody. Then Bodhi began to sing as Maddie bobbed her head beside him. After the first verse, she came in, and the piece started to gel.
I closed my eyes, playing by memory, even though I had no memory of the event. My hands seemed to know the exact beat without me having to think about it. Before long, the power swelling through the room was unmistakable.
It took me a second to realize that the others had quit playing, and I opened my eyes and stilled my hands. There in the center of the room was the strangest creature I’d ever seen.
It was part fox, part pony, with a sleek, canine frame, but standing about five feet high at the head. Its coat shimmered like purple fire, the blaze down its nose shining a little brighter than the rest of it. Its tail swished hesitantly, but when I stood up from the drums, it startled and backed up a step.
Bodhi stood from the piano and crouched down, holding a hand out to it. “Hey, Blaze, you know us. We’re friendly.”
The creature, which must have been one of these hounds they’d talked about, took a few wary steps closer to him and let out a soft, quivering whine.
“What’s wrong, buddy?” Bodhi asked. “Can you tell us where Deva is so we can help her?”
The hound whined again, then lowered onto its belly and scooted the rest of the way toward Bodhi until its nose touched his hand.
I cautiously moved out from behind the drums and made a wide path around the group to the other side of the hound. Then I stopped short. On its other side, brilliant purple light bled through a tear extending from its shoulder to its rump.
“I think it’s injured,” I said.
While Bodhi continued to coo at it, the others gathered near me and Rohan cursed. “Yeah, it almost looks like it’s been burned.”
“Where have you been, pup?” Bodhi asked. The creature butted its head against his hand, though it was mostly incorporeal. His palm passed through the hazy purple shape of its snout.
“What could hurt it?” I asked.
“Fire harms them,” Keagan said, concern replacing his scowl.
“We caged them with electricity the first time,” Sandor said. “You and I together. That was before we realized they were harmless, only reacting to some crossed signals from Fate. We tried to capture them to protect the bloodline when it was Fate who was the real threat.”
I reached out a tentative hand toward the hound’s side. My fingers tingled with the strange power comprising it, but when I got close to the wound, the hound shrank back. The touch was enough for me to feel different magic clinging to it, though—familiar magic.
“Sky magic,” I said. “I’m willing to bet that Ouranos has the others, but this one managed to break free and was injured in the process. Do you guys know how to heal it?”
“Deva would be able to, if she were here,” Rohan said.
“They live off residual soul-mate magic,” Bodhi said. “Deva said they gravitated to recently mated couples. Mom, get over here.” He waved to Maddie, who came forward in wide-eyed wonder.
“My lord, is this the creature who caused all that trouble at the start? He is beautiful.”
“This is one of them,” Keagan said. “There were four that Deva . . . ah . . . adopted.”
Maddie crouched at my side and I stood to make room. At Bodhi’s direction, Willem and Sandor joined her, scooting close until they were touching. Then the three of them clasped hands, and the wound in the hound’s side began to heal.
When it was gone, Blaze stood and turned to Maddie, let out a soft warbling noise that was more birdsong than bark, and wagged its tail.
“Oh, you are welcome, sweetie,” she said, reaching out her hand to it.
“The question is whether we can get it to help us find her,” Bodhi said.
“We can’t just run off after her yet,” I reminded him—and myself. “We know she has no shot at beating Ouranos without a complete soul. I need my memories.”
A sound like thunder cracking made my ears pop and my skin tingle. I tensed, expecting to turn and come face to face with Ouranos again. The others all stood, and the hound let out an excited yelp and pushed through the group, tail wagging.
Llyr had returned, and beside him was a man twice his size and half again as good-looking. I guessed the god was going to come through for us.
“I can only take you as far as the gate,” Dionysus said. “From there, it’s up to you to gain entry and find her. If I do more than that, it will attract the attention of the other gods—including Ouranos.”
“Do you know if Ouranos took her there?”
“It’s the only place he could take her and be reasonably certain the rest of us would not interfere. But the realm of the gods is not easy for mortals to navigate. You will have to find her on your own.”
“We’ll do whatever we have to do,” Llyr said. “Can we get moving?”
Bodhi crouched down and looked into Blaze’s eyes. “I don’t know if you can understand me, but we need to get to Deva. If you can help us in any way, please do.”
Blaze’s fiery purple eyes brightened and it emitted a resonant coo. Then it turned and trotted toward Dionysus, tail wagging.
“I take it the hound understood,” I said.
“I hope so,” Bodhi said.
“Are you ready?” Dionysus asked.
We formed a circle like we had with Llyr before drifting, only Dionysus was at the center this time with the hound at his feet. Maddie and her two mates stood with their hands entwined, looking on from the sidelines as Dionysus closed his eyes, stretched both hands out at his sides, and brought them together again in a sharp clap.
Thunder broke around us once again, and a split-second later, we stood on a wide path outside an enormous gate of shining stone.
My entire body seemed to vibrate with anticipation—a mix of uncertainty and excitement, and some other emotion that I couldn’t identify tangled up in the center of my chest. Whatever that was, I was sure we were on the right track.
19
Deva
I dreamed I was floating on clouds, only to awaken and find it hadn’t been a dream.
The events of the last few hours came back to me in a rush and cold beads of sweat prickled my skin. I rolled over on the airy cushion of pillows to face a window set into a stone wall, offering a view of endless sky.
“Where am I?” I asked, hyperaware that I was being watched, but unwilling to turn and meet my observer’s gaze.
“You are home.”
Ouranos’ deep voice rumbled like thunder portending a storm. The chilled sweat on my brow turned icy.
“No. I’m not home. Home is in Malibu with Ozzie and my other mates.”
“This is home now, chimera. You belong to me—or does your promise mean nothing? Don’t tell me you were lying to me when you agreed to come. I can inflict worse punishment on the turul than stealing their wings and their voices.”
I closed my eyes, holding back tears. “Are they all right? Did you lift the curse like you agreed?”
Finally I turned over, bracing myself to face my captor. I was naked, and there were no covers for me to hide beneath. I grabbed one of the many fluffy pillows and held it to my chest instead.
“I keep my bargains,” Ouranos said. His gaze glinted like sunlight on steel, and he frowned as he took in my modesty. “Uncover your body, chimera. You are mine to look upon.”
I pulled the pillow away and set it behind me, then turned to meet his gaze again. He took me in slowly, his face impassive and betraying no sense of desire, only possession. Despite that, my nipples hardened and a soft wind caressed me from head to toe, the sensation pleasant and vaguely arousing.
I pressed my lips together, hating my body’s reaction, but unable to suppress it.
His nostrils flared and his lips curled ever so slightly into something that was not quite a smile.
I tore my gaze away and cast a look around the room, and it occurred to me when I did where we were.
“The realm of the gods,” I said. My heart lurched. The last time I was here, I’d made love to Ozzie—not in this particular room, but one very similar in appearance. But these walls were dark gray granite, sucking in the light, while the ones I remembered had been hewn sandstone, soft and warm to touch.
This room had similar windows that were wide, arched portals with no glass, and the bedding was covered in silver silk. Behind Ouranos, there was a sturdy wooden door, but this one lacked the milky gem I remembered from my night with Ozzie.
“You are here for a purpose. If you fail to fulfill it, the turul will suffer,” he said.
“I know.”
He came toward me, gaze intent on my body, but never losing its cold gleam. I could have conjured clothing, but suspected any action I took to cover myself would only enrage him.
When he reached the bed, he gripped my ankle and dragged me to the edge. I gasped and grabbed hold of the mattress, panic rising inside me.
“If you know, then you will spread your legs for me.”
“I’m not ready!” I stared up at him, wide-eyed as he yanked my ankles apart and stood between them, looking down at me.
“Your readiness is of no consequence. I must anoint you with my seed so the other gods will have mercy on you and grant you divinity.”
Ouranos slipped a hand down my inner thigh and scraped his fingertips over my naked core. Despite the lack of tenderness in his touch, pleasure spiked through me, and my nymphaea soul cried out for more.
“Y-You don’t understand,” I said, desperately trying to suppress the rising need of the nymph inside me. I didn’t want this, but that part of me longing for the completion only Ozzie’s soul could provide was still unleashed, and it seemed to respond to any male touch, no matter how unwanted.
“What is there to understand?” he asked, pawing at my wetness, though his gaze was too cold to contain desire. “You feel ready.”
Nymphaea magic rose up from my soul and surged through my veins. I couldn’t hold it back for long, but needed him to understand that the desire wasn’t something I had a handle on.
“Nymphaea fever . . .” I blurted. “Not in control.” I gave him a pained and pleading look.
I didn’t have time to articulate more before the need overcame my capacity to speak.
Power flooded through me, and with it came the pounding in my temples heralding my antlers bursting forth. My hips bucked involuntarily into his groping fingers. Despite my deep distaste for Ouranos’ touch, I could no longer suppress my need for just that.
I felt like a bystander in my own body as I arched and let out a cry, then hooked my ankles around his hips and sat up. I grasped at his pants, desperate for a hard cock.
Ouranos clamped both his hands around my wrists and effortlessly pinned me to the bed, his face a mask of suppressed fury as I thrashed ineffectually beneath him.
“This is an unfortunate turn of events,” he said, his lips pressed tight with displeasure.
I gnashed my teeth at him, writhing and bucking in an effort to grind against him, but he remained just out of reach. He was more than double my size, so it was no effort for him to restrain me with one hand, but he just stared at me, as if my fever was an inconvenience and he was trying to decide whether to send me back and be done with it.
Finally he let out a low, resigned huff and sat on the bed, hauling me into his lap with my back to his chest. He wasn’t hard, but his cock was massive enough for me to feel through his pants. I tilted my hips to try to gain closer contact between us, but he grabbed me tight with his free hand, preventing me from moving.
With one hand at my throat, he held me and lifted his other hand in front of my face. Lightning crackled between his fingertips and he lowered his hand to my chest. Tiny shocks coursed through my nipples, sharp, but not unpleasant. The power shot deeper, jarring my nerves, confusing the wildness into submission.
Then Ouranos dropped his hand between my thighs. My entire core tingled with the vibration of the power. I opened my mouth to cry out in pleasure when another surge of power flooded me, meeting the first surge in my belly.
Instantly the primal need dissipated, and I sagged against him, exhausted and no longer aroused, but I wasn’t quite sated, either. I let out a moan of frustration, confused by the sudden urge to burst into tears.
“What did you do to me?” I asked as he eased his grip on my throat and stood again, setting me back down on the bed.
“Your fever was a problem. I need you at full power and in your right mind to anoint you.”
I just wanted to roll over and sleep. My body felt sapped of energy. My limbs ached. But I couldn’t let myself give in. Would he be able to hear a lie if I told one? He was the father of the turul, so I had to assume he shared their abilities.
“You say you want me because of my potential for power, but my soul is incomplete, and I can never achieve my full power without a complete soul. The fever that overcame me was rooted in that emptiness where a turul soul belongs.”
Ouranos didn’t need to know that Ozzie’s was the only soul that could fix me.
He cursed. “This is a problem. Souls are Fate’s domain. The bitch is toying with me, even from her cage. I will get answers.”
He stormed through the door and left it wide open. I blinked at it for a moment, but before I cou
ld gather my senses enough to make a run for it, a gust of wind slammed it shut.
20
Deva
To my astonishment, the door opened easily. After conjuring my preferred outfit to cover my nakedness, I walked out into a well-lit corridor beyond. It arced in a circle with no other doors visible to me, but as I walked, I eventually reached a staircase.
I started down it, apprehensive about running into Ouranos again, but curious about how much freedom I had. I had come with him willingly, so perhaps that was why he trusted me not to escape. Or perhaps the castle itself was my prison, and I could wander freely within its walls, but never beyond.
His behavior so far had been perplexing. He’d seen me in the throes of my fever, yet hadn’t taken advantage of my overwhelming sexual need. He could have fucked me, and I probably would have enjoyed it.
My core still prickled with the slightly painful aftereffects of the shock he’d given me to jolt me out of that state. He’d neutralized the fever and acted like it was some kind of inconvenience to him that I’d been aroused to begin with, even though it had been his intention to stick his dick in me.
Halfway down the stairs, a sudden realization drew me up short. I’d been afflicted with the fever for long enough that even when it was subdued from a round of sex—or from the right dose of gold dragon magic—I was still aware of it simmering beneath my skin. When it would flare, my sanity took a backseat.
But my head was entirely clear now—clearer than it had been in over two weeks. Even when at my most level-headed after Callie had done her magic to send the fever into a brief remission, I’d still felt it lurking inside me. That was gone now, thanks to whatever Ouranos had done. I wasn’t sure whether to be worried about the level of power that signified, or to thank him.
As I continued to descend, a faint dissonance filled the air. I stepped cautiously, listening. Rounding the arc of the hallway, the sounds clarified into cries of despair that twisted my insides. When I came to a door like the one to my own chamber, the sounds grew louder, an agonized chorus that bordered on a roar.
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