I tried the latch and the door swung inward, the screaming flooding over me in a shockwave. I stood frozen, mouth agape at the horrific sight that greeted me.
The door led to an elaborately crafted steel balcony overlooking an abyss lined with steel cages and descending for as far as I could see. Each one was occupied by a resident crying out for mercy.
I backed away, unable to process the sight. I’d been surrounded by suffering within the walls of Meri’s lab. Sharing blood with five captive satyrs had given me memories of eons of torture those men had endured at the hands of our old enemy. I wasn’t a stranger to the existence of such things, but even the Ultiori prisons had been humane compared to what lay within that chasm.
I covered my mouth with my hands, choking back a sob, only to violently startle when a hand fell on my shoulder. The lord of this castle, the god who had no doubt imprisoned all these creatures, had found me.
“If you prefer a smaller cage than the one I’ve given you, your wishes can be accommodated,” Ouranos said.
I resisted the urge to flinch from his touch, though I still wasn’t sure whether showing any overt interest in him would be accepted either. He wanted my womb once I claimed my full soul and the power that came along with it. I wouldn’t presume to think he cared a bit for the rest of me.
Closing my eyes, I took a slow, even breath to steady myself and block out the wailing and gnashing of teeth. Ouranos pushed against my shoulder with just enough force that I couldn’t easily resist. My stomach lurched as I stepped through the door and onto the balcony.
I grabbed at the railing, tamping down the panic rising in me and closing my eyes to avoid seeing all the tortured figures writhing in their cages. But the blackness behind my eyelids only made the imagery of their suffering more vivid.
Ouranos closed the door behind us, the rasp of the latch followed by a heavy creak. I glanced over my shoulder, watching as he secured a rail across the doorway, blocking our exit. The balcony was barely wide enough for a single person, so he remained behind me, seeming more at ease here than he’d been while alone with me in my chamber.
“Look, chimera. You need to see what will become of the higher races if you reject me. I have room for them all in here.” He leaned closer. “I even have a few special cages set aside for the gods who try to plot against me. Fate has already claimed a spot in one and has informed me of what is necessary to complete your soul. But we have a little time before that happens. I hope you enjoy your tour.”
With a metallic click, the platform we stood on jerked and began to move. I gasped as we descended in a slanted spiral around the walls of the pit. If it hadn’t been so awful, I might have marveled at the architectural details. But the beautiful scrollwork of the metal cages only served to highlight the grotesque suffering within. All I could do was wonder exactly what Fate had told him.
As we rounded the edges of the pit, I forced myself to look inside some of the cages, but quickly tore my gaze away. I couldn’t afford to show any weakness, but in that quick glance I saw several bruised and battered women huddled naked in the corners.
They were human, as far as I could tell, their auras filled with fear and hopelessness. Their only desire was for deliverance. If I didn’t defeat Ouranos, would I share their fate? Surely the woman he wished to be the mother of his children would be worth more to him than that?
When we had descended several stories, a disk-shaped platform came into view in the center. Beneath it was a central structure like an enormous column rising up from far below. The strange elevator we rode on stopped and moved toward the center, stopping at the edge of the platform.
Ouranos swung open the rail and urged me to step off. By then I was numb to the anguish around us, though my heart still ached. Who were these women?
He directed me toward the center of the enormous platform where a steel table awaited. It was composed of multiple moving parts and forged of the same scrollwork as the cages. Llyr’s memories of the Ultiori labs flitted through my mind and I blanched. Nothing good ever happened on tables like that. I balked when I realized what it must be for.
“That’s right. What you’re beginning to feel right now is what will make this a perfect union. Remember this room. Remember the quaking of your knees and the quivering of your gut. I don’t need your love to make you mine. Once your precious soul is complete and the other gods have granted your ascension, your fear is all I require to master you.”
I took in the contraption in the center and all its unusual details. It wasn’t like the flat slab of a surgical table in Meri’s labs, or even an examination table like the ones she’d condemned thousands of the higher races to forced matings upon. Those, at least, had presented the illusion of being designed for comfort.
Ouranos’ utilitarian contraption was for torture alone, and while its strange shape didn’t lend itself to an easy interpretation of its purpose, I really didn’t want to spend enough time looking at it to figure it out.
But he pushed me closer, and I had no choice but to move. As much as I wished to use every ounce of my power to escape this place, I knew he wouldn’t harm me until I’d served my purpose, and he needed me to have a complete soul for that to be possible. With any luck, Ozzie was still struggling to reclaim his memories, and I would have time to learn more about this fortress—and Ouranos himself—to find a way to beat him when the time came.
He stopped a few feet from the end of the table and turned me to face it. With a swift flourish, he summoned a cord of lightning from the floor that coiled around both my ankles, then snaked up to my wrists, binding them in front of me at my hips.
For the first time since entering the pit, he came around to face me, his startling good looks making me blink in at the conflicted twist in my gut. Perhaps it was simply a side-effect of his divinity, but deep down, part of me wanted to bow to Ouranos, worship him even.
The self-satisfied glint in his eyes left me ashamed of that compulsion, but he turned away quickly and strode to the other side of the platform. As if summoned by his mere gesture, one of the cages disengaged from the wall and floated toward the platform. The huddled figure within it wailed a plea for mercy that made my mouth go dry and my spine prickle with dread.
The cage jerked to a stop and Ouranos flung it open. The waif of a woman inside scrambled backward with a shriek.
Ouranos stared down at her, hands on his hips, and laughed. “They always start out like you—believing they can endure it, if they stay strong. But they always break.”
He crouched and leaned into the cage. The woman cowered, but the cage wasn’t big enough for her to avoid the enormous god’s reach. He grasped her by the ankle and hauled her out, twisting and crying. Halfway to the edge, he grabbed one of her wrists and swung her easily over his shoulder.
When he turned back to me, his gaze landed on my face and he narrowed his eyes, apparently dissatisfied with my lack of expression. The truth was I had already figured out what he was doing, and that I had no choice but to watch. He’d decided he needed to put on a show for me, his new conquest, for the purpose of breaking me the way he had broken this poor woman he now had strapped down to the contraption.
I was grateful for all my centuries of captive Thiasoi memories. I couldn’t deny I was scared, but I didn’t think anything Ouranos did could shock me after witnessing the atrocities Meri had committed on those satyrs. I was just glad Llyr wasn’t here being forced to watch and relive those horrors too.
If I could have put the woman out of her misery, I would have, but I forced myself to fix my gaze on hers rather than give him the satisfaction of seeing any hint of the fear he hoped to incite.
He hadn’t gagged her, yet she didn’t scream, except for emitting a single cry that devolved into sobs when he first penetrated her from behind. She didn’t even beg for help, though if he’d gone through this ritual with past captives, she may have been resigned to the idea that no new captives had any hope of making a difference.
&
nbsp; But I could, at least in some small way—perhaps not to free her, but to offer some measure of relief to her and all the others from their misery.
I reached deep into my dragon soul and summoned all the golden magic I could.
Tilting my head back, I opened my mouth and released the magic in the form of an operatic song to the heavens. My song rang through the enormous cavern and the prisoners’ wails ceased, their dread and fear fading. I belted out the song with every ounce of air in my lungs, pushing all the promises of retribution into it that I could.
I sang until an enraged roar cut me short. Multicolored spots flashed before my eyes as Ouranos struck me hard enough to give me whiplash.
“Silence!”
21
Deva
My skull rang from the impact, giving me no chance to recover before Ouranos whisked me back into my chambers in a gust of wind. I felt as if I’d been caught up in a cyclone that tore straight through the stone, ripping the air from my lungs and leaving my throat dry and aching.
When the abrupt movement ceased, Ouranos threw me to the floor and I landed with a gasp, palms skidding along the stone as I caught myself a few feet from the door to the bathroom.
Over my shoulder, I glared at him. “You think I’m going to agree to let your dick anywhere near me after what I just saw?”
Ouranos’ eyes glinted and he almost smiled, but it wasn’t a pleasant expression. A sick chill settled in my belly, and for the first time, my confidence faltered.
He stalked toward me, his aura flaring, giving me a glimpse of the malice that filled him. He didn’t harbor even a hint of tenderness toward me, a woman he claimed to want to mate.
I clambered up and into the bathroom, spinning to face him. I backed up until I could go no farther, my backside hitting the bathroom counter. He loomed over me, so close I could feel the electricity that gathered around his strong body. Everything about his appearance was cold, but the heat of his body was suffocating and charged with electricity that only grew the more I cringed.
“You think you have a choice? You may be born of the higher races, little chimera, but I am a god. Fate explained your rules of procreation, but they don’t apply to me. The moment your soul is complete and I’ve anointed you, the gods will grant you divinity. And when that happens, you will be my broodmare. Every single sperm I fill you with represents a soul. They don’t need anything as useless as love to exist; all they need is a divine womb in which to grow.
“So I will let your suitor come to you. It was the turul who tried so nobly to defend you, wasn’t it? When he’s finished with you, you’ll become my mate.”
He caged me with his arms on either side of me and I leaned back, terrified of his enormous size and the crackling power that filled him. I had to fight back, but my own power was so untested. I wouldn’t let him do to me what had been done to my mother . . . two of my mothers.
“I will never bear your children!” I spat, summoning what little courage I possessed. My soul was incomplete, a pathetic shadow of what it could be. What I had hoped to have. Could I even use that power against him now, when I was missing the piece that could make me whole?
“Yes, you will. When you are a goddess, you will take my seed and your womb will spill forth the race I was meant to sire all along. They will bow to me, unlike the ingrates who still run and hide behind Fate’s skirts. There will be nowhere for any of them to hide, once my new children are born.”
Recoiling from his chilly, ozone-scented breath, I delved into my soul, found the anchor that represented my bond to my mates, and summoned all the power I could draw forth. I shoved my hands out at the god, golden light flashing from my palms and slamming into his chest. He flew backward, his eyes flying wide for a second before he caught himself halfway through the room.
Chuckling, he came toward me again. “Nice try. Keep it up and you might learn what it feels like to get fucked by me.”
He reached me swiftly, snatching my wrists in his hands before I could lower them, too stunned to react to his quick recovery. In his grasp, my power seemed to go dormant. I summoned more fire, but was only able to gather enough power for a halfhearted taunt.
“I figured you were impotent. You had me in the middle of a fever earlier and didn’t bother taking me then. I bet you can’t even get it up without bullying helpless women. Are you afraid I might best you?”
His eyes flashed and he spun me, pinning my wrists behind my back and pushing my chest down against the counter. I gasped and struggled, but his hold seemed to have sapped my strength.
He bent over me, his lips grazing my ear, his breath an icy gust. “I don’t like little whores. I prefer my conquests to be just that: conquests. When you play hard to get, show a little fear, try to fight me off, that’s what gets me going.”
As if to illustrate this, he pressed tighter to me, the unmistakable thick ridge of his erection prodding my ass.
I stilled and closed my eyes. I struggled to swallow, to gather myself, and to slow my rapidly pounding heart. If this monster was turned on by fear, I needed to not be afraid.
“Come now, chimera. Let me feel you tremble beneath me. Beg me not to hurt you.”
I took a deep breath, trying to think of how I could turn this around and make him leave me alone despite the fear that wracked me.
I let my consciousness sink deep again, down to the secret place where the precious pieces of my lovers’ souls lived. Anything that signaled a fight to Ouranos would only escalate his desire to overpower me, to conquer me. So what was I left with?
I carried three distinct natures, aside from my simple humanity: those of a dragon, an ursa, and a nymphaea. All three had formidable offensive traits. But as I reached for some more powerful attack to throw at him, I remembered the way he’d reacted when I’d been racked by the fever. He’d entirely neutralized the affliction rather than take advantage of my weakened state and my need for sex. Then he’d left.
I whimpered and protested the tightening of his grip. He rumbled with deeper interest and grabbed me by my hair, pushing my face hard against the stone. I couldn’t help but tremble now, despite knowing this was what excited him. His breathing quickened and he kicked my legs apart.
“Conjured garments are so easy to destroy,” he muttered, grabbing the back of my tank top and wrenching.
It tore easily, and I gasped and pulled at him as he raked sharp nails down my back to the top of my leather pants. I heard the sharp slide of a blade and felt its cool metal along my spine, the flat side gliding across my hips just above the waistband of my pants.
“These look sturdier, but my blade is sharp, little chimera. However, I’m torn now. Should I start with this lovely ass, or make you swallow my cock?”
His suggestion sparked a memory, a lifeline offered up by my soul. I grabbed and tugged, dredging up an encounter in which my fever had taken full hold of me—a recollection of Keagan losing patience with my relentless need and taking it out on me with his dick.
Both my dragon and nymphaea souls responded to the promise of rough sex and a plentiful serving of Nirvana at the end, particularly once Bodhi got involved.
Ouranos yanked at my hair, his painful tug forcing me to arch my back and lift up as he lowered his mouth to my ear again. “What do you think?”
I barely heard him as the answer to my dilemma came to me. Desperately I kept that memory at the forefront of my mind and delved deep into my soul once more, drawing forth the power of my desire. If this asshole was going to force me to take him, I may as well enjoy it. But I had a feeling my reaction would have a very different effect on his interest.
Clenching my eyes shut, I focused on that image of Keagan’s fist in my hair, forcing my mouth down onto his cock. He was still covered in the salty tang of the cocktail of essences from my pussy and I eagerly took him in.
At the same time, Bodhi had full control of my ass and began to have his way with me. This wasn’t a fantasy, despite how hazy and surreal the images s
eemed. It was a real memory from one of my fevered fugues. My two mates had been so rough and dominant, yet had only cared for my pleasure, and I’d loved it.
I barely managed to subvert my moan and turn it into another whimper, feigning more terror, though arousal was already warming my core. For good measure, I uttered a plaintive “please” that came out as weak and helpless as I could make it.
Ouranos laughed wickedly. “I will decide. I think I like this angle best, with you bound and submissive. I only wish I could make you bleed, but sadly, I lack the blade to handle that task. But this one is perfectly capable of revealing what I desire.”
Cold steel caressed the base of my spine again. My waistband tightened with the slightest tug, then gave way the next instant as Ouranos sliced through the back of my pants. He grazed his dagger down the center of my ass cheeks, gliding it through the wetness pooling in my core.
I hissed and clenched, but Ouranos deftly cut straight through the leather without letting blade or point come into harder contact with my skin. The blade clattered to the floor and he wrenched my pants wide, then pushed them down. The fabric bunched around my calves and I braced myself for his verdict.
He squeezed my ass roughly, his breathing ragged with the anticipation of taking me by force. But when he went utterly still and quiet, I knew he’d discovered how wrong he was.
“What is this?” he growled, squeezing one cheek to spread me. He shoved his fingers between my legs, rough and too abrupt for the purpose of pleasure. I was pretty sure the concept of pleasing anyone but himself was beyond his grasp.
He wrenched my head back again and I scented earthy musk. I opened my eyes to see him brandishing his fingers in front of me, slick with my own juices, and likely some remnants of my lovers too.
“What is this?!” he bellowed in my ear.
I lifted an eyebrow and smirked. “I guess I just like it rough. The dagger was a nice touch. Really got my juices flowing.”
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