by Katie May
“True.” Once more, Athena shrugs. “But you see, Emily, the ritual with the stone only works when you’re in intense pain. I believe that’s why it didn’t work before.”
“I’m already in intense fucking pain,” I hiss, staggering a step forward.
“But you can heal from that pain,” she counters immediately. “I know the way your powers work, believe it or not. I study my enemies, Emily.” She smiles cruelly, flashing teeth that are slightly too straight and perfect. Even standing in the blood of her dead friend, there’s not a blonde hair out of place. She looks as immaculate and as unperturbed as ever. Fucking psychopath.
“You don’t know shit about me,” I snap immediately, blood forming in my mouth and drizzling down my chin. Henry watches me in wide-eyed horror, and I realize then that his fear isn’t for himself, but for me. He’s worried about me, when he’s the one with a knife to his throat. “Why did you send the assassins after me?” I demand. “Especially since your goal this entire time was to take my powers.”
Irritation flashes across her beautiful face like a streak of lightning illuminating an inky black sky. “Because I thought it would tear you and your…men apart.” She hisses the word “men” like it’s a disgusting swear word. “There’s no greater pain than betrayal, now is there?”
“And then after?” I demand, thinking of the guy at the warehouse and the girl at the club.
Athena sighs, as if my questions are annoying her but she’s willing to indulge me just this once. “Well, that was to make you believe Rebecca had betrayed you. Obviously, I knew that the return of your memories would make the six of you nearly unstoppable. But I still needed to make you feel emotional pain, you understand. I thought if I framed Rebecca…” Using the free hand not holding the knife, she brushes away a perfectly coiffed blonde strand of hair behind her ear.
“You really are a twisted bitch, aren’t you?” I ask, continuing to push myself forward, one agonizing step at a time.
“Well…I never said I wasn’t.” Mouth twisted in a rictus grin, Athena lowers the knife.
And plunges it into Henry’s heart.
“No!” I scream.
“Henry!” That’s Rebecca’s voice, and I should’ve known the idiotic girl wouldn’t listen to me. But I can’t focus on that. I can’t focus on anything except for my brother falling to the ground, the handle of the knife protruding from his ribcage.
Anguish stops my heart as I drop to my knees directly beside him.
“No, no, no, no, no,” I whisper incoherently as Athena begins to laugh gleefully.
A sob tears past my lips, and my tears feel scorching hot on my icy skin.
“No!” I desperately grasp Henry’s cold, cold hand as his eyes flutter wildly, attempting to focus on my face. Rebecca drops to her knees on the other side of him as she strokes at his disheveled blond hair, now matted with Mandy’s blood.
“Please stay with me. Please,” she begs. “I can’t live without you. I love you.”
His face softens as he turns to stare at her, a tiny smile playing on his lips.
“I love you too. So fucking much.” He heaves a gaping breath and turns towards me, tears welling in his eyes. “I love you too, little sister.”
I sob madly, stroking his hair repeatedly.
“You’re going to be okay,” I promise. “You’re going to be okay.”
He releases a guttural cough, blood spurting from his dry lips. My heart plummets in my chest, leaving behind a gaping hole I don’t know how to fill. Needing something to do, I close my eyes and focus on his pain. It sits in his chest like an uncomfortable ball of tangled yarn. Slowly, with skilled precision that centuries as a goddess gave me, I untangle the nest and pull it into myself. I’ll be damned if I let my brother feel any pain.
“I don’t…” He gurgles as I grasp the last tendril of his agony and wrench it into myself. His face immediately slackens with relief as his eyes flutter shut.
“Just don’t talk,” Rebecca adds in a gravelly whisper. “You’ll be okay.”
And something inside of me…snaps. All I can see is my brother’s too pale face as the life bleeds from his body. All I can hear are Rebecca’s desperate screeches, her grieving cries fueling the fire of my own pain.
Athena’s face fills my vision as she advances on me, that damn stone cupped in her hand. With a mirthful laugh, she slams it against my forehead. Like before, I can no longer feel my power percolating inside of me. But that’s okay. I don’t need it for what I have planned.
“You. Killed. Him.” I don’t even recognize my voice. It’s animalistic and primitive. Unhinged. Crazed.
My hand tightens around the hilt of the simple kitchen knife I stole earlier.
Body shaking, I lift the blade and slam it into her chest. And then, I twist. I twist until the light drains from her eyes, until her body goes slack and her mouth pops open. I twist until I know for sure that the Goddess of Virtue is dead.
“Emily!” Rebecca screams. “What’s happening?”
But I can’t open my mouth to speak, to answer. All I can feel is a numbing sensation resonating from where the gemstone is still pressed to my forehead. I thought that when Athena died, it would collapse to the ground like it did the first time she attempted such a thing.
But it doesn’t. Instead, it remains melded to my skin, slowly sucking away the most fundamental piece of me.
My body jerks once before it collapses to the ground.
CHAPTER 29
I’m dimly aware of people screaming my name. Crying. Shouting.
No, not people.
Men.
My men.
Their voices float to me as if I’m miles underwater. From where I float, steadily sinking to the bottom of the ocean, I can see the radiant sun illuminating the surface of the water. Faces peer back at me, nearly indistinct and rippled with each passing wave.
“Emily, please!” That’s Sin’s voice, choked and anguished and physically ripped from his throat.
“Baby, please.” Helio. I’d recognize that smoky timbre anywhere, curling around me like a delicious, warm blanket. I feel safe. Safe and comforted. And I know that I can drift away now, give myself over to the sleep that threatens to consume me, because my men are with me.
“Do something!” That’s Desmond, but I’ve never heard him sound like this. Normally, he’s larger than life and jovial. He always speaks as if he’s telling some sort of stupid joke. But now, his voice is laced with pain and anger. Heartache. It causes my own heart to break into thousands of intricate pieces, impossible for me to tape back together again.
“You fucking asshole!” Tate. Of course. Fucking Tate. He always has to yell, doesn’t he? “Why isn’t she waking up? Do something, Avery! You fucker!” Suddenly, his voice is directly beside my face, his warm breath feathering across my cheek and ear. “You stupid, stupid girl. If you don’t wake up, I will fucking murder you. You hear me, Em? I fucking love you, you idiot, so you can’t leave me. If you leave me, I’ll be so fucking pissed.”
“It’s not working!” Now, that voice is easy to recognize. Avery. My best friend. It pains me to know that some of the memories we have together aren’t real, but it doesn’t change the fact that we grew closer during our time on Earth. He’s quickly become a staple in my life, and my love for him continues to grow and flourish into something even more ethereal and beautiful. “The stone…it’s taking away her pain. It’s taking away pieces of her fucking soul!”
Taking away my pain? That must be why it feels as if I’m floating. Waves are lapping at my skin, but it’s a peaceful sensation. I welcome it like one would embrace a long-lost friend. This ocean…it doesn’t scare me. I know that sooner or later, a particularly strong current will drag me away, but I also know that I won’t feel any pain. It’ll be as easy as breathing, as falling asleep. All I need to do is close my eyes…
“I can’t get the damn stone off of her!” Sin screams, and I feel a pressure on my forehead.
“Rebecca, help us!” Desmond cries in agony.
“I read a book once…” My best friend’s voice is quiet, tentative, broken. Unease prickles my skin, and I suddenly have the distinct sense that I need to remember something, something important. But I know the memory will only bring me pain, and my body and mind seem intent on keeping it away from me.
“What?” Tate releases a slightly hysterical laugh.
“In the castle library,” she continues, monotone. “I got bored, so I decided to organize all of the books into alphabetical order.” Of course she did. She didn’t become the Goddess of Organization for no reason.
Actually…she sort of did.
With the return of my memories came the realization that none of us really have families. At least, not in the traditional sense. We’re not born or anything, so we don’t have parents. Instead, we just…arrive. Fully-grown and with knowledge that rivals that of the universe. Some of us, like Helio, arrived in the Realm of the Gods with their equal, which we refer to as siblings. Even Desmond has a brother out there—the God of Perception.
It’s kind of sad, isn’t it? That I have no real family. No one to mourn me when I’m gone.
I never had a normal childhood. I didn’t have a doting mom and dad. Younger siblings to torment and older siblings to torment me.
Except…
I did have that, didn’t I?
My mind drifts to Colton, Ray, and Henry. To my human father who never knew I existed, but who I still love dearly.
That small niggle in the back of my mind has become a large, charging bull against my subconscious. There’s something I need to remember…
Something involving my brothers…
“In the book I read,” Rebecca continues in that same, detached voice, “it said that there’s a way for gods and goddesses to carve out tiny pieces of their souls. So theoretically, it’s possible that you guys can offer pieces of yourself to her—”
“How do we do that?” Avery asks immediately.
“I don’t even know if it’ll work!”
“We’ll try anything,” Helio states gruffly, and I can feel his large hand brushing through my tangled black hair. His touch feels good, grounding. Surrounded by all of the people I love…
I could easily fall asleep.
“Stay with me, baby,” Sin whispers, licking my ear. “Just a little bit longer.”
Annoyance rushes through me. Why won’t they just let me sleep?
“I don’t know how,” Rebecca admits in that same, impassive voice.
Tate releases a threatening growl, but Avery interrupts before he can retort.
“Maybe we’re not able to do that, but what if I take pieces of all of our life forces and put them into Em?” Shaky hands trail down my arm before sliding back up, almost as if he needs to touch me. As if he needs the physical reassurance that I’m still there.
“That’s risky,” Rebecca says immediately.
“But do you think it could work?” Tate demands.
I know my best friend well enough to know what her silence means.
What the hell are my guys thinking? Obviously, whatever they have planned is immensely dangerous. Taking away parts of their life forces?!? I want to open my mouth and scream at them, demand them to stop being such insufferable pricks, but I’m unable to utter a single word. Instead, I continue floating languidly further and further away from them, the tides of the ocean pulling me with a gentleness that belies the urgency of the situation.
“Do it,” Helio growls.
I hear what sounds like a grunt of pain and then a large body thumping against the ground. Desmond releases a muffled curse before he, too, falls to the ground beside me.
Sin goes next, followed immediately by a cursing Tate.
“I really hope this fucking works,” Avery breathes. “I love you so fucking much, baby.” He plants his lips against mine, his simple kiss stroking a fire deep inside of me.
And…something else.
I can almost feel his touch inside of me, as if he’s physically caressing my internal organs. But that’s impossible, right?
I feel Avery’s steadfast loyalty, Desmond’s mirth and joy for life, Helio’s protective, unwavering presence, Sin’s eccentricity, and Tate’s hard, jagged edges. They all mingle inside of me, like live wires that zap at one another whenever they get too close.
And then there’s me, standing in the midst of them all, electricity racing through me. All of the cords that make up my men encircle me, twining my legs together, wrapping around my heart, cutting off my air supply, until I lose myself to the sensation. I can’t discern where they end and I begin.
I know I can embrace the water with open arms, allow it to propel me further and further away from my men, but I also know I now have a choice.
It’s quite simple to me—I’ll never willingly leave them. Ever
Biting my lip to keep from screaming, I allow their essences to curl around me and consume me in a flare of intense electricity and agonizing pain.
But I’ll burn for my men. Over and over again.
I’m coming back for you guys. Hang on.
And then, I’m aware of nothing.
CHAPTER 30
ARSIN
I stare at Emily’s sleeping face, lightly running the pad of my thumb across the swell of her parted lips. She’s so beautiful, even now, like a sliver of moonlight that ruptures the monotony of darkness at night.
In sleep, her features are serene, as if she’s finally found peace. I want to hold on to this moment and never let it go.
Because I almost fucking lost her.
My mind rages at the mere prospect of losing her. Of never being able to hold her in my arms, hear her twinkling laugh, see those sooty lashes of hers flutter when she smiles.
I feel something inside of me purr in satisfaction at the thought that a part of me is inside of her. I don’t know if it’s a sliver of my soul, a snippet of my essence, or something else entirely, but there’s no denying the primal instinct rearing its ugly head inside of me.
Because, yeah, I’m a crazy fucker, but I like that she carries a piece of me. That she needs me to survive.
We still have no idea what that missing piece is going to cost us, or her, but I feel nothing but relief as I watch her chest rise and fall steadily.
Mine.
Emily Lopez is mine. I claim her with everything that I am. And now that I have her in my arms, I’m never letting her go.
My mind travels back to when I first met the goddess, back in the Realm of the Gods.
“I DIDN’T KNOW you were into bondage,” I smugly tell the guard as he drags me down the hall and into the opulent throne room. “That’s pretty kinky, man. If you wanted to tie me up, all you had to do was ask. I’m pretty open to butt play, if you know what I mean.” Smiling flippantly, I have the distinct pleasure of watching his face turn a hideous shade of red.
He really shouldn’t be mad. All I did was set a few people on fire. I mean, really. They deserved it.
But apparently, mass murder is a big no-no in this kingdom. Who would’ve thought?
Flashing the asshole another unrepentant smirk, I allow him to shove me to my knees before a raised dais holding a golden throne. Rage immediately bombards me at the nerve of the bitch who sits before us, acting as if her shit doesn’t stink.
Who does she think she is, playing queen? There are no queens in this world, only those who have and those who don’t.
I keep my head down, clumps of my shaggy blond hair falling in front of my face, as I mentally plan everything I want to do to the queen bitch. I haven’t seen her in person, but I imagine she’ll look as smug as that bitch Athena did when I entered her kingdom.
Will she scream when my flames eat away at her flesh? Will she beg for mercy? The thought has my cock twitching in my pants as a giddy smile erupts on my face. Slowly, I lift my head to meet the eyes of my next victim—because Emily, the Goddess of Pain, will pay in blood for daring
to arrest me.
Time seems to freeze as I stare into her face.
Her perfect, heartbreakingly beautiful face.
I’ve seen a lot of beautiful women before, but all of them pale in comparison to the goddess before me. She seems to be wreathed in her own, personal light, as if she’s an angel that descended straight from heaven. Her dark hair cascades loosely around her shoulders, and her skin is the color of burnt porcelain. A white dress cinches around her narrow waist before spilling outwards around her thighs. From this distance, I can see her full breasts, toned stomach, and delectable dimples. I wonder how my fire will look marring her perfect, unblemished skin. How the wax from my flames would taste on her perfect tits.
“What are you waiting for?” the man beside her exclaims in irritation. He throws her a look that makes me see red. I can’t help but envision burning his skin straight from his bones and then crushing said bones into fine particles of dust. I recognize him as Tate, the God of Deception. And also one of her lovers.
I can’t help the pang of jealousy that spears me at the thought of him worshipping her flesh. Of him kissing her perfect lips. Of him pounding into her tight pussy.
I want Emily to be mine more than I’ve ever wanted anything else in my life.
And for the first time…
I don’t want to hurt her. I mean, I do, but I want pleasure to be intermixed with the pain.
Fuck.
Her eyes ensnare my own, and I’m helpless to look away. I’m not even sure I want to. Her soul calls to mine, cajoling me to give in. To go to her.
If only my hands weren’t tied…
“No.” Her voice is whimsical. As beautiful as she is. She tilts her head to the side, regarding me with something I would almost describe as curiosity. I can’t help but snort.
Good luck trying to figure me out. It’s been a few centuries, and I still don’t understand what goes through my head half the time.
“Are you going to kill me, my love?” I ask in a mocking voice. Wouldn’t that be ironic? I find a girl worthy of my affection…and she no doubt plans to execute me. Though, I can’t say I don’t deserve it. I have done a lot of awful deeds in my time, but none so bad as coveting her.