Ares’ jaw clenched tightly for a few moments before he spoke. “I would rather not have to owe you any favors.”
Achilles muttered under his breath and then said, “What if we agree that it’s mutually beneficial for us to assist you and agree that you owe us nothing?”
Ares growled, and I ran my hand down his forearm. “It would help if we had some extra magic. Especially since fire is a big weakness for vampires.”
Ares sighed and wrapped his arms around me. “I hate it when you’re right.”
I laughed. “No, you just hate it when you’re wrong.”
It took them two days to agree upon the Sidhe we would be bringing and then an additional day to agree on the plan. Each day of sitting made my irritation grow and with it, the need to kill something. It horrified me how easy it was for me to kill now. It was as if once you killed someone, the next ones were nothing since you’d already broken the barrier. I wanted to believe that things could be accomplished by simple discussions, but after living in this world for only a few weeks I realized that killing was the only way to solve anything with them.
My attraction to Achilles continued to grow and soon I found I needed his touch almost as much as I needed Ares’. Ares explained that my attraction and the need for touch were side effects from being bound to Achilles.
Every day we were in the Light Court, I practiced my magic. With Erebus’ help I was able to summon fire as easily as twitching my finger. He also helped me learn how to fly and how to use my wings properly. Koda and Dmitri helped me with my fighting skills at other times. By the fourth day when we were preparing to depart, I felt as though I could take on the entire vampire army on my own.
Ares prepared a bag for me with some of the dresses and things from the dresser in Achilles’ room. I sat on the bed behind him as he packed. “So, we’re going to walk in the front door of the vampire estate and just ask to speak to Maurice?”
Ares stuffed a few pairs of socks into the duffel bag. “Yep.”
“Are you scared?” I asked him.
He stopped packing and turned around to face me. “I’m only worried about you. Victor is right that Maurice will not stop hunting you. I won’t let him have you.”
I smiled. “I know that you’ll protect me as best as you can. I’m not asking that. I’m asking what you feel as you prepare for a battle?”
Ares shrugged. “I’ve gone into thousands of battles. Two-thirds of those battles, I wasn’t expected to win and I did. I guess it’s like stage fright. After the first few times you get over the fear and just accept that you have to do it.”
Ares and I were alone in the bedroom since everyone else was off preparing for the battle. I hopped down off the bed and ran my fingertip down his chest. “This could be our last night together,” I whispered.
Ares tilted my chin up and looked in my eyes. “This will not be our last night together. I will not lose you.” He kissed me with the same passion with which he spoke to me. It made my toes curl and my head spin. He picked me up and laid me down gently on the bed, as he began untying the dress and corset. He was being gentle when I knew he was holding himself back, the need to mate was driving us both crazy. With both hands I grabbed the collar of his shirt and ripped it in half, exposing his upper body. He had a truly splendid body. I ran my hands along his muscles and then kissed his upper chest. Ares moaned and then ripped my dress and corset in half, exposing me. It took me less than ten seconds to tear at his pants, but it was worth it. The first time I’d ever seen him naked I hadn’t truly appreciated his glory. Now, I sat back and took in every inch of him, starting from the top of his head and ending at his knees.
“I love you, Ares,” I whispered before I kissed his lips.
He pulled back from our kiss and smiled, giving me one of the most beautiful true smiles, and whispered, “I love you, too.”
Ares and I walked hand-in-hand through the castle courtyard out to where everyone was gathered to step through the portal back into the human world. Various Sidhe watched us walk by, some with glares, while others had more curious expressions. Erebus, Eros, and Heracles, or as the Western States called him, Hercules, were the three Sidhe chosen to go with us.
Achilles kept his back to us as we walked up and instead of speaking to us, he simply opened the portal and stepped through, holding the door open for Erebus who was behind him. I could tell he was upset, but I couldn’t figure out why.
Athena ran forward and hugged me tightly. “Stay safe, Daughter.”
I kissed her cheek. “I am well protected, so do not worry.”
She looked at Ares and sighed. “As much as I dislike this, I must admit that you are a different man with her. If she weren’t so happy, I would press the issue.” She stopped talking and looked at the ground before looking back up, a fierce expression on her face. “Keep her safe or you’ll have to answer to me.” She kissed my cheek and then walked away.
Everyone filed through the portal single file. Once inside, the portal closed and darkness surrounded us. Koda, Ares, and I growled softly and whined as we walked through the confined space. It still amazed me how a portal between dimensions felt like a stone staircase.
Achilles opened the other end of the portal and stepped out into sun. Everyone hurried out. I basked in the light for a moment and then approached Achilles. “Hey.”
Achilles turned away from me and pointed behind us, where a forest started. “This is the way to go.”
He started to walk away, and I grabbed his arm. “Achilles.”
He sighed. “Yes, Artemis.”
I moved to stand in front of him. “Why are you refusing to look at me? You’re acting like I did something wrong?”
Ares grabbed my other hand and started to pull me away. “It’s alright. He just needs a few moments alone,” he said softly.
I growled. “Dammit. Stop acting like a sulking teenage boy! Talk to me.”
Ares released my hand, and Achilles looked down at me. “I’m trying not to be mad at you because I understand that you don’t know how this bond works, but my emotions are on edge on the moment.”
“Explain,” I said softly.
He sighed and rubbed his temples. “Through the bond, it lets me feel what you are feeling. I can’t read your thoughts, though we can communicate telepathically when you don’t have a wall up. For some reason, you’re blocking me out so you don’t feel anything I feel, which is why you don’t understand…” He stopped talking and looked up at the sun.
“Don’t understand what?” I asked.
“I can feel your emotions, such as love, lust and…euphoria,” he said through gritted teeth.
I blushed and stepped back from him with my eyes on the ground. “Oh.” He’d felt my emotions while Ares and I mated. I hadn’t even considered that. I hadn’t even thought about Achilles at the time. “I’m sorry.”
Victor cleared his throat. “We should keep moving.”
Everyone started walking away, but I stayed still, wanting a moment alone with Achilles. Ares seemed to understand and followed Koda who was walking behind Victor.
I looked up at Achilles. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. You should have told me this before. I hate that you guys keep so much from me and then just let me stumble upon it like this. I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
He smiled at me. “Thank you. All I wanted was a sincere apology.” He pushed back a strand of my hair and whispered, “I love you, Artemis, which makes it incredibly difficult to stay mad at you.”
I blinked at him. “You love me? Or do you mean you love me because of the bond thing?”
He shook his head and whispered, “I’ve loved you since you were born. Every summer I would sneak near your house to watch you grow up. Since the time you were sixteen, I could see how beautiful you were going to be. Now that I can see you since you’ve gained your Sidhe powers and can witness how great a woman you are, I love you even more.”
I swallowed nervously. “Achilles�
��”
He put his fingertip to my mouth. “I know that you do not love me yet. I just hope that soon you will see that I love you as much as Ares does. Perhaps we can figure out a way for you to be happy with both of us. Whatever happens, it will not change the fact that for me, you’re the only woman I want to be with. Verus amor vincit omnia. True love conquers all.”
Before I could respond, he kissed me on the lips. The kiss started off gentle and then became more passionate. He caressed my back softly, and I lost myself in his touch. The barrier he’d been talking about in my head broke and images of him watching me as I grew up and then his current feelings bombarded me. He truly did love me and I knew he would do anything to keep me near him.
We broke apart and I gasped for air as I returned to my own thoughts. Achilles took my hand gently. “We should catch up with the others.”
I realized his body and eyes were glowing and giggled. “Oops. Looks like I activated your powers again.”
He sighed. “Yes, so it seems.”
We started walking and Victor called from within the trees. “Could you turn off the light? You look like a damn Glowworm doll.”
I giggled and then focused on my Sidhe powers and the connection I could now feel between Achilles and me. I poked him in the arm and said, “Off.” His body returned to normal. I poke him again and said, “On,” and he began glowing again.
Achilles smacked my hand as I reached towards him again. “That’s enough. No more Glowworm jokes.”
We caught up to the others, who had waited for us in a clearing, and I hurried to walk between Ares and Achilles.
Ares asked, “Aren’t Glowworm’s supposed to sing when you turn them on?”
I giggled. “No, they just play music.”
Achilles snapped his fingers. “Darn. I forgot my flute.”
Erebus said, “I just happen to have…”
Achilles sighed. “Enough with the Glowworm references.”
We continued walking for three hours and then we came to the ocean. I frowned as I looked up and down the beach for a boat. “Um, how are we going to cross this?”
Dmitri’s and Victor’s bodies convulsed and shrunk as they changed shapes to two black bats. Vampires could turn into shadow, mist, wolves, and bats. I really needed a notebook to keep track of it all.
Erebus, Eros, Achilles, and Heracles let their wings out and I smiled. “Oh, I see.” I was very glad that I’d put on a top with a low back as I let my wings out. I was glad I had practiced.
Ares and Koda stood in front of Erebus and Achilles, who picked them up, and then everyone was airborne. I flew after them and then followed the two black bats as they led the way to France. I trailed my hand in the ocean for a little bit and then flew up as high as I could, reaching for the moon before coming back down and joining the others. “I love flying,” I said wistfully.
Erebus smiled and spoke in his incredibly deep voice, “The nighttime is the best for flying.”
It only took us one hour to fly from Ireland to France, but I was tired by the time we arrived. We made camp in a wooded area which was a short trip from the vampires’ nest.
I found an area with few rocks and laid down in the dirt. Ares appeared next to me, but in wolf form. He was as handsome in his wolf form as he was as a man. I ran my hands through his thick black fur and kissed the tip of his large nose. As far as I had seen, Ares was the only black werewolf. It made me wonder why. I’d also never seen another white werewolf like me. Was it because of our mixed genetics? Ares laid down in the dirt, and I scooted closer to him, letting his large wolf body circle around mine.
Koda approached us, also in wolf form and lay down facing Ares. He extended his paws so that they overlapped Ares’. Taking the hint, I laid my head on top of their front paws and let them arrange themselves comfortably.
The sun rose earlier than I would have liked the next morning. I started to stretch when I remembered the vampires. I bolted upright, knocking Ares’ and Koda’s heads to the sides as I searched for them.
Victor smiled at me, and I remembered he was a born vampire and the sun didn’t harm him. “Your concern brings a smile to my face, mon papillon. Dmitri is safely buried so you need not worry for him,” he said softly.
I exhaled and calmed my raging heart. “Sorry.” I laid back down against Ares and he sighed, rearranging himself around me. I slept for a couple more hours and then my stomach grumbled incessantly.
Ares headed into the trees and came out a few moments later dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt.
Koda was whining and kicking his hind leg as Ares walked back, but after a quick throat clearing from Ares, Koda was awake and groaning unhappily as he trotted towards the trees.
Ares wrapped his arms around me and asked, “So, what’s for breakfast?”
Victor straightened his shirt and said, “I thought it would be nice if we took Artemis out.”
I looked over at the black, white, and red Sidhe men, all with various vine and etched designs in their skin, sitting a few yards away. “Don’t you think the designs on our skin might draw attention to us?”
The Sidhe men laughed and all stood up. Their bodies began to glow softly and then each of them had normal looking skin. They looked as though they belonged in Greece.
Achilles smiled. “We learned how to use glamour when we were going to be around the humans.”
“Glamour?” I asked.
Erebus said, “It’s a specific type of magic which alters our physical appearance.”
“Oh. Well how do I do it?” I asked.
Achilles picked my hands up and whispered, “Close your eyes. Picture what you looked like before you came into your Sidhe powers, and pull at your powers.”
I did as he said and when I opened my eyes, I couldn’t believe that it had actually worked.
Victor stood and dusted his jeans. “Are we all ready?”
Koda came out of the woods in jeans and a t-shirt and nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Victor led the way to a small café where we could sit outside in the warm sunlight. Ares ordered my food for me since I couldn’t read the menu which was in French. It was nice having someone who could speak multiple languages so I didn’t look like a dumb American traveler.
Our food came out quickly, and I ate every last bite. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was, and I was thankful that Ares had ordered extra sides of eggs and bacon for me.
The men started talking in French, and I felt extremely left out.
Achilles smiled at me from across the table and then began talking to me telepathically. They’re discussing the best place to have the Sidhe wait. I will be going with you into the main door, but the other three will wait outside for our signal.
What signal?
Oh you’ll know it when you see it.
As the morning turned into afternoon, the men continued to plan and Achilles continued to translate for me. The plan was rather simple, but they were being very meticulous about the small details. We ordered lunch at the same café and sipped on wine until dinner time. I was feeling pretty lightheaded when dinner came, but my quick metabolism flushed out the alcohol the third time I used the restroom. Each time I went to the restroom, one of the men would accompany me, though each time it was a different man. After we finished our dinner, we walked back to the park and sat down in our camp spot.
As soon as the sun went down an arm shot out of the dirt in front of me, making me gasp and jump backwards.
Victor patted my arm and pulled me back down on the ground beside him. “It’s just Dmitri, rising for the night.”
Dmitri dug himself out of the ground and then shook like a dog to get the excess dirt off of him. Victor stood, and together they left to hunt for their meals.
I picked up a leaf and set it in the palm of my hand and then brought fire to my hand, burning the green leaf. I formed a ball of fire in one palm and then started tossing the ball back and forth in my hands.
Erebus watched m
e with a small smile of satisfaction on his face.
“Catch,” I yelled as I tossed the purple ball at him. Erebus caught the ball of fire and it changed to a black ball of fire. He started playing with it before he tossed it to Achilles who changed it to a blue flame, played with it for a while and then tossed it back to me. As soon as I touched it, the flames turned purple.
“Why does the color change?” I asked.
Erebus said, “The flame changes to match our colors. So anytime you use fire or touch it, it will become purple while Achilles will always turn it blue. We aren’t quite sure why it happens, but it does.”
We occupied ourselves with that for the next thirty minutes while we waited for Victor and Dmitri. They returned and stood twenty yards away from us as they watched our game.
“Could you please put that out?” Dmitri asked.
Achilles tossed the ball up in the air. It went up and up and then disappeared completely.
Dmitri smiled. “Thank you.”
Victor looked at Ares and smiled. “It’s time.”
Ares exhaled. “Alright. Let’s go.”
We ran for an hour through the city streets, just fast enough the humans wouldn’t see us as we ran. As we approached the mansion, I could feel the evil that resided there—the hundreds of vampires and the king of evil himself, Maurice.
My heartbeat picked up and my palms began to sweat. What if we couldn’t defeat him? What if Ares died? The thought of Ares dying ripped at my heart and brought tears to my eyes.
I couldn’t let him die. I had to keep him safe.
Victor guided us through a back entrance and then we were at the front doors. The guards opened the doors and bowed as we walked by. Victor led the way through the giant mansion and into a large ballroom. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings and made me feel as though we’d been taken back to another time period.
“Greetings,” Maurice said. His voice sent shivers down my spine and would have made me tuck my tail between my legs if I were in wolf form.
Artemis Lupine- The Complete Series Page 43