Rhea hugged the man and whispered, “They need only draw a drop of blood from you. Fight well, Hyperion. Do not disappoint me.”
Hyperion? Oh gods.
He stood, and I knew it had to be true. The father of the moon, stars and the sun. The father of all preternaturals.
“Oh, crap,” Victor said softly.
I ripped my pants off, took a half-shift and then launched myself at Hyperion just as Victor charged at him, too. Hyperion smiled, rolled his shoulders in a circle and said, “It’s been so long since I’ve had a challenge.”
9
Chandra
I jumped in the air as I dodged Blu’s tail and then shot him in the back with fire. I blocked an attack from Theseus behind me, smiling at my quick reflexes. I grabbed onto Theseus’ arm, tossed him over my shoulder and dropped onto his fallen body, delivering blow after blow to his face and body.
“Enough!” Blu roared behind me. I stood up off of Theseus and prepared to attack Blu, but he pinned me to the ground with his foot and growled at me. “I understand that you are worried about the princes, but you are taking it out on Theseus’ body.”
I hated being pinned. As a wolf I hated being trapped. my body began to glow in the reflection of Blu’s eye. He grabbed me and then tossed me into the air. I pulled my wings from my back and flapped them furiously to keep from flying any farther away. I started to fly back towards Blu, but something slammed into my side and sent me careening sideways with my wings pinned against my body. I struggled against what held me until I looked up and realized it was Theseus.
He let us fall to the ground and then pinned me on my back to the ground. “I command you to stop.”
I growled at him and bared my teeth. “Get off of me. You do not command me.”
“Are you going to behave?” he asked in a reasonable and irritating tone.
I struggled against his hold, but then he used his power to make a shield and slammed it against me. I gasped and then anger overrode my other senses. I used my wings to push us up off of the ground and changed my hand into a paw to stab him in the stomach, but suddenly I was paralyzed.
“You are going to hurt someone you do not wish to harm if you don’t control yourself, Hatchling,” said the Council.
“I can’t just sit here while he’s out on such a dangerous mission! I can hardly sleep and I need to do something!” I yelled. I had never before yelled at a dragon, much less the Council and I expected a punishment, but at that moment I didn’t care. The shirt the werewolf prince had given me had lost his scent quickly and I knew it was my own fault for smelling it and touching it so much.
“Very well, we will teach you a technique which will consume you, body and mind, until you have learned it. We warn you, it will not be easy to master and may destroy you if you are not powerful enough.”
“Please. I need to do something,” I said in a much quieter voice. I knew it was an honor for the dragons to teach anyone and that I should feel humbled, but the churning in my stomach at the thought of losing the prince was too much.
“Go wash, eat and then return to us with an open mind and quiet heart,” said the Council.
I bowed to them and hurried to do as they asked. I washed my hair and body, ate some meat and bread and then sat in the center of my tent with my legs crossed as I meditated. Normally a request that I have a quiet heart was easy, but since meeting the man who claimed to be my mate and who I had an undeniable bond with, I couldn’t. I closed my eyes and relaxed my body in sections. Once my body was relaxed, I focused on the inner turmoil consuming me and slowly released it.
The truth about who I was would be revealed once the prince comes back. The prince will return safely because he swore he would and because he is one of the most powerful beings on the earth.
Continuing in this fashion I released all of my worries and quieted my heart. Feeling better than I had in weeks, I walked out of my tent and to the waiting Council.
I bowed down before them and whispered, “I apologize for my discourteous behavior earlier. Please forgive my insolent actions and words.”
“You are forgiven, Hatchling. Are you ready to learn what we are offering to teach you?”
I stood and bowed my head. “Yes. I am.”
Blu stood off to the right, watching and waiting. I knew he wasn’t just curious about what they were going to teach me, but he was also there to protect me if something happened.
The Council began humming and singing and then disappeared. I stared at the empty spot where five large dragons had just occupied. The humming returned behind me. I whipped around and found the Council now behind me. Translocation.
I moaned in pain as a memory of a beautiful woman transporting me from a fight to a strange town flashed across my eyes. I opened my eyes and found that I’d dropped to my knees and Blu was humming with his nose against my head as he tried to heal the pain.
“What did you see?” asked the Council.
“A woman, I believe Sidhe, though at the time I didn’t know that. She teleported me from a fight with vampires to a town in the woods. There are periods of pain in between and I don’t seem to have memories for those brief lapses, but…” I screamed again as I understood that she was the woman who had stolen my memories.
“Good, Hatchling. Now we know who the woman is that stole your memories. She is a very powerful Sidhe and it will not be easy to break the barrier she placed.”
“Barrier? You mean I still have my memories? She didn’t steal them away?”
The Council looked at me in confusion. “Why do you believe they were stolen?”
I groaned. The pain in my head returned as I recalled specifics of the memory. “I remember that the images slipped out of my head, like mud slipping through my fingers. It was as though she plucked them from my head.”
The Council went completely silent as they communicated to each other. It was rare that the Council was silent for such a long period of time and it made me very nervous. Finally, they said, “We will not discuss this further until the wolf prince has returned. Now, let us teach you how to teleport yourself and others.”
I stood up and patted Blu’s nose reassuringly. “Okay.”
10
Ares
My body hadn’t ached so badly and in so many places at once in hundreds of years. Covered in sweat and panting like a child, I felt pathetic and weak. I looked over and found Victor in the same state, except his fangs were bared to their longest, reaching down past his lower lip. It was a situation neither of us had been in for a very long time. How could one individual be so powerful?
“We need to change our tactics,” said Victor from beside me.
Hyperion was sweating slightly, but our two minute breaks completely revived him whereas we were still winded and still in pain.
“Obviously, but what do you suggest?” I asked with a growl. We’d been fighting for an hour and forty minutes and even with our combined attacks, Victor and I couldn’t even scratch him.
“I don’t know yet. I was hoping you might have an idea. You are the God of War.”
I glared at him. “I’m the God of War against humans and other races, not the Father of Preternaturals!”
Hyperion charged at us, and I ducked just in time. I turned and slashed at his exposed back, but his fist smashed into my face as he spun around in a whirlwind. I crashed to the stone floor and snarled. This was not working.
Victor punched at Hyperion from the front, so I ran and jumped, trying to hop onto his back, but his foot rose without his head even turning and he kicked me backwards while he punched Victor in the chest.
“Do you have eyes in the back of your head?” I asked as frustration gripped me.
Hyperion laughed. “You know as well as I that your other senses can help you know when someone is approaching from the back. Your breathing is as loud as a baby rhinoceros.”
I growled at him and attacked from the front, punching and slashing at his arms. No matter how fast I moved,
my claws never reached his skin.
Rhea watched with glowing eyes from a throne the griffins had brought out of the temple for her to sit.
Victor rolled his neck and shoulders and said, “We need to use a cheap tactic.”
I turned and stared at him. “You’re serious?”
He smiled. “Do you really care if we win legitimately or not?”
Hyperion growled. “Are you two weaklings going to stand there and whine all day or are we going to fight? If you want to surrender, I’m fine with that, too.”
“I will never surrender!” I yelled. I had to win. I have to do this for Artemis. I counted down from five and then charged Hyperion. His dagger pierced the side of my stomach just as Victor stabbed at Hyperion’s other side. Without even turning, Hyperion swatted Victor, catching him in the side and sending him flying. Victor landed on his feet and skidded at least fifteen feet back. I pulled away from Hyperion and growled as I put a hand over my wound.
Victor hissed furiously and I saw his power release around him in a thick black cloud. “Ready?” he yelled at me as he disappeared.
I called upon the power of the moon, which hangs above us in her ever-present beauty, and charged forward. I exchanged blows with Hyperion and as my strength was waning shouted, “Now!”
Victor’s body materialized from my shadow and he slid underneath my legs, between Hyperion’s, and grabbed Hyperion around the arms.
I squatted down and slashed his leg, opening a small cut.
Hyperion yelled, broke free from Victor’s grasp and picked me up by the throat. “No! I refuse to be defeated by a halfbreed!”
“You have been defeated, Hyperion. Release your grandson,” said Rhea softly.
Hyperion looked as though he wanted to object, but after one look at Rhea’s serious face, he dropped me to the ground and stepped back. “I admit defeat.”
If only they would assist us in righting the balance of the world and killing Maurice, we could win the battle quickly and easily. I understood their desire to remain neutral, but it would make things so much easier.
Victor limped over to me and said, “That was easier than I thought it would be.”
I forced back the smile which tried to surface and turned towards Rhea as I still clutched my bleeding side. “We have completed your task. Will you give me your blessing as you agreed?”
Rhea placed her hand on my forehead and said, “I, Mother Rhea, give you, Ares Lupine of the Werewolves and Sidhe, my blessing to continue as a mated pair with Artemis Lupine. May the dragons restore her memories and bring back the woman you love.”
It felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, yet I sagged to the ground and felt tears on my face. I’d done it. I’d completed the task and now Artemis was finally going to get her memories back!
“You, Victor of the Vampires, have shown great loyalty to your friend despite the differences in your races. Therefore, I pronounce you as Ruler of the Children of the Night and give you the power to hold that title. May your reign be brighter than your father’s.” Rhea’s hands began to glow and she placed them on either side of Victor’s head. He moaned in pleasure and then his body glowed with an eerie black light. It was like seeing a Sidhe glowing white, but his light was like the night instead of the stars.
Victor turned to me with flames flickering in the back of his black eyes. I smiled at him and asked, “Are you glad you came with me now?”
Victor laughed and reined in the power he’d been given. “That is a definite rush. I’m looking forward to using it against my father.”
Rhea kissed each of us on the forehead and whispered to me, “Run home. She is close to breaking.”
I blinked at her for a moment until the words made sense. Then I turned and ran without another thought. Artemis.
Victor caught up to me and asked, “What is it?”
“Artemis,” I whispered, knowing he wouldn’t need any more of an explanation.
11
Chandra
I’d been training for an hour straight and had only managed to teleport two feet. The Council assured me that with more practice I’d be able to move farther. I closed my eyes and pictured the place I wanted to move to, the top of Blu’s head ten feet away from me. Power built inside me, followed by pain, then nausea and then I was falling. My eyes snapped open and I straightened as I stood on top of Blu’s head. “Yes!” I yelled victoriously. Blu huffed in mock irritation as I stood upon his head, but I could tell he was pleased.
I dropped to the ground, but just as I was landing pain erupted in my head. It felt like a crack had opened in something that encased my power and allowed it to leak out. The pain was more intense than anything I’d felt before and I couldn’t even scream. I landed on my side, smacking my head against the ground, but didn’t feel the additional pain.
Blu pressed his nose to my head and tried to help me, but the pain was beyond even his repair.
“Step back, Draco-Blu. She cannot be helped except by the two tied to her,” said the Council.
On cue, the Sidhe prince dropped to the ground beside me with a grimace of pain on his face. “It’s going to be alright. He’s on his way and will be here soon.”
Another man dropped to my side and placed his hands on me. I inhaled his scent and screamed in pain as a memory of him holding me while we both wept played across my open eyelids. Black dots began to cover my vision and I screamed again as my head throbbed in pain.
“Help us, please,” the Sidhe prince begged the Council.
“Please, darlin’, just relax. He’s almost here. Just hold on for a few more minutes,” said the man with a slightly southern accent.
My body began to twitch as the wolf side of me tried to find a way to save us. I growled and held my body together. “I…will…not…change.”
Wind stirred above me and then the wolf prince dropped to the ground beside me. He tilted my face so I could look into his eyes. “Stay with me. I’m here now. Hold on.” He turned away from me and said, “I have gained permission from Rhea. Please, help us now.”
The Council said, “In order to restore her memories and give her full access to her power, you must divulge her full true name to her as well as both of the names of the princes she is tied to. Once you do that, her power will release, her memories will return and we will help you control her mind and body so that she does not become too overwhelmed.”
“I understand,” whispered the wolf prince.
“Me too,” whispered the Sidhe prince.
“Begin,” said the Council.
“You are Artemis Lupine, daughter of Darren of the Werewolves and Athena of the Sidhe, passt genau of Ares and bound to Achilles. You are princess of both the Sidhe and werewolf realms,” said the princes together.
My head throbbed excruciatingly and black spots danced across my vision.
“I am Ares Lupine, prince of the werewolves and descendant of Beatrice of the Werewolves and Zeus of the Sidhe and your passt genau,” said the wolf prince. My vision blackened completely and my body arched up off the ground as my power released.
“I am Achilles, prince of the Sidhe and rightful heir to the throne, descendant of Hera and Zeus of the Sidhe and your bound match,” said the Sidhe prince.
Everything disappeared in a world of white and black. I knew I was screaming, but I couldn’t hear anything besides the frantic pounding of my heart. Visions of Ares meeting me, fighting for me, making love to me replayed. Visions of Achilles fighting beside me, flying with me, teaching me to open my wings and telling me he loved me replayed. I saw my father. My mother. Koda. Matt. Maurice and his vampires fighting us. Hera taking me and stealing my memories.
The Council, Blu and every dragon in the Lair began singing as they tried to help me. There was so much magic in one place that it made me afraid of the possible repercussions.
I had no voice left for screaming and the power within me felt like it was going to rip me apart. Suddenly every memory I’d ever had f
ell into place.
“Ares. Achilles. Koda.” I whispered their names.
The dragons sang louder than I’d ever heard before. Ares, Achilles, Koda and Theseus all touched me as they used their powers to help.
“I am Artemis Lupine!” I screamed. The pressure and power within me exploded outwards and left me feeling weightless. Every being screamed around me as my power was unleashed upon them.
12
Artemis
The magic and dust settled and I could breathe again. It seemed like a millennium since I had last opened my eyes, but when I did the joy was better than anything I’d ever felt before. Kneeling one foot away from me was the man who had loved me since discovering me in a small human town. The man who had been so patient with me while I learned about who I really was. The man who would protect me at any cost. His black hair was shaggier than the last time I’d seen him, but his blue eyes sparkled brighter than ever as he looked at me. I could see the hope and worry in his eyes.
How could he have survived the past one hundred years without me by his side? I doubted that I could have held myself together if I hadn’t been able to locate him in one hundred years.
I felt my connection to Achilles, but nothing compared with the fierce pull, staggering desire, and love I felt for Ares. We both stood up off of the ground, and I walked slowly towards him. He stood perfectly still as he watched me approach him, but I could see the slight tremor in his arms.
He was such a magnificent man, and he was all mine, had always been mine, and would always be mine. I wanted to jump into his arms and roll on him to cover myself in his scent, but this was not the place for that.
Artemis Lupine- The Complete Series Page 51