Artemis Lupine- The Complete Series

by Catherine Banks

  Most women would have turned away or been ashamed, but not her. She simply smiled and said, “It comes with the territory of being a blood whore.”

  I cringed, hating that term for the humans who offered their blood for vampires. “You are too sweet to be using such vile terms.”

  “You are too kind for being the Prince of Vampires.”

  I smoothed her hair back from her neck and she shuddered in anticipation. “I wish I could stay longer, but I have much on my agenda,” I whispered in her ear as I kissed it softly and then made small tender kisses along her jaw line and to her neck.

  Her jugular vein pulsed faster as I kissed beside it and my fangs lengthened in response. If I was not helping Ares, I would take this girl and keep her to myself, but I could not do that now. I would not promise her or even suggest the notion until I could do it. I was not one to go back on my word and I did not want to offer until I was sure I could keep it.

  She ran her hand down my arm and then arched up into me as I kissed her stomach. I pulled the bed sheets down and then found my favorite vein on the inside of her leg.

  My fangs extended fully and I bit down, sucking as her blood flowed from the bite. She hissed a moment and then relaxed on her back, enjoying the emotions I was giving her. Every vampire over the age of thirty could manipulate a human’s emotions to make their bite enjoyable. Some used it negatively while others just didn’t use the ability. I preferred to use it, enjoying the smiles on the women’s faces as I fed.

  I finished my feeding and pressed against the bite to ensure it stopped bleeding. “Lie with me until I fall asleep,” she ordered quietly, still high on the feeding.

  I should have said no, but I wasn’t going to be needed until tomorrow, if at all by Ares. She was soft and warm as I laid down beside her, and she sighed softly. I stroked her hair and whispered to her in French, knowing she couldn’t understand, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

  She snuggled against me and giggled quietly. “I always dreamed of sleeping with a prince.”

  “Then go to sleep little Princess. And dream of happier days.”

  I watched her sleep with a smile on her face and then teleported back to the house.

  “How is she?” Koda asked from the reclining chair.

  I tried to hide my smile, but he saw it and smiled back. “Someday, my friend, we will both find females.”

  Koda shook his head. “We both know that we’ve already found them. Sadly, we are both unable to have them.”

  I patted his shoulder and whispered, “There are many more to choose from.”

  He scrunched his face and whispered, “How can I look past perfection to see them?”

  Achilles and I were the only ones who knew of Koda’s feelings towards Artemis. And I was probably the only one who knew the true depth of his feelings for her. “You must. Or you shall only wallow in what could have been. There could be a perfect one for you if you would just open your eyes.”

  He shook his head and stood. “I think I’ll go for another run.”

  “Do not lose yourself in the wolf’s mind for too long.”

  He bared his teeth at me. “I know.”

  I watched him go, trying my hardest to block out his pain and the thoughts in his head. If he got any worse I was going to have to talk to Ares about him.

  He was dangerously close to losing himself to the wolf and it would break Ares to have to kill another of his brothers. I could do it to spare him the pain, but I had to hope he would keep the human side alive.

  I couldn’t judge him for his fascination on one being when I was fascinated on one, and she was human. I shook my head in disgust at myself and walked down to the basement area. The pack looked at me and then went back to their various activities. I walked to my room and lay down to sleep. Or at least to dream of what could have been.

  15

  Artemis

  We woke to the sounds of whispering. Ares growled next to me and wrapped his arms around me protectively. “She’s sleeping,” he whispered.

  “We discussed this, Ares. I know I agreed not to mate with Artemis, but you’re not allowing me time alone with her,” said Achilles.

  Ares growled again as Achilles moved closer. “Back away.”

  “Ares,” Koda said in an exasperated tone. “Stop acting so damn possessive. It’s Achilles we’re talking about, not some random wolf.”

  Ares nuzzled my hair and exhaled. He stayed in that position for two more minutes before finally releasing me and standing up. “I’m sorry.”

  I rolled onto my back and stretched. “What’s going on?” I asked as I feigned naivety, looking from Ares to Koda and then to Achilles.

  “It’s time for breakfast,” said Ares softly, pulling me to my feet and kissing my cheek.

  I kissed his lips and then moved to hug Koda, but my stomach felt weird. I stopped moving and frowned as I tried to determine the problem. I stood perfectly still for thirty seconds as nothing seemed to answer what the weird sensation was. And then my stomach grumbled. I laughed at my ridiculousness and said, “I guess it is breakfast time.” I hugged Koda before stepping into Achilles’ arms. “Good morning.”

  Achilles smiled down at me. “Hello.”

  Ares and Koda took the lead and Achilles placed my hand in his as we headed back towards the house. Ares got dressed and tossed me clothes so I could dress as well before we all went down the stairs to the sub level of the house. The sub level wasn’t what I had expected. I thought it would be wood and dirt and small and dark, but it was none of those things. Large wooden support beams held the sides and upper level from crashing down, but marbled tile and candelabras decorated the area. It was also much bigger than I thought it would be with two hallways leading to at least ten doors and three large main rooms, including a full kitchen.

  The pack was sitting around the outer edge of the living room floor with empty plates in their hands, looking hungry. Victor stood in the center of the room tapping his foot impatiently, but once he caught sight of Ares and me, he just smiled.

  Ares cleared his throat and the room quieted. “You all fought well yesterday and we’re very proud. Now, let’s eat!”

  Five boys from the pack brought in platters of slightly cooked meat and set them down in a large circle in the center of the room. Ares picked up two empty plates and handed me one. I followed him as he took some meat from each of the platters and filled mine as well. Once our plates were full, Achilles and Koda took their turns, and then the rest of the room. Ares found an open spot against the wall and we all sat down with Ares beside Victor, me beside Ares, Achilles beside me and then Koda beside Achilles. I ate in silence as I listened to the pack around me discuss the small victory the battle was yesterday and what it could mean for the battle at large.

  I finished my meat and leaned against Achilles who was sipping a glass of wine. He tilted it towards me. “Want some?”

  I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep from throwing up. “No. I don’t drink wine.”

  Ares and Koda roared with laughter. “Now, she doesn’t drink wine,” Koda said around his laugh.

  Victor arched an eyebrow in question, and Ares said, “One night at Lyngvi she drank enough wine to get drunk and ended up throwing it all up in the toilet a few minutes later. I hadn’t seen a young wolf drink so much in a long time.”

  I blushed and looked down at my hands. “I was upset because all those women were flirting with you and trying to kill me.”

  Achilles snorted. “Werewolves always have so much drama when they’re together.” The pack stilled and looked at him in question. He rolled his eyes. “Full blooded werewolves, not halfbreeds.” The pack started talking and eating again. Achilles exhaled. “Your kind is so sensitive.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Right, because Sidhe are known for their loving, calm demeanors. Oh wait, that’s right, I was supposed to be killed by them!”

  Achilles sighed, but didn’t pick up the argument. I relaxed against him to let him have his tim
e with me near, but reached out my other hand to Ares so I could touch him as well.

  Achilles smiled at me and kissed my cheek softly. I laid my head down on his shoulder and exhaled. This was heaven. I never wanted it to end.

  Once everyone had finished eating, Ares called the pack outside for training, despite my wish to cuddle. The sand was somewhat restrictive for movement, but after running in it for a few miles I started to get the hang of it. I really enjoyed the wind blowing my hair back and the taste of the sea water as it splashed beside me.

  Koda waved me over from farther up the beach and I ran to him, skidding to a stop and spraying sand at him. Koda stood across from me with a wicked smile on his face. “I have a feeling you’re a bit out of practice, darlin’.”

  I rolled my shoulders and stretched my legs. “Perhaps, but even out of practice, I’m more powerful than you.”

  Groups began sparring around us, practicing everything from hand-to-hand combat to dealing with four or more opponents at once.

  Koda rolled his eyes. “Powers don’t matter in close combat situations. I’ll drop you to the ground and stake you before you can even make a fireball.”

  I laughed and rolled my shoulders. “Bring it.”

  Koda charged forward and was in a half-shift before I noticed his hand was now a paw. I blocked the hit, but he scratched my arm. I gasped as it burned and dropped down to kick at his legs. He jumped up and swung at me again. I rolled out of his reach and shot a fireball at him. He growled and patted out the flames on his shirt. I stood and prepared for his next attack, a smile lifting my lips. Koda’s eyes flickered above my head and I dropped to the ground just as an arm whistled over me. I flipped over to find Ares standing over me, smiling wide.

  I kicked him in the stomach and then rolled between his legs to face them. Ares nodded at Koda and then they both charged me. I jumped up and released my wings, but Ares grabbed my foot and yanked me back down to the earth. I folded in my wings and then punched him in the face as they retracted completely. Koda swung at me, and I formed my sword. Ares knocked the sword from my hand and then Koda punched me in the face. I stumbled backwards and growled at them.

  I felt my skin grow hot as I began to glow and my powers released. “Enough play,” I whispered. I charged forward and swept Koda’s legs out from under him and then punched him in the chest as he fell to the ground. Ares swung at me, but I caught his fist in my hand and punched at him. I, however, had forgotten that no matter how much more powerful I had become, Ares was much more powerful than me. He grabbed my hand, flipped me on my back and pinned me to the ground. I screamed in rage at being pinned and let my wings extend from my back to toss us up and him off of me. Unfortunately, Ares was prepared for this maneuver and held on to me.

  He grabbed a handful of my hair, tilted my head back and placed his teeth, which were now four elongated wolf’s fangs into my throat. “Submit,” he said around my throat. I whined and relaxed in his grip. Ares removed his fangs and kissed my throat. “Thank you.”

  I stepped out of Ares’ arms and rubbed my throat while glaring at him. Koda stood up from the ground. “Dammit.”

  A smile twigged my lip. “At least I beat you.”

  Koda sighed. “Yeah, whatever.”

  Theseus laughed. “Dad got beat by a girl.”

  Koda growled, but the rest of the pack laughed with Theseus, making Koda turn bright red.

  We continued the same daily routine of eating, training, and sleeping for four weeks until Ares and Achilles decided to relocate. I was surprised they’d waited so long to move since Apollo knew where we were, but they didn’t seem worried.

  We stood outside on the beach preparing to leave so I decided then was a good time to show them the trick the dragons had taught me. “Well, are we all ready to go?”

  Everyone nodded and I said, “Will everyone please crowd around us and be sure to touch each other?”

  Ares looked at me quizzically, but everyone obeyed my order, even Victor and Achilles. I closed my eyes, summoned my power and said, “Try not to puke.”

  The dizzying vortex sucked us in and then spit us out just in front of the entrance to the Light Court. All of the members of the pack groaned as they resisted the urge to throw up. Victor, Ares and Achilles stared at me with wide eyes. Achilles asked, “Who taught you that?”

  I smiled. “The dragons taught me it so I wouldn’t kill Draco-Blu or Theseus in my worry over Ares before I had regained my memories. They told me it would take practice to be able to do this, but once I felt the amount of power I’d had returned to me, I knew I could do it now.”

  Victor whistled. “You are quite an interesting woman. Ares is going to have to keep a tight watch on you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Like that’s not already happening.”

  All of the men laughed, and Achilles opened the staircase, which I knew was actually a portal to the dimension that contained the Sidhe courts. “Single file,” he said as he started down the stairs. I summoned my powers so I would glow and be able to see as I walked down the stairs and smiled when I noticed the rest of the pack doing the same.

  It didn’t take long for us to make it through the door and into the open grassy field where I’d talked with Achilles the last time I’d come here. Hera was waiting for us, but as soon as Achilles walked to her, she took his arm and led him away. Erebos and Heracles stood guard and smiled at me as I stepped out. I bowed to them and they bowed back.

  “Greetings, Artemis,” said Erebos in his deep booming voice.

  “It pleases us to see you well,” said Heracles.

  I smiled back. “Thank you. I am glad to see that neither of you was hurt after I was abducted.”

  Erebos and Heracles kept their smiles in place but did not respond. Hera and Achilles came back a moment later and Hera addressed Ares and me, “I have rooms for your pack, if you’d like my guards to show them there?”

  Ares bowed his head respectfully. “I would greatly appreciate that, Queen of the Light Court.”

  Hera snapped her fingers and Erebos and Heracles waved the pack forward. Ares pulled me against him and held me still. “Wait, I want to show you something,” he whispered.

  I relaxed against his warm body and waited as the rest of the pack, including Koda and Theseus were led to the castle. Achilles glanced at us, but then turned and followed his mother.

  I’m still supposed to get alone time with you too, Artemis. Don’t forget. Achilles said through my mind.

  I smiled. I have not forgotten and will be sure to pencil you in.

  Ares kissed the top of my head and then began leading me through the town. Sidhe peeked out their windows at us, but if we looked, they quickly turned away. I didn’t understand their aversion to us. It wasn’t like we were lepers or anything crazy. We were just two mixed bloods. Sadly, I knew that being a mixed blood was exactly why they hid. Once this was over, I intended to fix the Sidhe’s belief system.

  Ares wove his way expertly through the town’s streets and seemed to know where he was going. I, on the other hand, was completely lost. I remembered coming here with him before, but we hadn’t explored this area then.

  Did it pain him to be back here? I tried to sense his feelings, but he had blocked me from them.

  We made what felt like a circle around a large building and stopped. Amazingly there was a river there surrounding a small island covered in green grass, weeping willows whose branches dropped into the river and cherry trees whose pink blossoms drifted to the ground lazily. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, something straight out of a poem and yet here it was in front of me. We definitely had not visited this spot last time.

  “It’s beautiful,” I whispered as we started across the wooden bridge to the island.

  Ares stayed silent, but I could see the small smile tugging up the corners of his lips. We stepped onto the island and an immense amount of power in the plants and ground of the island pressed against me. A small sound escaped my lips a
s the power filled me and opened me up, my skin glowing softly and my vines sparkling.

  We walked around the small island until we were underneath the cherry tree which had the most blossoms and the most power. Ares reached up and plucked one of the small pink blossoms and held it out to me. “This is an area of power. The Sidhe call the island the ‘cor’ which means heart. This tree is the real center of all the power and is called ‘mater’ which means mother.”

  I took the blossom from him and gasped as the power drained from the blossom and into me. I staggered backwards and ended up leaning against the tree. Power poured into me like a wave of fire, scalding me from the inside. I screamed, but couldn’t move away from the tree to stop the overload of power. Ares grabbed my hand, but instead of pulling me away from the tree and releasing me from the power, the power spread to him and pulled him against me and the tree.

  We screamed in our shared pain and pleasure as the power scalded us and yet filled us with euphoria. I felt as though my eyes were going to pop out of their sockets from the pressure of so much power in me. The power flared and then disappeared as Ares and I fell away from the tree.

  I landed on top of Ares and we both gasped for breath and moaned in pain. I started to push off of him when I realized that I wasn’t the only one glowing. “Ares,” I whispered.

  He looked up at me and frowned. “What? What is it?”

  I pointed at his body. “You…you’re glowing.”

  I moved off of him and he quickly walked to the river, staring in shock at his reflection. I stayed sitting on the ground as my body absorbed the power the tree had given me. How was it possible that I could hold so much power in me? When I borrowed power from plants I always had to use it or it tried to destroy me, but mater had given me power to store. Was mater a cognizant being? Could she really understand and did she know battle was looming?

  A noise made me look at the bridge where I could see a crowd had gathered. No doubt they’d felt the power the tree was giving us and come to see who the lucky Sidhe was. Judging by their faces, they weren’t pleased.