Victor teleported us back to the front and helped me sit down.
I sat and took a drink of water before smiling at Zeus. “Excuse my interruption, please continue.”
Zeus nodded and turned back to everyone. “We have scheduled the battle for next month and Victor has been using his spies within his father’s network to let him know. Now, how should we fight this battle?”
Five hours later, nothing had been decided, but almost everything had been argued. Ares and I had left as soon as the meeting was adjourned for the day and returned to our room.
Selene met us at our room with a somber expression on her face and asked, “What aren’t you telling me?”
Ares and I exchanged a look of confusion and then Ares said, “We do not know what you mean.”
Selene walked to me and took my hand, chanting a searching spell over my body to look for illnesses, spells or anything abnormal. She dropped my hand and then looked at Ares a moment with a startled expression. She asked Ares, “Why aren’t you seeking treatment?”
“Treatment for what?” Ares asked, growing angry.
“Have you not noticed Chandra’s…I mean Artemis’ dizzy episodes and fevers?” she asked.
“Yes, but the healer treated them and put me on bed rest saying it was nothing to worry about,” I said, feeling fearful at what she was going to say.
Selene looked at me a moment and I could see sadness there. She sighed and said, “You are in good health. You and the baby are fine. Ares on the other hand needs to be treated for a small illness which is affecting you by his nearness and your bond. Ares, may I speak with you outside?”
“No secrets,” I said with a scowl.
Selene smiled. “I must speak with him alone a moment to cast a spell. I do not want you near him while I do it.”
Ares kissed my cheek and walked out the door with Selene beside him. I sat on the bed and growled. I hated secrets. Most of my time with Ares had been in the dark because they hadn’t wanted to scare me and had kept so many things from me. I had to hope that Selene was being truthful and that she would tell me if anything serious was wrong. I could not lose Ares.
10
Ares
“Is there somewhere we can go to speak in private away from Chandra?” Selene asked me with a sad expression once outside of the room.
“Yes, follow me,” I said suspiciously. I did not like the look on her face. And I really did not like the lie she had told Artemis about the illness I supposedly had.
We walked in silence down the hallways passed many Sidhe and several of my pack. I was confident that Selene would not harm me as she and I had a civil past and she and Koda used to date when he was in his early hundreds. I did keep my guard up just in case she tried anything funny though. I never trusted anyone completely, except for Artemis.
I knocked on the door to Zeus’ office and opened it. Seeing no one inside, I waved Selene in and then shut the door behind us.
“I don’t understand how you could see an illness that the healer could not,” I said honestly to her. “I do not mean to insinuate your skills are flawed or insult you, but the healer never even looked at me.”
Selene smiled. “Which is exactly why she doesn’t know what is wrong. She is so focused on Artemis and why Artemis is sick that she did not think about the fact that you and Artemis are tied to each other and that your illness is affecting her.”
“Are you sure that I am ill?” I asked.
I felt great. I felt like I could take on an entire army.
Selene closed her eyes and began whispering a spell to look at my body and everything going on with it. I felt tingly and wanted to rub my arms to rid them of the goosebumps covering them, but being an alpha meant not showing weakness, so I held perfectly still and kept my breathing even to keep her from noticing my discomfort.
Her eyes opened and she said, “It is worse than I had originally thought. This is Noctum, the black illness. It starts off slowly with just fevers and dizziness, and then builds until the infected can’t get out of bed and can’t eat or sleep. Seizures will begin and then, ultimately, death.”
“Why am I not showing any symptoms?” I asked.
“This illness is created so that it affects the person closest to you, magically and nearest you, physically. What I mean is that it is affecting Artemis through your bond, but if Artemis were not here it would most likely show on Koda. If Koda were not here it would go to the next person linked to you, perhaps your father or mother. The illness does this so that you do not treat the correct person and the person, and the one it is affecting, die before you realize that it was always the stronger one who was sick. Thankfully, some of us know about it and can see the signs and have spells to confirm it.”
I stared at her in utter shock and disbelief. Not only was I dying, but because of my bond, Artemis was as well. “How did I receive this?”
“Only one gives this cursed illness, Death.”
I grabbed the chair nearest us and threw it into the wall to my right. “No! That bastard did this because I forced him to give me their souls. No. This cannot be.”
My child would be born soon, and I would continue to hurt Artemis until this illness killed me and her. There had to be some way to fix this. Even if I had to send Artemis away or if I had to isolate myself, I would do it.
“Is there a cure?” I asked after calming down a moment.
“Yes,” she said, but not cheerfully which meant that it was complicated.
I sat down in a chair and met her eyes. “What is it?”
“It’s not easy and not a cure most would go through with.”
“Tell me!” I commanded and then sighed. “I apologize.”
“It’s quite alright. I understand that you are worried for Artemis and your child due to this illness affecting them. It is understandable.” She paused a moment and then said, “To cure Noctum one must perform the appropriate spell, which uses dragon’s blood and a soul.”
“A soul?” I gasped and then sighed. “A sacrifice. I would need Dragon’s blood and a sacrifice.”
“Yes,” Selene said as she nodded. “The spell makes the being, and whoever they are tied to, practically immortal. There are many who would abuse the spell, such as Maurice. The spell was hidden from the world because of this and only the leaders of the witches know of the spell. I am willing to use this spell on you because I have known you a couple hundred years and know you will not abuse your immortality, especially not with Artemis by your side. I am sorry to be the bearer of such bad news, but Ch-Artemis is one of my sisters and her safety is of great concern to me. I will leave you and visit with your mate another day.” She walked out of the office and closed the door behind her softly.
I slumped in the chair and ran a hand over my face. What was I going to do? I needed to get a cure before the illness affected Artemis and the baby any more, but Artemis was not going to take this well. I could hide it from her while I searched out an appropriate person to sacrifice, but knowing her, she would think the worst and panic and overreact. If I tried to send her away, she would just teleport back to me. And if I left, she would try to track me.
I did not particularly like the idea of sacrificing someone to keep myself alive. If it had been Artemis in danger, I would do it in a second. I could not leave my child now that I was finally going to have one. I had waited too long for this moment.
“Ares?” Mother said as she opened the door and entered the room. “What is wrong?”
“What?” I asked as I looked up at her.
She smiled. “I am your mother. I can sense your unease a mile away. What is troubling you?”
My mother, Beatrice, was a smart and level-headed person. Well, as level-headed as any female wolf could be. She was probably the best person for me to discuss the matter with to get help in making my decisions.
“I am having a dilemma and I am not sure how to deal with it,” I said.
She sat down in a chair beside me and then notic
ed the chair embedded in the wall across the room. She smirked and said, “I see. Maybe I can help you.”
I took a deep breath and said, “You must promise not to speak of it to Artemis or Koda.”
Her eyes widened. “You have never kept secrets from your brother before. Is this so terrible that you must now?”
I nodded and she smiled. “Very well. I promise.”
I described to her in detail what had happened in Death’s realm and every word Selene had said. Mother listened passively and stayed silent a long time after I was done, mulling everything over in her head as she weighed out the choices. She had been a good Queen and had had to make many hard decisions. “I am not sure what your dilemma is, to be honest. Are you just unsure as to who to pick for your sacrifice?”
That was the woman I knew. Sure of right and wrong and capable of making choices that others might cringe at if it would ensure the safety of her pack.
“I am worried about how Artemis will react and yes, I am unsure of who to choose.”
“Does your conscience really worry about picking someone to die for you? For your child? I would think you would go out and snatch up the nearest being from the cells and snap his neck right away if that would do it.”
I smiled. “Normally, that would be my reaction, but it is not the child’s life on the line. My life is the one on the line.”
“Artemis is a strong woman and might make it through your death, but then again she might not. She did just lose the man she was bound to. I’m not sure if she could handle her passt genau dying as well.”
I had already thought the same thing, but didn’t want to admit the weakness in Artemis.
“Plus, Selene said that both of you would die and if she died before giving birth, that would mean the death of your child as well. I can have a list made of potential sacrifices if you would like? I will go and personally handpick the person to be sacrificed. I do not want to see another one of my son’s bodies lying before me. You are supposed to far outlive me, not the other way around,” she said seriously.
“A list would be helpful,” I admitted. Though the slight nagging on my conscience would not go away. It was one thing to kill to protect someone or yourself but using someone for a spell was not something I was used to. I did see her point about saving Artemis and our child though.
“Are there restrictions on what type of being it is? Or their health?” Victor asked from beside me.
I had felt him appear a second earlier but had not acknowledged him. Mother growled at being scared by his sudden appearance, plus she had never liked him anyways.
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “I did not ask Selene.”
He paced across the room with a cloud of black hanging around him. It was rare to see the vampire in such a state of worry. “We need to ask her. If we could find someone who had a serious illness and wanted to die soon then your conscience would be eased with using them.”
I smiled at Victor. My oldest friend knew me better than most.
The door flung open and Artemis rushed to me. “What happened? What did Selene say?”
I pulled her onto my lap and held her against my chest. She was warm again and shaking slightly. “You were supposed to stay in bed,” I said with no real anger in my voice as I was happy to touch her and smell her.
“Don’t change the subject,” she murmured as she buried her nose into the side of my neck, inhaling my scent for reassurance and to help her calm down.
“The symptoms you are having are actually Ares’,” Mother said. “He is dying and if you stay near him then you will die as well.” So much for her not speaking of it to Artemis.
Artemis stilled, her heartbeat slowing with the lack of breath. “No,” she whispered after a moment, “Selene has to be wrong.”
“There is a cure,” Victor said as Artemis’ fear began to build.
“What is it? Why aren’t we working on it now? Is that where Selene is? I can go help her and…” she stood up and then her legs gave out.
I caught her easily and pulled her back on my lap. “Easy, Sunshine.”
“Victor and I will go speak to the witch. We will get this started now,” Mother said as she motioned for Victor to follow her.
Artemis grabbed my face between her hands and forced me to meet her pale face. “I can’t lose you. I can’t. I am not strong enough to deal with your death.”
I kissed her nose softly and smiled. “You won’t lose me. However, you are losing the use of your legs because I am now forbidding you from walking anywhere for the next twenty-four hours.” I picked her up and carried her down the hall to our room.
“What needs to be gathered for the spell?” she asked.
I clenched my teeth, not wanting to discuss it with her. I had forgotten for a moment that she had been Chandra for a long time and that she was well acquainted with the steps needed to perform spells.
“There are a couple items which Victor and my mother will work on gathering. You do not need to worry about it.”
“Of course, I’m worried,” she said with a sob. “Why is there always so much death around me?”
I kissed her head and set her down on the bed. “This is not your fault, Artemis. I have not led a very virtuous life.”
“Tell me what needs to be collected for the spell,” she said in her best alpha voice.
It was a good tone, one that would make lower dominance wolves bow in submission. I was impressed.
“Dragon’s blood and a sacrifice,” I said softly.
“A sacrifice. Why does it have to be a sacrifice? The dragon’s blood I could get easily, but a sacrifice will be harder to find,” she whispered. She tapped her chin a moment and then snapped her fingers. “I know! We will just go to the dungeons and take the worst criminal there and use them.”
“I had already thought of that,” I said with a smile. “I just don’t particularly like the idea of someone being killed for me. If it were a battle and I had to kill or be killed then it would be an easy choice, but this is not a battle.”
She turned my face to meet her gaze. “You listen to me. I will get you cured. I will not let you die. Maybe there is a way around the sacrifice. I will not let this illness hurt our child either.”
I smiled and kissed her cheek. She was learning too much from me. She was right about one thing though. I could not let my illness harm our child. I had to stop being cowardly and be an alpha and a father. I had to choose a sacrifice.
“Ares?” Koda called through the door. “May I enter?”
“Yes.”
Koda entered and immediately rushed over to Artemis. “What happened? I felt your fear and rushed here.”
“Protect Artemis, I’m going to speak to Zeus,” I said as I pulled out of her hold.
Artemis grabbed my arm. “Ares—”
I kissed her cheek. “You cannot stop me from protecting you and our child.”
“Let me contact Draco Blu first. Maybe the Dragon Council knows of a different way. One that doesn’t include a sacrifice,” she pleaded.
“Sacrifice? What the hell is going on?” Koda asked.
“Artemis will explain while I am away. Keep her on the bed and do not let anyone inside and do not let her walk,” I ordered him. I pulled away from Artemis and walked out the door to find my father.
11
Artemis
“Artemis, what is going on?” Koda asked. “Why does Ares need a sacrifice?”
I sat down on the bed and cried, unable to hold it in any longer. “Ares is dying,” I croaked out between sobs.
“What?” Koda bellowed. “How?”
“Death’s way of getting one over on Ares for getting my soul back. He cursed Ares with Noctum, the black illness.”
“Is there a cure?” he asked.
I wiped my eyes, trying to calm myself down and recompose myself into the leader that I was. “Yes, but it requires a sacrifice.”
“Done,” he said seriously. “I will sacrifice m
yself.”
I wanted to slap him. “No!” I screamed. “You are not dying! We need you.”
“Darlin’ you don’t need me. As long as you have Ares, that’s all that matters. Besides, if I can ensure he will live then I would gladly give my life.”
“Koda stop it. You are not dying,” I snarled.
“Alright, calm down,” he said, but I knew he wasn’t being completely honest with me.
I rolled onto my side and put my head in his lap. “I can’t live without you.”
“That’s sweet, Darlin’, but the only one you can’t live without is Ares. I’m just your packmate.”
“Stop it,” I ordered him.
He stroked my hair and whispered, “I missed you so much those hundred years. And when you died, it tore a piece of my heart out. I thought I would never feel whole again and then you came back and I had never been so happy in my life. I realized then that even though I can never have you as my mate and you will never love me like you do Ares, I could at least be happy knowing you’re alive.”
I sat up and stared at Koda. “What are you saying? That you love me?” I asked him. He had never spoken to me in such a way before.
“Yes,” he said seriously, “but I do not expect you to say anything or even acknowledge my feelings for you. It is enough for me that I am in your life.”
“Does Ares know?” I asked, still reeling from this news. How could he say such things?
“I assume he does, but we have not discussed it. Do you understand now why I would sacrifice myself for Ares and you? To save either of you from death would be the greatest death for me,” he whispered.
“I order you to stop,” I said to him. “You are not going to die. No one is going to die!” Tears were streaming down my face and I couldn’t see. Why was this happening? Why did everyone have to die around me?
“Alright, easy,” he whispered as he pulled me closer to him. “Let’s drop the subject.”
Artemis Lupine- The Complete Series Page 69