The question caught her off guard, and she shook her head. “No, I don’t want to be alone in this. I have no idea what I’m doing, and I don’t think that Google would have the answers on this. What makes you think I’d leave?” She snapped her mouth shut before she rambled on too much.
“How long were you and Anthony together?”
“Since college. Four years, five years? Something like that.”
“And you never moved in together, even though you were pretty serious up until he started becoming a jerk.”
She hesitated. “I wanted my own space. I wasn’t ready, and it never seemed right.”
“But now you’ll stay with the pack because you feel you have no choice?”
She shook her head. “No, because it feels right. When I was with Lex’s pack, it didn’t feel right. Your pack feels right.” She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head on his chest. “You feel right.”
He wrapped his warm arms around her and held her for a moment. She closed her eyes and listened to the beat of his heart. This was where she wanted to be, her wolf was calm, and she could almost feel his brushing through him. She looked up, and he cupped her jaw, bringing his lips down to hers.
She threw her arms around his neck and jumped to wrap her legs around his hips. He deepened the kiss, his lips teasing her bottom lip by scraping over it ever so gently. An involuntary moan escaped her as his hands cupped her ass and he shoved her up against the wall. He pinned her there with his body, never breaking the kiss as his hands tore her jeans down her hips, ripping the fabric at the seams. He let out a deep growl that rumbled against her.
She should have been shocked, worried, something, but at that moment all she wanted was to be naked in front of him, and she didn’t care how. His fingertips dug into the curve of her hips as he traced his lips down her jaw to her collarbone, a stark contrast from the pressure of his hands. She grasped the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. She traced a few scars with her fingertips that she hadn’t noticed the last time they’d been naked together.
She tilted her head to the side as she studied them, somehow they were fitting. She was sure they were forged in the battle of wars fought over centuries. She wanted to soothe any pain he might have been through, save him any rage each battle might have added to him.
Ares kissed her. “Don’t think about it. Not now.” He grabbed her wrists and trapped them against the wall behind her. His teeth nipped at her throat, drawing a moan from her, and like that, she’d forgotten all about the thoughts of war and rage. Now, all she could think about was passion.
She ground her naked hips against the bulge of his erection under his rough jeans. She pulled against his grip, trying to get to his belt. He chuckled. “Tell me what you want.” He whispered against her skin.
“I want your pants off and you naked against me.”
He growled against her and stepped away, pulling his pants and boxers off, discarding them somewhere to the side. He grabbed the hem of her shirt and raised a brow.
She pulled it over her head before he could rip more of her clothing. She unhooked her bra, and the look in Ares’ eyes turned feral, flashing yellow. She smirked and slowly closed the distance between them, swaying her hips.
Ares wrapped one arm around her and cupped her sex with his free hand. He smiled at the wetness that he found there, his finger moving against her slick fold. She let out a snarl and grabbed his cock, wrapping her fingers tightly around him. Ares threw his head back, his eyes hooded in pleasure.
“I want you in me. No more waiting, no more interruptions. Now,” she whispered against his ear, rocking her hips into his hand. Her wolf howled inside her mind, agreeing with the statement.
Ares met her gaze and flipped her around, placing her hands on the wall. He traced her spine with his fingers until she arched her back. She glanced over her shoulder and flashed a wicked smile at him and wiggled her ass.
She cried out in pleasure as he thrust into her. His nails bit into the flesh of her hips. The bite of pain drove her pleasure further as he moved in and out of her. Ares curved his body over her, thrusting into her, the pleasure built in her.
The orgasm built between her legs, but Ares pulled away before the bliss could spill over. She looked back at him confused, her gaze begging him to continue and not deny her the pleasure.
He guided her to the floor against the soft carpet, the threads brushing against her sensitive skin. He arched over her. “I want to watch your face as you come.”
She wrapped her legs around his hips, and he drove into her. She arched her back to meet his rhythm. The pleasure started to build again as he bent forward and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, rolling it between his teeth until it was a hard peak.
She grabbed his shoulders, pulling him down, encouraging him with every thrust and nibble. He kissed the healing bite mark on her shoulder. “Ready?” he whispered.
She had no clue what he was talking about but nodded anyway. He gave one last thrust and bit into her shoulder just as the orgasms exploded over them. She cried out in pure bliss. She swore she saw the shadows of wolves prancing around each other before howling and disappearing.
Ares collapsed next to her on the floor, with a smile on his face and his eyes closed as he rode out the rest of the pleasure. She curled up next to him, putting her head against his chest, listening to the rapid speed of his heart. “The bite?”
“My mark on you as my mate. It’ll replace the mark of the wolf who changed you.” He traced his fingers over the fresh bite. “Had we not been meant to be mated, it wouldn’t heal quickly, and it would have been much more painful.”
She looked over at the bite mark and watched as it healed before her eyes, healing the bite below it as well. “It almost looks like a wolf.”
“As it should.” He kissed her head.
Lex looked up as Anthony walked in. “Where is she?” He’d let the bitch get away the night before; he’d sent a couple wolves after her while Anthony sobered up, and then sent him out to look for her during the day.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t able to catch her scent or Kylian’s.” He looked away.
Lex leaned back in his chair and slowly let out his ability as alpha, coaxing Anthony’s wolf to the surface. “You let her out of your sight at the bar because you decided to drink—”
“I didn’t think she’d be brave enough to sneak out,” he growled, putting a hand to his chest, fighting the change that Lex was trying to bring on.
“You were wrong. You better hope that they don’t mate before we can get to her. If they do, our plans are over. She’ll die when I slice his throat thanks to the bond,” he snarled.
“Why is she so important to your plan? Just kill him and get it over with,” Anthony snapped. “Go take his pack so I can have this one.”
Lex pulled harder on Anthony’s wolf. “It’s not just about taking over his pack. It’s about making him suffer. I knew what that bitch was the moment I touched her wolf. I was hoping to get to her before they bonded so I could torture her by forcing her to be part of our pack. It was just a matter of time until Kylian let someone close to him.”
Anthony fell to his hands and knees, a fine sheen of sweat forming on his skin. His chest rapidly rose and fell as he tried to fight the call of his alpha.
Lex chuckled. “You will find her and bring her here, Anthony, and if you fail me in this, I will make your life a living hell.” It wouldn’t be that hard, all he’d have to do was encourage people to step up and fight for the second-in-command spot. With luck, Anthony would be killed and save Lex the trouble of punishing him for screwing up so badly. It was a shame that Casey would die moments after Kylian did, because he’d been planning on using Casey to control Anthony.
“Do you understand me, Anthony?”
“Yes, sir,” the wolf ground out, and Lex let go of the hold, no longer trying to force his change. “I’ll comb the city for her and use any tool at my disposal.”
> “You’ll have to separate her from Kylian.” Lex folded his hands. “If you don’t, he’ll kill you.”
Anthony crossed his arms. “And how do you expect me to pull her away from him?”
“Figure it out. You’re a smart wolf.”
Anthony bowed his head and walked out. Lex looked over at the chest that he’d stashed the stolen dagger in. There was only one way to kill a god, and it took him a couple decades to hunt down a weapon made of the right stone. He’d even managed to find one that came from Ancient Greece and was rumored to be a god-killer. It was only a matter of time before he slit Kylian’s throat with it.
Of course…if Anthony could get his hands on Casey, maybe he could still plan on torturing her to draw the god out. It’d take Kylian time to find the pack grounds in an attempt to rescue his mate. Make them both suffer before killing them and taking the pack. He chuckled. Yes, he’d leave her broken and lying on death’s door for him.
Ares waited at the kitchen table, two cups of coffee in front of him. He and Casey had woken about noon, and she insisted on taking a shower before joining him at the table. He was mated. After all the women he’d seduced, all the gods and humans he pissed off by sleeping with their unfaithful spouses, he was finally mated. And to a new werewolf. The fates were funny creatures.
Casey padded into the living room wearing one of his shirts that hit her mid-thigh. “I hope you don’t mind since you ripped my pants…”
His eyes wandered over her body, and he wanted to push her up against the wall and start going at it again. He picked up his coffee mug and hid his smile behind it. “I don’t mind at all. I guess I’m going to have to get you some clothes to wear if we go out.”
She raised a brow. “If? Do we have to leave?” She sat down, crossed her legs at the ankles, and pulled her coffee towards her.
“Mm, eventually we’ll have to go back to pack lands. We’re mated now, so that should make Anthony and Lex back off. He’ll have no control over you as alpha now.” He chuckled. “Though, I wouldn’t mind spending some more time getting to know my mate.”
Her cheeks flushed with desire, and he grinned. “Like that idea do you?”
She nodded. “I enjoy our time together.” She sipped the coffee. “But you do have duties, and I don’t think Lex is going to back off if he’s the one who stole the knife.”
His smile faded, and he expected a rage to fill him, but his wolf was quiet. He glanced at Casey. Her hands tightened around her mug. “We’ll worry about Lex when he makes his next move. Right now, let’s just focus on you and your control. But for that, we do need to go back to pack lands. The city is no place to practice control.” He cupped a hand around hers. “One of my wolves will drop a car off this afternoon, and then we’ll head back to pack land.”
She looked down at their hands. “And until then?”
“We get to know each other, in every way.” He grinned. “Let me text Julia to send a change of clothes for you as well.”
“And how are you going to explain it to her?” She laughed. “She didn’t sound too pleased about us.”
“It’s none of her business. Our mating is between you and me, no one else.” He watched her face, and she tilted her head to the side. “What are you looking at?”
“I can see our wolves, like spirits standing together.”
“I always thought that was just a rumor,” he murmured. He’d seen the wolves when they had bonded, but that was it.
“Can you not see them?”
He shook his head. “But don’t worry about it. As our bond grows stronger, I’ll see them. My wolf is just stubborn and doesn’t want to accept that he’s mated now.” Or it could have been him and his stubbornness, some days it was hard to tell.
“You were the guy, that night.”
He watched as she struggled to put the words together. “What night?” He knew exactly when she was talking about, but didn’t want to force it. She needed to remember; he wanted her to remember on her own.
“When I was in college, the night I wandered around town drunk. You made sure I got back to my dorm safely. After scaring off the jerks who were harassing me.”
Ares smiled. “I was, that was the first night we met. It took me a bit to remember too.”
Her jaw locked. “Anthony left me on my own then too.” Her eyes flashed yellow, and he realized the rage that was flooding through her. It’d been the rage he expected to feel earlier; it seemed that she took on a new burden with the mating.
“It’s okay, Casey.”
She slammed her coffee mug down and stood up. “No, it’s not okay.” She snarled. “I’m going to slaughter him.”
Yep. What she was feeling was his rage, not hers. He was sure of it, and it was mixing with her struggle of being a new wolf. He jumped up and pulled her to him. She relaxed instantly in his arms. He chuckled. “We’re going to have to work on your control more now. It seems that our bond has us sharing.”
She leaned her head against his chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
It was possible she wasn’t aware of it, especially with all the changes going through her as a new wolf. “You’re channeling my rage.”
“And how do you know that?” She looked up at him with wide hazel eyes.
He brushed his lips over hers. “Because I really don’t think you’re capable of killing without my rage, and you truly wanted to kill Anthony there.”
She hung her head in shame, but he tilted it back up with a finger under her chin. “Don’t be hard on yourself. Everything is so new.”
“I know. I’m just struggling.”
And he wished he could take that from her. Wrap her in his arms and make everything disappear, but even as a god, he didn’t have that ability.
His phone rang, and he snatched it off the table. “Kylian.” He watched as Casey slowly sipped her coffee, her gaze drifting off, looking out the window. He’d give anything to read her mind, just to know what she was thinking.
“Lex’s wolves are on the move. Anthony was spotted at Casey’s apartment, trashing it. I put in a call to the police,” Eli’s voice came over the receiver. “Hoping to get him put away at least for twenty-four hours. His other wolves…god only knows where they are heading.”
Probably to look for Casey at all of her usual spots. “Thanks. Call Julia and tell her to put the guards on full alert for the pack lands. I don’t want Lex’s wolves trying to ambush us there.”
He saw worry cross Casey’s eyes, and she frowned, setting her coffee down.
“Julia said that Casey is our new queen.” Eli chuckled. “I never thought you’d take a queen.”
“Fates had a different thought. Thanks for letting me know about Anthony. I’ll make sure to keep Casey by my side. Though we will have to return to pack lands so she can work on her control.” He saw a faint glow of yellow move through Casey’s eyes as if reminding him that a wolf lurked just below the surface, waiting for any moment to get out.
“Sure thing. We’ll be ready for you.” Eli disconnected the call.
“Anthony is looking for me?” she asked softly.
He gave a small nod. “It seems that he’s determined to find you. Eli saw him ransacking your apartment.”
She snarled and shot up from her chair. “That bastard.”
“Calm down; you’re not there, you aren’t hurt.” He held his hand out to her.
“No. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He was hoping I wouldn’t be there, but someone would see him. That’s my space, my safe zone.” She locked her jaw and took a deep breath. “It’s his way of violating me.”
His wolf snarled at that. Though his rage wasn’t as intense as it normally was, he was about to threaten to rip Anthony apart when Casey doubled over in pain. He rushed to her side, pulling her into his arms.
“Tell the wolf you’ll get vengeance, coax her to stay in the forest,” he whispered. The moment he intertwined his fingers with hers, she froze, and his wolf calmed as we
ll.
She looked up at him. “I hate this.”
“You’ll learn to control it,” he promised and brushed his lips over hers. “And I won’t leave your side until you do.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
A noise sounded outside the house, and he stood up. Casey’s head lifted too, and he knew she also heard it. Voices. Whispering voices. Whoever was outside was giving themselves away. Casey sniffed the air and growled.
“It’s Lex’s pack.”
How on earth had they found his place? He looked at Casey. “Take my hand. I can take us to the pack ground, but traveling that far will zap most of my strength.”
“You’re a god, that’s stupid.” She snapped but took his hand.
“Sadly, doing things here in the human realm have their consequences.” The moment he went to take them, something exploded, and he lost his grip on Casey.
8
Casey’s ears rang, and the smell of burnt flesh filled her nostrils. Pain crawled through her body as she tried to sit up, but her limbs refused her demand. She took a deep breath, only to choke on smoke filling her mouth. Where was Ares? The last thing she remembered was him saying they were going to go to pack lands and…the explosion ripped her away from him.
And he wouldn’t be able to flash back to get her. She was going to die. Her wolf tried to climb to the surface, but it refused to come out. The pressure on her chest suddenly lifted, and Anthony was there yanking her off the ground, picking her up.
Flames licked at them as he dragged her through the burning house to the back. A beam fell in front of them, sending embers scattering around. Casey cried out as a couple hit her arm, the coals burning her flesh. Anthony threw her on the lawn as they exited the house, his narrow eyes staring down at her.
She coughed, trying to clear the smoke out of her lungs. Anthony knelt by her and grabbed her wrist. She snarled at him. “Let me go.”
He didn’t say anything but yanked her arm so he could examine the burns there. “They’ll heal quickly.” He traced one hand over them, causing her to flinch. “But they’ll scar.”
The Fall of War (Gods of Olympus Book 4) Page 8