But giving too much information can fuck with the being’s free will.
Without free will, Fate cannot be accomplished.
Without free will, there is no destiny.
Sighing, I run a hand down my face. “And you need me, why?”
“Zeniel trusts you.”
Why? I’ll never fucking know. How could he care for me, let alone trust me? Me? The fucktard that fucked up his life? “Please don’t tell me you want me to lie to the male.”
Dyletri’s silence says it all.
“Why do you trust Nylicia so much?”
“I don’t,” he replies, stopping by one of the terraces and walking outside. “But I also have to be logical.”
“Gut feelings exist for a reason.”
“Careful, Cy. You don’t want to ruin your image by proving to the world just how wise you are.”
I smile and give him the finger.
He smiles back. “Much better.”
“Honestly, I don’t feel right about doing as she asks.”
“She promised me almost fourteen-thousand years ago that this girl would be born and I would get to sacrifice her to bring back Dimithinia.”
This is cruel of me, but . . . “And you’re not okay with it.”
Dyletri’s lids lower over his swirling blue-and-silver eyes. “It’ll haunt me forever but it’s what has to be done. What has to happen. We might hate the Fates, but sometimes things happen for a reason.”
Damn him.
I stare off into the night. Tonight, the moon glows blue in the sky, its light bouncing off the multi-colored trees in the distance. “If this ends up hurting him, I swear I’ll hurt myself in return.” My golden aura bursts to life around me, signaling that the Universe picked up on my promise.
Locking me in a life-altering pledge.
“What the fuck did you just do?” Dyletri practically yells.
“Making sure I can do what both you and Nylicia are asking me to do without getting off scot-free.”
Dyletri just glares at me.
“I wasn’t going to do it any other way.”
He continues to glare.
“Where’s Zeniel?” Might as well get this over with.
Still glaring, Dyletri growls, “In his meditation chamber.”
I incline my head and dematerialize.
Better to get this over with and quick, before I lose the nerve.
In the split second before I appear in front Zeniel, a last thought lingers.
A second promise to the Universe.
Nylicia, if this doesn’t turn out okay for him, I swear that somehow I will make you pay.
CHAPTER 1
– Earth. Astoria, Queens, NY. (USA)
ZENIEL
D o you mind telling me why I’m the one that had to specifically come for this human?
Nothing. Radio silence.
I pace in the alleyway between two buildings, biding my time until this human girl, Ismini’s friend, is out of work.
So, you can hear me when you need me, but you just happen to not be picking up on me right now. I’m usually way more patient than this, but I can’t shake the feeling in my gut.
I’ve been feeling it for weeks now.
Something’s off.
And it doesn’t just have to do with how much I want to slap Dyletri at the moment.
That girl is innocent. The God of Lust has no idea how lucky he is that I’m still in control. Mavrak would have a field day with the fucker if he were to wake.
Still. After seeing Dy carry the girl into the compound, his eyes wild with panic, I have to admit this situation is even more fucked up than we imagined.
If Keiros wasn’t “all dysfunctional”—as Cyake loves to say—and I could go back in time, I’d kick my friend in the mouth before he could do something as stupid as making that promise.
Man, that panicked look on his face when he stormed into the great hall, Ismini in his arms . . .
And her condition? Vedlyl won’t talk to me about it. Nylicia hasn’t either. Usually, our three-being crew is more open about things.
There are some secrets I really wish I could un-know.
Like what’s really ailing the girl. Did Ved and Nylicia seriously think that I wouldn’t recognize her symptoms for what they are?
After helping care for Nylicia all these years, there’s no way I could mistake what’s happening to Ismini.
That human girl is mated to Dy.
Nylicia, what the fuck have you done? Yes, I’m on edge. I’ve watched that female for millennia, spinning her machinations, and not all of them ended well.
Not because she is evil—well, a part of her is. I’m sure of it. How could she not be? But most of the time she’s just carrying out what has to be done.
I understand that.
At the peak of my powers, I had become the master of not giving a fuck. I was good with it. So solid, so steady, that although I had feelings, my serenity could barely get cracked.
It’s been disappearing lately, and I can’t shake the feeling that my friend and I have been placed on two equally self-destructive paths.
Therefore, I’m no longer good with it.
Dyletri is connecting to that girl, the human he promised to sacrifice. The death of Dimithinia left him shattered by guilt.
It doesn’t make sense what I saw, he just met Ismini, but I saw a dead male’s look in his eyes earlier.
That male won’t survive sacrificing Ismini.
The fear of her dying was mind-fucking him. He’s going to be ruined once she’s gone.
And me? Fuck no. Not getting into that one. Every immortal being in the Universe knows what I truly am.
What I have inside me.
My God of Tranquility side is a sham. A band-aid. Yes, to myself, I am Zeniel, separate from that thing inside me, but even I can’t deny its power.
Mavrak still prowls within me, even though this body only belonged to him for twenty-years.
I’ve been here for almost fifteen-thousand, and the fucker still hasn’t disappeared from my body.
“You are so maudlin about this whole situation. You physically make me ache.”
Nylicia! What the fuck?
“Don’t ‘what the fuck’ me, Veng—oops. Tranquility.”
I don’t hate her, I try to remind myself. I really don’t . . .
“You called me her—”
What are you up to? If I don’t slow down soon, I’m going to literally wear a path into the asphalt beneath my feet.
“Have I ever told you how sick I am of people asking me that?”
Shaking my head, I grind my teeth and resist the urge to yank my hair. Nope. Not going there with you. You aren’t going to distract me. As usual. Why am I specifically the one that had to come for the girl? That word. Ever since Cyake relayed the message, I’ve been haunted by that word. Specifically.
“She’s out in less than five. If I were you, I’d—”
I’m already spinning for the mouth of the alley. Not because I don’t want to bolt away, hunt Nylicia down, demand some answers.
No. Because I was dumb enough to swear that I’d see this through. In my defense, he got me to swear I’d do as he asked before I realized what it would entail.
Fucking asshole tricked me. Pulled a Nylicia on me. God damn you, Cyake. I hope next time you’re stealing from Asgaard, they catch you and maim you.
Nylicia’s deceptively delicate laugh flows through my mind. “I’d pay to see that.”
I stop in front of one of the buildings, right across the street from the small restaurant in the corner. When are you going to let him in on the fact that you hate him?
“When I damn well feel like it.”
And I can’t even warn my friend. Note to self: stop swearing shit to anyone. Stupid morals and my wanting to help friends. Always gets me stuck doing shit I don’t want to do.
Against my will, my eyes focus on what’s on the other side of those floor-to-ceiling windows.
And it isn’t the restaurant.
Holy.
Fuck.
No.
I can’t give two shits about what’s in there.
Who, on the other hand . . .
The petite but curvy female inside is facing away from me, and all I see is that long waterfall of sable hair. The ends stop right before her—
I’m struck fucking mute at the sight of her plump, round ass.
What is wrong with me?
My blood explodes into a roar of pure violence and heat in my veins. The pounding descends over my head, and I panic, realizing that I’m two seconds away from going demonic.
Between my legs, my cock jerks inside my jeans, and the pleasure/agony of it makes me hiss.
“By the Gods, Zeniel. When’s the last time you got laid?”
Gritting my teeth once again, I lean back against the building, fighting for millennia of self-control. Get the fuck out of my head.
“Ohhhh. Now you want me out.”
It’s so like her to enjoy this torment of mine. Is this why you sent me here? Because this was mean— My eyes widen as a very horrible realization dawns.
“Stop constantly assuming the worst. You aren’t going to die from mating to someone. When is the last time your war Erencei ass got laid?”
Shaking, I shove my hands into my pockets and lift a leg to brace against the wall. My cock is so hard I can barely hide it.
I need to leave.
Teleport away.
My wide eyes are locked on that body—that luscious, perfect body—
The girl turns.
The sight of her profile rips a low moan out of me. Dainty chin. Nose. That cheekbone. Those lips . . .
That’s her. There’s only two females in there. The other one that I saw earlier, with hair the same dark red color as mine, and the black haired one.
The one making my aching dick weep precum.
The black-haired sexpot is the human I was sent for. Evesse. Illion help me. Even her name sounds sexual. Eve-ez.
It takes every ounce of willpower I possess not to reach down and palm my shaft like an out of control teenager.
I don’t remember my life during those years, back when I was Mavrak, but I’m damn sure I wasn’t this bad, even at sixteen-years-old.
I feel like I’ve never fucked before. As if my entire existence is going to implode if I don’t get inside her now.
“Zeniel!” Nylicia screams in my head, and I’m grateful for the distraction. “How. Long?”
Maybe six, seven-hundred years. I jerk at that thought.
Fuck. Fuck. She’s right. A creature like me would normally need to have sex on a disgustingly constant basis.
Not me though. I can go eons. Self-control is on lockdown.
But even I have a limit.
I just reached mine, suddenly, as it happens every time, with my eyes on the most delicious human I’ve ever seen
Fuck. Those big, brown eyes.
The curve of her tits.
I normally don’t think about females this lewdly, but everything about her is screaming, Come. Come take me. Fuck me. Own me.
Fuck. Me. I want to.
“These are the times I really wish I could actually eat popcorn. Pretending to isn’t the same.”
I’d forgotten about her, and of course she of all beings would be giddy to witness this . . .
I can’t even stay mad at her. I’m still too relieved that this is just biology rearing its head.
For a moment there, I thought I was showing symptoms, signs of being mated to the girl.
But no. This isn’t anything like that. I can tell Nylicia is right. This is simply my body, throwing up a red flare, letting me know it’s time to slake my need.
The problem is, my body is screaming for that very sexy, very fragile human girl.
I’d kill her with my cock. Literally.
Just like that, all my panic, all my questions return. Why would Nylicia send me here to experience that with that human girl?
Or did she send me for another reason and this was an unexpected turn?
Hah. Wishful thinking. I’ve known her too long to bank on it.
I don’t have time to think about it further, because the girl—Evesse—steps out of the restaurant, that beautiful face tilted down.
She isn’t looking at me. Good. I have a few more seconds to get my shit together.
Zeniel. You better get your shit together.
I do.
Not really, but I get a handle on my emotions enough to school my expression.
I’m the god here. She’s the human. No way will I let her see that she’s felled me. Yet, the fact that she isn’t looking at me is more than I can bare. I refuse to tolerate it.
Wait. No. That wasn’t just my thought. It also came from—
Mavrak’s voice in my head is the one that mentally commands her, Look at me, girl.
Oh Gods. Yes, please. Lift those gorgeous eyes and look at us.
Did I just say us?
I hear her gasp even though she’s more than ten feet away. She comes to a stop halfway across the street, and I don’t even have time to yell at her to get out of there, before she does what Mavrak demanded.
The Fates help me, she looks up.
Her stare trails over me slowly, taking me in, and there’s no way I could mistake the sheer hunger in her gaze.
For the first time in my interminable life, I’m caught in the gaze of a wild predator. A female ready to break me. Take me.
Illion have mercy on me.
I see her small throat jump with a swallow as she finally raises her head to meet my stare.
That face. Those—
Eyes.
Oh gods, her eyes.
Faster than the speed of light, every invisible wall between her mind and my own collapses, and the merge is instantaneous.
Darkness falls over me first . . .
You know, I still remember the last time the locks inside me broke apart and Mavrak surged forth.
It was three-thousand years ago. In Greece. That day I laid eyes on Zexistr and I finally saw, for the first time after millennia of wondering, what he’d done.
What he’s responsible for.
I still don’t know if it was the act itself or the betrayal I felt at learning that he’s responsible, but I barely managed to clamp down on Mavrak long enough to escape the dimension.
It took me a millennium of solitude before I could be around my friends again.
This time, it’s different. The locks break, just like the last time, at the same exact time that this female’s most tragic memories penetrate me deep.
This time, I know there’s no going back.
Her mother abandoned her out of revenge.
Kicked out a young boy at thirteen, Evesse’s older brother who she adores.
Then . . . Then comes the blood.
The death.
The murder Evesse committed.
In my mind’s eye, I’ve become her, and I see a first-person point of view account of her stepfather, his hand between her legs. His heaving breaths in her ears. Her scared, frantic thoughts. All the times he violated her since she turned eleven. Then, I see her, the teenager she’d been, ending his life.
In self-defense.
The fire in my blood slams into the back of my neck with all the agony of a heated blade.
The agonizing roar in my mind comes next.
After almost fifteen millennia, Mavrak’s finally broken free.
The girl steps away from me, shaking her head, and behind the visual of her stabbing her stepfather in the throat, I hear her next thought—
Did she just call me a motherfucker in her mind?
Like a freaking freight train, all her emotions mind-rape me, altering the entire landscape of my psyche.
Suddenly, the Etaeryb isn’t the only thing connecting us. My tranquility grid activates, and her entire emotional state is laid bare to me.
Her fea
r. Confusion.
Sonofabitch. Her pussy’s pounding for me.
She knows I’m reading her mind—she’s already guessed I’m not human.
Mavrak is raging in my head and the corners of my vision have begun to bleed crimson.
I’ve never been this close to coming all over myself in my life.
Nylicia? NYLICIA!
Silence. She’s abandoned me again.
Another of Evesse’s thoughts comes through.
“Get away from him.”
What? She—she wants to run? Mavrak screams, From us???
She spins away from me.
“You’re not fucking leaving me,” Mavrak and I growl under our breath in our mutated voice. Before she can get any further, I’ve dematerialized and grabbed her, taking us both back to the alley.
As soon as we rematerialize, I release her, and the shock of what I’ve just done roots me in place.
No. Not what I’ve done. We we’ve done.
Her. Give me HER, Mavrak demands, as if he has the fucking right to do so.
Evesse shifts away from me. I can’t bare it. Heart aching, I call for her. “Girl . . . ”
She launches herself back, so desperate to put distance between us that she’s practically flying.
The crack in my chest expands. Mavrak cries out in agony. I barely stop myself from doing the same. She’s looking around, utterly frightened, and all I want to do is hold her.
Give her the knowledge she needs to understand. “You’re confused. Please, allow me.”
“No!” She screams, motioning for me to stay away.
I can’t give her that. I’m going to fucking die if I can’t get closer.
So, I do, stopping a mere foot away. Wet heat invades my senses, the scent of a soft, willing pussy. Holy crap, even while afraid of me she still needs me.
Not as bad as I’m needing her. “Fuck. I’ve never smelled anything like you. You’re delicious.”
Losing control to Mavrak again, I have no choice but to edge towards her. When she puts more feet between us, I nearly lose my shit. “I can help you understand.”
“Just shut the hell up!”
My engorged dick throbs. She’s so fucking defiant. Full of fire. The opposite of the females I’ve been attracted to in the past.
Gods, I need her. A human female who won’t let me help her. “You have to be the most stubborn human I’ve ever met. I came to take you to your friend.”
Ryze Series: Books 1 & 2 Page 25