Fallen Gods: Lotus Blooming

by Lorie O'Clare

  Her mother began swaying, for a moment humming quietly. Thena held her free hand out too, feeling the flames dance under her palm, warm her skin, and slowly move through her.

  The strength of both of them filled the air around her. She inhaled slowly, welcoming the power, sensing her mother’s strength. Older and wiser, her mother’s concern and worry began filtering through her. She embraced it, focusing on the steady beat of her own heart, doing her best to soothe her mother’s fears for her with her mind.

  “Keeper of that holy gate. Protector between this world and the next.” Her mother’s voice was low, husky, chanting the words in a melodic tone. “The world of gods we call upon. Open please, and come to us.”

  Thena didn’t remember having ever heard her mother chant these words before. Her mother was asking for a cross gate.

  “Meet us again. Your aid we need. Your aid we request. Protector between this world and the next.” The warmth in her mother’s hand grew, seeping up Thena’s arm.

  She felt her mother’s pulse, their heartbeats sounding as one.

  “Having come before. Now we beg for you again. Your strength and advice, your wisdom and security. As you have before, give to us again,” her mother almost whispered in a singsong voice.

  The flames danced under her hand. Their heat almost burned her and Thena concentrated on her breathing, slowing it, soothing the dance of the flames. The heat subsided.

  But the strength in the room grew. She no longer felt her mother’s hand. Something in the room had changed, the air full of a new presence, a strange sensation that seemed familiar, oddly reminiscent of a time Thena couldn’t remember.

  “Our worlds combine. Our worlds are one. Our worlds combine.” Her mother’s voice seemed far away, chanting the same thing over and over again in a soft whisper.

  Thena could hardly breathe from the strength that seemed to press against her, push into her until she almost felt claustrophobic in her mother’s kitchen.

  Opening her eyes, she realized she’d drifted off of the floor, and was too close to the ceiling. Her mother still had her eyes closed, both of her hands now over the candles, repeating her mantra with her expression wrinkled in determination.

  Thena lowered herself to the ground, silently grateful her mother hadn’t seen her float. It wasn’t something she did consciously, and didn’t want her mother’s concentration shattered by her daughter’s unusual behavior.

  “Who are you calling?” she whispered, watching her mother sway back and forth.

  Her mother smiled, her eyes still closed. “He is here. Do you feel him?”

  She definitely felt something.

  “Who?” she asked again.

  Her mother opened her eyes, smiling. Her face glowed with a flush that made her look so much younger. She looked excited, full of life, a look she hadn’t seen on her mother’s face in a long time.

  Patting her thin hands over her silver hair, she smoothed it, and then straightened her dress. Then Margaret glanced around the room, resting her gaze on the back door.

  “He is here,” she repeated, whispering, sounding very odd.

  Margaret moved to the back door, looking through the window in the door at the yard out back. Thena could feel her anxiousness, an excitement that mixed with the strange power that had filled the room. If she didn’t know better, she would guess that her mother was showing the excitement of a schoolgirl, waiting for her beau to show up.

  Along with her mother’s suddenly weird behavior, the power that wrapped around her stole the air from the room. This wasn’t the same strength she’d felt with Priapus. His energy had been raw, carnal, dominating and determined. What she experienced now seemed more steady, like a hard summer rain, continuous and firm.

  The candles’ flames danced furiously, swaying as if caught by a strong breeze. Margaret opened the back door, staring outside while she pressed her hand to her cheek.

  “Mom. Tell me what’s going on.” Thena hadn’t experienced anything like this other than when Priapus had come to her.

  Her mother turned around, reaching for Thena. “Come with me. It’s time that you met your father.”

  Thena just stared at her mother, sure that she hadn’t heard her correctly. “My father?” she whispered.

  She’d never had a father. Never. As long as she could remember, it had just been her and her mom. Whenever she’d asked in the past, her mother had told her it had just been a fling. A short and hot romance that should never have been, but had blessed her with Thena. Her mother had never given her a name, a description—nothing.

  “What are you talking about?” she gasped, too stunned to even put meaning to her mother’s words.

  But her mother didn’t answer her. Instead she turned and walked out the back door.

  Chapter Eight

  Priapus looked up when someone suddenly appeared at the entrance to the fence surrounding Margaret’s home. Thena’s mom didn’t live out in the country, but she was definitely on the edge of town, the narrow county road quiet for the most part, with the houses spaced far from each other. If he’d walked up to the house, Priapus would have noticed him before that moment.

  Floating to the ground, Priapus straightened, the man meeting his gaze. His expression changed when he recognized Priapus, concern creasing his brow.

  Thena’s mom’s chanting hadn’t made a lot of sense but he’d listened intently. Her powers were weak, nothing more than an average witch who believed completely in her own strength.

  Her belief was stronger than her powers, but they’d grabbed the attention of someone.

  The older man stopped when he reached the gate, his gaze narrowing on Priapus. After only a moment, Priapus recognized the god standing before him.

  “What are you doing here?” the man asked, not speaking out loud, but sending his thoughts.

  “Triton. It’s good to see you again.” Priapus nodded, sharing his thoughts, well, some of them, while searching the man’s face, looking for some indication that Thena might be his daughter.

  And if she was… Well, damn it to all of the hells. That would make Thena the daughter of a god, a mortal who’d been conceived by one of the immortals. He shook his head, wanting to kick himself for not thinking it a possibility. It sure did explain why her powers were so strong. Thena was only half witch, her other half, unexplored, was much stronger.

  Triton lowered his head slightly, a silent acknowledgment of the greeting. “Under most circumstances, I’d say the same of you, Priapus. But why are you here, keeping watch over this house?”

  A protector’s instinct rushed through Priapus. He gazed at Triton, unwilling to share any reason why he might be here. It was none of the man’s damn business.

  Triton gave him a quick once-over, searching for answers that Priapus had no intention of giving him. They stared at each other for a moment, Priapus sensing a paternal instinct rising up that didn’t faze him.

  Triton was a good man, an immortal that Priapus had never had a beef with. Throughout all of time, their paths hadn’t crossed that often. He wouldn’t counter him now either. Whether he’d fathered Thena or not, it was obvious by the confusion he sensed from Thena over her mom’s words, that he’d never taken the time to know his daughter.

  “Because I choose to,” he told him simply, and then turned when Margaret walked around the side of the house.

  “Triton,” she called out, the joy on her face making her glow.

  Priapus adjusted himself so that she couldn’t see him, but held his ground, ignoring the hard glare that Triton gave him before turning his attention to the older woman.

  “Margaret,” Triton said quietly. He walked toward her, holding his arms out.

  She walked into them, embracing him with the tenderness of an old lover.

  Thena walked around the house, hesitant, watching her mother hug a man she’d never laid eyes upon before. Her heart slammed in her chest at the sight of Priapus. He watched the small scene, his expression masked, a
lthough something told her he wasn’t pleased. That bit of knowledge had her curious. But there was no way she could explore it at the moment. When her mother let go of the man, turning to her with a bright smile on her face, she realized that she didn’t see Priapus. Thena wondered if the man with her knew he was there.

  “Thena,” her mom said, holding her hand out to her. “This is Triton. And before you say anything, we need him here. The time has come for you to fully understand your powers. What happened today won’t go unnoticed. And there was a reason you were able to do what your Gramma and I can’t do.”

  Thena stared at the man who had his arm around her mother. He was tall, thick-shouldered, appearing to be around the same age as her mother. He was white, with silver hair cut in a crew cut, reminding her of an old sailor, with a well-weathered expression on his face. He wasn’t bad-looking, his appearance clean and friendly enough.

  But too many unanswered questions swirled around in her mind at the moment. She had a father. Her mother knew him, and with nothing more than a simple incantation had been able to call him to them without ceremony. Yet over the years, there’d never been mention of him.

  And then there was Priapus, standing there, watching her, waiting for her reaction along with her mother and this stranger who’d just been thrown in her face.

  This was all simply too much.

  “I don’t believe this, Mom.” Anger swirled up in her before she could stop it. “You don’t just throw some stranger in my face and tell me that he’s my dad. Where was he when I was growing up?”

  Her voice rose as she spoke, emotions coming at her too strong to control. It took most of her strength to keep her feet on the ground. Powers surged through her, wanting to take over.

  “Thena…” Triton began, extending his hand to her.

  Thena took a step backwards. “A few simple words and he’s right here.” She glared at her mom. “Yet you never bothered to tell me a thing about him when I was a child. Don’t you think I would have liked to have had a dad?”

  She turned on them, ignoring her mother when she called out to her. Outrage swam through her. She slapped her hand against the side of one of the large trees that shaded the side of the house, and ignored the tree limb that fell to the ground behind her, crashing loudly. At the moment she didn’t care that her outrage had sent the large branch to the ground.

  All she wanted to do was release her anger, her fury that her mother had known all along where her father was. He came right to her when she called him. How often had he come around when she was growing up? Had he seen her as a child and not let her know he was her father?

  Tears burned at her eyes and she started running, taking off into the field behind her mother’s house. No matter that her feet left the ground after a few moments. She was too damned mad to care that it was broad daylight.

  She had a father. Some man named Triton was her father. And a simple incantation had brought him straight to her.

  Triton. Her mother had called him Triton.

  There was a sea god named Triton.

  Thena fell to the ground, hitting it hard, her skin burning instantly as she tumbled against the hard dirt.

  She was the daughter of a god.

  Priapus glared at Triton, letting him know with his thoughts in no uncertain terms that he better not chase after Thena. He’d then rushed after her, feeling her pain even before he caught up with her.

  “Are you okay?” He landed next to her, reaching to lift her up before she could stop him.

  Strong arms lifted her, Priapus pulling her against his strong chest.

  Thena stiffened. “Leave me alone,” she muttered, feeling incredibly sorry for herself and not wanting to share her self-pity at the moment.

  Not to mention she knew she looked like shit with her tearstained cheeks and swollen eyes from crying.

  “I have no intention of leaving you alone.” Priapus knelt next to her, wrapping his arm around her so that she wouldn’t pull away. “And you know that.”

  “I don’t know anything, not anymore.” It dawned on her that she’d flown to this spot, and looking through her tear-blurred vision, she couldn’t see her mom’s house.

  They were out in the middle of the country, the town of Barren a couple of miles away. Her mind spun with the knowledge that she’d traveled so quickly in such a short time. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. She hadn’t given it any thought, just raced away from the unacceptable situation.

  And Priapus had followed her easily. These were powers she’d never imagined. And even though she’d committed them, she was overwhelmed with the reality that she was way out of her league.

  She looked up at him. He was so damned handsome, his green eyes soft, filled with concern, although she didn’t miss the passion that made them appear like deep pools, so rich and so deep. He wanted her. There was no missing that. His expression remained calm, his strong facial features relaxed and controlled. It wasn’t as easy to read him as it had been the people at the gas station earlier. She wondered if he knew her thoughts, if he could read her like an open book.

  Immediately her mouth went dry, and she looked down, only to rest her gaze on his hard abdomen. Then her thoughts went to where they’d been earlier, wondering about the size of his cock. Her heart began thudding in her chest.

  Priapus ran his hand down her arm, loving how soft her skin was. The simple sundress she wore twisted slightly on her body, giving him a wonderful view of her cleavage. Soft mounds rose and fell with her breathing. He ran his finger against her brow, willing her to look up at him again.

  “Thena,” he whispered, knowing he scared and excited her all at once.

  More than anything he wanted that dress off of her. He wanted to see her body laid out before him. Memories of how she’d looked the first time he’d laid eyes on her made him hard as a rock. Thena’s breath caught, her body stilling against his, and he knew she felt his hardness press against her.

  “It’s okay,” she said, slowly moving out of his arms and standing. She still didn’t look at him. “If you were able to come after me so quickly, then I’m sure Triton will too. I don’t need to be taken care of. And regardless of what my mother thinks, I don’t need a man I’ve never met before explaining to me why I was able to cast out the devil—or whatever that thing was in Nate.”

  So she’d figured out that Triton was also a god. He shouldn’t have been surprised.

  “You have no idea what you’re battling.” He held his hand out to her, not taking her into his arms again, but standing also, and allowing her to decide if she would place her hand in his or not. “There are demons everywhere around here. They aren’t the devil. But they are fighting for that rank. And they’ll take out Earth in the process in their efforts. You cast out one, but that just outraged the others. They will come after you. And you don’t have the knowledge to fight them.”

  Thena did look up at him then, her soft brown eyes melting like warm chocolate. The sun captured the radiance in her black hair, making it shine. Her smooth caramel skin and soft features made her an image of beauty that captured his breath as he stared at her.

  She brushed her dress off, taking her time in deciding how to respond. For the most part, none of what he just said made any sense. It was clear he had a better understanding of the elements than she did. But she accepted that there was good and evil out there. And if she had powers that she hadn’t explored before, she would learn how to do that. Before any of that happened though, Priapus and her mother would understand that she wasn’t defenseless and in need of protection.

  “I’ve been fighting people all of my life.” She put her hands on her hips, fighting not to let him distract her when he looked down at her. “I’ve been picked on for being black, and shunned for being a witch. Don’t tell me that I don’t have the knowledge to fight back. No one is going to take me down.”

  Priapus grabbed her arms, squeezing them at her side while he lifted her slightly. “We aren�
�t talking about fighting prejudice here, or ignorance. We are fighting hatred at its extreme core, from the depths of where hatred stems.”

  Thena brought her arms up quickly, pushing him away and stepping back. She turned on him and began walking back toward town. He was on her immediately, grabbing her arm and forcing her to face him.

  “I’m not afraid,” she hissed, her breathing coming so hard she almost panted. “I saw what was in that little boy. And if there are others out there like him, and I can help, then I’ll do it. But I don’t need protection from you, or my mother—or some man claiming to be my father whom I’ve never even met before.”

  Priapus pulled her to him, wrapping his arm around her so she couldn’t escape. “You can help. And I can help too. But first we are going to find out what truly lies in you. Because my Thena, you are much, much more than just a witch.”

  “I am not your Thena,” she said, stressing every word.

  Priapus claimed her mouth before she could utter more. He branded her with a heat that made her legs go limp. She gripped his shirt in her hands, unable to find the strength or the desire to push him away. He was reaching straight through her, clamping down on her heart, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to stop him.

  Without a thought she opened her mouth to him, allowed him to deepen the kiss, explore her with a touch that was tender and at the same time demanding.

  His hands moved over her back, caressing, stroking, adding to the fire that already simmered deep inside her. She was drowning, falling so fast there was no way she would surface anytime soon. The way he devoured her mouth, he would rob her of all sane thought within a matter of moments.

  His cock grew between them, thick, long and throbbing. She knew she wasn’t thinking clearly when the thing seemed to stretch over the length of her body. He’d claimed to be Priapus though, and she knew the god was known for the size of his penis.

  Butterflies took flight in her stomach, a twisting sense of apprehension and excitement building within her.