ACHILLES: Soul of Her King (Kings of the Blood Book 3)

by Julia Mills

  Achilles knew he was treading on thin ice. He could see fire dancing in Ares’ eyes, could feel Juliette’s fear and knew he had better attempt to keep his mouth shut no matter how hard that one simple feat was for him. Reaching behind his back and taking Juliette’s hand, he pulled to her his side as they watched and waited for the God of War to issue his demands.

  Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait long and apparently, the god wanted his quest completed more than he wanted to smite Lee for his disrespect. Unfortunately though, Ares lived up to everything the King had ever heard about the pain in the ass deity. Making his way back to his throne, the God of War once again took a seat, steepled his fingers and stared at the couple before saying, “I will excuse your insolence…this time. I am not without compassion for my followers. I do understand the stress you must be under, but mind you, I will deal with no more.”

  He dropped his hands in his lap and leaned forward, “You will bring the Dagger of the King of the Gods along with the Chalice of Hebe to the ruins where my original temple stood in the northern part of the Ancient Agora of Athens within seventy-two hours from this moment.”

  He gave a wave of his hand and shrugged one shoulder. “This should be an easy task,” Ares focus switched to Juliette. “Since you already have the chalice in your possession.”

  Lee felt his mate tense as the God of War chuckled, “You truly thought I did not know you found it all those years ago and hid it away to return to your mother on your next meeting?” Wagging his finger, the childish deity tsked, “Oh my dear niece, when will you learn that I know all?” The god paused as if waiting for confirmation of his omnipotence and finally continued with a frown when none was forthcoming. “And securing the dagger will be just as simple since you found it while trapped in the earth just a few short hours ago.”

  Lee watched Juliette slowly nod her head. He could feel the tension racing through her body and wanted more than anything to call a time-out, take her somewhere quiet where they could discuss everything that was going on and ease her anxiety, but that was not to be. Squeezing her hand to remind her they were in this fight together, Lee looked back at Ares and motioned with his free hand for the deity to continue.

  Furrowing his brow, Ares went on, “Once there, you, Achilles, will cut the wrist of your mate, my beloved niece, with the dagger and fill the chalice with her blood until it can hold no more. You will then complete the mating ritual as decreed by my father, thus securing the bond between the King and his fýlakas tis kardís mou and ensuring your allegiance, as a couple, to me.”

  Only Juliette’s hand in his, her incredible strength and her pleading voice in his head reminding him that they could not defeat a god, kept the King from leaping forward and punching the smug look from the God of War’s face.

  “Please, Lee, please, let him talk. He’ll be done soon and let us go, then we will figure out what to do.”

  “But you don’t understand. That’s…”

  Juliette didn’t let him finish, interjecting, “I understand that I want you alive, I want to live forever by your side and challenging Ares is not the way to achieve that. I’ve lived a long time dealing with this asshole’s whims, please hold your temper and listen.”

  Showing as much restraint as possible, Achilles growled through gritted teeth, “But the Chalice of Hebe can only be completely filled when the source from which the liquid has been poured is empty.”

  “And?” Ares shrugged.

  “And,” the King shook with rage. “Juliette will die without her life’s essence.”

  Slowly nodding his head as if he was thinking, the God of War asked, “And do you not need her to die to complete your bond? It is not customary to take all of the blood of your fýlakas tis kardís mou,” the god rolled his eyes at the title of the King’s mate, “to transform her to your kind? To have her with you for all time?” He sneered. “To begin your happily ever after?”

  “You know that I do and you also know…”

  “Then I see no problem. Now, be off,” Ares interrupted with a snap of his fingers and from one heartbeat to the next Lee and his mate were once again transported through time and space.

  Landing with a thud in the middle of the abandoned dig site in the dead of night, Lee first pulled Juliette into his arms, made sure she was unharmed, kissed her soundly and then feeling around in the pockets of his jeans, looked for his cell phone. Instead of the device, he pulled out a long, thin roll of parchment that as he unrolled it glowing golden letters accompanied by the seal of Ares were revealed.

  With Juliette looking over his shoulder, Achilles read out loud, “Achilles of Athens, Archer of the Grecian Army and King of the Blood, do not think to involve Zeus or any other deity. This quest is a test of your love, for not only your mate, but those you call brother. Should you ask for divine help or fail in your quest, not only will your lives be forfeit, but also those of all the Kings of the Blood and that of Hebe, my sister and mother to your dear Juliette. Act fast great archer, for the sands in the hour glass are quickly falling and the lives of those you hold dear are in your hands.”

  “Son of a bitch! Does this bastard ever give up?” Lee bellowed, finally finding his cell phone and dialing Bain’s number as Juliette shook her head and scoffed, “Not that I’ve ever known.”

  Smiling at his mate while listening to the ringing in his ear, the King grabbed her hand, pulled her close and kissed the top of her head just as Bain answered with, “Where the hell are you? Where have you…”

  “No time to explain. We’re back at the dig site. Where is the helicopter?” Lee snapped.

  “We’re in the air looking for you, but…”

  “No time for buts, get your ass back here. We’ve got to take down the God of War before he gets us first.”

  “You have got to be kidding me!” Bain yelled over the sound of the aircraft’s rotors.

  “No, I am not kidding,” Lee kept talking as Juliette squirmed out of his arms and began climbing into the huge hole in the ground left behind by the excavation crew. “Do you have the dagger I found?” He asked, loud enough that his mate stopped her descent and looked at him with her brows raised.

  “Yes, I do. Why? And while we’re at it, what have you done to anger Ares?” As usual the older, more stoic King was assuming that Lee had done something wrong, which in most cases would’ve have been right but in this instance, he truly was an innocent bystander.

  “Hang on,” Lee answered, taking the phone from his ear and then to Juliette calling, “Bain’s got the blade.” Barking with laughter at the surprised look on her face, he added, “Figured that’s what you were looking for.” He watched as she climbed out of the hole and headed towards the tent before getting back to his brother and asking, “How far away are you?”

  “Less than thirty minutes and that is the last question I am answering until you tell me what in all that is holy is going on.” Achilles knew there was a scowl on Bain’s face from the tone of his voice and normally would’ve laughed it off, but there was nothing normal about what was happening so he said, “I have something to take care of first. I’ll explain when you get here. Oh, and can you call Roman?”

  “Already done. He’s on the way. I have everyone else on standby.”

  “Thanks for everything. Now hurry.”

  “Whatever you say, Achilles, but you better be ready to explain the minute I touch down.”

  Disconnecting the call at the same time as his brother, Lee walked over to the tent left behind by the crew, pulled a chair along with him and sat down facing his mate so that their knees touched. He could see the toll all of this was taking on her, could feel her frustration, her anxiety and most of all how bone-deep weary she was. It broke his heart to know that he had to ask more of her, had to have her explain her past and help him find a way to beat Ares at his own game. It was the worst situation the King had ever been in, even worse than hanging from a cross in the middle of the desert. He was supposed to take care of her, keep
her from all harm, protect her from the gods and most of all, be her knight in shining armor but to date, he’d basically done nothing at all to help, but all that was about to change.

  Leaning forward, he took her hands in his and tugged until she followed suit, kissing the tip of her nose for her trouble. Laying his forehead to hers, Achilles looked into the deep brown eyes of his mate and asked, “So… you tell me your story, I’ll tell you mine.”

  Leaning back, but still keeping hold of his hands, she sighed, “Well, let me start by saying of all the ways I dreamt of us meeting, this one never crossed my mind.”

  “Really?” Lee snorted. “I meet women like this all the time.”

  Faking a shocked gasp, Juliette laid her hand across her chest and with faux agitation, chastising, “You cad.”

  Both snickered until Juliette took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and rushed on, “The short version is that I’m the daughter of Hebe, the Cupbearer of the Gods and youngest daughter of Zeus. My father was a human my mother met while she was living on earth for a year when she was very young.”

  Lee watched as his mate took another deep breath and looked over his shoulder with a faraway expression in her eyes as she continued, “Dad was called into the military. Mom returned to Olympus before he got back. I was born, hidden from Zeus and the Pantheon and then sent to live on earth when I was a year old.”

  Pausing, Juliette let go of his hand, pulled what he had heard other women call a hair tie from her pocket and proceeded to put her long beautiful hair into a pony tail. He could tell she was stalling, burning off some nervous energy and didn’t want to push. Instead, he just sat and watched her, once again amazed by how absolutely perfect she truly was.

  He loved the tiny little freckles that dotted her cheeks and danced across the bridge of her button nose. Mesmerizing was the only word that accurately described the keeper of his heart. There was no doubt he was the luckiest man alive to have been blessed with a mate like his Juliette.

  When she spoke again, her voice had taken on a haunted quality that caused the hairs on the back of the King’s neck to stand on end and the man himself to sit on the edge of his seat. Reaching for her hand as she spoke, Lee was glad she let him lend his support. Listening intently, his hate for Ares grew with a vengeance the archer had never felt in all his years.

  “Everything was going okay. Mom and I were walking to the place where Mt. Olympus touches the earth and waiting for the time when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest. Being a halfling, I had spent all of my life hiding from the gods. I was sad to leave my mom but I was also glad that I would be going to a place where I would be accepted. It was a new adventure, one mom had been preparing me for my whole life.”

  “But you were so young. How could you have known?” Lee asked, loving the feel of her hand in his, enjoying the bond they were building.

  “As a halfling, I grew and matured much faster on Mt. Olympus than human children do. By the time I was preparing to leave, I looked and acted like a human ten-year old.”

  “Wow, okay, learned something new there,” Lee mused, happy to see his mate grin at his comment.

  “Yeah,” she chuckled, but her joy was short lived as her brow furrowed and her tone grew dark, “But, just as I was about to leave, Ares appeared. He had found out about me and tracked mom down. She was so upset. I can still hear her crying and begging him to just let me go, which he ultimately did but not before he gave me a special parting gift.”

  He knew from the way she made air quotes with her one free hand that whatever the bastard god had given her had been anything but a present. Biting his tongue and trying not to show how angry he was becoming, Lee ran his thumb over the back of Juliette’s hand and pushed all the love and support he could through their bond.

  Nodding and looking over his shoulder as if she could still picture that day, she continued, “He said that I could go but that if I hadn’t found my one true mate by the time I had lived to be five hundred I would die a tragic death, remain dead for a year and then be reborn again. He went on to add that the cycle would be continuous and if I never found my true mate, it would go on forever since I am immortal and as the cherry on the sundae, he made it so I remember every second of every lifetime.”

  “That sorry son of a bitch,” Lee shook his head while Juliette took a deep breath. He wanted to continue his rant but her next words froze the words in his throat.

  “But then he said I would be the mate of one of the Kings of the Blood.” She chuckled sarcastically, “Of course, he said he hoped our ‘timelines’ met up, just before making sure that I knew that if we didn’t find each other, you would die and I would go on living and dying forever. He called that my ‘little bit of hope’.” She shook her head. “Ya gotta love family.”

  Lee wanted to rant. He wanted to curse. He wanted to call upon Zeus and ask him to turn Ares into a pile of ash but one look at Juliette said he needed to shut up, stay still and support his mate in whatever way she needed him to.

  She had to finish her story. She needed to tell him about herself and not just for him. This was about so much more. Juliette had been living and dying for almost as many years as the King had been alive and at that moment she saw an end to her endless cycle and it started with him and what they were going to be together.

  Looking up at him through her long dark eyelashes, trying to hide her unshed tears, Juliette smiled. Her voice took a whole new, almost hopeful, tone that immediately made Lee feel lighter as she said, “And then the day came when I knew you existed, knew there truly was hope.”

  She squeezed his hand. “You see, I’m able to see my mother for a few very precious moments every hundred years, unless of course it falls on the time when I’m dead and then well,” she shrugged, “You know the drill.” Shaking her head like she was ridding herself of unwanted thoughts, Juliette continued, “Anyway, she had explained that only when you knew of my birth would it be the right time for us to be together and that after I had matured, I would know the time was right and that was when I was to go to you. She explained that at the same moment you knew of my birth, I would know of your recognition of me.” She snickered. “To be honest, I thought mom had finally lost her marbles, but then it happened.”

  Juliette let go of his hand and stood, walking around her chair and pacing behind it. She had one hand in her pocket and was gesturing with the other as she explained, “It was the weirdest, coolest, best thing I’d ever felt.”

  She stopped and looked at him, “I’m sure you think I’m crazy but I had been born a couple of times by then so I sort of knew what to expect. Yes, I was an infant, but with a mature consciousness deep inside, kind of like a road map of the past, filled with my memories.”

  Walking to the far corner of the tent in silence, Juliette was deep in thought while the King held his breath. When she turned and smiled, it was as if the sun had burst through the clouds and there was hope for a new glorious day. Then she spoke, and he could feel the love and devotion they shared. “I have to admit you are a hard one to resist Achilles Giannopoulous. All the times I caught you spying or could tell you were thinking about me, it was hard not to come to you but just like mom said, I knew when the time was right.”

  Unable to hold back his laughter, Lee stood and walked towards as he chuckled, “I have to wonder about your timing, i kardí mou.” Stopping in front of her, Lee wrapped his arms around Juliette’s waist, pulled her to him and added, “Did you really have to wait until you were buried in a landslide to reach out?”

  Loving the sound of her laughter, his lips had just touched hers when the sound of a helicopter coming over the mountains could be heard. Groaning, he gave his mate a quick peck before saying, “Sounds like Bain has arrived.”

  “Should I be worried?”

  “Not one little bit. You, he will love. Me, he will want to kill.”

  Chapter Eight

  It took an hour of their very limited time and most of Lee’s sanity to get
Bain and Roman caught up. He guessed he was glad his mentor had arrived shortly after his brother, it did save time, but having them both bombard both him and Juliette with questions was exhausting… especially the ones regarding his mate’s origins.

  “And you have lived how many lifetimes?” Bain asked for the third or fourth time.

  “Four, Bain, four. How many times are you going to ask the same damn question?” Lee growled. “We really don’t have time for this crap. We need to find a solution. There is no way I am waiting another five hundred plus years for Juliette to be born again and mature to the point where I won’t be accused of robbing the cradle just to be with my mate.”

  “As usual, you are putting the cart before the horse, Achilles,” Roman blew out a long-suffering breath and shook his head.

  Reaching the point where pulling out his own hair one strand at a time sounded more enjoyable than what he was going through at that moment, Lee spun on his heel, advanced upon his mentor and asked, “What are you talking about?”

  Raising one eyebrow and waiting until Lee took a deep breath and a step back, Roman calmly stated, “You, my dear boy, do not have, as you put it, ‘five hundred plus years’. I understand things are a bit chaotic at the moment but I thought you would have at least remembered your own age.”

  “Son of a…”

  “Lee?” Juliette stopped his tirade before it began with just the sound of her voice. Turning slowly, the King looked at his mate as she sat talking with Cynthia. Without a second thought he quickly closed the distance between them. The pull of his fýlakas tis kardís mou grew stronger with every passing moment. He could deny her nothing. His only thoughts were of her welfare. Being by her side was the only place he felt truly whole.

  Kneeling beside his mate as Cyn quietly excused herself, the King asked, “What is it, agápi mou?”