Fantasy Lover

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

  Grace felt a sudden warmth engulfing Julian's body.

  Leaning back, she watched as a golden aura surrounded him, mending the jagged wound in his stomach. His jeans melted away slowly and were replaced by golden greaves and shoes. The golden wave traveled up over his chest, covering it with ancient gold armor and dark red leather and cloth. Dark brown leather bands covered his forearms.

  The blue tinge faded from Julian's face.

  Suddenly, he took a deep breath that shook his entire body, then opened his eyes.

  He looked up at Grace and smiled a smile that warmed her all the way to her soul.

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  Grace bit her lip as happiness swelled inside her. He was alive! "What the bloody hell?" Priapus roared.

  A woman appeared above them, floating serenely. Her black hair shimmered as she glared at Priapus. "As your mother said, it's time we had our fair fight, Priapus. It's long overdue. And this time, there's no Alexandria to distract Julian from his vengeance.”

  "What?" Aphrodite asked. "Athena, what are you saying?”

  “I'm saying Priapus sent her to Julian on purpose to distract him while Priapus fled your temple in fear of Julian's wrath.”

  By the look on Priapus's face, Grace could see the truth of it. He curled his lip.

  "Athena, you treacherous bitch. You always did coddle him.”

  Athena laughed as she appeared next to Aphrodite. "No one ever coddled him. It's what made him the finest warrior Sparta ever trained. And it's what is going to enable him to kick your ass now.”

  Julian rose to his feet. The grim look on his face sent a ripple of chills over Grace.

  Aphrodite moved to stand between him and Priapus, and when she looked up at Julian, Grace saw the pride in Aphrodite's eyes. "This is the second time I have given you life, Julian. I regret I wasn't the mother you needed the first time. You have no idea how much I wish I could change that. All I can do now is give you my love and blessing.”

  Aphrodite looked over to Priapus. "Now, go kick his spoiled little ass.”

  “Mother!" Priapus whined.

  Julian turned his gaze to his brother. He twirled his sword around his body as he Dark Hunter Series (1) – Fantasy Lover – Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 331 of 340

  approached Priapus. "Ready?”

  Priapus attacked without warning. Not that it mattered. Grace's jaw dropped as she watched them fight. If she had thought Julian skilled before, it was nothing compared to the way he fought now.

  He moved with a speed and agility she would never have thought possible. Athena came to stand by her side. She reached out and ran a light touch over the red wrap.

  "Nice dress.”

  Grace frowned in disbelief. "They're fighting to the death and you're admiring my clothes?"

  Athena laughed. "Trust me, I pick my generals well. Priapus doesn't stand a chance.”

  Grace turned back to the men at the same time Julian drove his shield sideways into Priapus. The god stumbled back and Julian plunged his sword straight into his side.

  "Rot in Tartarus, you bastard," Julian sneered as Priapus disintegrated into a thousand lights. Grace ran to him. Julian tossed his sword and shield aside and grabbed her up in his arms and twirled her around. "You're alive! Right?" she asked.

  "I'm alive.”

  Grace surrendered herself to him then. He lowered her down his body, slowly, his armor caressing every inch of her. Until he could claim her lips with his kiss. Grace heard someone clearing her throat.

  "Excuse me, Julian," Athena said when he didn't release Grace. "You have a decision that needs to be made. Do you want me to send you home or not?”

  Grace trembled.

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  Julian looked down at her, his gaze searching. He ran his hand gently over her cheek as if savoring the feel of her skin against his. "In all the centuries I have lived, I've only known one home.”

  Grace bit her lip as tears swelled. He was going to leave her now. Dear God, she just hoped she could stand the pain of it. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

  "And it's with Grace," he said against her hair. "If she'll have me.”

  Grace rolled her eyes as relief swept through her with such ferocity that she wanted to scream, to laugh, but most of all she wanted to hold on to him forever.

  "Gee, Julian," she said with a nonchalance she didn't feel. "I don't know. You do take up more than your fair share of the bed. And those noxious boxer shorts you wear What is that? If you come back with me, those have got to go. And no more wearing jeans to bed at night, they chafe my legs.”

  He laughed at her. "Don't worry. For what I have in mind, nudity works best."

  She joined his laughter as he cupped her face in his hands.

  When he tried to kiss her, she pulled back impishly. "Oh, by the way, is this your armor?"

  He frowned. "It is, or was.”

  “Can we keep it?”

  "If you like. Why?”

  "Cause,ooo baby," Grace said, raking a look over his gorgeous body, "you are one hot tamale in that getup. This outfit alone will get you laid at least four or five times a day.”

  Athena and Aphrodite laughed.

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  In a flash of light, they were back in Grace's bedroom, just the way they'd been before Priapus had shown himself.

  "Hey!" Grace said irritably. "Where's the armor?”

  It appeared along with his helm, sword, and shield in the corner.

  “Happy now?"

  Julian asked as he pulled her across his chest. "Delirious.”

  He raised his head and delivered a kiss to her that shook her entire body. Grace moaned at the heat of his mouth on hers. The feel of his body under hers. She would never again let him go.

  "By the way

  ”

  Julian pulled back from Grace's lips with a groan as he quickly covered the two of them with a sheet. Grace clutched the sheet to her chin.

  "Athena," he asked testily, "are you going to keep interrupting us?”

  Athena didn't look a bit sheepish as she approached the bed. She held a large gold box in her hands. "Well, I forgot something.”

  "What?" they asked in aggravated unison.

  Before Athena could answer, Aphrodite appeared. "I've got it," she said to Athena before taking the box out of her hands. Athena vanished.

  Moving to stand by the bed, Aphrodite set the box next to Julian, then opened it. "If you're going to stay, there are a few things you'll need. A birth certificate, passport, green card

  ”

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  Aphrodite looked at it with a frown. "No, wait, you won't need that." She looked to Grace. "Will he?”

  “No, ma'am.”

  Aphrodite smiled as it evaporated. "There's also a driver's license, but if you'll take some motherly advice, I'd let Grace do all the driving. No offense, but you stink at it."

  Aphrodite sighed. "It's a pity we didn't have a god for that, too. But, oh well." She closed the box and handed it to him. "Here, you can go through it later.”

  As Aphrodite moved away, Julian reached out and took her hand.

  "Thank you, Mother, for everything.”

  Tears welled in her eyes as she patted her son's hand on her arm. "I am so sorry I didn't know about your children in time to save them as well. You've no idea how much I regret that I found out only after Thanatos had them.”

  Julian squeezed her gently.

  "If you need anything at all, you'll call?" she asked.

  "I'll call even if I don't.”

  Aphrodite lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it. She looked back and forth between them. "I want six grandchildren. Minimum.”

  "Hey," Grace said as she pulled a college degree out of the box. "Y
ou've given him a Ph. D. in ancient history? From Harvard?”

  Aphrodite nodded. "There's also one in there for languages and classical studies."

  She looked at Julian. "I wasn't sure what you might want to do, so I'll let you pick.”

  "Can we really use these?" Grace asked.

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  "Absolutely. If you dig a little deeper, you'll find his certified transcripts.”

  Grace did. Looking them over, she gaped. "No fair, they're all A's.”

  "Of course," Aphrodite said indignantly. "My son would never do second-rate work.”

  Aphrodite smiled. "I didn't bother with a marriage certificate. I figured the two of you would want to take care of that one on your own. And as soon as Julian decides on a last name, it'll appear on all the documents inside the box.”

  Aphrodite dug to the bottom of the documents and pulled out a small bankbook. "By the way, I converted the money you had in Macedonia into modern currency.”

  Grace opened the book and gasped."Holy green guacamole! You're filthy rich!" He laughed. "I told you, I conquered well."

  Aphrodite held her hand out. The book that had contained Julian appeared in her arms. "I also thought you might want to find some safe place to put this.”

  Julian gaped as she handed it to him. "You're giving me custody of Priapus?”

  Aphrodite shrugged. "He killed you. I can't very well let him get away without some form of punishment. He'll get out eventually. If he's a good boy.”

  Grace almost felt sorry for poor Priapus. Almost.

  Aphrodite leaned forward and kissed Julian on the cheek. "I always loved you. I just didn't know how to show it.”

  Julian nodded. "I guess it's what happens when your mother is a goddess. You can't very well expect birthday parties and home-cooked meals.”

  "True, but I gave you a lot of other gifts that your girlfriend seems to treasure.”

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  "Speaking of," Grace said as a thought struck her. "Can we curb the one that draws other women like a magnet?”

  Aphrodite gave her a droll stare. "Child, look at the man. What woman in her right mind wouldn't want him in her bed? I'd have to blind them all, or make him fat and bald.”

  "Never mind. I'll just learn to cope.”

  "Thought so." Aphrodite vanished.

  Julian wrapped his arm around Grace's shoulders and pulled her back against him.

  "Are you sore?”

  “No, why?”

  “Because I intend to spend the rest of the day making love to you." She nipped his chin with her teeth. "Ooo, I like the sound of that." He kissed her.

  "Oh, wait," he said, pulling back.

  Grace frowned as he got out of bed, grabbed the book, then tossed it out into the hallway and shut the door.

  "What are you doing?" she asked.

  Julian sauntered back to bed with that slow, loose-limbed walk that made her breathless and hot. He crawled up on the bed like a sleek, naked beast and ran a hot, lustful stare all over her body. "He can hear everything we say. And I personally don't want him in here when I do this."

  She gasped as he flipped her on her side.

  "Or this," he said, sliding his hand between her thighs and teasing her mercilessly Dark Hunter Series (1) – Fantasy Lover – Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 337 of 340

  with his touch. He curled himself against her spine.

  "And most of all, I don't want him to hear this.”

  He buried his lips against her neck as he moved his hand down her inner thigh to spread her legs, then he plunged himself deep inside her.

  Grace moaned in pleasure.

  "I waited two thousand years for you, Grace Alexander," he whispered in her ear.

  "And you were worth every second of it.”

  Epilogue

  ONE YEAR LATER

  Julian opened the door to the hospital room. With his mother and Selena in tow, he stepped quietly into the room, not wanting to disturb Grace if she was resting.

  Fear gripped him as he saw her lying on the bed. She looked so pale and weak that it terrified him. He couldn't stand seeing her like this. She was his strength. His heart.

  His soul. Everything in his life that was good. The thought of losing her was more than he could bear.

  Grace opened her eyes and smiled at them. "Hi," she whispered.

  "Hey, girl!"Selena said. "How are you feeling?”

  “I'm exhausted, but feeling pretty good.”

  Julian leaned over and kissed her. "Do you need anything?”

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  “I have everything I could ever need," Grace said, her face glowing. He smiled.

  "So, where are my grandchildren?" his mother demanded.

  "They took them to be weighed," Grace said.

  As if on cue, the nurses wheeled the cradles in. They checked Grace's bracelet against the babies', then made a quiet exit. Julian left Grace's side only long enough to gently pick up his son. Joy spread through him as he cradled the tiny infant in his arms. Grace had given him so much more than he had ever expected to have. And much more than he deserved.

  "This is Niklos James Alexander," he said, handing the baby to his mother. He picked up his daughter next. "And this is Vanessa Anne Alexander." He placed her in his mother's other arm.

  His mother's lips trembled as she looked at her granddaughter. "You named her after me?”

  “We both wanted to," Grace said.

  Tears fell down her face as Aphrodite looked back and forth between the children.

  "Oh, the gifts I have for you two.”

  "Mom!" Julian said sharply, interrupting her. "Please, no gifts. Just give them your love.”

  Aphrodite sniffed back her tears and laughed. "Very well. But if you change your mind, let me know.”

  Grace watched Julian as he brushed his hand over Niklos's bald head. She wouldn't have thought it possible, but at the moment she loved him even more than she had before.

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  Every day they had been together had been a blessing.

  "Oh, hey," Selena said as she took Vanessa from Aphrodite. "I went by the bookstore yesterday and Priapus was gone. There was a full moon a few days ago.

  Anyone want to bet he's making wild monkey love with someone right now?”

  They laughed. All except Julian.

  "Something wrong?"Grace asked.

  "I guess I'm just feeling a little guilty over him.”

  "Guilty?" Selena asked in disbelief."Over Priapus?”

  Julian indicated the children and Grace. "How can I bear him animosity? Without his curse, I would never have all of you. It was a pain in the ass. But I have to say in the end, it was more than worth it.”

  They looked expectantly at Aphrodite. "What?" she asked innocently. "Don't tell me you want him free now? I told you, when he learns his lesson

  ”

  Selena shook her head. "Poor old Uncle Priapus," she cooed to Vanessa. "But he was a bad, bad boy.”

  A nurse opened the door and hesitated on the threshold. "Um, Dr. Alexander," she said to Julian, “there's a couple out here who say they're related to you. They um

  " She dropped her voice to a low whisper. "They're biker people.”

  "Hey, Julian," Eros said from behind the nurse. "Tell Attila the Hun here that we're okay so we can come and ooh and aah over the babies.”

  Julian laughed. "It's okay, Trish," he said to the nurse. "He's my brother."

  Eros made a face at Trish as he and Psyche swept inside. "Someone remind me to Dark Hunter Series (1) – Fantasy Lover – Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 340 of 340

  shoot her with a whammy on the way out," he said as Trish closed the door.

  Julian arched a brow at him. "Do I have to confiscate your bo
w again?”

  Eros blew a raspberry at him as he moved to Selena and took Vanessa out of her hands. "Ooh, what a little heart-breaker you're going to be. I bet you'll have little boys running after you in droves.”

  Julian's face paled. He turned back to his mother. "Mom, there is one gift I would like." Aphrodite looked up hopefully.