by Ophelia Bell
“The laws have changed,” Clio said. “All the ursa males living in the Haven now are testament to that. We’re evolving.”
He smirked at her. “Evolving and breaking old laws aren’t the same thing. I’m pretty sure blood melding is still forbidden.” The very thought dredged up old memories he’d just as soon leave buried in the past. Blood was far too sacred a substance to misuse this way.
Clio pressed her lips together and averted her eyes. Ephyra’s brow creased, her already anguished expression making her look like she was on the verge of erupting into tears. She bit her lip and lurched away, breaking into a run when she reached the path.
With a resolute look, Clio met his eyes again. “Wouldn’t you do anything you could to protect your home, your children? This is all we are doing. It must be done, no matter how distasteful it seems, how horrifying. I …” She paused and let out a long sigh before continuing. “I don’t like the idea of breeding with an unwilling partner, though. For that, I am sorry. All the Thiasoi are sorry.”
Gavra let out a low chuckle. “Who said I was unwilling? Nyx would know how very willing I can be, particularly when the promise involves making love to a beautiful nymph.” Gavra chose his words carefully on the off-chance Nyx had enchanted his prison with some truth-discerning web. He had no intention of bedding any of these females, though if it came to that, he would without hesitation.
Clio seemed to relax and regarded him more thoughtfully. “Are you really all right with this?”
“Not crazy about the cage, but you don’t have to try too hard to get a dragon on board with the prospect of a sex ritual. How soon do I get to have the pleasure of … how many of you are there?”
“Eleven. It would have been twelve, if Assana hadn’t returned with an ursa mate. Nyx planned to talk her into the meld as well. Gaia knows Assana’s long overdue for a mate. We all are.”
Gavra’s skin chilled despite the heat of the water he was submerged in. Nyx was willing to blood meld her own daughter? It was all he could do to bury the rage and keep up his cheerful ruse. He was suddenly even more grateful for Silas than he’d been when he watched the ursa deftly service Assana through her near-meltdown earlier.
“I can’t wait,” he said, hoping his voice really conveyed at least some eagerness. “But what I’d really like to know is how Nyx thinks you all are going to get pregnant without me marking you. She knows how dragons work.”
A disturbance in the air sent a genuine chill across the skin that was exposed above the water. Gavra turned again to see the imposingly stunning, statuesque figure of the Dionarch herself standing outside his cage, gazing in impassively. She turned her heavily antlered head to Clio.
“Leave us, my dear. I need to speak to the dragon alone tonight.”
She returned her hypnotic gaze back to him and moved closer, her graceful movements every bit as mesmerizing as her daughter’s had been the day he’d first set eyes on Assana. He didn’t feel the same hot flare of need for this female, however. Only a cool wariness took hold and he was no longer able to relax in the heated tub.
He turned to brace his hands on the edge and hopped out, casting a quick glance at Nyx as he grabbed a large, soft towel from a nearby basket and wrapped it around his waist.
“Nyx,” he said, forcing a smile to his lips. “It’s been too long.”
She only regarded him dispassionately, though her brow seemed to twitch with interest as her gaze slid down his half-naked, dripping body. Perhaps seducing her was within the realm of possibility, after all. He would have to keep that in mind if the opportunity presented itself.
“Hmm, I could have done without any dragons visiting the Haven, particularly your sister.”
“You could always come visit us, you know. We haven’t seen you since … when was it?”
“Your sister’s wedding to that monster pet of hers. And to think we gave that man our blessings, only to have him turn into the Lamia’s puppet.”
“More than three thousand years is a long time to carry a grudge, Nyx. Let it go. Nikhil’s no longer under the Lamia’s spell. He’s our weapon against her now.”
“Is that supposed to console me? What’s done is done. I barely got my son back after that monster’s massacres, only to have your sister take him away again. Nereus is likely dead along with his Thiasoi squadron, and Neph has betrayed me. This is my last resort.”
“And what would Nereus think if he returned and found out what you’d done? Blood melding the very soldiers who pledged their loyalty and protection to the Haven.”
“He knew the Haven must be protected at all costs. If he died for this place, I won’t let his sacrifice be for nothing.”
“You don’t know that he’s dead. Calder believes his squadron still lives.”
“In that despicable monster’s clutches? If the Lamia has him, he’s as good as dead and you know it. And if he weren’t her prisoner, he would have returned to me already.”
Her hands were clenched into fists at her side, her immortal aura flaring in a neon kaleidoscope of colors. The heart of her pain was clear enough to Gavra despite the confusion of thoughts and emotions coursing through her. All this was somehow to honor her mate’s memory.
“You’re right, he would have,” Gavra said gently. “He loved you like no other.”
“And I him,” Nyx said, her voice breaking with emotion.
“But to blood meld your own daughter? Nyx, I don’t think he would have been able to stand by and watch that.”
She gave him a pained look and shook her head. “No. I’m glad it didn’t come to that, but something needed to be done. I’m sure you have questions. I came as a courtesy to answer them so you understand.”
He had dozens of questions, but knowing he’d uncovered a potential weakness, he was compelled to work at it like a loose tooth. Ignoring her offer, he let out a low chuckle and said, “Sweet Mother, Nyx, you are as beautiful as you always were. Nereus was a lucky satyr.”
Nyx’s intent expression softened, her eyes growing glassy. “I was the lucky one,” she said, turning to pace to the stone wall where his guards had been perched earlier before facing him again.
Gavra slowly shook his head and smiled wistfully. “I still remember when he courted you. Back when we were still gods to all of humankind. None of us believed he’d win you, but we all hoped. At least I did … My brothers had their own obsessions at the time. Not that you would have given us the time of day, nor any of the Winds who craved a taste of you, for that matter.”
“I’d have taken any of you as lovers if you’d been less cocky or capricious. But never mates, and you know it. Nereus was the only male for me.”
Gavra chuckled again and nodded, gripping the smooth roots that made up the bars of his cage and peering out at Nyx. “I know, we all had our responsibilities to our race, but that didn’t mean we didn’t harbor dirty fantasies from time to time. We all played with nymphs when the opportunity struck. You were the most desirable nymph of them all, back then. That fool Nereus was the only male with the balls to chase you in earnest, though.”
“He didn’t chase me. I chose him simply because it was my right and I kept seeing all of you having children, so I wanted my own.”
“That isn’t how I remember it. He wanted you, but went about courting you in his own way. We used to spy on you bathing in the sea when we were young. Zephyrus was usually the instigator, claiming he could seduce you with an invisible caress … that you’d give in to his touch while you basked asleep in the sun. Leave it to one of the Winds to make such assertions. He and I had a running bet which of us you’d fall for first. The younger dragons and satyrs all made wagers on it too. But Nereus caught us and would have none of it. The man was righteously indignant that we’d be so crass.”
Nyx’s brows twitched and a perplexed smile tugged at her lips. “Nereus did that? I don’t believe you.�
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“You can test me for the truth—I wouldn’t put it past you to.”
“Very well,” she said, then waved her hand in the air. A light mist coalesced with a cool tingle over his heated skin. “Do go on, dragon. I’ll know whether you lie now.”
“As you wish,” he said, turning and leaning one shoulder on the twisted roots of his cage and picking at a small shoot of greenery that grew from one thick segment. “After that, Nereus appointed himself as your secret guardian. We still got away with watching occasionally … I think he was just as distracted by your beauty as the rest of us—but making wagers about the flavor of your snatch were out of the question.”
“He was always concerned about my virtue,” Nyx said. “Such a strange quality for a satyr, don’t you think?”
“Not for one as deeply in love as Nereus was with you. That was ages before you ‘chose’ him, as you said.”
“I still don’t believe you. He behaved that way with all the nymphs.”
“And yet we all managed to have our fill of them when we were invited to the Haven’s debauched parties. We respected him, and even back then knew he harbored deep feelings for you, so we steered clear. I never understood why he held back, though. When I see what I want, I take it … I’ve never seen any sense in waiting.”
“You know you’re unlikely to be turned down,” she said, giving his body another frank assessment. “Are you telling me you never propositioned me because Nereus stood in your way? For how long?”
“Long enough for humanity to build their biggest shrines to us.”
Nyx stilled, her eyes growing wide. “Your sister already reigned in Egypt … you all had established your Ascendancies … and he still waited?”
“Perhaps he took his job too seriously. Either way, he was devoted to you for longer than I can remember before you finally noticed.”
With a shimmer of magic, her tall primal frame shrank, her antlers receding and her blue-green tinted skin becoming more human. She sat on the stone wall with a sigh, her shoulders sagging. “I wish I had known. We had too little time together before he was captured. Only a scant few centuries. We only had time for me to bear him two beautiful children. I would have born him dozens more—strong satyrs and lovely nymphs.”
“You may yet, Nyx,” Gavra said. “Let me and my brother go and we will do everything in our power to find your mate and bring him home.”
A bitter grimace sharpened her features suddenly at the mention of his brother and Gavra knew he’d made a grave mistake.
“Your brother is never returning. Not after what he did.”
Gavra clenched his jaw, regrouping. With effort, he refrained from lashing out in rage again. It would do him no good when he was at such a disadvantage.
“Fine, leave Aodh out of it. But I can help, if you let me.”
It pained him to say the words, to disregard his brother’s disappearance, but the immediate threat was sitting right in front of him. If he could get through to Nyx on his own somehow, he would find another way to get to whatever prison she had sent Aodh to.
“I wish it were that easy,” she said. “But even if I did release you, it wouldn’t help. Nereus is dead and my son is on a futile quest, abandoning his home and leaving it vulnerable without him. I would know if my mate still lived. Believe me, I did hold out hope for a long time. The River showed him to me when I looked, and our mating bond let me know he was alive even after he was captured. But the more satyrs and nymphs I sent to hunt for Nereus and Calder’s squadron, the more men we lost, seduced somehow by that creature Meri has become. The females, at least, resisted her lure.
“We were so close. When the link finally snapped and he was gone from my mind, I knew there was no point in continuing the search. He had to be dead, and he wouldn’t have wanted me to needlessly risk the lives of the nymphs who remained to find him. The satyrs were all dead by then.”
“Calder lived. Did you ever test your connection to your son while he and his father were lost?”
Nyx shook her head. “I knew he was capable and could take care of himself. But you’re right, I believed him dead too. It was a surprise when he returned.”
“Yet you still have no hope for Nereus,” Gavra said flatly.
Nyx’s features pinched, her eyes flashing with hurt and anger. “Don’t you think I hoped? When Calder returned, I wanted with all my heart for Nereus to follow. They’d been captured together, or so I thought. But I was wrong about that. Calder wasn’t held with the others, and he lost the connection to them too. He has no more proof of their survival than you or I. All I have is this empty pit inside me where my link to Nereus used to be.”
Gavra closed his eyes, wishing her aura held even the smallest glimmer of hope, but it was clear she believed with all her being that her mate had died, and she was still deeply bound by grief.
“I’m sorry,” he finally said. “He was a strong satyr. A good friend. It’s just difficult for me to believe he’d have let go without a fight … without at least a final word to you. When I knew him, he would talk about you. Most of us saw you as cold and cruel even then. You were a ruthless leader beside your brother. But Nereus made me believe you had a softer side.”
“Enough,” Nyx said, cutting off the fresh reminiscence that had been at the tip of Gavra’s tongue. She stood stiffly, her shoulders tense and her fists clenched. “I’ve heard enough about a man I will never see again. Don’t torment me with your memories.”
His two Thiasoi guards returned to their mistress’s side.
“Fair enough. How long until I get a taste of these lovely creatures who have sacrificed their freedom to save the Haven?”
“It will take several more days before my blood meld with them all is strong enough,” she said, turning back to him. “To avoid requiring a dragon mark, they must each become vessels for my immortal spirit. As you can imagine, this is not something that’s been done before … for an immortal spirit to inhabit a mortal body, even eleven of them, it has to be done a little at a time.”
“This is unnecessary, Nyx. You have me here as your prisoner to do with as you wish. I’ve already agreed to be your stud. Why not release these women from their unnatural bond to you and we can give you an immortal child the old fashioned way? I would gladly honor your body as it is meant to be honored. I am your servant.”
The words tasted bitter as they crossed his tongue. He didn’t think they’d work, anyway, not after how deeply her grief for Nereus still had hold of her, but he had to try. If it got him close enough to her to give her a full dose of his magic, he might at least be able to incapacitate her long enough to allow Assana to take control. Though he didn’t know how she would keep it. Without a quick way out of the Haven, or a stronger ally inside, he was at a loss as to how to neutralize Nyx indefinitely.
Surprisingly, Nyx turned and smiled at him. It was a sad smile, but her aura still brightened when her gaze slid down his body.
Gavra returned her smile and tugged the towel from around his hips, pretending to dry himself and revealing his lower half in the process.
“My offer stands,” he said, and conjured an image in his mind of Assana as she’d been mid-climax earlier so his cock would show some life.
Nyx’s aura brightened and she nodded. “I will keep it in mind, dragon. Thank you for the conversation.”
She swept off into the misty darkness of the Haven, the fog seeming to part for her as she moved.
When she disappeared, Gavra sagged down on his bed, falling back and draping an arm across his face. He wished like hell he had a better idea than seducing his captor to try to gain control of the Haven. Even if he could fake feelings for Nyx, he highly doubted he could ever measure up to the man who had loved her so well when they were young.
He didn’t even want to think about Assana’s reaction when he told her his plan, though.
&nbs
p; Chapter Twenty-Four
Meri
Somewhere in Europe
The five satyrs floated limp inside the huge, fluid-filled tank, tubes running from their extremities, each one delivering a slow supply of their life’s essence to a series of sealed blood bags dangling around the perimeter.
The constant supply was just what Doctor Saint George had required, and now that they’d found a way to connect this tank and the valuable supply of life-giving elixir to her creation, she was on the verge of happiness.
“The first male continues to break through your mental bonds, Doctor Waters,” one of the scientists said.
It took Meri a moment to register that the man was addressing her. She was no longer Doctor Saint George. That body had passed away peacefully in her sleep and been mourned by her colleagues. She had a new vessel now, a strong, youthful and intelligent woman named Adele Waters. Adele had considered Doctor Saint George a mentor for the first few years of her internship at the Alexandria Institute, then later they had been lovers.
Adele had been easy to take once her mentor confessed that she was dying. Grief made the human mind weak, and Meri had taken over once she’d taken a small sample of Adele’s blood.
Now she was Doctor Waters, the obvious successor to the esteemed older woman who had led the Ultiori for the last sixty years.
“Doctor Waters?” the scientist asked again.
“Show me his brain activity charts,” she said. She needed to find out how the one satyr kept working his way nearly free of his mental bonds.
Staring at the jagged mountains of the chart, she cursed, wishing again that she had immortal blood with which to control the five male captives completely. All she had was her own ancient spirit and the regular infusions of blue dragon blood to keep her mental powers strong. The satyrs had fought her at every step until she’d finally broken them. She didn’t need them sane, after all—just alive.