Taming Darkness: Artemis Lupine #4

by Catherine Banks

  I turned to face the crowd and Zeus said, “All hail Princess Artemis, Heir to the Sidhe Throne!”

  The crowd dropped to their knees and bowed with their foreheads touching the ground, everyone except Victor, Ares and Draco Blu. Victor, Ares and Blu did bow their heads in respect though.

  I swallowed nervously and prayed that I could live up to their expectations. As long as Ares was by my side, I knew we could get through this together. Or so I hoped.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “No! I won’t allow him to be executed!” I yelled at Zeus.

  Zeus was trying to control his anger, but bits of his power flared. “He killed Achilles, the Prince of the Sidhe. There is no punishment, except death, harsh enough for such an act. If we let him off easy than others will attempt the same thing.”

  I turned to Ares who was sitting beside me. “There has to be something. Please. Help me.”

  Ares rubbed the stubble on his chin and said, “I might have an idea, but it’s not something we have used in generations. It was considered too barbaric by the Sidhe. It may be fitting for the current situation though.”

  Zeus looked at Ares a moment and exhaled. “Have you even talked to him? Do we even know if he wants to switch sides? He was a servant of Maurice’s.”

  “He didn’t know!” I said through clenched teeth. “Darren gave him to Maurice’s people to raise. He saved me and killed Darren and gave up after I died. That has to count for something.”

  Ares rested his hand on my arm and tried to calm me with our bond, but I pushed his hand off and paced across the room.

  “I will speak to him and determine if he is willing to pledge loyalty to Artemis. If he is, and he makes the vow, then will you agree to the punishment I speak of?” Ares asked.

  “I don’t even know the punishment,” I said in irritation.

  Ares whispered, “I was speaking to Zeus.”

  I blushed and looked down at my hands. “Oh.”

  Zeus frowned a moment and then exhaled. “The others will not like it, but I do believe it is a severe enough punishment. Speak with him and return. Artemis and I need to discuss other matters anyways.”

  Ares nodded his head, kissed my cheek and left. I sat down in the chair next to Zeus and exhaled. “I don’t like making decisions.”

  Zeus laughed. “It gets easier with age and practice.”

  “That is hard to believe,” I muttered.

  “Artemis, as heir you do not have to make decisions, but I think it would be good for you to at least weigh in on the topics and listen to Hera and I making decisions. You know that you won’t need to take over our reign until we die, which won’t be for a long time unless there are extenuating circumstances.”

  “Can we not talk about your deaths? There has been enough already.”

  He rested his hand on my shoulder and smiled. “Soon we will finish this war and you will raise your child in happy times.”

  I rested my hand on my stomach and asked, “What if I can’t do it? What if I can’t defeat Maurice?”

  “There is not a doubt in my mind that you will. He has grown arrogant these past one hundred years. You will be able to defeat him. You just have to figure out how.”

  He made it sound like it was a simple task. How do you kill a vampire who is the second most powerful in the world? Fire, but that would mean getting close enough and cornering him to use it. Plus, I was sure that he had ways to protect himself from fire if he had survived this long.

  “Artemis,” Zeus said softly, “Why don’t you go rest? We can discuss everything else later.”

  I was tired, but there was too much at stake. Too much that still needed to be done, like killing Maurice. I had thought many times about popping back into his chambers and toasting him and popping back out, without anyone knowing. But I couldn’t risk my life like I had been willing to before. It was strange to know a being was growing and living inside me, but I had accepted it and vowed to be the best mother that I could be.

  “Alright, I’ll rest, but we still need to figure out our plan for attacking Maurice. The world has lived in darkness too long and I don’t want to raise my child in it,” I said to Zeus as I stood up. I stopped at the door and said, “I do have one more question though.”

  “What is it?” Zeus asked.

  “Why did you make me heir when Ares was already the next in line? Why isn’t he now the heir?” Zeus had held a feast in his honor, naming Ares an heir to the throne so it did not make sense to me.

  “Normally Ares would have become the next heir for the Dark Throne, but that still left the Light Throne open. Ares, Hera and I discussed it and we all agreed that you were the best person to be our heir, besides, Ares is your mate so naturally he would be your King which would still allow him to be heir.”

  I frowned. “So Hera did not want Ares to be heir to her throne is what you are saying.”

  Zeus exhaled. “My wife holds grudges and unfortunately Ares has received much of her wrath because of my indiscretion with his mother. She is making strides to stop being so one sided when it comes to Ares, but it will take her time. This is a great step for her though.”

  Great was not really the word I was thinking, but I let it pass.

  Koda followed me out of the room and towards Ares’ old chambers, which Zeus had given us. “How are you feelin’ Darlin’?”

  He was always asking me that. Ever since I had returned from being dead he had renewed his job as my guard and stuck to me like glue. “I’m fine, Koda, just tired and queasy.”

  “Do you want me to get a healer?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “It’s just morning sickness. Maybe I need to try to eat something?”

  “I’ll get her some food,” Victor said from beside me.

  I refrained from jumping or yelling in surprise, but knew I couldn’t lie to him mentally since he could read minds. “Not funny,” I said to him.

  Victor smiled. “I didn’t mean to startle you. What would you like to eat?”

  He had also been incredibly nice to me since I had returned, not that he wasn’t always nice, but everyone treated me differently now that I was pregnant. Like I was a porcelain doll that needed to be pampered or I would start crying.

  “Fruits and cheeses would be nice,” I said with a smile, “Thank you.”

  He kissed my cheek and then disappeared in a flash, using his ability to teleport. If only I could use that ability to my advantage against Maurice.

  Koda pushed open the door to the bedroom and I waited patiently as he searched inside to ensure that it was safe for me to enter. It frustrated me that he insisted on doing this since I was more powerful than him and extremely capable of protecting myself. I hadn’t died because I was careless.

  My throat constricted at the memory of Achilles’ death and tears filled in my eyes. Koda stepped out to tell me it was safe and saw my face. “Darlin’, let’s lie down while we wait for Victor to return.”

  I nodded my head and wiped at my eyes, but that seemed to only open the flood gates. Koda took my hand, led me to the bed and curled up around me as soon as I lay down. “I know it hurts. I’m sorry.”

  “I miss him so much,” I whispered. And I felt awful for how our relationship had been. I had loved him, but not the way he had deserved. I had tortured him emotionally and physically with our bond that we never sealed.

  “He wouldn’t want you to blame yourself,” Victor said as he set a tray of food down at the end of the bed and touched my arm. “He knows why you made the choices that you did and he never blamed you.”

  If anyone else would have said it I wouldn’t have believed them, but Victor was one of the few who actually knew what people were thinking and feeling. “Will it ever stop hurting?”

  “No,” Victor said seriously.

  “Victor,” Koda said in shock.

  Victor smiled, “No, it will never stop, but it will turn into a low ache that you can deal with. You must focus on the positive memories. Remember h
ow much he loved you and how much you loved him. Remember the fun times you had together and soon it will be bearable.”

  “He’s right,” Koda said, “As much as I loved Matt, now his death is simply a dull ache within my chest. If you focus on the good times, you can get through it.”

  “Come and eat. The baby is sure to be hungry,” Victor said as he softly tugged on my hand.

  I sat up and did as he asked. “Thank you.”

  Victor sat in one of the chairs in the room and closed his eyes. “You are welcome.”

  “Victor?”

  “Hm?”

  “The prophecy says that I am the one to restore the balance of good and evil, but it doesn’t specifically say who is supposed to kill Maurice. He’s your father and… Are you planning on killing him or should I be?”

  Victor kept his eyes closed, but his lips lifted up into a wide smile, showing the lower part of his fangs. “As the next in line for the throne it doesn’t matter if I kill him or not, but I would prefer if I killed him. However, he has caused you an enormous amount of misery, so I would understand if you wanted to kill him.”

  “That didn’t answer my question,” I said, eating some of the food he had bought me.

  He shrugged and folded his hands in his lap. “We shall see when the battle starts, mon papillon. Then we shall decide.”

  I couldn’t argue with that so I lay down and Koda wrapped himself around me again. “Sleep, Artemis. Sleep and I will protect you.”

  “Two weeks,” I whispered, “I want to fight Maurice and his group in two weeks.”

  “We will discuss it later,” Koda said sternly, “Rest or I’ll call Hades in here.”

  “Alright,” I said as I snuggled against him. “Koda, promise me something?”

  “Anything,” he whispered.

  “Don’t let Ares die.”

  “Darlin’ I’ve been trying to keep him alive since I was ten.”

  “I’m not strong enough to raise this child without him. I can’t lose anyone else. I can’t lose Ares or you.”

  “Go to sleep, Artemis,” he whispered, “Everyone will be safe while you sleep.”

  I closed my eyes and sighed. “Okay, but only for an hour or two.”

  ***

  “Artemis,” Ares whispered as he ran his hand along my stomach. “Wake up, Sunshine.”

  “So tired,” I whispered as I opened my eyes.

  Ares smiled down at me. “I know, but you need to eat. It sounds like the baby is roaring in your stomach.”

  I sat up and then fell back. My body was burning up, like I was covered in blankets. “It’s so hot,” I whispered.

  Ares ran his hand over my forehead and then yelled, “Healer!”

  The healer from the feast Zeus had thrown for us hurried into the room. She put her hand on my head and stomach and frowned. “She has a strange illness. We must get rid of this fever before it begins to affect the baby.”

  “Ares,” I whispered as the healer began chanting, “Don’t leave me.”

  He gripped one of my hands with his and stroked my hair. “Never.”

  After a few moments the fever began to dissipate and the strange lightheadedness I’d been feeling disappeared. “How do you feel?” the healer asked me.

  “Much better, thank you,” I said as Ares helped me sit up and handed me a cup of water to drink.

  “Ares, a word please,” the healer said as she headed towards the door.

  Ares kissed my hand and followed the healer outside the chambers. Even though I had slept for at least three hours, I felt exhausted again. What was wrong with me? Preternaturals never get sick. Was there something wrong with the baby?

  Ares stepped back into the room and smiled at me. “Don’t worry. She said the baby is perfectly healthy and you are now as well.”

  He was telling the truth. I exhaled. “Okay.”

  “But, she did order you to stay in bed today.”

  “All day?” I asked in shock.

  He nodded his head. “Yes. She doesn’t want you overexerting yourself and possibly hurting the baby.”

  “What good is it to be a preternatural if I can’t even get out of bed?” I said grumpily.

  He sat down next to me and began massaging my shoulders. “With your metabolism, whatever got into your system will be gone soon. Plus, it gives us an excuse to cuddle all day,” he said as he continued his massage.

  “Maybe it’s not so bad after all,” I murmured as I relaxed more and more from his expert hands.

  Ares kissed the back of my shoulder and moved his hands down to my back. “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  “Yes, but I don’t want you to leave,” I admitted to him.

  “I won’t. I’ll just summon Koda.”

  “Where is he?” I asked, shocked he hadn’t stayed glued to my side.

  “I sent him away when I came in. I wanted some alone time with you.”

  “Alone time? What’s that?” I asked as I leaned back against him.

  He wrapped his arms around my upper chest and sighed. “Yes, it is a very scarce commodity for us. Soon, we will end this war and then we will have all the alone time we want.”

  “You’re dreaming,” I told him. “With you as Alphas of the Werewolves and me as Heir to the Sidhe thrones, we will never have alone time.”

  Ares laughed. “I suppose you’re right. That just means that we have to treasure every alone moment we have.”

  “You summoned?” Koda asked as he walked in.

  “Can you get me some food? I’m on bed rest so I can’t get up.”

  “Bed rest?” he asked with worry evident in his voice.

  “Easy, she just had a fever and the healer wanted to be sure the baby and her were fine so she ordered bed rest,” Ares said reassuringly as he ran his hands down my arms.

  “What do you want to eat?” Koda asked.

  I thought about some of my options and then nausea spiked and I had to jump up and run to the bathroom and throw up. “Crackers and water would be good,” Ares told Koda as he came to me and pulled my hair back.

  My stomach finally stopped convulsing, but I was still exhausted so I just leaned against the toilet. “I’m so glad Zeus has indoor plumbing,” I whispered.

  Ares laughed softly and stroked my back. “Who do you think invented it?”

  “How’s Apollo?” I asked him as I leaned back against his chest.

  “He’s fine.”

  “Did he agree to whatever it was you and Zeus were talking about?”

  Ares rested his chin on top of my head. “I gave him until tomorrow to decide.”

  “And what exactly is he deciding to?”

  “It’s difficult to explain, but basically he would be pledging himself to my service for the rest of his life.”

  “You’re making him a slave?” I asked, horrified.

  “He would only be a slave by the spell, but I wouldn’t actually force him to be a slave for us.”

  “That’s awful,” I whispered as I pulled away from Ares and stood up, gripping the sink to keep from falling from my dizziness.

  “It’s the only way Zeus will allow him to continue to live. It’s either that or he’s killed for his crimes,” Ares said matter-of-factly.

  I brushed my teeth and then walked back to bed, lying on my side. Why were things always so easy for Ares. Kill or be killed. Punish him by death or slavery. I couldn’t think that way all the time. Especially not about people I loved.

  “I want to attack Maurice in two weeks,” I told him.

  “So soon?” he asked as he settled behind me. “I had hoped you would allow more time for you to recuperate.”

  “I want this war over before the baby is born. I want the world to have some semblance of balance before we bring a newborn into it,” I told him.

  Ares rested his hand on my stomach and sighed happily. “I hope it’s a boy.”

  I laughed. “All men want boys.”

  “That’s because we want to raise a man t
o take our place.”

  “Well I don’t care what gender it is, I just want it to be healthy and safe.”

  “I’ll rip off anyone’s arm who even tries to touch it,” Ares said with a menacing growl.

  “I’m sure no one would be that stupid.”

  Ares kissed my neck. “Many have tried to hurt you,” he whispered.

  I closed my eyes as I relaxed against him. “Yes, and we’ve killed them all.”

  “Not all, we still have Maurice.”

  “Yes, Maurice, but soon enough I’ll kill him.”

  “I don’t want you fighting. I can’t lose you and our baby again,” he whispered as he rubbed my stomach and kissed my neck. “I’ll go crazy and Zeus will have to put me down,” he said seriously.

  I set my hand on top of his on my stomach. “I must fight. I must right the balance. I must end Maurice’s life.”

  “Can’t we wait at least until after you have the baby?” he suggested. “Then if you are determined to fight we could ensure our child was safe somewhere.”

  “Food’s here,” Koda said as he entered the room again with a tray of cheese and crackers. “I figured you would be ready to eat by now.”

  I sat up and took a piece of cheese, chewing on the soft goodness. “Thank you.”

  Koda sat down on the end of the bed and looked at Ares. “Mother is here,” he said softly, “She asked to see you privately.”

  Ares sighed softly. “I was hoping not to have to deal with this until later. Did she seem mad?”

  Koda shrugged. “Not particularly.”

  “I’m not leaving Artemis’ side so bring her here to our chambers. I’m sure we can manage to be civil,” Ares said.

  Koda nodded his head and then looked at me. “You alright now? You need anything else?”

  “There aren’t any Sprites lying around are there?” I asked hopefully, but already knew the answer.