The War Within (Curse of the Gods Book 1)

by Danielle James

Ares stood to his full height and called on what little power he had left to call his sword of fire to his hand. In the blink of an eye, the flaming blade appeared. He stood tall and proud, his sword at the ready.

  Emma scampered back immediately from the heat of the flames. "What the hell?" She demanded as she nearly tripped over a chair.

  "I told you," Ares said, pride filling his voice.

  “Are you freaking kidding me?” she bellowed. “Shouldn’t you wait until the fourth or fifth date to drop that kind of crazy in someone’s lap? Or hell, you could have told me before I slept with you!”

  Ares extinguished his blade and moved toward her. She moved back until her back hit the wall. She was afraid of him. That was not something he wanted. “Emma,” he started.

  “No,” she interrupted, with her hand out in front of her in a stop motion. “Don’t come any closer. Don’t talk to me. Don’t come near me. Just go.”

  “Emma, will you please listen to me?” he took another step forward. She slunk back into the wall.

  “Please leave,” she commanded in a voice that belied her fear.

  Ares felt his breath leave his body and his chest sunk in. This was not how things were supposed to go. Didn’t she know that he would never hurt her? Apparently not. Maybe Athena was right. He fucked up everything he touched. With his shoulders sagging in defeat, Ares turned to give Emma what she wanted. He left. He knew exactly where he was going, too. His sister was going to pay and pay dearly for her dabbling in his affairs.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ares stared at the sign on the door. Jessica Lynn, licensed psychiatrist, it read. Had he really come to this? He was seeking professional help? Yeah, he guessed he was because he pushed the door open and went inside. The waiting area looked just as he expected, neutral color walls and carpet, with minimal furniture and what was there looked uncomfortable. He doubted his larger-than-the-average-man frame would even fit in any of the chairs. He glanced around the room, taking note that there was only one entrance and one exit. He also made mental note of any and all possible weapons. It was a habit he had formed long ago and was powerless to stop it now.

  “Sir,” the small woman behind the glass said to him, “Do you have an appointment?”

  Ares cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Uh, yeah,” he said, taking the few steps to the counter.

  The woman gave him a warm smile, as if she knew he was uncomfortable and she was trying to calm his nerves with her straight white teeth. Ares growled but said nothing.

  “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “Aaron Warson,” he lied. It would do him no good to tell her the truth.

  The receptionist typed away at her computer and then handed him a clipboard with several papers on it. “Fill these out and bring them back to me when you’re finished,” she told him.

  “Is this really necessary?” he asked her, flipping through the paperwork. It would take him all day to fill all that crap out.

  “I’m afraid so,” she answered him.

  She looked to the row of empty chairs behind Ares in an unspoken suggestion that he sit down and do as he was told. He shot the woman an unforgiving glare before turning his back and finding a seat. As luck would have it, there was a double seat available and Ares just barely fit in it. He crossed his ankle over his leg and started on the papers.

  Name. Okay, he could do that. He scrawled his alias on the paper and continued.

  Age. Somehow, he thought writing five thousand was not going to go over well. Instead, he wrote thirty-three.

  Address. Ares sighed.

  It was at this point that he began filling in the blanks with complete nonsense. Obviously, his real information would not do on these forms or any other. For a moment, Ares contemplated just leaving, but his warrior was at the forefront of his mind and she just would not go away. He had to find a way. Perhaps this doctor could help. Maybe prescribe him a pill that would make him forget her. Maybe she could hypnotize him. Something, anything, was better than constantly thinking about her.

  Ares took the falsified forms back to the receptionist and waited for her to call his name. And waited. And waited some more. He was the only one in the freaking waiting room! How long could this actually take? Just as he began to pace the floor, the door opened and a woman called his name. This woman was short and portly, but her eyes were sharp as an eagle’s, even if they were hidden behind glasses.

  Ares wasted no time following her into an office. “Just have a seat and make yourself comfortable,” she said. “I’m Dr. Lynn. It’s nice to meet you, Aaron.”

  Ares sat on the small sofa across from her desk and cringed at the use of his alias. He hated it, but it was as close to his real name as he could get.

  Dr. Lynn settled herself in a large, comfortable looking chair behind her desk. “Let’s start with just a few questions. First, let’s talk about what you want to gain from our time together.”

  Ares leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees. “I want to know how to make a woman fall in love with me,” he answered honestly.

  Dr. Lynn raised her brows at him. “I see. Why don’t you tell me a little bit about her?”

  With a heavy sigh, Ares opened his mouth. “She is all I can think about,” he said. “Everyday. Morning, noon and night. I see her face in my dreams. I see her lovely red hair and those piercing eyes. I see her pain and her strength. I see her delicious body and I can even taste her on my tongue still. I can’t even talk to her anymore. She keeps sending me away and she is the answer to breaking my curse! I need her! I just fought with my sister and damn it if I didn’t get all banged up because the bitch fights dirty and I have some respect for the female species.”

  “A curse,” Dr. Lynn repeated. “What kind of curse?”

  “The one that keeps me powerless!” Ares barked at her.

  “Don’t raise your voice to me!” she shouted back. “Get out of my office, this instant!”

  Ares knew what was happening. The doctor was feeling the effect of Ares being near. Everyone did. Even with his powers waning this human was susceptible. But he needed her help. He touched his talisman that hung around his neck. It was not only a symbol of the power he once held, but the wearer had immunity to his power. He held it tight in his fist for a moment, making a decision that would inadvertently change things for him. He pulled it off his neck and stepped toward the doctor.

  “I need you to wear this while we talk,” he said. “It’s important.”

  “I’ll do no such thing!” the doctor shouted, standing from her chair and back toward the door. Ares saw her pick up a letter opener from her desk and there was no doubt she intended to use it on him. It was now or never.

  He moved too fast for her to respond and slipped the corded talisman over her head. As soon as it settled on her chest, the woman began to calm.

  “I’m so sorry,” she told him, “I don’t know what came over me.” She felt the pendant that hung from her neck. “I can’t accept this,” she said.

  “It is not a gift,” he told her. “Only a solution to a problem I seem to have when I am around humans.”

  The doctor gave him a look that said she picked up on his use of the word human, but sat back down. She probably thought the necklace was part of some weird crazy person issue that Ares was experiencing.

  “I have to tell you the truth,” he began. “My name is Ares and I am the God of War. I escaped Olympus and came to Earth, but now I am stuck here with little power and a woman that is the answer to breaking the curse that binds me.”

  Dr. Lynn listened as Ares spilled all of it to her. He spared no details and when he was finished, he felt as though an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

  “So how can I fix this?” he finally asked her.

  She pulled her glasses off and laid them on her desk before massaging the bridge of her nose. “Aaron,” she started.

  “Ares,” he corrected her.

  “Yes, of course, Ares, I
think there needs to be more than one visit to treat your symptoms. First, in my professional opinion, we need to address your visions of grandeur and identity crisis. Then we can work on the broken heart syndrome.”

  Did she just say identity crisis? “No I need to claim her, now.”

  “I’m afraid that is just not possible,” Dr. Lynn told him. “Why don’t we meet again next week? Our time for today is over, but I would like to hear more about you.”

  Ares snarled at her. He should have known she would just think he was another crazy human man. He stalked past her to the door, but then stopped and backed up.

  “I’ll be needing that back,” he said, gesturing to the talisman.

  “Of course,” she answered, taking the cord from her neck and handing it to him. Ares snatched it out of her grasp and shoved the door open so hard that it banged against the outside wall. “Make an appointment for next week,” she said to his retreating back as he marched out of her office.

  Fat chance of that, he thought. She was exactly no help, what so ever.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ares stomped his way down 134th Street. What had he been thinking? Going to a therapist? Fat lot of good that did him. There had to be a way to convince Emma to break his curse. But how? Perhaps he had not seduced her properly. He had done everything right, hadn't he? He took her to dinner, walked around the city like a love struck fool, and still, here he was, damn near human. That damned curse was a strong one, that was for certain.

  He must do something. Every second he could feel his body dying. He was aging, for crying out loud! He had noticed that there were tiny wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. That, above all other human qualities, was unacceptable. Besides, he hated feelings, and he was damn sure having a lot of them lately.

  In fact, it had seemed to worsen the second he had crossed paths with Emma. It was like she was making the curse spiral out of control. Yes, he had to do something. If she was the key to breaking the curse, then perhaps seducing her was not the best route. Maybe she was a witch. Maybe it was in her blood. He briefly wondered how he could get a drop of her blood, and then realized he would have to cut her perfect skin to get it. The thought of causing her any pain, no matter how small, was unacceptable. There must be another way. He racked his brain as he subconsciously stalked to her apartment. One thing was for certain, he was never going to break the curse if he wasn’t around her. He needed to be near her, and that was exactly what he intended to do. He would get close to her. Charm her. Fuck her until she couldn’t see. Something. Anything. Anything but nothing.

  ***

  Emma leaned back in her chair and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She had been typing so long that her head was pounding and her hands and forearms felt like she had just taken gold, silver, and bronze in an all-night-jack-off-a-thon. Even though she had buried herself in work, Ares was still on her mind. Why couldn’t she just let him go? Why did he have to have such a big effect on her?

  She didn’t get to finish that line of questioning to herself because Athena barged right in the front door as if she lived there.

  “You must come with me,” the crazy woman demanded.

  Emma pushed her chair back and stood. “I have work to do and you have no right in my home,” Emma reminded her.

  Her cell phone was laying on the table next to her laptop and Emma eyed it, wishing she had picked it up. She should really call the cops. This woman was about six cards shy of a whole deck.

  “Your work is not important,” Athena said stiffly. “If you don’t come with me now, Ares will die. I need you to come willingly.”

  Emma opened her mouth to tell her she was full of shit, but, what if she wasn’t? What if Ares was in danger? “What’s happened?” she demanded.

  “No time to explain,” Athena said. “Come, now.”

  It really wasn’t any of her concern if Ares had gotten himself into trouble, which she was sure he did. She didn’t care, did she? Apparently she did because against her better judgment, Emma grabbed her shoes and followed Athena out of the apartment and across the street to Central Park. The woman was practically running and Emma had to jog to keep up with her much longer stride.

  “Not much further,” Athena said, leading Emma further into the walking paths. At this time of night, the park was almost empty, save for a few homeless people and the occasional couple out for a walk. As they veered further away from the public eye, Emma became wary. Or more wary than she had been before.

  “What is wrong with Ares?” she asked again, trying not to sound winded by the effort it took to keep up with her.

  “You’ll see,” Athena answered her.

  “No,” Emma told her, planting her feet. “I’m not taking another step until you tell me what in hell is going on.”

  Athena smiled at her and it wasn’t a friendly smile. “You’re about to find out,” she said, coming back toward Emma.

  Instinct took over and Emma took two steps back. “Tell me,” she said.

  Athena moved so fast Emma couldn’t track her. In the blink of an eye, she was standing behind Emma with a knife at her throat.

  “I told you, he needs you.” Athena grinned widely. “Ah, here he comes. Now you be a good little human and send him away. Do you understand?”

  Human? Like she would be anything else? Holy cow this whole family was nuts. However, the nut job was holding a knife to Emma’s jugular and she was surprisingly all about survival. At one time, Emma hadn’t had the will to live and would have welcomed death. It seemed that things had changed.

  “I understand,” she ground out between gritted teeth. One day, she was going to stab this psycho in the vag. Just not today.

  “Good. He’s coming and you had better play along,” Athena growled at her.

  Emma pressed her lips together. She should have been afraid, but in fact, she was pissed. She managed a small nod to let the psycho know that she understood.

  ***

  Ares was nearly there. He tried not to notice the way his body had begun to relax when his destination had come into view. He was nervous as sin, but he had to talk to Emma. He had to tell her everything. He knew in his heart that she was a good person and would do anything in her power to help him free himself of this blasted curse.

  As he cut through the park, a shortcut that took five minutes off his walk, the hairs on the back of his neck rose. Ares knew this feeling. He got it every time he went into battle. Something big was about to go down and he mentally prepared himself. Out of habit, he reached for his sword, cursing to find that it was not there. He couldn’t even summon it anymore. It wouldn’t be long before he was completely human and that thought just pissed him off.

  He rounded a bend in the walking path and stopped dead in his tracks. Athena was there, and she had Emma. All sorts of things went through his mind at that moment, the most prominent was a great big hell no.

  “Athena,” he snarled.

  “Hello brother,” she cooed at him. “I have a proposition for you.”

  Ares gnashed his teeth together and was helpless to stop the growl that rose up his throat. How dare she? How dare that woman take his warrior and threaten her? With his hands fisted at his sides, Ares stalked forward.

  “Ah, ah, ah,” Athena tisked at him. “Unless you want to see how easily this blade can slice into her pretty neck, I suggest you stay back.”

  She pushed the blade more firmly against Emma’s throat, enough to draw a tiny trickle of blood. Ares stopped in his tracks, unable to make himself put his warrior in further danger. He could see the pulse pounding in her neck, but to her credit, his warrior did not flinch. Of course she wouldn’t. She was the bravest soul he had ever met. She was pure and good, but she was also a New Yorker.

  “Now, you are going to listen to me. You and I are going back to Olympus. I am sick of acting like a human and what’s worse, now I am becoming one, just like you. But unlike you, I don’t want to. I am not willing to risk my immortality for one lowly
human woman.”

  Emma realized several things all at once. One: Ares was not as crazy as she had thought. As impossible as it seemed, he had been telling her the truth all along. It all made sense. The odd way he talked, the incredible physical strength that both he and his sister possessed, the way she felt around them, all pointed toward the truth. Two: his sister, Athena, was as crazy and as dangerous as she had suspected. Three: if she didn’t do something, the man she loved was going to waste away in old age and die.

  She had no doubt that he would choose her over his sister. That is the kind of thing that real love made people do, and Emma knew Ares loved her. But in doing so, he was giving up the very thing that made him who he was. Could she ask that of him? To change the essential core of his nature? The answer was simple. No, she couldn’t. This is why Emma had sworn off feelings for any significant other. The end result was always the same—heartbreak. She had to do something, though. She had to stop Ares from making a terrible decision that would haunt them both for the rest of their lives. If she did nothing, there was no way she could live with herself, assuming Athena didn't just go ahead and kill her for fun. Emma doubted she would have the will to live after all this, anyway.

  “I don’t care if you wither away and die, Athena,” Ares growled at Athena, completely unaware of the turmoil in Emma's head. “I won’t leave her.”

  Athena snorted. “Yes, you will.”

  “I belong here,” Ares informed her. “With Emma.”

  It was now or never. “No you don’t,” Emma said, softly. Athena and Ares both looked at her with surprise. “You belong on Mount Olympus with the other gods.”

  “I thought you didn’t believe me,” Ares said, feeling relief that she finally believed him and apprehension at the same time. What was she doing?

  “I do now,” Emma said. “And I want you to go home. Live forever. Start wars and mayhem. Be the God of War like you were created to be.”

  “But I want to stay with you,” he said quietly.

  Ares knew he sounded like a sap, but he was helpless to stop himself. He didn't care about Olympus, the other gods, or about war. Blood, fighting, and victory no longer held any interest to him. He wanted Emma.