by Maggie Walsh
Jesse saw movement from behind the bookshelf. It was Ryland. He was dragging something behind him as he moved down the aisle away from the fire. Ryland gently placed the item on the floor and began to chant, a golden spear appeared in his hand. He stood to his full height and peered over the bookshelf, brought his arm back, took aim and released the spear. It flew through the orange flicker of light illuminating the room and hit the bearded man in the thigh, driving straight through.
“Ahh! You will pay for that, fae pig!” the man screamed as he grabbed the spear and tried to pull it from his flesh. Another golden spear flew through the air and impaled the man in his right side. He screamed out as his body flinched.
“You will never hurt my boys, Minos! I will take you to hell with me first before I allow you to harm one hair on their heads! You can take everything from me, but I will never stop fighting you for my boys!” Another spear sailed through the air, but this time Minos was ready for it, and he waved his hand, sending the weapon flying away from him.
A blast of power struck Minos in the chest, and he was thrown back against the wall, writhing in pain as he screamed out with jaw clenched.
“Ada! You can come out now!” Jesse called into the room. “I have immobilized him!”
“Jesse! What the hell are you doing here?! Get out now before it’s too late! This whole realm is about to collapse in on itself and if you’re here when it does, then you will be gone, too,” Ryland called back.
“We’ve come to help you and Dare! Come, Ada, before he can move!”
“I have Dare here with me, Jesse. But you and whoever you brought with you must leave now before it’s too late.”
“We won’t leave you, Father!”
“Awe, how fucking sweet, and pathetic!” Minos called out. “I knew you were too weak to hold the powers of the Heart. You let your emotions get in the way and put yourself in danger. I knew you would come to try to save Ryland’s useless life. Now I have you right where I wanted you, Heart,” Minos sneered. “Please, all of you come in and join the party. There’s plenty of pain to go around. I have only just started with his hide. Practice for when you arrived, Heart.”
“I’m not afraid of you, asshole. Do your worst,” Jesse called back.
“Jesse!” Micah hissed and grabbed Jesse’s arm. “Don’t piss off the psycho demigod until we have Ryland and Dare out of here.”
“It’s not Ryland he’s after. He set this whole thing up to draw me here. While I keep him busy, get Dare and my father out of here.”
“Like that’s gonna happen? I am not letting you face this demented man on your own,” Micah seethed.
“I can take him, Micah. I know I can. Please get everyone else out of here,” Jesse pleaded.
“No, baby. We do this together, remember?”
“You know, I could have killed you both ten times over as you had your little lover’s quarrel,” Minos announced with glee.
“Then why didn’t you?” Jesse called back, giving Minos his full attention. “It’s because you know you can’t actually defeat me. That’s it, isn’t it? You talk big and you puff out your chest, but you can’t actually hurt me, can you?”
“I will destroy you, Heart,” Minos growled between clenched teeth.
“I would like to see you try! Die, motherfucker!” Jesse yelled out.
Minos’s back slammed against the wall again from the force of Jesse’s call. He writhed and screamed, then slumped against the wall and panted heavily. His head snapped in Jesse’s direction and his cold, dark eyes met Jesse’s. “Nice try, Heart. But you can’t wish a demigod death. That may work on all other creatures, but it doesn’t work on one of us or a god.” Minos released a low, maniacal laugh, and he pulled away from the wall and straightened.
“Jesse,” Noah whispered and moved next to Jesse.
“Oh look, Ryland’s pathetic little loser of a son. I will take you as my own personal plaything for a few centuries before I kill you. My brother Malachi says you’re one of the best pieces of ass he ever had. I think I’ll be my own judge on that once I have you chained to my bed.”
Jesse turned to Noah and brought their faces close together. “Don’t let him know who you really are, Noah,” Jesse whispered so only Noah could hear him. “Whatever you do, don’t let him find out about you or the baby. We need to have a few tricks up our sleeve with this one. Let’s get Dare and Ada out of here and safely back home, and we’ll fully deal with him another time.” Noah nodded.
Jesse turned back to face Minos. “I won’t let you kill my father or anyone else I love. And I won’t let you destroy this realm. Stop the bullshit. You want me? Come and get me!” Jesse lifted off the floor and raised up until he was of equal height to Minos.
“Gabriel, do your thing. Get Noah to Ryland and Dare and then Noah can get them out of here,” Jesse said using the pack link. Gabriel grabbed Noah’s arm and suddenly he and Noah disappeared.
“That’s a nice parlor trick, Heart. Being able to speak to those filthy beasts inside your head can be very useful, but it will only delay the inevitable. I will get your loser brother one of these days, mark my words.”
Gabriel moved him and Noah to where Ryland was hiding as Jesse distracted Minos. Once there, he made him and Noah visible again. Ryland’s eyes went wide from their sudden appearance. Gabriel covered Ryland’s mouth quickly with his hand before Ryland gave them away. He placed a finger to his lips to shush Ryland. Gabriel turned to Noah. “Get them out of here,” he whispered.
“But what about the rest of you?” Ryland whispered.
“Jesse has a plan to get us out of here and to save what’s left of your realm until we can find a way to fix it. Believe in him, Ryland,” Gabriel pleaded. Ryland nodded his agreement. Noah placed one hand on Ryland’s arm and the other on Dare’s unconscious body. Noah began to chant, and the three of them disappeared. Gabriel used his gift and became invisible again. He made his way back over to the others, but remained unseen.
“You talk a good talk, Minos, yet I only see you blowing hot air around,” Jesse provoked.
“And you think far too much of yourself, Heart,” Minos sneered.
“I don’t think of myself at all, fucktard. When are you going to get that through your head? I think of others. I think of the ones I love. That’s why I fight. That’s why I will keep fighting until you are destroyed.”
“Enough of all this sappy mumbo jumbo. Say good-bye to your precious father. I’ll make sure he has a very uncomfortable final destination in hell.”
“Gabe?” Jesse asked in the link.
“Done,” Gabe answered using the link.
“Go ahead, asshole. Let’s see what you’ve got,” Jesse taunted mischievously.
The shock was evident on Minos’s face momentarily as his head flinched back in surprise. Then an evil smirk grew across his lips. He raised his hands and clapped them together with such force the room shook. When he drew them apart, a blue orb began to grow between them. Once the orb grew to the size of a basketball, he pushed it away from himself and out toward the bookshelves where Ryland was hiding. The orb sailed across the space and smashed into the wooden structure. The shelves exploded, sending shards of wood and shredded books everywhere.
Everyone remained still and just watched as all the pieces floated through the air and slowly fell to the floor. Once the smoke cleared, Minos’s eyes went wide in shock as he saw that Ryland and Dare were gone. He growled out his frustration and turned his angry eyes toward Jesse.
But it was too late. Jesse and the others used the distraction to their advantage. Minos was left in an empty room. “I may have underestimated you, Heart. But I will not make the same mistake again.”
“You already did, asshole.” Jesse’s voice came from beside him. Minos turned his head toward the voice, but couldn’t see Jesse. A white-hot pain grabbed his skull and Minos cried out. He could feel a presence entering his mind, trying to take control. He grabbed his head between both his hands as he t
ried to fight against it. A loud buzzing began to grow within his brain, like a thousand locusts. Suddenly his body was slammed back against the wall with such force that it made an indent in the stone. He opened his eyes to slits to see what had captured him and found the Heart, the Guardian, the Prime, and the vampire king standing in front of him.
The vampire king was staring at him as his hand lay upon the top of his head. The Heart, Guardian, and Prime were all pushing his body back against the wall and he couldn’t break free. He watched as the Prime lifted a fisted hand and punched him square in the jaw. He could hear and feel bones crack as the pain radiated through his head. The Prime continued to pummel his body with the force of a freight train and bone could be heard snapping.
“I may not be able to defeat you right now, Minos, but I grow stronger every day. We grow stronger every day. Remember this face, for it is the face that will stop you at every turn. It is the face that will defeat you and send your damned soul to hell for eternity,” Jesse said in his face. “Now, Gabriel!” Jesse yelled. Suddenly everything in the room stopped except for Jesse, Minos, and Gabriel. Jesse laid his hands on Micah and Dante as Gabriel laid his on Jesse and Taylor.
Minos remained where he was, moaning in pain, panting, as he watched them all disappear. He leaned heavily against the wall as he looked around and saw that everything that he had done to make the fae realm disappear was now frozen in time. He knew only the one who cast the time spell could break it. He had failed. Ryland was still alive and his precious realm sat here, waiting to be remade. The Heart was much more powerful than he had ever imagined. Not only could he kill on command and resurrect life, but he could also stop time and freeze it until he was ready to unfreeze it.
Minos pushed away from the wall and slowly lowered himself to the floor below. He walked with great effort across the room toward the door. Everything his shoes touched remained frozen beneath his feet. He needed to heal, regroup, and come up with a bigger plan of attack. He needed to figure out a way to defeat the Heart.
* * * *
Noah popped into the pack house foyer with Ryland and Dare. The room was in chaos as Phenex was yelling out commands and cursing. Storm and Bastian were standing by the stairs talking softly to each other as Aaron sat on the bottom step with Raith. The enforcers were spread out throughout the room talking with some of the Legion, while others were on their cell phones.
“Help,” Noah called out. The room grew quiet and still as all eyes turned to the softly spoken plea. Suddenly a bustle of bodies came his way, and Noah flinched back, afraid he would be trampled.
“Noah!” Storm cried out as he a Bastian rushed to Noah’s side, Aaron and Raith on their heels. Phenex got to them first and grabbed Ryland up into his arms, holding his mate tight. “Never again, dearheart. Do you hear me? Never again do you go off in battle without me.”
Ryland returned the hug and kissed Phen’s neck. “I promise, my love.”
“Noah, are you okay?” Bastian asked in concern as he and Storm surrounded Noah, pressing their bodies against his as they wrapped their arms around him.
“Yes, Bastian. I okay,” Noah answered as he soaked in all the love and comfort of his mates.
“Don’t you ever fucking do that to us again, Noah. Do you hear me? I have the mind to put you over my knee and spank you,” Storm said gruffly as he buried his tear-streaked face in Noah’s soft blue hair and held him tight.
“I sorry, Stormy. But I help.”
“I don’t care about that, sweetheart. I care about you staying safe. I care about you keeping our child safe.”
“What?” Ryland asked in surprise. He pulled away from Phenex and sat back on the floor next to Noah. Noah pulled from his mates and met his father’s eyes, giving him a shy smile. Ryland looked at Noah in awe and reached out a hand, placing it on Noah’s flat stomach. “A grandchild?” Noah nodded as tears filled his eyes. Tears grew within Ryland’s eyes as well as he gave Noah a big happy smile. He wrapped his arms around Noah and pulled him in for a hug.
“Can some of you big guys help me get Dare to the medical wing please?” Aaron asked.
Ryland pulled back from Noah and looked to Dare and Aaron. “He was hit in the chest with an energy blast as he jumped in front of me to save me.”
“What do I do to help him?” Aaron asked as they all stood up. Laylen picked Dare up from the floor and started down the hall.
“He mainly just needs to rest. Having his mates nearby will help too,” Ryland explained.
“Lay, put him in the bed next to Dale please,” Aaron instructed as they left the room.
Everyone turned to Noah. “Where are the others?”
“Jesse had plan to piss demigod off and distract him, so I could get Ada and Dare away. He knew demigod ego bigger than a mountain,” Noah giggled.
“So then what happened?” Phenex asked, wrapping his arms around Ryland’s waist.
“I no know. Plan was to freeze fae realm. Stop time around it so demigod no longer destroy. Then make demigod feel pain.”
Suddenly a flash of light exploded in the room and Jesse, Micah, Dante, Taylor, and Gabriel appeared.
“Now that’s how you make an entrance.” Lexi snickered.
“Are you all okay? What happened? Where’s Minos?” Ryland asked.
“We’ll explain everything. Let’s go have a seat and a cup of coffee,” Micah offered.
“Where’s Dare?” Dante asked.
“Aaron just brought him in to lie down with Dale,” Raith explained.
“I take it you all can fill them in? I have two mates to go to.”
“Of course, Dante. Go to your mates,” Micah answered. Dante left down the back hall, and everyone followed to go to the kitchen.
Chapter 12
“Micah, come quick!” Xander’s voice yelled from the other side of the door as a fist pounded on it.
“I’m trying to come. Not too quick, of course,” Micah said as he looked up with mischief at his beautiful mate riding his cock.
“You’re so bad sometimes, babe,” Jesse said as he panted. He arched his back, threw his head back against his shoulder blades, laid his hands behind him on Micah’s thighs, and quickened his pace, riding Micah hard as he moaned to the ceiling. “Should I stop, babe?”
“Don’t you fucking dare, baby,” Micah growled out. He tightened his grip on Jesse’s waist as he thrust up into his mate. “Whatever it is can wait. I don’t want to miss one second inside your body. Oh fuck, baby. I will never get enough of you.”
“I’m coming, Micah!” Jesse screamed out.
“Oh yeah. Come for me, baby. Come on my cock. Let me feel you grab me tight,” Micah said between clenched teeth. Jesse raised and lowered a few more times before he shouted his release to the heavens. Micah joined him a second later as he shot his seed deep inside his mate’s silken cave.
* * * *
“You two sure took your time,” Raith snickered as he met them in the hall in the medical wing.
“We were in the middle of something very important,” Micah answered with a shit eating grin.
“I’m sure you were.” Raith laughed and shook his head at them.
“So what was so important?” Micah asked as the three walked down the hall.
“I think you may want to see this for yourself,” Raith hedged and stopped in front of Papa Angel’s door. He grabbed the knob and swung the door open. Micah’s eyes went wide at the sight in the room. He and Jesse stepped in and slowly approached the crowd gathered there.
Papa Angel was sitting on the couch. Raffy and Ash were sitting on either side of him, and the rest of the pack were seated all around on chairs and the floor as they listened to Papa Angel tell a story. Phenex sat in one of the chairs across from the couch, with Ryland on his lap. Some of the fae and Legion Warriors stood around, also listening and laughing with everyone else.
“Dad?” Micah said softly as he approached.
Papa Angel stopped speaking and turned his head in
Micah’s direction. Their eyes met and Micah received one of the biggest, brightest smiles. “My boy,” Papa Angel said with pride.
Micah moved to stand in front of his father and dropped to his knees before him. Papa Angel grabbed his hands and gave them a quick squeeze before releasing them and wrapping his arms around Micah, bringing him in for a tight hug. Micah returned the hug and held onto his father. After a few minutes, the two pulled apart and Papa Angel’s eyes shifted over Micah’s shoulder.
“This must be the wonderful Jesse I have heard so much about. You’re even more stunning than everyone said.” Jesse gave him a shy smile and looked down as a blush rose over his cheeks.
“Hey, old man. No trying to poach my man,” Micah teased and stood up. He wrapped his arm around Jesse’s waist, bringing their bodies together.
“I would never dream of it, son. And something tells me that there is no creature in all of the god’s creation that could turn your mate’s head away from you. You have truly been blessed, Micah. I am very happy for you.”
“Well then, let’s make this official. Alpha Raphael Angel, may I introduce to you Jesse Angel. My husband, my mate, my heart, my life. Jesse, this ornery old coot is my father.”
“Ornery old coot? Listen here, son, I may be older than you, but I am not too old to take you over my knee and spank you.”
“Oh, I would pay to see that,” Taylor piped up, raising his hand in excitement.
“Sweet baby,” Gabriel admonished softly.
“Maybe another day, Tay,” Micah said with a chuckle.
“Damn. Don’t tell me now that all the papas are here that we have to behave?” Taylor said with a pout as he crossed his arms over his chest and slouched back against Gabriel’s chest.
“Never. What would be the fun in that, young Guardian?” Papa Angel said and gave Taylor a smirk.
“Yay, because I don’t think I can ever do that.”
Micah gave Taylor a smile as he shook his head, and then turned his attention back to his father. “So, all joking aside, how are you feeling, Dad?”