by Lia Davis
****
Markus cupped the back of Gwen’s head and pressed his lips to hers. A surprised gasp escaped her. He used that to thrust his tongue into her mouth, filling her the only way he dared. What he really wanted to do was throw her over his desk and bury his cock deep inside her.
A crash from the foyer made him break the kiss.
With a deep growl, he released Gwen’s waist, grabbed her hand, and tugged her to the study door. He yanked it open and froze.
Maxwell, their butler for more than a century, stood holding up a female, who was bleeding from her side. Long red hair caked with dirt blocked her face. Behind him Gwen gasped and pulled her hand from his. When she tried to go to the woman, Markus gripped her upper arm, stopping her.
Gwen stared at him, still angry with him. “She needs medical attention.”
“Are you a doctor?”
Letting out a feminine, yet human growl, she jerked out of his hold to go to the woman. Markus was quick on her heels. He stopped within arm’s reach of Maxwell and the woman, hooked a finger under her chin and lifted it so he could peer into her face. The moment he touched her skin, he felt her power reach out to his.
Fuck. This wasn’t good.
She was a descendent, and her powers had been unlocked.
“Who did this to you?”
Meeting Markus’s glance, she took a breath, then winced as if it hurt to breath. “Hunters…”
Gwen touched his arm, drawing his attention away from the descendent. “Please, can we get her medical attention? Then you can question her.”
Just then Ty skidded into the room. “Fuck me.”
Markus turned to him and frowned. Ty stood in the archway between the foyer and the great room staring at the woman. Anger, confusion, hurt, and a hint of compassion flashed over his features in a rapid slideshow of emotions.
Looking back at the woman, Markus noted how she glanced back at Ty as if he’d bite her without a moment’s notice. She was right to be leery of him. Ty was not the gentlest of men.
“Sire?” Maxwell said in his British ascent.
Markus gave a short nod and stepped forward to take the female from the butler, but Ty beat him to it. Markus’s brother didn’t say a word, simply lifted the woman in his arms and started up the stairs.
Markus followed and heard Gwen’s light footsteps behind him. Not bothering to tell her to stay put, he let her come.
His curiosity spiked when Ty entered the room next to his and laid the woman on the bed. A moment later one of the two nymphs that took care of the housekeeping entered the room and quickly went to work on assisting the woman.
Thea and Ariel were gifts from Aphrodite—two of her best nymphs—and were very loyal and helpful in many ways. The female nymphs were born on Olympus and could aid in healing mortal wounds. They could also cook, which most likely saved he and his brothers’ lives on more than one occasion.
Thea turned to them, her ice blue eyes accusing, and gestured for them to back up. “Give us room, please.”
Ty growled, only making Thea fold her arms over her chest and glared at him. After a moment she sighed. “Trust us, dragon. We will not harm your female.”
Something flashed over his features too fast for Markus to gauge what it was. Ty took a step toward Thea. “She is not my female.”
Thea rolled her eyes and went back to tending the woman’s wounds.
Once they’d cleaned her up, Ariel stopped at the door and glanced back at Markus. “Her name is Ashlynn, and she’s Artemis’s daughter.”
For all that is holy and then some. Markus was speechless as he studied the peacefully resting Ashlynn. This was not happening. A first generation demi-goddess with her full powers just so happened to stumble into their home by chance? He thought not.
“Ty, gather the others. We need to decide what to do with the female.” Markus had his suspicions about her and her loyalty to her mother.
Chapter Ten
Markus sat at the corner bar in the great room and downed a shot of bourbon. “My first thought was she works with Garrick and was sent here to spy on us.”
Next to him Drake sat with a beer in his hand. “I agree. Why else would she have come into her powers? Only the gods themselves can unlock a descendant’s powers.”
Across the room, Seth spoke from the oversized armchair. “Whoever stabbed her also beat her. Maybe she escaped.”
Ty shook his head. “I don’t like her here. She needs to leave.”
Raking his fingers through his hair, Markus blew out a breath and wished he’d told Zavier to sit in on this meeting instead of babysitting Ashlynn. “I hear each of you and understand. But we can’t just let her leave. She could very well run straight to Garrick and expose Gwen and Elle.”
Drake set his beer down on the bar top hard enough the sound echoed through the downstairs of the estate. “As much as I don’t like it, I have to agree. Therefore, she stays. We’ll have to make her talk and keep an eye on her.”
“We can’t watch her 24/7.” Ty snorted.
Markus met his brother’s gaze and felt his lips lift on one side. “No, but she will not leave the house. You will be in charge of that.”
Ty opened his mouth, then closed it before he turned and stormed out the room.
Setting his drink glass down, Markus stood. “I’ll see if Gwen can help get the female to talk.”
It was Drake who asked, “What makes you so sure she’d talk to Gwen?”
Without turning around, he replied, “Because she’s a female and I am confident that Gwen could get Ashlynn to talk.” Markus exited the living room before his brothers could ask any more questions. His main focus turned to Gwen, who was in a room with a female he didn’t know or trust and with Zavier. Although out of all Markus’s brothers, Z was the one he confided in the most.
There were boundaries that they’d never cross with each other. Gwen was one of those boundaries.
He opened the bedroom door and surveyed the room. Ashlynn slept peacefully in the bed. In the far corner of the room, Zavier and Gwen huddled over a laptop, their chairs so close together that the arms touched.
A growl escaped Markus, drawing both their heads up. Zavier shifted the laptop so it sat in front of him and slid his chair away from Gwen.
Gwen, however, just glared at him for a moment, then pointed at the computer and said, “Zavier broke my father’s code.”
Markus stared at her, not believing how unaffected by his aggression she’d become in such a short time.
Zavier stood, closed the laptop and turned to Gwen. “I’ll load the files to a spare tablet so you can read them.”
“Thank you.” She offered him a warm smile.
Z nodded once, then left the room.
Gwen stood and started toward the door. Markus grabbed her arm, stopping her and making her meet his gaze. A hint of fear passed over her expression, but it was gone almost as fast as it appeared. A sense of joy fluttered in his chest and he smiled. Could she be trying to trust him?
“Go change into more comfortable clothes and meet me in the basement.”
She pulled out of his grasp and took a step back. “Why?”
“Because you are about to have your first lesson in self-defense.”
“I took self-defense classes. I need to know how to fight a dragon.”
Leaning in, he growled, “Basement. Ten minutes.”
Before he did something stupid, like haul her to his bedroom and pleasure her until she screamed his name, he left the room, annoyance running heavy in his veins.
That female was going to kill him before the week was up.
****
Gwen stormed into the giant gym in the basement, and let the door slam shut behind her. The gym took up a little more than half of the length of the mansion. Markus had told her that the other half of the basement was Zavier’s playground—in other words, a computer and security room. However, Z offered to share his space with Elle, turning half of the space into her ow
n studio.
About two feet inside, she froze. Markus stood with his back facing her in the middle of the room, shirtless and wearing a pair of joggers that conformed to his tight ass and thighs. She swallowed. Slowly, he turned to face her and her heart skipped a beat. His face was set in hard lines and his eyes bored into her like a lion—or rather a dragon with his prey.
“Come here, Gwen.”
She had to force her feet to move, but was proud that she actually managed to square her shoulders and make her way to him. As she stopped in front of him, he took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes.
“You will need to relax. Your fear and anxiety only make me want you more.”
The thought never crossed her mind. Of course he’d be driven by scent, his inner beast was a predator. By the way he focused on her and took slow even breaths, she know he was battling his dragon and instinct to chase.
And she wanted to spar with the dragon.
Good gods, she must be insane for wanting to challenge one of the beasts from her nightmares.
“Give me your hand,” he said in a husky tone.
She did as he commanded without question. When he caught her hand, she couldn’t hold back a soft groan at the contact. Her skin tingled and warmed where he touched it. The heat traveled up her arm to spread through her whole body.
Meeting his intense stare, she somehow knew he felt the same thing. Yet neither of them spoke. Instead, Markus grabbed a roll of white tape and proceeded to wrap her hands like a boxer would.
Curious, she watched how his hands tenderly glided over and under hers as he worked.
After both hands were wrapped, Markus gripped her shoulders and turned her around until she faced a large sand bag hanging from the ceiling. He stepped around her and stood behind the bag. “You need to build your strength first and learn how to hit your target.”
Narrowing her gaze, she propped her fist on her hips. “I know how to hit.”
His lips lifted along with one dark brow. “Prove it.”
She made a low growl-like sound in her throat and narrowed her eyes at him. “Make sure you hold onto that bag.”
An hour later she stood under the hot sprays of the shower, and her whole body ached. Markus was insane.
And brutal.
Every muscle in her body had a work out, he made sure it. After she finished several rounds with the punching bag, he switched her to the treadmill where he increased the speed and the incline every couple of minutes. Just when she thought he couldn’t torture her any more, he broke out the yoga mats.
Now she liked yoga, and had spent many hours a week flexing and stretching her muscles, but the crap Markus had her do was not yoga. It was more like twister, by herself, with no spotted mat.
The man was crazy and trying to kill her.
A knock sounded on the bathroom door, making her groan. “Go away you, evil man.”
“Meet me in the gardens when you’re done.” There was a laugh in that statement. Okay, so he wasn’t evil like his brother Garrick was, but he had seemed to enjoy every torturous exercise he put her through.
She turned off the shower and got out, feeling a lot better than before. It was only the beginning. Her muscles were going to be stiff and sore in the morning. Letting out a sigh, she dried off then went out into the bedroom—Markus’s bedroom—to search for clothes.
Deciding that she’d rather be comfortable, she picked out a pair of black leggings and an oversized red sweater, and then headed down to the gardens where she and Markus had shared their first kiss.
She shook that thought off. This was only dinner. It didn’t matter that she had to share a bedroom with him—she wasn’t sharing the bed.
Stepping out into the cool night air, Gwen drew in a breath, taking in the smells of ocean and sand. It was heavenly. Making the move to Maine had been a wonderful decision. Running was no longer an option, because she’d done enough of it in the last fourteen years. It was time she took control of her life and fight back.
The rose garden was full of fragrant, beautiful blooms and she made her way down the stone path. When she reached the center, she saw Markus dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white dress shirt. His dark, naturally tanned skin against the white cotton made him look sexier than ever.
Turning his head, he raised a brow at her and smiled. “You look lovely.”
“I was going for comfy.” She frowned.
“That, too.” He chuckled and held out his hand.
When she placed a hand in his, he drew her closer, brought her knuckles to his mouth, and pressed a firm, but soft kiss on them. “Maxwell has set up a table and chairs for dinner out here.”
“Maxwell?”
“The butler.”
“Seth called him Alfred.”
Markus’s lips twitched. “Seth is an idiot.”
Gwen shrugged, trying not to laugh at the teasing way Markus called his brother an idiot. “You know, now that I think of it, he does kind of look like Alfred from Batman.”
The twitch of his lips turned into a slight smile. “Who, Seth? I’m sorry I don’t see the likeness.”
She laughed. “Look who has a sense of humor.”
His smile disappeared and he turned away from her. She reached out to him, but didn’t touch him. Uncertainty replaced the ease she started to feel around him. “Markus?”
“I’ve changed my mind about dinner. You don’t have to dine with me. In fact, I think it would be best if we didn’t.”
Her gut tightened while her heart stuttered a couple of beats. She stared at his back for the longest, dumbfounded at the sudden shift in his mood. “You’re joking, right?”
Turning to her, he narrowed eyes and set his mouth in a flat, straight line. “I don’t joke.”
And she didn’t like his tone. “No, I guess you don’t.”
Turning on her heels, she walked toward the house. It was foolish of her to think for a nanosecond that they could be friends or maybe more. Gods, she was stupid. Markus was not the boyfriend type. No, he was the type to take what he wanted then kick them to the curb.
All the signs were there. Hell, he even pushed her away until she insisted on him helping her. Yet she’d ignored the little voice, dismissed it as fear for her inner demons. Why? All because he’d said they were mates. What the hell did that mean for a dragon anyway?
Just as she reached for the door, Markus was there in a flash. Literally. He materialized in front of her, blocking the door.
“Move,” she spat, too angry to look at him, and too afraid of what she’d see there.
With a finger, he reached out and caressed her cheek, then slid it under her chin. When he tried to make her look at him, she jerked her head to the side, breaking his hold. He let out a low growl that made her flinch a little, but she didn’t cave. She couldn’t give him the satisfaction of submitting to his demands.
Most of all, she couldn’t let her fears rule her. It was time she grew a backbone and stood up to the monsters.
“Gwen, look at me.”
Shaking her head, she took a step back. He flung his hand out, then curled it in to fist before he dropped it to his side. Softly, she said, “I want to go inside to eat my meal alone.”
His jaw worked as if he was clenching his teeth or something. “You can eat out here.”
“No, Markus, I can’t.”
“Why not?”
His harsh tone pissed her off. She stepped forward and jammed a finger into his chest. “Because you ruined it. The perfect evening, dinner under the stars with the sound of the ocean in the background. You ruined all of it. I thought that I’d actually started to like you, trust you enough to work with you. No, I can’t work with you.”
When she stepped around him, he let her go. Her chest tightened and she swallowed a lump in her throat as she opened the door and went straight to Markus’s bedroom.
As expected, he followed her up the stairs. When she reached the room, she darted inside and closed and locked
the door. Then she grabbed one of the blankets from the bed and a pillow and marched back to the door.
She opened it, threw the bedding at Markus’s chest, and then slammed the door.
Chapter Eleven
Markus walked into his study and tossed the blanket and pillow on the sofa. Damned woman.
“Having female troubles?”
Markus jerked his gaze up toward the far corner of the study. Ares stood next to the floor to ceiling window, peering out. Movement to the left of him revealed Aphrodite sitting in an armchair with her legs draped over one arm.
It wasn’t good when love and war came together to visit.
“What are you two doing here?”
Ares glanced over his shoulder, his dark brown eyes focused on Markus for several moments before he jerked his head to Aphrodite. “Ask her. This is her carnival ride.”
Aphrodite rolled her eyes and swung her long legs around so she sat straight in the chair. “Your father is grumpy because he knows I’m right.”
Ares grunted from the window and shifted his gaze back out as if he was watching for something or someone. However, it was the goddess’s words that sank in and made Markus study her closer. “Right about what?’
She looked at him and blinked. “Garrick needs to be stopped.”
Markus’s patience grew thin. The goddess’s cryptic riddles gave him headaches, which he didn’t need any more of right now. She’d always come to him with babbles of information in the form of short sentences and one word at a time conversations. It always ended the same way. Markus had to guess what she was trying to tell him and he’d have a headache when it was over.
Markus dropped down on the sofa and leaned his head against the back. “Aphrodite, I’m not in the mood for your games tonight.”
“No games, Mark. We are all in trouble here whether Zeus wants to admit it or not.”
Her tone was more serious than he’d ever heard it. Lifting his head, he looked into blue eyes identical to Gwen’s. A hint of fear hid in the depths, making his blood warm and his dragon churn.