by Lia Davis
The slap came hard and fast. Garrick backhanded her, knocking her to the ground. Her chest tightened and lungs burned as she fought for air. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. Lifting her head, she glared up at Garrick through her hair. Just then, Ty flew from the shelter of the trees and tackled Garrick to the ground.
Ty got a good right hook on Garrick before the coward dematerialized. Ash watched as Ty stood, then roared. When he turned to her, she gasped then quickly averted her gaze. His sunglasses had fallen off when he attacked Garrick. The right side of his face around the eye was scarred, and his right eye was that of his dragon.
Ash took short, slow breaths in order to push through the pain. When she hit the ground, she’d landed on an exposed tree root.
Ty’s booted feet came into view a moment before he squatted in front of her and offered his hand. When she lifted her head up, she stared into the dark lens of sunglasses. “What happened?”
“Garrick and his minions.”
The words were clipped, saying that was all she was getting from him. Yet, he still stood there with his hand out, palm up. Hesitantly, she placed hers in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet. The sudden movement made her dizzy and a little nauseous. When she swayed, Ty gripped her elbow with his other hand to steady her. Out of reflex, she placed a hand on his chest. Heat seeped into her palm and traveled up her arm. Desire bloomed within her.
Scowling, she stepped away from him and pulled her arm from his loose grasp. “Why are you following me?”
“Because we don’t trust you.”
She rolled her eyes and pushed past him. Ash had felt her mother’s presence for a brief moment when Ty attacked Garrick and knew Artemis had abandoned the meeting for tonight.
Ty followed close behind her and growled. “What were you doing out here? Meeting Garrick and I spoiled things for you?”
Whirling around, she came nose to nose with the annoying dragon. “If you must know, I came to summon my mother.”
A tic form in his temple. “Why?”
One. Two… “I’m a spy, remember? I have frequent meetings with Artemis.” She turned and walked with quick strides back to the mansion.
****
Gwen stepped out of the shower, her body still tingling from making love to Markus on the beach. However, the bliss was pushed away by the annoying little voice known as a conscience, and the realization that she had feelings for him.
Grabbing the towel from the rack to her right, she tried to push thoughts of Markus out of her mind. She couldn’t fall in love with him. He was an immortal shape-shifting god, and, as far as she knew, she was mortal. At least her dad was, or he’d be alive now.
Wouldn’t he?
After drying off, she grabbed Markus’s robe from the hook on the back of the bathroom door. His sensual, earthy scent reached out to her, tempting and alluring. Lifting the terry cloth to her nose, she inhaled. Flashes of their tangled bodies formed in her mind, and her skin heated all over again.
Damn, she was done for. She’d never be able to look at him again without wanting him. Which was ridiculous.
She wasn’t a hormonal teen. She was an adult who happened to have the best sex of her life. That was all. It was just sex with the purpose of recharging her energy. And it worked.
Gwen had never felt better, more alive and recharged.
However, she couldn’t have sex with Markus again. It was too much of a risk to her heart and her sanity.
Replacing the robe on the hook, she exited the bathroom and entered the walk-in closet where she dressed in a pair of jeans and a pink turtleneck sweater. She didn’t bother with her hair, deciding to let it dry naturally. Besides she didn’t have plans to do anything the rest of the evening but read through her father’s journals.
She damn sure wasn’t going to seek out Markus.
With a sigh, she picked up the tablet from the dresser and settled into the oversized armchair next to the French doors that opened onto a terrace. She considered grabbing a blanket and sitting outside, but clouds had darkened the sky by the time she and Markus returned to the house, indicating there was a storm heading their way.
On that thought, she got up and opened the twin glass doors and smiled as the sounds of the ocean waves and the smell of the cool, salty air drifted into the room.
Sitting back down in the chair, she powered on the tablet and opened the file to her father’s journal entries.
October 15, 1977
Today Garrick surprised me by telling me he could unlock my godly powers. I laughed at first, thinking he was joking, but he wasn’t. Intrigued, I asked him to explain.
He told me he discovered a serum that, when injected into the bloodstream, could unlock powers. He said he’d done it on himself and a few others and ensured it was safe. When I hesitated, he called another man into the room and proceeded to inject him with the serum.
When the other man didn’t drop dead and confirmed his powers were indeed unlocked, I wanted to try it. I mean, I am a demi-god and deserve to enjoy the benefits of the godly magic I was born with. Besides, if my theory is correct, I’ll be able to find others like me once in full control of my powers.
The rush of energy like I’ve never felt before was incredible. My mind is fully open to every sound, every sight, and a vision of the future flashed in my mind’s eye. Alexia and I will be blessed with a daughter soon.
I can’t wait to meet her and share my discoveries with her.
A knock on the door brought Gwen’s head up. Frowning, she rose and went to the door and then smiled wide. “Elle.”
She drew her sister into a hug. Pulling back, Gwen studied the other woman. Her pale green eyes sparkled with satisfaction and it made Gwen curious to what her sister and BFF had been up to. “What is it?”
Elle motioned toward the room. Gwen stepped aside to allow her to come in and shut the door behind them. “Now, spill. You are too wired for some reason.”
“It’s not what you think.” Elle laughed. “I’ve been painting. I had the most bizarre dream two nights ago. It’s inspired a whirlwind of paintings and drawings.”
“That’s great. But why are we speaking softly behind a closed door?”
Dropping her shoulders, Elle stepped closer and whispered. “I’m not sure what they mean. It’s hard to explain. I’ve never had this type of drive to paint before. When I finished the first five, I saw it. A pattern and similarities in each one.”
A sinking, almost sick feeling churned in Gwen’s belly. Elle’s excitement suddenly turned to alarm, which set off Gwen’s warning bells. She took her sister’s hand and tugged her to the bed and sat. “Just tell me, Elle. I’m past the panic attacks. I think being here with the dragons and seeing how they are not evil helped.”
Elle nodded. “Yes, I can see that. The Sons of War have good souls. Well, as good as they can as dragons.” She gave a nervous laugh before continuing. “The painting are all dark and, at a glance, look like something that should belong to a fantasy art show. But when I looked closer, I can see the truth in them.”
Gwen shook her head, trying to understand. “You’re not making much sense. Please, Elle, explain.”
Elle sighed. “It may be better if you saw them for yourself.”
“Okay, let’s go.” Gwen stood and waited for Elle, who was a little slower and seemed a little reluctant to go down to her studio in the basement.
Folding her arms, Gwen meet Elle’s gaze. “You’re scaring me. First you were excited, now you’re hesitant. What is going on?”
Elle looked down at her hands. “The paintings seem to tell a story. It’s like each one is a different event, but I can’t tell if they are past events or future ones.”
“How many did you paint?”
Elle met her gaze. “About a dozen or so, a few unfinished, and some sketches.”
“Okay, do you think it’d be helpful if Markus saw them too?”
Elle shrugged. “Maybe.”
Gwen sigh
ed. “Come on, then, let’s go find the head dragon and go look at your paintings.”
Inwardly, Gwen groaned because she was really hoping that she could avoid Markus for at least a day or two before she was forced to face him.
Chapter Seventeen
Markus stared in disbelief at the row of paintings. Each scene told the story of the Sons of War as the events happened over a thousand years ago.
The first one was of Ares with his son, the Drakon Ismenios, dead at his feet. The dragon’s teeth scattered over the ground. The next scene depicted the warriors rising from the earth in rows that extended as far back as he could see.
Gwen shifted from foot to foot beside him. “Are those the Sons of War?”
Markus nodded. “Yes. The Drakon’s teeth were divided into two groups. My brothers and I were of the first group. This group.”
He felt Gwen’s gaze before she asked, “How do you know?”
“Because Ares hid the second set in Tartarus.”
“Where are all the Sons?”
Markus sighed. “Most died. A few left Olympus. Only the six of us stayed.”
They fell silent as they studied the rest of the paintings. The next several were different scenes from the war against the gods and their earth-bound children. The paintings were life-like and so detailed. It was like Markus was sucked back in time.
Each painting featured either him or his brothers.
He came to a stop at the last one, Garrick in dragon form. His large black wings extended as if preparing to take flight. Moving closer to the painting, Markus focused on the small sack-like item in the dragon’s claw.
“Elle, in your dreams, did you hear anything?”
“Sometimes,” Elle shrugged. “It wasn’t always clear.”
Markus pointed at the canvas. “Do you know what is in that sack?”
Elle’s eyes grew wide and she nodded. “The drakon’s teeth.”
Fuck.
“Ares!” Markus shouted. A few moments later, the god materialized in cloud of dark gray smoke.
At first, he appeared annoyed at being summoned, but when he saw the paintings, he froze. “What in the name of Zeus?”
Markus drew his brows together. “Elle’s been having dreams.”
Ares turned to Elle. When Gwen stepped in front of her friend, Ares laughed. “I do not wish to harm her. I’m just curious.”
Markus moved closer to the females. “Please tell me that the last painting is not the present.”
Ares narrowed his eyes, then let out a low growl. “No. The other set of teeth are in Tartarus with Typhon.”
Typhon, a storm daemon, was the gatekeeper and warden of the fire pit of the Underworld. Markus wasn’t so sure he like the idea of a daemon guarding the drakon’s teeth. “You trust him?”
Ares raised a brow. “Do I trust anyone?
“But a daemon?”
“He’s bound to Tartarus and can’t leave without suffering a very painful death. Besides, anyone seeking the teeth would have to get past Hades first.” Ares turned back to the paintings. “However, nothing is a hundred percent and there are ways around the most difficult challenges. You must keep an eye on your brother. Ashlynn will know how.”
Before Markus could ask any more questions, Ares dematerialized.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck, I hate when he does that. Why can’t he just answer my damn questions?”
When he looked up, the females stared at him. Elle had her bottom lip sucked in and Gwen had hers pressed together. Both of them had laughter in their eyes. “It’s not funny.”
Gwen shook her head. “No, it’s not.” She turned to Elle. “Where is the unfinished one?”
With worry in her gaze, Elle made her way to the corner of the room that was now her studio and uncovered a canvas. Once the painting was in his full view, Markus let out another curse and bent forward to get a closer look.
In the center was a sketch of a woman in a long flowing gown. The dress was pulled tight around the female’s figure and flowed behind as if she stood in high winds. Her hair blew in the same direction with a few thick strands in her face.
The background was the only color, but he could tell why since it still wasn’t finished. It lacked the depth and details of the other paintings.
“Elle, please explain this one.”
Stepping up beside him, she cleared her throat. “I’m not for sure, but I think she’s a storm daemon. In my dream, she called a storm. That’s what all the clouds are behind her. There will be lightening all around her, and below her will be the sea, angry and ready to obey her.”
Markus studied the female on the canvas. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t be sure with only a rough sketch. “Let me know when you finish it.”
Elle nodded, then covered the painting again. “I will.” She hesitated a moment, then said, “I’ve never had visions. Sure, I see night creatures, but that is expected since my grand…my mother is Nyx. These dreams could be my imagination running wild because the myths I learned are coming to life.”
Gwen took Elle’s hand as if comforting her friend. “I agree. We’ve been under a lot of stress these last couple of days.”
Although they had a logical point, Markus thought something else was going on. “Just continue to paint and draw anything you dream about. I’m curious to see where this goes. If you don’t have these dreams again, then I’ll dismiss it as an overactive imagination.”
Turning, he walked to the door, then stopped and looked back at Gwen. “Meet me in the training room in fifteen minutes.”
Leaving the studio, Markus smiled. Gwen thought she could avoid him, but she was wrong. Besides she made a deal to train with him and have dinner with him. He was going to see she kept her word and take every opportunity to seduce her into being his mate.
Because that was exactly what she was, his one true soul mate. The knowledge slammed into him hard right after his mind cleared from the multiple orgasms they shared on the beach.
Now that he’d had a taste of her, he wanted to bond with her.
And nothing, or no one, was going to get in his way of having what he wanted.
****
Gwen crouched low, waiting, watching.
When Markus’s muscles flexed and he lifted a foot, she was ready, mimicking his movements with him. Yet, she was still too slow. In one swift movement, he tackled her on the mat. Her back hit hard and she gasped more out of reflex then actual pain, but it made Markus pause long enough for her to roll from under him.
Pushing to a stand, she darted toward him and wrapped an arm around his neck in a choke hold.
He grunted and held his hands up. “You think you’re smart?”
Gwen released him and straightened. “No. Just took advantage of the weak point.”
Slowly, he stood and turned to face her. “Your real opponent won’t care if he slams you a little too hard on the floor.”
“That’s the point of this, isn’t it? To build up my strength?”
He stared at her for several moments, studying her as if tossing around a theory in his head or something. “You’d be stronger if your powers were unbound.”
Shocked, she held his gaze. “What?”
One side of his mouth lifted. “Look, you are stronger then you were before coming here. Emotionally, you’ve overcome your fear of dragons. You’re almost able to outwit me, but you’ll never be strong enough as a mortal.”
She propped her hands on her hips. “And how do you plan on doing that? Isn’t it against the rules or something? I mean, there was a reason why the descendants’ powers were locked.”
“Mainly to keep them from rising against the gods again.”
Relaxing her arms to her sides, she watched him, not sure what to expect. Maybe he was joking. The idea of having her powers unlocked was a little scary. What if she couldn’t handle it?
“Do you know how?”
“No, but Ashlynn might.”
She opened her mout
h to ask why he thought so, then remembered the passage she’d read in her father’s journal entries earlier that day. “Because Garrick is unlocking their powers.”
He raised a brow. “How do you know?”
She told him about the journal entry. “When Elle came up to the room and told me about the painting, it slipped my mind.”
His dark blue eyes flashed to the light blue of his dragon as he took a step toward her. Her heart hammered hard in her chest and she felt it in her throat. Stepping back, she tripped on the edge to mat and fell on her ass. Markus dropped to his knee and caged her.
Fear burned through her, bringing back a panic attack. Her chest tightened and she fought to catch her breath. The next moment she was pulled into Markus’s arms, her head against his chest. She focused on the thump, thump of his heart to calm her.
Embarrassed and pissed off at herself for not having a better handle over her anxiety, she closed her eyes tight to keep the tears from falling. Markus pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then her temple.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think.” Drawing her closer, he tightened his arms a little and rubbed soothing circles on her back.
Taking a shaky breath, she whispered, “I’m never going to be normal.”
“Love, you’re a goddess. You were never normal.”
That made her laugh, because he had a point.
They fell silent for several long moments before she pulled away. She frowned at the wet spot on his shirt and reached out and smoothed the cotton with her hand. Before she could turn away, Markus cupped her cheek and raised her chin so she met his gaze.
“You must never fear me.”
“I don’t.”
“Then what just happened?”
“I…you caught me off guard. I felt your annoyance and I must have mistaken it for anger.”
Still holding her face in his hands, he pressed his forehead to hers. “I was annoyed you withheld the information from me, but I’m not angry. Despite the fact that there’s a fire breathing dragon inside me, it takes a lot more than that to make me mad at you.” He lifted his head and stared into her eyes. “I could never harm you, even if my own life depended on it.”