The Dragon Witch

by Drako

  Victoria snorted. “If I could transform we’d already be there.”

  “You’d also be more of a target than you already are,” Ares told her. “Balthas already has spies watching you. There’s no need to alert anyone not working with him that you’re here. It’ll only make your job harder.”

  “There’s more than just Balthas here,” Phil commented.

  “Lucifer himself is here,” Brandon added. “I can sense his evil all around.”

  Ares frowned. “You sense him?”

  “You don’t?” Brandon countered.

  “No, I don’t,” Ares answered. “Lucifer has long been able to hide his presence from most of the gods.”

  “He can’t hide from me. I sensed him in Shevat and I sense him just as clearly here.”

  Ares knew that didn’t bode well. If Lucifer himself was in the Rose Realm, then Ares would have to engage him. Lucifer played by no one’s rules but his own, and he was highly likely to interfere in the coliseum contest to get his hands on that ancient grimoire. If he did so, Ares was within his rights to interfere as well. The question is, how could Brandon sense the Prince of Darkness when he, the god of war, could not? That kid was something more than he seemed.

  “I smell a lot more demons here now than there were before.” Phil growled low in his throat. “The scent is blended with that of wolves, rogue wolves. We’re vastly outnumbered.”

  Victoria actually smiled. “So I get to slaughter an army. This day is looking up, after all.”

  Ares shook his head. “Not today, remember? You’ve got a good distance ahead, and rather than drain yourself getting there faster, you’ll need to make camp soon and rest. You can’t afford to take any chances.”

  Victoria scowled. “Gods, you sound like Andreas.”

  “I taught your brother everything he knew about fighting and strategy before he entered your father’s service.” Ares smirked. “Nice to know it wasn’t totally undone when he came to your father.”

  She continued to scowl at him and urged her horse forward faster. Ares followed her, of course, while Brandon kept his same pace.

  “She has a thing for Ares, doesn’t she?” Phil asked.

  Brandon laughed. “Of course she does. They’re kind of perfect for each other. She’s a warrior to the core, eager to fight, and she’s pretty damn good at it. He’s the god of war, and values nothing more than a strong warrior. Plus, she stands up to him. He can never possibly get bored with her.”

  Phil grunted. “It must be nice to have someone that you fit together that well with.”

  “I can only assume it is,” Brandon agreed. “After all, I’ve dated mostly humans, and I have a son with one of the Fae. I don’t fit that well with any of them. Humans aren’t part of my world, for the most part, and Anaya isn’t exactly a warrior.”

  “Yeah, and Adonis is part of our world, but not a warrior either.” Phil stared off into the distance. “But then, I never wanted anyone that’s in our world. I wanted someone that would give me a sense of the normal. Someone not deeply engaged in our world should have been a refreshing change.”

  “And instead you found Adonis.”

  Phil nodded. “Yeah, and for a while I got what I wanted. Our time together was just two teenagers together, no fighting, and no discussing targets to take out. Just the normal stuff like what movie we wanted to go see and where we wanted to eat dinner. It was nice for a while.”

  “Until our world came into it, of course.” Brandon smirked. “There’s no avoiding our lives. We’re hunters, servants of Jarel. No matter what we do or who we do it with, we eventually come crashing back to our reality.”

  “You have a point. I’ve been wondering for the past few days what to do about my situation with Adonis. Would it be better to let him go?”

  “I’m totally the wrong person to ask about that. Adonis made that decision for me before I could even begin to contemplate it. But in the end, I think I would have let him go anyway. After all, I never know how long I’ll have to disappear when I start getting solo missions. I just disappeared for almost two years because I had to get to know my demonic roots. And of course, my grandmother is the queen bitch of the universe so I couldn’t just stay a few weeks and leave, nor could I contact anyone outside of the realm.”

  Phil gave a sad smile. “In the end, it’ll be the same with me. Right now I only hunt with others, but soon enough I’ll be sent out alone. And he’ll have the same issues with me that he had with you.”

  “You have a choice, don’t you?” Brandon asked.

  “That’s something of a myth,” Phil answered. “Technically, we have the right to choose, but it’s generally expected for all direct descendants of Fenrir to hunt.”

  That took Brandon by surprise. He’d had no idea Phil was directly related to Fenrir.

  “He’s my grandfather,” Phil answered the unspoken question that was clearly on Brandon’s mind.

  “I suppose I should keep up with his kids better,” Brandon murmured. “I normally avoid your kind. I tend to brawl with them.”

  Phil smiled. “You don’t say.”

  The two laughed. Hera, of course, was watching them again, along with Jarel and Zeus.

  “This is a good sign,” Hera commented.

  Zeus agreed. “It will certainly make things easier on them if they befriend each other.”

  Jarel frowned. “It will make things slightly easier. But in the end, it’ll take time for them to come to terms with what has to happen. I’m far older than they are and have had far more time to deal with it, and I’m having trouble coming to terms with it. The Moirae never explained why it’s this way.”

  “True, they never told you,” Zeus replied. “But they’re gone now, so I’ll tell you instead. Your Verlaine made a prophecy as Lucifer killed her. And she forbade the Moirae from telling you anything other than that it must happen. Even Lucifer has no idea about it. If he did, he would rethink his actions.”

  “In other words, Lucifer’s way into the world is the death of Verlaine’s chosen,” Hera added. “But upon entering the world, he will find himself almost mortal. All his powers can’t be negated, but the body he will reside in is human and can be killed, the same as many of your creations.”

  “More easily, in some regards,” Zeus corrected.

  Jarel folded his arms across his chest. “Verlaine went to a great deal of trouble to hide this from me, and sadly if she’s dead, she has returned to Chaos and I cannot question her without dying myself. And frankly I’m not willing to go that far to find out. My next question is who leads the angels and the Fae now?”

  “The angels lead the Fae and the angels have a governing council, which in turn answers to me,” Zeus told him.

  Jarel snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”

  “You are on the cusp of gaining control of the demons, so it’s only fair for me to govern their counterparts.”

  “Just as long as you understand that Lucifer’s soul belongs to me when he finally dies.” Jarel’s gaze hardened. “How I wish in this coming skirmish that Ares could kill him and finally I could torture him the way he deserves.”

  “Sadly, it is not Ares’ fate to destroy him,” Hera said softly.

  “But this first battle is Ares’ to win or lose.” Zeus looked thoughtful. “Fighting alongside your daughter and grandson, I’m fairly confident that Lucifer’s current forces will take a huge hit.”

  “Yes, and I’m fairly confident Ares will win his way into my daughter’s heart.” Jarel smiled. “Though he does irritate me at times, I’ve always rather liked Ares.”

  “And it’s high past time he settled down permanently,” Hera stated. “Though I appreciated his ability to be faithful to women while they were alive, he always chose mortals. None of those were fated to last. This, however, will last him for eternity. I even get the feeling that if by some freak accident she were killed, he’d journey to Hades with her and give up his godhood to follow her into the afterlife.”

/>   Zeus chuckled. “Fortunately, we know he won’t allow her to die. He’d rather face her wrath by pulling her out of a battle than to allow her death.”

  “So it’s safe to say that we all approve of this union?” Jarel asked.

  “Most definitely,” Hera replied.

  “Then now it’s time to sit back and wait for my daughter to stop fighting it and give in.” Jarel looked off into the distance at his daughter. “I’d say she’s fairly close to it now. All she needs is a little push.”

  Zeus shook his head and chuckled again. “You’re up to something.”

  “Of course I am. I’m always up to something.” Jarel waved his hand and clouds began to move in the sky. “Nothing like a night alone in a cave trying to keep each other warm to bring two people closer.”

  Lightning sparked in Zeus’ eyes and thunder sounded in the distance. “Brilliant plan. Let the storm begin.”

  Thirty Two

  Brandon and Phil had fallen further behind, and so sought shelter in the woods nearby while Victoria advanced forward to a cave. Sensing his aunt’s worry, Brandon reached out telepathically to assure her that they were fine and would meet up with her when the storm passed. And then she was alone with Ares.

  The war god summoned a fire to light the cave and to keep them warm. He then took a seat on the ground in front of the fire and stared into it. Victoria sat next to him, and the two remained silent for several moments.

  “Why are you here, Ares?” she finally asked.

  “Have we not gone through this already?” Ares replied, his eyes never leaving the flames.

  “I mean, why are you still here? I haven’t been welcoming of your presence.”

  “Call me stubborn. I know you’re purposely trying to push me away, and I see no reason to allow you to do so.”

  Victoria sat in silence again, her mind going over what he’d said.

  Ares finally looked at her. “What I don’t know is the real reason why. I know you say it’s because I’m a god and I’m not known for being monogamous. I’ve also shown you evidence to the contrary. I’m fairly certain that your opinion of me comes from something in your past.”

  Victoria sighed. “Look, my first boyfriend was a son of Zeus and it didn’t exactly end well. He proved to have his father’s wandering eye. A wandering eye I could deal with. It was the actual following of that eye that caused me a problem.”

  Ares cocked his head to the side in question. “A son of Zeus? Which one?”

  “Does it matter? He’s dead now, and no I didn’t kill him. And despite his desire to do so, my father didn’t either, nor did he punish him in Tartarus. To me, it wasn’t worth it. But I guess he soured my outlook on men, especially sons of Zeus.”

  “It’s not really fair to judge us all by the actions of one.” Ares returned his gaze to the flames. “I’m far from perfect or innocent. I am the god of war, after all. I’ve got a list of sins much longer than you know. But eventually, we all find one person we simply cannot live without.”

  Victoria’s eyes widened in surprise. “Are you saying…?”

  Ares turned to look her in the eyes. “Yes, I’m quite enamored with you. I might go so far as to say I love you. Unlike anyone with mortal blood in them, I see no need to hide what I feel. As a god, I fall fast and hard. There is no point in beating around the bush, as mortals say. That is one thing the stories got right. The gods often fall fast and we can fall simply for someone we saw from afar. Zeus and Hera, for instance, were a love at first sight. Zeus saw her and immediately fell in love. He simply had to have her. I feel the same about you, and have since I first saw you fight.”

  Victoria’s cheeks warmed. By the gods, she was actually blushing. How mortifying. Ares smiled at her.

  “Your own feelings are not the same, yet, but I guarantee they will be. I get what I want, after all. I always have and I always will.”

  Well, that was the Ares she knew. He was cocky and arrogant and maddening. He was probably right too. As much as she’d tried to hide it, she liked the war god. He was a constant challenge to her. Unlike most men, he wasn’t intimidated by her parentage, despite her being a child of two of the oldest gods in existence. He wasn’t afraid of her either, as she was a powerful force in her own right. He helped her whether she liked it or not, and he’d fought alongside her. He’d even killed a warlock for her in rage. Sure, she’d been more than capable of destroying the warlock herself and at the time it irritated her that he’d done it, but she understood. He was a male who wanted nothing more than to keep his woman safe.

  Wait, what? When did she become his woman? That had certainly not been discussed. Yet, if she were honest with herself, Ares acted like a bonded male. His actions were similar to that of Andreas for Kazarian. More than once, Andreas had stepped in front of Kazarian in battle, much to Kazarian’s irritation. The fact was there in her face. Ares was bonding himself to her, whether he realized it or not. And regardless of whether she liked it or not, there was nothing she could do about it. The heart wanted what it wanted.

  “Victoria.” Ares’ deep voice broke her from her train of thought.

  “What?”

  “You’ve been quiet for far too long. No offense but it rather scares me, and I’m not an easy god to scare,” he told her with a smile.

  Victoria smirked. “I’m just trying to digest all of this. Not everyone can say they seduced the god of war without trying.”

  Ares laughed. “Seduced me, did you? Clearly I have a lapse in my memory, as I don’t recall that happening. Care to refresh my memory?”

  Victoria popped her jaw in irritation. “Maybe that was a poor word choice, but you know what I meant.”

  Ares clearly decided to play dumb. “No, I think you meant it the way you said it. And I think it would be totally appropriate for you to demonstrate the proper way to seduce the god of war. It should be educational for me. After all, it won’t do for me to be easy. How can I win wars if I’m seduced by the enemy?”

  Clearly, he struck the right nerve. One moment he was sitting in front of the fire and the next he was flat on his back with Victoria on top of him.

  “You are severely testing my patience, war god,” she growled.

  Ares smirked even as he hardened and pressed up against her. “Oh, really now? And what are you going to do about it? I assure you I’m quite at your mercy at this moment.”

  Victoria couldn’t resist the urge to move her hips just a bit, sliding across his erection. She received a hiss in response, causing her to grin.

  “Now that’s cheating,” he told her.

  “All’s fair in love and war,” she replied.

  “You’re definitely my type of woman. Now just remember that when I do this.”

  In a flash, their positions were reversed. Ares was on top and Victoria’s legs were wrapped around his waist, his erection still pressing at her. Before she could fully register the situation, Ares captured her mouth fiercely. His intensity shocked her and she opened her mouth, giving his tongue the opening it needed to invade her. She matched his intensity with her own, finally giving in to the feelings she’d held back. She reached up and wrapped her fingers in his hair pulling all his weight down on top of her. Ares pulled his mouth from hers and began to venture downward, kissing down her neck to her breasts where he stopped and growled.

  “Your armor is in the way,” he told her.

  Victoria laughed. “Aren’t you a god? Surely, removing my armor isn’t difficult for you.”

  That was all the direction Ares needed as a second later her armor vanished, leaving her totally nude beneath him. He smiled down at her as he ran his hand down her body, delighting in the feminine curves of her hips. He lowered his lips again to the point he’d stopped at, now moving down to her breasts, where he took one hardened pink nipple into his mouth. Victoria let out a moan and Ares' hands moved lower while his mouth remained where it was. Upon finding her entrance, he discovered the moisture that meant an easier entrance. Sl
owly he slid a finger inside her. She gasped, not expecting the intrusion, but as he moved his finger ever closer to her core, she began to moan. She moved against him and he grinned before removing his mouth from her breast to once again claim her mouth. He worked her with first one, then two fingers, pressing her ever closer to release. As he did, his clothes vanished as well, clearly the work of a very quick and efficient spell from her. The hard length of him rested heavily on her thigh, lengthened almost to the point of pain. He wanted to sink into her now, but he was taking his time. Or that was the plan until Victoria took matters into her own hands.

  She grabbed his erection, surprised that her hand couldn’t close around it but no less determined. Slow was nice, when one had the patience for it. She certainly didn’t and was clearly going to take what she wanted by force. Using her legs, she switched their positions again, putting herself back on top. Rising up over him, she positioned her entrance over him and slowly slid down. He stretched her, as he was clearly quite wide, but still she continued until she’d taken him all the way in. Ares watched her as her back arched and she began to ride. His hands went to her waist, gradually spurring her on faster. Not that she needed the encouragement. She was building to her first climax. Ares could feel it and was delighted as he felt her muscles clench and she let out a cry of pleasure. Even as the tremors from the first one racked her body, he flipped their positions again.

  Now on top of her, he sank in again and she moaned. No longer could he simply watch her. He had to taste her again and so he brought his lips to hers. Once again, she wrapped her legs around his waist and with one hand cupped the back of his neck while with the other she grabbed his ass, urging him to move faster. At first he resisted, as he reveled in the feel of her and still wanted to take his time. As she buried her nails into him, however, he couldn’t help but pick up speed until he was pounding into her. He broke contact with her lips realizing for the first time that it had become a lot hotter in the cave. The heat emanated from her and he recognized it for what it was. This heat came only from a bonded dragon. And he could swear the heat was even more intense from the core of her. As he looked down into those bright violet eyes, they were practically glowing. Yes, she was bonding to him, whether she realized it or not, and he knew what she needed. Her incisor teeth had begun to elongate and damned if that didn’t turn him on more.