Paldimori Gods Rising Box Set

by T. L. Callahan

  Damn traitorous hormones! This is what happens when you haven’t had an orgasm in too long to admit. With all the eye candy on display today, I was close to jumping on the nearest man like a crack addict needing a fix. Maybe Dia was right. Maybe throwing caution to the wind and enjoying all this island had to offer wasn’t a bad idea.

  My attention was drawn back to the stage when the douche bag from earlier said, “—you may call me Chaos, and I will answer.”

  The last Kyrion in the black hood revealed himself and a gasp escaped me. A hard, tugging sensation in the pit of my stomach had me fighting not to launch myself at him. My whole body was strung tight as a wire. My hardened nipples rubbed against my bra, radiating a pleasured pain. My ovaries must have melted into a puddle and leaked out into my underwear. That’s the only thing that could explain what was going on below. Oh wait, that was my vagina being resuscitated. It had gone from drought to monsoon at the speed of light.

  Dark brows were pulled into an intense line above dark eyes as he gazed upon the contestants. When his gaze moved over me, stinging pinpricks erupted across my back. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Then, abruptly, it was over.

  Absently rubbing my lower back, I soaked in his appearance. His lips were thinned into an annoyed line. An angry twitch pulsed along the ridge of a square jaw covered in a five o’clock shadow. Caramel-colored hair stood up in messy spikes as if he had been running his fingers through it all day. He was tall. Even seated I could tell he was easily over six and a half feet. His skin gleamed like bronze in the moonlight.

  “You have each signed a contract that you will reveal nothing of what you might learn from the Games. Should you breach that contract or betray us in any way, the consequences will be dire,” Chaos threatened. His commanding presence captured the room as we all hung on his every word. “You may know some of us by different names beyond this island. But here, you will call us only by the House name we have given you. I am the leader of all Houses, and I bid you welcome to the Paldimori Games.”

  My god, the man had ignited a thousand different reactions in me from his voice and a passing glance alone. Every part of me seemed to be at war trying to decide if I should get closer or run away. When Chaos’s gaze collided with mine it was like a punch to the stomach. My breath left me so sharply that I went a little light-headed. Somehow, I managed to say my pledge, although I couldn’t tell you what I’d promised to do.

  My head was reeling when his gaze finally released me. It had felt like my skin was on fire as his eyes had captured mine. It wasn’t the kind of lustful fire that had filled me earlier though. This had been cold, so harsh that it burned. What I had seen in those eyes before he blanked his expression had been pure hatred.

  A hatred that seemed to be entirely directed at me.

  10

  “How are you here?” a deep voice echoed from the dark.

  “Who’s there?” I asked, turning in every direction.

  “How are you able to dream-walk?” the voice countered, sounding closer.

  Light began to fill the space, but still I couldn’t see anyone. I was annoyed now. “This is my dream,” I said sarcastically, “so I want you to be my fairy godfather who grants wishes. I wish for a million dollars and smaller hips.”

  “Again, with the smart mouth. Perhaps I should give you something to keep it busy.”

  The light expanded to show an enormous room with six black thrones upon a platform—my dream.

  Who was the man, though? He seemed familiar, but surely I’d remember meeting a man that handsome? Deep brown eyes, radiating enough heat to warm me from head to toe, stared down at me as I stood at the base of the steps. A cool breeze caressed my skin, making me shiver. Ah, no wonder it felt chilly. The moonlight outlined every curve of my naked body.

  My hands tried to cover as much of the important stuff as possible. That was a pointless endeavor considering how much of me there was up top. The man barked, “I did not give you permission to cover up what is mine. And your body is definitely mine, is it not, Potential?”

  My brows drew down in confusion. Potential what? And why the hell was I naked?

  “Come here, Potential,” he said, pointing his finger to the place directly in front of his throne. I was torn between wanting to go to him and wanting to run away. He sat motionless, waiting for my compliance. Before realizing what I was doing, my feet carried me up the steps close to him.

  “Closer.” He beckoned.

  Cautiously, I stepped forward, prepared at any moment to flee. My naked thighs almost brushed his knees before he seemed satisfied with my distance. “Kneel, Potential.”

  Why did he keep calling me that? Who was this man ordering me around and making my body react to his every order like a marionette? In thrall to the sheer perfection of the smooth skin revealed by the open black robe, my eyes traced every inch of him. The sculpted muscles of his bare chest gleamed in the moonlight. I licked my lips, wanting a taste.

  “I said kneel, Potential. I will not ask again.” His deep voice sent shivers down my spine. There was no conscious decision, only my knees pressing into the cold hard floor.

  Was the rest of him just as naked beneath that robe? Curiosity proved too strong, and my hands landed on his knees. My fingers inched along the silky-smooth material, the corded muscles beneath flexing with my every movement. My fingers tingled as the heat of him seeped through the fabric. My hands clenched upon the fabric with the need to tear the robe away.

  My head was jerked back by a rough fist gripping the hair at the base of my neck. A startled breath escaped me as I looked into black pools of hatred. “You really are dimwitted if you thought I would fall for this trick, Potential Davies.”

  “Fuck!” I shouted, jolting awake. The artificial sunlight illuminating the ceiling pierced my tired eyes. Throwing an arm over my face to block out the light, I realized who I had been dreaming about—Chaos. Groaning, I rolled onto my stomach and buried my face in the pillow. Why did it have to be him?

  “Well, that’s certainly the way I like to wake up,” an amused male voice said.

  Shrieking, I jumped from the bed, and quickly scanned the room to find the source of the voice. The massive round bed I had been sleeping in was the centerpiece of the room and was surrounded by a wide ring of dancing nymph statues. Several comfortable-looking couches were clustered around a marble fireplace along the wall next to the entrance. The back wall was made up of more windows that looked out upon the island. There were two open arches along another wall that led to closets filled with everything a girl would need to feel at home. The last doorway led to a bathroom that they might have to pry me out of when this was all over. But no one else was in the room.

  “I thought men were the only ones who woke up thinking of sex,” the voice continued. “But then, my little lioness, I doubt you are like most women. Most women don’t go toe-to-toe with our leader. I have to agree with Molly, you do have balls as big as boulders for pulling that stunt last night with Chaos.” A rumbling laugh filled the room from every direction. “I wish I could have seen his face! That image would have been a great source of entertainment for decades. Damn annoying robes.” A heavy sigh followed. “Ah well, I can still imagine it. I respect your lady balls and applaud anyone who gives my brother a hard time. But I’m going to have to ask you to not piss the man off if you want any chance of winning the Games.”

  Balling my hands into fists at my sides, I glared around the room. “Where the hell are you?” My mood plummeted straight into pissed off. First the dream about douche canoe, now this. Great first day this was turning out to be.

  Stomping across the room to the closet openings, my breasts bounced loosely beneath the black T-shirt that skimmed my hips. My hair fell over my face, and I pushed it back with impatience as I leaned into the closet opening. No one there either. A chilly breeze swept through the room, brushing against my bare legs and pushing up the hem of my T-shirt.

  “Can I just say that thos
e boy shorts make your ass look amazing?” the voice drawled.

  Spinning on my heel, I stomped back over to the bed to grab a sheet. Playing tug of war with the breeze, I fought to wrap the sheet around myself. It hadn’t seemed so drafty in here before. Maybe the flue was open in the fireplace.

  “I’m not sure which view I like better, the front or the back. Maybe you could stomp around the room a few more times to help me decide?” the amused voice requested. “I find myself strangely fascinated by the dragon character that seems to be peeking out from between your thighs. Normally I’m more of a ‘why bother with underwear’ kind of guy since they never stay on long anyway.”

  Eros lay propped up on his side, posed upon the white ocean of a bed as if this was another photo shoot. His red shirt was partially unbuttoned and showed off his toned chest. Faded jeans hugged his long legs. His bare feet should have been ugly—because, you know, they’re feet—but even they were sexy. A wave of heat traveled down my body in embarrassment. Ugh, my life sucked! He was now privy to my secret passion for Snatch Dragon underwear. Mr. Male Model of the Year. How had he gotten there without my noticing? Breaking and entering was going on my list of grievances.

  His eyes traveled from my bedhead down to my feet and back up. “If you’re cold, I could warm you up.”

  His meaning was lost on me for a moment. The sheet! In my shock at finding Mr. Sexypants on my bed, my grip had loosened, and the effect of the cold room was obvious. Scowling at him, I pulled the sheet up to anchor it under my armpits. He chuckled.

  Ass.

  “What the hell?” I snarled at him. “Where I come from you don’t crawl into a woman’s bed uninvited unless you’re ready to lose a highly valued appendage. And I don’t need you to warm me up. Didn’t your mother teach you that it’s creepy to spy on women? This is my bedroom, not the stage of some strip club.”

  “That’s a shame. You’d make a killing on the stage.” He grinned unrepentantly. “Besides, who needs an invitation when most women are falling onto their backs as soon as they see me, eager to do all number of naughty things to my ‘highly valued appendage’ as you call it. I don’t suppose if I were to ask you to join me in this bed, that you would accept?”

  A growl escaped me. If I had something to throw that wouldn’t cost my life savings to replace, he would be limping. He smiled smugly as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

  “Out!” I pointed to the open doorway. “This room is off-limits, and you can tell the rest of your buddies that too.”

  “I thought we shared a moment last night.” Eros’s plump lips turned into an exaggerated pout. Slowly, he crawled across the bed toward me like a tiger stalking its prey. I backed away as he got to his feet. His eyes caught mine as a calculating look crossed his face. “Oh wait, that was before you caught a glance at Chaos, and he made you so wet there was almost a puddle on the floor.”

  I sputtered in outrage, but Eros continued on.

  “I don’t think you even blinked once he revealed that mug of his.” He laughed. “Don’t look so embarrassed; he has that effect on a lot of women. I wouldn’t waste my time, though. He has some kind of hate-on for you. I’m not sure why. The stubborn ass won’t tell me.”

  Now would be a good time for the floor to swallow me up. “I don’t want anything to do with him,” I shot back. “The man is clearly an asshole of epic proportions, and he hates me for no reason! I’d never even met him before last night.”

  Eros chuckled as he stepped closer. “That’s Chaos for you. So, does that mean you’ll slide back into bed and let me help you forget his name?”

  “Out,” I repeated, pointing toward the door.

  He brushed past me and a wave of lust hit me hard. Frustration at my unruly hormones had me picking up a pillow to launch at his retreating back. Oh, that’s real mature, Lia.

  He stopped at the doorway and looked back at me. His amused smile was back in place as he looked from me to the pillow that had missed him by several feet. “Well, I had to try. Again, my little lioness, you prove you are not like most women. I’m glad.”

  Wait, had that been some kind of test? Did I pass?

  At least he hadn’t sent me packing yet. Shaking my head at the whole encounter, I made my way to the bathroom. Men were weird. This island and its crazy inhabitants were going to have to remain a mystery for now. It was time to get ready and see what my first day as a contestant had in store for me.

  A half hour later I emerged from my bedroom feeling refreshed. The smell of coffee lured me to the kitchen, my stomach grumbling the whole way. Sleeping in was unusual for me, but it was probably due to all the hours of tossing and turning before I’d finally drifted off to sleep. Where recurring dreams haunted me with visions of Chaos luring me to him with seduction in his voice only to turn me away in disgust as soon as I gave in. Eros’s warning to keep my distance was a moot point: my subconscious was already telling me to stay away.

  The fridge in the kitchen was stocked to the hilt, but I stuck to my usual bagel. I was finishing up when the elevator chimed an arrival, and I made my way down the hall. Molly stepped from the elevator wearing black spandex and a troubled expression.

  “Good morning, Molly.” She didn’t acknowledge me. “Um, Molly? Is everything ok?”

  She still didn’t answer. I placed my hand on her shoulder, and she jumped, staring at me wide-eyed as if she hadn’t realized I was there. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Is everything all right?”

  “Huh? . . . Oh yeah, I’m fine. Lost in thought.” She smiled at me in reassurance, although she wasn’t fooling anyone: something still had her rattled. “Is Eros around?”

  An affronted voice echoed from the living room behind us. “I think I might be insulted. I’ve never been overlooked before, so I’m not quite sure. I can see that you are going to be a bad influence, lioness.”

  We turned to find Eros leaning against the wall of windows. He gave me a petulant stare. My smile took on Cheshire cat proportions. Hmm, if I could nullify his short-circuiting ability on women’s brains, I could hire myself out and make a fortune. His lips quirked up in a grin before he shifted his attention to Molly, a look of concern crossing his face. “What’s troubling you, imp?”

  “You didn’t stick around for the rest of the drawings. All six primary competitions were drawn. That’s never happened before. One or two a year, sure. But never all six in one year. Could it mean . . .?” The fingers of her left hand tapped out a nervous rhythm along her thigh.

  I didn’t see Eros move, but suddenly he was right in front of us. He took Molly’s left hand in his and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles soothingly. “Don’t go getting yourself all worked up over an old wives’ tale. The Chosen aren’t real. If they were, they would have shown up a long time ago, right? Since they’re supposed to be so all-powerful.”

  Molly nodded mutely. Eros smiled at her and kissed her hand. “The primary competitions being selected means we have our work cut out for us. Back then they barely had knowledge of first aid, so, of course, they were dangerous. We have the gems. They’ll protect everyone. Now, Gaia is up first. What do you think we should start this one on? She doesn’t look like she’s ever braved the elements in her life.”

  Eros winked at me when Molly turned her attention my way. Some of the color returned to her pale face as she considered his question. “I’m guessing you’re not much of an outdoor person?”

  “We’re talking backyard cookout type of ‘outdoor,’ right?” I asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

  They exchanged a look and then started laughing. Guess not.

  Eros rubbed his hands together. “I believe we should find some spandex to cover that lovely ass. It’s time to go to training, my little lioness.”

  11

  Humid air caressed more exposed skin than I was comfortable with when the elevator doors opened on the lowest level of Titan Tower. I tugged at the tight black tank top and leggings, wishing there was more
material. It had taken Molly threatening to burn my jeans to get me to put on the spandex. I could feel Eros’s eyes glued to my butt again as I stepped out onto the rough rock floor of the training level. He grunted as my elbow accidentally jabbed him in the stomach.

  The heavy scents of the ocean and a thick forest filled my nose. The vast cavern was lit up like it was broad daylight, but the light seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. As hard as I looked there were no electrical sources to be found. This area made the throne room look like a closet. Several yards in front of us the rock floor gave way to a grassy field and beyond that lay a dense forest.

  It was like we had stepped into an alternate reality. “How . . .?”

  “A freshwater stream flows through the cavern and enough sunlight filters in to allow the growth,” Eros offered. “We helped Mother Nature out a bit with temperature control, and she showed us her appreciation.”

  “Taking credit for my work, Cupid?” a soft female voice said behind us.

  We turned to find a green-robed Kyrion smiling indulgently at Eros. Her sandy blonde hair was piled loosely on top of her head, and daisies peeked out amongst the curls. Loose ringlets framed her face and cascaded across her shoulders. Her flawless peach-toned skin glowed in the bright light of the cavern. The open front of the robe revealed a plain white chiffon dress that fell down to brush the tops of her bare feet.

  It hadn’t escaped my notice that Eros was also barefooted. Did the Kyrion have a foot fetish or just an aversion to shoes?

  Like the rest of the Kyrion, the woman didn’t look a day over twenty-five. Hadn’t Molly said something about this group of Kyrion leading the Games for the last fifteen years? Either they were kid geniuses, or they had found the fountain of youth. I made a mental note to ask Molly if there was any “special” water I could drink.