Paldimori Gods Rising Box Set

by T. L. Callahan

  “Together. I like the sound of that.”

  “Good, because I’m never giving you up.”

  How was it he always knew just what to say? “I’m not giving you up either, Le Pew. I love you.”

  “I love you, my Tigerlily.” He cupped my cheeks and kissed me until my head spun.

  “Ouch!” Jaxon let me up for air but didn’t let me go. My grandmother aimed her cane at his shin again, but he put me in front of him.

  I laughed when grandmother winked at me. “How are you feeling, child?”

  I paused a moment to take inventory. “Weird, but strangely like I’m finally myself.”

  “Trust the Goddess.” She patted my hand. “Your transformation is for a higher purpose. She has given you the tools to succeed. Now the rest is up to you.”

  “Your symbol has changed.” Jaxon’s fingers traced the pattern under my robe. “The tree’s branches are full of leaves now. The figure of the woman in the trunk of the tree is more obvious. She now holds my symbol—the winged arrow—in her hands. And at her feet sits the mark from your father’s house—the three-headed dog of Hades. It seems you have been triple-blessed by the Gods.”

  “The prophesy foretold of the return of the Kòri.” Light green eyes glowed from the darkness of the woods. Then the Kyrion of the House of Seasons stepped into the light. She floated across the meadow toward us, a wooden staff with ancient writing gripped in her hands. “And here she is. The Goddess has given us a powerful warrior. We have much to do if you are to restore the Spirit of our people.”

  29

  Jaxon had declared that I wasn’t doing anything else but going back to our rooms so he could hold me in his arms. We had both been through so much that I didn’t argue. We had made love for hours and talked late into the night. There was still so much for us to learn about each other, but the more I learned, the more deeply I fell in love with him. Like the fact that my husband was hiding a lot of brain power behind that sexy smile. He had used a small sample of my blood that had been spilled when I was first claimed by the Goddess to test against the tribe. He was able to confirm that I had several close relatives, including an aunt, among them.

  The sneaky man had also been in contact with my mother and already introduced himself as her future-son-in-law. He said he was hedging his bets to make sure there was no out clause for me to use. He had been smart enough to tell me that while kissing his way down my stomach. I had been too distracted to yell at him, but I would make him suffer for that later. I’m not sure how my mother was going to handle the fact that I had found our tribe or that I was married to a Kyrion. She wanted a normal human life for me, and now I understood why. Telling her about all of this was not going to be fun. I had faith that whatever happened we would get through it.

  Jaxon had also tracked down information about my father. We would be going through the files he had put together later. I had spent my whole life wondering about the man who had walked out on his family. I wanted to hate him for a lot of reasons, but I couldn’t. He really had loved Meara. I was telling myself someone who loved that much couldn’t be all bad. Only time would tell.

  Something tickled my nose. I swatted it away and rolled to my side.

  Lips pressed down my spine causing me to wriggle away. “Closed,” I mumbled into my pillow. “Pretty. Sleep you.”

  Jaxon chuckled as he rolled me over and pressed a kiss to my nose. “You are adorable when you are all sleep-confused.”

  My hands waved about trying unsuccessfully to push him away. “Mmm. Not.”

  “Yes, you are.” He pressed kisses to my cheeks. “And absolutely irresistible. Don’t think I’ll be letting you out of this bed for a very long time.”

  My grumbling turned into a squeak when his tongue traced a circle around my naked breast. When he took my nipple into his mouth, heat shot through me and my back arched off the bed.

  “Do you know what I love about the changes to your body?” he said. “It gives me an excuse to refamiliarize myself with every inch of you.”

  Not that he needed an excuse—he was just an opportunist. His hands flowed across my muscled belly and down to my hips. Suddenly, I was flipped onto my stomach. “I’m buying you yoga pants in every color imaginable.”

  “It’s bigger, isn’t it?” I groaned as he massaged my butt. “You know I’m not going to do Downward Facing Dog every time you want to enter a room, right?”

  “Shhh, don’t take away my dreams.” Jaxon squeezed my butt cheeks and pulled me back against his hardness. I bit the pillow, my center still so sensitive from the many times we had come together last night. The connection between us was wide open, feeding me every sensation he felt which doubled my pleasure.

  Slowly, he sank inside me as he stretched his body out over mine. My breath caught and held. Then stuttered out on a shaky exhale as he linked our fingers and began to move. We moved together in perfect harmony as we slowly built to a crescendo.

  My skin was slick with sweat, my hair plastered to my back when I finally lost my patience. Using one of my self-defense moves, I knocked Jaxon off me and pinned him to the bed. He laughed up at me with light blue rings of light pulsing around his eyes. I placed my hand over his heart, our connection buzzing between us even stronger. When I slipped over him, it was his turn to gasp as I set the pace that tipped us over the edge.

  Starlight burst behind my eyes. The colors of our powers swirled around the room. Every part of us was one at that moment as we shared feelings of bliss and a love so strong no words could ever do it justice. I snuggled into his arms, listening to his heart beat.

  There was some part of me that had still been clinging to my old life, but, at this moment, I knew that Port Lawson would never be my home again. My home was wherever Jaxon was. I had found the love and family I had always wanted.

  Lia and I were talking to each other again. It was going to take some time to build back our friendship, but we would get there. It was also going to take some work to keep Lia, my grandmother, and Jaxon from killing each other, but I was up for the challenge. It would never be dull that’s for sure.

  As for Nikki, she had escaped. Turned out her background was all fake. Jaxon was working on it, but I didn’t think he was going to find her. She really had been an amazing actress to have fooled us all. The more troubling part was how she had gotten into the Games to begin with. When I had told the Kyrion what happened, they’d claimed that there hadn’t been a descendant of the six Houses with such strong water power in centuries. They had all stared at Molly, and she had stormed from the room. I knew that Molly had water powers and hoped that this new discovery wouldn’t bring my new friend trouble.

  Thinking of water powers brought to mind the other bad news we had gotten. I swallowed thickly and Jaxon held me tighter as sadness filled me. Mikhail’s body had washed up on the beach the morning after the competition. I convinced the Kyrion not to wipe anyone’s memories of him. Everyone deserved to be remembered. We had held a small ceremony for him last night.

  Now we were down to three contestants, since I was no longer allowed to compete.

  The Kyrion were calling an emergency meeting to discuss what to do. There were only three months left in the year. No one seemed to know what would happen if the Games weren’t finished in time, but they all agreed it would be bad.

  But for me, my mind was a much quieter place, and focus came more easily. My body was strong enough to be the warrior that my people needed—not just Gaia’s descendants but all of the Paldimori.

  Being a warrior had never been part of my plans, but destiny sets us on our course for a reason. The fight was coming, and we would be ready.

  Epilogue

  I woke to an anxious Jaxon sitting on the edge of our bed. “I was starting to worry,” he said.

  “I’m fine.” I stretched and gave him a sleepy smile. “Getting transformed from a troll into an Amazon takes it out of a girl.”

  His lips brushed mine. “As much as you’re te
mpting me to crawl back into this bed with you, we have somewhere to be.”

  “Don’t I get a day off for being a good little descendent?” I grumbled.

  “No rest for the sexy,” he said with a smirk.

  Then he scooped me up and kissed me breathless. When he set me on my feet, my knees threatened to buckle. He quickly ushered me out of our room before things could heat up. Moments later, he groaned when I stepped out of the bathroom in my camisole top and peach leggings covered in kittens playing with balls of yarn.

  My step had a little more bounce to it as I walked toward him. I wasn’t back to the same old me, but I was ok with that. The changes were here to stay, and I would adjust with time.

  A few minutes later, we stepped out of the elevator into the Emerald Rain Forest. Phil waved a giant claw as if saying hello—my bright yellow bra wrapped around his head like ear warmers.

  “Looking good, Phil,” I called out to him. “Good thing I hate bras. I don’t think I’m ever getting that one back.”

  Jaxon wrapped his arms around my waist, his hands resting dangerously close to my breasts. “You never have to wear those torture devices again.”

  “You’re all for my comfort, huh?” I jumped when his hand slid higher to brush against me.

  “Completely.” He kissed the side of my neck then took my hand to pull me into the forest. “Panties are very restrictive too. We should probably remedy that.”

  “Forget it. I’m not going without underwear, Le Pew.”

  “I’m only looking out for your health.” He gave me an innocent smile over his shoulder.

  I grunted and focused on not falling on my butt as we picked our way through the thick growth. Jaxon still had a few inches on me, but, for once, I wasn’t struggling to keep pace with his long strides. Although the changes in my body were taking some time to adjust to, my new affinity with nature was easing my way. Tree branches that would have smacked my taller height moved out of the way on their own. Tangles of weeds and rocks that would have tripped me up, smoothed into flat land.

  This I could get used to.

  We came to a clearing where a stone temple stood. Monkeys swung from vines that had grown all around the six oval-shaped buildings that fanned out from a central statue. An emerald statue of Gaia towered over it all. Her hands held a red lotus in each palm. Her white eyes glowed in the dim evening light.

  The monkeys’ chattering stopped abruptly as we neared the steps to the temple. They began to line up along the roofs, their white chests making them easy to spot in the dying light. Dozens of cinnamon-colored eyes tracked our every movement. Several bared their teeth at us, looking ready to attack. Jaxon kept walking as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  “As much as it pains me to say this, your grandmother was right. We have forgotten too much of our past,” Jaxon said. “We had no idea this was here.”

  Jaxon tugged me in front of him at the base of the steps. “Elder Rosella said this is the original temple where the Kòri—Gaia’s warrior handmaidens—came to pay her tribute.” He nudged me forward. “I’m not as good at using the Shadows as some, but I was able to check a couple of the buildings earlier. I couldn’t see a way in. I have a feeling you may be more successful.”

  Oh great, he wanted me to be monkey bait.

  “Uh, I doubt these monkeys are the cuddly Curious George kind. The big one over there is looking at me like I’m a huge banana.”

  “You’re a Kòri. You have power over more than the trees and dirt.” He gripped my wrists and turned my hands over. The lotus flowers on my palms sparkled like they had been traced in glitter. “The Kyrion are now actively pursuing all sources that might gain us knowledge of our past. I’m hoping you’ll be able to find some answers here, not just for you but for all of us.”

  “Right, one monkey-tamer coming up.” A piece of vine broke off and slithered toward us like a snake. Jaxon jumped when it twined around our left wrists. “And her trusty assistant. Too bad I don’t have a pink bustier to put on you.”

  Jaxon leaned into me and whispered in my ear. “I won’t wear a bustier, but you can tie me up any time. Just remember that I believe in fair treatment, so I’ll be returning the favor.”

  My breath hissed out, and I practically ran up the steps to keep myself from dragging him back to our room. The man was more addictive than candy, and he knew it.

  My earth power spiraled out with very little coaxing as we came to the base of the statue. The ground trembled, and a mound of dirt shot us up into the air. Jaxon lost his balance and fell over the side. The vine around our wrists held tight dragging me down too. I hit the narrow landing at the top of the dirt column knocking the air from my lungs.

  Jaxon scrambled for purchase as he tried to pull himself up. My shoulder felt as though it was being pulled from its socket as I struggled to hold his weight. Jaxon used his power to raise himself up, but before he could make it to the ledge, a gust slammed him against the column of dirt. My own powers surged with my panic, and the column of soil plummeted.

  Vines slithered about in all directions. Trees swayed. Rocks tumbled around the clearing crashing into everything. A swirling mass of mists hovered in the air. The monkeys screeched and took to the vines to swing around us like hairy acrobats.

  “You’ve got to calm down!” Jaxon shouted. “Focus on pulling the energy back.”

  He grunted as he slammed into the side of the dirt column again. My heart skipped a beat seeing blood trickle down the side of his face.

  One of the larger monkeys grabbed Jaxon’s leg. He tried to shake it off, but it held firm. Another monkey grabbed his other leg. To my surprise, they pulled him up onto the landing with me. I threw my arms around him. The jungle went still as I tugged the energy back with all my strength.

  “Are you ok?” My fingers traced below the cut on his head.

  “Just a scratch.” It clearly wasn’t, but if he was joking then he couldn’t be too damaged. My sigh of relief was captured by his lips. “My powerful little Tigerlily, you were using all of your powers at once. You tugged so hard on our connection, I was having trouble controlling the wind.” He winked at me when heat scalded my cheeks. “I can see we have our work cut out for us. Lucky for you I’m a very hands-on instructor.”

  My head settled against his chest, and I took a deep breath. My body wasn’t the only thing that changed. My powers were much stronger now. I couldn’t trial-and-error my way through this any longer.

  “We’ll figure this out together.” Jaxon’s hand smoothed over my braid. “As much as I love having you on top of me, we have an audience.”

  My eyes opened to find the big monkey that had helped Jaxon staring at me from only a foot away. It tilted its head as if listening to something, then started slapping the back of one hand into the palm of his other.

  “Do you speak monkey?”

  “I’m afraid this is your area of expertise.”

  We got to our feet. The monkey suddenly jumped from the dirt ledge to the arm of the statue. It mimed the hand motion again.

  “I think it wants me to do something with my hands.”

  “I have a few ideas,” Jaxon smirked.

  “You’re impossible, Le Pew.” I nudged him out of the way and stepped up to the outstretched hands of the statue. I glanced at the symbols on my palms then placed my hands in the center of the lotus flowers the statue held. Green light flared. The sound of stone sliding against stone filled the area. The oval-shaped buildings below us shifted until they interlocked to form a lotus shape.

  The voice of the Goddess filled my head.

  “The Kòri were my most trusted children. You will find answers in their temple, but not all knowledge is yours to gain. Time grows short, and the six are still scattered. Let faith guide the spirit, and you may yet succeed.”

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  T.L. Callahan

  First published in United States of America by Dragon Mountain Press LLC 2020

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  Callahan, T.L. Rising Chaos: Paldimori Gods Rising 3

  Copyright © T.L. Callahan 2020

  T.L. Callahan asserts their moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2019909624

  PB ISBN: 978-0-9991225-6-3

  EB ISBN: 978-0-9991225-5-6

  Edited by: Book Nanny Writing and Editing Services

  Cover design by: Covers by Juan

  Artwork by: janko_m

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Under no circumstances may any part of this book be photocopied for resale.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Publisher: Dragon Mountain Press LLC, 1250 W. Ohio Pike # 199 Amelia, OH 45102

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