Aether's Mark

by Rachael Slate

His throat tight with thirst, he simply nodded.

  This sudden, crazed passion consumed him. He’d never suffered from anything like it before. If the nymph promised a cure, he’d be damned sure to accept it.

  A triumphant smile tugged at Minthe’s lips. Finally, Rhoetus was surrendering to this attraction between them. Good thing, because she was starving. Hungry for the kind of satiation only a male like him could provide.

  Since he was being so compliant, she wouldn’t torment him long. A few swift tugs and she had him out of his breeches, his long, thick arousal so rigid it had to be painful.

  Taking pity on him, she cupped his length between her hands and drew him inside her mouth. He tossed back his head and hissed in delight while she flicked her tongue across his slit in slow, torturous circles. His width throbbed in her hands, demanding. She wasn’t about to refuse. Climbing upon him, she straddled his hips and descended onto his shaft, spearing his tip inside her.

  His eyes shot open and he howled deep, meeting her gaze. There was nothing but feral lust in those depths.

  And she knew exactly what do to with it.

  Undulating and moaning, she sank onto his thickness, easing to accommodate his large size. He was bigger than the other males she’d been with, but his rigidness was so delightful. And his muscles. Sweet gods. Admiring, she skimmed her hands up and down his abdomen, along every tight line and chiseled edge. She grew so wet and needy just looking at him. Mewling, she rocked against him, pumping along his hips.

  “Aye, ride me, nymph.” This majestic male, so cocksure and determined, rested beneath her, at her mercy. His features were tense and his jaw clenched, while mismatched eyes hooded, as though this pleasure was out of the ordinary for him, too.

  Makes two of us.

  It was as if every graze of her skin against his brought spikes of blissful ecstasy coursing through her. How could such be possible? This magnetism alone was beyond comprehension, this craving making her desperate.

  He gripped the sheets on either side of him, and the sheen of perspiration forming on his skin served to accentuate those decadent muscles.

  How she could lick every inch of him clean.

  She traced her tongue along her lower lip in anticipation. Suddenly, he tensed, seizing her hips and halting her undulations.

  Swiftly he plucked her off his shaft, grunting while hot seed shot from the head. “Gods,” he growled, pulsing his essence across his abdomen and the sheets.

  What?

  Rhoetus panted and whipped his head. “That was close.”

  “Close?” She scoffed. “Hardly.”

  “Forgive me, lass.” He shuffled, wiping his seed from his body with the sheet. “I didn’t mean I was finished with you.”

  “Clearly.” Crossing her arms, she puffed. “You didn’t have to do that, and ruin it.”

  “Indeed, well, I don’t spill my seed inside anyone, nymph. Future Kings don’t have such privilege.”

  Future Kings? “K-King?” she croaked.

  His skin paled and he clamped his jaw.

  Fine. If he didn’t wish to share, she wouldn’t stay around to press him. “Just so you know, Future King,” huffing, she hopped off the bed and snared her gown, “nymphs are only fertile when they wish to be. Not that you’ll ever have the chance to try again.” After she shrugged on her gown, she marched to the door and droned, “Your loss.” She twisted the knob and stormed into the hall, being sure to slam the door behind her.

  Watching her leave, Rhoetus scraped a hand down his jaw. Future King. He winced. No one here was supposed to know that, not until it was too late.

  Well, damn. This hadn’t gone as he’d planned. Not one bit. The urge to spill his essence inside her had been so strong, he hadn’t been able to control himself. He’d barely gotten out of her in time. A King couldn’t stomp around, planting his seed everywhere. Such would only lead to questions of legitimacy for future heirs.

  Legitimacy. He snorted. Ha. He was the last person to argue on that basis.

  After all, he wasn’t even a legitimate heir.

  He grimaced and glanced toward the balcony. His parents had begged him to guard the secret, and he had. For more than a century. Concealment had become even more dire, since he was the only heir and hope his people had.

  What would they think if they knew the truth?

  He had no more right to sit upon that throne than any of them did.

  Sighing, he scrubbed his face in his hands, then rose and stormed to the balcony. After shifting into the eagle, he launched into the sky, beating his wings as hard as he could muster.

  Bloody eagle. Zeus had gifted each of his siblings grand abilities, but of course, he’d had to bestow Rhoetus with the one reminder he could never escape.

  I’m his son.

  He screeched into the night air, not caring who heard.

  More than a century ago, the centaur King Cyllarus and Queen Hylonome of Krete had been desperate for a child, an heir, a legacy. They hadn’t been able to conceive on their own, and so had pleaded at a temple on Mount Ida for the god Zeus’s aid.

  Zeus had only been too happy to fulfill their request, transforming into the body of Rhoetus’s father and mating with his mother.

  Aye, Rhoetus resembled his father, except for his mismatched eyes. The blue one was a constant reminder he wasn’t whole.

  He was half.

  Half god. Half centaur. Half an heir.

  He veered east and landed upon a tall branch of an oak tree. No one alive knew the truth. His parents had never revealed his lineage to anyone, save himself. That was how he’d known to lead the others to Mount Ida when the minotaurs had attacked. He’d fled the palace long before his parents had succumbed. Along the way, he’d seen to the safety of as many as he could.

  Never had he imagined what would await him on Mount Ida. The cavern he’d led everyone to had been dark upon their entry, but at his presence, the temple brightened and the brilliance of the god had beamed down at them. Zeus.

  My father.

  Centaurs were descended of the gods, but to have direct parentage, to be a half blood, gifted Rhoetus with more than the abilities of his kin. He was stronger, faster, invincible.

  Traits he’d had to hide his entire life. Because one slip, one mistake, and everyone would know the truth. He no more belonged on the throne than Minos did.

  His father was a true descendant of the royal line. His mother had simply been a peasant centauress he’d wed. Thus, there were other centaurs alive with more claim to the throne than he.

  Yet every time he tried to relinquish his title, he couldn’t. Images of the disappointment he would cause in his siblings prevented him.

  Their pure faith in him kept him to this false path.

  For the first time, he questioned whether even a demi god was strong enough to stay its course.

  The fever of Minthe’s passions cooled, as did her temper. What had happened between her and Rhoetus was neither of their faults. A crossing of words and intentions. After all, she was the one who never shared a man’s bed twice.

  What did she care if things ended badly between them? Not like she would ever attempt to contact him again.

  What about Mother’s persuasion? Ah, yes, blast it. Well, not everyone can be helped, Mother. She huffed. A King? Rhoetus’s true path was clearly clouded, even to her. She wasn’t the right nymph for the task.

  Where does this leave me? She couldn’t stay forever at Great Meteoron. Asteriae weren’t like other nymphs, who might be tied to a particular tree or river. She roamed freely, just as the stars circled the evening sky. Even as an infant she hadn’t resided in one place. As a nymph of the breezes, Ekho meandered, too. But their destinies no longer followed the same course. At last, Ekho was following her true path. Minthe had to allow her the time to do that.

  Yes. She’d pack her things and journey from here, following the celestial beings which had always guided her. Minthe opened a sack on her bed, prodding through her meager
belongings. Everything she’d possessed had been taken from her when she’d been captured. At least, the centaurs were generous in providing new clothes. She stuffed a gown into the sack, frowned at the empty contents, and shrugged.

  “Going somewhere?”

  The familiar baritone tingled down her spine. “Nowhere that I desire your company.”

  “Oh, come now, Minthe. We had an understanding.” Rhoetus stepped in front of her and crossed his arms.

  “What else could you possibly want of me, hmm? We’re finished.”

  “Are we, though?” He leaned close, unfolded his arms, and pegged her with those irresistible mismatched orbs. “I know your mother persuaded you to aid me. Believe me, I’d love as much to be freed from the obligation as you do. I can’t have you trailing after me forever, nymph.”

  “Who says I planned to?” She tilted her chin in irritation.

  “I can see it in your eyes, Asteri.” He bent close, too close, and flashed her a wicked grin. “We’re not finished yet.”

  Chapter 5

  Rhoetus had to get the nymph on his side, and then, out of his way. He’d come to the sinister conclusion, after many hours of contemplating the horizon. Ekho had persuaded him to watch after her daughter as much as she’d obligated Minthe to guide him. Once he determined what it was Minthe required from him, he’d be finished with his end. Free from the nagging voice in his ear.

  Besides, for what he’d realized he must do, the nymph could be nowhere near him. He wanted her far from Great Meteoron, where his actions wouldn’t cause her any harmful distress.

  Minthe pinched her brows together and perused him. “Fine, I’ll guide you, because you know I’m bound to. I have rules, centaur, and one of them is never to bed a male twice. Whatever happened last night, will not happen again.”

  Never bed a male twice? He cocked a brow and straightened. Gods, she sounded like him. Any similarity only produced more affinity between them and made everything harder.

  “I don’t intend it to.” Such a lie. Truth was, he was desperate for another taste of her, another chance to make her feel the way she’d done to him.

  “Aye. Rules are rules.” He nodded once, quirking his lips. “A shame for you I break everyone’s but mine.”

  She scoffed, but a slight flush bloomed across her pale cheeks.

  He bit his tongue against spewing the flowery compliments which begged to be released. Such nonsense wouldn’t aid either of them. “Where do we start?”

  “Well, you can begin by telling me the truth. All of it, King Rhoetus. Commencing with why you actually came here. Because whether you have a sister or not, I don’t believe for a second the story you wove.”

  The defiant lift of her chin was too much. Had his tales been so unlikely? If yes, had others mistrusted him, too?

  The nymph might not be able to help him with his task, but sharing some of the truth couldn’t hurt. She was a clever thing who might possess knowledge he didn’t.

  “Fine. Cyane did come, but only at my beckoning. It was by chance of luck that we learned of King Philaeus’s plans, and the situation granted us the opportunity to make our entrance. She was indeed held prisoner, by our design. I had to ensure her escape, which is also why I was late in rescuing you.”

  “Ha. I knew it. You’re still not forgiven for that.”

  He snorted and stomped his hoof. “I’ll share more with you, lass, but not here.” Suddenly, he had the suspicion these walls might have more eyes and ears than just those belonging to the portraits depicted on the tapestries.

  Sapphire eyes flashing in challenge, she extended her hand. “Lead the way.”

  Finally. Minthe exhaled a breath of relief. The centaur was finally opening up. She’d almost relinquished hope he would.

  Together, they descended through the Portal and marched past the gates of Great Meteoron. “Where exactly are you leading me?”

  “Well,” he pinched the bridge of his nose and glanced sideways at her, “I have an idea or two, but I’m not sure you’d like my methods.”

  A challenge? This was what she’d been waiting for. Minthe set her shoulders. “Try me.”

  In an instant, her form was whipped about, her body lashed in a spinning vortex that blurred the view around her. “What are you doing?” she rasped.

  “Taking you to Krete.”

  Just as suddenly, the whirling stopped. Thankfully, Rhoetus had scooped her into his arms, because certainly she would have landed straight on her bottom. Instead, she rested quite comfortably against his deliciously hard chest, his arms wrapped about her. “What do you mean, Krete?” she croaked. This couldn’t be real. It would take weeks to reach the Isle by ship.

  Instead of answering, he framed her chin in his palm and nudged her to face the horizon. Her jaw dropped as she gaped at a vast ocean, sparkling turquoise waves crashing onto a sandy white shore. This unfamiliar stretch of beach greeted her vision, but it couldn’t be Krete. “I don’t understand.”

  “Aye, that is why I brought you, remember?”

  She twisted in his arms to face him. “Well, then, start sharing.”

  “First, let’s get inside before anyone realizes we’re here.” He marched off the beach toward a small hut within the border of the tree line. The simple structure was cozy and well kept. Did Rhoetus venture here often?

  “Who would view us that you didn’t wish to?” she queried as Rhoetus set her upon a bench and wrapped a wool blanket about her shoulders.

  After shifting into his human form, he paced to the hearth and set about to lighting a fire. “Minotaurs. Minos’s scouts. Who the hell else knows. My kind don’t venture out in the open any more than we must to survive.”

  “But, you’re the future King. Why would you be hiding?” Nothing about his tales made sense. How deep were his secrets?

  “There’s much about what happened here that seems to have gone unnoticed. I can’t help but wonder why. Is it part of Minos’s plan? Or does the world truly not care?” he grumbled into the young flames. They crackled and sparked, growing stronger as he flamed them.

  “Why don’t you start at the beginning?” She arched a brow, encouraging. “Tell me about your parents. Your childhood.”

  He stiffened and heaved a long exhale. “King Cyllarus and Queen Hylonome. My father was a descendant of a long line of centaurs, starting with the first who’d parted from our kin on the mainland and sailed to Krete, looking for a new beginning. A home. He was iron-fisted but honorable and fair. My mother was fierce, too, mayhap even more revered than my father.” The gleam of affection sparkled in his eyes. “They raised me to be a King. While other children played, I trained. While they received gifts and frivolities, I received education, knowledge, discipline. Their love was shown to me in these ways.”

  Her heart squeezed. So, these were the origins of this complicated male. Why he behaved as he did, owning the world but not partaking of it. Every child should be loved, with more than tutelage. She frowned, comprehending him better even from this small revelation. “What happened? Where are they now?”

  “Dead.” He sighed. “They’re all dead. Minos is to blame.”

  Wait. Dead? “What do you mean? What happened to them?”

  “When I was a lad, a century ago, King Minos came to Krete. He arrived, pretending to be an emissary sent to form relationships between our peoples. Humans and centaurs.” He scoffed. “He wasn’t. For whatever reason, he’d set his sights on the centaur throne and he’d enlisted the aid of the minotaurs in seizing it. I know not how he coerced them, but they’d been eager to be freed from their labyrinths and set upon the surface to ravage our lands and peoples. None were safe. Not nymphs. Not centaurs. Nor any creature that dared to oppose Minos. I never saw my parents die, not like my siblings did. When the alarm bells had sounded, I’d been in my chamber, asleep, and my mother had sent a servant to wake me and usher me to safety. To Mount Ida.”

  He drummed his fingers along his thigh, as though the memories made
him anxious. “Along the way, I collected those I could, few as they were. Only after I’d observed the fires light the horizon and the rivers flow with blood did I realize the extent of their conquest. Minos spared no one, save those who’d escaped. My bloodsworne brothers and sister, we became a new family, along with a few hundred of our kin.”

  “Oh, Rhoetus.” At the pause in his tale, she took the opportunity to kneel beside him and grasp his hand. “I never heard of such suffering. How did we not know?”

  He tossed his head. “We believed the rest of the world didn’t care, but after speaking with others on the mainland, I suspect Minos cast a spell over this Isle, so none would learn what happened here.”

  “Does he know about you?”

  “In truth? I’m not sure.” He squeezed her hand, rested his head against hers, and they settled by the fire. “Minos imprisoned the minotaurs, betraying them. He sent his human followers across the lands, and left none alive to counter him. Mount Ida protects us. It’s where my, ah, where Zeus was born, where his presence remains strong. Minos never dared to search there.”

  What had he been about to utter? My what?

  As much truth as Rhoetus had revealed, there were pieces missing still.

  Secrets she was determined to uncover.

  Berating himself, Rhoetus clamped his mouth. My father? He sneered at his insolent tongue. No one could learn the truth. Not even the nymph.

  “What happened next?” Minthe smiled at him, encouraging. Aye, when she looked at him with such eager trust, it was hard not to reveal everything. To rip open his chest and exhibit every inch of his soul.

  No matter how dangerous that would prove.

  “Next? Well, we retreated to Mount Ida, as I’d mentioned. The five of us. Arctus, Lycus, Demoleon, and Cyane. We made vows to protect each other and sealed them with our blood. Then, Zeus revealed himself before us, and blessed each of us with a gift, power over the elements. A weapon which would one day vanquish Minos, or so Zeus promised. Cyane, with Water. Demoleon, Fire. Lycus commands the Air. Arctus the Earth. I, of course, am Master of the Aether. Together, he declared our abilities will help us conquer Minos.”