Blood Stained Tranquility

by N. Isabelle Blanco

  “It’s over, my R’ma. It’s over. Shh.”

  His presence helped—feeling him was pure medicine to her rabid adrenal glands—but nothing would be able to erase the emotional twister ripping through her. It had just started, too. Her mind hadn’t even begun to fully process everything she’d just experienced.

  “You’re hurt.” His hand slid around her ribcage, pumping healing energy into her.

  He wasn’t anywhere near as powerful when it came to the healing as Ved was, but she felt her rib start to mend. Zen brushed his lips against her injured cheek, his tongue flicking out to taste her blood even as he healed that cut as well.

  Cyake also appeared, out of his wolf-form and suited up in his gold-and-black armor. He knelt behind his best friend, laying his large, gloved hand on the back of Ianthen’s head.

  Zexistr and Keiros appeared next. Zexistr looked ready to pass out, his too-pale skin three shades lighter.

  They were followed by a black-eyed man that looked like he could almost be Crius’s twin.

  Hades.

  Crius himself was next, and he was still in wolf-form, running toward them like a tank ready to collapse. His eyes were frantic as he looked around them, clearly seeking out Dimi’s body. He was near-rabid, those monstrous jaws snapping at the air as he growled furiously.

  Zexistr, Keiros, and Hades caught him right as he slammed out of wolf-form, looking like he’d gone mad with rage.

  “Calm down! Crius!”

  “Where is she?” he screamed, his eyes monstrous. They’d turned light-purple, huge pupils almost overtaking his irises as he roared. “Where the fuck is her body?”

  There were black scars on almost every inch of him. Starting from his chest, and arching down in almost tattoo-like lines down to his ankles.

  “Calm down! You’re already blitzing out, you idiot!” Cyake cried, jumping away from Ianthen and joining the circle of huge male bodies trying to keep his naked brother in check.

  “You morphed into your wolf-form,” Keiros said in a soothing, calm tone, lowering his head so his mouth was near his brother’s ear. “The spell that helps you stay celibate is already failing you. You’re going to go rabid. Calm down. Breathe.”

  Crius heard none of it. He struggled against the hands and arms holding him.

  “I don’t give a fuck! Where is her body! They—they fucking killed her. I felt it. She’s gone.” Tears welled up in his changed eyes. “They killed her.”

  Eve’s heart twisted inside her. “She’ll be back.”

  Everyone seemed to freeze at that. Crius’s head turned slowly in her direction.

  She would never forget the look in his eyes. Ever.

  Dimithinia was mated to him. She knew that now. Had seen the bracelets, and felt the power in her that so mimicked his own.

  “It happened before.” Evesse cleared her throat when she heard how hoarse her voice had become. “She came back. In Renentr. She said she woke up there.”

  Crius flung all his brothers off him at once, sending them flying in every direction. He was gone before anyone could say or do anything else.

  Trembling, Evesse fell further into Zen’s lap. When he shifted, lifting her the rest of the way up, she let him. One look around proved what she’d already known. The battle was over. The Sesengts were materializing, forming a circle around them. Everyone’s eyes were on Ianthen as he kept on whimpering, his snout now pressed under Sol’s chin.

  Three of the turned ceFtuts stood off to the side, like big, white, bear-dogs waiting for a command. Four of the changed, now sleek and silver Refluths were behind them, doing the same.

  Zen cupped Eve’s chin, tilting her head up. “Tell me you’re okay. Please.”

  His hoarse plea, combined with the look on his face, made her cry harder.

  “No,” she answered honestly. “I’m not.” He tensed under her, eyes widening. “But I will be,” she hurried to add, sliding her hand around his neck.

  It was true. She would be. She had no choice. She would just have to figure out how the hell she was going to deal with the emotional and psychological backlash of everything that she’d experienced.

  That reminded her.

  “Makayla. Get her. Please.”

  Zen looked like leaving her was the last thing on his mind.

  “Please. I can’t dematerialize right now.”

  He kissed her, pressing his lips to hers almost ruthlessly. Their tongues didn’t meet. It wasn’t so much a kiss of passion as it was a relieved, brutal act. He was gone the next second, dematerializing to do as she’d asked.

  She was shaking so hard she couldn’t freaking stand. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t allow herself to focus on it. She knew that if she did, it was going to take over.

  She was going to lose it.

  And it was only a matter of time.

  On her hands and knees, she moved closer to Soleria and the others.

  “She’s going to be okay, big guy,” she told Ianthen, all the while praying that it would be true. He shifted, and the cuffs around his front legs glinted in the sunlight. They had grown huge, expanding to accommodate his new size. What was obviously a red, white, and dark blue mating mark could be seen through his fur, covering his entire left side.

  She rubbed between his ears. “You’re the biggest idiot I know, but we’re going to get her back for you.”

  He whined, sniffing his R’ma’s skin. His eyes were red when he lifted his head up and turned to Eve. He nuzzled her face with his snout in a totally canine way. She closed her eyes and hugged that big head to her. “We’ll get her to Vedlyl. You’ll see. She’s going to be fine.”

  Zeniel materialized, his arm around a sick-looking Makayla. Eve was surprised to see none of the satisfaction from last time in her eyes considering what was going on around them. She looked like she was about to throw up.

  Her teary brown eyes met Evesse’s. “They took Enteax with them. I saw them go into the hole and carry him out. He was unconscious.”

  So that was why she wasn’t taking any pleasure in the suffering playing out.

  Dyletri went ramrod straight, his lips peeling back from his lips in a snarl. “Enteax?”

  Zeniel shook his head, giving Dy a hard look.

  “What does she have to do with Enteax?”

  Ismini turned in her mate’s arms, trying to bring his attention to her. “Baby, calm down.”

  “He fucking killed you. He killed Evesse.”

  Makayla gasped loudly.

  “Technically, Lisrn threw her in and I ran in after her,” Evesse mumbled, still cradling Ian’s head to her chest and petting between his ears.

  Dyletri’s stare promised total violence.

  Zeniel flashed before him, slapping him lightly on the forehead.

  Dy was on his feet in a flash, and both males got up in each other’s grills, armored chest to armored chest, so close their noses bumped.

  “Don’t stare at my R’ma like that.” Zen’s voice was calm, but deadly.

  “What does that girl have to do with fucking Enteax? Did you forget that he helped kill our females?”

  “No. I did not. But in the end, it worked out. We were able to regain our women in stronger forms. And Nylicia advised me to leave him alone. His destiny is changing.”

  Dyletri growled Nylicia’s name like it was a curse. “I don’t give a fuck. I don’t want to ever lay eyes on him.” He threw a hard look at Makayla, his silver and blue irises swirling. “If the girl has to come along, fine. But if I so much as see him—”

  “You will never, ever lay a hand on him,” Makayla growled with all the fury of a demon. “He’s not a saint, but he helped me. He risked his life for mine. And he’s constantly forced to do things he doesn’t want to do. He’s owned.”

  At Dy’s surprised look, Zeniel nodded. “Vermylea. She owns him, Lisrn, and every other God the Aviraji ever convinced to join their ranks. That’s why all their physical appearances changed after the last war.”
/>   Yelling interrupted whatever else he was going to say. Ten feet away, Cy was desperately pulling on Zexistr’s arm.

  “Let go of me! I’m fucking going!” Zexistr growled.

  “You idiot. They just declared all-out war. They’ll try to hurt you!”

  “They can’t. No one can. If I die, the entire Universe collapses. They all know it. They wouldn’t even fucking try. I’m going. I’m getting my daughter out of there. And her mother is going to fucking answer for lying to me like this.”

  Zexistr jerked his arm out of Cy’s hold and turned, his molecules dispersing.

  “I’ll go with him,” Keiros said, cupping Cy’s shoulder. “Maivera has to answer for her lies. It’s about time he confronts her. You stay here and help the others.”

  Zeniel stepped away from Dy, throwing the male one last warning look. Then he was moving toward Eve, his long, powerful legs eating up the inches that separated them. He knelt next to her, placing his hand on Ianthen’s head.

  “I’m starting to get jealous here, ass.” Even though his words seemed threatening, they were soft, and Eve saw the blue and gray part of his aura expanding, his power flowing into Ianthen. “You’re gonna have to get that head away from my woman’s breasts soon. I’m not that benevolent.”

  Air huffed out of Ian’s nostrils, but he did move closer to Zen’s hand.

  “We need to get her back to Enzyria.” Cy bent down, moving to pick up Sol—

  Ianthen was out of Evesse’s arms in a flash, large teeth snapping at his best friend.

  “Bro, chill! I’m just trying to help.”

  “I’ll do it,” Zen volunteered.

  Ianthen seemed to calm down at that. Cy didn’t even look surprised. And that’s when it hit Eve: Ian really was jealous of his best friend when it came to Sol. Something had happened, and the tension between them was now thick.

  Her attention snapped back to her mate when she felt him run a thumb down her cheek in that way he loved to do. His jaw twitched when she turned to him. The kiss he gave her this time was a soft promise.

  “As soon as we can,” he moved to whisper in her ear. “I need you. I need you to focus me.”

  She knew exactly what he meant. The only thing that centered them both was physical contact with each other. Just thinking about it made her core go solar-hot, as if all the energy in her body had decided to focus on that instead of all the emotional bullshit it’d been trying to process.

  Zen pressed one more kiss to her cheek, then moved to lift Soleria gently into his arms.

  Makayla came up to Eve, slipping one of her arms around her shoulder when she went to stand. Surprised, Eve stared at her. Makayla shrugged, the movement lifting Eve’s arm. “Thought I’d help. For old time’s sake?”

  Eve gave her a small smile. “Me strong Goddess. You puny human. For now at least.”

  Ismini came up to them, her curious stare bouncing between Makayla and Eve. “You two know each other?”

  “Yeah. We were in a foster home together years ago.”

  Ismini, bless her heart, merely nodded, then turned to give Makayla a welcoming smile. “Cool. I’m Ismini. This bitch here is my best friend, too. So anyone that’s her friend is mine.”

  “Who are you calling a bitch?” Eve asked with absolutely zero heat. Ismini looked shaken, but nowhere near as much as Evesse was. That was Ismini, though. She’d always been able to roll with the punches and accept change no matter how drastic or sudden.

  Her eyes landed on Soleria, still unconscious in Zen’s arms. Ianthen rubbed his snout into the palm of one of her dangling hands.

  Then he was gone. He just took off at a full run, heading into the alleyway between two buildings. Several of them called out his name, but he just kept going.

  Eve couldn’t even join in as the others called his name. She felt like she was on the verge of one hell of a panic attack. Her senses kept jumping between going numb and overloading.

  She shuddered and hoped to the gods that she could make it back to Enzyria and keep her shit together. The last thing she needed was to distract anyone from caring for Soleria.

  Zeniel met her gaze and she could tell by the look in his eyes—he knew something was going on with her.

  Chapter 37

  Evesse had been aiming for the main hall of Enzyria, but a shock of power grabbed her in mid-air. One moment, she’d been about to materialize near Dimithinia’s energy signature, the next she was materializing against a wall on the second floor.

  A large, leather covered hand palmed the back of her head, then slid down to wrap around the nape of her neck.

  Her legs were uselessly weak. Just as well, because Zen tightened his hold on her and dragged her away from the wall. Eve went soft in his grip, torn between the two raging needs that had been clawing at her since the battle.

  The voice of Justice had gone mute, but the need for more bloodshed remained. The enemy’s. Zen’s.

  Someone’s.

  “Tell me you’re okay.” Zeniel sniffed her and dragged his teeth across her jaw. “Evesse. Answer me. I need to know.”

  “Zeniel. It hurts. Everything hu—”

  His gloves were suddenly gone. He lifted her hair, dematerializing the collar of her armor so he could nuzzle her neck.

  “Z—Zeniel. Too much. Please help me.”

  He kissed and licked her neck gently. Softly. “You’re overloaded. You need to focus. On me.” He turned her, cupping her face in his bare hands.

  Eve nearly suffocated. She still wasn’t used to the sight of him like this—those blue-and-gray eyes, his demon markings on full display, and his cheekbones as stark as they could be.

  He stared down into her eyes, hard. “Focus on me. Focus on us.”

  Tucking her against his chest, he wrapped those powerful, armor-covered arms around her, engulfing her. She tried. Lord help her, she tried, but her system was in shock and she had no clue how to break out of it. She was beyond overloaded. The tsunami of chemicals that her powers had unleashed in her had utterly violated her mind.

  Everything they’d just gone through kept coming back to her in all its fucked-up, blood-drenched glory.

  Zen pulled back, no doubt because she was shaking so hard that their armor clanked together. “Evesse, if you don’t focus . . .”

  He didn’t finish, fisting her hair instead and tilting her head back as he drilled her with his determined stare. He was lost behind a blurry haze. Currents of peace pulsed into her, but they barely registered.

  Zeniel let out a low “fuck”, no doubt realizing that his powers weren’t calming her at all. He lifted Eve up into his arms and rushed through the nearest door.

  “You’re overwhelmed,” he repeated. “If you don’t push past it, you might lose control to your powers when they reawaken.”

  “I—I’m trying.” Focus was playing peek-a-boo with her though, coming and going in small spurts. The few seconds she could focus on him, she felt his body calling to her. The thick, charged heat of his need licked at her insides.

  Zen placed her down on a stone bench, jarring Eve back to reality. By the time she was able to blink her way out of her daze, he had lowered himself in front of her, his hulking form almost blocking out the view of the indoor garden he’d brought her to.

  He grabbed her chin, dragging her to the edge of the bench. The upper half of his armor was gone. Every tattoo-like marking on his face and torso was on display. His muscular, leather-encased thighs were on either side of her legs, fully flexed from the effort of holding him up. His hand scorched the skin of her face.

  The fog surrounding Eve’s processors snapped back with rubber-band force. One instant she was confused; the next, she was downright captivated.

  She gasped. “Zeniel.”

  His scent rose, curling around her, inside her, infusing his taste onto the back of her tongue.

  “There you go.” He encircled her waist with his left hand, dematerializing the rest of her armor so that only her black tank top an
d leather leggings remained.

  Eve spread her legs for him and sunk her nails into his shoulders. She distantly heard Zen speaking to her again. He was telling her to breathe and focus. That he needed her right there with him.

  She was unable to speak, unable to tell him that she was so right fucking there with him. So, she spread her legs more and pulled his frame closer. Panting, throat dry, she raised her hands and got rid of his ponytail.

  “Ze—Zen. What are you—” She clenched her teeth together, fighting the raw urge to eat him alive.

  Zeniel gave a throaty chuckle when Eve pulled on his hair.

  The primitive, pleased undertone of that laugh seemed to curl around her sex, settling within her and leaving her pounding.

  “What is th—What are you doing to . . . ahhh, me?”

  He braced his hands on the bench and shifted. Yes. Yes. Closer. Oh fuck, his shaft was a fully swollen ridge inside his leather pants. He lifted himself up just enough to be level with her lips.

  “I’m doing to you what you did to me inside my temple, my R’ma.”

  She had enough coherency left to realize what he meant. He was taking control of her processors, using their mating connection to command her body so that all she could think of was the merciless need to have him.

  Eve’s eyes dropped back down to his crotch. His cock was just as vicious as she remembered—just as monstrous as it throbbed behind those leathers. Zen’s shoulders and arms flexed as he moved closer to her, lowering his head and nipping at her bottom lip with his canine. She choked out a moan, the pressure exploding inside her clit and nearly making her come.

  Dazed, she barely noticed when Zen dragged her down. He laid her flat on the huge stone bench so he could press himself to her.

  Eve’s legs closed around him instantly, tightening like a vice.

  “That’s it.” Zen nuzzled her cheek. “I need you as much as you need me. Need you to focus me, as well.” He lifted his head, his eyes flashing black-and-red.

  Eve’s incisors grew longer. Her lips parted on a sharp inhale. “Zeniel. Please. Now.”