The Hanged Maiden: A Reverse Harem Romance (Rise of the Ash Gods Book 1)

by Cara Wylde

“No.”

  “Well, then... it’s a good thing I am. Chant the spell, draw the sigils. Let’s do this. Let’s go get your Magician.”

  She fidgeted. “Can’t you... do it? Like... on your own?”

  He shot her a challenging look. “I want you to do it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s your responsibility as a Keeper. As the last Keeper left standing.”

  Valentina nodded. She dragged in a breath, focused, and tried to remember the spell. She’d done this so many times with the Suit of Spades. It was easy, and he was right. She was the one who had to do it. She’d found the ashes of the old gods, got Sia to re-paint the Trionfi Chiari, and now she was going to hunt down each and every god, and save the Tarot itself. She would keep the Mysteries of the Trionfi alive. This was the first step. This was the beginning. She could do it.

  She murmured the spell under her breath, her native tongue flowing off her lips like a beautiful, melodic poem. With her hand, she drew three sigils in the air, pushed them inside Loki’s body, then another three sigils above the card she was holding. With a small, beckoning gesture, she motioned for the god to step into the painting, and he did. It took her a few minutes to gather her courage and actually look at the card after Loki had disappeared, leaving her alone in the dark cave. When she finally managed, she saw the Hanged Man now looked completely different from how Sia hand painted him. For one, he was all dressed in black. When Loki smiled and waved at her, she laughed.

  “Now you can hang upside down as much as you want. With all that black you’re wearing, I’m starting to think you’re a bat, anyway.”

  He rolled his eyes at her. “Shut up and summon me back so I can take you to your dragon’s dimension.”

  “Just a second.”

  The first thing she needed to do was to take out her deck of cards and absorb Loki’s painting inside it. There was no point in walking around with a heavy folder, if she could help it. Step by step, she would ease her burden. Only then did she draw the summoning sigils and got the Trickster out of his card.

  “All right, let’s do it.”

  He sounded more enthusiastic than Val had expected. A tear ran down her cheek.

  “What’s wrong, love?” He reached out, tried to wipe her tear off with his thumb, but his hand went right through her face. She shuddered, and he pulled away immediately.

  “That’s what’s wrong.”

  He let out a strangled, reluctant chuckle. “It’s okay. It won’t always be like this.”

  She nodded, wiped her face with the sleeve of his coat, and sniffed pathetically. “Where is he? In what dimension?”

  He pursed his lips, his eyes lifting toward the open ceiling, as if the answer was written in the clouds. Valentina watched him in utter awe. It might not have been obvious to anyone else, but she knew what he was doing. She’d seen it before, in a cramped, stale room that was overflowing with old takeaway food, empty soda cans, chips and popcorn. She’d seen Osiris do the exact same thing, so she knew. Loki was searching through time, space, and dimensions. He was looking for the dragon.

  “Got him. He’s sleeping in the ninth. Ready?”

  “Y-yes...”

  She held her breath and squeezed her hands into fists at her sides. She didn’t know what to expect... Had never done this before. When she saw Loki lunge at her, she almost jumped out of his way. She felt him enter her body, becoming one with her. It was the strangest feeling, as if their auras were merging together, their combined energy field growing and expanding in the blink of an eye, going way beyond the cave, the tunnels, and the mountain itself, until it exploded, whooshing them to another place, another time, another dimension.

  After what felt like a split second and, at the same time, like an eternity, Valentina opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry. She blinked fast and held her stomach, doing her best to fight the overwhelming nausea. She stumbled, regained her footing, stumbled again, and fell to her knees. She was inside the same cave. Loki was beside her. But this time, there was someone else, too. The black dragon was sleeping deeply and peacefully just a few feet away from her.

  “There’s your Magician, love. You’re welcome.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Now, Valentina’s problem wasn’t the fact that waking up a dragon was hard. She was pretty sure it wasn’t. Scary, though? You bet! Dangerous? She didn’t even want to think about it! But she had to. As she tiptoed around the beast’s humongous body, trying to figure out what to do next, Loki was watching her from a corner, amusement and curiosity dancing in his green eyes. As usual, he wasn’t helping.

  “Do you think... err... he’ll mind?” she asked in a soft whisper.

  “Being woken up unceremoniously?” He laughed, and when she shushed him, he laughed louder. “I think he’ll appreciate it just as much as I appreciate being trapped in this etheric state right now.”

  “Ugh! Do you think, maybe, I should just...”

  “Whatever you’re thinking, bad idea. Bad.”

  “You’re right.”

  But it could have worked... All she had to do was take out her brush, draw a little blood from the dragon, – though she had no idea how, but she’d find a way, – and trap the god into his card before he even knew what was happening. Then, he could rage all he wanted. Because that was what dragons as big as this one did, right? They raged, and breathed fire, and smashed anyone who dared to wake them up to pieces. It wouldn’t have been fair. She couldn’t do it. Her only option was to poke the dragon awake and hope to all the gods and goddesses in the world he wouldn’t eat her.

  “Loki?”

  “Yes, love?”

  “Will you make sure that...” she gulped. “That I don’t become his dinner?”

  “Cross my heart, love.”

  “All right. Here goes nothing.”

  She took a deep breath, held it at the top, and as she exhaled, she took a step toward the beast’s big, wide head. And changed her mind. Maybe coming so close to his mouth wasn’t such a great idea. She stepped aside. A pat on one of his six legs. Yes. That should do it. A chill ran up her spine when she touched the thick, scaly skin of his leg. Nothing. She patted him harder, like one would pat someone who was listening to music on their headphones to get their attention. Nothing. She patted him like one patted their friend on the back when they choked on a piece of fruit. Snow White style. Nothing. With both hands, she grabbed the dragon’s leg and pushed and pulled with all her might. Nothing.

  “Damn it. What will it take...” Loki’s hysterical laughter interrupted her. She turned to him, and if looks could kill, he would be on the floor, writhing in pain. “What’s so funny?”

  “You want to know what’s funny?”

  “Yes!”

  “You want to know...” He almost choked laughing. “Okay, I’ll tell you what’s funny. You keep forgetting that you’re a witch!”

  Valentina blinked. Once. Twice. Well, she would have laughed herself if she didn’t feel so embarrassed. Instead, she sighed and took a couple of steps back. Eyes closed, legs apart, and hands ready to start drawing in the air, she tried to remember the most powerful waking sigil she knew. She knew two, so she decided to use them both. With skill and intent, she drew them in the air, opened her eyes, and pushed them inside the dragon’s Third Eye Chakra, chanting a spell under her breath, and visualizing the sigils finding their way inside the beast’s head, behind his eyes, and filling it with light and sound. A bright summer day, a choir of forest birds singing tirelessly. It worked even better than she’d hoped.

  The dragon opened his eyes and started stretching his legs slowly. Valentina held her breath. When he lifted his head and shook it harshly, as if to chase the last remnants of sleep away, she retreated quickly against the wall. She stole a worried glance at Loki, but the Trickster seemed completely relaxed and unbothered. She didn’t know whether that made her feel better or worse.

  “Who disturbs my sleep?”


  Valentina yelped at the sound of the rough, mighty voice. She made herself even smaller.

  “Who are you, mortal, and what do you want?”

  She cleared her throat. “I... I...” Well, that certainly wasn’t an easy question. If she really tried to explain, it would take her hours, and the dragon god didn’t seem too patient, nor in the mood for stories.

  “Speak up!”

  “Oh Goddess, what have I done?” she mumbled to herself.

  As much as he enjoyed the show, Loki decided the poor girl had suffered enough. In the blink of an eye, he was beside her, whispering in her ear.

  “He’s not a cruel god,” he said. “You don’t have to be afraid of him.”

  “It’s easy for you to say...”

  “Look, if his dragon form intimidates you, just ask him to change.”

  What kind of stupid idea was that? Valentina felt like slapping Loki upside the head, and the only reason why she didn’t do it was because she knew her hand would go straight through him without causing any damage. And then, it struck her. If she could think like that about Loki, who was a pretty badass god himself, then maybe she had nothing to fear. Loki would never hurt her. Fate had brought them together. There was no doubt that fate had brought her there, too, in the dragon’s cave, so it only made sense that this god wouldn’t hurt her, either. Whoever he was...

  She dragged in a breath, pushed her chest forward, and stepped out of the shadow. This time, her voice didn’t tremble.

  “I am Valentina De Rossi, Keeper of the Spades. I don’t know your name, but I know that I was meant to find you. Could you please... err...” She hesitated. She had his attention, so she just needed to hang in there a little longer and push forward. “You’re a shapeshifter god. Could you please take a more... err... human form, so we can talk?”

  “Human?” His booming voice rose up to the open ceiling, filled every corner of the room, and tumbled down the tunnels, echoing in the dark. “Valentina De Rossi, Keeper of the Spades, you don’t know what you’re asking. I haven’t squeezed myself into the small, frail, pathetic shape of a human in hundreds of years.”

  Well, that hurt. He hadn’t said no, though, so she took another step forward. She looked up at him, right into his electric blue eyes, and smiled sweetly. It had always worked with Loki, so why wouldn’t it work with him?

  “Do it for me?”

  The dragon huffed. His breath filled the air, and the temperature in the cave rose by a couple of degrees. Since he had woken up and his immense body had started producing more and more heat, the furnace that was his chest feeding the dragon fire that Val was sure could melt cities, the cave had grown increasingly hot. When he descended upon her, Valentina didn’t move a muscle. He leaned forward, until his humongous head was at her level, and he turned to the side, so he could see her clearly with one eye. She stood her ground. He looked at her without blinking, boring into her soul, searching for any clue that she might be tricking him, that she might not be who she said she was. The last thing he needed was to have his time wasted and his precious sleep taken away from him for ridiculous reasons.

  But no. Valentina hadn’t lied. She was telling the truth, and he could see it in her beautiful, bright blue eyes that she needed him. She couldn’t go on without him. She’d needed him even before she’d met him, before she’d been born into the third dimension as a De Rossi witch. Fate. Oh, how he hated Fate and her meandrous scheming. He remembered her now. She’d woken him up before, albeit for a few seconds. How much time had passed since then? For a while after that, he’d dreamed about her. The young beauty with long, black hair and ocean-like eyes, with her soft, pale skin and her gentle touch... She was older now, which meant a couple of years had passed, for sure.

  “You came to me once before,” he said in a softer tone.

  “Yes.” She took a step forward and reached out. She stopped when her hand was two inches away from his rough cheek. “Three years ago. I don’t know how I got here, but I did. It was meant to be.”

  “It was.” He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. Yes, it felt exactly like he remembered.

  Next thing she knew, Valentina was enveloped by a strange, magical fog. She blinked in surprise, rubbed her eyes, but couldn’t see a thing. The dragon had disappeared into the thick fog. Her heart started beating faster. She remembered the smoke monster, but this felt different. They were safe. But what about the dragon god? Where was he? When the fog cleared, there was no sign of him. Instead, a tall, handsome man stood before her, completely naked. Heat rushed to her cheeks. She didn’t know where to look. At his perfectly ripped body, or at his charming face, with those deep blue eyes? His short, disheveled hair was completely white, and his square jaw was covered in a soft beard that was white, too. He didn’t look old, though. Of course, he was probably older than time itself, but in his human form, one couldn’t give him more than 30. He stood like that, back straight, chest pushed forward, feet firmly planted on the ground, as if he didn’t quite know what to do with that gorgeous body of his. Didn’t know how to move it, how to walk without losing his balance.

  “We can talk now,” he said, and his voice was the same as before, albeit less loud and booming.

  Valentina let out a heavy sigh. She was doing her best to keep her eyes glued to his face. But, oh dear, was he hot as all hell! And no matter how hard she struggled not to look down there, she still stole a glance or two at the impressive object between his thick, strong thighs. Well, it wasn’t exactly an object. She was sure it was very much alive and responsive, given the right handling. She blushed bright red. Oh great! She’d seen things before. She wasn’t that innocent. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her this one time, when she’d searched for porn on her laptop, then deleted the entire history and cookies. But this was the first time she saw a naked man for real, in flesh and bone. The place and situation couldn’t have been more inappropriate and awkward. A cave in the ninth dimension! And they weren’t alone, either. She could feel Loki looming around, studying her every reaction. She blushed even harder, if that was possible.

  “I can smell you,” Loki whispered in her ear. He’d been hiding in the shadow of a far corner, away from the dragon god and Valentina, but now he couldn’t stay put anymore. He had to reclaim his possession, even if only via words, since he couldn’t touch her. “You never wet your panties like this for me.”

  “What?” She blinked at him, confusion painted all over her face. “How dare you?!”

  He smirked. “Oh, my love, I should’ve dared more. Joke’s on me, I admit.”

  “The God of Trickery and Mischief himself,” the naked man said between gritted teeth. “I could have lived without seeing you again in this lifetime.”

  Loki winked at Valentina and stepped forward, spreading his arms in fake welcome.

  “Veles! Is that why you went into hibernation? Because you were tired of my antics?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself, Loki.”

  Oh joy! Valentina pinched the bridge of her nose. They hated each other. What a disastrous combination!

  The god whose name, apparently, was Veles took a few insecure steps toward Loki. Valentina watched them worriedly.

  “You don’t seem to be in very good shape,” he said, studying the Trickster from head to toe. “How did you end up in this rather inconsistent form?”

  “Maybe you should ask her.” He chuckled darkly. “I’m afraid she has the same thing in mind for you, old pal.”

  Veles went past Loki and stopped in front of Valentina. Seeing him come toward her so determined and suddenly confident in his own step, she started backing away reluctantly. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and sweat was gathering above her brow. A very naked, very sexy, very tempting man was walking toward her, and her traitorous body was doing nothing to help with her predicament. The fact that Loki knew how much the dragon god turned her on made her want to dig a whole right then and there and hide her
shameful self in it. Soon, there was nowhere left to go. She hit the wall, and her hands searched for the cold comfort of solid rock. One more step, and Veles stopped in front of her, his body trapping hers between him and the cave wall. This was the worst! Her stomach was doing somersaults, and she felt so nauseated that she was afraid she might throw up all over those gorgeous pecs of his. If that happened, it would be the end of her. She focused on breathing regularly, in and out, repeating to herself that it couldn’t get any worse. This was it. He would get tired of staring her down, and he would eventually back off. Right? Wrong. His big, warm hands came up to cup her face. Valentina’s eyes went as wide as saucers. She felt like she was about to cry. Her whole body was shaking so hard that if he let go of her now, she would collapse to the ground. She wanted him to hold on to her. She wanted him to let go. She didn’t know what she wanted anymore, didn’t know who she was, or why she was here in the first place. Where was Loki when she needed him? He’d promised to keep her safe. Was she safe right now? Veles was looking into her eyes like he was trying to read her history, destiny, past, present, and future, all at once. Could he also smell her arousal? Maybe that was just Loki... Maybe Veles had been a dragon for too long, and he didn’t remember how a human body even worked. She knew that Loki was jealous. So, why wasn’t he coming to her rescue? That annoying, traitorous, good for nothing...

  “I see you,” Veles said in a low, warm whispered. “I see you, Keeper of the Spades.”

  That was it. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. A tear escaped the corner of her eye and ran down her cheek. Her lips trembled. She couldn’t mutter a word, couldn’t even breathe. Her heart was hammering in her chest, her throat, and her head now. Her whole body was a bleeding heart. Like the Three of Swords. And she had no idea why. What was he doing to her?

  “I see you,” he repeated, as if he knew that she needed to hear it again and again. “I know why you’re here, I know what you need. And I will give it to you, Keeper of the Spades. I will make things easy for you. I will never stand in your way.”