by Haley Weir
Olivia leaned her head back against the edge of the bathtub and breathed slowly. She shut her eyes, blocking out the world around her. Hot water sloshed in the tub as she massaged away the aches and pains. A breathless sigh escaped her, and an answering groan rumbled against the door. Olivia's eyes shot open. Balor's shadow crept along the floor as he shifted on his feet. A warm, feral scent drifted on the steam. She breathed it in and trailed her fingers along her collarbone, inching lower toward her breasts. Olivia cupped the lush mounds of flesh and moaned. The door handle jiggled impatiently.
"Olivia…"
She flicked her nail over a sensitive nipple, gasping as ripples of pleasure rushed between her thighs. The door opened with a flash of light. Her eyes scorched a burning hot trail of desire along the muscular contours of Balor's body. He stood in the doorway as he panted loudly. Balor gulped in mouthfuls of air as if it tasted sweet. His tongue swiped across his bottom lip before he dropped to his knees beside the tub. Olivia felt his eyes on her like a physical touch. She lowered one hand deeper into the water as her legs opened of their own accord. Balor's dark gaze locked onto the bared flesh of her core. Water kissed her velvet pedals as he feasted upon her with his eyes.
Olivia spread her folds and sank her fingers inside of her fluttering channel. Slick heat wrapped around her knuckles. She hissed quietly. Balor leaned in closer. His nostrils flared, and tattooed hands dipped into the water. He placed his palm flat against the back of her hand and applied pressure. Olivia's legs twitched as he guided her movements with subtle gestures. She pinched her nipple, causing a startled moan to break the silence that had woven itself around them. Balor yanked his hand back and gripped the end of his long-sleeved shirt before pulling it over his head. More tattoos covered his body than she remembered. A map of the underworld covered his ribs on the left, surrounded by creeping vines of Deadly Nightshade. The largest of the blossoms covered his right pectoral as if it was guarding his heart. Olivia had never seen such a beautiful work of art. She reached out with both hands. "Turn around. Let me see the back," she whispered.
Balor's muscles flexed as he spun around. The map faded into a detailed scene depicting the fall of the Titans. Olivia brushed a wet hand over the image of a woman weeping on her knees wrapped in fiery chains as a large bear stood over her protectively. She followed the line of the chains with her fingers over his ribs on the right. The chains wrapped around his arms until they ended at the shackles that covered his wrists. Olivia looked closer at his hands. "It is a prayer that my mother used to sing," he explained. The strange letters looked unsettlingly familiar to Olivia. "Madeu and Giddeon resemble our father the most. Seth and I look like our mother."
"What about Caleb?"
"There was a time when I had questioned if he was our brother, but now I know he resembles our grandfather."
"Grandfather?" she asked. "I thought you didn't know what lineage you descended from."
"I recently discovered the truth." Balor turned back towards her and climbed into the tub. His jeans clung to the muscles of his thighs as the water darkened the fabric. Olivia tugged him closer by his belt, and Balor claimed her lips with a snarl. She drank in the taste of him as he slid between her thighs. "Damn you," Balor growled when he broke the kiss. He flicked his tongue teasingly against her lips. "I wanted to resist you...but you smell like fire and honey."
The desperation in his voice was dark and laced with so much lust that it made her shiver. Olivia tore open the zipper of his jeans and shoved them down his hips. Balor gripped her ass with both hands, pulling her closer. She bit down on his bottom lip as his erection slipped between her folds. Olivia squirmed and pressed her hips forward, taking him into her body. Heat pooled between her thighs as her muscles stretched around his girth deliciously. "Did you miss me?" she chuckled.
"Gods!" Balor's back bowed as he sank deeper. His hips snapped, splashing the water over the rim of the tub.
Olivia moved her mouth to his ear and whispered, "I bet you thought about me every night. Stroking yourself while imagining that you were inside of me. I bet it burned you up knowing that someone else had their hands on my body…"
Balor hoisted her out of the water and lowered her to the floor. She lifted her legs so she could wrap them around his waist. Instead, he gripped the back of her knees and pressed them against her chest. Olivia groaned with each pulse of his hips as he reached the very depths of her channel. Her toes curled. "I told you the first night we were together that I don't respond well to jealousy," Balor roared. "Keep toying with me, Olivia, and I just might keep you."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's a promise."
A spark of fear mingled with the pleasure coursing through her veins. Olivia slipped across the tiled floor and braced her hands against the wall. Each thrust was more powerful than the last. Her nerves sang with joy. Balor slammed his mouth against hers just as she climbed to the peak of ecstasy. Olivia's body convulsed. White light obscured her vision, and the first spray of molten desire bathed her womb in his seed. "Holy shit!" Every muscle in her body twitched, and the ferocity of Balor's release sent her hurling over the edge again.
Chapter Four
Mount Olympus
A thousand galaxies swirled in the celestial pool beside Zeus's throne. Golden curls cascaded down his shoulders, blending with the beard that reached the center of his chest. Glowing blue eyes flickered through the fog that shrouded Castle Black in a haze of shadow. "The Sage is more powerful than you let on, daughter," Zeus rumbled. His voice boomed through the temple, causing the waters to ripple. Artemis knelt before the throne as she trembled with fear.
"His magic was never meant to mature. Hera believes that someone is teaching him in The Unknown. The Sage's ability to absorb our wisdom and speak our words makes him a weakness we cannot afford."
"Then kill him," Zeus said coldly. "He may have my blood in his veins, but a mortal heart beats in his chest. Slay him."
Artemis looked uncertain. Zeus noticed her hesitation and attacked like a shark scenting blood in the sea. "You are afraid. I have given you divinity and yet these mortals frighten you? How disappointing." The tears of his daughter brought him great satisfaction. Though Artemis was often strong in the face of a challenge, Zeus had always been her greatest weakness aside from Apollo. And he used his hold on her whenever the opportunity presented itself. "Do I have to remind you how important the war is? If the Titans rise, they will take back Olympus."
"I understand, Father. I never meant to disappoint you."
Zeus stood up from his throne and glanced around the temple that was a manifestation of his might as King of The Gods. He spread his arms wide, leering over Artemis. "Atë must be returned to me. If you do not find her, I will lock you away until each star in the heavens falls to the earth. You will not be the reason my legacy fails."
Artemis bowed her head and stood before her father. The determined set of her shoulders curled Zeus's lip. She had failed him far too many times to let her attitude go unchecked. "Take your brother with you. Apollo is to watch your every move. If you so much as speak out of turn, he will report it back to me."
Zeus snapped his fingers, and Apollo appeared before him. Even the brilliance of Apollo's light seemed dim in the presence of his father. Zeus rested his hand on Apollo's shoulder and a proud smile slid across his face. "I expect great things from you, my boy. See to it that your sister never forgets who I am," he ordered. "Go now."
Apollo took his sister in hand and removed her from the temple in a blue spark of flame. Zeus sighed heavily, feeling the weight of his eternal life in his soul. He walked slowly towards the gilded doors that led to his private chamber. They opened as he approached. A round bed sat in the center of the room. Hera's alabaster skin was a stark contrast to the deep blue silk of the bedsheets. She rolled onto her side, and Zeus bent forward to press a kiss to the curve of her bare hip. Long, auburn hair fanned across the pillows. Emerald eyes gazed up at him with love and a touch
of suspicion. "War is not what it used to be," Hera said. "It seems so tiring now."
"There are no warriors in the modern age of mortal men. The fierce loyalty and skill of the Spartans, the Athenians, the Arcadians…they all died long ago. Illness and war tore their lands apart until they were conquered by other civilizations."
"And yet you will allow an army of demons to fight for us? It makes us no better than the Titans." Hera sat up and stroked Zeus's beard tenderly. "We have lasted longer than the other ancient gods. Perhaps it is time to let the prophecy unfold."
Zeus jerked back. He glowered down at his wife and sneered, "You would ask me to give up my throne?"
"I would."
"Foolish." He stepped out of her reach and paced the floor. "To think of what would become of all that we've built if Giddeon ascended to the Throne of Olympus…"
"Not Giddeon."
"Then who?" he asked harshly.
Hera unfolded her long, luscious legs and stood up from the bed. She sauntered over to Zeus with that look of suspicion ever-present in her eyes. Zeus knew he had given her more than enough reasons to justify such caution. "There is rumor of a new power rising. If it is true, then perhaps it is the key to our freedom. I am tired, Zeus. I can feel myself getting weaker with each age that passes. Humans have all but forgotten us."
"The war will change that."
"How?"
Zeus cupped her cheek and pressed his forehead against hers. "Once I have taken the power of the Titans for myself, nothing can stand in our way. The humans and shifters will have no choice but to fall in line." He felt ill as Hera turned away from him. She left him standing in the chamber alone. A cold hatred unfurled inside of Zeus. For too long, he had kept their true fate a secret. Hera was right—the gods were fading. As the sons of Samael Black grew stronger, Zeus and the gods became weaker.
But Zeus was determined to save them. The burden of protecting the gods was one he carried alone. War was upon them. Zeus stormed over to the curtain at the far side of the room. He summoned his sword as he threw open the curtain, but the blade was not mounted on the wall. Prometheus had not returned the Sword of Zeus to its proper place. "So...that is why you hide behind your fog and shadow," Zeus said as realization dawned. The bears had his sword.
~*~
Destiny Falls, Alaska
Curls tickled Balor's nose as he came to the following morning. He pressed his nose deeper into Olivia's hair and smelled the scent of her soap that mingled pleasantly with her natural aroma. She wiggled closer, clinging to his chest as she slept, and his heart skipped a beat. Balor had slept through the night with Olivia in his arms. Not once had he awakened to the sound of his own screams or the voices of the gods in his head. No night terrors. No prophecy. But it was the slow smile that curled on her lips that worried him the most. Olivia Knight wasn't the sort of female that slept in the arms of her lovers.
Balor held her until the last possible moment. Olivia yawned into the crook of his neck as he slipped out of her grasp. She blinked sleepily around the room before her gaze landed on him. "Is this the part where you ask me about the sword and I annoy you until you storm out of here in a fit of rage?" she asked.
"No."
"Good because I don't have the energy to care right now." Olivia climbed out of the bed and pulled on his shirt. The material hugged her curves beautifully, showing off the flare of her hips and plump breasts. Each step caused her lush figure to bounce and jiggle in a way that made his member twitch.
"Where are you going?"
She stopped in the doorway, glancing over her shoulder at him. "I'm going to find the bag I stashed here last year and then I'm making breakfast."
Balor trailed his eyes up her body. "I know what I want for breakfast." He stalked towards her like a beast and lifted her against the wall. Olivia stared at him with a lustful expression on her lovely face. Those full lips were still swollen from his kiss. Balor slowly slid to his knees before her. He hiked her leg onto his shoulder and pressed a kiss to her mound. His tongue swiped against his bottom lip to spread the flavor of Olivia over his taste buds. Though they had bathed again the night before, the earthy notes of arousal were much sharper than before. It was clear to him that her succubus nature was eager to let him feast.
"I don't have time for this...oh god…"
The first touch of his tongue against her slit caused him to growl. She tasted like ambrosia. He looked up into her eyes and sealed his lips over her flesh. A river of her essence covered his tongue, tempting him to taste her deeper. Olivia's fingers tangled in the longer strands of his hair and her hips rocked against his tongue. Her protests died on her lips as breathless moans filled the air. She was the sweetest fire. The soft petals of her feminine folds dripped with slick.
"I'm so close...I'm gonna…Balor!" Olivia bucked and whimpered. She yanked on his hair, pulling him closer to her as she rode his tongue with rolling pulses of her hips. He kissed, sucked, licked, and slurped every inch of creamy flesh between her thighs until the shivers subsided. When she pushed his head away, Balor fell back onto his hands with a chuckle.
"That was delicious, but I don't think I've had my fill just yet." He shamelessly wrapped his fingers around his erection and smiled. "Return the favor?"
Olivia lowered herself to the floor in front of him and kissed the place on his neck that never failed to make him tremble. But just as she reached out to touch him, Balor was summoned to the underworld. He fell into a pit of darkness that chilled him to the bone, spinning through a vast void until he landed on his hands and knees. Black marble floors were cracked and scorched. The scent of blood filled his nostrils and Balor forgot about his arousal. He clothed himself with a simple spell and raced over to the large doors that led to Hades' chamber.
The throne room was in pieces.
Balor stepped over large slabs of stone and sifted through piles of burning ebony wood. "Hades!" he called. A hand shot up out of the wreckage. Balor dug through debris until he was able to free Hades. Burns covered half of his body. The stench of burning flesh made his stomach turn. "What the hell happened here?"
"Prometheus," Hades snarled. "Apollo and Artemis freed him from the dungeon."
"What about Atë?"
"Madeu took her to the castle earlier for questioning. I fear Artemis may be on her way there now. We must warn the others." Hades gritted his teeth and healed his wounds. Balor knew that Hades was not particularly evil even though his magic stank of darkness and damnation. "I was close to finding Adonis and Styx."
"Do you think that's why you were attacked?" Balor was nervous when Hades refused to answer. "You can trust me."
"Can I? You might have saved my daughter, but that gift you have isn't one-sided."
"What?"
"You're a walkie-talkie, not a stereo," Hades grumbled. "Everything you do and say can be observed and heard by the gods. I've given you council before, Balor, so I expect you to listen when I tell you to tread carefully." Hades waved his arm and opened a portal. Frost crackled along the edges. Balor cursed under his breath and leaped through the gateway.
Guards rushed them the moment the portal opened. Hades disintegrated their weapons into ash. Madeu called off the guards before the God of Death did much worse than torch a couple of spears. "What's the meaning of this? Can't the two of you use the front door?"
"We need to secure Atë and defend the palace." Balor rushed past his brother, leaving Hades behind to explain, and threw open the door to his sanctuary. He pushed aside a stack of books that blocked his path. The Tome of Atë sat upon his work table beside a pile of scrolls. Balor opened the book to the page that listed the goddess's powers in hopes that they might expose her weaknesses.
There had to be something.
Chapter Five
Destiny Falls, Alaska
Olivia tripped over her own feet as she scurried around the cabin. She poured a line of salt on every windowsill and in every doorway, attached bells to door handles, and kept a pou
ch of Goofer Dust tied to her belt. The Goofer Dust had been given to her as a gift during a trip to Mississippi from a Voodoo Priestess named Madam Badeux to protect her from evil. Olivia wasn't fond of hexbags in particular, but she felt the need to keep her pouch handy after Balor had disappeared. The stench of sulfur was still strong in the hallway as she zipped down the long corridor and dashed down the stairs.
The grandfather clock in the entrance hall chimed loudly, scaring Olivia half to death. She clutched her chest and ran through her to-do list. An hour later, Olivia brushed chalk from her hands and looked proudly upon the protective runes scattered throughout the cabin. Her cellphone rang in the kitchen. Olivia's bare feet slapped against the hardwood floors as she made her way through the house once more. "Hello?" she answered.
"Is this Olivia Knight?"
"Who's asking?"
A deep chuckle came through the phone, and Olivia smiled. "My name is Walker. I received your number through Kismet Dating Agency."
"Oh! I wasn't aware my profile was still active," Olivia replied, feeling a bit foolish. "Walker, huh? Is that a first name or a last name?"
"First. My name is Walker Brazen. Giddeon told me that you have a unique perspective on the...bear situation in Destiny Falls. If you're interested, I'd like to get to know you better."
She looked around the spacious kitchen and felt a twinge of guilt. Balor was kind, sweet, and attractive. But he was a forever kind of guy. Olivia wanted to live in the moment for as long as possible. "Yeah, I'm interested," she heard herself say. "Why don't we meet up for dinner?"
"Seven o'clock at Riley's?"
"Perfect." Olivia hung up after giving her date a brief description of her outfit. She tried to convince herself that she had agreed to the date to test Balor's succubus theory. While she had never been afraid of embracing her sensual nature, being a sex demon was an entirely different bag of problems. Just when she thought her life couldn't get more complicated, it seemed there was always another bitter pill to swallow. She huffed irritably and hurried upstairs to get changed into something nice.