In this Chapter Draco – God of the Lycans. Azrael – God of the Wolves. Orion – God of the Mages.
Blakely The look I gave him was so brutally dry that he laughed. I tried not to be mesmerized by the musical sound of it. “Despite what you might think, Orion doesn’t enjoy killing. We were created for one purpose, to serve the moon goddess. Finding Lunette, freeing her from her shackles, it’s something we cannot fight. Removing the curses that bind us is the first step in doing just that.” I picked at the dead skin on my lip. “Okay. How can you go about doing that without killing me? If I’m the key or whatever, then don’t you need me alive?” Still facing me, he began walking backwards, leading the two of us further into the maze. The sound of rushing water, likely from the fountain at the center, continued to grow louder. “Yes, we need you alive. The memories can’t be retrieved from a corpse, and you—” he spun back around, “You just so happen to be the first of your line to survive Orion’s spell. No one’s been able to shatter it the way you have. That means something.” Despite t
Blakely I didn’t even get to enjoy my post-nightmare high thanks to a certain god. The year I’d spent at the blood mage’s camp hadn’t just scarred my body, but my mind too. Sleep was a constant battle that I rarely ever won. To hide the damage of my mother’s decision, I bought an alarm clock and kept my bedroom door locked at all times. I couldn’t risk attacking dad or Lina should one of them think to wake me up. Yes, I was a partially insane mess; no, I didn’t want to talk about it. Ignoring the problem had worked for me before, and it would have to do now. Besides, judging from Orion’s piss-poor attitude, there weren’t psychiatrists in the godly realm. Guess it was a good thing I was a pro at compartmentalizing. Azrael laughed beneath the pillow I suffocated him with, his chest rumbling beneath my forearms. Blinking the cobwebs from my eyes, I debated on whether or not I should continue my attempt at murdering him. Would killing a god earn me bragging rights? It fucking better.
Blakely The library was located in the spiral tower I’d ogled yesterday during our walk through the gardens. It was just as breathtaking inside as it was outside. There were thousands upon thousands of books, more than any public library I’d ever seen. Most were tucked away in neat rows on the shelves lining the walls. A staircase wrapped curved around the length of the room, going up, up, up, with no clear end in sight. Texts both old and new soared through the air on all levels of the library. Some flapped their pages like wings, while others glided on a phantom breeze. A pair of books that appeared to be part of the same series collided with one another. The first then proceeded to chase the second further up the tower before vanishing on the fourth level. Azrael gracefully plopped down on an antique leather sofa and gestured at a group of wooden tables just a few feet away. “Help yourself. Should you need something specific just ask the mansion.” I bit the tip of my tongue. “
Draco Tension permeated Orion’s study, blanketing the floor, tables, and shelves in a thick layer. My tail twitched, picking up on the anger that poured from his body. He watched Az with that cold calm of his, a sign he was well on the path to imploding. The girl’s arrival had clearly changed something within him. “I know what I saw, Orion. She was using the mirror to watch her family. It brought her right to them.” Az ran his fingers through his hair, a habit he did whenever he experienced any sort of negative emotion. Better than self-destructing, which he was also prone to doing. These two had been slowly working on my nerves the past few centuries. Constantly at one another’s throats, always on the verge of a catastrophic argument. Once I’d been a mediator for their fights, but now I had no choice but to sit on the sidelines and watch. Moments like this I missed my human form, but it did no good to linger on what I could no longer have. A skeptic at heart, Orion turned my way
Blakely “Where is it?” Azrael cracked open an eye, then yawned loudly. “Where is what, little wolf?” “Don’t play dumb, you know what I’m talking about. Where is it?” He scrunched his annoyingly attractive face until it looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel. What little crumbs of patience I had faded into oblivion. Even the good night’s sleep I’d somehow managed hadn’t prepared me to deal with these chaotic gods. “What are you doing?” I hissed, snapping the book in my hands shut. Dust motes exploded into the air, twirling lazily in the midday sun. “I’m trying to read your mind, obviously.” His features smoothed out as he tapped his chin. “Oh wait, that’s not one of my abilities.” I let out a war cry. Internally, of course. “The mirror, Azrael. Where is the mirror?” Realization dawned across his face. He sat up from the sofa he lounged on and stretched out his long legs, yawning a second time even though I knew the fucker hadn’t actually been sleeping. Nearly an hour ag
Blakely He sauntered into the dining room, wearing a wrinkled button-up that hugged his chiseled frame and a pair of dark slacks. I tore my stare away from his meaty thighs and to the vicious scowl carved onto his regal face. If immortals could wrinkle, he’d look like an eighty-year-old man. He certainly had the temperament of one. The man was as beautiful as he was a pompous ass. I hid my smirk behind the glass of wine I was nursing. Apparently, the godly realm had mortal alcohol. It was more for taste than anything since immortals couldn’t get drunk off of the stuff, but I certainly could. Orion sat at the far end of the table, directly across from me. He didn’t spare me a single glance as he inclined his head towards Azrael and Draco. The massive, pale wolf had lumbered in just a few minutes before his hot-headed brother. The left side of the table had no chairs, which made sense when he plopped down at its edge. He was so tall that he could peer at me over the thing without ne
Blakely I was halfway down the hall on the second floor when a door to the right of me swung open. For a split second I thought the mansion had done me a solid by leading me back to my room. I’d seen the messy four-poster bed and almost mistook it as being the one I’d slept on last night. As it turns out, it wasn’t. The distinct scent of smoke and leather-bound books hung in the air, tainted with notes of male musk. My mouth watered. Not because of the scent or anything insane like that, but because of the visceral disgust that churned in my gut. Clearly, my body was a traitorous bitch. This was Orion’s bedroom. Every ounce of self-preservation I possessed flew out the fucking window. A grin stretched across my face, so wide that my cheeks began to ache. After everything that bastard had said and done to me, he deserved this. Hell, I deserved this. I sauntered into his bedroom without a care in the world. As much as I wanted to stay and gawk at the stacks of books, clustered shel
Blakely As usual, the first thing I woke up to was my tormentors smiling face. Azrael’s otherworldly good looks never failed to leave me breathless, but I wasn’t the only one struggling to get air in. He was too, though it was most likely because I had a tendency to strangle him in my sleep. It was hard to care about his safety when he continued to sneak into my room day in and day out. On a positive note, I was slowly becoming fond of this particular defense mechanism. This morning I found his dimpled grin and tousled hair a lot less charming. Unsurprisingly, it had everything to do with the conversation I’d overheard last night. Even if he wasn’t serious about planning on bedding me (who even said that anymore?), I had no intentions on becoming another notch in his godly bedpost. I ripped my hands away from his throat and snarled menacingly. “Enough creeping on me while I sleep!” His response was a lazy grin, a clear refusal as far as I was concerned. Heat warmed my face as I s
Blakely One Year Later “They better not be late.” Orion huffed, ever the grump. “I don’t know why you thought it a good idea to let them galivant off together.” I crept up behind him as we passed a copse of trees a mile or so away from the mansion and leapt onto his back. Of course, the man was built like a damn pillar, so it took a harsh burst of my magic to send us toppling over into a nearby field of wildflowers. As we rolled, Orion wrapped his arms around my body, protecting me from harm. No matter how many times I told them I was an all-powerful immortal now, my mates never failed to protect me. I propped my elbows on Orion’s chest and watched as the scowl marring his beautiful face was replaced with a begrudging smile. He never could stay angry when I was around. I craned my head to look at Draco. On his back was a pack full of all our things. “Here seems like as good a spot as any.” His eyes flared with heat as I shifted myself onto Orion’s lap, straddling him. When I mov
Blakely I listened with open ears and a wounded heart as Ulrich went over the casualties on both sides. Mara, Goddess of Wrath, and Rosalind, Goddess of Beauty, had both been taken down in the fight. Even though they fought on Solana’s side, it was still life lost. I couldn’t help but wonder who would step up to take their place. Vasu, God of Serpents, had escaped during the chaos. Ulrich announced that he’d likely lay low for a few decades until the memories of the battle weren’t so raw. Amora broke into tears as Dhara announced Nyssa’s death. She and Casimir had died within seconds of one another. Whilst Nyssa met her end blocking a blow meant for Dhara, Casimir succumbed to his injuries at the hands of a corrupt beast trying to attack the stream of families evacuating the city. I was relieved to see Ozul, a thick bandage wrapped around his head and a dazed sort of smile on his face as he sat next to his father, Cielo. Both regarded Lina and I warmly. Aspen, whose attitude was
BlakelyEven as the hours passed, I didn’t move from Lina’s side.As I went to take her hand, I realized there was something tucked within it. Prying her fingers away, I found our dad’s compass resting in her palm. Agony consumed me as I cried until my voice gave out.That was how Lina had found me. The compass that was meant to always point towards home led her right to me.To her, I must have been home.I could feel the other Gods and Goddesses approaching, entering the courtyard whilst the wolves—my people—remained a comfortable distance away. I could feel them mourning for me and knew that somewhere deep down they and their wolves felt a whisper of my pain.Orion knelt at my side and quietly explained that Sirona had arrived to heal my injuries. It killed me not to let my mates pull me away, to console me like I knew they wanted, but I simply couldn’t leave Lina’s side.I had failed her. It didn’t matter that I needed to defeat Solana. I was a Goddess, for fucks sake, and I couldn
Blakely I turned my attention to Solana and lunged. Shifting mid-air, I managed to rake my claws across her shoulders before she swung her staff, nailing me in the side. I had severely underestimated the force of her blow, because it sent me skittering across the throne room floor. As I rolled, I shifted back into my human form and unsheathed the sword at my hip. Power cascaded through me, turning the blade black as night. I swung it at Solana and watched as the metal glittered with flecks of stars. The Sun Goddess stepped to the side and caught my blow with the middle of her staff. Sparks of silver and gold flew and the world around me blurred as I met Solana’s movements. Lunging and dodging, gritting my teeth when she managed to land a blow that seared straight through my armor. I could tell she was toying with me, pinning me beneath her paws like a cat having caught its dinner. She had thousands of years’ experience on me, but I had so much more to lose. It was sheer desperati
Blakely I was in the middle of beheading a sentry, their pale blood splattering across my face and slicking the blade of my sword, when Azrael returned to my side. Orion quickly followed, finishing off the last few enemies surrounding him. More and more sentries were pouring in from the adjoining streets. Fear claimed me because I knew sooner or later our forces would be overwhelmed. One look into Orion’s eyes told me he knew this already, but we had no choice but to press forward. The four of us took off down the street, leaping over craters blasted into the stone by Cielo’s lightning. As we ran, the sound of fighting slipped into the distance. Here and there sentries would pop out at us. Only a select few had magic, but that didn’t make those with weapons any less dangerous. I hissed in pain as sentry hurled a small, skinny dagger at me. It clipped my shoulder, carving a slice deep enough to make me wince. Flinging out my hands I morphed the moonlight into razor sharp threads. T
Blakely Ulrich led the way down the tunnel. Within the hour we saw glimmers of light streaming through the darkness. A set of stairs carried us up into the basement of a vacant home. The walls were made from smooth stone, illuminated only by Orion’s cerulean flame. Pushed against the wall were bits of furniture, each one covered in thin white sheets. My mates crept up the stairs, scoping out the place to ensure no one was inside. As they waved us forward, ushering us into a living room, I couldn’t help but drink in our surroundings. It took some time for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but when they did I realized the furnishings weren’t too different from what one might see in the mortal realm, only sans technology. I made it a point not to look at the framed pictures hanging on the walls. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stomach seeing what family might have lived here in the past. It would only make me wonder where they were now. Two large windows made up the front of the house
Blakely When I awoke, it was to the gentle rustling of the curtains blocking off our alcove. Rubbing my eyes, I twisted around in Draco’s arms, nearly mashing my face into Azrael’s chest in the process. I yelped when Amora’s face appeared from in between the slats of the fabric. The others awoke at the sound of my surprise. Her mahogany hair was braided over her shoulder. As she spotted us her heart-shaped lips tipped up into a smile. “Oh, you four are just the sweetest.” She cooed, “Look at you all cozied up and in lo—” Orion’s snarl cracked across the room, “Amora, out.” With a dreamy sigh she set a stack of clothing down on the floor and gave us all another dazzling smile, “Ulrich wants me to let you all know we head out in one hour.” The second she left I scrambled to my feet. I dressed so quickly that the others were still half-naked by the time I finished. None of them commented, which I knew they wouldn’t. My mates understood that this time I had with Lina was precious, an
Blakely Draco brushed my hair over my shoulder with gentle fingers, his lips coasting along my neck. My eyes fell shut as a shudder worked its way down my spine, and my body came alive. Even after all we’d been through, I still couldn’t believe these men—these Gods—were mine. Draco with his never-ending support, Orion with his cold fire, and Azrael with his playfulness. They were each a part of me now, and while I still knew so little about their long lives, I was determined to spend the next century learning. “Amora was very insistent we spend what might be our last night together.” His chest rumbled with a growl. “Elias threw out a few ideas, of course.” Azrael’s lips tipped up as he dragged his eyes down my body. I returned the favor, my core clenching when I spotted his hard length straining against the seam of his breeches, “She was nice enough to conjure these blankets for us.” “Did we mention Elias placed a silencing spell over this room?” Orion chimed in with a husky purr.
Blakely My mates and I met up with Shax, who was standing in a group with those accompanying us into the city. Dhara had already started working on the evacuation tunnels, and while her magic would’ve been useful in tunneling to the tavern for us to grab provisions, we couldn’t risk draining her. What mattered most were getting these people out of the city. I had studied the map time and time again, memorizing our route. Katya’s friend, who happened to be a Sphinx, knew the owner of the tavern personally. They had been corresponding with letters, slipping them past Solana’s sentries. He knew we were to arrive tonight and had several crates of food prepared. “Alright, kid. You ready for this?” Ulrich clapped me on the shoulder with so much force I nearly toppled over. Of course, that led to Orion snarling in his face. Azrael had crept around his back, his claws lengthened and poised at his throat. Even Draco hovered nearby, ready to remove the God of War from this world. I waved al