In This Chapter: Azrael: God of the Wolves. Orion: God of the Mages. Draco: God of the Lycans. Ozul: God of the Shadows. Lunette: Goddess of the Moon. Solana: Goddess of the Sun. Adira: Goddess of the Hunt. Sirona: Goddess of Medicine and Healing.
Blakely “You have ten seconds to undress and bathe. I won’t be traveling with you while you smell like burnt flesh,” he drawled, “Not that your natural scent is any better.” Hah, now he was blatantly lying. I’d seen the way he reacted to my arousal. I’d felt the hard length of his cock pressing into my leg when he pinned me to the library’s floor. Gritting my teeth, I spun around and faced him. He cocked his head, arms stretched out along the rocky edge of the pool. Not giving myself time to chicken out, I dropped the oily sheet I held to my chest and let it tumble to the floor. Rather than look away, I met his stare and held it. Taking the challenge, Orion dragged his eyes down my face, lingering on my throat before plunging even lower. I could feel his stare on every part of my body. Sliding over my nipples, between my legs and through my lips. Down his gaze went, all the way to the tops of my feet. When he raised his eyes once more, they were several shades darker, his pupils
Blakely I tossed and turned for what felt like hours. The silk blankets tangled around my feet were much too soft, like water against my skin, while the tiny vines sewn into the fabric felt like small razor blades, pricking my legs every time I moved. This restlessness and frustration had come out of nowhere. Could it be Orion’s? It made sense, but why would I feel his emotions and not Azrael’s or Draco’s? I flipped onto my other side with a small huff and watched the iridescent shapes dance along the floor from where the moonlight streamed through the colored glass. If I truly were picking up on Orion’s emotions, then whose to say I wasn’t picking up on Azrael’s and Draco’s as well? Closing my eyes, I took stock of how I felt, dissecting each piece until my head cleared. Restless, frustrated, exhausted, and just a wee bit murderous? I’d have to ask Azrael about the mate-bond once we located him and Draco. No way was I going to ask Orion, not after what happened in the bathroom.
Azrael We landed in Leopolds tavern, a rundown brewery on the eastern side of Bargainer’s Bay. Those who frequented this place came for one sole purpose and it wasn’t the watered-down ale, or the chairs that would leave your ass riddled with splinters. No, it was for the entrance in the cellar. The one that led to a place the locals called, “The Underground”. We wanted to get things done quickly, anything to return to our mate’s side. I’d warned Orion against troubling her, as did Draco, but I knew he wouldn’t listen. My little wolf might be able to handle herself, but I knew Orion’s words hurt her more than she let on. Flicking a gold piece to Leopold, the one-eyed owner of the tavern, we traversed the winding steps that led deep down into the earth. When the torches along the walls grew dim, plunging us into absolute darkness, we knew we’d reached our destination. My brothers and I long suspected that the catacombs beneath Bargainer’s Bay were used to transport humans sold into
Azrael “You are an imbecile.” “A handsome imbecile,” I corrected. “Insufferable—” “You don’t mean that.” “Loathsome—” “Now you’re just being mean.” Draco snarled. I grinned. The chains above our heads clanked and rattled. I wasn’t sure why my older brother was so angry with me. Sure, I made some reckless decisions, but I wasn’t the one that got us ambushed in the Underground by a gaggle of human slavers. “A gaggle?” Draco’s chains rattled louder, spurred on by his irritated state. “There were dozens of them, Azrael. They knew we’d be there tonight. This was a planned attack.” Had I spoken aloud? The sedative they all but drowned us in had my head a bit fuzzy. “Be that as it may, you need to calm down, brother. Try to think positively, yes?” I gestured between us, which was hard considering our hands were hoisted above our heads, held in place by a set of shackles. “You have your own cage. Surely that’s better than the two of us being crammed in one. Think of this as a vacati
Blakely “Surprise bitch.” I smiled down at the man who’d locked two of my mates in cages. Cages I could tell were worn with use. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they held, which only steeled my resolve. The man blinked slowly, as though stunned his strange magic hadn’t worked. Don’t get me wrong, I could feel it worming through the recesses of my mind. It slithered in through my ears, coiling around my thoughts like a snake. The desire to do his bidding had been overwhelming at first, only to splinter and shatter as it met the bars of the cage my wolf was tucked away in. I didn’t know how it was possible, nor did I care. “You are just full of surprises, aren’t you?” The man purred beneath me, frantically grabbing at what scraps of confidence remained. Try as he might, he couldn’t hide the way his cock shriveled beneath me. I swallowed back a mouthful of bile and smiled sweetly, “Tell me about it. Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to tell your men to release
Blakely I’d just finished scouring my body free of blood when a loud crash sounded from the common room. With it came a sharp tug in my gut, followed by an overwhelming feeling of wrongness that hit me at my very core. A second crash sounded, and I was moving, crossing the room so quickly that I barely managed to snatch a towel from where they sat folded beside the door. I emerged to utter chaos. Orion was slowly pulling himself up from the floor, blood trickling down his face, jaw, and throat. It seeped into his shirt, quickly spreading across his chest in a sea of metallic silver. Wooden debris littered the floor in thick chunks, forcing me to pause. I was almost certain there had once been a table where Orion was standing. “You’re a pathetic, cowardly bastard—” Azrael launched himself across the room, his fist connecting with Orion’s already twisted nose. A sickening crunch sounded, and I flinched. Azrael’s fists blurred as he landed a flurry of blows to Orion’s face and body
Blakely “You’re ours after this,” He growled, “I’m never letting you go, Blakely. None of us are.” Magic danced within his eyes as he slowly lowered me onto his cock. I held my breath, only relaxing when he began whispering in my ear, murmuring things no one had ever dared say to me before. We watched, both our eyes on the mirror, as his cock stretched me wide. The pain was nothing more than a steady burn, drowned out by the pleasure of being filled entirely. When he moved, lifting me but a few inches, I gasped at the overwhelming sensation nipping at my every nerve ending. I could only watch, my eyes half-closed, as he began thrusting. “Goddess, you’re taking my cock so well, little wolf. I knew you would. I fucking knew—” His voice trailed off, his words becoming incoherent. The sounds he made would be forever burned into my mind. With every movement, his powerful thighs clenched. I couldn’t drag my eyes away from him, wanting to memorize every inch before I fell into oblivion
Blakely I awoke with hands fisted in the sheets, and a tongue greedily lapping at my clit. My eyes snapped open, meeting Azrael’s from where he knelt between my legs. Growling against my flesh, he lightly skimmed his teeth over my clit, sucking it into his mouth. With a gasp, I tumbled headfirst into an orgasm that had me crying out his name. Very lazily, with a hint of smugness I could feel with every flick of his tongue, he continued eating me out. “You—” I gasped, breathless and satiated. Fuck, I couldn’t even form words. He pulled away with a satisfied hum, licking his lips in a way that had my body prepping for round two. Those pouty lips of his twisted into an innocent smile. “I woke up cuddling Draco. It was very traumatizing, and I needed comfort.” Clearly, something was wrong with me because I should’ve been angry with him for playing with me while I was asleep, but all I could think about was the greedy way he devoured me, so desperate for more that he couldn’t help b
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