Storm of Ecstasy (The Guardians of the Realms Book 9) Page 5

  He broke some of the spell after long moments. “Gefn, at this level my power could hurt everyone at the lake.”

  She narrowed her eyes. He seemed sincere, but it seemed too convenient an excuse. “If this is true, why would it not do the same to me?”

  “Because it knows you’re mine, thea mou.”

  “What do those words, thea mou, mean?” she demanded while narrowing her eyes at the male.

  “It means my Goddess.”

  Her lips parted at the way he said the words, as an endearment instead of an acknowledgement of her power. And it was attached to blatant possessiveness from a male she didn’t know. She heard purring and firmed her lips at her absent beasts.

  “I am a Goddess. That means I belong to no male.”

  “In my world there is such a thing as fated mates, Gefn.”

  She just stared at him. “I am not an animal to mate.”

  His lips twitched before he continued, “No. We are not animals, but you and I are linked. We’re bound to each other.”

  Her jaw dropped a fraction as she heard more infuriating purring. “Bound how?” Because the cats seemed to believe it and so did this male. She could see the truth in his eyes. Could feel it in his words and she should have paled; instead she felt her cheeks flush with even more desire.

  “Our souls are trying to connect. What we’re feeling now is what we call a mating frenzy.”

  “Frenzy?” Her ears were ringing as thunder crashed around them.

  “This lust will get worse and worse until it becomes painful. We’ll want each other constantly, possibly more than we desire each other now, and our powers will start to blend together.”

  She felt far away, like the words were said through a wind tunnel. Truth. This was the truth. She knew it.

  Her nipples rasped the harsh confines of her vest as she took a deep breath, thinking more about the emphasis he’d used on my. The lust was truly affecting her mind. Her powers were slipping free just as wildly. Winds had kicked up and clouds were rolling in rapidly above them. Maybe he wasn’t lying about struggling for control of his power, because she was as well.

  He was still several steps from her, but she swore his scent was everywhere. It was on her skin, sliding through her lungs like an intoxicating fog. Her entire existence seemed to have been turned on end by… lust. By this male. It seemed that she was so affected by him that she had started making excuses to like him, to believe him. Her beasts had championed the male the moment Velspar had perched in front of him, so she knew it had to be true, but it seemed impossible. Immortals and Gods of their worlds had never joined or married, yet this seemed like an extreme version of just that.

  An arranged one. With her beasts as the cosmic matchmakers.

  Logic demanded she question it all, fight the male who’d stolen her from her brothers or at least attempt to escape on her own, but Spa and Velspar… This match was for the good of Thule. They would not have championed it otherwise. Reason infused her with doubt. He lived in the same world that her reckless brother Dagur had stolen a God from. And his world was holding her sister, if the cats were to be believed. Didn’t that mean neither should trust the other? Wouldn’t he see her as an enemy? Did he even know they held his God Apollo? Nothing had been said about it at the lake. She fought the lust, trying to figure out what to believe.

  She gritted her teeth while taking in her foreign surroundings. “Where is this? And what do you call the power you used to take us here?”

  He frowned at her. “This is Thule, Gefn. And we call that power teleporting or porting.” The translations felt odd, but the more he spoke, the more it seemed she understood his odd speech.

  She shook her head as she looked around. It was like Thule. “No, this is not Thule.”

  Her eyes slipped to the stone altar in the middle of the space. Frowning and distracted, she moved closer. Her eyes widened as she took in the runes etched in the stone. Spinning, she took in the soft-looking white lounges and fluffy white pillows. The open view was of a brilliantly colorful forest of greens, reds, pinks and yellow. Behind where she’d been standing was…

  Her mouth dropped at the sight of the waterfall.

  Spirits of the dead.

  She rasped, “You brought me to Fólkvangr?”

  *****

  Pothos watched his female closely, curious as to how a Goddess of Thule could be unfamiliar with this Realm of her world. He’d known at once that it was like Heaven Realm on Earth. There was no mistaking the brilliant orbs or the tranquil feel. This was where the souls of Thule’s dead flowed.

  Her beautiful emerald eyes had shot wide as she stared off to the falls.

  He was attempting to give her time. She had no idea what they were going through, and no matter the agony to his cock, he would allow her questions for as long as they both could take it. He wasn’t sure how long that would be, because his fingers itched to touch her.

  She shook her head and stared at him. “Your father was at the lake,” she confirmed, watching his eyes closely. “Who is your mother, Pothos?”

  She’d figured out the secret of his birth. He guessed this would be the test of whether the Gods of Thule would really want him dead because of it. “Her name was Eir.”

  Air rushed from her as she faltered away from the stone altar, seeming to speak more to herself than to him. “Your mother was a priestess of Thule?”

  “You knew her?” he asked, more than curious about the mother he didn’t remember.

  “She was my brother’s priestess. I did not know her well. Agnarr and I were not close.” She knew of his mother. That was an odd feeling.

  He nodded, studying her closely as he fought his dick’s reaction to her parted lips.

  She closed her eyes.

  “What are you thinking?” He wanted to know because she looked pained.

  “I am thinking of all the reasons your mother would have felt the need to hide your existence.”

  “She told my father to keep me hidden from Thule. That the Gods of your world would want me dead.”

  Her eyes flashed with anger before she blew out a breath. “At the time she was right. Hroarr was gone a lot, and our evil siblings were killing priestesses and Gods alike for decades. It took a long time to finally build a cage for them.” Her eyes flashed with regret. “I am very sorry, but your mother was one of those who died.”

  “I know.” He’d gotten that much from his father.

  The caring in her eyes gutted him.

  She shook her head. “There was so much death then. Your mother likely saved you, Pothos.”

  He changed the subject because he suddenly felt uncomfortable. “You’ve never been here?”

  “No.” He could tell she was debating telling him more.

  “Did your mother share this place with you?”

  He shook his head. “If she did, I don’t remember. Why haven’t you been here?”

  She studied him with lust in her eyes. “We cannot open a portal here. Only priestesses have access to this place.”

  “They couldn’t take you here?”

  She didn’t seem to want to say more. Her lips had firmed, and he suddenly understood the implications of what she wasn’t saying. She couldn’t get out without him. Or his power. He swore he was feeling her emotions through their bond. He felt sorrow and anger when talking of his mother, and there was a pang of anxiety that he knew meant she was worrying he’d trap her in this Realm. It made him want to hold her, reassure her.

  Fuck her.

  He gritted his teeth as need slowly ate at him. Minutes seemed to pass like hours.

  He sent a message to Drake and his father. Is everything okay?

  It’s the same. Drake’s tone was not amused.

  P sighed. This information might help. We are in Fólkvangr; it’s Thule’s version of Heaven. Gefn has never been here because their Gods can’t portal to or from this place. She said only priestesses can travel here, and they can’t take passengers.


  He heard his father scoff. Good, leave her there.

  Father, she is my mate, he growled. And so far she knows who and what I am and doesn’t want to kill me.

  So she says. His father was fucking stomping on his last nerve.

  P snapped. Fucking stop. I’m still on guard, but she says that Gods in Thule had been killing priestesses and Deities in Thule until they were imprisoned.

  Anything about Apollo? Drake asked.

  Not yet. I haven’t asked, he ground out. He was barely hanging on with all the need battering them both. I have to go.

  When he saw her eyes flash with pain, he nearly lost his mind. “You’re hurting?” he growled.

  Chapter 4

  Mystical Lake, Earth Realm

  Hades was losing his mind with worry. Every muscle tensed as he fought the power holding them with a might that should have destroyed the damned cats easily. Sacha’s soothing energies barely calmed anything. Those few minutes when he hadn’t known where Pothos had gone were the longest of his existence. If that Goddess harmed a single hair on his son’s head, every Thulian present would know the agony of his power.

  As soon as their hold waned… and it would, because the beasts could not hope to restrain him forever, he would truly enjoy their screams as he ripped the souls from their bodies. One of the creatures had the audacity to stare at him and twitch its ears as if completely unfazed. He glared at the offending animal.

  “Where is my sister?” Hroarr commanded with deadly calm. The only indication of the male’s fury was the fire flashing in his eyes and the raw power flowing from him to the water beneath his feet. Waves rocked violently over the edges.

  Hades narrowed his eyes at the display, wanting the battle that brewed in the other God’s eyes.

  Draken answered, “Your sister is unharmed.”

  Pothos isn’t helpless, Hades. He’s a powerful warrior and your son. Sacha’s calming voice penetrated his wrath. And what he just said makes sense. You told us that the reason Agnarr came to you for an alliance all those centuries ago was to gain your help in imprisoning the evil Gods of Thule. When Pothos’ mother gave him to you with that warning, their world was likely just as different as ours was all those millennia ago. She paused. This Goddess is not evil, and you know as well as I do that even these arrogant male Gods don’t hold that kind of tainted power. She paused. Just remember that if Pothos and the Goddess complete their mating, no Thulian will be able to harm him, not without harming her.

  If the mating rules are the same for her. We don’t know that, Hades bit out.

  Even your soul was affected by the mating rules, my love. The steps may have been different, but the results were the same, and P is half Thulian.

  Hades vaguely heard the rumbling of Drake’s and the Thulian’s words over the agitation of the water as he listened to his female.

  Though her logic made sense, the thought of his son in any potential danger brought back nightmarish memories of Ares and Artemis’ attack on his palace when Pothos had been a child. His disgusting siblings had almost gotten to the boy, and Hades had never felt such rage as when he’d learned of their breach of his palace. The fear and fury had unleashed a power and darkness in him unlike any the world had ever seen. It hadn’t mattered that the two had been the most powerful of his evil siblings, he’d made sure their blood soaked the palace grounds. He’d wanted to bathe in it, and he would have killed them, no matter the consequences to the world. If the two hadn’t retreated, they would have suffered long and hard before he allowed them death.

  Pothos had been his brightest light in the darkest of times, and his son was still his greatest creation. Hades would bring down all four Realms for him.

  I know. And that’s one of the reasons I love you so deeply, Sacha said softly.

  Feeling her love through their bond finally eased some of his fury. You know I’d do the same for you. Maybe worse, he admitted.

  In the background Hades heard the God’s commanding tone; the fact that his confidence was absolute made the threat damned effective. “Return my sister or I will take this world apart piece by piece.”

  Hades watched Hroarr closely to see if the male’s silent rage was having any effect on the beasts’ hold, knowing Sacha was doing the same. He wasn’t the only one with a son in potential danger. Bastian was standing to their left with his mate, Tasha, assessing the other Gods. His normal calm was replaced by the eyes of a male worried for his mate.

  Hades made a vow to his female. I will never allow them to harm him or anyone here. You will all be safe. He was the most powerful of the Gods, and the Thulians would learn how dangerous he could be if any of those present he cared for were hurt. Brianne had been one of his most loyal warriors, and the wild redhead’s mate, Vane, was his nephew, Athena’s son. Drake and his mate, Era, were a force all their own. The dragon’s female had a stillness about her now that spoke of her own readiness to fight if anyone threatened her male.

  I choose to consider it a good sign that both sides are unable to move or fight, Sacha pointed out, but she was assessing the situation from the eyes of a warrior. And I’m perfectly capable of doing just as much damage as you are if this tentative peace ends. A fact that pleased him immensely. Not only was she a Guardian, she held immense power now as his mate. His female was as strong as any full-blooded Goddess.

  Now he only needed to break the beasts’ power over them so the soul rending could commence.

  He heard a choked laugh through his bond with his female. He would have smiled if he weren’t still worried. Not seeing his son’s telepathic marker added to his frustration. If he could at least see him, it would be easier.

  What is happening now? Hades demanded of Pothos. It didn’t matter that he’d heard his son’s report moments before.

  P’s worried tone came less than a second later. Is everything okay there? Just hearing his voice helped.

  Yes, there is no change, Hades responded. Now tell me what is happening with the Goddess.

  I just told you everything! Could you not scare the shit out of me for no reason? his son growled. Contact me if there’s a problem. I need to get my power under control before I can get anywhere near anyone else. And interrupting my concentration isn’t helping me do that any faster.

  Pothos is far safer there, Sacha said before adding, I know this is hard, but I had to learn to trust Bastian’s skills in battle. The second we were both deemed Guardians by the Creators was one of the best and hardest of my life, because that meant we were a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. They are our sons, and we will always worry, but they are also powerful males and we can’t fight for them. We can only be there when they need us.

  He understood what she was saying, but he was a God. He protected; he acted. A growl slipped from his lips as he watched the Thulian Gods, assessing them.

  His female’s calm voice rang out with a soothing yet powerful quality. “Your sister is safe with Pothos. Your beasts would not be so calm otherwise,” she pointed out. Hades did not like that he couldn’t move to see his female speak, and he made his displeasure known with a glare at the infuriating beasts.

  Hroarr glowered at the cats before turning his ruthless gaze to Sacha. “And how do you know this?”

  It was the wrong tone to use with his female. Hades gave the male his full deadly attention; his voice held enough power to send more water over the banks of the lake. “You will not speak to my Goddess without respect. She was explaining something you should have already figured out.”

  The air charged with power, and Hades’ wings flexed only a fraction as he willed the beasts to free them for battle instead of holding them tighter. Hades decided he didn’t like the male, and he relished the thought of ripping the God’s arms off and beating him with them.

  He felt Sacha’s displeasure. That’s enough. We need things to go calmly. I’m to handle the diplomacy since you and Drake are incapable of doing it.

  Sacha had been one of the Guardians’
diplomats for centuries, so of course the bad-tempered dragon and his worse-tempered mate would want Hades’ female to handle it. That didn’t mean Hades would allow anyone to talk to her without reverence. Ever.

  Then you do your job, agapi mou, but he will speak to you in the way you deserve, or I will cut out his tongue.

  She groaned mentally before speaking out loud. “I assure you this was not an act of aggression on our part. Pothos assures us she is well. And since you are unable to communicate with your sister, I will try to find a way to assure you of her safety. But this situation is delicate.”

  “How did you speak to your male?” Hroarr demanded.

  “We can speak through our minds,” Sacha explained in the most basic way.

  “Then instruct him to bring her to me now.”

  Hades could almost feel his female’s head shaking as she ignored the male’s demand and asked a question of her own. “Do you have fated mates in Thule?”

  “Gods are not beasts to mate,” Hroarr bit out with authority.

  Hades felt the tension and power building all around when Sacha spoke calmly. “Think of a very binding, permanent marriage or joining. One neither of them have control over. Your beasts seem to understand that part.”

  Hroarr watched them closely as the winds whipped around the lake. He seemed to be dissecting their words.

  “Who is your son’s mother?” The Thulian God’s eyes flashed in Hades’ direction.

  Hades tensed. He sure as hell wasn’t going to admit anything about Pothos’ birth. Pothos said the Goddess knew. This big bastard didn’t need that information. “It’s none of your business.”

  “Isn’t it?” Hroarr challenged. “I will accept this if my sister tells me she wishes to take the male as maðr. So instruct him to bring her back now.” Husband was the closest translation to the word Hroarr had used. It was close to an old language Hades had heard spoken in their world.

  “It’s a little more difficult than that.”

  “No. It is not.” The male’s tone grated on Hades’ patience.

  It was Brianne who answered the bastard. “What Sacha is not saying is that your sister and Pothos are likely screwing as we speak, so unless you’re into seeing your sister naked, I’d give them a minute.” Hades wondered if some of the slang was making it through the ancient language of the Creators, but it seemed they were understanding.