Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Get your mind off the female,” Hades growled, pulling Kian from his thoughts and forcing him to focus on his uncle, the god of Hell.

“Sorry. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.”

Hades laughed. “You are a newly mated male. We have all been in your position. You must focus though or your mate may pay the price for your distraction.” Hades dropped his chin, eyes filled with a red glow, and he grinned. “Allow your darkness to flow through you. Own it.” He commanded as he shoved power at Kian.

“You are the nephew of powerful gods, now act like one.”

Kian’s vision slanted as he tried not to fight what Hades threw at him but embraced it. The task wasn’t easy since it was an automatic reaction to fight darkness rather than allow it in. When visions of Gwen on the ground, a stake in her chest came to him, he snarled.

“You are an evil fuck.”

Hades laughed. “I thrive on pain and so should you.” The god walked a circle around him, Hell’s landscape changing with each step Hades took. Everything went from green lushness to charred death. The stench was foul, and Kian wanted to vomit at the smell, but he swallowed down everything inside him that was light and good. Recalled lessons Netasis had taught him as a child on how to get into an enemy’s head. She might not be his birth mother, but she had raised him to be the son of destruction. He wondered where she was, as it would be unlike her to stay away after receiving word of the current events.

Again, the sight of Gwen’s lifeless body with a thick, heavy stake in her heart came at him, but this time, he allowed the darkness to surface. Embraced it and gave Hades a mental shove.

“Ahh, there you are, my dark nephew. That was only barely decent, however.” Hades threw him a surprise when out of the dark fog that had surrounded them came a creature he had never seen before. It wailed a sorrowful cry that penetrated right to his soul. The black shadowy outline that had seconds ago held eyes of fire and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, suddenly transformed into a curvy female with bright blue eyes, a red lipped smile and jet-black hair that flowed in an invisible breeze. Her breasts were full, waist narrow, hips wide, and legs that seemed to go on forever. Her tongue flicked out and ran across her lips, and she seemed to beckon him as she made a seductive step his way. She took hold of his mind and sexual thoughts raced as she showed him exactly the pleasure she would give him.

He was a demigod, and this was nothing more than a cakewalk for him. Shoving her from his mind, he slapped up a barrier then sent a pulse of power her way that forced her back into her original form and moving away from him.

“Really? You thought she would be a temptation?”

Hades barked out a laugh. “I did not beckon her. She came to you of her own accord.” A smile still plastered on his face, he continued. “Seems you attract the dark and alluring. Good thing your mate is otherwise occupied.”

His mate. “Those words are going to take some getting used to.”

“How do you feel about that. Having a mate?”

“Shocked is one word that comes to mind. Yet, once I knew I could trust my feelings, it was right. I am surprised at the depth of my emotions, however.”

“Your grandmother chose well for you. Gwen is a powerful warrior and will be able to put up with your shit.”

“My shit?”

Hades laughed again. “We tend to be a bit overbearing at times. If they would allow it, we would put our mates in a bubble and never let them out.” His forehead furrowed. “On a more serious note. You are going up against an ancient god. He might be sleepy, but he is still going to prove to be a powerful pain in the ass. Your mate is going with you and he will target her. Are you prepared for that?”

“I don’t feel I’m prepared for any of this. I mean, why would I have been chosen to stop Apep? It makes more sense that one of you should have been destined for this task.” He fisted his palms. “I also don’t want Gwen anywhere near this mess.”

“While understandable, we don’t always get to choose our paths.” Hades spread his arms. “I certainly didn’t choose to become ruler of this place. Yet here I am. In hindsight, I was probably the best choice, and as far as Gwen goes? None of us want our mates in harm’s way, but for you to protect her, you are going to have to embrace your darkness a little bit more. Speaking of Gwen, where is she?”

“Said she had some things to attend to in the human realm.” Kian missed having her close to him. He’d like to use Gwen as an excuse for keeping his darkness at bay but knew better. He’d glimpsed what lurked inside him once before and he hadn’t liked it. It had been long ago. Yet, it felt like only yesterday. There had been a young goddess––a child at the time––who had been practicing her magic when she was suddenly attacked by a Veaster. A creature Kian had thought was nothing more than a myth until that fateful day. It had shown itself disguised as the young child’s mother, and Kian hadn’t realized what was happening until it was nearly too late. The creature feeds off the power of higher beings and while that wasn’t enough to kill an adult, a child––even a god or goddess––was vulnerable. The young girl had swayed on her feet and that was when he’d realized something was amiss. Scanning the child, he’d found she was being fed on and had known the being posing as her mother must be a Veaster. She’d been fading quickly and if he hadn’t acted, the creature would have killed her.

Sending a blast of his own power hadn’t affected the creature one bit. Being young himself, he hadn’t been sure he could fend off the Veaster, but he’d been desperate to save the child. Something inside him had stirred. It had been dark, ugly and frightening, but he’d also known it was powerful and the only means he had to fight back. Allowing whatever it was to the surface, he’d taken out the Veaster in a blast of thick, dark magic. He’d not remembered much after that except the pure, raw power that had taken hold of him. It had coursed through his veins like liquid lightning, and he’d not wanted to let it go. Only when Netasis had knocked him senseless with her own blast had he done so. He’d opened his eyes to see his mother staring at him with both horror and anger in her eyes, and she had forbidden him to ever use such darkness again. He’d been frightened enough by his own power that he had for once obeyed the goddess.

“Hey! Focus for fuck's sake,” Hades yelled, pulling him from his dark thoughts.

“Sorry.”

His uncle’s gaze narrowed. “You’d best pay attention. I’ll not have my brother losing his son a second time.”

He shoved his fingers into his hair. Opened his mouth to respond when he was interrupted by an arrow buzzing past his head. When he followed its trajectory, he and Hades both watched it dig its point into the ground at Hades’ feet. Before either could react, a piece of cream-colored paper appeared beneath it. With a snarl, Hades plucked out the arrow and snatched the paper from the ground. Unfolding it, he scanned the paper, then shoved it at Kian.

“This is for you.”

Dearest Kian,

I have your mate and in 24 hours, she will be dead if you do not show your face. Let the war between us begin.

Regards,

Apep

As the paper fell from his hand, it burst into flames and was ash by the time it landed back on the black ground beneath his feet.

The stone wall beneath her fingertips was warm even though cold air brushed across her skin. Gwen swallowed as she took another step forward and closer to the enemy. She shouldn’t be here right now. Both she and Kian were supposed to have Leria fold time so they could go back to when Apep was still slow from sleep. Instead, she found herself suddenly jerked from Bourbon Street as she made her way to let Roxie know she wouldn’t be back to work for a while. If ever. Of course, she and Kian hadn’t even had time to discuss their future. Hell, they’d only mated last night, and to the surprise of both of them. Neither had expected it to happen so quickly, but it felt right, and Gwen couldn’t help the smile that lifted her lips every time she thought of the sexy demigod. Now, if only they could win the battle with Apep and put this nightmare behind them.

She took another step, wishing she had a weapon, but wasn’t able to call one to her. None of her guardian powers worked. Not that it really mattered. Kian was destined to take the god of chaos out. Her destiny was to make sure his darkness was in full swing, then bring him back after Apep was dead. The only problem was, Kian was reluctant to embrace his darker side. Ra had shared with her Kian’s battle with it when he was younger, and she understood why he feared it. Had it not been for Netasis, Kian might have been lost to it, much like his grandfather had been. She was grateful to the goddess of destruction for having saved her mate as a young man. Hell, she was thankful the goddess had raised such a fine man and hoped to get the chance to thank her. No one had seen Netasis, however, and she had not responded to the summons. Gwen prayed Netasis was simply too far away or otherwise engaged to hear the call. Otherwise, the alternative meant the goddess had vanished like some of the others. Gone to dust with no one to worship her. Even though she wasn’t Kian’s blood mother, she was the only one he had ever known, and it would devastate him to learn of her demise.

“Stop stalling, child, and make your way to me.”

Gwen shivered at the deep, dark voice. With every word he spoke, the chaos he evoked sent a chill down her spine. It darkened her mind, and she wanted to vomit but swallowed down her fears. The god would play upon them. It was what he did, and Ra had warned her to keep a level head. Even though this wasn’t supposed to be how this battle went down, she had to believe that the one gift Ra had given her would still work. Taking a slow, deep breath, she pulled back her shoulders and marched forward.

When she reached the end of the corridor, it expanded into a large room warmed by the lit torches that hung on the wall every few feet. The walls were also covered with the colorful hieroglyphs she had seen many times in her life. But it was what was in the center of one wall that caught her attention. Towering over her and sitting on a throne of gold sat Apep. His head smooth except for the gold serpent he wore wrapped around it, the snake’s head poised to strike, and she had to wonder if it was real.

The god’s black eyes were lined with heavy kohl. His cheeks razor sharp and his jaw set into a hard line. He was certainly a sight that caused her to wonder what the hell she’d gotten into now.

“You are not what I expected.” His voice only slightly quieter and less chaotic than before.

Steeling her shoulders, she spoke. “What were you expecting?”

“A goddess. Not some slip of a female.” He laughed. “Shows how desperate Cera really was.”

Her gaze narrowed at his harsh words, and she felt the need to defend the sleeping goddess more than she did herself. “I may not be a goddess, but I am Cera’s choice. You should show some respect to the sovereign goddess.”

This time, he tipped his head back and laughed. “You are entertaining.” His gaze leveled and turned ice cold. “Cera chose her fate and look at what she has received for it. Thedos was the god of death and pain, and that is exactly what he left her with. I warned her, but she would not listen.”

A sudden realization came to her. “You wanted her for yourself, didn’t you? That’s what this is all about. You want to hurt those closest to her because your ego was crushed.”

His lip curled, revealing a hint of fang. “Everything she holds dear will be gone when she wakes. Tis a pity.”

It would have been nice if Ra had filled her in on this lovers spat, but then again, would it have made a difference? Not likely. Apep was hell-bent on his plan. “So if you are the only one left standing when the dust settles and she wakes, then she will have to choose you.”

“It would stand to reason she and I will create a new world and rule together as husband and wife.”

Gwen didn’t know what kind of goddess Cera was but judging by the fact she hadn’t chosen Apep the first time said a lot. Also, she killed her own mate rather than let him destroy the universe, and that was a huge indicator of the type of ruler Cera had been. Gwen couldn’t even imagine the pain if she had to take Kian out. They may have only been together for a short time, but it felt like forever. Her soul was already connected to his and losing him would devastate her. It wasn’t something she wanted to think further on.

“So what is your plan, then?” She knew hers was to create a new one, and she’d best get to it quickly.

“A note has been sent to your mate giving him twenty-four hours until your demise.”

“But you plan to kill us both, anyway.” She hoped Kian brought the dagger of Embara with him because she couldn’t access it, no matter how hard she tried. Besides, it wasn’t her fate to kill Apep. She had another path she was required to walk and had to trust that no matter what, somehow, she came out the other side. Even if she didn’t make it, knowing that Kian was safe, that her family and everyone she loved were alive and safe was all that really mattered.

Apep lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug. “I have no desire to kill you, but someone else does.”

Someone stepped out from behind the seated god and gave Gwen a wicked smile.

“You!” Nothing had been mentioned about this monkey wrench being tossed into the mix.