Ares: (Gods of Old Book 1) (18 page)

“It could have been knocked off when we got back. We were a little wild if you recall,” he grinned at her. They’d gotten home from dinner and nearly trashed their bedroom with their antics and love making. “Let’s go up and make sure it didn’t get knocked off or kicked under or blown across the room.”

She laughed and nodded, “Okay. We did get a little wild.” She’d loved it too. “Maybe it fell behind the dresser? Do you think that you can do your thing, pop there and look?” She was starting to feel more and more uneasy.

“Come on, love,” he took her hand and led her to the stairs. “We’ll go look and clean up the mess you made at the same time. Because if it’s not under or behind the dresser, it could be in that mess up there.”

“Good point,” she said with a saucy grin. “All right, let’s go and clean up the mess that you made me make,” she teased him. “Getting me all hot and bothered.” She looked up at him and winked, “Do you think that maybe after we find the book we can make a mess again?”

“Only once we stick it into the safe where we both know it will be protected. Then we can make whatever sort of mess you’d like,” he promised. Scooping her up into his arms he kissed her cheek as he jogged up the stairs. “I do so love making a mess with you, Ava.”

“Me too.” Ava wrapped her legs around him as he jogged them up the stairs. She rubbed her cheek to his neck. “I love you, Ares. Now then, let’s get this book found and secured so we can make a mess.”

“Damned straight, woman,” he said kissing her cheek. When they reached the bedroom, he set her down on her feet. “Holy hell, I just realized the absolute chaos you created in here. Damn, woman, how the hell did you manage to get your bras up on the chandelier?” He was looking up towards the very high, vaulted ceiling in their bedroom.

That had her laughing. “Oh, honey, that was you,” she told him with a shake of her head. “Baby you tossed the bra up there after cutting it off. I don’t know where you got the knife, but that was all you.” And she had loved it too. “Now, help me find the book, please?”

“I cut it off?” he blinked at her. “Hell, I don’t remember that,” he burst out laughing. Shaking his head he squinted up at the bra. “Well, I guess we should go shopping again for some more undergarments for you, love. Besides, you’ll want to get a few things for the wedding and honeymoon won’t you?”

“Oh yes, I will definitely want some new ones for the wedding and honeymoon. I can’t wait until you see the garter belt that Dio ordered for me. It’s the one that you won’t throw; it’s costing a small fortune.” It was diamond and ruby encrusted; so yeah, it was not one for throwing to the bachelors.

“Then you’ll just have to buy one for the lads to catch,” he said with a shrug. “I’m more interested in taking it off of you. With my teeth. Slowly,” he grinned. “Alright, you check under the bed in case we kicked it under there, and I’ll move the dresser to check behind it and under it.”

“Sounds good to me.” She moved from him and to the bed. Going to her knees, she began to check under the bed, finding nothing she went to the side tables and looked under them and then got to her feet once more. “Okay, it’s not here. Is it behind the long dresser?”

He turned to look at her and shook his head. “It’s not here, babe,” he said. Moving the dresser back into place he turned around. “And you’re positive it’s not in the suitcase? Maybe in one of your other bags, love?”

“Very positive.” She began to rub her hands up and down her arms. “This is bad, Ares,” she whispered. “This is very bad. The things that were in that book-” She shook her head. “It should have been destroyed, but it’s indestructible. The spells that are in it, coupled with the knowledge of the Gods- This isn’t good.” She was starting to panic a little. Okay, she was starting to panic a lot.

He came over to her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Shh, it will be alright. We’ll find it. It’s more than possible it was misplaced. Maybe one of the cleaning ladies moved it to the library. It is a book, love; they could have stuck it in there since they wouldn’t have had a clue of what it said. Let’s look there; I’ll call the one that’s usually in charge and ask if she saw it and if she can check with the others. Don’t panic yet, sweetheart, alright?” he smiled gently down at her.

“Good point.” She nodded. “That’s probably what happened.” She nodded and leaned into him. “I think we should go ahead and check the library.” She was anxious to find the book. She had to find the book because in it there was the possibility of hurting the man she loved and that simply wouldn’t do. At all.

“And we will,” he said softly. She felt him press a kiss to the top of her head. “It’ll be found, darling, probably in the very last spot we look, which is just the way of things. But we will find it.” He gave her a hug and just held her for a moment before pulling back. Taking her hand in his, he led her downstairs again and towards his office which was also the library. Stopping in the doorway, he groaned, “I have no idea where to even start looking.”

“Oh, lordy.” She looked at the library and then at him. “When you said library I thought you meant a home library. You know something small not-” She gestured with her hand. “Not a freaking presidential library that is overflowing with books,” she grumbled. Closing her eyes, she shook her head. “Oh, I know.” She smiled then, “The book has power. Can you feel for it? It would be a close signature to what you feel when I come close to you from behind.”

“All hot and sexually bothered, with a raging hard on that pounds in rhythm with my heart?” he asked, his tone was sweet, but his expression was wicked. Chuckling when she smacked him, he rolled his eyes. “I get what you mean, Ava. Hold your pretty little panties.” Ares closed his eyes and frowned ever so slightly. Tipping his head to the side, he began to walk slowly down the length of the room. He paused now and again giving her hope, right until he kept on moving. When he reached the end he turned back around, expression darker while he came back the same way, expression tight in concentration.

She knew. The moment that he came back to her she knew that it wasn’t there. “Shit,” she grumbled. “It’s not here, is it?” She whispered, “Fuck.” She rubbed her temples and looked at him. “What do we do?” she whispered in horror. “How do we find it now? What do we do?”

“I want you to take a walk through the house. Replay your steps for the last couple of days. I’m going to call the cleaning service and find out if anyone saw it and where. We’ll find it, Ava, but if you get worked up it will only cause delays. Go on, sweetheart. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

Forcing herself to take deep and calming breaths, she forced herself to relax there with him and closed her eyes. “All right,” she whispered and began to go over the last few days with him, step by step, him prodding her and helping her along when she fumbled or forgot.

He wrapped her in his arms when she was done. They’d uncovered nothing, learning nothing more. “The ladies didn’t see it, love,” he told her hanging up the phone again. “Not even in the bedroom. The one lady said she brought her niece along to help her out that day as a couple of the ladies had some bug or other. But she’s in classes until later today so she won’t be able to contact her until then to let us know.”

“Crap,” she muttered and sighed. “All right, let’s hope that the niece took it thinking that it was just a book for them to take when they wanted or something.’ She whispered, “I hate this. That book is dangerous. So very dangerous, Ares.” She looked up at him and said, “I don’t think that you understand just how dangerous it is.”

“Love, if you say it’s dangerous, I fully believe you. I trust you, Ava, completely and absolutely. You know better than I do, and I felt the power of the book. We will find it, somehow, someway.” He stared down at her and then his gaze shifted lower. “But, I am going to do one thing, just in case it comes to it.” Ares lifted the pendant she always wore and closed his fist around it, whispering a few words. “I’ve added Dion to this. If anything, and I mean anything, happens to me, you get to him fast and tell him to get our uncle, Hades. No one can track this sort of thing better than that old, evil bastard.”

“Why you? Don’t you dare have anything done that will take you from me for even one single moment. I mean it. Please,” she begged him. She moved in close to him and pulled him closer. “I mean it, Ares.”

“Baby,” he rocked her in his arms. “We both know that book is about me. We also both know just what the hell is in that book. If it should fall into the wrong hands, someone that knows about the spells in it or how to work them-” He heaved a breath and tightened his hold. “I won’t make it easy, but if anything happens and you can’t get to me, you get to Dion and have him call Hades. I am hopeful someone knows where the book is in this house, but on the off chance it was stolen we have to cover our bases.”

“Well, whatever happens, I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Somehow she would protect him; she just didn’t know how. “I need you. I need you in my life for the rest of forever. A moment less is not acceptable. I mean it. We are a team, and we will work together to be just that. Deal?”

“Deal,” he smiled down at her. “My little warrior, so adorable and fierce. How did I ever get so lucky to have you in my life, Ava?” he whispered. Dropping a kiss on her lips, he hugged her to him. “It will be alright, darling. Just remember what I’ve told you and this will all work out as it should.”

“Don’t know what you did, but you did really well whatever it was,” Ava said with a grin. “So whatever you have done in the past keep on doing it, babe, so that you can be mine for the rest of forever.”

“I am yours for the rest of forever,” he smiled at her. “You had me pretty much from the first moment we spoke. I just didn’t realize that I was already under your spell at that point. More the fool was I.”

That had her smiling. “I’m glad,” she said with a smile. “I’m very happy that you are mine for the rest of forever. I’m never letting you go. Ever. You do know that right?”

Lifting his head slowly, Ares groaned. He had one hell of a nasty headache. He tried to recall just why he had the headache, but didn’t come up with anything to deserve it. He remembered having dinner with Ava. They’d gone for a walk before going back to the house to sit in the hot tub. She’d gone in to get into bed while he shut off the tub and locked up. Then, nothing.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” a male voice said. He sounded way too chipper and happy for Ares’ pounding temples. “I didn’t think it would work. Well, I did hope, but I honestly had no idea if it would. This is so exciting. Who would have thought I’d actually get one of the Olympians.”

Ares’ eyes shot open, and he looked around. The first thing he noticed was the little weasely man standing before him in tan slacks, a brown shirt, and little round glasses. The second thing he noticed was that the little shit had Ava’s book in his hands. The third, and likely most important thing, he was strung up from the ceiling, by his wrists, in a pair of cuffs that were of the God’s making. He was so fucking screwed, especially since he knew without the key, or a Titan, he wasn’t getting out of them.

“Now, I know you’re probably a little upset, and likely have a bit of a headache. The headache I didn’t learn about until after I cast the spell, sorry. But I do have some aspirin for you, and water; it will die down in time. The anger, well, you’ll just have to get over it eventually. I know, you’re a God, you will outlive me, blah, blah, blah, but really, if you ever want to go home again, you’ll do what I want, or I’ll just leave you here where no one will ever find you.”

Ares cracked a smile, one he knew had made legions of soldiers piss their pants. “Little man, when my woman gets here, you are in for a world of fucking hurt. You really should have picked a different God. My uncle is going to love having you to toy with for the rest of time.”

“See, really,” the little man shook his head, pushing up his glasses as he let out a breath. “I think I’ll just give you a little time to think about your situation, and you’ll see that if you do what I want, then you can go home. It’s really that simple,” he said. Then he left the room.

Looking around Ares cursed under his breath. “Come on, baby, go get Dion and get him to get the uncle.” Over and over he muttered it, praying that Ava remembered what he’d told her and did exactly as he’d instructed.

*****

Ava all but felt it when Ares was taken from her. She grabbed the pendant and first began to scream for him, demanding he come in panic. Dressing quickly she then began to call for Dion. “Come on, come on. Dio. For fuck’s sake, get your ass here, please,” she begged with tears flowing down her face even as she stepped into her shoes.

“For the love of all the Gods,” Dionysus thundered as he appeared before her. He opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. His expression went from pissed to concerned so fast she almost felt like she’d gotten whiplash. “Ava? What’s going on?” he asked looking around. “Sweetheart, why are you crying and how the hell did you summon me?”

“Ares. He’s been taken.” She moved to Dio and put her hand out. “My family guards books of the Gods. The book I was tasked with guarding was his. In the books, there are spells to summon and tame the Gods. It’s not a good situation. Ares was going to put it in his safe so that it couldn’t be touched but it had been taken already, and now he’s gone. We have to get to your uncle.”

She was likely not making a hell of a lot of sense and said, “Just read it from me.” She begged with another sniffle of tears. “God, they have him, and it’s because of me,” she sobbed out again. “And whoever it is-” She paused. “I’m fucking killing them. Period.” Which was why she had guns and knives on her body now.

“Uh, okay,” he was looking at her like she’d gone off her rocker. She felt like it right then. With Ares gone she felt like she was missing a vital piece of herself.

Dion stepped closer and put a light hand on her cheek, his eyes drifting shut. She could see his lids flickering, his eyes moving back and forth rapidly as he read her. Then his eyes snapped open, “Holy shit. Alright, alright,” he nodded and paced away from her. He stopped, closed his eyes again, tipped his head and didn’t move.