The god began to shimmer, his form fading. “I can’t do everything for you, dragon, you must figure out some things for yourself.” He vanished.
“Son of a bitch,” he whispered under his breath. “Why does everything have to be a fucking riddle?”
“Welcome to the club.” Marcus slapped Caleb on the back.
“You heard all of that?”
“Enough to know you’re screwed.” Marcus laughed. “Sorry, man.”
“What? Why is Caleb screwed?” Cassie asked, gliding into the room.
The Draki shook his head. “Great, who doesn’t know?”
Marcus pulled his mate to his side and kissed the top of her head. “The gods left him a riddle. It’s you and me all over again.”
She mouthed an ‘oh’. “What did he say?”
Caleb replayed the previous conversation with Argathos, and both guardians listened intently. “Well?”
“Yep, screwed.”
Cassie smacked her mate on the arm. “Stop being so mean.”
“Ow!” Marcus rubbed his arm. “Jewels, women love big jewels.”
Caleb’s eyes lit up. “I have lots of those.”
“Well then, you should be in business.”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Oh for the love of Pete, you two are idiots. Caleb, are you going to take advice from him or me?”
“I’m not stupid. You, of course. What do I do?” He hoped the female guardian had something he could really use to win his mate.
“Listen to her, don’t push and most of all earn her trust. If you can do those things, she will tell you her heart’s desire.”
The corners of his mouth turned up. “Well, that sounds easy enough.”
Cassie jabbed her hands on her hips. “There’s only one problem.”
“What?” The two men sounded in unison.
She narrowed her eyes. “You immortal men are overbearing, demanding, obstinate, strong willed and sometimes downright cranky.” Her gaze shifted between the two then landed on her mate. “And then you can be kind, caring, loving, and the most gentle of men in the world. Caleb try to keep your dragon at bay and become the latter.”
He could only shake his head.
Yep, I’m screwed.
Chapter Eleven
Lileta sat at the kitchen table in her parents’ home. She stared out the window, gazing at the turquoise waters rolling into shore. Her village of Vorel sat tucked along the coast of Greece. Hidden away from the human world behind an invisible shield she could see out, but they couldn’t see in.
Her mother sat a bowl of ice cream in front of her. “Your favorite. Chocolate.”
She looked up and smiled. She had missed her mother terribly these past years. It was nice to be home. “Thanks, Mom. Maybe later.”
Her mother took a seat next to her and reached for her hand, squeezing it in hers. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I should have listened to you and papa. You told me not to wander far from home. I knew of the others who had come up missing, but I never thought it would happen to me.” She recalled that day so long ago. She’d been sitting in her favorite spot, high up on the rocky ledge overlooking her village. He walked up to her and sat down, the handsome stranger. Her instinct told her to run, but before she could, he had cuffed her and drained her powers. That was when her hell began. She looked into her mother’s golden eyes and patted her hand. “I’ll be fine, mama.”
“Of course, you will, dear. You are a Kothar, and we are a strong people.” Her mother sighed. “I worry about the hole you are carrying around in your heart.”
Lileta pulled her hand free. She should have known her mother was reading her emotions. Yes, her heart still held a huge void. She tried to play it off, tell herself it was simply because the bonding had yet to be fulfilled. Like the other immortals, when a couple was chosen to be together, their souls yearned for each other.
“I don’t understand. Do you think I’m being punished?” Lileta chewed her lip. Her mother was a very old and wise demon. Perhaps she had some answers.
“No. You are not being punished. Just the opposite. Your mate will make you whole again.”
Lileta rolled her eyes. She doubted she’d ever be whole again. Part of her had been ripped away in the years of captivity. Her loss so great she feared she would never fully recover, and now she was stuck with a man who could only think of his carnal desires. Desires her body felt as well, but her heart was what really mattered. If any man could ever pick up the shattered pieces and mend it, he would have her undying love for eternity. Caleb would never love her. “I don’t see how mating with a dragon will help me.”
Her mother stood, came up behind her and grasped her shoulders, kneading away the tension. “You must trust the gods, Lileta. Sometimes, they do things we don’t understand, but always there is a reason.” She kissed the top of her head. “The second thing you must trust is your heart. Follow it, and it will never fail you.”
Lileta moved from her chair and pulled her mother into a hug. “Thank you, mama. I’m going for a walk.” She headed out the door and proceeded to make her way up the cliff to the rocky ledge above. Once there, she took up a spot on the outcrop and pulled her knees to her chest. The sunshine soothed her. She closed her eyes and buried her head on her knees.
“Lileta.”
She winced, the voice whispered across her skin like a warm summer breeze.
Damn him.
“How did you find me, and why are you here?” Her dragon was proving to be a real pain in the ass. Like a damn rash, he kept coming back to irritate her.
“Your brother told me where to find you, and I’m once again in need of your help.”
She turned to face him. “Remind me to kick my traitor brother’s behind later. What could you possibly need from me now?”
He moved next to her and sat. She tried to ignore him, but his closeness made her squirm. Part of her wanted to shove him over the cliff, and the other half wanted to unwrap him like a birthday present.
“Argathos told me Qadira is in Hell. I need you to help guide me there.” He didn’t flinch, his attitude matter-of-fact.
She rolled her eyes. “Get my brother to take you. Or for that matter, any of my people would go. You don’t need me.” She looked back out over the ocean. It was much safer than staring at him. She knew going to Hell’s realm would be brutal and secretly welcomed the challenge, but it meant spending way too much time with him.
“I want you to take me.”
“No.”
“Lileta, look at me.”
I can’t. I want you too badly.
Her body cried for his touch; the gods really were cruel.
“Please,” he begged.
Damn it.
She was unable to refuse and turned to meet his warm, brown gaze.
“I make you a promise here and now. Go with me, and if at the end of our journey, you still wish to be rid of me then I will beg the gods to break our bond.”
Her breath caught. “What if they refuse?”
He tipped his head. “You’re so sure you will still want them to?”
She gave a chuckle. “You so sure I won’t? You and I are not the same.”
“Then if they refuse, I will go to slumber. I only ask you give me a chance.” His gaze pleaded, and her heart stopped for a brief moment. Going to slumber for a dragon meant hibernation. Tucked away deep in a dark, cold cave.
“For how long?”
“As long as it takes to break our bond.” Yearning gleamed in his expression. “Even if its forever.”
“You are a fool, Caleb, for making such an offer.” She could scarcely believe he would agree to such a fate. The thought of him, cold and alone caused her heart to ache. Deep down she knew she’d never let him make such a sacrifice.
The corners of his mouth turned up, and his eyes shifted to light green. “Perhaps.”
“Then I will take you.”
Who’s the fool now?
* * * *
Gabriel stood over a map spread out on a large oak table. “The rifts have opened here, here and here.”
“Do you have an estimate of how many have gotten out?” Aidyn asked, leaning forward to study the layout.
The Angel shook his head. “No, but we need the guardians to station themselves and prepare for an onslaught of demons to come through. There is simply no way we can stop them all from escaping.”
“What a fucking mess. Of course, you can count on our help.” Aidyn moved across the room to a side table and poured some whiskey into a glass. He swirled and then downed the liquid.
“The world is going to Hell in a hurry,” Seth remarked as he stared at the map of Chicago. Something about it pulled at him, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
Aidyn nodded. “I think that might be an understatement. Gabriel, I’ll begin stationing the others tonight.”
Gabriel nodded and left the room. Aidyn sat behind his desk, his forehead planted in his palms as he stared at the grain pattern of the wood. “Seth, I have a bad feeling about this. My gut tells me Lowan is using this as a diversion for something bigger.” He lifted his head. “And where the hell is the goddess?”
Seth took a seat across the desk from his king. The man looked almost defeated. He couldn’t recall ever seeing him like this. “My Lord, I’m sure we will prevail.”
Aidyn brought his gaze to meet Seth’s. “I’ve no doubt we will. Question remains, how many of you will I lose in the process?”
He arched a brow. “I think you and I both know what you really fear. I’m teetering on the edge. My sanity is ready to pull out from under me and send me toppling.”
Aidyn scrubbed his face. “Fuck! You will stay here with Cassie and the baby, and she can continue to see if there is any way to keep the darkness at bay.”
Seth shook his head. “I beg you to reconsider. If I must die then let it be as a warrior and not a coward. Assign someone to go with me if you must, but do not order me to stay behind.” His gaze never left Aidyn’s. He needed to do this. If he failed, he already knew the consequences. Losing his head, literally. Drayos’s curse had affected him the worst. His gift was now slowly making him insane. The memories he took with each feeding stayed with him and melted into his own. Centuries ago, he could purge them. Now they refused to leave and fed off the darkness in his soul. Soon, he would succumb to the black hole and force his brethren to kill him.
“Very well, I will allow you to go. Lucan will escort you since he will not hesitate to kill you should the need arise.”
“The dark warrior and the lunatic.” Seth curled his lip. “We make a fine pair.” He really hated the fact he would one day force his brethren to kill him. Granted, they would do it. Duty required it of them, but it wouldn’t be easy. He couldn’t ignore the way they looked at him or miss their emotions when they forgot to block them. They would grieve, and that gnawed at him.
“Don’t remind me, but I need Marcus elsewhere.” Aidyn sighed. “I’m calling in the others.”
One by one, the warriors appeared, summoned by their leader’s mental tie to each of them. Seth stood and greeted his brethren. They all slapped him on the back, happy that he was still with them. Everyone knew it was a matter of time. Yet they all hoped and prayed he would be next to find his mate. Seth wasn’t so sure that was his cure-all.
The group took a seat around the conference table in the center of the room. Aidyn stood at the head and tossed the map to the center of the table.
“Demons have escaped and will soon be creating havoc around the globe.”
“Finally, I get to scorch some demon ass. I was getting bored,” Garin replied, cracking his knuckles. Seth grinned. Garin looked the part of a bad-ass. Tall and built like a linebacker, he kept his dark hair shaved short, but the man had a heart of gold. He hoped the warrior would one day find his mate. If anyone deserved happiness, it was Garin. The man was lonely, though he would never admit it. Hell, they all were, but with Garin, it was different. It was beginning to consume his soul.
The rest of the men grumbled under their breath. They were all ready for a fight. After all, a warrior couldn’t sit idle for long. Other than the occasional immortal who went stray and needed reining in, they had been without a battle for hundreds of years. Now it looked as if they might be attacked on several fronts. Odage was in hiding somewhere. War with the dragons was still a threat even though Caleb was on their side. Moreover, there was Lowan. A combination of demon and vampire and none of them knew what kind of power he wielded. The guardian’s numbers had been reduced centuries ago, and he wondered if they would survive an onslaught of this magnitude.
“Are we going to have the support of the gods this time?” Seth asked.
Marcus gave a wicked laugh from the other side of the table. “Highly fucking doubtful.”
Aidyn pulled out his chair and took a seat, his eyes sunken as if he hadn’t slept in weeks. “I have to believe they will. I think they’re trying best they can.”
“Not hard enough for my liking. It’s no longer about us. I have a mate and daughter to worry about now.” Marcus leaned forward. “It brings things to a whole new level for me.”
“I understand.” Aidyn let out a long breath. “Marcus, I would much rather have you stay with your family, but I need you on the front.”
“Of course, My Lord, I understand.”
“Good, now that is settled, it’s time for your assignments.” He pointed at the map. “Europe is already covered by the warriors stationed there so we will concentrate on the US.” He glanced up then looked back at the map. “They are coming into the cities because they can blend in better and there are more victims. I’m sending Garin and Gwen to Los Angeles, Seth and Lucan to Chicago and Marcus and I will take New York.” He straightened. “Any questions?”
Before anyone could answer, a portal opened and four Draki stepped through. Caleb halted his men next to him and faced the table of warriors. “I am off to look for Qadira, I have several men on the trail of Odage, but I thought you might be able to use some help. I trust these three men with my life.” He waved a hand to the man standing next to him. “You already know Diego; this is Jax and Darius. They are at your disposal and will follow your command.”
Seth witnessed Aidyn’s body relax. It would be a good thing to have eyes in the sky; they all had a lot of ground to cover, and even with the Chosen ones located in different areas working for them, it was still a big job.