Authors: Lisa Beth Darling
Before Ares could get across the tent and finish him off, the flap opened and several men rushed inside each with a gun or a machete raised in their hand. “Play time’s over. Don’t worry; I’ll get back to you in a minute.” Ares’ smoldering eyes now alive with the heat of battle turned back toward the opening flap as he fired off exploding balls of flame from his palms like rockets from helicopters. The front of the tent burst into fire. Upon impact the flaming balls exploded with deafening reports; they ripped through the thin material of the worn tent out into the encampment, and fires spread from one tent to the other as though it were Chicago.
The men who had been attempting to storm the tent and rescue their leader cried out in anguish as they stumbled around, engulfed in flames, running for their lives instead of being smart enough to stop, drop, and roll. Those who had been watching and who had fled to the safety of their own tents ran out into what passed for streets shrieking and running for cover from the quickly spreading flames and the thick stench of burning flesh rising in the air.
Ares’ attention distracted, Jaakim managed to pull the dagger from his wound as he watched his men burst into human fireballs. He lunged at Ares and plunged the dagger into his back. A few more inches to the right and Ares might have been a goner, killed with his own weapon, but Jaakim’s aim was off and it landed between his shoulder blades instead of near his heart. Ares’ head turned toward the wounded man as he reached behind him and pulled out the dagger.
Jaakim, who had been considering making his last stand and rushing the wounded God, took a step backward. The pitch black eyes of the man in front of him were burning with fire and not the metaphorical kind—real burning fire. “You are a God.”
“What took you so long to figure it out?” Ares hissed as he grabbed the shaken warlord by the throat, lifting him off his feet. Behind them was the bench. With a powerful thrust of his hand, Ares sent Jaakim flying backward onto the bench. Using his powers, he made the straps wrap around Jaakim’s wrists and ankles the way he had done to Alena. “No one’s coming to help you now,” Ares sneered. “How does it feel? To be so alone, so helpless, so vulnerable?” He ran the palm of his hand down Jaakim’s chest so he could revel in the rapid pulse of the man’s heart. “Is it good for you? ‘Cause I got to be honest with ya here, Jackie, it’s pretty damn good for me.” The God of War leaned in close to breath a good whiff of the fear coming off him. It was heavenly as it mixed with the smoke of the burning tent. “What did you do to her?” The hand on Jaakim’s chest went to the man’s belt. “Shall I remind you? Sadly I have no snake but I have something better.”
It seemed that it was indeed good for him. The hardness of Ares’ cock brushed along Jaakim’s forearm. It was massive and stuck out in the man’s pants like a sword. Jaakim bristled and tried to pull away from it. Ares grabbed hold of his face and held it firm. “Don’t worry, Jackie, I wouldn’t waste it on you.” He gave the warlord’s unshaven cheek two hard taps with the palm of his warm hand. Jaakim bucked and writhed as thoughts of the bulge in the man’s pants ripping through his virgin anus raced through his mind. He squealed and wriggled just as the women he put here did when Ares took down his pants, exposing the cock that had caused Alena so much trouble.
Licking his bottom lip and looking down at the captive man with a wink of his fiery eyes, Ares held up the dagger. Grabbing hold of the wretched thing with one hand and pulling it up as far as Ares possibly could so that Jaakim’s hips came off the bench even as the restraints at his ankles struggled to keep him in place, he swiped the dagger through the air and cut the cock off at the base. Jaakim screamed. Ares shoved the wriggling piece of flesh down his throat. “You suck on it,” he hissed as he held his hand over Jaakim’s mouth and nose. Ares looked down at him with that cold-fire stare, raised his free hand and brought his fist down on Jaakim’s chest. The blow carried such force, Ares’ thick fingers busted through the breastbone and then through the ribs, past the lungs and seized around his fluttering heart. Twisting and yanking the beating heart until it pulled free of Jaakim’s chest, he held it up in his bloody hand so the dying man could see it before his eyes closed for good.
A short time later, Ares exited the tent with Jaakim’s severed head full of his severed cock on a tall stick. He walked up the same dune he’d come down earlier in the day and turned to look back. Flames engulfed the camp, except for the school and the orphanage safe behind their high walls. Looking up at the head on the pike, he planted it in the sand so Jaakim could forever look over the desolate place he had once ruled.
2
The Golden Hind sprinted to the east end of the island with Alena on her back and grabbing holding of her mane to keep herself in place. She stopped short at the end of a long drop. “Down there.” She pointed with a golden hand.
Alena looked in that direction and saw the opening of a cave, she heard Onya screaming in agony. “Give your bow and your quiver,” she said as she swung a leg over the Hind’s back and dismounted, knowing the descent was too steep and rocky for even the deer-like creature to make. “Can you call him? Can you call for Ares?”
The Golden Hind handed over the weapons. “Yes.”
“Do it!” Alena called and then scurried down the hillside, strapping the quiver crosswise over her chest. Holding up the hem of the long gown, her bare feet scraped along jagged rocks. Gingerly trying to skip over them, Alena miscalculated her step as she struggled to stay upright with gravity threatening to pull her all the way down the cliff. A sharp bit of stone sliced through the tender meat at the arch of her right foot. Almost taking the tumble she was afraid of, Alena held back the scream, holding the back of her hand to her mouth for a moment as she continued onward, trying to keep her weight on the ball of her foot for the rest of the distance to the opening of the cave where Onya was screaming.
Putting arrow to quiver, Alena snuck up to the opening and poked her head around the corner to see Scopas holding down Onya. She gave no warning; she simply drew back the bow and fired. It pierced the back of skull and went straight through his forehead, dropping him dead in mid-thrust. Not stopping to think that Scopas could have company, Alena rushed inside and to the aid of her friend.
“Behind you!” Onya called out as she heaved the dead man from her.
No arrow at the ready, Alena turned around to see Nicco behind her. He was naked and behind him was Kat, her legs still spread and oozing cream. “Glad you could join our party.”
“Don’t you touch me,” Alena warned and tried to draw an arrow from the quiver, but he was too close. Nicco grabbed her wrist with one hand and the bow with the other; he threw it to the ground. “Ares will kill you for this.”
“Funny, that’s what she said,” Nicco intoned with a grin and then reached out to grab hold of her breast. “I don’t see him, do you?”
“Don’t listen to her,” Kat said from behind him. She had been enjoying watching them ride Ares’ favorite little bitch until she screamed and begged for mercy, but this was even better. “You just killed one of his favorite guards.” She looked at Scopas’ dead body.
“You’re raping his favorite woman,” Alena countered, not backing down or taking her gaze from Nicco.
“
I
am his favorite woman,” Kat hissed venomously.
Alena ignored her. Kat only liked to think she was Ares’ favorite but it was clear to Alena that he favored Onya by far. The corner of her eye not moving from the indignant woman, Alena kept her stare locked to Nicco. “You’re going to listen to her? She’s a lying conniving bitch,” Alena declared with force and pointed down at Onya cowering in the dirt. “Do you think this will please him? This will win you Ares’ favor?”
Nicco’s hand clamped down on the breast heaving there. “I don’t give a shit what pleases Ares.”
Instinctively Alena took a step and then another back away from him. Her feet tripped over the legs of the dead man behind her and she fell on the ground, legs splayed and gown hiked up to her thighs.
Nicco took one glance back at Kat who was salivating at the sight. “Fuck her,” Kat whispered vehemently as she passed the back of her hand across her chin. “Do it. Let’s find out if she really is a virgin. If she is, fuck her so hard she’ll never forget it. Screw that bitch!”
Nicco’s eyes lit up and his cock sprung to life.
Women, they were so much more dangerous than men ever gave them credit for. On her ass on the ground, keeping herself upright with her hands planted on either side of her, a gleam of steel caught her eye. Nicco came down to grab her; Alena put her weight on her palms and her arms as she kicked up with both feet. The flat bottom of her feet connected with his chest, sending him flying backward and knocking the air out of him. Before he hit the ground, Alena grabbed the knife from Scopas’ belt, which was around his ankles. She crouched forward, tossing the knife from one hand to the other. “Come on.”
The gesture enraged Nicco and he flew at her, intent not just on pummeling her until she was bloody but on choking the life out of her while he penetrated that virgin hole. His arms opened as though he were going to grab her and throw her to the ground. Alena crouched a little lower until he was right over her and then she thrust the blade upward and deep into the area just under his left armpit. “Men,” she whispered, “always so stupid.” Alena yanked the knife free of the brachial artery.
Nicco stood there for a moment, the pain bright under the arm he could no longer raise with fingers he could no longer move. He looked down to see a small river of blood and then made the mistake of trying to raise it. There was a little left there, the arm came up just a small ways, just enough to open the wound. The small river of blood became a torrent that splashed down over the dead body of Scopas and Onya, who was still on the ground next to him. She put up her arms to protect her face as she let out a heavy cry of surprise and disgust. Nicco rocked on his feet, pitched forward, and fell over dead.
“Looks like it’s just you and me now,” Alena said softly to Kat, who stood there seething at the sight of the dead man who had been her on-again off-again lover for the last ten years.
“You bitch!” Kat lost all control. She charged headlong at Alena, who stood there grinning with the bloody knife in her hand, but she would not make the same mistake Nicco did. Kat faked right and then made a sharp left to grab Alena’s hand and twist the wrist with the knife; she banged it over her knee until Alena let go. She picked up the knife, but Alena sunk her teeth deep into Kat’s thigh and she let go of it before she could get a grasp on it. Kat grabbed hold of Alena’s head and thrust it into her knee. Alena’s teeth gnashed into her tongue and the sides of her cheeks, the salty taste of blood rose warm in her mouth. However, Kat was sorriest. Alena’s head was harder than she had thought. While Alena saw stars, Kat’s knee gave out a great cracking sound and became useless as it splintered. She fell to the other knee and the Fey wriggled out of her hold. Alena held her hands together in the double axe-handle and brought them down between Kat’s shoulder blades, sending the woman full out on the dirt.
“Why?” Alena demanded. “Why Onya? What did she ever do to you?” The little Fey made the mistake of glancing at the blood-soaked woman cowering against the cold stone of the empty cave. Kat reached out, grabbed hold of the hem of the gown with both hands, gave a might yank and brought Alena to her knees. As she crashed to the ground, Kat let go, balled up her fist tightly and punched Alena in the jaw. The force sent her reeling backward to land on her back away from Kat, who had time to grab the knife.
Leaning heavily on the good leg, she stood over the Fey. “I’m going to make you so sorry, Alena,” she threatened as she held up the knife. “I’m going to rape you with this until you’re dead. Handle first and then the blade.” The woman lunged at Alena, but Onya gathered up the presence of mind to stick out her foot and trip Kat. She went tumbling to the floor of the cave and landed on the blade of the knife. It sliced through her midsection just below the heart and lungs, but through the intestine where it began to leak harmful fluids into her body. Rolling onto her back to avoid the knife sinking in deeper and doing more damage, she pulled it free to see it soaked with her own blood. Turning her head, she saw Alena getting to her feet.
Loading the Hind’s bow with a poison arrow, Alena took aim at Kat’s head. “You have no right to her, she belongs to Ares.” Alena pulled the string taunt and made ready to fire.
A great flame sprung up at the entrance to the cave. “Yes, she does,” Ares said as he appeared on the scene. “Now lower the bow, Alena. This one’s mine.”
Alena was not interested in his claim. She let the arrow fly. Ares caught it in mid-flight. “You don’t listen, do you?” Waving his hand in the air, Alena and Onya disappeared from the cave to the safety of his home. “Now that I have you alone,” Ares crooned and made his way over to her, where he sat on the ground next to her and put her head in his lap. “You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had, Kat. Now I come home to this?”
“Ares…please…I…I was…I was trying to save Onya, I know how you care for her. The Fey brought her down here with Nicco.” She pointed to the dead men.
“Is that right?” Ares asked softly and put his hand under her chin to tilt her head upward and look at him. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“Ares,” Kat stammered. “I’m telling the truth….”
“You tell me lies,” he whispered sadly and shook his raven head. Kat had served him well and long. She had been good company and provided much entertainment over the years.
There was only one thing left for Kat to tell the God of War that might spare her life. Not that it mattered now, her life was probably slipping away from her as she lay here cradled in his arms, but if there was the slightest chance that she would live then she had to grab it. “Apollo was here, I saw him on the beach with her. He wants your little toy.”
That was news. Not welcome news at that. “Does he or are you lying to me again just to save your pretty neck?”