Chaotic War (4 page)

As your mate, the female will be yours to command. For a price, I am willing to lend an arrow.

Fire was everywhere.

Elle tried to run from it, but it surrounded her, taunted her. Stings of pain nipped at her skin as the flames slapped at her. She had to get out of there before she was burned alive. Scorching pain on her calf made her scream out and sit straight up in bed.

Dazed and unsure why she was still in pain upon waking, she glanced down at her leg. She sucked in a breath and jerked the comforter over her whole body. The room was bathed in sunlight. And that light was burning her skin. She’d left the curtain open last night. Although she’d never had a problem with the UV rays before, except a slight irritation.

That was before she’d turned into a daimon.

The heat from the sun’s rays managed to get under the covers. She ached from the inside out. Or was it the outside in?

She slid out of bed, taking the blanket with her, and stumbled to the walk-in closet. Once securely inside the dark, cool space, she sat on the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. This was her world now. Darkness.

Damn you, Nyx
. A tear rolled down her cheek.

The click of the bedroom door opening followed by a crash as it hit the wall filtered through the closet door. Zavier’s woodsy scent filled the room and she groaned. Vague memories of taking his blood before she’d finally fallen to sleep consumed her mind. The rich, coppery scent made her mouth water. By taking his blood, they were now linked. Forever.

She would always want his blood and his body.

It didn’t mean she had to accept him as her mate. Or did she?

His footsteps drew closer to the closet. She let out a bitter laugh. The day before, she could barely sense him. In that moment, she could smell him and hear him. The light curses he mumbled as he entered the room. She could hear his footsteps. Even his heartbeat.

Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the wall. She didn’t want to think about what other powers she had gained in the last twelve hours. “Don’t open that door unless the window is completely covered.”

His steps stopped, then turned away from the closet. She heard the curtains being drawn together. The soft glow of sunlight from the crack under the closet door vanished. Immediately, she relaxed and stood just as the door slowly opened.

Planting her feet in place, she stared at Zavier while fighting off the urge to throw herself at him. Her body hummed with desire. The rich, woodsy scent of him tingled her nose, but it was the beat of his heart that was almost too much. The urge to taste him was too strong.

But she couldn’t touch him. She’d only want him more. Her heart couldn’t take losing him if she couldn’t change the future. Besides, she didn’t know just how dark her powers were. What if she had become the monster she feared she would? She’d have to leave to keep from hurting everyone she loved.

His brows dipped and he held out a hand. Shaking her head, she backed up. “Please don’t touch me.”

“Let me help you.”

“You’ve done enough. The mild skin irritation I used to get when going out in the sun has turned into blisters. My skin actually started to burn.” She closed her eyes, trying to calm the anger bubbling up while wishing she weren’t trapped inside a closet. A moment later, she was pulled through some kind of parallel space. When she opened her eyes, she gasped to find that she was standing next to her bed.

She’d teleported. Wide-eyed, she stared at Zavier, who faced her then closed the closet door. His features didn’t reveal any change in emotion. “What’s going on? You know something.”

He released a sigh and leaned against her dresser. “Gwen and I did some research and talked with Ash. Nyx isn’t just the goddess of night, she
is
night. But you already knew that much.”

She folded her arms and glared. “Just fucking tell me how much of a monster I’ve become.”

For the first time since he’d walked into the room, she noticed the bite marks on his neck. Lowering her gaze to his arm, her stomached soured. Two more bites stared back at her. Good gods, how much blood did she take from him?

“At first we thought you were turning into a kere, but when Ash checked in on you this morning, she wasn’t so sure anymore.” He straightened and advanced toward Elle. She stiffened but didn’t move.

“Then it’s worse.”

He shook his head. “No. You are a goddess of the Underworld.”

“What? No. How come I fed on you like a newly turned vampire?”

The corners of his lips twitched. “If that was true, you’d be dead. My brothers would have killed you for trying to kill me.”

He had a point. When she opened her mouth to speak, he closed the distance between them and snaked an arm around her waist. Electrical pulses of emotions and desire raced from him to her. He dipped his head so their lips were inches apart. “Ash said the need for blood could be a result of your powers unlocking.”

“You’re just trying to make me feel better.”

“I can’t lie to you. You’d know as soon as the untruth left my lips. The blood bond would tell you.” His green eyes sparked with passion and the hum of his dragon’s power under his skin touched her awareness.

Fighting a groan, she wiggled out of his embrace. “I didn’t agree to the bond.”

There was no use denying what was already happening. But, damn it, she wanted a choice. To be able to play hard to get for a little while before submitting to their desires. Besides, she’d already seen his death.

He frowned and stuck his hands in his pockets. “I didn’t mean to force it on you.”

Crap
. Sagging her shoulders, she sat on the bed. “I know. What would have happened if you didn’t give me blood?”

“It’s possible you would still be in pain from the change. We don’t know for sure. Ash suggested it’s part of the curse that locked all the descendants’ powers. Then there’s the fact that Gwen didn’t go through any of what you did.”

“Because Markus gave her his blood to unlock her powers.” Elle fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “Nyx said I’m the only one who can enter Hades without payment.”

“Yes, because you are an Underworld goddess. Although I believe you still have to call on Hades and let him know you are coming. We could ask Ares.” Zavier’s voice dropped to a whisper. Uncertainty evident in his tone.

“When do we go get the Dagger?” She knew they’d have to do it soon. She’d rather go by herself, but wouldn’t argue with him if he insisted on being there. All that mattered was that she got the Dagger before Garrick did. They needed to do it soon.

“As soon as you feel comfortable. We do need to test your powers, though.”

“Of course.” She let out a sigh and sat up. “I’m going to shower.”

He gave a nod and moved to the door. “I’ll be in the study with the others.” Then he left, closing the door behind him.

What a morning
. She needed to clear her head. A hot shower was a start. Testing her powers was a close second because she could feel the magic racing through every part of her body. She would deal with the dragon and their mating later, right after she retrieved the Dagger and dealt with her mother.

***

Zavier stormed into the study and ignored the glances of his brothers and their mates. Elle was in pain from the sun sensitivity he hadn’t expected. Even though she tried to hide it from him, he sensed it. He’d also picked up on her fear the moment he entered the room. When he saw her standing inside the closet, her arms and legs littered with blisters, he’d had to keep himself from touching her to calm his dragon. The urge to drag her into the bathroom so he could care for her almost too strong. But that would only drive Elle further away from him.

Thrusting a hand through his hair, he cursed. He wanted to board up every window in the mansion.

“The sun allergy is temporary.”

He cut a sharp glare to Ash, sitting at one of the small, round tables in front of a laptop, shoulder to shoulder with Ty. The redhead raised a brow at him as if challenging him to comment. But it wasn’t like him to shoot off smartass taunts. That was Seth. Zavier had always been the reserved one.

With a snarl, he glanced to Markus, who studied him with no expression, and asked to no one particular, “How long will she have to avoid the sun?”

Ash answered. “Not sure. It could be anywhere from a day to several months.”

Meeting Markus’s stare, Zavier said, “I’m going to Hades with Elle.”

His brother blinked then nodded. “Done. After she is strong enough to face Hades.”

Zavier’s stomach soured while his dragon roared. Hades didn’t like to be summoned for any reason. The god would be more than a little annoyed when Elle called on him. She wouldn’t face him alone, though. Zavier was going to be there. “I’ll make sure she’s ready.”

A moment later, Elle’s familiar floral scent drifted into the room behind him. Turning, he faced her and sucked in a breath at how beautiful she looked. Her damp, black hair hung loose, cascading over her shoulders and falling to her waist.

She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. “When do we start testing my abilities?”

“Whenever you’d like.” Zavier walked to her.

Before he reached her, she pivoted and called over her shoulder, “Let’s get this over with. The sooner we go after Garrick, the better.”

A growl bubbled up from him as he followed her to the basement. There was no way he was going to let her go after Garrick. Going to the Underworld was dangerous enough. No, he couldn’t allow her to put her life on the line twice. “You’re not going after Garrick.”

She stopped and whirled around. “You’re not stopping me.”

Dark, smoke-like swirls clouded the green of her eyes. Heavy magic flowed around her, brushing against his aura. The female was stubborn, and apparently, more powerful than he’d thought.

He was going to enjoy sparring with her.

He dipped his head so their lips were inches apart. “I’m going to have fun seducing you into seeing it my way.”

She placed both hands on his chest and shoved him before she spun back around. He stumbled a few steps and watched her ass sway as she made her way toward the basement door.

Beautiful and full of fiery passion. And his to claim.

Elle braided her hair while she waited for Zavier, who wasn’t too far behind her. Conjuring a rubber band, she twisted it at the end of the braid before facing the dragon. Her dragon.

She’d quickly learned that if she wanted something, all she had to do was visualize it. The power came almost too easily now that her head was clear and she wasn’t in pain from being burned alive by the sun.

Zavier’s intense stare raised the need she’d tried so hard to wash away in the shower. Her body ached for him—his touch, and his blood. With a low growl, she said, “I can teleport. Although it does take a lot of energy.”

“That won’t change. Even my brothers and I have to keep energy stored up for long travels. That’s why we prefer to fly in dragon form.” His tone was soft, but she sensed him battling his desire for her.

“I can also conjure things with ease now.” She frowned. What was she doing? “What do I need to know before calling Hades to let him know I’m entering his domain?”

Zavier threaded a hand through his hair. “Never forget, he’s the king of the Underworld. He’s not cruel or battle-ready like Ares, but he likes to remind people he’s the ruler of death and the dead. He will test your strengths and use your weaknesses against you when he sees fit.”

She’d guessed that much already. “I’ll need to figure out my weaknesses. The sun is one.” And she couldn’t change that. “And Ares isn’t cruel. He’s the god of war. War isn’t always cruel.”

Zavier smiled slightly. “Believe me, Ares can be cruel when he wants. All gods can be. Don’t forget that.”

Something told her that he was including Nyx in that statement. Elle had experienced her mother’s cruelty when the goddess had unlocked her powers and then left without an explanation. However, Elle had no doubt Nyx possessed the ability to do far crueler things. After all, she was the goddess of night. “I’m aware of the cruelty of the gods, but they do believe in balance.”

“Without that balance, the world would be a cold, dark place.”

Far more than it already is
… Elle took a breath and banished the thought. Since losing her parents at the age of sixteen, then losing Gwen’s parents—who were also her family—all at the hands of the evil Garrick, Elle wanted the chance to give the bastard what he deserved. “Are we going to talk all day? We need to get the Dagger before your bastard brother finds a way to get it.”

Zavier’s lips twitched. “I’m thinking.” He paused as if having a thought. “Nyx is the night. She’s everywhere. See if you can fade into the shadows.”

A moment later, the lights dimmed to almost nothing. She glanced around but wasn’t sure what to do. She needed a shadow to fade into, right? “When I turn the lights out, create a fireball to light up the space around us.”

With a short nod, he held out his hand and flames flared to life in his palm. The fire swirled until it formed a baseball-
size sphere hovering about an inch from his hand.
She willed the lights out. Darkness bathed the gym, the only light coming from the fireball. Perfect.

Elle closed her eyes and visualized her body dissolving into black smoke and then disappearing into the darkness surrounding them.

“That is cool as fuck.”

Giddiness bubbled up at Zavier’s approval. His tone held amusement and awe. Curious, she stepped into the light, not knowing what to expect. She glanced down at her hands and grinned. They appeared shadow-like and transparent, like grey smoke or fog. “This is cool.”

Zavier reached out with his free hand and went to grab hers. Instead of touching her, his hand went through her.
Whoa
. Her heart pounded in her chest, her throat, and everywhere else. A hint of cold fear rose up. Instantly, she became solid again.

“What was that?” She stared at him, wanting so many answers that he couldn’t give her. No, only her mother could explain what she could and couldn’t do.