Divine Ecstasy (The Guardians of the Realms Book 8) (22 page)

“Good. Now let’s go deal with my nephew and test your powers so that I can have my reward.” There were many dirty possibilities with his female, and he couldn’t wait.

She grinned up at him. “Yes.”

They ported away to the Guardian manor in Tetartos Realm, moving through the wards and protections as if they didn’t exist, reforming in front of a big table where Draken and Pothos awaited them.

They barely had time to get settled before his nephew started spouting questions about what had happened with the possessed. Hades wasn’t sure how minutes could feel like hours, but they did.

His wing curled to touch her arm. He didn’t pull her into his side, feeling her discomfort at showing affection in front of others. He’d ease her into it, because he planned to touch her anytime he could, no matter where they were.

Drake growled, “You’re telling me you marked the Tria’s souls?”

“Yes,” Hades bit out even though he was just repeating himself at this point.

“It was to prepare in case the prison ever weakened?” his son asked.

Hades crossed his arms over his chest, waiting. “I did. I had no idea what would happen if one of us died.”

Drake and Pothos nodded, apparently considering things before Drake asked, “Are you two okay now?”

Hades was ready to say yes, but Sacha spoke first. “Mostly,” his female said with a nod as she eyed him. It was true that neither felt certain it was over. She added, “We’re fine for the moment.”

His son and Drake were both watching them closely, but it was Pothos who finally spoke. “Good.” His eyes warmed when he looked at Sacha, pleasing Hades greatly.

Hades knew Sacha felt his affection for his son. Good, because when he finally got her pregnant, he wanted her to remember what a loving father he was. Her gaze shot to him and he grinned wickedly, counting on her knowing exactly what he’d been thinking.

She shook her head, but he saw her pouty lips twitching. They were nearly done here. He had a question of his own before they went to Hell Realm. He was getting irritated at not having any information on Thule. Shifting his eyes to his nephew, he ground out, “You still haven’t gotten any information from Kara’s warriors?”

Drake’s eyes hardened and he answered, “No.”

Hades would go question them himself as soon as he was done in Hell Realm.

“Don’t think you can get more,” Drake bit out. “They don’t speak the language of the Creators. They speak something else. And they’re only mortal warriors. We need Kara to wake up. She’s the only way we’re getting to Apollo or finding out why and who has him. I didn’t like the look on her face when you questioned her about their weapons and who had one with a dragon insignia. She didn’t know Apollo was there until we told her.”

Hades’ wings flexed in agitation. He would still see what information he could glean from the warriors, but Draken was right, Kara needed to wake up. “Learn the language,” he commanded.

His nephew growled, “We’re working on it.”

“Is Kara improving?”

“Sirena said yes, but only in small fractions. I’m not sure how much the copper room is impeding her ability to heal from the battle.” Hades had been the one to inform them about those from Thule being adversely affected by copper. It was something Pothos’ mother had shared when leaving his son in his care. Immortals and Gods of Earth felt the same effect from nearly all metal.

Hades bit out, “Kara expended a lot of energy keeping the portal from Thule open and fighting me. Add in the draining effects of the copper coating the room and she may be unconscious for a while yet.” Frustration was eating at him. They had a lot to learn and very little to do with the Goddess being unconscious. “Take her out of the room for a while.”

Smoke filtered from the dragon’s lips in his irritation. “We’re in the process of preparing another room now.”

Hades noted his son’s tense muscles and the hard set of his jaw. “You’re not to be anywhere near her,” he commanded.

“He won’t be,” Drake growled. “But stop being an asshole and tell him why.”

Hades’ wings flexed. “I haven’t hidden anything. His mother said that he would be a threat to the other Gods of Thule. That priestesses are immune to their God’s power and they have their own abilities that can affect the Gods in Thule.”

“So I’m the perfect one to interrogate Kara,” P growled.

Hades’ muscles pulled tight as he growled, “No! Your mother made me promise you would never get near a God of Thule.” The rains were back, a storm flaring back to life outside the walls. “She planned to tell me more, but when they came back, Agnarr said one of his brothers had killed her. I believed her worry for you. You. Will. Not. Go near that Goddess.” The building shook under his feet as Sacha sent soothing energies.

He was still staring at his son. “Draken?” he snarled, wanting confirmation that his nephew would ensure Pothos was not a part of this.

“Hades, he’s not stupid and neither am I. Pothos hasn’t gone near her or the warriors, so calm the fuck down.”

Sacha’s fingers slid into his, calming him. It took long moments, but the fierce look on his nephew’s face appeased him some. But he didn’t like the look on his son’s face as Pothos’ muscles finally relaxed.

Draken, I’m trusting you to make sure he’s far from this,
he sent to the dragon.

I’ll keep him away from them.

Hades’ wings relaxed for a moment. His son and Draken had been more like brothers than cousins since they were young. And Hades’ nephew wasn’t a boy anymore, but that didn’t completely ease his worry for his son. That would be there until they resolved the issue of Thule. That meant the Goddess needed to wake, and when that happened, he would find out why Apollo was taken and get his ass back.

Hades’ frustration was biting; he didn’t like not knowing what secrets his bastard brother could be sharing. Hades wanted the bastard back, and once that happened, he would make the male bleed. The need was nearly consuming in its strength. He could feel his power slipping free as he pictured the agony on Apollo’s face.

He barely heard the dragon’s snarled words, “Get it together, Hades.”

He could feel Sacha’s displeasure at the strength of his desire to hurt the male who’d dared enslave and harm her. Who’d dared touch her. He growled and she stepped into his arms. Soothing energies and the warmth of her body against his tense frame started to ease the rage.

When Sacha spoke, it was directed at the dragon, but she was looking up at Hades. “It’s fine, Drake.”

Hades nodded down at her, but added definitively, “I’m fine, but Apollo. Is. Mine.”

He stayed looking down into her eyes as she moved through her own emotions until she finally made a decision and spoke.
After all these centuries I truly care less about him suffering than I do about allowing him to affect what we have. I don’t want the past to find its way into our future any more than it has. You can put him in the sleeping unit in pieces if that’s what you need, but the only thing that I need is to have him put away and forgotten.

They stayed like that for long moments as he watched her, loving her all the more for her strength.

*****

Something brought Sacha’s attention back to reality, though for a moment it felt like she and Hades were the only two people in the world. She slipped from his embrace, but he didn’t let her get too far, tucking her into his side with a wing curled to cradle her there. She didn’t fight his need to hold her even though public displays of affection were still very new and a hint uncomfortable for her.

“One more thing.” She breathed out as her mind and eyes refocused on their audience.

When she faced Drake, she lost her train of thought. The dragon was smiling; it lit all the way to his emerald eyes as he gazed at her and then moved to Hades. Pothos’ lips were curved as well, but it was the dragon that caught her off guard. Her heart warmed, realizing how happy Drake must be, because she couldn’t remember ever having seen him smile. Especially not when they had so much happening in the Realms. It made her very curious to see Drake’s female, Era.

Era is very possessive and incredibly powerful. Volatile,
Hades warned, sending Sacha images of a female with black cherry hair and wild golden eyes standing in front of Hades. Sacha could almost feel Hades’ skin singing with the power Era had wielded against Sacha’s mate. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that Era felt she was protecting Drake, her sisters had told her that the dragon’s mate was protective, but seeing it made her mentally smile. Hades was playfully disgruntled that she hadn’t worried for his safety.

You were fine.
And she knew he had been. Hades at his most wild was still controlled. More than anyone probably understood. He could have harmed Era, but he’d chosen not to. She saw him so clearly and she knew that mental assessment pleased him, but she felt the need to add,
Drake spent the last several millennia caring for everyone. His life was completely about duty. Even more than Sirena. He didn’t take any time for himself. So seeing his mate’s need to protect him and care for him makes my heart swell.

That was for another time. Now she had to get to work. She’d been off duty for far too long, but she needed to make sure she was comfortable with all the powers flowing inside her. A warrior didn’t wield a blade without it feeling like a part of their body. It was the same with power.

“We’re going to Hell Realm so I can test some of the new ability,” she informed Drake.

The dragon eyed her for a moment before looking to Hades and nodding. “I’ll go with you.”

“So will I,” P added.

She nodded, knowing they would likely want to see what she was capable of, and Hell was the best place to do it.

Hades shook his head at the two, but didn’t say anything. He wanted them to see… she could actually feel his pride in her ability and it warmed her.

P eyed the blade Hades had with him and added, “I’ll go get another blade and meet you there.”

Chapter 23

Hades’ Island, Tetartos Realm

Sacha reformed with her mate in the shower. The scratching need to get the Hell beast blood off her male was crawling under her skin. Clothes were ported away until they were naked under the warm water, and she completely submerged him in the spray as she silently washed his skin.

“I’m fine, Sacha.” Hades smiled down at her with warmth and love, but she could feel his amusement. It didn’t penetrate the driving desire to clean the poisonous stench from his skin. They’d only spent hours in Hell, but in that time hordes had come flooding from the caverns that led to the Tria’s prison in the very bowels of the Realm.

She gritted her teeth, remembering every time his bare chest had been spattered with the acid blood of the beasts. The fury of it had driven her harder… added a more lethal cut to her blade.

They’d even been swarmed by rare Hell dragons, and Drake had shifted into his own beast to tear into them with claws and fangs. She’d never needed wings; balance and agility sufficed when porting onto the backs of the soaring creatures. Others crashed into the enflamed trees or fell into more thundering beasts below when she’d used her power to remove their hearts.

What should have been a quick test of her ability had turned into a war. The creatures had been everywhere. She’d never seen anything like it in all her patrols in that Realm.

“It’s okay. I’m okay,” he assured her, and she breathed out as Hades tried to soothe her with energies. He’d pulled the tie from her hair and sent water over her face and into the heavy mass he’d freed before massaging in the shampoo and soap. He didn’t speak much as he allowed her to remove the blood from his skin.

She felt the comedown of the adrenaline rush. The second he was clean, she planned to burn off all the rest with his body.

“I’m happy to be of service,
agapi mou
,” he said with a sexy grin as his fingers trailed over her skin, making sure all the small spatters of the acid were removed from her hair and face.

Her eyes tracked over his massive body and didn’t see any marks, but she was having a tough time getting rid of the images of his sizzling skin.

“I’m fine,” he said with a pleased smile as she cleaned him. “I’m a God, Sacha. Any bit of damage healed nearly the second it was inflicted.”

She closed her eyes, knowing full well that the beast blood inside her had taken hold. Logically she’d known he was fine. She hadn’t felt any pain through the bond, but… “You need to wear more clothes into battle.” She sighed. “For my sanity.”

He grunted in amusement.

The Hell beast population had been severely diminished, so that was something she tried to justify in her mind. “I’ve never seen so many.”

“There are now less beasts for them to send to Heaven and Tetartos Realms,” he pointed out to ease her.

“Yes, but the Tria must truly want your attention. Or they hate you.”

He laughed. “Likely both.”

That was why she’d ported them here and not to her home in Earth Realm. She’d been too agitated to deal with the potential of possessed breaking another door.

Sacha was happy for the size of the shower, because his wings were enormous. She slipped behind him and gently caressed the feathers to clean off any hints of the blood that remained. She took her time. They were beautiful and intact, but what caught her was the way the feathers twitched and flared at her touch. “Sensitive?”

“They are now.” He groaned, and something about that pleased her immensely. They were truly incredible, with thick black feathers nearly touching the ground. She eased a little as she decided to start from the top and work her way down. She wanted to explore them; they were always curling around her and twitching or flexing in his agitation. They were a part of her majestic male and she didn’t want to miss any of him.

He grunted, but she heard his deep intake of breath and smiled as she lifted up on her toes. Her fingers found the tie in his hair and slowly pulled it free. He growled. “I am cutting it tomorrow.”