Goddess of Love (16 page)

“Ariella, we need to go,” Luther said. After a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw Palidor emerge from the meeting room. She knew something was wrong.

“What is it? What did they say?” she asked.

“They declined to accept the mating. There is something going on here. We need to get you to safety.” Luther took her hand and she immediately walked with him until Palidor took his place. Palidor placed his hand on her shoulder then kissed her head. “It will be okay.

My fathers will figure this out. Something strange is going on here,”

Palidor told her as they headed toward the elevator.

As the doors opened, so did the doors to the stairwell at the ends of the hallway. They all caught sight of the men in black. One sniff in the air and they knew they were wolves. The fact that they didn’t bow down before royalty proved they were rogue.

“Stay back,” Palidor told Ariella, and she did as he said as Luther and Palidor prepared to fight.

She was shocked. They were in the middle of a high-rise building in Dallas. Wolves didn’t shift like this in public with the risk of humans seeing them. Which could only mean that there weren’t any humans in this building.

As the men coming toward Palidor and Luther shifted, so did they.

The roars echoed through the hallway and Ariella prepared to shift and aide her family.

“No. Get to the SUV. The guards are on their way,” Palidor stated firmly through wolf teeth as he avoided the first strike from a large, wild-looking gray wolf.

The growls and chaos overtook the hallway as she ran toward the staircase. In the distance she saw the others. Maximus, Dante, Orion, and Draco all shift and begin fighting.

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She opened the door and headed down the stairs when she saw the Royal Omegas.

“They need your help. There’s so many of them.”

“What about you? We just received a call from the estate. Charity said that multiple attacks are taking place across the land and on Venificus territory.”

“Oh, no. We have to help. Go take care of this situation. I’ll get to the SUV.”

“There are two others down there waiting. You know them. They were ordered to wait for you. They’ll meet you downstairs at the basement level.” He spoke into his wrist mic.

“Okay.” She headed down the staircase as quickly as she could.

The moment she pulled open the basement door that led into darkness and one red exit sign illuminated way toward the back of the room, she felt her chest tighten.

The rattled growl of something in the darkness grabbed her full attention. Her Fae powers were strong and her wolf abilities crisp as she used her night vision to see.

The moment she zeroed in on the culprit of the growls and rattle, she saw the strange, distorted-looking griffon. This was what she had seen back in the forest at the cabin with Draco. It wasn’t the main source of evil that had been over Draco, but it was the thing that held control over him.

Her Fae magic gave her immediate knowledge of this thing.

“You are indeed as powerful as he said,” it stated with a rattling voice.

She heard the clicking sound, an almost tapping-like echo on the concrete. She took one look down and saw that this thing had talons like feet.

The head and wings were that of an eagle and its body and back legs were that of a large lion. It was ugly, but it was also not so typical of a griffon. It was overly large. It seemed unable to coordinate a fast move with its multiple characteristics.

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“What do you want?”

He stepped closer and she prepared for the attack.

He smiled. “It’s not what I want. It’s what he wants.”

Ariella felt invisible binds grab a hold of her arms and legs. It held her like vise grips and she screamed out in pain.

“Your destiny lies with him,” he stated. Reaching out with his wing, she waited for the feathered touch when human fingers with scaled sharp skin caressed her jaw.

“You are one of three. You are destined to belong to him, and he will rule the world and rid this earth of all Were.”

“No,” she stated firmly and then felt the pain of the hold on her body. She closed her eyes and cried out, wondering why she couldn’t shift. She focused on her powers, her Fae abilities. When she opened her eyes, she felt the power within her grow stronger. She stared at the griffon.

The sparkle of magic lingered invisibly around him. She entered his mind, could see his thoughts and his intentions. He hadn’t actually planned on doing this. He was brought to her by the powers of another. She felt it now. Her confidence grew stronger.

“Tell me who he is and what exactly he is after.”

Ariella realized in that moment that the evil one, the darkest of black magic and power, had plans to destroy all the Were, take over the circle of elders, the Brothers of Were, and kill the Goddess of the circle, Kamea. He believed that there were three special Goddesses that Kamea needed to secure the Were hierarchy forever. Ariella immediately knew that she was part of that. But then came the visions of the wolves being murdered and others being seized by the truck loads. They would form armies. Fight in the streets, overwork the authorities, the SWAT teams, the Special Were Task Forces. She saw everything unfold and then flashes of different things as this griffon attempted to fight her.

“There are three of us. I am the Goddess of the love. I can heal
you, griffon. You don’t have to be his slave. Save yourself. Join me.”

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“No!” he roared in anger, the grips on her arms nearly crushing her body. She lost focus a moment as the visions invaded and took over her strength.

She saw the labs. The scientists creating something. There were men and women locked down on tables as men in white coats injected them with brown-liquid-filled needles. She saw them shift and cry out in terrible pain. When they transitioned, they were hideous looking.

Someone was trying to create their own hybrid of rogue wolves.

Fighters, warriors for the monster.

She felt their pain. She saw their hopes of remaining true to their packs disappear the moment the needles entered their veins.

A rage and anger overcame her. “You won’t succeed. He cannot fight the good, the ways of the wolf and mystical creatures that rule this realm and others. I won’t let him win.”

“You will lose. You don’t have the power or strength to fight him alone.” He roared and then used his talons to try and strike. She somehow evaded the hit and then felt the room erupt in light and goodness.

“She is not alone.” Ariella immediately saw Charity, Antoinette, and Feldman, who taught her how to wield her gifts. Seeing them brought a surge of camaraderie and power like none she ever felt before.

The binds that held her arms weakened as Charity moved closer.

“Take our hand Goddess of love,” she whispered.

As she said the words, Ariella felt the magic of the Goddesses surround them.

She took her hand, Antoinette took her other, and then Feldman grasped Charity’s hand.

“Be gone, evil griffon. Send word to your master that he has failed. The Were and all mystical creatures shall live and breed the goodness for eternity,” Charity stated.

“No. He’ll get you. He’ll kill you all. He knows who the others are. They will die.” He screeched the final syllables as Feldman, who
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held Charity’s hand raised his hand palm forward. A thick solid ray of bright light shot through the griffon. He roared in pain and then vanished before their eyes.

* * * *

“What was that? How did you get here and know that I needed help?” Ariella asked.

Antoinette caressed her daughter’s hair as Charity took her hand and smiled at her.

“I knew that my mates needed assistance. I was shocked when the goddesses revealed that the rogue griffon, the one who had controlled Draco, was indeed here with you.”

“I felt your need for help. I knew that your mates weren’t beside you, and Charity and I were at the estate,” Antoinette said.

“We can thank Feldman and Bethany, Goddess of Vaneer, for their assistance. It seems that you have a special place by the side of the Goddess of the circle. The Goddesses have chosen, and I couldn’t be any more proud or happy than your own mother is,” Charity said.

Antoinette hugged Ariella.

“I don’t understand it all. I saw so much hatred and evil through the griffon’s thoughts. There’s a lab. This evil thing is creating his own rogue monsters,” Ariella told them.

Charity looked at Feldman who was immediately angry and concerned. “You’ll need to tell us about everything you saw. You are not the only one who will need to take a special place by Kamea’s side on the throne,” Feldman said.

“There are others?” Antoinette asked.

Charity nodded her head.

Ariella placed her hand on Charity’s arm.

“We need to find them and warn them.”

Charity looked at Feldman and Antoinette.

“What? What is it? What are you not telling me?”

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“The Goddesses have not revealed their identities, Ariella. We don’t know who they are or where to even start looking.”

“Oh, no. That means what I saw, what its intentions are, can still happen. The rogue wolves, the labs have to be located. There are hundreds of wolves being taken from their mates and their families.

They’re being used for tests to be changed.”

“The diaries. That thing, whatever it is, somehow got its hands on the diaries,” Feldman said, and Charity felt the truth to his statement.

“I thought Kamea’s men, SWAT team seven, had that book in their possession,” Antoinette said.

“They weren’t sure if copies were made by Morago before he escaped to Hawaii,” Charity stated.

“Could this Morago be the one?” Ariella asked.

“He is imprisoned by the Goddesses in another realm. Morago is pretty much dead,” he stated.

“Then who is it? Who is the one responsible?” Ariella asked.

“I guess that’s for us to figure out together. We’ll need to identify the other two Goddesses,” Feldman said as the doors to the basement shoved open and a large group of very concerned wolves entered the room.

“Ariella?” Draco yelled out and pulled her into his arms. Palidor and Orion followed, along with Maximus, Dante, and Luther who hugged Charity.

“We were so worried. There were so many rogue wolves. Thank the Goddesses that you were safe down here,” Orion stated.

Ariella swallowed hard as Charity hugged Maximus, and Feldman crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Your mate was battling her own rogue griffon down here. She needed some assistance,” Feldman said and then winked.

“A griffon?” Orion asked with concern.

“Help? That’s why the three of you are here?” Luther asked.

“There is a lot to discuss. But might I suggest back at the estate.

I’m afraid that there are more battles to come,” Feldman said.

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“Wonderful. Why is it that you only seem to visit during chaos and near-death experiences?” Dante teased as he placed his arm over Feldman’s shoulders.

“That’s not true. I enjoy surrounding myself with beautiful goddesses whenever I get the chance.”

They chuckled.

“How is Bethany, by the way?” Antoinette teased back and Feldman shook his head with a smile.

“You are always looking for trouble. It seems that your daughter follows in your footsteps now, doesn’t it?” he teased back.

“But she is special, just like her mother,” Charity added, and they laughed as they all headed out of the building.

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Plans were being made for an official mating ceremony to take place. With the assistance of all the families, the Princess Samantha, the Goddess of the circle, the Chosen One, and all the Goddesses and royalty combined, the circle of elders had no choice but to accept this mating. In just a few weeks’ time, Palidor, Orion, and Draco would take their rightful place on the throne as lead Alphas for the people.

Ariella looked at her three mates as they helped move furniture and other items around Draco’s penthouse. Although their families suggested that they should remain on the estate and close to home, they wanted some privacy with their mate.

Ariella looked out over the city skyline and all the open space in the darkness.

“Instead of daydreaming, you could be helping, little one,” Palidor teased.

“I think she needs to work on her wolf abilities more. Who’s up for a game of catch and kiss?” Orion said and then leaped toward her.

Ariella quickly dodged his attempt at snagging her and began to cautiously keep a safe distance from the three wolves who were feeling frisky.

“Come on, Ariella. You know that you can’t escape our speed and strength,” Palidor teased as he gave a small growl and let his incisors show. She felt her pussy leak and her breasts tighten. She wanted them inside of her, deeply fucking her. But she wouldn’t be an easy prey.

She slowly walked behind the couches, only a few furniture barriers sat between her and the bedroom.

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“How about a little challenge since the three of you are so confident?” she asked, knowing that she had incredible speed. Speed they knew nothing about. Yet.

Draco chuckled. “Okay, hotshot. What did you have in mind?” he asked.

“Hmm,” she said, pretending to think as she maneuvered closer to the bedroom.

“How about if I make it to the bedroom before one of you catch me, you three have to wait on me and do everything I ask of you?”

“Ha! Like that would ever happen. Get over here, little one, and maybe the punishment will be short,” Orion ordered, and just the thought of him spanking her aroused her senses. It obviously aroused theirs and they could smell her desire as all three wolves growled and sniffed the air.