Kiss of a Star Artemis Lupine (17 page)

His tone was mocking, as if he expected me
to be lying about it. He could see me glowing with wings out of my
back, but he still doubted I could be a werewolf. Had I been that
dense?

Yes. Yes I had.

Ares said, “Artemis is telling the truth.
She and I are the only mixed bloods. The only half werewolf, half
sidhe.” He pulled his shirt off and I glared at Skankzilla who all
but trampled those in front of her to get a better look. Ares kept
his sweatpants on and took a half-shift. Koda came to stand beside
Ares and changed into his wolf form.

A woman in the back screamed and I released
my powers, letting my wings retract and said, “Don’t be frightened.
Ares and Koda won’t harm anyone. They’re simply showing you the
forms we can take. As you can see, werewolves do exist.”

Ares reverted back to his man form and shook
his body like a dog flinging water off.

“In a short amount of time, a group of
preternaturals, the vampires and wolves, will come to this town.
They will give you the options of death, becoming one of them or
becoming slaves,” I continued.

I took one of the brands from the box Koda
was holding and set it on the ground in front of me. “If you don’t
want to be turned, if you want to stay free, use this brand and
they’ll know you are Prince Ares of the Werewolves’ slaves.”

“How does us being your slave make us free?”
Glen asked.

“Because I won’t keep you as slaves. When
things have cooled off we will let you go and you’ll all be free,”
Ares said as he took my hand.

I looked at Billy and said, “Please. You
have to listen to me. I lived with you all thinking I was human
like you. What I’ve seen since then has changed me, but I’m still
your friend. Please, do what I’m asking.”

Hera put her hands on us and Koda and
Achilles put their hands on her. “Heed Artemis’ advice humans.”

I’d wanted to say more, but Hera had
probably been right to make us leave. Though I would have liked to
talk to some of the people in town whom I knew would listen to
reason.

The nausea vanished and I opened my eyes to
find us in a large plaza filled with people. I stood up on top of a
table and yelled to get everyone’s attention. “Listen to me!
Everyone!”

* * *

We traveled from place to place, only sparing
an hour or so to nap once in a while. Once we went to the last
places left in America, we returned to Europe.

I stood in the Coliseum and raised my hands
and wings up. “They’re coming and there is only one way to stay
free.” Achilles translated for me as I spoke. “Choose to be our
slaves and we will grant you freedom once everything is settled. If
you agree, just use this brand on your arm and you will be
spared.”

Each time I finished my speech Hera
teleported us out. It was great for time, but it also made our
point to the humans that we really were telling the truth. We
weren’t human and we had powers they thought were reserved for
fairytales and movies.

I looked up at our new location and blinked
in shock. Russia. Since fully gaining my sidhe powers, the cold
didn’t bother me as much anymore so I ignored the cold and looked
at the beautiful snow. I walked around and looked at the buildings
in awe. It was night time and there weren’t many humans out so I
couldn’t make my speech now. “Maybe we should wait until tomorrow?”
I suggested.

Ares rubbed his thumb across my knuckles.
“Tomorrow is our last day.”

I leaned against him, exhausted from the
traveling and lack of sleep. “I know.”

Ares led us through the streets and to an
older building. After talking with the security guard for a moment,
he let us in. Ares took us the top floor where a large penthouse
took up the entire floor. I looked at Ares and he smiled. “I have a
few buildings around the world. This is one of mine.”

“You own this?”

He nodded.

I walked around and looked at the elaborate
decorations and the set up. It was gorgeous and everything looked
expensive. Even the light fixtures seemed to be made out of gold
and jewels. I walked to the master bedroom and stared at the bed
that seemed to be three king sized mattresses put together. The bed
took up the entire room and I jumped up on to it as soon as I
entered. The comforter was filled with down feathers and the
mattress was like lying on clouds.

Ares hopped up on the bed beside me and
kissed my cheek. “We should get some food before we go to
sleep.”

I nodded my head and sighed happily. “I
think this is the most comfortable bed I’ve ever laid on.”

Koda laughed. “It better be! Ares spent a
lot to have this bed made.”

Hera cleared her throat to get our
attention. “There’s a café just down the street that stays open
late.”

Ares helped me climb out of the bed and we
all walked back out of the building and to the café. We all sat in
a booth and I looked around at the faces of those with me and
couldn’t help laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Koda asked.

“Here we are in the human world, sitting in
a café with the Queen of the Light Court of the Sidhe, the Prince
of the Werewolves, the Prince of the Sidhe and, well, me and you.
It’s just funny to me that after so many years of being human now
I’m sitting here with all of you and it feels like its no big
deal.”

Ares slipped his arm around my waist.
“You’re adjusting, which is good. If you weren’t adjusting that
would be bad. Though, I do see your point and it is somewhat
funny.”

My mood sobered and I asked, “Do you think
anyone will listen to me?”

Achilles whispered, “It’s their decision
now, Artemis. Even if they don’t believe you now, when the others
come to capture them, they’ll know you were telling the truth.
You’re doing the right thing in giving them a choice. Not many of
the preternaturals would give the humans a choice.”

We ate in silence and then returned to Ares’
building to sleep. I only had one more day to travel, which meant
only a few more places we could visit. Even though I knew Achilles
was right, I felt as though I wasn’t doing enough. As if there was
something more that I could do. Something I could do to save
all
of humankind.

* * *

Ares woke me up by gently rubbing my back.
“Mmm,” I said half-consciously. He started to pull the blankets
down, but I held on tight. “Cold,” I protested.

Ares nipped my earlobe, successfully waking
me up. “Come on. I have a surprise for you.”

I wanted to groan and protest, but I was too
curious to do either. After stretching and forcing myself up and
out of the bed, I pulled on clothes and shuffled to the bathroom
like a zombie, arms raised in front of me to avoid running into
anything and feet shuffling across the carpet. I think I even
moaned a little, which earned soft laughter from Ares’ direction. I
ignored him and hurriedly brushed my teeth and used the restroom
before returning to him.

Ares hugged me against him and kissed my
cheek. “I didn’t know that you were also part zombie.”

I snarled at him. “I am NOT a morning
person.” I looked towards the window and my mouth gaped open. “The
sun isn’t even out yet! It is way too early to be up.”

Ares’ fingers intertwined with mine and he
kissed my lips gently. “Come on. You’ll forget all about the time
when you see what I have planned.”

I doubted him, but obligingly followed him.
Besides, any time I got to spend alone with Ares was worth the loss
of sleep. We walked silently out of the bedroom, past Koda,
Achilles and Hera, who were all sleeping peacefully, and out into
the hallway. Ares pushed open a door that had a sign with some type
of warning, but I couldn’t read Russian to decipher it’s
meaning.

“Ares, where are we going?”

He smiled at me, his full true smile I
cherished so much and said, “It’s a surprise.”

I hate surprises, but for him and for that
smile, I’d endure. We walked up a set of stairs and then Ares
pushed open a door and we stepped out onto the roof of the
building. The view was spectacular, even at night. I walked around
the roof, but avoided getting too close to the edge. Even though I
had wings now, I couldn’t stand the thought of leaning out over the
edge of the building.

Ares cleared his throat and I turned to find
a blanket set on the snow covered roof with a picnic basket and
wine. Ares had also set up two candles beside the blanket. I walked
over to him and snapped my fingers, a small flame flickering to
life above my finger, and lit the candles. I sat on the blanket
beside Ares and watched as he pulled out bread and cheese from the
basket. He ripped a piece of the bread off and handed it to me.
“It’s come to my attention that we rarely have any alone time
together. I intend to change that.”

I took a bite of the warm bread and listened
to him. He was right. We hardly ever got to enjoy time alone
together. If he could arrange more dates like this, I was going to
be a very happy woman.

“I’m sorry the beginning of your life with
the preternaturals has been so difficult. I hope you know that I
will do everything within my power to make up for this once the
world has settled down.”

I swallowed the bread and moved closer to
him on the blanket, looking up into his blue eyes. “And how do you
intend to make up for this?”

He smiled and my heart skipped a beat. “That
is a need to know basis and you don’t need to know. Yet.”

I laughed and kissed his lips softly.
“Tease.”

The sun began to rise and my breath caught
in my throat as I watched the lights changing colors in the sky and
saw the buildings around us light up. It was gorgeous.

Ares wrapped his arms around me and
whispered, “I love you and every time I see the sun, I’ll think of
you, my Sunshine.”

I relaxed against him and watched the sun
rise, it was the best morning I’d had in a while. Ares and I ate
the bread and cheese and then watched as the city’s inhabitants
began to rise.

“Ares?”

“Hm?”

“I have so many unanswered questions and it
seems like I never have time to ask them. I don’t want to ruin our
date, but…”

Ares nodded his head. “You’re right. Ask
away.”

I tried to think what to ask him first and
my brain decided to draw blanks. I sat in the early morning light
thinking for two full minutes until the first question popped into
my head. “What’s the prophecy you’ve talked about?”

Ares shifted until he was leaning back on
his elbows and squinting at the sun. “Two hundred years ago an
oracle made a prophecy which rocked the entire preternatural world.
The oracle said, ‘a mixed blood woman of great power will fight the
evil which holds the world in darkness and right the balance of
good and evil’. Many were confused since the current times weren’t
in darkness and so, we took it as an omen for the future. Most
people forgot about the prophecy and decided the oracle was losing
her touch and simply looking for attention. Now, it seems you may
be the woman she was talking about.”

“But the world isn’t really unbalanced right
now. I mean, I know the humans aren’t ruling anymore, but that
doesn’t mean that the balance of good and evil is, well,
unbalanced.”

“Perhaps not right now, but if Maurice
succeeds, he may tilt the balance.”

Of course. “So, he wants me because he
believes that after his plan is underway I will be the only one
capable of ending his tyranny?”

Ares nodded his head and then wrapped his
arms around me growling softly. “I won’t let him have you.”

It was a very possessive gesture, but I
scooted closer to him and allowed myself to relax in his hold.
Strangely I enjoyed the possessiveness he showed. “I know. I trust
you.”

Ares rubbed his face against my hair and
growled again. “Mine.”

I leaned against him with all my weight,
surprising him and forcing him onto his back. I straddled his body
and pinned his arms down with my hands. “Mine.” I nuzzled his neck
and flicked my tongue along his pulse.

He smiled happily and pulled me down to
squish me against his chest in a tight hug. “Yes. Forever.”

I struggled out of his hold and then nipped
his ear playfully before jumping away from him and squatting down.
Ares sat up and smiled. I had to stop myself from shaking my butt
since I didn’t have a tail to wag and instead put my hands down in
the snow of the rooftop and whined. Ares dashed towards me and I
tossed the snow I had in his face. He sputtered and wiped the snow
off, but I was on the other side of the roof already, gathering up
a snowball. He turned to me and I threw the ball, hitting him in
the center of the chest. He looked down at the watery ball and
watched as it slid down his chest to his stomach and then to the
ground.

He squatted down and began packing snow into
a ball. “You asked for it now. You do realize this means war?”

I giggled and packed my own ball. “Bring it
on, Your Highness.”

His ball hit me in the stomach just as I
threw mine and hit his shoulder. We both grabbed more ammunition
and continued firing at each other. I packed my ball and aimed
carefully, throwing it and watching with pure delight as it hit him
on the head. The ball slid down his hair and plopped onto his
shoulder.

I couldn’t help it, I doubled over with
laughter.

“You think that’s funny?” Ares asked. I
looked up at him, but couldn’t stop laughing so I just nodded my
head. His body blurred and I watched as he covered the distance of
the roof to me in under one second. His body pressed up against
mine as he smashed snow on the top of my head and squished it into
my hair.

I gasped in shock and pushed away from him,
shaking my hair and trying to get the cold snow out. He laughed and
returned to his side of the roof. I noticed he was inching towards
the door and quickly threw the ball at him. At that moment, the
door flung open, Achilles stepped out, and the snow ball hit him
right in the face.