In This Chapter: Azrael: God of the Wolves. Orion: God of the Mages. Draco: God of the Lycans. Ozul: God of the Shadows.
Orion Over the centuries, I’d lost count of the things I’d done. While they still lived within my memory, I had become skilled at pushing them aside. At focusing on the present to ignore the horrors of the past. Countless wars I’d fought, slaughtering in both human and beast form, and yet nothing in all those years gave me such a visceral reaction as witnessing poison’s darkest nightmare. My own stomach turned as I watched her spew her dinner onto the floor. Disgust for myself and for my people had my skin crawling. I wanted to peel it from my body and take to the forest, running until the residue of her pain was smothered by blundering exhaustion. Seeing the horrors through her eyes, feeling the blade carving into her flesh as though it were my own—I’d never experienced anything so harrowing. I’d freed prisoners of war, witnessed torture and its aftereffects. I’d even been maimed a time or two on the battlefield, but never had I felt the unrelenting agony that was dark magic weav
Blakely Sharp waves of pain invaded the cozy darkness wrapped around my cotton-stuffed head. I would’ve groaned if my tongue wasn’t plastered to the roof of my mouth, forced in place by something disturbingly mushy. Well, at least I could no longer taste my own vomit. Voices, sharp and swift, permeated the thick layer of pain sparking down my back and up my stomach. “I’m sorry, I can’t do anything for the scars on her back…” Came a rich, feminine voice. “You know how temperamental dark magic is. If I tried anything, it could lash out and do more damage.” A threatening snarl pierced the air. It filled my chest with an odd sort of warmth. “You’re the Goddess of Healing and you can’t—you know what, forget it. There must be someone that can help her.” Instantly I recognized the haughty, masculine rumble. Orion’s voice alone dredged up all the memories my throbbing head had been trying to force down. They flashed behind my eyes all at once, each one more painful than the next. I mu
Blakely “You have ten seconds to undress and bathe. I won’t be traveling with you while you smell like burnt flesh,” he drawled, “Not that your natural scent is any better.” Hah, now he was blatantly lying. I’d seen the way he reacted to my arousal. I’d felt the hard length of his cock pressing into my leg when he pinned me to the library’s floor. Gritting my teeth, I spun around and faced him. He cocked his head, arms stretched out along the rocky edge of the pool. Not giving myself time to chicken out, I dropped the oily sheet I held to my chest and let it tumble to the floor. Rather than look away, I met his stare and held it. Taking the challenge, Orion dragged his eyes down my face, lingering on my throat before plunging even lower. I could feel his stare on every part of my body. Sliding over my nipples, between my legs and through my lips. Down his gaze went, all the way to the tops of my feet. When he raised his eyes once more, they were several shades darker, his pupils
Blakely I tossed and turned for what felt like hours. The silk blankets tangled around my feet were much too soft, like water against my skin, while the tiny vines sewn into the fabric felt like small razor blades, pricking my legs every time I moved. This restlessness and frustration had come out of nowhere. Could it be Orion’s? It made sense, but why would I feel his emotions and not Azrael’s or Draco’s? I flipped onto my other side with a small huff and watched the iridescent shapes dance along the floor from where the moonlight streamed through the colored glass. If I truly were picking up on Orion’s emotions, then whose to say I wasn’t picking up on Azrael’s and Draco’s as well? Closing my eyes, I took stock of how I felt, dissecting each piece until my head cleared. Restless, frustrated, exhausted, and just a wee bit murderous? I’d have to ask Azrael about the mate-bond once we located him and Draco. No way was I going to ask Orion, not after what happened in the bathroom.
Azrael We landed in Leopolds tavern, a rundown brewery on the eastern side of Bargainer’s Bay. Those who frequented this place came for one sole purpose and it wasn’t the watered-down ale, or the chairs that would leave your ass riddled with splinters. No, it was for the entrance in the cellar. The one that led to a place the locals called, “The Underground”. We wanted to get things done quickly, anything to return to our mate’s side. I’d warned Orion against troubling her, as did Draco, but I knew he wouldn’t listen. My little wolf might be able to handle herself, but I knew Orion’s words hurt her more than she let on. Flicking a gold piece to Leopold, the one-eyed owner of the tavern, we traversed the winding steps that led deep down into the earth. When the torches along the walls grew dim, plunging us into absolute darkness, we knew we’d reached our destination. My brothers and I long suspected that the catacombs beneath Bargainer’s Bay were used to transport humans sold into
Azrael “You are an imbecile.” “A handsome imbecile,” I corrected. “Insufferable—” “You don’t mean that.” “Loathsome—” “Now you’re just being mean.” Draco snarled. I grinned. The chains above our heads clanked and rattled. I wasn’t sure why my older brother was so angry with me. Sure, I made some reckless decisions, but I wasn’t the one that got us ambushed in the Underground by a gaggle of human slavers. “A gaggle?” Draco’s chains rattled louder, spurred on by his irritated state. “There were dozens of them, Azrael. They knew we’d be there tonight. This was a planned attack.” Had I spoken aloud? The sedative they all but drowned us in had my head a bit fuzzy. “Be that as it may, you need to calm down, brother. Try to think positively, yes?” I gestured between us, which was hard considering our hands were hoisted above our heads, held in place by a set of shackles. “You have your own cage. Surely that’s better than the two of us being crammed in one. Think of this as a vacati
Blakely “Surprise bitch.” I smiled down at the man who’d locked two of my mates in cages. Cages I could tell were worn with use. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they held, which only steeled my resolve. The man blinked slowly, as though stunned his strange magic hadn’t worked. Don’t get me wrong, I could feel it worming through the recesses of my mind. It slithered in through my ears, coiling around my thoughts like a snake. The desire to do his bidding had been overwhelming at first, only to splinter and shatter as it met the bars of the cage my wolf was tucked away in. I didn’t know how it was possible, nor did I care. “You are just full of surprises, aren’t you?” The man purred beneath me, frantically grabbing at what scraps of confidence remained. Try as he might, he couldn’t hide the way his cock shriveled beneath me. I swallowed back a mouthful of bile and smiled sweetly, “Tell me about it. Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to tell your men to release
Blakely I’d just finished scouring my body free of blood when a loud crash sounded from the common room. With it came a sharp tug in my gut, followed by an overwhelming feeling of wrongness that hit me at my very core. A second crash sounded, and I was moving, crossing the room so quickly that I barely managed to snatch a towel from where they sat folded beside the door. I emerged to utter chaos. Orion was slowly pulling himself up from the floor, blood trickling down his face, jaw, and throat. It seeped into his shirt, quickly spreading across his chest in a sea of metallic silver. Wooden debris littered the floor in thick chunks, forcing me to pause. I was almost certain there had once been a table where Orion was standing. “You’re a pathetic, cowardly bastard—” Azrael launched himself across the room, his fist connecting with Orion’s already twisted nose. A sickening crunch sounded, and I flinched. Azrael’s fists blurred as he landed a flurry of blows to Orion’s face and body