Authors: Honor James
The Huntsmen (20 page)
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Excerpt from Goldie and Her Bears
Naughty Fairy Tales Book One
by Honor James
“What part of no do you not understand?” Goldie’s brown eyes were wide, shock registering on her face. “I mean seriously?” She should have never fucking came with them. She knew what a bad idea it was the moment she saw only four men and no other girls. She’d thought their wives and girlfriends were going, they’d even alluded to meeting them out at the campsite. Damn it, she really should have verified that, called the women instead of just believing these assholes. But it had sounded right when they’d told her they’d pick her up after a meeting and then meet the ladies out at the site. According to Barrett, their wives and girlfriends had gone out earlier to secure a campsite. It had all been a fucking lie. Her first clue should have been why were they going on a normal workday, but when she questioned it, the number one asshole had made a lame excuse about they all had worked so hard on the last project and they needed a break.
Dumb, Goldie, dumb
.
“Fuck you, tweedle dick.” She turned on her heel with her long blond hair flying out around her, grabbed her backpack, and stomped into the woods with her flashlight shining brightly. She would rather walk the fuck out on her own, as apposed to staying here and putting up with this shit.
“Don’t worry, she will be back,” the male voice carried on the breeze to her and made her stiffen. “All it’s going to take is some fucking rabbit or something to scurry across the path and then the bitch will be back. If she’s lucky we will just fuck her senseless, and she will be back in our good graces. Or we can tie her ass down and make her like it.” The laughter that followed the suggestion made her skin crawl. The nerve of the arrogant prick.
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that you fat sadistic pervert,” she muttered and stomped further away from the campfire and the assholes wanking off around it. Goldie walked for what felt like hours and finally came out the other side of the woods into a clearing.
The home that appeared before her was maddeningly beautiful. The steel and glass structure took her breath away with its simplicity and stark modern beauty. Walking up to the door, she glimpsed inside at old world charm and modern day wonder. The furniture was massive and looked like it had been carved from huge chunks of trees. The paintings on the walls looked like masterpieces, and she was stunned such a marvelous home was in the middle of freaking nowhere. It reminded her of something she just couldn’t put her finger on it.
Lifting her hand, she used the brass knocker to knock on the door, frowning because there was no doorbell. “Who has a place like this, and no doorbell?” she asked softly. Ohhh, maybe a recluse serial killer who was gonna chop her into little pieces. She bit her lip and tried to decide if she should make a run for it and get to the main road, Goldie would at least feel more comfortable if someone saw her and could tell the police the last place she had been. Damn it, she needed to think about this for a second, maybe she should throw something in the woods so if someone was looking for her she would be found. Of course, it could be her asshole so called friends. Damn she hated it when she was indecisive.
When the skies lit up with violent lightning and the thunder shook the ground she stood on she knocked again, louder this time. When the rain began to fall in buckets from the skies, she screeched and knocked loudly again. Forget serial killer, she would rather kick his ass, and tie him up in a closet, she could do it, she took self-defense classes. Anything was better than this shit.
“Oh fuck it,” she muttered and reached for the door handle, pressing the lever, surprised when it opened. “Holy crap. How freaky,” she said with the shake of her head, and all but fell into the home. “Okay. I won’t go any further than right here. I need space to fight.” She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth on her feet, hoping whoever lived here would understand her just walking right into their home, if they were normal. Yeah, she was going to have her ass handed to her by the cops she was sure, but it was better than being out in the middle of a rainstorm. Or, sliced into little pieces, she figured the chance of being reported to cops seemed the better choice.
She looked out the window as the storm grew in intensity, wincing as hail began to pelt the windows. That was when she saw the kitchen and sighed. “Oh man, whatever they cooked smells so good,” she mumbled. Screw it, she was fucked either way, at least she would have a stomach full.
Before she knew it, she was walking into the kitchen and pulling the first plate of food toward herself. Taking a bite of the food, she quickly spat it into her hand. “Holy fucking shit that was hot.” The spices on the food were like weapons of mass destruction. Maybe they had different tastes, she shrugged.
She pulled the next plate to her and took a bite, again wrinkling her nose. “Maybe plate one and plate two need to marry.” The second plate was bland, so damn bland that it made her feel ill. “Good lord, listen to me.” She shook her head and rose. “Unbelievable,” she muttered and left the kitchen before trying the third tempting plate of food. “Already I’m going to jail. Jesus, no need to make a complete idiot of myself.”
She stepped into the living room and ran her hand lovingly over the back of the couch, a deep sigh escaping her as she did so. “Freaking beautiful impressive pieces,” she whispered and took a seat on the sofa. Snuggling up against the back cushion, she sighed, “Perfect.”
She sat there for what felt like forever, watching the rain as it pelted down the windows. Rising finally, she stretched and yawned, “All right. Well, since I’ve already tried out their food and couch I might as well check out the bathroom and beds.” If she was going to go to jail, or be killed, she might as well live it up while she could.
“I just hope whoever lives here isn’t some of the shoot-first-and-call-the-cops-later kind of people, or on the other hand slice her throat first, she wanted to at least try to put up a fight,” she muttered.
With her hand on the banister, she walked up the stairs, smiling at the feeling of the hand carved wood under her hands. This home was spectacular; it seemed as if someone had cracked open her head and pulled out everything she liked. “Maybe that’s it. Maybe I just fell while getting away from idiots one through four and I’m lying in a ravine somewhere with my head split open.” She giggled and shook her head. “I’m an idiot,” she muttered.
When she walked into the first bedroom, she smiled. “Wow, talk about modern.” The room was modern to the ninth degree. It had a low platform bed that frankly looked, “Far too hard.” She completed her thought aloud. Everything about the room screamed order, modern, control.
She walked out of the bedroom and into the one across the hall from it. “Oh my, I seriously hope this is the guest room.” The room was done up in some seriously girly pinks and fuchsias that frankly made her head hurt. Either, a female lived here, or a very strange man.
She stepped out of the room and shook her head. Seeing three more doors, she opened the next one and walked in. “Perfect,” she whispered and touched the massive bed, which dominated the room. The bed looked big enough to hold a whole party in it. Taking off her shoes, she jumped up onto the bed and sighed. Closing her eyes, she whispered, “This is just right.” Grabbing one of the pillows, she hugged it close, fully intending on getting up and out of there, but she was so tired she closed her eyes and instead fell asleep.
Excerpt from Ares
Gods of Old Book One
by Edlyn Reynolds
“How long has it been since you’ve been here?” his brother asked.
“Too long to admit,” he said, watching the group of students following their teacher and a guide around the temple.
“If you look over here class you can see what some scholars believe to be the remains of a sacrificial table.” The instructor was pointing to a section of the rubble that had been partially cleared. The area was cordoned off by ropes to keep people from stepping on things they shouldn’t.
Apollo shot him a look then grinned, “Did you ever actually have any sacrifices from the people?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. It’s hard to remember but I don’t think so.” The instructor, the guide and the students couldn’t hear them. They were cloaked between realms. Not really there and yet, there. “My worshippers were all about war, blood and death of their enemies. Not so much with the virginal sacrifices. I won’t say it never happened, because that could well be a lie, but honestly not ringing any bells for me.”
Apollo gave a laugh as they both walked closer to the group. “I must admit, brother,” he tipped his head. “I’m ever so glad today’s fashions are not like they were a mere hundred years past.” He reached out and slid a finger over one girl’s bared belly. She gave a small shiver, not surprising, many humans were sensitive to things they couldn’t see or hear but existed.
“That’s because you’re a man-slut, Apollo,” Ares said.
“Come now, brother.” He gave a huge grin and gestured to the group. “Are you going to tell me you are not enjoying the titillating display of feminine flesh?”
“That would be a lie, brother, and I must say, that it is a bit old. Too many women believe they need to show all to gain affections. There are so few these days who know a hint is sometimes so much more intriguing than the full monty.”
“Oh, excellent movie reference, brother. I didn’t know you had it in you,” Apollo gave a laugh. “I will agree to disagree with you there though. I much prefer to see the wares before I purchase. I need to know just what I am getting.”
“Man-slut,” Ares coughed into his fist.
“Jealous much?” his brother gave a snort. “Really, brother of mine, you should do something about your apparent lack of female companionship. You’re becoming rather... Well, I hate to say this, but you really need to get laid. You’re much too uptight these days, brother.”
Ares threw him the finger, but his attention was on the instructor again.
“This is one of many statues of the God of War, or Ares, as you may better know him. There appear to be a few versions, most denoting a youthful appearance. He was often denoted as naked, wearing nothing but a helm and carrying a sword and shield, or a spear. He was also denoted as being fully armored. Some believe these statues,” the man gestured to the one before them, “were replacements for the originals. That when the Romans invaded and held Greece, they replaced them with ones created more in the appearance of their God, Mar, Ares’ Roman counterpart.”
The instructor turned to face the group. “There are also some scholars that believe this was not the original location for the temple. They believe the Romans actually moved it from its original place to this spot. There are markings on some stones that may give this theory some validity. There is also the fact archaeologists uncovered sites where bases for such temples were found, but no ruins.”
“Alright, well,” Apollo shifted from foot to foot next to him. “This is bloody boring as all get out. I’m going to go and see if I can’t find something a little more fun to do. Catch you later, brother.”
Ares didn’t reply and moments later, Apollo was gone. He continued to track the group. Listening in as the instructor, with the help of the guide, gave the class more information. Not so much about him or his temple in particular, but about the construction process. His brother had been right about one thing, the man was fairly boring in his teachings. He was passionate, but his topic wasn’t of any interest to him personally. Ares knew all about himself. He didn’t care about why or how the humans of the time had built his temple. They had and to his mind, that was the end of the story.
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