Claimed by the Order (S-Gods, #1) (11 page)

“My virgin son, Anu, is cursed with beauty and feminine emotions,” Anshar said, running his hand down Akad’s long hair. “Sometimes he forgets he is a powerful god.”

Cheeks burning, Anu lowered his eyes, his heart dropping into his stomach.

“He is certainly striking, but beauty is not always a curse.” Ra returned his attention to Anshar. “I look forward to hearing him speak. I suspect his thoughts are just as impressive as his looks.”

Akad kept his eyes down, offering no response to Ra’s flattery. His father’s comment was meant to punish him for displaying his feelings so openly. After a moment, Akad glanced up at his father, but Anshar’s cool disregard was evidence of his anger.

“My son’s words are of little consequence at his age, but what is certain is that Anu is a god more powerful than this world has ever seen. Anu is my heir and will take my place as supreme god in the east. When I ascend to the heavens, he will assume my seat by your side in the Council of Gods.”

“I look forward to the day we shall rule together,” Ra said, shifting his eyes back to Akad and wrapping his fingers around the braid on his chin. “Welcome to the Temple of Power, young Anu.”

Taking a deep breath, Akad met Ra’s gaze once more. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance,” he replied in a calm, controlled voice.

Anshar watched Akad closely as he spoke. Then he turned back to Ra and continued their discussion. When they finally took their leave of Ra, Akad followed his father through the lounge, careful not to make eye contact with any of the beautiful deities they passed. He knew he was in trouble and did his best to brace himself for impending doom.

Akad followed Anshar through a long, sheer curtain leading out to the balcony. Then he took a deep breath and gazed out over the vast misty mountains before him. He could feel his father’s presence beside him, and the rage that radiated from Anshar’s fierce being drained all feeling from his body. His gaze fell on a stream of sunlight breaking through the clouds in the distance. Closing his eyes, he imagined breathing in the warmth of the ray, but nothing could prepare him for the coming of his father’s storm.

Anshar finally turned toward Akad, his cold black eyes glaring down at him. Akad met his father’s fierce regard, doing his best to form his expression in a balanced mixture of submission and confidence.

“Do not shame me, son!” Anshar growled.

The livid expression masked behind his long, black beard sent a shudder through Akad’s body.

“It’s clear you find Ra fascinating, but you cannot openly display desire for him or any other god! A mighty god like Ra has thousands of years in this world. What do you think he would do to you if you moved too close to him?” Akad averted his eyes and shook his head. He had no way of responding.

“I’ll tell you exactly what he would do, Anu: He would not hesitate to strip you down and fuck you!”

The color washed from his face. He was surely going to be sick.

“Anu,” Anshar said, grabbing him by the scruff of his tunic. Akad raised his eyes to meet his father’s.

“The moment you submit your body and soul to a god is the moment you forfeit your place as my heir. If you lie down for a god’s pleasure, he will own you for all time, and you cannot rule as supreme god if you are the property of another.”

A shock ran through his body, and he felt as if he was choking. Anshar released his tunic and continued to glare at him.

“Do you desire to be owned by another god, Anu?”

“No,” Akad managed to respond, fighting to mask his pain and confusion.

It was unbearable to hear his father speak to him in this manner. Akad had never gone further than a kiss, and it was a kiss that ended in tragedy. He fought to conceal his emotions. He wondered what his father saw when he looked at him. How could Anshar imagine he would let another god dominate him?

“Father, I am sorry if I gave you reason to believe I would ever bring shame to you.” He looked away. There was nothing else he could say or do.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. Anshar continued introducing him to esteemed deities, but Akad remained aloof, making no attempt to interact with any of them. After several hours passed, Anshar and the other high gods of the council gathered to convene for a meeting, disappearing through a heavy white curtain in the back of the lounge, which led to the conference room. Once all of the deities had cleared out of the lounge, Akad was left standing alone. He took a seat in one of the fur-lined chairs and closed his eyes. He felt as if he could breathe again, and the stress of the introductions and of his father’s critical eyes upon him began to fade. A few moments later, the lounge door opened, followed by the voice of the mortal attendant greeting a deity at the door.

“Welcome, great goddess. Please come in,” the voice said.

Akad stood up from his chair and turned just as a beautiful goddess with long black hair approached him. The goddess seemed to glow with power and majesty, and his breath left him as he stared at her. He wanted to greet her or say something, but her radiating presence struck him, afflicting him with paralysis. As she walked by, her dark gaze fell on him before she disappeared behind the curtain to the conference room. He realized in this moment that he had just seen the great goddess Siren. Anshar had told him about her. Siren was the most powerful deity in the world and head of the Council of Gods.

Akad realized right then that he wanted no other goddess but her. He was filled with the hope of seeing her again, his heart racing with anticipation as he awaited the end of the meeting. It felt like forever, but when the meeting finally concluded, Anshar was the first god to emerge from the room. Akad rose before his father, but Anshar’s expression was grim.

“Let’s go,” Anshar said sternly, leading him out of the lounge. Akad’s mood immediately dampened. His father’s impatience to leave had caused him to miss seeing Siren.

The next day, Akad broke free from his father and searched the entire temple but found no sign of Siren anywhere. He finally learned she had only come to the temple to attend the meeting and had departed after it was over. His heart sank from the news, and he wondered when he would see her again.

O
n Marduk’s fourth week of servitude to the Order, Shamash told Marduk they had been invited to the council lounge. Marduk’s stomach jolted. If Shamash was taking him to the council lounge, it was possible members of the council would be present. This might be the opportunity he’d been looking for.

When they arrived at the lounge, mortal priests opened the door, and Marduk walked in, following Shamash. He took in the sight of the finely dressed deities before him and spotted Aya at a table on the far side of the room. He had been doing his best to avoid Aya, but he had no desire to mingle with the other gods. When Shamash wandered into the crowd, Marduk went directly to Aya’s table.

He took a seat across from Aya, folded his arms over his chest, and began to scan the crowd. None of the council members appeared to be there, but there were plenty Order members present. Marduk finally reclined in his chair and tried to appear relaxed.

“Marduk ...” Aya said with a hint of hesitation.

Marduk glanced over at him. His head was lowered, the sweep of his black hair partially covering his eyes.

“Marduk ... I know you don’t want to talk, but I just want you to understand me,” Aya said, looking up and brushing the hair from his eyes. “You have something about you: You know how to rein in the gods, and they treat you with respect. It wasn’t like that for me. No matter what I did, I was always their fuck toy. For three long years, they used me like this. For three long years, Seth was my master. I ...” He broke off for a moment. “I really like you Marduk, and I didn’t want to give you to them. I just ... I couldn’t take it any longer. I had to break free. I hope someday you will understand why I did it.”

Marduk gazed into the crowd of deities as Aya spoke. The rumble of conversation was not enough to block him out, but Marduk wished he could forget that Aya was there. It was much too soon for him to forgive; impossible when Shamash was still delivering him into another god’s hands every night. Aya’s treachery had turned Marduk into a whore.

Marduk tried to focus on his mission to find council members. As he scanned the lounge once more, he spotted the great god Cronus, and then he saw the esteemed god Ra. His heartbeat began to speed up. Both gods were members of the council. In the next moment, Shamash joined Cronus in conversation, and Ra was approached by a fierce looking god with a full black beard and a strong young god who stood beside him. The young god had dark green eyes, long sandy hair that trailed down his back, and a smooth angular face. Marduk wondered why he had never seen him before. He turned toward Aya, who met his gaze with misery in his eyes.

“Do you know who that god is?”

Aya’s eyes lit up before he turned and peered into the crowd.

“That’s the great god Anshar. He’s a council member, but he rarely ever comes to the temple.”

Marduk’s heart jumped. There were three council members there in the lounge. He would surely have a chance to talk to one.

“No, I was asking about the younger god by his side.”

“Oh, that’s Anshar’s son. His name is Anu-Akad.”

“Anu ...” Marduk mused, marveling at the way Anu blushed when introduced to the great god. His face had a pronounced masculine beauty, but the soft glow in his complexion made Marduk’s heart flutter. He appeared so strong and powerful, yet at the same time awkward and out of place. Anu was a virgin if he’d ever seen one. Marduk imagined taking the timid beauty into his arms, feeling his hot cheeks against his, and tasting his soft lips.

“I’m sorry, Marduk,” Aya said, breaking him away from his fantasy, “but Anu is the son of a council member. If you are considering him for your pledge—” Marduk shot Aya a look that made him stop short.

“I’m not like you, Aya,” Marduk said curtly. “I’m not going to fuck over a god just to save my own ass.”

Aya lowered his eyes, pain etched into his soft features. Marduk stared at him a moment longer before gazing back into the crowd. Cronus and Ra had disappeared, but Anshar was still there with Anu. Marduk glanced around the lounge to see who else was there. Shamash, Seth, and Sin were all close by. Could he chance walking up to Anshar in front of them?

Marduk shifted in his chair. He had to do something. Maybe instead of approaching Anshar directly, he could talk to his son Anu. An introduction to Anshar would be a natural next step. Marduk finally rose from his seat and made his way through the crowd. Anu was standing beside his father, who had just turned to greet Nanna-Sin. Marduk was only a step away from Anu when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned around to behold Shamash standing beside him.

“It’s time to go,” Shamash said, and began leading him toward the door.

“But I—we just got here.”

Shamash smiled down at him. “Yes, we did, but one of our highest ranking members has requested your presence.” Marduk’s stomach dropped. He stole one last glance at Anu and Anshar before Shamash pushed him through the lounge door. Marduk followed Shamash through the torch-lit corridors until they arrived at a wooden door carved into the stone. The scent of lilacs and exotic incense filled the air. Marduk turned to see Shamash dousing his fingers with oil from a small clay phial. His stomach tightened.

“What are you doing?”

“Turn around,” Shamash ordered. Marduk stared at him before complying. Then Shamash pushed him against the wall, lifted his skirt, and slid two fingers inside him.

“Shamash ... what the ...?”

“Just be still, and keep your mouth shut.”

Marduk’s face reddened as the god’s fingers probed deep inside him, opening and stretching his entrance. Shamash pressed a third finger in, and blood rushed to Marduk’s cock. His heartbeat quickened. Shamash had him pinned to the wall with his hand up his skirt in plain view of anyone who happened to walk by.

“Are you going to fuck me right here?” Marduk asked, unable to hide the anger in his voice. Shamash finally removed his fingers and turned him around.

“I’ll let you thank me later, Marduk. The god who requested you cares nothing for your charm. He’s going to strip you down and fuck you as hard as he can.” Marduk’s breath left him. Then Shamash turned him around to face the door and knocked. When the door finally opened, a pit formed in his stomach. A mortal attendant led him into a candle-lit sitting room and opened a golden curtain revealing a living room with a golden couch and a fireplace on the back wall. The strong smell of incense hit him, making him think of Egypt. Marduk followed the servant through the living room to an adjoining bedchamber. His heart raced as he stepped in. Before him was a large framed bed encased in long golden curtains, and rubies embedded in the golden frame glimmered in the candle-light. In the next moment, the great god Ra emerged from an adjoining room. Marduk’s mouth fell open, and his heart froze.
This could not be happening.
Ra was an esteemed member of the Council of Gods. He could not possibly be in the Order. Marduk took a step backward.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I think I’m in the wrong place.”

“Come here,” Ra said in a low, commanding voice. Marduk stepped forward, every drop of courage evaporating. Then he stopped before Ra, struggling for breath. Marduk was fully clothed, but he felt as if his skirt had already dropped around his ankles.

“Young Marduk,” Ra said in a gentle voice. “I only require one thing from you, and that is complete submission.”

Marduk stared at Ra, and all his plans for bringing the Order down crumbled before his eyes. He lowered his gaze and swallowed, but his mouth had gone dry. The great god Ra, a member of the council, was going to fuck him.

“Strip and lay down on my bed,” Ra said. Marduk complied, his stomach tying into knots as he undressed. Then he climbed up onto the bed in a daze, but the moment he was inside the curtains, he froze. They were not alone. The goddess Isis lay with her head propped up on her elbow, watching every move he made.