Dark Hunter 00 - Dark Bites (Novellas) (6 page)

Like Galen.

Meanwhile, Ari stood sober and somber.

Except for when they were alone. Then he could be giddy and sweet. His eyes would light up with life and he’d jest with her as he helped her to understand humor and human ways.

As if sensing her saddened mood, Aricles started for her then was diverted by a small girl who was trying to reach for bread on the table. With a kind smile, he picked her up and helped her to get it then returned her to her feet.

The girl’s mother joined them and thanked him before she led her daughter away. Bathymaas stared at the woman’s distended belly. It was obvious she was about to have another child, maybe even tonight. She’d never paid attention to pregnant women before.

Now…

She placed her hand on her flat stomach and tried to conceive what it would feel like to have a baby growing there. Biting her lip, she met Ari’s gaze and a strange chill ran over her as she imagined what his baby might look like. Surely it would be as beautiful as its father.

“Are you all right, goddess?”

She frowned at his question. “Why do you never call me by name, Ari?”

Clearing his throat, he glanced away. “It’s not my place to use it.”

But she suspected there was more to it than that. It was as if he used her title to remind himself that he wasn’t divinely born. And while he might not have the genetics, he certainly had the character.

Not to mention the immortal heart she’d given him.

“I should like to hear it from your lips. Just once. Would you humor me?”

There was no missing the devotion in those beautiful blue eyes as he looked down at her. “I will always humor you… Bathymaas.”

She savored the richness of his accent as he finally spoke her name. “Do you ever dance, Aricles?”

He laughed nervously. “I tried it once and quickly learned, as you mentioned earlier, that embarrassment is a highly unpleasant emotion.”

She so loved how he explained things. “I don’t suppose you’d want to try it again…”

“For your pleasure alone, my goddess, I would gladly make a fool of myself.”

He set her cup aside and offered his hand to her. Without hesitation, she took it and allowed him to pull her to the floor with the others. As they danced, she saw no reason for him to be embarrassed. Indeed, he was quite adept at this. But more than that, every time she felt his arms around her and his hard muscles flexing, she became even weaker in the knees.

Aricles forgot about everyone else in the room as he watched the happy glint in Bathymaas’s eyes and the smile that played at the edges of her lips. For a woman who’d never danced before, she was more than accomplished.

Because she’s a goddess.
 

It scared him how easily he forgot that whenever he was with her. He’d long ago ceased seeing her as anything other than his heart.

Even now, all he wanted to do was pull her close and hold her like he did whenever they met at the stream to fish. And when she stepped into his arms and placed her head against his shoulder, he melted. Closing his eyes, he inhaled her precious scent and wished they could be like this forever.

All too soon, the song ended and he was forced to release her from his embrace.

He opened his eyes and caught Galen’s glower of consternation, which he knew he deserved. He had no right to lust after a goddess. No right to be so familiar with the one they served.

Yet his brain was as deaf as his heart. Neither listened to common sense. His entire body betrayed him with wants, needs, and dreams he knew he shouldn’t feel.

Bathymaas stood up on her tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for humoring me.”

He inclined his head to her and did his best to ignore his brother as Galen continued to glare at him.

Hours later, after they’d returned to their island barracks, Galen cornered him in the back hallway.

“What is going on with you and the goddess?”

Aricles kept his tone level and his expression blank. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do. You
love
her.”

“Of course, I do. I love all the gods.”

“Yes, but not like you do her. I’m not stupid, Ari. And I know what I saw.”

He shrugged Galen’s anger away. “I am nothing more than her soldier. The same as you and the others.”

“And if I don’t believe you?”

“You’re a fool.”

Galen cursed him under his breath. “Fine, but if I’m right, brother, be careful. Love never works out between mortals and gods. If something were to happen to you…” Tears welled in his eyes before he quickly blinked them away. “I’d have to grow up and that’s the last thing I want to do.”

Smiling, Aricles hugged him close then kissed his head. “Fear not, little brother. I shall be here for quite some time to annoy you.”

“You better be. Otherwise, I’ll have to follow you to Kalosis and beat the shit out of you.”

February 8, 12,250 BC

Tomorrow Bathymaas would have to send her Ēperon out to battle. The Greek gods had been overstepping their bounds for weeks now, and their forces would have to be quelled. This was what her team had been trained for.

Yet…

Over and over, she tried to think of some reason to keep Aricles out of the fight.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a logical one.

She shouldn’t care. She shouldn’t. It wasn’t her place to have feelings for anyone. But as she contemplated the thought of his being injured, she couldn’t breathe for the ferocious pain inside her. No wonder he’d told her he could do without love.

It
was
agony.

And it was something she couldn’t tell anyone that she felt.

Not even Aricles.

To do so would only cause him to be harmed. She was never to know emotion and yet he’d managed to make her feel when nothing and no one else ever had.

Her gaze went to Malphas who was formulating their battlefield strategy over a map table. He’d lost his love a long time ago. There was a permanent darkness in his eyes from it and she’d seen him break down into tears from time to time when he thought he was alone… all the times when he’d reach for the locket he wore that contained a bit of hair from his love.

She’d never understood that until now.

“Perhaps we should let the Greeks fight this out for themselves.”

Malphas looked up at her with a stern frown. “Who
are
you?”

“Bathymaas.”

He laughed. “There’s the goddess I know. The one a second ago… never met her before.”

Ah, now she understood why he’d asked that question.

Sighing, she closed the distance between them so that she could look over his plans. “Are you sure they’re ready?”

“I wouldn’t send them into battle if I wasn’t. They’ve learned to be a team and have bonded well. They no longer see themselves as humans, Apollites, and Atlanteans, but rather your Ēperon. You have their loyalty over their homelands.”

Still, she couldn’t bear the thought of someone striking Aricles. Of them bruising his flawless body.

But she had no choice. She had to send him out and appear to all that she couldn’t care less.

How she was going to do that, she had no idea.

Please, Ari… don’t get hurt.
 

And yet she had an awful sense of foreboding that said the fight would not go well for any of them.

February 9, 12,250 BC

Standing on the edge of a cliff so that she could watch the fight, Bathymaas chewed her thumbnail as her men battled a Greek phalanx. Malphas was at the head of them, but it was Aricles who held her attention. True to Malphas’s words, her entire team was incredible. Yet it was obvious which of them was the strongest and most skilled.

Not even Malphas with his demon powers could equal Aricles’s abilities. He fought as if he heard his enemy’s thoughts. As if he knew every move they’d make before they did.

With little effort, her men broke through the shield wall and had the Greeks on the defensive.

Still, it was hours before they finally emerged victorious.

Breathing with relief, she headed down for them as the air stirred around her. She turned to find the Greek god Apollo behind her. Dressed in full armor, he glared his furious displeasure.

“So it’s true. You
are
replacing the Chthonians.” His tone was accusatory.

She made sure there was no such emotion in her response. “Not permanently. But yes, until they stop their war, my team will fill in for them, to make sure the mortal races are safe from those who would harm or subjugate them.”

From heartless gods like you…
 

He growled low in the back of his throat. “I am not happy, Bathymaas. My mother is even less so.”

Bathymaas had to stop herself from curling her lip at the mention of Leto. She was a selfish bitch who’d always coveted Bathymaas’s powers. But more than that, Leto wanted revenge on her. When the Greek goddess had been pregnant with Apollo and Artemis by Zeus, and his wife Hera had been out for her blood over it, Leto had demanded Bathymaas do something to Hera as punishment.

Unfortunately for Leto, justice was on the side of Hera, the wife who’d been wronged. Leto had no business seducing Zeus. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been forewarned. Everyone knew of Hera’s jealous paybacks against those who trespassed on her husband’s groin.

Furious, Leto had promised her that one day she would get even with Bathymaas for not helping her with Hera. But that day wasn’t today.

“I cannot help your feelings or your mother’s, Apollo. Justice is met.”

Apollo vanished then reappeared at her back. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her up against him so that he could whisper in her ear. “Are you really as frigid as you appear?” He splayed his hand against her stomach and rubbed himself against her so that she could feel his bulge. But unlike Ari’s, his left her cold and repulsed. “I’m an accomplished lover, Bathymaas. And with you, I’d be on my very best behavior. I promise, you wouldn’t be emotionless in my bed.”

She shrugged herself out of his embrace and turned to face him. “You know better. I have no interest in you, Apollo.” He did this whenever they were together.

And she hated it.

He glared at her. “You owe me
something
for tearing my men apart today.”

“I’m allowing you to live. Is that not enough?”

A furious tic worked in his jaw. “One day, Bathymaas… I
will
have you.”

Over her dead body. But she didn’t dare say that out loud. “Should I summon my father?”

Apollo left her instantly.

Relieved beyond belief, she flashed herself to her men’s camp. She’d expected them to be celebrating. Instead, it was so quiet, she heard the light breeze whispering around her.

Where were they?

Curious, she headed to Malphas’s tent. But what she found there made the breath leave her chest and her panic rise. Aricles lay on Malphas’s cot with four arrows embedded deeply in his chest.

It took everything she had not to scream and run to him. “What happened?” she asked with a calmness she definitely didn’t feel.

“Apollo… god of archery,” Malphas snarled. “The battle was over when that bastard appeared in front of us and said this was his reward for our best fighter. Before we even realized he was armed, he shot four arrows into Aricles and vanished.”

Her blood boiled as she ached to feel Apollo’s heart in her fist. How dare he!

But her vengeance could wait. Aricles was all that mattered. He lay with his eyes half open as he panted in pain.

She closed the distance between them and took his hand into hers. “Aricles?”

Smiling in spite of his obvious agony, he met her gaze. “Sorry I failed you, goddess.”

Her throat tightened as he made reference to his promise not get hurt during battle. Technically, he’d kept it.

No one said anything about after it was over.

“You didn’t fail me.” Knowing she was about to lose her fight to hold back her tears and emotions, she glanced around at her men. “I need all of you to leave us.”

Bowing, they obeyed.

Except for Galen. His blue eyes swam with tears. “Will he live?” His voice broke on the words.

“I promise you. Now go and let me heal him.”

Nodding, he quickly made his exit.

Alone with Aricles, she sank to her knees as tears fell from her eyes. Her hands trembling, she went to pull the arrows out, but he stopped her.

“You can’t, my lady. Their tips are barbed and you’ll only harm me more. They have to be pushed all the way through my body to be extracted.”

She sobbed aloud at the thought. “I will kill that bastard for this!” she snarled.

He cupped her cheek in his hand and smiled. “You’re showing emotion, my goddess.”

She covered his hand with hers as she struggled to stop her tears. But it was a lost cause. She wasn’t the warrior he was. “There has to be another way to take them out and not hurt you.” Closing her eyes, she summoned her aunt Menyara to her.

Petite and gorgeous, with caramel skin and black hair, her aunt was also the Egyptian goddess Ma’at… another goddess of justice.

And one of healing.

Best of all, Menyara was the only person, besides her father, Bathymaas trusted.

Menyara gasped as soon as she saw her tears. “Child, what has happened to you?”

Sobbing, she gestured toward Aricles. “Please heal him, Aunt Mennie. Please.”

Her eyes widening, Menyara nodded without hesitation. She placed her hand to Aricles’s chest and then on the arrow that had narrowly missed his heart. “Take a deep breath.”

Kneeling beside him, Bathymaas held his hand as he braced himself.

Aricles nodded to let the new goddess know he was ready.

She dissolved the arrow, but her actions burned him inside and out.

Aricles choked on the misery of it all. Agony made his vision turn dull as his heart pounded even more pain through his body.

Bathymaas bent her head down and pressed her cheek to his while she placed her left hand on the other side of his face. Closing his eyes, he let her scent and warmth ease him.