War's Passion (Sons of War) (6 page)

Chapter Eleven

Markus walked into his study and tossed the blanket and pillow on the sofa.
Damned woman.

“Having
female troubles?”

Markus jerked his gaze up toward the far corner of the study. Ares stood next to the floor to ceiling window
, peering out. Movement to the left of him revealed Aphrodite sitting in an armchair with her legs draped over one arm.

It was
n’t good when love
and
war came together to visit.

“What are you two doing here?”

Ares glanced over his shoulder, his dark brown eyes focused on Markus for several moments before he jerked his head to Aphrodite. “Ask her. This is her carnival ride.”

Aphrodite rolled her eyes and swung her long legs around so she sat straight in the chair.
“Your father is grumpy because he knows I’m right.”

Ares grunted from the window and
shifted his gaze back out as if he was watching for something or someone. However, it was the goddess’s words that sank in and made Markus study her closer. “Right about what?’

She looked at him and blinked. “Garrick needs to be stopped.”

Markus’s patience grew thin. The goddess’s cryptic riddles gave him headaches, which he didn’t need any more of right now. She’d always come to him with babbles of information in the form of short sentences and one word at a time conversations. It always ended the same way. Markus had to guess what she was trying to tell him and he’d have a headache when it was over.

Markus dropped down on the sofa and leaned his head against the back
. “Aphrodite, I’m not in the mood for your games tonight.”

“No games, Mark. We are all in trouble here whether Zeus wants to admit it or not.”

Her tone was more serious than he’d ever heard it. Lifting his head, he looked into blue eyes identical to Gwen’s. A hint of fear hid in the depths, making his blood warm and his dragon churn.

“What has happened?”

This time, Ares answered. “The veil between the Heavens and earth is thinning.”

Shit
. “How is that possible?”

Aphrodite looked at Ares, then to Markus. “We’re not sure.
We have theories, but nothing to back them up. Zeus has released us from our bind that kept us from getting involved.”

Markus narrowed his eyes and watched the two of them. “Who is ‘our’? All the gods, or just you two?”

“Just us, but I fear others will start contacting their children soon.”

Markus cursed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “We can’t allow that to happen. Especially if their mortal children don’t know a thing about them.”

“That’s what I said.” Ares sat in Markus’s chair behind his desk. He powered up the computer, then drew his brows together when the screen came on. It made Markus curious to what the hell could be on his computer screen. Sometimes Seth changed the background image to kittens or puppies.

Aphrodite
stepped closer to him, drawing his attention. “The names on the list Gwen found are all first generation descendants.”

Markus shifted his gaze to hers. “No, not all. Gwen is your granddaughter. Elle said she was a great
-granddaughter of Nyx.”

Frowning, she
let her shoulders drop slightly. “Danielle is Nyx’s daughter. Where is she?”

“
Nyx?”

The
goddess rolled her eyes. “No, Danielle.”

Markus felt his lips lift. “She’s in the basement hiding from Zavier.”

Ares chuckled as he sat back in the chair and propped his feet on the desk. Aphrodite crossed her arms over her chest. “What has your brother done to her?”

“You know as well as the rest of us that Zavier is tame
st of the group. Elle and Zavier are just avoiding each other. That’s all.”

Aphrodite smiled, wide. It made her angelic features look even more heavenly. In fact she seemed to glow
from the inside. “They are soul mates.” A bright smile formed on her face, and she strode toward the door, but Markus stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

“Do not interfere. You know we are cursed to death if we mate with a descendant.”

She smiled again and patted him on the hand. “Yes, Zeus did say mate, but he never said anything about falling in love with your true soul mate.”

Stunned, Markus stared at the
goddess, waiting for her to say she was joking. All this time he’d been fighting the urge to claim Gwen as his. That was how he got stuck sleeping in the study. The realization that he was starting to care too much for the female made him think about how he couldn’t have her without facing the death penalty. So he’d pushed her away, tried to deny his feelings despite believing she was his mate.

But could it really be
as simple as true love?

“What are you not saying?” he
demanded.

“It has to be true love between the both of you.”

That explained a lot.

Before he could ask another question, she shook her head. “Let your brothers know we are having a meeting and bring the women
, too.”

Ares raised a finger in the air. “Not
Ashlynn.”

Markus
shifted his gazed from Ares to Aphrodite. “Why not?”

The
goddess opened the study door and paused. “Because we’re not sure whose side she’s playing on. We’d rather keep her out of loop for now.”

****

Gwen stared at the ceiling. Her pulse still raced.
Damned dragon. Why the hell did he have to be so complicated?
One minute he was charming, the next he withdrew behind his internal walls.

A light knock sounded on the door. Letting out a heavy sigh, she sat up and went to the door. “Who is it?”

“It’s Elle.”

Smiling, Gwen opened the door, grabbed her
sister’s hand and tugged her inside and hugged her. “Gods, I missed you.”

Elle laughed. “It’s only been a day.”
Pulling back out of the hug, she frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Gwen shrugged. “Markus. The man drives me
insane. Now that I’m not afraid of him, he’s all I think about. It’s crazy.”

Laughing, Elle linked her fingers with Gwen’s and pulled her toward the bed. They sat down facing one another.
Gwen studied her sister. “You look tired.”

One of Elle’s shoulders raised in a shrug. “It’s hard to sleep during the day and I’m too wound up at night to try.”

“We have to tell them to keep it quiet so you can sleep.”

Elle shook her head. “It’s not the noise. It’s Zavier. I can sense him when he’s near. It’s a little
eerie. Do you know he watches me sleep?”

“That’s
creepy.”

“As soon as he enters my studio in the basement, I wake up. He doesn’t approach me, just watches.”

Gwen hid her smile. Now that she thought about it, she’d noticed Markus watching her when he thought she wouldn’t notice. Zavier could be taking an interest in Elle like Markus had Gwen.

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I’ll mention something to Markus about it.”

Elle shrugged again. “Thanks. Hey, did you eat yet?”

Disappointment filled Gwen, making her think about Markus and his strange bi-polar
personality at dinner. He seriously had to work on his mood swings. “No. Markus and I were supposed to have dinner, but he changed his mind.”

“Just like that? What the hell is wrong with him?”

“I don’t know. We were talking and he made a joke and when I said something about it, his mood changed. Maybe it’s against the rules to make jokes or something.”

Elle snickered. “It might be. They’re immor
tal dragons. What do you expect?” She stood. “Come on, let’s raid their huge-ass kitchen.”

As soon as
they turned to the door, it opened and Markus came in. “We’re having a meeting downstairs.”

Gwen narrowed her eyes
, not moving for several moments. And she wouldn’t have at all if Elle hadn’t taken her by the arm and led her out of the bedroom and downstairs.

When they reached the foyer and turned to the
great room, Gwen stilled, forcing Elle to stop. Good gods, it was Aphrodite. And Gwen assumed the man with her was Ares, but only because he looked so much like Markus. They weren’t looking at her. The goddess had a hand on Ares’s chest and his arm was around her waist as they whispered softly to each other.

Suddenly
, Aphrodite turned her head and froze for a moment before pushing away from Ares and walked toward Gwen.

Taking an unsure step back, she was
n’t sure what to expect. Sure, she’d seen photos of the goddess when she was little. Her dad kept them hidden in a desk drawer, but it was no surprise how much they looked alike.

Aphrodite stopped
inches from her, tears filling her eyes. She lifted a hand as if to touch Gwen.

Shaking her head, Gwen extracted her arm from Elle’s while still holding the
goddess’s gaze. “You let him die.” The words were choked out and tears fell down her cheeks. “Why?”

Aphrodite closed her eyes briefly. “I had no choice. I…”

Gwen shook all over. Memories rose, bringing the pain of losing her parents stabbing her in the heart. She couldn’t breathe.

Turning away from her grandmother, she rushed to the front door, opened it, and ran outside. She didn’t stop until she reached the center of the rose gardens. Sitting on a stone bench, she
covered her face with her hands and let the pain pour out of her.

After what felt like several minutes, she lifted her head
and found Aphrodite waiting next to a yellow rose bush that was as tall as she was. “We were forbidden to have direct contact with our earth borne children. That didn’t stop many of us from watching over them. Tom always seemed to know when I was near.” The goddess let out a soft half-laugh, half-sob. “I admired his ambitions, his love for life.” Aphrodite turned to face Gwen, and a tear rolled down her cheek. “After you were born, he summoned me and asked for my promise to keep you safe and, if I had to choose between him and you, that I must choose you.”

Gwen sniffed and wiped her cheeks. “I don’t understand. Why would he ask that of you?”

The goddess sighed and walked over to sit beside Gwen. “Your father had the gift of foresight. It was always hard for him to control, because he was half-human. I can only assume he saw something in your future, or his, or both.”

Foresight? Gwen’s father never mentioned this ability. Then again he never talked about any of his powers.
The only time she’d witnessed that he had any was on one occasion—the night he died.

Glancing at her grandmother, Gwen studied her. There was so much she didn’t know or understand about her life
—the last few days had proven it. “The night my parents died…”

“Garrick came looking for you. When he didn’t find you, he went for your parents.”

Gwen’s stomach twisted. “Why me?”

Aphrodite met her stare. “Because your mother was a minor
goddess of fate. That is where you got your power of persuasion. It also makes you more powerful than any descendant that we know of.”

“That’s why you cho
se me?”

Aphrodite reached over and took her hand. “If I
’d had a choice, I’d have chosen both of you. I loved Tom. The only thing I could do was cloak you from Garrick’s sight.”

“And keep
Dad’s promise.”

Drawing her into a hug, Aphrodite pressed a kiss on her forehead and squeezed gently. “Yes. I’m so sorry.”

Gwen didn’t reply. Instead, she wrapped her arms around the goddess’s waist and hugged her back. A connection she didn’t know was missing snapped into place, filling the void in her soul. Aphrodite was her family.

“What about the direct contact thing?”

Her grandmother drew back, lifted Gwen’s chin to meet her gaze, and smiled weakly. “It was lifted today, within reason.” She rolled her eyes. “Or I should say within Zeus’s reason, which can change at a moment’s notice.”

They fell silent for a few moments, then Gwen said, “I guess we should get back inside.”

Aphrodite released her and stood. “Come, we have much to plan if we’re going to save the worlds.”

Chapter Twelve

Markus sensed Gwen’s and Aphrodite’s presences the moment they entered the house. A few seconds later, they walked into the great room. Gwen met his eyes briefly and sat on the sofa next to Elle. His dragon roared in his head and nudged him to go to her. The need to be near her intensified every time he saw and smelled her.

Now
that he knew he could have her, it was going to be impossible to stay away. Why should he? If she was his true mate and chose to be with him, Zeus couldn’t stop them.

Aphrodite’s words still rang in his ears.

…Zeus did say mate, but he never said anything about falling in love with your true soul mate.

Shaking off the thought, he
scanned around the room and met Ares’s glare from across the room where he leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
You first, father.

Ares smirked at the telepathic
contact and spoke to the group. “Garrick is pissing me off.”

Seth snorted. “Yeah? Well
, join the club.”

Aphrodite passed by him
and sent the god a narrowed-eyed glare as she came to stand in the center of the sitting area. “The names on the list are all very powerful descendants. We know Gwen is my granddaughter, but she is also the granddaughter of one of the Fates. I’m not sure which one and they won’t answer any of my calls.”

Turning her attention to
Elle, she smiled. “Danielle, Nyx is not your great-grandmother. She is your mother. Your full powers mirror that of Death’s. You can pass between earth and the Underworld.”

Elle shook her head. Gwen took her hand in hers. “But my dad said…”

Aphrodite held up a hand, stopping Elle. “Your parents were protecting you. Your own knowledge of your legacy could be turned against you. The mother who raised you couldn’t have children of her own. Nyx gifted her with a child.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The Goddess of Night is an elemental god. She can’t take a physical form for long periods of time.”

Elle sat back into the couch and sighed. “Are you saying that
Nyx bargained with my mother to sleep with my dad? I’m not buying that. My parents were too much in love.”

Aphrodite rolled her neck
, as if tired. “In a way. Nyx bargained to be a part of the act. She joined Jessica’s soul as she made love to your father. In exchange, Jessica got you.”

Elle still shook her head. Markus expected her to leave the room, but she just sat on the sofa
, hand-in-hand with Gwen. Her drawn brows and pursed lips told him that Elle was having a hard time processing the information.

Ares cleared his throat impatiently before he spoke. “The other women on the list are also first generation, but
none of them know it.”

Drake broke his silence beside Markus. “You don’t happen to know where they are, do
you?”

Ares straighten
ed and unfolded his arms. “Nope. That’s your job.”

Drake held up his middle finger while he took a swig of his beer.

Ty shifted in his chair next to the sofa. “Any hints? Are they in this country at least?”

Ares shrugged, but it was Aphrodite who answered. “All we know is that Rayna is on the west coast. Faith is on the east. Their divine mothers are hiding them.”

“And who are their mothers?” Markus asked.

“Rayna
’s is Themis, goddess of divine law. Faith’s mother is Nike, goddess of victory”

Markus nearly chocked on his beer. The descendants of Law and Victory could never fall into Garrick’s control. With a
goddess of law, he could challenge Themis and, if he succeeded in killing her, rewrite the divine laws. With the power that Faith held, Garrick could increase the amount of wars among the humans.

He met Gwen’s gaze. “Can you let me know if you find out anything in your father’s journals?”

“Of course.”

Drake stood. “I’ll see if I can get any hits on the names. Aphrodite, do you know their ages? Or their birthdays? That would help narrow the search.”

The goddess shook her head. “I can try to find out. I’m also going to talk to Themis and Nike and see if they’ll give me anything. I can’t make promises, but I’ll try.”

Zavier
rose from where he sat behind the bar, a tablet in his hand. “I’ll help Drake with computer searches.” Walking around the bar, he moved toward Gwen. Markus didn’t miss the way Elle tensed when Zavier reached between them from behind the sofa and handed Gwen the tablet. “All the journal files are loaded as well as some research notes I found.”

She took the hand held computer. “Thank you.”

A few moments later, Markus was alone with Gwen, surprised she stayed behind when the others left. He remained silent while he drank the last of his beer, unsure of what to say to her. The knowledge of them being mates didn’t sit well her. That led him to think she wouldn’t believe him if he told her they were fated to be together.

The silence finally got to him and he set the beer bottle down hard enough the sound echoed through the downstairs. Gwen flinched, but didn’t look at him.

“I don’t understand the things I feel when I’m around you.”

There.
He said it.

Studying her hands in her lap, she
sagged into the sofa. “I’m starting to care for you more than I should. It scares me.”

****

Markus’s shadow fell across Gwen as he stopped in front of her. She glanced up and he held out his hand. Reluctantly, she placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet. With their fingers linked, he tugged her toward the kitchen. “What are you doing?”

“I’m making you something to eat
, since I ruined dinner.”

Guilt crept up her spine. “Look, Markus,
earlier I was tired and sore and frustrated. I didn’t…”

He stopped and turned around. “Don’t apologize. I was an ass. I’m always an ass. Just ask my brothers.”

One corner of his lips lifted, making her smile. “Okay, but I was being crabby as well.”

Closing the distance, he lowered
his head and kissed her lightly. Moaning, she leaned into him, but he ended the kiss much too soon. With a raised brow, he turned around and led her to the kitchen.

Markus set her on the counter beside him as he chopped vegetables for an omelet. He’d said it was the only thing he
knew how to make. The confession made her laugh and her heart melted a little more.

When she turned on
the tablet Zavier gave her, she noticed the files were neatly placed in a folder with her father’s name. Opening the folder she scanned over the journal entries while asking Markus questions.

“Do you think I’ll find something useful in my father’s journals?”

He shrugged. “I hope so. Even if it’s only a small amount of information, it’s more than we know now.”

Good point. 
If her dad worked with Garrick, then there was bound to be something he recorded. “What if Dad didn’t know anything?”

As soon as she asked the question she knew the answer. “Never mind. Aphrodite said my father had foresight. She said it was unpredictable, but I’m guessing he could ha
ve seen something.”

Markus nodded. “Let’s hope he did.”

“Can I ask a personal question?

“Sure.”

“You didn’t have a childhood, right?”

He
paused chopping for brief moment, then resumed. “No. Have you heard the legend of the Spartoi?”

When she nodded, he continued. “We are the
Spartoi, or the Sons of War. Although the truth has been modified over the centuries. After Ares’s dragon was slain in a battle between the gods and their earth borne children, Ares sowed one set of the dragon’s teeth into the earth. From the teeth were born the Spartoi.”

“How many
of you were there?”

“Hundreds, I believe.”
Turning to her, he took her hand. “We were very different back then. When we rose from the earth, all we knew was what Ares commanded.”

She squeezed his hand
, brought it to her mouth and pressed a kiss in his palm. “I understand. I’ve studied the history of the gods and heard stories from my father. Go on.”

His lips lifted in a sensual smile and his shoulders relaxed
. “We fought alongside the gods and won the war. The descendants were sent back to earth with no memories of their ancestry, and their powers were bound.”

“
How long did you live in Olympus before you were banished?”

He shrugged. “A few centuries.”

Moving to stand in front of her, he took the tablet out of her hand and set it on the counter. Before he had a chance to remove her from where she sat, she wrapped her legs around his waist and tugged him closer.

The corner of
lips twitched. “Are you looking for trouble?”

She
smiled. “I found trouble a long time ago and can’t get rid of it.”

A chuckle
left his lips and he leaned in and kissed her long and hard as if knowing exactly what she wanted. She slipped her tongue into his mouth. His hands tightened on her hip, not too tight, but tight enough it sent a jolt of excitement and desire rushing through her veins.

Breaking the kiss, Markus rested his fore
head against hers. “You need to eat before it gets cold.”

Defeated, she
released him and allowed him to lift her off the counter and led her to his study.

Thirty minutes later, Gwen was curled up on the sofa with the pillow she threw at Markus earl
ier under her head and the blanket draped over her as she read one of her father’s journal entries.

September 8, 1976

I met the most interesting man today at University. I was going over my civics papers in the student courtyard when he approached me to ask for directions to the main office. At first I thought he was a new student who’d gotten lost, as many freshmen did in the first few weeks of the semester. So, I gave him directions.

That was when he noticed the stack of papers in front of me. He asked if I was a teacher, then went on about how he’d studied Greek
mythology his whole life. Since I didn’t have any more classes, I introduced myself and offered him a seat.

He accepted with a smile and said his name was Garrick.

We talked for hours about the theories and mysteries of the gods and which were our favorites and least favorites. I was so intrigued to have someone who shared my passion for research, I agreed to have coffee with him tomorrow.

Gwen looked up from the tablet and
to Markus, who was clicking away at his keyboard. “What are you doing?”

He glanced at her and his expression softened a little. “Making schedules for the staff for the next week. Then I’m going to research a few names Drake sent me.”

“Oh.”

“Why? What do you need?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. Just curious.”

Motioning
to the tablet, he asked, “How’s reading going?”

“Garrick and my father met at the university he taught at before I was born.”

“What was Garrick doing there?”

“I’m not sure. Dad didn’t say. Only that a man approached him in the student courtyard and they started talking.”
She read the passage to him.

Markus sat back in his chair and stared at her for a few moments. “Now I’m curious. My brother must had known Tom was a descendant and sought him out.”

Gwen glanced back at the tablet and scrolled through the entries, skimming them for Garrick’s name or anything that stuck out. Markus knelt in front of her a moment later and took the tablet.

“You’re tired and it’s late.”

Yawning, she shook her head. “I’m not tired.”

He cocked an eyebrow and she laughed. “Okay, maybe a little.”

“I’m taking you to bed.” Wrapping the blanket around her, he scooped her up.

She
didn’t fight him, didn’t have the energy. “Markus?”

“Hmm.”

“Are you coming to bed, too?”

As if the question surprised him, he
stopped with one foot on the first step. “Only if you promise to go to sleep.”

Smiling, she
rested her head against his chest. “Deal.”

****

Garrick paced his large bedroom suite as his patience evaporated. Ashlynn had left two days before and he still hadn’t heard from her. Her cell was off and he couldn’t track her through his bond with her. The witch must have broken it without his knowledge.

The mystery was how
had she done it.