Page 31 of Vampire's Promise
“That sounds wonderful. Are you joining me?”
His brow jacked up as a devilish grin lifted the corner of his mouth. “Who else would wash your back?”
She laughed as he held her hand while she descended the few steps into the water. Slowly, she lowered herself into the silky, scented wetness. The heat seeped into tired muscles, and she relaxed further. A moment later, Kian slipped in and sat beside her causing the water to heat further, or maybe it was simply her and the reaction her body had to his. Before she knew what was happening, he started rubbing a soapy sea sponge over her shoulder and down her arm. He moved back to her shoulder, then swiped across her chest before he circled her breast, causing her to suck in a breath. Gwen leaned back, closed her eyes, and simply enjoyed the attention. It was certainly different for her since no man had ever drawn her a bath, let alone taken one with her and put so much thought to how he touched her body. She felt herself floating away on a cloud of bliss, and that pleasure became even more intoxicating when he slipped his fingers through her heated folds, then inside her. As he worked her into another frenzy of need, he kissed her neck and sharp points struck fast. Taking deep pulls of blood, the sensation went straight to her clit and sent her into another tail-spinning orgasm that nearly shattered her. When she finally came back into her head, she realized Kian had lifted her from the bath and was drying her with the softest towel that had ever touched her skin. He then picked her up and carried her back to bed and justas she was drifting into a deep sleep, she swore she heard him whisper…
Mine.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Get your mind off the female,”Hades growled, pulling Kian from his thoughts and forcing him to focus on his uncle, the god of Hell.
“Sorry. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.”
Hades laughed. “You are a newly mated male. We have all been in your position. You must focus though or your mate may pay the price for your distraction.” Hades dropped his chin, eyes filled with a red glow, and he grinned. “Allow your darkness to flow through you. Own it.” He commanded as he shoved power at Kian.
“You are the nephew of powerful gods, now act like one.”
Kian’s vision slanted as he tried not to fight what Hades threw at him but embraced it. The task wasn’t easy since it was an automatic reaction to fight darkness rather than allow it in. When visions of Gwen on the ground, a stake in her chest came to him, he snarled.
“You are an evil fuck.”
Hades laughed. “I thrive on pain and so should you.” The god walked a circle around him, Hell’s landscape changing with each step Hades took. Everything went from green lushness to charred death. The stench was foul, and Kian wanted to vomitat the smell, but he swallowed down everything inside him that was light and good. Recalled lessons Netasis had taught him as a child on how to get into an enemy’s head. She might not be his birth mother, but she had raised him to be the son of destruction. He wondered where she was, as it would be unlike her to stay away after receiving word of the current events.
Again, the sight of Gwen’s lifeless body with a thick, heavy stake in her heart came at him, but this time, he allowed the darkness to surface. Embraced it and gave Hades a mental shove.
“Ahh, there you are, my dark nephew. That was only barely decent, however.” Hades threw him a surprise when out of the dark fog that had surrounded them came a creature he had never seen before. It wailed a sorrowful cry that penetrated right to his soul. The black shadowy outline that had seconds ago held eyes of fire and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, suddenly transformed into a curvy female with bright blue eyes, a red lipped smile and jet-black hair that flowed in an invisible breeze. Her breasts were full, waist narrow, hips wide, and legs that seemed to go on forever. Her tongue flicked out and ran across her lips, and she seemed to beckon him as she made a seductive step his way. She took hold of his mind and sexual thoughts raced as she showed him exactly the pleasure she would give him.
He was a demigod, and this was nothing more than a cakewalk for him. Shoving her from his mind, he slapped up a barrier then sent a pulse of power her way that forced her back into her original form and moving away from him.
“Really? You thought she would be a temptation?”
Hades barked out a laugh. “I did not beckon her. She came to you of her own accord.” A smile still plastered on his face, he continued. “Seems you attract the dark and alluring. Good thing your mate is otherwise occupied.”
His mate. “Those words are going to take some getting used to.”
“How do you feel about that. Having a mate?”
“Shocked is one word that comes to mind. Yet, once I knew I could trust my feelings, it was right. I am surprised at the depth of my emotions, however.”
“Your grandmother chose well for you. Gwen is a powerful warrior and will be able to put up with your shit.”
“My shit?”
Hades laughed again. “We tend to be a bit overbearing at times. If they would allow it, we would put our mates in a bubble and never let them out.” His forehead furrowed. “On a more serious note. You are going up against an ancient god. He might be sleepy, but he is still going to prove to be a powerful pain in the ass. Your mate is going with you and he will target her. Are you prepared for that?”
“I don’t feel I’m prepared for any of this. I mean, why would I have been chosen to stop Apep? It makes more sense that one of you should have been destined for this task.” He fisted his palms. “I also don’t want Gwen anywhere near this mess.”
“While understandable, we don’t always get to choose our paths.” Hades spread his arms. “I certainly didn’t choose to become ruler of this place. Yet here I am. In hindsight, I was probably the best choice, and as far as Gwen goes? None of us want our mates in harm’s way, but for you to protect her, you are going to have to embrace your darkness a little bit more. Speaking of Gwen, where is she?”
“Said she had some things to attend to in the human realm.” Kian missed having her close to him. He’d like to use Gwen as an excuse for keeping his darkness at bay but knew better. He’d glimpsed what lurked inside him once before and he hadn’t liked it. It had been long ago. Yet, it felt like only yesterday. There had been a young goddess––a child at the time––whohad been practicing her magic when she was suddenly attacked by a Veaster. A creature Kian had thought was nothing more than a myth until that fateful day. It had shown itself disguised as the young child’s mother, and Kian hadn’t realized what was happening until it was nearly too late. The creature feeds off the power of higher beings and while that wasn’t enough to kill an adult, a child––even a god or goddess––was vulnerable. The young girl had swayed on her feet and that was when he’d realized something was amiss. Scanning the child, he’d found she was being fed on and had known the being posing as her mother must be a Veaster. She’d been fading quickly and if he hadn’t acted, the creature would have killed her.
Sending a blast of his own power hadn’t affected the creature one bit. Being young himself, he hadn’t been sure he could fend off the Veaster, but he’d been desperate to save the child. Something inside him had stirred. It had been dark, ugly and frightening, but he’d also known it was powerful and the only means he had to fight back. Allowing whatever it was to the surface, he’d taken out the Veaster in a blast of thick, dark magic. He’d not remembered much after that except the pure, raw power that had taken hold of him. It had coursed through his veins like liquid lightning, and he’d not wanted to let it go. Only when Netasis had knocked him senseless with her own blast had he done so. He’d opened his eyes to see his mother staring at him with both horror and anger in her eyes, and she had forbidden him to ever use such darkness again. He’d been frightened enough by his own power that he had for once obeyed the goddess.
“Hey! Focus for fuck's sake,” Hades yelled, pulling him from his dark thoughts.
“Sorry.”
His uncle’s gaze narrowed. “You’d best pay attention. I’ll not have my brother losing his son a second time.”
