Page 15 of Vampire's Promise
Marcus tensed. He and Zarek had butted heads more times than Argathos could count in the past. Today was looking like it might be another. “Well? What the fuck did you learn?”
“That my nephew is indeed her mate and something powerful… Another god took him, but I can’t tell who just yet.”
“Her mate? Another god?” Marcus scrubbed a large palm down his face, then rolled his fingers into a fist like he was ready to throw a punch. Argathos moved closer, ready to intervene before things spiraled into a chaos of power and egos.
“Yes.” Argathos laid a hand on the guardian’s shoulder. “Gwen was certain that was her mate.” He faced his older brother. “Can we assume the same god took her? And, if so, to what purpose?”
Zarek’s brows dipped over swirling silver eyes. “We need to start a list of gods and goddesses from the old world that might want to hurt us by taking our own.”
Hades barked out a laugh. “Well sharpen your pencil, brother, but I don’t think there is enough paper in the universe for such a list. We pissed off a lot of gods.”
“This is my fault for being gone too long. I am still their king and you are their princes. It’s time to hold court once more.”
“You mean there are more of you out there other than those of you here?” Marcus asked.
“We are only the tip of the iceberg,” Hades offered. “Our mother is Cera, the sovereign goddess and all but her father knelt to her, but since she killed her mate and vanished, things have not been the same.”
“Who is her father?” Marcus looked from one god to the next.
Argathos responded. “Our mother is the daughter of Ra.”
The guardian’s eyes widened. “Fucking Christ! You are the grandsons of Ra himself?”
“So it would seem.” Hades grinned, then downed another drink.
“I had no idea. I mean, Ra…” Marcus shook his head in disbelief.
“It’s not something we have spoken of in this world,” Argathos offered, then looked at his brothers. “I agree. It’s time we held court so I can find my son and his mate. It’s time to go back home.”
A loud rumble ran through his home, and the floor beneath them shook.
“What was that?” Marcus asked.
Zarek paled. “It can’t be.”
Aidyn, who had remained quiet, finally broke his silence. “I fear it might be. Mother is trying to wake, which means we better fix shit fast or there will be hell to pay.”
Guilt wasan emotion foreign to Kian until now anyway, but Khedeus had forced his hand. He’d sensed Gwen’s hesitation and didn’t blame her one bit. Being forced to be intimate with someone was wrong, no matter what. He only hoped he could ease any tensions between them.
He and Gwen went to work, and the morning passed by in silence. He had to admit, he was impressed with her. She nearly outpaced him bucket for bucket and he wondered if she was trying to prove her worth. When they finally stopped for lunch, she broke the silence with one hell of a shocker.
“I am your mate.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t you feel it?”
He felt things all right. An erection that he wanted to sink deep inside her, but she was an attractive female. A warrior in her own right, which he respected, but it also turned him on. Still… “Gods don’t have fated mates.” They mated for other reasons. Usually power and greed.
Her brow jacked up. “First off, you are a demigod and second, they most certainly do. All of your uncles have fated mates. Only your father is alone at the moment.”
The thought of his mother, a fragile mortal, caused emotions to surface. He also recalled the conversation with Ra, who had referred to him as the son of mortals.
“Your heritage will prove your true worth but beware of the female for she seeks to destroy you.”
Was Gwen the female who sought to destroy him? The goddess of truth never mentioned a mate. Wouldn’t she have? But then Ra had also mentioned a female that would be his salvation. At this point, he did not know who to trust and needed to tread lightly.
“I’m not certain I buy into this… Mate thing.” He was attracted to her, but he could also write that off to the fact he was a man and she was tempting. As far as the pull he had toward her? That could also be explained. The probability that Khedeus was behind this was highly likely. However, he believed her regarding his parents. He couldn’t trust that the rest of this wasn’t some kind of trick and would simply have to play this out to see where it ended up.
