Ashes of War (Sons of War) (12 page)

About twenty feet inside the cave hallway, an opening came into view. A soft, dim light spilled out into the hallway. The scents coming from the room was like a slap in the face, bringing back the rage and the memories of being helpless chained to the steel table. Ty let out a growl that echoed off the stone walls.

Rushing into the circular room, Ty could barely contain his anger. Cages lined the far wall, two of them occupied. One was a male he assumed was Nik. “Nikalos?”

The male raised his head and met Ty’s gaze. His lips curled into a grin while his brows lifted in a challenge. “It is nice of my brothers to finally come for me.”

“I don’t have time for arrogance.” Ty said as he ripped the lock from the cage and opened the barred door. “Let’s get the hell out of here. You can state your complaints later.”

Nik stood from where he sat on the floor and stalked to the door. But instead of leaving with them he moved to a cage a few feet from his where a small form laid curled up in the corner was. When Nik broke the lock, darted inside and came back with a teenage girl in his arms, Ty’s anger flood him like hot liquid filling his veins. “She’s a child,” he growled.

Nik nodded and continued out of the cave, forcing Ty and the others to follow. “Yeah. Our brother is a sick fuck.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“Garrick injected her with some kind of serum. She’s been asleep for more than ten hours.”

Bastard
. At one time Ty had hoped his brother could be brought back from his insanity and make amends for his crimes, but not now. Garrick stooped to a new low with kidnapping children and trying to unlock their powers before they were ready.

About ten feet from the exit, about a dozen Imperials stormed into the cavern, blocking them. Ty skidded to a halt. Markus and Seth step up beside him, shielding Nik and the girl.
Mark, can you teleport?

Markus growled, rumbling the building and the floor.
No. The bastard’s got a spell on the place.

Lifting his hands waist high, Ty curled his fingers, formed a baseball-size fireball and thrust it at the Imperials. As expected, the cowards jumped back from the exit.

Ty charged ahead and, once outside, threw another fireball at the group to their right, making them scramble out of the way. Nik took the chance to dart off toward the woods with the child. Seth followed, leaving Markus and Ty to deal with the idiot-with-power gain. Which was fine by Ty. It’d been a while since he’d had a really good workout.

A couple of the Imperials darted to the side to chase Nik, but Markus was faster. He grabbed them by the backs of neck and slammed their heads together. The crack of their skulls echoed off the trees and rocks around them.

With efficient, swift grace, Ty advanced on the group of demi-gods who stood in defensive stances. He plowed into a group of four, knocking them down like they were cardboard cutouts.
What the fuck?

He scanned the faces of the others, who all stared off into the darkening forest.
Empty shells. Puppets.
Only able to only obey their string holder. An icy sensation rolled down his spine a split second before a female scream cut through the air.

Markus heard it too and took off in the direction Nik and Seth had gone. Ty followed, running in time with his brother, heart pounding and the burn of fear for the girl racing in his blood.
May the gods help anyone who lays a hand on her
.

They came to a stop next to Seth and Nik. In front of them, Garrick held the girl in his grasp, fear widening her eyes.

Garrick grinned. “What a happy family reunion.”

Markus let out a deep, fierce growl. “Let the girl go. She’s of no use to you.”

“That is where you are wrong. Blair, here, will lead me to her big sister.”

Dread sliced through Ty’s gut. Garrick had to be talking about Rayna, one of the women on the list Gwen found among her father’s notes. Garrick could never be allowed to capture the female. Next to him, Seth growled loud and long and charged forward. Before he reached Garrick, the bastard disappeared, taking Blair with him.

Seth let out a roar. The ground shook and birds fled the treetops. Markus slammed a hand on Seth’s shoulder. “We’ll find them.”

Nik raked a hand through his hair. “Blair is very weak at the moment. Garrick will need to allow her to build up her strength. I’m guessing because her age, the serum he gave her to unlock her powers doesn’t work the way it does on older descendants.”

Ty nodded. He didn’t like leaving her in the hands of Garrick, but Nik was right. It’d be at least a week before Garrick would send Blair after her sister. Right now, they needed to prepare for his judgment day.

****

Ash closed the door to Amissa’s room just as she sensed Ty entering the mansion with his brothers. There was another presence with them.
Nikalos
. She descended the stairs and followed the loud voices coming from the great room.

Ty met her gaze instantly and he stalked toward her. Drawing her into a tight hug, he buried his nose into her neck. She hugged him back, feeling the slight tremor going through him he hid from everyone around him.

“What happened?” she whispered.

He lifted his head and held her gaze through his shades. “Garrick has one of Themis’s daughters. She’s only seventeen.”

Fury rose within Ash and nudged her to find Garrick and rip his head off
. Be done with the damn thing.
“He’ll use her to get to Rayna.”

Ty pulled his back slightly to study her for a moment. “You know who Themis’s daughters are?”

Ash rolled her eyes and pushed away from him. “I was raised in Olympus and researched the archives to learn everything I could about descendants as well as the Sons. Yes, I know. I will also remind you I spent two years with Garrick, learning everything I could about the women he had on his top ten list.”

She walked past him and stopped in front of Nik. “Were you there when Elizabeth admitted to killing Sophia?”

Nik nodded and crossed his arms. “I was. The bitch got what she deserved. But I was surprised Garrick showed up with the dagger and literally stabbed her in the back.”

Ash froze. Okay, she hadn’t expected so much anger from the dragon. Then again, he’d been a prisoner in the same room Ty was tortured in. A wave of relief washed over her knowing that Nik was on their side. Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled at Ty who stared at Nik, disbelief etched in his handsome features.

“Markus, can you have Selene prepare to unlock Ty’s memories? Once it is done, I have to take him to Olympus for judgment.” With hope it was almost over, she paced to Ty and kissed him.

Breaking the kiss, she removed his shades. “We have a witness and, with your memories unlocked, Zeus has to drop the charges on you.”

Ty dropped his gaze back to her lips. “I’m not counting on it until I hear him say the words.”

“Fair enough. For now, I’m hungry. Care to dine with me?”

The brow over his good eye—the human eye—rose and his lips curved into a sensual, yet naughty smile. “I’ll have Maxwell bring dinner to our room.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “
Our
room?”

“Yep, I’ve been an ass and denied what is fated for too long. You’re mine and I want to seal the deal.”

Chapter Seventeen

The open-mouth look of surprise on Ash’s face sent a smug and satisfying thrill straight to his heart. He’d known for a while how she felt about him—how she never gave up on him and fought his daemons when he wanted to throw in the towel. Her belief gave him strength when he needed something to cling to. For years, he lived with the knowledge judgment would come. Now, he actually believed he could walk away a free man.

He owed his thanks to Ash—his mate and his heart.

He teleported to his room—no,
their
room. When they materialized in the middle of the large bedroom, he did something he swore he’d never do. He confessed his love for the female in his arms. “I love you, Ashlynn, goddess of the hunt, and want you as my bonded mate for all eternity.” Tears filled her eyes, making his heart ache. “Don’t cry. You’re not allowed to cry.”

She laughed as a single tear rolled down her cheek and cupped his face in her hands. “Only happy tears with you. I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you, but didn’t realize it until the first time we spoke outside this room. I am yours, always, and accept the mating.”

He struck fast and hard, sinking his teeth into her shoulder. She sucked in a hiss, then moaned and melted into him. Her blood coated his tongue, tangy and sweet like wine. Her scent surrounded him, invading his head with its drugging, strawberry fragrance.

Tightening his grip, Ty tugged her closer and still she wasn’t close enough. He withdrew his fangs from her and walked her backward. When her legs hit the mattress, she fell on it. A moment later both their clothes dematerialized and Ash smiled, showing the tips of small, sharp fangs. As a goddess, Ty didn’t have to cut himself for her to complete the blood exchange. No, she could give herself fangs to score his skin. His cock jerked at the thought of her taking from him. Her lashes lowered, then lifted as she gazed up at him. In the next instant, she gripped his cock at the base and covered him with her mouth.

Pleasure slammed into him, damn near making him come. Her warm, wet mouth moved over his dick, sucking and licking. He sank his fingers into her silky red hair and tugged, but she dug her nails into the backs of his thighs, intensifying the building wave of pleasure. Then she sank her tiny fangs into his cock.

Fuck
.

The sting of the bite quickly turned to pleasure as she continued to work him with her mouth. The orgasm slammed into him, making him lose all conscious thought. When the last shudder rocked through him, he withdrew and gazed down at Ash, his lids heavy.

“Get on your hands and knees in the middle of the bed.”

The sweet scent of her desire reached out to him, driving him and the dragon insane. She scrambled farther up on the bed and positioned herself. He crawled up behind her, leaned down and nipped her ass cheek. She whimpered lifted her hips.

Slowly, he trailed kisses up her back until his body hovered over hers. He traced a hand up her outer thigh to her hip around to belly, and then lower. A small cry of pleasure burst from her lips when he cupped her pussy. He slipped two fingers into her wet folds and stroked, increasing the rhythm until the juices from her orgasm coated his fingers.

Withdrawing his finger, he sank his cock inside her in one swift thrust. Damn, this female belonged to him, was inside him. With each passing minute, his connection to her spread inside him and their bond grew stronger. It was as if the missing piece of his soul had been found.

Biting down her ear lobe, he spoke in a husky, growly tone. “You are mine.”

“Yes.” Her breathless response sent a jolt straight to his cock, pushing him closer to the edge with each thrust.

She reached up and tangled her fingers in his hair. Fisting a handful, she moved her hips in time with his. Pleasure rolled through the strengthening mating bond. Ash screamed out her release. He followed her over the edge.

Ty fell to the bed on his side, taking Ash with him. Just as he got comfortably curled around her, a knock sounded on the door. Ash wiggled as if she was going to get up, but Ty locked his arms around her. “Whoever it is, they’ll leave.”

“It may be our dinner.”

Ty growled and sniffed the air. Maxwell’s scent lingered from the other side of the door. Reluctantly, he rose from the bed and answered the door, not bothering to put his clothes on.

****

Two hours later, Ash sat on the sofa in the study watching Selene direct a blindfolded Ty to a chair in the middle of the room. Next to her, Gwen covered her hand. Ash smiled and opened then closed her hand over the other woman’s.

“Ashlynn.” Ty growled out in warning as Selene helped him sit in the chair.

A laugh bubbled up at Ty’s warning. He hadn’t called her by her birth name in about a week, she realized. Biting her lower lip, she tried not to laugh. She really didn’t know what got into her.

Gwen leaned into her and whispered, “You’re nervous. It’s natural.”

Nodding, Ash took a deep breath, calming her nerves. She was so not helping the situation. Any anxiety she felt traveled through the mating bond, in turn putting Ty on edge.

“What’s the point of the blindfold?” Ash whispered back to her friend.

Selene answered instead. “It lets me know how much he can trust me. In order for this to work, he has to completely open his mind to me.”

The weaver glanced toward the door and allowed her gaze to linger for a long moment before focusing back on Ty. Ash thought she was having second thoughts until Thea entered with Trenton in her arms, the toddler fast asleep with his head on her shoulder.

Selene smiled and her body sagged as if relieved to see her son. Nodding to the nymph as she sat in a chair in the corner of the study, Selene removed Ty’s blindfold. He blinked several times before locking gazes with Ash. The pupil of his right eye—the dragon’s eye—shrank to a thin line, leaving the red and gold iris.

“Ty, I need you to focus on this pendent.” Selene held up a silver chain with a large teardrop-shaped crystal at the end. As she moved the pendent side to side, she spoke in a hushed, clear tone. “This is similar to hypnosis, but I won’t take you all the way under. I need you awake when I cast the spell. Do you understand?”

When he nodded and watched the crystal, she continued. “Listen to only my voice and relax.” Another short pause while all sound in the room dissipated, leaving the hum of Markus’s computer running. “What is the last thing you remember before seeing Elizabeth at the bar?”

Ash’s heart thumped rapidly in her throat. She and Ty had talked about this and agreed she needed to be in the room since she was the jury, so to speak. Jealousy would not rear its ugly head, Ash wouldn’t allow it. Besides, she needed to know everything that happened between him and Elizabeth before, during, and after the whole ordeal.