Chapter 1
Slake Resort, Peirasmos Island – Earth
Lucy stilled on the moss-covered steps of one of Slake’s most private and secluded entrances. Suddenly off balance, she braced a hand against the shoulder of the stone gargoyle at her side, willing the rough surface to ground her. The fact that she was alone in the dark with only a piece of rock for stability made her more aware of her surroundings. The dark recesses of the jungle seemed too silent, but her Immortal senses caught the rustling of wind through the moonlit trees.
That didn’t mean she was alone.
Rykr.
Gooseflesh rose over her bare arms as raw need tightened her body. It was fleeting, there one moment and gone the next as if the erotically charged presence hadn’t sent her nerve endings humming.
The long strands of her hair slid over her face and neck as the wind picked up, and she swore she heard the rush of heavy wings far off in the distance. Her nipples hardened against the lace of her bra at the mere thought of his being near.
Sucking in a breath, she sent her senses deeper into the canopy, knowing she wouldn’t detect anything out there.
He was gone, if he’d truly been there at all. The sensation of being alone made her stomach clench.
She bit off a curse as she got herself together. Every damned time the awareness came, it was only for a split second, just long enough for her to doubt whether it had been there at all. Was she constantly imagining his presence because she ached for their connection?
If it was truly her Rykr, the power signature felt different, not that of the boy she’d known nearly a decade ago. She’d seen images of him over the last five years and barely recognized her would-be mate. The familiar teasing smiles were replaced by firm lips and the icy blue stare of a dangerous, tattooed God. Even the heavy midnight wings he’d inherited from his grandfather Hades had grown stronger and heavier. The silky black feathers grazed the ground behind him as he walked or stalked, as he was wont to do.
Every night, she fantasized about the sexy male he’d turned into while mourning the loss of the mischievous boy she’d loved.
His twenty-fifth birthday was looming in the near future. She wondered if he’d finally come for her or if he would punish her, make her wait longer for insisting he deserved this time. She didn’t know the male he’d become, so she couldn’t even guess at his motivations.
Her fingers slid over the twining tattoo that covered her bare arm. It was a reminder of how she’d crushed him once.
Lucy cut through the winds, her hooves barely skimming the ground as she galloped through the dew-covered meadow to the lake beyond, her straining flanks nearly one with the elements she commanded in beast or Immortal form. The crisp mountain air slid into her lungs, carrying hints of the forest around her.
Though she usually felt completely at ease on her family’s land, no amount of sunlight sparkling over the crystalline waters of the nearby lake could give her peace now. She was completely lost in her head and felt flat-out sick to her stomach.
When Immortals found their mates, the bond was eternal. True mates were rare and beautiful gifts. Finding yours wasn’t supposed to feel like a nightmare or some kind of curse.
But fate had screwed up this time. You weren’t meant to find something so incredible in childhood. The complications were just too much to deal with, even for someone like her, the daughter of a powerful ancient Guardian of Earth and all its Realms.
With a thought, she shifted out of her warhorse form. Snow-white flanks were quickly replaced with tanned legs covered in a soft green sundress. As a Hippeus, she had the option of a human form, that of a full warhorse, or half of each. Hers was the only Immortal race to have three shapes, but she preferred the full beast or full human to what mankind thought of as centaurs.
She stared out over the glittering blue waters, sensing the animals watching her from the lush green trees around her. One of the wild, wolflike creatures, native to the Immortal Realm, peeked out from the woods, its silver eyes flashing in the crisp morning light. She watched as it bounded out from the tree line so she could scratch behind its ears. “Hi there,” she said in greeting, but her stomach churned with far too much turmoil to focus on the normally bloodthirsty breed. It didn’t require her full attention, as the animal would never harm her.
She sucked in a deep breath. Her own beast snorted in her mind, not at the wolf’s presence, but at Lucy. Her warhorse was vehement that she not stay her particular course, but her mind was made up.
As if there’d been any real choice.
The moment Rykr reformed in the air, the wolf darted back to the forest. It feared Rykr’s crackling energy even though he was only a boy. She watched as his massive black wings beat the air, carrying him over the lake in her direction. He was fifteen to her nineteen, yet he was at least six inches taller than her five foot five inches. One day, he’d be the hulking size of the Gods from whom he was descended. He already looked so much like his grandfather Hades, with his brilliant blue eyes and black hair. When he smiled down at her, his beautiful face lit with intense pleasure, and that only made her heart ache more.
His sapphire eyes didn’t hold any heat, yet—Immortals weren’t fully matured until twenty—but there was still love shining in their depths, innocent, pure love from the boy she’d grown up with. And in moments, she knew she’d crush that light, along with his heart, under the heel of one of her low sandals.
Her hand absently rubbed the ache in her chest.
They were fifteen hours from her twentieth birthday, and they shouldn’t be taking any more chances seeing each other. A part of her was secretly horrified that she might suddenly start lusting after the boy.
He touched down in front of her, immediately chastising her. “Don’t look so upset, Lucy. They don’t know what they’re talking about. There is no reason for us to stay apart after your birthday.”
She gave him a hard look. His arrogance used to add to his charm, but that wasn’t the case at the moment. It just spotlighted his youth and their age difference in a blinding light. If he thought she was going to ignore not only their parents, but the healers as well, he’d lost his mind.
No one knew what kind of repercussions there might be if her beast half caught so much as his scent after Lucy was fully matured. Immortal mates generally met as adults thousands of years old. The second they touched, they went into a frenzy of lust that didn’t relent until the bonds were complete and their souls were one.
Sometimes, scent alone could trigger the need.
So no, she wouldn’t be getting anywhere near him after she turned twenty.
Undeterred by her hard look, he tried tempting her. “I brought you something.” Mischief sparked in his eyes as he reached a hand into what seemed to be thin air. He did it slowly, making her wait for what he’d reveal. She knew he was trying to make her smile, and it just made her hurt a little more. She already missed him.
The magical air trick he was using to tease her came from his mother. Rykr had been born of two worlds—Earth and the magical Norse world Thule. His mother was an ethereal Goddess of Thule, and his father was the son of Hades and a Thulian priestess. The magic he would wield at twenty would be nearly that of a full-blooded God.
With a wink, he finally revealed his treasure. She could only stare at the bouquet of wild, tropical-looking blooms of crimson draped lovingly along lush green vines. They were the most beautiful flowers she’d ever seen, but it wasn’t the beauty that had her mouth gaping. For a moment, she allowed the raw magic of the blooms to slide over her fingers. It felt oddly like the warm power that came from healers.
“They’re full of magic,” she murmured, looking up into his twinkling blue eyes. “And beautiful. Thank you.”
He stood a little taller as he smiled down at her. “I picked them for you in Fólkvangr. Happy birthday, Lucy.”
Her heart panged and her stomach clenched until she swallowed through it.
The Celestial Realm he spoke of was said to be even more magical than the Norse world of Thule. Only the rare and powerful Thulian priestesses had the ability to venture there. Even the Gods of that world were denied entrance to the heaven-like plane. Since Rykr’s paternal grandmother was a priestess, he could enter at will.
She firmed her lips. “Were you allowed to take these from Fólkvangr?”
He smirked. “Define allowed.”
“So the answer would be no.”
He raised a hand in entreaty. “Don’t worry so much. As soon as we’re mated, you’ll be free to go there, too. So what if you get to enjoy them a little sooner?”
Eventually, they would share everything. They’d become two halves of a whole, stronger than they’d ever been before.
“We need to talk, Rykr.” She subconsciously brought the vines to her chest as she turned toward her favorite seat by the lake. It was no more than a rock with a flat spot on the top, but it was her sacred thinking spot.
She sat on the stone surface, reverently settling the flowers at her side.
His wings were still unfurled, so he stood a few feet in front of her, his hands planted on narrow, denim-clad hips. His chest was bare, showing the lean muscle of a teenager.
After a second, he groaned. “You really need to stop overthinking this, Lucy. There’s no reason we can’t see each other until I turn twenty. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“That’s not happening,” she stated. Already there were issues she wasn’t sure would play out well when she turned twenty, the biggest being that, technically, she and Rykr had already touched. She’d held him as a baby, and he’d taken her flying when he was eight, all before either of them had any clue why they’d always felt so connected.
As children of the twelve powerful Guardians of Earth, they’d all been raised together, secreted from the world. There wasn’t a Guardian parent who wasn’t rabid about keeping their young safe. As the oldest of all the kids, she’d spent most of her young life helping watch over the rest. They all looked up to her, so it hadn’t seemed odd that she and Rykr were attached at the hip for years.
Once she figured it out—or more accurately, one of the Guardian healers, Sirena, had figured it out—several years ago, their DNA had been checked to confirm they were, indeed, mates.
Lucy ignored his argument as she tried to get her thoughts together. She pinched the bridge of her nose. There was no telling how messed up things were about to get. Already something was wrong with her powers. It was as if she were being punished for finding him too soon.
Rykr’s wings trailed in the tall grass at his feet as he paced. “Lucy—”
“No. We can’t see each other after this. I’ve already lost one power, and nobody knows why.” Her light was gone. The pure white magic wouldn’t flicker to life inside her anymore, no matter how hard she tried, and it felt like a hole was torn in her soul because of it. The healers didn’t know what to do. No Immortal had ever lost an ability before. It wasn’t supposed to happen, especially when she was reaching the point of her maximum personal potential. A part of her thought it might come back on her birthday, but that could have been wishful thinking. All she knew was that losing her greatest ability cut her deeply, and she didn’t want to see him in that kind of pain.
“I don’t think it’s gone because of our connection. The healers are just guessing,” Rykr said emphatically. “It makes more sense that you used the power in the way it was meant to be used. I’m sorry it’s gone because I know it hurts you not to have it. I hate that, but you’ve used more power than any full Immortal had access to over the last few years. Your light freed thousands of beasts from the evil that enslaved them and created balance in Hell Realm. There isn’t any more tainted blood to get rid of.”
This wasn’t the first time he’d shared that particular theory, and it had validity. But it didn’t feel right for the power to just be gone. Yes, she’d freed the creatures of Hell from the blood magic used by the vile beings who’d thankfully died during the end of the world. It wasn’t lost on her or anyone else that her light had been what had righted the wrong in a Realm known for being dark. But Hell beasts weren’t inherently evil. They couldn’t be blamed for what they were compelled to do while enslaved.
She’d restored order over the years, nearly burning out many times. It had felt right, no matter how relentlessly she’d worried her parents with her compulsion to heal the creatures. She was proud of her accomplishment, proud that she’d done something good for their world. The beasts now served the purpose they were born to—feeding on the malevolence of the damned souls sent there. Even now, souls sent to Hell were finally being purged of darkness so that they could break into a thousand pieces for rebirth on Earth.
She shook off those thoughts and focused on what she needed to do. Rykr was staring at her, smiling, and she hated that she’d be the one to wipe that expression away.
Mentally steeling herself, she finally blurted the words she’d been dreading. “After today, we can’t see each other.” It hurt, but it was the right thing to do, no matter what he hoped. “I won’t take chances with your powers.”
His body tensed. “Lucy—”
“No. I will never forgive you if you seek me out. And more…” This was the worst part, and she held her breath before forcing the words free. “I don’t want you to come near me before your twenty-fifth birthday.”
“What?” he bellowed.
She sucked in another fortifying breath. “I will have nearly five years of being an adult before you turn twenty. I’ll be able to do whatever I want while you’re learning about your powers and the worlds of your family. It’s not right, Rykr. It’s not okay that I get time to get to know myself as an adult and you don’t.”
His wings flexed with his anger. His face was a hard mask as his eyes flashed at her. “I will not stay away from you.”
“You have to.” She’d considered this long and hard. “It’s eternity, Rykr. You have no business being tied to me before you’ve had any time to get to know who you are as a grown male.”
He was more than angry, and even with his power lashing out into the trees and over her skin, she wasn’t scared. She was safe with him. They loved each other. And that was why she had to do this for him. For them.
Through gritted teeth, he said, “I know who I am now. You do not get to make this choice.”
She braced for what she knew would seal the deal. “I will not accept you if you come for me before you turn twenty-five.” That was the kicker. It was considered Earth law that full consent be given before an Immortal touched a potential mate. The law had been meant for pairings with a mortal because the humans weren’t used to the more primal natures of Immortals, but it wasn’t worded exclusively for them. If one person chose to deny the bond, then the other had to find a way to convince him or her without touch. Excessive unwanted advances could end in a forced separation where the offending party was caged for a specific amount of time. It was a harsh law for a reason. Skin-to-skin contact meant there’d be no going back, not once the mating frenzy started.
He flinched a little before saying, “You wouldn’t do that.”
“I will. You deserve a life.” He deserved the world and every happiness in it. That was what love was—wanting the very best possible for the other person, no matter how much it hurt to give it to them. She refused to allow him to jump from childhood into an eternity bound to her in every way. They’d be linked telepathically, and even though the bond was beautiful, it was a huge commitment.
“Why are you doing this?” Fury and deep-seated hurt warred in his beautiful eyes before he snapped at her, “You want to experience life? Does that mean sex with someone else?” He was livid and acting out.
She shook her head, trying to calm her own temper. “You know me better than that.”
“So you want me to be with others. Is that the life experience you want for me? To come to your bed with skills.” It was a shot to her heart to hear him say that, and her beast reared up inside the confines of her mind, angry at the image he’d painted.
Regular Immortal males needed sex to fuel their energy, and he was using that to try to hurt her, to get her to stop her from separating them. Knowing his reasons didn’t make the words hurt any less, and she wouldn’t change her mind.
His tactic might have worked except that she knew he was different than other Immortal males. According to Sirena, the Guardian healer, he shouldn’t be ruled by sexual need like others were. His biology and power were beyond that. She felt like an ass for having even questioned the other woman before making her choice. But in all reality, she wasn’t sure she could handle it if he touched anyone but her.
She unclenched her jaw to speak as calmly as possible. “You do whatever you need to do, Rykr. I’m not saying I want you to have sex with anyone else. I don’t want that, not at all. But it’s important to me that you have a life before being bound to me for the rest of time. I want you to have time to grow before children come our way. There’s no Immortal birth control. Do you really want to be a father at twenty-one?” She couldn’t imagine being pregnant at twenty.
He practically growled. “Kids won’t come for a decade after we’ve mated.”
Lucy’s long hair whipped in the wind, lashing at her cheeks as Rykr’s anger and hurt threatened to tear her apart. The elemental skills from his mother’s side had always manifested with his strongest emotion.
“I was conceived the very same night my parents finished their bond, and you know that.”
“But that isn’t how it normally works,” he argued.
She lifted her chin. “I will not accept you if you come to me at twenty.”
“I can’t believe you’re doing this. That’s ten years, Lucy. I won’t do it.” He practically vibrated with intensity as he vowed, “I will come for you.” The trees groaned as the gale intensified with his frustration. She felt him losing control as power charged the air around them and clouds filled the skies.
And then he was gone, teleporting away in anger.
The air suddenly stilled as her heart broke in two.
Would he come back in the few hours before her birthday? She swallowed, realizing this could likely be the last time they’d see each other for years. If he tried to see her sooner, she would deny him. She’d hate it, but it was the right thing to do.
She lifted the flowers to her cheek, closing her eyes as tears washed over the delicate petals. She’d never forget his furious, anguished look, and could only hope that with time, he’d understand and forgive her.
“Perfect timing.” Ophelia’s sudden presence jolted Lucy nearly out of her skin. Damn it. She hadn’t even felt the other female reform right next to her. That wasn’t exactly good form for the child of a Guardian. It was, however, enough to lock down any lingering thoughts of the past.
“Yes.” Perfect timing was an understatement.
A glance in Ophelia’s direction showed the Demi-Goddess daughter of Hades was definitely dressed for a night at Club Thirst. The female’s short silver dress sparkled in the moonlight, and when they turned toward the door, Lucy noticed the silver chains that made up the back. It was more fitting than the tight black pants and silk tank Lucy wore. The strappy high heels helped give the outfit a dressier vibe, but it was pretty tame for the club they were heading to. She forced herself back to reality, back into the right mindset for a celebration at the vampire-inspired resort. If not for her friends, who she considered family, she’d leave and enjoy being one with her couch.
They ascended the steps side by side. With a telekinetic push, Lucy swept the massive arched doors wide.
Suddenly, the forest went deathly quiet, and the humid air seemed to thicken before they reached the door. Ophelia stilled at her side, the Demi-Goddess having sensed something as well. Ophelia’s long black ponytail whipped around when she turned to scan the area. Both of them sent tendrils of power out into the jungle, searching for any sign of trouble.
Red eyes gleamed through the shadows, and coils of smoke caught in the wind, bringing with it the stench of sulphur. When a massive hellhound launched itself at them from the canopy, Lucy smiled and Ophelia cursed.
Lucy continued to sweep the area with her power and gaze even as she leaned over a fraction to greet the beast. “Hi, Princess.” She couldn’t put a finger on what she’d felt, but it wasn’t the hound. Whatever had been out there was gone now.
The Demi-Goddess narrowed her dark, sapphire-rimmed eyes as she murmured, “If there was something out there, the hound scared it off.”
Lucy nodded. Part of her wanted to believe it had only been an Immortal running in beast form, considering all the Immortals who lived on or frequented the island and its several resorts to indulge the mortal guests in their fantasies. This was Peirasmos Island, after all. The name itself was Greek for Temptation.
Princess butted into her side, nearly bowling her over, which drew a smile from Lucy’s lips before she obediently scratched behind tall, pointed ears. The beast resembled a Doberman in shape, though she was easily three times the size, and had slick black fur. The hound would never be mistaken for an Earth dog, even though she was currently acting like one.
Hellhounds were born to serve a purpose in their Realm, but they weren’t the only creatures there, and all the Realm’s beasts were notoriously feral and vicious. They were constantly fighting to the death over territory. Only the strongest survived. After long ago healing the beasts of the evil they’d been tainted with, she’d systematically removed any creatures that were too docile to survive their ruthless native surroundings. In the mortal Realm, they were perfect for security, either here on the island or in other situations like big events where Hades or Aphrodite spoke to national leaders. Lucy, and Lucy alone, was the one in charge of that type of security, and she was incredibly proud that her beasts were so effective in scenting out and feeding on the evil energies that came from malicious intent.
Lucy glanced around, wondering if the other beasts were close, though she didn’t feel them. “Go on, Princess,” she said with a final pat before the creature gracefully launched back into the night. With a last, edgy look into the shadows, Lucy turned and strode through the still-open arched door with Ophelia at her side, wondering what they’d felt. The second the heavy wood clamped shut behind them, she felt an odd sense of relief wash over her.