My mates’ desperate, enraged roars rang in my ear. I reached for them, only to wake up and find myself alone in an ivory bed.

Their muscled arms weren’t around me. I didn’t have their hard, warm chests to lean on. I had no one to kiss my lips at first light, calling me “Cass baby” with a teasing smile and sexiness in their voices.

What had happened wheeled back—the fucking sun god had kidnapped me. He’d torn me away from my mates.

Angry tears clung to my lashes, but I would not allow myself to cry in the enemy’s lair.

Sunlight beamed through the silky curtain, taunting my cheeks.

I turned my head to peek out the window.

Where an angry ocean rolled yesterday, now stood a bright, lush garden. The sun god could mold and shift everything in his domain with a thought. He was showing me that my thoughts of escaping were futile.

I’d challenge him. I’d escape when I found an opening. I’d figure out the mechanics of this place first and determine where the slipstream hid. 

I flung the velvet blanket off me and swung my feet off the bed.

A shadowy figure rose from the ground and popped up in front of me. I yelped and instinctively threw my hands up, but my air magic didn’t even cause a breeze. The torque around my neck flashed a dark, violet light and sent a shockwave of pain through my nerve endings—punishing me for attempting to call my magic. 

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Goddess Cass,” Aurora said, bowing at me and beaming. “Rise and shine.”

Damn that girl. I ignored her and focused on the torque. I wasn’t giving up. I wouldn’t be bound. I wouldn’t be caged. Not for long, anyway.

I clenched my teeth, ignoring the intense pain from the torque’s electric shock, and gathered my fires in my belly, commanding them to liquefy the torque. I pictured a stream of white-hot fire sheathing the alien object and burning it, growing hotter and hotter until it melts.

Fucking melt it!

But my flames couldn’t rise above my magical well. They swirled around the walls, hissing in frustration before fizzling out.

All that remained was a spark of ember, buried deep in the ash at the bottom of the well.

I roared at the ember. You don’t fucking give up! Rise!   

The torque glowed, tightening on my neck, and cutting off my air supply.

It allowed no defiance.

Fucker! I didn’t need to breathe air to live. I’d learned that bittersweet secret after Phobos tried to poison me with the Devil’s Love.

When the last ember failed to arise, I called Earth once more.

It had aided me on many occasions. It might just give me a hand one more time to help dismantle the alien bind. 

I felt a response, like a glimmer, and my heart leapt. The twinkle winked out in the next instant. Earth was too far away. It had no root here. I couldn’t access its power.

In my desperation, I clawed at the torque again. It only sank deep into my skin, cutting me, and the shock was like thousands of needles stabbing my neck.

Breathing out a curse, I loosened my grip on the torque, and the pressure around my neck released. I dropped to the floor and doubled over, panting. At the same time, I darted my gaze around wildly in search of a weapon—anything hard. All I could come up with was to break the chair and wield one of its wooden legs. 

“Good morning, Goddess Cass,” Aurora repeated her greeting. “You look flushed.”

“What are you doing here, Aurora?” I demanded.

“I serve you, goddess. How was your sleep? Did you have sweet dreams?”

This was nuts! But I wouldn’t take out my frustration on her. Pity rose in me instead. The sun god had turned her, and probably many others, into a mindless slave. 

“Have you been here the whole night, watching me sleep?”

“Yes, I slept on the floor,” she said with a cheerful smile. “You snored at some point, but I won’t report it to His Lord God if you don’t want me to. I know how embarrassing it must be for you. A goddess isn’t supposed to snore.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” I said. “Report it to the psycho.”

Her smile thinned and worry lines creased her forehead. “You should not curse, which you do quite a lot, Goddess Cass. As I said before, you don’t want to be sent to the horrible place.”

I sighed. She was hopeless. It seemed there was nothing I could do for her. I sank onto the edge of the bed, grabbed a pillow, and wiped cold sweat from my forehead with its silky surface.

Aurora lunged at me. Just before I shoved her away, I realized that she was only trying to help me dab the beads of sweat. She’d fight me to do what she considered her job.

So, I sat stiffly and let her swab my skin with her silken handkerchief until she was satisfied and stepped back, peering down at me with a proud smile.

“You did well, Aurora,” I said. “You can leave now. You don’t need to serve me. Find a bed to sleep. You shouldn’t sleep on the floor.”

“I’m also here to escort you,” she said. “His Lord God expects you to join him for breakfast. It’s a great honor to be invited to dine with His Lord God, Goddess Cass.”

I gave her a sour look.

If I refused to go, Apollo might punish Aurora. I was hungry anyway, and I needed to find out what the no-good jerk Apollo was up to. I might need to change my strategies again and appear meek if I ever wanted to get the fuck out of here.

When Aurora helped me put on a pale pink gown with more than enough skin exposed, I didn’t give her grief. The material was light and soft against my skin like none I’d ever worn.

Apollo was trying to force me to step into a role as a goddess, or at least look like one.

~

As soon as I stalked out of my suite, Aurora scrambled after me. Five armored sentinels positioned outside the door moved into formation around me. They were here to escort me to see their master and to prevent me from escaping. 

The sentinels were minor gods. The torque confined my power, but I hadn’t lost my hyper senses. I could smell the power grade of each one of them. I was getting better at detecting different species as well. Somehow the ability just awoke naturally.

If I’d had this prickly sense when I first met Apollo, disguised as the head of mages, I would have known he was a major god.

Actually, I’d had my suspicions, but I had lacked experience.

I wouldn’t beat myself up too hard for being green, considering I hadn’t been out of the cage for too long.

“Hey dudes, isn’t it overkill to have five of you big guys guarding me?” I asked the sentinels. “You should complain about it to your boss, or I could on your behalf.” I spread my arms. “I’m just me, right? Totally harmless. I’m not going to kick your big, fat asses.”

None of them were fat. Gods were all fit and good looking, whether minor or major.

The sentinels didn’t respond, but Aurora sent me a nervous glance. I shrugged. It was fine with me that they played mute. The day would just get more boring.

We trod along the corridor of gold until we came to a grand dining hall.

Aurora stepped aside at the entrance.

“Goddess Cass, His Lord God is waiting,” she said, then merged into the background, becoming invisible.

The sentinels didn’t follow either, as I strode into the hall with my chin held high, as if I owned the land. 

Badass attitude was important when dealing with a psychopathic god, but then my long, elegant gown got in the way. It was meant for me to glide toward the sun god like a high lady. The diamond-studded hem of the gown wasn’t exactly designed for me to march on. The high heels also added some degree of difficulty as I stomped across the golden floor.

Oh, how I hated the gown exposing my full bare back. But it was either that or wore nothing.

I was ready to give Apollo hell, especially when I spotted him sitting alone at a table for two in the center of the splendid hall, waiting for me with a supercilious smile painted on his perfect, stupid face.

He thought he was so irresistibly sexy. I’d seen how his smile made everyone’s knees weak in the Academy. But I was Cass Saélihn. My knees didn’t go weak for anyone except my mates.

Apollo believed if he took me away from my mates, I’d change my mind and fall for him. It made no difference, though. His high-voltage charm brushed off me and fell into deep, murky water without a ripple. 

This god dude was destined for disappointment.

Over fifty servers, all young and beautiful, plucked from many races and species, lined up on the left side of the wall, eagerly waiting to serve Apollo. Some of them had exotic looks and otherworldly scents. They weren’t from my Earth.

All the servers carried trays with a variety of drinks and food atop them. My gaze wandered to those dozens of different cakes, and I tried not to lick my lips.

Upon my entry, a team of musicians on the low stage set at the right side of the hall laid their long fingers on the fingerboard, pulled their bows, and ran them across the strings. And just like that a lovely melody flowed out, waltzing in the air like light magic.

How marvelous!

This was the kind of life I had dreamed of when I lived in the cage. I’d vowed that I’d give up part of my soul just to have a taste of a fine life like this. How had Apollo known my deepest desire? I hadn’t even told my mates this fantasy of mine.

The sun god was more dangerous than I’d thought. He couldn’t seduce me with silk and gold, so he was attempting grandeur. But what he didn’t know, or at least what he refused to acknowledge, was that I didn’t want this luxurious lifestyle if I couldn’t enjoy it with my mates.

I advanced toward him, my eyes burning with hate and fury. He took me away from a life I’d never imagined I could have, a fulfilled life I shared with my devoted mates, and now he tried to sell me an empty dream.

Apollo regarded me, and his smile shifted. A dark challenge glinted in his green eyes that paled everything else in the hall. He’d seen the rage in me and was ready for it.

I wanted to strike him, but it wouldn’t be wise while I had no power. I held back my urge to claw at the torque. I would only show my powerlessness in front of my enemy.

“You look stunning, Cass,” Apollo said, eyeing my exposed cleavage. “The goddess gown suits you.”

Just as I’d thought, he dressed me like a goddess, a role he certainly wanted me to play. He, however, wore a white polo shirt that stretched over his broad, muscled torso and white slacks that displayed his powerful legs. He knew I preferred attire designed by mortals.

A male server, who looked more gorgeous than any supermodel in the human world, appeared at my side and pulled the chair out for me. I sensed his power grade. He was a minor god at the bottom of Olympian hierarchy. That’s why he served Apollo at the table.

If the minor god dude was in the occupied human cities, he would be treated as a god and enjoy a lot of privileges, despite his lower status on Olympus.

Apollo was showing off his powerful status. The servants one used always reflected the master. He also let me see his small army made of sentinel gods, yet another obstacle preventing my escape. 

I slouched down on the chair across from him and kicked off my shoes.

When he arched an eyebrow at me in disapproval of my manners, I flung a shoe at his nose, faster than most could track.

Unfortunately, he caught the slender heel without even looking in my direction. He was snapping his fingers, summoning the servers to bring over the meal.

Gasps rippled like a wave through the hall, then all fell into a stunned silence.

I frowned at Apollo. “No one has ever thrown a shoe at you?”

“Don’t behave like a child, Cass,” Apollo chided. “It’s not funny anymore. And you’re too old for playing pranks. Most gods and goddesses mature at the age of two.”

He clapped, and a beautiful female server, who smelled like an Earth witch, immediately scurried toward us. Apollo handed her my shoe, and she knelt in front of me.

“Please, Goddess, allow me to put the shoe on your divine foot,” she murmured.

“Really, Apollo?” I asked. “How can it be any fun if you’ve made all of them mindless?”

“I didn’t do that to them,” he said. “There’s a cost for a mortal or weaker supernatural to be in the presence of a dominant god.”

“Please, Goddess,” the server murmured, fear flickering in her almond-shaped eyes. “If I fail to serve, I’ll be sent to the horrible place.”

If I turned her down, she’d be punished. But if I obliged, Apollo would think that I cared and would use it as leverage against me.

You just couldn’t afford to care before your enemies.

“Why the fuck do I care?” I hissed, but I stuck my bare foot out of the gown.

“Now get the fuck out of here,” I ordered the moment she slipped the shoe on my foot.

She darted a look at Apollo. At his nod, she scrambled away.

I couldn’t afford to show kindness to any of them, but I wouldn’t be cruel to them, either, so I remained crude. This was also a new strategy against Apollo. If I put on a docile act right away, he would grow suspicious. So I acted predictably—throwing insults at him and being rebellious first. I would allow him to “tame” me after a while, and then fake being submissive as the result of his abuses.

Then I’d strike him down the moment he let his guard drop.

“Shall I have the servants send away the cakes since you don’t want breakfast?” Apollo asked in faked politeness.

“Who said I didn’t want breakfast?” I parried. “Why would I insult the host by refusing food?”

“You threw your shoe at me, which is considered a severe affront. I’ve killed many for not bowing to me appropriately.”

A few servants pressed themselves against the wall, shaking with abject terror.

The sun god was warning me.

I smiled at him sweetly. “I threw only one shoe with no follow-up, so it doesn’t count as an offense.”

“Then what is it if not an offense?”

“A warning.”

He narrowed his green eyes.

“I won’t be treated as a prisoner, Apollo.”

“You aren’t a prisoner. A prisoner has no privilege to share a meal with me. And do you know how many women have fought to be in your seat?”

I rose. “Well, let them have it then, and I’ll just get the hell out of here.”

He waved a current of sunbeam at me, which sat me back in the chair.  

“You’re my future bride, Cass. I prepared all this to get you used to the lifestyle of a goddess. You’ll learn everything you need to know under my coaching. In the end, you’ll claim your birthright, and fight and rule by my side as my queen.”

He was baiting me. He only wanted to use me as a sharp knife to cut Zeus from the throne of Olympus. He must have seen some part of the prophecy that foretold I was the weapon to kill the gods, since he was also the God of Prophecy.

There would be no ruling for me, only battle and inevitable death.

“Sure, what a sweet dream for every woman,” I said.

“It shall be your dream, little Cass. You’ll see it my way eventually.”

How could one argue with a psychopath?

The servants approached. One of them set down a mug of coffee with a lot of sugar and cream in it, just the way I liked. Then they laid cakes all over the table.

Apollo watched me, waiting for my next move.

I would just eat cakes. I’d take all he offered, and more, but give nothing back. That was a small revenge on my part.  

I took a swig of the steamy, creamy coffee, and nostalgia hit me straight in the face. My mates always provided me with a mug of coffee first thing each morning. We always chatted and joked during our coffee time. Among all of my mates, Lorcan was the worst at telling jokes because he’d been too serious for eons. It was a good thing that his male sexiness and magnetism made up for his bad jokes. I pushed the images of playing with my mates to the back of my mind. I couldn’t afford to show any weakness in front of the sun god.

I lowered my head and stuffed my face with a lemon cake. Lemon reflected my mood now.

Despite all of his faults, Apollo had excellent chefs. Even so, nothing tasted better it did than when I was with my mates.

Apollo chucked. “Slow down, little Cass. No one will get between you and the cakes. How interesting you’re the only goddess who enjoys mortal food.”

He didn’t know that I could eat anything, and I had no intention of informing him that I ranked at the top of the food chain. I could drink from a second-tier god. I might be able to drink from a major god like him if I was given a chance to practice.

Apollo would never let me practice on him, of course. I’d have to find a way to sip him. One small step at a time, and he wouldn’t be alarmed. If I proved to be a threat he couldn’t contain, he’d eliminate me sooner than I’d realize. Even now when he needed me, I wasn’t safe.

But I’d learned that the major gods could be killed. Right before Apollo kidnapped me, the elemental shifter had spoken. “Find the ancient scroll written in the god language. It shows the way to kill the gods.”

Who the heck knew where the rabbit hole was? There were tens and thousands of rabbits and they all made holes.

Maybe my fae mates would know of a specific rabbit hole? When they were in their panther form, they probably hunted rabbits. Earth, how I missed them all.

“Do you like the view, Cass?” Apollo asked.

Yeah, I had peeked out the window. It was all dark blue sky and stars outside. He was aiming for romantic. The sun god could change any setting with a mere thought, but I wasn’t going to play along. My expression was anything but impressed, and I was the champion of stubborn.

“They’re fake. Aren’t you the God of Magic and Illusion, too?”

“I might also be the God of Magic and Illusion, but I assure you, they’re real. I’m among the few who possesses the power to move Earth and Heavens.”

“I thought only Zeus could do that.”

I knew that would irk him. I needed more information from him regarding the current discord among the gods that might accelerate their civil war. If I could play a role in pushing them toward that direction, I would change the face of the war. After they beat each other to death, it’d be easier for us to pick off whatever was left of them and take them all down.

Apollo sneered, an ugly crack through his perfect face.

“Zeus isn’t all-powerful as mortals wrote in their inaccurate, pathetic mythology. Soon we’ll show them who the big Daddy is.”

“Who is this we? It should be daddies instead of daddy, if there’s more than a singular individual.”

Who were his conspirators? This was information I needed to know.

Apollo leered at me. “You like to share males, don’t you, little Cass? Ares and I have talked about it, and we agreed to share you.”

I blinked. What the fuck?

“We can sate your carnal needs,” he continued. “Your immortal mates can’t compete with gods, not even your demigod. Have you heard the myth about fae food? It is said that if a mortal eats fae food, all other food will taste of ash. Well, once you’ve lain with a god, no other shall satisfy you. Once you have our mighty cocks buried deep inside you, you’ll want only us. Ares and I will ravish you in every possible way. We’ll fuck you to oblivion and you’ll scream our names over and over.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but he’d just succeeded in ruining my appetite. I wiped my mouth with a golden napkin that was folded like a swan and tossed it to the side of the table.

My hostile gaze met the sun god’s, dark lust swirling like a beast in his green eyes.

Fear I hadn’t known before clutched me in its cold, iron fist. Was he going to rape me? All gods were psychopaths. Many were mass murderers and rapists. They had no moral compass or conscience since they considered themselves superior to all other beings.

If Apollo attempted to rape me, I’d be too weak to fend him off while the fucking torque bound my power.

I let my rage rise to stomp out the fear. The gods were predators. Once Apollo smelled my fear, he’d use it against me, making me bend until I broke.

“I can’t wait to relish you, to lick you and taste you all over, Cass,” he said, his heavy-lidded eyes lingering on my lips, which quivered in disgust. “I haven’t desired anyone this much for an eon. You’re one of a kind. Your power of fire and storm smells complexly delicious, as do you. Your magic has the imprint of our race, yet goes beyond.”

I didn’t like his analysis and misguided flattery. I liked even less how he leered at me, like I was some sweet treat he couldn’t wait to bite into. I formed my hand into a fist and covered my lips, glaring at him to redirect his lustful gaze.

He chuckled. “You don’t even know you’re the most sensual creature, little Cass. I can’t wait for your fiery passion to burn for me one day. Your sexy lips will wrap around the crown of my cock and suck so hard.”

Fucker! Yeah, I would burn him with passion, alright, with all the white-hot fire in me.

“You’re off the track again, Apollo,” I said in a bored voice. “You won’t get any passion from me if you keep all my power locked away with this fucking dog collar.”

“As I’ve already explained to you, that isn’t a collar but a torque. And this is but a temporary arrangement. I’ll remove it when you fully submit to me, when I’m sure you’re mine.”

Which meant he planned to rape me. It was a fate even worse than being caged.

A feeling of dread, colder and darker than anything I’d experienced before, slithered up my spine. But I wouldn’t let panic choke me. I couldn’t afford to lose my shit now. I balled my cold hands into fists under the table and pushed any fear down, and down, and down.

Icy wind still roared in my ear, but my mind was mine again.

“I bet Ares won’t be afraid of a little challenge,” I said. “As the masculine God of War, he’ll be man enough to face me and take off this wretched collar.”

Dark anger flashed in Apollo’s eyes, shading the beautiful green, but it was gone in the next instant. “Provocation won’t work on me, little Cass. You have a lot to learn and eons to catch up. For your sake, I hope you learn fast. First, you need to realize that you’ll have to let go of your former, ill-suited, lovers. They don’t care about you. They only wanted to fuck you, use you, and then discard you. I knew all of them personally, long before you were ever born. They wouldn’t have spared you a glance if they didn’t believe they could turn you into a weapon.

“They plucked you when you were but a bud waiting to blossom and denied you the chance to grow into your true splendor. They took advantage of a naïve young girl, yet they couldn’t see your true essence, your true power. I, God of Sun, Knowledge, Prophecy, and Heavens and Earth, know how incredibly valuable you are, and I’ll shape you into the goddess you were born to be. I’ve chosen you as my queen.”

Apollo had just usurped Zeus’s title, not that I cared.

By now I was sure that there would be war among the gods, and Apollo needed me as his weapon, just as my mates had once wanted me to be their assassin before they had fallen for me.

I needed to get this crucial piece of information to my mates.

A wave of sadness, longing, and worry slammed into me, catching me off guard. Where were they? My heart cried out for them. My soul wanted to crawl its way out of my shell to reach them. 

How I missed their touch, their heat, and their scent. Every one of them was smolderingly hot, intelligent, and deeply caring, yet they were all so different in many ways.

When Pyrder lashed his wicked tongue over my nipple, when Reys kissed me hot and raw and made me burn for him, when Alaric thrust into me from behind, his massive, hard cock filling me, and when Lorcan sank his fangs into my throbbing, lust-filled veins....

A gasp escaped me.

Apollo’s eyes grew even more hooded. The ignorant fucker thought I was hot for him. And he would try again and again to brainwash me and badmouth my mates. One thing he couldn’t understand was the mating bond between my mates and me—destined, anciently blessed, and unbreakable. But I held no illusions. The sun god would stop at nothing to break our bond. He would tear my soul apart to do just that, if he knew how.

All of a sudden, a sense of cold clarity claimed me.

Apollo was trying a soft approach right now—romancing and seducing me. But when all else failed, he’d resort to violence, or something worse, to break me, until I became his plaything.

I almost sneered. He was an idiot if he thought he could tame, bend, or break me. Not even the cage, where I’d been locked for over a decade, had broken me.

I looked him straight in the eye. “You’re an ancient, powerful being as well. Obviously you’ve seen the flaws of their ways, so you’d better prove yourself a better male and not do the same, such as taking advantage of me.”

“All I want is for you to realize your full potential and be who you’re meant to be.”

It’s like I was talking to the wind.

Apollo studied me, lust turning darker in his eyes. “You’re young, yet you’re a puzzle. And you’re immune to my power, which only makes me want you more, dear Cass. And I always get what I want.”

I had to escape before he showed his complete psychopath face, before he could rape me and make me his fake “queen.” Despite being an immortal god, Apollo wasn’t exactly patient. He wouldn’t “court” me too long.

It might be too late when my mates reached me, or too dangerous for them to get to me. I could no longer bide my time as I’d originally planned. Besides, I wasn’t some defenseless damsel, even without my magic at my disposal.

I refused to be a victim.

But I needed to hurry up, get my shit together, and figure out another new strategy. I needed to learn more about the gods’ weaknesses lodged in their politics and conflicts.

“Scheming again, little Cass? Your tiny head never stops wheeling, does it?” Apollo asked.  Instead of sipping the fine wine in front of him, he sniffed at me. Even with the torque binding my power, he could still scent my magic. It was like a drug to him.

“Scheme?” I snorted. “You’re one to talk. You’re the master of scheming and kidnapping.”

He frowned. “I thought you got over that already. But if you haven’t, you will soon. You’d better pick yourself up fast since Ares is coming. He’ll be here any minute now. After he inspects you and is satisfied with what he sees, you’ll marry us both in secret. We don’t have the luxury of time to host a majestic wedding, but I think you understand our urgency.”

My heart began to pound in terror. For many seconds, I couldn’t breathe. It was as if shards of glass had stuck in my throat.

The notorious God of the War... He was even worse than Apollo, one of the worst beings in all the worlds. I’d once overcome his son, who could strike terror in the heart of any man, but I wouldn’t match up well against Ares, especially with the torque binding my power.

His coming would be another nightmare and present a major obstacle, making it even more difficult for me to flee.

I needed to try again to get rid of the torque if I expected to survive this.

I finally found my voice and rose to my feet. “I should return to my room to get ready if Ares is coming.”

“You look perfect, little Cass, so no, you won’t be excused. Besides, you haven’t finished your breakfast. I heard nothing could stop you from eating cakes.”

But for the first time, I had no appetite for another slice of cake.