We stayed in the castle for the night. I shared the luxury guest suite with Ares. Though I grew up with wolves, I always had a penchant for lavishness. Maybe it was the corrupted Angel blood in my veins. I was the Angel King’s bastard daughter after all.

I strode toward the master bedroom, not shy from claiming it for my own. Ares looked at me from across the room with dark longing on his face. He was waiting for me to invite him to my bed. With a snicker, I booted the door shut in his face.

I could bear a grudge for a long time.

Our afternoon’s quarrel still rang in my ear. He’d insulted and humiliated me in public. I’d sworn at him, and he’d barked back that he had no interest in fucking me again. And then he’d mocked at my misery that I couldn’t find another man to touch me.

I’d declared he would be the only one who would never get to touch me again.

I was keeping my word now. 

The more we mated, the more complicated it got. Nothing good would come out of dallying with a Dragonian prince. What would happen when I couldn’t live without him and he didn’t want me anymore?

The mating call buzzed in my veins, but I fought back, denying it and myself.

I wouldn’t be with a man who would choose another woman over me because of his ambition.

I kicked off my boots and threw myself on the bed. It was vast and soft. It could accommodate both Ares and me. I could lay my head on his broad chest after we fucked. I sighed. I could bury nose in his body; I liked his scent.

Stop it!

Fire filled my veins and ice filled my heart.

~

 

We left the next day at dawn.

Lucas stayed with us, despite his fight with Ares. I learned that they were childhood friends. All of Ares’ team members were like Ares’ brothers, but one of them was a traitor.

Even after Ares had thrown out the horned Dragonian, Insurgent had still found us. So Tyrone might not be the leak. Who else could it be? I’d excluded Lucas and Einarr. There was no motivation for them. However, loads of Dragonians didn’t like the idea of having a half-blood leading them. The mole had to be Boomer, Jericko, or Caen. I’d be watching.

Now that Ares and I had bonded, though not to his knowledge, I’d have to consider his benefits if they didn’t collide with mine.

The morning air was fresh and crisp in the high sky. A palette of colors rose and spread across the horizon, bracing for the rise of the sun.

The world hadn’t awoken beneath us. It felt as if we were the only ones who walked the Earth and flew the sky. It made me happy that I was sharing this with Ares.

He sensed my mood and tucked me against his chest. His warmth and solidness and confidence made me want to purr, until I remembered I was still holding a grudge against him. I stayed in his arms for a few more seconds before I pried his hand off my waist.

He sighed, but didn’t sneak his arm around me again.

Ventus sped up, and the chilly current rushed past my face.

“Do you want to sit behind me so I can shield the wind from you?” Ares asked. “Since we’ve already shared the height of intimacy, you don’t need to feel shy to cling to me.”

“I’m not shy, and I’m fine as I am now,” I said in a clipped tone, determined to keep my distance.

To show my steel will to push further, I inched to the edge of the seat. My body protested for moving further away from Ares. It had no pride and no shame. It only had carnal need. Every second of the day, it wanted Ares to fuck it. A lot of times when I battled it, its need won.

I tried to turn my attention to the road.

We flew across a range of mountains, rivers, and cities after cities, and in between were the wrecks of the civilization tumbled down by war. The world was constantly shifting and remolding. Prosperous cities were leveled, and from the ruin rose a new civilization that would soon become old. In the end, a rainstorm of time would wash away every hint of their existence.

Would Ares and I still be around to see how the new world replaced the old?

He had thousands of years to go. And I might be immortal, as Eye-patch had revealed. I felt no joy at having eternity. I would have to watch my own world and those I cared for fade away and never return.

I would be all alone.

At the glimpse of the future, I wanted to edge back to Ares and bury my face on his warm chest as my body craved, as my instinct called.

Why did I keep resisting him?

Because Ares wanted me only for sex. Especially when the mating frenzy drove him as hard as it pushed me. Yet in his higher mind, he put his witch there.

Weren’t a few quick bangs all I’d wanted as well? Then why was I so irked? He would keep fucking me until he got his witch, if I let him. He wasn’t even as eager as before to find her, but that could only mean he wanted to fuck me longer before he had a new, shinier toy.

What a calculating bastard.

Ares leaned toward me, using his velvet, seductive voice on me. His mating need was calling to him. I stretched forward, almost prone on Ventus’ scales, to get out of the prince’s reach.

I listened keenly to Ventus, as if every nonsense word the flying alligator puffed out was gold.

You completely misread him, Witchling, Ventus started. 

Do I? I sneered.

I see. You’re still jealous of the witch. But you’re the witch. Why are you jealous of yourself? I haven’t heard crazier thing than that.

You don’t understand, Ventus.

A Dragonian, especially the very best of them, said the guardian, never goes astray from a decided path, but he’s doing that for you. He no longer pursues the witch with single-minded determination because of you. And you only try to find all sorts of excuses to fight your feelings for him. It won’t end well. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

“What are you two whispering about?” Ares demanded, his gruff voice cutting through the mental communication between the guardian and me. “I won’t tolerate conspiracy. If there’s anything you two have to say, you say it out loud.”

He really hated being excluded, didn’t he?

“Freyja and I were discussing relationships,” Ventus said.

I bristled. “We were not.”

“What’s to discuss?” Ares said. “You don’t discuss it. You do it.”

With that, he had his hands on my waist, lifted me up, and pulled me to his lap. “Stop fighting me,” he said, his voice husky and rich, and heat blazed in my belly and all the way down, until liquid fire pooled between my thighs.

I shivered with lust.

“We need to come to an agreement,” Ares said, “so we can both have some peace. I’ve had enough of this.”

“Enough of what?” Ventus asked. He wanted more soap opera.

“Stay out of this, Ventus,” Ares said. “You’ve been encouraging her all along. Don’t think I’m deaf, even though I can’t hear you two whispering dark schemes. In the future when Freyja doesn’t behave, I’ll hold you responsible as well.”

Ventus swept his tail sheepishly at his master’s scolding. He thought he could always watch others burn and laugh on the sideline unscathed.

I chuckled at his humiliation, and he puffed.

“We’ll stop at my Moonshade Villa,” Ares said.

“It’s a bit detour, if you don’t mind me saying that, Your Highness,” Ventus said.

“It’s only half a day’s flight,” Ares said. “I need to go there and set things straight with Freyja.”

“You can set whatever straight with me here,” I said. Ventus might back me up here.

“Not here,” Ares said, tugging me closer to him. He wanted no space between us.

“Is Moonshade a safe house?” I asked.

“It’s my private resort,” Ares said. “Only Ventus knows its location. We won’t be ambushed, if that’s your concern.”

“We need to get to Mysth as soon as possible. I don’t want the cursed fire breaking out on the road. It’ll burn Ventus!”

“Ventus is tough,” Ares said.

“I’m not!” Ventus cried.

“Didn’t I melt your ice and cool your fire, Freyja?” Ares coaxed.

“We got lucky,” I said, unable to quench the fear in my voice. “What if you can’t help me the next time?”

“In order to stop the curse from striking again,” Ares said, “I need to calm you first. That’s why we need to go to the Moonshade. We’ll get to the Fey realm in a few days.”

“What are you going to do to calm me?” I challenged.

“Oh, you know,” he said, his hand moving up and cupping my breast.

My lips parted, but I stifled a moan of pleasure.

I’d rejected him last night, though I had been tormented by the unfulfilled lust through the night as well. I’d showed him the new-leaf Freyja wasn’t weak and carnal. I’d promised him that he wouldn’t get a piece of my ass again. I had to stick to my honor, and I did have it.

Yet thrill buzzed in my blood at what was coming. My nipples grew taut.

“I’m gonna take a nap,” I murmured.

Didn’t get any sleep last night, Witchling? Venus snickered. He was one who held a grudge as well. The prince didn’t either. I can tell just by how irritable he’s now.

I ignored him and dozed off, only to be awoken by a shout of my name.

I flashed open my eyes and found my face pressing on Ares’ chest, my hands seizing his massive, armored arm.

He gazed down at me with amused tenderness. 

I looked around wildly. My heartbeat resumed to normal when I didn’t spot Angels.

A vast rainforest loomed ahead. Endless shades of orange, red, and blue waved beneath us in the wind.

“I heard shouts,” I said.

“We’re at the Moonshade,” Ares said. “Ignis wants to say goodbye. That’s why he yelled your name.”

I snapped my head to look for the guardian of fire and saw he was already by Ventus’ side.

May we meet again, Witchling, Ignis said, his fiery eyes gazing at me. I’ll miss out on a lot of excitement.

I blinked. Why? Where are you going?

“Returning to Atlantis,” Ignis said.

It flooded back to me that Ares had assigned Ignis to return Caen to the capital to handle the royal business while his father lay on his death bed.

“Must you go, Ignis?” I asked. “Isn’t it wasting resources? Why can’t your Dragonian passenger find a horse?” I ignored Caen’s glare and added, “There’re plenty of transportation on the ground. By gathering his wits and spending some money, he’ll get a fast one.”

He won’t agree, Ignis sighed.

From his sad, hopeful eyes, I knew he wished Caen would be man enough to prove him wrong and release him, but the selfish, hard-ass royal cousin only nodded to Ares and nudged Ignis to fly toward the rainforest.

I turned to Ares, wanting to beg him to let Ignis accompany us. I hadn’t expected to grow so attached to the guardians. It hurt to see even one of them leave. But looking at Ares, I knew his decision was final. The Dragonian prince was everything but sentimental.

Ignis gently bumped his snout on my side, his version of a hug, and shot toward the endless trees, a stream of fire in his wake.

Ventus abruptly dropped altitude and flew between the forest and cliffs half covered by the clouds. It was a stunning sight, but I was more concerned that other guardians weren’t following us.

“What—” I asked, then my jaw dropped at a vast natural cave in the midriff of the cliff. At this height, clouds flowed by it.

“Are you ready, Freyja?” Ares asked.

“Ready for what?” 

Ventus thrust his head toward the mouth of the cave. Ares held me against his chest, grabbed a vine rope hanging from the top of the cave, and flung forward.

I yelped when I realized my feet dangled in the empty air.

“I’ve got you.” Ares looked down at me with a mischievous smirk. “You like jumping, don’t you?”

“Who said I liked jumping?” I hissed.

“No matter,” he said. “We jump.”

“Wait!”

He let go of the vine and landed with my legs wrapping around his waist and my arms coiling around his neck.

“I’ll never let you fall,” he said. “Have some faith in me, my darling Freyja.”

I hissed at him again, but I didn’t release him. My body liked clinging to his.

“Ventus, pick us up in the morning,” Ares shouted toward the cave’s mouth. 

“I’m not a cavewoman,” I said. “Why must we—”

Then I saw we were inside a modern villa—the Moonshade.