Embracing Destiny Read online

  I grimaced at being busted checking out his brother’s ass, but it was a nice ass. Zahruk snorted, glamouring on clothes. Fang, who had pretended to be Cade, cracked his neck, glaring at me while I ignored him. I waved my hand, dressing him in the same outfit he’d been wearing before I had snatched him out of the forest and forced him to help us.

  “You traitorous bitch!” Eris hissed.

  “Me? I’m not the one who slithered her way into this stronghold with a potion that promised to make Ryder a god, ensuring enough strength to survive the war. You are the cause of the chaos and endless drama unfolding within these walls, Eris, Goddess of Discord and Chaos. Did you think I would be so stupid to agree to your proposition? Tell me, were you supposed to murder my children, or deliver them to our enemies to be murdered?” I asked, stepping on her throat and leaning over, pushing the bolt further into her side. “They are babies! They are innocent of any wrongdoings and have not even begun to live yet.”

  “It wasn’t personal,” she muttered hoarsely, wincing as I twisted the bolt, hurting her further. “I didn’t have a choice!”

  “No? There is always a choice in which side you join.”

  “You can’t hold me,” she whispered. “I am a fucking goddess, an ancient one. You are a fucking newborn!”

  “I’m aware, which is why I brought someone even the gods will bow before. Tell me, have you met Lucian Blackstone yet?”

  “Lucian, who?” she snarled, slowly turning her angry gaze to the door that had just opened. “No! No, no, he can’t be here!”

  I smiled coldly as she shrieked, enjoying it way too much.

  “Hello, Eris, does your mother know you’re intervening in the games of gods?” Lucian asked, snorting when she shook her head vigorously. “Didn’t think so, because I’m sure Nyx would kick your ass all the way to the Underworld if she did.”

  “I am under an oath owed,” Eris hissed. “I had no fucking choice! It wasn’t personal.”

  “It wasn’t personal?” I asked coldly, producing the clear blue vial she’d given me. Removing the cork, I leaned over her, pushing it against her mouth as she struggled, clamping her lips closed. “Drink,” I ordered.

  “Mmm!” she screamed, shaking her head.

  “What does it do?” I asked, pulling it away.

  “It would kill him!”

  “You wanted me to kill my mate? Why?”

  “I can’t say!” she hissed.

  “Tell me, or you can fucking choke on your own poison, bitch,” I warned, watching as she struggled against the vial of poison I was about to shove down her throat.

  “If she is bound by an oath owed, she cannot tell you,” Lucian said, studying Eris as she pleaded with him silently.

  “She can’t say who did this?”

  “No, Goddess, I’m afraid not. She can tell you everything but who they are.”

  “I know who it is,” I admitted. “Bilé is marching toward us with the mages. I’ve seen him. What I want to know is, what were his plans for us?”

  “I don’t know,” Eris growled. “Bilé sent me here to plant the Apple of Discord, and to create confusion while you devised battle strategies for war. I also placed a spell on the map in the throne room. A spell Bilé provided, planted as instructed. The map shows him every move you had planned for your troops, giving Bilé the advantage. He assembled his armies at those battle locations before the horde would reach them, taking you all by surprise. I released chaos into the stronghold, knowing that endless arguments would arise, and so they did. I have to admit, though, I’m impressed with the female solidarity you have here, and a little jealous that I had to watch it from the shadows. How did you figure out what was happening?”

  “I’m not fucking stupid. No god or goddess does anything out of the good of their hearts. I may be new to this gig, but I damn sure know they don’t have hearts. You found me and offered to help me for nothing in return. I knew from the moment you uttered that first hello that you were not my friend. Did you think you could walk into my house, kick off your shoes, and cause a ruckus without my notice? Not in my house, and not with my family.”

  “You want to save a man who is fucking other bitches!”

  “Actually, Ryder didn’t fuck anyone. Zahruk fucked you, but Ryder removed your head, or Carina’s head, while you were within her body. He figured it out by the way the runes responded to poor Carina and realized there was a goddess within the brainless bitch. Do you think you are the only goddess with the power to see what happens around this place? You created confusion in the men, but they felt you every time your shadow magic oozed from your pores. Sloppy, really,” I shrugged, pushing the bolt in deeper. “You thought you could fuck my king? Bitch, please. That dick is mine. I am his mate, and your little game, while amusing, is finished.”

  “It wasn’t personal, and I didn’t want to do it. Bilé saved someone for me. My lover died in a battle and wandered endlessly, unable to gain eternal slumber. As the God of Death, he placed Collin into the Underworld. I owed him an oath, and once called into play, you cannot say no. So, when he summoned me, I came. He is your mother’s husband, and you seem to be…”

  “His target,” I finished for her. “I’m fully aware of his issues. So, thirsty?” I pushed the potion into her mouth and held it closed with my hands. “Bottoms up, bitch,” I growled. Eris convulsed, and I turned, staring at Lucian, who chuckled, shaking his head as he watched her with amused eyes.

  “You realize that you just gave the Goddess of Chaos and Discord a potion that will turn her mortal, right?” Lucian asked, lifting his sinful midnight-blue eyes to mine.

  “She came into my house, not the other way around. Wait, a mortal?”

  “She intended to make Ryder mortal, as in human. Nyx will be furious, but even she cannot argue that Eris struck first blood in a world she doesn’t belong in. I suggest you let me take Eris. I will protect her until Nyx can collect her. Interesting and fun,” he offered, bending down to pull out a large piece of glass embedded into Eris’s tongue. “That’s curious.”

  “Okay, we need to work on your communication skills. I’m starting to hate that word when it slips off your tongue, even if it is a nice tongue.”

  “Which is bothering you more, when I find something interesting or not being able to figure out what I am, Synthia?”

  “Both are messing with my brain,” I muttered, rubbing my temples. “Pretty certain both scream trouble in one way or another.”

  Lucian chuckled and turned, holding out his hand as Spyder stepped from the shadows, eyeing Eris with a sinful smirk. “My favorite little bad girl,” he murmured, bending over to wrap a silky black curl around his finger. “Thought I smelt chaos and sex around here.” Sniffing her hair, his smile dropped. “Why does she smell human—and like you?” He turned to look at Zahruk as shadows swirled around him.

  “So…She tried to fuck Ryder and ended up with Zahruk shape-shifting into Ryder’s image, which made her land on his dick instead,” Lucian announced. “Not his fault that she wanted a cock she couldn’t have.”

  “She fucked with the wrong dick. Now, how the fuck did Eris become mortal, assholes?”

  “She tried to trick me into killing my husband. She also planned to take my children to the murderous bastard marching an army in this direction. He would have slaughtered my children if she’d succeeded. Your cock can find another pussy to pet, Spyder. Or hell, take her with my blessing.”

  “Oh, hell no, her mother is fucking nuts. I ain’t touching that kitty. Fuck that noise,” Spyder chuckled, stepping back.

  “Grab her,” Lucian said.

  “I said no,” Spyder frowned, crossing his heavily tattooed arms over his chest. “No means no! Ain’t you read those posters?”

  “Pick her up, or I’ll drag her through the streets back to the club and tell
Nyx you did it.”

  “Dick move,” Spyder grumbled. “This will not end well.”

  “Thank you for helping us,” I said to Lucian. Bowing low, I watched his smile darkening.

  “I didn’t do it for you. I did it because Ryder promised me an oath. Remember, Synthia, gods don’t have hearts, and what I am, well, we don’t have fucking souls either.”

  “Okay, well, I got nothing,” I admitted, turning to look at Fang.

  “Do not thank me. You kidnapped me and threatened to remove my dick, which I intend to keep.”

  “Desperate times call for desperate measures. Next time, no slipping me the tongue or tit grabbing, pervert,” I mumbled, shrugging before I winced at the glare he was giving me. “Besides, those orcs were about to eat you, so technically, I saved your life.”

  “They were babies, and under two feet tall,” Fang snapped irritably.

  “You have no idea how fast little ones grow up these days.” He stared at me as if he could make me vanish with his rage. “Anywho,” I stated before turning sad eyes to Ryder, hating the way my heart clenched with the words that came from my mouth. “Destiny is waiting for us.”

  Ryder swallowed, watching me through pain-filled eyes. “It’s too soon.”

  “We cannot wait any longer. If gods and goddesses have been called in to assist Bilé, we must send the children to where they cannot reach them. Thanatos forewarned what happens if we don’t. It’s not an easy choice, but it is the right one. Lose their childhood or their lives. I choose to protect their lives, my beast.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tears filled my vision while I smiled as Ryder fell to the ground, pretending the little wooden sword had pierced his heart instead of being tucked in his armpit. The boys laughed and cheered while Kahleena clapped as she sat on my lap, watching them.

  “People will die, mommy,” she whispered, slipping her tiny hand into mine.

  I turned, studying her golden eyes ringed with worry. “In war, death is inevitable, sweet girl.”

  “Uncle Liam said that you’re a warrior, but even warriors die in war,” she sobbed, curling against me to hide her tears.

  I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tiny form against my body as tears rushed from my eyes. Ryder swallowed hard, staring at her as if he sought words to comfort her, and failed.

  “War is ugly, daughter of mine,” I whispered into her pretty platinum curls. “War happens when two separate sides cannot see eye-to-eye, and one or both parties refuse to communicate peacefully to solve their grievances. It tears people apart, forcing them to make hard decisions to protect their families from the ugliness. I won’t tell you everything will be fine because I know that it won’t. It will rip apart the world we love no matter who wins. That’s what war does, Kahleena. It rips a path through the world until it reaches its destination. Both sides will carry heavy losses because neither will allow the other to win. That is why you are going to the City of the Gods with Destiny.”

  “But I want to stay here with you,” she whispered.

  “Dry your tears, daughter. Listen to me. I love you so much. I love you so much that it aches to even think about sending you away. I need you and your brothers to be out of the reach of our enemies. Your father is the King of the Horde, and I am the Queen. I am also the target of our enemy. I need to go into this battle without fear of you or your brothers being caught or killed. You three and your father are my world. It would destroy me to lose any of you. Do you understand? I cannot worry about you and fight, and I must fight to protect this world from the monsters who seek to destroy it. Your grandmother gave her life for mine, and I won’t allow them to destroy her legacy. I love you, but this is not something I will change. My job is to protect you first and foremost, no matter how much it hurts me to do so.”

  “But what if you die?” she asked, her fat tears rolling down her chubby cheeks while gentle sobs shook her tiny frame.

  “Then you will be safe when it happens,” I murmured, kissing her cheek before wiping away her tears once more. “I will live on through you. If your father falls, he will live on through you too. You will have your brothers, and will never be alone, sweet girl.”

  “Daddy can’t die,” Zander said with a frown creasing his brow. “He is the Horde King, and immortal.”

  “He is,” I uttered, staring into my son’s steady gaze. “He is the strongest warrior the horde has, and next to him are your uncles and auntie, and none of us will allow the enemy to take him from us. Nor would he allow them to get to me.”

  “I need to take them soon,” Destiny announced from where she sat, regarding us as we said our goodbyes. “There’s also an entire hallway of people outside, waiting to come in and say goodbye.”

  “We need a few more moments alone before you let the masses in,” Ryder replied, standing to move closer. He picked up Cade and Zander and sat with them beside us while I leaned against him, seeing his large hand dwarfing our daughter’s tiny head as he placed it on her.

  Out of the three, Kahleena was the tiniest. The boys had shielded her from being revealed in my womb until Ristan had removed them and discovered her. They’d also taken most of the nutrients, evident because she was much smaller than they were.

  “Your mother and I wouldn’t send you away if we didn’t need to.” Ryder rubbed his hand over his face, trying to choose the right words. He may have been the most terrifying thing inside this realm, but with our children, he was gentle and always struggled to find the right words to convey his feelings. “I don’t like this either, but knowing you are safe from our enemies, it allows me to have my head here, where it needs to be. I promise to protect your momma and keep her safe. My father was a murderous prick, and he left me a legacy filled with foes and treachery within the horde. I need to be here to watch our people and the enemy. Your mother is right. If you stay, we will worry about you the entire time. We have to be fully aware of our surroundings and who we fight instead of worrying about your safety.”

  “Because they would use us against you,” Cade said, frowning, regarding us carefully. “We make you weak.”

  “You’re our world,” I said, touching his cheek before kissing the top of his head. “You’re not a weakness; you’re our greatest accomplishment. Do you hear me? You strengthen us, but our enemies would seek to take you from us. They know we love you more than anything, and if something happened to you, we’d do whatever it took to get you back. You make us fight harder to protect your futures. We’re not fighting this war just to fight; we are fighting it to save the world your grandmother created for us. Faery belongs to us all, and to protect it, we will go to war. Never think you make us weak because that is not possible.”

  “Uncle Liam says loving us makes your enemies more willing to use us to force you to surrender,” Zander said, folding tiny arms across his chest to study our faces.

  “Uncle Liam says a lot of things, doesn’t he?” I muttered.

  “He does, he’s smart,” Zander agreed.

  “Is he now?” I smiled, noting the pride that shone in Zander’s eyes as he spoke about his uncle.

  “Unless he has that silly girl in the room. Then they just scream and jump on the bed,” Cade mumbled, shrugging. “He says we can’t jump on the bed, and he does it all the time. She also screams, ‘oh my goddess, harder, yes, yes, I’m coming…’” My hand covered his mouth as Ryder’s shoulders shook with laughter.

  “Uncle Liam may not be as smart as he thinks he is,” Ryder chuckled.

  “I think Uncle Liam needs to be spanked,” I teased.

  “She likes that too,” Zander said, making a face of confusion while he put his hands up as if he held no answers for why a female would like a spanking. “Maybe she was bad a lot as a child and still needs a spanking.” He stared at us while we fought the need to laugh. “What? It’s possible she
was a very bad kid. Liam is fair, so she must need it badly.”

  Ryder burst out laughing while my face turned bright red. I elbowed him in the ribs, enjoying the grunt that exploded from his lips, barely containing the urge to join him.

  “I’m sure Uncle Liam could use a spanking of his own. Now, are you little beasties ready to say goodbye to everyone else?” I swallowed down the lump in my throat, not wanting the moment to end. At their nods, I wiped away the silent tears from Kahleena’s golden gaze and whispered against her ear. “Be brave, my little warrior, let no one see your tears. And you two,” I said, turning to Cade and Zander, “you hold her for me when she is sad. You hold each other and remind one another we are waiting for your return. We love you so much, and I want you to remember that always. Hold on to it when you are sad, and when you’re happy, think of us. The second the war is over, we will bring you home.”

  Destiny opened the door, and Ristan stumbled into the room, scratching his head, guilty at having been caught listening in on our conversation. Olivia waddled past him, taking a seat in the chair I’d brought in for her, added cushions included.

  “Auntie Liv, you need to have the dangle,” Kahleena laughed, moving away from Ristan, who tried to hold her to place her hand against Olivia’s protruding belly. “Be brave, littlest cousin, I’ll be back soon.” Sad eyes peered up at Olivia as she hugged her around her swollen belly tightly. “I love you, Auntie Liv. Always, and always, remember that and be brave.”

  Ryder held my hand as tears struggled to release from the tight hold I had on them. Ristan slid to his knees, smiling at Kahleena as she rushed into his arms, smothering a sob with her hand.

  “Oh, my sweet little Kahleena,” Ristan chided gently, love filling his tone. “It will be okay. You’ll be back before you know it,” he reassured Kahleena, helping her to hide the tears that trailed down her cheeks as he wiped them away. “We just need to handle some business, and you’ll be able to come home soon enough, right?”