《Olympiad is Falling, The Rise of Artemis》 Chapter 1 Daylen Prologue Sophia stood on the edge of the tower, overlooking Olympiad. The quiet vige of less than two hundred people went on peacefully. The way she fought for it to be. She looked up at the moon in the east and the sun zing in the west. Sophia felt movement in her belly and heat in her chest. The golden bands around her wrists glistened and an arrow shot through the blue sky. ¡®Artemis.¡¯ She gasped. Sophia picked up her white dress and raced into the castle. ¡®Zeus!¡¯ She screamed as she ran through the golden halls. ¡®Apollo!¡¯ Her voice bounced off the walls. Her heels clicked against the marble floor. She made it to the ground floor of the castle, but her husband and son weren¡¯t there. ¡®Your highness.¡¯ Orion and five guards rushed in. Sophia could barely stand. Orion ced his hand on her waist and guided her to the study. ¡®Where are Zeus and Apollo?¡¯ Sophia sobbed. Orion sat her down, but she rose again. She shut the study door and walked to the window. Tears ran down her cheeks. ¡®Athena¡¯s feast for the locals is today and she wanted them there.¡¯ Of course, Zeus¡¯ favourite daughter didn¡¯t invite her step-mother. It didn¡¯t matter. ¡®Sophia, what¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Orion adjusted his sword. Orion was the general of Zeus¡¯ army. He wore his glistening armour with pride nonpare. ¡®It¡¯s Artemis¡­ she¡¯s alive Orion.¡¯ Orion stepped back. The goddess¡¯ body was never found, it couldn¡¯t be impossible. ¡®Are you sure, your highness?¡¯ Sophia wiped her tears and chuckled. ¡®I can feel it. I saw her arrow sh across the sky.¡¯ The study doors burst open. Orion¡¯s hand darted to his sword. ¡®Rx Orion it¡¯s just us.¡¯ Apollo strolled in. Zeus embraced his goddess and pressed his lips against hers. ¡®What is it? A guard told us you were in distress.¡¯ ¡®Athena was not pleased.¡¯ Apollo flopped on a chair behind the desk. ¡®It¡¯s Artemis. Zeus, I felt her.¡¯ Sophia clutched her chest. Apollo and Zeus exchanged nces. Zeus gripped his wife¡¯s hands and pressed them against his lips. ¡®I know you want our daughter to be alive, but how could she have survived all those years? Could the mages have kept her? Unlikely, they probably killed her after learning she was a goddess.¡¯ Sophia chuckled. ¡®Her arrow shot across the sky, just like the morning she was finally born. I felt it in my bones my love.¡¯ Zeus walked to the double doors leading to the balcony, his armour clicked against each other. ¡®Something must have happened. A spell must have broken.¡¯ Orion said. Sophia nodded. ¡®I feel her too, more so recently. I thought it was a rue.¡¯ Apollo murmured. ¡®We have to bring her back. Summon Sris¡¯s court!¡¯ Zeus demanded. ¡®No, they must not know a goddess is in their dimension. She won¡¯t be safe. She¡¯s likely lived in hiding her whole life.¡¯ Sophia turned to Orion. ¡®I want you to bring her home. I can only trust you Orion.¡¯ ¡®Mother, Orion is a general. Let me retrieve my sister.¡¯ Apollo stood. ¡®And you are a god, Apollo. Your head is worth a pretty penny I don¡¯t want to pay.¡¯ ¡®I thought I was your favourite son.¡¯ Apollo frowned. Zeus rolled his eyes. ¡®Let¡¯s keep that between us.¡¯ ¡®Will you go Orion? Bring my daughter home?¡¯ Sophia begged. Her blue eyes spoke to his soul and there was no way he could deny her. He bowed. Once more the doors burst open and several guards stormed in. They threw themselves to the ground. ¡®Your highness. The North gate has fallen.¡¯ ¡®What?¡¯ Sophia gasped. ¡®How can this be?¡¯ Zeus demanded. ¡®There was a battlest night, our forces were subdued. Their power was too immense. The invaders have entered Olympiad and headed straight for the vige in the south.¡¯ Zeus sneered. ¡®How dare they attack Olympiad.¡¯ He brushed his red cape aside and brushed past his guards. Apollo and Orion followed behind. Sophia opened the doors to the balcony. Yet again Olympiad was under siege. A bigger threat than thest. She tilted her head to the blue sky and waited for the arrow to ze. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Emergency court meetings were never good. Thest time Queen Sris called for one was to announce her youngest son had turned into an angel of darkness and fallen from Paradis. The six elders took their ce on the smaller silver thrones either side of the king and queen¡¯s thrones. I sat on a plush chair next to other lesser members of the royal court. I adjusted my sses as two people behind me whispered about a war with the angels of darkness. They wouldn¡¯t dare. Prince Jason strolled in wearing his white uniform, his blonde hair pinned down by his heavy crown. He didn¡¯t spare me a nce. Marcus stood beside the door with his hands behind his back. There wasn¡¯t a seat for princes, he sat on the same plush chair as I did across the room. The king walked in with his head held high dimming the chatter in the room. His blue cape swished behind him. He sat on the bronze throne and red straight ahead. Avon might have been a king, but it was Sris who ruled. When she walked into the room, she silenced it. The aroma ofvender filled the room, filling my lungs. Her white hair flowed down her back like a river of life. Her golden crown dawned her youthful face. She grazed at me before she took her seat. I looked down at my notepad. Why did it have to be this way? ¡®We must be swift for we missed this threat.¡¯ She said. Her gaze wandered the room, lingering on me seconds longer. ¡®Queen Hera hasunched an attack on Olympiad.¡¯ Gasps echoed around the room. Surely it will be death for the wicked queen. ¡®The North gate has fallen!¡¯ No, my eyes shot up at her. Olympiad is the home of gods. How could a queen of mages break down the barriers of superior beings? ¡®How can this be?!¡¯ A haggarddy mmed her fist on the armrest. ¡®It seems Hera¡¯s murders have been more than that. She¡¯d been draining the powers of her people. No one is safe. It started with her own court and who know what other creatures she¡¯s consumed.¡¯ ¡®Is it toote your highness?¡¯ A man at the end of the throne wall asked. ¡®It can¡¯t be. It¡¯s our job to protect the mages and Olympiad. We are Dinemus Angels and we cannot fall. We are to stop her in tracks. We¡¯ll be deploying angels to the Mage Dimension to protect the remaining mages and stop Hera.¡¯ Sris dismissed the lesser members. We scurried out of there. We were just there to be briefed the real decisions were made by a smaller group. That included the king and queen, the prince, the general and his captains. Marcus closed the doors behind him. He was a royal guard, but he wasn¡¯t allowed to listen in. Marcus was a pain in the ass, and my only friend. I was pretty sure I was his only friend too because no one could deal with him. He ran a hand through his hair. ¡®I didn¡¯t think things could get this bad.¡¯ I sighed. We started down the hall. ¡®I thought Hera was just an over ambitious queen.¡¯ ¡®Fucking blood thirsty too.¡¯ Marcus puffed. ¡®Sris let her get out of control.¡¯ Marcus added. ¡®No, Sris thought what she was doing was best.¡¯ ¡®There you go again.¡¯ Marcus rolled his eyes. ¡®What are you talking about.¡¯ ¡®There you go defending Sris.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m calling it as it is!¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re not fooling me.¡¯ I shook my head. The doors behind us burst open and the king marched out. We stopped and gave way to the oing people. The general and his people followed then the prince. Sris exitedst, our eyes met and I had to battle with myself not to return her smile. ¡®Daylen, I¡¯m happy to see you.¡¯ She smiled. I nodded. Her smile wavered. She turned to Marcus who bowed. ¡®I need to speak to you. It¡¯s important.¡¯ She smiled. She didn¡¯t wait for a reply, she knew I would see her. Marcus smirked at me when she was gone. I groaned. ¡®Stop that.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re tense again. Let¡¯s get a drink.¡¯ Heughed. ¡®You¡¯re turning me into an alcoholic.¡¯ He draped an arm around my shoulder. *** Going to the bar wasn¡¯t the worst decision I¡¯ve made. I thought as my hand ran up and down the back of the blonde woman sleeping on my chest. The telepod on the desk beeped for the hundredth time. I groaned, Sris. I rolled out of bed, careful not to wake the woman. She rolled over to the other side. I put on my sses before answering the call. I probably should have put on a shirt too. ¡®Why don¡¯t you answer?¡¯ Sris¡¯s miniaturized image appeared on top of the round telepod. I ran a hand through my hair. ¡®I was a little busy.¡¯ I say through gritted teeth. ¡®Yes¡­ I can see that. I asked you personally to see me Daylen.¡¯ ¡®You know what, Sris you do this all the time. You say jump I say how high.¡¯ She was my queen, the thought popped into my mind after the words left my mouth.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Why do you treat me this way, my dear?¡¯ I raked a hand through my hair. ¡®Forgive me. I¡¯ll be at the castle in thirty minutes.¡¯ She smiled, ¡®We have something very important to talk about my darling. It¡¯ll make you very happy.¡¯ The image died and I fell back into bed. My rtionship with Sris brought me more stress andplication than anything else. I had to hold a double face in front of the court and my only friend. I nced at the woman and shifted over to her, pulled the hair out of her face. My lips went up her arm and found her cheek. She giggled then rolled over to face me. ¡®I¡¯m exhausted Daylen.¡¯ She murmured. I chuckled, ¡®I wouldn¡¯t mind another round, but it¡¯s time to go sweet heart.¡¯ *** I buttoned my jacket as I marched through the empty halls. I took a set of stairs leading to a forgotten lower level of the castle. I never spoke to the queen in her quarters. I had never been to the part of the castle the royal family lived. Unless I wanted my head cut off. Jason knew his mother favoured me which meant the King did too. I didn¡¯t fear Avon, but I wouldn¡¯t go round provoking a King who wouldn¡¯t blink to have me assassinated. I knocked on the heavy brass door before I marched in. This part of the castle didn¡¯t have electricity the room was lit bynterns. Sris wore a long white maternity gown. Her white hair fell to the floor in a single braid. ¡®You look clean.¡¯ She beamed. I flopped on the wooden chair. I rubbed my eyes under my sses. Dim light always irritated me. ¡®What could be so important that it couldn¡¯t wait until the sun rose?¡¯ I sighed. She walked across the room and sat on the wooden chair with purple cushions. ¡®Someone¡¯s grumpy.¡¯ She giggled. The corners of my mouth lifted. Herughter spoke to an innocent part of my soul, a part that never existed, but craved toe to life. ¡®Right.¡¯ She pped her hands and poured two cups of tea. ¡®I think it¡¯s important to have fresh minds in the royal court.¡¯ My eyes turned to saucers. ¡®No, no Sris.¡¯ She stopped pouring the second cup. I stood and paced the room. I knew where this was going. She wanted to have me killed. For goodness sakes, her family already suspected something and this they could never discover. ¡®Why not? It¡¯s important because-¡® ¡®No, I don¡¯t want it. I¡¯m fine with being a lesser member of the court.¡¯ She stood and reached for my hands. I stepped back. ¡®How will you know how the royal court works then?¡¯ She folded her arms. ¡®I¡¯m not worried about that.¡¯ ¡®Darling, I won¡¯t help you because I gave you the chance.¡¯ She frowned then rushed to cup my cheeks. I brushed my head out of her hold. ¡®Daylen please, do it for me and more importantly for you.¡¯ She pleaded. Sris never pleaded. ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea.¡¯ I said. ¡®Daylen, I order you to take a seat in the royal court. I wasn¡¯t asking to begin with really, I just wanted you to befortable. Damn you for being stubborn.¡¯ She shrugged. I should have known. I can¡¯t refuse my queen, but she wouldn¡¯t kill me if I did. If I joined the court, I would surely wash up on one of the beaches in Paradis. ¡®Let me think about it, please.¡¯ She brushed my curly hair. ¡®Think carefully my darling. I need you to rule.¡¯ Chapter 2- Artemis Why do I work there again? Stupid university life that needs a ton of money. I folded my arms and braced the biting cold. My cheeks felt like ice cubes. The trailer park was a few blocks away. I worked at a local bar it was my third month working there. Well, it was a strip club sh bar. Things were calm until a couple weeks ago, now everyone wants to touch me. I literally jumped into the house when I reached the trailer. ¡®What the heck Arti!¡¯ Raquel gasped. I kicked my boots off. ¡®Sorry. It¡¯s freezing outside.¡¯ ¡®Tell me about it.¡¯ My sister said. I scurried to our room to ditch my tights and leather skirt. I slipped into grey sweatpants and a pink hoodie. I exhaled when I reappeared in the kitchen sh living room sh everything else. Rocky had a mountain of sandwiches ready. We only had one chair in the living room so we ate in the bedroom. ¡®How was work?¡¯ Rocky asked. We sat on the bottom bunk bed which was Rocky¡¯s.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡®Sucked.¡¯ I take a bit out of my ham sandwich. A thankful change from tuna. ¡®Again?¡¯ ¡®Some douche tried to drag me to the toilet. I knead him in the crotch. He didn¡¯t like that much.¡¯ A piece of bread fell out of Rocky¡¯s mouth. ¡®Did he¡­¡¯ I offered her a small smile. ¡®That pig! He hit you?¡¯ She shouted. ¡®Shh¡­ at least he left me alone.¡¯ I picked up a cheese sandwich. ¡®You didn¡¯t just let him go did you?¡¯ I shook my head, ¡®Of course not.¡¯ ¡®Great what¡¯d you do? That son of a gun, why I ought¡­¡¯ ¡®I made a string of leaves run up his pants!¡¯ Rocky¡¯s face fell. She smacked her forehead. ¡®Oh Artemis! You¡¯re such a disappointment!¡¯ I gasped. She should have seen the guy¡¯s face when he felt a bunch of leaves run up his skinny legs. Well, it made meugh. ¡®I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t send demons to torment men who yell me!¡¯ Iughed. ¡®Ugh! And those demons will not leave him until he apologizes.¡¯ She picked up our tes and takes them to the kitchen. ¡®You don¡¯t have to keep working there, you know?¡¯ I sighed. ¡®No, I really do.¡¯ Our Dad was killed a couple months ago. The police told us it was a robbery gone wrong. They never caught the guys. Anyways, Dad left us in thousands of dors in gambling debts and without a cent to even pay a portion of it back. We lost our house to the bank and we¡¯ve got mountains of men breathing down our necks. ¡®It¡¯ll be okay Arti.¡¯ She smiled. I nodded. One day it would. I didn¡¯t want Raquel to drop out of university, but me on the other hand I couldn¡¯t keep I would sooner be kicked out. Raquel had a manageable weekend job most of what we made went to paying back debts. I went the entire month without deodorant once that¡¯s just how tight money was. Rocky sighed and pulled out her nt. The little tree had shrivelled. She traced the outline of the nt and it filled back to life. She beamed. ¡®You¡¯ve been practicing.¡¯ I smirked. ¡®Unfortunately, it¡¯ll be dead by morning.¡¯ She bumped the tes in the sink. My sister and I were a little special. Our Dad knew but always denied, said it was all in our heads. We can manipte objects, st things into orbit or order demons to torment nasty men. I think Dad was just afraid so he pretended nothing was wrong. Rocky and I promised to keep our powers to ourselves. Only my best friend and her mom know. They werepletely trust worthy. I¡¯d known Ste since I was six and Rocky was four. We said goodnight and turned in. Iy in bed thinking about what the next sunrise would hold. I rolled over and fell in darkness. *** ¡®Really Arti, the cupcakes were dryst time you¡¯ve got to fix your recipe.¡¯ Mrs. Parker rambled. I fought the urge to groan. I handed her a fresh box of cookies. ¡®I hope these are moist. If you it¡¯s not working sweetie, I¡¯m more than happy to give you a few pointers. I used to be an executive baker, ya know?¡¯ I chuckled and stared at the ground. ¡®Sure Mrs. Parker, I¡¯ll take you up on that.¡¯ She handed me three dors for the cookies. I smiled and dashed into the street. Ste waved at ady by her door. She was helping make deliveries. Baking was my other passion and profession. I baked at Ste¡¯s house; our microwave couldn¡¯t handle it. We walked to the park to kick back on the benches. I only ever got a few deliveries in a day. ¡®Rocky told me what happened, I swear Artemis you¡¯re too nice!¡¯ Ste sted. I rubbed my face. ¡®Oh Ste, can we drop. It was just a bad night.¡¯ ¡®Another one?¡¯ She frowned. Ste was a witch, yeah, I freaked out when she told me when we were sixteen. Then I calmed down enough to realize I wasn¡¯t alone. There were other special people like me. She didn¡¯t freak out the way I did when I told her my secret. She thought I was a witch too, but no. Ste¡¯s Mom, Sera said I was something more and to never tell a soul what I could do. Sera was a fortune teller. ¡®Fine we¡¯ll drop it.¡¯ She folded her arms and leaned back. ¡®Great, when do I meet your boyfriend?¡¯ I grinned. ¡®Ugh, he isn¡¯t my boyfriend he¡¯s just special to me.¡¯ I rolled my eyes. Please I¡¯d never seen Ste blush so much, she even started wearing dresses and going to the salon. Ste never did that! ¡®At least tell me his name or what he¡¯s like. I want to know who¡¯s got my best friend being girly.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯ll meet him¡­ eventually.¡¯ ¡®Is he a witch too?¡¯ She threw her head back andughed. ¡®Oh no, far from it. He¡¯s just special, I think you might like him. You like everyone.¡¯ ¡®I do not.¡¯ I frowned. Sheughed. She checked her phone and stood. ¡®I have to get ready for work. Can I borrow your pink dress?¡¯ I gaped. ¡®You¡¯re wearing pink now?¡¯ ¡®Ugh! Artemis.¡¯ Iughed. ¡®I¡¯m kidding, of course you can.¡¯ We walked to the trailer park when my phone buzzed in my palm. It was a text from Alfie. How did he get my number? My heart thundered in my chest and heat ran to my face. Thank goodness the blush wasn¡¯t as visible as on Ste¡¯s face. ¡®Who¡¯s that?¡¯ She grabs my phone from me. ¡®Ste!¡¯ ¡®Who¡¯s Alfie? And why¡¯s he asking you out?¡¯ Her face lit up. I jumped to get my phone back. ¡®No one! He¡¯s someone from the university we met in the cafeteria.¡¯ She narrowed her eyes at me before I snatched my phone away. He was demi-god gorgeous. I hadn¡¯t done anything with him, not yet. I smiled to myself. Thanks to Ste¡¯s phone ringing I wasn¡¯t bombed with questions ¡®Calm down Mom!¡¯ She looked left to right. She gripped my hand. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ She whispered. ¡®Don¡¯t you take Artemis to that house!¡¯ I heard Sera yelled. ¡®Fine, fine we¡¯reing over.¡¯ ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Ste stared at her phone. ¡®Mom says your in danger. You can¡¯t go home. Something¡¯s waiting for you. Chapter 3 Artemis ¡®What¡¯s going on Sera, what about Rocky?¡¯ I paced the fortune-telling shop. ¡®Rocky¡¯s at school Arti. I sent her a text not to go home.¡¯ Ste said. I exhaled. Ste¡¯s Mom was a fortune teller. I used to be a regr customer before I knew her true nature. Ste told me to stop. Fortune tellers weren¡¯t like psychic¡¯s or mediums. They told your future, but it wasn¡¯t always true. Most of it was straight out lies, but it wasn¡¯t their fault, it was just who they were. Most of the fortunes Sera told me came true though. Like the one about the boy who¡¯d ask me to prom in high school or how a girl nned to steal my underwear during gym ss. I really should have listened to that one. ¡®Will you tell us what¡¯s going on Mom?¡¯ Ste sat at the purple table which held a crystal ball and a deck of scary cards. Sera wore a white scarf on her head and a blue jumpsuit. Her face was painted with orange eyeshadow and zing red lipstick. ¡®I was looking at your old high school photos and I got the fright of my life. Someone or something heavens knows. Broke into the trailer the looking for power, thirty for it. I knew it was Artemis they wanted.¡¯ ¡®Are you sure Sera?¡¯ I leaned forward. ¡®As sure as the sky is blue. I know I get them wrong, but I know when they right. I don¡¯t know when it¡¯s going to happen, I can admit that, but honey be careful.¡¯ Sera¡¯s blue eyes held no mischief. Ste squeezed my hand under the table. ¡®Goodness, maybe you girls shoulde live with me. I should read my cards again. I don¡¯t like my girls being in trouble. I promise Archie I¡¯d take care of them.¡¯ She dabbed her cheeks with her scarf. Ste rolled her eyes, but said, ¡®Mom¡¯s right, you guys cane stay here. We¡¯ll share my room.¡¯ Sera nodded; her mascara ran down her face. I sighed. I wasn¡¯t sure how convinced I was to be honest. ¡®No, Ste, no need. If there is something after us then I¡¯m sure Rocky and I can handle it. I mean we¡¯re not powerless.¡¯ I offered them a small grin. One of my fears as a little girl was someone would learn about us and try to steal what we had. I wanted Sera to be wrong. ¡®I guess your right. Still think about it even for a couple days.¡¯ Ste said. ¡®We can have a girls slumber party.¡¯ Sera pped her hands. ¡®No, Mom.¡¯ Ste moaned. ¡®Oh, you¡¯re such a party pooper Ste.¡¯ Iughed. Ste and I left Sera after a client walked in. The chill I had in the shop didn¡¯t leave me. I hoped with everything that Sera was wrong. It wasn¡¯t the time for her to be right about something like this. ¡®Let¡¯s go to the university. There¡¯s a little party at the campus bar.¡¯ She teased. ¡®I don¡¯t feel like drinking.¡¯ ¡®Please Artemis you barely do. Come on Rocky¡¯s there, I don¡¯t doubt it.¡¯ She looped her arm through mine. Quarter of the university had shown up. I only knew a hand full of people whom I exchanged pleasantries with then headed to the bar with Ste. She ordered us two sses of red wine. I spotted my sister dancing with her friends. A few more sses and Rocky would be wasted. The music vibrated the table, I couldn¡¯t make out the words. Everyone else grinded to it. I felt a tap on my shoulder I whirled to see who it was. ¡®Alfie!¡¯ I grinned. He smiled back, ¡®Didn¡¯t you say partied weren¡¯t your thing?¡¯ I pointed at Ste, ¡®She made me.¡¯ He chuckled. ¡®She had to teach me her tricks.¡¯ Iughed louder and harder than I should have. I coughed, toote for that. ¡®Ste this is Alfie and Alfie this is my best friend in the whole world Ste.¡¯ She pressed her lips together and smiled. Alfie smiled back. ¡®I was just heading out. I catch you in a bit.¡¯ He said. My heart stopped the marathon it was running. ¡®See youter.¡¯ Ste narrowed her eyes at me. I groaned, what now? ¡®That¡¯s the boy that texted you earlier?¡¯ She pointed. I nodded. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ She shrugged. ¡®No nothing. He¡¯s cute in a geeky sort of way. Geek¡¯s got something going on under his shirt.¡¯ She sipped on her wine. Heat rushed to my face. I liked his square sses. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t know what he has under his shirt.¡¯ ¡®Not yet.¡¯ She murmured. ¡®Ste!¡¯ ¡®What? It¡¯s only a matter of time and you know it.¡¯ She grinned. I wanted the ground to swallow me. Her phone buzzed, I half expected it to be Sera with another prophecy. ¡®I have to go, it¡¯s work.¡¯ ¡®I should leave too and take Rocky home.¡¯ ¡®Why, she¡¯s having fun?¡¯ ¡®I know, but a drunk Rocky is an impossible Rocky.¡¯ Ste helped me pry Rocky away from her crew before leaving me for work. I half scanned for Alfie in the sea of people, though couldn¡¯t find his ck square sses. On our way home I told a twenty five percent sober Rocky what Sera told me. ¡®I doubt it! Nothing she says everes true!¡¯ Rocky tripped over her own feet and fell into my arms. We were only a few minuets away from our trailer. We had woken every other trailer owner. ¡®Hush, people will think we¡¯re crazy.¡¯ ¡®Their crazy.¡¯ She murmured. I shoved Rocky inside before she could open her mouth. Once she was in bed she¡¯d be out like a light. Thank goodness, she was the loudest drunk person ever. After locking my sister in I sat down in the cramped living room. I had a message from Alfie. You left too early, running away from me? Of course not. My sister was getting wasted, had 2 get her home. I see. You owe me a date then. I grinned. No, I don¡¯t. You owe me for tonight then. Why don¡¯t you just ask me out? I held in the oxygen as he replied. Okay. Artemis, will you go out with me tomorrow? I fought the squeals. Yeah, I might do that. *** ¡®Twin braids or one?¡¯ I asked Rocky and Ste. ¡®Why are you even braiding it?¡¯ Rocky said with a mouthful of blueberry muffins. Sera sent us a basket of blueberry and vani muffins earlier. ¡®So¡­ you really like him huh?¡¯ Ste dragged her words out. I couldn¡¯t help feel she wasn¡¯t happy for me. She looked at Alfiest night as if he was a convict. I didn¡¯t buy her niceness. She wasn¡¯t impressed. ¡®I¡¯m only getting to know him, Ste.¡¯ My tone came out sharper than I intended. ¡®Why? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ Rocky set her muffin down. ¡®Nothing-¡® ¡®There¡¯s something off about him.¡¯ Ste cut me off. ¡®Ste!¡¯ I grumbled and set down my mascara. Alfie would be here any moment. We were heading to a movie then have dinner. ¡®Aww, Ste give her a break. Artemis hasn¡¯t been with a man in ages. She needs a break all she does is work she¡¯s even lost weight.¡¯ Rocky frowned.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Geez, thanks Rocky. I mentally pped my forehead. ¡®Doesn¡¯t mean she has to go out with every average Joe. I¡¯ve never even seen him at school.¡¯ Rocky shrugged. ¡®Guys, that¡¯s enough. It¡¯s just one date.¡¯ My phone lit up with a notification. ¡®Later guys.¡¯ I kissed Rocky before darting out the door. The cold breeze weed me. I ran to the shinning ck truck parted down the street. I wore a blue off shoulder, with an illusion of stars scattered across it. A bow and arrow ne my dad gave me sat on my chest. Alfie greeted me with a kiss on the cheek after I shut the door. His eyes roamed my curly hair, stopped at my neck before taking in my shimmering dress down to my legs. ¡®You look stunning. I might have a hard time keeping you to myself.¡¯ He grinned. I chuckled. Hearing him speak put my nerves to bed. My best friend¡¯s criticism of him was totally uncalled for. Alfie was harmless. He had deep brown eyes, satin ck hair and seductive red lips. He was easy going and I craved easy going. There was nothing off about him. Chapter 4 – Artemis He picked a rom! How amazing was that? Instead of a terrible horror moving that would keep me up at night. I have to admit I wouldn¡¯t mind a nice action movie. Snuggling up under his arm made up for the cheesy lines I had to endure. When the movie was over, we went to a small diner in town. I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling there were eyes burning holes in the back of my head. When I turned all the customers were upied with their meals or had their noses stuck in the evening paper. Alfie demanded all my attention, though it didn¡¯t quiet my anxiety. I couldn¡¯t check because Alfie had imed my mouth as his own. He didn¡¯t care who saw him devour my lips. Like magic released into the dark sky to give birth to stars as so were the explosions taking ce inside me. When it was over the fire still burned. We hadn¡¯t touched our food. He guided me out of the diner, the night was still young, but the party was over on Alfie¡¯s part. I felt like a damp dog locked outside its owner¡¯s house. He brushed his lips against my cheeks. Leaving me near begging for more. ¡®I should get going.¡¯ His lips rested on my neck, his hand caressing my thigh. Our bodies pressed together his sweet unearthly scent would fuse to my skin. He pealed away from me. He ced his hands either side of my face. I exhaled. I was d he stopped. A pan of guilt smacked me. This wasn¡¯t how I wanted to give myself up for the first time. ¡®Thanks for a wonderful night.¡¯ I slipped out of the car. The neighbours had to be peeping out of their windows. I felt as hot as a baking tin straight for the oven and as red as a blood-soaked floor. I ran to the door. My heart hammered in my chest with each second, I stayed under the watchful eye of the moon. My legs threated to buckle. ¡®Rocky!¡¯ I knocked. I pushed on the door, though it didn¡¯t swing inwards. Did Rocky really lock me out? I frowned and tried the handle again. It wasn¡¯t locked. I rammed my side into the door and I felt wood shift.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Rocky!¡¯ I cried. I rammed my body into the door, the wood budged enough to allow me to slip in. ¡®What the heck?¡¯ The little kitchen table bared the door. My limbs froze as the situation of my home registered in my mind. The chair had toppled over, my dishes shattered in the kitchen. ¡®Raquel!¡¯ I darted to the room. nkets and mattressesy in disarray. No sign of my sister. I fished out my phone and dialled her number. The Beyonce ring tone sounded in the other room. I followed the music to the kitchen. I picked up the pink covered phone. The screen had been bashed in. ¡®No, no.¡¯ I trembled as I called Ste. The phone rang and went unanswered. I dialled again and met the same. ¡®I need you, Ste.¡¯ Tears fell down my chin. They took my sister. Sera were right. I should have been more careful. Rocky¡¯s gone. *** I paced the disarrayed room. Someone had broken in. Did I call the police? No, I called my best friend¡¯s mom. I had to have walked the entire trailer park before Sera and Ste arrived. I held out hope she got away and was hurt in the grass. Rocky wasn¡¯t anywhere. ¡®Where have they taken her?¡¯ I sobbed. Ste rubbed my back. ¡®I knew this would happen, I told you girls, now they¡¯ve gone and taken my Rocky.¡¯ Sera blew her nose into the blue scarf around her head. ¡®Who are they? Didn¡¯t you see who they were, a symbol or something?¡¯ Sera shook her head, ¡®I only saw their evil, but there could only be one ce they could have taken her.¡¯ Sera and Ste shared a knowing nce. I stood. ¡®Where¡­ where have they taken her? Tell me I have to find her!¡¯ Ste gripped my hand, ¡®Mom thinks they took her to the Mage Dimension.¡¯ I shook my head, ¡®The what?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s the ce where all creature of magical origin live in peace and freedom. It¡¯s not the most peaceful and free ce at the moment.¡¯ ¡®Why? Howe you never told me about it, Ste?¡¯ I crossed my arms. My bloodshot eyes fixed on them. ¡®I didn¡¯t think you needed to. Gosh, Arti I was going to eventually.¡¯ Ste cringed. ¡®Whatever! Take me there so I can get my sister back.¡¯ ¡®It won¡¯t be that easy sweetheart. We shouldn¡¯t talk about it here. Let¡¯s go to my house, who knows what they left behind.¡¯ I grabbed my coat. Maybe if I had been there, we would have fought together. I should have been careful. I closed the door to my tattered home. Every little thing we worked for gone, stolen. Sera locked the door behind us. She ushered us upstairs. ¡®You¡¯ll have to go to the mage dimension and find her. I have some contacts that can help.¡¯ ¡®What if she¡¯s been taken as Hera¡¯s ve.¡¯ Ste said and gasped. ¡®Now, now don¡¯t be negative. If that¡¯s the case you¡¯ll intercept.¡¯ Sera hissed. ¡®Okay, how do we get there? Open a portal in the woods and make a sacrifice to appease the spirits?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s not that deep babe, just take the closet.¡¯ Sera blinked. ¡®Oh right.¡¯ I chuckled. ¡®You have to be careful girls. I don¡¯t want to lose another one of you, the mage dimension isn¡¯t what it used to be.¡¯ I stared at the blue closet door. The path to a new world, the unfamiliarity didn¡¯t matter. All I needed was to get Rocky back. Chapter 5 Orion I left the metal behind. I groaned as the nurse pulled the band aid around my shoulder. I was lucky it was only an arrow to the shoulder. Queen Hera¡¯s forces were none to underestimated. I learned that the hard way. I pulled a ck shirt over my head. Anyone would think a mage queen challenging a kingdom of gods was foolish. Hera was determined to bring down Olympiad. Zeus¡¯ army was equally determined to destroy her. Hera better pray she died in battle because nothing could be worse than the wrath of Zeus. The woman with long golden hair bowed. She gathered her things then vanished. I had been summoned by the goddess herself. I took the stairs to Zeus¡¯ personal floor, where only his legitimate wife and son lived. I walked the hall lined with tall women dressed in white satin, holding bowls of fruit. Each maiden wless with hair that caressed the floor and a nk stare. Never to be touched by any man, simply to stand and be awed by all men. The royal family sat in dim light. The war drained them with each blow thrown at us. ¡®Orion,¡¯ Sophia stood. Zeus and Apollo nced at me. I was the son of Sophia¡¯s handmaiden. She took pity on me when my mother ran off with a man. She had me taken care of and I found favour in Zeus¡¯ eyes when I joined his army. I bowed. She took my hands and fought the urge to pull them back. My body stiffened knowing Zeus could kill me for her actions. ¡®You must find Artemis.¡¯ She ordered. Her once smooth spotless skin turned pale. Her brown hair lost its shine, dark bags formed under her eyes. The goddess was weak. Hera sucked the power out of her with each attack. Not having Artemis, had to steal life from her too. I turned to Zeus. He nodded. ¡®You are the only one we can trust.¡¯ Apollo had volunteered to travel to earth to search for his sister, it would make more sense since he¡¯s the only one with a unique connection to her. He would find her easily. Then we discovered Hera killed an Olympiad god. That¡¯s how she gained enough strength to breach out defences. How much more powerful would she be with the blood of a descendant of Zeus on her hands. Artemis needed to be back at Olympiad before Hera knew she missing. Hera wouldn¡¯t gain much power from me. I was only a demi-god. I couldn¡¯t refuse. I nodded. Zeus gripped his wife¡¯s shoulders. ¡®Orion will return our daughter. Now rest Sophia. The battles will only get worse, I need you to be strong.¡¯ ¡®Not until Orion returns with my daughter.¡¯ Zeus caressed her face. ¡®It¡¯ll be a long time before he returns. Without you Olympiad¡¯s lights will fade and my kingdom will die.¡¯ There was one thing I knew for sure Zeus truly loved Sophia, despite his other extracurricr activities. He led his beloved out of the room and to their chambers. The door mmed behind them. ¡®Tell me where she is.¡¯ I stared at Apollo. His entire left arm was wrapped in a white cloth. He¡¯d been burned by a phoenix. He¡¯d heal fully, eventually. ¡®What are you talking about her Orion?¡¯ He murmured. His good hand covered his eyes. ¡®Your sister Apollo. I don¡¯t want to waste time ying baby sitter while Olympiad falls!¡¯ Apollo sat up and ripped off the white band aid. ¡®Temper, temper Orion. Why didn¡¯t you tell the goddess that?¡¯ He grinned. ¡®And devastate her even more?¡¯ He rolled his eyes. ¡®She was with a man yesterday.¡¯ He smirked. ¡®Where?¡¯ He reclined on the sofa. His arm was fully regenerated. ¡®On earth, somewhere east. That¡¯s pretty much all I can give you.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll take it.¡¯ I turned to leave. It was going to be like finding a needle in a maize mill. ¡®I¡¯m warning you Orion.¡¯ ¡®About what?¡¯ ¡®Artemis is a goddess and my sister. Sleep with her and I¡¯ll murder you myself.¡¯ ¡®I wouldn¡¯t want it any other way, your highness.¡¯ It was only expected of Apollo or any Olympiad god to remind a demi-god of their ce. I marched back to my chambers to prepare for my trip. I couldn¡¯t use my powers. Earth was oblivious to gods or all sorts of magic. If Artemis had used her power in any situation there had to be a trace. I left the metal behind. I groaned as the nurse pulled the band aid around my shoulder. I was lucky it was only an arrow to the shoulder. Queen Hera¡¯s forces were none to underestimated. I learned that the hard way. I pulled a ck shirt over my head. Anyone would think a mage queen challenging a kingdom of gods was foolish. Hera was determined to bring down Olympiad. Zeus¡¯ army was equally determined to destroy her. Hera better pray she died in battle because nothing could be worse than the wrath of Zeus. The woman with long golden hair bowed. She gathered her things then vanished. I had been summoned by the goddess herself. I took the stairs to Zeus¡¯ personal floor, where only his legitimate wife and son lived. I walked the hall lined with tall women dressed in white satin, holding bowls of fruit. Each maiden wless with hair that caressed the floor and a nk stare. Never to be touched by any man, simply to stand and be awed by all men. The royal family sat in dim light. The war drained them with each blow thrown at us. ¡®Orion,¡¯ Sophia stood. Zeus and Apollo nced at me. I was the son of Sophia¡¯s handmaiden. She took pity on me when my mother ran off with a man. She had me taken care of and I found favour in Zeus¡¯ eyes when I joined his army. I bowed. She took my hands and fought the urge to pull them back. My body stiffened knowing Zeus could kill me for her actions. ¡®You must find Artemis.¡¯ She ordered. Her once smooth spotless skin turned pale. Her brown hair lost its shine, dark bags formed under her eyes. The goddess was weak. Hera sucked the power out of her with each attack. Not having Artemis, had to steal life from her too. I turned to Zeus. He nodded. ¡®You are the only one we can trust.¡¯ Apollo had volunteered to travel to earth to search for his sister, it would make more sense since he¡¯s the only one with a unique connection to her. He would find her easily. Then we discovered Hera killed an Olympiad god. That¡¯s how she gained enough strength to breach out defences. How much more powerful would she be with the blood of a descendant of Zeus on her hands. Artemis needed to be back at Olympiad before Hera knew she missing. Hera wouldn¡¯t gain much power from me. I was only a demi-god. I couldn¡¯t refuse. I nodded. Zeus gripped his wife¡¯s shoulders. ¡®Orion will return our daughter. Now rest Sophia. The battles will only get worse, I need you to be strong.¡¯ ¡®Not until Orion returns with my daughter.¡¯ Zeus caressed her face. ¡®It¡¯ll be a long time before he returns. Without you Olympiad¡¯s lights will fade and my kingdom will die.¡¯ There was one thing I knew for sure Zeus truly loved Sophia, despite his other extracurricr activities. He led his beloved out of the room and to their chambers. The door mmed behind them. ¡®Tell me where she is.¡¯ I stared at Apollo. His entire left arm was wrapped in a white cloth. He¡¯d been burned by a phoenix. He¡¯d heal fully, eventually. ¡®What are you talking about her Orion?¡¯ He murmured. His good hand covered his eyes. ¡®Your sister Apollo. I don¡¯t want to waste time ying baby sitter while Olympiad falls!¡¯ Apollo sat up and ripped off the white band aid. ¡®Temper, temper Orion. Why didn¡¯t you tell the goddess that?¡¯ He grinned.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®And devastate her even more?¡¯ He rolled his eyes. ¡®She was with a man yesterday.¡¯ He smirked. ¡®Where?¡¯ He reclined on the sofa. His arm was fully regenerated. ¡®On earth, somewhere east. That¡¯s pretty much all I can give you.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll take it.¡¯ I turned to leave. It was going to be like finding a needle in a maize mill. ¡®I¡¯m warning you Orion.¡¯ ¡®About what?¡¯ ¡®Artemis is a goddess and my sister. Sleep with her and I¡¯ll murder you myself.¡¯ ¡®I wouldn¡¯t want it any other way, your highness.¡¯ It was only expected of Apollo or any Olympiad god to remind a demi-god of their ce. I marched back to my chambers to prepare for my trip. I couldn¡¯t use my powers. Earth was oblivious to gods or all sorts of magic. If Artemis had used her power in any situation there had to be a trace. Chapter 6- Artemis ¡®This is the mage dimension?¡¯ Ste and I stepped out of a rat-infested alley. No squeaky-clean streets, no goldennterns. One flickeringmp post lit up one street. ¡®Well, the more rugged part of the dimension.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re telling me,¡¯ I muttered. ¡®So, where do we start?¡¯ The roads were lined with hut sized brick buildings, each one with steps leading up to the front door. Most of them were double storey. ¡®Mom said to go to Calista¡¯s saloon. Difficult people to deal with, they don¡¯t take anything seriously.¡¯ She rolled her eyes. ¡®What is it like?¡¯ I rubbed my shoulders. ¡®It¡¯s a ghost za, but they always have information if you can get them to take you seriously.¡¯ Great, at least we had a ce to start. ¡®Howe you never told me about this ce? It isn¡¯t much, but why didn¡¯t you tell me it existed?¡¯ She shrugged. ¡®Mom made me, but your dad told her to. I overheard them talking about it.¡¯ ¡®My dad?¡¯ My eyebrows shot up. ¡®Dad never even acknowledged Rocky and I were special. He knew about this ce?¡¯ ¡®He knew something because he told Mom to swear you didn¡¯t find out. She never told me why, but I just obeyed. Then Hera started her war and mages started disappearing. There was no way I was letting youe here.¡¯ ¡®Mages are disappearing?¡¯ She bobbed her head. ¡®Queen Hera¡¯s using their power to fuel herself and keep her war going on.¡¯ I opened my mouth and shut it again. A huge flicking Calista sign bore down on us. The busted blue sign shed. Faint music yed from inside. ¡®I think you should let me do the talking-¡® ¡®Get them!¡¯ A scratchy voice yelled. Silver swords shed in the hands of skinny rough men who jumped out of the alleys. I screamed and Ste shoved me back. She pulled out a dark wooden stick and pointed it at the ground. A st followed and the ground shook, spewing smoke from the stone pavement. ¡®Let¡¯s go,¡¯ Ste yanked my arm. ¡®You have a wand?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s a weapon.¡¯ Ste kicked a wooden door open and shoved me in. ¡®Who are they?¡¯ The armed men were right behind us their hackles echoed in the dark house. ¡®Pirates, they work for Hera!¡¯ I tripped and lost Ste¡¯s grip. I recovered and kept running. The pirates¡¯ footsteps got louder. I summoned light and threw it at the ceiling. I stood in the middle of a dining room with all its furniture covered by white sheets.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Ste!¡¯ I called. I was answered by seven uproariousughs. Time to go. I found the only escape and wound up in another dark alley. The pirates spotted me and charged. I popped up on a stone paved road. ¡®Where the heck are you, Ste?¡¯ I looked up and a man in a white suit red at me. ¡®What now?¡¯ I muttered. The pirates cackled and skipped behind me. They came to an abrupt halt when they saw the man in white with silver frame sses. ¡®Let¡¯s get out of here!¡¯ ¡®Retreat!¡¯ I nearly yelled, wait for me as I turned and ran back through the alley. The ground shook when the mannded on the pavement in front of me. I whirled and raced back to the road. I ran smack dab into his spotless suit. ¡®I haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡¯ I stared up at his stone face. ¡®Why are you running?¡¯ Everyone else did. He reached for my arm and yanked me off the ground. My left arm mmed into his chest. Like a bag of maize, he dragged me along the road. ¡®You asked for it.¡¯ His eyes widened. I raised my fist. Amber consumed my arm before it mmed into his chest. An arrow carried him across the road and sted him through a brick building. I fell backwards. Chapter 7- Daylen Rubble rolled off me. What the hell was that? Hera¡¯s soldiers are getting stronger. This one chose the wrong challenge. She peered her head to see where my bodynded in the building. Without drawing my wings, I shot into the air. Landing behind her, I grabbed her hand. She growled. Her fist burned bright amber. I pulled back, the scent of burning flesh smacked my face. She thrust her legs forward. I hurled a ball of light that flew into a building. The two-storey apartment blew up, bricks and wood copsed into the alley. She turned around her brown eyes fixed on me before she mmed her wrists together. Another med arrowed shot at me. I raised my shield. The arrow cracked the centre of my protection. The collision sent my feet sliding in the gravel. ¡®Stop! I haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡¯ I stared at the building she hurled me through and cocked my head to the side. She bit her lip. I fisted the soil beneath me and pulled myself up. She held her hand up, ¡®I didn¡¯te to hurt anyone.¡¯ ¡®Why don¡¯t I believe that?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m warning you.¡¯ Her eyes furrowed. I rolled my burning shoulder. I raised my arms and the rubble rocked and rose mid-air. Her face lit up as if a me hurled at her. She raised her hands over her head. Iunched the stones. Power and earth collided, thrusting us both backwards. My bones cracked as I emerged from the debris. ¡®Damn it, what the hell is she?¡¯ I grunted Dust consumed the streets. Cries filled the night air, homes crumbled, rocks lined the road. Where had shended? A busted streetmp flicked ahead of me. A fit of coughs came meters from my feet. She was alive. I reached for her, she stuck out her hand, catching me in the face. ¡®Shit,¡¯ I spat. She wobbled and attempted to run. I caught her arm and brought her back. Fearing another st, I yanked her wrist. Locking her by my side I looked to the skies and asked for Paradis to open. We left the wholes in the earth and muttion behind. *** ¡®Let me go! Where are we?¡¯ We struggled all the way to my condo. Marcus opened the door and it was sweet relief for my muscles. I let her go like a hot pan and stormed to the bar. ¡®Well, well what do we have here?¡¯ Marcus grinned and crossed his legs at the bottom. ¡®Ugh, she blew up an entire city block.¡¯ The gold liquor burned my throat as it went down. Marcus¡¯ eyes widened at the petite girl hugging her shoulders. ¡®I didn¡¯t do it alone,¡¯ she frowned. I poured the ss half full and staggered to the white couch. Marcus chuckled, ¡®Why¡¯d you bring her here then?¡¯ ¡®Because Hera¡¯s court won¡¯t persecute her and I want to know what you are.¡¯ Marcus guided her to the couch. She pressed herself together, I don¡¯t know if she wanted the couch to consume her or not. Maybe she was a witch and she¡¯d vanish in front of us. Unfortunately, for her my house was magic proof. I couldn¡¯t tell if the spell would hold against whatever arrow shit she used against me in Laurelle. ¡®What are you?¡¯ I demanded. She didn¡¯t flinch, didn¡¯t shiver at my re. ¡®I¡¯m not from here! I was running from pirates with my best friend Ste when you attacked me!¡¯ ¡®You were alone when I found you.¡¯ ¡®Makes sense mate,¡¯ Marcus said. I red at him. I wasn¡¯t buying her story. I saw the pirates though. ¡®So, what are you doing here?¡¯ Marcus asked. She bit her lower lip and sank back in the couch. I rubbed my forehead. I didn¡¯t have time for games. ¡®Who are you working with? Hera or the dark angels?¡¯ Only either two could hold that much power. Marcus shot me an annoyed look. ¡®Listen, we¡¯re the good guys. Daylen¡¯s a member in Queen Sris¡¯ court and I¡¯m a royal guard. If you weren¡¯t doing anything wrong, we can¡¯t arrest you.¡¯ He shrugged. Her shoulders slumped and she leaned forward. ¡®I¡¯m looking for my sister she was kidnapped¡­ back in the human world.¡¯ I shook my head and headed to the bar. Marcus joined me. She ryed her entire story and by the end of it I couldn¡¯t conclude what she could be. She was as nk as us. She wasn¡¯t one of us, nor an angel of darkness. As our natural opposites we had the power to discern them. Pounding sted at the door. I scrawled. I didn¡¯t do visitors. Marcus spared me and peeped through the little hole. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ I grumbled. ¡®Jason, what do we do?¡¯ He looked at Artemis. Oh great, his royal highness decided today was a good day to pay me a visit. An explosion of pain rippled through my limbs when I reached for Artemis¡¯ arm. Jason couldn¡¯t see her neither could anyone else. Not yet at least. I hid her in my room and warned her not to make a sound. I found Jason in his royal white attire, silver cape touching the floor, golden crown dawned on his head. Completely unnecessary, he only needed to wear them on royal asions. ¡®To what do I owe the pleasure of his royal highness¡¯ presence in my home.¡¯ I fought the groan in my tone, but it won.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. Two guards stood at the door in attention. Jason smirked. He eyed the tears on my clothes and the bloodied state of my face. ¡®The whole court knows of the incident in Laurelle-¡® ¡®Why does it matter? It was an incident with a mage?¡¯ I snapped. Jason shook his head; the grin ever present. ¡®It did involve a member of The Queen¡¯s court and you did blow up an entire city block. Injuring dozens. General Storm wants the mage responsible in custody.¡¯ ¡®Have you be an errand boy now Jason? They sent you just to tell me that?¡¯ That wiped the arrogance off his face. ¡®I can have your head Daylen. I¡¯m a prince address me as such.¡¯ I turned away. Jason was nothing but a spoiled prince. Full of himself and countless insecurities. The door swung open and two armed guards pranced in ahead of General Storm. I rubbed my face. The smirk on Jason¡¯s face returned. Storm stood tall, chest pushed out, arm tucked behind his back and his yellow cape flowing. Completely unnecessary. ¡®I believe you apprehended the culprit.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a question. ¡®I handled it.¡¯ I muttered. ¡®I don¡¯t see anyone else here Daylen, where is the scum?¡¯ I narrowed my eyes at him, pompous arrogant bastard. ¡®He got away. Dark Fae just looking for trouble.¡¯ I looked away. ¡®Then you¡¯ve handled nothing! The mage court want to hold you ountable too! You disgrace Paradis, Daylen.¡¯ I held myself back. He could say what he wanted. The veins in his neck bulged but I kept my mouth shut. I didn¡¯t know Artemis, but I couldn¡¯t let her powernd in Hera¡¯s hands. ¡®Like I said General Storm he got away.¡¯ I straightened my back. Storm sneered. He drew his cape around him then rushed out his guards marched behind him. I kicked the door behind Jason¡¯s guards. Thunder roared outside the window. Lighting shed and struck the ground, a sign of Zeus¡¯ rage. Chapter 8- Artemis The one time I use my powers Ind myself in shit. Thank goodness Daylen and Marcus didn¡¯t rat me out. I didn¡¯te here to end up in jail the more time I wasted the more the more ground I lost on Rocky. I still couldn¡¯t put my finger on why Daylen helped me he seemed intent of getting rid of me earlier. I hoped I wasn¡¯t getting into something worse with these two. After the door mmed shut and a few more minutes of hiding I emerged from the room. Daylen slouched on a stool by the bar with a ss in his hand and Marcus seemed to be pondering something in the living room. Daylen looked like any washed up sailor after whatever confrontation he had. His pearly white suit was ripped and brown, yes that was my fault. He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his defined caramel toned chest. He had the brightest shade of brown eyes I¡¯d ever seen. He looked up when I fully set foot in the living room. His hair wasn¡¯t as curly as mine and his was chestnut unlike my unruly ck hair. ¡®Uh¡­ thanks for helping me out guys, but I really have to go.¡¯ Marcus and Daylen stood. Please don¡¯t give me a fight. I wasn¡¯t sure I could take them both. ¡®You can¡¯t leave.¡¯ Daylen said. ¡®I don¡¯t n on staying, but thanks for not turning me in.¡¯ I forced a smile and aimed for the door. ¡®You have no idea where you¡¯re going Artemis.¡¯ ¡®Ha, what makes you think I can¡¯t find my way around the mage dimension?¡¯ I whirled and crossed my arms. The smirks on the boys faces killed my confidence and my arms slipped to my sides. ¡®We¡¯re not in the mage dimension we¡¯re in Paradis. The city of angels.¡¯ Oh, crap! ¡®You¡­ you mean you guys¡­ are angels? Those guys are angels too?¡¯ Daylen chuckled. I fought with an angel. Rocky would never believe me neither would Ste when I find her. ¡®What Daylen meant to say is it¡¯s dangerous for a mage like you to be wondering around half caught own your own. The mage dimension isn¡¯t the safest ce right now.¡¯ Marcus said. ¡®My sister isn¡¯t here though.¡¯ I folded my arms. Ste had to be worried sick too. Daylen and Marcus exchanged nces. Daylen sighed and Marcus smirked whatever silent battle going on between them Marcus had won. ¡®Make sure none of Storm¡¯s minions are staking out.¡¯ Marcus nodded then shot me a grin on his way out. Daylen shoved his fists in his tattered pants and stared down at me. He was still good looking without the sses, but I liked the silver sses. It made me think of Alfie, I wouldn¡¯t be seeing him for a while. ¡®You¡¯re not leaving without your sister.¡¯ He said on a sigh. I stared at the ground, I failed her. ¡®She¡¯s all I have left.¡¯ ¡®Fine. I¡¯ll help you find her, but we work together-¡® ¡®Whyyy-¡® ¡®Because Hera can¡¯t get her hands on another powerful mage, she¡¯s ingested herself with enough power. She¡¯s done enough damage.¡¯ I rolled my eyes, if it would help me find Rocky faster then fine. As soon as I found her, we wouldn¡¯t be visiting the mage dimension anytime soon or the city of gorgeous angels. *** Daylen changed into ck sweat pants and a grey hoodie. I desperately wanted to get out of my filthy torn clothes. Daylen brought me back down to the mage dimension well at least that¡¯s how it felt. Paradis wasn¡¯t in the sky, but the portal was particrly why only an angel can get there Daylen told me. I rubbed my shoulders as we walked the mutted streets. At least Daylen had cover, but to my relief there weren¡¯t that many people scavenging in the rubble. I bit my lip. I destroyed someone¡¯s livelihood. I didn¡¯t know where I was going so, I led Daylen to where I thought Calista¡¯s za was, though ended up taking him to an alley with a bunch of cats diving in dumpsters. I scratched my head, what¡¯d I do now? ¡®This better not be an ambush, Artemis. That would be a big mistake on your part.¡¯ I sighed and ced my hand on my hip. ¡®Of course, it isn¡¯t. I¡¯m just¡­ I think we took the wrong turn that¡¯s all.¡¯ ¡®Does this friend of yours even exist?¡¯ He sted. I balled my hands into fists. ¡®You have serious trust issues!¡¯ ¡®Wouldn¡¯t you if a stranger led you to a familiar¡¯s hangout?¡¯ My eyes went wide. ¡®Familiars? As in witches?¡¯ He smacked his forehead and I frowned. Geez, I¡¯ve only read about them. Did Ste have a familiar? He grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from the cat chill spot. ¡®Come on, this is ridiculous-¡® ¡®Let her go!¡¯ Ste waved her wand and a burst of smoke popped up in front Daylen. ¡®What the heck?¡¯ I coughed. Ste reached for so my hand, but Daylen yanked her wand and snapped it like a twig. He waved his hand and the smoke vanished. I turned and wrapped Ste in my arms. At least she wasn¡¯t missing. ¡®Where did you disappear to?! You can¡¯t go sight seeing in the mage dimension. And damn it man my wand!¡¯ Daylen crossed his arms and shook his head. ¡®Your friend¡¯s a witch, great.¡¯ Ste eyed him up and down, ¡®And what are you?¡¯ Daylen smirked, ¡®A Dinemus.¡¯ Her eyes popped wide open, she gripped my shoulders and shook me. ¡®What have you done to end up with an angel?¡¯ ¡®Long story- he¡¯s helping me find Rocky.¡¯ Ste rubbed her face. ¡®I can¡¯t believe you Arti. Fine let¡¯s go to my ce.¡¯ Daylen was silent the twenty-minute walk to Ste¡¯s apartment. She had a whole different life here. Back home she lived under her mother¡¯s roof and here she had a two-bedroom apartment filled with trinkets andvamps. Cinnamon filled the air. She must have had something baking. Ste locked the door behind us. ¡®Any idea what your friend is, witch?¡¯ Daylen asked, eyeing the small living room. ¡®My name¡¯s Ste wise guy and I have no idea what she is, no one does.¡¯ ¡®That gives me confidence,¡¯ he murmured. ¡®I¡¯ll help you find your sister we start tomorrow. Try to stay out of trouble, will you?¡¯ I rolled my head, ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have gotten into any trouble if you hadn¡¯t shown up.¡¯ Ste rubbed her face and murmured something iprehensible. Daylen was good looking, but he had an air of arrogance that was enough to choke anyone. I thanked the heavens when he finally left, still I couldn¡¯t wait for him to start searching for my sister. If I was lucky, I would find her and leave the mage dimension before morning. ¡®Artemis¡­ what on earth did you get into!!¡¯ I cringed. It wasn¡¯t that bad! I wanted to say, but her twitching stopped me. Inded on the leather couch after speed talking my way through the entire event. Ste slumped next to me. ¡®I can¡¯t believe you entered Paradis.¡¯ She said. I stood, ¡®We have to go.¡¯ ¡®Arti, we can¡¯t go out now it¡¯s too dangerous. We can¡¯t go to Calista¡¯s za anyway¡­ it¡¯s closed.¡¯ ¡®What kind of ghosts sleep? I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s dangerous. My sister¡¯s in danger and scared. She has no idea what¡¯s going on.¡¯ ¡®We won¡¯t do Rocky any good if we¡¯ve been captured by Hera¡¯s soldiers or worse! Because things always get worse in the mage dimension. That¡¯s why the gorgeous angel doesn¡¯t want you running around alone.¡¯ I groaned and sat back down. I eyed her and frowned. ¡®You think he¡¯s gorgeous?¡¯ She shrugged, ¡®All angels are good looking. Dark angels are the worst. Gorgeous but wouldn¡¯t hesitate to drop you into a pit of fire.¡¯Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®So¡­ your mystery guy¡¯s from here! I can¡¯t believe you have a whole life here! Are there any kids hiding? You cane out now.¡¯ She gasped and raised her hands. ¡®Goodness, no Arti. No kids! And he¡¯s sort of from here well, not this part anyway.¡¯ I crossed my arms, ¡®I expect to meet him.¡¯ ¡®Ugh, I know. We should get to bed. We have an early day ahead of us and most likely a day full of running.¡¯ Chapter 9-Daylen Thousands of creatures lived in the mage dimension, others more populous than the next. Artemis could be a rare creature from the sea. I wanted her out of my head. Her hair stuck in my mind like her baked blueberry scent. Her hair had tiny loose curls, it was so dark it almost looked blue. She held power I couldn¡¯t let Hera possess. I couldn¡¯t allow myself to get sloppy and let her fall into my bed either. Things got messy when sex coupled with obligation. Artemis needed to stay away from my head. I had a court meeting to attend and all my attention had to go to the situation at hand. I was either early or got the wrong date. No one was everte for these things. Sris would have their heads. I tucked my notepad under my arm and pushed the door in. No guards stood outside and no voices came from inside. Although, a single woman stood staring at the tallest throne on the wall. ¡®Only the strongest ever sat on that throne,¡¯ Sris said. ¡®You¡¯re more than strong my queen.¡¯ Her palmnded in my hand and I brought it up to my lips. A smile spread across her face. For years I wondered what it would feel like for her to be pleased with me. ¡®I heard about your little spat with Storm, why didn¡¯t you just hand the mage over to Hera to deal with?¡¯ Artemis again. I pushed my sses up my nose and willed myself to look anywhere else. ¡®I don¡¯t want Hera to have her. She holds incredible power and the mage queen can¡¯t have more to fuel her stupid war.¡¯ The smile on her face deepened. Her finger caressed my cheek, the sudden gesture nearly made me flinch. The only physical contact I had growing up was the back of a hand across my face or the sh of whip on my back. ¡®You¡¯re so clever. That¡¯s why I need you in my royal court. We need angels like you. Who¡¯s judgement isn¡¯t clouded with personal gain.¡¯ The doors burst open. The king and prince marched in, their guards behind them. The lesser members scurried in after. I didn¡¯t have time to create an abyss between us. The king and his son saw me and their faces recoiled with disgust. I bowed and found my seat. Sris didn¡¯t even flinch. She didn¡¯t blink at Avon¡¯s warning re. He pulled her close and kissed her cheek, no doubt slipping a word in between. Instead she lifted her chin, challenging him in silence. The throne wall filled its rightful members. My memory shed back to the first day I set foot in this room, tall scrawny kid, dreaming of a life away from the farm and seated on the tallest throne. ¡®Rumours are circting your highness.¡¯ A haggarddy on a small throne said. She was Sris¡¯ great aunt. ¡®You know rumours are nothing but that rumours.¡¯ Sris spat. ¡®Uh, your majesty. There may be some base to this one. Whispers in the mage dimension and Paradis is Queen Hera managed to kill a god.¡¯ General Storm said. ¡®A simple mage queen? Defeat an Olympiad god? Nonsense!¡¯ Voices rose and General Storm jumped to his feet. Sris¡¯ hands balled into fists on the armrests of her throne. I held myself back not to st Storm out of the room. ¡®One does not open the North Gates of Olympiad without the power of a native of thend. It is very likely the mage queen has managed to kill a god or more. We are losing this fight!¡¯ ¡®Watch your mouth Storm or you¡¯ll lose more than your ability to speak. Your worthless tactics have us backed against a wall.¡¯ Storm swallowed. The murmurs died. I fixed my eyes on Storm, unable to prevent the smirk on my lips. The general caught it. He cleared his throat and sat down. Sris ordered more soldiers be sent to Olympiad because the crisis was growing. Security in the mage dimension needed heightening. Mages were still disappearing. I had to check on Artemis and with contacts about her sister. If her sister was half as powerful she was probably on her way to Hera. Sris dismissed the court. The royal court wouldmence in arger room. Marcus nodded at me on the way out. I was sure eyes burned at the back of my head. When I turned Avon¡¯s re was fixed on me. I gave the king a curt bow then marched out. I went straight home to change before meeting Artemis and the witch. I needed a drink too. I¡¯d already changed out of my suit and into grey sweatpants and a white shirt when pounding sounded at the door. I signed and set the brandy down. ¡®What is it Marcus-¡® I was answered with a fist to the gut. I stumbled two feet. A man in a ck ninja mask jumped into my apartment. Two other guys rushed in. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ I coughed. ¡®You¡¯ve been a naughty boy.¡¯ He pulled out a metal stick and aimed at my head. I grabbed it, but a boot smashed into my back. I growled. It was beginning to get irritating. On one knee I summoned a tornado. I knelt in the centre. I watched them m into the walls. ¡®You picked the wrong fight,¡¯ I said. The leader hauled himself up. He thrust his hand forward and a bolt of lighting zigged through the tornado and struck my shoulder. ¡®Shit,¡¯ I went down. The tornado died. My assants surrounded me. Their boots smashing my skull, cracking my ribs and bruised my arms. I couldn¡¯t calm my mind to manipte objects. Every blow to my head a disruption to my power. ¡®Enough boys. We didn¡¯te to kill him.¡¯ ¡®Who sent you?¡¯ I threw my fist, but my attacker deflected it andnded his boot on my chest. ¡®I don¡¯t need to tell you who you pissed off.¡¯ ¡®Storm? Avon? Fuck them.¡¯ Another sucker punch and my mouth filled with blood. ¡®Watch yourself angel or next time it¡¯ll be a different story.¡¯ They jumped out of the ce. They left my house in havoc. I sat up and coughed up blood.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ I crawled to the back of my sofa. My abdomen burned like hell. All this because the king saw me talking to the queen. No one would ever hear from me if he found out what else Sris had nned. Chapter 10- Artemis ¡®Look at the time where is he?¡¯ Ste tapped her foot. I groaned, ¡®I have no idea.¡¯ ¡®We can¡¯t keep waiting. It¡¯s gettingte.¡¯ Her foot tapping was ying on my nerves. We¡¯d been waiting for Daylen to show up for hours. The sun was setting and not even a letter of exnation popped up. I shook my head and paced to the door. He yed me. He promised he¡¯d help me find my sister and he wasn¡¯t anywhere to be found now. Something shier must have popped up and he decided I was as good as a carton of expired milk. ¡®We should just go. We¡¯ve wasted enough time as it is.¡¯Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Yes, first you need a disguise.¡¯ ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re not from here and you need to look like you fit in. We¡¯re not chopping your hair, but it has to go in a braid. You need leather lots of it. If anyone asks you¡¯re a witch from the Gregory n. That¡¯s my n.¡¯ ¡®It is necessary?¡¯ I scratched my head. She bobbed her head, ¡®Completely. We don¡¯t want unnecessary attention.¡¯ Twenty painful yelpster my hair was in two braids. I had ck lipstick on, a short leather skirt and ankle boots. Ste gave me one of her wands and badge with a little oak tree on it. The eyeliner around my eyes made them pop. My skirt was too short it made me shiver. How was this not drawing attention? ¡®This is way better than draping you understand a hideous cloak.¡¯ She smirked. ¡®Are we headed to Callista¡¯s za?¡¯ Ste locked the door behind us. She pulled out her wand and uttered a spell then tucking it in her boot. ¡®No, I found someone better than those ghosts.¡¯ They didn¡¯t use cars in the mage dimension. I half expected to see someone zip through the air on a broomstick. I was not sharing that thought with Ste. Horse drawn carriages filled the roads instead. Men and women on horseback caught my attention. There were cyclists on normal bikes too. It was always dark in the mage dimension it was day, though little did the sun shine. It was like a storm cloud was constantly hovering over the dimension¡¯s head. ¡®It¡¯s not always this way. Thest few weeks have been bad. The goddess Sophia gives life and light. The more she suffers the elements feel it too.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s horrible-Wait-¡® I paused. Across the rocky roading out of a store with a backpack strapped on his shoulder. ¡®No way,¡¯ Ste gasped. ¡®Alfie!¡¯ I waved. ¡®You don¡¯t just wave at people!¡¯ Ste pushed me out of the way. ¡®I know him.¡¯ ¡®You didn¡¯t know he was a mage and for all we know he could be one of the nasty ones.¡¯ I nted my hands on my hips, ¡®Don¡¯t be so paranoid.¡¯ I looked across the road and Alfie stared at us quizzically. He skipped across the road and approached us as if we were deer. ¡®Artemis?¡¯ He blinked. ¡®What are you doing here?¡¯ He looked between Ste and I. ¡®Can we move this pleasant meeting along?¡¯ Ste grumbled. Alfie scanned the block and nodded. ¡®We should get inside. I know a ce.¡¯ ¡®We¡¯re actually going to Hangman.¡¯ Ste said. ¡®Hangman?¡¯ Alfie¡¯s brows shot up. ¡®That¡¯s no better than standing around on the street.¡¯ Ste rolled her eyes, ¡®We¡¯re meeting someone important if you don¡¯t mind.¡¯ She dragged me away. ¡®Ste!¡¯ ¡®What? Don¡¯t you want to find Rocky?¡¯ ¡®Whoa¡­ what happened? Artemis I tried calling you yesterday, but you never answered.¡¯ I looked at Ste then at our surroundings. The roads were busy, but the streets were quiet too quiet it felt ominous, like the walls were watching us. We decided to head to the raggedy bar. I¡¯d never go into a ce called hangman if it wasn¡¯t life or death. Ste grumbled the entire way. ¡®He doesn¡¯t need toe.¡¯ She muttered. ¡®Look Ste, it¡¯s hard to trust people these days. If I didn¡¯t know Artemis I wouldn¡¯t be here.¡¯ Alfie said. Heat rushed to my cheeks and I remembered our kiss at the restaurant. I didn¡¯t even eat. ¡®What are you anyway?¡¯ ¡®A witch.¡¯ ¡®What n?¡¯ Alfie looked at the door of the shady bar and took a step back. He pulled up his jacket sleeve. He flexed his muscles and two wings drew themselves on his arm. ¡®A ncus.¡¯ He pulled his sleeve down quickly. Ste¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡®What¡¯s a ncus?¡¯ I asked. ¡®Shh¡­ not too loud. We¡¯re kind of on the low.¡¯ He chuckled nervously. ¡®Low? More like extinct. No one¡¯s heard of them in years.¡¯ Alfie scratched the back of his head. ¡®Are you sure you want to go in there?¡¯ Ste asked. I looked at his well sculptured face and the sses in front of it. There was a hint of uncertainty. ¡®It¡¯s cool. You guys have to exin to me what¡¯s going though.¡¯ We walked inside and I was smacked in the face with the stench of week old alcohol and cigarette smoke with an odour I hoped wasn¡¯t piss. ¡®This ce is disgusting,¡¯ I muttered. Alfie gripped my hands and pulled me close. The men in the bar had to be two times his size. These men had legs the size of oak trees and arms capable of pushing cars to the other side of the street. Their scars and tattoos didn¡¯t make them the more friendly looking people. Compared to them Alfie just looked like a six foot college student. Though, I didn¡¯t know the greats of his power. It gave me chills the way he clenched his jaw and stared straight ahead as if there weren¡¯t people that couple rip us apart if they chose to. ¡®I¡¯m looking for Hul,¡¯ Ste ced her hand on the counter. ¡®You thedy going to fix the jacked up fridge? It¡¯s about time. I¡¯m drowning here can¡¯t keep anything cool.¡¯ I stared at Ste. A sly smirk yed on her lips. She followed the man with pointed ears a face as battered as the rest of them. Alfie squeezed my hand. Hul took as to his much cleaner kitchen that had a chef and a waiter lingering in it. ¡®Where are you¡¯re tools? How are you supposed to fix it?¡¯ He growled. Hul only reached up to my armpits, but I was sure his bite was nothing to mess with. Ste pulled out her wand. The chef tossed his hat and stumbled out the back door followed by the waiter. Hul took a step forward. Alfie pushed me back. ¡®You don¡¯t want a fight sweetheart.¡¯ She waved the wand around the kitchen. The ground shifted beneath us and the doors clicked shut. ¡®I didn¡¯te here for a fight Hul. I came for information on a missing girl.¡¯ ¡®What do I look like the mage police department?¡¯ Hul threw his hands up. ¡®Cut the crap. You know how the channels work. Where do all the kidnapped victims go.¡¯ ¡®Even if I did, do you know how many girls are kidnapped a day in the mage dimension? Thousands! How would I know your girl?¡¯ ¡®Word about a mage kidnapped from earth would spread, nicely don¡¯t you think?¡¯ Ste shot back. Hul rubbed his chin and leaned against the busted fridge. ¡®Earth you say¡­¡¯ I snuck out of Alfie¡¯s hold and appeared in front of Hul. His eyes were like two ck marbles. ¡®Please, she¡¯s¡­ special. She¡¯s the only family I have left.¡¯ I pped my hands in front of myself. Hul looked me up and down. It wasn¡¯t irritation on his face, but curiosity. He fixated on my face as though he were looking at much more than what was there. ¡®What did you say your name is?¡¯ He asked. I looked at the others, they shrugged. ¡®Artemis-¡® ¡®Artemis¡­ have you ever heard of the power of discernment witch?¡¯ He looked at Ste. She lifted her shoulders, ¡®Yeah, the power to recognize another¡¯s energy-why does everyone call me witch all of a sudden?¡¯ Hul turned his gaze back to me. His hand trembled close to my face. I took a step back. ¡®You¡¯re wrong. She isn¡¯t the only family you have left if I¡¯m right.¡¯ ¡®What are you talking about?¡¯ I looked at Ste. Where did she find this guy? ¡®Did you grow up with a man named Arke?¡¯ I shook my head, ¡®My father¡¯s name was Archer. He was killed.¡¯ I swallowed. ¡®That bastard. He¡¯s real name was Arke. An Olympiad god who fled the sky when it was under siege. He carried a baby with him. He said he was her protector and needed safe passage to earth.¡¯ ¡®Olympiad-¡® Ste gasped. ¡®No! Of course not! He was my father and the only thing impressive about him was his incredible power of getting himself into shit loads of trouble. Ste, where did you find him? He has no idea what he¡¯s saying.¡¯ My hands trembled. My legs slowly turned to mosh. Dad wasn¡¯t special. He wasn¡¯t a god. He wasn¡¯t even a role model. ¡®I worked at the elven boarder for over thirty years. I remembered him because the war Olympiad fought was deadly and the winter that followed was worse. Two gods left Olympiad with babies. The guardian and the child were never found presumed dead. I could never forget a trickster like him.¡¯ ¡®You can¡¯t be sure I¡¯m that child!¡¯ Tears sprung from my eyes. ¡®Then there¡¯s still a fat chance you belong in the sky. I can feel it. You¡¯re no mage darling. You¡¯re a goddess.¡¯ Chapter 11- Artemis ¡®How much do you trust this guy Ste?¡¯ Alfie asked the second we walked out of the bar. ¡®He¡¯s insane!¡¯ I stalked ahead of them. ¡®I was told he¡¯s a very reliable source and it makes sense. Arti! You¡¯re special, you¡¯re not a mage, you¡¯re a goddess! It¡¯s so cool.¡¯ I shook my head. It couldn¡¯t be. I couldn¡¯t be, what did that mean for Rocky? ¡®No, Ste it¡¯s not. It¡¯s confusing and we didn¡¯t get anything on Rocky.¡¯ She scratched her head, ¡®Right. We should go back.¡¯ ¡®No, it doesn¡¯t feel safe. There are ces I hear kidnapped victims are held. Not nice ces of course.¡¯ Alfie said. ¡®No, kidding, but that will take forever.¡¯ ¡®Have you tried a locator spell?¡¯ Ste and I exchanged nced. ¡®Would it work?¡¯ I asked. ¡®I¡¯m not sure. We can try, I¡¯d need a few things. I used myst stuff to find you when you were out with your Dinemus.¡¯ Alfie shot me a side nce, though said nothing. ¡®If it doesn¡¯t work then we should move on to Hera¡¯s castle.¡¯ Alfie said. ¡®Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯te to that,¡¯ Ste mumbled. There was nothing to do in the mean time. Alfie had to go back to earth and Ste needed to gather her ingredients. Whether it was true or not about me being a goddess, we agreed to keep it among us. It left me heading back to Ste¡¯s apartment. If I was a witch I would have attempted a locator spell alone. If I could with my powers I hadn¡¯t discovered how to yet. I searched for a wet wipe to rub the makeup off my face. I had to settle with a rug and a bucket. The door bell rung and I hesitated. ¡®Ste?¡¯ I called. She couldn¡¯t be back so quickly and she wouldn¡¯t ring the bell she could use magic to let herself in. No answer came. ¡®Alfie?¡¯ I whispered. Pounding on the door made me jump. Someone must have followed me back. If it was a fight they wanted they would get it. I pulled the door open and stepped back. A bullied Daylen leaned against the frame hugging his side. ¡®What the heck happened to you?¡¯ I gasped. ¡®Took you long enough,¡¯ he groaned. He stumbled inside. I shut the door and attempted to help him to the couch, but he brushed me off. He was busy getting beat up to meet us earlier. Hended in a heap on the couch. I sat on the other end. His face was purple, his eye would be swollen shut if I didn¡¯t ice it. He dragged his leg when he walked, he likely had a broke rib or two. I went to the fridge to look for anything frozen. Frozen vegetables was the best I could find. Ste was low on everything. ¡®I don¡¯t need that. I¡¯ll heal in time.¡¯ He said. I should have pped his hand out of the way and shoved frozen vegetables on his cheek. ¡®Why did you evene here? You should have gone to a hospital. Don¡¯t angels have hospitals?¡¯ He scrawled, ¡®We do, but we can heal ourselves.¡¯ I signed. He probably had internal bleeding, could angels die from that? It didn¡¯t look like he was healing at all. His wounds were only getting darker. I held my hand out. ¡®Here.¡¯ He raised his brow. I groaned and took his hand in mine. I scooted closer and set my hand on his cheek. His brows formed a curve, yet he didn¡¯t pull away. Power flowed from my palm to his face. I hadn¡¯t done this since Rocky started high school. The cuts on his face sealed and the colour went back to normal. ¡®You can heal.¡¯ It was a statement more than an obvious question. I remembered healing my Dad when he came home battered by his gambling buddies. I healed himpletely and he didn¡¯t say anything the next day. He always denied our powers, despite knowing the truth all along. My entire life he never did anything magical, there wasn¡¯t even a trace. ¡®Comes in handy with a reckless sister like Rocky.¡¯ I offered a weak smile. I went to raise his shirt, his hand grabbed my wrist. ¡®Rx I want to heal the rest of you!¡¯ He watched me raise his white shirt to reveal caramel skin and a soft six pack. I cleared my throat and let my power search his injuries, free his pain. I had to be careful not to feel his pain or else I¡¯d catch a glimpse of his emotional pain too. When I finished and pulled down his shirt. I walked to the kitchen. I took in deep breaths and released. It was the closeness that rattled me. ¡®You¡¯re not weak or drained.¡¯ He said. I turned, ¡®Why would I?¡¯ ¡®Healing takes an incredible amount of energy. It takes most healers a few minutes to recover.¡¯ I shrugged, ¡®It¡¯s never been that way with me. What happened to you?¡¯ He sat up and didn¡¯t grunt. ¡®I was attacked at home.¡¯ ¡®What? I thought you were the worst fight to ever pick.¡¯ I grinned. He shot me a dirty look. ¡®I was ambushed.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s why you ditched us today.¡¯ He nodded, ¡®Come up with anything?¡¯ I shook my head and paced round the kitchen. ¡®Nothing.¡¯ Daylen stood. He towered over me I had to tilt my head back to look him in the face. ¡®I needed to make sure you were okay.¡¯ I folded my arms and took a cautious step back. ¡®Unlike you Daylen, I can handle myself.¡¯ ¡®Like I said I was ambushed. There were three of them.¡¯ ¡®Why would anyone want to hurt you? What do you have?¡¯ The door swag open. Daylen moved back to the living room. Ste froze a few steps in. Her eyes darted between us. *** Ste drew a pentagram on the floor and positioned five candles on each point. She circled the pentagram with ck salt. ¡®I need your blood,¡¯ Ste said to me. She pulled out a small dagger from her bag. I rubbed my palm. I was about to give Ste my hand knowing the pain would fade and I was doing it to get Rocky back when Daylen pulled my arm back. ¡®How are you sure Hera¡¯s prisoners aren¡¯t immune to magic?¡¯ Ste grumbled and grabbed my hand. ¡®She¡¯ll be fine Dinemus.¡¯ The de ripped my skin, I pulled back and fisted my palm. ¡®Here.¡¯ Daylen took my hand. His brown eyes melted into gold. The whole in my hand stitched itself back together. ¡®You can heal?¡¯ I asked. ¡®I told you I could,¡¯ he murmured. Drops of bloodnded in the pentagram. Daylen and I stepped into the kitchen. His arm wrapped round my shoulders. He didn¡¯t seem to notice. Ste started humming, the lights flickered. Humming became chanting and amp behind her burst. Daylen pulled me into his arms. The ck sand dispersed and grey smoke puffed up from the floor. It hit Ste in the face. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ She coughed. ¡®What was that?¡¯ I asked. ¡®It didn¡¯t work,¡¯ Daylen released me. He took his sweet heavenly scent with him. ¡®What do you mean it didn¡¯t work?!¡¯ I sted. ¡®Hera probably has a cloak on her prisoners and territories. I highly doubt your sister¡¯s still here.¡¯ Daylen said. My eyes nearly popped out of my head. ¡®No, no please where else will I look for her? I can¡¯t lose her.¡¯ My lip trembled and my throat clogged. Daylen¡¯s hands slid down my shoulders. He looked into my eyes and I struggled to contain the heat circting in my body. ¡®Let me handle this-¡® ¡®Not a chance I¡¯ve already got someone who¡¯s going to help us.¡¯ Ste raised her chin. ¡®He better be a step up from-¡® I bit my tongue. Daylen eyed me suspiciously. I couldn¡¯t trust him with what may or may not be true. ¡®Have you considered that someone else could have your sister?¡¯ Daylen asked. I yanked at my hair and sat on the sofa. My mind was as nk as a new notebook. ¡®Who¡¯d want Rocky?¡¯ Ste frowned. ¡®Who¡¯d want me?¡¯ ¡®Why you, Artemis?¡¯ Daylen narrowed down on me. I exhaled then looked at Ste. She shrugged. ¡®Ste¡¯s Mom had a premonition that people wereing after me. Except I went on a date and my sister was taken.¡¯ ¡®Perhaps it has something to do with your true identity.¡¯ Daylen closed the gap between us. I jumped off the sofa and paced to the kitchen. ¡®I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡¯ ¡®Look, the only man that could possibly tell us what Arti is, is now six feet under.¡¯ ¡®Your father?¡¯ He asked. I nodded. ¡®What was his name?¡¯ ¡®Archer¡­ Archer Monroe.¡¯ Daylen nodded. He looked more serious without the sses. ¡®I¡¯ll do some digging.¡¯ Ste went on cleaning her mess. Daylen headed for the door and beckoned me to follow. I smirked, ¡®Need me to escort you just to make sure you¡¯re not ambushed again?¡¯ He grinned then closed the door behind me. He rummaged in his pants pockets then pulled out a golden chain. ¡®Daylen?¡¯ I backed into the door. It had a golden dove carrying a green heart that had to be pure emerald.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡®Why are¡­ what¡¯s it for?¡¯ ¡®So I know when you need me.¡¯ I ced my hand on my hip and here I thought it was a in old expensive gift with possible feelings attached. It would be totally weird if it was though. ¡®I can handle myself.¡¯ ¡®Stop being stubborn and turn around.¡¯ I sighed and turned. Daylen swept my hair aside, the cold chainnded on my chest. I traced the dove, no one had ever given me something so beautiful. ¡®I know you can take care of yourself Artemis. Times wille when you need me even if you don¡¯t like it. We¡¯re working together after all. Hold it tight and call me.¡¯ He smiled. I looked at the tiny heart in the ws of the bird and nodded. ¡®Make sure it¡¯s important!¡¯ I groaned and opened the door. ¡®Daylen¡­¡¯ He turned. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ Chapter 12- Alpheus Who would have thought she was in the mage dimension? Of course it was the work of lovely queen Hera. It excited me to think how the mad queen would suffer when I overtook her. Because I now had what she needed to fuel her war! I¡¯d work faster than she ever could. After I left Artemis and Ste I went straight to my castle in Hemingway. Very soon the dusty forsaken castle would be the most feared fortress in the mage world and Olympiad. I burst into the throne room I imed months ago. It was also the military room. ¡®Your highness, Hera¡¯s soldiers have been defeated in the Fae Kingdom. The dark Fae are still putting up a wall.¡¯ Turner my general said.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡®Bring them down they¡¯re either with us or against us. They had their chance.¡¯ I reclined in my throne. I wanted my seat to be greater than my mother¡¯s. She¡¯d pay the most for everything. For my fall, for her sins as well as mine! ¡®Turner, have you heard word of Hera capturing another god?¡¯ Hera surely had Artemis¡¯ sister. I hated to admit if the queen had another god it would hurt my ns. Knowing Archer the girl was only a demi-god, not as powerful as Artemis, but still a boost to her power. Turner shook his head, ¡®Other than the fool Archer I haven¡¯t heard of Hera killing another god. It¡¯s worth looking into though.¡¯ Thunder rumbled and I nced at the stained ss window to my right. I could barely see the storm beyond it. It was a depiction of the dark angels and Dinemus angels at war. In the dark angels version they win, while I sit in the throne we will. The storm outside was a sign of Hera¡¯s sess. Goddess Sophia can¡¯t keep the sun shining long enough. Zeus¡¯ rage brings the electric storms. Soon harvests will fall, forests and animals will die. I don¡¯t know about Hera, but I have a n to prevent all that. ¡®You¡¯re a smart man Turner.¡¯ I pulled off my sses and hurled them across the room. ¡®We must breach Paradis before I can execute my n.¡¯ A grin spread on my face. Not even the Olympiad gods would defy me then. I had to keep Artemis at bay. No more going around bursting buildings. It was better if Hera didn¡¯t know she existed. Thanks to that useless god Archer she probably already did. She didn¡¯t need to know she was in the mage dimension. If Artemis knew the extent of her power and the gravitas of her true identity then she would be harder to control. Harder not impossible that was the bright side of a blood promise. I hopped off the throne and paced to the military table. Thanks to the horrible weather moving in on territories became much slower. I had strategies in ces, troops moving in at the very moment. Artemis was in contact with a Dinemus angel, if who I suspected it is was true then shit just got a little moreplicated. There¡¯s nothing he can do about it. Destiny is on my side. I had to keep her away from that elf and anyone who dared to talk. I had to silence them all. ¡®The elf hiding at the hangman bar. Kill him and all his allies.¡¯ Turner bowed. ¡®There¡¯s been some news you¡¯d be interested in.¡¯ ¡®Out with it.¡¯ ¡®The Olympiad portal was active. It opened in the human dimension. We had him followed, he¡¯s here.¡¯ I ran a hand through my hair then a light bulb went on. ¡®An Olympiad god. Bring him to me.¡¯ Chapter 13- Artemis The bar Ste worked at reminded me of the bar I worked at. At least I wouldn¡¯t be heading back there when this was over. I couldn¡¯t wait for then. To have Rocky back and never again see the darkness of the mage dimension skies. Every time I stared up at the sky that held the sun captive heaviness settled on my chest and I struggled to breath. Ste dried sses, made cocktails and slid beers across the counter. I nursed the same ss of water until Alfie showed up. ¡®I thought I waste,¡¯ He adjusted his sses. He smiled at me. I smiled at the ground. As much as I was falling for him before Rocky was kidnapped there was someone else developing in the picture. I hated that he was in the picture. ¡®No, Ste¡¯s connection is a no show.¡¯ I eyed her out of the corner of my eye. ¡®He¡¯sing, he¡¯s just busy.¡¯ She crossed her arms. ¡®Another elf?¡¯ Alfie asked. ¡®I hope not,¡¯ I said.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®He¡¯s an angel okay. One with connections.¡¯ I rolled my eyes. Daylen¡¯s an angel and in the queen¡¯s court. He must be influential enough. What would he think about us talking to another angel? I traced the pendant he gave me. It was solid gold, I felt bad even bathing with it. When I traced it at night it was only Daylen who yed in my mind. ¡®Beautiful ne,¡¯ Alfie offered me a weak smile. My hand fell from the ne. ¡®It¡¯s- it¡¯s a gift from a friend I got it a while ago.¡¯ He nodded then struggled to pull his phone from his pocket. He scanned the screen for a second. ¡®Shit, guys I have to go. Trouble at home. Hera¡¯s forces have been spotted near our territory.¡¯ Ste¡¯s brows burrowed. ¡®Hera¡¯s found the ncus witches? This can¡¯t get any worse.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m sorry,¡¯ I said. He leaned in and kissed my cheek. ¡®It¡¯s okay, she hasn¡¯t found us yet. Still we have to take precautions.¡¯ When he was gone Ste wiggled her brows at me. I rolled my eyes. ¡®I think he¡¯s a nice guy,¡¯ she said. ¡®I know,¡¯ I sighed. A ck jacketnded on the seat next to me. Marcus jumped on the stool and shed Ste a sexy grin. ¡®Marcus?¡¯ His head snapped in my direction. ¡®What are you doing here?¡¯ Ste rattled her head, ¡®You two know each other? Artemis, what the hell have you been up to?¡¯ ¡®No, no he¡¯s Daylen¡¯s best friend.¡¯ Her mouth formed a big circle. ¡®Daylen¡¯s the uptight one?¡¯ Marcus blushed, ¡®I didn¡¯t say that exactly.¡¯ ¡®Did you check out what I asked?¡¯ Ste lifted her brow. ¡®You know what to do to get it,¡¯ he smirked. ¡®Gross!¡¯ I frowned. ¡®Ugh, now isn¡¯t the time for games Marcus tell me what you know.¡¯ ¡®I guess you don¡¯t want it that badly.¡¯ Ste growled. I slid out of my stool. Daylen was better offpared to this. Well, there was that ego and temper. I wasn¡¯t looking where I was going and ran smack dab into a muscle wall. ¡®Sorry,¡¯ I attempted to walk around him, but a meaty hand circled my arm. ¡®Artemis,¡¯ he said. I looked up to his pale face, blue eyes and inhaled the scent of earth and trees. It took me to a ce I¡¯d never been to, but knew I needed to be. ¡®Who are you?¡¯ ¡®Rx buddy. You have to control yourself with the beautiful ones.¡¯ Marcus grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder and received a hand in the gut. He flew across the counter and smacked the wall. Ste screamed she pulled out her wand. The spell flew at the stranger¡¯s head, I ducked and the mountain man pped the spell onto a table. It exploded and people bolted from their seats. ¡®I came to take you home.¡¯ He said. My eyes rounded. ¡®Home?¡¯ ¡®Yes-¡® A ball of golden light sted into his chest, burning his army green shirt. I stumbled into a table. Marcus dusted himself off. He straightened his shirt, his fingers sparked. I looked at the mountain man. His shoulders slumped. ¡®I really don¡¯t want to deal with this right now.¡¯ He arched his back and puffed out his chest. Marcus pulled out a glowing silver rope. ¡®You¡¯re under arrest for attacking a member of her Majesty¡¯s royal guards.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re standing in my way! I don¡¯t care who you are!¡¯ I scanned the empty bar for Ste. All the tough guys in here earlier vanished and so had my best friend. There wasn¡¯t a mage in sight and I could be the victim of a deflected shot. ¡®You¡¯ll regret it,¡¯ Marcus swung the rope like a cow boy. As it rounded it came to life, seeking the mountain man like a python. The rope wrapped around the mountain man¡¯s meaty arm. Marcus glided across the floor. The veins on the mountain man¡¯s arms bulged as he battled the ze of the weapon. ¡®Surrender,¡¯ Marcus grunted. ¡®Ste, where the hell have you gone to?¡¯ I bit my lip. The mountain man grab the rope, pulled Marcus inches closer before flinging him across the room into the booths. He kicked the lifeless weapon aside. His eyesnded on me, my hand went on my ne. This was that time I needed Daylen whether I liked it or not. I could not take him. ¡®Artemis, I¡¯m here to take you home. Back to Olympiad.¡¯ He said. ¡®Olympiad?¡¯ My hand gripped the ne. I don¡¯t know if I was doing it right, but my mind was screaming for Daylen. ¡®There¡¯s a lot you don¡¯t understand and I¡¯ll exin it to you. My mission is to bring you home safely. I promised your mother.¡¯ Mountain man stumbled forward. He turned and grunted, the back of his shirt burned with a st of power. ¡®Marcus wait!¡¯ I jumped out of my hiding ce. ¡®Stay out of this Artemis,¡¯ Marcus growled. Sparks grew in his palms. Lighting burst into the ground, digging up the bar floors. ¡®I¡¯m the one he wants! He won¡¯t hurt me.¡¯ I cried. ¡®He attacked me and I won¡¯t let him get away with it.¡¯ Marcus growled. Mountain man stood tall, shoulders back. He didn¡¯t do anything to protect himself, not even a hint of a murmur of a spell. Marcus aimed the lightning at him, sending him crashing across the counter. ¡®No!¡¯ I covered my face. I rushed to bend over the counter. Mountain many unconscious covered in ss and liquor. He knew my mother, he knew who I was, what I was. He couldn¡¯t be lying. He didn¡¯t steer. I swallowed and turned to Marcus. He grinned then bent to pick his rope. ¡®I told you he wanted me!¡¯ ¡®What are you his aplice?¡¯ ¡®What-¡® ¡®Don¡¯t think because Daylen likes you I won¡¯t lock you up.¡¯ I blinked a couple times. Mountain man groaned. I rushed round the counter to cover him. ¡®That¡¯s enough,¡¯ I said. Mountain man flipped on his back. I looked down at him then at Marcus. His face was wrinkled with anger. ¡®Step aside, I¡¯m warning you.¡¯ I stood, ¡®No Marcus, I¡¯m warning you.¡¯ The rope in his hands glowed to life. I shook my head, his mistake. I raised my hands as he swung his rope. Mountain man jumped over the counter, my wrists mmed together. Marcus and I went flying in different directions. A surge of power burst the bottles, tore threw the ground, turning the counter into toothpicks. Inded on my chest, ss digging into my skin and sticks clinging to my hair. ¡®Fuck Artemis,¡¯ Mountain man groaned. I panted and raised my head. The ceiling was missing. A gap split the room in half giving me clear view of the grey sky. ¡®Oh no,¡¯ I dragged myself off the floor, and wood sliding off my clothes. Mountain man rolled on his back. He groaned, turning to me. ¡®Let¡¯s go,¡¯ He staggered to his feet. He held out his hand. I looked up at him then at the gaping whole in the room. I¡¯d done it this time. The General wouldn¡¯t stop until he had my head this time. ¡®Who are you?¡¯ ¡®Orion, I¡¯m taking you home!¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re not going anywhere. You¡¯ve done it now.¡¯ Marcus spat, his mouth red with blood. I took Orion¡¯s hand, he lifted me like a leaf off the ground and shoved me behind his back. Marcus pulled a de with a golden handle and twelve inches¡¯ steel. The metal lit up. Where the hell did they get glowing weapons?! Marcus wasn¡¯t going to stop until we were down and Orion was a hard one to step on. I swallowed. My hand went back to my ne. Chapter 14 Daylen Sris summoned me hours ago, I was with Artemis. Then I was left cleaning the mess left from Avon¡¯s goons. I had no intention of telling Sris, I didn¡¯t need her to fight my battles. Fighting my battles meant cing distance that was the hard part. We met at our usual spot, the deepest ce in the castle. Forgotten chambers of a different time in the history of Paradis. Sris waited by the sparking firece. I waste. ¡®Don¡¯t linger Daylen.¡¯ She said. ¡®We have plenty to discuss.¡¯ I walked in, kicked the door shut. I sat and waited for her to grace her makeshift throne, but she never did. ¡®I called for you yesterday Daylen.¡¯ I clenched my jaw, ¡®I was¡­ tied up.¡¯ ¡®Too tied up for the Queen?¡¯ I stood, nothing would simmer the sun zing inside her. I¡¯d neglected her and I couldn¡¯t cough up an exnation. ¡®Forgive me, what was so important?¡¯ ¡®You know what! I want you to take your seat.¡¯ ¡®We both know I can¡¯t do that.¡¯ Avon would surely have me killed. I wasn¡¯t worried about Jason, but people could surprise you. ¡®I¡¯m not asking Daylen. I order you to take the seat in my court.¡¯ She threw the cap of her yellow gown behind her. ¡®I¡¯m sorry I won¡¯t.¡¯ Her eyes red and her hand rose and struck me across the face. I shut my eyes and let the tingling sensation die. When I opened my eyes Sris reached for me I battled not to back up.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Forgive me my son. I want you to rule. You know the throne is yours.¡¯ She gripped my hand. My face burned and my body stiffened. Sris never showed weakness, never begged. She held my hand and her knees flirted with the ground. ¡®You know it¡¯s risky.¡¯ I said through clench teeth. ¡®It¡¯s your right my love.¡¯ She cupped my cheek. I knew guilt sat on her shoulders. She only behaved this way when sheid hands on me. I knew a part of herself eat at her insides because of my childhood. ¡®My first born son. You¡¯re the only one who holds my heart. Draw your wings let me see them.¡¯ I struggled out of her hold and marched to the fire ce. I ran fingers through my hair. ¡®You want my wings to make sure I really am your son? Isn¡¯t it?¡¯ ¡®I know you are Daylen. I knew the day I saw you.¡¯ The edges of her lips twitched. I was still a boy when Sris first saw me cleaning the grounds of her castle. I hadn¡¯t even touched a woman yet, never known a mother¡¯s love. She killed the man who raised me the next fall and I became the secret she reimed. Back then I wanted to ask her why I had to be a secret to begin with. I learned without her help. I needed to hear it from her, but I wouldn¡¯t summon her anger on purpose. Humming filled my eyes, like a siren call luring me to the mage dimension. Artemis. I thought I told her the ne was only for emergencies. ¡®Your son won¡¯t like my inclusion. It¡¯ll cause a stir, have you thought about that?¡¯ She shrugged and finally graced her throne. ¡®I¡¯m the queen, remember? I can add whoever I want to my court without aint from anyone. Not the prince, nor the king.¡¯ I was the rightful heir to the throne, but Jason was the crowned prince. With Alpheus fallen he had no other rivals, not to the naked eye. I wasn¡¯t stupid not to expect a fight when Sris stepped down. ¡®I should think about it more.¡¯ I said. She eyed me, her gaze sizing me up. ¡®Healing magic, strong kind too. Why would you need healing?¡¯ She rose, her gown dragging behind her. I swallowed, I didn¡¯t think Artemis¡¯ power still lingered in me. ¡®Fight broke out in Laurelle. I had to stop it.¡¯ Artemis¡¯ call grew louder. She needed me after all. ¡®I forget about your vulnerable side. I can fix that.¡¯ She whispered in my ear. The urge to open the portal and vanish wed at me. ¡®How?¡¯ She chuckled, ¡®Take the seat.¡¯ She¡¯s in trouble. I sidestepped my mother and raced for the door. ¡®I have to go Sris.¡¯ ¡®We¡¯re not finished,¡¯ she barked. ¡®This is important.¡¯ I yanked the door, summoning the portal. Sris yelled behind me, but the portal gripped my skin and sucked me down to the mage dimension. Inded in rumble, dirt smudged my white pants. She was close. ¡®You¡¯re both going to jail!¡¯ Marcus barked. Dust filled the air, casting the allusion of a grey cloud. The remaining wall stood as a reminder of the building that once stood. Broken bottles and ss cracked under my boots. I raised my hand andmanded the wind to carry to the blinding cloud away. Artemis stood behind a man in a ripped army green shirt. The brut challenged Marcus, who swung his rope of Hercules. I was interested to see if Artemis could withstand the power of the weapon, but I knew the magnitude of the rope. I summoned the weapon, it flew from my friend¡¯s grip andnded at my feet. ¡®Dude, what the hell?¡¯ Marcus yelled. Blood dripped down the side of his head, while the brut didn¡¯t have a scratch. ¡®It took you long enough!¡¯ Artemis sighed and walked over, the brut grabbed her and brought her back. I surged into the sky andnded between them. The ground shook dust escaped into the air, blinding me momentarily. I managed to release Artemis only to lock her by my side. The thought of the brut touching her made something inside me snap. ¡®I¡¯m taking her home,¡¯ he said. ¡®I don¡¯t recall Hera¡¯s dungeons being anyone¡¯s home.¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t work for the queen.¡¯ ¡®Then why are you here?¡¯ I felt Artemis slip from my side, my grip around her waist tightened. ¡®Like I said I¡¯m taking her home. You won¡¯t stop me denmius,¡¯ his jaw and fists clenched. ¡®They¡¯re both going to the Sris¡¯ court.¡¯ Marcus shouted. ¡®Artemis isn¡¯t going anywhere.¡¯ I barked. ¡®Can¡¯t you see the destruction she¡¯s caused? Her and her minion?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll turn you into a minion,¡¯ The third man threatened. ¡®I didn¡¯t do it alone,¡¯ Artemis folded her arms. ¡®You never do it alone, do you?¡¯ I eyed her. ¡®It takes two to tango,¡¯ she muttered. ¡®What?¡¯ She rolled her eyes, ¡®I think Orion has a little point to make.¡¯ She¡¯s insane, she¡¯s so desperate she¡¯d run off with anyone and trap herself with the wrong crowd. Olympiad knew there were enough wrong crowds in the mage dimension. ¡®Daylen¡­¡¯ Marcus grinded his teeth. Too many people talking at the same time, too many problems to fix. I likely had bodies under the rumble. I knew General Storm was on his way. I meant what I said Artemis wasn¡¯t going any where. I gripped her to my chest and opened the portal above us. I held my wings in and shot into the sky. *** ¡®Is it even safe here?¡¯ Artemis lingered outside the door. I sighed, ¡®Is the high and mighty Artemis afraid? Can¡¯t take care of yourself anymore?¡¯ She nted her hands on her hip, ¡®I can take care of myself just fine it¡¯s your friend thatplicated things.¡¯ I ushered her inside. I still had neighbours and I didn¡¯t need them hearing the details of what happened in the mage dimension. The only thing they should hear were the sounds of heated passion. ¡®I thought you were smarter than this Artemis.¡¯ I walked to the bar. Marcus wouldn¡¯t let this go. I knew he was behind me. Orion I wasn¡¯t sure the kind of monster he was though he knew what I was. Very few creatures have the power to discern. Most Dinemus¡¯ could especially those in the Royal family, but since I was only half of a whole I didn¡¯t have most powers. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t know Artemis¡¯ true identity. ¡®What are you on about?¡¯ She sat on the couch as if it were the most delicate thing. ¡®Were you really going to run off with him? That man?¡¯ ¡®He said prettypelling things. I think I need to hear him out.¡¯ ¡®Like what? How to find your sister? He could just be sent to deliver the other half.¡¯ ¡®Is it me or do you have trust issues?¡¯ I groaned. I had plenty reasons for having trust issues, but this was just me being logical. Banging came at the door, I stood from the stool and motioned for Artemis to go to the room. She shook her head. ¡®You¡¯re not fighting.¡¯ I whispered. ¡®You could get hurt again.¡¯ I ran my hand down my face. ¡®I know you¡¯re in there.¡¯ Marcus pounded again. ¡®Stay by the bar. Let me handle this.¡¯ I opened the door and Marcus stormed in. ¡®Where is she?¡¯ He barked. ¡®She can¡¯t avoid thew because you¡¯re sleeping with her.¡¯ ¡®I am not!¡¯ Artemis eximed. Our heads snapped in her direction. She folded her arms and sat on a stole. ¡®You¡¯re not going to arrest her because your ego¡¯s hurt.¡¯ I shrugged. ¡®Fuck that! Her and her aplice destroyed an entire bar. Didn¡¯t you see that?¡¯ I looked at her. We needed to have a serious talk about blowing up buildings. ¡®You don¡¯t know her Daylen for all we know she could be a spy.¡¯ ¡®I am not,¡¯ Artemis growled. I shoved my hands in my pockets and sighed. ¡®Give me until noon.¡¯ ¡®What?¡¯ Artemis gasped. ¡®Why?¡¯ Marcus asked. ¡®I know your head would have depleted by then.¡¯ I shouldn¡¯t have grinned, but failed to contain myself. ¡®Fuck you Daylen. You don¡¯t hand her in before Sris¡¯ sun sets today I¡¯m going to Storm. You know he¡¯s looking for her.¡¯ Marcus turned. ¡®Good luck with that Marcus,¡¯ I let him m the door behind him. Artemis jumped off the stool and paced the room. She ran fingers through her hair, rumbling on and on. I wanted to grab her and throw on the couch. I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop myself from climbing on top of her. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have done anything if ¨C the boys started it I swear.¡¯ ¡®And you finished it?¡¯ I arched a brow, finishing the remainder of brandy. ¡®This is serious Daylen, I can¡¯t go to jail.¡¯ She rubbed her shoulders and went back to the couch. ¡®I won¡¯t let that happen. Trust me.¡¯ She looked up, ¡®What can you do against a general? I know you¡¯ve got your influence, but a general isn¡¯t that a really high rank?¡¯ I chuckled, ¡®I¡¯d like to think I know people higher than General Storm.¡¯ I crossed the floor and sat next to her. For the first time I realized how small she was. Her hair covered her shoulders and flooded her back. ¡®Nothing¡¯s going to happen to you, but you have to help me out. You can¡¯t go running off with strange men you meet in bars. It might work in the human world, but not here. Mages have been killed for less.¡¯ She rubbed her forehead, ¡®Ugh, I know he just¡­ he said something that- Never mind you¡¯re right it wouldn¡¯t have ended well.¡¯ The pod in my back pocket buzzed. A meeting, I groaned. ¡®I don¡¯t think you should go back to Laurelle at least for now.¡¯ She turned to me, ¡®I left Ste behind and Rocky remember? Before chaos broke out Marcus was supposed to give us information about where she could be kept.¡¯ I stood and frowned at her, ¡®Why would you ask for Marcus¡¯ help? Didn¡¯t I say I¡¯d help you?¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t be mad. I didn¡¯t know it was Marcus. Ste asked him they¡¯re¡­ in a rtionship or sleeping together. I hope I didn¡¯t ruin things.¡¯ She bit her lip. They were sleeping around, Marcus slept with anything when the urge hit him. That he had a usual girl did surprise me. ¡®He doesn¡¯t know anything.¡¯ ¡®You can¡¯t be so sure,¡¯ she threw her arms in the air and marched to the door and back. I grabbed her arms and made her look at me. The urge to touch her conquered me more often than not. I rxed my hold and let my hands fall down her skin. She shivered and the battle in my body raged on. ¡®No on matches your sister¡¯s description Artemis. There aren¡¯t any captives from earth. You have to consider she isn¡¯t here or she¡¯s-¡® ¡®No, no! She can¡¯t be dead. I¡¯m not leaving here without her. She¡¯s all I have left. She¡¯s all I ever had.¡¯ Tears trickled down her cheek. I brushed them away and instantly regretted it. I paced to the bar and refilled my ss. ¡®Maybe you¡¯d be safer if you went back to earth. The possibility of her being here is slim.¡¯ I didn¡¯t want her gone, but neither did I want her in Storm¡¯s hands or Hera¡¯s. Her face fell. It wasn¡¯t safe here, she was too special to belong here anyway. She shook her head, ¡®I¡¯ll ask Alfie to snoop around on earth. I¡¯m not leaving here without Rocky even if the chances are slim. You¡¯ll have to ept that.¡¯ I smacked my forehead. ¡®Another friend of yours?¡¯ The pod vibrated again, this time I pulled it out and nced at it. ¡®Rx, he¡¯s a really good guy he¡¯s a ncus witch.¡¯ She beamed. I raised my brow. She was a maic for trouble. ¡®Last I checked ncus witches were extinct.¡¯ Her mouth dropped then she bit her lip. ¡®They¡¯re in hiding. Alfie told us today he had to go back because Hera found their hiding ce. Heck he even showed us his tattoo.¡¯ Iughed and smacked my hands together. The things monsters did to convince their prey. ¡®You¡¯re not going back that¡¯s final.¡¯ I grabbed the white jacket off the couch. I couldn¡¯t miss the meeting as much as I wanted to. ¡®I¡¯m not staying. I have to make sure Ste¡¯s okay. So take me back.¡¯ I frowned and she folded her arms, challenging me. Leaving her alone wasn¡¯t the brightest idea. I knew Storm would be at the meeting so would Marcus, but they could send anyone. ¡®You¡¯reing back when I¡¯m done.¡¯ I grumbled. ¡®We¡¯ll see.¡¯ Chapter 15- Daylen After taking Artemis back to the mage dimension, making sure her friend was home and making sure she remained there. I returned to Paradis. I brushed sweat off my brow. Lesser members piled into the court, whispers and murmurs following them. Marcus closed the door behind me. He didn¡¯t bother to acknowledge me. He¡¯d patched up the spot damaged in battle. The Queen and King graced their thrones alongside their elders. I took my seat. Another attack? Eternal winter? Hell the sun barely woke in the mage dimension. ¡®I have an important announcement to make,¡¯ Sris said almost in a whisper. General Storm and the prince sat across from me. My eyes searched for Marcus he better not have turned her in or else I¡¯d forget he was my friend. Sris gripped her throne, ¡®With the chaos be falling our world¡¯s I¡¯ve discovered my court iscking.¡¯ No. I swallowed my eyes darted to the king, prince then the general. She wouldn¡¯t. ¡®I¡¯ve brought it upon myself to promote a lesser member. I believe this person deserves to sit in my court more than anyone else.¡¯ ¡®Who is it your majesty?¡¯ The haggard woman sat on the smallest throne asked. The Queen¡¯s eyes shifted from her then scanned the room until theynded on me. Shit. ¡®Daylen.¡¯ ¡®Your Majesty,¡¯ Storm rose, his cape wrapping around his legs. ¡®You have something to say General Storm?¡¯ ¡®But- Yes your highness- this boy is hardly fit to stand in your presence¡­ he allowed a fugitive to escape!¡¯ ¡®Yes, darling perhaps this isn¡¯t a wise decision.¡¯ Avon¡¯s handnded on top of hers. ¡®You call me unwise Avon?¡¯ She spoke without looking at him. She slid off the throne, blonde hair caressing the floor. Her blood thirsty gaze darted through the room. This was exactly what I was afraid of. ¡®You¡¯ve all chosen to defy me?¡¯ Thunder rumbled outside. ¡®He¡¯s not fit to sit in her Majesty¡¯s Royal Court. Forgive me your highness I shall not allow it.¡¯ Storm¡¯s ragended on me. ¡®You favour the boy too much Sris,¡¯ Avon appeared behind her. ¡®What are you trying to suggest Avon?¡¯ She challenged. ¡®It is the boy that needs to be reminded of his ce.¡¯ Storm crossed the room, the members either side of me scattered. ¡®I know my ce Storm, you should remember yours.¡¯ I said. ¡®No one has ever seen you draw your wings, how can you fight for her majesty.¡¯ He spat. ¡®What I choose not to do has nothing to do with you.¡¯ Storm stepped back and pulled out the sword from his side. I rose and held his gaze. He pointed the de at my throat. I kept my face from my mother. ¡®Draw your wings boy,¡¯ Storm ordered. I clenched my fists together. ¡®That¡¯s enough Storm, your death will be by my hand if you so much asy a finger on him.¡¯ Lightening burst from the ground and caged Storm in. He withdrew his weapon it wasn¡¯t the end of this. ¡®You fight his battles too, Mother.¡¯ Jason gazed at our mother. He was like a dog denied of attention. Sris held her tongue and merely stared at him. ¡®Any of you defy me again, speak out of line even once you¡¯ll all die by my fire.¡¯ She said, her expression fixed on the king. The ring around Storm depleted. ¡®Surely the option of your husband and the dimension¡¯s general mean something to you Sris?¡¯ Avon said. ¡®You continue to defy me?¡¯ ¡®I can assure you I stand with the King.¡¯ Storm said. ¡®Then fire it is.¡¯ Before Sris could rise, pull fire from air and make a decision she¡¯d regret forever. I knelt before her throne. A second toote and I would have been roasted too. ¡®I ept your offer your majesty.¡¯ I kept my head down. ¡®As you should. Now get out all of you we have plenty to discuss.¡¯ *** I¡¯d only been in the military room in my mind. Long drunken nights imagining what it would be like to lead an army. I know it¡¯s my destiny, but it always seemed she was against me. My mother paved the way in, but I¡¯d have to fight to remain there. Marcus looked at me like I was a traitor, everyone else looked at me with disgust. If only they knew the half of it. There was only one person I wanted to be with and she didn¡¯t understand why I wanted to be close to her. ¡®The dark angels will arrive in Lord Ryker¡¯s kingdom in three days. The Dark Fae aren¡¯t working with Alpheus we¡¯ll arrive a day earlier and disarm his troops. The old Lord wouldn¡¯t deny our help.¡¯ Sris moved the feign soldiers towards The Fae territory. A solid stone table protruded from the ground, taking up half the room. A map of the mage dimension and Paradis was stered the stone table. ¡®Is it toote to negotiate with Alpheus, mother? He might listen to reason.¡¯ Jason stood by her right while Avon observed on her left. Storm and his seconds took up the rest of the table. For my first day I watched in the background. I doubted anyone in the room wanted my option anyway. ¡®You¡¯re too weak Jason. Your brother¡¯s gone and the sooner you ept that the better. He¡¯s the king of his own scum now.¡¯ Jason nodded. She turned to Storm next, ¡®Tighten your troops in Laurelle. Hera¡¯s miscreants destroyed a bar today, left dozens injured. I scratched the back of my head. Sris wrapped up her tactics and dished out her orders. Jason bowed and left the meeting, I was about to leave the room when Sris stopped me. ¡®The rumours flying around did have truth to them after all.¡¯ She had our full attention. ¡®Hera hasn¡¯t managed to kill one god, but two. If we don¡¯t stop her she¡¯ll capture Olympiad. If I know my son he¡¯ll be vying for the same thing. You don¡¯t steal a couple of jewels when the whole chest¡¯s up for grabs.¡¯ ¡®Surely the Queen¡¯s no match for a kingdom of gods!¡¯ Storm eximed. ¡®If she¡¯s found a way to drain the life from two Olympiad gods then she¡¯s got that part of her n well figured out.¡¯ ¡®Daylen¡­ a word.¡¯ Sris¡¯ words stopped me two feet from the door. Avon shot me a warning re on his way out. My life would have been equally as painful if I grew up in the castle with him as a step father. I closed the door behind him. Sris smiled and I sulked. ¡®How was your first day?¡¯ ¡®Were you really going to destroy your husband? Storm I can understand.¡¯ She chuckled, ¡®I would never hurt my husband no matter how much he tempts me to do so.¡¯ ¡®You left me no choice in this,¡¯ I said. She walked the length of the table and cupped my cheek. ¡®You deserve to be here. Soon you¡¯ll bemanding everyone remember that.¡¯ I nodded. surrender now battleter. ¡®That energy¡­ it¡¯s always around you. Whose is it?¡¯ Her hand slipped from my face. ¡®What?¡¯ ¡®Essence Daylen. It¡¯s like a scent all over you. Must be a woman.¡¯ I ran a hand through my hair. ¡®I¡¯m only helping her.¡¯ ¡®Why do I find that hard to believe? What¡¯s she like? Tell me about the woman that¡¯s captured my son¡¯s heart.¡¯ She smiled. Was this what a normal rtionship with a parent felt like? Did light innocent conversations feel like this? It was always pressure and desperation when I was around her. I chuckled, ¡®She¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s different, she has no problem kicking my ass. She¡¯s beautiful and full of wit. There¡¯s a lot I don¡¯t know about her, but I want to. A part of me doesn¡¯t want to go that far.¡¯ There¡¯s a possibility she might never return to my world. ¡®I take it she isn¡¯t an angel.¡¯Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®No, I don¡¯t know what she is. She¡¯s powerful and I have to keep her safe I promised her I would.¡¯ Her smile wavered and she gripped my hand. ¡®You¡¯re going to rule the whole of Paradis, you know that son?¡¯ My brows burrowed, ¡®Of course.¡¯ ¡®Ites with the great burden of marrying the right person. Daylen as a dinemus with Royal blood you¡¯re bound to marry an angel of noble rank.¡¯ I shook my head, ¡®I¡¯m not thinking of marrying her yet mother.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s still better to forget about her. Get her out of your mind before you make a mistake.¡¯ I stepped back. ¡®Like you did?¡¯ ¡®Daylen-¡® I was already marching out the door. Her affair with my father was an abomination, so disgraceful she couldn¡¯t have kept the spawn born from it. Her mistakes wouldn¡¯t be mine. Chapter 16- Artemis ¡®Are you sure you¡¯re feeling okay Ste?¡¯ I asked. She didn¡¯t have any visible scars, but her eyes seemed off not tired, though irritated. When Daylen brought me back I found Ste home. She didn¡¯t offer up any exnation of how she escaped, she wasn¡¯t pacing the room worried about me. She didn¡¯t st at me for vanishing either, nor was she upset I fought with Marcus. She was probably too pissed to feel anything. ¡®Are you mad at me?¡¯ She blinked at me a couple of times. ¡®I¡¯m fine. Maybe it¡¯s the shook of almost being buried alive by rubble.¡¯ Her response felt pre-generated. ¡®Sorry about that.¡¯ I winced. A couple more blinks, I thought her eyes were dry or dust caught in them. ¡®Tonight we meet a man at Escar¡¯s club. He can help.¡¯ She said and started for the hall. ¡®You said it¡¯s dangerous to be out at night.¡¯ I stood. ¡®Do you want to find your sister or not?¡¯ She snapped. ¡®I-I of course I do Ste.¡¯ She shook her head and attempted a smile that wasn¡¯t like her at all. Ste never hid her emotions from me if it was rage it was rage and she¡¯d never been remorseful about it. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, my head does hurt a little.¡¯ I nodded and returned to the couch. ¡®I¡¯m heading to bed, don¡¯t let anyone in. No one.¡¯ She ordered and I nodded quickly. The mission stress was getting to her it was getting to me too. We¡¯ve been in the mage dimension for days and hadn¡¯t gotten anywhere. If we didn¡¯t find Rocky soon I might end up in Angel jail. I bit my lips, they were Angels maybe it wasn¡¯t so bad. Jail was jail unfortunately. I gripped the ne on my chest. Pounding came from the door and I rushed to check who it was before they woke Ste. I assumed it was Daylen and opened the door. ¡®Oh shit,¡¯ I mmed the door, but Orion¡¯s foot jammed my efforts. ¡®How did you find me?¡¯ I wined. ¡®It wasn¡¯t too difficult, we have to talk Artemis.¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t know if I can trust you.¡¯ I said, battling to keep him out. ¡®I¡¯m an Olympiad demi-god in Zeus¡¯ army.¡¯ He said. ¡®Oh that¡¯s very original.¡¯ He stopped before thrusting the door in. I stumbled and frowned. The demi-god part was probably true. He wore arge blue jacket that fit his muscles perfectly from the battle with Marcus I knew he had incredible strength. ¡®I was sent by your parents to you bring your home. Goddess Sophia and Zeus.¡¯ I looked at the hall where Ste slept then back at Orion. I grabbed Ste¡¯s coat off the hanger and stepped outside. ¡®We do need to talk.¡¯ It was three in the morning, but the days in the mage dimension had no division. Day was dark and night was darker. The sun ceased to entertain the people here only storms ruled in thisnd. Even Paradis, the city of angels showed glimpses of the disaster toe. The walls had ears and the sky could see. Safety was a myth here, but if what Orion said was true then a goddess and a demi-god could take whatever danger threatened us. On my part it meant more broken buildings. We found some sort of shelter in an alley with dead rats, debris between two chard walls. I stepped on a burned nket and my heart shattered. Their world was already broken. They were forced out of their homes and thrown into the chaos that would only try to consume them. ¡®No matter the reason behind the war it¡¯s no reason enough to destroy countless lives.¡¯ I said. Orion nodded, he was a solider and wars in this world were just as deadly as the ones in my own he knew what I was talking about. ¡®When you and your brother were born-¡® ¡®My brother?¡¯ He nodded, ¡®Apollo, god of women and wine.¡¯ He rubbed his head. ¡®He¡¯s your twin- when you were born Olympiad was at war with the mage world your mother ced you with guardians to protect you, but your guardian Arke never returned. Your parents thought you were dead until your arrow shot through the northern sky.¡¯ ¡®All these years¡­ I had no idea what I really was. Now that I do, how does it sink in? What about Rocky? My sister?¡¯ Orion chuckled. ¡®You have many brothers and sisters. Most of the Olympiad gods are your siblings. The one you speak of has to be Arke¡¯s biological child.¡¯ I rubbed my shoulders, family reunions must be crazy. ¡®I can¡¯t leave her here. She doesn¡¯t know this world or any of this.¡¯ ¡®But Olympiad needs you- Your mother¡­ the reason the skies are dark and storms ravish this world is because her powers are weakening with each day she fights and she drains herself knowing you¡¯re out there in danger.¡¯ ¡®In danger of what?¡¯ Thunder replied to my cries and I ducked. ¡®Hera killed a god and stole their power. That¡¯s how she was able to open the gate to Olympiad. If she discovers you¡¯re here you¡¯ll be her target. Hera knows the secret of killing gods, she¡¯s too powerful already.¡¯ ¡®Hera kidnapped my sister because she thought Rocky was me.¡¯ She already knows I¡¯m here. The other god she killed had to be Dad. That¡¯s how she knew about us. ¡®I¡¯m sorry Artemis- Best believe your sister¡¯s dead.¡¯Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Orion!¡¯ He gripped my hands and pulled me deeper into the alley. ¡®If Hera had even a demi-god at her hands she wouldn¡¯t keep her prisoner.¡¯ ¡®You can¡¯t know that.¡¯ I sniffled. My little sister couldn¡¯t be dead. I slipped out of Orion¡¯s hold and wrapped my arms around myself. Daylen would know, he promised he¡¯d help me find out what happened to her. My hand went to my ne, no not in front of Orion. ¡®So, what? I return to Olympiad, my mother gets better and you win the war? Then what? My life¡¯spletely upside down.¡¯ ¡®I wish it were that easy.¡¯ He shoved his hands in his jacket. He sighed and his breath materialized in the air. ¡®You don¡¯t belong here Artemis, you belong in the sky. Only there will you learn who you really are.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve never known the real me, Orion. I don¡¯t know if I will anymore.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll arrange safe passage back to Olympiad. In the meantime be safe and out of sight. I¡¯ll always be close just in case you need me.¡¯ Orion wanted to walk me back inside and nearly carried me when I refused. I needed to talk to Daylen and I didn¡¯t want to do it at Ste¡¯s. If anyone tried to attack me I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to st them. I thought about Daylen¡¯s reaction when he found me freezing my ass off in an alley. It wouldn¡¯t be pretty so I took the rickety steps up to Ste¡¯s floor and couldn¡¯t bring myself to go inside. Sobs rattled my body. I felt my eyes grow puffy from all the tears. Rocky¡¯sugh echoed in my ears. I balled my eyes out more. She wasn¡¯t fuel for a meaningless war she was my baby sister. I¡¯d never get to see her again or hold her. A hand crawled up my back. I jumped and hit the door. ¡®Shit Daylen!¡¯ ¡®You called me remember?!¡¯ He wasn¡¯t dressed in all white, it was a change. He wore a grey shirt and white sweatpants. ¡®What happened?¡¯ He stood in front of me a whisper of air between us. He lifted my chin. ¡®Artemis? What happened?¡¯ I shook my head, not because I didn¡¯t want to tell him, because I wanted him to back up. The close proximity between us made me want to be in his arms. He made my body heat up and every time I looked at him I wanted to know what it felt like to kiss his pink lips. I exhaled and remembered he was right in front of me. ¡®My sister¡­ Rocky, do you think she¡¯s dead?¡¯ ¡®Who told you that? If it was Marcus then he just said it because he¡¯s bitter because you kicked his ass.¡¯ I shook my head, ¡®Daylen don¡¯t lie to me.¡¯ ¡®You want to sit down?¡¯ I pressed my body against the door. ¡®Ste doesn¡¯t want people inside.¡¯ ¡®Since when do you listen to people?¡¯ He grinned. ¡®Daylen¡­¡¯ I looked into his eyes through his sses for the first time since he got here. Did all angels smell so good? ¡®There¡¯s a possibility, if she¡¯s half as powerful as you then- The chances are slim.¡¯ ¡®Why didn¡¯t you tell me that a long time ago! If she¡¯s dead I¡¯ve got no reason to be in this disgusting world!!¡¯ Daylen stepped back when I threw my arms in the air. ¡®I wish this ce never existed! I want my Rocky back.¡¯ Daylen grabbed my hands and pinned them to his chest. ¡®I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s dead Artemis¡­ apart of me doesn¡¯t want you to leave.¡¯ He let me go as soon as the words left his lips. He walked to the wall, hands running through his hair. If I left I wasn¡¯t sure I would forget this man. I held my arm and waited for him to speak, but he couldn¡¯t even look at me. ¡®Is there a chance of finding a body?¡¯ I asked. ¡®It¡¯ll be like looking for a needle in a haystack.¡¯ He kept his back to me. ¡®Do I just give up? Go home?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s best if you left anyway. This isn¡¯t a ce for a woman like you.¡¯ ¡®Daylen-¡® ¡®Get some rest Artemis. It¡¯s nearly five in the morning.¡¯ He left. Like an abandoned kitten on a sidewalk I turned to find shelter. Chapter 17-Artemis I slept in until I don¡¯t know what time. The clock on the side bed in the guest room was forever stuck at seven pm. I was mourning two losses, my sister¡¯s possible death and a guy who pushed me away before I could get close. Ste hadn¡¯te to my room, it had me worried she still wasn¡¯t well from yesterday. I kicked off the nket and went to shower. ¡®There you are. We have to go.¡¯ Ste said. I was drying my hair out and was only dressed in a towel when she walked through the door. ¡®Are you sure about this Ste? Is it safe? Thest two guys you found weren¡¯t very I don¡¯t know-¡® ¡®The elf is dead- Do you want to find your sister or not?¡¯Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Of course I do, but-¡® I blinked a couple times at the news of the death of the elf. I didn¡¯t believe him at the time, but knowing he was gone thrust me to the realization that he was the first person to tell me my real identity. ¡®Five minutes.¡¯ She stormed out the room. ¡®Ste!¡¯ If there was a problem, why didn¡¯t she juste out and tell me? I pulled on leather pants and a pink jersey. I thought it was dangerous, but I couldn¡¯t let the lead go. Daylen said Rocky was dead he also told me to beat it. There was hope in my soul that Rocky was out there alive somewhere waiting for me. This was all my fault I couldn¡¯t live if I didn¡¯t fix it. Ste and I walked in silence on the street of her apartment. It wasn¡¯t far from the bar she used to worked at. I cringed when I saw the men and women in dark blue overalls going through the rumble. I hoped no one was dead. ¡®Is the Dinemusing?¡¯ She asked. I stuffed my hands in the jersey pocket. ¡®No, he said it was better if I left the mage dimension.¡¯ ¡®We don¡¯t need him anyway.¡¯ A group of girls in short skirts walked out of a tall building. Theyughed and carried their blue bags down the street. It was the first time I saw normalcy in the mage dimension. ¡®Where are we going?¡¯ I asked. ¡®Through the alley.¡¯ I remembered the time I identally took Daylen to a familiar¡¯s hangout. I covered my mouth and my smile. I tried to push him and the few memories we¡¯d made to the back of my mind. Music grew as we continued deeper into the dark alley. I couldn¡¯t tell where the door was. Ste grabbed my wrist. We were consumed in darkness it was like a nket on my skin. Several locks clicked open then the door slid open. Ste pushed the door all the way in the music sted my hair back and the light illuminated the dark alley. I looked behind us before disappearing inside. There was nothing there, but it felt like the presence of a dozen eyes. I wasn¡¯t much for clubbing back home, this was no exception. The lights shed from red to orange to blue. The heavy music vibrated the room and made my teeth chatter. We entered a room full of bodies grinding against each other. I looked up to the balcony where I could have sworn some of the people sucking each other¡¯s faces others were t out having sex. Girls in red leather grinded their bodies on men two times older than them. I turned and discovered Ste was way ahead of me. I caught her turn the corner and disappear. I ran to catch up with her. ¡®Ste?¡¯ I bumped shoulders as I waded through yet another dance floor. I came to the bar muchrger than the one I destroyed. I gasped when someone caressed my shoulder. I swerved and spotted a set of stairs. ¡®How the hell have I lost you again?¡¯ I went to the bar. The man behind the bar had shimmering yellow yes and a Cheshire Cat smile. He fixed on me and I stumbled back into the crowd and I turned and looked up at a ck pole. A winged creature red at me with ck holes for eyes and fangs for teeth. I stumbled back and the creature mmed against the bars of the cage. ¡®Artemis!¡¯ I span and I felt like a ball in a pinball machine. Daylen shoved bodies on his way over. I hugged my body tighter and scooted away from the monster in the cage. ¡®What the hell are you doing here?¡¯ He grabbed my elbow before he froze and stared over my head. ¡®I should be asking you the same thing!¡¯ ¡®Not here.¡¯ He ced his hand on my back and guided me to another set of stairs. The music sounded miles the vibrations were reced with moaning and flesh colliding. My cheeks burn and I shut my eyes long enough to realize I¡¯d trip if I didn¡¯t see where we were going. Yet, I didn¡¯t want to see a big old man pounding someone against a wall. Luckily the halls were clear, most of the doors were open though. I rubbed my eyes. Why was he here? ¡®Coming back honey?¡¯ I stopped despite Daylen¡¯s hand shoving me forward. I looked through one of the open doors. A blonde woman with shimmering blue eyesy on a ruffled bed. She shed her naked breasts at Daylen. ¡®I¡¯m done for the night, Shae.¡¯ She flipped her hair over her shoulder and lifted her chin. Daylen pushed harder. ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯ So that¡¯s what he was doing here? The blood in my veins froze and I took arge step forward, not wanting his hold on me. I kept walking, but Daylen grabbed me and led me up a short flight of stairs until the only thing above us were the stars. They twinkled like diamonds stuck in deep blue batter. I couldn¡¯t allow myself to be distracted. ¡®Get off.¡¯ He yanked me down to a white couch. I scurried to the far end. For the first time I noticed the few people wandering on the roof. Mostly waiters with the same shimmering eyes as the bartender and Shae. ¡®Didn¡¯t we agree you would go back to earth?¡¯ He sted. ¡®I¡¯m not leaving unless I¡¯m one hundred percent sure Raquel is dead or not!¡¯ ¡®Damn! What will it take for you to listen?¡¯ ¡®Nothing!¡¯ He pressed his lips together. Our chests rose and fell at the same time. In an instant he wrapped his arms around me and pulled to hisp. My body froze then the fight kicked in. Daylen parted my legs- or maybe I did that- so that they wrapped around his waist. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ I pounded my fist on his chest. He rolled his eyes before binding my wrists together and pinning them to chest. His other hand grabbed the back of my head. Before I could think Daylen¡¯s lips were on mine. It was a hard closed mouth kiss. My insides burned and cried out for more. I stopped wriggling and leaned into him. He let go of my hands and wrapped his arms around me. ¡®You¡¯re being followed,¡¯ he said in between kisses. ¡®y along.¡¯ His mouth went back to my lips, tugging on my bottom lip I opened up to give him ess. He waited and caressed my lips first. I sprawled my hands on his chest. I¡¯d wanted to know what it felt like to kiss him for a while now. I wouldn¡¯t be able to forget him now. I moaned when his mouth moved to my neck. ¡®Daylen¡­ what kind of games are these?¡¯ ¡®The one I¡¯ve been wanting to y for a while.¡¯ I sat up and looked around. Everyone minded their own business others were making out or staring off into the distance on the edge of the roof. ¡®I think we should leave.¡¯ Daylen said. ¡®Why? Where are we going?¡¯ He set me down and I caught a glimpse of the bulge in his pants. I swallowed. He wanted to take me home to finish the job. How did I tell him I couldn¡¯t do that? He held his hand out for me. I hesitated and he frowned. ¡®There¡¯s a tail on you.¡¯ I asked myself how true that was. I looked around and didn¡¯t see anyone watching me. I stared at his hand then at his erection and swallowed. Chapter 18- Artemis My hand slipped into his, once in he locked in and yanked me to my feet and tucked me under his arm. ¡®Is anyone even following me?¡¯ ¡®Of course.¡¯ ¡®Oh yeah? Who?¡¯ ¡®Dark angels.¡¯ I stopped but he hauled me along. ¡®Why would they be after me?¡¯ He lifted a shoulder, ¡®You tell me.¡¯ ¡®Daylen!¡¯ I looked behind me and suddenly dozens of eyes fixed on me. ¡®They won¡¯t hurt you.¡¯ He said, his grip around my shoulders tightening. ¡®I came with Ste-¡® ¡®I¡¯m starting to believe she isn¡¯t really your friend.¡¯ ¡®Why would you say that?¡¯ A man slipped from the bar and slithered behind us. I gripped Daylen¡¯s arm tighter, he looked over my head and pulled me in front of him. ¡®Because she¡¯s always nowhere to be seen. Why are you here anyway?¡¯ ¡®I-¡® I couldn¡¯t finish my sentence two men lingered behind us. ¡®Daylen, we havepany.¡¯ ¡®I know. I can only open the portal outside.¡¯ He murmured. We were on the second floor and a sh of red eyes red at us our way out. Daylen¡¯s pace quickened so did ourpany¡¯s. The door was in sight, but a girl with blonde hair and red eyes jumped in front of it. That was the queue for the rest of the gang to join in. Daylen raised his hand and the girl flew into the crowd. I kicked the door open. He thrust me out first the pack of angry dark angels burst through the door. Daylen hurled a ball of light at them and the club filled with screams. He returned to my side and the portal opened for us. *** ¡®I thought they were going to get us,¡¯ Iughed as I stumbled into the apartment. Daylen grinned, ¡®Their mistake. We do a lot of damage together I think we can be a great team as well.¡¯ He cupped my cheeks. His words had me dreaming of what we could be, yet I remembered he told me to leave. ¡®I guess-¡® He captured my mouth again. This time when I parted my lips his tongue slid inside. I stumbled backward Daylen¡¯s grip on my waist was the only thing keeping me from falling. ¡®I need you.¡¯ He said against my lips. I wanted him too, but I couldn¡¯t get the words to form. Daylen turned me around so he was the one walking backward. He kicked the bedroom door open. My heart rate spiked and I pulled back. His dimly lit bedroom came into view. Daylen threw himself on the bed taking me with him. He wrapped my legs around his waist, the bulge in his pants pushed into my vagina. I gasped. Our mouths mingled again. It was when his hands slipped under my jersey and hit flesh did I pull back. ¡®Wait Daylen.¡¯ I sat up. I brushed my hair back and looked anywhere but at him. His hands never left my skin, the mere thought of them made goose bumps scatter across my skin. ¡®What¡¯s the matter?¡¯ He whispered. I noticed for the first time he wasn¡¯t wearing his sses. I cupped my cheeks unable to speak. He grinned and pulled my jersey over my head. He tossed the pink jersey across the room. I bit my lip. Daylen¡¯s eyes were fixed on my ck bra then they went up to my face. ¡®You¡¯re so beautiful.¡¯ He brushed my curls behind my shoulder. I shivered and hugged myself. Daylen grunted as he pulled himself up. His handsnded above my butt. ¡®Alright, tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m just nervous.¡¯ ¡®Do I make you nervous?¡¯ He traced kisses along my neck. I shut my eyes and shivered. ¡®The situation makes me nervous.¡¯ The corner of his mouth lifted. I was conscious of his hand lingering by my bra hook. ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve never done this before.¡¯ His brows burrowed and his hand left my back. He leaned back on the pillow. ¡®What is that supposed to mean?¡¯ ¡®Do I have to spell it out? I¡¯m a virgin.¡¯ Silence. We blinked at each other for a few seconds before Daylen burst intoughter. I frowned. ¡®What¡¯s so funny?¡¯ ¡®You must be kidding. ¡® ¡®I¡¯m not.¡¯ I crossed my arms over my chest. ¡®I don¡¯t believe that. How can a goddess like you go untouched?¡¯ My blood froze over. How did he know? I swallowed. ¡®A¡­ a what?¡¯ He sat up again. He ced kisses on my shoulders. ¡®Goddesses are some of the most beautiful creatures. You¡¯re just as beautiful as one.¡¯ His lips pressed against my cheek and I blushed. It felt like the purest gesture. ¡®Have you ever been with one?¡¯ He groaned, ¡®I don¡¯t want to get myself killed.¡¯ ¡®What does that mean?¡¯ ¡®Any goddess would be a daughter of Zeus and Zeus is extremely over protective of his daughters. Only a man engaged to his daughters would be allowed to touch her and such a man has to be worthy in his eyes. Anyone else would be struck by lightning.¡¯ I chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. My Dad my real Dad. He wouldn¡¯t like this. I hadn¡¯t thought about the day when I was finally reunited with him with my entire family. Daylen sighed, ¡®Do you want to?¡¯ ¡®I¡­ I¡¯m scared.¡¯ ¡®I won¡¯t hurt you I promise, but it will hurt a little.¡¯ I nodded. My judgment was clouded with lust. How long would Daylen be around for? I saw myself today that he went to random ces to sleep with beautiful strange women. Still I let himy me on my back and unclip my bra. ¡®You¡¯re gorgeous.¡¯ He traced kisses down my stomach until he came to band of my leggings. He lingered there waiting for me to stop him. I bit my lip, he pulled down my leggings. My breathing quickened, this wasn¡¯t how I imagined it to happen. I wanted roses on the bed, nice underwear and chocte. There was nothing left on me but a whitecy underwear. Daylen toyed with the fabric of my underwear. ¡®Very nice.¡¯ I gasped when his fingers discovered the wetness and slipped under the fabric. His eyes met mine only seriousness found in them. Daylen caressed my bud, I felt myself get wetter. At any moment my panty would be drenched. Daylen picked up his pace. I cupped my mouth and moaned. I parted my legs to give him better ess. I¡¯d lost all my senses. Regret was a story to be concerned about another day. Daylen yed outside my entrance. He bathed in the wetness. ¡®What are you waiting for?¡¯ He grinned. One finger slipped in and I gasped. Hammering sounded from the living room and I sprang up. ¡®That doesn¡¯t sound like friendly neighbours.¡¯ Daylen¡¯s finger remained in me unmoving. The hammering continued. He pulled out and I battled not to moan. ¡®Stay here.¡¯ ¡®What if you need me?¡¯ I looked around for my leggings. ¡®Artemis stay here. I¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ He marched out the room. I tiptoed to the hall and popped my head into the living room. Daylen opened the door and received a fist to the jaw. I cupped my mouth. Daylen grabbed his jaw and backed into the room. A man in a dark leather suit marched into the room. He had broad shoulders. He stood at par with Daylen. The hostile man was older and built, he pushed Daylen back, shouting though Daylen didn¡¯t fight back. ¡®I warned you boy!¡¯ ¡®You overreacted.¡¯ ¡®Stay away from my wife.¡¯ ¡®I work for her.¡¯ The older man swung and collided with Daylen¡¯s jaw. Daylen stumbled back, blood dripped from his nose. ¡®You¡¯ve got balls to be sleeping with the queen.¡¯ My eyes widened. I looked back at the bedroom then my memory shed to the nightclub. Daylen was more than capable. ¡®I¡¯m not. You¡¯ve got it all wrong.¡¯ ¡®Coward! At least confess to your crimes.¡¯ ¡®Before you kill me?¡¯ ¡®No.¡¯ I whispered. ¡®You¡¯ve been a thorn in my side since the day you set foot in my castle.¡¯ ¡®The Queen¡¯s castle! You know you¡¯re just a pawn. The only reason you¡¯re there is for public satisfaction.¡¯ The man¡¯s nostrils red once again he raised his fist Daylen ducked andnded his first punch to the man¡¯s gut. He tumbled back and hit the door. If this wasn¡¯t the first time Daylen was attacked, then his neighbours must go through a lot. ¡®I¡¯ve had enough of you.¡¯ The man spat. He brought his hands to himself, an orb of light grew into a sparking ball. It burst forward sending Daylen crushing into his bar. ¡®No!¡¯ I cried. I didn¡¯t know what to do, but my body knew I had to save Daylen. My body heated I looked at the only window in the room. I called lighting from the clouds and no sooner an electrical snake shattered the window and struck the man¡¯s shoulder. I gasped. I didn¡¯t think that would work. The man dropped to one knee, clutching his shoulder. The fabric of his outfit waspletely burned off. I looked at the bar where not even a whimper came. He hauled himself up and dragged his feet out of the house. I raced to shut the door then to the bar. I saved him but I wasn¡¯t promising that I wouldn¡¯t kill him myself.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 19- Daylen ¡®Leave me alone,¡¯ I shoved Artemis¡¯ hand away. ¡®You¡¯re hurt!¡¯ ¡®I told you I can heal myself.¡¯ She grumbled the pan with water and cotton balls rattled on herps. ¡®It¡¯s clearly not working.¡¯ I rolled back on the couch. It wasn¡¯t working. My body ached and my bones cracked. If I stood, I¡¯d copse. Iboured to breath. I turned to Artemis, her lips parted and her eyes frowned. I reached for her hand, moments ago I had her in my arms. Now I felt my essence flee me. ¡®Let me try something, please.¡¯ She whispered. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ Her hand trembled all the way to my cheek. My hand found hers there. I shut my eyes and relished her touch. ¡®You¡¯re bleeding internally Daylen.¡¯ I groaned, ¡®Fuck.¡¯ She lifted my shirt to reveal where Avon¡¯s magic did the most damage. My skin was raw and ck. Her hand pressed against the injury.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Shit Artemis.¡¯ I spat. ¡®I¡¯m sorry!¡¯ She moved closer and guided my face so that I was right in front of her. She pressed her forehead onto mine. I shut my eyes. Every broken piece found its other half. The puzzle pieces clicked into ce. Her lips pressed against mine. Sparks filled my head to the tips of my toes. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. The defences in my mind fell like flies. I pulled away from her before every wall was down. ¡®I¡¯m not finished.¡¯ She whispered. I scrutinized her, what kind of creature was she? She took out my defences in seconds and lookedpletely innocent doing it. ¡®I think I¡¯m good enough to heal on my own now.¡¯ She nodded and bit her lip. She knew I found out what she was doing. At least I wasn¡¯t the only one with secrets. Iy on my back and brought Artemis down with me. I had a damaged bar, I¡¯d almost died and my neighbours were probably drawing up a petition to have me kicked out, but those were thest things on my mind. ¡®Are you sure you¡¯re not an angel?¡¯ I asked. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d know if I was.¡¯ How much better it would be for me if she was. Sris¡¯ words boomed in my mind. I had an obligation to marry an angel of noble rank. There were many in Paradis all very beautiful too. Most of them had their eye on Jason, I wondered what their reaction would be like when they discovered Jason didn¡¯t have a hold on the throne. At the rate the attacks wereing Jason might inherit the throne after all. ¡®Are you sleeping with the queen?¡¯ My hand toyed with her hair. Damn Avon for interrupting one of the most important moments of my life. Damn this woman for bing so important to me. ¡®Don¡¯t listen to him. He¡¯s paranoid and jealous.¡¯ ¡®That isn¡¯t an answer Daylen.¡¯ I exhaled. If only she knew how disgusting that was. ¡®No, I¡¯m not.¡¯ She sat up. ¡®That man was the king? The king himself came to kill you? There¡¯s got to be more to it than just jealously.¡¯ ¡®There isn¡¯t. I got promoted and not a lot of people like it.¡¯ She narrowed her eyes at me. ¡®How did you get promoted?¡¯ Not by sleeping with my mother. ¡®I¡¯m a hard worker. I¡¯d like to think I¡¯m an asset to the Queen¡¯s court.¡¯ She tilted her head. ¡®Are angels supposed to be found at dangerous night clubs fucking strange women?¡¯ ¡®What does that have to do with anything?¡¯ She shrugged, ¡®I just thought angels weren¡¯t supposed to do stuff like that.¡¯ ¡®Go to night clubs? I could have been undercover.¡¯ She rolled her eyes, ¡®Is sleeping with the workers part of the assignment?¡¯ I pulled her leg so she sat on me. She looked anywhere but at me. ¡®Are you jealous Artemis?¡¯ She snapped her head in my direction and gasped. She wanted to jump off the couch but I held her thighs down. ¡®Why would I be jealous? I¡¯m not jealous!¡¯ I sat up so I could hold her. The pain in my side felt like a hundred needles pinning down at once. At least it wasn¡¯t like a fire was lit inside my body. ¡®It didn¡¯t mean anything. You¡¯ve got not reason to worry.¡¯ I kissed her cheek, breathing in the scent of her hair. My hand tangled in the curls. ¡®You don¡¯t want me around anyway.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s not because I don¡¯t like you¡­ sometimes I don¡¯t like you. I want to keep you safe.¡¯ She nodded. I pulled her back down with me. I rested my chin on her head and caressed her arms. ¡®It¡¯s better if you left Artemis.¡¯ It was thest thing she wanted to hear. I almost took her virginity now I was sending her away. It was for her own good and mine. My mother already doesn¡¯t approve of us. ¡®I¡¯m not staying for you.¡¯ She wiggled out of my hold and stood. ¡®There¡¯s nothing here for you.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re wrong.¡¯ She marched to my room. I rubbed my forehead. Why were things so difficult with this one? I pulled myself up and followed her to the room. Half of her was under my bed. I dragged her out by her waist. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ ¡®You told me to leave remember?¡¯ I ran a hand down my face. She struggled to put on her shoes. I didn¡¯t want her to leave immediately. I still wanted to hold her to have her near until I had to take her back. ¡®You don¡¯t have to leave right now. I can take you back to earth in the morning.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m not going to earth Daylen. There¡¯s nothing left for me there, but debt and lies.¡¯ She marched to the door I grabbed her arm and brought her back. ¡®I can take care of the debt. You¡¯re not staying here Artemis. You don¡¯t understand what-¡® She stormed out of the room before I could finish. ¡®Artemis!¡¯ ¡®If you can prove to me without a shadow of a doubt that my sister is dead then I swear to you Daylen I will leave and I won¡¯t ever look back.¡¯ Leave and forget about me. Maybe I¡¯d be able to move on once she was gone. She wouldn¡¯t gue my mind with her memory if I knew she was safe in her own dimension. I wouldn¡¯t forget the first woman to kick my ass even though I won in the end. ¡®Done.¡¯ Her hands slipped to her sides. ¡®Really?¡¯ I nodded. ¡®Okay¡­ take me back to Ste¡¯s then?¡¯ ¡®If that¡¯s what you want.¡¯ What we had would face giants and abysses. A part of me knew I¡¯d dly face it all. I¡¯d been fighting all my life the easy way didn¡¯t feel right. I took a step forward when she didn¡¯t flinch I cupped her cheek. Artemis tried to wiggle out of my hold, but I her kept her head still and kissed her cheek. ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Chapter 20- Alpheus Damn my brother to hell. I paced the throne room. How did he even get involved in my ns? ¡®I almost had her!¡¯ sted angels should have put up more of a fight. I sent six of them and they couldn¡¯t take on one simple angel. Granted Artemis is a goddess and likely had a hand in the defeat, but still I expected more. I expected to have Artemis by my side and in my bed tonight. I had to wait another night until she was mine. This wasn¡¯t the army I was taking to take down gods that was for sure. They couldn¡¯t even handle a dinemus. I left the throne room and found myself in the empty war room. All the generals were out making sure my ns were seeing the day of light. Soon, Queen Here¡¯s territory would be in my sights. I was alone with my plots and schemes starting at me. Though, a vital part of my plot was with my brother. Damn it, I feared she developed feelings for him. I didn¡¯t care I knew it was nothing. It couldn¡¯tst and it had no root to the ground. What Daylen didn¡¯t expect is where I fit in this equation. The double doors burst open. Unfortunately I was still in a bad mood and the person who walked in nearly got their head smashed off by a vase I hurled to the door. ¡®You have a visitor your highness,¡¯ The trembling servant said. I ran a hand down my face. I didn¡¯t take visitors this one would be imprisoned just because I wanted to. ¡®I don¡¯t care, have who ever it is cuffed and chained to a wall!¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t mean that,¡¯ I looked over the servant and almost rubbed my eyes clean. ¡®Jason?¡¯ Well this should be interesting. There was no way the high and mighty Sris knew about this. ¡®How did you even get here?¡¯ ¡®I have my ways,¡¯ he shrugged. My brother wasn¡¯t the most exposed person. For one he came to the realm of dark angels in full bloom royal attire. He was asking to be beat up. The guards behind him were itching to torture him. ¡®Shall we throw him in the dungeon your majesty?¡¯ The one we called Olga asked. Jason whirled to look at him then me. ¡®Of course not you, idiot. I gave orders don¡¯t fail this time.¡¯ They nodded and left. I wasn¡¯t giving up on Artemis, luring her in with the innocent sses look would take time and time was something I didn¡¯t have. ¡®Forgive me were little low on furniture in the castle. We¡¯ll have to make due in the war room.¡¯ I said. I settled on the head of the table and scrutinized my brother. Why was he really here? Jason nced around the room, taking in the ck walls the stainless windows that told the story of our kind. I hadn¡¯t seen him since I fell. I fell months ago and I hadn¡¯t heard from anyone in the castle unless it was to tell me to halt my troops. I got along well with my brother, Jason was soft and unlike either one of my parents. Soft enough to be pushed by Sris to betray me. ¡®Are you here to spy on me brother?¡¯ I asked. Jason finally sat down at my right. ¡®Why would I?¡¯ ¡®I wouldn¡¯t put it past Sris to make you do it.¡¯ ¡®I make my own decisions Alpheus. She can¡¯t make me do anything.¡¯ I hid my smirk with my fist. ¡®Sris is a master maniptor Jason.¡¯ He ran a hand through his blond hair. ¡®I know that. She¡¯s taken Daylen into her court. I¡¯m sure you remember him.¡¯ If I was drinking something I would have choked on it. She had a reason for her actions. Was she ying Daylen the way she toyed with everyone else? Daylen was probably a bigger idiot than I thought. ¡®Yes, I remember him. Why¡­ why would Sris do that? Daylen must be an incredible worker.¡¯ I suspected I was the only living person that knew about Sris¡¯s secret son. That¡¯s probably because she doesn¡¯t know I know her secret. I don¡¯t know all the details, but I learned that Jason doesn¡¯t have a full hold on the throne that Sris named another son in the stars and it certainly wasn¡¯t me. Jason groaned, ¡®No, father said he discovered they have secret meetings in the castle.¡¯ I wanted to burst intoughter, but I could tell this was a serious issue for my brother. If only he knew how disgusting it was. Avon was just paranoid. He would never have a hold on the queen or anything in the kingdom. He thought he was losing control that he never had. ¡®You think that¡¯s true?¡¯ I scratched the base of my chin. ¡®Of course. He¡¯s using her to climb thedder and who knows what else. He had the guts to stand up to General Storm and mother defended him. Can you believe that?¡¯ I never liked Storm. He¡¯s on the top five list of people to destroy when I gain power.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Have you spoken to mother or Daylen? You seem really distressed brother I wish there was a way I could help you.¡¯ Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t. I suppose Jason only came here to vent. Affairs of the queen¡¯s court were entertaining, but they didn¡¯t help me with any of my ns. I had kingdoms to conquer and a goddess to tame. I should be concentrating on Artemis. ¡®Maybe you can Alfie,¡¯ Jason smirked. ¡®How many times must I tell you not to call me that?¡¯ I grumbled. Heughed, ¡®There is a way you can help me.¡¯ ¡®Oh yeah? How so?¡¯ ¡®Daylen poses a threat to my empire. I need you to take Daylen out.¡¯ I never would have thought. Paradis¡¯ precious heir to the throne and most eligible bachelor came down to the slums to ask an angel of darkness to do his dirty work. ¡®Are you in?¡¯ He leaned on the table and arched his brow. I should feel every used. ¡®But of course.¡¯ Chapter 21- Artemis I wish there was a way I could help this town heal. I wish there was a way I could awaken the earth; make the flowers bloom again and open up the clouds. If I truly belonged in the sky maybe there was a way, I could. Ste locked up the apartment and beckoned me to follow her. I didn¡¯t even know how she got homest night and she wouldn¡¯t cough up any exnations either. It was all business with hertely. Even after I told her Daylen was searching for proof of Rachel¡¯s life harder than he did before because he wanted me gone, she insisted we go out into the dangerous mage dimension. There was no time for candy and slumber parties with her. I¡¯m starting to think I¡¯m getting on her nerves more than this mission. ¡®Where are you taking us this time?¡¯ I followed after. ¡®The Spirit Veil.¡¯ She said. I hope she isn¡¯t taking me to my death, because that¡¯s exactly what I believed I would find at a ce called The Spirit Veil. ¡®What the heck are we going to do there?¡¯ I threw my hands in the air. Ste didn¡¯t even turn to look at me. She kept walking at the speed of light. ¡®Spirits are our best bet at this point.¡¯ She said. ¡®Like Callista¡¯s Saloon?¡¯ She scrawled, ¡®They¡¯re nothing but useless ghosts. We¡¯re going to find real power.¡¯ ¡®But you were keen on going to them in the beginning.¡¯ She finally stopped allowing me to catch up to her. ¡®Hurry up Artemis, the faster we get there the sooner we get answers and we all get to go home.¡¯ A shiver went through me as she spoke. I thought I saw a shadow pop up in her eyes. I looked behind me, but there wasn¡¯t a soul in sight. Ste turned and proceeded sprint walking. This area was getting under my skin the way the little light in this world faded out, leaving the area in deep darkness. It had to be the only ce lit up by gasmps during the day. A man who resembled a shadow more than a man stood outside a two story building smoked a cigarette. He stomped on it when he saw two girls who clearly didn¡¯t belong here. He vanished into thin air. I wrapped my jacket around myself and bumped the ne Daylen gave me. We weren¡¯t on talking terms but it was too expensive to throw away. All the buildings looked the same in some sort of way they looked like they weren¡¯t there. Like memories of something that stood before meeting a devastating end. That¡¯s all I thought of this ce; a devastating end. There was one building that looked solid and out of ce. ¡®Sara¡¯s Fortelling Table.¡¯ ¡®I didn¡¯t know your mom had a ce here!¡¯ I stopped. Ste froze and nced at the one story building with her mom¡¯s name in purple lights. The only lit up sign in the whole neighborhood. ¡®We don¡¯t have time for this we¡¯re getting close.¡¯ Ste turned away from the building. There was something definitely wrong with her. ¡®Come on, she¡¯s your mom. We haven¡¯t seen her in weeks. We can spare a second.¡¯Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. She faced me and practically growled. Something was not right. I took a cautious step back but tried to contain my fear so I didn¡¯t set her off. Whatever was wrong Sera could help. ¡®We¡¯re wasting time!¡¯ ¡®Oh,e on Ste. Let¡¯s go say hi.¡¯ I turned and practically ran up the stairs to the moss infested front door. Ste was right behind me, her eyes zing her chest heaving. I kicked the door and the lights in the main room burst to life. I stumbled back outside and shielded my bleeding eyes. ¡®Wee, wee darlings! Don¡¯t linger outside. Come in and have your fortune read.¡¯ Sera appeared in front of a round table dressed in a blood red table cloth and a purple crystal ball. She wore a royal blue head scarf and a ck and white ovepping dress. ¡®We¡¯re not really here to have our fortunes told.¡¯ I said, rubbing my eyes. ¡®Then what ever are- Artemis? Goodness, child what are you doing in this part of town?¡¯ Before I could tell her Sera burst in and grabbed my forearm. I swallowed, but Sera dashed through us and shut the door. ¡®We¡¯re leaving now.¡¯ Ste hissed. I yanked my arm free and scurried to the other side of the round table. ¡®Ste, I haven¡¯t heard from you for days! Would it hurt you to call your mother?¡¯ Sera nted her hands on her hips. Ste bit her lip and kept her eyes rooted to the wooden floor. Sera waved her away. ¡®You know you girls shouldn¡¯t be here either. What are you doing here? This ce is dangerous only evil spirits live here.¡¯ My eyes went wide, ¡®Then why are you here?¡¯ ¡®My business is a pop up one. I stay a few days then the house chooses another location. This is a high paying neighborhood too.¡¯ ¡®I¡­ well we just wanted to say hi. We¡¯re on our way to some veil it was Ste¡¯s idea.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t find a way toy it out innocently that I thought there was something wrong with Ste, but Sera eyed her daughter would still hadn¡¯t lifted her gaze from the floor. ¡®Well¡­ why don¡¯t you girls have a seat? Ste¡­ sit down and tell your mother how you¡¯ve been.¡¯ Sera¡¯s said slow and precise. Ste nodded and moved to the round table, her gaze shifting to her palms on herp. ¡®Artemis dear, go into the kitchen and get some biscuits they¡¯re brand new. Let me show you where the cups are so we can have tea. Ste dear, please take the ball off the table. I don¡¯t want it to get smudged.¡¯ Sera¡¯s hand pressed on my back and shoved me into a small hall that led to a small kitchen. Sera looked over her shoulder, panic in her eyes. She pushed upright a nted nk of wood that blocked a back door. ¡®This door leads into the streets. You can¡¯t leave the way you came, but you¡¯ll end up in another town.¡¯ ¡®What why?¡¯ She shoved me towards the door. ¡®I know my daughter I gave birth to her and that thing isn¡¯t Ste.¡¯ Oh shoot. I knew something was wrong. ¡®Artemis, it¡¯s time we left.¡¯ Ste¡¯s voice sounded in the other room, but we heard her footsteps heading to the kitchen. ¡®Hurry, I¡¯ll hold her off. Don¡¯t go back to Ste¡¯s apartment. I¡¯m sorry my dear.¡¯ ¡®I can¡¯t just leave you here.¡¯ Sera pulled the door open and pushed me out into the bitter world. ¡®I¡¯ll be fine. Now go, don¡¯t look back.¡¯ As Ste arrived with blue zing eyes and ck veins popping out of her face Sera mmed the door on me. ¡®What have you done with my daughter shifter!¡¯ Sera sted then pots and ss shed and ttered. My first thought was to burst through the door, but Sera yelled through it for me to get away. My heart beat faster than it ever had. I feared it would give out on me so I ran, with no destination in mind. There was no ce for me to go. I ran though blinding fog that felt like a thousand finger tips wing at my clothes, sinking into my hair, caressing my skin. ¡®Someone help me.¡¯ I whispered. I couldn¡¯t see the line where this nightmare began and where is ended. Escape was far from it. I was trapped in mist so thick light couldn¡¯t prate. I backed up until my back hit solid form. Man or brick wall? ¡®Hello your majesty, we¡¯ve been looking for you.¡¯ I followed theughter to the parting of the mist. The shadow man from earlier. He waved his hand and the mist lifted. He lifted his mouth and his head to reveal his ck eyes. ¡®I¡¯m here to take you to the Queen.¡¯ I turned and a dozen men in cloaks surrounded me. The streets were quiet, not a soul in sight nor evil or good. Chapter 22- Daylen I stripped my coat off and unbuttoned my shirt. This was going to take a lot of energy. I needed the privacy too, but my house was still being prepared no thanks to the idiot Avon so I requested an office. Still looked like a dungeon, but it had a chair and table which was all I needed for now. I pulled out a pendulum from my pocket and held it above a bowl of water fromke Paradis. I took off my sses and set them aside. I was bagging on this to find Raquel. I had a feeling I knew where it would take me. ¡®Show me the girl,¡¯ I ordered. Slowly the crystal attached to the chain turned green and began to spin. At least it was working. The green hue began to dim, but the pace of the pendulum only gained. The clear water turned grey which wasn¡¯t good then went red before the water turned to mud and turned ck. The green light flickered and the ss burst. ¡®Fuck,¡¯ I hurled the chained across the room. ¡®I knew it. She¡¯s dead.¡¯ No doubt Hera had her body disposed of somewhere. There was no way to find her unless Hera herself told me where to look. Artemis wouldn¡¯t have this. She would demand proof. I shut my eyes and remembered the night I held her in my arms. I thought I sensed her fear. ¡®Why would she be scared?¡¯ I didn¡¯t think I could sense her emotions. I thought it had something to do with the ne I gave her. ¡®What are you doing Artemis?¡¯ I picked up my shirt and threw it over my shoulders. I didn¡¯t want to wait to find out. If she was scared, then she needed me. The door burst open and Sris caught me pulling on my jacket. ¡®Care to exin why Avon was severely wounded by magic that¡¯s constantly on you?¡¯ She red at me. ¡®Why didn¡¯t you ask him?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m not fooling around Daylen. He could have been killed. What happened?¡¯ I could have been killed too if it wasn¡¯t for Artemis. Sris made it clear she didn¡¯t want me to be with Artemis and Storm had it out for her. I didn¡¯t want Sris finding out about her especially now when I was close to getting her out of the slums of the mage dimension. ¡®I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about and honestly I couldn¡¯t care less about what happens to Avon.¡¯ I picked up my sses and in a sh caught Sris¡¯s hand before it collided with my face. ¡®Not today Sris.¡¯ She balled her hand into a fist.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡®That magic is all over you. Who the hell is this girl?¡¯ ¡®She isn¡¯t anybody.¡¯ I dropped her wrist. ¡®Nonsense. If Avon hadn¡¯te to me then he would have died. That power¡­ it was as strong as a thunder bolt from Zeus himself.¡¯ I brushed her idea away. It couldn¡¯t be. Her healing powers were incredible and her power of destruction was massive too, but I wouldn¡¯t put it that far. Though, Sris did know power better than I did. ¡®Maybe you should speak to your husband instead of me.¡¯ ¡®Why were you too in the same ce? Another me Daylen!¡¯ ¡®Find them from your king!¡¯ Artemis¡¯ fear burned harder. Hang on, I could see the door. ¡®I hate things being kept from me! This is my kingdom! No one attacks my husband and lives another day.¡¯ ¡®You won¡¯t do anything to her.¡¯ I warned. Our gazes each strained and furious shot each other daggers. I had to obey the siren call beckoning me down to the mage world. Sris brushed passed me and picked up the bowl I had been using for the locator spell. ¡®Who are you trying to find? Has your mage girl run away from you?¡¯ I grabbed the bowl and hurled it across the room. It hit the wall and its contains smeared on the grey wall. Sris didn¡¯t even flinch, but I on the other hand couldn¡¯t lower my voice or keep my chest from heaving. ¡®That¡¯s none of your business.¡¯ ¡®Watch your tone with me Daylen or I¡¯ll remind you who I am. For your sake I never want toy eyes on that girl. She has no ce in your life or part in our world. Remember who you are.¡¯ I balled my hands into fists. I knew the price I had to pay for my world. I knew the battles toe were vicious. I hated the woman that had been driving me crazy was in danger at the very moment and I was glued to the spot listening to my mother. ¡®I did it.¡¯ I said quickly walking away from her. ¡®What?¡¯ ¡®I attacked the king.¡¯ She could punish me if she wanted, but I wouldn¡¯t let her touch Artemis. ¡®That isn¡¯t true!¡¯ ¡®You can¡¯t prove it is.¡¯ I pushed the door open and didn¡¯t waste a second in opening the portal. Hang on Artemis. I stepped through the portal as her fear pounded in my eyes. *** Inded in mist. What was she doing near the veil? I raised two fingers and the grounded heated up chasing the mist away. Bricks and probably wood copsed in the distance. ¡®Artemis!¡¯ I¡¯d be damned if it wasn¡¯t her. I found the mist was thicker the closer I got to the chaos. These were dangerous spirits. No doubt they were working for Hera. I couldn¡¯t let them take her. I pushed my power out to cast the mist away, but I couldn¡¯t fully prate it. There were too many of them and I couldn¡¯t even see them. ¡®Artemis!¡¯ I called into the mist. I heard her groan in the distance. I¡¯d bring this entire city to its knees if anything happens to her. ¡®Release the arrow!¡¯ A man yelled. I stopped but the mist was too thick and bright for me to see where anyone was. ¡®What arrow? Does it look like I have an arrow to you?¡¯ Artemis snapped. ¡®Artemis, where are you?¡¯ ¡®Daylen? I have no idea where the hell I am! There are spirits everywhere.¡¯ ¡®Just let go of the arrow!¡¯ The man yelled again. I knew that voice it resembled the tone of the man who put Marcus through the ringer. ¡®Orion I don¡¯t have an arrow!¡¯ I felt the spirits hone in on me. It felt like a thousand eyes, whispers near my ear. They could lure a man into a watery grave or bury him alive. ¡®Listen to me, you can call it from inside you. Youmand it. Order it to destroy the mist.¡¯ ¡®You must be insane.¡¯ ¡®Just do it!¡¯ There was silence only the increasing sounds of the spirits chants. I clenched my fist and willing my energy to flow to one point in my body. An auburn light zipped in front of me and threw me on the floor. With every movement the mist returned to the ground. Artemis was a few feet away from me. When I looked at the surge of energy closely it did resemble a bow and arrow. It aimed right for Artemis. ¡®Get out of the way!¡¯ It was toote it hit her right in her chest, but she didn¡¯t even tter. With the mist lifted I saw the spirits. Tall men in dark robes. ¡®Let¡¯s get out here.¡¯ Orion¡¯s hand went right through an onrushing spirit. It vanished. Artemis¡¯s gaze found mine and I shook my head. She couldn¡¯t leave with him. ¡®I-¡® she started as I got to my feet. I let the serge of power building in my body and let it go. All the spirits were taken out from a mile away. It was just the three of us in a dark alley. ¡®Why is he here?¡¯ I asked her. She shrugged, taking small steps towards me. ¡®I got into a bit of a jam.¡¯ ¡®We¡¯re not staying let¡¯s go.¡¯ Orion said. Like hell she was going anywhere with him. I was about to close the distance between me and her when a spirit materialized behind her and ceased her arms. ¡®You didn¡¯t think we would leave without our prize, did you?¡¯ His grey lips curled up. ¡®You don¡¯t want to do this,¡¯ I said. He looked more solid than the others. ¡®Did the queen send you?¡¯ He lifted a shoulder, ¡®She may have, but all I can say is my employer won¡¯t be happy if we return without her.¡¯ Artemis tried to elbow him, but winced in return. ¡®Fighting will only make it worse.¡¯ He muttered. My gaze darted to Orion who had shifted positions since the shadow creature appeared. He met my eyes and nodded. It didn¡¯t mean I trusted him, but we had to save her. The shadow creature tightened his hold around her neck and dragged her into an alley. Her eyes pleaded with me for help. ¡®It¡¯s going to be okay.¡¯ I said. ¡®Keep telling yourself that. I wouldn¡¯t try to follow us if I were you.¡¯ I hadn¡¯t a clue where Orion found a bow and arrow, but he held it up and aimed at the creature. I wasn¡¯t sure that was the brightest idea considering it could go right through it and hit Artemis. He was going to do it and there was nothing I could do. I nodded at Artemis and she frowned. ¡®Get down.¡¯ In an instant she wiggled out of her captors hold and hit the ground. Orion¡¯s arrow lit up before it went through the creature, turning it to dust. ¡®Are you alright?¡¯ I asked. She nodded and reached for me. ¡®I¡¯m so done-¡® She gasped when a rope wrapped around her waist. Orion stood next to an open portal. The glowing light reached out from the door to another realm and dragged Artemis into it. ¡®No!¡¯ I narrowly missed her hand. In the blink of an eye she was sucked into a portal taking her who knows where. Orion jumped in after she was taken. The portal vanished and I was left in the dark streets of the veil. Chapter 23- Artemis My back hit the surface of grass greener than any I had ever seen. I didn¡¯t know if it was the effects of getting sucked through a portal that left my body sizzling. I prompt my elbows up and searched for Orion. ¡®What the hell was that for?¡¯ I yelled. ¡®I had to get you out of there. We have to find a way to get you to Olympiad anyway.¡¯ ¡®I haven¡¯t found my sister yet!¡¯ ¡®You¡¯ll be helping her by returning home. If things are okay in Olympiad, then maybe things in the mage dimension will get better.¡¯ ¡®Is that true or wishful thinking?¡¯ He didn¡¯t answer. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet like a rag doll. ¡°Where did you bring me anyway?¡± I dusted grass off my clothes. There were clear blue skies above me, not a cloud in sight. As far as my eye could see vibrant grass stretched on for miles. A line of trees went on, standing tall and proud. This ce was alive I felt in the wind. ¡°Grinnd. A dimension near earth.¡± ¡°What are we doing here then? Is this the passage to Olympiad?¡± ¡°This way,¡± Orion started walking, I¡¯m guessing toward the three houses on top of the hill. Otherwise there was nothing other than grass and trees for miles. ¡°This is the only safe ce to talk to your family.¡± ¡°Talk to them? How? Do you have a phone?¡± ¡°Not exactly. It works better than a phone.¡± ¡°How?¡± I frowned. What worked better than a phone? ¡°I also thought we could do a little training before we go to Olympiad.¡± ¡°What about the mage dimension?¡± ¡°Are you asking because of the dinemus angel?¡± I don¡¯t know, maybe. He was probably happy I was gone. ¡°Are you going to teach me how to use the arrow again? I had no idea I could do that. I mean I¡¯ve caused damage before, but that just came out of me.¡± ¡°You can do a lot more Artemis. That¡¯s why we need to train. If Hera caught you in your oblivious state it wouldn¡¯t have ended well.¡± ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence.¡± I folded my arms. The wind was picking up and every stroke of wind on my skin was like a thousand tiny razor des. We got to the house. Orion knocked on the wooden front door. It took seconds for the door to crack open. ¡°Orion?¡± A soft female voice said from the other side. ¡°What are you-¡± A woman with brownish red hair stared at him then me. ¡°Something happen?¡± She asked, opening the door wider. ¡°Who¡¯s at the door Scy?¡± An older man appeared behind the woman with grey eyes. Was this his family? He did say he was a demi-god. ¡°Orion.¡± Scy replied. ¡°Hmm, I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d evere back here.¡± The man wandered out of view. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t have time to exin. I need to reach Apollo. I need to get the princess back to Olympiad.¡± ¡°Princess? Which princess?¡± The old man asked. He reclined in a brown chair and lit one of those old smoking pipes. Scy eyed me as if she wasn¡¯t buying his story. I didn¡¯t buy it either. I raised my hand and gave a tiny wave. ¡®Hi.¡¯ Orion locked over his shoulder at me. ¡®Princess Artemis. I was sent to retrieve her from earth I found her in the mage dimension.¡¯ The revtion seemed to have stolen the air from the room. Scy¡¯s arms dropped to her side. She stared at her father to set his pipe down to hisp. ¡®A goddess is the mage dimension? What were you doing there?¡¯ He asked ¡®I didn¡¯t know¡­ I was looking for my sister.¡¯ ¡®Another goddess?¡¯ The man¡¯s eyebrows raised. ¡®Step sister and only demi-goddess.¡¯ Orion said. ¡®Is that the only reason you¡¯re here Orion?¡¯ Scy asked, she took a step forward. There was definitely some tension here. What did he do to her? ¡®We can talk about uster. Right now I have a job to do. I have to speak to Apollo this is the only safe ce.¡¯ Scy nodded, ¡®Of course. This is Apollo¡¯s territory. You know where to go.¡¯ Scy walked passed him, avoiding his shoulder. ¡®I assume you¡¯ll need a ce to sleep tonight. Scy will arrange your quarters.¡¯ The old man said. ¡®I appreciate it. Let¡¯s go.¡¯ Orion marched out of the house ahead of me. He walked to the back of the house where the grass was brown and the trees were weaker. The branches turned to mush and the sound of a dying forest was making me weak. I reached for a tree, but it cracked fell into another sickly tree, sending them both crashing. ¡®Artemis.¡¯ Orion caught me before I hit the mud. ¡®I don¡¯t feel so good here. There¡¯s something wrong with this ce.¡¯ He ced his arms under my knees and lifted me effortlessly into his arms. ¡®You¡¯re right. Thend is dying. It¡¯s good sign though.¡¯ ¡®How thend is dying. It¡¯s awful¡­ I can almost hear it. I can hear the cries of this forest. It¡¯s horrible.¡¯ ¡®I know it is. It¡¯s a good sign that you can feel it without any boundaries.¡¯ ¡®I can help.¡¯ I said. I¡¯d healed nts before maybe not an entire forest but maybe I can do something. ¡®We have to speak to Apollo.¡¯ Orion pressed forward. ¡®I have to heal the forest. I can¡¯t take the pain. The animals are hurting too.¡¯ Orion sighed, but he set me down. He held me by the waist in case I tumbled. I felt like puking my guts out. I ced my hand on a shriveled oak tree, careful not to press too much. ¡®You¡¯re stronger than you know. Your mind will tell you you¡¯ve reached your limited, but you¡¯re an Olympiad god. You have no limitations. You¡¯re connected to all of this Artemis. Nature and its elements are one with you. You can call it back from it depths and so much more.¡¯ Reaching the forest was like falling into the ck hole. It felt like falling into death. I couldn¡¯t get back, couldn¡¯t find anyone, but I heard them scream. Orion was right my mind told me it was enough. But with each push of power leaving every point of my body I felt roots and leaves reach out and hold me up. They were trying to help me save them. I straightened my back and the resistance was shattered. ¡®You¡¯re doing it.¡¯ Orionughed. ¡®It¡¯s working.¡¯ I opened my eyes and the oak tree filled out. The grass regenerated. The branches straightened out and reached for the sky. The cries of pain turned to orchestras of jubtion.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®You actually did it.¡¯ Orion folded his arms over his chest. A cocky grin stered on his face. ¡®You sound so surprised.¡¯ We walked a couple more minutes. I wondered if I would be hearing singing forests forever. When I asked Orion heughed at me. Daylen would have too. This was a side of me he didn¡¯t know. Would he ept me if he knew? What kind of life would we have if we stayed together? As I allowed to date guys who weren¡¯t royalty? He was in the royal court, that had to be noble enough. Would we have a chance when all this was over? ¡®This is your-¡® Orion started, but was interrupted by vines swinging together between two crossed branches. The curve the branches made was filled by new vibrant vines. A hologram or a spirit one of the two appeared in front of the vines. Towering nearly over six feet. ¡®Your brother Apollo¡¯s shrine.¡¯ Orion said through clenched teeth. ¡®Artemis.¡¯ The giant figure said. His dark eyes stared at me. His face smiled at me. I couldn¡¯t help smiling back. He wore red tights over ck boots. A red jacket was over a white shirt. ¡®Apollo.¡¯ His smile grew brighter. I felt a line grow between us, but not born. It grew tighter like extrayers were added to a thin line. ¡®I felt you heal you the forest. All my power¡¯s going to this war I¡¯m struggling to keep my territories thriving.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t believe I was staring at my brother. My twin brother my other half. ¡®We¡¯ve been connected all along haven¡¯t we?¡¯ I asked. He nodded, his attention went Orion. ¡®Orion is the one who told me where to find you.¡¯ Orion said. I ced my hand over my beating heart. He knew where I was? ¡®You better not have slept with my sister Orion.¡¯ Apollo snapped. ¡®What? No!¡¯ I startled. Apolloughed. ¡®No need to worry about me. She¡¯s tangled with someone else.¡¯ Orion grinned. I couldn¡¯t believe them! Apollo smirked, ¡®The dinemus. Of course.¡¯ ¡®How do you know about that?!¡¯ I gasped. ¡®I¡¯m basically your other half. Ever since your arrow shot through the Olympiad skies I started to feel you a lot.¡¯ ¡®Couldn¡¯t you feel me before that?¡¯ I asked. He shook his head, ¡®No. That¡¯s why we thought you were dead.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯ll have time to catch up when we get back to Olympiad.¡¯ Orion said. ¡®You can¡¯t. All portals to Olympiad are closed Orion. Nothinges in or out. Dark angels are trying to prate the portals too. Scum!¡¯ ¡®What? I need to be there. I¡¯m the general.¡¯ ¡®We all know that Orion. You don¡¯t let us forget. We can¡¯t risk opening the portals. You¡¯ll have to take refuge in Paradis until we figure something out.¡¯ ¡®The deal was I brought Artemis home. I have a job to do and it isn¡¯t babysitting.¡¯ Orion spat. I frowned. I didn¡¯t need sitting. If anything he only got in the way! ¡®I know Artemis¡¯ and your presence would boost our odds of winning the war. We just can¡¯t bring you too home now. It¡¯ll be difficult telling my mother you have her and can¡¯t bring her home. Just go to Queen Sris. Help her with her war ns if you must.¡¯ ¡®Fuck. I didn¡¯t sign up for this.¡¯ Orion marched down the path we took to get here. ¡®Don¡¯t mind him. He¡¯ll get over it. Just know I¡¯d open the portal right now and bring you home if I could.¡¯ Apollo said. He lifted his hand I reached up, not knowing if I could touch him. My hand hovered over his. I giggled. It was like he was actually here. ¡®What are you going to tell mom?¡¯ I swallowed the word down. I¡¯d never called anyone that. Apollo shrugged. ¡®I have no idea. Hey, it might even be good for her to know you¡¯re alive.¡¯ ¡®I can¡¯t wait to meet her.¡¯ My throat started to grow tight. ¡®I can¡¯t wait to hold you. I have to go now. I know you¡¯ll be with us soon.¡¯ The hologram started to fade. It felt like I was losing him all over again. How would I see him again? ¡®Wait Apollo.¡¯ ¡®Goodbye Artemis.¡¯ Chapter 24- Daylen I flew back to the castle. I let her slip through my fingers. I knew not to trust him damn it. Now how did I get her back. My mind was spinning I barely knew where my legs were taking me. I couldn¡¯t ask my mother she would see this as an opportunity to get Artemis out of my life. Another locator spell. I wouldn¡¯t let her out of my sight after I found her. I still didn¡¯t want her here, but losing her was killing me. I bumped into someone and nearly knocked my sses off my face. ¡°Sorry,¡± I waved my hand in front of myself. I looked up and realized it was Marcus. He frowned at me. I hadn¡¯t seen him since he got his ass kicked. ¡°Oh,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re in a rush.¡± Marcus said, his voiceced with venom. ¡°No, actually I need help. It¡¯s urgent.¡± Marcus shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t get you man-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to exin now Marcus. I know you¡¯re mad at me for what happened, but I wasn¡¯t the one that beat you up.¡± ¡°No, but you didn¡¯t arrest the girl that did!¡± I rubbed my forehead. The longer I stood here arguing with Marcus the more ground I lost on Artemis and Orion. If only I knew what kind of creature, he was. It would give me a head start. ¡°Look I can¡¯t do that. I won¡¯t lie to you.¡± Marcus looked around then settled his quizzical stare on me. ¡°What do you want? To fuck around with the queen or this mystical mage?¡± I groaned and stepped back, ¡°You have no idea how disgusting that is. I would never sleep with the queen.¡± ¡°Sris isn¡¯t that bad. She¡¯s quite sexy for a woman her age.¡± I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn¡¯t want to hear anyone calling my mother sexy. ¡°Please don¡¯t. I¡¯m not doing anything with her. I wouldn¡¯t dream of it. The only woman I want in my bed is Artemis. It¡¯s hard to admit, but she has me in her. Now I¡¯ve lost her.¡± ¡°What do you mean lost her?¡± ¡°Orion took her. He pulled her into a portal and I have no bloody idea where he took her.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I feel awful for her, but I can¡¯t get a hold of Ste either.¡± I shook my head, ¡°They weren¡¯t together when I found her.¡± ¡°Damn it, something must have happened to her too then. She always answers my calls. I haven¡¯t heard from her since the fight at the bar.¡± ¡°Marcus can we put our differences aside to try and find them?¡± Marcus leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°Ste and I aren¡¯t even exclusive. I could just report her missing.¡± I narrowed my eyes at him. Who was he kidding. ¡°You¡¯ve never slept with the same girl more than once. You¡¯re in love or she put a spell on you.¡± Marcus¡¯s shoulders slumped, ¡°Could be both dude. I miss her fire.¡± ¡°Now you know how I feel. We don¡¯t have time to lose.¡± ¡°I think I know where to look.¡± *** ¡°Hera¡¯s kingdom?¡± I asked. Marcus and I had already passed through the portal to the evil queen¡¯s privatend. She ruled the whole of the mage dimension, but this little vige was where her castle was. ¡°You suspect Orion was working with Hera, right? Naturally he would have brought here.¡± We stared at the imposing gates of the queen¡¯s castle. I hoped I wasn¡¯t toote. ¡°Well, are youing with me?¡± I asked. Marcus shuddered, ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m just a guard, she won¡¯t take me seriously. You¡¯re a member of the Queen¡¯s Royal Court. At least she¡¯ll ept your audience. She¡¯ll throw me in jail.¡± I nodded. He had a point. Then again she could still lock me up. ¡°I¡¯ll go, but be ready I might need back up.¡± Marcus nodded, ¡°Count on it.¡± I received nasty res from the gargoyle guards. It didn¡¯t stop me marching to the front of the castle. I demanded an audience with Hera in the name of Queen Sris. Even though they were both queens, Sris had more power and authority than Hera. Goddess Sophia had more authority than Sris. I stood in the ball room in front of her golden throne with horns sticking out of it and a hundred swords. Not another throne in sight. Hera ruled alone. She had never been married at least not to my knowledge or had any kids. The ball room was empty nothing but cold marble floors and high top ceiling depicting love affairs among gods. ¡°A member of Sris¡¯s royal court? How lucky am I to receive such a visitor?¡± Hera giggled on her walk to her throne. Her skin was wless with a supernatural glow to it. Evidence that she had consumed power recently. It better not be from Artemis, because I would murder here with my own hands. Footsteps came from heavy boots and the ball room was full of nearly fifty soldiers. Hera smiled and waved them away. ¡°Come on, he¡¯s our friend. He¡¯s from my dear friend Sris¡¯s court. He poses no threat.¡± Still the soldiers never left. Her words were more of a warning to me. My actions depended on what she told me. Hera flipped her waterfall of chestnut hair over her shoulder and gave me a sugary smile. The army green gown she worn hid her feet and caressed the marble floor. I knew her power kept her looking young while in actual fact no one knew how old she was. ¡°Of course, your highness.¡± I folded my arms behind my back. ¡°Tell me, what brings such a handsome man like you to my castle?¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a mage.¡± ¡°A woman.¡± ¡°Yes, I believe you have her.¡± Hera smiled, ¡°She must have been extremely naughty for me to have her. I don¡¯t usually give up prisoners. Unless you change my mind.¡± Her emerald eyes got a shade brighter. I had to remember she was capable of harvesting my powers too. ¡°I can assure you she hasn¡¯t done anything wrong. She is¡­ however a very strong mage.¡± Her smile went from sugary to menacing, challenging even. ¡°Powerful, huh?¡± ¡°Yes. Healing, destruction she has it all.¡± Heraughed, ¡°I see you found yourself quite the woman. The mage dimension has been a dangerous cetely and as you can expect me to know all my prisoners.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t send bounty hunters for all your prisoners.¡± Heraughed harder, ¡°A bounty hunter? Me? I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Hera, I know you sent Orion and the shadow creatures.¡± Why would she send them both to bring the same person? They just got in each other¡¯s way. Or did the shadow creatures work for someone else? Hera raised her hand and I went flying across the room. I grappled with thin air. I cursed when my back hit the door. Her sugary smile was back. ¡°I admire men who love their women with immense passion. Tell me, what are you willing to do for her.¡± I grunted, ¡°Move Paradis and earth. Bring your castle to ruins.¡± She ced her hand on her chest and pouted. It was all an act. ¡°How poetic. We need more men like you.¡±Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. I growled and got to my feet. ¡°Where is she?¡± She toyed her chestnut hair and raised her gaze to meet me. She thought everything was a game. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for you to leave. Guards.¡± My arms were ceased before I could flinch. Two guards gripped me tight. I lurched forward, but they held back. ¡°Perhaps you could tell me her name. I¡¯ll keep an eye out for her.¡± She grinned. ¡°Go to hell! You better hope she¡¯s okay or else I¡¯ll destroy everything you¡¯ve built.¡± I was kneed in the back. Damn them. They dragged me out the door. I couldn¡¯t leave without her. Hera would kill her. ¡°Oh, Daylen. I¡¯ll tell Artemis you said hi when I see her.¡± My eyes went wide as the ballroom doors shut between Hera and I. Chapter 25-Artemis It had to be passed midnight and I couldn¡¯t sleep. I kept tossing and turning in the small cabin given to me by our hosts who had generously fed me. It was one of the best meals I had in years and also the first meal I had in days. Orion had been given a cabin too, I couldn¡¯t figure out his rtionship with Scy. It seemed like she hated his guts. He could be a brut sometimes I wondered what he did. That wasn¡¯t what was keeping me up at night, though. In the middle of the night alone with my thoughts I wasing to the conclusion Rocky might really be dead. There was nothing left for me back at the mage dimension. Then I thought about Daylen and the mages who suffered there. I was a goddess something I came to terms with when I healed a forest and spoke with my twin brother. I was a goddess and I was sure there was a tone to learn but one thing I was certain about was I had to do something. I wasn¡¯t sure about Daylen¡­ I hadn¡¯t even told him what I was. Would he believe me or think I was crazy?Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Then there was theplex of us. If the mage dimension was safe again would there be an us? Would I be able to stand him? I almost gave him a part of me I held sacred for my whole life. I didn¡¯t even regret letting him get that close. Okay, Daylen made up a bulk of the reason I couldn¡¯t sleep. Still going back to fight for the mage dimension and finding Ste were important too. The fact is I couldn¡¯t stay here and hide which was what Orion wanted. He wanted to be ready for when he was called to go back to Olympiad and fight. I had to fight too. I kicked the nkets off and darted out of my room. He and I needed to talk either that or I needed to learn how to conjure up a portal and bust out of here. A soft stroke of wind wrapped around me like a hug the second I walked out of the cabin. I wanted to hug them back but I was faced with thin air. Itsted no longer than a few seconds. I think I had an encounter with someone. I shook it off and pressed on to Orion¡¯s cabin. I stopped short of the dark cabin a few hundred feet from mine. I cringed, I guess I had an idea of the nature of Orion and Scy¡¯s rtionship. I didn¡¯t need to see it the sound of skin smacking against skin and heavy moaning said it all. Orion¡¯s cabin was a no go area. I backed away as quickly as I could, Scy¡¯s moaning getting smaller as I returned back to mine. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep your highness?¡± I whirled to find Eager, wandering around with his stick, pipe stuck in the side of his lip. I nced at the love cabin we could still hear them. I bit my lower lip, it was awkward for me I couldn¡¯t imagine for him. ¡°Uh, yeah I- was just heading back to my cabin.¡± I chuckled nervously. He smiled and grinded his cane into the ground. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± He asked. Getting away from the couple¡¯s ear shot. ¡°Oh, nothing at least. We should get back inside.¡± Heughed, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯ve heard it all before.¡± My face burned bright red and heughed more. ¡°Alright, tell me child, what¡¯s on your mind? Did you need to see my son inw?¡± Son inw? Orion was married? Someone actually married him. Seeing how Eager made me feel safe and he fed me I felt inclined to talk to him. ¡°I did. It¡¯s beautiful here. I¡¯d love to stay and all, but I can¡¯t. Olympiad is falling, but the mage dimension is dying. I¡¯ve seen the suffering how can I just stay when I know I should be making it right?¡± The corners of his mouth lifted, ¡°Spoken like a true princess. Your mother would be proud.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve met her?¡± He nodded and started walking ahead of me. I followed. I wish I had even a picture of her my mind had always been nk when it came to her. I¡¯d always wondered if she was like me, if we had the same eyes or shared the same smile. ¡°I¡¯ve met her plenty of times. She doesn¡¯te around as often none of the gods do not even Apollo.¡± ¡°Does it have anything to do with the war?¡± He stared at the grass we trampled on, ¡°Yes and no. Gods don¡¯t well among humans anymore, just the way it is. Now gods are being killed and our worlds are dying.¡± ¡°I have to go back.¡± ¡°You could get captured.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯ve already lost my sister to this war and I can¡¯t imagine what more someone else has.¡± Eager stopped to look at me. ¡°War isn¡¯t a pretty thing and from what I¡¯ve heard Hera is making advances every day.¡± I looked at the old man carefully and realized he had bags under his eyes. ¡°She could be here any day right?¡± He nodded and looked away, ¡°I know what you did for thisnd. So I know what you can do for others Artemis.¡± He leveled me with his eyes, ¡°You can do more than you think all the world¡¯s boarders aren¡¯t enough to contain the possibilities. Artemis, you¡¯re the goddess of the hunt-¡± ¡°Artemis!¡± Orion stood on the doorframe with his hands on his hips, his eyes boring into me. I groaned. He really should put on a shirt. ¡°We¡¯re not leaving.¡± ¡°You can stay. I won¡¯t¡± I stepped down and marched towards us. ¡°My mission was to bring you back. What makes you think I¡¯m going to let you head back into the mage dimension and get killed. We just have to wait it out until the portal opens and head back to Olympiad.¡± ¡°You know we¡¯re sitting ducks here too right?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll take weeks even months for Hera to reach this dimension that¡¯s if the gods don¡¯t stop her first.¡± ¡°Not at the rate she¡¯s going.¡± Eager mumbled. Orion sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°We¡¯re not having this discussion. You can¡¯t open a portal and you¡¯re not going back.¡± I ced my hands on my hips, ¡°We can¡¯t stay here while hundreds of mages lose their lives. You know what it means to fight for your people why won¡¯t you help?¡± His face went grim, ¡°I know what it means to lose it the hands of war too. We can¡¯t take on an entire army alone. We need my men. Without them my hands are tied.¡± I balled my hands into fists, ¡°I¡¯m still not staying.¡± ¡°Is this because of the dinemus?¡± ¡°What? Of course not! My best friend was reced by some thing! I have to save her. Not to mention Rocky¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even defend yourself.¡± We¡¯d see about that. He obviously forgot the time I beat his ass at the bar. That was the day Ste started acting weird. Whatever took her must have done it there. Intent on proving to Orion I could defend myself I raised my arms, ready to m them together and st him across the field. He grab before wrists before I even made a move. He smirked, ¡°I¡¯ve sparred with your sisters. I¡¯m sure I know all your goddess tricks.¡± Kill joy. I could call on nature. I could call on nature! The lights went on in my hand. Orion stared into my eyes, having won this little battle or so he thought. I beckoned all the roots in the ground, I asked every twig toe alive. The ground shook beneath us, Orion let go just as green roots wrapped around his ankles and dragged him along the ground. He wed at the ground, but the roots captured his arms too. I stepped back. I wasn¡¯t sure that¡¯s what I intended to do. Orion mmed against a tree and the roots finished the job by tying him up. He groaned. I ced my hand on my hip and smiled. That should do nicely. ¡°Looks like she can defend herself just fine to me.¡± Eagermented. ¡°What do you say Orion?¡± I asked. ¡°We leave at dawn.¡± Chapter 26- Daylen The good thing is she isn¡¯t with Hera or so the evil queen imed. Still Hera was hunting her. I could see why. Artemis was a powerful mage, but could there be another reason? ¡°Cheer up bud, she¡¯ll turn up. Didn¡¯t you say you wanted her to leave?¡± Marcus asked. I was d we were back on talking terms even though he was a pain in my ass. ¡°I do,¡± I scratched my growing beard. We were at Silver moon, a fae nightclub. We weren¡¯t technically allowed to be here. We sat upstairs in the VIP lounge. If any high rank dinemus saw us we would be in deep shit. A hierarch like General Storm maybe but I¡¯d met other angels mingling with the gorgeous fae women. ¡°So you want her back so you can send her away?¡± Marcus asked, taking a swing of some purple beer. When he said it like that it sounded dumb. ¡°I want to make sure she¡¯s okay. She was taken and I don¡¯t know where Orion took her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re hooked man. You think you¡¯re in love with her?¡± It felt like a disy of tes shattered in my head. I grabbed the whiskey ss and drowned it. ¡°No. Why would you say that?¡± Marcusughed, ¡°Prove it.¡± ¡°What? Prove it?¡± I didn¡¯t like the mischievous grin on his face. ¡°Coco darling,¡± He opened his arm and a vivacious and dangerous blonde stepped into his embrace. ¡°Shit,¡± I muttered. Her emerald eyes fixed on me like a lion on meat. Her oceans of blonde curls ran down to her waist. Coco was a beautiful woman anyone with hot blood could see that. She had a tiny waist one that at some point I enjoyed and an admirable bust with breasts spilling out of her top. ¡°It¡¯s been a while boy. How can I help you guys?¡± She ran her hand down Marcus¡¯s chest and had her eyes glued on me. Marcus smiled at me then Coco, ¡°Daylen here needs somepany. Someone broke his heart.¡± ¡°Aww, how sweet.¡± She leaned close and grabbed the front of my shirt. ¡°I¡¯ll fix that right up.¡± She winked. Marcusughed and I growled at him. ¡°Don¡¯t be difficult. Coco¡¯s going to help you get your mind off Artemis, of course if you¡¯re not in love with her.¡± I didn¡¯t need to prove to him anything, but what could I do Coco was there waist and shing her giant breasts at me. My dick hardened, but I didn¡¯t have desire coursing through my veins. Still I stood. She kissed my cheek, leaving a red lipstick stain on it. I grabbed her hand and dragged her away from Marcus. ¡°You¡¯ll thank meter!¡± He called. ¡°Ugh, bastard.¡± I dragged Coco through bodies towards the private rooms. I wanted to get this over with. I remembered the night I found Artemis wandering alone here. Damn it, I nearly froze over when I saw her standing next to a caged demon. I lost my control that day and I kissed her. I fought a smile, she¡¯d gotten upset with me because of Shae. Coco got free of my hold, drawing me back to reality. My body was fighting this, but maybe I needed a night with Coco to forget Artemis. ¡°You really need it.¡± She said, wiggling her small butt at me. She turned to a room on the right in the hall. I couldn¡¯t understand why people didn¡¯t close their doors when they fucked here. It made the noises even louder. Loud cries of pain and pleasure, skin colliding and the most disgusting dirty talk. I hurried inside. Once inside Coco pulled the strings of her corset free. Her green eyes grew brighter with lust. ¡°I know how you like it Daylen.¡± I kept my mouth shut and watched her. The corset hit the floor, leaving her with ck tights and two inch heels. She pushed out her breasts, throwing her blonde hair over her shoulder. I shut my eyes and Artemis¡¯s river of curls came into view and her lips when she was upset with me. I needed to get her out of my head. ¡°Come here babe, let me help you forget all about her.¡± Coco¡¯s words only registered when she was pushing me down to the bed. Her lips devoured my neck at the same time she toyed with my belt buckle. I had to touch her. She sat up to tame her hair, shing her pink nipples at me. They were right in front of me, but I couldn¡¯t make a move. She dipped her head to the side and frowned. Her grip on my pants tightened and I knew what she wanted to do. ¡°You don¡¯t want to y with us?¡± She caressed her breasts. Fuck me. I didn¡¯t want to y with her. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get you in the mood.¡± The zipper came down and so were the boxer briefs. Her lips came contact with my dick. I grunted. She was on top of me, she was nervous and it warmed me up inside. I was going to be the first man to ever touch her and I knew deep inside it wasn¡¯t going to end there. She was going to be mine forever, because that¡¯s what it meant. It was dumb if I didn¡¯t know how I felt for her. My body jolted back to life and I pushed Coco off. Her eyes went from green to bright red. I pulled my briefs up and buckled my belt. ¡°I have to go.¡± I said quickly. ¡°She must be a witch because there¡¯s no woman I¡¯ve never been able to make a man forgot.¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. I stared at the fae, she was right. I wasn¡¯t right in the head anymore. I needed to find her. I raced through hall and down to the private area. I sensed eyes on me. I couldn¡¯t stay. I didn¡¯t bother with Marcus either because he was sucking on another blonde. The second I set foot on the main floor bodies started moving. What was it with these dark angels? They should have known by now they couldn¡¯t touch me. I threw the door open and opened the portal inches away from it. Five or six dark angels jumped to crawl at me. I stepped through the portal before any of them could grab me. If a dark angel stepped through the portal to Paradis, they were instantly disintegrated. *** I¡¯d been at the castle all night. I performed every locator spell I could find. Most of them needed blood or something of hers. I called out to her ne but nothing. Damn it, was she ignoring me now? I should have made a duplicate to be able to track its twin. I ended up falling asleep at the castle I only knew it was morning when my mother came into my office or dungeon which ever one they had given me. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t like to see royal members working so hard, but what are you doing here? Have you finally been kicked out of your condo?¡± Her slender frame came into view, white robe and blonde hair filled my vision. I groaned and buried my face in my arms. She chuckled softly. She lifted my head and made me face her. ¡°Daylen?¡± ¡°Nothing mother. I was just busy.¡± ¡°Tracking spells I see. This is the second time I¡¯ve found you looking for someone. Who is it?¡± I straightened my spine and winced. Hunched over my desk isn¡¯t the mostfortable sleeping position. ¡°No one of great concern.¡± At least not to her. She scrawled. Sris thought she could always get her way. ¡°I should leave.¡± But she grabbed my arm, before I was fully up. ¡°Son.¡± I sighed and my head to her, ¡°Yes mother.¡± She may have been a couple inches short than me, but she could still hurl me across the room. ¡°I am your mother and you can speak to me. Is it about that girl? I thought you left her.¡± Her brows burrowed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter she isn¡¯t here anymore.¡± Admitting that pinched my heart. ¡°Oh, did she leave you? Is that why you¡¯re looking for her?¡± ¡°Mother! We don¡¯t have to talk about this.¡± ¡°Are you heartbroken Daylen?¡± I growled, ¡°Mother.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only trying to help!¡± I exhaled and settled back down. This was awkward to say the least. She was actually trying to console me, but we didn¡¯t do these types of things. ¡°She¡¯s an extremely powerful mage and she¡¯s missing. I¡­ I don¡¯t want her to end up in the wrong hands.¡± Sris nodded and sat on the chair opposite mine. She picked up my hand and squeezed it. I wasn¡¯t sure what she was doing because power passed through us. ¡°How did it happen? Do you think Hera, took her?¡± I told my mother my suspicions and how Artemis was taken, minus the ne I gave her and the part where I went to see the evil queen. I doubt she would like that. I told her Artemis would be back to her own dimension as soon I knew she was safe. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make. I knew my mother didn¡¯t approve and there was the small matter of my identity that came into y. ¡°So, all you want is to make sure this mage stays out of Hera¡¯s hands?¡± I nodded. ¡°If she was taken by portal then you¡¯ll know when another one opens.¡± So that¡¯s what the power exchange was. Chapter 27-Artemis The wind was mischievous. It pushed my hair around like a child. ¡°This ce is¡­ alive isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked Orion. ¡°All nature lives. You should know this.¡± He grumbled. He had to say goodbye to his wife again. I felt bad for making him leave when she had to be one of the reasons making him stay. Though, there were dimensions dying as we spoke. Olympiad needed all the help it could get. ¡°Well are there spirts that give hugs?¡± Orion stopped and looked over his shoulder then forward again. ¡°Something hugged you?¡± I tucked a strand behind my ear. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. I felt somethingst night. Something warm.¡± He continued walking. ¡°There¡¯s a high chance that was Sophia¡­ your mother.¡± ¡°My¡­ mom?¡± I stopped, when Orion didn¡¯t I hurried to catch up to him. ¡°Yes, Apollo must have told her you were here and knowing her she wanted tomunicate.¡± ¡°How can Imunicate back?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult. The best way would be to get to her personal dimension, but it¡¯s difficult to get to.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s on an ind, heavily guarded by sirens.¡± ¡°Sirens? Like sending men to their doom sirens?¡± I gawked, why what was on it? Orion sighed, but he didn¡¯t stop walking. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re going to ask why, because you¡¯re fond of questions. After you and your brother were born something ces a curse on the ind. Only Zeus knows why his wife only has one territory.¡± I swallowed. Good to know. So I had no way ofmunicating with my mother. Another reason to win this war. I had a family to get to just when I was about to grill Orion for information on my family thunder pped and lightning lit up the sky like roots in the ground. ¡°And that is your father.¡± Orion yelled. Lightning tore up the sky one more time. ¡°He says hi.¡± ¡°Hi dad!¡± *** ¡°We have a few things we need to do when we get to the mage dimension.¡± I said. We came to a halt somewhere in the clearing. I noticed some of the grass started to turn brown. Orion dumped his bag and for thest several seconds had been rummaging through it. ¡°I¡¯m in charge Artemis.¡± He grumbled. ¡°I know, but there are still some important things we have to do. Like find Ste. She was kidnapped by that thing that led me to the veil.¡± ¡°Do any of these important things have anything to do with your dinemus angel?¡± I looked away. I wasn¡¯t sure about my dinemus angel. ¡°We have to find Rocky too¡­ I need to know if she¡¯s alive or not. I need to know for sure.¡± Ipletely, brushed aside Orion¡¯s statement and said. He huffed secondster he concentrated on the open space. I wanted to ask what he was doing but then a purple dot materialized and swirled until it was a gaping hole in front of us. ¡°What the-¡± ¡°It¡¯s a portal, it¡¯ll take us back to the mage dimension. First thing we do is go to Queen Sris¡¯ court. We¡¯ll need the dinemus¡¯s help.¡± He picked up his bag and stepped through the portal. I took one final look at the green of my brother¡¯s territory. I was going to save it all. I stepped through the portal and it felt like a brush of strong cold wind waspressing me. Itst for seconds before Inded on my feet in a chilly dark mage dimension street. ¡°We¡¯re back.¡± I said. ¡°Orion?¡± I looked around. Nothing but flickeringmps shadows in the alley, dead houses staring at me and puddles in the portals in the stony road. My face fell. Where the hell was Orion? I stepped in after him for crying out loud! ¡°Orion? This isn¡¯t funny?¡± I took a step forward onto the road and almost got trampled on by a midnight horse without a driver. I didn¡¯t even know which part of town I was in. The buildings were boarded up, had gone dry and decayed. I wrapped my arms around myself and started walking up the road in the opposite direction of the road. Could it be possible we¡¯d been taken to different dimensions? I didn¡¯t know how this worked, but Orion wasn¡¯t here. There was no sign of life near me. I kept walking, getting my boats wet as I went. I looked around all that nced back were rats scattering into the sewers. I hated rats. I pushed my legs faster. I didn¡¯t even know how to call for help. I didn¡¯t want the streets to be my home for the night, but it was looking likely. After rounding corners only to feel like I was walking through a maze. It was getting colder. I had to find shelter for the night. My hand went to my chest. The buildings were boarded up and abandoned. My heart raced at the thought of what I would find there. I squeezed the metal around my chest. My eyes went wide. Daylen! He gave me a way tomunicate with him. I tightened my grip and called with my entire heart. I didn¡¯t want to believe he would hear my call and ignore it. He¡¯d always been there when I needed him. I needed him now. I convinced myself that there would be other nice buildings to seek shelter in so I waded on. I heard footsteps. More like hammering against the concrete. I peered around the corner and an army of men and women in ck marched down the street. I swallowed. ¡°Oh no.¡± Hera¡¯s forces. I turned the other way and bolted. Their voices echoed throughout the streets. I hoped I hadn¡¯t called Daylen into trouble. I pushed my legs harder. I was too exposed. I ducked into an alley and came out on a different street with the same flickeringmp posts. I kept going until I came to a forgotten market. I squashed rotten fruit on my way out of there. At least I couldn¡¯t hear their shouts anymore. I hunched down under metal steps. For how long though? I wrapped my hand around the ne on my chest. ¡°Daylen pleasee.¡± I must have passed out when I came around someone was shaking me. ¡°Artemis, wake up.¡± A guy hissed. ¡°Daylen?¡± I mumbled. ¡°No.¡± I jumped back when ck framed sses came into voice. I screamed and mmed into the wall. ¡°Quiet down. It¡¯s just me.¡± Alfie grabbed my arm and pulled me out of my hiding spot. ¡°Alfie? What the heck are you doing here?¡± ¡°I could ask you the same thing.¡± He gave me his sweet boyish smile then went serious again. He grabbed my arm and ushered me forward. ¡°We need to get out of here. Dark angels are mobilizing in this area.¡± ¡°Dark angels? I thought they were Hera¡¯s troops.¡± He shook his head. ¡°No. Dark angels are iming as much territory as Hera.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± I stopped. ¡°Why are you here? This ce looks totally abandoned.¡± ¡°This was my home Artemis. We fought to defend it but we had to leave. We¡¯re still getting people out.¡± This was someone¡¯s home. Alfie¡¯s home. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can help you get people out. Quickly before the troops get here.¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m getting you out of here. I¡¯m not risking Hera getting you or the dark angels.¡± He murmured something under his breath and a ck and white portal swirled into existence. Heced his fingers through mine and pulled me through the portal. Secondster we were outside a tall skyscraper. Like the ones we had on earth. The street lights didn¡¯t struggle to stay on. Sports cars zoomed down the street. I turned to Alfie, relieved he was still there. ¡°Are we back on earth?¡± ¡°No this is Adessa. The capital of the mage dimension. Thankfully, she¡¯s still standing.¡± shing lights and billboards caught my attention. People dined outside restaurants without a car in the world. Two womenughed outside a restaurant with wine sses between their fingers. It almost didn¡¯t feel like part of the same ce. Alfie grabbed my hand and hauled me through ss double doors that opened when we neared. We took the elevator up. Only then did I realize how tired I was. It was daytime when we left Grinnd, now I was ready to crash. ¡°You must be freezing.¡± Alfie said, unlocking a door with a keycard. ¡°Whose ce is this?¡± ¡°My dad¡¯s. He¡¯s¡­ helping out. We won¡¯t be disturbed.¡± Leather couches, ck grand piano filling up more of the living room. The fire ce looked like the most inviting ce. ¡°Follow me.¡± He said. I followed Alfie down a hall. I can¡¯t believe Daylen didn¡¯te. Alfie had been there instead. A nice guy I¡¯d been looking forward to exploring a rtionship with before the madness came down on me. He knew we would never be anything other than friends, but he was still sweet to me. ¡°You¡¯ll be safe here Artemis.¡± The room was massive, bigger than my whole trailer car. I settled on the king sized bed gently and looked up at him. His eyes never wandered from seriousness. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I took you away from your family. You don¡¯t have to stay with me. I¡¯ll be fine until you¡¯re back.¡± The corner of his mouth lifted. He settled down next to me. He picked up my hand and squeezed. He looked into my eyes and for the first time there was something about Alfie that wed at my memory. ¡°I¡¯d rather be here with you Artemis.¡± He said. His hand found my cheek and I stiffened. ¡°Thanks for thinking about my family.¡± ¡°Uh, don¡¯t mention it.¡± He smirked and shifted a little closer. My heart mmed against my ribcage. This is not what I was expecting. ¡°You have no idea how long I¡¯ve been waiting to have you.¡± ¡°Alfie-¡± ¡°Oh, no Artemis. You don¡¯t have to say anything.¡± I must have been extremely tired because I felt my eyes droop and my shoulders slump. ¡°You¡¯re tired aren¡¯t you, gorgeous?¡± I nodded. ¡°I should get some rest.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He moved his head toward my neck and kissed it. ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful.¡± ¡°Alfie¡­ I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yes, you can.¡± He kissed my cheek. I raised a hand to push him away, but his chest was solid rock. My protests were silenced when his lips came crashing down on me.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 28- Daylen It might have been the dumbest decision I ever made, but it paid off. I felt the portal open in Jundis. A sickly part of town lost to the mage dimension in the early days of Hera¡¯s madness. I doubted it was her at first. What would she be doing there. Knowing Artemis there was a good chance she ended up there by ident. ¡°Dude, emergency meeting.¡± Marcus poked his head into my office and said. ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Yeah. Sris is pissed.¡± It was a bad part of town, I needed to get to her. ¡°I can¡¯t-¡± ¡°You do know Sris right?!¡± Marcus¡¯ brows shot to the ceiling. She would never let me live this down. I¡¯ll give her two minutes then I¡¯m out of there. I¡¯ve been searching for days. I had to follow this up. Marcus and I got to the throne room. My mother paced the length of the room. Avon and his son Jason sat on the thrown as she raged. Her emotions were out of control I could tell by the ck clouds outside. She rolled her blonde river hair into a braid and bound it onto of her head. ¡°Close the doors! Those who aren¡¯t here will be punished for their insolence.¡± Marcus did as he was ordered. General Storm would never miss a meeting. He spotted me and scrawled. He could think what he wanted all I cared about was a woman with seemingly blue hair and the most captivating eyes I¡¯d everid eyes upon. ¡°We haven¡¯t had contact with Olympiad in weeks. The mage dimension is dying and that bastard has invaded six cities in two nights! How have dark angels overridden our forces?¡± She barked. General Storm shifted ufortably in his luscious seat. ¡°You see, you Grace. The dark angels outnumbered us, we had no choice but to surrender the cities.¡± ¡°I should have your head for this. What if they capture the capital? The only ce our portal remains open? Paradis is screwed.¡± She spat. The capital of the mage dimension held portals to all the worlds, except Olympiad which closed years ago. Heat raided throughout my body and I knew it was Artemis¡¯ ne calling out to me. Damn it, I was right. She¡¯s here. ¡°This is thest ce we need invaded. Over half our troops are fighting in Olympiad and losing. We¡¯re not getting anywhere. I need answers and I need them now.¡± I¡¯d never seen my mother so anxious. She wouldn¡¯t even sit on her diamond encrusted throne. ¡°Well your high-¡± Storm started. ¡°No.¡± Sris barked. She walked back to her throne and settled. Her eyes wondered the room until they settled on me. Fuck. ¡°Daylen.¡± She said and I knew what she wanted from me. ¡°Ugh! He can be of not help to us.¡± Storm spat. She shot him daggers her blue eyes burned into a brighter hue and silenced him. ¡°Tell me Daylen.¡± She said. I knew my mother well it wasn¡¯t that she was clueless, she wanted me to take control like the king she knew I was. All that ran in my mind was the woman calling out to me like a siren beckoning a sailor to his death. ¡°Uh¡­ I-¡± another round of heat hit me. She needed me. I had to get out of here quickly. ¡°Withdraw your troops from Olympiad.¡± I said quickly. Gasps came out of every person in the room except my mother. ¡°The boy knows nothing aboutbat! You clearly don¡¯t know the situation in Olympiad.¡± ¡°Silence Storm.¡± My mother said calmly. ¡°Continue.¡± I grinded my teeth together and looked her dead in the eye. ¡°Your men are dying in Olympiad. They¡¯re ill equipped and against the elements up there. They¡¯re better off fighting the dark angels here. Hera¡¯s hybrid powers are making her soldiers stronger.¡± ¡°So what we let the gods fend for themselves?¡± Sris asked. ¡°No. Send the soldiers of light. You¡¯ve been keeping them for if Paradis was ever invaded. Paradis won¡¯t be invaded if the war is cut off where¡¯s being caught the hardest.¡± Storm scoffed. Sris grinned. ¡°Couldn¡¯t have said it better myself. You¡¯ll man them Daylen.¡± Shit. I didn¡¯t want that. General Storm stood in an instant, his cape flying behind him. ¡°I will not stand for this!¡± For the first time I agreed with General Storm. I needed to get out of there and get to Artemis. ¡°You have no choice. You¡¯ll man the soldiers in the mage dimension and filter out all the dark angels that is an order Storm.¡± ¡°Surely the boy will ept.¡± Storm threatened me with his eyes. I could almost see her begging for help. I met my mother¡¯s eyes. ¡°He has no choice.¡± She dered. ¡°¡­Daylen pleasee¡­¡± the words echoed in my ear and something snapped. ¡°I ept.¡± I turned and bottled out of the room. *** I was toote. I saw the troops leave the area, but no sign of Artemis. I opened a magic spell it showed me her trail and revealed she walked into a portal. What the hell could have happened? She didn¡¯t know how to open portals, did she? I opened a portal and used the magic spell to track her through the portal. It took me to Adessa. I didn¡¯t like being here. Too many mages wanted me dead here. Either for sleeping with a wife or a daughter. ¡°Where are you beautiful?¡± The magic spell was wearing thing. It led me to a condo building and that was it. I had to go through this old school. I walked to the front desk and groaned. A fae. A young man with glistening green eyes and pointed ears. ¡°Listen fae, I don¡¯t have time for games. I¡¯m looking for a woman, she¡¯s gorgeous, knowing your kind you¡¯d have extra attention to her.¡± His lips curled up. He knew exactly what I was talking about. ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡± I grinded my teeth together. ¡°I won¡¯t lock you in Sris¡¯s court that¡¯s what I won¡¯t do.¡± Heughed. Fae¡¯s were the most difficult creatures to deal with. ¡°Like¡¯s I¡¯m scared of her.¡± I grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him across the desk and pinned him against the floor. ¡°Talk fae! I know she¡¯s here. You¡¯ll end up as the dark fae queen¡¯s chew toy if you don¡¯t talk.¡± Sweat rolled down his brow. That got him. He raised his hands. ¡°Okay man. I saw her. The girl with the dark blue hair. She went up with a guy with sses. Couldn¡¯t tell what he was he had a clock spell on.¡± ¡°Room?¡± I demanded. ¡°Could be room eighty-four.¡± I let him go and marched to the elevator. What was it with Artemis and picking up unknown creatures? I groaned. I got to the eleventh floor. The magic spell wouldn¡¯t work anymore. I got to room eighty-four, ced my hand over the knob and burned it. The door clicked open and I stepped in. I was beginning to feel like a rabid dog. Mumbling came from somewhere in the house. The closer I got the clearer I could hear. ¡°We¡­ shouldn¡¯t do this¡­ Alfie. I¡­ I don¡¯t want to.¡± Every nerve in my body woke. It was her. Who the hell was Alfie? The wheels in my head turned too quickly and in an instant I burst into the room. A man pinned Artemis¡¯s hands above her head. I grabbed the back of his shirt and shoved him to the corner of the room. ¡°Get off of her!¡± She looked limp. I climbed onto the bed, took her head in mine, giving her my energy. Shetched on like a letch. Her eyes popped open and she leaped up. I tucked her under my arm and locked her in. ¡°Brother¡­ nice to see you.¡± Alpheus pulled off his ss and ced them on the stand. ¡°Of course I would have liked it if it were under different circumstances.¡± ¡°Did he just say brother?¡± Artemis asked. I swallowed and pulled her closer. Alpheus barked out augh, but he remained on the floor. I¡¯d kill him myself for this. ¡°I know you¡¯re infatuated, but you can never have her.¡± He said. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯ll you have her.¡± He barked. Heughed again this time pulling himself to his feet. ¡°Not you, nor the mighty Sris cane against a blood promise.¡± Shit. How¡¯d that happen? I looked at her to him. She looked just as clueless as me. ¡°What are you talking about? When did you trade blood with him?¡± I demanded from her. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about!¡± she whined. ¡°What it means my darling is you belong to me. Your father and I had a deal. Or step-father should I say. He traded you over to me. All along you¡¯ve been my mate.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 29- Artemis Blood promise? Mates? Not to mention there are brothers in the room. That was why I thought Alfie¡­ Alpheus looked familiar he had resemnces to Daylen. It was the nose. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Exin to me I can¡¯t¡­ belong to you, who the hell are you?¡± I yelled. He ran a hand down his face and sighed, ¡°In due time, darling. I exinter when we get to my castle.¡± He smiled, but it was less than pleasant. ¡°You¡¯re not taking her anywhere Alpheus.¡± Daylen barked. For once I agreed with Daylen. Alpheus chuckled, ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do about a blood promise. She¡¯s bound to me and sooner orter she¡¯s going to start feeling the effects of the bond it¡¯s nastier if she fights it so it¡¯s better you just hand her over now.¡± ¡°Not without a fight.¡± ¡°So violent brother.¡± He smirked. I couldn¡¯t believe it, he even sounded different. ¡°So all this time you were just watching me? Asking me out and helping me and Ste. What¡­ you¡¯re not even a witch.¡± ¡°Smart girl.¡± He said. My hand itched to st him into the bathroom. ¡°He¡¯s a fallen angel. That blood bond was illegal.¡± Daylen¡¯s hold around me tightened, ¡°I¡¯ll get you out of this.¡± ¡°Legal or not you know those things don¡¯t really matter.¡± He was so nonchnt as if what he was saying didn¡¯t have major consequences. What on earth was a mate? How could my father do this to me? I remembered Archie wasn¡¯t my father¡­ my father lost me because of him. ¡°Oh, Artemis you think I have secrets wait until you hear what lover boy is hiding.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Daylen yanked on my waist. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I whispered, but loud enough for Alpheus to hear. ¡°Just wait until you hear what she¡¯s keeping from you.¡± Heughed. I felt Daylen hesitate and I pushed him out the bedroom door. ¡°You¡¯re right let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t over. She belongs to me Daylen.¡± Alpheus yelled as we scurried out of the apartment. *** A nketnded on my shoulders then Daylen settled on the couch, pulling me to his chest. He¡¯d been on the phone¡­ or whatever that device is called since we got to Paradis. I had so many questions I didn¡¯t know where to start and there were answers I had to give him, but I wasn¡¯t sure how I was going to do that. ¡°Where do we start?¡± I asked, eyes fixed on the new ck coffee table. He rested his chin on my head and exhaled. ¡°Where did you go?¡± ¡°Were you looking for me?¡± ¡°Of course I was. I thought you were kidnapped. I even went to that sted Queen¡¯s castle.¡± I nestled deeper into his body. Knowing that made me feel different, but it was Daylen I was dealing with his motives were always a mystery.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Orion took me to Grinnd¡­¡± I thought about speaking to Apollo and feeling my mother¡¯s presence. Olympiad needed me, Orion was missing now I was bonded to a dark angel, how was I going to help now? ¡°He took you to Apollo¡¯s territory? Why would he do that? Did you escape?¡± Completely ignoring two of his questions I answered the question that wouldn¡¯t require a lot of exining. ¡°I didn¡¯t escape exactly. We came back together¡­ Orion isn¡¯t a bad guy, he just had some stuff to do here and I had to find Ste. Gosh, I don¡¯t even know where to look.¡± Daylen wriggled free of our cute embrace and walked to the bar and poured himself a full short ss of whiskey then drowned half of it in one swing. ¡°Orion isn¡¯t a bad guy? Isn¡¯t Alpheus the ncus white you told me about? Look how that turned out.¡± I bit my lower lip. Fine not my finest moment. ¡°Fine, are you going to tell me how you have a brother that¡¯s a dark angel?¡± He drowned the remainder of his drink, but refused to meet my eyes as he spoke. ¡°He fell from Paradis.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It happens. asionally.¡± He still wouldn¡¯t look at me. ¡°Daylen.¡± I narrowed my eyes, but it¡¯s not like it would have much of an effect since he wasn¡¯t looking at me. ¡°What Artemis? What do you want me to say?¡± He growled and I thought he was going to storm off. ¡°The truth! Do you have another brother?¡± He grinded his teeth together. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Dark angel too?¡± ¡°This is irrelevant to our problems.¡± He set his ss down and wandered to the hall. I wrapped the nket around myself and followed him. He definitely was hiding something. ¡°If I¡¯d known you had a brother I would have figured out sooner than I was being stalked by a dark angel.¡± He threw his bedroom door open and slumped on the edge of the bed. ¡°We know now. We should be finding solutions.¡± ¡°Yes, but we have to trust each other. What are you hiding? How did you even find me¡­ did you-¡± He finally looked at me, paralyzing me with the shock in his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could have known about you and Alpheus. My brother and I have no contact.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°I had some of my mother¡¯s power¡­ and uh¡­shit.¡± I settled down next to him. I always thought Daylen was alone in his world sort of like me. Something must have happened I didn¡¯t think they were that close. I was tempted to reach for his hand and squeeze. ¡°I tracked you and if I hadn¡¯t been there in time Alpheus would have cemented his bond and you would have be the next queen of the dark angels.¡± I swallowed. I envisioned myself in ck lipstick, huge ck feathery wings in a petite ck dress standing in front of a nation of dark angels with my king husband next to me. I blinked a couple times. That could not happen. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t be with him. I don¡¯t want to be his queen.¡± Daylen cupped my face. He kissed my forehead and wrapped an arm around my back. ¡°That won¡¯t happen. I¡¯ll find a way to break your bond.¡± I felt tears burning my eyes. Thest thing I wanted was that. ¡°How can you be so sure.¡± He smirked, bringing our heads together. ¡°Because no one that isn¡¯t me is going to touch again.¡± With watery eyes I managed to crack a smile. ¡°What makes you think I want you to touch me?¡± ¡°I have a hunch.¡± He leaned close and I instinctively shut my eyes and the brush of his lips over mine came soon after. So different from his brother. This was what I wanted and I wasn¡¯t going to fight myself on it if he didn¡¯t either. It looked like we were both on the same page. Fear settled into me, what if we couldn¡¯t break the bond? Would I have to give him up and marry his brother? Hammering at the door broke us apart. My heart felt like the fist on the door. Daylen got to his feet. ¡°Stay here.¡± He ordered. I ditched the nket and scurried to the living room. ¡°I said wait in the room.¡± He hissed. ¡°Who is it?¡± The pounding continued. Daylen peeped through the little whole. ¡°General Storm.¡± Chapter 30- Daylen ¡°Now I¡¯m serious wait in the bedroom and don¡¯te out. I mean it Artemis.¡± If she was discovered there was no knowing how Storm would take it. ¡°What if you get your ass kicked again?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen. If youe out so help me-¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stay put.¡± I exhaled. I didn¡¯t believe here. I opened the door and Storm stumbled in. ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± He spat. I groaned, ¡°What do you want Storm?¡± I was surprised his didn¡¯t havepany. He strolled into my living room, his purple cape swaying behind him as if there was a draft to carry it. ¡°Sris is pulling out the troops from Olympiad as we speak.¡± ¡°Good.¡± I folded my arms across his chest. There was more. I didn¡¯t trust this bastard. ¡°She expects you and the soldiers of light to leave for the gods world in two days.¡± Fuck. I couldn¡¯t leave Artemis. ¡°I don¡¯t need to tell how much of a bad idea I think that is. With special permission from the king I will be going with you.¡± ¡°Special permission? You mean you went behind the queen¡¯s back.¡± I couldn¡¯t be sure Avon and Storm weren¡¯t plotting for me not to return to Paradis alive. ¡°Who knows what you did to get your position.¡± He spat. I grimaced. I wished people would stop implying that I was having an affair with Sris. ¡°Watch yourself Storm. I couldn¡¯t care less what you do. Why are you really here?¡± I dared to take a step forward. My eyes darted to the hall, making sure she was where she should be. Storm whirled and surveyed the room. ¡°Who else is here?¡± He barked. ¡°A woman. I was busy.¡± ¡°Powerful woman.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you once boy. Draw your wings.¡± What the heck? ¡°What?¡± ¡°You heard me. You¡¯ve never drawn your wings. What are your hiding? Tainted blood? Traitor blood? Or dark wings?¡± Storm pulled out his sword and aimed it at my throat. ¡°I have nothing to hide.¡± Expect a couple things that mightnd me dead. ¡°Then why are your wings still hidden? I¡¯ve always had my doubts about you and you can be sure before you lead any army I¡¯ll find out.¡± The tip of the cool de edged closer to my flesh, but fear would be thest thing I showed Storm. ¡°You better get to work. You won¡¯t find anything.¡± Storm slid his sword back into his belt and marched to the door. ¡°You¡¯re not fit for Paradis or her courts. Whatever you are you don¡¯t deserve to even look at the streets in this city.¡± He marched off. I kicked the door shut. ¡°Fuck.¡± I sted. ¡°Who was that?¡± Artemis rushed in. ¡°Were you listening?¡± I didn¡¯t mean for the venom in my voice toe out, but it did. She nodded. ¡°Why does he hate you so much?¡± ¡°I wish I fucking knew.¡± I settled on the couch. She sat next to me and grabbed my hand. I was surprised when I squeezed her little hand. If Storm knew I was an illegitimate heir it would make more sense as to why he couldn¡¯t stand me. I didn¡¯t understand, it couldn¡¯t just be about Sris. ¡°You know you¡¯re not that.¡± She said, I looked at her and wondered. When realization set in I smiled and kissed her forehead. I wished she hadn¡¯t heard any of that. ¡°You¡¯ve really never drawn your wings? Why not?¡± I unsettled out of the chair and her hold and stood by the firece. I paced the length of it. The only people that had seen my wings were my mother and Alpheus ¡°It¡¯splicated. No one can see them.¡± She wrapped her arms around herself, but she held my gaze. ¡°Will you¡­show me?¡± What was I doing? Taking off my jacket so the force of my wings wouldn¡¯t destroy it like they would my shirt. I held her gaze too. I shut my eyes and invoked that part of me to awaken. My skin felt like it was being ripped apart as the feathers and bones came out of me. Artemis got to her feet and rushed round the table, she stopped short when I copsed to one knee. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She eximed. I nodded. At least they were out. ¡°I¡¯m not used to drawing them so it¡¯s more painful.¡± Her eyes went wide and I smirked. I never thought I¡¯d like the feeling of someone looking at my wings. She stood in front of me, her eyes glued to what was behind me. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ so big and gold! I thought angel wings were supposed to be white.¡± She reached out but pulled back. ¡°It¡¯s okay, go ahead.¡± My hands went around her waist as her fingertips brushed the feathers on my wings and traced the crowns etched into my wings. ¡°Do all dinemus wings look like yours?¡± ¡°No¡­ only dinemus angels with royal blood do.¡± ¡°Royal blood?¡± Her face twisted then realization hit her. ¡°Royal blood? Daylen you¡¯re a¡­ what are you? How could not¡­ you said you¡¯re only in the Queen¡¯s court and that guy used you of having an affair with the queen and so did the king! I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°Quiet down Artemis. I don¡¯t need everyone knowing.¡± I grabbed her elbow and dragged her to my room, locking the door I turned to face her. I sucked in my wings which wasn¡¯t nearly as painful as pulling them out. She sat on my bed, frowning at me. I smirked, I wanted her to stay there forever with me naked. ¡°Well!¡± She sted. I groaned. I forgot how unbearable she can be. ¡°Are you royalty of a different I don¡¯t know kingdom?¡± I ran a hand through my brown curly hair. ¡°No¡­ no one knows what I am. I was given up by my mother Sris when I was baby. I am the product of an affair she had before she became queen. I didn¡¯t know I was her son until she found me when I was a boy. I grew up with an abusive groundskeeper, he hated my guts. She took pity on me and had me taken care of, but our rtionship has always been¡­ strange.¡± Artemis rubbed her palms together then looked at me. ¡°What happens if people find out?¡±Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Then they try to kill me! I¡¯m not just an illegitimate half-blood prince, I¡¯m the rightful heir to the throne. No matter my parentage thews of Paradis state I inherit the throne not my brother who to the rest of the mage world is the next heir of Paradis.¡± ¡°Crud.¡± She bit her bottom lip. Saying it out loud made me realize how shitty my life was until Artemis came into it and sted me through a building. She got up and circled her arms around my waist. I shut my eyes. I didn¡¯t want to lose her. I couldn¡¯t. ¡°I have something to tell you too.¡± She mumbled. ¡°Not right now. I just want to hold you tonight.¡± There was so much we needed to figure out, so much that needed fixing, but right now I just wanted her in my arms. Chapter 31- Artemis I woke up and Daylen was gone. I couldn¡¯t tell if the darkness was day because I¡¯d be custom to grey clouds. He could have just gotten up to get a ss of water, but I got up to check on him. I found him in the living room in stripped shorts and a white vest. He had hismunication pod on the table. His sses were on the table near it. He rubbed his eyes and I smiled. He looked like any ordinary boyfriend. In the midst of everything that was going on was it foolish to want something normal with him? ¡°You¡¯re not nning on sleeping here are you?¡± I asked, startling him. ¡°Artemis, no I got a call and I didn¡¯t want to wake you. It was Marcus, but it¡¯s nothing important.¡± ¡°Anything else on your mind?¡± I found the courage and sat on hisps. He grinned and cupped my thigh. I was wearing one of his many white shirts. ¡°Mostly you.¡± I rested my head on his shoulder. ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose you.¡± ¡°Neither do I.¡± I whispered. Blood bonds, castles and gods so many obstacles set in ce to make sure we didn¡¯t win the game. His fingers stroked my hair and we sat infortable silence. An idea popped into my head. I was powerful and my dad was Zeus he was supposed to be all powerful maybe he could help break the blood bond! I¡¯ve never met him, but I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind doing this tiny favor. ¡°I just had an idea!¡± ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s that?¡± I turned so I was straddling him and ced my hands on his shoulders. ¡°Remember when I said I had something to tell you too?¡± His brows dipped and he nodded. I bit my lower lip, looking into his bright brown eyes I felt it was okay to tell him who I really was. After he told me the truth about him which was a hard pill to swallow. I was straddling a future king. I felt right to tell him what I was. ¡°I found out what I really am.¡± ¡°Yeah? When?¡± He practically barked. ¡°A while back¡­¡± He sat up. ¡°And?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s funny I didn¡¯t believe it either. Turns out my dad isn¡¯t my dad and Rocky is only my half-sister. I actually have a twin brother and-¡± ¡°Artemis.¡± He grounded out my name. ¡°I¡¯m a goddess. Zeus¡¯s daughter.¡± I blurted out. Silence. I could have sworn he got a little pale. ¡°What? That¡­ no.¡± He carried me off hisp and stalked to the firece. It felt like a p to the face. ¡°This can¡¯t be possible. Artemis you¡¯re an Olympiad god?¡± I nodded. ¡°I guess.¡± He ran two hands down his face. ¡°You told me you grew up on earth. Why did you lie!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t lie!¡± ¡°Are you telling me you¡¯re only a half-god then?¡± ¡°No¡­ my mother¡¯s goddess Sophia. That¡¯s what Orion told me.¡± He scoffed, ¡°And you believe him?¡± I looked away. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just Orion. An Elf with the power of the discernment told me first. Orion was sent by my parents to bring me home. I met Apollo when I was in Grinnd. I¡¯m not making this up.¡± He leaned against the mantle on the firece, his hands in his face. ¡°No, it makes sense. Your power, your beauty. Fuck, Apollo¡¯s your twin brother?¡± I nodded, ¡°You know him?¡± He groaned, rolling his eyes. ¡°Too well. He¡¯s not going to like this.¡± I stood to meet him by the mantle. ¡°I thought this was going to help. Can¡¯t the blood promise be broken now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ even if. You¡¯re a goddess. You and I¡­ are impossible.¡± I swallowed. That felt like a punch to the face. I must have stared at him for twenty minutes before I came to the conclusion of leaving. I¡¯d made a mistake. ¡°I¡­I should go.¡± He grabbed my shoulders and pinned me to the firece before I could get any further. ¡°Just because our love was never meant to be born doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t live.¡± Did he say love? He pressed our foreheads together. ¡°Blood promises, queens, kingdoms and gods, are only obstacles we have to get through. I¡¯ve already made up my mind about you.¡± ¡°It feels so hard Daylen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be difficult, but haven¡¯t we established we make a pretty good team?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t blow our way through everything.¡± He chuckled, ¡°True, sounds fun though.¡± Cupping my cheeks, he brought our lips together. Caressing my lips softly he wrapped me in his arms, secondster I was off the ground and in his arms, being kissed all the way to his room. He ced me under the covers. I thought he was going to take thing to the next level instead he turned off themp and kissed my forehead. ¡°Get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow.¡± *** ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked as we walked the street outside his condo building. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea to get you a disguise. Most angels can sense an outsider a mile away. I need you to blend in. We might have to stay in Paradis a while.¡± I looked at my clothes. They were the ones Orion¡¯s wife lent me. They really did make me stick out like a sore thumb. The women here were gorgeous, they had to be they were angels. I gathered white was the theme of this dimension because almost everyone wore white or a very light shade of other colors. I stuck closer to Daylen, hoping he would shield me from everyone else. Two women approached us. One had chestnut hair and the other one had ck curly hair. They had one white body hugging dresses that showed off their smooth long legs. A contrast to me who had a free slowing dress that screamed nature. Daylen wrapped his arm around me. The women smiled at him as they passed. I couldn¡¯t help the heat that rose to my face. I wasn¡¯t jealous, but I didn¡¯t like it. Daylen walked us into a store. The main theme was white and almost every piece of clothing on the ranks was white. We were weed by an angel in a white bandage dress. She had tiny white wings sticking out of her back. Made me think of Daylen¡¯s majestic wings and how he always had to keep them hidden. ¡°Hello Daylen.¡± She smiled then she realized he wasn¡¯t alone and cleared her throat. ¡°Wee to Angelic Affairs. I¡¯m Mandy, I¡¯ll be helping you find whatever your heart desires.¡± Looking around I couldn¡¯t even tell what my heart desired. I didn¡¯t remember thest time I went shopping. It made me think of Rocky. She would have loved all this. She would have known what to do. My heart still wouldn¡¯te to the conclusion of her being dead. ¡°Pick whatever you want.¡± Daylen said. ¡°I¡­¡± I didn¡¯t even know where to start. I turned to Mandy for help. Her eyes turned a shade brighter and I almost gasped. Daylen put his arm around my shoulder and her eyes turned back to normal. ¡°You are stunning. I have a ton of stuff for you to try. You can wait in the changing room.¡± She scurried off. When Daylen and I were alone I asked, ¡°What was that? With her eyes.¡± He reclined on the white couch. He looked awfullyfortable. ¡°She was trying to discern, but I stopped her.¡± I swallowed. ¡°What happens if she knows?¡± ¡°You know gossip spreads. Hera will find out you¡¯re here maybe my mother too.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your mother going to do? She doesn¡¯t want to kill me too, does she?¡± He shook his head, ¡°She just might send you home. If that¡¯s what Orion said.¡± Mandy came back with a pile of clothes so high that we couldn¡¯t see her. ¡°Do you mind adding a bit more color?¡± I asked. She nodded and dashed off. It was one huge pile of white. ¡°Try this on.¡± Daylen held out a set of lingerie. I pulled a face. ¡°I just want to see you in it.¡± He tossed it at me. ¡°Fine.¡± I slipped behind the curtain into the changing box. I thought it wasme how I¡¯d never owned lingerie before. There were so many strings I didn¡¯t even know how to get in. When I finally managed to get into the white underwear set. I walked out. It felt a bit big. Daylen diverted his attention from the seat and up to me. He leaned back for a second before he stood and walked over to me. He pulled me close and ran a hand down my hair. He sighed, ¡°Mandy was right, you are stunning.¡± His hands wandered to the back of my bra. ¡°Daylen not here.¡± I whispered. He chuckled, he yed with the straps before running his hands down the sides of my breasts and resting them on my hips. ¡°How I¡¯d love to do that here.¡± He said close to my ear. ¡°You know, I thought I was help out here before going back home.¡± His face twisted in difort. ¡°Don¡¯t get involved in this fight Artemis.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already involved Daylen. I was involved the day I was stolen then when my sister was kidnapped.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to hand you over to Hera, but putting you right where she can grab you.¡± ¡°I think you underestimate me.¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I¡¯m trying to keep you safe.¡± ¡°I have a duty to these people too. The gods can¡¯te down and stop Hera so I might as well do it.¡± He growled. ¡°You¡¯re insane. We¡¯ll talk about thister. Try on a dress.¡± ¡°Daylen.¡± I narrowed my eyes at him. He picked up a dress too short to be holy and held it out for me. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding.¡± He smirked. ¡°Try it on.¡± Chapter 32- Daylen Trying on clothes had never been more fun. I got to watch Artemis try on almost a hundred different pairs of clothes and lingerie which was my favorite part. She was a bit shy about me buying her clothes, but I wouldn¡¯t take her objections. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go leave everything at your ce first?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Mandy will send everything.¡± She nodded and nced back at the smiling angel. I wrapped her in my arms again and walked her out. Now she blended in with her long fitted dress with sleeves. I still needed to keep the barrier up. Just in case a sneaky angel tried to discern what she was. ¡°So how many times have you been in there Daylen?¡± Her question nearly made me trip. ¡°What?¡± She arched her brow. ¡°You heard me.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I-¡± ¡°Mandy seems pretty used to you.¡± I scratched the back of my head. ¡°I may havee in a few times.¡± ¡°Did you sleep with her?¡± She bluntly asked. I gripped her hip. She knew I wasn¡¯t a saint. I knew I wasn¡¯t a saint. Why was she pushing. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re the one I want to sleep with.¡± She strutted out of my hold and flipped her hair over her shoulder. ¡°Good luck with that.¡± ¡°Careful Artemis, that sounds like a challenge.¡± She looked over her shoulder, teasing me with her grin. Damn Alpheus and his blood bond. ¡°Where are we going anyway?¡± I slung my arm around her shoulder and turned us into an alley. ¡°We¡¯re going to see an old friend of mine. He¡¯s going to help us get rid of the blood bond.¡± *** Ranger lived on the outskirts of Paradis. He was an old friend who was in Sris¡¯ court before me. I knew I could trust him to help us out. His house was the only one for miles. It was protected by invisible barriers to keep out creatures of darkness. ¡°How are you sure he¡¯s even home?¡± Artemis asked as he stepped up to the front door. ¡°He never leaves his house.¡± I hammered on the door, ignoring the doorbell. ¡°Open up Ranger I know you¡¯re in there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not drinking!¡± The man inside yelled. ¡°I don¡¯t care about your alcohol.¡± ¡°Are you sure about this.¡± ¡°Trust me a little Artemis.¡± I hammered again this time the door swung open. Ranger stood on the other side, in id shorts and a vest stained with soup. Artemis frowned at me. He¡¯d changed a lot since I¡¯dst since him. Which was maybe eight years ago. He had a pot belly and a bread half as long as Artemis¡¯ hair. ¡°Daylen? What the hell I thought you were dead.¡± ¡°Why would you think that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve heard from you all these years.¡± ¡°Yes, my bad.¡± He focused on Artemis. His cool blue eyes narrowed and turned turquois then went back to their normal shade. Bewilderment filled his face. ¡°What the heck is she doing down here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I need to speak to you about.¡± He nodded, ¡°Alright. Inside, quickly.¡± Ranger¡¯s house was full of beer bottles. Every cheap kind. I wondered how he got them when he never felt the house. He locked the door behind us. I squeezed Artemis¡¯ hand, guiding her to the dining room which was the only ce we could actually sit. I kept her hand in mine secondster Ranger joined us at the table. ¡°I must say it¡¯s an honor to have an Olympiad god in my house. I just don¡¯t get it. It¡¯s dangerous for you lot to be down here when Hera¡¯s killing gods. She killed two more up there. Her soldiers managed to capture two. It¡¯s getting worse.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± I ran a hand through my hair. And Artemis said she wanted to fight? I¡¯ll lock her in my house if I have to. What am I going to do when I have to leave for Olympiad? I can¡¯t trust anyone to stay with her and she won¡¯t stay without a fight. I quickly exined to Ranger how Artemis was not with the rest of her enormous family fighting for Olympiad and how Alpheus mated them together I didn¡¯t think I needed to exin that she was wrestling her way into my soul. ¡°Can you help?¡± She asked. He stroked his bread. ¡°Damn Alpheus is a real opportunist. Sooner orter Daylen that blood bond¡¯s going toe into effect and she won¡¯t be able to be near you.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± She asked before I could say anything. ¡°It¡¯s a way to force the promise toe into effect. They¡¯re very difficult to break.¡± ¡°There has to be some way we can break it. I don¡¯t want to be a dark angel queen.¡± ¡°It could be worse than that love.¡± Her shoulders slumped. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Marriage or any bond is a union of two souls and in this case of two kingdoms.¡± ¡°Damn him, he knew what he was doing this entire time. It was more than the power Hera wanted.¡± I spat. ¡°What? He thinks he can use me to get to the throne?¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, with marriage there¡¯s already allegiance. Your Zeus¡¯ daughter he cany im to the throne with you as his queen. It¡¯s a scenario no one wants.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen Artemis.¡± ¡°Daylen.¡± Her voice came out small. I took her forehead and pressed it to mine. ¡°We¡¯ll figure this out.¡± Without regard to Ranger¡¯s presences I pressed our lips together, hungry and passionate. I wanted to assure her that everything would be fine and we wouldn¡¯t break. ¡°How do we break the bond?¡± ¡°Well, other than death-¡± I frowned at him. ¡°Other than that option that we are not exploring. Alpheus himself can let her go, I doubt he¡¯d do that. I¡¯ve got to do more digging otherwise I¡¯ve never heard of a blood promise being broken.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be in touch-¡± my pod cut me off. Damn it another emergency meeting. Chapter 33- Artemis ¡°Don¡¯t talk to anyone. Don¡¯t use your powers, don¡¯t do anything to draw attention to yourself Artemis. You¡¯ll get into the castle with Marcus.¡± Daylen said. Sris¡¯ castle had to be the most magnificent piece of infrastructure I¡¯ve ever seen. A castle with twelve towers and blocks made of ss and marble gargoyles. Crystal clear material but no one could see what wasying beyond whose walls. ¡°Why can¡¯t I go in with you?¡± I asked him. ¡°Because people will assume you¡¯re my lover.¡± He grunted. ¡°She kind of is dude.¡± Marcus sighed. He looked at me and I looked away. He grabbed my chin and made me look at him. He smirked. I groaned. I didn¡¯t want to see that. Walking across the street into that enormous castle had me shivering. ¡°I just don¡¯t want people associating us because it¡¯ll put you in danger.¡± ¡°How romantic.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Hey. I¡¯m serious Artemis. I need to make sure you¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°Yes, yes I got.¡± I wrapped my arms around myself. ¡°Marcus will take you to my office. Wait for me there.¡± He said, before starting across the grey street. ¡°He means his personal dungeon.¡± Marcus said. I saw Daylen walked passed two armed guards and disappear through double doors. ¡°Are you sure we won¡¯t have any trouble?¡± I asked. ¡°If anyone asks, you¡¯re here for Jason.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± I asked as Marcus ushered me towards the two guards armed with spears. ¡°The crowned prince. He was the one we hid you from when we first met.¡± Marcus whispered. We made it through the guards without scandal. I thought about Daylen and how he was entitled to all this and not Jason. When the time came for the queen to step down Daylen woulde onto the scene like an intruder in the night. The castle was bustling that no one really paid attention to me. It was weird the castle was packed with so much energy that it almost gave me a headache. We got to a lonely door down dull corridor. Marcus looked behind him before ushering me in. ¡°I have to go to the meeting as well. Stay here. We¡¯ll find you as soon we¡¯re done.¡± I nodded and was left in the chilly room. It was so dark without as much as a window in here. Daylen only had a desk and a chair in here. I thought he had a high rank, why did he have such a horrible office? It was big with grey painted walls and a floor with ck patches. ¡°I wish I could see what they were talking about.¡± I whispered and paced the length of the room. I imagined what the room would be like and the position Daylen would take. I wondered how he carried himself when he was in his element. Was he cocky the way he was when he was with me? I turned from the desk and jumped back when another room merged with the one I was in. I cupped my mouth, hoping the people in the other room wouldn¡¯t hear me. It didn¡¯t look like they noticed me at all. They all had their eyes focused on the woman with a crown of golden ws on the top of her head. Her eyes were so cold like the coldest winters river¡­ just like her son. He stood in front of her, speaking. I swallowed, should he be doing that? Everyone else looked at him as if he was insane and others looked at him with disgust. The door to the office rattled. Shoot. I literally had nowhere to hide. So I ran through the imagine. I couldn¡¯t hear Daylen talking. I couldn¡¯t even shut it off. The door burst in and I wondered what was going on? There was nothing to steal in here. A man with a purple cape stormed in along with a man that looked increasingly familiar. The King. My heart stopped pumping. I was so screwed. The two men took in the entire rom. I swear the short man with the purple cape looked me in the eye, but he turned back to the King. ¡°There¡¯s power in this room.¡± He said. ¡°I know Storm. It¡¯s the same type of magic that nearly killed me. If it weren¡¯t for Sris, I wouldn¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°So, the boy has a secret weapon!¡± Storm spat. I frowned. I wouldn¡¯t call myself a secret weapon. ¡°He¡¯s nning something. Why else would he have so much power?¡± The King said, surveying Daylen¡¯s desk. I couldn¡¯t believe that they couldn¡¯t see me. I swallowed, what were they doing to do to Daylen? ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve never trusted the boy. He never shows his wings. His closeness to the Queen has to be a ploy to gain her trust then strike.¡± The King considered the suggestion deeply, but not long enough before he agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t need evidence to have him arrested.¡± The King said. ¡°Uh, but there might be one small problem¡­ the Queen.¡± Storm said. ¡°I can handle Sris.¡± He spat.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. What did I do? Bust the illusion and take them both down then warn Daylen? I didn¡¯t have to make the choice because Daylen burst in secondster. Both men straightened their spines. Daylen walked in calmly. ¡°Anything I can do for you gentlemen?¡± Daylen asked. His eyes went around the room and I knew he was looked for me. I saw a hint of panic in his eyes. ¡°Nothing of course.¡± Storm spat as if he wasn¡¯t in the wrong for being in Daylen¡¯s office. ¡°I¡¯m only wondering what The King and yourself General Storm are doing in my office. I find it hard to believe you two got lost.¡± Daylen smirked. ¡°This is my castle. I can be wherever I want.¡± Daylen shrugged, ¡°By no ownership of yours, it¡¯s just because you married the Queen.¡± ¡°You¡¯re your mouth-¡± ¡°Have a good day gentlemen.¡± Daylen opened the door wider. The King lifted his shoulders and marched out. ¡°This isn¡¯t over.¡± General Storm said before he pranced out. I rushed out of my hiding ce as soon as Daylen shut the door. I hoped he would see me. He did. He sighed and wrapped me in his arms. ¡°I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t listen this time.¡± He kissed the top of my head and tightened his grip around me. ¡°They knew I was here Daylen and¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here first.¡± Daylen opened the door and we were greeted with General Storm¡¯s victoriousughter. He reached out and grabbed me, yanking mepletely away from Daylen. ¡°Let her go!¡± Daylen demanded. Three guards came from behind the General and ceased Daylen. I swallowed. I knew we could take them. I couldn¡¯t move my hands with Storm binding them together. No matter how hard I struggled. ¡°You¡¯re a powerful little thing, aren¡¯t you?¡± Stormughed. ¡°You¡¯ll regret this.¡± Daylen spat. He received a blow to the gut for that. ¡°To the Queen¡¯s court.¡± Stormed dered. I met Daylen¡¯s gaze. He didn¡¯t seem confident that we would get out of this. Chapter 34- Artemis General Storm dragged me to the queen¡¯s court room. Behind him followed the king and the guards holding Daylen. They ambushed us. Now who knows what¡¯s going to happen to us? Queen Sris frowned at Storm and I, but her eyes widened with rm when the guards marched in with Daylen. ¡°You have five seconds to exin this or you all die by my fire.¡± I swear I felt the heat radiating off her. ¡°Hear us out darling-¡± The king approached her, but her hair zed a brighter shade of blonde like lightning. Her eyes turned to dark blue of the evening sky. I believed her when she said we would all die by her fire. ¡°Don¡¯t darling me!¡± ¡°Your highness, this boy has been conspiring against you! He¡¯s been working with this powerful creature.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Sris rolled her eyes and pinned them on Daylen. ¡°We¡¯re not conspiring against you.¡± I blurted out. General Storm shook my arm, ¡°Quiet you. You¡¯re in the presence of her royal highness. You could be facing death!¡± Daylen lifted his head to face his mother. ¡°I would never betray you.¡± He spat. ¡°He¡¯s been harboring her.¡± Avon used. I swallowed it was the world against us. There was no reasoning with them. Even if Daylen¡¯s mother let us go, who was to say they wouldn¡¯te after us? ¡°She¡¯s just my girlfriend.¡± Daylen growled. ¡°She¡¯s done nothing wrong.¡± ¡°Will you deny that she¡¯s the creature that destroyed a building block in the mage dimension?¡± General Storm yelled. I cringed. Why did he have to bring that up? Sris raised her hand and stepped off her throne. With the wave of her hand she silenced the room. Daylen wouldn¡¯t take his eyes off me. I had to break our stare because Sris walked right up to me to scrutinize me. This wasn¡¯t the way I wanted to meet Daylen¡¯s mother. She took in all my features. She seized me up from the top of my head to the boots I had on. She narrowed her eyes, but I was able to see them sh. ¡°Your girlfriend Daylen¡­ is an Olympiad goddess.¡± She smirked. She shifted her attention to General Storm. ¡°I would be careful of the way I handled her General Storm.¡± She pushed her cape behind her and strolled back to her throne. General Storm released me and stepped back. He stood at attention like a stone statute. Her smirk remained ever present, she straightened her back and waved her palm. ¡°Release him and get out of my sight.¡± She ordered. I crossed the room and found Daylen. He wrapped me in his arms and fisted my hair. ¡°Are you alright?¡± He asked. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± heat built between us. Like a kettle rising to a boil. I pulled back because I didn¡¯t know what was happening. I couldn¡¯t hold on anymore the heat was immense. Daylen held on to my arms, but he felt it too. Right in the center a silver spark formed and sted me to Sris¡¯ feet and Daylen to the door. ¡°What is this?!¡± General Storm sted. ¡°Ouch.¡± I rubbed my shoulders. ¡°Artemis.¡± Daylen groaned. He was on his feet in an instant and crossing the room, but Storm stopped him. Sris was standing and ring at me. ¡°Who is she bound to?¡± She asked in a low cold tone. Daylen looked away. Sris raised her voice. ¡°Tell me! Who is she bound to!¡± ¡°Alpheus.¡± Daylen said through gritted teeth. ¡°The bastard!¡± General Storm burst out. Daylen brushed him aside and came to help me to my feet. There was no heat this time. No spark. I wrapped my arms around his waist expecting to be sted against a chair, but I was kept safely in his arms. ¡°What was that?¡± I whispered. ¡°The blood bond is taking effect.¡± He whispered back. ¡°A dark angel cannot have union with an Olympiad god. It¡¯s disastrous.¡± Storm said. ¡°He¡¯s always been a smart boy. Now leave us all of you.¡± Sris¡¯s death re ranged from her guards to her general and finally on her husband. Objections died where they were born. Everyone quietly walked out of the room. ¡°I only want to know a few things. Why you aren¡¯t in Olympiad and why you¡¯re bound to my fallen son?¡± I felt like a mouse under her stare. I swallowed, but before I could respond Daylen replied for me. ¡°It isn¡¯t that simple Sris. Artemis hasn¡¯t known about her true identity until recently. As for Alpheus, this wasn¡¯t a consenting bond.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bond thatplicates things anyway. We need to talk in a ce where the walls don¡¯t have ears.¡± *** We took a secret passage in the court room that led down to a dusty cer. Sris called it their secret ce. I couldn¡¯t imagine a queen spending a second down here. As I was learning Sris wasn¡¯t like the queens I read about in books. Blood bonds aren¡¯t so easily broken.¡± Sris said as she settled into a wooden seat with a plush purple cushion. I ran my hands down my face. I didn¡¯t want to be a dark angel queen. Daylen ripped my hands off my face. I managed to hold his stare, but only barely. He was so intense. I couldn¡¯t bare him to see how broken I felt. ¡°Hey, I told you under no circumstances would I allow you to be bound forever to my brother.¡± He spat on the word brother. ¡°Oh! So she knows everything I see. How marvelous.¡± Srisughed spitefully. Daylen tucked me under his arm. ¡°Of course she does.¡± ¡°Even after what I told you Daylen you still want to do this?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He answered quickly, surprising his mother. ¡°What you told me doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She shook her head and sighed, ¡°It matters now more than ever darling. She isn¡¯t a nobody.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand, what are you talking about.¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Daylen whispered. ¡°You¡¯re a goddess. It¡¯s Daylen¡¯s job to protect you just as it is mine to protect your family. You¡¯re from two different worlds ones with boarders that can never be broken.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter Artemis. We¡¯ll find a way around this.¡± I cradled myself. Why was everything in existence against something that felt like it carried no blemish at all? Mountains felt like better obstacles than blood bonds and dimensions. Should our love even have been born? Chapter 35- Alpheus ¡°Your majesty your brother is here to see you.¡± The giant grey ogre roared into the throne room. I flinched. Honestly those things could not speak at a normal tone. ¡°Send him in.¡± I said. ¡°Yes your highness.¡± He shook the earth beneath my feet as he walked out. I was hunched over my tactic table overlooking every city I¡¯d conquered and yet to conquer. I waved my hand over it so Jason wouldn¡¯t see it. I didn¡¯t fully trust him. I knew he was going against our mother by trying to kill Daylen, but didn¡¯t mean I trusted him not to do me in so he could im all the glory. He was an attention seeker like that. Didn¡¯t care for Daylen, but something about Jason was he always wanted to seem something he was not. Thanks to my father. I¡¯m nothing like Avon sometimes when I look in the mirror I see more of my mother than I do anyone else. It burns like acid on my skin if I¡¯m being honest. ¡°Jason, what brings you here?¡± I ask as if I don¡¯t know. He marches in, scrawl on his face like the boy that hasn¡¯t gotten what he wants. I wonder how I¡¯m the youngest. ¡°You know why? Do you know what mother¡¯s done with that fool?¡± ¡°Please share thetest gossip from Sris¡¯ castle.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t funny. You were supposed to take care of him! I walked back to my throne and settled in it. I didn¡¯t like to admit that Daylen had escaped my clutches too many times. He had my ticket to Olympiad cuddled next to him. I groaned. It was only a matter of time until the clock ran out on them and she was forced toe to me. ¡°In case you didn¡¯t know Daylen is a powerful angel and wouldn¡¯t let himself be outdone so easily.¡± I said calmly. ¡°What happened to your supposedly great armies?¡± Like I would pull out soldiers from battle just to kill Daylen. That¡¯s exactly the irrational stuff Jason would do. Maybe Paradis won¡¯t be so hard to conquer when Jason bes king that¡¯s if he even does. I fight a smirk. ¡°He¡¯s working with someone just as powerful I¡¯m afraid. Besides¡­ he barelyes down to the mage dimension not to mention the Dark dimension. We¡¯re pretty much just lying in wait for our prey.¡± The double doors opened and walked in Turner and the ogre. They must be anxious about having the prince of Paradis here. If only they knew he was the tool we¡¯d been searching for. I motioned for them to stay. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to wait Alpheus. Mother wants to send him to Olympiad with the soldiers of light. That should be me going. I¡¯m the crown prince.¡± I scratched my day old beard. I wouldn¡¯t say I me her. Jason wasn¡¯t cut for war. I should have told him that. Instead I said, ¡°And what are you going to do about that?¡± He grinded his teeth together. ¡°I can give you ess to Paradis.¡± I saw Turner¡¯s eyes go wide from the door. Jackpot. That¡¯s exactly where I knew this would go. Dark wings can¡¯t go into Paradis without being obliterated. A final death. ¡°When I say you I mean only you Alpheus. I know you can take Daylen out alone.¡± I smirked, ¡°Of course brother I know what to do. I know where to find him.¡± When I do I know who¡¯s going to be with him. My prize. ¡°You have to hurry. I can¡¯t keep the portal open for long. Someone will eventual know it¡¯s open. I¡¯ll have to close it.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it brother. Come by the next dawn Daylen will be a mystery.¡± ¡°You better hope so Alpheus.¡± I frowned. It sounded like a threat. I didn¡¯t let the frownst long enough. Jason wasn¡¯t anyone to threaten me. What I needed him for was done. Once in Paradis I¡¯d have to figure out a way to cheat the portal so my armies coulde in. I watched my brother leave. Now I had to get ready to destroy my other brother. I was no fool it would be no easy feat and with a goddess by his side it would damn difficult. *** Once in Paradis I knew better than to seek Jason out. He¡¯d done his part and I wasn¡¯t dead. I counted myself lucky this was a gamble too. I knew Daylen¡¯s apartment that was the first ce I knew to go. A fancy upscale building where all the elite dinemus angels lived. Most angels had the power of discernment and especially against dark wings. I trusted Jason¡¯s magic was strong enough to take care of that or else there would be a bunch of dead bodies in my wake. It waste in the dimension so a lot of angels were in doors. So the entrance to the building was almost abandoned. Expect for the building manager behind the front desk he looked up and his face went red instantly. ¡°Prince Alpheus¡­ you¡­ you shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± I rolled my eyes. I didn¡¯t have to worry about the power of discernment I had to worry about my poprity in this dimension. I almost forgot I was a prince here. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m here to visit my brother he¡¯s expecting me.¡± He shook his head vigorously, ¡°No, dark wings must not be in Paradis.¡± ¡°Even the prince? Sounds a bit unfair.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry your highness. You can¡¯t be here. In fact, it should be impossible.¡± I could lie that I got my wings back, but it wasn¡¯t possible. ¡°You really should have pretended you didn¡¯t see me. Now I have to take care of you.¡± His eyes went wide and with a st of dark fire I sent him into a deep unconscious state. I liked him for still addressing me by my former titles. So I let him live. Now to get to my brother and im the woman that was rightfully mine Chapter 36- Daylen ¡°Artemise here.¡± I demanded. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± I groaned, ¡°I just want to hold you.¡± She poked her head out of the hall leading to my room. ¡°And get sted out the wind?¡± Ever since the blood bond kicked it¡¯s been getting stronger and stronger. Most times it does nothing but when I want to touch her I¡¯m hit with electricity. It¡¯s been at its worst today. ¡°Pleasee here.¡± I said softly, but she wasn¡¯t buying it. She hurried back into my room. I doubted I was sleeping there tonight. I pursued.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Stop.¡± She said when I got to the door. ¡°Artemis my love.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you.¡± Her voice cracked. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point when I can¡¯t be near you? I¡¯ll have to go to him soon, won¡¯t I?¡± I hated what this curse was doing to us, to her. I crossed the distance between us. I took her into my arms bracing to be separated with light, but nothing happened. When nothing did she melted into me and I heard her release a shaky breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I stroked her curly hair and she griped the front of my shirt. ¡°We tried Daylen.¡± She said. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re giving up.¡± ¡°What else do we have left?¡± I brushed her cheek with my thumb and it came back to me damp. ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± I whispered. ¡°We should go see my mother. She¡¯s got to know more.¡± ¡°Are you sure she won¡¯t just send me home?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave.¡± She wriggled out of my hold. I thought she was so defeated she just wanted to get away from me. Instead she pulled on my cheek and pressed her lips against mine. I grabbed the opportunity and wrapped my arms around her waist. Tracing my tongue along her lip I requested ess to enter. She willingly gave it to me. I met her tongue and my fingers found her hair. I needed her so badly. Each passing day I considered my n, yet I hadn¡¯t found the courage to ask her yet. My fear didn¡¯t stop me from pining her to the bed and running my hands inside her shirt and seeking out her bra. She moaned and suddenly my pants were too tight. ¡°I want you.¡± She moaned against my lips. ¡°Not here.¡± I said, but I couldn¡¯t stop grinding against her and by the life of me I couldn¡¯t pull myself away from her. She pushed my face back and held me still. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. What¡¯s wrong?¡± I nestled my face into her neck. This wasn¡¯t the way I wanted to exin my n. ¡°If I have to spend the rest of my life with Alpheus I at least want you to be my first.¡± I rolled onto my back and dragged her to my chest. ¡°You¡¯re not going to spend the rest of your life with him. I am going to be your first, but it won¡¯t be here.¡± As she sighed against me in frustration I felt dangering. I sat up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I shook my head. This didn¡¯t happen often, but there was something dark in the building. ¡°Nothing, we should get to my mother.¡± ¡°Now? You seem on edge.¡± ¡°Of course I am. I need this bond broken as soon as possible. You don¡¯t even need to change just hold onto me.¡± ¡°Daylen.¡± It was getting closer. I didn¡¯t like not knowing what it was. My suspicions were it was a dark wing, but that was impossible. They couldn¡¯t live up here. I grabbed Artemis and opened the portal to Paradis just as the creature broke through my front door. *** ¡°Daylen what was that?¡± We manifested in the secret room. Sris wasn¡¯t here. I needed to get her. I ran a hand through my hair. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what it was, but I didn¡¯t like the feel of it. I don¡¯t like ambushes.¡± She nted her hands on her hips. ¡°We could take it.¡± I chuckled, ¡°I know, but thest thing I wanted was to put you at risk.¡± She sighed and settled on the wooden chair. I half thought she would fall through it. ¡°What now?¡± She asked. ¡°I call my mother. I need to get her. Stay here please.¡± ¡°And if-¡± ¡°I mean it Artemis stay here. Last thing I need is Storm capturing you.¡± She puffed out her cheeks. I smiled. At least I knew if something were to happen to me Artemis woulde after me. She¡¯d search the ends of the worlds until she found me. I left her in the secret room. I should find Sris in the war room if she wasn¡¯t there she would be in the queen¡¯s court myst option would be the gardens. I couldn¡¯t go to the royal part of the castle. It was forbidden to everyone else. I heard her voiceing from the queen¡¯s court. Shit she was in a meeting. She was yelling at someone. I had to retreat but before I could the sense of danger came back. Dark wing, no doubt about it. ¡°It can¡¯t be.¡± Dark fire almost took my head off instead it took out the window. Leaving the edges of the wall burned. ¡°Alpheus! What the hell are you doing here?¡± I barked. He smirked and rolled up his sleeves. ¡°Came to tie up a few loose ends. Where did you leave my prize? I¡¯ll need to collect her once I take care of you.¡± ¡°Keep dreaming.¡± He bobbed his head to the side and hurled another ball of ck fire at me. I waved it to the wall. It went through the concrete, turning the white paint ck. Sris would be pissed. Secondster she and her court came rushing out. The king, trying to act relevant pushed her behind him. She rolled her eyes. ¡°Daylen, what is the meaning of this!¡± Storm demanded. ¡°Honestly? Do you not see Alpheus standing right there?¡± Even Alpheus had to agree with me. ¡°What are you doing here Alpheus?¡± Sris pushed her husband aside. ¡°How did you get here?¡± ¡°Mother, lovely to see you. I thought I might pop in and say hi to you and my brother.¡± Everyone thought of Jason, but Alpheus looked at me. ¡°Bastard.¡± I muttered. ¡°No Daylen, I believe you¡¯re the bastard or did Sris tell you who your father was?¡± Alpheus smirked. Sris¡¯ smooth clear face turned red as hell. She gripped her golden gown and hurled a ball of fire at Alpheus he dunked and the st nearly killed me. It hit me on the side, scorching my clothes. Sris gasped and hurried towards me. Avon and Storm remained frozen at their spot. ¡°Daylen.¡± She whispered. ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t aiming for you.¡± Her hands trembled. ¡°Daylen!¡± Artemis cried. ¡°Fuck. I told you to stay hidden.¡± I grunted. She rushed and took me on herp. Her eyes scanned the chaos until itnded on the source of all chaos. She ced her palm on my wound and I felt her power seep from her hand to the opening. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked. ¡°Shh¡­¡± ¡°This¡­ is your great secret Sris.¡± Storm said, circling her like a hawk. ¡°I will burn you.¡± She seethed. ¡°An illegitimate son. How could you?¡± Avon asked, hurt shed in his eyes. ¡°Daylen is the rightful heir to the throne.¡± Sris spat. The heat I¡¯d been feeling was gone. Artemis¡¯ power had healed mepletely, but shit my cover was blown. Alpheus was enjoying the chaos he caused. How the heal did he even get in? ¡°I think we need to get out of here.¡± She whispered. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving her.¡± She stood. She wasn¡¯t going to let them talk down to her. Storm called for his guards. Sris smirked. I got to my feet. What the hell was Storm nning? ¡°Daylen?¡± Artemis gripped my arm as guards surrounded us. ¡°That boy will never touch the throne of Paradis. You disgrace this kingdom Sris.¡± Sheughed. ¡°You will eat your words Storm.¡± ¡°Arrest her.¡± Avon ordered. ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± I yelled at the same time a spark formed between Artemis and I sending her stumbling a few feet. Sris turned to me, ¡°Get out of here.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t leave you.¡± She raised an orb of light and through it at my feet. Thest thing I saw was my mother being seized by a dozen men. Chapter 37- Artemis ¡°Daylen!¡± Sris sent us somewhere. Somewhere safe it had to be, but where in the dysfunctional world was safe right now? I was cold thanks to the mist that hung loosely in the air and grabbed at my skin. ¡°Artemis?¡± A soft mist obscured my vision. Secondster the mist was sucked in by the ground. Daylen¡¯s doing. I spotted him and ran into his arms and was separated the second I was in his arms. ¡°Oh my gosh.¡± I ran my hands through my hair. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll figure this out.¡± ¡°How! They captured your mom. We have no idea where we are.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in the mage dimension. Paradis isn¡¯t safe anymore. Now that my secret¡¯s out.¡± He pulled me into his arms. It was the safest ce for me right now. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Daylen.¡± He gripped the back of my head, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°What have they done to Sris?¡± ¡°I have no idea. If I know my mother she should have escaped. She just needed to make sure we were safe first.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± I pulled away from him. I was thinking about now Alpheus could have gotten into Paradis when he was a dark wing. Daylen¡¯s eyes darted to the corners of the streets. It was quiet and eerie. Moisture was thick in the air. Daylen took my hand again and started leading me away from the street. ¡°We should find cover.¡± But where? I doubted any hotels were in service. People vacated their homes to find safer dimensions or seek refuge in Paradis rescue camps. The bridges beckoned and the buildings sneered each choice didn¡¯t feel good. Daylen kicked in the front door of a two story building. It looked like it had been abandoned for years, but I was sure it was less than two months. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± I asked. He squeezed my hand. ¡°It¡¯s safe. For now, anyway.¡± I nodded. The furniture was covered in white sheets with the neglect they were going brown. Daylen looked up the staircase. ¡°Come on. I¡¯m pretty sure no one¡¯s home.¡± I followed him up. We went into the first room we saw. Daylen pulled off the white sheet covering the bed from dust to uncover neat dull floral pillowcases and nket. We looked at each other the corners of his mouth lifted. I shrugged, at least he was smiling. He climbed on first. I wasn¡¯t sure about getting onto a bed that likely had bed bugs. The covers probably smelt, but what did it matter? I snuggled into my safe space. It was literally just the two of us now. Ste was still missing, I failed to find Rocky, even Orion was gone. ¡°How could Alpheus have gotten into Paradis?¡± I asked. Daylen stroked my hair, ¡°He must be working with someone. Someone strong enough to open a portal for a dark wing.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was Jason. Whatever his motives. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was him.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡± ¡°Get some sleep. We¡¯lle up with something when you wake up.¡± I didn¡¯t argue. After a couple minutes of silence. I feel into bliss with Daylen¡¯s arms wrapped around me I felt safe to fall asleep. I dreamt of darkness, of explosions chasing me out of my hiding sports to find Daylen. I was running through the halls of Sris¡¯ castle to make sure Daylen was okay. My heart thundered when I came face to face with Alpheus the man threatening to steal me from the man I was in love with. I fell through the cracks and was plunged into a deeper darkness. ¡°Artemis, Artemis,¡± A sweet melodious voice said my name. I was still asleep. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know what happened to your sister?¡± ¡°Rocky?¡± I burst out. ¡°Come with me and you¡¯ll find out.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°You know who I am Artemis. I¡¯ve been looking for you for a long time.¡± ¡°Where do I find Rocky?¡± ¡°You can join her all you have to do ise with me.¡± I was being shaken. ¡°Artemis, wake up damn it.¡± A male voice frantically said. My eyes popped open. I took in a breath. Daylen pulled me close and kissed my forehead. ¡°You were dreaming.¡± ¡°It felt so real. Someone has Rocky, Daylen. She says I have to find her and go with her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s madness. It¡¯s a trap. Forget about it.¡± ¡°Daylen!¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No. Listen to me my love, it¡¯s a trap to lure you out. We have to move. It could be Hera¡¯s forces they¡¯ve found us.¡± How could I leave when hope was bubbling in my chest. When softughter came from the room my hope was reced with fear. A woman with honey blonde hair and an emerald green dress appeared on the doorway. She hung the train of her dress over her shoulder and smiled at us. ¡°Hera.¡± Daylen growled. ¡°It¡¯s toote to run now Daylen dear. Besides, Artemis really wants to know what happened to her sister.¡± I gulped. So this was the evil queen responsible for all the devastation in the dimensions. ¡°What did you do to her?¡± I demanded. ¡°She helped me a lot with my n. Safe to say I wouldn¡¯t have done a lot without your sister¡¯s help.¡± She said it with a smile, but there was so much malice behind her words. Daylen pulled me close. I knew we could take her or so I believed. ¡°You know you can¡¯t take us both.¡± Daylen said. ¡°That¡¯s why I brought an army.¡± She said. I swallowed. They were no doubt on standby waiting for her to scream or something. Daylen threw out his hand and uttered words in anguage I couldn¡¯t understand. A circle appeared on the floor that sucked Hera in. She looked at the glowing circle at her feet. I saw the shock expressed on her face before she was drawn into the circle. Daylen and I scurried off the bed. I stole a peak outside the window to the dark and murky streets. Cold and empty. Where was Hera¡¯s army? ¡°Where did you send her?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exinter now we have to move.¡± Chapter 38- Artemis We ran into the streets. I had no idea what Daylen did, but thank goodness it worked. I didn¡¯t know how long it wouldst which was why Daylen and I were running down the muddy streets of the mage dimension. He grabbed me and pulled me to his chest. I blinked at him a couple times. ¡°Now Daylen?¡± He shot me a look. ¡°We¡¯ll get out of here faster if we¡¯re flying.¡± My mouth formed a small o. ¡°Are you sure you want to do that?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who sees anymore. My secret¡¯s out.¡± He took off his hoodie and handed it to me so it wouldn¡¯t be ruined when he summoned his majestic wings. Despite the frantess. I relished the thought of seeing his wings again. I didn¡¯t like the pain on his face, but when the gigantic set of wings came out they shimmered despite the fact that there was no light to shine on them. He wrapped one arm around my waist and I locked my fingers behind his neck. ¡°Hold on.¡± We sored through the sky, my hair blinded me through most of the flight, but flying was an experience I would never forget. Especially when it was in the arms of the man I loved. When it was over wended in another murkyne. Daylen winced as he settled. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked. Daylen nodded, but the pain of pulling of wings back inside. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I wrapped my arms around his naked chest. His shirt had been destroyed after pulling his wings out. ¡°Where did you take us babe?¡± I asked. He shook his head as he ran his hand up and down my back. ¡°I have no idea. All I wanted was to get away from there.¡± I handed him his hoodie and he slipped it on. He gripped my hand and pressed it to his lips. ¡°Some night this is turning out to be.¡± He muttered. ¡°Come on let¡¯s find some ce to kick it tonight.¡± We didn¡¯t get far when the ground shook and a six-foot-tall man raised from a hunch back positon. ¡°Apollo.¡± Daylen and I said at the same time. ¡°Artemis- You?¡± Apollo¡¯s gaze went to our entwined hands. ¡°What are you doing with my sister.¡± His eyes shed silver and I stepped forward to calm him down. I didn¡¯t know why I thought that would work I barely knew him. Daylen groaned, ¡°Don¡¯t throw a fit Apollo.¡± ¡°Are you sleeping with my sister?¡± He growled. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business!¡± I stomped my foot and heughed. ¡°It is.¡± He patted my head. ¡°Haven¡¯t you thought about what my father will do to you when he finds out?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be a lot more pissed when he finds out his daughter¡¯s bound to a dark angel.¡± Apollo tugged on his cor, ¡°Goodness Artemis, what have you been up to?¡± ¡°Too much apparently.¡± I sighed. ¡°What are you doing here? Shouldn¡¯t you be fighting to save Olympiad.¡± He exhaled, ¡°Sris withdrew her troops, leaving us shorthanded. Orion returned to Olympiad without you and it turns out he can¡¯t travel to the mage dimension. When I went to Paradis I discovered a mutiny. Everything¡¯s in shambles.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get why Sris¡¯ hasn¡¯t broken out yet.¡± Daylen said. ¡°They¡¯ve got her locked up babe, maybe she really can¡¯t get out.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know her like I do. She¡¯s the most powerful woman in the skies. This isn¡¯t right.¡± ¡°ckmail?¡± I offered. ¡°I doubt it.¡± He mumbled. ¡°Right, I do hate to break this up, but Artemis we have to go back to Olympiad. Our mother gets weaker each time minute you¡¯re away and Zeus can¡¯t keep everyone safe on his own.¡± ¡°What about the other gods?¡± I whispered. ¡°Everyone¡¯s trying their best to protect their territories and they¡¯re all drawing power from Zeus.¡± Damn it. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave Apollo¡­ I¡¯m bound to a dark angel. The curse unless we break it is going to bring me back.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± Apollo spat. I didn¡¯t think gods were supposed to swear. ¡°Then let¡¯s kill this bastard and end things here.¡± I looked at Daylen. I knew Alpheus had fallen, but I didn¡¯t want to be responsible for the death of Daylen¡¯s brother. ¡°We can¡¯t do that¡­ he¡¯s Daylen¡¯s brother.¡± Apollo shook his head, his face twisting into confusion. ¡°Artemis don¡¯t think for that I wouldn¡¯t-¡± ¡°No Daylen. We¡¯re not killing anyone, unless it¡¯s me.¡± He closed the distance between us and kissed me hard as if he was drawing oxygen to live. The ground beneath us shook. Daylen broke the kiss. ¡°Grow up Apollo.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to see this.¡± He folded his arms and turned the other way. ¡°I think I can fix this, but you have to trust me Artemis.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. I looked into his eyes and leaned my cheek into his palm. ¡°Of course I trust you.¡± ¡°Good. I have a n, but first we have to break into the castle to see my mother.¡± ¡°Mother? Sris is your mother? Everyone thought you were screwing her. Honestly looked up to you for that.¡± I frowned. Daylen scratched his head. ¡°I need a little time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll help you take back the skies. If Sris is your mother, then I¡¯m looking at the future King of the skies.¡± I entwined my fingers with his and leaned into his side. The future King was mine Chapter 39- Daylen ¡°You need to hold a hearing with the King and Storm.¡± I told Apollo. ¡°Difficult because they don¡¯t want to see me. It was hard enough getting into Paradis.¡± ¡°Tell them you support a Paradis without Sris. That should get their attention.¡± Apollo bobbed his head from side to side then nodded. ¡°Fine. If you hear explosions know your time is up.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± We went our separate ways. The castle was crawling with guards and unfortunately Marcus wasn¡¯t around to get me inside. He found a lead on Ste¡¯s whereabouts. Apparently the shapeshifter has a cave where it stores all its victims. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking about getting in through the front entrance are you?¡± Artemis asked me. I eyed her and wondered how dumb she thought I was. ¡°I¡¯m just asking Daylen.¡± ¡°Of course not. The castle as weak spots. We¡¯ll get in through one of the sides.¡± She nodded. We got up to walk along the street when a spark between our palms jolted us apart. Artemis winced. ¡°Ouch.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I said, holding out my hand. I wanted her to return to me instantly, but I saw the reluctance there. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t¡­ let¡¯s not provoke it.¡± ¡°Artemis¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Come on babe.¡± She walked ahead of me as if she knew where she was going. ¡°Artemis.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s getting worse Daylen. Maybe we should get used to not touching then it¡¯ll be easier to separate!¡± I sighed and grabbed her elbow. Thank goodness there was no lightening to st us across the street. ¡°I was going to say you¡¯re going the wrong way.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going to separate¡­ unless that¡¯s what you want.¡± This time I walked away from her. At least I knew where I was going. There weren¡¯t any guards. ¡°Come on I didn¡¯t say that!¡± She wrapped her arms around my left arm and tugged. I stared down at her and looked into her mystical eyes. Would I really be able to live the rest of my life with her? But could I live without her? My life was certainly much more boring without her. ¡°Let¡¯s get inside.¡± I held her get through to the window that led into the castle basement. It was a small drop. No guards secured this area because it led my secret room with Sris. She didn¡¯t want anyone ever hearing our conversations. It was pitch ck down there that was until a fire lit behind me. I ducked unaware of where it came from. Artemis held an orb of red fire in her palm. ¡°Don¡¯t throw it at me.¡± I warned. She narrowed her eyes, ¡°Behave and I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Come on, knowing Apollo he¡¯s probably running out of time.¡± ¡°Do you know where we¡¯re going?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± I reached for her hand. We made it up to the surface of secretbyrinths. Another floor to go until we got to the dungeons. I hoped that was where they kept her. ¡°Daylen, what about the guards?¡± We stopped on the corridor to the dungeons when we heard voices. I recognized my mother¡¯s voice. ¡°We¡¯ll just to take them out.¡± ¡°Can I do it?¡± ¡°I said take them out not break down the building.¡± She frowned, but she knew it was true. There was no way to do it we ran in, prepared to knock the guards down. We caught two of them off guard. Using my power they both slipped down the wall and feel asleep. ¡°Daylen.¡± Sris gripped the bars of her cell door. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± I demanded. ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m locked up?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t funny Sris. You can easily break out, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± She leaned back on her little stool and shrugged. She could be the most difficult person sometimes. ¡°I wanted to see if my son woulde for me. Your brother Alpheus came.¡± ¡°What? What for?¡± She shrugged, ¡°To taunt me. Jason hasn¡¯t been down since. He¡¯s ready to take the throne.¡± ¡°Let him have it.¡± I spat. ¡°Daylen,¡± Artemis frowned. ¡°So help me Daylen I will strike you dead if you say that again. The throne is yours¡­ besides if you have no noble rank I doubt Zeus would let you marry his daughter.¡± I saw Artemis¡¯s cheeks go a shade pink. ¡°You¡­ want to marry me?¡± ¡°This wasn¡¯t the way I wanted to say it. I love you and¡­ I doubt my life will have any meaning without you.¡± She dropped her fire orb and it disappeared. She ran into my arms and I held her tight.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°First we have to get Sris out.¡± She shook her head, a ghost of a smile on her face. ¡°I can take care of myself and my kingdom. Go.¡± An explosion came from above that rattled the foundation of the castle. Apollo. I called for a portal to open. Chapter 40- Artemis Daylen opened a portal when we came out of it we were at a ce with pink and orange skies. I marveled at the beauty of the area. The air smelled like perfume. The grass was short and purple. Was this a dream? Had Daylen identally killed us both. When I turned to ask him where were he¡¯d taken off his hoodie. Revealing a set of soft abs. I blushed and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. He reached for his belt buckled and undid his pants my eyes went wide. First I looked around to make sure no one was watching. The area looked pretty much deserted. ¡°What are you doing! Why are you getting naked?¡± He nodded at the medium pool of bubbling silver water. ¡°You want to take a bath now?¡± In response he pulled down his pants¡­ with his boxers too. Oh my gosh. I looked at his face or else I would be glued to his package that was already standing. ¡°Uh¡­ what?¡± ¡°Want toe in with me?¡± He stepped out of his jeans and walked to the edge of the pool. Did I want to? This was so sudden. It was as if we hadn¡¯t just left his mother in prison and my brother blowing up Paradis. I met him at the edge of the pool. My pulled my own hoodie over my head with my shirt tucked inside. I let my hair fall over my nipples. I¡¯d never been naked in front of a man before. I swallowed. I pulled my pants down including my underwear. Didn¡¯t need to get those wet. ¡°Are we the only ones here?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a private ce.¡± He stepped in first and held his hand out for me. I wrapped my arms around my breasts. I was self- conscious and Daylen saw it. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, you¡¯re gorgeous. I can¡¯t believe I ended up with a goddess.¡± I blushed and took his hand, allowing him a glimpse of my nipples. The water was warm. Daylen wrapped his arms around my waist and pinned me to his chest. He kissed my forehead. ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful Artemis.¡± He whispered then brushed his lips against mine. I draped my arms around his neck and deepened our kiss. It felt like lifting a weight off my shoulders just to kiss him without the noise of a dysfunctional world. ¡°Do you trust me?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course I do.¡± He took my thighs and enfolded them round his waist. I could feel his cock against my stomach. I had a feeling it wouldn¡¯t be there much longer. I was scared, my heart was pounding and I thought I was hyperventting, In my heart I knew there wasn¡¯t a man in the worlds I would rather do this with that Daylen. So when the tip of his cock touched my entrance my eyes went wide with fear. ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay.¡± He whispered as he kissed my shoulders. He prated slowly and I gasped. Slowly he filled my falls and stretched me like stic. I dug my nails into his back as he started rocking against me. My body was on fire for him. The pain that existed when he fully prated was gone and reced by pleasure I had never experienced before. I opened my eyes from my pleasure filled haze and realized the sun hade out of the pinkish clouds and shined right on us like a spotlight. Daylen and I sunk into each other as we breathed heavily. We remained in the water for a little while enjoying the sun shine on us. ¡°That was beautiful.¡± I said. A nket wrapped around my shoulders at the same time Daylen slipped behind me. He cradled me into his arms. He chuckled, ¡°It was.¡± ¡°What was that sunlight? It felt weird.¡± ¡°It was sort of like a blessing.¡± ¡°Blessing?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ of our union.¡± ¡°Union?¡± I sat up and he looked like a caught bandit. ¡°You mean we got married?!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ we did.¡± ¡°How? Is this how you do weddings in your world?¡± ¡°No, we have the whole white gown, but this is a more ancient way.¡± ¡°Daylen¡­¡± I sighed. He pressed his lips against my forehead. ¡°I love you, you know that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to drive me insane.¡± Iughed. ¡°I have a feeling it¡¯s done something too.¡± ¡°What?¡± I hadn¡¯t noticed grey clouds roll around. They reced the beautiful pink sky with dark thunder clouds. Daylen urged me up and we got dressed as fast as we could. A bolt of lightning came down and struck the earth at the same time a white cloud zipped down from the sky andnded on the ground. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Um, the aftermath of our union.¡± A ck line formed in the atmosphere which opened like a zipper and stepped out Alpheus. I swallowed. How did he find us? Out of the cloud came Sris and two people appeared where the lightning struck. ¡°This should be interesting.¡± Daylen whispered. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked. ¡°Artemis,¡± the woman that came from the bolt of lightning ran towards me. She wrapped me in her arms and squeezed at the same time an orb of light materialized behind her and formed a man. Apollo. ¡°Mother.¡± He said. ¡°Apollo,¡± she released me to touch his cheek.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. I backed up and stood next to Daylen. This was my mother. She looked just like me aside from our skin tones. ¡°Mom?¡± She ced her hand on her chest and a tear spilled down her cheek. ¡°Yes.¡± Therge man with dark skin marched toward us, his gaze fixed on me. His wife stood side. ¡°Zeus.¡± She warned. He held his hand up. Daylen stepped aside, but I wanted him to stay. He stared down at me. He had to be a seven foot giant. The mighty Zeus I thought would strike me down. Though he hesitantly reached for me and pulled me to his chest. ¡°My love¡­ we searched the worlds for you.¡± I held him back and let the tears fall. ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Now we get to take you home.¡± My mother said. ¡°Impossible. Artemis is the queen of the dark world.¡± Alpheus strolled forward and snatched me out of my father¡¯s hold. Zeus¡¯s eyes light up with silver lighting. ¡°Save your thunder Zeus. I made a blood deal with her. She belongs to me. Your little trick didn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°No.¡± I hammered my fist against his chest, hoping a bow woulde out of it and kill him. Nothing happened though. ¡°I didn¡¯t make the blood promise I swear.¡± I cried. ¡°What do you want?¡± Zeus asked, the fire in his eyes gone reced mypassion. ¡°Make me a god! The only way you¡¯ll have your daughter back is if you make a god and we both return to Olympiad. Or else I¡¯ll drag her back to the dark world and you¡¯ll never see her again.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that she¡¯s my wife! She¡¯s bound by pure blood to me.¡± Daylen sted. ¡°You clearly don¡¯t understand the rules of a blood bond.¡± ¡°If you do this Zeus you¡¯ll be dooming us all!¡± Sris spoke for the first time. My dad looked away, ¡°I can¡¯t let him take my daughter Sris.¡± It looked like my dad was going to make a decision that was until the ground shook and two portals opened. Hera walked out of one of them. Damn it did everyone know where we were? A woman with hair like a river stepped out of the other one. She had brown hair and beautiful green eyes. ¡°You clearly don¡¯t understand the rules of love Alpheus.¡± She walked up to him with the fabric of her dress in her hand. She stopped in front of him and shoved him back. Alpheus gasped even though she barely made him stumble. She took my hand and walked me away from him. ¡°I¡¯m sure this isn¡¯t how you wanted to spend your first time.¡± She whispered. ¡°Not at all. Especially not with my parents.¡± She snickered. She left me with Daylen. She winked at him and he smiled before nting a kiss on my forehead. ¡°You knew I would show up, didn¡¯t you?¡± She said. He shrugged, ¡°It is your duty.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it who is she?¡± Daylen smiled, ¡°Your sister. Aphrodite.¡± ¡°Dad, let me handle this.¡± She said. ¡°Alpheus, your blood bond was impure. You cannot force someone else to love you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want love!¡± Alpheus burst out. ¡°Clearly.¡± Aphrodite rolled her eyes. ¡°Artemis doesn¡¯t have to fulfil her promise to you. When Daylen and Artemis cemented their love with a promise and innocent blood it shattered all other promises. Their love is theirs to keep.¡± Alpheus stepped back bbergasted. ¡°Aphrodite, always her father¡¯s golden child.¡± Hera spat. ¡°Clearly you haven¡¯t met Athena.¡± Apollo grumbled. ¡°And Hera¡­ dad you should fix this.¡± She said. ¡°Me?¡± My mom ced her hands on her hips, ¡°What did you do Zeus?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing, I haven¡¯t done anything to Hera¡­ in recent times.¡± ¡°Nothing! You kicked me out of Olympiad! So you could marry Sophia. You degraded me to a simple mage Zeus.¡± ¡°We should have known this had something to do with you.¡± Apollo groaned and dad shot him daggers. Sris stepped into the middle like the good mediator she was. ¡°You Hera still have crimes to be held ountable for.¡± One look at her son and he nodded. She raised her hands and portals opened around the dimension. Sris¡¯ eyes went white. Daylen went stiff too as his eyes turned white too. It all happened so fast. Hera sunk into the ground, the portals opened in the sky and soldiers were dragged into the ground along with their queen. Sris then turned on her son. She uttered a spell that sent him back to Paradis to await sentencing. The skies opened up and returned to the beautiful pink and orange shade. Daylen held me in his arms again. ¡°It¡¯s over now.¡± He whispered. ¡°So what do we do?¡± ¡°We go home.¡± Epilogue Artemis The three dimensions had scars, Paradis less than the other two. The mage dimension was left without a ruler so the gods handed it to Sris to protect something she wasn¡¯t thrilled about. She imprisoned the troublesome General Storm and had her husband under a strict leash. I had to admire her, she¡¯d lost to much but was able to keep the iron in her fist. Jason fell from Paradis after plotting to kill his brother and now crowned prince of Paradis not to mention my husband of now three weeks. In a sudden twist of fate Alpheus got his wings back. Everyone had their eye on him. It was great and all, but I doubted he and I would be friends soon. ¡°Artemis.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Are youing?¡± Daylen was already knee deep in the hot bath. After we got married we developed a little appetite for sex in water. We were in Olympiad where we spent most of our days since my mother wasn¡¯t keen on me leaving after so many years apart. Things would change when Daylen finally took the throne, but we didn¡¯t talk about that much. ¡°I¡¯ming.¡± I let the satin robe slip down my back and stepped into the water. I met him in the middle and greeted him with a kiss. He moved us to the steps and sat me on hisps. I found the bath sponge andthered it withvender soap. Daylen did the same. I started gently running the sponge on his chest as he worked my back. I was the one who didn¡¯te out clean when we did this. ¡°How¡¯s your mom?¡± I asked. ¡°Alright, she wants me to start taking more responsibility.¡± I nodded, ¡°She¡¯s right. You are the future king.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. He smirked, ¡°How can I forget when my mother and wife don¡¯t stop reminding me?¡± ¡°Dad wants to give me my own territory. Not sure I¡¯m ready for that.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be alright.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind protecting the mage dimension. It¡¯ll be easier to travel between Paradis and the mage dimension.¡± ¡°Sris wants me to manage the dimension. She doesn¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Are you going to?¡± He lifted a shoulder, ¡°I needed to talk to you first.¡± I kissed his lips. ¡°Babe we have teleportation. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll be living in different downs with hours between us.¡± ¡°Come with me.¡± ¡°You know my mom won¡¯t let me.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll convince her. You¡¯re not lost anymore my love.¡± I sighed, ¡°I¡¯d go with you anywhere.¡± If we were in the mage dimension I would get to see Ste more. Marcus found her in a cave trapped in some slop that put her in aa. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I came here not knowing a thing about the magical world.¡± Daylen nted a kiss on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m d you did.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but I lost my sister too.¡± Daylen stopped his mindless scrubbing of my back and turned me so I was straddling him. His cock rode up my belly and I moaned. He smirked. In a moment he was going to fill me up. ¡°I wish we could have saved her my love. I¡¯m sure she would be very proud of you if she could see you now.¡± I wiped a tear out of my face andughed. ¡°She would be so happy I finally did something crazy.¡± Daylenughed as he lifted me off hisps a little. Here we go. As I lowered myself I came down on his hard cock. I cried out as he filled me in. I never thought I¡¯d fall in love with the pompous and arrogant angel that blew me across a street block or was it the other way around it really didn¡¯t matter. In the beginning Daylen was a pain in my ass. ¡°I love you.¡± I breathed out as an orgasm wrecked my both. Daylen pressed our heads together. ¡°I love you too.¡± The End. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!