Ares Is Mine: Paranormal Romance (Gods and Monsters Book 3) Read online

  There weren’t a lot of those kinds of people or gods around. And even though the other gods thought I was a coward who didn’t bother what the fuck was going on, I cared. Elyse and I had a hell of a lot more in common than she’d admit.

  Which made me even more interested in spending time with her, discovering who she really was, and what I could do to bring out her smile.

  When Heracles called and asked me to step in to help her practice fighting, I’d jumped at the chance. Even if it was none of my business where she worked out and why. Zeus was the one who gave Heracles the job of training Elyse and her family, but I’d do anything if someone explained she needed me. Pathetic, but true. This was my chance to show her the real me.

  Besides, Heracles said that I was the best fighter of the lot, and he wanted me on the case. A little ego stroking never hurt anyone.

  Elyse was growing strong. I hadn’t seen her before she died that first time. I’d only come toward the end to help out because Heracles had asked Zeus for backup. And the fucker sent me. Maybe it was some sick joke, and it pissed me off.

  But now I was glad he had. Because I’d seen her fight and she was as lethal as she was hot. A real femme fatale. And after she killed herself to outsmart X, dying a second time, her power intensified again. I hadn’t seen her in action yet, not against anyone who mattered. But if the rumors about her family were true—and it looked like they were—she’d practically be hell on wheels right now.

  And I wanted a piece of that. Hell, I craved her. I was the God of War and being able to fight, having that skill and putting it to use to help others, was the kind of thing a man like me craved in a woman.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d actually desired a certain woman this much. And not just for sex, but for more. Until now, it had been all about having a fucking good time.

  Pun intended.

  But love? No thanks. Only someone like Elyse might change my mind.

  She was already at the training center when I arrived, her car parked in the dark lot. I spotted two dead pigeons nearby. Fuck, Chicago was infested with those things. The sun hadn’t risen yet, night still hung thick in the air, and it was that rare time of morning when people from the night shift and those getting ready for the day shift actually crossed paths.

  Elyse was dressed in pants so tight they looked painted on and a top that barely covered her breasts, keeping her strapped in. Her rock-hard abs and her sculpted arms showed, her skin pale and perfect. Her hair was back in a braid, swinging from side to side as she used the jump rope, warming up. There was power in her hair. I didn’t have to touch it to know that.

  Everything about this woman was riddled with magic that drew me in like a magnet. I was attracted to her with a kind of heady trance that drew bees to nectar. She was a reliable person whom I’d trust to watch my back. Not many gained that status in my book. I yearned to stare into her chocolate eyes and run my hands over her soft skin.

  I watched her for a while before announcing myself. Her body jiggled while she jumped, but there wasn’t much excess fat on her. It was muscle trembling as she exerted herself, pushing harder and harder.

  I’d tap that. Any day. In fact, I nearly had.

  We’d fought, Elyse and I. At first, we sparred. But there’d been anger, both from my side and hers. And then the fiery lust had grown from anger and our close contact. Her lips had tasted like sweat and I sensed her desire for me. I’d been more than happy to oblige.

  She’d stopped herself, and I respected her, so I stopped too.

  But God, I’d dreamed about that moment so many times. My body ached for more—my dick twitched with need. I could have gone out there and found some human to fuck every time I thought about her and fulfill the need. But I didn’t.

  Elyse deserved more than that. Even if it wasn’t like I owed her any kind of exclusivity. We were fellow warriors. Nothing more.

  Yet I didn’t want to do something filthy when she was so pure. She was the embodiment of everything good in the world.

  Cliché? Absolutely.

  I’d give Apollo’s poetry a run for its money if I allowed myself to get serious about what I thought of Elyse. And I’d stared at her long enough, so I cleared my throat. She didn’t hear me, too caught up in what she was doing, focusing on her form, no doubt high on the adrenaline that ran through her system. I knew what that felt like. Heart pumping, lungs bursting, and muscles screaming for more.

  So, to announce myself, I walked around to approach her from the front.

  She stopped jumping, breathing hard, her surprised face morphing into a frown at seeing me. The rope hung limply to the ground.

  “What are you doing here?” she panted, catching her breath. Sweat beaded down the sides of her neck.

  “I’m here to train with you.” I hooked my thumbs into the sweatpants’ pockets. “I even dressed the part.”

  A small smile played on her lips, but her eyes were serious. Dark eyes. Drowning deep. The type of eyes I wanted to fall into if I could.

  Fuck! I was getting emotional and corny as well.

  “I didn’t realize you did anything that wasn’t for yourself,” she said with a sneer.

  The words had been spoken in jest, and I understood she was just playing, but they stung. Everyone thought I was a deserter, a coward—but they were all wrong. I could do shit for the greater good, too. But no one seemed to believe me.

  “Don’t do that,” I cautioned instead of laughing it off like I always did or making some stupid joke in return.

  “What?” she asked, the smile slipping away from her lips.

  “Don’t mock me. You don’t know me.” I removed my shades and tucked them into my pocket.

  She nodded. “You’re right. I don’t.”

  No apology. But it wasn’t like Elyse to grovel. It wouldn’t have been hot if she had. But she seemed to get what I felt anyway.

  “Are we training together or what?” I questioned when the silence stretched out.

  She thought about it for a moment then grinned a dazzling smile that lit up her features. Fuck me, she was beautiful.

  “Yeah, let’s see if you can keep up.” She smirked as if challenging me.

  Bring it on. I nodded and pulled off my shirt. When I dropped it on the floor, her gaze slid over my torso, and her lips parted slightly.

  Well, didn’t that just make me feel like a stud? I jumped up and down on the spot to warm up, too. Let’s do this.

  We trained together afterward. When she made the comment about me keeping up, I’d thought she was being cocky. Talking smack and all that. But she’d been serious. She was fucking fit, and she trained hard.

  After doing weights, we moved on to sparring. We worked on hand-to-hand combat. It was her favorite, she explained.

  “Why?” I asked. “Don’t humans prefer weapons?”

  Elyse laughed. “I guess they do. But I’m not an ordinary human, am I?”

  “No,” I agreed, my gaze falling to her flawlessly sculpted lips. They glistened with sweat, and I thought back to how delicious they tasted, wondering if her pussy was the same color.

  “Besides, X isn’t a normal adversary either.” Her voice cut through my focus on her mouth. “If not for our family bloodline being blessed, I’d have never gotten this far.”

  “It's not just Zeus’s power,” I said. “You have a lot of talent.”

  She laughed again. “Are you trying to flirt with me?”

  “If I was trying to flirt with you, you wouldn’t have to ask.” Grinning, I slid my gaze over her body, taking in every delicious inch of her. And she blushed. Like a teenager. Holy fuck, that turned me on.

  “Let’s up the ante,” she suggested.

  “What?” I was still thinking about sex, and I was unsure what she meant.

  But she showed me. She moved faster than a human should have been able to move and hit me in the chest with a kick that sent me backward, and nearly winded me.

  “That’s new.” I cou
ghed, filling my lungs with air, stunned by her ability.

  “Yeah.”

  I didn’t let her explain further. I retaliated, launching at her with the same speed—a tempo that should only have belonged to the gods. But she was ready for me, blocking my punch and striking out, planting a knee in my side. I grunted and quit holding back.

  We were still just sparring, not fighting all-out. But if this was how hard she fought when training, I could only imagine what a force she’d be on the battlefield. She’d become so much stronger than I’d realized after her second death.

  She didn’t give me a chance to think about what was happening, and I did what I did best. I fought. Fists flew, blows were blocked, I kicked, and she jumped back. She attacked, and I parried. Her braid flew through the air when she spun around and twice I tried to grab for it. But despite having a weakness like that, she knew how to keep her hair out of my hands.

  When we finally paused for a break, we both breathed hard, sweating like animals, and Elyse’s eyes glittered with adrenaline and the thrill of the fight. Her cheeks were flushed, and strands of flyaway hair had escaped from her braid.

  She looked fucking fantastic.

  “Don’t you get tired of doing all this?” I asked as we sat side by side on the floor, draining our water bottles.

  She tilted her head from side to side, as if weighing her choices. “It’s what I was born to do. The people need me.”

  “You never wished for something different?” I probed, glancing down at her forearm where X had bitten her. Where her skin was lined with black marks from the injury. It had definitely improved from when he’d first bitten her and it had looked like her skin was rotting.

  “Sometimes, but there’s no one else left to do this. It’s who I am, how my dad brought me up. It’s for the greater good, right?”

  Was that sarcasm in her voice? Had she ever thought about kids? Or had she made up her mind about what having them would mean—subjecting those she loved to her lifestyle? To the way her father had brought her up? She’d watched her family die after all. Yet, without their bloodline, the world would be doomed. And if she decided on having children, who would she ask to father her baby? Part of me was convinced that if she looked at me in the right way, I wouldn’t say no right away. I’d need time to think about the implications. But in truth, I didn’t know if a god could father children with a Lowe.

  Fuck, all those thoughts hurt my head.

  I nodded in response to her comment. “I can understand that.”

  Elyse frowned. “Really?”

  “Yeah.” I turned to face her. “Everyone thinks I’m selfish and a coward and all the other shit. But I’m the God of War. And there is no war without a cause. I care about who gets hurt and why. There’s so much fucked-up crap out there. And not just these days, either. It’s always been like that.”

  She stared at me for a long time with a strange look on her face. Compassion?

  “You’re right,” she finally admitted.

  “About what?”

  “What you said earlier. I don’t know you. At all.”

  The atmosphere shifted between us, charging with that same power I’d felt before. It was her magic and my energy, plus some kind of pull that made me think we’d fit together if we tried.

  I leaned forward until her face was mere inches from mine. Her breath caught in her throat, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, her eyes slid to my lips.

  I kissed her before I could stop myself. And she kissed me back this time, parting her lips for me to taste her. Sweet heaven, she intoxicated me, and I breathed in her sexy scent. She arched, her soft breasts pressed against my chest, and I drew her closer. One kiss, and I was lost, just like our first time. Electricity pricked my skin, and fuck, she had me craving her with such intensity.

  My body was on fire, heat dancing on my skin, my nerve endings alive. I put my hand on her jaw, my fingers brushing against her neck, and magic poured between the two of us, more powerful than any we’d experienced before. Stronger than anything I’d ever sensed with a lover.

  And that was exactly what I wanted from Elyse. To be her lover. Not just to fuck, but something deeper.

  Hell! What was she doing to me?

  I wasn’t sure I really cared.

  Chapter 4

  Elyse

  On Thursday, just as I was wrapping up a workout, I received a text from Catina.

  Drinks tonight?

  We hadn’t done the nightclub scene in a while. I’d never been a big drinker since it numbed my senses and I couldn’t feel what was going on around me. At the moment, I needed to be ready for when X attacked, not letting my guard down.

  But for the sake of my friendship with Catina, I could make an exception of going out with her and not getting drunk. Plus, with my new power, I had no idea of my limit was when it came to alcohol, so I wouldn’t push it.

  I called her instead of texting her back. “Can I come over now? I just finished with training, and you’re on the way home.”

  She giggled. “You’ve got such a chill life. Working out, some photos, and a hell of a lot of sleep. What a way to live it up.”

  I chuckled. Not because it was funny, but because she couldn’t be more wrong. What I wouldn’t give to not look over my shoulder at every shadow. To not worry about being attacked again or how I might be too late to stop him from killing. But X hadn’t murdered any innocents lately. I couldn’t sense him and neither could the gods. Why he remained hidden and silent baffled me. Maybe Hades had regained control? Something I’d have to find out later.

  Catina’s breath danced on the other side of the phone, bringing me back to the present.

  “What can I say?” I told her. “I was chosen for this kind of lifestyle.” I smiled at the truth. I had been chosen, and my dad and brothers brought me up reminding me of this fact every single day. To never take our abilities for granted. Zeus had selected our family to protect humans against monsters, and the responsibility had been passed on to me. I didn’t intend to let Dad down by not continuing in his footsteps.

  “Come over when you’re ready. I just got home,” Catina said.

  I loaded my duffel bag in my car, and it clanged, metal hitting metal. My new swords had arrived, and I’d practiced with them today. But my thoughts sailed to one of my workouts with Ares from two days ago, the way we’d fought without restraint and he’d pushed me further. Then there was our kiss, and my lips tingled in memory. Part of me burst to tell someone how I felt, but thinking about seeing him again was ridiculous. Didn’t I have enough gods in my life?

  Anyway, I still had a bit of work to do using the new weapons, but I already loved the way the blades sang when I sliced them through the air.

  I hadn’t tried out my scythe yet. All in good time.

  When I arrived at Catina’s place, she opened the door with a glass of white wine in her hand.

  “Just in time.” She lifted the glass to me in a salute.

  I smiled, adoring her laidback attitude. “I won’t hug you. I’m sweaty.” I was still in my Lycra pants, tank top, and sneakers, as they were comfortable for fighting. Any other time I was in jeans or leather. While I owned a pair of heels, I couldn’t remember the last time I wore them.

  She laughed. “Some things never change. Wine?”

  I declined the offer of alcohol. “Not until we go out later at least. I can’t drink right after training. I’m sure there’s a rule against that.”

  “Only in your book,” she said with a grin.

  I stepped into her apartment and sat on the couch. Catina joined me, folding her feet underneath her and taking a sip of wine. It was great to be here again, to feel as if I had somewhere I belonged aside from my own place.

  “That’s new.” I pointed to a large painting above her mantel.

  Catina nodded. “I spoiled myself. I’ve wanted to buy something for the apartment forever. So, I did. Why not?”

  “I agree; it’s good to spoil yourself once i
n a while.” Yet I couldn’t remember the last time I had. Buying weapons online wasn’t exactly spoiling myself.

  I studied the painting—an abstract thing of a sapphire wave moving along the canvas. Not my style at all, but it had Catina written all over it.

  “Any news?” she questioned, taking another drink of her wine.

  “Like what?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. My life is so run-of-the-mill.” She slouched on the sofa. “Tell me gossip, some excitement. Your life is anything but ordinary.”

  I chuckled. She was right, but what could I tell her? I thought about Ares. “I met this guy.”

  She rolled her eyes. “God, another one?”

  I bit my cheek. I refused to tell her if she was going to judge me. I wasn’t here for that.

  “Sorry.” She straightened her posture, as if sensing my reaction. “That came out wrong. It just feels like I hardly know you lately. All these men, and them accepting you having multiple lovers and whatever. It’s confusing.”

  I pulled up my shoulders without answering. What could I say?

  “But tell me,” she insisted. “I’ll pretend he’s the only one there is and try to give you advice. What are friends for?”

  I smiled, ready to give this a go. Catina really was great and I appreciated her trying. “Okay, so I’ve known him for a while. We have some stuff in common, like training. He puts on such a big act, though. But I get the feeling he’s totally different under the bravado. And I’m starting to like him.”

  “So, do you want to know if you should go for him?” she asked, tilting her head as she studied me.

  “Something like that. There’s this crazy attraction with him. But at the same time, he’s unpredictable. And I don’t need that right now.” My life was one great ball of uncertainty at the moment.

  She smirked and took another sip. “I’ll bet.”

  I smiled because it was hilarious when I looked at it from an outsider’s perspective. And I got the sense she wasn’t making fun of me this time.