Ares: (Gods of Old Book 1) Read online

  Ava could deny him nothing. She screamed, her orgasm tearing through her entire body. She came with an intense and blinding moment of pure feeling, pure pleasure. Nothing could have ever, ever prepared her for the feeling she had when she came.

  His orgasm was right behind hers, his seed spilling into her body in hot lashes. Then they both collapsed, his weight warm along her back as they fought for air. “You are going to kill me one of these days, darling,” he muttered with a rough, ragged chuckle.

  “Same goes,” she told him with a smile. “I really, really think that one day we will both be the end of each other; but what a way to go, right?” she asked with a smile. “Because I have to tell you, this is the way to go if we have to go.”

  He pressed a kiss to her neck, running his hands up her sides slowly. Then he pulled from her body and settled on his back at her side. “I don’t know if that can be arranged. When it all ends, we may be doing something else entirely.”

  “Well, whatever happens, happens. All that I know is that I need you. That I want you, and that we are here for each other always. We will be good together; I just know it,” she told him happily. “Whatever happens, we will get through it, won’t we?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he nodded with a grin. He sat up and when he laid back next to her, the blankets came to rest over them both. “Come here, love,” he moved his arm to pull her close. “We’ll sleep for a little while and then go to dinner and the show.”

  “That sounds good to me.” She looked forward to it actually.

  He pulled her closer. “Sleep baby,” he murmured against her hair. “We only have a few hours, and then we’ll get up and get ready. Think about what you want to wear when we go out.”

  “Okay,” she said with a smile, rubbing her cheek on his chest. “I love you, Ares, my God of War.”

  Chapter Eleven

  He’d finally found it! Elated he ran a reverent hand down the cover. Hugging it tight to his chest he closed his eyes and let out a breath.

  “You are pleased, yes?”

  Snapping open his eyes, he looked at the woman and nodded. “Very.” Licking his lips, he dug out the envelope full of cash and handed it to her. “You should leave before it’s found out what you did.”

  “I intend to. I have everything in place to depart immediately,” she said looking into the envelope. Then she tucked it into her bag and looked to him. “What do you have planned for the book?”

  He debated for a time what to tell her; if anything. “I plan to study it and learn more about my history. This book may hold pieces that were previously thought lost. My grandmother will be thrilled to know that I may finally have some of the answers she’s always longed for.”

  It was all a lie, but it was a plausible lie and one that followed what he’d told the little maid originally. Why she’d been willing to steal into the house in the hills and take it out under the nose of the owner.

  If she knew the truth, she’d have raised bloody hell. That he intended to control a God had never been mentioned; he wasn’t an idiot. He knew that the fewer people aware of his plan, the better. And so far only one other, beyond him, had any idea of the grand plan. What that other person didn’t know was the end game. No one but himself would ever know just what the plan was.

  Of course, if he’d said to any normal person that he intended to control an Olympian God, they’d have ferried him off to the nearest funny farm right quick. Too few still believed in the Gods or even thought they’d once existed. But he knew. He knew that the God of War, Ares, was living on Earth in that house. The very house that the book had come from. And it was his book; his history from the point of view of the priests; that was now in his very hands. Squeezing the leather again he looked to the woman.

  “You should go now. Don’t look back, and remember, use cash for all your purchases for at least a few weeks. You need to go off the grid. No credit cards, no debit, no picture ID if you can avoid it.”

  “I have some fake ID that my third cousin got for me. It’s a little out of date but will work well for this,” she said. She looked at him a long time before turning away and heading for her car parked down the path. “Be careful with whatever you are doing,” she called over her shoulder.

  Dismissing her from his mind, he held the book before him and flipped the cover open slowly. Turning each page with infinite care, he stared at the first page of writing. It was all in ancient Greek, thank the Gods he’d taken a course in it. Smiling in glee, he read the inscription for the children of the priests that would follow and continue to put in entries. But a warning that had him frowning.

  The Gods are powerful beings. With this power, they carry great responsibility. Whenever you speak with, approach, or deal with a God, choose your words with the greatest of care. For a God’s word is his bond and can never be broken. But they know better than we ever could how to ensure they always come out on top of everything. The saying, be careful what you wish for, came from a God. And it is not merely a warning but a death knoll for those who dare take on that which they do not and could never understand.

  Snorting at that he tucked the book into his bag and jogged down the hill towards his car. He had plans to set into motion, a room to finish preparing, and a God to summon to give him what he wanted.

  *****

  “Ava?” Ares called to her. He was getting closer to her. “Babe, what are you doing?” he asked.

  They were back in Italy; they’d just gotten back the night before. The weekend in Vegas had been a blast, and she’d gotten a promise from Dionysus to come and help her with her shopping. Of course, she also had to go with him to Berlin for a museum show. Should be interesting and fun, especially since she knew that Ares would be there with her.

  “Hey,” he was in the doorway now. “What are you looking for, love?”

  “Have you seen it?” The look on her face was one of pure panic. “My book. It was wrapped in leather, in a backpack, and in the hidden compartment of my suitcase.” She moved from the absolute mess she had made of the bedroom to Ares. “The book, Ares, have you seen it?” She had shown it to him once, showing him the power that it held and why it had to be hidden, but now she couldn’t find it and was nearly in tears. “Please, please tell me you have seen it?”

  “Hey,” he frowned at her and cupped her face. “Take a deep breath, Ava, and relax, please. I only saw it once, when you let me look through it. You wrapped it up and put it away. But are you sure you didn’t put it somewhere else, love? Like the safe maybe, as I suggested?” He’d given her the combination to his safe in his office. One that was protected by his powers as well as several very serious wards.

  “Yes, I’m very sure. I couldn’t get into the safe, and that was why I was looking for it now. I was going to have you put it in there.” She rubbed her hands up and down his shoulders. “I don’t know where it is. I haven’t seen it since Vegas.” She took it everywhere with her; now she realized that maybe she should have instead left it here; had him put it in the safe before now. “I have to find it,” she whispered.

  “And we will find it,” he said gently. Pressing a kiss to her lips, he stepped back and looked at the mess that was their room. “Alright, we both know that we both saw it last when I read it. When I was done, I handed it back to you, and you rewrapped it in the leather. You tied it up, tucked it under your arm and headed for the stairs. I called after you telling you to hurry up since we had dinner reservations. You told me you’d only be a couple of minutes, and then we could go. You headed upstairs and-” he looked at her again, obviously waiting for her to continue from there.

  She had to stop for a moment and think. “I put it on the long dresser. I didn’t have time to put it back in the false bottom of my suitcase, so I put it on the dresser. I didn’t think anyone could get in.” She bit her lower lip and asked, “Do you think it might still be there?”

  “It could have been knocked off when we got back. We were a little
wild if you recall,” he grinned at her. They’d gotten home from dinner and nearly trashed their bedroom with their antics and love making. “Let’s go up and make sure it didn’t get knocked off or kicked under or blown across the room.”

  She laughed and nodded, “Okay. We did get a little wild.” She’d loved it too. “Maybe it fell behind the dresser? Do you think that you can do your thing, pop there and look?” She was starting to feel more and more uneasy.

  “Come on, love,” he took her hand and led her to the stairs. “We’ll go look and clean up the mess you made at the same time. Because if it’s not under or behind the dresser, it could be in that mess up there.”

  “Good point,” she said with a saucy grin. “All right, let’s go and clean up the mess that you made me make,” she teased him. “Getting me all hot and bothered.” She looked up at him and winked, “Do you think that maybe after we find the book we can make a mess again?”

  “Only once we stick it into the safe where we both know it will be protected. Then we can make whatever sort of mess you’d like,” he promised. Scooping her up into his arms he kissed her cheek as he jogged up the stairs. “I do so love making a mess with you, Ava.”

  “Me too.” Ava wrapped her legs around him as he jogged them up the stairs. She rubbed her cheek to his neck. “I love you, Ares. Now then, let’s get this book found and secured so we can make a mess.”

  “Damned straight, woman,” he said kissing her cheek. When they reached the bedroom, he set her down on her feet. “Holy hell, I just realized the absolute chaos you created in here. Damn, woman, how the hell did you manage to get your bras up on the chandelier?” He was looking up towards the very high, vaulted ceiling in their bedroom.

  That had her laughing. “Oh, honey, that was you,” she told him with a shake of her head. “Baby you tossed the bra up there after cutting it off. I don’t know where you got the knife, but that was all you.” And she had loved it too. “Now, help me find the book, please?”

  “I cut it off?” he blinked at her. “Hell, I don’t remember that,” he burst out laughing. Shaking his head he squinted up at the bra. “Well, I guess we should go shopping again for some more undergarments for you, love. Besides, you’ll want to get a few things for the wedding and honeymoon won’t you?”

  “Oh yes, I will definitely want some new ones for the wedding and honeymoon. I can’t wait until you see the garter belt that Dio ordered for me. It’s the one that you won’t throw; it’s costing a small fortune.” It was diamond and ruby encrusted; so yeah, it was not one for throwing to the bachelors.

  “Then you’ll just have to buy one for the lads to catch,” he said with a shrug. “I’m more interested in taking it off of you. With my teeth. Slowly,” he grinned. “Alright, you check under the bed in case we kicked it under there, and I’ll move the dresser to check behind it and under it.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She moved from him and to the bed. Going to her knees, she began to check under the bed, finding nothing she went to the side tables and looked under them and then got to her feet once more. “Okay, it’s not here. Is it behind the long dresser?”

  He turned to look at her and shook his head. “It’s not here, babe,” he said. Moving the dresser back into place he turned around. “And you’re positive it’s not in the suitcase? Maybe in one of your other bags, love?”

  “Very positive.” She began to rub her hands up and down her arms. “This is bad, Ares,” she whispered. “This is very bad. The things that were in that book-” She shook her head. “It should have been destroyed, but it’s indestructible. The spells that are in it, coupled with the knowledge of the Gods- This isn’t good.” She was starting to panic a little. Okay, she was starting to panic a lot.

  He came over to her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Shh, it will be alright. We’ll find it. It’s more than possible it was misplaced. Maybe one of the cleaning ladies moved it to the library. It is a book, love; they could have stuck it in there since they wouldn’t have had a clue of what it said. Let’s look there; I’ll call the one that’s usually in charge and ask if she saw it and if she can check with the others. Don’t panic yet, sweetheart, alright?” he smiled gently down at her.

  “Good point.” She nodded. “That’s probably what happened.” She nodded and leaned into him. “I think we should go ahead and check the library.” She was anxious to find the book. She had to find the book because in it there was the possibility of hurting the man she loved and that simply wouldn’t do. At all.

  “And we will,” he said softly. She felt him press a kiss to the top of her head. “It’ll be found, darling, probably in the very last spot we look, which is just the way of things. But we will find it.” He gave her a hug and just held her for a moment before pulling back. Taking her hand in his, he led her downstairs again and towards his office which was also the library. Stopping in the doorway, he groaned, “I have no idea where to even start looking.”

  “Oh, lordy.” She looked at the library and then at him. “When you said library I thought you meant a home library. You know something small not-” She gestured with her hand. “Not a freaking presidential library that is overflowing with books,” she grumbled. Closing her eyes, she shook her head. “Oh, I know.” She smiled then, “The book has power. Can you feel for it? It would be a close signature to what you feel when I come close to you from behind.”

  “All hot and sexually bothered, with a raging hard on that pounds in rhythm with my heart?” he asked, his tone was sweet, but his expression was wicked. Chuckling when she smacked him, he rolled his eyes. “I get what you mean, Ava. Hold your pretty little panties.” Ares closed his eyes and frowned ever so slightly. Tipping his head to the side, he began to walk slowly down the length of the room. He paused now and again giving her hope, right until he kept on moving. When he reached the end he turned back around, expression darker while he came back the same way, expression tight in concentration.

  She knew. The moment that he came back to her she knew that it wasn’t there. “Shit,” she grumbled. “It’s not here, is it?” She whispered, “Fuck.” She rubbed her temples and looked at him. “What do we do?” she whispered in horror. “How do we find it now? What do we do?”

  “I want you to take a walk through the house. Replay your steps for the last couple of days. I’m going to call the cleaning service and find out if anyone saw it and where. We’ll find it, Ava, but if you get worked up it will only cause delays. Go on, sweetheart. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

  Forcing herself to take deep and calming breaths, she forced herself to relax there with him and closed her eyes. “All right,” she whispered and began to go over the last few days with him, step by step, him prodding her and helping her along when she fumbled or forgot.

  He wrapped her in his arms when she was done. They’d uncovered nothing, learning nothing more. “The ladies didn’t see it, love,” he told her hanging up the phone again. “Not even in the bedroom. The one lady said she brought her niece along to help her out that day as a couple of the ladies had some bug or other. But she’s in classes until later today so she won’t be able to contact her until then to let us know.”

  “Crap,” she muttered and sighed. “All right, let’s hope that the niece took it thinking that it was just a book for them to take when they wanted or something.’ She whispered, “I hate this. That book is dangerous. So very dangerous, Ares.” She looked up at him and said, “I don’t think that you understand just how dangerous it is.”

  “Love, if you say it’s dangerous, I fully believe you. I trust you, Ava, completely and absolutely. You know better than I do, and I felt the power of the book. We will find it, somehow, someway.” He stared down at her and then his gaze shifted lower. “But, I am going to do one thing, just in case it comes to it.” Ares lifted the pendant she always wore and closed his fist around it, whispering a few words. “I’ve added Dion to this. If anything, and I mean anything, happe
ns to me, you get to him fast and tell him to get our uncle, Hades. No one can track this sort of thing better than that old, evil bastard.”

  “Why you? Don’t you dare have anything done that will take you from me for even one single moment. I mean it. Please,” she begged him. She moved in close to him and pulled him closer. “I mean it, Ares.”

  “Baby,” he rocked her in his arms. “We both know that book is about me. We also both know just what the hell is in that book. If it should fall into the wrong hands, someone that knows about the spells in it or how to work them-” He heaved a breath and tightened his hold. “I won’t make it easy, but if anything happens and you can’t get to me, you get to Dion and have him call Hades. I am hopeful someone knows where the book is in this house, but on the off chance it was stolen we have to cover our bases.”

  “Well, whatever happens, I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Somehow she would protect him; she just didn’t know how. “I need you. I need you in my life for the rest of forever. A moment less is not acceptable. I mean it. We are a team, and we will work together to be just that. Deal?”

  “Deal,” he smiled down at her. “My little warrior, so adorable and fierce. How did I ever get so lucky to have you in my life, Ava?” he whispered. Dropping a kiss on her lips, he hugged her to him. “It will be alright, darling. Just remember what I’ve told you and this will all work out as it should.”

  “Don’t know what you did, but you did really well whatever it was,” Ava said with a grin. “So whatever you have done in the past keep on doing it, babe, so that you can be mine for the rest of forever.”

  “I am yours for the rest of forever,” he smiled at her. “You had me pretty much from the first moment we spoke. I just didn’t realize that I was already under your spell at that point. More the fool was I.”