Artemis: Eye of Gaea - Chapter 1 & 2

Chapter 1: Egos

Cedric

Cedric welcomed the bright, warm light as they left the security of the cave behind. Wylleam led them down a path through thick woods while Fenrir kept close behind Cedric at the back of the assembly. The singing of birds filled the air like an orchestra. Flowers and fruit filled every tree they walked past, the air engulfed in their sweet and bitter scents. They had passed through into the realm of Gaea, but were shocked to see not much had changed besides the oddness of the trees and the overwhelming enthusiasm of the birds. The sun was in the sky, dirt at their feet, and they even needed to breathe.

The path wound through the thick forest. Cedric’s shoulders and wings would brush against the trunks of trees, making him groan in annoyance. He was engorged with power as if his body took in the thicker magic in the air and absorbed it,. Fenrir chuckled, watching as Cedric tried unsuccessfully to get used to the new, larger version of himself. Wylleam took a hard turn to the right. Anxious to keep pace, Cedric turned too soon, and a horn slammed into a nearby tree, gouging a deep groove into the bark. He cursed under his breath as birds scattered in alarm. Flowers floated on the wind and fruit plopped to the ground all around him, one bouncing off his shoulder. Everyone stopped to stare at him. He gritted his fangs; it was all he could do to not lose his temper. His mind focused on Angeline, wondering where Artemis had taken her.

At least this time she’s with someone who will protect her.

“Are you all right?” Wylleam’s voice expressed concern, recognizing the signs of Cedric’s frustration. Cedric’s eyes shot a knowing glare that said, this isn’t the time to discuss it. “It’s not much farther to my cabin. There’s an opening in the trees where I live.”

Sighing, Cedric nodded. “I look forward to no more trees.”

Fenrir, Romasanta, and Nyctimus chuckled until an angry green glare hit them. As promised, they walked about five hundred yards farther in the dense underbrush before a meadow housing a small cabin blossomed before them. Fenrir circled in a thick, grassy spot before flopping down on his belly, watching Wylleam lead Romasanta and Nyctimus through the door. Cedric moved to follow, but Wylleam held up a hand, signaling he was to wait. The door clicked close and Cedric began pacing. After a few rounds, he could no longer ignore the heat of the stare from the golden eyes of the massive white wolf in the field.

Halting his steps, Cedric stood tall, crossing his arms. “What is it, wolf?”

“You seem to be in a rush, even though you’ve yet to stop and take in this new environment,” snorted Fenrir. “You’re quite the fool.”

Narrowing his eyes, Cedric retorted, “What is there to know? There’s ground and trees, a sky and sun. Everything smells the same.”

“True.” Fenrir wagged his tail a few times. “But you still haven’t adjusted.”

“I don’t have the luxury of taking the time to play with myself,” scoffed Cedric, returning to his pacing.

“I, too, once found myself in your state over a female.” Rising to his feet, Fenrir shook his fur free of grass. “But if you don’t learn to trust in her strength and abilities, she’ll never discover them at all.”

He stopped, his back to the wolf.

“Struck a nerve with you, didn’t I, pup?” Fenrir’s voice fell deeper with the next words. “Don’t make the mistake I once made in thinking she’s incapable of protecting herself, incapable of being by your side, let alone, being on her own.”

“What would you know about Angeline?” Cedric hissed over his shoulder.

“That isn’t for me to know.” Fenrir huffed, his lip curling in disgust. “These are things you should be aware of and if you aren’t, then I feel bad for your mate to be stuck with such a naïve creature.”

Cedric turned to face the wolf, who had paced ever closer, the heat of his anger rising in his voice. “Are you suggesting I know nothing about her? About the girl I chose, the girl I protected and spent centuries to reclaim from Merlin with my own claws and fangs?”

Fenrir flicked an ear, his muzzle contorting to a toothy grin. “Considering you see her as simply a girl, should be a sign as to how blind you are to who she was, is, and will become.”

Cedric’s arms fell to his side, his hands balling ever tighter into fists until his claws dug into his palms. Fenrir’s glare stung, his nose twitching. Blood dripped off Cedric’s knuckles, the green grass mottled with red streaks. Fenrir took another step closer, the two of them nose to nose. A silent challenge of strength and resolve built between them. Fenrir was large and more ancient than Cedric, but in this state, this form, perhaps he could indeed face one of the most feared creatures of destruction known to man and demon. Fur ruffled, razor-backed, as if the thoughts and comparisons racing in Cedric’s mind were spoken out loud.

“Are you challenging me, pup?” There was a sparkle in Fenrir’s eyes as his tail wagged. “Because no one here has ever been so brave to bow up to me since I left Romasanta in the land of the living.”

Cedric’s jaw twitched, his muscles tensing as he dared to confess, “You did say I need to become more familiar with this form, didn’t you, Fenrir?”

Massive jaws lashed out. The heat of Fenrir’s breath pushed Cedric back with power and speed as they snapped close. Cedric barely saw the muscles under the fur twitch seconds before in order to evade the answer Fenrir gave. Wings flaring, Cedric crouched and launched himself up. A giant paw fell across Cedric’s chest as if swatting a fly. Fenrir had assumed his next action and shoved him down, pinning him to the ground. Teeth ripped into the left wing. Cedric paled. There was no sensation of pain, but something far more haunting. With each pop and crackle, euphoria made his blood boil, and he wanted nothing more than to let the wolf continue the destruction of his flesh. Fenrir tightened his bite, and with a savage move, he shook his head back and forth. Not one blade of grass remained green as Cedric’s eyes rolled back in ecstasy. The only sound from his lips was a pleasurable moan.

Satisfied he had made his point, Fenrir leaped off, leaving Cedric struggling with the unnatural pleasure overpowering him. His muzzle and chest glistening crimson as he pranced back and forth. Rolling a shoulder in the meadow, bugs leaped into the air and off to safer patches as Fenrir freed his fur of the sticky liquid. With the blood off, Fenrir jerked back onto his feet and frolicked in circles, triumphant of the quick defeat. Finished with his victory laps, he sat, flicking an ear at the door. No one from within the cabin had made any signs of hearing the commotion.

Breathless, voluptuous sensations waved over Cedric with every move until he managed to roll to his knees. More and more sweat poured over him, and with each pulse of ecstasy, his body healed. Staring wide-eyed, he looked at the grass between his clawed hands, shocked by the burden he had regained. He hadn’t faced the struggle rattling through him since he had reached into Wylleam’s fireplace so long ago. It wasn’t something he thought would ever become an issue for him again in this lifetime.

Dammit! How can I defeat anyone if I can’t fight against this overwhelming want for them to… Everything to… Swallowing down his fears, he tried to refocus his thoughts. Fenrir is right. I need to become familiar with this form, but to want my body destroyed? Never have I realized the depth of what Lillith felt when she wanted me to run her through, as I do now. How long will it take me to keep my sanity?

“You understand the severity of your state, I see.” Fenrir had turned back to Cedric. “Do you understand the situation you’re in?”

Grimacing, Cedric could still feel Angeline, far from his reach, in this new world. With each deep inhale, he could even smell her, taste her in the air, and he focused on those sensations. Digging his claws into the dirt, he dared to stretch his injured wing out. It was sore, but the overwhelming desire and incubine lusting had served their purpose in speeding up the healing process. Swallowing, he stood and faced Fenrir, who responded with another wag of his tail. Stretching his wings wide, Cedric’s muscles flexed. Taking in a deep breath, he charged at the wolf. Fenrir took a defensive stance, snarling.

Horns knocked head-on with Fenrir’s forehead, the wolf holding his ground like a rival bull. As if two rams, they pushed with all their strength to make the other take a step back. Tiring of the struggle, Cedric wrapped his arms around Fenrir’s snout, locking his jaw closed. Rearing up, Fenrir shook his head. When Cedric didn’t dislodge, Fenrir smashed him against the ground, pinning him between his skull and the earth. Folding his wings tight, Cedric’s claws dug deep under Fenrir’s bottom jaw. Paws scratched across his wings and back. Each crushing and ripping sensation against Cedric’s body added to the arousing thrill taking hold of his soul. Growling vibrated through him, foaming saliva dripping into large clumps across the once beautiful meadow.

Fenrir’s paws pulled away and Cedric took a reprieve in breaking from the enjoyment of being ravaged. The bouncing and jolting of where Cedric clung to Fenrir’s face was alarming; the wolf has broken into a run! Looking over his shoulder, Cedric’s muscles tensed, and he held on tighter. Branches slapped across his back, cracking and falling to the ground in their wake. Fenrir’s body took long, powerful strides, his speed uncanny and careless. Bark scraping across Cedric’s skin came to him like the caress of a lover’s touch. Fenrir turned back, angry he hadn’t come loose, running ever faster through the thicker trees. Cedric gripped harder, hot blood rolled down his arms, dripping from his elbows. Despite it, Cedric held fast to Fenrir’s hot flesh, tendrils of muscles between his clawed fingers.

THUD! CR-CR-CRACK-CK! KA-BOOM!

The wind had been smashed from Cedric’s lungs, but his grip stayed. Fenrir ran full steam through the trees—no! At the trees! Cedric’s back and wings were being pulverized against the branches before being run through the trunks, the wood splintering, the shards stabbing both of them from all directions.

THUD! CR-CRACK! BA-BOOM!

Clenching his teeth, Cedric fought the urge to vocally express the intensity of the orgasmic sensations taking hold. His shoulder blades were like gelatin and the strength in his back muscles was starting to fail. He could no longer hold his wings close to his body. Muscles were shredding, his arms weakening, but the excitement struggled to heal fast enough between impacts. It had its limitations, after all.

TH-THUD! SNAP! POP! BOOM!

Cedric’s fingers were losing their grip, his spine exposed under a mantle of mangled flesh and wooden spikes. Wings limp, flailing down the sides of Fenrir’s face, were beyond broken. The sounds of the wolf’s paws against the ground were as daunting as distant war drums. Fenrir continued charging into yet another trunk. Cedric couldn’t contain his shout of elation.

KA-THUD! CR-CR-CRRR-CRAAAAACK! POP! P-POP!

Cedric’s muscles grew numb, his arms unable to respond to the command to hold tight. Fenrir bolted into the meadow, skidding to a stop. The force sent Cedric’s bloodied, broken form bouncing off his snout and rolling toward the cabin. In Cedric’s eyes, the world spun before falling dark. Shaking the debris and blood from his fur, Fenrir snorted, pacing to where Cedric lay. Jaws scooped down, gripping the limp wings tight. A heavy paw pushed down on the gruesome remains of Cedric’s backside. With skilled motion, Fenrir ripped the wings free from their owner. As the wolf pranced away, the orgasmic peak of pain brought Cedric awake. Cedric jumped to his feet, filled with the adrenaline burning through his veins.

In the field, Fenrir paused, a sparkle in his eyes. Tightening his toothy hold on the dilapidated limbs, he wagged his tail, claiming them for his prize. Anger filled Cedric at the sight. The smell of his own blood engulfed Cedric’s nose with its iron bitterness biting on the back of his tongue. A primal scream rolled out of Cedric’s chest, ripping free from his lips. Blind with rage, he ran at Fenrir, who turned to face him. Leaping in the air, his hands clenched together high above his head, he came down on Fenrir with breathtaking power. His fists locked with Fenrir’s skull, just above his eyes.

The jolt of the impact made Fenrir’s jaw go slack, the wings plopping on the ground where Cedric landed. Standing, staggered and slumped over, Cedric glared at Fenrir through one squinted eye. He was fighting the sensations tearing through him, clinging to his anger above all the desires clawing at his soul.

I can’t let the pleasures of pain override my will to fight back. It’s going to get me killed before I can reach her again.

The wolf shook his head once, then twice. Fenrir took a wobbly step back. Blood began to pool and dribble down between his golden eyes, which fought the need to cross themselves. Huffing, Fenrir shook his head again and laid down in the dirt where the grass meadow had been earlier. Satisfied the fight had ended, Cedric collapsed to his knees. Leaning forward, he tried to catch his breath, staring down at the wings.

Furrowing his brow, he looked back up at Fenrir. “Was that necessary?”

“It was my trophy.” Pawing at his head, he snorted. “I’m not sure if it was worth the headache you left me with, pup.”

“How am I going to fly?” He fell to his side, exhaustion weighing down his eyelids. “I have no idea if I can grow those back.”

Laying his head on his paws, Fenrir closed his eyes, also feeling the need to rest. “They always grow back. You incubus are like cockroaches… unkillable.”

“How much longer will Wylleam be?” Cedric’s chest rose and fell, slowing.

“Who knows…” groaned Fenrir before they both gave way to sleep.

Chapter 2: The Realms of Aether

Angeline

Angeline shifted in the chair within the empty grand hall. When they had come through the gate, she had found herself without the rest of the group, greeted by Artemis and her band of female warriors. She had brought her there with a snap of fingers, demanded she sit and be silent. She looked around: a long table ran the length of the massive football field-sized building, making her dizzy each time she attempted to chase the walls to the farthest side. She once heard stories of the grand halls of the Vikings’ gods and wondered if this had been what they spoke of. Someplace beyond the walls, birds sang, there was the muffled chatter of people, and there came the occasional bang she could assume from merchants moving or working close by.

This is a village in a wooded area, I assume. Reminds me a little of Raven’s Den, just busier. Now where has that old hag scurried off to?

She looked at her hands. They looked foreign to her with their sharp claws, so much like Cedric’s when he shifted into his demon form. Her head was heavy with the weight of horns, the aching in her neck building from the cumbersome sensation of keeping herself from tilting too far forward or backward. Her nerves were tight, making her breath tremble in and out of her lungs. Everything about her body felt … wrong. It was similar to how she changed after the battle with the busse, but she had no control in bringing back her human form. Worse, she was too far away for Cedric to help her. In her periphery, she dared not accept the newest feature, the one that had not made itself known in that battle.

Thinking about her new appendages, the towering shadow behind her ruffled. They started to stretch out, but her tension brought them close to her shoulders once more, like two bashful children hiding behind their mother, trembling. Feathers drifted to the floor at her feet and she swallowed. The feathers reminded her of the colors she admired from the wings of a Montagu’s Harrier. The sea of matte silver feathers with robust black tips and lines rippled back toward her. Wings. She had somehow entered the Otherworld with wings, and something in her gut told her this would prove dangerous.

Am I not human? Was I ever human if this is what I am here in this world of spirits?

“I didn’t expect this outcome for you.” Artemis had a voice that demanded one’s ears to listen. “To be honest, I may have only complicated my own situation with Gaea over the matter. To think the two of you would take in aether and absorb it so sufficiently is admirable … and terrifying.”

Artemis came through the open doorway and slammed it shut behind her with a flick of her fingers. Her face was obscured by a deer skull mask, but it didn’t keep her fiery stare from burning through Angeline. She was dressed like a shaman from a time long forgotten. Skin and fur cloth did truly little to hide her sun-kissed olive skin. Her neck was adorned with an assortment of necklaces made of bones, fangs, and even colored stones. In her hand, she wielded a staff that reminded Angeline of the one she had seen Wylleam carry so long ago. Worse was her voice. She knew it, remembered that horrid whisper and laughter it had produced inside her childhood home when she had demanded she consummate her marriage.

How could I forget?

“What’s the meaning of this?” Angeline mustered some bravery, knowing well she wouldn’t bring her harm. “I imagine you have some demanding need or task for me to cull me from the others like this.”

“Such spunk.” The cackle rolled from her and she sat on top of the table beside Angeline. “You’ve come far, my heiress,” she hissed, a wild grin peeking out from under the skull. “Welcome to the Otherworld.”

Angeline glowered at her. “What did you do to me, to my body?”

“I did nothing.” Artemis leaned back on her hands, swinging her legs like a small child. “This is an unprecedented side effect of your magic adopting his abilities, and it’s quite marvelous.”

“Cedric’s magic?” Her heart fluttered. “But he has no magic.”

“Come now, I expect you to be a little brighter than this, dear child.” Artemis’s hair fell down her shoulders in large dreads, beaded and threaded in the way of the ancient tribes. “Let me explain this with something that was lost to the mortal realm long before even I was born. Do you know the story of Aether and Gaea?”

Angeline flinched. She had heard Kronos, or Merlin, mumble the names under his breath. “They’re the mother and father of Kronos.”

“Ah, true.” Artemis waved a hand in the air, a grand gesture of the hall they sat within. “Do you know where you are?”

“The Otherworld,” Angeline answered. “The land ruled by Gaea, where faeries and spirits reside.”

“Very good. Now, do you know why magic from the Mortal Realm acts so dramatically different here?” She motioned to Angeline’s horns and wings, making Angeline reach up and gently run her fingers against the rough edges protruding from her skull. “Why your body has reacted so? Take your time. I prefer you to figure this out. Doesn’t help if I always have to answer everything.”

“You never give an answer to anything,” remarked Angeline, her wings flaring in reaction to her frustration. Cedric’s impatience is rubbing off on me.

Angeline’s hands balled into fists, pressing against her thighs under the weight of Artemis’s stare. Closing her eyes, she fought the urge to shout and scream at the witch. Instead of focusing on the riddle offered, Angeline’s thoughts spiraled. All the things unfolding in her life, when Cedric first showed up at the castle, and Merlin ripping them apart, every cruel twist and burn had Artemis involved or to blame and there she was, tangible for the first time since the cackling skeleton in her childhood home. Her own father had followed Artemis’s command without any regard for how she felt. The only person I trust with my life, my heart and soul, is the least human creature on this godforsaken… she bit her lip as if to silence the thoughts.

“You had this in you the whole time, since the first night you laid with him.” Angeline’s eyes shot up, only to be greeted by the satisfaction that Artemis had caught her attention. Artemis raised an eyebrow, curious, as she watched Angeline’s demeanor shift. She had seen a glimpse of this at the beginning, back when her spell had been triggered in Raven’s Den. There was nothing more she wanted but to see Angeline’s timid nature shattered in order to let her come into her power on her own. Under the fear and uncertainty sat a caged tiger worthy of being a queen beside a king such as Cedric. They were the champions, fated to free the realm of Arcadia from Gaea’s law and rule. The problem was one of them was too foolish to quell his temper and the other too slow to rise to the challenge set before her. “The whole time you were imprisoned you could have taken him down, freed yourself.”

Angeline gritted her fangs, memories boiling up, the fog of what had happened to her fading. “Shut up…” she growled.

“I’m sure Kronos complained.” She began pacing about, speaking in a mocking tone. “Or what was the new name he gave himself?”

“Merlin,” she spat.

“Ah, that.” Artemis paused, her back to Angeline. “A drop of blood would have banished him. All you had to do was ask Avalon.”

“What?”

“A drop, on the book in the library.” The tone seemed patronizing. “You only had to listen, to look with your eyes, to use that instinct you ignored so much about everything in your wretched life, girl.”

“HE HAD ME IN A DUNGEON!” Angeline’s voice shook with the weight of anger and hurt. “I was shackled to the walls.”

“Walls that were trying to take you where you needed. Dig deep, you’re the only thing keeping his memory spell in place. Show me you can break it here and now.” She spun around, the glaring golden eyes hitting Angeline like a slap to the face. “You are my heiress. Now act upon it!”

“You make it sound as easy as breathing,” hissed Angeline, tears sliding down her cheeks as her wrists throbbed with the memory of shackles that had marred them for centuries. “Where were you? Why not save me? Tell me, help me! No one came… no one… just my pleasure knowing Cedric was still with me somewhere, still looking. He has always been my only light, even as my lips were sewn shut. Where the fuck were you?”

Laughing, Artemis had sprung a hole in the dam called fear. “Tell me, little witch, were the shackles in the same place on the same wall more than twice?”

Flashes like lightning strikes hit her soul from all sides. The emotions brought her back once more. Angeline played through each moment she had been thrown in the dungeon cell. The darkness slammed upon her with the thud of the door, metal biting and cold against her wrists. With each flash, her eyes sought the chain. Where? Where had the chain gone? Her stomach twisted, and she rose to her feet in alarm. More memories and still not once did she see the anchor. A few times the chain had been rung through a loop but no anchor, no final place, not until… She turned to Artemis, her chest aching with fear.

All those centuries… I sat there in fear.

Artemis closed the gap and shoved Angeline down on the chair, her voice hissing in her ear. “When did Avalon let the anchor exist, Angeline?”

How did she know?

“Cedric.” The heated tears were only adding to the despair breaking her. “Only when Cedric came…”

“That’s right.”

“Where… but Kronos… he was the master there.”

“Excuses,” Artemis scoffed.

“Avalon was under his control.”

“Then why did it not cast out the others that day, girl?” Artemis began pacing, annoyed at how hard Angeline hid from the truth. “Look at it for what it was and is. Now tell me, who did Avalon serve?”

After a long, tearful pause, Angeline whispered, “No one.”

“Who does it protect?”

“The innocent.”

“And did it protect you? Did it not allow Cedric’s magic to reach you and keep you alive? Food and water, anything that would allow you to keep going even for a minute longer?” More angry tears fell, and Angeline shook with rage. “Get angry. Now, inhale the air here and tell me why you are more than what you appear. Why has your soul flourished like it has?”

Angeline took in a deep breath, the air there thick and sweet with the smell of fruit and flowers. So much so, it brought a flavor across her tongue and she couldn’t help but constantly swallow in response. Her wings shuddered as if excited about her deepened inhale. She paled. Once again, she inhaled deep and held it. Artemis had forced the knowledge into her before they even crossed into Delphyne’s barrier with Badbh’s spell. She had the ability to pick it all apart, to understand what no mortal should ever hold knowledge of.

“The air,” mumbled Angeline.

“Precisely.” Artemis slid off the table and walked around Angeline as she spoke. “Aether, the father of all things, was presumably dead. Ah, but this is the interesting part. Before Kronos could swallow his soul, and claim his father’s powers and status as his known, they say Aether’s body dissolved in the blink of an eye. This gave birth to new magic everywhere. There are many realms, and it reached beyond where even Gaea and Kronos could reach or fathom.”

“Dissolved?” Angeline twisted. Artemis leaned on the table beside her. “A god’s body vanishing? Soul and all?”

“That’s right. Strange is it not?” Fingers gripped Angeline’s shoulder, the deer skull brushing against her cheek as Artemis whispered, “He became ether, the essence of magic itself. In the Mortal Realm, it is the lightest, but provides magic on earth. Here, in Gaea’s Realm, or more correctly, the Otherworld, it feeds all spirits and magic, so none find themselves weak or starved of magical energy. The Underworld is where his ill-will and anger reside, filling that place with a miasma like no other. Even there, a special kind of being and demons can thrive and feed off the dark ether in order to survive. Lastly, his goodwill and hopes are said to reside in the Heavens or Celestial Realm, but no one has seen or heard from a being from there in ages.”

“W-why not?” Swallowing, Angeline could feel her heart racing.

“Rumor has it,” Artemis’s voice dropped lower, almost inaudible, “that Gaea, with the aid of Kronos, locked the gates in order to prevent Aether’s second coming and rebirth.”

“B-but…” Artemis let go, her back to Angeline who found the courage to speak up. “But why? Weren’t they in love, Gaea and Aether?”

“Were, at one time.” She spun around, her eyes glowing under the deer skull. “Gaea and Kronos both became bitter with greed and jealousy. Aether and many of his children had stepped down from their godly positions so that life in all realms could unfold naturally. You can imagine how the current queen and first heir to the earth would feel about this.”

Wings flared out and Angeline demanded, “How do you know so much?”

A cackle came from Artemis before she replied, “I am Gaea’s right eye until my brother, Apollo, returns it. Oh, wait, what’s that boorish name he uses… ah, Romasanta.”

“Then why kidnap me and not Romasanta?” Confusion rattled through Angeline. None of this adds up. “He has the eye.”

“He does.” She crossed her arms, towering over Angeline. “I’m very aware, but the issue is that my plans won’t go well with you and Cedric sporting such powerful auras.”

“Why is that a problem for you?” Every nerve tightened as Artemis leaned in, her eyes wild with amusement. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Even commanded of me that day? To consummate my marriage in order for our powers to grow?”

“My dear child,” Artemis leaned in, “if Gaea discovers I’ve been amassing an army to overthrow her, your life will end here, soul and body.”

Dread filled Angeline, but it was dethroned in an instant. She lurched forward, breathless from a wave of arousal. Somewhere in this new world, Cedric was fighting. Gripping the edge of the table, her claws crushed the wood, splintering the grooves with ease. Sweat poured over her as heat rose from her core. Angeline’s body buzzed with wanton want and she began panting. Another wave slammed her, and she shrieked in orgasmic delight.

“So the plan has moved to the next phase.” Artemis’s voice was stern as she pulled a blade from the sheath at her side.

“What…” Angeline struggled to catch her breath. “What are you doing?”

“We’re just trying to take the edge off.” Artemis spun the dagger in her hand. “They’ll grow back, with enough time, that is. For now, we need to cut a large chunk of power off of you two.”

“Cut!” exclaimed Angeline. “Cut what?”

“Just trimming the wings is all, love.” At the very mention of them, they flared out in alarm. “My, and here I thought you were frightened of them.”

I will not do this because she demands it of me.

Angeline pulled to her feet, still leaning on the table as sweat dripped off her chin. “Let me get this straight. If Cedric and I are going to be able to escape here alive, we need to do this, right?”

I will choose to do this for myself and our survival.

“I loathe repeating myself.” Artemis took a step forward and the wings flared once more. “Look, they hold a lot of magical power within themselves. If we can knock you and Cedric down a few pegs, it’ll make it that much easier to hide your auras to appear as humans, or at the very least, the equivalent of a witch or low-level succubus. If Gaea sees this form, she’ll know we’ve created gods outside her influence.”

“Gods…” Angeline’s stomach twisted at the thought. “I’m no god.”

“And I’m not a daughter of a titan.” Scowled Artemis. “They’ve got to come off.”

Leaning farther onto the table, Angeline stretched them out. “Do it.”

Again, a wicked grin stretched out from under the skull of the deer. Artemis gripped the first wing with a slight tug pulling at Angeline’s back. The cool blade rested at against the back of her shoulder and she waited for what was coming next. Angeline’s heart pounded ever faster, a mangled mess of elation from Cedric and the anxiety building. Artemis’s fingers tightened, feathers snapping under her grip. The blade slid forward, cutting into the flesh with ease. A moan escaped Angeline and the euphoria of it all made her sick.

“I can’t believe you’re enjoying this.” Artemis ground through the bones and the blade slid through the last of the flesh with ease. “These are heavy. I’m impressed.”

The wing hit the ground with a thud. Angeline tried to catch her breath, but Artemis wasted no time to grab and slice into the next. Another arousing shriek escaped her, but Artemis kept sawing her way through bone, cartilage, and flesh. At last, another thud vibrated through the ground at Angeline’s feet. She willed herself to look at the pair of bloodstained silver wings on the floor. She allowed herself to sink back into her chair, ignoring the pool of blood that waited there for her.

“What will you do with them?” Angeline muttered, covering her face as her arousal washed through her.

“Does it matter?” Artemis wiped her fingers across the blade, blood painting her fingertips.

“No, it doesn’t.” Inhaling deeply, Angeline could feel the warm ribbons of blood slowing their descent down her back. “What next?”

She turned and Artemis yanked her head back. Fingers slid across her forehead as Artemis chanted in a rolling growl, eyes glowing gold. It burned into her flesh and the pain of it soaked down to her core. Artemis let go and Angeline found herself screaming from the searing sensation exploding into her veins. She jerked to her feet, the chair toppling over. Inside her soul it was as if strings were being broken, forcibly cut off. It waned, and with it, she no longer could feel Cedric or his pleasure. She paled, gritting her teeth in anger. Before Artemis could react, Angeline landed a fist across the exposed part of her jaw and sent her stumbling back. Artemis’s eyes were wild as she laughed. Blood dripped from her chin, Angeline’s strength proving she still had power in her body and soul to fight back.

She dissolved our bond!

“Goodness!” She dabbed at the blood and rolled it in her fingers. “You’re braver than I thought.”

“What did you do to me?!” roared Angeline, marching for Artemis. “YOU BITCH! MY ENTIRE LIFE IS YOUR FAULT!”

A wave of her hand and Angeline found herself caught by vines growing at her feet. She managed to break a few before they tugged her to her knees. Anger poured from her, but she couldn’t move as more piled onto her, wrapping around her arms to still her. Angeline’s chest heaved. The grand hall had been filled with the smell of dirt and blood, adding to the visceral desire rattling through her.

“What did you do?” Angeline growled, burning her eyes into Artemis.

“I disconnected you two.” She rolled her jaw. “It’s temporary and will fade away when you two hook up, but it’s to buy time and give enough training to counter the aether. Having you two in a magic-rich environment is a liability I don’t want to deal with. If you’re curious, that pain is almost as bad as the real thing.”

Angeline spit across Artemis’s feet.

“Such disdain for your beloved ancestor.” Twirling her fingers, Artemis healed her chin. “Rest up because you won’t have another chance. I’m training you in the ways of the old. At least the horns have faded. We might have a better chance of deceiving Gaea than I thought.”

Another wave of Artemis’s hand, and Angeline succumbed to sleep. The vines faded and her body thudded against the floor. With a whistle, two female warriors entered the hall, one with skin as black as night and the other pale as snow in moonlight. Seeing the blood and the girl sprawled on the floor, they looked at one another. Giving a worried look to Artemis, they both crossed their arms.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make such a mess, Ying and Yang.” She sighed, walking over to the wings and grabbing them. “Take her to my hut so she can rest. I’ll take these with me. Send someone to … scrub this place with a cleansing spell. I’ve heard a succubus’s blood can leave a nasty curse if left untreated. Forgive me, Nuha and Manah.”

“I thought this girl was your heiress?” Manah, the one with obsidian skin, helped her peer Nuha pick Angeline up by her arms. “What on earth did you do? Have you gone mad with jealousy so easily, Artemis?”

“Why does everyone assume it was me?” She was casting a spell to shrink the wings to the size of a songbird’s wings. “You all make me out to be a villain of sorts.”

“You were the only one with a weapon in here, Artemis,” retorted Nuha, pointing at the still-bloody dagger. “And we all know a sapling of a witch has no chance against you. After all, you are a daughter of a titan.”

“Go on with you. I am in no mood to argue with anyone of the clan of Kedar.” And with that, Artemis disappeared.

Artemis: Eye of Gaea (The Cedric Series 04)

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