OF WAR Anthology Novels 1-3 Read online

  A short time later, Ares exited the tent with Jaakim’s severed head full of his severed cock on a tall stick. He walked up the same dune he’d come down earlier in the day and turned to look back. Flames engulfed the camp, except for the school and the orphanage safe behind their high walls. Looking up at the head on the pike, he planted it in the sand so Jaakim could forever look over the desolate place he had once ruled.

  2

  The Golden Hind sprinted to the east end of the island with Alena on her back and grabbing holding of her mane to keep herself in place. She stopped short at the end of a long drop. “Down there.” She pointed with a golden hand.

  Alena looked in that direction and saw the opening of a cave, she heard Onya screaming in agony. “Give your bow and your quiver,” she said as she swung a leg over the Hind’s back and dismounted, knowing the descent was too steep and rocky for even the deer-like creature to make. “Can you call him? Can you call for Ares?”

  The Golden Hind handed over the weapons. “Yes.”

  “Do it!” Alena called and then scurried down the hillside, strapping the quiver crosswise over her chest. Holding up the hem of the long gown, her bare feet scraped along jagged rocks. Gingerly trying to skip over them, Alena miscalculated her step as she struggled to stay upright with gravity threatening to pull her all the way down the cliff. A sharp bit of stone sliced through the tender meat at the arch of her right foot. Almost taking the tumble she was afraid of, Alena held back the scream, holding the back of her hand to her mouth for a moment as she continued onward, trying to keep her weight on the ball of her foot for the rest of the distance to the opening of the cave where Onya was screaming.

  Putting arrow to quiver, Alena snuck up to the opening and poked her head around the corner to see Scopas holding down Onya. She gave no warning; she simply drew back the bow and fired. It pierced the back of skull and went straight through his forehead, dropping him dead in mid-thrust. Not stopping to think that Scopas could have company, Alena rushed inside and to the aid of her friend.

  “Behind you!” Onya called out as she heaved the dead man from her.

  No arrow at the ready, Alena turned around to see Nicco behind her. He was naked and behind him was Kat, her legs still spread and oozing cream. “Glad you could join our party.”

  “Don’t you touch me,” Alena warned and tried to draw an arrow from the quiver, but he was too close. Nicco grabbed her wrist with one hand and the bow with the other; he threw it to the ground. “Ares will kill you for this.”

  “Funny, that’s what she said,” Nicco intoned with a grin and then reached out to grab hold of her breast. “I don’t see him, do you?”

  “Don’t listen to her,” Kat said from behind him. She had been enjoying watching them ride Ares’ favorite little bitch until she screamed and begged for mercy, but this was even better. “You just killed one of his favorite guards.” She looked at Scopas’ dead body.

  “You’re raping his favorite woman,” Alena countered, not backing down or taking her gaze from Nicco.

  “I am his favorite woman,” Kat hissed venomously.

  Alena ignored her. Kat only liked to think she was Ares’ favorite but it was clear to Alena that he favored Onya by far. The corner of her eye not moving from the indignant woman, Alena kept her stare locked to Nicco. “You’re going to listen to her? She’s a lying conniving bitch,” Alena declared with force and pointed down at Onya cowering in the dirt. “Do you think this will please him? This will win you Ares’ favor?”

  Nicco’s hand clamped down on the breast heaving there. “I don’t give a shit what pleases Ares.”

  Instinctively Alena took a step and then another back away from him. Her feet tripped over the legs of the dead man behind her and she fell on the ground, legs splayed and gown hiked up to her thighs.

  Nicco took one glance back at Kat who was salivating at the sight. “Fuck her,” Kat whispered vehemently as she passed the back of her hand across her chin. “Do it. Let’s find out if she really is a virgin. If she is, fuck her so hard she’ll never forget it. Screw that bitch!”

  Nicco’s eyes lit up and his cock sprung to life.

  Women, they were so much more dangerous than men ever gave them credit for. On her ass on the ground, keeping herself upright with her hands planted on either side of her, a gleam of steel caught her eye. Nicco came down to grab her; Alena put her weight on her palms and her arms as she kicked up with both feet. The flat bottom of her feet connected with his chest, sending him flying backward and knocking the air out of him. Before he hit the ground, Alena grabbed the knife from Scopas’ belt, which was around his ankles. She crouched forward, tossing the knife from one hand to the other. “Come on.”

  The gesture enraged Nicco and he flew at her, intent not just on pummeling her until she was bloody but on choking the life out of her while he penetrated that virgin hole. His arms opened as though he were going to grab her and throw her to the ground. Alena crouched a little lower until he was right over her and then she thrust the blade upward and deep into the area just under his left armpit. “Men,” she whispered, “always so stupid.” Alena yanked the knife free of the brachial artery.

  Nicco stood there for a moment, the pain bright under the arm he could no longer raise with fingers he could no longer move. He looked down to see a small river of blood and then made the mistake of trying to raise it. There was a little left there, the arm came up just a small ways, just enough to open the wound. The small river of blood became a torrent that splashed down over the dead body of Scopas and Onya, who was still on the ground next to him. She put up her arms to protect her face as she let out a heavy cry of surprise and disgust. Nicco rocked on his feet, pitched forward, and fell over dead.

  “Looks like it’s just you and me now,” Alena said softly to Kat, who stood there seething at the sight of the dead man who had been her on-again off-again lover for the last ten years.

  “You bitch!” Kat lost all control. She charged headlong at Alena, who stood there grinning with the bloody knife in her hand, but she would not make the same mistake Nicco did. Kat faked right and then made a sharp left to grab Alena’s hand and twist the wrist with the knife; she banged it over her knee until Alena let go. She picked up the knife, but Alena sunk her teeth deep into Kat’s thigh and she let go of it before she could get a grasp on it. Kat grabbed hold of Alena’s head and thrust it into her knee. Alena’s teeth gnashed into her tongue and the sides of her cheeks, the salty taste of blood rose warm in her mouth. However, Kat was sorriest. Alena’s head was harder than she had thought. While Alena saw stars, Kat’s knee gave out a great cracking sound and became useless as it splintered. She fell to the other knee and the Fey wriggled out of her hold. Alena held her hands together in the double axe-handle and brought them down between Kat’s shoulder blades, sending the woman full out on the dirt.

  “Why?” Alena demanded. “Why Onya? What did she ever do to you?” The little Fey made the mistake of glancing at the blood-soaked woman cowering against the cold stone of the empty cave. Kat reached out, grabbed hold of the hem of the gown with both hands, gave a might yank and brought Alena to her knees. As she crashed to the ground, Kat let go, balled up her fist tightly and punched Alena in the jaw. The force sent her reeling backward to land on her back away from Kat, who had time to grab the knife.

  Leaning heavily on the good leg, she stood over the Fey. “I’m going to make you so sorry, Alena,” she threatened as she held up the knife. “I’m going to rape you with this until you’re dead. Handle first and then the blade.” The woman lunged at Alena, but Onya gathered up the presence of mind to stick out her foot and trip Kat. She went tumbling to the floor of the cave and landed on the blade of the knife. It sliced through her midsection just below the heart and lungs, but through the intestine where it began to leak harmful fluids into her body. Rolling onto her back to avoid the knife sinking in deeper and doing more damage, she pulled it free to see it soaked with her own blood. Turning her
head, she saw Alena getting to her feet.

  Loading the Hind’s bow with a poison arrow, Alena took aim at Kat’s head. “You have no right to her, she belongs to Ares.” Alena pulled the string taunt and made ready to fire.

  A great flame sprung up at the entrance to the cave. “Yes, she does,” Ares said as he appeared on the scene. “Now lower the bow, Alena. This one’s mine.”

  Alena was not interested in his claim. She let the arrow fly. Ares caught it in mid-flight. “You don’t listen, do you?” Waving his hand in the air, Alena and Onya disappeared from the cave to the safety of his home. “Now that I have you alone,” Ares crooned and made his way over to her, where he sat on the ground next to her and put her head in his lap. “You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had, Kat. Now I come home to this?”

  “Ares…please…I…I was…I was trying to save Onya, I know how you care for her. The Fey brought her down here with Nicco.” She pointed to the dead men.

  “Is that right?” Ares asked softly and put his hand under her chin to tilt her head upward and look at him. “Why don’t I believe you?”

  “Ares,” Kat stammered. “I’m telling the truth….”

  “You tell me lies,” he whispered sadly and shook his raven head. Kat had served him well and long. She had been good company and provided much entertainment over the years.

  There was only one thing left for Kat to tell the God of War that might spare her life. Not that it mattered now, her life was probably slipping away from her as she lay here cradled in his arms, but if there was the slightest chance that she would live then she had to grab it. “Apollo was here, I saw him on the beach with her. He wants your little toy.”

  That was news. Not welcome news at that. “Does he or are you lying to me again just to save your pretty neck?”

  “I saw him.”

  Ares believed her as he leaned in closer, so close his lips were almost touching hers. “Tell me, sweet Katrina, how do you even know my brother?” Fear flashed in her eyes, it was clear and bright, just before Ares reached down and snapped her neck. “I’ll ask Alena. I believe she’ll tell me the truth.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The Mouths of Babes

  1

  Alena was very upset at having been so rudely and suddenly dismissed but she put that aside to take care of Onya. A trip up the stairs wasn’t in the young woman’s best interest so she took Onya into the bedroom Ares had given her. It had a soft bed, nice fluffy pillows, warm blankets, and best of all it was on the main floor. Sitting the battered young woman on the bed, Alena dashed down to the lower level. She drew a large pitcher of water and gathered up clean towels. Down here was a storage closet; she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to know about it or not, but Alena did. It had medical supplies, and she went to it to grab gauze, bandages, tape and antibiotic ointment.

  “I’m bleeding on your pretty bed,” Onya said softly when Alena came back into the room with her supplies.

  “Oh, we’re not going to worry about that,” Alena returned with a smile as she set the items down on the nightstand by the bed. “Thankfully, most of it isn’t yours.” She took the pitcher over to the fire where a cast iron kettle sat by the ever-burning flames and put a cup or so of water into it, then she hung it on the hook to boil before going back to the bed and the woman soaked in blood. Most of the rest she poured into a matching porcelain basin. “Can you stand up for a moment? You can sit in this chair here by the fire, I’ll help you.”

  Onya wasn’t sure why she was being asked to get up, she only knew that everything hurt both inside and out. Alena put an arm around her waist and helped her the few steps to the wooden chair sitting by the fire. Alena put her fingertips on Onya’s forehead to tilt her backward before she began pouring the warm water over her head. It was steamy and soothing as it flowed as softly as Alena’s gentle hands moving over her tender skin. Onya let out a little grunt of relief as Alena washed the blood from her hair and face.

  It took a few minutes because Onya’s hair was long and beautiful but Alena managed to get all of the blood and dirt out of it. “That’s all done now. Come back to the bed with me.” Onya looked up at her with wide distant eyes. “Just over there,” Alena prodded softly and wrapped her arm around Onya’s tiny waist once more to bring her back to the bed. “There, that’s better. Just lay back and let me take care of you. I’ll get you cleaned up the rest of the way. Let’s get rid of this.” Very gingerly she reached out to tug on Onya’s little fur halter—it was ripped to shreds and covered with blood, most of it Nicco’s, like the blood in her hair. Undressing might not be something Onya welcomed right now. Being touched might not be, either. If that turned out to be the case, then Alena understood. “What do you say?”

  Onya looked down at her favorite top and saw it was nothing more than a rag. It was bearskin, Ares hunted the bear, and he’d brought it back here and given the softest patches of the pelt to make a new outfit. Kat had been jealous even then. She sat up, took it off and threw it to the floor before lying down again.

  “Just stay still, everything will be all right,” Alena soothed as she dipped the smallest towel into the steaming water, rung it out, and then began to wash away the blood, dirt, grime and stink from Onya with a loving touch. The wounds weren’t too bad, mainly scrapes and gouges. Alena didn’t see any broken bones or major breaks in the skin that would require stitching. While that was good, it didn’t make the pain any less bright or the wound on Onya’s soul any less deep. “Is that ok? Too hard?”

  After the grope session from hell Onya had just endured, Alena’s kind touch was heavenly. Quite Motherly as a matter of fact, or at least the way a mother’s touch was supposed to feel. Onya didn’t have much firsthand experience in that area. “No. Thank you.”

  Alena gave her a wan smile and continued gently washing away the remains of the awful day. Eventually she washed away all of the blood that belonged to Nicco or Scopas and was down to Onya’s own wounds on her arms, hands, neck and breasts. “You’ll be all right,” Alena said again. “It’ll be a while but you’ll be all right again, maybe not exactly the same, but…good enough.” That didn’t sound as cheery as she’d wanted it, but then again halfway through the statement she realized she was lying, reversed course, and decided to tell the truth. “I have a nice nightgown Ares let me wear.” Alena went to the armoire and retrieved the gown. “It’s soft, you’ll like it. It will keep you warm.”

  “I have to go upstairs.”

  Alena sat down on the bed. “Not tonight. You stay here.” She held out the satin nightgown and held up a key. “When I go, I’ll lock the door, and then I’ll slip this under. No one will bother you tonight. Well, no one but Ares…can’t keep him out, I’m afraid.” Alena slid the gown over Onya’s head and then settled her down in the bed. “I’m so sorry they did this to you. It’s my fault,” she confessed, wanting to break into tears and beg the younger woman’s forgiveness, “it’s because you were nice to me.”

  “No,” Onya snorted and then let out a genuine smile. “It happened because Kat’s a bitch, a jealous bitch who can never stand it when someone else gets five minutes of his lordship’s attention.” She reached out and put her hand on Alena’s arm. “It’s not your fault.”

  Alena patted Onya’s hand. “I feel that it is, but that’s very kind of you.” Onya was weary, sleep would do her good, and the kettle was letting out a thick steam.

  “You fight good.”

  “Well,” Alena corrected before thinking. “Thank you,” she said more contritely and told herself she was no longer a schoolteacher, so there was no reason to correct anyone’s grammar.

  “Where’d you learn how to do that? Will you teach me?”

  “My father.” Alena paused for a moment. Onya had the best teacher in the whole world for such a thing, why ask her? “I’m sure Ares would be glad to show you how to defend yourself when you’re feeling better. Yes, I’m sure he’d like that very much.” Alena got up, took a porcelain cup from t
he mantle over the fire, and put in some of the herbs that she’d been collecting on her journeys across the island before she poured the steaming water over them. The herbs, flowers, leaves and roots hadn’t had much time to dry, but they would do the trick.

  Onya was going to say something else but Alena fell very silent as she stood by the fire holding a hand over the rim of the steaming cup. Onya watched her little silver haired friend as she stood very still, seeming to pray over the cup. When she was done, those gray eyes opened and turned to Onya, who swore she could see a peaceful misty morning in them.

  “This will help.”

  “What is it?”

  “Just some herbs, they’ll help you sleep and take away some of the aches, though not the one that matters most, I’m afraid.” She reached out and soothed Onya’s brow as she pushed a stray bit of hair away from her face. “That will take a bit of time.”

  Whether it was in the woman’s eyes, her voice, or simply her words, Onya wasn’t sure. “You know, don’t you? You know.” Onya didn’t know how that could be since Alena had arrived with a golden chastity belt around her waist, but she did know. She knew exactly was it was like to lay here in a place like this in a moment like this.