FrozenOrigin2
Hermes
ByCrystalDawn
Copyright2014byCrystalDawn
Thisisaworkoffictionandcharactersareentirelyaproductoftheauthors

imagination.Anyresemblancetoapersonlivingordeadismerelycoincidental.

CoverbyCrystalDawnusingIstockimages.
Dedicatedtomymotherwhoalwaysbelievedinme.
FrozenOrigin1-Zeus
Origin is the best in the field of DNA research and they have finely tuned

their craft. They started out with a line of supermen pulling all the best traits
from the millions of human DNA samples they had available to them. These
supermen were the smartest, fastest, strongest, and most adaptable the human
racehadtooffer,butOriginwasn’tsatisfied.Whentheyexpandedtheirfacility
in Antarctica, they discovered something that made the next level reachable.
Thesewerethegods,sofarbeyondtheabilitiesofmanthatevenwithsomeof
theirgiftsstillundiscovered,theyputthesupermentoshame.

Origin managed to get by with enslaving the products of their research for

years until they rented the talents of those products to terrorists that used them
against the US and their allies. A team was sent to free them and they were
allowedtobeanindependententity,freetorulethemselves.Theyhadmuchto
overcomeandOriginwasn’treadytogivethemupyet.

Prologue
“IneedyoutogotoWashingtontorepresentusinnegotiationsforoutdated

military equipment. What no one else knows is that they are also going to
discuss the first mission they would like us to do for them and what they are
willingtogiveusinreturn.”Zeussaidhopingtoreinforcetheimportanceofthe
mission.

“Why me?” Hermes said, happy to do whatever he was asked to do but

curioussincehedidn’tthinkhewouldbethebestqualifiedforsuchamission.

“It’sbecauseyouaresopretty.Youwon’tmakethemwanttopeethemselves

likeImightwhentheyseeme.”HadesvoicewasdeepasheteasedHermes.

Hermesgrowled.“I’mnotpretty.Ican’thelpitifyourfacelooksthesame

asyourass.Well,exceptthatyourassishairier.”

“At least I’m grown enough to have some hair, pretty boy.” Hades retorted

withasnort.

“Boys, boys stop your bickering. We all need to act like grownups here.”

Zeus said as he smiled indulgently. Hermes thought he secretly enjoyed the
teasing between the other gods although he never took sides and only rarely
participated.“Youwillgointhemorning,goodluck,brother.”

ThenextmorningthehelicoptertookhimawaytoWashingtonD.C.andall

the confusion staying among humans led to. He was there not even two days
beforehewastakenandcagedlikeawildanimal.EvenOriginhadputmostof
them in rooms leaving cages for those they felt transgressed against them. He
thought of Hades who had been pulled from such a cage half crazed from
torture,hungerandthirst.Nowhewassufferingasimilarfateforheknewifit
wasnotforthegirl,hewouldbeneardeathfromlackoffood.

Hermes
Chapter1
Abducted
She stood in the shadows at the far side of the barn watching him. It was

almost like he knew she was there even though he never turned her way. That
waswhatwassoodd,thatheneverdidturnherway.Ifshewaslockedupina
cage,shewouldlookeverywheretoseewhereshewas,iftherewasanyoneshe
could contact, or if there was any possible way to escape. But he looked
everywhere but where she was. He was tall and broad shouldered even though
his build was lean like a long distance runner. He stood in the light coming in
throughthewindowgivingheranexcellentviewofhismuscularbodyandhis
cleanshavenface.

Shecouldevenseethehintofatattooonhisbackthoughshecouldn’tmake

itoutfromwhereshestood.Herhalfbrother,Keven,hadreallydoneitthistime.
Kidnapping wasn’t something she had ever thought he would do. He was
graduatingfrompettytheftandshewasreadytocuthimloosethistime.Shehad
Fabian, her twelve year old brother to think about. There were nine years
between them but not because of lack of trying. Her parents had wanted more
childrenbuthadgivenupbythetimeFabiancame.

ShewouldhavetoleavesoonandKevenwouldbeonhisown.Ifsheleft,

she would shut off the utilities and have the house locked up. He would be
forcedtoleaveandsheandFabianwouldbefree.Ifheeverfoundthem,shewas
surehewouldkillthemboth.Kevenhadmadeabelieveroutofherthelasttime
hehadbeatenherwithinaninchofherlife.Kevenwasherdad’sfirstchild,the
result of a short painful affair that had ended badly. Eight months after he had
closedthedooronthecrazybitch,shehadknockedonitagain.

Shehaddroppedoffthelittlebundleofjoysayingshehadsufferedfornine

months,itwashisturntotakecareofhisbastard.Withastartlikethatinlife,no
wonder Keven was such a mess. Keven’s mother hadn’t just let things alone
either.Shehadreturnedregularlytoinstillbitternessandhateinhersonandto
askformoneyfromhisfather.Kevenwaseverythingthatcrazyoldbitchwould
wantinason.

Hermomhadbeentheonlyloveandwifeofherfather,HermanDouglas,a

wealthybusinessmanwhowasanavidcollectorofexoticanimals.Thebarnthat
currentlyhousedtheattractiveyoungman,hadbeenfulloflions,tigers,bears,
ohmyandahostofotherbeautifulbutdangerouscreatureswhenherfatherwas
alive.Itwaspartofherfather’sestate,thesameestatethatwascurrentlybeing
rundownbyherolderbrothertothepointshehadceasedanyattemptatmaking
repairs. She left quietly hoping the guy would escape or someone would save
him.Shewouldhelphim,butshehadherlittlebrothertothinkof.

Her dad had been both smart and stupid. He had left everything to her

planning on her taking care of both her brothers but he hadn’t realized how
violentandcrazyKeventrulywas.Inthethreeyearssinceherfatherhaddied,
she had been stuck trying to do as she knew he had wanted. Keven had gotten
worsedaybyday,bringingmoreviolentandcrazierfriendsheretostay.Shehad
takentowearingbaggyclothesandlookingasplainaspossiblesoshewouldn’t
gettheirattention.Shehadalsotakenselfdefenseclassesandlearnedtoshoota
gun because no matter how unappealing she made herself look, some of them
only cared if she was female and breathing, while some didn’t seem to care
aboutthebreathingpart.

ShecookedamealforFabianandassoonasshewasdoneshemadesurehe

atebeforeKevenoroneofhisbuddiestookitawayfromhim.Shecouldn’tkeep
enoughfoodforthescoresof‘buddies’Kevenhadthatpassedthroughhereand
she made sure alcohol wasn’t available for any of them. The last time one of
Keven’sbuddieshadfoundthecaseofbeerKevenhadtalkedherintogettingfor
him was still fresh in her mind. He had drunk what was left of the case which
was most of it since she had just bought it. He was in the kitchen looking for
food and not finding anything that didn’t require cooking. She didn’t keep
snacksorconveniencefoodsorKeven’sfriendswouldeatitall.Shehadwalked
inwhilehesearchedthrowingthingsonthefloorashediscoveredtheyneeded
tobecooked.

She didn’t berate him the way her tongue itched too since she knew these

guys were dangerous. She started to back out of the kitchen hoping he hadn’t
seen her there but luck wasn’t with her. His eyes shot up to where she stood.

“Oh,it’syou.”Hesaidandshecouldseethemomentherememberedshewas
female because a shifty look came over his face. “Hey, Sweetheart. Why don’t
youcomeoverhere?”Hesaidslurringthewordstowheretheyallrantogether.

She was poised to turn and run but he was fast even sloppy ass drunk. He

caughtherwristspullingherupagainsthisbody.Shefeltsick,struckwithterror
asthesmellofstalebeerandsweatfilledhernose.Hetriedtokissherbutshe
movedherfacesohemovedhisheaddowntoherbusttryingtobiteherbreasts
eitherasapunishmentorbecauseitturnedthesickbastardon.Hewasdistracted
so she jerked her wrists down hard, stomped on his bare foot, then drove her
kneeintohisbelly.Assheranaway,sheheardhimhitthefloorwithascream.
Shewassotiredofthislifebutshehadtostickitoutuntilthetimewasrightfor
Fabian.

Shewalkedtotheofficeherdadhadusedwhenhewasalive.Shechecked

onthescreensthatstillmonitoredthebarnwherethemanwaskept.Yup,hewas
still there and looking closely at him she saw he was drop dead fuck me
gorgeous. The tattoo on his back was wings, there was something on his neck
toobutitjustlookedlikescrollworkorsomething.Hehadjetblackhairandthe
camera must be messed up because his eyes looked purple, glowed, and they
were also staring straight into the camera. She went back to the kitchen to fix
himasandwichsohewouldn’tstarve.Shewoulddothatforanyone,butshehad
toadmitshewantedacloserlookathim.

She fixed a couple ham and cheese sandwiches thinking most people liked

thatandbroughthimasoda.Shewasn’tsureifKevenhadfedhimornot,but
she wasn’t willing to chance it. She slipped inside the barn and quietly walked
towardthecagehewasin,lookingaroundtobesurenooneelsewasthere.She
stoppedjustoutofhisreachwaitinguntilheacknowledgedher.

“Who are you and what do you want?” He asked as he turned his glowing

purpleeyesonher.Lookedlikethecamerawasworkingfineafterall.

She put the bag with the drink and the sandwiches on the floor by his feet

thengotbackawayfromhimquicklysohecouldn’tgrabher.Shehadlearnedto
becarefulthroughmanypainfullessonsthatshecouldn’tforgetifshetried.She
watched as he leaned down picking up the bag and looked through it. He took
out a sandwich and sniffed it. That made her want to laugh because it looked
funny.Heshookthecanofsodaandlookedatitlikehe’dneverseenonebefore.
Theguywasodd,butupclosehewasbeautiful.Shefeltfunnywhenshelooked
athim,achyandherheartraced.

“Is this food?” He asked her and she nodded. He took a bite then another

beforelongbothsandwichesweregone.Hepickedupthecanofpopandopened
it. She thought it might spew but only a little ran out of the top. He took a sip
andmadethefunniestface.“Whatisthisstuff?Itticklesmytongueandburns
mythroatalittle.”Shejustlookedathimwiththeoneeyethatwasn’tcovered
with her hair. She’d learned a long time ago talking got you into trouble.
“Thanksforthefood.Iwasgettingprettyhungry.”

ThatansweredthequestionofwhetherKevenhadfedhim.No,hellno, he

hadn’tbotheredtotakecareofhisguest.Ifhedied,Kevenwouldwonderwhy,
never realizing people had to eat and drink. The hose in the corner would
provide him with all the clean water he needed, but food had to be brought to
himatleastacoupletimesaday.Shewouldtakecareofhimbecausehewastoo
beautifultoletdie.Shemotionedathimandheseemedtorealizeshewantedhis
trashnowthathewasthrough.Heputthecanbackinthebagandsetitonthe
floor. She grabbed it and sped out of there and back to the house so no one
wouldknowshehadeverbeenthere.

Even after she was in the house, her heart hammered in her chest like it

wanted out. It could have been fear of being caught or it could have been the
excitementofbeingnearsuchadeliciouslookingman.Oh,no.Badgirl.Don’t
you even think about him that way. Her thoughts were just crazy since he was
stuckinacageandshewasinaprisonmadeoffamilyresponsibilitiesandthe
deep rooted fear she had of Keven. If nothing changed, they would both die.
Kevenwouldkillhimorsendhimtosomeonethatwould,whileshediedaslow
deathuntilKevenoroneofhisbuddieskilledherinarage.Don’tthinkaboutit.
Feelingsorryforyourselfwillgetyounowhere.

She pulled back her shoulders, held up her head, and went to her father’s

officetoworkontheescapeshehadplannedforoverayearnow.Iftheywere
caught, he would kill Fabian too, that was why she hadn’t tried yet. She saw
Kevenandoneofhisfriendsnearthecagethepoorprisonerwasin.Sheturned
upthesoundshockedbywhatsheheard.

Kevensaid,“Weneedtoauctionhimoffsoon.Maybewecaninterestsome

ladies,Ihearhiskindarerealstuds.”

“You know no one will pay as much as Origin will. They have money to

burn.”Hisbuddyinsisted.

“This one isn’t Zeus, they want him the most. This is just Hermes a

secondarygodsomaybetheotherbidderscanrunuptheprice.Wegetenough
doughandI’llgiveyoumysister,killthatlittlebrat,andblowthisjoint.”Keven
explainedwithasinisterlaugh.

Sheexaminedthemanwithhimrealizinghehadbeenthedrunkwhotriedto

rape her. It was clear he hadn’t forgotten and was only avoiding the place
becausehewasafraidshe’dhurthimorhewassoangryhemightkillherwhich
wouldpissoffKeven.Shedidn’tknowwhotheprisoner’speoplewerebutshe
couldn’tlethimbesoldtothehighestbidder.ItwastimeforherandFabianto
escapeandshewouldtakehimwithherbeforetheauctionstartedanditwastoo
late.Cherishknewitwastimetoactnoworallwouldbelost.Shewentbackto
thehouseheadedupthestairsandfoundFabian.

Shetoldhimwhatwasgoingonandthattheywouldtaketheirfather’sold

SUV.Itwasstillingoodshapesinceitwasnearlynewthreeyearsagowhenhe
had died. Keven couldn’t drive since he had too many DUIs. His license had
beenpulledandifcaughtdrivinghewouldfacejailtime.Theonlythingreally
wrong with it was the large dent in the door where Keven had kicked it once
whenshehadrefusedtoallowabuddytodriveit.Itwasoneoftheraretimes
shehadstooduptoKevenandhehadn’ttakenitwellbutatleasthehadkicked
theSUVandnother.SheexplainedeverythingtoFabianwhowasstillachild
buthadbeenforcedtomaturetooquickly.Hewouldhelpwhentheywereready
togowhichwouldn’tbesoonenoughforher.NowtheywouldwaituntilKeven
tookoneofhismysterioustripswherehewasgonefordaysandcamebackwith
abunchofmoney.

She returned to the office to watch the camera set on her recent obsession.

Keven was right about one thing, that man would draw women like bees to
honey.ShesawthatKevenandhisfriendweregoneandshehopedtheyhadleft
the grounds all together. She did her chores until supper time then started
cooking a meal. She shoved a couple chickens in the oven because she had a
feelingthemaninthecagecouldeatonebyhimself.Shefixedmashedpotatoes,
gravy,corn,andhotrollswithasouthernstylesweetteatodrink.Herstomach
rumbled reminding her that she had fed others, but not herself. It was alright
sinceshelikedamealliketheoneshewaspreparingbetterthansandwichesany
day.

She kept busy while the chicken baked, cleaning and doing laundry. Her

worstfearwasrealizedwhenKevencameinwithhisbuddytoseeiftherewas
anyfoodavailable.“Itisn’ttimetoeatyet,Keven.”

“Idon’tcare.StuandIarehungrynowsogetussomethingtoeat.”
Cherish fixed them sandwiches which they wolfed down like they hadn’t

eaten in a week and demanded more. She made them each another sandwich
whileshetriedtokeepdistancebetweenherandthem.

“Youknow,Keven,you’reright.”
“I’malwaysright.WhatamIrightaboutnow?”
“Your sister might be worth something alive after all. I mean besides

fucking.”Stulaughedlikehehadjusttoldthefunniestjokeever.

“Whatwouldthatbe?”Kevenaskedasifhecouldn’timagineanythingshe

wouldbegoodfor.

“Shecancookandcleanforus.”Stuexplained.
“Whatever.Eatupandwehavetogo.We’llbegoneforafewdays,Cher,so

takecareoftheguestinthebarnformeandmakesurehedoesn’tescapeoryou
won’tsurvivethatmistake.JustthinkofFabianandyou’lldotherightthing.”

“WhoisFabian?”Stuasked.
“Nobodyimportant,atleastnottous.”
ShelistenedtoKeven,herbrother,talkaboutFabianandherasiftheywere

nothingandsheknewtheywouldhavetodisappear.Theywouldonlybesafeif
he was in jail or dead and it pained her to think of him either way. She didn’t
knowhowlongtheprisonerhadbeenheresinceshegenerallyavoidedthebarn.
Keven tended to gather his ‘buds’, loose women, alcohol if he or one of his
friendscouldaffordit,anddrugsthathealwaysmanagedtohavenomatterhow
broke he was, in there. He could have had the prisoner for weeks, except she
knewhewouldhavediedwithoutfoodifhe’dbeentherethatlong.Shewould
waituntiltheyweregoneforaday,thenshewouldfreethemansohe,she,and
Fabiancouldrunasfastandasfaraspossible.

ShetookthedayafterKevenlefttopackherbagsandsettheminthecloset

wheretheywouldn’tbeseen.ShetooktheSUVtotowntohavetheoilchanged
andfillitupwithgas.Sheparkeditinthegaragewhenshereturnedhomesoshe
couldloaditwiththesuppliestheywouldneedandhadatarptocovertheback
so they wouldn’t be noticeable. It was hard to get through the day but even
hardertotrytosleepthatnightwiththefearanduncertaintydoggingherevery
step, every thought. It was surprising that the image of the prisoner, the one
KevenhadcalledHermes,calmedher.Shefinallyfellasleephopingthenewday
wouldbringfreedomforthemall.

Thealarmwentoffandshewasstilltired,whatasurprise.Therewasasense

ofdreadfightingwiththehopeforanewandbetterlifeiftheycouldjustescape
Keven. It was time to get up and hopefully start the first day of their new life.
Shewascautiousandcareful,twohabitsthathadservedherwellsinceherfather
haddied.ShecookedbreakfastandfedFabian,sheusuallyatelastbuttodayshe
atebeforefixingmorefoodforHermes.Shewouldn’tsayanythingtohimuntil

shewassureitwassafetogo.Shehandedthebreakfastshepackedforhimin
through the bars. She couldn’t use a plate because it wouldn’t fit through the
bars.Shewatchedhimwipeoutallthefoodwithgusto.

“Thank you, it was good. Will you tell me your name?” He asked with a

smile that made him as beautiful as an angel. His purple eyes glowed as he
watchedherintently.

“Cherish.” She whispered before she scurried off back to the house. She

knew she would think about him until she could come back hopefully to free
him.Shewalkedaroundthesideofthehousetothedoorwhenafamiliarvoice
stoppedhercold.

“Where were you, my dear sister.” Keven asked with a smirk. He enjoyed

hersurpriseatseeinghim.Therewouldbenoescapetoday.

“Justtakingawalk,itgetsstuffyinthehousesometimes.”Heexaminedher

closely as if he could detect a lie. She lied to him all the time and he usually
believedhersoclearlyhecouldn’ttell.

“Well,wewanttokeepyouingoodhealth.Stureallylikesyou,youshould

beflattered.”

She didn’t really know how to answer that without insulting Stu and she

knewbetterthantoupsetherbrotherfrompastexperience.Itonlyhardenedher
resolvetoleaveandmadehermorefrustratedthatKevenhadreturned.Thenext
weekhadKevenhangingevenclosertohomethaneverupsettingherandFabian
whowasallbutaprisonerintheatticapartmentwhenKevenwasaround.She
madehimstayisolatedwhenKevenwasnearsinceayearago,whenKevenhad
stabbed him. Her fear of losing Fabian overwhelmed her. Even though Keven
wasalive,shefeltthatFabianwasallshehad.

Kevenfinallywentonatripatthebeginningofthenextweekbutitwasonly

for part of the day. The frustration was overwhelming as the need to escape
pressed against her clawing to get out and away. When she saw Keven, every
timeshefeltpanic,pureandsimple.Hewouldkillthemallandshejustknewit,
iftheydidn’tescapesoon.Hermesmightnotdierightaway,buthewouldsend
himtothosewhowouldtortureandkillhimeventuallyjustassurelyasKeven
plannedtokillFabianandgivehertoStuwhowouldbethedeathofher.Every
time she got her hopes up that Keven would leave long enough to allow their
escape, he returned or cancelled his trip. He had sent out information about
Hermestointerestedpartiestopreparefortheauction.

Kevenandhisfriendswereinvolvedinsomeseriousthingsandtheyfeareda

company called Origin, which she knew worked with DNA, would come after

them, maybe even kill them. They made it sound more like a criminal
organization than a company. It was why they were trying to hide Hermes and
why it was taking so long to auction him off. They were checking out every
interested party and sending the information in a way they felt couldn’t be
tracked. Keven had brought in a buddy that was a computer specialist and
another that would ensure security for the delivery of Hermes to whoever the
winning bidder was. The only bright spot was that he had no security in place
now.Hefeareditwouldattractattentionandheknewitwouldcostmoreofhis
profittopayforiteventhoughthesecurityexperthadrecommendedit.Keven’s
sanity and the safety of everyone around him was barely kept in check. Time
wasrunningout.

Chapter2
OntheRun
Shehidintheshadowsagainwaitingtobesureitwassafetocometohim.

Mostmenwouldn’tcastasecondglanceherwaythinkingshewasjustamousy,
unattractivefemaleunworthyofattention.Hewasn’tmostmen,hepickedupon
the things others didn’t. Her baggy clothes covered a slim physique with well
roundedcurves.Shewasshorterthanmost,maybefivefootoneortwotops.She
woreherhairlongandpulledoverpartofherfacenotbecauseshewasshy,but
tohidefromthepredatorsallaroundher.Thisplacewasn’tsafeforCherishand
heragedinternallythathecouldn’thelpher,saveherlikehewantedto.Ofthe
twoofthem,shewastheonewiththemostpowerbutshewasafraidtouseit.
Hesawthefearsheshowedwhenthemalewhocalledtheshotswasnear.He’d
caughtherfeedinghimacoupletimesandhadspokendowntoherasifshewas
aslave.Hewasn’tsurewhothisFabianwas,butshecaredforhimalot.Ithurt
himtothinkhemightbehermateandhetriednottothinkaboutwhatthatmight
mean. She walked closer carrying the customary sack she always carried his
foodtohimin.Shesmiledasshehandedhimthebaganditlitupherwholeface
makingherappeardazzlingtohim.Sherarelyspokeawordandeventhenitwas
justthat,awordwhisperedlow.

Hewantedtoknowmoreabouther,likewhoshewas,whereshestayed,and

ifshewasmatedorfree.Hewantedtohugherandthankherfortryingtotake
careofhim.Hewantedtokissher,whoa,wherehadthatcomefrom?Hedidn’t
need or want a mate, not now when they had just been freed. He would admit
thathewasjealousofwhatZeushad,butSierrawasaspecialfemale.Hewas
sure Cherish was special as well, but he couldn’t imagine being mated, which
wasforever,toafemalethatwouldn’tstandupforherself.Sowhatifshewas

beautifulandkind?Agodneededastrongfemaletobalancehimorshewould
benogoodtohimexceptforsexandbreedingmoregods.Hewantedmoreand
shedeservedamalethatwouldbehappywithwhatshewasandwhatshehadto
give.

Today,shehadbroughthimlasagna,garlicbread,asparagus,andapieceof

chocolate cake for dessert. She had put a lot of time into his meal and he saw
othersignsthathemightinteresther.Hefeltbadthathewouldhavetolether
down.Ofcourse,ifhewassoldliketheonecalledKeventoldhimhewouldbe,
hewouldn’tbeheretobreakherheart.Lifecould,andoftenwas,sounfair.He
had been freed from a life of confinement only to be imprisoned again. The
worldoftheoutsiderswastoohardforevenagodtomanagebyhimself.

He tasted the lasagna thinking it the best he ever had. It was so far above

whathehadinthepasttherewasnocomparison.Thegirlcouldcook,justone
more positive thing about her. He had never cared for most of the vegetables
they had served him in the cafeteria, but the asparagus was crisp and well
favored. The chocolate cake, his favorite dessert, was to die for. She watched
himeat,hereyesfollowingeverymovehemade.Maybeheshouldmateherjust
forhercookingskills,butno,thatwouldn’tbefair.She’dpushedherhairoutof
her face for the first time since he had met her. She was lovely beyond
descriptionsohepausedineatinghisfoodjusttolookather.

“What?DoIhavedirtonmyface?”Sheaskedforgettingwhathecouldonly

imaginewasherruleofsilence.Hervoicewassweetasanangel’s,orwhathe
imaginedonemightsoundlike.Hesattherelikeafoolsmilingatherandneither
speakingnormoving.Shelookedathimwonderingwhatwaswrong.“Hermes
what’swrong?”

“Nothing,Cherish.Iwasjuststruckwiththeworriesofmysituation.”Nota

lie,hejustrealizedhewantedtomateafemalewhowascompletelywrongfor
him. His heart would not listen to reason and his body ached for her. Damn, it
seemedthathewouldbeafoolforlove.Ha,ha.Maybehewouldbeluckyand
find happiness with his mate as Zeus had. He only needed to accept her
shortcomingsandloveheranyway.Nowtheonlyquestionwashowdidshefeel
abouthim.Hefinishedeatingandhandedherbackthebag.

Shescurriedawayasshealwaysdid,butthistimehesawherinadifferent

light.Shewassurroundedbyhisloveandheknewshewouldbeback.Hermes
lay down on the bed relaxing and thinking back to how he had arrived at this
point. He remembered his surprise when Sierra had unlocked his door and
beckonedhimoutintothehall.AtfirsthehadmadethesamemistakeasZeus

andothershad.Hehadthoughtheranattractivefemalebroughtinasareward
forsomethinghehaddonethathiskeepershadapprovedof.Itwasn’tunusualto
be rewarded and unsure of why you were getting the reward. Life at Origin
wasn’talwayssimplebutitwastheonlylifehehadknownuptothatpoint,so
he followed the temptress into the hall and was surprised to find it full of his
brothers.

It wasn’t a big surprise that Zeus had claimed the sexy woman before any

otherhadachanceto.Hewastheirleaderinallthingsincludingbeingthefirst
tomate.WouldhebethesecondwhenheconvincedCherishtomatewithhimor
had others been joined while he was away? He wished that for all his brothers
butfornowhehadtogetfree.Hisgiftandhisabilitiesasagodwouldhelphim
butonlyoncehewasfreefromhiscage.

He saw Keven come in not much longer after Cherish had left. He and the

otherguy,theonethatstaredatCherishasifheownedher.Hewouldneverown
her, she belonged to Hermes and no other. “Hey, money man.” Keven said
happily. “You are worth so much money and I have a shot at another one of
you.”Hechuckledgleefully.

Hermes wondered who was giving these jerks all their information. He

thoughtbacktowhenhehadagreedtogotoWashingtonasaliaisonbetweenthe
godsandtheUSgovernment.Thefirstdayhehadarrivedtheyhadputhimina
hotelroomandtoldhimtotakethedaytoacclimatehimself.Thefirstmeeting
wasn’t until the next morning so he had time to explore and do whatever he
wanted. Origin had never allowed them any real freedom and he had always
wantedatattoosohefoundthenearesttattooparlorandhadasetofwingsput
onhisback.Hewas,afterall,themessengergod.SowhatiftheoriginalHermes
hadapairofwingedshoes,hecouldputhiswingswhereverhewantednowthat
hewasfree.

Hewentoutforadrinkortwowhilethepainfromhistattoodulledand the

rednesseasedandhealed.Hewasrelaxingandenjoyingtheattentionofseveral
women that had flocked around him. Heady stuff for a god newly freed when
female companionship had been such a premium all his life. He should have
been more alert, more cautious when dealing with so much unknown. He had
followedthemouttothealley,justacontinuationofthepartyasthebarclosed.
Theblondewasalloverhimbutwhowashetocomplain?

Hehadn’thadafemaleinmonthsandsheobviouslywantedhim.Sowhatif

it was in an alley, this particular alley saw this type of action all the time. She
wastakingchargesohejustleanedbackandlethergototown.Hefelttheair

hithiscockassheopenedhispantsandpulleditout.Theothergirlsoohedand
ahhedoversuchaspectacularmasculinedisplay.Hewasn’tanexhibitionist,not
really. He was just comfortable with nudity and his own body. The blonde
wasted no time on niceties or foreplay but went after what she wanted. She
climbedonboard,pullingherselfupwithherarmsaroundhisneck.Hegrabbed
aholdofherasstoholdherinplaceasshemovedherhandbetweenthemlining
themup.Shepushedherselfdownmergingtheirbodies.

Thefemalewasinexcellentphysicalconditionmovingherselfupanddown

onhiscockwithnohelpfromhim.Hetriedtomovebutshesmackedhimwhen
hedidandatthispointheneededtogetoffasmuchasheneededtobreathe.It
remindedhimofadanceexceptshedidn’tseemtoneedorwantanyhelpfrom
him. She was in a sexual frenzy as she moved up and down talking dirty and
making animal noises. He felt she was near her release so he let himself go,
livinginthemoment.Sheexplodedasecondbeforehedid,milkinghiscockfor
allshewasworth.Wheneverydropofseedwaswrungfromhim,shesliddown
totheground.That’swhenhefeltapinchanditwaslightsout.

Whenhewoke,hewaslockedupinacold,darkplacewithchainskeeping

himfrozeninplace.Heshouldhaverealizedthatwildaggressivewomencould
bringasmuchpainaspleasure.Hehadjustbeentiredofhisownhandbeinghis
only comfort so he had let the situation spiral out of his control. If he ever
escapedthisplace,hewouldbemorecautious.Thelessonlearnedwasvaluable
though it came at an impossible price. He knew Zeus and the other gods were
looking for him, they would leave no stone unturned but he didn’t even know
exactlywherehewas.Hewasonlysurethatitwasalongwayawayfromthem
andsinceherarelyheardacar,hefigureditwasalongwayawayfromanyone.

Cherishslippedbackintothebuildinghourslater.Shecametwiceadayto

bringhimfoodsohewouldn’tstarve.Shehadcookedhimawholechickenand
had to turn it sideways to get it through the bars. The rest of the food was in
anotherbag,athermosofsouthernstylesweetteawasalsopassedthroughthe
bars. This was one of his favorite meals, baked chicken, potatoes with gravy,
corn bread muffins, and a side of green beans with bacon in them. The dessert
wasabigpieceofpecanpiemakinghimfeelmorelikeatreasuredguestthana
prisoner.Hewantedtoaskherthings-didshecookthefoodherself,whywasshe
here, couldn’t she escape, and most of all, did she have a mate- but he feared
she’drunawayandnevercomebackifheshowedtoomuchinterest.

He finished his food and reluctantly handed his empty bags and thermos

back through the bars that separated them. What would he be tempted to do if

the bars weren’t there? His thoughts must have shown on his face because she
nervouslysteppedback,turned,andhurriedaway.Didn’tsherealizeshewashis
womanandnooneelse’s?Apparentlynot,sinceshespedawaylikeshewason
fire,notevensparingthetimeforabackwardglance.Hewentbacktositonhis
cotandthinkaboutthechangeshehadgonethroughthelastfewweeksonlyto
endupconfinedoncemore.

Thenextdaythesunshinecamethroughthewindowbrighteninghiscagebut

not nearly as much as Cherish could. He was living his life right now just
waiting for her to come to him, for nothing else mattered to him. He tried to
thinkofawaytogetoutofthecagebuttheonlywayoutwasifshefoundaway
to free him but seeing her terror when she saw the men who held him captive
madehimrealizehecouldneveraskthatofher.Asscaredasshewas,shewould
never be able to pull an escape off. Just as he thought about her, she appeared
looking as lovely as a mythical creature might. She passed him his meal and
whenshepassedhimhisthermos,hefeltsomethingodd.Itwasakey,butdidhe
darehopeitopenedhiscell?Shemovedtoanoddangleawayfromhimandhe
realizedshewastryingtoblockthecamerafromseeinghermouth.

If the camera had no sound, they couldn’t know what she said. “Keven is

supposedtoleaveforathreedaytripintwohours.Weneedtohurrytogetaway
beforehecomesback.Thiswillbeouronlychance.FabianandIwillbewaiting
foryouinaSUV.”

Hefinishedeatingandhandedbackhisempties.Hehadalottothinkabout

and two hours to do it. He would know when she pulled up in front of the
building because of his sensitive hearing. It was hard to believe his fearful
femalewouldreallydoit.Hewentovereverypossibilityinhisheadincluding
herchanginghermind,herleavingwithouthim,andhergettinghurtbecauseof
him,butintheendhehadnocontroloveranythingandshewoulddoasshesaw
fit.Heheardthesoundofamotorinfrontofthebuilding,heputthekeyinthe
lockonthedoor,turnedit,andwhenitopenedhehurriedoutandintothefree
worldoncemore.Shewaitedoutfrontinthedriver’sseatandayoungboysat
behindher.Theboylookedathimwithwideeyesasifhehadneverseenanyone
quitelikehim.

Hermesrememberedhewashalfnaked,histattoowasinplainsight,andhis

eyesprobablyglowedtheirunusualpurplecolor.Theboyseemedtorealizehe
wasstaringbecausehedroppedhiseyestothefloorboardinstead.Whowasthis
child that would be with them as they ran to freedom? Where was Fabian, the
man she spoke of with such love. He jumped in the passenger seat where she

insisted he wear his seat belt. She left in a cloud of dust because the driveway
wasdirtnowwithonlyhintsofthegravelthathadoncebeenthere.

Shedrovetothenearesttownfindingasmallairport.Shewenttotalktoa

guyinwhatlookedliketheofficeatoneofthehangars.Itlookedlikeshehad
rentedtheplanetoflythemsomewherebutitwasasmallprivateplanemadeto
flyfivetosevenpeopleatthemostandtheywouldn’tbeverycomfortable.With
just the three of them, the pilot, and their luggage, the fit would be tolerable.
Cherishsatinthefrontwherethecopilotusuallysat.Itmadehimfeeldejected
becauseshewasn’tathisside.Itseemedsomethesehumanwomencouldgrow
on a male if he wasn’t careful. The flight wasn’t long, maybe a couple hours
before they landed on another private airfield. Cherish led them into another
hangertossingabagathimandencouraginghimtochange.

“We’llstayhereadayortwosoIcanchangeupmyhairandweshouldget

yours dyed so it looks different. Fabian should be alright since Keven hasn’t
seenhiminages.”Cherishinstructedhimasshehandedhimapairofsunglasses
shepulledoutofthebagshehadcarriedin.Thehangerwasn’ttoobadsinceit
hadafullbathroomandacoupleroomswithbedstobunkin.Ithadakitchenette
that would work to cook food in or they could throw together a sandwich. For
now it was time to clean up and recover from stress of their escape. He meant
that more for Cherish and the boy since he was a god and he didn’t let such
thingsbotherhim.FindingouttheboywasFabianhadcomeasagreatreliefto
him. She was free for him to claim, he just knew she was. He took the first
shower and found nice, clean clothes laid out for him. She had bought him
designer jeans, a T shirt, high tops, underwear, and socks. The underwear was
comfortableandremindedhimoftheshortsOriginhadmadethemwearmostof
thetimeatthefacility.

Fabian would be next since the plane had been dusty and he was sure

CherishwouldtakeashowerafterFabian.Hehadtoadmit,tohimselfanyway,
that the thought of her naked in the shower touching herself was driving him
crazy.Hestrippedandturnedonthewatersettingitjustrightbeforesoapingup
his hands and washing himself. He started with his chest and worked his way
down but when he got to his engorged aching member, he spent a little time
bringing himself some relief. He cupped his balls tugging on them making his
cockacheevenmorebeforemovinguptograsphismemberwhichwasstraining
upward. He closed his eyes, put one hand out to hold onto the shower wall in
frontofhim,andstartedstrokinghimself.

He thought of Cherish and tried to imagine what her small smooth hands

wouldfeellike.Inhismind’seye,hecouldseeher,feelherasshetouchedhim.
Herhandwouldmovefasterasshegrippedhimasifsheneverwantedtorelease
him.Hisbreathingcameinharshgaspsashefelthisorgasmbuilding.Hewas
likeavolcanoabouttoeruptastheimageofherstrokingfaster,harder,filledhis
minduntilheexplodedshootingstreamafterstreamofmilkywhitefluidagainst
theshowerwall.Hejerkedasblisswashedoverhimgivinghimthebestrelease
of his life. If imagining her stroking him was this good, what would reality be
like?

Hewenttofindabedtocrashin,partlybecausehewouldneedhisstrength

toseethemthroughandpartlybecausetherewasnothingelsetodo.Hetookthe
bunkbehindthedoorwherehecouldseeanyoneenterbuthewashiddenuntil
they came in and turned around. He thought about sleep, but he just wasn’t
sleepyenoughormaybeitwasthoughtsofCherishandwhatshewasdoingright
now. Was she in the shower right now doing what he had done? Was she
touching herself to bring relief to her stressed out body? She might even be
tryingtosleep,restingforwhatevertomorrowmightbring.Heheardasoundas
someonecameintotheroom.ItwasCherishandshewaswearingnothingbuta
littletowel.Hismouthwateredwantingtotasteher,torunhismouthandhands
overherbodylickingandstrokingeveryinch.

She seemed not to realize he was there as she stepped in past the door and

droppedthetoweltothefloor.Hismouthwentdryashisheartbeatrapidlyand
hislungsrefusedtotakeinabreath.Herbackwastohim,smoothandflawless
allthewaydowntoapertrearend.Hecouldalmostfeelherperfecthandfulof
asscheekssqueezedinthepalmsofhishands.Ifsheturnedaroundandshowed
himherfronthewassurehewoulddie.Hetriedtolookaway,toputhishead
downandpretendtosleep,buthecouldn’tstopstaringatherbeautifulbackside
tosavehislife.Shepulledonasleepshirtandbrokethespellthathehadbeen
under.Heduckedhisheadintothepillowandpretendedtosleep.Ifshenoticed
him, she never said a word. She just pulled back the covers of the other bed,
slipped between them, and went to sleep. He could hear when her breathing
evenedoutandshefelldeepasleep.

He tossed and turned long after she slept, trying to sleep but unable to.

Worriesandmemorieschasedeachotherthroughhisheadleavinglittleroomfor
rest. At some point he must have drifted off because when he woke it was
daylightandhecouldsmellcoffeeandbacon.Herose,dressed,andfollowedhis
nosetowherebreakfastwaswaiting,butCherishwasn’t.

Chapter3

Hades
She had gone to a beauty salon for the first time since her father had died.

She wasn’t hiding anymore so she was going to look her best. Keven would
neverrecognizeherwithoutherhaircoveringhalfherface.Shehadneededto
fade into the background because Keven’s friends were criminals, some were
evenconvictedrapists,butnowshewasfreeofthemandhim.Sheleftthesalon
andwenttobuysomeclothesthatlookedgoodandactuallyfit.Shechangedinto
thematthestoreandthrewawayheroldones.Shewasgoingtogetridofallof
thembecauseshewantednoremindersofthelastthreeorsoyearsofhell.She
bought some makeup and put it on in the car barely recognizing the girl who
lookedbackatherinthemirror.SheandFabian’snewlifewasstartingnowand
ifsheneversawKevenagain,itwouldbetoosoon.

Shedrovetothehangerandwalkedin,thesmellsofbreakfaststilllingered

intheairthoughthefoodwaslonggone.Sheshouldhaveeatenintownbutfear
ofbeingcaughtmadeherhurryeverywhereshewent.Shemightlookdifferent
but the fear was still there. She grabbed some stuff out of the fridge and fixed
herselfasmallbreakfastinoneskillet.Shewasn’tpayingattentionassomeone
snuckuponherandshewascaughtinagripofsteel.Hertrainingkickedinand
shewasluckyhehadn’texpectedasmallfemaletoputupafight.Fearspiked
heradrenalinegivingherextrastrengthassherelaxedputtinghimateasebefore
turning in his loosened hold and kneeing him in the crotch. As her attacker
droppedtothefloorwrithinginagony,sherealizeditwasHermes.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry but you shouldn’t sneak up on a girl like that.

You’reluckyIdidn’thityouwiththehotfryingpanorpourtheburninggrease
onyou.”

Hemoanedbutshowedsomesignsofrecovery.“Idon’tfeelverylucky.”He

managedtorasped.

When he seemed well enough, she helped him to the couch where he sat

staringather.Shesmiledathimseeingtheapprovalinhiseyes.“Youlike?”She
asked and he nodded either unable or unwilling to speak. She wanted his
approvaltoomuchandsheknewnogoodwouldcomeofit.

“When will we move on and where do you intend to take us?” Hermes

asked.Shehadexpectedhimtoaskmuchsoonerthanhehad.

“I have options but I thought you might have some input. Fabian and I are

freetogoanywhere,wehavenoonebuteachother.Wehavenoplacetobebut
together.”

“Whatishetoyou?”Hermesasked.

“Heismylittlebrother.Myfathertaskedmewithseeingtohiswelfarewhen

hedied.Kevenwasmyolderhalfbrother.Itriedtolookoutforhimandsteer
himrightbuthewasalostcause.Iamsorryforthepainhecausedyou.Heis
beyondsavingandIknownowIcan’thelphimnomatterwhatIdo.”Cherish
explainedhopinghewouldunderstandandheseemedto.

“Kevenistheguythatwasincharge?”Heaskedandshenodded.“Ihavea

suggestionbutIwantyoutohearmeoutbeforeyouobject.”Shecouldseered
lightsgooffinherheadsincehealreadyexpectedanobjectionbutsheremained
quiet waiting for the axe to fall. “I need to go back to Washington D.C. to
contact my people. I admit it will be dangerous, but if we make it to them we
willallbesafe.”

“ItisthefirstplaceKevenwilllookandhewillbelooking.”
“Iknow,butitistheonlywayIknowtocontactmypeople.”
“You keep saying your people, but you don’t sound or look foreign except

foryoureyes.Youdon’treallylookIndianeither,sowhoareyourpeople?”

“Youdon’tknowwhoIam?”Sheshookherheadwonderingwhatshehad

missed.“Iamagod,doyourecognizemenow?”

“No, is that some kind of band? I got rid of the TV because it encouraged

Keven to leave me and Fabian alone. He would get bored and bother someone
else.”

“Okay, I’m not sure how to explain this. My people are genetically

manipulatedsuperbeingsthatwereenslavedbyOrigin.”

“I’ve heard of Origin before but never anything bad until I heard Keven

talkingaboutthem.Theykeptyouagainstyourwill?”

“Yes,butnowwearefree.Wenowrunthefacilitywherewewerekept,but

Originwantsusback.Kevenwantedtosellmetothem.Theywilldoanything
togetusallback.”

Shelistenedcloselyandnowsheunderstoodthedangerwasfarbeyondjust

Keven and his merry band of misfits, there was an organized and wealthy
company after Hermes that had incalculable resources to use to find him. Life
had just gotten even more complicated or at least now she knew how
complicated it had been all along. She knew in that moment she would do
anything for him as long as she could find a way to protect Fabian. He was
innocent and defenseless and she couldn’t risk his safety no matter what she
wanted.

“WehavetofindawaytogetFabiantosafety,thenIwillgowithyou.”
“Wherecanwetakehim?”

“There’sonlyoneplace,onepersonIwouldtrusttoseetoFabian’scare.Ben

Ryman was a friend of my dad most of his life. They went on safari together
untilBenlostalegandcouldn’tgoanymore.He’lltakecareofhimuntilwecan
comebackforhim.”

“Won’tKevenknowtolookthere?”
“Keven didn’t hang around at home enough to know anyone who Dad was

friendlywith.”

Nowtheyhadaplantofollowanditwastimetogo.Shegotonthephoneto

reachthepilotwhowouldbeavailableatamoment’snotice.Larryansweredon
thefirstringasifheexpectedhercall.“I’llbethereinanhour.Wheredoyou
wanttogo?”

“We need to go Texas, Dallas to be precise.” She hung up and turned to

Hermes.“Wehaveanhourtogetreadyandpack.”Shewasn’texpectinghimto
pullherintohisarmsandhughertight.Hejustheldheruntilhewasreadyto
releaseherthenhekissedherlightlyonherforeheadbeforehedroppedhisarms
to his side. She felt oddly disappointed that he had let her go. She went into
Fabian’sroomtotellhimtogetreadybuthewasalreadypackedup.Itwassad
thatatsoyounganage,hehadlearnedtoanticipatewhatwouldhappennext.

Thepilotarrived,theyloadedeverythingontheplane,andtheyheadedfor

Dallas.Shehadn’tseenBensincejustbeforeherdadhaddied.Dadhadvisited
Ben regularly over the years, never forgetting to visit and encourage him since
Benhadsunkintoadepressionafterhehadlosthisleg.Itwasn’tjustbecauseof
that,Ben’swifehadlefthimandtakentheirtwochildrenwithherassoonasshe
foundout.Theyweregrownupnowandvisitedhimoften,buthehadlostmany
of their childhood years because his ex-wife moved often and hid the children
from him. Ben was what most people would call a character; he was friendly,
likable,andcouldtellatalltalewiththebestofthem.Hehadlivedanexciting
lifethatmostonlydreamedofwhenhewasyoungersoitwassadtoseehowhe
hadpulledintohimselfaftertheaccident.Itwasyearslaterbeforehestartedto
comebackoutofhisshellandlivedlifeagain.

Theylandedafteronlyacouplehourssincetheyweren’tthatfaraway.She

worriedthatBenmightnotbehomebecausehehadremarried,evenhadanother
child,andtakenbacktohisadventurouswaystosomeextent.Maybesheshould
havecalledhimbutitwastoolatetoworryaboutthatnow.Larrywouldwaitat
the airport for them either way since she and Hermes would go on to
Washington.Benlivedabouttenmilesfromthelittleprivateairfieldwherethey
hadlanded.ArentalSUVwaswaitingforthemfullofgasandreadytogo.Her

dadhadtraveledagreatdealandhadcontactsallovertheworld,theownerof
thisairfieldbeingoneofthemanyfriendshehadmadewhenhehadgoneonhis
safarisandothertravels.Therewasnodoubtwhenyouwereinasituationlike
sheandHermesnowfoundthemselves,itpaidtohavefriends.

TheymadeittoBen’shouseinthirtyminutesbecausetrafficwasheavyin

thepopulatedareatheyhadtotravelthrough.BoththeairfieldandBen’shome
wereinmoreruralareasbuttherewasaheavilypopulatedareainbetweenthe
two. She feared at first that no one was home but Hermes heard conversation
behind the house and when they walked around, they found Ben and his son
breakingapairofhorses.

“Cherish,Fabiantheseoldeyeshaven’tseensuchawelcomesightinyears.

Did you finally ditch that asshole Keven? Sorry, I forgot that was a sensitive
topic.Whatya’lldoin’outhere?”

Cherish doubted he forgot the topic was sensitive but she was glad he was

happy to see them. His son was around Fabian’s age and the last time her dad
had brought them here, they had enjoyed playing together. She worried about
Fabian’s social skills since he spent all his time around adults or alone. She
wasn’tworriedabouttheroughlifestyleBenledbecauseFabiantookclassesin
allkindsofthingsincludinghorsemanship,selfdefense,weaponry,andhetook
trips regularly to hone survival skills and sports like skiing and diving. He
wouldn’t have any trouble keeping up physically and would actually enjoy the
activitiesBenparticipatedinthesedays.

Theytalkedalittle,catchingupandsheintroducedHermestoBenandhis

son while they got the horses ready for his farm hand to take back to pasture.
Shedidn’twanttodiscussanythingaroundpossiblyunfriendlyears.Theywent
insidewhereBenhadhishousekeepersetoutsupperforallofthem.Theywere
starving so it was appreciated. Once they were done, the table cleared, and the
housekeeper working in the kitchen, they retired to the family room to have a
longtalk.BensuggestedFabianandBenJr.gotothegameroomandplay.

Nowthatitwasjustthethreeofthemitwastimetotellhimeverything.She

explainedaboutKevenandhowhehadspiraledoutofcontrolassoonastheir
dad had died he had taken to illegal activities. She let Hermes explain about
KevenkidnappinghimandhisneedtogettoWashingtontocontacthispeople.

“That’sadangerouswaytogettothem.”Benobserved.
“It’stheonlywaysincetheyaresoisolatedandIhavenootherwaytogeta

hold of them.” Hermes insisted. “Or do you have a better idea?” Of course
neitherofthemknewenoughabouthismalestosuggestanything.

“Whydon’tyougocheckontheboys,Hermes,makesuretheyarealright?”

BensuggestedinanattempttogetheraloneandshewassureHermesknewit
forwhatitwasbutwentanyway.

“I’m glad to see you got yourself a good guy, Cher. I worried about you

whenyouwerestillsinglewhenyourdaddiedandallthatresponsibilityfellon
yourshoulders.”

“HermesandIaren’ttogether.”
“Notyet,huh.Itwon’tbelong,believeme,Iknowwhatthatlookinayoung

feller’seyesmeansandI’mhappyforyou,girl.Ialwayssawyouasanadopted
daughterofsorts.Hell,Ibetterchangethesubjectormyeyeswillgetred.Not
thatI’mabouttocry,nosiree,notme.”Bensmiledatherandshedetectedasign
ofthosetearshedenied.Hermescameinsotheygotbackdowntobusiness.

“Idon’twanttobringFabianwithme,theriskistoogreatsoIneedyouto

keep him for me. I’ll give you access to his account so he’ll have money for
anythingheneeds.”

“OfcourseI’llkeephimforyou,butareyousureyouwanttotakearisklike

this,eitherofyou?”

“WehavetosoHermeswillbesafe.I’llcomebacktogetFabianassoonas

I’msurethere’snoproblems.”

Shesatdownandtookthenecessarydocumentsoutofhersatchel.Shehad

themmadeupwhenherdaddiedincaseanythinghappenedtoherwithoneset
for her to keep the other kept by the estate’s attorney. She had hoped never to
needthembecauseonceFabianhitsixteen,hewouldslowlytakecontrolofhis
partoftheestate.Ateighteenhewouldhavemorecontrol,andattwentyone,he
wouldtakefullcontrol,butnothavefullaccesstoallfundsuntiltheageofthirty
atwhichtimehecouldchoosetopulleverythingoutoftheestateandsetuphis
own accounts or leave it in the estate accessing only what he needed. Only a
limited amount could ever be accessed by a temporary guardian, but it was
plentytopayFabian’swayuntilshereturned.

Witheverythingtakencareof,shehuggedherlittlebrothergoodbye,leaving

himcompletelyinsomeoneelse’scareforthefirsttimesinceherdad’sfuneral.
Itwashardforhertogo,butFabianseemedokaywithit.Hehadafellowgamer
to challenge and play with him, what more could a young man asked for?
Hermespulledheroutofthehousebyherarm,theyhadnotimetowaste.They
gotintotheSUVanddrovebacktotheairfield.Larrywaitedbytheplaneready
to go once they arrived. She was already getting tired of riding in the plane
where conditions were rough. It was a small plane her father used for those

impromptutripshewasknownfor.Thatspurofthemoment‘let’sgo’thinghe
haddoneoftenthathadledtohisdeath.Maybehehadwantedtodiesincehis
illnessdrainedthevitalityoflifefromhim,buttheywouldneverknowoneway
ortheother.

She sat next to Larry helping pilot the plane and Hermes sat right behind

Larrywhereshenoticedhiseyeswereonhermoreoftenthatnot.Shetriednot
to read anything significant in his attention even though she wanted it to mean
something more than it probably did. They flew above a storm, encountering
someturbulencewhichkeptherandLarrywatchfulandcautious.Fabianwould
havebeensickhadhecomealongsoitwasbesthe’dstayedbehind.Theyrode
out the storm and continued on for hours before they finally landed at another
privateairfieldnearWashington.Theywouldcleanupandrestacouplehours
beforegoingwhereHermeswanted.

The hanger they would stay in was much like the last one had been only

smaller. Land was more expensive here and an airfield like this costly to keep.
They shared the only bedroom, it had two twin beds for pilots to rest in. She
showered first while Hermes unloaded their things from the plane. She had
offeredtohelpbuthehadinsistedsayingitwouldtakeherlongertoshowerand
prepare for bed so it was best this way. Arguing with the man was a waste of
time so she gave in. She showered quickly and put on her nightgown brushing
herteethbeforeexitingthebathroom.

He was already unloaded and waiting for her to leave the bathroom so he

couldgetreadyforthenight.Maybetherewassometruthinwhathehadsaid,
butshestillfeltlazywhenshedidn’thelpout.Hefinishedhisshowerinrecord
time giving her the feeling he really was anxious to get to their destination as
quicklyaspossible.Shewantedtosleepmorethananythingsoshe’dberested
inthemorning,butherthoughtsweregoingamileaminuteandnothingseemed
tohelpslowthemdown.

“You’reawake,aren’tyou?”Hermesaskedfromhisbed.
“Howcanyoutell?”
“Youkeepsighing.Whatisbotheringyou?”
“I’veneverbeenawayfromFabiananylengthoftime,thismissionwe’reon

iscrazyscary,andthemoreyouknowyouneedtosleep,theharderitistodo.”

“Oh,that’sall.”Hesaidandshecouldhearthehumorinhisvoice.“Come

overhereandIwillhelpyourelax.”

Shecouldimagineallkindsofwayshecoulddojustthat,butsomehowshe

didn’tthinkthatwaswhathehadinmind.Thebottomlinewasshetrustedhim

soshegotoutofbedandmadeherwaytohis.Hepulledherintohisbedandin
frontofhim.Heputhishandsonhershouldersandbegantogentlykneadthem.
Hekneadedharderdiggingintothestiff,tensemusclesuntiltheybegantorelax.
Hewhisperedencouragementintoherearsandsherelaxedmoreandmore.She
leanedagainsthimashecontinued,nowitwasmoreofasoftstroking,soothing
motion.Atsomepointsherealizedshewasabouttofallasleep,butitwastoo
late.

The next morning, she woke with a hard body pressed against her. Judging

by the firm press of flesh and the shape it seemed to be, no it definitely was,
male.Shebreathedinthefreshcleanmasculinescentallaroundherclosingher
eyesagainandjustenjoyingthesmellandthewarmth.Shefelthimstarttostir
andwishedwithallhermightthattheycouldjuststaylikethisjustalittlelonger
butitwasn’ttobe.

“Ready to get up? I hope you slept well.” He whispered in her ear making

hershiverwithdelight.Sheknewhewasthemanshewanted,butcouldheever
wanther?Hewassohandsomeandperfect,hewaseverythingshewantedwhile
shewasjustanordinarygirl.

Shewenttothebathroomtodressleavinghimtodressinthebedroom.She

hurried putting a minimum effort into looking good. She looked in the mirror,
nottoobadespeciallyconsideringshehadlookedlikeshitforyearstoavoidthe
attentionofundesirables.ShewentbacktothebedroomtofindHermesgone,he
wasinthekitchenettecookingasimplebreakfastofbaconandscrambledeggs.
They ate then loaded up the rental SUV and headed to the room Hermes had
stayedinwhilehewasinWashington.Hehadcalleditahotelroombutitwas
actuallyaroomkeptbythegovernmentinoneoftheirbuildingswheretheykept
agents, military visitors, and others they wanted off the grid. It hadn’t worked
wellbringingupthequestionofwhoknewwheretheywouldsendhimanddid
theygiveuptheinformationpurposelyorjustslipup.

Hermesbelievedhispersonalitemswouldprobablybeintheroomsincehe

wastakeninanalley.Shethoughthewasprobablyrightunlesstheyhadneeded
theroomforanotherpurpose.TheytraveledtoanareaclosertoArlington,VA
ratherthanthewhitehouse,andhefoundthebuildinghehadstayedinandwent
tothefrontdesk.Heexplainedhehadlosthiskeyandtheytookhisfingerprints
withapadandthenissuedhimanotherkeyoncetheyverifiedhisidentity.The
wholethingseemedtooeasysincehehadbeengoneseveralweeks.Shewaited
forsomeonetojumpoutoftheshadowsyelling‘gotyou’.

They rode the elevator up to the second floor and walked down the hall to

room 210. He opened the door and cautiously stepped inside motioning her in
when no threat seemed visible. He placed his hand on her arm indicating she
shouldstayputwhileheswepttherestofthesmallsuite.Theywereintheliving
roomareaanditlookedliketherewasonebedroomandabathroom.Hechecked
out the bathroom since it was closest finding it clear as well. He moved to the
bedroom next throwing the door open and stepping to the side in case anyone
firedaweapon.Therewasnosoundatallsohesteppedthroughthedooronlyto
havesomeonejumponhimassoonashewasallthewayinside.

Thetwomenrolledoutintothelivingroomonthefloorfightingtosubdue

eachother.Shefoundavasethatwasagoodweaponandwaitedforanopening.
ItcamewhenthestrangerrolledHermesbeneathhimleavinghisheadopenfor
attack.Shecrashedthevaseoverhisheadhardenoughtoknockoutanelephant
butwhilehewasclearlystunned,hewasn’tknockedout.Hermesquicklyrolled
ontopsubduinghisattackeronlytostareinshock.

“Hades, what the hell are you doing here?” He said as he stood up and

offeredhadeshishand.

“I was trying to find you, mission accomplished. I wasn’t expecting you to

havecompany.”HesaidwithasidelongglancetowardCher.

“ThisisCherish,shehelpedmeescape.”Hermessaidtensionevidentinhis

stance.

“Iknewshewaswithyou,sodon’tgetallpossessive.”
She saw Hades nostrils flare as he sniffed in her direction while he spoke.

She was pretty sure she had Hermes scent on her since she had been in his
company almost nonstop, but could Hades actually smell that? It made her
wonder exactly how they were different than average humans and if keener
senses were part of it. He examined her closely as he talked to Hermes until a
lowanimallikegrowlsoundedandshelookedupwithsurpriseassherealizedit
hadcomefromHermes.

Hadessteppedbackandmovedhishandsoutpalmsideup.“I’mnotlooking

for a female, I have one, remember?” Hermes seemed to relax after that
reminder.

Afemalesteppedoutofthebedroomwithanangryfrownonherface.“You

couldhavetoldmewhyyoucameouthere.How’dyougetbackandwho’syour
friend?Yousendmetotheclosetandyoujustleavemethere!”

“Youtwoareheretogether?”Hermesaskedlookingfromonetotheother.
“Yes.”Hadessaid.
“No.”Thewomansaidatthesametimethentheylookedateachotherand

glared. That was clear as mud and Cher could see there was a story there for
someonebraveenoughtogoafterit.

“We’re both here but we are not together.” She insisted. “I’m Doc and I’ll

justintroducemyselfsincethesetwohavenomanners.”

“I’m Cherish but you can call me Cher, everyone does.” She extended her

handsoCherishshookit.Hermesgrowledagain,atfirstitwascutebutnowit
wasgettingold.“She’sfemaleandwesoaren’ttogetheranyway.”Theyhadn’t
even kissed yet and he was acting jealous like she was his new toy that he
wouldn’tshare.SheandHermesexplainedhowtheyhadmetandtoldthemthe
whole story of their escape. Hermes told them he had offered her the safety of
OlympussoKevenororiginiftheydiscoveredherinvolvement,couldn’tgetto
her.

“You’ll get used to them after a while. Things still come up from time to

time,butbeingaroundthemisanadjustment.”Docsaidtoprepareherforliving
aroundthegods.

“Arethereanychildren?”
Docstiffenedlikeshe’dbeengutpunched.Cherwonderedifshedidn’tlike

kids or something. “Are you interested in children?” She asked too casually
makingCherwonderiftherewasaproblemlikegodscouldn’thavekidsmaybe.

“IwonderedifFabianwouldhaveanyonetoplaywith.He’stwelveandhe

hasn’tbeenaroundkidshisagemuch.”DocrelaxedinstantlywhichmadeCher
morecuriousthanever,butshewouldneverask.Shewouldjustkeephereyes
openuntilshefiguredthingsoutlikesheusuallydid.

“Therearen’ttechnicallykidshisagethere,butifyouaskmetheseguysact

thepart.Overgrownkids,everyoneofthemexceptforZeusandhe’sentirelyto
serious.”

Hades and Hermes seemed to be finished with the private part of their

conversationandnowmovedclosertothemtoincludethemintherestoftheir
conversation.“Weareplanningtostayhereforafewdaystofindouthowthey
knewHermeswasintown.Thiswasn’tarandomgrab,theyknewhewashere.”
Hadessaid as helooked for areaction, but was itfrom her, orthe Doc that he
expecteditfrom?Neitherofthemsaidanything.

“We’ll all stay in the suite that Doc and Hades are in now but we need to

figureoutwhoroomswithwho.”Hermessaidfinallygettingtotheheartofthe
problem. “There are two bedrooms with King beds and I thought Cher and I
wouldshareoneifshedoesn’tmind.”

Didshemind,shewasn’tsure.Akingbedwasprettylargeandshewassure

Hermeswouldkeepitfriendlybecausehewasn’tinterestedinherthatway.She
realizedtheywereallstaringatherwaitingforherreply.“Sure,that’llwork.I
do some internet work part time. Is there a place I can work and hook to the
net?”

“Sure,there’sasittingareaandasmalldeskspace.”Docsaidassheavoided

lookingatanyonesincetheyallknewHadeswantedhertosharetheotherbed
withhim.CherwasgladHermeshadtakenthetwoofthemoutoftheargument
thatshesomehowsuspectedwouldbetakingplacesoon.

They picked up their bags while Hades carried those bags left behind from

Hermeslaststay.Theymovedtothesuiteontheothersideofthebuilding.Cher
andHermessettledintotheirbedroomwhiletheytriedtoignoretheloudvoices
coming from the other room where Hades and Doc had gone. Cher took her
computerandsetituponthesmalldeskinthecorneroftheroomandhookedin
totheinternetaccess.SheandFabianhadinheritedtheirdad’sbusinesswhenhe
diedandCherusedthecoverofbeingaparttimeinternetsecurityconsultantto
clandestinely check on the way things were being run. She liked the idea of
seeingwhateveryonewasdoingfromananonymouspositionthatmostpeople
overlooked. She occasionally was included in webcasts but she didn’t think
anyonerecognizedthewayshelookedathomethelastfewyearswiththeboss’s
daughtertheyhadknownbeforehisdeath.

“There’snoreasonwecan’tsharethebed.”HadessaidsoloudlythatCher

couldn’thelpbuthear.

“There is a reason and it’s why we will never share a bed.” Doc yelled

obviously furious, but Cher recognized an undercurrent of pain. What had the
big idiot done to hurt Doc so much. Her sympathy was immediately for Doc,
Hadescouldclearlytakecareofhimself.

Shegotintothecompanynetworkandransomerandomchecks.Notliking

whatshesaw,sheranafewmorethenstarteddigging.Shecaughtafewsecurity
leaks, weak spots, and someone using company funds for personal uses.
Someonewasn’ttakingtheirjobseriouslyandthemomentshehadputoff,had
justbecomeunavoidable.Shewasgoingtohavetomeetthegeneralmanagerin
person. He had run the company for about ten years now and when Cher had
beenyoungershehadhadquitethecrushonhim.JackGilbertsonwaspowerful,
normallycapable,andincrediblysexy.Thekindofmanshehadavoidedlikethe
plaguesinceherdadhaddied.

Tomorrow, while Hades and Hermes were tracking down leads in his

abduction,shewouldbepreparingforameetingshehaddreadedforyears,three

tobeexact.ShewonderediftherewasanywayshecouldgetDoctoaccompany
her.Jackwasawellknownladiesmanandshedidn’twanthimtotrytodistract
her by hitting on her. It was the only reason he would, and she would be
mortifiedifthathappened.Theloudvoiceshadsettleddownandnowthedoor
opened.Doccarriedapillowandblanketouttothecouchsoitlookedlikeone
ofthemwouldbesleepingthere.

“Hey,Doc,areyougoingwiththeguystomorrow?”
“No, Cher. They may have to go to some places they would be

uncomfortabletakingus.We’resodelicateyouknow.”

“Well,okaythen.Wouldyoucomewithme?Ihavetogetsomethingtowear

andgotoabusinessappointmentandIcouldusesomecompany.Ialwayswork
onlinebutthismeetingisimportantandIhavetogoinperson.”

“Areyousurethey’llwantmethere?”
“Iknowtheownerswellandit’llbefine.”
“Okay,soundslikesomethingtodowhiletheguyshaveallthefun.”
“IguessI’llturninnow.I’llseeyouatseveninthemorningandwe’llstart

with breakfast.” Cher said before she went to the bedroom wondering if this
wouldfeelawkward. Hermeswasasleep whensheentered makingthingseasy
for her. She grabbed a nightshirt and left to take a shower thinking about later
when she would be lying in bed next to Hermes. A shiver ran over her as she
imaginedhowitwouldfeeltobeinhisbedbecausehewantedherandnotjust
because there was no other place to sleep. She entered the bedroom again, this
timetocrawlintothebedandlayawakeatthefaredgeofit.Eventuallyshefell
asleep, but it took a while to calm her heart rate, breathing, and overcome her
awarenessofthemalesleepingonlyfeetaway.

Warmandsafe,thatwaswhatcametomindasshestartedtowake.Shefelt

good and wanted to stay in bed all day before the realization of what had
happened hit her mind. She was still on her side of the bed, but Hermes had
migrated to her side, it was his arms wrapped around her and it was his warm
bodyshewaspressedagainst.Shedidn’tknowwhattodo,shouldshejustrelax
and enjoy the few more minutes of being held before it was time to wake or
shouldshegetoutofbedforcinghimtoreleaseherfromhishold?Intheend,
shejustsnuggledinandenjoyedthesenseofwellbeinghisnearnessgaveher.

Shewokeagainwhenhepulledawayfromherbutshestayedwhereshewas

as if she was still asleep to avoid the awkward explanations he would feel
compelledtogiveher.Sheheardhimdressandhurryoutoftheroom.Shelay
therestillbreathinginhisscentwhichremainedeventhoughhewasgone.Justa

littlewhileandshewouldhavetogetupandgetreadyforherday.Somehowshe
fellbacktosleepnotwakinguntilDocknockedonthedoor.

“It’salmosttimetogetbreakfast.IthoughtI’dcheckonyousinceyoumight

be tired.” Doc smirked obviously misunderstanding the relationship Cher and
Hermeshad.

Cherish felt the need to correct her. “Hermes and I are just friends. We’ve

neverevenkissed,he’sjustnotintome.”

“Ican’tbelieveyoudon’tseethewaythatmalelooksatyou,Honey.Heis

sointoyouthathecan’tgethisheadintoanythingelse.”

“He’sbeenthroughalotwhichiswhathehasonhismind,notme.”
“We’llagreetodisagreesincethesegodsarehardtounderstand.I’llleaveso

youcandressandI’llwaitinthesittingroom.”

“Thanks,Doc.Hey,doyouhaveaname?Ican’tcallyouDocatwork.”
“You’reright.MynameisGemma,butmysisterscallmeGem.”
“Gem,that’sanicename,whydon’tyouuseit?”
“EveryonejuststartedcallingmeDocaftermedschoolsoitstuck.”Docleft

and Cherish dressed meeting her near the door. Cherish had arranged for a car
anddriverfortheday,thecarwaswaitingatthecurb.

“Doortodoorservice,thisisnice.Wherearewegoing?”
Cherishgavetheaddresstothedriver,slidinthebackseatnexttoDocwho

hadalreadygottenin,andstartedexplainingtoherwhattheywoulddoforthe
day.“Firstwearegoingtoeat,thenwegotoabeautysalontogetfixedupfor
theday,we’llgotoaprivateboutiqueIknowoftogetoutfitted,andonlythen
willwegotothemeetingIhavewiththegeneralmanager.”

“Nothinglikeabusyday,huh?”
“You have no idea, but you will.” Cherish said knowing this would be an

unforgettabledayforheratanyrate.

After breakfast, the driver pulled up at a well known beauty salon that

catered to a high end clientele. She knew the owner personally although she
hadn’t seen Giorgio since before her dad had died. They went in without an
appointment, she hoped they would get in because Gio had always told her he
woulddoanythingforher.Dadhadfinancedhissalonwhenhefirstopenedit,
nooneelsewouldgivehimachance.ShewenttothefrontdeskaskingforGio
and the receptionist said it was impossible to get to see him without an
appointment.

“GivehimmynameandtellhimI’mhere.He’llwanttoseeme.”She told

the receptionist and prayed it was true. The lady called him and they were

quickly ushered into the waiting area. It was a nice one with comfortable
couches, chairs, drinks and snacks set up on the tables, and there was a space
withinternethookupforthebusinesspersonwhocouldn’tgolongwithoutbeing
in touch with their business. Gio came running into the room grabbing her
hugging her so hard she couldn’t breathe. He was a handsome man and she
lookedovertoDocseeingshewasonceagainmisunderstandingtherelationship.

Gioloosenedhishold,shookhisgorgeoushoneyblond,curlyhairoutofhis

eyes,andnoticedDocforthefirsttime.Alookofmaleappreciationcametohis
faceandhesaid,“Whoisyourfriend,Cher?”

He dropped his arms and stepped toward Doc, taking her hand and with a

flourish,pressingittohislips.Helettheirhandsdrop,buthedidn’tletgoashe
staredintohereyes.Docgiggledlikeaschoolgirlanddidn’textricateherhand
instead letting him continue to hold it. Didn’t every girl like a little romance?
Gioknewjusthowtomakeawomanfeelappreciatedandbeautiful.Itseemed
even Doc, who was no nonsense with Hades, could get in touch with her
romanticside.ItwasagoodthingHadeswasn’theretoseeit.

“Weneedaquickmakeover,Giobutweonlyhaveaboutanhourbeforewe

havetogo.”

“Quick makeovers are my specialty. You’ve had a recent salon visit

somewhere.”Hesaidlookingatheraccusingly.

“ItwasanemergencyandIwasnowherenearhere.”
“I’llforgiveyouthistime,butcomeherenexttime.I’mgoingtotakecareof

youtwo.Itwillbefabulous.”Giostartedmotioningtopeoplewhojustappeared
as if called even though he hadn’t said a word. Each of them had three people
workingondifferentthings,amanicurist,amakeupspecialist,andastylist.It
wasenoughtomakeagirldizzytryingtofigureoutwhotolistento.Alittleover
an hour later, two very different looking women left the salon headed to the
clothingboutique.Thedriverknewexactlyhowtogetthereandfifteenminutes
latertheywereheadedinside.

Alovelyolderladysomewherebeyondtheageofthirty,metthematthedoor

andescortedtheminside.CheraskedforherfriendGlamwhowascalledright
away.Shemettheminaprivateroomwhereclothingchoiceswouldbebrought
tothemforselection.Glamjoinedthemmomentslatersquealingwithjoyasshe
saw Cher hugging her and jumping up and down. “Easy Glam, you’re shaking
mybrainloose!”

“Sorry,Cher.I’mjustsohappytoseeyousinceit’sbeenalmostfouryears.

So,whatbringsyoubackandhowcanIhelp?”

“I’vegottomeetJacktoday.Ineedadressthat’sattractivebutsaysIknow

whatI’mdoing.IneedconfidenceandIneedmyassistantdressedthesameway.
ThisisGem,bytheway.GemthisisGlam,that’shernicknameherrealnameis
Jane.”

“GladtomeetyouGem.Iguessit’snotanickname?”
“No,it’sshortforGemma.Gladtomeetyoutoo.”
“Well,I’llhavetoleaveforafew,tellmeyoursizesandI’llpullarackfor

eachofyou.”

Glamgottheirsizesandhurriedoff.“She’sthebestthoughshetendstolike

stylesthatshowalittlemorethansomeofuslike.”CherexplainedtoDoc.

“Idon’tmindshowingalittleskin,it’sthepartsinsideItrytoprotect.”
Cher assumed she meant her heart, but was afraid to ask. Glam came back

with a rack in tow and an assistant pulling the other one. The clothing, mostly
dresses looked like a kaleidoscope of colors but there was a bit of black in it.
Cher loved little black dresses but Glam always tried to get her to wear more
colorfulitems. She zeroed in on a LBD that was sexy and beautiful, there was
also a half jacket that made it more businesslike, not an easy task since it was
short,tight,andshowedagoodamountofcleavage.Docfoundaprettyreddress
thatlookedgreatonher.CherwouldneverhaveguessedDocwouldgoforred,
itwassoattentiongetting.ToappeaseGlam’sneedtopushcoloronher,shealso
tookaroyalpurpledress,andadeepblueleatherskirtandjacketthatGlamhad
pairedwithashirt.

Both she and Doc went with black three inch heels and a matching purse.

Doc’s were plain, but Cher had some diamonds on her shoes and purse since,
afterall,theyareagirl’sbestfriend.

It was time to go and even though she dreaded it, Cher believed in facing

thingsheadononceyoucouldnolongeravoidit.SheandDocleftGlamafter
their goodbyes and headed out to the car. The driver seemed to know where
everything was and he pulled up in front of Olympus Security Specialists Inc.
withinthehalfhour.Cher’sheartbangedinherchestasifitwantedoutasshe
lookedupatthehighrisebuildingthathousedherfather’sbiggestcompany.She
hadn’t been here since a year or more before he died. She wondered if anyone
she knew still worked here or if they were all new. Jack had started changing
things the moment her dad had died and she’d noticed, but except for a few
majorchanges,she’dbeentopreoccupiedtofightwithhimoverit.

“Wow,youworkhere?Nowonderyouwantedtodressupforthemeeting.”

Doc said looking at the huge modern building just outside of the D.C. area.

ThereweretoomanyrestrictionstobuildinginD.C.soaplacecloseby,butin
an area outside of those restrictions, had been found. It was the perfect
compromiseandithadpaidoffinabigway.Thepeoplegoinginandoutwere
all dressed in sharp suits or sexy expensive dresses, there was nothing casual
aroundhere.

Theyenteredthebuildinggoingstraighttothedeskinthelobby.Shehanded

over a badge which was scanned and she was immediately given an escort to
Jack’s office. His secretary wanted her to wait but she was ready now. She
simply went to the door throwing it open while Doc followed her in. Jack was
sittingathisdesklookingup,startledforjustamomentbeforeherecovered.

“Hello, Beautiful, tell me you work for me.” He told her. She tossed

somethingonhisdeskthatheexaminedbeforelookingbackupather.“So,you
workfortheheirs,thegirlinparticularIwouldguess.Whydon’tyouworkfor
meinstead?”

Cherishsaidnothingsimplyarchingherbrowathim.“She’sjustanentitled

child,yourjobcouldn’tbefulfilling.Icangiveyousomethingtoreallydiginto,
before,during,andafterwork.”Hesmiledatherusingthatcharmshehadseen
so much of when she was younger, had fallen for as a teenager with a terrible
crushonthisman.Now,thingsweredifferentbecauseshehadmoretocompare
himtoandsheunderstoodalittlebitmoreaboutwhatmenwerelike.

“Oh,IthinkIcanfindplentytodiginto.I’mheretotakecontrol,fixsome

things,andfindoutexactlywhatyou’reupto.”

He leaned back in his chair smiling at her. “That’s great. It means I’ll see

moreofyousowhydon’twestartwithlunch?”

“I’malreadyhavingaworkinglunchwithmyassistantintheCEOoffice.”
“I’llorderussomethingandmeetyouthere.Afterall,I’msureyouhavea

lotofquestions.”

She couldn’t argue with him, she did have a lot of questions. She and Doc

wenttoherdad’soldoffice.Itwouldbedustyifitwasn’tbeingcleanedweekly
as she had requested. She looked at the huge desk and the heavy office chair
with its worn leather that her dad had used for as long as she could remember
while tears came to her eyes at the thought that he’d never sit in it again. She
motioned for Doc to hand her the computer she had her carry in so she could
hook it into the company’s network. She would see if any of her old friends
remained, find them, and summon them up here to see if they knew what was
goingon.

Anhourlatershehadfoundthatoutofthedozensofpeopleshehadknown

here, only three remained. Only one was in a position where they would have
any knowledge of what was happening. She was forced to stop work because
foodarrivedfollowedquicklybyJackwhohadn’tevenaskedhernameyetbut
seemeddeterminedtoputanothernotchonhisbedpost.Shemadethemistakeof
beinggladthatDocwastherebecauserightaftershethoughtit,amancamein
tokeepherbusy.He,Pete,wasoneofJack’sassistantmanagersandlookedas
smoothandcharmingasJackhimself.

“Listen,Jack,youaren’tgettinganywherewithme.Ceaseanddesistwithall

theflirtingandattemptstocharmme.Iknowyouwanttosidetrackmeandthat
issimplynothappening.”

“Ican’tdenyIwanttosidetrackyou,butIwouldwantyouifyouwerethe

maid.IalwaysgetwhatIwantsowhynotjustgiveinnow?”

“Ithinkyouneedalessoninhumility,butIreallyamnotinterestedinyou.”
“Ifthat’strue,whydoImakeyousonervous?
“BecauseIknowallaboutyou.Youcanflirtandcarryonwhileallthetime

you make plans and take advantage of people and I don’t intend to be taken
advantage of.” Jack stalked closer to her sliding his hands over her shoulders.
“Does sexual harassment mean nothing to you?” She asked but he didn’t slow
down.

Hemovedhislipsrightuptoherearsoshecouldfeeltheheatofhisbreath.

Thiswassomuchworsethanshehadexpected.SheglancedDoc’swaytosee
she was fighting a battle of her own. Did this usually work on women? The
answer must be yes and both men were gorgeous. A lonely woman might feel
she made a good deal to have a night with such an attractive and experienced
man.

Jack’shandbegantoprogresssouthwardsoshesmackedithard.“Iamhere

towork,notgetbusyplayingaround.”

Jacksmiled.“Youknowallworkandnoplay…”
Themanwasfunny,charming,anditwasflatteringtobechasedevenifshe

knewitwasnothingpersonal,justherpositionhewantedtoinfluence.Afterso
manyyearswithoutromanceandHermesapparentdisinterest,itwasnormalto
feeltempted,butshewasstrongerthanthat.Shewouldn’tbeusedthatwaybya
Romeo no matter that she had once crushed on him something terrible. He
hadn’tevennoticedherthenandshedidn’twanthisattentionnow.Everything
hedidcausedhimtobrushagainstherorforhishotbreathtohitthebackofher
neck.

He shouldn’t even be in here but he didn’t show any signs of leaving even

longafterlunchwasgone.Docwasfightingofftheotheroneandthedayhad
been largely unproductive. If Cher knew anything, it was when to call for a
strategic retreat. She told Doc to pack up so they could make that important
appointmenttheyhad.ShecalledthecarserviceandtoldJacktheywereleaving
inafewandshelookedmeaningfullyatthedoor.Itwasnosurprisethattheman
didn’t know how to take a hint. “Jack, you need to go now so I can lock up,
we’releaving.”

“I’m surprised she gave you the key to this door, it’s been locked since he

diedexceptforthecleaningladyshehired.Shewasclosetoherfather,hisdeath
hitherhard.Ifeelbadforthekidsincealltheresponsibilityfelltoher.Herolder
brotherwasjustnogoodbutshe’sbeentakingcareofhimandtheyoungestthe
bestshecan.Iwouldn’twishthatjobonmyownworstenemy.”

“Isthathowyouviewher,asyourenemy?”
“No, she’s just a confused kid, but I don’t want her to ruin the business

becauseshehasadegreeandthinkssheknowsmorethanIdo.Shewasacute
kid, wide eyed and innocent, had a bit of a crush on me I think. I didn’t
encourageit,sweetgirllikethatneededasweetboy.”

Shethoughtaboutwhathesaid,yes,shehadbeenasweetinnocentkidthen.

Atleasthehadn’twantedtotakeadvantageofherinnocence,itwasapointin
his favor. She and Doc got them out so she could lock up. They were headed
back to their suite and Cher figured she could do some work on her computer
beforebed.“Sowhatwasthisimportantmeetingyoumentioned?”Docasked.

“ArusetogetawayfromJackbeforehestartedlickingonme.”
“That’swhatIthought.Heseemstowantyouinabadway.”
“Hejustwantsmedistractedinabadway.”
“Idon’tagree,thatmanwantsyouandintendstohaveyou.”
“Idon’twanttobehad.”Docraisedherbrows.
“Caretorewordthatabit?”
“I’mnotgoingtobehad,wanttoornot.”Therestofthetripwasquiet.They

arrived just before Hades and Hermes, so they ordered Chinese take out. It
arrivedandthenHermesandHadesdid,lookingextremelyunhappy.

“We ordered some takeout thinking you two might be hungry.” Doc said.

HermesgotclosetoCherandsniffedtheair.

“You’vebeenclosetoanunknownmale.You’velethimtouchyou.”Hesaid

inanaccusingmanner.

HadessniffedDoc.“Youhavebeenaswell.Wherehaveyoubeenandwho

ishe?Iwillriphisheadoffsohewillknowtoleaveyoualone.”

“Thereisnoreasontodothat.YouhavenorightswhereIamconcernedand

youcansmellwellenoughtoknowneitherofushadsexwithanyone.”

“Were you asked to have sex? Did you consider having sex?” Hermes said

lookingatherlikeshehadkickedapuppy.

“No,ofcoursenot.”
“Idon’tbelieveyou.”
“Idon’tbelieveyou,either.”Hadessaidaddinghistwobits.
“Idoesn’tmatterwhatyoubelieve,neitherofyouhavetherighttoquestion

us.You,”ShesaidpointingtoHades,“smelllikeacheapwhorerubbedyouup
anddown.Youalsoshouldwipethatlipstickoffyourface.”Hishandreachedup
automatically to remove the evidence not realizing it didn’t exist. “Just like I
thought,you’vebeenouttomcattin’butyou’reworriedaboutwhatI’mdoing.”
Docwenttoherroomandslammedthedoor.

Left to her own devices, Cher did the same but it wouldn’t have the same

results because eventually Hermes would come to rest for the night since they
sharedaroom.Itwoulddohimnogoodifshewasasleepbythen.Shegotready
for bed undressing, removing her makeup, and putting on her sleep shirt. She
would have taken a shower, but she couldn’t face Hermes and his accusations.
Sheslippedintobedandthestressesofthedayhadwornheroutcausingherto
fallintoadeepsleep.Shewokeupbeingpickedupinsomeone’sarms.

“Hermes,whatthehellareyoudoing?”Sheaskedasshetriedtoshakeher

headtoclearit.

“Ican’tstandhissmellonyou.I’mtakingyoutotheshower.”Whatthehell?
“Didyousayyou’regivingmeashower?I’mnotachildyouhavetobathe.

Besides,whydoyoucarewhotouchesme?”Helookeddownather,hislovely
purpleeyesglowingandheloweredhislipstohers.Itstartedgently,hislipssoft
and pliable as he brushed them against hers, but at some point it changed to a
claimingkissthatassaultedhersenseandbrandedherverybeing.

His hands, he must have had more than two of them, because they were

everywhere. He touched and tempted her but she refused to give in. He only
seemedtowantherwhenanothermaledid,shewasn’tgoingtobetreatedthat
way.Eitherhewantedherallthetimeornotatall.Shepushedagainsthischest,
notbecauseshethoughtshewasstrongenoughtopushhimaway,butbecause
she knew he wouldn’t continue if she wanted him to stop. The look of wild
desireonhisfacewasalmostherundoing,butshewasstrongenoughnottobe
usedbyanyoneeveragain.Kevenhadusedhertosmackwhenhewasfrustrated
andtocookandcleanforhimlikeaslave.BeingusedforsexbyHermeswould

beworsethanthathadbeen.

“Why did you stop me? I know you want me, too.” His forehead was

coveredinbeadsofsweat,thelookonhisfacealmostpainfulashequestioned
her.

“Youdon’treallywantme,youjustdon’twantanothermaletohaveme.I

can shower by myself, thank you.” She said as she motioned for him to leave
eventhoughithurt,butitwastherightthingtodo.

Assoonashewasgoneandthedoorclosed,sheundressedsteppinginthe

shower setting the temperature of the water just right. The water ran over her
soothingherfrustratedmindandbodywhileshethoughtthatHermeswastrying
todriveherinsane.Hehadmanychancestomovetheirrelationshipforwardtoa
moreintimateonebutithadtakenjealousytoforcehishand.Itmadeherthink
thestrongfeelingsanddesiresshehadforhimwerenotreciprocated.Maybehe
just needed sex and saw her as an obvious opportunity to slake his lust until
somethingbettercamealong.Shewouldnotbetheeasylay,usedandcastaside.

The water eased her anger and calmed her mind as she washed her hair

hoping she could make it look as good as the stylist had. She cleaned herself
rubbing the soap all over, even massaging a few places that ached with tired
overused muscles. She felt better as she dried off grabbing a robe to cover
herself before going into the room she shared with Hermes to find a more
appropriatethingtowearforthenight.Hewasn’tinthere,butshewastiredof
worryingaboutwhathethoughtandwherehewas.Shefellasleepaloneonher
sideofthebedonlytowakewrappedinhisarmswithsomethinghardpressing
againstherass.Shewishedhedidn’tfeelsogoodandrightasheheldherclose.

Shelaystillenjoyinghiswarmthandcomfortforalittlewhileknowingshe

would have to get up soon. Another day, another dollar so to speak since she
would have to accomplish something today at the company her father had
worked so hard to make successful. Seeing Jack again today would be
uncomfortable, but it had to be done. Hermes had no claim on her nor did he
reallywantarelationshipwithher,shewassureofthat.

Shefelthimmoverestlessly,asignthathewouldsoonwake.
Chapter4
Jack
Hefeltherlyingagainsthim,abittersweetpleasureatbest.Hewantedher,

heart and soul not just a night or a few nights. He was certain now that he’d
spent some time with her, that she was his mate. It was true that they didn’t
reallyknowmuchaboutthemating.Didtheyhaveoneinalltheworldorseveral

that might work, but he knew deep in his heart that she was the only one he
wanted. Whether it was chance or fate that had brought them together didn’t
matteranymore,shewashisandwouldalwaysandforeverbehis.Shewanted
him,hecouldsmellitonher,seeitinhereyes.Whywouldshefightherdesire
unlessshewantedthisothermalemore.Thisothermalethatsmelledofthegods
onlylessbecausehewasmissingsomething.Hermesdidn’tunderstandit,buthe
intendedtofollowhertodayandseeifitgavehimanyanswers.Hadeswasofa
likemindsotheywouldgotogether.

Itwasmorningbuthisunwillingmatewasinhisarmsandhedidn’twantto

move.Whenheralarmwentoff,itwouldnolongerbehischoicebutuntilthen
helefthisarmsaroundherandhisbodypressedtightlyagainsther.Heknewshe
wasawakehopingherlackofmovementwasbecausesheenjoyedfeelinghim
holdandpressupagainsther.Hewished,foramoment,thathecouldreadher
mindandknowforsurewhatshefeltforhim,butthenhedecideditwasbetter
nottoknowincaseshefeltnothingatall.

Itcouldn’tlastforevernomatterhowmuchhewisheditto,shepulledaway

from his arms and his body, rising to prepare for the day. He could hear the
showerrunningandheimaginedherhandsrunningoverhersoapslickedbody
andhecouldfeelhisbodyreacttotheimageinhismind.Nofemalehadever
causedsuchareactionfromhisthoughtsalone.Ifthismaleshewasseeingfor
herworktookherfromhim,whatthehellwouldhedo?HeknewHadesfeared
thesame,maybeevenmoresinceatleastCherishsleptinthesamebedandlet
himtouchher.DocfoughtagainstHadesattempttoclaimherineverywayon
every level. No matter how much he worried over his chances of claiming his
Cherish,hischanceswerebetterthanHadeswere.

Shecamebackintotheroominnothingbutatowelmakinghimpractically

drool. He looked out beneath just a crack under his closed lids as she dropped
thetowel.Healmostchokedashegotaneyefulofhernakedbodyfullfrontal
before she turned her luscious ass toward him and bent over to put her silky
barely there panties on. He felt all the blood rush to his cock as his heartbeat
thumped a rhythm that he felt painfully aware of. The tiny satin panties barely
coveredhersweetasscheeksassheputonbraandasexyashelldressforthat
maleshewouldseetoday.Shefixedherhair,putonmakeup,andsprayedsome
sexysmellingperfumeonher.Itwaspainfultoseehergotoallthistroubleto
prepareforanothermale.

Partofhim,thepartthatreactedwithoutreason,thatpartthatwasbasicand

ananimal,wantedtojumpup,grabher,andneverletherleave.Thereasoning

intelligent part of him knew that it wouldn’t work, she would resent him for
makingherhiscaptive.Heneededtodealwiththisheadon,butafterhefigured
out what the male meant to her and dealt with it. He would wait and Hades
wouldwaittoountilthefemalesleftbeforetheydressedandfollowedthem.It
hurthiminhischesttolethergoevenifitwasonlyforafewmoments,buthe
diditanyway.HeheardhertalkingtoDocastheypreparedtoleavebeforehe
heard the front door close as they left. He jumped out of bed dressing in
momentsandmetupwithHadesbythefrontdoor.Itdidn’tmatterthattheyhad
lostsightoftheirfemales,theyhadoverheardenoughtoknowwheretheywere
going.

Hades had a wicked smile on his face that made Hermes hesitate to follow

him since he wanted Cher to be his, not to hate him forever. Hades led him
downstairs where a car awaited them which they entered then took off. The
driverkepthiseyesontheroadshowingnointerestintalkingandthatwasfine
becausetheydidn’twanttotalkeither.Theydroveouttotheedgeoftheheavily
populatedareaandtowhatseemedlikeasmalloasisofbusinessessurrounded
byfieldsandclumpsoftrees.Thelargestbuildingatthecenterwastheirtarget,
itstoodoutsinceitwaslarger,taller,andgranderthanthebuildingsaroundit.

Olympus Security Specialists Inc. was right in front of them now. It was a

modernbuildingwithreflectiveglassinthefrontandahugereceptionareajust
asyouwalkedin.Aprettyandquitebusy,youngladywasonthephone,doing
paperworkofsomekind,andglancingoveratthemwheretheywaited.Assoon
as she hung up the phone it rang again, but she ignored it focusing on them
instead.

“Hello, I’m Jeanie, the welcome wagon for Olympus. Can I help direct

you?” She said it with the tired feeling of something said over and over
throughoutthedayfordaysanddayswithoutend.

Hermes smiled at her and she blushed sweetly. “Yes, you can. I have an

appointment with the big guy upstairs. Something about a troublesome young
lady.I’msurethat’snotyou.”Hewinkedatherandhethoughtshewouldpass
outonthespotbutsherecoveredenoughtoanswer.

“Topfloor,maindoor.Goodluck,Ihearheisathiswit’sendwithher.”
Hermes could only imagine what that meant but he didn’t like any of the

wayshisimaginationwasheaded.Hadesmadeasoftgrowlcausingthewoman’s
headtojerkhiswayandagasptocometoherlips.Theyhurriedtotheelevator
beforeshecouldhavetimetoprocesswhatwasgoingon.

“Once again your primitive side is causing us trouble.” Hermes said to

Hades.

“I can’t help the way I respond to our mates being insulted at the least,

plottedagainstatthemost.Youknowthosemalestouchedthem,touchedwhatis
oursnottheirs.”

“They aren’t ours yet and I think that is what troubles you the most. Don’t

growl at me either, I have my own problems were Cher is concerned.” Hades
shruggedbuthedidn’tgrowl.Thesefemalesmightbetheendofthemboth.The
elevator stopped and the door opened, even the hallway up here was posh and
screamedmoney.Themaindoorwasadoubledoorandeachsidewaslarge,the
doorswereheavy,madeofsolidwoodandwithornamentalcarvings.

They entered without knocking surprised to see no secretary in the outer

room.Theyjustheadedoninasiftheywereauthorizedtofreelycomeandgo.
Fourheadsliftedlookingattheminsurprise,whiletheyinturnweresurprised
byJackandhisassistant.Theyhadseentheirkindwhentheywereyoung,butto
see one now was a surprise. Hermes and Hades eyes narrowed taking in the
wholesceneinfrontofthem.Chersatbythedeskwiththemaleinchargenext
tohersittingveryclosewhileDocsatnexttotheotherguyequallyclose.They
fought to control their inner primitive being which was not too far from basic
animalinstinctexcepttheirswasmorelikeaninnerbeastordemon.

Thedesiretobeatthemalessenselessbeforegrabbingtheirfemales,tossing

themoveroneshoulder,andrunningouttohidethemawaywashardtoresist.
HermesknewitwouldbethewrongthingtodobutheworriedaboutHades.He
wasclosertohisbeastthananyofthemandhadtofighthisprimitivesidewith
allthestrengthhehad.ThefactthattheonenamedJackandtheotheronewere
whattheywere,madethingsmuchmuchworse.

“Whatareyoudoinghere,Hermes?”Cheraskedwithanangrylookonher

face.Docdidn’tevenbothertoaddressHadeswhich,inawaywasworse.

“I smelled a familiar scent and I needed to check it out.” A curious look

cametobothherandDoc’sfaces.

“Welldowehavetoaskorwillyoutelluswhatyoudiscovered?”
”Thesetwoaresupermen.”HesaidpointingtoJackandhisassistant.
“What’sthatmean?”Cherishasked.
“Itmeanstheyaretheprecursorsofthegods.Theyarefullyhumanbutthe

besthumanityhastooffer,thebestgenes,thebesttraining,andsometimesthe
besttechnology.”Docansweredwhileshelookedcloselyatthetwomen.

“Wearehuman,theyarenot.”JacksaidlookingatCherish.
“You think that makes you better?” Cherish asked looking disgusted. He

knewshemustbewonderingifanyonewasastheyseemedanymore.

Hermes moved to Cherish’s side, either to protect or claim, it was hard for

himtosay.“He’sdangeroustoyou.”Hetoldher.

“Youaren’t?”Sheaskedlookingbetweenthem.
Hermesfeltasharpstabbingpainassheseemedtodenyhim,denythebond

hehadfeltgrowbetweenthem.Wouldthisbetheend,hadshereallymadeher
choice?

“Whatareyoudoing,Jack?There’ssomethinggoingonhereandIthinkyou

knowwhatitis.”

“I’mnotdoingit,butIthinkOriginmaybe.SomeofuslikePeteandme,we

just cut loose trying to live as normal a life as we can. Years ago, when I first
started here, Origin just wanted me in a position of power so I could use my
influencetohelpthem.”

“Youagreedtodothat?Myfathertrustedyou!”Cherishyelledathim.Jack

lookedstunnedandHermeswonderedwhy.

“Easy, Cherish.” Hermes said as he tried to pull her into his arms but she

twistedaway.

“Cherish?”Jackaskedinawhisper.
“Isupposeyoudidn’trecognizethenaïvelittlegirlyouusedtoknow.”
“It is you. Now I can see the signs, your eyes haven’t changed except the

innocencehasleftthem.Ihaven’tseenyouinoverfouryears,you’vebecomea
woman.”Hesaidhiseyesmovingdownherbodyinappreciation.

“I’ve learned a lot and I know all about men like you, Jack. Call them

Romeos,playboys,ormanwhores,butIhavenointerestinamanlikethat.”She
spitthewordsathim,herdisgustevident.

Hermesstomachcrampedandhischesthurt,washeamalelikethat?Would

sheconsiderhimamanwhore?Wouldsheshowhimtheutterdisdainshehad
justshownJack?Ifshefoundouthowhehadbeencaptured,shewouldneverlet
him touch her again. Why was it when things started to look better, something
bad always seemed to happen? He’d had enough worries before but now that
Jackwasn’taworryanymoreitseemedhisrecentpastandhisfoolishdecisions
woulddefeathimwithnohelpfromanyoneelse.ShefoundJackattractive,hell,
he was one of the Superman line bred for looks, intelligence, and who knew
whatelse,butshedidn’twanthimlikeshewantedHermes.Jackwouldn’tsteal
herawayfromhim,hewouldloseherallonhisown.

“Cherish,mostmenwilltakewhatisofferedtothemuntiltheyfindtheright

woman, a woman like you.” Jack said and he looked sincere, but Cher didn’t

looklikeshewasbuyingit.

“Soyouintendtosettledown,thewhitepicketfence,2and1/2kids,anda

dog,reallyJack?Whateveryou’reselling,I’mnotbuying.Youcanexplainyour
lackofcharacteranywayyouwantto,butintheend,it’sadealbreaker.”

Jack wasn’t the only one with a pained look on his face, Hermes knew he

hadonetoo.Jackhadmovedacrosstheroommaybetopullherintohisarmsbut
hesteppedbackwhenshespokeandHermeswasgladbecauseheknewifJack
touchedherhewouldriphisheadoff.

“Fine, Cherish, I understand you don’t believe someone can change, that

they can want someone enough to change the way they live for them or feel
enoughnottoeverwantanyoneelseagain.”

“Comingfromyou,Jack,that’srich.Howmanywomenfellforyourcharm

onlytohavetheirheartbroken?Canyouevenremembermostofthem?Anyof
them?”Jackflushedandhiseyesfelltothefloor.Hermesthoughthemightbe
ashamedoratleasthewasgivingagoodimpressionofshame.Cherishturned
awayfromhimandwalkedtoachairtositdownandstew.

“Whydidyoucomehere,Cherish?Didyouplantomakemewantyouand

turn me down as some kind of petty revenge for my lack of interest when you
wereyounger?Isthatwhatthisisallabout?”Jackaskedangrily.

“No, I’ve been checking security and I’ve found some serious problems.

There’salsothematterofmoneypayingforghostservicesandsuppliesthatwe
aren’treceiving.Iwastryingtofigureoutifyouwereinonitornot.We’velost
millions through direct costs and I fear that information about our clients has
been accessed, with the help of someone on the inside. That, Jack, is why I’m
here.”

Jack moved to a chair and he collapsed into it. His face seemed pale and

Hermesnoticedhishandswereshaking.“Ididn’tknow,Cherish,butIcan’tsay
I’msurprised.I’msureOriginplantedotherstoseethatIdidwhattheywanted.
WhenIrefused,theyjusthadsomeoneelsedoit.”

“IfIbelievethat,whichIdon’t,howwouldyouexplainwhyyouneversaw

whatwasgoingonrightunderyournose?”Cherasked.

“I suppose things have gone well and everyone seemed to be doing their

jobs.Thisisabilliondollarcompanywithsomanyaccounts,departments,and
employees that one person can’t possibly track everything. I have to rely on
otherstodealwiththedaytodayissuesthatarise.Someonemusthavecovered
theirtrailcarefullyfornooneelsetofindwhatthey’vedone.”

“SomeonedidfinditorIwouldn’tknowaboutit.”

“Howandwhydidn’ttheytellme?”
“Becausetheytoldme!”ShealmostyelleditatJack.
“Calm down Cherish, we’ll get this straightened out. Now tell me exactly

whatishappening!”Jacksaidandhedidpullherintohisarmsbuthestepped
backwhenHermesgrowledathim.

CherishexplainedwhatshehadfoundindetailsoJackcouldseethatsince

her father had died, the discrepancies had increased progressively in time and
amount.Itwastimetoputastoptothefinanciallossesandthesecurityleaks.

“Iassureyou,Cherish,Iwillfixthis.”Jacktoldher.
HermescarefullyobservedtheinteractionbetweenCherishandJackfeeling

confident that Cher wasn’t attached to Jack. If only she would be attached to
him, his dreams would come true. Jack agreed to handle things personally and
Cherish agreed to give him a chance. It was time to leave, Cherish and Doc
turnedtogosoHadesandHermesfollowedthem.Theywentdowntothelobby
where Cherish called her driver to pick up Doc and her. Hermes wanted to go
withherbutheknewitwaspointlesstoask.Shehadaslittleuseforhimasshe
hadforJackandshedidn’tevenknowabouthisrecenthistory.

Back at their rooms, things were still uncomfortable between them and

HermesnoticedtherelationshipbetweenHadesandDocwhichhehadthought
stalledatbad,hadnowgottenworse.DocrefusedtoengageHades,shesimply
froze him out. The coolness wasn’t limited to Doc, Cherish was learning from
Dochowtodriveagodcrazy.SincetheyhadleftJack,shehadn’tsaidawordto
himrefusingtoevenglancehisway.Neitherfemalewouldevenansweradirect
questionsoHermesdecidedtotrysomethingdifferent.

“Doc, what’s your opinion of these supermen? Hades and I recognized

something similar in their scent even though they lack Cronos’s DNA.” She
lookedathim,hereyesalightwithinterestandenthusiasm.

“They were probably the basic start Origin used before adding in your

father’s DNA. We might learn so much about all of you if the right superman
were found. I’m sure some were used to help with your project maybe as lab
assistants,maybeevenasresearchers,sinceOriginrequiredsecrecyandittakes
a lot of people to pull off such a large scale project.” Doc was in her element,
discussing her passion. She even forgot herself and answered a few questions
Hadessentherway.

Cherish stood back watching with her mouth slightly agape probably

shockedthatasophisticatedfemalelikeDocdidn’trealizewhattheyweredoing.
He was sure Doc knew, but her excitement over meeting two supermen and

havingsomeoneelsewhowasinterestedinthesubjectwasjusttoomuchforher
tofight.Cherishlefttheroomgoingtothebedroom,maybetobrood.Hewasn’t
inclinedtoletherescapesoeasily,hefollowedherthere.

“Whyareyousoangrywithme?”Heasked.
Shelookedstunnedasifshehadn’texpectedadirectapproach,hewassure

shehadn’t.Hecouldseethewargoingoninherhead,answerornot.Hethought
she wanted to tell him, but she wasn’t sure she knew the answer herself. She
finally just rushed past him back into the sitting room where she set up her
computer planning to use it as a shield between them. He followed her to the
tablesheplannedtouseandpulledthelaptopfromherhands.

“Cherish,youneedtoanswerme.Whyareyousoangry?”
“IthoughtyouweredifferentbutnowIseeyouarejustlikehim.”
Heflinchedasifshehadstruckhim.Didsheknowwhathehaddone?She

couldn’t know since only her brother could tell her and he hadn’t found them,
butshewasright.HewasalotlikeJackandbeforehemether,hewouldhave
slept with any female presented to him. She thought that was wrong, even
thoughhecouldn’t understandwhy.Didn’t Cherishhavethose kindsofneeds?
Didn’tsheeveracheforrelease,wantitsobadthatitdidn’tmatterwhogaveit
toheraslongasshegotit?Hewasn’tlikethatanymore,notsincehehadmet
her.Hehadnointerest,nodesireforanyotherfemale,heonlywantedher.

Hesethercomputerdownandclosedthesmallspacebetweenthempulling

her into his arms and branding her lips with his hot passionate kiss. She
squirmedinhisarmstryingtowiggleawaybuthewouldn’tallowit.Shewashis
and she needed to know that now. He plundered her mouth with his tongue
stealing her breath robbing her of her will to escape. She slowly relaxed and
leanedintothekissinsteadofaway.Herarmscameupandaroundhisneckasif
shefearedshewouldfallandshepulledhimcloserasherheartbeatwildlyand
herbreathcameinraggedgasps.

Shemightnotbereadytocommittohim,shemightnotlovehimorplanto

stay,butshewasn’timmunetohim,shewantedhimphysicallyandthatwasa
place to start. He moved his hands over her body squeezing her breasts as his
kissintensified.Hefelthermoan,aslightvibrationinhismouththatgavehim
satisfaction. She was responding to him even if on a purely sexual level. He
rockedagainsther,hishardcockpressingonherstomachnotwherehewanted
it,butitwasastart.Shebroughtoutthewildbeastinhimandhestruggledto
hold him back, to slow down and remember how gentle and inexperienced she
was.

Hiskissgentled,hisholdeasedashetriedtowooher,toconvinceherwith

his mouth and his hands that she wanted, needed him and only him. He could
scent her arousal, feel her temperature had risen and it stoked his need to sink
himself inside her. His rigid cock ached for her alone as he pressed it into her
softstomach,butitwasn’twhathewantedorneeded.Hesteppedbackpulling
his shirt over his head and tossing it aside as he looked into her eyes. She had
thatwellknowndeerintheheadlightlook,hereyeswildasshelookedforapath
ofescape.

Hesteppedbacktoembraceheragainbutshepushedonhischestthinking

hewouldlethergoagainashehadlasttime.Thiswasdifferentandheonlyheld
hertighterashestartedtomovehislipstowardhers.Somewheredeepinsideshe
foundthestrengthtowhisperonewordwitharaggedbreath.“No!”

Helookedasifhehadbeendecked,sostunnedandthehurtlookinhiseyes

washardtobear.Shedidwhatshehadtososhewouldn’tbeusedbecauseshe
was handy, available when he needed someone. She wanted to be loved,
respected for who and what she was and not be just an available body for
someone to slake their passion. He might mean a lot to her, but she knew the
scoreandshewasn’tplayingaroundanymore.Shewouldonlybewithsomeone
whocouldreturnherfeelings,andthatwasn’tHermes.Shecouldneveraspireto
capturetheheartofagod.

Shehastilyretreatedtothebedroomandthensheranintothebathroom.She

hadtowashoffthescentofhimthatwasdrivinghercrazy.Itwasn’tfairthathe
couldmakehercravehimwhilehefeltsolittle.Sheclosedthebathroomdoor
andlockeditbeforeshestrippedforhershower.Shesetthewatersteppinginto
the shower alone wishing she had someone that loved her, wanted her just for
her. Instead her body ached with a desire she had never known and feared she
wouldneverknowforanother.Shesteppedintotheshowerfeelingthewaterrun
overherexcitedflesh,needingsomethingtorelieveburningfeelinginherbelly.
She soaped up and washed her tender breasts but found herself cupping and
squeezingthem,pinchingthealreadyhardnipplesandbitingherliptoquellthe
moanthatthreatenedtoeruptfromthem.

One hand stayed on her breasts while the other moved slowly downward

overherfirmbellyanddownfurtherstill.Shemovedittoherpussyfeelingthe
heatasshemovedherfingeroverhernetherlipsmovinguntilsheslidinsidethe
slickseam.Shemovedtothehardpearlthatbeggedforattentionandcriedout
for relief. She circled it, pressed down, and felt a shiver of sexual tension run
through her. What was wrong with her? This wasn’t something she did in the

shower with other people in the suite. She just couldn’t deal with the things
Hermeshaddonetoherbodyandmadeherthinkabout.Hersoapyfingersslid
overherclitbutinhermindsheimaginedHermes’shanddoingitinstead.The
thought thrilled her and sent a wave of need through her that made her knees
weak.

She felt her juices flow into her already slick pussy and she burned hotter

still.Herhandmovedfasterbringingherclosertotheblissthatwouldtakethe
painaway,shewouldnolongerworrythatshewouldgivein,ifshecouldonly
findrelief.Sheclosedhereyes,herheadthrownbackassheconcentratedonthe
image in her head. Yes, Hermes was kissing her silly as his talented fingers
pressedjustfirmlyenoughandshewentflyingovertheedge.Shegasped,and
moanedsoftly,shejustcouldn’thelpherselfasthevortexofecstasyswepther
away. She stepped into the spray of water as she tried to come back from the
effectsofthealmostpainfulpleasureshehadinflictedonherself.Sheprayedno
onehadheardorwouldrealizewhatshehaddone.

Shedriedoffthoroughly,dressed,andpreparedtogotobed.Thesecondshe

openedthedoorandsawHermesinthebedroom,hiseyesglowingthebrightest
she had ever seen them, she knew he had been there the entire time and was
aware of how she had satisfied her own needs. His eyes raked over her body
possessively making her quiver with the desire she thought she had quenched.
Sheignoredhimpullingbackthecoversonhersideofthebedandfluffedher
pillows.Shestartedturningoffthelightsandhecaughtherarmusingittopull
herupagainsthishardmalebody.Hewrappedhisarmsaroundhermakingher
feelhisheatasshebreathedinhisuniquespicyscent.Nowinjustseconds,he
hadgottenherbackintothesameconditionshehadbeeninbeforehershower.

“Iheardyouintheshower.”Hesaidasembarrassmentswampedhercausing

herfacetoheatasshesearchedforsomethingtosaytohim.

“So?”Wellshewouldn’tgetanawardforbeingabrilliantconversationalist.
Henibbledonherear,drivinghercrazybeforehewhisperedtoher.“Letme

bringyoupleasure,Cherish.Icanmakeyoufeelsogoodifyou’lljustletme.”

“No, we can’t. I can’t.” She said, proud that she’d resisted when all she

wantedtodowasgivein.

“Justonce,justletmelickyou,tasteyou,slideinsideofyouuntilwe’reboth

crazywiththepleasurewefeel.It’llbesomuchbetterthanwhatyoujustdidto
yourself.”Hismouthstartedmovingdownherneckandhishandsslidunderher
nightgownrubbingherskinmakinghershakewithdesireshecouldn’tcontrol.

Whydidhedothistoher?Shewantedmorefromamanthanjustsex,she

needed feelings that he couldn’t give her. “I won’t be used for sex. Don’t you
understand,Hermes?Forme,ithastomeansomething.”

“Itdoesmeansomethingtome,Cher,becauseIcareaboutyou.”
“So this is, what…friends with benefits?” His body stiffened and it looked

likehewasangry.Hedroppedhisarmslettinghergothenheturnedandleftthe
room. It seemed colder once he was gone and she slid into bed pulling all the
covers around her like a cocoon. Her traitorous body begged her to call him
back,tosayshewassorryandhadn’tmeantawordshe’ssaid,butshehadmeant
itsoshedidn’tsayawordandjustslippedintoafitfulsleep.

Hot, so very hot and needy. She moaned and writhed in her sleep not sure

whatwasdreamandwhatwasreal.Hishotwetmouthwasonhersdemanding
shegivehimeverythingwhilehisgreedyhandswereeverywhereworkingtheir
magiconherwillingbody.Thelinebetweenrealityandwishfulthinkingblurred
as she suspected it was real but ignored the warning pushing it far back in her
mind.Hislipsmovedtoherbreasts,teasingtempting,nippinguntilhernipples
were tender, aching for more of what only he could give her. His hand moved
downtoherthighsslidinghisfingerintoherslickheat,sinkinginsodeepasshe
archedagainstitthatitsentfrissonsofdelightthroughher.Heplungedintoher
repeatedly adding a finger for good measure stirring her senses as his mouth
descended.

More, I want more now! She wasn’t herself, disconnected from logic as all

hersenseswereonoverloadandsheshiveredashismouthcontinueddownward
bothexcitedandshockedbywhatshethoughthewasabouttodo.Oh,shewas
noshrinkingvirgin,okayshemightbeshrinkingbutshewasnolongeravirgin
havinghadsexatleasthalfadozentimeswithherhighschoolsweetheartbefore
herdadhaddied.Afterhisdeathshehadwithdrawnfromtheworldtoseetoher
duty, raising Fabian and trying her best to save Keven from himself. Even
thoughshewasstillraisingFabian,shehadadmittedtofailingwithKeven.She
couldn’t help him if he embraced the lifestyle he lived and was happy with the
waythingswere.

Herbodyfrozeashismouthmadeitdowntowherehisfingersweredriving

intoherandhistonguesliduptoherclit.Oh my God, I’ve never felt anything
likethisbefore!Whenherhighschoolboyfriendhadattemptedit,itneverfeltso
wonderful. He had been hesitant, uncertain of how to bring her pleasure, but
Hermeswasn’t.Theskillshisexperiencehadgivenhiminsuredherpleasureand
she couldn’t fail to see how ironic that was. His tongue put pressure in all the
rightspotsandshemoanedasthefeelinggrew,herravenousbodywantedmore

andsheslidherhandsinhishairpullinghimincloser.Heteasedandcircledher
hot throbbing clit until a wave of unparalleled bliss washed over her and she
thrashedinhisholdbuckingwildlyasshescreamedoutherrelease.

Hermeswastednotimemovingupherbodyandslamminghiscockinhard

tothehiltbeforethethroesofherorgasmhadevenstilled.Hemoaned,shewas
surethegraspingofhermusclesagainsthimasheslidinwaswhy.“Sohot,so
tight!”Hesaidashejustfrozethere,inasfarashecouldgobeforehestarted
movingfast,hard,andoutofcontrol.Thepleasureshefeltmadeherdizzyashe
poundedintoherharder,fastergivinghermorethansheeverthoughtpossible.
Thepressurebuiltcausinghertowritheandarchagainsthim,meetingthrustfor
thrustuntilawaveofpureblissrushedoverhermakingherscreamhisnameand
jerk against him even as he let out an animalistic sound as he too found his
release.

WhathaveIdone?Ifeeltiedtohimnow,irrevocablyeventhoughIknewI

wouldn’t stay. How could I stay with a man that viewed me as a friend and a
warm body to lie with? I admitted, to myself anyway, that I was a fool and a
weakoneatthat.Ijustneededtokeepmylegsclosedforalittlewhile,oncewe
hadFabianandwesettledinatOlympus,Iwouldprobablyrarelyevenseehim.

What would she do now that she knew how good it could be? How would

shestandtobenearhimandnothavehimwithher?Herlifehadgonefrombad
to worse just because she had enjoyed carnal delights with the wrong man. He
wasnobetterthanJack,justasexualopportunistreadytolatchontothenearest
available female body. She turned away from him even as he tried to pull her
againsthim.

“Cherish,sweetheart,don’t.Comebackandletmeholdyou.”Hermessaid

looking for all the world like he wanted nothing more than to do just that, but
she knew the desire hadn’t been there until the jealousy was. There was some
odd dysfunctional relationship between gods and supermen so she was like a
bone being pulled back and forth between Jack and Hermes. The animosity
shown by the four men in the office had been almost suffocating. They were
almost brothers in their situations and should work to help each other, but she
didn’tseethathappeningeasily.

She got out of bed gathering clothes and headed to the bathroom to take a

shower. She pushed thoughts of what she had just done out of her head, or at
leastasfaroutofherthoughtsasshecould.Thewarmwaterrelaxedherhelping
to ease the anger she felt at her own stupidity. She played with fire then was
surprised when she got burned. She would talk to Doc, neither of them were

needed,maybetheycouldgetFabianandreturntoOlympusbeforeHermesand
Hades.Onceshewassettledin,shewassureshewouldn’tseemuchofHermes
since he would have other women to keep him happy. The thought hurt, but
sometimesthetruthdid.

ShewasreadyforthedayasshewalkedouttothesittingroomwhereDoc

andHadesargued.Thosetwoneededtofuckeachothersobaditwasobvious.
Theywouldbemorefuntobearoundoncethedeedwasdone.Hermescameout
afewminuteslater,butthecouplefightinghadn’ttakennoticeofeitherofthem.
Hermes finally slapped Hades on the back earning an animalistic growl and a
lookthatwouldterrifymostpeopleiftheyhadreceivedit.

“Youtwoneedtojustgettogetherandgetoverit.”Hermesadvisedreceiving

glaresfrombothofthemnow.

“WhatthehelldoyouthinkI’vebeentryingtodo?”Hadesasked.
“Bulldozeovermetogetwhatyouwant?”Docqueried.
It was clear to see there was chemistry there that Doc denied while Hades

pursued.Whyanyonewouldsendthosetwoonamissiontogetherwasbeyond
her. The chemistry was hot but the tension was strong between them. Doc was
angryandHadeswasfrustrated,nottoodifferentthantherelationshipbetween
Hermesandher.

“Weneedtogoandcheckoutsomemoredives.”Hadessaidwithalastlook

atDocbeforeheturnedwalkingtothedoor.

“We’ll talk when I get back.” Hermes said as he looked at Cher before

followingHadesoutthedoor.

“What’supwiththetwoofyou?”Docasked.“Idon’thavetheirrampedup

sensesbutevenIcantellsomethinghaschanged.”

“I’m just ready to get out of here and I think you want to leave too. Come

withmetogetmybrotherandwecanjustgotoOlympusaheadofthem.”

“Leavingorrunning?”Docaskedhereyeslookingandseeingtoomuch.
“Doesitreallymatteraslongaswe’regone?”
DoclookedthoughtfulbutCherknewthatHadeswasgettingonhernerves

andshewantedtoescapeasmuchasCherishneededtoo.Ifevershehadseena
deer in the headlights look, it was on Doc’s face right now. Cherish knew the
intention had originally been for Doc to stay with Hades until the mission was
complete, but technically the mission had been to find Hermes-mission
completed. Hades had changed the mission to tracking down those responsible
soitwasuptoDoctodecideifshewasgoingtostickwithhimornot.Itwas
clear Doc was torn between escaping Hades and the emotional rollercoaster he

put her on and sticking it out to show she was immune to him. It was almost
laughable because it was obvious that Doc was anything but immune to the
hunkyHades.

“Wereallyshouldn’t.Thesegodsgetfunnyaboutthingslikethat.Theyare

veryanalwhenitcomestofollowingorders.”

“YourmissionwastofindHermes,right?Youfoundhim.”
“Well,that’stechnicallytrue.”
“Who changed the mission parameters to include chasing down those who

tookHermes?”

“IsupposeHadesdidsinceweareoncommunicationsblackout.”
“Sohe’syourbossnow?”CherwouldfeelbadfortakingadvantageofDoc’s

rebelliousness toward all things Hades, later. For now, even if she had to take
advantageofherandmanipulateher,sheneededtogetawayfromHermes.

Doc’s face showed her anger at the thought that she had let Hades take

charge without question. She was now more than ready to get out of here too.
“Let’spackupandgo.”

“It won’t take me a minute.” Cher answered as she rushed back into the

bedroomtoloadupherbags.ShewasexcitedthatshewouldseeFabianagain
and be able to take him with her. She hoped Olympus was large so she could
avoidHermesandnotseewhathewasupto,sheknewifshedid,itwouldbreak
herheart.

Bags packed and loaded into the cab, they headed to the airport. Not the

large commercial one most people used, but a small private one where they
would wait for the plane that would pick them up. She called Ben to let him
knowthatshewouldbepickingFabianupandhesoundedodd,butheinsisted
hewasrightasrain.Itwassomethingshemighthavethoughtaboutalittlebit
morehadshenotbeensoanxioustoputdistancebetweenherandacertaingod.

She and Doc waited less than an hour before Larry landed pulling in near

where they waited. He fueled up and checked out the plane making sure
everything looked good. He was extremely thorough and one of the best pilots
around. Once he was done, he motioned to them to load up. Cher went to the
copilot’sseatandDochadthebacktoherself.Theflightwassafeanddullwhich
waspreferabletooverlyexcitinganddangerous.

They landed in Texas, tired, hungry, and maybe even a bit irritable. They

wouldshower,eat,andcatchsomesleepbeforeheadingtogetFabian.Thesleep
thingseemedtomakeallthedifferenceeventhoughtheyhadonlysleptacouple
hours.TheyrentedanSUVandheadedout.Theywerebothquiet,lostintheir

ownthoughtsuntiltheywerenearlyattheendofthetrip.

“So this is an old friend of your father’s that we are getting your brother

from?”

“Yes,he’stheonlypersonIwouldtrustwiththis.”
The driveway was in sight and they turned to head down it. In just a few

minutes,Fabianwouldbebackinhercareagain.

Chapter5
ToughChoices
Sierraturnedinherlover’sarmssoshecouldgivehimagentlekiss.Zeus’s

eyesflutteredopenandhisarmspulledhertighteragainsthim.Thelookinhis
gaze was so heated, she felt like it had set her on fire. It was a good thing the
babywaswithLu,orLuciferasmostoftheotherscalledhim.Hehaddeveloped
abondwithherdaughterthatfewunderstoodandnonehadexpected.

Hishandsstrokedher,ensuringherneedwasasgreatashis.Itwasn’tthathe

reallythoughtshewoulddenyhim,Sierraalwayswantedhimfromthemoment
theyhadfirstmet.ItwasthattheHalloweenBallwasonlydaysaway,Docand
HadeswereoffonamissionlookingforHermeswhoasfarastheyknewhadn’t
yet been found, her baby, Athena, was going through a stage where she was
irritable and possibly in pain, and there were too many people around that had
conflictingagendas.

Markwasback,hehadreturnedtotellherinpersonthatKylerhadescaped

whilebeingtransferredtoamorepermanentfacilityaftertheyhadrealizedthere
wasnopointininterrogatinghim.AllhespokeofwasSierraandhisbaby,his
obsession was complete. Mark seemed certain Kyler was nearby planning to
reclaimwhatheconsideredhiswomanandchild.Thingsaroundherewerenever
quiet,butrightnowchaosseemedtoreign.

Security was crazy and with the second level now open to everyone, there

werejustmoreplacesforotherstohide.Therewerealsomorepeopletowatch
with all the personnel the gods had hired in housekeeping and cafeteria jobs.
Theyhadn’tbeenabletofindenoughskilledwomen,becauseitseemedfemales
were the ones who were applying in droves but most of them were only
interested in hooking up with a god and couldn’t keep their minds on the job.
Justyesterdayshehadfiredoneofthecooksbecauseshehadcaughtthekitchen
onfire.Shehadslippedintothepantrywithoneoftheyounghornygodsfora
little‘somethingsomething’andforgottenabouttheovenfullofpastriesshewas
baking.Hegias,thegodshehadmisbehavedwith,hadbeennamedafteraGreek
philosophersincetheyhadrunoutofgodnames.Zeushadpunishedhimtooby

takingawayhisdessert.

Sierrahadprotested,losingyourjobwasamoreseverepunishmentthanjust

losing a piece of cake. Zeus had insisted that losing dessert was a serious
punishmentbecausegodslovedtheirsweetsandeveryonewouldknowhewas
beingpunishedandteasehim.Hewouldalsoknowthatthenexttimehegotin
trouble,hewouldbeputatthetopoftherotationforanundesirableduty. Zeus
stuckfirmlytohisdecisionevenastwogodsdraggedthepoorlittlecookfrom
thefacilitycryingforHegias.Hewasnowheretobeseennowthatthepleasure
wasdone.

“Your gods are tough on females that aren’t mates and even on some that

are.”

“Whatmakesyouthinkthat,Sweetheart?YouknowIwoulddoanythingfor

you.”Yes,shecouldseetheloveandwarmthonhisface.Shebelievedheloved
her,butifshehadnotbeencompatible,hewouldhavepursuedheranddumped
herwhenhewasthrough.

“Hegiasdidn’tevencometosaygoodbyetothepoorgirl.”
“I forbade it, I thought a clean break best.” Maybe he was right, but it had

been sad to watch her cry as she was dragged out the door kicking and
screaming every step of the way. Even the two gods removing her had pity in
theireyes.

“Howdoyouknowsheisn’tamate?”Sierraaskedasitsuddenlyoccurredto

herthattheyshouldbecheckingeveryfemalecominginforcompatibility.

Zeuslookedatherforamomentanditsuddenlyseemedtooccurtohimas

well. The poor little thing was brought back in. Sierra moved to the office as
Zeusfollowed,thegodsbroughthertothem.

“Nancy,itishardtoseeyousodistraught.Istheresomethingthatcouldhelp

youmanagethiseasier?”

Nancy looked as if she struggled to draw breath. Her body shook and she

didn’tseemtounderstandatfirst.“CouldIhaveachancetosaygoodbye?”She
said,hervoicehoarsefromherscreams.

“Ifyouwouldgoseesomeoneinmedicalfirstandgetasedativetoeaseyou

abit.Hegiaswouldbeveryupsettoseeyoulikethis.Hewasn’tallowedtosay
goodbyeeitherandbynowhewillknowhowupsetyouare.”

“Anything, I just wish to say goodbye.” Nancy said hesitantly. Sierra

wonderedifshewashavingsecondthoughtsaboutthe‘anything’shemightbe
askedtodo.

ThetwogodsescortedhertomedicalasSierracalledthelab.Normally,Doc

would handle things but since she wasn’t there, Nioma, her assistant was in
charge. “Nancy is coming to your lab. She’s to be given a sedative, but I want
youtopullsamplestoseeifsheisapotentialgodmate.”

“Issheawarewewillbetestingher?”
“No,andsheisn’ttoknow.”
“I’llseeit’sdone.Willwebetestingallpersonnel?”
“Ithinkthatwouldbeagoodideaifyoucancomeupwithacoverstory.”
“Theygetfreemedicalcare,justsaytheinsuranceproviderrequiresit.”
“Okay.Letmeknowherresultsassoonasyouhavethem.”
Sierrahadnodoubttherewouldbemorematings,butshewaswonderingif

introducingsomanyfemalesallatoncewasagoodidea.Ofcourse,goodidea
ornot,itwastoolateandnowtheyneededtomanagethefallout.Everyfemale
needed to be tested to see if she was compatible as a mate for a god. If one
conceivedunknowntothemandleft,ababygodwouldbeoutintheworldall
on their own. The problems that would cause, would be too many to contain.
They had to set up protocols to deal with any females that were here long
enoughtohookupwithgodsordemons.

Thosecominginfortheballwouldbedifferent.Allgodsanddemonswere

instructedtowearprotectiontopreventanyunexpectedoffspring.Nowthatthey
knewitwaspossibletoproducechildren,theyallknewthestakeshadchanged
and protection was needed. Origin had always encouraged unprotected sex
hopingtherewouldbeoffspring.

SierraandZeussentforHerculessincehewassecurityandhewouldbethe

one to ensure all females entering the facility would be tested and follow any
other procedures required before settling in. Gods and demons would also be
required to report sexual liaisons when birth control wasn’t used. They would
understand the reason for it and comply. Once everything went into effect, she
wouldfeelbetterabouteverything.

Fivedaysbeforetheball,everythingwaschaosandDocbrokeradiosilence,

butonlytoher.SierrawashappytoheartheyfoundHermes,worriedthathehad
becomeinvolvedwithsomeonetheyknewsolittleabout,andshehurtforDoc
and her relationship with Hades. The two women were headed to Texas and
Sierra felt danger signals going off in her head. She called out for Zeus and
Herculescausingthembothtorunbacktotheroomtoseewhatwaswrong.

“Hermeswasfound,buthebroughtagirlbackwithhim.ShetalkedDocinto

goingwithhertoTexastopickupayoungboythentheyplantocomehere.”

“Thatsoundslikegoodnews.Whenyoucalledus,Isenseddanger.”

“That’sbecausethat’swhatIsense.Somethingisverywrongandweneedto

takeaction.Ihavetheaddressthey’regoingtoinTexasandIwantsomeonesent
thereasquicklyaspossible.”ShelookedatZeuswithnearpaniconherface.

“Take care of it Hercules.” Hercules nodded and got on his radio issuing

ordersashestrodefromtheroom.

“AreyougoingtotellmewhatDocistoyou?”
“Anotherfamilyscent?”
“Yes.”
“Sisterwithadifferentmother,isthatwhatyouguessed?”
“Thatoracousinweremyguesses.”Hesaidashepulledhertohim.“She’ll

bealright.Ihaveacontactnotfarfromthere.They’llbetherebeforetheyarrive
and keep the place under surveillance.” His touch helped calm her because he
wouldneverlietoher.

SheheadedbacktopryAthenaawayfromhernaughtyuncleLu.Theywere

playing hide and seek and Athena was right out in the open while Lucifer
pretended he couldn’t see her. She giggled and cooed, that demon could have
anyfemaleeatingoutofhishandsinnotime.Itwouldbescarytobehismate,
even though Zeus was a gorgeous god, Lu had a celestial type of beauty. He
would probably draw in psychos and angels, no middle of the road female for
him. He teased and played around to get Sierra and Athena to stay, Lu was a
lonelydemon.Sierrahadgrownattachedtohimwhichwouldmakeithardifthe
demons ended up with a facility of their own like that which was being
discussed.GermanyhadgoneagainstOriginwhenithadbeenproventheywere
behindsomepastattacksonthem.Theyhadtakendownaratherlargefacility,
notlikeOlympus,butlargeenoughtoaccommodateahundreddemonsormore.
TheyhadofferedittothegodsandZeushadofferedittoLucifer.

Sierra thought Athena might be the only thing stopping him from leaving

them. Lu had told Zeus he would tell him after the ball. The ball would be a
demon’s dream, their one chance to go out among others with no chance of
being recognized as failed gods or devil’s spawn. Every demon would be in
attendanceforaslongastheychosetobethere.Someofthemweresoexcited,
Sierrahadcaughtthemsmiling.Demonsrarelysmiled,theyusuallyhadlittleto
smileabout.

Therewasaknockonthedoor,itwasHercules.“Sierra,wehaveawoman

on the phone who says she has information on an imprisoned god. She won’t
speaktoanyonebutyou.”

Wellthatwasdifferent.“Ludoyoumindwatchingher?”

Lusmiledanditlituphiswholefacegivingitanangelicglow.“Anytime.”
ShefollowedHerculestothenearestphonewhichwasinthemeetingroom.

Zeus,Poseidon,andApollowerewaitingforher.Thephonewasonspeakerand
alleyeswereonitasifitwerealive.

“Hello,thisisSierraDunlevy.Who’sthis?”
“I am Maria Gomez. I am a guard at a small independent lab where one

scientist, Jerome Elders, is experimenting on a god named Erebus. I need a
guaranteeofasylumandIneedaplacetogo.”

“Whatisyourlocation?”
“JustsouthoftheTexasborderbutnotreallyclosetoanytowns.Youknow

thelocationstheychoose.I’msureyoucantrackme.”

“CanyoumakeittoDallas?”
“Icouldmakewiththesmallplanewehavehere.”
Sierragavehertheaddress,triedtomatchupthetimesasbestshecould,and

hopedforthebest.ItseemedalotwasabouttohappeninDallasandtherewas
nowayanyofthoseherecouldbetheretohelp.

“IhadthoughtErebuslongdead.”Zeussaidwithathoughtfullookuponhis

face.

“That begs the question of how many others thought dead were given to

private researchers to be treated worse than pets.” Apollo said as his fist came
crashingdownonthetable.

“Weshouldsetupawebsiteandgiverewardsforinformationleadingtothe

freeingofimprisonedgodsorthewhereaboutsofthosewhocommittedcrimes
against the gods.” Sierra looked around seeing approval on every face. She
wouldtakechargeofit.Sheshouldhavethoughtofitbeforebutthingshadbeen
ratherbusyjusttryingtostayalive.

Everyone headed in different directions to take care of their duties, except

Zeuswhostayedwithher.Itwasn’tthattherewasn’tplentyforhimtodealwith,
itwasthathewantedtoeasetheworriesonhermind.Protectiveoftheinnocent,
lovingwiththeirfamilyandfriends,andfairmindedtoall,thisiswhatthegods
were to those that knew them and to her, he was the best of all. She heard the
door lock before he turned to her opening his arms for her to step into for
comfort. She did, leaning against him and breathing in his calming scent. It
remindedherthatshehadhisprotectionaswellashisdesireandlove.

Hishandliftedherchinsohecouldlayareassuringkissonherlips.Atleast

it started out that way but the temperature quickly rose until it was a raging
inferno that could be tamed in only one way. He removed his clothes as he

kissedher.Hischestwasbare,hispantsandunderweararoundhisanklesandhis
hardheavilyveinedstalkpressedagainstherbelly.Hepulledhershirtoverher
head, unsnapped her bra, and slid her skirt and underwear down until they
dropped to the floor. She stood before him in her garter, hose, and heels
tremblingwithanticipationasshewaitedforhistouch.

“IthinkIsteppedintoanofficefantasy,mysexylittlemate.”Zeusgrowled,

hisvoiceroughfromneed.

“Andwhatwouldthisfantasyentail?”Sheaskedteasinghim.
“Youflatonyourbackonthemeetingtablewithyourheelshangingovermy

shoulders, your silky hose rubbing me as I pound in and out of your hot, wet
pussyuntilyouscreammynameasyoufindyourrelease.”

Thepicturehiswordsbroughttomindweakenedherkneesuntilshegrabbed

holdofthetableinquestionandleanedagainstit.Hemovedtoherslidingher
slowly down on the table before lifting her legs over his shoulder. He looked
downatherbodyasitlayspreadopenandexposedtohisviewandthedesireon
hisfacemadeherstomachclenchwithneed.Hemoveddownherbodyuntilhis
face was between her legs. He breathed in deeply then blew out his hot breath
whisperingoverheralreadyheatedflesh.

“Oh,Baby,yousmellsosweetbutIknowyou’lltasteevensweeter.”Hesaid

asheslidhistonguealongherseamanditendedupagainstherclit.Herbody
shook with pleasure as he began to circle and worry her little button. She
moanedsoftlyasherwholebodytensed.Shewasalmostinstantlyontheedge,
herneedforhimneverentirelygone,alwaysreadytoriseupandtakeheroverat
amomentsnotice.

He pressed harder as his tongue wiggled then circled faster. He laved and

licked wildly, her flavor and her neediness pushing him to ease her need so he
couldbringitbackagain.Herenewedhiseffort,flayingherclitwithhistongue
in all out war that demanded immediate surrender. She arched wildly pushing
herpussyintohisfaceasakeeningcryeruptedfromherlips.Shethrashedabout
mindlesslylostinthepleasureofrelease,embracingthefeelingandrefusingto
thinkaboutanythingbutthehereandnow.

Hegavehernotimetorecoverasheslidupherbodydrivingdeepintoher

withouthesitation.Shefelttheinvasionofhishardcockasheforceditintoher
tightchannel.Apinchofpain,butohsomuchpleasure.“Zeus!”Shescreamed
asshewrappedherlegsaroundhiswaistandpushedhertoesintohisasstrying
topushhimindeeperstill.Shewantedtomergewithhimuntilnoonecouldsay
wherehestoppedandshebegan.

He was pounding against her as she arched up against him feeling the

deliciousskinofhistightassagainsthertoesasshepressedthemonhim.Right
now she would swear he was a true god, the expression on his handsome face
heldahintofblisstocome.Hisbodywasmagnificent,hestrainedagainsther
like an athlete, slamming into her to perfectly push her closer and closer to
ecstasy.Shehadneverevenhadafantasythatcouldholdacandletothewayhe
madeherfeel,thejoyhewasevennowgivingher.Herbodytensed,thepleasure
overwhelming as she was drowned in a sea of rapture. She screamed, an
animalistic primitive sound of raw pleasure. Two more thrusts and she would
haveswornheletoutaroarlikeabeast.

Theywerebothhot,sweatyandinneedofacoolrefreshingshowerorthey

might both collapse in a heap right now. Slowly, Zeus moved off of her to
straightenhisclothesandputhisshirtbackon.Heheldouthishand,whichshe
took,hepulledheroffthetableandfoundhershirtwhilesheputeverythingelse
initsproperspot. He slid her shirt over her head and she got it on properly. It
wastimetoleave,buttherewouldn’tbeagodordemonthatcouldn’tscentwhat
had just happened. Eventually, she would learn not to be embarrassed and it
didn’tbotherherenoughtostophermatewheneverhewantedher.Sheheaded
backtoLu,whileZeusgotbacktorunningOlympus.

“Hey,Lu.I’mback.”
He took a deep breath and a teasing smile formed on his lips. “At least

someoneisgettinglucky,butitdoesn’tseemfairit’salwaysZeus.Maybeyou
shouldrunawaywithme?IhavesometricksyouwouldenjoythatZeuscan’t
touch.”Hesaidashistailcamearoundtohischestandseemedtobenoddingat
her. She turned bright red as she figured out what he was implying. “I can’t
believe,Sweetheart,thatmymysterioussexualskillswouldembarrassyouwhen
youjusthadsexinthemeetingroom.Noonewilleverlookatitthesameway
again.”Hesaidashewiggledhisbrowssuggestively.

Sheshouldhaverealizedeveryoneknewwhatthey’ddoneandweretalking

about it. What they needed was more mated couples so everyone wouldn’t be
watchingZeusandherallthetime.DocreallyneededtostoppunishingHades
for his stupidity and they could be mates. Hades had really fucked things up,
hell, even he admitted it. He had made headway and they were having coffee
together everyday. She was starting to relax around him and he became
impatient. He decided to make her jealous by dating an opportunistic slut that
usedtoworkinthecafeteria.

ThedatehadendedinbedwhereHadesdecidedhemightaswellgetalittle

relief while he waited for Doc to figure out she couldn’t live without him and
comeafterhim.Dee,thelittlebitchhe’dbedded,tapedthewholethingandsent
acopytoDoc.Shewashurt,ofcourseshewas,butatthatpointshediddecide
she wanted a man in her life. The trouble was, it wasn’t Hades. She started
dating a major who was temporarily assigned here and as soon as he wanted
more,shedumpedhim.RightnowshewasdatingMarlin,oneoftheextramen
Markhadsentforsecurityfortheball.HewasinchargeofMark’ssecurityhere
andarealniceguy.Hewassmart,attractive,andtreatedherlikealady.Hewas
everything she should want, but even though he was a sexual athlete, Sierra
knewshestillcaredforHades.Thetrusthadbeenlostbutthefeelingswerestill
there.

ItwaswhyshehadbeensentonthemissionwithHades,Zeusthoughtbeing

stuck in each other’s company would force them to get past their problems.
Instead, it had caused new ones. Sierra just hoped they would work through it
becausesheknewthatnooneelsehadthehopeofevermakingDochappy,only
Hadesmightdothatifhelearnedhowtotreatalady.Ifhejustwantedsex,he
mightaswellleaveheraloneforgood.

Shelookedattheclock,inafewhoursthingswouldbegintohappenandit

wouldallbeoutofherhands.

Chapter6
Keven
He was going to wring her pretty little neck. Hermes and Hades sat in the

back of the small military chopper squeezed into a space that wasn’t meant to
holdpeople,muchlessbigguyslikethem.Itwassetuptohaulmedicalsupplies
in emergencies, the two medics were pilot and copilot. They flew in quickly
stabilizingthosetheycouldwhilebiggertransportationfollowedtohaulvictims
to hospitals or haul out bodies when all efforts failed. He knew they had been
luckytogetonanythingatall.ItwasheadedtoDallasanywaycarryingaliver
fortransplant.

They might be lucky, but right now they didn’t feel lucky cramped in the

backwiththeboxcarryingthelifesavingorgan.Hewouldhavejustletherrun
ifhedidn’tthinkshemightbeindanger.Itwasthatandthisalmostpainfulneed
hehaddevelopedforher.Hehadneverfeltsuchastrongattachmenttoafemale
even before that incredible session of love making. After that, how could she
denyhim?Howcouldshejustleavehimlikehemeantnothingtoher?Maybeit
hadn’tfeltthesametoher?TheywerecirclingtheroofofthehospitalinDallas
wheretheywouldland.ASUVwouldbewaitinginthegarageasnearthedoor

astheycouldfindaparkingspot.

ThecopterlandedandheandHadesjumpedoffandranforthedooravoided

the group on the roof waiting for the package. He ached all over and was
surprisedhecouldwalkmuchlessrun.Sometimesitpaidtobeagod.TheSUV
wasn’t hard to find, the keys were in the ignition, a necessary risk they had
taken. They jumped in and they headed out to reclaim their women. He drove,
since Hades had never been there before. A feeling of dread settled in his
stomach alerting him to the danger that awaited them. How could Cher be so
stupidandcarelessjustbecauseshewantedtogetawayfromhim?Hewasn’ta
badguyandhefearedhefeltwaytoomuchforthelittlefemale.Heglancedat
Hadesandsawthesameconcernsreflectedonhisface.Hespedupabitmore
butbeingstoppedbyacopwouldn’thelptheirsituation.

They finally got close and they stopped pulling into a spot beside the road

that would accommodate the vehicle without it sticking out into the street. At
thispointtheywouldhiketothehousesoiftherewastrouble,theycouldcheck
itoutbeforetheytookaction.Hejustcouldn’twraphisheadaroundherneedto
escape him at all costs and he was sure he wouldn’t ever understand it. They
startedoutatahardjogslowingtheclosertheygottoBen’sproperty.Hisspine
tingledtheclosertheygottellinghimtroubledidawaitanditwasworsethanhe
hadanticipated.Theyarrivedatthehouseandhewassuretheywereundetected.
A jeep sat in the drive which he was sure was Ben’s because it had been there
whenhewastherebefore.AnSUVwasbehindit,arentalnodoubt,judgingby
theplates.

Even though there was no other vehicle in sight, Hermes knew there was

probablyonesomewherebecausetherewasasenseofmaliciousintentintheair.
He saw the same knowledge in Hades eyes, they would have to be careful to
save their mates and any innocents there as well. They went in opposite
directions,theywouldmeetontheothersidebythenknowingiftherewasany
signofanenemy.Hermesmovedtothebarn,theperfectplacetohideacarout
ofsight.Thereitwas,anoldsportscarthathadseenbetterdays.Hecouldsmell
the distinctive smells of three males. That wasn’t so bad, he and Hades could
easilyhandlethreehumanmen.HemovedonaroundtowhereHadeswaited.

“Threemen,oneisKeven,Cher’sbrother.”
“Killorcapture?”Hadesaskedwithacurioustiltofhishead.
“Weneedtocapturesomeonetoquestion,butdon’tendangeranyoneforhis

sake.”Hermeswantedtobeclear,takenochancesbutcaptureifyoucan.These
menwereallinvolvedwithOrigin.HeknewtheonlyreasonHadesaskedhim

whattodo,wasthatheknewaboutthesemanandonewashismate’sbrother.
Hadeswasinchargeunlesshegaveupthatright.HeappreciatedHadesthinking
of him and even though they were brutal when teasing each other, they were
brothers in a truer sense of the word than most that were born to the same
parents.

They moved to the house where they used their keener senses to listen for

conversation and attempt to sniff out locations. Hermes heard sounds going to
thebackdoor,oneofthemenwasgoingtothecarinthebarn.Helookedatthe
sprawlingranchhouseinfrontofhimandherememberedwhereeachdoorwas.
Hemovedquietlytowherehecouldseethedoornearestthebarn.Theyardwas
well appointed with trees, bushes, and flowers many of which were well
established.Therewasarowofbushesthatwereeightfoothighandhemoved
tohideinthem.

The back patio door slid open and a man he recognized from Cher’s house

cameout.Hehadbeentheonethataccompaniedherbrotherthemostoftenand
brought out strong fear in her whenever she saw him. He was sure Keven had
called him Stu. He wouldn’t bother Cher again because Hermes was about to
removehimfromtheequation.

Hermes stalked behind Stu keeping to the bushes that hid him completely.

OnceStuenteredthebarn,Hermesbrokefromhiscoverrunningtotheopening
infrontofthebarn.Therewasn’tadoor,justatenfootopeninginthefrontof
thebuildingthathefollowedStuinthrough.ItwasdarkinsideandwhileStu’s
eyes adapted, Hermes came up behind him and caught him by the neck from
behind.Justahardtwist,itwasover,andnowthereweretwo.

Hadescameupbehindhim.“Didyouknowhim?”Hereallymeantwasthis

thebrother.

“Itwasherbrother’sbuddy,Stu.Heattackedheronceandtriedtorapeher.

Hetoldherbrotheraboutitandsaidhe’dtakethefightrightoutofheronceshe
washis.Canyoubelieveherbrotherwasgoingtogivehertothatassholeafter
he killed his little brother, Fabian?” Hades just shook his head. Hell, they all
knewhowcruelhumanscouldbe.Theyhadlivedwithitalltheirlivesandthey
were only finding out now that some humans were better than that. Some like
SierraandCherweremuchbetterthanthat.

“What’snext?”Hadesasked.
“Ifigureoneofthemwillcomeouttoseewhat’stakingStusolong.”
“Whatiftheydon’t?”
“Wecanwaitawhile,butIbettheycan’t.Let’sputStuinthedriver’sseatso

they’llcometothebarntoseewhat’sup.Maybeweshouldputthehooduptoo.
Thiscarlookslikeitbarelyruns.”

Hades nodded and they opened the driver’s side door and picked up Stu

sitting him in the seat and leaning him back against the head rest. Until they
were beside the car they wouldn’t realize he was dead, even then they might
thinkhehadjustfallenasleep.HermespoppedthehoodandHadespulleditup
andmadesureitwouldstaythatway.Hadesstayedinthebarntotakeoutthe
nextguywhileHermeswentbacktohisspotnearthehousetolistenandwatch.
Itwasn’tlongbeforeheheardarguingbecauseneithermanwantedtogocheck
on Stu. He could hear the fear in their voices and he wanted to rush into the
houseasheheardKeventhreatenCher.

“IfsomethinghashappenedtoStu,you’redead.You’reonlygoodasagift

forafriend.”

“I’lltakeher.”TheotherguysaidandHermescouldhearthedesireandthe

interestinhisvoice.Likehellhe’dletanothermantouchwhatwashis.

“You’re not a friend.” Keven said in a hateful voice. Hermes bet he didn’t

havemanyfriendsandhe’djustlostone.

KevenfinallyconvincedtheguyhecalledGary,togooutandcheckonStu.

Hermes hid carefully watching Gary walk nervously down the path from the
patio doors to the barn. He seemed to release a breath he had held in when he
caught sight of the car and thought it was just broke down. He sped up a little
nowmoreanxioustogettoStutohelphimfixthecarsotheycouldgetoutof
there.HermesstayedwherehewastrustingHadestodowhatwasneeded.Gods
werethebestatthiskindofthingandeventuallyZeusintendedtheywouldmake
a living out of it. He turned his attention back to the house. With only one
adversary left, they would make their move quickly. Hopefully before Keven
realizedhewasonhisown.

HermesslippedalittlecloserpickingupthesoundsofKevenyellingatCher.

“You stupid bitch. If you hadn’t let that bastard go, I would be counting my
moneyinaweekinsteadoftryingtofigureouthowtoavoidOriginagentswho
have already become suspicious of me. If it comes down to it, I’ll blame it on
youandhandyouovertothem.They’realwayslookingforDNAorasluttouse
fortheircaptivegods.”

“Ithoughtallthegodswerefreenow.”
“Youbelieveinunicornsanddragonstoo,don’tyouSis?Stupidbitch.They

have many more labs and facilities around the world hidden in places they’ll
neverbefound.Someinsmallnumbersthatwon’tdrawanyattention.They’ve

lostsomeoftheirfundsnowsothey’retryingnaturalbreedingandtheyevengot
a whorehouse where rich woman can enjoy a god for the night. It’s funny,
they’repayingforwhatmywhoresistergotforfree.Wasitworthyourlifeand
Fabian’s?”

“Hehasnointerestinme.We’rejustfriends,that’sall.”
Keven laughed. “You stupid bitch, no man is your friend. Even when you

lookedlikesomethingthecatdraggedin,myfriendsallnoticedyou.Itoldthem
toleaveyoualone.NotbecauseIcareaboutyou,Iwassavingyouasaprizefor
mybestfriend.ItkeptStuinline,hewantsyoubad.Iknewabigscorewould
come around eventually and I wanted his loyalty. I needed to know I had one
guywhowoulddowhateverIaskedfor.”

“Youreallyareamonster,aren’tyouKeven?”
“I’mthethingthatgoesbumpinthenight.”Kevenagreedwithachuckle.
HermesknewheneededtogetKevenoffbyhimself,buthedidn’tthinkit

was possible. Hades slipped through the bushes to his side. “He’s restrained.
Let’shopeheknowssomethingthatcanhelpus.”

“Kevenisn’tplanningongoingdowneasyandhehasalotofangertoward

CherandFabian.Itwon’tbeeasy.”

“Whydon’tweseeifwecanfindawayintothehouse.”Hadessuggestedas

hemovedtowardadoorthatHermesthoughtledtothemastersuite.

They stood near the window listening and someone was in there but not

Keven. Hades forced the door using all his strength breaking the lock with a
snapping sound. He pulled it all the way open and they walked into the room
cautiously.Ben,hisson,andFabianweretheretiedupsittingonthefloor.They
werefreedquicklyandseemedunharmed.

“Whathappenedhere?”Hermesasked.
“KevenandhisbuddiesshowedupthedaybeforeCherandherfrienddid.

He tied us up and put us back here and he hasn’t come back since. I’ve heard
sounds like mumbling, but I haven’t made out anything they’re saying except
when Cher and her friend came in the door. Keven was yelling at them telling
themtogetontheirknees.”Bensaidlookingtiredandmaybeabitscared.

“We’ll figure out how to get the girls free.” Hermes said even though he

feareddealingwithKeven.Youneverknewwhatacrazymanmightdo.

HadesandHermesmoveddownthehalluntiltheywerenearthelivingroom

whereDocandCherwerebeingheld.Hermesmovedwherehecouldseepartof
the room. Doc was near him and Cher was on the other side of the room with
Keven.Hehadmadeherfixfoodforhimandshewasarguingwithhim.

“Let me fix the others some food, I’m sure they’re hungry.” Cher told him

withherhandsheldoutinfrontofher.

“Isaidnoandthat’sit.We’reabouttoleavesoitdoesn’tmatteranyway.You

and Fabian are coming with me, maybe this bitch too.” Keven said pointing in
Doc’sgeneraldirection.

Hermes took advantage of Keven’s distraction and pulled Doc into the

hallway with him. Only her hands were tied so he sent her to Hades while he
continuedtowatchhopingforachancetotakeKevenoutwithoutriskingCher.
Hades slipped up behind him silently looking at him waiting for a signal.
Hermesshookhishead,theywouldhavetowait.

Kevenyelled,abloodcurdlingsound.“Wheredidthebitchgo?”Heasked

Cher.

“Idon’tknow,maybesheneededtogotothebathroom.”
KevengrabbedCherbythearmdragginghertowhereDochadbeensitting.

HelookedintothehallwaywhereHermesandHadesstood.“Lookslikethegod
thatdoesn’tcareaboutyouhasbroughtafriendtohelpsaveyou.”Hechuckled
likealunatic.“Ifyoudon’twantherdead,you’llgiveyourselfup.I’lltakethe
twoofyoutoanicefacilitywheretheywilltakegoodcareofyou.”

Kevenheldthegunnearherheadwhilehespoke.Hermesthoughtifthegun

wouldjustslipalittlelowerhewouldriskgrabbingit.Godswerefast,veryfast.
“You’llnevergetawaynomatterwhatwedo.Originwillkillyouassoonaswe
arriveatthefacility.Theyknowyoutriedtocheatthem.Disloyaltyispunished
bydeath.”Hermestoldhimhopingtodistracthim.

Hades was getting antsy, it was clear he wasn’t going to wait much longer.

HadessteppeduptowherehewasbesideHermes.“You’realoneandyouhavea
hostage of no value. We came for the other female, she’s our doctor. You can
giveupifyouwanttolive,ordietryingtoholdontoyourweapon.”Hadessaid
inacoldtonethatsoundedsobelievable.ThegundroppedjustalittleasKeven
triedtodecideifHadestoldthetruth.Hedidn’tseemassureashehadbeento
begin with. He had to wondering what if they didn’t care if his sister lived or
died?

ThegunslippeddownjustalittlemorebutbeforeHermescouldmove,Cher

wentintoaction.ShegrabbedKeven’swristjerkingitsohardthesoundofbone
breaking echoed through the room. The gun fell to the floor before Cher
slammed her elbow into Keven’s stomach. She stepped slightly away as she
turnedtowardhimwhilehebentoverinpain.Shegrabbedhisheadandforcedit
downassheraisedherkneeintoitspathsmashinghisnoseandforcingascream

outofhim.HermesandHadessteppedforwardgrabbingKevenandpullinghim
awayfromher.

OncetheytiedKevenup,HermessteppedovertoCherintendingtoholdand

comforther.Shemovedawayfromhimshakingherhead.“Please,Cher,Ican’t
standtoseeyouhurtlikethis.JustletmegiveyouwhatcomfortIcan.”

“Youwouldonlymakemehurtmore.”Shesaidanditmadehischestburn

painfullyassheturnedawayfromhimdenyingthebondheknewtheyhad.He
knewshewashiswhethersheadmitteditornot.Hewouldletitgofornow,but
hewouldhaveherbackinhisarmsbeforelong.Hehadtosincehecouldn’tlive
withoutheranymore.

Cherfixedeveryonefoodandtheyallateandrelaxedasmuchastheycould.

Theyweresittingaroundpiecingeverythingtogetherwhenaknocksoundedon
thedoor.Benwenttoansweritsinceitwashishouse.Hecamebackleadinga
femaleandamalethatsmelledlikeagodbacktothem.

“Erebus,isityou?”Hadessaidwithexcitementherarelyshowed.“Ithought

youdeadyearsago.”

“It is me, brothers. They moved me where one scientist worked with me.

Thiswasmyguard,Maria,shehelpedmeescape.”

Hades and Hermes hugged him. The gods were close like family and this

wasahappyoccasion.Erebusfilledtheminonhowtheyhadendedupherwith
them. Cher brought them food and Hermes thought she was so good to see to
everyone’sneeds.Hewouldsoontakecareofhersandhewouldn’tletherput
himofflong.

“Ben, we appreciate you helping and we’re sorry for what you had to go

through.We’regoingtogonow,weallhavetogetonourway.”Chersaidasshe
hugged Ben and his boy. Fabian said his goodbyes too and Hermes thought he
sawsadnessinhiseyes.

“Howwillwetravel?”HermesaskedCher.
“I’ll call Larry and he’ll take us to wherever we need to catch a ride to

Olympus.”

“We’llhavetogetbacktoWashington.”Hadessaidwithouttakinghiseyes

offDoc.

They divided themselves between the three rentals and Cher tried to avoid

Hermes but ended up with him anyway. Doc ended up with Hades and she sat
thereinthepassengerseatglaringathim.Theymadeittotheairportaheadof
thepilotandwaitedintheoffice.

“What will they do with Keven and his friend?” Cher asked breaking the

longsilencethathadlastedsincetheyhadarrived.

“They’ll question them and how helpful they are will go a long way in

determiningtheirtreatment.”Hermesreplied.

“Kevenwon’tcooperate.”
“Youmightbesurprisedbyhowhe’llbewhenherealizeshe’satourmercy

andweknowwhoandwhatheis.”

“Whatishe?”
“He’s worked with Origin for years torturing and sometimes killing gods

suspectedoftryingtoescape.He’sonourwantedlist,nearthetop.”

“I knew he was trouble, but I never knew how truly cold and unfeeling he

was.IwishIhadneverfoundout.”

The pilot came and he got the plane ready for takeoff. He headed into the

office where they were waiting for him. “Time to go. It’s going to be tight
quarters,thisisnearlycapacityfortheplane.”

Chersatupfrontwiththepilot,somethingthatdroveHermescrazy.Hewas

crampedinthesmallspace,itwasn’tmadeforabigguylikeheandHadeswere.
By the time they landed, he was ready to kiss the ground and he would bet
Hadeswastoo.Theplanefortheirmuchlongerflightwasalreadywaitingandit
wasmuchroomier.TheprisonersweretuckedawayinbackandChercouldn’t
escapehimnow.Heslidintotheseatnexttoherandherefusedtolethermove.

“Whatdoyouthinkthisproves?”Sheaskedhim.
“Youaremine.”
“Iamnotyours.Iamsomeonewithnovalue.”
“HadeswasjusttryingtomaneuverKevenintoabetterposition.Youhave

alwayshadvalue,especiallytome.”

Shesnorted.“Tellmeanotherone.”
“I’mnotlyingtoyou.Ifyou’llgivemeachanceI’llprovetoyoujusthow

muchyoumeantome.”

“Ifyoudon’tmind,I’dliketotakeanap.”Shesaidleaningbackherseatand

turning off her light. She was effectively freezing him out. Out of the
conversationandoutofherlife.Hermeshadneverfeltmorefrustratedinhislife
thanhedidwhenhedealtwithhisfemale.

He turned out his light and leaned back his chair. At least he would be

sleeping next to her, it was something. The ride was relatively short seeming
probablybecauseithadbeencomfortable.Theyhadsleptuntiltheywerewoke
to eat then they had slept some more. You would think they would feel rested
oncetheyarrivedbuthefeltmoretiredthanever.Helookedaroundathisfellow

travelersandtheyalllookedastiredashedid.

Thewalktothefacilityseemedlongbutthatmightbebecausewithhumans

along,itwasslow.Doc,Cher,andFabianweren’ttoobad,itwastheothertwo
thatcausedalltheproblems.Itwasn’tevenonpurpose,theywereinbadshape
and just couldn’t keep up. Hermes and Hades finally tossed them over their
shouldersandtookoffasfastastheycouldgoleavingtheresttokeepupasbest
they could. It was a relief when they finally came to the hidden door that led
downtowhereCronoswas.Theywaitedfortherestoftheirgrouptocatchup
before they opened the door and followed them in. Lights popped on
automatically as they stepped in the elevator Zeus had decided to install. They
had both objected to it thinking it a security risk, but right now they were
grateful it was there. Both were eager to get away from Keven and his friend
becauseofasicklysmellthatclungtothem.

HementionedthesmelltoCherandshehadsaiditwastheodorproducedby

a rotting soul. He felt so sad for her and had only wanted to wrap her in the
safety of his arms, but she had pulled back from him. It had shown him in no
uncertaintermsthatshewaswithdrawingfromhimmorebytheday.Heneeded
her and his body ached for her and her alone. Her scent could both relax and
excite him, he lived for a smile from her, and he would fight the world for his
righttobewithher.

Zeus, Sierra, and several others waited for them when the elevator door

opened. Doc hurried to Sierra and they hugged so tight, Hermes wondered if
either woman could breathe. Zeus had two of the gods with him take the
prisoners away. Fabian hung close to Cher’s side as if he could protect her
againstgods.Cherstoodramrodstraight,butnotfrightenedasonemightthink.
She had an air of acceptance like a sacrificial virgin who knew she would not
escape her fate. He wondered what she was expecting that brought out those
feelings in her. Maria, the ex-guard, had taken her young daughter back from
Erebuswhohadcarriedherinforher.

Thelittlegirlwasaroundtwoyearsoldandlookedjustlikehermother.Her

Hispanic ancestry had given her pitch black hair, black eyes or at least the
darkest of brown, and a deep tan color to her skin. She smiled as only an
innocent babe with no knowledge of the cruelties of life could. It was almost
enoughtomakeHermessmiletoountilhisgazefellbacktoCher.Hismate,he
had no doubt that was what she was, had denied him. He remembered a time
Zeus had been nearly insane because Sierra had done the same, but she had
giveninsohehopedCherwouldtoo.

Hisneedforherwasgreat,hisbodysensitive,hiscockachedtobeimmersed

insideheryethehadtocontrolhisdesireuntilhecouldmakeherrealizeshewas
his.Matesbelongedtoeachother,itwaswrongwhentheywerekeptapart.He
sawZeuslookedathimwithsympathy,hehadpickeduponwhatwasgoingon
withoutbeingtold.

Erebusstoodawkwardlytoonesideasifwaitingforajudgmenttobepassed

down.Zeusapproachedhimandgavehimahug.Erebusseemedstunned,before
hugginghimback.“Welcomehome,brother!”Zeustoldhim.

“Iamgladtobehere.”ErebussaidbutHermesnoticedhedidn’tsayhome.

ItwasnosurprisesinceErebushadtoldhimtheyhadmovedhimoftenandhe
wassureitwouldbesometimebeforeErebuswouldfeelathome.

Zeus now moved to Maria who looked nervous. “I can’t thank you enough

forbringinghimbacktous.Iwillspeaktoyoulater,fornowrest,eat,andclean
up.”Hemotionedtooneofthegodswithhim.“Takehertoherroomandseeshe
hasanythingsheneeds.”

The god motioned for her to follow him and he took her away. “She’s not

yours?”Zeusasked.

“No, but I care for her and want to see her and the child well treated. The

child was used to keep her loyal. She was sent in by the military as a spy but
Originhasspiesoftheirown.Thescientistthatkeptme,usedher.Thechildwas
hisbutitdidn’tstophimfromthreateningthechildtokeepherinline.”

“Shewillbetreatedasoneofourown,thechildaswell.”Zeusmotionedto

anothergodwhotookchargeofErebusleadinghimaway.

ZeuscametostandinfrontofCheranditdidn’ttakeagodtoseeCherwas

concerned.SheheldFabian’shandasshebravelyfacedZeus.Dochadcometo
stand near by and Sierra stood next to her mate. Hermes moved closer to his
woman,becauseshewashisnomatterwhatshemightthink.

“Cherish, I presume?” Zeus said and it was obvious that amusement filled

hisvoiceandhisface.Cherishnodded,buttheworrydidn’tgoawayalthoughit
dideaseslightly.

“Tellmewhatyouwishustodoforyou.”
“IjustwantasafeplaceforFabianandmetoliveuntilOriginiscompletely

destroyed.”

“A small enough request easily granted. Are you sure there is nothing else

youwant?”Zeus’sgazeshiftedtoHermesandbackquickly.

“No,Icanseetoallourotherneeds.”
“Verywell.Hermeswillseethatyou’resettledinandhavewhatyouneed,

but I will need to speak to you after you’re rested to get the whole story.”
CherishnoddedthenlookedatHermes.Hetookherarmandledheraway.Zeus
wantedheronthethirdlevelwiththedemonswhichdidn’tpleaseHermes.She
wastoobeautifulanddesirabletobeleftwhereademonmighttakeadvantageof
her. He had heard stories of their abilities with women and he didn’t want her
nearthem.

Unfortunately, what he wanted didn’t seem to matter. He led her down the

demon’shallasmoreofthemspilledoutoftheirroomstocheckoutthelatest
femaleatOlympusandoneofthefewactuallyallowedaroundthem.hecameto
ahaltwhenonesteppedoutinfrontofthem.

“Who’sthelovelymorsel,Hermes?”
“My mate, Lucifer.” Cher’s head jerked up and she watched them closely.

Wasitbecausehehadclaimedherashismate,becauseofthenameLucifer,or
becauseofthewingsthatwerealmosthiddenonhisback?

Lucifer took a deep breath and a serious look came over his face. “Your

smellisn’tonherlikeamate’sshouldbe.Areyousure?”

“Shethinkstodenyme,butI’msure.”
“I don’t suppose you know that I can hear both of you? Maybe you’re just

accustomedtobeingrudeanddon’tknowanybetter?”Tittersoflaughterbroke
outamongthedemons.

“IthinkIlikeher,Hermes.Maybeshemightlikemebetterthanyou?”
“Overmydeadbody,demon.”
“Excuse me, I’d like to get to my room so Fabian can sleep.” All attention

was now drawn to the boy at her side. Lu smiled and that made Hermes even
morenervous.

“Perhapsyouandtheboywouldhavelunchwithmelater?”Luaskedwith

anendearinglookonhisface.
“AslongasI’mnotonthemenu,we’dbegladto.”CherrespondingasHermes
sentherscathingglare.

“If you don’t mind, they need rest.” Hermes ground out between clenched

teeth.

“Sure,takegoodcareofher.”Lusaidwithachuckle.
ItwashardtotellifLuwasseriouslyinterestedinhismateorjustjerkinghis

chain. He flirted shamelessly with Sierra and Zeus had forced himself to
overlookit.Hermeshopedhecouldbeasstrongbecauserightnowhewantedto
beatthatdemonhalftodeath.HeimaginedinhismindpullingoffLu’stailand
beatinghimhalftodeathwithit.Theimagefeltsoreal,itactuallymadehimfeel

better.HetookCherandFabiantotheirroomandorderedthemameal.

“Thedemonsaren’tasdifferentasthenameimplies.Arewingsandatailthe

onlydifferences?”Cherasked.

“The visual differences seem to be the biggest ones, how did you know?

Aboutthedemonsthatis,sinceIforgottowarnyou.”

“DoctoldmeandFabianaboutdemonswhensheknewIwouldbecoming

heretostay.ShesaidIcouldbetoldbecauseyouclaimedmeasamate.They’re
notasroughasIexpected.”

“I’m surprised you thought they’d be rough, Doc thinks a lot of Lu. She’s

alwayssayingifsheagreedtosleepwithhimhe’dprobablypassout.Shethinks
he’s all bark and no bite, but I think she’d be surprised. We need to hurry, our
foodwillbeheresoon.”

“I thought we were eating with Lucifer?” Cher asked causing Hermes to

grimace.Wassheinterestedinthedemon?Didshewanttoliebeneathhimwith
her thighs spread letting him take her until she screamed in pleasure? Had
Hermes worried about the wrong one when he worried about Lu? Should he
reallybeworriedabouthismate?

“Why,doyouwanttoseeLucifer?”
“Iagreedtolunchwithhim.”Chersaidcoldly.
“ThatistomorrowandIwishyouwouldreconsider.He’shardonwomen.”
“I’msureeverymalehereis.”Shesaidlookingathimwithahintofanger

and a slice of pain. Maybe he deserved it but it didn’t matter. She was his and
she would never be anyone else’s. If she pushed him, she would be tied to his
bed until she admitted she was his. The thought of taking her sent a rush of
desire through him. It fired his blood and made his already hard cock even
harder.

“Tomorrow, we’ll have lunch with Lucifer and I’m sure you’ll understand

what I mean. For now, I’ve ordered food for us and Fabian. Take your shower
andI’llshowFabiantohisroomnextdoorsohecancleanupbeforeweeat.”

“Alright,andthenyoucango.”Shesaidindismissal.
“I don’t think so sweetheart. This is our room and my things are being

broughthereaswespeak.”

“HaveInosayinthisatall?”
“Sweetheart, you have all kinds of say in many things, but we are sleeping

togetherinthatbedtonight.”

Chergrabbedsomeclothesoutofherbag,sentanevillookinhisdirection,

thenhurriedtotakeashower.He’dkillademontobeintherewithher,avery

particulardemonthatshouldknowbetterthantomesswithamate.Itwouldn’t
matterintheend,shewouldbeallhis.Hewenttohisroomandgotsomeguys
to start moving his stuff to the new room while he took a quick and painful
shower. His body pulsed with need that wouldn’t go away not even for a little
while.Hehurriedtodressandgetbacktoherfearfulshewouldfindsomeway
toescapehim.

Whenhereturned,FabianandChersatatthetablewhichwascoveredwith

food. Fabian was eating, but Cher seemed to be waiting on him. His control
slipped as his instincts took over, he pulled her out of her seat and up into his
arms, pressed her tightly to him, and kissed her deeply and passionately. She
must have been caught off guard, for a moment she returned his kiss with
interest,butthenshepressedherpalmsonhischestpushinglightly.Helowered
herdownhisbodyashisheadpulledawayfromherreluctantly.Hefeltherbody
asitslowlyeaseddownbrushingagainsthiminchbyinch.Oh,yeah,thathurt!
Itwastoomuchpleasure,feelingherthatway.

Hereyeswereroundedpoolsofshimmeringdesireasshelookedupathim.

Thisneedwasatwoedgedswordthatcutherasdeeplyasitdidhim.Hehadn’t
knownthatbeforeandnowthathedid,hewoulduseitagainsther.Hisbeautiful
matewasinforonehellofafightanditwouldonlygetworseoncetheygotinto
bed. He had no intention of holding anything back and she would scent like a
truematebymorning.Fourdaysuntiltheballandhehadeveryintentionofher
goingbyhissideashisacceptedmate,hiswife,andanyotherwayhecouldtie
hertohim.

He sat next to her and fixed her plate before he fixed his own. Had Fabian

not been there he would have attempted to feed her. Fabian was watching
everything with large careful eyes. He was quiet for a boy of his age and
intelligenceshonefromhiseyes.Hewasahandsomeboyandalreadytallforhis
age. He was athletic and would enjoy the games the gods and demons played.
Fabianfinishedeatingandsaidgoodbyebeforeleaving.

HermeswatchedmakingsureCherateenoughtosuithim.Hesenthertobed

andhecleanedupthetableandranthedirtydishesbackupstairs.HecalledZeus
assoonasthatwasdoneandmethiminthemeetingroom.

“I need details on some of your information. The supermen are out there

now,isthereanychanceofanalliancewiththosethatarefree?”

“Mymatewouldbeyouronlyhope,butIdon’twantheraroundhim.”
“Jack? I don’t blame you. He always had a way with women and he was

biggerthanlife.”

“Anexampleforyounggodstofollow.”Hermessaidbitterly.
“Heisn’tabadguy,Hermes,consideringhisbackground.”
“Justaselfishone.Henevertriedtofreeanyonebuthimselfandhebarely

managedthat.HeandPeteweresupposedtobetheonlyonesthere,butsomeone
else was stealing for Origin. Human or superman, there was no way to know.
Jackshouldhaveprotectedherandhercompany.Hetriedtotakeherawayfrom
me, my mate.” A growl erupted from Hermes giving a small indication of the
beasthidingwithin.

“Shedidn’tturntohim.She’sstillwithyou.”Zeussaidtryingtoassurehim.
“Notbecauseshewantstobe.SheneedsasafeportforthestormandI’mall

shehas.”

“Honestly,Hermes,youbelievethat?I’vecheckedintoyourmateandshe’s

a very capable woman. Her father had contacts all over the world and now
they’rehercontacts.Sheinspiresloyaltyinmost,ofcoursetherearesomethat
nevergivetheirloyaltytoanyone.She’sherebecauseshewantstobe,whether
shechosestoadmititornot.Areyousharingherroom?”

“Yes,butshesaysshedoesn’twantme.”Hesaidsadly.
“Woman don’t always say what they mean. Sometimes they need

reassurancethatyouwantthemformorethanthesumoftheirparts.”

“Idon’tknowhowshecouldbelievewhatwesharedwassocommon.Itwas

the love found only in a soul mate. I’ve never felt that way with any female
beforeandIknowIneverwillagain.”

“She will need to go to the lab for tests tomorrow as will Maria. We will

haveameetingtodiscusswhattodowithbothofthem.Yourmatewillbeeasy
todealwith,she’llbeyourproblem.Mariaisanotherthingentirelybecauseshe
isnotErebus’smateeventhoughhesayshefeelsprotectiveofher.Sierrasays
it’sabrotherlythingbecausetheywentthroughmuchtogether.I’msureAthena
will enjoy having a playmate. Maybe she will get another one soon.” Zeus
smiledasheteasedHermes.

Ababywithhismate,thatwouldbesweet.Hehadtriedtogivehertimeto

accept him thinking waiting would prevent the difficulties Zeus had gone
through,buthispatiencewasgone.Nowhewouldbedamnedforwhathedid
insteadofwhathedidn’tdo.Hehadamatetoclaimbyfairmeansorfoul.His
gums itched as his decision was made. He hurried back to the room he shared
with his mate. He stripped off as he made his way to the bed. He tried to
rememberjustaquickbite,don’toverdoitorshewouldsufferunnecessarily.He
slidintobedandpulledhersleepingbodyagainsthis,pulledherhairbackover

her shoulder, and bite lightly on her throat just enough to ensure it broke the
skin.Sheslappedathimwithherhandswithoutcomingfullyawake.

Hehaddoneitjustperfectandbymorningherresistancewouldbegintobe

overwhelmedbyherneed.Hewoulddoiteverynightuntiltherewasnomore
needto.ItwastimethatCherlearnednottodefyagod.Heslidhishandsunder
herTshirtfeelinghersoftlusciouscurvesandpullingitupoverherheadsoshe
wasnakedinhisarms.Hehadneverneededanyoneoranythinglikeheneeded
her. Nothing and no one had better ever try to come between them. He moved
herontoherbackandshebegantostirrestlessly.Hemovedoverherholdinghis
weightontohishandsashekissedherlipssoftlythenmoveddowntosuckfirst
one pink nipple then the next. His hard cock rubbed against her seam as she
movedagainsthimnotquiteawakeyet.Hetoreherpantiesoff,she’dlearnnot
towearthosetobedashemoveddownherbodyleavingahot,wettrailwithhis
tongue.

Hecouldsmellherarousalanditwasoffthecharts.Hismouthwateredfora

taste of her sweet pussy and he knew she would enjoy that again. His tongue
partedherflesh,savoringthesweetspicytasteofherandshemoaneddeepand
low.Ashelappedherlikeacataftercream,herbodythrashedagainsthismouth
and she moaned and whispered to him. Her body tensed, she was so close he
couldblowahotbreathacrossherclitandshe’dgoofflikefireworks.Instead,
hesankhistonguedeepintoherchannelbeforecomingbackupandworkingher
clitwithhisenergetictongue.Shearchedhardagainsthimasshemadealoud
keening sound that was almost like a wail. He tasted the rush of liquid that
coatedherpussy,itwaslikeambrosiatohim.

Before her body had stopped jerking, he slid up in one hard jerk, burying

himselfinhismate.Sheletoutaloudgroanasshewrappedaroundhimlikea
silken glove squeezing so tight, for a moment he couldn’t move. His cock was
onfire,soharditwaslikerock,sofullthatitdrippedouttheend.Hewantedto
be sweet and gentle, but need drove him to take her hard and fast. She rose to
meethim,herbodyalreadyheatingwithawantshenolongercouldcontrol.Her
musclesclenchedandgrabbedathimtryingtopulltheseedfromhiscockeven
ashefoughttolastjustalittlelonger.

He looked at his mate, her eyes were closed and a look of sensual

concentrationwasonherface.Heslammedintoherharderandfasterfeelingher
bodyreactandthetensionnotchhigher.Hefeltatinglebegininhisballsasthey
drewuptighter.Hepoundedinagainandfeltherwholebodyclench,pulse,and
explodearoundhim.Shesurgedagainsthimasheburiedhimselfinsideherhard

anddeeponemoretimeashisseedwassownandsplashedagainstherwomb.
His body jerked over and over as her muscles milked him dry. Completely
exhausted,theybothsettledintosleep.

Ofcoursehefoundsleepeasiertowishforthantoattain.Hetriedtowork

through his muddled thoughts so he would be clear headed for tomorrow’s
meeting.Theslightregrethefeltattakingawayherchoicewasoverwhelmedby
thecompletenesshefeltathavingfinallyclaimedhismatefullyinhispeople’s
eyesandthesatisfactionthatheknewmakinglovetohereverynightwouldgive
him.Heknewhehadmadethebestdecisionforbothofthem.Hewouldbean
older brother to Fabian, one of many if he read the demons right. They loved
children, hell they were overgrown children especially Lucifer who he liked
exceptwhenitcametoCher.

Hewokeupreadytomakelovetohismateagainandhewouldhave,butshe

wasn’tinbed.Hedidn’tpanic,notrightaway.Hewenttocheckthebathroom,
she wasn’t there either. The last place to look before panicking was Fabian’s
roomwherehefoundnooneatall.Hehurriedtoshoweranddressthenheused
hisradiotogetHerculestofindhismate.

“She’swhere?”
“She’sinthekitchenwhereshehastakenover.Shejustbakedsomeofthe

bestoatmealraisincookiesIhaveevereaten.Shehasseveralkindsbuttheyare
goingfast.I’veheardshehasachocolatecakeintheoven.”Herculessaid,awe
obviousinhistone.“Allthegodsaretalkingaboutherdesserts.”

“Shemakesthebesteverchocolatecake.”Hermesconfidedasherushedto

thekitchensohecouldgethisshare.Ashenearedthecafeteriadoorsacouple
gods came out carrying handfuls of cookies like there was a giveaway or
something.

He hit the kitchen doors just as Fabian picked up two empty trays, his

cookies were gone. He growled wishing all kinds of bad luck on the cookie
thieves.Hismatehadmadecookiesandhewastheonlyonewhohadn’tgotten
any.

“HeySweetheart.What’sgotyadown?”
“Nocookies.”Hesaidsadlysoundinglikeamistreatedkid.
Cher looked at him with a sweet smile. “Just wait a minute.” She left and

came back with a whole baker’s tray of chocolate chip cookies warm from the
oven.

Hermesreacheddowntopickoneup,buttheyweretoohot.Therewasafan

inthekitchenusedtocirculateairandheturnedittoblowonthecookies.He

stoodguardoverthemgrowlingwhenanothergodcameintogetsome.Hedid
lethimhavetwo,butonlyafteratrayofpecansandiescameouttocooloff.

“Soareyouthecookiepolice?”Cheraskedhimasanothergodwasgrowled

atashetriedtograbsomeofthecookies.

“Iloveyourcooking.Areyougoingtocooksomethingforlunch?”Heasked

knowingitwastoolateforbreakfast,besideshe’deatentoomanycookiestoeat
anythingelse.Hewenttotheshelvesandpulleddownapapersackfillingitwith
cookies. He thought another moment then filled another paper bag. He walked
uptohismateandkissedhersoundlyonthelips.

“Thanksforthecookies,Baby.”Hesaidwithasmileashelefttogotohis

meeting. It was a lucky thing gods rarely gained weight because with Cher
cookingandbakingtheywouldallhavetobuynewclothesotherwise.

Zeus, Sierra, and Hercules were all waiting for him when he got there. He

handedZeusonebagofcookiesbeforehehadachancetosayanything.“Isee
youwerereadywithanexcuse.”Zeussaidashebitintoacookie.Sierragrabbed
thebagandateacookietoothenhandedHerculesone.

“Damnthesearegood.DidCherbakethese?”Sierraasked.Hermesnodded.

“Thatgirlisakeeper.”

“Iknowthat,she’smymate.Shewouldbeakeeperifshecouldn’tcookat

all,butherfoodisapleasuretoeat.”

“Didn’tshefeedyouwhileherbrotherkeptyoucaptive?”Sierraasked.
“Thatandhercompanywastheonlygoodthingsabouttheexperience.”
“Youareawareofwhosheis,aren’tyouHermes?”Zeusaskedgentlywhich

setoffalarmsinhishead.

“Yes,IbelieveIam.”Hesaidslowly.
“Shecouldbeabighelptousifshewaswilling.”
“JusttellmeZeus,whatisityouwantfromher?”Hermesaskedwithasigh.

Hewasn’tsurehewasgoingtolikeit.

“Wearetryingtogetestablishedinsecurityandyourmateownsthelargest

securitycompanyintheworld.”

“I can’t ask anything of her. I haven’t even secured her affections and

sometimesI’mnotsureIeverwill.”Hermesadmittedpainfully.

“Ididn’trealize,Ithoughtyourbondsecure.”
“Shehassomethingagainstthosesheconsidersmanwhoresandsheincludes

me in that group. She thinks I will find it impossible to remain faithful to any
womanandthatmyonlyinterestinherwasjealousybecauseJackwantedher.”

“Jack wanted her permanently? That wasn’t in your report. You said he

flirted,buthewantedtomateher?”

“ItwaspersonalandnotsomethingIenjoysharing.”
“Perhapsafteryourbondiscemented.”
“Maybe you should just talk to her, Zeus. She is a business person and I

thinkeveryonecouldbenefitfromyourplan.“Sierrafinallyspoke.

Hermesmadeastrangledsound.“DamnyouHercules!Thatbagwasjustfor

me.”

“You snooze you loose. Damn but these are good!” Hercules said with a

snortandachuckle.

“Let’s call Erebus in, speak to him, and maybe Nioma will have the blood

testresultsforusbythetimewe’redone.”ZeussaidashecalledErebustojoin
them.“Whatweretheresultsonthematingtestsofthefemalesonsite?”Zeus
turnedtoSierra.

“NinetypercentofthosepresentincludingNancyaremateable,butHegiasis

nothermate.”

“Dotheyknowwhomightbe?”
“It’stootimeconsumingandexpensivetotesteverygodanddemonagainst

eachmateablefemale.Justbecausetheyaremateablealsodoesn’tmeanthereis
amateforthem.”

Zeus shook his head. “I don’t understand and it seems so complicated.”

Erebuscameinandsatdownatthetable.

“Zeus,whatdidyouneedofme?”
“Erebus, I want to understand what happened to you. Maybe if we do, we

canfindothersthatweretakenaway.”

“The way I understand it, is Jerome Elders was just one of a group of

scientiststheycontractedwithtodoexperimentsongodsordemons.Theypaid
them, provided subjects and any other needs that arose. The subjects still
belongedtoOrigin,butthescientistsheldthemuntiltheresearchborefruit.”

“Whatthen?”Zeusasked.
“I can only assume they would have turned us back over to Origin or

terminatedus.”

SomethingsuddenlyoccurredtoHermes.“Ithoughtyouguysweresending

ushelpwhenwewereinTexas.Docmentionedit,butnooneevershowedup.”

“They were there, but they were only back up if you couldn’t handle it on

yourown.”ZeussaidasifHermesshouldhaverealizedthathimself.

SierraspokeupbeforeHermescouldrespond.“TheresultsareinandMaria

ismateableandCherisgoingthroughthechangesofmating.”

“WhatshouldwedowithMaria?”ZeusaskedasheturnedtolookatErebus.
“She’s a good guard, but she is still actively employed by the military. She

wassentinundercoverwhentheystartedsuspectingOriginwasdoingjobsfor
terrorists.Shegotinformationoutbeforeshewascaught.Someoneshouldstill
belookingforher.”ErebussaidlookingatSierra.

“I’llputoutsomefeelersandwe’llgivehersomechoices.”
“That’s all we need you for Erebus. We’ll get you an assignment when

you’reready,fornowtakeiteasyandenjoyyourself.”Erebusleftandclosedthe
doorbehindhim.

“Okay, there was a little more about the lab results I didn’t want to share

withErebusinhere.Mariaispregnantandthebabyisagod.”

“YouthinkElderswasdoingbreedingexperiments?”Zeusasked.
“It makes sense and they need more gods now that they’ve lost most of

them.”

“Heavenhelpusall.”Hermesmumbledhalfunderhisbreath.
ZeusdismissedthemallandHermeshurriedtogettoLucifer’ssuitehoping

hehadnotbeenalonewithChertoolong.HeenteredandLuwassittingacross
from his mate entertaining her with his vibrating tongue. It was a demon thing
andfemalesseemedtoloveit.

“I was just showing Cher why she was being cheated by ending up with a

god instead of a demon, but it’s never too late to change your mind.” Lu
whisperedthelastparttoChernotHermes.Lustuckhistongueoutevenfurther
andshowedheragain.Hereyeswereroundandhermouthhungslightlyagape
asshewatchedhimmakehistonguevibratesofastitblurred.

“It’senoughLu.She’smineandshe’sstayingthatway.Keepyourtonguein

yourmouthandyourtailtoyourself.”

“Alright,IjustwantedhertomakeaninformeddecisionbutIsuspectit’stoo

late now anyway.” He sounded like a spoiled boy to Hermes but the pouting
thingworkedwiththeladies.

“Whydon’twegetFabianinhereandwecaneatlunchbeforeitgetscold?”

Cherasked.

“Anything for you, love.” Lu said agreeably and Fabian came running in

secondslater.

Theplateshadbeensentdownfromthekitchenandassoonashepulledthe

lid off his, the scent of Cher’s lasagna hit his nose. His mouth watered and he
wassohappyhismatecouldcook.“You’reinforatreat,Lu.Cher’slasagnais
fabulous.”

Lutookabiteandsavoredit,hemoanedashechewedlookinglikeamanin

thethroesofpassion.“Imayhavetofightyouforher,Hermes.Thisisjusttoo
good and the cookies, oh those cookies!” Hermes growled, he seemed to be
doing that more and more. He knew it was possessiveness and jealousy but he
couldn’tstopit.

Helookedatherandshewasthemostbeautifulfemaleintheworld.Allhe

wanted was for her to accept the mating, accept him like he accepted her. The
need for it overwhelmed him and as soon as they were finished eating he was
going to drag her back to their room and reclaim his mate. He would keep
reclaiming her until there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that she belonged to
him.

Cherblushedprettily.“Thanks,Lu,Ihopedyouwouldlikeit.”
“What about me?” Hermes grumbled under his breath but she heard him.

Lu’s face lit up with enjoyment. Damn, he shouldn’t have let him realize how
unsurehewasofwherehestoodwithhisownmate.

“You’vealreadyhadmylasagnaandyousaidyoulikedit.”Cherpointedout

andheknewshewasright.

“You’ve cooked for Hermes? When ever did you get the chance what with

him being caged and the daring escape?” Lu said as he settled back clearly
hopingtohearthewholestory.

“It’s a long story best for another time.” Hermes said his voice deep with

emotionshefoundithardtocontrol.

“Oh,that’sokay.I’msureChercantellmeallaboutitafteryougobackto

work.”Lusaidwithasmirk.

“Whenhellfreezesover.Cherisleavingwithme.Zeuswantedmetodiscuss

somethingswithher.”

ItwasclearLuwasfightingnottolaughathim.Hewasenjoyingthisfartoo

muchwhileHermeswasn’tenjoyingitatall.“Oneofthesedays,Lu,you’llfind
your mate and you will be worse than any of us and no one will help make it
easieronyou.”

“So not true, Hermes. All the lovely mates will help me. Won’t you

Cherish?”

“Ofcourse,Lu.Youcancountonme.”Cherassuredthedemonwithasmile

onherface.

AviciousgrowlburstpastHermeslips.BothLuandCherlookedathimin

astonishment.Afterthat,evenLuwholivedtoteaseandaggravate,backedoffa
little. They didn’t stay much longer and Cher left with him willingly. It was a
smartchoicebecauseotherwisehewouldhavethrownheroverhisshoulderand
carried her straight to bed. Instead, he was leading her to bed unable to wait
anothersecondtosinkintoherwarmwelcomingheatandclaimheroncemore.
Itdrovehimcrazyknowingshewasamongsomanyunmatedmalesallofwhich
lookedatherwithhungerformorethanjusthercookies.Itwashardonanewly
matedmaleanditjustdrovehisalreadywilddesireforherevenhigher.

He pulled her through the door of their suite and back to the bedroom. He

startedstrippingoffhisclothesashekepthiseyesonher.Sheswallowedthen
lickedherlipsnervously.“Whatareyoudoing?”Sheaskedandthoughhefeared
she’dtrytorun,sheseemedrootedtothespot.

Naked, he stalked towards her. “I think that should be obvious.” He pulled

hertohimforakissthenstarteddivestingherofherclothesaswell.

“Hermes,don’t.”Shesaid,buthewasbeyondstopping.Shewasundressed

and ready as he picked her up and carried her to bed. Her arousal so strong, it
washedoverhimandherskinsohotitwaslikeafevertormentingthemboth.
He looked into her hazel eyes which looked greener with passion. It was
somethinghehadnoticedbeforeanditinterestedhim.Shehadthemostunusual
eyes he had ever seen. They went well with her light brown hair mixed with
strandsofsunlightenedblonde.

Hepositionedhimselfontopofherbutthenherolledthemoverleavingher

ontop.Ashepulledherheaddownsohecouldkissher,hesawconfusionand
desireonherface.Hekissedherlikeastarvingmanfinallygrantedamealand
though she tried not to, she responded in kind. He arched up against her to
remindherhiscockwashardandreadywhenevershewas.Shewouldtakehim,
hewouldn’ttakeher.Sheneededtoberemindedthatshewantedhimtoo,soshe
couldn’t blame everything on him like she had been doing. He would kiss her,
strokeher,andtellherwhathewanted,buthewouldn’ttakeit.

He ran his hands down her back to her soft rounded ass. He squeezed it

gentlyandshemoanedsoftlybreakingtheirkiss.“Iwanttosinkintoyourhot,
sweetpussysobadly.”Hewhisperedinherearandfelthershiver.

“Thendoit.”Shesaidasshewrithedabovehim.
“Your turn to do it.” He said as his hands worked their way back up and

cupped her breasts. His thumbs sliding over her nipples making them even
harder.

Her hand slid between them finding his engorged shaft and stroking it. He

shudderedfromadesirealmosttoomuchtocontain.Agroanrippedoutofhim,
he couldn’t wait much longer. She finally lined them up and slid down on his
rockhardrod.Healmostshookwithurgencytotakethembothtomindblowing
ecstasy.Shewashot,tight,andhefeltasifhewaswherehealwaysshouldbe.
Hehadfoundhishome,hismate,forever.Nothinghadeverfeltsoacceptingor
so blissful. She rode him like a cowgirl would, rocking his world and driving
him toward complete fulfillment. He had always enjoyed sex, but this was
somethingmore.Hewasn’tjustgivinguseofhisbody,hewasmerginghissoul
withhers,giftinghishearttoher.

She was driving them both higher, nearer until they both rode the edge of

release.Hewaseagertobewashedawaybythistideofrapture.Shetightened
on his burning shaft just before she screamed his name and bucked on top of
him. Her pussy clenched, clutched at him like a ravenous animal pushing him
overtheedgetoparadise.Hejerkedandwrithedbeneathher,hehadneverfelt
suchaperfectgratification.

Hefeltatpeace,restful,andwithoutworryifonlyforalittlewhile.Cherhad

passed out, completely exhausted and in need of rest. He rolled them both to
theirsidesandhepushedherhairfromherneck.Heloweredhislipskissingher
neck then he scraped it with his teeth just enough to break the skin before
releasingjustenoughfluidtocoatherwound.Shemovedrestlesslyinhersleep,
butdidn’twake.Hetookashowerandreturnedtocompletehisworkfortheday.

HermeswasgivingoutinstructionstoagroupofgodswhenZeuscalled.It

wasonlyacouplehoursafterhehadleftCherandZeussaidshewasheadedto
thismeetingtoo.Hehadwantedhertosleeplongersincesheseemedsotired.

Zeus was waiting on him when he entered the meeting room. No one else

wastherebutCherarrivedsoonafter.“I’mgladyoucouldjoinus.Iwouldhave
preferredtowaitbutwiththeballinthreemoredays,Ineededtospeaktoyou
now.Iknowthatyou’reasecurityspecialistandIhopedyouwouldworkwith
Herculestogooverthesecurityinplacetoassuretherearenoproblems.”

HermessawthatZeushopedtostrokeherprideandselfworth.Wouldn’the

be surprised to find she really was an expert in truth not just on paper? He
lookedatChertoseewhatshewouldsay.

“I’dbehappyto.Whenwouldheliketobegin?”
“Soonerisbetter.Areyoufreetodoitrightnow?”

“Ofcourse.WheredoIneedtogo?”
“He’llbehereinamoment.”Zeussaidjustasaknocksounded.
“Hello, I’m Hercules.” He said as he held out his hand to Cher. Hermes

growled.“Iknowshe’syours,brother,calmyourself.”

HemightknowCherwashis,butHercules’smaleappreciationofhispretty

matewasobviousinhiseyes.

“I’mCherishorCherifyouprefer.”Hermesnoticedshedidn’tfindHercules

unattractiveeitheralthoughshedidn’tgushorflirt.

“Ifyou’llcomewithme,I’llshowyouoursecurity.”Herculesstartedtogive

her his hand, but looked at Hermes and thought the better of it. Hermes rose,
helpedhismateupandstartedtogowiththem.

“Hermes,ifyoudon’tmind,we’renotthrough.”ZeussaidcausingHermes

tostop, caught between the discipline instilled in him that insisted he obey his
commander and the need to follow his mate to ensure no one tried to take her
fromhim.Disciplinewon,butbarely.

“Whatdoyouneedfromme?”Hermesaskedresignedly.
“Youcan’tsticktohersideandmanageyourduties.Iunderstandbetterthan

anyone else the need to stay by your mate’s side, but you would suffocate her.
She’s a lot like Sierra, independent, strong. She won’t allow it and it will hurt
yourrelationship.”

Hermes knew Zeus was right but how could he fight the strong territorial

feelingshehadortheneedtoprotecther?“I’llworkonit,meanwhileIhadbest
gocheckontheteamsthatareonassignments.”

ThatwasHermesjob,hecoordinatedallteamsonassignmentsbothforthe

gods, and those gods working for the government. They were slowly taking
moreassignmentsfortheUSandonceinawhileevenforothercountries.Zeus
wantedtodoprivatesecuritytoosoallthegodsthatwantedtoworkcould.That
waswhathewantedtodiscusswithCher.Hecouldprovidethemanpowerand
hercompanycouldprovideeverythingelse.

SomehowHermesmadeituntilHerculesshoweduptotakehisplace.“Why

areyouhere?”Hermesasked.Herculeswasinchargeofsecuritybothhereand
overtheteamsthatworkedinthefield.

“IamgettingErebusstarted.HewishestoworkrightawayasdoesMaria.”
“WhatwillMariabedoing?”
“She’sgoingtostartoutinvideosurveillanceinthecontrolroom.”
“She’llbeboredtotears.”Hermespredicted.
“Ihopeso.”Herculessaidastheyexchangedalookofconcern.Withtheball

onlythreemoredaysaway,anythingcouldhappen.“Iwantedtothankyoufor
matingCher.Shereallyknowsherstuff,sheevenhelpedwiththesatellite.It’s
neverworkedsowellbefore.”

“As long as her security expertise is all you’re interested in, you’re

welcome.”

“Hey,ItoldyouI’mawareshe’syours.It’sadamnshame,butI’maware.”
HermesleftHerculestherewaitingforErebuswhilehemadehiswaytohis

mate.HesupposedhewasgoingthroughwhatZeushadgonethroughwhenhe
mated.EvenHermeshadbeendrawntoSierra,shehadseemedperfectuntilhe
met his own mate. Excitement blossomed in him as he thought about Cher
waiting for him in their suite. The only problem was, when he got there, she
wasn’t there. He had a feeling, so he went to the kitchen first, where she was
makingcheesecakes.Everykindofcheesecakeyoucouldimagineinavarietyof
sizes.

“Iknowyouliketobake,Sweetheart,butyou’vehadalongday.”
“Sierraneedssomeonetohelpsoshe’llhavethefoodfortheball.”
“Speakingoftheball,doyouhaveadressyet?Iwantyoutogowithmeas

mydate.”Hermeshadbeencarefulnottodemandanythingofher.Thatalways
seemed to piss her off, but she blushed slightly and didn’t answer right away
makinghimwonderwhathehaddonethistime.

“Okay,Sierraorderedseveralcostumesandonceshedecideswhatshewants

towear,I’llgetachancetopickone.”

“Whataboutyourshoesandaccessories?”Heaskednotreallysurewhatshe

wouldneed.

“IcanalwaysgobarefootsinceitisHalloween.”
“If you need anything, we have a team coming in tomorrow and two more

cominginthedayoftheball.Youjusttellmewhatitisandyouwillhaveit.”
Shewashisandshewouldneverhavetodowithout.Shemightberich,buthe
couldstilltakecareofherandseetoherneeds,whatevertheymightbe.

“I’ll tell you.” She said as she continued to work in the empty kitchen. No

oneelseseemedtobeasworriedabouttheballasshewas.

“Don’tstaytoolateorI’llbebacktogetyou.”Hermessaidtryingtoinject

anairofconcernratherthanthecommandheusuallydid.

She was his mate not one of the gods he was in charge of. He struggled to

avoidbeingwhatSierracalled‘bossy’.Hesawnoneedtogobacktotheirsuite,
itwaslonelytherenowwithouther.Instead,helookedforFabianfindinghimin
the workout room/gym depending on what you might prefer to call it. A

volleyball game of all things was being played with gods walking on and off
teams at will. He joined Fabian’s side and stood near him noting the boy was
good. He was wearing a Tshirt and shorts that showed off his athleticism. He
was getting the ball more than anyone on this team showing Hermes that they
were playing the game mainly for his benefit. The demons were behaving, not
usingtheirwingsortailsandLuwasontheotherteamtellingthemwhattodo.
Usuallygamesofthissortbroughtoutthecompetitivespiritandmedicalended
upwithfullbeds,butLuwaskeepingatightholdonthemall.

Even though they held back, everyone seemed to have fun and he had to

admit, he was enjoying himself too. Fabian had nodded to him, showing
awarenessnotonlythatHermeswasthere,butthathewasimportanttohim.It
wasagoodstepintherightdirectionandhenoticedwithsomesatisfactionthat
theboyhadskillsthatmighthelphimbeagoodsoldier.Itmadehimwonderif
hehadanytrainingsinceCherhadclearlyhadsome.Theyplayedaboutanhour
more before most of the guys deserted them in favor of sleep or other
entertainment. Lu lingered showing he had taken the boy under his wing so to
speak.

“That game was fun, Fabian. The other gods and demons enjoyed it too.

Maybeyoucanshowusanothergametomorrow.”

“Everplaydodgeball?”Fabianasked.
“No, but someone would get hurt. Demons are too vicious for a game like

that.”

“Humans can get vicious too.” Fabian said and it was clear he was

rememberingsomethingunpleasant.

“Whydon’twedosomefighting.”Hermessuggested.“Fabianmightwantto

watchorevenparticipatewiththeyoungerguys.”

“Hecouldgethurt.”Lupointedout.
“Icanhandleit.It’sjustsparring,right?”
HermeswalkedbackwithFabiansincehisroomwasrightnextdoor.“Don’t

youhaveschoolworktodo?”

“I’mwayaheadbutdon’tworry,CherwillgetmebacktoitafterHalloween.

I’mgoingtobeavampire,I’veevengotteeththatglow!It’sgoingtobesocool
andIgettostayupallnightifIwantto.”

“You’regoingtotheball?”Heaskedthinkingitmightnotbethebestidea.
“Sierra invited me, well after Lu worked on her a while. I had to ask Cher

butshesaidyeswithsomelimitations.”

“Whatarethelimitations?”

“Ican’tgoaroundanyoneIdon’tknowandifpeoplestartgettingdrunkand

obnoxious, I have to go to an observation area where I’m not close to anyone.
I’ve been to parties like this, when Dad was alive but only the first couple of
hours. He said it would let me know what to expect someday when I had my
ownparties.Ithinkshe’sgoingtoputaguardonme.”

“Who?”
“Cher,she’soverprotective,youknow.”
“It’sgoodthatshewatchesoveryouandifshedidn’t,Iwould.”
“Don’t you know big brothers are suppose to help you sneak out and then

saveyouifyougetintotrouble?”

Bigbrothers!Thatonewentstraighttotheheart.
“Lusaysthat’swhatyouallaretome,especiallyyou.Hesaidyou’llallhelp

me,guideme,andgivemethebiggestfamilyanyoneeverhad.Hesaidnoneof
youwilleverbelikeKeven,I’llbelovedandprotected.”

“Lu is right. That’s exactly how things are going to be. You just have to

remembertheprotectedpart,becauseitmayclashwiththefunyouhaveplanned
butwewillalwaysputyoursafetyfirst.”

Fabiansmiled.“Thatpartkindasucksbuttherestofitisrealcool.”Hermes

reachedoutandranhishandthroughtheboy’shair.“Dadusedtodothat.”He
said,buthedidn’tlookassadashehadbeforewhenhementionedhisfather.

Hermes dropped him off at his door and went into the suite he shared with

Cher.Shewasn’tthereyetsohetookashowerandputontheshortsthatmany
of them still wore. They were little more than underwear and hid little of the
bodybeneaththem.Manyofthegodsanddemonsstillworethemastheywent
outandabouttheirday.Thefewfemalesthatworkedherehadeventuallygotten
usedtothegorgeousmalesthatwanderedthehallsbarelydressed.Hepacedthe
floorforawhileandwasthinkingofgoingtogetherwhenheheardasoundat
thedoor.Sheslippedinquietlytryingnottobenoticed,asifhewouldn’tknow
rightaway.

He hurried to her grabbing her and pulling her against him like he hadn’t

seenherinahundredyears.Hekissedher,notjustclaimingherbutconsuming
herwhole.Needragedthroughhim,hehadtoclaimheronceagain.Hehadto
leave his scent, his mark on her so all would know who she belonged to. He
finallyliftedhismouthtodrawinaraggedbreath.

“Ineedtotakeashower,Hermes.I’llberightback.”
“Hurry, I can’t wait long.” She turned and quickly enter the bathroom. He

was relieved when she didn’t lock the door. She was learning and she was

realizingwhoshebelongedto.Good!

Shecameoutwithherhairwetsmellinglikeflowers.Hecouldseehereyes

wereglazedfromwant,itwastheeffectsofthematingandthechangecoming
onher.Nomatterhowcarefulhewas,therewassomediscomfortbeforethefull
change would go into effect. He could smell her arousal, sweet and beckoning
makinghimwanttothrowherdownandtakeherwhereshewas,buthewanted
thecomfortofabedforhersinceheknewshewasalreadysuffering.

Hesteppeduptoher,removingthetowelandlettingitdrop.Hepulledhis

nakedmateintohisarmsandgrowledasherscentwrappedaroundhimmaking
passion shoot through his system with an overwhelming force. He moved
quickly to get her to the bed before good intentions were overruled by animal
lusts.Hemovedtothebedroomasshewiggledinhisarmsmakingsharpshafts
ofdesireshootthroughhim.Histhroatrumbledwithanoiseheheldbacksohe
wouldn’t scare her. He had heard Zeus growl a time or two when someone
bothered his mate, but lately Hermes seemed to growl all the time. Maybe he
wouldseewhatDocthought.Heshookhisheadasheloweredhismatetotheir
bed.Hehopedtoclearallthoughtsoutofhismindbutthoseofhismate.

Ifthathadn’tworked,lookingatherasshelayonthebed,anticipationand

needonherface,sweatfromthefeverthatwasrunningthroughher glistening
on her face, and the smell of extreme arousal that wafted up to him from her
incrediblysexybody,overcameanyotherthoughts.Hemovedoverherandhe
couldfeelhersoftskinasshearchedagainsthim.Asheloweredhimselftoher,
her legs wrapped around his waist as she desperately tried to join their bodies.
She moaned with need as he lined his hard pulsing cock with her slick heated
entranceandslidslowlyin.

Sweetheaven!Hadanythingeverfeltsogood,soperfect?Heknewithadn’t

andnothingeverwould.Hepulledoutalmostcompletelythenslowlyslidback
inalltheway.Thiswaswhathehadalwaysdreamedof,aperfectmatetostarta
familywith.Littlegirlswholookedlikeherhugginghimandcallinghimdaddy
andaboytoteachthewaysofthegods.Hemovedfasterassheencouragedhim,
shewantedmore.Hegavehermoreandmovedfaster,deeper,harderuntilallhe
concentratedonwasgivingherwhatsheneeded,fillingherwithallthepleasure
shecouldhandle.

Slap, slap, slap sounded through the room as he pounded into her hitting

pleasurespotsthatlitherupandmadeherwritheandmoan.Hefelthertenseas
heslammedintoher,hiscockbecomingsosensitiveheknewhewouldn’thold
out much longer. She clenched on him becoming impossibly tight until she

exploded around him her pussy clutching at him, pulling him in as far as he
could go. He lost control as her muscles milked him and his body gave up its
seedpouringitupagainstherwombwhichwascoatedwithit.Hecontinuedto
jerkandhestillfelttheripplesrunningthroughherasaftershockshitthemboth.

Herolledthemontheirsideswhiletheystillshudderedinthelasteffectsofa

monumentalorgasm.“Iloveyou.”Hewhisperedinherearandeventhoughhe
feltherstiffenslightly,heknewitwassomethingsheneededtobetold.Hehad
loved her almost since the moment they had met, but the love just seemed to
grow.Heknewintimeshewouldreturnthatlovebecausehecouldn’tstanditif
shedidn’t.Shewouldlearntotrusthimandunderstandwhatbeingmatedmeant
toagod.Thatwaswhentheirlifetogetherwouldtrulybeperfect.Fornowhe
wouldtrytobehappywithwhathecouldget.Hesnuggledupagainsthismate,
soakingupthewarmthanddrinkinginthesweetscentofherandwenttosleep.

His inner alarm woke him at the right time as it always did. He showered

dressedandheadeduptothefirstfloorwherehisofficewas.Erebuswaswaiting
forhimsohecouldleave.Muchofthetime,thejobatnightwasjustaglorified
messagetaker,butonceinawhiledecisionshadtobemade.Hermesdidallthe
assigningonhisshiftsothenightmandidn’thavethatworry.Hermesalsoset
theparametersofthemissionsandsetemergencyplansinplaceforeachteam.It
was rare that something happened that wasn’t planned for, but when it did the
nightguyusuallyjustcontactedHermessincehewasincharge.

“Howwasyourfirstnightonthejob?”
“Boringashell,howdoyoustandit?”
“Ihavemeetingsandotherdutiesthatkeepmebusy.Icouldgiveyouadded

duties,butnotuntilyouhaveabitmoretimeunderyourbelt.”

“Planondoingthatassoonaspossible.”Erebussaidfightingayawn.
“Youknowyoucantakearadiowithyouandleavetheofficeoccasionally,

don’tyou?”

“Herculesdidn’tsharethatwithme.”
“Itgetsbetter.”
“Ihopeso.IguessI’llgoandgetsomesleep.”
“Seeyoulater.”HermessaidasErebushurriedoutthedoor.Heseemedlike

a good choice for this job, but he needed more to keep him engaged. Hermes
wassurehecouldfindmoresohe’dbehappyhere.

Hisradiobuzzed.“Hello.”
“Hermes,there’sameeting.”
“Okay,berightthere.”HetoldHerculesashegrabbedtheradioandrushed

tothemeetingroom.

ZeusandhalfadozenhighergodssataroundthetableincludingSierraand

Doc.Waywasn’ttheresoitwasn’tconcerninganythingpubliclyknown.

Docsaid,“Let’sgetthismeetingstarted.Maria,theguardthathelpedErebus

escapeispregnantandthebabyisagodorademon.Thefatherisn’tErebusand
it’stoocomplicatedtotesteveryoneforpaternity.Whatwe’vedecidedtodois
putherwhereshewillmeetthelargestnumberofgodstoseeifanyofthemare
her mate. Once we rule out most gods, we’ll start on the demons. If anyone is
drawn to her, they need to let us know. I’m aware some of you don’t want a
mate,butweneedtoknowwhothefatherissowecancareforthebaby.”

“Wouldn’tweknowifwegotafemalepregnantandifshewereourmate?”

Herculesasked.

“Normally, but she’s been artificially inseminated with sperm Origin had

stored and they have some from all of you. She wasn’t even aware until I told
her,soyouwouldn’tknoweither.”

“Damn!”Someonesaidandtheyallagreed.
“Iftheywereawaresheconceived,theywilltryhardtogetherback.”
“Whydoesthatmeansheisamate?”Herculesasked.
“According to everything I have seen, conception is unlikely with anyone

otherthanthemate.”

“Unlikely?”Herculesasked.
“I can’t say it would be impossible under the right circumstances to breed

anothergod’smateifhehadDNAincommonwiththefemale’smate.I’mjust
notcertainenough,buttheoddsarethefatherishermateorsomeonerelatedto
him.Withaclosebiologicalrelation,thepullsimilartomatingbutnotasstrong
mightbethere.”

Hermeswasn’tcompletelysurprised.Mostofthegodsifnotallofthemhad

feltapulltoZeus’smateandnowhenoticedmanyweredrawntohismatetoo.

“Did Maria have any more information on the experiments being done on

Erebus?”Herculesasked.

“Yes,theywerebreedingexperimentsandtheyweretestingErebus’shealing

andstrength.Noneofthatisasurprise,butthefactthattheywerefarmingout
godsordemonstoindividualscientistswasashock.Mariaalsohadinformation
on the testing of control devices. These were collars and chips used to control
godssotheycouldbesoldorrentedtoterroristsandrebels.Theywouldpunish
the wearer for disobedience with electrical shocks, poisons, or some kind of
pulsethatcausespaininthenerves.”

“Shit!”Someonemutteredandeveryonehadtoagree.
“ShouldwequarterMariaonthedemonlevelforsafety?”Herculesasked.
“Right now the policy is only claimed mates can know about the demons.

Wemayadjustthatlater,butfornowIthinkwe’lljuststicktothat.”Zeussaidas
he looked around to see if anyone disagreed. It was alright to express your
viewsaslongasyourealizedthatthefinaldecisionwaswithZeus.Noonesaid
aword.

Doc’sradiobuzzedandsheanswereditwhisperingintoit.Hadeswassitting

next to her and raw pain was easily seen on his face. Must be the latest lover
since it upset Hades so much. Hermes admired his restraint because he would
kill anyone who touched his Cher. Of course he hadn’t been stupid like Hades
had. At least not since he had met Cher, he couldn’t imagine touching another
femalesincehehadseenherhidingintheshadowslookingathim.

Zeus looked at Doc clearly wondering about the call. “It’s personal.” Doc

saidandZeusnodded.

“Anythingelseweneedtodiscuss?”Zeusasked.
“Are we on schedule for the ball? It’s just one more day.” Hercules said

lookingatSierra.

“Whydoesn’teveryonetellushowtheirareaisdoing?”Zeussuggested.
“WithCher’shelpthekitchenisonschedule.Docandherteamhavehelped

withdecoratingthegreatroomsothat’snearlyreadytoo.Lu’sdemonshavethe
roomsreadyforallguestsandI’vealreadycheckedthemout.Itlookslikeallmy
areasarereadyornearlyso.”Sierrasaidandthereliefthatshecouldsaysowas
obvious.

“Security is ready, even more so than expected with Cher’s help. She even

ordered me some neat toys that will be in tomorrow. We’ve gone through the
guestlist,highlightedanyonesuspiciousandcoordinatedwithMark’speoplefor
maximumcoverage.Lookslikemyareasaregoodtoo.”Herculessaidwithclear
satisfaction.

“I’vegotthescheduleforCronos’ssecuritydetailspostedandalldoorsare

already secure. Cameras have been installed with separate audio surveillance.
Myareaiscovered.”Hadessaid.

“I have lists of all transports coming in and their scheduled arrival times.

Guards have been assigned to cover everything more than adequately. I see no
possibleproblems.”Apollosaidwithasmile.

“I’mgladtoseeeveryonehastheirdutiesundercontrol.Thisshouldbean

enjoyable time for everyone.” Zeus said with a smile and a look for his mate.

They would have an official marriage ceremony during the ball. Most people
wouldn’trealizeitwasreal,butthatdidn’tmatter.SierraandZeushadplannedit
all out, after the ball they would be mates but also man and wife. Hermes
plannedasimilarthingforCheroncesheacceptedthemating.

Chapter7
SettlingIn
Themessagewasanonymousmakingthemallwonderifitcouldbetrusted.

Cher read it again looking for hidden meaning but couldn’t divine any. Kyler
comes for his woman and child. It was no surprise, she had been told by
Hercules about the nut job who had claimed Sierra even after she had mated
Zeusandthoughtshehadhisbabyeventhoughshedeniedit.Yes,Sierrahada
baby,butthelittleangellookedjustlikeZeus.Therewasnodoubtinhermind
thechildwasnotKyler’s.Shehurriedtothekitchenwheresheneededtogeta
lot done before tomorrow. She wished she could divide into two and work in
securityandthekitchenatthesametime.Rightnow,theybothneededher.

Cher poured the last of dough into the cake pan then placed it in the oven.

Shestartedmixingupherpiedoughaftershetookonequicklookaroundtobe
surealltheotherswereworking.Theyweren’tabadgroup,someofthemcould
actually cook, they just had no discipline and if not closely supervised barely
managed the daily meals. Nancy was particularly useless without close
supervision and she only trusted her to do dishes. Once Hegias had stopped
seeing her, she had made the decision, or so it seemed, to see how many gods
onewomancouldsleepwith.Shedidn’tseemtocareifitwasduringworkhours
either,shesimplydroppedeverythingandleft.

Cher’scoworkers,whohadbeenhereforweeksbeforeshewas,shouldhave

bakedmanythingsahead,frozethemin,andhadthemreadytogofortheball.
Instead, she had come in scant days away from the ball with very little done.
Now they were cooking and baking like crazy, but they were taking directions
from her. Even Lizzie, the tough as nails, bitchy self-proclaimed boss, at least
before Cher got there, was working hard with little instructions. She was a
redhead,thekindthathadthebadtemperandsometimesbadattitude,okaymost
ofthetimebadattitude.Cherhadfacedherdown,Lizziereallywantedtokeep
this job for some reason and she wasn’t willing to push more. Lizzie was one
toughbitchandtherestofthekitchenstafffollowedherlead.

CherwonderedwhathadbroughtawomanlikeLizziehere.Shedidn’tseem

thetype,someoftheotherwomenweresoeasygoing,sweetandprobablyonly
heretomeetgods,thatitmadeLizziestandout.Shewasprettyorwouldbeif

sheeversmiled.Lizziewasgettinglunchreadyforthegods.Homecookingwas
herspecialty,southerntobeexact.Shewasworkingaloneanddoingquitewell
especiallyconsideringthatsheusuallyhadlotsofhelp.Shehadherredhairina
ponytailandwaswearingherhairnet,anotherboneofcontentionthatCherhad
forced on her coworkers. Her brown eyes were warm as she joked around, yes
shewassmiling,withthegirlnexttoherwhowasworkingonsaladsfortheball.
She was breathtaking with that smile on her face. It changed her looks so
completely,itwasgoodthatnoneofthegodssawitortheywouldprobablyhit
onher.

Somehadhitonher,butshehadshotthemdownsothoroughly,theydidn’t

try again but a smile could be encouraging. Her initial reaction more than
anythingmadeitclearshewasn’theretohookupwithagodsoshewaseither
escapingheroldlife,somethingChercouldrelateto,inneedofthemoneythe
jobpaid,whichwashigherthanusualforacook,oruptonogood.Thatwasjust
anothergoodreasonforChertospendtimeinthekitchenwhereshecouldkeep
aneyeonLizzie.

Sherolledoutthepiecrustanditcoveredmostofthelargetable.Shecutout

eightindividualcrustsandputthemintothepiepans.Sheshavedofftheextra
androlleditoutonthetabletocutstripstomakelatticecoversforthepies.She
cheated by using canned pie fillings, but it saved so much time. In just a few
minutes she loaded the last oven with pies and checked on the cakes and
cookies. They would all be done by lunch so she cleaned up her area before
startingonsomestuffedmushroomappetizers.

She looked up when her heart beat seemed to speed up for no particular

reason. Hermes was there making his way to her. She finished the last
mushroom,andmovedtotheoventopulloutasheetofcookiesplacingitonthe
table then going back for the second one while placing the first sheet of
mushroomsinontheemptyrack.Hermeslookedatthecookiesclearlywanting
onesobadbuttheyweretoohottoattempttoeat.

She checked the large sheet cakes pulling one out and checking with a

toothpicktoseeifitwasdone.Itwassoshepulledoutthenextonecheckingit
too.Sheturnedofftheovensincenooneelseneededitnow.Thepieswouldbe
doneaboutthetimethemushroomswereandshewouldbakealldaytomorrow.
Therestoftoday,shewouldhelpoutsecurity.Shelikedtobake,shereallydid
but security was her first passion. She glanced at Hermes and felt her whole
bodyheat,okay,maybehersecondpassion.

“Icametogetyouforlunch.”Hermessaidholdinghishandouttoher.

“I have things that need pulled out in thirty minutes, can you wait?” She

asked. He seemed to hesitate. “The cookies will be cooled off by then.” He
noddedbeforelookingaroundthekitchenasifhewasinanalienworld.“You
canhelpmefixthestuffedJalapenopeppers.”

Shepulledoutabigbowlofpeppers.“Gowashyourhandsandcomeback.”

Sheputonglovessoshewouldn’tgetcapsaicinonherhands.Itwouldburnand
irritateifshetouchedherface.

He came back and she gave him gloves which he put on without question.

She showed him how to destem, devein, and remove the seeds. Some of the
‘heat’fromthepeppersdidendupintheairandshenoticedHermeseyesteared
upasmuchashersdid.Theyworkedquicklyandefficientlytogetthejobdone.
Withallofthemreadyforthefilling,shepulledouttheingredientsandmelted
the cheese. Once she had that mixed up, he watched her stuff a few and he
started stuffing them too. The last step was to wrap each pepper in a piece of
baconcuttosize.Atoothpickheldthebaconinplaceandtheywentonthesheet,
readytobebaked.Oncethesheetwasfull,shecovereditandputitinthewalk
in fridge. She would bake it first thing in the morning. Next she pulled off the
gloves and went to the oven where she started pulling out the pies and the
mushrooms.

“Icanleavetheseouttocool,andwecangoeat.”Shesmiledasshewatched

Hermesfillingabagwithcookies.

“Thesearesogood.”Hesaidwithamouthfullofcookie.“Whatarethey?”
“The one you’re eating is Macadamia nut and the other ones are peanut

butterfudge.”Hepulledhertohimgivingherakisswithmorethanalittletaste
ofcookie.

“If I didn’t already love you, your cookies would finish me off.” Hermes

whisperedinherears.

Love?Helovedher?Ohmygod!Shethoughtabouthowshefeltabouthim

and realized the warm feeling that she felt every time she saw him was more
thanjustlust.Hehadpoweroverher,hadsincethemomentshehadfirstseen
him.SheshouldhaveknownitsoonerbutshehadbeenfocusedonwhatKeven
was doing and then she had concerns about his possible womanizing past. He
wasthekindofmanshedidn’twanttoloveorneedandyetshefeltboth.She
neededhimsobadlyrightnowthatfoodwasn’taconcernatall,onlygettingto
theirroomwas.

“Let’sgotoourroom,first.”Shewhisperedback.
“I’vealwaysseenwantinyoureyes,Cher.NowIseeneedbutthat’stobe

expected with mating. Is there nothing more to see?” Hermes whispered hope
anddespairfightingabattleonhisfaceandinhisvoice.

Shewantedtotellhimbutshecouldn’tadmithowfargoneshewas.Itleft

her feeling vulnerable and scared that he would have such power over her and
know it. “Perhaps in time, for now I will take what you freely give me.” He
whispered.

Hispainwasthereforalltoseeandguiltassailedher,butsheknewhowhe

wasandshecouldn’triskherfragileheart,notyet.Theyheadeddownthehall,
rodetheelevatortotheirfloor,andheadedtotheirroom.Demonsgreetedthem
withsmilesandwinksastheypassedthem.Damntheirsupersenses! They all
knew where they were headed and what they planned to do. Her need was so
greatthatsheoverlookedtheknowingexpressionsandjustwalkedalittlefaster.

Hermesmatchedherpaceandsoontheywereattheirroom.Itwasluckythat

they hadn’t run into Lu because he would have done something really
embarrassing. Thoughts of Lu made her smile because the demon was fun and
reallyasofty.Shehopedsomedayhewouldhaveamateandchildrenbecausehe
wouldmakesuchagooddad.Hermeswouldtooandshewonderedwherethat
thoughthadcomefrom.Probablystraightfromherheart.

Hermespulledherthroughthedoorhehadopenedandtookherinhisarms

forafierykissthatmadeneed,hotandurgent,rolloverher.Hesteppedbackto
undressandshedidtoo.Hepulledherbackintohisarms,hishandsstrokingher
as his mouth trailed her neck scraping lightly with his teeth leaving a light
burningsensationjustasaradiobuzzed.Oh,God,notnow!Don’tanswer,please
don’tanswer.HeansweredanditwasZeus.

“I’llbethereintenminutes,nomakeitfifteen.”
Shewasonfireandhewasgoingtoleaveherlikethis?Whatthefuck!
“Wehavejustenoughtimetosootheeachotheralittlebit.”Hermessaidas

he picked her up and carried her to bed. He laid her gently on the bed and
stretchedoutoverher.Heusedhishandtoplacehisheavycockatherentrance
andplungedinside withouthesitation.She archedupagainst himdesperatefor
him.Hedidn’tstartoutslowly,hepoundedintoherlikeamanonamission.She
startedtowrapherlegsaroundhimbuthegrabbedthemandpushedthemupso
heheldheranklesnearherheadopeningheruptohisdemands.Heslammedin
goingdeeperthanheeverhadbeforehittingpleasurespotsshehadneverknown
shehad.

So little time, he hammered into her shifting his hips each time to hit new

andevenmoreresponsivespotsbringingherclosertotheedgeofrelief.Shewas

perchedontheendofaprecipicejustwaitingtofallintoaseaofblissandshe
senseditwouldtakelittletosendhimhurtlingtherewithher.Shesqueezedher
musclesaroundhismassivemanhood,sohard,sohot.Hedroveinharderthan
everandherbodytightenedbeforeexplodingallaroundhim.

“Hermes!”Shescreamedwithtotalabandon.Hemadeaprimitivesoundthat

echoed around the room. They jerked and writhed slowly coming back to
themselves.

“Mine.” He growled. “You are mine and no one else’s, Cher.” He said just

beforehegaveherahardclaimingkiss.Heranbacktothesittingroom,dressed,
and left to find Zeus. Cher settled back on the bed, her mind totally blown in
aboutfiveminutesofunbelievablesex.

She took a shower, dressed, and went in search of Hercules. The little

securitytoolsshehadorderedforhimshouldbehere.Shefoundouthewasin
the meeting Hermes had been called to so she went into the office Hercules
worked out of. Two gods she didn’t know sat in front of the monitors teasing
eachother.

“You, Pittacos, are too ugly to ever find a mate.” The blond told the red

headedone.

“Andyou,Diogenes,aretoostupidtofindone.”
“Womanhateredheads.”Diogenesassuredhisfriend.
“No,womancan’tstandstupidity.”Pittacosstatedfirmly.Theybothturned

asonesuddenlybecomingawareofherpresence.

“I’mjustheretowaitforHercules.I’mCherish,orCherifyouprefer.”
“I’mPittandthisismyfriend,Dio.Weknowwhoyouare,you’reHermes

mate.”

She held out her hand to shake but neither god took it. “We don’t want

Hermestosmellusonyou,hemightnotunderstand.”

“I’msurehewould,butbettersafe.”
“You have any cookies on you?” Dio asked looking like a boy wanting a

treat.

“Sorry,Idon’tcarrythemaround.Imighthavetostartthough.”
She talked and joked with the younger gods for a while before Hercules

came in. His face lit up with obvious pleasure when he saw her. He took her
handandkisseditbeforelettingitdrop.“Allthenewtoyscameinthismorning.
Ican’tthankyouenough.Eventhemilitarydoesn’thavesomeofthisstuff.”

“The benefits of having research and development at the company.” She

explained.

“It’sabigbenefit.Yourguysmustbereallygood.”
“Theyarechosenbecausetheyarethebest.”
“Didyouneedanyhelpusinganyofthegadgets?”
“No,wefiguredthemalloutthismorning.Theyareveryuserfriendly. The

metaldetectorswillbeagreathelp.Wealreadyhavethemonexteriordoors,but
theportableonesyougaveuswillbeontheballroomdoors.Ididwanttoaska
favor if you can do it.” He said as he led her away from his guys to the small
privateofficeherarelyseemedtouse.“It’saboutSierra’sanonymousmessage.”

“Shewantstotrackittoseewhosentit?”
“Exactly.”
“I’llhavetohookhercomputertomine.”
“Couldn’tyouuseoneofoursecuritycomputers?”
“Youwon’thavethetrackingsoftwareonyoursthatIdo.Partofmyjobasa

consultantistotrackanysuspiciousactivitybacktothesource.Youcanscanmy
computerifithelps.”

“I’llhavetoclearthisthroughZeus,butit’simportantsoIthinkhe’llokay

it.”HerculessaidashepulledouthisradiocallingZeus.Thecallwasbrief.“He
saidtogoaheadafterwescanyourcomputer.”

“I’llhavetogogetit.”
“I’ll walk with you. I need to do a round anyway.” She had noticed

Hercules’sroundswerewhatappearedtobearandomwalkwhereverhefeltlike
going but that threw a wrench in the works for anyone trying to pin down his
schedule. It just couldn’t be done and that added a level of uncertainty for
anyone wanting to break in to the facility. Hercules wasn’t the only one who
tookrandomwalksregularly.Allthehighergodsseemedtodoitwheneverthey
werepresentwhichwasmostofthetime.

Herc scanned her computer and when he was done, handed it back. He

openedSierra’scomputerwhichshehadgivenhimyesterdaywiththerequestof
findingoutwherethewarninghadcomefrom.Cherlookedattheemailreading
it more than once even though she had read it before. It sounded crazier every
time she read it. It was some serious shit going down. To even contemplate
breakingintothegod’sdomaintostealthetopgod’sfemaleandchildseemedso
unstable that she hoped they kept a straight jacket on hand. With luck, they
wouldcatchhimandshe’dneverhavetomeethim.

“Iknowhe’snotalrightinthehead,butthisguyseemstotakeinsanetonew

heights.It’sjusthardtowrapmyheadaroundit.”

“I know, Cher, he’s the first nut I’ve ever been around. He seemed pretty

normalatfirst,ifabitobsessiveaboutSierraandtherewashisarrogancetodeal
with.”

Cher started her program, it was tracking the source of the email, but it

hadn’t gone straight to Sierra. The email had gone through several computer
servers in an attempt to confuse. Normally that would have worked but Cher’s
softwarewasthelatestandbestavailable.Itstalkedthepathwaysoftheinternet
likeabloodhoundonatrail.

“Got it. It originated in Berlin, Germany. The email is is registered to

[e-mail]

.Ihopethathelps.”

“Kyler was last seen in Germany after he escaped and he likes to think of

himselfasakiller.Butwhywouldhewarnus?”

“Toworryyouhopingthatwouldcauseyoutomakeamistakeorhemight

hopeyou’dignoreitsinceyouweren’tsurewhoitcamefrom.Thereisanother
possibility,oneofhispeoplemayhavesentitasawarningbecausetheydon’t
agreewithhimandtheythinkhe’snuts.”

“Allpossibilities,butwereallydon’tknowanymorethanwedidbefore.”
“Thereissomethingmorewecoulddo.”
“What’sthat?”
“We could send him an email that could link to his computer and look

around.Ifhehasacameraonit,wecouldevenactivateit.”

“Wouldn’thebeabletodothesame?”
“Only if he has access to the latest hacking technology and someone who

knowshowtouseit.”

“Youthinkthat’sunlikely?”
“Ido,becausethereareonlyahandfulofpeoplethatcoulddoitandmostof

themworkforme,butIcouldsendtheemailelsewhereandhaveitforwardedto
him.”

“Ineedto…”
“Iknow,youneedtoaskedZeus.Justletmeknowwhatyouwanttodo.”
“You’ve been great, Cher. If you weren’t Hermes mate, I’d hug you.” He

said and she could see the interest in his eyes. It wasn’t the level of desire
Hermes held, but it was both a friendly and a sexual interest that would have
been fun to explore had she not already found her mate. Her mate, she was
acceptinghimoneverylevelwhethershethoughtthingswouldworkoutornot.
Ifhestrayedasshefearedhewould,herheartwouldberippedintwo.

“Whydon’tyougohomeandhavesupperwithyourmate?I’llletyouknow

whatZeuswantstodotomorrow.”

Shenoddedandheadedtowardtheirrooms.Shereallycouldn’tcallithome,

notyetanyway.Shehadn’tputhermarkonitoronHermesyet.She’donlyseen
Fabianforamomentfirstthinginthemorningandshereallyneededtobesure
things were working for him here. The demons, especially Lu, had taken him
under their wings, no pun intended, and he seemed to love it so far. Fabian
wasn’tinhisroomsoshewenttothetrainingroom.Therehewassurroundedby
demons and a few gods. He looked happy, a contentment was on his face she
hadn’t seen since their Dad had died. Lu was next to him and even though he
might teach him some bad habits, it was worth anything to see that carefree
smilebackonhisface.

“Cher,haveyoudecidedtorunawaywithme,mylovely?”
Shesmiled,hewasharmless,shewassureofit.“Nottoday,Ineedtothink

aboutitalittlemore.”Sheteasedbuthelookedsurprised.

If she took him up on it he would probably turn and run. He was likable,

especially

to

women
butshethoughtDocwasrightabouthimjustbeingatease.Themalesseemedto
respect him which told her he was strong and could fight. That was what gods
and demons respected the most. Hermes came over to her. He was never far
awayespeciallyifshewasnearLu.Maybeshewouldtellhimtonight,itmight
take the uncertainty off his face. She knew he would be happy and that’s what
she really wanted. She was sure, there was no doubt that she was in love with
this god who insisted they were mates and they would love each other always.
Hehadcastaspellonherthemomentshehadseenhim.Ithadonlygrownday
bydayandnowshewasheadoverheelsinlovewithhim.

“Are you two ready to eat supper?” Hermes asked her and Fabian. He

overlookedLuasifhewasunimportant.

Lusmiledhisfacefullofmischief.“Theyalreadyagreedtohavesupperwith

mebutIsupposeyoucancometoo,ifyoumust.”Hegrumbledlikehewasput
outaboutit.

Cherbitherlip,theyhadagreedtonosuchthingbutmaybeFabianhad.No,

he looked as surprised as she felt. What was Lu doing now? He was teasing
Hermes,thathadtobeit.Luneverstopped,hestillteasedZeusoccasionallyto
thepointwherehebecameangry.Oneofthegodshadtoldheronetimehecould
actuallyfeelelectricityintheair.Shewasn’tsurewhatthatmeantbutmaybehe
wasjokingbecausetheGreekgodZeuscouldthrowthunderbolts.Whatwould
theysayaboutHermes?Thattheairspeduparoundhimmaybe?

“Iacceptyourgraciousinvitation.”Hermessaidwithasmile.Itwasenough

tomakeLupoutandhewouldprobablytryevenhardernow.

They followed Lu to his place where supper was already set out for four

people. He had intended to invite Hermes all along. The meal was fairly quiet
whileHermesattentionwasonher,Fabianatelikehewasstarving,Lunodoubt
was planning how to irritate Hermes next, and she was trying to decide if she
shouldjustjumpintotherelationshipHermeswantedandriskdrowning.Thepie
Lu served for dessert looked a lot like the ones she had made for the ball. It
tastedlikeonetoo.

“Wheredidyougetthepie,Lu?”Cheraskedwithdeceptivecasualness.
“Oh,itwasjustlyingaroundthekitchen.”
“Idon’tsupposeanyonetoldyoutheywerereservedfortheball?”
“Whyno,noonesaidathing.”Hesattherelookinginnocentandangelic.
“TouchanotherpieandIwillcutyourtailoff.”
“How do you know he has a tail?” Hermes said sitting up straight and

lookingsuspicious.”

“MaybeIshowedittoher?”
“It wouldn’t matter if he did, but he didn’t. He was telling me and Sierra

someofthebenefitstodemonshavingtails.”

“Killjoy!”LusaidtoCher.
“Troublemaker!”Chersaidback.Theyweresmilingateachothermorelike

friendsbutHermesseemedtoobjectsoshestoppedsmiling.

“IreallythoughtHermeswouldbetheonethatwaswhipped.”
Hermesgrowledlowandthreatening.
“Whatdoyoumeanbythat?”Cherasked.
“You just seem to be jumping through hoops to please him. Just an

observation.Youreallyshouldn’tspoilhimlikethatorhe’llexpectit.”Hermes
growledagainandLushutup.

“CanIgoplaywhileyouguysfussateachother?”Fabianasked.
“Go ahead, but get to bed by ten. Hermes or I will be checking on you so

don’ttestus.”

“Okay,Cherish,bedbyten.”Herepeatedsosheknewheunderstoodthenhe

ranoutthedoor.

“As wonderful as your company is, Lu, I want some time alone with my

mate.”

ThelookonLu’sfacewasfullofenvy.Cherishdidn’tthinkitwasbecause

ofher,Luwantedhisownmateandhewantedhernow.“Iunderstand,youtwo

runalong.Don’tdoanythingIwouldn’tdo.”

“Thatleavesthingswideopen.”Cherishsaid.
“You wound me. There are a few things I wouldn’t do, or at least that I

haven’tdone.”Hesaidhisteasingsmilebackinplace.Luwasinthemiddleof
hundredsofhiskind,buthewaslonelyforthatspecialfemalethatwouldbehis
alone.

It made her realize, as Hermes led her along holding her hand, how she

shouldbethankfulinsteadofscared,happyinsteadofworried.Shehadherone
in a lifetime mate and no matter what tomorrow brought, she should enjoy her
time with him. What was that saying? Oh, yeah, live like there’s no tomorrow.
She was ready to do that now. As soon as they made it inside the door and
Hermesclosedit,shestartedremovingherclothes.

Hermeslookedatherinsurpriseforamomentbeforehestartedtostripas

well.Hepulledherintothebathroom.Hesetthewater,thenpulledherunderit
and into his arms. He just held her as the water rolled over them soaking their
hairandskin.Thewaterwaswarmandfeltsensuousasitranovertheirskin.He
pulledback,pullingheroutfromunderthespraybeforehepouredshampooon
herhairrubbingitinwiththepadsofhisfingers.Itfeltmarvelousashelathered
herhairrinsingitbeforemovingon.Heconditionedherhairleavingitonashe
latheredhishandssoapingherbody.

Hisfingersmovedoverherskininlittlecirclesdesignedtodriveheroutof

hermindwithdesire,shewassure.Hemovedoverherthroat,hershoulders,and
downtoherbreastswherehesqueezedandtweakedhernipplesuntiltheywere
hardbeforemovingon.Hecircledherstomachanddroppedtoherlegsworking
hiswaydownthenbackuptheothersideuntilhereachedherass.Heseemedto
enjoywashingthattoo,squeezingandpettingitbeforemovingupherback.

He soaped up again this time moving to the one spot he had skipped. His

handsmovedeagerlytoherthighsfindingherclitandcirclingandtweakingit
playfully.Hecontinuedtorubandworryherclitwhichbecamemoresensitive
and responsive to his administrations. She moaned with the building tension,
filled with need. She pushed her pussy against his magic fingers wanting,
needing more, so she could relieve the pressure building inside her. He
accommodatedher,pressingharder,circlingfaster,pushingherintoavortexof
desireandovertheedgeintoanabyssofsheerdelight.Shescreamedhisname
asherbodypressedupagainsthim.Herbreathslowlyeasingashemovedherto
wherethewaterwouldrinseherclean.

She pulled him to her and under the water before pushing him back. She

poured shampoo in his hair standing on her tippy toes. She massaged the
shampoointohisscalpandthroughhissilkyhair.Hemoanedandshepulledhis
headdowntoherssoshecouldgivehimapassionatekissbeforeshepushedhim
under the spray to rinse the shampoo off. He was so fucking sexy she was
surprisedthewaterdidn’tturntosteamwhenithithim.Hiseyesglowedadark
purpletellingherhewasenjoyingherattention.Sheputconditioneronhishair
andrubbeditinlightlybeforesoapingupherhands.

Starting with his neck, she softly rubbed it on in circles working down his

shouldersandhischesttakingjustafewmomentstoteaseandpinchhissmall
male nipples. They hardened instantly and his hard cock jerked drawing her
attention.Shecontinuedtomovedownhisbodybutherhandwasdrawntohis
cock. Maybe it was the way it kept jerking with a life all its own. She ran her
soapyhandsupanddownthelengthofitenjoyingthefeelandtheweightofitin
herhands.Shemovedlower,cuppinghisbigheavyballsinherhands,squeezing
themuntilhegroanedhisneedescalating.Shecontinueddownhislegsandup
the back of them getting more soap before she tackled his tempting ass. She
squeezedandpinchedandplayedwithhisassbeforemovinguphisback.Once
shehadhimthoroughlyclean,shepushedhimunderthesprayrinsingoffallthe
soap.

Shekissed him as the water slid down their bodies. Her hands stroked him

lightlyasifmemorizinghisbody.Sheslidtoherkneesinfrontofhimthewater
pouringdownherback.Onehandwenttohisimpressivehardonwhiletheother
cuppedhisballs.Shesqueezedhisballsgentlyasshestrokedhiscockacouple
times before licking the pre cum off the tip where it glistened like dew. It was
salty and tasted like sex so she sucked on the head of his cock trying to get a
littlemore.

Shelaveditwithhertongueandsuckeditintohermouthinturn,elicitinga

groanofpleasurefromdeepinhisthroat.Shestrokedhisshaftasshesuckedthe
wideheadintohermouthandshelovinglycuppedandsqueezedhisballs.She
moved faster taking his cock a little deeper each time until he was hitting the
backofherthroat.Shemoaned,sendingvibrationsthroughhimandshefelthim
stiffenfurther.

Sheglancedupathim,hisheadwasthrownback,hiseyesclosedwithalook

ecstasyonhisface.Helookedmorelikeanangelthanagod,soclosetoheaven.
Fastershemovedashisgroans,moans,andtightenedmusclesstraining,toldher
hewasclose.Sherelaxedherthroatandslidhiminalmostallthewayandhe
heldherheadashiscumshotdownherthroatsothickshestruggledtoswallow

it all. Salty with a hint of spice, she sucked him dry enjoying his flavor. He
pulled her up and into his embrace kissing her and moaned with apparent
enjoymentathistasteonhertongue.

Herinsedbeforeturningthewateroff.Hegrabbedatowel,dryingherfirst

beforedryinghimself.Hepickedherupcarryinghertothebedwherehegently
set her down. She noticed he was once again hard as a rock. Guess that’s why
theycallthemgods!Hepositionedhimselfontopofherandthistimehemoved
intoherslowandeasy.Hewasn’trushedlikebefore,hewastakinghistimeand
enjoyingeverysecondofit,ofher.Hemovedallthewayinandnearlyallthe
way out in an unhurried pace. She could lie under him all night long like this
whilehebuiltaslowfireburningbetweenthem.

Chapter8
AMate’sProtection
He could love her like this all night, he had unlimited endurance, all gods

were blessed with that and demons as well. He didn’t really know what came
over him in that moment but the overriding need to dominate, to make her
submit to him and give him everything she had been holding back surged
throughhim.Heflippedheroverandhepulledherhipsup,shedidn’tstruggle
orargue.Sheadjustedherpositionandwaitedforhimtoslideintoherandtake
heragainwhichhedid.Heslidinhardandhemovedhisbodyoverhersbiting
hershoulderlightlyjusttoletherknowwhowasincharge.Hefeltsoprimitive,
he knew it was crazy but he had to have her just like this, his inner beast
demanded he finally achieve her submission, her acceptance of his claim was
paramount.

His teeth gripped her shoulder as he powered into her feeling more beast

than man. She moaned with pleasure which only encouraged the beast inside
him to piston into her over and over. He felt joy rush through him, she wasn’t
fighting his claim. They were both close to the sensual explosion that would
leavethembreathlessandjoinedonthemostbasiclevel.Hemovedhishandto
her thighs sliding his fingers to her clit to circle and press on the little nub of
pleasure.Shemoanedasherbodytightened,justalittlemore.Hecircledfaster
and pressed harder ready for that maelstrom of sensations that their release
would bring. He hammered into her as his fingers worked their magic coaxing
theultimateresultsofpassionfromherwillingbody.

Shetensedandhetensedwithhersensingtheywouldsoonberewardedfor

theircarnalendeavors.Shemadealowkeeningsoundsignalingherorgasmwas
onitsway.Herbodytwistedandwrithedbeneathhimandhisballstingledand

drew up as his cock pulsed filled to overflowing with the seed that sought her
fertile ground. He erupted like a volcano, sending hot streams of his essence
deepintoher,coatingherwombasitmadeitswayinside.Hejerkedandquaked
astremorswrackedhisbody,helplesstodoanythingbutcontinuetoquenchher
hungrybody.

They lay together wrapped up in feelings that threatened to burst forth. He

thoughtifshedidn’tlovehim,hedidn’tknowwhatlovewas.Hejustwishedshe
would share her feelings with him, but she was exhausted and on the cusp of
sleepandhedidn’thaveitinhimtodisturbherjustforhisownpieceofmind.
Sleepclaimedhimtoojustminuteslaterasherwarmthcalmedandsoothedhim
givinghimthemostpeaceandhappinesshehadeverknown.

She had woke before him and somehow managed to slip from his sleepy

embrace.Hetouchedthesheetsnexttohim,coldenoughthatshe’dbeengonea
while.Heknewtodaywouldbeabusydayforher.Whysheevencaredifthe
ball was a success or not, he didn’t know but he did know the way to a god’s
heartmightwellbethroughhisstomachandhewouldstopbythekitchentosee
what she might have for him. A smile broke out on his face as he thought of
sampling both the culinary and carnal delights his mate had to offer. First he
wouldcheckonFabian,thenhewouldseehismate.

Fabian was once again playing games with demons. It said a lot about his

physical condition and his intelligence that he managed to hold their interest
sincedemonswereboredeasily.Theywereteachinghim,buildingontheskills
he already had in combat and evasion. There were definitely times you should
runratherthanfight.Liveanotherdayandallthat,especiallywhenyouwerehis
ageandamonsterlikeKevenwasafteryou.Itwouldn’tbeKevenhimselfthat
camecalling,butoneofhiscohortsfromOriginwhowouldbejustasbad.The
demonswoulddietoprotecthim,hehadalreadydrawntheirloyalty,buthestill
neededskills,justincase.

Godsanddemonswereafiercelotandfornowthedemonswouldbebetter

securitythanthegodssinceanyonecomingforhimwouldhavetogetthrough
thegodstogettothedemonlevelanddemonshadsomevicioussurpriseslike
stingingtailsandwingsthatcouldbreakbones.Lu,forallhissweetcharmand
teasing manner, would fight like a rabid dog for anyone he cared for. Hermes
certainlyhadnointentionofgettingonhiswrongsideexceptifhetriedtotake
hismate.Hermatingscenthadgrownsostrongthathedidn’tthinkanygodor
demon could tolerate trying to mate with her. It would be offensive to them as
muchastryingtohavesexwithhimwouldbe.Hechuckled,thatmadehimso

happy he wanted to sing and dance. He wouldn’t since everyone would think
himcrazybutdamnifhedidn’tfeellikeit.

“Hey,Fabian.How’sitgoing.”
“Lusaystherightwaytoaskthatis‘how’sithanging’.
“Hedoes,doeshe?Andwhatdoyouthinkyoursisterwouldsay?”Hermes

askedashesentalookofdisapprovalLu’sway.

“Tightandtotheright?”Fabianguessedwithasmile.
Achucklebrokethroughbeforehecouldstophimself.“Iwouldn’ttryit.You

mightnotlikeherresponse.”

“Okay,shecanbeabitserious.”
“I’mgoingtothekitchentoseeher.Wanttocome?”
“Couldyoujustbringmesomethingback?”Fabianasked.
“Metoo.”Luaddedlickinghislipswithzeal.Everyoneknewwhomadethe

goodstuff.Hewastornbetweenhispridethatshewasthebestcookandanodd
jealousy that demanded she cook for him alone. Even he knew that was
ridiculous.Heheadedouttotheshoutsfromotherdemonstobringbackenough
foreveryone.

Hefelthisheartbeatspeedupandhisbreathescalate.Hewasalmostwithin

sight of his mate making his excitement natural. He moved through the doors
intothehotkitchenhiseyessearchingforCher.Herfacewasflushedwithafine
layer of sweat beaded across her brow. Even wearing the gloves, hairnet, and
apron, she was still beautiful beyond words. He leaned in when he was close
enoughandgaveherachastekiss.Thiswasnottheplacetodowhathisbody
urgedhimto.

Shesmiled,herfacelitwithwhathefeltwaslove.“Whatwasthatfor?”She

asked.

“Yourapron.”Hesaidsoshelookeddownatthephrase‘kissthecook’.“No

oneelsebettertryit.”

“Nooneelsehas.”Sheassuredhimwithagiggle.
He looked into her eyes seeing his future. She was his mate, she would be

themotherofhischildrenandeverythingtohimfortherestofhislife.“Didyou
fixanythingIcouldhaveforbreakfast?”

“I have some spirals you might like. There’s ham and cheese, pepperoni

pizza,andbarbequechicken.Ifyouwantsomethingsweet,there are cinnamon
buns.”

“Youhavecinnamonbuns?They’remyfavorite.Thedemonsaremakingme

askifyouhaveanythingyoucansendthem?”

“Theyalreadytookhalfmypies,whatmoredotheywant?”
“I’msurethey’resorrybuttheyaredemons.Theywillmisbehavewhenever

theyhaveachance.”

“Thebunsarefortoday,butallwehavetocarrythemonisatray.”
Hermes sat with his mate until he had eaten one of each type of spiral and

twoofthebigcinnamonbuns.Everythingshemadewassogood.Theyloadeda
smalltraywithbunsstackingthemthreehighineachrow.Thosedemonsbetter
appreciateallthetroublehismatehadgonethroughtomakethese.Henoticed
every oven was full to capacity with cookies, pies, cakes, and appetizers. She
wouldbetiredbythetimeshewasdoneforthedayandhewouldtrytohelpher
relax.

He made it to the training room where the demons were waiting for their

food.Theyfelloverthebunsliketheyhadbeenstarvedforaweek.Hetriedto
hold it against them, but those were some tasty buns, so he couldn’t. Most of
them had finished eating when the alarm sounded. Everyone went to their
stationsandFabianwenttoLu’sroomsashehadbeentoldto.Theboyhatednot
being allowed to fight, but he showed maturity beyond his age by doing as
instructed.Hermeswasproudofhimandhewouldlethimknow,later.

He rushed up to the level he worked on and checked with the two gods

assignedtosurveillance.Therewasnosignofanypeople.Hisradiobuzzed,it
wasHercules.“Wefoundremnantsofsomekindofremotecontroldevice.They
aretestingus.”Hermesagreedandtheywouldcontinuetotestthemuntiltheir
guardwasdown.Atthatpointtheattackwouldbeforreal.Whatwasthisgroup
after?WasitSierraandAthena,CherandFabian,orMariaandherdaughter?It
waspossibleitwasevenanattempttocaptureorkillgodsanddemons.

Not knowing would drive them crazy. Athena, Maria’s baby, and Maria

herself as long as she was with child were the ones that required the most
protectionfollowedbyFabian.Sierrawasahellofasoldierandasmuchashe
hated to admit it, Cher wasn’t bad herself. It would help to know who was
targetedbutheknewOrigin.Theywereopportunisticandwouldtakesomeone
else if their favored target was not available, that meant no one was safe.
Everyoneoverfiveneededtobearmed.CherhadassuredhimthatFabiancould
and would use a gun if necessary so he would give him one to carry. He
wouldn’tallowsomeonewhocouldprotectthemselvestobetakenjustbecause
theywereunarmed.

ItoccurredtoHermesthatOriginmightbelieveKevenandhisbuddywere

stillonthepremises.Oncetheyhaddrainedhimofallthehelpfulinformation,

theyhadcooperatedwiththeUSgovernmentandhonoredtheirrequestthatthe
twomenbeturnedovertothem.TheyhadaskedforCherandFabiantoo,but
they had been politely denied. Cher was about to marry one of the higher
ranking gods and Fabian was her charge. They had never explained what they
wantedwithhernordiditlookliketheyeverwould.Theyhadjusttakenwhat
theycouldgeteasilyandranwithit.

Demons were heading outside in packs of four covering the area in a

predetermined grid pattern. They would look for anything, biological or
otherwise,andtheirsenseswereevenbetterthanthatofthegods.Theireyesight
wasbetterthananyknownanimal,theirhearingacute,theirsenseofsmelleven
workedinthebittercoldclimatewheremostgod’ssenseofsmellwouldn’t.

Demonswereperfectforpatrollingthegroundssincethesnowsuitshidtheir

extra assets. A small team of demons had been on duty when the attack was
made but they spiraled out from the facility going up to five miles out at the
furthestpointintheirpatroland that was when the radio controlled device had
beensentprobablystraightintothebuildingfromuphigh.Noonecouldprotect
against that, but the demons on patrol were understandably upset anyway. The
gridsearchfoundnosignsofanyoneonthegroundandHermeswassurethatit
wasbecausenoonehadbeenontheground.

EveryoneinsidereturnedtotheirdutiesexceptCherwhohadstayedwiththe

ovens.Hermeshadbeenupsetwhenhefoundoutshehadn’tgonetojoinSierra
at her suite where they could both be protected. He had made some comments
out of concern that she had taken wrong. Now she was angry with him and he
wasn’tsurewhattodotofixit.

He would never understand these females that now stayed at Olympus. He

had known how to deal with the others that Origin had sent to them. These
independent, willful females like his Cher, were so complicated. He went in
searchofZeushopinghemightshedsomelightonwhathehaddonewrongand
how he might fix it. Zeus was in his office with Sierra getting reports on what
hadjustoccurred.Maybeitwasn’tthebesttimetogetadvice.Hiswomandrove
himsocrazyhehadn’teventhoughtaboutZeusbeingbusy.Heturnedtoleave
butSierracalledouttohim.

“Hermes,Icanhelpyouifyouneedsomething.”
Yes,maybeSierrawouldbethebesttohelphimwithhisproblem.“Cheris

angrywithmeandIdon’tknowwhy.”

“Letmeguess,shestayedwiththeovensandyouchidedherforit.”
“Well not exactly. I told her she needed to show more sense and go where

shecouldbeprotected.”

“That’snotchiding?Nevermind,youshouldtreathermorelikeanothergod

thanlikeaweakdefenselessmate.”

“Sheismymate.”
“Yes,yourmate,notyourchild.Shedidwhatshethoughtwasrightandshe

is trained to protect herself. If you’re concerned, give her a weapon not a
lecture.”

He thought over what Sierra said and decided he would try to remember

Cherwasalsoawarrior,notonethatwasasstrongasagod,butstrongasmost
humans.Aweaponwasagreatequalizerandheknewshewasagoodshot.He
wouldhavetogivehersomefreedombutonlyuntilshecarriedhischild,which
for him couldn’t happen soon enough. He smiled to himself at the thought and
headedbacktothekitchentofindhisiratemate.

“Backtochewonmesomemore?”Cherasked.
“I’msorry.Iwasjustworriedaboutyou.”
Cherlookedathimsuspiciously.Hecouldn’treallyblameher,hehadbeen

furiouswhenhehadbeentoldshehadstayedinthekitchen.“Okay.”

“Ineedtoaskyouforafavor.”Hermestoldher,notingthesuspiciouslook

wasnowcombinedwithacautiousone.

“Andthatwouldbe…?”
“Iwantyoutocarryaweaponwithyou.Thisone.”Hesaidashehandedher

asmallpeashooter.Sheraisedherbrowathim.“Ithastobesmallsoitwillgo
unnoticedbutatcloserange,thisguncankill.”Heassuredher.Shereachedout
totakeitfromhishandweighingitinherhandthencheckingthesafetybefore
slidingitintoherpocket.

“ItremindsmeofmyfirstgunwhenIwasten.Dadalwaysgavemethelittle

gunsbutafterhediedItookaclasstolearnhowtoshootthesamegunsasthe
big boys.” She smiled clearly proud of herself and he couldn’t resist smiling
back.Heexaminedhercarefullyandfoundnobulgeswherethegunwas.Hefelt
alittlebetterabouthersafetynowandhehadavoidedabattleheknewhewould
havelost.

He headed back to his office where he did paperwork and checked in with

teamsthatwereonmissions.Theywouldallbebackbeforetheballandallnew
missions were scheduled for after it was over. Three hours after the attack, the
alarms rang again. This time the demons were all over the device within
minutes. Baal saw it before the self destruct, it was an airplane. It just flew in
andcrashedintothedoortothefacilityandsecondslater,itexploded.

IfLuwastheKingofthedemons,Baalwasoneofthesevenprinceswhich

wereLu’sgenerals.Demonhierarchywassimilar,butalittledifferentfromthe
god’s.Luwassimplythetopdemonwithoutequal.Hehadsevenprinceseach
with equal powers that took turns being in charge in the event he was
unavailable, though that was rare. Each prince had his own areas of expertise
and demons that he controlled. Other than Baal, Asmodius was the only other
demon prince that Hermes spent much time with. They were the two most
outgoingandthemostlikeLu.

The gods had Zeus, who was their leader but he was technically over the

demonsaswell.HadesandPoseidonweresecondtoZeusbuttheywerenotover
thedemons,onlyZeuswaseventhoughtheywerealltoplevelgods,ortierone.
Hercules, Hermes, Apollo, and several other gods were tier two gods. Apollo
was usually top of the second level, sometimes Hercules was, and Hermes had
evenbeeninchargewhenitsuitedZeus’spurposes.TierthreegodslikeHypnos,
Erebus, and Aether, were usually squad leaders. Tier four was for all the gods
notinclearleadershippositions.ThehierarchyhadbeensetinplacebyOrigin,
but the gods and demons had seen no reason to change it. Everyone was
comfortable in their assigned positions and even though it was generally
recognizedthatwiththedesireandabilityto,agodordemoncouldmoveupor
downfromtheirtier,nooneeverhad.

BaalwasashandsomeasLuwas,buthedidn’thavewings.Insteadhehada

backbonethatextendedoutofhisbacknearlyaninch.Itwastough,givinghis
backastrengthothersdidn’tpossess.Arockcouldfallonitanditwouldsimply
bounceoff.Evenmostbulletswouldn’tenterthere.Whenhewentaboutwithout
ashirt,itremindedHermesofalizard’sback.Hedidn’thaveataileitherbuthe
hadatonguewomenwouldkillfor.Again,itremindedHermesofsomethinga
lizard might have. Except for his back, Baal had an unearthly beauty. Most
demons had the look of fallen angels with a voice to match and Baal was no
exception.

Since demons didn’t generally go on missions, there were some exceptions

such as Baal who when dressed could pass for a god, Zeus hoped they would
eventuallytakeovermostoftheguarddutieshereleavingthegodsformissions.
EvenifLudecidedtodevelopademonstronghold,itwouldn’tbelargeenough
for all of them especially if some or most of them eventually mated and while
Olympus basically had all of Antarctica, the demon’s facility had no room for
expansion.

Itwasashamethattheballcouldn’tgooffwithouttroubles.Everyonewas

looking forward to it especially Zeus and Sierra who would have a secret
weddinginpublic.Noonebutthegods,demons,andafewofSierra’srelatives
andclosefriendswouldknowwhatwasreallygoingon.

Hermesonlyhopedanattackwouldn’tdisrupttheceremony.Healsohoped

theywouldonlyhavetodealwithoneenemyatatimesincetheyseemedtobe
collecting new adversaries every day. He wondered if the alarms would be set
offalldayandnight.Ifthatwasthecasehewouldhavetomakethemsilentor
theguestthatwouldstartarrivinglatetonight,wouldbestartledwhentheywent
off.Hemadesomeadjustmentssothatthealarmwouldbuzzeveryone’sradios
andbeheardovertheearpiecesmostgodsanddemonsworeonduty.

Threehourslaterthealarmwentoffagainandaremotecontroldevicewas

foundatanotherlocation.Itwasnowtimeformostofthosewhoworkedduring
thedaytoturnin.Guesthadstartedarriving,ahandfulatatime.Aplanewas
landingandanothertakingoffjustcomplicatingthingswhenthealarmwentoff,
but this time it was no remote control device. It seemed one of the guests had
‘wandered’ into the computer room setting the alarm off instantly. She said it
wasjustacoincidencethatshewanderedinthemomentoneguardleftandthe
otheronewasinHermesoffice.Hewasgivingateampermissiontoreturnfor
theballeventhoughthemissionwasn’tcomplete.

He came back into the office to find her sitting at the console. She hadn’t

accessed it yet, but there was little doubt she would have, though proof was
lacking.Zeusputagodonhertoactasanescortbuthewasaglorifiedguard.
Still the female in question was attractive, so he didn’t complain. They had
expectedattemptsatspyinglikethis,justnotsosoon.Oncethatwasdealtwith,
hewenttotheirsuitetoprepareforhismate.Hetookashowercleaninghimself
thoroughly. He put on shorts, leftovers from the days of Origin. They were
comfortable and they didn’t make him think of Origin most of the time. He
waitedforherontheirbed,butfellasleepbeforeshecamein.

He woke and it was morning, Cher was either already gone or she hadn’t

made it home yet. It upset him to think she was working so hard. He got his
radioandcheckedwithHercules.

“Iknowwheresheis,I’meatingapieceofpiewithherrightnow.Oh,man.

Thisissooogood.”

Hermes didn’t waste a moment getting dressed and joining them in the

kitchen.

“I told you he’d make good time getting here. Five minutes must be some

kindofrecord.”Herculeschuckled.

Hermes said, “You came in after I went to sleep and left before I woke.

You’reworkingtoohard.”Helookedatheraccusingly.

“Youdon’thavetodoeverything,Cher.”HerculessaidandHermesfeltan

irrationalannoyancethatHerculesagreedwithhimandsheseemedtolistento
him.

“ThisjustmeanssomuchtoSierra,Ihatetodisappointher.Iplantofinish

upatnoonandgohometotakeanapbeforeIgetreadyfortheball.”

Itwouldhavetosatisfyhimbecausehismatesimplyrefusedtodoanyless

nomatterwhathesaid.Heleftfeelingfrustratedbuthehaddutiestoseeto,the
hairstooduponthebackofhisneck,andhisspinetingledtellinghimheneeded
tobealertandawareortheywouldallpaytheprice.Hecheckedinwiththegod
thatwasassignedtotheirwouldbespy.Itwasallgoodthere,hehadspentthe
nightinherbedandshewasstillindreamland.Hehadfoundoutthatshewasa
reporter,buthewouldmakesuretheonlystoryshegotwasaboutincrediblesex.

Hecheckedinwiththedemonswhopatrolledoutsidethefacilityuntilgods

took their place before the ball started. Everything was as it should be, at least
for now. He checked with the outside surveillance, the inside surveillance, the
guardsatthedoors,theguardswatchingCronos,andeventheguardswatching
Maria, her daughter, and Fabian, and no one had anything to report but the
feeling of impending doom or at least potential doom just kept rising in him.
Zeus radioed him for a report followed by Hercules, apparently he wasn’t the
onlyonewhosensedsomethingheadedtheirway.

ItwasclosinginonnoonwhichwaswhenCherwouldheadhome.Hewas

thinking about joining her there. All he could do here was interrupt the gods
doing their duty and worry himself half sick. He had just talked himself into
doing just that when an alarm sounded over his earpiece. Code red for the
kitchen. He jumped up running down the hall and without using the slightest
cautionheranrightintotheroomwithoutanyideawhathewasfacing.

Cherishstoodtherewithaguninherhandsandamanwasonthefloorwith

blooddrippingoutofthewoundbetweenhiseyes.“Ididn’twanttokillhimbut
hewouldn’tstayback.”Shesaidwithsurprisingcalm.Godsstartedfloodingin
buttheyshouldn’tbehere.

“AllgodsbutHerculesreturntoyourstations.”Hermestoldthemall.They

turned around to go back where they were assigned as a code red attempted
accessofthirdfloorbyunauthorizedguestinelevatorsoundedontheradio.

“I’vegotitcovered.”Sierrasaidontheradio.“I’malreadynearthere.”
The alarm went off again. This time it was the perimeter alarm. “Checking

outperimeterbreach.”Baalsaid.“Lookslikearemotecontroldevice.”

HegiasstoodnexttoHermes.“I’llputthebodyintheheadcook’sofficefor

now.Takeyourmatetoyourroomandcalmher.”Hermesnodded,thegodwas
right. He was sure Cher had never killed anyone before and the other cooks
lookedprettyfreakedout.

“Everyonepleasegetbacktowork,weneedeverythingtogowelltonight.”

Hermestoldthemandhecouldonlyhopetheycouldcalmdownenoughtopull
ittogether.Asheleft,heheardLizzietakeoverissuingcommands.Hedidn’t
staytoseeifanyonefollowedthem,hehadamatetoseeto.

“Wanttotalkaboutwhathappened?”
“He walked into the kitchen looking for Maria. I told him she wasn’t there

buthedidn’tbelieveme.Hepulledagunandwaswavingitaroundateveryone.
IpulledmygunandItoldhimtodrophisorIwouldshoothim.Idon’tknowif
he thought my gun too small to hurt him or if he didn’t think I would pull the
triggerbuthestartedtopointhisgunatmeandIjustshothim.He’sdead,isn’t
he?I’veneverkilledanyonebefore,didyouknowthat?”

Shewascalm,toocalm.Shewasinshock,atleasthethoughtshewas.“Did

hesaywhyhewantedtofindMaria?”

“Yeah, he said ‘that bitch killed my brother’. He wanted to kill her and he

didn’tcareifhediedtrying.”

“Wellhediddie,buthedeservedto.YousavedMariaandwhoknowshow

manywomeninthatkitchenthathewouldhavekilledtryingtofindher.We’ve
had attacks and problems all day and I just don’t believe in coincidences.
Someonehasplannedalltheseattacksandattemptstomakeiteasiertogettous.
Thisisn’toveryet,notbyalongshot.”

Almostasifmockinghimtheradiowentoffagain.Attemptatunauthorized

entrywasbroadcasttoall.“Remotedevice,attemptcontained.”Baalsaid.Ifhe
survivedtonightitwouldbeamiracle.Hisfearforthesafetyofthoseheloved
andhisbrothersmadetheareanearhishearthurt.

He helped his sweet Cher into bed and gave her a chaste kiss. He hurried

backtohisofficewherehesatwonderingwhatnext.Nothinghappenedandhe
startedtohopethatnothingwould.Hadn’tenoughalreadyoccurredtonightand
all before the ball? People wandered the halls already, many in costumes. That
only complicated the matter since some costumes made it impossible to see if
theyweremaleorfemale,knownorunknown.Whythehellhadheagreedtoa
masked costume ball? Oh, yeah, because of his brother demons. Hopefully
tryingtodorightbythemwouldn’tbethedeathofthemall.

Hegiascameintotheofficetospeaktohim.“Ifoundthisletterinthedead

guy’spocket.Someonesethimuptocomehere.”Hermesreadit:

DavidElders:
Yourbrother’skillerislivingitupatOlympusasheliescoldintheground.

If you are the man I think you are, you will use the enclosed tickets and
informationtofindanddestroyMariaGomez.

Afriend
“Holyshit!”Hermessaidlookingatthecanceledplaneticketandtheticket

fortheball.Someonehadspentafortunetosendthismanhere.HeradioedZeus
andtoldhimwhathadbeenfound.

“It’sunfortunatethatsomeoftheattendeesaremale.Waysaidifwetriedto

stopmalesfromattendingitwouldhurtourimage.Atleasthewon’tbecausing
anymoreproblems.”

It seemed for now anyway that everything was under control. He looked at

theclock,timetogetreadyfortheballhimself.HewouldgowithCherfortwo
hoursbeforehecamebacktowork,possiblyfortherestofthenight.Hercules
wouldstayleavingwhenHermesrelievedhim.Halfthedemonshadvolunteered
tostayforhalfthenightwhiletheotherhalfagreedtogonowandcomebackto
relievetheothershalfwaythroughthenight.Itwasnotwhattheyhadhopedfor
when they had planned this event. Everyone had planned on the demons all
beingthereforthewholeevent.Sometimeslifejustsuckedandthiswasoneof
thosetimes.

He walked into their suite and Cher was already ready. She wore a barely

theredressthatwasnearlyseethroughandsilvery.Ithuggedherbreastspushing
themupandithadslitsonthesidethatshowedoffhermuscularlegs.Herhair
was braided with silver ribbons shot through it. Her eye shadow was silver as
wellandquitedramatic.Herlipswereanothermatter,theywereredbutnotwith
thetypicallipstick.Theylookedalmostasifhehadkissedandbittenthemuntil
theywereredandswollen.Sotempting,hejustwantedtoeatherup.Hewould
guess she was a water nymph because the dress looked so fluid it made him
thinkofrunningwater.

Heshoweredanddressed,notaselaborateasCher,butheworeatogaanda

narrow gold crown. His sandals completed his simple outfit. No doubt the
demonswouldbemoreembellishedandattentiongetting.Hecouldn’tdenyan
interestinwhattheywouldchoosetowear.Lu,Baal,andAsmowereespecially
colorfulandwouldenticethefemaleattention.HegaveCherhisarmandthey
wentnextdoortogetFabian.Agodordemonwouldbehisescortallnighteven

afterhewasbackinhisroom.FabianwasdressedlikeHermesinminiature.It
was adorable and Hermes felt honored that Fabian had emulated him. It gave
himatasteofwhatitwouldbeliketohaveason.

“Ithoughtyouintendedtobeavampire?”Hermesasked.
“That’ssolastyear.Lutoldmewhatyouwerewearingandhealsohadme

tryoutthefangs.Theydon’tfeelsogoodwhenyouwearthem.”

HadeswaswithFabianfornowandHermeswonderedifhehadtrulygiven

uphiswomanizingwaysorhewassimplyhidingitbetter.HehadtoldZeushe
hadnointerestintakingafemaleotherthanDoctotheball,sohewasassigned
tostaywithFabian.Hades seemed to like Fabian and said it wasn’t a chore to
hangoutwiththeboy.Itwastoobadthatwhentheygotthere,Docwaswithher
current lover. It was clear she had given up any thought of ever being with
Hades.Hermesexaminedhercloselynotingthewhiteblondehairandthesame
dark chocolate eyes Sierra had. It was an exotic combination and Doc had no
troublefindingwillingmalestohelpheroverthehurtHadeshadcaused.

Thefactthateveryoneknewhehadbeenanassdidn’thelphiscause.Ifthe

faulthadbeenhers,shewouldhavefoundatleastsomeofthemenloseinterest
thinkinghercold,butno,shehadbeentheinjuredone.Shehadthetypeofbody
godsanddemonsalikelongedfor.ShewasalittletallerthanSierra,maybefive
footeight.Shewasalsoquitecurvy,butathletic.Shetookgoodcareofherself
and she was dressed like a flame or at least that was the impression the dress
gave in its various shades of red and gold. Her fine hair had been braided into
ropesandcoiledonherhead.

Luwastheredressedasthedevil.Amorebeautifulfallenangelyoucouldn’t

find and he was surrounded by females. Baal was dressed as a demon, all in
black, with his choice of females too. They both loved women and it was no
surprise when Lu picked a curvy girl with beautiful long black hair and dark
eyes. Baal took the opposite, she had the lightest of blonde hair and sky blue
eyes,butshewascurvytoo.likedsomethingtoholdontowhentheygottheir
freakon.Asmowasnowheretobeseen,probablyondutyfornow.Lu’stailwas
going crazy rubbing up and down his date’s back. He always said there was
nothinglikeademonwhoknewhowtousehistailandhiswings.Itlookedlike
some females were about to discover that demons could do things that women
couldn’tevenimagine.

Trumpets sounded telling Hermes that the ceremony was about to start. He

ledCherbacktothehiddendoorwaywheretheweddingpartygathered.Several
coupleswouldstarttheprocession,whileSierraandZeusfollowedthemtothe

flowered and ribboned area where they would take their vows. Doc came back
withthem,shewouldallowHadestoescortherbecauseSierrahadbeggedher
to. Baal moved over to Fabian filling in until Hades was done with the
ceremony. Way would have come but she was back home taking care of some
personalbusinessthatcouldn’twait.MariaandErebushadjoinedthem,filling
outtheirnumbers.

Theprocessionstartedwithtwodemonswithlargeandbeautifulredwings

andelegantgoldstaffs,wearingloincloths,theirbodiesoiledtoshowofftheir
incredible muscles and male beauty. The demons looked identical, they were
probably one of the rare sets of twins Origin had bred. They headed out
unhurried but moving steadily. The women cheered and tried to touch them as
theywalkedby.Oneparticularlyboldorpossiblydrunkfemalereachedherhand
downone’sloinclothandpulledherhandbackwithan‘ohmygod’.Thedemon
smirked and winked at her. Demons loved attention and didn’t mind being
handled.

NextHadesandDocmovedoutdancingandtwirlingbutkeepingacertain

distancebehindthedemons.Hermeswaiteduntiltheywereatacertainpointand
then he and Cher did the same. He twirled her around noting how lovely she
looked with flushed cheeks and bright eyes. He watched their pace to see they
didn’t encroach on Hades and Doc, who for once didn’t seem to be arguing.
Erebus and Maria followed, they wore matching purple togas and masks
reminding Hermes he and Cher had forgotten theirs. The demons were now in
placeandHadesandDocwerealmosttothem.HeandChertwirledanddanced
rightbehindthem.

It seemed like a pagan ritual, but Hermes knew it was a Christian preacher

doingtheservice.HeremindedHermesofJuliusCaesar,notsurprisingsincehe
wore a toga. He stood under the flowers and ribbons that stretched down from
the ceiling with the demons beside him. Hades and Doc stood behind the
preacher, Hermes and Cher slid into place next to them, and Maria and Erebus
movednexttoHermesandCher.

Therewasabriefsilenceastheairfilledwithasenseofexpectation.They

steppedintosight,ZeusworeatogawithgoldribbonandSierraanalmostsheer
whitegownwithgoldshotthroughit.Herhairwasworndownwithflowersand
shinygoldribbonstreamingthroughit.Itfelldownherbackandflowedbehind
her as Zeus held her hand and danced with her. They didn’t follow the path
straighttothewaitingweddingparty,theydancedaroundinacircle.Whenthey
hadmadeaturnallthewayaround,thatwaswhentheytooktheirplaceinfront

of the minister with the wedding party all facing them and witnessing their
completecommitmenttoeachother.

The huge crowd was oddly silent waiting for the exchange of vows even

though they thought it an act. The minister began speaking in Latin, he said
somethingabouteveryonegatheredtowitnessthejoiningofamanandwoman
intooneunitfortherestoftheirlife.Itwastouchingeventhoughmostpeople
recognizedlittleofwhathesaid,thetonewasclear.SierraandZeuseachmade
their commitment in their own words to each other. It surprised Hermes that
manyofthefemaleshadtearsintheireyes.

Hehadn’treallythoughtitwouldbesotouching,buttheloveintheireyes

was visible for all to see. When Zeus kissed her, everyone broke out cheering
and clapping. When the sounds died out, someone all in black stepped up near
the wedding party. The two demons moved to push him back but the male
removedhismask.ItwasKylerandhewasholdingagrenadeinhishands.

“YouforgottoaskforobjectionsandIhaveafew.She’smineandI’vecome

totakeherback.”

Thecrowdclearlythoughtitwaspartoftheshowandstartedbooingathim.

Someone called him a jerk and told him to go home. He was incensed and he
toldthemtoshutupbeforehekilledthemall.Noneoftheguestweretakinghim
seriously,buthewasdeadlyserious.

“Give her to me or I will pull the pin and everyone nearby will die.” His

words were received with boos and hisses as the audience got into what they
thoughtwasagoodshow.ZeusmovedSierratowardadoorandKylerfollowed.
“StoporIwillpullthepinandthrowit.”Kylerinsisted.

“At this woman you claim to love so much?” Zeus asked. The audience

roared their disapproval as demons and gods pushed them away from Kyler in
caseheexploded.Theyweretakingachanceinpushingthiscrazyman,butthey
couldn’tgiveSierratohim.

ZeusandSierrawereperchedjustatthethresholdofahiddendoorwaybutif

Kylerhadwatchedtheceremonyfromthestart,heknewthattoo.Luhadpushed
hiswaynearKylerandHermeswonderedithewasabouttoact.Itallhappened
inablurasZeuspushedSierrathroughthedoorandcloseditandLuinstantly
was on Kyler, holding Kyler’s hands still with his own hands and wresting the
grenade away with his tail. He had wrapped his tail around the grenade like a
vine and even though Kyler had tried to pull the pin, Lu’s tail had wrapped
arounditsotight,itwasn’tdoable.

The crowd went wild. Demons rushed in taking all the weapons off Kyler

andrestraininghim.Ashekneeledonthefloorindefeat,anenterprisingguest
threw a piece of cake at him which broke apart all over him. Another threw
punch and the others began to throw more food items. The disgraced villain
looked miserable on the floor at the mercy of the mob. Lu finally felt pity and
draggedhimawaytojail.Someofthedemonsandgodscleanedupthemessand
thedancingstarted.

WhileKylerhaddistractedthem,attemptshadbeenmadetobreechalldoors

simultaneously. It was an attempt destined to fail with the large number of
demonsoutsideonpatrol.Humanswerenomatchforgods,buttodemonsthey
were like bothersome pests. Four died, six were captured, and two escaped
becausetheywereneartheirhelicopterbutatrackerhadbeenattachedtoitand
theywouldfollowitbacktotheirbase.Originhadunderestimatedthemandit
wasobvioustheyhadencouragedotherstoattackthemthinkingtousethemas
distractionssotheirattemptwouldbesuccessful.

Theyweresteppinguptheirgamebutthegodsanddemonshadbeenready

forthem.Theunfortunatepartwasthattherehadtobeaspyintheirmidst.Their
own people had no reason to do it, so that left the humans as suspects. Mates
were too tightly bonded, children too young, so it was either Mark’s people or
thehumansthatworkedforthem.Evenastheywerecleaninguptheaftermath
of the attacks, all the quarters for humans were being searched as were all the
public areas they had regular access to. Whoever was responsible would be
foundandheavenhelpthemwhentheywere.

They would remain vigilant, but Hermes felt that no other major attack

wouldoccur,atleastfornow.ItwasluckythatKylerhadbeencrazy,hisattempt
hadbeenpoorlythoughtoutunlessithadbeenhishopetodiewithSierra.That
was the only other possible outcome because they would have never let him
haveher.Hedidn’tknowwhatwouldhappentoKyler,buttheycouldn’tletthe
UShavehimagain,notafterthis.Markwouldsoonknowandhewouldmake
demands.Hermestookadeepbreath,hehadthirtymoreminutestogobeforehe
wentbackonduty.Heneededtocalmhismateandenjoyadanceortwo.

“I was scared to death.” Cher whispered in his ear as they slowly danced

surroundedbyothercouples.

“YouknowIwouldhaveprotectedyouwithmylife,don’tyou?”
“Yes, but if something happened to you, what would I do? I couldn’t stand

it!”

Itwasasclosetoadeclarationofloveasshehadcomesofar.“Whycouldn’t

youstanditCherish?”Heaskedasheputonehandonherchintopullherface

upsoshehadtolookathim.Thereweretearsshiningunshedinhereyes.His
matewassobeautifulhisheartached.

“Because,” she said and he could hear her voice shake, “I love you.” His

heart caught in his chest as he heard the most wonderful words he had ever
heard.Hepulledherintohisarmsandkissedherdeeply,passionatelyrightthere
ascouplesdancedpastthem.

“You can’t imagine how happy that makes me.” He whispered in her ear.

“YoufinallyknowIamyours,onlyyoursandthatyouaremine.Youwillnever
bealoneagain.Fabianwillneverhavetofearamalewhoshouldprotecthim.I
willbeeverythingyoueverneedandyouwillbeeverythingIeverwant.”

Hefeltbadtobeleavinghismateonsuchanimportantnightandrightafter

shehadfinallyrealizedhowloveablehewas,butthesafetyofallofthemwas
tooimportanttooverlook.Heheadedtohisofficebuthisradiobuzzed.

“Hermes?”
“Zeus?”
“WearehavinganemergencymeetingandIneedyouhere.”
Thatsoundedominous.“Onmyway.”
He changed direction and went to the meeting room where he found Zeus,

Sierra,Hercules,Poseidon,andHadesallwaitingforhim.Theyallhadserious
looksontheirfaceswithoutasmiletobeseen.Notagoodsignatall.

“Niomadidn’tgototheballandshestayedinthelabworkinginstead.”Doc

explainedasifthattoldhimanything.

“That’s too bad, she should learn how to have a little fun.” Nioma was a

good person and he liked her but he didn’t understand why her being a
wallflowermatteredtohim.

“Sheransometeststhathadn’tbeendoneyet.”
NowDocwasjustscaringhim.“Cher?”
“Notexactly.Werushedthetestsonthefemalesbutwedelayedtestingthe

males thinking those results weren’t important but we’ve now discovered they
were.Wefoundouttwoimportantthings.”

“DoIhavetobegyoutotellme?”Hermesaskedoutoffrustration.
“ThefirstthingisthatKevenisnotabiologicalrelationtoCher.”
“What?”
“He’snotabloodrelative.Hedoesn’thavethesamefather.”
“Wellthat’sgoodnews.Ithinkshe’llbehappytohearthat.What’stheother

thing?”

“Fabianisagod.”

“Thatcan’tbetrue,wewouldallsmellit!”
“It’struealrightandIthinkIcanevenexplainhowithappened.Thereason

you don’t smell it is because he has only a little of Cronos’s DNA in him. He
wasn’treallyintendedtobeliketherestofyou.IbelievethatCherish’sparents
wanted more children so much, they went to Origin to solve their fertility
problems.”
“Notsurprising,manywealthycouplesusethem.”Zeuspointedout.

“I think their case was particularly difficult but Origin wanted Cherish’s

fathertofeelheowedthemandI’msurehehadtopayaheftysum.Theyused
justenoughDNAfromCronostoreinforcetheembryoandthemotherwasable
to deliver a live baby. She had miscarried multiple times and the previous
attemptswerejustnotstrongenoughtomakeitfullterm.Haven’tyounoticed
howgodsanddemonsaredrawntotheboy?”

“Yes, I’ve noticed but he is an exceptional young man.” Hermes answered

stilltryingtoresistwhereDocwasleadinghim.

“Yes,justonemorethingtopointout.He’stwelveyearsold,nearlysixfeet

tall,alreadybuiltlikeaman,lookslikeaman,andhe’swayabovehisagelevel
inschool.He’smorethanjustamanevenifhe’snotgotasmuchDNAasagod.
It makes me wonder if there are more like him. We may have a new group of
geneticallymanipulatedbeingsbetweensupermenandgods.”

“There’snowaytofindthem.”Zeuspointedoutwithagrowl.
“NotwithoutOriginrecordsbutIknowahackerwhoseemstobeabletoget

intoanywhere.”Sierrapointedoutwithasmile.

“Thiswillupsether.He’sherbrothernomattertheDNA.”Hermespointed

out.

“Oh,heisherbrother.Herparentsgeneticmaterialwasusedandjustatouch

ofCronoswasaddedtoensurestrength.Fabian’sthesameashe’salwaysbeen
toherwithjustalittleaddition.That’sall.”

“Anymoresurprises?”Hermesaskedwithalookaround.
“No, that’s not enough? There are other things, but those are the personal

ones.”Docaskedasshearchedherbrowathim.

“Wefoundtheradiothespyused.”Herculessaid.“Itwasisthebathroomthe

kitchenemployeesuse.”

“Which one?” Hermes said. His mate worked with those women. As far as

hewasconcerned,thiswaspersonaltoo.

“We suspect Lizzie or Nancy based on what we’ve seen and heard, maybe

evenbothofthem.NancygetspersonalwithseveralgodswhileLizziedoesn’t

evenseemtolikeanyofus.Theyarebothmoreintelligentandcapablethanthey
act.Thequestioniswhyhideit?LuwillbeinterrogatingNancy.Hehadactually
become friends with her and he thinks her innocent. Poseidon will check out
Lizzietoseeifhecandeterminewhat’sgoingonwithher.Wewillcontinueto
watch all of the females. We put a camera in the bathroom after overruling
privacyobjections,butitisonlyontheradiowefound.”

“Cher mentioned Lizzie and said she was keeping an eye on her. She

couldn’t understand why she was here since she seemed unhappy here and she
didn’thaveanyinterestinhookingupwithanygodsordemons.”Hermessaidin
casetheydidn’tknow.

“Shementionedittomeaswellanditseemedodd.”Herculesagreed.
“Movingon,Markhasalreadycalledmetoaskabouthisbrother.Itoldhim

wewoulddiscussitaftertheballandheagreedtowait.”Zeussaidwithatired
lookonhisface.ThetroublewithKylerneverseemedtoend.

“We can’t let them have him. He already escaped them once.” Hercules

pointedout.

“True.Ihopehejustwantstobesurewewon’ttorturehim.Hehastorealize

thatwecan’tlethimgothistime.”Zeussaidwithasigh.

“Humans never seem to make much sense.” Poseidon said. “Sorry, I didn’t

meanyou.”HeaddedwhenSierrashothimanannoyedlook.

The meeting broke up and everyone hurried away to complete their duties.

HermesfeltsorryforPoseidonandLuwhowouldhavetodealwithtwodifficult
andpossiblysubversivefemales.

Chapter9
TheFunNeverEnds
Luwasfeelingtheworshipoftheprettyyoungwomaninhisarms.“Ican’t

believe how fast you moved. It was so cool, Honey!” She was talking about
whenhehadneutralizedKyler.Thebrunettewashangingontohim,likeadrunk
tohislastbottleofwine.Hehadn’thadafemaleinmonthsanditwastruethat
demons were even more sexed than gods. Sex helped keep them balanced and
theyneededtousetheirwholebodiestogetthemostoutofit.Theywerenearly
toherroombutifshedidn’tstoprubbingonhim,hewasn’tgoingtomakeitand
hewouldtakeheronthedamnfloor.

Hebithisliptopreventthegroanthathadalmostbrokefreeassheranher

handuphissensitivetail.I’mgoingtofuckingdie!Shethoughtthetailwasjust
a well attached device that a special effects pro had been flown in to do for
severalofthegods.Hetoldheritwasgluedonwithaspecialgluethatonlythe

guywhoattacheditcouldremovepainlessly.Shehadevencommentedonhow
warmitwasbuthehadexplainedthatitwasmadeofspecialmaterialsthatheld
inwarmthforrealism.

Finally,theymadeittoherdoor.Shehandedhimherkey,shewasalittletoo

drunktomanage.Heopeneditandhecaughtherbeforeshefellinside.Hegot
herinsideandhelpedherdownonthecouchthenhewenttoshutthedoor.He
stripped off his clothes, laying them on the couch,andwatchedherstruggleto
takehersoff.Hehelpedherstandandremoveherhopelesslytangledoutfit.His
mouthwateredasherfullbreastslippedoutandhegaveintothedesiretotaste
one of her dusky brown nipples. She moaned and begged him to hurry. He
pickedheruplikeshewasadollandcarriedhertothebedwherehelaidherout
infrontofhim.

Hemighthavebeenhesitanttotakeherintheconditionshewasin,butthe

secondhehadmether,beforeshehadhadasingledrink,shehadwhisperedin
hiseartellinghimexactlywhatshehadwantedhimtodo.Wellshewouldget
that and so much more, she would get it soon if the ache in his tail and his
bulgingcockwereanythingtojudgeby.

She jerked a little when his tail slipped between her legs and stung her

lightly.Ademonstailcouldbedeadlytoanenemy,butthevenomitgavealover
wasintoxicatinginadifferentwaythanalcohol.Itwasanunequaledaphrodisiac
increasingdesireandrampinguppleasuretodizzyingheights.Heusedhishands
to knead her breasts as his tongue slid between her thighs finding her special
pleasurecenterinthatlittlebuttonhestartedtoworry.Histailglidedupintoher
channel adding stimulation and she probably wondered where the extra hand
camefrom.Hevibratedhistonguesendingherintoalongchainoforgasms.She
screamedfromthemostpleasureafemalecouldeverfindandshewasfindingit
overandover.

Hestoppedsoshecouldcatchherbreathandhepulledoutthedraweronthe

nightstand.Hewasrewardedashishandsfelttheextrajumbopackofsupersized
condoms. He pulled one off the end of a roll, shook it out, and carefully
stretched it on his straining hard cock. He looked up at his lover whose eyes
werewideasshewatchedhimapproachher.

“That’sgonnahurt,isn’tit?”Sheaskedwiththesweetestsouthernaccent.
“Maybealittle,butnotforlong.”
“ThankGodI’mnotavirgin!”Shesaidthankfully.
“Amen.”Lusaidasheslowlyslidin.
He held his weight on his hands as he pumped in faster and faster as she

accustomedherselftoademonsizedlover.Demonswereaboutthesamelength
asgodsbutsomewereabitbroader.Shemoanedandarchedtowardhim.

“Oh,God,oh,God,ohhhh!”Shescreamedasherreleasedslammedintoher.
Luyelledjustlikeademon,butitdidn’tscarehislover.Hewrithedagainst

her,butshewasn’tevenaware.Hehadpleasuredherrightintounconsciousness.
Asatisfiedsmilewasonherfaceashepositionedheronherpillowandpulled
hercoversuptoherneck.Heleanedinandputasoftkissonherlips.

“Goodnight my lovely.” He said as he turned the light off and left her to

sleepofftheresultsofsexwithademon.Shewouldbesleepingforhoursand
whoknewwhatshewouldrememberinthemorning.

XOXO
Asmodiusheldthelovelyladyinhisarmsastheymovedfluidlyaroundthe

dance floor. She was a graceful dancer and she loved to dance, but he felt the
delaying tactics were out of fear. Her name was Vera and she was from New
YorkCity.Heknewalotaboutherforhernerveshadloosenedhertongue.She
wasn’tavirgin,butshehadhadalongdryspellsoshefeltalmostlikeshewas
oneagain.Herhandsweresweatyfrompurenervesasheaskedherifshewas
readytogoyet,forthethird,woulditbeacharm,time.

“Maybeweshouldgetsomethingtoeatfirst?”Veraasked.
“Whatevertheladydesires,Iwillbesureshegets.”Asmosaidasheledher

toatable.Heallowedhertofeelsafeforthemoment.

“You know I didn’t think Asmodius was a Greek name much less a god

name.”

“It’s not,” he said with a cheeky grin. “They ran out of Greek names and

useddifferentones.Youwaithere,I’llberightback.”

Heheadedtothebuffetandfilledaplateforeachofthemwhichhebrought

backtoher.Hesatrightnexttoher,upagainsthereven.Thetimehadcometo
seize the day. Vera would thank him later or not. He knew she wanted a wild
night with a skilled lover, but her nervousness and bad body image got in the
way.Helikedherbodyandwasreadytoshowherjusthowmuch.Histailslid
overherthighsandstungtheareabetweenthem.

“Whatthehellwasthat?”
“What are you talking about, Sweetheart?” He had a blank look on his

beautifulface.

“Ithinksomethingstungme.”
“Where at?” he asked innocently. He was only moving up the action since

shehadinsistedshewantedhimtobedherandnowhewould.

“Onmythigh.”
“We’dbestgetyoutoyourroomsowecangetthatseento.”
“Ifeel…funny.”
He helped her up and led her to her room. “Don’t worry, Darling, I’ll take

careofyou.”

She leaned into him, moaning as need started to strike. “Let’s hurry.” She

saidnowthatfearwasnolongeraproblemandheatundoubtedlyfiredhercore.

Shehandedhimthekeyastheymadeittoherroom.Suchprettyblueeyes

lookingupathimwithtrust.Hewouldfulfilleverysecretdesireandleaveher
completelysatisfiedasonlyademoncould.Hepulledherthroughthedoorhe
had opened, closing it behind them. He stripped from his costume as she
watchedintently.

“Oh,myGod,you’regorgeous.”Shewhisperedreverently.
“You’rebeautifulashell.”Hesaidashestartedunwrappinghislittlegift.
Asmo knew females liked the way he looked, the way he moved, and

especiallythewayhelovedthem.AndAsmo,well,helovedtolovethem.He
kissed her as he continued to removed everything between them until she was
wonderfullybare.

“WhatdoyouwantSugar?Tellmeandit’syours.”
“I’m dying to feel you inside me, Asmo. Don’t make me wait.” She was

shaking with need and he was ready to take care of that need. He opened the
drawer on the nightstand next to him and pulled out a pack of condoms that
couldbefoundinthesameplaceineveryroom.Heknewshewasn’thismate,
buthewouldn’ttakethechance.Heopenedthepackandslippediton.Heslid
upherbodyhookingherkneeswithhisarms.Shewasopeninfrontofhimlike
a beautiful flower and he slowly glided into her. It was a tight fit, but she
moanedandwrithedagainsthimimpatientlysoheslammedintothehilt.

Shescreamedoutinpurepleasure.“More,Asmo,moredamnit.”
Hedidwhatanygentleman,ordemonforthatmatter,woulddo.Hegaveher

more,hepoundedharder,faster,deeperandasshescreamedandwrithedunder
him, he felt her muscles clutch and grab at him until he jerked into her. Her
orgasmwentonandonuntilhefelttheheatofhisreleaserockhimmakinghim
explode.Oncetheaftershockscalmed,heslidoutofherpullingoffthecondom
andtossingitinthetrash.

“Vera?”Heshookherlightly.Itwasclearshewasoutforthenight.
Sometimesitwashardbeingademon.Hewantedlovebuttheneedwasso

great,hehadtosettleforsex.Didanyonerealizedemonsweresuchromanticsat

heart?Hewentbacktotheball,whatelsewasademontodo?

XOXO
Baal held the female he had chosen tight as she ran her fingers over his

backbone.“Thisisjustincredible!”

Yes,fuckingincredible.Hiscockwasabouttoburst.Itwasn’therfault,she

didn’tevenknowthebackbonewasreal,muchlessthatitwasterriblysensitive.
Justthegentlestrokeofherfingersacrosshisbackbonefilledhisbodywithheat
andstressedhiscockmakingitjerkupanddownwithneed.

He slid her gown off her shoulder pleasantly surprised as her bare breasts

bouncedintoview.Nopantieseither,he’dfoundadaringonetonight.Hekissed
hermovinghistonguealongherlipuntilsheopenedhermouthtohim,thenhe
wrappedhisextralongtonguearoundherssuckingonit.

Shegiggledandasked,“Whatdidyoujustdo?Thatfeltsostrange!”
“Justasimplekiss,mydear.”Baalsaidwithhisfingerscrossed.Hekissed

his way down to her breasts, tasting deep red nipples that looked almost like
berries.Histonguewrappedaroundonenippleastheladymoanedandwrithed
helplesslyinhisarms.

“Harder, suck it harder.” She demanded as her fingers brushed through his

hair.“Oh,yes,justlikethat.”

He moved to the other nipple and received her praise once again before

moving lower and lower still. He made it to her thighs and he slid his tongue
downtotheopeninginbetweenwherehesankhistonguedeepinsideher.Her
hipsrolledandarchedasherfingersgrippedhishairandheldhisfaceinplace.
He fucked her with his tongue going deeper than most could imagine. She
screamedasshecamearoundhim,herpussyclutchingashepulledhistongue
freemovingupandquicklysearchingthenightstandforacondom.

“HurryBaal.Ican’twait,Iacheformore.”
“Andmoreyoushallhave.”
Hehurriedtearingopenthecondom,rollingiton,andpushinghisironhard

cockbetweenherslickhotpussylips.Heslidineasilyenough,herbodyprepare
by the massive release he’d given her. She clutched at him wildly, ready for
more.Shemoaned,swore,andscreamedashehammeredintoherandthefirst
climax struck. She came three times before he could hold back no more and
jerkedandslammedagainstherlostintheblissofhisfirstreleaseinmonths.

Suchaprettygirl,butnothismate.Shewasdrainedandshemoanedinher

sleepashecoveredherwithablanket.Hewouldgohuntingagain,hopingsome
daytofindtheonethathecouldkeepforeverathisside.

XOXO
Theballwasstillgoingstrongintheearlymorninghours.Demonswerethe

biggestpartyanimals,notthatthegodswereshabbyinthatareaeither.Hermes
had been hanging around his office and burning with need for his mate. He
foundhimselfwishingthatsomeone,anyonewouldcomeandtakehisplacebut
that made him feel guilty since most of the guys hadn’t been with a female in
monthsbuthehadhismatealready.

He had watched gods and demons taking females back to the rooms and

somespendinghoursbeforeleavingandothersseemingtostayforthenight.Lu
hadfoundhissecondfemaleforthenight,whatahorndog,butnorealsurprise.
AsmoandBaalwentbackforsecondstoo.Godstendedtostayforthenight,but
henoticedafewofthemtakingtwofemaleswhentheywent.Herculeswasone
ofthosedoubledippers.HermeslaughedatthethoughtthatsomedayHercules
would have one mate forever. He hoped she had good endurance or Hercules
mightkeepherwornoutallthetime.

He looked at the screens on the wall, there was the kitchen. This was

interesting so he turned up the volume. Poseidon was talking with Lizzie and
theyappearedtobealone.Hehadhercagedagainstthewall,hewasn’texactly
followingprotocol.Shelookedangryenoughtobitenailsinhalf.

“Tellmewhatyouwant.”Shesaidwithanangrylook.
“IknowitisyouthathasbeeninformingOriginaboutwhatgoesonhere.Do

youwishtobelockedupuntilyouareoldandgray,woman?Tellmewhatyou
knowanditwillgobetterforyou.”

“Idon’tknowwhatyouaretalkingabout.”Sheinsisted.
Poseidon’s face was almost touching her. Hermes could see the interest on

hisbrother’sface.Wouldhe?Yes,hewould.HislipsloweredtoLizzie’sgently
brushing then coming back and brushing against them more firmly. It was so
erotichewishedhewaswithhismatesohecouldactonthefeelingswatching
thecoupleonthescreenastheykissedgavehim.Hermouthmusthaveopened
because Poseidon groaned, a deep helpless sound like he was drawn in despite
himself. The kiss changed and Poseidon’s inner beast seemed to come to the
surfaceasheclaimedher,hismouthconsumingher.

ThatwaswhenHermesandPoseidonbothgotthesurpriseoftheirlives.One

moment he was devouring her with his kiss, the next he was on the floor
blinking up at her in shock. Even with him being distracted, it took a good
fightertoputagod,muchlessatieronegod,onhisback.

“Who are you?” Poseidon whispered. This was no ordinary cook. Hermes

would bet they had just found their spy. The sad thing was he suspected
Poseidonhadalsojustfoundhismate.

Herculescameintotheroom.“I’mfeelingsorryforyou.Gojoinyourmate,

she’sintheballroom.”

“Thanks brother. You can’t imagine how much I appreciate this.” Hermes

reached over turning the volume back down on the screen for the kitchen. He
said nothing about what he had observed to Hercules nor would he to anyone
else.HetrustedPoseidontohandlethematterinthebestway.

“Believeme,Ican.”
Hermesrushedtohismate’sside.Shesatatatablewithsomeofthefemales

sheworkedwith.Nancywastherelookingalittlelost.Heheldouthishandand
Cher took it. He helped her up and they moved to the dance floor. For a little
while,hejustheldherclose.Hebreathedinhersweetscent,ranhisfingersin
circles on her shoulder, and felt the warmth of holding her. He could hold her
forever,justenjoyingthehappinessofbeingwiththeoneheloved.

The problem was, their life was not normal nor would it ever be but that

didn’tmeantheirlovecouldn’tbeextraordinary.“Cher?”

“Hermes?”Shesaid,amusementinhervoice.
“Ihavesomeimportantthingstotellyou,butIcan’ttellyouhere.”
“Okay.”Shesaidimmediatelyserious.
He led her out to the nearest empty room where he swept for any listening

devices. She raised her brow at that but said nothing. “We’re clear.” He said
unnecessarily. “I don’t really know how to tell you this but I think you’ll be
happy.TheytestedKeven’sbloodandhe’snotbloodrelatedtoyou.”

“Howcanthatbe?”
“Your father must have wanted a child so bad he never questioned that the

boywashis.Ifhefoundoutlater,hemusthavealreadyfeltresponsibleforhim.”

“ThatdoessoundlikeDad.Hewassuchagoodfather,butitdidn’tseemto

helpKeven.”

“IthelpedyouandFabian.Ihavemoretotellyou.”
“Okay.”Shesaid,herattentioncompletelyonhim.
“WereyouawarethatyourparentshadmedicalhelpconceivingFabian?”
“Yes,theywenttoadoctorcauseMomhadtroublecarryingababyafterme.

Howdidyouknow?”

“ItseemstheywenttoOriginforthathelpandtheyusedalittlegodDNAto

helpthingsalong.”

“What,exactlywhatareyousaying?”

“They used your parents genetic material and strengthened it a little with

someoftheDNAtheyusedtocreateus.Iguessyouwouldsayhe’sademigod.”

“Willthatcausehimanyproblems?He’llhavethesameDNAyoudo,butit

won’tbestronglikeyours.”

“No,itwon’tcausehimtrouble.He’sjustalittlestrongerandhasgrowna

little quicker as far as we can tell.” She sank into his arms, overwhelmed with
everythinghehadtoldher.Itwasnosurprise,itwasalottoabsorb.

“ShouldItellhim?”Sheaskedinawhisper.
“Ithinkheneedstoknow.Idon’tthinkitwillbotherhimabit.He’stakento

thegodsandespeciallytothedemons.He’lljustfeellikemoreofabrother.”

“I’lltellhimtomorrow.”
Hermespulledhismateintohisarmsandkissedherwithallthepassionshe

couldeverwant.Hewasthesecondgodtomateandhewassuretherewouldbe
many more, demons too, before long. He tightened his hold on her, who
wouldn’twantthisfeelingofcompletion?Hisheartwasfullandhehadhopefor
thefuture.Hetookhiswomantotheirroomwhereheintendedtomakeloveto
herallnightlong.

Chapter10
LooseEnds
Lulookedattheprettyfemalestandingnexttohim.Shecouldbesomuch

more than she was, he sensed it about her. Nancy looked up at him with her
stormyseagreeneyes.ShehadbeenwithHerculesthenightbeforetheballand
felt slighted because he had hooked up with other women the night of the ball
withouteventellingherhewasthroughwithher.

“I know it isn’t fair, Nancy, but the old double standard is alive and well

here.Godsanddemonsaremanwhoresbuttheyhavenorespectforwomanthat
behavethewaytheydo.”

“Youstillwantme,don’tyouLu?”Sheaskedwithunshedtearsinhereyes.

Whatwasitthatdrewhimtothisfemale?Hewascertainshewasn’thismate.
Hesawsomethinginherthatothersdidn’tbuthewasafraidshewasplayinga
rolethatwouldgetherhurt.

“We’refriends,Nancy.Thatwouldkillthefriendshipforever.”
“Maybeitwouldbeworthit.”Shesaidandhesawanintelligentsneakiness

inhereyes.Sheknewwhatshewasdoingevenifnooneelsedid.

His lips fought the smile and lost. “Maybe it would be. Is that what you

reallywanttodo?”

“No,you’reright.Ineedatleastonefriendinmylife.”

Shewasdifferentaroundhim.Herchadtoldhimjusttheotherdayhewould

stayinherbedifhecouldjustputasockorsomethingmoreinterestinginher
mouth.“Ican’tstandthewaysheprattlesonandonaboutnothingofinterestthe
wholetimeI’mwithher.”Othergodssaidthesamething,shewasgreatforsex,
butdamnedannoyingwhenshestartedtotalk.

SheneverdidthatwithLu.NancywasuptosomethingandLufearedhehad

foundtheirspyregardlessofwhatPoseidonthought.Hell,maybetheyhadtwo
spies.Hewouldn’tbesurprisedifthatwasthecase.Nancyleftandhewentover
some of the interesting things that had come to light. Keven wasn’t related to
Cher and Fabian. Lu never thought he looked or acted like them, that wasn’t
suchshockingnews.Fabianwasoneofthemoralmost.Lufoughtthesmile,he
hadalreadyconsideredFabianoneofthem.

Mariaexpectingalittlegod.Welloncethedarlingmadehisappearancethey

might be able to figure out who the proud papa was. He wondered if Hermes
knewhewouldbeapapasoon.HecouldsmellitonCherthelasttimehehad
beennearher.Itwasarefreshingsmellofnewlifeandhehadleanedintogeta
bettersmellonlytohaveHermesgrowlathim.Talkaboutacaveman,Hermes
mustberevertingthewayhegrowledallthetime.

Of course Hades was worse. Lu had seen him follow Doc and her latest

squeeze out to the room Sierra had converted to a greenhouse. When he came
backhelookedmorelikeadevilthanLudid.Itmadehimwishhehadhadthe
courage to follow along. He tried to stay out of that relationship, someone
interferingcoulddie,andnotjustbyHades’shand.

Dawnwastryingtobreakandtheballwasalmostover.Afewoftheguest

had already left and most of the others slept, lost in their dreams. He had
decisionstomake,sleeptopursue,andthefuturewasfullofpossibilitieseven
forademon.

XOXO
“Jones.”Smithsaidwithanod.
“Smith.”Jonessaidashenoddedback.
“Report!” Smith said. He was a curt man wasting little time on niceties or

smalltalk.

“Wefailed,Eldersisdead,andKylercaptured.”
“Itdoesn’tlooklikewe’llgetthingsdonetheeasyway.”
“Thiswasawasteoftime.Idon’tknowwhyyouauthorizedit.”
“That’swhyI’minchargeandyoudoasItellyou.”
“Yes,sir.Whatdoyouhaveplannednext?”

“We wait and see. Next time we have a chance to capture a god, pick

someonewithalittleloyaltytodoit.”

“WhataboutGomez?Didsheconceiveandwillwetrytogether?”
“We’llwaituntilwe’resure.There’snopointinwastingresourcestorecover

herifthere’snotachild.”

“AndKyler?DoyoubelievethechildishisorZeus’s?”
“The reports say the child looks just like Zeus. Kyler is obsessed with the

womanandseeswhathewantstosee.”

“Whatabouttheyoungboy,Fabian.Isheworthcapturing?”
“He’stheoldestdemigodthecompanybred.Unlessweseesignsthathehas

worthwhiletraits,he’snothingtous.”

“You’resureyoucantrustyourspies?”
“Theirinformationmatchesandthere’sthreeofthem.Aslongasthereareno

discrepancies,we’regood.”

“Whathappensifthebitchyonefindsouthergrandmaisdead?”
“We’llfindsomeonetotakeherplace.”
“Verygood,sir.”
JoneshatedthearrogantbastardhereportedtobuthewastheCEOofwhat

was left of Origin. They were all being hunted by the US and her allies and
Smithhadnotonlykeptthemsafe,butfoundtimetofuckwiththegods.They
still made money even though only a small fraction of the gods were left to
them.Eventhoughhefeltlikeapimpeverytimehewalkedthroughthedoorto
thefacilityhecalledhome,theclubforlonelyladiespaidoffinabigway.Who
knewricholderwomenwouldputoutthatkindofcashtosleepwiththegods
theykeptimprisonedthere.

Smithwasanasshole,butheusuallyknewwhathewasdoing.Hepromised

it wouldn’t be long before they had most of the gods back under their control.
Thedemonsweren’tworththetroubleittooktoreclaimthem.Lifewouldonce
againbewhatithadbeenbefore.Hewouldn’tcarethenthathisbitchwifehad
lefttakingwhatlittlemoneyremained.He’dtradeintheoldnagforacoupleof
sweetfillies.

XOXO
Hades saw Doc and her lover heading away from the party. He couldn’t

contain his pain or anger anymore. This time they would have it out and he
didn’t care if Marlin was there for the whole argument. Hades just couldn’t
believe Doc could turn her back on her true mate and just walk away with
another man. Everything he had seen with Zeus and with Hermes told him the

bondwastoostrongtoignore.

Theyenteredthegreenhouseandhefollowedsmellingthesweetperfumeon

theflowersinbloomandhearingthebuzzofthehoneybeesthatSierrahadalso
insistedon.HadessmiledtohimselfatthethoughtthatZeuswaswhippedinthe
world’sworstway.Hejustwishedhewastoo,hewantedhismateathisside.He
followed until they stopped, at that point he was having some doubts that this
wassuchagoodidea.

Marlin turned to Doc kissing her and saying something so softly even

Hades’s god hearing couldn’t understand. Marlin dropped to his knees causing
Hadestolookaroundtoseeifsomeonehadinjuredorshotathim.Nope,noone
thereexceptthethreeofthem.Marlinpulledoutaboxandthelightreflectedoff
somethingshinythathepulledout.No,itcouldn’tbe,aring?Hewasproposing
toHades’smate?She’dsayno,ofcourseshewould.Hewatchedasshedropped
to her knees in front of him. She whispered something and hugged and kissed
Marlin.PainshotthroughHadesmakinghisheartacheuntilhecouldn’tstandto
see anymore. He turned leaving as fast as he could, she had made her final
choiceanditwasn’thim.

XOXO
ZeuslookedMarkintheeyesashesaid,“Hellno.”
“I understand you have some reservations about releasing him into our

custody.WelosthimlasttimebutwediscoveredOriginhadplantedaspyatthe
prisonandtheyhelpedhimescape.”AslylookcameoverMark’sface.“We’ve
foundoutthatyouhavespiesamongyourpeopletoo.We’llhelpyoufindthem
ifyouturnKylerbackovertous.”

“Weknowwehavespies.We’veevenidentifiedthemsowedon’tneedyour

help.WhatwedoneedistokeepKylerlockedawaywherehecan’tgettomy
mateagain.”

“You may have identified them, or you may be wrong. You may not even

haveallofthem,youcan’tpossiblybesure.AreyouwillingtoriskSierra’slife
andthelifeoftheothermate?”

OfcourseMarknewallaboutCher,it wasn’t like they had tried to hide it.

They hadn’t advertised it either but it seemed Mark had googled her and there
wasalottogoogle.

“Yourinformationwouldn’tinsuretheirsafetyeither.”
“You’vereallygottenluckywiththematessofar,butwhatwillyoudowhen

oneofyourmalesfindsamatewhocan’tprotectherself?You’llneedusthen,
Zeus.WhatdoesSierrasay?Ithinkshe’dwantyoutogivemeKyler.”

Yes,hehadgottenluckywiththematessofarbuttherewereonlytwo.Yes,

hewasworriedthatsomeofthematesmightbeweakandneedy,theycouldn’t
allbetoughandcapablelikeSierraandCher.Healsohadafeelingifheasked
Sierra she would say let Mark have him because they would be more careful
nowsincehehadescapedonce.Allthatwastrue,buthefeltanoverwhelming
need to protect both mates and any future mates. One of his tier four gods,
Darius,hadevenrequestedafemalebeallowedtostaysohecouldbecertainif
shewashismateornot.HercthoughttherewasnodoubtshewasDarius’smate.
When he answered mark, he opted for diplomacy so Mark wouldn’t be against
him.

“I will give it some thought and we will visit this again. Maybe we can

convinceKylerthatSierraisnolongerinterestedinhimandthathedoesn’thave
achild,notwithSierraatanyrate.”

“I’mgladtoseeyou’renotbeingstubborn.MaybeSierrahasrubbedoffon

you.MayIseehim?”

“Of course. I’ll call Hercules and he can escort you to him.” Zeus radioed

Hercwhosaidhewouldheadrightdown.

“MayIseehimalone?”
“I’lltellHerculestoallowyouthat.Ihopeseeinghisframeofmindwon’tbe

too hard on you.” Zeus had a facility full of brothers and if one became
obsessive like Kyler, he knew it would be hard to watch. Mark examined him
carefullylookingforsarcasmorinappropriatehumor.Findingnone,henodded.

Hercules knocked then came in and Mark followed him back out. Zeus

watched them make their way to the small holding area on the first floor.
Eventually,hewouldbemoveddowntothefourthfloorforsecurityreasons.He
wasadangerousmanandthebiggestdangertoSierraandAthena.Herculesleft
MarkandKyleraloneasZeuswatchedthemtalkonhisportablescreen.Itwas
oneofthegadgetsCherhadgottenHercules,butZeuslikeditsohehadtakenit.
Zeus could change channels to watch any room with a camera, it was just too
cool.

Mark was the only one that talked, Kyler just seemed oblivious to the fact

thathehadcompany.MarktriedtocatchKyler’sattentionbuthewouldn’tlook
athimuntilMarkstartedtoleavethenhesaidsomethingthatZeuscouldn’thear.
MarkwentovertothebarsleaningincloseandKylerwhisperedsomethingto
him before he grabbed Mark’s neck and started choking him. Kyler was
certifiable, maybe he should let Mark worry about him. Hercules rushed in
pullingashookupMarkawayfromthebars.

ZeuswaswaitingforCherwhenaknocksounded.“Comein.”
“IhopeI’montime?”
“Perfect,justhaveaseat.”
Cher admitted to herself she was nervous. She had never met with Zeus

alone and she didn’t have any idea what he might want. She sat down across
fromhimandwaitedforhimtoenlightenher.

“You’reprobablywonderingwhyIaskedyoutomeetme.Iwashopingyou

would work with Hercules to hack Origin’s files. We need to find out where
they’vehiddenthegodsanddemonstheystillhaveandweneedtoknowmore
abouttheotherslikeFabian.”

“Icoulddothat.”
“Really?Ithoughtyoumightbereluctantto.I’mgladyoudon’tmind.”
“Idon’twantanygodsordemonsleftintheirhands.Theyneedtobehome,

herewiththeirfamily.”

“Thank you. You don’t know what this means to all of us. It’s a chance to

havewhatregularpeopledo.Ahomeandafamilyofourown.”

“Ibettergetbacktothekitchenbeforethecookiesburn.”
“Yes,orI’llhavearebelliononmyhands.Theyallloveyourcookies.”
Cher hurried out and Zeus thought how lucky he and Hermes had been.

Apollotoowouldeventuallyhaveagoodmate.Poseidonworriedhimsincehe
wasn’tsureifLizziewashisandtheydidn’tknowmuchabouther.Herculeswas
diggingintoherpast,diggingfarpasttheinformationsomeonehadputinplace
soshewouldpassthesimplescreeningtheyranonallpotentialemployees.Ina
fewdays,theywouldknowallhersecrets.

Therewasanotherknockatthedoor.“Comein.”
Sierracameinandhefeltlikehe’dbeenkickedinhisstomach.Everytime

hesawhismate,hewasstruckbyherbeautyandheknewhewasaluckygod.
Hewantedthatforallhismalesandthoughitwasaslowprocess,hejusthadto
believetheycouldallonedayhaveit.Sierracametohimandhepushedhisseat
back so she could sit in his lap. His arms full of his mate and his mind on
anythingbuthiswork,hethoughthemustbethehappiestgodthereeverwas.

XOXO
Hermesslippedintothekitchentocheckoutsomehotintel.Hetookadeep

breath,yestheywereright,shewasbakingcinnamonrolls.Hehadmadeitthere
just as the first sheet was coming out of the oven and some other gods had
followedhimin.Hegrowled,justtoletthemknowwhowasfirstinline.Cher
smiled, now that the ball was over, it was easy for her to keep up with the

demandsofbakingjustforthosethatlivedhere.

Theotherwomenwerecookinglunch,buthewantedhismate’sbakingmore

than anything. He would admit Lizzie could cook when she was of a mind to,
which wasn’t all the time. He moved the fan where it would blow on the
cinnamonbunsandcooltheminnotime.Shepulledmoreoutoftheovenand
beforelongtwotableswerecoveredwithtraysfilledwiththem.Thesmellwas
heavenly but he noticed she was turning the ovens off. He slipped over to her
andpulledherbackagainsthischest.

“Take a break and come home with me?” he whispered in her ear. She

noddedandthenpackedupaboxofbuns,probablyforthedemons.

Hegrabbedafewbunsandputtheminasack,beforetakingherhandand

leadingherhome.Heputthebunsonthetablebeforehestrippedhisclothesoff
inaflashthenhelpedherremovehers.Hepickedherupalmostrunningtothe
bed.Hewasonfireandthelongertheyweretogetherthehotteritwas.Heput
heronthebedthenstartedatherfeet.Heranhisfingerdownherlegslowlythen
pickedupherfoot.Hekissedherinstepandshestartedtowiggle.Heworkedhis
wayupkissingheranklethenkissingallthewayuptoherknee.Hekissedthe
undersidemakingherwritheagainsthismouth.Hekisseduptotheinsideofher
thighthenreverseddirectionfortheotherleg.

Hecouldgetlostinthetouch,thesmell,andthesightofher.Hemovedover

herasshemoanedandpleadedformore.Therehadbeenatimehehaddoubted
sheevenwantedhim,butthattimewasgone.Shewasinfrontofhim,hismate,
hislover,readytobetaken.Hekissedherashesankhisturgidfleshdeepinside
herasshemoanedandwrithedspreadingherlegstogivehimwelcome.Hesank
slowly to the hilt, pleasure rolling over both of them as two became one and
nothinghadeverfeltsoright.

He set a steady rhythm as he pumped into her feeling her tight muscles

clench. The warm moisture beckoned him even as she urged him to give her
more. He slammed in harder going deeper than before. He sped up, moving
smoothlyinandoutofherheat.Hermuscledclutchedathimtryingtoholdhim
deepinsideher.Tensionbuiltashermusclescontractedinpleasure.Hemoaned
assheheldhimtightnotwantingtolethimoutofherslickdepths.Hedrilled
intoherratchetingherpleasureeverhigherandhegroanedashisownpleasure
threatenedtobreakfree.

Soclose,itwouldtakelittletosendthembothintoanexplosionofpleasure.

Harder he pumped into her feeling them both tense and perch on the edge
waiting to tumble into a river of delight. He slammed into her, sweat breaking

outontheirbodiesaidingthesensualslideashepoundedintoherwillingsheath.
Moans echoed through the room growing louder and more urgent until she
screamedhisname,heyelled,asoundofprimitivepleasureashefellafterher
intotheoceanofpurebliss.

Tremors and shudders wracked their body as aftershocks of complete

pleasure rolled through them. Finally they calmed, sated and relaxed he rolled
them on their side where he rolled her hair around his fingers and kissed her
shouldersashecontemplatedthepeacethatcurledoverhimasheheldher.He
couldneverhaveimaginedsuchsatisfaction,suchhappinessinhislifebeforehis
matehadcomeintohislife.Shecompletedandperfectedeverythingshetouched
includinghim.Nomatterwhathappened,hecouldhandleitwithherathisside.

FrozenOrigin3-Hades
What the hell was wrong with Zeus sending him with Doc to find the

whorehouse?Okay,thatwasladiespleasurehouseorsomesuchshit.Sowhatif
it wasn’t just the two of them, Zeus knew the pain seeing her caused Hades.
Even of she didn’t wear the bastard’s ring or tell anyone she had decided to
marryMarlin.Hadesknewandthatwasallthatreallymattered.Theywereout
here in the damn jungle just a stone’s throw from civilization, being bitten by
mosquitos,sweatingthemselvestodeath,andeatingfieldrationsandZeushad
tomakeitworsebysendingherwithhim.

She didn’t know what was wrong with that asshole Hades. She wished she

couldjustpullupthatdamnvideoofhimfuckingthatbitchDeewiththatlook
of bliss on his face to remind her what a son of a bitch he was but here there
were none of the gadgets and luxuries of home. There was just heat, blistering
andexhausting,mosquitoswhobitanddidn’tcarewhere,andhim.AtOlympus
she could avoid him but here he was everywhere she looked. He didn’t care
abouther,heneverhad.Shejustneededtoforgetabouthimandfillherdreams
with someone else like the young lieutenant who flirted with her daily. Hades
equaledinsanitywhilelieutenantDravenequaledalittlefunontherun.

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