Denying Ecstasy (The Guardians of the Realms Series) (2 page)

Sander
– Phoenix, Guardian of the Realms

Sirena
– Siren (healer), Guardian of the Realms, primarily works to find mates for Immortals in Tetartos

Tetartos Realm
– The Immortal exile Realm

Thalassa
– City in Tetartos Realm

Tria
– Evil Triplets spawned from incestuous coupling of Ares and Artemis; Deimos, Phobos and Than

Tsouximo
– Hell beast resembling a giant scorpion

Tynan
– Aletheia, owner of Paradeisos Island

Uri
– AKA Urian, Aletheia, interrogator, Guardian of the Realms, mate to Alex

Vane
– Demi-God son of Athena, Ailouros (half-lion), Erik’s twin, Alex’s younger brother

Zeus
– Sleeping God

Prologue

Outside the City of Limni, Tetartos Realm – A Century Ago

Another blow landed against his opponent’s rock-hard jaw, splattering blood to the dirt at their feet. Dorian grinned wide and rolled his neck. He loved the surge of adrenaline running through his veins. The roar of cheers erupting around the ring fueled it. The Hippeus wiped blood from his lip and narrowed his eyes, forest green glinted in the firelight that surrounded them. They’d been circling and dodging for long minutes now. He never liked to end a fight too soon. He hated disappointing the crowd, and he didn’t have any intentions of making his friend look like a pussy. Only his brothers were a true match for him, but Cahal was a good fighter.

He grinned when he heard Brianne’s bloodthirsty shouts of encouragement from the sideline.

He looked over and saw his sister Guardian behind the rest of the crowd with Conn, another of his brethren. Her long titian hair was in braids, and she was in her leather fighting gear, the top backless. No Geraki liked to have their back covered, it had to do with freedom to unleash their wings. Of all his sisters, he had a soft spot for her loud and wild behavior. Both had too much energy to fully control, so they understood each other.

“Will you tell your damn sister to shut up?” Cahal growled.

“Oh, you better pound that damn pony into the ground!” Brianne shouted back.

Dorian chuckled, and Cahal looked even more irritated. He was a Hippeus, half war horse, and his sister calling him a pony was a taunt she used often when he and Dorian were pitted against each other. Conn grinned wide, his amber wolf eyes glittering in the moonlight. Both Brianne and Conn were there for him, having his back when he fought.

“Why does she have to be such a bitch?” the male snarled.

Dorian shook his head before kicking Cahal’s feet from underneath him. The male landed, and dirt filtered up around him.

Brianne’s loud cheers amplified, and he shook his head.

Cahal jumped up, looking furious. Dorian cocked a brow at the male. “You know better than to say shit like that.”

“That’s right!” Brianne shouted down to them from the rise above the ring. They were surrounded by betting Immortals yelling just outside a circle of metal spikes, yet none were as loud as Brianne. The ring was set lower, allowing the masses a better view. Trees circled the rise above, and he saw Blaine’s warriors keeping an eye on the crowds. He didn’t see the cat himself anywhere. He might have already started his evening of fucking. The moon was bright, and the scent of arousal spiked all around them.

His was the last fight of the night. Immortals lined up for the opportunity to pit their skills against a Guardian, and he was always game for giving them a show. He loved the pull in his muscles from fighting with only his strength. He’d always struggled to relax unless he’d fought or fucked himself into oblivion first. That was what he loved.

He spun and jabbed at the big male’s packed stomach. He and Cahal fought often, at least once every couple of weeks. The male was one of the Immortal warriors who guarded the city of Lofodes. The big Hippeus’ long black hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck. He wore a kilt in reds and black, leaving his chest as bare as Dorian’s. The flexing of thick muscled shoulders signaled Cahal’s next strike. One that Dorian easily maneuvered around. It was the one after that he didn’t get away from, it landed right against his ribs, and the impact launched his body back almost to the iron stakes that comprised the barrier against the crowds.

“You’re getting slow,” Cahal taunted with a smirk, one that the females seemed to love.

Roars of excitement filled the air. They were always thrilled when one of their own landed a blow. He grinned to himself. They were a bloodthirsty crowd, and he loved them for it. He’d always enjoyed a bloody fistfight, something he could get from his brothers or sisters, but they tended to practice skills useful in their duties. Ones that helped when fighting hell beasts or containing demon-possessed humans. The Tria in Hell liked to fuck shit up. Those triplet bastards were the reason he and his brethren were so damned busy. The twisted fucks, birthed from an incestuous coupling between Ares and Artemis, were powerful enough to send creatures and demon souls out into the other Realms, but not strong enough to gain freedom from their prison.

He and his brethren honed the abilities suited to cutting down hell beasts and containing the demon-possessed humans. One worked best with blades; the other required more finesse. Humans were never to be harmed by a Guardian, even the possessed, or he and his brethren suffered the same injury tenfold.

“Lucky hit,” he responded, with a grin.

He jumped to the side as Cahal charged. Dorian enjoyed the freedom and wildness in these bouts, and they kept his energy levels balanced. His side hurt from Cahal’s last hit, but the cracked rib would repair soon enough. He healed faster than the average Immortal. He was like them, yet not. The Creators had enhanced the Guardians’ abilities when they charged them with the protection of the Realms: Heaven, Hell, Earth and Tetartos.

He heard Cahal’s breathing change and spun away before the male could take him down to the ground. It had been a good fight. Cahal was one of his favorite opponents. He just liked the male in general. They loved fighting and often enough ended up sharing females after their match.

Another dodge and he spun low, kicking the male’s feet out from under him again. The ground rocked from the impact of the fallen warhorse. “Bloody bastard.”

He grinned down at his friend’s irritation, then saw Cahal’s smirk before he grabbed one of Dorian’s feet and flipped him back.

He felt the hard dirt at his back as he landed and quickly rolled away, just marginally missing a foot to the ribs. The male was strong and faster than most of his race. He’d gotten better and better each time they were matched. Fighting in the ring always challenged Immortals like Cahal, those that were used to battling in their beast forms. The Limni ring was for human form only. Opponents were allowed no use of magic or powers. Only strength and cunning were permitted; that was why Dorian fought there. It was a different set of skills he was able to hone, and he enjoyed the excitement of it.

Each of the races had their own grounds for training their clans in whatever way they chose. This was different. His brothers and Brianne sometimes fought there as well.

Brianne continued shouting in the back of the crowd. The other Immortals gave her plenty of space. He saw that she and Conn held big mugs of ale and were smiling and sloshing the shit everywhere. He shook his head. They enjoyed the fights even if they came mostly to watch his back.

Drake, the leader of the Guardians, had long ago instructed him and the others to be cautious in their dealings with the Immortals of the Realm. The bastard was suspicious as shit, and in the early years it had been more than warranted. They’d dealt with several centuries of strife within the Realm. The Immortals and Guardians alike were nearly feral back then. Not all Immortals had been happy to be exiled and forced to live among the beasts of Tetartos Realm. Many had wanted to get back to Earth, and had been convinced that the Guardians could get them there no matter what the Creators had decreed before leaving the world.

Admittedly, some had been out for the blood of the sleeping Gods, and he didn’t fucking blame them. He wanted to kill the majority of the bastards as well, but the Creators had forbidden any harm to come to their sons and daughters, no matter how fucked up the assholes had been. Damn, they’d nearly destroyed humanity and the Immortal races in their madness. He mentally shook his head, sending the bastards to take a nap was not a fitting punishment, nowhere near what they’d deserved for their crimes. The Creators assured them that the Gods would be needed one day. Dorian just didn’t see how they could ever be needed for good.

The exile happened long centuries ago. In his opinion, Drake needed to ease up on some of the paranoia. The majority of the Immortals had settled into their lives, accepting the fact that Tetartos was their home. He mentally shook his head that Drake hadn’t seen that. The Guardians kept the Immortals well supplied with different goods from Earth Realm, giving them trade options and entertainments.

A quick strike landed against his stomach while he was distracted with thoughts that didn’t matter. His breath left in a rush; he righted himself quickly and spun before another hit landed. Cahal flashed a grin in his direction, obviously pleased with himself. Dorian chuckled.

It was time to end it. He was ready to find some female entertainment for the night. He was sure his brother and sister had shit to do as well. He’d dragged the fight out long enough for Cahal.

He winked at Brianne, and she grinned brightly back.

His fist hit Cahal’s jaw, sending the male just shy of the metal spikes. The sharp metal surrounding them added a bit of danger that got the observers off. He’d made sure to hit just hard enough to knock the male out, but not hard enough to send him flying into the spikes.

He only impaled the assholes that deserved to be skewered. There had been more than a few that met the spikes for pissing him off. Some behavior was not tolerated by him and his brethren, and the inhabitants of Tetartos were well educated on those rules. It was his duty as a Guardian to make sure the weaker were not mistreated; if he ever saw that happening, getting speared would be the nicest part of the punishment he’d mete out. If they dared harm one of the mortal Mageia that agreed to live in the Realm, they could only hope to face him rather than suffer the wrath of his sister Guardian Sirena. He repressed a smirk at that. He loved his sisters, but they were ruthless and had no problem kicking any ass they felt needed it.

With the match over, and Cahal slowly shaking off his short nap, Dorian listened to the mixture of cheers and angry roars filling the air. Those who’d lost bets weren’t nearly as loud as the ones who’d obviously won. He looked around and saw hot looks from the females and pissed-off glares from some of the males. It had been a longer fight than most, but many were still unhappy that it was over. He was more interested in choosing who to fuck than what they thought.

He never engaged in the normal festivities. The night generally ended in fucking in the middle of the ring. A prize would be offered up. There were those that bet or offered up their females to the winner. It was a common practice that generally ended with wild orgies under moon and firelight. He could already scent the arousal and anticipation in the air. His was the last fight of the night, so there would be no stopping the revelry, but the crowd was aware he would not take part. He may be one of the more reckless of his brothers, but he wasn’t stupid enough to put himself in a vulnerable situation in front of so many Immortals, even if he thought Drake was over the top with his edicts on that shit.

He was fine picking a female or two to enjoy his victory where he wouldn’t be risking Drake’s bad attitude. He smirked to himself.

He saw Brianne smile and finger wave as Conn shook his head. They were both gone, teleporting away in the blink of an eye. Always knowing him well enough to know what he’d be doing after his bout.

Dorian’s cock was starting to twitch at the delectable scent of wet pussy and pheromones beginning to fill the night air. It was heady. An enticing combination of scents, with so many races in attendance. Immortals as a whole liked to fuck, and each scent differed in some edible way or another. To remain in prime condition, they usually required sex as much as they needed to feed from the world’s energies. He bet many would be getting their fill that night, he planned to. He just needed to find a female or two out of the crowd.

He heard Cahal approaching. Turning, he saw the big male rubbing his jaw and scowling. He chuckled at his friend and clapped him on the back as they walked through the now open gate. The usually sociable male sported a sour look. “Bastard,” Cahal grumbled.

The crowd parted for them to make their way through. He was just about to respond when he caught Calista’s scent. He turned, and the seductive blonde was giving him a heated look that promised a good night ahead. She had the sultry silver eyes of an Aletheia, a race well known for their sexual excess and she was no exception. The bad part being she was a bitch, which accounted for the months between fucking. Spending too much time in her presence grated on his nerves. She would do for a night, but nothing more. She had two good things going for her. The first was her enjoyment of females and males alike. One female usually wasn’t enough to fully satiate his needs. He also liked to share with Cahal or one of his brothers if the mood struck. Options were something he enjoyed. Calista’s other redeeming quality was her eagerness to have her ass filled hard, that thought alone made his dick stand at attention.

“Dorian.” She nearly purred as she slid her small hands over his bare chest. She was dressed to entice. He’d never seen her otherwise. Tonight she wore a tight dress of blue that hugged her sleek curves. The top was cut deep to show her shadowy cleavage. Two slits at the sides were so high they nearly reached her waist. She had a nice tight ass that he liked to hold on to while he fucked her hard from behind.