Healed by Fire (18 page)

~~~

Ares woke me up a few hours later to attend
the feast that Zeus had prepared, a feast coordinated to formerly
proclaim Ares as Prince of the Sidhe, second in line to the throne
of the Dark Court.

I stood on the dais between Ares and
Achilles and fought the yawn trying to come out. A short, rotund,
brown colored Sidhe woman had come and forced a Renaissance era
dress on me. I liked the dress, but would have preferred jeans.
Ares and Achilles had changed into soft breeches that tied in the
front and button up shirts. I asked the woman why she didn’t give
them puffy pirate shirts and she had scowled at me and stomped off.
Some people have no sense of humor.

Zeus was wearing skin tight breeches like
Ares’ and Achilles’ and a white shirt which showed off part of his
upper chest. On him the outfit looked stunning and very fitting.
Who knew the God of Lightning would look best in Renaissance
clothes?

“Thank you all for gathering on such short
notice today. This is a joyous day in many regards,” began Zeus. He
gripped Ares’ shoulder and smiled brightly. “My son, Ares, has
released his Sidhe powers. He is now a member of the Sidhe realm
and a Prince of the Dark Court!”

The crowd clapped and a couple of the
younger Sidhe cheered.

Zeus turned to me and extended his hand. I
walked to him, being careful not to trip and embarrass myself. Zeus
gripped my hand and said, “The second and most exciting revelation
is the return of Artemis Lupine of the Sidhe and Werewolves.” The
crowd gasped and began murmuring loudly. Zeus raised his hand and
they stopped talking. “After being lost to us and as well as to
herself, Artemis has returned and rightfully claims her title as
mate of Prince Ares and Prince Achilles.” The crowd clapped, but I
got a few dirty looks from a couple of the Sidhe women. I rolled my
eyes. I was not dealing with that again. Fighting jealous women was
not fun and I’d already had more than enough of that at Lyngvi, the
Werewolf home.

Zeus snapped his fingers and a beautiful
bracelet appeared in his hand. It was made of thin strips of white
wood braided together and it appeared to be holding a powerful
spell. Zeus slipped it on to my wrist announcing, “So that you will
never be lost to us again.”

Achilles laughed and then pretended to
cough.
He just put a tracking device on you.

I smiled at Zeus and kissed his cheek.
“Thank you.”

Zeus released me and I stood back between
Ares and Achilles. Ares whispered, “Why hadn’t I thought of that?”
I reached over and pinched his leg, making him rub the spot and
smile.

“Let’s eat!” Zeus yelled.

The tables in front of the crowd suddenly
filled with food. I knew many forms of magic and had seen many
spells used, but I had never seen that before.

“How? What?” I asked in shock.

Zeus winked at me. “I’ve got a few tricks up
my sleeve too, daughter.”

I blinked in shock at his name for me, but
then smiled. I liked the idea of being his daughter. Ares picked my
hand up and led me to the head table where Zeus, Ares, Achilles and
I would eat. We ate a delicious feast of every kind of animal and
at least ten types of desserts. I felt like I was going to pop by
the time I finished stuffing my stomach.

I exhaled happily and leaned back. “I
haven’t eaten like that in a long time.”

Ares smiled. “The Sidhe definitely know how
to throw a party.”

Achilles tapped my shoulder and I turned to
find him standing and half bowing. “May I have this dance?”

“There’s no music playing,” I said with a
frown.

Achilles clapped his hands and a troupe of
musicians walked in the side doors with instruments. “You were
saying?”

I shifted nervously in my seat. “I don’t
know how to dance.”

Achilles grabbed my hand and pulled me up
and out of my seat. “Then I shall teach you.” Ares growled and
Achilles stopped, turning to face him. “Ares, please.”

Ares exhaled and looked up at the ceiling.
“Two dances and then we trade off.”

Achilles half bowed to him in thanks and
then twirled me out onto the dance floor.

“I don’t know how to dance, Achilles and I
especially don’t know how to do that fancy dancing that everyone
here is doing,” I said nervously as I looked at the other couples
around us.

Achilles smiled down at me and placed one of
my hands on his shoulder and held the other. “All you need is a man
taught properly and dominant enough to lead. Just relax and let
yourself feel the music.”

He spun us around and surprisingly I didn’t
trip over my own feet! I smiled up at him and let him lead as we
waltzed along with the other couples. The music was incredibly
beautiful and with Achilles leading me I was left to simply enjoy
it all.

He smiled brightly at me and said, “See, you
can dance.”

I laughed. “At least that is what everyone
else thinks right now.”

He winked. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

He made me twirl and I laughed happily as
the colors of everything around us blurred. He stopped my twirling
and pulled me against him, holding me tightly to his body with an
arm around my lower back.

I stared into his eyes and saw such passion
and love in them that it made my breath catch. We stood still in
the center of the twirling and waltzing around us and yet none of
the noise and movement mattered to me in that moment. He bent down
and kissed my lips softly, sending a pleasant electric surge
through my body. I kissed him back and then leaned away. “How do we
dance to this song?” I asked, in an effort to change the subject
from our kiss.

Achilles smiled and led me in a strange
dance. We kicked our legs, spun away from each other, he dipped me
and then we looped arms and all of the couples switched from
partner to partner until we returned to our original dance partner.
I laughed happily as we performed the moves and the music made me
forget all of my troubles. The song ended and I curtsied to
Achilles as I saw the other women doing the same to their
partners.

Achilles kissed the back of my hand and
smiled at me from his bowing position. “Thank you for the dances.”
He took my hand and gave it to Ares who was next to us.

Ares smiled at me. “You looked gorgeous out
there.”

“That was all Achilles. I don’t even know
how to perform these dances,” I said as a new song started and Ares
placed our hands in the appropriate positions.

“Then I shall make you look even better,” he
said with a smile.

He walked us into a circle of other couples
and we all joined hands. This dance was much more synchronized than
the others. “What is this dance?” I asked as I learned the
repetitive moves.
Step side to side, release hands and dance in
a small circle, kicking your feet out. Come back to the others,
rejoining hands and walk two paces to the left, then shuffle kick
your feet forward three times. Step left twice and then right once
and then dance in a small circle kicking your feet out
again.

“It goes by many names, but I call it the
Branle de Bourgogne
,” he answered.

Soon I got the hang of it. Every time I
danced in my own little circle I couldn’t help but laugh and smile
happily. It was the first real bit of fun I’d had in a really long
time. Ares was smiling too, his perfect, true smile and the sight
of him dancing and spinning happily with me made me happier than a
hundred dead rabbits could.

“I have to say I’m surprised you’re such a
good dancer,” I admitted to him as we continued the dance.

Ares smiled. “It is but one of the many
surprises about me that you will soon learn. You have to remember
that I have been alive a
very
long time, Sunshine.”

As we neared the band he cleared his throat.
The band leader nodded his head and the traditional song changed to
one song from the two thousands that I remembered from my high
school days. Ares pressed me close against him and began to grind
his body into mine. I had seen my fellow classmates dance like
this, but I had never done it, or experienced it. Ares moved behind
me and helped me move my hips along with the beat and his
movements.

I could feel Achilles’ anger skyrocket as I
reached back and wrapped an arm around Ares’ neck, pressing us even
closer together. I didn’t want him to be mad, but at the same time
I knew Ares was doing this for me. I deserved something for me.

Ares and I danced until the song ended and
then he bowed to me, holding my hand and kissing the back of it
softly. “Thank you for the dances.”

I curtsied and said, “It was an honor to
dance with the great Prince of the Sidhe and Werewolves.”

He stood up and hugged me tightly. “You’re
too perfect for me.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I am
definitely not perfect. You, sir, are too good for me.”

He nipped my ear playfully. “I could be bad
if you wanted me to.”

Achilles cleared his throat and we both
turned to smile at him. “Did you enjoy your dances?”

I nodded my head. “I did. You’re both
incredible dancers! I never thought about you both knowing how to
ballroom dance before.”

“Perhaps you would like to dance with the
man who invented ballroom dancing then,” said Zeus from behind
me.

I turned around and curtsied. “It would be a
great pleasure for me to dance with the King of the Sidhe.”

He picked my hand up and kissed my
fingertips softly. “The pleasure is all mine, my dear.” He winked
at me and then spun me away from his two sons and back onto the
dance floor. The song was slow luckily and Zeus led us in a simple
box step. “I see there is still tension amongst you three.”

I sighed. “Yes, but I don’t see how to fix
it. Achilles is upset because he wants me to mate with him, but
Ares doesn’t want that. I don’t want to upset Ares, yet I do feel
the draw to Achilles. But every time I start kissing Achilles I
feel like I’m betraying Ares.” I groaned and leaned my forehead
against his shoulder. “What do I do?”

Zeus patted me on the back and then hugged
me. “You need to make the decision that is right to you. I love
both of my sons and want to see them happy, but I’m not going to
tell you to do something that you might regret or that will make
you uncomfortable. Give it time, dear. You’ve only been back with
us for a short while. There is no need to rush things.”

“Thank you. May we take a break? I would
love to keep dancing, but I’m tired.”

Zeus bowed to me and led me back to Ares and
Achilles. “I return your beloved to you and thank you for allowing
this old man to dance with such a beautiful woman.” He leaned close
to me and whispered, “Good luck.”

I frowned at him and watched as he walked
away laughing.

“What was that about?” Achilles asked.

“Just some fatherly talk from Zeus, nothing
that needs to be discussed. I think I need a glass of water.”

Ares and Achilles looked at each other a
moment, communicating in that strange silent guy way and then they
both ushered me back to our table. I sat down and accepted the
glass of water Achilles handed to me. I hadn’t noticed until I’d
said something, but I was incredibly thirsty and a little
lightheaded.

“You should have told me you were
lightheaded,” said Ares softly.

I shook my head. “I wasn’t until I told you
I needed a glass of water.”

A Sidhe woman with green colored skin knelt
before me. “May I assess your health, Princess? I am a healer.”

I looked at Ares who nodded his head.
“Sure,” I said, “But I don’t think it’s necessary. I just got a
little dehydrated.”

She smiled sweetly at me and placed one hand
on my stomach and one hand on the center of my chest. She was
silent for four of my heartbeats and then pulled her hands away.
“You’re in very good health. Drink plenty of water and stay away
from alcohol since it dehydrates.” She stood up and turned to
Achilles, motioning for him to follow her. He obeyed and they
talked a few yards away.

Ares stroked my cheek. “How are you
feeling?”

“I feel fine, Ares. I didn’t mean to startle
you both.”

Suddenly, a pain flashed through me.
Achilles’ anger was like a whip of fire against my skin. I gasped
in pain and turned to face him. He stood alone where he and the
healer had been talking a moment ago. Why was he so angry all of a
sudden? His back was to me, making it impossible to gauge his
problem from his face.

“What’s wrong?” Ares asked.

“Achilles is very angry,” I whispered.

Achilles stood up straight and turned to us,
a smile on his face. “Sorry, Artemis. I saw someone I did not wish
to. How are you feeling?”

He was pretending as though he wasn’t mad,
but I could feel the anger and pain simmering beneath his smile.
His eyes were also pinched, a sign of pain. “I’m fine. How are you?
Why are you in pain?”

He sighed, looked down at his feet and then
laughed. “This bond is burdensome in a few areas. I’m fine, just
dealing with feelings about something I cannot deal with. You
needn’t worry, you have done nothing and I am not mad at you.” He
reached down and patted my hand reassuringly.

Why were men so stubborn? Why did they have
to be hard asses all the time?

* * *

We returned to Hera’s court and the rest of
our pack to find a hundred Sidhe dressed in battle armor and
practicing with swords, bows, and axes. Our pack watched from the
sidelines, but I could see them taking it all in as they tried to
memorize the moves.

Koda waved at us from the front where he was
practicing using a bow and arrow with Erebos. I jogged over to him
and asked, “Can I try?”

Erebos nodded his head and handed me a
wooden bow instead of the silver one he had been using. I notched
an arrow, aimed and released. The solid “thunk” of the arrow
hitting the target brought a smile to my face even before I saw
that I’d hit the very center of the bulls-eye.