InSpire (18 page)

“It felt good. If I have to be totally honest.” Athena’s cheeks started to turn red knowing she was telling her intimate details to Liz. It was embarrassing what happened.

“There is no shame in what you have done. Those women wished the same amount of harm on you. You simply defended your right to live,” she said calmly. Liz was sitting graciously in the chair. She even had her hands clasped in her lap. Athena was less so. She had her feet planted firm on the floor and her elbows on her knees. She had her hands under her chin. It wasn’t as easy for her to show the decorum Lady Liz possessed. She would work on it.

“It shouldn’t have turned me on.” Athena felt dirty. What she did had to be wrong even in this world.

“Why not? What is wrong with it bringing your primal need to the fore front?”

“My primal need?”

“Our race of people have always been extremely sexual in nature. Why do you think you jumped your husband even when you are told to wait a few weeks?” she questioned.

“How did you know about that?”

“I can smell him on you,” she admitted.

“Um ew.”

“It’s not gross. But there is reason why you were advised to wait. You really should listen to your midwife. They train for years. Especially the palace one,” she said.

“Why?”

“Because you are pregnant again. It is going to make it hard to learn your power and your body is not going to be healed all the way by the time this baby comes,” she stated.

“Great.”

“You knew the risks,” she chastised.

“I know. I will deal with it. So what is next?”

“You need to learn to harness your power without getting lost to it,” she stated.

“How do I do that?” Athena questioned.

“I will pin you to the chair. Each time I will get stronger. You will have to increase your power output without letting rage take you,” she said.

“What if it does?”

“I will handle it. You ready?” she asked.

Athena nodded her head. Liz got up and moved to the other side of the ring. It took her seconds to send a bolt Athena direction. This one stung more than the first. Athena was pinned to the chair but the panic wasn’t there. Her ability to break Liz’s hold was fully engaged. She focused her energy and felt the vibrations come as she tapped into the anger. It took a few seconds more this time but she broke it and stood.

“Good. Again,” she said, throwing a bolt knocking Athena back into the chair.

That pissed her off. Athena broke this one even faster. The power surging through her grew stronger the more she tapped into her anger. Liz hit Athena again with even more force. Athena tapped into the anger but couldn’t break free. Soon she felt the rage creeping into her body. It was a small sensation she let out in the gritting of her teeth. A growl escaped her then there was release. This time she waited before she hit Athena again. Her body was consumed with rage. If she were to hit Athena again she might not be able to come back from it.

Athena took a few deep breaths. When her body started to settle Liz hit her again with a fierce bolt. This time there was more than just being pinned. There was pain with in the pressure of being kept to the chair. It was like being electrocuted. The pain was making her body shake violently. The anger couldn’t be tapped because it was gone. All that was left was the rage. At a point of no return, Athena tapped into the rage. A surge of power came up from her toes and engulfed her. Red covered her vision. Getting to her feet, a powerful scream bellowed from her. Athena leveled her red stare on Liz across the ring. Intent on making her suffer, a blue bolt streaked from Athena’s hand. It bounced off of blue shield around Liz. Athena stomped over toward her and hit the shield with her body. It knocked her on her ass. Athena could only process kill Liz. There was nothing else. She got up and hit it with her fists. Liz was standing there without expression. Athena wanted to kill her. She smiled then hit Athena hard with a bolt. Liz pinned her to the floor. As if it was an out of body experience, she heard rather than felt growls and groans come from her mouth. Liz stepped over to her and chanted something. Then it was gone.

Athena’s red eyes were slowing moving back to green. The rage was dissipating, but it was being replaced by pain. Pushing herself up slowly, as her muscles were still strained, Athena sat and looked at Liz for a moment. She was completely unaffected by the fight. “How did you do that?”

“It takes practice. Now you see why I am not afraid of your rage?” she asked, reaching out her hand.

“Will I ever master it?” Liz pulled Athena up off the ground without expending too much energy. It all amazed Athena. She was clearly winded and exhausted by the exercise.

“You will. It may take time, but you shouldn’t fear it. It is a part of you. It isn’t all of you,” she stated.

“Sometimes I wonder.”

“I know,” she said.

They went back to training. Liz kept her word and trained Athena until she felt like her powers were under control. She also left her with several books to read. It was a lot to do. Athena let Darian continue to deal with the royal duties. Her pregnant body and taking care of her son kept her pretty worn out. It took every bit of her energy to get one practice time in. Throwing royal duties on top of it wasn’t going to work. Darian didn’t seem to mind. He actually seemed to flourish in his new role. He had been a great general, now he was showing what a great King he was. Athena couldn’t have been more proud of her choice.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Where’s everyone going?”

Athena spent the entire day practicing in the barn. Bowen was doing really well with his nurse. He was well fed by Athena. The nurse kept him well entertained all day. His little wings were starting to grow quicker. Athena was certain Bowen would be flying soon. It made her smile every time she saw him spreading them. It was adorable.

“There is a problem,” Darian said, taking Athena’s hand. He led her to the throne room. So far the pregnancy was a secret only known by three. It wasn’t showing yet, so they decided to keep it under wraps.

“Tell me.”

“You will see,” he said, pushing the door to the throne room open. Johan stumbled over to her and collapsed in her arms. He was covered in blood. There were no visible wounds, but it was obvious he had been attacked by someone, or something.

“I’m sorry,” he whimpered.

“For what darling boy,” Athena said, stroking his soaked, jet black hair. She sat there on the floor cradling her brother as if he were a baby.

“I tried,” he said, losing the ability to speak.

“He went against orders and tried to track the witch down that took your father,” Darian explained.

“Why would you do that?” Athena’s tears were freely falling on her brother’s head. He nuzzled into her. As long as she felt him breathing she was okay.

“He was trying to help,” Darian replied.

“Is he going to survive?”

“I hope so. Now let me take him,” Darian requested. She released him and Darian lifted him easily. He took him to his room. Athena sat there on the floor covered in blood weeping.

“Your Majesty,” Ubrene said, walking into the room.

“Not now,” she snapped. Her eyes were starting to turn a faint red. The sorrow was moving out of her body. It was being replaced with anger. Ubrene was the last person she wanted to see.

“But there are things we need to take care of. Darian has dispatched guards even though the council disagreed,” he explained.

Athena swept the tears away with the back of her hand. She wasn’t facing Ubrene, so he had no idea what he was in for. She stood calmly from the floor. She brushed the dust off her pants and took several deep breaths. Then she intentionally turned very slowly in his direction.

“My brother lays dying in a room down the hall and you dare speak to me about an order my husband commanded,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry for your brother, but the council will not wait,” he stated.

“Have you lost your damn mind? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?” she shouted. The rage was building up from her toes. It was making her entire body hum with power. This would be Ubrene’s final mistake.

“This must be dealt…” he said, then there was silence.

She looked down to see his body pinned to the floor by the same kind of bolt her aunt used. Her face felt contorted and rather not human, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered right now was his death. He pled for his life with his eyes, but she didn’t stop. Her knife was on her belt one second, and then plunged into his chest just above his breast bone the next. His scream filled the air, but had no effect on her. She used her power to break the bones as the blade wasn’t doing it quickly enough. With him looking at her in horror she reached into his chest through the hole she’d just made. Her hand was clutching his still beating heart. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. It didn’t matter to her. Gripping it tightly, she pulled it from his chest. He was conscious just long enough to see it in her hand. Then the light faded out of his eyes. She dropped it to the ground and collapsed beside his dead body.

“Athena?”

“Yes.”

“I thought I lost you again,” Darian whispered in her ear.

“I’m right here.”

He was stroking her hair. Her body finally registered the bed below her. She wondered how she got there. She opened her eyes to see Darian was freaked out.

“You scared the shit out of me,” he replied.

“Why?” She was still trying to get her barring. The last thing she remembered was the heart in her hand. She wasn’t really sure who it belonged to or why she had it, but the image was clear. There was a heart in her hand.

“I found you unconscious next to Ubrene’s body,” he stated. “What happened?”

She pushed herself up on the bed. It took her a few minutes to formulate the words. The image was clearer now. She had killed Ubrene. She may have hated him, but he didn’t deserve what he got. “He came to me while I was still sobbing over Johan. He wanted to confront me about your decision to send troops out,” she replied.

“Oh really,” he said defiantly.

“Yes he claimed the council didn’t agree with your decision.”

“Funny, I didn’t see anyone raise their hands when we voted,” he complained.

“Anyway. He wouldn’t let up. The rage took me and I killed him.”

“You did that?” he asked surprised. Darian actually let out a chuckle. He was impressed with her now more than he had ever been. Her dark side was much darker than he suspected. It didn’t bother him. As long as she kept some of her purity.

“Why the surprise? You saw me end those two witches.”

“But to pull a man’s heart out while it still beats. That takes a special kind of bad ass,” he said with a smile.

“You approve?”

“Hell yeah. I am not afraid of your rage. You did what needed to be done,” he stated.

“I could hurt you by accident.”

“You could try,” he smirked.

“I hope we never find out.”

“We won’t,” he replied.

“What about Johan?”

“The doctors are still working on him. They got the bleeding stopped but no one knows if it was in time,” he stated.

“Tell me what happened.” He stood up and started pacing the room.

“He wanted to help,” he started.

“I know that part. Tell me what happened to him.”

“He left last night intent on finding the witch. Now before you get mad, I didn’t know he was leaving or I would have stopped him,” he said. She frowned at him. She wasn’t thinking that until he said something.

“Anyway, when he didn’t come down for breakfast I went in search of him. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I knew in my gut where he was. After lunch I went to the portal to find him crawling back. I picked him up and brought him here. He told me that he confronted a witch named Olivia. She tried to capture him but he fought his way free. So I ordered the guard to the portal and some to apprehend this Olivia. I chose the best of us for this task. To my knowledge the only one who disagreed with my order was Ubrene,” he explained. Once he finished his story, he sat back down on the bed beside her.

“We’re lucky they didn’t keep him.”

“He may not make it, so I don’t know how lucky we are.”

“He will. He’s strong.”

“You didn’t see his injuries. He had some very deep puncture wounds. I think they were trying to weaken him so chaining him would be easier,” he explained.

Athena felt the tingle in her toes again. She practically levitated off of the bed. Her eyes were becoming the familiar scarlet. She was going to get the blood of the one that caused this.

“I am going to kill that bitch,” she hissed.

“You are, but not in your condition,” he said, standing beside me. He put a hand to her belly.

“Damn my hormones. If I hadn’t needed you so badly I wouldn’t be in this condition,” she said, putting her hand on top of his.

“Your hormones aren’t the only ones to blame,” he said, walking with her. He leaned into her and she could feel how hard he was. His breath was on her neck making her wet. He started kissing her. Athena’s eyes were shifting quickly to purple. Her moods were moving so fast now it was hard for her to even keep up with them.

“Have you already forgotten how this happened?” she said, pressing his hand into her belly. She felt the baby kick just as she pressed. Darian straightened up and backed away from her.

“I would say she isn’t interested in us having sex right now,” he chuckled.

“She?”

“I hope it’s a girl,” he said, stepping around in front of her. He took her hands in his and led her over to the bed. They sat down with their hands still entwined.

“What do we do now,” she asked after a few minutes of silence.

“We wait for the guard to return. If they don’t we know they were taken. Then we can plan our next move. The most important thing for us to do is not act too quickly. We should have a plan, because clearly she does,” he explained.

“I can do that.”

“I’m not sure you can,” he laughed.

“Okay. I will try to do that.” She chuckled then smacked him on the arm.

“That is all I can ask,” he replied. He put his arms tightly around her and squeezed. Athena knew he was right. Taking out Ubrene in a fit of rage was one thing. Taking on Olivia would require time and planning. She couldn’t afford to risk her safety or that of her unborn child.

They sat in the room for another hour waiting to hear anything. Finally word came but it was word of her brother and not the witch. When went to his room not knowing what they would find.

“Your Majesty,” the old doctor said as we enter the room.

“You summoned?”

“He’s not long for this world,” the doctor said.

“What?” She cried moving closer to the bed. Johan was laying there with his eyes closed. They had cleaned him of all the blood.

“I have done everything I can to save his life. There are limits to how much we can heal,” he admitted, bowing deeply.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and ran her hands through his hair. He looked like a child sleeping. She bent over and kissed his cheek.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Are you sure there is nothing?” Darian asked, stepping closer to the doctor. Athena felt the doctor’s heart start to race. He was scared of Darian. Good. He should be scared of Athena. She could kill him with a blink of her eye.

“Now what would that solve?” Aunt Liz asked, breezing into the room.

“Excuse me?” Darian questioned.

“She is speaking to me.”

“Oh.”

“It wouldn’t solve anything, but it would make me feel better,” Athena admitted.

“Would it?” she asked, sitting beside me on the bed.

“No.”

“I didn’t think so,” she said, stroking Athena’s hand. Liz’s presence calmed Athena.

“What do we do?”

“First clear the room,” she whispered back.

Athena stood up from the bed and turned. The room was full of people just loitering. They were waiting for him to die. She hated that.  She cleared her throat. “I want to be alone with my brother. Every one out.” There was a moment of silence as they all looked at each other. They seemed confused.

“Your Queen ordered you out. Now get out!” Darian shouted. They all moved with expediency. Once the room was emptied Athena sat down on the bed with Liz.

“Now what?” she asked.

“You have to make a decision,” she replied, stroking his hair.

“What do you mean?”

“Your father died to make room for Bowen. Do you think this baby is free?” she asked, putting a hand on my belly.

She hadn’t even thought about that. Her father did die for my first child. It was customary in our family. Someone had to die for a new life to be brought in. It was our curse. With every power given a payment has to be made. This was theirs.

“You can’t be serious. How can I choose?”

“I am. It’s either your life or his. This is our curse. You knew that when you decided to risk having sex too early,” she stated.

“Let’s just say that wasn’t the first thing I thought of that day.” It wasn’t. She was thinking of her body and how it needed to feel his. She never meant for this to happen.

“Be that as it may, you still have to decide,” she explained.

“But I’m not due for another three months.”

“Do you want him to stay like this for three months?” she questioned.

“No.”

“Then you must decide now,” she replied.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek again. She couldn’t let him lie there and suffer.

“Then we let him go,” she said, standing from his bed. Athena stood beside Liz and grabbed her hand. Liz smiled at Athena. The decision was an impossible one. Yet it had to be made. Athena’s heart was breaking.

“Repeat after me,” she requested.
“
Slán agus beannacht leat!”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s an old Irish goodbye,” she replied. “Now say it with me.”

“
Slán agus beannacht leat!”
they said in unison. Then a glow began in his chest. It spread outward until his entire body was glowing bright blue. Athena watched him take a deep breath and blow it out. The light faded and then there was nothing. He had no heartbeat, no breath. There was just quiet.