“And guess who has custody of those little darlings right now?” Thorn pointed to Illarion. “How do I know this? Your father squealed like a thirteen-year-old girl at a Shawn Mendes sighting.”
“Aye, he did indeed,” Cadegan agreed as he rose on shaky legs, holding his ribs. “For a god of war, Ares is a bit of a wanker. He ain’t no Aeron, that’s for sure.”
“And speaking of our favorite Celtic war god, he’s still fighting them and I need to get back and help before they make a gallu of him and we all go down in a ball of sarcastic Aeron fire. They convert him and I’m out. I don’t want no part of that fight. Ever.” Thorn glanced at Savitar. “Yes, I am that big a coward, for I have fought the evil that is Aeron, had my ass handed to me on a platter with applesauce and garnishings, and yeah… no, thank you. Nothing is worth an ass-kicking that severe.”
Max stepped forward. “We’ll settle this with you.”
“We?”
“The drakomai.”
Sera nodded. “And the Drakos.”
Wide-eyed and furious, Max gaped. She passed a chiding smile at him. “Don’t give me that look, Lord Dragon. I don’t want you fighting, either.”
Edena and Hadyn moved forward to join them.
“Oh hell no!” Max snapped. “I might not have a say in what Sera does, but you two I do!”
When they started to protest, Seraphina shook her head. “Your father’s right. Neither of you is ready for this. And if you roll those eyes at me, young lady, I’ll ground you till the sun explodes, and your brother, too, just because he taught you to do it when you were little.”
Edena huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I liked it better when they didn’t talk or get along.”
Hadyn nodded his agreement, but wisely remained silent.
As Thorn moved back to leave, four Were-Hunters fell to the floor for no reason.
Dead.
Silence echoed as everyone knew exactly what it meant. Those were bonded mates whose spouses had been killed somewhere else. Three council members and one of the Arcadian wolves who’d come in with Star and Dare. For that to happen simultaneously, there was only one cause.
War.
“What the fuck?” Dante breathed.
Thorn and Savitar went pale.
As did Acheron. “They’re dividing and attacking our families to thin our defenses and hit our morale.”
“It’s working,” Fury said in a panicked tone.
Savitar motioned for Zakar, Sin, and Styxx. “We’ll see to Apollymi in Kalosis and make sure she’s secure.”
Thorn jerked his chin at the Peltiers and the Kattalakis brothers. “We’ll take Sanctuary. Sera, you better join us. Nala’s with them. I can feel it.”
Cadegan and Blaise exchanged a determined look. “We’ll stay here to guard your young. No fears there for you.”
Acheron looked to the drakomai. “We’ll return to Olympus, and finish it. Once and for all.”
Illarion and Max nodded.
Seraphina hesitated. Strange, she’d never minded riding into battle alone.
Now she did. The last thing she wanted was to be without Max by her side. But this they had to do for each other and for their people.
“Remember, Maxis,” Sera reminded him. “There is no I in team.”
He winked at her. “True, but there is in ‘win,’ ‘fight,’ and ‘die.’”
She growled at him, tempted to beat him into submission. “And you’d best not do the latter.”
“Or you. Don’t make me go to Hades and beat that bastard down to get you back.” Kissing her, he took a moment to savor her scent and the sensation of her body pressing against his. “I love you, Seramia. Don’t break my heart.”
She sank her hand deep in his long hair and clenched her fist. “For you alone, I breathe.”
Max ground his teeth at those words. For her people, they were the deepest avowal of love, and it made it almost impossible to leave her.
But he had no choice. With one last kiss, he glanced past her to their children. “Don’t forget your sword, my lady dragon.”
She winked at him. “Never.”
Inclining his head, he turned and joined Acheron and his brothers. It’d been centuries since he’d gone to real war with Falcyn and Illarion. Yet it seemed like no time at all as they changed forms and fell into formation.
As eldest, Falcyn took lead. The Katagaria Drakos came to fight with them on Olympus while the Arcadians went with Sera and the others to protect Sanctuary.
By the time they arrived, it was much different than earlier. Apollo and Kessar had virtually torched every building, and most of the gods had withdrawn from the conflict. Only a brave handful remained to try and salvage what they could. Demon and his twin, Phobos. Most of the Dream-Hunters, including Arik and Delphine, as well as Lydia, Solin, and Xypher, who must have been summoned by the others when the fighting started.
Only Apollo’s temple remained standing perfectly intact. But that wasn’t their target or destination.