Page 1 of Courting War
Chapter One
THEODRA
Goddess of War
Eleven Years Ago
LETUM CLIFFS, ERTOMESIA
Men were such loathsome creatures.
Theo stood on the cliff’s edge, her eyes barely focusing on the crimson blaze far off in the distance. Seagulls croaked overhead, the aroma of salt permeating the air as sable waves crashed into the jagged cliffs—splintered like the sharp granite edges of her heart.
Shifting her eyes to the seaside below, Theo pondered jumping. Her life was a hollow echo, repeating through time and space. But even if she stepped off the cliff and crashed into a tangled mess below, she would barely feel it. For only another god could cause her true pain—a lesson she learned long ago.
Pleading voices split the wind as she half-listened.Humans.
Dying humans.
A steamboat burned to embers, licking the flesh from men’s bones. Theodra, Goddess of War, didn’t enjoy the show, but these men deserved their fate. They trafficked in evils far darker than the depths of the underworld. Their pleas would go unanswered. Thesteamboat would burn for their crimes, and if they managed not to drown, so be it.
“What are you doing?” A voice split the sky like lightning. Theo’s lips lifted into a ruthless smirk as she turned to meet the God of Fire. He towered above her, an expression of pure loathing on his sculpted face. The once-vibrant flames of his hair, now a dim ash-grey, danced in the wind. His hair had never been the same since Theo tricked him into giving up his fire magic.
The God of Fire’s eyes turned solid black, and his olive skin flaked like crumbling ash. Oh, he was angry. Theo’s wicked grin widened. “Yes, Fire, what can I do for you?”
“Evil child of a nymph, you’re murdering my men.” He scowled as he delivered his insult. Nefeli, Theo’s mother, and Queen of the Gods would take offense to being called a nymph. They were creatures of the earth and sea, and the lowest-ranked immortals.
“Am I?” The words twirled off her tongue to a mocking rhythm. “Oh, I hadn’t noticed.”
“You will pay for this.” Fire lunged, power rippling in his veins. Was he going to use his magic . . . on her? Theo snapped her fingers, and he collapsed, clutching his stomach, and riving in pain.
Theo’s heart thrummed to an unbreakable tempo, always playing a two-step dance in her chest. The rhythm steady and unchanging.
Like her.
“I thought you would’ve learned your lesson by now.” Her raven mark branded on his wrist flared. It allowed her to control his powers. Mostly, she just held his evil in her hands and kept it from spilling onto innocent female lives. But in moments like this, she fought back. “I’ve never forgotten what you did and never will.”
He knew what she meant. They both knew why she’d stolen his autonomy. They both remembered.
His mark was a punishment, for all men were the same . . . even gods.
“Perhaps next time you challenge me, I will give you a taste of your own flames.” She snapped her fingers again, deepening his pain.
“You—will—” Fire sucked in a tortured breath. “—Pay for this,” he muttered between spasms.
A tiny trickle of fear rolled down Theo’s spine. Fire couldn’t do anything to her anymore, but the memories remained.
He would never treat another that way; she wouldn’t allow it.
Theo—War—stalked toward him as her midnight hair morphed with her magic. One strand at a time, it grew and changed into ravens. Once fully formed, they flew in circles, dancing around Fire—taunting him.
The leftover feathers painted the collar of her bustled gown, framing her feminine figure. She was the picture of terrifying elegance. Crimson streaks dripped from the bodice down the skirt, creating the effect of spilled blood. Theo looked like she’d marched through a deadly battlefield and collected carnage in her wake.
When she reached Fire, she clutched his chin tightly and forced him to meet her gaze. “Never threaten me again. Never question me again, or I will destroy you.” Theo released him, disgust radiating through her bones. “Now, leave.”
She waved a hand in the air, shooing the god away. He glared up at her. Defiant malevolence littered his cold, icy eyes before he disappeared into the setting sun.
“Tsk, tsk.” A feminine voice clicked her tongue. “Hello, sister.”
