Love's Forge Read online

  “Spread your legs for me.”

  She did so, and he ran the sponge up and down each of her legs, his hands stopping just below her pussy each time. Then he washed her ass and rinsed her again. Then nothing.

  She peered down at him, turning slightly. “What are you doing?”

  He met her gaze. “Admiring you. I thought I remembered every detail of how beautiful you are. I was wrong. Seeing you in the flesh is a hundred times better than my memories.”

  She turned back around because she had seen that now he did have an erection. “Are we done? Do I go back to your room now?”

  “I’m not done yet.” He got on his knees again. His hands ran over her ass.

  “Let me go back to your room,” she whispered.

  “I’m not done.” He took up the sponge once more and pushed her legs apart. He ran the sponge slowly over her pussy. The sponge was rough enough to send a jolt of pleasure through her as he worked it over her clit.

  “Hephaestus?”

  “Yes?”

  “You said you wouldn’t fuck me.”

  “I won’t. I didn’t promise not to make you come.” He cleaned her well, and then used his hand to bring water up to rinse her. He kept massaging the water against her long after all the soap had been rinsed off. His warm fingers drove her mad. She knew he could feel how aroused she’d become under his ministrations.

  She whimpered with need when he pinched her clit between two fingers.

  “Come for me, Aphrodite. I want to give you pleasure.”

  She shook her head. “Let me go. Let me go, and we’ll make love the next time I come back.”

  “You won’t come back if I do.”

  “That romantic evening you planned. We’ll have it. Tomorrow.” He slid two fingers deep inside her, and she groaned. “Please.”

  He stood up, his fingers still buried in her, and leaned over her. His lips touched her ear. “You’re mine. I’ll never let you go again.”

  “Then I’m not really yours, not if you have to work so hard to keep me from going, not if you have to lock me up,” she said. She struggled to catch her breath, and then she gasped as his fingers caressed her. Her pussy clenched, and then she felt the tremors start. She melted against him as she came. She could hardly stand. Her knees had turned to jelly, and as she slumped his fingers pushed deeper. He used his other hand to work her clit. The pleasure rippling over her intensified. She tried to squirm away, but that only heightened every sensation.

  He turned her face to his as she caught her breath. “You are mine,” he said against her lips before kissing her. His tongue searched her mouth as if he were pleading for a response, as if her orgasm weren’t enough, as if he needed more than her trembling in his arms.

  He finally released her, pulling a towel down and wrapping it around her body. The chains detached from the bar. He took her hand, and the chain on her right wrist wrapped itself around his arm. He helped her out of the tub.

  “I’ll take you back to our room,” he said.

  She tried to ignore the “our” part. He took her arm and they walked down the hall. The lights were all dimmed. When they reached his bedroom, she saw a new lock had been placed on the door. He unlocked it and ushered her in. She wasn’t sure what to expect now.

  He removed the chain from her wrist. “I’ll let you rest. I’ll come get you for dinner.”

  She opened her mouth to say she wouldn’t be hungry, but he closed the door. The lock slid back into place with a loud, echoing click. She stared at the door. Her body still tingled from her orgasm. She had needed that release, but her relief didn’t last long. She’d given him the satisfaction of seeing how much he could still affect her despite what he’d done.

  She felt guilty when she thought of Ares. Hephaestus might be treating her like a pampered pet, but he still didn’t trust her enough not to lock her up. Was Ares down here? And if he was, what was happening to him?

  * * * *

  Ares opened his eyes because he knew he’d heard someone moving. He’d been in complete darkness ever since he’d woken up. He’d passed out almost immediately after Hephaestus had thrown him against the wall. He’d realized it had been Hephaestus as soon as he woke up. That was the only part he did understand. Nothing else made sense. He couldn’t believe he’d fucked Aphrodite. Who would do this? Why? He’d tried screaming at the top of his lungs, demanding an explanation, but nothing had come of it.

  He listened carefully. Someone was definitely approaching. He heard measured, determined footsteps.

  What had come over him? Why had he done that? Had it been a spell? He no longer felt that insane desire for Aphrodite, so whatever it had been it was no longer affecting him. Hephaestus had every right to be angry, but this? It seemed far too extreme. He’d never have expected something like this. Hephaestus was the calm and rational one, or least he always had been. Gods could suffer insanity, but Ares didn’t like to think of that possibility. He’d be dead if something that extreme had happened. Since his anger had cooled, he’d been far more worried about Aphrodite.

  Suddenly, torches all around him blazed to life. He sat in a cage in a very dismal stone room. Hephaestus walked up to the bars and looked down at him.

  “Any chance you’ve realized someone else is responsible for this?” Ares asked. He didn’t think his situation could get much worse. Alala would wonder where he was. It wouldn’t be long before she went to his mother.

  Hephaestus’ expression remained calm, but his voice was full of menace when he asked, “Why couldn’t you leave her alone?”

  “I wasn’t going there to fuck her. I was going there to talk to her about you. Remember the wedding a week ago? Remember how I and my beautiful fiancée—you know, the woman I love—kept encouraging you to keep trying? Why the fuck would I turn around and start up with Aphrodite again?”

  Hephaestus didn’t seem to be listening. “You still have feelings for her. You upbraided me for hurting her years ago. I only told you I loved her, not counting on her confession to Alala. I guess you didn’t expect to hear she was my wife, did you? That she was married to me while she fucked you, when your son was born. She was my wife.”

  Ares had to control his temper. He was at a great disadvantage at the moment. “I was surprised, and maybe a little hurt by her secrecy, but I didn’t try to win her back or manipulate her or attempt to exercise any hold over her.”

  “I find it hard to believe that revelation didn’t hurt your pride.”

  “Maybe it did, but I’m in love with Alala. I don’t need or want anyone else.”

  “It didn’t look that way in Aphrodite’s garden.”

  “What does she say?” He stood up and walked toward Hephaestus. “Where is she?”

  “Why do you care? She’s my wife to do with as I please.”

  Ares reached out and clutched the bars. He knew he couldn’t break them, but it felt good to channel his anger into pushing against them. “What have you done to her?”

  “Why would I hurt her? I love her.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said it just happened. She doesn’t understand why.”

  “If you love her so much, why don’t you believe her?”

  “If it’s a spell, then what happened to it?”

  Ares slammed his hands against the bars. “Spells wear off! Someone is angry with one of us. I don’t know who, but someone has done this to cause all of this trouble.”

  “Trouble?”

  Ares scowled at him. “Yes, I would call this trouble. Being attacked, kidnapped and imprisoned seems like trouble to me.”

  “I only wanted the truth, and I don’t have it yet.” He turned and walked away. “Perhaps later you’ll be willing to talk.”

  The torches went out one by one.

  “If you hurt her, I swear you’ll pay for it!”

  Ares found himself in darkness and silence again. He sat down on the ground and leaned against the bars.

  “Alala. Where ar
e you? Do you even know something’s wrong?” He sighed as he imagined her worrying what had happened. Did anyone know he and Aphrodite were missing? He didn’t know how long it had been. How would anyone know where to begin looking?

  He didn’t know who would want to hurt them like this, but he vowed he wouldn’t rest until he found them and made them pay. He’d tried calling Alala and his mother, tried reaching out to find Aphrodite, but of course Hephaestus had thought of that. The cage probably inhibited all his powers and even his strength. He’d never before considered how powerful an enemy his half-brother would be. He’d always seen his amazing powers as a strength because he’d never thought the two of them would be anything but allies. Hephaestus’ powers had certainly saved Persephone when Thanatos had kidnapped her. That was when Hephaestus and Ares had talked about Aphrodite, the day Ares had learned Hephaestus still loved her.

  He’d had a hard time believing it at first, but in some ways it made sense. It explained a lot about Aphrodite’s behavior at times, her attitudes toward love, and her desperate attempts to love Ares even while she’d kept his being Eros’ real father a secret. She’d been running away from something else. He’d been shaken when Alala told him about her secret marriage. Did Aphrodite love Hephaestus? Was she afraid to love him? Would he hurt her?

  Ares shook his head. Despite how angry Hephaestus was, Ares knew he would not hurt Aphrodite. He wouldn’t rape her, and Ares doubted he would even hit her. She might be locked up, but she would be unharmed. He knew firsthand how insane Aphrodite could make any man, but one sad or frightened look from her would also stop a man in his tracks. He and Aphrodite had fought heatedly and passionately and often in their time, even physically on occasions, but that had been about sex. It had always been about sex.

  Aphrodite deserved to find love and be happy, though he’d heard her say dozens of times it wasn’t possible. What had she meant by that? He might never find out now. He wondered where she was. Was she locked up the way he was? What had Hephaestus said to her? Was she frightened? Worried about him?

  He remembered their frenzied coupling in her garden. He knew it had to be a spell because he’d never felt that kind of pleasure or lust before. That was all it had been. Pure lust. Even if Hephaestus refused to believe him, he knew their mother would. Ares knew his mother favored him over Hephaestus. The two men had never discussed it, and Ares didn’t intend to pursue the topic now. However, it gave him confidence and hope. His mother would believe him, and she would not stop until she uncovered the truth. Whoever had done this had to have nerves of iron. Angering Hera could be worse than angering Zeus because when she felt she was justified in her actions, she completely disregarded what most would call her responsibility as queen to be fair and just. And his sister Eris? She would be furious. She’d be a force to reckon with if someone more powerful didn’t restrain her. Did she know yet? How would she react? He hoped she would have faith in him and see that someone else’s treachery was to blame. He believed both women knew him well enough to be on his side from the start.

  Ares thought of Alala again. What if she heard what had happened? With no one to explain, would she have faith in him and believe someone had done this to him? He couldn’t imagine her doubting him, but it still pained him to think of her feeling betrayed. She’d spent so long loving him from a distance and watching him go back and forth with Aphrodite. It chilled his heart to think she might believe him so cruel and unfeeling. Despair spread over him as he imagined her crying, thinking he didn’t love her. Even if she still had faith in him, she would be in pain. She would be scared and worried.

  He closed his eyes. He wanted to hold her more than he’d ever wanted anything.

  * * * *

  Zeus raised his eyebrows as his wife approached the flat, smooth side of the mountain. Was this really where Hephaestus lived now? Zeus knew he lived underground, but his front door being on the side of a mountain seemed too fanciful for someone as serious as Hephaestus. Of course, he’d already surprised Zeus once today.

  Hera put her hand to the wall, but nothing happened. She withdrew her hand and looked around, and then she touched the same spot again. After ten seconds, she punched the wall.

  “Are you sure this is the right place?” Zeus asked.

  “We’re locked out. He granted me entry long ago, but he seems to have revoked that.”

  Zeus examined the stone wall for himself. “You’ve entered before without his permission?”

  “Yes.” She touched a discoloration on the stone. “He’s locked us out completely.”

  Zeus looked closer and saw that the darker spot vaguely resembled a keyhole on an old fashioned lock. “I never thought much about how hard it would be to fight Hephaestus. Something forged by him could keep any of us out, bind any of us forever.”

  Hera stared down at the ground. “Why would he lock me out?”

  Zeus had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. “Well, aren’t you incredibly angry right now? Wouldn’t you be likely to try to free Ares?”

  “I wouldn’t hurt Hephaestus.”

  “I don’t think he’s afraid of that. He has a plan, and he wants the chance to carry it out.”

  “Ares is your son too! Don’t you care?”

  “Yes, he is, and Hephaestus might do a lot of things, but he’s not going to kill Ares, is he?”

  “He can have Aphrodite. I don’t care! I want my son free!”

  Zeus looked around, half hoping someone would materialize and explain the big picture to them, but of course no one did. The three people who could explain all of this to them were on the other side of a wall they couldn’t penetrate. The solution wasn’t going to magically present itself.

  “You don’t mean that. Can’t you admit it bothered you when Alala told us what Hephaestus did? He forced Aphrodite to marry him.”

  She waved her hand to dismiss his comment. “That’s Aphrodite’s version of the story. She’s used and cheated on both my sons.”

  “She fucked your husband too. Not to mention you. We’re a pretty complicated family. A little too much sharing over the years,” he said. He found it hard to hold his frustration back, and it came out in cruel shots. The situation needed to be dealt with, but Hera’s behavior wasn’t going to help anything.

  “I don’t care about that. Why are you bringing it up? It makes no difference who fucked whom, when, or how many times. We aren’t mortal teenagers.” She shook her head. “Do you think I was jealous? I didn’t care how often you two had sex. I was fine with it. Gods, we’ve both had so much sex with so many people, I don’t care.”

  He touched her arm. “I wish you did care. I can’t live without you anymore.”

  She glanced up at him sharply. “You hardly go more than one day without me. Gods, I can’t believe you’re trying to change the subject! Does your agenda mean that much to you? We’re in the middle of something, and I am not in the mood. Can we talk about all of that later? I want to talk to Hephaestus!”

  “Fine. Just a moment.” Zeus snapped his fingers.

  Hera gave him a withering look because she knew he was making fun of her with that gesture, as she often snapped her fingers to work magic that needed no gesture. He didn’t care. Her words had hurt, and now he couldn’t stop himself from being angry with her.

  Hermes appeared between them. “You needed me?”

  “Yes,” Zeus said as he pushed his anger back. “You can enter Hephaestus’ home even if it’s locked, right? Just as you can enter the Underworld?”

  “Yes. I can appear wherever he is to deliver a message. It must be from his mother though. Otherwise, his magic can keep me out.”

  “Well, it’s going to be from his mother. Don’t worry about that,” Hera said. “Go in there and tell him I want to talk to him. Once that’s done, go home. I want you to give a message to Eris.”

  “Hera,” Zeus said. “Please don’t.”

  Hermes looked concerned that their problem might involve his new wife. They’d only
been back from their honeymoon for a day or two, and it had been rather short since Ares and Alala’s wedding had been set for just a couple of weeks after theirs. “What’s wrong?”

  “Tell her Hephaestus has kidnapped her brother because, supposedly, he caught Ares in a tryst with Aphrodite,” Hera said.

  Hermes nodded slowly, and then disappeared.

  “Hera, I don’t feel like dealing with Eris as well. She’ll only become angry and worried.”

  “At least she won’t sit back and do nothing! If she annoys you, send her away. She won’t disobey.”

  “You’re acting like a child desperate to have her way.”

  “Are you surprised?”

  Hermes reappeared. “He said he’s coming.”

  “Did you see Ares?” Hera asked.

  “No, only Hephaestus. He said he would be a few moments. He’s preparing a meal.”

  Hera ground her teeth together. “Thank you, Hermes. Go tell Eris what is happening.” She glanced at Zeus, and then said, “We’re handling it here, so tell her to go to Alala. She needs her.”

  Hermes nodded. “I can’t guarantee she’ll obey, but if she knows Alala is upset, she may at least check on her first.”

  “That’s fine.”

  Hermes disappeared, and Zeus put his hand on Hera’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me. No point.”

  Hephaestus appeared in front of them. He didn’t show any emotion but surprise. “You wanted to see me, mother?”

  “Of course I did.” She looked at him angrily for a long moment. Then, much to Zeus’ surprise, the anger faded and she gazed at him sadly. “What have you done? What are you doing?”

  Hephaestus regarded her seriously. “I’m fighting for what I want. I’m not hurting anyone.”

  “Ares? You swear you haven’t hurt Ares?”

  Zeus saw Hephaestus’ expression flicker slightly. He turned away to let them talk. Hera had been right. Hephaestus knew she favored Ares, and Zeus could see it did affect him. Hephaestus didn’t care about having anyone else’s approval, but he definitely cared what Hera felt and thought.