The Huntress (An Olympian Fallen Shifter Novel) Read online

  His body began to break apart into tiny fragments of light that floated into the sky as if someone had just opened a jar full of fireflies.

  “Wow!” Xena exhaled in amazement. “What kind of dart was that?”

  “Selene, I have not asked you about your past or any of your extra exceptional attributes, but I can't avoid the questions any longer. Not after seeing you make a deer disappear into thin air.”

  I stood tall and replaced my bow to its rightful place, not hiding the special fact that they could no longer see that it existed with me. The bow is with me wherever I go.

  “My given name is Artemis, daughter of Zeus and Leto. I am the goddess of chastity, protector of women and wildlife. I came to this place to return my stag to his home.” Albeit hard, I ignored their wide eyes and jaw-dropping expressions.

  “I made a bargain with an oracle for passage here and the return of Ceryn. I have not lived fully up to my end of the deal, she will soon be here to take me back to Olympus. At that time, she will force Ceryn back to Earth to spend an eternity being hunted over and over again.”

  “That can’t be!” Xena cried. “You can’t leave us now. There must be a mistake!”

  “I’m sorry there is no mistake. I only had forty-eight hours.”

  Chapter 18

  A grey cloud swirled overhead. Not quite high enough in the sky to be a storm cloud. Like clockwork, lightning streaked across the darkness and a black hole opened in the heavens.

  “Oh, shit! She wasn’t lying!” Xena exclaimed as she bent her neck back to look up.

  Elysia’s face loomed at the center of the black hole. “I see you have sent your precious stag back to Olympus, Artemis. Have you held up your end of the bargain, or shall I send him back to face his new destiny?”

  “Elysia, I beg you for more time. There were extenuating circumstances that kept me from looking for a man to fall in love with. It was only luck that fell upon my Ceryn as he just happened to cross our path here in the woods.”

  “There are no second chances when you make a promise. It is no fault of anyone's but your own that you did not use your time wisely. Ceryn will return to Earth to suffer a fate of death after death, and you will watch every one of them.”

  Xander stood with the baby still nuzzled in the crook of one elbow, and he slid an arm around me.

  “If you don’t mind me putting in my two cents,” Xena addressed Elysia, “Selene… I mean Artemis, has done more than fulfill her end of the bargain. Not only has she found love with my brother, she has found love with our entire family.”

  “Love?” I questioned her accusation, unclear about what kind of love I had found. Not the kind that Elysia had demanded of me. “Even if I have filled my heart with a new kind of love, that doesn't mean I had the opportunity to find a man to fall in love with me as well.”

  I didn’t want to let Xena down, but Elysia would only accept the truth.

  Xander turned me toward him with his free hand.

  “I am no ordinary man, so perhaps I may not be good enough for you to love. And I am no god, worthy of your companionship. But I have never in all my days found so much with another soul. Having you in my life, even for such a short time, has been a gift I will cherish for all my days. Your love has been enough to fill my heart with pain at the thought of never seeing you again. I wish there was a way you could stay here with me.”

  “How can you love me? You hardly know me. You don’t even know where I come from or what I am capable of.”

  “For starters, I don't care about your past. I know who you are today, and that is all that matters. You think I don't know you, but I have been watching you. I know there was more to you than meets the eyes. Guess what? So what. You’re a goddess, I’m a shifter, and we may not have been meant to be together, but we are and we should be. Two souls have never been more made for each other than you and I.”

  “You see!” Xena shouted as a tear rolled down her cheek.

  “I was drawn to you from the second I saw you about to shoot that poor, little, innocent fox in the woods two days ago. Since then, you have shown me your compassion, inner and outer strength, loyalty, and love. All qualities that are hard to come by in one individual.”

  “I have heard enough.” Elysia waved her hand. “Ceryn can remain here on Olympus.”

  My shoulders lowered, and I let out the air I had been holding in a sigh of relief. “That is amazing news.”

  “Now, don’t get too excited, Artemis. You should know better than that. You mustn't forget that, along with Ceryn, you too must return to Olympus to fulfill your duties here. Your devotees are awaiting your return.”

  ***

  “I cannot return to them. They will never understand how I could have allowed you to take my chastity away from me.”

  “Ha ha ha.” Elysia started to laugh. “I took nothing from you. That was all your choice. You let down your guard and love lead the way. I told you that you were denying yourself the true meaning of life.”

  What more could I do? I lowered my head and shook it. How could I give up all that I had gained? I had only been on Earth for two days, and yet it felt longer than all the thousands of years I had spent living on Olympus. All that, only to be on the brink of having it all stripped away from me.

  “Unless you can find a way to restore the balance between our worlds. Someone must lead your flock and continue to represent the values that so many have and will continue to worship over the years.”

  “I will go!” Xena stood with her baby girl in hand. “Tell me what I must do. Selene saved me and my babies. If I can do the same for other women, and she can stay here to live a life full of love with my brother, then I will go in her place.”

  “Xena, you can’t do that.” I ran to her side.

  “I can, and I will, under one condition. My baby girls must come with me so I can raise them and teach them how a woman should be treated.” She looked to Xander with love and appreciation in her tear-filled eyes.

  “You will need to take a vow of chastity and a vow to protect all women, not just your own daughters,” Elysia explained.

  “Are you sure you want to give up your life here?” Xander joined us.

  “What life, Xander? A life working at a crappy diner in the middle of nowhere? Holding you back from living your life?” She looked down at her daughters. “This will give me an opportunity to make my life mean something, to be someone my girls can look up to.”

  “Time is up. One of you must return now. The window of time is closing,” Elysia threatened.

  “I understand and respect your decision.” Xander used his free hand to take her into an embrace. “I will always love you and my two nieces.”

  “My handmaiden, Korina, will take good care of you and your girls. She has served me well for many years and will do the same for you.”

  “Will we be able to see each other again? Or will I have to make a bargain?” Xena asked the oracle.

  “We can make an arrangement. This deal has worked out for so many of you, how can I deny you access to those you love the most?” Elysia's face softened, and Korina’s reflection came up alongside of her.

  “We are ready for you now, Xena.”

  Xander reluctantly handed her the other baby and kissed all three of them on the forehead. “I will miss you very much, but my heart will be eased knowing you are safe and where you want to be.”

  “Ditto for me, big brother. I’m glad you found someone worthy of your love. I am sorry I can't hug you both, but my hands are a bit full. I will be watching you.” Xena winked and stepped forward.

  Xander and I came together and clasped hands as we watched Xena and her two daughters levitate into the dark hole in the sky. The gray clouds closed with another streak of lightning, and they were gone.

  “So, you love me, huh?” Xander turned toward me.

  “It would seem I do. Lucky for me, you love me too.” I leaned in and let our lips collide in a kiss that had enough passion to last
a lifetime.

  ***

  The end