Ashes of War (Sons of War) Read online

  Ashes of War

  A Sons of War Novel

  By Lia Davis

  Ashes of War

  A Sons of War Novel

  By: Lia Davis

  Published by Fated Desires Publishing, LLC.

  © 2014 Lia Davis

  ISBN: 978-1-62322-130-0

  Cover Art by Scott Carpenter

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

  All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

  Dedication

  For my own fated mate with love

  Acknowledgements

  I’m learning more and more about this complex world of dragons and gods with each story. Zavier even gave me a glimpse of what’s to come. Let me tell you, you don’t want to miss it.

  None of this could be possible without the support and praises from all you, my readers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I’d also like to thank my editors, Virginia and Heather. They rock.

  To my fan club and street team, thank you for being my cheerleaders.

  And to my PA, Charity. Thanks for everything! Love you.

  Ashes of War

  Ashlynn Blake, minor goddess of the hunt—lethal, beautiful, and able to connect with animals on a psychic level—is the perfect person to place judgment upon an accused dragon. But first she has to prove to the gods that Ty Sullivan is innocent of his crimes. If she fails, she’s doomed to lose her heart along with him forever.

  Ty’s been beaten, scarred, and betrayed by females. He doesn’t trust them, can’t stand being around them for longer than he or his dragon needs to be. Yet, when he meets Ashlynn, his dragon is ready to mate, but the man believes she’s no different than the others.

  The Fates have thrown them together, forcing secrets to be told and igniting a passion so fierce it may destroy both of them.

  Sons of War Character List

  The world of the Sons of War is complex with the introduction of characters in each book and the gods they descended from, it can be a bit overwhelming to keep up with them all. I put this list of main characters and the gods to help you remember who is who. As the series grows, so will this list.

  The Gods

  Zeus – The king of gods. He’s the god of sky and weather, law, order and fate.

  Ares – The god of war and creator of the Sons of War

  Aphrodite – Goddess of love and beauty.

  Eros – God of love and desire. Son of Aphrodite.

  Elizabeth – Minor goddess of desire. Daughter of Eros

  Artemis – Goddess of the hunt.

  Nyx – Primeval goddess of night.

  Hades – King of the Underworld and lord of the dead. One of Zeus’s brothers.

  The Sons of War and their mates

  Markus – Son of War. His dragon is black with a blue undertone. He’s the leader. Mated to Gwen.

  Gwen – Granddaughter of Aphrodite on her father’s side and one of the Fates on her mother’s side. Mated to Markus.

  Ty (Tyson) – Son of War. His dragon is red with gold undertones. He’s one half of Sullivan Contractors.

  Ash (Ashlynn) – Minor goddess of the hunt. Daughter of Artemis. She’s able to connect with animals.

  Zavier – Son of War. His dragon is dark green with a light green undertone. He takes care of the household finances and security.

  Elle (Daniel) – Daughter of Nyx. She’s an artist with the ability to see the past and future through visions. Because she is the daughter of night, she’s free to enter the Underworld at will.

  Seth – Son of War. His dragon is white with a purple undertone. He’s the second half of Sullivan Contractors.

  Drake – Sons of War. His dragon is brown with a silver undertone. He’s obsessed with bringing his evil brother, Garrick, down.

  Garrick – Son of War. The villain. His dragon is pure black. He’s obsessed with destroying his brothers and ruling Olympus.

  Chapter One

  Ash stalked her prey in the shadows, waiting for the low-life SOB to make the wrong turn down a dark alley or at least get a little farther away from humans. Although many of the residents of Serenity Cove knew about the dragons living in the castle in the mountains, they didn’t need to know vengeful demi-gods walked their streets.

  The demi-god she currently followed cut a sharp left. Her anxiety spiked. The bastard couldn’t get away. Not since she’d finally found him, alone. A few blocks from the edge of the market she materialized in front of the demi-god, aka Garrick’s—one of the Sons of War and the evil brother—minion. “What’s the hurry, Sam?”

  Sam stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth fell open and his face turned a bright shade of white. Not bothering to swipe his blond hair from his eyes, he slowly shifted one foot backward as if ready to haul ass. “You…you’re dead.”

  Really? News to her. Twisting, she gave herself a once over for effect before returning her attention back on the shithead. “I don’t think so. I’m as alive as you. Oh, did Garrick tell you he killed me? He’s always had a crazy sense of humor, don’t you think?”

  The poor man looked confused for several moments. Then realization lit up his features, his eyes grew round, and he resumed his slow retreat from her. His hands shook at his side. The sour stench of fear rolled off him. Narrowing her eyes, she studied him as he took yet another step back. Ah, yes. Her otherworldly glow from spending the two weeks in Olympus healing after being inside Garrick’s laboratory when it blew up had given her little secret away. At least it was a secret from the Imperials. None of them knew she was a minor goddess of the hunt.

  Perhaps she appeared more like her mother than she believed.

  “Oh no you don’t,” she said when the Imperial turned to run. She lunged and grabbed him by his arm, twisting it around his back, and forced him to his knees. “You’ll tell me what I want to know. Are we clear?”

  Sam gripped her forearm and squeezed. “Never, bitch.”

  With a quick jerk she wasn’t anticipating, he reached up with his free hand, grabbed the back of her head and tossed her over his shoulder. Her back hit the asphalt, knocking the wind from her lungs. Pain raced up her spine in a hot, searing wave. Fuck.

  It took her a moment to catch her breath. When she did, she saw the little bastard dart out of the alley. Jumping to her feet and willing her magic to soothe away the aches from hitting the pavement, she chased him as he weaved through the streets of Serenity Cove. Even though it was late enough that most humans were safe in their homes, she cast a cloaking spell to keep those still milling about from noticing things they shouldn’t.

  The Imperial twisted his upper body around and threw an energy bolt at her. She deflected it and conjured her bow and arrows. The first shot missed, but then she intended only a warning. She wanted information from him.

  Information that could lead her closer to finding out how deep Elizabeth fell into Garrick’s plans and his army of demi-gods. The daughter of Eros, god of love and desire, had captured and tortured Ty Sullivan—one of Ares’s sons and dragon-shifters known as the Sons of War.

  And Ash wanted to know why.

  During his captivity, according to rumors, he’d gone mad, submitted to his dragon and killed Elizabeth. Eros wanted his head
. Ash wasn’t about to hand Ty over until she had proof.

  Spying a bridge ahead, she teleported to the other side, cloaked herself with an invisibility spell, and waited for Sam. When he reached the end of the bridge, he stopped and turned in a circle, looking for her. She almost laughed and gave herself away. Simple minds.

  Lowering her invisibility spell, she grabbed Sam by the back of the neck. “Surprise. What did Elizabeth do for Garrick?”

  “Who?”

  “Don’t play stupid with me. Elizabeth, goddess of desire, daughter of Eros. Beautiful blonde with royal blue eyes?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know her.”

  “I’m running out of patience.”

  The pounding of boots against asphalt made her whirl around, Sam still in her grasp. Two more descendants appeared. “Oh, good. Now we have a party.”

  Sam went limp in her arms. Glancing down, she saw the small implant behind his right ear and cursed. Dropping the little shit, she focused on the newcomers. The one on her left held up a handheld device, no doubt the trigger to Sam’s life.

  A deadly leash Garrick used on all his newly created minions.

  Well, damn.

  Without warning, she thrust two energy balls at the Imperials, both hitting her targets with quick efficiency. Their surprised gazes weren’t very satisfying. She’d rather have information she could use before killing them.

  A moment later, she materialized in her townhouse in the center of town and wasn’t surprised to see her mother seated on the sofa. “Good evening, mitera.”

  “Why do you waste your time fighting?”

  Ash sighed, moved to the fridge and pulled out a beer. She truly loved her mother, but Artemis was a goddess with no understanding of how the mortal world worked. “I’m hunting for info.”

  “You could get it from the source.”

  Tilting her head slightly, she studied her mother. Almost a mirror image of herself— long, wavy red hair—the subtle differences in their appearances were in their faces. Ash’s was slightly rounder and her eyes were a vivid emerald green while Artemis’s were a pale green. By the way the goddess perched on the sofa, her back straight as she picked at her nails, Ash could tell something bothered her. “Say what you came to say.”

  “Eros demanded Tyson be brought in for judgment sooner.”

  Fear stilled her heart for a brief moment. “How much sooner?”

  “You are to bring him to Zeus in one week.”

  “What? I had ninety days to research and find proof. I can’t bring in an innocent man.”

  With brows drawn together, Artemis rose and faced her. The goddess’s pale green eyes didn’t have their usual spark. They were slightly darker than normal like a thin layer of clouds covering the sun, blocking most of the light. “He is a dragon. Rumor says he is not well.”

  The rumors say…

  Bullshit and her mother knew it. Ty might carry the dangerous-man-eating-dragon front well, but he was not insane. He was too clever, too guarded. “I’ve been close enough to him to know he is sane and has full control over his beast.”

  “If you are so sure he is innocent, then go to him. Give him no choice but to work with you to find the truth.” Artemis stepped closer, took Ash’s free hand in hers, and squeezed. “Seduce the dragon if you must. Either way, he will face judgment in seven days.”

  Artemis dematerialized, leaving Ash alone with her thoughts.

  Seduce Ty. That’d be the easy part. Getting him to trust her? That was the challenge of the century.

  Chapter Two

  Ty stood at the edge of the cliff and stared out over the Atlantic Ocean, his hands fisted by his sides and his dragon pacing beneath his skin. The salty air whipped around him, biting at his chest and arms through his thin, long-sleeved shirt. The cold numbed him, or so he liked to believe. He hadn’t slept for two weeks. He doubted he’d be able to rest until he found Ashlynn and brought her back to the mansion.

  Where she belonged.

  At least his dragon believed she belonged to them. The man wanted nothing to do with the goddess, not for a committed relationship anyway. He didn’t trust females. A female lured him to the Imperials—a group of power hungry descendants of the gods controlled by his evil brother, Garrick—and injected him with a potion to make him incapable of shifting into his dragon before they tortured him for their own sick, twisted pleasure.

  Not any ordinary female, either. A minor goddess, whom he thought at the time was his mate, or could have been, betrayed him. The endless taunts and physical torture damn near drove him insane. She’d succeeded in breaking his dragon. The man was on the verge of breaking when Zavier found him and brought him home to their brothers. By the time Z found him, Ty’s dragon had taken over and killed several Imperials—including the female, a minor goddess of desire and the daughter of Eros.

  Z never revealed Ty’s state of mind. No, his quiet and private brother just said, “I found him and he’s alive. Nothing else matters.”

  At least Ty believed he’d killed his captors. His memories of the events were unclear at best. In recent months, he’d been plagued with nightmares of his captivity. Yet, the events in the dreams didn’t match what he thought happened. He didn’t know if they were real or shit his mind conjured. Zavier had said he found Ty naked and pissed off, but unable to shift. It’d been several weeks after his escape before the potion completely left his system and his dragon burst out.

  Ever since, they’d waited for the gods to deliver punishment. He’d killed a goddess and would one day have to pay for his crimes. Until then, they would continue to fight Garrick and protect the worlds from falling into his bloodstained hands.

  Ty sensed Zavier long before he stepped up beside him. They stood there in silence for several moments before Ty spoke. “I’m taking off for a while.”

  Zavier nodded. “I figured. We all knew it was coming. We’re just surprised you’ve waited this long.”

  Of course. He and his brothers were linked together by a blood bond they forged when banished from Olympus. Also all because of a female.

  A storm daemon and the daughter of Typhon—the gatekeeper to the fiery pits of Tartarus—Sophia had also been Ty’s close friend and lover before Garrick claimed her as his mate.

  Back then, Garrick was different. He was kind and a male of honor. He was the first to step up and take on any task the gods required…at least until the day Sophia died and Garrick succumbed to his dragon’s rage.

  Ty found her decapitated body. The child she carried—the little girl everyone thought was Garrick’s—gone, stolen from her mother’s womb.

  When the information of Sophia’s death reached Typhon, the daemon threatened to break out of Tartarus and destroy the world as they knew it. As a result, the gods punished the brothers, exiling all of Ares’s sons to the human realm, and Sophia had been reborn as a mortal.

  The latter news came to their attention a few weeks prior when they met Gwen—Aphrodite’s granddaughter—and Elle—the daughter of Nyx, goddess of night. They discovered Gwen’s father worked for Garrick, not knowing the dragon’s true purpose until it was too late. From the contents of her father’s journal, Gwen was able to help them piece together certain facts such as Sophia’s rebirth.

  After Sophia’s death, Garrick became obsessed with the idea Ty killed his mate and stole his child. Soon after their fall to earth, he began searching for descendants and over the years formed the Imperial Order. When the gods got wind of his plot, they charged Ty and his brothers with the task of stopping Garrick from raising another war on the gods.

  Five hundred years had passed since their exile from Olympus, a brief period of time for immortal dragons. After a century or so, Garrick fell quiet. It was like he’d given up the fight. However, Ty and the others knew better. A dragon would search until the end of time to gain revenge for his dead mate. About two years ago, Garrick’s little army started making appearances in public, not bothering to hide their powers and magic
al abilities. The attention they drew caused panic among the humans. Stories of daemons and magical beings popped up everywhere. Some villages even put curfews in place.

  Markus had stepped up and all but forced their father to give them more information, anything to help them find Garrick’s whereabouts and what type of power they faced. Luckily, Ares was just as motivated as they were to stop their brother.

  Then Ty let his dick think for him one night while out having a few beers with Seth and Zavier. Shortly after meeting the bitch, he found himself held captive by Garrick’s fucked up band of minions.

  Females couldn’t be trusted. Period.

  Yet here he was, about to chase after Ashlynn, a goddess by all rights of the divine laws and a hunter sent by the gods.

  The latter made Ty even more suspicious of the female.

  “I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone,” Ty said to break his destructive train of thought.

  Zavier offered him a handheld device. “This has a GPS tracker. If you need us and can’t call, for whatever reason, just push the green button.”

  In another time—before his capture—Ty would’ve been cocky enough to tell Z where he could stick the GPS. Not anymore. Life was too short, even for an immortal dragon.

  He closed his hand around the device. His lips twitched and his heart warmed a little. “This Markus’s idea?”

  “Gwen’s.”

  The twitch in his lips was back. Markus’s female was the only one in a long time Ty felt he could trust. Even he admitted she possessed a pure soul and kind heart. Plus, she was incapable of lying. Being the granddaughter of Aphrodite and one of the Fates meant she was very powerful and Garrick wanted her power.

  “Tell Gwen thanks,” Ty said, then jumped off the cliff, shifting at the same time in a flash of red and gold. The burn of his wings extended from his back and the hard change rolled over the rest of his body. The shift into a dragon shot through him like an electric current.