“Maybe,” Clotho pointed out from her seat on the edge of the fountain. “But she would have accepted her fate as heir begrudgingly. And she wouldn’t have been happy.”
Atropos rolled her eyes. “Happy schmappy. Happiness is overrated. Look at Ziggy over there. He’s not happy, and he’s fulfilling his destiny just fine.”
Zagreus clenched his jaw. He’d like to use these shears to snip the bratty Fate’s head off, but he didn’t dare. Fuming, he glanced down at the blades in his hand. Oh, how he wanted to, though. Just one good snap to shut the bitch up.
“Well,” Lachesis said, sitting in the chair beside her sister, “regardless of what you think, everything worked out. That was a good idea by us, I must say.”
Zagreus huffed.
“What was that, Ziggy?” Lachesis called. “Did you say something?”
“What the hell worked out?” he snapped before he could stop himself. “Zeus has the fucking Orb. He’s one element away from being able to release Krónos from Tartarus. And if that happens, hold on to your boobs, bitches, because that sick fuck will find a way to mess up every one of your so-called ‘good ideas.’”
The Fates exchanged glances.
In the silence, Zagreus looked from face to face. “Oh, you don’t like hearing the truth? Too fucking bad.” He went back to snipping roses. “Someone needs to say it. Might as well be me. You can’t fuck up my life any more than you already have.”
The sound of water spraying in the fountain echoed through the courtyard. Frowning, he tossed a rose hip in the bucket at his feet and went back to pruning. Holy hell, he was ready to use the damn shears to snip off his own head. And he would. If it would work. But of course it wouldn’t, because he was a minor god and therefore im-fucking-mortal.
“Atropos is right,” Lachesis said, “you don’t seem happy here, Ziggy.”
“Ya think?” Zagreus tossed another rose hip in the bucket, this one with more force than necessary. The rose hip hit the bottom and bounced out to land in the flower bed.
“When Hades sent you to us,” the Fate continued, “it wasn’t supposed to be forever. Just until you had time to reflect on the error of your ways.”
Zagreus’s shears stilled against the rosebush, and a tingle raced down his spine. Was the Fate saying—
“As much as we enjoy your company,” Clotho added, “we think that time has come and gone.”
Heat spread through Zagreus’s limbs as he turned to stare at the Fates. Holy shit… They were letting him go.
“Not quite,” Atropos said, clearly reading his mind. “We have one stipulation to granting your freedom.”
Zagreus dropped his shears into the bucket. “I’m listening.”
“We agree with you in that Zeus cannot have the Orb.” Lachesis tipped her head and pinned him with her hard gaze. “The repercussions, should he find the last element before the Argonauts, are unacceptable to the balance of the universe.”
“Well, no shit.”
“In order to earn your freedom,” the Fate went on, ignoring his comment, “you must complete one task for us. You’ll steal the Orb from Zeus.”
Excitement burned hot and wild inside Zagreus’s belly. Zeus had stored the Orb with his lusty Sirens. Zagreus had no problem fucking his way through that Order to steal the Orb. “Consider it done.”
Atropos cleared her throat. “Ah no. That is not what you’re going to do. You’re going to keep your dick in your pants, find the Orb, and return it to the Argoleans.”
Whoa. Wait. What the fuck? His eyes widened. “You want me to give it back to them? They want to destroy the damn thing.”
“Exactly.” Lachesis folded her hands in her lap. “That is the only way order will be restored to the universe.”
“If you want your freedom, Ziggy,” Clotho said, “you’ll steal the Orb from Zeus, return it to the Argonauts, and you won’t touch a single Siren in the process.”
Where the hell was the fun in that?
“The point is not to have fun,” Atropos said. “The point is to do something for the good of all mankind.”
Zagreus huffed. “What the hell do I care about the good of mankind? I’m not human.”
“No, you’re not.” Lachesis pushed to her feet. “You have the potential to be a whole lot more.”
Clotho and Atropos rose and stood next to Lachesis, smiling knowing, secretive grins. And as Zagreus looked over each Fate, a tingle of apprehension rushed down his spine.
“That is the offer for your eventual freedom, Ziggy.” Lachesis lifted her brow in anticipation. “The decision is up to you. Now what is your choice?”
ETERNAL GUARDIANS LEXICON
adelfos – Brother
agkelos – Term of endearment; my angel
ándras; pl. ándres – Male Argolean
Argolea – Realm established by Zeus for the blessed heroes and their descendants
Argonauts – Eternal guardian warriors who protect Argolea. In every generation, one from the original seven bloodlines (Heracles, Achilles, Jason, Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus, and Bellerophon) is chosen to continue the guardian tradition.
binding – Marriage
chará – Term of endearment; my joy
Council of Elders – Twelve lords of Argolea who advise the king
daemons – Beasts who were once human, recruited from the Fields of Asphodel (purgatory) by Atalanta to join her army
Dimiourgos – Creator
emmoní – Term of endearment; my obsession
erastis – Lover
Fates – Three goddesses who control the thread of life for all mortals from birth until death
gynaíka; pl. gynaíkes – Female Argolean
hiereia – Priestess
Hieros Gamos – Ritualistic binding ceremony
ilithios – Idiot
kardia – Term of endearment; my heart
loutra – Ceremonial bath
matéras – Mother
Misos – Half-human/half-Argolean race that lives hidden among humans
Olympians – Current ruling gods of the Greek pantheon, led by Zeus; meddle in human life
ómorfos – Handsome
oraios – Beautiful
Orb of Krónos – Four-chambered disk that, when filled with the four classic elements—earth, wind, fire, and water—has the power to release the Titans from Tartarus
paidí – Child
pampas – Daddy
parazonium – Ancient Greek sword all Argonauts carry.
patéras – Father
Siren Order – Zeus’s elite band of personal warriors. Commanded by Athena
skata – Swearword
Tartarus – Realm of the Underworld similar to hell
therillium – Invisibility ore, sought after by all the gods
thisavrós – Term of endearment; my treasure
Titans – The ruling gods before the Olympians
yios – Son
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading AWAKENED, the 8th book in my Eternal Guardians series. I hope you enjoyed!
If you’re interested in reading more books in the Eternal Guardians series, visit my website here to check out exclusive excerpts and access buy links. While each book in the series can be read as a stand alone, it is, of course, more fun to read them in order. The books in the Eternal Guardians series include:
MARKED – Book 1
Theron & Casey
ENTWINED – Book 2
Zander & Callia
TEMPTED – Book 3
Demetrius & Isadora
ENRAPTURED – Book 4
Orpheus & Skyla
ENSLAVED – Book 5
Gryphon & Maelea
BOUND – Book 6
Titus & Natasa
TWISTED – Book 7
Nick & Cynna
RAVAGED – Book 7.5
Ari & Daphne
AWAKANED – Book 8
Cerek & Elysia
And coming soon...
UNCHAINED – Book 8.5
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Happy Reading!
Elisabeth Naughton
BOOKS BY
ELISABETH NAUGHTON
Against All Odds Series
(Contemporary Romance)
WAIT FOR ME
HOLD ON TO ME
MELT FOR ME
Aegis Security Series
(Romantic Suspense)
FIRST EXPOSURE
SINFUL SURRENDER
EXTREME MEASURES
LETHAL CONSEQUENCES
FATAL PURSUIT
Stolen Series
(Romantic Suspense)
STOLEN FURY
STOLEN HEAT
STOLEN SEDUCTION
STOLEN CHANCES
Eternal Guardians Series
(Paranormal romance)
MARKED
ENTWINED
TEMPTED
ENRAPTURED
ENSLAVED
BOUND
TWISTED
RAVAGED
AWAKENED
Firebrand Series
(Paranormal romance)
BOUND TO SEDUCTION
SLAVE TO PASSION
POSSESSED BY DESIRE
Anthologies
BODYGUARDS IN BED
DARK NIGHTS DANGEROUS MEN
WICKED FIRSTS
SINFUL SECONDS
ALL HE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS
DANGEROUS CONNECTIONS
Coming soon...
Eternal Guardians Book 8.5
PROMETHEUS – One of the keenest Titans to ever walk the earth. Until, that is, his weakness for the human race resulted in his imprisonment.
For thousands of years, Prometheus’s only certainty was his daily torture at Zeus’s hand. Now, unchained by the Eternal Guardians, he spends his days in solitude, trying to forget the past. He’s vowed no allegiance in the war between mortal and immortal, but when a beautiful maiden seeks him out and begs for his help, he’s once again powerless to say no. Soon, Prometheus is drawn into the very conflict he swore to avoid, and, to save the maiden’s life, he must choose sides. But she has a secret of her own, and if Prometheus doesn’t discover what she’s hiding in time, the world won’t simply find itself embroiled in a battle between good and evil, it will fall in total domination to Prometheus’s greatest enemy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Before topping multiple bestseller lists—including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal—Elisabeth Naughton taught middle school science. A rabid reader, she soon discovered she had a knack for creating stories with a chemistry of their own. The spark turned to a flame, and Naughton now writes full-time. Besides topping bestseller lists, her books have been nominated for some of the industry’s most prestigious awards, such as the RITA® and Golden Heart Awards from Romance Writers of America, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, and the Golden Leaf Award. When not dreaming up new stories, Naughton can be found spending time with her husband and three children in their western Oregon home. Visit her website here.
AWAKENED
ELISABETH NAUGHTON
Copyright 2016 by Elisabeth Naughton
Cover art and design by Patricia Schmitt/Pickyme
Copy editing by Linda Ingmanson
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locations are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in encouraging piracy of copyrighted materials in violation with the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized
Elisabeth Naughton, Awakened (Eternal Guardians Book 8)
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