Dark Hunter 00 - Dark Bites (Novellas) Read Free

him one last time before he followed Galen to where the goddess and her servant waited for them.
    “You look like you haven’t had a bowel movement in a month,” Malphas said as soon as he saw him.
    Scowling, Aricles wasn’t sure what to make of the man who would be their trainer and commander.
    Galen snorted. “He always looks that way. He was born constipated.” His brother reached for him. “Come, Ari, be young for once in your life.”
    “I tried your recklessness once and found it exhausting. Melancholy suits me just fine.”
    Malphas laughed. “So where’s your xiphos?”
    “I don’t have one.”
    “He always uses a piece of wood to spar with me.”
    Grunting his displeasure, Malphas inclined his head to his goddess. “I guess we’re ready.”
    One moment they were out in the woods, and in the next, they were inside a temple the likes of which Aricles had never seen. Made of solid gold, it glistened all around him. Bright-colored images and geometric designs were painted all over the gold.
    “Where are we?” he asked.
    The goddess folded her hands in front of her. “Thebes, in Egypt. This is my main temple. My father’s is next door.”
    “Your father?”
    “Set.”
    Aricles’s eyes widened. While he knew few gods outside of his native Atlantean pantheon, Set was one everyone knew. Said to be the most ferocious god in existence, the god of chaos even terrified his own family. “I didn’t think he could have children.”
    “I wasn’t born to him. I was created for him.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    Malphas snorted. “After Set had a little emotional breakdown that cost several gods their body parts and lives, the primal Source decided that they needed to give him something else to focus on and make him happy.” He gestured to Bathymaas. “What better than a beautiful, emotionless daughter to watch over?”
    Galen flashed a grin to Aricles. “What better, indeed?”
    Malphas passed a look of warning to Galen. “Put it back in your loincloth, punkin’. Our goddess is a virgin and is to remain so. She wouldn’t even know what to do with a kiss so don’t try for one unless you want to meet the bad end of my sword and her father’s fury.”
    Galen grimaced. “Pity, and noted.”
    Malphas led them to a room where four other men were lounging about. “Welcome to the Ēperon. We have two warriors from each mortal race.” He jerked his chin to the two men who were dicing. One was a mountainous beast who made a mockery of the brothers’ six-foot-six stature. For that matter, one of his beefy arms was easily the same diameter as Bathymaas’s waist. He wore his long golden-blond hair braided down his back. The other was well muscled, too, and probably stood two to three inches taller than the brothers. His white-blond hair was cropped short and he had a full beard. “Representing the Apollite race we have Haides.” He was the larger of the two. “And Hector.”
    They exchanged pleasantries as Malphas indicated the man on his bed, who was reading a scroll. He had black hair and eyes and a full shaggy beard that was the same length as his hair. “Our humans are the philosophical Monokles, and,” he gestured to the one who was sharpening his sword, “Phelix.” He had bright red hair that fell just past his ears.
    Malphas clapped Galen on his shoulder. “Warriors, meet our Atlanteans. Galen and Aricles.”
    Haides narrowed his eyes on them. “How do we tell them apart?”
    Galen grinned. “I’m the one who’s actually alive and likes to partake of fun activities. Aricles seldom smiles and will most likely be discussing philosophy with Monokles.”
    Aricles kept his features blank. “And I’ll be the one spanking Galen’s ass during training.”
    Hector laughed wholeheartedly. “I like them already.” He indicated a vacant chair to his right. “Stow your gear and join us.”
    Aricles took Galen’s things. “Go on. I’ll take care of it.”
    As always, Galen didn’t hesitate