Free Kiss of a Star Artemis Lupine by Catherine Banks Page A

I said honestly.
    He moved his face closer to mine. “Then why
didn’t you touch me?”
    I closed my eyes before answering. “You’re
mad at me. I didn’t want to make you angrier by trying to touch
you. I was letting you decide when we touched again.”
    He kissed my nose, shocking me and making me
open my eyes. “Artemis, if you need to touch me, then touch me. If
you need me to hug you, then tell me. No matter how mad at you I
may be I don’t want you to suffer.”
    My shoulders relaxed and after scooting my
stool closer to his, I rubbed my cheek against his. “Thank
you.”
    Koda cleared his throat. I pulled away from
Ares and took the plate Koda was holding out to me. Koda sat on the
stool across the island from me and ate his food in silence,
keeping his gaze down. Ares handed me a knife and fork and I
quickly cut up the meat. Ares put his arm around my waist and I ate
with my two favorite men. I tried to offer Ares a piece of the
steak, but he just shook his head.
    When the steak was gone, I leaned against
Ares and sighed in contentment. “I love you both.” Ares kissed the
top of my head and Koda smiled at me. “Where’s Matt?” I asked
curiously.
    Ares exhaled. “With a female I believe. He
asked for leave and since I don’t need to go anywhere and as you’re
aware I don’t actually need a guard, I let him go.”
    Koda shook his head. “Something’s not right
with him. He’s been different since we came back from the vampires’
place.”
    Ares nodded his head. “I know. I’ve been
trying to figure out what’s different, but I don’t know.”
    “Ares?”
    “Hm.”
    “How’d you get the name ‘God of War’?” I
asked. I’d been wondering about it since the men who had kidnapped
me for the vampire queen had discussed it.
    I smelled Achilles as he walked to stand by
the kitchen entrance. Ares shrugged and then said, “I was a good
warrior and because of my genetics to the humans I appeared as a
god.”
    Achilles scoffed from the doorway. “You
withhold much from her. Why?”
    Ares growled. “Go away sidhe .” He
said “sidhe” with such malice that it made me pull away from
him.
    Achilles was rubbing his temples. “This
hatred you have towards me is ill seeded. It was not my fault.”
    Ares stood up and growled louder. “It was your fault! You could have prevented it! Instead you sat
by and let it happen!” Ares had gone from irritated to ready to
kill in two seconds.
    “What happened?” I asked softly.
    Ares shook his head and turned away. “I
won’t discuss it.” He held out his hand towards me. I looked at him
for a moment before realizing that he was playing a power game with
Achilles. He wanted me to put my hand in his so Achilles got the
hint that I was Ares’ and Achilles couldn’t do anything about
it.
    “Ares, why do you hide so much from me? I’m
your mate.” I whispered the words so that he wouldn’t take them as
a challenge.
    His eyes glistened as though covered with a
film of unshed tears. “This is not a topic I wish to discuss. Maybe
at some point I will talk with you about it, but not now and not
while he is here.”
    “You’re just as stubborn as father,”
Achilles said angrily.
    Ares spun around and glared at Achilles,
baring his teeth. “I have NO father!” Spinning on his heel, Ares
marched out of the kitchen and stomped up the stairs. I looked at
Achilles apologetically and rushed up the stairs to the room where
I found Ares staring out the window at the woods. “I’m sorry
Artemis. That was childish of me,” he said quietly.
    I wrapped my arms around him from behind and
lay my head against his back. “Achilles does an excellent job of
upsetting you.”
    Ares laughed softly and turned around to hug
me. “That he does. So, what were you and Koda really doing?”
    “Koda’s training me,” I answered
honestly.
    Ares grip tightened and his words came out
clipped. “So. You’re still going forward with the challenge?” I
nodded my head.