The Goddess Redemption #2 - Spellbound (a Paranormal Romance) by Kelli Lockheart

Prologue
     
                  Aphrodite watched as the other gods filed out of the audience chamber. Zeus had ordered them to leave the moment Aphrodite had brought up his daughter.
                  “You waste your breath, goddess. Artemis has a lot to learn in her human lives.” Zeus said, his back turned to her. Aphrodite could see the shimmer of the chambers now lacked that polished luster she was accustomed to. The loss of power was beginning to make itself evident in small and insignificant ways, but the Goddess of Love knew that it would not be long before the limitation of power was felt among all the gods. And not just the most powerful.
                  “This is folly, King,” Aphrodite said, boldly. “The shifters steal more of our power daily.”
                  “I will worry about my power, Aphrodite. You concern yourself with my daughter. What of this next challenge for Artemis? Tell me about it,” he said and she watched him begin to pace around the room. Zeus loved Artemis, but his stubbornness about restoring her to power was likely to bring about their doom. Artemis had created the shifters. She had also killed her lover, Orion, on the day of their betrothal. Zeus had been so angry by the turn of events that he had made her human. The Huntress was bound to the earth, forced to overcome challenges set forth by Aphrodite and Zeus.
    So far, Artemis had only learned to overcome her anger and it was not enough. Orion had been killed as a god, but he was destined to live and die repeatedly on earth. Reincarnation was an unforeseen side effect of his death as a god.
                  “It is how we wished it. Those beasts of her creation hunt her, but she is safe. He is already on his way. Jealousy will plague her in this next task,” she said.
                  “You are certain she is safe?” he asked and Aphrodite could hear his concern in every word.
                  “For now, I can keep her from harm, but how long can we continue this? I feel the strength leave me every day, just as you do, my king. Restore them both, the rest of us are not hunters. These beasts have already wreaked enough havoc. Let the hunters take over.”
                  “My power is strong, goddess, would you like a demonstration?” Zeus asked her and Aphrodite let the subject go. The last thing she wanted was to stir his wrath, she had already pushed as far as she was likely to get that day. “He is on his way?” he asked her, the subject of the shifters avoided once again.
                  “Yes. He was running headstrong into the lion’s den when I found him, but his path is set now.” Aphrodite wasn’t sure how long the subject of the shifters could be avoided. If only the god before her would admit any sort of weakness. The whole thing had started as a means for Artemis to reclaim herself by learning valuable life lessons, but it seemed as if the Huntress’ father could learn a few of his own.
                  Aphrodite forced herself to think about the next phase in the challenge. Jealousy is a hard emotion to overcome , especially for a god.
    ****
                  Sara didn’t think there was anything that could be done. She had no power herself. All of it came from nature. She looked at the woman holding the babe to her breast. The child refused to eat. The babe had been bitten and was fevered, cursed. Sara had seen a number of people go through the same thing. The symptoms were always the same. A complete loss of appetite was followed by fever and chills.
                  “Please, there has to be something you can do,” the mother begged and Sara could only shake her head. The victims, those who didn’t die, were transformed into.... Sara searched for the right word. But the only one that came to mind wasn’t one she was willing to name the child, even mentally. She