I wish I could tell you that things have been exciting the last few months, but they haven't. Aphrodite has been so under the radar that even Hephaestus is suspicious. Bronx and I had a private meeting with him when we got home from our media tour to regroup. Heph has a plan, but insists it’s better for us to be oblivious to the details.Other than the frequent interruptions of him and me having an intimate relationship, things have been quiet. I'm almost embarrassed to say how many times Milo or Reggie has walked in us before things get really good. It doesn’t matter where we are, Aphrodite knows and she puts a kibosh on it. When I say quiet, that doesn't include the flurry of activity that envelops the packhouse. Winter Solstice is everyone's favorite time of year. Ashley gore overboard as usual with decorating and events for the pack to attend. When the PR team advises Bronx and me to be more active on social media, I put Marybeth in charge and she thrives. She gets the best cand
Bronx sits on the ground next to the bed and puts his hand under my leg, gently swinging it back up so I will lie back down.“No need to get up, Baby. I just got done with my therapy session.” He takes my hand, kissing it softly then holding it on the side of his face. He looks deep into my eyes, as if he’s trying to find permission within himself for something. “Kas, I’ve just been thinking. I- I don’t know… I just need to talk, I guess. There’s stuff I don’t want to talk about in front of the Doc. I don’t want you to think I’m making excuses. I… I want you to understand where my mind has been the past couple years, cause I think that’s the only way you and I will really be able to move forward.”“Okay, what’s on your mind, Sweetheart?” I watch him as he works through his thoughts.Bronx seems to go through a gamut of emotions before he shakes his head, then lets my hand go so he can rub his face. He sighs heavily and looks at me, as if he’s ready to speak, but opens his mouth and cl
Bronx’s POV“Henri, thank you so much for doing this. Kas has training right now. She’ll stop to say hello after you’re settled into your suite.” I shake my friend’s hand when he arrives at the front steps of the packhouse. His mate, Sofia, and personal guard, Francis, stand with him. Sofia kisses my cheeks and hugs me. Francis gives a polite nod, but keeps his hands behind his back, still at attention.I’ve known Henri for years. I met him when I was in the military and consider him a mentor. He was an Alpha Regent for his pack in France before his son took over and they voted Henri into a position on the Elder Council. He was the one who recommended sending Kas to Lady Camille’s coven. He even married Kas and I. It’s only appropriate for him to perform the ceremony for us to officially become chosen mates.“How could I not?! You’re damn lucky the Council didn’t have you executed when they found out what you did to Kas. I can’t believe they didn’t strip you of your Regent status.” He
“Bronx, we need you at the front door.” Reggie comes through a mindlink. “Bro, now is not a good time.” I lean my head back against the wall and look at the door to Kas’s room. She’s been in there with Psyche for over an hour. “I’m waiting for Kas to get done in the hospital wing.” “Yeah well, looks like Elder Henri’s guard, Francis, is mated to a Goddess… and did you know the Healers can create a force field around themselves when they’re scared? Cause if you didn’t, now you do.” Shit. I grit my teeth and growl to myself. Why now? Why does everything have to turn to shit all at once? I take a slow breath to calm myself before I reply. “Which healer and is anyone hurt?” “No one has been hurt as far as I can tell. Lena is in like… a cocoon? Sort of? I assume she can get out if she wants, but how the Hell could I know for sure?” “Cocoon?” I stand up and walk toward the nurses’ station. “Like… a crystal cocoon? Send Marco a picture. Ask him if it’s what Kas looked like when she turne
“Kas, we can postpone the ceremony. Henri will understand. No one will be upset about it.” I wipe her tears away and kiss her cheek. “We can even go to Lune D’or when Lena goes to visit Francis and have Henri do the ceremony there if we want. Henri would be happy to do that. You know they love having us visit. Musu and Marco can go visit her parents with their twins. If we wait until Delilah has her pup, she and James can visit the Coven with their new little one and Xander. ”“No. Want to do it tomorrow like we planned.” She sniffs and shakes her head. “I don’t want to let Aphrodite think she’s beaten us.”“So you and the Doc really think she’s the reason you reacted like that earlier?” It still sounds farfetched, but does it really sound that crazy? It’s been three months since Kas agreed to be my chosen mate and Aphrodite has made our lives really uncomfortable.“Whether Psyche thinks so or not, I know it. When Klay cracked the whip, I heard that obnoxious buzzing sound, and I lost
Kas’s POV“Sorry I’m late. The door to my suite was stuck closed.” Henri announces as he comes into the Bronx’s office. He trips on his shoelace, but Milo catches him before he hits his head on the corner of the desk. Henri holds his hand to his heart. “Ah merde [Oh shit]! That has never happened to me before.”“Are you alright, Alpha?” Musu rushes to his other side.“Yes, my dear. Merci.” He shakes his head. “I-I don’t know what happened.”“Aphrodite, Sir.” Milo pats him on the back. “As much as I hate to say we should hurry with something like this… we, uh, should hurry.”I look around the Bronx’s office at our ranked members and closest friends. It disappointed the Menae when I asked them not to attend, but they understood my reasoning. If anything were to happen to them because Aphrodite throws another tantrum, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. As much as I wish Maya and Dre could be here with us, it’s just not safe. As a consolation, the Menae get to babysit all the childre
Bronx’s POV“Happy Birthday, Princess. How is Daddy’s sweet girl?” I pick Maya up and tuck her into my arm when I see her waddle out of the bedroom. Her long mousy brown hair is tangled on top of her head and the sleep is still thick in her eyes. “Where’s Mommy and Dre?”“Dey snuggle in big bed.” She leans her head against me and yawns with a growl. “Maya hungry, Daddy.”“Oh, well, good news. I got your eggs with sausage bits and toast and strawberry jam.” I kiss her cheek.“No, Daddy.” She scowls and points at the plate. “Maya want birfday cake.”“Birthday cake is later, Princess. You have to have breakfast first, so you’ll grow big and strong.” I pick the plate up and take her to the table. Instead of making her sit in her booster seat, I let her sit on my lap and help her with the tiny fork. “We’re going to celebrate with your friends. Katie will be there and Inez, Mandie, and Codi. Does that sound good?”“Can’t we let her have cake now AND later?” Saint whines. If it were up to hi
As soon as we leave the salon, I head straight to the fourth floor and make a beeline for Milo’s office before Kas can see me. You know, before she can see Maya.I knock on his office door and wait until I hear him answer back. I step inside and put Maya down.“Hey Bro. What’s up?” Milo looks up from his paperwork. “Maya! How’s my gir- Maya? What happened to your hair?”Maya runs behind his desk and climbs on his lap. She rubs her hands over the freshly buzzed sides of her head. “Maya got haircut like Uncle Milo! I pretty now.”“Well, you’re always pretty, Maya, but what do you mean ‘Like Uncle Milo’?” He rubs the back of his neck, trying to understand her. You can practically see the light bulb turn on. “Y-you mean when I was a teenager?”“Like da picture.” Maya pouts at him. “Miss Nanny showed me.”“Maya wanted a haircut for her birthday.” I help decipher. “We just came from seeing Annie in the salon. We couldn’t figure out what kind of haircut Maya wanted until she saw a picture of
TWO YEARS LATER “There’s no way this is it, Lex.” I stare at the ancient temple. “This is what we’ve been looking for, for almost two years, and it’s abandoned. Leticia must have had the wrong coordinates.” “Well, Zeus doesn’t like people looking for them.” She huffs at me. “If you want their help, have faith and believe that you’ll find them. I recommend closing your eyes and fixing your damned mindset, Kas. That’s the only way we are going to get home.” Leticia was released from the Waiting Room about six months after she and Aphrodite were sent there. After a while, she realized she didn’t need to use dark magic against the Goddess of Love. When her thirty days were up, she got to leave, but Aphrodite is still trapped there. The Menae have tried to counsel her on what she needs to do to escape, but she refuses to comply. We used Leticia’s informants and connections to find out where The Fates reside in hopes of helping change Bianca Beryl’s thread. It’s an outside chance, but M
“Hey Little Sister, I got a little somethin’ for ya.” Milo’s hand pushes past the door of my office with a plate containing an omelet, sausage, toast, and a pastry. “Can I come in?” “Of course you can.” I lean back in my seat and smile, secretly grateful for the interruption. “Mrs. Miller is worried that you’re not eating enough.” He sets the plate and silverware rolled in a napkin on my desk followed by a cup of coffee. “Are you doing okay?” “I won’t lie to you, Milo, so…” I press my lips together and look around the office. “No, I’m not okay. It’s been almost three weeks and still no word from Bronx. I have no clue when he’ll be back and there’s literally nothing I can do about it. Maya and Dre keep asking about him. The last time they saw him he was fighting the Minotaur, then he disappeared into a portal wearing his boxers and your tac vest. I can tell Tavi misses him, too. I’ve been letting her sleep with one of his shirts, so at least she has his scent with her, but… do you k
“Kas, pacing a hole in the floor won’t help.” Lex jumps in front of me, blocking my way. “You heard Mother. We need to be patient. Why don’t you sit down and eat something?”“Is food all you think about, Lex?” I drop my shoulders and try to step around her, but she side steps, to stay in front of me. “It’s been hours. What if Zeus put Bronx in Tartarus or something?”“Kas, I love you, but you’re driving me nuts.” She pulls on the edge of my nightgown to the small table. “No news is good news. Now sit. Eat.”The table has a delicious spread of breakfast foods and pastries. None of it looks like it will take the knot out of my stomach. I settle for a cup of tea with a pleasant Jasmine aroma and look out the window. The enormous white horses buck and play in the field with no cares in the world. My mind wanders. I wonder what is happening to our pack right now. Who is watching our children? Does Lady Camille still have Tavi in the coven’s realm, or was she able to bring her home? Are Co
Kas’s POVThe scent of honeysuckle pulls at the edges of my mind. It reminds me of my mother. I open my eyes. Where I could be. It’s an airy room, but there are no defined walls. I see low backed, ornately decorated chairs surrounding a small table with a teapot and fine china cups. There is a wide window on my left. The window is open, letting the honeysuckle scent in on a gentle breeze. Outside, there is a meadow with a few olive trees and large white horses grazing. Coffee and dark chocolate overtake the honeysuckle, making me smile. I roll on my side in the silky white sheets. Bronx is sitting on the floor with his back against the bed. He is pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. A lit cigarette rests between his fingers. I watch a fine stream of smoke rise from the tip. It leaves the burnt tobacco aroma I thought he left behind years ago.“Please don’t be mad, Baby. I just needed this one.” He whispers without looking at me before he takes a long drag from the ci
When I don’t go for an immediate attack, Ares gives me a stupid smile and rolls his shoulders. “Ready to submit, Child of Perses?” “Yeah, I don’t go down that easily, you stupid fuck.” I give him a dry laugh and swing the sword around, letting its weight settle into my hand. I don’t care how desperate things may seem. He won’t get the reaction he wants out of me. I’ll go down fighting.This time Ares half runs, half hobbles at me. I roll to the side to protect my injured shoulder, but he lunges and grabs me by the armpit, digging his thumb deep into the open wound and squeezes hard.I use a jiu jitsu throw Kas has successfully used on me by planting my foot and throwing him over my hip. His ass hits the ground, shaking the throne room. Glass shards shower us from the ceiling, slicing into my skin.Ignore the pain. Ignore the pain.I let my body weight drop into a roll, giving us enough momentum for me to land on top of him. It’s a short-lived achievement. He throws his elbow out and
Ares is standing between me and Kas. I listen long enough to make sure her heart is still beating while I assess the room. Not that it matters. I’m going to destroy him, whether she’s breathing or not. His mouth is full of blood, and the inside of his knee is deeply bruised. I don’t know what Kas did to his mouth or how she could reach that high, but she was trying to take his leg out. He doesn’t seem in a hurry to come to me, so he must be in pain. That’s my girl.“Bingo.” Saint hisses at the realization that our target is already injured. He pushes forward, heightening all my senses. “Are you ready to break a kneecap?”“Give me a second.” I continue looking around. “He’s got at least seventy pounds on us. He’s definitely injured or he would have already attacked first, but I still need to check the room.”The Menae’s barrier is still in place - Ares can’t escape. Broken marble - potential weapons. A section of Aphrodite’s whip - another potential weapon. Puddles of dark blood - sli
The beast’s roar pierces my ears. My muscles strain to keep the door closed while it pushes from the outside. Saint extends his claws from my toes to dig into the floor still slippery with Sondi’s blood. “Saint, I need all your strength.” I grit my teeth and brace myself as the Minotaur slams its body weight against the door.“YOU ALREADY HAVE IT!” He growls. “You think I want that thing getting in here?!”The growling and howls from the other two cells remind me I’m not just fighting for my life and the lives of our packs pups. I’m fighting for our whole pack. “HOLD THE LINE!” I scream out loud. No one answers, but I don’t need them to. I just need them to know that I’m still with them.“Bronx, we’re through the portal.” Milo finally comes through. “We’re on the way.”“We’re under attack!” I pull my head back as the Minotaur tries to push his horns through the cell door. “The entire pack is here. MOVE!”“Get some kids to pull their trackers off.” Reggie sounds out of breath. “It wi
“Aphrodite, let them go.” I growl at the screen. “This is your last warning.”Aphrodite throws her head back and laughs. The sound pierces my ears like nails on a chalkboard. “You’re in no position to give me warnings, Demigod.” She snarls at the screen.There is a flicker and glitch in the feed that makes her pause. Her face darkens at the interruption. She looks beyond the screen then back into the camera, making hand motions I have seen Delilah, Leticia, and Kas use in the past. She’s using magic. Just like Kas said, she must be bad at it.“She’s using magic.” I mutter under my breath. My mind tries to connect with why it’s important, but the screaming coming from Ashley’s cell is distracting me.The feed stabilizes, and Aphrodite regains her composure. “I have control here. Iokaste and I had a deal, and she broke her promise. Now, I will destroy ALL aspects of her life and you will be participants. I’ve already sent a fun surprise to one cell. Don’t worry. There are two more surp
“Marco, I need your help.” I send him a mindlink. “Once we have the kids settled, you can get back to your pups.”“What’s up, Alpha?” He comes over and squats next to me.“We need to get the kids organized and as quiet as possible.” I lower my eyes and concentrate. “Uh, let’s see. Kids wearing a shirt under their uniform sweaters need to take the sweaters off. Figure out how many babies are here. Get them all wrapped in sweaters to keep them warm. Assign the oldest kids to take care of babies. Oldest gets the youngest until you pair everyone up. If there is an odd number, Andy is with you.”“Okay. We can do that.” He stands up to complete the assignment.“Marco, we need them to be quiet. The door opens inward. If anything in that hallway hears them, we’re sitting ducks. Tell them there’s a damn reward for the quietest or some shit.”“Got it, Alpha.” He claps my shoulder. “You help Sondi.”I watch him walk away, clapping quietly to get the children’s attention, then turn back to Sondi.