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Chapter 16
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Luna of the Menae Chapter 17
The roaring of the Blood River’s wild current crashing into the rocks draws me from my sleep. When I open my eyes, I realize I’m laying on the grass. The full moon is lighting up the raging river and everything around it with an eerie glow. The edges of my vision seem misty for such a clear, crisp night. The ground is dry, but the air smells like fresh rain and lilacs. I look around and see the river bank thirty yards away. Its banks overflowing the way they do every spring thaw. There’s a woman standing with her feet in the agitated water. Her white dress has pleated sheer fabric attached to the shoulders. It looks like she’s wearing a cape with her long, backless white dress. A silver rope around her waist holds the dress in place. Black flames with deep purple licking at the edges float two inches above her head, extending into tall, sharp points in the night sky. The points create wisps of smoke that curl in the air and disappear on the gentle night breeze. I look closer and not
Luna of the Menae Chapter 18
“Maya? Andreas?” I drop to my knees, momentarily forgetting about the woman ready to attack Kas. Two of the toddlers rush into my arms. Relief washes over me when I feel my children embracing me. The rest see my arms extended and follow suit. “You’re the Menae. The Leaders and Guardians?” I look around at the crying children, trying to shush and comfort them. How could I possibly know that? It doesn’t matter. They can’t defend themselves. It’s up to me. One boy stands at the edge of the cage, looking through the bars at Kas. He’s not scared. It feels like he’s angry about what’s happening. “Everyone, look at me. Okay? Look this way, away from the river. Alpha’s orders. Don’t turn around, no matter what. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” I turn all the children away to stop them from seeing what is happening by the shoreline. The little boy watching the scene doesn’t move. I place my hand on his shoulder. “Come on, you too, son.” When he turns around, his face has shifted into wolf f
Luna of the Menae Chapter 19
Ashley’s eyes are black and extended claws, with her wolf at the surface. “Let him go, Bronx.” I lighten my grip on Reggie’s arm and stare her down. “Zinnia, calm down.” “NOW!” She growls and jumps forward in her seat, shaking the SUV. Arnie turns in his seat and reaches his arm back. “Gamma, please. Sit back. I’m not trying to restrain anyone here today.” I slowly release Reggie and hold my hands up. “Alright, see, I let go. I apologize, Zinnia. Please give Ashley back. I was sleeping. I didn’t know what I was doing.” “That’s what you said the last time.” She snarls, referring to the time I had a PTSD episode where I blacked out and almost slit his throat, thinking he was an intruder in the packhouse. “No, this wasn’t like last time. It was just a dream, but it felt so real.” I rub my hands over my face. “I’m sorry. Reggie, are you okay?” “I’m good.” He rubs his arm with his hand, then turns to Ashley. “Zinnia, it’s okay. I’m fine. Please let Ashley come forward now.” Ashle
Luna of the Menae Chapter 20
A woman from the airline escorts me when it’s time to board the plane. She makes sure I’m comfortable, then boards the rest of the passengers. I leave my sunglasses on so people can’t see me watching them watch me as they walk past. I try to read my newspaper, but I’m distracted thinking about the color of Andreas’s eyes and how I felt so drawn to Maya. I take the folder out of the envelope Ashley gave me and put down the tray table. I still have to finish answering the questionnaire. I fold up the paper, but notice an article about cryptocurrency, written by someone I know, so I pick it back up and look it over. The stewardess comes by and sets a glass on my tray table while I’m engrossed in the article. “Thank you.” I murmur, not turning my attention away from an article. I take a sip of the glass and feel the familiar burn slide down my throat. I taste the flavor on my tongue and look in the glass. It’s the same bourbon I’ve been drowning myself in for the last five months. I l
Luna of the Menae Chapter 21
Kas’s POV There’s a tiny knock on the door, then the nurse peeks her head in. “Luna, you’re awake.” I shake my head at the thought of being able to sleep, knowing Bronx is downstairs trying to heal Andreas. “Yes, please come in.” I try to sound pleasant. Inside my stomach is full of angry butterflies. I adjust Maya in my arm to make sure she’s getting milk from the bottle. “H-how did it go?” The nurse approaches with the Andreas blanket and sits on the edge of the bed. “See for yourself, Luna.” She sits closer and pulls the blanket away from Andreas’s face. My sweet boy squints at the light and fusses about having to be removed from his warm cocoon. The first thing I notice is that his hair has a tint of color to it. It isn’t the stark white it was when the nurse took him away. “Oh, my sweet boy.” I brush my hand over his head and coo at him. “Look what your daddy did for you.” At my touch, Andreas opens his eyes wide and looks at me, cooing with a grumpy face in response. When
Luna of the Menae Chapter 22
“Kas?” A high pitched, excited voice wakes me up. “Open your eyes! I need to talk to you!” My eyes flutter open to my sister Leticia being inches from my face. “WHAT THE?!! Leticia! You scared me!” “Holy moly, Kas, you look like shit.” She sits me up and touches her fingertips on my face. “I didn’t think you could look worse than you did when you brought us here.” “Ugh. Thanks Leticia. I love you too. The last month has been a little rough, but the twins are born safe and sound. Maya and Andreas.” I sit up on my elbows and look around. I’m in a guest suite in Kardiá tou Menae. The light airy room feels full of positive energy. I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing I’m not in danger for once. “You summoned me? Am I an astral projection?” “Yeah, but I’m not allowed to use dark magic anymore. Since you’re here, that means it was GOOD magic. Right?” She speaks slowly and nods, waiting for praise. “No need for me to go to the Waiting Room.” “Yes, Leticia. If you called me here for a go
Luna of the Menae Chapter 23
My jaw drops in awe at the request. They either haven’t through this through or they are messing with me. I look around at the women, seeing if I can tell if this is some sort of prank. “I- Are… are you sure? You all voted? You want me to be your Luna?” Leticia wraps her arms around me from behind and gives me a strangling hug. Ayrelles looks concerned, but I hold my hand up to let her know it’s fine. “Kas, you’re the best choice for it. You’re already basically the best Luna we’ve ever had, and it’s not even your official title.” “Yeah, Kas. You created this beautiful place for us. We all agree. We can’t think of anything more kind and selfless than using practically every drop of your essence to make sure you family has been taken care of. They are the most important qualities for a Luna. It’s been millennia since we’ve had that. Katherine only wanted control. She didn’t give a shit if we were doing well.” Sunny, one of the Maven, approaches me and regards me with bright, golden e
Luna of the Menae Chapter 24
“Iokaste, wake up, dear girl.” An unfamiliar voice beacons me. The woman’s tone sounds rich, like warm honey on a freshly baked roll, with doves gently cooing in the background. The scent of roses and juicy pomegranate overtakes my senses, making me open my eyes to see where I could be. When I sit up, my hands sink into a deep, plush velvet chaise lounge. It is the lightest shade of blush pink I have ever seen. Instead of brass upholstery tacks around the edges, the sofa appears to be held together with large pearls. There are white satin pillows stacked behind me. The chair I’m sitting on is in the middle of the room that doesn’t seem to have walls, but if it did, they would be adorned in a creamy brocade wallpaper. Besides the chaise, there are two oversized armchairs made of an ivory color velvet. The more I look at them, the more I realize they aren’t just oversized. They are huge. You would have to be at least seven feet tall to sit comfortably. I swing my feet off the side of
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Luna of the Menae Chapter 175
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
Luna of the Menae Chapter 174
“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
Luna of the Menae Chapter 173
“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
Luna of the Menae Chapter 172
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
Luna of the Menae Chapter 171
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
Luna of the Menae Chapter 170
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
Luna of the Menae Chapter 169
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
Luna of the Menae Chapter 168
“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
Luna of the Menae Chapter 167
“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.
