“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
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
“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
Aphrodite stands up with a satisfied look and snaps her fingers. When I blink, there is a rush of warm air that smells a little like roses. We transport to a room filled with deep red and green velvet furniture accented with exotic animal furs and a giant fireplace. It isn’t like the light, airy room we were just in. This room reminds me of a play Bronx took me to see called Moulin Rouge. The Goddess is now wearing a burgundy colored robe with feather trim. She stands next to the wall beside the fireplace and waves her hand, making a mirror the size of a barn door appear. I watch the reflection of the mirror morph and swirl as if it isn’t satisfied with just showing the contents of the room it’s in. “Come here, Iokaste.” She pouts her lip, unfurls her fingers, and holds her hand out to me. “Gaze in the mirror if you’d like to see another future for yourself.” “I’m not able to walk, your Highness.” I lower my head and look at my toothpick thin legs. “My human spirit was imprisoned f
Wait, I must have heard her wrong. I turn my head back to the mirror. Milo? The mirror shows Milo in the weight room with other warriors and pack guards working out. His eyes are intense with concentration as he bench presses almost five hundred pounds. He is dripping in sweat with no shirt on. His shorts are low on his hips, with his tattooed torso on full display. When he finishes his set, he sits up and grins at someone with that goofy lopsided smile he gets when he jokes around. His gray eyes sparkle as he says something, but there’s no sound to the image. The scene fades to him on the front lawn, tossing Codi in the air and catching her while she squeals and giggles. Every time he catches her, he gives her a kiss on the nose, then tosses her up again. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy. I look at my feet for a moment. Of all the werewolves, this is the one she thinks I would be a match with? It’s just Milo. Okay Kas, think. Eros? If memory serves me correctly, he is m
The door bursts open and Arnie rushes in into the room with his gun drawn. His eyes are black with his wolf on the surface. “Luna? What happened?” His body tension lessens when he sees’s Milo holding me by the arm. The nurses scurry in behind him and run over to look me over, taking off sensors taped to my chest so she can put a stethoscope to my heart. “Luna, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? What happened?” The other nurse shines a light into my eyes and feels my forehead. “Luna, do you know where you are, ma’am?” “I… I…” I’m not sure what happened. Milo was in my bed and I want to know why. I gently push their hands away. “I feel fine. I know where I am. Milo, please explain yourself.” “Kas, you were having a nightmare, and your heart was going crazy. They were worried you were going to have a heart attack or something. The nurse said you said my name in your sleep. So the doctor called me. He didn’t want to take you down to the hospital wing and separate you from the twins.” Milo l
When the nurses come back, I help them bathe the twins and feed them. I ask every question I can think of about how to take care of them as they get older, but I don’t want to seem too eager either. “Luna, you must feel better.” The nurse smiles while she shows me the best technique to burp Andreas. “Yeah, a little. It must have been the banana I ate yesterday.” I smile gratefully. “I just want to make sure I’m prepared for when I’m able to do more of this myself. I didn’t really have any resources to learn about all this before they were born.” “Well, we will always be available if you need us.” The nurse sets Andreas in his bassinet first, then Maya. The other nurse hands me a small cup full of pills and puts checkmarks in the folder on the nightstand. “Try to get some sleep, Luna. The kitchen will bring hot cereal up for you in the morning. Mrs. Miller is going to bring it herself.” “Oh, that would be awesome.” I nod happily. “Thank you again for your help. Have a good night.”
“Luna, Musu is here to see you.” Tyree peeks into the suite. I look at the clock and realized I lost track of time reading books with Greek mythology stories to the twins. “Oh, please, send her in!” I put a bookmark in the story about one of the Fates, Clotho, helping Hermes create the alphabet and smooth out the bedsheets so there is room for her to sit and meet the twins. “Bonjour, Luna!” Tyree holds the door for Musu while she pushes a double stroller into the room. Oh… I’m going to need one of those. I have to remember to add it to my growing wishlist. “I know you asked for me to visit, but I thought maybe I could bring a plus two.” “You brought the babies!” I squeal with my hands over my mouth. I haven’t even seen them yet, but their combined scent of blackberry and sage compliments each other perfectly. Musu gives me a beautiful, genuine smile, and pulls her pups out one at a time, setting them on the bed, so I can get a good look at them. Unlike my babies, who are small and
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.