Saint holds Maya closer and leans down to take in her scent. He looks at her in awe, but speaks to me. “They said I’m not allowed to touch you. Just in case it happens again.”“Okay. Um, you can sit in the chair. I’ll stay on the loveseat. I’ll bring the bottle for you.”Saint looks around the room. “Bottle?”“Yeah. Since I was sick when they were born, I’m not able to feed them with my milk.” I tilt my head to the side and watch him try to understand. “So they have a formula I prepare and give them in a baby bottle.”“Show me how… Please.”“Show you, what?” I suppress a smile. “How to prepare the bottle of food?”“Yeah. You can show me so I know how to do it.” He stands a little taller. “I can help since I don’t know when I’ll be able to unblock Bronx.”I look at Saint’s expression. I can’t tell if he’s overwhelmed or irritated. Maybe both? I’m happy he wants to help, though.“Alright.” I pick Dre up and cradle him in my arm, then lead Saint to the kitchenette to show him how to prep
“Oh, Delilah, he’s just perfect!” I coo at the newborn in her arms. Alexander looks up at me with his little grumpy face. His amber eyes shine in the soft lights of the room. I shake my head when I touch his balled up hand. His energy feels serious and commanding. I can already tell he will be just like James and demand excellence in everything he does and from those around him. He and Inez are going to make a formidable couple. “Except for his eyes, he looks just like James. I’m so happy for the three of you.”“Thank you, mon ami. We were wondering what color his eyes would be since he is a hybrid, but it really doesn’t matter. I can use glamor when we are in public until he can do it himself. Then he can decide how he wants to present himself to the world.” She looks tired, but happy, as she admires her son. “You know, I never thought I would say I’m grateful for Leticia, but things could have been terrible if she had not put up wards to protect the packhouse. She came to see me thi
“Luna Regent, Goddess Iokaste Mason! My child!” Delilah’s mother, Lady Camille, lets go of Marco’s arm and looks at me. Her thick French accent is tinged with annoyance when she steps forward. She is a seasoned witch who doesn’t get flustered easily, but I think right now, I can sum her face up as a look of horror. “Lady Camille, is something wrong?” I look at Delilah who shrugs, then back at Lady Camille. “WHAT’S WRONG?! Iokaste, do you take me for a fool?” She gawks and motions to my head. “Do you wish for me to ignore the enormous fiery crown floating above your head, young lady? Were you going to tell anyone they have appointed you Luna of the Menae?” “Crown?” I knit my brows in confusion. “What are you talking about ma’am?” “The Menae. They made you their Luna? You accepted this role?” She shakes her head in disbelief. “You bear the crown, Iokaste. Can’t you see it?” I open my eyes wide and touch the top of my head, but there’s nothing there. “N-no? I mean, yes, I accepted th
“Why did you bring me here, Aphrodite?” I have no more patience for formalities with her. “Actually, no. I don’t care why you brought me here. Send me home.”“Ohh. Kas, why are you in such a hurry?” She coos at me in a snide tone. She slides off the lounge and saunters to me. Not only is her robe sheer, she’s not wearing anything under it, showing off her perfect physique. She stands close and blows smoke in my face. The smoke is a deep crimson. I hold my breath so she doesn’t have the satisfaction of seeing me inhale and choke on it. It probably has some sort of manipulative effect. “I just wanted to catch up and chat. So nice of your witchling friend Lady Camille, don’t you think? She lubed your spirit up just enough for me to summon you.”“While I think on a regular basis, I don’t condone you randomly summoning me whenever you see fit.” I stand my ground against her and jut my chin out. I remind myself what Lex’s spirit told me. “Send me home. Now.”“Don’t be silly. We have plenty
The closer I get to my body, the further away Leticia feels. How far away is her physical form from mine? I guess I’ll find out when I wake up. As my spirit settles into my body where it belongs, I hear noises and the scents of the hospital ward. I feel myself breathing, then I remember there’s so much to tell everyone. Six years. The clock is ticking. I need a plan before Aphrodite figures out how to harness the Beyond. How long have I been gone? A few hours? Days? Months? Oh, my Goddess. What if I’ve been gone for years? I need to hurry!My eyes spring open with urgency. I try to jump out of the bed, but I can’t. The back of the bed is already positioned, so I’m sitting up, but I’m being held down. I look down to see I’m in restraints secured to the bed. Bronx is sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, staring at me, unblinking, with onyx eyes.“Saint?” I whisper in a scratchy voice.“I’m here.” He says in a monotone voice. “Are you okay, Kas?”“Yeah. I’ll be fine. Are Delil
Milo throws Saint onto the floor and tackles him. He leans back and brings his fist down. Saint throws his arm up to block him, but he isn’t fast enough and Milo lands a punch on Saint’s face. The sickly crunch of Saint’s nose breaking makes my stomach churn, but the sight of the blood that sprays out makes me feel like I might pass out. I try to fight the darkness creeping into my peripheral vision. “Stop!” I hear myself say it, but I don’t remember actually saying it. My mouth feels numb, my fingers and arms are ice cold. I try to take a breath, but come up short. I feel like I’m looking out of someone else’s eyes as I watch them. When Milo raises his arm a second time, Saint is ready. He takes advantage of Milo’s change in balance and slams the heel of his hand into the right side of Milo’s chest, knocking the wind out of him. The blow forces Milo to fall to the side, allowing Saint to overtake him and roll on top. Saint extends his claws into Milo’s shoulders and lifts him up t
*****TRIGGER WARNING***** This chapter includes discussions of sexual assault. There are no explicit descriptions, but the content could still be triggering to some readers. ____ Around one a.m. Dre cries, coaxing Maya out of her sleep to join him. Saint’s arms hold me down when I try to get out of bed. “Kas, you need to sleep.” He murmurs in his gravelly voice. “I’ll take care of them.” “Don’t you want help?” I sigh, trying to push the exhaustion away. “You can help by taking care of yourself for once. I know how tired having a vision makes you.” He kisses my temple and gets out of bed. “Stay here. I’ll take care of our pups.” Take care of myself? What does that really mean? Before I can argue with him, fatigue takes over and my eyes close again. In the distance, the twins calm down and Saint’s arms cradle me again. I let myself sink into him and relax. When the sunlight filters through the window, I open my eyes and smile. Saint’s snore is more like a soft growl near my ear
“Hi everyone. Thanks for coming on short notice. Saint, you’re Alpha. Do you mind me leading this meeting?” I set my binder down at the conference table and stand next to Saint. “I’ve seen that look in your eyes before, Kas.” Saint looks at me with a sly grin. “I wouldn’t dare try to stop you.” “Thank you, sweetheart.” I turn toward the crowded room. “There is a lot to go over. First things first, Doctor Khe, it’s a pleasure to meet you and welcome to our pack.” “Thank you, Luna Iokaste. You can call me Maisy or Sy.” The beautiful woman bows her head. “We’re looking forward to being of service to Blood River.” “Alright, Sy, please call me Kas. Second, Arrow, we will heavily focus this meeting on your mother, Aphrodite.” I lean on my cane and glare at him. “I need to know right here and right now, where your loyalties lie, because she won’t be regarded in a positive light. If there’s any doubt in my mind that you intend to protect her, you will be dismissed.” “Luna Kas, for the sa
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.