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Chapter 78
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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Luna of the Menae Chapter 79
“Hey Kas.” I knock on her suite door and open it. Diane is in the armchair feeding Dre. Maya is sleeping in the bouncer seat Mom insisted we needed. I notice Diane is using her foot to keep it moving. “She’s freshening up. She should be ready any minute.” Diane mindlinks so she won’t wake Maya up. I go over and sit on the loveseat and watch her. “How do you do it, Diane?” I lean forward and take Dre from her arms to give her a break. “You are here all day with our kids, then you go home to two of your own.” “I don’t know. It just… doesn’t bother me.” She smiles. “Honestly, I always assumed I would never have any of my own children, Alpha. I had dated men before I came to Blood River, but I had no serious relationships. I assumed I didn’t have a mate, and I wouldn’t have a baby. Then I met Carly, and I knew I would never have children unless we adopted. Then when we both felt sick, I thought we had food poisoning. Who would have ever known we were both pregnant at the same time?”
Luna of the Menae Chapter 80
Kas’s POVWe pull up to the middle of a block where an old stone building is lined with quaint stores. I’m not familiar with this part of town, but it looks inviting with antique stores, coffee shops, and clothing boutiques. I wonder if Delilah and I should see about marketing the bakery in this part of town. Before I left, we had talked about opening a second location. Maybe when I’m healthy, it could still be an option.Bronx gets out and opens the door for me. I feel myself smile when I place my hand on his. There is no mate bond, but having him close makes me feel more secure.“I can’t wait for you to see this.” He rubs his thumb on the top of my hand as he leads me to a store. It’s rare Bronx gets so excited about surprising me. We approach a bookstore with a dusty, old window display. In gold paint, there is a picture of a pan flute and a goat. The images are peeling and sundried as if they’ve been there forever. Over the pictures are the words ‘The Barded Goat Used & Collectib
Luna of the Menae Chapter 81
“I just scare the shit out of anyone who gets suspicious. Being able to produce panic is a Hell of an ability.” Pan winks at me. “Would you like to see your book now, your Majesty?” “Yes, but, um, please just call me Kas.” I give him a grateful smile. “Blech. What an unfitting sobriquet for such an accomplished Goddess.” He gives me a rude look. “If you insist, I won’t call you ‘your Majesty’, but I will continue to call you Iokaste. I refuse to lower myself to refer to you with an unfitting moniker.” “O-okay.” I furrow my brows at his complex way of speaking, as well as his refusal to call me Kas. Other than Lady Camille and Delilah, no one has ever refused to call me Kas. Not in this lifetime, anyway. If Lex was here, I’m sure she’d have a snappy comeback, but I’ll let this slide. I did him a favor, he did one for me. He gives his head a quick nod and clomps to one of the wooden panels. The engraving has a wolf’s head with five, ten pointed stars above it. I look more closely an
Luna of the Menae Chapter 82
“Dear Iokaste, fear not. Bronx loves you. I feel it. Everyone can see it. The way he holds himself when he’s near you, the way he admires you when you’re not looking. He will accept his fate and find forgiveness because he will see there was no malice in your intentions. Love will conquer.” I nod my head, but I can’t answer him. If I try, all the emotions will fall out. I can feel it. He must understand because he lets silence fill the room. In the silence, my thoughts race. How could I do this to Bronx? Tie him to such an evil object. How can I fix this? What can I do? I silently swing between panic and formulating a nonexistent plan, all while staying as still as a statue, until I hear the door open again. I take my hands off of my eyes and look the ancient attempt at creating a binder.“Eros?” Pan stands from his chair. “Pan? I-I thought you were dead?” Arrow sounds shocked at the sight of the half goat God.“Alive and well, thanks to Iokaste.” I see him motion to me from the cor
Luna of the Menae Chapter 83
“I have so much to tell you about what I’ve learned from Mother and other wolf spirits who have finished their journeys, but first things first, Kas. I’m starving.” Lex settles herself into her spot in my mind. I feel my body relax, more complete than I have been in months. “Let’s go catch a rabbit… or three… or four.” “We can’t catch a rabbit right now, Lex. We’re downtown.” I sigh and give myself a moment to spend time with her before I open my eyes. “Okay, then a burrito. From that little place across from the bakery. They put that delicious steak inside. Oh, don’t forget the chips and guacamole… and a chicken quesadilla, extra chicken.” She demands. “And extra hot sauce… and queso. Do you think they have churros? I could really go for a churro or three.” “I’m sure Bronx will be happy to get us whatever you want, but I’m pretty sure I can't eat all that at once.” I shake my head and laugh at her. Some things never change. Lex could eat herself to death and die happily. Sometimes
Luna of the Menae Chapter 84
“Before you get too excited, we need to put the most powerful protections and wards in place as we can.” I look at her solemnly. “The power from that book cannot leave this room until we have it completely harnessed and locked down.”“I-I mean, there’s only so much I can do, Kas.” She shakes her head, looking unsure of herself. “Protecting the packhouse because Delilah’s magic went bananas is one thing. We’re not talking about The Lesser Key of Solomon here. This is the granddaddy book of… excuse my language, but this is every bit of the blackest magic that has ever existed.” “Don’t use the word black to refer to any magic, Leticia.” I give her a look of warning. “We rebuked that term centuries ago.”“I’m sorry, Kas, but don’t tell me it isn’t calling to you.” Leticia looks at me shocked by my composure. “It’s taking all of my control not to touch it. I made a promise. No more dark magic, but like, come on, this is like putting candy in front of a baby.”“Don’t worry. You won’t be al
Luna of the Menae Chapter 85
The air in the room feels thin and my vision darkens at the edges. My knees give out, but Leticia and Lady Camille catch me.Bronx jumps up, but Delilah stops him. “Alpha Regent Bronx Andreas Mason, hold your position. We need the energy around the room to remain constant. If you move, it will disrupt the flow.”“Kas, are you okay?” Leticia holds me under the arms, while Lady Camille grips my waist.“Y-yeah. You know how borrowed energy is. It’s not the same as using your own.” I stand and use my cane to support myself. “I’ll be okay.”Pan pulls a pan flute out of his back pocket and blows into it. An intricate song flows through the room, creating vibrations that are almost visible. A blinding white portal replaces the door to the room. I try to look away, but I can’t. Somewhere in the distance, a dog howls. I look at Bronx, but he shakes his head. It wasn’t my imagination. It was a herald of Hecate. Two shadows appear in the portal and step into the room. Their combined energy sends
Luna of the Menae Chapter 86
As the wound heals, Melinoë hisses again. She leaps up, grabbing another blade from her inside her cloak, and lunges at me again with lightning quick speed. This time Bronx intercepts her in mid-air by the throat. He slams her against the wooden wall and snarls, letting his claws dig into her neck. Melinoë squeals and tries to stab him in the neck with the new blade, but it also turns to ash. Her eyes go wide and she tries to claw at him with her talon like nails, but it has no effect on him. “No! Bronx, put her down. She can’t hurt any of us.” I scramble up and grab his arm. “Everyone is here because they want to protect me. She can’t use the blade against me. That includes the people on my side. Let her go, please! Don’t hurt her!” Bronx looks at me, but he contorts his face in anger, making him almost unrecognizable. “You deceived me, Iokaste.” Melinoë’s tone turns sad and desperate now that she realizes she can’t escape. I ignore her and continue to speak directly to Bronx.
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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.
