Heart of Fire: (Blood of Zeus: Book Two)

by Meredith Wild

  Over the course of the night, he’s introduced me to his English department colleagues and their partners, drawing them into our conversation with surprising ease. He may be a god among men, but here, underneath all that, he’s charismatic Professor Kane. He’s thoughtful and confident. Charming and observant. Quick with a joke or a compliment, keeping the people around us smiling. My face aches because of how long I’ve been beaming by his side.

  I thought I couldn’t possibly be more attracted to him, but seeing this aspect of him has challenged that once again—in so many awesome new ways. When the Jet Propulsion Lab rep we’re chatting with excuses himself, Maximus catches me staring at him.

  He smirks and meets my intimate scrutiny—which has probably gotten sultrier the longer I admire how he fills out his dark-cobalt tux. “What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Do I need a specific reason?”

  “With that particular look? I’d say, unequivocally, yes.”

  “I guess tonight isn’t exactly what I expected,” I finally admit.

  He smiles, and this time the joy takes up his whole face, causing my heartbeat to stutter.

  “Why? Because everyone’s gawking like we’re the main attraction?”

  I laugh softly. “Not really. I’m used to that.”

  Even at Alameda, I barely notice the looks, from students and professors alike. And really, the whole point of being at this party is to be seen. More, to be accepted by the higher-ups at the university who have the power to make Maximus’s career more difficult because of our controversial relationship. Maybe that’s why he’s been so engaged tonight. This is his livelihood, after all. Not just that. It’s his dream. One I nearly ruined by falling so hard and fast for him.

  “It’s just strange, is all. Seeing you this way.” I lift my shoulder. “You know…networking.”

  He leans in to kiss my cheek softly. “Did you think you had the market cornered on fabulous LA parties? You think I couldn’t hold my own?”

  I giggle when he drags his kiss lower. But as his breath and his beard tickle my neck, I want to be sighing instead. And then moaning. Begging him not to stop…

  “I’ll never underestimate you again, Professor,” I declare instead. “And for the record, I might not be so quick to let you out of red carpet engagements now that I know how suave you can be.”

  He laughs roughly. “Heaven help me.”

  I feel the texture of the sound against my skin but manage to shoot him a teasing glare. “You might need all the help you can get if my mother finds out you can be an asset in the spotlight.”

  “Speak of the devil.” His humor fades when his gaze lands on my mother’s figure across the room.

  She’s not alone. Arden is with her, his smile gleaming as he listens intently to whatever she’s saying. The fresh tension rolling off Maximus has to be inspired by Arden.

  My gaze flicks over to Kell, standing a few feet away from her betrothed. Her body is angled away from Arden, her attention riveted on her phone. I should appreciate their distance and obvious coldness, but something unsettles me about it too. Even from across the room, I can sense they’re merely tolerating each other.

  All of it pricks uncomfortably at my curiosity. I start to wonder… Did Arden even have a choice in the matter of accepting Kell when the promise of our future was eliminated? If he did have a choice, why would he carry on with the charade with my little sister? Or is torturing her during their time together just one of his sick games?

  Maximus issues another steely glare in their direction. I press a hand to his shoulder.

  “It’s fine,” I offer, hoping I sound reassuring.

  “Nothing about being in the same room as that guy is going to be fine, Kara.”

  I lift my touch to massage the tight ball of muscle in his jaw. “Relax. He didn’t show up to ruin our night. His company sponsored the silent auction they’ve got going in the library. All the proceeds go to the Seraph Society for helping with elementary school arts and literacy programs.”

  “Doesn’t endear him to me one bit.”

  Me neither. But I don’t voice that aloud. Maximus needs me to talk him down, not give him reasons to face off with Arden at an event that’s supposed to legitimize our relationship.

  I slide my touch down his tuxedo’s arm and take his hand in mine. “How about we go see what they’re auctioning off? I heard there was a first edition of To Kill a Mockingbird up for bid.”

  He finally tears his glare from Arden. He blinks, like the words I’ve said are taking him an extra moment to process. “Really?”

  I lift my lips into a smile. “Have I piqued your interest?”

  “You’ve distracted me at least.” When he sighs, it’s made of so many unspoken emotions—the kinds I can feel when words aren’t enough. “And I’m level-headed enough to recognize that’s a good thing right now.”

  And a necessary thing. Thank goodness he can see reason, because I refuse to let Arden ruin a minute of our night.

  “Come on.” I tug Maximus toward the president’s personal library. When we arrive, a handful of people are looking at the different auction items on display.

  Maximus lifts his chin toward the book. “That must be it.”

  He picks it up carefully, studying the intricacies of the cover, running his fingers lovingly over the brown boards held together with the green cloth spine. “I spent a lot of time with this story.”

  “Did you?”

  He nods. “One of my first favorites that I picked up in the store way back.”

  I smile. “‘Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’”

  “And it’s a sin, I think, not to own this book,” he says with no small amount of quiet conviction. “What’s the bidding at?”

  I lean down to study the lined sheet on the table. “Two thousand dollars.”

  He blows out a breath and sets the book gently onto its stand. “Damn. That’s a little too rich for my blood.”

  I frown a little, already forming a plan to sneak back in here when he’s occupied so I can write in the winning bid. There’s no hesitation about the decision—or my determination to turn it into reality. I’d sell my soul to make his full. Luckily, all this’ll require is my checkbook.

  “It’s in beautiful condition too. I have one similar to it. Not quite that nice, though.”

  We both turn at the sound of a woman’s voice. The new friend in the room is dressed in an unremarkable black gown. I don’t recognize her, but her wide smile is infectious enough to have Maximus and me returning it.

  “Are you a collector?” he asks.

  She shakes her head, which makes her tight auburn curls bounce below the intricate brass barrette holding them up.

  “Not a serious one. Can’t really afford to be on a professor’s salary.” She laughs awkwardly. Her eyes are a little glassy, like maybe the champagne she’s clutching could be her third. She shoots her free hand out toward Maximus. “You must be Maximus Kane. You fit the description to a T.”

  He returns the handshake. “That’s me. And you are?”

  “My name’s Erin. Erin Levin. I just took over the first year contracts and criminal law courses for Professor Vaid. She took her maternity leave early, so I started on short notice. President McCarthy was nice enough to invite me to the party so I could get to know a few people. What a place, huh?”

  “It’s beautiful,” I say, extending my hand to her. “I’m Kara, by the way.”

  Her eyes brighten, exposing their blue-green depths. “So nice to meet you. You look really familiar. Do you teach at Alameda too?”

  I try but fail to mask my surprise. I don’t care that she doesn’t recognize me from the tabloids. I am stunned, in all the best ways, that she’d mistake me for a professor.

  “Not yet,” Maximus cuts in. “But maybe one day she will. Kara’s graduating with a degree in classics this year. She’s one of my most dedicated students. She has a very bright future.”

>   He’s so sure when he says it that something hums through me. Gratitude, I think, that he’s voiced something aloud that I’d never dared to before. That and the warm glow that comes with authentic academic praise—a high that never really gets old, especially when the person dishing it out holds my heart in his hands.

  I stare down at the floor a moment, trying to compose myself. “Professor Kane is too generous with his praise.”

  He takes my hand gently into his. The sudden show of affection is startling, though I’m not sure why. He’s been doing it all night. I mean, it is us—a true reflection of how we feel—but we have our parts to play here too. Now more than ever.

  “So you found Maximus!” Jesse rolls in, his energy suddenly filling the whole room.

  Erin laughs again. “You were right. He’s easy to spot.”

  “Yeah, you can’t miss him. I figured I’d find you in here drooling over the antiques, man.”

  “And I figured you’d be making new friends,” Maximus says with a wry look.

  Jesse’s boyish smirk and quick glance over at Erin confirms what I’ve suspected from spying him in action much of the night. Professor North is a consummate flirt. The new professor’s returning blush confirms it too, even if Maximus quickly becomes the object of her attention again.

  “Professor North was telling me you are quite the Dante aficionado.” Her lips are pursed into a shy smile, but her eyes glimmer with the kind of fascination teenagers give my brother. In fact, she seems oddly immune to Jesse’s laser-focus attention on her.

  “You could say that,” Maximus replies, absently gliding our fingers back together.

  “I was an English major before I went to law school. I’ve always had a thing for Dante.”

  “You should sit in on Maximus’s seminar. I know Kara’s loving it,” Jesse adds with a wink. “His classes always fill up fast, but I’m sure he could save you a seat.”

  “Oh, wow,” she gushes, her blush deepening. “That would be amazing, but I couldn’t impose.”

  Jesse scoffs, dismissing her polite hesitation with a casual wave. “Impose? Maximus, tell her she’s not imposing.”

  Maximus grins at Jesse’s playful insistence. “Not at all. If you’re already familiar with the material, you wouldn’t need to do much to catch up to where we are.”

  “We just started the sixth circle,” I add, even though the woman’s preoccupation with Maximus is beginning to rankle me. I feel uniquely possessive over him and his attention—and definitely his lectures, even if I do share them with a hall full of students who will never know him the way I do.

  I reassure myself that the party’s many guests and the nonstop energy flowing is wearing my patience thin. Shy and unassuming, Erin is no different than any other warm-blooded woman who races to register for Maximus’s courses for less than academic reasons. Even the most dedicated scholar isn’t immune to him. I never have been…

  “The sixth circle?” Arden appears behind Jesse, entering the room smoothly and silently like the snake that he is. “That’s my favorite,” he murmurs darkly. His gaze is thick and overtly sexual on me, never wavering even as he glides closer to where our little party has gathered.

  “Arden.” I smile tightly because even though he’s a snake, we’re playing the polite game in front of strangers tonight. We all really do have our roles to play.

  “Kara. You look lovely as always.” He leans in to brush a kiss to my cheek, lifting his hand to trace the curve of my earring—the family heirloom I’ve never had to truly explain. “These are so…so very you.”

  “Cerberus, right?” Jesse says.

  The injection of the factoid seems to break the spell of Arden’s total fixation on me. He rakes a bored look over the rest of the party, as if he’s just realized but doesn’t especially care that other people in the room exist. “Yes, Cerberus. We’ve been acquainted,” he answers coolly. “Kara, though? Not so much.” He turns his focus back to me, his onyx eyes boring into me like two dark and terrifying promises. “Not yet anyway.”

  I can feel my skin flush with anger—but with a touch of concern too. The fearful nettles spike through my system, warring with my temper.

  “This isn’t the time for storytelling, Arden,” I say quietly, though I’m perfectly aware that there’s nothing private about our exchange right now except the subtext.

  He tilts his head in that condescending way that makes me wish he would disappear as swiftly as he arrived.

  “Truth or fiction,” he says, “there are lessons to be learned with every story, don’t you think?”

  “Arden.” I utter the word through clenched teeth.

  It’s a warning, but I already know he won’t be deterred. Arden doesn’t care about our audience or their ignorance about who—what—we truly are. He doesn’t care about Maximus’s possessive clutch on me or the murderous gaze he’s casting down on the demon. All Arden seems to care about is stoking that demigod-level rage and reminding me how perilous our situation here on earth is every chance he gets.

  “Why are you even in here?” I finally snap, my composure slipping.

  The gleam in his eyes flashes with the reflection of my own gaze. The one made of fury that burns like a five-alarm blaze. His smile broadens, as my ire seems to please him even more.

  “I just came in to check on progress with the auction items. Did anything catch your eye? I’m sure the Valaris could add something here to their collection to help a good cause.”

  Maximus squeezes my hand. “Come on, Kara. Let’s go.”

  I’m too invested in my staring contest with Arden to be pulled away, though. The heat in my eyes seems to grow in tandem with his vicious satisfaction. Have I ever hated someone so much?

  “You know what, Arden? Something did catch my eye.”

  I release Maximus’s hand and turn toward the auction table. With vehement strokes, I ink an amount on the line that will guarantee we leave this party with the book Maximus was so drawn to. He’ll balk at the price and the gesture, but I’m so angry with Arden I hardly care. Hell, maybe the precious thing will save the rest of our night.

  Because the anger rolling off my beloved right now is threatening to ruin all of it.

  As sure as I am of that, nothing prepares me for the curveball that comes next—the stunned drop of Jesse’s jaw when I turn back to gracefully exit the room and create space between us and Arden.

  Though he recomposes himself with admirable speed, all signs of humor flee his expression. “Oh shit,” he mutters. “You weren’t kidding.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Maximus

  “Come on.” The grip I secure around Kara’s hand is as much a command as the words on my lips. I jog my head Jesse’s way. “You too, North.”

  Together we head toward a darkened hallway off the mansion’s main room. Beyond the first door I open, there’s a mini movie theater. Fortunately, the large screen is dark and the dozen plush chairs are in shadow.

  Maybe not so fortunately.

  Jesse’s initial reaction already had Kara ducking her head. Her blazing irises have dimmed in the minute since, but in the darkness they can’t be mistaken for anything else. Not a single flame is missed by my enraptured friend.

  “Damn,” Jesse murmurs, practically drifting his wheelchair across the tiles to stop in front of Kara. “That’s…just…”

  “I know.” There’s a split second of her grimace before she drags down her hair to curtain off her face. “It’s creepy. Just give me a second to dial things down, and—”

  “Creepy?” Jesse grunts hard. “Honest to shit, that’s cooler than Catatumbo lightning and the Northern Lights combined.”

  Kara laughs from behind her hair, but the levity vanishes with her defeated slump. She tilts a troubled glance up at me. It says a thousand things at once, all of them adding to the rocks in my gut. I swallow hard, ordering air to my throat and words to my lips.

  “It’s okay.” I try for reassuring, even as my thoughts
are racing for ways to explain this to Jesse. Not just the fire in Kara’s eyes that I’d described to him before… All of it. The rest of the story that will give this oddity context. But already I know Jesse’s not ready for that mind bender—and may not ever be. And Kara certainly isn’t ready for me to share it.

  “Crap,” she mumbles, ending with a shaky sigh.

  “It’s no big deal, Kara,” Jesse mutters. “But, you know…it sort of is.”

  I ignore him, funneling my attention on the woman who’s still hunched over the back of a plush screening couch. I step closer, only to realize she’s not going to move. She trusts her hair as more of a defense than me. While I understand her choice and the fierce independence that backs it, my frustration is barely mollified.

  “Hey,” I say, gentling my intent with a soothing hand down her spine.

  Kara answers with a sigh, though it’s heavier than a rain cloud. The heat has barely dissipated from her eyes, though it’s now the texture of potent embers instead of bursting flames.

  “I’m so sorry,” she rasps.

  “It really is no big deal.” I dare to lean in and push some hair off her cheek. “It’s just Jesse, okay?”

  She twists her fingers together. “Right. But if Jesse noticed, who else did?”

  Halfway through Jesse’s name, her voice cracks again. Before her plea is done, I’ve got her swaddled in my arms and tucked against my chest. She feels so damn good there, I’m on the verge of being grateful for the circumstances. If only she wasn’t so right…

  She twists her hands around my jacket’s lapels. “And Professor Levin…”

  “She was preoccupied with the auction items.” I brush an assuring kiss into her hair. “She barely blinked as we left.”

  “Affirmative,” Jesse adds. “She was even smiling. Hell, she was practically glowing.”

  “So if she noticed anything, she’s probably already written it off as a trick of the track lighting in that room,” I offer.

  “But it’s not that,” Jesse says. “It’s way the hell better.”