“Trust me, baby.”
“The bō,” Christophe replied, pulling from Koi’s arms. “But I’m more comfortable with a pair of sai.”
Koi nodded and took both Christophe’s hands in his. Heat radiated from where they touched until their hands glowed a soft, white light. When it disappeared, Christophe held the smooth coolness of a pair of sai.
“I’ll tell Ciro and let him find you something to wear, Christophe,” Carter spoke from where he stood by the door, watching them. “And hurry, you two, time’s a wastin’.”
Christophe nodded and turned to look at Koi then the weapons. Standing to put some space between himself and Koi, Christophe spun the sai as if he was about to get into a fight and nodded. “I can use these.”
“We can ask Hephaestus to make you two really nice ones later,” Koi said. “Maybe I’ll surprise you for your birthday?”
Christophe smirked.
“Are you certain about this?” Koi questioned again.
“For the millionth time, yes. How do you say it in Greek?”
“Nai. ”
“Okay, nai. ”
“Because once we go, there will be no turning back.”
“Koi! Stop. You’re not talking me out of this,” Christophe told him. “Now, let’s get over ourselves and get this done. Have you given any thought to what you will be doing with Hera?”
“No.”
“You can’t kill her.” Christophe sat beside him again.
“I want to—but you are right as she cannot die. There are ways to have her punished for her transgressions.”
Christophe took a breath. “I guess this is one of those things we have to just let the Fates handle.”
“Right.” Koi seemed distracted.
Christophe kissed him and stood just as footsteps came to the door. He turned to see Ciro, who waved clothes at him. After he accepted them, he set the sai on the table and stripped. He heard Koi growling and turned to look at his man. Koi’s eyes glowed white and Christophe knew precisely what was happening. Instead of addressing it, he slipped into the black T-shirt and black pants then turned to meet Koi walking toward him.
“When this is over,” Christophe said. “We’re going on vacation, just you and me, and we’re going to spend a few days in bed doing all those freaky things I know you’re thinking of doing to me right now.”
Koi smiled. “You read my mind beautifully, my darling,” Koi whispered. “First we war then make love.”
Christophe laughed and kissed him. His heart brimmed with raw, uncensored love for Koi. Though he said nothing, made no confession, he was feeling as if this would be the last time he would be held by Koi. Tangling with Hera always ended badly and Christophe didn’t think this time would be an exception.
Chapter Eighteen
Koi glanced over at Christophe, who stood by his side like a soldier accustomed to battle. Though he was terrified for his lover, Koi was proud of him. He saw the determined set of Christophe’s jaw and he knew Christophe was ready.
Inhaling deeply, Koi then exhaled slowly, letting the air empty from his lungs, allowing his feet to be rooted against the desert sands. Once he felt that he was relaxed, he looked over at Ciro and Osaki then to Sisqo and Harun.
When they each nodded to him, Koi gave his lover another look. Their gazes locked and, for a moment, Koi was tempted to go inside Christophe’s head. He refrained.
“Christophe, are you ready?” Koi asked.
Christophe tilted his head to the right then the left. “Ready.”
Koi lifted a hand to the sky, sending a long, thin, white streak of lightning through the gathering clouds. Osaki and Ciro mimicked his action and, after what felt like an eternity, Hera hit the desert floor. The earth cracked under the force of her fall.
Dust swirled around her, but neither the Shivers nor Sisqo and Christophe moved. When Hera rose, she smirked at them, dusting off her flowing gown.
“I know what you are trying to do,” Hera said, the sickening smile never leaving her lips. “But it will not work.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Osaki said.
Hera shoved a hand to her left and a small army appeared. Koi instantly felt their spirits and smiled. They were not immortal, but human men she’d bewitched. To her right, Olympian immortals appeared and attacked.
“Stay to the right!” he shouted to Christophe.
“I’ll be with him,” Sisqo offered.
Koi was thankful, but he didn’t spend a lot of time dwelling on it. He, Osaki and Ciro rushed into the midst. Hera cackled, even as Koi’s blasters charged and fired. Fighting now meant more to Koi, feeling the life force leave these immortals filling him with more and more hope. This fight was not only for the planet, it was for his happiness, his heart, his Christophe.
He took a moment as he flipped out of the reach of a sword. Even as he fought, he kept an eye on Christophe to make sure he was all right. Christophe was in the middle of the fighting with Sisqo by his side. Koi looked up to see that Osaki had taken to the sky and Ciro was dodging out of the way of a few kicks.
“Koi!”
Koi shoved the guns back in their holsters and forced a bō to materialize in his right hand. He spun it around him, taking out as many of the enemy as he possibly could. For some reason, at some point during the mêlée, he’d gotten separated from the others. The distance between himself and Christophe scared him.
With a frown, Koi took off across the desert floor toward Christophe with a panicked cry. When he finally reached their location, Sisqo was on the ground, holding his side, and bodies were strewn all over and covered in dust. But the one thing that riled Koi beyond belief was the sight of Christophe scampering backward on his bum as a group of attackers closed in on him. Koi’s anger sent the wind around them, swirling, kicking up dust and causing a low hum to rumble across the Sahara.
Suddenly, Christophe shouted loud enough to raise the dead. From his direction, Koi watched as the pendant around Christophe’s neck began flowing. It sent streaks of light between each body and glowed bright enough to illuminate a small town. Then, without warning, the possessed men around Christophe went sailing across the desert.
He rushed to Christophe’s side and fell to his knees. “Are you all right?”
“How’d I do that?”
Koi smiled. “I told you—I gave you some of my powers. Sisqo, are you okay?” Koi questioned.
“Yes. That stings!” Sisqo grunted but pushed to his feet.
“Now we must go.” Koi extended a hand to Christophe and was pulling him up from the dirt when he heard Hera’s voice behind him. He quickly turned to block Christophe’s body with his.
“How sweet,” Hera taunted. “You Shivers are a disgrace. You have a choice of any being you wish and you choose humans? How flawed is that?”
“Don’t let her make you angry, Koi,” Christophe warned.
“Too late for that,” Koi muttered. “Sisqo, get him out of here.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Christophe told him. “I’m staying.”
“Christophe, darling, go.”
“Isn’t that the downside of being with a human?” Hera pushed in.
“Stay out of this!” Sisqo snapped.
Hera merely laughed. Koi kept his eyes on her as he slowly levitated into the sky. He could still hear Osaki and Ciro fighting, but he couldn’t worry about that. Hera was in a mood and if he was going to take her down a peg, he was going to have to focus. True to form, Hera played dirty and he had to dodge a fireball that went flying at his head. Koi smiled and lifted the bō to catch the tail end of the ball. He spun it in the air and sent it sailing right back at her. The ball caught her against the chest with such force that she flipped and tumbled out of control back toward the ground.
Koi didn’t let that fool him, he attacked, keeping up the pace, keeping her off guard, trying to get the upper hand. The fight was tough and tested Koi’s patience and skill. But the thought of holding Christophe again made hi
m go on, gave him the strength to keep at it.
He clashed with Hera, their weapons clanging together in the air, causing a soft trail of sparks to dance in the air.
“I am going to win this fight,” Hera growled. “I will get rid of the bastards my husband’s raging cock brought into this world.”
“But I like this world. I think I will stick around.”
“Too bad.”
Koi shoved Hera off. “For whom?”
She screeched and came at him again. This time Koi spun out of the way and went diving toward the ground, knowing she would follow him.
“Koi!” Christophe cried. “What are you doing? Don’t!”
But listening to Christophe wasn’t a part of the plan. He had to time things just right, perfectly. Just as he was about to hit the sand, he veered up, sliding upward and turning, all the while reaching for his guns. It seemed Hera hadn’t expected that. She hit the Sahara at full speed with the loudest boom Koi had ever heard. The ground split outward from them, causing a massive earthquake and a sea of dust to sail in the air.
With the guns charged, he fired, hitting her square in the chest, and watched as she trembled in the crater her body had caused. Osaki and Ciro rushed over and, together, they surrounded the hole. They stared down at Hera’s mangled body and, though Koi knew she wasn’t dead, he felt some satisfaction.
Together, the Shivers held their hands toward her. Using their powers, the three lifted Hera to the sky.
“Koi…”
“Do not be afraid, Christophe. Sisqo will return you to your home and I will come back as soon as I can.”
He looked down into Christophe’s eyes and broke his link with Hera’s body to kiss Christophe, to feel him hard against his body. Koi memorized his scent.
“You’re holding me like you’re not coming back.” Christophe sighed. “If you don’t come back, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Darling, I promise.”
Christophe nodded against Koi’s shoulder before stepping back. Koi didn’t move until Christophe and Sisqo had vanished. When he finally returned his attention to Hera and his brothers, his resolve was strong.
“I made a promise to Christophe,” Koi said, retaking his position in the circle. “I will not break my word.”
“You will be back soon, brother,” Ciro told him.
Chapter Nineteen
Christophe sat on the windowsill and clutched a warm mug. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten, neither could Geoff. In order to appease his friend, Christophe had agreed to the unsweetened green tea. It tasted God-awful and he’d been told never to drink the stuff on an empty stomach, but the way he was feeling, he figured it couldn’t make it worse.
His body ached in a way it never had before. It was like he’d been worked over really well. Since Christophe had never been on the losing end of a fight, he hadn’t experienced the ache of a beat-down. Thank goodness for Geoff, who had given him a back-rub, but all through it, Christophe had wished it was Koi’s hands sliding over his bare skin.
It had been three days since Koi, Ciro and Osaki had vanished with Hera’s body. Three days of not knowing what had happened after they’d taken her wherever it was they were taking her. Three days of not knowing if the man he loved was coming back, if he was alive or dead. Those three days were some of the worst of Christophe’s life, right up there with the day his mother had been diagnosed, the day she died and the day he’d thrown dirt onto her coffin.
Every little sound, every shift in the air, everything that made the world around him different, Christophe picked up on. Every gust of wind or change in the weather caused Christophe’s heart to race then crash. Koi wasn’t back and the weather was just doing what it did.
“I don’t know if I’m cut out to love a Shiver,” Christophe said. “This constant fighting, the disappearances—all of it is just so… I didn’t tell him I love him. I should have told him. I mean, how many movies have I watched that always make the character tell their lover how they feel before he or she goes off to war?”
“Sweetie, this is not a movie.”
“I know that!” Christophe snapped. “Shit, don’t you think I know that? But it’s the same damn thing! The regret is the same fucking feeling we all feel. If he knew how I felt he would’ve been back by now. If I opened my mouth and said something, he would want to be back to be with me. Now he doesn’t know how I feel.”
“I’m sure he knows, Chris,” Geoff replied.
The sound of the leather seat creaking told Christophe his best friend was sitting.
“How?”
When Geoff didn’t respond, Christophe turned to look at him. “How would he know that every time I think about him, my heart races in ways that shock and arouse me? How would he know that every morning when we were together, I would wake up, sit at the foot of the bed and stare at him, watching the way his chest rose and fell, listening to the softness of his breathing and loving the way his nose flared on every breath?”
“You two made love—didn’t you? When you have sex, it’s just a body thing and life goes on. But you made love with Koi. He’s superhuman, so I’m sure he knows.”
“Oh, we made love and had sex and fucked and it was glorious. But there were times when he merely lay me down and…”
“Damn, Christophe. You’ve got it bad.”
“I told you, he is the one—or was.” Christophe took a sip from his tea and turned his attention out of the window again to Kofi’s back yard. “I don’t know how Kofi and Carter can be so calm knowing their men are gone too. I mean, Carter is married to Ciro and Kofi is engaged to Osaki and they don’t seem worried. Yet the two of them are working and moving on with life.”
“Like you said before, they’ve been doing this whole thing a lot longer than you have. Kofi even managed to turn himself into a badass. After a while, you know—I mean you trust that he’ll come home.”
“I guess.”
Geoff moved across the space to sit with him on the sill. “Christophe, you have to believe Koi is coming back. It’s only been three days. Come on, let me take you out for a couple of drinks. You staying home and not eating and being miserable is not cool, and I don’t like it.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea—me drinking right now.”
“Yeah, okay. How about a burger? Some fries? Anything that can make you feel like a human again.”
“Trust me. I feel human.”
“Besides,” Geoff continued as though Christophe hadn’t spoken, “your boyfriend is superhuman, he controls the weather and he just kicked Hera’s ass. I’d say that calls for a drink—or two or three.”
“You’re right.”
“Well, if we’re not going to drink, can I talk to you about something?” Geoff asked.
“What kind of question is that?” Christophe asked. “Sure, my life is a little hectic right now, but you know you can come to me with anything.”
“Sisqo—is he really Poseidon’s son?”
“You spent a whole day with him. Why didn’t you ask?”
Geoff’s cheeks turned pink and Christophe laughed softly. “I see.”
“What’s his take on humans—I mean, Daddy dearest.”
“Um—I’ve only met him once for a little bit but he seems nice. Are you interested in Sisqo?”
Geoff blushed, which gave Christophe all the answers he needed. “Listen, if you want into this family you’re going to have to make a few decisions.”
“Like what?”
“Can you handle people wanting to wipe your man off the face of the Earth because of his friends?” Christophe asked. “Can you deal with him being gone for days and not knowing if he’s dead or alive, because, I tell you, it’s a motherfucker.”
Geoff smiled and took Christophe’s tea for a sip. “You know I’ve been looking for a good man. When I was with Sisqo, I just— Shit, forget I said anything, okay?”
“No. These men—I mean Shivers and demi-gods—are amazing. They love
with all their hearts. Have you seen the way Ciro looks at Carter? It’s like he’s the whole galaxy in Ciro’s eyes. Then you watch the way Osaki looks at Kofi and you just know if anyone messed with Kofi they’d get one of the biggest bitch-slaps you’ve ever heard of.”
“And I want that. Maybe I don’t—”
He didn’t get a chance to finish because Christophe could hear Koi yelling his name from somewhere in the house. Charging off the sill, Christophe took off running. “Koi? Baby?”
Down the stairs, he caught sight of Koi coming in from the hallway leading from the door. Christophe didn’t slow down, he merely barreled into Koi’s chest to wrap his arms around him. Koi embraced him just as fiercely and, in that moment, Christophe couldn’t hold back the tears that had spent three days building inside him.
Christophe sobbed into Koi’s shoulder, then his neck before Koi lifted his head to kiss him. Christophe sighed, trembled and allowed his mouth to be plundered by the only man who made him stronger than he ever thought he could be.
“I am sorry,” Koi began.
“I thought you weren’t coming back!” Christophe cuddled into his chest again. “I thought I’d lost you and there’s so much I want to say to you.”
“I promised you that I would.”
“Yes, but my heart… Can I ask you something?”
Koi nodded, his blue eyes shimmering.
“This has been bothering me since we went into the desert. Zeus didn’t come to the battle—why not?”
Koi smiled sadly. “Zeus is a coward. He does not fight unless he thinks someone wants to usurp his throne. If that is not in danger, he hides. I think he was hoping Hera and the Shivers would destroy each other.”
“That’s a horrible way to live.”
“I agree. You see, he stayed out of the battle. He knew Hera was disguising herself as a Shiver, trying to start a war between beings who have lived in peace for millennia. But we do not have to worry about it any longer.”
Christophe nodded. He cradled Koi’s cheeks, feeling his incoming facial hair. “You haven’t shaved.”
“All I could think about was getting our work done so I could get back to you. I felt as if I was going to disappear and wouldn’t be able to come back.”
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