Nikos grabbed her hand, and began to fiddle with her fingers. Atticus rested his hand on her knee almost possessively. Touching her seemed to calm them both, as if they needed the reassurance that she survived.
“What happened?” Warrick reached back and gently set her bag at her feet.
Since she wasn’t exactly sure, she looked to Keegan to answer.
“They were after the Pythia Stone.” His expression was grim, his hands tightening on the steering wheel, then he flashed her an amused smile in the rearview mirror. “They were about to demand its return when I explained it had been destroyed.”
She narrowed her eyes on the guys when they avoided her gaze. “What actually happened after he stabbed me?”
“What do you remember?” Warrick countered, and she barely bit back a growl of annoyance.
“Everything’s a bit fuzzy. I was too busy trying not to die. I honestly don’t remember.” The suspicion that they were keeping something from her solidified. “Tell me what really happened.”
“You were right that the blade would destroy the stone. When the stone cracked, Pythia was released. She gave us the choice—allow you to die and you could finally have peace or try to save you. She warned that rescuing you had consequences.”
“Thank you for saving me.” Octavia swallowed hard at the tortured look that blazed in Warrick’s pale blue eyes. She gave him a brittle smile, her throat dry as she struggled to speak. “I wasn’t ready to die, not when I just found you guys. I have too much living to do yet.”
The guys grunted and nodded, each preening slightly, clearly pleased by her response.
“But what consequences?”
The tension in the vehicle rose so drastically her ears popped and dread pooled in her gut. “Please tell me you didn’t do something stupid.”
She would never forgive them if they sacrificed themselves for her.
Keegan cleared his throat, studying her warily in the rearview mirror. “You would become the new Pythia.”
Octavia’s mind went blank for a second, trying to absorb the bomb the guys just plopped in her lap. Her jaw dropped, and Keegan rushed to explain before she could ask any questions.
“No one can know the truth, or you’ll be imprisoned—or worse.” Keegan watched the road, refusing to meet her eyes.
“Worse?” Then understanding dawned. “Cassandra—Lady Philomena—did it once before…she said she could take my magic and bind me to my own stone so they would have complete control over me.”
The truck fell silent at the thought of what could have become her grim future, and she did her best to shrug it off. It would never happen, not with the guys standing at her side. By the time the demigods discovered the truth, she was determined to be strong enough to protect them all.
But one detail kept bothering her.
“I don’t understand why the demigods didn’t take the blade they called the God-Killer.” The last thing she expected was for them to allow her to keep something that could potentially harm them.
It seemed pretty foolhardy to her.
Warrick turned and gave her a predatory smile. “They have no choice. There were only a dozen or so weapons created with Hephaestus metal. The weapons are dangerous on their own, but most of them have gone dormant over the centuries. The weapons wake up when they find someone with enough strength to wield it. The only way to take the weapon from you is by death.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly furious. “You knew this the whole time—you all knew—yet none of you thought it was important enough to at least mention it to me?”
“There hasn’t exactly been a lot of time,” Nikos muttered, and she reached over and flicked his ear.
“Ow!” He rubbed the abused ear, trying to give her an outraged glare, but a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes hinted at the many ways he planned to pay her back for the offense. She pursed her lips and hiked up her chin in challenge.
“I honestly thought you knew.” Keegan slipped his fingers under his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if her lack of knowledge pained him, and she winced.
Atticus didn’t normally concern himself with weapons. She didn’t doubt that he knew how to fight with them and knew about the blade. They simply didn’t interest him, so he didn’t think anything of it.
Octavia turned toward Warrick, then realized why he kept his mouth shut. “You wanted me to take it into that room…for protection.”
He’d been trying to keep her safe.
“If I couldn’t go with you, at least you had the blade.” His expression was fierce. “The demigods needed to know you weren’t defenseless.”
For some reason, she found that kind of…sweet. “But why keep the truth about the blade a secret? Why not just tell me?”
When his lips tightened, she finally understood, and her insides felt raw. “Because you didn’t want me to claim it. You want me to return it to you.”
The rest of the guys stilled, ostentatiously paying no attention to the two of them.
“I want to protect you!” His roar echoed in the small vehicle, and he turned to glare at her. “The more you use the blade, the more it will bind you to it. Those who possess the God-Killers eventually go insane! If the blade is denied for too long, it will begin to feed off you. Only those with the blood of the gods are protected.”
Well, shit.
She finally understood why the blade almost seemed to have a personality. Though she’d never felt any danger when she held it, she wasn’t willing to risk it. She reached behind her and pulled it out, offering it to Warrick. She could practically feel the blade scream in denial at being separated from her, the metal turning bitingly cold to show its displeasure.
Instead of taking it, he curled her fingers back around it. “Keep it for now. I don’t trust the demigods to keep their word, and this might be the only thing that will stop them from coming after you.” He grabbed her chin and lifted her face to his, his expression earnest as he searched her eyes. “You’ll tell me if it becomes too much.”
It wasn’t a question.
Octavia hesitated a moment longer, then nodded, hugging the blade to her chest, ridiculously pleased that she didn’t have to give it up. It would have felt like a part of her soul had been amputated.
She let the silence settle over the vehicle while she shoved the blade into her boot, and it wasn’t long before the streets around them began to look familiar. She leaned forward, watching out the windshield, excitement sparking in her chest. “You’re taking me home.”
The guys didn’t bother parking this time, but drove right through the boundaries, waved through by the guards when they spotted her. When they drove into the square, she nearly fell back into her seat, then crawled forward to get a better view.
The whole square was a hive of activity. In the daylight, the place resembled a war zone, but it was healing. Trash was cleaned up. The graffiti on the walls washed away. Broken windows and missing doors were replaced. “What’s going on?”
Atticus grabbed her hips and pulled her back when the vehicle slowed. “When Thomas and his men arrived, a good portion of those you rescued over the years began to show up. Every day, more and more daemons pour into the city.”
As the vehicle pulled to a stop in the center of the square, she couldn’t stop gaping at him. “How do you know all this?”
He opened the door and launched himself out of the vehicle, avoiding her question, not meeting her eyes. Instead of walking away like she expected, he reached back into the cab and offered her his hand. Without hesitation, she placed her hand in his, and he practically swept her off the seat.
When her feet touched the ground, he didn’t release her, shifting his feet like he was uncomfortable, and she waited for him to speak.
“I know how much Thomas means to you, so I was keeping an eye on them.” He cleared his throat uncomfortably, than gave her a crooked smile. “Thomas said you have until tomorrow to get your ass back here or he was coming fo
r you. I expect he will be on your doorstep before the sun rises to demand an audience.”
Charmed beyond speech at his thoughtfulness, she went up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close with a growl, and pleasure warmed her face. Then Nikos was there. He caught her hand, gave her arm a tug and twirled them until she was free. She stumbled and found herself pressed up against his chest. His eyes heated as he looked down at her. “Welcome home, Tavia.”
She couldn’t help but lean into him, the hint of vulnerability on his face shaking her a little. It wasn’t until the rest of the guys circled around her that she stiffened and pulled back.
She’d been set up.
“What are you guys doing?” Suspicions were like claws sinking into her gut.
“The antheon granted us the boon of being your guardians, but we want more.” Keegan took off his glasses and shoved them in his pocket.
“You are a member of our team.” Nikos was as serious as she’d ever seen him.
“And we want to make it permanent, so no one can take you away from us.” Atticus’s declaration was a rumble, a combination of man and wolf.
Warrick stood with his arms crossed, his imperial expression not cracking.
She broke the stalemate first, clenching and unclenching her fists in agitation. “Why? Why would you risk all that for me? I’ll only end up dragging you back into the life you so despised.”
And it shattered her heart to realize the truth.
Warrick snorted, his stiff posture melting a little. “That was an illusion. We were never free, not really. It served the pantheon to have us working outside their network…for the time being, at least. That doesn’t mean that everything we did wasn’t approved by them first.”
“We want this pledge.” Keegan’s voice was smooth and deep and seductive as hell.
Then, as one, they all four knelt at her feet and bowed their heads.
Yearning hit her so hard that her chest ached, and she curled her fingers into fists to keep from reaching for them.
The need to run nearly crushed her under its weight. She would not trap them into a life they loathed. “I don’t want to suck you back into your old life. You will only come to hate me for it.”
“Our old life was not living.” Warrick’s voice was raspy with emotions, frustration twisting his face when she didn’t immediately capitulate. “We didn’t start living until you burst into our lives, covered in blood and needing our help.”
“We want a life with you.” Nikos seemed startled by his own admission. “You’re one of us.”
Atticus peered up at her with the red swirling in the green depths of his eyes. “You’re our mate. Whether you accept our pledge or not, we will follow you into hell.”
“The only way we can be sure they won’t take you away from us is if we’re a bonded team. Even if they ordered us to harm you, the bond won’t allow it.” Warrick brutally pushed home his point, his chilling blue eyes ruthless. “Without you, we will be called back to the pantheon again and again. Eventually, our luck will run out. We have a choice now, and we choose you. Pledge or not, we’ll always choose you.”
“We need you,” Keegan whispered to her, and her breath caught.
“And though you might not admit it, you need us.” Nikos’s declaration was cocky, his chin up, his expression completely confident.
“You trusted us, even from the first.” Atticus gave her a smile that revealed his fangs, not shying away from showing her everything, not anymore. “We belong together.”
“Eldon brought you to us for a reason. He knew we belong together. It took me until it was almost too late to realize it.” Warrick held out his hand to her. “Give us a chance to find out what the future holds for us.”
It made sense that they would declare themselves in the spot where Eldon had fallen. She’d almost swear that she could feel him watching over them, smiling down at them with approval, the crafty old bastard.
Heart pounding too hard, she could do nothing more than nod, never more sure of anything in her life that they needed to be together if they wanted to survive what the future had in store for them. She would do whatever was within her power to make them happy. If they needed this, even a fraction as much as she did, she couldn’t deny them, and placed her hand in Warrick’s. “Tell me what we have to do.”
Her breath caught when a grin lit up his face. Instead of answering, he released her and the men reached out and connected hands. Raw energy rose in the air, swirling around them like a tornado. Her own powers rose in response, strands of her magic mixing with theirs until they all wove together. The colors were like shooting stars across the sky.
Then it exploded and the shards slammed into her. The splinters pierced her soul and ignited like gunpowder. The connection between her and the guys snapped into place hard enough to jolt through her body and drop her to her knees.
Skin tingling, pleasure swirling along her nerves with each heaving breath, she tried to concentrate on anything but the warmth and comfort that enveloped her. They were wearing the same dazed expression that she was sure on her own face. “Is that normal?”
The guys shook their heads.
Nikos looked shaken, absently rubbing his fingertips together, as if they still prickled with power. “Not even fucking close.”
Atticus grinned so hugely she’d swear his jaw cracked. “It triggered the mating bond.”
Her breath caught, and she was afraid to move, waiting for them to run.
Instead, they began grinning, and she narrowed her eyes on them. “You knew.”
Warrick’s smile turned into a smirk. “Pythia mentioned that we were your mates. We didn’t expect the bond to bind us so deeply.”
“But we hoped,” Keegan interrupted. “It’s more like a promise. Our magic has determined that we’re compatible. It’s a blessing from the gods. We have the choice to strengthen the bond and become true mates, or you can allow it to fade into that of a normal connection among teammates. If you accept the mating bond, our pledge will be to you. Any connection to the pantheon will be severed.”
The rest of the guys scowled at Keegan, murder darkening their eyes, and she grinned, appreciating his honestly…then what he said slammed into her.
They would finally be free, their lives forever changed.
There would be no going back for any of them.
She bit her lip and gazed at each of them. “What do you want?”
“Everything.” None of the guys even hesitated, all of them answering at the same time.
Warrick rose to his feet, then offered her his hand and helped her rise, pulling her close. The rest of the guys followed suit, not letting her go far. “We’ll go slow. You’ll set the pace. Nothing—”
She held up her hand, stopping him short.
She’d heard enough.
She went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. His reaction was immediate. His arms wrapped around her, sweeping her off her feet and took control, kissing the ever-loving daylights out of her.
When he lifted his head, it took her a few seconds to gather her wits and pull back. The rest of the guys were grinning, and her heart felt full. “I sure hope you guys know what you’re getting. Trouble dogs my footsteps like a hound on the hunt, and I can feel it closing in on me once again. Your lives will never be the same.”
Nikos winked and gave her a devilish grin. “We can’t wait.”
Her heart warmed with the knowledge that she would never be alone again.
She was home.
At the claim, her power swelled, then pulsed out in a dizzying surge that nearly brought her to her knees once again. It spread like a wave through the air and settled over everything.
The tiny sparks were absorbed, and she could practically see the wilted trees and shrubs stretch their branches, tiny buds unfurling and taking a breath of air. The withered grass shivered and grew, the brown stalks turning green as they sh
immered with life.
Everyone slowly emerged from the buildings and came out into the square, humans and daemons alike. Energy like a lightning storm crackled across the sky. A shimmering dome closed over them, and she gasped in surprise when almost every daemon knelt and added their power to it. As the shield touched the ground, the entire place rumbled in welcome and a cheer went up.
Peace settled over her, goose bumps spreading along her skin, and she lifted her chin.
Home was here, in this place, with these people, and she wouldn’t let anyone take it from her ever again—even if it meant starting a fucking war.
Acknowledgments
To everyone who supported me over
the years, gave me encouragement, or
purchased my book—
You’ve helped me make my
dreams come true
and I can’t thank you enough!!
About the Author
Stacey Brutger lives in a small town in Minnesota with her husband and an assortment of animals. When she’s not reading, she enjoys creating stories about exotic worlds and grand adventures…then shoving in her characters to see how they’d survive. She enjoys writing anything paranormal from contemporary to historical.
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OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR:
A Raven Investigations Novel
Electric Storm (Book 1)
Electric Moon (Book 2)
Electric Heat (Book 3)
Electric Legend (Book 4)
Daemon Grudge Page 30