by Lisa Kessler
The family of muses and Guardians came backstage with flowers for Maggie. Nate scooped his daughter up onto his shoulders, and the joy on her face was catching.
Mason wandered over to Gavin with a grin. “Lookin’ good, Gavin,” he said, his words coming out in a slow southern drawl. “Didn’t know you could dance.”
Gavin chuckled. “Neither did I.”
Mason crossed his arms, shaking his head. “Well, you seemed like a natural up there.”
“It was all Tera.” He glanced over at her and smiled, then returned his attention to Mason. “Is the inspector still stopping by the theater tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, his gaze shifting over to Clio. “We’re going to be working late tonight on some finishing touches to the ceiling.”
“We’ll be there to help.”
Mason gripped his shoulder. “Thanks, man.” He lowered his voice. “Things have been quiet lately…be careful.”
“I’m all over it,” Gavin promised him.
Once the dancers and parents were gone, Tera and her muse sisters made dinner plans, and Gavin headed for the dressing room to change. But before he got his pants off, his birthmark started throbbing and stinging. It was bright red in the mirror.
Fuck.
He buttoned his pants and drew his gun. He came out of the dressing room to find everyone frozen. No sound, no movement. The other muses and Guardians were still, too.
Kronos, you bastard…
The back door opened, and two men in gold masks came in with guns drawn. Gavin took one stride in their direction before the air became as thick as wet cement. He pushed his muscles to the brink, managing another slow step forward.
The door opened again, and Kevin stepped inside with his sliver hair slicked back and a smug smile on his lips. “Sorry we’re late.” He gestured toward Tera. “I missed her dance.”
Gavin struggled to turn. He had to get Tera out of here; he just had no idea how. His gun was still in his hand, but by the time he got it aimed, Kevin and his masked minions would have plenty of time to get out—with or without any of the muses—before Gavin could even pull the trigger.
Kevin approached Tera, and Gavin’s birthmark burned hotter. Gavin struggled harder, begging his muscles to respond, and managed two more steps in her direction.
The god raised a brow. “You impress me.” He glanced at Tera and back to Gavin. “You love her.” A knowing smile tugged at his lips. “My son marked you, didn’t he? You’re her Guardian.”
Gavin took another step closer as Kevin ran a finger along Tera’s jaw. “Such a pity I have to hurt her.” He scanned the backstage area and shook his head. “Wait a minute. We’re missing one. Where is Trinity?” He turned to Gavin again. “Are you hiding her?” He waved his hand. “No matter. If my son truly cares for humanity, for his precious daughters, he won’t be able to bear hearing his muses scream.”
Without warning, he grabbed Tera’s hand and twisted her pinky finger until it made a wet popping sound. Her face never moved, but her shriek made something in Gavin snap. Stars lit on the edge of his vision, and he got his goddamn hand to move. He raised his gun, sweat creeping down his face.
Fuck. His finger still wasn’t pulling the trigger.
Kevin laughed, a deep rumble that echoed in sharp contrast to the gut-wrenching wail that had escaped Tera. He narrowed his eyes. “Your human weapons can’t hurt me.”
He snapped another finger on Tera’s hand. Her cries ripped Gavin open. He growled, stumbling a couple more steps forward.
Now that he was closer, Gavin noticed he wasn’t the only one sweating profusely. Kevin was struggling, too. Gavin didn’t know if slowing time for this many people was taxing the immortal or if the fact that he needed to work so hard to keep Gavin’s timeline moving slowly was draining him, but either way, it was a chink in his armor. And Gavin intended to expose it.
CHAPTER 18
Ted peered into the room where Doris Muldoon stood motionless. Ted’s best guess was that she’d been like this since the day Kevin had lured Tera—and Gavin, as a result—to the mansion and slowed time. If Ted was right, this woman had been standing up for almost two weeks based on his own time. No food, no water, no bathroom breaks, and no sleep, but she wasn’t dead. With her timeline slowed to such a crawl, he wondered how much time had actually passed for this woman, an hour, maybe two?
The idea that a god could determine something so fundamental terrified him. How could you fight that?
His phone rang, and Ted almost hit the ceiling. Trinity’s name lit up the screen. He clicked “Accept” and wandered out into the hall. “Thanks for calling me back.”
“I only have a minute,” she rushed out. “I’m super late for a dance recital. What’s going on?”
God it was good to hear her voice. “I think Kevin is trying to brainwash a couple enforcers for the Order.”
“You should be talking to Nate about this.”
Ted shook his head. “I’m calling you because I also think Kevin knows Tera has found her Guardian.”
She paused, and her tone softened. “You think he’s sending someone after me.”
“I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s possible. Two of them.” He paced the length of the long hallway. “Just stay with the Guardians, okay?”
“I was on my way to meet them at a dance recital, but my tire had a different plan. It’s probably long over by now.” She sighed. “Roadside assistance just left, so I should be with everyone in a few minutes.”
“Good. Be careful.”
“I will.” She hesitated. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
She hung up before he could respond.
Then Ted’s phone rang. He answered without looking at the screen, expecting Trinity, but Mikolas was on the other end. He sounded distracted; maybe he was driving.
“I’ve got Rhea with me,” Mikolas told him. “Kevin left Belkin with Simon Jones and Leroy Biggs from the Order.”
His breath hitched. He knew what that meant. “Does Rhea have the weapon?”
“Yes…” Mikolas paused. “That’s strange…”
Rhea said something, but Ted couldn’t make it out through the cell phone. “What’s wrong?”
Mikolas spoke in a hushed tone. “We followed their car, and they just went inside the back entrance of the theater at the high school.”
Ted frowned. “Why?”
“I don’t know. There are a bunch of families leaving and kids in costumes. Maybe dancers?”
Ted’s heart stuttered. “The dance recital.” That’s where Trinity was going. “Shit. They’re all there—the muses and their Guardians. He’s going to kill them.”
Gavin’s head hurt and his muscles burned, but he kept pushing, praying every move he made came at a cost to Kronos. Kevin had broken or dislocated two of Tera’s fingers, and that was two too many.
“Zeus!” the Father of the Gods shouted toward the heavens. “You ignore your daughter’s screams and leave a mortal to save her? Coward!”
Kevin’s shirt was so wet it stuck to his chest. This stunt was taking a toll, but not quickly enough.
The god’s ramblings grew louder and more agitated. “I am Kronos! These humans cannot stop me. Time to face your father, Zeus!” He paused, but his son didn’t appear. Kevin spat on the ground and spun around, walking right past Tera to Clio. He tore her glasses off her face and positioned his finger in front of her eye. “I cripple your daughters and still you hide.”
Behind Clio, the air wavered like heat rising off pavement, and suddenly, a gigantic brown wolf came out of the shadows—Mason. He snarled, flashing his sharp, dangerous teeth. His hackles rose as he moved between the god and Clio’s frozen-in-time form. The wolf was immune to the magic, just as they’d hoped he would be. Gavin’s heart galloped as he struggled to move his fingers. The pull of time was weakening.
Kevin frowned. “What’s this?”
He focused on the animal, narrowing his eyes. Mason’s head was low, his
teeth bared with a feral growl rumbling in his throat. He lunged toward Kevin, who stumbled back.
“What are you waiting for?” Kevin shouted at the men behind him. “Shoot it!”
The two masked figures fired at the wolf, but Mason charged Kronos, knocking him to the ground before two bullets pelted his side. Gavin’s superspeed finally pierced through the altered time, and he shot two rounds at the armed men. One of them fell in a heap, but the other just screamed and kept firing rapid shots at him. Gavin caught Tera around the waist, bringing her to the ground with him. He covered her body with his and fired one last shot. The other shooter fell to the floor, silent.
Gavin rolled over, blood pulsing out of a hole in his abdomen, but the adrenaline kept the pain at bay for now. He aimed the barrel of his Glock at Kronos. “Freeze, asshole.”
Kronos laughed, shaking his head. “I could speed up time, and you and that creature will bleed out before you can even fire your weapon again.”
Behind Kronos, the back door opened. Gavin didn’t recognize the faces of the two people who entered silently, but the woman lifted a clear spike of some kind over her head. He might’ve shot at them, but his birthmark wasn’t burning anymore. He didn’t know if the danger to Tera had passed or if the blood loss from his side was affecting him. No time to check now.
“You’re bluffing.” Gavin kept his gun raised. “You’re too tried.”
Kevin scoffed. “No need to waste the power. You’ll be unconscious soon enough.”
The woman and her partner came closer. Gavin just needed to stall a little longer. “I won’t let you hurt her.” He winced, his vision blurring. “I love her.”
Kronos opened his mouth to speak, but only a gurgle escaped. His eyes widened, and he looked down to find crimson blossoming on his chest. Tera moved behind Gavin. Everyone was moving again.
Kevin crashed to the ground, and Gavin dropped his gun.
Tera rolled him over, and he gave her an exhausted smile, his voice weaker than he intended. “You’ll be all right.”
Tera blinked back tears as she whispered. “You will be, too. Stay with me, Gavin.” Then she yelled over her shoulder. “Where’s Cooper?”
Lia rushed over to them and knelt beside Tera. “He’s working on Mason.” Lia wadded up Cooper’s shirt and pressed it against the gunshot on Gavin’s side. “He told me we need to keep pressure on the wound.”
Tera’s hand and misshapen fingers throbbed, but she hardly noticed. Gavin was all that mattered at the moment. His eyes snapped open, alert again, thank the gods.
“Nate is calling for an ambulance.” Lia looked up from Gavin’s wound to meet Tera’s eyes. “They can work on your fingers, too.”
When Kronos slowed time, they’d all been there, witnesses to his cruelty, trapped and unable to move. Terrifying didn’t begin to describe it. But they’d all seen and heard everything.
Cooper scooped up Mason’s motionless wolf. “Clio, we need to get him someplace safe before the emergency crews get here.”
“I’ve got my truck in the lot.” Reed pulled out his keys and led the way out the back door. Cooper, Clio, and Erica followed him out.
Melanie carried Maggie on one hip and little Noah on the other. Maggie hid her face against Mel’s chest while her baby brother wailed. Mel headed for the door. “I’ve got to get kids out of here.”
Sirens blared in the distance. Lia still had the shirt pressed to Gavin’s side, his eyes were closed again, his breathing shallow and fast. Why weren’t the paramedics there yet? Tera brushed a kiss to Gavin’s forehead. His skin was cool to the touch. She closed her eyes. “You need to hang on for me.” A tear spilled down her cheek. “I still can’t shoot a basketball.”
He winced with a weak chuckle, and his hand covered hers. “Tera.” She lifted her head to find his eyes open. He stared up at her and whispered, “I love you, too.”
A grin crept up on her. He loved her, too. She had said the words earlier. They escaped as naturally as if they were spoken directly by her heart. No nervousness, no anxiety, and not a single doubt. It hadn’t mattered if he said them back to her; he’d shown her his feelings during their dance. But hearing him say it out loud didn’t suck.
The back door opened, and Tera looked up, expecting to find paramedics. Instead, Trinity stood wide-eyed and slack-jawed. “What the hell happened?”
“After the recital, Kevin showed up with two armed members of the Order.” Callie was wiping down the floor where Mason had been shot. “Can you check on Tera and Gavin? He was shot. Lia’s trying to keep pressure on the wound. The paramedics are on their way.”
Trinity started to come over and froze, her attention on Mikolas Leandros. Tera had been so busy with Gavin, she forgot Rhea and Mikolas were still there. Tera had never met him officially, but all the muses had seen the press conference after Ted Belkin, Sr. had passed away. Mikolas Leandros was the new CEO of Belkin Oil, and while Ted had mentioned that Mikolas wanted to stop Kronos, the Greek billionaire had never bothered to talk to any of them directly.
“What are you doing here?” Trinity narrowed her eyes, invading his personal space. “Did you bring that monster here?”
Mikolas shook his head. “No. I brought Rhea here to stop him.”
“And why would you do that?” Trinity raised a brow. “I thought he was going to bring back the Golden Age of Man.”
“We’re pawns to the gods, and—” He blinked, watching her as she walked past him and came to kneel beside Tera.
“Anything I can do to help?” Trinity asked her.
Tera sniffled. “Just make the paramedics get their asses over here.”
Trinity wrapped her arm around Tera’s shoulders. “I’ll see what I can do.”
But then a scream echoed through the wings. “Trin, look out!” Callie shouted.
Tera and Trinity turned just as Kevin staggered to his feet. He came toward them, drawing a dagger from his belt. Mikolas lunged forward, yanked the crystal shard out of the god’s back, and put himself between the god and Tera and Trinity.
“Go back to the hell you came from,” Mikolas hissed through clenched teeth as he plunged the crystal shard into Kevin’s heart.
The Father of the Gods gasped, looking down at the wound. He collapsed to his knees and then faded, as if he’d only been an illusion. The crystal fell to the ground with a magical clink.
Mikolas rubbed the back of his hip as a confused-looking Mrs. Zervos rushed to his side. “How did you do that?” She reached for his hand, inspecting it. “That crystal still contains my son’s magic. No human can touch it and survive.” Her voice drifted off as she glanced at Trinity and back to Mikolas. Her gaze drifted to his other hand, covering his hip. She lowered her voice, but Tera had no trouble hearing. “Apparently your muse is not dead.”
Mikolas withdrew his hand without taking his eyes off Trinity. “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” she snapped.
Before Trinity could say anything else, the back door burst open again, and this time, two paramedics rushed in the building and directly over to Gavin’s side. Tera tried to move out of their way, but Gavin didn’t let go of her hand.
“Stay with me,” he whispered as they fit an oxygen mask over his face.
Tera gripped his hand through the chaos around them. The medics checked his vitals and worked to get his blood pressure stabilized while Mikolas ushered Mrs. Zervos and her god-killer weapon out before the police arrived.
Vaguely, she realized the police were already there, and Nate was chatting with his colleagues, filling in the blanks with rational, but manufactured, explanations for the bloodshed at the high school.
It all faded into the background as Tera focused on Gavin. Usually a situation like this would have her curled in a ball of anxiety, but holding his hand, their gazes anchored to each other, a strange peace settled over her. She and Gavin were more than dance partners, more than lovers, more than a muse and her Guardian. They were a team. When she had been thr
owing up, he’d held her hair back, and right now, he was weak and she would be his strength.
They had a future together, and even Kronos himself couldn’t take it from them.
CHAPTER 19
Ted flinched when Doris Muldoon came flying around the corner. “Kevin!”
Ted turned around, stunned to see her moving. “You’re awake.”
“I was never asleep.” She crossed her arms. “Where is Kevin?”
“He’s not here,” Ted told her.
“Then what kind of drugs did he put in my drink? I couldn’t move. It was like I was paralyzed! I’m filing a police report. Where’s my phone?” She froze for a second, her eyes narrowing. “Wait… Who are you? And where is Tera?”
A swell of questions crashed through Ted’s mind. Did the spell over Doris break because Rhea’s weapon had worked against Kronos, or did he just need to consolidate his power? Ted would call Mikolas, but first, he needed to contain this…situation.
“I work for Kevin, and he asked me to watch over you.” It was sort of true. Until Ted knew for sure what had happened with Kronos, he couldn’t risk showing his hand. “I’m sure he’ll explain everything when he gets back.” He cleared his throat. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
She shoved past him. “I need my cell phone. If he thinks he can get away with this, he has another think coming. I know important people, and my daughter is gifted. No one dances like she does. She should be in New York.”
The woman rambled on at a manic pace, tossing things around the room while searching for her cell. Ted quietly escaped her and went to watch the front door. As long as the woman didn’t leave the house, he didn’t care what the hell she did.
He took out his cell and called Mikolas. He answered as if he was out of breath. “Hey.”
“What happened with Kevin?” Ted asked. “Doris Muldoon is moving again.”
Mikolas lowered his voice. “I just dropped off Mrs. Zervos. She was right: the crystal worked. Kevin’s dead. Or at least I think he is.”