Duke shot off, heading for the woods that separated this house from Kyle and Tam’s place. He disappeared the second he hit the tree line but Nic knew Duke would double back for him if he didn’t follow right away.
But first, he took a moment to enjoy lingering flashes of magic through his body, little zings of pleasure almost like mini-orgasms.
Then he leaped off the porch and headed for the woods.
Damn, he loved the smell of the forest, even in the winter when the ground was frozen and the trees dormant, waiting.
The scents were more subtle now, fresher, as if scrubbed clean. He could almost smell the anticipation of spring in the leaf buds and slow-moving sap.
As he ran, his muscles stretched and sang with relief, cold air brushing through his fur.
He caught up with Duke halfway to Kyle’s. Duke must not have been running full out because Nic caught him easily.
So Nic poured on the speed, pulling ahead of Duke, knowing Duke would be forced to give chase. Nic knew the guy better than anyone and, though he tried to hide it, he had just as much of a competitive nature as the next person.
They ran silently, focused on getting to Kyle’s as quickly as they could. They almost didn’t realize they’d been joined on their run until Tivr streaked ahead of them, a flash of gray in the dark.
The god obviously wanted them to halt so Nic and Duke stopped on a dime as Tivr turned back on them. Staring at him with their heads cocked, they waited for him to tell them what he was doing here.
Tivr sat on his haunches in front of them. “She’s not there.”
Nic automatically shook his head at the sight of a wolf’s mouth moving and human words coming out of it. He’d been reared around magic. He’d seen people disappear in front of him or create fireballs with their fingertips. But no lucani he knew could speak in wolf form. Except Tivr. Yes, the guy was a god but still…
As Tivr’s words sank in, both he and Duke shook their heads to the side and waited for him to continue.
“She’s at Howling Wolf. I don’t know what the hell you two yahoos did to her but you better get the hell over there and fix it. Mom’s pissed and sent me out after you. Run fast. You don’t want your patron Goddess mad at you, gentlemen. Trust me on that one.”
Nic didn’t wait for Duke. He changed direction and headed toward Howling Wolf. Being so late at night and with a decent amount of open ground or forest between here and there, the run would take less than an hour.
He just hoped they got there before the Lady of the Silver Light lost her patience and decided to teach him and Duke a lesson.
* * * * *
Duke slid through the low-hung swinging door at the back of Howling Wolf into the mudroom behind the bar.
Since this was a place he and Nic spent time on a regular basis, they kept a locker with spare clothes. Not much, just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, enough to let them enter the bar in their human bodies without showing all their assets.
He and Nic didn’t say anything as they shifted back but Duke hurried his change as much as he could so he could watch Nic to make sure he was okay.
He knew Nic’s change back at the house had been agonizing. He also knew Nic would heal faster now that he’d shifted.
Still, Nic’s hand pressed against his ribs as soon as his change was finished and he tried to bite back his wince of pain.
Duke opened his mouth but Nic stared him straight in the eyes, his brows raised, daring him to say anything.
Duke shut his mouth and reached for his clothes. As he dressed, he heard music from the bar, piano and guitar. Some song he didn’t know.
No, that wasn’t right. The song sounded familiar. He just couldn’t…
Desolation Row by Bob Dylan.
But not the Dylan version he knew. This one was raw and vicious. You’d think the piano would soften the sound, especially since it was accompanied by an acoustic guitar.
Not at all.
The voices were rough and raw. And he recognized both of them. Caeles and Tira.
He heard pain and frustration in her voice and it cut him like daggers.
Shit.
Duke felt as if his feet had been nailed to the floor. He was afraid to go out there, afraid if he did she’d run from them again. And he didn’t think he could stand it.
Nic obviously felt the same. His hand rested against the swinging door, ready to push through into the bar, but he wasn’t moving either.
Duke couldn’t see out into the bar from where he stood but he knew Nic could. Nic’s gaze was glued to the scene. The hand hanging at Nic’s side curled into a fist and his jaw tightened until Duke thought it’d crack.
The guy was wound so tight, Duke thought Nic might actually burst a blood vessel.
Duke finally got his feet to move and he walked over to Nic, putting his hand on his shoulder. “Nic. Chill. You’re gonna give yourself a stroke.”
Nic didn’t speak right away and Duke followed his gaze out into the bar.
He saw Tira right away, her blonde hair a bright beacon in the dusky bar. Light from the fire in the opposite corner bathed her in a golden glow and his breath caught at her beauty.
Gods damn, he’d never been affected by another woman the way she affected him. And he knew he never would.
“Do you remember the first time we saw her?”
Duke had to take a second to play back Nic’s question before he could answer. Then he had to think about his answer as he watched her long, slim fingers fly over the piano keys.
He’d been lucky enough to feel those hands on his skin. Nic had, too. Once. And it had nearly destroyed her.
“She was fifteen,” Duke said. “She had braids and dressed like a tomboy. She barely said a word to anyone. She looked terrified, remember? Like she was afraid she’d be eaten by the big bad wolves. I had this overwhelming need to protect her. Hell, I didn’t even think she was pretty, just this gangly kid with huge blue eyes. But I knew. I knew she was ours.”
“Yeah,” Nic said. “And she still is. I’m not fucking dead yet. There’s a way around this. You just gotta trust me.”
Duke had never trusted anyone more in his life.
But Nic didn’t have all the answers. And he might destroy them all in the process of trying to find the answers he wanted.
Neither of them made a move to enter the bar and Duke hoped the shadows kept them hidden. He never saw much of her smile and he wanted to watch without having her upset by their presence.
Apparently Nic felt the same because he remained by Duke’s side.
They watched her tear through three more songs with Caeles, all songs Duke never would have thought she’d know. The Dylan wasn’t surprising, really. Or the Sinatra. She’d always had a taste for the classics. But Bullet for My Valentine’s Hearts Burst into Fire and Disturbed’s Indestructible were a complete shock. He hadn’t known she liked his kind of music. Or that she knew it well enough to play it.
It was something they shared, another tie.
One he never wanted to undo.
One that would be ripped apart if anything happened to Nic.
* * * * *
Tira had forgotten how much she enjoyed playing the piano.
How the music could transport her, make everything else disappear for a time.
When Caeles asked if she knew Indestructible, she started to laugh. Not because she’d never heard of it but because it was by one of Duke’s favorite bands. Of course she knew it.
Yes, she knew rock music was supposed to be played with pounding drums and thumping basses. But she thought she and Caeles were doing pretty well.
Her muscles had loosened, the tension in her head and neck had eased and she was smiling.
She couldn’t actually remember the last time she’d smiled.
With the last notes of the song ringing in her head and her fingers still vibrating as they lay on the keys, she sat back on the stool and released a deep breath. The three lucani sitting in the bar gave them a
round of applause, at least the one who had hands did. The wolves gave howls.
“I may not know much about that type of music,” Lusna said from her spot at the other end of the piano, “but I can say it sounded amazing.”
Tira rose from the bench and curtsied for the Lady of the Silver Light. “Thank you, Lady. Would you…”
She trailed off as an odd feeling of disorientation swept over her. Almost as if she were going to have a vision. But that couldn’t be right. She hadn’t touched anyone.
Shaking her head, she looked into Lusna’s eyes. And found the goddess staring at nothing, a blank expression on her face.
“Lady? Are you okay?”
Beside her, Caeles set his guitar down and got up to walk over to Lusna. He reached out to touch her arm, softly speaking her name, and Lusna shook her head, blinking her eyes as if waking from a dream.
“Yes.” But she didn’t look okay. “Yes, I’m fine.” Lusna forced a smile but it was weak. “Tira, did you… Are you feeling okay?”
Tira frowned. “Yes, Lady. I feel fine. Why?”
“I believe…” She shook her head again, as if trying to clear it. “I believe I just had a vision of my own future.”
Tira stilled, the blood in her veins glazing with ice. “But… I didn’t do anything, Lady.”
“No, no. That’s not…” Lusna reached out to touch her but stopped short, as if afraid.
And Tira felt her stomach roll as if she were going to be sick.
She barely noticed Duke and Nic enter the room from the door next to the bar as Lusna’s eyes welled with tears. “Oh, Tira. I’m not saying you did it deliberately. I think… I think it…” She took a deep breath then waved at the table in the corner where they’d been sitting before. “I think we should sit down.”
Strong arms encircled her from behind. Duke. But she couldn’t feel his warmth. She felt only icy cold fear. And isolation.
Even her music was going to be off-limits.
“Tira. Let’s sit.” Duke’s voice rumbled in her ear but his tone was gentle, as if he thought she were damaged.
And she was, wasn’t she? A freak.
Her eyes lit on the keys she’d left on the bar.
“No. My apologies, Lady.” Behind her she felt Duke draw in a short, sharp breath, probably at the tone of her voice. Even she could hear the shock in it. “I need to go somewhere.”
“You need to come home.” Duke again, his voice flat and hard.
“No.” She took a deep breath and walked out of the comfort and safety offered by his arms. Away from the anguished frustration she felt pouring off Nic. “There’s someplace I need to go. And I don’t want you two to follow me this time.”
“Ti—”
“No!” Her voice ripped through the silence of the bar. “Just…no. There’s something I need to do. Somewhere I need to go. And I don’t want you there. Either of you.”
Duke’s expression went stone cold but Nic looked like she’d slapped him. The blood drained from his face, leaving him looking more pale than when he’d been injured.
Tears sprang to her eyes but she blinked them away. She needed to do this. Right now.
She needed…just a little peace.
“Lady, promise me you’ll make them go home. That they won’t follow me.”
Typically, she would have never presumed to demand anything from a goddess. They had a tendency to turn you into furry little creatures with beady eyes. But Lusna only nodded, her expression full of compassion. And sorrow.
“Tira, where are you going?” Duke again, his voice as emotionless as hers.
“I’ll be back to the house later. Go home. Get some sleep. You both need it.”
At the bar, she picked up the keys. She almost felt as if she was floating, no motion registering at all. Or as if she were outside her body, cut off from all sensation.
Without a glance back to see if Nic and Duke were following her, she headed out the door and to the Jeep.
She knew where she was going this time. Knew exactly what she needed to do.
* * * * *
Nic felt as if someone had taken a knife to his guts.
He watched the door close behind Tira, blocking his view of her, heard the Jeep start and heard her drive off. She didn’t peel out like she was speeding away. It sounded controlled. Too controlled.
Like the look on her face when she’d left. Blank. No shock, no fury, no emotion at all.
Fuck that. He couldn’t let her go like this.
He’d taken two steps toward the door before Duke stepped into his path.
Nic didn’t hesitate to shove him out of the way. Or at least try. Duke was an immoveable object when he chose.
So Nic cranked back his arm and hit Duke in the chin with a roundhouse that would’ve flattened anyone else. Duke’s head snapped but he didn’t move. And his expression didn’t alter one bit.
Nic knew that look too well. Duke had shoved every bit of emotion in his body into that tiny black hole in his gut. Nic wanted to hit him until Duke screamed at him, raged, cried. Anything but look like he had when his father had died.
Tira wasn’t dead. He was going after her to bring her back.
“Nic. That’s enough.” Lusna’s voice rang out, stopping him as only the voice of a goddess could. “You’re going nowhere except back to your home.”
He turned a furious look at the Lady of the Silver Light, noting the unnatural brightness of her gray eyes and the faint silver aura surrounding her body.
It made him automatically bow his head, as did Duke, Caeles and the three other lucani in the room.
“You and Duke will return to your home. You will not follow Tira. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Lady.” Duke’s immediate answer made Nic’s head snap around to look at him. Gods damn traitor.
“Nic.”
The command in Lusna’s voice made his teeth grit with a defiance he dared not utter. His hands clenched at his sides as he nodded. “Yes, Lady.”
Lusna’s shoulders slumped as she turned from them, her head shaking. “Go home. Try to get some sleep. You both need it.”
Fury still raging in his blood, Nic sketched a bow, just this side of deference, and turned to walk back to the mudroom.
Behind him, he heard Duke say, “I need to make a stop at Kyle’s, Lady. We have things to discuss.”
“That’s fine,” Lusna said. “Just do not go after her. She needs space.”
Nic had shifted by the time Duke caught up to him and Duke made no attempt to call him back when he raced out the back door.
Heading for home.
* * * * *
Tira made sure she saw no one on Fifth Street when she parked her car in front of the three-story brownstone housing Marelli’s Trattoria.
The restaurant had been a Reading institution for forty-five years. Before that, the building had housed apartments, and a few still remained on the top floor. Of course, only Etruscans lived there, keeping the secret of Uni’s Temple.
Rather than hide the Great Mother Goddess’ temple somewhere in the countryside, the Etruscans had chosen to build it directly over the ley line that ran through the center of the city. That vein of magical energy had drawn the Etruscans to settle here when they’d moved from Italy and set about rebuilding their civilization.
They’d chosen this neighborhood because, in the late eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds, it had been populated almost solely by Italian immigrants.
Though that wasn’t the case today, the Etruscans continued to hide their most sacred temple in plain sight.
Built into the back of the building, no eteri had ever suspected the treasure hidden there.
Though the restaurant was closed at this time of night, the temple was always open to those of Etruscan blood.
With a softly whispered unlocking spell, she slipped past the iron gate at the tiny breezeway that separated the restaurant from the next building. Hurrying through the darkness of the early morning
into the small courtyard at the rear, Tira reached the heavy iron door that guarded the temple.
Placing her palm on the handle, she felt the metal warm beneath her skin before she depressed the lever and pushed open the door.
Making sure it shut securely behind her, Tira leaned back against the door and took a deep breath before pushing away and entering the temple proper.
Open to the third floor, the temple had beautiful white marble walls imported from Italy almost two centuries ago. Three columns on each side of a center aisle led to the wooden altar decorated with gold leaf.
Wooden benches lined the sides of the temple, leaving the floor mosaic bare for everyone to see. Crafted by the some of the most skilled Etruscan artists, the mosaic showed a Tuscan forest populated by the various members of the Fata and Enu.
A half-hided salbinelli chased a winged folletta. A mass of tiny human-shaped candelas glowed like fireflies and danced around a tree stump. A linchetti couple, their pointed ears prominently displayed, lay entwined on a moonlit patch of grass.
Several lucani versipelli howled at the bright moon, the wolves a sleek gray, while a strega bent over a moon bowl and her male companion held an athame in his hands.
Tira headed straight for the altar, the white marble base topped by an oak slab six inches thick.
But when she got there, she stopped, unsure now what to do.
How to ask for what she wanted.
She’d gone over everything on the ride, talked through each point and debated each argument. But now her thoughts were all jumbled.
She knew what she wanted. But how should she actually beg a goddess—
“I find it’s best just to blurt it out. Less painful that way.”
Tira spun away from the altar and had fallen into a curtsy before her brain made the connection her body had already figured out.
“Lady of the Hammer, I didn’t know you were here.”
“I wasn’t until a second ago.” A blonde Barbie doll of a goddess, Nortia, Goddess of Fate, shook her shiny white-gold hair over her shoulder. Her curls bounced, her blue eyes shone and her perfect rosebud mouth curved in a smile. She looked like a twenty-something out for a night of clubbing in her short, purple leather miniskirt, tight white baby tee and four-inch metallic red Jimmy Choos.
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