by Sandy James
“There’s a huge uproar since they can’t find you, Zach,” Johann said. “Your secretary and your mother are leading the charge, demanding they start shaking all the trees to see if you fall out. Your secretary—”
“Jenny’s a hell of a lot more than my secretary,” Zach said. “She’s more like a surrogate mom.”
“Well, she keeps saying this has something to do with your visits to the Pentagon. The boys in Washington aren’t going to like that kind of publicity.” Johann turned to the girls. “There’s a flurry of messages all around the Internet about him.” With a grin, he added, “Some people think he was abducted by aliens and is getting anal probed as we speak.”
Sarita was the only one who laughed. She always “got” Johann’s offbeat sense of humor.
“Jenny and Mom must be worried sick.” Zach reached up to squeeze Gina’s hand.
“Probably, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. They’ll just have to sit tight ’til we can send word that you’re safe.”
“I could send her a text.” He picked up his cell phone from the table.
“You can’t,” Johann replied. “Magicks protect us here at Avalon, but they’re not perfect. The bad guys obviously have technology too. There’s a slim chance they might be able to trace any message back to us and find this place.”
A blush spread over Zach’s cheeks. “I didn’t know that.”
Gina couldn’t even question him about what he meant before a flash of light announced a goddess’s arrival.
Rhiannon had popped in.
Dressed in a pink satin gown trimmed at the wrists and neckline in ermine, the haughty Lady of the Lake put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “There is a stranger in my Avalon. Why was I not informed?” She stuck her pert nose in the air. “Better yet, why was I not asked for permission?”
To punctuate her anger, a strong wind whipped through the hall, scattering the papers Zach and Johann had left resting on the table. They both grabbed as many of the tumbling pages as they could and shoved them under the laptop.
Gina waited to see how this would play out. Rhiannon could easily kick Zach out. Avalon was her domain. One thing she wasn’t worried about was Zach’s reaction to the goddess. He’d been taking all the information about the Amazons with such aplomb, surely he wouldn’t freak out to see the Lady of the Lake have a divine hissy fit.
Johann fisted his right hand and thumped it against his heart—a Sentinel’s salute to a patron goddess. “M’lady. It’s good to see you. This is Zach Hanson, the inventor Gina was sent to protect.”
“She protected him right into her bed,” Rhiannon said with a huff.
Gina’s face flushed hot all the way to her ears. Before she could decide exactly what to say to the arrogantly blabber-mouthed goddess, a loud pop sounded in the hall.
Ix Chel put herself between Gina and Rhiannon. “You will not criticize my Amazon. How dare you embarrass her so?”
“I dare all,” Rhiannon replied. “I speak only the truth, but I should not have been so hasty to judge.” The goddess’s gaze examined Zach from head to toe before she gave him a seductive smile that made Gina’s gut twist. “Perhaps I should get to know this inventor better.”
The goddesses were very open with their sexuality, especially Rhiannon. From the stories Gina had heard, all the Ancients were pretty much jumping from bed to bed with other Ancients, demigods, humans. If Zach was given the choice between Gina’s tomboy appearance and Rhiannon’s gorgeous face and body, she wasn’t sure who he’d choose.
Zach stood next to Gina and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I’m Zach Hanson. You’re obviously a goddess, but you’re not Gina’s goddess.” He held out his right hand. “Should I shake your hand?”
Rhiannon dismissed his gesture with a wave of her perfectly manicured fingers. “Nay. I do not wish to observe your greeting custom. I am Rhiannon. I am the Lady of the Lake. I am the goddess of the Isle. I am—”
Ix Chel smirked as she interrupted. “The keeper of Excalibur. The patroness of King Arthur. The goddess who gave him his holy quest. Yes, Rhiannon. We all know your many, many titles.”
Rhiannon pouted her lip. “The inventor does not know my many titles.”
“Oh, but I do,” Zach replied. “The King Arthur legend was my favorite as a child.” He bowed at the waist. “I am your humble servant, m’lady.”
He reached for Rhiannon’s hand, and the goddess allowed him to kiss the back of her knuckles.
“A true knight,” Rhiannon said. “You have appeased me. You may remain in my Avalon.”
Ix Chel glared at the Lady of the Lake. “How kind,” she drawled. “He is under my protection, Rhiannon. You will treat him with respect, and you will not entice him. He is Gina Himmel’s mate.”
God, no.
Ix Chel couldn’t have said what Gina thought she said.
She glanced over to Zach, wondering how long it would be before he picked up his Toy and ran away as far and fast as he could. Guys hated that kind of talk, and the last thing she wanted was for him to feel obligated to stay with her just because they’d made love.
He stood there so casually, she wondered for a moment if he hadn’t heard Ix Chel. Shouldn’t he look terrified? Shouldn’t he be staring at her with wide eyes? Shouldn’t he have taken a few steps away, trying to find a way to bolt?
But he didn’t move.
Hope swelled in her heart. Could it be that he had the same kind of affection for her she felt for him?
“Mate?” Johann arched an eyebrow. “Gina actually has a mate? Who knew?” He winked at her.
Gina wanted to pound the smug look right off his face. She was getting damned sick and tired of her love life being paraded around.
“Who has a mate?” Megan asked from the back of the hall. She strode across the room, nodded to Ix Chel and to Rhiannon, and then kissed Johann. When their lips met, a few red sparks shot from the crown of her head. “I obviously missed something. Get me up to speed.”
“Zach is Gina’s mate,” Sarita replied with an enormous grin. “Ix Chel said so.”
“Well, they say there’s someone out there for everyone.”
“Not for me.” Sarita whispered so softly Gina had to have been the only one who heard.
A shimmer brought the Water goddess—Ganga—to the middle of the group. She was dressed in a gold sari that twinkled like Christmas lights as the waning sunlight played across the silk fabric. Extending her delicate hand, she smoothed her fingers over Sarita’s cheek. “You are wrong, my child. It is simply not your turn. Patience, as I have always taught you, is a virtue that is repaid in many ways.”
Sarita gave Ganga a weak smile.
When Rebecca and Artair came walking into the hall hand in hand, Rhiannon’s face brightened with one of the few genuine smiles she ever offered.
Gina had never considered that her sisters might have relationships with their goddesses that went as deeply as hers did with Ix Chel. The only contact Gina ever had with Rhiannon, Freya or Ganga was when those goddesses addressed the whole group. Of course Megan was Freya’s daughter, so their closeness had been easy to understand. Now Gina knew the other Amazons turned to their goddesses as surrogate mothers, just as she looked to Ix Chel for advice and assurance.
As if thinking of Freya was enough to summon her, the Norse goddess popped up next to Megan and Johann. She frowned at them as she smoothed the emerald green velvet on the sleeve of her medieval gown. “Mina is not here. Who watches my granddaughter? Who tends my Mina?”
“Beagan and Dolan are with all the kids,” Megan said before kissing Freya’s cheek. “How are you, Mother?”
Freya kissed her daughter’s cheek in return. “I am well.”
Johann thumped his fist against his chest again, first turning to Ganga, then to Ix Chel and finally to Freya. “M’ladies. It’s good to see all of you. We have much to talk about.”
Zach stood there staring at the Amazons, Sentinels and goddesses.
Gina could almost see his curiosity.
He could have panicked and tried to get the hell out of Avalon and away from all of the lunatics who were a part of Gina’s life. She would have understood. He could’ve fallen to his knees and worshipped the goddesses. He could have denied any of it was real and figure he’d had a schizophrenic break with reality.
Zach didn’t do any of those things.
He accepted it all just as he’d accepted her.
* * *
Zach finally forced himself to look away from the goddesses. Damn, but they were the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. With the exception of his Gina. But...
Damn.
Raising his gaze to Gina, he caught a vulnerability in her expression he’d never seen before. Then she smiled at him, and the force of that smile hit him harder than a roundhouse kick to the gut.
She loved him—there wasn’t a doubt in his mind once his eyes caught hers.
He wanted to scoop her into his arms and run all the way back to his cabin. Then he’d make love to her until the setting sun rose again.
Gina made it next to impossible to think about anything but her, but at least this time he’d paid enough attention so he could straighten out the goddesses and which Amazon went with which deity.
Zach sized their personalities up pretty quickly too. Rhiannon was arrogant but clearly cared for Rebecca. Ganga was protective of Sarita, probably because of all the Amazons, the tiny Indian seemed the most fragile. And if he’d heard correctly, which he usually did, Megan was Freya’s daughter. Didn’t that technically make Fire a demigod? He’d have to ask Gina later to help him sort out some of the details.
A bright light appeared next to Freya, followed by a loud pop that sounded a lot like the party favors people used on New Year’s Eve. A man now stood next to her. The same white-blond hair. The same ice-blue eyes. This man wasn’t in some kind of medieval clothing like Freya and Rhiannon. He wore an expensive suit—most likely tailor-made from the tight, perfect fit.
First, the man gave Freya’s cheek a kiss then he turned to Sarita. The only way to describe the look he threw her way was lecherous.
Artair pushed his wife behind him.
Johann mimicked the action with Megan.
Zach had to fight the urge to shield Gina as well, although he wasn’t sure what danger lurked in their midst.
Who was this guy? Another Ancient?
Artair inadvertently answered his question. “Freyjr. To what do we owe this...pleasure?”
Freyjr flicked a piece of dust off the sleeve of his jacket, unaffected by all the male hostility flowing his way. “I will take no offense that the Sentinels do not salute me as they do my sister, although they should show me more respect. I came to seek the assistance of the Amazons and to see how my beloved twin is faring these days.”
Freya scoffed. “Nay. ’Tis not what brings you here.” Her gaze followed Freyjr’s to Sarita. “You seek one Amazon, not the assistance of all.”
Ganga narrowed her exotic brown eyes at Freyjr. “Must I warn you yet again?”
Again?
This whole scene was like walking into the middle of a movie and scrambling to get all the players and the plot straight.
The god shook his head as he reached out to touch Sarita’s cheek. “I will not trespass where I am not wanted. I but admire a woman whose beauty is unequaled among mortals.”
Sarita didn’t slap his hand away.
Ganga did. “Her beauty is not for you to admire. Leave my Amazon in peace.”
Freyjr sighed as if resigned, although his stare at Sarita told a different story. “Pity.”
“Why are ye really here?” Artair demanded.
What exactly had happened between Freyjr and the Sentinels to make Artair and Johann show so much enmity?
Freyjr’s gaze settled on Zach and then on the Toy. “I took time from my busy day to bring you a warning.”
Johann let out a derisive snort. “Sure you did. Fine. Give us the warning, then you need to go.”
Artair grunted his agreement.
Turning to Freya, Freyjr frowned. “Such a greeting? Does not my twin rise to my defense?”
“Your twin knows the Sentinels are righteous in their anger,” she replied. “Your interference with the Sons of Gaia has placed mortals in danger. If you truly have news to share, please enlighten us.”
The god adjusted his red silk tie. “Very well. As you know, I came to you with knowledge that Sekhmet had been freed.”
The emotional climate in the hall changed in a heartbeat as the Amazons and Sentinels all tensed as if waiting for an attack. Gina had mentioned Sekhmet but now he wanted the whole story. If the reaction of these superheroes was to brace for danger, she was one major badass.
“We already knew about Sekhmet. Richard told us first,” Gina insisted.
“Ah, yes. Richard,” Freyjr replied. “He merely arrived before I could bring you the tale. Where is that esteemed former leader of the Sons of Gaia? Or has his absence slipped your notice?”
Leader?
This was an enlightening conversation that Zach etched into his memory. Seemed like he could learn quite a bit about the Amazons just by keeping his eyes and ears open, then he could puzzle it all together later.
“He’ll be back soon,” Gina insisted. “What’s Sekhmet up to now?”
“She has achieved her first goal.” Freyjr grinned as if he’d won some contest.
God or not, the guy was a jackass.
“First goal?” Johann asked, turning to Artair. “There’s more than one?”
“Aye, lad, there must be,” Artair replied. “Had she achieved her ultimate goal, we wouldnae be here discussing her. We would all be dead or serving her.”
Zach looked to Gina for answers she would know he needed. “This Sekhmet—she’s a goddess too?”
Gina nodded. “An Egyptian Ancient. They call her the Destructor.”
“So her ultimate goal is—”
“To end the world.”
While he was thrilled he and Gina were always so in sync, he wished, just this once, he’d been wrong in reading her thoughts. Pieces to the puzzle that had fallen in his lap the day Gina threw handcuffs on him were all starting to fit together. His stomach twisted into a painful knot. “The Toy.”
“The Toy?” Freyjr asked, although his gaze never left Sarita.
Ganga stepped between them. “What is Sekhmet’s goal of which you speak, Freyjr?”
He visibly bristled. “I come here to assist you, yet I am treated with disdain. Perhaps I should leave.”
Sarita stepped around Ganga and put her hand on Freyjr’s arm. “Thank you for coming. I’d be glad to hear your news.”
Was she flirting to pump the guy for information or was she genuinely attracted to the god? Hell, the guy was attractive enough he could model, so Zach could understand the draw. Yet her reaction didn’t seem like the Sarita he knew. Were all mortals drawn to Ancients?
Freyjr’s responding smile revealed he clearly didn’t give a shit about her motivation. “She has the weapon she desires in her hands.”
“Weapon?” Sarita batted her big, brown eyes.
Gina rolled hers.
Zach agreed that Sarita was laying it on a bit thick. But Water was putting the needs of the Amazons above her own discomfort—taking one for the team. He could see her character as clear as crystal, and he liked what he saw.
No wonder Gina and Sarita were so close. Their souls were cut from the same rich cloth.
“Aye, little one,” Freyjr replied. “She, too, has a communicator. A...Toy.”
Zach jumped to his feet so fast he knocked over the bench. “No fucking way. She didn’t... I mean, she couldn’t. Only I can—”
“You believe you are the only wizard?” Freyjr asked. “Nay. Sekhmet has found another, and she has made a mate to your creation.” He nodded at the pieces of wire and metal that were once a Toy.
* * *
Gina suddenly understood
why Zach had been so frightened and had raced to his office to get one of the Toys. When she interlaced their fingers, his skin was as cold as ice.
“So she’s got another Toy,” she said. “We’ll fix this.”
Zach shook his head, the panicked look still in his eyes. “You don’t understand.”
She sure as hell did, but she needed confirmation from the horse’s mouth. “Then make me understand.”
“If Sekhmet has a Toy, she could potentially control some of the scariest weapons ever created.”
Gina tried to swallow her rising panic as the hair on the back of her neck stood at attention. She wasn’t sure she truly wanted her guess confirmed, but she asked anyway. “How?”
His gaze wandered the room for a moment, as if deciding whether he could trust the people around him. She almost reassured him before realizing he’d have to come to his own conclusions. Force wouldn’t make him trust her sisters, her Sentinels or the goddesses. And no one trusted Freyjr as much as they tolerated him because of his twin.
Zach finally nodded. “The Department of Defense had me invent the Toys as a way for them to communicate with the WMDs themselves, and—”
“WMD?” Artair asked.
“Weapons of mass destruction. With the Toy, there’s no middle man to question their orders and disobey.”
Gina wrinkled her brow at the last comment. She knew what the Toy did, but she didn’t understand why it was needed. “Why wouldn’t someone obey a direct order?”
Artair answered her, which she should have expected. He had insight no other human could match. “Should a soldier feel his commander has made a hasty choice, he might risk all to save lives.”
Johann joined in. “He might refuse to obey when asked to launch a nuclear or chemical weapon.”
“You got it,” Zach said. “They ran simulations where soldiers who trigger WMDs balked when ordered to fire. Those soldiers thought it was a real world war not a drill, and they didn’t follow orders because they didn’t want to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people. The DOD guys freaked. They wanted a way to bypass the middle men so when they needed the ultimate fire power, they got it.”
“The Toy,” Johann added, “was a way to send a long-distance encrypted message that no one could stop. Two generals send a message at the same time, and we launch warheads, right?”