Ascension

by Sable Grace

  “I know, I know,” Hank grumbled. “No need for threats in front of my boy.”

  Kyana leaned as close to Hank’s equipment as she dared and whispered, “I don’t make threats. I make promises. And I’ve never broken a promise in my life.”

  “Got it.” He forced a smile, most likely for his son’s benefit. “Unless you show her that list, she’ll never know he’s on it. Right, honey?”

  Hank’s wife gripped her boy’s shoulders and bobbed her head. “It’s just like before. You don’t discuss police business at home.”

  Not wasting any more time, Hank quickly typed in Drake’s name. After a few short minutes, his system beeped and he nodded. “He has a record. Theft, forgery, and fraud mostly. Never prosecuted. Always paid restitution. Did a little probation.”

  “Proof enough.” Kyana turned for the door only to be stopped short by Ryker’s grasp.

  “Now compare it to the print you got from the scroll.”

  Hank spun back around and hit several more keys. Both Drake’s print and the one from the scroll were side by side. It took a while, but this time when the computer beeped, Kyana’s heart stopped. It wasn’t a match. “Are you sure? Can that thing make a mistake?”

  Hank shook his head. “See the loop here? And the scar there? They aren’t on your known print. It’s not a match.”

  Kyana didn’t know how this revelation made her feel. She hated Drake, and the thought of catching him red-handed and throwing his ass in prison made her have a small orgasm. But at the same time, she was relieved the print wasn’t his. It would have killed Haven if Drake had been guilty, and Kyana didn’t want to be the messenger for that death.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  Kyana sighed.

  Ryker pointed at the list. “Start running the names with the golden marks next to them. We could still get lucky.”

  Hours later, Kyana decided luck wasn’t in the cards. Hank was halfway through their list of names and still they hadn’t found a match, and Marcus had poked his head in a dozen times, hopefully inquiring whether they were finally finished. Each time they’d told him no, his face had fallen and he invented another curse word.

  Oh, there were plenty of Cronos supporters with records, but none of them matched the fingerprint Hank had lifted from the scroll. Hank stood, his bones creaking loudly in the now quiet room. He plucked his son from his wife’s arms and laid the boy on the bed, then helped his wife settle beside their child. He pulled the covers up to their chins, then kissed both on the forehead. “Shh, Daddy’s right across the room. You’re safe here. Nothing bad’s going to happen.”

  Kyana felt like such a voyeur that she had to turn away, but she couldn’t block out the whispered conversation.

  “Daddy, don’t go. The bad people could come back.”

  “See those two over there. They don’t let bad guys down here. Nothing’s going to hurt you.”

  Kyana glanced at Hank. Just twenty-four hours ago, he’d considered her one of those bad guys. As much as she tried, she couldn’t pull her gaze away from the little boy. He clung to his dad, tears streaming down his face as he quietly cried. But it was the panic, the fear in the child’s eyes that ripped at Kyana’s heart.

  She had been little more than a child herself when she’d learned monsters were real, but she’d cried herself to sleep every night—when she was able to sleep at all. Fear of the bad guys had dominated her every waking moment and terrorized her dreams. She would have given anything for a father like Hank to soothe her dreams and offer a loving kiss. She’d suffered through that nightmare alone, until Henry finally came into her life.

  “You okay?”

  Kyana jerked, horrified that Ryker had caught her so lost in thought. “I’m fine.”

  Ryker watched Kyana quickly compose her face, but she wasn’t so quick to compose her body. “You’re shaking.”

  She shrugged. “It’s cold in here, and I’m soaking wet.”

  “Tell you what,” Hank was saying to his son. “You sit here and help me work. Would you like that?”

  Kyana stepped around Ryker and knelt a good distance away from the computers. As Hank’s son settled himself on his father’s lap, he turned to grin at Kyana.

  Ryker watched, fascinated.

  Kyana offered the little boy a small smile. “What’s your name?”

  “Avid.”

  “David,” Hank corrected.

  Ryker had never seen her interact with a child—human or non. Hell, for that matter, he’d never seen her interact this kindly with anyone but Haven and Geoff.

  “Do you have bad dreams, David?”

  David nodded, and whispered, “Bad guys with big teeth and long fingers like this.” He curled his hands into tiny claws. “They make people go away and they never get to come back again.”

  “That is scary.” Kyana rested her hands on her knees. “You know what might help you not be so scared?”

  David shook his head.

  “Knowing that you have people like me and Ryker over there who will protect you and keep you safe.” She leaned a little closer. “We have big teeth too, so we can stop the bad guys.”

  “Really?”

  Kyana nodded. “Yeah. You wanna see?”

  David nodded.

  “Okay, but remember, my teeth can’t hurt little people.” When he nodded again, she revealed her fangs. She even sat still while David ran his fingertip lightly over her canines.

  Satisfied, David sat back against his dad’s chest and stuck his thumb in his mouth.

  Kyana dug something out of her pocket and pressed it in the child’s hand. She folded his fingers around it, then held his little hand in both of hers. “You hold this when you go to sleep. It will help keep the bad guys away.”

  David’s eyes were drooping. Hank kissed his son’s head. “Thank you.”

  Kyana nodded and quickly pushed to her feet. Her discomfort hung in the air. Ryker simply watched her, offering silent strength and encouragement.

  “Your kid’s seen more than he was ever meant to see. He just needed to know how to put it all into perspective to stop fearing those things he can’t understand. That he’ll never be able to understand.”

  “You’re a kind woman,” Cynthia said, her smile soft and lovely.

  When it looked like the woman might hug Kyana, she backed up, running into Ryker’s chest. He closed his arm around her waist. She looked up at him with such pleading he knew she wanted out of the uncomfortable situation. He nodded at Hank. “Why don’t you take the rest of the night off. Curl up with your wife and son and enjoy his peaceful sleep while the computers keep looking for the owner on their own. We can pick this back up with specific names from the list tomorrow.”

  “I’ll keep working.”

  “No, really. I’m beat too,” Kyana rushed out, moving to the door. “I live Above, in your world, so I’ll be here about sunrise.”

  “Sunrise it is.”

  “Can you eat?”

  “Cynthia!” Hank growled.

  “What? If they’re going to be here that early I was going to offer to find them some breakfast. It’s called being nice. Our world might be upside down, but we should still remember our manners.”

  “Trust me,” Kyana said. “You don’t want to make me and Geoff breakfast. David may never touch anything liquid again.”

  “I might join you though,” Ryker added, nudging Kyana for her rudeness. “My diet is a bit more normal.”

  Cynthia smiled. “Then we’ll see you in the morning.”

  Ryker bid them good night and had to sprint down the stairs to catch up with Kyana. She’d almost made it to the portal alcove by the time he reached her. “Wait,” he said, grabbing her arm. “What are you doing?”

  She jerked her arm out of her grasp. “Going home. Alone.”

  He reached for her again, but the deadly look she sent him changed his mind. “How ’bout dinner first?”

  Instead of answering, she turned back to the port
al. This time he did grab for her. “Come on, Ky. Can we talk about what you did in there?”

  Why was she so angry all of a sudden? The softness that had overtaken her while she’d spoken with David had turned to dark stoniness, and Ryker didn’t understand it at all.

  She jerked her arm free. “What I did was lie to a little boy. I made him think monsters couldn’t hurt him. That he could actually win against them.”

  “And why can’t he? It’s not lies, Ky. It’s hope.”

  “False hope, and that’s worse than no hope at all.”

  “Then why did you do it?”

  Kyana clamped her teeth so tightly that the muscle in her jaw pulsed.

  “Talk to me. Tell me who was there to keep your monsters at bay.” Though Ryker was pretty sure he already knew. From what he’d seen, no one had been there for her. But he wanted her to open up to him on her own terms, and not just be the unwanted voyeur to her tragic past.

  “The monsters don’t go away. They never go away. They simply change form and come at you from different directions. They keep changing and coming at you until the day you can’t fight fast enough or long enough and then they win. That’s what I should’ve told David.”

  “Ky—”

  She stabbed him in the chest. “Don’t. Whatever you’re going to say, just don’t.”

  This time when she turned away, Ryker let her go. “What did you give him? The talisman to keep the monsters at bay. What was it?”

  “There is no such talisman.” Kyana turned; her cold stare cut through him. “Like I said, it was all a lie.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Hoping to make it to her room uninterrupted, Kyana eased into the dark house and closed the door behind her. Thoughts of her afternoon with Ryker kept muddling her brain, making it hard to remember why she was in such a bad mood. She didn’t really know how to act around him after what they’d done. Nothing had changed really. Just a fuck.

  But it felt like nothing was the same.

  “Mm, lass. You look good wet.”

  Kyana jumped, bashing her elbow into the doorjamb as she kicked it closed.

  She glanced down at her still-damp pants, vest, and bare feet. Not exactly her most badass ensemble. “What are you doing here, Geoffrey?”

  He lay stretched out on the wide, black leather Mikonos sofa with only a light blanket tossed carelessly over his lap. “Haven loaned me your shower.”

  “What was wrong with your shower?”

  He shrugged. “Yours is bigger.” His gaze traveled slowly over her. By the time his eyes returned to hers, they were almost black. “So why the new look?”

  “Long story,” she mumbled, still pissed about her missing boots. In search of something filling, she headed for the kitchen. “Where’s Haven?”

  He nodded toward the first-story bedroom that belonged to Haven. “Might not be a good idea to go in there.”

  Kyana grabbed a pitcher of lukewarm blood that must have been leftovers from Geoff’s dinner, and poured herself a glass. “And why not?”

  “Drake showed up about ten minutes ago.”

  Groaning, she put down her glass and stomped upstairs to her room. Drake might be off her most-wanted list, but he was still on her most-hated. She was going to have to soothe her foul mood before seeing him or risk pissing Haven off when she literally bit off Drake’s head.

  After a quick shower, she pulled on a faded pair of jeans and a white tank top. “Where are Farrel and Crag?” she called out, heading back down to check on Haven.

  “I told them to stay Below in case Hank gets hungry or something.”

  “You couldn’t have sent your own to do that? Since when do you order my minions around?”

  Geoff shrugged. “Mine have important stuff to do. Yours . . . are about worthless.”

  A protective jolt brought her hands to her hips. Her minions served their purpose and they were loyal to her. She could overlook their flaws. She moved to the end of the couch and tapped his feet. “Lay off the minions. And why are you still naked?”

  He leveled himself up on the pillows and grinned. “Drake kicked me out of Haven’s bed before I could grab my pants.”

  “What were you doing in Haven’s room naked?”

  Geoff’s grin disappeared. A mischievous glint sparkled in his dark eyes. “You know, Drake asked me the same thing.”

  Kyana looked at the closed bedroom door, then back to Geoffrey. “You and Haven aren’t . . .”

  “I wouldn’t answer that question when Drake asked it, and I’m not going to answer it for you either.” His smile looked strained. “Unless you want to tell me if you’re finally tuppin’ Ryker.”

  “Not worth it.” She stalked to Haven’s bedroom and pounded on the door.

  “Go away!”

  Even Drake’s voice had the ability to grate on Kyana’s nerves. “I’m coming in, so I suggest you cover your tiny bits.”

  The door wasn’t locked, and Kyana nudged her way inside, desperately trying to avert her gaze lest she catch a glimpse of something she truly didn’t want to see. From the corner of her eye, she saw Haven standing by the window, Drake’s frame blocking most of Haven from sight. They were fully clothed, thank Zeus, but Haven’s nose was red, her skin was blotchy.

  Kyana glared at Drake. “What did you do?”

  Damn, but she couldn’t stand him. Oh sure, he was cute enough, with his longish, dark hair, bright eyes, and strong chin. But his charming, almost nerdy, Matt Damon qualities that instantly won everyone over turned Kyana’s stomach. Anyone who tried as hard as Drake did to make people like him couldn’t be trusted.

  “He didn’t do anything, Kyana. Give—”

  “You should leave now,” Drake said.

  Kyana narrowed her eyes. “I’ve got a better idea.” She moved slowly to stand in front of him, separating him from Haven. “You leave. Before I decide that the laws keeping you safe aren’t worth abiding anymore.”

  He copied her posture, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. His show of defiance made her want to laugh. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “After the night I’ve had, you shouldn’t test me.”

  He seemed to debate it for a moment before grabbing his jacket off the bed and storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

  Kyana heard him say something muffled to Geoff, heard Geoff growl, then heard the front door close. She relaxed her fighting stance and reached out her hand to Haven. “What happened?”

  Haven shook her head and covered her face with her hands. Inadequacy flooded Kyana. She didn’t know how to ease Haven’s pain or how to make things better. Somehow, telling her she was better off without the jerk didn’t fit the bill, even if it was the truth.

  Kyana took Haven’s elbow and led her to the bed. “Why were you crying?”

  “Drake overreacted, that’s all. I understand why he’s so angry but . . .”

  Kyana sat next to Haven. “But what?”

  “He wouldn’t let me explain.” Haven glanced at the door. Her eyes filled with tears. “He said some horrible things. Things that weren’t true,” she rushed, as if she thought Kyana would believe anything Drake said as truth.

  “He thinks you’re sleeping with Geoffrey.”

  Haven nodded. “I tried to explain.”

  Kyana sighed. Only Haven, bless her honest heart, would think she could explain away a naked man in her bed.

  “I was only loaning him body heat,” Haven continued. “And I wasn’t even naked. Okay, so Geoff was, but he was asleep so nothing could have been happening in the first place.”

  Kyana sighed again. She was way out of her element here with the girl-talk stuff. She rubbed her temple, hoping to ease the steady ache before it began pounding. If she told Haven what she really thought of Drake, it would cause a tension in their friendship when Haven kissed and made up with the prick.

  “I’m only guessing here, but if you give Drake time to cool off and get over his shock at finding a sexy, naked V
amp in your bed, he’ll call. But until that hickey fades”—she pointed to the right side of Haven’s neck—“I’d suggest you wear your hair down.”

  “Hickey?” Haven chuckled and tossed a pillow at Kyana. “There’s no hickey!”

  Kyana laughed and resisted the urge to tease her friend more. The sorrow had left her eyes, and to Kyana, that was all that mattered. “No, there’s no hickey. But be careful next time. Geoff tends to nibble while he’s sleeping.”

  Haven grinned. “I thought you said you’d never slept with him.”

  Kyana stretched out and pulled the covers up to her chin. “I thought you said the same thing.”

  She lay there for a long quiet moment, pondering whether to confess to Haven what had happened this afternoon with Ryker. She could use some advice on how she was supposed to behave now, given that this situation was completely foreign to her. She wasn’t used to having to see her lovers day in and day out. But she and Ryker were partners right now. Avoiding him wasn’t an option.

  But telling Haven about sleeping with Ryker would lead to too many questions that Kyana didn’t have answers to yet. Possibly never would.

  As her eyes drifted closed, Haven’s voice chirped up again. “So, any progress with finding the key?”

  “Not really.” Unless you consider eliminating Drake from the suspect list progress. “There are still a lot of names to sort through.”

  “What I don’t understand is how the gates were unlocked in the first place. I mean, even if someone got their hands on the key, no one can enter Tartarus except Hermes and Hades. It would take more magic than I’ve ever heard of for anyone—especially someone human-born—to breach that realm.”

  Kyana shrugged and rolled onto her side. “Someone managed to slip past the Fates too. Maybe they used the same Illusion Charm to get into Tartarus.”

  Haven shook her head adamantly. “Not possible. How many times have your illusions run out before you could get back to your real clothes? They wouldn’t last that long.”

  “But they lasted long enough for someone to get into the Fates’ cave. We know that much already.”

  “The trip to the Fates’ cave isn’t too bad if you can time the ferry right. But I’ve heard enough about the Underworld to know there’s no Illusion Charm in the world that would last long enough to travel down the miles required to reach the depths of Tartarus.”