The trap was set.
I patted my pet unicorn’s feathered mane, waiting in silence. If the Four Horsemen were right, Grimm was much more than my pet. Because I had been volunteered to join their fraternity as the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse, with Grimm as my trusty steed. A midnight black unicorn of death with fiery eyes, and a feathered mane that flared out when angry. Like those venomous dinosaurs in that first Jurassic Park movie. But Grimm’s feathers resembled that of a peacock – if peacocks had inky black feathers with red orbs on the tips.
Grimm was a killing machine.
And he was brothers with Pegasus – the immortal winged stallion from Greek legend. But Grimm didn’t have wings. He had wings when I first met him, but I had never seen them since, and I wasn’t stupid enough to ask him about it. Pegasus was always depicted as white, elegant, and sporting beautiful wings, but Grimm was midnight black, and looked to have been designed by scraping up tidbits of nightmares, and then tossing in a stabby forehead just to drive the point home. He wasn’t going to cameo in any children’s books.
I had a small place in my heart for the little psycho. Alucard grunted behind me, and I turned to see him touching one of the red orbs on Grimm’s feathered mane. He held his hand up to the moonlight and I caught a crimson glow on the tips of his fingers. He pointed at the orbs. “They’re wet. With blood. Is he injured?”
Grimm whinnied. “They’re always bloody,” he replied, as if announcing that the night was dark and full of terrors.
Alucard grew very quiet. But before I could add to the pleasant conversation, Grimm’s attention suddenly riveted to a darkened section of woods across the clearing from us, just beyond the girl, who was still walking along the dirt path. Something moved in those trees, and Grimm scraped a hoof across the earth in anticipation. I patted his neck. “Not yet.”
An arrow flew through the night, a whispering hiss. The girl dodged it with a snarl, and then disappeared. I heard a grunt and then galloping hooves as a figure entered the clearing, searching for the girl. “How about now?” Grimm asked drily.
“Now,” I agreed.
Before we could move, Alucard leapt off the horse, and then disappeared in a blur to intercept the hunter across the clearing. I heard a horse neigh and then a man grunt before something crashed into the tall grass.
“What is the meaning of this atrocity?” a very officious voice sounded, reminding me of Eae the Angel, for some reason. It wasn’t him, but it had the same measure of authority to it.
I nudged Grimm with my heels. He snorted, but he sounded satisfied to hear that part of the work was already done. We trotted forward to find a large white horse with alabaster wings folded back neatly, looking as elegant and pristine as the lingerie models who wore fake wings in those fashion shows. He had not a mark on his white hair, and his wings looked as soft as… well, a feather. Sleek, but still soft. He was beautiful. Up close, I saw that he had dozens of thick rings braided into his mane, and one of them held an ornate, ebony bow.
Grimm snarled at him, and the white horse shook his head angrily, the rings clacking together as he danced back a step. He looked disgusted, nervous, and furious, all at the same time.
“Hey, bro,” Grimm growled.
Pegasus let out a disdainful sniff. “You are no brother of mine, beast.”
“Looks like we both have riders. Have you finally been tamed, or do you care for a race?”
“I will never be tamed. And I don’t desire to waste my time playing with such a despicable offshoot of my noble bloodline. Not after our last encounter,” he said, chomping his teeth.
I hopped off Grimm as his feathers began to rattle against his back, splattering me with crimson drops. I had honestly never noticed it before. The red orbs were actually blood. Unless he had killed someone on his way over to pick us up and hadn’t told me about it. Either was likely. “Looks like you two have some catching up to do. I’m here for Ballerina, anyway,” I said, walking over to where Alucard had an older man under guard on the ground.
“It’s Bellerophon!” the man snapped angrily. “And I am a famous hero! You will show me respect—”
“I’ll show you whatever I damned well please,” I muttered, staring down my nose at him. I was surprised that my little plan had worked so easily. Thanks to Alucard. Bellerophon had close-cropped gray hair, and an angular face that had once been youthfully handsome. Now, he looked to be in the prime of his life, maybe his mid-forties, although he was obviously much older than that. He had bridled Pegasus thousands of years ago, after all.
He had once been a hero in ancient Greece, doing all sorts of favors for the Greek gods and goddesses, earning their praise. Then that human emotion we all know and love stepped in. Arrogance. He tried to fly Pegasus up to Mount Olympus to meet his pals directly, but Zeus decided to throw a speed-bump at him. Pegasus had bucked, tossing Bellerophon from his back, and the hero crashed back to earth to wander the rest of his days as a cripple. Although I couldn’t see much of that now with him on the ground. He looked to be healthy.
Before that, one of his more notable accomplishments was killing the ancient Chimera. He kind of hated them, so I had set him up tonight.
As if on cue, Camilla stood from the tall grass, and the Greek scowled. “Tricksy bitc—”
I cuffed him with a bar of air upside the ear, rewarded by a very disapproving sound from Pegasus, but then Grimm snarled at the winged beauty and Pegasus quieted. Unhappily. I heard Grimm continue to taunt him as I approached Camilla, ignoring Bellerophon entirely.
“Thanks for waiting here, Camilla.” Because she was a Chimera – one of those fabled Greek monsters that could shift into a hybrid beast of ram, cobra, and lion – and her kind had plagued Greece in ancient days. Camilla was just a young teen, though, and was still learning to master her abilities. When the Greeks were called to war, or whatever the hell had happened when Indie woke up a god, Camilla hadn’t disappeared like the others. I guessed it was because she wasn’t actually Greek, but just a shifter who happened to turn into an old Greek monster.
Camilla nodded. “He almost got me with that arrow.”
I shook my head. “Yahn gave you the ward, right?” She held up the marble in one hand, nodding. The marble was one of my creations from my new company, Grimm Tech – where science and magic had sexy time together. It instantly disintegrated any incoming projectile if moving fast enough. “So, he must not be as good of a shot as we thought.”
“I’ll have you know that I am an excellent shot—”
I didn’t even turn to look as I heard Alucard kick him in the chest, cutting him off. I nodded at Camilla. “I’m glad he took the bait, and that you were able to help me out tonight. This next part might be best if you were gone.” She nodded, a sickened look on her face. “You and your dad ready to get the hell out of town?” I asked.
“Yep. He’s waiting a few blocks away, like Yahn told him to. Car’s already loaded.” She looked suddenly embarrassed. “You sure you don’t want us to stick around? We could help—”
“I know you could. Trust me. But with your flavor of shifter, I don’t want to take any chances. I have no idea what’s coming, or if being a Chimera could put you in further danger.”
She sighed, nodding stubbornly. “Okay. I just wanted to try one more time.”
“Get out of here, kid. Have a nice break. When you return, maybe you and I can spar.”
That earned a grin. “Right. Thanks for letting me help.”
“Thanks for being a target,” I winked.
She jogged away from the field to join her father – a wizard-turned-Chimera – on a vacation far away from St. Louis. It wasn’t that I didn’t want their help. Chimeras were worth their weight in gold in a scrap, but with their heritage, I didn’t want to suddenly find them switching sides against their will in the middle of the war. And I didn’t want any of my other friends to have to kill the two in self-defense.
Chapter 5
I finally turned
to Bellerophon, studying him up and down. Alucard stood with his arms folded, like a bouncer, watching the field, the horses, his prisoner, and me. He looked hard. Like a piece of polished marble. Despite all his time in the sun, he didn’t tan all that well, still, compared to most vampires he looked like an Oompa Loompa. Weirdly tanned.
“You worshipped the Greek Gods,” I said, taking thoughtful steps towards the Greek. “Sacrificed for them. Performed tasks for them. And all the while, they were setting you up to fail. But you overcame. And like Icarus, you tried to fly too high in their eyes, and they—”
“I am nothing like that spoiled brat, Icarus!” he seethed.
I held out my hands in a soothing gesture. “Be that as it may, your stories are not dissimilar in that regard, right?” He shifted to a more comfortable position, and I finally noticed his badly mangled leg. Not unusable, but no doubt painful, like the result of a horrific fracture that never quite healed right. His face grimaced and he nodded woodenly in resignation.
“You two tried to fly to Mount Olympus to at least meet those you worshipped…”
Pegasus snorted at the memory, still angry. Bellerophon nodded, glancing over at his black bow on Pegasus’ mane. It was flashy, as if designed by Apollo himself, with horses carved into the wood.
“And look at you now…” I said in a mild tone.
His face tightened. “They are different now.”
“Stockholm Syndrome. I’ve seen it a hundred times,” Alucard said softly.
Bellerophon bristled, but then looked up at Alucard and saw that his face was not mocking, but instead showed pity. He frowned, and then shifted that frown to me.
“The Greeks have never loved you,” I pressed. “At least not the gods. You did some truly incredible things for them, and in the end, they still showed you pettiness, striking you down from the skies when all you wanted was to meet your idols – those you worshipped, those you had bled for.”
He glared back. “You think I don’t know that?”
“One of those gods has come back, and now they want a war.” I scratched my chin, frowning. “Well, I thought they wanted a war, but all I’ve seen so far is the communication lines cut and all my Greek friends disappearing about ten months ago.” I let the silence build, and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was torn, knowing full well what I would ask next.
“Give me a name. A date. A plan. Something. People are going to die. And some of those people will be my friends. And to be honest, I don’t think I’ve done anything to piss this god off, other than pissing off the one who woke him or her up.” His shoulders sagged. “Please.”
He smirked, a bit of his fire returning. “Fine. What’s in it for me?” His eyes flicked to his mangled leg. “Because this god,” he teased, “gave Pegasus back to me.” The beast snorted at the indication of ownership, but Bellerophon didn’t acknowledge him. Oddly enough, I began to pick up that the way he looked at Pegasus was as property, not as a partner. Interesting. “Otherwise, I would still be shuffling from town to town, ranging from forest to forest with my bow, a laughingstock.”
“This god gave you a pair of new legs,” I mused, nodding my head to Pegasus. “Or wings, I guess.” Pegasus stomped a hoof, but Grimm clicked his teeth in warning. “I can’t beat that,” I admitted. “Because I wouldn’t give a slave to someone to earn their loyalty.”
Pegasus went very still, and Bellerophon began to growl incoherently. “She will win.”
I managed to hide my surprise, and simply arched an eyebrow at him. She. That was the first solid information I had received. That narrowed the field significantly. My mind began to race.
“Kill me, as is your due,” Bellerophon spat, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I rolled my eyes, tempted to comply with his wish. “I didn’t come here to murder you. I came here for answers. To end this. Whatever this is.”
“Then I guess it’s time we go our separate ways,” he said smugly.
“Nah,” I said, staring off into the distance. It was obvious we were done here. He was either too terrified to speak, or he literally couldn’t speak. Forced to obey. But I had gotten something from him. The enemy was a Goddess. But who? I heard him spluttering, so finally turned back to him, deciding to play a card. “Oh, right,” I said, feigning embarrassment. “You said she. You gave me exactly what I needed. Now I know who it is. Think she’s going to be happy with you for that?” I chuckled as he began to stammer and argue. “No, you’re probably right. You’ve tasted their happiness firsthand,” I muttered, indicating his leg. “Well, we need to get back home, and…” I turned to stare at Pegasus pointedly, hoping I was right, but keeping my face a mask.
Pegasus suddenly let out a violent shiver, his wings flaring out. He whinnied in pain for a few moments, and then let out a nervous, but satisfied snort. Grimm blinked.
“I’m… free of him,” the horse murmured, sounding shaken.
I nodded in relief. It had worked. “Thought so. Let’s go, boys,” I said to Alucard and Grimm. “Oh, you can come, too, Pegasus.” But there was a loud snap to the air, and I looked up to see Pegasus hauling ass from the field, embracing his freedom without a sliver of guilt.
He had forgotten to give Bellerophon’s bow back, which was just cruel.
“Huh. Loyalty these days, right?” I asked, turning back to Bellerophon, who looked stunned.
He finally looked up at me, rage replacing his fear. “You will pay for this. And for what you did to Hercules…”
“You know where to find me. I’ll leave the light on out front. Might want to start hobbling now. Might take you a while to get to Chateau Falco on one leg.” I turned my back on him, motioning Alucard to join me. Because I had just been proven right. The Goddess, although unseen, was watching, and had immediately punished Bellerophon for his slip, taking Pegasus from him, because I had so cleverly made her think I knew who she was.
When really, I had no clue. I had ideas, but nothing concrete. But now I knew she was listening. It was time to get back home to Chateau Falco. To warn everyone. The place was currently a hostel for many, many Freaks. For almost a year, I had been trying to keep anyone with ties to me safe, letting them occupy rooms or camp out on the lawns. Patience and fear had recently begun to ebb and fray, and they were now wondering if my warnings were little more than crying wolf. Now, I had proof, and had kicked over an anthill. Two anthills. Hercules and Bellerophon. The Greeks would have to come, now. To save face.
I had wanted my people safe… at first.
Now?
I could live with a few of them not being so safe. Before our unity died of starvation.
I ignored Bellerophon’s shouting, pleading, and begging. Alucard stepped up beside me, staring at me in disbelief. “He will give you anything, now. Why are we leaving?”
“I came here to be a bully to save lives. Not to kick a man who already gave me his life. His boss isn’t going to be pleased, so we should probably skedaddle,” I said, glancing up at the sky.
Alucard bit his tongue in sudden shame, lowering his eyes. He nodded slowly to himself, and then looked up at me, a look of surprised approval in those depths, but he didn’t speak. He climbed up beside me in silence, and even Grimm was quiet. I opened a Gateway, then stared at it for a few seconds. I stacked a few more Gateways on top of it so that we would touch down in three different geographical places all over the world before entering my warded home.
Chateau Falco.
Now a War Base.
For a war that hadn’t happened yet. We stepped through the three portals in half a dozen steps, listening to Bellerophon scream behind us. Then I closed the Gateway, abandoning him to his fate, because I was confident that the Olympian HR Department wasn’t known for having the cuddlies.
Chapter 6
I turned us around to stare back towards the city of St. Louis where we had left Bellerophon. Grimm abruptly stiffened, and a pillar of grey light hammered into the earth in the distance. I could have sworn
I heard a scream, but it was lost as the strange pillar of light winked out.
Bellerophon had finally met his goddess.
“Go check on everyone. I have some work to do.” I climbed off the unicorn, petting his nose. “Be nice, Grimm. You’ll get to play soon enough.” He whinnied hungrily before he and Alucard rode off towards the gargantuan white tree on the grounds. It climbed over a hundred feet above us, the limbs branching out to form a decent, but not impenetrable canopy. Dozens of tents and bonfires dotted my property now, even though there was still plenty of room inside the mansion. Everyone liked to be spread out after living together for so long. And it made tactical sense as well. Constant rotation, and we could guard the entire perimeter of the property this way – in case we were invaded.
Eyes followed me as I walked towards my house, some saluting, others cheering, and still others with thoughtful frowns. I plastered a simple smile on my face and waved a few times, anxious to get out of their sight and inside Chateau Falco – my seventeen-thousand-square-foot mansion. The house seemed to purr as I neared, welcoming me as I stepped into her mouth.
Soon, I would enter her heart, or her brain, to see what secrets I could find before any of my friends decided to check on my activities for the night. Namely, Gunnar. My well-intentioned best friend, and local Alpha werewolf of St. Louis.
But I needed some me time right now.
Two Ravens flew in through the front door right behind me – before it could close. They landed on my shoulders, and despite being so large, they didn’t weigh much, and I was used to their unwelcome advances by now. Maybe they magically adjusted their weight so it wasn’t an added burden on my already taxed shoulders.
One of them chattered at me, the one on my right shoulder. I still wasn’t very good at telling them apart, even after a year. Hugin and Munin, Odin’s Ravens – otherwise known as Thought and Memory – had decided I was important enough to be graced by their presence. Whether I wanted it or not. “Hercules and Bellerophon!” he cawed. “My, what great, big, calloused stones you have, Temple.” Hugin or Munin?
Wild Side: A Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Book 7 (The Temple Chronicles) Page 3