by Eve Vaughn
Aries narrowed his eyes. “That’s right…you do get premonitions, don’t you? Why did you see this coming? And why did you return to a house that wasn’t warded? Why did you call me to say you need to tell me something? You said it was urgent. In fact, you put it in a way that seemed only I could hear that information.”
She took another bite of her meat. And this time, Aries knew with absolute certainty that she was hiding something from him. He slammed his fist on the table making her jump. “Answer my goddamn questions! And look at me when I’m talking to you.”
When she looked at him, her hazel eyes brimmed with tears. “You never used that tone with me before.”
“You’ve never been deceptive before, at least as far as I know. Was this some kind of set up? You would have me believe that you’d come to a house that wasn’t warded when this pack has been on high alert for months?”
This time Calliope’s tears fell freely but Aries was unmoved. He’d dealt with enough deception in his time to last a lifetime. “My visions are…not always accurate and not clear but sometimes they can give me some insight into what might happen. Something told me that if I was in trouble you would come. You’d come to save me.”
“Of course I would. We’re friends and I’m Beta of the pack which means it’s my responsibility to see to the welfare of the members in my Alpha’s charge.”
“Well, I suppose I have my answer then.” She pushed her plate away.
“All these years, I was nothing more to you than a bedmate. You never said or did anything to make me think otherwise, but I fell for you, Aries. And I foolishly believed that you would come to care for me too. And as long as neither of us had a true mate I could hold on to hope. But started having dreams about the all-black and her destiny seemed to be intertwined with yours. I didn’t understand it at first but I did the other day when you were heading to your home after presumably, you had a run through the woods. I watched you come out with her. And then we spoke briefly and her scent was all over you. I knew then what it meant. I had to get off the island because I couldn’t bear to see you with her. And when I came here, I had another dream of you coming to my rescue. A friend of mine who is a witch removed the ward from my house and then I called you to come. I thought maybe if you saw that I was in danger you would realize that you care for me. As silly and as misguided as that sounded, I had to take a chance.”
“I guess that would explain why you had clothing ready for me. And why the house wasn’t warded. But it doesn’t explain why you would think a plan like this won’t make me anything other than furious. One of the things I’ve always appreciated about you Calliope was your good sense. And yes, I saw you as more than just a lover. You were my friend. And for you to pull a stunt like this that put not only me and yourself in danger, was foolish. What if I wouldn’t have made it on time? When I couldn’t even move because they’d beaten you pretty badly, never mind that you managed to take one of them out. You could have died! I could have died and for what? Some silly crush?” He banged his fist on the table again.
Calliope bowed her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I know it was stupid. I knew it the second those hunters appeared and I’m sorry for putting you in danger. I’ll understand if you want to exile me from the pack,” she whispered.
As angry as Aries was, he still cared for Calliope and despite this stunt she’d just pulled, her friendship and service to the pack meant a lot to him. “It’s not my place to exile you from the pack. It’s up to the Alpha. But I won’t tell him what happened if you promise never to do something this dangerous again."
“I won’t. I promise.”
“Good.”
A long silence stretched between them before Calliope finally whispered. “So now what?”
“You’ll have to come back to Circe.”
She stiffened. “And see you with her?”
“Calliope, you knew from the start that there would never be more between us than what I had already stated. I never wanted a mate but now that the fates have decided to give me one, she’s all I can think about. The thought of being with someone besides her is almost painful. I didn’t expect to feel this immediate pull toward her. In fact being away from her now when I know our enemies are circling us causing me and it’s causing me anxiety, so I’m going to need you to swallow your feelings and come back with me to the island where you’ll be safe. When Gage is taken care of I don’t care where you go but until then deal with it.”
“I don’t have a choice do I?”
“In this matter? No. I don’t want to have to worry about you on top of all the other problems we’re dealing with. Besides, hasn’t it occurred to you that perhaps Gage has people monitoring the ports? How else would he have known to follow you? You do realize that hunters easily blend in with humans. You could encounter one and then be attacked before you even know it. We may not be able to spot their kind right away but they can certainly tell what we are.”
“I didn’t think about that.”
“Of course you didn’t. Because you were too busy setting up some harebrained scheme to get my attention when you could have simply told me how you felt. Get your things and let’s go. In the meantime, I’m going to make a couple calls to have some Underground agents look into this. At the very least they could track down any spies in the area.”
As Calliope gathered her belongings, Aries made his phone calls. He needed to get back to Circe as soon as possible to check in on Nina and to get answers. He couldn’t shake the ominous warning of the hunter and Aries had a sinking feeling that it had something to do with his mate.
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A bereft feeling rested in the pit of Nina’s stomach. She couldn’t figure out what it was. Aries had said he would come for her today but he had yet to show up. Thankfully the Alpha hadn’t come to interrogate her although Sarah did return for a visit. She found Sarah to be a comforting presenting. It was the same way she’d felt when she was around Anisa. It made sense that she Sarah was her daughter.
She tossed and turned on the bed until finally, she couldn’t stand to be in this room any longer. She’d spent most of her life in isolation but she’d never felt more lonely than she did right now. Sliding out of bed, she ventured out and went downstairs. She expected the Alpha to come out of his study and barrage her with questions but he didn’t. She didn’t know what compelled her but she but she went to his office and knocked on his door. There was no answer so she opened the door and stuck her head inside. He wasn’t there. She frowned. Now that she thought about it, the guards that usually stood outside of the officer weren’t there and the two pack members who had stood outside of her room was absent as well. An ominous sensation settled over her that she couldn’t shake. She searched the house looking for other signs of life but there was no one. Nina ventured outside and the island was eerily silent not just from the lack of activity from the island inhabitants but from everything. There were no animals going about their routines and the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks was absent. Suddenly everything went dark except for a peel of lightning that illuminated the sky. A torrential rain commenced beating down on her skin like tiny pebbles.
Nina turned back to the Alpha’s house but it was gone and she found herself in a black abyss even though the storm continued to rage. Déjà vu hit her and it felt as if her worst nightmare was coming true.
“Mother, a soft voice cried out to her.
Nina stiffened when she heard the voice that only seemed to come alive in her dreams. She turned and saw a child, only ten summers old.
“Micco,” she whispered unable to believe her eyes.
She walked closer to the child but he flinched away before turning his back to her.”
“Micco. My love, it’s me. Mama is here.”
“You didn’t save me, Mama. You let the bad man get me. You were supposed to protect me.”
“I’m so sorry. I told them to take me instead.”
“You let them hurt m
e, Mama.” Micco’s voice sounded forlorn, ripping into her soul with each syllable.”
“I’m so sorry. I’d do anything to take it back. I will do anything to save you.”
“It’s too late.” He turned around and the sight of him made Nina gasp. His eyes had been gouged out and blood ran from the empty sockets. His throat and chest were ripped open. He raised an accusatory finger. “You let me die.”
Nina screamed and kept screaming, unable to stop until she felt someone shaking her.
“Nina! Wake up!”
She opened her eyes to see Aries sitting next to her. The concern etched on his handsome face did something to her she didn’t expect. Before she could stop herself, she burst into loud body-shaking sobs.
Chapter Ten
Once Aries made it back to Circe with Calliope, the first place he headed was to his Uncle’s house. It was getting late but he’d already warned her that he was coming for her and he intended to keep his word. When he stepped inside, however, he heard a blood-curdling scream. His uncle had heard it as well because he came out of his office and followed Aries up the stairs to Nina’s room.
Aries had convinced his Uncle to let him handle it. When Paris reluctantly backed off, Aries went inside to see Nina thrashing on the bed screaming as if she was in a great deal of pain.
He grasped her by the shoulders and gave her a shake. “Nina! Nina! Wake up.”
Her eyes popped open and for a second she continued to scream in her disoriented stated but finally when her dark gaze focused on him, she started to cry as if her heart was breaking. He pulled her body against his and rocked her back and forth. Aries stroked her back to soothe her as she cried. He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that but more than anything he wanted to take her pain away.
He wasn’t what the source of her agony was but he felt it as well. He supposed this was what having a mate meant. He may not have known this woman for long but the pull between the two of them was too strong to ignore. He wanted to take care of her and make her smile. He wanted to fight her demons and in that moment he cared for her mother and anyone he knew. And that scared the fuck out of him.
As she calmed down and her cries became soft sniffles, he pulled her into his lap and kissed her on the head. “It’s okay. I’m here now. Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it.”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing you can do. There’s nothing anyone can do.” It was as if saying those words out loud triggered her because she started to cry again.
All Aries could do was hold her close to him and be her support. Occasionally he would drop a kiss on the top of her head. Finally, she slumped against him as her tears subsided. Aries wanted to take care of her and the best place he could do that was at his place. He had a feeling that she might not be comfortable sharing her story while the house was occupied with other shifters. On the island, they usually didn’t require guards but there were a few guards lurking around the house because Paris wasn’t sure what bringing Nina here meant for the rest of the pack.
There was no one in his house so they would have privacy. Aries stood up and lifted her into his arms, cradling Nina against his chest. Thankfully she didn’t protest. She rested her head against his chest as he carried her out of the room and down the stairs where his Uncle was waiting for them.
“Where are you going? Aries?”
“To my house.”
Paris raised a brow but thankfully didn’t argue. “I trust I’ll see you in the morning with a full report.”
“Of course.”
“Then I bid you a goodnight.”
When they made it back to his house, Aries carried her up to his room and gently laid her on the bed. Nina immediately curled into a ball. She looks so vulnerable and lost, like a little girl. His heart went out to her. Deciding that a good soak in his oversized claw-foot bathtub might make her feel better, he ran some bath water and poured in some oils he’d gotten in Egypt. Constantine often teased Aries for his love of taking long baths but he didn’t care. It was one of his few indulgences. It usually relaxed him, especially when he came home from a grueling mission. It gave him a chance to unwind.
Once the tub was full he returned to Nina who was still in the same position. She didn’t protest as he undressed her. In fact she didn’t say a word, instead, she stared at him with those fathomless black eyes which held a sadness that broke his heart. Once she was completely naked, he removed his clothing and then carried her to the tub. Once she was seated in the water, he stepped in, positioning himself behind her.
Aries pulled her against his chest. They lay in hot water to soothe them. After a few moments, he felt Nina relax against him. He gripped the sponge next to the tub, wet it and ran it across her breasts in a gentle caress.
“You know, whatever it is that was bothering you, you can tell me about it. You can tell me anything.”
She didn’t speak right away and for a second he didn’t think she would. But finally, she sighed. “I haven’t cried like that before. Not even…not even when he died.”
“Who?”
“My Micco,” she whispered.
A sudden spurt of jealousy made his heart twinge but he tried to calm down. The last thing she needed was for him to say or do something stupid. The fact that she was opening up to him showed that she was starting to trust him. As calmly as he possibly could, he asked, “Who’s Micco?”
She paused before answering. “He…he was my son.”
This answer surprised him. The fact that she had a child meant that she’d had a mate or at least she was joined with someone. Immortals weren’t like humans who had children outside of a relationship. Although they were sensual beings, for the most part, they were essentially monogamous once they took a mate. “Your son? You were mated before?”
She nodded. “Yes. To a high ranking member in my pack. His name was Kuruk. I cared about him deeply but the pull with him wasn’t the same as what I feel with you.”
Her words eased his concerns. It wasn’t unheard of for an immortal to have another mate once the first had died, it was just rare. “What happened to him?”
“Gage happened. From the time I was born, I was revered because of what I was I was and my abilities. My pack members seemed to worship me like some deity and it was burdensome. Men fought to be mated with me because they believed by being with me it would add to their status and they would have use of my abilities. The Alpha was one of them but he was not a good man. Besides, he already had a mate but he was willing to cast her aside for me. I didn’t want that or him.
But then there was Kuruk. He was my childhood friends and he was one of the few people who didn’t treat me different. I think I fell in love with him a little because of that. So I chose him. And for a while we were happy. Micco was born from our union and I was happy. My life was simple but it was my life. Kuruk protected me from anyone in the pack who set out to use me for my abilities. And then the humans came. We stayed out of their way but then they came. We stayed out of their way and they stayed out of ours.
But one day a group of humans… or what we thought were humans attacked us. We soon learned they weren’t humans at all. They were hunters and they had abilities of the likes we hadn’t seen. Up until then we kept to ourselves. We had no contact with vampires or warlocks. Our little pack had been insolated. We fought back but the slaughter was brutal. Kuruk fought to give me and Micco a chance to get away. It was the last time I saw him. I know he died because Gage liked to taunt me about it. So as you can guess, even though Micco and I ran for days to put distance between us and the hunters, they found us. Thus began my descent into hell.”
Aries ran the sponge down Nina’s bronze arms as he waited for her to finish.
“They’d captured Micco when I went in search of some food for us. I made the mistake of overestimating the distance I’d put between us and the hunters. When I came back with the deer, Micco was gone. Gage’s men had captured him. I had no choice to go with them because they had
my son. He was just a little boy at the time, about five summers old when we were taken. He kept us apart so I would only see Micco when it suited Gage. For the next few years, I was forced to do Gage’s bidding and if I didn’t he would torture my child and make me watch. And if I fought, they punishment would be worse. I felt like the worst mother in the world to let this happen to my child. But when I pleased him he allowed me to see Micco. You have no idea what it did to me to see my child broken and battered.
After a while. I could no longer take. I fought with all my might. I intended to die trying. I figured if I was killed in the process then perhaps they would have no more use for Micco. Or so I thought. My plan backfired and they killed him in front of me in the cruelest and mean-spirited way. The way they left his body before he dissipated haunts me. That’s what I was screaming about. I couldn’t protect my son and for that…that’s why I never tried to escape Gage all these years. It was my penance for letting Micco down. I see his face every night when I go to sleep. And even though it’s been well over a few centuries, it still feels fresh.”
“Did you say a few centuries?”
“Yes.”
Aries knew she was old but he didn’t realize she was that old. From the clues she’d already provided he figured she was a couple hundred years old but he didn’t realize Nina was centuries old. To know that she’d endured Gage’s torture for so long her mind was still intact was a testament to her strength.
“You can’t continue to blame yourself for something that Gage did. He’s an evil man and I promise we’ll make him pay for what he did to you.”
“I’d like to think that’s possible but he’s managed to foil any trap set for him. Pack Kyriakis hasn’t been the only one to come after him. He’s gone up against other immortals, vampires, shifters and he’s always managed to come up on top. And mainly because he seems to have a spell for everything. He has this book that he studies and…well, along with the book he has the power of persuasion. He has a way of convincing others to do his bidding, even shifters. It’s how he was able to attack my pack. There were traitors on the inside who led him to us.”