by April Zyon
“I can imagine,” Kasper said with a frown. “I’ve done things, too. Things I would rather never revisit. It’s something that we always have to live with, however. We can’t let them fester inside or it will destroy us. So it’s good that you realize that as well. Far too many forget that little fact.”
“That one’s all on Gareth’s shoulders. Fucker never could leave me alone when I was in a mood. He’s always had a radar for when I’m not in a very happy place. More so than my typical state of being, I mean. He’s also the only one bold enough to stalk up a hill into my line of sight to smack me upside the head.”
“Then you should thank your lucky stars that you have him. Seriously. I’ve seen more people burn out because they stew on shit instead of letting it go. Yes, we’ve done bad things in our life, yesm we’ve done things no one should ever have done, but it’s over and done with. It’s the past. You have a fabulous present and future to look forward to. Keep that in mind and life will be good.”
“By the gods, you sound like a fortune cookie, baby girl. What the hell is up with that? It definitely isn’t coming from anything you got off of me. Actually…” he trailed off. Then he stopped to pin her with a look. “That sounded like something Victor would say to annoy me into shooting him. Again.”
“I have been touching him a lot.” He was right; that didn’t sound like anything she would typically say. Damn, her men literally were rubbing off on her. “I would say I need to stop touching them, but we both know that’s not going to happen. I guess I’ll just need to start to try to filter myself.”
Mikhail hummed softly while nodding. “Might be wise. I have a natural kneejerk reaction when it comes to his little helpful tips. Shoot first, worry about repainting later. Can’t help it, he’s been doing it since the day the team was created. Personally, I think he feels it’s his gods-given right to push me to the brink. I love the guy like a brother, but the urge to kill that one is strong.”
She laughed at that. “That’s funny. Seriously. Well, please don’t shoot me. I don’t think that James and Victor would appreciate it, nor would Camilla. Just a thought is all. I doubt that anyone would be happy about you shooting me. Me included.”
“I’d never shoot you, but try to stem the flow of Victor-isms if you could. You’re my baby sister and I adore you, but there are some lines even you need to be aware of.” Hugging her into his side, Mik pressed a kiss to her hair. “I’ll kill anyone that ever hurts you without even batting a lash.”
“Thank you, Mik. I feel the same about you.” She might not have as many kills as Mikhail did, but she was still deadly. Maybe more so because people often underestimated her, since she looked like the proverbial girl next door.
“Don’t go doing the tally,” he said. At her sharp look, he shrugged and gave her an innocent look she might have bought if she hadn’t started to really get to know him. And more than pulling everything from inside his head. “What?” he asked, batting his lashes.
“You are too scary at times. Yes, I was doing a tally, but you know what I came up with?” She was walking with her arm linked with his, her cheek to his shoulder. “I came up with the fact that I’m alive and a lot of bad people are dead that wanted to take my life from me. To me, that’s a win.”
“It’s always a win when you can walk away from any battle in one piece,” he said. “I’m not all that scary, unless you’re anyone but you, Camilla, and apparently, Gareth. Well, there is Pepper now, too. She’s a good one, too, and she’s family now,” the man said with the smallest hint of smiles. “The rest of the team I’m still waiting to decide on. Currently, they’re on my good side, but it fluctuates hourly, so it’s always a tough call where they’ll fall by the end of the day.”
She had to laugh—she couldn’t help herself. “They’re your family. You would go to the wall for them, just as you would for me, and you know it. I like them as well. Your team. They’re good men. You all have formed a bond that goes beyond what the gods tied you with. It’s a brotherhood that very few have ever experienced.”
Mik only grunted at her assessment, but she knew he was being contrary just to tweak her nose. They reached the SUV moments later, and he got her inside. When he’d joined her, he got them moving back to the city. “So, for lunch I was thinking we should hit up the pancake house. That way we have options of either breakfast, lunch, or both.”
“French toast sounds delicious.” She loved the sugary goodness of French toast and syrup. “You don’t think they’re tracking us yet, do you? I’ve noticed that they have a tendency of keeping a close eye on me. It makes me smile. What do you think?” She loved that her men tracked her when she wasn’t with them, that they ensured they knew where she was and that she was safe.
“I’m sure Owen has us on satellite,” he said. “I didn’t deactivate the SUVs GPS because I knew they’d get twitchy if I did, plus they have your RFID tracker ID info as well. Likely figure I was taking you into the middle of nowhere to bury the body or some such nonsense. For a couple of really smart men, don’t ever tell them I said that or we’ll have serious issues. They get extremely dumb when it comes to you.”
She snickered. “Too true. You should drop me off at the edge of the property and come home without me. I think that they would lose their shit. I could get lost in the woods and no satellite would be able to track me. Silly men forget that I’ve had training as well.”
“Let’s not go crazy, baby girl. We’ll see how many texts I end up with when I turn my phone back on. That’ll be the deciding factor if I let you go spook their asses like they probably deserve.” Giving her a wink, Mik turned on the radio and found a station of rock classics for them to listen to on their drive.
She snickered but agreed. “And see how many I have as well.”
He groaned. “Shit, good point,” he muttered. Shaking his head, he let out a sigh. They both knew that her men would be texting friends if they even thought she and Mik were not immediately headed back to the house. Good thing they were cute and great in bed.
Epilogue
Mount Olympus, home of the gods…
Rolling his shoulders, Ares lifted the glass he held and then took a sip. “They seem to be doing rather well, if I do say so myself. Didn’t even have to give those two much of a nudge. Either they’re getting more sensitive to the universe and all it has to share or they’re getting smarter.”
Artemis smiled. “Could be a bit of both, really. Either that or Aphrodite’s descendant is getting close to being pulled into the mix. We were warned that the closer to time for her descendant to be pulled in, the more that they will feel, and the more that they would love. Are they ready for her yet to join them?”
“They’d better be. There’s not a lot of choice in this, is there?” He moved to settle on a settee and crossed an ankle over his opposite knee. “This has been in motion for centuries. Once the pieces started to fall into place, not even we could have stopped any of this from happening. The one I worry most about is the last. She met her men before it was time. This is going to hurt them all, Artemis.”
“Where is her watcher? That child should never have gone through what she did. She was kept hidden from us, as well.” They didn’t name names, not without bringing the girl’s watcher to them. “They aren’t aware that she’s theirs, are they? If they have questions, you need to ensure they stay away. She’s far too young. It’s not time. Not for her, and not for what we set into motion so long ago.”
“They don’t yet know, though they do suspect. Hard not to when the pull is so strong. She’ll be back in school soon, and they will be onto the next assignment to protect a new charge to be taken into the fold. It will hurt, but they’re strong. I will dull everything as much as I can until it’s time. The gods help us all when that time comes,” he muttered. “As to her guardian, I have no idea.”
“It’s because the girl is so close to her ancestor,” Artemis said with a sigh. Who would have known that was how the old bastard was goin
g to play this game? “How is Kasper? She loves her men. I’ve never seen her act as she does. She’s always thrown herself into the ring with everything, and now with these men.” She shrugged and continued to watch the well. “They are happy, though—that’s all that counts, right? And they will need her. When the time is right, they will need Kasper and her particular set of skills in order to assist. No, sadly, I don’t know what yet. The bloody Fates only cackle so much to me and then leave me guessing. It’s driving me up the damn wall.”
“Like you actually expected anything less from that trio? Come on, Artie. Get your head out of the clouds and see them for what they are. They are playing a guessing game as much as we are on this particular crapshoot. No one knows from moment to moment how this is all going to go. But yes, Kasper is great. She’s happy, in love, and thinking about the future with Victor and James. She’s a little pissed at her aunt, though.” He smirked at her.
Artie smiled. “I will come down and see her soon. I promise. Something’s happening. Something big. I’m trying to see it as soon as it happens. I’m worried, Ares,” she confessed. “You play your games to hold back your worries, but I can’t. I stand here day in and day out and wait for the next shoe to drop. Something is about to happen, and it’s going to be very, very bad. I’m afraid we’re going to lose one. It feels that heavy.”
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Ares drew her in for a hug. “Hey, we’re not going to lose one. I know what you mean, though. I’ve felt something oppressive in the air of late, undefined, and waiting like a predator to pounce. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it. And if we can’t, we have a lot of very determined men who would be more than happy to do so for us. Don’t discount all those crazy fuckers. I picked them for a reason, Artie. They’re our ace in the hole, and one Hades isn’t ever going to be able to see coming, because they don’t play by any rules but their own.”
“I hope you’re right, brother. I hope you are right,” Artemis said softly. “Now, don’t you have a game night with your online buddies? You and your gaming.” She smiled affectionately at him. “If only they knew that this Halo game you played with them was nothing compared to some of the battles that you have faced before. Go. Don’t be late. I’m going to watch for a bit longer. Apollo is supposed to come take over for me tonight so I can go have dinner with Kasper. He feels it, too. He’s meeting with your descendant today for lunch, by the way. So please don’t pop in on him?”
Sniffing, Ares shrugged. “I have no idea what you mean. I would never just pop in to visit with him.” He checked his watch, and his eyes went big. “Shit, I’m going to be late. All right, I gotta go. You let me know how things play out with Kas, would you? I’m off to school a bunch of boys.” Leaning in, he kissed her cheek and gave her another hug before hopping up from his seat. He finished his drink, winked at her, threw her the peace sign, and flashed out. For the God of War, he definitely had a comedic side to him.
I heard that, Artemis.
Artemis stood at the well before her and smiled. “Of course you did,” she said to the empty room.
She looked over and into the well once more. Shifting slightly, she frowned and placed both hands on the sides of the well. “No!”
Artemis screamed and reached out to Apollo; she felt him already on the move, though. The tears of the goddess fell into the well as she watched one of the descendants—Ares’s descendant—begin to bleed out from the gunshot wounds she suffered.
The End
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