I stared up at the ceiling. “I’ve created a monster.”
Demarco growled and jumped on the bed. Then he went for my neck, tickling me with his whiskers while he nipped and kissed the sensitive area just below my ear. Then he settled down next to me and stroked my hair back from my face.
“Let me make it up to you,” he said. “Tell me what you want me to do.”
My gaze roamed over his naked body, drinking it in like nectar. And then I spent the rest of the night showing my blacksmith just how bossy I could be.
THANKS TO DEMARCO’S uncanny stamina and desire to please, I did eventually get worn out enough to sleep. We woke up late, took our time in the shower, and then the guys and I made a big breakfast of pancakes, bacon, fruit, and coffee. As we ate, we went over the plan for the hundredth time. It still felt like we were missing something, but I’d be dammed if I could figure it out. With hours to go before Eris brought Ares to do battle for the essence of Zeus, Demarco, Tweety, and I traveled through the realm of Erebus to Peru.
Demarco heated the forge, Tweety assisted him, and I paced the ruins and chewed my fingernails down to nubs. We were well beyond ready by the time the sky crackled with magic and Ares and his cronies made their appearance. In days of old the god of war traveled in a golden chariot, but it was a black Hummer that appeared from thin air, looking completely out of place in front of the ruins.
The jungle around us acknowledged the arrival of the god with a sudden eerie silence. Then, the back doors of the Hummer sprang open and ear-splitting rock music spilled out to drown the area in a guitar-screeching intro.
“What’s he doing?” Demarco asked.
“Making an entrance,” Tweety replied. “All the pro-wrestlers do it. Wonder if he brought a smoke machine.”
No smoke machine, but the god of war sure magicked up his intro. As Eris and two warriors climbed out of the back, a blood-red haze pumped out of the vehicle and hovered around their legs and feet.
“Oh, that’s the backseat Eris hates sitting in,” I said, finally understanding her ire over the demotion. The goddess of chaos had been reduced to sitting in the back with the kids. No wonder she was pissed.
Arms crossed over their chests, eyes full of disdain, Eris and the warriors stared us down as they stopped in front of the hummer. Eris, still wearing the tattered dress I’d seen her in both times at the office, quirked her lips into a sneer. “This is going to be fun,” she said, sounding a little too gleeful for my liking.
The warriors standing beside her were clearly the twins. Deimos and Phobos, “terror” and “fear” respectively, looked identical. Spawned from Ares and Aphrodite’s bizarre relationship, they were my half-uncles, and I couldn’t stop myself from searching for some sort of family resemblance. They both had the blond hair, hooded blue-green eyes, and sex appeal Aphrodite was famous for, but where her appearance drew people in, the twins were clearly built to intimidate and make people run away.
Charcoal circled their eyes and marred their faces, twisting their beauty into something dark and ominous. Tattoos too gruesome and terrible to look at covered every inch of skin visible around their spiked breastplates and bracers. The ink on their bare stomachs depicted disturbing battle scenes, the blood of which seemed to soak down and stain their fustanellas (traditional pleated skirt-like garments). Golden girdles, engraved with a raging dog head, rode low on their hips and matched the greaves shielding their calves. Tsarouhi shoes completed the ensemble, but instead of the traditional balls on the toe, theirs bore six-inch spikes. One well-positioned kick would likely rid a person of a vital organ.
I shuddered, and the twins smiled, drawing my attention to their sharp, pointed teeth.
“Think they use a nail file to shape their chompers like that?” I asked Tweety.
“Tacky,” he replied. “Talk about overkill.”
The Hummer’s engine cut, instantly silencing the music. The passenger door sprang open and a woman emerged. Enyo. Messy, cinnamon locks ended at her shoulders, in an uneven chop. Golden armor covered her chest, forearms, waist, and calves. Her fustanella, torn and barely decent, was splattered in blood. Black and white paint had turned a face that could possibly be pretty into a creepy skull. She winked at me as she took her place in front of Eris and the twins.
Rage boiled behind the look Eris gave the back of her sister’s head. It was the first hint Eris was still planning to help us, and I’d never been more comforted by a glare in my life.
Finally, Ares blessed us with his presence. The god of war looked like every picture I’d ever seen of him. Corinthian helmet, complete with the red plume, giant bronze breastplate, bracers, girdle, greaves, sandals, blood-splattered fustanella. Apparently wearing a skirt was only cool if the skirt was ripe with evidence of your kills. The Blood Spear gripped in his right hand, shield covering his left, sword sheathed at his waist. Ares looked so cliché I felt my eyeballs roll toward the heavens as he took his place beside Enyo.
“You know, everyone else is modernizing,” I said, unable to put a lid on my snark. “And it’s like you get it… because you traded in the chariot for a Hummer, but now you just look like you’re wearing Halloween costumes in the spring. You guys should think about updating your look. Maybe something less… bloody. More family friendly. Angry dogs are out, but glitter and unicorns are really big right now.”
Tweety snickered. “Glitter?”
Nerves always brought out my sarcastic sense of humor. One of these days someone would probably beat the habit out of me, but I hoped it wouldn’t be today. And not by someone dressed like a gothic Roman hooker. Looking Enyo over, I took mental notes of every inch of exposed skin so I’d know what to aim for.
Due to his massive helmet, I couldn’t see Ares’s expression, but I felt his gaze land on me before he turned to Eris and asked, “What’s this? You promised me a battle.”
“It will be a battle. I’m going to play with the twins while these three take on you and Enyo. Hopefully they’ll defeat you and you can hand over that stupid essence so we can get back to our game.”
So much for the element of surprise. And what happened to, “If I get caught, he’ll consider it treason and I will be dealt with accordingly”?
“Really, Eris?” I asked.
She only shrugged in reply.
Ares didn’t seem the least bit bothered by her admission, nor did he so much as bend her over his lap and paddle her butt for treason. Instead, the god of war asked, “And who are they, that they would dare challenge me?”
The pompous ass.
Eris cleared her throat. “Romi, granddaughter of Erebus.”
I dropped low in a mockingly-demure curtsy.
Ares grunted.
Eris continued, “Tweety the griffin.”
Tweety waved.
“And Demarco, son of your enemy, Hephaestus.”
Demarco didn’t react. Ares, however walked halfway across the distance separating them and studied the blacksmith. “Aphrodite is not your mother,” he noted. “She promised me she would not have a child by that hideous bastard. You must be the result of that stupid human Aphrodite tricked him into laying with.”
Demarco tensed but didn’t respond.
Ares chuckled. “Maybe I’ll leave you as disfigured as your sire.”
Demarco’s hands flexed. I could tell he wanted to reach for the hammer on his back and pulverize Ares, but I needed him to stick with the plan.
“Where’s the essence of Zeus?” I asked, springing forward to stand between them.
“Front seat of the Hummer. Defeat me and it’s yours.” The disdain in his tone made it clear he didn’t think we had a chance.
“Lookin’ forward to it,” Demarco replied. This time he did tug his hammer off his back and gave it a few swings to warm up his wrists.
The twins unsheathed their weapons. Both dual wielded, one with axes, the other with short swords. I spared them one final glance before focusing on Enyo. Runes ran up the blade of her long
sword… something to do with speed. Smart, since the heavy weapon would make her slow. Especially compared to me. I unsheathed my daggers while Tweety removed his shirt and changed into his native form.
“You go high, I’ll go low,” I whispered.
The griffin shook out his wings and bobbed his head.
A small, silver head of curls bobbed over the back of the Hummer and Hysminai hoisted herself up onto the vehicle. She winked at me before turning her attention to the twins.
Then, the scene exploded into chaos. Deimos and Phobos attacked each other while Ares swung at Demarco. My heart tried to leap out of my chest at the power behind the blow, but my blacksmith easily blocked Ares’s sword with his hammer before taking a swing of his own. Metal clamored as Ares’s shield absorbed the hit.
Tweety took flight with a great whoosh and I sprang forward, meeting Enyo less than two feet from the Hummer. I sliced, she parried. Hooking her sword with one dagger, I stabbed with the other. She feinted and I missed my mark as she took another swing. My short arms were going to be a problem, as was her speed. A longsword had no business being that fast. At least I had shadows on my side. I wrapped them around me and jumped away from the battle to regroup. Enyo gave chase.
Tweety dive-bombed her head and she ducked. I sprang back long enough to take a jab at her side. She saw me materialize, feinted, and swung, but I slipped away again. Tweety dived. Enyo ducked, but not before he scraped a talon against her skull. The griffin drew first blood.
A steady stream of bronze slithered out of the ruins toward Demarco and Ares. It lined up behind the god of war and began to spread upward, looking strangely like Doreán’s silly putty as it stretched and formed. Ares turned to look at it, and Demarco landed a blow to the god’s side.
Enyo rushed me again. I ducked and stabbed, but she feinted out of my reach. Her sword arched toward my head and I got the hell out of there, shadow hopping to the side of the hummer. Tweety screeched and made another pass at her while I hopped back beside her with my daggers ready. Mario sliced deep, and a thin line of blood sprouted against her pale skin.
The goddess grunted and swung. I leapt into the shadows but she was too fast and her blade bit into my arm. Immediately sensing the blood, shadows attacked my wound. Flexing my will to push them away and assure them my injury wasn’t substantial enough to leave me weak, I reappeared about ten feet in front of Enyo.
Tweety attacked the goddess with both beak and talons. Enyo swung wildly above her head while ducking.
The twins were still battling each other while Eris and Hysminai watched with unabashed glee. Demarco seemed to be holding his own against Ares, which honestly impressed the snot out of me, and his bronze putty at Ares’s back had formed into a waist-high semi-circle.
Ares feinted high and swung low, getting past Demarco’s hammer and slicing into his leg. I could handle Enyo, but the blacksmith could use help with Ares so he could concentrate on building the bronze trap. I shouted for Tweety and pointed to them. With one last swipe at Enyo, the griffin banked and flew for Ares.
Enyo let out a battle cry that made me want to cover my ears and cower. Instead, I held my ground and gestured for her to come get me. Face twisted in rage, blood trickling down her forehead, she charged with her sword aimed low at my stomach. As if I was gonna stand there and let her stab me. I turned to shadow at the last minute and her superfast longsword went hurling by. I popped back in time to plunge Luigi into her thigh.
Enyo screamed in pain. “Stand still and fight me, coward!” she shouted.
“No thanks,” I replied, disappearing again.
With Tweety attacking Ares’s head, Demarco seemed to be able to focus more on the bronze prison. It was almost to Ares’s head in the back and at his knees in front.
I couldn’t believe it. Our plan was working and we were winning.
Obviously frustrated with her inability to land a decent hit on me, Enyo was bordering on enraged as her sword arched to remove my head from my shoulders. I dropped down and swept her feet from under her. Committed to the swing, the goddess couldn’t keep her balance and toppled over, grazing my cheek on her way down. Pissed, I kicked her sword out of her hands, sheathed my daggers, and pounced.
Then I immediately sprang right back up because my damn spider stalker was crouched inches from Enyo’s head and I didn’t want a piece of her that bad.
Enyo followed my gaze to the spider and jumped away… right into my fist. I clocked her a good one and she fell back down. The spider decided it had had enough and scurried off, which encouraged me to take another swing at Enyo. She grabbed my fist and flung me forward, in the direction the spider had gone. I jumped into the shadows and unsheathed my daggers, preparing to take on both her and the eight-legged freak.
“We got him!” Demarco shouted.
Enyo had retrieved her sword, but Demarco’s announcement drew her attention. As she gaped at the bronze jar caging Ares, I hopped to her back and slid my daggers against her exposed stomach.
“Surrender,” I demanded.
She muttered something in Greek before dropping her sword.
Tweety changed back to human form. He was chuckling as he brought vines to tie up the goddess.
The twins were a bloody mess and still going at each other with vigor. It took some convincing, but we finally talked Eris into releasing them. They looked from the bronze prison to the tied-up Enyo and threw their weapons down in disgust. Amazed everything had gone down so well, I went to retrieve the essence from the Hummer.
That’s when all hell broke loose.
I FELT SHADE’S presence mere seconds before he made his appearance. I’d just grabbed Zeus’s essence from the front seat of Ares’s Hummer and was about to grab the guys and make our escape when my gut churned. I gripped the essence and scanned the area.
“Demarco, Tweety, we need to go.”
Before I even got the words out, Shade’s head materialized behind Demarco. My sire grinned at me as he wrapped his shadowy-arms around the blacksmith. Thousands of little lacerations blossomed where Demarco’s skin met the shadow.
He cried out in agony and freed himself enough to swing his hammer. It went right through Shade.
“What do we do?” Tweety asked, suddenly at my side.
My mind couldn’t process what I was seeing. We’d won. We’d gotten the essence. He couldn’t be here. Not now. “Why? What are you doing here?” It was a stupid question, but it just flung out of my mouth.
Eris moved. She sauntered over to me and grinned. “Now we’re even. Don’t steal from me again, imiaimos.”
Half-blood. Of course. The sneaky little bitch still had her panties in a wad about my stealing the essence from her. She’d waited until Ares was captured and I had the essence to betray me, which didn’t violate our contract. I wanted to cut the smirk right off her face, and would have if I didn’t have my sire to contend with.
“Let him go, Shade,” I demanded.
Shade laughed. “But I just got him.”
“Let him go. It’s me you want.”
He frowned. “Yes, it is, but we have a slight problem, don’t we? You’re useless to me unless you can steal, but the careless little contract you made with loverboy here prevents that. We both know there are only two ways out of contracts. Either you convince the blacksmith to release you from your pledge, or I’m going to detach his head from his body and end your contract the old-fashioned way.”
My entire body shook with a combination of nerves and anger. “If you kill him, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth.”
Shade laughed.
“I swear I will rip you from limb to limb and let the shadows feast on your essence.”
Magic tingled against my skin, sealing the promise I’d just made. Shade’s expression shifted from amused to uncertain. Now if he killed Demarco, I’d be bound to avenge him. Bet the asshole didn’t see that one coming.
“Do not play games with me.” He tightened his hold on Demarco. “Get
him to release you or watch him die.”
If I didn’t make Demarco release me, Shade would have to kill him. Then I’d probably die trying to avenge him. There was no way this could end in anything but tears.
“Demarco,” I pleaded. “Please release me from the contract.”
He shook his head.
Shade dug in and Demarco screamed in agony.
“Dammit, Shade, give me a minute. Let me talk to him and help him understand the situation.”
“Do it quickly.”
I glared at my sire before turning my gaze on Demarco. “There is no other way,” I said. “We had fun… a great vacation. But now it’s time for me to get back to the real world and for you to live. We have Doreán to think of. He needs you… needs his father. I will work out something with Shade where you get to see him. Where you get to see both of us.”
“I know what I’m doing, Romi. I promised you I would do everything in my power to keep you and Doreán safe.”
“And I told you I can protect myself.”
His sad, resigned smile did far more damage to me than Enyo ever could have. “I love you, Romi. Trust me. The Pythia said it has to be like this. Now get out of here. Shade can’t have you.” I could tell by the resolve in Demarco’s steel-colored eyes that even if I argued until I was blue in the face he wouldn’t release me.
The Pythia? Why hadn’t he said anything? No, he had. He’d said if he wasn’t with me I’d fail. How could he be with me if he died? Anger emboldened me. I was done pleading with him. This was stupid. Why sacrifice himself when there was no need? In the long run, it wouldn’t change anything and it sure as hell wouldn’t keep Shade from coming after me.
“No!” I snapped. “You don’t get to make a declaration of love and then die. That is not how this ends. Release me and I’ll find another way.”
Demarco looked over my shoulder. “Tweety, get her out of here.”
The griffin grabbed my shoulders.
“NO!” I shouted, jerking away from him. Tears of betrayal and anger flooded my eyes and ran down my cheeks as my heart shattered. “Demarco, please, please release me.”
Lucky Courage (9781370361410) Page 17