“So, was he trying to hurt you? Or is that just what a god sounds like to humans?” Bryce had stiffened in his seat, and Ree realized it wasn’t just Paden who was upset. All of her Guardians were on edge. Their need to protect her was kicking into overdrive.
“Roland said it had to do with their ‘true voice,’ that most gods think it’s beneath them to speak in a way that doesn’t hurt humans. However, they can speak in a way that isn’t painful. Ares just chose not to exercise that option.” Shrugging, Ree picked at imaginary lint on her shirt. She didn’t want to make a big fuss about all of it.
“Okay, what happened after that?” Bryce was definitely taking his role as inquisitor seriously.
“I went to sleep. Then Melanie picked me up this morning.” Looking at Melanie, Ree asked, “Did you tell them about the special effects seminar?”
“Yeah, and about Loki.”
“Loki, isn’t that the guy that was an ice demon in that movie?” Everyone turned to look at Weylin. “What? I’m not the only one who saw that movie!”
“Pretty sure Hollywood has a bunch of stuff wrong, dude.” Shaking his head, Paden turned back to Ree. “Did Sophie say why she thought they were speaking in that convention?”
“Mainly that she thought it was a bad thing.”
“She also wants Ree to move to the island.” Melanie chimed in from her corner, and Ree shot her a horrified look. Why on earth would she bring that up?
“I know you don’t want to go, Ree, but I think Sophie is right about you needing to be somewhere safer.” Shrugging sheepishly, Melanie winced at the angry look Ree shot her way. “I get the feeling that something bad is coming. I just want you to be safe.”
“I think the shit is about to hit the fan, too.” Weylin added in a quiet tone. “Something feels off, more than it did last week. I think we’re on shaky ground here.”
“Look, I appreciate the concern, but I can’t leave my parents. They need me.” Ree glared at everyone in the room. “Let’s change the subject. What should I know that I don’t already?” When the others exchanged glances, she felt her stomach clench. “What is it?” Turning toward Paden, she watched as he fidgeted next to her.
“Just tell her, Paden. She has a right to know.” Glaring at Paden, Juliette threw her book at his head. He grabbed it out of the air and sat it on the arm of the loveseat.
“Shannon was spreading rumors today.” When he met her eyes, she could see the anger written on his face.
“What kind of rumors, Paden?” She reached out and touched his arm to let him know she wasn’t upset. Shannon had been spreading rumors about her since the second grade. “Is she making up lies about why I wasn’t at school?”
“Sort of.” His fingers clenched on his knees. “It’s really not important. Everyone knows that she’s nothing but an attention grabber.”
“Oh, geez, Paden.” Rolling her eyes, Juliette shook her head. “Ree’s a big girl. Stop babying her.” Turning her attention to Ree, she said, “Shannon showed up today looking like she had been in a bar fight. A black eye, busted lip, bandage on her neck and shoulder, and a nasty limp.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Dread settled into Ree’s stomach as she looked at Juliette. “She probably pissed off one of the Dark Ones.”
“She was telling everyone you did it.” Quiet filled the room as Ree digested what her friend had told her.
“What do you mean she told everyone? Like, the teachers too?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised, Ree. I only saw her bitching about it to other students, but I’m sure she needed an excuse for her parents and the teachers.” Juliette winced. “I think it’s best if you lie low for a while.”
“Why would I have beaten her up? What’s her reasoning?”
“Does anyone really need a reason to beat the tar out of Shannon?” Weylin grimaced. “She’s a total witch to everyone.”
“She said you went psycho on her for going to pay her respects to Claire’s family. That you blamed Claire’s death on her.” Juliette winced. “She also insinuated that Tristan told her you were on psych meds when he was still alive. That he referred to you as ‘special’.”
For a long time Ree sat there looking at her friends with her mouth hanging open. Snapping her mouth shut, she stood up and walked to a window and looked out it. She could hear whispering behind her, but she really didn’t care. When strong hands grasped her shoulders and turned her around, she didn’t resist. Paden looked at her with comforting eyes.
“Everyone knows that Shannon is a liar.”
“That’s why she’s so popular, huh? Because she’s a liar.” Sarcasm practically dripped from her words.
“She’s popular because her family is loaded, because she’s attractive, and because she makes people feel superior. That doesn’t mean they don’t know she’s a liar.” He touched her cheek, but Ree jerked away from him.
“You think she’s attractive?” Feeling completely rejected, Ree pulled out of his grasp.
“That’s not what I meant, Ree. Personally, I can’t stand her. But a lot of guys don’t look very deep.” Ice froze Ree’s gut. She knew she was being ridiculous, but it bothered her that Paden had noticed that Shannon was attractive.
“Whatever, Paden.” Turning her back to him, she looked out the window and wished he would go away.
Moving close to her, he leaned down so his lips grazed her ear. “You’re the only girl that I want to be with. The only girl I look forward to seeing walk into a room. When I’m not with you, all I can think about is getting back to you. When you touch me, it’s like fire running through my veins.” Gently turning her so she was facing him, he ran a thumb over her bottom lip, and she shivered. “No one holds a candle to you.”
Tilting her head back, he gently kissed her lips before pulling back to smile at her. “I’ve got to admit though; it’s kind of cute to see you jealous.”
Shoving his shoulder, she rolled her eyes. Car lights outside of the window drew her attention to the parking lot, and she saw several people climbing out of Sophie’s SUV.
“Looks like our company has arrived.”
Chapter 21
Ree couldn’t help but stare at the new Guardians. Teagan, the female Guardian, was short and delicate-looking. Long, red hair hung down her back in waves and framed her heart-shaped face. Her ridiculous clothes served as a distraction to her soft beauty. Ree decided that it was as if she was trying to hide the fact that she was so small. A snug black halter top covered her chest but left her stomach and arms bare. Leather pants hugged her curves before disappearing into knee-high biker boots. Even without super powers, Ree could practically hear Weylin panting. Paden at least had the grace to pretend not to notice, and Bryce looked as if he couldn’t care less.
Drake, the other Guardian, was well over six feet tall and the antithesis of Teagan. Dark skin and a British accent, combined with his tailored suit, made a rather attractive package. Melanie had definitely noticed; her head perked up the moment he introduced himself.
“Alastriana, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Shaking her hand in both of his, he looked at her solemnly. “I vow to guard your parents with my life. Nothing shall harm them as long as I live.”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” Ree smiled and concentrated on not rubbing the sensation back into her fingers. “I’m sorry we’ve taken you away from your lives.”
“This is our life.” Shrugging, Teagan leaned back in her chair and set her boots on the table. Taking a bite of pizza, she looked around the room. “Have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many Guardians gathered at once.”
“So no Guardian conventions or family reunions?” Weylin shook his head in mock disappointment. “I guess I’ll have to use my hotel points for something else.”
“They don’t even know they’re breaking the rules, then! Guardians don’t gather together, boy-o. We have more important things to be doing.”
“Why not?” Melanie asked from her e
nd of the table.
“They don’t want us mating. Might throw off their pact with the Dark Gods. Or, worse yet, give us something else to care about.” Taking another bite of pizza, she looked at each of them. “Speaking of the gods. Who do you all belong to?”
“Teagan.” Drake’s voice held an edge of rebuke, but it seemed to be wasted on the redhead.
“C’mon, now. It’s silly to think that’s rude. I’m a descendant of Aphrodite, and if I had to guess, I’d say that one was from an Irish god.” Paden’s face looked startled when the small Guardian gestured at him.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m a descendant of Brigid.” He rubbed the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable being scrutinized. Ree noticed that his Celtic cross was nowhere in sight. It was most likely tucked into his shirt.
“How did you know that?” Ree asked.
“Good stock.” Ree’s fingers tightened on the armrest of her chair when the small Guardian winked at Paden. “Tall, handsome, and gorgeous green eyes. Not too difficult to guess.”
For a moment, Ree’s vision clouded with red. She felt the need to mark Paden as hers in some way, but couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t be seen as childish. Instead, she settled for glaring at the small woman, trying to keep a tight rein on her powers.
“Hecate. On my father’s side of the family.” Melanie gave a small wave of her hand.
“Hm. You smell faintly of witch.” Drake tilted his head to the side as he looked at Melanie.
“Yeah, on my mother’s side of the family.” Melanie’s eyes were large, and two spots of red colored her cheeks. Ree had to cover her mouth when she caught Melanie discreetly sniffing at her shoulder.
“Poseidon. Well, technically Paden is a descendant of Poseidon, too,” Weylin offered after swallowing a large bite of pizza.
“Hunky Paden has two godly patrons?” Teagan pulled her feet down from the table and looked at Paden with a sultry smile. “Now, that is interesting. Someone was planning ahead with you.”
“Stop baiting Ree, Teagan.” Sophie looked at the other woman shrewdly. “I don’t think you would like the outcome.”
Ree looked back at Teagan and saw her smiling. “Just testing the waters, Soph. There’s so much sexual tension in this room, you could cut it with a knife. I couldn’t resist. No hard feelings, Ree? I only wanted to know where you stood with your Guardians.”
“Um, no hard feelings.” Heat ran the length of Ree’s neck and face. She still wanted to crawl onto Paden’s lap to stake her territory. Paden, who was sitting next to her, had pursed his lips in an attempt to not laugh. Apparently, he had felt her jealousy just as much as she had felt his amusement.
“So, that leaves you two.” Looking at Bryce and Juliette, she tapped her mouth with a dainty finger. “Horus, because I can see your ring there.” She gestured at Bryce’s hand before turning back to Jules.
“She smells like sunshine, Teagan.” Drake sniffed quietly in Juliette’s direction, and she raised her eyebrows in annoyance. “Like a bright spring day.”
“Hm. Amaterasu? You look a little like her.”
“You’ve met her? What was she like?”
“Very bright.” She winked at Juliette. “It was very brief, and she didn’t say much. She was beautiful, though. Of course, most of the gods are.”
Juliette sat back in her chair, disappointment marring her beautiful face. “I can’t help but wonder what she’s like.”
“It’s usually wiser to limit your time with the gods,” Sophie said from her chair.
“What about you, Sophie? Who are you descendant of?” Ree bit her bottom lip, surprised she had spoken out loud. She had wondered for a long time, but had never felt comfortable asking.
“You might as well tell her, Sophie. She’s dying to know.” Roland was sitting at the computer working on something Ree couldn’t see. “It’s written all over her face.”
“Athena,” Sophie said, dryly. Standing up, she picked up her paper plate from the table and threw it in the trash can. Her face had settled into her usually blank expression.
Ree looked toward Roland to see if he had an explanation, but he gave a quick jerk of his head no. Maybe she would be able to get more information from him the next time he was on guard duty at her house.
“What about you, Drake? King Sniffer,” Weylin asked.
The flash of a bright smile flitted over the dark man’s face. “Teagan and I might not look like it, but we share a family ancestry.”
“Aphrodite?” Melanie’s voice squeaked the tiniest bit.
“One and the same.”
“No offense, but I would have guessed you would be a little more…” Weylin trailed off, looking for words that weren’t offensive.
“Flirty? Outlandish?” Drake shook his head and cast a meaningful glance toward Teagan. “Some of us godlings try to not allow our heritage to influence the way in which we conduct ourselves.”
“Oh, shut it, Drake.” Teagan threw her bunched up paper towel at him. He caught the paper and laughed. It was a musical sound, and Ree couldn’t help the flutter in her stomach that accompanied it. When she noticed all of the girls in the room had stopped to look at Drake, she shook her head. He might not want any of Aphrodite’s gifts, but it was clear he had them.
“So, what are we doing tonight?” Ree turned to look at Sophie as she cleaned some of the glasses in the tiny sink.
“Tonight we’re going clubbing.” Sophie smiled at Ree’s expression.
“Clubbing?” Ree couldn’t keep the horror out of her voice, and she was pretty sure it was reflected in her expression.
“It’s when people get dressed up in cool clothes and go dance with other people.” Weylin looked at Ree with a sincere expression. “Sometimes it’s even enjoyable.”
Ree flung her paper plate at Weylin’s head. “I know what clubbing is, dork! What I can’t understand is how we’re supposed to get in a club when most of us are underage—or look underage.”
“That’s hardly a problem if Roland’s going with you.” Teagan stood up and stretched. Her halter rode up even higher to expose more of her midriff. “Mr. Sexy over there just has to use his pheromone mojo to get past the bouncer.” Walking over to Roland, she placed a hand on his shoulder, her fingers massaging small circles. “Isn’t that right, Rols?”
“It only works on people that are attracted to males, Tea.” Covering her hand with his, a sly smile slid over Roland’s face when he looked up at the redhead. “As you should know.”
The immediate pang of jealousy surprised Ree. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Paden’s nostrils flare in anger, but she was hopeless to stop the feeling. Something inside her wanted to claw the redhead’s eyes out, and it was partly because she knew Teagan was egging her on. It didn’t help that she was pretty sure Roland was enjoying his chance to make her jealous too.
“What club are we going to? Do you have a lead?” Resolutely ignoring the discord floating between Ree and Teagan, Bryce kept his eyes focused on Sophie.
“We’re going back to the darkling’s club. It came to our attention that one of the silent partners has stepped up to take over.” Sophie looked at them, her dark eyebrows pulled together. “Shannon’s father is now in charge of Club Barlow.”
Hoping that her mouth wasn’t hanging open, Ree felt her stomach tighten. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was the connection between Shannon and the Dark Ones. Surely, Tristan wouldn’t be associating with Shannon unless he had a reason. Or at least associating with her and letting her live. Did Shannon’s father know about the Dark Ones? And if he did, how could he allow them to treat his daughter like a buffet?
“Well, I guess that answers some questions and brings up new ones.” Bryce sat back in his chair, his eyes thoughtful.
“Yes. Now, we need to hurry because I want to scout some before we enter the club.” Sophie set the glass she was washing down on the dish rack. “You guys need to change.”
“What’s wrong with what we�
��re wearing?” Frowning, Ree looked down at her clothes. Jeans and a sweater seemed reasonable, considering how cold it was outside.
“Ree, you need to look older. And jeans and a sweater scream middle school.” Weylin shook his head and frowned. “You need to sex it up some.”
“Sex it up? And what do you mean, middle school?” Ree pulled at her sleeves in annoyance. “I got this for Christmas.”
“From who? Your grandmother?” Snickering at Ree’s expression, Weylin tilted back in his chair and didn’t notice when Ree gathered the power to her. A quick shove had him rolling backward out of his chair and onto the floor.
Melanie pointed at Weylin, who was looking up at the rest of their group sheepishly. “You so deserved that.” Paden held up his hand to high-five Ree.
“It doesn’t change the fact that no one’s going to believe Ree is old enough to go in a club wearing that outfit. Roland mojo or not.” Setting his chair back right, Weylin shrugged his shoulder. “Sorry, Ree. You know I love you, but it’s true.”
Sighing in acceptance, Ree looked at the others. “Well, what should I wear to the club?”
“Oh, I have been waiting for this moment for years.” Grabbing Ree’s hand, Juliette snatched her out of her chair and headed for the stairs. “I know just what to put you in.”
Looking over her shoulder, Ree mouthed help as she was dragged up to the next floor.
Chapter 22
Mortal Defiance (Dark Betrayal Trilogy) Page 11