by Lila Jean
“Anybody hungry?” Zane asked from the kitchen.
“Famished,” Draven shouted back. “Got any raw steaks?”
“I’ll take mine well-done,” Killian added.
“Heathen.” Draven shook his head in disappointment. “Either the cow’s still mooing, or you’ve burned and ruined it.”
Tina chuckled, shaking her head at their antics. “I don’t think he even offered steak, you guys.”
“Oh, there’s tons,” Anthony said, appearing suddenly from the hallway, stealthy and silent as ever. He flashed a smile and a wink at Tina, and she realized he was stoking the fire, messing with Zane as much as Draven and Killian.
“See! Steak,” Draven said, gesturing toward the wolf shifter as he entered. “I want mine blue, Zane!” The skin on her arm where Draven had been stroking her became suddenly cold as his touch left, and she shivered subtly. A moment later, he returned his attention toward her, his arms around her as though he were her blanket.
Anthony sat at the end of the couch and lifted Tina’s feet into his lap, rubbing the bottom of her soles with his thumbs.
“Hey, where’s my foot rub?” Draven snorted, a thin puff of smoke escaping the dragon shifter’s nose as he bent his knees to give the wolf space to sit.
Anthony laughed, shaking his head. “You’re an idiot.”
“So unfair,” Draven said, his grip around Tina tightening somewhat as if for comfort. She peeked over her shoulder at him, but he winked and was barely able to hide his mischievous smile.
“Here it is, crybabies,” Zane said from the hallway. “Your steaks.” He entered carrying a few plates, and Flynn followed suit afterward. They laid the trays of steak and corn on the coffee table, the aroma of a warm meal filling the area as Tina leaned in, her mouth watering.
“You truly are an amazing cook, Zane,” she said with a smile at her cat shifter. He blushed a bit but smiled in thanks.
“Hey, I helped,” Flynn said with a faux pout.
“Oh, my strong, fearless demigod,” she said with a chuckle. “Whatever would we do without you?”
“You mean besides saving the thousands of dollars it takes to feed him his ten thousand calories a day?” Draven snatched a plate and grinned playfully at the demigod. Flynn, to his credit, just snorted and cut into his steak.
Anthony and Zane grabbed a few chairs from the dining room and dragged them into the living area, and as everyone dug into their food, Tina simply smiled and scanned their faces. It made her so happy to see her men getting along, to see how happy they were despite the chaos and all the crazy outside.
On the table, Tina’s phone lit up. It was on silent, so it took a moment for her to register that it was ringing. She didn’t recognize the number, and as she watched in surprise, her smile fell. No one was supposed to have this number except for Ray and Amy, and both women’s numbers were already programmed in the phone. That meant this was someone new, either a wrong number or someone who was intentionally trying to reach Tina.
Draven seemed to notice it as well, and he shushed the room. She nodded to the phone, silently asking him to answer it, so he picked it up and held it near her face. Without a word, he tapped the speaker button and simply waited as her princes fell silent.
Tina held her breath, not daring to speak. On the other end, someone breathed heavily into the microphone, and a few panicked whimpers escaped between breaths.
“My goddess,” the mystery woman said softly. “Things are so much worse than—no! Look out for—wait, don’t!”
On the other end of the line, the phone clattered against something hard. The shuffle of clothing and the grunt of two people fighting made the sounds of talking nearly impossible to make out. They spoke in hushed tones, likely far away from the phone now, and Tina strained to make sense of what was happening.
A long, distant scream belonging to the voice Tina had first heard echoed through the phone, making her flinch in surprise and horror. It sounded like someone was being cut open or tortured, almost as if this woman was being gutted like an animal and made to feel the most horrible pain of her life.
With that, the line went dead.
Mouth open, Tina simply gaped at the phone in shock as she tried to process everything she had just heard. It had all happened so quickly she hadn’t been able to say anything at all, much less fully understand what was going on.
“It seems everything just got worse,” Flynn said softly, rubbing his eyes, his steak forgotten on the plate.
“So much for a night of no decisions, planning, or plots,” Draven said, tossing the phone onto the coffee table. “Sorry, boss.” He tightened his hold on Tina, pulling her head reassuringly against his chest. “Looks like we need to reevaluate our current plan.”
“Tina?” Anthony’s deadly quiet voice surprised her, and she flinched as she looked over at him. Dark and dangerous as ever, he sat still as a stone, poised and ready for action. “Are you ready to shift gears?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said, sighing. “I guess we don’t have much of a choice, do we?” She rubbed her neck. “What the hell just happened?”
“A warning,” Zane said, standing. “I think someone was trying to caution you about something.” He ran his hands through his hair. “It seems she got caught.”
“She called you ‘my goddess,’” Killian pointed out, arms crossed as he met Tina’s eye. “Maybe she was one of your priestesses?”
“Good thinking.” Tina nodded and grabbed the phone, dialing Ray. “We need to see if they’re okay.” She put the phone on speaker, letting it ring, on edge as she waited for the High Priestess to answer.
She never did. The line disconnected, as Ray intentionally didn’t have a voicemail, and Tina was left staring again at the blank screen.
“Fuck,” she muttered.
“Maybe she’s in the bathroom or something,” Draven said with a shrug. “High Priestesses have to poop, too.”
“Draven, be serious,” Flynn snapped, shooting the dragon shifter a glare.
“I’m only half-kidding.” Draven gestured to the phone. “Maybe she’ll call back in a minute. Maybe she’s fine.”
“Or maybe they got her, too,” Tina said softly.
Beside her, Draven tensed, his grip on her arms tightening in comfort. Her princes stiffened, Zane pausing midstride, Flynn pausing with one elbow resting on his knee, everyone staring at her as they considered the worst scenario.
“They’ll be used as bait,” Zane said, head in his hands as if it were his fault for not seeing enough moves ahead to prevent this. “Your priests and priestesses will die one by one to draw you out.”
“Stop,” Flynn said sharply, standing. “That’s enough. Zane, this isn’t your fault, and don’t you dare take responsibility.”
“But I should have—”
“No,” Flynn interrupted, and Tina was grateful her demigod was saying what she had been about to say herself. “We’re not going to let this snowball into a panic party.” He rubbed the back of his neck, pausing for a moment, no doubt collecting his thoughts. “We need allies, team. We need people on our side, powerful people who can help us gain sway with our fathers. In the end, getting our kingdoms to declare Tina as the One Queen is what matters.”
“The wolves are out,” Anthony said with an annoyed huff.
“Right, as are the demigods,” Flynn said with a defeated sigh. “Father wouldn’t even speak to me unless I came home to talk to him.”
“Which is a trap,” Draven pointed out.
“Duh.”
“I’m still working on my father,” the dragon shifter continued, stroking Tina’s arm with his thumb. “The stubborn man tried to trick me into an ambush and thinks I’ve been brainwashed by all the amazing sex with Tina, but I still think I’m making progress with him.”
Tina blushed and, despite the situation, couldn’t resist a slightly embarrassed smile at Draven’s compliment.
“Think you’ll make headway anytime soon?” Flynn as
ked, hands on his head as he paced. “Can we expect to have the dragons as an ally eventually?”
“Eventually, yes,” Draven said with a confident nod. “Soon? Hell no.”
“Damn.” Flynn groaned and rubbed his temples. “Killian?”
“Eagles are definitely out,” the eagle prince said with a curt laugh. “My father still wants Tina dead, and I refuse to allow him anywhere near her until I see proof he’s changed his mind.”
Tina flashed her eagle shifter a grateful smile, and he gave her a compassionate smile in return.
Flynn sighed. “That leaves—”
“I’ll stop you there, Flynn,” Zane said, shaking his messy hair. “Father won’t even answer my calls.” Zane groaned. “He totally broke off contact after the incident back in Epara.”
Tina’s shoulders drooped. All five of her princes had lost contact with their fathers, their homes, and their people, all for her. Her gaze flickered to the floor, and she couldn’t deny the guilt building in her shoulders, weighing her down at the thought of stealing a major source of her men’s happiness.
“Tina,” Flynn said softly, snapping her out of her guilty daze. She looked at him to find him smiling warmly. “You’re worth it.”
“And more,” Anthony added with a pat on her ankle.
“The sex really is amazing,” Draven said, biting her neck for emphasis until she giggled and batted him away. “But seriously,” he added, “nothing would keep me from you, ever. Not family, not country. Nothing.”
“None of us regret this, darling,” Killian said, cheek resting on one fist as he smiled at her.
“Not even a little,” Zane added with a nod. “We’d go to the ends of the earth for you, Tina, and then some. This is a small price to pay, and it’s temporary.” He grinned. “They’ll see reason eventually.”
“Thanks, guys,” she said, relaxing as her guilt melted away. “I love you all.”
“Ugh, so mushy.” Draven hugged her tightly, nibbling on her neck until she giggled again, trying to get away from him as he tickled her. “When did you get so gooey? Where’s that badass goddess who sent five kings packing like scared little girls?”
Tina laughed and pushed him away, swinging her legs over the couch as she glared playfully at him for tickling her. “Thanks, idiot.”
“There she is.” He winked. “So, boss, what’s the plan?”
“Well, the kingdoms are obviously out of the picture for now,” Tina said with a shrug. “The humans are all about public opinion, and if what Zane saw in the French village is as widespread as we think, the human governments probably won’t do anything to help us.”
Flynn tapped his finger on his jaw, and he looked like his mind was wandering to a truly crazy idea. “All that leaves are the gods.”
With his glass to his lips, Zane audibly gulped, as though he had nearly spit out the water he was drinking. “The gods?” the cat shifter choked, trying to form words. “They want her dead, Flynn! They’re not allies.”
“The first two, maybe.” Flynn crossed his arms, looking nervously at Tina. “You said the third one was different.”
“I dunno, Flynn,” Tina said, biting her lip with worry. “I’m not sure what Venus wants.” She glanced briefly at Killian. “The connection broke before I could say much to her.”
“I looked into her,” Zane said, shaking his head. “I agree, she’s not warlike, though she does have quite a competitive streak. From my research, she’s the goddess of love, beauty, prosperity, fertility, and victory.”
“Sounds more like a fairy than a god,” Draven said with a derisive snort, and Tina smacked his shoulder. The dragon shifter just laughed, and Tina couldn’t suppress a little chuckle of her own.
“We’re not making progress going it alone,” Anthony said with a frustrated sigh. “Maybe we check this girl out, undercover of course.” He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “We check out her temple, see what she’s like, and don’t let her know we’re there.” His gaze drifted to Tina, and she realized he was silently asking her to stay behind.
“I’m badass, remember?” Tina nodded to Draven. “I can handle myself, Anthony. I’m going, too.” She shrugged. “Besides, based on our brief conversation, it’s clear Damara has a history with this goddess. If all else fails, maybe she’ll listen to me.”
“For now, we should just observe,” Flynn said, nodding. “Let’s go see who thus Venus woman really is.”
As the men around her nodded their agreement, Tina took a steadying breath. For all intents and purposes, Venus seemed like their last hope, and she prayed to all things holy that wasn’t a bad thing.
15
Tina
Tina stood on the outskirts of Oahu, an island in Hawaii apparently known for some of the best weather in the world. The warm summer sun kissed her skin as the palm trees shivered in a gentle breeze that rolled off the ocean. On a cliff not far away, overlooking the rolling waves, was a temple made entirely of white stone, the beautiful spires and sloping roofs glimmering in the brilliant sun. The temple all but glowed, the feminine curves to the buildings giving the structure a delicate grace that fit perfectly into the peaceful and beautiful setting.
Wearing a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses, Tina surveyed the temple as a wave of nostalgia crashed over her. She, well, Damara anyway, had been here time and time again. It was so familiar, so natural to look at it that it felt like she was returning to a second home.
Her head ached, and for a brief moment, the world around her faded to shades of gold as she dropped into yet another of Damara’s memories. She had stood in this same spot, overlooking the temple at night, and a shooting star had flown overhead.
Behind her, Zane set a reassuring hand on her shoulder as they waited for the other four to return from their brief scouting trip. “The woman has taste,” the cat shifter said, surveying the cliff. “I’ll give her that.” The prince checked his phone briefly, his thumb tapping the screen. “This place is called—”
“Ikaika,” she answered for him, the word spilling past her lips before she even registered what she was saying.
“Yeah,” he said, hesitating somewhat. “Are Damara’s memories coming back about this place?”
“Some,” Tina admitted, her voice distant, still trying to piece everything together. “It means ‘strength.’”
“That it does.” Zane’s voice was soft, almost imperceptible as he set his arm around her shoulders, holding her close under the trees along the beach. Considering the super-strength he had acquired from sleeping with her, the named seemed more fitting for him than the soft white temple on the cliff.
“Something’s not right, Zane,” she said softly, tapping into her intuition and her connection with Damara. “This place is so familiar, but I’m missing something.” She frowned, sifting through the few memories of Damara’s lives on Earth, trying to find answers. “I thought coming here would make me feel more comfortable, more confident in this plan, but I’m more doubtful than ever. Something’s wrong. I feel like there’s some important detail I feel like I need to know before we go in.”
“Say the word, and we’ll turn around.” Zane held her close as if he wished she would. “I don’t like this, not one bit.”
“I don’t either,” she admitted. “But what else can we do? We have no allies, no other options, no one on our side.” She groaned. “We can’t stay on the run forever, and if we don’t talk to these gods, we’ll never find out what they want. So far, Venus is the only one that seemed amicable. She seemed worried about me.”
“Or just Damara,” Zane said tensely, his grip on her arm tightening. “Don’t forget there are those who think killing you is doing her a kindness.”
“How could I forget?” Tina snorted. “Maybe all the death threats have made me numb to the idea, I don’t know.”
“You’re the toughest.” He kissed her head, a rare smile breaking through his worry and concern.
“No guards,” Anthony said fro
m behind them, appearing from nowhere, silent as a ghost, as always.
Tina whipped around and smiled as he approached, grateful he was okay. She didn’t like the idea of everyone splitting up, not now when everything was so dangerous already.
“No guards at all?” Zane rubbed his jaw, apparently surprised. “I wonder how many priests—”
“Seventeen,” Flynn answered, slipping through the trees as he neared, his heavy boots pressing small craters into the sand as he walked.
“Surprising,” Zane mumbled, a dent appearing in his cheek as he bit it, lost in thought. “Draven? Killian?”
“On their way,” Anthony answered. “So far, nothing unusual to report. This place is pretty much empty.” He set a possessive hand on Tina’s lower back, his strong fingers pressing gently into her skin. “As far as I can tell, Venus isn’t even here.”
“Perhaps that’s for the best,” Flynn said, though he sounded a bit wistful. “I wish we had other options.” He grumbled to himself. “The more I think about this, the less I like the idea of dealing with gods and goddesses who show up under the radar.”
“It’s suspicious,” Tina agreed. “I don’t like it. When Killian and Draven come back, we’ll go.”
“Done,” Zane said with a sigh of relief. “I’ve already got a car lined up, so—”
“Well, now, don’t rush off,” a strange woman’s voice said from behind them.
Tina gasped and spun around, hand on her chest in surprise as she saw the woman from her god connection standing in front of them with ten guards behind her, dressed in black suits and sunglasses despite the heat. Venus wore a loose white dress, the open buttons in the front exposing a deep line of cleavage, the soft dips in the fabric accentuating her thin waist. Her soft reddish-brown hair fluttered gently around her beautiful face, but her glowing white eyes gave Tina pause. In the god connection, the glowing eyes were a little unsettling, but in person, they sent a shiver of dread down her spine.
“What the hell?” Flynn and Anthony pushed ahead of Tina, blocking her with their bodies while Zane took up the rear.