by Lila Jean
“When your eyes went white.” Zane shuddered and ducked under a low-hanging branch. “For a minute there, it looked like the god connection. You looked just like Tina did every time she spoke with the gods coming to Earth.”
Flynn was silent for a moment as they raced through the rainforest, but eventually, he slowed and set his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He shook his head, clearly holding something back, as though he wasn’t sure how to word what he wanted to say.
“What is it, Flynn?” Zane set a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“That was a god connection, Zane.” Flynn said, throwing back his head in frustration, running his hands along his beard as he caught his breath. “Odin himself spoke to me, and by the gods, he was pissed.” Flynn sank onto the ground and rubbed his face. “We weren’t supposed to get that book, Zane. We aren’t supposed to know who’s here.”
“But …” Zane ran his hand through his messy hair. “But if you spoke with Odin, then …”
“Odin’s here,” Flynn said with a nod. “He’s one of the three who returned, and from what I can tell, he’s leading the charge against Tina.” The demigod sighed. “If that’s true, then this whole mess with the gods is so much worse than I thought.”
19
Killian
Killian tenderly ran his fingers through Tina’s hair, relishing in the rosy scent of her perfume as she lay against his shoulder in the living area of their Spanish villa. Outside, the sun blasted the red roofs, its light glittering over the water, tempting them toward the beach.
Someday, Killian would bring her back here for a proper vacation, with five-star restaurants and penthouse hotel suites, but for now they had to lie low. With Anthony and Draven guarding the house perimeter, and with Zane and Flynn poring over the book they’d uncovered in the Brazilian rainforest, Killian took a rare moment with Tina to simply enjoy her company, something they hadn’t had much opportunity to do with all the death threats and growing political tension.
Despite the beautiful day outside, Tina bit her lip, staring at her phone. She quickly dialed Ray’s number again, but the line once more disconnected, and she dialed Amy’s number just as quickly. Voicemail. Seconds later, her phone buzzed, and Killian peered over her shoulder to read a short message from Amy’s number.
Lie low.
“It’s going to be okay.” Killian kissed her forehead, even as she frowned. “They’re fine, I know it.”
“I’m not so sure.” Tina stood, pacing the living space as she tapped a thoughtful finger on her jaw. “The more I think about this, the more I’m concerned for everyone involved.” She sighed, staring out onto the beautiful day. “We have to put a stop to this, and fast.”
“I agree,” Flynn said, storming into the room. “We need to act. Soon.” His broad shoulders and massive bulk gave him a commanding presence, and Killian wondered how much of his leadership skills stemmed just from the fact that he could get anyone’s attention by simply walking into a room.
“Ideas?” Tina asked, lifting one delicate brow. “Did you two find anything in that book?”
“We found it!” Zane shouted from the other room. Footsteps stomped up the stairs, and in his excitement, the tiger shifter didn’t even feign stealth. Killian almost laughed. Whatever Zane and Flynn had discovered must have been truly exciting. The tiger shifter appeared around a corner, a worn leather book in his hands and exhilaration on his face, the thrill of discovery lighting up his expression with victory. “We have both names, both of the other gods who are here.”
“Who?” Killian and Tina said in unison.
“It’s—the god—you know—” Zane was panting, his brain no doubt moving faster than his mouth as he tried to share what he had learned.
“Take a deep breath.” Killian chuckled, arms crossed as he patiently waited for answers. Though his moment with Tina had been interrupted, he couldn’t begrudge his brotherhood at their intrusion. This was important to Tina’s wellbeing, and therefore it was also important to him.
“We all know about Venus,” Flynn said for Zane, stiffening. “But we weren’t sure about the other two. That’s why we went to Brazil to find this book.” He tapped his finger on the leather binding in Zane’s hands. “We’ve finally been able to confirm that this is a magical text, one that uses old and ancient magic to automatically track the comings and goings of all gods and goddesses on Earth.”
He sighed nervously, picking up the book, rifling through a few pages as he spoke. “Now that we’ve deciphered it, it’s clear that the other gods who have come to Earth are Odin, my ancestor, and Ares, the god of war.” Flynn snapped the book shut, and Killian nearly flinched with the sudden sound. “Ares is a bloodthirsty warrior, the one who decides who wins battles.” The demigod’s brow went white, all of the blood fading from his face as he looked at Zane with an expression of utmost dread.
“A god who decides the outcomes of battles?” Zane laughed. “You’re joking, Flynn. That’s just a myth.” He gave a dismissive snort. Then, after a moment of pause, the tiger’s eyes darted to the demigod. “Right?”
“Once he decides to fight, he never loses.” Flynn paced the floor, hands on the back of his head, elbows in the air. Flynn, the massive demigod who feared almost nothing, swallowed hard with horror.
“Wait, back up.” Tina gestured for everyone to stop. “Did you say Odin is also here? Like, your ancestor, Odin?”
Somberly, Flynn nodded and offered her the leather book. “Here, look.”
Killian took it and rifled through a few of the pages, but the parchment was covered in symbols Killian couldn’t decipher. “What are these?” He snorted in annoyance. “Runes or something?”
“Nordic runes, to be exact,” Zane said, nodding. “Odin’s language of choice.”
“What else does this tell us?” Tina tapped her finger on one of the pages. “Any information about powers? Skills?” She hesitated, eyes flitting briefly to the book. “Weaknesses?”
“No, just a coming and going.” Flynn shook his head. “It’s a tracking log, basically, but a powerful one. It tells us what temples have awoken, what gods and goddesses are on Earth, and where they are.”
“At any given time?” Tina’s eyebrows shot up on her head.
Flynn nodded, the weight of that revelation sinking in Killian’s shoulder blades as worry snaked through him.
“Thank the gods you have it and not Odin.” Killian tugged on the ends of his hair, that worry growing and almost overtaking him. “If he had that ,,, if he wanted to—”
Flynn nodded once, eyes shut tightly. “He could have found Tina effortlessly.”
“So, why didn’t he?” Tina asked, hands on her hips. “If he’s here, and if he wants to hurt me …”
“Maybe he doesn’t.” Zane said with a shrug. “Maybe he’s not here to kill you, but to observe. Ares threatened you, and Venus tried to kill you.” Zane gritted his teeth with hatred but pressed on. “And yet, Odin has been oddly quiet. Maybe he’s watching you. Judging you.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s the king of the gods,” Killian said, starting to piece together Zane’s train of thought. “The others are here on a vendetta, but you think perhaps he’s merely here to protect one of his subjects? To protect Damara?”
“Bingo.” Zane nodded. “He may simply want to investigate and understand Tina’s intentions. Our intentions.”
“And I bet he wasn’t too happy when you stole his book.” Tina said, arching her eyebrow at Zane.
“That he was not,” the tiger shifter said, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked sheepishly at Flynn. “But there’s more.”
“More?!” Killian and Tina said in unison.
Zane nodded and let out a long, slow breath. “As Flynn and I were rifling through the Book of the Gods, a few alerts popped up about temple activity, namely at Ares’ temple.” The tiger prince pulled out his phone and ran his thumb across the screen, his eyes darting
over something Killian couldn’t see, as if to confirm his hypothesis. “The priests stopped leaving, barred all visitors, and the lights are on around the clock. Ares’ temple keeps spending loads on travel, and private cars go in and out regularly. He’s been a busy boy.”
Zane frowned. “It’s odd and sudden, after so much silence, to see such intense activity, as if he suddenly stopped caring about covering his tracks. After I picked up the trail, it was almost like Ares—”
“Wanted to be found,” Tina finished for him, pinching the bridge of her nose as she sucked in a deep and nervous breath.
“This sounds bad,” Killian said, eyes darting between his friends and his mate. “Why would he go through all that effort to hide, only to leave a trail of breadcrumbs?” When Tina’s eyes landed on him, he offered as much of a reassuring smile as he could, but the question weighed on them all.
“So that the right person finds him,” Tina said with a disappointed groan. “So that we find him, my darlings.” As she spoke, Flynn looked at her with an expression of terror, and Killian instinctively set his hands on Tina’s shoulders to comfort her.
“Tina …” Zane said, his voice trailing off. “We can … we can just …”
“It’s fine.” Tina, to her credit, didn’t seem to be fazed. “He’s playing a game, but we know what he’s up to.” Her eyes glossed over, and she nodded to herself, lost in some thought Killian couldn’t see. “Let’s let him think we’re playing along. Let’s let him think he has the upper hand.”
“Ares is dangerous, Tina,” Flynn said ominously, rubbing his beard as he stared at her with a pointed look. “This is the god of war, who delights in pain and suffering, who feeds off of anger and dysfunction.” Flynn set his hands on Tina’s shoulders, staring her in the eye as Killian’s grip slipped down to her back, tightening around her waist.
“But he can’t decide the outcome of battles,” Zane pressed, a hand in his unruly hair. “Can he?”
“No, of course not.” Killian shook his head. “It’s lore.” When Tina turned around to stare at him in surprise, he winked. “Since I met you, I’ve been reading up on gods as much as I could.”
She smiled, an impressed twinkle in her eye, and Killian continued. “It’s more that when Ares decides he wants to win, he does. Always.” Killian frowned. “The whole bit about ‘the one who decides a battle’s outcome’ was more because if you fought against him, you lost.” Killian sighed. “It got to the point where if he announced he was on a certain side of a war, the other side conceded immediately. They would just surrender, all because of him, but he took prisoners of war to torture, maim, and kill as tribute.” Killian shuddered. “He was horrible.”
“Wow,” Tina said with a whistle.
“Yeah.” Killian kissed her hair reassuringly. “But you’re a goddess, one he’s said to have favored throughout the eons, and you have incredible power of your own.”
“Damn right,” she said, balling her hand into a fist. “He won’t hurt me or any of you.” She arched her back, chin held high, and even though Killian stood behind her, he could imagine the look of determination on her face. “I’ll destroy him if he tries.”
“We need to be careful.” Flynn paced along the wall of windows, his massive body a silhouette against the bright sunshine outside. “We need to gather some intel and figure out what he’s planning, since we don’t want a god like him to catch us off guard.”
“He’s likely also in full control of his host,” Zane pointed out. “Ares is probably burning through the human body holding him here, and he won’t want to wait long to act.”
“Right,” Tina said with a nod. “Where is his temple?”
“Todos Santos, in Mexico.” Zane hesitated, as if he were going to say something more, and his eyes drifted to the ground.
“What is it?” Killian asked, an edge to his voice. If Zane was uncertain about something, they all needed to know, and Killian had a feeling he wasn’t going to like this.
“What if you use the god connection to spy on him, Tina?” Zane asked hesitantly, his hand balling into a nervous fist as he spoke. “Do you have more control over it, now that you understand it better? Do you think you could keep him out this time?”
Tina turned toward the cat shifter, and Killian could finally see her face and the way she lifted a thoughtful eyebrow as she considered his suggestion.
Flynn, however, shook his head. “It goes both ways, Zane, you know that.” The demigod set a protective hand around Tina, dwarfing her with his massive shoulders. “Ares could peer into her mind, learn where we are, and hunt us down before we’re ready to face him, before we have a plan. We can’t do that.”
“I agree,” Killian said, sighing. “But that’s Tina’s choice, not ours.”
Flynn frowned, clearly frustrated. “Yeah, but—”
“Flynn, stop.” Tina cut the demigod off. “I see where you’re coming from, but let’s be rational here and try to look at this objectively, at what the smartest choice is.”
She began to pace the living room, and Killian felt cold the moment she walked away from him, lost as she was in thought. “We need to know who we’re up against, what his weaknesses are, what his motivation really is.” She sighed. “But he’s strong, has his full power, and is apparently very violent.” Tina gestured absently out the window. “The last time he peered into my head, Damara saved me, and I didn’t learn a thing about him.”
She ran her hand absently through her long, dark hair. “On top of that, Venus tricked us into going to her temple, making us think she was on our side when she just wanted to lure me in, and I think that Ares is doing the same thing in his own way.” Tina tapped a delicate finger on her mouth as she pondered things. “We need to gather information on him without letting him know. We have to find his weakness.”
She absently bit her lip, the curve of her mouth reminding Killian of all the times she had done that while he was inside her, dominating her, bringing her to climax as she moaned his name. The simple gesture sent him into an internal spiral of pleasure and need, and he wished he could pin her on her back right there, regardless of who watched, and take her.
But this was serious, and even though his pants tightened with the thought of grabbing her thighs and spreading her legs before him, the noble thing to do right now was see to it she had the resources she needed to make the best possible plan. For the moment, he had to focus.
“Damara has my back,” Tina said, apparently unaware of the effect her love and affection had on Killian at any given moment in the day. This stunning woman had utterly ensnared Killian in body, mind, and soul, and he wanted no one else. “I trust my goddess completely,” Tina continued. “With our growing connection, I think I can look in on Ares and at least get some info, but I doubt I can do it without being seen, and I don’t want to give him anything he can use against us.” She shook her head, resolute, mind clearly made up. “Because of that, I won’t use the god connection against him, at least not right now.” She looked at her demigod. “My mental block has held up well, and none of them have been able to get into my head again, thankfully, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try.”
“It’s risky to lower your guard, even for a moment,” Flynn said, rubbing his neck. “I’m glad you’re siding with me on this, Tina. It’s not safe.” He chuckled humorlessly. “Hell, if I had my way as your protector and mate, I would store you away in a vault until this is all over, but I know you’d whoop my ass something fierce if I tried.”
“Damn right I would.” Tina laughed.
Killian chuckled, too, and even Zane cracked a smile.
Tina shook her head. “Sorry, Zane, but I don’t want him to know where we are or suspect that my powers are as strong as they are.” She shrugged. “We can’t give him the upper hand.” She frowned. “Personally, I’m tired of waiting around, and I’ve had enough of these threats.”
“You’ve already come up with a plan,” Killian said a little warily as he noted the
mischievous spark in her eye.
“I have.” She nodded, lifting her chin like a queen as she smirked ever so slightly. “Venus set a trap for us, lured us in, and tricked me. While we don’t really know what Odin is up to, Ares is trying to do the same thing in his own conniving way.” She crossed her arms defiantly. “We turn the tables on him. We lure him into our territory, under our rules, and use it as a chance to understand his motivations.”
“That’s dangerous,” Flynn said, leaning against the window as he frowned, no doubt as worried about Tina’s role in all this as Killian was. “He probably wants to kill you.”
“Exactly.” Tina nodded. “That’s why we’re not going to his temple, where he has the upper hand.” She twirled a lock of hair around her finger, eyes glazing over as she lost herself in thought again.
“We talk to him, learn his motivations, and try to get him on our side. Maybe he’s trying to earn Damara’s affection, and he’ll fight for her.” Tina shrugged. “Damara wants to stay here. She wants to stay with me and be with all of you. Even though she was forced into this world by King William, she doesn’t want to go home, and she doesn’t want to leave me. If we can make Ares see that, maybe he can turn the tides against Venus. Maybe he can fight for us.”
“It’s a long shot, but it’s possible,” Zane said, a hint of excitement creeping into his expression. “From my readings, Ares has always been enamored by Damara and fought for her affection.”
“See? It’s worth a shot.” Tina grinned, apparently more and more confident in her plan. “We’ll need to do some recon first, obviously, since we can’t just walk up to his temple and knock the door.” She crossed her arms. “We’ll need to go in with an exit plan, and in the meantime, I also want to see if we can find Ray and the others.” She frowned. “I’m worried about them.”
“Let’s get to work, then, and see what we can come up with,” Flynn said with a curt nod. “Smart thinking, Tina.” He kissed her on the forehead and sucked in a deep breath. “Now, let’s see if we can sway a god to join our side.”