“What happened back there? Those flashes of light?” Ethan drove up I-4 probably a little faster than he needed to be.
“Man, that poor guy,” Ty was shaking his head.
“Did they—?”
“They killed him, Ethan.”
“Could you have helped?”
“We got there too late.” Ty grimaced.
“Did they see us? I mean—you?”
“No, I don’t think so. Those agents were mundane.”
“Mundane? What’s that?”
“Someone who is not awakened. Like you.”
“You mean a normal Human.”
Ty nodded.
“Great. We call you gods and you call us ‘mundane’. Nice.”
“I didn’t invent the jargon. Jeeze, now I sound like one of your dad’s employees.”
“You are one of dad’s employees.” Ethan at least got Ty to grimace a smile despite the seriousness of what they’d just witnessed.
It didn’t take them long to get back home to downtown. Both Ty and Ethan walked into the apartment, then closed and locked the door. Ethan flipped on the light and almost ran into Ty moving out of the foyer. Then Ethan suddenly froze. He was now seeing what Ty was.
A handsome middle-aged, weathered looking man was sitting in one of the living room chairs that faced the foyer. He had his boots on the coffee table, one of their Coronas in one hand, and a sleekly styled gold pistol in another. Ethan had never seen a gun like it, but it looked similarly odd, like Ty’s black one.
“G’day, Ty.”
“Rowan.” A cold chill moved over Ty’s skin.
Ethan watched as the outback-looking man with an obvious Australian accent drew a long swallow from the bottle. “Out for a little joy ride with the kiddies, were ya?”
Ty said nothing.
“Is this him?” Rowan waved his pistol at Ethan.
Ty still said nothing.
“You’re a bloody root magnet you are, Ty. I should’ve just used you all this time instead of the Seven.”
“What’s he talking about? Ty?”
Rowan raised an eyebrow, now looking at Ethan. “He hasn’t told you?”
“Told me what?”
“Oh, you’re smooth, Ty.” Rowan stood up out of the chair leaving the bottle on the table. “What’s your name, sonny?”
“Ethan.”
“Well, now there’s a good Aussie name at least. It took me good long bit of sleuthing to find you this time, Ty. You really should learn to stay out theme parks. The Seven offed one of ya there just today—in case you hadn’t noticed.”
Ty was still oddly quiet.
“Who are you?” Ethan asked.
“Ty knows who I am. The real question is, Ethan. Who the devil are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a nice place you have here, Ethan. One bed apartment. Ty keep you warm and cozy at night, does he?”
“That’s none of your business!” Ethan glared.
“Thanks. Exactly what I wanted to hear.” The handsome Australian smiled at him.
“Ty? Nice and bright is he?”
Ty was still keeping tight-lipped.
“I’m a little surprised this time,” the Australian continued. “You usually have them awakened by now.”
Ty’s brow furrowed.
“Alright.” Rowan holstered his weapon under his vest as he picked up the bottle and finished it. He set the empty back down and picked up his hat, walking toward the two of them. Ethan moved out of the way as Rowan approached them. Ty didn’t move. The Aussie stopped briefly as he moved past Ty, placing his hand on Ty’s shoulder has he walked by. “He’s really cute this one. I can’t wait to see what he can do.”
The handsome Australian patted Ty’s shoulder, donned his hat and then left, closing the door behind him.
12
W ho was that?!”
“You don’t want to know.” Ty finally said something. He fell back against the corner of the wall sliding his hand up over his face and then through his hair. Ty was breathing shallowly.
“Are you okay?” Ethan’s hand held onto his arm. Ty’s eyes met his. His skin was cool and he was slightly trembling.
“Dude, you’re shaking.”
Ty nodded. He pushed away from the wall and went to the fridge. He flicked the top off a Corona with his thumb and chugged half the bottle. It was fruitless, he knew, but the momentary buzz was at least something to settle his nerves.
“Are you going to tell what’s going on?”
“That—was Rowan.” He swallowed.
“Who’s Rowan?”
“Jesus,” Ty cursed. He slammed the rest of the contents of the bottle. It didn’t help.
“Ty, I don’t know anything about the people you know. Who’s Rowan?”
“The assassin of the gods, Ethan. The Seven used him to hunt down and kill hundreds, maybe thousands of our people.”
Ethan blinked at him. “So—why are we still alive?”
“He doesn’t work for them anymore.”
“Is he still killing the gods?”
“Rowan kills anyone that gets in his way, Ethan. And right now—I’m in his way.”
“In his way how? What’s he after?”
“You.” Ty nodded at him.
“Me?! Why me? I’m mundane. What does he want with me?”
“Ethan. We’re attracted.”
“So?”
“Genetically attracted.”
“So?” Ethan suddenly had an epiphany. “Wait; are you saying—?”
“Dammit.” Ty shook his head. He loved Ethan, but the guy could be as dumb as a human at times. “You’re a god, Ethan. Okay?”
“I’m what? A god—? HOW?”
“You’re a newblood. Empathically you’re bright as hell. I just—I didn’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s safer for you if you’re mundane.”
“You knew this whole time?”
“Since the day I met you. You’re the reason I left, Ethan. Rowan’s been using me. It’s why I keep moving, wandering from town to town. I can’t catch a break. The guy is relentless. Everywhere I go, no matter what I do, he finds me. I can’t even go back home—where I came from. It’s too dangerous. He’ll find me. He always finds me. He’s the reason I’m stuck, stuck being this, wandering nomad,” Ty breathed, fuming. He was angry but there was also fear in his eyes.
“He really scares you.”
“Oh you think?! Dude, I watched him slaughter dozens of humans and halfbloods in Montreal. Fuck yea, he scares me!”
“Why? Why did he kill those people?”
“Because they got in his way.”
“What was he after?”
Ty sighed. “Sofia.”
“Someone you met?”
Ty nodded. “She was taking night classes at the University of Montreal. I’d picked up a job there sweeping floors. She passed me in the hall one evening. We were totally attracted; just like you and I. She asked me to move in with her. I tried to be careful with her, but it’s a lot harder with women not to make a mistake. I—awakened her. It was an accident.”
“Is that when Rowan showed up?”
“More or less. The Seven showed up first. More than fifty mundane and awakened agents all hell-bent on ridding the world of a newblood goddess. Only they didn’t count on me being there as well. I was able to take out a bunch of them, but they just kept coming; there were too many of them, I was outnumbered, shit was flying everywhere, holes blasted into her townhouse. The place was half ablaze. It was about to be all over. I honestly thought both of us were dead.
“Then one of the walls of the building just explodes and Rowan just comes walking out of the smoke and fire, like he’s Satan in his natural habitat, a weapon in each hand blasting holes into any halfblood that moved, like they were fucking target practice. He slaughtered people left and right, Ethan. Those agents didn’t have a prayer.
“The room’s on fire
with bodies everywhere. I’m just holding Sofia. Then he looks at me and says:”
“That’s another one you’ve found for me. I’ll take her from here. Keep this up Ty, I’ll have to make you my partner.”
“And then he just gives me this sickening grin.”
“Where did he take her?”
“How the hell should I know?”
“He didn’t shoot her?”
“No. Not that I saw.”
“I wonder what he wanted her for?”
“I didn’t ask.” Ty growled firmly.
“Ty, assassins kill people. They don’t kidnap them.”
“Ethan. You don’t know Rowan like we do. He does what he wants. He’s not a nice guy. Trust me.”
“This doesn’t make any sense. If he wanted me awakened, couldn’t he have just forced you to do it, just now? Make you bleed on me or something?”
“I guess.”
“I’m not trying to minimize your feelings, but I guess I’m just thinking like a lawyer here. None of this is making any sense. If this Rowan wanted us dead, we’d be dead. He’s tracking you down. Using you to find other gods. Why?”
“Because he’s a sadistic bastard?”
“Ty, that’s not helping.”
“I don’t know why.” Ty admitted. “And I’m pretty damn sure I don’t want to find out.”
“Well that’s easy for you to say.”
“Oh, Ethan,” Ty suddenly back peddled on his sarcasm. “I—I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry.”
“Well I’m pretty damn stuck here now, Ty. At some point, I’m going to be awakened. And then this Rowan is going to cart me off to only God knows where—if these Seven don’t shoot me full of holes first.”
13
A re you going to do it?” Paige sipped some cola through a straw in the outdoor part of a Burger-Fi not far from the Rollins campus where Ethan was taking classes.
“At some point. It’s going to happen.”
“Then what?” she raised her eyebrow.
“I guess I’ll find out when this Rowan guy shows up again.”
“You know, Ethan, I’m starting to get a little skeptical about this whole gods and goddesses story. I found a blurb online about the townhouse fire in Montreal, but the article said it was an electrical fire in an unoccupied unit. No shootings. No explosions. Nobody died.”
“I’ve read the same things about the townhouse,” Ethan admitted. “I’m sure it was covered up somehow.”
“And the murder you say that you and Ty witnessed at Universal. Nothing. It never happened. No news reports. Not even an ambulance or a police blotter.”
“I’m sure that’s being covered up as well. These people own the media, Paige. They control what gets reported and what doesn’t. They could have made it look like someone just fainted for all we know.”
“You’re starting to sound like one of these conspiracy nut-cases, Ethan. Honestly.”
“Paige, you need to get out, into the real world.”
“I’m in the real world, Ethan.”
“No, you’re not. You’re stuck on the inside of the information bubble.”
“Information bubble?”
“Yea. Ty was telling me about it. You only look at certain news sites. Search engines only bring up what the government wants you to know. Try doing a search of the current sitting president and the assassination attempt on Kent Levi during the heathcare hearing. Everyone with a brain knows the Administration tried to have Levi murdered.”
“Right.” Paige frowned. She liked the president. He’d been impeached and acquitted by the Senate, but she still had a lot of questions. It really did look like the President was involved but Congress had just dropped the whole matter after the Senate voted to acquit. The vote had been close; only one vote switched at the last possible minute by a retiring Senator had kept him in office.
“But if you look for news about the president’s involvement, all you get are sites explaining how the president wasn’t involved. How it was just one big political witch-hunt by the other side. But two-thirds of the Senate thought the guy was guilty of attempted murder. Even people from his own party.
“There are tons of sites dedicated to showing all of the evidence; and literally thousands of people claiming that donations were made to his campaign in their name when they never made any such donation. But you never find those sites, because you’re on the inside. Your information is limited only to what the government wants you to know and to see.”
“Search engines don’t skew their results like that, Ethan. It’s just because those news sites are run by hick idiots who don’t like the president and they don’t rank at all.”
“That’s what they want you to think. You need to get out, Paige. You need to get outside of the government’s information bubble.”
“I think I’m pretty well up to speed about what happened with the president, Ethan. I’m really worried that you’re the one who’s been caught up in this gods and goddesses fantasy.”
“Well, if you don’t hear from me for a few weeks, then I guess you’ll know what happened.”
14
Y ou’re takin’ your bloody time.” Ty heard the Aussie-accented voice from behind him on the sidewalk. For some reason Ty couldn’t feel Rowan at all. His danger sense wasn’t even tingling. He guessed that was part of what made the assassin so dangerous. No one ever saw him coming.
Ty looked over his shoulder as the Australian made his way past others on the sidewalk. He ignored the guy and just kept walking as Rowan caught up with him.
“What do you want from me?” Ty scowled.
“You know what I want.”
“What happened to Sofia?”
“She’s alright. For now. Maybe not so much if you keep wearing my patience.”
“I’m not awakening Ethan.”
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t know what you’re doing with us.”
“You might say I’m using the lot of ya.”
“Using us? For what?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Yea. Well, I have mine.”
“Listen, Ty. I’m a very patient man. But the rest of ya, you don’t have a lot of time. The Wraith and the Seven are about to unleash Armageddon, my friend. You won’t see it, ‘cause you’re already awakened. But Ethan—he won’t survive if he’s mundane. You know that.”
“Why the hell would you care? You murdered my own family!” Ty glared at him.
Rowan frowned, and then sighed. “Maybe I did. I don’t know. Probably a good chance of that.” Rowan stopped him next to a shop window under an awning. “Listen, Ty, you don’t know your own people like I do. I’m not on some bloody treasure hunt here. I’m trying to help—”
“Yes, you are. The Tomb of the Ancients. Everyone knows what you’re looking for. It’s a myth, Rowan.”
“Yea, sure it is.” Rowan’s sarcasm was palpable.
“You’re just—just using us, trying to find it.”
“The Masters knew where it was. They buried the knowledge of it in the prophecies. The Seven have been searching for it as well. Trust me when I tell you, Ty; you don’t want the Seven finding that place before we do.”
“We? I don’t want you finding it either.”
“It’s not for me, dipstick.” Rowan reached inside his vest pocket, causing Ty to flinch back. Rowan flicked a slightly crumpled photo print from his vest holding it between two of his fingers. “It’s for her.”
Ty took the print and looked at it.
“Sofia? She’s—pregnant?!” Ty looked at Rowan now with wide eyes.
“Oh, you’re quick. Knocked her up real good, you did.”
“Where is she?”
“Safe.”
“I need to talk to her.”
“Ah-ah. Not so fast. We have business to attend to.”
“You’re not seriously going to—?”
Rowan raised an eyebrow.
“You know you’re a fuc
king bastard, right?”
“I’ve been called worse. A least you’re not dead.” Rowan half smiled walking off leaving Ty with the photo.
15
J esus. She’s beautiful. No wonder you slept with her.” Ethan was half in shock with how beautiful Sofia looked, even with the baby bump. “I’d have slept with her—”
Ty chuckled feeling Ethan’s god-like instincts kicking in at just the sight of the newblood goddess. He knew exactly how Ethan was feeling.
“So what did Rowan say?”
“He’s using her, as leverage against me.”
“What’s he want you to do?”
“Awaken you.”
“And then what?”
“He’s using the newbloods to help him find the tomb of the ancients.”
“Tomb? What’s in it?” Ethan handed the photo back to Ty.
“Nothing. It’s just another myth.” Ty felt bad about having lie to Ethan, but some things were just better not knowing.
“Well, Rowan seems pretty invested in something that’s just a myth.”
“Yea, that’s what bothers me. The question is, what does he want to do with it? Kill off the whole planet?”
“Ty, you and I seem have really different perspectives about Rowan.”
“You don’t know him like I do.”
“Exactly. From what I’m seeing, yea, the guy’s a little rough, but he doesn’t seem to be killing any of us.”
“It’s only because he needs us; he’s just using us.”
“Okay. Maybe. But he’s not working for these Seven anymore. Why?”
“How the hell should I know. Maybe they fired him?”
“Or he quit.”
“Yea. Right. You don’t quit the Seven.”
“Maybe they crossed him?”
Ty looked at Ethan, his thoughts churning quickly.
“You told me he blew away a whole bunch of their agents. That’s bound to make them enemies if they weren’t already.”
“You think he’s playing for the other side now?” Ty asked.
“If they crossed him, wouldn’t you be?”
Paradisus (Awakened Book 6) Page 6