My Merlin Awakening (Book 2, My Merlin Series)

by Priya Ardis

  The flight went by quickly. The plane touched down in Athens as the sun painted the sky with a bright red sunset. For an international airport, Eleftherios A. seemed tiny. We grabbed our bags. There were only two flights to Thera and we’d already missed them, so we were spending the night in Athens. I planned on getting up early to sneak over to the Parthenon before our morning flight. We may have been on a mission, but being in Athens was a wet dream for any history buff.

  Several small cars with tinted windows waited for us outside. I rode with Vane, Grey, and Sylvia. Vane and Sylvia chatted with our driver in perfect Greek. We drove along roads crowded wall to wall with buildings. The section where we were staying had the city layered up to a hill, the Acropolis. In the darkening sky, the lights of square buildings twinkled from varying heights. Sea air blew through the city, lending an atmosphere of relaxation, while the buzzing of people on every corner layered an undercurrent of carousing revelry.

  I said as much to Grey, who grumpily replied, “All I can smell is gargoyles. They must be everywhere.”

  In the heart of the city, we stopped in the private courtyard of a giant hotel with contemporary architecture that stood out among the surrounding neoclassical buildings. Porters rushed to take our bags up to a set of adjoining suites that Sylvia reserved for us. I found myself sharing a room with Gia and Sylvia. Sylvia took one bed. Gia and I shared the other.

  “Like old times,” Gia commented. She’d been my roommate at Avalon Prep.

  I sank down on a thick coverlet of one of the king beds and stared out the gorgeous rectangular window from our room. The window framed the Parthenon sitting atop the hill of the Acropolis. In the dark, artificial, yellow light shone across the temple dedicated to the goddess, Athena, one of the oldest buildings in the world.

  “It is beautiful,” Sylvia said. “I’m sorry we won’t get a chance to see it. I promise you I’ll bring you back as soon as we get the next opportunity.” A doorbell rang in the living room of the suite. “That will be dinner. I’ll let them in and tell the boys. I’m going to eat at the spa though. I’ll be back later.” Without waiting for a reply, she hurried out.

  The spa. I gave Gia a pointed look. “Even she’s going to take a break.”

  “I’m with you, DuLac,” Gia said. “You had me at break.”

  I turned back to the Parthenon. A few people, like little ants, walked around the giant columns and crumbled remains of the rest of the temple. I could imagine how it looked in ancient times when the giant statue of Athena, bearing a lance and shield, stood sentry over her people.

  “Did you know that the word ‘Parthenon’ means ‘the virgin’s apartments’?” Vane asked from the doorway.

  I turned to look at him from the lush bed.

  Gia groaned. “What do you want, Vane?”

  “What I want will have to wait,” he said. A low burning heat in his eyes left my throat suddenly parched. “For now, I’ll settle for telling you that dinner is served.”

  Gia whooped. “I’m so starved. Since when did flying mean fasting?”

  There had been no time to eat at Heathrow and no real food on the plane. The strong scents of richly flavored dishes wafted in from the living room.

  Gia pushed past Vane to get to it. “C’mon, Ryan. We need to eat so we can do some shopping.”

  I moved to follow her. Vane stopped me at the door by using his body as a wall. “Shopping? This is gargoyle territory. We may have Rourke’s protection, but you know he’s losing his grip on them.”

  I frowned. “You sound like Matt.”

  “That wasn’t nice.”

  “Don’t worry. We’re going down to the hotel shops,” I said. Matt’s instructions had been, “Stay in the hotel. Straight to the airport tomorrow.” As if. I added, “We’re not going to do anything you wouldn’t do.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Conveniently, my stomach grumbled. I stepped around Vane and hurried off before he could see my smile. I had a plan.

  ***

  “Are they asleep?” I yawned later when Blake shook me awake.

  Grey stood behind him. “They’re all passed out.”

  Blake shushed him. “I only have enough power to make the spell last fifteen minutes, so hurry up.”

  Gia jumped out from the other side of the bed we shared. She pulled off her pajamas to reveal a black, glittering sweater and tight, black pants. I did the same. I’d picked out a gold sweater with a black tank and black skirt with leggings. We both wore soft, gold ballet shoes with short heels.

  Blake groaned when we crowded the bathroom to put on makeup. “Hurry or we’re going to get caught.”

  “Just put the dummies in place,” Gia hissed.

  Grey held up two inflatable dolls—apparently, you could get anything from the concierge when you flashed a black AMEX card. Blake magicked the two dolls into two disturbingly realistic clones of Gia and me. A few minutes later, the four of us hurried down the hallway. It wasn’t until we were in the elevator that I noticed Grey’s clothes. He wore a gray sport jacket with a light green shirt, open at the neck revealing dark, curly chest hair. In matching steel gray pants and loafers, he stood with the studied casualness of a local.

  “Hello, Grey-astus.” I whistled.

  He grinned. “I wanted to get a gold chain, but thought it might be too much.”

  “Isn’t that Italian, not Greek?” Gia said.

  “I could pull it off,” he retorted.

  “Blake, do your stuff,” I said quickly before a fight broke out.

  Blake said a small spell that he directed at my hair. In the mirrored back of the elevator, dark blonde locks turned bright pink.

  “Blake,” Gia said with admiration, “you’ve been holding out on me.”

  Blake blushed.

  “I want green.” Gia’s hair poofed into fluorescent green.

  Blake glanced at Grey, who held up his hands. “No, thanks.”

  The elevator doors opened.

  Grey said to me, “Alright, brain, what now?”

  “Trust me,” I replied.

  Just outside the hotel doors, we climbed into a cab. The taxi driver shook his head at me when I took out a piece of paper and painstakingly read the address; so I held up the paper and pointed. He nodded and we sped down the roadway. It took about five minutes to reach our destination. We passed by a park of trees that led up to the Acropolis and Syntagma Square. A cold wind blew through the grand walkway of the landmark. A huge fountain sat in the middle of a valley surrounded by tall buildings of old and new architecture. Café tables lined the streets. There were wooden balconies, more fountains, and people relaxing and enjoying life. The air remained peaceful until we drove directly into the sights and sounds of the nightlife of Athens.

  The taxi dropped us off in front of a fairly nondescript building with a long line of people huddled together, either because of the narrow road or the cold. The line rounded the block with people dressed anywhere from black tie to trendy to hipster-chic. Several large bouncers stared down would-be entrants.

  “Welcome to the Dragon Club, kids,” I said.

  “How are we going to get in?” Gia whispered, eyeing the crowd in dismay.

  Blake pulled on the small bowtie he wore. With messy black hair, square glasses, and formal wear, I thought he blended in pretty well with the crowd, except for the completely uncomfortable expression he wore. “I could try a spell.”

  “Not necessary.” Grey took out a cellphone.

  I gaped at him. “How are you allowed to have a phone and I’m not?”

  “I’m not the chosen one,” he said flippantly and tapped on the phone’s touch screen. He marched us along to the front of the line. A short conversation with the bouncers later, we stood inside the entrance, getting our hands stamped.

  “I texted the owners. They do business with the bank,” he explained.

  “Is it a bank or a Mafia front?” Gia muttered.

  Grey’s expression darken
ed with sudden ferocity. He barked, “Would you rather be standing outside?”

  We all blinked at the bite in his tone. Another group behind us waited impatiently.

  “Let’s get to the dance floor.” I pushed Grey to the stairs that led underground.

  “Grouchy much?” Gia mumbled behind us.

  Blake replied, but I couldn’t hear him. One floor down, we emerged onto a dance floor, playing blissfully deafening club music. A long bar took up one side of the club. The barstools were all crammed. Just in front of it, a row of booths were also packed with people. On the wall opposite the bar, a DJ stood high above the gyrating crowd. It looked like nirvana.

  “I’m getting a drink,” Blake declared.

  I blinked at him. Right. No drinking age.

  “I’ll go with you,” Gia declared with an uneasy glance at Grey.

  Grey didn’t reply. He stared at a red-haired girl wearing a top that left her back completely bare. She turned her head and her gaze collided with his. She winked at him. Without another word to us, he walked away.

  Next to me, Gia let out a small sound of pique.

  “C’mon, Gia,” Blake said quickly.

  I watched her go with a heavy heart. However, the thumping of riotous music would not be swayed. It only took me a few minutes of scanning the crowd to find a way in. A guy approached me, and the next thing I knew, I was in the middle of the crowd with only music running through my veins.

  Time fell away as we danced under the caress of the dark. The music changed and so did the partners, but nothing beat the adrenaline of moving to the waves of rhythm being pumped through the air. The push and pull of the beat mirrored the evocative movements of the crowd.

  And, then, it happened.

  In the middle of moving some random boy’s creeping hands back into an acceptable position, I spotted him. Vane.

  His body moved sensuously to the music, a tall, red-haired octopus of a girl glued to his front. I cut myself loose from creeping-hands to push people aside. I cleared the path to my so-called boyfriend.

  CHAPTER 9 - A DARK DANCE

  CHAPTER 9

  A DARK DANCE

  It took me two moves to shove the girl off Vane. One look at my face and she slinked away without argument. I turned to Vane. He pulled me hard against him before I could blink.

  “Got your attention?” he shouted into my ear, past the thumping music.

  The wind blew out of my sails. He had me and he knew it. I had snuck out without him. I said with a pout, “You would have stopped us.”

  “Probably.” He started to pull me back into the dance crowd.

  “What are you doing?”

  His lips grazed my neck. “Taking advantage.”

  I had to bite back a gasp when he caught my hips and started moving us to the music. The pulsating rhythm tightened around every nerve I possessed until my body was a mass of taut strings for his body to strum. Pretty soon, I couldn’t form a coherent thought. My front plastered to his, we swam in the dark waves of the night. I looked up at Vane. Roving strobe lights emphasized the harsh lines of his face, giving it a dangerous slant.

  He looked down at me and whatever he saw caused him to take a bracing breath. Without waiting for the song to end, he pulled me out of the crowd.

  “What?” I protested. My body wanted to stay attached to the oblivion of the dance.

  Vane took me past the crowded floor. I spotted Blake and Gia dancing at the edge of the crowd. Blake glanced up and saw me. He pointed questioningly to Vane. I shook my head at him. In a corner, barely visible past the bar, a bouncer guarded a doorway. Vane said a few words to him that I couldn’t hear past the beating music. The bouncer paled at whatever Vane said and rushed to open the rope.

  Vane led me past him into a darkened room lined with low booths. All the empty ones had a light directly above them. Vane led us to a corner booth hidden in the shadows. He thumped his hand on the table to get the attention of two lip-locked strangers with only half their clothes on. He barked, his voice distorted by magic, “Move.”

  The boy nodded and got out of the booth. Refastening his shirt, he walked off.

  “Hey!” The girl stared after the boy. Vane’s eyes locked on her. She soon scrambled out of her seat, as well.

  “What was that?” I asked Vane.

  “Persuasion,” he said without apology. Sliding onto the seat, he held out his hand.

  I eyed the booth. Did I really know what he was asking? The draw of the night mixed with the heavy bass of the music made it hard to care. My fingers trembled a little as I took his hand.

  He yanked me into the booth, which had been expertly designed for maximum privacy. A deep seat extended behind a half-moon table that served as a barrier between the room and us. Vane’s hands slid through my pink hair.

  “Nice color,” he remarked.

  “You can’t even see it,” I said.

  “I can see enough.”

  I was pretty sure he wasn’t talking about hair. His lips took mine, and lost in the kiss, I barely felt my sweater being removed. My knees were on the seat and I put my hands around the strong muscles of Vane’s neck. His hands went under my tank and up my back. The tank slid up. I gasped when a palm clasped over an exposed breast and squeezed.

  With a wet needy moan, I closed my eyes.

  My mind awoke.

  “Ryan.” Matt’s voice sounded in my head. It had a desperate edge to it. His presence washed over me.

  Vane’s lips grazed my neck, sending little shocks of pleasure down my spine. A hand skimmed up the back of my knee, my thigh, and slowly slid up under my skirt.

  “Ryan.” Matt groaned.

  For a second, Matt’s body seemed to superimpose over Vane’s and I felt him touching me as well. My eyes snapped open. I tore my lips from Vane’s. I yanked my tank back down.

  Vane frowned. “What?”

  “Matt,” I backed away. “He… sees us. I don’t know how to shut him out.”

  Vane cursed. “He can’t have you, so neither can I?”

  I frowned. “It’s not like that.”

  “He’s blocked me from the amulet. From you. He wants you for himself. To keep his hooks in you.” Vane tugged me back to him. His finger traced the chain until he came to the amulet. He squeezed the gemstone in his palm, pulling it out as far as it would go from my neck. He said roughly, “I think it’s time you took off the amulet, don’t you? I’ll make you another one. It may not be as powerful, but you’ll be free of him.”

  “I c-can’t,” I said.

  The tiger behind the eyes stirred. “Can’t? Or don’t want to?”

  I didn’t. Want. I’d been drawn to the amulet ever since the first time I’d seen it. I knew that Matt was right. Something inside me needed it. It’s why I hadn’t taken it off the first time I found out about Matt’s spying. My answer must have shone on my face, because Vane’s expression hardened.

  I pleaded, “Vane.”

  His fingers tangled in my hair. He pulled the strands with enough force to make me wince. “Why?”

  “It saved our lives back on the plane. It saved mine twice more.”

  “There are other ways. It is your choice.” A glimmer of the predator colored his eyes.

  My spine stiffened. I leaned away from him and repeated, “I can’t.”

  He ground his teeth. “That thing is supposed to protect you. The minute I think it is not doing just that, I won’t ask. I’ll simply take it off.”

  “You’re not my keeper.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them.

  “If required, I can be.”

  Trust Vane not to water down anything. “I guess I know where you stand.”

  He picked up my sweater from the table and held it out to me. “I wish I could say the same.”

  ***

  Gia waved at me frantically as soon as I came out of the back room. I waved back with a sense of relief. Behind me, Vane followed in eerie silence. Not happy was an understatement. Our fight
left me jittery, but I was right and I didn’t want to back down. If I did, Vane would have walked all over me.

  Gia practically ran to me. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere.”

  Luckily, she didn’t seem to require an actual answer to the question.

  She pulled me toward a second set of stairs a little past where we stood that led down to the next floor. “We have to get downstairs. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”

  I let her lead me. Halfway down the stairs, I understood her panic. The music still blared but instead of a dance crowd, a circle of people surrounded two boys who were trying their best to kill each other.

  One was Grey. I spotted the red-haired girl he’d gone off with watching at the front of the crowd. She said something to the giant of man who pummeled my brother.

  Grey gave his opponent a hard kick to the stomach and sent the giant stumbling back. Grey pounced on him. Bones crunched when his hand connected with the giant’s jaw.

  Vane stood beside me. I gave him a little push. “Help him.”

  “He’s been asking for a fight. May as well let him work it out,” Vane said. The giant’s face changed as he lost control. His forehead protruded. Fangs sprouted. Gargoyle.

  I made a sound of frustration and started down toward Grey myself.

  Vane grabbed my elbow to stop. “Do you see where we are?”

  He pointed at the crowd. A few people stared at the gargoyle in shock, retreating to the back of the room. However, most remained in place and encouraged the gargoyle by yelling their support. I wondered how many of them were also gargoyles. Bouncers gathered the ones who obviously had never seen a gargoyle before, the regulars, and threw some kind of spell with a green-aura on them.

  “Forgetting spell,” Vane said in my ear.

  Still, about a hundred or so people watched the fight.

  “They’re all gargoyles?” I said, aghast. “We need to get him out of here.”

  Below us, the giant punched Grey in the stomach. Grey doubled over. The giant got him in a headlock and started to choke him. Grey slipped out of the hold and punched the giant in the face. The giant stumbled back.