Sin & Chocolate (Demigods of San Francisco Book 1)

by K. F. Breene

  “My mother seemed to think otherwise.”

  “How do you know?”

  His head tilted a little, a silent gesture telling me not to insult his intelligence. It had been worth a shot.

  “Fine. But your mother was only focusing on my ability to see and hear her. Like I just told you, that isn’t enough. You might need someone with different magic. Or someone who’s good at detective work.”

  “You just mentioned that you researched the matter. Someone who wasn’t at least curious, who could tolerate unanswered questions, wouldn’t have bothered. You want to know for your own benefit. I can see the frustration in your eyes—”

  “That frustration is from trying to explain logic to a blockhead.”

  “You want to help. You want to solve this riddle. And I want peace for my mother. Not to mention the fact that you have no job, I pay well, and I can help cure your ward. There is no reason for you not to take this job.”

  “Oh my God,” I said, exasperated. “No one is this arrogant.” I finished my Guinness and raised my hand to Cindy at the other end of the bar. “There are plenty of reasons not to take this job. The main one is that I don’t trust you. You won’t even tell me your name, so I’m not sure what other actually important details you might hold out on me. You nearly ran me over, and have been stalking me ever since. News flash: that’s not normal, balanced behavior. You’re dangerous, you’re unhinged, and I want nothing to do with you.”

  “You’re lying,” he said, and just like that, he turned on a dime. His sexy magic slid across my skin, warming me instantly. Inviting me into his embrace.

  “I stand corrected. I want to soak in your magic. But I’d want to do that if it was attached to Mick. So let that sink in for a moment.”

  His stupid eyes glittered again. He pushed his seat back and slid off his barstool. “I have you cornered, Alexis,” he said in that rich, deep tone. “I have everything you need. Everything. All it’ll take is for you to give in.”

  I sniffed. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t. I run a democracy at my house, and I’d need to run something like this by the kids. They’ll say no, Mordecai especially. Without question, they will say no, and then they’ll tell me to hurry up and get that blanket back to you so you have nothing on me.”

  “I have plenty on you, and tomorrow, after you are forced to reveal the magic you’re hiding in that sexy little body of yours, I’ll have everything I need to escalate this to the next level. I am your only option, Alexis. I’m the miracle you’ve been waiting for.”

  He swaggered out of the bar, supremely confident in his control over the situation. Over me.

  “That smug bastard,” I said, only then noticing that Mick had his forehead on his arms, sleeping on the bar. How the guy didn’t roll off was beyond me. It was talent. Or just a lot of practice.

  Cindy brought a fresh Guinness and a wide, excited smile. “Can. You. Believe it?”

  “No. I can’t believe it, no.” I ran my fingers through my hair, dread pinching my gut.

  Would it really be so bad working for him? He’d stalked me, but he hadn’t hurt me in any way. Actually, he’d helped and protected me. Surely that couldn’t be all bad.

  “What made him wander in here, I wonder?” Cindy widened her eyes at me again, turning a little so she could gaze across the bar at the door. “And chatting with you like you were on his level? I’d heard he was stiff and closed off, but he was as chatty as you please. A real gentleman.”

  “You know that guy?” I asked, suddenly all ears. I’d known I could count on Cindy.

  “Do I know that guy?” She looked at me like I was too dense to function.

  “Yes. The big one who just left.”

  She spread out her hands, leaned forward, and opened her mouth wide. The dramatics were strong with this one. “Yes, I know that guy! That’s Kieran! When I told Miles he was here the other day, he absolutely flipped. He keeps missing him, though. He’s in a meeting with a vendor. He’ll be livid he missed Kieran again.”

  “Kieran?” The name held no relevance. “What does he do in the magical community?”

  “The rock you’re hiding under is enormous, Alexis.” Cindy rolled her head. Not her eyes, her entire head. “Demigod Kieran. He’s Demigod Valens’s son, sure.” She paused while my world bled of color. “He’s been in town for a couple months. And he came here! Can you believe it? I wanted to ask for his autograph, but I didn’t want to anger a god, you know what I mean?”

  Cold dread trickled down my spine. A sensation like biting fire ants spread across my skin. Fear that I had never known threatened to stop my heart.

  “Did…” I swallowed through a suddenly parched throat. “Did you just say he’s the…Demigod’s son? Valens’s son?”

  She laughed, my reaction tickling her. “Yes! Kieran. The uncrowned Demigod of Ireland. He wasn’t in power there, you know. His mom was sick, so he mostly took care of her. He deferred to their governing body. She passed not long before he came here. I heard…” She moved a little closer and lowered her voice. “I heard he was here to learn from Valens so he can go back and claim his mantle. I mean, Kieran is from Poseidon’s lineage, and Poseidon is one of the top three gods of power. It would be a shame for him not to take charge of a territory. All that power would go to waste.”

  Bladder weakening with each word and legs shaking so badly I didn’t know if I could stand on them, I rolled through my memories. Each of my dealings with Kieran rose to the surface like a dead body—things I’d said, threats I’d made, my extreme attitude. This new information cast each horrible deed in a whole new light.

  “Just so I’m clear…” I held up my hand. This could not possibly be true. “That man, the handsome one who just walked out, is the Demigod who lives in the castle in Ireland? The guy who was just right here.” I pointed at the empty chair next to me. “He is a Demigod. He is a Demigod.” I wanted to be absolutely clear about my incredible, unbelievable stupidity.

  “Cindy,” the guy at the other end of the bar called.

  Cindy’s jowls wiggled when she nodded at me in delight. “Exciting, right? To be this close to greatness?”

  She winked and moved away.

  No. No, it was not exciting. It was freaking terrifying.

  Valens probably would’ve killed me on the spot if I’d walked out in front of his car. He would’ve killed my whole family if I’d tried to mace him.

  Denying him? Calling him names?

  A cold sweat broke over me.

  No wonder Kieran had followed me that first time. He’d probably been completely blindsided by my attitude. He’d had to catch up with me and set matters to rights. After that, he’d probably only played nice to get the skinny on my magic so I would help his mom.

  I’ll have everything I need to escalate this to the next level.

  For once, my magic had saved me. For now.

  It was safe to say that Valens, the Demigod of San Francisco, was above the law. Hell, he created the law. By rights, the man was a god wandering through the lives of mortals. Not all Demigods could live forever, but Valens, I knew, would live, and had lived, for a very long time.

  His son thought he’d cornered me. That he’d force me to get my whole life on the books, and then strong-arm me into doing his bidding.

  Could he force me into his bed, too?

  I wasn’t sure. He could certainly coerce me with magic. Valens had been rumored to do that as often as he pleased, though it wasn’t like women ever said no to him. His son probably wasn’t any different. He’d merely been playing with me like a cat plays with a mouse.

  I blew out a breath as tremors ran through me. Working for the Demigod would be suicide. When I couldn’t figure out how to help his mother, he’d likely decide I knew too much about his problems. He could dispose of me and say it was an accident. Or wild dogs run amok.

  Hell, he could just say he accidentally killed me in bed with his awesome powers. Oops, he’d say, then flash that perfect smile
.

  “Oh God,” I said, hardly able to breathe.

  If you didn’t have bad luck, Alexis, you’d have no luck at all.

  27

  Alexis

  “He can force us to register our magic,” Mordecai said the following day as we drove toward the magical governing body building, “but he cannot force you to work for him and he can’t force you to live in one of the magical zones. I looked it up. It’s against the law. He certainly can’t force you sexually. That’s a federal law, and it applies to everyone, in all zones and territories and holes and whatever.”

  As expected, I’d told the kids everything, and they’d given me an absolute no. They didn’t want me to work for that man for any price, even a possible cure for Mordecai. An all-powerful Demigod could crush my life in his large, strong hands. Mordecai had pulled up stats—Valens kept everything in check and running smoothly, but he ruled with an iron fist, and if you displeased him or broke the rules, you were dealt with viciously.

  I remembered the deadly glint that was often in the stranger’s—Kieran’s—eyes. Sure, he looked a lot like his mom, but he had the power and ruthlessness of his dad. I could see it.

  “It doesn’t surprise me that Valens would withhold a selkie’s skin,” I said, my opinion of him lower than I had thought was possible. “He probably found a way to withhold it from her even in death, just to cement his dominance over her. To prove he was better than the call of the sea…” A connection tried to ignite like a couple sticks rubbed together to make fire. “You know, his lineage is the god of the sea. He holds most of his power there. One would reason that he could withhold a sea creature’s power by virtue of supernatural might alone.”

  “Except death is not his realm. That’s Hades’,” Mordecai said.

  The spark fizzled out. “True.”

  “And he’d have to focus on it all the time. Maybe not while she was alive, trapped in reality, but it seems like death doesn’t have the same restrictions. Spirits move about pretty easily.”

  “Yes and no. They move around familiar places easily, often returning to wherever they felt most comfortable, or knew the best, or died in, but they get lost in unfamiliar places. Confused. They fizzle out and find their way back to their comfort zone.”

  “Why is one of Frank’s comfortable places in our front yard?”

  “I have no idea. Honestly, I’m scared to ask.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s about my mother’s age, and like I just said, ghosts often hang around a place of comfort.”

  “Ew.”

  “Yeah. And you don’t even know what he looks like.” I grimaced. I did not like thinking of my mother’s love life.

  “You’re not taking that job.” Mordecai glanced down at my phone where the GPS map was displayed. “A right up here.”

  “Right. True. I am curious, though. I want to know if I can call magical objects like I can people.”

  “Then try.”

  “I can’t without a solid foundation. Something special of hers would probably do the trick, if a trick could be done.”

  Mordecai nodded and pointed so I would turn. We approached the guarded gate in the six-foot-high brick wall encircling the magical zone, the height almost daring non-magical people to come in illegally and attempt to create mischief. And foolish kids did. All the time.

  Most of them paid the price. Some of them were never heard from again.

  “Have your ID out,” I said, and slipped my ID from my wallet. “If I could figure out the riddle, though, and get his mother back that skin…”

  “Don’t even say it,” Mordecai warned.

  I slowed behind the line of cars seeking admittance into the magical area. In the clear lane beside me, intended for higher-powered personnel, a large Mercedes SUV glided by, barely slowing before the guard in that lane touched his first two fingers to his forehead, letting him pass without showing identification.

  I couldn’t not say it. I couldn’t not say it, or not think it, or not dwell on it constantly. “You’d be cured, Mordecai. You would get complete access to your heritage.”

  “And then what?” he asked, his voice hushed. “Right now, I don’t have any strength. I don’t know how to fight. The alpha might not bother with me because I’m nothing. One look at me would tell him I’m no threat. His people would see a strong alpha picking on a sickly boy. He’d get nothing out of it. My weakness is my greatest protection. In fact, he’d get points from the pack for acting merciful. But if I was healthy, he’d have no reason not to challenge me.”

  “That would make really good sense to leaders like your parents probably were. And clearly like you would be. That’s why they were loved. But I told you what the Demigod said. The current alpha doesn’t fight fair, and he isn’t loved.”

  “The Demigod might’ve been telling you what you needed to hear. Demigods are also cunning, and they also don’t fight fair.”

  I paused with my mouth open. I was too freaking gullible by half. “Dang it. You’re too smart.”

  “No, I just have a lot of practice talking you out of very bad ideas. If only I was half as good at talking Daisy out of them.”

  “The difference is, she somehow pulls off her terrible ideas, and I always get caught.”

  As we approached the head of the line, I rolled down the window, squinting into the frigid air. A little bit farther and the temperate weather of the magical zone would welcome us in.

  “Good afternoon, kind sir,” I said, handing my license to the stern-faced guard in a black uniform with two green stripes down the arms and legs. “Lovely day for a kite, isn’t it?”

  His jaw set firmly, he brought up a blacklight reader to catch the watermarks in the license.

  “Rest assured, there is no way I’d try to sneak in.” I smiled up at him.

  He turned and slid the card through a reader, waited a beat, then handed the ID back. He looked at the car behind me.

  “Lovely chatting with you. I feel refreshed.” I waved at him and continued on through the wall.

  “That’s the way to get them to remember you,” Mordecai said.

  “Not hardly. They only remember important people who are full of themselves. He’ll disregard a poor girl desperate for a little back-and-forth.” I turned left on the cleanly swept, pristine road. Full trees waved in the strong breeze, some flowering out of season. Brick buildings and cute little houses lined the streets. All of the neighborhoods were as expensive, well maintained, and cozy as this one. Tufts of fog floated ahead, thinning dramatically the farther in we got. The Demigod had the weather looking fine.

  I wound through the blocks until I hit a larger thoroughfare and followed Mordecai’s directions to a bluff overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.

  “Nice view,” Mordecai said as I parked as close to it as I could. I only wished I could live in a place with this view. Of course, the houses that looked out on the bridge were astronomically expensive in any of the zones, magical or otherwise.

  “I bet Kieran has a great view,” I murmured wistfully. “That might be worth trading a night for.”

  “Did you fall off the logic truck and hit your head on stupid?” Mordecai asked as he opened his door.

  “I wouldn’t really do it,” I grumbled, though I half wished I was a person who would. He probably had a sweet house, and a giant, fluffy, comfy bed.

  He certainly had that body. And those eyes…

  Mordecai shook his head, looking around the half-filled parking lot. Unlike government buildings in the non-magical areas, the buildings here rarely had lengthy lines, long wait times, and heavy foot traffic. Valens wanted everything in his city to run smoothly and efficiently, something other magical leaders worked on emulating.

  “Okay. Just keep your head down, get in, and get out,” I said, grabbing Mordecai’s lean bicep and directing him to an artful stone path leading toward the high, arching marble front entrance. Valens also liked grandness.

  “Are you giving you
rself that advice, or me?” he asked. It had probably been meant as a joke, but it came out sounding nervous.

  “It’s going to be fine. All they want to do is check you out.”

  The columns along the sides of the building reminded me of those in Ancient Greece or Rome, but the shimmering decal of thousands of inlaid tiles cast a modern appearance that made a person think of the moving ocean.

  “Say what you want about Valens, he has a real eye for beauty,” I said in hushed tones, marveling as we descended a set of stone steps that matched the walkway.

  “Just ask his wife,” Mordecai replied.

  His body tensed as we entered the door and turned left for the information desk. A chipper woman with blueish skin and bright blue hair beamed at us as we approached. I had no idea what kind of a magical person she was, or if she had any idea a forlorn-looking granny stood behind her, staring down at her. I imagined that only the severely closed-off wouldn’t notice the tingle of constantly being watched, even if the watcher was no longer in a visible body.

  “Good afternoon—” She cut off the greeting when I shoved the crinkled letter across the high desk. “Ah.” She looked up with a smile. “And you are Alexis?”

  “Me.” I tapped my chest, not intending to be quite so caveman-like. What could I say—official places made me nervous. I was usually only in them when I was in trouble.

  Her smile lifted her cheeks. “Fantastic. You are right on time. You’ll just head down the corridor on the left here, to the very end, and knock on room one-oh-seven.”

  “Super.”

  “Annnd… Mordecai.” Her unnaturally green eyes flicked toward Mordecai. “Yes?”

  He nodded.

  “Fantastic. You’ll just head upstairs and to the right. Room two-oh-one. They’ll look after you there. Let me just check you in.” She tapped a keyboard off to the side with long purple nails. The click-click-click made me grind my teeth. “And it looks like transportation has been arranged for your return home, Mordecai. So they’ll—”