by J. N. Colon
“Laurie was thinking of getting reddish pink highlights.” I closed my locker and leaned against it. Several people walked by, waving. I quickly returned their greeting, half of them I never met before.
Will grinned. “Go for it babe. It’ll look cool on you.”
Worry still laced her expression. “But your parents…” she trailed off.
He made a face. “Who cares what my parents think. They’re not dating you. I am.”
She beamed up at him. “Really?”
“Yep.” He kissed her head. “Besides, maybe my mom will like it and get some pink highlights too.”
I started laughing so hard I nearly choked. Mrs. Michaels would rather wear lipstick with a name like harlot than dye her stunning blonde locks pink.
Will shrugged. “Maybe she’ll sport a pink wig.”
Laurie elbowed him with a dramatic roll of her eyes.
The atmosphere shifted in the hall and a buzz filtered through the air. That was a clear indication Hayden was approaching—that and the drooling girls.
He walked down the hall with his bad boy swagger, the corners of his lips lifting in a naughty, crooked grin lighting his stormy gray eyes. His sinfully dark hair curled around his sculpted face. He wore a black button down shirt, threadbare jeans, and scuffed black boots.
Embers burned through my insides, obliterating any ice that took up residence where part of my soul should be. If I was in the Underworld my eyes would be alit with crimson flames.
That was how hot my boyfriend was.
A hungry glint entered his eyes where distant fires burned. His long fingers curled around my hips as he drew me into him, meeting me with a kiss that should be illegal in public.
After several lingering seconds, Hayden pulled back with a wicked grin across his damp lips. “Hey baby.”
Laurie whistled and fanned her face dramatically, reminding me we had an audience. “You guys could start a fire with a drowned log.”
My cheeks burned red with embarrassment, but Hayden only seemed amused.
“Laurie.” He nodded.
Will shook his head, fighting a grin. “You’re going to make me look bad, you know that,” he laughed, giving Hayden daps.
Hayden shrugged indifferently. “What can I say? I’m good with the ladies.”
I scoffed and socked his arm. It probably would have hurt if I my demigod side hadn’t been released. “Be good or I’ll put you in time out.”
He rubbed his chin in thought. “Would you be joining me in this time out?”
“You wish.”
“Come on.” He grabbed my books and started tugging me toward our next class.
I waved back at Will and Laurie.
We rounded the corner, the faint scent of gunpowder sifting through the air. My brow furrowed moments before I realized the reason for the out of place smell. None other than Ares, god of war, was moseying toward us with a cocky smile plastered across his face.
His thick pitch hair was longer, brushing his forehead and framing his impenetrable black eyes. Thick biceps led to wide shoulders tapering down to a trim waist that probably held a twelve pack beneath his red t-shirt.
I didn’t even get a squeak out my mouth before Hayden dropped my books, took two steps, and connected with Ares’ square jaw, a loud smack echoing. Ares’ head snapped sideways and didn’t fully make it back forward when Hayden gripped him by his shirt and slammed him into a locker, denting it.
A chorus of gasps resonated through the hall while people scurried away. They’d be running a lot further if they knew they were gods.
“You must have a death wish,” Hayden growled, his body so tense it was trembling.
Ares licked a droplet of blood that had pooled on his lip. “Not really. In hindsight I probably should have warned you I was coming.”
“I still would have kicked your ass.”
Okay. Time to intervene. If we weren’t in front of a mob of humans I’d let Hayden pummel the god of war after what he did—releasing sin spirits on us, trying to steal the Underworld, and almost killing me.
I strode toward them and gripped Hayden’s arm. “Let go.” His eyes were burning scarlet flames and I had a feeling they were strong enough a human would notice. “Calm your eyes Hayden,” I gritted between my teeth.
Luckily Ares didn’t spew another smart ass remark and Hayden eventually backed away—minutely.
“We got a problem Hayden?” Blake was standing a few feet away with his arms crossed against his broad chest and hazel eyes blazing. Jake was next to him sporting the same hard expression.
Awe. That was so cute. The football team was backing Hayden. They’d get their asses handed to them, but still. It was sweet.
I nudged Hayden because he was still glaring at Ares with unadulterated fury.
His jaw flexed. “We’re fine.” His voice sounded more like a growl. “Just some family drama—as usual.” He mumbled that last part.
This got Ares several interested glances, especially from girls. He was a god so of course he was hot. His dark hair gleamed from the sun streaming in through the windows yet it did little to lighten those dark, enigmatic eyes. His mouth was supple, currently fighting to suppress a smile. Dark stubble coated his chin, giving him an even darker sex appeal than he already had. His red t-shirt was taut across his muscles and his jeans frayed in places.
Ares glanced toward the two football players. “I’m his cousin, Reese.” He went as far as winking at Darby, Kathryn, and Leslie who were huddled together a little ways down the hall.
Oh great. Here we go again. Another god diving into my human life.
Hayden’s eyes narrowed as he gripped Reese’s shoulder. “We need to have a family meeting cuz.” They started down the hall and he knew better than to tell me to go to class.
“What are you doing here?” Hayden hissed as I shut the empty classroom door behind us.
I quickly put a hand on his chest before he could lunge for Reese again. Reese flashed me a thankful smile I returned with the middle finger.
“I should be tossing your ass in Tartarus for what you did.” Hayden’s eyes flashed red. “You almost fucking killed Hartley.”
Reese’s palms shot up in defense. “I’m really sorry about that. I wasn’t really going to let her die.”
“It didn’t look that way to me. And you hit her.”
My cheek stung with the memory of it.
The god of war sucked his teeth and winced. “Yeah. Sorry about that too. You know how I can get sometimes—a little nutty when left unchecked.” He tossed his hands in the air when neither of us responded. “I’m the god of war. I have anger issues!”
“And what about the sin spirits?” I asked, crossing my arms against my chest and tapping my foot expectantly.
He tsked. “I didn’t even want to do that. It was Demeter’s idea.”
“Sure.” Hayden’s voice was thick with sarcasm. “I just bet the goddess of seasons wanted to wreak havoc on the human world with sins.”
My lip curled in contempt. “She’s not very nice.”
Hayden shifted his eyes that were still flickering with distant crimson flames. “How do you know?”
I shrugged. “I sort of met her in Mt. Olympus last night. She wasn’t too pleased I was there.”
Reese motioned toward me with a hopeful expression. “See. Demeter doesn’t like anybody.”
“Beside the point.” Hayden turned his attention to Reese. “What are you doing here?” His fists curled into ball, flexing so hard his tendons threatened to pop out his flesh.
“I heard about Ixion.” He sighed. “I thought I could help, you know, to make amends for my previously less than sane behavior.” He rocked on his feet. “He is my son after all. He might listen to me.”
Hayden scoffed. “I doubt that.”
I on the other hand was taking a more diplomatic approach. “Hayden, maybe we should let…”
He turned his stormy eyes on me. “You can’t be serious?”
I shrugged. “What else do we have to work with?”
Hayden was looking at me like I grew another head. “He’s the god of war? What if he pushes your friends to fight again?”
I thought back to the party when his presence amped up the anger spirit and had everyone throwing punches.
“Hey.” He looked offended. “I can control my influence.”
I shot him a death glare. “You will.”
Hayden shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you want to let this idiot help.”
A smile curled Reese’s mouth. “She’s clearly the smarter one in the relationship.” His dark eyes raked over me longingly. “Beauty and brains with an extra slice of brave. A deadly combination.”
Hayden growled, but I put my hand on his chest before he could react physically.
“Watch it Reese,” I hissed. Without thinking I lifted my palm, attempting to pull a flame into it. When nothing happened anger and disappointment filled my veins. “Damn it!” I stomped my foot and pouted.
I glanced up to see both gods looking at me with humor in their eyes and smiles twitching their lips.
“That was so cute,” Hayden mumbled under his breath while Reese nodded in agreement.
I rolled my eyes.
Hayden
My gaze was glued to Reese at the other end of the table in the cafeteria arm wrestling Blake. Once I begrudgingly vouched for my cousin the other guys seemed to accept him. They were all making friends.
Could I really trust him?
Definitely not.
But I would use him to get to Ixion. I needed to know what exactly he was after. If it was revenge on Zeke I needed to know how he planned on exacting it. As much as I detested my brother, I wasn’t about to let some half god over throw him. If Ixion was after Hera, be my guest. I doubted Hartley would have a problem with that either.
The multitude of florescent lights beamed down on the massive room, lighting the long, white faux grain tables and gray tiled floors. Glossy white cinderblock walls were painted with accents of gold and black and had Northwood Lions blazoned above the double doors. Food lines took up the back, students wading through. More students sat at tables and milled about socializing, their voices echoing loudly over each other.
My gaze shifted to the place they loved the most. Hartley. She was standing by the drink machine, talking with Laurie and Meredith. Her black skirt cupped her ass perfectly and showed off her tan legs. The burgundy shirt laced up in the front, ending in a sweet little bow in the middle of her cleavage. It reminded me of corsets women used to wear. Her brown and scarlet hair shimmered in the lights and framed her delicate face like a curtain.
She bent over to retrieve a soda, nearly flashing the red lacy panties I knew she was wearing. I wasn’t sure if I was happy or disappointed cheerleading was over. I didn’t get to see her prance around in that short tight little getup. No one else did either.
I bristled in my seat. I always hated other guys lusting after her in that thing. Maybe I could convince her to wear it just for me—in the bedroom.
She licked her lips, sending my heart thudding in my chest. If I continued to stare at her my eyes were going to burst into flames. Hell, my whole body might.
Someone cleared their throat and I looked forward to see Will sitting across from me with a knowing smile.
“Enjoying the view I see.” He sipped his soda.
“No doubt.” I tried not to let it bother me that Will had been accustomed to Hartley’s view for a while.
He motioned his chin toward the end of the table where Reese was throwing his fists in the air after defeating Blake. “Your cousin seems interesting. He sure does like competition.”
I dragged a fry through ketchup, noticing the suspicion in his tone. “Yep.”
His blue eyes pierced me as he drummed his fingers on the table in thought. “What’s with all the family members coming and going?”
I shrugged indifferently.
“First it was your cousin Lee, then your brother Zeke, and now your other cousin Reese.”
Hecate was also here, but he didn’t remember anything that happened during her spell.
My lips pursed. “We’re a fickle family.” Most gods were.
His gaze narrowed. “And I’ve never seen your parents. Where are they again?”
“Australia. They work there.” I stuck with my original story.
Will tilted his head, shifting his golden hair. “I think there’s something odd about you.”
He wasn’t wrong. I was the freaking god of the Underworld. The corners of my lips twitched. “I don’t know what you mean,” I lied. And he knew it. I hadn’t had this much contact with living humans since before I was god of the Underworld. I might have been a little careless. I hope I didn’t have to do something drastic to make him forget.
“Right.” Will chugged the last of his soda before setting the empty bottle on the table. “But as long as Hartley’s happy I guess it doesn’t matter.”
My brow arched, surprised. “Is that so?”
Will’s gaze shifted to Hartley, watching her with Laurie and Meredith. “Yeah.” He turned back to me. “Plus whatever weirdness you’ve got going on I’m sure Hartley knows about it. She could probably get a priest to spill his confessional secrets.”
I snorted on a laugh. “True.”
“Yeah. This one time Hartley…”
Will’s words were suddenly drowned out by a loud buzzing in my ears. The florescent lights in the ceiling blurred into one and the entire cafeteria spun.
I felt myself free falling back, darkness swallowing me whole.
Chapter 4
Hartley
Terror slammed into me, almost knocking me down the moment commotion reached my ears and I saw Hayden lying on the cafeteria floor unconscious.
I sprinted over, pushing Will and Reese out of the way before dropping on my knees. “Hayden!” I shook him as my heart lodged in my throat, noting his colorless face and lips. I didn’t need to look at Reese to know this wasn’t normal for gods, especially one as strong as Hayden.
But when I did peek at Reese’s face the amount of surprise and confusion reflecting in his dark eyes was enough to send my panic over the ledge of sanity.
“Hayden!” My voice cracked and I shook him harder.
Finally his eyes fluttered open, slowly coming into focus. He blinked several times, his brows knitting. “Hartley?” Confusion laced his voice. “What the…?” His gaze shifted toward Reese and the crowd surrounding him.
Hayden quickly sat up, uncomfortable with the attention.
“Everyone back up,” Reese barked. When no one moved he continued. “Back the hell up!”
Shuffling resonated, clearing the space around us. Hayden scratched his head, his brows knit and eyes pensive as he attempted to fit the pieces together. The color had returned to his cheeks.
Panic still clawed inside me. I gripped is chin to force his gaze to mine. “Hayden, what happened?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.” He ignored my scoff of protest. He pulled me up until we were both sitting at the table again, facing the opposite direction. “I’m fine Hartley really.”
“No you’re not,” I hissed. “You passed out!”
He leaned closer and gently pressed our lips together. “It’s nothing to worry about,” he whispered between us. “But I can’t go into it with all these humans around.”
Oh right.
I pulled back and nodded, some of the frantic terror alleviating. And then his eyes met Reese’s as they shared some kind of silent communication that gave me a bad, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Later that night I sat in my living room alone, pretending to do homework. Really I was staring at my history book, thinking about Hayden. He continued to assure me nothing was wrong. A simple explanation could account for his sudden loss of consciousness. Something might simply need to be attended to in the Underworld. So that was where Hayden was now. Without m
e. He claimed he wanted to make sure it was safe.
I pouted staring at the pictures of foreign castles in my book. I think we were learning about the Italian renaissance or maybe it was the black plague.
I tossed my book aside, letting it fall closed with a thump. Who cared? School was almost over and I wasn’t even certain college was on my to-do list.
My dad came barreling down the stairs dressed in worn jeans and a green shirt that brought out the gold highlights in his hair—his hair that I was pretty sure had some kind of product in it.
My brow lifted. “Where are you going?”
He halted when he noticed me peeking from the couch. He shifted awkwardly. “I thought you were with Hayden.”
“Why?”
He shook himself and headed toward the living room. “I thought you guys were like always together,” he said in valley girl speak.
I rolled my eyes. “He’s in the Underworld doing whatever it is he does.”
“Torturing the souls of the innocent?”
I sucked my teeth and threw a blue pillow at him, anger flushing my cheeks. “Not funny dad. He’s not like that and you know it.”
“Sure.” He dug out his wallet and pulled out a couple bills. “You can order pizza for dinner if you want.”
I snatched it out his hand. “And don’t say stuff like that around Hayden. I don’t want you hurting his feelings.”
He made a mock gasp and grabbed his chest. “The god of the Underworld has feelings?”
My eyes narrowed on him and if we were in the Underworld I’d toss a fireball right by his head. It would serve him right if it singed some of that currently product tousled hair.
“If looks could kill.”
My face formed a pout, my lips protruding out. I hated when people assumed Hayden was some evil, cold-hearted jerk. He was far from it.
My dad winced. “Oh, I’m just joking Hartley. I know Mr. Dark and Brooding has a heart and feelings.” He dug his fingers into the top of my head, messing up my hair.
I smiled, the gesture reminding me of when I was a kid. “Where are you going?” I asked, absentmindedly surveying the money he gave me. “Whoa dad, I don’t think pizza cost sixty bucks just yet.”