Haunting Hephaestus (Gods of Olympus Book 9)

by Annalise Nixon

  “I’m taking him dog walking, then lunch. After that, who knows?” Destiny picked a simple pair of purple amethyst studs and matching tennis bracelet.

  “You’re taking a man dog walking on the first date?” Fiona managed to sound both amused and incredulous. “You are out of practice.”

  “He loves dogs. I asked him last night. Plus it’s low key and removes the awkwardness. Well, at least for me.”

  “True. I’m proud of you. You know that, right?”

  “Yes, I do.” She wasn’t going to lie. A tiny voice, the one that constantly whispered lies about not being good enough, made her question if her friends would be happy if they were no longer the center of attention. But seeing Fiona’s pride last night at the barbeque shut that down.

  The doorbell rang, and Destiny stared horrified. “He’s here. Crap. I’m not ready yet. What am I going to do?”

  “There’s the dork I know and love.” Fiona giggled. “You could start by answering the door.”

  “Smart ass.” Destiny grabbed her nude lip gloss and swiped on another coat before slipping it into her pocket, grabbing her cellphone off the dresser, and hurrying out of the room.

  “Enjoy your date. Since some of us must work. I want all the dirty details.”

  “Not going to happen. Especially if they get really dirty.” Destiny ended the call, shutting out Fiona’s bawdy laughter.

  She inhaled a not quite calming breath, pulled the door open, and stared. “Wha… are you lost?”

  Vulcan, the last man on the planet she’d ever expected to darken her doorstep, stood there looking like visiting her was something he did on the regular.

  “Good morning to you, too.” He grinned, and it was one of those sexy lop-sided ones that made her body stand up and take notice.

  “What do you want?” she asked, because obviously Vulcan was confused. Perhaps he had a head injury. The way he seemed focused on her lips indicated the answer was a definite yes.

  Okay, this was confusing.

  “What happened to my sweet timid Destiny?” His voice lowered to a sexy purr. “Did you get rid of her along with your old clothes?”

  She stepped back, because damn he smelled good enough to take a big bite out of. They weren’t playing this game. Not today, Satan, not today. Crossing her arms, she glared into the face that once held starring roles in her fantasies. “I’m going to ask again. What do you want?”

  “Is he here?” Vulcan stepped around her, inviting himself inside her home.

  “How did you even know where I lived?”

  “Answer the question.”

  “What question?” Perhaps he’d had a psychotic break. Because this man sure as hell hadn’t just invaded her home and her privacy. “Have you lost your damned mind?”

  Instead of answering, he spun around and stalked through her house, stopping at her bedroom.

  Her bedroom.

  That was when her temper exploded. “When I needed you to show up, actually called you, you were too busy to answer the phone, and now you roll up in my house like you’re running things? Sorry, pal, you don’t have the right to roll in like you’re paying bills up in here.” Destiny yelled at his back as she followed him down the hall and into her bedroom. “No. I recall every sentence you’ve ever spoken to me, and none of them put you in a position to question my personal life. So for you to barge in here like—”

  “You remember every sentence?”

  The only thing separating them was the bed, and he looked like he could leap across it in one small hop.

  “Answer me,” Vulcan said, his voice sounding deeper, rougher, and damn him—sexier.

  Instead of answering, she turned and rushed out of the bedroom and into the hallway. Not that she feared Vulcan would harm her, but she’d imagined him in that very spot so many times, and she knew she’d make a fool of herself if they stayed in the same room another five-point-two seconds.

  “Stop. Don’t move,” Vulcan called out to her.

  Not on your life buddy. Destiny’s pace quickened enough to match her racing heart. Had the entire world gone mad? Only when she reached the front door did she pause and that was only to grab the doorknob.

  A massive hand stopped her from opening it. “I asked you to hear me out.”

  “I don’t need to hear anything you have to say, Vulcan.”

  “Turn around.” He placed his other hand on the door, not quite blocking her in, but letting her know he could.

  “Is it fear that’s making you tremble, Destiny?”

  His warm breath tickled her ear and she tensed, balling her hands into fists to keep from touching him. She wanted to spin around, grab his shirt, and pull him in for a kiss. What she had no desire whatsoever to do was answer his silly questions.

  “I’m glad he wasn’t here. I may have broken one of his less important bones.”

  Destiny spun around, and it wasn’t like the fantasy of a second ago. Would it be rude to punch Vulcan in his rock-hard stomach? Well, she could kiss it and make it better. Stop. Full stop. Apparently, Mr. Sexy-pants wasn’t the only person with questionable sanity this Sunday morning.

  “You sound like a sociopath,” she said.

  “Yet you’re not afraid. Why is that?”

  She was so not answering. Oh crap. She hoped he didn’t have some kind of supernatural sense of smell like shifters did, because he’d know exactly what she was—and wasn’t—feeling right then. Better to hold tight to her anger than concentrate on the lust.

  Not like she had to dig deep in her memory bank for another time when he wasn’t so nice. The harsh words he’d spoken the last time she saw him, as well as how happy he’d looked with that gorgeous woman wrapped around him, served as pretty good anti-aphrodisiacs. She was always a believer that when someone tells you who they are to believe them. It was past time to use the old adage when it came to Vulcan. “Look, I know this is hard for you to believe, but I have a life. It’s clear you have no problem living yours.”

  “Saw that did you?”

  At least he was astute enough not to pretend that woman wasn’t in his bed before Destiny had even left The Den.

  “How did watching me with another woman make you feel?”

  “Nothing, Vulcan. I felt absolutely nothing.” From his little grunt, it was clear they both knew she’d lied.

  “I can’t say the same. I didn’t like watching you with Surfer Nerd last night.” He lowered his head and moved a fraction of an inch closer, but still his body wasn’t against hers. “Are you wearing this pretty dress for him?”

  “No. I’m wearing it for me.” No matter how good Vulcan looked or smelled, she needed to remember who he was—a man in search of another plaything. Message received loud and clear. Destiny found her backbone and ducked under his arm. “It just so happens we’re going out. Now I need you to please leave. I’m certain I wasn’t subtle in my attraction to you—you weren’t interested. Fine. But you don’t get to flip the script now.”

  “I never got to shoot my shot.” He put his hands in his jean pockets and backed up.

  “You never even picked up the ball, Vulcan. It’s too late. If you need to contact me about art, you have my number.”

  He gave her a jerk of a nod and walked out the door without another word. She’d asked him to leave, so why did it feel like someone had torn her heart out. It pleased her that Vulcan respected her boundaries enough to leave when she asked, but it saddened her to watch him walk away.

  When he reached the beast of a motorcycle, he threw his leg across and looked back at her. “Deny it all you want. I did. We owe it to ourselves to explore this thing between us. Enjoy your little date but remember you’re mine.”

  Chapter 8

  Vulcan should have cancelled his breakfast with Oshun, and he sure as hell shouldn’t have asked for the table by the window.

  “Would an old-fashioned fistfight improve your mood?” Oshun rapped her knuckles against the table. “Because you, unkind sir, have worked m
y last nerve.”

  “Like I would fight you.” The woman had finally lost her mind. He’d fought—and lost—the battle not to look out the window. It was a beautiful day, perfect for walking dogs. Yes, the lengths he’d gone to to figure out what Destiny had planned with that jackass was pathetic. He’d followed them.

  Someone put him out of his misery.

  “You’re not the baddest god in the room.” She bent her arm and flexed a small but impressive bicep. “I can hold my own.”

  “I couldn’t hit you.” He leaned back in his chair and swiped his hand down his face. Big mistake. Destiny’s sweet floral perfume lingered on his fingers like a soft touch.

  “Wait, that was actually… sweet. Okay, I’ve set my bar way too low,” Oshun said.

  “I’m capable of kindness.”

  “Well it’s not a word I’d use to describe you, but okay.” She sipped her coffee, returned the mug to the table, then smiled. “I wish you allowed people to see that side of you.”

  “You should dump Shango permanently.” He was kidding of course, because, she’d never leave the trickster. Too bad he’d never had romantic feelings toward Oshun, or he would have tried. “Do you realize you’re the only goddess other than my adopted mother who has never betrayed me?”

  Oshun knew he wasn’t a big fan of public affection, but she reached across the table and squeezed his hand anyway. “What’s going on in that hard head of yours?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Sure. Whatever you say.” She finished off her buckwheat pancakes then eyed his.

  “Go ahead,” Vulcan said, pushing the plate toward her. Without missing a beat, she dug in. Apparently being a pain in the ass burned a lot of calories.

  “Well damn.” Oshun stared out the window, a lopsided grin spread on her beautiful face. “That should brighten your mood. Looks like little Miss Destiny is over you.”

  Don’t look. Don’t look. Vulcan turned his head and instantly regretted it.

  “They look cute together. Don’t you think?”

  “What she does is none of my business. As a matter of fact, I’ve wasted too much time as it is.” He wasn’t going to lie. She looked cute in her flowered dress. And her hair pulled up exposed her long graceful neck. The neck he wanted to wring because of the traitorous bitch she happened to share a soul with.

  It sucked, and he knew it wasn’t Destiny’s fault. He got it. And yet she still had to pay.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Oshun asked, bringing him back to the present.

  “It means I drew her here for a reason, and I’m thinking it’s time I made it happen.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this? Because yes, they share a soul, but Destiny is not Amina. You know as well as I do that she brings her own experiences, morals, and beliefs to this lifetime. Vulcan what you’re doing isn’t right.”

  “I don’t care. In her next life, should she choose to return, Destiny can use these lessons for the better. But in this one, she belongs to me.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “How about, just this once, you try silence.”

  “Fine. I’m done with the subject, but one more thing—”

  “I thought you said you were done.” He drummed his fingers on the table and glanced out the window. Of course, Destiny and her date looked perfect together. They were like a freaking advertisement for a brokerage firm. She laughed and smiled up at the man.

  Had she ever been that relaxed with him? Vulcan hated to admit it, but not even close. Against the advice of her friends, and good sense, she’d never feared him nor asked anything more from him than he was willing to give. Not until that night at The Den had she ever looked at him like a monster.

  Well it was time for little Miss Sunshine to wake up. Because a monster was exactly what he was. Who he’d always been. Now it was time for him to remember. “I’m done talking about it. So how long are you staying?”

  “I’m still not sure.” Oshun glanced out at the laughing couple who were now walking beneath an arch of antlers and entering the small park in the center of town. “You still need me.”

  “No, Oshun, I don’t.” If he planned to embrace his inner monster there was no time like the present.

  “Ouch.” Oshun winced.

  The waitress refilled their coffees` before making the rounds to the other tables in their section. When Vulcan looked back at his friend, she’d resumed stuffing her face. “Would it soothe your delicate feelings if I apologized?”

  “No.” She wiped her mouth, then balled the paper napkin up and tossed it onto her plate. “Especially since you wouldn’t mean it.”

  “Yeah, there is that.” And that was the reason they’d remained friends.

  “So, have you felt it?”

  He didn’t answer because his emotions had been bouncing all over the place. But feelings were for suckers. “Woman, what are you babbling about?”

  “Evil. It’s here, and I’m sorry to say it’s centered around Destiny’s gallery.”

  Vulcan’s mind rewound the night Destiny called. The night Oshun arrived. “Why were you in her gallery?”

  “Hello, this is me we’re talking about. I’ve hit up every store in town.”

  “What, or should I ask who, was there? Anyone I know?”

  “I can’t say.”

  He didn’t push, but there was no doubt her choice of words were deliberate. An unfamiliar feeling made him queasy. “I need to see it myself. Let’s go.”

  “Why? She’s not your problem. Let someone else deal with it. That new boyfriend of hers seems capable.”

  “You got that from watching him for ten seconds?”

  “It was thirty, and a man with a body like that obviously knows how to—”

  “Stop.” Vulcan pulled out his wallet and left a fifty-dollar bill on the table. That was more than enough. Plus, their waitress Hilla was a single mother, and from what he’d heard, babysitters didn’t come cheap. “Let’s go.”

  Vulcan stood and started to walk off, expecting Oshun to follow. If she didn’t, he didn’t care. How dare someone come to his town and threaten… what? How was he going to finish that statement?

  The bell overhead jingled when Vulcan jerked the door open and stepped outside. Everything—the familiar street, the small park across the street, and even the grab-and-go library —was painted red by his rage. As he moved down the covered wooden sidewalk, women pulled their children out of the way and men guided their women across the street.

  “Are we actually walking?” Oshun asked as she almost jogged to keep up with him. “I thought you were in a hurry.”

  “I am.” He stepped off the sidewalk then turned right, into an alley, and merged with the shadows. Before she could begin questioning him again, Vulcan reappeared in the gallery. Oshun arrived less than a second later. He reached out and sensed nothing other than the subtle magic of the items in the cabinets.

  “Talk to me. I’m head blind here.”

  “That’s not the only kind of blind.” Oshun moved closer to the small desk in the showroom. “It starts here.” She trailed her fingers along the edge of the desk, then closed her eyes and walked toward the counter. “Then it leads here and dissipates.”

  The soft beep of the alarm disengaging interrupted the line of questions Vulcan had planned to ask his friend. It was convenient that she’d just happened to arrive in Jackson the night Destiny had called him barely hiding her terror.

  Did he believe his friend planned to harm Destiny? Absolutely not. But Oshun knew more than she was telling. And he was determined to find out what.

  The bell above the door jingled, but it sounded dull compared to the clear peal of Destiny’s laughter. “You are so full of it,” she said, closing the door behind the Surfer Nerd. “I may be biased, but there aren’t any other galleries like mine in town.”

  “It’s yours. Of course it’s unique.” Destiny’s date traced the back of his fingers along her arm, and when he reached her
hand, she interlaced her fingers with his.

  “He’s full of shit.” Vulcan sneered as if the man could see him.

  “He’s hot. She’s single. What’s the problem?”

  Vulcan looked at their joined hands and considered ripping the puny man’s arm off and beating him with it. Now that would make Vulcan feel better. Not that he was jealous or anything.

  The bell above the door chimed again.

  “Sorry, we’re closed.” Destiny walked around her date and her eyes widened in surprise. “Mr. Sanders. How are you?” Her face lit up and she moved across the room and kissed the man on his ruddy cheek. “I had no idea you were back in town.”

  “I just arrived this afternoon, and I’m afraid I’ll need to leave again on Thursday. Do you have a couple of minutes?”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll wait outside,” Surfer Nerd said, kissing Destiny on the cheek.

  The man was two steps from taking his last breath.

  “Vulcan, focus.” Oshun jabbed him in the ribs with her bony elbow.

  “I’m not quite sure how to say this, but I’m going to have to sell the building.” Destiny gasped, and the older man squeezed her arm. “Don’t panic, I haven’t put it on the market yet, but I wanted to give you the first option to purchase.”

  “How much is it?” Destiny’s tongue darted across her lower lip.

  If Vulcan had a heart, it would have broken a little, especially when Mr. Sanders told Destiny the price. But since the organ in the center of his chest had ceased working centuries ago, it looked like his vindication would begin today.

  Chapter 9

  “No. No, no, no, no, no. I do not have time for this right now.” Destiny thumped her fist against the steering wheel of her sputtering Jeep.

  Maybe this week was karmic payback for sins in a past life. Or worse, karma was getting for back her constantly complaining about the dullness of the current one. Well this kind of excitement she could do without.

  The shopping, the makeover, the date, all of that was out of her comfort zone, but none of it confused her as much as Vulcan. Seriously. Sunday he’d been at her house pouring it on thick, tempting a sister to drop the panties. Good thing she hadn’t, seeing as he’d disappeared for three days.