The pen launched itself from my sleeve directly at the man’s face. He lurched backward in surprise. The pen dipped and dived, driving him further back. Mr. Glow-Stick swung his sword about trying to chop at the pen and almost took Natalie’s head off. Unfortunately, she ducked under his swing and came at me instead.
I only had enough time to chuckle as the glowing man backed against the wall and Click drew a quick outline around him. Then Natalie was in front of me, throwing out a burst of wind that I barely managed to sidestep. Picking up Click’s discarded box, I threw it at her head. She batted it away, and I tackled her. We hit the floor with a jarring thud in front of the office door, with me on top. She rammed her fists into my back and wrapped her legs around my waist, using her leverage to roll us over. Her muscular thighs squeezed me tightly, battering my broken ribs. I screamed and punched at her, but she wouldn’t let go.
I did the only thing I could think of. I bit her stomach. She yelped and finally released me. Lacing my fingers together, I shoved my arms up then slammed them down. Something snapped beneath my hands. Natalie fell backward with a scream. I followed her down, and my extra weight finally paid off as I pinned her in place. She sobbed beneath me, cupping her broken collarbone.
“If that wasn’t my sister under you, the girl fighting would really be doing it for me,” Jaxon’s amused voice said from the doorway. “Although having your ass on display is now my new favorite way to be greeted at the door.” A loud smack followed, and then he growled, “Damn it, woman! Stop sticking those damn things on me.”
“Lia, are you all right?”
“Dia?” I squeaked.
Dia crouched beside me, and I stared up at her wonderful face in disbelief. When she grasped my hand I burst into tears, mumbling incoherently about how glad I was to see her. There may have been some stuff in there about being in love with Bennett and him being possessed by his sister. It was all pouring out like water through a broken dam. I doubted the tears would be stopping anytime soon. She pulled me up off Natalie and into her arms, mumbling encouragingly to me until I finally calmed down.
My crying jag had sapped what little energy had been left after the fight. Jaxon had tied Natalie to a chair as he checked on Bennett and the captain. She was making quite a racket as she continued to wail and accuse me of hurting her. “What happened here?” Jaxon asked, snapping his fingers in front of Bennett’s face. “He’s under some kind of thrall.”
“Ask her.” I wiped the tears away and pointed to Natalie. “She kissed him and he turned into a lust zombie.”
Jaxon studied Bennett more closely, then turned toward Natalie. “Nat? Nat! Stop crying and tell me what you did to Bennett.”
She cut off the hysterics and glared hatefully at Jaxon. He teleported to her side in a flash, his hands wrapped loosely around the base of her throat.
“You’ve been busy, sister. I saw those photos from Lia’s condo.” His grip tightened. “I’ve been tracking you for days and imagine my surprise when I realized where you were. I would have gotten here sooner but I had a little sidekick that refused to stay at home where she belongs.” His glanced at Dia and she gave him a little finger wave. He shook his head and turned back to his sister. “I’ll ask once more. What did you do to Bennett?”
“Fuck you!” She spat at him. “He wanted it. He wants me. We were meant to be together. I love him. Let me go!”
“You always were obsessed with him.” Jaxon shook his head sadly. “I thought it was a harmless crush you would outgrow.” He pinned her shoulders back against the chair. “He would never want you. You’re a manipulative, self-absorbed, vindictive little brat. Everything he would despise if ever saw the real you.”
“You don’t know anything about me. How could you?” Natalie sobbed. “You both left me there.”
Guilt settled over his face. “Nat, it wasn’t like that. We had to get out.” His voice gentled as he stroked her hair. “I’m sorry, sis. We shouldn’t have left you there alone with father.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “We won’t abandon you again. We’ll get you the help you need and be there by your side this time. But you have to let this obsession with Bennett go. Look at what you’ve done to the man you claim to love.”
They both looked at Bennett who was still sitting motionless on the edge of the desk. Her lip trembled and she dropped her head. “I release you.”
Click nudged against my hand and slide under my sleeve. Clutching my ribs, I slowly walked toward Bennett. We all watched him anxiously. Jaxon smoothed his hand over Natalie’s bowed head. “Thank you. Bennett deserves to be happy, and so do you. But Lia is his bond-mate.”
Bennett blinked rapidly as if he was coming out of a long sleep. He turned to me, and a smile spread across his face. Hesitantly, I smiled back. A huge gust of wind hit me and sent me flying backward. I tumbled through the doorway of the office out into the living room where I smashed into a wooden support column. Bones shattered and blood poured down to the floor below. All that escaped was a huff of air as my lungs collapsed. I slid down to the floor, spots dancing before my eyes. There was shouting in the distance. Then the great roar of a lion shook the floor.
Darkness crept around the edges of my vision. Just before it pulled me under, I heard a voice in my head say, “Blood of my beloved . . . find the twin Houses of the Olympian Omàda.”
34
Three Weeks Later
“So, you haven’t heard from him?”
“Nope,” I responded nonchalantly. “Jaxon and Grayson have stopped by a couple of times. Grayson says he’s part of my House now, whatever that means. I’ve offered him my guest bedroom numerous times. He just smiles and tells me not to worry because ‘the gods have it in hand. I’d swear that little punk was related to Yoda,” I grumbled. “I can’t imagine either of them being very comfortable staying at Vern’s Hotel. But maybe Jaxon is hanging around for some other reason.”
Dia became very interested in the napkin on the table as we had our first dinner at Mussels in forever. Something had happened between her and Jaxon while I was in jail, but she wasn’t talking. He seemed to be equal parts fascinated and annoyed by her. Watching them had kept my mind off Bennett and what he had said to me the day he left.
It had taken me three days to wake up after Natalie blasted me into that column at my parent’s house. Apparently, my body had simply been through too many traumatic experiences in such a short time frame. Surprisingly, we Paldimori aren’t perfect little Energizer Bunnies with unlimited powers. What we do takes up a lot of energy, and I’d needed to recharge. On the morning of the fourth day, I’d sat up gasping for air. This incredibly realistic dream had been playing on repeat in my mind. That I had died and met a man named Titan Theophanes who said, “Blood of my beloved. Find the twin Houses of the Olympian Omàda.”
“You’ve been saying that same phrase for days,” Bennett said as he leaned against the bedroom doorframe.
He was dressed casually in well-worn jeans and a tight black T-shirt that made my mouth water. My ogling had been short-lived as Dia rushed in, throwing herself on top of me and squeezing me until I couldn’t breathe. She had cried and promised never to use my boobs as pillows again if I would stop scaring years off her life. By the time I had untangled myself and promised to not get dead, Bennett was gone.
Those first few days were rough. My energy level was still low from being nearly depleted on top of the healing. I had refused to let Bennett lend me his strength through our bond. I was relieved that he was ok, but I didn’t trust him after what Natalie had told me.
Grayson had been a mother hen fussing and worrying over me the whole time. It was cute but annoying. Like when he refused to let Captain Jack—who was fully recovered—visit me on his way out of town because Grayson thought I needed a nap. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. My gift for explosions had finally come in handy.
The captain and I had spent a couple of hours catching up. He’d still refused to tell me what happened the night
we got drunk. But he did at least clear up how Click had ended up in his pocket the day Natalie came to crash the party. Apparently, Jaxon was delayed but teleported Click with a note that he might come in handy. And he had. The captain and I spent a lot of time talking about that day and the what ifs. James’s death sat heavy on both our hearts.
No one had been able to get past the barrier to retrieve his body, except me. We weren’t sure about the environment on the other side of the barrier, so I’d knelt at the edge and stuck my hand through. It was the one time I’d let Bennett take complete control of my powers. He’d brought James’s body through while I’d sobbed uncontrollably for the young life that had been snuffed out because of me. I’d asked the family to let me pay for the memorial service and host it on my dock since it was his favorite spot and because he had broken his neck while in my employ. The sight of his sick father and young brothers grieving during the service had almost driven me to hunt Natalie down.
Memories from these past months tortured me and drove me to seek out the water’s edge. I may not have set foot in the water since the accident, but the gentle lapping of the waves still managed to soothe me. The pinks and purples of the setting sun was a beautiful sight. My thin Snatch Dragon pj’s offered little barrier to the dropping temperature, and I was dotted with goose bumps, but I refused to go inside. Grayson was in there somewhere, probably counting the minutes until he thought it safe to come get me without being yelled at.
The heat reached me first. That warmth along my spine that let me know he was near even when the door between us was closed. My senses became hyperaware of every sound and smell as if my body was searching him out. My heart fluttered when he sat down beside me. For the first time in days I felt whole as if he carried the other piece of me.
From the corner of my eye I watched his strong profile. He looked tired. We’d both had our share of ordeals lately. I couldn’t imagine what he must have gone through when he found out that his little sister had killed people because she wanted him for herself.
The silence stretched out for some time with neither of us knowing quite what to say. Bennett sighed and turned to me. “There is much I need to tell you. Things that I am only just now learning. Others . . . that I should have told you before. Will you please look at me, Lia?”
It had been the “please” more than anything that had me meeting his gaze. He was not a man that was accustomed to asking nicely. His eyes were full of regrets and profound sadness that made my chest ache. He lifted his hand as if to touch me but hesitated. He stared down at his palm as if it was covered in filth that no amount of scrubbing would erase and dropped it back to his side. “I apologize for all that my family has done to you. Natalie is . . . not well. My father has taken custody of her, and she will get the help she needs. Help that we—her family—should have realized she needed long ago.”
Bennett explained how she had been sleeping with Officer Landish who, as it turned out, was also the friend that Mr. Lawson had asked to look into the rumors. Landish had fallen head over heels for Natalie and her lies. He had promised her he would see me locked away where I couldn’t hurt her anymore. Spurred by her tear-filled pleas to help her, Landish had planted the evidence in my condo that Natalie provided.
Luckily the partner, Officer Quinn, was a damn good police officer. She was suspicious of Landish’s passionate conviction of guilt and started digging on her own. Natalie hadn’t tried too hard to cover her tracks since she had Landish. She had used the credit card that her father paid for to purchase the camera equipment and sex devices used in the photos. The money was from the college tuition that their father thought he was paying. Turns out Natalie hadn’t attended college in several years and was having the money sent directly to an account under her name.
Several of the victims had also come forward to give statements. They had initially been too afraid of Natalie but when she left town and Officer Quinn started questioning them more thoroughly, they had caved. They were running into dead ends on the embezzlement part, but enough evidence had been found for all charges against me to be dropped. Landish had been forced into early retirement. So many people had fallen victim to Natalie’s plotting, I wondered if we would ever know the full extent.
Bennett was silent for a moment, his hands balled tightly. “For me, there are no excuses. I wanted you, and I took you. I had no care for what my actions meant for you. I took everything from you that I could. Your freedom and your choice. I am no better than Natalie.”
“Bennett, you aren’t like her. You wouldn’t—”
“Please let me finish,” he interrupted softly. “That night in the training glen I knew that there was a connection between us. It was like a siren song pulling me nearer every time I touched you. I should have walked away. I convinced myself that I could walk away. I only needed to be inside you and the craving would end.”
He looked at me, his eyes full of a weary resignation. “That first time, I felt the bond forming between us. The gods help me, it was like pouring gasoline on a fire! I could feel you inside me like a warm caress, and it only heightened the pleasure. You made me feel out of control. It was a feeling that I loathed and craved all at once. Like any drug addict, I came back for more, each time knowing that I was strengthening the bond between us.”
“I felt it too,” I confessed.
“You do not understand!” he thundered, his fist hitting the ground and making it shake. “I selfishly married you in the way of my people to take your power. To take control. The bond could have been left incomplete. We would have both been free to carry on our lives as before. But the thought of you with anyone else drove me mad. With the bond, I could have you and your power.” His words shot out like bullets, tearing through me.
He grasped my arms and pulled me up onto my knees before him. “All that power, and you had no idea what to do with it. I did.” His eyes were full of desperation. “Your powers are too great to fall into the hands of our enemies. As much as I hated the idea of the bond, I knew it would help my people. I forced you to accept me—to bond with me. I thought the bond would allow me to control you.”
I tried to pull away, but his fingers tightened painfully. “The bond is more than being able to hear each other’s thoughts. When it is truly open, there is nothing the pair can hide from each other. With your lack of knowledge, I could take full advantage. That is why I was so reluctant to tell you anything of the bond.” He pulled me so close his breath touched my lips. “You made me forget my duties. You became the most important thing in my life. More so than the people I am sworn to protect. I am the leader of my people. I cannot be seen to be weak. Not when our enemies grow stronger every day. Not when my people are suffering.”
My breath was locked in my throat. The already aching pieces of my heart shattered. He had used me. But it hadn’t been in the way I thought. It hadn’t been to get vengeance for Natalie’s false accusations. He was the bully on the playground taking all the toys so others couldn’t have them. He really did think of me as his possession, no better than a tool to be taken out of storage for his purposes.
Every touch, every shared moment that had meant so much to me, had all been an act to pull me into his web. Any hope I still clung to that we could work this out now that the lies were out in the open vanished. No wonder he wanted to train me. He had probably been siphoning power off me all along. Well, no more.
No one was taking anything else from me. Using one of the moves I’d learned on the street, I broke his hold and scrambled to my feet. Anger was overtaking the hurt with each rapid beat of my heart. He got to his feet as well, and for a moment I thought I saw regret and love tangled in his eyes. But I wouldn’t be fooled again. He didn’t try to block me as my hand lashed out leaving a red print upon his cheek.
“You son of a bitch!” I pushed him and he let me. “You don’t own me. Or my powers. People are not pawns in your game to be moved around to soothe your overinflated ego. I make my own decisions, and I didn�
��t choose you.”
My fists raised as my anger built. The urge to hit him again was almost overwhelming. The now familiar feeling of my powers was stirring. Let them come. He was so greedy to have them, he was going to get a taste. Fire engulfed my hand and lit the ground around us. Bennett didn’t move as the fire crept closer, lapping at his sneakers.
“No, you did not choose this,” Bennett whispered. “I did.”
The ring on my finger glowed a turquoise color. Then lines of violet joined the blue, then a bright green, and so on, until there was a rainbow of colors shining from the band. My rage faltered. Then died completely when I saw the blackened circle of destruction all around me. What was I doing? I wasn’t a killer like Natalie. My whole body shook as I closed my eyes and fought to pull my power back. When I no longer felt the heat, I opened my eyes. Bennett’s shoes were melted, the hem of his jeans’ legs burned away. I had done it, though. I had finally drawn back the power and didn’t explode us into bits.
“Congratulations. You are learning control.” Bennett smiled at me with pride. “Lia, I told you all of that because you have the right to know my intentions were not honorable. At least, at first. When you died—”
“Stop. Just stop.” Bitter resentment filled my voice. “You’ve lied to me from the very beginning. You believed every sick lie Natalie fed you, and you wanted to see me suffer. Were you helping her try to kill me too?”
“No. Never. I could never hurt—”
“Was having sex with me her idea or yours?” Disgust dripped from my voice. “Did you want to walk on the kinky side and thought I would show you the ropes?”
Paldimori Gods Rising Box Set Page 28