by Lisa Kessler
“You sure you’re not just playing matchmaker?”
Erica shrugged, while doing a damned fine job of looking innocent considering she had the Muse of Erotic Poetry in her soul. “All I’m saying is, he’s part of the team now, marked by Zeus to help us.” Her gaze locked on Trinity. “And I believe him. He stopped Kronos once, and he never would have done that if he truly believed in the Order of the Titans.”
“Fine.” Trinity sighed. “I’ll invite him.”
“Good. See you tomorrow, Trin!”
Erica left, and Trinity returned to the piano, to her song. She tapped her pen against the paper. If only she knew how it would end.
Ted flipped the new driver’s license over and over as he sat behind his desk. He couldn’t escape the surreal emotions churning in his gut. Two immortal Titans were about to walk through his door, Titans he once thought would save this world, not end it.
He reached for his cell and clicked on the photo gallery, then on a file labeled T. The screen filled with an image of Trinity grinning, her arms draped around his neck after he’d finished his first vocal recital. It had been lifetimes ago. How different would his life have been if he’d never told his father the muses were coming to Crystal City, California?
Fuck. Wandering down that path led to madness. He couldn’t go back in time, couldn’t change the destiny laid out before him.
But he could still mourn the life he could have had. He’d never measured up in his father’s eyes, but Trinity had seen more to him than he ever had. Her inspiration could have changed everything if he had been strong enough to believe in himself.
“Do you have the identification?”
Ted straightened in his chair at the sound of Kevin’s voice. “Yeah, it’s here.”
Kevin adjusted his tie and approached the desk. He plucked the driver’s license from Ted’s hand and examined the photo. “This will do.”
Ted peered past him. “Where’s your brother?”
“On the beach. We’re meeting him there. Come.”
“I have plans.” Ted frowned. “I did what you asked. I’m finished.”
“Surely you’re not…defying me?” Kevin arched a silver brow.
“No.” Ted stood up. “I can rearrange my schedule.”
He followed Kevin out of his office, down the elevator, and then left the Belkin Oil building and crossed into the parking garage in silence. Ted had nothing to say. Whatever Iapetus was doing on the beach, it couldn’t be good. Dread dug its claws into his shoulders.
Kevin looked over at Ted. “You drive.”
Ted didn’t argue. The sooner this was over, the sooner he could get home, lock his doors, and pretend he was safe from the Father of the Gods.
Out of habit, Ted pulled out his keys and checked his cell phone as he approached his car. Nothing. Not that he expected it. Mikolas had arrived at the office early and had left without a word. Ted struggled not to allow himself to imagine Mikolas rushing out to see Trinity. Imagining them together was going to make him more insane than the what-if path he’d wandered down earlier. He ground his teeth and popped the locks on the key fob.
Both he and Kevin got in the car, and Ted started the engine. He turned to his passenger. “Which beach are we visiting?”
Kevin slid his designer sunglasses on. “Crystal Pier.”
When they reached the beach, Ted had no trouble finding parking. Tourist season was long over by late October. The beaches were uncluttered, giving the locals plenty of room to jog, bike, and skateboard. A few surfers rode the waves off the shore, and a couple of kids played volleyball, oblivious to the fact that the God of Time was among them.
Ted scanned the area for Iapetus. “I don’t see your brother.”
“Ah, you will.” Kevin nudged him and pointed toward the water.
Ted squinted as a surfer hopped up on his board, riding the crest of a big wave. A smaller surfer came up to the right of the first—a woman. She glided across the curl and dove off the board as the wave crashed down.
Suddenly, the first surfer abandoned his board and vanished under the waves. He came back up with the woman under his arm as he swam for shore. He was shouting something.
Goose bumps rose on Ted’s arms, and as they got closer, he recognized them.
Hunter Armstrong, the retired Navy SEAL, had his girlfriend, the Muse of Epic Poetry in his arms. He carried her out of the ocean as a second man grabbed his board and followed. Reed McIntosh. It had to be. The firefighter and Hunter had been surfing buddies for years.
Ted’s head snapped toward Kevin. “Where’s Iapetus?”
The Titan pointed at the waves. His brother stepped out of the surf, his spear in hand and his eyes glowing a bright red.
Ted’s pulse thundered in his ears. He had to do something. But what? “Someone will call the police. He can’t murder someone on a public beach.”
“She’s not dead. Not yet anyway.”
What did that mean? Ted tried again. “They’re probably already calling 9-1-1 about a guy on the beach with a giant spear.”
“Mortals cannot see the God of Mortality’s spear.”
Shit. That meant Reed and Hunter couldn’t see it, either, and neither of them had been at the Observatory gala so they’d never laid eyes on Iapetus. They wouldn’t recognize him.
“Wait.” Ted looked over at Kevin. “But I can see the spear.”
“Because I have lifted the veil from your eyes.”
Iapetus approached them in a black wet suit. His eyes were a more human color now. “The Guardian called Hunter could hear my thoughts. It is the only explanation for him snatching his muse from the water before I could finish her. I did not discover the other Guardian’s gift. His muse isn’t here.”
Ted’s mouth went dry. “Why are you attacking them? I thought you were going to the theater opening to draw Zeus out?”
Kevin placed a hand on Ted’s shoulder. “During my last visit, I discovered my son granted each mortal man a gift to protect his muse. We won’t be walking into that theater blind. We’ll know their strengths and weaknesses.”
“But you can just stop time like you did after the dance recital.”
Kevin nodded and finally spared Ted a glance. “One of them can move faster than time. And one of them was able to touch an enchanted crystal that should have killed a mortal.” He turned to his brother. “This time, we will be ready for whatever my son and my wife put in our path.”
CHAPTER 8
Mikolas left the office early, eager to check on Trinity. With Kronos and Iapetus on the loose, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he should be with her. But she’d insisted she was safe with Mason and Clio, and he didn’t know her well enough yet to press it. He’d placated himself by remembering that Mason was also a Lycan shifter. No one was going to be able to sneak up on him, and his wolf wasn’t controlled by whether or not his muse was in danger.
For now, Mikolas was counting on Ted to alert him of the Titans plans. Tonight, Kevin and his brother were meeting Ted at Belkin Oil to pick up the fake ID for Iapetus, and Mikolas had no intention of being there. The Guiders of Destiny had been very clear: facing Kronos was not part of Mikolas’s fate this time.
He parked outside the theater and got out. Mason was up on a ladder stringing lights over the courtyard outside. Mikolas approached, shielding his eyes from the setting sun. “Hi, Mason. Trinity said she’d be here today.”
“Hey, Mikolas.” He wiped the sweat off his brow. “Yeah, she’s workin’ inside on the sound system with the tech.”
Mikolas started for the door and stopped. He went to the base of the ladder. “Can I talk to you about the Titans?”
Mason slid his drill into his tool belt and climbed down the ladder. “What’s up?”
Mikolas crossed his arms, keeping an eye on the door to the theater. “I realize everyone has good reason to doubt my motives, but my priority right now is Trinity, and I don’t think Callie’s plan to ignore the Titans is going to work.”
Mason rested his hand on the drill handle at his belt. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I’ve been giving this some thought, and all of our gifts from the gods are to protect our muses, so the powers don’t kick in unless she’s in danger, right?”
Mason nodded. “What’s that got to do with me?”
“You’re a Lycan. You can shift into a wolf and it has nothing to do with your muse being in peril. I’m also betting that since your family line was cursed by Zeus, when you’re a wolf, you’re immune to Kronos’s magic. His ability to manipulate time wouldn’t work on you.”
“Damn.” Mason chuckled, shaking his head. “You’ve been giving this plenty of thought.” He rubbed at his chest, his Southern drawl forced Mikolas to focus. Although Mikolas was very comfortable with English, the southern accent made the words more foreign. “Even as a wolf, I’m not immune to bullets. Whatever you’re planning, we’d need the others to make it work, and even then, we couldn’t face two of those bastards. I understand where you’re comin’ from, I do, but this is Zeus’s fight.”
“And where the fuck is he?” Mikolas gestured to the empty parking lot. “He told me at the gala that he would handle his father, but that leaves us with Iapetus. He’s the God of Mortality. He feeds on our deaths.”
Mason’s shoulders tensed, a glint of aggression lighting his eyes in contrast to his easygoing nature. “Look, I’m not happy about any of this, but I’m not shifting and rushing into a fight I can’t win, either. There’s too much at stake.”
“But what if we could win?” Mikolas searched Mason’s face. He didn’t see a trace of weakness. Good. Mikolas tipped his head toward the door. “Help me get Clio and Trinity on board. I think if we can separate the Titans and work together as a team, we could stop Iapetus.”
The new sound system for the theater was installed, tested, and tweaked, and now Trinity treated herself to a little escape from reality. The tech left, and she put on her headphones, gripping the earpieces on either side of her head. With her eyes closed, the symphony of sound embraced her, swamping her senses in the glorious melody of Mozart’s “Queen of the Night” aria. The high notes pinged with perfect clarity, dancing across her soul, alert and awake.
Suddenly she sensed she was no longer alone. She spun around in the sound booth chair to find Mikolas leaning on the doorframe, his forearm up by his head and a hint of a smile on his lips.
She’d been thinking about him earlier in the day while Clio had been peppering her with questions. Being the Muse of History, after Clio discovered the prophecy of the Guardians, she’d switched focus to researching each of the muses and their original partners in mythology. She had thought it might help them find their Guardians. It had worked for a few of them, but Trinity was another story. Euterpe’s mate was Strymon, a mighty river god and king. Mikolas was from Greece, but he didn’t have anything to do with a river and he was far from a king.
She crooked her finger, beckoning him over, and took off the headphones so she could turn one and press it to her ear, and put the other one to his ear. They hadn’t known each other long enough for her to know what type of music he enjoyed, but he didn’t seem to have an aversion to Mozart. The shared headphones kept him close enough that she could feel the heat coming off his skin.
He turned a little toward her. “Didn’t take you for an opera fan.”
She chuckled. “Muse of Music here. It’s tough for me to find a genre I don’t like. Do you like opera?”
“Yes.” He closed his eyes, listening. “My nona raised me on classical music.”
The aria ended, and Trinity lowered the headphones slowly, her gaze wandering over his face. He had a strong chiseled jaw, a gentle mouth, and dark eyes she could lose herself in. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I was going to finish putting on outlet covers backstage.”
“Can I help you?”
She nodded without putting any distance between them. “That’d be great.” Gods, he smelled good. “But before we go get to work, can I ask you something?”
“Yes.” His voice had dropped to a throaty whisper that had heat coiling low in her belly.
For a second, she couldn’t remember what she was going to ask, then blurted out. “Halloween.”
He chuckled. “Not what I was expecting.”
She grinned and straightened up, regretting the space between them instantly. “Sorry. In all the Titan craziness, I forgot all about it, but Maggie, Mel and Nate’s daughter, is ten, and this is a major holiday in her world. In spite of Kronos breaking free, they don’t want to cancel the party, and Erica said I should invite you since everyone else will be there.”
He stared at her for a moment, and then stood up. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
She frowned and followed him to the door to the sound booth. “Wait, what?” She caught his arm.
He turned around, his eyes locked on hers. “Tell Erica I said thanks for the invite.”
Trinity raised a brow. “I’m the one who asked you.” Her hand found a place on her hip. “Aren’t you the one who has been pushing me to trust you?”
“Yeah.” He broke eye contact, examining the new ceiling. “Obviously I’ve been pushing too hard.”
Trinity frowned. “What am I missing here?”
He ran his hand back through his hair, the wavy curls refusing to be tamed. “Is it that hard to understand? If you’re asking me to go because you’d like me there, you might get a better response, but if you’re only doing this because your friend pressured you, then…I’ve got plenty of other things I can do instead.”
Trinity sighed and pulled him back into the booth. She sat down and pointed to the other chair. “Can we talk?”
He took the seat, but apparently, he was going to let her do the talking.
All right.
Trinity cleared her throat. “It was kind of shitty that I made it sound like I was only inviting you because Erica wanted me to.”
He nodded slowly, but the corner of his mouth twitched—a crack in his butt-hurt armor.
Trinity shrugged. “I don’t mean to constantly push you away, but in my defense, until very recently, I thought you gave the order to try to kill me.”
He uncrossed his arms, resting his forearms on his thighs as he leaned forward. “And part of me, the part that still mourns Nia, feels like I deserve it.” He shook his head, his gaze falling to the floor. “Can I be honest with you?”
“I’m a fan of honesty.” She gripped the sides of the chair.
He lifted his head, his brown eyes melting her where she sat. “My grandmother called me this morning and something she said has been bothering me.” He focused on his hands. “She told me that love is the only thing worth fighting for.” A sad chuckle escaped him as he met her gaze again. “But I’ve spent my whole life devoted to a sense of duty my grandfather planted in me when he explained I’d been marked by the gods.”
He focused on his shoes. “I’m trying to tell you that I’ve never been in love. I don’t know a damn thing about it. But when I think about Ted being the lucky son of a bitch who earned yours, I want to beat the living shit out of him for hurting you. The entitled prick had no idea what a gift he’d been given.”
Tears stung Trinity’s eyes as she reached out to cup his face in her hands. She waited for him to look at her, and she searched his eyes—for what she wasn’t sure. Slowly, she leaned in closer and closer until her mouth was on his.
His lips were tender but strong, and they tasted sweet with a hint of salt—delicious. Every caress made her ache for more. His hands slid up her legs and around her back, rolling her and her chair closer to him. She tilted her head as his tongue parted her lips, exploring her mouth. Her fingers tangled in the back of his hair as their kiss grew more urgent. He held her tighter until she abandoned her chair for his lap, straddling him. His hands slid farther up her back, his fingers wide and possessive, singeing her skin with a desire she’d never known before. She grou
nd her hips against him, enjoying the growl in his throat as his erection pulsed in his jeans.
“Oh!”
Trinity was off his lap and a couple of steps away in a heartbeat as she spun around to find Clio in the doorway. “Hey, Clio. Um. What’s up?”
Other than Mikolas. Thank the gods she’d managed to keep that in her inside voice. Clio wasn’t a virginal saint, but she was still the youngest of their muse sisters and the flush of color in her cheeks made it clear she hadn’t meant to interrupt them.
“I…uh…” She glanced at Mikolas. “Hi.” Her gaze snapped back to Trinity. “Mason left one of the drills on the stage with the rest of the electrical socket covers. He just wanted to be sure you knew it was there.” She shifted her weight with a sheepish grin. “I better go see if he needs any help with the outside lights. Sorry about my timing.” She cringed. “I should’ve knocked.”
And then she was gone.
Trinity slowly turned toward Mikolas. He smiled up at her from under his thick black lashes. “How about I buy a lock for that door?”
She laughed. “Good plan.” She released a pent-up breath, rubbing her hands down her pants. “For a guy who claims to have never been in love…that kiss was… Yeah.”
“I was inspired.” He chuckled, his smile taking on a sexy tilt that had her pulse racing. “And I said I’ve never been in love before.” He stood up and took her hand. “Never claimed to be virginal.”
“Point taken.” Trinity pulled him out of the sound booth and headed down toward the main theater. She looked back at him. “Thanks for what you said back there. Maybe I really don’t know much about love, either.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss to her knuckles. “Is that invitation to the Halloween party still open?”
“Yes.” She jogged up the steps to the stage and picked up the drill. “I hope you’ll come. And it has nothing to do with Erica.”
He climbed the stairs and took her free hand. “I’ll be there.”