Carnage: Nate Temple Series Book 14

by Shayne Silvers

  I smiled at them gratefully. “Thanks.”

  They shrugged it off, keeping their eyes on the silent Horsemen.

  I eyed Kára. “Mind stepping over here?” I asked her, suddenly realizing that the security here might reveal her true identity. That I could find out who she truly was—

  “Not a chance,” she said sweetly. And I understood the reason she was about as far away from the security measures as possible—specifically so as not to reveal her secrets.

  I frowned, shooting Gunnar an imploring look as if to say see what I’ve had to work with?

  He didn’t respond. He just stared at me. Then he averted his gaze and I felt the knife twist. I hung my head, bearing that added weight.

  I turned to Yahn. “At least tell me you didn’t leave Carl in charge.”

  Yahn smirked. “I left the pups in charge, of course.”

  Gunnar tensed, shooting Yahn a sharp look. The younger dragon stood firm, not wilting under the alpha werewolf’s glare.

  Callie finally climbed to her feet, settling her glare on Kára. She turned back to me with a thoughtful frown. But only for the briefest of moments. “Someone needs to explain. Now. Is Peter truly free or was that another stunt you pulled to terrify us? And why can’t I sense you?” she demanded, appraising me up and down.

  Her feelings for Ryuu were glaringly obvious. On the other hand, I picked up on a different type of anxiety from her that almost made me smile. She didn’t know how to tell me about Ryuu, not wanting to hurt my feelings. Even now. After what I’d just done to hurt hers.

  That…was incredibly touching.

  Like a floodgate, the other Horsemen took my silence as an invitation. Gunnar and Alucard were suddenly shouting over each other, demanding answers to all kinds of questions, their voices echoing and competing for dominance in the large open space.

  I held up a hand, silencing them. When they’d quieted down, I turned to Yahn. I didn’t even bother directing my question to Kára, knowing she would do as she pleased, regardless. “Can you head back and keep an eye on everyone?”

  Kára preened satisfactorily, smirking discreetly so as not to draw ire from the Horsemen.

  Yahn nodded, ignoring the arguing shouts from Gunnar about how he better bring the pups here right the fuck now. Alucard silently watched Yahn toss a Tiny Ball on the ground and hop through the Gateway. Despite being so concerned, he hadn’t said a single word to Yahn.

  Perhaps his own rage had surprised him. Scared him, even.

  They turned back to me and I gathered my thoughts. Then I began to explain the situation, including pretty much everything. I even mentioned how my Titan Thorns were to be removed, pointedly not looking in Callie’s direction. I told them about Kára helping me, and how I’d been abducted by Zeus after we broke out Fenrir, and then kept prisoner and tortured for the last week. For Kára’s benefit, I even mentioned my dreams with Quinn and how they’d been oddly realistic. How she had somehow helped me save Pan’s life…

  Kára had grown thoughtful at that, but she didn’t look even remotely guilty.

  In short, I was more honest than necessary, even sharing irrelevant information like my discovery of the Underground Railroad hub. I didn’t mention the secret passageways, specifically, but that was because Falco’s secrets were for Master Temple, and blabbing about hidden tunnels defeated the whole point of having them.

  My Horsemen had sat down on the floor, looking like their legs needed the break. Gunnar shook his head woodenly. “It’s all tying back to the beginning,” he murmured, gesturing at my current Peter disguise. “When the dragons came to town with Alaric Slate.”

  I nodded. “We’ve all been played by the Olympians. By Zeus. Especially you guys. He’s a sick, twisted, clever man. I have to give him that. But here is the important bit—and the reason for my secrecy.” They focused on me; their eyes boring into mine like drill bits. “You cannot let on that you know any of this. I didn’t kidnap everyone just to get your attention. I need Zeus to see you furious, emotionally wrecked, and focused like a laser on Peter. He needs to know you are broken and malleable. His hubris is his greatest weakness. I need you to do this for Alice. And me. And your loved ones—who are now safe from his reach, thanks to me.”

  They slowly looked up at my self-congratulatory comment, narrowing their eyes reflexively.

  “I knew this would hurt you, but I valued knowing that your loved ones would not become the next Alice over the pain of knowing that I had to hurt you to make them safe. I’ll carry that guilt to my grave,” I whispered somberly. “But I would do it again in a heartbeat. That’s part of the job, Horsemen.”

  The bank grew silent. Painfully silent. It wasn’t long before they were giving stiff, begrudging nods. They even studied each other, verifying that they were in agreement—which brought a faint smile to my face.

  We were a family. A unit. My recent actions had brought them together through shared pain. I hated that, but sometimes it was the best way. To remind everyone what was at stake.

  This wasn’t a LARP or book club. This was a war council. We were Horsemen.

  We had to be made of sterner stuff. Our bonds had to be stronger than blind duty.

  Our bonds had to be chains around our hearts.

  And…I’d given them that. I’d shown them their vulnerabilities in a contained environment to let them know how bad things could get. Now that they’d survived that, what else did they have to fear? Just like…

  I glanced over at Kára to see her dual-colored eyes smoldering in silent, vehement approval.

  I’d done the same thing to my Horsemen as her blood ritual had done to Carl and Yahn.

  “We have spilled first blood, so now we have nothing left to fear,” I said, plagiarizing her speech. “We have tasted the worst already, and we have overcome it. Together. Now, there is nothing we cannot do, my brothers and sister,” I said, meeting each of their eyes.

  Surprisingly, they climbed to their feet, nodding determinedly. Specters of pain still lurked in the depths of their eyes, but they were not strong enough to hold my Horsemen back. It was just another burden to pile onto our shoulders.

  And none of their knees buckled. I felt pride growing in my chest. Pride for them, not pride for me. It was better than I could have hoped for, to be honest.

  “Go along with whatever Zeus asks of you. I don’t know, exactly, how his plan will play out, but you need to be convincing if Hermes shows up with an ask.”

  “How do you know he will?” Alucard asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

  I grimaced. “Oh, he definitely will. I’ve come to know him very well.” I met their eyes, showing them my resolve. I turned to Callie. “Whoever shows up, get a good read on them. You know how to play people well. Convince them by manipulating their personality type. If you need to show a little aversion to authority or capitalize on your worry for your abducted loved ones, do it. The rest of you, follow her lead.”

  Callie turned to her brothers, nodding firmly. “I can do that.” They nodded back.

  “Peter is working for him—whether willingly or not, I don’t know. You can tell us apart by my Sensates,” I said, showing off my wrists and then pointing at my necklace. “He doesn’t have them. Again, Callie will read the social cues and act accordingly. We will cross paths tomorrow night.”

  “What if he asks something of us that disrupts your plans?” Gunnar asked.

  I smiled. “I don’t have plans. I have dice and a board that I think can be utilized for any situation. I’ll let you know when to break character.” I took a deep breath. “Horsemen, prepare for war. Tonight, we downsize the Greek Pantheon. Tonight, we let every other pantheon in the world know we’re here to stay. Tonight, the world will meet the new Horsemen—the Dread Four.”

  The three of them smiled wickedly, nodding at our new name.

  Gunnar frowned. “We won’t have long. He said he will have Peter with him tonight and that we can extract our vengeance then.” />
  I gritted my teeth. “Oh, really?” I asked in a cold tone.

  He nodded. “You’re sure my pups are safe?”

  I smiled. “They are the safest people in the world right now. I took them swimming.”

  He gasped, falling to his knees. “You mad bastard,” he rasped. “You did it.” Callie and Alucard shared a thoughtful look.

  “That’s what I do, man. Now get a hold of yourself. The Dread Four do not get sappy.”

  56

  Kára had seized on a momentary lull and stormed over to Gunnar, brandishing her trident at him while pointing at his hammer with a scowl. He stared at her in surprise and I saw Alucard smirking in amusement, making his way over and looking like he was shoving popcorn in his mouth. I pulled Callie aside while Gunnar was taking one for the team.

  “Can we talk?” I asked. She nodded, joining me near one of the sentinel statues.

  “How did you know to take him?” she asked before I’d had a chance to open my mouth. “How did you know—”

  “What he meant to you?” I asked gently.

  She tensed, shaking her head stubbornly. “No. I don’t know. It’s—”

  “Complicated.”

  She grew still, eyeing me sidelong as if anticipating a trap. Alucard had been pulled into Kára’s vortex and earned himself a stinging cheek and a burning ear for trying to touch her trident. Gunnar was scratching his head with a bewildered look on his face as Kára continued to fume at the poor men. Callie briefly flicked her attention to Kára, as if the Bat Symbol of Emasculation had caught her attention, but she declined the call and focused back on me. I kept my face blank, giving her nothing. Give Callie an inch and she’d take a mile.

  “Yes. Very complicated,” she finally admitted. I didn’t comfort her, because that would only have been patronizing. She didn’t need me to hold her hand. She needed to accept this on her own. Much like…Aphrodite had been trying to teach me.

  If I told her how she felt, she might rely on that as the foundation of any potential future relationship with Ryuu. Even the perfect house, if built on a cracked foundation, would crumble. I wasn’t going to give her a cracked foundation. Mainly because I didn’t have a solid foundation for my own house yet.

  “He’s a stand-up guy, from what I’ve seen,” I said gently.

  “Who is she?” Callie asked absently, not meeting my eyes. I smiled, glancing over at Kára. She was holding her palm out and Gunnar was miserly counting out cash into her palm. For some reason, Alucard had been roped into the apparent debt repayment, and was reaching back for his own wallet with a shell-shocked look on his face.

  “My bartender,” I muttered dryly, aiming for some levity.

  Callie turned to me with a slow, mischievous smile. “I wasn’t asking about Kára…” she said slyly, watching my face. “I was asking about your complication.” She tapped her lips thoughtfully at my sudden flinch. “Maybe they are one and the same,” she mused, seeing something in my eyes that corroborated her suspicion. “You don’t know who Kára really is, after all,” she suggested, eyeing the sentinels that broke illusions. “Or else you wouldn’t have asked her to walk over here and stand beside you.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her for good measure.

  Now that I thought about it, no one had crossed the line to reveal themselves. I bit back my paranoia that one of the guests here could be a spy—not who they were pretending to be. That was my life, now. Being suspicious of everyone would only serve to stay my hand, preventing me from action. I would just have to take the necessary precautions and hope.

  I sighed. “To be honest, Callie, I don’t know. That’s part of the fun, I guess.”

  She turned to face me. “No. You know.” Although her words could have come across as jealousy or envy, her eyes were oddly compassionate.

  I shrugged. “If I do, I’m too dense to tell myself the truth,” I admitted. She arched an eyebrow dubiously. I decided to go straight for the jugular to see how she reacted since she didn’t know about my spying on her talk with Ryuu. “I’m serious, Callie. I love a lot of people in different ways. You, for example. We could have been great together. Sure, we have our differences. Who doesn’t? We could’ve worked them out, though, and had a great time in the process.”

  She smiled sadly, nodding. “I agree.”

  “So, why didn’t we?” I pressed.

  She grew still, staring off at nothing. “I…don’t know. It never felt like the right time.”

  “Later,” I agreed. “I’m thinking it was too easy. Or maybe our timing was just off. Or maybe we were both wrong. The point is, I love you, Callie. But there is a very strong doubt deep within me. I don’t know why or what it means, but it’s there. A gut feeling.”

  “You sound like Aphrodite,” she muttered.

  I flinched, slowly turning to look at her. “You’ve spoken with Aphrodite?” I asked. The goddess had told me she would talk to Callie, but I hadn’t expected her to pounce on her newest prey so soon. All things considered, I should have.

  She nodded. “She kept encouraging me—in unacceptable ways—to question my heart.”

  I chose my next words very carefully, feeling a sickening sensation in my gut. “Did you, by any chance, have your doubts before Aphrodite came to you?”

  She nodded without hesitation. “Yes. Otherwise I would have stabbed her in the heart for trying to manipulate me.”

  I let out a sigh of relief, my paranoia doused. “Yeah. Me, too.”

  She cocked her head at something in my tone and studied me with a suspicious frown. “You…liar!” she burst out with a cackle, swatting me in the shoulder. Then she doubled over, laughing. “You totally fell for her come hither, didn’t you?”

  I folded my arms, my ears burning. “It’s not funny. I was vulnerable and we didn’t do—”

  She laughed even harder.

  “No. Listen, Callie. I was her prisoner—”

  She roared with laughter at that, struggling to breathe. “In her kinky sex dungeon! You idiot!”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Okay, fine. I might have led her on. For strategic reasons.”

  She could barely breathe, she was laughing so hard.

  “No one takes me seriously, and I’m getting sick and tired of it,” I complained.

  After a while, she finally wrapped me up in a hug and kissed me on the forehead. “How about this. If we find out that Aphrodite fucked me like she fucked you…” her eyes twinkled in amusement as if fishing for evidence, “we will save each other for a rainy day.”

  I sighed, pressing my head against hers. Her comment removed the last vestige of doubt from my mind—not that I’d had any left at this point. “And we come full circle,” I whispered.

  She pulled away, frowning at my somber tone. “What?”

  “Later,” I explained. “It’s always later with us. I think that’s kind of the point.” And Kára had taught me that later could mean something much more positive.

  Callie considered my words, her smile fading. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

  After a few minutes, she nudged me with her hip. “Tell me about that bartender, loverboy.”

  I shook my head, forcing myself not to look towards Kára. “That really was a slip of the tongue.”

  “Exactly,” she said, grinning brightly.

  I rolled my eyes. “If she was the one, these cuffs would have fallen off,” I said, showing her my Titan Thorns. Callie frowned vexedly, inspecting them and the hasty tape job marring some of the runes. She winced, almost as if recognizing the symbols, but she didn’t comment on them. I knew she would have said something had she known anything beneficial to share. It was simply the face of someone seeing the Omegabet and knowing the underlying dangers. I’d had that face often enough in recent days. I continued on, “Kára really likes me, and I won’t deny that I really like her, too. But she has a lot of secrets.” Callie flashed me a stern look and I chuckled. “I’m not making excuses or being hypocritical, I’m just pointing
out facts. I’m sick and tired of being blindsided by those I let close to me. I want raw, unfiltered honesty.”

  “Is that your love language?” she asked. “Aphrodite asked me about mine.”

  I shook my head. “Physical touch.”

  She turned to me. She stared at me. Then she laughed at me. “You are such a guy!” she hissed, swatting me in the shoulder again.

  I shrugged, smiling shamelessly. “I am a proud member of the Man Club, and I’ve memorized our Code. United, we are unstoppable. I stand ready to serve.”

  She grunted, risking a glance towards Kára—who was now pacing back and forth before Gunnar and Alucard like a drill sergeant. The two men stood at attention, nodding stiffly. Callie turned back to me with an approving sniff as if to indicate how superior her side was. I scowled at the weak-kneed recruits besmirching our grand reputation. I’d have to make a call to management to revoke their cards.

  “What was your love language?” I asked.

  “It was a tie,” she said, shifting her weight shyly. “Acts of service and quality time.”

  I nodded thoughtfully. “Ryuu seems like he’d be good at those.”

  Callie smiled wistfully. “He is, even though I didn’t notice it at first.”

  “How long have you known him anyway?”

  “Not long enough to justify my feelings,” she admitted. “Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe we’re both wrong. Who knows?”

  “Well, if we’re both wrong, neither one of us has to tell anyone about it. And this way, you can’t say I told you so.”

  “You’re so childish, and Ryuu is so much more mature. I guess I’m glad I’m leaving you.”

  “Good luck with that. You can’t leave me. The floor is lava,” I said, pointing at the ground.

  She rolled her eyes, capitulating with a warm smile. “It’s always winning with you.”

  “I have it on good authority, that winning arguments is the key to a happy relationship.”