She was still shocked that this vibrant clan was living there, so close to her, and she had no idea they existed.
By the time she’d left, they’d all come to the conclusion that she was a witch, and she’d allowed them to think that, even fostering that idea a little bit herself. She felt guilty for that, but it couldn’t be helped. She was expressly forbidden from telling them who she truly was.
Jackson drove her back to the hotel. She would have liked more time with him, but he had to get back to the fire station for work, and she had more paperwork to complete.
By the time she was finished, there was a knock on her door. She could tell that it was her grandfather before she even got up. She’d had to insist that he start knocking once she was an adult. Too many times, he’d just appeared in the room she was in. She pictured the high arches that made up the halls of Olympus. The Gods had little concept of doorways or walls. In Olympus, they often announced themselves to each other, but they rarely paused to wait for an invitation.
“Helena,” he said. He took a long, deep breath. His mouth twisted into its usual scornful smile. “You have been consorting with animals.”
Years ago, she would have been intimidated by his tone. She’d learned to ignore him. He was full of bluster, but he never went farther, not with her at least. “You say that as if it’s an insult.”
“It’s not an insult. It’s a description.” His lip curled. “They are uncivilized.”
That was the farthest thing from the truth he could have said. “Do you know any dragon shifters?”
“I haven’t known one this century. But I knew a clan in Greece once. They lived on the cliffs of Lefkada, an island off the western coast.”
She crossed her arms. “And what year was that?”
“1650.”
She rolled her eyes. To her grandfather, time was somewhat fluid. He was immortal and had thousands of years under his belt, so to him, the passing of three hundred and seventy years was not a long time. “Right. I’m sure that clan and Jackson’s have so much in common.”
“What are your intentions with this man?” he asked.
“I don’t have any intentions.”
“Are they romantically inclined?”
“I’m not going to discuss my dating life with you.”
“You should. You cannot mate with one of these dragons. Their traits are not the kind of thing we want in our bloodline.”
Bloodline?
What the hell.
She wasn’t going to be having Jackson’s children. But that was beside the point.
“You have to be kidding me. All of you slept around indiscriminately for years. You created demi-Gods with no thought to how they’d feel about being different. And then you left them to fend for themselves while you ran off to Mount Olympus and partied on Mytikas peak.”
“None of this is about me.”
“Of course it’s about you,” she said. “If you were a normal grandfather in this town, you’d be driving a Chevy truck and planning your next fishing trip.”
He sighed. “I cannot make you human.”
“I don’t want to be human,” she said, despite the times in the past when she had wished for that very thing. “But there aren’t that many of us for me to date, and I’ve been alone for my entire adult life.” She had no clue if she wanted to date Jackson. But at least with him, she didn’t have to completely hide who she was; she could be herself. And she wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally hurting him.
“You need to stick with humans. They’ll never learn your secrets, and this shifter might.”
“Stop telling me what to do.”
His jaw tightened. The air around him grew dense. “Need I remind you that your free will is not guaranteed? You are allowed to work this job as an FBI agent only because I intervened with Zeus. You know how fickle my father can be about mixing with humans.”
“You just told me to date humans,” she said. Now he was threatening her by using Zeus. It wasn’t going to work. It was true that he went through periods of keeping a tight rein on all of his progeny. And it was also true that he went through periods of wanting all of his living descendants living in Greece, close to him. But now wasn’t one of those times, and she’d learned early on that Ares had far less influence with his father than he liked to admit.
She tapped her fingers against her chin. “Maybe I’ll go visit him. I’ll make a case for myself. And maybe for all of his bloodline. If we mated with dragon shifters, think of the possibilities.” Zeus liked raw power. It was one of his biggest blind spots. She turned her back on Ares and kept talking. “You have no idea what we would be capable of. We’d be able to fly.”
He glowered. “I can already fly when necessary.”
“You can teleport, grandfather. There’s a big difference. You have no idea what it’s like for us as mortals, having to run or walk or fly on an airplane. So I’m going to ask you to mind your own business for once.” Although she had quit bending to her grandfather’s will years ago, she’d never spoken quite so bluntly to him before. She had no idea if he’d retaliate.
“You will regret your decision. You know nothing of these animals.”
She gave in to the childish impulse and stamped her foot. “Then tell me! Quit acting like you’re the authority on them, and like you know anything about them.”
“What I do know is that they’ve been protected for hundreds of years. I’m aware that your new friend has realized his clan hasn’t suffered any of the hardships other clans in Europe have suffered. They haven’t dealt with any of the attacks.”
“And why is that?” she asked.
“Because I’ve been living in this area on and off for the last fifty years, that is why.”
She had to sit down. “How did that affect them?”
“Because my presence, and potentially yours, will keep the witches’ covens in check.”
“And they’ve been relying on this protection without even realizing it?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“So what happens if both you and I move away?”
“They’ll be vulnerable.”
“Damn you.” He was so cavalier with the lives of anyone who wasn’t connected to the Gods.
“I have no allegiance to these creatures. Their protection has been happenstance. And they should be grateful for it.”
“Well, I, for one, am not grateful for your lack of transparency all these years. And I will be telling them about this as well.”
“You do not have permission to reveal who we are.”
“I will tell the clan what they need to know. And you can report me to Zeus or Poseidon or even Hades. Or hell, tell Athena to kill me. She’d like to anyway.” Helena’s great-aunt had always disliked her. Apollo said it was because Helena didn’t show the proper amount of deference. She’d tried, really hard, but subjugating herself had not come naturally.
She got it directly from her grandfather.
She opened the door and stepped outside, but not before she heard his sharp intake of breath.
She was done placating them. If it meant the end of her life, then so be it.
11
Jackson
On a normal day, Jackson was in no hurry to get off work. Being a single guy, he often volunteered to work extra shifts when needed.
But today, Jackson couldn’t wait to get off work. He wanted to see Helena again.
He’d only known her for a short time, and already he liked her better than any female he’d ever dated. He liked the females in his clan and considered them friends, but he’d never wanted to be mated to one of them. None seemed to have the same sense of adventure that he did.
He hadn’t gotten to travel much, but he wanted to. And if he did have kids, he wanted to show them the world as well. Some of his cousin’s Irish friends had extended an invitation to him for their annual dragon festival that would take place in October and he couldn’t wait to go. It was March now, so he only had seve
n more months to go.
His neighbor in the clan thought that traveling was a silly waste of time. “Why would you want to leave this place?” she’d asked. “It’s already perfect.”
Jackson had been left speechless by that comment. His home was perfect, but that didn’t mean he never wanted more.
Eager to see Helena, Jackson showered at the fire station. By the time he got to her hotel, it was 5:00 p.m. The daylight was rapidly fading. Maybe she wasn’t there, but he was going to try.
He knocked once.
The door flew open.
Her face was just as beautiful as the first time he’d seen it, but her eyes glowed with intensity, and her mouth was pressed into a flat line.
As soon as she saw that it was him, her expression softened. “Jackson.”
He grinned. Even though she was obviously upset about something, he was happy to see her. “You were expecting someone else?”
“I was. And it was not a welcome visit.”
“Ah. Well, I can get rid of anyone you don’t want here.” He propped his shoulder against the door, leaning to the side. “No one likes to be shot with a fire hose.” He lifted his eyebrows. “Or a fire extinguisher.”
A hint of a smile crossed her face. She stepped back. “Come in. I didn’t mean to leave you standing out there.”
“I don’t mind the wind,” he said.
“Does any weather bother you?”
“Not a bit.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “One of my favorite times for flying is during a storm.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. With heavy rain and thick fog, we can fly during the day without worrying about being detected at all.” It was ingrained in them from an early age to avoid being detected. Anytime there was bad weather was a perfect time for them to fly.
“When will I get to see you in your dragon form?” she asked.
“Is that something you want?” He was proud of his ability to shift, and he would be happy to show her. He’d never transformed in front of a non-clan member before, but she knew what he was.
“Yes. I’d like to see that.”
“We can go now. Evening works well too.” He held out his hand. “You can fly with me if you’d like.”
“I would really like that.”
“Is there any type of weather that bothers you?” He had a good understanding of what conditions humans could withstand thanks to his training as a first responder. He had a feeling that Helena would fare much better than a human when exposed to the elements, just based on the fact that she could enter a burning building with no gear.
“Average weather doesn’t bother me, either hot or cold. I haven’t been to Antarctica, so I haven’t tested sub-freezing temperatures, though.” Her mouth turned down. ‘But we’d better wait.”
“Why’s that?”
“Come with me.” She grabbed his hand and tugged. He followed her down the path to the beach. Once they were near the crashing waves, she let go of his hand. “I can’t tell you everything,” she said. “But you need to know this.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“I can’t give details. But I can tell you that there are witches’ covens in this area—active ones. I don’t know if they’re hostile or if they’re neutral, but it’s just come to my attention.”
“How did you know?”
Her brows came together. “I can’t tell you.”
“Did you discover it as part of the investigation?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you for telling me.” He put his hands on her arms. “You’re not putting yourself in danger, are you? By telling me?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Helena, that’s not good enough. Do not risk your life for me.”
“How could I not?” she asked.
His dragon roared.
Because it’s my job to keep you safe.
But he could not say that yet. He knew that it was too soon for him to feel that way, even if it was true.
His desire to keep her safe was overpowering.
Mine.
His dragon was pushing at him, incensed that she’d put her life over his.
“Because we can take care of ourselves. There are hundreds of us. There’s just one of you right here.”
“I don’t know if that’s true. Not after what I found out today. Besides, if there’s something I can do to help you or your clan, then I will.” She put her hand over her badge. “Protecting people is part of my job. I signed up for that.”
“People, yes. But we aren’t human. And the FBI doesn’t deal with keeping anyone safe from witches.”
“I have other duties.”
“Don’t shut me out.” He grabbed her hands. “Promise me you’ll keep me in the loop. Let me help you.”
“You should focus on your clan.”
“If I can help you, I will.”
“Thank you,” she said. Her voice trembled. “No one’s ever been on my side before.”
“We haven’t known each other long. But I am definitely on your side.” Already, he could not stand the thought of anything happening to her. And yet, each day she put herself in harm’s way for the FBI and for some other purpose that she had not yet revealed.
He stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. She accepted his touch, moving closer and letting him hold her. She lay her head against his chest.
His heart thundered. It would be obvious to her, even if she didn’t have enhanced hearing.
A sense of rightness settled over him. He could stay here forever, never moving. After making it to thirty years old without falling in love with any of the females in his clan, he’d never imagined feeling this way.
He stroked his hand over her cheek, and she tipped her head back. He pressed his mouth against hers. Her lips tasted even sweeter this time.
There was so much she wasn’t telling him. He knew that. But he could also tell that pushing her wasn’t going to get him anywhere.
She looked so beautiful, standing there in the salty spray. He’d never seen someone look so lovely. He put his hand on her face again and waited, but she didn’t pull away.
Her phone buzzed just as his phone rang.
“I have to go,” she said.
He looked down at his own ringing phone. “There’s another fire,” he added. “This time at the elementary school.”
She nodded. “Thank God it’s evening.”
A wave of fear pierced his heart. “They’re escalating, and quickly,” he said. They’d warned his clan, but he’d barely had time to prepare. And he hadn’t had nearly long enough with Helena.
12
Helena
The next day was a Saturday, and that morning, they went back to the scene of the latest fire, the elementary school.
They went over every inch of the property that belonged to the school, but they did not find a demon. They checked the classrooms, the cafeteria, and the music room. They even checked the gym and the playground and the stinky bathrooms.
Inside the art room, Helena smelled the rotten stench of a demon and saw that it had left a trace of the tar that oozed from its body. But the scent was faint. The trail was cold.
She smiled in spite of her mood. She’d stormed off the day before, and when she’d returned to the hotel, her grandfather had been gone. She didn’t know what to do about that. She loved him, but he made her absolutely insane, and she would not apologize for wanting a life of her own.
He might have chosen to live his life serving Zeus, but she was not going to fall into the same trap.
“What’s it like to fight a demon?” he asked.
“All-consuming,” she said.
“Can you tell me more?”
“Of course.” Unconsciously, her hand went to her blade. “There’s a mental component.”
“They can get in your head?” he asked.
“Yes.” Her fingers curled around the handle. “Have you ever been outmatched during a fight before
? Or so evenly matched that you aren’t sure who was going to win?”
“No.”
“No. Right. Neither had I. Not until the first demon came. At least the first one that I fought.” She shuddered. She hated remembering it. But he needed to know what he was facing, and so did the rest of his clan. “When I talked to your clan yesterday, I played the role of a cheerleader, or a woman full of propaganda. But the truth is much different.”
“Are you going to tell me the truth then?”
Some of it, she thought to herself. “There are reasons your clan has never been attacked, and most of it is sheer dumb luck.”
“What’s the other part?”
How the heck was she supposed to tell him this? “I don’t have all the details. But you and your clan need to know everything possible about how to handle not just a demon attack, but a witch attack too.”
“Witches? What are you talking about?” he asked.
“They’re all over the world. The fact that they haven’t harmed your family yet just means they aren't ready to act. I don’t know much about fighting them. But you mentioned you have contacts that do. Talk to them. Find out what they know. Every single thing. Promise me.”
“I will. I promise,” he said. Then he smiled, wide and happy. “Would you like to go out with me?”
“Go out? We’re out now.”
“I meant on a date.”
“A date.”
“Yes,” he said.
She hadn’t dated much. As she’d said to Ares, there weren’t many children of demi-Gods that she wasn’t related to. And the few that she’d attempted a relationship with had been brash, arrogant, and self-centered. She hadn’t been able to tolerate any of them for more than a few weeks at a time.
“I’d love to.”
He blinked at her a few times. “Great.” An even bigger grin spread across his face. “How about now?”
“I can do that.” She didn’t want to let him out of her sight. She’d never felt like this before. He held out his hand, and she took it. When they were halfway to his truck, he let go and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
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