"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
Theron dropped his hand to his side and when he smiled, his teeth were stained with the blood that had been dripping from his broken nose. "How sweet. Did you two kiss and make up?" He cupped his hands over his heart and puckered up his face. "Aww."
"Can we just kill him already?" Ariston growled and started forward, but stopped a few feet away.
"I don't think anyone would miss him," Adonis added.
"You should have left when you had the chance, Ariston," Theron said, still grinning. Headlights illuminated the parking garage as one of the few parked vehicles roared to life. The black, unmarked van had been backed into a space and now gunned it straight toward them. Theron stayed where he was against the wall, and Adonis' gut clenched as he realized Ariston was right in the vehicle's path.
"No!" He raced forward and grabbed his twin as the car reached them. Turning so his side would take the impact, he prayed he could cushion Ariston enough that it wouldn't kill him. He couldn't lose his brother now. Not like this. Not when there might've been some chance, however small, that they would get beyond their rocky past.
The van skidded to a stop as it reached them, but Adonis hadn't been fast enough to get them out of danger. The front end slammed into his back and hip, and it felt like he'd walked into the path of a passing train. They went airborne, and though every part of him hurt, he clung tightly to Ariston, turning enough that when they reached the ground, he hit it first, the back of his head bouncing like a rubber ball.
They both groaned as they skidded across the concrete. Theron leaned over him and shook his head. "We could have used you, Adonis. Too bad you probably won't survive the night. I have some friends who are dying to meet you." He scrunched up his face. "Well, they've already died."
Adonis gasped for breath, realizing the wind had been knocked out of him as he tried to sit up. He turned over to his side as his breathing regulated and groaned. It didn't feel like anything was broken, but he'd been hurt bad. His brother on the other hand wasn't moving. "Ariston?" He shook his shoulder gently. "Hey, wake up, man." He shook him again, harder this time.
His brother's lips opened as he breathed in deeply, and otherwise didn't move. He was out cold, possibly concussed. But alive. Mortality was so damned fragile that it almost made him think remaining immortal was worth it. Except, immortality prolonged a life; it didn't mean death couldn't overcome it. He needed to get his brother to safety, and fast.
"Leave the doors of those vans unlocked. It'll be dark soon. We need to get out of the city before they can get up and do anything."
Maron came into view, horns presenting a contrast of character to the popped collar of his Polo-style shirt. "What about his panpipes?"
Theron shrugged. "Search him. Take the instrument, and take their phones so they can't call for help."
Maron nodded and came closer, hooves clacking on the cold concrete. He hesitated. "I don't think I hit him hard enough with the van."
Theron returned and met Adonis' glare with a grin. "Next time, break some bones like good ol' Jacen and spare yourself this." He lifted his leg and his booted foot slammed down into Adonis' face.
The world faded to black.
Sage stared at the potted plants in the middle of the floor and up at Daphne again. "Do I have to? I already know I can go invisible around plants." They had spent the afternoon discussing what to expect with being a wood nymph, her powers and her weaknesses. Apparently, she could disappear in order to hide, which she both knew already and found a bit…disappointing. Her power…was to hide. Sage didn't want to hide from danger—she wanted to face it dead on!
She also found out that plants and sex energized her like a battery, and she could sometimes make plants grow faster or control them subtly when she was not deprived of being around both or either. Those skills she would be able to hone as she matured a bit more into her powers, and she looked forward to having some fun once she could do them.
What she really wanted to do right now was search for Adonis and his brother. The others had come back, having found nothing out of the ordinary, before the sun started to set and their glamours were about to disappear.
What if Adonis had run into trouble? What if he and his brother were dead? She glanced outside at the darkening sky. "I don't want to sound disrespectful when you're going out of your way to teach me about being a nymph, but I really need to look for Adonis." She wrung her hands with a lack of anything more useful to do with them. "I have a feeling in my gut, and my instincts are rarely wrong when I feel this way."
Daphne bit her lip and shook her head. "The others will—"
"Oh, I am sure they will search for them!" Sage immediately felt guilty for shouting, and calmed herself, softening her voice. "I'm sorry. I can't sit around and do nothing, okay."
The other nymph winced and her color paled. Something haunted her expression, and she swallowed a lump of emotion. "I understand, far more than you will ever know."
What had Daphne gone through in the past that had been conjured up by her words? "I didn't mean to offend." She leaned over to pick up the smallest of the plants to place it back on a table.
Daphne shook her head and lifted a hand to stop her. "Long story short, I spent most of my life afraid of Apollo, then was held prisoner by him, and then found myself in this very inn being told to run and hide as soon as danger arrived."
Realization nearly had her dropping the plant. "Wait…Apollo and Daphne. "That was you?" She set it down before she succeeded in dropping it.
She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I have not read the version the humans know, and I am not fully ready to talk about that experience with someone other than Melancton. It's…difficult for me."
"Understandable." Jeez, this was the life Sage was worried she wouldn't be accepted into? She didn't want to know what Apollo had made Daphne do. The options couldn't be good. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. You've been an absolute gift to help me through my transition into the whole world of nymphs and satyrs." She placed a hand on Daphne's shoulder and squeezed lightly. "If you need to talk, I'm a real good listener—until my man is in danger."
Her…man? Damn it. She was thinking of him on boyfriend terms and she still wasn't sure he one hundred percent felt the same for her. There was every chance, should the curse issue not sort out, that he'd drop her like burnt toast. He'd only known her for a few days, after all.
Daphne sighed and patted Sage's hand, then her head shot up, her expression fierce. "When Dionysus came here for the syrinx, only I could hide it. You know why?"
Sage shook her head and dropped her hand to her side as Daphne faced her fully.
"Dionysus was a satyr like the rest of them. He couldn't see me unless I wanted him to."
She stared at Daphne for a moment, confused, then recalled how Melancton had looked right through her when she arrived at the inn until she spoke to him directly, making herself known to him. "The Boeotians won't be able to see me."
Daphne shook her head. "No, but as soon as you show up and help him, and they see him talking to thin air, they'll figure it out." She pointed at one of the remaining plants. "Which is why making sure you can go invisible on demand is important. Should you be tricked or forced into showing yourself, this is your only natural defense. Even though it sucks. I hated having to hide to help. Hated it."
Sage hoped she could be helpful in more ways than hiding. And could understand that, for Daphne, she'd had no choice. Sage wasn't going up against a god. How scary could a few other satyrs be?
Uh, they broke Jacen's ribs, dummy. Adonis and Ariston might be dead, but sure…not scary at all. She really hated her inner voice of reason. She groaned. "Fine. But only because you asked so sweetly."
With a snort, Daphne took a seat on the couch and crossed her legs. "Okay… Disappear."
Her life had become so wonderfully bizarre. Sage would be enjoying it more if she weren't so anxious that something
might have happened to Adonis and his brother. As it was, her worry made it hard for her to concentrate on what she was doing, and as she took what she thought was a defensive stance, she feared it might look like she was about to empty her bladder.
Pan came into the back room and took in the sight of her standing between two potted plants, with her hands outstretched to touch the leaves and straining far more than she was proud of, and raised one of his eyebrows. Determined to wipe that expression off his face, she concentrated on the leaves of the small fern to her right. She wasn't entirely sure she'd vanished until Pan's second eyebrow lifted in surprise and he clapped.
"Bravo. Looks like Daphne's a good teacher."
She bristled, but the pride on Daphne's face kept Sage's tongue in check. While she had disappeared before, she had done it in distress and not on purpose. Daphne didn't deserve to listen to her gripe because Pan was the one doing the talking. She dropped her hands away from the plants, and Pan met her gaze again.
She didn't give him time to say anything. "I'm going to look for Adonis, and none of you are going to stop me."
"I had the feeling that you would say that."
Sage had already opened her mouth to argue. She snapped it shut. Then she said, "Good, so I won't have to explain why."
He shook his head.
"You really aren't going to try to convince me I shouldn't go?"
Pan stared from her to Daphne then back to her. "I'm not stupid enough to argue with a woman in love with a satyr. It never goes well. Also, the Boeotians can't see you."
It burned her biscuits that he'd remembered that before she had. She kept forgetting about that fact. "And if they could see me?"
He waved a hand toward the plants. "You can hide."
She wouldn't be hiding. She'd throat-punch some punk-ass satyrs though. "You don't know me well enough to assume that's all I can do."
"I don't know you well enough to assume anything, but I also think you have a very poor opinion of me." He chuckled as if not being likable was amusing and nodded toward the front door. "You haven't done anything more than scowl at me since I got here. Your disdain was so tangible that, before saying a word, you were visible to me."
"You know why." She waved to Daphne, picking up a black draped cardigan London had let her borrow and putting it on as they headed out into the lobby. Melancton stood out there with another satyr she hadn't met yet named Zale. Neither were in glamour, but dressed like they were heading to some kind of rock concert in leather jackets and dark jeans; however, that concert clearly doubled as a Renaissance Faire due to swords and daggers strapped all over them. She blinked.
Ah, of course. It was Halloween night. Somehow, she kept forgetting with all the unusual stuff happening around it. They had the perfect excuse to go out with hooves and swords without causing a stir.
Pan stopped beside her and crossed his arms. "If your best friend's twin tried to trick a woman into thinking he was someone else, wouldn't you be mad and say things without thinking of the consequences of those words?"
She'd be furious, and she'd mean every word she said to them. Sage glanced away and refused to meet his eye. No point in confirming he'd made a damned good point. Zale was squinting at Pan and then the area where she stood. That's right…he couldn't see her yet. How annoying. She stared him in the eye and concentrated on wanting him to see her, nearly laughing when his eyes went wide and he visibly jumped in surprise.
"As a god, sometimes when I get mad my words become edicts." Pan explained, not seeming to have noticed her and Zale's silent moment. "I didn't mean to curse him. I was speaking out of anger and what was done is done."
"Yeah, so." She faced the others. "Can we go?"
"Not so fast," Pan clasped her shoulder and turned her to face him, then he retrieved a heavy silver-handled dagger in a leather sheath out of his jacket pocket and placed it in her hand. "All curses can be broken, Sage. I'm not quite sure how we can solve this, but we will. We need to get him back."
She nodded and slipped the dagger into her back pocket, hoping it didn't fall out as she pulled her sweater down over it. There wasn't more to be said. They were going to find Adonis and Ariston—alive. They had to.
Unease filled her gut as they strolled out the door and down the steps to the sidewalk below. It occurred to her that Pan was still in glamour. Must be a perk of being a god.
"Okay," he said as they made it out to the street. Melancton, you and Zale head down to River Street and start where it's the most crowded. We'll start toward City Market and the area around it." The other two split away, and she followed Pan.
"Why crowded areas? Wouldn't it be harder to hide them on River Street or in City Market?" Those were the most popular touristy spots at night, though there were enough restaurants and bars scattered downtown, not to mention all the ghost tours, to keep people busy all over the area.
Pan stuck his hands in his pockets and his eyes held a slight red glow to them before they looked normal again. Maybe it was a trick of the light… "It would be, but you'd be amazed how many ways we have adapted to hiding in plain sight."
"Yet you sent the two without glamour to search for someone else with horns in a crowded area."
Pan didn't respond. She had the feeling he wouldn't be too talkative if she kept criticizing him. At some point she would ease off, but he'd caused Adonis so much additional pain. Not the curse so much as denying him a support system when he needed one. It was beyond cruel to banish someone who became a danger if left without those resources. They had their reasons, she was sure, but it had been handled poorly.
"Why'd you pair up with me?" she asked.
His flat tone was far from helpful. "Hope you don't have to find out." He didn't elaborate any further either.
What the hell did that mean? "That's ominous."
Pan huffed out a breath and faced her as they waited for a horse-drawn carriage to pass so they could cross the street and cut through a city square. "If Theron did what I think he did when he poisoned those people at the bar last night, then yeah. You'll want me with you. I can get you to safety faster than the other two."
"Because you can teleport?"
"That, and I can fly."
Nearly tripping as she stepped off a curb, she paused briefly and stared at the back of his head. She hadn't expected that. What else could he do? Since it wasn't the time to ask, she kept her questions to herself despite having about two dozen.
They searched in silence, going down side streets, checking parking garages and gated courtyards. City Market was a bust, and so were the areas around it. Two hours passed, and her legs were getting a little tired from all the walking. She groaned as they approached yet another parking garage. Was he really going to make her hike all the way up to the top of this one too? Seemed like it would be far easier to take the elevator to the top and walk down, though she supposed it saved time if they found them near the bottom and therefore didn't have to go up any additional levels.
A scream tore through the air, and Pan looked at her, then—disappeared. Vanished. Skedaddled. Split.
"Great. Just leave at the first sign of danger." She ran toward the sound. Someone was in trouble. Sage rounded the corner of the parking garage as Pan pulled a man off a woman and flung him against the building, and she skidded to a stop to take in the scene.
"Did he bite you?" he asked the lady who quickly got to her feet. She was clearly shaken, tugging down the hem of her short dress and staring around wildly.
"N-no."
"Good. Get out of here. Before he gains his feet again."
The lady didn't need to be told twice. She ran past Sage, not even sparing her a glance. Looking down, Sage realized she was standing in the grass. Invisible again. Damn it.
Okay so she was slightly rattled herself. It was a normal reaction to witnessing an attack to go into a defensive mode. That didn't mean she'd have hidden the whole time.
Wait…
"Did you ask if she was bitten?" S
age joined Pan as he pulled a sword out of—where had he been keeping that? She'd seen the others leave with swords, but not him. It had looked like he'd opened up a pocket in reality and simply plucked it out. A neat trick, but she wasn't of the mind to truly appreciate it. Now, he stalked toward the guy that had been attacking the lady.
The man on the sidewalk sprang up and barreled toward them, arms outstretched, mouth gaping open. He smelled like garbage. Like rotting meat. Impulsively, she covered her mouth and nose with one hand while pointing with the other. "Whoa, what the—"
Pan shoved her back and swung the sword at the man. It sliced through his neck far easier than she thought a sword could outside of the movies. The body fell in her direction. Pan stepped forward and stabbed it down into its heart. "We need to go before the cops get here or the next one of these does."
Sage wasn't sure she should go anywhere with him. Though she had to admit he was a sight to behold with that sword. "The next one? What? You murdered that guy."
"He was already dead."
She didn't get a chance to argue. The grunts and shuffling of a fight broke out inside the parking garage. After sharing a look, both of them ran around the corner without a word. Just inside, Ariston fought against two men attempting to drag someone on to the ground.
Adonis!
Her heart swelled with both recognition and terror. Then a rush of air from her right nearly threw her off her feet. Pan flew forward on freaking enormous, black bat wings and knocked the two attackers to the ground. When his wings folded onto his back, Pan checked that she was okay. His eyes were glowing full red. His features flickered with what looked like a struggle to retain his human face over something…not so human. It had a long snout and ram horns like Zale had. His human face won the battle.
What the hell? Add that to the list of Pan questions that grew by the minute. But, right then, she only cared about one thing. Sage raced to Adonis and kneeled beside him, sucking in a breath as she skinned both of her knees through the thin material of her borrowed pants. She felt for a pulse on his neck and sighed in relief to find him breathing. He'd said it took a lot to kill him, but it was nice to know for sure he was okay. She glanced up in time to watch Pan kill one of the attackers, and then he and Ariston went after the other one.
All Hallows' Satyr (The Cursed Satyroi Book 5) Page 15