by K. C. Hamby
She looks at me like she’s impressed. Her lips reveal her pretty, white teeth as she smiles up at me. “Well, you came with your guns fully loaded, aye?”
I grab her hand and pull her in the door with a goofy grin. I like impressing Eddie. It makes me and my wolf grumble with pleasure.
We pay our fee at the entrance and head toward the bar. The lights are dim and people are everywhere, leaning against tables and throwing axes at their respective stations. The air is tinted with different scents, but all of them with a good time.
“You know,” I tell Eddie as we wait for the bartender’s attention, “whoever thought of mixing axe throwing and alcohol was either an idiot or a fucking genius.”
She laughs as she waves down the bar lady. “Aye, I think they may be quite cannie. People tend to spend more money when alcohol is involved. And they made us sign a waiver, so if someone gets their face chopped off, the bar isnae liable.”
Eddie orders our drinks—after I assure her it’s okay to drink alcohol again at her apprehension—and turns around to lean against the bar and look at me. I touch her face and move my thumb against the newly shaved side of her head peeking out from behind a wall of soft, gray hair.
“Are you ready to get your arse handed to you, Ashy?” she purrs, leaning against my hand.
My thumb stops its massaging.
“Are you?” I reply and pinch her cheek.
She shoves me with a laugh and grabs our drinks. I follow her to our assigned station, growling at anyone who looks at her too long and suggestively.
I can’t help it. She’s hot and she’s mine.
“Hey, guys,” a dude at the station chirps when we walk up. “I’m Ryan. I’m going to show you how to throw the axes and make sure you’re safe.”
Eddie covers her mouth with a hand to keep in her giggle.
“Okay, take this,” Ryan dude says and hands me an axe. He blinks a few times when he gets a good look at me.
“Aye, he’s a big bastart, isnae he?” Eddie cackles and winks at me around the dude.
“Um, right. So, you’re going to…”
I take a sip of my drink and throw the axe at the wooden target without so much as a second glance. It thunks right in the middle, interrupting Ryan and causing a few stares from around the bar.
“I guess you’ve done this before…” Ryan concedes and awkwardly chuckles as he stares at the floor.
“Aye, lad,” Eddie answers with a gorgeous smile, leaning against the wall. “Somethin’ like that.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then,” Ryan mutters, caught in the gaze of my Mate. The poor thing. “Uh, if you need another drink, press that red button on the wall behind you,” he points to a small red button right over Eddie’s shoulder, “and someone will come grab your order.”
“Thanks, man,” I tell him and give him a pat on the back. He almost falls over before he scurries away.
Eddie shakes her head and takes a swig of her drink, eyes alight and shining at me.
“You almost killed him,” I tell her as I pick up another axe and test the weight of it in my hand.
“Ach, I dinnae.”
“He almost choked on his own spit when he saw you smile.” I bite my lip and focus on the small dot above the main target. The blade of the axe splits the wood right down the middle when I throw it.
“Well, I cannae help how mesmerizin’ I am, lad. I was born this way,” she claims and snatches the next axe out of my hand after dramatically flipping her flowing hair over her shoulder.
With a smoldering once-over, she tosses the axe at the target, knocks mine off, and her axe takes its place. When she finally stops giving me sexy eyes, she looks at the target and smirks like she’s not surprised.
The Alpha in me pushes forward.
“Bet you can’t do this,” I tell her and take two axes and place one in each hand. I throw them both at the same time and they hit the middle target, one on the left of Eddie’s axe and one on the right. Perfect split.
Eddie guffaws and eyes me with competitive interest. “That’s impressive indeed, Ashy.” She saunters up to the target—I can’t help staring at her perfect ass in those jeans—and brings back all the axes. “I’ll raise you one.”
She faces me—away from the target—and spreads her legs like she’s riding a horse. With a wink, she takes an axe, slings it between her legs, and the blade buries itself in the center of the target.
A few people whistle and clap when she stands and bows.
I huff. “Show off.”
Eddie clicks her tongue at me with a roll of her eyes and downs the rest of her drink. “Time for another?” She taps her fingernail against her glass, and it sparks me to chug the rest of mine.
I smack my lips. “You know it.”
She presses the drink button while I grab two axes, thinking how I’m going to one up Eddie’s shot.
“What can I help you two with?” a girl with bright red hair asks as she saunters up to our station. She’s bright-eyed and smells a little like she’s been serving herself some of the alcohol behind the bar.
“Can we get six tequila shots, lass?” Eddie inquires as I twirl the axes in my hands.
The girl watches me with a little fear in her eyes. “Right, of course. I’ll be right back.”
I stand facing away from the target and clear my throat to get Eddie’s attention. When she spots me with an axe in each hand, her brows raise.
“Now, I want you watching while I wipe the floor with your ass,” I boast before slinging the axes behind me as if they were skiing poles at my sides. I hear the thunks as the blades hit the wood and Eddie’s eyes blink rapidly when she looks around me.
People clap and whistle, so I turn around. I split Eddie’s axe again. Two perfect shots.
“Damn,” Eddie mutters and immediately takes a shot when the woman brings the tray. She wipes her lips with her trigger finger before setting the glass gently on the table. “You’ve really upped the competition.”
“Scared?” I ask and take a shot. I try really hard not to cringe at the sharp burning of tequila down my throat, but by the humor in Eddie’s eyes, I don’t think I succeed.
“Never.”
Eddie pulls all three axes from the target and walks back to the throwing line. People stop what they are doing and watch her, wondering what the hell she’s going to do next just like I am.
She grabs the handle of one axe in her right hand and the other two in her left before taking a deep breath. She throws one of the axes in her left hand in the air before the one in her right follows.
“I’m sorry, you’re juggling?” I ask and her lips widen into a smirk as she concentrates.
The people around us mutter their compliments.
I didn’t even know she knew how to juggle.
In one swift move, Eddie throws one of the axes at the target, quickly followed by the other two. One hits the small target at the top, the next hits the target in the middle, and the last hits the small target at the bottom.
Everyone around us goes wild. Eddie’s eyes sparkle with mischief when she fixes them on me.
“I didn’t know you did time in a circus,” I comment and cross my arms over my chest as she takes another shot.
“Oh? I never told you? Must’ve slipped my mind.” She smiles behind the glass of her shot before batting her lashes. “You’re up, mo chridhe.”
I take both the shots left for me one after the other. My man feelings are in a frenzy, trying to figure out how the hell I’m supposed to beat that.
Ah, fuck it. Here goes nothing.
I pull the axes off the targets and keep two for myself. My nerves are a little shot as I face away from the target, but Eddie gives me an encouraging nod despite our competitive situation.
I take a deep breath, place one axe in each hand, and backflip.
When I’m upside down, I use my momentum to throw the axes at the target. They thunk against the wood as soon as my feet are back on the ground.
>
I look up at Eddie and her mouth is open wide, jaw slack.
Everyone goes nuts as I turn around to see how I faired. Right smack in the middle are both the axes.
Eddie walks up beside me and puts an arm around my waist. “You’re truly magic, Ashy,” she whispers and stands on the tips of her toes to kiss me.
“And you’re a goddess,” I reply against her lips.
She gasps and pulls away from me with wide eyes. I blink, confused at how it seems she just had the biggest epiphany of her life because I called her a goddess.
“Nemesis,” she mutters and takes my hands. “Nemesis.” She shakes them like she’s trying to jolt the meaning into my bones.
“Nemesis, what?”
“The goddess. ‘A reborn Nemesis takes the skies.’” Eddie’s eyes are on fire. She yanks me in the direction of the front door and I nearly fall on my ass to keep up with her pace. I’m dragged out of the bar and into the cool air outside within a few seconds.
“Okay, whoa. Slow down,” I breathe and pull my fingers through my hair before the wind gives me a new hairstyle. “Explain.”
“Ashy. The goddess, Nemesis. She was the goddess of divine and wrathful justice. She was the leader of the Furies.” She paces back and forth in front of me, excitement flowing to me through the bond as her mind charges through her thoughts. Her pointer finger taps her chin. “She perished at the hands of Zeus in the Titanomachy, and accordin’ to Nina’s prophecy, she is bein’ reborn.”
“But who the hell is this reborn Nemesis?” I ask, trying to keep up with her epiphany.
She deflates, sighing. “I dinnae ken, but it’s like it’s right on the tip of my sword.”
“Tongue. Tip of your tongue,” I correct.
She groans and throws her hands in the air. “You Americans and your daft sayin’s. They never make any sense.”
A thought hits me hard as my brain finally catches up with Eddie’s realization. “Eddie, what if…okay, how many original Furies are there? Like, born Furies. Not made like you.”
She squints. “Three. Why?”
“Can any of them wield fire like you do with your sword?”
“….no. Nae that I ken. I havenae met them.”
It’s my turn to pace. “Nemesis is a fire goddess as retribution equates to fire. She wields the fire she doles out as punishment. You’re the only made Fury; you’re the only one who his this…affinity so to speak for fire. What if you’re Fated, Eddie?”
“I havenae been told I’m Fated, Ashy.”
“Haven’t you, though? What did Nina say about that poem in her vision?”
She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out for a moment. “A Fury to lead as was Fated.” She growls. “Why can nothin’ ever be goddamn straight forward? I like poetry as much as the next twit, but fuckin’ hell. A lot of bad shite would never fuckin’ happen if people just came out with it!”
She’s fuming in an instant. She balls her fists at her sides so tightly, her knuckles are flushed of blood. And then, just like what I thought I saw last time, they start to smoke.
“Eddie,” I whisper and reach for her hands. When I touch them, they burn me. “Shit!”
I yank them away, shaking the hurt out, but it only grows more painful as the air lingers on my skin. People walking by give me a wide birth, glaring as I seethe in pain.
“Oh, for the love of all bullshite, I’m sorry, Ash. I dinnae mean to hurt you.” When our hands touch this time, hers are once again cool and they heal my red and blistered skin.
I sigh, waving off her apology. “Look, all I’m saying is that it fits. Someone from your past who wronged you comes around again and probably woke the sleeping goddess inside you because of the pull to divine justice. No one deserves to be punished for their wrongdoing more than Raven. It could have called to the goddess and she’s stirring. That could be why you’ve been so agitated and short-tempered lately. And your hands were literally smoking.”
She stares down at her hands as if the answers are written in the lines of her callused skin. Those eyes of gold are shining with tears when she gazes up at me and drops the offending palms to her sides. “Am I Nemesis?”
I bite the inside of my cheek and pull her to my side. “I’m starting to think you are.”
A Goddess Born and Raised
Twenty-six years ago
Hecate
“The girls are sleepin’,” Brina assures me as I close the door of the Chief’s house behind me.
The bundle in her protective arms coos, grabbing an offered finger from her adoring mother in one hand, clutching the locks of red in the other. When Brina glances up at me from the child in her embrace, her yellowish eyes flash once.
She is spent with childbirth, but she is still fierce. Ever the Alpha.
“Good, for this is something only you three should be told,” I announce, nodding at the Chief, Bronimir, standing lovingly behind his Mate.
His golden eyes are soft but wary.
“Have you decided on a name?” I ask, gesturing at the baby whose face I have yet to see.
“We’ave,” Bronimir informs me, raising his chin. “Edelina.” His gaze is proud when he tilts his gray-bearded face to the child.
“Beautiful.”
“What brin’s you here, Hecate?” Brina asks, not hiding the skepticism in her thick-accented voice.
Good. I am glad for the pushback. I would never want any of my Lupi to follow me blindly.
“I have spoken to the Fates about Edelina,” I begin and clasp my hands in front of my stomach. “It seems she is to be Fated.”
The fear in Brina’s eyes hurts me to my immortal core.
“Fated?” Bronimir asks. “What could the wee lass be Fated for? She was just born today, for fuck’s sake.”
“I understand this is hard for both of you and I will gladly answer any questions you have for me, but please. Allow me to explain fully,” I beg, taking a step closer.
Brina pulls the babe closer to her chest.
“As you both know, in the Titanomachy, the goddess Nemesis was slain by the hand of Zeus.”
They nod and, in the silence, I check on the hiding spell I secured around this house before I entered. If the god hears his name uttered, it will surely gain his interest.
“Before Nemesis fell, her mother asked me to do something rather…irregular to preserve her daughter. I collected Nemesis’ soul before it could depart her fleshy shell and enter Elysia.”
“You dinnae let the lass enter the Underworld?” Brina asks, growing offended. “You took away her heaven?”
“For good reason, I assure you, Brina.” I sigh and pass my tongue over my bottom lip before carrying on. “Nemesis is meant to be reborn. She will be key in defeating a coming evil which may rip the world apart if left unchecked. And Edelina is meant to house the soul of Nemesis.”
Bronimir is in front of his Mate and daughter in an instant. “I willnae be givin’ up my daughter for any divinity, Hecate. I mean no disrespect, but I willnae let this happen.” His eyes are glowing now, and I can see the wolf just below the surface of his skin ready to defend his family.
“You will not be giving her up, Bronimir. Nemesis will not overtake Edelina. I have not even seen the child’s face and I can sense the power within her blood.” It pulses off the child, singing of glory and strength in her future. “She will become Nemesis, adapting the soul of the goddess to fit into the mold of her own soul. Edelina will still be your daughter, but one day, she will be one of the most powerful goddesses to ever live. She will be our salvation.”
Brina’s lip quivers as the babe pulls on her fire red hair. “But she is so young, Hecate.”
I smile at the mother, exhausted yet willing to fight for her young one.
“She will not immediately become a goddess. It will be locked away within her, only emerging from the cage when the time is necessary. She will have the normal life of a Lupi child in this sense, I assure you.”
Bronimir pac
es behind his Mate, occasionally peering down at the bundle within her arms. His grey hair is dusty in the low light of the house and his worry is painted in lines at the corners of his golden eyes. Brina glances over her shoulder at him and they exchange a silent conversation I do not listen in on.
Bronimir’s shoulders sag as he closes his eyes, but he nods at Brina all the same. The young Lupi turns her yellow eyes on me and nods her agreement as well.
I return the nod with a small smile and reach toward the babe. “May I?”
Brina sighs but nods again and gently passes the child into my awaiting arms.
“My, you are a lovely little one, aren’t you?” I coo at the perfect little Lupi in my embrace.
Her hair is dark grey, waving prettily against her head and her skin is already flushed with being in the world such a short time. She smiles up at me when she hears my voice and reaches a hand up to grasp my hair. Her eyes, oh, her eyes are a gorgeous gold of the purest origin.
My long finger touches her nose briefly and, to my utter enjoyment, Edelina giggles.
I remove the bottle I have fashioned for this from my cloak, a glass bottle containing Nemesis’ soul beneath a plastic, soft nipple. I hold the bottle to Edelina’s lips, and she takes it immediately, smiling before closing her little eyes to suckle.
I hum a lullaby and soon, Edelina has finished the bottle and is dozing sweetly in my grasp. I kiss her forehead and glance up the stairs to my right.
As I knew they would be, Dhara, Este, and Branwenn are at the top of the stairs, having listened to every word I uttered to their parents. I nod at them once and they nod back, all their minds swearing to protect their little sister until their last breath if it comes to it.
I sincerely hope it never does.
Chapter 63
Falen
I pull Nina’s back to my chest and stare at her dad.
He’s looking at me like I’m a psycho, which…I guess it’s warranted. I was a very large wolf he thought was going to eat his daughter and now I’m…not.
Shifting back seemed like a smart idea at the time…
Selene is looking back and forth between where Nina and I sit and to Charlie who is open-mouthed and gaping on the ground, fingers dangerously close to the rifle.
