by K. F. Breene
The possible implications screamed through his mind. There were three Demigods who could get to her at any time. Any time. They could overpower her—or kill her, if it was Magnus—if he wasn’t there to get her back. Was one of them there now?
He shook his head to clear it as Thane and Zorn started to move Nancy’s people out.
“Hey!” Nancy said, pushing past him. “What is this?”
“Sorry, Nancy, forgive me.” Forcing his impatience and worry away for a moment, Kieran turned and gave Nancy one moment of solid playboy focus. The kind women lost their knees over. The kind Alexis always crinkled her nose at. Not one ounce of it was genuine. “Something came up. Call my assistant tomorrow and let’s set up a dinner, yes?”
He gave her a beaming, sultry smile and tickled her with his mother’s passionate magic. Two seconds and she was starry-eyed. Too easy.
He let Thane usher her out as Henry showed up, out of breath. Donovan was on his heels.
“Get a hold of Boman or Bria, right now,” Kieran said to his guys. “Jack should be nearby. Make sure he is on scene.”
“Yes, sir.” Donovan put the phone to his ear as Kieran pushed into his office. Henry came through the door after him and closed it behind them.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
Sweat breaking out on his forehead, Kieran listened to Alexis’s message from earlier. There were two. One was gushy and excited, and he knew it was her response to the necklace. She couldn’t wait to see him. The other was…off. She asked similar questions, but her mood had changed considerably. He couldn’t tell if it was fear riding her words, or unease.
“Replace Maureen,” he said as he tapped Alexis’s name to call her. “If she can’t hear when something is gravely wrong with my most important attachment in the world, then she has no place answering my phone.”
Emotions softly filtered through the soul link. He couldn’t make them out. They seemed fuzzy, as though hidden behind a veil. He could only discern that she was in a heightened state, as if in great turmoil.
He choked with fear. He’d never heard of a Hades Demigod being able to drag a living person into the spirit world, but they were secretive at best. He had no idea what they were capable of. He shouldn’t have let Alexis out of his sight after what happened last night.
“Find out if Donovan got through,” Kieran barked, pacing now, willing Alexis to answer her phone. Anyone to answer her phone. It went to voicemail. “Fuck!”
He ended the call, then called her again as he turned toward the door. When Henry opened it, Thane was on the other side, just reaching to grab the handle. His expression was flat. He was concerned, too.
“No one is answering,” Thane said. “Not even Jack or the kids. I tried them all.”
“Bria either,” Zorn said, his body tense.
Kieran was running before he’d registered it. His guys were at his back, passing Nancy’s team in the mostly empty halls. After six, most everyone had gone home.
Mia appeared right next to Kieran, surprising him enough that he staggered.
“A spirit was trespassing here,” Mia said, running with him without moving her legs. “One that kinda kept blinking out. I saw him when you were in the meeting with that woman. I tried to follow him, but I kept losing him in the crowd of real people.”
“What did he look like?” Kieran asked as he reached the wide stairs with various landings and leading down to the lobby.
“Like a ninja. With a cover over his face and swords and everything.”
“What about his eyes? What color were his eyes?” Kieran took the stairs two at a time.
“I don’t know. He never looked my way.”
“Did you see Alexis today?” He got a nod. “Did anything seem the matter?”
He pushed through the large double doors. She glided through the glass.
“No—”
Lights and colors dazzled Kieran as though he were suddenly in a sparkly space vacuum. His stomach flipped and his feet slammed into the ground. He fell to his knees as Mia moved away from him. They were facing the large glass doors again, from the middle of the lobby. She’d teleported him back inside.
From his position, he could see his guys, still outside. Thane reached around his body slowly and plucked a throwing star from his arm. He shivered before rolling his shoulders, and Kieran knew Thane was fighting the urge to go Berserk. Something was out there.
Zorn puffed out of sight, into his gas form, and Donovan turned to the right, looking for their attacker. Kieran could feel his confusion through the blood bond. Henry was nowhere to be seen.
Kieran pushed to standing. “What’s going on?”
“Someone threw a knife at you,” Mia said, and her spirit winked out. The next moment, Thane appeared next to Kieran. He thunked down onto to his knees, frozen, and fell face-first onto the ground. He lay there for a moment, stiff as a board. The need to change forms was clearly clawing at him. The fact that he was fighting the urge meant his magic would do them no good.
“He’s the dangerous one when he loses control, right?” Mia asked, bracing herself above Thane, her arms out.
Donovan turned quickly, pushing his way in through one of the glass doors. Henry bleeped back into sight on the outside. He turned slowly and stared into the lobby with a blank expression. He was thinking through a problem.
“Someone is— Look out!” Donovan staggered away to the side. A man, his face half obscured by a black mask, appeared out of thin air with a knife in hand, poised to throw.
Before Kieran could duck, the lights swirled and the air sucked at him. The next moment he landed halfway down the flight of stairs. His feet hit the edges of the step, his balance throwing him forward. He tumbled, butt over noggin, finally skidding to a stop on his face with his legs jackknifing above him.
Out of breath, he popped up in time to see Henry push through the glass and grab the guy in black. Henry stopped moving immediately, but Thane was already running to create a wall between the man and Kieran.
“See?” Mia said, her image flickering, clearly low on power. “Ninja.”
The man in black had disappeared into thin air.
“Stay still,” Henry yelled at Thane. “Stop moving. He can’t use his magic without movement.”
“What is going on? Oh my God, Kieran!” Nancy hurried down the stairs, her staff running behind and then in front of her, realizing something was wrong and wanting to secure her.
It almost looked like the man in black jumped out of Thane. Literally jumped out of his body, going from half translucent, like Mia, to a solid person. He charged at the steps. But before he got to Kieran, ready to end this, he disappeared again.
“Halt,” Nancy yelled, slowing to a stop.
The man popped out of her, pounded up a few stairs, and disappeared as someone reached for him. Next he hopped out of one of Nancy’s guard, trailing at the back of the group. He was sprinting down the upstairs hallway in a matter of seconds.
“Do you want me to follow?” Mia asked Kieran.
“Zorn, can you hunt him down?” Kieran said.
Zorn appeared next to Kieran for a moment, startling everyone, and then was gone. That was a yes. He wasn’t a spirit, but he was equally invisible to those who didn’t know the trick of finding his presence. It wasn’t only Hades magic that allowed a person to hide in plain sight.
“He could tuck into moving bodies and exit…when he wanted, I guess,” Henry said, cataloging the magic. This had been his first time dealing with this type of magic, and it had clearly thrown him for a loop. Kieran was confident that next time there would be no such issue. “You saw him disappear—he could hide himself in others, as long as they were moving.”
“What was his purpose?” Kieran asked. “Me?”
Henry looked at him for a second, and Nancy slowly resumed her descent.
“Yes. Demigod Aaron has one of those,” Nancy said softly, and her gaze pinged around her staff. Kieran understood that look. T
his had just gotten bigger than her, which meant she wasn’t here because of Demigod Aaron. She belonged to one of the other players. “I forget what the magic is called. The slang is Body Jumper. He’s one of Aaron’s best. You were able to withstand him. I’m impressed. Not many have.”
Thane huffed out a laugh. He probably didn’t realize she was serious.
She put a hand on Kieran’s forearm and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Be careful. Clearly Demigod Aaron wants you dead. He probably thinks the girl is his. Even if she’s not, he’ll want her for his cabinet. Because of her, you have some serious enemies. You’re in their way. It’d be safer for you if you cut her loose.” She lifted a hand to his cheek. “Think about it.”
He didn’t register her leaving. The strange feeling in his middle turned into a yank. He sucked in his breath and braced a palm against his middle.
“What is it?” Thane asked, his almond-shaped eyes inches from Kieran’s face.
“Back off,” Kieran said, wheezing as the yank became a consistent pull. Alexis’s emotions throbbed with hope and desperation. Although their connection was still fuzzy, those emotions were unmistakable.
“Should I go with Zorn?” Henry asked as Nancy and crew exited the lobby.
“No.” Kieran took up a jog, shadowed by Mia. He didn’t know what was happening, but Alexis clearly wasn’t out of the woods yet. “Stick with me.”
He hazarded a glance to the right of the doors, where the knife would’ve come from. The way was obscured by Nancy and her crew. He had no idea how close of a call it had been. A knife usually wouldn’t keep him down for long, if at all, but a well-placed knife to the throat was a different matter. Mia almost certainly hadn’t saved his life, but she’d tried to. This wasn’t the first time she’d proven her loyalty to one of his squad, but it was a first for him directly, the son of the man who had put her here.
“Thanks,” he told her, running for his car. “I have a house for you to haunt, if you don’t want to stay here. If you want a place to call home.”
Drifting beside him, she smiled. “No, thank you. You need me here.” She nodded, and then she was gone.
“What— Oh, the ghost was still here?” Thane asked, looking around with wide eyes.
“Which one?” Donovan asked.
“What do you mean, which one?” Henry said, everyone keeping pace. They all parked in the same area. “The one that teleports, you idiot. Do you think Demigod Kieran and Thane both picked up a new trick?”
“Well, I don’t really know, do I, since I was possessed for a moment there?” Donovan responded.
“You weren’t possessed, you were ridden like a pony,” Henry replied. “You still had your wits. Your excuse for wits, anyway.”
The tug intensified, bringing Kieran to a staggering halt. He bent over, trying to ignore the feeling. It wasn’t painful, and if he really focused, the throb within it was actually pleasant. Comforting. It felt like Alexis. But everything about the feeling said his soul was being pulled out of his body, which made him want to react violently.
Still, he held on, fighting against the urge to try to sever the connection. Opening himself to it, as he had so many times with Alexis herself.
A moment later, Alexis slammed back into his awareness, as though she’d rammed right into his soul. A plethora of emotions hit him at once, strong and vibrant. Fear and uncertainty, wariness…relief.
He laughed with his own relief, still bent with his hands on his knees.
“What is it?” Thane bent too close again, his beard nearly brushing Kieran’s face.
“Thane, back off, for fuck’s sake.” Kieran shoved at Thane as he straightened up. He took a deep breath. “She’s back. Whatever happened, she’s back, and she’s relieved.” He resumed his jog. “What would’ve hit me back there?”
“Throwing star, but it would’ve hit your collarbone,” Thane said. “I got it in the arm. He followed up with a big throwing knife, but by then you would’ve ducked it easily, even with a wound.”
“A great many would’ve been too slow, though,” Henry said as they slowed, reaching the cars. “They think you’re common.”
The other guys snickered.
“Alexis is common,” Kieran said with a weight in his gut. The soul link normalized, but whatever had happened had shaken her. She needed him. “Where surprise attacks are concerned, she’s common. She hasn’t trained for any of this. The few skirmishes and the one battle she was in won’t help her here. In those, she met the enemy face to face. She knew they were coming, where from, and what weapons they were using. This is a different sort of fight, one she’s never even contemplated.” He hooked his fingertips under the door handle, breathing out slowly. “Let’s hope they keep going for me.”
“If Hades’ people are trying to kill you, that means they’re doing it so they can snatch her,” Thane said softly.
“I know,” Kieran said, and sat in the car.
His greatest fear had always been that she would fall into the wrong hands. They’d take the Alexis he knew and loved and turn her into the nightmare she most feared. Valens had never gotten close, but that was because Kieran had kept her a secret.
She wasn’t a secret anymore.
7
Alexis
I stood in Kieran’s sitting room by myself, letting the crash of the distant waves wash over me. The moon hung heavy in the dark sky, suspended above the ocean as if on a string. Trees waved gently in the breeze. Quiet had settled all around me, cocooning me. I’d purposely forbidden the guys from following me over here. They’d put up a fuss, but ultimately agreed to stay with the kids.
The afternoon had shaken me to my very foundation. I’d been utterly helpless, suspended in a place I was positive I would’ve died in if I hadn’t felt that cord leading me back to Kieran. Back to reality. He was my anchor, I now knew. Something about that soul link kept me with him, even in the spirit realm.
Soon after I’d crawled my way out and spilled out onto the bright, beautiful green grass underneath the glorious blue sky—of course, my body had been there all along—I’d learned that Kieran had broken up his meeting for me. He’d had to chase Nancy away, possibly tarnishing their business, all because I couldn’t take care of myself.
I kept disrupting his life. He took it all in stride, or at least he seemed to, but the cold, hard truth was that I was a hindrance. I couldn’t help him lead like he wished I could. My accidental frumpiness had made me a public laughingstock. I couldn’t even make it up in smarts, because I wasn’t particularly educated or insightful. To top it off, I didn’t have knowledge of my magic. My one greatest asset could have excused all the others, if only I could make it work. I’d nearly died today trying to figure it out. How fucking helpful was that?
Tears had drained all the moisture from my body. Or so it seemed. I’d only bothered to clean myself up because I felt him getting closer.
The front door opened, and I knew Kieran had left his shiny red Ferrari in the driveway. He clearly wanted to enter the house like he was the guest and I the resident. Which was ridiculous, since he’d bought both this house and mine, just across the street.
“We’ve made a mistake,” I said curtly when I heard him entering the room. I already knew I was going to handle this badly, riddled with fear as I was, but I owed it to him to make this right.
He slowed to a stop, giving me space.
“I’ve made a mistake,” I amended myself. “This isn’t the life for me. I love you with everything I have, but we’re from two different worlds. I can’t be the woman you need.”
“Is that right?” he said.
“We both know it’s right. And if you’re still confused as to why, just grab any tabloid you see and it’ll list all the reasons for you. In bullet points. On a monthly cycle. Apparently no one gets tired of reading about my faults.”
“Pointing out a powerful woman’s supposed faults makes those who are lesser feel better about themselves. They try to tear her down so
she’ll feel as little as they are. But you cannot tear down a star. You cannot dull greatness.”
Tears clouded my vision. It sure feels like they can.
“Okay, fine,” I said, “let’s go about it this way—”
“Sure. I love a good pivot.”
I gritted my teeth, anger now flirting with my resolve. “What do I bring to this relationship?” Sadness and fear and vulnerability and uncertainty ran through me in crushing waves. I hated this. I hated doing this. I hated the position in which I’d gotten myself. “Besides helping with your dad, what am I bringing to the table?”
Skin slid across fabric. He was probably putting his hands in his pockets. These wouldn’t be comfortable questions.
I filled the silence.
“Today was the first time a Demigod visited since you took over, and I botched the whole thing. Bria told me how I should have proved my magic. She seemed to think it was funny, which is always a bad sign. Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, I got myself into a fix and made you chase the Demigod away. I need a daycare, not a powerful boyfriend.”
“Alexis, none of that was your fault. You didn’t know any better.”
“Yes, exactly. I didn’t know any better. But I should have. Isn’t that why you spent the rest of the afternoon locked in a room with a pretty Demigod and a do-not-disturb sign on the door?”
I grimaced at my cutting tone, and the fact that I’d mentioned it in the first place. That wasn’t what I was doing here. It wasn’t the problem.
But even as I opened my mouth to take it back, pain welled up, hot and heavy.
I shouldn’t have needed Kieran earlier—I should’ve been able to handle things on my own—but the truth was that I had needed him. And the fact that I hadn’t been able to connect with him because he’d been entertaining a powerful, beautiful woman alone, something he never did in business, had knifed a feminine, vulnerable part of me. A part that wondered how I’d landed a gorgeous Demigod at the pinnacle of power in the first place.
