When the noise ended and Ciro let him up, Ciro dragged his hands over Carter’s body. “Are you all right? Please tell me you’re all right.”
“I’m fine,” Carter said. “You took care of that.”
“Good.” Ciro rushed back to the window and stared out. His hair blew about his face like a wild man’s.
Something was wrong. By the time Carter pushed to his feet, Ciro had somehow gotten his coat off the back of the chair and had it on. He was stalking like a mad man toward the opening in the glass.
“Ciro! No! Stop! Please stop! It’s a long way down!”
Ciro stopped and whipped his head back to look at him. Carter gasped softly and froze in his tracks. There was something cold and heartless in Ciro’s eyes. Carter recognized it—raw, pure anger.
“Carter, it was an accident. The window has probably absorbed too much sun, that’s all.”
“No. There’s something else and I will get to the bottom of it.”
Carter took a step toward him, but a gust of wind stronger than any he’d ever felt shoved him over the desk. Carter grunted as he slammed into the ground with his left hand out. Pain surged through his arm and vibrated off his heart. He knew he couldn’t stay down and wallow in the hurt he was experiencing. Moaning, he used the desk to help himself to his feet. When he stood, Ciro was gone.
“Son of a bitch, Ciro!”
A loud banging on the door shocked him but Carter ignored it. He rushed to the opening and stared out. There was nothing. The wind was strong but Ciro was nowhere to be seen. He glanced down, squinting to see if he could see Ciro’s body on the ground. He was too far up to make out much of anything. People moved by like ants, furiously scurrying to and fro, as if there was nothing wrong. Carter hurried out of the office and darted past his worried secretary standing by the door.
“Carter, are you all right?”
“Fine,” he managed as he jabbed the down button of the elevator. “Get someone to clean up the mess in my office and call the police.”
“Sure.”
The moment his secretary discovered the broken window, a loud, piercing scream echoed through the floor. Carter winced.
The elevator took forever to show up and by the time it got there, he was ready to burst. When he finally made his way down, he tore by security and flew outside. Broken glass lay everywhere. But there were no signs of blood, nor Ciro’s body. Carter spun around, looking in every direction he could, fear penetrating his soul, driving him mad.
“Ciro! Ciro?”
How’s this even possible?
He didn’t reply, and Carter felt as if he’d lost something precious. His window was broken. He could deal with that with no problem for he had the money and the resources. But his body yearned for Ciro, and now he was gone from his life just as suddenly and mysteriously as he’d entered.
Chapter Six
It didn’t take long for Carter to figure out that no matter how hard he tried or how long he stayed lying in bed, he wasn’t going to get any sleep. He remained where he was, on his back, looking up at the ceiling. Ciro’s eyes haunted him. First, they’d been filled with lust, a teasing mischief. Carter yearned for a man to look at him with such an expression. Then, like a snap of the fingers, the eyes had changed to such hatred and pain that he couldn’t remember ever seeing the likes of it before. Was that meant for him? Did Ciro mean to show him that side? Then again, the window had smashed inward, casting broken glass everywhere. It was amazing neither of them had been hurt. That would cause Ciro some anger—wouldn’t it?
Eventually, he shoved his feet out of bed and hauled on a pair of jeans and a graphic T-shirt. He stopped long enough to push his feet into a pair socks and runners then grabbed his keys and his cell phone. He had to get out of the house. For a bit, he sat in the car, gripping the steering wheel and staring out at the darkness around him. Nothing made much sense anymore. The windows in his office were shattered, which was completely insane, then Ciro had pulled a Houdini— poof! Gone.
At first, he found himself parked out front of his building with police tape everywhere. The cops didn’t know about Ciro. How could he explain Ciro falling out of the window and not being there on the ground broken into a thousand little pieces? He couldn’t find a way to tell them without being locked in a padded room in a straightjacket.
The police had gone through the scene and concluded they wouldn’t take their investigation further since no one had been hurt and it was probably some kind of weird weather anomaly. With their promise to send someone to gather the police tapes the next day, everything was finished to his relief, but where the devil was Ciro?
He couldn’t take the pain of not knowing anymore, and sitting outside the building where the mystery began was beginning to make him a little batty. After a few more minutes, Carter started the ignition and drove. Not sure where he was going, he merely took the streets and turns his mind suggested. Soon he was knocking on his brother’s door in the middle of the night.
“Carter? What’s wrong? Come in.” Kofi grabbed his arm and led him through the house to the kitchen table.
Carter fell into a chair like a sack of potatoes dropped from an airplane.
“Here,” Kofi said. “You look like you could use this more than me.”
Carter turned and saw a glass of whiskey on the table. Normally he didn’t drink the stuff. He hated the burning sensation it caused going down but with what had happened that day, he would try anything once to numb the confusion and ache he had inside him. Picking his drink up, he hesitated for a second then downed it. He had to press his eyes closed, as if it would stop the burn seeping down his throat to warm his insides. It didn’t help.
“Tell me what happened.”
“You haven’t turned on your television today?”
Kofi shook his head. “I had a few things I had to get done for a deal I’ve been working on then I couldn’t seem to put out the fires fast enough. Shit, I haven’t had time to even scratch my butt, so I haven’t gotten around to television. Why?”
“That guy from the club looked me up. Let’s face it, I’m not that hard to find,” Carter started, placing the glass back on the table before he gave into his urge to fling it at the far wall. “Like I told you when you called, he came and offered to take me to lunch. I couldn’t leave so he brought the food to me. We were just talking about life, love, sex—those kinds of things. Then all of a sudden he got this look in his eyes.”
“What look?”
“Like he knew something was about to happen—something bad. I was asking him a question then it was like I wasn’t even speaking. He turned, as though he was going to look through the window. There was this sound…this crash…” He had to stop and hang his head as he again heard that awful, ripping noise like the roof was being torn off the building— smash! “The windows shattered inward and he went diving over the desk to cover me with his body…”
“Carter! Why didn’t you call me?”
Carter tossed his hand up and shook his head. “Because I was fine and I knew you would freak out.”
“This happened and you didn’t call me?”
“No, because then, like I said, you’d freak the hell out—like you’re doing right now.”
“Of course I would freak out. Something like that happens in your office and I’m the last one to know? And how did that happened? I mean, that far up, the windows can’t just break, can they?”
“No. Government mandates they be shatterproof. Hell, they’re even bulletproof. The glass that high is like the glass floor in the CN Tower. You could run a truck over them and they wouldn’t break.”
“Spotty workmanship?”
“No. They were tested extensively when I put up that building.”
“Then how do you explain them breaking?”
“I don’t know. It makes no sense, right?” Carter dragged a hand over his head. “I’ve spent the last few hours just lying in bed wondering what in the hell happened. And I still have no cl
ue.” Carter pressed his lips into a thin line before speaking, “And that’s not even the most stunning part. Ciro went right out the opening, Kofi—right out of it!—and when I went searching for his body, it wasn’t there.”
“What the hell you mean there was none? He couldn’t have just vanished into thin air.”
Carter swore under his breath and pushed the glass closer to Kofi, since he really did feel like throwing it. He lost more glass mugs and wine glasses that way. “I told you. He wasn’t there. No body, nada, zilch, bub-kiss!”
“So what happened to his body?”
“Damned if I know.”
Carter rose and walked to the kitchen window to look out into the perfectly manicured landscape behind his brother’s house. He folded his arms across his chest, thinking back to the freak storms that had been hitting small towns around him. He wasn’t quite sure why that came into his head but it did. Maybe it was just another freak storm. After all, the windows were made by humans—they were prone to error. Maybe it was just what it looked like, another big anomaly. Maybe when Ciro went to the glass a freak wind picked him up and carried him off—it could happen, right?
His eyes suddenly felt so tired. Carter bowed his head and rubbed his eyes.
“Carter, when was the last time you slept?”
“I don’t remember. I tried falling asleep earlier but I just kept reliving that whole thing over in my head. No matter how many times I tell myself there’s a reasonable explanation for all of this and try closing my eyes, here comes the nightmares. It went from questioning whether I could see myself growing something meaningful with this guy, to feeling aroused with his body atop mine, followed by absolute horror and dread. I think I have whiplash from it all.”
His brother walked up behind Carter and wrapped his arms around him. He turned in Kofi’s arms, pressing his face into his brother’s shoulder, feeling more exhausted than he had in a long time.
“Maybe you should lie down for a little,” Kofi suggested. “I hate seeing you like this and you definitely shouldn’t be driving.”
“I won’t be able to fall asleep.”
“Then don’t sleep. Just lie there. I’ll do some searching for this Ciro…what’d you say his last name was?”
“Pyktis. Ciro Pyktis.”
“Okay. I have some friends down at the station. I’ll call in a few favors and see what we can come up with. I’m sure he has family, and if he’s missing, they will want to know.”
“What are we going to tell them? ‘Oh, I’m sorry, but I think your son, brother, uncle, husband is dead but we’re not sure’.”
“We have to start somewhere. Now, don’t argue with me.” Kofi pulled Carter from the chair, turned him toward the door and patted him on the butt as though a mom would her son. “To bed, now.”
* * * *
Ciro walked across the sky as a swirl of wind led the way and streaks of lightning followed. He knew he was invisible to humans, but not to his brother who threatened to destroy his life. Regardless, his destruction wasn’t what angered Ciro. What riled him terribly was the fact that Aerios had endangered Carter. That was one sin that could not be forgiven—ever. He was going to get his hand on the insolent jerk and burn his world to the ground. His eyes flashed lightning and his hair danced in a wind generated by his temper. He extended a hand out to his side and a small, silver shaft appeared between his fingers. Clenching his fist around it, it elongated into a staff with a lightning bolt on the end. It glowed golden then turned to blue. The top of the lance fizzled with charge, ready to fire.
“Come on out, Aerios,” he thundered. “I am tired of these little games you seem to enjoy playing. Face your destruction.”
“You are in love, dear brother.” Aerios’ voice echoed off the clouds. “We warned you against that, but I see you did not listen. You just had to fall for a human. Silly little Shiver.”
Reeling in his anger, Ciro stopped and steadied himself. He was more powerful than Aerios. He knew that. But with his emotions dancing through him, he was allowing his feelings for Carter to cloud his mind. He inhaled deeply, held the breath before exhaling long and loud. He watched trees beneath him sway with his exhalation. Again, he repeated the action and looked into the air. Once he was sure his mind was clear, he lifted his weapon, swirled it above his head and fired.
“Not today, big brother,” Aerios teased. He appeared in front of Ciro.
The smile on his face irritated Ciro to no end but he stood ready, waiting. “Brother or not, go after Carter again and I will end you.”
“Promises, promises.”
Aerios disappeared without warning. Ciro’s anger surged. A bolt of lightning rushed from his body, fell through the clouds and split a tree in half. He had to stop and hold his breath, for he could feel the makings of a twister building in his veins. Aerios was just trying to rile him so he would lose control and cause a major storm. Ciro had to remember that fact the next time he fought Aerios, Ciro could destroy the very beings he’d spent his life protecting.
How was he going to explain it all to Carter? Before Aerios had attacked, Ciro had been certain he was strong enough to catch anything the rogue Shivers could throw at him. He was determined to protect his lifemate and succeed. He was sure he’d figured out how to get around the supernatural bullshit he was positive would begin happening around a human lover. But with each passing day, it was as if the rogues were chipping away at his resolve, and he hated that feeling. Not only that… He now had to decide if he should tell Carter the truth.
How would he explain walking on air out of that window?
The moment his feet touched the ground again, Ciro was off through the darkness to find him. He discovered Carter standing shirtless near a window with his arms folded across his chest. In the moonlight, Carter was beautiful. Ciro loved the way the rays flowed over Carter’s flesh, giving it a hardened softness. But there was so much more about Carter that turned him on and tugged sweetly at his heart—from the way he leaned against the window frame, to the smooth darkness of his skin. It left Ciro feeling that if they ever made love, the world would implode around them.
A cool breeze swirled about him and he closed his eyes. The tree he leaned against took the brunt of his weight for his knees suddenly buckled beneath him.
Ciro felt like a freak, a stalker watching the handsome man from the darkness. He couldn’t help himself. Bowing his head, Ciro tried desperately to breathe, to remember Carter was human and would never understand what was happening. How could he look into Carter’s wonderful, big, brown eyes and tell Carter that he, Ciro, wasn’t even human? How betrayed would Carter feel?
“I need you, Carter,” he whispered. “I…” The other words died in his throat.
Carter’s head snapped up and he pressed closer to the window. It was as if he’d heard Ciro’s words.
I’m over here, Carter.
“Where?” Carter yelled. His voice echoed off the trees around them and Ciro knew for sure Carter heard him.
You are him. You are…
Ciro knew what getting involved with Carter meant—constant danger for Carter. How could he, in good conscience, allow that, especially when he was getting so much weaker and Aerios was becoming a bigger pain in the ass? Taking a deep breath, he slipped further into the darkness and made his way home. The instant he got there, he felt someone and knew Sisqo waited for him.
The moment Ciro walked in, Sisqo was sitting in the living room and immediately set in with asking questions.
“Where have you been?” Sisqo wanted to know, following Ciro into the kitchen. “I heard Aerios attacked. Did anyone get hurt? Why isn’t he dead? Did he tell you why he’s such a giant ass?”
Ciro didn’t answer any of the questions. He dumped some whiskey into a glass, appreciating what humans saw in the liquid, and tossed it back. He tossed back two more glasses before turning his attention to Sisqo. “Once again, Aerios has managed to wreck my life. I am tired of it. If he wants a war then that is
what I will give him.”
“What happened?”
“When the Oracle Gnóseis told me my one true love was not a woman but a man, do you understand how absolutely mortified I was? To think I could lay with a man the way I had been lying with women all my life was…challenging, at best. But the oracle has never been wrong. She was right about that, so of course she would be right about a demigod being my true mate.”
“Ciro?”
“She told me he would be a demigod—one who will love me for all my eternity. Still, I went through my life searching and searching, wondering which demigod Gnóseis was referring to. Then Aphrodite said it wasn’t a demigod but a human. I knew one of them had to be wrong. Then I felt him. Just one scent and my whole world crashed in on me. I want him in ways that confuse me. I searched for my love—sure, it wasn’t that long of a search after she told me. I found him. I thought about him tonight and he heard me.”
“What? Ciro, if he heard you, then that means…”
“I know what it means.” Ciro knew he was irritated with the wrong person but he just couldn’t stop the rage from pouring out. “Eros wasn’t playing a practical joke on me after all—Gnóseis was wrong. And now, my brother—my dear, wonderful brother—decided he was going to spend his entire existence torturing me. For three hundred years I have searched for this man until finally, there he was. Then there he went.” He chugged another glass of alcohol.
“You found him? Where?”
“He was at the Firewall. The moment he walked into the room, I knew he was there. Long before I even saw him, I smelled him, I felt him, and it was marvelous. Today I went to have lunch with him and when I saw the exhaustion of games in his eyes, how could I have told him who I truly am? All I wanted to do was love him and hold him and my brother—” Ciro let out a painful growl and hurled the glass across the room. “The man who is supposed to be my protector, my shield against the world and the gods, against all those who sought to do me harm, takes it upon himself to go after him, to break my heart in the only way that could never heal again. My own brother.”
Shivers Page 7
