Reborn Series Box Set (Books 1-3.5)

by S. L. Stacy

  “I don’t want to talk about last night.” I’m sure my cheeks are as red as a stoplight by now. “I just want the stones.”

  “Yeah…I don’t think so,” he says, shaking his head and tucking them back inside his jacket. “No wings, no stones. Let me know if you have any other requests. I’d love to not be able to fulfill them.”

  I resist another eye roll, instead capturing his gaze in mine, letting a note of sadness soften my next words. “I thought we were done with this. Done with…illusions and tricks.” With each word, I take a small step closer to him. His right foot twitches in response, although he doesn’t back away. “Alter egos and lies. Done with playing games.” The memory of his lips traveling down my body, of his dark head disappearing beneath the sheets, flashes through my mind. I have to shove it aside, reminding myself that that Dolos isn’t the one standing in front of me now, head tilted to the side in confusion.

  “Done with games?” he cries, as if it’s the most horrible thought that’s ever crossed his mind. “We’re not done playing games. You love games!”

  “No, you love games.”

  “But games are fun!”

  “Well, whatever game it is you’re playing now, I’m not having a whole lot of fun.” I come to a stop—any closer, and I would be able to trail a hand over the smooth leather of his coat—continuing to hold his gaze steady. Searching for even a glimmer of reason, some sign of the real Dolos behind the golden mask. “This antidote is the only thing that can save my sorority sisters. I just need to know what’s in it.”

  “I already gave you everything you need to know,” he insists, pointing to my purse, where the parchment is curled up inside.

  “Stop saying that. You know what I mean.” I sigh in frustration, hands balled into fists. “Whatever this is, you don’t have to do it. Just help me turn them back, and we’ll leave you alone, if that’s what you want.” What I really mean is I’ll leave him alone, but I don’t want to make this about us. If there ever was an “us” to begin with. “You don’t have to do Eric’s dirty work for him.”

  Anger flares in his eyes. “This isn’t about Eric.”

  “Oh, of course it’s about Eric. Okay, so I’m a little gullible sometimes, but I’m not dense. The Sigma Iotas are stockpiling weapons,” I remind him, counting off on my fingers. “Eric had you steal the Guardian Stones. Now you’re trying to distract me with this wild goose chase to get the ingredients for the antidote. The army is going to invade Olympus soon, isn’t it? And Eric doesn’t want us around to be able to stop him.”

  “Maybe,” Dolos says with a shrug, breaking eye contact with me to wipe some imaginary dust from his shoulder. “It’s true that Eric has his own reasons for wanting your sisters off his back. But I have my own.”

  “What reasons could you possibly have? They’ve never done anything to you… except rescue you from Pandora!”

  “Rescued me, only to drop me on death’s doorstep.” He closes the gap between us in two quick strides, towering over me, his words stinging like a blast of icy air. “I know what your so-called sisters are going to do as soon as they’ve changed back. The same thing they did to Jasper—send me and Apate back to Olympus. Only they’ll lock us up until we’re ready to stand trial for treason. We’ll be found guilty and executed. Tell me I’m wrong.”

  During his rant, I’ve been avoiding his eyes, but at this request I slowly look up, startled to find all traces of humor or rage gone from his face, in their place a silent, earnest plea. “Tell me,” he says again, jaw trembling, and I have to look away.

  “Maybe you won’t be found guilty,” I tell him, voice small. We’re so close now I can feel the heat coming off his body, charged with anger and fear. I can smell him, his own wintry musk mingling with the faint scent of leather. I hold my breath against the intoxicating blend.

  Dolos gives a soft, sad chuckle, reminding me of a ship pulling away from shore as he walks backwards, restoring the distance between us. “That’s what I thought.”

  “I’m sure we can work something out.” I wish I could make it sound more convincing, but my voice seems to have already given up. “It doesn’t have to be like this, with us on different sides of the board. We can be a team! Eric doesn’t control you.”

  “Well, you’re right about one thing, at least,” he shoots back, cocky smile resurfacing. The streetlights catch something small and gold fastened to his coat collar: a pin in the shape of a shield, set with two blood red garnets and a black opal. Dolos notices me studying it and seems to be waiting for me to say something, but I remain silent, lifting my eyes to his face, feeling like I’ve just been doused in ice water. A few weeks ago, seeing someone wearing the Sigma Iota’s fraternity badge wouldn’t phase me in the least, but Victoria had told me Eric was using the pins to control the members of his army, to bind them to each other and to him.

  “Or maybe he does,” I mutter, a sickening sensation rising up my throat. If what she said is true, maybe the pin is responsible for drawing his darker side out. No wonder I couldn’t find any hint of the real Dolos in his eyes. At best, he’s buried somewhere deep inside, unable to break free of his alter ego’s hold. At worst, he’s not there at all.

  “I guess I just thought there was a chance we could still be together.” The words are out of my mouth before I even realize I’m saying them out loud. Tears roll down my cheeks, warm and steady. I let them fall, not caring if Dolos sees them. “I wanted you on my side. By my side. Always.”

  “I’m always on your side, Carly.” In a few liquid strides, he’s right in front of me again, and, although we’re not touching, his presence wraps around me like a safe, warm blanket. “Last night was really special for me. I don’t want you to think that it wasn’t. But you don’t have to make the antidote. Just forget about all of it. Forget about Eric, the army, your sisters. We can run away together—get away from all of this.”

  All at once, the blanket falls away, leaving me cold and shivering. His words have taken me back to Pandora, when I was still playing his game, trying to earn my freedom before I found out it was all an illusion. For my last test, Alec had said almost the exact same thing to me, trying to convince me not to find my way home to Gamma Lambda Phi, but to build a life with him instead. Maybe it wasn’t real, but I learned something about myself atop that simulated mountain. I learned where my loyalties lie, where my heart and my home are. Guys like Alec and Dolos may come and go—and, I hope that one day, I’ll meet the one who stays—but Victoria, Tanya, Siobhan and the others will always be here for me. And I’ll always be there for them.

  “You’re serious this time.” He shouldn’t be able to shock or hurt me anymore, but I feel betrayed all over again. “You really want me to bail on them and go with you.”

  “It can be just the two of us.” He reaches for me, cool fingertips brushing the back of my hand. “We’ll be free agents. Every night can be as beautiful and passionate as last night. I didn’t really want it to be our one and only night together. I don’t think you want that, either.”

  “Of course I didn’t, but…” I try to rearrange my thoughts, in the meantime clasping my hands in front of me and pulling away from him. For a moment, his fingers remain frozen in midair, hovering where they once touched my skin. Then, the hand falls, and he grinds his lips together.

  “I know I’m not perfect.” I hesitate, not even sure where I’m headed with this speech, before continuing, “I think I probably cry too much…and I wear a lot of pink…and I don’t like running…but I know myself. I know who I am, and what kind of person I want to be in the future. And that’s a good person. The kind of person who sticks up for those she loves—who fights for them. That could have included you.” Another pause. I watch his face, but it’s smoothed over, revealing nothing of the thoughts or emotions battling inside. “But, since you’d rather play games that toy with people’s emotions and put their friends in danger, then I guess it doesn’t. I’m going to figure out what the fudge is on this list
. I’m going to make that antidote and save my sisters. And you can’t stop me.”

  “I can,” Dolos counters, “but I won’t have to. Even if you do figure out what everything is, you won’t be able to find all of it. It’s an impossible list.” He flashes his most cunning smile.

  “Nothing’s impossible. But, if we’re going to do this, you have to promise me something: No tricks this time. No more illusions or lies. Promise me, Dolos.”

  His smile disappears. He nods seriously. “I promise you the danger, this time, is very, very real.”

  I shiver. Not exactly the answer I was hoping for, but at least he’s being honest.

  “Just…tell me one thing,” I add, watching the pavement glitter in the streetlight rather than his reaction to what I’m about to ask him. “All of this…it isn’t because of something I said, is it? I mean, I know that’s stupid—I know it’s not—but I did heap a lot of expectations on you last night. And if that scared you, I am sorry. I meant everything I said, but I didn’t want to push you away. Dolos, I—” I force myself to look up, dreading the look of amusement on his face, that wicked smirk. He’s probably laughing at me.

  But, when my eyes lift, they meet only a stretch of empty road. Dolos is gone.

  Part Two

  Monster

  “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”

  –William Shakespeare, The Tempest

  Chapter 11

  I study myself in the full-length mirror on the back of the bedroom door, almost not recognizing the solemn-faced girl, dressed in black jeans and a lightweight navy blue sweater, staring back at me.

  After Dolos disappeared, leaving me alone on Little Lane once again, I was finally able to find my way to a bus stop and hop on the 63D. The bus ride back to campus was the longest fifteen minutes of my life, mostly because I was so anxious to get back, although the wary glances thrown my way as I boarded and took a seat didn’t help. I wondered why people kept staring at my back until I reached around, feeling the long, jagged rips slashing the material of my jacket and the dress underneath, a result of the force of my wings breaking out. I leaned as far back into the seat as I could, using a hand to shield my face from the curious stares, and passed the time going over the antidote recipe in my head. I already had it memorized. Only when the woman sitting in the window seat glared at me, pulling the toddler on her lap as far as she could away from me, did I realize I was mumbling the words under my breath, out loud.

  You know it’s been a bad day when you’re the weird person on the bus.

  Back at the sorority house, a small black bundle of fur was curled up on the doorstep seemingly waiting for me, cleaning her shiny coat with a little pink tongue. Hearing my footsteps, she stopped and looked up at me, yellow-green eyes flashing. I was pretty sure it was the same cat I saw creeping around here earlier today. As I stepped over her, swiping my card key into the door, she unwound to her feet, mewling insistently.

  “I’m sorry, cat,” I told her, cracking the door open, “but now’s really not a good time. I don’t have any cat food for you.” Well, actually, I had a whole living room full of cat food, but I wasn’t about to let this mini panther near my sorority sisters. “You can’t come in. Sorry.” Undeterred, the stray proceeded to rub up against my legs. “Get away!”

  Pushing the door open the rest of the way, I ran inside, quickly pulling it closed behind me. Before I could shut it completely, the cat darted in after me, an arrow of black whizzing through at the last second.

  A few of the doves ruffled their wings at the sight of the feline intruder, giving cries of warning, while the others continued to doze, unaware of the tiny predator in their midst. Fortunately, the cat showed them no interest, jumping up on the ottoman and making herself at home, a rather expectant look on her face.

  “I don’t know what you want,” I told her, throwing my arms up in exasperation. “I might have some tuna, but I’m not making any promises.” I could have sworn she made a disgusted face before letting out another desperate mew. “Look, I have to go upstairs for a few things, but I’ll be back down soon. Just stay there. And don’t eat anything.”

  Upstairs, I hunted around Victoria’s side of our room for a bottle of ambrosia. Coming up empty, I grabbed a stack of books from her desk before going back downstairs. Retrieving the master key from its hiding place, I searched Farrah’s room next, finally finding one amongst her stash of beauty products. As I turned to go, I almost dropped the bottle at the sight of my new shadow waiting for me in the doorway.

  “I said I would be back soon,” I scolded her, switching the lights off and closing the door. “God, you’re so impatient. Why am I talking to a cat?” I asked myself before settling down on the couch, one of Victoria’s books in hand.

  I went through almost the entire pile of books before finding the clue I was looking for. A few that had found their way into the stack, namely a sorority songbook and a book of old composite pictures, were interesting to glance through but not relevant to the task at hand. One of the black-and-white composites did, however, manage to stop me cold, and I wasted a good twenty minutes staring at the ten smiling women pictured, their short-sleeved dresses plain and modest, hair cut short and permed. Our Greek letters, hanging from delicate chains, shone against each of their throats, the only hint of sparkle in their otherwise stark attire. Dog-earing the page, I set it aside for the time being, promising myself I’d deal with it later.

  Finally, I picked up the last tome, one of the ancient-looking ones with fragile, yellowed pages and a tattered, leather cover. When I first opened it, I sighed in disappointment, unable to read the rows of neat, black symbols inside, written in another language, maybe even a language that had never existed on Earth. As I stared at one of the pages, the symbols seemed to pulse, growing blurry around the edges as they moved around on the stained paper, scuttling like thousands of black insects. I closed my eyes, feeling disoriented from watching the movement, and when I looked again, the letters had stilled, the passages now written in English. I continued flipping through it, thinking high school French would have been a whole lot easier with magical Olympian paper.

  This entire time, the cat stayed curled up next to me, the weight of her paw resting on my leg, attentive eyes following my hand as I turned page after page, skimming them for the words “passion” or “star.” I figured I might as well start from the beginning of the recipe and work my way down, although I kept my eyes peeled for some of the other key words from the riddle. For a while, nothing in particular jumped out at me, although I did get the sense that, with the dire warnings accompanying most entries, it was a book of forbidden items the reader should never tamper with.

  I was just about to give up and get some more books from upstairs when I turned to a section on starflower nectar, a short paragraph accompanied by a faded sketch of a pink flower with six petals surrounding a pale orange center. Reading the passage, a chill crawled up my spine, inching higher with every word:

  Starflower nectar is a potent aphrodisiac. If consumed, it causes a temporary but all-consuming state of sexual desire, causing its victim to become infatuated with the first person or animal that he or she sees. Eros often tipped his arrows with starflower nectar to confuse and distract his enemies, or simply to make mischief.

  Re-reading the paragraph, I realized this wasn’t the first time I’d heard of the starflower. Once again, I found myself thinking back to Pandora, to a nighttime marketplace bustling with assorted street entertainers and booths stocked with bizarre merchandise. I remember one of the vendors, a woman with wild red hair and blank, white eyes, telling me she had a potion for spurned lovers. “Nectar from the starflower. A few drops of this in Alec’s drink, and he’ll fall in love with the first thing he sees.”

  I cringed at the memory, carefully marking the page before closing the book. I wasn’t sure what, if anything, the starflower might have to do with the antidote, but it sounded like it could be the “passion star” from the ri
ddle, while “dust” could be referring to pollen. And at least now I had an idea of who I could ask.

  ***

  One tentative email, two granola bars and a Red Bull later, I’m still checking myself out in the mirror when the doorbell rings downstairs.

  I hate my outfit. It’s too dark for my usual tastes and kind of boring, but tonight I’m going for practical and inconspicuous. Last time I got thrown into an unexpected adventure, I was wearing heels and a sparkly pink dress—great for parties, not so great for running from the bad guys. Not that I hope there’s going to be any serious running in my future, but at least this time, in a pair of black boots, I’ll be ready. I’ve stuck my dagger, fully sheathed, into my belt for good measure. The hem of the navy sweater is just long enough to cover it.

  The doorbell rings a second time.

  “Coming!” I shout, even though they probably can’t hear me. I jog down the stairs, the gentle plod of cat feet following closely at my heels, and throw open the front door.

  “You actually came,” I exclaim, stepping back to let Jasper inside. After a wary scan of the living room, he comes in, jumping slightly as the door clicks closed behind him.

  “I guess it shouldn’t surprise me I inspire so little faith in people,” he muses, deep blue eyes still darting all around the room. Dressed in black pants and a white dress shirt, dark hair falling carelessly around a pale, chiseled face, he looks pretty much the same as every other time I’ve seen him: elegant, sexy, and bored with the world.

  “There’s no ambush,” I assure him as he walks further into the room, shoulders tensed. “I’m the only one here.”

  “I know. It’s just that I sense something…fowl in here.” He turns to look at me, eyebrows raised.

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Is this you trying to be funny?”