by Addison Fox
His gaze ricocheted between Rogan and the ever-expanding patch of red on Finley’s chest.
“Don’t think about leaving, sweetheart. Or my finger just might slip on this trigger. One. More. Time.” As his brain slowly reengaged, Grey realized he knew the woman. She was a colleague of Finley’s and he’d seen her at Equinox on several occasions.
“You set her up.”
“Of course I did. And she was buying it all the way until you fucked it up. I’m rather proud of my quivering, whimpering impression right here in this very cell. It was a personal best.”
“She wasn’t buying nearly as much as you thought.”
“No.” The blonde shook her head. “She’d bought it all. Our dear little Finley isn’t nearly as smart as she’d like everyone to think. Especially since her panties started getting wet over you. She’s been groomed to be the best, but even she didn’t see what was right in front of her nose.”
The woman pressed the barrel of the gun harder against Rogan’s temple as she focused her attention on Grey. “I saw the way you two looked at each other. And as soon as I saw what was going on, I told Franco we had our gal. Someone with access inside the DA’s office and inside your world.”
Grey saw the archer grimace as the barrel bored into his skull and he struggled to make sense out of it.
Was Eris behind this? Or was it all done at the hands of these mortals?
“So why shoot her?”
A mulish expression settled on the woman’s lips. “Franco comes first.”
Gods, they were fucking nuts. He’d observed it at his club over and over—the webs humans entangled themselves in—and he’d always ignored it. But now?
Now it was personal.
The need to take care of Finley overwhelmed him, but Grey kept his gaze on the mortals. “What did you have to gain by all this?”
Cold laughter met the question, but it was Gavelli Sr. who finally spoke. “You think your woo-woo shit is all a secret? You think no one knows there’s a band of immortals running around the city? Why should you get all the fun? We’re just getting in on the action.”
Grey refused to answer—refused to confirm what the man obviously knew—but he didn’t miss the look Rogan shot him across the way. A good old-fashioned “What the fuck?” mixed with “How the hell did we miss this one?”
“You think you’re so clever,” Melanie added. “You think power’s meant only for you? We’re going to take over the city.”
“Melanie.” Franco Jr. laid a hand on her arm, the first moment of restraint Grey had seen since they got down there. Gavelli Jr. was working his way to the top and it was clear he saw the writing on the wall.
It was equally clear he knew how to keep his own counsel.
Finley gasped and opened her eyes, dragging his attention off all of it. Her blue gaze was filled with pain, the reality of it stabbing him with a million needles of regret.
“You?”
He smiled gently down at her, remembering their exchange not even a week before in what felt like another time. “Yeah. It’s me.”
On a heavy gasp, her head fell back.
The moan that left his lips was feral, like a wounded animal as he clutched Finley’s body against his own. Great, heaving gasps filled his chest as he tried to make sense of what had happened.
Tried to make sense of the fact that the woman so vibrant—so full of life—lay lifeless in his arms.
Across the room, Rogan wasted no time. As soon as the blonde’s focus shifted to Finley, he moved, knocking the gun from her hands.
“Go, Grey! Get the fuck out of here!”
Grey wasted no time. He was mindless with grief, but he knew where he had to go.
The only place he could go for help.
Emerson felt the snake tighten around her midsection and strained for breath. She thought through every bit of magic she knew, but the speed with which the snake moved, coupled with her inability to use her hands, had her ruling out everything she thought of.
“Step away from Eris,” Magnus hollered over her shoulder. “Porting distance away.”
Emerson saw Drake’s nod as he and Quinn moved away from the goddess.
The snake tightened another fraction of an inch, and she discarded another magical idea as a small memory assailed her.
She recalled their father as he lay on his deathbed.
She and Magnus were the only ones in his hospital room, her mother and sister having gone off to find coffee. Magnus was sitting in a chair, watching a football game, and she was perched on the edge of the bed, holding his hand.
“Are you afraid, Daddy?”
Tubes and machines surrounded him and his voice was hoarse when he spoke. “No, sweetheart, I’m not afraid.”
Tears welled in her eyes, but she fought not to let them fall. “But this isn’t supposed to happen. You were fine. A few days ago, you were fine.”
He reached up and pressed a hand to her cheek, his thumb sweeping across the first tear that fell. “You play the hand you’re dealt, baby doll. And you live life to the fullest. That’s all you can do. That’s all any of us can ever do.”
Magnus looked over from the TV, his sullen face full of tears and the anger only youth can truly summon. “How can you be so calm? How can you accept this?”
The hoarse, sickly tone vanished and for a moment, the strong, true voice of her father rang out through the room. “Because I’ve been loved.”
The snake tightened again, the pure power in its muscled strength a shock as it pulled her from the memory.
“Magnus. Please,” she couldn’t stop herself from crying out.
“It’s not me, Em. I can’t control it any longer. Maybe I never could.”
“But you can control it. I know you can.”
“I’m not like you, Em. I can’t.”
Her breaths became more shallow as the lack of air began to take effect. “You were loved, Magnus. Please don’t ever forget that. By me. By Mom and Dad and Ronnie and Gram. By all of us. You do have a choice. And you are loved.”
His voice was low in her ear, so only she could hear. “You play the hand you’ve been dealt.”
“You do remember.”
For one brief moment, Magnus rested his forehead against the side of her head.
And then he vanished as if he’d never been.
She fell to her knees, gasping for breath as sweet, sweet air filled her lungs. She didn’t need to hear Quinn’s shout or feel the safe haven of Drake’s arms to know Eris had quickly followed her brother, the promise of retribution on her lips.
Bring it on, Emerson thought with no small measure of satisfaction.
“I’m sorry,” Drake mumbled against her ear. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t there for you.”
She shifted to press her lips against his. “You are there for me. You’ve always been there for me. I just didn’t realize it.”
“I’m always going to be there for you. Until the day neither of us is here any longer.”
She pressed her hand against his chest, stilling his movements. “What are you talking about?”
“Choice, my love. I’m going to talk to Themis. I don’t want to be an immortal any longer. She made me this way. I’ve no doubt she can unmake me when the time is right.”
“But, Drake, you can’t do this. You can’t leave your brothers. Or the work that you all do.”
“I’ve got a long time to figure it out. To work with Themis to determine how to fulfill my promises to her.”
“But your immortality?”
“Isn’t the only gift I give to Themis. We’ll figure it out. Together. And when the time is right, we’ll both know. I won’t walk through this world without you, Emerson. So someday we’ll make the decision that ensures I won’t have to. This is the right choice for me.” He pressed another kiss to her lips and lingered longer this time. “For us.”
As Emerson wrapped her arms around his neck, she thought about what he was willing to sacrifice for he
r. What she’d almost never even given a chance.
“I love you.”
“And I love you. Now let’s get out of here and go find your grandmother. I’ve suddenly got a powerful desire to get her blessing on something.”
“Before you do, can I borrow your phone?”
Drake kept one hand firmly on her shoulder as he dug into his pocket for his phone with his other hand. “Who are you calling?”
“My sister. I need to apologize. And I want to tell her our good news.”
She dialed quickly, suddenly anxious to fix what she’d so carelessly broken. And even more eager to share her news with someone who mattered.
Deeply.
Emerson heard her sister’s “hello,” then let out a loud, squeaking giggle as Drake’s mouth descended on hers.
It was a long moment before Emerson could sputter out, “Ronnie! I’ve got some news.”
“No, Ronnie.” Drake leaned in toward the mouthpiece. “We’ve got some news.”
Epilogue
Grey fell to the floor of Themis’s home with Finley still wrapped in his arms. The goddess stood in front of her Mirror of Truth as tears fell freely from her face.
“You have to help me.”
She shook her head, as that long fall of red hair ran down her back. “I cannot.”
“You must. You have to help her. You have to make it right.”
Themis crossed to him, her gaze never wavering. “She is gone, Grey.”
“She can’t be. She cannot. There has to be a way.”
As the blue gaze stared back at him in silent understanding, Grey knew he must offer something. Knew he had to offer her the balance that would make it right.
With swift movements, he crossed the room and placed Finley’s lifeless form on the couch. He pressed his finger to her still lips before crossing back to kneel at Themis’s feet.
“Goddess, I offer you my promise of balance. I’ll do whatever you ask of me. Just tell me what I can do to make this right.”
“Nothing will make it right, my Warrior.”
He refused to accept her words—refused to accept such a bright, vibrant light would be diminished. “She acts on your behalf, bringing justice for her fellow humans. Surely you can find favor with her for that alone.”
“It isn’t done, Grey. Her fate has been sealed.”
Anger filled him as Grey stood to his full height, refusing to accept the words of the woman he’d followed with complete devotion for millennia. As he stared into the depths of her eyes, a memory slammed through him with enough force to have him stumbling back. “You knew. You sent me into that warehouse because you knew she’d be there.”
Themis’s gaze remained steady. Unwavering. “She needed protection.”
“You had me save her only to take her from me?”
“She wasn’t meant to go that way. Wasn’t meant to be caught in the middle.”
“It wasn’t your call to intervene.”
“Would you rather she’d died that night instead of this one?”
“I don’t want her to die at all!” The words dragged from his lips, each one an agony.
“It’s her time.”
Grey glanced back to Finley’s still form. “No. No, it’s not. She was caught in something bigger than herself and she doesn’t deserve this.”
“Fate takes what it needs.”
“Then take it from me to compensate.”
“It isn’t done.” Although her words were harsh, the compassion in her aqua gaze gave Grey the small measure of hope he needed to make her see reason.
“I will give up everything that I am. I will change my own fate. Just tell me what I must do to bring her back.”
ARIES/PISCES STAR CHART
The immediate attraction between an Aries and a Pisces is the stuff of legend. Exhilarating and maddening—all at the same time—these lovers wield a passion for the ages.
The fiery Aries woman incites her Pisces man to poetic heights, but his dreamy sensitivity will confuse her until she understands it hides an inner core of strength and deep sincerity.
Pisces is a man of refined tastes, and he seeks a woman who can stimulate him in all facets of life. His ability to maintain his masculinity yet tap into his deeper emotions ensures his partner always knows where she stands…and that she is loved.
Although Emerson and Drake forged their love in the fires of passion, the success of their relationship will be based on their understanding of each other. Their ability to give each other emotional support and a deeply rooted sense of belonging will bind one to the other with a forever love.
GLOSSARY
Ages of Man—the stages of human existence, as identified by the Greek writer Hesiod. Most often associated with metals, the Ages—Gold, Silver, Bronze, Heroic and Iron—reflect the increasing toil and drudgery humans live in. The world only thinks the ages are myth….
Apple of Discord—a powerful weapon owned by Eris, the goddess of Discord. The apple was used to incite the Trojan War and Eris maintains it as one of her most prized tools. The apple itself is small and innocuous and can be reformed and reshaped to her needs. It’s latest iteration is as a lapel pin.
Cardinal—a sign quality, Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) mark the start of each season. Those born under Cardinal signs are considered dynamic and, like each season, forceful in their beginnings. Cardinal Warriors are equally dynamic, forcing change with their impatient natures and independent spirits.
Deimos—the son of Ares and Aphrodite, he is the god of dread. He is the brother of Phobos.
Destroyer—a soulless creature created by Enyo from an emotionally damaged human. They take on the appearance of men, but their bodies are nothing by husks, filled with a superconductive life force. They can be slowed and hurt, but quickly recover. The only way to kill a Destroyer is by removing his head. Each Destroyer Enyo creates takes some of her power, an innate balance agreed to during the creation of the Great Agreement.
Element—just as all signs are Cardinal, Fixed or Mutable, each sign also possesses an elemental quality of Fire, Earth, Air or Water. Each Warrior has an elemental nature to his sign, allowing for additional powers for those who have learned to develop them. These elemental qualities exist beyond those granted to all Warriors—immortality, the ability to port, rapid healing and above-average strength—and have begun to express themselves as the Warriors have grown more comfortable in their abilities and better understand the full range of their skills.
Enyo—the Goddess of War, Enyo is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Equipped with the ability to create anarchy and death wherever she goes, Zeus offered Enyo up to Themis for their Great Agreement. Before Zeus allowed Themis to create the Sons of the Zodiac, she had to agree to a counterbalance to the Warriors’ power. Enyo provides the balance, at constant war with Themis’s Warriors. For each battle Enyo wins, her power grows. As such, for each she loses, her power is diminished.
Equinox—a nightclub owned by Grey Bennett, Aries Warrior. Each Warrior has a role within the whole and Grey’s is to keep an eye on the underbelly of New York for Enyo’s likely crop of new Destroyers. What none of the Warriors know is that Grey carries a secret—one that will lead him to his destiny or to his doom…
Eris—sister of Enyo, Eris is the goddess of Discord. She wields power far more subtly than her sister, focusing on the underlying chaos that causes problems in lieu of overt action. Eris’s days of wreaking havoc are peppered throughout history and it is Eris who was responsible for the start of the Trojan War.
Fixed—a sign quality, Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) mark the middle of each season. Those born under Fixed signs are considered quite stubborn and persistent. Fixed Warriors are equally stubborn and persistent, unwilling to yield to their enemies.
Great Agreement—an agreement entered into during the Iron Age (the Fifth Age of Man) by Zeus and Themis. Fearful that her beloved humans had no protection from the trials of life, Themis entere
d into an agreement with Zeus that created the Sons of the Zodiac. The Sons of the Zodiac are Warriors modeled after the circular perfection of the heavens and each Warrior carries the immutable qualities of his sign. Under the Great Agreement, the immortal Warriors will battle Zeus’s daughter Enyo, the Goddess of War, for the ultimate protection, quality and survival of humanity.
Hera—wife of Zeus and mother of Enyo.
Iron Age—the Fifth Age of Man, generally thought to be about ten thousand years ago, when humans toiled in abject misery. Brothers fight brothers, children turn against their fathers and anarchy is the rule of the land. During this age the gods have forsaken humanity. It is during this time that Themis—desperate to alter the course of human existence—goes to Zeus and enters into the Great Agreement. During this age, the Sons of the Zodiac are created.
Mutable—a sign quality, Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) mark the end of each season. Those born under Mutable signs are the most comfortable with change, making them easily adaptable and resourceful. Mutable Warriors are the first to see the big picture, able to adapt and shift their battle plans at a moment’s notice. Their ability to see issues from multiple angles make them strong Warriors and a comfort to have watching your back.
Ophiuchus—known as the “Thirteenth Sign,” Ophiuchus is portrayed as the serpent bearer. Presuming the zodiac is tied to the specific placement of constellations and not divided into twelve equal divisions, the proponents of the Thirteenth Sign more closely follow the path of the heavens. It is this disparity that gives Eris the opportunity she needs to create her own warrior…
Phobos—the son of Ares and Aphrodite, he is the god of fear. He is the brother of Deimos.
Port—shortened form of teleport. The Warriors and Destroyers both have the ability to move through space and time at will. Porting will diminish power.
Sons of the Zodiac—created by Themis, the Goddess of Justice, upon her Great Agreement with Zeus. The Great Agreement stipulates for a race of Warriors—156 in total—that will have the traits of their Zodiac sign. Tasked to protect humanity, they are at war with Enyo. A Warrior is immortal, although he may be killed with a death blow to the neck. Removal of a Warrior’s head is the only way to kill him. The Warriors’ strength may be reduced from extended time in battle, multiple ports and little food. A Warrior’s strength will be replaced with food, sleep or sexual orgasm. Each Warrior has a tattoo of added protection that lives within his aura.
