War of Gods Box Set
Page 14
“Am I pregnant, too?” Linda teased. “That’s an awesome pregnancy test, by the way.”
“No, you’re not,” Sofia answered with a smile. “You will be soon.”
Linda grinned. “We better get Rainy in here before he tears down the hospital looking for her.”
“I’m not staying. He’s an inch away from wringing my neck,” Sofia said, following. Her stomach growled.
“You wanna get some food?”
Sofia bit her lip and crossed her arms, unable to admit she couldn’t really eat. “Sure.”
Linda sent Rainy to Traci and walked with her to the cafeteria. Pierre trailed them at a distance just out of earshot, and Linda looked at her curiously.
“He’s wearing the color of the bodyguards,” she observed. “You must be someone important.”
“Not really. I’m a lost sheep,” Sofia said.
“Strange. You seem to know what you’re doing.”
“I’m … new to Damian’s organization. One week new, to be exact. I don’t really know which way is up right now.”
“Wow, Sofia. First, welcome, and congrats! These are the finest men you’ll find anywhere,” Linda grinned.
“Thanks.”
“Second, who’s your sponsor?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, no one gets in without a reason. Someone brought you in,” Linda said wisely. They sat at a table near the windows.
“Why did they bring you in?” Sofia asked.
“Lon found me. I’m a Natural. I have the ability to levitate things.”
“Really? Like anything?”
“Yep.”
“So, if Lon said something stupid to you, you could toss him into the air and leave him there until he agreed to treat you with an ounce of respect. And if he didn’t, you could leave him there and do whatever the hell you wanted for the day?” Sofia asked with more emotion than she intended. Linda looked at her, and she cleared her throat, anger spiraling through her again.
“I guess I’d never thought of that,” Linda admitted, a smile pulling up the corners of her mouth. “But yeah, I could do that.”
Sofia watched her take a bite of a muffin, at once longing and agitated. She was hungry. After her explosion at Damian, she’d have to beg for food. And she’d never demean herself to that man. She’d just have to starve to death.
“I do understand how frustrating this all seems when you first join,” Linda went on. “Well, you don’t really choose to join.”
“You’re telling me,” Sofia said with emotion. “One day I’m normal. The next, I can’t stand daylight and Damian is beating down my door.”
“Damian?” Linda’s amazement increased. “Damian’s your sponsor?”
She nodded.
“I totally have to tell Lon. Hold on a sec.” Linda whipped out a phone to text Lon. “You have no idea how special you are if D is your sponsor. Or how lucky.”
“Lucky?”
“Yeah, sure. He’s dreamy, runs his own um, business, and he’s got, like, Superman powers. He’s like a modern-day king who’s in charge of the superheroes trying to beat down the evil villains.”
Sofia recalled how much her first meeting with him had scared her. His aura of power, his command and confidence, the sense that—whatever he was—he was something humankind wasn’t prepared to face.
“He’s just a good guy,” Linda continued. “He’s been after bad guys for thousands of years, and he’s never gone to the Dark Side or quit or anything. That says a lot for someone, you know? He’s good to his men. Lon and the others adore him. I like him, even if he scares me.”
This world is so fucked up I don’t know why I bother. His cranky words echoed in her thoughts, and she smiled to herself. No one but her saw the other side of Damian.
“They do so much to help people,” Linda said, looking down as her phone dinged. “Lon doesn’t believe me. Oh, well. Where is Damian?”
“I’m definitely not his keeper,” Sofia said with a shrug.
The sun peeked over the horizon, reminding her that she’d gotten only a few hours of bad sleep. Linda texted back and forth with her husband for a few minutes.
“Traci’s awake. I’ll be right back,” she said, hopping up.
Sofia gazed out the window, mulling over the night. She began to suspect Damian sent her there so she could meet the other women dragged into his organization. Or maybe he just wanted her out of the house so he could kill the traitors.
Oh, ye of little faith, he said into her mind.
“I hate that,” she answered.
I know.
“What do you want, Damian?”
I owe you an apology.
“Well, man up and do it in person.”
“A little testy today, aren’t we?”
She jumped, watching as he folded himself into the small chair across from her. His scent made her heart quicken and her drowsiness dissipate. Her breath caught as she gazed at him, and she looked for any sign he was still angry at her. His golden eyes were calm, his large frame relaxed with the feline grace that made her hormones wild. His power was checked but his unusual presence enough to draw the looks of those around them. Most moved away quickly, sensing there was something about him that just wasn’t normal.
His gaze was trained on her with an intensity that made her body warm from the inside out.
“Well?” she asked.
“I’m sorry, Sofia, for being a dick.”
“Apology accepted,” she said and looked down. “I’m so sorry about Claire. I knew it would hurt you.”
“No worries.” His aloof response made her look up. His gaze was wary and moving, and he was guarded once more. Even after thousands of years he was reliving the pain of his brother’s death. If she closed her eyes, she’d see the home video of Darian’s funeral pile. Her heart went out to him. “I think I’d known for a long time and didn’t want to face it. I probably could have gone much longer ignoring her.”
“She would have killed you.”
“She would have tried.”
“You can risk your life, but I won’t,” Sofia retorted.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you cared.”
“I do care about you, Damian, even though you’re a total jackass,” she said.
“For the record, you’re the only person in history who could get away with half the shit you say,” he told her.
“I know.”
The warmth of his smile was not lost on her, and she thought about what Linda had said about him. Maybe the cheerful woman was right—maybe there was more to Damian than she gave him credit for.
“D.” It was Lon, whose gaze went to her as he approached.
“Morning, Lon,” Damian said and twisted to face the Guardian.
“Guess I lost that bet,” he muttered. “She’s okay and says thanks. The doc can’t figure out what happened. He should release her today.”
“Glad I could help.”
“Rainy would have come, but he won’t leave her side. Poor sap.”
“No worries. How’s Linda?” Damian asked.
“Good. Still won’t let me live down almost dying.” His gaze went to her and then back to Damian expectantly. Damian ignored his hint, and Lon didn’t press.
“Women are stubborn like that,” Damian said.
“See you at the next barbecue?” Lon asked, holding out his hand.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Damian said and stood to shake his hand.
“Linda says you can call her whenever you want,” Lon said, handing Sofia a tissue with a phone number and smiley face written on it.
“Thanks.” She watched him go then turned to her bodyguard. “Pierre, you want my croissant?”
“I do,” Damian said and snatched the pastry.
“It’s because I’m French, isn’t it? You assume we French all eat croissants,” Pierre complained.
“This is sooooo good,” Damian said, pinning her with a look as he wolfed down the second half.
She didn’t see Damian until afternoon, when he strolled into the library from sparring, ear to a cell phone. He was naked from the waist up and sweaty, a combination that made her sit up and pay attention.
“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” he said with a grimace and handed the phone to her before striding out.
“Hello?” she took the phone and asked curiously.
“Hi Sofia, this is Linda! How are you?”
“Good, thanks. Everything all right?”
“Oh yeah. I was telling D that Rainy went off the deep end when we told him about the girls!” She giggled. “Traci told him not to think about asking her to marry him just because she’s pregnant, and he said she had no choice and he’d drag the priest to her. He almost beat down her door. They’re in this horrible tiff right now.”
“Wow, I didn’t mean to start this,” Sofia said.
“The doc would have noticed she was pregnant, just not the twin part and the girls part.”
“Right. Totally not my fault then.”
Linda laughed. “Listen, I wanted to see if you wanted to go Christmas shopping with us this weekend. It’s one of the last weekends before Christmas. I’m way behind, and Traci—”
Since when did the concept of Christmas shopping seem so bizarre?
Since I became some sort of recently resurrected fortune-telling vampire. It was something normal people did during this time of year, something she’d done every year for twenty-three years.
“—count you in?” Linda asked.
Sofia covered the speaker. “Pierre, am I allowed to go Christmas shopping?”
“I hate this fucking library,” he responded.
“Is that a yes?”
“Oui.”
“Linda, I’ll go.”
“Great! We’ll pick you up. Are you at D’s?” Linda asked.
“Yeah.”
“Traci’s been there. She’ll drive. We’ll see you Saturday at nine.”
“Great, thanks.” Sofia hung up the phone, feeling as if she were emerging from a stupor for the first time in months. While she couldn’t shake the sense of doom that followed her from the visions, she felt more normal, less afraid, at the thought that she’d be rejoining the rest of humanity for a shopping trip with the girls, even if only for a morning.
She left the library to return Damian’s phone. It rang loudly in the hall, a rap song spitting F-bombs that made her eyebrows rise. She hesitated then answered.
“Hello?”
“Hello? Do I have D’s number?” a warm, male voice on the other end said.
“Yes.”
“And who are you?”
“Sofia. Who are you?”
There was a pause before the man on the other end answered. “Jule, a friend of his. I’m in town right now on an errand.”
“Are you a good friend?” she asked.
“I’d like to think so,” he said with a chuckle. “We met when he was a teen and went through some rough stuff together.”
“Yeah, I know. His is a sordid history. What kind of a person was he when you met?”
“He’s always been the best man I know,” was the unhesitant response. His voice held an upbeat note and natural warmth that she liked. He wasn’t like Dustin, who seemed more likely to kill a stranger than talk to one.
“If you all are on the side of good, why is there so much death?” she demanded.
“Trust me, there’d be more if the bad guys won. It’s not easy being the good guy, and it’s a job not many people can do. You have to stay true to your values while destroying something as well. It’s rough,” he said and gave a surprised laugh.
Damian trotted from the stairs toward the courtyard and paused, looking at her curiously.
“I’m having an issue reconciling the two,” she admitted.
“Who?” Damian mouthed. She waved him away.
“We’ve all gone through that stage. You have to look at it like this: would you want someone to help you if something bad happened?” Jule continued.
“Yes.”
“Exactly. But not everyone can do what we do, because we’re, well, different than normal people. We’re in a unique position to help people who can’t help themselves against bad guys who want to hurt them,” he said.
“I see. You have no regrets?” she asked, unconvinced.
“No way in hell, and neither does D. Because of us, many innocent people have been able to live their lives, and humanity thrives,” Jule said with conviction she envied.
Damian watched her, eyes narrowing.
“I see why he likes you,” she said quietly. “Thanks for talking to me. He’ll call you back.”
“Sofi—” Jule started to object.
She hung up and tossed Damian the phone.
“I’m going shopping Saturday,” she told him. “And Jule called. He’s in town.”
“That’s who you were talking to?” Damian demanded. She didn’t miss the way he bristled but turned her back to him to return to the library.
“Yep. He’s a good guy.”
Don’t answer my phone.
“Then stop doing that!”
No deal.
He drove her crazy, and she was hungry again. Always, always hungry. Was she destined to spend the rest of her life starving?
“Your drug dealer’s still in business. For now.”
“That’s not funny,” she said, turning to glare at him.
“No?” he asked, approaching her with a languid walk that stirred her blood.
He stopped in her personal zone, too close, but she wasn’t about to back down this time. She crossed her arms and looked up at him, meeting his steady look with a challenging one of her own.
“You’re getting braver, kiri,” he said in a husky tone.
She tried not to let it affect her but suspected by his look of satisfaction that he saw how quickly her face changed colors.
“If you’re half the man everyone tells me you are, you’ll send Han some flowers. He’s going to break his leg tomorrow.”
“At your service, Oracle.”
She ached to touch him but refused, hugging herself more tightly instead. Her nerve began to frazzle. She walked away.
“Sofia.” There was a serious note in his voice that made her stop. His gaze was on her chest. She fingered the necklace there.
“The diamonds were a bit overwhelming for daily wear,” she admitted. “I restrung it onto one of my chains.”
He said nothing, and she saw the look that crossed his face, as if he wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“Is that okay?” she asked.
“Very.” He spun on his heel and left. She watched him go, admiring and puzzled.
“My dear Han, you were right about these damn moods,” she said in the empty hallway. He was worse than a woman PMSing.
You’re full of shit, he said into her thoughts.
She gritted her teeth, hating the fact he had open access to her thoughts and worse—he could respond to them!
“No,” Pierre said, blocking the library as she approached. “I’m not wasting any more of my time in there.”
“I have one more thing to do,” she said, holding up her list. “Why don’t you go spar? I promise not to leave.”
He gave her a look of supreme distaste before he, too, walked away.
What was it with these men and their moods? She shook her head and returned to the library. In truth, it was the one place in the house where she felt safe and comfortable when she wasn’t with Damian.
CHAPTER TEN
Claire didn’t look any worse for wear after a day in the offsite location Dusty had scouted as a temporary dungeon for their prisoners. If not for the worried flicker of her g
aze past him to see who followed, Damian would have thought this a social call.
“Dusty’s not here,” he said, irritated by the inference that he was somehow someone to be less feared.
“I guess I should feel honored to have your personal attention,” she said acidly.
She sat on one of two fold-out chairs in the concrete room, legs crossed and hands in her lap. He pulled up the other chair and sat across from her.
“Two hundred and sixty three,” he started. “That’s the number of Guardians you’ve killed directly with your actions over the past few thousand years. In an organization of less than five thousand, that’s a lot.”
“I offered to become your queen after Darian died,” she replied. “You threw me out with nowhere to go after the man who was meant to be my husband was killed. Who do you think paid the bills if you didn’t?”
“I’m not sure how betraying everything your husband stood for would excuse anything you did. You’re a pretty twisted bitch.”
Her eyes narrowed. Damian regarded her coolly, unwilling to let someone so undeserving get the best of him. When he wanted, he could be as cold as Dusty.
“You’d never understand,” she replied.
“You’re right. I’d never kill my mate or sell myself to Czerno.”
“It’s that bitch, isn’t it?” she exclaimed, rising and pacing. “I was meant to be at your side, not her!”
Damian felt something cool further within him at the reference to Sofia.
“You were meant to be at Darian’s side. Your skills as an Oracle were terrible, but he would’ve mated with you anyway,” he corrected her.
She shook her head as if he were the fool.
“Will you tell me why you betrayed him before I kill you?” he asked with calmness at odds with the storm in his breast.
Claire glanced away then back at him, taking in the resolve on his face. Suddenly she was mewling, kneeling beside him, her hands on his thigh and her face soft and beguiling.
Like the night she’d come to visit him upon arriving in Tucson. Damian gritted his teeth, remembering how tempted he’d been by the same ruse a few nights before.
“Forgive me, Damian. What I did was wrong,” she whispered. There were tears in her eyes, and she looked sincere.
She killed Darian.