by Tina Folsom
Dio motioned his arms toward the bigger of the two. “Do your worst then.”
Within seconds, fists went flying as Dio engaged Ari’s friend in a fight, dealing blows and kicks as fast as he was receiving them. But the guy couldn’t do much damage to him thanks to Dio’s godly powers and superior strength. It really wasn’t a fair fight.
“Don’t you wanna help your friend?” Dio taunted the other guy. “Looks like he’s about had enough.” He flashed the man a grin, but he didn’t take the bait.
“Two on one isn’t fair,” he responded and kept out of the fight.
It appeared that he had to bring in the big guns to make the guy join in the fight. As Dio dealt his opponent another uppercut to the chin, he continued, “Ari got exactly what she deserved. She wanted to be fucked, so I fucked her. You should have heard her scream out her pleasure.” Gods, he felt like an ass saying something that heartless.
The second man’s eyes finally flashed with anger. A moment later, he lunged at Dio and smashed his clenched fist into his face. Dio’s head snapped to the side, and he heard a cracking sound. Blood filled his nostrils and cascaded down his face. Shit, it hurt, but at least the feeling was better than what he’d felt before: guilt about dumping Ariadne and pain about hurting her.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Dio wiped the blood off his chin and nose and unleashed a mocking grin.
In response, the two guys pounced once more, aiming their hooks at him.
Mortals! They were so easily provoked.
“Asshole!” one of them spouted and landed a hard punch in Dio’s gut, temporarily knocking the wind out of him. The other one took the occasion and planted his foot in the hollow behind Dio’s knee, knocking him off balance. Dio landed on his ass. Before he could roll to the side and jump up, the bigger of the two assailants landed hard on his stomach, pinning him to the ground. The second guy instantly came down to their level and pummeled Dio’s face with his fists.
The taste of blood in his nose and mouth was nauseating, and the pressure in his head built. “Fucking assholes!” This wasn’t funny anymore.
With his last ounce of strength, Dio sent a blast of energy toward them, tossing them both further out into the parking lot. As they sat up, they exchanged a quick glance before jumping up. “Shit! Let’s get outta here!”
And then the wimps ran down the dark alley. “Weak sissies!” Dio yelled after them as he sat up. His head spun, and he halted in his movement. “Ah, shit! I feel like crap now!”
“Perfect, ‘cause you look like it, too!” a female voice commented.
Dionysus spun his head and found Hera standing just a few feet away from him. She was dressed in mortal clothes—very tight fitting leather pants and a lacy bustier to be exact—rather than her usual flowing tunic.
“Enjoying the view?” he grumbled.
“As a matter of fact, I do. The sight of your mangled face does something to me here.” She pressed her hand against her solar plexus and gave him a sugary sweet smile.
“I suppose it’s not compassion.”
Hera gave a very ungoddess-like snort. “Don’t take me for a fool. We have to talk.”
“Since when do you and I have anything to talk about?”
“Since yesterday.” She pursed her lips. “I saw what you did last night.”
Anger instantly rose in his stomach. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Haven’t the gods just recently agreed to stay out of each other’s bedrooms when it doesn’t concern them personally?”
The thought that Hera had watched his intimate encounter with Ariadne burned. What they’d had was private, something he didn’t want to share with anybody, something to cherish. Hell, how had he screwed up so badly with Ariadne? He had to fix this, and quick, before things got any worse.
Hera lifted her hand as if to inspect her fingernails. “Ah, that. Yes, I believe my philandering husband issued such a decree. But of course it won’t apply to me. And besides, this concerns me personally.”
Dio tried to rise to face her, but to his surprise, he was unable to. It felt as if somebody was pressing against his chest, holding him back. What the fuck? He leveled an angry glare at Hera. What was the bitch up to?
“And don’t bother getting up. I’m afraid those two guys have beaten you to a pulp and you’re too weak.”
“I kicked their asses!” Dio protested. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“Maybe you’re fine, but have you thought about how Ariadne feels? I can hear her crying even now.”
His gut twisted in agony, and he wished he could blame it on the wounds his assailants had inflicted on him, but the cause for his pain wasn’t physical. Knowing the Ariadne was crying hurt.“It’s none of your business, Hera, so stay out of it!”
“I can’t. As a goddess I have certain responsibilities. And one of them is to make sure no mortal is mistreated at the hands of a god.”
“I didn’t mistreat her. I only—”
“Stop interrupting me! You’re like your father! Never shuts up when he should listen!”
Dio pushed against her power, but she was older and stronger than he, and as long as she wanted to she would be in charge. She was an Olympian, and all Olympians had superior powers to such of the other gods. While Zeus was the strongest of them, Hera wielded more power than Dionyus could hope to conjure up. He was at her mercy, and he hated her even more for that. “Bitch!”
Hera shrugged. “You can call me all you want. I’m used to it. But I won’t allow you to hurt that mortal any longer.”
“What’s done is done!” he hissed at the same time as guilt knotted his stomach.
“It can be mended.”
“Don’t meddle in my affairs. You’ll regret it,” he warned but knew his threat carried little weight. “If Zeus finds out, he’ll—”
“Then we’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t find out, won’t we?” She graced him with a devious smile.
“You really think I wouldn’t rat on you? If you believe that, you don’t know me at all.” In the world of the gods no blow was too low, no means too evil to get back at another god—or goddess.
She put her hand to her mouth in a gesture of mock-shock. “Oh, no, how terrible! Well, I suppose I’ll have to prevent that from happening then.” Suddenly her tone changed. “Because if you don’t remember who you are, I guess you won’t be able to call for your father nor your friends or anybody else.”
“What the—”
“Don’t say ‘fuck’ again. I really hate that word. It grates on my nerves.” Then she lifted both her hands toward heaven. “I’m going to teach you a lesson. You will treat her differently this time, because I’ll make sure you don’t know what an asshole you really are. This time you’ll be the one pining for her, and she’ll lead you around by your nose. Then you’ll finally see what it feels like. I can’t take away all your powers, but I can make sure you don’t know you have them. And now, my dear boy, thorn in my eye, you’ll fall into a deep sleep, and when you come to, you’ll have no idea who you are or what happened to you. ‘Dionysus who?’ you’ll ask.” Then she laughed, and the sound echoed against the buildings and bounced off the few cars in the lot.
Ah, shit! It was his last coherent thought before blackness engulfed him and dragged him into a bottomless pit.
Chapter Six
Ariadne dried her tears and gave Gabrielle a grateful look. “Thanks. I’m not normally such a watering pot, but this just hit me from out of nowhere.” Having been confronted by Dio’s iciness had been too much for her fragile psyche to bear.
Gabrielle patted her hand. “Trust me, it would have hit me just the same. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll ban him from my bar.”
“You don’t have to do it. I bet he’s one of your best customers.”
Gabrielle shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. You’re my best supplier. Sometimes you’ve just gotta make a choice.”
Ari nodded. Gabrielle had been buying wine from her ever since she’d
opened her shop, and their professional relationship had always been amicable. However, it surprised her that Gabrielle would offer to drive Dio out of the bar just because he’d hurt her. Sometimes people still surprised her. “I’d better go.”
“Come, I’ll walk you out. Let’s go out the back. No need for him to see that you cried.”
Ari squeezed her hand, thankful for her understanding. Going back into the bar and possibly seeing Dio again as he continued flirting with those two girls wasn’t something she could stomach right now. “I’ll send you a complimentary case of the new Dry Creek shipment.”
“There’s no need for that. I’m glad to help. Cads like him shouldn’t be able to get away with it.” Gabrielle guided her through a hallway past a supply room, before they emerged at a foyer with several doors. Two were restrooms, the other led to the outside.
“Thanks,” Ari said.
“I’ll come outside with you. Might as well have a quick smoke while I’m at it. Can’t smoke in the bar anymore.”
As they walked outside into the dark parking lot, Ari felt a chill creep over her skin despite the warm night air. She shivered instantly and rubbed her arms.
“What the hell?” Gabrielle ground out.
Ari followed her look and saw a person lying on the ground about ten feet from the door, his upper body obstructed by Gabrielle blocking her view.
“God, I hate it when the drunks can’t even make it home on their own. And it’s barely past Happy Hour!” she ranted. “Let’s see if we can rouse him.”
Ari followed her as they approached the man. The moment her gaze darted past Gabrielle and caught the drunk’s form, the first thing she realized was that he was bloodied and had obviously been beaten. The second thing she realized was that she knew the man lying on the ground.
“Oh God, no!” Ari fell to her knees beside him.
“That’s what I’d call karma,” Gabrielle muttered next to her.
She ignored Gabrielle’s comment despite the fact that a tiny part of her had to agree. The other, more compassionate, part of her couldn’t help but wince: Dio’s face looked like it had been smashed in with a battering ram. There were bruises around his eyes, his nose seemed to be broken, his lips were split. Blood oozed liberally from his nose and the cuts on his face. His knuckles were bloody too, confirming that whoever he’d fought with had sustained a few injuries too.
“We have to help him. Call an ambulance.”
Gabrielle put her hand on her arm. “It doesn’t look so bad. I think we can do without.”
Ari tossed her an incredulous gawk. How could she say such a thing? “He looks horrible. He needs a doctor.” She fished for the cell phone in her handbag and pulled it out.
A moment later, Gabrielle clamped her hand over it. “If you call an ambulance, the police will come too. I can’t afford that right now.”
“What are you talking about?”
“After the big brawl last week, the Entertainment Commission got involved and issued a citation. I’m on notice. If I can’t keep order in the place, they’ll yank my license.”
Ari’s forehead furrowed. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m dead serious. And hey, he’ll be fine. Look, he’s already moving. Looks like he’s coming ‘round.” Gabrielle pointed back at Dio. “Besides, serves him right for the way he treated you. You have no obligation whatsoever to take care of him.” She got up and brushed off her pants.
“You can’t just leave him here.”
“Feel free to tend to him if you’re charitable, but if I were you I’d know what I’d do. Let him suffer!” Then she gave a tight smile. “Men get into brawls all the time. I’ve seen much worse, trust me. He’ll be fine in the morning. A few band-aids are all he needs. And some ice maybe.”
She turned and disappeared back into the bar.
Ari exhaled sharply. She didn’t want to be the reason for her to lose her liquor license. She wouldn’t do that to anybody. Had Gabrielle exaggerated about the threat from the Entertainment Commission? Could it really be this bad?
Not wanting to go against Gabrielle’s wishes, she glanced back at Dio who was now stirring, a deep groan coming from his lips. She pulled out a tissue from her handbag and dabbed at the gash on his lips. The tissue soaked up the blood instantly, and his head jerked to the side avoiding her touch.
“Ouch!” His eyes flew open, its intense blueness in stark contrast to his bloodied face. He glared at her.
“Keep still, or it’s going to hurt even more,” she advised, miffed at his displeasure. Ungrateful bastard! He should be glad that she was helping him!
Grabbing her hand and stopping her from applying the tissue once more, he rose to a sitting position, albeit with an expression of pain on his face. Deep frown lines dug into his normally smooth face. When he finally spoke, it seemed to be with great effort.
“What happened?”
“It looks like you got beat up. You probably picked a fight with somebody,” she muttered.
Dio released her hand and swiped his over his face, wincing as he inspected his injuries one by one. “Ah, shit!” Then he ran his hand through his tousled hair before staring straight at her. His eyes perused her as if taking her in for the first time. They wandered from her face, down to her torso and her legs, then back up again.
“Were you there when it happened?” His voice was slightly slurred, his bloody lip making it difficult to form clear words.
Ari shook her head. “We—I found you afterwards.”
He nodded, then stared at the bloody tissue she still clutched in her palm. “And who may I thank for my rescue?”
She felt her forehead crease as she tried to make sense of his strange words. “What do you mean?”
Dio attempted a smile, but abandoned it with a groan. “Your name. I want to know your name so I can thank you properly for helping a stranger.”
Shock froze her speechless for several seconds. How could he be so cruel and pretend he didn’t even know her? She glared at him, but a surprised look was his only answer. How could he gape at her like he didn’t even know her?
With a jerky movement, she rose to her feet. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.” And she’d tried to be nice by helping him.
“Doing what?” He lifted himself to stand, wincing as he did so.
“Pretending you don’t know me!”
“But I don’t know you.” Then he grinned, his curved lips unleashing one of his most devastating smiles. “But I wouldn’t mind getting to know you.”
“Dio! You … you—”
He snatched her hand. “Who’s Dio?”
Her next breath caught in her chest. Could it be possible? No, those things wouldn’t happen, would they? She glanced at his face again, at the injuries he’d sustained. Then she lifted her hand and brought it to his head, cupping the back of it and running her fingers over his skull.
He gave her an utterly confused look. “What are you doing?”
“Checking for a bump.” If he’d hit his head during the fight, then maybe he wasn’t playing dumb. Maybe he had a concussion and was confused.
“What for?”
“To see if you hit your head.”
He encapsulated her hand with his and pulled it off his head. “I’m fine. You haven’t answered my question. Who’s Dio?”
“You are.”
He shook his head. “Trust me, I’d know if my name was Dio. What a stupid name!”
“On that, we agree, at least,” she grumbled, then thrust her chin up in challenge. “So if your name isn’t Dio, what is it then?”
He opened his mouth, then instantly shut it. A look of confusion skidded over his features, then the frown lines on his forehead deepened. “Uh …” He surveyed the sky as if searching for something up there before seeking her eyes. “I don’t know what my name is.”
Again, he ran his hand through his hair, an air of impatience around him now. “I have no idea who I am and how I got here.”
> At his words, Ariadne’s brain started churning. Had he lost his memory in the fight? She hadn’t felt a bump on his head, but maybe there didn’t need to be a bump. Any kind of trauma could have provoked a loss of memory. Maybe his assailant had hit Dio with such force that something in his brain had rattled. For sure, his external injuries were bloody enough to assume such a blow had been dealt.
As she searched his face for an answer, she couldn’t stop other thoughts from invading her mind. What if this was her chance at starting with a clean slate? Maybe they had a second chance. Could they start all over again and fix whatever had gone wrong between them? If only she knew why Dio had wanted things to be over. Had she been too easy for him? After all, he’d dumped her as soon as she’d slept with him. Maybe she should have made him wait longer so he knew that she was worth it. That had to be it.
Or maybe you could just teach him to treat you with respect?
Where had that thought come from? Maybe from the same place that now suggested that this was the perfect opportunity to give him a taste of his own medicine, to teach him a lesson and make him infatuated with her while she would play it cool this time.
Even though she tried to ignore the ideas that crept into her mind, and told herself that she wasn’t a vengeful person, the thoughts kept coming, foreign, as if they weren’t her own. If he didn’t know who he was, and if he didn’t recognize her, he wouldn’t know what he’d done to her, how he’d hurt her. Wouldn’t it be unfair to play with his feelings if he didn’t know how he’d hurt her?
Unfair? the voice in her head mocked. Was he fair to you?
Ari bit her lip. It was true; he’d been an ass!
Teach him a lesson! Bend him to your will! Make him do what you want! You have the power!
She couldn’t resist the insistent voice in her head and opened her mouth before she even knew what she was going to say. “Your name is Dio. And I’m your fiancée, Ariadne.”
