by JJ King
“What?” Cate mumbled aloud, rolling over onto her back and onto something hard. She opened a single eye and saw acres of taunt golden flesh, stretched out on the king size bed. Jerome, she recognized, pleased that her instincts had been right about him. Lifting her head slowly, Cate saw another body, this one long and lithe, a dancer's body, tucked into the curve of the first.
We need to talk, Selene urged, drawing Cate's attention back to her and the hour. It was dawn, she’d lost track of the time. In a few short minutes, she’d transform from dark to light.
Sure, Cate stretched and ran a hand over her head, instantly transforming her sex mussed hair into soft, shiny waves. Her face she left untouched, she didn't need the trappings of modern beauty to be gorgeous. What's up?
I've found a way for us to speak together. Selene’s mind grabbed and shook Cate's shoulders, prompting her to move faster.
Cate frowned, slipping quietly from the bed, though she didn't need to bother. Her partners for the previous night’s extracurricular activities were so exhausted they'd probably sleep for the day. She'd booked the suite for a second day to let them rest.
Talk, talk? Cate stopped in the doorway of the opulent bathroom. For over two thousand years they’d been stuck in the same cycle with just enough time conscious of one another to say hello and goodbye. They’d spent centuries searching before giving up and accepting their new conjoined reality. Hope sprang into Cate’s chest. As in for more than a few minutes each day?
Yes! I've been searching for a way and I know this is it. Selene’s voice began to grow stronger inside the body they shared as the sun rose and Cate began to fade away.
Tell me tonight, Cate yelled, excited that she'd been wrong about Selene's sullen mood. The part of her that was the moon did have hope. Cate let go of their connection and let herself fade into oblivion as the day and Selene began their cycle.
CHAPTER TWO
Cate felt the familiar stirrings of awakening a split second before her soul was wrenched from her body. She reacted immediately, gathering her magic while kicking and screaming, and fought her way through a dark mist that suddenly surrounded her like a thick fog. She came through it snarling and crouched, ready to attack the moment she gained her bearings.
“Calm down, you old witch,” a sweet voice filled with laughter spoke from just behind her. “You look like a crazy person.”
Cate whirled around as her pulse exploded into action. Shock mixed with relief and pure love surged through her an instant later as she recognized a face as familiar to her as her own. She launched herself forward, unable to find words, and gathered Selene into her quivering arms. She hung onto her other half, wondering if this was somehow a dream, and just let herself enjoy the warmth of the woman she’d shared a body with for thousands of years.
When she could finally speak, Cate pulled back. “How is this happening? What did you do? Oh goddess!” She pulled Selene back in for another embrace. “This is more than I could have ever dreamed.”
Selene clung to her in return, pulling back just enough to stare at her with eyes brimming with tears. The feeling of being separate again after thousands of years was confusing, for both of them Cate understood, as she watched the play of emotion across Selene’s beautiful face.
“Nyx,” Selene’s voice whispered the name softly, but loud enough for Cate to hear clearly.
Cate frowned, sure she mustn’t have heard right. “Nyx?” She cocked an eyebrow as the happy feelings receded and were replaced by a churning acid in her stomach. “As in the Nyx, Primordial goddess of the night and underworld? The one I won’t even discuss as an option because she’s too powerful to play with?” With each question she felt anxiety burn through her veins. Cate glared at Selene and prayed she’d heard wrong.
“I’m not playing at anything, Cate.” Selene squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, ready for battle. “It’s been too long. We haven’t found a single thing to help free Endymion in over two thousand years and I was ready to give up. Then Medusa showed up and I started thinking that if we could just spend more than five minutes together at dawn and dusk then we’d be able to come up with something.”
Cate ground her teeth together, trying not to yell at Selene for disturbing the primordial balance without discussing it with her first. She was right about some things, they did need to talk freely and for longer than they’d ever been able to before, but… she huffed out a deep breath and forced herself to focus on the positive. They were together and in separate bodies. It was literally a miracle. “How does Nyx fit into all this?”
Selene’s eyebrows rose.“Well,” she started hesitantly, filling Cate with even more anxious thoughts, “sometimes, not often, but sometimes, she joins me in the night sky. She never speaks, just fills the sky and me with her power. It’s actually kind of amazing when she does come. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before, not even when you…” she trailed off.
Cate knew they were remembering the same moment. The moment when they’d merged to save Endymion, not knowing it would seal their fate and combine their lives intrinsically. The magic they’d shared in that moment had been powerful and overwhelming, even for her, so Selene’s comparison piqued her interest. “How much power? Enough to make a dent on Endymion?”
Selene sighed. “Maybe, but I don’t think so and, like you’ve reminded me a million times, her power it too volatile to play with.”
“So, what then?” Cate’s voice ground out in frustration. She was forever getting pissed at Selene for wasting their precious time together by blathering on about unimportant things. It seemed the emotion was too ingrained in her to be compromised by the miracle they were experiencing. “Spit it out.”
“Morpheus,” Selene said triumphantly as if the single name would explain everything. When Cate just stared at her without a eureka moment, she elaborated. “Morpheus is Nyx’s grandson. He’s the god of…”
“I know what he’s the god of. What does that have to do with us being wherever the hell this is?” Cate looked around them, seeing nothing but darkness and fog. Then realization struck. Her mouth gaped open as laughter bubbled up inside her. “We’re in a dream?”
Selene nodded and grinned. “It’s called a dreamscape, almost like an alternate world from what Morpheus explained. In here, he’s in control. Zeus has no dominion over this world. Morpheus can also summon others to join our dreamscape. They don’t even need to be asleep.”
“Which is why he can summon us both at the same time.” Cate felt her eyes fill with tears and blinked rapidly, not really caring if they fell. She might maintain a badass exterior to the world at large but when she was with Selene, she let those walls down. “You’re a genius.” She reached for Selene’s hands and squeezed them. “How long do we have?”
“He didn’t put a limit on it,” Selene looked around as if searching for something in the mist. “But he did agree to summon a few more guests.” She tapped a finger against her full lips and hummed. “I wonder when they’ll show up.”
“Who did you ask for?” Cate’s mind shifted into overdrive. It was obvious that her other half had been doing some serious plotting. In the three months since they’d gotten Medusa’s pledge to help them, she’d been beyond frustrated by Selene’s lack of interest in talking strategy when, in reality, the little wench had been searching for a way to bring them together. Cate peered into the fog around them and wondered why Selene hadn’t shared any of this with her.
“People who can help.” Selene narrowed her eyes then broke into a huge grin and pointed. “There.” She stepped toward the fog and opened her arms. “Welcome, Medusa.” She looked past the gorgon and arched a delicate brow. “And you, Poseidon. Welcome.” Cate nearly laughed at the lack of warmth in Selene’s tone as she addressed the god of the seas.
“I’d say thank you for the warm welcome but I’m not entirely sure where we are and if I want to be here,” Medusa said in a steely tone. She crossed her arms and eyed them, pursing her lips. A
fter a few moments, she lifted a hand and pointed back and forth between them, “Aren’t you two supposed to be in the same body?”
Selene’s bubble of laughter made Cate’s heart thrill. It had been too long, far too long since she’d heard that easy, lovely sound on a regular basis. She’d missed it so much.
“You’re in a dreamscape, thanks to Morpheus,” Cate informed them. “He brought us all here so Selene and I could be separate long enough to make a plan.”
“To save Endymion, I presume,” Medusa said chewing on her lower lip. She gave a subtle nod and smiled. “Smart. So, why are we here?”
It was Cate’s turn to arch a brow. “Surely you haven’t forgotten your pledge to help us free Endymion so soon.” Her blood heated at the thought that a promise made would be so easily forgot. Medusa had gotten the happily ever after she’d set out to find for her sister and, as it turned out, for herself, but life wasn’t always that easy. Some people didn’t find all the answers overnight. Some took an eternity and still searched.
“No.” Medusa shook her head and glanced up at Poseidon, who watched silently by Medusa’s side. “We haven’t forgotten a thing. I’m just wondering if you have a plan yet or if we’re all here to strategize.”
Cate’s blood settled. She nodded her head slowly and shrugged. “I know as much as you do right now. It seems our friend Selene here has all the information, for now.” Cate grinned at Selene and urged her on with a nudge. “Well come on then, let’s get to plotting.”
“Just a minute,” Selene admonished, looking back into the fog. “He’ll be here soon.”
“Who?” all three of them asked at the same time.
“Me,” a resonant voice sounded from the shadows. Cate whipped around to see a man step confidently out of the darkness. His eyes glittered like the pale summer sky behind thick black lashes. The light on dark combination was so startling, it made Cate’s palms go clammy.
Selene grinned. “Thank you for doing this, Morpheus.”
He nodded slightly and returned the smile. “My pleasure,” he murmured.
Cate wiped her hands on her leg absently as she watched the newcomer. He was breathtaking. His wild curling hair, his deeply tanned skin, his broad shoulders and slow, devastating grin. Her heart thudded then raced wildly in her chest as the man, the god, stepped forward to shake each person’s hand. Cate stared at him as he moved, so sinuous and smooth, because she couldn’t force herself to stop. Then he was standing before her and, for a moment, she forgot to breathe. His eyes widened slightly as he stared deep into her eyes, never blinking, never looking away. When he reached for her hand she offered it as if in a dream.
In a dream.
Cate blinked as Morpheus dipped his head to kiss her hand, breaking the intense eye contact that had made her chest feel too tight. It allowed her to think for a split second, to wonder about that feeling, about his abilities.
At the last moment, before his full lips could touch her skin, she yanked her hand back, pulling it tight to her chest, and glared. He was the god of dreams, he controlled this entire dreamscape. It would be nothing for him to mess with her reaction to him, although she wasn’t sure why he would. Something was wrong, though. She was acting like a school girl with her first crush., not an ancient witch who could control the elements and tap into the earth’s magic. He had to be fucking with her. She leaned into him. “Let’s get one thing straight from the very start,” she hissed. “I’m grateful for your help in this but if you mess with my head ever again, I’ll flatten you.”
Slowly, he lifted his head and stared into her eyes. In his she saw surprise, followed quickly by awe, and then wonder. Cate’s stomach fluttered wildly but she refused to break eye contact, to back down even an inch from this god who’d used his abilities to blur her own desires. She didn’t like him, she decided, no matter what her hormones were saying.
He pulled away and stood, still watching her intently, for a long moment before nodding deftly and turning to greet the others. Cate took a moment to settle her nerves.
“What the hell was that?” Selene’s whisper brought Cate back into the moment and reminded her that she wasn’t alone as usual. There were onlookers now and Selene was one of them.
Cate feigned ignorance. “What was what?” She hoped Selene would drop it but knew better after a few millennia together.
“You stopped breathing, Cate,” Selene murmured, inching closer. “You looked like you wanted to strip him bare and ride him one second, then a second later you looked like you wanted to kill him.”
“Selene!” Cate hissed, turning to glare at her. “Remember where we are. We’re not just inside one another’s heads anymore. Others can hear.” Heat rose up through her body at the thought that Morpheus or even Medusa or Poseidon could have heard Selene’s very detailed description of exactly how she’d actually been feeling. Cate pushed back at the embarrassment and latched onto the other feeling she’d experienced, anger. “Besides, it doesn’t matter. It’s not real. We’re in his world, remember. He can make us see and feel anything he wants.”
Selene frowned. “He didn’t make me see or feel anything. Why would he be messing around with you?”
“I don’t know and I’m not entirely sure I want to find out. Not here anyway. He’s too powerful here.” Cate chewed her lip and made note to think over the issue a bit more when she had time.
“Well then, let’s get to it.” Morpheus’ baritone voice struck a chord deep in Cate’s core that heated her like an inferno. He waved his hand and a beautifully carved circular wooden table along with five matching high-backed chairs appeared at the center of the dreamscape. Cate sat lightly, aware of every inch of her anatomy touching the velvet covered seat.
What was he doing to her?
“Why are you here?” The question left her mouth before she could pull it back. Cate grimaced at her own edginess, especially since it was so obviously confusing and frustrating Selene, but it wasn’t her fault. Morpheus was doing something to her. Still, for the sake of the mission, she pulled her attitude back and swallowed her pride. Cate cleared her throat. “My apologies. I seem to be a bit shaken up by all of this.” She caught Morpheus’ too intense gaze for a moment, then wrenched her gaze away.
“I’m here,” Morpheus replied deliberately, “as a favor to my grandmother and,” he arched an eyebrow, drawing attention to his disarmingly blue eyes, “because it gives me pleasure to stick it to the asshole, Zeus.”
Cate caught her breath on a choke of laughter and had to look away to stop herself from smiling. Yes, he was probably doing something to her and she didn’t appreciate it one bit, but it wasn’t everyday that you heard someone call the father of the Olympian gods an asshole and live to tell the tale. Their history was filled with stories of people who tried just that and were fried by lightning bolts or chained to a rock and visited by a particularly ornery eagle on a daily basis. “He really has no dominion over this space?” she asked quietly as if whispering would save her.
Morpheus nodded and lifted his hand, palm up, in the middle of the table. Cate watched with rising curiosity as he twitched his fingers, creating a wisp of cloudy that twisted and turned until it resembled Zeus, complete with a lightning bolt and his trademark ever-present frown. Morpheus’ lips turned up in an irreverent grin. “Zeus is a fucking twat-faced cunt nugget.”
Gasps filled the air and floated in the silence as they all waited for Morpheus to be struck down from above.
CHAPTER THREE
Seconds passed without the scent of ozone and death, then minutes, then Selene burst into laughter that bubbled out of her with tears and gasps for breath.
Cate waited for Selene’s mania to pass, knowing her friend would need her when the grief and pain finally hit. She watched Selene silently, letting her vent everything she’d felt for millennia, while she herself kept her own emotions locked firmly inside. This wasn’t her time to grieve.
Selene clutched her chest as her laughter shifted and
built to the breaking point. When her scream broke loose, Cate gathered her close and held on while emotion wracked Selene’s body. Everything she’d suppressed for eons wrenched itself free from her small frame, destroying her while setting her free. There was silence all around them as Selene shed her pain before an audience of empathetic onlookers. They understood, Cate thought as she smoothed Selene’s hair down her back like a mother did to a child. She glanced at Morpheus who looked away, giving them an ounce of privacy. At least most of them understood.
After a few minutes, Selene raised her head and began dabbing at her face with her fingertips. Without a moment's hesitation, Morpheus pulled a square of soft looking fabric from the dreamscape and handed it to Selene.
“Thank you,” she murmured, wiping her face dry. Selene sniffed and visibly pulled herself together after her mini breakdown while Cate watched her with pride. “Okay,” Selene said in a husky tone, “now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk strategy.” She paused for a second, then shot Cate an irreverent grin and, as one, they let loose every curse they’d ever learned in their more than two thousand years alive, aimed directly at Zeus.
