by Setta Jay
“I don’t give a shit what you tell them,” Drake growled. The smoke was getting stronger and P looked tense. Drake snarled orders as his eyes flashed to the dragon. He was going to shift any moment. “Do your fucking job. Conn will give out grid sections to check in the mortal Realm.”
And then he was gone.
Leaving everyone standing silently in his wake.
Chapter 6
France, Earth Realm
Tasha whipped off her long coat and tossed it on the nearest chair as she and Nastia entered the mostly empty club. She listened to her sister do the same with hers, revealing a shiny rubber catsuit, her sister’s favorite. It covered everything yet concealed not one inch of her deadly curves.
Neither was in any mood to talk, but they’d have to at some point, there was a lot to decide. The sound of their high ‘fuck me’ boots sounding against the hard floors only ratcheted Tasha’s agitation level. The door clicking shut behind them was yet another overly loud annoyance in the wake of their blaring silence.
They hadn’t needed the warmth of the coats, but avoided drawing any unwanted scrutiny from their mortal employees. If Brigitte had come up to her office, she’d have assumed they’d exited through their private entrance as opposed to teleporting away. Their Mageia employees had always been given the impression that they were Mageia like them. They knew she and Nastia were powerful, but they had no idea how different that power was.
She headed straight for the bar, her jaw felt ready to crack from spending hours tensing it. Nastia’s steps were just as purpose filled, both needing a minute to think while their employees finished cleaning and preparing to leave for the night.
The mortals were blissfully unaware of the nightmare that was out in the Realm. Tasha and her sister needed to talk to Brigitte and set plans into motion. They’d gotten lax in the last few hundred years. They’d started to care for the people they allowed around them, not expecting the God to ever come for them. They’d heard all the myths of the Creators coming back and imprisoning the Gods and lost sight of him ever getting loose and possibly hunting them. For now they were hidden within the club’s wards, but when the time came they had the advantage of knowing more about Apollo’s tricks and artifacts than the God probably realized.
Her body was buzzing with anticipation. When Nastia had come back from overhearing the Guardians’ revelation that Apollo was in the Realm, Tasha had taken one stunned moment to process that knowledge before going to that island with her sister.
At first only two Guardians were there, and neither was Bastian or Sander. A relief, as she’d been worried about her power glitching around the Kairos, Bastian, again. They’d been sure to keep their distance but had been close enough to hear them talk some about the search for Apollo, their frustration at not finding any clues, and how Drake, the Guardian leader, would not take the news well that the God was in Earth Realm. Then there was mention of the God getting hit by the truck and wishing they could have been there to see his face. After that Sander and Bastian had shown up and they’d each followed the Guardians around the island as best they could by tracking their teleports. They only really learned that the God had been freed a month ago.
The second she’d seen Bastian, the compulsion to reform had been there, but she’d been prepared for it, able to control it. It was disconcerting that both Sander and Bastian somehow sensed them, but the others hadn’t. They may not know what they were detecting, but the knowledge was there. Never had that happened while they were in mist form.
Tasha pinched the bridge of her nose as they made it closer to the bar.
Brigitte slid up beside them, eying them intently as they took the most direct route to their destination. The club had been closed for about an hour and the place would be empty as soon as everything was cleared and cleaned for the next night.
Brigitte tilted her head for a second. “Rough night?” They both snorted so she continued. “Anything I should know about?” The Mageia had been with them for five years now. They were very selective of their pupils, but Brigitte had been worthy of their time, not to mention she was good at her job, loyal… intelligent. A friend as much as anyone could be with all of their secrets. Now Tasha worried that they hadn’t been doing her any favors with that bit of friendship.
“Maybe,” Tasha answered noncommittally. She and her sister still needed to discuss just what to tell Brigitte, what information could help her and what would only put her in more danger.
It grated that they’d been unable to learn anything more before the Guardians all left for some manor. They’d traced them to the confinement spell around Tetartos Realm. The one place she and Nastia couldn’t go without the risk of being trapped.
“How was it here?” Tasha asked as she slid around the bar. She raised a questioning brow at Brigitte to see how many glasses to pull. It wasn’t a shock that the Mageia nodded; they’d done this many a night. Tasha slid three up onto the carved wood bar, and when she turned to look at options, she got a glimpse of herself in the long mirror and stilled. Her image was mostly obscured by bottles, but it was still easy to see the hint of glassiness to her eyes, the flush of her tan skin. The arousal she felt for the Guardian, Bastian, was still apparent, which only added to her concern and frustration. She shouldn’t feel anything other than anticipation with the news they’d received. So why was her sex drive suddenly showing itself now? She frowned, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing before she spun around to avoid the reflection altogether.
She bent and found some of the top shelf rum. She liked hers straight, but she added ice and a splash of Coke for Nastia and Brigitte.
She wished she knew what it was about the male that made her itch to hunt him down, climb into his lap and lick the thick cord of his neck as she rode him hard and wild. Maybe tempt him like he tempted her. She wanted to get him out of her system so she could focus on the bigger picture, but that wasn’t going to happen. He could already detect her mist; if she attempted to fog his memory, would it even work? It obviously hadn’t been working well on Sander and that was with Nastia’s skills, which were far superior to hers.
Brigitte eyed them, but instead of pressing for answers she wouldn’t get, she sidled up to the bar and slipped out of her heels with a happy sigh. She and her sister were private, considered reclusive by the Mageia. “The numbers look good from the bar and door. I believe the private rooms were also quite profitable as well, but Candace is still finishing the totals in her office.” The profits never mattered to Tasha. She and her sister had plenty of money. The club was mostly a front for their other interests, but it was also a place that provided them with entertainment in a warded location. They dealt in secrets, among other things.
Tasha took a long sip of her drink and leaned against the bar.
She noted her twin’s continued silence and eyed her expression. Silent contemplation was never a good sign where Nastia was concerned, and she’d yet to touch her drink. Brigitte was sipping hers right along with Tasha.
Apollo would hunt them. She couldn’t imagine him not attempting to come for them. They were his most prized weapons.
After their escape, Notus, the twisted guard who’d helped them, had always been paranoid of Apollo coming for them. He’d made sure they stayed in warded locations and constantly bragged about his brilliance with regards to Apollo’s artifacts. In the process he’d given them the information they needed to guard against Apollo’s tricks.
Notus had explained how the God had lured and imprisoned all of the Immortals for his experiments. Apollo had used a spelled Rod to pull them close enough to cuff them. The artifact locked in on an Immortal at a certain distance, and if it caught them in the spell, they wouldn’t be able to think. They’d be compelled to go to it, so if they ever heard a faint fluttering noise like tiny wings flapping in the distance, then they were to teleport away immediately. They’d have seconds before the spell locked them in. At least the bastard had been good for something before his death.
“We may be going off grid sooner than expected.” Nastia’s tone was low, for Brigitte’s ears only. The Mageia stilled, her relaxed look giving way to concern and a hint of sadness. Brigitte had always known they would leave at some point. As part of their agreement, she would never look for them.
The look on the Mageia’s face brought a knife wound to Tasha’s chest. “You knew this time would come.”
Brigitte nodded and cleared her throat lightly. “I did,” she agreed softly. “What about my training?”
Tasha felt her eyes soften. “Long since complete and you know it,” she chided.
The Mageia appeared thoughtful, maybe resigned, though she tried to hide it in a hardened mask. Tasha would miss the female, but their departure had always been inevitable.
“When are you leaving?” she asked, pushing the glass forward for a refill.
“We’re not sure. As early as tomorrow,” Nastia said, drawing Brigitte’s gaze. Tasha saw her sister’s eyes warm and Nastia even tried for a reassuring smile. That alone was a feat. They’d definitely stayed too long. Her twin actually looked like she was trying to soothe the female. “You’ve got this.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Brigitte drawled and took a deep pull of her drink. Tasha was glad for the Mageia’s attempt at lightening the mood.
“Don’t pretend you needed it.” Nastia snorted as she twirled her still-full glass.
“Maybe I’ll just miss your bitchy ass,” the Mageia said, shaking her head as she released a deep sigh and then groaned. “What am I going to tell all your admirers? They’re going to be devastated.”
That comment earned a blinding smile from her sister. Brigitte was right, the males and females who came to Nastia would be heartbroken that their mistress was gone. “Candace can take over for me.”
Brigitte groaned. “She might whip them with computer cables and make them recite mathematical equations as punishments. I don’t anticipate them finding that quite as pleasurable as what they get from you.”
Nastia choked on a laugh. “She could surprise you. Or create a new facet to the art.” Nastia raised an arched brow.
Brigitte shook her head and downed the rest of her drink. “Jesus, I hope you’re joking.”
They all grinned for a second before Tasha poured another for the Mageia.
They sat there silently for long moments as Tasha sipped and stared off into nothing. Brigitte spun her glass thoughtfully between a thumb and forefinger. “Does your departure have anything to do with the Guardians that keep showing up? Two appearances in one night. First the two and then those two brought two others. They seemed to be looking for someone.”
Damn it. A look at her twin confirmed Nastia hadn’t felt the ward either. It had to have happened when they were in mist form.
Brigitte was aware that they avoided authority figures. They didn’t want their names added to any Mageia coven lists. Other Mageia assumed they were in hiding for some crime and they hadn’t squashed that rumor. Since the Guardians regulated the Mageia in covens, ensuring that the magic users weren’t out abusing the humans with their elemental powers, it wasn’t a surprise to their employees that they avoided Guardians, a fact that Brigitte and some of the others had noted the first time Sander had shown up at the club. Guardians were the big bad Immortal guards. In a way, they were legendary with the Mageia.
“What exactly did they ask?” This answered the question as to where Sander and Bastian had been before coming back to the island.
“They asked if I’d encountered anyone out of the ordinary. Someone powerful. I said I hadn’t. They didn’t ask much more, just looked around and then left a few minutes later.” She grinned. “So what did you two do to get on the Guardians’ radar?”
“What makes you think we did anything?” Tasha asked as she poured more rum in the Mageia’s drink.
Brigitte gave a smug grin. “Process of elimination.”
“Mmm. In this case I believe they’re looking for someone else.” Nastia looked over and Tasha got a little chill. They hadn’t thought about Apollo coming there. Neither of them would want anything to happen to Brigitte because they’d gotten close to the female and she knew them; she shook off that thought. They’d know if he was near and he couldn’t detect them in the warding. The Realm was huge and the mortal populations were in the billions. They wouldn’t be easy for the God to find unless they wanted to be found.
As far as power signatures went, Brigitte could feel that they had power, even that it was more than Mageia, but their signatures never threw off heavy power spikes like the Guardians. Even the two Lykos Notus had used in his grand escape plan hadn’t known that she and Nastia were anything more than two Kairos, teleporters.
“Are you going to share?” Brigitte asked with a twinkle in her eye.
Employees waved and shouted goodbyes as they headed for the exit. Candace muttered a fast update about the numbers as she practically ran for the door to meet a few other girls at an all-night cafe before heading home for the night, or morning. That left just the three of them.
She and her sister had a lot to discuss, but she knew her twin was still contemplating everything. So was she.
“I’ll give you a ride home and we can talk about it more later,” Nastia announced as she stood. She knew her sister would come back after seeing Brigitte to her place up in the hills. Nastia would double-check her wards and add more with their signatures so they’d know if the female’s home was breached.
Brigitte grumbled, but got up. “Had I known I’d have to ride with you, I’d have abstained.”
“I’m hurt.” Her sister’s eyes were all innocence, but she winked.
“Merde!” Brigitte muttered with some other choice French expletives. Nastia liked speed. “Do not make me ill this time,” she added while slipping back into her high black pumps.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Nastia agreed as the two headed for the back door. “I have the Bugatti today.” Her sister’s baby, she wouldn’t chance Brigitte getting sick in that ridiculously overpriced sports car.
Tasha sighed, she had maybe an hour before Brigitte was settled and Nastia came back. It was likely overkill adding more wards, but they’d rather be safe with Apollo loose. They would take care of him, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do damage before they got to him. If he’d been quiet for weeks, then what had he been up to? Was he working to get other Gods here? Did he have allies? The Guardians hadn’t said.
Tasha twirled her glass as she looked around the club. She’d miss it. She actually enjoyed running the place.
She set the glasses behind the bar and ran her fingers along the lacquered wood that topped it. Strolling around it, she tried to make sense of everything. She and Nastia had waited centuries to get their hands on Apollo. It had always been their deepest desire to destroy him, but after thousands of years, things had changed and retribution mattered less than living the lives they’d chosen. She still had every intention of doing her civic duty in ridding the world of the sadistic bastard, but it didn’t feel quite so personal. She wasn’t sure that it was the same for Nastia.
Tasha walked across the dance floor to the stairs that led to her private office. She keyed in the code and slipped in, using her telekinetic ability to turn on the sound system. She swayed to the sensual beat as she glided over to the desk. A few clicks brought up the image that kept playing in her mind. Why was she so fixated with the Guardian? Other tha
n his being the most gorgeous males she’d ever seen.
She bit her bottom lip as she tracked every inch of the male before growling in frustration. A hard click blacked out the screen. His image taunted her, still playing in her head. She looked out to the empty club, to the dimly lit catwalks. She needed to do something. It’d be a while before Nastia returned. A few keystrokes disengaged the video cameras and turned on the music in the main room. Her own personal playlist. Dancing would relax her.
Soon enough they would be out in the open where the God could find them. Right now, she was in a warded building and she planned to enjoy the moment. With a thought she broke apart, reforming out on the platform. The music flowed over her. The antiseptic scent of the cleaner used to wipe down the pole and clean the floors was still faint. She kicked up the air-conditioning system to take it away.
Perfect. She closed her eyes and let the music take her. Her hands caressed the silk covering her hips, and a second later she sent the material floating to the ground. Her hair cascaded down her back, over the tops of her breasts; the heavy mounds were lifted high in expensive black lace. Nastia spent her money on fast cars, whereas Tasha enjoyed sound systems and ridiculously pricey lingerie and sexy shoes. She palmed the metal, caressing it before circling her hips back to the sexy beat. She smiled lightly as she started circling then sped to let momentum lift her. She spun and spun, spreading her long legs, rotating in graceful arcs. She felt free, loved getting lost in the music. Her spiked boots touched down lightly as she let her legs spread while arching her back and neck. Her back slid down the cool metal and she kept her arms above her as if she were bound. Dancing for her dream lover.
Would Bastian bind her, take her with all the intensity she’d seen in those gorgeous dark eyes? She wondered what kinds of kinks he enjoyed; he didn’t seem the missionary type.
She nearly moaned imagining him there, his eyes on her… his hands. His power sliding over her body. She felt him, scented something decadent and smooth… masculine and addicting.
