by Judith Post
She rubbed her arms to smooth away goose bumps that prickled her skin. Her steps faltered, but she forced herself to turn back toward Lester’s. She could run. She could go home, toss her belongings in her SUV, and drive as far as her vehicle would take her.
She could picture the look on Dante’s face if she didn’t show. Disappointment. Contempt. Would he ever duck and hide? Hardly. He faced trouble head-on, went out of his way to take on more responsibility. Why?
Ally knew the answer to that. So that he didn’t cower and wait every minute of every day of his immortal life. She squared her shoulders and marched on. She’d always pitied Stheno for hiding in a cave, terrified of being found. But wasn’t she doing close to the same thing? She was moving about in the world, but was she really living….or only existing? She had muscles, damn it. Maybe it was time to flex them.
When she was almost to Lester’s, she watched Jason’s Audi turn into the lot and park as close to the restaurant as possible. That surprised her. She thought he’d park in a back row, so that she’d walk in shadows when he offered her a ride home. When he got out of the car, he surprised her again. Instead of going inside, he leaned against its door to wait for her. He kept glancing at his watch. When he saw her approach, he nearly ran to meet her.
“I had this awful feeling that you were going to punish me by not showing up—a little tit for tat.” He yanked her toward the building, away from the door. He quickly scanned the parking lot. “Change of plans. I’ve made a terrible mistake. You need to turn around and leave here. I’ll go to my hotel, pack up, and start running. Forget you ever met me.”
Ally stared. What the hell had happened? “Too late. The mercenaries you sent for me are already dead.”
His tan bled to pasty-white. “Mercenaries?”
“When you didn’t show up, a warlock and a Were attacked me in the parking lot.”
“They came after you?” He gripped her arm so tightly, she winced. “It’s my fault. I thought Theo had forgotten about me. I was wrong.”
He dragged her inside and asked to be seated at a table in a dimly lit corner of the room. Like the Italian restaurant, there was enough noise, they wouldn’t be overheard. When the waitress came, Jason ordered fried calamari—“You’re Greek, right? You like it?”—and they both ordered wine. He waited for the waitress to leave, then words tumbled from his lips. “I’ve put you in danger. I’m sorry. I was stupid. I should have known.”
He was agitated, and truly sorry. It showed. None of that mattered at the moment. She pointed an accusing finger. “You must know what I am. How?”
He lowered his gaze, not meeting her eyes. “I knew your sister.”
Her breath caught. Held. “Stheno?”
He fiddled with his napkin, trying to calm himself. “I was with her when she died.” His voice was so strained, she could hardly make out his words. “I was sleeping beside her.”
Ally’s hands balled into fists. “You’re the one who cut off her head?”
“Hell, no!” His face went ashen, whiter than before. “She wanted to protect me…” He ran a hand through his blond hair. “She considered herself a monster. Can you believe that? Theo’s the monster.”
“The Theo who’s after you?”
He gave a quick nod. “She screamed for me to run. She was afraid I’d look at her, that she’d accidentally turn me to stone. I took off, and when I got back….” His shoulders sagged. He gripped the edge of the table to steady himself. “She told me over and over again that if anything happened, I should try to find you. But I just couldn’t. If she hadn’t been with me, Theo would never have found her. She’d still be safe.”
Ally could see the dominoes falling into place, one after the other, a chain reaction. “Stheno fought to protect you? She was happy when she died?”
“You don’t get it. I didn’t think Theo could find me, but he did. It’s my fault he killed her.”
“How long were you together?” A little bubble of joy expanded in Ally’s chest. For years, she’d pictured her sister, cowering in a cave, afraid to step into the sunshine.
Jason sighed. “Maybe seventy years or more. Not enough. Stheno was magic, beautiful….”
Ally couldn’t help it. She reached across the table and grabbed his hands in hers to give them a squeeze. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
His jaw dropped. He looked stunned. The waitress came with their order, and he tried to gather himself. When she set his wine on the table, he reached for it and took a healthy gulp.
“You okay?” the waitress asked.
“Fine.”
“Just find out you’re going to be a father?”
Jason started coughing, couldn’t stop. Ally shoved a glass of water his way, and he gulped some down.
The waitress gave an apologetic nod. “Hang in there, bud. Give it some time.”
When the woman left, Ally grabbed her glass, too, but raised it in a salute. “You have no idea how long my sister hid from the world, more depressed, more lonely, every time we talked. Why didn’t she tell me? Why didn’t she say that she’d found someone?”
Jason took a minute to gather his composure. Then he let out a deep sigh. “She worried if someone found her, and she was in contact with you, they’d find you too. She wanted to protect you.”
Just like Stheno. Ally blinked away tears. “Always the nurturer. When we were growing up, she was the caretaker, not our mother.”
Jason’s voice broke. “It cost her her life. Because of me.”
“At least she had a life.” Ally frowned, suddenly angry, and gave him a long, hard look. “But why did you flirt with me, send me flowers? What were you playing at?”
“Oh, gods, how can I explain?” He rubbed his eyes, a weary motion. “I wanted you to like me. I wanted to be friends, to be able to talk. I couldn’t think of a good way to start. It’s not like I could say, ‘By the way, Sheno and I were lovers.’ I didn’t think that would fly.”
That’s when it hit her. Ally stared. “You’re still not over her.”
“I want to share her memories with someone. There’s no one like her, never will be.”
Ally reached for the calamari. She should be sad, but joy kept bubbling inside her. She’d pictured Stheno as alone and miserable, then… betrayed and killed. But Jason had truly loved her. All better scenarios than anything Ally had ever imagined. She shook her head, a half-smile tugging her lips upward. “How did you two meet?”
Jason’s gaze wandered to the window, to the view outside. “I was running for my life. I went to a miserable island. I thought no one lived there. I found a cave, and to my surprise, it was filled with beauty….and Stheno.”
Ally hugged herself. Finally, she sat silent, deep in thought. “You can’t be mortal. I’ve never smelled your scent before. What are you?”
The waitress returned to take their dinner orders. They only ordered more wine, their appetites gone. She looked from one of them to the other, concerned.
“We’re getting there,” Ally assured her. “It’s complicated.”
“I could bring you a little chocolate cake—on the house—to celebrate.”
“We’re not up for that yet, but thanks.” It was nice of the woman to care, even if she was a stranger…and had the wrong idea. When she left, Ally narrowed her eyes to study Jason more closely.
He pressed his lips together, embarrassed again. “I’m sort of a wraith. Not the ordinary kind. Way back when this all started, my spirit stepped out of my body to warn me that my death was near. I knew what that meant. I’m the older brother in my family—a mortal. Theo was coming for me, to take my heritage for himself.”
Ally rubbed a hand across her forehead. Each thing she heard confused her a little more. “How can you be a wraith? You’re solid. I can touch you.”
He sighed. “Everything’s complicated. It’s because of my mother’s sacrifice. My father died before she had me. When I was born, she bundled me up and went to the shrine of our god protecto
rate. She offered sacrifices on his altar and prayed for him to protect me, since she was without husband and would have to raise me by herself.”
Ally nodded. She’d lived in Greek times. There was a god or goddess for each and every need.
“My mother was a woman of charm and beauty. She won more than the god’s blessings. Theo’s their son, half-god, half-mortal—better in all things than I am, but he wanted my birthright too. When he came for me, Mother threw herself in front of me.” He paused, upset. “He killed her by mistake. The first woman who died for me.”
Ally could feel the yellow creep into her eyes. She struggled to control her temper. What was wrong with this Theo? “You were mortal. All he had to do was wait.”
“Theo’s not good at that.”
She took a quick breath. “What did Theo’s father say when Theo killed his own mother?” She’d personally witnessed a goddess’ wrath, was living proof of the consequences. Hopefully, Theo’s punishment was grave.
“My brother was banished for a while, but eventually, our father moved on to a new woman, another century. And somehow, I still lived.”
That was it? Theo was banished? What a wimpy god. “A wraith doesn’t lengthen your life. It warns you when you’re in danger.”
Fear lit Jason’s eyes. “That’s why you have to run. I thought I was safe, forgotten, but it slipped out just before I left my hotel to come here tonight. That means….”
“Theo’s coming for you again. Or me. Or both of us. But that doesn’t explain your long life.”
He shook his head impatiently. “Somehow, when my spirit returned to my body, it fused with my flesh. But it still warns me when I’m in danger.”
She took a deep breath. “A wraith—that explains your scent.”
“I smell?”
“Like new mown grass and flowers—a graveyard.”
“And you still spent time with me?”
She ignored his question. “Have you been running ever since?”
“I can’t defeat Theo. I have no super human strengths, only longevity. Even that comes at a price.”
Ally knew the feeling. She never fit in anywhere. Other people aged. She didn’t. If she stayed in one place, people noticed.
The waitress dropped off their check, a worried frown creasing her forehead at their serious expressions. Jason glanced outside. “It’s still daylight.” He dug for his wallet. “Theo lost interest in me when he killed Stheno. He was too keen on defeating his enemies with her head. I haven’t seen him in centuries. Then I came here and ….”
“Theo’s after you again.”
“No, he’s been waiting for me to lead him to you. I’ve done it again, put someone else in danger. We need to get out of here. We need to run. If we go in different directions, maybe Theo will follow me and leave you alone.”
Ally shook her head. “I’ve been waiting a long time to find my sister’s killer.”
“Who cares? You can’t bring her back, and you can’t defeat Theo.”
“Does he still have Stheno’s head?”
Jason winced, but nodded.
“I want it. I’ll give it to Athena. She’ll put it in a place of honor.”
“Theo uses it to turn people to stone.”
“Not me. It can’t be used against me.”
“I don’t want to see it. If I have to, I hope it’s the last thing I do.”
It would be. Ally could guarantee him that, but she had no intentions of letting Theo kill Jason or her. “I’m not running. I’m ready. The first attack caught me by surprise. I’m expecting this one.”
He pushed away from the table, got to his feet. “Theo knows that. He’s destroyed everyone who’s ever gone against him. He’s too strong.”
“No, he’s too sneaky. I hate cowards who send other people to do their dirty work.”
Jason stared. “You don’t understand. Theo always wins.”
“Not this time.”
“Yes, believe me. He will. He’ll have too many people. You won’t have a chance.”
Ally rose, too, and gave a cold smile. “I have friends of my own. This time, Theo’s the one who’s in for a surprise.”
Jason threw money on the table and glared at her. “I don’t have any super powers. I can’t help you.”
“Yes, you can. You can sit in the bar where it’s safe so I don’t have to worry about you while we fight.”
He ran his hand through his blond hair. “That’s what Stheno told me to do. She’s dead.”
“She was right. You’ll only get in my way. When it’s over, I’ll come for you.”
“If you win.”
“I will.” She glanced outside. The sun was setting. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for Stheno, and it’s time. I’ve waited for vengeance for centuries.”
“If you lose, Theo will come for me. It’s not just your life you’re risking.”
“You can run if you want to.”
“No, I’m tired of playing hide-and-seek with my brother.”
“Then let’s end this, now.”
The waitress watched her leave him at the bar. Jason sagged onto a stool and ordered a beer, looking for all the world as though it would be his last drink. Ally stalked to the door and walked into the parking lot. She glanced around quickly. It would soon be night. She started toward Jason’s car. No one challenged her. She peered through the window. No one hiding in there.
What would Theo expect her to do next? She started back toward the restaurant, but three, towering men stepped across the stoop, blocking her way. They started toward her, and she hurried away from them. Not to escape, but to walk deeper into the shadows, so that no one could see what happened next.
She crossed to the back of the lot. A warlock had already snuffed out the street lamps there. Darkness surrounded her, and she shifted. Her legs coiled together and shot out in a long rope. Her scales slithered across the cement, and she moved in a swift, flowing motion. Her hair sprang to life, hissing and writhing. Her teeth and nails grew. No surprise for Theo. He knew she was a Gorgon. He knew Weres couldn’t harm her. Magic was another thing. Warlocks didn’t have to get close enough to look her directly in the face or to be within striking distance of the snakes that sprang from curls.
She gave a grim smile. She’d been attacked by warlocks early in her life as a monster. It was only luck that she’d survived. That’s when Athena took matters into her own hands. The goddess dragged Ally to her fellow goddess and begged Artemis to show mercy too. And Artemis granted it. Now, Ally had magic of her own.
More warlocks stepped from the shadows, surrounding her. They raised their arms to shoot energy at her, and four shapes hurtled from the sky. Each gargoyle grabbed a warlock from behind and crushed them in their strong arms. The other warlocks repositioned themselves, still out of striking distance. They purposefully stared at her torso, avoiding her face. This time, when they raised their arms, they were too slow. She’d already said her chant and aimed her own energy at them. It hit them hard enough to knock them off their feet.
When the first raised his head off the pavement, Ally shot him with white, hot heat, boring a hole through his head. The second tried to roll away, but she cast a spell and lifted him off the ground. Then she hurled him at a tree trunk. He crumpled and broke.
Dante grabbed another one when he tried to run. A quick snap, and that warlock went limp. The fourth jumped to his feet, and Ally caught him with a blast to the center of his back. Dante’s friends finished the others.
Dante scanned the entire area. “We got all of them. No stragglers to report what happened.” He turned his attention to Ally. “Jason didn’t come out with you. Did he send you to the car to fetch something so that his friends could attack you?”
“Jason’s a good guy, one of us. It’s his brother who’s after me.” She hurried to explain.
When she finished, Dante frowned. “But why come for you? Doesn’t Theo already have your sister’s head? Who needs two of them?”
“If he has both, he knows no one can use my head to defeat him.”
“Aaah, a sensible answer. What now?”
Ally took a deep breath and shifted back to her mortal form. She looked down. Only her shoes were ruined. She ran a hand through her curls, trying to tame them. “How do I look?”
“Absolutely lovely.” Dante’s words held a caress, and Ally blinked in surprise. His friends grinned, but remained silent.
She turned to study them. All tall, but completely different—every single one of them devastatingly good-looking.
Dante watched her, his brow lifting in warning. “An artist carved each of us, but I’m the one who met you first. I’m the one who swore to assist you.”
She shook her head, dismissing him. “I have to find Jason. He’s at the bar. I told him to stay there. He didn’t expect either of us to survive the night.”
“I’ll go with you. Your Jason shouldn’t be on his own. We have a small advantage. His brother will learn that we destroyed his warlocks, but he won’t know how we managed it. He doesn’t know about gargoyles or your magic. He’ll rethink his strategy with you, but there’s nothing to keep him from going after Jason.”
They started for the restaurant, side by side, and the other three gargoyles unfurled wings that Ally didn’t know they had and leapt skyward. Ally felt her mouth open in amazement. “You fly?” She studied Dante’s white T-shirt. Where did he keep his wings hidden? There was a lot to gargoyles she’d never considered.
Chapter 5
When Ally and Dante walked into the bar, Jason pushed a twenty-dollar bill toward the bartender, said, “Keep the change,” and ran to scoop her off her feet.
“You’re alive!”
People turned to stare. Ally gave him a small hug. “This would be a good time to leave here. Dante’s called the police. They’ll be here soon. I thought you could drive us to my apartment, and we could stay there until we work things out.”
“Right.” As they left the restaurant, the waitress caught a glimpse of them. Her eyes went wide at the sight of Dante, and her brows furrowed in accusation when she looked at Ally. Oh, Zeus. Who knows where the woman’s thoughts would take her? Jason looked Dante quickly up and down. “What are you? If you survived the battle, you can’t be human.”
