Hate

by Gemma Brocato

  Good. The dude sounded more like a concerned relative than potential lover.

  “Uncle, we’re fine. But my powers lacked their normal vitality. I don’t understand it. It felt like I was being blocked.” Aerie’s brows lowered over her brilliant violet eyes.

  Mars beckoned Phillip and Anson. “Report!” he snapped.

  Anson nodded to Finn, acknowledging him, but held up a hand, forestalling his questions.

  Phillip marched forward. “The crowd appeared driven by supernatural forces. There was a fog throughout the area, more visible when the police began firing tear gas. The cloud was definitely tinged red and silver, indicating the presence of an immortal’s influence. The mist also had a distinctive odor, but I’m not able to identify it.” He sniffed at his sleeve and grimaced, as though the scent was offensive. “It lingers.”

  Aerie buried her nose in Phillip’s chest and inhaled sharply. When she pulled away, her lip curled like she wanted to spit. “Lykos.”

  Mars emitted a growl that lifted the hair on Finn’s arms. “Damn Pierus. He’s teamed up with the worst scoundrel.”

  That name was familiar. Finn encircled Aerie’s wrist with his fingers and drew her to his side. “Who’s Lykos?”

  “You met him at the Morgan’s wedding. He’s a wolf satyr. Awful being.” She looked to Mars, who continued frowning. “Even though his focus in life is to generate pleasure, in this instance, it seems he is somehow magnifying the sensation by tapping into mortal aggression to allow them to release their inhibitions and pursue unlawful activity.”

  Aerie shifted from one foot to the other, rubbing innocently, but oh-so-seductively, against Finn. His breath shortened as his body tightened.

  “I never noted his presence there.” Anson stepped next to Mars. He’d removed his helmet and it swung freely from his fingers. He’d flipped his shield around his back. The resemblance to an ancient Greek warrior was uncanny.

  Forgetting his sudden arousal, Finn accused, “You’re freaking one of them?”

  They’d only been partners a few months and Finn had never suspected there was anything supernatural about him. But, then…shit, he’d never believed in anything supernatural before.

  “When the challenges first began a couple of months ago, at Zeus’s request, Mars began to insert partisans in strategic positions in public safety. We’ve been regularly supplying information to SecCom analysts. This is the first time any of the contingent has actually been deployed.”

  “Man, why didn’t you tell me?” Finn asked, despite already knowing the answer.

  “We tell no one if we can avoid it.” Anse shrugged. “Never suspected you were one of us as well. I didn’t see that coming.”

  He hadn’t been told because he wouldn’t have believed. Part of him still felt as if he was in a crazy nightmare. He was desperate to wake up and find it all a dream. The only part he wanted to be real was Aerie.

  He jumped when Aerie laid her palm on his arm.

  She voiced his thoughts nearly word for word. “Would you have believed him? You’re still questioning whether this is legitimate. Trust me, Finn.” She tightened her fingers. “It’s real. We’re real.”

  Something shifted in his chest with her touch. Something monumental. As if all the darkness in him swelled like a helium balloon and lifted away.

  “We’ll talk later, okay, buddy?” Anson clapped him on the back. “I need to get back to the park. I’ll figure out how to explain your absence. Although, with all the pandemonium at the scene, I doubt anyone will notice you’re missing.”

  Air pressure increased around Finn’s chest as Anse floated six inches off the ground in front of him, essentially vaporized, then disappeared. Gripping the base of his neck, Finn tried to rub tension and confusion away. Anse was one of the immortals.

  Aerie had turned to speak to her sisters. “You guys can go as well. Thanks for coming to help tonight. Stay alert. If you see Lykos, let me know immediately. He’s taken this pleasure-pain thing too far.”

  Mars stood at Finn’s side, massive arms crossed over his chest, as each of the women pressed their foreheads to Aerie’s.

  The gesture drew a memory from the depths of Finn’s soul. His ya-ya…his grandmother, used to touch her forehead to his whenever they parted. He hadn’t thought of that in years. She’d died when he was eleven. About the time his world started feeling unsafe…when his father had turned into a tyrant of the worst kind.

  Finn’s shoulders tensed with the recollection of the first time he’d seen his father strike his mother. Nausea churned in his gut when he recalled how his mother apologized for offending his dad. That had been all kinds of messed up.

  At his right, Mars twisted his head to sneak a glance at Finn, who ignored him in favor of watching the women vanish. Aerie dropped her chin to her chest and heaved out a massive breath. When Phillip stroked his fingers along her spine, Finn struggled to bite back a growl.

  Mars chuckled. “You have nothing to worry about there, boy. They aren’t for each other.”

  “Not my business.”

  “Ah, but I think it is.” Laughter boomed from the god as he slapped Finn on the back. “Aerie, will you join Detective Finnegan and I in the conference room? Phillip, I’d appreciate your report before you leave. I understand Emma Jordan is in residence this evening and I’m sure you are eager to spend time with her. When you’ve completed the paperwork, you may have the evening off.”

  Phillip’s cheeks reddened.

  “Um, what about me, Uncle?” Aerie asked. “Who will stand guard for me tonight?”

  Mars flicked a glance at Finn, then back to Aerie. “I’ve got that covered.”

  Her mouth dropped open, then slammed shut on a grimace. She rubbed her upper arm, as if she’d been pinched and needed to soothe the sting as she moved away.

  A smile on his face, Phillip crossed to a vacant workstation and set to work. Pointing him toward a smoky glass door on one side of the room, Mars indicated Finn should follow Aerie. The seductive sway of her hips was like a bright beacon in a dark world as she hurried in front of him.

  He’d have to work hard to maintain his focus. Because he wanted to get her alone, on a soft surface and sink into her heat. Battling a rising erection, he passed through the door and took in the stark décor.

  More monitors adorned the wall. A dark granite conference table dominated the space, with even more screens recessed into the table in front of each seat. Aerie skirted around to the opposite side and slipped into a chair. Finn followed and grabbed the seat right next to her. She glanced up at him, frowned. The door banged as Mars swung it shut.

  “I am sure you have questions, Michael. I’ll answer what I can.”

  Finn started at Mars’s use of his given name. No one called him Michael. Few people even called him Mike. “I don’t know where—”

  Aerie interrupted. “Mars, have you called Zeus? Is he aware of what’s going on?”

  “He knew in your office this afternoon. Told me he recognized Finn right away.” Mars settled across the table from Finn and studied him.

  “I bet that was a shock.”

  “Very little shocks me anymore.” The man’s expression belied his words.

  Confusion rose within Finn “What are you two talking about?”

  A look passed between Mars and Aerie. Finn had the feeling like they were talking silently to each other, the way Aerie had spoken directly into his mind. He gripped the armrest on his chair, waiting them out.

  “You want to tackle this?” Mars finally spoke as he leaned back.

  Aerie swiveled her chair to face Finn, and folded her hands together on her lap. “Bear with me, Finn. Please. I need a little background.”

  After a hesitation, he nodded.

  She smiled at him, then turned back to Mars. “Pierus said Finn bore your mark on his shoulder. How is this possible?”

  “Sometimes the gift skips generations. It could be a latent tendency that remains dormant until the time is
right.” Propping an elbow on the table, Mars waited for her next question.

  Finn sure as shit wished he knew what they were talking about.

  “Wouldn’t Finn know?”

  Finn’s patience stretched thin. Tired of being talked about as if he wasn’t in the room, he demanded, “Wouldn’t I know what?”

  Aerie chewed her lower lip, but the frown on her face had eased. “Finn, you’re immortal.”

  “You said that on the trip here. But I’m not sure I believe that.”

  “True descendants of Mars bear a mark somewhere on their bodies. It resembles the one on Mars’s neck. Show him.” Aerie arched an eyebrow at the god.

  Mars rose, and moved round the table. He took the seat next to Finn, tipped his head to the side, and exposed the tattoo Finn had seen earlier in the day. God, had that been mere hours ago? Up close, the shape was more defined. A shield with swords crossed above it.

  Finn crossed his arm over his chest, gripping his elbow, and touched the spot on his shoulder where a similar stain marred his skin. Mars’s tattoo bore a striking resemblance to the birthmark on Finn’s back.

  “I’d think I’d know if it were true. Can’t be possible.” He rejected the idea he was immortal. Gods and goddesses didn’t suffer the kind of abuse he witnessed. If his mother were a goddess, she’d have never stood for the beatings his father dished out. And she’d never have taken the douchebag’s side when Finn challenged him.

  Mars reached out and touched his finger to the mark Finn’s hand hovered over. A spark of energy pulsed at the spot, then tingled through his chest.

  Dropping his hand and looking grave, Mars argued. “It’s possible. Did you feel the surge? The power pays into the truth.”

  He scooted his chair back from the table, ready to move if shit got too threatening. “How could I not know?”

  “Michael, did you have a nurse, or a female with whom you were close growing up? Someone who made you feel…safe?” Mars’s growly burr and his words resonated in the room.

  “My grandmother.”

  “She left your life early, didn’t she?”

  “When I was eleven. She died in a train crash on her way to visit.” God, he’d been looking forward to seeing her, to be wrapped in the loving embrace she always had for him. They’d had a special connection. News of her death had dazed and devastated him.

  “She was di Nixi.”

  Aerie gasped. “A birth deity?”

  He looked sharply at her, but returned his attention to Mars. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

  “Nixae are nursemaids to immortal children. Your grandmother might not have been who you believed her to be. Throughout history, when descendants of the gods are born to mortals, a protector is assigned to monitor them. Some children come into powers, others remain strictly mortal. Had your grandmother” —Mars put air quotes around the word— “lived, she’d have reported your gifts to Artemis.”

  “So one of my parents is immortal?” Please don’t let it be my dad. The world didn’t need a bastard like him around for all eternity.

  “Most likely your mother. Immortality frequently travels along the matriarchal line.”

  Aerie lifted a hand. “I have a question.”

  Mars nodded, giving her the go ahead.

  “Would his latent abilities be the cause of his fugues? He threw us into the Hollow with no effort whatsoever. Just boom! There we were. Out of danger. When his protective instinct took over, his aura was similar to other partisans.”

  Contemplating the question, Mars shrugged. “Possibly. Without the guidance of a Nixae, Finn wouldn’t have an opportunity to learn how to control the ability. I suppose it makes sense.”

  “None of this makes sense!” Finn pounded his fist on the granite surface before him.

  But if his immortality was a truth, it allowed him an excuse for his temper spikes and blackouts. His muscles melted like butter as some of the tension grinding on his shoulders eased.

  “I promise you it will.” Mars stood. “The hour is late. Aerie, it is time for you to return to your home.”

  Aerie eyed him, fisting her hands on her thighs and completely avoiding Finn’s gaze. “You dismissed my protector. I believe I’d rather stay on Olympus.”

  “You will have Finn. He’ll be assigned as your protector.” Whatever the fuck that meant, it sounded like Mars’s decision was final.

  But if it meant time alone with Aerie, he didn’t mind being ordered around that way. “I do have a gun.”

  Aerie rolled her eyes. “A gun will not stop a demented immortal. Or his magpie offspring.”

  “Apparently, I can also move us out of harm’s way with just my mind. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Finn’s tone was joking, but he was deadly serious.

  “Aerie, you can begin Michael’s training by teaching him a more decorous method of entering the Hollow.” Mars moved toward the door.

  She sputtered. “Hang on! Why is it my job?”

  Once he reached the entry, Mars glanced over his shoulder with a smirk. “He is your immortal now. Instruct him well.”

  Finn caught the smirk on the man’s face as he exited.

  And the distressed look on Aerie’s.

  He’d give his life to replace the dismay with something far warmer.

  Thirteen

  “Come on then.” Aerie rose, motioning him to stand as well.

  As he gripped the armrests, she scooted back two steps. Her reaction to him shook her. She wanted to keep her distance from him, yet at the same time she madly needed to close the gap and see if the energy sparking between them would skyrocket at his touch.

  He slowed his movements as if he knew the state of her nerves, and unfolded his long frame from the chair. His black tactical pants strained at the seams as his thighs bunched.

  “I don’t mean to scare you.” Finn shot his weight to one hip, his stance casual and non-threatening.

  “You don’t.” Her face went hot with the lie.

  “What do we need to do to get out of here?”

  She’d never thought about what it took to move through the Hollow. When a person was reborn with all her memories, immortal transportation came naturally. “Um…well, you have to conjure an image of your destination first, then grab my arm and kind of instruct your body to lift off.”

  “I see two problems with that scenario. First, I don’t have a clue where you live. And second, if I touch you right now, we can expect an entirely different kind of lift off.”

  The heat in her cheeks flared hotter. “Oh.” Killing her urge to touch him and experience the kind of launch he was thinking of, she skirted the subject in favor of answering his first problem. “I live in the other side of the carriage house from Dearly Beloved. You’ve been to my office so you know where we’re headed. Unless you need to go to your car first to retrieve anything.”

  Finn patted the firearm holstered at his side. “I’m good.” He held out his hand, palm up, and waited.

  She gingerly laid her fingers just above his wrist, skipping the chance to slip her fingers between his. Low-grade buzzing filled her with the touch. Amusement softened his eyes to a shade of warm chocolate.

  “Chicken,” he taunted.

  “Smart chicken,” she replied.

  He chuckled and held her gaze as he laid his other hand over hers.

  The crazy buzz in her core kicked into full-fledged zips, making her heart trip. Her body strained to his, as if her breasts had a mind of their own and wanted to be glued to his hard pecs.

  What the Hades is wrong with me?

  She sucked a breath in through her nose—let it sigh back out. “Imagine my office and center the image in your brain.”

  “What if I’d prefer to imagine my bed?”

  “Finn.”

  “Okay, your office.” He shut his eyes and his shoulders lifted, then fell. “Now what?”

  She pitched her voice low to avoid breaking his concentration. “The smoothest way is to levit
ate us off the floor about six inches. Just…um, picture some kind of lift under your feet.”

  Finn jerked, dragging her sideways and up an inch, before dropping them hard back on the ground. “Oops. Sorry.” Eyes still closed, he tried again.

  This time, they floated up smoothly. Finn lifted one eyelid and tipped his head slightly to peer at the ground. A hint of a smile played at the corner of his lips. He really should smile more.

  Aerie chuckled. “Good job, Finn. Now, picture us in my office and let the image fly like an arrow from your brain to sky. Then follow it.” It was the only way she could think to describe how to actually get them where they were going.

  Their forms began to mist, hers to yellow, Finn’s to blue with a yellow center. She stared at it as they slipped into the hollow. That his core was the same color as her aura surprised her. As if he was meant for her.

  They lurched forward, slowed, veered right, then left, and finally straightened out and swept ahead on a neat trajectory. Just like a student driver the first time out. Aerie tensed, ready to take control if need be. But it seemed Finn took to travel through the Hollow like a pro.

  “The world is gray.” Finn projected his thoughts directly into her mind.

  “Once you get used to it, you’ll catch glimpses of the real world as we pass. I saw Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower right after it was built in 1889.”

  His discomfort rumbled in her head. “Still too freaked out by this mode of transportation to look for anything else.”

  Their forward movement slowed and the atmosphere tightened around them once again. In her vision, her office solidified. But the angle was wrong. Finn had parked them on the surface of her desk, her on the bottom…his solid body pressing into her.

  “Um, you couldn’t have landed us on the floor?”

  “You said imagine us in your office. This is the picture my mind conjured. Sorry.” The sly arch of his brows said he was anything but contrite.

  She pushed his shoulders, intent on freeing herself before she could be happy he’d pictured them this way. With exaggerated reluctance, he rolled off her, landing with cat-like grace next to the desk.