Mystic Ink

by Casey Wyatt

  “Would you and Cal mind joining me in the backroom?”

  Jason whistled. “You go, boss.” The client in his chair perked up. Jason said out of the corner of his mouth, “Those two are about to get a tongue lashing.”

  The mortal high-fived Jason. “Remind me to get on her bad side. I want some of that.”

  Cal growled from across the room. “Watch it, buddy. That’s my girl.”

  Nix clapped her hands. “Enough. Jason, take your mind out of the gutter and pay attention to your job.” She motioned at Cal and Zephyr. “Move it, you two.” And to Basil, she said, “Zip it, or I’ll find tape for your beak.”

  Once in the backroom, Cal and Zephyr stood, arms crossed and mouths clamped shut. Like that was going to stop her. Nix shouted, “Take off your shirts!”

  Jason whooped from the other room. Cal smiled broadly.

  Zephyr started unbuttoning his crisp, expensive, designer shirt. “I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life.”

  Cal shot Zephyr a look, then stared at Nix. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Nix pulled out a flashlight. “Oh yeah. You guys owe me.” She clicked off the storeroom light, plunging the room in darkness. “Take off your shirt, Cal.”

  “Oh, I like that breathy, seductive tone to her voice, Cal. Is she like that in bed?” Zephyr wondered out loud.

  “Gentlemen don’t tell,” Cal replied. Nix could hear the rasp of his cotton T-shirt as he whisked it off in one fluid motion. She tried to keep her mind off his luscious body. She could explore it. Later.

  Nix switched on the flashlight. The black light bulb emitted an eerie purple glow. “Cal, you first.”

  The purple light illuminated the design she already knew was there. She hated it. It was a death wish. If their enemies found out that he had Typhon’s seal on his body, they would be gunning for him.

  When she ran her hands across his chest, Cal sucked in a strangled breath. She gave him a playful slap. “I’ve seen what I need to. Put your shirt back on.”

  Before he could speak, she turned her focus to Zephyr. His skin practically glowed under the light. His chest was unmarked. He chuckled.

  “Drop the pants, too.”

  “If we keep this up, Nix, you’re going to owe me dinner and a movie,” Zephyr said, unbuckling his belt. He popped the top button and slid down the zipper. Thank the Gods he was wearing underwear. Nix would have thought Zephyr was the commando type, too.

  “Stuff it. I just know you too well. That’s all.” She trailed the light down his equally sculpted muscles and stopped when ink glowed in the groin area underneath the thin boxer shorts. “I knew it,” she whispered. “Get dressed.”

  She turned the light back on and spoke in a low voice. “Zephyr, are you sure you know what you’re doing? If anyone finds out, they will try and kill you.” It all made sense now. Zephyr was a full-blooded God. He could bear the seal and keep it active. Cal’s was merely a decoy, but that didn’t lessen the danger to him.

  “I do, darling. It’s my risk to take. And no one knows except us and Jason.” Zephyr finished buttoning his shirt. “Besides, I have a lot of bad karma to burn off. I need to do this. A purely unselfish act is good for the soul.” He patted her shoulder. “Well, not purely unselfish. I would hate for anything to happen to you.”

  After he departed out the side alley door, Nix gave Cal a hard stare. “I don’t know if I should kiss you or kick you. That was incredibly dangerous.”

  “And devious,” Cal smiled and tilted his lips toward hers.

  Nix groaned when the expected kiss didn’t land.

  “First, congratulations on your achievement. I heard that not only did you get Nereus to agree to no more memory wipes, but he’s also letting you retire. And he’s going to give your sisters and the aliens the same choice.” Cal captured her gaze. “Well done. I’m so proud of you.” He took a step back. “Now, I have some news, too.” Cal’s somber tone sent her pulse up.

  Was he leaving her?

  “I’m leaving . . .” Cal’s words faded into silence as her mind stopped hearing the rest.

  Oh Gods, she knew it. “What?” Tears filled her eyes. She turned away so he wouldn’t see her face. She would not blubber or beg him to stay.

  “Nix. I’m retiring from the Delian League.” Cal grasped her shoulders and turned her around to face him.

  “Retiring?” Nix’s brain finally caught up with her ears. Cal was free, too. They were both free. No more mindless killing, no more wars. Of course she had promised Nereus in times of dire need, like if the world was going to end, that she would pitch in.

  “Yup. You’re looking at the proud owner of the bake shop next door.”

  “No shit. Really!” Nix gave a squeal and jumped up and down. “We’ll be neighbors.” And lovers.

  “I hope that’s okay with you,” Cal said.

  “Wait. You want to be a baker?” Nix appraised Cal. The grim set of his jaw and the unwavering stare told her he was being serious.

  “I do. I even know what I will specialize in.” Cal waved his arm across the air. “S’mores. I think ‘S’mores to Love’ is a good name. What do you think?”

  “I think it’s a great name. I love you—”

  Heavy bangs rattled the metal back door. Nix’s heartbeat spiked, and Cal’s face paled.

  “Who is it?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

  “Hades.”

  Nix flung the door open and stepped back and let the Lord of the Underworld into the shop.

  “I’ve solved your dead body problem,” Hades said, grinning. He held up a squirming black trash bag. Bumps randomly expanded the bag at irregular intervals.

  “What’s in there?” Nix asked. Low growls and bleating moans rumbled from inside the plastic.

  “A baby soul stealer.” Hades gave the bag a shake. “Pipe down in there. Or I’ll make you a chew toy for Cerberus.” A small squeak, then the bag stilled.

  “And the dead bodies?” So Devlin wasn’t wrong. There was something lurking in the alley.

  “The baby was luring the half dead with its call. Junkies, a heart attack, and a nearby car accident. “The little guy, or gal, is too young to understand to wait for them to die first.”

  “Did you find the souls?” Cal broke in.

  Of course, maybe the creature took his soul, too.

  “After a few knocks to the head, it took me to its soul stash.” Hades held the bag up to his face. “Isn’t that right?”

  A trill that sounded like yes responded. Nix wondered how Officer Dinsdale would react if he saw what was in the bag.

  “What about Cal’s soul?” Nix gritted her teeth. Annoying Hades was never a good idea, but damn, she couldn’t stand waiting anymore.

  “The quest is over. You completed the mission, so I guess Cal is due this.” Hades brandished his hand.

  Golden light beamed down over Cal’s head, bathing him in its brilliance. Cal took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Nix could see the dark void replaced by the warm glow of his soul.

  “Funny. It’s true. You don’t know how important something is until it’s missing,” Cal said. His russet eyes burned brightly as he stared at Nix.

  She swallowed a few times. Her body temperature rose.

  Hades looked between the two of them. “Well, my work here is done. Come on, soul baby, let’s go home.”

  Nix barely registered the dull thud of the door closing. Her attention was solely focused on Cal.

  He didn’t speak. He crossed the distance between them in three long strides. His lush, warm mouth devoured her lips. All rational thought was knocked out of her brain.

  This is what she wanted. The comfort. The passion. The love.

  He was what she wanted.

  Her feet left the ground and didn’t touch down until the next morning.

  Chapter 22

  Zephyr knew they would come for him, to punish him for his interference. He waited patiently and passed the
time sorting papers and leaving instructions for his business manager to ensure smooth operations while he was gone. Hopefully, not permanently.

  The winds shifted outside the open office window. Salty air mingled with the Yankee pot roast being served in the Inn’s dining room.

  Closing his eyes, he slipped into his wind form and hovered above the desk. There was no sense in running, not that he would even consider it. There was no escaping the Fates. When they summoned him, he would go.

  He had no regrets. He would do it again. Nix was his friend. He had hoped that she would be more, but that was not meant to be. She belonged to Cal and Cal to her.

  Someday, he would find the right female.

  There was a soft knock on the door. Zephyr assumed his mortal form and called out, “Come in.”

  The paneled door creaked open on its old hinges. Three fashionably coifed women shuffled into the office: Clotho, Atropos, and Lachesis. Lachesis, the last one in, closed the door.

  “Hello, ladies.” Zephyr put a smile on his face. No reason not to be cordial. “Can I get you some refreshments? You’re all looking very well.” In fact, they looked positively radiant. Each carefully polished, wearing the latest haircuts and designer clothes. Like the Housewives of Ancient Greece.

  “This is not a social call. As you well know.” Lachesis settled into one of the armchairs in front of his desk. She pulled a smartphone from her expensive leather handbag. “You’ve gone too far this time.”

  “Yes. Assisted in an Epic Quest.” Atropos, the Fate who could cut the thread of life, had her hands tucked in her coat pockets.

  “We cannot turn our backs on such a transgression.” Clotho tugged on her honey-colored hair and withdrew a single long strand. “If you were mortal, we could just snip the thread of your life and be done with it.”

  “Ah, but I’m not mortal.” Zephyr breathed in a lungful of fresh air from the breeze flowing through the window.

  Lachesis, the decider of destiny, stopped tapping on her phone. “No, you are most decidedly not human. And since you are now the guardian of a seal, your immortality must be preserved.” She and her sisters stilled as if in silent communication.

  They all approached his desk. This was it. Judgment time. He should have felt some fear. Instead, he felt relief. And joy at being released from his monotonous existence. If he were honest for a moment, he would admit that the last century, without Flora, had been absent of color. Dull and lifeless. Like he had become.

  Clotho held out the golden strand of her hair. “For your crime of interference . . .”

  Atropos withdrew a pair of small gold scissors and held them open, poised over the strand. “We sentence you to a dual existence bound by day and night.”

  Lachesis passed her palm over the scissors and the golden thread. “So it shall be until the time you learn your lesson, then you shall be free.” The thread was snipped.

  Golden brilliance surrounded the trio. The light flared outward in an eye-blinding flash.

  When Zephyr’s vision cleared, they were gone.

  And he was still standing in his office. Vertigo swept over him. He swayed, then sat hard into his desk chair. When the waves of dizziness passed, he realized something was different.

  It was him.

  All his senses had changed. The light wasn’t as bright. Sounds were harder to hear. And the wind, his beloved companion, was absent. Fear flooded him. His heart pounded in his ears. He stumbled over to the mirror hanging by the door. His body seemed out of whack, like he couldn’t smoothly coordinate his movements. When he reached the mirror, he examined his face.

  “Gods save me.” He leaned against the wall, knees weak, hands trembling. Zephyr swore he could hear the Fates laughing at him.

  Epilogue

  Atlantic Ocean

  The boat rocked up and down on the waves. The open sea, not Cal’s favorite place, but it was where Nix was, and he had agreed to come for the ride. He had been honored, in fact, to be invited to witness a ritual Nereids seldom let outsiders see.

  “You okay, Cal?” Nix wrapped her hand around his biceps. The motion didn’t seem to disturb her at all. In fact, the change from land to sea brought a warm, golden glow to her skin. The blue in her eyes had become richer, deeper, and more beautiful. If that were even possible.

  “I’m fine.” He patted her hand. “You ready?”

  Nix nodded, then walked to the stern. They had chartered a boat for the occasion. The mortal who had rented them the boat was reluctant at first to let the two of them use the boat overnight. But Nix had poured her Nymph charm on him and the man easily fell under her sway. Nereus had offered them use of one of his many yachts and Nix, unsurprisingly, declined. She had huffed that she “was perfectly capable of handling a vessel on her own.” Not to mention, if she couldn’t, Cal could.

  At the stern, Nix reached around her neck and unclasped the locket holding Rocky’s soul. Cal could feel its vibrant energy, as if Rocky knew they had finally arrived at his birthplace. In the distance, Cal could see a long stone outcrop jutting from the ocean: the breeding ground for Rocky’s pod.

  The gloaming, the time when light was replaced by dark, was fast approaching. Splashes and faint throaty howls approached at high speed. Nix stood with her eyes closed, her power rushing outward, calling Rocky’s family. A group of Harbor Seals approached the boat. Their sleek speckled coats glided in the water like angels of the sea. Flippers beat against the water in a low steady cadence.

  A thousand tiny lights glittered on the dark water—a thousand souls, each unique and each once a living being—had come to welcome Rocky into the fold of eternity. Cal swallowed down the hard lump that burned in his throat. The mist of an unshed tear clouded his vision at the beauty of the moment.

  Nix opened the locket and released the small orb from the pendent. Rocky’s soul glowed and lifted, hovering above her open palm like a small will-o’-wisp. The splashes in the water abruptly stopped. Low keening howls filled the air.

  “Old friend. It’s time to return home,” Nix said, leaning over the railing, arm outstretched.

  Cal resisted the urge to clutch the waist of her jeans as the ship pitched gently. It wasn’t like she would drown if she fell in.

  The soul floated out, hanging above the water. The animals below changed the beat of their chant. Nix joined in, singing. Her heavenly voice invoked the ancient tongue of the Gods. After a moment, Cal joined in, surprised that he still remembered the words. The song was seldom sung these days, but like riding a bike, the lyrics came back quickly.

  When the soul’s light touched the sea’s surface, the sky lit up and illuminated the bodies below: living seals and the ghosts of the departed. It was quite a crowd. The orb reformed and melted seamlessly into a shadow of Rocky’s mortal form. The ghost Rocky splashed beneath the waves and circled below. Nix waved to him. With a final fin flip, he swam away with the living and dead of his family.

  The dark of night reasserted, leaving a clear, star-filled sky.

  Cal surrounded Nix with his arms, sheltering her from the cool air. “This is how it should be.”

  “Free to live.” Nix turned to face him. She put her arms around his neck and nuzzled his throat. “Free to love.” Her tender lips caressed his in a deep kiss.

  He couldn’t agree more. They were together. Forever.

  Read about Zephyr, God of the West Wind,

  and Kalliope, a Muse on a mission,

  in the second book of the series:

  Mystic Storm

  The Fates haven’t been kind to Zephyr, God of the West Wind. After interfering in a Hero’s Journey, they’ve cursed him. Yeah, he probably deserved it. But come on, does he really have to spend his daylight hours trapped in a woman’s body? And did they have to take away his power over the West Wind, too?

  As if his life isn’t complicated enough, a Muse – a supernatural tabloid journalist – appears on his doorstep. So what if she’s irresistible, whip smart and probably the only f
emale on the planet who doesn’t find him charming, he has dangerous secrets that he’ll do anything to protect.

  Kalliope is a Muse on a mission: Find her wayward brother, Niko, and bring him home. By leaving her island sanctuary, she’s broken the “rules”, but she’ll risk banishment to save him from yet another ill-fated scheme. She’ll even accept help from Zephyr, the immortal world’s most undeniably gorgeous and notorious rake.