Evans, Gabrielle - Reckoning [Fatefully Yours 9] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove)

by Gabrielle Evans

  “We’re not saying you’re lying. We just want to ask you some questions. Maybe you can remember something more. That’s all.” Syx spoke soothingly, trying to placate the agitated werewolf.

  It didn’t work, but Gage did calm almost immediately when Mac started rubbing his arm and cooing to him. “We have to help them, Gage. I’m getting really scared for my friends.”

  Gage kissed Mac’s forehead and nodded before looking up at Syx again. “I’ll answer anything I can, but I swear I didn’t have a high enough security clearance to know all the ins and outs of the place.”

  “That’s okay. What we really want is some information on the head of security.”

  Gage made a face and glanced at Sony out of the corner of his eye. The thought, “We were lovers,” flashed through his mind, and Syx winced as well. He caught Gage’s attention and gave him a meaningful look that said he would tread carefully around the subject.

  The ex-guard nodded his thanks and sat up straighter in his seat. “What exactly do you want to know about him?”

  “Did he ever have relationships with the residents?” This was apparently the wrong question to start off with because Gage flinched. He nodded, though, so Syx continued. “Were they consensual relationships?”

  “Yes. He never forced himself on anyone, not that I know of anyway.”

  “What about One-seventeen?” Syx glanced at Echo as he said it, but the man looked like he was half-asleep where he curled in Eyce’s lap. Syx was glad that the two had been able to work out their problems. He didn’t like his men fighting amongst themselves any more than he liked being in the middle of an argument.

  “Yes,” Gage answered immediately. “Though Marcus didn’t call him by his number.”

  “Marcus? Is that the head of security?” When Gage only nodded, Syx continued. “So, what did he call him?” It wasn’t really important, but Syx could admit he was curious.

  “Peter.”

  “Huh?” Syx’s brow wrinkled in confusion. The name sounded so normal.

  “Peter had a life before he came to the lab. I don’t know all the details, but I do know he was treated better than most of the residents.”

  Syx looked to Mac and Sony for confirmation. “Yes,” Sony answered. “Sometimes it was more like he was one of the orderlies or doctors than a prisoner like the rest of us.”

  “He’s the one that always talked them into letting me out of the capsule,” Echo added softly. “I didn’t understand why they would listen to him, but I was just grateful to be free of the dark.”

  “Shh, baby.” Eyce squeezed Echo tighter and rocked him from side to side. “That’s all over with, and you’ll never have to go back there.”

  Echo rolled his eyes, but settled back into Eyce’s embrace. “I’m fine, love. I was just explaining.”

  Syx had a suspicious feeling about Peter, but he needed more information before he could confirm it. “Okay, if he was banging the head of security, why was he getting his ass kicked? He’d been beaten black and blue when he showed up here.”

  “I never saw him beaten at the lab.”

  “I did once,” Echo spoke up. “I guess that guard guy had hit him, but he seemed really pleased about it. He said something about control. I thought maybe he was just into really rough, kinky sex. We’d stopped sleeping together by then, and I didn’t see him very often. I tried talking to him about it, but he’d either change the subject or leave.”

  Syx thought back to when he’d first met the man just inside the woods behind their house. “Hex asked him if they’d threatened him to get his cooperation.”

  “He said no,” Hex supplied. “I thought it was kind of weird considering that he was covered in bruises.”

  “He was telling the truth, though.” Syx closed his eyes and rubbed at his temples as he tried to remember. He’d been worked up at the time, half shifted, and his only concern had been for Echo’s safety. “That was the last thing I got from him. I remember you asked him some other questions, but his mind was completely blank.”

  “You think he knew that you could read his mind,” Vapre surmised. “He was keeping his mind blank on purpose.”

  “Yes.” Syx felt like he was missing something—like he was on the edge of some great revelation, but he just couldn’t quite grasp it. “Gage, did Marcus ever talk about his relationship with Peter?”

  “Not often. He came to my room one night, though. His knuckles were bruised and swollen, and he was freaking out because he couldn’t remember how they’d gotten that way. He was afraid one of the doctors was messing with his mind.”

  “Did he say that?”

  “He said the doc wouldn’t let him go. I was fired about two weeks later, so I never found out what he meant by that. After that night, he avoided me like the plague.”

  “Who gave you your walking papers?”

  “Marcus. He was frantic for me to leave. I got the distinct impression that he was supposed to terminate more than my employment.”

  “When did you meet Marcus?”

  “We went to high school together,” Gage whispered. “I’ve known him most of my life. He’s the one that brought me on as part of his team at the compound. When he was hustling my ass out the door, he kept apologizing over and over. I don’t think he knew what he was getting us into when he accepted the position.”

  “So, he’s still there?” If they’d been such good friends, Syx wondered why Gage hadn’t wanted to rescue the man when they’d gone after Sony and Mac.

  “No.” Gage shook his head. “He got me out of the compound, but he wouldn’t come with me. He did tell me about them moving the facility, though. I didn’t think he knew about Sony and Mac, but that’s the only reason I can think that he’d say anything.”

  “So, how do you know he didn’t go back to the lab?” Syx didn’t think Gage was lying to him, but he needed to cover all his bases.

  “They killed him. He got me to my truck and outside the gates.” Gage jerked a thumb toward the front of the house, indicating the pickup parked out in the driveway. “He told me how to find you. I had no idea why he was telling me this at the time, but thinking back on it, he had to have known what Sony and Mac were to me. I begged him to come with me, but he wouldn’t listen. I watched them gun him down in my rearview mirror.”

  “Oh, Gage,” Mac breathed. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “Are we finished here?” Gage asked in a subdued voice.

  Syx felt like the world’s biggest prick for making the man relive his pain. The justification that he hadn’t known didn’t seem like a very good excuse, either. Still, he had one more question. “Was Marcus a werewolf?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’re done.” Syx sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, man.”

  Gage waved him away. “It’s not your fault. I hope I told you something that might help. I’m sorry it’s not more.” He stood and motioned for his mates to join him.

  “It’s actually a lot. I don’t think Peter was a resident,” Syx confessed.

  “You think he was a doctor.” Gage nodded. “I was beginning to wonder the same thing. If you think of something else, I’ll be in my room.” He took Mac’s hand and led him to the kitchen entryway.

  Mac stopped just before they stepped over the threshold and turned to address the room. “Are we still going to help them?”

  All eyes turned to Hex. Syx was damn grateful that he wasn’t the one who’d have to make the decision. Hex sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. Then he looked up and met Echo’s eyes across the table. They just stared at each other for a long time, and Syx resisted the urge to pop into their heads and listen.

  Finally, Hex turned his attention to Mac and nodded once. “We’ll leave after the full moon.”

  “When is that?” Echo asked around a yawn.

  “Day after tomorrow.”

  Echo nodded. “What are we going to do with everyone, though?”

  “How many are there?” S
yx asked Gage.

  “Not including Mac, Sony, Jet, Pax, Echo, or Peter, there were twelve by my last count.”

  “We don’t have enough room to house them here.” Syx growled in frustration.

  “What about Lorcan?” Fiero asked, speaking for the first time since the meeting began. “Maybe some of his pack can take them in until we can either find where they came from or get them on their feet.”

  “I’ll make the call,” Hex said. “We need to try to come up with an alternative in case Lorcan isn’t open to the idea, though.”

  “Uh, guys?” Everyone turned to look at Onyx. “You know I have your back and all, but I don’t think we can leave in two days.”

  “Why not?” Mac demanded.

  “We have no idea where this place is,” Onyx answered simply. “It’s going to be kind of hard to rescue your friends if we don’t know where they are.”

  “Okay, so do we think Ares is running this lab and stealing money from us?” Myst questioned. “Or are we back to thinking this is some kind of government thing?”

  Syx wanted to scream and bang his head against the wall. “I just don’t know anymore. I don’t know anything.” Damn, he was so confused, he didn’t know whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt. “Let me try to trace the money that went missing. It might give us some idea as to how Echo’s old lover fits into all of this as well.”

  Vapre rose from his chair and walked around the table to enfold Syx in his arms. “Tomorrow. You need to get some sleep. First thing tomorrow, I’ll help you sift through documents until either our eyes bleed or we find something. Deal?”

  Syx melted into his lover’s embrace and groaned. “Deal.”

  Chapter Eleven

  This was a very strange dream. When Echo met with his mother in his dreams, it was most always in Elysium. Now, he sat in what appeared to be an office. Floor to ceiling bookshelves were built into two of the walls and lined with thousands upon thousands of books. The squishy armchair he perched in smelled of new leather, and the cherry oak desk in front of him gleamed in the bright light that spilled through the bay windows.

  The man sitting behind the desk was so beautiful it hurt to look at him. His pale blond hair fanned around his face, his bronzed skin seemed to glow, and his eyes were the most magnificent shade of blue. Who the hell was he, though?

  There was only one way to find out, so Echo just blurted it out. “Who are you?”

  The man chuckled, a musical sound that brought joy and peace to Echo’s heart. “Straight to the issue, I see. I am the Titan, Helios.” He waved a hand around the room. “This is my home.”

  “Um, well, thank you for having me in your home, but why am I here?”

  “I wished to speak with you in private.”

  “Is Athena here?”

  Helios shook his head. “Your mother has other matters to attend to, but you will see her soon.”

  Echo bit his lip and nodded. Where his mother seemed evasive during their meetings, Helios seemed extremely straightforward. Echo had no idea why he’d been summoned by the Titan, but if he played his cards right, maybe he’d finally get some answers.

  “I’m sorry that we have not spoken sooner, but time is very different here than it is in your world. It was only a few months here before I learned of your disappearance. I believe several years have passed in the mortal realm, correct?”

  Echo bobbed his head again. “Are you my father?” he blurted before he could think better of it.

  “Yes.” He held his hand up to halt Echo’s next question. “I cannot give you all the answers, Aaron.”

  “Echo. My name is Echo.”

  “Very well, Echo.”

  “Why can’t you just give me answers?” Echo was so tired of everyone playing with him. If they could drop hints and give him partial answers, why couldn’t they just make all his problems disappear? Wasn’t that what parents were supposed to do?

  “It would be cheating.” Helios smirked. “Your fight with Ares is your own. You already have the weapons to beat him, to offer more would be to tip the scales. Altering destiny—”

  “Demands sacrifice,” Echo mumbled, interrupting the man. “I know. So, why am I here?” Where the hell did the Titan’s sense of fair play come from? Ares certainly didn’t fight fair, so why did Helios insist that Echo did? Left to him, Echo would use every dirty trick in the book to defeat Ares.

  “Athena has been forbidden to speak of any aspects of your life. Zeus does not rule me, however, and he can kiss my ass. Besides, what I have to tell you does not correlate to this skirmish with Ares.”

  Echo snorted. “He’s tried to kill me several times and actually succeeded once. I’d call that a little more than a skirmish.”

  “And by his rash actions has made you a stronger, more formidable enemy. Do not mourn the loss of your mortal life.”

  “Wasn’t I already immortal? I mean, I have a goddess and a Titan as parents.”

  “Very astute. However, we are only immortal within the realm of the gods.”

  Echo sat up a little straighter. “So, I lost my immortality when I was sent to live on Earth.” The wheels turned and his neurons snapped. “So…that means that Ares’s status as a god means nothing on Earth. He can be killed.”

  Helios smiled crookedly and dipped his head. “You are so very much like your mother. Your wisdom far surpasses your years.”

  “I’m not so wise.” Echo wrinkled his nose and settled back in his chair. “Can you tell me why I was sent away?”

  “No. That is for you to learn.”

  “I don’t understand,” Echo admitted. “If you are not bound by the laws of Zeus, why can’t you tell me?”

  “Technically, I can tell you. Think of it like learning to ride a bicycle. You can watch someone do it a thousand times, but it still will not prepare you for that first ride.”

  Echo thought over the words for a long time, but still couldn’t make sense of them. He’d have to ask Syx about it later. His mate always had a way of explaining things for Echo to understand. “Okay, so what can you tell me? There’s obviously a reason I’m here. And if you found out months ago that I’d disappeared, why are you just now contacting me?”

  “Your mother has asked for my help. I know it may seem cruel and callous to you, but I do not love your mother. She bargained with me for a child, and here you are. Once my part of the deal was cemented, I gave either of you little thought. Athena, however, does love you. She came to me once more and bargained for my help.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to ask what bargain they’d made, but then Echo decided he really didn’t want to know.

  “Why you?”

  “Only someone of your blood can summon you to Olympus. Athena is bound by the sacrifices she made, which prevent her from calling you home.”

  “This is not my home,” Echo spat. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “So, I’m not dreaming, am I?”

  “No, you are not dreaming. How you came to be here is not important. Athena chose me to father you so that you might be the light to combat the darkness.”

  Echo held up his hand in a “stop” gesture. “I’ve always had powers, but I wasn’t able to produce light until I became a daemon. Why is that?”

  “Though no longer immortal, you still maintained some of your powers on Earth. You’ve always had the light within you, but since you were no longer a god, the power was dimmed and hidden away. Daemons are essentially ghosts, unable to die by even the hands of a god. They walk between realms since that is their purpose. They are protectors and the epitome of immortality. Once your immortal status was restored, your powers began to resurface.”

  “When my mates claimed me, they said I was immortal then.” It wasn’t a question, but Echo wasn’t sure how to phrase it.

  “There is much your demons do not know.”

  Echo waited for more, but when Helios didn’t elaborate, he probed further. “So, I wasn’t immortal before I died? And is it true that
I have to drink from them to maintain my corporeal form?”

  Helios stared at him for a long time as though judging how much he should divulge. “You were immortal, but bound to creatures of the darkness. Your light could not shine. You require blood from an immortal to maintain a physical form, but not necessarily from your mates.”

  Rubbing at his temples, Echo tried to make sense to it all, but he was growing more confused by the second. “I’m still bound to them, though. None of this is making sense to me.”

  “You are bound to them, but they are no longer servants of Hades.”

  “I kind of imagine they stopped serving Hades when they escaped the Underworld.”

  “Then you would be wrong.”

  “So, what changed?”

  “You.”

  Echo threw his hands up in frustration. “You are worse than Athena. She doesn’t answer anything, and you give me only enough to make me want more. Is there a point to this conversation?”

  To his surprise, Helios began to chuckle. “You would have made a fierce warrior, my son. I require a favor from you.”

  Echo’s brows drew together and he frowned. “I thought Athena wanted you to speak to me?”

  “She did, but I only agreed because there is something I desire from you.” He shrugged as if this were only natural and Echo should have expected it.

  “What’s the favor?”

  Instead of answering, Helios produced a small, glowing orb from his pocket and handed it across the table to Echo. Though hesitantly, Echo reached out for the globe, shocked to find it cool to the touch. He’d expected it to burn him with how brightly it shined. It looked kind of like a tiny sun contained within a crystal ball.

  “Okay, so what do I do with this?”

  “Use it to destroy the Protector.”

  “Uh, who is that, and why am I destroying him?”

  “Demigods are not permitted to live on Olympus. Luckily, most have human parents who are able to care for them. Those who are orphaned are sent to live under the care of the Protector. He was granted gifts from the gods, including immortality, in exchange for his service.”