Secret Shadows: A Greek God Paranormal Romance (Immortal Rogues Book 1)

by Alexa Whitewolf

  “Odin, before we begin proceedings, I would need you—or one from your pantheon—to explain why my brother was attacked by Fenrir the demon hound.”

  Odin’s taped-off eye seems to twitch, and his clear eye flashes with indignation. “What proof do you have?”

  Without wanting to, I get dragged into his thoughts. Though he thinks in some Nordic dialect, I have been around long enough to understand.

  If he cannot prove it, none of the other gods will rebel against us. I will not risk what I know, not when the danger itself could be lying in wait here.

  What the hell is the old fool going on about? I clench my fist, wanting to intervene. As brother to Zeus, I could. But it seems I do not have to.

  “Proof?” Zeus rumbles, standing. “My brother was chased down on some earthly realm.”

  Hmm. I wouldn’t have expected him to be so…protective. Especially of me. Unless this is a show designed to make sure his reputation blossoms. As a perfect leader…the best one Olympus could have.

  “That cannot be,” Odin says. “Fenrir would not enter Midgard.”

  Right. Or attack a god. Or bite another god’s hand. Because gods never do anything remotely flawed. Ever. The vehemence of Frumos’ thoughts surprises me, but I don’t acknowledge them.

  “Perhaps there is another explanation,” Morrigan adds, ever the pacifist. “Could we speak to Fenrir?”

  “No.” Odin clears his throat, as if realizing he spoke too abruptly. “He is unavailable for an audience.”

  “Convenient,” Zeus throws.

  Despite his bravado, his thoughts betray his uneasiness. This is the second incident; we need to get to the bottom of it.

  Second incident? What the hell was the first?

  I glance at Pegasus, but of course he’s unaware of my brother’s thoughts. No one else heard, except for me. And once more, in a sea of people, I’m all alone.

  “What are you accusing us of, exactly?” Odin’s son, Thor, stands to his feet and inches closer.

  Him and Zeus could be brothers, though he is taller and broader in shoulders. He could probably squash Zeus, if he didn’t get zapped first. I smile at the thought, but not for long.

  As their voices rise, the cacophony of their thoughts also increases. The crescendo is something I cannot avoid, rising to the point it engulfs everything else in my mind. The audience hall fades away, and only the voices are left.

  This is getting out of control—

  Why must Thor always cause trouble?

  As always, the Norse and Olympians at each other’s throats—

  Someone deescalate this before they get to blows and embarrass us al!

  Then my brother makes it worse. “Hades, come up front.” When I don’t move, rooted to the spot by my attempts to ignore the noise, he asks, louder, “Hades!”

  Ileana pushes me forward, following in my footsteps. Only, I stumble, and the voices grow even louder.

  Drunk again.

  Disgrace to his brother.

  Who’s to say his story is the truth, not a demand for more attention?

  Disgrace. Disgrace. Disgrace.

  I bow my head, holding on to the side with my free hand, groaning. I catch Ileana’s glance. She must realize something’s wrong with me, as she steps closer. Her presence is a nice comfort, but then her own thoughts turn to our kiss, and that makes it worse.

  “Hades, testify what you have seen.”

  I try, blindly, to focus on my brother. Somehow, I make it into the circle. The flickering torches set the rest of audience to shadows, but their thoughts are ever more present, to the point I cannot hear my own.

  Liar.

  Disgrace.

  Embarrassment to Zeus.

  “I…”

  Zeus glares at me, then takes a step closer, hissing, “Pull yourself together!”

  I straighten my back at the admonishment, and clear my throat. A dull throb has started on one side of my head, but I ignore it, trying to focus on speaking.

  “Fenrir attacked me in darkness, near a human village party. Hermes helped fight him off, otherwise he could have harmed me. I’ve no idea why he did so.”

  Only, what comes out of my mouth is not the dialect I’d meant. Instead of the soft vowels of human dialect, which we’ve adopted, the words are rough growls, guttural sounds. The language of the Titans. The one banned from Olympus around the same time as our father.

  Well. That accounts for the eerie quiet, I suppose. I bite my tongue, revealing nothing of my realization. The silence lengthens.

  Zeus stares at me in shock—then the uproar explodes.

  Gods freaking out over my use of the Old Tongue. Goddesses swarming to the Council, demanding answers. And through it all, I’m aware of my brother’s glare, and Odin’s. And the confused expressions of the other gods.

  “Enough!” I roar, clutching my head and bending at the waist.

  Ileana is there, and Frumos, surprisingly. They hoist me by the elbows and pull me away, Ileana leading the charge.

  “We need to get him out!” she whispers to him, and somehow her words carry across.

  Somewhere between leaving and the cacophony, I pass out.

  It wouldn’t be the first time all the mental strain has led me to hallucinate. But, more often than not, I regain consciousness and land in pleasant dreams. This time, when I next wake up, it’s to my guards' faint arguing.

  “You must have picked up on it, too!”

  “I do not know what you mean.”

  “Ileana, enough. You are far too smart to fall for a god’s charming body. Do not take me for a fool.”

  A bark of laughter escapes me, and I mutter, “Thanks for the compliment, immortal. Should I be concerned your affections sway toward me?”

  “Do not flatter yourself,” Frumos says as he comes closer. His eyes are narrowed on my slouched, albeit limp, form. “You looked better before.”

  “I’ve felt better.” I rub the back of my neck and try to stand, almost succeeding. “What happened?”

  “We were hoping you could tell us,” Ileana says. Her eyes won’t leave me, as if she’s expecting me to shatter. “Since when do you speak the Old Tongue?”

  It’s my turn to frown. “Since when do you know the Old Tongue?”

  They share a glance, and Frumos says, “We were taught it in school. In order to protect all deities, we must be well-versed in everything. Including things of old. Including…the forbidden. And we must rise above it.”

  “Hmm. Doesn’t that get tiring?”

  Frumos rolls his eyes. “Yes, but we were created for such a purpose. If you think we are straight arrows, you should have seen the other dozen immortals in our school. Each more perfect than the last.” And yet it was I who Ileana chose that night… He shakes his head, as if to remove the thought. “We cannot complain, we each have our purpose.”

  “So you, what, simply accept this path laid out for you?”

  “It is our only path,” he says. “It is what we were created for, our entire race. To protect the gods. Forever.” He glances at Ileana and some of his cool expression falters for a moment, then the mask is back on. “Not all of us may agree with it, but unless we are dismissed from our role, we have no choice. It simply…is.”

  “I see.” I’m reminded of Ileana refusing my dismissal, saying only Zeus could do it since he’s master of this realm. What a damn mess. Maybe I’m not the only one stuck in a life I hate, after all.

  Ileana clears her throat. “So, the Old Tongue? I thought it was banned from Olympus, eons ago.”

  “It was,” I mutter. “Because the Titans were set to sleep, and speaking their language, some believe, could raise them again.”

  “Not something you would want,” Frumos says. “They were your biggest threat, once upon a time. If the pantheons had not worked together, you probably would have all been extinguished.”

  “I see you are most definitely versed in our history.” They both ignore my bitterness. “Anyway, point o
f the matter is, Zeus, Poseidon, and I still speak it. But we’re not supposed to.”

  “Then what made you speak it?” Ileana asks.

  Frumos throws her a look, as if she should bite her tongue. Probably because she seems much too interested in me in this moment. I sigh, too tired to care for their little drama.

  “I’m not sure. Must’ve been too drunk.”

  “See, I would believe that,” Frumos says, “except you had no drinks before we left. What are you hiding, Hades?”

  I push off the couch and move around. I shouldn’t be making things worse, and this is specifically adding to it. How can I explain that I was so overwhelmed with everyone, and the words simply came? I reverted back to an old way of being, a way that is now banned. No pantheon will understand, nor will they forgive.

  No. To everyone else’s eyes, I'm Hades, the black sheep of Olympus. The failure. The screw-up. The disgraced brother.

  “Hiding?” I snort. “You assume I have enough brain cells left to come up with machinations after all my drinking. I assure you, I do not.”

  I walk away from them to a basin of water and splash some on my face. The throbbing in my head is not as deep, though it’s still there. Odd, once more. Gods are not meant to experience physical distress. Yet another instruction my body seems to have missed out on.

  After I wipe my face, I turn to my guards once more. “What happened after…?”

  “Your odd seizure?” Ileana shrugs. “Last I heard was Zeus asking the Council for a break. Demanded Odin produce Fenrir to the next meeting.”

  “Wonderful.” I eye the ambrosia decanter, but it’s too far for me to envision grasping it. “And on a scale of one to enormous, how angry is my brother?”

  “Very.” The voice comes from the entrance. Zeus takes one look at my guardians and jerks his head to the outside.

  Weirdly, I didn’t even see him enter. Though I shouldn’t be surprised, he was bound to come yell at me eventually.

  The moment Ileana and Frumos are gone, he faces me and crosses his arms. “You couldn’t well act the part, could you?” All I needed was for you to give me enough ammunition to bring the Norse down a few pegs. Then I could’ve found out what they’re hiding.

  Somehow, the ambrosia doesn’t seem so far away. I stumble to it and gulp a full goblet, then reach for another. Amid my noisy drinking, Zeus continues talking.

  “I realize you and I are different, brother, but I had hoped to at least count on your assistance.” After all, you owe me.

  “Perhaps you could—if you bothered telling me what was going on.”

  Zeus’ narrowed gaze stays on me, then flicks to the ambrosia. Smirking, I empty another goblet, then wipe my mouth and shrug. “Suit yourself.”

  “Wait.” He sighs and gestures to the drink. “Pass me some.”

  Once I do, he paces, sipping it delicately.

  “In my last earthly adventure—”

  “You mean your frolicking.”

  “Yes, that.” He sends an annoyed glance my way. “Something felt off. Like I was being followed. Two days later, Poseidon said some of his creatures turned against him.” I thought I only had your mind-reading to worry about, but it seems to be the least of my problems nowadays.

  I try to focus on the words he spoke out loud instead of the mess in his head. “What does that mean, exactly?”

  Our brother lives in a realm under water. He’s always preferred it to being above ground, and says the world is much nicer and appealing. More than once, I’ve thought of escaping there, but he also doesn’t want me around. Unsurprising.

  “His creatures love him,” I mutter.

  “They do. He said something had taken control of them, possessed them, and they attacked him while he was out.”

  “That’s not possible.”

  Zeus swallows heavily. “But it is. And it has happened again—with you. Only, this time, you were able to pinpoint a culprit.”

  Everything he’s saying finally makes sense. Both of them attacked, now me… “You’re saying someone’s coming after us, because we’re, what? Heirs?”

  “Not just heirs,” Zeus says. “But the rightful rulers of Olympus.”

  I barely hold back a snort. “Always playing politics, brother.”

  “At least I have a purpose.” He winces, as though regretting his jab.

  I let it go this time, instead focusing on his theory. “You think it’s the Norse gods who were behind the other two incidents?”

  “I do not want to believe it… But how else can we explain what happened?”

  I shake my head, recalling Odin’s wayward thoughts. “Would Odin know of it, then? It seems unlikely.”

  Zeus’s expression hardens. “Whether he knows or not, it is his responsibility to fix it.”

  Yes, my brother and his black-and-white views. It’s been so long since we’ve had conversations, that I’ve even forgotten how intrinsically annoying he can be.

  “What if it’s beyond him?”

  He frowns at my question, and peers at me closer. “What do you know?”

  “Nothing.” And I don’t, not really. Whatever I heard, I cannot say what it means. I most definitely can’t pinpoint a culprit.

  “I don’t believe you.” Zeus steps closer, an odd glint in his eyes. “You can help me in this, brother. Join the next meeting and tell me what’s being thought.”

  “All of a sudden, I’m useful now?”

  “For once, yes. Will you help me?”

  I shake my head. Wanting to deny him. Knowing I can’t. “Yes.”

  Satisfied, he leaves, and my guards step back in the room shortly after. When I say nothing, simply stare out the window for an extended period, Ileana clears her throat.

  “What was that about?”

  “A way to make myself useful.” I turn to them and force a grin. “I think another trip to Earth is needed.”

  “Not the best idea, given the circumstances,” Frumos says.

  “Perhaps. But I’m going regardless. One of you can come with me, or you can both stay here.” I shrug. “Your choice.”

  If nothing else, I want to escape Olympus and the looks that will follow me around for the next few days. And… I want to find the woman. The one who’s been showing up in my dreams, teasing me with her fruity scent. I want to see if she’s as interesting in person as my mind has made her out to be.

  Before Ileana can say anything, Frumos steps forward. “I will come. Ileana can keep an eye on anything here that might be out of the ordinary.”

  Typical. Leave the female behind while they go have their male fun. And no, I do not care if part of that involves other females. What Făt and I had was a long time ago, and it was a single night. Even if I cannot get it out of my head… Though her pinched expression says she’s none too happy about being left behind, and her thoughts clearly imply there’s more to it, she nods.

  The moment after, Frumos opens a portal, and we go through it.

  We emerge in a village similar to the previous one. No, not similar. It’s the same village. I take in my surroundings, then face my immortal guard. “How did you know?”

  He shrugs. “We are trained for this.”

  Trained to read my mind? I don’t say the words out loud. Instead, I ask, “And why could we not come via the regular means?”

  “If anyone is after you, it makes sense to vary your movements, no? An immortal’s portal is more secure than a god materializing and dematerializing. Different magic, less traceable.”

  The logic of that is beyond anything I can comprehend, so I don’t bother disputing it. “What makes you think anyone is after me?”

  He smirks. “You just confirmed it.”

  Rolling my eyes, I step away from him and head closer to the sound of music and laughter. While the mortals’ thoughts assail me, Frumos adds one more thing. “Are you planning to toy with Ileana’s feelings?”

  I toss him a glare over my shoulder. “It was not my intention.”

 
; “Then quit it.” She doesn’t need your games.

  How peculiar. His internal thoughts are very much focused on her, meaning he’s far more connected to her than I gave him credit for.

  “Far be it for me to step on another’s territory.”

  He glowers at me. “She is not property.”

  “No… But she’s clearly not meant to be mine, either.”

  Before he can say anything else, I lose myself in the crowd of humans. My habits already match theirs, and in their inebriated state they won’t realize just how strange I am. Nor how I move differently than they do, more fluidly, more in tune with the energies that breathe life into them.

  And if I don’t find her…that woman… Then, soon enough, I may find some warm body to keep me company for the night and make me forget.

  Even as I think that, laughter grabs my attention. A particular laugh—one I’ve been hearing in my dreams. I stop dancing and turn, only to see a flash of raven hair.

  Long, raven hair falls to her waist in thick, curly locks. She has on a simple dress, white with flowers on it. All that emanates from her is sunshine, laughter and…life.

  How can a human hold this much joy? They’re simple creatures, yes, not prone to the politics we play. Not prone to the weight of the world on their shoulders. Most of them live day by day, aware of their single purpose and tasking themselves with achieving it.

  But this one…

  Before I even know what I’m doing, I take a step toward her. Then another. This time, I don’t hesitate. With assured strides, I make my way over.

  She’s dancing with a human, her lithe body swaying to the music. When she laughs, she throws her head back and laughs from her core. And still I’m drawn even closer, addicted to the sound, to hearing more of it. Who is this woman?

  She whirls to the music, and then comes to an abrupt stop. Her eyes take me in, her entire being frozen. As am I.

  She is beautiful, yes, but there’s more to it than that. More than the rosebud mouth, the high cheekbones, the eyes that draw me in. The glint in them—that odd hue of violet—immediately tells me she is no human.

  How could I have mistaken her for one, even from afar? The radiance surrounding her is enough to overshadow even Ileana’s brilliance. Is she another immortal, meant to tease me into insanity?