by JoAnna Grace
Nikki came back shortly, freshly showered and changed into a light blue shirt. It complimented her hair that was once again pulled into a plait at the back of her neck.
“Mornin’.” Avery crossed her arms in front of her and walked to the edge of the patio. Beyond the immaculately manicured gardens was a lake half surrounded by forest. Peeping up over the trees on the far end of the lake was the roofline of several buildings.
“Here you are.” Nikki handed her the cup of coffee and a friendly smile crossed her face.
“That color looks good on you Nikki.” Avery sipped the coffee, knowing Nikki would be pleased at the compliment. And she was.
Delight glowed across her face. “Thank you, milady! I could say the same for you. The green brings out your eyes.” When Avery smiled at her, Nikki beamed. The girl was downright lovable.
“The Master comes.” Nikki quickly went to the door before there was a knock. Avery saw her bow. The exchange between Nikki and Ryse was muffled. Nikki turned to speak. “Master Ryse would like an audience. Are you receiving?”
Avery ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. She mouthed to Nikki, “Do I look okay?” and her Shadow Lady nodded. Avery motioned for her to let him in.
Ryse came through the door and Avery’s heart sputtered. They locked eyes and everything in the room faded away. He was dressed casually, his black hair was slicked back but rebellious strands fell in his face. Avery had to hug herself to keep from reaching out to fix it.
No man should be so sexy. Ryse was tall and broad, his body pure muscle and yet when he held her it was soft and welcoming. Though he towered over her, she felt perfect in his arms. She wanted to touch him again, feel his body pressed up against her and their lips moving together in sync. The desperation surprised her. How could she crave him like this after such a short time? She cleared her dry throat and averted her eyes.
“Nikki, bring some breakfast to the lanai. I think the Lady needs some fresh air.” Ryse commanded.
“Yes, Master.” The redhead scuttled off to her task.
Ryse held out his arm and motioned Avery to the patio. “Did you sleep well?” He put his hands behind his back and Avery wondered if he was resisting the same need to touch.
“For a while. I had a nightmare.” Avery shrugged it off. “I guess after everything that’s happened, it’s to be expected, right?”
“You should have sent for me.”
Avery turned her head to see his face. His tone had been hard. “And what would you have done? Killed a phantom?”
His face fell, his mouth went slack. “I only meant—”
“I know.” Avery waved a dismissive hand. About that time Nikki came out with a large tray of food. “It’s fine. It’s over. Poor Nikki listened to me cry for hours on end and I’m fine now.”
Nikki tentatively touched Avery’s arm. “And I would happily do so again should it bring my mistress comfort.” The two women shared a smile. Nikki was the type of person Avery wanted as a friend. And after last night’s bonding, they were well on their way.
Ryse inclined his head to her Shadow Lady. “You have my gratitude.”
“It is my honor. I shall take the dogs for a walk while you dine.” Nikki bowed and left them to their meal.
Ryse pulled out a wicker chair for Avery then seated himself. Knowing she needed the nourishment, Avery picked a strawberry off the plate. Her hand knocked into Ryse’s. He was going for the same berry. The touch of his skin sent an electrical arc between them.
“Do you feel that?” Ryse picked up the berry and lifted it to her mouth. Avery could hardly concentrate to take a bite. Her eyes were drawn to where he licked his lips.
Ignoring his question, she asked her own. “Last night, when I asked you what you got by me being here, you said it was complicated. How complicated? And why do I get the feeling that this attraction is part of that complication?”
Ryse’s chest rose and fell as he took in a deep breath. “Are you sure you want that answer just yet?”
“Ah, hell.” Avery curled up her knees to her chest as if that could protect her from whatever was to come. “I’m not gonna like this, am I?”
He chuckled and started, “Lifetimes ago, when the gods decided to leave the earthly plane, they chose leaders from their descendents to stay in their stead. Six in all. The gods poured into these men the blood of their veins. These demigods were named the earthly Deities and had the partial powers of the gods. Each of the Deities was charged with the task of ruling the Olympian descendents and keeping their existence secret to the growing mortal populace. To help each Deity control and rein in his people, Ares, god of war and punishment, allowed his Thracian descendants to remain on the earth and serve as law. As time went on, the Deities and Thracians took control and looked after all Olympians. But the kings grew restless and lonely, needing companions.
“Looking around the heavens, Zeus, master of all Olympians, found only one group of goddesses that could do what was needed. The Graces, or charities, as some called them, were women of great character—goddesses of beauty, charm, nature, fertility, merriment, festivity, and creativity. Combining their blood, and adding in some of the blood of specific gods and goddesses, Zeus created the first generation of Divine Graces.
“The Graces did exactly what they were created to do. They brought peace, happiness, and tranquility to the Deities. They also brought forth heirs. It is the only way a Deity can produce a legitimate heir. Over time the Graces became more powerful and connected to the gods than the Deities they were created to serve. In the last few hundred years, the Graces became more like Oracles, interceding between the earthly Olympians and the gods.
“Besides Divine Graces, there are only two other beings on earth that have the power to evoke the blessings of the gods. One is the Grand Deity. He is appointed by Zeus to be the leader of his peers. The other is the Thracian Master who is in direct communication with Ares.”
“That’s what you are, the Master?” Avery recalled how everyone addressed him.
“I am.” Ryse sat still for a moment and Avery wondered what he was thinking about. “My mother is a great Oracle. She has seen in her visions that the time has come for a new pairing of Deity and Divine Grace.”
“And you think, what? That I’m a Divine Grace?” Her heart was in her throat and pounding like a bass drum.
“When you were born, your father had a vision. He was a Promethean, an Oracle, like my mother. He saw you being killed as an infant, so he and your mother ran. They kept you hidden in the mortal world, kept your aura shielded. Your father also bound and shielded himself making it nearly impossible for an Olympian tracker to find any of you. On the day of your parents’ deaths, your father used the last flicker of his life to alert the Olympian world of their location.”
“If my parents were descendents of gods, how could a car accident kill them?”
Ryse couldn’t meet her eyes. “They were assassinated by Rogues, Avery. It was nothing as simple as a car accident. And your mother was human. Your father was one of the few Olympians who mated with a mortal. Before he left the Haven, your father was a fairly famous man among us. He was an Oracle of insurmountable talent. Unlike my mother, your father could call up visions as easy as you might call your dogs. It was foolish of him to think that he could live outside this realm and never be recognized. And with all Oracles, there is a price to having such knowledge.”
Avery’s entire past had just come into clear understanding. So much made sense now. As a child, she had assumed that all fathers knew their children the way hers did. Nothing slipped past him. He knew every time she even attempted to sneak out. He knew when she stole money from his wallet to buy a ticket to the movies. Once, her father even knew she had a fight with Izzy before she said a word. She never had a chance.
“I imagine they were watching you for a while, Avery. Exactly like we had to. You never exhibited any sort of gifts or aura so Rogues couldn’t justify your murder. It�
�s considered below any Olympian to take human life for no reason. There is no honor there, not even for rogues and rebels. Since they had no evidence against you,” he hesitated, opened his mouth to speak, stopped and started again. “They figured if they raped you, you wouldn’t be valuable to us.”
Avery froze. Her heart skipped a beat, then came to thundering life. Only a handful of people knew about that and Frank had taken her secret to the grave. Tears threatened to spill. Her arms tightened around her legs. There was no way she could look at Ryse. She averted her eyes and tried to breathe deep. “How did you know?”
“It is a common misconception that if a Grace is impure, she cannot be mated to a Deity. The rebels immediately defile any woman they suspect of being a powerful Olympian.”
“You said I was shielded.” She wiped her face, looking out at the gardens. “Does that mean they hurt me for the hell of it? I was barely twenty years old.” Her parents had died a short two years before. Though a decade had passed, the pain returned anew with all this information.
“I wish I could tell you differently,” Ryse whispered.
Avery closed her eyes and more tears tumbled down her cheeks. She put her forehead on her knees and covered her face until she could hold her head up.
“What made them come at me again? Why was Jerry there? Hadn’t they done enough? I’m defiled, as you say. What good am I?”
“The gods meant pure of heart and spirit as well as body. A woman whose innocence is taken is still pure of heart, Avery. You didn’t willingly give yourself.”
No, she hadn’t. She just happened to be the woman stupid enough to let a man use her telephone when he claimed his car was broken down. “Why now?”
“Because of me,” Ryse admitted, his jaws clenched. “My aura is much too powerful for any magic or shield to fully hide. Jerry felt my presence and that was all the reason he needed to attack.”
“So if a bunch of rebels could track my father, why couldn’t you track him? Why didn’t you come sooner?”
Ryse took a deep breath. “Right before your father’s death when he used his powers, Hammon felt the spark. It was so quick, so minute that he barely caught it. It wasn’t enough to pinpoint your location. Hammon said it was nothing more than someone turning on a flashlight in the middle of the ocean for a few seconds. All we knew was that somewhere down south, there was a cry for help. We began searching for every registered Olympian we could find. When that came up blank, we looked into all the activities of the rogues. Where was their presence the greatest? Who was moving about? Our spies dropped a hint that a woman of interest was in Texas.” He looked up at Avery. “Your father would have to pick one of the largest states to hide in. We had been all over when my mother was given a vision of a woman with green eyes who owned a coffee shop. So we began looking at the records of female business owners. We came as soon as we could.
“You’re a priceless gift among our people. Only you can mate with a Deity Prince and produce an heir. Only you can intercede for our people and only you have the complementary powers to help a Deity rule.”
Avery took deep breaths to calm the panic that was rising inside of her. Her brain wasn’t ready to process everything Ryse was telling her. “I don’t have a choice in this at all, do I?” she whispered, a sick feeling in her stomach again.
“No one will force you into anything.”
“And if I say no?”
Avery watched his face. It was all the answer she would receive. Ryse looked away from her, his jaw clenched, nostrils flared. His brows dipped low when he looked back at her and repeated, “No one will force you.”
The words he didn’t say were the ones she heard the loudest.
MENTAL OVERLOAD WAS a mild term for what Avery felt. Even though deep in her mind and heart she was grieving, mourning the physical death of Frank and the psychological death of who she was, there was a faint acceptance of this new information.
Throughout her entire life Avery had always been a little different from others. Since her twenty-second birthday, her body hadn’t aged. It changed with diet and exercise, but she hadn’t aged. At nearly twenty-nine she should have signs of aging most women fight their entire adult lives. It wouldn’t have even been rare to find a gray hair or two, but she hadn’t. For the first time in her life, the feeling of being different made sense. She was different.
Now she had a position to fill and she wasn’t quite sure how Ryse fit. Was this the end for them? Though they had shared a degree of passion and a few intimate moments, it didn’t mean he could continue to be with her since his job was done. He had said over and over that his objective was to get her to the Haven. Perhaps she should be angry that he showed her such affection. But then again, maybe it was as compulsorily for him as it was for her.
“Ryse.” It was a prayer whispered reverently.
“Yes?”
She looked out over the gardens. “I never thanked you for what you’ve done for me.”
“There’s no need.”
Of course not, Avery thought. He was just doing his job, right?
“You helped me get out alive. No matter what happens, I will always be grateful.”
Nikki, who was standing out of viewing distance, cleared her throat. “Forgive my interruption, but the Peaen is here to examine the Lady. He waits in a suite upstairs.”
“The what?” Avery asked, looking curiously at Ryse.
“The physician.”
Avery sat up and pulled her wild mane to one side of her neck. She didn’t like the idea of some other-world doctor examining her. Ryse must have picked up on her discomfort by the way she hugged her arms around her stomach.
“Nikki, arrange for a female physician.”
“Yes, Master.” The delicate footsteps of Nikki’s retreat worried Avery.
“She doesn’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.”
“No, no males should touch you unless you are inviting it.” His firm tone kept her from arguing.
Only a couple hours later Avery was done with her check up. The lovely woman barely had to touch her except to take a couple vials of blood for genetic testing. Rubbing the bandage on her arm, Avery left the suite and waved to the Peaen woman.
Ryse was nowhere to be found. The Palace was huge and expansive, so she figured she could give herself the grand tour. Hoping she didn’t get lost, she wound through the maze of rooms and doors. Going downstairs, she found her way to the main floor of the house. An overwhelming pull led her to the solarium. Ryse’s voice boomed from the room and the disturbed tone of it caused her heart thump in her throat.
“Damn it, Salina! Get your hands off me!” There was ice in every word.
“Ryse, come on, love.” The sultry English accent was thick with sexual desire. “I know you’ve missed me.”
“No, actually I haven’t thought about you in decades.” His cruelty bruised even Avery. Her head said to leave, her heart said to stay.
“Now, now, Ryse. I know you have been under a lot of pressure lately. Why don’t you let me give you a massage? I know how you enjoy it when I stroke—”
“Enough!” he said. That tone made Avery look around the corner of the wall where she was hiding.
Bad idea.
Avery peeked in time to see a leggy blonde with her hand angled at his crotch. The red mini skirt, tight black halter, and black high heels were a thin cover to her real weapons—large breasts, hour glass figure, and plump ass. She had bright red lips, dark shadowed eyes, and flawless skin. Long hair fell in straight sheets down her back. Her eyes were full of seduction and that seduction was focused on Ryse. It was a wonder the poor man was still standing. Salina was dirty sex in stilettos.
Ryse shoved her hand away with no form of finesse. Fury was all over his face.
“Is this about that girl you brought in here? The waitress?” she said the last words as a curse. “Is she the little Grace you’ve been searching for, love?” she scoffed.
Ryse walked away from her and lo
oked out the window. “You’re walking on thin ice, Salina. What are you doing here, anyway?” The growl in his voice was something Avery had never heard. It actually scared her that he took such a tone with a woman, even this woman. He had murdered in Avery’s presence, but this was far more disturbing.
“My family is planning a visit. I thought I would come early and spend some quality time with you. Might have thought twice if I knew I would be so ill received. You know how much your approval means to me, Ryse. It hurts that you might not think fondly of me. After everything that has happened between us, it would kill me if we couldn’t be…friends.” She let her fingers trail along his arm. “Besides, I want to get to know this little Grace. I’ve never met a real farm girl before.”
In a flash, Ryse had her by the neck and pressed up against the wall. “Do you attempt to play me, Salina? Do you think I didn’t feel that telepathic push?”
Showing no signs of fear though he was nearly choking her, Salina answered cool as a cucumber. “What do you mean? I would never try to—”
“Do you also suggest me a fool?” he snarled. She remained stone-faced. “You had better watch using your treacherous mind games on me, woman. I have no patience with you. And if you so much as harm a hair on Avery’s head or put one hint of thought into her mind, I will punish you as the gods have given me right to. Not even your royal blood can save you from my wrath, Salina. Remember that.”
Before Ryse could release her and walk out of the room, Avery turned to sneak away. The last thing she wanted was to try and tangle with this new side of the deadly warrior. Unfortunately, when she quietly turned to leave, she was face to face with someone unexpected.
SURELY AVERY’S EYES had deceived her. There were no such things as angels, yet here one stood. Cascading from her head was a waterfall of white blond hair. Silver-streaked curls swirled down to her waist, spilling over her shoulders and down her back. The satin lavender dress she wore flowed in a continuation of her locks. Striking eyes were nearly the same pastel shade as her dress. Delicate cheeks and pink lips displayed no smile for Avery. Instead, she motioned with her head for Avery to follow.
