Devoted to Destiny

by Lisa Kessler

  Ted was finished helping Pamela. In fact, he hoped he and Mikolas could find a way to stop her.

  Hungry to earn his father’s approval, Ted had dived into the Order of the Titans full of righteous fervor to help them make history and bring back the Golden Age of Man. And immortality. It seemed naive now that he’d witnessed Pamela’s power. His father had believed Kronos would reward the Order for freeing him, but what if he emerged with a thirst for power in his heart instead of gratefulness?

  Part of Ted wished he could recapture the blind passion for the cause, but after being attacked by Pamela and experiencing her inhuman powers firsthand, he had begun to believe Mikolas’s warning. There was no guarantee that Kronos would answer their pleas and usher in a new age of milk and honey for mankind.

  Ted sighed and clicked the key fob. The lights blinked on his car across the lot. “Sorry. I’ll let Kevin know we can’t take on any new members right now.” He paused and then added, “I still think his knowledge could come in handy. If we do free Kronos from Tartarus at the center of the Earth, we might need someone who can help us come up with tributes befitting the king of the Titans.”

  “I’ll think about it.” Mikolas turned for his car and stopped. “There’s something…off about him.”

  “Really?” Ted frowned. “I haven’t noticed anything strange.”

  Mikolas shook his head. “I can’t put my finger on it yet, but I look at him and I see an older guy, maybe early seventies, but at the edge of my vision, when I close my eyes…that’s not who I see.”

  Ted wished he could laugh it off and tell Mikolas he was nuts, but nothing about Mikolas’s admission was funny. The first time Kevin had come into Ted’s office, he had introduced himself as a childhood friend of Ted’s father, but afterward, Ted hadn’t been able to find a single photo of the two men together. In the time he’d spent with Kevin since, he’d forgotten his earlier wariness.

  “Maybe that’s why I wanted to be sure he was on our side.” Ted lifted his gaze to Mikolas’s face. “There’s something about him. Power, maybe.”

  “My gut says we need to be careful.” Mikolas clenched his jaw. “We must have something he needs. That’s why he’s pushing so hard to join the Order.”

  “I hadn’t thought about it that way.” Ted swallowed the lump in his throat. “But if we don’t let him into the Order soon, we may lose our chance to cement his loyalty. If Pamela finds him…”

  “She might be able to see what we can’t. Good point.” Mikolas clapped Ted on the shoulder. “See if you can arrange a meeting with Kevin at my place tomorrow night.”

  Ted nodded, then got into his car and blasted the heater. For some reason, he couldn’t get his hands to stop shaking.

  Mason walked Clio out of Bartlett’s and toward her car. She had to work in the morning but wasn’t ready for the night to end. Not yet. Mason made her laugh, and when she went off on historical tangents, he didn’t just sit and wait for her to return to the twenty-first century, he listened and joined her on the journey. They’d already talked for over two hours.

  As she slowed her pace, he chuckled. “I’m not ready to say good night yet.”

  “Me neither.” Clio stopped beside her car and looked up at him. “If I didn’t have a teaching assignment tomorrow, I’d love to find another place to talk.”

  He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a tender kiss to her knuckles. Her pulse raced as heat coiled low in her belly.

  His eyes met hers as he lowered her hand. “You’re my silver lining, Clio.”

  Her heart fluttered. “How do you figure?”

  “I came to Crystal City without knowing a soul, landed a job that no one else would work on, and then got trapped in a burning building, but I also got to meet you.”

  She worried her lower lip. Why couldn’t Mason be her Guardian? She’d never met anyone like him before. He loved the hard labor of his job, claimed it was honest and allowed him to move around and see the country, and when he wasn’t turning architectural drawings into reality, he enjoyed reading.

  And his favorite subject was history.

  Ugh. She never should have taken a seat at his table. Now when she found her Guardian, she’d be comparing him to Mason. How could any man measure up?

  At least she hadn’t kissed him yet.

  Yet? She needed to get her head together and stay focused on finding her Guardian, not making out with the hot contractor. For now, she’d imagine that he was a sloppy kisser, like a wet vacuum cleaner, all tongue and teeth.

  “Damn. I’m sorry.” His hand slid free of hers, his gaze wandering over her face. “Let me guess. You’ve got a boyfriend, and I just made you really uncomfortable.” He shook his head, a trace of a smile on his face. “But boyfriend or not, I meant what I said. I’ve got no regrets.”

  She reached up to cup his face, rose up on her toes, and brushed her lips against his.

  What was she doing?

  His five-o’clock shadow was rough against her palm, reminding her this wasn’t a dream. He returned the kiss, humming into her mouth as he embraced her. Gods, her entire body came alive, aching for more. She parted her lips, and his tongue searched for hers, teasing her until a wanton moan escaped her throat.

  Her knees wobbled, but Mason’s strong arms kept her upright. She tangled her fingers in the back of his hair, and suddenly, her brain engaged.

  She pulled back, breathless. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  Mason loosened his grip on her, shaking his head. “I will never be sorry you stopped thinkin’, darlin’.”

  His crooked smile almost lured her to kiss him again. So much for imagining he kissed like a wet vacuum. It was the opposite, in fact. Now she realized she’d never really been kissed until tonight.

  She was so screwed.

  Taking a step back, she pressed the center of her glasses farther up her nose. “I didn’t mean to lead you on.”

  “So there is another guy?”

  “Yes.” She coughed and shook her head. “Well, no. At least, not yet.”

  He raised a brow. “Which is it?”

  She couldn’t tell him she was waiting for her Guardian to find her, and right now, her blood was rushing to lower parts of her body. Her brain was still struggling to catch up. She crossed her arms. “It’s complicated.”

  So smooth.

  He nodded, his gaze boring into her. “Maybe you can explain when I help you move Saturday.”

  Having him in her place, near her bed… Yeah, bad idea. She broke eye contact and looked down, inspecting her shoes. “About that… I don’t want to impose.”

  He caught her chin, lifting her head until she stared into the lush forest of his green eyes. “I swear I’ll keep my hands to myself.” He smiled and added, “Even if it kills me.”

  Knowing he wanted her too wasn’t helping. Had Trinity been right about Mason all along? How had Clio missed it?

  “Okay.” She nodded, a grin creeping up on her. “And I promise not to kiss you again.”

  He shook his head, bending closer. His breath teased her skin, his voice dropping an octave. “That’s a promise I hope you can’t keep.”

  Her lips parted, aching to close the distance between them again. Never in her life had she wanted anyone like this. Why now?

  She backed away. Being near him was intoxicating. She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced a tentative smile. “I guess I’ll see you in a couple days.”

  He nodded, and while his eyes shone with desire and intensity, he made no move toward her, respecting the boundary she was desperately trying to erect between them.

  A nervous giggle escaped her lips. “I’ll text you my address. Thanks for your help. And sorry about the…”

  He shook his head and gave her a crooked smile. “I’m only sorry we’re not going to kiss again.”

  She fumbled with her keys and got in her car, her pulse racing as she started the engine. Pressing her lips together, she drove out of the lot, glancing i
n her rearview mirror at Mason.

  Why couldn’t he be the one? She focused on the road again and sighed. They had met months ago, and as far as she knew, he hadn’t complained about a sudden onslaught of visions, hearing other people’s thoughts, or moving things with his mind like the other Guardians.

  He was just Mason.

  And maybe that’s enough, her heart whispered.

  Her car vanished around the corner, and he finally remembered to breathe. All this time, he wasn’t sure why she’d kept her distance. Now he knew. Sort of.

  Jealousy coiled in his gut. He’d held her in his arms, tasted her lips, and the thought of her with another man stoked a primal fire in his soul. He hadn’t shifted since the theater had burned down a few months back, but the usually dormant wolf, paced in the shadows of his spirit, agitated, tempting him to surrender.

  Mason balled his hands into tight fists, denying his wolf his freedom.

  It seemed like yesterday when the flames had erupted. Screams had deafened his ears, and his eyes had watered in the smoke-filled theater. Clio hadn’t been at the exit with the others. He’d struggled to find her, but he’d needed the wolf’s senses to catch her scent.

  His Lycan curse didn’t seem to work like the few werewolves he’d encountered over the years. His curse was an either-or deal. When he was a man, he was solely a man without any heightened wolf senses, and when he shifted, the wolf took complete control, leaving the man a prisoner of the wolf’s primal instincts. He would gain the animal’s senses and strength, but in trade, he lost his humanity. With each shift, the path back to becoming a man got more distant and difficult to navigate.

  His shift from man to wolf was always instantaneous, fueled by Zeus’s magic, but in the panic, with his adrenaline flowing, he’d lost himself, and almost couldn’t find his way back to his human form again. He couldn’t risk one more shift. The curse had claimed his father, imprisoning him in his Lycan form. It wouldn’t take Mason, too.

  He still had work to do and a water nymph to stop.

  Mason pulled in a few slow breaths and turned toward his truck. As the haze of the wolf’s instincts diminished, rational thought crept back in. He got behind the wheel and shook his head with a smile.

  Clio might have a guy in her life already, or maybe she was waiting for someone, but Mason hadn’t made the first move. Clio had kissed him.

  It might kill him, but he’d have to be patient. He had a feeling Clio would be worth the wait.

  CHAPTER 4

  Clio had survived her day at Crystal City High School, but it was difficult to focus. Between kissing Mason the night before and then having one of the hottest dreams of her life, she was a little distracted.

  “Hey, Clio.”

  She startled and then grinned when she realized who it was. “Mel! I was hoping I’d run into you.”

  Mel—or Mrs. Malone to the students—was the Muse of Tragic Poetry and an amazing English teacher. She came in and wrapped Clio in a tight hug. “How were the monsters?”

  Clio chuckled. “They weren’t too bad.” She pulled back with a smile. “Want to grab a coffee?”

  “Sure.” Mel adjusted the bag hanging from her shoulder. “That’ll give me a chance to pick your brain about Mason.”

  Clio raised a brow. “I’m not sure how much help I’ll be.”

  “Oh please. We all see it.” She headed for the door with a knowing grin. “Besides, Nate said you had dinner with Mason last night.”

  Clio grabbed her things and hurried to catch up to Mel. “Hard to sneak anything past you and your detective husband, huh?”

  Mel nudged her as they walked toward the parking lot. “We wouldn’t be so nosy if we didn’t care about you.”

  “I know, I know.” Clio shook her head. “Meet you there?”

  Mel nodded, and they went to their respective cars. Clio followed Mel to the coffee shop, all the while trying to decide how much to reveal about her night with Mason. She loved Mel. Heck, she loved all her muse sisters, but most of them had already found their Guardians. Each time the poor guy would suddenly have an awakening of some strange ability. All four of the Guardians who had become part of their family had thought they’d had brain tumors. But Mason hadn’t shown the slightest change since they met.

  If Clio admitted her attraction for Mason, she’d also need to confess that he wasn’t her Guardian. Mel would probably do her best to fill Clio’s head with how amazing her Guardian would be, and Clio would be sitting there daydreaming about the way Mason had held her the night before.

  She parked her car beside Mel’s, and they went inside. After they ordered, Mel scanned the coffee shop for a free table and grinned, nudging Clio. “Look, it’s Tera.”

  Tera was the Muse of Dance, and Clio had never seen a more graceful, expressive performer. But when Tera was off the stage, she was a woman of few words. Clio barely knew her.

  Mel approached with a smile. “Hey, Tera! Mind if we join you?”

  Tera’s head popped up from her book, and her lips curved at the corners, tentative. “Oh sure. Please do.”

  Clio took a seat, hopeful that maybe adding Tera to the mix would take some of the focus off Mel’s questions about Mason.

  Tera took a sip of her drink, her smoky-gray eyes moving from Mel to Clio. “What’s up?”

  Mel leaned in closer to them. “Nate told me Mason asked to talk to the guy who attacked Lia at the improv.”

  Clio’s jaw dropped. In the two or three hours they’d chatted, Mason hadn’t mentioned that.

  Mel sobered. “He didn’t tell you?”

  Clio shook her head. “I didn’t think to ask why he was talking to Nate.”

  Tera sipped her coffee without saying a word.

  Mel lowered her voice. “Nate said Mason is looking for Pamela Costas. That’s what brought him to Crystal City in the first place.”

  He hadn’t told Clio that, either. Suddenly, she was second-guessing and analyzing every conversation they’d ever had. She frowned. “Why would he be looking for her? Does he realize she’s not exactly human? He can’t stop her. Maybe no one can.”

  “That’s why I was wondering if you could talk to him.” Mel’s eyes softened. “You know, warn him without sounding too nuts.”

  Tera smiled, lifting her cup to her mouth again.

  “He’s coming by to help me move tomorrow.” Clio frowned, shaking her head. “What am I supposed to do, say ‘Here’s my box of kitchen utensils, and by the way, the woman you’re looking for will kill you.’ Or maybe, ‘Put that box over there, and it’s a small world, Pamela is also trying to kill me and my sisters.’”

  Tera set her cup down, her soft laughter silencing Clio and Mel. Tera quieted and shrugged. “You could try telling him the truth. He’s already saved your life once. Maybe he’s your Guardian.”

  Clio shook her head and picked up her cup. “He’s known me for a few months now, and he hasn’t shown any signs of possessing a weird superpower or a burning birthmark.” She sighed. “He’s not the one.”

  Tera reached over and rested a warm hand on Clio’s arm. “You really like this guy.”

  “Not that it matters.” Clio shrugged. “Somewhere out there the gods marked a man for me. And when my Guardian does appear, what do I say? ‘I appreciate you putting your life on the line for me, but I’m dating our contractor.’”

  Mel dug through her purse and fished out her cell phone. “Hate to break it to you, but the prophecy you translated doesn’t say anything about your Guardian being your soul mate. So maybe Mason is your soul mate’; he’s just not your Guardian.”

  Clio slumped in her chair. “Maybe.”

  Mel’s phone vibrated, and she sighed and glanced at it. “Shoot. I’ve got to pick up Maggie. Nate’s working, and apparently, there was a crafting mishap. Maggie’s got blue paint in her hair and all over her pants.” She smiled at Clio. “Just try to give Mason a heads-up to be careful, okay?”

  “I’ll give it a shot.”

&n
bsp; Mel got up and slung her bag over her shoulder. “See you guys soon.”

  Clio watched her go, then looked over at Tera. “I guess I should let you get back to your book.”

  Tera tucked her book into the dance bag at her feet. “That’s okay. I’m working on my people skills. Maybe we could…talk?”

  Clio hoped she’d successfully hidden the shock from her face. “Um, sure.” She glanced at Tera’s bag. “Are you on your way to the dance studio or home?”

  “I’m actually between classes, so I came over here for a few carbs to get me pumped to teach the teenagers.”

  This was probably more than Tera had ever said to her. Clio smiled. “So, what made you decide to work on your people skills?”

  Tera took a slow sip of her coffee, and for the first time, Clio realized there was a quiet wisdom in Tera’s gray eyes. Until now, it was easy to assume Tera’s lack of conversation was because she was shy or embarrassed, but nothing in her tranquil gaze seemed jittery.

  “Polly.” Tera set her mug on the table. “She was my only real friend in Crystal City. We all have a joint goal with the theater, and I consider you all family, but Polly was the only person I ever really bonded with.” Her fingers trembled, and she lowered her hands into her lap. “I guess that fire changed us all in one way or another.”

  Clio nodded. “Definitely.” She paused, gathering her thoughts. “I know we’ve never really talked one-on-one before, but I always thought it was because you were shy. Now I’m not sure what to think.”

  Tera laughed, a soft lilt like a covey of doves. “My whole life has been dancing. I’m better at expressing myself with my body than with my words. It’s not so much shyness as anxiety. Five years of therapy and I still haven’t gotten over my overbearing mother.”

  Clio reached across the table, offering her hand. Tera eyed it for a second before taking it. Clio smiled. “Good to meet the real you, Tera. I’m honored.”