by Lisa Kessler
“No, they won’t.” She looked over her shoulder, and the wolf came to her, standing at her side. She rested her hand on his thick neck. “It’s Mason.”
Nate lowered his Glock. “You’re shitting me.”
“No.” Clio blinked back tears. “Look at his eyes.”
Nate holstered his gun. “Mason’s a werewolf?”
“A Lycan.” The wolf nudged her with his head. “He’s a direct descendant of King Lycaon. Zeus cursed him and all his sons to be wolves.” She raised her hand for the wolf to sniff it. He nuzzled into her palm, and she ran her fingers through his coat. She turned to look over at Nate. “Lycans.”
Nate raised a brow. “Why isn’t he shifting back?”
“I don’t think he can.” Clio kept an iron fist around her wounded heart. Mason sacrificed everything to save all of them. She wouldn’t allow herself to fall apart.
“Why not?” Nate came a little closer.
“The way Mason explained it, the wolf is sort of like a drug, and eventually, the man is lost to the curse, to the wolf. And he can’t find his way back.”
“Can he understand us?”
She shrugged, her voice wobbling. “I don’t know.”
Nate crouched down until he was eye level with the wolf. “Hey, Mason. If you can hear me, we’ll get you back. If anyone can find a historical loophole, it’s Clio.”
The wolf chuffed, remaining at Clio’s side.
Nate straightened up, his gaze on Clio. “You were crazy to face Pamela again. But thank you. We wouldn’t have saved Maggie tonight without you.” He squeezed her shoulder and jogged toward the parking lot.
Clio sank to her knees, wrapping her arms around the wolf’s thick neck. She buried her face in his fur, grateful and heartbroken all at once.
CHAPTER 16
Clio’s hands trembled on the wheel of her car, the reality and the consequences of the night settling on her shoulders. Nate, Hunter, Reed, and Cooper were cleaning up the remains of the battle at the water park, and once they finished, Nate was going to call it in as a break-in. With nothing missing from the park, they’d probably pin it on teenagers.
The passenger seat was full of wolf. Maybe she could pass him off as a husky. A gigantic, brown husky. At first, she had worried he might run into the night and she’d never see him again, but Mason had been right about the wolf protecting her. He never left her side. And when she had opened her car door, he hadn’t hesitated to jump inside.
At Trinity’s place, Clio turned off the engine and stared over at her silent passenger. “I wish I knew if you could understand me. Is Mason in there somewhere?”
The wolf didn’t respond except to lean forward and nuzzle her cheek. She scratched his ears and sighed. “Tomorrow, I’ll get to work on searching for any historical mentions of King Lycaon’s curse. There must be a loophole or something like Nate said, but honestly, if there was a way to break it, wouldn’t Zeus have told me?”
She got out of the car, and her furry passenger stepped across the gear shift to follow out her side. She unlocked the front door, and the wolf came inside. Trinity was already seated at the dining room table.
Clio kept her hand on the top of the wolf’s head. “You’re not allergic, are you?”
“No.” Trinity crossed her arms. “While you were being heroic with your wolf, Lia was filling us in on a visit from Ted.”
“I thought he was busy tracking down Rhea.”
“He was. And he found her. Apparently, Rhea and the guiders of destiny were all part of Lia’s poker group over at the Village.”
Clio’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” Trinity shook her head as she stared at the wolf. “I still can’t believe that’s Mason.”
Clio scratched his head and focused on Trin. “If Ted found Rhea, why didn’t she come to help us tonight? She wouldn’t protect her husband’s mistress, right?”
“That’s what I wanted to tell you.” She rubbed her forehead. “It was a setup. Someone wanted us to find Rhea for them.”
“Who?”
“Remember when Cooper was under hypnosis and Apollo told him the explosion on the Oceanus rig had opened the door to Tartarus?”
Clio’s stomach twisted. She already knew the answer. “Kronos.” She focused on the wolf. “All this sacrifice to stop Pamela, and for what?”
Trinity leaned across the table to nudge her. “Grab your wolf. We’re slumber-partying over at Callie and Hunter’s.”
Clio groaned. “I’m exhausted. Can’t we go over tomorrow?”
“We’re down one Guardian, and Kronos is out there… Tera’s meeting us there, too.”
The last thing Clio wanted was to have to relive the story of Mason’s heritage and Zeus’s curse over and over, but now that Mason was a wolf, the others were probably right. There was safety in numbers, and Callie had the biggest house.
“I’ll go pack my bag.” Clio went down the hallway, the wolf close behind.
Ted hit send on the email to Trinity and closed his laptop. He needed to get on the road. Tonight, Mikolas had called a meeting of the Order of the Titans. He wanted to alert the others about Kevin Elys. They figured if they could give the Order a heads-up that an older gentleman believed himself to be Kronos and they should steer clear of him, then maybe they could keep Kevin from infiltrating their ranks.
And with any luck, Trinity would be able to persuade the other muses to meet Ted in the morning to compare notes on Kronos and figure out a way to navigate the waters. If Rhea and the guiders of destiny had been friends with Lia all along, it couldn’t be mere coincidence. And maybe Lia could get them to help.
With his gold mask and black robe in the trunk, Ted headed out to Crystal Peak for the meeting. The moon was bright overhead as he pulled into the parking lot. There were plenty of parking spaces. Ted frowned, parked his car, and got out.
Mikolas was at the corner of the lot chatting with a longtime member, Doug. Like Ted, Doug’s father had been a member of the Order, and when he’d passed away, Doug had taken his spot.
Doug acknowledged Ted as he approached. “Good to see you, Ted.”
Ted put his hand in his pocket, scanning the lot. “Where is everyone?”
Mikolas turned Ted’s way, too. “Doug is the only member who had enough integrity to show up tonight.”
“Pamela sent out an email with photos of you with a couple of the muses,” Doug answered, “and another one of her face all battered and bruised. She said you lost your father’s vision and Mikolas is protecting you.” Doug crossed his arms. “I had to see it for myself. Are you turning us in to the police?”
“No.” Ted shook his head, watching Mikolas. Ted wasn’t sure how much to share with Doug, but he figured Mikolas would stop him if it looked like he was going too far. “Pamela’s not exactly—”
“From around here,” Mikolas cut in. “She used to be in my Order back home in Greece. She was angry about my decision not to kill the muses.”
“What about the injuries to her face?” Doug studied them. “Did she confront you?”
“Absolutely not.” Mikolas narrowed his eyes. “We had nothing to do with her wounds. She attacked one of the muses on her own, and a witness tried to intervene.”
Doug raised a brow. “Why were you with the women your father persuaded us needed to be stopped?”
Mikolas pointed at our empty meeting place. “I called tonight’s gathering to bring the Order up-to-date on the Pamela situation, as well as give everyone a warning to beware of an older gentleman named Kevin Elys. He believes he’s Kronos, and he could threaten all of us with exposure if he were to connect us with his agenda.”
Doug cocked his head. “But that doesn’t explain the photos of Ted with the muses.”
Ted sighed. “It’s come to my attention that killing the muses was all Pamela’s idea. She convinced my father that they would hinder our progress, but Mikolas is right. Murder puts a target on our backs with the police.”
Smooth.
Ted nodded in agreement. “I was warning them to watch out for Pamela. That way, if she hurts any of them, the police will be looking for her and not the Order.”
Doug mulled over the explanation and finally started to nod. “I didn’t have much of a stomach for killing them. Our movement is supposed to bring back the Golden Age of Man, to stop war and famine. It doesn’t feel right ushering it in over dead bodies.”
Mikolas straightened up. “I’ll send out an email tonight, but if you could spread the word to the others about the truth behind Pamela’s photos, I’d appreciate it. We’ll try to have another meeting next week.”
Doug shook their hands. “Talk to you soon.”
Ted waited for him to drive away before turning to Mikolas. “If Kevin hooks up with Pamela, we’re fucked.”
Mikolas stared into the distance. “Unless we can convince the Order that he’s delusional.”
“Are you forgetting he’s the Father of the Gods? Kronos can take any form. If he puts on a show for them, we’ll never convince them.”
“Did you make a date with your muse?”
“She’s not my muse,” Ted said, defensive. “But Trinity did agree to talk to me tomorrow.”
“Good. In case we can’t win the Order back, we need the muses to trust us. If we can pool our information, maybe we can find a weakness.”
“Maybe you should show them your Guardian’s mark.”
“No.” A muscle jumped in Mikolas’s cheek. “The Muse of Astronomy is dead, and without her, my gift from the gods will stay dormant. I’m no use to them, not as a Guardian. You already have an in with your ex-girlfriend. I’ll stay out of it and focus on tailing Kevin again.”
“Okay. I’ll keep you posted.” Ted got in his car and drove away, acid churning in his stomach. For some reason, his father had believed the members of the Order would be partners with the freed Titans, elevated above the rest of humanity.
But each day it became clearer that Mikolas had been right all along. The gods were petulant and vengeful, and humans were nothing more than disposable playing pieces.
CHAPTER 17
Clio woke to a hulking wolf nudging her head and whining. She sat up, pushing her hair back out of her face. For a second, she was completely disoriented. This wasn’t her room. Then the memories came flooding back. They were at Callie and Hunter’s place. Trinity and Tera were sharing the futon in Callie’s office.
She scratched behind the wolf’s ear. “What’s wrong?”
His hackles were up, a deep growl rumbling in his chest as he stared at the door. Adrenaline surged through Clio’s bloodstream as she got out of bed in the guest room and reached for the doorknob. The wolf was right beside her, ready.
She held her breath and opened the door.
No one was there. A sigh of relief escaped her, but the wolf trotted to the front door, his growl becoming a snarl, his lips pulling back to expose deadly sharp teeth. Clio hesitated, glancing down the hall. If there was someone out there, Hunter might be able to hear the thoughts of their intruder, and he had weapons training.
Clio balled her hands into fists. Last night, she’d faced Pamela with this wolf at her side, and she was still standing. She didn’t need to be rescued then, and she wouldn’t need it now. She and Mason were a team, whatever form he was in.
At the door, she rose up on her tiptoes to peer through peephole. No one. She crept to the living room window and peeked through the slats of the blinds. She frowned. Zack was outside on the lawn.
How had he known where to find her? Maybe he’d asked Lia. Or maybe being the ruler of the gods gave him powers she didn’t want to contemplate. She went to the front door. Quietly, she and her wolf slipped outside. The growling wolf approached Zach, and Clio didn’t try to stop him. This was the man who had the power to bring Mason back to her, yet he’d refused. She didn’t owe him anything.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
His blue eyes traveled down to the wolf and back up to her. His expression was grim, but not angry. “He killed Pamela.”
Clio blinked, frowning. “How do you know that?”
“Because when an immortal leaves this plane, the rest of us feel it.” He glanced up at the house. “The others are still sleeping?”
Clio crossed her arms. “If you’re here fishing for an apology for wiping out an immortal, you’re going to be disappointed. Pamela was going to kill an innocent little girl. We did what needed to be done.”
Zeus crouched down to the wolf’s level so they were eye to eye. “He’s a wonder.”
“He was even better as a man.” She raised her chin. “Why are you here?”
“Because I’m not the only one who will have sensed Pamela’s exit.”
Clio’s breath caught, stealing some of her bravado. “Kronos will know, too.”
Zack nodded slowly. “I wanted to warn you without the others discovering who I really am.”
“How are we supposed to fight off the Father of the Gods? We’re down to four Guardians now.”
Zack reached out to the wolf. The animal snapped at his fingers, but he didn’t pull back. “He’s very protective of you.”
“Mason thought the wolf recognized me as his mate. That’s how he was able to shift back during the fire…” Her words drifted off as her mind toyed with the information. “The wolf understood he could only get me safely out of the burning building as a man… Wait.” Her pulse took off at breakneck speed. “Could it work again?”
Zack looked up at her with a twinkle in his eyes. “Such a brilliant girl.” He got to his feet with no effort. “I can’t use my powers without revealing myself, but I can tell you that love is its own kind of magic. If both the man and the wolf love you, anything is possible.”
For a moment, Zack’s facade faded away, revealing the all-powerful light of the God of Olympus. And then he was a simple senior citizen with a purple hat once more.
Clio wrapped her arms around him, coaxing a chuckle from Zack as he patted her back and whispered, “If immortals come seeking to avenge Philyra’s death, only this wolf will be immune to their magic.”
Clio stepped back, sobering. “Are you trying to tell me the only way to be sure everyone is safe is to keep the wolf?”
“That’s not what I said.” He glanced at the wolf and back up to Clio. “I’m telling you that if your Guardian can find a way to work with the wolf instead of succumbing to him completely, it could save you all.” He squeezed her hand and then tightened his grip on his gold cane. “Be careful.”
He turned and tottered out to the street. No one would ever believe her when she told them the mighty Zeus just got behind the wheel of a gold Prius and drove away.
Clio chuckled, shaking her head as she looked down at the wolf beside her. “When did my life get so strange?”
She turned toward the house, and for the first time since Mason had shifted, there was hope in her heart. At least a glimmer. All she had to do was figure out a way to make the wolf and Mason understand that she needed them both.
CHAPTER 18
Ted parked on the street. He recognized the house on Lothlórien Lane. A year ago, he’d sent his enforcer here to spy on the Muse of Epic Poetry, but his man had seen an opportunity to take a shot and ended up firing bullets into her living room in rapid succession without hitting Callie or her Guardian, Hunter.
There was no way they were going to be happy to see him today.
It had taken a week of negotiations before Trinity had agreed to a meeting, but she’d insisted he meet her here. It was nonnegotiable. And since his life might depend on comparing notes with the muses, it was time to face his sins.
But damn, he was sick of being a punching bag.
Ted got out and straightened his clothes. He’d chosen to wear slacks and a button-down shirt wit
h a tie. It was probably a stupid idea, but he hoped if he looked all-business, they’d ease up on getting physical and focus on the work ahead.
He went to the door and knocked twice. Trinity opened it without a smile or greeting. “Come in.”
“Thanks for agreeing to meet with me again.” He stepped inside to find a full table of men and women. Every one of them looked pissed. Perfect.
Callie, the Muse of Epic Poetry and current leader of the group, stood, but she didn’t approach him. “We saved you a seat at the table. I can’t promise you any more than that.”
“That’s fine. Thank you.” He took his chair and flinched when a wolf came out from under the table. “Whoa. Is that a—”
“Wolf,” Clio interrupted. “We probably don’t have much time. You said you had something that could help all of us.”
“Right.” He opened his leather portfolio. He thought better when he took notes. “You’re already aware of Pamela Costas and that her true identity is Philyra. She was Kronos’s mistress.”
Clio nodded. “I hope you have more than that.”
He clicked the end of his ballpoint pen, fighting to keep from looking at the giant wolf. “Yeah, so I ran into Lia over at the Village. Clio, Trinity, and I worked on a lead that one of the widows of the founders of Ida Industries might be Rhea.”
“Apparently, I’ve been playing poker with her every week since I got to Crystal City,” Lia took over, giving Ted a chance to organize his thoughts. “My poker group is made up of Rhea and the guiders of destiny, along with Agnes Hanover, who is last generation’s Muse of Hymns.”
Ted tipped his pen in her direction. “And that can’t be a coincidence. The gods are well aware of what’s at stake. They’ve been involved and playing each side, probably since the Titans were imprisoned. But the explosion on the Oceanus offshore oil rig opened a door to Tartarus.” Ted hesitated. “Kronos is free. He’s masquerading as an older guy about my height with silver hair, and his eyes are…” Ted stumbled over how to describe them. “They’re green, but the density of color changes with his moods like embers of a fire.”
