Divine Encounter

by JoAnna Grace

  “I don’t know.” Evander placed a hand on her forehead and gasped. “Oh gods!”

  As soon as he touched her head and his powers entered her, the pain left. Piper’s entire body went limp, but her muscles spasmed every few seconds. The pain in her temple was gone, as was the nausea. Piper cried with relief.

  “What the fuck was that?” Keona demanded of Evander. “Piper, sweetie, can you talk to me?”

  Piper shook her head and cried, unable to describe the branding iron that had penetrated her skull only seconds before.

  “What did you see?” Keona asked Evander again.

  His eyes were dark, his face void of his usual warmth. “Someone is trying to reach her. They are trying to penetrate her aura. It’s not another Olympian. The signature, it was…” He shut his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t know what it was.”

  “How did you heal her?” Keona ran her hands over Piper’s hair and face.

  “I didn’t.” Evander stood and stared down at the girls on the bed. “I just startled the intruder.”

  Piper’s eyes flashed up to his. His face was pale. His hands hung by his side, but twitched and shook.

  “What was it?” Piper whispered, her throat raw from screaming.

  Evander’s gaze flickered to Cain before he shook his head. “I don’t know. But it knows you’re not alone.”

  “It?” Keona’s brows rose on her head and she blanched. “What do you mean, it?”

  Evander ordered Cain and Nicholas to stay with Piper as she rested and he took Keona into another room. She had to be prepared, she had to know what could happen if he’d truly seen what he thought he had.

  “Evander, you’re scaring me.” She gripped his collar and searched his eyes for answers. “What did you see?”

  How did he tell her there were worse things out there than the Rogues? He took a deep breath. “Listen to me, and listen good. A few months ago a creature, a demon-type monster surfaced. He’s called the Prophet. He goes around recruiting Rogues then uses demon blood to manipulate them and bend them to his will. The Prophet is leading the charge against the Olympians.”

  “Why, what does he want?”

  “The power to free the demons from Hades. Their numbers have grown and they’re the ones behind the killing and kidnapping of young women. Ryse’s Grace, Avery, nearly died when they found her.”

  “And he’s coming after Piper? Why? I’m the teleporter. Even Nicholas said that my power was strong, they could track me. Why would anyone want to hunt Piper?”

  Oh, yeah. They’d never finished that conversation the first night she’d stayed in his home. Keona had been so worried about him falling for her sister that she didn’t think to ask why Piper was unique. Evander ran his hands up her back and pulled her close.

  “You know I’m in love with you, right?”

  “What does that have to do—”

  He cut off her question with a kiss. Evander distracted her until she looked up with drunken eyes. “Because your sister is a Divine Grace. She’s a princess, a future Deity. That’s why your mother trained you to protect her, Keona. That’s why Cain and Nicholas are guarding her around the clock. They felt her aura the night you arrived, and their Thracian blood compels them to put her above all others.”

  Keona stepped out of his arms and backed away. Her head tilted to the side and her eyes narrowed. Ripples of anger, jealousy, guilt, and even fear hit him like waves lapping the shore. That clever brain of hers was working, and her eyes darted around with each thought.

  “A Grace,” she whispered. “My sister is…a Deity?” Her eyes pierced his. “You knew. You’ve known since we arrived. We’ve been here two months and you’ve known. Is that why you kept us here?” Her breaths came in deep pulls and her nostrils flared. “Is that why you’ve been so kind to us? Because of her?”

  Evander shook his head. What the hell was she thinking? “Gods, no, Keona. I’m in love with you. You. Not Piper, not her position. You. Ryse told me his Haven wasn’t safe for you, so I knew it wouldn’t be safe for her. He went to Olympus and I don’t think he’s returned yet. I’ve been waiting, trying to figure out what to do, how to keep her hidden.”

  “Stop.” Keona held out her hand. She sat in the nearest chair and let her head fall forward. “So much makes sense now, and so much just got more complicated.”

  Evander didn’t know what to say. This wasn’t a medical emergency. Keona wasn’t dealing with injuries or the effects of an accident. This was purely a mental, emotional battle. It didn’t help that Keona was not a typical female. She was tough and headstrong, not weepy and full of drama.

  After a moment of silence, his warrior raised her head, pushed her mass of black hair out of the way, and stood. Like a fighter preparing to enter the ring, she shook out her hands and rolled her shoulders. “Okay,” she said on a deep inhale. “What do we do? How do we keep this sonofabitch out of her head and get her to her mate?”

  Tension drained from his shoulders and he bent to kiss her. “I love you, Keona.” She was so strong, so incredibly brave even when she didn’t know the enemy she faced. “First thing, we’ve got to make sure your sister’s mind is protected. Her aura is locked up so tight not even I realized what or who she was right away. She has to make sure her mind stays just as tight.” Evander pinched his lips together. “You need to have an escape route. If anything ever happens to me—”

  “Don’t even go there.” Keona closed her eyes and shook her head.

  “I want you prepared in case of an emergency. Come with me.” Evander took her into his room and through to the bathroom. What appeared to be a shallow linen closet was actually a fake door. He felt along the trim and found the small trigger that released the linen shelves and swung them out of the way.

  “Whoa, your house has secrets.” Keona’s eyes were wide.

  Evander paused and made eye contact with her. “I’m showing you this because I love and trust you. Do you understand?”

  Keona smiled and his stomach flipped. By Zeus, she was magnificent. “I love you, too.”

  Evander opened the wooden door that was backed by steel. Down a skinny hallway was a large room. Evander considered this entire room his safe. There were artifacts from his childhood, priceless paintings and artwork the world thought destroyed, documents that could bring down entire governments if they were ever exposed, and journals of his time on earth that included how Hitler really died, the truth of the Titanic and the part Poseidon played in its demise, what really started the genocide in Rwanda, and secrets behind every war, every assignation and every public figure in human history. Humanity didn’t realize how the Olympians had stepped in to save them time and time again.

  What he wanted to show Keona wasn’t exactly top secret, it was more…sentimental. He rifled through the books lining his shelves. “How exactly does your teleporting work? Do you have to see the place before you can go there?”

  “Um.” Keona’s eyes surveyed the room, wide and wild. “Yeah, I have to at least see a picture of it, you know? I can’t just go off of a physical description.”

  “What kind of pictures?” He found the photo album he was looking for and brought it to his desk. “Do you need the exterior of a building or do you need the interior?”

  Keona glanced over his shoulder. “As detailed as you can get. The more I know, the better.”

  Evander stuck his finger on a picture of the palace in the Haven where his cousin Ryse lived. “How about this?”

  “Where is it? I don’t recognize that place.”

  “It’s a Haven. Have you teleported to a Haven before?”

  Keona’s mouth hung open trying to form words. “Uh, no, no, I’ve, uh, avoided them, actually.”

  Evander perched a hip on the desk and took her hands. “Do you think you could? This Haven is located in Tennessee, the portal to it, I mean. If anything ever happens, you have to take Piper there, do you understand?”

  Her eyes narrowed and her lips formed a flat
line. “I thought Ryse said the Haven wasn’t safe?”

  He touched her cheek, still amazed that this woman held his heart, and at the same time fearful of what their future might hold. “As long as Thracians are in the Haven, you will be safe. A Thracian wouldn’t let anyone hurt a Divine Grace, not if he still draws breath. The men will protect you, even from another Deity.”

  “Evander, you’re scaring me.” Keona stepped into his arms and circled his neck. “Why are you saying this?”

  “I want—no, I need to know you and Piper are prepared if anything happens. It wouldn’t be the first time my compound was raided by Rogues attempting to get to my family through me. I deal with the risk because my heart is for our people. Apollo gifted me with his ability to heal and I’ll not hide in a Haven and waste it. The Olympians who live in the human realm need me. Now, however…” He pushed a strand of her hair from her cheek. “I have something much greater to lose. You’re my heart now, Keona. If my enemies know they can use you against me, they will.” Evander pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “So please, I want you to memorize every detail of the palace, the grounds, anything I might have pictures of.”

  Keona nodded and hugged him close. They spent the next hour going over his pictures, drawings made of the palace before cameras were even invented, and various paintings set in the halls of the great castle. By the time they were done, Keona could almost draw the floor plan. She wasn’t a hundred percent sure she could teleport into another realm, but if she could port to the portal gate deep in the hills of Tennessee, she could get in.

  “Who’s that?” She pointed at a picture of Ryse Castille, one of very few pictures of him in existence. Her face tightened, a deep frown on her face. “He’s terrifying.”

  “That’s Ryse, Keona. And yes, he is quite terrifying when you’re not on his side.” Evander took her by the shoulders so she would make eye contact with him. “You have to remember that we are on the same side. My cousin has no idea how to show it, but he cares deeply for our people. His entire life has been devoted to protecting us, even from ourselves at times. He’s lost his best friend, his father, and nearly his Grace to these Rogues. Trust me, if he knows you’re with us, he will not harm you.”

  Keona’s jaw tensed as she clenched her teeth together. She nodded, forced a smile, and turned back to the albums. It wasn’t easy for her to place her trust in a Castille, especially Ryse. But she could do it, and would, if it meant protecting her sister. That sacrificial love was one of the most attractive things about her.

  “Who’s that, Ryse as a teenager?”

  Evander laughed. He was so going to tease his other cousin about this one day. “No, that’s Hayden, Ryse’s younger brother.”

  Keona tilted her head. “They could be twins, minus the whole Hulk-thing Ryse has going for him. I thought Deities only had one son?”

  “Traditionally, yes. But the gods gifted my uncle with Hayden. He’s a legitimate prince, just like Ryse.”

  “Wow.” Keona sat on the edge of the desk, one leg swinging down. “Their family is really unique, huh?”

  Evander nodded, hoping that she counted him as part of that uniqueness.

  “First they had a prince also born a Thracian, the Master no less, then they have a second son. I bet that was considered scandalous.”

  “To this day. Many of the Rogues have been poisoned against the Castille family because they believed Lady Dynasty to be unfaithful to her mate. They forget that it’s practically impossible for Deities to cheat on each other, they’re connected telepathic—”

  “Wait.” Keona hopped of the desk and held up a hand. “Telepathically? Deities have a connection with their Grace, Hayden is a Prince, Piper is a… Oh my god.” Keona took the picture from the album and ran from the room screaming for Piper.

  The light bulb went off in his head. Piper and Hayden. Could it be possible? Could a Nadal and a Castille be fated to be together? If this was true, the gods were full of even more surprises.

  KEONA RAN THROUGH the mansion, yelling for Piper. In her heart, she knew this was the one, this was the guy of her sister’s dreams—literally.

  It was the hair that caught her eye. Piper had mentioned her dream man’s shoulder-length black hair on several occasions. Then it was like a checklist—dimples, check, dark eyes with thick lashes, check, tall and lean, check, bright smile, check, hot as hell, double-check.

  When she made it to Piper’s room, she was already asleep. Cain put a finger over his mouth and scowled at her.

  “She needs to see this. Trust me, she’ll want to see this.”

  Evander touched Keona’s shoulder. “It’s okay, baby. We can show her when she wakes up. I’m sure she needs to rest.”

  Keona peered down at her sister’s sleeping form. She looked so peaceful. How could anyone wake such an angel? Keona sighed. “Okay, when she wakes up, will you let me know? I really want to show her this.” Keona handed Cain the picture. He and Piper had grown close over the last couple months, and he was the only other person who knew about Piper’s dream guy.

  Cain’s expression never changed from his usual stone façade as he studied the photo. He nodded. “I figured it was him.”

  “You knew?” Evander’s shocked expression almost made Keona laugh.

  “The Lady told me about her connection with a man. I knew enough about Deities and Graces to figure it out.” Cain held up the picture. “I will make sure she sees this as soon as she wakes.”

  Piper was in good hands, Keona had no doubt. Cain had been faithfully by Piper’s side since their arrival and seemed sincere about his need to protect her. There was something about those Thracians, something in their eyes that said they would gladly die for their charges. Keona found this both comforting and sad.

  Did Thracians ever fall in love? Did they ever mate or marry or whatever it was that Olympians did? Were they allowed to have families and children?

  Odd, she’d never thought about it before now, never really cared.

  “I guess we will see you guys in the morning.” Keona bent and placed a soft kiss on Piper’s head. Zeus, please protect her tonight. Under a strange compulsion, she touched Cain’s shoulder. “Watch over her.”

  His dark eyes met hers, his face showing only intense focus, and he nodded his head once. “I shall.”

  Keona and Evander walked hand-in-hand to their suite. Once they were alone, Keona sat on the edge of his bed. Evander crawled up behind her, his hands sliding over her back to her shoulders as he massaged her neck.

  “You’re so tense, babe.” His lips made a trail from her ear downward. The tickling sensation helped ease her muscles.

  “Piper scared me, that’s all. I don’t like the idea of her being in pain.” She reached up and touched his face, the scruff of his chin rubbed her hand. It had been a long day for everyone.

  “She wasn’t when we left. I would’ve seen it.”

  Of course he would’ve. Evander was so gifted, so talented and blessed by the gods with his abilities. Not to mention the love that shined in his eyes every time he looked at her. How in the hell he loved her, she would never understand.

  Instead of worrying about Piper all night, she pushed Evander back on the bed and unbuttoned his shirt, kissing her way down. She might not bring as much to their relationship as he did, but she could give herself to him in every way possible.

  Almost every night since she’d been at Evander’s estate, Piper dreamed. Sometimes it was of her mother, sometimes it was of Cain or Keona and Evander. Most of the time, she dreamed of her mystery man. Her dreams were filled with his kisses, of getting lost in his eyes for days on end, of making love to him—even though she had no idea where to even start.

  Each dream came with a moment of disappointment when she realized this wasn’t a divine dream from the gods. These were typical scenes played out by her subconscious mind. They weren’t real. At some point during the night Piper would wake herself up and cry from the loss.

  Tonight was n
o different. Piper’s eyes fluttered open after dreaming of her last kiss. Cain was in a chair, leaned back against the wall on two legs, his eyes were closed but he held a pistol in his hands. Piper wiped a tear and smiled. Her dreams might make her sad, but at least a real man protected her. She rolled over and went back to sleep.

  It took forever for her brain to turn off enough to actually settle and rest. Gods, but she missed him, this man of the night. If he never returned to her, if she never found him, her heart would forever mourn him.

  A usual, her mind created the place where they’d met. The lush gardens, always perfectly in bloom, the fountain of Zeus and the child with water trickling down. Piper sighed, once again disappointed that—

  Wait.

  She bent down and sniffed one of the roses, the aroma so intoxicatingly rich it made her heart flutter with joy. Could it be? Could this be real?

  There, sitting on the fountain’s edge, was her man. His leg bounced with impatience and he rubbed his hands together, his head bowed as if in prayer.

  Piper gasped and clutched at her chest. That’s when she felt the beading of her beautiful white gown, the one she always wore to meet him, the one she could never recreate in her regular dreams. Her hair was down, flowing around her shoulders. Emotion welled up inside her until she ached with a mixture of joy and anticipation and heartbreaking fear. Just the sight of him, so real, made her cry.

  Gods, don’t tease me. Please let this be him, let this be your hand that has brought me here.

  He looked up and their eyes met. “You’re here.” He stood to greet her.

  Piper waited for the world to shift, for this to end and for her to wake up in utter disappointment. Her man narrowed his eyes at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “I didn’t think you would come back,” she whispered, her voice full of despair she couldn’t hide. Gods, she was afraid to breathe, what if it made her wake up?

  He took one step forward and gave her a hesitant smile. “I promised I would.”