All Hallows' Satyr (The Cursed Satyroi Book 5)

by Rebekah Lewis

  Great. Just great. "But… You… Oh, come on." He looked from Sage to the rest of them and back again. "All of you would have taken your women to safety."

  Pan studied his fingernails as though they were reeeeeeal interesting. "If we had, we would have paid for it for weeks. When a woman is determined, reason doesn't stand in her way."

  Adonis suspected the god agreed with him but was too coward to admit it. He narrowed his eyes. Wait a second… Sage had been critical of him since he'd arrived. Did Pan allow her to come out here, siding with her even now, to get into her good graces? For fuck's sake, why? He didn't need to impress her. Hell, after tonight, he didn't even have to see her again. Yeah, Adonis saw right through this act, all right.

  "See? I'm staying." Sage stomped a foot. "Besides, I can hide if I have to since that is my primary skill for some reason." Her bitterness about that was tangible. "They can't bite me if they can't see me." She frowned and turned to the others…. "They hunt by sight, right?"

  Melancton shook his head. "We have not encountered them before, so I cannot say. However, if they can get their hands on you, going invisible won't be enough."

  Pan added, "Maybe they hunt by sight and sound, maybe sense of smell. If anyone comes up to you looking haggard or with bleeding gums, either attack first or stay out of reach."

  Sage made a face of disgust. "Don't worry about me. I'm quicker than I look."

  Adonis could attest to that. She had gotten across the field by the house he'd been staying in fairly fast. Still, that didn't mean he wanted her in danger, but it looked like she wasn't going to relent, and no one was going to back him up either. "Why are you fighting me on this?"

  The fury washed from her expression until only concern remained. "You were on the ground when we got here, Adonis. I'm not leaving your side until you are safe."

  All he could do was stare at this woman in disbelief. His heart clenched. No one had ever cared about his safety. His wellbeing, even. No, they cared about his dick and how he could pleasure them in bed, but that was about all.

  That wasn't fully true. He shot a sideways glance to his brother. Ariston was observing Sage with interest. Not of the sexual kind, but as one would study an unfamiliar specimen under a microscope. Ariston had cared about him, but Adonis was always too wrapped up in his own selfish wants and desires to pay attention or appreciate it when it mattered. There was a lot he needed to atone for with his twin. So much.

  But Sage…

  His focus shot back to her. This woman had no reason to care about him. He'd shoved her away from the very start. And sure, initially, she'd been trying to get him into bed, or the forest floor to be technical, but she had stuck with him. Sage had turned down an offer from a goddess for his sake more than hers. Now she would face the letum to ensure he stayed safe.

  This was the kind of woman a man needed in his life. Passionate, loyal, brave. Beauty wasn't important in the long run of things. She had that in spades, but her loyalty…that was sexy as hell. If he wasn't careful, she would own his heart by the time the night was through.

  She already does.

  "Fine, but if you get bitten and I have to kill you…" He couldn't finish that thought. He couldn't—no, he wouldn't—allow that to happen. He'd keep her safe no matter what.

  Sage beamed up at him. "I knew you were smart."

  Glaring, he pulled her into his arms, sucking back a gasp at the way his body protested movement of any kind. "Don't patronize me or I might rescind my decision to take you along."

  She patted his chest and chuckled. "It's cute that you think you had a hand in that decision." Before he could reply, she kissed his cheek. "Let's go. People could be zombie food already, and we're over here bickering."

  He wouldn't point out that they'd only been bickering because she didn't want to go back to The Aegean Inn for her own wellbeing. He had to let it go because she was right. The letum wouldn't wait on them to sort it out, and so much valuable time had already been wasted. "Wish we knew how many of them are out there." And how many people would end up bitten and turned by the end of the night. It had taken about a day for the ones who had died to turn. Would bites take shorter or longer if someone hadn't been killed by the creatures?

  Pan waved a hand around at the group, holding his phone in the other. "So, is all…this…sorted? Good. Gonna contact Zeus. Split up if you need to." He went invisible and a rush of air washed over them as the god took to the skies.

  "So…that's normal for all of you or just him?" Sage asked.

  He grinned. "Pan's the Jersey Devil; didn't I tell you?"

  "Uh, that would be a no." Then her expression changed to excitement. "Wait a minute! Wait a damn minute. Why didn't you tell me? I saw him on that documentary when he kidnapped that zoologist."

  Adonis didn't know what to make of her change of demeanor. "Kat Silverton is his fiancée."

  "What!" She clapped her hands over her mouth and then repeated, "Why didn't you tell me?"

  Zale cleared his throat, rescuing him from this bizarre turn of events. "Look, Melancton and I can head back toward River Street through City Market and look for any trouble there. If you three want to head the other direction and circle around this perimeter?"

  They reached the entryway for the parking garage, but red and blue lights were flashing from the street, sirens off and heading in their direction. "Shit."

  "Oh, I forgot about the bodies." Sage grabbed Adonis' hand and the rest of them followed her as she cut across the parking lot to the opposite side of the garage. "So um, we're probably all on cameras now and prime suspects that are going to be wanted for murder. I don't know if my parents or my roommate will be the most disappointed." Her voice wavered.

  "If the Olympians find this threat dire enough to step in, that will get taken care of. It's part of the whole keep the supernatural side of things away from the delicate human kinda life we've been living," Zale said.

  Sage flipped him off.

  "What?" he looked at Adonis, baffled at her reaction.

  Once they exited the opposite side of the building, they quickly and quietly split up before the police presence had time to grow any heavier. It wasn't lost on him that the police had already had a report on Theron, Maron and Elek with their satyr descriptions, and now dead bodies were being discovered. Cameras in the area would alert them to be on the lookout for more men with horns and hooves. He could hear the demonic cult headlines being typed up even now. As much as Halloween was a perfect cover for going out in public without glamour, they currently wouldn't stand a chance if they were not careful.

  "I haven't heard any more screaming yet, so that is a good sign, right?" Ariston laughed nervously. "I mean, I guess their victims could have been killed quickly and not have the chance, but I'm trying to be optimistic here."

  At least his brother was attempting to make conversation that wasn't an accusation or a fight. Adonis took it as a positive sign. "Being optimistic is definitely a good thing right now." They shared a look, and Ariston gave a small smile. Sage looked between them and smiled herself.

  It was a nice moment. A hopeful moment. Therefore, without fail, everything instantly turned to shit.

  "Look out!" Ariston shouted and shoved them both to the side as a beefy man flung himself out of the bushes, heading straight toward them. Sage hit the asphalt hard on her hands and knees with a shriek, dagger clattering across the pavement. Adonis barely kept his footing as he spun around to keep his eyes on the attacker. Ariston danced out of the man's reach as he grunted and grabbed at him. The beefy man bared his teeth, blood running down from his gumline like saliva. Letum.

  Adonis patted his jacket pockets, cursing as he realized Theron had taken his weapons. Then he remembered his backup and pulled out the dagger he'd slipped into his boot. Before he had a chance to do anything, Sage rushed at the creature, stabbing it in the chest. In the heart.

  When the letum collapsed at her feet, dagger embedded in its chest, Sage glanced up at him. "Did
I kill it?"

  Adonis could only gawk at her. He never wanted to see her put herself into danger like that again, but he was proud of her all the same. He didn't have the heart to tell her she needed to behead it as well—he'd spare her that by doing it himself. The dagger in his hand wouldn't cut the thing's head off easily, but it had to be done or the letum would heal and attack again. Immortal creatures rarely survived the combination of removing or damaging both the brain and heart. Or fire.

  "That was close." Sage moved to stand next to Ariston. "Are you okay?"

  There was no time to warn them. A disheveled woman came out of the bushes and grabbed his brother by his long hair, sinking her teeth into his shoulder. Ariston's eyes were wide as he wrestled her to the ground and shoved her mouth off him.

  No! No! No! Adonis' thoughts were awash with the repeated rejection of what was happening before his eyes. Ariston was mortal now. A bite from a letum would undoubtedly turn him. He couldn't allow this to happen. Roaring with rage, he abandoned the male letum Sage had stabbed and charged at the female, stabbing it over and over in the chest. It stopped moving, and he went about severing its head, sloppily. The carnage sickened him but served a minor distraction from the fact that he was about to lose his brother the moment he'd gotten him back.

  "Adonis, behind you!" Sage yelled.

  He didn't move fast enough as the letum he'd hadn't yet beheaded lunged for him, wrapping his fingers into his shirt. The blood-soaked dagger fell out of his hand as Adonis fought to get free, gasping in an attempt not to breathe in the rotten stench of the creature. Ariston tried to pull it back, but the letum jerked its arm free of his hold, and his brother lost his footing, tripping over one of the cement parking blocks. Sage pelted the letum with rocks out of the bushes nearby, attempting to distract him, and Ariston rolled out of the way of the projectiles. Her actions didn't help much, but one blow to the temple confused it enough to give Adonis the opportunity to shove it hard in the chest. The fabric of his T-shirt ripped loudly. When the letum toppled over, Adonis grabbed Sage's dagger from its chest and stabbed it in the heart again, then beheaded him.

  Sitting back on his haunches, Adonis breathed heavily, sticky and soaked with blood. He absolutely never wanted to do that again. Unlike so many of the other satyrs, he'd never been a soldier. He hadn't ever killed anyone before. Technically, the letum had already died. Though it didn't seem that way in the heat of the fight.

  A strange sensation rolled through his skin, and he looked down at his arms. His hair stood on end as though filled with static electricity. What the—?

  Realization dawned the same time as it did for his brother. The sudden stench of ozone overpowered the rot of the letum corpses. Ariston struggled to his feet and grabbed Sage. Their hair was also sticking up, which might have been comical in a different situation. As Ariston dragged Sage farther into the empty parking lot, Adonis rolled away from the bodies as two bolts of lightning struck them simultaneously, igniting them in flames that quickly consumed the remains. Scorch marks were all that was left when the smoke dissipated.

  "Holy shit!" Sage shouted, wide-eyed. Thunder rumbled in the distance as several more bolts of lightning flashed around the downtown area, knocking out the power and frying the other letum one by one. Adonis made it to the others and pulled Sage into his arms. She clung to him, trembling as the city went dark. They were both dirty and bloody, but it didn't matter as long as they were together. In the background, drunk cheers mixed with cries of confusion as residents and tourists alike reacted to the electrical phenomenon.

  He rubbed her back and whispered, "It's over now. Pan called his grandfather. Zeus has gotten rid of them all." His voice cracked on the last word as he met his brother's gaze, fear an icy pit in his stomach. "Your shoulder?" Was he about to witness Zeus smiting his brother into a pile of ash right in front of him?

  Ariston pulled his jacket and shirt aside to reveal smooth, slightly bruised skin. "The benefit of real leather. She couldn't break through the fabric. Pinched like a motherfucker though."

  "You ass." Adonis let out a huge sigh; he had never been so relieved. "I thought you were a goner for sure."

  "It's going to take a lot more than a zombie lady to take me out. I've been bitten by that winged menace Pegasus enough times to learn how to avoid a nasty wound," he teased, then scanned the dark street. Amazingly, they hadn't drawn attention with their struggles, but people were starting to come to their windows and out onto the street to look around after the show of power from Zeus. "Let's get back to the inn." A lot remained unsaid, but there was time. Adonis could wait a little longer.

  He took Sage's hand in his and kissed her knuckles as she smiled warmly up at him. "I couldn't think of a better idea."

  They hiked back in silence, the full moon peeking out from behind the clouds. Sadness gripped him as he couldn't help wondering if this would be the last time Sage and he could walk around a city together. If his curse ended up unbreakable, the two of them wouldn't have any elaborate date nights that occurred in a public setting. A sad thing, that. For Adonis wanted to give her everything she deserved in life.

  Please, he begged no one in particular. If I am worthy of anything at all, please let me break this curse. If not for me, for her. A shiver passed down his spine and he shuddered, pulling Sage closer as they made their way back toward The Aegean Inn.

  19

  November 1, day of the Satyr Moon

  Sage turned the key in the lock to her apartment as quietly as possible. It was seven in the morning, and she didn't want to wake Darcy. After all that happened the night before, she needed to spend time on her own…in her own bathroom and obtain some of her own clothes. Not to mention she needed to e-mail her professors and let them know she'd miss classes this week. Adonis hadn't liked that she was leaving for a few hours, but since he had those pills now, it wasn't like he would suffer before she got back.

  Maybe he thinks I'm not coming back. That I won't be there for the Satyr Moon.

  Adonis had some emotional baggage, namely assuming no one was on his side when it counted. She'd prove him wrong though. Sage prided herself on fierce loyalty. Yes, he'd been a bit of a jerk when they'd first met, but knowing him now—that had been a front. He protected himself from being hurt by new people. If she didn't show up tonight, it might break him.

  No denying that Adonis had been hurt, badly, namely by that bitch of a goddess Aphrodite. He'd done some bad shit in the lowest point of his life, but he'd rebounded, sought to redeem himself. She shook her head as she pushed open the door. The coast appeared to be clear, and Sage quickly and quietly closed the door and tiptoed to her bedroom. Once inside with the door shut, she turned on the light and almost screamed. Not because the goddess of love herself lounged on her bed in a petal-pink silk robe. No, because her room she had decked out in blacks and purples was now awash in the same shade of pink and flowers. So many flowers. The smell hadn't hit her until she turned on the light, and now she nearly choked on the fragrance.

  "What are you doing in here?" she whispered fiercely, wheezing. "And what did you do to my room?" The bitch was diabolical in this redecoration. Sage's gaze drifted to the statue of Persephone she often left flowers at the feet of, only to realize it had been replaced with one of Aphrodite. Oh, hell no. She glared at the goddess, waiting for her answer.

  Aphrodite waved a hand nonchalantly. "Relax, I'll put it all back once I leave. You can't expect me to be in a room with the likeness of that Underworld harlot when I am the one who has the means of getting you what you want, can you?" She blinked those big lashes at her. "Also, your roommate is fast asleep, so she won't hear us. No need to whisper."

  Fear sank to the pit of her stomach like she'd swallowed a cement block. "What did you do to her?"

  "Simple sleep charm, nothing more. She'll wake up in a few hours, shiny and new." The goddess actually giggled and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder.

  What did Adonis ever see in her? Sage's gaz
e dropped to the goddess' cleavage and perky breasts barely concealed by the thin silk robe. Oh, right.

  Well, if Darcy wasn't going to wake up any time soon, there was no reason to stretch out this conversation. "Fine. Tell me what you want and leave. I have a busy day…and night." Sage waggled her eyebrows on the word night, relishing the scowl that overtook the goddess' expression. She definitely didn't like that.

  Good.

  "You know exactly why I am here. I want Adonis back, and you have to fuck him to make that possible. It's not like you don't wish to have him between your legs. We both can have our wishes if you let me help you help me."

  Crazy exes were the absolute worse. Sage couldn't fault Adonis for falling for someone like this, but it was proving to be a real pain in her ass. "He doesn't want you back, sugarplum. Get that through your dainty blonde head. I'm not condemning him to a relationship he doesn't want, whether that means you, me, or anyone." If Adonis didn't need her after whatever happened with the Satyr Moon, that was his choice. It would break her heart, but she would respect it. She'd hoped that he had developed the feelings he said he did, but if things went wrong tonight, anything could happen.

  Anger quickly masked itself into a sickeningly sweet smile as Aphrodite stood and stalked toward her. "He's only pretending to want a relationship with you so he can become human again. Whatever makes you believe he would choose to stay with you afterward when he can have a goddess?"

  Aphrodite put her hands on Sage's shoulders and spun her around to look in the mirror over her dresser. The purple had faded from her hair, leaving behind the copper red she'd been born with. In the lighting of the room, without any makeup, her freckles were stark against her pale skin. Next to Aphrodite, who practically sparkled and glowed, she looked out of place.

  Once upon a time, Sage had despised her appearance. Back in school when the popular girls had made fun of her. She wasn't blonde enough. Tan enough. Skinny enough. Unfortunately, Aphrodite had made a grave error in using this against her. Sage had already fought and won this battle. She didn't dye her hair purple because she didn't like her natural hair color. She dyed it because she liked purple and changing her hair was for fun, not to hide who she was. It was an expression of her personality to change things up for the mere fact that she could. The goddess was no different than her childhood bullies, and twenty times as shallow.