by Donn, KL
A ringing phone breaks my concentration. Staring down at the screen of my cell phone, I see Matthew “Ares” Norbury’s name flashing.
“Yeah?” I bark as I put him on speaker.
“Grumpy today, Apollo?” he jokes, which doesn’t happen often. Ares is a cold-blooded soldier; one I wouldn’t turn my back on if I were on his bad side. There’s no doubt that he’d stab it with the sharpest blade.
“What do you want, Ares?” I’m not in the mood for his shit. Not when I have royalty to investigate.
“Honestly?” My eyes roll. “I haven’t a fucking clue. I’m not even sure I meant to call you.” His voice is filled with confusion.
An idea strikes. “You busy?”
“Nope.”
“What do you know about human trafficking abroad?” Ares always has a hand dipped in something.
“Primarily run by the English right now. There’s one guy in London, Judas Willows. He runs a particularly cruel operation. They steal young kids from small countries and sell them to some of the meanest sons of bitches on the planet.”
I fucking hate being right. “Got any contacts on the inside?”
“Possibly. Why?”
“Feel like going undercover?”
“What the fuck is going on, Apollo? I need more information.”
“King Stefan of Graeline is asking for our assistance. I was going to send a team to investigate, but I think it deserves my full attention.” For as long as I’ve known Ares, he’s always been able to tell when I’m lying and right now only proves how well.
“Bullshit, Apollo, something's got you intrigued. Spill or I hang up now,” he threatens, and I snort.
“The princess got on the phone and begged for my help.”
“A fucking princess?” I think for the first time in our friendship, I’ve shocked the man.
“Yeah,” I reply. Staring at her photo, I have a driving need to meet her. “I’m sending her picture to you now.” I don’t know why the fuck I’m doing that.
Too late. I’ve hit send, and as I hear Ares whistle, I get the feeling I won’t like what he’s about to say.
“Damn. Those fucking eyes. I’d like to meet this girl.”
“Take the case,” I encourage.
“When do you leave?”
“I’ll be there in the morning,” I respond.
“I’ll meet you there.” He hangs up before I can say anything else.
Placing my phone on the desk, I wonder how the hell this is going to go down. I’m not just curious about Arianna; I have a primal urge to learn everything about her.
And I understand Matthew well enough to know that he does now too.
Ares
For years, I was perceived as a villain. Shipped off to one of the worst prisons on the face of the earth. I lived in hell for a crime I didn’t commit.
I hardened.
My humanity stripped.
And still, I retain a conscience.
How, I’ll never understand. The difference between the Matthew Norbury—wrongly accused—to the Ares—ultimately released—is that I’ve cast out every last remaining piece of my former self from my soul. My family abandoned me, my team slaughtered—except for Apollo—and now, I’m only called upon when someone needs something.
When the trash needs to be taken out is when I can be of service to others.
Except now.
I don’t know why I had the impulse to call my former teammate, only that I did it without thought. Asher “Apollo” McCall is a man everyone underestimates, and the only one I’ll ever trust. We went through the seven trials of hell together and barely survived.
Together, we have always been stronger.
Until now.
After getting off the phone with him and hearing the way he spoke about this mysterious princess, and my own impression of the girl, I know we’re not going to see eye to eye on this case. There is something about the woman; it’s in her eyes. They’re hypnotic, trance-like. And I can’t stop staring at her.
Inhaling a deep breath, I spin away from my computer and call the only man I know who will have info on the scum dealing in flesh across the pond.
“This is Banks,” the man answers on the first ring. He's like me, solitary and intentionally alone. He lives for his work.
“It’s Ares. I need some information on flesh dealings in the UK.” Straight to the point. I see no reason to beat around the bush.
“Ares, good to hear from you. Glad you weren’t blown to bits like your friend nearly was.” Fucking Foster Halsey, dumb son of a bitch. He had no idea how badly I wanted to snap his neck for risking his life when Evie needed him. For a minute there, I was tempted to keep the girl for myself. She might have been timid, but I’ve never encountered a stronger woman.
“Yeah, me too. Look, have you heard of Graeline? They might have a trafficking problem, and I need to get in.” I don’t want to waste any more time than necessary. I have a flight to catch and only an hour to get to the airport before I miss it.
“Ohhh, mate, you definitely want to look into Judas Willows. He discovered that little gem about a decade ago. There was some buzz about mystical shit happening over there, and he found the young girls to be quite the little beauties.” I remember hearing about that but didn’t pay much attention to it.
“Can you get me in?” I growl. It’s all I care about right now.
“Give me forty-eight hours, and you’ll have a meeting. I heard a rumor that they’re looking for a guard.” I’m hung up on again as I toss clothes into a bag. Without being able to bring weapons with me, I shoot a text to Apollo to ascertain what I’m going to need.
It'll give me twenty-four hours to discover what’s so enchanting about Princess Arianna before I have to leave and infiltrate this trafficking ring. If I have my way, once I’m finished with them, there won’t be anything left.
2
Arianna
With my hood secured over my head and my robe closed, hiding me from view, I stroll through the village, both saddened and frightened by what I see. Cherish has become a wasteland. At one point, it was a vibrant and welcoming populace, now it’s cold, sad, bleak. It reeks of death as I walk along the walls, trying to remain an obscure observer as I wander through the streets of the market.
In so many ways, Graeline has not evolved with the rest of the world. We separate ourselves into dozens of small villages. A castle on the hill overlooks its people. There aren’t many vehicles, and technology does not run rampant through every home like so many other areas.
I've always enjoyed the solitude, but now I wonder if we wouldn’t have been better off consumed by social media, fake news, and so much vanity.
Our people have always enjoyed the simple things, but seeing them now, frightened to their cores and nearing hysteria makes me wish I could do something. That I was more than a silly girl.
Not paying attention to where I’m going, I bump into a bulky mass. “Apologies,” I murmur, keeping my head down, trying to make my escape.
Strong hands grab me by either arm and immobilize my momentum. Frozen with fear, I can’t get my voice to work to call out for help.
“Whoa, there. Are you alright?” That voice. I know it. The slight lilt of an accent mixed with the caring concern of a powerful man.
“Apollo?” I turn, my hood falling away, and meet his deep, chocolate stare filled with surprise.
“Princess?” He masks his response quickly. I nod once. “What the fuck are you doing out here?” Unexpected hands behind me raise my hood to cover my hair and face before anyone notices who I am.
Turning my head, I take in another man. He’s darker. Harder to read. But he makes my blood rush just as fiercely as Apollo does.
“Ares?” I whisper, and they both suck in a shocked breath. Callista told me before I left that war was coming. The gods had landed, was the way she put it. Her visions aren’t always accurate, and I usually have to decode what they mean.
This one was
easy given how large this man is.
“How do you know that?” Ares’ gaze narrows on me, and I’m rendered mute. Trapped in his aura of anger and confusion.
“The witch,” Apollo mocks.
My head swivels to glare at him. His insult is unnecessary. “She’s not a witch. She’s a mage,” I snap.
“What’s the difference?” The big one asks as I tug my arms from their possessive grips.
“A witch casts spells, boils in cauldrons, gazes into glass balls. A mage is much more powerful. She can see into the past, the future. She can cast charms; she is earth, wind, and fire. A mage is born of mother nature and is her most trusted being. Do not insult Callista again,” I warn them both. Not only will I not tolerate it, neither will my friend.
Ares narrows his eyes hesitantly while Apollo holds his hands up in surrender.
“Alright, princess, we’ll let it go for now. I don’t believe in this hocus pocus shit, but whatever you say.” Ares is honest, and I find that refreshing. “Care to explain why you’re out here and, presumably, without anyone to guard you?” His focus sharpens as he looks around.
“You begged for my help yesterday because your people were going missing. This is pretty fucking irresponsible of you.” Apollo’s anger is unjustified. He doesn’t know me, so why would he be angry?
“I had to see for myself. This village, Cherish, it was once the epicenter for all Graeline, and now”—I sweep my arm out behind me— “it’s desolate. Nothing but poverty and sadness. There is no absolution here.”
“How come the world doesn’t know about you?” Ares asks, ignoring my explanation.
“Know about me?” It’s my turn to frown. “That answer is both complicated and unbelievable,” I say. What I fail to mention is that I don’t know the real answer to that question, either. Unfortunately, that’s the only explanation I’ve ever been given.
“We’ve got time,” Apollo says as he places a hand on my back to guide me forward.
“Plenty,” Ares agrees and rests his hand above the other man's.
Blowing out a short breath, I fight to hone my concentration. A warmth like I’ve never felt before travels through my body. Melting my heart, dragging forbidden thoughts through my mind. I don’t understand what’s happening here, but I do know I have to push it away.
Before I can respond, there’s a commotion a few feet in front of us as a woman comes running out of her storefront, yelling, “Ainsley,” repeatedly. “Ainsley, where are you?”
“It’s happened again,” I whisper.
Another girl is gone.
Ares
What the fuck is that buzzing? From the moment I landed in Ireland and met up with Apollo and jumped on a ferry to this small island, something has been happening between the two of us.
Now, after touching Arianna, this pulse rushes through my veins, making them feel like they’re about to burst. And I know my friend is experiencing it too. Our stares met as the princess stood between us, and confusion swirled in our minds until we were interrupted by the screaming woman.
Arianna is now consoling the distraught lady as she cries for her missing child. A young girl, only a teen. Blonde, green eyes, innocent.
“Arianna,” I call her name, and damn does it feel good on my lips. She looks up at me, and I wave her over.
“Yes, Ares.” Christ, her breathy tone is going to be my death.
“Are there photographs of the missing girls?” I overheard a couple of residents mentioning how eerily similar in looks all the missing girls have been, and I have to wonder. Are they simply surrogates for the princess? It wouldn’t be the first time.
“Yes, of course. In the castle, we have files on each person. All of them included photos.” She perks up at my question, and I get the feeling she’s going to be a pain in our investigation.
“Time to go,” Apollo growls as he comes up behind me, a concerned look in his eyes. He heard or saw something. When I raise a questioning brow at him, he shakes his head. I know he’ll explain later.
Gripping both of Arianna’s arms, we try to drag her away, but she’s having none of it. “What are you doing? We can’t leave her like this?”
“Yes, we can.” Picking her up, I hoist her over my shoulder amidst heavy protestation as we rush down the winding streets towards the castle.
“What are you doing!” she shouts, her fists pounding on my back. “Put me down right now!” I ignore her demand.
“Care to explain what you saw?” I shout to Apollo as he runs on the concrete ahead of us, gun drawn, and eyes scanning the area, waiting for an attack. “Hang on, gorgeous,” I tell the woman on my shoulder as I pull out my own gun.
“I’m not sure,” he replies as we slow down, getting closer to the castle entrance. Why the fuck is there a goddamned castle? I knew they were royalty, but shit.
“Ares?” Arianna’s scared voice breaks through my concentration as I try to home in on whatever Apollo is expecting to happen.
“Quiet,” I bark. Her fingers dig into my back, and I close my eyes to filter through the sounds of her once quiet town.
The sobbing mother.
A squeaky dryer.
Someone’s TV blaring through their window.
Ruffling branches…
Surrounding the castle gate is nothing but brush. Trees, bushes, forest, it’s everywhere, and I can hear someone deliberately making their way through.
“Faster, Asher!” I call to him just as the doors open, and he rushes inside.
I’m not sure how I know it’s about to happen, but I spin just as a man leaps out from a large tree, machete in hand, and I raise my gun, firing off a single shot, hitting him square between the eyes. He falls to the ground as we make it through the gate, and it slams shut.
Silence descends all around us, and as I place the princess on her feet, her hood slides back, and I really get a glimpse into her hypnotic stare. She captures me, and I can’t break contact if I tried.
“My warrior,” she whispers, lifting a hand to brush across my face. As she pulls away, I see the blood on her fingers and feel the warmth of the blood spatter on my face.
Stepping into me, she raises on her toes, and if not for someone calling her name, I swear to all things holy that she was going to fucking kiss me. A kiss I would have welcomed. One I would have controlled and consumed.
“Princess Arianna!” a cloaked woman yells from a balcony overlooking the grounds.
“I must go,” she says and rushes off before I can stop her.
“What the hell was that?” Asher asks from beside me.
“Beats the fuck out of me. But how the fuck did I know that guy was there?” That's the more important question.
Asher
I don’t get it. None of what has happened within the past hour makes sense. Not the feeling of foreboding and excitement when we landed nor the burning in my veins as we rocked on the ferry on the way across the sea. Even less sensical is this damn attraction to Arianna. A fucking princess. The oddest thing is that when Ares and I touched her together, I felt a settling in my bones. Something shifted inside of me, and I knew we were meant to meet. She was meant to be between us.
I spent a sleepless night dreaming of her, tangled limbs. Soft sighs. Rough moans. Only it wasn’t just her and I, Ares was there too.
Now that we’re with her, even for this short amount of time, I can only wonder what the hell it all means. Because surely, it’s not what I think.
We’re killers. Warriors.
She’s royalty and fine china.
There is no way that she would work with one of us, let alone both. I’m sure it’s against the rules.
Feeling intense eyes on me, I stare up at the woman who called for my princess and meet her cool violet stare. She sees something, knows something.
“That’s the mage,” I mutter to Ares as we walk up to the house together.
“I figured as much,” he comments. “You think she’s the reason I can’t get this fuck
ing girl with us out of my goddamned head?”
Stunned, I look towards him. “You too?” He nods, and I feel slightly better, knowing he has these same sensations.
“What do you think of her?” Ares points to the woman, the mage, as we watch Arianna reach her. Placing an arm around the young princess's shoulders, I get the feeling there is more going on than we know or might understand.
Stopping on our walk up to the opulent front doors, I allow my gaze to scan slowly around the grounds. Brick walls surround the property. Masses of roses climb in various places, and there are at least three entrances into the estate from what I can see.
“Take out the mystical element they claim exists and look at it as a job,” I suggest. We've spent nearly a decade together breaking into and out of different scenarios, and this is no different. There just might be magic.
“Shitty security,” Ares mumbles.
“For royalty, I agree.” I turn around to face the entrance to the grounds. A large iron gate allows admittance and exit to vehicles, but there’s also a gate for pedestrians. “We need to find out who has access to the castle.”
“And who they’ve pissed off. My Interpol contact says Judas discovered this place ten years ago, but he doesn’t know for sure if the man has capitalized on the lack of protection yet.” Ares sounds distracted as we begin walking again.
“Was he able to get you inside the organization?” There isn’t a better man for that job. He has demons and would likely fit right in. Most friends, they wouldn’t allow their buddy to get sucked into that universe. For Matthew, though, it’s a challenge he welcomes. To see if he keeps a hold on his sanity or finally snaps. With Arianna in the mix now, whatever her part may be, I get the feeling she’s going to help him stay on the right side of the ledge when he reaches that dangerous precipice.
