Aerie didn’t understand what had come over Finn, but she knew one thing for certain. He needed her. Never in this lifetime had she seen or heard a more miserable cry for help. Gasping for breath, he’d run from her in the midst of a normal conversation. It was as if he’d been overcome by strong emotion he couldn’t force away. His eyes, a silky brown one moment, had turned a shade of muddy pond water in the space of a heartbeat. Stiff back and hunched shoulders screamed of his tension.

Her footfalls were lost in the harshness of his breath. His prediction she wasn’t safe had stunned her. The door had slammed shut, but bounced back open. From the front walk, she had a view of him sitting on his steps, clutching his head and flexing his fingers into his scalp.

Cautiously, she approached, not wanting to startle him. She knocked softly on the door. “Finn? Are you okay?”

He jerked his head up and stared at her. If pressed, she’d volunteer that he wasn’t seeing her. Something unfathomable seemed to interfere with his vision. “Aerie?”

Crossing the small foyer, instinct told her to stop out of reach. “Yeah. What’s going on? How can I help?”

Dropping his hands to the stairs, he dug his fingers into the wood, the arc at the base of his nails stark white. He stared at the wall beyond her shoulder. “No one can help. When the darkness comes, I just have to ride it out. You really should go. I told you it isn’t safe to be around me right now. I…I think I’m about to black out.” He buried his face in his hands.

Shudders raced over his torso.

She stooped, reaching carefully for the box he’d dropped. Spying a table in the living room, she moved slowly toward it. She placed the heavy plastic container on the surface with a thunk. The keys were hanging from the lock on the front door. Keeping her movements slow, she pulled them free. With them clutched in her fingers, she debated holding on to them. She knew the key to the gun case had to be on the ring. Should he have access to something so deadly?

Stupid Aerie. Finn was a cop. Chances were good he’d have other weapons in the house. When she tightened her grip, the metal keys clanked against each other. She faced Finn and froze. An aura of deep blue surrounded him. How the hell… she blinked and the color disappeared. Had it really been there?

Finn pierced her with a brittle, suspicious look. “I want my keys.” Even the quality of his voice had changed. It held a sharp, bitter edge, as though his mouth was filled with glass.

“I don’t think you should.” She was the Muse of Love. Her gift was to inspire mortals to be calm, to forget about differences, let go of anger and age-old prejudices, to embrace love and peace. Using her gift, she focused some of that peace and contentment on the man.

Finn stood abruptly and took a menacing step toward her.

She backed away, uncertain why her mental suggestion seemed to have the opposite effect it should have.

He advanced again, arm extended, palm up. “Now, Aerie. Give me the fucking keys.”

She shook her head.

“I fucking hate you,” he growled.

Tension stabbed her chest. Hate. No one, at least no one mature, had said that to her in years. Crap, she’d only just learned that it was her turn to face the magpie, to help save the world. Lia’s partner, Ben, had been hand selected by Pierus to help her. Was that why Pierus had stared at Finn so hard? Was this cranky cop really supposed to be the man she led back to a belief in magic? His attitude was exactly opposite of everything she inspired. Disgust and hate versus acceptance and love.

Only Pierus could be so cruel to pick such an unlikely partner for her. Fear rattled her. She could lose the challenge if she had to face it with Finn.

He moved menacingly toward her.

With her hasty step backward, her shoulders hit the wall. Heart racing, she tucked her hand behind her. Her visceral reaction, fear, confusion, and a tinge of panic made her consider slipping into the Hollow, the rapid transit immortals used. But to do that, she’d have to disappear before his eyes. And evade him long enough so she didn’t inadvertently pull him in with her. And she didn’t think it would be a wise move, considering his mood.

She pitched her voice low and gentle. “Calm down, Finnegan. Take a deep breath in, then exhale, let go of all the toxins inside you.”

Instead of calming down, he tipped his head back and roared with laughter. Bewildered by his reaction, Aerie opened a link in her brain, reaching out to Mars. He was the director of security for Olympus. His job came with 24/7 on-call duty. Since he hadn’t bothered to tell her the name of her partisan, her guardian, she didn’t know who else to call.

Before she could broadcast a message, Finn lunged at her. Sandwiched her tight between the wall and his hard body. Air whooshed out of her lungs and her head cracked against the wall.

She let out a weak, breathless scream, her panicked thoughts disappearing into the void of immortal communication. She couldn’t be sure Mars, or anyone else, had heard her.

Holding her in place with his broad torso jammed against hers, Finn reached around her and gripped her wrist. He applied pressure until her fingers went numb and flared reflexively. The keys clattered to the ground. Staring into his eyes, it almost felt like no one was home. Each heave of his chest brushed against her breasts, and in spite of her fear, she felt a stirring of attraction. She needed to push that away. She couldn’t like this hardened man. Even if she wanted him hard.

Heat flared in her face. “Finn. Please let me go. You don’t really want to hurt me. You don’t truly hate me.” She needed to do something to pull him away from the precipice he teetered on.

She wiggled her arm between their bodies. Focusing inspiration into her hand by imagining a blanket warm from the dryer, she reached up to stroke her fingers on his cheek. She felt the spark of her nudge leave her body and enter his, and hoped he’d feel the calm she’d tried to instill within him. Confidence scattered her fears. She had this.

If he didn’t back off, she’d hit him with her other special gift. She dropped her eyes to his mouth. Her kiss on a cheek settled agitated souls. A kiss on the lips would breathe instant calm and peace into the recipient.

He jerked against her, the clouds in his eyes clearing. Instead of releasing her, he pressed closer. “I can’t.”

Through the still-open door, the caw of a bird echoed. A portent her challenge started now.

She spared only a fleeting thought for the future as Finn closed the scant distance between their mouths and sealed his lips over hers.

There was nothing tentative about this kiss. No testing, no tasting. Finn’s kiss was filled with hunger, demand and possession. He prodded her lips open and immediately plunged inside, sliding his tongue over hers. Tasted of bourbon as he explored the interior of her mouth. He crowded closer to her, as if any space between their bodies was abhorrent.

Need rocketed over her skin, lighting every nerve ending ablaze. This was the exact opposite of every other first kiss she’d ever had, in all her lifetimes.

And she loved it.

Reveled in his touch.

Needed more from this man she still wasn’t sure she even liked.

But she liked his kiss.

She fisted her hand in his hair and tugged. When Finn simply growled and molded his large hand over her butt, she pulled harder, drawing him closer.

Every ounce of trepidation she’d felt earlier evaporated, burned to cinders by the hard, fiery kiss and the thick ridge pressed against her belly.

She raised her other hand to his bicep. Curled her fingers around the warm, thick muscle there. Held on as he plundered her mouth. He cupped his hands on her face and tilted her head to the side, sealing his lips more tightly to hers.

Pressure built in the room, squeezing her body even tighter than he was. Oh, no. Oh, goddess. Mars had heard her cry for help.

Tearing her mouth from his, her voice rasped out a warning. “Finn, stop!” She lowered her hands to his heavy chest, focused all her power into her palms, and shoved hard.

Caught by surprise by her sudden move—or maybe still a little tipsy—he stumbled backward. Mars misted in through the Hollow behind Finn as he overcorrected from her push. He began to slip to his right. In that moment, Aerie noted his eyes had completely cleared of whatever frigid darkness had claimed him. A hotter emotion ruled in its place.

Before he fell, Mars pointed his hand at the middle of Finn’s back and exploded his fingers outward. Mid-fall, Finn froze as the thrall Mars had cast enveloped him. Another man who’d accompanied the war god hustled around to support Finn before he could crash to the ground.

Mars swung toward her. “Are you okay, Erato?” His use of her given name was a clue as to how rattled he’d been by her panicked summons. “If the mortal hurt you, I will end his existence.”

“I’m fine, Uncle.” She smoothed her hair, and tugged her T-shirt back into place. When had he dragged it from the waistband of her jeans? Giving her cheeks a chance to cool, she yanked the zip of her fleece higher. “Besides, you can’t harm him. I think he’s the man to help me with the challenge.”

She’d never seen Mars do a double-take before.

She’d have laughed if she hadn’t been shocked to recognize the man who’d misted in with Mars. “Phillip?” Her turn for a double-take. “I never suspected.”

“I’m good at what I do.” His icy blue eyes glowed in the low light of the foyer.

Mars banged his fist on the bannister. The sound of splitting wood filled the air. “Has the challenge begun then?” Tension crashed from him like a tidal wave.

She pointed to the railing he’d splintered. “You’re going to have to repair that.” At his scowl, she heaved a sigh. Translating the encounter into words was going to make it real. Well, more real than it already was. The enormity of what she faced threatened to overwhelm. “Pierus appeared to me at the Rowan. My turn.” She lifted her arms and gave a half-hearted rendition of jazz hands.

“Who is your challenger?” Mars demanded.

“Hate.” The single word was bitter on her tongue. Burned, in fact. “She’s lurking in the bushes outside. Pierus had an offer to end the conflict, but it came at a price too high to consider.”

“Tell me.”

She didn’t think she could say it more than once. She gave a terse shake of her head. “I’m not taking the offer. And I’d rather explain once everyone is assembled. You should probably convene your war council.” She wasn’t going to get any rest tonight. Moments ago, when it appeared she wasn’t destined for Morpheus thanks to Finn, lack of sleep hadn’t seemed such a bad thing.

Mars tipped his chin up. Crap! It was his ‘talking to the gods’ stance. Most likely he had Zeus on the other end.

While he held his silent side-bar conversation, Aerie addressed Phillip. “Is it just you, or do I have more partisans? Like Lia did.”

“Extra guardians are on call, but as yet, haven’t been summoned. I suspect that’s about to change.”

She canted her head to the side and studied Phillip. “You aren’t like Zeke, or Ben.”

“What do you mean? I’m exactly like them. They’re my kin.”

“You’re not…oh Hades, I’m bungling this.” Heat crept into her cheeks.

“Ah, you mean I’m not built like a brawny mountain man.” Phillip’s grin was infectious. “Some of us are brainier than the typical partisan, therefore, we don’t require the frightening physique. We prefer to science the shit out of problems. Since your gift is to inspire calm, it wasn’t mandated that you have a shit-kicker for a protector.”

“Hmm. That’s kind of interesting, but maybe a tiny bit discriminatory and offensive.” She looked at Finn, who remained as frozen as an iceberg. “What are you going to do about him?”

“Going to levitate him up to his bed and tuck him in. I already have a call into Mnemosyne for a little assist. Once she’s done removing any memory of this evening’s activities, we’ll split. He’ll sleep like a baby and wake refreshed and completely ignorant of our presence.”

“Can you ask Mnemosyne to leave his memory of kissing me intact?”

Phillip just shot her a look. Guess not.

Mars cleared his throat. “You kissed him?”

When had he finished his communication? Damn, getting called out on kissing Finn made her want to dig her toes into the area rug like a little girl caught in a lie. “Yes.”

“Then the terms set forth when Pierus issued the challenge will come to fruition.”

She’d forgotten about his original e-mail, outlining what was necessary for the challenge to begin in earnest. Each Muse would face one of his daughters, with the help of a man. The partnership would be sealed with a kiss.

Oh, Hades. She didn’t know if she wanted Finn to be the one meant for her. Even if he were, revealing her status as a Muse would be opening a door to a relationship with this gruff man. He was hard, cold, and angry. She sure as hell didn’t want that.

His kiss had thrilled her, nonetheless. “It seems so.” Aerie crossed her arms around her waist and cast a glance at Finn.

“Gaia is calling a meeting on Olympus. Everyone is to be there at midnight.”

“Hang on. Why is Gaia calling it?” Sure, her parents were a partnership for the ages, but with business, Zeus made all the decisions.

“Zeus is…resting.” Mars shrugged and lowered his eyes. Hiding something for sure.

Pierus’s words haunted Aerie. He’d called Zeus frail…a worn out husk of a god. Could he be right? “Mars, can you summon Asclepius to the meeting as well? Oh, and invite Dice, please.” The Goddess of Justice might decide to nullify the challenge based on the knowledge that somehow, Pierus had orchestrated an illness for her father.

“I’ll call her when we get to Olympus.” Mars eased up to her, and wrapped his big hand around her elbow.

“Wait. My car is parked out front. I’ll drive home, then meet you in the boardroom.”

“Gaia threatened me with castration if I let you out of my sight.” Did he just shiver? “Give your keys to Phillip. When he is done here, he can drive the car back to the carriage house.”

She dug in her purse for her keys, finding the ring near the bottom. She tossed them toward the partisan, who snagged them easily from mid-air. Next, she found her phone, and disabled the GPS. Technology was grand, but it was problematic to explain how her phone was in one location, and then an instant later, miles and miles away. A trip to the realm of Olympus involved an even further distance.

Gripping one hand around the straps of her purse, she held up a finger, indicating Mars to hold on. She stepped up to Finn. Summoning the gift of calm and peace that was hers to share, she concentrated her gift, rose on her toes, and pressed her lip to the corner of his mouth. A tiny surge of power arced from her. She willed the darkness to stay buried deep within him. In answer, his breath sighed out against her skin.

She nudged a thought into his mind, planting seeds of peace and sanctuary from whatever demons pushed him toward his dark place. When you wake tomorrow, you will remember the sense of ease this kiss engenders.

After stroking her hand over his chest, an action that allowed her to memorize him, she stepped away.

Mars gripped her elbow. Pressure built around her body as he levitated them the six inches above the ground that insured smooth transit through the Hollow.

As the world misted away, she could swear Finn’s lips curled up in a smile.