Ares pulled up the long, dirt drive to the farmhouse. As soon as the house came into view, his temper ignited. The vrykolakas flocked around the house. He didn’t bother to pull the truck over or put on the brake when he transported to the driveway of the house.
“Where is Nikoleta?” he shouted.
A hum of voices answered, the sound jumbled.
“I can’t understand you when you speak all at once. Where’s Amos?”
Josiah, Amos’s next in command, swooped in and landed, kneeling at Ares’ his feet. “He’s gone.”
“What do you mean—he’s gone? He would never abandon his post.”
“He was speaking to your woman, and then he just disappeared.”
Ares narrowed his eyes. “He did, did he? And why would he reveal himself to her in the first place?”
“She found the grave.”
The glow from Ares’ fiery eyes reflected in the creature’s black eyes. “Where is she now?”
“She’s in the house.”
“Good. I need to talk to her.”
He flung the door open and stomped inside. “Nikoleta!” His voice boomed, shaking the home. He had no reason to keep up pretenses. It looked like her memories had resurfaced. He was glad for it; now he could vent his anger without restraint. Considering how furious he was right now, he would like nothing better than to beat her within an inch of her immortal life.
“Aaron,” she screamed as she bolted down the hall toward him. Her body slammed into his, and she wrapped her arms around his body. He could feel her trembling. She pulled away, her eyes frantic as her hands brushed over him, inspecting him. “You’re okay. You’re not hurt?” she asked. “They… those things…” Her voice cracked, and then she broke down into sobs.
Ares relaxed. Perhaps he was wrong. She looked like she was completely freaked out.
“There… there are demons… outside.” She glanced toward the window, her face pale, her eyes wide. She looked at him. “You didn’t see them?”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t see anything. Honey, I think you were having a nightmare.” Josiah, take the others back to the trees. Do not show yourself again, unless there is danger.
“I… no,” she said. “I wasn’t asleep. At least…” Her voice dropped away as she seemed to consider his words. “A dream?”
“Yes, a dream,” he said as he gently led her into the living area.
“I’ve never had such a vivid nightmare before,” she said as she sank into the sofa, her eyes glued to the window.
“You’ve been sick,” he said. “It happens. It might help if you talk about it. What happened?”
Fear flashed in her eyes as she shook her head. “No. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“It never helps to ignore unpleasant things. You said there were demons. Did they say anything to you?”
She shook her head. “No. Not a word.”
Ares frowned. Why was she lying? Was she deceiving him? Or was this her way of avoiding talking about the incident?
Without proof, he dared not act. He needed to know what was going on. Why did Amos disappear? He’d obviously made a wish. After all, vrykolakas couldn’t transport. That was a god-born power. So what wish did he make?
“Here.” He leaned back against the couch cushion and pulled her down to lie against him. “Why don’t you rest?”
Nicole nodded her head and curled up in his arms. Ares wasted no time as he carefully reached out to touch her mind and came up against a wall. His anger once again flared. How did she learn to block him? Or perhaps it wasn’t she who blocked him out.
“So,” he said casually. “Have you talked to Sara lately?”
Nicole sucked in a breath of air as she stiffened. She appeared to catch her mistake as she relaxed once again. He could feel a slight tremor surface from her body. “I don’t think I know a Sara.”
Like so many times and previous lifetimes before, she had been playing him. Why didn’t he ever learn?
“Oh really?” he said. “She’s the mortal mongrel you gave birth to twenty-one years ago.”
Nicole shook her head. “No—”
Ares thrust his hand at her throat and squeezed. He could feel her larynx collapse and crunch. Let’s see if she can lie when she can no longer breathe.
Her eyes popped open wide in horror as she tried to squeeze air into her lungs.
“I don’t believe you got your memories back on your own. I have a pretty good guess as to who gave them to you.”
Nicole’s eyes dimmed as her head dropped forward. Ares fisted her shirt in his hands as he jerked her toward him, making her head snap back. He grabbed her windpipe and applied pressure at the sides, popping it back open. She took a wailing breath and heaved air into her lungs.
“We can do things the easy way, or the hard way, Nikoleta. If you answer honestly, everything I ask you, I won’t hurt you. I’ll just erase your memories once again, and we’ll go somewhere new, perhaps somewhere you can live a life of ease and luxury. But, if you choose not to answer me, or you lie to me, I’ll beat you bloody. And then, I’ll let you suffer and heal on your own, with no assistance from me. And then we can start over again—with new memories and a new reality. Perhaps we’ll make our home in the Middle East. I’ve gained a new appreciation for the human terrorists. They’ve made modern warfare much more interesting. And the way they treat their women just might teach you to be respectful to your husband.”
“I thought Zeus wanted me brought to him.”
“Where did you learn that?” Ares hissed as he narrowed his eyes. “It’s that daughter of yours, isn’t it? I should have driven a stake through your pregnant belly and killed her when I had the chance. This is what I get for exercising a little compassion.”
Nicole glared at him. “Compassion?” She coughed, her throat still tender. “Is that what you call what you’ve done to me?”
“Yes! I saved your daughter’s life. She’s lived twenty-one years longer than she should have. When my father finds her, he will kill her. And you know how sadistic he can be. If you tell me where she is, I promise to make her death quick.”
“I’ll see you disemboweled and hung by your own entrails before I’ll let you near my baby.” Nicole spat at him, the wetness landing on his cheek. His reaction was instantaneous. His fist flew at her face. She turned at that moment. He’d only meant to break her nose. Instead, his strike landed at her temple—crushing her skull. She fell limp to the floor.
“Gods, Nikoleta!” he shouted. “You just had to do it. You couldn’t make things easy for yourself.”
He looked down on her. Her black hair draped stark against her pale face. Blood pooled under her head. It’d be hours before her immortal body repaired the damage he inflicted, and he needed to find her half-blood daughter now. He cursed himself for his rash reaction. By the gods, it was her fault. Why could she never learn? She never could resist baiting him.
Kneeling down beside Nicole, he attempted to look into her mind. There wasn’t much to work with, not with all the damage. He did find something. It wasn’t much, but perhaps… yes. He had a location!
Ares gathered Nicole in his arms and carried her up the stairs. He laid her on the bed, covering her with a warm comforter. She’d need to conserve her body heat to aid in healing. He cursed his rash reaction. He needed to find and eliminate Nicole’s demigod daughter. But he couldn’t possibly leave Nicole in the condition she was in. She’d be waking up, vomiting and in a lot of pain. She’d need him to care for her.
The vrykolakas could take care of Sara. This was an assignment normally lead by Amos, but Josiah would have to do. If all went according to plan, they’d find Sara and devour her completely. He would instruct them to leave no evidence, no bones. They should have no problem following through on that order. In fact, they’d had so little food lately, they’d be eager to accomplish the deed. Tonight, the Vrykolakas would feast on a demigod and anyone else who happened to be in the area.
Ares stood and transported himself outside. “Troops!” he shouted. “For your faithfulness in serving me, I have a gift for you—a feast.”
The vrykolakas fluttered from the trees and gathered around him, excited.
“I want you to hunt down and kill a demigod. She may have powers that will make things difficult. She seems to be able to influence the mind, so you must steel yourself against her and destroy her at sundown. There are to be no witnesses, no evidence, no bones, and no graves. Are you up to the challenge?”
The vrykolakas hissed in unison, “Yes!”
“Josiah, ride the wind. Take them to the place I will show you.”
“Yesss, Captain!”
The entire flock took to the skies, floating like a black cloud toward the horizon.
***
“You have to go, Dad,” Sara said, pleading. “Xanthus and the others will protect me here.” Her father frowned. She hadn’t foreseen this issue. Actually, she couldn’t foresee anything that had her playing a direct role—which was disappointing. Her past showed crystal clear, her future… nothing. Thank the gods, the other Fates could see images of her future. They said she played a key role in saving the world. But their visions were so cryptic and spotty.
“I don’t like the idea of leaving my daughter while a thousand undead creatures are coming to kill her. Call it a father’s instinct to protect his child. Can you promise me you’ll survive? Have you seen it?”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I haven’t seen it,” Sara said. “But the other Fates have. I can’t die, at least not yet.”
“You don’t know that, Sara.”
“Listen, I know you’re worried and you don’t want me to get hurt. But believe me when I tell you, Mom needs you more than I do. This is the perfect opportunity. Ares doesn’t know my father is a powerful god, and he doesn’t know I’m being guarded by Dagonians and a demigod from the Underworld. If you stay here and fight, Ares will leave with Mom and we’ll never find her. But if you go now, while the vrykolakas aren’t there to guard them, you’ll have the element of surprise along with an even playing field.”
“Yeah… the guardian of the sea battles against the god of war. I don’t know if that’s an even playing field, but I’ll give my eternal life to keep your mother safe.”
Sara shook her head. “You’d better keep your life. Mom is going to need you to deal with her new reality.” Tears burned in Sara’s eyes.
“What reality are you talking about?” Triton said, taking hold of Sara’s arm.
“Dad, Mom has been in the hands of Ares for thousands of years. He’s one messed-up god. I…” The images of what she’d witnessed rose to the surface of her mind, choking off her words—pain, anguish, abuse, manipulation, and even torture.
“How bad was it for her?”
She swallowed regret and sniffed. “Real bad. I’m so sorry I wasn’t more understanding of her rants. Mom may not have remembered the horrors she had endured, but they were still there, and they would surface as rage and fear from time to time. I just… I didn’t understand. Dad, she needs you. You’re the only one who can save her. You’re the only one that can heal her heart.”
Triton sighed and nodded. “You need to promise me you’ll listen to Xanthus, and do everything he says.”
Sara stood. “I will. Really, Dad, I’m going to be fine.”
“Okay, I’ll go.”
“I knew you would.” Sara smiled, and then her smile faded as worry crept in. “Oh and Dad, before I forget. You know how Petros was so protective of my mom?”
“Yes.”
“He was right. Not only is Mom a danger to the world, she’s a danger to herself.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, his brows pinched together.
Sara sighed. “With the destructions coming ahead, if some well-meaning person were to wish that the world would not be destroyed… those simple words would kill her, Dad.”
Triton’s eyes darkened. “How?”
“Every planet has its cycles of destruction, even earth. And Mom doesn’t have enough power to grant that wish. She’d—”
“Die trying.”
Sara nodded.
“I understand.”
Triton wandered to the window and looked out at the sky. She could feel the worry emanating from him. “When do I leave?”
“At sundown.”
He turned toward her. “Are you finally going to show me where she is?”
“Yes, I’ll show you, but after I take a nap. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“You’ve been running yourself ragged.” Triton narrowed his eyes. “Just be sure you do sleep. No visions, dream hopping, or whatever else you do.”
Sara smiled. “I won’t, I promise, but I need you to promise me something too.”
“Anything, baby.”
“Promise me you won’t hesitate to seek help.” With tenderness in her eyes, she touched his temple.
Triton smiled. “You think I’ll need help?”
Sara shrugged. “We all need help sometimes.”
“Okay, I promise.”
A couple of hours later, lying in bed, Sara awoke to the feel of someone creeping into her room. The scent of the salty sea filled her nose. “Smells like you’ve been out for a swim,” she said.
Xanthus chuckled. “Yeah, we Dagonians plan better in the water.” He slipped under the covers and wrapped Sara in his arms. His warm embrace melted her heart. She never felt safer than when she was being held by Xanthus. A baby began to cry in the next room. “When are Gretchen and Donavan leaving?” she asked.
“In just a few minutes. It took Kyros a lot to convince Gretchen to go. She was ready to send Donavan off to be watched by her adoptive parents while she stayed and fought.”
“That doesn’t surprise me a bit.”
“Yeah, in the end, Kyros was able to convince her that he would have to spend all his energy protecting her at the expense of simply kicking vrykolakas butt.”
Sara chuckled, picturing it. “I can see that. He’s pretty protective of her.”
“I know exactly how he feels.”
“So do you have a plan to keep everyone safe?” she asked.
“You’re the one we need to keep safe. The rest of us know what to do.”
“I know you do, but…” Sara’s heart clenched. She might be confident in her own survival tonight, but she had no assurance Xanthus would survive, or the others, for that matter. “I wish you would leave until after the battle is over,” she said.
“Sara… do you think I would ever even consider leaving you when you’re in danger? Or leave my friends to battle alone?”
“No. But I’m sure of my survival. The vrykolakas can’t kill me.”
“No, but they can maim you, torture you, and make you wish you were dead. No honorable warrior would ever leave an innocent woman to suffer at the hands of a monster.”
Sara nodded. “I just wish…” Her voice choked with emotion as she tucked her head into his chest. “I wish I could see that you’ll be alright.”
“Sara.” He lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. He looked calm, like her worries were completely unfounded. “I’ve been through hundreds of battles with scarcely a mark to show for it. I’ll be fine. We’ve got things all worked out.”
She traced her fingers over his chest and over his stomach, thinking about how precious he was to her. He took her hand and held it still.
“I wouldn’t do that. You need your rest, but if you keep touching me like that, I can promise you that you’ll get no sleep.”
“I’ve already had a nap.”
“Sara…” he growled disapprovingly.
“Please, Xanthus. I need you.” Her voice hitched as she felt tears once again burning in her eyes. She opened her mouth to continue to argue only to find Xanthus covering her mouth with his—cutting her off and stealing her thoughts. The next hour she forgot completely the upcoming battle. She was mindless to everything but the gentle touch of her husband.