CHAPTER 5
Ted scanned the crowd for any sign of Pamela while Mikolas opened the evening meeting of the Order of the Titans. The remote campsite on Crystal Peak offered privacy, as well as a fire pit to send their messages into the heavens to Uranus, the Father of the Titans, connecting the original father with the earth—his wife, Gaia.
Because the members of the Order wore black hooded robes and gold masks bearing the face of Kronos, it made the task of looking for Pamela tricky. Any one of those matching masks could be hiding her. Luckily, Ted could follow the opening ceremony without much concentration. Tonight, Mikolas would be welcoming him back into the Order. Ted was already wearing his new gold mask.
Earning his way back into the Order after being banished had been an unexpected side effect of the blood oath he had taken with the man who’d kicked him out in the first place. He and Mikolas needed each other if they were going to stay alive and navigate the situation with Pamela.
And Ted was a fan of staying alive.
Mikolas raised his arms to the stars, his deep voice echoing through the campsite. “We call on the immortal Father Sky, Uranus, and awaken our immortal Mother Earth, Gaia.”
Ted lifted his hands toward the sky in time with the members who circled the bonfire below the platform. Together, they chanted, “Help us free your children.”
Mikolas lowered his arms and pulled back his hood. The people below them froze. Usually the members enjoyed anonymity at the meetings, robed and masked, their identities were protected. Mikolas reached up behind his head and unfastened the mask, lowering it to expose his face.
“I’m not ashamed for the gods to see my face. When Kronos is finally freed from his prison, I want him to recognize me,” Mikolas shouted over the roaring fire. “We will go down in history, brothers and sisters. We will free Kronos and welcome the Golden Age of Man, the land of milk and honey, back into this world.”
Cheers came up as torches rose in agreement.
Mikolas set his mask on a chair and glanced at Ted. Did he want him to take his mask off, too? Mikolas faced the group again. “Who will join me in the unmasking? Who else is proud of our work on behalf of the Titans?”
He looked at Ted again, and this time, Ted took the hint. He flipped his hood back and removed his mask. When he carefully set it aside, he noticed a couple of people below the platform did the same. Then a few more, and gradually, he realized Mikolas’s plan: this was the only way he’d be able to find Pamela.
One by one, faces were revealed, the firelight dancing across the members’ features until only a handful still remained masked.
Someone pointed at Ted. “Why do you ask us to reveal ourselves to a betrayer?”
Ted tensed, recognizing the voice. Pamela.
Mikolas held a hand out to Ted, beckoning him over. “Our brother, Ted, has redeemed himself. Bryce the Enforcer has been arrested. We have cut ties with him, and I have decided to reinstate Ted.”
Pamela took a couple of steps closer to the platform. “Who will take the Enforcer’s place, then? The muses continue to rebuild the theater. We have to stop them.”
Mikolas lifted his chin, daring her to defy him. “The Oceanus oil rig has been repaired and retrofitted with a new drill. Once Kronos is free, the muses will be irrelevant.”
“As long as they walk among humanity, they threaten our mission.” She reached up to push her hood back, revealing her golden hair tied up in bun, but she made no move to unfasten her mask. “You underestimate them.” She turned to the rest of the members. “I can’t be the only one who sees this.”
The cheers picked up volume, torches rising up toward the heavens. Dammit.
Ted stepped closer to the edge. “I’ve known most of you for years, and I admit that Mikolas’s vision for our Order clashed with my own, but I’m confident my father chose the right man to lead us. The police have a suspect; the investigations will end with Bryce. We can wash our hands of the police department and focus on drilling.”
A few more cheers.
Mikolas faced the crowd again. “Murder won’t free Kronos, and if the police come sniffing around Belkin Oil, they could shut us down. If the Oceanus rig is shuttered, our dream will be finished before it has a chance to begin.” Mikolas raised his arms. “Bless our endeavors Mother Earth and Father Sky.”
The members of the Order chanted, “Bless us” in a feverish rhythm.
It was done.
And Pamela stormed off into the shadows.
“Follow her,” Mikolas ordered Ted. “Go.”
“I’m on it.” Ted grabbed his mask and raced off the stage in the direction Pamela had gone. When he caught up to her, she was already at her car.
Her eyes narrowed as she placed her gold mask and robe into the trunk. “When this is over, I’ll kill you both.”
Ted broke out in a cold sweat underneath his robe. “I thought you wanted to see Kronos freed.”
“I do, but Zeus must be punished, as well. I won’t accept anything less.” She slammed the trunk shut.
Ted didn’t move any closer. He’d experienced her “venom,” as she called it, firsthand, and he had no intention of falling to the ground paralyzed again. Not if he could avoid it. He didn’t know how far her power reached, but he hoped he was a safe distance away.
“We won’t kill for you anymore,” he said. “It’s too risky.”
She rolled her eyes. “Mortal punishment is child’s play. I could make you wish they would put you in jail.”
A shiver crept down his spine. “We’re on the same side of this battle, Pamela.” He swallowed the lump in his throat and forced the words out. “Tell me your real name and explain why this is so important to you. Maybe I could sway Mikolas and the others.”
She came toward him so fast, he stumbled backward a couple of steps. His fear fueled a cold smile on her perfect lips. “What’s wrong, Teddy? Not so excited to get me naked now?”
He suppressed a shudder. In his defense, he hadn’t known the depths of her black heart when he’d slept with her. “Tell me your name. Your true name.”
“I don’t answer to the orders of mortals.”
Ted prayed she couldn’t hear the panicked thudding of his heart. “It’s not an order. But I know you’re not human. How can we help you free Kronos?”
Her tongue slid across her extremely white teeth. “I’m Philyra. Kronos was my lover, and the father of my son, Chiron.” She grabbed Ted’s robe and yanked him in close. Her breath caressed his face, but her words cut deep. “I will be his bride, Ted, and Zeus will lose his precious daughters of inspiration, just as he took my son’s immortality.” Her eyes searched his. “I’ll kill them myself if I have to, and if you get in my way, you’ll be dead, too. You’d be dust already if I didn’t think you might be of use to me later.”
Ted pressed his lips together. They were fucked.
She was on the move again. Mason dropped his night vision binoculars, racing for the parking lot of Crystal Peak. He wasn’t sure what kind of gathering he’d just witnessed. He was too far away to hear their voices, but the robes and masks matched the ones in the security footage from the theater fire that the police kept airing. These were the assholes who had chained the doors and set the building on fire.
It was no surprise that Pamela was in their ranks. She relished killing, but it also meant that she believed the women building the Les Neuf Soeurs were muses, just as his cousin had been. He didn’t have time to process it, but that would mean Clio was a human vessel for one of the daughters of Zeus. So she’d be a target.
Dammit.
Pamela’s black Jaguar peeled out of the parking lot as Mason burst from the woods. His chest heaved as her taillights dimmed in the distance. He looked back toward the trail leading to the hooded and masked freaks, torn about who to unleash his fury on: the ones who had tried to kill him in the fire, or the one who had taken so much from him.
He’d be outnumbered at the Kronos mask gathering, and if he only had one last shift in him, he needed to make it count. Mason ran for his truck and raced out of the lot. Hopefully Pamela was going home. This might be a chance to catch her alone.
After all the years of pursuing her, the idea he could finally end this and find justice for his family lit a fire in his gut. But there was something else, too—regret.
Clio had fit in his arms, her body tight against his, her warm lips inviting him. His mate. His wolf had chosen her, and leaving her behind before he could spend more time with her made this night bittersweet. Maybe his wolf would watch over her and keep her safe.
He parked down the street and approached Pamela’s estate on foot. The front gates had security cameras, but he’d found a spot around the side near the garage that would allow him to drop into the compound unnoticed.
He jogged along the wall, careful to stay out of sight of the security cameras, but another car pulled up to the gates. Mason took shelter behind a hedge.
“Pamela Costas, I’d like to ask you a few questions about Bryce Carter.”
Mason recognized Nate’s voice coming from the sedan.
Pamela replied through the speaker box. “I’m sorry I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“Our suspect claims he knows you. We won’t take much of your time.”
Mason listened intently. If Pamela opened the gates for Nate, he could slip inside, too.
“I’m afraid I’m very busy right now. My assistant can set up an appointment in the morning.”
Nate cursed under his breath and pressed the button again. “I can get a subpoena.”
“I’ll call my lawyer.” She chuckled. “Good night, Detective.”
Nate and his partner chatted in the car for a minute before backing out of the driveway. Mason bided his time. Once the sedan was out of view, he made his way along the block wall and froze when the gates opened.
Aw shit.
He raced back toward the street just in time to see Pamela’s Jag take off. He sprinted for his truck. He couldn’t lose her. It was times like these that he wished he had his wolf’s abilities while he was a man. The few werewolves he’d met while touring the country were able to live in a tenuous partnership with their wolf.
His would consume him if he allowed himself to shift again. He couldn’t risk it until he had Pamela cornered.
He scanned the streets at the intersection for Pamela’s car. Nothing. He slammed his hand on the steering wheel. “Fuck.”
Raking his fingers through his hair, he took a left and headed for the theater. At the stoplight, a black Jaguar with tinted windows sped by, heading west toward the beach. Mason clenched his jaw, hung a right, and followed her.
His wolf growled, aching for freedom.
Soon, buddy. Very soon.
Clio finished her bowl of noodles and pulled out her phone. She fired off a text to Mason with her address and held her breath. He probably wouldn’t reply, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to. Okay, she wanted him to, but it wasn’t a good idea. Despite her conversation with Tera, she still didn’t think Mason was her Guardian.
And until she found the man marked by the gods, she was going to try to keep her feelings in check.
She glanced at her phone. Her screen was dark. Nothing yet.
Probably for the best. She dropped her empty cup ’o noodles into the trash can and took in a deep breath of ocean air. Crystal City never really got cold, but the wind off the ocean carried a chill at night. She stuffed her hands into her hoodie and walked down the boardwalk. A few couples were out on the pier, and Clio sighed.
She spent her life living inside her history books, but ever since her muse sisters started finding their Guardians, she ached for romance. Being alone had never been a problem for her before. She usually had no trouble being her own party, but being a bridesmaid at Mel’s wedding and going to Erica’s baby shower had shone a light on something Clio hadn’t realized she wanted.
Love.
She checked her phone again. Still no response from Mason.
What did she expect? She’d kissed him and then told him she was interested in someone else. She was lucky he was still willing to help her move. He must’ve thought she was completely insane.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder, and instead of heading to the parking lot, she went the other way toward the pier. The waves crashed into the supports below, making the wooden pier shudder as if alive.
A smile tugged at her lips when the wind stung her face and the salty air filled her lungs. When she reached the end of the pier, the stars were shining bright above the water. It seemed cheesy, but she couldn’t help but make a wish.
And it wasn’t to find her Guardian.
It was for Mason.
She closed her eyes, gripping the wooden railing. All her intention went into her wish. A gust of wind blew through her hair, deafening her ears. She almost didn’t hear her name on the wind. When she turned around, her smile vanished.
Pamela Costas came toward her like a force of nature. She swiped an arm through the air as if she were a Major League Baseball pitcher. Clio turned to run, but her legs wouldn’t move. Nothing would. She crumpled to the ground, unable to scream.
“Good to finally meet you, Clio.” Pamela knelt in front of Clio and grasped her chin, turning and inspecting her face. She plucked Clio’s glasses from her face and threw them off the pier.
The lights in the distance blurred as Clio struggled to force her muscles to respond. Nothing. Pamela grabbed a fistful of Clio’s hair and slammed her head against the pier hard enough for stars to light around the edges of Clio’s vision.
Pamela growled at the stars. “Where are you, you coward? Why is the God of Thunder silent? You weren’t locked in a prison at the center of the Earth.” She glared at Clio, getting close enough to her face that she could see the nymph’s features perfectly. “Daughter of Zeus, tonight, you die.”