We stopped in front of a ramshackle building with five ground-level doors and three “available for lease” signs. On the other side of the street, sand from the beach spilled out onto the sidewalk and into the gutter. Blue sky stretched over the crisp blue of the ocean. This was the edge of nowhere—a dirty beach, deep into the dual-society zone, where few people would willingly hang out.

“What’s this?” I asked, not reaching for the door handle.

He paused in getting out. “Your new headquarters. Demigod Kieran wants to keep you under the radar for your own protection. Setting up an office in this part of town should help with that goal.”

“Well then, yes. It is very clear he bought me this expensive car with his reputation in mind. I can see the correlation.”

“Your sarcasm is draining.”

“So is your face, Oh Expressionless Wonder. I’d say we’re even.”

He grunted and stood from the car. I sighed and did the same.

Part of me was intensely relieved. I’d avoided the magical zone my whole life. My motivations had changed, but my aversion was no less intense. I was about to tamper in Valens’s business, so I was all too happy to stay out of his territory.

The other part of me was really annoyed, because if I didn’t have a high dollar office to report to, why the hell would I need a high dollar car? It felt like confirmation Kieran was trying to sweeten me up for something, and I’d probably have to refuse out of principle.

I gazed at the car wistfully. The kids were right, I really did love designer labels.

“You coming?” Zorn barked, standing at the leftmost door in the decrepit building. A piece of yellow police tape fluttered not far away, trapped in a straggly bush.

“Jesus. Give a girl a moment to collect her thoughts.” I positioned my handbag just so, lifted my chin to show my confidence, and strutted forward like I was in complete control of all things.

Kieran needed me more than I needed him. Now that Mordecai’s illness had been cured, the kids and I could scrape by. But without me, Kieran’s mother would continue to be trapped in the world of the living. I needed to remember who had the upper hand, and use that to my advantage—or at least as a means of bolstering my confidence.

But as soon as I walked through the door and into the office, all of that washed away.

Kieran stood at the back of a small but lavish room, wearing a white T-shirt and faded blue jeans that hugged his muscular body. Raven hair, cut short on the sides and longer on top, matched the color of his regal, high-arching eyebrows. A narrow nose ended above luscious and shapely lips that softened his strong jaw and sharp cheekbones, turning severe into ruggedly handsome. Incredibly ruggedly handsome.

Large shoulders stretched the white cotton, pulling at the seams. Cut pecs stood out over his flat stomach, which I knew from (brief) experience was a glorious six-pack bordering on an eight-pack. Powerful thighs gave those jeans something to show off.

The man was a legend, but none of that could compete with those entrancing, stormy blue eyes—wild and vicious and passionate. His delving stare hit me like a Mack truck before reaching down into me, all the way to my soul. The world dropped away, and all I knew was him, this moment, and the incredible desire surging through my body.

His large hand swung up and touched the center of his chest, like he was reaching for his heart. My own heart quickened at the movement.

“She has refused the car, sir,” Zorn said, and just like that, the moment shattered.

My exhale was audible. I may have staggered, just a little, but I passed it off like the rug had grabbed my heel. No biggie.

A grin wrangled Kieran’s kissable lips. “As I told you she would. Were the kids the deciding factor?”

Zorn grunted and moved off to the corner of the small office.

With the spell of Kieran’s hotness broken, for now, I could finally take a look around.

The outside of the building hadn’t been touched, but the interior had been completely re-done. The walls were painted a soft gray that somehow didn’t close the room down. A beautiful rug stretched across the refinished hardwood floor. A desk took up the center of the room with two leather chairs in front, an executive chair behind it, and a plant to the side. File cabinets lined the back wall, beside a door that led into what looked like a smaller office. Oil paintings decorated the space, one above a bookshelf stuffed with various titles.

“Alexis,” Kieran said, and his deep, raspy voice vibrated down low. “It’s nice to see you again. I hear Mordecai is defying all expectations. Only a week after his procedure and he’s training like he’s worked out all his life.”

I swallowed, not an easy task given that all the spit had dried up in my mouth. “Yes. Thank you again for doing that. He’s…better than new.”

“Yes, so I hear. With a good appetite.” Kieran sauntered forward, almost lazily, and thick, heady magic washed over me. The man had power in spades. It felt unlike anything I’d ever experienced. “And how about you? Are you ready to get to work?”

“I need to look over the final contract to make sure it’s everything we agreed upon.”

His cocky grin turned into a full-fledged smile, and my insides did worrying flips. I hadn’t forgotten how attractive and charismatic he was, but in just a week, my memories had grossly downplayed his effect on me. I was not prepared for this. My confidence was wavering like an inflatable dancer at a used car lot.

“That we agreed upon?” he asked, stopping in front of me and looking down into my eyes. At six-two, he was only five inches taller than me—less when I wore heels, like now—but with his robust body, confidence bordering on arrogance, and intense power and strength, I felt tiny. Insignificant. “Or that Daisy and I agreed upon?”

I shrugged, the movement stiff. “When it comes to things like this, it’s one and the same.”

His gaze roamed my face before stopping on my lips. His smell drifted around me, salty sea foam, and rich, decadent chocolate. “Everything is as we agreed,” he said softly. “Except for the car. You will take it.”

“I don’t respond well to commands.”

His eyes sparkled. “Yes, you do. You just haven’t realized it yet.” He stepped over to one of the visitor chairs facing the desk, then lowered a large hand to its back as though preparing to pull it out. “Please, have a seat.”

I stalked forward, passing the chairs and walking around the desk, and took the large leather chair facing him.

“Thank you,” I said, clasping my hands on the desk and waiting for him to sit in the visitor seat.

Gaze rooted to mine, he slowly moved around the chair he’d been touching before sinking onto its cushion. “If you’ll just reach into the first drawer—”

Before he could finish, I opened the drawer on my right, expecting a folder. Instead, I saw office supplies.

“On the left,” he finished, laughter in his eyes. “I’m left-handed. I keep the important things on that side.”

“Obviously.” I sniffed. “I was just looking to see if my bag would fit.” It was a terrible cover, but I went with it anyway. “Too small.” I took my bag off my arm and set it on the bare desk. There wasn’t even a calendar on it.

Kieran leaned back and crossed an ankle over his knee. “High fashion suits you. It brings out your arrogance, which can be quite helpful in certain situations.”

“You would certainly know,” I mumbled, pulling open the top left drawer and breathing a small sigh of relief when I saw the file folder. It lay atop more office supplies. How much writing and paper-clipping did he expect me to do from this desk? “I was born for big things,” I said distractedly, placing the file folder on the desk and flipping it open.

“Yes, you were.”

Kieran’s suggestive tone drew my eyes to his. The depth of his stare, and its openness, made my heart flutter and sent tingles across my skin. I ripped my eyes away, not understanding the look or the tone, but knowing I’d better be careful because both threatened to suck me under and lose me to the tide.

“Right,” I said with a business savvy, can-do attitude. “Let’s see.” I scanned the various stipulations that Daisy had demanded I put in. Some of them I wouldn’t pay much attention to: working hours, overtime, and other logistical details. I hated schedules. But she’d want to see it all in writing, and since she’d taken such an interest in being Miss Business Manager, I would go with it. Other aspects of the deal were more to my interest. The bonus for quick completion was on point, as was the salary, ten percent higher than what he’d originally offered. Medical, retirement, donuts on Wednesday—all the things I’d been denied while working retail jobs for non-magical blowhards.

I tried to hide my smile. I really did. And failed miserably.

Then I saw something that made the smile slip. “What’s this…” I tapped a line. “Training is mandatory?” We’d talked about it, sure, but I hadn’t expected he’d enforce it.

“Yes.” Kieran steepled his fingers. “I have brought your true nature out into the open. My efforts to hide that information might fail. I am also using your services in a way my father will not be pleased with. In other words, I’m putting you in danger. It is my responsibility to protect you in every way I can. Obviously I have my guys guarding you and your home, but you need to learn how to protect yourself in the field—to get in touch with your surroundings and, most importantly, to use your magic.”

I bit my lip, fear biting into me like jagged teeth. I wasn’t sure I wanted to learn how to use my real magic. Everyone had heard the same horror stories about Spirit Walkers. Some vicious guy would walk through a war zone and rip souls from living people’s bodies. He’d then assume control of the spirit, and stuff them back in, using the person like a puppet. The act sounded harsh and brutal, and I didn’t know if I had it in me. I didn’t know if I wanted it in me.

“There is more to your magic than the horror stories you’ve heard, Alexis,” Kieran said, as though reading my mind. “Much more. Your magic isn’t evil. You aren’t evil. I’ll make sure you don’t fall into the hands of someone that would use you in that way. But the magic is a part of you, and you need to learn how to use it. If the worst should happen, heavens forbid, you will need everything in your arsenal to survive. Your magic will help you do that.”

I blew out a breath. “Do you even know anyone else who has magic like mine?”

“No. No one on earth, at present, has magic like yours. ” He tilted his head. “That we know of. Most of our knowledge about it comes from written record, rumor, or myth.”

Right. Until recently, he hadn’t known about me, either.

“But the Demigods of Hades…” I started.

“Have different powers. They can manipulate spirits, and they can travel beyond the Line into the spirit realm, but they cannot rip a spirit from its living body, like a Spirit Walker can.” He paused for a second before continuing. “That I have heard of. The last person with magic like yours was killed by Demigod Zander fifty years ago in England. The man was a puppet of the pope—a dark secret kept in the strictest confidence.”

“If it was so secret, how did they find out? And why did the Demigod kill him?”

“Zander killed the man because he was a high-profile assassin. It took a Demigod to finally bring him down. Zander learned of the man’s master because Demigods are ruthless, Alexis…” Goosebumps spread across my skin. Kieran was not excluding himself from that group. “Zander extracted the information by using his magic to torture the man. Or maybe to twist his brain. There are many ways.”

I barely stopped myself from pushing back from the desk, standing, and running—not striding, but fucking running—for the door.

“The man was an assassin, Alexis,” Kieran said, leaning forward in his chair. “You won’t be. In fact, you’re signing on to a rescue mission. You are already using your magic for good.”

“But…with training…”

“You choose how to use your magic. I’ll simply employ someone to show you how.”

“But if no one like me exists, how will I learn?”

Kieran leaned back again. “You’ll start with the basics, both in fighting and magic. You’re a type of Necromancer in your basic skill set, so you’ll learn rudimentary skills you would’ve been taught years ago had your initial assessment been legit. Once you’re set on the basics, we’ll decide on additional training.”

I nodded slowly. I did need the help. Even when it came to non-magical combat. Sure, I had a couple of years of martial arts training and a couple months of boxing, picked up when someone offered a poor girl some classes out of pity, but I hadn’t kept up the practice. If danger came my way right now, I was totally vulnerable. The kids wouldn’t tell me to push back on this one since it was in my best interest.

I blew out a breath. “Fine. But I’m not taking that car.”

“Your vehicle is a rust box waiting to die. If you need to get out of a situation fast, peddling the ground like Fred Flintstone won’t be conducive to staying alive.”

I arched one of my eyebrows indignantly. “I’ll have you know that that Honda is way more reliable than a BMW. It runs just fine, thank you very much, and it’s near impossible to kill.”

“How about speed? How many minutes does it take to get up to sixty? How much coughing and shaking does it do at a hundred?”

I gritted my teeth. Plenty of minutes and lots of shaking.

“And how does a BMW stand up to something like a Ferrari?” I asked. “Or are you telling me Valens’s car isn’t faster than the Beemer?”

Kieran shifted and his eyes glimmered. “My father has many cars, and some of them are faster, yes. But my father won’t be the one following you.” His expression turned somber and a vicious gleam replaced the amusement in his eyes. “He’ll leave that to his minions. Whom I will need to make disappear before they can tell him of your efforts. I would like to avoid that. Listen, Alexis…” He braced his hands on his knees. “You must know this is a fragile and precarious situation. It’s dangerous, to say the least. If you run into trouble, I’ll need to know about it immediately. Immediately. Do you understand?”

I nodded, the weight of the situation pressing on my shoulders.

“I will protect you, but we won’t be together at all times,” he went on. “I have cultivated a presence in certain areas of my father’s government that I need to maintain until the last possible moment. This is just the first step in a dangerous journey. I can’t let it interrupt my overall goal. If at all possible, I’d like you to get my mother across the Line without him knowing how it was done.”

I widened my eyes with the realization that Kieran wanted to free his mother, but he wouldn’t stop there. He intended to tear down his father. The Demigod in front of me sought vengeance against another Demigod, and if I fulfilled my task, I’d likely be the spark to ignite the war. A war that would be fought on home soil.

My breathing increased as anxiety pooled in my gut. What had I gotten myself into?