Ganymede cursed as he started to push Ky aside. “How did he get past the gargoyles? How big a force did he bring with him?”

Ky grabbed his arm. “No. He’s not here yet. I meant that he found me, he knows where I am.”

Sparkle paled. “How?”

“I told you before that we’re aware of you in our world. My father is a great admirer of your past times when royalty had the power of life and death over ordinary people. And the temple priests can track the gods wherever they go, no matter how far away. It probably took them a while because we left the pink house, but now they know. We’re forbidden to even attempt to open a portal to your planet. The religion of Momo and Tuna says it’s sinful to wish to be anywhere other than our own world.” Ky shrugged. “But I’m sure the need to save our gods from the evils of Earth would be considered enough of an emergency for our priests to make an exception in this case.”

Ganymede thought for a moment. “Do they know how to open a door to Earth?”

“Not yet. But my father suspects that many in his kingdom have probably attempted to open a portal in secret. He’ll assume that somewhere one of his subjects succeeded. He’ll promise them forgiveness and great riches if they come forward.”

Sparkle moved closer. “And once he has the information?”

“He’ll kill them. No one defies the king. Then he’ll come here.” Ky shifted from foot to foot.

“Nice guy.” Total jerk. “Guess he can’t wait to get you back, though.” Or not. If the king killed his subjects for disobeying him, what would he do to a defiant son? Ganymede thought he just might keep Ky here—if he wanted to stay—and kick King A-hole back to his own world. Violence. Had to love it.

Ky laughed, a bitter sound. “My father wants our gods back, but he’d be happy to never see me again. My younger brother is much more suited to inherit the throne. And once here, the king won’t leave your world untouched. He’ll want to destroy you and everyone else who helped ‘steal’ the gods. My father isn’t a forgiving ruler.”

Left unsaid was that the king would punish Ky for daring to escape with the gods. Ganymede didn’t have a knack for comforting words, so he simply nodded. Luckily, Sparkle was there to say the right thing.

“I’m sure you’re wrong, Ky. You’re his son, so of course he loves you.”

“I’m not wrong, and he doesn’t love me. He has never loved anything except his throne. I won’t ever go back to my world.”

Ky’s comment was passionately final. Even Sparkle had nothing to say.

That was it then. Ganymede saw a tragic end to the king’s reign if he tried to force his son to go home. Kings could die like everyone else.

Ganymede stopped when he reached the top of the stairs. He frowned as guests flowed around him, heading for the restaurant, the beach, or wherever else they went on a hot Galveston day. An attack on the castle by either Ky’s dad or Zendig right now would be a slaughter. He turned to Sparkle. “Maybe you should make some plans in case we have to get people to safety quickly. I’ll talk to Ky, see if he has any more info to add about his dad.”

Sparkle glanced around. “I always have lots of options ready. I’ll take a look at them to see if they need updating.” She met his gaze, her smile sly and knowing. “Then I’ll take a few minutes to put myself together again.”

She gave a little wiggle as though she was trying to shake certain clothing items back into place. Ganymede almost smiled. “Guess you didn’t have time to do much of anything before Ky showed up.” Since Ky was standing right there looking confused, Ganymede wouldn’t tell Sparkle he saw her shove her panties down her bra.

She offered him a sidelong glance. “Oh, I had time for the important stuff.”

Ganymede did smile at his next thought. He intended to lay waste to her clothes again. Soon.

Sparkle turned her attention to Ky. “This is a life lesson, Prince. Presentation is everything. I’ll change clothes, refresh my makeup, fluff my hair, and then be ready to face the world with confidence. When you go to war, project the image that fits your needs. I want my staff to accept me as the owner and ultimate decision maker here. So when I finally have to order the place closed, there won’t be a bunch of whining and complaining. Well, at least not within my hearing.” She leaned close to Ky and then smiled as he gulped. “Decide who you are, Ky, and then work that image. See me if you need help.”

Ganymede watched her stride away, each step a fluid, sexy invite. He exhaled deeply then turned to Ky. “Let’s grab some lunch.” Ganymede hoped the restaurant wouldn’t be too busy this late in the afternoon.

Ky brightened. “I’m starving.”

Good. Ganymede appreciated a kid who knew he needed to fuel up before a battle. They left the great hall and crossed the hotel lobby to the restaurant. Ganymede chose a secluded table in a corner of the room.

They ordered steaks and fries. No healthy green stuff for them. Men going to war needed real food. Ganymede watched while the prince inhaled his meal. Neither of them would need a doggy bag.

“Now tell me how you know your father has found you and when we can expect him.” With Ganymede’s luck, the king would arrive leading his yellow army at the same time Zendig descended on the Castle. A crappy time would be had by all.

Ky shrugged. “I don’t know when he’ll show up. It depends on how long it takes him to search out someone who can open the portal. If we’re lucky, he won’t find anyone. But I know he’s located us because Momo and Tuna told me.”

“Told you?” Just what Ganymede needed, little yellow creatures chatting up the paying customers.

Ky called over the waitress to order chocolate cake for dessert. Ganymede ordered ice cream, too. It was that kind of day.

Then Ky continued his explanation. “Momo and Tuna are smart. The priests taught them to communicate with hand gestures. When I went up to check on them a while ago, they both were panicked. They kept making the sign that meant priests along with the one that stood for door. They might not understand the portal concept, but they knew the priests were behind a barrier. Momo and Tuna could sense their presence in the same way the priests knew where they were. They wouldn’t be frightened if the priests weren’t near. They hate the priests.” His expression turned stubborn. “I won’t allow my father to take them back with him.”

“Can’t say I blame you.” Something puzzled him, though. “Momo and Tuna are your world’s gods. Why would gods be afraid of your priests?”

“I told you the king had ordered that they be sacrificed. Besides, they are gods only because my father has decreed it, just as he decrees everything.” Ky picked at his cake without any enthusiasm. “They are yellow, and yellow is our sacred color. The power of the throne has always been the power behind our gods. Father believes the common people need something to worship. And he has made sure the people believe their gods favor the House of Teven.” He pushed the cake away. “He wants Momo and Tuna back, but if he can’t recover them, he will find new gods for the people to worship.”

If cosmic troublemakers could get headaches, Ganymede would have a bass drum booming away in his head. “Look, go outside with the others and keep practicing whatever it is you do. Tell everyone to keep their eyes open for anything that looks strange. I’ll make sure Zane and Holgarth are ready to close down the king’s gateway wherever it pops up. That’s about all we can do right now. That and hope your father has his people so scared that no one will admit to having tried to open a portal.”

After dessert, Ganymede watched Ky leave before he headed back to the suite. He needed some time to plan for tonight’s team meeting. They could get together after Mistral met with Amaya. Once he shut the door to the rest of the world, Ganymede called Zane and Holgarth and then wasted no time taking his cat form.

When Sparkle walked in a few hours later, Ganymede was in his happy place on the couch surrounded by the things he loved—a licked-clean ice cream bowl, an open bag of chips, a container of cheese dip, and his paw on the TV remote.

Sparkle gave him her laser glare. “I don’t believe you. We have two enemies almost on our doorstep, and you’re up here watching HGTV.” She huffed her outrage. “In your cat form. Or should I say your lazy-butt form.” The steam coming from her ears carried her all the way to the fridge where she grabbed a soda. She slammed the door shut before stalking over to where he crouched.

Ganymede eyed her warily. He put two paws protectively over the remote. The snacks would have to fend for themselves.

“Hey, I’m doing research. You’ll need something to keep you busy once this is over. I figure you could do your own reality show, sort of like Fixer Upper only with castles.” He spoke directly to her mind. When he opened his mouth in times of crisis, often the wrong thing came out.

Distracted for a moment, she paused. “Hmm. Maybe… No, too ordinary. It needs an edgy sound. Maybe the Sex Apprentice. My motto can be: I’ll make your sex great again.” The moment passed. She returned to her mad. “Forget what comes after this. If you don’t get off that couch, we won’t have an after. Zendig and Ky’s dad will make sure of that.”

“I do my best thinking in front of the TV.” Not true. He did his best non-thinking there. When the world closed in, he could empty his mind and allow the TV sounds to form a shell of white noise around him. Refreshed, he was then ready to go forth to slay a few dragons. Well, maybe not exactly dragons. At least it gave him the strength to face guarding the dungeon door while Mistral and Amaya visited.

“I wish you wouldn’t spend so much time as a cat. And please don’t tell me that cats can sneak around gathering info. Heard that and don’t believe it.”

Sparkle sat on the couch beside him and crossed her long, long legs. She stroked him absently. He would much rather she stroke him absently when he was in his human form.

He offered her a cat shrug. “I can be lazy—eat and sleep a lot—when I’m a cat. What’s not to like?” Again a lie. Laziness had nothing to do with it. His cat was an escape from himself. For millennia he’d had the reputation of being one of the most powerful beings on Earth. He had lived up to that reputation. Then the Big Boss had reined him in. Do this, don’t do that. But for a month he had once again asserted his badass cred, reminded everyone of what he could do. It had felt damn good.

Ganymede had planned to top things off by battling the Big Boss for supremacy. If he lost, at least he would go out in a blaze of glory. After all, without Sparkle the future had looked pretty boring. It hadn’t happened. He had wanted to battle Zendig alone except for the help of his newbies. In control. But he wasn’t in control of anything. He was frustrated, tired, and not sure of what he was anymore. The only constant in his life was Sparkle…and his cat.

Ganymede wouldn’t tell her, though. A cosmic troublemaker didn’t get tired or feel out of control. Those were weaknesses. He would rather she think of him as lazy rather than weak. Ganymede waited for Sparkle to shoot down his excuse. She stared at him for a little too long.

He yawned a cat yawn to indicate how unconcerned he was with her reaction.

“Whatever. So you’ve had plenty of time to come up with ways to drive Zendig crazy. Let’s hear what you have.” She kicked off her heels, grabbed a tissue from the box on the end table, and then carefully wiped the dust from them.

Okay, what did he have? Nothing. He scrambled for a way to bluff his way out of this. Then he glanced at the clock on the far wall. “I don’t have time to talk. It’s almost six. I have to meet Mistral at the dungeon. He gets an hour to visit with Amaya while I stand guard. Bourne’s being hard-assed about her.”

Sparkle slipped on her heels. “I’ll go with you. While we’re standing around trying not to listen to what they’re saying, you can fill me in on all the great ideas you have for Zendig’s spies.”

“Right. Great ideas.” He leaped from the couch then padded to the bathroom. Ganymede didn’t like changing in front of anyone if he could help it. Shifting wasn’t one of his strengths. It took time and effort.

He emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later. “Let’s go.” Maybe Sparkle would get so involved with Mistral and Amaya that she’d forget about his nonexistent ideas.

He sprinted down the stone steps ahead of Sparkle, all the while thinking about how much he didn’t care about what to tell Zendig’s spies. Sure, Ganymede had been excited about it when it was his idea, but now that Bourne had hijacked it he didn’t give a damn.

“Hey, slow down.” Sparkle was breathing hard as she caught up with him outside of the dungeon.

Mistral was already waiting. He sneered. “Well, if it isn’t the jailor. Right on time. Want to frisk me to make sure I’m not sneaking in a bomb or two?”

Ganymede wasn’t in the mood for this crap. “Do you really think I want to be here? I have lots of more interesting things to do than listen to you and Amaya whine about your tough lives.” Come to think of it, he really did have something else to do. As though on cue, Sparkle spoke up.

“I can take care of this. You go do what you have to do.” She smiled. “I bet you could come up with some dynamite ideas to give the team in an hour.”

Her smile told Ganymede she knew he hadn’t spent his time thinking about the team. He glanced away. “Sure, if you don’t mind watching them.” He figured she wanted alone time with Mistral and Amaya. She could work on her plan to manipulate them into falling in lust so she could then tear them apart. Resurrecting the wicked Sparkle of old was important to her. If that’s what she wanted, he’d support her. Okay, so maybe they’d have a long talk when it came time to tear them apart.

Besides, he needed to hunt down the kids so he could discuss their parts in the coming battle. Parts that would hopefully keep them safe. Then he had to start planning a defense that might have to be fought on two fronts. Afterwards, he would visit Momo and Tuna. With Ky to translate, maybe they’d have something else to say about the king and his yellow army.

“No problem.” She winked. “I’ll keep everything under control. Now give me the key.”

Ganymede fished the key from his pocket then handed it to her. “Thanks. I owe you.”

Her smile was vintage Sparkle—wicked and sexy. “More than you’ll ever know. I’ll think of creative ways for you to pay me back.”

Ganymede knew his grin was hungry. “I look forward to it.” Then he ran up the stairs in search of Ky and his newbies.

Sparkle watched Mede go before turning to Mistral. “So let’s join Amaya.”

“Don’t expect me to do any spying for you.”

“I don’t need you to spy for me anymore.” True. Sparkle had only needed that excuse for the initial phase of her operation. She unlocked the door before he could reply then stepped aside so he could go in first. She locked the door behind her.

Amaya glowed. Sparkle figured it wouldn’t take more than the tiniest nudge to tip her over into love with Mistral.

“Thanks for visiting me.”

Sparkle could almost see the kitsune fluffing up her five tails with joy at a visit from the gorgeous but unpredictable shifter. Sheesh. Amaya was a can of kerosene. All Sparkle needed was the match. Not much of a challenge. Then Sparkle looked at Mistral.

Mistral smiled. Sparkle knew that smile. It was the hook. The lure was his body, his face, his long white hair. He drew women in with his total awesomeness then jerked the line and set the hook. Caught. Women were a hobby for Mistral. He’d enjoy sex with Amaya, but his mind would keep him from falling in love with her. Yes, Mistral would be the challenge. She matched his smile. Challenges made life worth living.

“I don’t like how Bourne treated you. He has no right to hold you here against your will when you haven’t done anything wrong.”

Mistral sounded sincere. He’d always had a weakness for the underdog. Sparkle would use that now.

“I agree with you, Mistral.” Sparkle worked her honest-and-sincere expression.

“You do?”

She’d finally managed to shock him. “Of course. Bourne has gone too far.” Her mind raced. How could she manipulate them into staying together in a confined space for longer than the hour Bourne had granted them? Closeness encouraged lust in those predisposed to it in the first place. From what Sparkle could see, Amaya was way past predisposed and already into raging hunger. And Mistral was born predisposed.

“I’m glad you’re on our side, Sparkle.” Amaya’s smile was tentative.

Amaya looked disbelieving, too. Sparkle wondered if she really came across as such a cold witch. She hoped so. A cold witch fit her wicked troublemaker image perfectly. “I have an idea.”

Now Mistral looked wary. Smart man. He knew how dangerous her ideas could be. She rushed on before he could voice his suspicion. “Mistral, you’re going to break Amaya out of here.”

They both stared at her, stunned.

Mistral blinked. “And how exactly will I do that?”

It all came together in Sparkle’s mind. “Amaya, you’re going to ask me to go to the shop in the lobby to buy you…” What would the kitsune ask her to buy that she wouldn’t ask just anyone for? “Tampons.”

To his credit, Mistral didn’t react.

Amaya blushed. “Why would I do that?”

“Because it will get me out of the dungeon, leaving you and Mistral here alone.”

Mistral narrowed his gaze. “You’d lock the door behind you.”

Sparkle nodded. She was getting into the whole thing now. “Once I’m gone, Amaya, you’ll assume my form. Mistral, you’ll become a gale, blow the door off its hinges, and then ease down to a light breeze so you can follow Amaya out of the Castle.”

Mistral looked thoughtful. “Won’t someone notice that there are two Sparkles?”

“I’ll be careful when I go to the shop. No one I know will see me.” Sparkle held up her hand to stop another question. “No one will hear the dungeon door blowing open. The only one down here right now is Eric. He’s vampire. Dead to the world.”

Mistral still looked suspicious. “Why are you helping us?”

Okay, this could be tricky. Sparkle put on her outraged face. “Bourne took Mede’s idea and made it his own. Now he’s taken over, telling everyone what to do.” She tried on her best sneer. “No one tells Sparkle Stardust what to do.”

Mistral finally lost his wary expression. “Thanks, sis.”

Sparkle automatically began to deny their relationship but quickly bit back her snarky comment. She had to look at the big picture. All that really mattered was her plan.

Amaya moved to Mistral’s side. “It could work.” She was excited for a moment but then wilted. “What will I do once I get out of the castle? I don’t have any money or a place to go.”

Sparkle held her breath. Wait for it, wait for it…

“I’ll take care of you.” Mistral had mounted his white horse.

Yes! “Bourne will know you helped Amaya escape, Mistral, so you can’t stay at the Castle. Dacian and Cinn—she takes care of the plants in the greenhouse—are on vacation right now. They won’t be back for a few weeks. Their house is empty. I’m sure they won’t mind if you use it.” Especially if they never find out. “Luckily Cinn gave me an extra key in case of an emergency, and this is definitely an emergency. The house is in the East End Historical District. It’s a big old Victorian with gardens and a tree sculpture of a cholla cactus in the front yard. The sculpture is in memory of Teddy. He was…” Better not get into Cinn and her plants. She’d said enough. “Anyway, no one will think of looking for you there. I’ll visit each day to bring you the news.” And to work my magic on both of you. “I’ll give you directions.” Sparkle took the key to the house from her keychain and handed it to Mistral. Then she scrounged some paper and a pen from the drawer of the nightstand next to Amaya’s bed.

“I’m so grateful for your help.” Amaya oozed sincerity.

Okay, so she made Sparkle feel a little guilty. Very little. Quickly, Sparkle drew a map. Amaya tucked it into her jeans’ pocket. “Call me if you have a problem.”

“Why would we want to stay on the island? Wouldn’t it make more sense to get as far away from Galveston and Bourne as we can?” Mistral’s distrust was showing again.

Sparkle controlled her need to slap him upside his head. She would not allow him to interfere with her plans. “Zendig is still coming.”

He shrugged. “So?”

Now she was getting mad. “My real brother would care enough to fight for his troublemaker family if they were in danger. Think about it.” Before she could say something to alienate him any further, Sparkle left the dungeon. She locked the door behind her.

Sparkle took her time wending her way slowly among the guests while scanning the crowd for any familiar faces. Then she wasted more time buying the Tampons for Amaya. Finally, she couldn’t put her return off any longer. She crossed the hotel lobby and entered the great hall. Sparkle had just reached the top of the stairs leading down to the dungeon when Mede came charging up them.

He glared at Sparkle. “Amaya and your cursed brother are gone. I thought you were guarding them. What the hell happened?”

“My question exactly.”

Sparkle tensed at the voice behind her.

She turned.

Bourne.

She sighed.

“It’s complicated.”