“So beautiful, Thena. This shall be my pleasure. Have you ever wondered what it would be like…?”
I couldn’t answer. Claiming both muteness and temporary insanity, I tried to summon up the strength of Adonis and keep my body still. Keep myself from giving into the deceiver’s words.
“You. Will. Lose.” His whisper was barely audible. His fingers lightly touched the side of my neck as he leaned in to kiss it. I was frozen, unable to move, and still waiting for Adonis to possessively burst through the door and save me from all this torture. But I heard nothing except my own labored breathing and the hum of the Phantom’s nearness.
“We have found a way to finish it, to make many more of ourselves. I’m here to offer you a position with your father. Before you answer, remember, certain death awaits you. The tables have been turned, dear Thena. You are now on the losing side.”
“Stop it!” I yelled. Pulling myself away from him, I turned.
“We have Michael, we have Apollo, Adonis, Ares¯”
His laughter interrupted my outburst.
“And we, dear girl… have all of the Watchers.”
Chapter Five
Michael burst through the door, sword in the air. The granite split as he pushed the Phantom against the nearest wall. “You lie!” I wouldn’t be surprised if the entirety of Seattle had just experienced an earthquake. His voice had just broken the sound barrier.
The Phantom screeched and screamed, twisting underneath the full weight of an Angel of the Light.
“He has freed them,” the Phantom spat. “We have the original twelve.”
“Impossible,” Michael said, pushing harder as black ooze dripped from where the tip of the blade met the Phantom’s neck.
“We shall see…” With a swift movement Michael chopped his head off and crushed it beneath his foot.
Sheesh, and they said I had aggression problems.
Adonis was at my side in an instant. Waves of anger washed over him as he took in the scene.
A very angry-looking Ares was standing at the door with his golden bow and arrow in hand, apparently ready to kill the Phantom on Michael’s behalf.
Michael turned to us, fury lacing the white of his eyes. He wiped the golden sword with this gloved hand.
Angels do not fear, but I could see apprehension and irritation at the words spoken by the Phantom.
“I must talk with my brothers. We must see if what he says is true. I will send Gabriel to the Abyss. Let us see if the Phantom spoke out of knowledge or fear.”
****
Waiting was pure torture. Adonis wanted me to bathe and eat. I wanted to join with the angels and see if we could figure out what that crazed demon was talking about.
“I could have killed him,” Adonis said once we sat in our rooms in Halcyon. We had rooms there and also rented an apartment in Ballard. Both of us liked the normalcy it brought to live in the city with the rest of the humans.
Adonis poured himself a glass of wine and sat across from me. “I tried to come for you, to protect you when that — that creature — put his dirty hands on you, but Michael held me back. Did he hurt you?”
The concern in his voice nearly broke my heart.
“No, he didn’t hurt me.” Quite the opposite, he made me feel, made me lust, and not the good kind. I put lust into two categories: one being the kind that is evil and bad, the other being a nice appreciation for things that are pretty.
This was bad lust. It was pure evil in form. The human side of me wanted to take as many showers as possible to rid myself of the filth of that encounter.
I shuddered, and in an instant Adonis pulled me into his lap. His hands went to my face, touching me, consoling my fluttering heart. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to realize he was doing the opposite of calming me.
Just what had that kiss been about?
And why in the world was I thinking about him kissing me, when eternity could be hanging in the balance?
Foolish.
And yet, Adonis enticed. It’s what he did.
“Do you ever…” I felt myself slightly blush then gathered more courage. “I mean, have you ever enticed me?”
He looked away, a smug grin plastered on his face. “I’ve never had to.”
“Adonis.” I pushed against his chest in anger.
He held me tighter. “I’m kidding, Thena. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you laugh.”
“It’s been three hours,” I said dryly.
“Exactly.” He purred as his perfect face neared mine. I could almost taste him.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Adonis exhaled a long sigh. “Truly, I’ve never tried to entice you. I would never do that to you. It would be entirely unfair… to both of us.”
Great. A loaded answer, just what I wanted.
“That kiss…”
“Helped your strength.” He tilted my chin toward his lips. “Am I correct?”
I nodded. Seriously, why in the name of Hades did the guy have to be so beautiful?
“Good, then it’s settled. I must kiss you as often as possible.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. I pushed against his chest again, this time using more strength. His hold remained firm on my body. I was never uncomfortable in his arms. I smiled. His arms — where I had lived for thousands of years. I couldn’t imagine having that ripped from me.
“You should be resting, not fighting against me.” He blew a kiss across my face. I felt it as if he had truly kissed me.
I tried to close my eyes, but the only thoughts that plagued me had to do with Adonis, not the fact that Michael would be returning with our mission. I couldn’t lose Adonis. If this mission went wrong it could be fatal. I shuddered in his arms. If wisdom told me to leave him, I would. I would leave him to save him.
I’d been fighting since I was out of adolescence, which for a Nephilim meant I had stopped maturing at the ripe old age of nineteen. None of us knew why. None of us really cared either.
Sometimes I wonder if my brain stopped maturing as well, since a lot of my responses to things seem immature. I blamed it on the well of emotions that had been gifted to our race. The ability to love had always been the greatest gift to all mankind; now it seemed as if that gift was a curse.
Seekers longed for certain things they would never have: security, hope, a family. Forbidden words among our people.
Adonis and others — the Enticers — mainly seemed to be happy with their lot in life. The rest of us, the ones who see the fighting and bloodshed, we wanted so much more, yet none of us dared to hope for that type of future. Our only hope was that one day in Eden it would come to pass, that is, if we were lucky enough to survive through the war.
Some days I had my doubts.
I let out a loud sigh, and felt Adonis’s arms tighten around my body. His thick muscles radiated heat behind me. It would be so easy to turn into him, to allow myself to be pulled into the essence of him.
Yet it seemed tragic that I would throw myself at him. I would be like every other woman in the world, and I refused to be like them.
I closed my eyes and begged them to sleep, but it wasn’t until Adonis kissed me on my cheek and hummed one of our ancient songs that my body began to relax.
Chapter Six
“Athena… my beautiful Athena, return to me.” The musical voice haunted me, causing a stirring in my soul I’d never known until this moment. “You feel it too… I can sense your emotions, so strong, Athena. They make you powerful, like a goddess. Let me love you.” I wanted to yell stop; the words sounded so sweet yet completely wrong. “Let me find you… Let me search you out, oh beautiful one. I want you for myself. You will be mine.”
“Who are you?” I said hoarsely.
The musical laughter chilled me to the bone.
“Your destiny.”
“I don’t understand.” I told my lungs to suck in air as the nightmare suddenly became too real.
“Thanatus…” Lips brushed acro
ss my ear. “For everything there is a time. Until then.”
“Thena, wake up.” Adonis was at my side. How did I get away from the couch? And why was I crouched in the corner like some mental patient? It was a mystery. Adonis picked me up as if I weighed no more than a feather and tucked me into my bed. I didn’t even flinch as he slid me between the silken sheets and moments later, joined me. Fully clothed, he lay down and encased me with his body; it wasn’t until that moment that I realized I had been shaking.
The nightmare seemed too real, the voice too soothing, too perfect. Was it possible to be too perfect? It was everything I wanted to hear, yet it left me feeling evil and bad. Confused, I shook my head and allowed sleep to claim me once again.
****
“Watchers,” I heard people mumble in disbelief as we joined the rest of the Seekers for breakfast. The only missing figures were Hercules and Achilles, which wasn’t really that big of a shocker. I’d be more shocked if they had shown up.
Ares’s head rested on his hands as he watched the sparring taking place in the practice room across from the large marble table. The view of our kind fighting never ceased to take my breath away.
Michael trained us all, which is pretty awe-inspiring. Angels have a way of fighting that leaves a person either screaming in fear or pumped with excitement. It’s not just that they move incredibly fast, it’s the brute strength they pack behind each swift movement of their arms. Yet, watching them was almost like watching a dance. A beautiful trace of steps that most likely followed the heavenly song, like everything else they did in life.
Because we couldn’t hear the song, they had to teach us the steps and different types of strategies through practice and memorization, thus the practice rooms.
By the look of it, Artemis and Orion had been training together all morning. Tiny beads of glistening sweat were visible on both their forms, making them glow in godlike splendor. Humans used to believe they were the god and goddess of the hunt because of the way they looked.
Artemis had hair like corn silk. Her skin was sun-kissed and beautiful. Everything about her screamed fertile, if you get my meaning.
Orion, on the other hand, was built like a panther. Every movement seemed primal, as if at any moment he was going to pounce and kill. It drove the Phantoms absolutely crazy. His hair was shaped into a mohawk all the way down his head and flowed freely down his back. The bluish-black tint of it set off his golden flecked skin. He was probably the only one of us who could go out into the mountains of Siberia and find enough food and supplies to feed a small nation. It was humbling, to say the least.
I smirked as Apollo scowled in the corner. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was contemplating throwing a knife at Orion’s head. They’d been at odds for a great while, not that any of us would actively hurt each other. However, I did sometimes wonder about those two.
I turned my attention back to the sparing match. Artemis circled Orion, a smug little smile on her lips. She loved to hunt the best hunter. Orion shifted restlessly as he ducked another one of Artemis’s blows to the head.
“Nice try,” he gloated, lifting his dagger over his head. “Old age slowing you down, Arte?”
If looks could kill, Orion would be dead on the floor, covered in blood, with Artemis standing over him laughing. She looked ticked. The room shook around us. Her eyes glowed in response.
Everyone at breakfast was silent, entranced by the entertainment. But then people began taking bets. Why was I not surprised? Of course they were. It was literally the highlight of our morning.
Naturally, I couldn’t help but join in. Anything to take my mind off the crazy nightmare and the impending doom delivered via the Phantom yesterday.
“I’ve got my money on Artemis,” Adonis said, taking a seat next to me.
I thought about it, tilting my head as another mortal blow was blocked by Orion’s thickly muscled arm. “Are you sure about that? He isn’t even out of breath.”
Adonis shook his head. “None of us run out of breath.”
“You know what I mean.” I shoved him, I’ll admit, a bit hard, sending him flying to the floor. In his defense, he wasn’t really bracing himself for impact.
But the impact of his giant body hitting the marble floor beneath us was akin to a giant boulder falling from the Space Needle.
“Whoops,” I mumbled, but it was too late. All eyes turned to me and my partner. Even Artemis and Orion stopped fighting, now watching in fascination as Adonis pushed crumbles of the floor off of his perfect body.
“Sorry,” I whispered, feeling my face heat.
I don’t really recall who said something first. My was on Hermes, since it was easier blaming all of our woe on him, but a voice out of the gathering crowd yelled, “Fight!”
And suddenly Adonis and I were in the fighting circle, watching Orion and Artemis get refreshments and sit down.
Apollo moved away from Orion as he walked by. I caught Apollo roll his eyes as he pulled Artemis down to sit next to him instead. She smiled warmly and turned toward me in anticipation.
Perfect. Now I have to fight my partner.
And again I pleaded, why does everything have to be about fighting?
“Choose your weapons.” Ares was standing between us; he gave Adonis a slight pat on the back and winked in my direction.
I chose a small dagger. Adonis chose a mirror.
Okay, kidding. He didn’t choose a mirror, but another shiny object he had a fascination with: a golden shield used by many of the angels. I’m guessing he thought it would protect him from my dagger — not with the way I used my weapons.
I’ve actually never fought Adonis before. I’ve never had to. We were on the same team, plus both of us needed different types of training. I went to Ares or Apollo for training. I now looked to both of them for help, but naturally they were taking bets with one another, while drinking the last of the coffee I was hoping to snatch.
And the day just kept getting better.
I turned back toward Adonis and glared. His face was fierce. Why had I never noticed this before?
“You know it was an accident,” I said, uncertainty lacing my voice.
“I know.” He smiled.
“So we don’t have to fight.”
“I’m also aware of that.”
I shifted my feet. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
And then he laughed, the most aggravating laugh in the world, so I lunged for his jugular. And really, it wasn’t my fault that it caught him by surprise. It’s not that he’d bleed out. I’d have to totally decapitate him for that to happen.
My dagger missed his neck by a mere inch. He reared back with a guttural growl and twisted to the side, hitting my back with the blunt of his shield.
I wanted to yell, but I’ve been trained to hide my pain and emotions as best I can. In return, I smiled and resumed my stance. My body invited him to attack. I mentally calculated the steps he took as he danced around me with his sword. His movements were light and fluid. I had a hard time keeping track of the way he’d been trained. I’ve never watched him fight. Like I said before, he enticed. He didn’t… battle.
He lunged again. This time his shield caught my forearm, sending my dagger sailing into the air.
I jumped to grab it but was caught mid-air by his hand. He threw his shield away and grabbed me by the shirt. I twisted out of his hold and kicked him with all the force I possessed. He sailed into the nearest wall, sending a ripple through the rest of the room.
People were scattering about, trying to follow the fight as it officially left the circle.
With a laugh, he pushed away from the wall and shrugged as if he’d been hit by a mere flea. It figured he’d be cocky in his fighting as well. Just who had been training him, anyway?
I ran at him and slid to my knees, ducking under his arm just as his fist was about to come into contact with my face. I moved away and swung toward his jaw again. He grabbed my fist and twisted me into his arms, officially trap
ping me. I closed my eyes, trying to focus, then used my head to deliver a blow to his nose. He backed up and shook his head.
Without giving him a chance to rest, I jumped into the air, twisting as fast as possible and landed in front of him. His silly grin was enough to make me want to cause more than physical harm. Apparently that trick didn’t dizzy the Seekers, only the Phantoms. Either that, or he’d seen me do it too many times.
That’s when I realized he knew my every move.
I tried another trick where I attempted to distract him with one hand while using my leg to break his kneecaps.
He grabbed my foot, pulled me into the air, and twisted me into his arms so I was facing him.
Despite the anger boiling in my chest, the world seemed to pause. He leaned down, and it’s then that I felt it.
The dagger I had once sent sailing into the air, was now in his possession, conveniently pointed at my jugular.
Everyone started to cheer, but I was frozen in place.
His eyes, the same eyes I’d known all my life, started to glow. But this glow was different than before. He almost looked like Michael, but that was blasphemy. A Seeker could never be an angel! Or even desire to be one! I tried to struggle out of his arms. But the minute I did, he leaned down like he was going to kiss me. I waited in anticipation. My eyes started to flutter closed, and then he whispered, “I think you lost, Thena.”
Honestly, I couldn’t think of anything intelligent to say. Not even “Yes.”
The knife dropped, and I wiped the sweat from my neck.
Apollo ran up to us, positively exhilarated. “Wow, Adonis, I never knew you could fight…”
“I did…” Aphrodite winked as she sauntered by. I told myself she couldn’t help but be that way, and I really did try to remember that she’s kind. I lunged for her anyway. To my utter shame Adonis held me back. He rolled his eyes, suggesting that I was one fight away from the loony bin. Probably the truth.