“Again, I doubt that,” I replied. “If you knew everything there was to know about me, you would run away and hide.” I chewed my lip for a second as I thought. “You know,” I mused, “That might not be a bad idea. Over lunch, I’ll tell you everything.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You want me to run away and never see you again?”
I sighed. “No. But I don’t want you to get hurt. Being near me—it could get you hurt.”
He looked at me doubtfully as we walked. “Oh, really? By whom?”
“By any number of people,” I snapped. “But you can begin with me.”
“You’re going to hurt me?” he asked dubiously. “I have to tell you- my heart is a little tougher than that. Do your best.”
Before I could think, before I could even breathe, I blurred into movement, plowing Brennan over and straddling him as I held him to the ground with goddess strength. He squirmed but couldn’t move me and I made a mental note. He hadn’t learned how to tap into his demi-god strength yet. I ignored his astonishment.
“Your heart isn’t what I’m worried about,” I answered softly as I dipped my head and ran my tongue along his bottom lip. As the connection between us practically snapped with electricity, I nipped at his lip lightly, then released my hold on his hands… opting to run my own against his sides lightly. I ached to inhale his soul and I clenched my jaw tightly to prevent it.
Brennan’s breath caught in his throat and he hesitated, perfectly calm with his hands on my back. He didn’t try to get away, he simply lay perfectly still. He remained calm as he gazed trustingly into my eyes.
“I’m not afraid,” he replied. “So, again- give it your best.”
“You don’t want that, trust me,” I whispered as I backed away from him, allowing him to sit up. I scrambled to my feet and offered him a hand. He took it and I pulled him to his feet.
“Maybe I do,” he replied, his voice sexy in its huskiness. “Maybe I’m willing and able to take whatever you’ve got to give.”
I stared at him in confusion. “Are we still talking about me scaring you?”
He laughed and the moment lightened.
Holding out his hand, he asked, “Shall we?”
I realized that we were standing at the foot of a sandy trail that seemed to lead into the trees that lined the bluffs, all of which hugged the shore. There was no one around us- not a single soul. If I walked back there with him, I could very well be putting his life at risk. Would I be able to control myself? It had been the very reason I had wanted to leave my house and go outdoors- to put a buffer between us.
“Well?” he raised an eyebrow. “I won’t bite.”
“But maybe I will,” I muttered, as I put my hand within his.
“Promises, promises,” he grinned. And I had to smile. His sense of humor was as contagious as his bright smile. He had most definitely inherited his father’s legendary charm.
I focused on controlling myself as we followed the winding trail toward the edge of the bluffs. As I concentrated on my internal battle, the scenery around me blended together and my feet moved forward on autopilot. But I knew when we arrived. Besides the stillness and sense of hallowed ground that surrounded us, there were spirits everywhere.
Large stone blocks were scattered around us, half embedded in the ground. Partial walls stood here and there, with moss growing on them. The sand from the bluffs blew against the stones, drifting from the wind. Trees stood around us, all the way to the edge of the bluffs, which overlooked the water. It was a beautiful and haunting place.
And most certainly haunted.
A girl, incredibly pale, sat hunched over on a nearby stone. I tried not to make eye-contact, but inevitably, our eyes met. Hers widened and she lunged to her feet, her sheer dress fluttering around her as she clutched at her chest.
“You can see me!” she exclaimed, turning around to look at the other spirits. “She can see us!”
I tried to ignore her as she flitted to my side, her long hair flowing behind her.
“I know you can see me!” she cried, her fingers chillingly cold as she grasped my arm. She had learned to touch solid objects so she had been around for a while.
While Brennan’s back was turned as he set up the picnic, I shook my head quickly at the ghost, trying to convey the message that she should leave me alone. But she didn’t take the hint.
“How do we leave here?” she asked, a growing tone of desperation in her voice. “I just want to leave. Can you help us?”
I was puzzled. How were they trapped here? Traveling to the Underworld was easy after you died. The other spirits were converging upon me and I tried to tune out their cries and questions as Brennan turned back to me.
“Ready to eat?” he motioned at his picnic spread.
He had done well for a single guy, I had to admit. He had even brought a daisy in a little vase. It was hard to concentrate with the ghostly prattling of the spirits chattering around me, but I managed to tune them out by focusing with laser precision on Brennan’s face. Pretending that I had blinders on, I stared directly into his eyes.
I nodded. “Yes. I’m starving.”
Lucky for me, I could eat any kind of food that I wanted with no ill effect. But it wouldn’t nourish me. Only mortal blood could do that.
Sinking onto the soft blanket that Brennan had spread onto the ground, I waited while he sat beside me and during the short pause, I wondered what to say to him. How much should I explain?
He turned and the sun shone down through a break in the tree-tops, shimmering through the gold tones in his hair. He was practically radiant and I could see why mortal women had found Apollo irresistible over the years. I swallowed hard.
“There is nothing I’d rather do than take you into my arms right now,” he began, running one finger lightly along the inside of my forearm. “But I really need some answers right now and I have a feeling that you have them. Can we please talk?”
I swallowed again. I had to admire how calm he was. Putting myself into his shoes, I didn’t think that I would be even half as collected as he was. I nodded.
“Yes,” I murmured. “But I doubt you will like what I have to say.”
“That’s alright,” he replied confidently. “It doesn’t matter if I like it or not. The truth is always the best. Where would you like to start?”
Without waiting for me to reply, he slid his hand over mine. “How about here?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Let’s start with… why is there electricity between us?”
“Okay,” I began. “That’s actually the easiest part to explain. Let’s see…” I pondered where to begin and just decided to jump in. Brennan’s hazel eyes were glued to mine as he waited.
“Have you ever heard the theory about soul mates?” I asked. I had to give him credit- his mouth didn’t even twitch as he shook his head, not even a tiny smile.
“No.”
“Well, there is a theory that once upon a time, Zeus split everyone’s souls into two in an effort to protect his throne. He figured that if everyone was preoccupied with finding their ‘other half’, that they wouldn’t be concerned with trying to overtake his crown so his rule would be safe forever.”
Brennan stared at me, waiting for me to say more. When I didn’t, he continued slowly.
“Okay. So in the land of mythos, soul mates exist. But that doesn’t explain why you and I feel what we do here in reality.”
I studied him for a second, choosing my words carefully. “It does if mythos and reality are one and the same.”
The ghosts surrounding us had fallen silent, each of them staring at Brennan as if waiting for his reaction. I waited with them for several long moments, each second passing more slowly than the previous. I suddenly realized that I was holding my breath and I exhaled slowly, the silence still smothering me.
Finally, Brennan broke the tension by throwing back his head and laughing.
I stared at him like he was an
idiot.
“What is so funny?”
He was still chuckling as he replied. “You had me there for a second. I thought you were serious.”
I narrowed my eyes, but remained silent. I focused on not shooting off a sharp retort. After all, he was only reacting the way any normal mortal would. He stopped laughing and appraised me silently for a second, looking at me carefully as though he was trying to determine my sanity level.
“Were you serious?” he asked hesitantly.
“As a heart attack,” I replied through gritted teeth.
More silence.
I didn’t break my gaze, instead keeping it locked on him.
“So,” he finally murmured. “You think that you and I are soul mates.”
I nodded. “I don’t see any other explanation. And it isn’t a far-fetched theory. The world isn’t…. well, it isn’t what you think it is. Mythology is real. It exists. I should know. I’m part of it. And so are you- you just don’t know it.”
“I’m a part of it?” He looked astonished, hesitant, leery… all rolled into one. I knew he was still trying to determine my sanity.
“I’m not crazy,” I assured him. “Watch.”
I pointed to a small, green bush nearby and murmured, “Fire.”
The little bush immediately burst into flame, the orange fingers licking toward the sky. Brennan jumped and moved away from me, but still remained seated. His hazel eyes reflected the golds and reds of the fire as he watched the bush burn.
After a silent moment, he turned to me. “What are you?”
Amazingly, he still didn’t seem afraid. He was taken aback, for certain, but not afraid. Or if he was, he was masking it very well.
“I’m the same as you,” I answered quietly. “You just don’t know it yet.”
“Alright. Let me re-phrase. What are we?” He was growing impatient.
“Stay calm, okay?” I asked him, laying my hand over his own. “I’ll tell you, but don’t freak out.”
He nodded and kept his hand beneath mine.
“You’re a demi-god. Your father is Apollo, the god of the sun. Your mother didn’t even know it. Her memory of your conception was taken away.”
“A demi-god,” Brennan repeated the words. “Which means that you’re…”
“A demi-god.” I nodded. “My mother is Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft.”
Brennan shook his head wryly. “I don’t believe this. I can’t. This is unreal.”
Before I could say another word, the moonstone on my bracelet began glowing, a soft ethereal glow against my skin. I sucked in air, unable to speak, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum. Around me, the ghosts began flitting to and fro.
“Your father,” the girl who I had made eye contact with murmured. “Your father is coming.”
“He’s coming.”
“He’s coming.”
All of the ghosts were murmuring and each of them sounded afraid. Suddenly, Gaia appeared out of nowhere, her face drawn and anxious.
“Empusa,” she cried. “He’s here.”
And then suddenly he was.
In a swirling fog of mist, Mormo stepped from thin air. His black cloak fluttered in the wind and his eyes, as gray as mine, glittered in the sun. He was pale and dark-haired, like me. But his face was as solemn as death. He took one step toward me and I grasped Brennan’s hand.
“Away,” I gasped.
And we were gone.
Chapter Six
We emerged onto the deserted fairways of Adventureland Amusement Park as fear coursed through my veins like ice water. Since it was October, the park had closed for the winter so the normally bustling walkways were silent and still. The only things moving were the dead leaves blowing across the pavement. The only sound was my pounding heart.
“What the hell?” Brennan demanded as he turned to me. “What the hell just happened? Why are we were? How did we get here?”
I spun in a circle, checking our perimeter. If Mormo had been close enough to us when we left, he could have followed us here. But I realized as I examined our surroundings that had apparently not been the case. Brennan and I were the only ones here. Even Gaia hadn’t been able to follow us.
I sighed a quick breath of relief. I had brought us to the first place that had popped into my mind and I honestly had no idea why I had even thought of Adventureland. But it was for the best. If there was no logical reason, then Mormo wouldn’t think to come here.
“Em?” Brennan appealed to me, more firmly this time. “What is going on?”
“I told you that there was more to life than you knew,” I reminded him.
“Yes,” he acknowledged. “But you hadn’t got to the part yet that covered people appearing from thin air and me getting teleported.”
“I’m sorry,” I sighed. “This is a lot for you to absorb. I know that. And this changes everything. He saw you with me. And that’s not good.”
I trailed off as my mind raced a mile a minute. Mormo had seen Brennan with me, which put him in danger. My father wouldn’t hesitate to hurt him or even kill him to try and get information from him.
“Who was that man?” Brennan questioned calmly.
I glanced at his face and saw that he was back to being unflappable. Any logical person would be freaking out right about now. The fact that Brennan was staying cool and collected was interesting. He must be tapping in to his demi-god abilities and he didn’t even realize it.
“My father,” I murmured. Brennan was clearly surprised.
“So, Demis don’t get along with their parents?”
“No, that’s not true. My father is evil. Yours is not. I’m sure you’ll get along just fine with Apollo.”
He didn’t look convinced, but continued. “What about your mother? Can’t she help you? Didn’t you say that she’s the goddess of witchcraft?”
I nodded. “Yes. She’s a very powerful witch. But she wants me to go someplace that I don’t want to go. She trusts people that I don’t and I’m too nervous to seek her out- not just yet.”
Brennan stared at me yet again, clearly trying to wrap his mind around everything that I was telling him. I was surprised he was still here at all and not running in the opposite direction as fast as his muscular legs would take him.
“So you don’t trust your mother?” he asked, curious.
“I trust her with my life,” I answered firmly. “But I don’t trust the same people that she does.”
“And who does she trust that you don’t?” Brennan inquired hesitantly.
“Hades.” I chanced a look at his face and found him to be as astonished as I figured he would be.
“As in… the god of the Underworld?” he asked incredulously.
“The one and the same.”
“So, everything that you’ve told me is real. We’re part of mythology. Only mythology isn’t myth at all. It’s reality.” Each word he said was carefully enunciated and slowly spoken. I nodded silently.
“And you personally know the god of the Underworld. And I would assume that you know magic as well, since you are the daughter of a witch.”
“A very powerful witch, yes.” I nodded again. “And yes, I know some magic.”
“Is there anything else that I should know?” he asked, his face betraying his nervousness. I hesitated, then nodded.
“There are all kinds of things that you should know. But we don’t have time to get into everything right now. The most important thing you should know is that my father is dangerous. He wants to kill me. And since he’s seen you with me and I’m certain that he recognized who you really are, you are in danger now, too.”
Brennan nodded. “I figured out that part for myself.” He turned to me, his handsome face showing not fear, but concern.
“How long have you been running from him?”
I felt my shoulders drop dejectedly. I couldn’t help it. “Long enough.”
He opened his arms and pulled me into them, holding me close. Breathing into my h
air, he said, “You don’t have to be afraid anymore. I’m here now. And I’ll help you however I can.”
I closed my eyes and was surprised to find hot tears welling behind my lids. It had been so long since I had succumbed to weakness or vulnerability of any sort. But so help me… letting him hold me felt so incredibly good right now.
“You can’t help me,” I whispered. “No one can.”
“But I can try,” he said grittily. “And I’m very determined.” I felt him smile into my hair and I couldn’t help but smile, too. He had no idea what he had just gotten into, but there was no help for it now.
“We need to decide where to go,” I finally said, reluctantly pulling away from him. “He must have found my house so we can’t go back there.