Thanks
Maggie for a great job. Thanks Luna for aiding me in my quest. For any previous
chapters, check out Maggie's site. And without further
ado....
Any characters
you recognize belong to Sherrilyn Kenyon or Laurell K. Hamilton. I’m just doing
this for fun. This is rated PG-13 to be safe.
When I walked into the
station on Tuesday night, my head was a mess. For one I didn't know when I
would get my car back. The impound lot wasn't open at night, not for picking up
vehicles anyway. Luna said that she would try and get them to make an exception.
The fees were no object, just the hours. Still, I wasn't holding out much hope.
Secondly, Asher had mentioned something about sealing the bond between us and
Luna. When I asked him what all that entailed, he just said that when it was
time I would know what was expected of me. That left me wondering if he and
Acheron were reading from the same book.
All I knew was that the three
of us seemed to be getting closer. Even Luna and I couldn't be in the same room
without simply touching hands, not that I minded, but I knew Irish would.
Like I said, my head was a
bit worse for the wear when I got to work. Shaking my head to try to clear the
clutter before my shift started as I ran into
She warned me not to lend my
car out to anyone again, asking, “Did you get it back?”
“Not yet. Jean Claude is
letting me use one of his.” She quirked a brow at that so I asked, “What?”
“I thought you hated the
master?”
I shook my head. “Never
hated, just didn't trust him.”
She looked surprised. “And
you trust him now? After all that's happened?”
I shrugged. “I'm trying to be
more trusting.”
“You never cease to amaze me.”
She kissed my cheek. “Better get your show started. I left you some chocolate
chip cookies on the stool.”
“Thanks
My.”
“Enjoy.” She told me grabbing
her purse.
“Drive safe.” She grinned
evilly at that. “Oh yeah, what was I thinking.”
She turned and walked away
laughing. I turned and entered the studio.
The ads were coming to an
end, so I cued up four songs before putting the headphones on and pulling the
mike down. “This is KNSX, 93X, your adult alternative station. Let's get the
night started with Incubus, Lostprophets, Angels and
Airwaves, and for Luna, Miss Murder by AFI but first one of my faves, Chasing Cars, by Snow Patrol.”
I took the headphones off,
turned on the speakers, and picked up a cookie off the plate that was sitting
on the stool. I liked as a rule to play thirty minute blocks of music, followed
by a couple of ads and then do the local or national news. It gave the listener
a solid block of music and was also good for the ratings. I didn't like too
talk much. I figured if people wanted voice, they could switch to talk radio.
The phone lines lit up and
the night was off to a good start. I took a few requests and put a couple of
people on hold so that I could go grab a cup of coffee. I turned to leave the
booth and groaned. Callie was standing on the other side of the glass. She
pointed toward the door. Against my better judgment I unlocked the door and
walked out into the hall. She shoved a piece of paper at me. It was her ticket.
Not only had she been driving a hundred and ten on the freeway, she had also
given the cops a bad time. When all was said and done her fines totaled over
seven hundred dollars.
She was standing there with
hands on hips, foot tapping. “You're going to pay that.”
“Like hell I am. What gave
you that idea?”
“I was in jail like a common
criminal! You didn't answer your phone. I had to call Mitch. IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!” She punctuated this with jabs to my chest.
I backed up out of reach. “You
took my car, left me to walk back to town. You went tearing down the freeway at
a hundred and ten and it's my fault?” Point for me, I said it calmly.
“Yes it is!” She nodded.
“How the hell do you figure
you throwing a temper tantrum like a child and doing stupid shit is is my fault? You're damn lucky I get my car back. So take
your damn ticket and cram it.”
Okay juvenile, but I was
getting pissed. So was she apparently because she socked me in the mouth. I took
a deep breath and let it out slowly, as I turned to open the door. That's when
she pushed me so hard that I sailed into a group of chairs that were set up for
guests. I lay there for a minute trying to calm down. That's when I heard someone
else walk up and
Later I sat on the stool I
rarely use for shows, holding the icepack to my swollen lip, while
It was weird walking out to
Jean Claude's silver Jaguar. I had to hand it to him; he had great taste when
it came to cars. Women, I wasn't so sure of. I started the engine, put her into
gear and headed home. I needed sleep.
Roan took one look at me when
I walked into the house and decided to give me a wide berth. I took a long hot
shower and climbed into bed. Sleep was short lived however as the nightmares
started soon after. I got up, threw on a pair of sweats and went downstairs to
make some coffee.
Around ten I got a call from
Mitch. I asked him to access my account and take out enough money to pay the
impound fees and Callie's ticket. He said that he'd contact someone to retrieve
the car and Callie could pay her own ticket. Guess she'd thrown tantrums
before. Then he asked about the incident the night before. I told him not to
worry about it. I didn't want to worsen the situation. After a few more minutes
we hung up.
I was sitting at the
breakfast bar drawing endless circles on a piece of paper when the doorbell
rang. Not thinking I walked over and opened the door. I was shoved backwards
and the door slammed shut. I stared at the two men standing there.
Micah stared at me hard
before asking. “Do you always just open the door without checking to see who's
there?”
“I wasn't thinking.” I
shrugged.
“What happened to your lip,”
Nathaniel asked me.
“It met with a fist. What do
you guys want?” I hedged.
The Nimir
Raj sighed. “Nathaniel, make some coffee. Have you
eaten?”
“No.”
“Breakfast too Nate.” He added. The younger man nodded and got started. “We
need to talk.”
I asked him, “You do know
about phones, right?” The Nimir Raj
just stared at me. “Look it's been a long night. I need to sleep.”
I turned away, but he grabbed
my arm turning me back to him as he asked, “But you can't. Can you? Which
nightmare is worse for you?” I blinked. “I can tell you which is the worst for me, two little boys lying at my feet, eyes
staring at nothing.”
An invisible knife pierced my
heart. “I'm sorry you... I don't know what's happening Micah.”
The smaller man nodded. “I
believe you. Neither do I.”
Nathaniel came back into
room. “I bet Mist does. Do you think she could help? I mean it has to do with
dreams.”
“Who's Mist?” Micah asked.
“She's a member of the
Pantheon. She's the mother of the gods of sleep.” I explained.
“And his best dream.” She
appeared beside Nathaniel, kissing him gently on the cheek.
He sighed deeply. Micah stood
awestruck. Mist was something to behold dressed all in red, her eyes glowing, hair hanging loosely about her shoulders.
She turned to the younger
cat. “How are you Nathaniel? Are you enjoying your dreams?”
He nodded adding, “Yes, very
much.”
“Good.” She smiled mischievously
and turned to us. “You are Micah. Nathaniel didn't say how handsome you were.” The
leopard leader actually blushed as she circled him, a hand sliding around his
waist. “Maybe you should visit my realm.”
I cleared my throat. “Why are
you here?”
“To answer some of your
questions,” She explained as she turned back to me.
I was a bit skeptical. “You
never have before.”
“You never asked the right
questions.” She smiled. “You wonder why you share dreams. Why you are so
connected?”
Micah answered for us. “Yes.
Why?”
“I will tell you.” She turned
to Nathaniel. “That smells wonderful.”
“Will you have some,” he
asked.
She nodded. “Of course.”
The goddess took my hand and
led me to the sofa. She sat, pulling me down beside her then motioned for Micah
to join us. Nathaniel brought us each a cup of coffee with cream and sugar and
then went back to fixing breakfast, which I had to acknowledge smelled good.
She began. “Listen and don't
interrupt.” I opened my mouth to reply, but she covered it with her hand. “Do I
have to gag you?” We heard Nathaniel snicker. “Lissa
was one of my handmaidens. She loved caring for the children. She wanted
nothing more than to have her own but, because of her station, she could not even
though she was one of my favorites. She asked for me to intercede with Morpheus, to send her to earth as a mortal. She wanted to
find love, to have a family of her own. She did find love, but the Fates
refused to grant her children.”
“So what does this Lissa have to do with me,” I asked.
She smiled. “She is the
reason that you are here Nathan.”
“I'm supposed to find her, or
something?” She got a pained expression on her face at my question. “What?”
She shook her head. “I cannot
believe that you are that... that...”
“Dense?” Nathaniel offered
coming out of the kitchen and I growled.
She nodded. “Thank you
Nathaniel. Nathan, Lissa was your mother.”
A disembodied voice declared,
“And I am your father,” just before a tall dark haired man appeared in front of
us.
He had to be nearly seven
foot with long, almost black hair that hung below muscled shoulders. He wore
black leather pants, a leather vest, and boots. He would fit right in with
Merle. The only difference was he exuded that god thing.
I stood, crossing my arms
over my chest. “My father died over forty years ago. I know. I was at the funeral.”
Mist interjected, “Paul
Elliott was only your father by proxy. Anteros is
your true father.”
The younger leopard looked
surprised. “Anteros? Wow.” The
god turned an amused gaze on Nathaniel. “You're the god of passion.”
Micah appeared confused. “What?”
“How do you know that,” I
asked my friend.
He blushed. “The books you
gave me. He's the son of Ares and Aphrodite.”
I shrugged. “So? I've seen
gods before. I'm not impressed.”
I was suddenly picking myself
up from the floor. Micah and Nathaniel stood in front of me. I stepped around
my friends, putting myself between them and the so called god. I would not risk
their getting hurt because of me.
I was getting pissed. “So,
I'm just supposed to take this as truth? Why now? Why is it so important that I
know? Mom never mentioned you. No family portraits, no cards on birthdays. But
oh yeah, you're a god. I bet you have pictures on the wall right?”
Anteros raised a hand towards me but Mist confronted him. “Stop
this now! Anteros, please, he is the only one
remaining.”
The god shook his head. “Ares
said that he was a brat.”
The goddess smiled. “Ares
said that he was too much like you.”
“I don't need this,” I told
the both of them.
Micah had caught something I
hadn’t though. “What did you mean? Nathan is the only remaining what?”
Nathaniel scented the air. “Food!” He raced to the kitchen.
Mist sighed. “Nathan is the
only one left of the three children.”
“My sister...” I asked. Mist
looked away.
Anteros looked a bit pained. “You didn't know?”
“No...” My eyes began to
sting as the tears welled up. Micah slid his arms around my waist. “When?”
The god looked from Mist to
me. “Two weeks ago. I thought that Acheron would have told you.”
I just shook my head. I had
outlived my baby sister. That just wasn't right. At least she had got to see
her children grow and have families of their own, neither Paul nor I would. I
must have zoned out, because the next thing I knew Anteros
was shaking me. I shook my head to clear it. Micah and Nathaniel were back in
the kitchen.
He gruffly asked. “Have you
heard anything I said?”
I just stared up at him. This
was all a nightmare. “Does it matter? Acheron will just wipe my memory anyway.”
Mist tried to explain. “It is
to protect you. The Fates were none to happy about Lissa
and Anteros involvement. She was mentally powerful in
her own right. She had a way of soothing the angriest of the hunters. The Fates
told Anteros that because of his interference that
you would all die as mortals.”
The god nodded. “But because
of two small boys, you are not mortal.”
The goddess added, “Artemis
was only too happy to grant you your cry for vengeance, to throw it into their
faces.”
I looked from one to the
other. “Why do you feel the need to tell me all this now?”
“Because the Fates aren't the
only ones that know you exist. So does Stryker and he would like nothing better
than to turn you to his side.” She told me.
Anteros added, “Hell is coming for you Nathan, and I won't let it
have you. You are my son.”
“Then show me my savior and
I'll die a mortal death.” I spat out at both of them.
I turned and went upstairs.
I'd had enough of gods and their lies. Son of a god… Right… I lay down on my
bed and stared at the ceiling. Anteros walked in and
sat down on the edge of the bed.
“I would have loved to show
you all the wonders of
“Oh so it wasn't just a
couple of flings eh? Please. You have more than enough children on
“We'll talk again,” he warned
me. With that he vanished.
I called out to the room. “Okay
Ash, just get it over with. I know you're going do it.”
When nothing happened I
curled into a ball thinking about my sister. I hoped
she was at peace. Once the tears started they just kept coming. I felt the bed
dip as Micah laid down beside me pulling me close to him. A few minutes later
Nathaniel crawled in behind me. I drifted off into a warm numbing sleep as
dreams of my childhood played like a movie through my mind, happy and peaceful
scenes.
I woke to the sound of my
alarm. It was screaming seven pm to me in bright red numbers and shrill noise.
I rolled over and hit the off switch. I lay there for a bit just listening to
the quiet before getting up to shower. Shaving I noticed that my eyes were red
and swollen but for the life of me I didn't know why. Chalking it up to
fatigue, I put it out of my mind and got dressed for work.
I walked into the station
about a half hour before my shift. Mitch had left me a note that my car would
be back to me by the end of the week. I grinned. As much as I loved the mayor's
Jag, I liked the Viper even more. I walked into the studio as
She took one look at me and
asked, “You look like hell. What's wrong?”
I shrugged and gave her a
half smile. “I really don't know. It's like a piece of me is missing.” She gave
me a hug. “Go on home. I'll be fine.”
“Look, Kevin's in
I shook my head. “You don't
need the hassle. I'm okay.” I kissed her cheek. “But thanks.”
“If you need me, call me.” I
nodded at her offer.
After a few more minutes, she
went home and I was left to wonder what the hell was wrong with me. I just
couldn't put my finger on it. Soon the calls took my thoughts in a different
direction. Before I knew my shift was over. I drove home. Luna's truck was
parked at the curb. I pulled into the garage. Inside, she and Roan were
watching television.
I greeted both of them. “Hey Princess. Roan.”
My roommate looked up. “Hunter.”
I turned to the leopard. “So
what's up Luna?”
“Just checking
on you. Asher was
worried,” she explained.
“I'm fine. I'm going to bed.”
I went upstairs. She followed. “Look I'm tired. So tell me what you want so I
can get some sleep.”
She gave me an odd look. “Are
you sure you're okay?”
“Yes!” I started undressing.
She didn't leave. “A little privacy.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh
please. It's not like I haven't seen you naked before.”
“If you don't leave,” I slid
my arms around her waist and leaned in close. “I'll...”
“You'll what?”
We stood there close for a
moment, our heads inched closer together. I could almost taste her. I was just
about to close the gap when her cell phone rang and she jumped. I let her go.
She answered her phone. After a few words she hung up. She repeated that Asher
was worried and that I should call him. With one last lingering glance she
walked out the door.
My brain screamed to go after
her. Hell my body agreed but I didn't. I didn't know where we stood and the
last thing either of us needed was another complication. Eventually we were
going to have to deal with this, whatever it was, but it could wait until
later, much later. With that thought I laid down and closed my eyes hoping to
get at least a few hours sleep.