Page 10

The moment they arrived at their destination, Seneca barely held back a scream as she was lifted off her feet by the vicious windstorm. Killian held firm to her hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist to secure her against him.

The entire area was devoid of light, and it was unnerving not being able to see anything. She risked glancing up and swallowed hard when she couldn’t even see her mate’s handsome face.

Fucking hell, how were they supposed to do anything when they couldn’t even see?

Suddenly, the black lace parasol in her hand jerked as it sprang opened. She was worried it would get carried away in the windstorm and held onto the handle with a desperate grip. A blast of light shot out of the tip of the parasol, and it cascaded around them until they were surrounded by a protection bubble made of bright glowing silver runes.

Everything went quiet as the wind disappeared.

Safe inside the protection bubble, she made a vow then and there to never leave home without the pretty little parasol from now on. As if pleased by her thoughts, the crystal handle in her hand began to pulse and twinkle with light. That was a strange yet comforting response to get from a magical object. She really was becoming quite fond of the ancient relic, even if it did make her feel a little Mary Poppins-Esque.

The bright light coming from the magical shield barely made a dent against the dense darkness surrounding them. As she glanced around, she started to panic when she didn’t see Killian’s friends. “Oh, shit. Where are Anika and Dario? Did we lose them in the storm?”

“Relax, mate. We got separated, but they are fine.”

His calm tone helped soothe some of her anxiety, but she still clung to him as the storm continued to rage outside of their safe zone. Instead of a cloud, the darkness that surrounded them looked like a tornado made of thick black smoke that was being swirled around by the intense wind.

“How are we supposed to find anyone in that?”

“You are still using your human eyes.”

She pointed a finger toward her face. “These are the only ones I have.”

He smiled down at her. “You have the magic of a dark god now. Use it, mate.”

“I can use your magic to—”

“No. You can use your god magic.”

“But I’m not a god.” She blinked up at him. “Am I?”

“You are.”

“I…don’t know how to process that.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “Okay, let me just think of it as your magic for now. I can use your god powers. Like a magical borrowing system between mates. Yeah, that seems a little less panic-inducing.”

“Do I even need to be here for this part of the conversation?” he teased.

Before she could think about what she was doing, she punched him on the arm, making him laugh. He seemed surprised by the sound of his own laughter, and she made a silent vow to try to coax it out of him more often.

“This doesn’t mean I have to, like, reap souls, or whatever now, does it?”

“No. That is definitely something you do not have to worry about.”

That was a relief. “You can really see through all this darkness?”

He just nodded and waited, seeming to have all the patience in the world. Knowing they were on the clock, she bit her lower lip and concentrated on using her new magical powers to allow her to see in the dark. Suddenly, her vision became clear, and she was able to view the entire area. It almost seemed unfair. Using her new god powers was as simple as breathing, whereas, using her witch magic had always been a struggle.

“I did it!”

“That you did.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Well done.”

Now that she could see through the darkness, she had a clear view of the storm raging outside of their protection bubble. They were standing in a clearing behind a small house that had already been partially destroyed by the pounding rain and wind. Several trees within the vicinity had lost large branches, and pieces of siding and roof tiles from other houses whirled through the air like deadly projectiles.

Killian flung out an arm, releasing a strong blast of magic that passed through the protection bubble and out into the storm. “Stay here where you are safe. I’ll be right back.”

“What? Wait! Where are you going?”

“To collect the supernatural. The storm seemed to be radiating out of that kid. See? It’s already weakening now that he’s down.”

Alarmed, she glanced around and saw a young man lying in the center of the small crater of dirt wearing nothing but a tattered shirt and ripped jeans.

“Oh my god, did you kill him? We need to hide the body.”

Seneca considered burying his body in the crater on the ground but thought that would be too tragic. Being buried in his own backyard would be a really shitty way to go. That was if the guy even lived there. He might have just been some poor dude that had been walking by. Besides that, burying him there reminded her too much of the makeshift graveyard in Whitley Dalkis’ garden.

“You can just use your magic to poof his body away, right? Let’s just do that. Or should we call the police and let them take the body away? No, no, no, we can’t get the humans involved, or there will be a shit ton of questions we can’t answer.”

“He’s not dead, mate. I just put him to sleep so his powers would stop causing this mess.”

She slapped his arm playfully. “Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her closer. “I was too mesmerized by your beauty to speak.”

He lowered his head to kiss her, but Anika distracted them with a loud groan.

“Can’t you two wait until we are done here to do that?” During the chaos, Anika had wound up across the street from them, partially buried under a pile of debris. She cursed as she shoved a large piece of a broken fence out of her way. “Where is the bastard who caused all this?”

“Over here.”

Now that the magical storm had died down to an average downpour, Seneca slowly lowered the parasol. It immediately snapped shut and the protection bubble disappeared. She absently wished she had a way to transport the parasol with her while keeping her hands free. The parasol immediately vanished, then reappeared secured to her back with a crossbody strap.

Sweet.

Who needed a familiar when she had an ancient relic that could read her mind?

Even though the shield was gone, she still wasn’t getting wet. When Killian winked at her, she realized he was using his magic to protect them from the rain. As he approached the male sprawled out on the ground, Dario flew over to join them. Seneca was impressed as she watched him land lightly on his feet. He retracted his massive black wings so they disappeared into his back. His wings were beautiful, and she wondered what it felt like to fly.

“Enough of that,” Killian growled. “Stop admiring his wings, or I will cut them the fuck off.”

“Ouch. That’s just mean,” she said, trying not to laugh. “I’m not admiring him. I’ve just never seen a dark angel’s wings before.”

He grunted in response, then moved to stand over the prone male with Dario by his side. Seneca wanted to join them, but before she could move, Killian commanded her to, “Stay there.”

“Why?”

“He’s not dressed properly.”

She wanted to roll her eyes. “You can’t possibly be jealous. The dude is lying there like a corpse. That’s just ick. And that’s coming from the girl who just returned from Hell.”

“Fine. You may join us but be careful. The ground is slippery.”

Even as he muttered the warning, a clear, dry path appeared before her. Her powerful mate might have sounded gruff, but he really was a total sweetheart. She bit her lip to hide her amusement when Killian scowled and used his magic to repair the sleeping male’s clothes.

Seneca was about to tease him again but forgot what she was going to say when she heard another male’s voice inside her head.

“Is he a new god?”

“That was Dario. He prefers to speak to us telepathically,” Killian told her, then he switched to speaking out loud. “I don’t think so. He definitely has god powers, but I don’t think he’s a full god. He might be a demi-god, though. No matter what he is, he needs to stay the fuck away from people until he learns how to control his magic.”

“Looks like he had one hell of a rude awakening,” Anika quipped as she finally joined them. She gave the guy a hard nudge with her foot. “What do you want to do with him?”

“Mason!” a woman screamed as she kicked open the broken backdoor of the small house and raced out of the house. “Get away from him!”

They turned in unison to watch her running toward them, and Killian sighed when he saw the knife in her hand. She was trying to protect the boy, and he couldn’t fault her for that. But he would not let her come near his mate with a weapon in her hand. Instead of physically stopping her, he simply dissolved the blade in her hand, leaving her grasping nothing but air.

That made her freeze.

Tears streamed down her face as she yelled, “Did Christos send you? Tell that bastard to leave us alone! Please don’t hurt Mason. Don’t hurt my son!”

She obviously knew what they were, or else that little display of magic would have totally freaked her out. Dressed in jeans and a pink T-shirt with her wet black hair plastered against her head, she didn’t look old enough to have a son Mason’s age, but he didn’t pay attention to females enough to accurately guess how old someone was.

Besides, after a few centuries, age didn’t matter much.

He wasn’t a male swayed by sentiment, so her tears meant little to him. However, he could sense Seneca felt differently about the situation. She was moved by the woman’s desperate pleas for her son. For his mate, he took pity on the crying woman and extended his magical shield so she was also protected from the rain.

“We’re not here to hurt him,” Seneca tried to assure her. “He’s fine. We just had to knock him out to stop him from hurting people with the storm he created.”

The woman’s pale green eyes widened with fear. “But he can’t do that. He doesn’t have magic.”

“He does now,” Anika said dryly.

“You know about supernaturals,” Killian stated.

“Yes, I’m a stylist at the spa at The Manor.” Making an effort to stop crying, she took several deep breaths to calm herself down. “Although I’m human, I’ve worked for Arson for a long time so I’ve seen and heard enough to know about the supernatural community.”

Killian immediately reached out to Arson to request his presence. The woman was being honest, or at least she was being truthful based on her own knowledge. He sensed no magic emanating from her, but his internal alarm system warned him that there was something different about her. He just wasn’t sure what it was yet.

Perhaps she had a supernatural ancestor that she wasn’t aware of. When he used his magic to do a deeper scan on her, she shook her head as if it pained her. She looked confused for a moment, then went back to glancing at them warily.

That made him extremely curious.

A few seconds later, Arson teleported into the clearing. “We were able to stop the flash floods before they reached the populated areas and…Daphne? What are you doing here?” He frowned as he glanced at the others. “What is going on?”

“Her son just had his awakening,” Killian explained.

“Mason? But he’s human.”

“Not anymore. He has god powers.”

“Well, shit.”

“That isn’t possible. My son can’t be a god. I’m telling you, he has never had a speck of magic, and he’s twenty-four now. Past the age to manifest any powers.”

Anika started to snap at the woman, but Seneca interrupted her. “Who is Christos? And why did you think he sent someone to hurt your son?”

Daphne swallowed hard before answering. “He is Mason’s biological father. No, that’s too nice a description for him. He’s an asshole who took advantage of me and now shows up every few years to check to see if Mason has developed any magic. My son has always had medical issues and doesn’t leave the house much, but he’s never had any magical abilities. When he turned twenty-four last week, Christos showed up and said it was the last time he would come because it was clear Mason was useless.”

“He was lying,” Arson growled. “Awakenings usually happen in their teens, but they can still happen after someone turns twenty-four. We even have someone on staff who didn’t have his awakening until he was in his forties.”

“Killian, it sounds like that bastard was trying to breed a child to inherit his magic. If he did that to Daphne, he probably did it to other women, too,” Seneca pointed out.

“I agree.”

“I want him punished,” she bit out, her voice harsh with anger. “The permanent kind.”

“Don’t worry, mate. I will see to it.”

He had a feeling Christos was either a god or was related to one. That would explain why he was monitoring his offspring. Killian knew better than anyone that the gods could be fickle, cruel creatures. Some used their powers to do good and help people, while others used their magic for personal gain and to harm people. Those individuals didn’t deserve the magic they had been gifted. Whoever this Christos was, he certainly belonged in the latter category.

Killian would find him and make him pay for what he’d done. However, this situation might be a whole lot more complicated than it seemed, so he would have to do some digging first.

Considering the specific abilities Mason had displayed, Killian wouldn’t be surprised if he discovered he had some sort of connection to Zeus. Once known as the God of the Sky and Emperor of the Gods in the Celestial Realm, Zeus had hurt a lot of people and fathered countless bastards before someone had finally killed him. Killian wasn’t sure who had done that particular honor, but it had been well deserved.

“Hold up a second. Zeus is real?” Seneca asked, her surprise clear in her voice.

“Yes, and he was really an unlikable prick.”

She snorted out a delicate laugh. “So, the myths about him are true. Do you really think Mason is related to Zeus?”

“Perhaps. It would explain why Christos was monitoring him. He might be seeking someone with a specific ability.”

There had to be a reason Christos had specifically chosen Daphne, and her reaction to Killian’s magical probe told him there was probably more to her past than even she was aware of. Sometimes magical abilities skipped a generation, and if Mason turned out to be some sort of hybrid god, that would make him even more dangerous.

Delving into their lineages wouldn’t be easy since most of the gods were secretive fucks who liked their privacy. Fortunately, they would have time to search for answers since it would take a while to train Mason properly. Learning how to use new god powers was tricky, especially without a powerful anchor like a mate or blood relative. They would have to make sure that Mason was prepared before they released him back into the general public.

For now, at least they had stopped him from wiping out the town.

“Your son is a danger to anyone who is around him right now,” Killian said bluntly. “Until he learns how to control his magic, he cannot be around people.”

“I can move them into The Manor,” Arson offered.

Killian shook his head. “And if he accidentally destroys The Manor and everyone in it? Would you be able to contain his magic if he loses control again? It would be best if he stays with us for now.”

Daphne started to speak but shut her mouth when Arson held up a hand. “He’s right. He is a dark god. One of the last remaining ancient reapers,” he told her. “Your son will be safer with him. Besides, he is the only one who can train Mason.”

“I still think you should consider staying at The Manor,” Seneca told Daphne. “If this Christos guy comes looking for you or your son, the people at The Manor can protect you. Arson can also arrange for you to come visit Mason if you need to.”

Arson nodded. “That’s a good idea. Pack your things, Daphne. You are moving to The Manor.”

“I can’t ask you to—”

“Not asking. I’m also telling you this is what we should do. Your house is basically destroyed anyway. This really would be best for you and for Mason.”

She hesitated briefly, then nodded. Then, she shot Killian a serious look. “Can you really protect my son if Christos comes looking for him?”

Killian would have been insulted if he didn’t understand she was terrified of losing her son. “I look forward to him trying.”

“What he means is, yes, we will protect your son,” Seneca clarified. “And I can promise you that it won’t end well for Christos if he does coming looking for Mason.”

Satisfied with that, Daphne whispered a heartfelt, “Thank you.”

Killian turned toward Dario and Anika. “Take the boy back to the villa and get him set up in the containment room. We’ll be back once we settle things here.”

Less than a heartbeat later, the three of them disappeared.

Daphne let out a small cry of alarm, then she collected herself and sighed. “I’m going to go pack some of my things.”

“I’ll wait for you and take you back to The Manor since your car is toast.”

“Damn,” she said on a sigh. “I don’t think insurance covers this kind of damage.”

That made him chuckle. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll get it replaced for you.”

Once she disappeared into the house, Arson turned toward them, and his eyes widened. “Oh, wow. That was quick. Your eyes are glowing.”

“What? Me?” Seneca pointed to herself. “My eyes are glowing?”

Arson nodded. “Yep, they are glowing silver now, so you might want to remember to tame that down when you are around humans.”

She groaned. “So, I really am becoming a god. I was just getting used to being reborn, now I have to deal with being a god.”

Killian stroked her hair. “My poor little mate. You’ve had a lot to deal with today.”

“I really have,” she moaned, leaning her full weight against him as she rested her cheek against his chest.

He wanted to laugh at her antics, but he was far too content holding her and didn’t want to interrupt her ploys for sympathy.

“On that note, I’m going to go check on Daphne,” Arson said, looking everywhere but at them.

“We’ll be leaving soon,” Killian told him.

“Okay, contact us at The Manor if you need us,” he said before vanishing.

After he was gone, Seneca continued leaning against Killian. She really did need a moment or two to process everything. “What’s the containment room?”

“Don’t worry, mate. It isn’t the cage you are imagining. The containment room is actually a suite of rooms that are specially warded against magic. So, while he is staying there, he won’t have to worry about losing control of his magic.”

“You’ve dealt with this kind of thing before?”

“Several times.”

“Good,” she said, feeling relieved. “Don’t we need to be there in case he wakes up?”

“I hit him with a spell that will keep him out for a few days,” Killian explained. “It’s best that he sleeps through the worst part of the awakening so his magic has time to settle.” After she sighed again, he demanded, “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “Something just feels…off. Did I really get sent back to get revenge, or was it to meet you? Or am I just being used to save this new god we found?”

“I’m not sure, but it could be all of the above. Perhaps you were given the chance to be reborn because you could accomplish everything at once.”

“Perhaps.”

“Come, mate. Let’s go home,” he said softly.

“To your villa?”

“Our villa on the Amalfi coast,” he corrected.

“Nice. I’ve never been there. I don’t know, though. You seem more like a castle kind of guy than a villa guy.”

He chuckled. “I’ve adapted with age.”

Leaning her chin on his chest, she glanced up at him. “Am I going to be able to finish school if we live in Italy?”

“Yes, if that is what you want. I will purchase a property near the university and create a portal that leads directly to our home.”

“That’s genius.”

“I’m glad you think so. Now, are you ready to see the villa for yourself? I think you will love it. The view outside is spectacular, and the interior is very comfortable. Naturally, you can change anything in our home if it is not to your liking.”

Our home. She really liked the sound of that.

“Don’t we need to do some repairs or something before we leave?”

“Already done.”

When she pulled away from him to glance around, she saw that the entire area had been put back the way it had looked before the storm. With a grin, she took his hand and said, “I’m ready. Take me home, mate.”