“How do you plan on us convincing the humans we are safe? Your television is telling everyone to not answer the door.” Magda was perched on the edge of Ree’s desk opposite of Met.
“I’m open to suggestions.” Ree looked at the Guardian. “Because, short of having them grow fangs of their own, I don’t know how to convince them.”
“I have an idea.” Roland said quietly. “We can knock out the less cooperative ones.”
“You want to hit them?” Weylin asked from behind Met.
“We can dose them with a sleeping agent.” Roland shrugged. “We have it in stock in case one of you had not taken well to the change.”
Ree closed her eyes for a minute and resisted the urge to rub her temples. She was pretty sure she was the only one they had been worried about freaking out. “Okay. Break up into teams. No less than two people in a team.” Her eyes shifted toward Niall, who didn’t look up but smiled. She wasn’t willing to have him go on a suicide binge while she was on watch.
Roland stood and quickly slipped out of the room. Everyone started talking amongst themselves, deciding who would work together. Ree got up from the desk and headed for the kitchen, Paden following closely behind. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten. People moved out of her way respectfully, and it made her want to cringe. They nodded in her direction or watched her warily, and Ree fought the urge to shiver. She was grateful her friends hadn’t treated her like that.
Kay was in the kitchen, busy making sandwiches for everyone. She offered a small, tired smile to Ree and Paden. “You look hungry.”
“Starved.” Ree took the plate Kay handed her and smiled. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She sat at the long island and dug into the food.
“You too, Paden.” Kay handed him a plate.
“Thanks, Kay.” He gave her a one-armed hug and kissed her temple.
“No problem. I was going to cook something, but don’t know where anything is in this kitchen.” Kay looked over the counters and shrugged. “I guess I’ll figure it out.”
“You don’t need to cook for us.” Ree finished off her sandwich and eyed the one sitting on the cutting board. Kay smiled, scooped it up, and deposited it on Ree’s plate. “Thanks.”
“I don’t mind and, to be honest, sitting around doing nothing was killing me.” Kay wiped her hands on a dish towel and leaned against the edge of the sink. “So, you guys are going to back to the city?”
“Not yet. The new Guardians are going to pick up the people in danger.” Ree looked out the window, her thoughts back on the people that needed to be brought to the island. “I guess I should go make sure those houses are all in good shape before they get here.”
“You need to sleep, Ree.” Paden grabbed her hand and squeezed. “You might be immortal now, but no one can go without sleep forever. It’s been two days since you rested for more than an hour.”
“I can do it.” Kay set the rag down and looked at Ree. “Shouldn’t be much to it.”
“No, Ms. Kay. You’ve done more than you need to.” Ree shook her head.
“Paden, take her to bed.” Kay made a shooing motion. She smiled at their interlaced fingers. “To sleep, you two. Don’t make me call your parents.”
“Um…” Paden’s cheeks turned a bit pink and Ree almost laughed as he squirmed.
Kay narrowed her eyes at Paden. “I said sleep! Do we need to have a talk? I could draw a chart and go on about condo—“
“No! I mean, no. I’ll just go tuck Ree in and make sure she gets some sleep.” Paden tugged Ree to her feet.
“Good. I may not have super sensitive hearing, but I’m not stupid.” Kay turned her back on them and set their plates in the sink.
Paden practically ran from the kitchen, his cheeks still pink when they got to Ree’s room. He opened the door and ushered her in, not sparing a glance at the Guardians they passed. Ree turned to look at him and couldn’t help the snicker that fell from her lips.
“I’ve never seen you so embarrassed before in my life.” Ree threw herself on the bed and kicked off her tennis shoes.
“Our friends knowing is one thing, but Ms. Kay knows my mom. She knows your mom.” Paden lay down on the bed next to her and pulled her into his arms. “She knows your dad.” He shuddered, making Ree laugh even more.
“C’mon. It’s not that bad.” Ree dug her finger into his side.
“You didn’t see the glare your dad gave me before he left.” Paden nuzzled her neck.
“Dad gave you a bad look?” Ree’s eyes widened. She would have thought that Paden would be someone her parents would approve of.
“Not bad, just warning.” He sighed. “I’m in deep shit.”
“We’ve got other things to worry about.” Ree rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling. “I need to go check that everyone has everything they need.” Sitting up, she ran a hand over her eyes and fought the yawn that came out of nowhere. “We need to plan. I feel like Tristan is going to up the ante.”
Paden pulled her back down on the bed. “Sleep. A few hours, that’s all I’m asking for.”
“There is so much to do…”
“Trust in your friends. Trust the Guardians that are here to help. I doubt Athena would pick anyone she didn’t think was capable.” Paden pulled Ree against his side.
“Niall—“ Ree started.
“Niall is hurting, but he isn’t the only one who lost someone he loved.” Something in Paden’s tone pulled at Ree’s heart. She could feel his empathy for Niall, but it mixed with his anger at Niall having threatened her.
“What would have happened, Pay? If I hadn’t been given the Death Gift?” She whispered the words.
“Sophie talked to me about it in the beginning. I think she was trying to prepare me or something. It was hard to think about and made me so angry.” Paden ran his fingers over her hair. “But, now I don’t have to worry. You’re not going anywhere.”“You really want to stick with me forever?” Ree looked up at him. “Most marriages only last twenty years at most. Eternity is a long time.” Her cheeks colored at the word “marriage”, shocked she had used it to describe them. He had asked her for forever, but nothing with a title.
“Forever.” Paden moved so they were lying on their sides looking at each other. He traced the palm of her hand with his fingertip before running over her ring finger and stopping. “I want all of you, all of life with you and everything that entails. We may not have regular day jobs or a house with a picket fence, but I’d like to call you my wife one day. See you carrying our child.”
Ree’s heart bucked in her chest, her stomach fluttered with butterflies, and a warm glow suffused her body. “Have you thought about that before now?”
“Maybe not in so many words, before everything went crazy. More like I wouldn’t let myself think about that sort of stuff. But now? With the good and bad things in life in sharp contrast? Yeah. I want to grab the good and fight the bad.” His full lips curved into a breath-stealing smile. He placed his palm on her chest, just over her heart. “I like being able to make your heart race.”
Ree reached out and mirrored the touch on his chest. He covered her hand with his and leaned forward to kiss her. His lips glided over hers before moving up to kiss her head. He pulled back and lay down on the pillow, his hand still covering hers while they looked at each other.
“Sleep tight. Don’t let the Dark Ones bite.”
Ree rolled her eyes but listened to his heartbeat, his soft breathing, and let sleep claim her.
***
“Sleeping with the godling will not protect you.” Ares’s voice was like a knife between her ribs. “Neither will the shield that’s erected around the island. Dreams are a funny thing.”
Ree looked around the white room she was standing in and tried to gain her bearings. The god of war stood behind her, his feet spread wide, a whip in his hand. Immediately she looked around her for a weapon and mentally cursed the white toga she was wearing. It wouldn’t offer her any defense against that whip.
“We use these on slaves.” Ares snapped the whip. The sound echoed through the room. “That’s all you are. A slave. A tool to be used by the gods as we see fit.”
“You’re only going to get yourself in trouble, Ares.” Ree took a step back. Trying to keep her distance from the approaching maniac.
“Do not speak, slave!” Ares snapped the whip. Ree scarcely dodged the stinging lick across her chest. “What foul trickery is this?”
Ree crouched low, waiting for the next strike. Ares swung the whip over his head, before bringing it toward Ree. It cracked next to her ear, barely missing her after she moved.
“You do not move like a human, slave.” Ares moved the whip so it traced circles on the floor between them. “What have you done?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ree watched his every step, waiting for a twitch to alert her to his next move.
His eyes seemed to rake her body, lingering on her chest and the skin exposed by the toga. It was like slime crawling over her body, and she couldn’t help the shudder. He smiled, showing his perfect teeth.
“Do you know what we use slaves for, slave?” His whip caught Ree around the ankle and she gasped in pain. She ducked to the side and almost sighed in relief when his whip loosened. She risked a glance at her leg and noticed the bleeding stripe of skin that wrapped around her ankle. Every time she moved it felt like she had put her foot in a fire.
“We use them.” Ares answered his own question. “For whatever we want.” His voice oozed with menace. A loud crack filled the room, and the god disappeared. Ree looked around the room wildly. She needed to get out of there, but the hallway she used last time was nowhere to be seen. There were no doors, no windows, nothing she could escape through. Only white, shining stone everywhere she looked.
“Please, wake up. Wake up, Ree.” She chanted the words, hoping something would snatch her out of the dream.
The loud sound of Ares returning filled her ears. She spun around to find herself face to face with the god. He grabbed her around her waist and pulled her against his body. “Slaves are required to do whatever we want them to do. And I want you to please me.” He leaned down and sniffed at her hair.
Rees’ heart stuttered and fear pushed her into action. She brought her knee up to his groin and shoved away from him as hard as she could. She landed in a heap ten feet away and scrambled to her feet while he howled in rage. Ree grabbed the power and threw it at him as hard as she could. He flew across the room and hit the wall. When he lifted his head to look at her, his eyes had turned an evil red. He opened his mouth in a primal roar, a double set of fangs sliding into sight.
He battered at Ree’s shield, gaining a few inches each time he struck out. Ree could feel her energy dropping. There were no Guardians for her to pull from, she couldn’t feel any plants or animals. As he fought against her shield, the bits of their magic fell to the ground and mingled together. Ree fell to her knees, exhaustion taking her breath away. Desperately, she stared at the shimmering fragments of power. Barely feeling strong enough to pull another breath, Ree grabbed at the only other power source in the room.
Latching onto Ares’s energy, she sucked in as much as she could, feeding it back into her shield. His roars of rage seemed to grow, but Ree could barely hear anything but the sound of blood rushing in her ears. The god’s progress stopped, but his temper grew.
The sound of a loud banging drew Ree’s attention, but she didn’t dare look away from Ares. Chunks of white stone exploded into the room. Ree slid across the floor, her head hitting the wall with a loud thunk. She covered her face as gravel and stone fell from the ceiling. When she opened her eyes, Brigid, Athena, and a smaller goddess were striding into the room. The red-haired goddess had a bow and arrow pointed at Ares. Her face was frightening, her eyes flashing with lightning, similar to the way Ree’s glowed silver. She was wearing brown leather pants and a white top that made her red hair look even redder.
“Drop the shield, Alastriana. I shall handle this from here.” Brigid’s words were thick with a Gaelic accent. Ree obeyed immediately, scrambling to get even farther away from the gods.
The small goddess standing next to Brigid held her own bow and arrow, a crescent moon hanging from chain braided through her hair to lie on her forehead. Athena was carrying a spear and wearing modern-day combat clothing, complete with large, black boots.
“Go home, Alastriana. This animal will not threaten you again.” Brigid did not look at her, but Ree could feel the goddess’s fiery anger.
Ree stood up and limped for the hole they had blasted in the wall. Her ankle wasn’t healing the way it would have in the real world, but she didn’t have time to figure out why. Hecate appeared at the opening and motioned for Ree to hurry. The twang of bow strings sounded behind her, but Ree didn’t look back. As Ares roared, she scrambled over the rubble and grabbed the outstretched hand of Hecate.
“Go home, love.”
***
Ree woke immediately, sitting up in bed and scaring Paden. He immediately wrapped his arms around her.
“Ree! What happened? I couldn’t wake you.” Paden turned her face toward him and frowned.
“Paden, she’s bleeding.” Juliette was standing at the edge of the bed and pulled the bloody sheet away from Ree’s leg. “What the hell caused that?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Whip.” Ree muttered.
Paden shook with rage, his fangs sliding out to press into his bottom lip. He closed his eyes and tried to reign himself in. As gently as possible he ripped her jeans from the ankle to the knee. Moving so he could inspect her leg, he cussed when he saw the damage. He pressed his glowing hands to her wound and stared at the blood surrounding her leg. Ree could feel the wound knitting back together, but it hurt more than any of the other wounds he had healed. She hissed through her teeth and looked away from her foot.
There were five people crowded into her room, not including Ree and Paden. All of them looking worried and angry. Roland’s fangs were down, his fists clenched at his sides. He was standing in the doorway, where her splintered door hung from one hinge.
“What happened?” Roland looked at Ree, and she was glad for the distraction. “When we got in here, no one could wake you.”