PrologueAstral Realm – present day
Sounds of humming sifted into the atmosphere with no one to hear. Working alone, the goddess of healing scanned through the mists of her observatory. Swirling, cosmic strands stretched and wound like spider webs as she pulled scenes out of the ether.
Being hunted by all manner of god and demon alike for millennia had taught Panacea to enjoy the seclusion that her hidden realm afforded her. She didn’t mind talking to herself for company. Though she made a habit out of ignoring most beings’ bids for her attention, one recent cry for help had stood out above the rest and she was having a hard time ignoring it. Even though she took extreme care never to give away her secret location, she couldn’t help having a tender spot for the travails of the human race. So, when one of the only souls she trusted in all the realms had called out to her on behalf of one of those fragile, earthen creatures, she knew she had no choice but to intercede.
The gods had troubles of their own but the human world was in transition. From what she’d observed while in hiding, a mounting disturbance in the balance of powers had reached Earth’s boundaries and the human realm was heading for some dark times. It was in dire need of some champions, but there were few left to be found.
“Bring me the serpent.” She spoke the request aloud.
Before her, the mists cleared. A lurid scene spilled into her domain, surrounding her where she stood. Sounds of heavy breathing mixed with throaty feminine laughter made her turn. In the cramped dark space of a room she could make out a narrow bed where thin sheets undulated.
“Good gods,” she said out loud, though no one could see or hear her. Of course Krav would call on her, rousing her from hiding, and then go sneak off to get some action in a college dorm room. The serpent demon had absolutely no reverence for divine protocol whatsoever.
The sheet slipped down and a slender arm flailed out, revealing two naked torsos. One belonged to a sinfully gorgeous dark haired man and the other a curvy young blonde.
“Mmmm Krav, you taste so good,” the girl murmured then swirled her tongue around the man’s nipple. She traced a wet path along his olive-skinned chest then slid up the demon male’s body to lock on his lips in a devouring kiss that Panacea thought surely reached to his tonsils. When the co-ed finally let him up for air, he pushed her up from him and palmed both of her full round breasts in his hands.
“You’re pretty appetizing yourself Katie,” he said, weighing each plump globe in turn.
Just then the covers at the foot of the bed flipped open and a brunette popped her head up.
“I’m Katie, sheez Jesshica!” the girl slurred.
“Hmmm,” Krav drawled extending his hand to her. She took it, eagerly crawling up until she rested at his chest opposite the blonde. When the demon moved, Panacea could see his appearance flicker back and forth between his human and demon forms like a hologram. He hadn’t even bothered to fully cloak himself! No wonder humans made such easy prey.
Krav’s hand came up and rubbed at his jaw as he eyeballed the deliciously rumpled brunette with consideration.
Panacea would have rolled her eyes skyward if she wasn’t already so high up into the star realm. She nearly transferred him out of the room right then.
“I could have sworn it was the other way around,” he said playfully, “are you certain sweet?”
He snaked an arm around her waist to stroke her hip. She looked up at him through squinty eyes for a long drawn out moment. Panacea thought she heard brain matter crackling. The girl really couldn’t remember her own name?
Then they all three dissolved into an inebriated fit of laughter.
The goddess huffed in disgust, flashing the dorm room scene away. The sea demon, Krav, remained however. He gaped at the change in surroundings, dumbstruck at finding himself yanked from his soiree and clouded by mists.
“What in every layer of hell...?” He sputtered, looking around in confusion until he turned and spied Panacea. He immediately manifested a pair of black leather pants. The goddess scoffed at this belated show of modesty.
“What on Earth is more like it, Krav. What are you up to, bouncing around between realms? Hasn’t Poseidon been keeping you busy enough? I should send truth sprites to whisper in his ear about all the mischief you’ve been getting into.”
Krav dropped his head, but only enough to peek up through coal dark lashes and slant a lopsided grin at her. Gods, those poor human women hadn’t stood a chance!
“I was just passing the time until you saw fit to answer my summons. Would it hurt you to be a little more available P?
“P?” she asked, brows arching.
He shrugged.
“Just trying to modernize you a bit. I know you don’t get out much.”
The goddess shook her head at his cheek.
“I can see why Poseidon turns a blind eye to your escapades.” She said. “He’s probably just glad to have you out of his hair. But be warned, serpent, if he catches you meddling in the human world…”
“Poseidon doesn’t care if I use his crusty old Tides accesses to skip worlds. He’s barely been around lately anyway—much like someone else I can think of,” he muttered, pouting in a way that rendered him nearly adorable.
“Your lord and ruler,” Panacea stressed the titles, hoping to make some kind of an impression on the demon, “has a lot on his mind at the moment. And those ‘crusty old accesses’ are powerful vortexes. They’ve been the bane of travelers ever since Poseidon haphazardly scattered them between worlds. They hold the key to maintaining the balance of powers and are currently coming under siege.”
Krav blanched at her words. There, finally she had his attention.
“I know, goddess, I’ve seen what’s happening. That’s why we need your help.”
“There’s a lot more going on than you know.”
“Yes, well…” Krav cleared his throat, preparing to launch into a dramatic appeal.
“Save your breath,” Panacea sighed, “I already know what you need.”
“Just a dose of your elixir, Pan, that’s all, you’ll never miss it and it’s for one of the humans you’re so fond of. A case of true love, no less, what cause could be nobler?”
“Don’t scoff at the power of true love,” Panacea admonished, “we need more of these unions in the universe and the gods are all too immune to making any on their own. The humans may be our only hope to fight the darkness that threatens all. What with the majority of the higher gods in self-induced comas or just not giving a damn, we need all the help we can get. The sea god’s realm is our last real stronghold and Poseidon knows it.”
Krav absently twirled a strand of mist around his arm, leaving Panacea to wonder of he’d been listening at all. Then he spoke.
“Are you so sure about that?”
“Yes. He must find them.” By ‘them’ she meant the lost kings of Atlantis, which Krav well knew. “The kings’ curse may be our only salvation and they will be able to move between worlds in ways the gods can’t once they are found and re-throned. Poseidon’s angst over the loss of Atlantis is a weakness we can ill afford to suffer much longer…”
“I know. He’s been so Greek about it, right?” Krav cut in. Panacea glared at him, but she could tell he was being flippant on purpose. The situation with his friend bothered him very much though he was trying not to let on.
“It will take some doing and I’ll have to step up my concealment measures, but I will try to aid the search and undo the curse.”
“Hmm,” Krav mused. “Why is it always ‘curse this’, ‘prophecy that’ and ‘sell me your soul’ with the gods? Have you ever noticed?”
All Krav’s rant earned him was another arch look from the goddess.
“I’m just saying,” he mumbled. “So you’ll help?”
“I’ll take care of it myself.”
Pan closed her eyes to gather bits of information from the cosmos and undefined time, channeling the source in a manner her demon friend would never experience. Krav waited in silence, knowing better than to interrupt her. When her aquamarine eyes opened again, she spoke.
“Since Poseidon hunts a relic that I happen to know the whereabouts of anyway, tell him to send the vial of my elixir that he’s been hording to your friend, Xieran, on Olympus. Then he shall have the amulet he seeks in return.”
Krav’s shoulders sagged.
“Right, that idea makes so much more sense than if, say, you were to just give me the elixir directly and then I pass it along to Xieran myself.” The sarcasm rolled thick off of his tongue. “And now there’s an amulet in the mix? I should have known.”
“My dear Krav,” Panacea clucked, “when will you ever learn the art of politics and subterfuge?”
“I’d sooner have you take a shovel to my neck,” he grumbled.
The goddess waved absently at that comment.
“We’ll kill two birds with one stone and no one will be the wiser.”
“Wily goddess, I see what you’re doing here.” Krav’s grin turned conspiratorial.
Panacea gave him a look, about out of patience, but he didn’t seem to notice. His black forked tongue darted out as he licked his lips in excitement at thinking he was on to her.
“You’re throwing everyone off your trail, all the while getting in some meddling of your own… very sneaky of you.”
She sighed at his impudence. One day she was going to have to punish him so that he took her seriously.
“You try me, Krav. Just go and be competent for once. Tell the Poseidon to use a human messenger for the exchange, the one the Nereid Queen hides.”
She froze again, getting something from the ether.
“Be quick. Xieran’s human hangs by a thread.”
Krav bowed his head to her, all remnant of his former impertinence gone in an instant.
“Don’t fear goddess, I won’t fail.” He said, then wrapped himself in a cloak of red scales as he took on his serpent form and flashed out of the mists.
Panacea waved her hand in a sweeping sideways motion to clear the cloud that had stirred in Krav’s leaving. She brought up a new scene in the stars. This time, of a lone woman, her face fringed by gold curls and lit by the glow of a computer screen.
“Not quite ready yet in this lifetime, but she’ll have to do anyway.” Panacea said to herself.
The landscape of powers was quickly changing. Desperate times called for a little “meddling” as Krav had termed it. The situation was turning volatile so the goddess was only too happy to intercede in this case. She just had to take care not to do it too directly.
Evil had been allowed much unsupervised playtime by those that were supposed to be keeping things in check and now the universe was teetering on the brink of an unholy war. Hopefully, Poseidon’s lost sons could be found and the humans of the Earth realm would prove worthy.
Chapter OneMiami, Florida
“This one, this is the place!”
Cindy wrinkled her brow, giving Marley a skeptical look. Loud music pumped out onto the sidewalk from the nightclub as she looked from its neon sign to the piece of paper in her hand. She nodded. Hard to believe, but this was definitely it. A humid breeze ruffled her hair as she leaned forward trying to hear over the noise. She felt conspicuous, like the two of them were co-conspirators about to commit some shady act as they stood outside the club.
The maniacal neon pirate twenty feet above them looked like he agreed. Alternating red and yellow border lights glowed around the grinning caricature and the words “Ramone’s Party Cove.” She imagined he winked at her as they passed underneath. No doubt, he knew all about them being warned off of following through on this amateur investigation they were running. Marley’s cousin, Kay, had gotten a wild hair to come down to Miami about a month ago and no one had heard from her since. When Marley had called, saying that the detective was about to close Kay’s case, they’d both rushed down to see what they could dig up on their own.
So not Kay’s style, Cindy thought as they walked by a pair of giant inflatable palm trees decked out with flamingo string lights. Kay was a book worm, a science geek studying geology at the Colorado School of Mining and Industry. She never partied, not even with her school friends. This would have been the last place she would have come. But Marley would not be deterred. She had reason to believe that this was the last place her cousin was seen before her disappearance.
They walked through the doorway. The host gave them some generic greeting in Spanish and a hot up and down appraisal. It made Cindy glad she’d decided to dress the part and wear her black salsa dress. Hey, when in Rome, right? Maybe if she looked like she’d come for the nightlife, no one could accuse her of playing private eye.
She could still hear Detective Santiago’s words from earlier ringing in her ears.
“This is a sensitive case,” he’d said, “very sensitive, a lot of unknowns.”
Well, no shit Sherlock, Cindy had thought. Aren’t all missing persons cases full of unknowns? Namely, where the missing person is? But she’d kept her mouth shut. She’d been able to feel the steam rolling off of Marley so she’d decided to try and be the one with the level head in Santiago’s office.
“This isn’t a town you want to mess around in,” he’d warned. Then he’d suggested, most indelicately, that she and Marley stay away from anything to do with Karina’s case.
Cindy shook off the bad feeling she had about this whole mess and followed Marley through the club.
Her friend was already halfway through the crowded bar and moving towards the back of it when Cindy caught up to her. Marley went straight for the patio just beyond a double doorway. Thick, warm air hit them as they passed a man-made fountain. They found an opening in the crowd at the outside bar and squeezed in.
Marley got the bartender’s attention and ordered them a pair of Jamaican Ten-speeds. She passed the fruity drinks to Cindy.
“I’m going to see if he knows anything.” She pointed back at the bartender. “Why don’t you find us a table?”
“Okay, I see a spot over there,” Cindy shouted over the music.
She skirted her way around the dance floor. When she reached the table, she sat down and looked back at the bar where Marley started grilling the bartender relentlessly. He kept shaking his head and glancing at the club’s back door. Cindy had to hand it to her friend, she was a force to be reckoned with. The guy looked nervous.
Taking a long sip of the frothy, green drink in her hand, Cindy sat back in her chair. She hoped Marley found out something helpful tonight. All the anxiety was weighing on her. Her sheltered upbringing and hum drum lifestyle left her ill prepared for Marley’s break-neck pace. On that thought, her phone buzzed inside her purse. She dug it out to look at the screen.
It was a text from Leslie, her co-worker / cat babysitter / person who made her weekdays doable. Most of Cindy’s texts came from Leslie due to the word game they played.
“Did u make it to Miami ok?”
Shoot, she’d promised to let Leslie know when her flight landed. She’d hit the tarmac running though and completely forgot. She texted back.
“I did. Richard O’Shea was our pilot. The landing was a little rough, haha!”
“Lol, Rick O’Shea. Got it. Have fun!”
They shared funny names back and forth. It was the stuff that dorks were made of, but it got them through the day. Running background checks for housing rentals was pretty dull work, so they needed all the help they could get, or at least Cindy did. Leslie was a wild child by night with an affinity for biker boyfriends, so her maybe not so much. Cindy was just grateful Leslie had agreed to take care of her kitties, Beauregard and Snookums, while she was gone. She was a good friend albeit an infamous matchmaker.
She could still hear Leslie’s latest attempts on her.
“So, I was thinking,” she’d started out, her total lack of subtlety something that Cindy overlooked as her friend, “when you get back from your trip to the orange juice state…”
“Oh no, here it comes,” Cindy had thought.
“… we should all go out sometime. Ray has this friend. He’d be per…”
“For the last time Les, quit trying to set me up with your biker boyfriend’s ruffian comrades,” Cindy had cut her off.
She knew she was a hopeless case in the dating arena, but blind dates were the worst!
Plus, the boyfriend in question was named Raymond Gunn—she’d had a field day with that one.
Everyone seemed to think that her being single was this terrible thing. Her sexual status as a twenty-five year old virgin did leave her feeling like a loner amongst the crowds of the sex obsessed masses. At this point though, she’d pretty much given up on finding “Mr. Right”.
She wasn’t really even that picky. She just seemed to have a knack for attracting the wrong kind of guy. As far as the sex—that was just a whole other level of weirdness that she’d kept a secret her whole adult life.
She called it the wet blanket effect. It had been the nemesis of every guy who’d ever tried to get in her pants for as long as she’d been dating. It wasn’t anxiety, or guilt, or even fear, but an actual physical reaction that kept her from going all the way. Therefore, her Latin classification name was Virginus Suprimus. As the last remaining one of her kind, she made it a point to steer clear of cannibal tribes and volcanoes, just to be on the safe side.
Marley made it back to their table then and dropped down into the chair across from Cindy. She blew her bangs out of her eyes then reached for her drink.
“What did the bartender say? Does anyone here remember seeing Kay?”
Marley took a sip.
“He thinks he may have seen her here with some guy a couple of times. Is that weird or what?”
“Yeah, weird,” Cindy agreed. “It just doesn’t sound like Kay."
Kay was totally immersed in working on her master’s degree. She dated even less than Cindy did, if that was possible. Her being sited at this touristy club with some strange guy was totally out of character. Cindy took another sip of her drink.
“Mmmm, good call Marley. This thing is great!”
She plucked a chunk of pineapple off the side of her glass to suck on.
“I know,” Marley agreed, “I always order these when I go somewhere tropical.”
“Oh, the life you lead. Must be tough,” Cindy teased.
Marley traveled all the time doing research for the articles she wrote for her travel blog.
“You won’t hear me complaining. I know I’ve got a good gig.” Marley took another sip then said, “I think we should split up tomorrow.”
“What do you mean? Did you get another lead?”
“I want to go talk to the lady Kay was staying with before she went missing. She’s the reason Kay came out here in the first place.”
“Okaaay, what do you want me to do in the mean time?”
“I found this crumpled up in Kay’s backpack at the police station.”
Marley pulled a brochure out of her purse and handed it to Cindy.
“Sandy Island’s Historic Lighthouse Museum,” Cindy read aloud, taking the wrinkled pamphlet, “looks interesting. You think she went there?”
Marley shook her head slowly, focused on the dance floor over Cindy’s shoulder, then blew out a frustrated breath.
“I don’t know, but it could turn up some more clues. I figure it’s right up your alley too. I know how you love anything historical.”
“It’s in the Keys, I’ll have to take a shuttle boat,” Cindy skimmed over the brochure. “Looks like it could take all day. You sure you won’t need my help with the old lady?”
She hated to lose sight of Marley in the city.
“Don’t worry about me,” Marley assured her, “I’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” Cindy said, “I’ll snoop around tomorrow and ask if anyone knows anything.”
She needed a second to mull over everything they’d found out so far, which wasn’t much. Kay had flown down to Florida out of the blue only to turn up missing shortly after her arrival. Aside from the woman she’d been staying with and a few numbers scratched on a notepad, there wasn’t much else to go on.
“I think you have an admirer.” Marley broke in on her thoughts.
Her friend nodded at the dance floor. Cindy turned to look. Her eyes met with a giant stuffed head version of the club’s pirate mascot making his way through the sea of people to hand out jello shots. Could that leering grin get any more terrifying? He reached up and pulled on a string hanging off of his jacket so that the stuffed parrot that was sewn to his shoulder squawked and flapped its wings. Well, that answered her question… yes, yes it could.
She rolled her eyes at Marley.”
“Har, har Mar, glad to see you still have your sense of humor.”
“Not him, you goof…” Marley laughed, “… him.” She pointed to the dance floor.
There was a really cute guy, probably Latin—definitely from some culture that had mastered the steps of the rhythm dances, judging by the way he moved. Mmm, hello, cutie. He flashed a killer white smile and waved her over, inviting her to dance. Cindy whipped back around in her chair to look at Marley.
“Go on!” her friend said, flicking her wrists. “Go dance with him. We might as well enjoy the evening. We aren’t getting any more information tonight.”
She tossed the guy a flirty little wave.
“He looks like he’s got some moves,” she said, moving her eyebrows up and down suggestively. Cindy laughed then looked back at him.
“All right,” she said leveling a glare of mock severity at her friend, “just remember, what happens in Florida…”
“That’s Vegas, Cin,” Marley interrupted. “Oh, and for the record, Florida is ‘the Sunshine State’ not the ‘Orange Juice State’ to quote your text before you left Denver.”
Cindy just shrugged and rolled her eyes again. Marley stood.
“I’m going for more drinks”, she announced. “You go dance with the hottie.”
With that, she sauntered off to the bar, leaving Cindy to either sit there by herself or kick up her heels for a few minutes. Who was she to refuse a dance? She stood up to join the crowded dance floor.
Chapter Two
Captain Ronan Garring stepped out from behind the mists, into the blaring sounds of a modern day tavern. The last time he and his crew had come to the surface, there’d been nothing here but a stretch of beach. That had been nearly a century ago.
His five man crew followed behind him, then spread out into a throng of people and tried to blend in with the mass of revelers. He skirted the crowd, looking for his contact. The place thrummed with unearthly energies, but they weren’t of the heavenly variety so he knew that the Olympian had yet to show. It figured. The entities that resided in Zeus’s realm were generally a careless lot of bastards so it wasn’t surprising that whoever Poseidon had sent him to meet was late.
He studied his surroundings, noting the carefree attitude of the humans. They had no idea that they danced and drank with the dark spirits of the underworld. Ronan could see them though. He’d always been able to see the others.
His vision blurred for an instant as a wave of nausea came over him then passed. It was the Nereid, Thema’s curse; a subtle reminder that his time here was finite. The longer he stayed away from his sea realm island, the more pain that would be inflicted on him by the nymph who held his life in her hands. And if he stayed too long… well, he had no hope of escaping back to Earth permanently unless he wished for an excruciating death. This was how the Nereid queen fulfilled Poseidon’s demand that he be used as an emissary while she kept him and his men bound to her. Even after she’d been banished from the Isle of Gades, the curse remained effective. Thema had angered Poseidon by interfering with humans when she took Ronan and his crew as her slaves. Now they worked for Poseidon though they’d never seen the god themselves.
Rolling his shoulders back, he ignored the drain of the curse. He waited at the end of the bar so he had a better view of the place the Tides had dropped him and his crew into. Finn, Bas and James had already stationed themselves within the tavern’s perimeter while Will and Cully were exited the portal. They’d been eager to travel through the Tides and see 21st century Earth, while at the same time, watching their captain’s back. Their loyalty reminded Ronan why he had accepted the evil Thema’s terms for their survival centuries ago.
He searched the crowd until his eyes landed on a young woman sitting all the way across the dance floor. A mix of moon and artificial light reflected off her skin and hair, making her glow. Her luminous quality piqued Ronan’s sixth sense, he couldn’t get a read off of her that exposed her as anything other than human though. Still, there was something about her that he couldn’t turn away from. She shone like something otherworldly, but not from any kind of demon glamour.
She spoke to a dark haired woman and their conversation appeared to be of a serious nature that was at odds with the club’s setting. Their manner struck him as suspicious, especially the blonde, who’s eyes darted between her friend and the crowd. His curiosity got the better of him. He continued to stare as she turned in her seat toward the dance floor.
Following her gaze, Ronan saw a man motioning for her to join him for a dance. Something about the character made Ronan’s inner beast stir to life. His sixth sense vibrated with intensity. The man on the dance floor definitely wasn’t human.
When the blonde rose out of her chair and into the supposed man’s arms, the beast inside Ronan unfurled to its full height, growling low in its throat as it recognized an opponent. She had no idea. With an urgency born of instinct, he pushed away from the bar’s edge and started out into the crowd.
***
“Mr. Mambo” pulled Cindy the rest of the way onto the dance floor. He smiled and said something she couldn’t quite hear over the music. She was pretty sure he was speaking Spanish though so it really didn’t matter since she couldn’t understand him anyway. The language barrier couldn’t take away from his charm, if anything it was an enhancement. He was cute in an Enrique Iglesias post mole kind of way. She followed him through a series of twirls and rhythm steps that set the ruffles of her skirt swishing around her legs.
They wound their way through the dance floor with expert precision, stopping only when the puppet head Captain Hook guy halted their progress to offer them jello shots. She decided he was a non-threat and slung one back because, could one really turn down a free jello shot when tendered by the hand of a huge doll-headed cartoon? No, one could not. Besides, Big Head was starting to grow on her.
Her dance partner placed their empty glasses back on Big Head’s tray then swung her back into action, never missing a beat. He was so skilled that she started to feel like she might even be looking pretty good out there. Or maybe it was the shot… either way.
He whisked her around the dance floor, sending her into another dizzying spin that made her head reel, then he pulled her in tight. A little too tight. And with more strength than she would have credited his lithe figure. She pulled back against his grip to put some space between them, but he held on. Dancing was one thing. She didn’t want him to get any crazy ideas though.
As that thought passed through her mind, she felt it. A new element had entered the space, something she’d failed to notice till just then. It made all the fine hairs along the back of her neck stand up.
A chilling zing ripped through the air, sending an electrical current through the club that raised goose bumps on her skin and made her look around, frantic to see what had caused it. Her quick inspection of the club revealed only that everyone else seemed oblivious. Feeling like a basket case, she started to shrug off her paranoia as nothing more than her imagination when, from out of the mist of the club’s fountain, she saw men stepping around from behind the water.
Hadn’t there been a solid rock wall there? Where had they come from? She blinked her eyes, thinking they might be the manifestations of her tipsy state and too much flouncing around. But, when she looked again, they were still there. Was there something unsavory in that jello shot? Her mind flashed to every CSI episode she’d ever seen involving date rape drug scenarios. That was crazy though, right? Captain Big Head wouldn’t play her like that.
Her eyes continued to wander over the crowd and she saw that there were about five or six newcomers that had appeared out of thin air. They stood out because they were the most lethal looking group of men she’d ever seen. They didn’t appear to have come for the corny Caribbean theme or the dancing.
They had the look of barbarians from a long lost era and wore weird clothes that made her think of old-time swashbucklers. Sorry Big Head, she thought, you’ve got nothing on these guys. They’re the real deal.
When they started to move through the crowd, it was with a kind of cosmic force that made her want to run and hide under the nearest table. No one else seemed to pay them any mind though. Maybe they were just actors off of one of the pirate schooners that gave tourist cruises in the bay, Cindy thought. The fierce intensity that was radiating off of them was anything but lighthearted though.
Then her eyes caught on him. Tall, broad shouldered, dark hair swept back from chiseled features and tanned skin. His clear blue eyes scanned the room in an assessing gaze like a deadly assassin honing in on his mark. That shouldn’t be at all hot—damn romance novels—she really needed to get a grip on reality here! Cindy blinked as a wave of lightheadedness came over her. Then the man started to move and something flipped way down deep in her stomach. He walked through the crowd with purpose. This guy was no cruise ship performer and he was headed straight for her!
She shook off Enrique’s hold, breaking away from him. Her intent was to grab Marley then high-tailing it out of there. The look on her dance partner’s face told her that he probably thought she was insane, which confirmed her fear that she was the only one with any misgivings about the fearsome group that had just appeared from out of nowhere. She didn’t care, her feelings were too strong to ignore and she was determined to make her escape before she had the chance to find out why those men gave her the creeps so bad.
Weaving through the crowd proved more difficult than she’d hoped though. She ducked and dodged the best she could, but twice, she bumped into a moving body. She was jostled around the dance floor, got her toes crunched then nearly had her eye blackened by someone’s flailing arm mid cha-cha-cha. Luckily, her reflexes kicked in and she ducked just in time.
When she came back up, Big Head was bobbling right in front of her, blocking her exit. She moved to the left then to the right, trying to get around him. He mirrored her each time in an annoying game of “shall we dance.” His costume shook—a dead give-away that its occupant was laughing at her. Oh yeah, freaking hilarious. Out of the way Big Head! Finally, she managed to duck around him and her eyes lit on an opening in the crowd, she bolted towards it.
Keeping her head down, Cindy dashed across the dance floor so it wasn’t any wonder when she slammed into something. Something big and really, really hard. The collision rocked her. She flew back, bouncing to the floor. Her purse went flying off her shoulder and everything in it scattered everywhere.
She quick grabbed up her cell phone and wallet before they were ground into the floor by dancing feet.
“Are you all right miss?” A deep voice asked from directly above her.
She flipped her bangs out of her line of vision then looked up into two of the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. It was him. The barbarian deadly assassin guy from across the room was standing over her! He smiled down at her and her jaw dropped like its hinges had failed. He had one of those smiles. All male—the kind that could melt a girl’s panties clean off.
“Allow me to retrieve your items for you,” he said.
In one lithe movement, he lowered his large frame down to her level and started handing her tubes of lip gloss, pens and whatever else she’d managed to cram into her bag. He spoke with a funny accent that she couldn’t place. But, damn, was it sexy.
“Thanks,” Cindy said, struggling to wrangle everything back into her purse. She was all thumbs with him looking at her.
“Sorry I rammed into you. I didn’t see you standing there.”
In retrospect, she couldn’t see how she’d missed him. The man was a veritable mountain. He wore black pants and a shirt that was open nearly to his waist, revealing a rippling set of abs like some kind of hero pirate. Was that how guys dressed here in Miami? She’d never leave.
“No harm done, I can assure you,” he said in that strange, smooth voice he had as he helped her to her feet.
He lifted her up, his hands on her arms. The contact sent a shockwave skittering through her, much like the one she’d felt a moment ago when she’d first noticed him. The feeling was even more intense this time though. It made her all her insides melt immediately like heated honey. The charge left her dazed and she staggered back a step. The man’s hands tightened, catching her up close to his hard body to steady her.
Cindy’s breath caught in her throat. Her cheeks went hot. He had the air of a man who knew he had a certain effect on women and she was already embarrassed that she’d knocked into him in the first place. A knowing smile swept across his full lips, those impossibly blue eyes lighting up.
“Are you all right then?” he asked.
He released his hold on her arms then, making it possible for her to breathe again. He hadn’t stepped away from her yet though so she still had to crane her neck to look up at him when she nodded.
“I-I’m fine,” she said, her voice breathy, “thank you.”
Sounds of commotion from across the dance area made them both turn to look. A fight was breaking out on the other side of the bar. The mysterious pirate Adonis turned back to her. He grabbed her wrist, holding her gaze for one brief moment. She stood paralyzed in his grasp. The yelling got louder though and, finally, he shook his head and released her.
“Good evening then miss,” he said in another hot rumble that made all the muscles in her lower region tighten. Then he nodded a brisk excusal before rushing over to see what was going on.
It looked like his friends were causing some sort of ruckus with a group of college kids. Yeah, barbarian pirate men and college kids—probably a bad mix. Cindy stood there for a moment feeling deprived of oxygen as she watched him go. She gave herself a little shake. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t having anymore of Marley’s cocktails tonight. And no more jello shots either!
She went to find her friend so they could leave even though some hormone awakened, crazy-girl part of her soul tugged at her, wanting her to follow the sexy stranger. She ignored it, or tried to.
***
Ronan thundered across the dance floor cutting a swath through the crowd as he went to get a handle on his crew before they were all exposed. The idea of these missions was to be as inconspicuous as possible! He was loath to leave the woman behind even though the demon she’d been dancing with must have run. It amazed him how susceptible people were to the dark one’s deceptions while he could see through their glamour from a mile away.
He frowned. Her appearance made her vulnerable to the others. They were drawn to human beauty and the way she shone would be like a beacon to them.
“Cease,” Ronan roared at James once he’d made it over to his men.
His crewman had a younger man held up by the front of his shirt and it looked like he was a breath away from pummeling him.
“What goes on here?” He demanded.
Cully spoke up for the rest of the crew.
“We were just enjoying the sights, Captain. But I don’t think the lads here took too well to their women bidding us welcome to this fine establishment.”
His eyes twinkled with mischief. Ronan knew he’d better put a stop to any ideas his five man crew might have about fighting with the locals tonight. Things had changed in this world far more than he could have imagined since his last “visit.” The men of this era didn’t look all that sturdy from what Ronan could tell.
“Put the child down, James. We don’t want any trouble,” Ronan ordered.
James complied in good humor, even straightened the scrawny man’s shirt front for him.
“Child!” The lad objected. “This is bullshit!”
Smirks on the surrounding females’ faces hinted that they agreed with Ronan’s appraisal of their male company. Especially, when compared to him and his crew. Looks of hungry feminine appreciation swept over the sailors and their captain. Ronan and his men were all well over six foot. Their muscular, seafaring builds, had been preserved through the ages while on Poseidon’s magic island of immortality.
The small male’s friends started to grow more agitated. This wasn’t going to end well. Ronan let out an imperceptible sigh of irritation over the fact. At least the non-humans that were in the club were steering clear.
Unfortunately, the trouble had attracted the attention of two lumbering buffoons in matching shirts who’d come from inside the building. The pair quickly made their way over to the scene of the disturbance.
“Party’s over!” the first of the two yelled out over the music. “Everybody out, before we throw you out!”
The second brute put his hands on his hips to add emphasis to his partner’s demands that they all leave. A stir then ensued when the rowdy group of youngsters started to argue with the two guards. Ronan motioned to Finnegan to round the men up so they could extricate themselves from the fray then carry out their mission.
Once Finn had routed James, Bas, Cully and Will around the bickering group, Ronan turned to leave the area as discreetly as possible when he caught sight of the spritely blonde beauty again.
He was drawn to her, he couldn’t deny the attraction. When he’d touched her… he couldn’t explain it.
She waved at him frantically from across the space and something in his chest lurched with the need to reach her. As he looked across the crowd of dancers, one of the more drunken males spun wildly out of control right in front of her, crashing into the small table where she stood. The look of shock on her face as she jumped out of the way made the curse of the beast inside Ronan roar to life again. Not with the need to attack, but to protect. His mission for Poseidon forgotten, all he could think of was saving her from the recklessness of this place and the dark spirits here.
Even as he started forward, she brushed at some green froth that had landed on her skirt. Then she shrugged and smiled up at him. Her short golden curls bobbed in disarray as she waved at him once again. What an enchanting little chit. No wonder he found her so intriguing.
He’d definitely enjoyed the feel of her supple body in his hands a moment ago. Under different circumstances, he wouldn’t mind… his thoughts came up short when he noticed what she had in her hand. She was holding up the copper vile that held the elixir he’d brought to earth for the sea god! He must have dropped it when he’d helped her collect her things off the floor. He’d stood there so spellbound by her that he hadn’t even noticed the charm’s absence. Gods! Could this undertaking get any more botched?
Apparently so, because, at that point, the puny male with the big mouth called out.
“Hey, they’re getting away!”
The statement came fully accompanied with finger pointing and foot stamping as he yelled in the direction of Ronan’s crew. Ronan’s eyes shot skyward in aggravation. There’d be no help from up there though, of that he was sure.
The two brutes from the tavern pounded across the sand then one of them took it upon himself to grab hold of Bas’s arm. An astonishingly brave, Ronan noted, since Bas was a giant with not an altogether friendly look about him. He barely had time to finish that thought though before Bas caught the unsuspecting guard with a fist to the chin that sent him sprawling in the sand.
“Right,” Ronan said under his breath.
From there, the fight was on. He watched in annoyed dismay as the entire crowd around him broke into a brawl. He thought of the woman and searched the area, hoping she was out of harm’s way.
More matching shirts spilled out of the building to set upon him and his crew. Unfortunately for them, the ex-shipmates had a tendency to grow restless, trapped in time as they were. They were more than willing to oblige any eager sparring partners. This was no time for fun and games though. As much as he might like to take part in a good row right about now, he had to get the elixir back. If this mission wasn’t a success, he and his crew would answer to Poseidon for it.
He started in the direction he’d last seen the woman to retrieve the vile from her when something slammed across his back. He turned to find one of the hooligans from the group that had started all this trouble standing there holding a splintered chair. Ronan straightened to his full height and glared at his attacker right before he hoisted him off the ground and flung him across the floor. From there on, he had to fight his way through the crowd, ducking flying objects, landing punches and hurling assailants.
Even though he was out of patience, he made sure he didn’t deal the bar’s patrons any lasting damage. Since being trapped on the sea god’s island, he’d vowed to reserve all real fights for enemies of the supernatural kind. Once he’d cleared a path, he looked back to take stock of how his men were faring this mad scene.
He spotted them across the dance floor by the fountain. They looked none the worse for wear and had pretty much laid waste to the entire bar from what he could tell. His main worry was that they’d all be apprehended and detained. Their being locked in shackles here on earth would cause more than just a little suspicion among the humans when they all died by way of instantaneous old age and disintegrated from Thema’s curse.
All of the other occasions Ronan had “surfaced,” things had gone off without a hitch, but the world hadn’t been nearly so crowded then. In this present age, it was proving much harder to fit in with the masses.
The Olympian he was here to meet with must have been finding it equally as difficult because, whoever had been chosen to collect the elixir and bring the amulet Poseidon wanted, had yet to make an appearance. The way things stood at the moment, Ronan had no vile to exchange and no amulet carrying Olympian in sight.
Flashing lights came from outside the front of the tavern. New voices could be heard. He picked his way across the floor, through slumped bodies and broken articles. When he made it to the fountain, he saw Finn’s scowling face before him.
“We have to get out of here, now, Ronan. I can hear reinforcements coming. We don’t want to be caught in the middle of this mess!”
“You all go,” Ronan said, “I lost the vile.”
Finn’s eyes rounded.
“I don’t know how, but I dropped it and a wench grabbed it. I have to retrieve it from her to make the exchange.”
“We saw no courier,” Will chimed in from the back, “the Olympians haven’t lived up to their side of the bargain.”
“Be that as it may, I can’t leave a trinket of the gods to float about in the mortal world. We don’t know what kind of repercussions that could bring—knowing the gods, nothing good. You all go, before it’s too late. I won’t be far behind.”
His crew exchanged looks of concern, not liking the idea of leaving their Captain behind. Finally, Finn nodded to them, then met Ronan’s eyes.
“You haven’t much time before the curse takes full effect,” he warned.
Ronan acknowledged the statement with a nod.
“Hurry your arse up then and don’t get caught. The people of this time are a frenzied lot. The Tides will close in a few hours and that Nereid bitch, Thema, won’t be inclined to go back on her promise of death.”
“I’ll be quick.” Ronan said. “Now, be gone you red devil!” He grinned to put Finn at ease. “I’ll see you on the island, shortly.”
With that, he clapped the Irishman on the back then sent him and his crew through the portal that was invisible to the untrained eye, hidden in the mist between the man-made fountain and the rocky wall of the club.
We hope you are enjoying the book so far. To continue reading...
Copyright © 2024 All Rights Reserved
Please log in to recommend or discuss...
