Page 20 of Call of the Ride
Perhaps the problem is that I was born a human myself…
“You know, witch,” Nox’s rumbling voice brought me out of my thoughts. “I was finally starting to think you had some sense in that pretty little head of yours. But then you decided theswanand I should spend the day together.” Despite his grumbling, my Rider was smirking at me as he teased. Laughing, I settled into watching him outfit himself with the ease of a man accustomed to embarking on dangerous missions, although why he needed so many concealed weapons on top of his newfound powers was beyond me.
I shivered, recalling how Nox almost shot Anthia when we first met. While shifters could be injured by human weapons, their genetic makeup allowed them to heal abnormally fast, with only minimal attention from clan medics. Of course, just how Anthia would have fared against Nox’s enhanced bullets was unknown, but clearly being a demigod had its perks. The way Nox’s darkness hadpushedthe Facility’s bullet out of his body required no outside intervention and had seemingly no lasting effects.
Which only means my men are safe for now....
Marena had explained human bullets couldn’t pierce her skin—that the only way to injure a god was through something, or someone, equally powerful. Even then, gods were incapable of truly dying. My concern was whether my men being demigods still meant they were vulnerable to attack. We had no way of knowing if the bullet Nox had taken to the shoulder was the same as what his father had given him to test in the field. Unsurprisingly, no one was volunteering to be a test subject, and according to my Darkest Midnight, we should assume Matthew had already moved on to something deadlier, anyway.
Ms. Moonstone was clearly well-versed in the gods and other supernatural creatures, so she seemed the best source for gaining further insight. However, Tan was desperate to fill in the missing pieces of his own heritage, which meant he needed to visit the safe house. Asa also wanted to see Tan’s mother, and both insisted I meet Zehra as well. As time was of the essence, the only solution was for everyone to split up and regroup later on, back at the hotel.
Hence, why Nox and Anthia have been paired up for the day.
I trusted Nox to share his recent experience with Cassandra and relay anything he learned back to the rest of us. In sending Anthia along with him, I hoped my friend would open up to the seer, not only for her own benefit, but so we could all remain one step ahead of Matthew and his questionable experiments on her fellow shifters.
“Well,” I smirked up at my imposing Rider. “Ididhave the foresight to assign a chaperone for you two. Marena offered to go with you and Anthia to ensure nobody killed each other, although I suspect she has some questions for Ms. Moonstone herself.”
“What about theother one,”Anthia whispered at my elbow, her sudden appearance making me jump.
Apparently, her dislike for Jarilo is strong enough to break a vow of silence.
“Theother onewill be rummaging around the lab Vasi’s Riders attempted to infiltrate before they were ambushed!” Jarilo called from the bedroom doorway before sauntering over with an amused smirk. “Perun knows, I needsomethingto do with my hands until you let me into your love nest, swan.”
Nox scoffed. “Good luck with that one,lan,”he muttered under his breath before stealthily slipping away from the impending battle.
Anthia distastefully curled her lip. “I would sooner let yoursisterinto my bed than you,” she huffed, stepping closer to the goddess to illustrate her choice.
“I’m certain a package deal can be arranged,” Jarilo purred, undeterred. “If that’s what your heart desires.”
Rena laughed. “In your dreams, Jar! Or, rather, in the legends…” She turned to me and elaborated. “Certain tales of the god of springtime implied hesleptwith his sister, the goddess of winter’s death. According to some, we annually fall in love, with our union occurring on the summer solstice. This brings abundance, fertility and blessings to the earth, thus assuring a bountiful harvest come late summer. However,myfavorite part of the tale is where I catch my brother being unfaithful, slaughter him in a ritual sacrifice, and use pieces of his body to build a new house.” She winked at Anthia, who seemed caught off guard by the show of familiarity. “At least the man made himself useful, hmm?”
Anthia gave a shy smile in return, but Jarilo doggedly continued, “Come on, sister dearest! You know how humans get allhotand bothered by the idea of twins…”
“I am not human…!” Anthia snapped before abruptly dropping her gaze to the floor.
Oh, Anthia...
By some miracle, Jarilo let the subject drop, and I reached for Anthia’s hand so I could give it a squeeze. “Please, take care of Nox for me today, ‘Thia,” was all I said before tearing myself away from the question in her eyes and walking into the suite’s sitting room.
I found Tan and Asa going over the day’s plan with Nox, and for a moment, I simply allowed the proximity of all three men to wash over me. My Bright Dawn’s welcoming light, which had already been apparent, even before his powers were awakened. My Beautiful Sun, whose warmth burned, somehow both protectively and comfortingly. And my Darkest Midnight, with a darkness that mirrored my own, and a need for independence that did as well.
Mine.
“Ready,tutly juddah?”Tan brightly smiled, no doubt excited to see his mother. “We’ll be taking a taxi this time, since the destination isnotthe sort of neighborhood one would want to park their car in.”
“Youmudakswill be fine,” Nox rumbled as he bent to give me a searing kiss. “Our sexy Wolverine will claw-punch anyone who tries to steal your wallets.” He softly brushed his lips against mine before cupping my face in his huge hands. “Be careful, my love.”
I gasped at his words, but before I could reply, the others appeared from the bedroom, and Asa was pulling me out the door after Tan.
“Eeeeee!” Tan was practically skipping down the hallway, clapping his hands excitedly. “Did you hear that, Acey? The grumpy Russianlovesour sweet witch!”
Glancing up at Asa, I found him visibly stifling a smile. “I did. He allowed that shocking admission to slip during our stakeout...before the shit hit the fan.”
I was still trying to process what had happened when Tan scooped me into his arms to carry into the elevator. “You magical little sorceress!” He peppered me with kisses that turned increasingly more demanding as he pressed me against the wall, grinding against me. “This is why we love you—you have bewitched us all, body, soul, and dick.”
“Put her down, Tan.” Asa’s voice was firm. “And last I checked, your dick was part of your body.”
Tan shot back with a comment about how Asa was welcome to check again, anytime, but he obeyed and gently set me down. A taxi was waiting for us outside, and Tan hopped in the passenger seat as Asa and I slid into the back.
