How to Worship a Goddess (25 page)

“Lucy! You've got to come quick.”

Fear coated his words, digging into her with sharp talons. Brandon turned as she scrambled to finish buttoning her jeans.

“What's wrong? Sal, what is it?”

The
salbinelli
skidded to a stop in front of her, his hooves scratching the wood floor in his haste.

“Attack at the village.
Tukhulkha
demon. Several injuries. Cole's already sent a team including Kyle and the
sicari
.”

An ice shaft plunged directly into her heart. She might have fallen over if not for Brandon, who wrapped an arm around her waist and plastered himself to her back. She appreciated the solidity of him because her body went boneless with fear.

“I can send you and Brandon directly to the bar.” Sal had already begun to draw power. She felt it gathering in the air around them. “You'll be there before the cavalry but maybe your
berserkir
will be enough to scare it off again.”

“Then send us.” The firm command in Brandon's voice made her heart begin to beat again.

She nodded when Sal looked at her and he wasted no time transporting them. They arrived in the middle of a fierce battle. The fury of sound stunned Lucy for a few brief seconds as she took in the scene.

Three wolves lay on the floor of the bar, unmoving. Caeles slumped, bleeding and unconscious, barely keeping at bay the
tukhulkha
demon that'd attacked them the other night, while another demon wrestled with two other wolves.

Brandon made a move toward the two wolves and their demon but she grabbed his arm before he could get ahead of her and wade into the fight.

“Caeles. Brandon, you need to get Caeles and the injured wolves out of the fighting.”

Brandon's gaze arrowed in on her son, lying motionless on the floor. Then he looked at the others who were still fighting. Nodding, he crouched down and headed for her son.

She knew the demons had sensed her presence the moment she appeared and they hissed in unison when she headed straight for the closest.

That one's lips pulled back in a snarl that showed off its impressive sharp teeth. The venom those teeth could pump into a victim would paralyze anyone, including a deity. She had no doubt it would work on her, which was why she wouldn't get bit.

“Brian, James, go help Lidia and Trev. Casey, come here to me.”

Her wolves paused for a brief second before Brian and James took off across the room to aid the others. Casey backed up until he stood by her side. The demon facing her smiled, flipping the dagger in his hand over and over. Mocking her.

“I see you brought your new pet with you. Sorry about the others,” the demon motioned at the floor, “but they did attack us first.”

“Only after you invaded my territory.” She gave him her haughtiest glare. “You should leave now, before one or both of you meet an untimely end.”

The demon laughed. “Oh, you know I don't care about my colleague over there. We don't exactly form lasting bonds the way you sun planers do. Those of us who live in the twilight planes know we can only count on ourselves. That one is just a… convenient distraction.”

A distraction, Lucy knew, that would fight until it either died or accomplished its mission.

“What I don't understand,” the demon continued, “is why you don't just come with us? Why would you want to see your pets injured?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brandon reach Caeles. She figured Brandon would pull her son behind the bar to protect him. At least, that's what she hoped he'd do. Then stay there, out of the way so she wouldn't have to worry about him.

“They're not my pets and I don't want them to be injured. But when you attack, they defend. You should know that.”

“Yes, they came to the boy's defense quickly. And the boy put up a hell of a fight. He really did. You trained him well. Too bad it won't matter.”

“You won't take him or any others today.” Lucy made sure she kept eye contact with the demon, keeping its focus squarely on her. “And I will never go with you. You're outnumbered. You need to leave before we kill you.”

“Outnumbered?” The demon turned its head to the side and showed off those teeth in another grin. “Now that's an interesting concept, isn't it? I guess it all depends on your point of view, doesn't it?”

Lucy didn't like the sound of that. She didn't like the demon's cocky attitude or its too-comfortable stance. With a thought, she conjured her bow into her hands. Made of oak from the forests of ancient Etruria, the plain crescent bow looked exceedingly normal. But its string was made of braided hair from her own head, its accuracy unmatched and its strength legendary.

As a moon goddess, she'd had a bow in her hands since before she could remember. It was an extension of her arm, of her very senses.

If she released the cocked arrow, she had no doubt she would drive it through the demon's black heart, giving her time to cut its head from its neck and kill it.

“Ah, the fabled Titan Killer, the bow that felled Astraeus. How unimpressive it looks, but then I guess you shouldn't be deceived by looks.”

Shock blew through Lucy at the demon's matter-of-fact statement. How could it know what she'd gone to such lengths to hide? For so many years, she'd lived with the truth of what she'd done. That she'd murdered her son's father.

No one was supposed to know. No one
could
know, otherwise she would have been hunted down and dismembered by now.

The Titans may hate each other but they were like a pack of feral dogs when it came to protecting their own. If they'd even suspected what had happened with Astraeus, nothing could have saved her.

And if they knew Ty was his son… They would have killed him. The Titans allowed none of their children to live. Their offspring tended to kill them if they didn't kill them first.

Most people thought those Greek myths were just stories.

Stupid.

So how had this demon known what no one else could? And did it even matter now?

No.

The safety of her
lucani
, her sons, and Brandon were all that mattered right now. She took the shot. And watched the demon's eyes widen as it realized she had it dead to rights. In the split second it took for the arrow to reach it, the demon tried to dodge out of the way.

It was only somewhat successful. The arrow scraped a furrow along the side of the demon's head as it sprang forward, trying to get to her.

Or was it?

Instead of leaping for her, it bounded toward the bar.

Toward Brandon and Caeles.

Lucy spun to follow and caught sight of the demon just before it disappeared behind the bar.

She cried out a warning to Brandon but a second later, the demon came flying back over the bar as Brandon flung it with an animalistic snarl nearly across the room.

Blessed Mother Goddess. She hadn't truly understood what Sal had meant when he'd tried to explain how the
berserkir
had evolved beyond their animal. Brandon hadn't transformed into a bear but he'd taken on the spirit of it.

Dagger-sharp claws sprouted from his fingers, and he had dangerous-looking fangs. His body had seemed to expand and grow at least several inches. As she stood, frozen in place, he leaped over the bar, flinging himself after the demon as if he meant to tear it to pieces.

She stood there, rooted to the floor. The fighting continued all around her, the sound of it jarring and confusing. She'd nocked another arrow but couldn't shoot a demon without hitting one of her wolves or Brandon.

Brandon landed on the demon but the demon had been ready for him, rolling onto its back so it caught him with its hands and feet and pushed him back.

Brandon stumbled, knocking into the wolves who were battling the other demon and scattering them, giving the demon an opening to attack.

One of the wolves howled in pain as that demon swiped its claws across his haunch. She had to do something. Anything.

She lifted her bow but Brandon recovered and leaped back at his demon, cutting off her shot. She changed her aim but the wolves had swarmed the other demon. She couldn't get off a shot without possibly hitting a wolf.

Then she saw it. A third demon had Caeles slung over its back and had almost made it through the door to the kitchen.

“No!”

Fear pumped through her veins as she realized her inadvertent cry had warned the demon she was onto it.

It took off through the kitchen, with her in frenzied pursuit. Her only thought was to retrieve her son. She knew it was foolish. Knew it was the only thing she could do. Everyone else was engaged. It's what they'd planned all along. How could she have been so stupid?

She ran full out, but the demon outpaced her, even with Caeles bouncing on its shoulder. It headed into the forest and she lost sight of them, her breath catching in her throat painfully.

Rage bubbled and burned as the light of the sun mocked her, sapping her strength and causing her to stumble. She fell farther behind, even as she heard the howl of a wolf behind her.

She pushed back to her feet, forcing herself to continue, to follow. She couldn't lose Caeles. A black wolf caught up to her, those topaz eyes clearly marking him Kyle, Cole's lead
sicari
. The king's assassin.

“It has Caeles.” She could barely speak the words through the fear tightening her throat and the lack of breath. “Kyle, you've got to—”

Kyle raced ahead without waiting for her to finish, a streak of black among the brown tree trunks. She tried to keep up but couldn't. The damn sun's rays were overpowering her and sapping her strength. Stumbling over a tree root, she hit the trunk then fell to her knees.

More wolves were behind her but they weren't going to make it in time to help Kyle.

The ground shuddered beneath her as the demon opened a portal between the planes. She didn't have to see it happen to know that's what had happened. She felt the power it used, felt the rush of sensation and the utter terror of knowing her son had been taken. Tears streamed down her face, though she hadn't realized she was crying. Behind her, more footsteps sounded.

“Lucy!”

She turned and found herself engulfed in Brandon's embrace. Her face pressed against his chest, his arms holding her together.

“Your wolves took down one.” He spoke directly into her ear. “The other got away.”

She bit back a sob. “They took Caeles. They took my son.”

“Shit!” His voice rumbled deep in his chest, and he followed it with a growl that should have made her nervous but didn't. She looked up to find Brandon still sporting fangs and felt the prick of his claws through her clothes.

She also smelled blood and her stomach roiled. “Tinia's teat, are you injured? Brandon, let me see.”

Panic made her pull back so she could let her hands check his body from shoulders to waist. His T-shirt had several tears and so did his jeans but every cut seemed superficial.

As her hands ran over him, she felt him revert back to his natural form, almost as if the magic was leaking out of him now that the threat was gone and the adrenaline had faded.

“Lucy, calm down. I'm fine. Just a few scrapes.”

A large black wolf bounded back to their side. It yipped at them, then made a beeline back to Lucy's home.

“Come on, baby.” Brandon tugged on her hand when she didn't know quite what to do. “Let's get back. We need a plan.”

Chapter 11

“I don't believe they're going to harm him, Lady. They want you. They're going to use Caeles as leverage or bait.”

Leaning against the bar, Brandon watched Kyle with the same careful stare he'd give a rabid pit bull. The man looked calm enough, but Brandon swore he could feel the waves of deadly intent coming off the guy.

Earlier, Brand had asked Sal what
sicari
meant.

Assassin.

Yeah, Brand had absolutely no problem believing Kyle was an assassin. This guy could kill you with one hand tied behind his back before you ever realized he was in the same room. Probably with that same look on his face.

“We need to come up with a plan—”

“There will be no plan.” Lucy slashed a hand through the air in front of her. “When the demon makes contact, I will tell it I'll make the trade.”

Brand wasn't the only one who had a loud objection to that. Kyle and Sal began to argue as well. Lucy didn't appear to be listening to any of it. She only continued to stare through the front window of the bar. Around her feet, five
lucani
lay sprawled in their wolf bodies, panting and exhausted. To her left, Kyle's mate, Tam, tended to the three worst cases along with the
lucani
doctor, Dane.

The conscious wolves whined and pawed at the floor, apparently adding their two cents to Lucy's crazy plan.

“Lucy.” Brand grabbed her hand but she wouldn't look at him. “Lucy, Goddamn it,
look
at me.”

Everyone else went silent, tensing as if waiting for an explosion. And from the look on Lucy's face, maybe they were going to get one. Her anger was starting to bleed through the carefully composed mask of her face. He had a feeling that if she released her hold on that anger, she could bring down the building.

He had no trouble seeing her as a goddess in that moment. Regal and fearsome. But she was still the woman he loved.

“You can't give yourself up. I won't let you.”

Someone actually gasped. He assumed it was Tam. It sounded female. He probably should've taken that as a warning but there was no way he would let her commit suicide. And from what she'd told him, that's what would happen.

Charun would consume her and she would cease to exist. Sounded like suicide to him.

“You do not tell me what I can and cannot do.”

Wow, her voice sounded much more lethal when she spoke normally than it would have if she'd shouted. And her gaze, hell, she could cut glass with it. He didn't care. He refused to back down. She wouldn't hurt him. He just couldn't make himself believe she would. “I can if what you're planning is suicide. I refuse to lose you. Not now.”

“My life has been over for centuries.”

Shit.
Shit.
This went deeper than just Caeles's kidnapping. His chest ached as if someone had stuck a knife through it recently. Hey, whaddaya know, someone actually had. This hurt worse. Damn it, she couldn't do this to him. Not now.

“And mine only really started the night I met you.”

He hadn't meant to just blurt that out, not in front of an entire room full of people. Even if he did mean every word of it. He should've waited until he got her alone, waited until she wasn't so worried about Caeles, when she wasn't so stressed.

Shit, he really was an idiot—

She reached up to cup his cheek in one hand as she stared into his eyes, searching… For what, he didn't have a clue.

Then she sighed and shook her head as she drew back her hand. “I can't be what you want, Brandon.” Then she turned away, dismissing him between one heartbeat and the next. “Sal, Kyle, we need to talk. Outside. Now, plea—”

“Bullshit.”

Brand picked her up in his arms and headed for the stairs to the second floor. He expected her to scream and yell. To beat on him with her fists while she called him names. Instead, she went deadly still and silent.

He took the stairs two at a time, vaguely realizing that he barely felt her weight. What he did feel was her stone-cold fury. And he knew it was about to break all over him. Yeah, he'd probably broken about five hundred rules of goddess etiquette, especially considering he'd just defied her then snatched her up and stormed out of a room filled with her worshippers. He didn't care. He couldn't lose her. Not now.

When he reached the living room, he set her on the couch then stood in front of her, waiting.

“Lucy.”

She lifted her gaze from the hole she'd been burning in the wall to his left and he nearly took a step back. Jesus, she looked ready to kill. As if she didn't know or care who he was. Only that he stood against her.

“You can't give yourself over to the demon. It's suicide.”

She didn't answer this time. Only stared at him with that burning gaze.

And fear began to ice his blood. Not fear that she'd hurt him, although she looked like she could tear him limb from limb. No, he feared he wouldn't be able to reach her and he'd lose her to the grief he saw in her eyes. That she'd actually go forward with her plan and he'd never see her again.

Christ, he'd just met her. He'd had four fucking days with her and he wanted at least another hundred years, if not an eternity. He knew they didn't have forever. Knew she would still be here when he was long gone, but… Fuck, it hurt that she wouldn't fight, at least just a little bit, to be here with him.

“There has to be another way, Lucy. Or did you not mean what you said? Don't you love me?”

She didn't answer, and he felt that vise on his chest crank a little tighter. Alright, he'd try another angle.

“Do you think this is what Caeles would want you to do?”

Apparently he'd said the magic word because he saw the first crack in her composure as her eyes narrowed.

“You don't have any idea what Caeles would want me to do.”

“No, but I know I wouldn't want my mother to give up her life without at least a little bit of a fight.”

She took a moment, as if to collect her thoughts. And when she finally spoke, her tone was precise and refined. “When I took Caeles into my heart, into my home, I promised that I would never abandon him. I won't leave him to be tormented and abused by a
tukhulkha
demon. Or to spend an eternity tormented in Aitás by Charun. My days are numbered. The countdown started nineteen years ago. I was just too arrogant and foolish to realize what that meant.”

Brand shook his head. “What happened nineteen years ago? Tell me what you're talking about, Lucy. Please.”

She shook her head, though he didn't think she was telling him no because she continued. “I didn't realize at first, and then when I finally saw what was right in front of my face, I still refused to believe.”

“Believe what?”

Her eyes closed and he finally saw some of molten anger slip away. But it was leaving an aching vulnerability in its wake. And that cut him to the bone.

“That I was truly obsolete.”

“Lucy—”

“Nineteen years ago, my replacement was born.”

He blinked, unsure she'd said what he thought she said. “Did you say replacement?”

She continued on as if she hadn't heard him. “My
lucani
are strong enough without me and the
Enu
and
Fata
no longer need a goddess to control the course of the moon. But nature has its own plan and when one tree dies and falls to the ground in the forest, another springs forth.”

He tried to sift through the meaning behind her words, tried to understand what she was saying, but he was still missing pieces. He did know one thing, though. “Your people love you.”

“They worship me out of habit.” She spat the last word like a curse. “I do not want to be a habit.”

“They respect you. They look to you for guidance—”

“I am useless!” The fury was back and it was directed inward. “I've been kidding myself for decades, for centuries. It's time to stop. And it's time to do what I should have done when the girl was born.”

“Lucy, come on. Just talk to me. Explain to me what you're talking about so I understand. Don't shut me out now. Not now.”

With a shuddering breath, she finally looked at him, really looked at him. “The girl, Catene. When she was born, I knew, but I didn't want to believe. Now, I can't ignore the signs any longer. It's time to transfer my remaining powers to her so she can lead the
lucani
through the next age. She's always been meant for Ty. It's time to make her place official.

“And when we transfer my power, I'll be useless to Charun. But the demon won't know that, of course, and it will trade me for Caeles. Caeles will be freed.”

“And you'll be gone.”

She shrugged as if her fate didn't matter. Christ, he swore he felt her slipping away from him with every second.

“Does Cat get a say in any of this?”

“Catene knows. Even if she's never said anything, she knows there's something special about her. And even if she doesn't know exactly what it is, she knows her future is with Ty. Even if he refuses to acknowledge it.”

“So you're just gonna push this on her, whether she wants it or not?”

He saw the trace of anguish that flashed through Lucy's eyes before she blinked it away. “She understands duty, Brandon. She loves her people. She'll make a damn fine goddess. And I will save my son.”

He understood where she was coming from. Christ, it all made perfect fucking sense now. Except the part where he lost her forever. That part made no fucking sense at all.

“There's gotta be another way, Lucy.” He reached for her shoulders, felt the warm heat of her body seep into his and wanted to shake her until she understood. He couldn't lose her. “I need you to fight because I don't want to live without you.”

Her gaze softened as she stared into his eyes, changing from hard silver to a liquid gray that drew him closer, drew his lips down to her to kiss her with an increasing desperation.

Her hands cupped his jaw as he slanted his mouth to get a better angle, to let him slip his tongue deeper into her mouth and suck in her essence. She let him take what he wanted, let him ravage her mouth, which just made him even more desperate. He swore he felt her slipping through his fingers already.

“Lucy, please—”

She laid her finger over his lips, shutting off his pleas. “Sal is coming up the stairs. I need to speak to Catene. Kyle will fight me on this and I can't blame him. But even he understands destiny. And this is Catene's destiny, which I've denied her for too long.”

“Fine, do whatever you need to do with Cat. I'm not saying don't do it. But please, Lucy. Don't just toss your life away like it no longer means anything.”

“If I can secure Caeles's safe release, that will not be throwing away my life.”

Frustration had him grinding his back teeth together. “Fine, I get that. I understand. But what if we can find another way? What if we can find a way that doesn't involve certain death for you?”

Her lips tilted in a semblance of a smile. “I'm willing to entertain ideas. But I won't allow Caeles to be harmed.”

Brandon felt like he'd been given a reprieve from a death sentence.

“Great, that's great. Then let's talk to Sal and figure this out.”

“Yes. Then I have a long-overdue conversation to hold.”

***

“When do you want to perform the ritual?”

Lucy blinked, unsure if she'd heard Catene correctly. Then she took a hard look at the girl.

Her clear, bright gaze stared back, a little fear but no outright terror in her expression, nor confusion over what was to happen. Lucy looked down at the girl's hands, found them steady and still on her thighs.

Kyle had delivered Catene ten minutes ago, his expression so dark, Lucy had felt Brandon stiffen beside her. She knew Kyle wouldn't hurt her but he could be persuaded to take out his frustration on the nearest punching bag. Right now, she knew Brandon would be happy to oblige. They could kill each other if they weren't careful. Kyle's wolf was so close to the surface and Brandon's
berserkir
was so new to him.

Just another worry to add to the growing list. Which included Cat's confounding reaction.

“Catene, are you sure you understand what I'm saying? If we do this, you become the repository of my power for the Etruscan people. You will take over the mantle of the moon goddess and all the responsibilities inherent.”

“Will I be a goddess?”

“Yes, for all intents and purposes. At least, that's what I believe. I don't know what will happen. This has never been done before.”

“Then how do you know this is what's meant to be?”

Cat's question held no aggression or fear, just plain and simple curiosity.

Lucy just shook her head. “I've known since the moment of your birth. I can't explain it any better than that. Just as I think you've always known you were meant to be more than a
lucani
with
strega
powers.”

Cat's gaze slid to her father, Kyle, who'd shoved himself in a dark corner and seemed to be holding himself there through sheer force of will, before recapturing Lucy's.

“Yes.” Her voice dropped to just above a whisper. “I've known for a few years. I just didn't completely understand.”

And she'd had no one to talk to about it. Lucy had avoided the subject completely and Ty had distanced himself as she'd grown from adorable child to enticing teenager.

The girl hadn't wanted to upset her parents by telling them what she'd suspected. How do you tell the parents you adore that you'd been born to become the new Goddess of the Moon? That the powers she controlled would only get stronger, as she faced an uncertain future as a goddess in a world where deities were myths and her own people might not really need her anymore?