What a Goddess Wants (26 page)

She tried for at least an hour, tossing and turning in the bed. But she couldn’t get her brain to shut off enough to allow her to rest. She kept thinking about Cal.

Was he okay? Would he be able to convince Venus to give him the Nectar? They didn’t even know if it would work on her. What if he’d put his life in danger for nothing?

Cal was human. Only human. Breakable. A mortal who would eventually die and leave her. As had all her human lovers. Which was why she hadn’t taken one in centuries.

“Screwed up here, didn’t you?” Her voice sounded overly loud in the silent room, as did her sigh. “And now you’re talking to yourself. Great. Just great.”

If she didn’t find something to distract herself, she was going to go crazy in here. Because now that she had time to think, she knew she couldn’t stop.

Since there was no clock, she didn’t know how long she spent waiting and worrying. She only knew it seemed like an eternity.

So when the door lock clicked open, she sighed with relief. Until X pushed through the door. His expression made her heart crash against her ribs.

“What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Aurora just texted me. We have to go. Cal’s in trouble, and you need to go claim him. She said Mercury’s gonna kill him if you don’t. She said he’s already hurt. Bad.”

X’s words were clipped and tight as he took her arm and practically pulled her out the door and down the hall. “I don’t know what the
fuck
he’s doing in the Romans’ Hamptons compound because nobody
fucking
tells me anything, but Aurora said if we don’t get there soon, he’ll be dead.”

Tessa tried to swallow but could barely get past the lump in her throat as she hurried alongside X. “He went to get Nectar for me. To help me sleep.”

“
Shit
.” X practically ripped the door to the second floor off the hinges to get it open. “We gotta hurry, Lady. Cal’s a tough son of a bitch, but he can’t put up with a beating from a god for long.”

“How are we going to get there?”

“Aurora said she’ll transport us there. I just have to call her back.”

They were running by the time they hit the first floor, even though Tessa had no idea where they were running to. When they reached the living room, X stopped and pulled out his cell phone. The seconds felt like hours as she waited for the line to connect.

“It’s X. We’re ready.”

On the other end of the phone, Tessa heard Aurora’s unusually subdued tone and worried even more. She couldn’t make out what the goddess was saying, but whatever it was, she knew it wasn’t good. X’s expression became grimmer by the second.

“I understand,” X said. “Yes. I’m sure. Do it.”

He grabbed Tessa’s hand, and before she could blink, she found herself standing in the circular foyer of a grand home.

She’d never been to the Romans’ Hamptons estate before but she never would have mistaken it for anything else.

The statues completely gave it away. The twelve life-sized marble renditions of the main Roman deities lined each side of the foyer in two half circles. Jupiter and Juno flanked the wide doorway straight ahead. Beyond, she saw a palatial-looking sitting room.

She didn’t see any living being, though, and the panic started to eat at her. She turned her head, looking for another room, looking for Cal, but saw nothing. If she had to search the entire complex, she’d do it and face whatever consequences came.

“There you are.” Aurora stepped into the opening to the next room and Tessa felt the overwhelming urge to kiss her. “We have to hurry. Your human is getting the crap kicked out of him, Thesan, and I know you’d rather he wasn’t irreparably injured.”

Aurora held out her hand and Tessa willingly took it, allowing the other goddess to lead her and X deeper into the house. She barely noticed her surroundings, only that they were gaudy. Probably expensive as all hell because the Romans did everything to excess.

That had never been the Etruscan way. The Etruscans were more level-headed, less likely to fly off the handle. More compassionate.

The Romans had a mean streak a mile wide. And Cal had walked straight into their midst. For her.

“Here.” Aurora stopped by a door midway down a hallway. “Quickly. I can’t go in or Mercury will know I helped you. Don’t show any weakness, Thesan. Mercury will use it against you. And you can’t take X with you. It will just give Mercury more ammunition. Go. Now.”

“No,” X said. “Wait, Lady—”

Without any idea of the situation she was stepping into, Tessa grabbed the cut-glass door handles, noted the buzz of power running through the handles, and pushed through.

***

Cal was damn sure he was about to go down for the last time when the door to the room opened.

He’d put up a decent fight, but the winged messenger of the Roman gods fought dirty. And Mercury drew his power from the air around him, making him damn near impossible to beat down.

Hell, the god barely looked winded and Cal was sucking air like a jet engine. Though he couldn’t feel any pain, blood ran from his mouth and from the cuts on his cheeks. His left arm had definitely been fractured; his right hand had shattered bones; and his right tibia threatened to give out at any moment.

He’d been so close to getting the hell out of there with his prize. Venus had been about to send him back to Tessa when the door to her room had burst open and Mercury had stomped through like a bull on a rampage.

Hell, the guy’s black eyes had been glowing red like a freaking B-movie demon.

Cal had barely had time to shove the small vial of Nectar Venus had given him into his back pocket before the enraged god had swung one large fist at his face. The impact had spun him around like a character in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

After that, the fight had more resembled the beating taken by Sylvester Stallone in the first
Rocky
movie. Except this wasn’t going to end in a draw.

Mercury was going to punch the shit out of him until he broke every bone in Cal’s body and his heart finally stopped beating. And the only thing Cal could think about was Tessa. If he died, X would die trying to save her and Charun would take her anyway.

So when the door opened and Mercury turned to see who would dare interrupt his fun, Cal took the opportunity to make a break for it. Not that he got far. He tripped over his feet and went down to his knees. Probably looked funny as hell. Wished he could laugh about it.

He felt even less like laughing when Tessa walked into the room. He wondered for a second if he was seeing things or if it really was her.

Yeah, she was wearing the same blue dress she’d had on when he’d left her. And it wasn’t like she looked any different than she had that morning. But there was something about her, something in the way she held herself. Her spine was rigid, her lips in a flat, straight line, her eyes cold.

She resembled Aurora more now than when he’d first seen the two of them together. It was all about the way she held herself rather than her appearance. She
looked
like a goddess about to kick some ass.

And she’d come for him. It hurt, but his lips curved in a smile.

“Touch him again, and it will take a century for your skin to grow back after I burn it off.”

Mercury turned with a snarl, lifting his arm to backhand her. Cal forced himself to his feet, even though he knew he’d be too late to save Tessa from being hit.

The bastard would pay for daring—

Mercury’s arm froze in midstrike. His eyes widened in shock, his mouth a ring of complete disbelief.

“What the fu—”

“And I really don’t want to listen to you whine,” Tessa said, “so be a dear and shut up.”

Okay, now Cal’s mouth was hanging open as much as Mercury’s. How the hell had she done that?

“Cal, you have some explaining to do, I think.” With a slight turn of her beautiful neck, Tessa glanced at him and he was stunned to see her eyes glowing as well. Her powers were in full force. “But that can wait for later. Now, it’s time for us to leave.”

“Thesan? Is that you?” Mercury’s gaze narrowed as he stared at her.

“Yes, it is, actually. Sorry for the hit-and-run visit but you have something that belongs to me and I need it back.”

Her normally warm voice had an edge of ice to it now, but it toned down Mercury’s expression from furious to curious. Hell, the guy looked happy to see her. And that was
not
something Cal wanted to think about.

“This mortal is yours?” Mercury gave Cal a glance, his lip curling in a sneer. “Are you sure you really want him back? Not much of a man, if you ask me. Can’t take a few punches.”

“Yes, well, not everyone is as perfect as you, Merc.” Her sultry smile made Mercury’s eyes narrow with lust. “Unfortunately, I need this man in one piece.”

The gaze she turned on Cal made his balls want to crawl back into his body. Hell, if he wasn’t so sure she was playing Mercury like a pro, he’d want to crawl in a corner and whimper like a whipped puppy.

“He’s only useful to me if he’s fully functional, unfortunately,” she continued. “I’m so sorry he’s been a bother. It was nice to see you again, but I’ll take him off your hands now.”

There was no mistaking where the word “mercurial” came from as the god turned on a charming smile. “Are you sure you need to leave so soon?”

With a strut like a peacock, Mercury crossed the room to sidle up to Tessa. If the guy so much as attempted to touch her, Cal would break his fingers. When he could walk again, of course.

And if Tessa smiled at Mercury one more time, he’d bust the guy’s ruggedly handsome face into itty-bitty pieces. With his good hand.

“Unfortunately, yes.” She snapped her fingers in Cal’s direction without taking her eyes off Mercury. Damn, that turned him on. Strange, but true. “I have business to attend to, and I need Caligo to complete it.”

“And what exactly do you need a Cimmerian for, Thesan?”

Cal stiffened as Venus entered the room through a door behind him.
Shit.
His stomach tightened into a hard ball of knots.

Not good.
So
not good.

Tessa turned to face the bitch goddess, and Cal worried for a brief second that Venus would chew her up and spit her out. Tessa was too sweet, too kind. She had a warm heart.

Venus had acid in her veins and a stainless-steel pump in her chest.

But when Tessa looked at Venus, Cal saw no warmth in her expression. No hint of her true personality in the cool blue of her eyes. This was the Goddess Thesan, the deity who’d been worshipped by millions, who’d commanded the sun and channeled its power for her own purposes.

It’d been easy to forget.

“For no reason that concerns you, little doll.”

Cal wasn’t the only male in the room holding his breath.

What the hell was Tessa doing? Antagonizing Venus was a fast track to getting your head bitten off. But Venus didn’t attack. Her chin tilted up slightly, as if she’d taken a hit.

What the hell?

“I only ask because your mortal may have a hidden agenda. He came to me for a… favor.” Her gaze darted to Mercury for a brief second, and Cal knew Venus wouldn’t reveal that she’d given him the Nectar. She didn’t have a death wish, and giving Nectar to mortals was a death sentence. “I wouldn’t want to see you get injured, Lady.”

Lady? Venus was calling Tessa “Lady”? Cal felt liked he’d slipped into the Twilight Zone. None of this made sense. Well, he understood why Mercury would want to hit on Tessa. The woman was gorgeous. But Venus kowtowing to Tessa?

Tessa bowed her head slightly and shrugged one perfect shoulder. “I’m sure I can handle whatever he may come up with. Now, if you don’t mind, we really need to be going. I have an appointment I can’t miss. Caligo, attend.”

She snapped her fingers in his direction again, and with a lurch, he forced himself to his feet. Just because he couldn’t feel pain didn’t mean that he didn’t realize the damage he was doing to his body. And there was a lot of fucking damage to his body. He was fairly sure he had a punctured lung and possibly kidney damage.

But he had to obey. For this plan to work, they had to walk out of here. And fast.

He made sure he was steady on his feet before he attempted to move. Wouldn’t do to keel over now. He took a step toward her. Then another and another until finally he stood next to her.

Tessa’s expression showed no sign of compassion. A sneer marred her beautiful lips. “You’d better hope your injuries don’t interfere with my plans, Caligo.”

“I’m sure they won’t, Lady.”

“Yes, well, we’ll see, won’t we? We can see ourselves out, thank you.”

Tessa turned to Venus one more time, nodded, then flashed Mercury a smile that made the god’s lips curve in a lustful smile. That Cal really wanted to wipe off his face.

Never gonna happen, buddy.

They made their way out of the room then. Tessa never looked back, and neither Mercury nor Venus followed. That was a damn good thing because Aurora was waiting for them, standing in the shadows of an alcove near the front door, which was the size of a fucking castle gate. It was barred with a thick wooden beam and black iron hinges at least a foot long.