Chapter 2 The God of War Arrives
The second man was built like a warrior from some ancient myth, all broad shoulders and lethal grace.
He landed in a crouch amid the shattered glass, and when he straightened to his full height, I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. They were amber, almost gold, and they locked onto me with an intensity that made my breath catch. Blood dripped from a cut on his jaw, but he didn't seem to notice or care. His dark hair was pulled back in a knot, and he wore combat boots and a leather jacket that had seen better days. Everything about him screamed danger.
"Step away from her, Jeron," the newcomer growled, his voice rough like gravel and smoke.
Jeron moved between us so fast I barely saw him move, his coat billowing around him like living darkness. "She's under my protection, Kael. Leave. Now."
Kael. So this was another one. Another god. Another impossibility crashing into my life on the same day I turned twenty-three. The coincidence would have been funny if I wasn't currently trapped between two beings who looked ready to tear each other apart.
"Your protection?" Kael laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You were sent to kill her. We both know the Council's orders."
"Plans change," Jeron said coolly.
"Yeah, they do." Kael's gaze slid past Jeron to me, and the hunger in that look made heat crawl up my spine. "The second I saw her, I knew. She's mine."
"She's no one's," I snapped, finding my voice even though my legs felt like water. "And both of you need to get out of my workspace before I call the cops."
Both men turned to stare at me like I'd just suggested we all hold hands and sing. Then Kael smiled, slow and devastating, and my traitorous heart did something stupid in my chest.
"She's got fire," he said, approval warming his tone. "I like that."
"Athena," Jeron said, and there was an edge of warning in his voice. "This isn't a joke. Kael is the God of War. He doesn't negotiate. He takes what he wants."
"And what I want," Kael said, taking a step forward, "is her."
Jeron's hand shot out, shadows coalescing into something solid and sharp. "Over my dead body."
"That can be arranged." Kael's fists ignited with crimson light, and the temperature in the room spiked. The air itself seemed to vibrate with violence about to happen.
I did the only thing that made sense in that moment. I grabbed the nearest heavy object, which happened to be a nineteenth-century bookbinding press, and threw it at both of them.
The press flew through the air with more force than should have been possible, and both gods had to dodge. It crashed into the wall, leaving a dent in the plaster. For a second, everyone froze. I stared at my hands, which were tingling with an energy I'd never felt before. What the hell had I just done? That press weighed at least forty pounds.
"She's awakening," Jeron said quietly, something that sounded like awe creeping into his voice.
"Good." Kael's smile widened. "That makes things more interesting."
"Both of you, stop," I said, and my voice came out stronger than I felt. "I don't know what's happening, I don't understand any of this, but I'm not going anywhere with either of you until someone tells me the truth."
Kael and Jeron exchanged a look that held centuries of rivalry and grudging respect. Then Jeron sighed, a sound so human it surprised me coming from someone who'd just materialized out of shadows.
"Fine," he said. "But we can't do this here. The wards around this building are failing. Others will sense you soon."
"Others?" I hated how small my voice sounded.
"Hunters," Kael supplied, his expression going grim. "Void creatures. Other gods who want you dead. Take your pick, princess."
"Don't call me princess," I said automatically.
His grin returned. "What should I call you, then?"
"How about nothing, since you're leaving?" I crossed my arms, trying to project confidence I absolutely didn't feel. My whole world had just shattered like that window, and these two were acting like this was normal. Like gods and hunters and impossible power were just another Tuesday.
Jeron moved closer, and I tensed, but he stopped just outside my personal space. Up close, I could see that his eyes weren't completely black. There were flecks of silver in them, like stars in a night sky. When he spoke, his voice was softer than before.
"Your name is Athena. You're twenty-three years old today. You've spent your entire life feeling like you don't belong anywhere, like you're waiting for something you can't name." He paused. "You have nightmares about burning cities and shadows hunting you."
My breath caught. "How do you know that?"
"Because I've been watching you," Jeron said simply. "From a distance. Making sure you stayed hidden until today."
The admission should have terrified me. Instead, I felt something else entirely. Recognition. Like some part of me had always known someone was out there, keeping watch. I shook my head, trying to clear the strange fog settling over my thoughts.
"That's creepy, not romantic," I managed.
Kael snorted. "I like her."
"You don't get a vote," Jeron said without looking at him.
"Actually, I think she does." Kael moved to my other side, and suddenly I was flanked by two gods who were both staring at me like I was the answer to a question they'd been asking for centuries. "Athena, right? Pretty name. Listen, I know this is a lot. Trust me, I get it. But Jeron's right about one thing. You're not safe here."
"I'm not safe anywhere, apparently," I shot back. "So why should I trust either of you?"
"Because we're your mates," Kael said, like that explained everything.
I blinked. "My what?"
"Fated mates," Jeron clarified, though his jaw was tight like the words cost him something. "It's a bond between gods. Rare. Unbreakable. When you touched me, you felt it."
I had felt it. That surge of power and connection, like every cell in my body recognized him. I didn't want to think about what that meant, didn't want to acknowledge the same pull I felt standing between them now. It was insane. Impossible. Real.
"This is insane," I said out loud.
"Welcome to your new reality," Kael said cheerfully.
A sound echoed from somewhere in the building. Something between a howl and a screech that made every hair on my body stand on end. Both gods went instantly alert, their casual postures transforming into predatory readiness. Jeron's shadows thickened around him, and Kael's hands ignited again with that crimson light.
"We're out of time," Jeron said. "Athena, I know you don't trust us. I know this is terrifying. But those things coming for you? They won't give you a choice. They'll rip you apart before you can scream."
"And we're not going to let that happen," Kael added, his voice dropping into something deadly serious. "So you can come with us willingly, or I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here. Your call, princess."
I wanted to argue. I wanted to demand more answers, more proof, more time to process. But that sound came again, closer now, and with it came a smell like rot and sulfur. My instincts, the same ones that had been screaming at me all morning, made the decision for me.
"Fine," I said. "But if either of you tries anything, I'm throwing more than a bookbinding press."
Kael's grin was fierce and approving. "Noted."
Jeron held out his hand. "Stay close to me. Don't let go no matter what you see."
I looked at his hand, at the shadows curling around his fingers like living things, and knew that taking it would change everything. There would be no going back to my quiet life of books and routine. No more pretending I was normal. Whatever I was, whatever this power inside me was, it was waking up whether I wanted it to or not.
I took Jeron's hand.
The world dissolved into darkness and cold, and when I could see again, we were no longer in Portland.