ASHTON PICKED UP his cell phone as his family traveled to the airport to head back to England. His mother, Filene, sniffled and wiped her nose, still crying over her daughter’s murder. She faced one window; his father, Charles, faced the other with not a tear in his eyes. One fist was clenched tight against his lap, the other against his mouth as he leaned on the car door.

The text was from one of his spies in the field. “Asset one is under surveillance, asset two and three are located. Retrieval set. Assistance needed. Chicago.”

Bloody hell, they’d found them. Satisfaction coursed through his veins. He would have a teleporter again. His trackers and spies had been watching the compound of Evander Castille for years; waiting, observing. Up until recently, the compound—which housed a clinic for muddy-blooded Olympians—had only hosted a few Thracians and people coming to the clinic. In the last couple months, the number of Thracian guards had increased and a maid reported two women—twins—taking up residence in the mansion. One was working in the clinic, the other was Evander’s toy.

Ashton didn’t care about the healer. Paeans were fairly easy to find. The other one, however, intrigued him. His spies were everywhere, including inside Evander’s home. A maid, whose son was taken as leverage, had reported seeing the one girl disappear out of thin air, taking Evander with her. Later, they reappeared with wet hair and sand on their clothing, laughing about palm trees and margaritas.

He sent back a text to his man in Chicago. “Will arrive shortly. Prepare.” Instead of heading straight overseas, he would have to make a pit stop.

“I need to go visit some of Salina’s friends. They should hear the truth from me. I’ll be home as soon as I can be.”

“Salina had friends?” Charles said on top of his mother’s, “They will be devastated.”

Filene glared at her husband. “Of course Salina had friends, or followers, I should say. People all over the globe loved our daughter. It’s fitting for her brother to console them.” She gave Ashton a tight, tear-filled smile. “That’s kind of you, son. Perhaps you can rally support to our family.”

“For what?” Charles snapped. “To our cause? What cause? Our daughter defied the gods, cursed and mocked them, murdered my best friend, and paid the price for her sins. The only cause people should be rallying to is the cause of the gods. Our family should be begging their mercy.”

“Mercy?” Filene’s voice was a hoarse screech. She slapped her fist on the leather seat. “Where was the gods’ mercy today, Charles? Where? Our daughter is dead. Our little girl is gone, and Ryse Castille killed her. You know how she loved him. From the time she was a child, she followed him around, pining for him all her life, and he betrayed her.” Filene covered her face with a handkerchief and cried. “They betrayed us all.”

Charles sighed and turned back to the passing cityscape. “You’re in shock. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

Ashton sat quietly during the argument. The seeds of hate for the Castilles were planted nice and deep within his mother. With a little cultivation, they would grow fast and mighty.

“Okay then,” he said, breaking the awkward silence. “I’ll meet you both at home.”

Not another word was said until his parents boarded a private jet to New York, then England, and he boarded a private plane to Chicago. This flight was off the books.

“Xavier.” Ashton snapped his fingers. The seasoned warrior came to the back of the plane and sat in one of the leather seats, facing his prince. “Did you speak to your son before you left?”

Thin lips pursed. His sand-colored eyes narrowed. “Briefly. Dante was positioned so far up Ryse’s arse, I didn’t get much of a chance, and then he had that Oracle at his side.”

Ashton sat with his legs crossed at the knees. He rolled up his sleeves and loosened the collar of his shirt. “And what do you think about that?”

“A reject Thracian would attract a reject Oracle.” He shrugged it off and leaned back to mirror Ashton’s casual position. “If she were of importance, she’d be in Delphi with the other smoke-headed nutcases.”

“What about the fact that Apollo himself healed your son?”

Xavier’s bushy salt-and-pepper-colored brows dipped low. “Have you suddenly taken a liking to the boy? If you think he has value, I’ll permit him—”

“No, no.” Ashton waved off the idea. “I don’t need him. Like you said, he’s tied up with the Castilles now. What I’m trying to determine is your…” He searched for the right word before he met Xavier’s eyes again. “…sentimentality towards him.”

“You are my master.”

Ashton leaned over and put his elbows on his knees. “They killed my sister, Xavier. Do you understand what position they’ve put me in?”

“Yes,” the older man growled.

“You fancied Salina, didn’t you? I know she visited you more than once…privately.”

The truth was written all over Xavier’s face. His tense jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Ashton was no fool and he kept abreast of all his sister’s activities, especially when they involved Xavier. The General didn’t necessarily love Salina, but he enjoyed her company and her unique brand of pleasures. As much as she spread her legs for anyone, Salina had a preference for Xavier too.

“Don’t worry, old man.” Ashton smirked. “She told me you were her choice if Father ever forced her to marry.”

A single brow raised on Xavier’s forehead. “And my current wife?”

“She doesn’t have to know,” said Ashton. “I would’ve made it happen, but since it’s not an option now, your wife doesn’t need to know anything. I know her interests do not align with ours, but divorce is ugly, even in our world, and it’s not like you’re mated like Deities.”

Xavier took a deep breath and turned to face the window. “I have more evolved appetites now. Elaine gave me many daughters and finally one son who is less than acceptable. She was good for a time, but her season is over.”

“I’m glad we are on the same page, Xavier. I can promise you, when I rule all of the Olympians on this planet, you will be my General, not Gaston. He is loyal to my father and he will remain with him. I need my own men. I need you. You have my word.”

Xavier’s eyes lit with ambition. “I will serve by your side, sire. Anything you ask, I will do.”

Gotcha. Xavier was ripe for the picking. His desire for power was his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.

“And your other children?” Ashton tilted his head to the side as Xavier squirmed in his seat.

“Daughters. What does a soldier need with daughters?” He swallowed hard, the only sign that he might be worried about his children.

Ashton drummed his fingers on his knee, making sure his body language conveyed exactly what he wanted it to. “I think we need to protect them.” Xavier’s shoulders relaxed fractionally and Ashton continued, “If you are my General, your daughters will be targets. You love them, old man. Any red-blooded male should be proud of his children. It might be easy to write off Dante, but your daughters love their father.”

Xavier had a constipated expression on his face, pinched and pained. “They would make fine wives to our soldiers. They are…well-raised women.” The fact that he wanted to hide his pride for his daughters only made them more valuable in the grand scheme of things.

Ashton chuckled. “Oh, come on. It’s me.” He gently slapped a hand against Xavier’s knee. “I know you. Loving your heirs is not a crime or a weakness. Say the word and I’ll have bodyguards on them right now. If they are special to you, they are special to me.”

It took a moment of clear indecision, but finally, Xavier gave him a thin smile. “It would set my mind at ease to know they are watched over, sire.”

“Done.” Ashton smiled brightly and leaned back in his chair, offering Xavier a flask of whiskey. “Now, let’s talk about who awaits us in Chicago.”

The two men exchanged knowing grins. Yes, Xavier was his. The Castilles had slighted him more than once by denying him Elite status and then assigning him to be the guardian of a prince and not the General of Europe. Now they’d taken away his favorite toy by murdering Salina. The love of his daughters was a weakness, for sure. Ashton wanted Xavier unattached and unencumbered by affections and loyalties aside from those he had for his prince. One way or another, he would have to prove himself.

While they were on a plane, one of Ashton’s men had already been tailing the oldest two of Xavier’s daughters for months, wiggling himself into their lives. At any moment, the man knew he could be called up to snatch the girls and use them as leverage. Ashton didn’t care about Elaine. The wife could die as far as he was concerned. The oldest girls, however, were pawns in his game, even if no one knew it yet.