AVERY NEARLY PEED herself when out of the fog appeared a ship that made their boat look like a bath toy. The gargantuan cargo ship left a wake that should’ve sent them away in a hurry. Philippe had them far enough away that the clouds still provided cover.

“Hammon?” Ryse motioned to the ship with his chin. “See anything?”

“There is a burst of Olympian magic from the starboard bow. I see one other aboard. He’s at the stern making his way forward.” Hammon pointed to the places on the ship, and good thing he did, because Avery didn’t speak sailor.

“Threat level?”

“Low. He’s a water power, but not a very strong one. Nothing compared to Philippe.”

“Here’s what we do: Hammon, Avery, Keona, and I will board the ship, find the girl, and radio back.”

“I should go.” Dante stepped forward “At least according to your mother.”

“I can’t teleport you up there.” Keona wasn’t focused on him. Her eyes were glued to the ship.

“No, but you can teleport Hammon’s staff and I can hold it.”

He’d figured out his loophole and now there was no reason for him not to be there.

“Same principle as the boat; let’s do it. I think I see an opening.”

Avery and Ryse touched Keona’s arm, Hammon handed her his staff, then touched her elbow. Dante gripped the staff.

Being in direct contact with her was much easier than the boat had been. Within the space of two heartbeats, she stood on the deck of the cargo ship. Ryse ushered all of them behind one row of the containers and they crouched down.

There were no voices coming from the ship, just eerie silence. “D’you think they know we’re here?”

Ryse shook his head. “Look.”

Avery’s eyes couldn’t pierce the fog to see the motorboat, though she knew it was there.

They moved quietly down the row of containers and crouched down before crossing an open area. Hammon signaled the clear for them to cross and keep moving. With each row of containers they passed, the powerful aura grew and strengthened.

Along with the clean, crisp, bright aura that she assumed was Piper, there was an evil one.

The familiarity of it made her nauseous. It took her right back to that night at her house when the red-scaled monster ruined her life.

The bright aura faded and Keona gasped. “Something’s wrong. We have to hurry.” She picked up the pace and Avery stayed right behind her.

“Wait,” Ryse pinned them both to the side of the container. “Listen.”

Avery’s heart thudded in her chest as the whirling rotors of a helicopter approached.

“Hurry.” Hammon led the way to the final stack of shipping containers.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The sidewall of the bottom crate bulged out with each thundering bang. With the fourth boom, a bloodied fist burst through the galvanized steel.

“Thracian,” Ryse said as he took the lead. He spoke into the hole. “This is Ryse Castille. Name yourself.”

“Master,” the man cried out with relief. “I’m Cain, a servant of your cousin, Evander. I have a Divine Grace here, Master, and the one they called the Prophet.”

“Back up, soldier.” Ryse held out his hand and the sword of Ares materialized, one of the gifts from the gods. He raised the sword and brought it down, slicing through the steel like butter.

Ryse handed off his sword, then used his bare hands to pull back the sides of the container.

“I hope he’s gentler in bed,” Keona said with wide eyes, her aura rippling with a hint of awe. She jumped into the container without a care of what might await her. “Piper! Cain!” Keona ran to her sister and picked her up. “I’m taking them to the boat.”

“Go.” Ryse didn’t hesitate.

The three of them blinked out as the helicopter whizzed overhead and turned to face the container, blowing water and air all around.

“Ashton,” snarled Ryse. He stood in the opening, the ocean spread out before him, and Ashton’s helicopter hovering right in front.

The guns on the helicopter aimed in their direction.

Avery stood beside her mate, her hands already flaming with fire. He wasn’t about to get to Keona or Piper again.

“Father?” Dante’s jaw tensed as he saw Xavier sitting in the pilot seat. “That bastard.”

Behind them, chains rattled and Avery turned to see the Prophet, or at least, that was what she thought it was.

“I’ve got him.” Dante grabbed him by the neck.

“Dante, no.” Her heart nearly burst apart in her chest

“He must die. It’s why I’m here.” Dante wrestled the man into a chokehold. His gift of canceling powers made the man weak as a baby. He brought the demon spawn to the edge of the container for Ashton to see. “Set him on fire.”

“You’re holding him. I can’t do that,” Avery said out of the side of her mouth.

“Yes, you can. Trust me and if not me, trust Lysandra.”

Avery held up a flaming hand and pointed it at the screaming lizard man. He cussed and kicked, fought and screamed, but he was no match for Dante.

Ashton held up a hand and Ryse groaned in pain. “Do it fast.”

As much as she wanted to help her mate, Ares would protect him. Ashton might think he was a match for Ryse, but he wasn’t, not by a long shot.

Ryse used his sword as a shield, deflecting the bullets with lightning speed. Ryse tried his hardest to cover them all, but bullets sprayed the side of the ship and the container in all directions.

If she was going to kill this demon, she had to do it now.

“This is for Frank.” Avery pressed her hand over his mouth and sent her fire right down his throat. He burst into flames from the inside out, pushing Dante backwards, right into the opening of the container. Dante went down, two blooms of red coming from his chest. He fell into the back wall, out in the open.

“No!” Avery lunged for him as a bullet hit her left arm and she fell back for cover. “Dang it.”

Ryse’s body crumpled, his arms shaking as he tried to combat Ashton’s attack.

Avery dodged another spray of bullets, then leaned out the door hole and sent flames streaming towards the engines of the helicopter. She pelted the rotors with fireballs until it spun out of control.

“We have to jump,” Ryse screamed, grabbing Dante with one hand and her with the other. They took a running leap out of the container and off the side of the ship. The last thing she heard before she hit the water was the helicopter smashing into the containers.