“And a sweet expression spreads over her fair face.” ~ Sappho
The aroma of coffee tickled her nose, its sweet temptation too much for her to lie around any longer. She dragged her sorry self into the shower. Once done, she threw on some sweatpants and a t-shirt, then headed downstairs.
At the top of the stairs, she could hear Kane talking to someone on the phone. He was giving more orders to the men parked discreetly around her house and street. Her descent was slow and as her foot slid off the last stair, Kane came through from the kitchen.
“Hey, Kane.”
“Hey yourself. How are you feeling?” His gaze skittered over the length of her body.
She raised her palms outward. “What?”
“You look pale. Xen wants me to hang around, are you okay with that?”
“Sure. You know, you look tired.”
“Do you have somewhere for me to crash for a couple of hours? If not, I’ll take the couch.”
“Dibs on the couch. I’m going to park myself in front of the television. There’s a spare bedroom just through the living room. It’s all yours.”
“I appreciate that, Carissa. A couple of hours would be great. Yell your lungs out if you need anything. I’ve left some coffee and toast on the counter.”
He really was an amazing guy. Wonder if Kelly or Ligi would be interested? Stop it. Now you’re trying to do the Greek setup like your Thitsa.
“Thanks, Kane. You didn’t have to do that. I can do it myself.”
“It’s the least I can do. Plus, I heard you ruffling around upstairs.”
Damn. I forgot these guys had supersonic hearing.
“Just changing the subject, this ‘protecting the fortress’ is slightly excessive.” She let out a heavy sigh. “It’s been a few days and nothing has happened, so maybe they got the message.”
“Carissa, demons don’t base attacks on time. A strike can happen at any time. Having someone like Hal on their side is even more dangerous.” His eyes held hers and for a second, she could swear that she could see his thoughts. He didn’t need to elaborate.
“I hear you and I understand, but I think it’s safe.”
“And that’s what they want you to feel, safe. Often, when they return, they do so with a festival crowd.”
That was seriously something she did not want to hear.
“Okay, point taken. I guess you’d better get some rest. You’re no good to me if you can’t fight.”
Amusement spread across his face. “Don’t go anywhere, otherwise you’ll ruin my beauty sleep.”
She scoffed under her breath. “Like you guys need help in the beauty department.”
She headed to the kitchen and grabbed the cup of coffee that sat waiting for her. Her toast looked undercooked; she’d reheat it. As she moved over to the sink she noticed Kane’s previous attempt with the blackened evidence in the trash. The image of Kane cussing over burnt bread caused a bubble of laughter in her chest. When the toast popped, she slathered a good amount of butter on it then padded over to the couch and television.
Clicking the remote, she scanned through the channels and found an old Elvis movie. Perfect. It wasn’t long before her stomach started to churn. Nausea reared its ugly head again. She lay down to try to keep it at bay. Food, you’re staying in my stomach.
The ring of the phone startled her into a quick upright position, causing her to fall off the couch and hit her knee on the edge of the coffee table.
“Gamoto!”
Kane came bolting into the room, ready to kill someone or something. Feral was an understatement. And the boxers looked hot.
“Kane, cover up, please. I don’t want to go blind.”
His mouth twisted into a grin. “I heard you yell and thought something happened.”
“I accidently hit the coffee table trying to get to the phone,” she said, trying to look everywhere but at him. She took a quick glance. He was still grinning.
“You are a handful, aren’t you?” Then he turned to walk away, giving her a good view of his muscular back and a pair of buns that were pretty close to perfect. Xen’s, of course, outdid his. But, man, his rear gave Xen’s a run for his money.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Just because a girl is clumsy from time to time, doesn’t mean she’s not capable. “I was better coordinated before I met you lot.” She huffed under her breath. “Got my police mojo going haywire.” She’d have words with the lykos later, when he had put on some clothes.
The phone had stopped ringing, but it clicked over to voice mail. Dr. Aci’s voice filled the silent room, asking her to call her back later for her blood test results.
“Doctors!” she scoffed. “Can’t they leave a message like everyone else?” She picked up the phone and called the number Dr. Aci had left after her message. An overly friendly receptionist greeted her.
“Carissa Alkippes for Dr. Aci. She just left a message for me.”
“I’m sorry, but Dr. Aci is booked solid till five this afternoon. You’ll have to call back then, or I can ask her to return your call.”
The nerve. Really? Pfft. It was only seconds ago. “She literally just called a minute ago.”
“I’m sorry, but she’s with someone,” the receptionist said in a sing-song voice. “Call back at five.”
She hung up and ran a hand through her hair. “Why do they do that?” she said to no one in particular.
“Do what?” Kane’s voice startled her. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh.
“Doctors, they call you and you miss them, so you call them back and then you can’t talk to them until the end of the day, and that’s if you don’t miss them then, too!”
“I can’t understand that either, Carissa, and I’ve been around a long time. They run on Greek time.”
“Greek time?” she repeated.
“Yeah, the concept of time is mashed into everything else they do. They invented the whole thing to look busy. Makes you think you’re getting something good because they’re unattainable.”
“Pfft, and it works.”
“Time is not applicable to Greeks. Are you hungry? I’m going to get the boys to go pick up some takeout. Are you up to it?”
“Actually, no, I won’t, Kane. I was feeling a little queasy earlier.”
Kane nodded and headed for the kitchen.
Rearranging herself on the couch again, she reached for the remote. Before long, her eyelids became weighted and sleep pulled her under.
Darkness surrounded her. The air became cold—freezing—stinging her lungs as she took a look around, only to discover she was standing in a cave. There was a terrible stench. Squinting her eyes again, she tried to get some clarity—nothing. As her eyes adjusted slowly, a hideous face came into view. Her mouth opened wide but her screams were muted.
A cry tore from her throat. Her heart fisted against her breastbone, her body shot up from the couch to a sitting position. Xen and Kane were standing over her, eyebrows drawn together. They mirrored each other.
“Koukla, were you having a bad dream?”
She nodded. “Some water,” she gasped. A glass appeared before her in a blink. Damn, that man is fast.
“How do you do that without spilling the water?”
“What?” came the double replies from Xen and Kane.
“The water. How is it you don’t spill it at top speed?”
They looked at each other and laughed.
“Carissa, you really are something!” Kane said shaking his head. “If you don’t need me, Xen, I’ll be heading off.”
“Thank you, lykos.”
They nodded to each other. Man language, she thought. Xen moved to the couch so he could sit with her.
“Now, koukla, tell me about your day.”
She shifted a little before she broke out into a long boring string of her uneventful day. As soon as she mentioned the doctor, Xen’s face lit up. He appeared ready to make the call for her, but she jumped into scolding him.
“It’s mine to make, since it’s my health.”
“Since you are mine, it makes no difference, because what affects you, affects me.”
She rolled her eyes at him.
“Okay, okay. Now, let me make that call.” She rose from the couch, picked up the phone and dialed the number.
“Hello.” The doctor’s voice filled the earpiece.
“Dr. Aci, it’s Carissa. I’m calling about my results.”
“Good evening, Carissa. I’ve got some good news for you.”
The tension in her shoulders evaporated. Relief surfed through her body. The doctor, however, sounded a little too excited for comfort. A sour taste skittered on her tongue. Surely her iron and cholesterol levels weren’t anything to get excited about. It wasn’t like she’d be comparing notes with her Aunt Paula.
“Is Xen with you this evening?” the doctor asked.
A tingling started in her chest. A small voice found its way up her throat. “Yes, he is here.” She turned to face him. He looked on and it was evident he could hear every word, but his face revealed no emotion.
“Excellent,” she said. “Carissa, I’ve run all the usual tests on your blood and everything is fine. You are not suffering anything major. But you are expecting a baby!”
Her body began to burn. “Sorry, did you just say what I think you said?”
“Yes, you’re pregnant.”
The doctor talked on, but she couldn’t decipher a single word. Xen picked up on her lack of response and moved over to her, taking the phone from her hand and continuing the conversation with the doctor. She sat there with her mouth open, trying to work out how.
He had clearly told her that it couldn’t happen, and to happen so quickly. Impossible.
At some point, her legs found the couch again.
Xen hung up, sat down next to her and lifted her onto his lap, her legs on either side of his. His fingers tangled at the back of her hair; gently, he tugged her down to his lips. The kiss was gentle. She broke the contact to look into the pool of those mesmerizing green eyes.
“Xen, don’t you want to talk about this?”
“Koukla, there is nothing to say. You’ve given me the most precious gift of all. One that I did not even think would befall my long existence. As to your belief that it is impossible, I can say with certainty that you are a daughter of a god and therefore anything is possible. We will ask your father, but I’m more than happy.” He finished with one of those dazzling smiles that showed a little dimple and made her weak at the knees. Yep, that smile has no business owning a zip code.
“I am puzzled. I just don’t see how it could happen so soon. I guess I don’t know enough about my heritage.”
“Koukla, I sensed something in you from the very beginning. We’ll work it out together. I don’t want you to stress as to the how of things. Let’s talk to Ares first, maybe he can share some knowledge on that one. The gods work with their own agendas in mind.” He gave her another soft kiss.
He wasn’t upset. The captivating man she straddled wasn’t upset, in fact he resembled a man doing a victory dance. She could see it in the depths of his sparkling green eyes.
There was only one thing left to do, her lips crashed over his. She bit his bottom lip then licked it. He growled his satisfaction. He flipped her under him on the couch and took control in ravaging her mouth.