Scorpion (18 page)

             
He relaxed and molded into me. 

             
This is your club?

             
He stiffened. 
Yes.

             
And you come here often?

             
His lips left my neck and his face was in front of mine again. 
Kissa.
 
Don’t do this.

             
This was one of those dangerous angles of the part played by Lord Cassius Thorn Cross.  Secrets.

             
It serves it purpose.

             
I hated the thought of him here with a bunch of half dressed girls whatever creature they may be.  I jerked out of his arms trying to get away back to the table to hide my jealousy.  Unfortunately, the stupid powerful emotion wheel gave me away.

             
It serves as an information highway.  The stupid get drunk.  The stupid talk.  It’s how we find the leads we do.  And Stace, my men do most of the work.  I am only here tonight with you and that’s all it will ever be if that’s what you need.  My men take care of things.

             
From that moment, I let myself go and went back to dance a little on the wild side.  I enjoyed every single second.  Not even the broody male companions I came with could damper my mood. 
             

The next day and the next were brutal and invigorating at the same time.  We practiced better together and had some semblance of getting along.  Until the very
next
day. 

I knew I was imperfect, far from this leader type they kept pinning me to be.  But I once heard that if you don
’t recognize your shortcomings, you can’t find the answers to correct them.

“Trust me, it
’s a guy thing.  You needn’t worry your pretty little blonde head about it,” Cord offered.

“Whatever WBD!”  He was just sore I
’d won the throwing contest for knives and the axe.  I didn’t think I would have him on the axe because he was just that good, but I did and all the boys starting strutting around lately when they beat me at something.  So when I confronted him that was his response.

“WBD.  That means what to you gorgeous, Weally Bad Dude?”

I smiled devilishly.  “Wouldn’t you like to know?”  I loved throwing puzzles out to him.  He even cocked his head to the side and forced me to picture perked up German Shepard ears atop his head.

He followed throwing out fear and doubt.  Why doubt?  Oh, doubting
himself.  He didn’t want to looked upon as badly by me.  So why does he act the way he does with me?

He just wants your approval.

Approval?  Hardly.  Arrogant ass.

Kissa.  We all do.  They made you the owner of four men who feel like they should be taking care of you.  And it seems all too often you
’re intervening for us.

I returned the axe and doubled a look backwards with my head towards him thinking, my finger landing on my jaw. 
You think I don’t know you guys are the baddest bunch of god-like men around?

He smiled.

Szar pulled me out of my mind weaved conversation.  “You guys can do that later in the privacy of darkness.  Spare us the mind sex and—

“SZAR!” I bellowed before he could finish.  Hello!

He snorted and walked away laughing like he does. 

“Group meeting in the middle.”  They all looked at me like I
’d gone mad, but they went to the middle of the room.  Once there, I positioned myself and looked up at all my manly men.  “First, let’s get something straight.  I think all four of you could kick ass around anyone outside this room and then some.  Second, I am very thankful for everything you’ve done for me and will do in the future.  Third, I’m not all that without you no matter what pedestal you four keep painting me on.  It takes a dang team.  If we work together...well who knows.” I paused for them to catch up to my line of thinking.  Boys are like this.  “And fourth, I need a PMS partner so I’ve invited Maze to join us on our next meet.  This much testosterone is giving me the jitters.  Any objections?  Because if you say no, I will not accept that.”

No one answered.  They all just stared with a mystified look in each of their eyes.  Suddenly, I recalled my ancestry.  The magic of the Valkyrie blood was leading the way.  I was glad I followed Cas
’ requests of wearing my jeans and tee because it seemed they all were looking me over a little much, except Szar.  He was laughing again as usual. And nervously I saw the glint in Cas’ eyes return from our repeat performance of “thudding” outside as Szar called it.  I checked Calum.  Yep!  Cord.  Yep!  I didn’t do anything to get them this way.  Heck!

“Well, any objections?”  They were pulled from their spell.  “Goddess of my world, you all
need some dang girlfriends.  Quit looking at me like that.”  I turned to Cas and pointed.  “Except you.”  I sidled up to him and pressed against the front of him.  That probably wasn’t a good idea, but I wanted him to know he was mine.   Forget that maybe he was under some spell cast out by an undirected target.  I wasn’t doing it on purpose.  And many other Valkyrie girls do the same.  Either way, I vowed to find a way to be sure he was mine because he wanted to and not spellbound.

I want way more from you than what can be displayed in front of an audience. 

Cas said this only to me and I wondered what would be okay on display in front of an audience.  I couldn’t see myself making out with others watching, but then again I’d never felt so entangled in one person as I do Cassius Cross.

“Anastacia.  Sis.  You are not the girl I knew.”  I turned to see Szar doing a naughty, naughty sign with his fingers.  What did I do that was so bad really that wasn
’t in my head? 

“I was hidden from the world Szar.  Imprisoned!”

Cas and Szar exchanged one of those strange looks like they did reminding me they had a long history together that seemed so often focused on saving me.

Calum rescued me and pulled
himself out of the smoke and oakum they think I pulled but was really oblivious too.  “She just doesn’t know the power she holds, does she?”

At least, I think that was a rescue.

All nodded their heads and walked in different directions.

Time flew and everyone was tired.  I was excited for Maze to come, so I set up the bow and arrow ran
ge outside the warehouse since that was her favorite.  We all couldn’t hurt from the practice even though no one had chosen it for their main weapon.

Calum pounded the punching bag like it was twitching close to death and needed another hit to put it out forever.  He could take anything on with his bare hands I determined, hence a Hunter.

I heard Cord and Cas talking low in the corner when I came in to start cleaning up.  I saw Cord shoot me a death glare and was tempted to go with it, but chose not to and walked to straighten and clean my knives.  I needed to sharpen them, but not today.

I was supposed to be this great know-all goddess who would lead us into peace, yet I still seemed to only cause havoc among the ones who would help me.  I was not a pro with pep talks or encouraging moments and well, I couldn
’t deal out my own to start with.

Cord
’s body was sending out some pretty heavy anger waves and then like that, dissipated into something else.  Desire.  Uh, oh!  Cord arched toward me.

“I can take care of you better than they can even with the perfect proportions you say I have,” Cord said close enough that it tickled my ear.

“Not by a long shot, Cord!”  What the heck did that really mean?

Cas, what did you tell him? He
’s...he’s...help.

Cas
’ hand shot out to hold him back, though he was just across the room.  Cord’s anger returned and mixed with the other emotion.

“What else have
you observed about me?” Cord pulled apart and growled at Cas every bit the spewing pot of venom that his personality oozed.

Cas yapped at him stamping his foot on the edge of the sparring mats, “Fitting, wolf boy.”

“That’s just it, Stace.”

“Yee gods, I didn
’t know you knew my name.”  I fluttered my eyelids and hands alike in mock shock.  This conversation really didn't make sense.

“Were Barbie Doll?  What the hell kind of cry of passion is that?” Cord breathed too close to me.

“Well,” I was cornered but I managed a glare at Cas for spilling, “I think you’re very charming and plastic looking...like Ken.”

Cord snarled at me,
“Are you trying to insult me, gorgeous?  Because I think it’s getting the opposite effect than you wanted.  Want to tell your Vampire boyfriend all the sorts of things you must have been thinking about me it took to come up with that name?”

“Now Cord.  Don
’t read into this.”  I was backing up now, hands across the buckling table that squeaked under the strain of my pushing.  “I pegged it the day I met you.  You just look too pristine and perfect for a Werewolf.  The thought stuck with me.”  I hated myself for letting him know my thoughts, but his face was priceless now that the cat was out of the bag.

He stared hard at me, “Well find something else.  I don
’t like it.”

“All the more reason to let it stick.”

Cas intervened and Cord left without a goodbye.  I resulted to texting him later an apology and would promise not to call him that again. 
To his face
.

The next morning, my lack of technology held me back from my secret mission.  However, an angel living in the darkness within the land of the Vampires became my savior.  Claire, the housekeeper, thought I
’d like some help when she saw me shopping online and having difficulty.  I told her what I wanted and she took over and had it ordered and shipped first class to arrive the next day.  Hoddy toddy to that!

I wanted to surprise him with a dress I picked out on my own and reward him for just being so...him.  I had Claire pack the picnic box
and requested it to be in the Sun room at sundown on Saturday, two days from now.  A
long
time.

I had no way of knowing that he wouldn
’t be there.

             
I had a lot of time to think about everything as a whole.  My life, my future, my goals.  I knew what we wanted, what the task was, but were we achieving even the most remote part of what the end result would be?

             
At some point, we’d just have to go after Borgon.  We couldn’t train forever.

             
The brainwashed Elves were being driven by fear or something or another with Borgon breathing down their necks.  Was it fear really or was there more?  I decided that was a good place to start.  If we could appease the Elves of whatever hold Borgon had over them, things could change.  Increasing the odds. 

             
My father had an arranged marriage in place for me.  If he knew the future, was that part all a front for making the court happy?  I do want to have a life one day.

             
And I just wanted to get married, maybe have a daughter or son, and live life without constant danger.  Is that so much to ask?  Alexander the Great wanted...well, greatness.  And to own the world.  I just wanted to own a small piece of earthly goodness and enjoy the ride.  So much for my own desires.

ANAT
(goddess within many)

...
goddess who destroyed Orion with the Scorpion to punish his misdeeds including stealing her bow, excessive bragging towards the intention to kill the earth’s creatures, and ignoring her. Legends say Artemis, and even Apollo her twin brother, set out to punish him but Anat beat them to it using trickery and good timing.   She used her sordid past to help solve an escalating dilemma among the supernatural factions on the earth.  The humans were passive and set in their ways, but those living among them are restless.  They want to own each other.  That could never happen.

Anat set out to create only one, but that would be impossible.  It went awry last time.  She would need reassurance when the time came.  Who would make the group compatible?  Who would make them achieve their goal?  Not all decisions can be easily identified as explainable, but sometimes you just know. The goddess rings made available will keep them safer.  All asked have willingly accepted her plea for help.  The five chosen
will
bring back unity.

STACE
(marked with ALL signifying the connection between the five)

Goddess ring
- multi-colored and blocks thoughts from Cas (and ability to have power increased when touching Cas physically but not revealed until later), enhances electricity with Calum (doesn’t officially know it yet), shields others combined with Szar (finds out later), sees specific future events with Cord (later)

...
is the child born to a goddess- daughter of Anat who killed her lover Aqhat (Orion) in the legends.  She was created to change a dying supernatural world from destroying itself from the inside out.  After many dangers, traitors, and feuding allies she finally makes the group whole in book two with a unified beginning towards peace.  But it’s a long road.

Anat tells Stace in book two that she took the name Anat over any other simply because she wanted to and that all the names she and the other gods have held are synonymous regardless of how the different people of the world change it.  Her
name well become legend.

SZAR
(SHIELD)
(other connections- Saiph, star in Orion)

Goddess ring
- seemingly useless at first and he sees it as a dud especially when he sees the others in use, but later a happy chance brought about a situation where Szar actually felt the group in real danger and his own high emotions created a shield from any danger (thus a shield- hasn’t happened yet...)

...
is the half god/ half Valkyrie- son of Lord Hathown, leader of the Valkyrie court faction in the supernatural world.  He doesn’t find out till much later that his sole purpose is to save Stace.  Can he run a faction and save her too?   Stay tuned...

CALUM
(ORION-Hunter strength)
(other connections- Rigel, star in Orion)

Goddess ring
- enhances the power of electricity through Stace when he wears it combined with highly intense emotions- allows an alert system to know when each is close

...
is the half god/ half Hunter- who was created to make sure Stace stays safe from all with his brute strength alone, but ultimately in the end he is still (Orion) and Cord (the Scorpion) does show up.  Can legends be broken?

CASSIUS
(SUN)
(other connections-Ra, the sun god, Hathor and Sekhmet)

Goddess ring
- increases any power Stace holds if he is touching her (not aware of it until later) shares telepathy, as well as magnetic alert system when each other is close

...is the half god/half Valkyrie turned Vampire-who was created to stand beside his beloved and never let her feel alone even when all else seems at an end.  To be her stronghold in the darkest moments.  Her balance in the fight for their lives.

He (
chose)
to turn vampire to save her finding only his destiny was never his own even as far back as at birth when she spoke to him in her mind.  Made a vampire and moved up in status to be the next lord allowing him to be her equal and therefore fulfilling the destiny of connecting the five intended to bind together to change the supernatural world.

Incidentally, Cas has studied his roots extensively, for he is born of the very powerful god, Ra.

CORD
(SCORPION)
(other connections-enemy used to kill Orion by his love, Anat)

Goddess ring
- sees specific futuristic events that only he and Stace can envision when joined together by blood (Ewww!) ...and heals her!  (New reveal in book 3). And the same type of system feeling like a head rush to alert each other to their presence

...human turned Werewolf-didn
’t (
choose)
to become a Were and didn’t know his destiny as the scorpion he was marked with from birth.  His destiny is still unknown in most ways for we know not why he was sent to Stace like the others though he was born in the same Val court as the others, except the Hunter.  For now, we press on and wait.

Everything was set in motion until Cas was told to go to him and ask his faction to allow him to be the new
Were leader at the other's demise (by Lord Hathown).   He was a human in the Val court that Stace doesn’t remember and doesn’t find out until end of book two.