Soul Broker (7 page)

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Drew removed his shoes, socks, and strolled on the beach, where the sand met the water. He tried to envision his father’s face, but after a few centuries of blocking the image, he struggled to recall it. His smile was the first thing that came back, followed by the hearty laugh that echoed through his house as he grew up. Piercing blue eyes, followed by the blonde curly hair. He continued until he reached a cove and went out into the water.

“Father!” Drew called. “Father, I need you!”

Drew waited, not sure what to expect. He wasn’t sure how he knew all he had to do was call to his father, but he was grateful for the knowledge. He didn’t really know how long it would take, or if his father would answer. He had to try.

He was met with silence. For a moment his chest clenched. He had abandoned everyone he loved, and now he sought help. He hoped it wasn’t too late. He glanced at his watch, not much time left. He needed to come up with another plan if
his father wasn’t going to help.

As he started to lose faith in the man who used to carry him around on his shoulders, a large wave loomed in the horizon. Approaching rapidly, Drew tried to run onto shore to avoid it, but the wave crashed down, soaking him.

“Was that for my lack of faith?” he asked, brushing his hair from his face and spitting out the salty water.

Silence.

“I’m not asking for help for myself, Father. It’s for my daughter, your granddaughter. I have less than three days to save her from a fate similar to mine.”

Drew waited, wet and cold, but nothing happened. He turned, cursing himself and his decisions. Poseidon wasn’t coming to rescue him, and he couldn’t blame him. He walked onto the sand and sat. He needed to come up with another plan. He thought about the look of disappointment Mackenzie would have in her eyes when he told her he failed. That was something he wouldn’t allow to happen. If only he could think of some way to destroy Olesha. That would solve all his problems. It may even give him and Mackenzie a chance for a real life. Drew laughed. He knew better than to believe in childish fairy tales. There wasn’t going to be a happily ever after for him, but he would give his life to make that a reality for Sophie and Mackenzie.

The water parted abruptly, with a mammoth-man-looking figure emerging from the sea. As it reached the shore the features became more distinguished. His father stood before him as a man.

“Now you understand the joy and pain of being a parent.” Poseidon placed his hand on Drew’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you, son.”

Drew raised his head. “You came!”

“Of course I came.” Poseidon sat down next to Drew. “It has been a long time, son.”

“Yes, it has.” Drew hung his head. Shame filled him. He never wanted his father to see what he had become, but the love for his daughter outweighed his desires.

Poseidon rested a hand on Drew’s shoulder. “Tell me about my granddaughter.”

Drew glanced up, his heart aching. There were so many things he wanted to say, he needed to explain. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words stuck in his throat. He tried again. “I’m sorry, for everything.”

“Life is a bitch, son. We all make mistakes, we learn, and then we move on. I was never disappointed in you. Your choices were your own to make. I think you’ve paid for those mistakes, but only you can decide when your punishment has been enough.”

Drew’s dad was always larger than life. Even before he knew anything about Gods, his dad was a hero to him. And now he sat next to him. A father’s love truly was unconditional. This was something Drew couldn’t fathom before meeting Sophie, now he finally understood.

“If only that were true. I’ve ruined my life forever, but I don’t want my daughter to have to pay for my mistakes.”

Poseidon folded his hands and stared out to the ocean. “You’re a better father than I.”

“No, you were a wonderful father. I’ve let you and everything one I love down. It’s time for me to take some responsibility and not let my mistakes affect Sophie.”

“Sophie?”

“She’s your granddaughter.” Drew smiled at the thought of her. “She has long blonde hair and big brown eyes, like her mom. When she laughs, it fills me with happiness. She’s smart, compassionate—she’s just like her mom.”

“She sounds wonderful, and so does her mother. What can I do to help?”

Drew explained to Poseidon that his Master considered Sophie her property. He told his father that he was given seventy-two hours to bring her back, and if he didn’t then she would send others to do it.

“I need you to help me keep them safe.”

“What about you?”

Drew stood, “I’ll go back to Hell and deal with the consequences.”

He headed toward his house when Poseidon appeared in front of him.

“I didn’t ask you to come to help me. I needed your help to protect them. Ah, just forget it. I’ll figure something out.”

Drew walked away. Poseidon grabbed his arm and stopped him. He turned Drew around.

“What do you think Olesha will do if you come back without her? What do you think she’ll do to you when she can’t find Sophie?”

“How did you know her name was Olesha?”

Poseidon’s face grew somber. He turned away from Drew. “I’m a God.”

Drew grabbed his shoulder. “Bullshit! What do you know that you’re not telling me?”

Poseidon jerked away from Drew. He faced the ocean. “When you were little, I used to take you to the water every day. You loved being near it. When you had trouble sleeping, I’d bring you here and the sound of the waves would lull you to sleep. I’d get back to the village with you sleeping in my arms, and your mother would wonder how I did it.” He turned to Drew with glassy eyes. “Of course she didn’t know, and I couldn’t tell her. She was my sanity in an otherwise insane world. I loved your mother, and hid among the humans, trying to escape my problems and responsibilities. It lasted for about eighteen years, and then my greatest treasure was affected by my sins.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Rage boiled inside Drew. It filled every inch of him. He gritted his teeth, and clenched and unclenched his fists. His past, and all the mistakes he’d made, came rushing back.

“Olesha was my mistress, and like all mistresses, I grew tired of her and sent her away. You see my wife, Amphitrite, and I have an understanding of sorts. I find comfort elsewhere, and so does she. When it came to your mother, she was a rare treasure, one I had to possess. And of course I did. I knew our time together would be short, as humans have a short life span.”

“I don’t want to hear about all your infidelities! Are you responsible for me being a slave?”

Poseidon laughed. “You went to the witch, you gave the girl the drink, you were the cause of her heart break and eventually her death. Not me, son.”

Drew’s heart sank. For a moment he thought he wasn’t to blame for his life being a disaster, but he knew his father’s words were true. Those were his decisions. He was the one ultimately responsible for the death of two lives, and if he was honest with himself, the destruction of hundreds more. No matter what his father’s relationship with Olesha was or wasn’t, no one had made him do the things he’d done to bring him to this point.

“You’re right. I did all of those things.” Drew spun around, this conversation was over and without the help he hoped to receive..

“Where are you going?”

He stopped, his back to his father. With the weight of the world resting on his shoulders and the lives of two of the most important people counting on him, he said, “To try and find a way to save my family.”

The word
family
rolled off his tongue with ease and honesty. He knew he couldn’t keep them, but Mackenzie and Sophie were his family.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t help, and I didn’t say that your predicament with Olesha was your fault. I said the girl’s fate, the one you gave the potion to, was your responsibility.”

Drew turned, his face red, jaw clenched. “I don’t have time for games,
Father
. Tell me what it is you want me to know.”

Poseidon rubbed his neck. “Your contract with Olesha is not valid, and therefore she has no claim to Sophie.”

The soft sand fell out from underneath Drew. Time stood still.

“Go take your family home. I’ll deal with Olesha.”

With that, Poseidon was gone.

Olesha draped herself across white satin sheets. Her fiery red hair mingled with the speckles of crimson. The demi-god slave lay next to her, covered in his own blood, unconscious. She lifted his arm, and let it go on the mattress. She twisted sideways, placed her heels against his side and pushed, and watched him fall to the ground with a loud thump. She waved her hand and he was gone, chained to the wall until she needed his services again.

She twirled a long strand around her finger and purred. “They don’t make demi-gods like they used to.”

Red sheer curtains were pulled aside, revealing muscular biceps. Then he entered the chamber. Poseidon. The aroma that clung to the air changed from brimstone to moist and salty.

“It’s not the demi-gods; it’s the sadistic bitch who owns them.”

He unleashed his aura, filling up the room. Olesha’s lungs burned, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing anything, but pleasure by his presence.

“Aww, you say the sweetest things.” She raked her nails across her bare breasts.

“Only you would consider that sweet.” He inspected every inch of the room, then sat in a chair, facing the bed.

Olesha swung her legs over the end of the bed, spreading her legs and exposing her moist core. “Is your wife not keeping you happy?” She started rubbing her swollen nub, in slow ,small circles. “Did you come here for this?”

Poseidon cleared his throat. “No. I came to talk to you about my son and granddaughter.”

She could smell his arousal. Poseidon still wanted her, and she loved knowing that. His sexual desires would be his downfall, and she was more than willing to be the one to make it happen.

Olesha pouted and stood. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.” She grabbed a lace see-through black gown and sashayed from the room. Feeling Poseidon’s eyes on her ass, she put a little extra sway into her strut.

She entered the throne room and examined each of her slaves.

She wanted to choose the right ones to get the job done, before Poseidon knew what happened. Keeping him busy for a few hours wouldn’t be a problem. She laughed to herself, recalling the times when they spent days in bed, fucking. That was before the human bitch took him away from her. She sighed, and then let out a
low chuckle. It didn’t matter. Olesha ruined Drew’s life.

If Poseidon knew all the tasks she made Drew perform, he would probably try to kill her.
Oh well, Drew will be dead and Poseidon will never know. Gods think they control everything
. She chuckled again, the slaves watching as her eyes flashed from red to black, then back to red again. She tapped her fingernail to her cheek.
Who would be best to send to kill the three of them? Eeney, meeney, miney, moe.
She stopped before Barak.

“What would you be willing to do to earn your freedom?”

He went to speak, but she covered his mouth. “Shhh. It was a rhetorical question. I’ll tell you. Anything, am I right?”