Bedeviled (2 page)

“Me?” He pointed at the body that Kyana had just let fall to her feet. “You weren't exactly playing nice.”

She scowled, kicked the dead body, and stepped over it. “He wasn't useful.
You
killed all the useful ones.”

Ryker rolled his eyes at her. “Really? We're
really
going to debate this now?”

She sighed and pointed to the trees. “Let's go. Maybe I can still track the ones who escaped.”

Ryker stooped and wiped his bloody hands on the grass. “No, you can't. You're out of ambrosia, and I'd give you maybe . . . ten more minutes before you're out of fuel.”

He motioned in the direction of the camp they'd set up at dusk where they'd waited for night to fully envelop the forest. “Wait for me. I'll bring back whatever I can find.”

“You're great in a fight, but you suck at tracking and we both know it. I'm not full goddess yet. I'm still eighty percent tracer.”

“More like seventy percent,” he muttered, gripping her arm and preventing her from marching off in search of the traitors they'd come for.

She snatched her arm away, frustration making her antsy as hell.

“Fine. Then let's go back to Artie's and see what other tip-offs she might have been given,” Kyana said, picking a leaf from her hair.

“The Vamp?” Ryker asked, referring to the weaselly Dark Breed who'd come to Artemis yesterday with promises of information regarding Cronos's disciples in exchange for sanctuary. Kyana didn't trust traitors of any kind. If they could turn once, they could do it again, but right now, he was all they had.

“Yeah. Him. If there's going to be another circle like this one, he'll know about it.”

“Then let's port out of here.”

Kyana groaned. “Can't I just run back with my goddess mojo?”

“Your speed only lasts as long as your ambrosia does. And while you can get from point A to point B quickly, you're still running. You can't just jump from point A to point Z.”

“Whatever,” she grumbled. “Let's just go.”

She waited for him to draw his circle and grabbed hold of his sleeve. She barely had time to brace herself before she was sucked into his wormhole and blinded by white light.

Chapter Two

K
yana's hopes for a new lead had proved fruitless. The traitorous informant had been set loose to find another gathering of Cronos disciples in case tonight's stakeout went astray, which it obviously had. When he didn't return, Artemis's tracers had hunted him down and found him murdered, his insides no longer aptly named.

Frustration sat like spoiled cream in her belly as she tossed and turned in the bed Artemis insisted now belonged to her. The only thing new she'd learned tonight was that Genies really did exist. While interesting, that little tidbit wasn't going to do a damned thing to get her closer to Haven.

She couldn't quiet her mind long enough to focus on dreaming and perhaps linking with Haven again. There was too much to think about. Too much to strategize, contemplate, figure out.

She rolled onto her side, still nauseous from Ryker's port. Outside her suites, the rhythmic sounds of sentinels patrolling the halls clip-clopped their way past her door . . . disappeared . . . returned again. Everyone on Olympus was uneasy. It was the realm of Beyond, and yet no one here seemed to be any more capable of preventing the chaos in the world than the less powerful beings of Below, where the magical conducted daily life, and Above, where the humans resided.

While everyone here, Beyond, was eager to see Cronos defeated again, they were distracted with the task of trying to replace the weakened gods. Those who'd already been replaced were powerless to do much at all, like Artemis and Hades, who'd been replaced by one of Kyana's closest friends, Geoffrey. They spent their days tending the more mundane tasks and left their recruits to the hunt on their own. Soon, they'd be all but useless, destined to spend the rest of their eternity in some version of a retirement home for gods.

Kyana shuddered at the unpleasant thought. When it was her turn to pass on the powers of the Goddess of the Hunt in ten thousand years, would she be able to go gracefully into the night? Not likely.

So instead of having a realm full of powerful gods and goddesses focused on stopping Cronos, they had a weak group who was split between protecting humans, guarding the portals that allowed travel between realms, finding Chosen, and hunting Cronos.

None of this boded well for humans, nor for Kyana's ability to rest.

She should have asked Ryker to stay, but her pride had kept her quiet when he'd returned Below to his little beachside bungalow.

Now, as morning crept through her shuttered windows, she swung her legs off the bed and stood, drowsy and disoriented—still unused to needing so much sleep in the first place. As Vampyre, she'd needed a few hours' sleep a week. Now, she needed a few hours each day. It seemed stupid that any part of her would be weakened as a goddess, but that was the way it worked. She was going to have to get used to it and find her new strengths elsewhere.

Digging through her well-worn backpack, she sorted through the odds and ends Artemis had decided Kyana couldn't hunt without. She paused to wrap her blanket around her shoulders, still not used to the stark chill that seemed to hover in the temple's marble walls. Her real room was Above in St. Augustine, Florida. A little restored bed-and-breakfast she'd shared with Haven that oozed charm and personality.

That it had been a funeral parlor before being turned into a bed-and-breakfast in the last century had helped her consider it home. She had always favored the eccentric.

She sighed and eyed the array of items tumbling from the bag. There was definitely an arsenal here, but Kyana didn't know how to use much of it. It was all still so new to her—the need for ambrosia, the charms, baubles, powders, and potions. As a new day of tracking Haven loomed ahead, it was difficult to prepare when she didn't have the comfort of her own things.

Although she shouldn't complain. A few pieces of the leather attire she preferred had found their way into her new closet. As had a pair of new boots—the old ones lost to the ocean several days ago and still horribly missed.

She smiled despite the heaviness in her chest. That day hadn't been a total loss. Just before she'd discovered the disappearance of her boots, Ryker had screwed her senseless on the beach—a memory she was looking forward to repeating if they ever found another free moment to call their own.

Her smile wiped away as she stared at the gold-hilted dirks protruding from her bag. Her favorite weapons, a pair of handcrafted, silver-plated daggers that had been confiscated by Ares the night she'd been arrested for turning Haven, had yet to be returned. While she was skilled with any blade handy, her own were sorely missed. She knew the weight of them as well as she knew the scent of her own breath. They were as much a part of her as her fingers and toes.

Growing more depressed by the moment, she dutifully repacked all the items into her duffel. She had seven days and seven hours—make that five days and several hours now thanks to a wasted day spying on Cronos's disciples—before her Vampyre/Lychen skills would fade and she would become a full-blown goddess. She'd have to figure out how to use the tools given to her before then.

If Haven's life wasn't on the line—not to mention the fate of the world—Kyana would have enjoyed the challenge. But as it stood, she'd have to find Haven before that time elapsed. Otherwise, she'd have to fight as an untrained goddess, and that could get a bit sticky. Haven had been an amazing fighter when the only breed inside her had been Witch. Now that she was Witch, Lychen, and Vamp, there was no telling what sort of skills she'd picked up, or which breed would dominate and come out to play.

Artemis entered the room, pulling Kyana out of her thoughts. “You're up early.”

“Couldn't sleep.”

Artemis's smile warmed the cool room. “Me either. This burden I've placed on your shoulders isn't a light one. Do you regret accepting it?”

Kyana shoved a rogue bottle of ambrosia into her bag. “No.”

“Good.” She glanced at the backpack. “You'll be leaving soon, I take it?”

Seeing that Artemis wasn't going to take the hint that Kyana wanted to be left to her thoughts, she plopped onto her bed and sighed. “Until I have Haven safely back where she belongs, I can't rest. You have to know that.”

“I do. But I worry I haven't taught you enough.”

“I could sit here with you for a year and still not know all you can teach me.” And as daunting as that was, it was the truth. There was so much magic within Artemis that Kyana hadn't even yet glimpsed within herself. She had no knowledge of what to do when that magic began to seep into her blood, and as much as she liked power, the thought of having so much of it pumping inside her was kind of intimidating.

Artemis was annoyingly apologetic about Kyana's lack of training. But there'd been no time. After her trial, she'd had only one day to adjust to her new fate before Artemis had requested she and Ryker visit the ceremony in the forest.

Besides, they both knew she'd been a last resort as a Chosen. Haven had been meant to be Artemis's Chosen. Then Kyana had gone and made Haven all wolfy and Vampy, and Artemis decided she would take Haven's place as the Goddess of the Hunt's successor. Artie always seemed to believe in her, even when Kyana herself didn't.

Artemis pointed to the bag. “Have you thrown in plenty of ambrosia? The last thing we need is for you to be caught without it. But stop and check every now and then. Make certain none of the vials have broken in your bag.”

“I know,” she muttered.

Each vial was wrapped in layers of soft cloth to assure none of the liquid spilled on her belongings. Undiluted ambrosia was deadly to gods. It had to be consumed with food. Any other contact was painful at best, fatal at worst.

Kyana shifted another wrapped vial in her bag. It rolled out of the cloth and she started the whole process of securing it all over again. Holding the pink tube in her hand, she held it up to the light.

“If this stuff is so powerful, why can't the gods just keep drinking it and forget about finding replacements?”

“Because the power within us that feeds off the ambrosia is fading. Our vessels—our bodies—are no longer young enough or strong enough to harbor what we were given at birth. Without that power, ambrosia has nothing to feed off of.” Tears welled in the goddess's eyes as she continued. “There is so much you need to know if we hope for this hunt to be a success.”

Kyana hated being a constant reminder to all that Artemis was giving up. Not that she wasn't going to enjoy the hell out of being the recipient of all that power, but she didn't like leaving Artemis so empty.

She was one of the few Ancients Kyana actually respected.

“I think I've got it. Dig into my gut for determination to use your—
my
—speed and tracking abilities, eat ambrosia—always diluted with food of course—find Haven, save the world. No problem.”

Artemis's eyes narrowed and she pulled herself to her full height. “Don't go off half-cocked, Kyana. Or full of your usual pride. Even with the power of a goddess flowing through your veins, your challenges are great. And stupidity can still get you killed.”

Her scolding over, she linked her arm with Kyana's. “Come. I have one last gift for you.”

“Please tell me it's a naked man wrapped in a bow. I could really use one of those.”

Not that she had time to properly enjoy any man—and certainly not the one she wanted—but it didn't hurt to wish.

“A naked man?” Artemis laughed as they descended the marble steps to stop in the massive entry hall. “This is even better.”

“Right,” Kyana muttered.

“Ah! There they are!”

Artemis's hounds dashed to her feet, but rather than pounce on her, they sat and beat their tails on the marble floor like they were playing the bongos.

Her fantasies of a naked Ryker went up in a puff of smoke as she frowned. “Uh, you can keep them.”

Artemis knelt and took the biggest oaf's head in her hands, scratching beneath his chin as he stared adoringly into her eyes. “Firstly, there is no power in this world great enough to separate me from these babies. Secondly, you'll require your own babies—bonded solely to you in order to be efficient. Now . . .”

She stood again and took Kyana's arm, leading her to a bejeweled box where slightly smaller versions of Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest blinked up at her. Dumbest stuck his head into the box, gave a low bark, then sat on his haunches and looked up at her as if offering an apology for the crappy gift his master had chosen for her.

“You've got to be kidding. What the hell am I going to do with three dogs?”

“These are not ordinary dogs.” Artemis handed her a small velvet bag and a golden whistle. “They know over a hundred commands, the most handy of which is
follow
. If you have an item from the person you are tracking, they will target your prey for you.”

She pointed to the velvet bag. “With the help of an herb called eyebright, you can keep them in sight when it is inconvenient for you to follow. I wish I had time to show you a few other commands, but you'll have to learn them as you go.”

The dogs in the box sniffed Kyana's fingers, which were still curled around the lip of their container. The smallest one let out a howl.

She'd been part Lychen for more than two hundred years. Owning a pup felt like some form of slavery. “Tugging around these three on leashes is going to slow me down.”

Artemis smiled. “They don't travel on leashes. Here, let me show you.”

She took the whistle from Kyana's hand, blew into it twice, then set it on the ground between them. The enormous box wobbled, then toppled over, spilling the dogs onto the floor. As soon as they found the traction required to stand on marble, all three dogs charged straight at Kyana, but as she took a step of self-preservation backward, they halted in front of the whistle and . . .

Disappeared.

“Wear it around your neck. When you need the dogs, summon them with one blow. If you need to call them back, two blows. They'll reenter their home if you set it within reach as you just saw me do.”

Okay, that was way cooler than she'd expected. Kyana couldn't help but be pleased with her new little toy.

“Name them whatever you wish.” Artemis rose. “But do remember they are not normal pets and deserve the respect of good names.”

In other words, don't name them Stupid, Stanky, and Slobber.
Whatever. Kyana kinda liked Nifty, Spiffy, and Peachy right about now, anyway.

“Got it.”

She slid the chain around her neck. The weight of the whistle bounced between her breasts. That was going to get annoying. She didn't wear jewelry as a rule. It tended to get in her way. She'd learned that lesson a hundred years ago when a sadistic Witch had yanked her hoop earrings from her lobes. Funny how such a minor wound could cause so much freaking pain.

“Kyana, please.” Artemis met her gaze with worried eyes. “Keep your head on this hunt and remember everything I've told you. In just over five days my blood completely overtakes yours. Since I haven't trained you properly, I advise you to find Haven before that time runs out . . .”

“I'll have Haven safely in bad-girl rehab before five days come and go.”

As she made her way to the enormous door, Artie called out again. “Wait.”

She moved with a grace Kyana couldn't imagine possessing in a week's time and placed her long fingers around the doorknob.

“You must take one more thing with you. A precaution in case it does take you longer to bring Haven back to me.”

“Another pet?”

“In a sense. But you won't have to carry this one around your neck.” Artemis smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. “He can walk on his own two feet and will be your companion until this hunt is complete.”

Before Kyana could ask any questions, Artemis swung open the door to reveal Ryker standing on the other side.