Gods and Mortals: Fourteen Free Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Novels Featuring Thor, Loki, Greek Gods, Native American Spirits, Vampires, Werewolves, & More (284 page)

“Didn’t I see you at the Attic last time we played there?” Samson asked, popping open a beer for himself.

“Yes.” I smiled even as my gut clenched at the mention of that night. Watching Samson do his solo was one of the last normal things I’d done before my world went to hell. Determined to put that night behind me, I said, “You guys were great. A lot better than the rap thing Dylan used to do.”

“Hey, don’t be a hater!” Dylan cried with mock outrage.

Samson laughed and I saw that he had a great smile. “Not into rap?”

“Sara likes the old stuff, classic rock,” Roland told him. “I bet she can name every one of Carly Simon’s albums.”

“Who’s Carly Simon?” asked the tall raven haired girl named Beth. All the boys snickered and I struggled to keep a straight face as I told Beth who Carly Simon was.

Roland put his beers except one in Dylan’s cooler. “Come on. Let’s go see who all is here.”

A lot of the kids who knew Roland and Peter were strangers to me. Dylan’s band mates had all gone to another school and most of the kids were from there. I did see some familiar faces from St. Patrick’s and most of them looked surprised to see me at a party. It’s not like I was a hermit. I did go out and have fun, just not as often as everyone else.

Based on the number of girls who came up to us, Roland’s popularity extended beyond our high school. A couple of girls flirted blatantly with him and a few others – who had already dated him – attempted to act casual, hoping he’d notice them again. Sometimes their attempts to catch his eye seemed a bit ridiculous to me and I wanted to tell them all to stop behaving like idiots. If I ever got this stupid over a guy I hoped someone would slap some sense into me.

I did feel bad for one of the girls who gave Roland a forced smile when he said hello to her. Cassidy Downs was the last girl Roland dated just before school started and she still had a ‘what did I do wrong’ look that made me want to sock my best friend. The tall brunette tossed her hair and tried to look unaffected when Roland flirted playfully with other girls but I could see the hurt in her eyes. Cassidy and I were not friends but I hated to see someone hurting, which is why I finally pulled Roland aside.

“Stop being a douche,” I scolded him when we were out of earshot of everyone.

He looked genuinely surprised. “I’m being a douche?”

I shook my head and groaned. “Roland, I know you think girls are okay if you only date them once or twice but not all girls are the same. Can’t you see that Cassidy still has a thing for you?”

“She does?” He looked over my shoulder at the group of girls we had just left. “But we only saw each other twice and that was weeks ago.”

“I guess you made a bigger impression on her than you thought.”

“What am I supposed to do? I can’t help how she feels.”

I had to stop myself from shaking him. Boys could be so dense sometimes. “I know that and I’m not saying you have to stay away from other girls. Just try not hook up right in front of her face.”

After that, Roland kept a polite distance between him and Cassidy. He continued to flirt with other girls but to his credit, he toned it down a bit. An hour later, I saw Cassidy laughing with one of her friends and I was glad I’d decided to say something to Roland.

By ten o’clock the crowd had almost doubled and I recognized a lot more of the faces. At some point, I separated from Roland and Peter and made my way down to the beach where a dozen or so people sat around the fire drinking. I found a flat rock to sit on and enjoyed the warmth of the fire on my face and the sound of the waves in the darkness.

The sensation of being watched made me glance around at the other faces to see who was looking at me. One boy I didn’t know smiled at me but I knew that wasn’t what I’d felt. My eyes travelled along the top of bluff. It was more like…

Son of a bitch. My gaze landed on Jessie Clark and Marie White practically hanging on the tall blond man watching me. If this was Chris’s idea of staying in the background, I’d hate to see what the alternative was like.

By the time I made it up the low embankment, Chris had detached himself from the two girls and met me at the top. The girls’ crestfallen expressions changed to open glares when they saw who the object of their attention had left them for. Jessie and Marie were two of Faith’s cronies so I could have cared less what they thought.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed at Chris. “What happened to keeping your distance?”

Unfazed by my anger, Chris checked to make sure no one was close enough to hear us. “There have been some developments. We are bringing more people into Portland to investigate and we thought it would be best to keep a closer eye on things on this end.”

A small chill ran down my back. “What kind of developments?”

“Nothing I can elaborate on at the moment.”

“Well since it obviously has to do with me, you’d better give me more than that,” I whisper-yelled at him. Did they really expect me to accept their vague explanations just like that?

Chris gave me a patient smile and I had the feeling that between him and Nikolas, he was the more temperate of the two. That was probably why I was dealing with him now instead of Nikolas. I think he knew it too.

“All I can say right now is that we believe the vampire who attacked you may be stepping up his attempts to find you.” He scanned the partiers as if assessing them for threats. “It might be advisable for you to go home and stay there for the next few days.”

I blinked at him. “Are you serious? I’m in the middle of werewolf territory with two of my
werewolf
friends. We haven’t heard or seen anything out of place – except you – in two weeks. I think I’m safe enough here.” No need to tell him that ever since I spoke to Nikolas on Tuesday, I’d taken to carrying the knife he gave me everywhere. It was tucked inside the inner pocket of my jacket right now.

“Nikolas said –”

“That’s another thing. Since when does he get to call the shots here? So I’m an orphan. That doesn’t give him the right to run my life.” I spun away from him. “And if I want to party then I will party.”

I stomped away, looking for Roland and Peter. Seeing neither of them, I headed for the crowd standing around by the van. Samson intercepted me as soon as I got close.

“I thought you’d run off. You ready for that beer now?”

“Definitely.”

“Alright.” He flipped open the nearest cooler and pulled out two beers. He opened one and passed it to me and I took a long swallow. I didn’t care what kind it was. It was cold and wet, it tasted like rebellion and I was thirsty.

Samson grinned at me. “Slow down there, chugger.”

I let out a loud burp and slapped a hand over my mouth. “Oops, sorry.”

He laughed good-naturedly. “That’s what happens when you drink the first one too fast.”

A laugh bubbled out of me. “I’m not exactly much of a drinker.”

“That is funny coming from one of Roland’s friends.”

“He thinks so too,” I said as we moved away from the cooler to grab a couple of plastic chairs at the edge of the crowd. I noticed a few girls watching us and their expressions told me they were not happy to see the drummer with me.
What is with girls and good looking guys?
A girl couldn’t even talk to a guy without every other female baring their claws. Nate had no idea what he was talking about when he said he wanted me to be like normal girls.

Samson leaned toward me so I could hear him over the din. “I don’t know any girls who are into the older music. What stuff do you like?”

“I don’t know. Most of it, I guess. Not the real heavy stuff. I like Janis Joplin, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner. Stuff like that.”

“What, no Backstreet Boys or N Sync?”

I made a face. “Did you really just ask me that?”

We both laughed. Samson had the rocker look nailed, the hot drummer with groupies and all, but he was a lot more down to earth than I had expected. We talked a lot about music and the different bands he’d been in. He told me Delilah’s Crush was the first band he’d started on his own and he had great hopes for them. I was surprised when he told me he was also doing a couple of business classes at USM. He said you had to have a backup plan.

“So you haven’t said much about yourself,” Samson said when he returned from getting us another beer.

“Not a lot to say really,” I replied, accepting the cold beer from him. I took a long drink. “I’m a senior at a Catholic school so you know there’s not much to say about that. I live with my uncle and unlike you I have no idea what I want to do in college, even though my school counselor keeps telling me I have to start applying soon.”

He raised his eyebrows suggestively. “Catholic school girl, huh?”

“Ha, don’t believe the hype,” I quipped, earning a laugh from him. I laughed with him, aware that I hadn’t been this relaxed in a long time and never with a boy who wasn’t Roland, Peter or Greg. I always figured that if you talked to boys too long, they’d make something out of it. I wasn’t the best at reading male signals but Samson seemed to be genuinely interested in only talking. Maybe he was tired of girls clamoring for his attention all the time and just wanted some normal conversation.

Our laughter drew the curious stares of the people nearby. I caught Dylan’s eye and he winked at me. I couldn’t tell if he was playing along with his earlier comment about me crushing on him or if he was insinuating there was something going on between me and his drummer.

I turned my attention back to Samson and I found him watching me with a soft, almost wistful expression. As soon as our eyes met, he turned on his good-natured grin again, but it was too late. Oh-oh, there it was. I groaned inwardly.
Men need to come with a user manual
. One that said, ‘Don’t push this button.’

My first impulse was to start looking for a way to politely slip away from him. But then I thought,
Why?
I liked Samson and he seemed like a great guy, we laughed a lot and he hadn’t tried anything inappropriate. He hadn’t even pushed me to drink more like a lot of guys would. And it wasn’t like I had anything to be afraid of. I was here with Roland and Peter
and
a Mohiri bodyguard.

Samson must have seen the conflict in my eyes because he stood and said, “Come on, we can’t sit over here by ourselves all night. People will call us wallflowers.”

“Ha. Can’t have that. It would totally ruin your image.”

“Damn straight.” He took my hand and pulled me to my feet. The world spun for a second and I suddenly remembered why I didn’t drink. Only two beers and I was tipsy.

Samson reached out to steady me. “Whoa. Lightweight.”

My scowl only got a laugh from him. “You know what the best cure is for that?” he asked and I shook my head. He tugged me toward a group of people dancing on the other side of the van. I tried to pull back because I wasn’t much of a dancer, but he wasn’t having any of it. I soon discovered that he wasn’t much better than me but that didn’t stop him. Soon I was dancing with everyone else and really enjoying it. We danced two fast ones before it switched to a slower song. Samson stood back and gave me a questioning look. I shrugged. What the heck?

He was a lot taller than me so my head came only to his shoulder. It felt awkward at first, dancing so close to him but he suddenly began dipping me and acting all goofy. I was flushed and laughing by the time the song ended. Could I really be enjoying myself at a party… with a boy? What had come over me?

A sudden annoying niggling sensation in my head told me a Mohiri was near and my lips thinned as I scanned the area looking for Chris. What was his problem now? Was dancing with a boy some kind of security risk? When I found him I was going to let him know how creepy it was to have someone watching me all the time.

My watcher stood in front of the lighthouse, arms folded and a shuttered expression on his face. When I faced him, he moved slightly and I saw the set of his jaw and the stormy stare that I was starting to think he reserved just for me.

Lucky girl.

I
pulled away
from Samson and started walking in the opposite direction.

“Are you alright?” Samson asked behind me and I slowed to let him catch up. It wasn’t his fault I was being stalked by two overbearing demon warriors. The absurdity of that thought almost made me burst out laughing. I just smiled instead.

“I’m fine, just a little thirsty.”

“You want another beer?” he asked, stopping by a large cooler.

“Water if you have one. Or a soft drink is fine.”

He looked in the cooler. “None here. I think we have some in the van. Be right back.”

I knew Nikolas was behind me and I turned to confront him before he spoke. “What are you doing here?”

Nikolas’s brooding eyes studied my flushed face for a moment before they moved to the van and back. “Obviously protecting you from yourself. Are you drunk?”

My spine stiffened. “No, I’m not drunk. And even if I was it would be none of your business.”

His expression did not flicker. “You are my business. Whether you like it or not, you are one of us and we protect our own.”

Indignation flared in me. “First of all, I am nobody’s
business
and I don’t belong to you or your people or anyone else. This bossy act might work on little kids but it won’t work on me, and if I want to party with my friends or drink or do
anything
else, I will.”

I had no idea what made me go off on a tirade like that. I swear something about Nikolas pushed all my buttons. Maybe I resented him for being the one to turn my life upside down. Or maybe he reminded me how weak I really was out there in the world. Maybe it was me and not him at all.

I began to whirl away from him and stumbled, and his hand shot out to steady me. “You
are
drunk.”

I was wrong. It was
all
him.

“Everything okay here?” Samson asked.

I tried to make my expression neutral when I faced him. “Peachy. My… cousin was worried that I might be drinking too much. He’s a lot older than me and way too uptight.”

Nikolas’s eyebrows shot up and Samson did not look convinced. “Cousin, huh?”

“Distant cousins, practically unrelated.” Was that a challenge I heard in Nikolas’s voice? God, all I needed was to end up in the middle of some stupid testosterone match.

Samson glanced from me to Nikolas. “Listen if there is something going on between you two, I –”

My laugh came out as more of a snort. “Yeah, not in this lifetime.” I looked at Samson, ignoring Nikolas altogether. “I think I’ll go see what Roland is up to. Maybe I’ll see you again later.”

I don’t think I’ve stomped off like that since I was five. Nikolas made me feel like throwing a tantrum; how could one person be so damn aggravating? But then a couple hundred years is plenty of time to learn how to piss people off.

I spotted Roland with Dylan and a few other guys but I found that I had no desire for company so I headed to the beach and grabbed a seat near the fire. Someone had brought a guitar and he was playing a Lifehouse tune while everyone else talked amongst themselves. I watched the fire, content to sit quietly and listen as the guitarist finished his song and started another one.

Why did he have to show up and spoil everything? I was enjoying myself, really enjoying myself for the first time in weeks before he came along, acting arrogant and superior and reminding me how messed up my life was. All I wanted was to put the last few weeks behind me, and for a short while with Samson I had been able to do that. If Nikolas and Chris had to follow me, couldn’t they do it a little more subtly? It wasn’t like either of them could go unnoticed in this crowd, or any crowd for that matter, and I wasn’t blind to the attention I received from people when I was with either of them. I liked to stay in the background and I hated being stared at, I hated all of this.

I heard footsteps behind me but I didn’t have to look up to know it wasn’t one of my self-appointed protectors. The girls coming down the embankment scrambled and squealed like they were tumbling down a mountain.

“I don’t get it. What is the deal with her?” whined Jessie Clark. “Did you see Samson practically drooling over her? Samson – who won’t even look at a girl if she’s not in college!”

“I know!” Marie cut in. “I tried to talk to that dark haired hottie but he was watching her like frigging hawk. I thought he and Samson were going to fight over her.”

My ears burned and I was relieved no one could see the flush creeping up my cheeks. I had no doubt they were talking about me.

“I don’t think she even wears makeup,” Jessie declared as if wearing no eyeliner was a capitol offense. I was wearing mascara and lip gloss, didn’t that count?

Faith snickered. “Well what do you expect? She only hangs out with guys. Maybe they are getting something we don’t know about.”

“You think she’s like that?” Marie asked eagerly.

“Who knows with her,” Faith replied. “But if you ask me…?”

I didn’t get to hear the rest of her comment because they walked past me without even realizing I was there. My hands clenched in my lap and I was glad no one had noticed me overhearing the exchange between the three girls.

All the fun had left the party for me and I felt like crawling under a bush where no one could bother me until it was time to leave. I stood and picked my way a dozen feet down the beach where I could be alone but still keep the fire in sight. The night was cooling off and it was chilly away from the fire. I pulled my jacket closer around me and drew my knees up against my chest. Close to the water, the waves drowned out the voices and music and made me feel like I was completely alone here.

I picked up a stone and flung it out into the water.
This is their fault.
I couldn’t even pretend to act like a normal teenager without the two of them messing it up.

I felt the brush against my mind and I had to stop myself from crying out in frustration. Was it too much to ask for five minutes to myself?

“Please go away,” I said without looking up. “I promise I won’t have any fun or fall into the ocean in my drunken state if you’ll leave me alone.”

He sat down beside me and I ignored the warm arm touching mine. Silence stretched between us. I didn’t want to fight again so I kept quiet and waited for him to speak.

“I’ve heard that some orphans take the transition to the Mohiri life well and others struggle to adapt. Eventually they all come to love our way of life.”

I stared at the black water. “Maybe that’s because their life before wasn’t that great. It’s got to suck being a little kid with a demon wrecking havoc in your head. But I’m not like them.”

“No you’re not.”

“Why?”

It took him a minute to reply. “You are very strong, I don’t mean physically. Like I told you before, you have amazing control over your Mori; it’s almost effortless.”

“You don’t seem to have any trouble with yours,” I said.

Nikolas chuckled. “I’ve had many years to learn this much control and it’s still not as good as yours.”

“Oh.” I pondered that for a bit. “But you do control it right? You’re not going to go all Linda Blair on me, are you? Because I’ve had all the craziness I can handle for one year.”

His laugh was rich and warm and in spite of my dark mood, I felt a smile tugging at my own mouth. How was he able to infuriate me one minute and make me smile in the next one?

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” he said lightly.

I sighed and looked at him but he was silhouetted against the fire so I couldn’t see his face. “How long is this going to go on? I just want to go back to some semblance of a normal life.”

“Sara –”

“I know what you’re going to say. How normal can it be when I’m immortal and everyone else is not? Why can’t I have it for now at least until I have to leave?”

It was his turn to sigh. “That might have been possible before the vampire found you. You don’t know what they are like; once they decide they want something it’s like a predator scenting their prey. And you are the one that got away.”

I shivered at the image of being hunted like a deer. “The werewolves don’t think the vampires will enter their territory.”

“I hope they are right and I wish I could tell you that this will all go away but I won’t lie to you. I believe you are in danger here and I won’t leave you unprotected as long as that danger exists.”

And we were back to square one. I threw another stone at the water and got to my feet. “Just do me a favor and don’t act like every person you see is out to get me. It is possible that some boys might actually like me.”

“
Ya znayu
,” he muttered softly as I walked past him.

I slowed my steps. “Did you say something?”

“I said I’m sure they do.”

“
T
oo bad the
party got rained out,” Roland lamented, leaning back and stretching out his legs as far as he could. “It was just getting good.”

“At least you two got to have a few,” Peter groused as he focused on the wet road ahead.

Roland poked me with his elbow. “That’s right! Did I actually see you drinking?”

“I’ve had beer before. I’m not a saint or anything.”

On either side of me I heard snickering and Roland leaned toward me. “According to Samson you’re an angel. What did you say to that guy? He was like a lovesick puppy all night.”

My face grew hot and I shouldered Roland away. “I didn’t say anything to him. I mean we talked about music and whatever but that’s all.”

“Must have been some ‘whatever’,” Peter teased.

“Why? He didn’t think I was coming on to him did he?” I liked Samson, and I found him easier to talk to than most guys, but I hadn’t intended to lead him on. I admit there might even have been some interest on my part, but flirting had been the last thing on my mind tonight.

Roland chuckled. “No, and that’s probably what snared him. Samson’s used to chicks throwing themselves at him. He said he’s never met a girl who was ‘so real’. His words.”

“Oh God.” I covered my face with my hands.

“Hey look at the bright side. We’ll get in free to all their shows now.”

I elbowed Roland hard in the ribs. “Shut up!” I half shouted, half laughed at him.

“And just think if he gets famous you’ll already have your own bodyguards,” Peter gibed and my mood dampened at the mention of my Mohiri shadows. I wondered where they had gotten to. Chris had disappeared after Nikolas showed up and I hadn’t seen Nikolas much after our talk on the beach. But I knew he was there in the background even if he did give me space. There was no sign of a vehicle behind us so hopefully he had finally realized I was safe here.

“Where are we going anyway?” I asked, noticing for the first time that we were not headed to my place.

“Welllll,” Roland answered slowly. “Since Dylan’s bash was cut short, we thought we’d check out Dell’s party. It’s not that late and –”

The truck began to shudder violently and the tail started to slide sideways on the wet pavement. Peter cursed and gripped the wheel as he reduced speed and eased over to the shoulder of the road.

“What was that?” I exclaimed breathlessly.

“Feels like a tire blew out.” Roland jumped out into the rain and ran around the back of the truck then climbed inside again. “Yep, rear tire is shredded.” He groaned and waved at the rain hitting the hood like pellets. “Someone does not want us to party tonight.”

“Do you have a spare?” I asked him and he nodded. “Maybe you should wait till the rain lets up a bit. You’ll get drenched by the time you change the tire.”

We waited ten minutes for the rain to lessen before Roland reached for the door. “Looks like it’s not going to stop. Come on, Pete.”

They tossed their cell phones on the dashboard then hopped out of the truck. I slid over to follow Roland but he put up a hand to stop me. “No need for us all to get wet.”

Several minutes later he opened the passenger door again frowning. “We found the spare but no lug wrench.”

“You’re kidding,” I said as they climbed in, water dripping off them.

“We’re on Fell Road, less than half a mile from the turnoff,” Peter told me. “It’ll take me no time to run to my house and grab my mom’s car.”

I looked at the dark road which was obscured by a curtain of rain. “It’s cold and you’ll get soaked through. Can’t we call someone?”

He shook his head. “Dad and Uncle Brendan and Mom are in Portland and Aunt Judith is working.” He opened the door. “Don’t worry. I’m already soaked so getting a little wetter won’t make a difference.”

“Be careful,” I called after him and he gave me a thumbs up before he set off up the road toward home. Within minutes the darkness had swallowed him up.

Roland reached over and flicked on the hazard lights just in case anyone happened along. I leaned back and we sat quietly listening to the rain drumming on the hood and roof.

Roland roused me from my doze. “It’s been half an hour. Pete should have called or been back by now.” He picked up his cell phone and hit a number and Peter’s phone vibrated on the dashboard. Roland swore.

“Maybe he got held up. Let’s give him a few more minutes.” Two weeks ago I might have been worried but that was before I discovered what Peter was. I doubted there was anything out here that could harm a werewolf.

Five more minutes passed before Roland open his door and bellowed Peter’s name several times. We both got out of the truck and stood in the rain, which had lessened to a heavy drizzle. “Peter?” I called as loud as I could.

“Wait, did you hear that?” Roland said in a hushed voice. He held up a hand. “I think I hear something.”

I listened hard but all I heard was water dripping from the trees. Roland’s werewolf hearing was a lot better than mine so I waited for him to say something.

“There, down that way,” he said, pointing the way Peter had gone. “Pete?” he called running up the road with me close on his heels. The cold rain flattened my hair against my head and drenched my light coat but all I could think of was finding Peter. Then I heard it – faint but unmistakable; Peter’s voice calling from somewhere up ahead. “Help.”