Selena's Men (23 page)

“
You need to buy that thing some toothpaste, Gramps. His breath is so foul. I almost died from the stench alone
.”

“Silence, you unworthy child.” Cronus growled.

Nobody had ever accused Selena of having a death wish, but a girl had to do what a girl had to do and Selena was definitely a girl. “
Okay, so if you don’t want me to call you Gramps I won’t. But what do I call you?”

“My Lord will do.”

Blinking her eyes, Selena tried to control the automatic response of an impressive eye roll, and barely succeeded. She didn’t say another word, but felt him trying to probe into her mind. She pictured the wall she’d seen in Max and Malcolm’s minds and imitated its structure behind the wall she already had in place. He powered through her wall, but slammed into the new barrier.

“Ah, you think you can keep me out of your mind?”

“
I guess I do. How is it working so far
?” Selena tried to smirk.

Cronus didn’t raise his hand to strike her. He just smiled a parody of a smile that sent a bit of fear down her spine. His chest swelled, and she knew she’d fed his powers with her fear. She banked down the instinct to crawl away in fear and raised her head, meeting him stare for stare. That seemed to enrage him. The blow came without any warning, and she gasped at the fiery pain. A quick look down revealed a jewel-encrusted dagger impaled in her right side.

More blood leaked from her body into the bowl. She didn’t dare send out a healing thought to the new wound and alert him to her ability.

“
If Zeus is my father, aren’t you afraid he will punish you more than just banishing you from Olympus for hurting me?”

“Let him try. Your father is a pup, and I’m going to be the pit bull that rips him apart.”

Selena didn’t say any more. He seemed to relish in his daydream, giving her a moment to stop the internal bleeding. She wished Max and Malcolm were there to hold her. Her men would’ve done anything to protect her, and she found that amazing. They’d just met her, but the love she sensed they felt for her had been true.

Selena didn’t have many regrets, but she really regretted not telling them that she loved them. Her mama who raised her always told her that sometimes love came slow and steady, like what she had with her father. But sometimes, it came fast and hard. Selena decided her love for her two men went far beyond fast and hard. It was supersonic.

Thinking of Max and Malcolm coming to her rescue made her shudder. They may be big and willing to die for her, but she was glad they wouldn’t. If she was going to die at the hands of the crazed thing before her, just knowing they still lived gave her peace. She sighed, and then silently screamed when another lance of pain shot through her system.

She vowed not to show the bastard the pain he inflicted. There was no need to look down at the cause of this newest pain. She could see more of her life’s blood flowing from her body. Surely, if she were a goddess, then she wouldn’t bleed to death…right?

Max paced as he waited for the rest of the Ravens to arrive. Rafe, Vin, Coltrain, and Grayson had already shown up. He’d heard from Garrick and Thantos, but Blade, Uri, Dimitri, and Dion were still not answering his call.

“Where the fuck are they?” Max asked. He spun on his boot and stomped from the room only to return a few moments later. “Okay, let’s go. If they show up while we’re gone they can follow us.”

“How they gonna do that, boss?” Rafe asked.

“I’m leaving a trail, so to speak. Let’s go!” Max linked with the men and they flashed out, reappearing outside the mausoleum Cronus called home. He still couldn’t believe Cronus had not only clawed his way out of hell, but was smack dab in the middle of the Arizona desert. Add in the fact he was able to hide something that could easily fit three football fields inside was a testament to the god’s powers.

“What the hell is that monstrosity?” Grayson asked in a gravelly tone.

“That, my friend, is going to be the final resting place of a god,” Malcolm answered.

With only six Ravens, Max planned an attack that was less brawn and more stealth. He didn’t want to alert the beings—be they human or other—inside the temple to their presence until they had a chance to get in. He’d been trying to speak with Selena for the past hour and every time, he ran into a wall she’d obviously mimicked from his. Smiling, he scaled the imaginary wall and sighed when he penetrated her mind.

“
Thank you, gods above, I found you. How are you, baby
?” Max whispered.

“
Max! Is that you?”

“Don’t make any move to alert them we are talking. I’m going to look through your eyes to see what you see. I need you to take a slow look from side to side.”
Max continued to tell Selena what to do, taking in all she saw. “
Good job, baby. Leave this line open and I’ll keep you informed of our plans.”

“
Max, I need to tell you and Malcolm something.”

“Hush, sweetheart. You can tell us face-to-face in a few
.” He surrounded her with his love and embraced her body, trying to warm her. “
I need you to be strong just a little longer, and then we’ll get you out of there and with us, where you belong
.”

Max could feel the strain she was under and vowed he would rip Cronus and his people to shreds with his bare hands. With a little burst of power he stopped the flow of her blood, but left the illusion for the people watching.

He could see Cronus holding court to the hundreds of humans kneeling at his feet. The humans didn’t concern him—much. It was the army of half men, half beasts that surrounded the bowed people. Through Selena’s eyes, he focused on a group of people who had an aura of power near the back of the room. He saw the communication between the two women and knew these people would be allies in the battle to come if needed. He hated using humans with their fragile lives, but had learned early that not everyone survived in wars.

Shrugging his shoulders, he broke his link with Selena to face his brothers. He replayed what he’d seen through Selena’s eyes and saw Grayson’s eyes widen at the picture of the bowed redhead. He didn’t have time to wonder what caused that reaction in the usually stoic man’s expression. He felt a flash of pain and knew it was from Selena.

“Son of a bitch, we can’t wait any longer. He’s hurting Selena. Malcolm and I will immobilize the humans with an order of paralysis. If any are strong enough to resist then we will take care of them. Rafe and Vin, I want you to take the back wall and spread out. Colt and Gray, you take the front and do the same. Malcolm and I will take the middle, but our main focus is going to be Selena. Understood?”

He didn’t wait to see if they all agreed. That was one of the best things about the Ravens. They were a unit first and foremost. He flashed inside the temple with Malcolm right beside him. Cronus floated above the ground looking more like the devil, with bright red skin and horns longer than those he’d seen on bulls in Texas.

Max shook his head at the image. Cronus was so focused on his people and the newest wound he’d inflicted on Selena, he sucked up the fear and pain of others. The crowd gasped and stared wide-eyed in awe at the pool of blood, giving the Ravens the leverage they needed.

Malcolm reached up to break the chains surrounding Selena’s right wrist when a bellow from behind them sounded. Max didn’t have time to wonder what happened. Cronus turned his head in a completely grotesque imitation of
The Exorcist
. Obviously, the man’s neck couldn’t be broken. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Cronus smiled, showing a full set of teeth that looked razor-sharp, and several rows of them.

“Holy shit. That must be the offspring of Satan and Jaws,” Malcolm said. “Dude, how much are your dental bills?”

Max wanted to smack his brother until he realized he’d moved away from Selena. Malcolm was trying to keep the god’s focus on him, giving Max a chance to free Selena. Gods were known to be very vain, and Malcolm hit him right at the heart of his vanity.

“I know of a really great plastic surgeon who could help with the um…Well let’s just be real. You are so fucking ugly even Dr. Ray couldn’t help you. However, I hear Dr. Drew has an opening at
Celebrity Rehab
.”

Cronus roared and lunged for Malcolm.

Max tracked Malcolm’s movements out of the corner of his eye and worked on freeing Selena.

“Hold on, baby. I just have to break these chains,” Max said.

“You can’t break them,” Jaklyn said next to his side.

Max spun and grabbed the smaller woman by the throat. He felt several things poke his sides, but didn’t take his gaze off of the stunning creature in his grasp. She smiled, showing cute little dimples in her cheeks.

“You are the one who spoke with Selena?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer. The swords he knew pointed at him didn’t deter him. “Do you know how to break these?”

She nodded, and he carefully set her back on her feet. He noted she had on sturdy black combat books and that smile still graced her mouth.

“Of course I do. My name is Jaklyn. Now step back,” she waved with one hand to make a space for herself. “I will not hurt the goddess.”

Max gave a simple nod and allowed enough room for her to stand beside him. The sharp swords became more like a mosquito, in the desert sun, and he tired of their poking. He sent a small shock from the point of their blades, to the hands and up the arms of the ones holding them. They gave a little grunt, but held still. Amazed, he let them have their little victory. If he truly wanted to hurt them, he could’ve incinerated them. But they seemed to want to protect his Selena, so for that, he gave it to them. That didn’t mean he was going to allow them to stab him or Selena.

He watched as the human ran her palms over the steel holding Selena’s wrist and barely restrained the gasp he felt when the chains fell away. He caught Selena to his chest and held her as Jaklyn did the same to the ones at Selena’s ankles. He sent a blast of healing warmth through the wounds and pushed the blades out from the inside.

Selena’s smile lit up her face, but he didn’t have time to bask in her glow.

“Yo, Max. Can you quit fondling our woman and help with the fighting?” Malcolm panted.

Max turned to see Malcolm suited up in his favorite armor, fighting off a very pissed-off Cronus. He looked to the group of humans surrounding him and Selena and asked one thing. “Will you protect Selena with your life?” He watched as they all nodded without missing a beat, and hugged Selena.

“I had a dream several years ago. It’s led me here, and hasn’t let me down yet. I think you can trust me. If we wanted her dead we wouldn’t have helped.” Jaklyn held her hands out. Her two companions that looked very similar tilted their heads in agreement.

“Baby, I need you to be safe. But I can’t leave Malcolm to fight that thing alone.” He nodded to the battling pair. “I don’t know how much you know, but you are a goddess, the youngest child of Zeus and his wife Hera. Until you come into your powers you are at risk. I’m going to transport you all out of here. I need you to promise me you will stay safe and be careful.”

* * * *

Selena smiled at the authority in his tone. The poor man had no clue she’d already come into her powers, if that was what this excess energy zinging through her body was. She felt like bolts of lightning kept striking her flesh, a really pleasant feeling that made her hum in pleasure. Max and Malcolm were such overprotective men they had no clue she equaled them. Bless their hearts. She couldn’t wait to show them what she could do.

She realized he waited for her answer and the longer she held off the more danger Malcolm faced, alone. Not wanting to lie, she nodded. “I promise I will be safe and very careful. Go help Malcolm.”

He kissed her hard and leaped down, obliterating the beings in his way. Her heart fluttered and then turned over at the sight of her two men standing side by side with shiny armor covering their torsos and swords raised. Good lord but they made her freaking hot with a capital
hot
.

“Don’t even think of it, goddess. He hasn’t forgotten to get us out of here,” Jaklyn said.

Selena’s eyes widened as a burst of light flashed all around her. She blinked her eyes and stared in awe at her new surroundings. Jaklyn had her mouth gaping open until one of the men next to her tapped the bottom of her chin. She almost smiled at the snarl Jaklyn let out, until she realized she had no clue where they were.

Closing her eyes, she followed the faint trail that would lead her back to Max and Malcolm. Damn the man, he’d sent her and the others to California. Opening all her senses, she could smell the ocean, and if she listened carefully, could actually hear the waves crashing on the beach. With her mind open, she realized they stood in Malcolm’s California home. Knowing they were in a safe place, she latched onto the essence of Max, and with a thought she followed, leaving Jaklyn and the others behind.

Selena cautiously entered the compound on the astral plane, not wanting to alert any of the occupants of her arrival. She nearly stumbled when she saw Max lying in a pool of blood and Malcolm not far behind. An ungodly roar split the air, and Rafe, followed by a man very similar in looks, covered the space separating them from her men.