moved on to their next victim. Not only did they feed off mortal souls, they had a lust for blood and mayhem, which explained the carnage filling the high-rise apartment.
Lynx, a highly skilled warrior and brother in arms, had battled a Hirudo for a solid month just a century before. Incorporeal until it found a host body, the demon was near impossible to track—a trail of dead bodies often the only clue as to its whereabouts. A leech on the loose in Arcane meant trouble—big trouble. Jaw tight, Ty breathed deep and spoke through gritted teeth. “You’re sure?”
Athena raised a perfectly sculpted brow and narrowed her cerulean eyes. “You dare to question my word, warrior?”
Ty held up his hands in supplication, inwardly cursing his fat mouth. He didn’t have the best filter, his thoughts often flooding out of his pie hole at high velocity. “Goddess…I meant no—”
“You would do well to remember your place, Tydeus of Calydon. I made you, and I can unmake you just as easily. It is by my grace alone that you live at all.”
Ty donned a cool façade and remained silent, all the while cursing his maker on the inside. Oh, how he hated Athena. Man, monster, demon, death…there was nothing on earth that scared Ty. But Athena…Athena made him nervous for she wasn’t of the earth. No. She was an Olympian, a powerful goddess, wise, all knowing, deadly, and stubborn as fuck. And his sorry ass had up and questioned her word. Idiot.
While he hated his boss and the cursed beast she’d saddled him with for all eternity, he had a healthy respect for her power and knew he needed to remove his foot from his mouth post haste.
“Forgive me, Athena. I—”
“Relax, Tydeus,” she said, cutting him off. “Groveling is beneath you…” a wicked smile curled the corner of her lip, “and I haven’t the patience for it.”
She turned her gaze from him to the far wall and waved her slender arm in a wide arc. A large portal appeared out of nowhere, the dark, swirling vortex tugging at his gut, beckoning him forward.
“Make haste, Tydeus, and don’t disappoint me. Find and dispatch the leech before it destroys more innocent souls.”
With his beast roaring, begging to be freed, Ty leapt into the portal, his sole focus that of tracking and destroying the Hirudo. He was a soldier by birth. Immortal killer by trade. Aside from a good fuck every now and then, there was nothing more satisfying than bringing down a mark. Hopefully this one turned out to be somewhat of a challenge. Easy kills were boring.
Chapter 2
Two weeks later…
Out of breath and impossibly late, Danika blew through the employee entrance to the club and barreled into the changing room, determination fueling her step. I’m not late. I’m not late. I’m not…crap. With a soft groan, she skidded to an abrupt halt and dropped her purse onto the aging wooden bench that lined the rusty, break room lockers.
Dammit all to hell! It was my turn to be the mermaid!
Frustration sent a hot flush creeping across her skin as she watched her co-worker, Sasha, adjust the glittery strap of the shell bra she should rightfully be wearing. Unable to mask her disappointment, she sighed in resignation, wincing as she eyeballed the neon green alien getup hanging in the corner.
It was always the last costume on the rack, and for good reason. Made up of skintight, body-hugging spandex, the out-of-this-world nightmare was a poor excuse for a bodysuit. With its plunging neckline, silver thigh high boots, and God-awful mask, it tended to make the person donning it both sweaty and claustrophobic.
Sasha cast her a heated sideways glance and made a show of fluffing her long, ebony tresses. “If you wanted to wear a better costume, you should have hauled your sorry ass down here earlier.” Stationed in front of a large, oval mirror, she painstakingly applied a thick coat of mascara to her heavily painted eyes and inspected herself at length with an appreciative smile. With
Lynx, a highly skilled warrior and brother in arms, had battled a Hirudo for a solid month just a century before. Incorporeal until it found a host body, the demon was near impossible to track—a trail of dead bodies often the only clue as to its whereabouts. A leech on the loose in Arcane meant trouble—big trouble. Jaw tight, Ty breathed deep and spoke through gritted teeth. “You’re sure?”
Athena raised a perfectly sculpted brow and narrowed her cerulean eyes. “You dare to question my word, warrior?”
Ty held up his hands in supplication, inwardly cursing his fat mouth. He didn’t have the best filter, his thoughts often flooding out of his pie hole at high velocity. “Goddess…I meant no—”
“You would do well to remember your place, Tydeus of Calydon. I made you, and I can unmake you just as easily. It is by my grace alone that you live at all.”
Ty donned a cool façade and remained silent, all the while cursing his maker on the inside. Oh, how he hated Athena. Man, monster, demon, death…there was nothing on earth that scared Ty. But Athena…Athena made him nervous for she wasn’t of the earth. No. She was an Olympian, a powerful goddess, wise, all knowing, deadly, and stubborn as fuck. And his sorry ass had up and questioned her word. Idiot.
While he hated his boss and the cursed beast she’d saddled him with for all eternity, he had a healthy respect for her power and knew he needed to remove his foot from his mouth post haste.
“Forgive me, Athena. I—”
“Relax, Tydeus,” she said, cutting him off. “Groveling is beneath you…” a wicked smile curled the corner of her lip, “and I haven’t the patience for it.”
She turned her gaze from him to the far wall and waved her slender arm in a wide arc. A large portal appeared out of nowhere, the dark, swirling vortex tugging at his gut, beckoning him forward.
“Make haste, Tydeus, and don’t disappoint me. Find and dispatch the leech before it destroys more innocent souls.”
With his beast roaring, begging to be freed, Ty leapt into the portal, his sole focus that of tracking and destroying the Hirudo. He was a soldier by birth. Immortal killer by trade. Aside from a good fuck every now and then, there was nothing more satisfying than bringing down a mark. Hopefully this one turned out to be somewhat of a challenge. Easy kills were boring.
Chapter 2
Two weeks later…
Out of breath and impossibly late, Danika blew through the employee entrance to the club and barreled into the changing room, determination fueling her step. I’m not late. I’m not late. I’m not…crap. With a soft groan, she skidded to an abrupt halt and dropped her purse onto the aging wooden bench that lined the rusty, break room lockers.
Dammit all to hell! It was my turn to be the mermaid!
Frustration sent a hot flush creeping across her skin as she watched her co-worker, Sasha, adjust the glittery strap of the shell bra she should rightfully be wearing. Unable to mask her disappointment, she sighed in resignation, wincing as she eyeballed the neon green alien getup hanging in the corner.
It was always the last costume on the rack, and for good reason. Made up of skintight, body-hugging spandex, the out-of-this-world nightmare was a poor excuse for a bodysuit. With its plunging neckline, silver thigh high boots, and God-awful mask, it tended to make the person donning it both sweaty and claustrophobic.
Sasha cast her a heated sideways glance and made a show of fluffing her long, ebony tresses. “If you wanted to wear a better costume, you should have hauled your sorry ass down here earlier.” Stationed in front of a large, oval mirror, she painstakingly applied a thick coat of mascara to her heavily painted eyes and inspected herself at length with an appreciative smile. With
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