As amusing as it would be to see Shade get his ass handed to him, now was not the time. She stepped into the room, coming to a stop between the two of them. Loki stretched his neck out, so as not to lose sight of his target, and she just shook her head. “Sorry, boy. Next time.”
Loki narrowed his eyes, a wicked glint in his gaze, the sneaky beast no doubt trying to gauge if he could get away with going around her. She reached out, scratched him behind his ear, and shook her head. “Sorry, big guy. How about we go for a run later, and you can play with the metal wolves?”
His eyebrows wiggled as he contemplated her offer, his snout twitched, then he sneezed and straightened before leaping toward the ground with a long-suffering huff of disappointment. He landed with a thud that vibrated under her feet, and he trottedtoward the door, his eyes locked on Shade like the guy was a man-sized chew toy he wanted to destroy.
The closer he got to the door, the slower his steps became, until he stood frozen like a statue.
Morgan cleared her throat, and the big dog practically drooped to the floor, completely dejected as he left. As soon as his paw cleared the doorway, he perked up, whirled, then plopped his ass down over the threshold, no doubt hoping to get a second chance.
Morgan turned toward Shade and lifted a mocking brow. Which he returned with a scowl. He crushed the orb in his fist, the black smoke turning wispy before it faded away. With a flick of his wrist, the door to the office snapped shut with a thud, and a pleased smirk played about his mouth.
Despite his ruffled appearance—or maybe because of it—the man was stunning. His tousled, slightly too long, midnight black hair held almost a silver sheen that gave him a bad boy look. His violet blue eyes were similar to her own, but any other similarities ended there.
He had a charismatic charm that hid he was a rat bastard down to the core. His only concern was for his own survival. It was a warning that she best not forget if she wanted to keep living. The sooner the demigod left this place, the better.
The last thing they needed was him meddling in her affairs.
That never worked out well for her.
“Where’s Ward?” Morgan was a little disappointed at not seeing the man. He seemed to be the only thing that kept the demigod in check.
“He left with MacGregor and Mistress McKay to check out the wards.” Ascher pushed away from the bookcase, watching where he placed his feet as he carefully made his way toward her.
“Why am I not surprised that you’re in trouble again?” Shade snarked, his smile a little more savage than usual, clearly still disgruntled at his reception.
“Completely not my fault this time.” Morgan rolled her eyesand huffed under her breath. He gave her such a disbelieving look that she wanted to deck the asshole. “Rude!”
He smirked, revealing a stunning set of dimples. Most girls would swoon at the devilish twinkle in his eyes, but she barely resisted the urge to smack him on the back of the head. He must have read the intention on her face, his smile widening, but before she could follow through with her threat, he lifted his arms.
He placed his palms one on top of the other, then twisted them into opposite directions of each other. Magic crackled in the air, darkness stirring. When he slapped his two hands together, she felt a sharp tug at the center of her chest. When he pulled his hands apart, the darkness swirled and thickened until one of the last remaining magical books from the lost library of Alexandria appeared between his hands.
He walked toward what remained of her desk and swept his hand over the surface, scattering the few remaining books and papers to the floor. Just as he set the book on the surface, Thanatos entered the room.
Shade’s head snapped up as if sensing his presence, then his violet eyes shimmered. One second, he was behind the desk, the next, he was in front of her, shoving her behind him, directly into the arms of her mates. “Get her out of here!”
Magic thickened in the room, darkness flooding the air until the outside world vanished.
Morgan gaped at Shade, unable to mask her surprise. He’d tossed her to the wolves more than once to save himself. He didn’t seem to care that they were tied together, that if she died, he died as well.
This time was different. Instead of running, he was facing his greatest fear—a full-blooded god running free outside of Tartarus.
Ascher caught her close, but when she tried to pull away, he tightened his grip.
Like Shade’s suspicions and panic were catchy.
No—not again!
She would not have her coven destroyed by two warring gods.
She slammed her elbow back, then winced at the pained grunt, but it wasn’t enough to make her hesitate. She grabbed the arm wrapped around her waist and ducked under it until she had Ascher’s arm twisted around his back. With a little shove, she sent him directly into the others, giving her precious seconds.
“Stop!” Morgan jumped between the two gods and held her hands up between them, keeping them both in view. Kincade stepped next to her with a furious scowl on his face that said she was going to pay for her actions later. Atlas and Caedmon wore determined expressions, creeping around the shadows of the room, ready to face off against both gods. Ryder had partially shifted, fangs and claws at the ready. Draven released his powers, chocolate goodness making the air feel like it was loaded with a drug.
She angled toward Shade, but the stubborn bastard refused to acknowledge her presence. “Shade—I would like you to meet my grandfather.”
A quiver went through him, his already pale complexion turning gray. He opened and closed his mouth before he swallowed hard. Giving a short shake of his head, as if to clear his thoughts, his gaze flicked toward her before it quickly returned to Thanatos with a massive scowl. “Being related to the gods doesn’t make you safe. If anything, they treat their progeny like personal property to do with what they want.”
Thanatos gave a deep belly laugh that filled the room, humor glinting in his bright green eyes. “You should listen to your young protector. He’s not wrong.”
