Chapter One
Finding a birthday gift for a wealthy demigod was an intimidating prospect but Nelson was feeling pretty damn proud of himself at the moment. He’d somehow managed to get it right again, if Nox’s ecstatic gasps were any indication. Nox was mopping tears away from his eyes as he inspected the wooden locket Nelson had made from a piece of a fallen branch. It came from a tree, a handful of yards away from where they were currently standing.
“This is…exquisite, Nelson. When did you—?” Nox threw his free arm around Nelson’s neck and kissed him until they were both lightheaded.
The locket had been hidden in the Continental’s trunk for weeks. Nelson waited until they returned to the cabin at Coudersport to give it to Nox. Partly because it was supposed to be a birthday surprise, and partly because Nelson kept chickening out. Everyone else had given Nox their presents after dinner. Too self-conscious, Nelson invited Nox to watch the sunset and skip stones and gave it to him then.
Nelson shrugged it off. “It’s not a big deal. I miss you when you’re teaching and it gave me something to do while I was waiting.”
“You missed me while you were making this,” Nox whispered in awe, raising the gold chain and letting the intricately carved wooden heart dangle next to their faces. “You made it with a piece ofthisforest—our forest—and you loved me while you were doing it. Do you know what that means?”
“It’s special?” Nelson guessed.
“So special! It’s full of magick!”
They kissed again as the sun set, the dreamy pastel sky reflecting off the lake as fireflies sparked and the crickets and peepers began to sing. Nelson felt like he was coming home whenever they visited the family cabin at Coudersport. He had been walking with Nox in the woods several months prior when they stopped to make out against one of the large stones that were hidden in the picturesque glade. After, Nox had skipped off to check out some mushrooms when Nelson had spotted the fallen branch.
He didn’t have a plan at the time, when he snapped off the thinner, brittle end and tucked it into the side pocket of his cargo pants. It was forgotten until Nelson was packing up his dirty clothes and found it again. He remembered kissing Nox right before he discovered it and gave into the most ridiculous urge and kissed the piece of broken branch before hiding it in his duffle bag.
“Maybe,” Nelson said with a shy grin. “I’m glad you like it. You’re hard to shop for.”
Nox cringed apologetically. “I know. I already have everything I could possibly want and nothing’s as good as you.”
“Stop it.” Nelson could feel his cheeks burning. “You have enough money to buy anything you want but the only things you get excited about are crystals, T-shirts, and combat boots, and you already have enough of those.”
“Can you have too many T-shirts and crystals?” Nox’s lips twisted. He pretended to consider but flinched and spun as if someone had fired a pistol.
“What’s wrong?”
“Shhh! Listen!” Nox held up a hand and Nelson immediately noticed that there was nothing to hear. The crickets and peepers—the entire forest—had gone silent.
Then, they heard loud stomping, snapping, and crashing and the tree tops swayed wildly around them, despite the eerily calm evening.
“Run, Nelson! Get to the cabin and warn everyone!”
Run? Without you?
Nelson’s neck craned warily. “What are you—?” he started but Nox gave him a hard shove in the direction of the cabin.
“Go! Get the girls someplace safe!” Nox ordered, his eyes wide and shining with something that looked like terror and possibly outrage.
“Okay,” Nelson gestured for him to relax as he backed toward the cabin. He understood that Nox was worried about Clancy’s twin daughters, butwhy?
He had his answer a moment later as massive heads and arms protruded from the forest, bending and breaking trees as they were swept aside like curtains.
“Go, Nelson!” Nox shouted before he took off running.At them.
“Nox! Wait!” It was too late for that so Nelson turned and ran for the cabin to get Merlin and Clancy. They must have heard because they were already storming down the front steps in their pajamas, with Clancy’s wife, Ingrid, and their daughters behind them. “Nox said to get the girls someplace safe,” Nelson said but both girls answered with offended shouts and Clancy flashed him an amused grin.
“He may be a god but my wife and my daughters outrank Nox,” he informed Nelson.
Ingrid?1 let out a caustic snort. “As ifhecould stop us.” She twisted her long red hair into a bun and the girls traded mischievous grins. Their hair was already tied back and they were stretching their arms and necks and cracking their knuckles. All three were dressed for bed in tank tops and camisoles and shorts or pajama pants.
“I am so ready!” one of the girls, Freya?2, growled and received a high-five from Sigrid?3.
Neither of the girls or Ingrid were wearing shoes. “Are you sure about this?” Nelson asked Clancy nervously but he laughed and nodded.
“Freya and Sigrid have been playing rugby since they were five and their mother trained themwellwhile I was off with Nox and Lucas.”
