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The Phoenix jerked, roaring up at the sky as his fire died. His knees buckled, and he crumpled into the dirt, where he twitched.
“I did it! I’m incredible! I’m amazing!” Wheezing her breaths, Neeka stomped on the syringe, breaking the glass. Golden liquid spilled over the dirt, smoke curling into the air.
She returned to the writhing Phoenix, yanked the spear free with the last of her strength, and swung it. Rathbone transformed into a sword midway, removing the other man’s head. Not a permanent death for a Phoenix, but a good start.
Rathbone shifted into his normal form just as Neeka crumpled. He caught her against his chest and eased her down.
As he bit into his free arm, drawing blood, then shoved the wound against her mouth, Maximus approached.
“Is she okay?” the boy asked, hesitant.
“She will be.” Rathbone kissed her temple. “Take as much as you need, love.”
She drank greedily, gulping mouthfuls, and contentment infused him. This was a version of his dream he hadn’t computed until now. Nourishing his warrior woman, giving everything she needed.
He studied the boy, who stared at him, wide-eyed. A handsome lad, no doubt about it, with untapped potential. “I expect a full accounting. How and why are you both here? How did you get through the realm’s boundaries unscathed?”
“What boundaries?” Maximus demanded. “I flashed in without problem. But then, I’m me.” He rolled back his shoulders.
The barrier sensed the boy’s connection to Rathbone and allowed him to pass without incident?
Neeka freed her mouth from his flesh and lifted her head, crying, “Don’t be mad!” A flurry of movement, she twisted and wound herself around Rathbone, clinging to him like a vine. “I did it. I’m guilty. My plan was to sneak into Hades’s palace and visit with the goddess in the mirror without anyone else in the know. But I didn’t do it!”
“I see. Go on.”
“I changed my mind because I couldn’t bring myself to betray your trust,” she told him in a rush. “I had just turned around when I smacked into Maximus. Then Ahdán showed up. Then you arrived, helped me save the day, and forgave me.” She peeked at him through her thick fan of lashes. “Right? You forgive me?”
Infinitely tender, he kissed the racing pulse at the base of her neck. Whether she realized it or not, she’d chosen him over everything else. How could he be angry about that?
“Will you talk with me when you have a knowing from now on?” he asked. “Beforeyou act?”
She nodded with enthusiasm. “I will, oracle’s honor.”
“Then I’ll admit there’s nothing to forgive. But I’ll still let you show me how apologetic you are at home. I’m sweet like that.”
“Wait. So you aren’t mad?”
“Not mad,” he confirmed.
“Dang. I really like you.”
He chuckled. “I really like you, too.”
Blasting pure defiance, Maximus bellowed, “I hate you both. I’m going to live with you, anyway, and let you train me to be undefeatable. What’s for dinner?”
“I guess I have a consort and stepson now.” Neeka crouched on the railing of a balcony, eating her version of popcorn, her attention on the ground below. She’d hung a mirror on the wall to her left, allowing her to converse with her reflection while watching Rathbone and Maximus enjoy a get-to-know-you sesh and trained. Though the sight of father and son working together gave her all the feels, the interaction wasn’t going well.
The pair had begun an hour ago; as soon as they’d returned to the palace, in fact. Maximus took every bit of instruction as a criticism, frustrating Rathbone.
“You also have an ex-husband who’s gonna rot in an Underworld prison until Rathbone is able to kill him for good,” Reflection replied. “Oh, and don’t forget the grumpy harpy housemate.”
“As if I could.” She and her handsome consort had fetched Daisy after they’d gotten Maximus settled. Neeka had forgotten her, but Rathbone hadn’t. “She kicked me out of her room to play with gadgets and gizmos. Who does that?”
“You when you’re making jewelry.”
Anyway. “What am I going to do about Lore and the Astra?”
“Relax and let our brilliance play out?”
