1304 The Harbinger (The 13th Floor) (3 page)

Meira never hit the floor. As Zeus had put an arm around his wife, so Ares did with Meira now. Supporting her with a squeeze that wasn’t so gentle and wearing that sly smile.

“A Yorkipoo, Mother? She’s a much better breed than that. And so loyal. Even now, she doesn’t think to betray you. She’s accepts your rule, but she’s collapsing in on herself. This mortal she loves, he must be quite the man to affect a harpy in this manner,” Ares said in a thoughtful tone.

Turning her head slowly, Meira glared at him. What was he up to? He was only going to make this worse.

“Yes, the Fates assured me he was a hero worthy of Jason of the Argonauts’ bloodline.” Zeus nodded. The room shook again, and then he growled, “But he’s mine.”

“I wasn’t going to suggest he’s not, Father. A hero in this day and age is a rare thing.” Ares pointed out. “What’s even rarer is a good challenge. When’s the last time you had a hero to test? A century? Two? It’s been a long while.”

“Yes, it has been awhile.” Zeus’ arm dropped from around Hera. He stroked his beard as the thunder eased.

“I know where you’re going with this, Ares. And no.” Hera shook her head once.

A challenge. A chance. Meira’s stomach quivered, and she drew her wings tighter around her. She bit her lower lip to keep herself from saying anything. Her support of the idea would only have her turned into a yappy little dog faster.

“The entire council will be here tonight. Everyone can witness the challenge. If the mortal fails, you have his soul anyway. If he is victorious, then he’s worth even more. And he’s your chosen hero, Father.” Ares ignored his mother and dug his fingers into Meira’s shoulder.

There was more. The gods never helped unless something was in it for them.

“A challenge. Yes. I haven’t had some good entertainment like that in too long.” Zeus grinned.

“You had some of the new gods wrestle lions last night!” Hera threw the men nasty looks. “Besides, if the mortal wins, you’ll have to offer him a boon. If he chooses to marry the dog, I won’t have it. She disrespected me. You should pluck every feather from her body and throw her to the giants. Let them eat her or, even better, breed her.”

The goddess’ smirk was loathsome. Meira’s toes curled. She didn’t know what would be worse: to lose her wings or to be given to giants for their pleasure. They’d be as likely to eat her as to—Ugh. She didn’t want to think about it.

“Hm, I would have to offer him a boon.” Zeus pursed his lips.

“I don’t think you need to worry about the mortal asking for Meira. Once he sees her true form, he’ll be horrified. He won’t want to be with her any longer. A bonus that you’ll get to see him reject her, Mother.”

Meira wanted to smack Ares for his comments. In her true form, she retained her beautiful humanoid body except for her wings and her feet which started at mid-calf. But there was truth to what he said. Sam might not turn her away for how she looked, but he’d feel betrayed. He’d told her everything about his life, and he knew only part of who she was. Honesty was incredibly important to him. He’d be crushed that she’d lied to him.

“A challenge!” Zeus whooped, sounding like a boy eager for a sweet treat. He pointed a finger at Meira. “You will bring the mortal’s soul tonight at the moment he straddles the line of life and death. He will see you as you are, my servant. Let the price of your disrespect be the loss of your love.”

No lightning bolt, but the Thunder God’s exit was still dramatic.

Meira found strength to stand on her own, but only through the numbness that was creeping in. Whatever happened with the challenge, Sam wouldn’t want her any more. No more morning coffees and foot massages. She’d never share his bed or even tell him she loved him.

“Don’t think I approve of this challenge. I say kill the dog and be done with this. I take chances with nothing.” Hera stomped to the door. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten, bitch. The men will play their games, but I will crush you.”

The threat was not to be taken lightly. If Meira were sane, she’d run screaming from the room. Zeus’ wrath was widely known, but Hera’s was far more vicious.

Once his mother left the room, Ares released Meira and twirled a lock of her hair around one of his fingers before letting it bounce against her shoulder. “Wasn’t that fun? And here I thought the highpoint of my day would be a couple of skirmishes in the Middle East.”

“What do you want, Ares?” Meira’s voice wasn’t quite her own. Flat, but with an edge.

“What do you mean?” He couldn’t hide that devious glint in his dark eyes. “A challenge gives you and your lover a chance. Maybe I’ve been spending too much time with Aphrodite recently.”

If he had, it wasn’t to learn her wisdom. Meira shook out her wings as she stood straighter. “Please don’t pretend you care. Tell me what you want.”

“You know what I want.” Sleek and seductive, the god was every woman’s fantasy.

But Meira wasn’t every woman. “You’ll never have me.”

Ares’ hand darted forward and snatched her chin. He yanked her close to him. “I could have you any time I wanted, but that’s not what I want from you.” He grinned and let her go with a little shove. He strolled around the table to the far door. “Be sure to fetch your mortal’s soul on time tonight. I’m sure you wouldn’t fall for any ordinary hero. I can’t wait to see how he holds up against Father’s challenge.”

When Meira was finally alone in the room, she let the tears come.

CHAPTER 4

There was no point in canceling her dinner with Sam. Meira gave a few seconds of consideration to taking Sam to her apartment and keeping him safe there, but if the Fates had declared he’d die, then he was going to die one way or another. The thirteenth floor also did not hide her from the gods, since it was Zeus who sent her to live there in the first place.

She met Sam in the opulent lobby of Suntech & Windergy. And when she held on longer than usual as they embraced, he asked if everything was okay with her sister.

Having forgotten her lie, Meira let out a soft groan. Her sisters would hear of the challenge and be there tonight. It was torture enough that she would lose Sam, but to have the other harpies witness her rejection by a mortal man was the stinking cherry on top of the mud pie.

Should she tell him the truth? Have him reject her now so no one else would have to witness it? No, she was selfish. She needed this one last meal with him.

So Meira continued to lie. It wasn’t difficult, even though part of her thought it should be.

Traffic was horrendous. The police and fire departments were busy this night. Carmine was usually lively on weekend nights, but not quite like this.

Sam was sweet and concerned about her. She tried to lighten the mood, but it was difficult to laugh. She hardly ate and drank an extra glass of wine. Her skirt was more flirty than she was.

“It’s okay if you’re worried about your sister. She’s your family, after all. We can go back to my place and just spend some quiet time in.” Sam’s thumb stroked over the back of her hand. Strong and comforting.

“No. No, we’ll stay a while longer. I’m all right, really.” Meira didn’t try to be convincing. She swirled her wine in the glass with her free hand. “It’s not my sister that’s bothering me. It’s the situation. A life-changing moment. Everything is going to be different. For her. She could lose everything. The thought of that happening is a bit overwhelming.”

Sam smiled, all soft. No hard edges. No one else gave her a smile like that. He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “It can be overwhelming, but sometimes these things work out better than expected. You know, if we’re moving too fast for you, if you aren’t ready to—”

Meira was out of her chair and leaning across the table in the blink of an eye. She kissed him. Nowhere near as soft as the one he grazed her hand with. She wasn’t going to tell him she loved him. Not with what was to come. But she put everything into that kiss.

When she finally sat back in her chair, they were both breathless and the sizzle went all the way down to her Valentinos.

“We’re not moving slow. We’re savoring one another.” She gazed at him through her long lashes. A small smile quirking up her mouth. There was a hint of her lipstick on his mouth, but she didn’t move to wipe it off. She liked her mark on him.

A scream from outside shattered the beauty of the moment.

No. Meira didn’t want her last meal with Sam to be over yet. But she didn’t need to look at the clock to know the time. This was it.

Another shriek followed the first. Closer and full of terror.

“Stay here.” Sam gestured to her and ran to the front of the restaurant.

Taking a deep breath, Meira stood and ran her hands over her hips to smooth her skirt. She slipped out of her shoes and felt her heart break a little more. While her world was falling apart, someone was going to have a great night finding these beautiful heels.

Sam disappeared out the front door, and she followed. Her head drooped farther with each step. There was a crash and more screams. Someone fired a gun. People cried in response inside the restaurant as they hid in the back or under tables.

As Meira opened the door, a man yelled at her to get back inside and hide somewhere. She kept walking.

A couple ran by the front of the restaurant. The woman wailed, and the man had pissed himself. From her left, there was another gunshot and then a warbling cry cut off before it could reach its crescendo.

It was warmer outside than it should’ve been. Maybe because a shop was on fire across the street. The smell of the fire was growing, but there was something else beneath it. Something that spoke of great violence. Meira hated being familiar with the scent of blood.

She caught a glimpse of movement on a nearby lamppost. A small black figure scampered up with a bucket in hand and draped it over the bulky decorative middle. Flames danced out of the top of the container and brought with them the sickening stench of burning flesh.

An imp. Not just one. Meira spied them all along the street. A dozen. Maybe two. Rotten little bastards. What were they doing in Carmine?

Sam helped a man whose wife was trapped in their car. The pair ran off into the nearest shop, but Sam turned to find an imp staring at him from the car’s hood. The devils were only as big as cats. They were hairless and looked like badly drawn cartoon pigs sprayed with acid. Some thin, some fat, but all were vicious.

Sam’s back was to her, so Meira couldn’t see his expression, but he stood with legs apart and knees bent. When the imp leapt at him, Sam dodged to the right and swung out his arm to smash it to the ground. It scurried under the car.

As much as the dread was smothering her, Meira felt a little turned on by his fighting. She’d always seen Sam as a gentle soul. A brilliant mind and a big heart. She knew he worked out, and his reflexes were fantastic. He stood with his legs wide and braced, ready for whatever was to come next.

A trio of imps busted through the windows of a SUV across the street. A woman and a child screeched. Sam bounded over the hood where the other devil had just sat and threw himself against the van to knock off one of the creatures.

Meira moved to get a better view when a leathery hand latched onto her ankle. The imp cackled as she glared at it and raised her leg as if she were going to kick it off. It held on tighter and grinned with yellowed fangs.

Spreading her arms, she transformed with a hiss. The imp let go, and she caught it with her foot. Meira stomped it into the sidewalk.

The mother and child screamed again, and Sam shouted at them to run. Meira jumped onto the roof of the nearest car, turning her attention back to her love. He had one imp pinned to the side of the SUV with his knee, and he was trying to fend off the second. No matter how quick his reflexes, the imp’s claws were slicing him into thin strips.

Everything in her screamed for her to fly in and save him. Only her fear of the gods kept her in check. This had to happen for Sam to get a chance at all.

The door slid open at the other side of the vehicle, and the woman carried her daughter out. The girl clutched to her mother as she fled.

Sam saved them. He was a hero. Meira’s chest swelled with pride until her sorrow deflated it.

Another imp climbed up the car toward Meira. She bared her teeth, daring the little bastard. It growled, but took off toward the restaurant. The devils weren’t smart, but at least they had some survival instincts.

Sam’s cry caused her to shudder. This time, Meira couldn’t stop herself. She launched herself across the street with a few flaps and a glide.

One imp had attached itself to Sam’s back and chomped at his neck. The other was tearing at the inside of his thigh. Sam rammed his knee again into the one, but it kept digging into him.

Meira whipped her legs around and grabbed the devil off Sam’s back. Holding it in one foot, she tore off its head with the other.

Sam sank to the ground, and she spun, cutting the other imp into three parts with her talons.

Blood pooled around Sam as he turned his head to her. Even as his body shook with his horrible wounds, he smiled. “Always knew you were an angel.”

“Far from it.” Meira whispered. She lifted her arm to wipe the blood from his handsome face, but her wing covered him instead.

“Don’t worry about me. Help the other people.” He coughed, blood splattering his lips. No longer were they tinged red by her lipstick alone. When she didn’t move, he nodded once. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to a wonderful place.”

It was so much like Sam. Always thinking about others. But compassion wouldn’t help him at the challenge.

“Unfortunately, I know you’re not.” Meira wasn’t sure if Sam heard her as he passed out with her last words. She choked on a sob and bent to kiss his forehead. Just a light peck. Not one that lingered. His life was slipping away fast.

Meira rose and ignored the chaos around her. She raked her talons through Sam. Not his physical body, but the spiritual core of his being. She pulled out his soul, which mirrored his prone form. He was too stunned to realize the two were no longer attached.