The Kyriakis Curse (20 page)

“Why? I’m safe with you.”

“He doesn’t believe so, but I thought you and I needed this time together.”

Sarah frowned, not wanting this magical time to end. “If we leave, I’ll go wherever you want.”

“When the threat against you is over, I’ll bring you here again, where we’ll make love under the stars. You can paint to your heart’s desire, and I’ll teach you how to fish.”

Sarah smirked. “Who says I don’t already know how to fish?”

“Ah, a woman with hidden depths. And just where did you pick up such a skill?”

“My foster father used to take me fishing almost every Saturday. It was the one thing I enjoyed almost as much as painting.” She shivered. “Ooh, this water is starting to get cold. I think we’re sufficiently clean.”

Constantine stepped away from her, splashing a handful of water on his chest to rinse away the soap residue. Then he turned the water off and scooped Sarah into his arms. She gripped his shoulder to steady herself and laughed.

“You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet. What do you intend to do to me,

now that you have me at your mercy?”

“I’m going to get you dirty all over again. We may have to depart in the morning, but we still have the rest of the night.”

She giggled. “I like the sound of that.”

* * * * *

Gage paced the floor, waiting to hear some word on the matter most pressing on his

mind. Where in the world was that good-for-nothing shifter? The creature was supposed to have contacted him a couple hours ago; for Gage, there was nothing worse than to be kept in limbo.

Jackal walked into the sitting room. “A call for you, Master.”

“Is it the one I’ve been expecting?” he snarled.

“Yes, Master. I’ve allowed no others through.”

Gage snatched the phone out of his servant’s hands and nodded in dismissal. Once he

was alone, he roared into the phone. “What the hell took you so long!”

“I was delayed. There are some problems finding the half-breed. Apparently she’s not where she’s supposed to be, so it will be a couple more days before I can lead you to her.”

“A couple more days?!” Gage screamed his rage; he could feel the vein throbbing in his temple.

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“That’s what I said. I’ll contact you when I’ve made progress.” A sudden click signaled the shifter had hung up.

Gage threw the phone across the room in his temper. He turned his gaze to Pet, who

was cringing in her corner. The look in her eyes told him she knew exactly what was about to happen. Her fear was evident, and she had every right to be afraid.

Very afraid.

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Chapter Fourteen

Paris glared at his nephew as he clenched and unclenched his fists. The compulsion to wring the cub’s neck grew stronger with each passing moment. He had sent Aries to Circe ahead of Constantine and Sarah to ensure everyone would be settled comfortably upon their arrival. It didn’t hurt that there’d also be another protector for Sarah. But his son and the woman were nowhere to be found.

“You know where they are because I heard you warning him last night.”

Aries flushed, his green eyes darting away.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you, dammit.”

The guilt in Aries’s face said it all. “I’m sorry, Uncle Paris, but--”

“I gave you only one task, and that was to keep an eye on your cousin and Sarah. Now what? You’re covering for them?” He exhaled deeply. “Your apologies mean nothing right now. Do you understand the seriousness of the matter, you foolish cub! Sarah is in danger, and because Constantine is with her, so is he! If anything happens to either one of them, I’m holding you responsible.”

Aries shot from his seat, his face red -- apparently from trying to keep his own anger in check. “Don’t you think I realize that? I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen.

When has Con ever done anything he didn’t really want to do? There’s only so much I can enforce as his beta, so how about cutting me some slack?” He paused for a breath. “Yes, I did tell him you were looking for him, but whether you find him or not, he’ll come home when he wants to, and there’s nothing you or I can do about it. Furthermore, I am not a liar, and I don’t appreciate being called one. I don’t know where they are because I’m sure they left his little hideaway not too long after I called him.” By the time, Aries reached the end of his tirade, he was yelling. “You may be alpha, but grant me the respect I’m due. I’ve done nothing to make you even think I’d be less than honest with you!”

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Paris’s head dropped into his hands, exhaustion taking over. His nephew was right, to an extent. He should not have mistrusted him, although that phone call he’d overheard had been so damning. Fear for his cub and Sarah was making him irrational. “I apologize for accusing you of lying, but you must realize you shouldn’t have tried to warn him.”

“My intention was to get him to come back to Circe. I’m just as worried as you are, but I have a feeling if we try to reach him again, he won’t answer his phone even if he goes someplace that even gets good reception.” Aries sighed, then took the seat opposite his uncle.

“At least I’ve had a chance to do a little research on our man Gage.”

“What did you find out?” Paris felt weary; thoughts of all the dangers waiting for his son consumed him. His concern for Sarah was just as great; she was Zahara’s daughter and now his responsibility as well. Paris may have let Zahara down, but he wouldn’t fail Sarah.

Knowing his son discarded women so casually, the last thing Paris had wanted was for her to end up broken hearted -- or worse, taken over by Constantine as Paris himself had tried to do to Zahara.

“I had to find some of the older immortals to tell me about Gage because he’s been

around for a very long time. In fact, he’s one of the founders of the Hunter movement.

Around the time when immortals and humans lived in peace with one another--”

“That was a long time ago. Before Christ even.”

Aries nodded. “At least a thousand years before that. Anyway, a group of mortals

wanted what the immortals had.”

“Their powers?”

“Yes. The mortals were willing to do anything to gain such powers, so they went to certain immortals for help. There were codes then that forbade immortals from divulging their knowledge; however, some of the immortals weren’t above breaking such rules. They saw it as a way to amass wealth. That’s how the art of black magic began; the dark arts and spells would only work if the essence of another immortal was stolen.” Aries leaned forward in his seat. “Wizards are the closest thing to humans in terms of vulnerability, so their essence isn’t good enough, and vampires are the most difficult to kill. Although shifters are difficult to take down, it’s not impossible, so the rogues went after the young and inexperienced ones. Apparently there’s something in our makeup that can be used to help the rogues wield their black magic. Shifters were soon being wiped out by a handful of immortals who, at first, were focused on material gain. In time, they concentrated on ruling whatever they surveyed. In short, they wanted to be worshiped like gods and goddesses.”

Aries broke off a moment before resuming. “Another group of immortals decided it was time to end human and immortal relations forever -- but not before the rogues responsible for the shifter massacres were held accountable for what they’d done. Some rogues got away and went into hiding, but for those wizards involved who were caught, their powers were bound.”

“Not all of the rogues were caught? They’re still around?”

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“I was just getting to that part.”

“I’m sorry; this so baffling. It still surprises me how much of our history we’re still unaware of.”

“As am I.”

“Continue, Aries.”

“The overall larger problem of the rogues was eventually taken care of, but a few may still be around. The bound wizards, however, weren’t content to exist in the world in which they lived forever but without special powers. Like most immortals, this was a sentence worse than death. Just imagine if our ability to shift was taken away from us.”

Paris agreed. “Yes, that would be torture. The psychological ramifications alone scare me.”

“And so the Hunters were apparently formed. With the shifter essence they’d stolen,

they were able to practice their black magic. At around that same time, the Council of Immortals was founded. It didn’t really do much good, but it curtailed the Hunter activity for a while -- until the wizard Gage came on the scene, the offspring of a bound wizard and witch. You know what the result of such a union is.”

“An immortal with no powers at all. Unlike the bound ones who do stand a chance of

getting their powers back, these offspring would never have any real powers.”

“Exactly,” Aries acknowledged. “But black magic was a great substitute for the inherent lack of powers. Gage’s parents were taken out by a group of shifters similar to the Grimaldis’

Underground. Great-grandfather Spyros was apparently a part of this movement.”

His grandfather had been a part of a secret organization to take out Hunters? Paris had always thought of his stern grandfather as someone who only adhered to his pack duties. He found it difficult to reconcile this information with the man he’d known.

“Grandfather?” he whispered in wonder.

Aries inclined his head.

“Who was your source?”

“And ancient shifter; goes by the name of Dark. I believe the story was second-hand

however.”

“Where did you meet this Dark, and where can I find him?”

“I met him on Crete. He’s a lone wolf, and I don’t think it will be so easy to find him. I had to pull some strings just to orchestrate a meeting with him the first time.”

Paris huffed with frustration. “See if you can arrange a face-to-face between him and me. I don’t care how you do it, just take care of it. But let’s get back to the secret society.

What happened?”

Aries paused as though trying to remember where he’d left off. “Gage came to power

with the help of his acquired black magic. The shifter packs stuck closer together, but 116

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unfortunately, the feral virus struck, leading to a massive loss of shifter lives. No one knows for sure what transpired next, except that Gage disappeared. For a long time, many believed he’d been killed, but now we know that isn’t true. He’s up to something that could be cataclysmic to all immortals, especially shifters. Why he wants Sarah in particular, I don’t know, but if she’s connected to Pack Nkruma, that tie could be part of his rationale. After all, they do have magical qualities in them. Perhaps there’s something specific in their essence that Gage wants.”

“All the more reason we need to find Constantine and Sarah. I don’t know what I’m

going to do if I can’t find them; I swear, if that son of mine in one piece when I get my hands on him, I’m going to throttle him.”

Paris had only felt this desolate once before in his life; he hoped the outcome would turn out to be more positive this time.

* * * * *

Although he’d had Aries’s assurance of finding the missing pair, Paris was still worried half out of his mind. He would have continued his search of them himself, had he not gotten an unexpected call from Eleni. Damn her. Why did she have to pick such an inconvenient time to turn up? Paris thought she’d have sulked for a little while longer. Once he had her settled, he’d leave Circe and join his nephew in hunting down the errant cubs.

Glancing out the window, he saw a silver limo pull up to the house. Eleni, of course. It was time to set her straight once and for all.

His former mate’s sister stepped out the car with a self-assurance that any woman

would kill for, and her strides were slow and deliberate. Today, she wore a form-fitting, black catsuit, cut down the front in a deep vee that stopped at her navel. A chain-link belt adorned her tiny waist in a lopsided fashion, emphasizing her rounded hips.

On any other woman, the outfit would have looked cheap, but on Eleni it looked like

haute couture. Her dark red hair fell around her shoulders, blowing freely in the breeze.

There was no denying what a stunning woman she was. Smart, poised, and confident -- why couldn’t he take the step to mate with her?

Maybe things would have been easier if he had accepted her offer. She had been

extremely supportive of him; on several occasions she had acted as his hostess, and she made herself available whenever he needed her in business matters. But making love to Eleni was the one thing he couldn’t bring himself to do. The heart unfortunately didn’t always play fair.

Paris walked outside to greet her.

A wide grin split her face. She held out her arms to him, her perfume drifting to his nostrils. He generally preferred the fresh scent of clean skin, but the fragrance she wore was tantalizing.

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Hugging her, Paris pressed a perfunctory kiss on her cheek. “You look lovely as always, Eleni. What brings you to Circe?”

She pulled away, her smile faltering slightly. “Do I really need a reason to visit the place of my birth? I thought I was always welcome here.”

“Don’t be silly, Eleni, of course you are. I’m just surprised by your visit, that’s all.

Considering how we parted, I didn’t think I’d hear from you for quite some time.”

Her lids covered her stormy green eyes and made it impossible to read her expression.

“Let us go inside to have this discussion. I’ve had a long journey and would like a drink, as well as get off my feet.”

“Of course. Forgive me.”

Once they were within his study, Paris poured Eleni a martini on the rocks, which she took with a large grin. “It’s gratifying to know you haven’t forgotten my favorite drink.”

“There’s very little that escapes my attention, my dear, and I’ve known you long

enough, so how could I forget? What’s brought you here this time?” He deliberately took a seat on the recliner instead of the couch Eleni occupied.