Her gaze flew to his then dashed away. She tapped a finger on her bottom lip before answering. “My vaults were breached again. I’m consolidating.”
The Empyrean vaults were breeched? Xander’s heart skipped before plummeting. Dread burrowed in deep to fill the void. The rules of celestial engagement had altered. “Who could breach your security?”
Divinity looked at him again, and Xander caught the spark of golden glow storming behind her pupils. “We found traces of myrrh and lamb’s blood on the walls.”
“Angels?”
Divinity turned toward the desk and gave a terse nod. “Or their kin.”
Kin? Not handmaidens — too disorganized. Spirits? No, they never left the realm. What else could it be? Heat flared in his pocket and refocused his attention on the reason for his visit. He removed the amulet, letting it dangle from his fingers. “Argus had this.”
Divinity reached forward, her fingers stopping short of contact. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, reverent. “
Antares
.”
Xander cocked a brow. The artifact was obviously more important than he’d imagined.
Antares
. His mind shuffled through its limited Enochian files and supplied a translation. Anti-Mars?
Perfect.
Yet another puzzle to solve.
Get in line.
Xander grabbed a discarded dusting cloth from the floor and wrapped the still-searing artifact before stuffing it in his pocket.
Divinity sighed. “Antares is from Lucifer’s lair. They’ve hit his vaults too.”
• • •
Xander clutched his coffee and stared blankly at the floor, his thoughts a million miles away.
“Damn, I’m starving!” Wyck’s stomach rumbled loud. He craned his head from behind the computer screen to see if anyone else concurred. Chago nodded his consent.
Wyck snapped his fingers below Xander’s nose and grinned. “C’mon, mate. I need to eat and there’s nothing here.”
With four massive Scion warriors present, Xander doubted Argus would be stupid enough to try anything. His stomach growled in agreement. Maybe food was exactly what he needed. The atmosphere of the apartment seemed to crackle with some indefinable energy, urging him to accept. “Fine.”
“What about you, love guru?” Wyck waved at Kagan, who promptly flipped him off.
“Nice!” Wyck chuckled and surveyed the ladies. Mira and Zoe both nodded. Wyck pushed up from behind his laptop and pulled on his coat. “Cool!”
Everyone crowded around the door to bundle up, talking incessantly. Xander frowned as the reckless energy ramped higher. Something seemed off, but maybe it was starvation talking.
An hour later, with his stomach bulging and a table full of half-empty pitchers of beer, Wyck’s buoyant mood became contagious. Xander felt younger than he had in eons.
Wyck hoisted his glass high and proclaimed, “We should go out!”
“We are out,
culo
.” Chago chuckled and stretched out in his chair.
“Nah. I mean
out
out. To a club or something. I want to party.” Wyck shot a sly grin at Mira and Zoe.
“Party’s on the corner outside,
amico
.” Kagan hiked a thumb toward the hookers by the streetlight before picking up the nearest pitcher for a refill. “If you’re not too particular.”
“No, mate. I like my ladies classy. You know, ‘Lady in the street, freak in the bed.’” He winked, ignoring the appreciative sighs of the women at the bar.
“
Merda
, Wyck. Just take one of them home and save us the show.” Chago indicated the drooling women behind his friend. “I don’t dance.”
“Chago, all you have to do is bump and grind these days. I’m pretty sure you can handle it, my rhythm-challenged brother.” Wyck snorted at Chago’s obscene gesture.
“What about you, Xan? Up for some club crawling?” Wyck chugged more beer as he awaited his commander’s reply. Xander glanced at Mira and Zoe. Both women looked none the worse for wear. In fact, Zoe was smiling for the first time since he’d met her. While his inner warrior stressed caution and prudence, the male in him couldn’t get enough of the dark-haired female across from him with the flashing eyes and cryptic smile. For once, he decided to put the man before the mission. Xander finished his drink and rose to pull on his coat, his gaze fixed on Zoe. “Why not? It’s been a hell of a week. Where should we go?”
“How about The G Spot? It’s close.” Mira stood up too.
“You sure you want to return after what happened the other night?” Kagan asked, his tone concerned.
Mira shrugged. “Have to go sometime, right? Plus, I can get us in free.”
• • •
Mira’s pulse throbbed in time to the techno-dance music pouring over the gyrating bodies on the crowded dance floor. It was Ladies’ Night, and the gorgeous warriors surrounding her and Zoe soon became the most popular guys in the room. Women skirted their group, the massive Scions’ muscled physiques and sexy smiles drawing them in like gnats to a bug zapper — much to the chagrin of the other males present.
Chago got his groove on after a couple of stiff drinks and hooked up with a blonde who gave him a personal lap dance in the far corner. Wyck chose a fiery redhead with a seductive smile to shower with his ample affections while Kagan continued to hover too protectively for Mira’s taste.
She attempted to duck away at every opportunity, craving space. Those looks he kept giving her smacked of possessiveness. After the escapade in Wyck’s bathroom, she needed time and distance to figure out where this thing with Kagan was headed, to decide if she wanted to take the trip. He seemed determined to remain in her face no matter which way she turned. Escape proved impossible, so she went for avoidance instead. Heat flared in her mark, but she pushed it out of her mind. Tonight she wanted to forget.
Her gaze fell on Xander, who turned out to be a pretty smooth criminal on the dance floor. His focus remained tethered to her best friend while Zoe continued to ignore him. Interesting. Mira smiled and spun toward the DJ booth when a new tune started, bypassing Kagan’s frustrated, judgmental scowl. She spied Wyck and Chago with their respective partners, getting down and dirty. Seems the Scion were two-for-four tonight. Not the best odds.
• • •
Xander maneuvered to the bar and ordered a beer from the well-endowed blonde behind the counter. The white bandage on one side of her head glowed beneath the neon lights. Kagan had told him about the attack. The woman seemed to have no residual effects, proving once again humans were quite resilient. He glanced at the wall clock. The long day was fast becoming an even longer night. His energy boost from earlier had drained faster than a newly snaked tub. Now he was on guard, his inner warrior raging. Why had he agreed to this?
While he waited for his order, he scanned the crowded dance floor and glimpsed Zoe, with her glossy dark hair and red sweater, twirling near the center. Xander grabbed his bottle and tipped the bartender without a glance. The brunette set his radar on high alert, and he’d yet to figure out why. She was hardly a threat and about as far from his type as a woman could get. He preferred them warm, willing, and ready. Zoe was cold, distant, and unavailable. Yet his attention continued to drift in her direction, dwelling on the gentle sway of her hips and the way his nerves zinged with awareness long after their brief contact at Wyck’s. He sipped his stout ale and pondered the dilemma.
She was a mystery, and he’d always loved a great puzzle. Wyck had never finished his sentence the day before.
Zoe’s a powerful
… something. Xander intended to find out exactly what
something
was. When he had more time. Maybe next century. Or more likely, never.
“You need a refill, honey?” The bartender’s voice purred over his shoulder, derailing his thoughts.
Xander twisted to confront an enormous set of breasts. His eyes dropped before he could stop himself. “No, thanks. I’m fine.”
“Yes, you are.” The blonde’s gaze roved in blatant invitation. “You decide different, sweetie, be sure and let me know, okay?”
He nodded and returned his attention to the crowded club. Mira and Zoe climbed atop a small platform to dance in front of the DJ booth. Xander checked the time again.
Vai
, it was becoming a long night indeed.
• • •
Mira surveyed the floor below her with a strange rush of increasing power. The music echoed through her chest, driving her body to respond to the frantic rhythm. Her heart rate kicked up a notch. A hard male body pressed against her from behind. She turned her head and met Kagan’s blue gaze. A flood of animalistic sexual frustration slashed her rational mind to shreds. She spun to face him, her hands gripping his T-shirt to pull him closer. Mira ground against him while her tongue lapped the thudding pulse at the base of his throat.
Tonight she didn’t feel broken. Tonight she wasn’t scared of her feelings or what Kagan would think of her. Tonight she felt only freedom. Freedom and lust for the man pressed tight to her. A frisson of warning skittered through her stomach. Mira pushed it aside. Another wave of heat, stronger than before, rose to sweep her away. Kagan’s hands clenched her hips and her mark seared white-hot. She’d never felt this powerful before.
• • •
Kagan gazed at Mira’s flushed face through eyes at half-mast. Hours before she wouldn’t acknowledge him. Now her gaze burned hot with passion. He swallowed hard. She ground against his thigh and nuzzled his neck. He’d wanted to get her in private tonight, discuss their relationship, this growing attraction. Try to reason out the mess of a situation between them. What he needed was space and distance to think. What he got was her hand thrust into the front of his jeans. She fisted his length, and coherent thought became nigh impossible. He stared into her fever-bright eyes and fought for control. Then her thumb traced the blunt head of his cock, and Kagan’s rational brain was officially shot to hell.
Mira grabbed the neck of his shirt and pulled him to her for an open-mouthed kiss. Her tongue dueled with his. His fingers dug into her hip while his other hand clutched the hair at her nape. She slapped him away, thrust her own digits deep into his buzz-cut, her nails dragging against his scalp and forcing his head back. She took full advantage of the exposed flesh of his throat. Her hand released the heavy thickness of his shaft and loosened the top button on his fly. Kagan groaned, the urge to submit overwhelming. His shirt pulled free from his jeans and cold air swept over his abdomen. Her teeth grasped his sensitive lobe, and his thighs shook with the effort to maintain balance. Mira’s voice snarled hot in his ear. “Hit the floor, Scion.”
His cock jerked in response. Mira’s hand tugged the short hair at his nape and guided him to his knees. Helpless to resist, he leaned forward, his face pressed to her soft belly while she gyrated against him. A stray, unwelcome idea flickered through his mind.
Wrong. Something was wrong.
Her nails scraped over the sensitive skin at the nape of his neck and his worries were quickly forgotten. He grasped the hem of her shirt and dove beneath to caress her exposed skin. “Anything,
carissima
. Tell me what you need.”
“I want — I want — ” Mira’s voice faltered. She swayed, her thighs parting slightly.
His cheek rested against her molten core. The scent of her arousal buzzed inside him, swarming his senses. He placed a kiss above her waistband. “
Cristo!
I need you.”
Her hands pulled him closer and she arched against him, her head thrown back in ecstasy.
• • •
Xander’s warrior instincts went ballistic. His gaze narrowed on a crowd that would have made the Marquis de Sade proud. Half the dancers writhed beneath dominant partners. Others were being ridden like horses, belts wielded whip-like to smack crisp across exposed tender flesh. Still more were bound tight with their own clothing, being slapped and pinched, groped and prodded. By appearances, everyone was enjoying themselves immensely. Xander tracked the dominants to one central point. Mira.
She ruled the assembled crowd while wielding her power over the warrior at her feet. Xander choked on his beer. Pure pleasure filled Kagan’s face. The Seal’s mark glowed through the fabric of Mira’s top, its power surging. Mira ripped Kagan’s shirt open and left it to hang off his arms while he knelt before her. On cue, the crowd repeated the gesture. Soon, shredded garments scattered the floor. The activity spread to other areas as well. Beside him, the busty bartender moaned and writhed beneath a guy on the counter. Even the DJ had joined in. Pinned to the wall by a patron, his expression was rapturous while his partner tore away his clothes.
Only one other person remained unaffected by the madness. Lost in her own world, Zoe twirled alone in a corner of the platform. As though sensing his gaze, she glanced up and met his stare before turning her attention to the surrounding couples.
Her red sweater blazed like a flare amidst the sadistic mayhem. Zoe positioned herself at the center of the floor and bowed her head. A silent pulse of energy rippled the air. Time slowed. Bodies slumped to the ground. Mira collapsed in a heap at Kagan’s knees. Zoe held Xander’s stare for an interminable second. Then, with a whoosh, all returned to normal.
Xander crossed the dance floor toward her. She darted away, disappearing through a doorway at the rear of the club. The energy pulse was all the proof he needed. Proof he recognized like his own reflection. Zoe was a psychic — a pretty powerful one too, if she could affect time. Far-off childhood memories of a dark-haired boy alone in a white room full of monitors and electrodes crashed upon him. He shook them off and went after Zoe.
His sigil glowed and he halted.
Skata!
What the hell could Divinity need now? Xander’s curse echoed as he disappeared.
Reality crashed down hard around Kagan, and he tried to remember what had happened. He stared at his shredded shirt then at Mira crumpled before him on the floor. Her top was singed where the Seal’s mark had burned through the material. Images of his submission flashed through his mind. The irresistible urge to yield to her desires lingered. His body continued to vibrate with excitement, his cock pulsing in time with his frantic heart.
Oca!
He’d known the Seal was trouble.