Thomas turned his head and panted to ease himself away from the precipice, controlling the demand of his body to join her fall into paradise. Her heart thundered under his cheek. She ran her fingers through his hair, toying with the ends as she slumped back into the chair. A long, satisfied sigh slipped between her lips as he wiggled his fingers in her sheath.

Sitting upright, she grasped his bicep and urged his arm back. His fingers slipped from her body, slick and warm from her o.r.g.a.s.m. Reaching for the b.u.t.tons on his jeans, she seemed determine to return the favor.

Her cellphone chimed with an ominous strain of music. It was a selection he recognized from Holst's The Planets. Nia paused, her fingers on his waistband, and dropped her head to his shoulder.

"b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l!" She huffed out a breath, and then lifted her face to his. Apology and anger flickered in her gaze. The phone rang again. "I'm so sorry, I need to take this call."

Fighting his grimace, he sat back on his heels and gestured to the phone on her desk. "Go for it."

She mouthed sorry again as she swiped her finger over the screen to answer the call. "Hi, Mar...er, Martin. What can I do for you?"

Unintelligible words flowed from the phone. While Nia listened, her eyes narrowed.

Thomas pushed to his feet. Stepping to the side to give her as much privacy as possible in the small office, he grabbed a tissue from the desk and handed it to her, before grabbing one for himself. After he wiped his hands, he turned his back and adjusted the raging hard-on aching in his jeans. From the cloud gathering on Nia's face, it didn't look like relief would be forthcoming with her.

"Where?" she asked. The s.e.xed-up color that had risen in her cheeks leeched away as she listened, leaving her ashen. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Thomas turned around, and balanced his a.s.s on the window ledge. The pressure in his d.i.c.k had finally lessened enough that the position was only moderately uncomfortable. "Anything I can help with?"

The phone clutched to her chest, and biting her lip, she shook her head. "Not right now." She ma.s.saged her temple. "I might ask later, but for now, I have to put out a little fire."

While she talked, Thomas heard her call out for her friend, Ken. How the h.e.l.l had he heard that? And why the h.e.l.l was she calling for some other man after what he'd just done to her? Dark jealousy sat in his stomach like a python's most recent meal. He shook his head, brushing the thought away. She hadn't said anything like Ken's name.

"If you want to go..."

She rose from her chair, carefully placing the phone on the desk. With a sultry pout and the s.e.xiest sway in her hips, she moved toward him. "I don't want to go. I have to go." She draped her arms around his neck, brushing his chest with her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Her lips were gentle and persuasive as she kissed him.

"Would you be interested in making it up to me later?" He ran his hands down her spine until they rested on the small of her back. He pressed, bringing her hips in contact with his still present erection.

Heat flared in her eyes. "Oh, yes." She bit her lip again. He wanted to soothe the sting with his tongue. She sighed. "But what about Hailey?"

"As luck would have it, the Campfire Scouts are actually camping out tonight. I'm back to baching it."

"Then most a.s.suredly yes." Her quicksilver smile warmed him from head to toe. She stepped out of his arms. "I have to go. I really am sorry we got interrupted. But tonight will be so much better because I'll have time to think of lots of great ways to make it up to you."

She walked him to the door. The window rattled when she tried to open it. With a tiny laugh, she unlocked it, then pressed her mouth to his in a deep, soul-searing kiss. Her lips clung to his for a moment before she pulled away. She swung the door open, and then playfully patted his a.s.s as she scooted him out the door.

The window gla.s.s rattled again as she closed it behind him, drowning out his footfalls on the marble floor.

Shoving a hand in his pocket, he strolled down the hall, already looking forward to tonight.

Chapter 17.

The urgent errand that had called her from Thomas's arms was a need to address a labor dispute in Belarus. Mars had joined her and Ken at the site of a peaceful demonstration that escalated to violence with supernatural speed. They'd all agreed that Pierus or his silent partner had stirred emotions and forced the altercation. Mars still hadn't uncovered which G.o.d or G.o.ddess might be aiding from the background. Or why.

In the shadow of a dreary industrial backdrop, the rank-and-file had physically engaged management, and the brawl had gotten out of hand. Barely more than a blip on the media radar, but quick intervention was needed to avoid serious injury or loss of life.

With Mars's and Ken's a.s.sistance, she'd drawn power from the sun to temporarily redirect the moon's gravity. Spreading calm over the men and women involved in the melee had been hard work indeed. But with Mars's hand on one shoulder and Ken's on the other, Nia had found the effort less depleting than yesterday's fun and games in the square.

She'd let Ken move them back through the Hollow, conserving her strength. By the time they'd returned to Delphi, Nia had regenerated most of her stores of energy, although a nagging ache lingered behind her eyes. An annoying zing of residual energy plagued her shoulders where the men had anch.o.r.ed her effort.

Ken skirted the front end of her car and headed toward her door. As she alighted from the car, she noted movement at the base of the large maple tree in her front yard. She tensed, expecting to see Pierus or Mayhem in the shadows.

She slumped against the vehicle when Thomas rose off the ground and moved into a ray of moonlight. Idly, she noted the angle of his shadow was oddly elongated across the patch of gra.s.s. The moon's...o...b..t was deteriorating even faster than she'd antic.i.p.ated. In the odd glow, his eyes appeared hard. Like glittering diamonds.

"Oh, b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l. I'd forgotten you were coming over tonight," Nia blurted.

Thomas pursed his lips and glared at Ken.

Nia apologized. "Sorry, that didn't come out right."

Without a word, Thomas stalked across the lawn and drew to an abrupt halt in front of her. He crossed his arms over his chest and swung his gaze between Ken and her.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Ken held up a hand and curled it into a fist, cutting off his words. Thomas froze in place. Panic filled his eyes, the only part of his body that could move under the force of Ken's hold.

Rounding on Ken in indignation, Nia hissed at him. "Jesus, Ken! There was no call to spellbind him."

She glanced back at Thomas and laid a hand on his arm, pushing calm through her palm, imagining a soft cottony cloud for him to rest on. His gaze darted toward her and a squeaking breath leaked out between his open lips.

She blinked away angry tears. "I'm so sorry."

"I mean no harm to you, Thomas," Ken explained. Thomas rolled his eyes. Drawing Nia two feet away from Thomas's unnaturally still form, Ken lowered his voice. "You've been looking for a way to convince him about magic. Well, I think I might just have found it. Talk to him. Explain what you are. Don't squander this moment."

"Are you telling me this as my partisan, or my friend?"

"A little of both?"

"Right now, you aren't being much of a friend to force my hand this way. Maybe in the next life I'll see if you can be sent back as a Doberman."

"Whatever. Just work it out with him. Look at the angle on that shadow." He waved wildly at the splotch of moonlight painting the yard with a silvery glow. "It got wrong entirely too fast. Our calculations were off. We didn't account for the new orbit when determining the cycle. The full moon will happen at least a week early if we don't fix this. We are running out of time faster than we thought possible."

He was dead right. But witnessing the fright and anger in Thomas's eyes didn't bode well for her ability to convince him. Crushing doubt weighed on her shoulders and she slumped.

Swiping a hand over the burgeoning ache behind her eyes, she willed pain and fear away.

Ken squeezed her arm. "You can do this." He stepped away from her and approached Thomas. "It probably won't do me any good to tell you that you'll understand soon. But listen to Nia. Give her a chance to explain. She needs your help, man. The world needs your help."

Thomas's eyes shifted to the side to track Nia's guardian as he turned. Ken's steps thumped on the concrete path as he moved away to enter the house.

"Hey! You need to release Thomas," she yelled at Ken's retreating figure.

The second the door banged behind Ken, the spell broke. Thomas's body jolted and he stumbled. He bent, resting his hands on his knees. When he spoke, his voice came out gravelly and harsh. "What the f.u.c.k did he do to me?"

"He put you into a...uh, supernatural timeout." Nia dropped her chin to her chest and prayed for the right words. Lifting her head, she held her hand out to him. "I have to tell you a story. Will you put aside your doubts and listen without judgment?"

Straightening, Thomas crossed his arms over his chest. "I'd say a little explanation is in order."

Based on his posture and the frosty glint in his eyes, Nia was uncertain he'd be open to her explanation. When he didn't reach for her hand, doubt zoomed like a hummingbird straight to her chest. Could she do this? She dropped her arm to her side. Sorrow and suspicion flickered in his gaze-the conflicting emotions confusing her.

"Please make him listen. Let him understand," she muttered to herself as she sent a nudge toward his forehead.

Thomas flicked a gaze toward the closed front door, then to the street before facing her again. "Who are you talking to?"

Of course he'd have heard that even though she'd barely whispered it. Thomas was clairaudient. The fact he'd heard her thoughts in the past convinced her to believe he was the man to face this challenge with her.

Holding his gaze, she pursed her lips and silently sent him her thoughts. Nod your head if you hear this.

Raising his brow to just below a what-the-f.u.c.k level, Thomas gave a terse nod of his head.

You can hear me even when I'm not speaking. It's like you have a dog's auditory capacity. Do you hear other people's thoughts?

He squinted his eyes and an intense frown puckered his brow. He waited a moment then huffed out a breath. "No, just your thoughts. But you can't hear mine."

"Was that what you were trying to do just now? Speak to me without vocalizing?"

"Uh-huh." He closed his eyes and leaned toward her.

"If you're trying again, I'm getting nothing."

"I was telling you I'd listen." His glance slid sideways, then back. "I won't guarantee I'll believe. But I'll try."

Gesturing to a bench in the moonlit yard, she invited him to join her there. She moved past him and settled on the decorative seat. The semi-circle of concrete was cool beneath her bare legs. Looking expectantly up at him, she waited until he joined her. The bench was small, and his thigh brushed hers, igniting the familiar slow burn in her belly. Thomas cleared his throat as he scooted to his right, breaking the physical contact.

Yesterday, he'd have pulled her onto his lap. This morning, he would have rolled her onto her back and lifted her skirt above her hips. Now, it was as if he couldn't bear the slightest touch.

Doing her best to ignore the hurtful sting zipping through her chest, she began. "Thomas." She paused as she considered the best way to tell him of her past.

All of her pasts.

Fast and nothing but the facts was the best way to unload on a doubting Thomas. She blurted out, "I am Urania, the Muse of Astronomy, protector of celestial objects and stars." Sharing that secret lightened her heart by half.

A skeptical frown spread over his face, his eyes remained hard. "Nice ice breaker."

Maybe this would be harder than she thought. G.o.d, the statement sounded outrageous to her ears-it had to sound freaking insane to a man who doubted for a living.

She twined her fingers tightly together. "Not an ice breaker. Just the start to a story I know you'll find hard to believe. But I'm telling you up front that every word, every detail, is the truth."

He searched her face for a moment and must have seen sincerity in her expression. His shoulders dipped as he rocked forward and back a few times, deep in thought. His expression made it clear he thought her completely crazy.

Emptying his face of emotion, he asked, "A Muse, like a fictional being who inspired people to create art or music or literature?"

"We all have different spheres of influence. Mine is the heavens."

"All? How many are you?"

"Nine. My sisters are Muses as well."

He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and fingers. "Are you immortal?"

"Yes and no." She dug her nails into her thighs as she sought to explain. "We, my sisters and I, follow the age span of mortals. We share the same life cycle. We're born, we live...we die. But we're reborn with all of our memories intact."

"Like reincarnation?"

"A little different. Reincarnation is something reserved for mortals. Only in rare cases does a mortal come back with memories of previous lives. When they surface, it's what you'd call dej vu." She shifted in her seat, twisting to face him without closing the distance between them. "When a man dies, he can come back, but it won't necessarily be as a man. Could be a bird, a woman, a horse, a dog...you get the idea."

He nodded. "Is that why you told Ken he'd come back as a Doberman?"

"I told him that because he was being a jerk. Ken is my partisan. He comes back as a man in each life. His existence mirrors mine. Heck, I didn't even know I had a protector until recently. Zeus has kept them hidden from us throughout the millennium."

"Is Ken immortal as well?"

"Not exactly." She heaved an exasperated sigh. She offered him details he might not need to know. "He's mortal, but with special powers and abilities. He can funnel his energy into another being, or step into the Hollow and travel to a new location in the blink of an eye. He's only around when I need a security force. We've actually just traveled with Mars to Belarus."

"The G.o.d of War?"

It didn't occur to him to question that since he'd done delicious things to her body this morning, she'd traveled to a country thousands of miles away and back. Nia understood. Men had long had a fascination with Mars and war. "We've evolved. Now, he's vice-president of security for Olympus."

He laughed. "So Olympus is run like a corporation? Staffed by G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses."

"And the t.i.tans we've kept on the payroll. There's also one primordial deity, Gaia, and several minor deities on the board. Zeus is the CEO."

"I'm guessing this isn't a publicly held operation."

If he chose to joke about it, maybe he was buying her story. "No, it's held strictly by family. Kind of the Publix Supermarkets of the G.o.ds."

That earned her a laugh. "Check on the corporate structure." He looked toward the house again, a frown creasing his forehead. "If Ken is your bodyguard, why is he here now?"

Now they were getting to the meat of the story. "How much Greek mythology do you know? Have you ever tried to bust a myth about the G.o.ds?"

He leaned his elbows on his knees, clasped his hands together, and studied them. "I've tried." He twisted his head to look at her. "Honestly, I've never been successful."

"Because we're mythical, but we aren't myths. We've always existed. G.o.ds as a whole are extremely private, though. It's rare for us to reveal our existence to mortals. Hence the ridiculous legends." Nervousness claimed her and Nia jumped up from the bench. She paced in front of him as she explained. "Thousands of years ago, a G.o.d named Pierus had nine daughters whom he believed were superior beings to the Muses. Zeus got p.i.s.sed off and had words with Pierus. Well, they had a lightning sword fight. Pretty spectacular. The battle ended in a draw and that's when Pierus and his s.k.a.n.ky daughters first challenged us. When we defeated them, Zeus turned Pierus's kids into magpies forever."

Thomas tracked her path as she moved side-to-side. "That seems harsh."

She stopped in front of him, but agitated energy kept her swaying from foot to foot. "If you'd met his daughters, you wouldn't think so. They represent all the bad things in the world. Tyranny, strife, greed, hunger. My challenger is Mayhem." Nia resumed pacing.

He shot upright on the bench. "Wait a minute. Is?"

"Yes, is. Pierus re-emerged recently and is up to his old tricks. He's challenged us once again. But this time, he's brought along some new friends. What he's attempting is akin to a hostile takeover of Olympus." She paused in front of the maple tree. The rough bark abraded her arm as she leaned against it. "He's challenging the Muses individually to defeat his daughters. If one of us fails, we all lose. Humans-mortals-will suffer the most."