When we get back to the compound, Arrow pacing on the porch waiting for us. As the headlights shine on him, I see he is only wearing a pair of shorts, exposing a full back tattoo of a pair of large feathered wings. He jogs up to the Jeep and opens my door to help me out of the car. He keeps a tight grip on my elbow. “Feel better, Bronx?” I can feel a sense of relief coming from him. “You had us worried. Sy you had about two minutes before I was coming after you.” “Suea was with me.” She comes around and takes my other elbow, leading me toward the front door. “Can I call home, please?” I can’t shake the feeling that I need to find out if Kas’s voice was real. “I think maybe something is wrong there.” “Not at one-thirty in the morning, Bronx.” Arrow claps me on the shoulder and. “Your pack has people and procedures in place in case there’s an emergency. If there is something going on that requires your involvement, they know how to get a hold of us. Otherwise, we’ll contact them in
Kas takes my hand and leads me upstairs. She already shut the first door at the top of the stairs. There is a sign with a pair of wolves with noses touching. They look like Saint and Lex The banner below them says ‘Maya & Andres’ in painted in script letters. My heart beats happily, knowing they are here with us. The closed door mutes the pine and lavender scents, but it is there.I stop so I can open the door and get a peek at them. As I reach for the knob, Kas catches my hand. I look up at her to see her holding up a finger to her smiling lips, urging me to be quiet. I turn back to the door, but my hand falls because it’s already open, allowing me to tiptoe into the room. Kas keeps ahold of my hand. It’s almost as if it scares her to let go.I look into the crib. The twins are together, sleeping soundly. I want to touch them, but I don’t want to interrupt their nap either. I settle for leaning over and watching them hold hands, blissfully unaware of the world around them. Kas leans
“Mister Mason, it’s five a.m. Sir.” A man’s voice comes from the door. “May I come in?”I pull the blanket to cover Kas. She doesn’t like her scars being exposed to people she doesn’t know. She also hates waking up early. My hand comes up empty when I can’t find her in bed next to me. I take a deep breath, but her scent is gone. I crack one eye open and remember she’s not there. I don’t know what that visualization technique thing was, but it helped me have the best dreams I’ve had in months, if not ever. I groan and pull the sheet into my grip, wishing those dreams were real. “Yeah, come in.”A staff assistant opens the door and brings a tray with an omelet, a pile of bacon, and a cup of juice. There are also pomegranate arils in a small bowl. “We didn’t get an opportunity to find out your food preferences yesterday, so I brought breakfast for you. If you would prefer to eat after you workout, I can keep this warm for you, but Doctor Khe specifically requested you eat the pomegranate
“How did you know that?” I feel my jaw tense up. Anger heats my belly and spreads throughout my chest. If she knows who Kas really is, it puts so many people in danger. Kas and our children, the rest of the Menae, even me. I take a step back away from her in case I need to run. “Bronx, Arrow called you a child of Perses. Do you remember that?” She ignores my defensive posture and keeps speaking in a calm tone. “Yeah? It means nothing to me.” I pivot my foot, ready to turn around. I’m only familiar with the ten miles I ran with Arrow this morning, but I will figure something out. “Well, starting right now, it does. He doesn’t have much progeny, but you are one of them. It makes you unique, Bronx.” She crosses her legs and laces her finger over her knee. “You are a Greek demigod. Grandson of the Titan Perses and damn if you don’t look just like that cocky bastard. Even more so than the Frouros or the other four Guardians. Oh, I’ve never thought of it before, but I guess it also make
“What the fu…?” My breath decides it’s a good time to pack its bags and take my words along with it. It’s probably a good thing because the only thing left in my brain is a string of curse words that would even embarrass Saint. A shiver goes up my spine and goosebumps form on my skin, even though the heat of the sun is making me sweat. “Please sit, Bronx. This conversation will be a lot easier if we can all take a step back and discuss questions you have civilly.” Arrow tries to press against my shoulder, but I shy back. “Sy and I will explain what we can and answer any questions you have.” “Don’t touch me.” I snarl and back into one of the supporting poles of the pavilion. “Just tell me what the fuck is going on here.” “What is going on here is that we are helping people who need it. Regardless of their species or rank. This is what we do, Bronx. We left Greece centuries ago. Arrow and I differ from other Gods and Goddesses. Some of them would do anything to keep us apart. We turn
“Bronx, what do you mean? N-no one told us when they said you needed rehabilitation.” Doctor Khe takes a step back from me. “Why would you do that? What happened?” “I didn’t know why she left. I thought she abandoned me and I was mad and drunk and… I… I want her to hurt as badly as I was hurting.” I rub my hands over my face and force back tears. “It’s too late. I’ve killed both of us. She’ll never forgive me. There’s no point in me being here.” A feeling of despair blankets me. My shoulders feel heavy, forcing me down until my forehead is resting on the ground. This is what I’ve feared, but it’s what I deserve. The pain I have been running from, the one deep in my gut that spreads like acid through my chest, bubbles up and makes up for all the time I spent numbing myself to stop feeling it. The fire it creates is not consoling the way the one liquor creates is. The more it builds, the more it burns a hole straight through me. I grit my teeth and let the growl from deep within me ro
“Hi Doc. Can I help you?” “Time for therapy. Would you like to go inside or stay out here while we speak?” I look around, a little confused. Back home, my appointments are always in the therapist’s office. “You give me a lot of choices.” “Does that make you uncomfortable?” She tilts her head and leans back, using the log to support her. “I’m just not used to it. Kinda…. confusing, I guess? I don’t know about being uncomfortable.” “Okay. Would you like me to decide for you?” “Another choice.” I give her a dry chuckle. “Sure. You can pick.” “Alright, then we’ll stay out here. Have a seat.” She gestures to the small log where she was sitting earlier. “Mind if I keep working on this log thing while we talk?” “If that’s what suits you, sure.” She gets up and sits on the small log to give me space to work. “I think my original assessment about you was incomplete.” “What do you mean by that?” I keep shimmying the rebar without looking at her. “I thought you would be more… angry. I
Just move the log. I haven’t been able to make it budge an inch. I roll over and look at the clock. Four seventeen a.m. Two solid weeks of getting to be a spectator in the memories of my past lives. I think it’s time to take things into my own hands. Images of Kas, dying in horrific, violent ways or giving me passionate kisses that I wish would never end, have relentlessly consumed my thoughts. It has made it impossible to sleep at night or focus during the long, hot days. The more I see, the more I regret how I’ve treated her in this lifetime. The only one I have to be pissed at is myself. More and more, I just want to be near her so I can beg for forgiveness. I miss her presence, her laugh, the serene look on her face when she meditates, the way she can calm me with a slight touch. I miss everything about her. And do I have to tell you how fucked up it is to see memories of how excited the Mavri Magea are when our lives happen intersect? The more I see images and clips of them, th