"I can take you to Olympus anyway, you know. Bind you with my powers and just carry you away." She waved her hand and paralyzed me, reminding me of how easy it was for her. Then she flicked her wrist and released me.
"Is that really how you want this to play out? Make me your prisoner? Have me resent you every day for eternity?" I knelt in front of her and touched her knee. "If you leave Jerry alone, I promise I"ll try to be the daughter you want. But here, on Earth. We can start to build a relationship."
"But you"ll be a vampire." She shuddered but covered my hand. "Gloriana, I don"t want that for you."
"I"d say you lost the right to run my life the minute you left me in the Storm G.o.d"s harem." I sighed but didn"t move. "But, you see, I"m willing to forget that and get to know you, be a daughter to you, if you do this for me. Now, can you give Jerry his memory back?"
"I don"t know." She winced when I stood and glared at her.
"I don"t believe you."
"Really. This isn"t the first time I"ve used that potion. Usually, the victim suffers for a while but the results are fairly temporary. After a few days, maybe less, the person starts remembering things. No one has been more surprised than I"ve been when your man still didn"t remember you this long after the attack. I"d hoped I would have persuaded you to leave before his memory came back, of course." She looked into the fire, her shoulders slumped. "I had no idea that you would be so stubborn."
I shook my head. "You"d better figure something out, Mother. Because if you can"t give me some hope, we"re done."
She jumped to her feet, all business now. "No, don"t say that. I"ll work on it. Consult with a few of the experts on Olympus. I got that potion from a sorcerer." She watched me pace the room. "I"ll check on it. But I"ve still got a situation tonight. You need to change clothes, though you do look very pretty in that blue sweater. Olympus likes a more formal look, it shows respect. There"s a very interesting man waiting for you. He isn"t someone you want to cross."
"You are kidding me. You still want me to go on one of your dates? I thought we had settled this." I stopped in front of her.
"You don"t understand, Gloriana. I had already set this up. Deals were made, promises must be kept." She bit her bottom lip and actually looked worried. "I have certain powers and these G.o.ds want what I can give them. If I just cancel at the last minute, I have to pay anyway. It will make me look weak if you don"t show up." She grabbed my shoulders. "Weakness is very bad in Olympus. The others seize on it and soon you are living in a hovel with no one speaking to you but a Cyclops looking for a cheap thrill."
"Well, that would be terrible." I grinned. "But no more than you deserve."
"Stop it. I"m serious." She waved her hand and I was wearing that exquisite black dress complete with pearls and Louboutin heels. I looked killer, I had to admit. "Now play along. Pretend you are tempted. Maybe you will be. This man is more your type, similar to your Jeremiah, actually." Her smile was brilliant, like she hoped I"d fall for this G.o.d and skip off to Olympus and a happily ever after.
"Dream on. I will meet this guy and try not to run screaming from the room for at least five minutes. That"s all I"m promising. You promise to work on that cure." I stared into her eyes. "Are we clear?"
"Of course. The limo will take you to your a.s.signation." She pulled out a lipstick and slicked it over my lips. "He will love you. This one is crazy about feisty women. And, don"t worry. I"m sure I can find someone somewhere who will know what to do about poor Jeremiah." She dropped the lipstick back into her purse. "Of course this is the first time the potion was used on a vampire. Maybe that is the problem. Hmm. I"m going to have to check on that." Then she disappeared.
Which left me to go downstairs to face yet another date with destiny. And I still didn"t know my mother"s name. Maybe I could wring it out of Mr. Wonderful Number Three. That put a smile on my face. It was good to have a purpose and I did love that little black dress. But pearls? I glanced up at the night sky as I walked to the limo. The least my mother owed me was a diamond drop. I laughed when I felt a tingle around my neck. Sure enough, I now wore a one-carat beauty on a platinum chain. Bull"s-eye. Now if she could fix Jerry, we"d be all good.
I heard the rumble of thunder, and lightning struck a nearby tree, a reminder that I didn"t run this show. Of course not, that would be too easy. And now I had to face a G.o.d who liked feisty women? The limo raced toward the distillery nearby. Interesting. A date in a whiskey-making establishment. What if the G.o.d got drunk and out of control? With that unsettling thought I rifled through my stylish new purse, relieved to see my cell phone. But would it do any good? Who do you call when a G.o.d crosses the line?
Thunder boomed again. Oh. She"d certainly handled Hermes when he"d tried to push me around. Well, hopefully I wouldn"t have to worry about that with this G.o.d. One look and he"d probably take off. Feisty, yes. Fangs, no. I could only hope anyway. But what did my mother have that these G.o.ds wanted? I needed to know. I scrolled through my contacts in my phone and saw that she"d added her own number. Olympus 19. So I texted her.
"What is your name?"
No answer. Which told me a lot. That meant if I looked her up on the Internet I"d find her and her area of expertise. The driver had called her "Your Highness." Which meant she was pretty big in the hierarchy. One of Zeus"s daughters?
Thunder boomed again. I had a feeling I was getting close. I put the phone away as the limo slowed. Showtime. This was the last date and I had a feeling it was going to be a challenge. A man my mother thought was like Jerry? Had to be the G.o.d of War, whose name I couldn"t remember at the moment. As I stepped out of the car, my stomach clenched. Playing house with a Highland warrior was one thing, but turning down the G.o.d of War? For the first time, I was afraid.
Nine.
I knew the minute I saw him that this guy was going to be a challenge. For one thing, he wore a helmet, short body armor and carried a shield. On a date? I had to admit he was cute with his short curly beard and mustache but I could feel his power from the doorway. I was going to have to be very careful. He"d laid his spear on the table in front of him. But I had no doubt he"d pick it up if he thought I"d brought surly friends or if I acted the least bit like the angry vampire I wanted to be.
We were in the large hall in the distillery that I guess was used when they hosted dinners that featured some of their whiskeys. Someone had laid out a feast on the long banquet table. What part of my being a vampire didn"t he get? Or maybe he"d decided to torture me. It was working, the delicious smells making my mouth water.
I managed a smile. "Nice plume." It was bright red and looked positively jaunty waving in the air when he nodded.
"Are you mocking me?" His eyes narrowed.
Oops. No sense of humor. "No, seriously. Love red and I"ll bet it makes it easy for the troops to spot you in the middle of a battle." I was babbling but he had a dangerous glint in his eyes. "I"m Gloriana."
"Of course." He marched around the table like he was about to inspect the troops. I backed up a little, intimidated. "Please, join me. You"re right of course. It"s important for a leader to be easily seen when he"s leading men into combat." He held out a chair to the right of the seat that looked a lot like a throne at the head of the table. "Will you have a whiskey? I"ve been a.s.sured that it"s some of Scotland"s finest."
"Umm. Sure. Thank you." I was glad Bart had told us a little wouldn"t hurt. I was desperate for a numbing agent. How was I going to let this guy down easily? He gave me a sharp look. d.a.m.ned mind reader.
"You aren"t interested in coming to Olympus?" He set the shield aside but kept on his gleaming silver helmet. Beautiful but ridiculous to wear to a dinner party. He nodded and slipped it off, ruffling his light brown hair until the curls looked like they"d been professionally styled. "Is that better?"
"It"s rude to read my mind, but, yes, it makes you look less, um, intimidating. You could lose the body armor too. I promise, I won"t attack you." I smiled again and picked up the gla.s.s he"d set in front of me. The amber liquid smelled delicious and I took a cautious sip. It was potent but went down smoothly. Jerry would have called it a treat.
"No, I"m sure you won"t." He slid the armor off over his head. "That would be very foolish of you." He leaned the metal against the wall. "I know you have powers, my dear, but nothing compared to what I bring to the table." He sat and stared at me like he was thinking about a demonstration. What? Knocking me against the wall? He smiled and picked up his whiskey.
"Hey, I come in peace." I took another sip of the whiskey, aggravated when my teeth clattered against the gla.s.s. "I"m sorry if my mother led you to believe I was interested in a, uh, relationship. But I"m not an Olympus kind of girl. I"m perfectly happy with my life here on Earth."
"But you haven"t had a chance to see what we enjoy there. It can be paradise compared to your simple life." He leaned against the table, his hip close to my left arm. He wore a short tunic that showed off his muscular thighs, a strong warrior even without all the trappings.
"What"s your name? I did a little research so I know there are several G.o.ds up there who specialize in, um, war." I sipped again, very aware of his proximity. He smelled masculine, with an odd blend of some ancient musk that made me want to explore where it came from. Uh-oh. Powers. He"d gone from intimidation to seduction in a heartbeat. I could see it in his dark eyes. I leaned back in my chair to put some distance between us.
"There may be others who dabble in war craft, but they bow to me as their leader. I am Mars." He popped himself on the chest with a fist, so hard it had to have hurt. He didn"t even wince. "I"m Roman. Not Greek like so many on Olympus. And I am the one who invented any strategy worth using and most weapons worth having. Some claim I shouldn"t be there. Your mother, though...Never mind. Tonight is about us." He leaned down until his face was inches from mine. "Would you like to see my...spear?"
"No! I mean I"m sure it"s a fine weapon." I pointed to the steel resting on the table even though I knew he had another weapon on his mind. My face felt hot and it wasn"t from the whiskey. No subtlety here. And if he and my mother had been lovers, how creepy was that?
"You have no idea. Men from the earthly plane can"t compare to a G.o.d and his gifts." He brushed my hair back behind my shoulders then gestured at the food in front of me. "What do you think of the feast on the table?"
"Feast?" My voice squeaked. The subject change left me reeling. I dragged my eyes from his-they were a deep brown, the color of dark chocolate-and glanced at the roasted pig with the apple in its mouth, the bowls of steaming vegetables and piles of fresh fruits. The smells had been hitting me since I"d walked into the room; now I let myself inhale, my stomach growling.
"I had the staff here prepare this for us. What do you think?" He pulled a grape off a bunch and popped it into his mouth.
"Are you mocking me now? Didn"t my mother tell you I"m vampire? I can"t eat food. I only drink"-I let him see my fangs-"blood."
"I know. Your mother felt it wise to disclose the facts to me. On Olympus you soon learn not to make me angry. I have a nasty temper when crossed." He tore off a hunk of meat. Then he held it dripping near my lips, his palm cupped beneath it to keep from soiling my dress. "Taste, Gloriana. I have the power to keep you well. You can eat to your heart"s content tonight and none of this will harm you. You could dine this sumptuously every night if you returned to the mountain with me."
"You"re kidding me." The bite was so...close.
"I don"t kid." He popped the meat into my mouth.
Oh, wow. Moist, tender and delicious. I actually moaned when I finally swallowed.
"This isn"t going to get me to change my mind." I felt I had to say it, even while I was reaching for a roll and b.u.t.ter.
"Gloriana, just relax and enjoy. I swear you won"t become ill from this. Trust my magic." He slid back into his chair and filled a plate with any number of delicacies then placed it in front of me with a smile.
Trust. Not easy when I"d had bad reactions from eating before. But as I sipped fine whiskey, devoured roasted pork, cheesy potatoes and an array of ripe fruit that I"d never tasted before, I never felt a twinge. I admit it was a little bit of Heaven. Finally I reluctantly blotted my lips with a napkin, set down my knife and fork and pushed back from the table, so full I was afraid my zipper wouldn"t hold.
"All right. I"ll admit you have some pretty amazing magic." I smiled while keeping my distance. He hadn"t eaten, just watched me pig out with an interest that was beginning to unnerve me.
"You have barely seen any of my magic." He touched my hand. "I"ve enjoyed watching you eat with such enthusiasm. In Olympus such banquets are commonplace. Boring."
"Not to me." I eased my hand away to gesture at the table. "This was a miracle, Mars. Thank you. I have just enjoyed the first truly delicious and satisfying meal I"ve had in hundreds of years." It was no more than the truth. I"d gotten to eat fairly recently thanks to a drug I"d tested. Too bad it had had nasty side effects. I"d also wasted the opportunity on a pretty sad excuse for a meal cooked by someone who should have been banned from a kitchen.
My stomach gurgled and I was suddenly afraid Mars had lied. Luckily the only thing I suffered was embarra.s.sment when I tried to swallow a burp. Mars just laughed when I quickly covered my mouth with my napkin.
"I love to see a woman who appreciates her food. It was my pleasure." He held up his gla.s.s, which had never seemed to grow empty. But then neither had mine though I"d drunk steadily. In fact, the room was swaying a little. "A toast. To firsts."
"Firsts?" I let him clink gla.s.ses with mine but waited for an explanation.
"Your first meal with me. The first time I"ve sat like this with a woman and not lifted her skirt before dessert." His grin was wicked. "You do want dessert, don"t you?" He nodded and a servant entered with a chocolate cake that I could smell from across the room.
"Now you"re just torturing me. I was sure I couldn"t eat another bite." I rubbed my stomach. For chocolate, I"d make room. He cut a big slice of cake, chocolate through and through, and handed me a plate. Before I could pick up a fork, he broke off a piece and brought it to my lips.
"Open for me, Gloriana." His voice had dropped to a husky demand.
"Mars." I didn"t like the look in his eyes but couldn"t help myself. My lips closed over the delicate cake and frosting. Before I could stop myself I"d licked his fingers clean. Bad, Glory.
"One kiss. Just to see how a vampire tastes. Humor me." He leaned in and I saw a touch of chocolate on his lower lip. It was enough for me.
"One. Then I must go." I met his lips with mine, more intent on getting to that chocolate than on the kissing part. But he was a wily creature. He slipped his hand to the back of my head and moved his mouth over mine. He wasn"t just a G.o.d who was an expert on violence. Obviously he had a pa.s.sionate nature as well. He toyed with me, explored my fangs and seemed to like the novelty as his tongue roamed through my mouth.
I was too far gone with the whiskey to do more than hold his shoulders, trying to keep some s.p.a.ce between us. Before I knew it I"d jammed my fingers into his soft curls. His beard was soft too and tickled my face but in a pleasantly sensual way that encouraged me to keep this going.
"No!" I shoved him away, suddenly finding my sense when he slid his hand down to cup my breast. "I am not going to Olympus. No matter what you offer."
"Really?" He stood and his shield, which had never been far from his hand, suddenly leaped into it. Magic. His spear moved too and he gripped it with his other hand. "This coy act isn"t as cute as you think it is. I find it irritating." He gestured with his shield and suddenly everything on the table crashed to the floor. I jumped up and backed away. Obviously Mars had a temper.
"It"s not an act. I"m happy here on Earth. I have a vampire lover who I will not betray." Again. "My mother must have misrepresented the situation." I thought about dematerializing but one gesture from Mars and every power I had deserted me. d.a.m.ned Olympus magic.
"I can take care of that vampire lover. It will be my pleasure." He gestured with his spear. "Your mother claims he was once a warrior. Though I"m sure he will be no match for me, I could enjoy a moment or two of sport with him before I take his head." His grin reminded me of someone who thought drowning kittens would be a good afternoon"s entertainment.
"You won"t touch him." I picked up an apple which had rolled across the floor and threw it at him. In a display of finesse, he caught it on the end of his spear. Show off.
"I will if I want to." Now he sounded like a petulant little boy.
"Really? Is that all you have to occupy your time? Take women who don"t want you and kill vampires, who my mother a.s.sures me are well beneath your notice?" I lobbed a golden squash that had been used as part of the centerpiece at his head. This he slashed in two, dead center. I swallowed at his perfect coordination and the sharpness of his blade.
"It"s true I usually consider them little more than earthly roadkill." He laughed, cracking himself up. "Get it? Dead, undead?"
"You think mocking what I am is scoring you points?" I really wanted to s.n.a.t.c.h his helmet off the table and break his plume.
"Watch it, woman." He set the helmet firmly back on his head with a scowl. Then he slashed his spear through the chair that stood between us. Sparks flew, the chair fell apart, and I realized he had more than a sharp blade in that spear.
I dashed to the other side of the room. "Don"t you have real work to do, Mars? Right now in several parts of the world there are real wars going on. b.l.o.o.d.y, h.e.l.lacious ones. I"m sure you can find some interesting action there." I saw him stalking me, kicking scattered fruit and dishes out of his way. He could paralyze me no doubt, like my mother could, but he probably didn"t consider that sporting.
"I told your mother I"d try to get you to Olympus. I find that an interesting challenge." He leaped on top of the table. "Admit it, Gloriana. You enjoyed that kiss. You were tempted by the feast."
I had nowhere to run. He dropped down to within a foot of me, his eyes ablaze with the need to win. I recognized it; hadn"t I seen it in Jerry"s eyes when he"d fought in the past? I dared reach out to touch Mars"s chest. He was hard and warm, breathing rapidly and excited by my resistance. My fingers were shaking because I knew just how helpless I was to fight him.
"Are you the kind of warrior who carries away women as the spoils of war? Is pillaging and rape part of your scene?"
"You dare!" The blast of power from him knocked me flat on my back. I lay there for a moment, stunned. "I have never raped a woman in my life."
"Well, that"s the only way you"re going to get me back to Olympus as your, um, consort." I shook my head to clear it. Whoa. Whatever he"d unleashed in his temper fit had hit me like a body blow.
"To h.e.l.l with you then." He turned on his heel, throwing out his arms and sending the contents of the room into a swirl of destruction that left everything in bits and pieces. I held my hands over my head to keep from getting hit.
"Mars, please. I"m sorry, but I told my mother I wasn"t interested. It"s not you, it"s me."
"Zeus"s toenail, woman, I can"t believe you just said that." He whipped around, his spear close to my chest.
"It"s the truth. You want to be mad at someone, be mad at my mother. I...I like you. You"re charming when you"re not throwing a temper tantrum." I got slowly to my feet, being careful of that really sharp blade. "And you gave me a wonderful gift." I glanced at the total disaster of the room. "A meal I"ll never forget."
"You are very like your mother, Gloriana. Most women after what I just did would be a sniveling heap on the floor." He lowered his spear. "d.a.m.ned if I don"t think I like you. Your warrior is a lucky man."
"Uh, thank you."
He smiled. "I only wore my old battle gear tonight to impress you. I can tell you like it." He stepped closer, back to flirtation.
I held up my hand in a cla.s.sic stop gesture. "Mars, I can"t go to Olympus. But my mother told me she has to follow through on whatever she promised you no matter what I decide tonight. Is that true?" I smiled to take the sting out of that, relieved when he seemed to take what I said calmly.
"Yes, it is. And she won"t tell anyone you turned me down." He nodded. "I have some secrets of hers that I can use as leverage too."
"There you go." Olympus politics sounded even worse than American. "Seems like it"ll be a win for you." I held out my hand. "Can we part as friends? I"d like to think that if I got in a spot of trouble, I could call on a powerful G.o.d like you for help. I figure we"re probably related in some way, if my research about Olympus is true. Seems like just about everyone comes from Zeus up there." And wasn"t that an ick factor? I was afraid Mother had tried to fix me up with some really close relatives.
"Oh, yes, we"re definitely related." He leaned his spear against the wall and took my hand. "I"d like that, Gloriana. To help you. Your mother will hate it."
"There you go. Anything my mother hates, I love. We"re on the same page." I gasped when he brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. "Or are we?"
"Just a courtesy, my dear." He laughed. "I got your message. But if you ever change your mind or need me, just call my name. I will hear you."
"What about my mother? She won"t tell me her name. Will you?" But he"d already disappeared. d.a.m.n. I turned on my heel and walked out of the room, only stopping long enough to pick up an unbroken bottle of that fine whiskey. I had a feeling Jerry would enjoy it and maybe it would help him remember something. It had certainly relaxed me and put me in the mood to jump all over him as soon as I got back. I was feeling optimistic for the first time since he"d been stabbed. No more blind dates and my mother was supposed to be cooperating. If Mars had the magic to make me eat, then surely she could find someone with the mojo to help Jerry get his memory back.
My stomach gurgled again and I waited to see if my meal was going to reappear. No, false alarm, though I did feel like I could burp "The Star-Spangled Banner," a trick my pal Rafe Valdez had taught me. I know, nothing to brag about.
I thought about that dense chocolate cake with the creamy frosting. Heaven on a fork. I had to admit Olympus did have its charms. Thunder boomed but I ignored it. Sorry, Mom, but I wasn"t about to give up Jerry for fine dining. And wasn"t that a revelation.
Two nights had pa.s.sed without a word from my mother or much progress with Jerry"s memory. Bart had tried hypnosis with Jerry again but they"d had no luck. We were leaving for Edinburgh to catch the plane the next night. Mag and Angus were unhappy about it but saw the wisdom in taking Jerry back to his more recent haunts. Plus, he could finally meet his daughter.
"I"ve got a surprise for you, Gloriana." Jerry had seemed to regain his strength as he drank from me each night. Now he dragged me through the living room and outside into the cold night air.