Mars, page 2
Music poured out onto the street, a hard rock song with a croony singer and I could feel the magic in his raspy voice. It must have been one of the opening bands though, because it wasn’t a voice I recognized. We hadn’t missed Not a Vampire yet. I bit my lip and smiled as I did a little happy dance.
“This way,” Pepper said, pushing through the crowd and into the entry line.
I was eager to get inside, noticing the VIP line was way shorter than the main line. I pointed to the other entrance. “Did Hades”—I tried not to trip over the name—“get VIP tickets by chance?”
Kari shook her head sadly, pushing out her lower lip in a pout. “I asked him to, but he forgot.”
My heart sank a little, but I shrugged and followed them to the longer line. We’d get in soon enough, and the music was so loud that we could still hear it while we waited.
It was weird to talk about my uncle as if I didn’t know him. In a way, I really didn’t anymore and was curious if Hades had changed since I last saw him. Why not find out more about him with the perfect source of information right next to me?
“Kari, you told us all about your Highlander earlier,” I said, forcing a casual tone, “but what about your other mate?”
She smiled and stumbled as she moved forward with the line. I made a mental note to grab her some water when we got inside.
“Dagen,” she said, “is a sexy-as-fuck dragon shifter. Wait until you hear how I met him.”
Pepper laughed, elbowing me in the side. “She was naked then, too.”
Goddess. I should have been more specific with my question. I didn’t realize she had three mates like Pepper. Was that a thing in Silver Springs that Pepper forgot to mention? While I wanted to hear more about my uncle, I had to admit I was dying to hear this story too.
Kari sighed with this dreamy look in her eyes. “I miss him.”
“Is he away for long?” I asked.
Kari turned to me, her eyes a little unfocused. “Why would you think he was gone?”
“Umm. Because you said you missed him.” How many drinks had she had before we left, because she was making no sense right now.
“Oh.” Kari laughed, waving her hand at me. “He’s home with the rest of my mates. I just wish he was here.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and smack my forehead. Maybe I should get another drink to catch up with her. I certainly needed one with all of this talk about Pepper and Kari’s mates. It had me wondering about Pax, Azai and Zain and what they were doing now. Did they have someone in their life? Were they happy? Did they even miss me while I was gone?
The music paused, and a new song began just in time to save me from my own self-destruction. I didn’t recognize this one either, but I liked it. Pepper and Kari must have too because they grabbed my hands and started dancing in line, taking turns spinning each other around.
“Who’s playing?” I asked, a little breathless.
“D-Z-Nuts,” the woman in front of us replied with a bit of a slur. Guess she’d been getting her drink on early as well. Was I the only one semi-sober?
“These nuts?” I raised an eyebrow, thinking I had misheard her.
She blinked at me and started laughing. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Oh no,” Pepper said sadly. “DZ Nuts is the second opening band. I wanted to see Das Mafia.”
“Sorry, Pep. We must have missed them.” Kari patted Pepper’s shoulder in comfort. I knew she must have felt bad for causing us to be late. But in her defense, we should have all paid more attention to the time. Plus, hearing her story was kinda worth it. I couldn’t remember the last time I had laughed so hard.
And what kind of name was DZ Nuts anyway? Were they squirrel shifters or something? Whoever they were, the lead singer’s voice sounded nice. It wrapped around me, drawing me into the song as I swayed my body to the music. When I looked over at Pepper and Kari, they were rubbing their bodies and dancing sexily. I frowned. We hadn’t even made it inside yet and they were already letting loose. What had gotten into them?
Finally making it to the front of the line, we had our tickets scanned and stepped into the crowded venue. We made our way toward the stage, and as we got closer, a bra whizzed by us. The lead singer caught it with a pompous smile, twirling it by the strap on his finger. The crowd roared in approval.
The singer was tall and lean, with long wavy hair and a smile that glinted under the stage lights. He wore high-waisted white bell-bottoms and a silk button-down shirt that was open at the top, exposing his hairless chest. I wondered if that hurt to wax? Or for that matter, what other places did he wax? I stroked the tops of my thighs, and then stopped, shaking myself. Eww. Where did that response come from and why did I care where the guy waxed? It certainly didn’t turn me on.
Next, a pair of tighty-whities flew across the stage, and he caught them with his other hand. He looked at them and gave the same oh-so-casual shrug before tucking them in his front pocket. Every time someone threw an unmentionable item, he did this. Yet somehow, his clothes never changed. No matter how many items he stuffed in his pockets, the front of his pants remained smooth. Was it some kind of spell? Was he a supernatural of some kind?
Behind him the drummer had shifted into wolf form and was playing even better than he had as a man. I blinked, wondering how he didn’t damage the drums with his claws. Glancing around, I saw, as expected, the human residents of Silver Springs ignored all of the blatant use of magic. Maybe Pepper was right and I could hide here.
I turned toward my friend to tell her my thoughts, only to find her and Kari wriggling out of their underwear. What the hell? I glanced back and forth between them and then to the stage, and it finally made sense. The lead singer must be an incubus. I’d never been so grateful for my immunity to them as I was now—just one of the perks of being a goddess of war. I was trained to ignore their magic from my first day of training. His music could still elicit an emotion in me—I blushed thinking of how I stroked my thighs earlier—but wouldn’t cause me to lose control. I guessed that’s why I cared if he waxed or not. I shook myself. There was no time to worry about how he affected me when my friends were quickly getting undressed.
I grabbed Pepper and shook her. When she ignored me and continued to pull one leg out of her panties, I smacked her across the face. “Snap out of it.”
Her eyes began to focus, and she blinked at me as she rubbed her cheek. Then her gaze dropped to her underwear around her ankles. She quickly wriggled them back up while I took care of Kari.
“What was that?” Kari asked, as she tugged her panties back on. Her face was flushed with either embarrassment or the lingering effects of the singer’s magic.
I motioned toward the stage. “He’s an incubus. Try not to focus so much on the music and the words that he’s singing. It should dull the effects.” I hoped. Otherwise, I would be smacking them around until DZ Nuts finished their set and I didn’t want to have to do that.
As we put distance between us and the stage, I noticed a guy hand the girl he was with a pair of ear plugs, and as soon as she put them in, she stopped tweaking her nipples. I needed to get some of those for Pepper and Kari. Until then, I would need to keep an eye on them. If this band didn’t get off the stage soon, there would be a full-on-orgy here.
We wandered through the crowd and stopped at the concession stand. The guy behind the counter wore a striped black and white shirt and a baseball cap pulled down low over his shaggy, brown hair. Across his uniform, the name DAN was spelled out in red, embroidered lettering. He gave us a shy smile while he waited for us to order.
Luckily, the stand sold ear plugs. After purchasing two pairs, Pepper and Kari immediately put them in. Based on what the package said they would still hear the music but it seemed like they would filter out the incubus’s magic. At least, I hoped they would. Ear plugs didn’t exactly come labeled for incubus-resistance.
Next, we ordered fried dough loaded with powdered sugar. Not the best thing to eat at a concert, but I was starving and these girls needed the bread to soak up all of that alcohol.
“These wolves are crazy,” Pepper shouted, gesturing to the stage.
The guitarist was upside down, playing his instrument with his paws. How could he even hold a pick? Or was he using a claw instead?
I nodded and kept an eye on my friends, but this time when they moved to the music, they weren’t trying to take off their clothes, which meant the ear plugs were working. I exhaled in relief. I could finally relax and enjoy the concert.
Turning back to the stage, I couldn’t help my snort as I watched the wolves. They half shifted and played their instruments with a paw or teeth, or full shifted and danced across the drums. I didn’t even know how it was possible, but they never stopped the music and they had a blast while doing so.
DZ Nuts seemed like an odd combination and I wondered how they all got together. The incubus’s fashion style was eccentric where theirs was understated, consisting of jeans and plaid shirts that made them resemble an old grunge band. I guess it really didn’t matter, because they sounded great together and the crowd loved them.
Taking a bite of the sugary fried dough, I couldn’t contain my moan of pleasure. Damn it was good. The flavor exploded in my mouth. I might need to get another one before we left tonight.
As we finished our food, we walked deeper into the crowd, swaying along with the music. This was more than I’d hoped for, and I was finally feeling like I could relax when a voice I had prayed I’d never hear again shouted across the crowd, “Kari!”
My uncle Hades had shown up after all.
I was so screwed.
Chapter Three
Mars
* * *
The room began to tilt; the sound of the thumping music faded in and out. Pepper clutched my hand, squeezing so hard that my bones cracked. “Relax,” she whispered in my ear. “He’s not going to recognize you, Emily.”
At the sound of my fake name, I expelled the breath I had been holding. Right. I had to remind myself that I was not only a lot older than I was the last time he saw me, but I was also wearing a wig and colored contacts. There was no way he’d recognize me.
At least I hoped.
I snuck a glance at Hades, who was handing Kari her phone. His attention was completely focused on her and nothing else. It was clear that he wasn’t there for me. He was just bringing his mate her phone. Who’d have thought my uncle would be mated to someone? I’d always thought that was something shifters did, not gods.
But there was something in his eyes that I’d never seen before—happiness and love. If circumstances had been different, I would have been thrilled for him, thrilled that he had found the kind of joy we could all only hope for. But right now he was a danger to me—I needed to remember that—and not the uncle that I once adored.
As if sensing my stare, he lifted his gaze to mine. His eyes were the same deep brown as I remembered. They had looked kind and gentle to me as a child. But now his brows furrowed as he studied me. My hands shook and I clenched them at my sides to steady them. Shit. I needed to get out of there. Disguise or not, I wasn’t taking any chances.
“I gotta pee,” I blurted and spun on my heel. I plunged forward, pushing my way through the sweaty and gyrating bodies that danced around me. I paused to glance over my shoulder and make sure no one was following me, and I saw Hades face scrunched in confusion.
After a long second, it was like a lightbulb went off. His mouth opened, and his lips formed my name.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the fake one.
I was frozen, unable to take another step. How had a night that was supposed to be so much fun turned into my death sentence? I’d always been so careful, never taking risks, and now I would pay the price for wanting to have one night of fun with friends. Hades would summon my brother, and my life would be on the line.
Before I turned, I saw Pepper step in front of him, shaking her head and waving her hands frantically. She must be telling him he was mistaken. I prayed to whoever would listen that she could convince him, because my life depended on it.
I shoved further into the crowd and searched the area, looking for any hint of where the bathroom might be. I would hide out there until the concert was over. If anyone asked why I’d taken up residence in the stall, I’d blame it on the alcohol and burrito I’d consumed earlier. Everyone knew you didn’t eat a burrito before going out drinking.
The tempo of the music picked up, and a woman in black pants and a white shirt bumped into me. I stumbled and slammed into someone behind me. I knew I shouldn’t have let Kari convince me to wear these heels, even if they did feel like walking on a cloud, thanks to one of the magical stores in Silver Springs.
“Are you okay, miss?”
I glanced over my shoulder and found a tall police officer holding me by the shoulders while I regained my balance. “Thank you. I would have fallen if you hadn’t stopped me.”
The officer released me and pressed his lips together like he was fighting back a smile, then pointed to the top of my head. “Your . . . ah . . . hairpiece is lopsided.”
Oh crap! I grabbed my wig and tugged on it, hoping I had pulled it back into place with all of my hair tucked under. Not that it mattered. Hades had already seen through my disguise.
“Thanks,” I muttered, less than gratefully. He gave me a curt nod and moved off into the crowd where it looked like a fight had broken out.
“I’m so sorry.” The woman who had bumped into me placed her hand on my arm. “One of the guys I’m supposed to marry is chasing after me.” She darted a look over her shoulder before sighing in relief. “I think I lost him.”
It looked like I wasn’t the only one seeking asylum at this concert. I stared at her for a moment. The brush of magic from her hand seemed familiar. A strange scent of brine and the taste of salt filled my senses. Could she be a goddess from the sea? Or possibly related to Poseidon? Thanks to Artemis’s training, I could hone in on subtle signs that others wouldn’t notice. It was what made her an excellent hunter.
“Do you need help with that?” she asked, pointing to my wig. “I’m Neptune by the way.”
Ahh. So she was from the sea and must be Neptune’s daughter. Interesting that she carried her father’s name.
“Yes, please,” I replied. “This night has turned into a total disaster.” Without a mirror, I had no idea what condition my hair was in. I should just toss the damn thing in the trash. I had been dying to drag my fingers through my hair since I put it on.
Leaning in, she skimmed her hands over my cheek as she adjusted my wig. I caught another whiff of sea air. The scent was intoxicating. Her pulse of power flowed under my skin, causing my chest to tighten at the reminder of how much I missed using my own.
When she was finished, she took a step back and bit her lip. Tipping her head to the side, she studied me with narrowed eyes. “There! Good as new.”
“Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.” It was on the tip of my tongue to introduce myself, but it was for the best if I didn’t. It wasn’t like I would ever see her again.
“You’re welcome,” she replied, glancing behind her. When she turned back, her eyes were wide with panic but she gave me a small smile. “It was nice to meet you. But I’d better run, before Triton catches me.”
I watched as she disappeared into the crowd. Could anything else go wrong? I should just leave now, but Not a Vampire was just taking the stage and—other than seeing Pepper—that was the whole reason I’d come. I tried to look back toward the table where Kari, Pepper, and Hades were, but there were too many people and I couldn’t see it. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt if I stayed a little longer. Just one song couldn’t hurt. It’d take Ares some time to get here anyway, and maybe Pepper had convinced my uncle he’d been mistaken. Not bloody likely, but a girl could dream.
I moved over near the concession stand again and tried to keep out of sight while rolling my hips to the music. There was a reason Not a Vampire was my favorite band. I closed my eyes and ignored the nerves bubbling in my stomach. I was nauseous with worry, but there was nothing I could do until Pepper found me or I left.
“Hey,” a male voice said.
I squinted at the concession guy who stood next to me.
“You look like you could use a drink.” He tried to hand me a huge, bright red soda.
I shook my head violently and almost puked on his shoes. That much sugar was not what the doctor ordered.
“Oh, okay,” he said, moving back into his booth. He almost looked sad, and I felt horrible for brushing him off. I wanted to pat him like Kari had Pepper and tell him it would be okay. Instead, I moved forward into the crowd. The group next to me was loud and chatty, and I figured I could blend in with them.
“Hi. I’m Tobias,” drawled a man’s voice.
I looked up into the face of the pompous singer from DZ Nuts and raised an eyebrow. “You talking to me incubus?”
He pursed his lips and inched closer. Out of nowhere, a woman appeared, latched herself onto him, and rubbed herself up and down his body. Without taking his eyes off me his hand slipped up her shirt and she moaned, grinding harder against him. She looked like she was about to orgasm right in front of me. Completely unfazed, Tobias continued, “It’s not often that I find someone immune to my charms. How is that possible?”
The crowd behind me was getting louder, and I tried to peer back to see what was going on, but suddenly the incubus caught my arm and yanked me into his side. I swatted at his hand, then shoved him away. If he thought I was going to have a three-way with him he could think again. I was about to tell him off, when he frowned at me and pointed. “Watch out. I think there’s a fight starting.”
I felt like a total ass. He was just trying to help, and I’d treated him like he was a creeper. Though could you really blame me? His performance on stage and the way he allowed this woman to lick and suck him like a lollipop was typical incubus behaviour.
