Strife: Hidden Book Four Read online

  “And if she fails, it will be so much worse, demon,” Asclepias said.

  “You said she's sleeping?” I asked, face still in my hands, trying to keep myself under control

  “Yes. She sleeps.”

  “Where?”

  “In the Nether, most likely,” Hades said. “She can be whatever she wants, whenever she wants. No one has actually ever seen her. Including those she created.”

  I looked up, and Tisiphone nodded. “She created us. Molded us, and we have no memories before we were full-grown, powerful beings, undertaking our roles as Furies. We seemed to have come into the world just as we are now.”

  “She won’t be any help to you, Mollis,” my father said, and I nodded.

  I sat for a minute, trying to calm down, trying to wrap my mind around everything thy’d told me. “Okay. So I definitely can’t die anymore. I have to keep a lid on my emotions so I don’t give her any added strength to take over. What about when I’m asleep? Even I can’t stay awake forever.”

  “You’ll need to be guarded by someone powerful. Preferably someone from your own realm, since you seem soothed by them. Your parents would be the obvious choices here,” Asclepias said, and both Hades and Tisiphone nodded. Asclepias glanced toward Nain. “He would probably do as well. You have an affinity to him because of the blood you’ve exchanged.”

  Right. I’d walk bare ass naked down Woodward before I’d ask Nain to babysit me while I slept.

  “Okay. Well this has been completely and utterly depressing,” I said. Asclepias and I walked out into my yard, and he gave me some advice for meditating, ways to keep my stress level down. I nodded. He recommended yoga, stretching, deep breathing. Counting when I felt myself starting to feel something. The thing was, I really didn’t need much advice. I’d done all this, when my powers had first manifested when I was a kid. I’d learned to keep my emotions in check, trying to dampen both mine and everyone else’s so it wouldn't drive me nuts, feeling what everyone else was feeling all the time. What it meant, though, was that I didn’t let myself feel much of anything at all. That had ended with Nain entering my life. I’d have to go back to that place.

  He finished talking, and I looked up at the healer god. “You know I’m not one to make idle threats,” I said softly, hating myself a little.

  He smiled. “No one will hear a word of this from me, Mollis. I swear it to you. It is in my best interest to keep you calm and safe as well, remember.”

  I nodded. “As long as we understand one another.”

  “Clearly, my dear.”

  “Thank you for your help,” I said, holding my hand out. He shook it firmly.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t give you better news.”

  I shrugged. “It’s better to know than not. At least now I know what I need to watch out for.”

  He nodded, smiled, and then winked out of sight. I turned back toward the house. My mother was standing on the porch, watching me.

  Great. Now I’d have a freaking babysitter watching me all the time.

  Nain came out onto the porch, and my mother went back inside. He had his car keys in his hand.

  “So how do you want to do this, Molls?”

  “You are not watching me sleep,” I said.

  “Fine. But if you ever need to sleep and they’re not around, come to me. I won’t even act like a perv or anything.”

  I rolled my eyes. Then I glanced back toward the house. “I need you to do something for me,” I said softly. I started walking toward his truck, and he followed. When he was behind me, I reached up my sleeve and pulled off the band I’d been wearing on my bicep, the one that held a stone that imprisoned the souls of Ares and Dionysus. He opened his car door, and I passed it to him, behind the door, so no one else could see it. He took it, stared down at it.

  “What the fuck is this?” he asked, a look of disgust on his face.

  “You can feel it?”

  “Yeah. I don’t even want to be touching this. You’ve been wearing it?”

  “Nain,” I said sharply, losing my patience.

  “What?”

  I need you to keep that for me. Hide it. Lock it away somewhere no one else knows about.

  Why?

  That adds to my power. If I lose control of her again, I don’t want her having anything extra.

  His eyes met mine, then he looked down at the armband. I’ve got a couple places only I know about.

  If I come to you, asking for it… don’t tell me. Don't give it to me. No matter what I say.

  He hesitated, then nodded. This is going to make you weaker when you’re fighting though, right? You need to stay alive to keep her imprisoned.

  And I need to not give her extra power, in case she takes control again.

  I fucking hate this.

  Me too, I thought at him. Please.

  I’ll take care of it.

  It needs to stay whole. If what’s in there gets out—

  It won’t. I promise. I’ll keep it safe.

  I hate to have to ask this of you. Like you need one more thing.

  He waved it off. I’ll do whatever it takes, Molls. You know that already.

  I nodded.

  Call me if you need me. Or want me. I’m not picky. And then he got into his truck, and I watched him drive away.

  The crazy thing was, I really, really didn’t want him to go.

  I turned back toward my house. My mom was on the porch, sitting on the top step, watching me. I went and sat beside her.

  “Do you want to talk about Nether?” she asked as I sat down.

  “No.”

  “Good. Neither do I. I want to talk about something else.”

  “What?”

  “I have kept my opinions to myself on many things, including your choice in men.”

  “Oh, Christ,” I groaned.

  “And I’m going to tell you what I think. That shifter, though he’s extremely pleasing to look at and probably not too shabby in bed, based on what I hear about shifters in general, is not strong enough to handle someone like you.”

  “We broke up.”

  “I know. I’m not sorry to hear it. I’m sorry it hurt you, but he was never right for you.”

  “He made me happy.”

  “For a time. Yes he did. A woman like you, an immortal, a powerful being of the Nether, has needs that can’t be met by just anyone.”

  “I cannot believe we’re discussing this,” I muttered.

  “Now, that demon. That huge, gorgeous, powerful, absolutely stunning specimen of a demon. That is a man worthy of my daughter.”

  I looked away, blushing. “Did you miss the part where he lied to me and destroyed me and practically made me lose my mind?”

  “Did you miss the part where you rose from destruction stronger than ever? Or maybe you missed the part where the trauma his death caused you allowed you to come fully into your own powers. Or maybe you missed the emotions that roar through a room whenever the two of you are together. It’s enough to make me require a cold shower after I’ve been around the two of you.”

  “You can’t make a life together out of lust. I don’t trust him anymore.”

  “That’s a lie, and you know it.”

  “What? The lust thing?”

  She rolled her eyes. “No. The trust thing. If I were a betting type of woman, I’d bet it all on the claim that you trust him more than you trust anyone else in your life. That he’s quite possibly the only one you trust.”

  I didn’t answer. Hadn’t I just kind of proved that, by handing over something like my armband to Nain? And I’d done it without thinking twice, knowing that he’d take care of it, that I could trust him to do the right thing because I was the one asking.

  I didn’t want to think about it.

  “It’s not everyday you find a man who’s willing to die for you,” she said softly.

  “No. But I am sick to death of people leaving me behind to save me,” I said. “I need someone who wants to share my life, ev
en if I’m not perfect.”

  I am sorry, Mollis. That started with me. I had no idea your life would be so lonely. I hoped it wouldn’t be. Then, aloud, she said, “give him half a reason, and he will be. But stop lying to yourself about what you feel for him. I don’t doubt that you loved the shifter. When you feel something, you feel it all the way, dear girl. But a blind woman could see that you and the demon are not finished. Not by a long shot.”

  I shook my head. “Never mind. Let’s talk about Nether,” I said, and my mom laughed.

  “We do actually have to discuss that. I think Asclepias gave you some good advice, and do not hesitate to call on me or your father if you need to rest. We will come, if it’s at all possible.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  She glanced at me, shook her head. “You don’t need this right now.”

  “Spill it, mom.”

  She smiled, took my hand. “I love hearing you call me that.”

  I squeezed her hand. “Stop stalling,” I said, smiling.

  “Your father asked about the realm, the Nether, getting weaker as well,” she said.

  I nodded. “I remember. And you said it would be bad.”

  “Yes. It is beginning. We’ve been back there more often than either of us would like. We’re seeing more escapes from Tartarus. Even the cells Megaera and I hold the damned in are weakening. We lost two souls recently. That has never, ever happened.” Frustration rolled off of her, and I squeezed her hand again, trying to comfort her.

  “Can I do anything?” I asked her.

  She shook her head. “I think we both know that you setting foot in the Nether again would be a bad idea.”

  “I was wondering about that, if it would try to trap me again.”

  “I don’t know. But I don’t particularly want to risk it. And I know you don’t either.”

  “Still, if you need me…” I said, trailing off.

  She smiled. “You have enough to handle, my darling girl. If anything happens that will affect your realm, we will let you know. So far, the gateway has continued to be well-guarded.”

  I filled her in on what I’d learned about Strife, and she listened, not saying a word, just focusing on what I was saying.

  “I think you’re right. I think she is biding her time and building her power. The more chaos she causes, the stronger she will be.”

  “And when she’s strong enough, that’s when she’ll come after me.”

  “Yes.”

  I took a deep breath. “How am I going to do this? How am I going to keep everyone safe from the mess I’ve made?”

  She looked over at me and smiled. “The same way you do everything, Mollis. Through sheer rage and determination and sacrificing yourself for everyone else. I am so proud of the woman you’ve become.”

  I looked down at my feet, shook my head. “Mom. My world is in danger again because of my screw-ups,” I said.

  She patted my hand. “Nobody’s perfect, my dear. But if your world knew what you’ve done for it, and knew the cost of having you, I still believe it would rather have you than not. These humans have no idea how lucky they are to have a champion in you.”

  I didn’t answer. Maybe someday I’d feel like the woman my mother sees when she looks at me.

  “I need to leave for patrol soon,” I said. She stood up and folded me into her arms.

  “You’ll be fine. It isn’t in you to be otherwise,” she said, smiling. I shook my head and watched as she winked out of sight.

  Chapter Seven

  After two weeks of practicing what Asclepias had taught me, I was starting to feel a little better about my ability to keep Nether under control. It still freaked me out if I let myself think about it too much. The idea of an ancient, angry being who held a grudge toward not just me and my entire family, but also Brennan (who’d really only been brought to her attention because I’d been so stupidly goo-goo eyed over him) was nearly too insane to wrap my mind around. But she was there, and I was trying to get used to the idea of her being there. Sure, it was possible that Asclepias was wrong and everything would be fine if she became free. I wasn’t willing to risk it, and the healer had never steered me wrong before.

  It was after dark, and I had my team in my car. The radio was blaring “Back in Black” and we were each trying to get into our ass-kicking mindset in our own ways. I listened to music and tried to envision everything that could go wrong. I knew that Levitt was running through attack strategies in his mind. Heph was looking forward to cracking some skulls, and was enjoying this kind of work more and more as time went on. E was calm, as always. She was very good with a tiny knife she kept strapped to her waist. Shanti was deadly serious. These lost girl jobs always put her in this mood. She was going in looking to hurt somebody and make sure the girls got out safe.

  We’d gotten a lead from the imps about three young women who’d gone missing from different parts of the city. The authorities hadn’t tied the three disappearances together, but we know better. There aren’t many beings out there doing shit like kidnapping or killing. Even in a city that’s considered “violent” as Detroit usually is, most incidents can be explained. A boyfriend, a stalker, someone you looked at the wrong way. It’s when these mysterious, nonsensical incidents take place that we can safely bet a supernatural is involved.

  The bad thing about when supernaturals do this shit is that if we’re not fast enough, the women never make it home.

  The good thing is that my team is goddamn relentless. And so is Nain’s, and between our two teams and Queen Rayna (even if she wasn’t technically cooperating with us) and Brennan’s shifter coalition, we were saving almost everyone we got a lead on.

  We drove through a quiet neighborhood near the Grosse Pointe border. Nice, big old houses. I leaned forward and snapped the stereo off.

  “Okay. Let’s go over it again. From what the imps say, the three of them are being held by a group of demons.”

  “Strife’s work,” Heph said, and I nodded.

  “We think so. The imps are still frustrated, because they’re not actually seeing Strife herself, but these demons are acting like the other groups we’ve come up against.”

  “Wrong area of the city though,” Shanti said, shaking her head. “So this is either a copycat group or Strife’s influence is expanding.”

  “Let’s hope it’s the first,” Levitt said from his usual place beside Shanti. Everyone nodded at that.

  “Let’s hope. But we still go in assuming this is Strife’s doing. Same as last time. Levitt and Shanti, secure the women. Heph, E, and I start hurting people.”

  “You three got to hurt people last time,” Levitt grumbled, and Heph laughed. “No, seriously. Shanti and I like hurting assholes just as much as you three do.”

  “Which beings here are immortal, and which aren’t?” Shanti asked him, taking the words right out of my mouth. “And which two, even if they aren’t immortal, are still strong and fast enough to protect the women if one of the demons comes at them?” I glanced in the rearview, saw her giving Levitt an irritated, yet understanding look. I saw him glance up at her and give a small nod.

  I took a small breath, let it go. The two of them seemed to be past most of their weirdness. Levitt still wanted Shanti. I could feel it from him every time they were together. But he seemed to be accepting that it was over, and they were sliding into a comfortable friendship.

  It made me hope Brennan and I could do the same thing someday. Things were still weird between us, still tense. He was polite to me, and I’d stopped avoiding him (taking Nain and my father’s advice, finally) but we were definitely not comfortable around each other. And that was fine. At least we didn’t hate one another. I think maybe that’s the best I can hope for as far as the two of us.

  Nain was something else. As I drove to our location, my mind wandered. Brennan hadn’t been wrong when he’d been pissed about me talking to Nain every day. We did. A day didn’t go by without me talking to my
ex and as much as it irritated me, I actually enjoyed talking to him. We’d be all business, filling each other in on what was going on, and eventually slip into talking about nothing, usually talking as one of us was driving to a call or home from dealing with some bullshit or another. It wasn’t the Nain I knew. We’d never just talked about nothing. Not like that. We’d never had time, before. And we really didn’t now either, but we were doing it anyway. It was almost like we were getting to know one another again, but really, it was like getting to know someone for the first time. He was the same, yet different, and I knew the same could be said for me.

  I hated the way his deep voice soothed me as soon as I heard him on my phone.

  I pushed thoughts of him out of my mind.

  “So yeah. Grab the women. We’ll bust heads, and then we’ll look around for Strife’s sign. I’m almost hoping it’s not there.”

  The team nodded in agreement. If Strife was expanding her territory, that was bad for us, for so many reasons. We were already run ragged trying to keep up with the shit she was stirring in her current territory at Seven and Kelly.

  We found the area we were looking for, and I pulled up to the curb a block or so down from where the imps said the women were being held. I tossed my keys to Levitt. There wouldn’t be room in the car for all of us once we had the women, so Levitt, Heph, and Shanti would drive them home and E and I would fly off once they’d gone. As I got out of the car, I just felt more pissed off. All of this, the taking of women, holding them captive, was Strife taunting me. She knew it was my thing, to rescue women, so she’d started playing this game, taking women off the street, using demons and witches to hold them. And we’d get there and fight and save the women and find Strife’s mark and be pissed off because we still didn’t have her.

  Really, it felt like she was just trying to keep us busy. I hadn’t shared that concern with my team, because I was wondering how paranoid I was. That, and like she was trying to learn about us, the way we worked, and I feared that she was learning more with each rescue. I never felt her around, and we always destroyed all of her little minions, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have someone lurking in the shadows, watching us and reporting back.