“They’re all my cars,” Ethan said under his breath then sped past us with Genesis in tow.
I nodded toward the garage. Cassius followed, our hands still linked.
“Well, which one of Ethan’s toys do you want to take?” The lights flickered on as Ethan and the rest of the crew piled into his white Mercedes.
“That.” Cassius pointed at the red Hummer.
I sighed. “Of course. Big bad Dark One wants a big bad car.”
“It’s tall. I’m tall…” He shrugged, his smile flirtatious.
My heart skipped in my chest. “Fine, but you do realize we’re in Seattle, right? People are going to flip you off for just driving something that gets only eight miles per gallon.”
“Does it matter?” He was giddy. “When we can run them over anyway?”
“Good point.”
“I’d like to think so.”
“I’ll grab the keys.” I still hadn’t moved.
His eyes were penetrating as he held my gaze. “All right.”
“Keys,” I repeated.
“To drive the monstrosity.”
Slowly, I shook my head as I left his side and grabbed the keys then met him back at the car. He was already inside, strapped in and looking about as pumped as a ten-year-old at a carnival.
“Fast,” he commanded, and then cleared his throat. “I mean… please?”
I smiled and started the car. “Only because you said please.”
His eyes met mine. “I’ll have to remember that for future reference. Say please, and… she says yes.”
My body hummed with anticipation.
Or maybe it was irritation…
…that as a human he was completely wreaking havoc on my emotions—even more so than when he was immortal.
Cassius
Pompeii 79 AD
“SECRETS ARE THE REAL WAR,” I whispered into the darkness as Sariel made his way toward me through the mist, purple and blue feathers expanded separately from his body testing the purity of the air. He was searching for lies, yet again testing me—testing us.
“They are,” Ethan agreed, standing to my right while Alex held the sword against the King’s throat.
“Why do you disturb me?” Sariel asked calmly. With a tilt of his fingers Alex’s sword was pulled back and the human king was thrust to his knees in a bowing position. “I have more important things to focus on than the measly war between humans and immortals.”
“We’ve been at peace fo
r the last hundred years,” I said through clenched teeth. “And we disturb you because there has been a… situation.”
Sariel’s eyes went white as ice as his wings spread out across the large room, the span of them reached fifty feet. The blue and purple feathers fluttered and then stuck straight out. The air shifted and the feathers turned black as Sariel sucked in a gasp. “You dare defy me!”
King Ebal began to weep. “I was told immortality was obtainable. And they were right!”