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 Lucky, Dare said.  Being an alpha is a lot of work.
 Yeah, I wouldn t want the job, Inno shivered. His attention returned to the
wolf cubs.  I have enough to do now.
Epilogue
 They are so easy to manipulate.
Anthony knew that voice. It haunted his dreams and sometimes his waking
hours.
 You again? He tried to keep his voice calm while his heart pattered like a
cheetah fleeing a wildfire.
 I hope you aren t bored with me yet, sweet boy. I have so many more plans for
you. You didn t think those stupid mutants planned that alone, did you?
 You did this? Remembering Inno s devastation, Anthony added this deed to
the column of things he would do to make this asshole pay.
The smoke creature shrugged.  I might have had a hand in it. They naturally
wanted to get even.
 For what? We ve only killed them when they entered our territory. We don t go
out looking for them.
 No? But you take all of the resources. They come to you, and you kill them, he
taunted.  How noble of you.
 We kill them when they blow up our kitchen door or when they kill an innocent
woman.
 We both know that woman wasn t so innocent. Just because she felt guilty later
doesn t mean she wasn t responsible for what happened. She could ve told Inno not to
come and spared him the trauma of seeing her death. In the end, she selfishly wanted to
see her brother before she died and pass on the burden of her unwanted child.
 What makes you think it was unwanted? Did he know more about the
situation than them? He obviously didn t know there were two children.
 She wasn t married. Why would she want her illegitimate offspring? Zeus
certainly never did.
More light bulbs flickered on in Anthony s mind.  Are we still talking about
Inno s sister?
 You think you are so smart! the being thundered.  Zeus likes to fuck anything
that moves, but he doesn t care for the consequences. He tries to convince Hera he is
faithful, but she knows and she makes the children suffer who are not of her making.
You were only spared because your mother is one of Hera s favorite people. You were
twice blessed, foolish child.
Anthony knew nothing of Hera s opinion of his mother. He d never met the
goddess. She didn t hang around Zeus since their marriage wasn t a peaceful one. The
few times he d glimpsed her, she d been far away and had an unapproachable aura.
 Why are you so angry?
 Because as much power as I have, I will never be a full god, and if I have my
way, neither will you. I will slowly take everything from you until you agree to let Zeus
give me your godhead. Then, and only then, will you be free of me.
Anthony jerked awake, shaking. Giving the psychopath more power wouldn t be
the right way to go. If he was this bad now, Anthony didn t even want to imagine what
he d be like with unimaginable magic.
Silver twitched in his sleep, Anthony pressed a slight sleeping spell across his
wolf. No, Silver didn t need to be awake for this. Anthony ignored the voices reminding
him of the last time he d done something without his mate s knowledge. Wolf
possession was completely different than what he had to do now.
Anthony slid out of bed. Sliding out of bed he grabbed the sphere off his bedside
table. He carried the glowing ball outside to their small balcony. Taking a deep breath
he smashed it against the cement floor. Energy slammed into him, and he fell onto his
back. Color swirled all around him, and electricity sizzled down his spine. He
screamed, his back bowing from the magic pulsing through him.
 Grandfather, help. Zeus had said he d be there for him. Where was he?
 Whatever is the problem, dear boy?
Anthony s eyes snapped open as he stared into the cold eyes of a goddess. He
even couldn t stand to greet her. Hopefully, she saw him groveling on the cement as
good as a bow.
 H-Hera?
 That would be me.
Anthony licked his lips.  Wh-where is Zeus?
He racked his brain for a way to contact his grandfather. If Hera was here in his
stead, it could mean she d trapped him some way again. He d heard of some of her
punishments when she found Zeus had been unfaithful, and it happened more often
than not.
 He s tied up for a bit. She swung her foot back and forth as she sat on the
balcony railing.
 Please, I need to speak with him. He clenched and unclenched his fingers,
trying to get feeling back in his hands.
 I m afraid that s just not possible. She held up a hand mirror and adjusted a
curl. Where did she get a hand mirror? Did she just carry it around with her?
Crap. Now what did he do?  D-do you know when he ll be available?
She set down the mirror.  A thousand years or so.
A tear slid down Anthony s cheek. It was the wolf possession all over again with
too much power and too little knowledge. He refused to hurt Silver this time.
Something stirred in him, but Anthony pushed it away. He didn t wish for the wolf
spirit to come alive. Never again.
 Anything I can help you with? Hera asked, her amused gaze didn t encourage
him to think she truly wished to help him.
Anthony gave a hysterical laugh and tried to gather enough breath to speak.
 Not unless you can give me a way to control my godhead before my enemies come to
squash me like a bug.
Hera jumped off the rail and kneeled beside him. Her power wrapped around
him like a constricting vise.  You don t want all that lovely power for yourself?
 No. I want to live happily ever after with my mate, but people just won t leave
us the fuck alone. He glanced up at Hera.  Sorry for cursing.
He could feel his energy slipping away. He fought it. He refused to leave Silver
unprotected.
Hera tilted her head as if examining him.  You are a rather strange young man.
You really aren t power hungry at all. Whenever Zeus talks about you, he s always so
proud. I figured you were a power-seeking pissant like the others. But you are kind of
noble, aren t you? You really want to keep your people safe. They will remain safe
while Zeus is busy. In return, I need one favor.
 What s the favor? Anthony knew better than to make deals with gods. They
always reneged or found a loophole to helping out.
 I want your lightning ability. I ve always wanted to shoot lightning bolts. It
looks exhilarating.
 Sorry, I don t know what you d do with that ability and I ve learned my lesson
about swapping out power.
 The wolf thing still bugging you? Hera asked.
Anthony nodded.  You have no idea. Especially now that he could feel it
moving within him again.
 I bet Zeus didn t tell you that you can still transform into a beast, did he? Hera
asked.
 What? The increased need for rare beef and his occasional bouts of aggression [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]