East of Ecstasy (Hearts of the Anemo)

  Sonofabitch. He really didn’t want to get into the specifics. Aeolus and the Anemoi had seen him shirtless, for gods’ sakes. They could use their damn imagination. “You don’t need to know all the gory details.” Snap. “Aw, fuck,” he gasped as a rib on the left side fractured. “Whippings, beatings, brandings with a hot poker, solitary imprisonment without food or water, marking me as his slave,” he said, thrusting out his wrists and grimacing when the movement rattled his broken ribs. His hands visibly shook.

  Anna grasped them and brought them to her face, then kissed his knuckles over and over.

  Devlin met and held her gaze, the only thing in the world that could get him through these words. “Killing my brother in front of my eyes as punishment for disobedience, and imprisoning and torturing my other brother to guarantee it didn’t happen again.” Devlin panted, sweat making his hair stick to his forehead. The warmth of Anna’s touch surrounded him as she slipped her arm around his back and tucked herself gently against his left side. He couldn’t help leaning against her, just a little. “How’s that for some examples?”

  “Is it your plan or intention to harm anyone in this room?” Zeph asked, his voice low and tone regretful.

  “Unequivocally, no,” Devlin ground out, holding Zeph’s intense blue gaze. “Any. More?”

  “No, I’m done,” Zephyros said, his expression serious. “And it’s obvious I owe you a huge apology.”

  “Whatever,” Devlin said, struggling to his feet and hugging his ribs as he tried to take in a deep breath. It was like getting shanked every time he tried to fill his lungs. “You’ll forgive me if I’m not particularly in a make-nice sorta mood right now.”

  Zeph sank to a knee in front of him and bowed his head. Devlin would’ve been less surprised if the god had smacked him for dishing out the attitude. Before the lesser Anemoi had done it the night before, no one had ever bowed to Devlin—and now the strongest of the Anemoi was down on his knees before him. “I have grievously wronged you, Devlin Eston, and I humbly apologize and ask your forgiveness. The West Wind pledges to stand as your friend and ally evermore.”

  “I’m sorry, too, Devlin,” Ella said. She went to kneel next to Zeph, and Devlin caught her hand and pulled her up. Pain lanced down his sides.

  “Not necessary,” he said, his voice suddenly tight, not from the pain of his ribs but from the significance of their gestures. “Please.”

  Zephyros rose, dark-blue light flaring from behind his eyes. “I’m sorry I let my issues with your father color my opinion of you,” he said. “And I’m sorry I—we,” he said, gesturing to the whole group, “did nothing to intercede in your situation.”

  Heat surged into Devlin’s cheeks and he dropped his gaze to the floor. “Okay,” he managed.

  Awkwardness invaded the space between them, and then Zeph said, “I’d like to heal those ribs if you’d let me.”

  Devlin shook his head. The last few minutes had already put him under the spotlight almost more than he could tolerate. “I’m fine,” he said, pretending not to notice the exchanges of concerned glances.

  Zeph stepped closer, his voice gentle when he spoke. “We need you in the best possible fighting shape if you’re going to survive whatever the Eastern Realm throws at you.” When Devlin opened his mouth to turn him down again, Zeph cut him off. “If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for Anna. Give her one less thing to worry about while you’re gone.”

  Devlin cut his gaze to Anna, standing beside him, and managed to catch how her expression almost melted in relief before she schooled her reaction. “Do you want me to do this?” he asked her, a weird sensation squeezing his chest.

  “Remember what we talked about earlier today? Give yourself the advantage.” She shrugged like it was totally cool with her either way, but Devlin didn’t think he was imagining the fear in her eyes. And he hated that, for her.

  “Fine,” he said. If it would give everyone one less thing to worry about today, he’d give in even though he hated all this attention.

  “Just, uh, lift your shirt,” Zeph said, light already shimmering from his palms. “This won’t take long.”

  When Devlin hesitated, everyone got busy talking to one another and saying good-byes. Off to one side, Laney unfastened a necklace and held it out to Owen, who shook his head, but eventually relented. Farther back, Ella walked up to Seth, and then they joined the other group. Off to the other side, Aeolus and Tisiphone stood together and made no effort to look away. Of course, they’d been with him from the beginning of all this—Aeolus suggesting the partnership and Tisiphone making it possible by bringing them the water from the infernal rivers. The head of snakes hidden under her scarf aside, Devlin had actually grown to like the Fury in the weeks he’d trained with Aeolus. She had the driest and most cutting wit he’d ever known, but was loyal and had accepted him without question. Aeolus gave Devlin a nod.

  Devlin lifted his shirt and fought back the urge to squirm and cover himself. Most of them had seen his scars anyway. What was one more time? The moment Zeph projected that glowing light on the right side of his rib cage, Devlin nearly groaned in relief and forgot all about his bitching. Why in the world had he rejected this again? “Aw, Hades, that feels better,” Devlin said to Zeph when he finished a minute later. “Thank you.”

  “Least I could do. The very least. We are all here for each other,” he said, his words quieting the room. “And you are one of us. You need something? Anna needs something? Just ask. Always.”

  A knot formed in Devlin’s throat, and he had to swallow twice to clear it. He nodded and ducked his chin to hide whatever his face might be doing.

  “I’m afraid I’m the one who most failed you, Devlin,” Aeolus said from behind Zephyros. “I know I’ve apologized to you before, but I want to say again, here, in front of everyone, that I’m sorry for letting you and your brothers down, for being so self-absorbed that I ignored Eurus both as an impressionable young god and later, when he had children of his own. My neglect of him—and of you—are sins that break my heart and pierce my soul.”

  Devlin nodded, afraid his voice would fail him if he tried to speak. But their words, their emotions, their efforts to gain his forgiveness were so surreal that his head actually hurt.

  “Devlin?” Laney said, coming closer with Chrysander right behind her. Her bright-blue eyes didn’t exactly track on his face when she looked at him. “I want to apologize to you, too. I think what happened here today is all my fault.” Her expression was earnest and sad.

  “I’m sure it’s not,” he said, overwhelmed by the pain and the remorse flowing off of everyone. For him. It made it even harder to breathe.

  “The visions I have…it’s all new. And what I see isn’t always clear.”

  “Speaking of visions,” he said, hoping to deflect all this attention away from himself, “this is Anna. She’s pretty new to getting visions, too.”

  “Hi, Anna,” Laney said, a bit of shyness in her voice. She held out her hand and waited, and something about the way she moved and where her eyes landed cemented Devlin’s suspicion that the woman’s vision was off.

  “Hi,” Anna said, shaking Laney’s hand. “I’d love to talk to you about your visions.”

  Laney agreed with a smile.

  “What did you mean about my aura being purple?” he asked.

  “Oh, well, I have a degenerative eye disease and very little regular vision left. But for some reason I perceive a glowing light around each of the gods. Yours is purple.” She looked in Anna’s direction. “And yours is really interesting, Anna. It changes color and intensity. And then, when it got dark in here before, it disappeared altogether. I could still see all the other gods’ auras in the dark, but you were just a…blank, I guess is the best way to describe it. You’re pink right now,” she said. “Isn’t that the strangest thing?”

  Anna smiled. “Very, but it’s pretty cool, too.”

  Devlin nodded. “And how do you know Eurus’s is black?” he asked, dr
ead slipping into his already-sour belly.

  “Because a few days ago he attacked me and Chrys at my house.” She shrugged, as if it were no big deal. Standing behind her, Chrysander squeezed her shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

  Of course, that’s what his father had done. “I’m sorry,” Devlin said.

  “Thank you, but it wasn’t your fault.”

  “Okay,” Devlin said, way less comfortable with everyone’s eyes on him than he’d been ten minutes before.

  “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I doubted you, too,” Chrysander said. “I meant what I said at Anna’s studio. I’m ready to fight by your side.”

  Devlin nodded. Was it hot in here or was it just him?

  Owen brought a cute, very pregnant blonde forward next. “Devlin, I would like to introduce my wife, Megan,” Owen said.

  “Hello,” Devlin said, feeling like an idiot. But he appreciated Owen’s gesture down deep—both that the guy hadn’t apologized and that he’d stood up for him while the interrogation had been underway.

  “Hi,” she said with a smile. “Oh.” Her hands flew to her belly, and she laughed. “I think the kid wants to say hi, too.”

  Devlin’s gaze dropped to her belly. “Congratulations on the baby,” he murmured as he wondered how it must feel to know that your daughter or son grew in the belly of the woman you loved. His imagination offered up the fantasy of Anna’s belly, round with his child— Devlin squashed that one like the insidious little bug it was. “You’re a lucky man,” he said to Owen unthinkingly.

  “I am,” Owen said.

  Another awkward silence descended for a moment, and then Anna said, “And you are?” Devlin followed her gaze to a human man standing back from the group.

  “Seth,” the man called out.

  “Oh, Seth’s my friend,” Laney said, waving him forward. “After the battle the other night, the Anemoi brought me, Seth, and Owen’s friend Tabitha here to safety.” Laney put her hand to her mouth and leaned close. “Apparently, that’s not really allowed,” she whispered. The gods chuckled.

  “Hey,” the man said quietly, his expression serious and also a bit bewildered. “Nice to meet you.” He offered his hand to Devlin, and they shook, and then to Anna.

  “Oh,” she said as her hand touched Seth’s. Anna’s gaze flew to Seth’s face, then went distant.

  “What is it?” Devlin asked, dread stirring up the heat inside him. He came closer and stroked his palm down her hair.

  Laney grasped her hand. “Are you okay, Anna? Oh my God. I can see what you’re seeing.”

  The men traded glances at her declaration, and everyone moved in closer.

  For a moment that seemed to go on forever, the vision held both women in its thrall. And then they both blinked, looked at each other, and started talking animatedly at the same time. What the hell could it be now?

  “He’s some kind of creature,” Anna said.

  “Yes, it’s called a griffin, but I’ve never seen it that clearly in my visions before,” Laney said excitedly.

  “Like a lion, but with wings,” Anna said, looking from Seth to Devlin and back again.

  Laney nodded. “With an eagle’s head. But what was going on? Could you tell?”

  “No, it seemed that he was defending someone, but I couldn’t tell who or why.”

  “What were those black things?” Laney asked.

  “I didn’t see that. What did they look like?”

  Shoulders slumping, Laney said, “It was hard to tell, but they were everywhere. You didn’t see that part, though?”

  “Wow. No. Does that mean we saw different parts of the same thing?”

  “I don’t know,” Laney said. “We’ll have to try it again the next time it happens to one of us.”

  “Definitely.” Anna nodded and turned to Devlin. “That was so wild. I don’t feel like I have to paint it this time.”

  Devlin thought about what the women had said. “You’re a griffin?” he asked Seth.

  The man crossed his arms and frowned. “So I’ve been told, but I’m way the heck out of my depth here, to be honest. I don’t know what I believe.”

  Well, Devlin could sure as hell relate to that.

  “I shall go find my sisters, then,” Iris said to Aeolus. “But afterward, if it’s okay with you, my lord, I’d like to come back and spend some time with Anna?”

  “Of course,” Aeolus said. “My door is always open to you, Iris. And we thank you for your help.”

  “Well, it’s the least I could do after you found my daughter. After all this time.”

  Aeolus smiled but shook his head. “You have to thank Devlin for that.”

  “Yes, I do,” she said, moving in front of him. “You, Devlin Eston, are brave and true, and I’m moved beyond words that you found her. Not just for me, but for her, too. You are a good match. Thank you.”

  The words made Devlin a little dizzy, or maybe that was just his inability to take a deep breath. Good? Me? And true? “You’re welcome,” he whispered, no idea how to respond to the rest but cherishing the sentiments from the bottom of his heart.

  Iris bowed her head to him, to Anna, and then to Aeolus, and disappeared in a small shower of colored light.

  Devlin scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I should go, too,” he said.

  Anna put her hands on his chest and peered up at him. “Already?”

  “The clouds and rain at your house this morning were the outer bands of Eurus’s storm, and it’s already escalated to a hurricane,” he said. “I’ve delayed longer than I should’ve as it is.”

  “I’m coming, too,” Zephyros said. “You shouldn’t face this on your own.”

  The warmth of belonging settled over Devlin’s shoulders. Between Anna’s love and the Anemois’ apologies, Devlin felt a part of something—a part of a family—in a way he never had before. And despite the emotional roller coaster, it left him feeling stronger and more resilient than he’d ever felt in his life. He nodded to Zeph.

  Owen whispered something to Megan, then kissed her cheek. “Me, too.”

  “I’ve got your back, man,” Chrys said.

  “Then it’s settled,” Aeolus said. “We’ll all go. The entire cadre of lesser Anemoi have arrived now, and Tisiphone said she’d stay, so we’ve got plenty of coverage here.”

  “We should leave right away, then,” Devlin said. “The sooner I find that key, the sooner we put an end to this once and for all.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  They were almost to the Eastern Realm. Home.

  No, not anymore. At least, not for a long time. Though he supposed if they were successful at defeating Eurus and Devlin succeeded to his Cardinal Anemoi position, Devlin would have to return. Rebuild. Restore.

  Be ready for anything, Devlin said as they crossed over the border into his father’s realm. What before had been calm, peaceful skies now left him with a feeling of dreadful anticipation. It was too quiet, too peaceful, too…easy. Yeah. You all should hang back. Let me take it from here.

  We’re coming, Devlin. Aeolus. As far as we can.

  Hailed pelted down from the skies, rocks of ice the size of Devlin’s fist. He flinched as the first chunks of ice made impact. Had the gods been corporeal, each hailstone would’ve caused savage bruises and broken bones. But even in an elemental form, hail this size could send shockwaves of phantom pain through them with each impact against the core of their preternatural being.

  Hang back. I got this, Chrysander said. He shot up, up above them, and then unleashed a blast of heat in a circle around him. As the hailstones passed through Chrys’s shield, they melted so they turned into small shards of ice or into rain altogether. Everybody okay? he called.

  Affirmatives rang out from the group.

  And then came the clouds. So thick, dense, and black that it became quickly disorienting. And there was no flying above or around them, either. The gods agreed to slow their forward progress lest they run smack into some trap or fo
e they’d have no time to see.

  The very fact that Devlin was experiencing these defenses the same as the others proved he’d lost his father’s favor—not that he’d truly ever had it. But only when Eurus wanted to make a point or exact punishment did he set his enchantments to inhibit Devlin’s return to the realm.

  Quick flashes of orange and gold electricity jagged through the clouds.

  Grunts and shouts echoed through the blind nothingness as they dodged the seeking bolts. One good hit with electricity of this magnitude could easily force them out of their elemental state—or at least make it a helluva lot harder to hold. Forced into their physical form and then hit? Bye-bye heart rhythm.

  Damnit all to Hades, Devlin shouldn’t have to face this bullshit in his own realm.

  He banked right, then left, narrowly missing a twin set of bolts chasing him, wanting him. Then two more, in quick succession. On and on it went like that until their collective evasive maneuvers had whipped up a windstorm all around them.

  Someone cried out in agony. He couldn’t tell who, just that it came from behind.

  Finally, they cleared the cloud bank—and came out right in the middle of three monster tornadoes. Spinning, bending, roaring, the rotating storms pulled inexorably at the Anemoi as they attempted to navigate between them. The funnels seemed to possess some unholy awareness, as they lurched in front of the gods and forced them back or sideways.

  I’ll try to call them to the north. All of you, dart around them, Aeolus said. As the storm god, his powers normally gave him the ability to control and manifest all manner of storm elements. It was how he’d been the one to spawn the Anemoi winds long ago. But without the ring, his powers weren’t as extensive.

  Aeolus shot hard to the north. Slowly, very slowly, the leftmost of the tornadoes lumbered in that direction. All the while, Devlin and the others struggled not to get sucked into the remaining massive vortexes. Their sound was unbelievable, so loud and turbulent, Devlin felt like he might vibrate into pieces.

  Finally, the middle tornado began to move, too, following the first one northward as if against its will—and that was probably true, as Aeolus was fighting Eurus’s magical command, not Mother Nature. That left the final tornado standing between them and the approach to Eurus’s mountaintop compound.