Gods & Ghosts Collection

Chapter 5

I was shaking.

I couldn’t stop it. I wasn’t used to this feeling of pure fear. And I didn’t like it. I felt weak. Helpless. The utter desire of fight or flight was so prevalent, I almost jumped out of the limo as the last two joined me. But I was better than that. I was stronger than that.

I won"t lie. I had spent the entire flight from California to North Carolina in a daze. Sure, I could have dozed off. But the feeling of Elliot’s hands on my throat remained. The sound of wind as it rushed past my ears remained no matter what song I listened to while I tried to drown it all out.

Tried. Tried and failed. I knew that he was after me. I knew that the traitor wouldn"t stop until one of us was in our grave. And though Cyrus swore that I had nothing to worry about, I still worried.

“Are you sure that we aren"t going to put these people in danger?”

I had ripped my headphones out of my ears as I posed the question to Cyrus for the fiftieth time. That was my main concern. If a crazed serial killer was after my head - after murdering my mother and the man who had posed as my father - what was going to stop him from slashing his way through a house full of strangers?

“Eva,” Cyrus sighed and patted my hand like I was five. A move he knew I absolutely hated. “They are going to be just fine. Jonathan’s students are all ethereal. They were born with abilities and have been training to fight.”

“Besides, Cy said that the place was going to be deserted.”

I raised an eyebrow at my best friend and cameraman, Joey Lawson, who grinned back at me.

“Yeah. I was listening. And if you are so worried, why not spring for a hotel?”

“A hotel cannot provide the same level of security that the estate can, according to Lord Apollo,” Cyrus answered for me as he refilled my wine. “Just be cautious, dear girl. Do not get close to anyone. Elliot won"t have any recourse when he sees that there is no one to threaten.”

Yeah. Like that was going to stop him. I downed the glass like water. It was just after noon eastern time. We would be there in no time. And I needed all the alcohol I could get before we landed.

Don"t get me wrong. I hadn’t been trying to get smashed before I met Apollo"s old friend who had been kind enough to put us up while we filmed in Rome, North Carolina. But my nerves were shot. I was scared out of my mind.

And there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

“You might want to go easy on that wine, baby girl.” Joey fiddled with his phone as Cyrus hooked me up again. “We land in less than ten minutes.”

“Leave her be, Joey. She has been through too much lately. And this recent threat isn"t helping matters one bit.”

I had glowered at Cyrus. Normally, I could look past him coddling me. I don"t know why it was pissing me off so much today. Before I could respond though, a voice came over the loudspeaker.

“Miss. McRayne, we are approaching the air strip now. Be prepared to land in five.”

So much for that bottle of red. I buckled myself in and brushed the curls away from my face with annoyance. Maybe Cyrus was right. Maybe I did need to unwind a little.

I watched out the window as we descended. I had requested a private airfield this go round. I wasn"t up to the crowds or the paps today. And given my mood since I woke up to fly across the country at four a.m., the b***h persona I was perfecting was in full swing.

I waited when the attendant came up and told us we could get off the jet. I watched as Joey bounded down the aisle and Cyrus followed him. Finally, I stood and stretched.

I took my time. Straightening out my shirt. Brushing away the nonexistent wrinkles in my $500 pair of Calvin"s. I wanted to look every bit the part of the television star Jonathan knew me to be

It would make things easier. People tended to be intimidated by money. By fame. I could keep them away from me like I did my clients.

I swung my messenger bag over my shoulder and stepped off the plane. Making sure to lower my sunglasses to keep the sun from blinding me. There were three people already talking with Cyrus and Joey at the base of the stairs. A woman who looked like a damn force to be reckoned with. A stocky black man dressed to the nines. And a tall dark-haired guy who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here.

I couldn"t blame him. I didn"t want him here, either.

I had been heading down when the man pulled his sunglasses off and I froze at the sight of his face. He looked like someone I had met before. A man I’d met for one night on a beach in South Carolina then spent the next six months trying to get out of my head.

No. There was no way in hell he would be here. Not after all these years.

I had to move. They were going to take off with me still dumbstruck on the stairs if I didn"t.

I couldn"t stop staring as I worked my way down. I couldn"t take my eyes off of his face as I closed the distance between us. I caught a whiff of his cologne and went weak in the knees when I stopped in front of him.

Gods, help me. I had Cyrus and my mind was most certainly betraying him now as I envisioned what this man could do to me.

I forced myself to snap at him when he tried to introduce himself. And when he snapped back, I had to walk away. Because the force in his tone was the hottest thing I had ever experienced.

Maybe it was the wine. Maybe I needed more of it.

I folded myself up in the limo and thanked the gods for my few moments alone. I had to do this. I had to push them away. All of them. I was going insane. That was the only explanation for me wanting a stranger sent to pick me up at the damn airport.

But by Apollo, I did. There was nothing in this world I wanted more than the man who had tried to introduce himself as Jonah Rowe.

I had to shake out of this. I turned my thoughts back to my duties. My job as the Sibyl and as the Representative of the Olympian Council.

Zeus, Hecate, Medusa—they all believed in me. I made a promise to myself that Elliot would not scare me away from the show I’d helped create. I felt more confident after kicking his ass but having Hera in his corner definitely helped him. Despite that, Elliott wouldn’t make me go away.

No matter what he could do now. Or what he had done.

So, I clenched my phone in my hand and kept staring out the window. Even though Elliot was supposed to be across the country from me, I knew better. Hera had empowered him. She granted him abilities that not even Cyrus could explain to me. I kept waiting for him to show up. Slip out of the darkness to finish what he had started.

I swallowed down my tears before they could get started. I was in North Carolina, which was far too close to Charleston and the memories I was trying so hard to forget.

The Greetings from Charleston postcard. My parents calling out to me through the mirror. The inevitable fight with Elliot that had left me in the hospital for weeks. The fact that Apollo was my father, not the man I’d known throughout my childhood—

Greetings from CharlestonNo. I couldn’t think about that here. Not now. Although, those thoughts had worked well to get my mind off the man sitting diagonally from me.

I leaned forward until my head touched the glass. We were pulling out of the airfield and on our way to the manor Cyrus swore would keep us safe while we filmed the episode.

One week and I would be back across the country. Back in California where I could keep an eye on Elliot to make sure he didn’t hurt anyone else.

Not that I had done any good. I bit my lip as the driver pulled out onto a highway. I hadn’t been able to protect anyone. Not really. Ash, the Native American who became Elliot’s first victim. The others he sacrificed in Hera’s name to grant himself power. Even my own mother and father—no, not my father, just the man who raised me.

not I had to get used to that, but damn, it was hard. When you called a man your father for twenty-four years, the label stuck.

No. I had to stop. I had a job to do. Get it done then start on the next one.

I felt my phone buzz in my hand. I glanced down at the screen to see Cyrus had sent me a message despite sitting right next to me.

I sighed, pulled the phone down, and opened the screen with a single swipe of my thumb.

Breathe. I’m right here.

Breathe. I’m right here.I shook my head as he reached out to squeeze my hand. Cyrus was known as a Keeper. My guide, mentor, and guard against all things which threatened me.

I’m fine. I typed back as quickly as I could. Promise.

I’m fine.Promise.He gave me a look that told me he didn’t believe me. He was right to do so. I wasn’t fine. I wasn’t sure if I ever would be again.

But I had to act fine. Smile for the camera. Keep the show going. Maybe I was a better actress than I thought.

I kept my eyes on the passing road, but I turned my attention to what was going on around me. The three people who came to greet us at the airfield were representatives of the Grannison-Morris Estate. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d done my research on them. I had to make sure they weren’t agents under Hera’s control. I didn’t find anything suspicious about them. Just listings on white pages and the standard social media sites. There was nothing that would alarm me. No real interest in the paranormal or the Greek pantheon. They seemed stable. Boring.

That was all I wanted to know. I didn’t dare get close enough to any of them with the threat Elliot would pose if he found out I’d befriended them.

“Eva? Earth to Eva.” Joey leaned in to snap his fingers in front of my nose. “You still with us?”

“Somewhat.” I gave him a small smile. Joey had been with me from the beginning. He was also on Elliot’s hit list since he was under my protection. “What’s up?”

“Reena was asking about our location. Since you snatched up the files and refused to give me a copy, I haven’t read about it yet. Care to enlighten us?”

“Oh.” I dropped my phone back into my lap. “It’s nothing spectacular. The Covington mansion not far from the Grannison-Morris Estate.”

“The what?” Jonah sounded bored. But that didn"t stop my heart from flipping again at the sound of his accent. “Never heard of it.”

“Covington mansion. I’m not surprised you’ve never heard of it. It’s not something you’d learn about binge watching Netflix.”

“She got you there, Jonah.” The man named Terrence laughed. “You should see him. He won’t move for days unless you make him.”

Jonah gave me a dark look and mumbled, “So someone read my page on Facebook.”

I smiled as sweetly as possible.

“To put it simple, it’s a big house on a big hill cursed by the original owner. For those who are actually interested, the mansion was built entirely out of granite back in 1823 by the founder of Covington Textile Mills, George S. Covington. His entire family died when a fever swept through the area, save him. So, he built the house as a memorial to them. He even went so far as installing a tomb beneath the parlor and had them buried there. But in doing so, he also put things in it to invite the spirits in. He studied Spiritualism. Held séances. At the time of his death, he cursed anyone who would dare to change anything about his beloved memorial. Families moved in, and then back out within a week. It was eventually boarded up.”

“Until now.” Joey piped up, rubbing his hands together. “So, we’re going to check out an abandoned, cursed mansion with bodies buried beneath it? Awesome find, Evie.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was Elliot’s find, not my own, but I winked at him and started to reply before Cyrus joined in.

Elliot’s “If this man invited spirits in, then it could be a portal.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “I don’t know how comfortable I am with this, Eva. Perhaps there is another haunted pile of rubble for you to play in.”

I shrugged. “Everywhere I go is a portal, Cyrus, as long as it has a mirror in it. No one will die. It’s an in-and-out. I’m not that concerned.”

“Oh, no you don’t.” Jonah snapped. “First thing, we don’t say die. That is fiction. And don’t you dare think…. don’t you even consider it. What if a spirit attaches itself to you? Do you have any idea—”

die.Cyrus turned his own dark gaze towards the man while Reena gave him an identical look. She spoke before Cyrus could.

“Jonah, stop. They are here by Jonathan’s invitation. As such, we must respect them.” The woman shook her ponytail. “Look, Ms. McRayne, I don’t know what forces brought you to our home, nor do I wish to know what you are facing. But do not expect us to become involved. We will respect your privacy as long as you respect ours.”

“Agreed.”

I nodded, feeling a strange kinship with this woman. There was an aura of strength about her that I could relate to. It was how I had been before the Charleston fiasco. I also tried hard to ignore the twinge of disquiet I felt when Jonah said death was fiction. Cyrus called it something similar. A change? A transformation? Yeah. That sounded right.

“It is my hope that we are out of your hair within a few days.”

“Thank God.” Jonah muttered as the limo turned down a driveway. “The sooner you are gone, the better.”

“Wait, Reena. Don’t go saying I won’t help if I can.” Terrence held up his hand as the car came to a stop. “We’re not doing anything. And it might do us some good to get out of the house before we pass into Spirit from boredom.”

Pass into Spirit? That was such a waste of breath. Why couldn’t he just say die?

“Such a poor choice of words, dear man.” I tucked my phone down into my messenger bag before reaching for the door handle. “But I would prefer it if you left this one to the professionals.”

I stepped out of the car to see that Jonah had gotten out as well and beaten me to the other side. For a fleeting moment, I thought he was going to grab me, push me against the car, and kiss me until I went weak in the knees. Instead, he jabbed a finger into my shoulder as he hissed at me.

"I don"t know who you think you are, Superstar, and I don"t give a damn. But here? On this estate? We are the professionals. We"re the ones saving your ass from—something. So, you can drop the attitude."

We I grabbed his hand and twisted it back at the wrist before Cyrus decided to step in. I ignored the shock of electricity that seemed to go through me. "You have no idea what I am dealing with. And if you and your people are smart? You"ll leave me alone to do that."

"Oh, I"m sorry." Jonah chided as he jerked himself free from me. "Let me guess. Your biggest problem is what color your fingernail polish is going to be, right? That is, if you don’t decide to take a leap off a four-story building..."

"Stop."

Jonah whirled around and I huffed as an older man stepped forward. He looked as distinguished as the massive building behind him. This must be the Jonathan that Cyrus had told me about.

"Jonah, go inside and wait for us." Jonathan offered me his hand. "Ms. McRayne, forgive Jonah"s rudeness. Please, call me Jonathan."

"Then you must call me Eva." I shook his hand, amazed as the anxiety which had filled me earlier disappeared in his presence. "Sir, I must speak with you as soon as possible."

"Come inside. The driver will take care of your things." The man fell in step beside me as we walked across a stone walkway to enter inside. "Welcome to Grannison-Morris Estate. While you are here, you may have free reign of the grounds and the house. I hope you find this place to be a sanctuary of sorts."

"I already do." I glanced over to see Cyrus bowing his head towards the stranger. I would have to remember to ask him about it later. "I hear that you are already familiar with Cyrus. And the lollygagger with his mouth open? That"s Joey."

"Yes, I am quite familiar with the great Cyrus of Crete." The man nodded with a smile that Cyrus mimicked. "I have heard a great deal about your service to Apollo. I look forward to speaking with you after dinner. I am certain it will be quite an enlightening experience."

"Dinner? Great! I"m starving!" Joey lifted his camera bag so that it hung over his shoulder. "It was a long flight and Sentinel Sibyl over here refused to stop for fast food so that I could eat on the plane."

I scowled at Joey as he disappeared with Terrence down the hallway. I was sure they were heading towards the kitchen. Reena stayed behind Jonathan as Jonah dismissed us with a wave of his hand and went through a pair of impressive double doors.

"Jonah, your presence is still required."

Jonathan spoke with a quiet tone, but apparently, the man heard him. He popped his head back through the doors, rolled his eyes, and stepped back into the foyer.

"Would you like to rest before we speak?" Jonathan dusted off a piece of imaginary lint from his sleeve. "Or can we get you anything?"

"Wine, if you have it. It"s too late for coffee." I sat my bag down on a table which lined the wall. "We may as well get everything out into the open. The sooner the better."

Jonathan was a master at hospitality. He got us settled in a large family room with drinks and a plate of cut vegetables to stave off Joey"s hunger. He and Terrence attacked the plate with a fervor that was embarrassing. I took a minute to glance around the room as everyone else took their seats.

"I swear, I"ve seen this place before."

I took a sip of my wine and sat it down on the wooden coffee table. Jonah scoffed as he took the overstuffed chair farthest away from me.

"Where? In a dream? A premonition?"

"A comic book." I raised my eyebrow in his direction. "With a small sign at the gate announcing it as a school for gifted students."

Terrence chuckled. Joey smirked. Cyrus simply sighed as he stood behind me.

"It is an accurate description of the Grannison-Morris Estate, Eva." Jonathan entered the room and took a seat across from us. "But I am most interested in your own story. Tell me about yourself."

I hated this part. I hated having to tell the story repeatedly. But I did it each time I asked. It was all part and parcel of my role. So, I started from the only place I could. The beginning. I explained to those in the room how I had been tricked - or so I thought - by my predecessor into speaking Apollo"s oath. I told them about the mirror, and the history behind it. How the first Sibyl became immortal as punishment for breaking a deal with Apollo. How Persephone took pity on the girl and granted her the ability to speak with the dead. Apollo awarded that same girl with the mirror to break her immortality if she wished it. But only if she passed it onto another woman who would take her place.

But that was all they’d get. It wasn’t their business that Apollo was my actual father. Only the gods and Cyrus knew the truth. I planned on keeping it that way.

I told them the basics. But what I needed to tell them, what I had to tell them, was much more important. I took a deep breath, ignored the skeptical looks from our new roommates, and continued.

"Look, I pose a very serious threat to you and yours while being here, Jonathan. I know Apollo has told you that Elliot Lancaster, a producer for Grave Messages, has become something...horrible. The official name for what he has become is..."

Grave Messages,"Skinwalker." Terrence piped up as he leaned forward. "So that Montana episode wasn’t theatrics for the show? He really is a psychotic monster?”

"Everything you see on the show is real, I"m afraid." I took a gulp of my drink as Cyrus squeezed my shoulder to let me know he was still there. Jonah leaned his head against his hand and had such a look of disbelief, it was painful. "And yes. He has become a Skinwalker. A monster transformed by Hera. He is a killer. The problem is, I haven"t figured out how to stop him yet. Not without Hera bailing him out every chance she gets."

Terrence shook his head. “I wonder if the Helakos woman knows about that,”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I let it pass. I knew nothing about Elliot’s dealings with the billionaire woman from the tabloids. It paled in comparison to everything else.

Now that Terrence mentioned it, though, it was a bit of a surprise that Elliott hadn’t offered her up to Hera for s*******r, too. Maybe he relished her company too much to kill her. Maybe she was a physical means to an end. Who knew?

her Jonah broke out into laughter, which ended the brief silence in the room. He started to applaud before standing.

“You tell a good tale, Superstar, but surely you don"t think we’ll fall for it. Me thinks you"ve been out in the California glitz too long."

I stood up to face him with my arms crossed over my chest. "You may think so, Rowe. I wish it was fake. My life would be far less tragic if it were. I"ve had to fight for, then fight against, a man I cared for once. A man who is hell bound to see me suffer at his hands."

"Fight? Right." Jonah chuckled. "I don"t see that happening. You might mess up your hair in the process."

"Jonathan, may I demonstrate something to your charge?" I turned to face my host. "It involves a weapon, but I won"t use it. Yet."

Jonathan gestured his approval as the others tensed up around me. Reena leaned forward on her seat. Even happy-go-lucky Terrence looked as if he were ready to strike. I took a deep breath and willed for my weapon to appear. Cyrus had taught me how to call it forth when Zeus had given it to me, but he never explained the mechanics of it. Truth was, I didn"t think to ask. Chalk it up as another thing I needed to talk to my Keeper about.

My right hand shimmered just before my short sword appeared out of thin air. The blade was white gold. The handle? Gold as well. I balanced it between my hands before sitting it on the table next to my wine. In the late afternoon sunlight, the Phoenix symbol rising out of the Sun gleamed, as did the swirls of yellow gold that crossed the white of the blade.

"The official name for my weapon is the Ceremonial Sword of the Sibyl. According to Zeus, it was crafted by Hephaestus himself. The weapon was a gift, but it has come in handy more often than I would like to admit."

The four strangers leaned over the sword, each studying it with veiled expressions. Finally, Terrence spoke up.

"It"s beautiful, but, um—" He scratched the bridge of his nose. "Who is Hephaestus?"

"The weapon maker of the Gods." Cyrus finally spoke. "Who is also a son of Hera."

"Still trying to convince us this whole Greek mythology thing is real, aren"t you?" Jonah slumped back down in his chair. "I don"t think some fancy trick of the light is going to make your case for you."

I took up the sword, ignoring the sudden hurt in my chest as it disappeared. Some people were believers. Some were not. It didn"t matter to me one way or the other what this Jonah thought.

That was a lie. For some reason, despite my fears, I felt the need to impress him.

“Look, I’m sure you’ve all heard about my supposed suicide attempt. It wasn’t suicide. Elliot enlisted Kampe’s help through Hera. He nearly killed me. He won’t hesitate to do the same to any of you.”

"Dinner." Terrence rubbed his hands together, a little eager to change the subject. "Let"s talk about that. What can I make you, Eva? I can throw together anything you"d want."

I shook my head to cut him off, but his look of disappointment was so strong, I felt horrible. "Let me take a rain check, Terrence. I would love to try your cooking. Tomorrow. For now, I really just want to see my room and crash before we head to the site tomorrow."

Cyrus offered me his arm, but I waved it away. "No. I"ll be fine. I"m sure you have much to discuss with Jonathan. I"m going to unpack and get some sleep."

"I"ll join you as soon as I can." Cyrus dropped his arm. "There are some matters I wish to cover with the Elevenths."

I frowned, knowing that Cyrus had called the Grannison-Morris Estate the home of the Eleventh Percenters, but I didn"t ask him to elaborate. When Cyrus started talking about different planes of existence and “ethereal” powers, my eyes glazed over. Just as I knew they would now if I stuck around for this conversation.

"Tell me later?" I waited until he nodded before Terrence hopped up from his seat on the couch.

"Let me show you to your room, Eva."

"Alright." I turned to follow him, trying to hide the smile this man elicited from me. He was as excited as a puppy as he explained how to get around the massive house. Finally, he stopped before a wooden door.

"This is it. Yours for a week." He grinned as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "And don"t pay Jonah any never mind. We have all had a—a trying few months. He"s spun about concerning this, but he"ll get over it."

"Yeah? Me, too." I started to open the door but stopped before I could. "Terrence, I didn"t see any mirrors in the rooms we went into earlier. Are there any in my room?"

"No." He swelled up, quite proud of himself. "I took them all down the minute Jonathan told us you were arriving. I know how dangerous they are to you."

I leaned forward and squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Terrence. That means a lot to me."

I slipped through the door before he could fall over. I knew how excited fans got and he was obviously a fan.

I gave the room a once over as I closed the door. The pile of luggage stacked up neat in the far-right corner by the closet. I had a lot of work to do before tomorrow. We were going to view the Covington property. Joey had even scheduled an interview with the owner. But I couldn"t handle it right now. I collapsed on my bed with a sigh.

I rubbed my hands over my face as I considered how important this was. I had been gone from Grave Messages for a long while. First, with the deaths of my parents. Then, while I healed up from Elliot’s attack. And lastly, the magic goddess boot-camp at an Olympian training ground called the Academy.

Grave Messages If I could survive Charleston, Hecate, and Medusa, then I could survive anything. I could get through a week without falling all over Jonah.

At least, I hoped I could.