“Without a good defense, that place will be the ultimate risk for you, Lexi,” Daisy said. “A lonely Lightning Bolt—”

“Rod,” Mordecai corrected her. “It’s Lightning Rod.”

“Whatever. He’s just a steppingstone on the dangerous path Kieran dragged you onto.”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t love it,” Mordecai said.

“I do, but I don’t want to take the heat for it,” she replied. “This is all Kieran’s fault. I’m just doing my part to lessen the horror.”

Amber huffed out a laugh and murmured, “Cute kid.” She was starting to say that a lot. It made me nervous.

Kieran reached for the champagne.

“Besides, Lexi—”

“Shut up,” I said, pushing to standing. It wasn’t nice to say that to a kid, but Daisy was getting on my last nerve. She was talking too much sense.

I went to the back of the jet and tucked myself into the bathroom for a while. I needed a second. This was my life now, yes, but I still hadn’t adjusted to the constant danger. And no way did I believe that nonsense about Zeus. The gods hadn’t messed around with humans for countless years. There hadn’t been a new Demigod baby sired from a god in forever. It had been even longer since a goddess had birthed one. A big part of me wondered if Harding was just messing with me to see how far I could be pushed. The same big part of me wondered why the hell I had already decided to rise to the challenge.

12

Alexis

“They thought this would help us blend in, did they?” Daisy asked as we stood in front of a large house pushed back into the woods.

The three-year-old Jeep Wrangler that Kieran had purchased sat in the driveway, not a scratch on it. The rock-climbing supplies we didn’t know how to use and wouldn’t be unpacking sat in the small trunk area behind the back seat. The rest of our bags rested on the ground around us, Daisy’s pristine rolling suitcase with a designer label standing out next to Mordecai’s and my beat-up travel gear. Neither of us had thought to buy new stuff, so we’d used my mom’s old luggage, a pink suitcase without wheels and an army duffel someone had probably stolen along the way.

“It looks kinda like a cabin,” Mordecai said, looking up at the three-story structure spanning out within the trees. The For Sale sign still stood in the front yard.

“It looks like a rich person’s idea of a cabin, yeah.” Daisy shook her head, grabbed her rolling suitcase, and headed up the walkway. “We’re the bait.”

I hoisted up my pink suitcase, which had given Bria no end of amusement, and followed Daisy in. “Well, yeah, they told us we’d be bait. They weren’t mincing words about that.”

“No, they said the mark’s reaction to us will help Amber decide on a strategy. Which is probably still true.” Daisy held her hand out, and I filled her palm with the keys. She unlocked the door and shoved it open, clearly annoyed. “But they acted like we’d be drawing him out. Being bait is different. Staying in this fancy place—a house Kieran bought instead of rented—we won’t need to go to him.”

I set down my suitcase on the stone tiles in the grand entranceway, decorated in beige and gray and rust. Peeled log beams stretched across the pale wood ceiling, the dark knots a stark contrast to the lighter background. Simple and elegant wooden furniture in the same neutral tones gave the area a subtle elegance, and the deep gray stone around the fireplace enhanced the grandeur. I didn’t bother voicing my surprise that Kieran had managed to find and close on a home, not to mention furnish it, so quickly. Rules didn’t apply to Demigods, even in the non-magical zones. Or maybe it was Kieran’s wealth that had paved the way. Money and power talked, wherever you were.

“This place looks like the inside of a tree,” Daisy said, leaving her suitcase at the bottom of twisty stairs made of finely polished logs. Stone of various shades and sizes lined the stairwell. The décor was weathered and rustic, yet very classy.

“Drawing out the mark, acting as bait—I don’t see what the difference is,” I said, opening the fridge. My heart sank. The interior was bare. The cabinets were equally empty. “We need to head into town for dinner.”

“Pizza might deliver,” Mordecai said, standing near the large window in the open living room, staring off into the trees. Deep shadows draped the branches as evening stole the light from the dying sun.

“Why bother? Let’s just go into town and get this rolling.” Daisy opened the cabinet and then scoffed. “Really, Kieran? No glasses or anything? Why put in furniture and not some freaking glassware?”

“Because he secretly hates us,” Mordecai said. “He probably put our names on the deed, just out of spite.”

“What’s gotten into you?” Daisy asked as I headed down the hall, marveling at the oak floors, polished to a high shine.

A quick perusal of the other rooms on this floor told me that glassware wasn’t the only thing Kieran had forgotten. No curtains or shades lined the windows. Outside, shadows pooled around the tree bases and branches dusted the dirt. A lurker would have plenty of places to hide. Thankfully, the trees were pushed in close. To get a glimpse of us, the Peeping Tom would need to venture onto my radar. I’d know if someone came sniffing around, and if I didn’t, the spirit surveillance I’d soon call in would catch them.

“Nothing.” Mordecai was still looking out the window when I returned. “It’s weird, though. Being on our own again.”

“We’re not really on our own, Mordecai. Give me a break.” Daisy grabbed her suitcase and paused, clearly waiting for us to head upstairs with her and pick out bedrooms. “Kieran’s team is just getting into position, that’s all.”

“His team, yeah.” Mordecai grabbed his bag. “The team we’re not a part of.”

“What do you think bait is?”

“I just thought maybe I’d be in their group rather than pulling non-magical detail.” Mordecai followed us up the stairs and then stepped in the first room in the hall. He dropped his bag.

Daisy stalled next to him. “You’re his girlfriend’s ward, Mordecai, and one day you’ll be alpha of a wolf pack. You’re not one of his Six. Welcome to reality.”

“He needs a new name for his crew.” I stopped by the next bedroom so Daisy could put her stuff inside, though she jerked her head to keep going.

“Looks like the master’s at the end of the hall,” she said. “I’ll take the one next to you in case you don’t wake up if someone comes in.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t say anything. It was like they didn’t realize they were teens and I was the adult here. Then again, had they ever?

My phone rang as we reconvened downstairs. I rescued it from my purse.

“Alexis, it’s Amber.”

“Hel—”

“Head down to the diner to eat while we get in position.”

“Okay, do you guys—” I realized the line was dead before I finished. “That woman is really intense.”

“That woman is insanely talented,” Daisy said. “She’s got Henry running in circles. Even Zorn is impressed, and he still hates her from when she worked for Valens.”