Protected by Artemis (Gods and Beasts #3)

9. Artemis

Chapter 9

Artemis

“… a

nd that concludes the meeting of the council,” Poseidon said. “We will convene again on the next new moon.”

Artemis breathed a sigh of relief as she closed her notebook and stood up from her chair. Normally, she loved going to these council meetings, getting involved in Olympus business, as well as fighting for her causes. Today, however, the meeting felt like it had been going on for a million years, and none of the issues piqued her interest. In fact, the only thing that interested her was watching the clock, wondering when this meeting was going to end.

Grabbing her bag, she quickly slipped out of the council room. Checking her phone, she saw several news messages, but to her disappointment, none of them were from Cade.

Probably too busy with Alpha duties.

After all, they did spend the last few days wrapped up in each other’s arms, so he probably had left a lot of stuff undone. In the future, she’d have to give him some space to do his work, as she didn’t want to be the cause of him neglecting his pack.

Wait, future?

Was there a future with Cade?

The thought of that made her a swirl of emotions rush through, making her stomach flutter excitedly. But at the same, there was a layer of dread there too. While the sex was certainly amazing, it dawned on her that she also enjoyed other things about being with Cade. The idea of not being with him filled her with the same apprehension as being with him. Being mortal, his life was fleeting compared to hers. In a few decades, he would die and wither away to nothing, not to mention so would any children they had.

“And none shall taste the sweet apple of immortality…”

Any child of hers would never choose to eat the golden apple, according to The Fates. It was bad enough that she had lost Kyra, but a child from her womb would be devastating. The very thought of it, the idea of what the future held, but at the same time wanting to be with Cade…she could never give up her life, but she also knew Cade would never leave his pack to live in Olympus with her for eternity.

She felt trapped.

She pushed it out of her mind, though that ache in her chest remained. She couldn’t think of that now, not when bigger things were happening, and people’s lives were on the line. Deciding she needed a distraction—or rather, something to help her focus back on the investigation—she transported herself to Hephaestus’s workshop.

“Hello?” Why she even bothered to call out as she entered the front door, she didn’t know. Hephaestus would already know she was here thanks to his sophisticated home security system.

Walking through the sparse living area, she walked toward the workshop in Hephaestus’s home. Actually, the workshop took up more space than the actual home. As she entered through the sliding metal door, the electronic hum of computers and various machines from the numerous organized racks on either side of the vast room filled the air. In the middle was a large table covered with half-finished projects and tools scattered about. The god of fire and forges stood at one end, hunched over a large monitor, his fingers clacking away at a mechanical keyboard, the glow from the screen lighting up his face.

“What are you doing here?” He didn’t even bother looking up. “The council meeting’s over. Shouldn’t you be on your way back to Alaska to continue with the investigation?’

“Oh, so you do know there was a meeting.”

Hephaestus grunted but said nothing. Of course, he hadn’t attended a meeting in thousands of years, preferring to receive the notes and summaries instead. Even if there was an important decision, he usually sent his word via messenger.

“Anyway,” she continued. “I thought I’d stop by and see if you made any more progress on your ‘geeking out’ activities.”

He blew out a long breath. “You know, just because you want something to go faster doesn’t mean it will. You can’t bully everyone into doing what you want.”

“I do not bully anyone.” She stifled a laugh. “I merely inspire them to work harder and be better.” Ignoring his sarcastic snort, she trotted over to him to glance over his shoulder. “Well?

“I’m pouring over every single piece of information I’ve copied from Daniel and Mallory’s phone, even stuff that might seem insignificant. I’m also monitoring all communication going in and out. So far, I haven’t found anything that links them to the bombing or directly to Arcane.” He stretched to full height, his hand going down to his thigh, massaging the muscles just above where it connected to the prosthetic. “However, I did do some research into Arcane Corp.”

“And what did you find out?”

“That Arcane Corp. is one evil organization. And I thought the Titans were bad.” The scowl on his face deepened. “They’ve been linked to a lot of dirty stuff. Corruption, graft, bribery, slavery.” He tapped on the keyboard, and various news sites popped up. “There, see? A village burned down in the Amazon, destroying dozens of homes and farmland. The people can’t afford to rebuild, so who shows up with a generous offer to buy? Arcane. Then there’s this eco-sanctuary in Indonesia where dozens of endangered species live. A forest fire decimates the entire place, and tons of animals are displaced or dead. Less than six months later, a subsidiary owned by Arcane starts a palm plantation in the same spot.” He pointed to the screen. “Africa, China, Polynesia…I could go on and on.”

“That’s horrible.” Artemis covered her mouth as she gasped. “Is there anything we can do? Any credible evidence that links Arcane to these and the bombing in Alaska?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Not yet?” She perked up. “So, you have a plan?”

“Yeah.” A slow smile spread across his mouth. “I’m going to hack into their systems and see what I can find.”

“When will you be done?”

“It could take a while,” he said. He tapped on the keyboard a few more times before stepping back. “There. My decryption program needs a couple of hours to work on their firewalls, but it’ll get the job done. We only need to wait. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

He walked over to the other side of the table and picked up something long and curved. Artemis immediately recognized what it was.

“Oh, is that a bow?” She peered over his shoulder. “Nice.”

“Yeah, I’m fixing it for someone.”

She was about to ask for whom, but then she spied the wing symbol carved onto the handle.

The symbol of the god of love and desire, to be exact.

It is not surprising, though, that despite it being thousands of years since the divorce, Hephaestus had remained close to his ex-stepson, Eros.

“Dammit!” Hephaestus cursed. “Irresponsible idiot.”

“What’s wrong?”

“The limb bolt.” He held up the bow. “It’s missing the locking screw.”

Artemis frowned. A missing locking screw was something a seasoned archer like Eros could definitely fix himself. “Do you have any around? I might have a few extra at home.”

“Top drawer.” He nodded toward the large desk in the corner of the room. “Should be in a small plastic box. Would you mind…?”

“No prob.” She hopped over to his desk but saw two sets of drawers under the desk. So, she reached for the closest one on the right side but found it bare—except for a single, pink and white seashell sitting in the middle.

Artemis blinked. Only one goddess used that particular symbol.

Maybe it wasn’t just Eros he was still attached to.

“Did you find it?”

She quickly closed the drawer and opened the other one, then grabbed the plastic box with the screws. “Yes!” She cleared her throat. “Uh, here it is.”

“Thanks,” he said as he took the box from her, then quickly replaced the screw into the bolt. “There you go. Now”—he turned to Artemis—“anything else you need?”

“No, I should go back.”

“To your Alpha?” he said without missing a beat.

“He’s not my Alpha,” she replied with a nervous laugh.

“Isn’t he?” Standing up straight, he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not an idiot, Artemoula.”

“I didn’t say you were.”

His face, however, remained impassive.

She huffed. “You can cut the protective big brother vibes, H. Like I said before, it’s not what you think.”

“And what is it you think I’m thinking?”

Was he going to make her say it? The thought of admitting to him that she had finally lost her virginity made her want to crawl up into a ball of mortification, but maybe if she did, he would get off her case. “We’re just having a little fun, okay? I’m allowed to have fun, right?”

“I know, Artemoula,” he said in an unusually soft tone. “I just don’t want you hurt, wanting something you can never have.”

The words struck her, and though she wanted to lash at him, she stopped herself as she saw something she’d never seen before—a flash of pain in his eyes. Swallowing the lump forming in her throat, she said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He pivoted away from her. “I’ll message you when I have something.”

“Th-thanks.”

As she walked out of Hephaestus’s home, his words lingered in her mind. Smart words, really, as from the looks of things, he knew what he was talking about. She couldn’t let herself develop any more feelings for Cade, knowing she could end up hurting for the rest of her immortal life.

Hardening her resolve to guard her heart, she transported herself back to Alaska. The moment she landed in the pack’s territory, however, the eeriest sensation crawled over her skin. For one thing, it was deathly quiet when the hustle and bustle of the pack’s activities normally filled the atmosphere with energy. Next, instead of the usual scent of pine and crisp mountain, acrid ash flitted across her nostrils.

Slowly, she turned around and then let out an audible gasp. The lodge, normally a hive of activity, was not only empty but completely unrecognizable. The pine logs were a dark color, the windows were broken, and half of the rafters were missing and burned out. Smoke curled out from the hole in the roof.

Fear gripped her chest. “Cade!” she screamed, looking around. “Cade!” Where was everyone?

“My lady!”

Spinning around, she saw Xavier running toward her. “Xavier! What happened?”

He stopped a few feet from her, taking in a deep breath. “Fire…it was bad. The Alpha, he’s hurt.”

Her stomach sank. “Where is he?”

“In his bedroom, rest?—”

Not bothering to let him finish, she took his hand and then transported them directly to Cade’s bedroom in his cabin. A cry escaped her mouth as she saw the prone figure on the king-sized bed.

“Cade,” she croaked as she rushed to his side. His hair had completely burned off, and patches of angry red skin covered his bald head. The right side of his body and face were bloody and scarred, but she could see the skin knitting itself together. His eyes were shut, and he was so still that she could barely detect the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. “Oh, Cade.”

“He’s healing himself, my lady,” Xavier explained. “The lodge caught fire, and he wouldn’t stop going in until everyone was safe.”

“W-was anyone hurt?”

“Everyone’s fine, thanks to the Alpha. But then the roof collapsed while he swept the place for any remaining survivors. Thankfully, we found him in time. His injuries are pretty bad, but he will be fully healed in a few days.”

“Not good enough.” Kneeling down, she covered his left hand with both of hers and stared into his handsome face.

Please be okay, she said as she sent waves of healing energy into him as she examined the extent of the damage. Had he been human, the fire would have surely killed him, but the injuries he had sustained were significant. There was so much damage to his skin and flesh, not to mention his internal injuries. His lungs were burned from the smoke inhalation, there were a few broken ribs, and there was a huge healing hole on his side where he’d been stabbed by something jagged. The bump on the back of his head pressed against his brain, which was stopping the crack in his skull from healing.

Determined to heal him, she pushed even more of her power into him. The healing of his skin sped up, the burned patches returning to their normal color, while his dark brown hair sprouted from the roots. Her power tapped out, and she had to stop, but at least now Cade appeared as he had before, healthy and alive.

Except he didn’t move.

“Cade?” She shook his shoulder lightly. “Cade, wake up.”

“My lady, he will be fine,” Xavier said. “He’s in a coma.”

“A coma?” Her head snapped up to meet the shifter’s gaze.

“It’s a normal response, at least for our kind. When a shifter is hurt, our bodies shut down to focus its energies on healing itself, and we go into a long sleep until our injuries are gone.”

“But I healed him.”

“I’m not sure what the effect of a god’s power is on shifter healing. Perhaps his brain hasn’t caught up yet.” Moving to the other side of the bed, he touched Cade’s chest and then forehead. “Ah, his heartbeat is returning to normal, as is his temperature. I think you were able to accelerate his healing, and it feels as if he’s already gone through the coma and will wake up soon.”

“Oh, I—” When she tried to stand, she wobbled back as a wave of dizziness came over her. Thankfully, she stopped herself before falling over. “I…” She sank down on the mattress. “I must have wiped myself out.”

“You should rest, my lady. Do you want to stay in the guest room?”

“No, I’ll stay here.”

“As you wish. Thank you for your help by the way. The healing coma is not as peaceful as it sounds. You saved the Alpha days of pain and suffering.” With a respectful nod, he left the room.

“Oh, Cade,” she murmured as she crawled underneath the sheets next to him. “You’ll be fine.” Though she wasn’t sure if she was saying that to him or to herself.

Cuddling up next to him, she breathed in his deep masculine scent, trying to calm the emotions churning inside her—worry, doubt, guilt, anger, sadness, and everything in between. She couldn’t even feel any relief because the idea of him even suffering sent her into a spiral of anger and despair. Shifters were still mortal, after all, and if he had been stabbed in the brain instead of his side or if he had been trapped inside that burning building, he could have died a very slow, painful death.

I don’t want to lose you, she begged silently as she pressed her face against his shoulder. She wanted to be with him, no matter what, even if it was for the span of a short mortal life.

I love you.

The words startled her, but she knew them to be true. She would give up everything for this man: her status, powers, and immortality. She wanted to grow old with him and watch their children have children of their own.

The feeling of love overwhelmed her, but in a good way. There was a warmth that replaced that ache in her chest, a kind of clarity that was freeing. Like she was no longer trapped.

“I love you.” She whispered it out loud this time, wondering if he’d heard it. He didn’t stir, which probably meant he didn’t. But that was okay. She would tell him as soon as he woke up. For now, she snuggled up against him and let sleep come over her.