The Goddess Hunt. Aimee Carter

realize the contest was over. Or that there’d never been one to begin with. I was Henry’s, plain and simple.

      James grinned. “You really think I’d do that?”

      “Yes, even though you know damn well I wouldn’t kiss you for anything.”

      He placed his hand over his heart with mock hurt. “You wound me, Kate.”

      “If you don’t find civilization within the next fifteen minutes, I’ll show you what a wound really is.”

      He flung his arm around my shoulders, and I tried to shrug it off to no avail. “You need to learn to take in the scenery. Enjoy the little things in life. We’ve got six months before we need to be anywhere.”

      “Yeah, and by the time September rolls around, I’d like to not still be wandering,” I muttered. “Seriously, James, if you think I’m sleeping on the forest floor—”

      Crack.

      A twig snapped nearby. James stopped, forcing me to as well, and his gaze darted around the surrounding trees. I frowned. It wasn’t like there was anyone else out here. And if there was, terrific, maybe they’d know a way back.

      “What—”

      James shushed me, and I glared at him. His brow was furrowed, but as the seconds passed, his worry gave way to a boyish grin. “Excellent,” he whispered, and I rolled my eyes.

      “If you don’t tell me what’s going on right this minute, I swear I’ll—”

      “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”

      That gruff voice didn’t belong to James. I jumped, and a half naked young man stepped out from behind a thick trunk. His dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and I could’ve done laundry on his abs.

      I blushed. I’d been married to Henry all of three days, and already I was drooling after the shirtless locals. No way in hell was I lasting six whole months without him. Maybe James would take me back to Eden early, if we ever found civilization again.

      I tried to step forward to greet him, but James’s grip on my shoulders tightened, holding me back. “Pollux,” said James with a nod. “It’s been a while. I see you still haven’t found a shirt.”

      Pollux. The name rang a bell, but I couldn’t place it. Another god? From the looks of him, it wouldn’t have surprised me.

      “Hermes. It’s Lux now,” he said in his heavily accented voice. Most of it was English, but there were hints of other places, too. And was it my imagination, or was his jaw clenched?

      “Ah, so you got the memo as well,” said James. “Not that Lux blends in much better than Pollux, but whatever tickles your fancy. I’m called James now.”

      “And I’m Kate,” I said. “What’s going on? How do you two know each other?”

      Lux eyed me. “Long story. I’m only going to ask you once—piss off.”

      James’s grin faded. “Not exactly asking now, is it?”

      “Come on, let’s go,” I said, tugging on his arm. “Clearly he doesn’t want to be bothered.”

      “No, we’re not going,” said James. “What the hell’s going on, Lux? Where have you been the past three thousand years?”

      Right. Definitely a god. Lux growled in the back of his throat. “I like you, James. Don’t make me do something I’ll regret to your pretty little friend.”

      Pretty little friend? Who did he think he was? Apparently it touched a nerve for James as well, because he snapped, “You can’t do a damn thing to me, and you know it. On the other hand, all I have to do is let the right people know you’re here, and you’re a dead man.”

      Whatever line James was toeing, he might as well have taken a giant leap across it. Lux snarled and flew toward us so fast that I didn’t have time to move away. James managed to push me aside a fraction of a second before Lux tackled him, and the pair of them hit the ground hard.

      “Stop it!” I screeched. Lux had James pinned with his knees, and his fists were a blur as he beat the unholy snot out of him. James struggled against him, but he wasn’t a fighter, not like Lux clearly was. Could gods hurt other gods? I had no idea.

      In a fit of desperation, I grabbed Lux’s ponytail and yanked back hard. It was enough to throw him off balance, and he hissed, scrambling back to his feet.

      He advanced toward me, and I stumbled backward. Terrific. Not only did shirtless guy like to fight, but he had no qualms about hitting a girl. Which would’ve been fine, except the only self-defense I knew was a knee to the boy parts and running away as fast as I could.

      “Lux.” A quiet voice echoed through the trees as if the wind were carrying it, and Lux stopped dead in his tracks. He didn’t take his eyes off me though, and had he not been half a step away from pummeling me, I wouldn’t have minded. They were a beautiful shade of brown. Pity he had such a temper.

      “I told you not to leave,” said Lux through gritted teeth. “Go back to the cottage.”

      “They’re not here to hurt us.” Another young man stepped through the trees, and I did a double take. He and Lux were identical, down to their worn jeans and rebellion against shirts. “Let them go.”

      Lux’s eyes searched mine, as if he were certain he’d be able to find some sort of malicious intent by staring me down. However, James chose that moment to sit up and groan, and Lux broke away from me, positioning himself between James and his brother. Apparently I wasn’t so much of a threat after all. “They shouldn’t be here.”

      “Neither should you,” muttered James. He stumbled to his feet, and to my relief, he looked completely unharmed. Just dazed. “What are you two doing back in Greece?”

      The brother who hadn’t beat James into pulp shrugged. “You know how it is. Hide in the last place they’d expect. We’re just passing through anyhow.”

      “And we’re leaving now.” Lux took his brother’s arm, but he stood his ground, refusing to budge. “Casey, let’s go.”

      James snorted. “Casey and Lux? Really trying to hide your identities there, aren’t you?”

      Lux glared at him, and I linked my elbow with James’s. “Don’t antagonize him,” I muttered. “Let’s just go, all right?”

      “I’m very sorry for my brother’s behavior,” said Casey from the other side of a growling Lux. “Our interactions with the other members of the council have been less than pleasant, but James has been good to us. Please—night’s about to fall. Stay with us. As an apology.”

      “Thought you had to go,” said James as Lux spun around to face his brother. Before he could open his mouth, however, Casey gave him a steely look.

      “We were in the process of sitting down to dinner when Lux sensed you coming. As long as the other members of the council aren’t with you, we can afford to stay the night like we’d planned.”

      I glanced toward the dusky purple sky. “How far are we from Athens?”

      “Half a day’s walk,” said Casey, and I groaned.

      “James. You promised we weren’t far.”

      “He knew we were here,” muttered Lux. “That’s why he dragged you out this far. To check on us.”

      I rounded on James. “You dragged me out into the middle of nowhere to check on two people who clearly want nothing to do with you? And who have no problem punching your lights out?”

      James shrugged sheepishly. “It’s been a while. I wanted to see how they were.”

      A wolf howled in the distance, and all four of us turned in the same direction at once. It would’ve been funny had Lux and Casey not looked so