Chapter 7

Bellona had been waiting for Rafael to crash, have a panic attack, or do any of the usual things humans did in his situation. He seemed tired but mentally stable. It was a good thing. She didnt want him traumatized, but he seemed to handle things better than most.

Bellona remembered the cheeky boy he had been the first time they met. Hed had the crap kicked out of him and still had enough energy to be bold.

Bellona turned on the dishwasher and headed upstairs to her bedroom. She took a long time to shower off the night. She needed to look into Rafaels business partners and Rita Costa.

Bellona could smell war in the air, and she would do everything she could to make sure it never touched Rafael. She rewashed her hand, still feeling the press of his lips to her knuckles. It was hardly the first time a man had kissed her hand. It was the first time one had seen her scars though.

Usually, with lovers, Bellona cast a light glamor around her to hide her divinity and the scars that mapped over her body. She didnt find them ugly or embarrassing. They just made people ask too many questions she didnt have the answers to. I received that scar in a battle against Shapur I in 253, wasnt the right thing to say to lovers. That was the problem with being immortal. Everyone else changed but you. Eighty years was a good mortal lifespan, and it was barely a blink of an eye.

Bellona rubbed the spot on her hand again, annoyed with herself. She couldnt afford to get attached to Rafael, for both their sakes. He would eventually die, and she would be the same as usual. A heartbroken war god wasnt something the world needed.

Bellona turned her shower cold and let the sharp bite of it chase away any soft thoughts she had for the man downstairs. He was a client, and she couldnt forget it. Her only responsibility was to help him survive until they could go their separate ways.

Bellonas cell phone was beeping with a message when she got out of the shower.

Are you still alive? Call me.

Bellona sat down on her bed and called Set back. What on earth are you still doing awake? she asked.

I was restless and curious about how you and the kid were, Set replied.

Hes not a kid. Not anymore. And we are fine. The fuckers firebombed his house, but I managed to get him out. This is a mess. Bellona told Set all about Rafaels business partners and the Costa family.

You have criminal connections that I dont. Can you have a look into the Costas for me? I need dirt. The more, the better. Ill owe you a favor of your choosing, Bellona said once she was finished.

Ill pull on some threads and see what shakes loose. How is your boy handling all of this? Please tell me hes not a crier.

No tears. No tantrums. Hes strangely coolheaded about it. Good nerves, considering everyone is trying to kill him. He even ate some pasta that I made with the sauce you gave me. He went to sleep straight afterward.

Set said, Thats a good thing. I suppose his nerves would have to be to kiss you all those years ago. Dont suppose hes tried to again?

No.

Shame. You might be less grumpy if you got laid occasionally, Set replied with a chuckle. He was the only being alive that she would allow that kind of comment from.

Bellona rolled her eyes. Just because you are all domesticated and soul-bonded doesnt mean the rest of us want to be. Getting involved with mortals is a bad idea.

Im not telling you to get soul-bonded with him. Im just suggesting that maybe if you fuck him, you will get him out of your system once and for all.

Bellona inspected her nails. I dont know what you are talking about, amico.

Yes, you bloody do. His kiss gave you peace, and it freaked you out so much youve pouted about it for the last twenty years.

Still a bad idea. I dont know... Do you ever feel like Fate is pulling your strings? Ive rarely felt the presence of the Parcae in my life before, but this man… I dont know what to think. Hes lived a few streets from me all this time, Bellona admitted. The alien feeling of vulnerability crept over her.

It was the same when I met Ayla. It was like every war you have ever fought was to prepare you to protect them, and when they are near, its like all the horror eating your brain away suddenly goes quiet, Set said, his voice softening. At least, thats how it felt to me. If I can move past the oceans of blood in my past and find some happiness, why cant you?

Bellona flopped back on her pillows. It would be better just to kill him myself.

Maybe, but you wont. You like him. Its okay. Someone had to sneak through those defenses of yours at some point. Set yawned. Try and get some sleep, Bells. You did good deeds tonight. Thats got to be enough sometimes. Ill try to find out more about the Costas. If I were you, I would go after the business partners and see what they are into. Its reeks of blackmail. Ill call you when I learn something.

Thanks, Set. I appreciate it, Bellona replied before hanging up. She lay staring at the ceiling for a while before getting up again. She wrapped a robe around herself before heading downstairs for some water.

Bellona was wandering past the kitchen before she could think about it too much. The guest room door was open a crack, and she opened it a little further to check in on Rafael. He had gotten rid of his shirt and lay sprawled on the bed.

Bellona tried not to look too closely at Rafaels lean brown muscles and chest hair. It was hard to do because she liked the way he was made, and those soft gray pants he was wearing made her whole body short-circuit. He was sleeping peacefully, a hand tucked under his head, and didnt seem to have a care in the world. It was as if no one had tried to kill him that night, and a goddess hadnt openly revealed herself to him.

Why had this human man gotten under her skin so badly? She had felt the pull towards him twenty years ago and had walked away. She had wondered ever since what would have happened if she had stayed.

As the years passed, it had been easy to convince herself that he was safer and happier because of it. That didnt seem to be the case at all. No wife, no kids, no life outside of work. How had this happened to him? Seldom good had come out of gods and mortals mixing, but she was starting to regret never checking in on him.

Bellona watched him sleep until the tight ball of worry that had been in her gut since she had seen his bounty picture in Tangier finally loosened. She didnt know what the feeling was that was coursing through her. It was a strange relief that he was unharmed. A part of it was Rafaels natural effect on her. He calmed down the relentless energy and roar of battlefields inside of her. She needed her edge right now, and he took part of that away from her.

Bellona rubbed the bridge of her nose at her soft thoughts. She was the goddess of war, for fucks sake. Bellona took some deep breaths and looked at him again. He hadnt moved an inch.

Rafael was safe, and where she could watch over him. She swore that was exactly how she would keep him. She didnt care if she had to burn down Rome to root out the parasites that were trying to kill him. After all, it would hardly be the first time she had done it.