Damian's Assassin

His phone was destroyed and his power drained. He couldn't Travel yet, or even use his telepathy to order someone to come get him, so he jogged along the highway towards the heart of Miami, fuming in the early morning fog. He could sense his mate and used her gentle pull to guide him. He'd been jogging for an hour when a black Tahoe pulled up alongside him. The window rolled down, and his chief assassin glared at him.

"Now you show up," Dusty said icily.

Damian smiled wide and opened the door, sliding into the passenger seat. His assassin's gaze was bright and his face healthy, a pleasant surprise. Damian suspected what kind of hell Dusty had been through and was pleased to see his trusted friend looking good.

"You know what I've been doing for the past few months?" Dusty went on.

"Yeah," Damian replied.

"You can't possibly!"

"Let's see, a new Black God, Darian's madness, running the world. I think the worst is you've been whipped by a woman," Damian ticked off. He watched Dusty, whose grip tightened on the wheel as he muttered curses. "I leave for a few days and you blow up Florida. I miss anything?"

"Sofi's pregnant."

Damian stared at him.

"Damn that felt good! You always beat me to every punch, D, and for once, I nailed you!" Dusty exclaimed. "You realize I can't get salt water out of this leather? It'll smell like a whale died in here now, and I've only got three more Tahoes that survived the hurricane."

"Why didn't she tell me?" Damian growled. "Why did she tell you first?"

"Maybe because you dumped her and Darian off on me and disappeared? You ever think of that, D? You've always been bad with woman."

"Not sure how, when you've been nagging me for thousands of years."

"You're a shitty god." Dusty struggled not to smile then released it with a chuckle.

Damian laughed, thrilled to be back with his adopted brother and to see the glow in his face. Dusty, his heartless assassin, had found his mate.

His heart rejoiced at the thought of his own mate carrying his child, but he couldn't help but to think of his own upbringing. The path of a White God was not an easy one, and he felt for the child who would grow up with war, pain, and a destiny filled with both.

"What happened to Jule?" Dusty asked.

"No idea. Last night he said he was stuck in Ireland. I couldn't reach him. Things are getting rougher. I'm hoping whatever happened here in Florida didn't permanently damage our power. The Black God's vamps haven't lost theirs," Damian said. "Darian tell you to come get me?"