The Grey God

Darian hoped his excitement at the assignment didn't show. He'd resisted asking about Jenn, but she was almost always on his mind.

Not in a good way. His first mate-who ultimately betrayed him-had been a lot like Jenn: a talented warrior. In a way, Jenn was worse. Where Claire had been a weak Oracle, Jenn was a mind manipulator. Trusting Claire had led Darian to his enslavement. What would trusting a real mind control expert get him?

"I can send someone else," Damian said at his silence.

"I'll go," Darian replied. "Just recalling how dangerous a female Guardian warrior with a knack for manipulating others can be."

"I understand. Jenn isn't like her, though."

I know she's not, but I'm telling myself she is, Darian thought to himself. The last thing he needed was to become involved with someone else. He barely knew who he was. Still, he'd admired Jenn's spunk, beauty, and strength. The tall Guardian was built like a model with the long, lean muscles of a ballerina. She packed a serious punch, despite the purr of a 1940s pinup model.

"I'll check her out," he said then corrected himself quickly. "I mean, check on her."

Damian said nothing, and Darian didn't have to look at his little brother to know he was trying not to grin. Darian left the study and returned to his room. He armed himself and stopped to pet one of the cats that had wandered into his room to sleep on his bed.

Nine lives. He wasn't sure a creature that lived more than one life was lucky. If anything, anyone with more than one life seemed pretty well cursed.

Darian pulled on a down vest. One of their brothers, Jule, had told them quietly where Jenn was after a trip to visit one of the vamps holed up with the Black God. The thought of killing vamps made his adrenaline pick up and his magic wriggle free from the tight grip he had on it.

Darian closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, not yet able to channel his newfound magic. When he felt calm again, he Traveled to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, where four feet of snow covered the ground. He made his way to the rocky area near the hideout then crouched on the ground, watching. As much as he wanted to kill a few vamps, he wasn't here for that.

Check on Jenn and go, he told himself. He had a lot to do: find himself new digs and track down the immortals threatening his family. Among the gifts his new power gave him: the ability to sense and find the Others and Watchers. They were like burrs in his shoes, but he couldn't yet go after them until he'd learned to control his new power. He'd expected the Grey God's powers to be like the White God's, yet they weren't. Although he couldn't do everything he'd been able to do as a White God, he'd gained other abilities.