Artemis stiffened. “What sort of man?”
“A man with large twisting horns growing from his head, like a ram but different, straighter, not as curly. He was naked from the waist up. Hairy. And his eyes were black and dull as coal. He told her she was interfering and that was against their agreement.”
Artemis stood and paced the small room.
“I don’t usually remember things from my wolf form. I’m wondering if my brain simply produced this to fill in the gaps of an emotionally trying night. It couldn’t possibly have been real.”
“Oh, I fear what you saw was quite real. In fact, I’m sure of it.”
“How?”
Artemis frowned. “We don’t teach of the horned god here. There’s no way you could describe him as perfectly as you have without seeing him firsthand.”
“The horned god?”
“He goes by many names but in our tradition, he is called Panaal.” Artemis spread her hands. “All existence must maintain balance.”
“Of course. The goddess demands balance in all things.”
“Not just the goddess. Everything. From the largest beast to the tiniest cell, balance is the most fundamental of laws. Disrupt the balance and things start to evolve. Everything, all the interdependencies of life begin to change, to adapt until a new balance is found. Panaal is the balance to Hecate, the masculine to her feminine, the keeper of the underworld.”
Selene’s shoulders drooped. “I don’t understand. I thought Hecate was her own balance. The maiden, the mother, and the crone. Protector of women. Goddess of the crossroads. Mother to all supernatural beings.”
“If Hecate is all about balance and order, Panaal is all about the wild, about chaos, about man’s primal needs. He is the source of the raw instincts that drive us all in the absence of intelligence and civilization. He is the hunter where our goddess is healer. He thrives on disorder. He desires turmoil. He loves war.”
“Sounds like a real ball of fun,” Selene said, swallowing. “What do you think it means that he was in my memory?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he arrived after Alex took Nickelova’s heart. If Hecate is the mother of werewolves, Panaal is the father of dragons.”
“So when Alex and Nickelova were working together there was balance?”
“But now a werewolf has a dragon heart, and the goddess has helped you escape almost certain death.”
“Is it just me, or does this situation make your spine tingle?” Selene asked.
Artemis shivered. “I fear that heart has far greater value than the amulet Alex had before and far greater consequences for our pack.”
28
Outside the monastery, Selene smiled when she saw Jason waiting for her, parked in the sleek sports car she thought looked like a drivable piece of art. He rolled down the passenger’s side window as she approached and sneered at her brown plaid bag.
“Are you sure you want to bring that thing? I thought I’d take you shopping today to replace everything inside it.”
“Everything?”
“Everything you’ll let me… with the exception of that navy-blue number you wore when you made me cookies. We’ll keep it for sentimental reasons.”
“I think I’ll keep all of it,” she said through a smug smile. “For sentimental reasons.”
He climbed out and lifted the bag from her hands, snorting when all her worldly possessions fit easily in the Bugatti’s meager trunk space. He hurried to open the door for her, then climbed behind the wheel.
“I have one quick stop to see a client before lunch. Are you game for Valentine’s restaurant?”
“I’ve never been,” she said truthfully.
He straightened in the leather seat like the idea was sacrilege. “Oh, Selene, we must rectify this situation. Chef Logan Valentine makes a chocolate cake that will positively light your fire.” His eyes raked down the torso of her plain gray dress.
With one raised eyebrow, she stroked down her leg and allowed her fingers to tug her hem up to midthigh. “Too late.”
