Chapter Six
Apollo
The knock at the door startled Apollo. “Huh?”
Geri, who was across the table from him, looked up from her breakfast plate. “Are you expecting Hephaestus?”
“Hephaestus is at the door? How do you know it’s him?”
She tapped her ear. “I can hear the gears and stuff in his cybernetic leg.”
“Oh.”
“Well? Shouldn’t we let him in?”
“Right. I mean, I’ll just let him know he can come in.” Why the god of forges and fire would even knock on the door, Apollo didn’t know. But then again, it wasn’t like Hephaestus ever visited him.
Just come inside, Hephaestus.
Seconds later, Hephaestus materialized beside them. “Sorry to interrupt,” he said, glancing down at the table.
“It’s fine.” Apollo gestured to an empty chair. “Want to join us? We have lots of food.”
“No, I can’t.” Hephaestus’ dark brows drew together. “I have some news for you. Both of you.”
“What is it?” Geri asked.
“It’s your brother.” He took a deep breath. “There was a fire at the main lodge, and Cade was hurt badly.”
Blood drained from Geri’s face. “No…” Shaking her head, she shot up to her feet. “I need to go to him.”
“What? No!” Apollo was next to her in an instant. “Geri, you can’t—”
“Don’t you tell me what to do!” she growled. “My brother, the only living family I have left, is hurt!”
“He’s a shifter, so he can heal himself, like when his back was torn to shreds during the explosion. I’m sure he’s alive.” Otherwise, Hephaestus would have told them. “How’s he doing?” Apollo asked Hephaestus. “Was anyone else…?”
“No, Cade was able to get everyone out. As for him, he’s good, according to Artemis,” he replied. “She healed him, which is speeding up his recovery, but he’s still in a coma.”
“See? There’s no need for you to go there–”
“There’s every need,” she said, cutting him off. “Cade is down, and the pack needs every pair of hands available. But we also need to find who’s after the pack and get revenge.”
Apollo started, nearly jumping out of his own skin as hot, blazing fury shot up through the bond. He reached out to her. “Baby, calm down–”
“How can I calm down when everything and everyone I love is in danger?” She swatted his hand away. “What if it was Artemis? Wouldn’t you want to know who hurt her and make them pay?”
Hephaestus cleared his throat. “We actually do know who did it.”
“Good,” Apollo said. “Who is it?”
“A company called Arcane Corp.” Hephaestus quickly explained how Arcane was buying up all the land next to the Alaska pack’s territory, and how Cade refused to sell.
“Of course he wouldn’t,” Geri said. “We’ve owned that land for generations. And it’s not like we need the money.”
“Which is why they’ve resorted to these dirty tactics,” Hephaestus said. “Anyway, I’m about to head down to tell everyone what I found.”
“I’m coming with you,” Geri said. “Let’s go now–”
