He nodded.
But the woman's stare passed right over Ace, as if she didn't recognize him.
I smirked at Ace. “I think you're off the hook, honey.”
Ace grimaced. “I never showed her my true face. But she deserves an apology. I did send one with my check, but I think I should make another in person to her and her mates.” Ace strode over to the group, shoulders squared.
“Uh-oh,” Clotho said.
I glanced at her. When I looked back at Ace, he looked repentant. The hounds he spoke to, however, did not look as if they were accepting his apology. And the woman—oh, she was not having it. Not at all.
The witch narrowed her eyes at Ace. I felt power trickle over my arm. But then she looked around, noted the humans in the room, and hauled back her arm. Instead of hitting Ace with magic, she punched him in his beautiful nose.
My human guests gasped. I guess I should have cared. I didn't. Ace needed to get punched as much as this witch needed to do the punching. I'm sorry to all you peace lovers out there,but sometimes, violence is necessary. In this case, it was closure. People need closure.
Ace recovered, bowed deeply to the witch, and then looked at the hounds. They smirked at him and guided their mate away. In short, Ace got off easy. Or maybe he didn't. Maybe those hounds were going to wait until Ace wasn't in a room full of humans to get their hits in. Looking at Ace's expression, I was betting that was the case. Oh well, he'd survive.
Then Cyrus laid his hand on my back and said, “Selene, I believe the guest of honor has arrived.”
I turned around to see Wren come in, her three hounds close—one to either side and one behind her. They scanned the room and glowered at anyone who looked too long at Wren. But Wren was scanning the room for another reason. She started to look disappointed.
“Buck up, buttercup!” I shouted. “I'm right here.”
Wren's stare swung straight to me and immediately, her eyes filled with tears. “Aggie?”
I rushed through the parting crowd and yanked my girl into a hug. “Hey, you. It's good to finally hug you with my own body.”
“Aggie!” Wren sniffled as she pulled me closer. “Oh, my God, Aggie!”
“It's actually Selene now. Remember? I told you on the phone.” I eased back to look at her.
“Yeah.” She looked me over too. “You look like a Selene. But you're still my Aggie.”
“Aggie will always be a part of both of us.” I winked at her. “But it's time to move on.” I looked at her grinning hounds. “I guess I can forgive you three now. You know, for literally tearing Wren and me apart.”
“The way I see it, you owe us,” Kellan said. “Without us, you never would have met your Cerberus.”
“Whoa now, tiger.” I flicked a moonbeam at him and made him flinch. “I wouldn't go that far. But you played your part. Now, you'd best be treating my girl right. Are they, Wren?”
“I'm happier than I've ever been.” Wren beamed at me. Then she launched herself into my arms again. “Thank you. Thank you for saving me, Selene. You saved all of us.”
“You're welcome.” I hugged her back, then looked over her shoulder at her men. “You hear that? I saved all of you.” I expected eye rolls from them. Instead, they bowed to me. Awkward. I cleared my throat and stepped out of the hug. “All right, you three. You'd better be on your best behavior. I'm not the only god in the house. Come on. I'll introduce you to Zeus.”
Kasper started growling.
“What did I just say?” I rolled my eyes. “Can it. Zeus doesn't hit on women when he's with Hera. He's smarter than that. Or rather, he values his balls.”
Kasper went silent, his face creasing into a frown.
Chuckling, I wove my arm with Wren's. Then, with my girl beside me, I strolled through the elite of New Orleans and Olympus, even happier than she was.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The night was spectacular. Hades himself said so. It was the first time in centuries that several Cerberuses came together like that. Over twenty teams attended the party, many with mates. It was a celebration, after all. The war was over. The Host disbanded. Unfortunately, that meant the “death” of its members when Ace released their souls. But Hades said he'd make sure they got sent back quickly for another go at life since their last had been cut short by a demigod. And Ace made anonymous donations at their funerals.
Was all Ace's atoning enough? Probably not. My nephew had done terrible things, as he had admitted. But that's love. It can raise a man to great heights or lower him to horrible depths. Ace had run the gamut of love and come out with nothing to show for it. He had still lost me in the end, and if you've ever been in love, you'll know that his loss was penance enough. I felt bad for the kid. But at least now, he could move on. I saw him talking to Clotho at the party and it didn't look like a business meeting, if you catch my divine drift.
What a pairing that would be.
