27. A Visit from a Demon

Sage stood on the pavement, watching the traffic go by. Behind her the café shone like a beacon but none of it's light illuminated her face. A car stopped in front of her at the lights and she gazed sadly at her reflection in it's window. She felt strangely hollow. Like the time she'd stood in the rain, watching her dad disappear with her life's savings.

'This will be the end of us.'

The car moved on, taking her reflection with it. Was this her fate? She'd loved her dad and he'd loved money more. She loved Ares and he was enslaved by an arrow. Perhaps, in all her happy memories with her dad, he'd actually felt forced to be there. Forced to listen to her because he'd needed her to pay his debts. The same way, Ares felt forced to be with her now.

As if on cue, Ares appeared at her side.

"What are you doing standing here? It's freezing."

Girls from inside the café spotted Ares and, giggling excitedly, they waved and beckoned for him to come inside. When Ares waved back, they swooned.

"If I gave you a duffle bag of money, it wouldn't be enough to make you leave - would it?" Sage murmured. Anger flashed briefly in Ares' gaze by he coached his face to seem disinterested.

"No."

"I prayed for that. In the only time I've ever prayed. I prayed to be loved by someone more than money." On that night when she'd stood alone in the rain....

"All love is a lie." Like an icy gust of wind, he swept past her – striding into the café to be surrounded by his swarm of admirers. Sage swallowed the lump that risen in her throat.

"My love isn't." She whispered softly to the night. "Just yours."

"So, Sage is snuggling up with Ezekiel and Ares is pretending not to know about it." Sophia surmised.

"Yes." Jaz handed Sophia a mug of tea. It was just the two of them at her apartment.

"Why? I thought he'd kill Ezekiel."

"We all did." Jaz admitted. "But it seems that he loves Sage too much."

"But he's being an arse to her." Sophia retorted. She'd watched Ares and Sage interact with one another around the apartment. The temperature seemed to drop whenever they were in the same room. Jaz sighed and sipped his tea.

"He's pushing her to be with the Ezekiel. He knows that Sage needs to be with the Mad Dog and he doesn't want to make things harder for her."

"Wow." Sophia sat back in her chair.

"You're sure he's not just an arse?"

Jaz smiled wryly.

"I think we all misjudged the war god. We've only heard one side in the stories told about him."

Ares sat at a small table surrounded by attentive worshippers. They cooed as he ate a slice of lemon cake, watching him with possessive eyes. But Ares' gaze kept flickering to Sage. Watching as she cleaned the tables. His heart ached as he watched her working so hard. It ached worse when he remembered that she'd wanted him dead.

Sage went to her locker at the end of her shift to pick up her things. Glancing at her phone, she saw a message from Ezekiel.

Tell me if the headaches get bad again. I can come to the café if you need me – E

Sage scratched her wrist. Her nail caught a scab and a trickle of blood ran down her wrist.

"Careful," hissed a voice. Sage stiffened, her elbow suddenly in the grip of a beautiful woman. The stranger was stunning. Tall, curvy, dark-skinned with long braided hair that cascaded down her back. But her eyes were wrong. They glowed.

The beautiful woman moved Sage's arm. Slowing bringing Sage's wrist closer to her face. "We shouldn't waste a drop." In a flash, the beautiful woman extended her tongue and licked Sage's wrist. Sage recoiled in disgust.

"Hmm," the woman murmured appreciatively. "Sweet." She smiled and Sage shivered in fear. "The war god has good taste."

"You know Ares?" Sage tried to make her voice firm. "He'll kill you if you hurt me."

The woman continued to smile. But she let go of Sage's arm.

"He is a protective one. The foolish war god. It's what got him exiled from Olympus. He needed to protect her." The woman's pupils narrowed into slits. Terror gripped Sage. She didn't know what this creature was. But she felt she on the verge of being its next meal. Sage screamed.

Ares materialised into the locker room. He scanned the area, looking for danger. But Sage was alone. Trembling by her locker.

"Sage, what happened?"

"A woman was here. But she wasn't human. She knew you. She licked me." Sage's face scrunched in disgust. "She knew you, Ares."

Ares frowned.

"No god was in here. I'd have felt their presence."

"She was beautiful with glowing eyes."

The blood drained from Ares' face.

"Lamia..."

"Lamia? Who is she?" Sage hadn't come across the name in her research on Ares. Ares looked furious.

"She's a demon." Ares kissed Sage's head and his eyes were wild. "She might have hurt you."

"Can you not feel the presence of demons?"

He shook his head.

"Her essence is too different to mine. Gods and demons get their powers from different energies."

Sage's eyes widened in alarm.

"Does that mean she can come back?"

Ares pulled Sage into an embrace.

"I won't let anything hurt you."

Sage's heart pounded in her chest. This was the first time Ares had held her in his arms since her attempt to kill him. She reached out and held hesitantly onto his shirt. Insecure thoughts batted around her head though.

"If she had killed me, wouldn't that be a good thing? You'd be free."

Ares stared down at Sage, appalled.

"No, it wouldn't."

"But the love arrow would stop."

Ares crushed Sage against him. She didn't understand his feelings at all.

"Please," he murmured, burying his face in her hair. "Don't talk about dying anymore." Just the idea terrified him.

The locker room door opened and Cesar burst in on them. He blinked, bemused.

"You should put a tie on the door next time."

Sage rolled her eyes.

"Just grab your stuff, idiot."

Ares excused himself, leaving Sage to gather her belongings. His parting look reassured her that he wouldn't be far. Once Ares was gone, Cesar whistled.

"You sure you two aren't dating?"

"It's complicated."

"Right." Cesar pulled on his jacket. "Rumour has it, you're also with Shoebill."

Sage's shoulders tensed.

"Don't call him that."

Cesar put his hands up in surrender.

"Look, it's not my business. You can do what you want, just... don't be that girl. It's not cool to cheat."

"I know." Sage hung her head and restlessly scratched her wrist. "It's complicated."