Free Shafted by Kymber Morgan

closed Callie brought the
ring closer and compared it with the matching pattern tooled into
the cover, and her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “Teran,
my mother married three times.” Her hand started to shake and she
lifted saucer round eyes to his. “All of her husbands died within a
year of their wedding. She’s never had a first anniversary.”
    So focused on Callie, Anteros never saw the
flutter of movement from the corner or heard the telltale twang
signaling release. By the time the flash of silver streaked through
the air, it was too late and before he could pull her out of the
way, it struck and vanished in an array of sparkles without a
sound.
    Callie’s face broke into an angelic smile.
The sheer beauty of her looking at him with complete devotion in
her eyes as they fluttered shut and she slumped forward into his
arms, was both a dream and nightmare in one.
    “Noooo!”
    Cradling her head in one hand, Anteros heart
lodged in his throat, as he laid her gently down on the sofa and
his vision clouded as anger welled up. He brushed the back of his
fingers on her cheek then exploded into motion, flying across the
room.
    A vague shape was dissipating fast,
dissolving into mist before his eyes, but not before Anteros made
out the face within. “Eros! You bastard!
    Summoning whatever abilities were still at
his command Anteros funneled a jolt of power down his arm and
thrust his hand directly into the vaporous cloud. “Why?” Clenching
his fist exactly where his brother’s throat would be if he were in
corporal form, he slammed the blast of power home. “Get back here,
damn you!”
    Matter intermittently filled his hand,
finally turning solid and Anteros snarled into the perfect mirror
of his own visage. “It wasn’t enough to destroy me? You had to do
this too! She is innocent! Why?”
    “Achk.” Eros’s face turned a satisfying shade
of purple, and his hands clamped around Anteros wrist tight enough
to strain the archer’s bracer on his left forearm. “Arhkgk.” Eros’s
knee lifted the substantial weight of his biker boot straight up.
Anteros shifted at the last second or would’ve been listening to
all nine levels of Hell’s bells for the second time in one
week.
    As he twisted out of reach, Anteros loosened
his grip on Eros throat and his brother was quick to react. He
fisted his hands and slamming his forearms down and broke Anteros’s
hold. Then kicked out and the overly thick sole of that same boot
connected, sending Anteros skidding into the table by the far
window.
    “Tero, you dumb shit, chill!” Eros voice
sounded like a buzz saw instead of his normal smooth baritone,
giving Anteros a small measure of satisfaction. But before he could
untangle his long arms and legs from the chair he toppled, his
brother recovered and made himself heard quite clearly. “This is
the only way we can save you, you pigheaded Gorgon’s ass!”
    “Me?” Anteros lay on the floor looking up at
his brother in shock. Was he kidding? “Save me!” Finally shucking
off the chair, he shot to his feet and growled. “How do you figure
that genius? That wasn’t a brass cocktail pick you shot me with.
And you aren’t the only one who read the book on how to screw with
another god, Brother-mine.” Anteros launched himself at Eros who
was busy rubbing his abused throat. “And you got it right didn’t
you? Dropping me on earth, you knew damn well I’d imprint on a
mortal you bastard!”
    Mid-swing, Eros hand shot out and his bow
appeared. Sweeping the bottom up into his other hand to block his
brother’s fist, he pushed forward, altering the swing’s momentum
and slammed Anteros up against the wall. They were equal in size
but with Eros in possession of his bow commanding all his powers,
it was no contest.
    “Stop squirming you idiot, and listen.” Eros
sent his own warning bolt through the bow gaining his brother’s
attention. “Tero, shut up before you say something you’ll feel even
more