Fantasy Lover

Julian sca

"What are you, crazy?" the tallest one asked as he raked a disbelieving stare over Julian. "He don't look like much to me."

Eros wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and gave a half-grin as he saw the blood on his thumb. "Yeah, well, take my word for it. The man has fists like a sledge-hammer and the ability to move a hell of a lot faster than you can dodge."

In spite of his dusty black leather pants and torn T-shirt, Eros was incredibly handsome, and lacked the worn-out look of his companions. His youthful face would have been very pretty if not for the dark brown goatee surrounded by a three-day growth of whiskers, and the military cut of his hair.

"Besides, it's just a little family squabble," Eros said with a strange glint in his eyes. He patted the biker on the arm and laughed. "My kid brother always did have a nasty temper on him."

Grace exchanged a stu

"Did I hear that?" she asked Selena. "Surely he can't be a brother of Julian's. Can he?"

"How would I know?"

Julian said something to Eros in ancient Greek. Selena's eyes bulged and the smile faded instantly from Eros's face.

"If you weren't my brother, I'd kill you for that."

Julian's gaze shot daggers. "If I didn't need you, you'd already be dead."

Instead of becoming angry, Eros laughed.

"Don't you dare laugh," the woman said angrily to Eros. "You better remember he's one of the few people capable of carrying out that threat."

Eros nodded, then turned to the other four bikers. "Go on," he said to his friends. "I'll catch up later."

"You sure?" the tall one asked, sliding a nervous look to Julian. "We can hang if you need us to."

"Nah, it's all right," Eros said with a dismissive wave. "Remember, I told you I had to meet someone here? My brother's just pissed at me, but he'll get over it."

Grace stepped back as the bikers walked past her. All of them except for the stu

Oblivious to her, Selena, and the woman, Eros walked a slow circle around Julian, looking him up and down.

"Keeping company with mortals?" Julian asked as he raked an equally cold sneer over Eros. "My, Cupid, has Tartarus frozen over while I was away?"

Eros disregarded his angry words. "Damn, boy," he said in disbelief, "you haven't changed a bit. I thought you were mortal."

"I was supposed to be, you…" Julian went off again into a cursing frenzy.

Eros's eyes flashed. "With a mouth like that, you ought to hang out with Ares. Sheesh, little brother, I didn't think you knew the meaning of all that."

Julian grabbed his brother by the shirt. But before he could do anything more to Eros, the woman threw her arm out and held up her hand.

Julian froze as still as a statue. By the look on his face, Grace could tell he wasn't pleased.

"Let go of me, Psyche," Julian growled.

Grace's jaw dropped.

Psyche? Could it be?

"Only if you promise not to hit him anymore," Psyche said. "I know the two of you haven't been on the best of terms, but respect the fact that I rather like his face as it is and I won't stand for you damaging it any further."

"Let… me… go," Julian said again, stressing each word.

"You better do it, Psych," Eros said. "He's being nice to you right now, but he can break your hold even more easily than I can, thanks to Mom. And if he does, you will get hurt."

Psyche lowered her hand.

Julian released his brother. "I don't find you amusing, Cupid. I don't find anything about this fu

"Hell, I don't know. Last I heard, he was living it up in southern France."

Grace's head buzzed from her newfound knowledge. She looked back and forth between Cupid and Psyche. Could it be? Could they really, truly, be Cupid and Psyche?

And could they really be related to Julian? Was such a thing possible?

Then again, she supposed it was as likely as two drunk women conjuring a Greek love-slave out of an ancient book.

She caught Selena's delighted, eager look.

"Who's Priapus?" Grace asked Selena.

"A phallic fertility god who was always portrayed as walking around with a hard-on," she whispered.

"Why does Julian need him?"

Selena shrugged. "Maybe he's the one who cursed him? But here's the fun fact. Priapus is Eros's brother, so if Julian is related to one, there's a darn good chance he's related to the other."

Cursed into an eternity of slavery by his own brother? The very thought made Grace ill.

"Summon him," Julian said darkly to Eros.

"You summon him. He's p.o'd at me."

"P.o.'d?"

Cupid responded in Greek.

Her mind overwhelmed by it all, Grace decided to interrupt them and get a few answers.

"Excuse me, but what is going on here?" she asked Julian. "Why did you hit him?"

Julian gave her a droll look. "Because it gave me a great deal of pleasure."

"Nice," Cupid said slowly to Julian, never once looking Grace's way. "You haven't seen me in what, two thousand years? So, instead of a friendly, brotherly hug, I get slugged."

Cupid smirked at Psyche. "And Mom wonders why I'm not closer to my siblings."

"I'm in no mood for your sarcasm, Cupid," Julian said between clenched teeth.

Cupid snorted. "Would you stop calling me that god-awful name? I never could stand it, and I can't believe you would use it, given how much you hated the Romans."

Julian smiled coldly. "I use it only because I know how much you despise it, Cupid."

Cupid clenched his teeth and Grace could tell he barely restrained himself from striking out at Julian. "Tell me, did you summon me just so you could beat the crap out of me? Or is there a more productive reason for why I'm here?"

"Honestly, I didn't think you'd bother coming since you ignored me the last three thousand times I called."

"That's because I knew you were going to beat me." Cupid pointed to his swollen cheek. "Which you did."

"Then, why did you bother coming now?" Julian asked.

"Honestly," he said, repeating Julian's words. "I assumed by now you'd be dead, and that it was some other mortal who just happened to sound like you."

Grace watched as all emotions left Julian. It was almost as if Cupid's hurtful words had killed something inside of him.

The words, also seemed to take some of the steam out of Cupid as well.

"Look," he said to Julian, "I know you blame me, but what happened to Penelope wasn't my fault. I had no way of knowing what Priapus was going to do when he found out."

Julian winced as if Cupid had slugged him. Raw, tormented agony glowed in his eyes and on the lines of his face. Grace had no idea who Penelope was, but it was obvious she had meant quite a bit to Julian.

"Didn't you?" Julian asked, his voice hoarse.

"I swear to you, little brother," Cupid said softly. He glanced to Psyche, then back at Julian. "I never meant for her to get hurt, and I never meant to betray you."

"Right," Julian sneered. "You expect me to believe that? I know you too well, Cupid. You delight in wreaking havoc on mortal lives."

"But he didn't do it to you, Julian," Psyche said, her tone pleading. "If you won't believe him, then believe me. No one ever intended that Penelope should die that way. Your mother still mourns their deaths."

Julian's glare hardened. "How can you even stand to speak of her? Aphrodite was so jealous of you that she tried first to marry you off to a hideous man, then kill you to keep you from marrying Cupid. For the Goddess of Love, she certainly has very little of it in her for anyone other than herself."