A/N: Spoilers for Nebula and Invictus of the Tempest series! But for those of you that are caught up, enjoy this sneak preview of book four of the Tempest series, Aurora, coming out on March 24th!
Rain slipped down Reese's face as he stalked down the dark San Diego streets, a panther in the night. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the sky above, and every now and then, lightning would shoot through the clouds, illuminating the rivulets of water down the son of Apollo's cheeks. He was soaked to the bone, his leather jacket rendered useless in a torrent like this, but Reese was too lost to care. He was trapped inside his mind, his only concentration thrumming through his veins like magma about to burst.
Something was wrong with him. Something was so terribly wrong and had been for the past few months. It was like something possessed him sporadically, freezing his morals and his values until he became a monster, a golden-haired beast with eyes like the hearts of the hottest flame. He was afraid of what he could do. He was afraid to hurt his friends or Imogen. But he didn't know how to stop it.
Reese had felt the bloodlust take him over, so he fled from his and Imogen's lavish apartment. With luck, he'd walk off his anger and his inexplicable wrath and then go home, where he'd fall asleep with Imogen in his arms until the morning called. That was the plan, but that was not what the Fates had in mind.
The vertigo crippled Reese when it struck him. He clenched his fists, biting down as hard as he could through the pain. Power shot through him like a bolt of lightning, and given how hot his skin felt, he wondered if that was the case after all. He grimaced, hitting a wall with his fist. Thunder rumbled like the echoes of his attack, and when Reese drew his hand back, a crack rested in the wall.
Images flashed through his mind as Reese shook his bloodied knuckles. He saw the River Styx before him as he'd submerged, the arrow that had hit his Achilles Heel that had almost killed him. He saw New Rome in shambles, an army of onyx, and worst of all, his own body bleeding out by his own hand.
Reese staggered, suddenly back in that memory from three years ago. It was his ticket to safety in the alternate universe, killing his doppelganger. But something shifted inside of him then. Something had left him and something darker took its place.
Reese fell to the curb, staring down at his reflection in the dip of the street where rainwater began to collect. Through the silver pool, he saw himself: blond hair matted by the rain, gray hood, leather jacket, blue eyes. But with another wave of that crippling wrath, his irises became orbs of lightning.
The son of Apollo fell back onto his hands at the sight. He forced the feeling away, forced the bloodlust down and down and down. He wouldn't hurt someone again. He wouldn't wake up after an episode in an alley, he wouldn't find blood on his hands. He wasn't a killer, he was Reese, Reese Hale—
A vibration in his coat pocket brought him back to the present. Through his panic, Reese scrambled for his phone. A photograph of Tessa in the joke gift of a shark onesie Reese had given her illuminated the screen. Reese felt relieved, answering the call and holding the phone up to his ear as he ducked for cover from the rain.
"Tessa," Reese exhaled. "Thank the gods."
"Hey, sorry that I missed your call. What's up?" Tessa spoke. Her voice was distant, on the opposite end of the state.
Reese took another shaky breath, unsure of what to say. "It's hard to explain."
"Is everything all right? Did something happen?" Tessa asked, urgency lacing her voice. Reese heard a muffled voice in the background—most likely Kaden, since the two were now officially living together back in San Francisco.
Reese dragged a hand through his wet hair. Another arc of lightning lit up the sky, making Reese think if Zeus and the other Olympians were watching him right now, wondering what move he'd make next.
"I-I need your help. Something's wrong with me and I'm not sure what. I need to see you guys." Reese spoke, resting his head back against the brick wall.
"Of course," Tessa agreed. "Should we come to you and Imogen?"
Reese shook his head, despite being on the phone. "No, no, we'll come to you. This'll be an extended stay."
"But, Reese, what's going on?" Tessa asked, and even through the phone, Reese could hear her worry. She was one of his best friends, of course she'd be able to detect the strain on his words.
Reese lifted his free hand, knuckles scabbing over from punching the wall. His fingers were trembling, but from fear or from power he couldn't tell.
"I'm becoming a monster."
