Page 52 of Surrendering Hope (The Hope Legacy)

Nathan huffs a laugh as he walks forward and lifts his hand as if he’s feeling the air current. “I have a theory,” he says. If there are any tourists nearby, we will be the next internet sensation with people popping in and out of existence and waving their hands in the air. The only good thing about today’s media is that in the wake of CGI, most people believe unbelievable things are fake. We’d no doubt be touted to be making the next fantasy movie.

“What’s your theory?” I ask.

Nathan drops his hand and steps back. “I think Hera warded against gods entering the temple.”

Zac drops his arms, which should have been my first warning. “Only one way to find out.” He grabs my hips and launches me in the air towards the ward. I shriek and prepare to be blasted back. This is going to hurt. My foot hits the floor and doing an excellent hedgehog impression, I tuck and roll before uncurling and standing. I spin around, ready to admonish Zac for risking my life.

Zee has him pinned to the floor, his hand wrapped around his neck. Duncan and Nathan look murderous. Zac meanwhile is laughing like crazy has come and bit his ass.

“Please don’t tell me the god of war has lost his shit. That’s one step too far into crazy town I’m not happy to follow.”

“Who’d have thought you have a crazy threshold?” Nathan says.

Another laugh rumbles out of Zac. He pats Zee on his arm, like the strangling warrior is a pesky child who needs to let go. Zee pushes up, leaning on his knee as he goes. Zac lets out a string of curses. Squashed genitals are his threshold, good to know.

Zac stands, his features sharp with pain. “Theory confirmed,” he says.

“You’re an asshole,” I state.

He shrugs.

“Which means you guys have to stay there,” I point to them as Duncan and Zee make their way towards me. I smirk at a pissed looking Zac, who scowls at Nathan.

Nathan tilts his head. “We need to fool it into thinking we are human, or at least not gods.”

“How?”

Nathan taps his chin with his forefinger, a spark of realization lighting up his face. He snaps his fingers and disappears. “That wasn’t dramatic at all,” I mumble. Nathan appears next to me wearing a smirk.

Zac steps forwards and pauses. He plants his hands on hips and tilts his head. “What did you do?”

We stare at Nathan who pulls a vial out of his trousers pocket and tosses it to Zac. Zac snatches it out of the air. “You suppressed our aura and power?”

Nathan nods. “It shouldn’t last too long, an hour at most.”

“Then what happens? You get thrown outside of the temple?”

He shakes his head as Zac uncorks the vial and swallows the clear liquid. “Once we are over the ward boundary, we should be fine.”

Still, Zac is about to come in here with no power. This was going to be fun. Zac shivers, and takes a tentative step forward, then another. His shoulders relax as he approaches us. “Heads up!” I shout, launching a fire ball his way.

He shifts his abdomen to the side, the burning sphere missing his t-shirt by millimeters. He glowers at me. “What the hell was that about?”

I shrug and turn my back on him to face the temple. I’m sure he’ll make me pay for this later. “Testing your reflexes.”

Nathan chuckles, keeping pace next to me. “We’re still strong, fast, and almost indestructible. We just don’t have any of our particular god powers unique to us.”

I cock an eyebrow at him. “And what would Zac’s power be?”

He grins. “Ah, trade secrets, Natia. Can’t go giving everything away. Where would be the fun in that?”

I roll my eyes. “I don’t like surprises. I prefer to have all the information.”

Zac catches up to us and strides in front, he grins at me over the shoulder. “Poor Natia. The only one to not know who she is and where she fits in the world.”

That hit a little close to home. A wicked grin tilts my lips. “Zacy, I fit quite well in Archan’s world.”

“Or on his cock,” Zee pipes up.

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