THIRTY-SEVEN
Lightning just like at the cabin suddenly danced along the ground in front of them and Nic slammed on the brakes, not sure if he should continue with such electricity there. It didn’t hit Frankie, but it was close.
“Be careful not to touch the metal if we get hit,” he warned.
“Our seats are literally metal,” Jo growled, annoyed. “There’s no way not to touch any metal.”
Jo stared at the track in front of them, at the form taking shape, at the lightning that scattered around the form as if it came from it. It took long seconds to manifest, but once the ball of lightning stabilized, Jo leaned forward to get a better look at the person strolling from within.
It was a man. He was dressed in a smart white suit, his height apparent even from this distance. He had long gray hair tied back at his nap and a matching beard. In any other world, Jo would understand this is what most women considered a silver fox but the malice dripping from him counteracted his attractiveness. He was sexy, sure, but he also felt like a full-on asshole, and Jo wasn’t about that life.
“Who the fuck is that?” Nic asked softly, staring at the newcomer.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Jo shook her head. “I never studied gods.”
“Zeus, you imbeciles,” the man announced with a scowl. “You earthlings have forgotten who allows you to live. It’s about time we taught the collective whole a lesson.”
“We?” Jo asked, narrowing her eyes. “He’s not doing it alone then.”
“Should we ask him what he wants?” Nic said.
Jo stared at him. “You want me to ask Zeus, the lightning god, what he wants?”
“Well. . .why not?” He shrugged. “Might save us some time.”
Blinking, Jo looked back out at the clearly disgruntled god in front of them. “Okay, then.” She stood from her seat and hung out the window, the god’s eyes following her movements. “Hey! Lightning Dick! What’d’ya want?”
Nic snorted from inside the car, trying to hold back his laughter.
Zeus’ eyes narrowed. “You’re either foolish or brave, wolfling. It matters not. You will not survive this race.”
“And why is that?” Jo asked. “Are you going to keep merry-go-rounding with your words?”
Zeus seemed flabbergasted at Jo’s address of him. He stared at her, his lightning settling around him for a moment as he seemed at a loss for words at her lack of fear. “Well, I—”
“Luna, you love talking as much as Theo I see. Get on with it. What’s your problem, Lightning Dick?”
Zeus snarled at the mention of Theo, his teeth bared in threat. “There is a hierarchy that must be followed—”
“Says who?” Jo asked.
“Says me,” he spat. “And your refusal to follow it is the reason you’ll meet your end here.” Lightning exploded out of him, far faster than Jo expected. She tried to duck inside. Hell, Nic tried to pull her inside, but it wasn’t fast enough. The lightning arced through the air toward her, headed right for her heart.
“Jo!” Nic shouted, moving in the car in an attempt to pull her in.
Jo watched the arc move closer, watched it all in slow motion, and understood she wouldn’t survive such a hit. Still, she didn’t flinch away from death. If this were to be her end, then so be it. Her only regret would be not spending more time with Nic when she had the chance.
The lightning moved closer, Zeus’ eyes lit up with malicious glee, but before the lightning could touch her, a light flared brightly from her chest.
Jo looked down in confusion as the lightning split around her, avoiding whatever the light was, as if it were afraid or repelled away. She unzipped her jumpsuit and stared at the mark now settled between her breasts, at the light spilling from the shape of a crescent moon.
The beautiful giant white wolf appeared from the woods a moment later, her light chasing away the darkness and the lightning. Crystalline eyes met Jo’s, acknowledged her, and then turned to Zeus.
“Stay out of this!” Zeus spit, turning his lightning to the wolf it couldn’t touch.
Nic dragged her inside of the car and they both stared at the wolf as it faced off against Zeus.
“Is that. . .” Nic whispered, his face slack.
Jo nodded. The wolf hadn’t spoken, but the mark on her chest was loud and clear.
Luna. The goddess Luna.
The lightning slammed against Frankie so suddenly, they both clutched at each other as the computer system freaked and went haywire, blinking rapidly before burning out.
“Fuck!” Nic growled, turning the key. Nothing happened. “Fuck! Frankie’s battery’s dead. The electrical is probably fried.”
Jo looked at the lightning sparking around them, at the way the white wolf simply stood before their car. The wolf turned to look at them over her shoulder, all knowing eyes telling them to go, to keep moving.
“Nic, try it again.”
“Jo, the battery is—”
“Try it again,” Jo repeated, more forcefully.
Nic turned the key. Frankie cranked and cranked, and as Jo’s chest began to glow brighter, the car started with a roar.
Nic stared in surprise. “This shouldn’t be working—”
“Now, follow the wolf,” Jo ordered.
Nic dropped Frankie into first gear and moved forward, the wolf taking step after step, forcing Zeus back with each, leading the way toward the finish line. Zeus, for whatever reason, couldn’t hurt Luna, couldn’t fight her. His lightning danced away harmlessly into the trees.
After two miles of it, Zeus growled in frustration and disappeared, off to wherever it was he stayed.
The wolf was still there, her bright eyes turning toward them.
“Thank you,” Jo said, bowing her head. Nic did the same.
“Raise those chins, children,” the wolf spoke, but the voice echoed in their minds. “You are wolves, wild and free. You bow to no one but yourselves.”
Jo lifted her chin, her eyes bright. “Why help us?” she asked. “Why interrupt Zeus’ plans?”
“The deities have interfered for too long,” she replied. “And you two, Johanna and Nicholas, are fated, a mated pair, destined to live and change the world.” Nic clutched at his chest and unzipped his jumpsuit, revealing the matching crescent moon there. A blessing. They’d both been blessed by Luna herself.
The wolf pointed her nose in the direction of the finish line. “Now go. Your victory awaits you.”
Luna, the sparkling giant wolf, turned and walked off into the trees, her glow disappearing just as quickly as she came.
In silence, Nic eased forward, following the track despite nothing in the car working except for the engine itself. No other things attacked them. No shadow men appeared. No poltergeists came after Frankie. No trees moved.
Zeus didn’t reappear.
The finish line appeared, Frankie’s engine barely running as it began to chug, the car worse for wear, but it was there. The gauges were all dead, so there was no way to know what was going on, but Jo knew the engine shouldn’t be running at all, not after Zeus’ lightning struck it.
A thousand feet. Eight hundred feet. Five hundred feet.
Jo reached over and took Nic’s hand.
With a great push, Frankie’s last dregs of power gifted by Luna dying, the car wheezed over the finish line, just enough to win, and died. Smoke began to rise up from the engine compartment, confirming what Jo already knew. Frankie was totaled. But none of that mattered. Nothing mattered.
Jo stared through the windshield at the stands of people.
The world around them burst into furious applause.