“What’s impossible?” Aries padded over to his wife, wiping his sweaty brow with a towel.

Sage’s lips pursed. “There are only twelve. It makes no sense.”

“Only twelve what?” He’d gotten used to his wife’s somewhat cryptic replies. Being a mystic, Sage saw the world differently than others.

“The twelve Warriors of the Zodiac are eternal and unchanging.”

“I hear a ‘but.’”

She raised her gaze to his, her eyes swirling with colors as her powers flooded her petite body. “But I see a thirteenth.”

His turn to frown and mutter, “Impossible.”

“Agreed, and yet I see it. A thirteenth warrior will soon rouse, and in its wake: destruction. Death.”

At that announcement, Aries stiffened. “Not while the twelve stand. Tell me what we must do to counter this interloper.”

Her voice took on a monotone as she stated, “Find what was lost and make it whole. True love’s kiss shall show the way. Join them under the nimbus of the eclipse.”

Aries drawled, “Is this your way of asking for a smooch? Because you know I don’t need a prophecy to give you one.”

Sage blinked before focussing on him. “This is not a joke. Something dangerous is coming. The threads of the future show it only being stopped by an object of power, long broken apart with its pieces lost. Those fragments must be found and reassembled during a solar eclipse.”

“Where does the kiss come in?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, but we’d better find out, or the world is doomed.”

“Where do we start looking for these missing parts?”

Sage bit her lower lip. “Let me see what my casting stew has to say.” She dropped in more ingredients and stirred, the fragrance changing with each addition. Yummy-smelling, but he knew better than to taste. Only an idiot would eat powerful magic.

With Sage busy, Aries nuked some pizza pockets for dinner. He didn’t bother making any for Sage, as she would only eat once she achieved—

“The first piece of the relic will be located by a woman.”

“You do know there’s a billion of that sex populating the earth?”

Sage cast him a dark look. “I wasn’t done. She is a scientist, currently doing some research in Antarctica. She’s about to make a discovery that will put her in danger.”

“I’ll gather the team and head out immediately.”

At his statement, Sage shook her head. “No. Only one can go. If you send any more, the mission will fail.”

“A single warrior?” Aries frowned as he thought over his options. Libra’s wife just had a baby, so that would be cruel. Leo was most likely on another bender. Capricorn had last been seen roaming the mountains of Tibet, finding himself. “I don’t have anything on my schedule.”

“Not you.” A flat reply from Sage. “It should be Scorpio.”

“He just finished a mission and is supposed to be on a break. We could send Cancer.”

“It must be Scorpio.”

“Can I ask why?”

“Because I said so.” A tart reply.

And that was that.

The mystic had spoken.

Chapter 1

The summons came while Scorpio sunbathed on a beach in Florida.

Your presence is requested immediately.

He uttered a groan, and the bikini-clad lady by his side murmured, “What’s wrong, handsome?”

“Work’s calling.”

“How do you know? Your phone didn’t ring.”

“The boss has his ways,” Scorpio’s cryptic reply as he rose from the sand and stretched.

“Will I see you again?” she asked.

“Not likely.” Scorpio wasn’t into the whole relationship thing. In his defense, the women he dated weren’t either. Fun, casual times. That was the way to live.

He padded to the hut he’d been renting and gathered his belongings, stuffing them into a bag before bowing his head and concentrating.

No place like home.

The tattoo on his back, a scorpion that spanned the entire width, heated.

In moments, he found himself on the first floor of the Tower of Babel. Not destroyed as historical texts claimed but hidden from human view after the attempt.

The massive structure used to house all the Zodiac Warriors. However, these days, some of them chose to maintain homes outside of it, wanting the freedom to enjoy what the modern world offered.

Not Aries. Given he’d married the prophetess, Sage, he remained, and the two embraced a life devoid of the chaos and constant surveillance now happening pretty much everywhere in the world. Other Zodiac Warriors stayed because they had a preference for solitude. Neither was why Scorpio maintained a suite of rooms in the tower. He liked people, liked partying. However, there were numerous reasons he had for continuing to call the Tower home: one being, he couldn’t decide on a new permanent place. Besides, it wasn’t as if he spent much time there. On his days off he tended to travel the world: the warmer the climate, the better.

As Scorpio climbed the stairs to Aries’ office—a thigh-burning two hundred steps out of the almost twelve thousand that it took to reach the peak of Babel Tower—he wondered what the de facto leader wanted. Scorpio had just returned from a mission, a rescue of migrant children who’d been smuggled over the border for foul reasons. The tykes he’d freed had been handed over to adults who didn’t have nefarious designs. As for those responsible… Currently feeding coyotes in the wild. Scorpio recycled whenever he could.

He arrived on the seventh floor breathing a little heavily. It had been a while since he’d trained by running up and down those steps. Might be time to recondition.

The windows that wound around the tower, along with the staircase, let in the bright sun and illuminated the circling corridor lined with potted plants. When he’d first been recruited, he tried to find out who kept them watered. No matter how much caffeine he pumped into his body, he always fell asleep. The plants weren’t the only thing that seemed to be magically cared for. The tower never stayed dirty. No matter how many muddy boots he tromped through his quarters, or how much pizza he dropped, when he either woke or returned after a trip, everything was once more pristine. It proved jarring at times because, in the real world, when he roamed among the humans, his messes didn’t vanish. Part of the reason why he kept his home in the tower. He liked having an invisible maid.

His boots barely made a sound as he strode to the wooden panel carved with the wheel of the Zodiac. Within that circle, the inscribed symbols for each of the warriors. Twelve marks, for twelve constellations, for twelve flesh-based avatars. Scorpio’s emblem glowed as he placed his hand on the portal.

Click. The door opened, and Scorpio entered to find Aries standing behind his desk, looking out the window.

“Hey bossman, what’s up? Thought I was supposed to be on a two-week break before the next mission.” He flopped into a chair across from the desk.

Aries glanced at him over his shoulder. “Change of plans. Sage had a vision.”

Scorpio stiffened. All the Zodiac Warriors listened when Sage spoke. “What did she see?”

“Something wicked is coming, and to stop it, we have to locate some artifacts.”

“Wouldn’t it be simpler to fight it?” Scorpio usually had one simple solution to most things: Kill it. That tended to end most problems.

“Apparently, we can’t. Sage insists we find these relics, and lucky you, you’re first up.”

“Fair enough. What am I looking for?”

“I don’t know. Sage couldn’t see the actual items in question, although she did have a location for the first one. Congrats, you’re going to Antarctica.”

“Where it’s like a billion degrees below zero?” Scorpio huffed. “You know I hate the cold.” Yes, he complained. Why couldn’t his task be somewhere hot and sticky?

“One, where you’re going, it’s only minus twenty or so degrees Fahrenheit. Two, the cold can’t hurt you.” One of the quirks of being a Zodiac Warrior. “And three, you are going because Sage said it had to be you. Trust me, you weren’t my first choice because I knew you’d whine.”

“I’m just busting your balls. ’Course, I’ll go. However, if Sage doesn’t even know what I’m looking for, how the fuck am I going to find it?”

“It’s a mystic quest. It will reveal itself. And you won’t be completely without aid. You’re to locate a doctor… Hold, let me find the name.” Aries checked the notes on his computer screen. “Dr. Guthrie, who is already there studying the glaciers.”

“They have scientists analyzing giant ice cubes? Sounds absolutely scintillating.” Not. “I assume I’m not supposed to kill this doctor.”

“No.” A flat statement accompanied by a stern look.

“What about roughing them up if they don’t cooperate?”

Aries sighed. “You know, you don’t always have to use your fists—or knives—to solve problems.”

“You’re right. Guns are much more efficient, as they can be used from a distance.” Yes, Scorpio antagonized on purpose. The leader of their faction took his role very seriously.

“No hurting anyone unless your life is in peril,” snapped Aries.

“Aye, aye, bossman. So, how am I getting there? Do we have a portal I don’t know about in Antarctica?” Because, while Scorpio had been around the world using the doorways that linked their home base to various locations, he’d never heard of one at the South Pole. North, yes. It was shared with Claus. Yes, that Claus.

“No portal. You’ll have to starbeam in.”

Scorpio groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me. That is like the most annoying way to travel.” Starbeam involved triangulating their constellation to act as a conduit that would basically disassemble a warrior and reshape them at their desired location. Uncomfortable at best, but at its worst, if they miscalculated even slightly, they’d been known to reappear with nothing. In other words, in the buff. Hard to intimidate with your dick and balls swinging around.

“I am not wasting the time or resources renting a plane to drop you. And you know, starbeaming wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t rush the calculations.”

Scorpio’s lips pinched. “I hate math.” He’d hated it when young and the teacher would show them five apples then take two away and ask them to count the remainder. She never liked his answer, which was five, because there were still five apples, just not in the same pile. Then when he ate the two and finally gave the response she wanted of three, she’d put him in time out.

“And I hate peas,” Aries replied.

“What’s little balls of green deliciousness have to do with math?” he exclaimed.

“Nothing. It’s as pointless as you arguing. Now, if you’re done, here’s the coordinates of the doctor’s camp.”

Aries handed over a printout that kindly included his constellation’s positioning for the next forty-eight hours, as well as that of a meteor travelling in the area that would require making some adjustments—AKA, more fucking math.

“Guess I’ll finally get to wrestle polar bears,” Scorpio stated as he stood to take his leave.

“The bears live in the north. South Pole is penguins and seals.”

“Bummer. Can’t exactly wrestle a cute penguin. Think a seal will provide a challenge?”

Aries once more sighed. “Don’t fuck up.”

“Who, me?”

“And don’t kill anything!”

“No promises,” Scorpio sang as he walked out the door.

He spent a few hours getting his shit together. Had a nap. Packed a knapsack—with weapons. Another with food. Played a few rounds of COD—and got destroyed by some kids who called him old. Then struggled with the calculations for his starbeam. By the time he finished, his brain hurt, but in good news, he was ready to go.

He went outside the tower with his gear but kept the knapsack in his lap as he plopped to the ground, cross-legged. Scorpio drew symbols in the courtyard sandbox, like, literally a sandbox. A square ringed in stones and filled with sand—not the earthly variety, but that created by grinding meteors. It provided a perfect base for the squiggles he dug with a finger, the ones at his back being the most annoying to complete. Why starbeaming couldn’t be as simple as concentrating, he never understood. After all, his tattoo gave him a direct link to home. Why couldn’t the person who created the warriors have devised a similar method for travelling elsewhere? Yes, they had portals, twelve of them scattered around the world in major areas, but in a hurry, it would have been useful to choose their exact destination.

Once done with his drawing, Scorpio placed his hands on his knees, closed his eyes, and then, because it amused him, muttered, “By the power of the Zodiac, let’s go!”

Uh-oh. The realization he’d miscalculated hit the moment his body began disincorporating, but by then, it was too late. He shot to his constellation of stars, faster than noise and light, and then, from there, ricocheted back to Earth.

In good news, he made it to Antarctica.

The bad? He arrived wearing nothing but a grimace.

Chapter 2

“Just my freaking luck,” Rebecca muttered as she stared at the leopard seal she’d startled as she rounded the glacier she was studying. The massive bull quivered as it watched her. She backed away slowly, hands out in front of her as if that would keep it calm.

It barked and lifted itself, bristling with aggression.

“Nice seal. I’m not a hunter. You just keep sunning yourself. I’ll come back for samples later.”

Much like her singing, her voice failed to have a soothing effect.

The seal uttered a sound and slid a flipper forward.

To think she’d scoffed at the need for a tranquilizer gun. Antarctica wasn’t known for its predators. Curious penguins, yes. Seals, also, most of which ignored humans. But the leopard seals… they liked meat, and yes, that included humans. While attacks were rare, they did happen. Just ask that poor scientist killed by one in the early 2000s.

Rebecca fumbled at her utility belt and pulled forth a whistle. Sharp sounds startled most wild animals. She put it to her lips and blew.

Skree!

A piercing shriek filled the air, but rather than scare the seal, the beast began humping in her direction.

Oh, hell no. She turned and started to run. In her thick and heavy boots on uneven snow and ice, it went as well as expected.

Thump. She hit the ground and only narrowly missed smashing her face. Huffing hotly, she flipped to her back, scuttling from the seal charging in her direction, death in its gaze.

Would this be how her life ended? A blurb on the internet—Female Scientist Dies After Being Mauled by Seal in Antarctica. She could just imagine the comments.

Should have sent a man.

Why didn’t she shoot it?

Wouldn’t have happened if she stayed in the kitchen where she belonged.

At least she’d die doing what she loved.

Accepting this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study in Antarctica had been the culmination of a dream. From a young age, as a child raised in the arid and hot state of Arizona, she’d always been fascinated by snow and ice. It led to her acquiring a few degrees, including one as a glaciologist, something that had people always saying ‘Hunh?’ after asking her what she’d studied.

They didn’t understand her fascination with glaciers. How slicing into one could uncover all kinds of secrets. The way the ice layers showed past climate events. The warming and cooling of the planet over the ages. How they could help predict patterns for the future. Sometimes, a lucky glaciologist would even come across something perfectly preserved in the ice. A flash-freezing of an extinct species.

The seal hadn’t slowed its approach, and she couldn’t help but stare when…

A streak of light plummeted from the sky, bright enough she closed her eyes. When no boom accompanied the bolt, she peeked to see if she got lucky and the lightning hit the seal.

It hadn’t, but the light had stopped the seal dead in its flippers, mostly because a naked man stood between her and the startled bull.

The seal barked.

The man, who possessed a very muscly back covered in a massive tattoo, barked right back.

Rebecca blinked. Had she already been killed? A glance at her intact clothing and the still-white snow around her seemed to indicate nothing had touched her.

Not dead—not yet—but the man might not fare so well.

The seal lunged at the stranger, and to her shock, rather than dodge, the stranger grabbed it in a headlock and laughed. “You’ll have to do better than that, fat ass.” The man then lifted and flung the huge seal.

It landed with a grunting noise and uttered a short-pitched whine.

“Don’t you bitch at me. You started this.” The man shook a finger, chiding.

The seal yipped some more.

“Yeah, yeah, I ruined your fun. Too fucking bad. Maybe you should pick on someone your own size.”

The seal raised itself to its full height and embarked on a frenzied barkfest.

Once more, the fearless man mimicked it.

To her shock, the seal chuffed and then turned around, humping its way back to the water. She’d lived. Maybe. She most certainly hit her head, though.

Rebecca muttered, “What the heck just happened?”

“I saved your butt,” the stranger stated as he turned with a smile. His front proved as impressive as the back, muscle upon muscle and a cock that didn’t appear to mind the cold.

“Who are you? How did you get here? And where are your clothes?”

The stranger glanced at himself and sighed. “Fuck me. Not again. Next time I gotta remember not to wear my favorite jeans when starbeaming.”

Nothing he said made sense. “Hello, still looking for an answer.”

“Guess there’s no point in giving you a bullshit story, seeing as how you saw my starlit arrival. I am Scorpio.” He struck a pose. “Zodiac Warrior, protector of the world, here on an important mission.”

“Is there a hidden camera somewhere? Is this a joke?” Rebecca glanced around, waiting for the punchline.

“I know you’re overwhelmed by my presence. It happens. After all, we don’t appear to just anyone, and I didn’t actually plan to be seen by you. However, I might have made a slight mathematical miscalculation, which turned out to be good for you. I do believe that seal was going to eat your face, which is surprising. I thought they only scarfed down fish.”

“Are you an alien?” Because strangely enough, it made the most sense.

“Nope, although I have a close affinity to the stars. Those ones to be exact.” He pointed to the blue sky, where not a single astral body could be seen.

“Are you human?”

“Yes, but one that has been enhanced.”

She had to be dreaming, and yet everything felt so real. The cold. The bright sun making her squint. The details of his body that she would have never imagined. After all, the usual men featuring in her fantasies weren’t body-building, platinum-haired man-beasts. “Why are you here?”

“I’m looking for Doctor Guthrie.”

At hearing her name, she cocked her head. “Why?”

“He’s supposed to help me find something. Do you know where he is? I’m assuming he’s camped nearby, unless I really fucked up my landing zone.”

“She,” Rebecca emphasized, “Is right in front of you, and the only thing I’m helping you find is a pair of pants.”

“You’re Doctor Guthrie?” He ogled her.

“Yes.”

“You’re not a dude.”

“You don’t say,” her dry reply.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Scorpio.” He offered a dazzling smile.

“You already introduced yourself.”

“That’s right, I did. So now that we’ve been introduced, care to tell me where it is?”

“Where what is?”

“I don’t know. Some kind of special object. The details aren’t clear. I assumed you’d know what I meant. The bossman said Sage was very specific about you helping me.”

“Listen, crazy naked dude from the stars, I don’t know what you are, why you’re really here, or what you want from me, but I think I’ve had enough weirdness for one day. So I’m going back to my shelter and having a cup of coffee, which will be fifty percent or more whiskey, then to bed, where I will later wake up and decide I hallucinated on account I smacked my head.”

“Not a hallucination, that is assuming you’ve not imbibed any shrooms. Even then, this is happening, Doc. Now lead me to your camp, because a whiskey coffee sounds great. Although you can skip the coffee in mine.”

“Who says you’re invited?” she retorted.

“You’re a scientist. Don’t tell me you’re not curious about the naked man who appeared from the sky.”

“I would be if this were real.”

“I’ll show you real.” He stalked for her, and she got to notice just how tall he was. Fluid, too, his body moving limber and confident. His smile just enough to stutter her heart.

When he stopped in front of her, she had to crane to see him. Heat radiated from his nude flesh. “How are you so hot?” she muttered.

“Baby, I was born this way,” he murmured before dragging her upward and planting a kiss on her lips!