Read Online Naked Disclosure by Michele Bardsley - Free Book Online

Prologue
     
    THE SILVER NET sparkled and then went liquid, covering the goddess of wrath in mere seconds. As soon as Nemesis was fully enrobed, the net returned to its original state—a thin chain mail that was both beautiful and unbreakable.
    Nemesis fought against the net, punching and kicking to no avail. No being, mortal or immortal, could escape the magicked metal created by Hephaestus himself.
    “What the fuck!” she screamed.
    Aphrodite appeared next to the imprisoned immortal. “Oh, I wouldn’t cuss if I were you,” she said sweetly. “I hear the goddess of wrath is a real bitch.”
    “Let me out,” screamed Nemesis. “Now!”
    “Oh, I’ll let you out. In a hundred years or so.” Aphrodite pointed a well-manicured finger at Nemesis. “Unless … you want to tell me where the apple is?”
    “I buried it,” Nemesis said, her voice thick with malice. “This little piece of Oregon will soon have a few love problems.”
    “You cursed all of Broken Arrow?” Aphrodite leaned close to Nemesis’s face. “Why would punish an entire town?”
    “Why not?” Nemesis’s eyes held bitterness so dark and deep no compassion would ever reach it. “Everywhere I look I see injustice and pain and immorality, especially in the hearts of humans. Why do they deserve true love?”
    “Everyone deserves true love,” said Aphrodite softly. “Are you not also the goddess of justice? Where is your mercy?”
    “I have none.”
    “Tell me where you buried the apple.” Aphrodite leaned close, cupping Nemesis’s heart-shaped face. The silver netting formed a mask around Nemesis’s porcelain skin. Then goddess of love offered the goddess of wrath the kindness she denied the humans she judged too easily. “I will free you, sister.”
    “Free me?” Nemesis choked out a laugh. “Sure, you will. And zap me right into the presence of Zeus, I’m sure. It’s so like you to tattle on me. Daddy always takes your side.”
    “Oh, he does not,” snapped Aphrodite. “You really do need a time-out.” She straightened. “One last chance, Nem. The apple’s location for your freedom.”
    Nemesis stared at Aphrodite, saying nothing. Her pouty lips quivered into a malicious smile. “Never.”
    “Fine! Enjoy your new residence, sister dear. I hear Tartarus is hotter than Hades this time of century.”
    “Aphrodite!”
    The goddess of love shook her head at both the plea and threat in her sister’s tone. Nemesis was a lost cause. She was far too mired in own miseries to find the lenity she once held for humans.
    Aphrodite snapped her fingers, and Nemesis disappeared. 
     
    LATER, APHRODITE AND Daphne took a stroll in downtown Broken Arrow. They stopped on the sidewalk in front of the Manzana Café.
    “We need to find the apple,” Aphrodite said. “Before its curse overcomes the entire town.”
    “How do we do that?”
    Aphrodite shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ll have to call in a few favors, I suppose. Until we find the damned apple, we’ll have to stick around.”
    “Really?” asked Daphne. The nymph looked around. “It’s not exactly a hopping locale.”
    “We’ll manage.” She put her hand on her friend and executive assistant’s shoulder. “Until we locate the apple and nullify its effects, we’ll have to fix broken hearts and mend relationships here. A romantic triage, if you will.”
    “Gotta go old school, huh? We’ll need the whole crew. Eros, Psyche, the Graces,” said Daphne. “I’ll start looking for office space.”
    Aphrodite spread out her arms. “Welcome to Broken Arrow, Oregon. Our new home.”

Chapter 1
     
    New Year’s Eve
    DAPHNE AND APHRODITE (yes, that Aphrodite) were crouched behind a large cluster of mahonia aquifolium, otherwise known as the Oregon grape. Despite its name, the bush didn’t actually have grapes, but tart, dark berries. Its leaves were like those of a holly bush—waxy, pointy, and currently poking Daphne in the face. It didn’t help that it had snowed last