Leandros’ head snapped up as the metallic smell invaded his senses like a sweet, deceptive poison. STX. No doubt about it. Any demigod could smell it a mile away. The person carrying it was much closer. He tossed the bag of fruits into the rented Mercedes and followed the trail of scent.

As a senior crimes agent in the international division of deities, trafficking of STX fell under his jurisdiction. He and his team had cracked down on this problem over the years and had succeeded in removing a large quantity of STX from the black market. No person, human or immortal, had the right to possess this potion. An elusive group of demigods had taken enough water from the sacred well of Styx to create the chemically altered potion. It was a sacrilegious act, made worse by the fact they were selling it to humans.

The River Styx was as old as mankind. The doctrine of the ancient gods stated that the river was the only passage from life to death. The river itself was virtually ethereal, its only tangible source the well located in a deep cave in Mount Olympus, now guarded day and night by law enforcement officers. Despite its reputation among humans as the river of death, it provided a gentle passage to the other world. Those who came to the well with faith experienced healing miracles. Leandros had witnessed this. Otherwise, the water of Styx belonged to no one.

If the offender was one of his own kind, Leandros would strip him of his immortality and leave him begging for mercy. If he was human, he’d spend the next three years in prison. As his senses honed in on the young woman crossing the square, a knot clenched his insides, giving his stride pause. Both sexes craved STX, but for some unexpected reason, he was gravely disappointed that his target was a healthy-looking young woman.

He began walking again, growing angrier by the second. His eyes took in her shapely curves under the white dress, the lovely, toned legs and the silky bounce of her golden hair. His instinct told him the front of her looked even better. A woman like that could have just about anything she wanted if she played her cards right. Why would she risk ruining her life?

He caught up with her moments after she entered the lobby of a hotel. Her low heels clicked against the marble floor, drawing his eyes to her legs again. Leandros’ blood rushed hot and primal in his veins before pooling in his groin. Damn the woman. The closer he got, the less interested he was in arresting her, assaulted by visions of sexual acts that would even make some goddesses blush.