her.
Steel's eyes widened. In fear, in regret, then fixed on hers in resolve. 'I'm sorry. Mother.'
Scarlet screamed, the force shaking the temple, shattering her own eardrums. 'No! No!'
'Yes.' With no hesitation, Zeus raised the blade and struck.
GIDEON AWOKE with a roar and bolted upright. Tears were streaming down his cheeks in streams of acid. With a shaky hand, he reached up and wiped them away. Dear gods. He'd just seen Zeus slit his son's throat. He'd felt Scarlet's pain and helplessness. Her desperation.
That's how it had happened, he knew it was. Scarlet had shown him. He'd sensed her in the dream. Her sweet scent, the intensity of her emotions. She truly would have done anything to save that boy. Anything. That's how much she'd loved him. And she'd had to recover from his loss alone.
Gideon wouldn't have been able to do so. He was barely holding himself together now, and he still couldn't remember the boy. That beautiful boy. How strong Scarlet was. How resourceful. She was a survivor to the marrow of her bones.
His respect for her doubled. His desire for her tripled.
She deserved to be pampered. She deserved to be fought for as the prize she was. So pamper her he would. Fight for her he would. He couldn't make up for the past, but he could give her a better future.
Lock her away again? Never! He'd been a fucking idiot to think otherwise. Dangerous or not, she was his. He would kill anyone, even his friends, if they threatened her.
He'd have to find her, though. A difficult task, surely, considering she wouldn't want to see him. And—
His gaze had been circling the bedroom, ensuring no enemies lurked nearby, a habit ingrained from centuries of war. Now he stopped abruptly.
Scarlet. Here. Sleeping. Surreal.
She was cuddled up beside him, her legs straight, one hand flattened over her heart, the other draped over her forehead. That mass of silky black hair was splayed around her shoulders, gleaming like polished ebony. She was a feminine feast, made to love and be loved.
He reached out, realized his shaking had increased—damned truth-telling weakness—and caressed a fingertip down her nose before his muscles gave out and his arm flopped uselessly at his side. Need to touch her. Always.
For the moment, he would have to be satisfied with the knowledge that she was here. How? Why? Did it matter? She was here! They could talk, and he could begin that pampering. Foot massages every day, her enemies' heads delivered to her doorstep like the morning paper.
Come on, baby. Wake up. Through the windowed doors that led to a balcony, he could see that the sun was muted and falling, darkening. That pampering could begin sooner rather than later. Any moment now and Scarlet would—
Her eyelids popped open and she bolted upright just as he had done. Her head slammed into his chin, and he winced.
As she rubbed the point of contact, their gazes met. Her eyes...so dark, so mysterious. So filled with pain and hope and regret. A treasure as priceless as this woman should only ever look satisfied.
She licked her lips and slowly eased back onto the mattress, twisting to her side to face him. Her mouth floundered open and closed for a moment, as if she were searching for the right words to say. He didn't want her to bring up the dream. Not yet. That was a heavy subject and right now they both needed to relax. Or rather, he needed to comfort her as he hadn't done before.
'So, who aren't you today?' he asked, lying down so that they were eye to eye.
There was a flicker of relief on her face. 'Scarlet...Long,' she replied.
Long. As in Justin. A man with black hair and brown eyes. Gideon almost smiled. Sweet progress. Hopefully, she'd never pick a blond again. And one day, maybe she'd even call herself Scarlet Lord.
Did he want that? Yes, he did, he realized almost immediately. He liked the thought of this woman belonging to him. Truly belonging to him in a way that all the world would recognize.
'How are you feeling?' she asked softly.
'Worse.'
A lengthy breath escaped her. 'Good. That's good.'
With the last of his strength, he settled his arm over the curve of her waist. She didn't rebuke him for so intimate a gesture, and he took heart. 'When I'm even worse, I don't want to hit Cronus's bedroom.' He needed to get his hands on a slave collar. That way, the doors to Tartarus would open right up for him. Those collars were like keys to the gate. To get in, that is. Getting out would be a different matter entirely. 'But damn. I've got my necklace, so I can roam freely.' Without it, Cronus would know where he was and what he was doing. The god king could stop him and send him back to Buda before he set a single foot in the prison realm.
One of Scarlet's brows arched. 'You're saying you don't have your butterfly necklace, so you can't move freely around this palace?'
He nodded, trying to gauge her expression.
She pulled both chains from a knife sheath at her waist, letting them dangle from her fingers. 'I've got them. I found where you'd tossed yours like garbage.' She sounded almost bitter. 'So they aren't just pretty decorations?' Now she sounded...disappointed.
He'd made her think the necklace was a present from him. And when she'd found his, she had thought he'd 'tossed it like garbage.' As if she were garbage. He wouldn't allow her to think such a thing.
I will never lie to her again, he vowed. Then blinked. Wait. He would never purposely mislead her with his lies. Better. 'They don't prevent the gods from watching us. From listening to us.'
As he spoke, her eyes widened. With that widening, she should have been even easier to read. Only, those orbs offered no hint of her emotions. 'The necklaces are blocks, then.'
At least she hadn't erupted at his deception. 'Exactly wrong.'
'Good. Smart.' She moved to anchor one around her neck, but he shook his head, stopping her. 'But why wait?' Okay, now she looked ready to erupt. Her eyes were narrowed, almost...fiery, and her teeth bared in a fearsome scowl.
'I'm too strong to leave right now—' too weak '—and we shouldn't wait until we're ready to sneak out of the palace to fall off Cronus's radar.' They absolutely should wait. The moment Cronus lost his connection to Gideon, he would suspect the truth and do everything in his power to stop Gideon from succeeding.
'So you're going to sneak out to—'
Again, he nodded.
Anticipation wafted from her. The two of them were going to Tartarus, and they were going to kill Zeus.
'How long till you're recovered?' she asked.
'Not another day.' One more day.
Blink. 'So what are we supposed to do in the meantime?'
Kiss. Touch. Relearn each other. Make love. 'Not talking.'
She rolled her eyes as if he'd just made a funny. 'You and me? Talk? I don't think so. We've said all we need to say to each other. We'll work together in this, because we're stronger as a pair, but that's all we're doing. Working together. Killing together.'
Great. She was falling back into stubborn mode. But he didn't mind. She could say anything she wanted, do anything to him. He planned to stick to her like pasties on a stripper.
'And anyway,' she continued, resolute, 'let's be real here. I don't have to wait around. I can sneak through the palace and kill any god or goddess I stumble upon. I'm actually doing you a favor.'
A growl rumbled low in his throat, rose, lashed out. The thought of Scarlet traipsing through the palace halls alone did not sit well. She wouldn't be up against humans, but immortals. Stronger, more violent immortals. Pure male instinct wanted her safe, happy and not in fucking constant danger.
Calm. He would just have to keep her busy. And if she wasn't interested in talking, that left only one other option. What he'd wanted to do in the first place.
He'd considered himself depleted, but the thought of having her rallied his cells, muscle and bone, allowing him to roll on top of her. She gasped at his weight, but he didn't shift away. No, he pressed himself down, giving her more.
