dungeon. If she dared, she added again. Would she be able to pull a victory out of her hat-o-tricks this time?
'No. Galen was about to fall, finally, and was babbling about not allowing Gideon to kill him, when the god queen appeared. She flashed both men away.'
Galen, babbling about not allowing Gideon to kill him. Every bit of warmth abandoned Scarlet's body, leaving her a hollow shell of herself. Galen had come after Gideon specifically. Gideon. Because of her, she realized with horror. Because she'd screwed with Galen's dreams.
She'd meant to torment him, to make him back away. Instead, she'd drawn him deeper into the war, made him more determined to win. This was yet another thing she'd done to destroy Gideon's life. Yet another reason someone else would be better for him. She had hurt him, time and time again. Sickness churned in her stomach.
Scarlet pushed to her feet, careful not to disturb Gideon, and tiptoed from the room. Her last visit here, she'd memorized the layout of the place and knew exactly where to go.
Yes. She dared.
'I won't let you kill her,' the voice said. 'Who are you?' she demanded as she strode down the steps. Some of the windows were stained glass, and as golden beams of moonlight hit them, rainbow shards spilled across the walls.
'Torin, keeper of Disease and protector of the universe.' No matter where she stepped, his voice remained the same volume. 'Well, of the fortress, at least,' he amended.
'Never heard of you.'
'Not even when you were locked inside Tartarus? My exploits were legendary.'
'Sorry.'
A sigh of disappointment. 'Anyway, Gideon isn't done questioning the female, so I'm going to make sure she stays alive so that he can.'
A loyal friend. She could find no fault with that and was actually happy Gideon had such a strong support system. It was something she'd always wanted but had never found. 'Guess what? He was saving her for me.' She thought she knew Gideon well enough to utter the words with confidence. He was a giver. 'So I'm sure he won't care when I rip out her throat. He'll even thank me.'
'He'll have to tell me that himself.' Torin's firm tone left no room for argument.
She snaked a corner, strode down another hallway and hit another staircase. This one was wider, cruder, dirtier. Even the air she breathed was becoming thicker, dust coating her lungs.
'If you hadn't noticed,' she said, 'Gideon's a little incapacitated right now.'
'Which means, what? I'll have to make sure she stays alive until he's no longer incapacitated. Trust me, I'll knock you out if I even think you're going for a kill shot. And I have a feeling you spend enough time unconscious.'
'And how do you plan to knock me out, huh?'
He laughed with genuine humor, and it was a nice sound. 'Like I'd really spill my secrets.'
'Fine. I'll just talk to her,' she said on a sigh. Truth or lie, she wasn't sure. She'd find out when she reached her aunt, she supposed.
Finally, she hit the bottom of the steps and entered the dungeon. She knew it well, having occupied a cell herself for several weeks. And she almost giggled like a schoolgirl when she saw her aunt trapped in the very same one Scarlet had occupied. What a nice bit of justice. Gold star for Gideon.
Wearing a soiled white robe, Mnemosyne slept atop a cot, large patches of her skin pink and healthy, while other areas were still black and charred. Some of her hair had grown back, though it was thin and short. Her chest rose and fell too quickly, shallowly.
Grinning, Scarlet gripped the bars. 'Well, well, well. How far the mighty have fallen. From mistress to the god king, to immortal soup, to prisoner of the Underlords. Poor baby.'
Mnemosyne's eyelids cracked open, and she focused on Scarlet. Then her aunt was whipping to a stand, backing up and pressing herself against the far wall. 'What are you doing here?'
That fear delighted her even more than it delighted her demon. 'I've come to say hello to my favorite aunt, that's all.'
The pink tip of her tongue swiped over her blackened lips. 'And beg me to erase your memories, I'm sure.'
'Beg?' Scarlet chuckled. 'No.'
Her aunt raised her chin, anger obviously giving her courage. 'It would do no good, anyway. You owe me thanks, little bastard child, not condemnation.'
'Do I?' She arched a brow in taunting salute as she razed her knuckles over the bars. 'For what?'
'You wouldn't have had the audacity to seek out your Gideon had you not thought he'd already wed you. You had watched him from afar for years, too afraid to draw his attention, too afraid he would spurn you.'
'For thousands of years, I also labored under the belief that I'd witnessed my son's murder. So, thank you?' She gripped and rattled the bars with so much force the entire structure shook, dust falling from the ceiling. 'No again. That won't be what you receive from me.'
'Kill me, then.' Her aunt's chin lifted another inch. 'Do it.'
Scarlet allowed every dastardly deed she'd ever committed to shine in her expression. 'I already told you. That's not how I'm going to handle you.' So she wouldn't be killing her aunt today, she realized, even though the desire was there and she was tempted. Not for Gideon, but because the woman didn't deserve to drift off into nothingness, no pain, no suffering.
Really?
Fine, she thought, scowling. She wasn't going to act now because Gideon hadn't yet given the order for the woman's death. Scarlet wanted to be as loyal to him as his friend was. Perhaps then she would be worthy enough to be his woman.
Did she want to have to prove herself worthy of him, though?
Yes. Yes, she did. More than anything else in the world, even vengeance against her aunt. She loved him. She loved him so much she ached. He wasn't her husband, but still she loved him as if he were. Maybe it was because of the memories she'd created, maybe not. Either way, he owned her heart. Had always owned her heart. If there was a chance they could be together, even a small chance...
'Your man came to me, you know,' Mnemosyne said with relish, drawing Scarlet from her sanguine thoughts. 'He wanted to know why I hate you so much, but I refused to tell him.' Smugness joined the relish.
Scarlet shrugged. 'I honestly don't care why you did what you did to me, only that you did it at all.'
Mnemosyne blinked, composure slipping before she shook her head and schooled her features. 'You care. I know you do.'
'Once, I might have. But you know what? You aren't important. Besides, what you did drew me to Gideon, as you said.' With that, Scarlet turned, ready to go back up and be with her man. To comfort him. To give him everything he needed.
'Where are you going? Get back here, Scarlet.'
One step, two, she climbed.
'Scarlet! You can't leave. Your mother couldn't kill you while we were prisoners, you know that. To even try meant she would begin to age. But to succeed meant she would become aged for all eternity, no hope for the return of her once-great beauty. Therefore, she tasked me with your torment, and I accepted because...because...'
Scarlet paused. Her aunt's cell was blocked from view by the wall, but her voice, oh, her voice...shrill, but truthful. 'Go on.'
'If you wish to know, you'll come back here and face me.'
A moment passed. Another. Could be a waste of time, but... Curiosity got the better of her, and she backtracked until she once again stood in front of the cell.
Mnemosyne nodded, troubled expression smoothing out. 'One day a seer was thrown into the cell with us. That seer took one look at you and laughed, claiming you would kill your mother and assume the heavenly throne. I removed the memory from everyone except Rhea and Cronus. They deserved to know the truth about you.'
'So? What does that have to do with anything?'
'They are linked in a way you cannot possibly understand, though I will tell you that when one dies, the other will automatically follow. The fact that you would kill Rhea meant that you would also kill Cronus.'
