“I’m not sure this is a good thing.” Daimon looked at his brothers. “We have one less enemy, but Nemesis is powerful and the remaining furie is going to want her sister back.”
“Mari will be in danger,” Cass said, worry shining in her blue eyes. “They’ll need her more now than ever.”
“You too.” Daimon brushed his palm over her cheek, fighting the darker side of his blood as it snarled at him to protect her. “Meadow looked desperate when she left. I have a bad feeling she’ll come after both Mari and you. She’ll want Melody back.”
“So we take the body, stick it on ice. Draw them to us.” Ares’s eyes glowed in the low light as he growled, “If she wants Melody back, she’ll need the body.”
“Maybe. I’m not sure. Some forms of necromancy work in other ways, using the soul as the catalyst.” Cass leaned into Daimon’s side and he rubbed her arm, held her to him and silently offered her comfort he hoped would allay her fears.
No one was going to get their hands on her.
Or Mari.
“We should take it anyway,” Valen put in and lifted his gaze to the tree tops and the buildings beyond them. “Just in case. Things are still looking sketchy.”
Daimon nodded in agreement as he glanced at the horizon, seeing the otherworld. The sky blazed red, distant screams ringing in his ears, carried on the hot wind that blasted against him and sent flares of gold sparks spiralling up into the sky from the broken burning buildings. He had expected it to look better, but he swore it looked worse. Because the final battle was drawing near?
Maybe they could use Meadow’s rage against her, using Melody’s body to lure her into the open. Maybe being in possession of the bodies of both one of the furies and the wraith would work in their favour in other ways too. They were two powerful allies that the enemy would definitely try to take back if they were determined to use Cass to revive their fallen.
As far as Daimon could see, his side were holding all the cards.
The enemy would be the one to make the next move.
And it would be the first move of the final battle when it happened.
He could feel it.
“What do we do about Nemesis?” Marek said.
“Your father dispatched legions to hunt for her. He believes she’s still in the Underworld.” Cass stroked Milos.
“She’ll be coming.” Ares’s hands glowed, flames licking over them as he clenched them into fists at his sides. “Now that she’s revealed herself, they’re not going to rest. They’re going to come at us with all they have to get a gate open and allow her through it, together with whoever else is on her side.”
Ares was right.
The enemy were going to make one last stand.
He and his brothers would be ready for them.
He held Cass to him and amended that thought—he and his side would be ready for them. Everyone was a part of this war and everyone was going to want to do all in their power to make sure that when it was over, they were victorious.
“I should close this gate.” Daimon glanced over his shoulder in the direction of it.
“Tomorrow,” Ares said. “Tonight, we rest and we plan. We go over everything we know and we make sure we haven’t missed anything, and we wait for word from the Underworld. If the legions fail to find Nemesis, then we’ll call in a favour.”
Daimon didn’t like the sound of that. “What sort of favour?”
Ares’s grim look said it all.
“Shit, man,” Valen muttered and pulled his phone from his pocket. Charms dangled from it, one of a sword and shield catching Daimon’s eye. “I could just send her a message right now.”
Ares shook his head. “Give him time.”
Daimon had the feeling that Keras was going to need far more time than they could afford to give him. They needed allies in this war.
What better ally was there than a goddess who had been born for battle?
“Tokyo,” Ares muttered.
Marek nodded and disappeared. Valen huffed, grabbed the dead furie and followed him.
Ares hesitated. “Don’t linger too long. Esher will want to see you’re all right.”
Daimon dipped his chin, grateful for a few moments alone with Cass. His brother stepped.
Daimon slipped his hand into Cass’s and teleported with her, landing on the terrace of his hillside home in Hong Kong.
All of the strength seemed to leak out of Cass and she looked up at him, tears catching the sunlight as they lined her lashes.
Daimon sighed and brushed them away with his thumbs, turning them into diamonds of ice. “I’m sorry. I never want to hurt you, but I just keep doing it.”
She smiled tightly. “I like to think I give as good as I get.”
She did. He had lost track of all the scares she had given him and they had only known each other for a few short weeks.
Daimon gathered Cass to him, pressed his forehead to hers and then drew back so he could see her face. Gods, she was beautiful.
And a little bit angry with him.
He smoothed his palm over her cheek, trying not to think about the fact she had somehow ended up facing his father but thankful that she had stood up to him. He could only imagine the hell she had given him. His mother probably adored her for that.
He certainly adored her for it.
He dipped his head and kissed her, savoured the feel of her lips against his and the warmth of her as it chased the cold from his heart, easing his fears and giving him comfort.
She was safe now and he would keep her that way, but not by sidelining her whenever things got rough. He would keep her at his side instead, right where he needed her to be, where they could fight as one, battling to survive and have that forever they both wanted.
A forever he needed with all his heart.
The
