The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld #6)(65)
Author: Gena Showalter

Unfortunately, he’d never been a patient man. He wanted this over and done. He wanted NeeMah at his mercy, aka the end of his sword. He wanted time to romance Scarlet. Time to prove to her that things could work between them. All of which had to be placed on hold.

“Ready for the rest?” Lucien asked, fighting a grin himself now. “You look distracted.”

He would not blush. Again. “Don’t go on,” he said with a wave just as commanding as Scarlet’s had been.

Lucien gave up and let the grin form full-force. “Hunters surrounded the fortress, apparently planning to steal our artifacts. We decided to split up. Anya and I took the Cage, Reyes took Danika and Strider took the Cloak. Paris decided to take a vacation.”

“Are we no longer surrounded?” he asked, glancing at his closet. He had a case of weapons in there. He could do some damage, blow off some steam.

“Strider killed most of them on his way out,” Kane said with pride.

Lucky. “Others?”

“Maddox didn’t want Ashlyn near a potential battleground, so he took her away,” Lucien said. “Sabin and Gwen took Gilly somewhere.”

Yep, that left only Kane, Torin and Cameo. Could they hold the fort if other Hunters showed up and attacked? Yeah, there were all kinds of traps leading up the mountain and any intruders would be forced to first battle explosions, trip wires, rigged gunshots and metal clamps around their ankles. But that wouldn’t stop hundreds. Survivors could make their way inside.

“Can I count on you to stay?” Kane asked.

Adding one more warrior to the mix wasn’t a miracle cure, but it would help.

Gideon’s head fell back and hit the tattered headboard. He closed his eyes. Damn it. If the fortress was attacked and he was injured before Amun returned, if that delayed his confrontation with NeeMah…he would just have to deal, he thought.

“No,” he said. “You can’t count on me.”

Scarlet didn’t react.

“Knew it,” Kane said. “Thanks.”

“Now. Stay here,” he told the warriors. Get lost. “I don’t need some alone time with her.”

“Have fun,” Lucien replied, still shooting off that sheepish grin.

“And try to control the…whatever we stumbled upon,” Kane added. “That was just flat-out weird.”

With that, both men turned and strode out of the room. One of them remained in the hall to try and refit the door in its hinges. When that failed, whoever it was propped the wood in the entrance so that most of the bedroom was blocked, only a long, thin crack of light visible.

Alone at last.

“Don’t stay here with me,” Gideon said to Scarlet, and once again he hated his demon. More than anything, he wanted Scarlet to stay with him and he was willing to beg to make that happen. Beg properly. Truthfully. But he couldn’t allow his body to weaken just then. His friends needed him at his strongest. “I don’t want to be with you. We can’t do this, I know we can’t.”

“Why would you want to be with me?” she asked, finally ripping from his hold, standing and whirling on him with shining black eyes. Gods, she was glorious in her nakedness. Skin still flushed and pink, ni**les beaded from the cool air, lean legs braced, stomach flat and navel dipped. “Why would you want to try?”

Let her leave. A plea from Lies to keep her here.

Working on it. But why do you care? Not mine.

That’s right, he shot back, doing to his demon what Scarlet sometimes did to him. Even though he knew the demon lied, he responded as if the fiend had told the truth. She’s mine. And that wasn’t up for debate. “You didn’t promise your mother to stop me from helping Cronus,” he said. “You don’t have to—”

Her bitter laugh shut him up. “Guess what? I lied to Mother Dearest. Besides that, you and I don’t have a past,” she continued before he could respond. “We’re attracted to each other, yes, but that will fade. Right now I’m just the shiny new toy who gets you and your sidekick, and that’s got to be a relief for you. But we have different goals, and that’s what matters. I’m going to kill my mother and my aunt, even if it takes an eternity. You’re going to protect your friends.”

Shiny new toy. Fuck that! He popped to his knees, dislodging the sheet completely. Yeah, his erection stretched toward her, and yeah, she noticed, even backed up a step, but he didn’t cover it. Let her see what the shiny new toy did to him.

Don’t grab her, Lies commanded.

Grab her? He’d lose an arm. We have to finesse this. “Clearly you’re thinking this through rationally, Scar. You don’t follow through with your promise, and you’ll live happily ever after.” One thing he knew. For immortals, a broken vow was fatal. He’d imprisoned many Greeks for just such a crime. Therefore, Scarlet would be following through. “Second, you face your aunt and she won’t give you new memories. She won’t beat you.” Gideon, too, laughed bitterly. They both knew her ass would be handed to her. “She won’t chain you to a leash of her choosing.”

“I know what she can do now. I know what to guard against.”

Oh, really? “Having trouble recalling what happened today?”

She squared her shoulders and raised her chin. “I told you. I’m prepared now.”

“That’ll make a difference.” No f**king difference at all! Why couldn’t she see that?

“Well, failure is a chance I’m willing to take.”

Well, he damn well wasn’t. “Don’t stay here with me, and I won’t help you defeat her.” Then, whatever. “We’re weaker together, you know we are.” They were stronger. “I mean, I did nothing to help you come to your senses last time, right?” He’d done everything.

Fury sparked in her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. “And just how long would you expect me to stay?”

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t. He didn’t know how long he’d need to guard the fortress and everyone inside. Didn’t know how much time would pass before Amun returned.

“That’s what I thought,” she said and turned away. The elegant curve of her back had him sweating, and those tattoos…he’d never licked them, never given them the attention they deserved. One day. One day he’d devote an entire night to her back. If she let him. “You’d keep me here indefinitely, and that I won’t allow. I’m going.”