Enslaved (38 page)

“I didn’t hurt her,” he said again, gentler this time, more for his benefit than Orpheus’s. “I… I…”

Shit. What could he say that would make any kind of logical sense? He’d kidnapped her, made her his prisoner, dragged her halfway across the country, then fallen for her. If he said that, he’d sound more insane than they already thought he was. And the longer he sat here trying to explain something he couldn’t, the longer it would be before he could see for himself that Maelea was in one piece. That she wasn’t hurt. That she truly was okay.

“Did you know before you left the colony?” Orpheus asked.

This one, he could answer. “No. I’d wanted to leave for weeks. Getting out of my room was easy, but I didn’t know how to get past the tunnels. I’d been watching her for a while and I knew she’d figured it out. So I intercepted her. I only planned to use her to get away, but then the tunnel crashed in and we ended up underground, and then…”

“Then what?”

His heart cinched down. “Then I figured out she was more than I thought she was.”

“
Skata
,” Orpheus said in a stunned voice. “She’s not just your soul mate. You’re in love with her.”

When Gryphon’s eyes snapped to his, Orpheus added hesitantly, “Does she feel the same way about you?”

Gryphon thought back to their last night together at the beach house. And his heart warmed when he remembered Maelea’s words. Words he was pretty sure he was going to remember for the rest of his life.
I
love
you, Gryphon. Nothing else matters to me. Nothing from before can change that. This—you and me together now—this is all that matters.

“Yeah,” he said, unable to fight the curl of his lips. “She does. Crazy, huh?”

Voices echoed from the hallway before Orpheus could answer. They both looked toward the door. “Where is he?” One voice rang out above the others. “I want to see him.”

“Fuck,” Orpheus muttered.

Gryphon tensed and pushed off the bed. He knew that voice. Knew it well, because it belonged to Lord Lucian, the leader of the Council of Elders. His—and Orpheus’s—uncle. “How does he know what’s going on?”

“Beats me,” Orpheus muttered. “But that’s why Titus and I didn’t tell Theron when we figured out where you and Maelea were holed up.”

“You think the Council’s planted a spy at the half-breed colony?”

“You bet your ass I do. Otherwise they wouldn’t have known about your escape, about the fact you took Maelea with you, about those daemon remains you left behind. And before I forget, let me just ask…what the hell were you thinking, not destroying them? Lucian and the rest of the Council’s gonna use this as another excuse to try to get rid of the Argonauts altogether.”

Gryphon knew Orpheus was right. The Council saw the Argonauts as rogue warriors who weren’t needed. Even after everything Atalanta had done and was doing to try to destroy Argolea, they still didn’t think she was a big enough threat to warrant the guardians. They’d been trying to disband the Argonauts for ages. But underneath, Gryphon knew the Council’s hatred of the Argonauts had nothing to do with perceived threats or protection. It had to do with power. They saw the Argonauts as the monarchy’s personal warriors. And they couldn’t overthrow the queen until the Argonauts were gone.

It didn’t matter that Orpheus and Gryphon were Lucian’s nephews. Familial ties meant nothing to their uncle. They’d both learned that long ago. Power was all that mattered.

The fact that Orpheus seemed so pissed off by that thought hit Gryphon right in the chest. Because before—before Gryphon had gone to the Underworld, before Orpheus had stepped in to fill his shoes with the Argonauts, before Isadora had asked Orpheus to stay on, even though Gryphon was back—Orpheus had despised and undermined the guardians as much as Lucian.

Gryphon sighed. “I couldn’t. There were hellhounds chasing Maelea. We barely got away from the first bunch of daemons alive. I didn’t have time to destroy the remains before Hades’s hounds were on us. And the second set—at the motel—they surprised us. There were too many. I had to use my gift to freeze them, then Maelea killed them because I was too weak to move.”

He omitted the fact he’d handcuffed Maelea to the bed, which was why he hadn’t been able to protect her in that fight, but from the look on Orpheus’s face, it was clear he’d already figured out something else had gone down in that motel room.

“Maelea killed them,” Orpheus said with a hint of pride in his voice. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“The lords and I want to see him,” Lucian bellowed in the hall. “He has much to answer for. The first of which is why he brought Persephone and Zeus’s daughter into our realm. We will not stand for this.”

Panic rushed over Gryphon as he glanced toward the closed door again. Out in the hall he could hear Theron arguing with his uncle. He had to get to Maelea before the Council did. He didn’t doubt for a minute that they wouldn’t just boot her right out of the realm on her ass. And if they did that, she’d be a prime target for Hades.

He looked to Orpheus. “Where is she?”

Orpheus turned from the door. Didn’t even hesitate to say, “Second floor. Northwest wing. Skyla’s with her.” When Gryphon moved for the balcony of the suite he’d been tucked into, Orpheus added, “What about your shoulder?”

Gryphon was already thinking through how he’d climb one floor up the outside of the building onto another balcony, then find a back set of stairs down to Maelea’s level. “It’s fine.”

He was out on the balcony before Orpheus caught his good arm, stopping him. “Gryphon, wait. Take this.”

He took the small, clear electronic device from Orpheus. “What is it? A phone?”

“Some kind of fancy techno gadget Titus came up with. This one works like a human sat phone but is way cooler. Integrates your brain waves or some shit. I don’t know how it works, but all you have to do is have this puppy turned on in your pocket and think about contacting me, and it sends a signal. Only problem is it only works here, not in the human realm. Titus hasn’t perfected it yet. But at least you’ll be able to get in touch with me.”

Gryphon looked down at the device in his hand. “Titus…”

Shit. He needed to apologize to the guardian. Try to make up for what he’d done.

“Callia couldn’t keep him in bed,” Orpheus said. “He was as adamant about finding you as I was.”

“Yeah, to kick my ass, I’m sure. I have it coming.”

“No,” Orpheus said, “To make sure Nick and his men didn’t. He doesn’t blame you, Gryph. He understands. If anyone knows what was happening in your head, it’s him.”

That thought didn’t exactly put Gryphon at ease. But it helped. At least, leaving, he knew Titus didn’t hate him.

“If you get into trouble,” Orpheus added, “look to the witches. Tell them you’re my brother. Delia and her crew will do whatever they can to help you.”

Delia was the leader of the witch enclave that resided in the Aegis Mountains. Her witches had been instrumental in helping the Argonauts rescue Isadora from the warlock Apophis’s castle. And Orpheus’s mother had been part of their coven.

Gryphon didn’t know what to say. His relationship with Orpheus had not been one of brotherly love and admiration. For years Gryphon had tried to break through Orpheus’s outer shell, but Orpheus had always done whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. And then, after Gryphon had come back from the Underworld, it was Orpheus trying to get through to Gryphon. So many years lost and wasted because of animosity and jealousy and lack of understanding. And now, after everything they’d both been through—lies and mistakes and secrets on both sides—they’d finally found common ground. All because of the Underworld.

But when he looked into his brother’s gray eyes, he didn’t see anger or even sympathy anymore as he’d seen since coming back from hell. He saw respect. A respect he hadn’t realized he was missing.

“Get her out of Tiyrns,” Orpheus said softly. “Take her into the mountains if you have to. The Council will be looking for her. And you.”

“I know.”

“You’re safer here than you are in the human realm.”

He knew that too. He also knew that what Orpheus was doing now, letting them both go, he wasn’t doing as an Argonaut, but as his brother. And that it would mean the end of Gryphon’s days with the Argonauts. “What will you tell Theron and the others?”

One side of Orpheus’s mouth tipped up. “That I finally came to my senses.”

“You’re gonna bring down a shitstorm of trouble. Not just from the Argonauts, but from the Council as well.”

Orpheus’s smirk turned into a full-fledged grin. “I’ve been on the straight and narrow for several months now. It’s time I did something to shake things up. Besides, Lucian’s still considering retiring, which means I’m still in line for his Council seat.”

“You’re an Argonaut now. They’ll never let you sit on the Council.”

Orpheus’s eyes sparked with challenge. “All the more reason I’m gonna push for just that.”

Gryphon didn’t doubt that. When Orpheus put his mind to something, he usually found a way to make it happen. He closed his hand over his brother’s forearm, locking them together. “I owe you. For…a lot more than I can ever repay.”

“Just take care of her. That’s all the payment I ask for. She’s special, Gryph.”

“I know.” Emotions closed his throat. “And I will. I promise.”

Chapter Twenty

“Wow,” Skyla said, brushing her blond hair back from her face. “I didn’t see that one coming.”

Maelea twisted her hands in her lap. Part of her was relieved she’d been able to tell someone what had happened between her and Gryphon. The other part was scared to death, now that it was out there. “I know. I didn’t see it coming either. Neither of us planned it.”

“No one ever does,” Skyla said with a curl of her lips.

“What’s going to happen to him?” Maelea asked.

“I don’t know,” Skyla answered. “I’m new to all this Argonaut brotherhood stuff. But it’s not just the Argonauts he has to answer to. The Council of Elders here—the lords that advise the queen—found out what happened at the colony. And somehow they found out about the string of daemon remains he left from Montana to British Columbia.”

“That wasn’t all his fault,” Maelea cut in. “I was responsible for a few of those kills myself.”

Admiration swam in Skyla’s eyes. “You were, huh? Good for you. I always knew you had it in you. But regardless”—she frowned—“the Council’s always looking for any excuse to undermine the Argonauts. I have a feeling this could turn into a political nightmare.”

“I could talk to them. Tell them what really happened.”

“Uh, no.” Skyla’s face grew wary. “They get one whiff of you and things will go from bad to worse. Remember Nick’s reaction at the colony when we showed up with you?”

Sickness brewed in Maelea’s stomach as she remembered back. Yeah, Nick had not been happy to see her.

“The Council will freak if they think Gryphon did anything to draw Hades’s attention to the Argolean realm,” Skyla added.

Maelea hadn’t thought of that. She didn’t want to do anything to make things worse for Gryphon.

“I need to see him,” she whispered, almost afraid to say the words out loud.

“I don’t know if that’s going to be possible,” Skyla answered. “At least right now. He’s with Theron and the others. And Orpheus. Orpheus is more than a little pissed at him.”

“Because of me.”

“He cares about you.”

Maelea knew that. She also knew that Orpheus was wrestling with his own guilt, where she was concerned. He felt responsible for bringing her to the half-breed colony. For exposing her to Hades. For putting her in Gryphon’s path. But he had nothing to feel sorry for anymore. In fact, if she could thank him right now, she would. “He has no reason to be mad at Gryphon.”

Skyla’s face softened. “I’ll try to talk to him. See if I can smooth it over.”

If anyone could, it would be Skyla. She had a way with Orpheus. She—

The French doors that led to the balcony pushed open. And Maelea’s heart lurched into her throat when Gryphon stepped into the room. “Oh my gods.”

She didn’t remember pushing off the bed. Didn’t remember crossing the floor. But she would forever remember the way his arms closed around her with stinging force when she reached him. The way his eyes brightened. The way he whispered “
Sotiria
” and lowered his mouth to hers with a fierceness that stole her breath.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed him back with everything she had in her. Didn’t even care that Skyla was watching.

Worry filled his light blue eyes when he finally eased back. “You’re okay? I saw you fall. I was so worried.” His gaze strayed to her forehead. “
Skata
, your head.”

Her fingers passed over the bandage near her hairline. “It’s okay. It’s not bad. I didn’t even need stitches.”

“Thank the Fates,” he breathed, pulling her tight again and burying his face in her hair. “Scared me,
sotiria
.”

She closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around him again, and just luxuriated in being close to him. She’d been so scared too. When she saw those hellhounds, she’d thought that was it. The end of everything. Just when she’d finally found a reason to live. When she’d finally been given a reason to let go of her dream of Olympus.