He wanted her, and that wanting pissed him off. He might not force her into anything, but he craved her touch as much as she craved his.
Maelea’s heart thumped hard as he turned and left. In the silence, her body tingled with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. And that darkness inside—the darkness that was drawn to him—vibrated with excitement. She could do this. So long as she remembered what was at stake here, she could do this and win. For the first time in her life, she held the power.
Freedom was at her fingertips. All she had to do was reach out and grasp it.
Chapter Eleven
Fresh clothes were sitting on the bathroom counter when Maelea yanked the shower curtain open. The door was ajar. Faint sounds of a TV echoed in the next room, but Gryphon was nowhere to be seen. Tugging the towel tighter to her dripping body, she stepped out of the tub and fingered the drab brown T-shirt and khaki pants Gryphon had picked out for her in that army surplus store.
Not exactly the sexy bedroom look she was going for, but she wasn’t ready to go out there in her birthday suit. She had to ease into this whole seductive siren role. She wasn’t Skyla, for crying out loud.
She tossed her wet undergarments over the shower rod to dry, then tugged on the pants, which were a good size too big, and pulled on the top. Her nipples hardened in the cool air, pressing against the rough cotton, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. And if he found it sexy, well, that was the goal, right? After all, it’d be the only sexy part of this whole ensemble. After towel-drying her hair, she finger-combed her long locks as best she could, then drew in a deep breath.
Showtime.
Her nerves hummed as the stained, worn strands of the carpet brushed her bare feet. She turned the corner, then stilled as she caught sight of him standing in front of the TV, the remote in his hand, his gaze locked on the screen as he flipped channels, looking for…she didn’t know what.
Blue-green light flickered off his bare chest, highlighted the tight muscles in his stomach and the dangerously low camo pants hanging loosely on his hips. Her gaze traveled down his legs to his bare toes, peeking from beneath the cuffs of his pants. And she was startled to realize that for the first time since she’d met him, he looked more human than monster. More man than warrior.
What would she think of him if she’d met him in a bar? In a restaurant? At the theater? She dragged her attention from his rock-hard body, up his torso to his face. His jaw was set in a hard line, covered in a dusting of stubble that matched his blond hair. Even she could see he was movie-star handsome, even with the smattering of scars from battles fought over the years. Yeah, if she’d met him anywhere else, she’d have been intrigued. She’d have wondered who he was and whom he went home to. And she’d likely have gone back to her house on Lake Washington and fantasized about him for at least one night, probably more.
That realization sent a tremor of awareness through her body, heating her blood, igniting electric tingles all along her skin. As if he’d just realized he wasn’t alone, he looked her way, and those eyes, those Caribbean blue eyes that reminded her of paradise, focused in on her, latched on tight, and tugged at something deep inside. Her breath caught. Even before she realized it, she was taking a step in his direction, moving as if someone else or something else was controlling her.
His eyes slid over her body, from the top of her wet head to the bottom of her bare toes, and the heat of his stare washed over every inch of her skin, stirring those tingles to full-on vibrations she couldn’t stop.
“I thought you might have drowned in there.”
His voice was rough, bringing nerve endings to life that ramped up her awareness and teased her to states of arousal she shouldn’t be feeling. Oh, man. Maybe she should go back and flip that shower to cold. Was seduction really a good idea, when she was having so much trouble controlling her body’s reaction to him?
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked.
“N-nothing.”
His scrutinizing gaze said he didn’t believe her. But he nodded toward the table instead of pressing for more. “The kid brought food. You should eat.”
Happy for the distraction—any distraction—she moved to the table and sat in the scuffed chair. He pulled a box from the bag, set it in front of her. Added a carton of fries, then stripped the paper off a straw and stuck it in the drink next to her hand. “If cheeseburgers won’t do—”
“That’s fine,” she said, opening the box and lifting the burger. It was already cool, but her stomach rumbled at the sight.
He sat across from her. They ate in silence, with the muted TV flickering behind her. As her stomach filled, and one need was slaked, her mind drifted to what she needed to do next. And excitement and worry warred hot all over again.
She swallowed a bite, set down her burger, and wiped her hands on a napkin. Gods, she really didn’t know how the hell to start this, but he’d never believe her intentions if she came out and jumped him, so she needed to try to ease the tension in the room first.
“I bet the others are worried about you,” she said, deciding to go with small talk first.
“They’re not.” He picked up a french fry, popped it in his mouth, didn’t look at her while he chewed.
“I’m sure Orpheus is.”
The mention of his brother stilled his hand against his drink, but he didn’t answer. As he lifted his cup, she wondered if he felt any guilt for running out on the brother who’d rescued him from the Underworld. Orpheus had to be going crazy right now, not knowing where Gryphon was or what he was doing.
He took a drink, set the cup back down, and went back to eating. In the low light, the Argonaut markings on his arms stood out in dark contrast to his light skin.
She studied the ancient Greek text that made up the markings. Realized the other Argonauts had to be mad at him after what had happened to Titus. She wanted to ask why he’d turned on one of his own, but knew that was small talk that would only lead her away from her goal. So she tried a different line of attack.
“What do you think of Skyla?”
“I don’t think about her.”
“No, I mean for Orpheus. It must have been quite a shocker to know he’d fallen for one of Zeus’s Sirens.”
He looked up…finally. And gods, those eyes were captivating. “Are you always full of so many questions?”
“Depends on the situation. Normally I’m not around people much, so I keep to myself. But since you’re forcing me to stay with you, there’s no sense ignoring each other, is there?”
He stared at her with those piercing light blue eyes so long, she was sure he was going to tell her to shut the fuck up. Then he looked back down at his burger and resumed eating. But before he did, he said, “As long as he’s happy, I don’t care.”
The comment surprised her. There was love there. But then, there had to be, if Orpheus had been willing to go into the Underworld—again—to rescue Gryphon. For the first time, she wondered what Gryphon had been like before he was sent to Hades. She remembered the females at the colony whispering that he’d been a playboy. Sought after by Argolean females. She could see why, with his looks. But his mood must have been a hell of a lot better then. She couldn’t imagine a bunch of women throwing themselves at him if he’d been as dark and brooding then as he was now.
You’re about to throw yourself at him, aren’t you?
Yes, but I have a reason.
She shook off the thought, not wanting to argue with herself over this decision. Looking down, she fingered a fry. “Did you know? About Orpheus? That he was Perseus’s son reincarnated?”
“No,” he said, swallowing a bite, his focus still on the food, not her. “But it makes sense. I always knew he belonged with the Argonauts. Now I know why.”
Maelea dropped her hands in her lap. Yeah, Orpheus did belong with them. In fact
, he’d proved himself a hero probably more than any of the others. “I still can’t believe I didn’t realize he was my nephew right off the bat. All that time I spent with him, and I didn’t even know. I guess I’m not as perceptive as my father.”
He finally looked up, his eyebrows drawn in question. “Orpheus is your nephew?”
“You didn’t know?”
“No. Who are your parents?”
“Zeus and Persephone.”
He set down what was left of his burger and leaned back in his chair. “Holy shit.”
Unease rippled through her. “I thought you knew that. I though that was part of the reason you were keeping me with you.”
“No, I…” He rubbed a hand over his head. “Holy fucking shit.”
Her stomach clenched as he pushed to stand and paced the room. He really didn’t know? Then what the hell was he doing, keeping her?
Think. Think, dammit. Now that she’d opened her big mouth and blabbed who she really was, she didn’t need to give him any reason to hold her any longer than he’d originally planned. Or to get rid of her, so no one would know what he’d done.
“Neither one of them care about me,” she said quickly. “I don’t see them. In fact, I’m in the human world because I’m not allowed in either of their realms.”
He stopped pacing. “Maelea.” His wide-eyed gaze shot to her. “You’re Melinoe?”
She ground her teeth at the mention of that name. Oh, how she hated that blasted name Hades had branded her with, the one that meant “dark thought.” She crossed her arms and glared in his direction. “I stopped using that a long time ago.”
“Skata.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “You’re, like…three thousand years old.”
“Three thousand one hundred and forty-two years, thanks for reminding me. And I think I look pretty damn good for being that age. You try living through wars and plagues, and we’ll see how you look.”
He stopped and stared at her. “How the hell…? What are you…? What the fuck were you doing at the half-breed colony?”
Her temper flared, and she pursed her lips as she stared at her half-eaten food, wishing she hadn’t traveled down this revelation road. “I wasn’t there by choice. Orpheus came looking for me because he needed…help…finding the Orb. In the process he alerted Hades to my location, which, thank you very much, I’ve kept hidden from him for years. It’s no secret Hades hates me and wouldn’t mind seeing me wiped off the planet.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Orpheus is the one who took me to the half-breed colony. He felt guilty and thought I’d be safe there. But I’m not. No one’s safe, so long as I’m around.”
Her mouth snapped shut. Holy hell. Had she really just told him why she’d left? That was stupid. There was no reason he’d care. All she was doing was making things worse.
Refocus, Maelea.
“That’s why you were sneaking out the night I found you.”
She didn’t answer. Didn’t want to dig herself an even bigger hole.
“Holy shit,” he said again from across the room. “I kidnapped Zeus and Persephone’s daughter. If they find out—”
“They won’t,” she said quickly, jumping on the opportunity. “Not if you let me go tonight.”
He stared at her. Electricity crackled in the air between them. Her pulse beat frantically as she waited. As he considered. As she hoped.
Please, just let me go.
“I can’t do that,” he finally said in a quiet voice.
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Can’t. Not yet at least. I still need you.”
Anger flared inside her. Her muscles bunched, and something in her head screamed, Run, now, he won’t stop you! But then she saw his eyes. Eyes that weren’t as dead as she’d thought all along. Eyes that were filled with…pain. The same sort of pain she lived with every day.
Something in her chest tightened, a reaction she wasn’t prepared for. Something that tugged on her soul and refused to let go.
What had been done to him in the Underworld? Just what had he seen and been subjected to?
Her pulse picked up speed. And for the first time, a place inside her understood at least a little of where he was coming from. They weren’t all that dissimilar, after all. They were both misunderstood, both outcasts in a world neither knew how to navigate. But while she was running from a hurt that had festered for thousands of years, he was running from one that was more recent and likely a hundred times worse.
She swallowed hard. Slowly pushed to her feet. Tried like hell to slow her racing heart. Nothing worked. She still didn’t know what he needed from her, but now that she knew he wasn’t keeping her to use as a pawn against her parents, and that he didn’t plan to rape her, everything seemed different. Whatever he wanted from her, it was more personal. It was unique. It was—the darkness inside her vibrated all over again—it was something only she could give him.
Her pulse pounded. All she could focus on was the male in front of her. The one who had rescued her from kobaloi, who had kept her safe from those daemons, who was now looking at her as if he felt a kinship with her as strongly as she suddenly felt with him.
She stepped close. He drew in a surprised breath, but it didn’t deter her. Heat from his body seeped into her own, giving her strength. How long had it been since she’d found someone who shared her pain, who knew what it was like to be alone, who craved a connection with another person as much as she? Never, she realized. She’d never found anyone like her in all her long years. Until now.
Carefully, because her hands were suddenly shaking, she lifted a finger and traced it across his bicep where a jagged scab ran down his arm.
“What are you doing?” he asked in a thick voice. A sexy voice. One laden with the same desire rushing through her veins.
“This healed fast.” He’d gotten it in the caves, when a kobalos launched itself at him as he was protecting her. She’d seen it bleeding. Had tried to ignore it. Now, couldn’t.
He tensed, and she watched muscles in his stomach tighten. He liked her touch. As much as she’d liked his in the shower. The knowledge sent power skipping through her veins. “Maelea—”
“I never thanked you,” she said, stepping even closer, drawing in a deep whiff of his intoxicating scent. “For saving me. In the tunnels. For keeping me from freezing, for fighting back those kobaloi. You didn’t have to do any of that, but you did.”
“I—”
His entire body trembled when she slid her hand from his arm to his ribs, to another scratch that had already healed and was nothing more than a thin red line. Her fingers traced the puckered ridge, and his body jerked, a movement that multiplied tenfold the power she was feeling.
He captured both her hands before she could touch him more. “Maelea, stop.”
She lifted her eyes to his, searched his face for proof that’s what he really wanted. Didn’t see it. She saw want and need and hunger. The same hunger overwhelming her.
The knowledge electrified her. Thrilled her. Empowered her. This suddenly wasn’t about seducing him to get away. This was about easing a need she’d sensed since he first touched her in the caves beneath the colony.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Gryphon. I just want to say thank you. I haven’t been very nice to you so far and…and I’m trying to tell you now…I’m sorry. Just relax and let me thank you.”
She rose up on her toes, brought her mouth close to his. He drew in a sharp breath again, one that told her yes…yes, this was what they both needed. She didn’t know why, but an uncontrollable urge to prove that and so much more to him consumed her.
Just before she kissed him, he blocked her by bracing his hands against her shoulders. “Maelea, don’t. You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
/>
“Yes, I do,” she whispered. “And trust me, Gryphon, we both need it.”
He went still as stone as she pressed her lips to his. His hands fell from her shoulders. She eased in closer, until the tips of her breasts brushed his skin. Skimming her lips over his again, she laid her hands against his hard, warm chest, her body growing more needy with each long, silent second that ticked by. Growing more frustrated too, because he wasn’t kissing her back the way she wanted.
Was he not as attracted to her as she thought? She’d been so sure this was what he wanted too. She lowered her heels to the floor, stared up at him in the dim light. Searched his eyes for what was holding him back.
Fear. Stark and raw. But not of her. He couldn’t be afraid of her, could he? No one had ever been scared of her.
“Gryphon,” she whispered.
A strangled groan rumbled from his chest. Then he snagged her at the waist and jerked her tight against his body before she could gasp.
And just as he lowered his mouth to hers, he whispered, “Skata. I do need you.”
***
Her mouth was everything he’d remembered and had been afraid to taste again. Warm, wet, inviting. She opened for him on reflex and drew his tongue inside without hesitation. Her fingers slid to his shoulders, dug into his skin as he kissed her. She tasted of darkness. Of hunger. Of need. Of heaven and hell and everything in between.
He groaned, changed the angle of the kiss so he could taste her deeper, pulled her tighter so he could feel her closer. His hardening erection pressed against the soft indent of her belly, sending shards of heat ricocheting through his groin. She moaned, and the darkness inside him hummed in pleasure. Vibrations that echoed through every inch of his skin, even as that place inside that had been broken since the Underworld lurched toward her, as if she were a magnet. As if she were the antidote to his pain. As if she were his very last chance for salvation.
Which she was. She was all that stood between him and insanity. Between him and the voice that had been calling to him since he’d left the Underworld. The one that made him twitch, made him want to claw his skin off, made him want to scream. And now he knew why. Because of the light inside her. The light that was counteracting the darkness simmering inside him. The light that was interfering with Atalanta’s hold on him. With her ability to summon him.