“I will not spend the rest of my life as a soldier. I deserve some happiness, just like everyone else.”
“Of course. I’m sure there would be time in between situations when you might be able to de-stress.” Athena’s grin grew a little and Ree felt as if she was standing in quicksand.
“I will give you three times to call on me.” Ree leaned forward and put her arms on the desk. “I will not do anything that will hurt a human for you. I will not put my family in jeopardy. I will not kill an innocent being. And I will not do something I know will get me killed.”
Athena smiled. “Five times. And I will abide by your restrictions.”
“Three times and you will abide by my restrictions.” Ree narrowed her eyes at Athena. “You need me. You don’t like it, and I don’t like it. That doesn’t mean we can’t help each other. There are two families on Sophie’s list that are linked to your line. You should be doing this without me asking.”
“Three times and my terms.” Athena narrowed her eyes at Ree, but her smile stayed in place.
“No.” Ree stood up. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.”
“That’s it, then?” Athena stood up and looked down at Ree. “You will just give up that easily?”
“I never said I would give up. I will find another way.” Ree met Athena’s stare with her own.
“I knew I chose right with you, Ree.” Athena nodded her head, her face relaxing. Ree was surprised to hear her nickname used by the goddess. “Very well. Three times, with your restrictions.”
“You will talk to the others?” Ree tried to keep her voice smooth, not wanting to show her relief.
“I don’t need to. They will accept my word that it was necessary.” Athena took a step toward Ree. “The extra Guardians will be here before sunrise.”
“Aren’t they spread around the world?” Ree asked.
“I’m a goddess, Ree. They will come through the portal near the large tree.” Athena held out her hand to Ree. Reluctantly, Ree returned the gesture and shook the goddesses’ hand. Light wrapped around their fingers, and Ree felt something tighten for just a moment.
“What was that?” Ree jerked her hand back.
“Our deal has been struck. There is no backing out now.” Athena smiled at Ree.
“You do realize I might not win, right?” Ree looked at her fingers.
“I believe in you.” Athena walked over to the fireplace. “More importantly, I believe in my ability to choose well.”
“Thank you?” Ree raised an eyebrow, not certain how she should take that statement.
“Thank you. This was much more entertaining than arguing with fat men in suits.” Athena disappeared, her laugh lingering in the quiet office.
Ree flopped down into her chair and took a deep breath. The office door banged open, and Paden flew into the room.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Paden walked straight to Ree, pulling her up to stand. “We’ve been trying to get in this room for half an hour.”
Ree looked past Paden to see her friends all standing in the entrance to the office. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you guys were out there.”
“We’ve been beating on that door forever.” Paden glared at Ree. “I thought you were dead. I couldn’t feel you.”
“You’d think you would have heard Paden trying to beat his way through the wall.” Weylin looked at Ree in question.
“I’m sorry, Paden. I didn’t know.” Ree looked at the cuts that were healing on his hands. “Athena must have done something to the room.”
“Athena?” Paden’s voice dropped an octave in anger.
“Don’t worry. I didn’t piss her off.” Ree tried smiling at Paden, hoping it would smooth things over.
“You promised me, Ree.” Paden stared at her, his eyes tight.
“I promised to not piss off any gods if you weren’t with me.” Ree looked at him seriously. “And I didn’t. We made a deal.”
“Deal?” Roland’s voice cut through the room like a knife. “What have you done, Ree?”
“We’re expecting company before dawn.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Paden looked like he was going to murder someone. When she told him what she had agreed to, she thought his hair was going to catch on fire. She knew he wasn’t mad at her, so much as worried about what she had agreed to. Ree didn’t really blame him. She would be upset and worried if he had been the one to strike that deal. She walked over to where he was standing and slid her arms around his waist. He didn’t move for a minute, his eyes watching Roland as he left to go wait at the tree for the arrival of the new Guardians.
“Don’t be mad, Paden.” She pressed her cheek against his back.
Paden grunted, but turned so he could pull her in front of him. His arms wrapped around her waist, and he rested his chin on top of her head. She let him hold her for a minute before moving so she could look up at him.
“I did what I had to.” She watched as his jaw tightened.
“I know, Ree. I’m not mad at you. You did what you thought best for everyone.” Paden’s eyes snapped with green fire. “But you shouldn’t have to ask them to do what’s right. You shouldn’t have to barter your life to get them to save people they put in harm’s way!”
“I didn’t barter my life. I just agreed to do three things for them.”
“Ree. You’re not stupid. You know they aren’t going to call on you for anything that isn’t dangerous.” Paden stared at Ree until she sighed. “It’s like they want to do everything they can to get you killed!”
“Yes, I know that.” Ree started to step away, but he wouldn’t let her move. “I don’t think they want me dead exactly, but they like to have an ace in the hole. Just in case.”
“You save aces for when you really need them. If they need you, it’s going to be bad, Ree.” Paden’s lips pressed together.
“Well, we need to get through this battle first. One thing at a time, okay?” Ree pulled on the collar of his shirt so that his head came closer to hers. Pressing her lips to his, she kissed him softly until she felt him loosen up. Pulling back, she smiled up at him. “Besides you’ll be with me. How much trouble can I get into?”
“Lots.” Paden groaned and closed his eyes. He touched his forehead to hers and sighed. “Okay. We focus on this first and go from there.”
“Right.” Ree closed her eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying his smell. Enjoying how their smells mingled together. Suddenly her heart stopped and she looked up at him with wide eyes. “Oh my God. They all know, don’t they?”
“Who? Knows what?” Confusion clouded Paden’s face.
“The others. They all know that we… when… and oh my God! The power! They probably heard us too!” Ree covered her face with her hands, but Paden laughed.
“You just thought about that?” Paden tried to peel her hands away from her face.
“The darkling said I smelled like sex. I didn’t even think about everyone else smelling us on each other! And the power! I knocked a bunch of stuff over in our room.” Ree groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“I’m not.” Ree looked at him exasperated. Paden smiled again and touched her cheek. “Our room, huh?”
Ree looked up into his eyes. His happiness at her words mingled with a swift sense of possessiveness.
“Well, yeah. You didn’t think you were going to run away every night, did you?” Ree smiled at him for just a minute, but her embarrassment snatched her back. “Why didn’t I think about them hearing us?”
“Ree, they probably knew the first time.” He tapped his head.
“Oh no. The baby monitor! They knew what we were doing.” Ree closed her eyes again.
“Are you upset we were together or upset they know about it?” Paden’s smile turned serious.
“Paden, you know how I feel about us.” She placed her hand over his heart. “But, that doesn’t mean I want everyone else listening in to us when we… do that!”
“They won’t bother us, Ree.” Paden smiled at her.
“Speak for yourself, Paden!” Weylin’s voice drifted up from the back of the house. “I need brain-bleach! No way I’m letting you slide on this!”
The sound of scuffling made Ree laugh. She heard Melanie whispering something to Weylin and knew her friend was trying to whip him into line. “No! If I have to suffer, they do to!”
“Can it, Weylin! Or I’ll tell them what you said while you were drunk.” Melanie’s voice rose threateningly. The only other sound that came from the room was scuffling and then maniacal laughter. Ree looked up at Paden, eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or scream in embarrassment. Thankfully, Paden made up her mind for her and took the opportunity to kiss her. His hand slid up to cup the back of her head, and she felt her embarrassment wash away.
“Seriously! Cut it out!” Weylin hollered.
Paden and Ree broke apart before laughing. Paden’s eyes drifted over her shoulder and back to the path. Ree sighed and turned around to face the window. The sky was starting to take on the purple tones of dawn, the subtle black of the trees started to turn green, and the bubbling water in the fountain sparkled delicately. The soft mist that had blanketed the ground was slowly fading away. It wouldn’t be long before the other Guardians were on the island and then it would be a long day of organizing the rescue plans.
Bryce and Juliette would be back on the island soon too. They had left to try and guard some of the families without calling attention to them. Ree hated sending them out there without backup, but Melanie had been scouring the computer for more information about the missing people and looking for links to any that may have not made the news. Weylin had been on the phone with the golems at the safe houses, working to get them ready for the pick-up of the community members who had known to go and hide.
Roland had talked to Nick on the phone before leaving for the gateway. He didn’t trust the news stations to portray all of the details they may need. Since Nick was, in fact, a first responder, he could give Roland more details about the fatality rate, what the wounds had looked like, or if there were survivors Ree needed to be concerned about.
When the first jolt of energy washed over Ree, she grasped the windowsill in anticipation. She wasn’t sure what to expect from the new Guardians, but hoped they would work together to save those they could. Paden looked down at Ree, his eyes asking the question. She nodded her head to let him know they were starting to arrive. She looked back over her shoulder when she saw Melanie and Weylin walk into the room. They must have sensed her eagerness for the new people. Weylin ruffled her hair and Melanie stood at the French doors, her arms crossed while her eyes stared seriously at the shadows along the path.
“Did she say how many she was sending?” Weylin looked at Ree from the corner of his eyes.
“No.” Ree frowned. “I should’ve asked her.”
“Any help is better than none.” Weylin elbowed her gently.
“True,” Ree whispered. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and chewed. When the first dark shapes started to make their way out of the trees, she stood on her tiptoes as if that would help her see better.
“Where do you think they are from?” Melanie asked quietly.
“I guess we’ll find out.” Ree moved to the door so she could greet the new people. Paden shadowed her, staying close enough that she could feel his heat radiating on her back. “They’re on our side, Pay.”
“Can’t be too careful,” Paden replied.
“Look at that,” Weylin said from his vantage point at the window. “There must be twenty of them.” Roland was at the front of the group. It was hard to miss his characteristic swagger. Ree felt Melanie’s heartbeat pick up a little and tried to tune out the emotions radiating from her friend. Subtly, she bumped Melanie with her elbow and smiled. Melanie blushed furiously but gave her a small smile in return.
Ree felt her heart pick up in excitement. This could really turn the tables in their favor. When the new group neared the house, Ree opened the door and stepped out. She wasn’t sure that many bodies would fit in the living room. Roland raised an eyebrow at Ree and flashed his trademark grin. It warmed Ree’s heart to see him a little happier. The Guardians arranged themselves around the little clearing, while Ree’s friends stood behind her. There were women and men, some older than Ree and some that looked even younger. All ethnicities, some in clothing that seemed too old for them, others in clothing that looked entirely too hip to be worn while fighting.
A young girl with large brown eyes and loose, wild hair smiled at Ree from where she stood. Her hands were planted on her hips, large army boots strapped to her legs, and so many knives strapped to her body Ree figured she couldn’t go out in public. Letting the power reach out, Ree sensed the mood of the arriving group and found about what she expected. Eagerness, frustration, interest, and excitement seemed to emanate off of every person.
“Thank you for coming.” Ree looked around at everyone, keenly aware that they were all waiting for her to speak. “I’m not sure what you’ve been told, but we need your help.”
“We had to do it all ourselves. Why do you get help?” A bored looking man from the back frowned at Ree. The rolling of his Scottish accent seemed to accentuate his disgust. “A few Dark Ones too much for you to handle?”
Roland laughed, a deep, dark sound that filled the area. He turned to look at the Guardian and unleashed his fangs. “Niall, do you really think we would need your help with a few Dark Ones? You’re only here to play babysitter for some humans.”
Ree stared at the opinionated Guardian, he looked like he was no more than fifteen years old. He was wearing dark jeans and a T-shirt that had nothing but a hand holding up its middle finger. Charming. Paden tensed behind Ree, his temper snapping at the young man.
“We don’t need you to take care of any Dark Ones. We need you to ride herd on some humans. The Dark Ones are targeting any human from an immortal line, anyone that has something extra in their veins.” Ree was looking at Niall, but she spoke to everyone. “We’ve been given permission to bring them to the island.”
Some of the Guardians were muttering under their breath a few of them out-and-out shocked by the news. The girl with the dark eyes stepped forward and held out her hand to Ree.
“What do you go by, Alastriana?”
“Ree.” She reached out and shook the Guardians’ hand.
“Sakhmet.” The girl smiled at Ree. “Call me, Met. I’m used to it.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Ree returned the girl’s smile. “Thank you for coming.” She turned to look at everyone else. “Thank you all for coming.”
“The Dark Ones are really hunting down the immortal lines?” A woman who looked to be in her late twenties asked.
“It’s more than that, Magda.” Roland turned to look at the Guardian. “They are doing it so it’s making headlines. It started out slow and methodical, but has escalated. Last night they attacked four homes, caused several car accidents, and there are a many dead and missing people.”
“What about the civilians? The cops and military?” A tall man with a deep voice asked. He stood next to Magda, his arm brushing against hers.
“The police are blaming it on gangs. There is no military involvement yet, but this could blow up into a terrible mess any minute.” Ree looked over her shoulder at Paden. He nodded his head in encouragement. “I’m not asking for you to fight my battle. I’m not asking for you to clear out the city. We just need help rounding up the people that are in most danger and getting them to safety. To the island.”
“Well, that’s disappointing.” Met frowned. “I was kind of hoping to kick some ass while I was here.”
“For now, we just need to get organized and start bringing the humans over.” Roland looked at Met, the corners of his mouth twitching.
“Well, tell us what we need to do, then.” Met walked toward the house and made her way into
the living room. She winked at Weylin, who was openly staring at the woman. Ree caught his eye and pointed to her head. Very carefully she mouthed the words, brain-bleach. He smiled widely and sauntered into the house after Met. Melanie followed, shaking her head. Ree stood by the door, greeting everyone that entered the house. When Niall neared her, Roland stepped behind Ree, mirroring Paden’s protective stance. The young man peered at Ree through the hair that lay on his forehead as if weighing her. His inspection moved to Paden before slipping to Roland.
“So, you have a Guardian and Roland already working with you.” His voice was dripping with condescension.
“Yes.” Ree nodded her head.
“And the other two who were standing up here? You seem to know them.” His eyes slid over Roland and lingered on Paden.
“They are my Guardians as well.” Ree wondered what Niall was getting at. She could feel that he was working to keep his emotions to himself, and he was doing a good job.
“You have three Guardians.” Niall narrowed his eyes at Ree. She could feel something bubbling under the surface, but she wasn’t sure what he was hiding.
“Five. She has five Guardians.” Paden’s voice was calm, but the warning under the surface was obvious to everyone.
“What makes you so special?” Niall’s face twisted in a sneer.
“Because she is the last Alastriana.The last to fight for Earth.” Paden moved even closer to Ree. “Because she is special.”
“They’re all special, aren’t they?” Niall moved without a sound. Spinning in spot, he brought out a dagger and swiped at Ree. She moved backward to avoid his strike, her hand raising automatically and glowing with power. Paden and Roland acted in unison in a move that must’ve been choreographed. Niall was lying on the ground in a matter of seconds, his blade lying on the other side of the clearing, his face amused. He looked up into Paden’s eyes and began to chuckle.
“You should find someone else, godling. Loving an Alastriana will leave you broken-hearted. If she makes it through the battle you will have to watch her waste away.” Niall’s voice cracked and his grip on his emotions slipped for just long enough for Ree to understand.
Immortal Grave (The Dark Betrayal Trilogy) Page 16
