“You’re up early,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant. Nonchalant had never really been her specialty, but if there was one thing she’d learned from the Sirens, it was that morning-after awkwardness killed the mood like nothing else, so better to avoid it altogether. “Any chance you made coffee? I don’t operate well unless I have caffeine. Well, food too. We burned off so many calories last night, I definitely need food.”
She was rambling. But this time she didn’t care. He seemed to like it when she rambled.
He pulled a black knit hat out of the box, replaced the lid, and set the box back on the shelf. Handing her the hat, he stepped around her and said, “I’ll find you a coat.”
Two things hit Daphne at once. He was definitely avoiding eye contact—or any contact for that matter. And he was getting her dressed for outside weather.
“A coat for what?” She snagged the sleeve of his shirt before he could get all the way past her. “What’s going on, Ari?”
He gently pulled his sleeve from her fingers and moved back a step. “I’m taking you into town. You need to get back to wherever it is you came from and I need to get back to the way things always are for me.”
He was pushing her away. The realization hit like a punch to the gut. Last night had meant something if he was kicking her out like this. She stepped away from the wall. “I liked last night, and I know you liked it too. I don’t want to leave.”
“Well, you don’t get a say in it.” He moved for the door. “It’s safer for you if you just go.”
Safer... Safer, she realized...from him.
She darted around him, stopping in the hallway, preventing his exit. “Silas told me about your blackouts. I’m not afraid of them. I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”
He turned his mismatched eyes on her. But unlike last night, they weren’t soft and dreamy. They were hard and icy. “Silas should learn to keep his big mouth shut.”
He tried to move past her again, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest. “He cares about you. That’s why he told me. And they’re not your fault.”
Those steely eyes narrowed. “You don’t know what they are, and you don’t want to be around when they happen.” He grasped her wrist and pulled it away from his chest, then stepped around her. “This isn’t up for negotiation. We’re leaving in fifteen minutes whether you’re dressed or not. It’s cold outside. I suggest you listen.”
He stomped out of the room before Daphne could stop him, but as soon as he was gone, her stomach sank and all the excitement she’d felt last night leaked out of her like a balloon deflating. Dropping down to sit on the hearth, she clutched the blanket at her chest and tried to stop her silly heart from aching.
If he wanted her gone, there wasn’t anything she could do to stop him from kicking her out. She wasn’t strong enough to intimidate him, sex clearly hadn’t worked to seduce him, and Silas was gone, so she didn’t even have the half breed on her side to talk some sense into the Argonaut. But what really hurt was the fact she’d failed. Not at her mission—she’d decided last night she wasn’t about to let Zeus manipulate her into doing his dirty work ever again—but at convincing Ari he wasn’t the monster everyone thought him to be.
Her gaze drifted to the rug where they’d slept tangled together, then to the clothes he’d left for her. And as both blurred in front of her eyes, she realized something else.
Without the Sirens, without a purpose in her life, she had no idea where she would go from here.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The howling wind was nothing but a dull hum lost in the roar of the engine as Ari maneuvered the snowmobile around a tree. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to distract him from the simmering heat at his back.
He tried to focus on the solid handlebars beneath his gloves, on his knees pressing against the seat between his legs. The machine was an extension of himself, the skis slipping over the pristine snow with ease, familiar and comforting. But the warm circle around his waist where Daphne held on for dear life kept distracting him. And the pressure of her thighs against the backs of his legs, the press of her breasts along his spine—even through the thick jackets they both wore—definitely wasn’t comforting. It was arousing as hell, and every time she flexed her arms and moved even closer to hold on tighter, he remembered what it had felt like to have her wrapped around him last night. Naked and begging for his touch.
He zigzagged around trees, heading down the mountain toward the small town at the mouth of Lake Shannon. He had plenty of money to give her. From there she could catch a bus into Seattle then hop a plane wherever she wanted to go. Bottom line, though, was that where she went from here wasn’t his concern. He was doing the right thing by making her leave. Getting her to safety before he snapped and did something he’d regret.
A heavy hand knocked into his shoulder. Realizing she was trying to get his attention, Ari turned his head, intent on telling her to sit still until they got to their destination. But one look was all it took to realize she was focused on something off in the trees.
Ari slowed the snowmobile. Before the machine came to a complete stop, she jumped into the snow and tugged off her helmet.
He quickly pulled off his own helmet and grasped her by the sleeve. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I saw someone.” She tugged free of his grip and darted into the trees before he could stop her, her too-big boots sinking into the new powder with every step.
“Skata.” Ari dropped his helmet on the seat and followed, his own boots sinking all the way to his ankles. Someone could be something. She could have seen a damn daemon for all she knew. Yeah, she was ticked at him for making her leave, but this wasn’t ticked. This was stupid. “Come back here, before I—”
His words cut off when he passed a large tree. A trail of blood stained the snow and led from the tree around a large boulder. A warning tingle slid down Ari’s spine. He reached for the dagger he’d strapped to his thigh before they’d left the hold. “Daphne, come back to me right now.”
A grunt echoed from behind the boulder. Ari gripped the dagger and bolted around the rock, then slowed when he saw the horror.
Daphne knelt next to a female leaning against the rock in the snow, the front of Daphne’s pants and jacket red with blood.
His heart lurched into his throat, and he rushed forward. “Holy gods. Are you—?”
“It’s not me,” Daphne said quickly, tugging off her gloves. “It’s not my blood.”
She pressed her hands against the female’s shoulder. Blood gurgled between Daphne’s fingers, ran down the female’s arm, and dripped onto the snow at her side. “She’s hurt. We have to help her.”
Relief that it wasn’t Daphne’s blood whipped through Ari, slowing his steps, but that relief waned when he turned his attention to the female. She was dressed in knee-high black snow boots, slim black pants, and a thin jacket. Nothing someone who spent a lot of time in the snow would wear. Her thick mane, a mixture of blonde and brown and red, hung past her shoulders in a sleek wave, and her brilliant blue eyes were guarded as she stared over Daphne’s shoulder toward him. On the ground beside her injured hand, lay a very unique, very intricately carved bow. A bow Ari had definitely seen before.
Siren.
The word ricocheted in his head like a marble zinging around a track. He waited for the rage, for the blackness to overtake him, but nothing happened. Looking out over the trees, he searched for anyone else, but the snowy forest was cold and silent.
“Ari,” Daphne said, her voice dragging his attention back to her. “She needs help.”
Ari watched the blood bubble through Daphne’s fingers. She wanted him to help a Siren, the same being he hunted.
Except...he wasn’t hunting this one. He hadn’t even known she was in the area, which totally went against everything he knew and understood.
“Ari,” Daphne said again, looking over her shoulder with pleading eyes. “She’s going to die if you don’t help her. Please.”
<
br /> That duty that was ingrained in his DNA kicked into gear, forcing his feet forward before he could stop them. He knelt on the Siren’s other side and rubbed his hands against the thighs of his pants. The female whispered something to Daphne he didn’t catch. In response, Daphne said, “Shh... It’s going to be okay. Trust me.”
Ari wasn’t so sure. He didn’t know what would happen when he touched the Siren, but that duty wouldn’t let him leave. Regardless of what she was, she was injured, and he had the healing gift that could save her. To Daphne, he said, “Move your hands.”
The Siren’s jacket was shredded in three long, angled lines, blood seeping through the garment and running down her arm. Ari reached for the Siren’s ripped collar. The female’s eyes grew even wider, and she jerked back against the rocks.
“He’s not going to kill you,” Daphne said, scooting forward and placing a hand on the Siren’s arm to steady her. “I promise.”
The Siren looked from Daphne back to Ari, and though fear reflected deeply in her eyes, she stilled.
She knew who Ari was. She’d probably been in these woods to kill him, and here he was about to save her life. The irony wasn’t lost on him, and for a split second he considered getting up, dragging Daphne with him back to the snowmobile so the Siren could die as she deserved, but as soon as the thought hit, he knew he wouldn’t do it.
“Damn duty,” he muttered. Then louder to Daphne, “We need to get this jacket off. I can’t reach the wound like this.”
Daphne grasped the ripped fabric in both hands and pulled, tearing through the Siren’s jacket so they could peel it away from the wound. Three large claw marks ran in a diagonal pattern over the Siren’s shoulder and down past her collarbone.
“A daemon,” Daphne said, staring at the wound.
That was exactly what it looked like to Ari. And where there was one, there was always more. He shifted closer to the Siren, intent on getting this over and done with fast.
“How many?” Daphne asked the Siren. “And what happened to them?”
“Th-three,” the Siren answered. “We killed two. The third”—she cringed in pain and adjusted against the rock—“the third took...Rhebekah...into the woods.”
Daphne closed her eyes for a quick second, then opened them. “Was she alive?”
The Siren shook her head. “I...I don’t know.”
Two Sirens in the area, and he hadn’t sensed either. Ari didn’t know what the hell was going on, but when Daphne turned to look at him with pleading green eyes, he knew they were done wasting time.
He reached for the Siren’s shoulder. “Hold her still. This will hurt.”
The Siren tensed, but Ari laid his hands over her wound before she could jerk away again. Heat gathered beneath his palms, penetrating the wound and stitching it back together. A warm yellow glow radiated from below his fingers and palms. The Siren cried out as the heat and energy shot through her body, but Daphne held her down, preventing her from moving and disrupting the process. Seconds later, it was over, the wound sealed. The glow subsided, and Ari lifted his hands to check the result. Nothing but thin red lines remained on her skin.
“Will she live?” Daphne asked, looking at what he’d done.
Unfortunately for him, yes.
Knowing Daphne wouldn’t want to hear that, he pushed to his feet. “Her wounds weren’t nearly as bad as yours.” He glanced at the Siren. Her head was tipped against the rock, her damp hair stuck to her temple, her eyes half-lidded as she breathed through the remainder of the pain. “In an hour or so she should be fine.”
“Thank the gods,” Daphne breathed.
Ari didn’t thank the gods for anything. But as he studied Daphne’s profile, the strong jawline, small nose, and the determined chin, he remembered her horror last night at learning Zeus’s Sirens had destroyed her village and killed her parents. She, of all people, should want to see a Siren dead, but here she was, relieved that he’d saved one.
That icy space in his chest that had warmed and expanded because of her grew even wider, making his heart beat harder, making his fingers tingle with the urge to reach for her, to drag her close, to ask her what the hell she was doing to him. But he knew this wasn’t the time or the place, and he definitely didn’t want to have that conversation in front of his archenemy.
“Stay here.” He tugged off his jacket and laid it over the Siren. “I’m going to have a look around.”
He made it three steps away before Daphne’s hand captured his arm. Before he could ask what she wanted, she rose on her toes and pressed her cold lips against the scruff on his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for helping her.”
She let go of him, knelt back by the Siren, pulled his jacked up to the Siren’s neck and whispered words Ari didn’t catch. And as he watched, that cold space deep inside heated until only warmth remained.
* * *
“What the hell are you doing here?” Daphne whispered when Ari disappeared into the trees. “And what in Hades happened?”
Sappheire adjusted against the rocks, sitting more upright. “Athena sent us to find out what was taking you so long. We were looking for you.”
Unease filtered through Daphne’s belly. If Athena had sent Sappheire and Rhebekah, she could easily send more Sirens. She needed to think fast. “I hit a snag.”
“No shit,” Sappheire grunted. “What’s going on, Daphne? Why did he heal me? He has to know what I am.”
Daphne fixed the jacket over Sappheire’s bare shoulder then sank back on her heels. “He does. I could tell by the way he looked at you. But he’s not what you think.”
Sappheire’s brilliant blue eyes narrowed. “I don’t understand. He should have killed me already.”
Daphne brushed her hair over the shoulder of her jacket and braced her hands on her thighs. “He’s not crazy, Sappheire. Not like they want us to believe. They lied to us—Athena, Zeus, all of them. He’s not the monster they say he is. You’ve seen it for yourself.”
Sappheire’s eyes grew skeptical. “He’s got you under some kind of spell. What have you been do—”
Ari’s shout echoed through the trees, cutting off Sappheire’s words. Frustrated that Sappheire so easily believed the lies they’d been fed, Daphne whispered, “There’s no spell. I’ve simply opened my eyes.”
She turned toward the trees where Ari appeared, stomping through the snow.
“I found two dead daemons and a trail of blood.” He wiped his blade against his thigh, then sheathed it at his hip. “The third’s no longer a problem.” He looked down at Sappheire. “Your friend was dead by the time I got there. I’m sorry.”
Daphne’s heart pinched as she looked back at Sappheire. Daphne hadn’t known Rhebekah long, but Rhebekah and Sappheire had been close. Emotions ran over Sappheire’s face as she glanced around the snowy forest, clearly not seeing any of it. “I...”
“Are you sure there were only three?” Ari asked.
Brow drawn low, Sappheire finally looked up. “Three?”
“Daemons. Did you see any others?”
“No.” Sappheire shook her head and swallowed hard. “No, only three. They surprised us. We heard voices over the ridge and went to look. It...it must have been them.”
Ari glanced toward Daphne. “Voices could mean more. I can handle a handful of daemons on my own, but not an entire horde, not with you both here, and not with fresh blood in the area. We need to go.”
Fear wrapped an icy hand around Daphne’s chest and squeezed. She remembered all too well the horror of being caught with those daemons. She pushed to her feet. “Can the snowmobile hold all three of us? I can—”
“I’m not going with you.”
Daphne’s gaze snapped to her mentor. “Of course you are. You can’t stay out here, especially if there are more daemons in the ar—”
“I’m not going with you,” Sappheire said again. “I know how to get home on my own.”
“But—”
“No buts.”
Gritting her teeth, Sappheire pushed up to standing. Her arm hung limply against her side as she leaned back against the rocks, but it was clear Ari’s healing powers had worked. She looked past Daphne toward Ari at her back. “Thank you. For killing that last daemon. Where is she?”
Ari nodded toward the trees. “Fifty yards that way. You’ll see the rocks. She’s behind those.”
Sappheire eased away from the boulder and took a step past Daphne.
“Wait.” Panic pushed at Daphne’s chest. They couldn’t just leave Sappheire out here, not if there were more daemons in the area.
“I’m fine.” Sappheire pinned her with a hard look. “I’m getting Rhebekah and taking her home. Go, Daphne, before anything else appears.”
Before any other Sirens appear. Daphne heard the warning loud and clear. Sappheire was letting Ari go. But Daphne had no idea if the Siren meant to bring other Sirens back or if she’d tell Athena what she’d witnessed.
A new sense of urgency gripped Daphne. “She’s right.” She grabbed hold of Ari’s sleeve and pulled him toward the snowmobile. “We need to go.”
She picked up her helmet as they drew close, grabbed his and handed it to him. He was watching her curiously as she sat on the snowmobile and snapped her chinstrap, and she knew he was wondering what the hell had just happened, but she didn’t have an answer, and she didn’t want to get into it now. Now they just needed to put as much distance between them and this location as they could, in any direction.
“Come on,” she said when he only continued to stare at her. “I thought we were going.”
“She called you Daphne.” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t remember saying your name in front of her. Do you know that Siren?”
Oh shit...
Daphne’s stomach drew tight as a drum, and her mind spun as she tried to think of an answer—any answer—that would make sense. But before she could latch on to one, Ari drew in a deep whiff through his nose and growled.
Ravaged: An Eternal Guardians Novella (1001 Dark Nights) Page 8
