Thor bowed, concealing his relief. “I owe you another debt, Thunderer.”
“And when you marry my daughter, I will forgive them all.” Zeus waved a hand, dismissing him. “Go and feast. Drink until you cannot stand. Dionysus will ensure that none remember whose bed you choose to share.”
It was, perhaps, too tempting a thought.
Sun woke him the next morning, streaming through the window into his eyes. There was a soft groan beside him. A shapely arm reached for a tassel and then drapes shut out the light. Athena rolled onto her side to look at him, naked but for the sheet that covered her below the waist.
A rising anxiety swept over him as he tried to remember what had happened the previous night, but it was all a blur of wine and laughter.
She laughed and stroked his face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh at you, but your expression is so comical. Peace, Thor. I brought you here to keep you safe from my sister. We slept, that’s all.”
The reassurance allowed him to breathe, and he exhaled heavily. “I don’t remember much of the night.”
“Of course not. One of Dionysus’s duties is to keep us from agonizing over our drunken revelry. Father can’t stand when his feasts are ruined by fighting or regret. I assure you, you did nothing more than exchange a few kisses with anyone, and those you did not suffer gladly.”
“I thank you, Athena, for not taking advantage.”
She lay back, her arms flung over her head as she stared at the drapery above them. “I’m not sure anyone could take advantage of you, Thor, if you did not wish it.”
“Aphrodite showed great determination until Ares arrived.” He studied her face, wishing that the lines in her brow would smooth. He didn’t like the frustration in her eyes.
“My sister is not fool enough to flaunt herself in front of him. Ares would dearly love a contest of might with you, to prove himself the more powerful. And when he lost, he would shame us all by provoking a war, no doubt.” She looked at him and smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I think if she had won you, I might have helped him, though I never realized myself so jealous until now.”
He propped himself up on an elbow to look at her. “I shall always be flattered by your regard, though I cannot return your feelings.”
Her eyes met his and a flush crept up her body from her breasts to her cheeks. “Such pretty words. Odin trained you well not to give offense.”
“I do not offer them for my father’s sake.” He followed the blush to her chest to the edge of the sheet which hid the rest of her body from him. “But I wish I could speak otherwise, Athena. I wish I could offer you something better than this.”
She sat up, the sheet falling away, and brought her lips to his. He didn’t pull away, nor did he encourage her, and she sighed and turned away. “Perhaps the next time you join us, your heart will not be so unyielding.”
“Athena—”
He was stopped by a shake of her head. “You have given me no reason to hope, Thor. I know that. But let me pretend otherwise, just for this moment.”
He nodded, though her back was to him, and watched her in silence. He understood now, why she had invited him to her bed. Drunk as he had been, as she had ensured he would be, she had hoped he would turn to her for comfort. But the comfort she offered and desired was pain to him, his heart too sore still from Sif’s betrayal, and aching yet, for Eve. It had been, perhaps, an unsubtle test of his resolve, but between her sister Aphrodite, and her brother Dionysus, Athena could be sure that his refusal only came from his heart, and not some twisted sense of honor or allegiance. And she would know it applied to all, not just her, if he denied her sister as well.
It was a relief and a regret that it would come to this, and he hoped in her divine wisdom she would still be able to accept his friendship.
She dressed and when she turned to him again, her expression was pleasant. “Would you like to eat before you leave us?”
“If it would not be an imposition, I could use some food to sop up the last of the wine from my stomach.”
“Stay, I’ll find you fruit and bread. Perhaps this way my sister will not remember that you slipped away and take offense.” She smiled, and then left the room.
Alone, he dressed, wishing that his trouble could be as easily fixed as his hangover.
Chapter Twenty-five: Present
“Absolutely not!” Garrit had stopped pacing, and Eve would have been grateful if he weren’t glowering instead.
She sighed. Somehow, Garrit’s study always made her feel like an erring child, caught pulling hair on the playground. She stood up, hoping it would lessen the feeling if she weren’t sitting opposite his desk. She felt as though she was sacrificing Mia for the House of Lions. Or worse, for herself.
“If they’re here, we can keep an eye on both of them. I can make sure Mia is safe.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want him in my home, Abby. Not now, and certainly not more regularly. Mia makes you miserable, and it goes without saying how I feel about Adam. Our entire purpose as a family has been to keep him from you. To protect you from exactly this. You can’t expect me to believe that now he knows who he is, he’s given it all up and become content to be your brother-in-law.”
No, she didn’t expect anything of the sort. But she wanted to know if the person she knew Adam could be was still there, hidden somewhere. Paris might have been selfish and arrogant, but he hadn’t been a horrible human being. He had only wanted love. She wondered if that was what drove Adam now, too, buried beneath all the hubris. It wasn’t something Garrit would understand. She wasn’t even sure she did.
“I know what he’s capable of doing to her. You want me to just let her run off with him?”
Garrit ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath, as if gathering his patience. “You said you weren’t going to police her. You said you didn’t want to mother her. That if this was what she wanted, you had no right to interfere. You said she loves him freely. Or has this changed?”
She knew where he was going, but she could hardly lie. “No, it hasn’t changed. He hasn’t influenced her.”
“Then they leave.” His voice was firm. “Mia’s made her bed, and you’ve already made your choice not to meddle.”
“But Garrit—”
“Non, Abby.”
She flinched at his tone, and looked away.
He sighed, framing her face in his hands and kissing her forehead. Eve stepped into his arms, accepting the apology his body offered and hid her face in the curve of his shoulder.
“This family would move mountains for you,” he murmured. “We would do anything you asked. Provide for you under any circumstances. But not this, Abby. I won’t let him close to you this way.”
There was so much of Ryam in him. And Ryam had never been swayed from any course once his mind had been made up. “You won’t, or the family won’t?”
“It’s the same, either way. This is just a new way for him to try to hurt you.” He stroked her hair. “Not all mind games are played telepathically. If he had really changed, he wouldn’t have forced himself on you this way. You wouldn’t have to worry about what he’ll do to Mia if you let him leave.”
She pulled away and went to the window. The sun was up and the sky was clear for the moment. Juliette and René were out at the stables, and Eve could see them laughing as René gave her a leg up onto one of the mares. He slapped the animal on the rump, and Juliette let the horse have its head, shouting back over her shoulder to René to keep up. There were no dark flecks of odd shaped birds. She’d had the nightmare again last night though, of the sword through her stomach. She couldn’t decide which was worse, the nightmares of the mental ward or Michael.
“Let him leave.” She pressed her palm to the glass and stared into her own eyes. “I’m not letting him do anything.”
“Except drive you crazy.” His voice was bitter, and she flinched at his casual use of the word.
Crazy. Maybe she was, to think
Adam could be something more than this. It had taken much less influence than what Adam was capable of to send her to the mental ward in her last life. “How do you force a man to leave who can make you think you want him to stay as easily as breathing? How are you so sure he’ll go at all?”
“Because even a man like me knows when he’s been outmatched, sister.” She turned at his voice. Adam shut the door behind him and flashed a grin. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Garrit glared, his jaw tight. “If you hadn’t meant to interrupt, you wouldn’t have come. At all.”
“How can I resist when I’m given such a warm welcome?” Adam smirked.
“You have no business here,” Garrit snapped. “Not even as Mia’s husband.”
Adam’s eyes flashed. “You DeLeons are even more arrogant than I gave you credit for. You don’t tell the son of God what his business is.” His grin was feral, and his gaze slid to her. “But I forgot. You denied God generations ago when you started making alliances with pagans—”
Garrit lurched forward, but Eve caught him by the arm. “Get out of my house and off my land, Adam.”
“Stop. Both of you.” The room darkened as clouds drifted over the sun, and a chill went down her spine. She put a hand on Garrit’s chest and pushed him back a step before he could lunge at Adam’s throat. “This is ridiculous.”
Adam rolled his eyes. “And I thought Eve was easy to provoke.”
“Don’t bother stopping to collect your wife on your way out,” Garrit sneered.
“That isn’t playing fair, Monsieur DeLeon. What’s mine will come with me. If that means you have to wait another thirty minutes while she packs, that’s not my problem. What God has joined, and all that.” He glanced at Eve again. “What shall I tell Mia, then? Or would you prefer to explain why you’re casting us out yourself?”
Eve kept a hand on Garrit, just in case, though she wanted to slap him herself. Casting us out. That he would dare even use the expression after what he’d done—no. She wouldn’t let him upset her. Not now.
“You’re not doing yourself any favors, Adam. Garrit has been incredibly patient with you, all things considered, and so have I.”
He smirked. “I was kind of hoping you’d let him throw a few punches. For Mia’s sympathy.” Thunder rolled in and he sighed, glancing toward the window. His tone became suddenly reasonable, all insult draining from his voice. “We’ll be gone by nightfall, if that’s acceptable.”
Garrit nodded once and turned away.
She shook her head. Getting to know what made Adam tick wasn’t worth this, not now. “I’ll go find Mia and explain. In the meantime, please try not to kill one another.”
Garrit made a noise that sounded like a strangled laugh. “I can dream.”
She raised an eyebrow at Adam. Touch my husband, and I’ll make sure you regret it.
Adam nodded dismissively, his gaze shifting to the window, and the rain that had begun. Go to your sister. Then his lips twitched. Feel free to upset her.
She shut her mind to his before he could share anything more than the most general feeling of lust, and left the room before he succeeded in provoking her into an act of violence, too.
She found Mia in the entertainment room, watching soap operas on the widescreen television and eating chips.
“Oh, Abby.” Mia didn’t even look away from the television. “Did you want to watch Afterlife with me? What do you do all day when Garrit’s working? I thought the reason you couldn’t go on a honeymoon was because he had to work?”
“I can’t believe you still watch this show.” Eve sat down next to her on the sofa. She ignored the rest of the questions. How was she going to explain all of this in a way that didn’t sound like a punishment? None of this was Mia’s fault, really. She was a victim of circumstance. Eve scrubbed her face. “Mia, you and Ethan need to go.”
Mia finally looked at her, startled. “Why?”
“You should go see Mum and Dad. They’ll want to meet him.” Not that she wanted him anywhere near her parents. But he had given her his word. She had to rely on that now. A little trust, he’d said. And it would certainly make her feel much safer from Michael. She rubbed her stomach again. “And besides, you’ve got school starting up soon.”
“School? As if. I was only doing that so I could get a better job than food service.” Mia stared at her, frowning. “This is because you don’t like him, Abby. You think I don’t notice the way you stiffen when he walks in a room? What is it that bothers you so much about him?”
Eve looked into her sister’s eyes and wanted so much to give her an honest answer. It felt cowardly to lie, but she couldn’t take the risk. She wouldn’t take the risk of going back to an asylum. Not even for her sister. “He rubs me the wrong way, that’s all.”
Mia’s eyes narrowed. “He’s your brother-in-law now! Would it kill you to be nice to him? Or are you just mad because I married even better than you did?”
“This isn’t a competition, Mia. I don’t care how well you married. I’m glad that you think you married so well. You should feel that way—” She bit off the rest of her sentence, rocking back against the couch cushions with the realization. Mia should feel that way. How many times had she been married off to men who didn’t care at all about her? There had never been a time she didn’t know the difference. Never. And she hadn’t ever needed telepathy to tell her. Mia would never tolerate a man who wasn’t interested in her.
“Abby, are you all right? You’re white.”
She took a steadying breath, then forced herself to smile. “Yes.”
Mia wouldn’t spend a single day with a man who did not make her the center of his world. She didn’t have to trust Adam, but if Adam did love Mia, cared for her—
“But it doesn’t change anything,” she said firmly. It changed everything. “You have to go. You and Ethan need to start your life together. On your own. Away from us.” Away from me.
I said feel free to upset her, not manipulate her.
Adam’s voice in her head startled her. She hadn’t realized he was listening.
“If you don’t want us here, just say so. But I don’t understand what difference another two people makes, when Garrit’s entire family is here.”
“If you two go, then they will too, and we’ll all have a little bit of peace.” Only you would assume I was trying to manipulate her.
“Oh.” Mia glanced over her shoulder and her eyes lit up. “Ethan, you don’t mind terribly if we go visit my parents, do you?”
He was in the doorway, leaning against the frame. I doubt very much I’ll ever have peace, Eve, but that’s a nice wish. He smiled at her sister. “Of course not, Mia. Whatever you like.”
Eve shook her head and refused to reply to the thought. The dual conversation was aggravating. “I know they’ll be thrilled to meet you.”
Mia had always been their favorite. It wouldn’t have mattered who she brought home. Tattoos, piercings, bad hair, torn up clothing. He could be a penniless street urchin, and they would hug him and tell him how wonderful he was for Mia.
Jealousy doesn’t suit you.
She looked up. Adam studied her, his brow furrowed. Mia was going on about how excited Mama would be to meet him. How thrilled their parents would be that she had found someone so charming and so loving.
“We’d better go pack, then, if you want to leave this evening.” Mia took Adam by the hand and pulled him with her back out of the room. “You’ll like them so much, Ethan. And then we can go house shopping! But not too close to my parents. Mum will invite herself over if we’re not careful.”
Eve waited until she couldn’t hear Mia anymore before she stood up and turned off the television. Soap operas didn’t really hold her attention after millennia of watching it in the flesh. She sighed. Like now. She had the feeling it would be a very long time before any DeLeon was permitted to forget the truth again. The thought didn’t give her any comfort.
She returned to Garrit’s study.
He was still there, sitting behind his desk. But his eyes weren’t tracking on his paperwork, and it looked as though he’d been pulling on his hair.
He looked up at her when she walked in, and leaned back. “How did Mia take it?”
“She took it. She’s dragged Adam off to pack.”
“I’m sorry, Abby. For being so difficult about this.”
He pushed his chair back and she sat down in his lap, letting him wrap his arms around her. The rightness of it was a balm. This was where she was meant to be, now. With her family. With her people.
“You’re doing what you think is best. Just like Ryam would have. Just like Reu did.”
“Infinite patience must be one of your gifts.”
“No.” She watched the rain against the window. The thunder was distant now. Almost comforting in its rumble. “I can be just as impatient as anyone, given the right motivation.”
“You’ve never been impatient with me. Even when I refuse you.”
“You’re right to send them away, Garrit.” Saying it aloud made it feel even more so. Adam’s place was with Mia. Some of the guilt around her heart eased. “They need to get to know each other if they’re going to be husband and wife. And Mia will keep him busy.”
Garrit smiled. “Then perhaps you’ll have your honeymoon after all.”
“Somewhere tropical, with lots of sun?” She was surprised how much the idea appealed to her. “All this rain lately has been miserable. I may as well have been living in London.”
He laughed, lifting her from his lap and setting her back on her feet. “Give me an hour to make the arrangements, and you can thank me properly. We’ll leave first thing in the morning. Mieux vaut tard que jamais.”
Yes, much better late than never. She was halfway to the door before it occurred to her to ask, and then she turned. “Just us, Garrit? No security or family or anyone?”
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