A Guard for the Titan (TITANS, #3)

by Lazu, Sotia

  The sound of glass breaking had him doing up his jeans and blinking to the corridor. The bathroom door was closed, and he could make out Iphigenia’s singing under the burble of running water. He plastered his back to the wall and walked sideways to the living room. Before he could duck his head in for a quick glance, Rhea stomped in his line of sight, five heavily armed men behind her.

  “This time, I’m taking no chances,” she hissed.

  Atlas didn’t lose his calm. He’d been to every room in the house and could blink to the bathroom, to get Iphigenia out of here with the speed of thought. Still, no need to run if he could talk his way out of this. “You’re too late,” he told Rhea. “Iphigenia and I are bonded. I’m stable. Go now, and I won’t chase you down for what you tried to do to us.”

  Rhea shot him a withering glare, before shifting her gaze toward the sound of Iphigenia’s singing. “The mortal can still be useful. You’d do anything for your soulmate, wouldn’t you?”

  Atlas had no warning, before all five men shot him. Their bullets shouldn’t hurt, but they sliced through him, rendering him incapable of movement. What—?

  “Forged of Zeus’ lightening and imbued with my version of the stasis spell,” she told him in a sugary voice. “You’ll get out of it, but not in time.” To the human males, she said, “Get her. And don’t be too gentle. The bitch has given me enough trouble.”

  Atlas focused on moving even a single muscle in his body. On blinking to his soulmate. Nothing happened. He watched, helpless, as the men strode to the bathroom, and the first one kicked down the door.

  “Don’t hurt her,” Atlas yelled at Rhea, though no words made it past his lips. “She’s got your sister’s soul. Pleione’s soul.”

  Rhea snapped her head to him, eyes wide like twin full moons. “Pleione?”

  He was about to confirm it, when Rhea’s lips stretched into a frightening grin. “Oh, this is good. So much potential.”

  He searched her eyes for the gleam of madness, but she seemed perfectly in control as she called out, “What are you waiting for? Bring her to me.”

  Fuck. “Iphigenia, watch out,” Atlas yelled in his mind. He hoped Rhea’s spell, the distance, and the walls between them wouldn’t prevent Iphigenia from hearing him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Iphigenia smiled when she heard the door slam against the wall. “Thought you were feeding me first,” she called out, eyes closed against the water and shampoo suds. She was sore and throbbing, but gooseflesh broke along her skin, and her nipples puckered at the thought of Atlas joining her in the shower. His enormous body would look even more incredible, glistening with water. She moaned at the thought of his large palms lathering every centimeter of her skin before sliding between her legs. And maybe she could take one more round—

  “Iphigenia, watch out.” His scream bounced in her head, slicing through her daydream.

  She wiped her face and opened her eyes. Two dark shadows were visible through the fogged-up glass. Shit.

  As they closed in, she looked around frantically for something to use as a weapon, but the gleaming white-marble surfaces were bare of anything but bathing products. She unhooked the showerhead and grabbed the faucet with her other hand. She might not get out of this, but at least one of these guys was getting blisters for his trouble.

  The two figures stopped outside the shower, and the one on the right slid the glass pane open. “Out, or—” The rest of his threat was drowned in the scolding water jet Iphigenia shot straight into his face.

  “You bitch.” The second man raised the oddly angular bright-silver weapon—gun?—he was holding, and Iphigenia sent a short prayer to any deity paying attention, that she didn’t slip and break her skull, as she spun and landed a kick on his forearm.

  He lost his grip on the gun but managed a punch to her abdomen.

  Iphigenia doubled over, though the pain was nowhere near as bad as she expected. Before she could straighten up, the first man grabbed her by the hair and pulled her out, head first.

  His face was red, and his eyes wild with fury. “You’ll pay for that. Rhea doesn’t mind if we roughen you up a bit.” He threw a punch at her face, but the moment before his knuckles made contact with her cheek, her fingers closed around his wrist, as if of their own accord, and twisted. And snapped. She actually felt bone give way beneath her grip.

  What. The. Fuck?

  The man roared in fury and let go, to nurse his broken arm. His buddy took a step back, allowing Iphigenia to straighten up.

  A third man entered the bathroom. “They’re bonded. She’s got some of his strength.” He pointed his gun at her from a safe distance.

  And the surprises kept coming. How strong was she? Could she rip out a marble slab to throw at him? Could she order the wind around, like Atlas did?

  “Won’t do her much good,” said a fourth one from the doorway. He too was aiming at her.

  “Freakishly strong or not, we have enough juice to bring you down, so behave.” The man who’d hit her in the stomach reached for a large fluffy towel that hung behind him, and tossed it at her. “Come on.”

  Iphigenia had forgotten she was naked in front of her attackers, and the reminder sapped the blossoming hope that she could make it out of this, as much as their guns did. She was naked and outnumbered. And they obviously had Atlas, or he’d be ripping their heads off for ever laying eyes on her.

  She wrapped the towel around her body, and the man shoved her toward the door. The other two made way but kept their weird guns trained on her.

  She exited to the corridor, and was relieved to see Atlas in one piece, though he seemed as solid as when she’d first seen him. “What did you do to him?” she asked the queen bitch.

  Rhea smirked and motioned her closer, and the guy behind Iphigenia growled, “Move, or I’ll shoot.”

  “How do we get out of this?” Iphigenia thought at Atlas. He had to be able to hear her, if she’d heard him in the shower.

  “I don’t know, but we will. Whatever happens, I’ll find you. And if she’s touched one hair on your head, I’ll end her.” His reply was growled in her head with finality, but Iphigenia sensed the doubt beneath it. The fear. For her.

  “I am stronger than before. Maybe as strong as you,” she told him the same way. “I can fight her.”

  “I know what you two are doing,” Rhea sing-songed. “Your scheming won’t help you much, since Atlas is staying here and you’re coming with me.” She narrowed her eyes at Iphigenia. “You know, I never liked you. You were always so sure of yourself. So convinced you were above the rest of us.” She muttered something to herself, shook her head, and giggled like a kid.

  The woman was nuts. “You don’t even know me,” Iphigenia said.

  “Oh, I know you, Pleione.” Rhea sneered and turned to Atlas. “Once we’re safely away, my boys will let you know what you need to do, to see your soulmate again.”

  She grabbed Iphigenia’s arm, and... nothing.

  “What—?”

  “We’re anchoring her.” Circe appeared between them and Atlas, and blew a kiss at the nearest goon, who collapsed bonelessly to the floor. The other human men dropped too, as if a switch was turned.

  A palm as large as Atlas’ squeezed Iphigenia’s free hand, not as if someone grasped it, but like it’d been there and she only now noticed. She tried to raise her elbow, to slam it in the man’s solar plexus, but his hold was too firm. Besides, his solar plexus was much higher than she expected, since he towered over her. Another Titan?

  “Prometheus.” Atlas’ mental cry was laced with relief.

  “You can’t take all of us on, Rhea.” Eros materialized in the corridor, next to another huge-ass man. Another Titan? Was Iphigenia meeting her brothers in law in a towel? Her cheeks burning, she snatched her arm away from Rhea, who finally let go.

  The Titaness hissed in frustration. “All I want is my son back. All you need to do is wake up Kronos. He’s your brother. Why won’t you help me?” She s
eemed to honestly not get it.

  Since the others only exchanged glances and Atlas was still frozen, Iphigenia took it upon herself to reply. “Because from what I hear, he was an asshole who ate his own children.” Under her breath, she added, “And considering he was your hubby, I don’t find it hard to believe that he was batshit.”

  “You, shut up,” Rhea shrieked. “It’s all your fault.” She grew, as she spoke, until her head grazed the high ceiling, and her shoulders crowded the corridor.

  Iphigenia was too shocked to react, when Rhea’s oversized palm closed around her neck, choking her. Not again, damn it.

  “I think I’ll snap your neck, just because I feel like it.” Rhea squeezed and lifted, and black stars appeared before Iphigenia’s eyelids.

  No. Iphigenia wouldn’t faint this time. She scratched at Rhea’s wrist, but her fingers were too small to do any damage, despite her augmented strength. She looked at Circe. The witch would stop this. She’d done it before. Atlas raged in her head, threatening to skin Rhea alive and rip her beating heart from her chest as soon as he had control over his body again, but it would be too late.

  Iphigenia couldn’t believe the irony of finding her true love, her soulmate, only to lose him again.

  “You can’t,” Eros said, as casually as if they were talking about dinner. “She’s no longer mortal.”

  So Iphigenia was repeating herself, but— What. The. Fuck? Not mortal? Nobody checked with her on this. “If you knew, I swear I’ll nag you into the next millennium,” she muttered hoarsely at Atlas.

  Prometheus chuckled, and Atlas’ panicked thought came through loud and clear. “I swear I had no clue.”

  The third Titan rolled his eyes. “Will you let go, already? None of us is going to help you. I understand your pain, I really do, but this will get you nowhere. Leave the girl alone and go home. We promise not to come after you or your men,” he told Rhea.

  Rhea shook Iphigenia once, and then dropped her, to land not-so-elegantly on her knees. “I don’t need your help or your promises. Thanks to Atlas, I know what to do.” She blinked out of there without further warning.

  Atlas hurried to help Iphigenia up, whatever spell held him back now broken. He looked her up and down, and then crushed her into a hug that squished the air out of her lungs. She didn’t mind. The hard planes of his body pressing into her breasts and belly and thighs, his warmth enveloping her, made her feel safe. She belonged with him, and as much as the concept of immortality freaked her out, forever with Atlas wouldn’t be long enough.

  He tilted her chin up with his index finger and brushed his lips over hers. The fleeting contact sent heat speeding through her veins, her soreness forgotten in the face of her need for him. But she’d have to wait.

  He stepped back and looked at Rhea’s goons lying on the floor, before turning to Circe. “Wake them up. They’ll tell us where she went.”

  “They’re dead,” Circe said.

  Iphigenia gasped. “Dead?”

  Eyes downcast, Circe said, “I didn’t kill them. She did, before she left.”

  Eros clicked his fingers, and the bodies disappeared. “I’ll make sure they’re buried when we’re done here. But we need a plan for when Rhea strikes next. She’s unstable.”

  “Fuck.” Atlas squeezed his eyes shut.

  “Lovely word,” Prometheus said.

  “Can’t we celebrate this win, brother, now we’re on the same side?” The Titan Iphigenia had no name for pulled Atlas into a bear hug, and the love and happiness that flowed through their mental bond overrode Iphigenia’s shock and made tingle with delight. Her Titan didn’t just have her; he also had his family back.

  When they broke apart, Atlas motioned to him with his head. “This is Hyperion. He fathered the sun and the moon.”

  “And the dawn. Olivia made me swear any offspring I father with her will at least look human.” Hyperion held out his hand, and Iphigenia shook it with a grin. Holy fuck.

  Atlas wrapped one arm around Prometheus, who patted his back with a hearty laugh. “Good to have you back. Even better to see you haven’t lost your mind, like Rhea,” Prometheus told him.

  “I came close a couple times, but Iphigenia put me back together.”

  “I know how that feels.” Prometheus smiled at Iphigenia. “Pherusa, my soulmate, is dying to meet you since Eros told her about you. She wants to learn martial arts too.” He snorted. “Like she doesn’t kick my ass enough as it is.”

  “I’ll be happy to help,” Iphigenia said. “And thank you for putting us up. Your place is lovely, though I’m afraid you’ll need a new bathroom door.”

  Atlas grimaced. “The living room may need some redecorating too.”

  Eros clapped his hands. “Circe will fix that. Let me get your ladies, and you can all catch up. Take a couple days off. Enjoy the island.” He disappeared with a longing glance at Circe.

  The witch came closer. “The damage is mended, at least in the building. Rest up. Then we can regroup with Nereus and his people, and make plans.” She was out of sight before the last word was out.

  Iphigenia was getting used to this now-you-see-’em, now-you-don’t crap, and barely batted an eyelash. Judging by her track record, the witch would show up when she was needed. The name Circe mentioned rang a bell. “Nereus?” Where did she know that from?

  “King of the sea,” Atlas sent her.

  “He rules the only supernatural army on Earth. Well, technically, it’s in the sea,” Hyperion said.

  “He’s my father in law,” Prometheus added.

  Wow. Information overload. And was she a thousand percent sure she wasn’t still asleep in the museum?

  The throbbing at the apex of her thighs and the pleasant ache radiating from the bite mark that peeked above the towel assured Iphigenia she wasn’t. She was fully awake, and living the adventure she was born for.

  And once she traded in the towel for a T-shirt and another pair of shorts, she was ready for anything.

  Except for meeting the mermaid Eros brought with him when he reappeared. Correction—Nereid. Semantics, really, since Pherusa turned half-fish when she was submerged into water. And she invited Iphigenia to her father’s palace at the bottom of the sea.

  Iphigenia looked across the living room at Atlas, who joked with his brothers. Pherusa and Olivia were the only ones in the entire world who shared the experience of being bonded to a Titan. They were kind of like family.

  Olivia was human. Or had been, before bonding with Hyperion. She was from New York, but had gotten a crash-course in Greek from Eros and could easily follow and contribute to the conversation. She didn’t say much, though, mostly watching with an amused expression as Iphigenia rained questions on Pherusa about Vythos, her underwater kingdom.

  “Wow.” Iphigenia couldn’t wrap her mind around any of it, but what really stretched the limits of her imagination was that Pherusa had fifty siblings. “Please tell me your parents didn’t keep trying for the son.” She slapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. That was rude,” she mumbled behind her palm.

  Pherusa laughed. “No, Nerites was the firstborn.”

  “And does he have to marry all of you off, in true Greek fashion, before he gets settled down?”

  The Nereid’s chuckle sounded forced. “No. None of that. We have... our own tradition. He just hasn’t had much luck with love.” There was a story there, but Iphigenia wouldn’t pry.

  Instead, she asked, “So do you have any memories from before?”

  “Before?” Olivia tilted her head to the side.

  Pherusa frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Iphigenia took another sip of the martini Eros had served before making himself scarce for the night. “You know—before. When your souls belonged to the Titanesses? The originals? I freaked out when Atlas told me my soul initially belonged to Pleione.”

  The two women still gave her blank looks.

  Iphigenia bit her lip. She ought to drop it, but she couldn’t. They sho
uld know, shouldn’t they? She’d want to, in their place. “The reason our guys awakened is that the souls of the Titanesses they were meant for were reborn. Into us.”

  On the other side of the room, Hyperion and Prometheus raised their heads, alarmed.

  Oops?

  Chapter Eighteen

  “You sure know how to clear a room.” Atlas tried not to laugh at Iphigenia’s angry scowl. His brothers had swept their soulmates off to Vythos, to confront Circe. Neither of them had known about the reincarnated souls, and from what Atlas had seen of the witch, Eros would be in a lot of trouble for sharing that tidbit.

  Iphigenia poked his chest with her index finger. “You could have told me they didn’t know.”

  “I didn’t imagine, so how about those recycled souls of ours? would be your icebreaker. I thought you’d discuss the weather, your families, the amazing Titan you’re bonded to... You know.”

  She flared her nostrils, but inside, she was laughing. “I honestly didn’t mean to upset them, but I had to tell them. I’m immortal now. Stronger. Who knows how else the bonding has affected me? Us?” Her thoughts shied away from him, but not before he brushed past her worry.

  What was that about?

  “The future,” she answered his unasked question. “Anyway, now that our guests are gone—”

  “Technically, we’re the guests here.” He licked his lips, still tasting traces of their last kiss. “Feel like taking greater advantage of my brother’s hospitality? We could go back to bed. Or maybe try out the sofa. Any sofa?”

  She looped her arm around his. “One-track mind. I swear, you men...” She shook her head. “No. You said we’d eat. Where’s the food?”

  Right. He’d meant to take her to her parents’ for dinner. Should they drop in unannounced?