Though she had denied it, Sienna had been Bait. Shed kissed him even as shed poisoned himand shed merely been human. What kind of damage could this Harpy do?
Let Sabin worry about this one for now. You have enough on your plate ofuck.
Finally, she decided to follow Sabin and headed inside, her steps tentative.
The prisoners are in need of interrogating, Paris said to no one in particular.
Cameo flipped her dark hair over one shoulder and bent to grab her bag. No one tried to help her. They treated her like one of the guys because she preferred it that way. At least, thats what hed always told himself. Hed never tried to treat her as anything else because hed never wanted to sleep with her. Perhaps she would have liked to be pampered upon occasion.
Maybe tomorrow, she said, her tragic voice nearly making his eardrums bleed. I need to rest. Without another wordthank the godsshe marched inside.
As well as Paris knew women, he knew beyond any doubt that she was lying. Thered been a sparkle in her eyes, a rosy flush to her cheeks. Shed looked aroused, not tired. Who did she plan to meet?
Shed been hanging with Torin a lot lately andParis blinked. No, surely not. Torin couldnt touch anotherbeing skin to skin without infecting it with diseaseas well as everyone that person encountered, causing a plague to sweep the land. Not even an immortal was safe from harm. That immortal wouldnt die, but would become like Torin, unable to know the caress of another without severe consequences.
Didnt matter what they were up to, really. He had work to do. Anyone? Paris said to those remaining. He wanted this shit over with, like, now. The sooner he finished beating information out of the Hunters, the sooner he could barricade himself inside his room and forget he was alive.
Strider whistled under his breath, pretending not to hear him as he edged toward the front door.
What the hell? No one appreciated violence better than Strider. Strider, man. I know you heard me. Help me with the interrogation, yeah?
Oh, come on! At least wait until tomorrow. Not like theyre going anywhere. I just need a little me time to recover. Like Cameo, Ill be ready to go bright and early. Swear to the gods.
Paris sighed. Fine. Go. Were Cameo and Strider a couple, then? What about you, Amun?
Amun nodded his assent, but the action tossed his equilibrium into the shitter and he collapsed on the bottom step of the porch with a moan.
Barely a second later, Strider was at his side and wrapping an arm around his waist. Uncle Stridey is here, dont you worry. He hefted the usually stoic warrior to his feet. Would have carried him if it had been necessary, but with Strider as a crutch Amun was able to throw one foot in front of the other, only stumbling occasionally.
Ill help with the Hunters, Aeron said, stepping upto Paris. The offer surprised the hell out of him, truth be told.
What about Legion? Girl probably misses you.
Aeron shook his head. His hair was cropped to his scalp and that scalp glistened in the sunlight. Shed be on my shoulders right now if she were here.
Sorry. No one knew better than Paris how it felt to miss a female. Though he had to admit hed been surprised to discover the wiry little demon was a female.
Its for the best. A veined hand scrubbed Aerons tired face. Somethings beenwatching me. A presence. Powerful. Started about a week before we left for Cairo.
Pariss stomach tightened in dread. First, you have a nasty habit of keeping that kind of information to yourself. You should have told us the first time you noticed it, just as you should have told us what happened with the Titans the moment you returned from your heavenly summons all those months ago. Whoevers watching you could have alerted the Hunters about our trip. We could have
Youre right, and Im sorry. But I dont think it, whatever it is, works for the Hunters.
Why? Paris demanded, unwilling to let it go.
I know the feel of those hateful, judging eyes on me and this isnt like that. This one iscurious.
He relaxed somewhat. Maybe its a god.
I dont think so. Legion isnt afraid of the gods but shes damn afraid of whoever this is. Thats one of the reasons shes so amenable to going to hell for Sabins recon work. She told me shed return when the presence was gone.
There was worry in the guys tone. Worry Paris didnt understand. Legion might have been a tiny demon witha penchant for tiaraswhich theyd discovered not long ago, when shed stolen one of Anyas and paraded around the fortress in it, proud as could bebut she could take care of herself.
Paris turned in a circle, intent. Is your shadow here? Now? Like they needed another enemy. Maybe I can seduce whoever, whatever, it is away from you. And kill it. No telling what it had learned already.
A single shake of Aerons head. I honestly dont think it means us harm.
He paused, slowly released a pent-up breath. All right, then. Well deal with that later. Just let me know when it returns. Right now, well take care of the dungeon full of shitheads.
You sound more human every day, you know that? Aeron had said that before, but for once, he didnt sound disapproving. There was a whistle as he unsheathed a machete from the loop at his back. Maybe the Hunters will resist.
Only if were lucky.
TORIN, KEEPER OF DISEASE, sat at his desk, but he faced the door of his bedroom rather than the monitors that linked him to the outside world. Hed watched the SUVs pull into the driveway and had instantly grown hard. Hed watched the warriors emerge and had had to palm himself to assuage the sudden ache. Watched as one by one theyd entered the fortress. Any moment and
Cameo slipped quietly inside his chamber and shut the entrance with a soft snick. She flipped the lock, and for several ticks of the clock, kept her back to him. Long dark hair tumbled to her waist, curling at the ends.
Once, shed allowed him to twirl a few of those ends around his gloveless finger, careful, so careful not totouch her skin. It had been his first true contact with a woman in hundreds of years. Hed almost come, just from the feel of those silky strands. But that small touch was all shed permitted, all she could ever permit and all he could ever risk.
Actually, he was surprised theyd risked even that much. With his gloves on, sure. The chance of infecting her was nil. But tendrils against skin, silk against warmth, female against male? That required bravery and trust on her part and desperation and foolishness on his. Hair wasnt skin, but what if hed slipped? What if shed fallen against him? For some reason, neither of them had been able to make the consequences matter.
Last time hed touched a woman, an entire village had been wiped out. Black Plague, theyd called it. Thats what was inside him, swirling in his veins, laughing in his mind. For years afterward, Torin had scrubbed his skin until the black blood poured from him. Cleansing himself of the virus proved impossible, however.