Some of us dont handle flashing all that well. His eyes darted pointedly to Sabin.
So some of you are babies? The words were out before she could stop them. It was something she would have said to her sisters, the only people in the world she could be herself around without fear of recrimination. Bianka, Taliyah and Kaia understood her, loved her and would do anything to protect her.
Rather than offend Strider, however, her words amused him. He barked out a laugh. Something like that, though Sabin, Reyes and Paris prefer to think they catch a virus whenever theyre flashed somewhere.
Twins Bianka and Kaia were the same way. Theyd rather believe they were stricken by infirmity than cop to a limitation. Taliyah, cold as ice and twice as hard, simply didnt react to anything.
Slowly Striders merriment faded and he studied Gwen intently from head to toe. You know, youre different than I expected.
Hold your ground. Dont squirm. What do you mean?
Wellwait, will what I say offend you?
And cause her to erupt, was what he was really asking. Seemed he was as afraid of her dark side as she was. No. Maybe.
His intense stare probed all the deeper as he weighed the legitimacy of her claim. He must have seen the determination in her features because he nodded. I think Ive said this before, but from what little I know, Harpies are hideous creatures with misshapen faces, sharp beaks and the lower half of a bird. Theyre spiteful and pitiless. Youyoure none of those things.
Had he so easily forgotten what shed done to Chris?
She glanced over at Sabin, who hadnt budged. His breathing was deep, even, his lemon and mint scent wafting to her. Hadnt he reminded Strider that not all legends were completely true? We have a bad rap, thats all.
No, its more than that.
For her, yeah. Not that she could tell him. Her sisterslucky as they werehad shape-shifter fathers. Taliyahs was a snake, the twins a phoenix. Hers, on the other hand, was an angela fact she was forbidden to talk about. Ever. Angels were too pure, too good for her kind to respect, and Gwen had enough weaknesses. As always, the thought of her father had her flattening a palm over her heart.
While Harpies were mainly a matriarchal society, fathers were allowed to see their children if they so wished. Both of her sisters fathers had chosen to be part of their daughters lives. Gwens hadnt gotten the chance. Her mother had forbidden it. Shed merely given Gwen a portrait of him to warn Gwen of what she would becometoo morally superior even to steal her own food, unable to lie, concerned about others rather than herselfif she wasnt careful. And after Tabitha had washed her hands of Gwen, labeling her a lost cause, Gwens father still hadnt tried to make contact. Did he even know she existed? A tide of longing swept through her.
All her life shed had dreams of her father fighting any and everything to reach her, to whisk her into his arms and fly her away. Dreams of his love and devotion. Dreams of living in the heavens with him, protected forevermore from the worlds evil and her own dark side.
She sighed. Only one name was to be mentionedwhen speaking of her lineage and that was Lucifer. He was strong, wily, vengeful, violentin short, a poor enemy to have. People were less likely to mess with her, with any of them, if they thought the prince of darkness would be gunning for them.
And, to be honest, claiming him as family wasnt technically a lie. Lucifer was her great-grandfather. Her mothers grandfather. Gwen had never met him, for his year on earth had ended long before her birth, and she hoped they never crossed paths. Even the thought made her shudder.
Carefully considering her next words, she breathed deeply, taking in Striders aroma of wood smoke and all that delicious cinnamon. Sadly, even that lacked the decadence of Sabins scent. Humans place a negative connotation on everything they cannot understand, she said. In their minds, good always conquers evil, so anything stronger than they are is evil. And evil is, of course, ugly.
Very true.
There was a wealth of understanding in his tone. Now was as good a time as any to determine just what he understood, she supposed. I know you are immortal, like me, she began, but I havent figured out exactly what you are.
He shifted uncomfortably, glancing at his friends for support. Everyone listening quickly looked away. Strider sighed, an echo of the one shed released earlier. We were once soldiers for the gods.
Once, but no longer. But what
How old are you? he asked, cutting her off.
Gwen wanted to protest the abrupt change of topic. Instead, coward that she was, she weighed the pros and cons of admitting the truth, asking herself the three questions every Harpy mother taught her daughters: Was it information that could be used against her? Would keeping it secret award her some type of advantage? Would a lie serve just as well, if not better?
No harm, she decided. No advantage, either, but she didnt mind. Twenty-seven.
His brow puckered, and he blinked over at her. Twenty-seven hundred years, right?
If he were speaking to Taliyah, yes. No. Just twentyseven plain, ordinary years.
You dont mean human years, do you?
No. I mean dog years, she said dryly, then pressed her lips together. Where was the filter that was usually poised over her mouth? Strider didnt seem to mind, though. Rather, he seemed stupefied. Would Sabin have had the same reaction were he awake? Whats so hard to believe about my age? As the question echoed between them, a thought occurred to her and she blanched. Do I look ancient?
No, no. Of course not. But youre immortal. Powerful.
And powerful immortals couldnt be young? Wait. He thought she was powerful? Pleasure bloomed inside her chest. In the past, that word had only been used to describe her sisters. Yeah, but Im still only twentyseven.
He reached outto do what, Gwen didnt know, didnt careand she shrank back in her seat. While shed craved Sabins touch from the beginningwhy, why, why?and had even pictured herself doing those very wicked things to him this morning, the thought of anyone else putting their hands on her held no appeal.
Striders arm dropped back to his side.
She relaxed, her eyes once again seeking Sabin. Hewas now red-faced, his jaw clenched. Bad dreams? Did all the men hed killed clamor inside his head, tormenting him? Perhaps it was a blessing Gwen wasnt allowing herself to sleep. She had experienced those types of nightmares herself and hated every second of them.
Are all Harpies as young as you? Strider asked, reclaiming her attention.
Was this information that could be used against her? Would keeping it secret award her some type of advantage? Would a lie serve just as well, if not better? No, she answered truthfully. My three sisters are quite a bit older. Prettier and stronger, too. She loved them too much to be jealous. Much. They wouldnt have been captured. No one can make them do anything they dont want. Nothing scares them.
Okay, she needed to shut up now. The more she spoke, the more her own failures and limitations were brought to light. Itd be better if these men assumed she had some cojones. But why can I not be like my sisters? Why do I run from danger when they race to it? If one of them had been attracted to Sabin, they would have viewed his distance as a challenge and seduced him.
Wait. Stop. That was craziness. She wasnt attracted to Sabin. He was handsome, yes, and shed even imagined herself making love to him. But that stemmed from a sense of gratitude. Hed set her free and slain one of her enemy. And yeah, she was also baffled by him. He was all that was violent and hard, yet he hadnt once hurt her. But admit to an attraction to the immortal warrior? Never.
When Gwen started dating again, she would pick a kind, considerate human who didnt rouse her darker side in any way. A kind, considerate human who preferred board meetings over swordplay. A kind, considerate human who made her feel cherished and accepted, despite her faults. Someone who made her feel normal.
Thats all shed ever wanted.
SABINS ATTENTION WAS zeroed on Gwen. Had been since theyd boarded the plane. Okay, fine. Since the moment hed met her. Hed thought she refused to relax because he intimidated her, so hed pretended to sleep. He must have been right because shed let down her guard and opened up. To Strider.
A fact that irritated the hell out of him.
He didnt dare wake up, though. Not even when hed heard Strider try to touch her, and Sabin had wanted to drive his fist into his friends nose, smashing cartilage into brain tissue. Their conversation fascinated him.
The girland thats what she was, a girl, only twentyseven fucking years old, which made him feel like Father fucking Timeconsidered herself a failure in every possible way, and her sisters paragons. Prettier? Not likely. Stronger? He shuddered. They wouldnt have been captured? Anyone could be taken unaware. Himself included. Nothing scared them? Everyone had a deep, dark fear. Again, even Sabin. He feared failure as much as Gideon feared spiders.
Timid as Gwen was and as shocked as shed been that day in the cavern, hed known she had doubts about her own strength and her feral abilities, but hed had no idea how deep they actually ran. The way she compared herself to her sisters proved she had doubts on top of doubts. Girl was riddled with them. And being around him would only make them worse.
All of his past lovers had been confident, self-reliant women. (Aged thirty-five and up, damn it.) Hed chosenthem for that very reason, their confidence. But theyd quickly changed, his demon sinking sharp claws of uncertainty through them and cutting deep. A few, like Darla, had even committed suicide, unable to bear the constant scrutiny of their appearance, their wit, the people around them. After Darla, hed given up on females and relationships once and for all.
Then hed seen Gwen. He desiredoh, did he desire. He could maybe allow himself one night with her and be able to justify it in some way, he thought. But he doubted one night would be enough. Not with her. There were too many ways to take her, too many things he wanted to do to that curvy little body.
Her lush beauty fired his blood every time he glanced at her, made his mouth water and his body ache. Her insecurity roused his protective instincts as much as his demons destructive urges. Her sunshine scent, buried underneath the grime shed yet to wash off, continually wafted to him, summoning him closercloser still
To give in was to destroy her. Dont forget.
Perhaps Ill be good. Perhaps Ill leave her alone.
At the sweet cajoling, Sabin bit his tongue, drawing blood. The demon wanted him to doubt its malicious intent. I fell for that once. I wont again.
You do that a lot, Strider said now to Gwendolyn, pulling Sabin from his musings.
What? Her voice was breathless, raspy. At first, Sabin had thought her fatigue responsible for such a timbre. But no, that hoarseness was all her. And pure sex.
Watch Sabin. Are you interested in him?
She gasped, obviously outraged. Of course not!
Sabin tried not to scowl. A little hesitation would have been nice.
Strider chuckled. I think you are. And guess what? Ive known him for thousands of years, so Ive got dirt.
So, she sputtered.
So. I dont mind spilling. I mean, Id be acting as a friend to both of you if I changed your mind about him.
Your friend undermines you, Doubt said, perhaps wants her for himself. Trusting him after this might not be wise.
Sabin experienced a moment of unease before he shook the feeling off. He warns her away for her own good. For my own good. Just as he claimed. Now shut it.
I want nothing to do with him, I assure you.
Then you wont care if I leave you without telling you what I know. Through his narrowed eyes, Sabin watched Strider push to his feet.
Gwen grabbed his wrist and jerked him back down. Wait.
Sabin had to grip the arms of his seat to stop himself from leaping up and separating them.
Tell me, she said, and released the warrior of her own accord.
Slowly Strider eased back into his chair. He was grinning. Even as limited as Sabins line of sight was, he could see the bright gleam of Striders teeth. He suddenly wanted to grin himself. Gwen was curious about him.
Probably wants to learn the best way to kill you.
Shut up, damn it!
Anything particular youd like to know? Strider asked her.
Why is he sodistant? She was still looking over at him, her gaze burning him, probing deep. I mean, is he like that with everyone or am I just a lucky girl?
Dont worry. Its not you. Hes like that with all females. He has to be. See, his demon is
Demon? Gwen gasped out. Her back jerked ramrod-straight, and her face leeched of color. Did you just say demon?
Oh, uhdid I say that? Strider once again glanced around the plane helplessly. No, no. I think I said seaman.
No, you said demons. Demons. Demons and Hunters and that butterfly tattoo. I should have guessed the moment I saw that tattoo, but you seemed so nice. I mean, you didnt hurt me, and thousands of people have butterfly tattoos. She, too, gazed around the plane, studying the warriors through new, wild eyes. On her feet a second later, she jumped away from Strider and backpedaled toward the bathroom. She extended her arms, as though the puny action could keep everyone at bay. II get it now. Youre the Lords, arent you? Immortal warriors the gods banished to earth. M-my sisters told me bedtime stories about your evils and conquests.