Well, she replied, chin lifting, jutting stubbornly. We wont fail. Theyd survived too much already.
No. We wont.
Their gazes locked together in a suspended moment of agreement and awareness. At least, she thought awareness was the other surprise battering between them. It was for her. She saw the strength in every line and curve of his face, the determination glittering in his eyes, the need parting those soft lips. Only he never reached out, never touched her. In the shower, hed promised her he wouldnt, and he was obviouslytragicallya man of his word.
Silent now, Amun pushed to his feet and turned away from her, shattering the tranquility of the moment.
Haidee straightened, and her trembling increased. Hed known who she was before their shower, yet still hed treated her with care. Hed held her, caressed her, hed even gotten hard simply being near her. Hed peered at her lips with utter longing, as if he couldnt exist another moment without lapping at her tongue.
What had changed since then?
The fact that shed mentioned breaking up with Micah? Well, a man who truly desired her would have been overjoyed by her suggestion. Yet Amun had stomped away from her and hadnt lowered his guard since.
Men! She would never understand them.
Come, he said, starting forward without looking back. I want to leave this area. Weve been here too long for my peace of mind.
They were in hell, or near enough. She doubted shed know peace ever again.
Im right behind you. As she followed him through the yawning opening of the cavern, she anchored the backpacks straps on her shoulders. No reason to toss it, and a thousand reasons to keep it. They could store rocks inside, even bones, and use each as weapons. If they lucked out and found berries or nuts, they could store the food for later. Still. That damn angel! He must be a demon in disguise, tricking them the way he had. And if she ever encountered the bastard again, she would probably knife him.
In fact, for what seemed an eternity, she distracted herself by considering all the ways she would torture him. A knee to the groin, an elbow to the cheek. A hard kick to the skull. When that began to bore her, she switched her mental target to Amun. But soon that, too, lost appeal as she and Amun trekked through the underground tunnel, the scenery unchanging. Only the growing soreness in her muscles and the constant ache in her booted feet indicated the passage of time. The leather of those boots was well-worn but not fitted to her arches, and blisters quickly formed on her tendons.
She endured without complaint for a little while longer, but really, she hated the suffocating silence between them, every second laced with tension. If they were going to work together, which they needed to do if they hoped to succeed in freeing Amun, she had to break through whatever was angering him.
So she asked the first question that popped into her head. Do you have a girlfriend? The moment the words were spoken, fury raced through her. The thought of this man belonging to someone elsekissing someone elsehis intense arousal focused on someone else
No, he said, and she relaxed.
Haidee nearly reached out and petted him as a reward. She kept her arms at her sides, though, as they rounded a narrow corner, the walls thinning yet again, practically scraping at her. He might rebuke her, and shed rather endure the silence than that.
Did you ever kiss Strider? The question lashed from him, surprising her, and if his tone had been tangible, she suspected she would have been cut to the bone. Ordo more?
No! Never. She might have abandoned her vengeance quest with Amun, but the same courtesy did not extend to his friends. Them, she still wanted to kill. Amun, she just wanted to kiss again. Soon. Maybe. Definitely. Except
Damn it! Shed left the toothbrush and toothpaste back in the cave. Next time she and Amun did a little hooking up, she wanted to tasteargh. If he had his way, they were never going to hook up again. She glared at his back, considered raking him with her nails. To him, she wasnt worth the risk. Any risk.
Part of her admired that. His friends were important to him. Momentary pleasure was not.
Some of the tension left him. Was that what had been bothering him? she wondered. The thought of her with Strider? She stopped glaring at his back, and again considered petting him. If he didnt like the idea of her lip-locking his friend, she had to mean a little something to him. Right?
The other part of her really admired that. He could overlook his (justified) prejudice in favor of desire for her and only her.
All right, then, he said, pacified.
So what gave you that stupid idea that Id made out with the keeper of Defeat? Shed meant to ask gently and certainly hadnt meant to use the word stupid, but then shed remembered Amuns snotty attitude the past few hours and her irritation had taken over, speaking for her.
You spent some time with him. Alone. You were desperate to be free of him.
Irritation morphed into anger. Im a lot of things, Amun, but I would never use my body to get what I wanted. Even freedom.
There was a beat more of silence, then, You did with Baden.
Oh. Yeah. He was right, and there was nothing she could say to defend herself.
Back then, shed been so filled with hate and fury that she would have done anything, anything, to destroy one of the Lords. And she had. She had stripped in front of Baden, as if shed wanted to bed him in thanks for his escort home. And as hed looked her over, distracted, she had signaled for the waiting Hunters.
I learn from my mistakes, she said softly. Helping to kill the warrior hadnt been the mistake, but she did regret the way shed gone about it. Shed lied to Strider about feeling nothing. She even regretted the pain her actions had caused the man in front of her, which was one of the reasons she had willingly placed herself in danger.
A confusing realization. That meant she more than wanted him; that meant she cared for him. Why did she care for him? She didnt know him, not really. She was attracted to him, yes. Shed already admitted that, over and over again. She was somehow linked to him, yes. She couldnt stop thinking about his mouth on hers, then between her legs, yes, that too. Oops. That was part of her attraction to him. Anyway. None of that required caring. Yet she had done everything in her power to stay with him. Be with him. Spend time with him. Aid him.
She sighed.
What?
He hadnt turned around to ask, and her gaze ate up the strong expanse of his back. Without her emotions in the way, she was able to truly see him. Such dark skin, so many layers of muscle. He had no scars now, and his only tattoo was the butterfly. Which she couldnt see at the moment; it must have returned to his leg. She marveled at the thought of a living tattoo, slipping and sliding from one corner of his body to the other, then shook her head and told herself to concentrate.
He was talking to her now. She didnt want to lose this opportunity.
I dreamed about you before I met you, she confessed. But I didnt know who or what, she mentally added you were. Thats why I began dating Micah. I thought
Amuns shoulder blades pressed together in a jerky motion as he straightened. You thought he was me?
Yes. And before you start insulting my intelligence, remember that you guys look a lot alike.
So how do you now know you dreamed of me rather than him?
Because of the way Amun made her feel. Connected, aware. Alive. Burning from the inside out when shed only ever known cold. To confess the truth was to make herself vulnerablemore than she already was. To confess was to give him power over hermore than he already had.
I just do, was all she said. If I hadnt calmed you, would you have killed me when you found out who I was? She tried to maintain an impassive tone, but the tremble in the words gave her away.
There was a terrible pause that crystallized the oxygen in her lungs. Then, Yes.
At least he was honest, but wow, that hurt. You would have killed him if you hadnt dreamed of him, she reminded herself. True. That failed to ease her hurt, though. Hed kissed her, damn it. Intimately. A little loyalty would have been nice.
Illogical.
Distracted as she was, she tripped over a stone and stumbled forward. She had to anchor her hands on Amuns waist to steady herself. Instant, amazing heat. As always. He didnt pause, but he did stiffen.
Stay alert, Haidee. He spat her name like it was a curse.
Maybe it was. Im trying. Amun. Weve been walking for a long time and dont seem to be getting anywhere. Im tired, hungry, and oh, yeah, Im also saving your ass. Propping me up when I fall without complaining is the least you can do to repay me. Even as she scolded him, she vowed to do a better job. She straightened, severing contactmourning the loss, again as alwaysand studied her newest surroundings.
They had maneuvered into a type of hallway, the blood-splattered walls tall but not broad. The floor tilted, sending them deeper underground with every step. Dust layered the warm air, and in the distance she thought she heard a steady drip, drip.
Youre right, he said. Imsorry.
The apology was gritted, like the words tasted foul. Didnt matter. Shed take it. Anything was better than nothing. Just ask her stomach.
Do you know where youre going? she asked, her voice echoing around them.
No. A clipped tone, and, if she wasnt mistaken, a roundabout command for silence. Then he surprised her by adding, All I know is that hell is down, so thats the direction were heading.
A chimp could have told her that, but she kept her mouth closed as they stepped through another opening. Another cavern. The walls stretched, allowing easier, freer motions. Finally, they were getting somewhere. And shockingly, there was thick, dewy foliage sprouting from the rocks. Nice, she thought, until something hissed at her. She yelped, twisting to discover the source.
A pair of narrowed red eyes glowed from the round head of a snake, forked tongue dancing over sharp, dripping fangs. She opened her mouth to scream, but a tide of dizziness slammed through her and only a moan escaped.
Somehow she remained on her feet. N-nice snakey snake, she whispered, palms rising to proclaim her innocence.
The creature launched at her neck. Not nice. Her reflexes were too slow to save her.
Amuns thick, corded arm whipped out, fingers wrapping just below that open, waiting mouth, wrist twisting, snapping head from scaled body. When he opened his fist, the reptile floated lifelessly to the ground.
Th-thank you, she rasped. The dizziness hadnt left her, and now her heart felt distorted in her chest, a smashed organ hammering against her spine rather than her ribs.
Welcome. Now Ive saved your ass. His gaze never shifted to her, nor did he massage her neck in comfort, as she suddenly craved.
Were not even close to even, big boy.
I didnt say we were. Lets keep moving. I dont like this area.
They started forward again, and this time, Haidee kept one hand wrapped around the waist of his pants, afraid to let go. He didnt chastise her, and she was grateful. She hated snakes. Hated, hated, hated. Maybe because a Hydrophis Belcheri had killed her once, its poison spurting acid straight into her veins, making her writhe and beg for mercy she had never found. Not even in death.
Hurry, she said. I dont like this area, either.
Then youre really not going to like what my demon just told me.
Oh, God. What?
Weve just entered the Realm of Snakes, Amun said grimly.
Sweet heaven above. Please tell me the Realm of Snakes refers to the sweet little garden variety, and that well only encounter one or two of them.
The Realm of Snakes refers to the sweet little garden variety, and well only encounter one or two of them.
Though she knew he was lying, his dry baritone caused her lips to twitch and some of her fear to fade. Good, thats good. So what else did Secrets tell you? Fingers crossed she didnt have a panic attack after his next words.
That we shouldnt look directly into their eyes because they can hypnotize us into believing we actually want them to bite us.
The fear returned full-force, but at least the dizziness now made sense. Hypnosis. Shit. Control was one of her most prized possessions. Too well did she know the horror of being without a choice. For days, weeks, whatever, shed been Striders prisoner, allowed to do only what he wanted her to do. Before that, every time shed died, losing pieces of her memories when she finally returned to life, she had known only consuming hate and a driving need to destroy. And long before that, shed been a puppet of the evil one, then the Bad Man, then the Greeks who had enslaved her.
Im not sure I can do this, she whispered.
Just pretend the snakes are demon-possessed warriors. Im sure youll do fine.
Ouch. Hed struck more sharply than the snake. Tears momentarily burned her eyes, but she blinked them back. No weakness. Especially when she deserved such a stinging remark. Once, she might have even been proud to hear it. Once, but not today.
And why dont you pretend theyre innocent humans? she said softly. He, too, deserved to be cut down, and she couldnt let herself forget.
Another bout of silence thickened the air between them. Until he sighed and admitted, I shouldnt have said that. Im sorry. Again.
The second apology, offered far more poignantly than the first, was so unexpected she was shockedand softened. Im sorry, too. And I understand why you did, she admitted. I took something from you. Something you loved.
Yes. And we took something from you?
Yes.
He waited for her to elaborate, but she never did. Shed already told him she wouldnt discuss the past with him, and shed meant it. There was nothing he could say to ease the hurt, and a million things he could say to increase it.
I wont let anything happen to you while were here, Haidee. You have my word.