He could have kicked his own horny ass.
Not just no, but hell, no, she said, chin lifted stubbornly.
Dread replaced his urgency. He knew that look. Hed seen it before, directed at the roomful of Harpies. Their gazes had flayed her alive, for some reason, but she hadnt backed down.
And you arent stealing it, either, she added.
As if. Are you trying to punish me, Red? Hed made the fatal mistake of being honest with her, of telling her he was here to help her but not to romance her. Hed known better, too. Never show a woman your cards. Because if thats the case
Oh, my gods. Are you that egotistical? Those silver-gold eyes sharpened like daggers, cutting him up inside. He didnt like her angry (for the most part), and he didnt like her hurt. Just then, she appeared to be both. Not every thing is about you, Strider.
I know that. Believe me, I ego check all the time. So tell me, whats the problem? I seem to recall a certain redheaded Harpy once saying shed do anything, as long as it was immoral and the price was right. So do it. Name your price, and do it.
There is no price, she snapped. Not for this.
Are you afraid? A low blow, yeah, but he was desperate.
She hopped off the TV, teeth bared and sharpening into something far more dangerous than one of those daggers, black bleeding into her eyes and overshadowing all hint of color.
Youre gonna get it now, Bianka sang, and Lysander pressed his hand over her mouth, preventing her from saying anything else.
Idiot, Sabin muttered. Im not even gonna assist you. You deserve whats about to happen.
Im afraid of nothing. Two voices layered Kaias words, and both were raspy, menacingslashing. In and out she breathed, each inhalation labored, each exhalation ragged. Youre very lucky my Harpy is adamantly opposed to harming you, or youd be in pieces right now. And if you try to steal the Rod on your own, after I told you not to, I will challenge you to contests you cannot possibly hope to win. Forever.
He wanted to shake her. Wanted to kiss herbut only to shut her the hell up, of course. Damn it, she skirted the edge of challenge even then. Defeat prowled from one side of his skull to the other, practically foaming at the mouth for a go at her. Only fear of losing kept the demon from accepting.
Youre the one who demanded we come here. Youre the one who decided to take down anyone who attacked her. Yeah, Strider had been leaning in that direction himself. Yeah, he kinda wanted to gut and decapitate her opposition before they could strike a single blow against her. However, he understood his own motivesattraction, and an overdeveloped sense of possession. Defeats motives? Not so much. Why are you doing this?
Win, was all the beast said. As always.
Got it? Kaia demanded when he offered no response.
Disappointment rocked him. She was trying to punish him, and hed kind of expected better of her. They might snipe and snap at each other, they might be hopelessly fascinated by each other, but they were also friends. Or so hed thought. Friends helped friends.
Case in point: he was in Wisconsin when he should have been in any of a thousand other places.
He spun around and glared at Bianka. He didnt mind thieving on his own. Usually. However, Harpies were a different breed of animal than anyone or thing hed dealt with before. They could move faster than the eye could track. They could rip through a mans trachea with only their teeth. Hell, they could rip through an entire army in seconds.
There was no line they wouldnt cross, no deed too vile. If he went for the Rod and they caught him, they would kill him. But without the Rod, he was dead, anyway. So, no contest. He was going for it.
What about you? he threw at Bianka.
Tone, warrior, Lysander said, his voice so mild Strider almost couldnt detect the power behind it. Almost.
Thats not a challenge, he told his demon, refusing to repeat himself to Kaias twin. Thankfullyor notDefeat was still too focused on Kaia, the Cloak and the Rod. If Strider failed to obtain the latter two, and soon, he would lose the battle. He would hurt. Yet he couldnt leave Kaia without hurting, either.
Bianka shoved Lysanders hand away from her mouth. Sorry, big boy, but I cant help you.
Why?
She shrugged, all innocence. If you want me to list reasons, Ill list reasons. I cant guarantee theyll be truthful, though.
He faced Gwen. And you?
S-sorry? she said, sounding confused. She glanced at Kaia, who shook her head. He knew because he was watching her reflection in the picture over the nightstand between the beds. I cant, she finished more firmly.
Okay, something was going on here. Kaia wasnt afraid. No matter what hed said, he knew that. Girl was too brave for her own good. Shed stood in a roomful of Harpies, and even though theyd regarded her as if she were a slab of ribs and they were dedicated vegetarians, shed kept her head high, daring them to try and take a bite.
The only time hed ever seen her lose her cool, trembling with an emotion he hadnt been able to name, was when shed looked at her mother. Her very hot, clearly murderous mother, who might have spoken inside his head. He still wasnt sure.
As the freakishly young-looking, dead-eyed brunette had perused his body, judging him, taking his measure, hed heard a cold, emotionless and yet very feminine voice whisper, Kaia will die before the final game begins.
Like hell. Nothing else had been said, and no one else had heard the threat. And shit, maybe he had an overactive imagination. Either way, he didnt care. He was here, hed do what hed promised, but damn it, Kaia was going to bend a little in this matter.
Get lost, he told the couples on the beds.
Knowing Strider as well as he did, Sabin gathered Gwen without protest and hustled her out the door. Their knowing gazes locked until the last possible moment. Theyd move mountains to obtain that Rod, with or without the approval of the Skyhawks. First, though, theyd do what they could to obtain answers. Even if that meant splitting up and being without backup.
Thanks to a soft, Ill be fine, from Kaia, Bianka and Lysander followed close on Sabins heels, shutting the door behind them with a soft click. The angel didnt know him, or what he was capable of, but must have recognized the danger he posed.
Why? he demanded, swinging around.
Kaia didnt pretend to misunderstand. Theyll say I had no confidence in my abilities. Theyll call me a coward.
So? She was willing to risk his life for her ego? A little ridicule never killed anyone.
She flicked the long length of that curling red hair over one shoulder, the picture of feminine pique. At least the black had faded from her eyes, a sign her Harpy was under control. Lookit, youre here, and much as I hate to admit this, youll find out anyway, so I might as well tell you.
A heavy pause. Go on.
She gulped. A long time ago, during the Harpy Games, I tried to stealsomething from anotherclan.
Oh, really? Why the hesitation?
Anyway, she continued, ignoring him, her cheeks flushing prettily. My actions resulted in a massacre. Half the Harpy population was wiped out, and I have never been forgiven.
He knew what that meant. They had ostracized her. And if anyone understood the sting of rejection, it was Strider.
When the gods had chosen Pandora to guard dim-Ouniak, the box containing the evil spirits that managed to escape the depths of hell, he had allowed pride to rule him. How dare they pick her, a female, when he had never lost a battle? Anyone Zeus had wanted eliminated, Strider had eliminated.
Hed wanted to prove himself worthy, which was why hed helped steal and open that box. Of course, hed had every intention of recapturing the demons after theyd caused a little havoc. He would have been all See what I can do? See what your precious Pandora cant? But the box disappeared, and the havoc had been far more than a little. Hed never encountered its like, before or since.
Not even when Defeat was first shoved into his body and the urge to hurt, maim and destroy consumed him. Yet that hadnt been enough of a punishment for the Greeks. Theyd kicked him out of the only home hed ever known and never acknowledged him again.
So, rejection, unforgivingness, yeah, he knew them intimately. But he couldnt let anything, even Kaias potential downfall, stop him from obtaining that Rod. Too much was at stake.
If I take something elsetheyll kill me, Strider. After they ensure I feel every bit of pain they have felt.
She believed what she said. The truth glistened in her eyes as surely as a sheen of tears. Ill protect you.
Dont make me state the obvious about what you can and cant do, she said with a bitter laugh. I could run, sure, but what kind of life is that? And what if they go after my sisters when theyre unable to find and punish me?
Good point, and one he couldntwouldntshake her from. He tried another route. No one has to know you took it. Well get in and get out, no problem.
Sad, she shook her head. Wouldnt matter if I left evidence behind or not. If the Rod goes missing, theyll blame me no matter what.
So? he said again. He had to harden his heart.
You know nothing about Harpy justice, Strider. There is no trial. There is no innocent until proven guilty. If Im suspected, I will be hunted, I will be tortured and as I said, I will be killed.
Ill protect you, he repeated, and that was the truth.
She arched an auburn brow. Youre going to make me state the obvious, but okay. You cant.
That isnt a challenge. I can.
Youll protect me from an army of Harpies who wouldnt hesitate to hurt everyone you love to get to me? An army of Harpies who would help the Hunters if it meant punishing me?
Shit. What do you propose I do then, huh? He stalked to her, gripped her upper armsshe felt so fragile, so vulnerablefinally shaking her as hed wanted to do for so long. Every movement wafted her scent to his nose, cinnamon and sugar, a feast for his senses. His mouth watered, his blood heated. What? Tell me.
Her heartbroken expression never wavered. What you originally came here to do. Act as my consort. I will fight, and I will win the Rod. Honorably.
I thought you didnt do honorably.
She peered up at him through narrowing eyes, indignation at last replacing sorrow. When her lashes fused together, he was strangely glad to see the silver swirling underneath, no hint of gold. In this and only this, I do. Too much is at stake, she added, mirroring his thoughts. Not just for me, but for my sisters.
Win.
The Rod? Dude, Im working on it. A little space would be nice.
Win!
I know, damn you! What if I Shit. He released Kaia to scrub a hand down his face. As many battles as hed fought during his long life, he could sniff out a dead end before he turned the corner and spied the brick wall. They were at an impasse, and he knew it. She wouldnt budgeunless he changed the stakes.
Do this for me, and Ill sleep with you. Okay?
For a moment, she gave no reaction. Then a squawk parted her lips and she batted him away from her. And by batted he meant that she used so much force, he actually spun around, unable to stop himself.
How magnanimous of you. An instant later, she was in front of him again. She shoved him, hard, and he stumbled backward until the backs of his knees hit the edge of the bed. To offer up your body when you so clearly have no desire for me. To lower your standards and whore yourself. To use me, no matter how badly Ill suffer in the end.
Her words were like arrows, direct hits, and he cringed, but he offered no reply. Not yet. As he collapsed and bounced on the mattress, he focused on his demon. This isnt a challenge to dominate her sexually, you get me?
Win!
Strider pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth. He thought the demon was still focused on the Rod, but he couldnt be sure. So, when Kaia jumped on top of him, straddling his waist, he twisted, tossing her down and pinning her with his weight. And gods, that felt good. She fit him perfectly, her breasts soft against his chest, the apex of her thighs offering an exquisite cradle to the thickness of his shaft.
The scent of cinnamon continued to waft from her, enveloping him, hazing his thoughts. Heat, so much heat, pulsed from her soft, luscious skin, branding him.
WIN.
Bastard. This is life and death, Kaia.
She was panting as she tangled her hands in his hair, nails biting into his scalp. For me, too.
Would you do it forParis? he asked, hating himself.
No.
No hesitation from her, and that eased the tightness in his chest. A tightness he hadnt even been aware of until just that moment. Kaia.
Strider.
II never said I didnt desire you. He wasnt sure what hed meant to say, he only knew that wasnt it, that the words had slipped out without his consent. I do. How could I not?
She nibbled on her bottom lip. Are you saying you agree to be my consort?
No. He wouldnt lie about that. Not to her. And not because shed rip him to pieces when she discovered the truth. I cant give you forever.
The nibbling increased in intensity, leaving a bead of blood in the center of her mouth. Because were not a good match?
Of course she would remember every insult hed ever thrown at her. Yes.
Then what can you give me?
Here. Now. Something his body craved more with every second that passed.
In exchange for my aid in the theft of the Paring Rod. A statement, not a question.
Yes. Maybe even without it. So badly he wanted to arch into her, rub against her, stoke her passions until she begged him to finish her off.
She ran the pink tip of her tongue over her teeth. Teeth sharpening into a mouthful of daggers, but gods, that tongue was pretty. Youll have to convince me, she said huskily, even as she drew his head downdownuntil his lips hovered just above hers. Give me a taste of what youre offering.