Shameful. Men were supposed to be in charge, and women were supposed to be grateful for their attention. Men were supposed to give orders and women were supposed to obey them.
Okay, fine. Hed never wished for that before but he abso-fucking-lutely wished for it now. Didnt help that Lies was freaking putty in her hands, quiet now, but humming softly in appreciation, just happy to be near her.
Another bout of silence ensued, and he knew she was punishing him. For what, though, he didnt know. He hadnt been the one to lock her up. Sure, he hadnt set her free, either, but give him props for his intelligence, for gods sake. She would have run away.
Scarlethe really liked that name. It fit her. Fit the curve of her wicked lips, the ease with which she flayed him and the darkness of her personalityscrubbed a hand down her face. Just go, okay. Im done with you.
Finally. More talking. Hed stay here forever, he thought, just to be near her. Which didnt make any damn sense! My name isnt Gideon. There. Simple. Easy. And hopefully she would begin to reveal personal information about herself in exchange. Like how she knew him. Like how he knew her but didnt remember her.
Duh, was all she said.
She knew? How? He doubted shed tell him, so he didnt bother asking. I know a lot about you. Such as, you cant enter other peoples dreams.
No shit.
Not so simple. Not so easy. Id really hate it if you left my friends alone.
Well, then. Consider it done. Ill mess with them all night long, just to keep you happy.
He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, praying for divine patience. Please do. Damn it. He rarely minded that he could only speak in lies, but right now it was irritating the hell out of him.
Or would you like it better if I only concentrated on you?
No. Yes. While he wanted his friends to be able to rest peacefully, that wasnt the real reason he wanted this woman to stay out of their dreams. He wanted her to himself. All of her. Even her ability. Just until he figured this out.
Even still, that didnt make any sense. He wasnt a possessive man. More than that, he had no reason to be possessive of this woman.
Sorry, she said, sounding anything but. I cant promise that.
They wont consider drugging you.
What kind of drugs? Can I request Vicodin?
So she enjoyed human drugs. He couldnt blame her. Hed indulged a time or twenty. Not that they affected him much, but a little was better than nothing. Howd you know I loved spiders so much?
Ugh, youre talkative. If I tell you something, will you shut up? Ill take your silence for a yes. How did I know you loved spiders? Because I enter a persons mind and just sense things. Thats how. Now shut it for good.
Truth. His demon recognized truth as if it were a lone Hunter in a lineup with Lords. His demon usually hated it, was usually disgusted by it, even as Gideon always savored it. Today, the demon remained quiet and happy. No matter what poured from the girls beautiful mouth.
That how you didnt know my name?
I see bargaining isnt a skill you possess. She slapped the wall, and dust plumed around her. So, what? Youre going to irritate me until I tell you everything I know?
He didnt want to admit that he just wanted to be with her, so he held up his bandaged hands and waved them. Theres so much more I could be doing right now. Like fighting with my friends.
Injuries wouldnt stop a real warrior.
Ouch. Yeah, cause a real warrior likes to get in everyones way and actually aid the enemy.
A real warrior succeeds despite his handicap. She snorted. I said handicap and you dont have hands.
Yeah. Funny. If I didnt have all my fingers, I totally wouldnt be flipping you off.
The action of a man with more bark than bite. Figures you fall into that sad, sad category.
Whats your problem? he wanted to demand, but the words would emerge as something like: Why dont you have a problem with me? and he didnt want to hear her say, Stupid question. I do have a problem with you. Hed say: Well, I dont want to know what it is, and shed say: Good, because I didnt plan to tell you.
Hed had similar exchanges in the past. He was already frustrated, confused, curious, eager, and each emotion was pushing him closer and closer to the edge. An edge that always urged him to say things he didnt mean and do things he couldnt reverse.
Howd you lose the hands, anyway? This was asked grudgingly, as if she didnt like that she wanted to know.
Her curiosity pleased him, and he lost some of his frustration. The hands, well, they didnt disappear through torture.
You break?
Of course. There was pride in his tone. He hadnt broken. Hadnt spilled a single secret.
Just as I suspected.
His jaw clenched. Somehow she knew he was Lies. Had known all along. She also knew he couldnt tell the truth, yet she continually pretended to take his words at face value. Just to piss him off? Because she was angry with him? An anger he still didnt understand.
Hunters do it? she asked.
No.
Hows that going, by the way? The war with them?
So she knew about that, as well, when hed never heard of her involvement. How? Actually, she knew a lot that she shouldnt. Were losing. Winning, but just barely. Two artifacts against one. The liberation of all those halfling children the Hunters had created through hideous means. The discovery of their Buda hideout. Not that he could explain that to Scarlet. Since you dont seem to know me, Im wondering if you didnt come here for me.
Whatever, she sputtered. Look, I told your friend I just wanted you guys to leave me alone. I knew you were searching for me. I wanted you to stop. Thats all.
No. That wasnt true. Couldnt be. Only, he couldnt prove it. Lies still wasnt helping. How do you not know me? How do I feel like I dont know you when Ive met you before?
Her gaze flicked to him, narrowed and once more filled with that anger. You dont remember me? Okay. Anger wasnt a strong enough word. Outrage had layered every word. You dont remember specifics?
I do no Lie, lie. He shouldnt have had to remind himself, damn it. Yes. I do. But he couldnt have met her. He would not have forgotten a woman like her. Beautiful, wild, a predator. Blunt, hard yet somehow vulnerable.
Yeah, hed been with a lot of women over the years. Mostly one-night stands. Women didnt come back for more when the man they were with constantly told them how ugly and stupid they were. Or when the man didnt speak at all. And no, he didnt remember all their faces, but as hed already reasoned out, this was not a woman he would have forgotten.
We were lovers, he said to get them started, so thats in. Out.
Ha! Her gaze returned to him and lingered, perusing him up and down. Im not sure I approve of the packaging, so no, we werent lovers.
Im not sure I know what you mean, he said, because he did know. She didnt like the looks of him. His hands fisted. For your information, Im as ugly as they come.
There was something smug in her eyes as she said, Yeah. I know. Thats what I just said.
He ran his tongue over his teeth. Im sexy, damn it! Yeah, his appearance was a little unorthodox. Blue hair, a few piercings. Tattoosalthough nothing on the scale of Aerons. Boy was covered. Gideon, at least, had himself and the ink under control. Hed chosen designs that meant something to him.
A pair of black eyes he saw every time he closed his eyes. A pair of bloodredlips He sat up with a jolt, staring over at Scarlet. Who had black eyes. Who had bloodred lips.
What? she snarled. I know Im gorgeous, unlike you, but come on. Show some manners, for gods sake.
For as long as he could remember, hed had images in his mind. Black eyes, red lips, even a phrase he thought of only during the darkest time of night: TO PART IS TO DIE. Bright red flowers curved beneath them.
In his mind, hed seen those words and flowers wrapping around a womans waist. His heart accelerated every time he thought of them, so hed had the wordsand yes, the flowerstattooed around his waist, as well. Girly of him, and something many people had teased him about, but he didnt care.
I dont want to see your lower back, he told her starkly.
She stilled completely, not even daring to breathe. Not just no, but hell, no.
Im not willing to beg. He had to see. Had to know. I havent seen you before. I dont know that you have a tattoo of flowers there. She did, he knew she did.
Youre wrong. I dont.
Lie, surely. Dont prove it, then.
I dont have to.
Argh! Frustrating woman. He pushed to his feet. Hed been sitting so long, his muscles ached in protest and his knees shook.
What? You dont get your way so youre leaving? Fine. Go sulk like a child.
First shed wanted him to leave and now she threw a tantrum because she thought he was doing so. Women.
Bandaged as his wrists were, it was hard to grip the hem of his shirt, but after several agonizing minutes, he managed to do so. He raised the material and turned, offering Scarlet his back. At first, she gave no reaction. Then he heard a sharp intake of breath, a rustle of clothes, the patter of footsteps.
Warm fingers met his flesh, and he had to bite his bottom lip to contain his pleasured moan. Her skin was callusedfrom using weapons?and abraded deliciously as she traced every word, every petal.
She could have had a blade hidden, could have stabbed him while he was distracted, but he couldnt make that matter. She was touching him. It was more arousing, moreeverything than being inside another woman.
To part is to die, she whispered brokenly. Do you know what it means?
Yes. Dont tell me. Please, gods, please.
II Her hand fell away. One step, two, she increased the distance between them.
Gideon whipped around. For a moment, he forgot about the bars and reached for her. His wounds hit the metal, and he cringed. Scarlet blanked her expression as she danced out of reach.
Dont tell me, he commanded.
I told you to go away, Gideon.
Gideon. For the first time, shed used his name. It affected him deeply. Slithered through him, burning each of his organsespecially his speeding heart. Becausebecausewhile this was the first time shed said his name during their conversation, it wasnt the first time hed ever heard her say it.
Just then he knew, knew, that he had heard her say his name before. Somewhere, sometime. Shed shouted his name in passion; shed whispered his name in entreaty. Shed growled his name in anger; shed cried his name in pain.
He had been with her.
Devil, he said, wishing he could say her name instead.
She must have heard the riotous emotions in his voice because for once, she didnt have a sarcastic comment.
Just go, Gideon, as I asked you to do in the beginning. Please.
Please. He doubted that was a word she said often. But then, she sounded close to tears and she didnt strike him as a woman who would relish crying in front of a man. Ever, over anything.
Except, she had before. He knew it. Shed cried and hed held her. When? Where?
The only possible time would have been while hed lived in the heavens. Since she was possessed by one of Pandoras demons, she had once been a prisoner of Tartarus. He hadnt locked her away, but could he have seen her there when hed deposited other prisoners? Could he have spoken to her?
How could they have had a relationship, though, and he not recall it?
Could someone have erased his memory? Gods were capable of such things. Gods were capable of all kinds of cruel things. But that raised the question of why someone would have wanted to erase his memory. What could such a deed have gained? Prevented?
Do you not have a man? His voice was so raw, so hoarse, anyone hearing him would have thought he had yet to recover from a severe throat infection. A husband, though, would have wanted Gideon out of the picture.
No, she whispered, so sad her tone brought tears to his eyes. So sad her tone rivaled Cameos, Misery herself. I do not.
No father?
My father is dead. She lay back on the cot, peering up at the ceiling. Has been for a long, long time.
Truth? Damn it, demon! Help me. No mother?
My mother hates me.
He would just have to take her words as gospel. Is there anyone who would want to see youhappy? Please understand that I mean miserable.
Rather than reply, she rolled to her side, facing away from him. If I tell you what you want to know, will you leave me alone? Im not pretending to bargain with you this time, Gideon. If I do this, and you dont leave
He didnt want to leave. Now, more than ever, he wanted to stay. But he had to know the answer. Perhaps it would help him piece this mystery together. No. Tell me and Ill stay.
A pause. Then, I lied to you earlier, when I pretended not to recognize you. I did, from the very beginning I did. To part is to die, she croaked. They were words you once told yourwife.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
AERON STOOD on the balcony next to his room, clutching the railing, peering into the indigo-tinted sky. Most difficult choice hed ever had to make, deciding between Legions life and Olivias. If hed picked Olivia, as hed so desperately wantedstill wantedLegion would have suffered eternally. His friends would have been in danger. From Lucifer, no less. By picking Legion, hed saved her and his friends, and Olivia could return home, unscathed. As hed once tried to force her to do. As he now yearned to wail against. As Wrath was wailing against.
Keep her. Please. We need her.
Block it out. Dont listen. A demand for himself.
Had Legion appeared just then, he might have shaken her. The position shed placed him inthe things he would have to doto her, to Olivia His nails elongated and bit into his palm, and the metal whined, arcing out of place. The worst, though? The things he wouldnt be able to do to Olivia. Not anymore.