Page 18 of Wicked Ties
He hit the button for the fifth floor, and it illuminated. A small ding sounded, and the elevator doors slid open. Maze waved his arm for me to go into the elevator, and I stepped around him. He quickly followed behind me and took his place by my side. When I turned around to face the doors, the receptionist was pointing us out to a security guard in a dark navy uniform. The guy was short and soggy around the midsection. When the smarmy guy took a step in our direction, I bared my little demon teeth at him and hissed. I may not have had the blood, but I had all the physical attributes, including little fangs.
He stopped short and then pulled the radio from the belt on his hip and spoke into it. I chuckled. “I think we made an impression.”
“Good.” Maze slid me a sideways glance. “I like the fangs.”
Everything inside me froze. It was the first compliment Maze had ever paid me as this thing that I was. I didn’t know how to feel about it or if I liked it. Something inside me said I did.
“Thanks.”
“Suits you.” He leaned in closer to me. “Even the old you had some bite.”
The elevator came to a stop with a ding and the doors slid open. Glaring bright light blinded me, and I sucked in a breath and held up my hand, shielding my eyes.
“You wanna turn that down?” Maze grumbled as he, too, shielded his eyes.
The light suddenly dimmed and there stood one of the most gorgeous men I’d ever seen. He was tall, taller than Maze, with short dark curly hair and vivid greenish-blue eyes. His skin was dark, with warm undertones that held a golden sheen like the sun. His lips parted in a grin that revealed pearly white teeth. He even looked good in those teal green scrubs.
He straightened his white lab coat and chuckled. “Mazerial, I presume.”
“Correct.” Maze stepped out of the elevator, and I followed him. “Apollo?”
He snickered and nodded. “Correct.”
I was so confused. How did he know who we were and that we’d be here? “Were you expecting us?”
“Word travels fast among the Greeks, and your little crew of killers is news. Judging by the look of you, I’d say you’re Tilly, the demon girl.” He leaned against the side of the nurses’ station and rested his elbow on the top.
“Killers?” Maze scoffed. “Only when they deserve it.”
Three nurses at the station all froze when we came into view. Their eyes widened and they went silent. Apollo glanced past us. “You’ve made quite the impression.”
When I peeked over my shoulder, three more security guards came into view. They huffed and puffed, each of them trying to catch their breath from hurrying up the stairs after us. When I looked us over, I could tell why they all went on guard. Maze with black army pants, black sweater covered in holes exposing his skin underneath, and me with his oversized trench coat, black ripped jeans, and black shirt. Dirt marred our clothing, and I was pretty sure the smell of burnt cinders from the underworld clung to our clothing. Did they recognize the lingering scent of death on us because they worked here and saw it every day? Did they see us for the killers that we were?
Apollo waved the security guards away. “I’ve got this.”
He crooked his finger at us. “Follow me before you cause a panic.”
When he turned to walk down the hall, we followed him. The smell of bleach barely covered the scent of sickness. As we walked, I couldn’t help but look in the rooms as we passed by each one. Call it nosey, or just plain curious, I couldn’t help myself.
When we reached the end of the hallway, Apollo opened a door with a blacked-out window. A sterile white room was covered from corner to corner with organized medical equipment. The counters were high and held machines I didn’t know the names of, along with microscopes and other assorted tools.
“Welcome to my home.” He held his arms out to his sides. If the sun could beam with pride, this would be it.
I glanced around at all the things I didn’t know. “It’s nice.”
“Completely state of the art. With this equipment, we can really do something.” He reached over and patted a big square machine. “Science is the way into the future.”
Maze glanced around the lab. “It’s nice, but what are you doing here? Last I heard, you and Zeus were thick as thieves. Doing all those things that come along with hanging out with Zeus.”
Apollo fiddled with the buttons of the machine. “I’m sure your friends told you what it’s like being around Zeus. I heard they paid him a visit not too long ago.”
“Didn’t have to hear about it.” Maze pointed to his temple. “I saw it.”
Apollo crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “You’re right. I used to be a whore. Just like my father. So, what happened was my dad is content to just stick it wherever he can. But it’s an empty life. Fun, but empty. After a few hundred years, you feel nothing and the faces all blur together. Without a love connection, it’s meaningless, and Zeus loves no one. Truthfully, neither did I. But I love science. You know what’s better than sex? Saving a life with medicine, not magic. The other day there was this kid and I fixed it with medicine, not magic . . . it was so cool.”
So, this Greek went from the life of orgy parties to medical obsession? “And you just made the change?”
“Yep.” He pointed at me. “That explains what I’m doing here, but it doesn’t explain what you are doing here.”
