Page 72 of Onyx Realm

Grabbing her hand, I tugged her to the elevator.

“Markos!” Serena smacked my arm, her tiny fist carrying more weight than I would have expected.

I stabbed the button, and only once we were inside did I answer. “I’m not in the habit of hurting women, prinkípissa.”

The relief going through her was tangible. I expected questions about our crime syndicate, but silence reigned supreme as we hopped into one of my other vehicles, the exotic candy apple red car in the garage, and sped into the night. In fact, the entire drive to Olympus, barely a word was spoken.

Just when I was about to explode from the strain, Serena turned to me. “So I had to dress up, but you can wear a sports hoodie?”

The rough laugh that cackled from me sent a wave of lightness through my body.

“Stay there,” I commanded, throwing the vehicle in park and hurrying to open her door. I extended my hand. “Come.”

Her brown eyes narrowed to slits. “I’m not your pet.”

Arm candy, pet—was that all she saw herself as?

I vowed then and there to prove to her that she was the true immortal, and I but a humble sailor caught in her web of charm.

Ducking under the bower of oaks, Spanish moss waving in a gentle greeting, we traveled the flagstone path to the iron gate. The guard on duty opened it for us, and Serena’s audible gasp sent a smile to my face. The whitewashed house was a typical two-story mansion with towering columns lining the front. But it was the gardens out here, the trimmed hedges and lush flowers, that created the picturesque image of charm.

“Welcome to Olympus,” I murmured, enjoying watching the beauty on my arm take in the sights and smells.

The front door flew open, and the butler, whose only job was to see that this property was pristine, well stocked, and running efficiently, greeted us.

Inside was opulent to the point of decadence. We stepped onto marble floors that gleamed like water beneath crystal chandeliers dripping with diamonds. The entryway opened to a grand foyer with a sweeping double staircase that curved toward the second floor. Between the staircases stood a massive statue of Zeus, his marble form imposing as he held a lightning bolt poised to strike.

“Subtle,” Serena muttered under her breath.

I bit back a smile. “Wait until you see the dining room.”

Gold-framed mirrors lined the walls, reflecting the warm light from wall sconces shaped like torches. Everywhere the eye landed, there was something to admire—Renaissance paintings in ornate frames, ancient Greek artifacts displayed in glass cases, Persian rugs so thick our footsteps were silenced.

“Is that an actual Caravaggio?” Serena paused before a painting, her eyes scanning the scene.

“You enjoy art?” I countered.

She hummed, but her answer was cut off by the boom of a voice.

“What have you done?” Draco stormed down the stairs.

Serena’s spine snapped straight.

“You know better than to bring civilians here,” Ajax added, following hot on Draco’s heels.

The moment I’d been waiting for had arrived. I clutched Serena’s hot, damp paw and faced the tribunal. “May I have the honor of introducing you to my wife?”

The men stopped short, the last few steps granting them a towering height over us.

“You married her.” It wasn’t a question, but there was a note of awe in Draco’s tone.

“Of course he did,” Ajax said smoothly. “What did you think was going to happen when he forbade us pursuing her?”

Serena shot me a side glance. “Them too?”

I squeezed her fingers. “They never stood a chance.”

“Oh?” she murmured, so softly, I barely caught the question.

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