Page 22 of Left Hand of the Divine
“It wasn’t you,” I said, which was such a cop-out. “I’ll tell you later.”
Atticus’ brows dipped into a frown, and even I knew my words were lame. He swallowed and pinched his bottom lip between his teeth. “It’s okay, Roux. I’m not fragile. I’m just concerned about you.”
I threw a quick glance at Erebus, but he wasn’t looking at me anymore. I could still see that smug little smirk curling his mouth, though. Like he was pleased with himself that he had some power over me. When we got back, I was going to have some words with that asshat.
“I release you from your oath, Thanatos,” Prometheus said, pulling my attention back into the room. He swiped his thumb over the small triangle and removed the mark on Thane’s arm before taking the box. He pressed the silver band around his wrist to the top of it, and there was a soft click as the lid popped open. I leant closer to peer inside, but there was just a small scrap of paper. It looked ancient and like it would disintegrate if anyone even touched it.
Prometheus delicately unfolded it and then huffed a laugh. Which I wasn’t expecting. “What’s funny?”
“Nothing, really,” he replied. “Just that Zeus’ humour is as amusing as it is painful.”
There was a sadness to his words, and it made me wonder what kind of God Zeus was. I’d heard so many different things that made me think he was as changeable as the wind. I wondered what kind of mood he’d be in tomorrow and whether it would be favourable or not.
Knowing my luck, I’d be surprised if we made it out of Olympus alive.
Prometheus muttered something under his breath, and I watched in amazement as the silver bracelet faded into nothing more than dust.
“Wow,” he said, his voice trembling. “It’s been so long since I’ve felt this.”
“What?” I asked.
His silver eyes met mine, shifting with something that unsettled me, and a wicked grin spread across his face. “Free. Thanks for your help, but I’ve got a lot of living to do. Pass on my best to old Zeus.”
Then he saluted us and vanished into thin air.
“Does anyone else feel like this is a bad thing?” Magnus asked, his brow quirked over his red eyes.
“Yes,” Thane said darkly. “But we are committed to this now. Whatever the outcome.”
“What about him?” Magnus asked, hooking his thumb over his shoulder towards Erebus.
“He stays with me,” I said. “Until we figure out what to do with him.”
We needed to have a proper talk about what his plans were and how they involved me. Also, where does Nyx fit into all this? There were too many questions and not enough answers.
“We could just put him in a cell?” Rafe said.
“No,” I said, my tone sharper than I’d intended. “I won’t have him trade one prison for another.”
“Then what?” Rayne growled, his hands firmly on his hips. “We can’t just let him wander around free. Don’t you think that’s dangerous?”
“I am standing right here, you know,” Erebus drawled. He walked towards our little group, and I felt the others stiffen. They didn’t trust him. Hell, I wasn’t sure I trusted him.
But a part of mewantedto. Some part of me was convinced he wouldn’t run away from me. “I know this is crazy, but I don’t think he will stray far from me. He wants something from me.”
Erebus grinned, wide and unsettling, and crossed his finger over his heart in the shape of an ‘X’. “I promise I won’t disappear.”
We all just stared at him until his smile dropped.
“Look,” Erebus sighed. “If it will make you feel better, Roux is right. I want to know why my plan didn’t work and why Nyx isn’t here.”
“And when did you figure that out?” Atticus asked.
“Then none of you will be of any use to me, and I don’t know—” he waved his hands dramatically through the air, “—I will probably kill you all.”
“Comforting,” Magnus drawled, which just made Erebus smirk.
“I know this is going to sound ridiculous,” I started, looking at each of the guys individually. “But something inside me believes him. Somethingknowshim. If he says he won’t disappear, then I trust him to keep his word.”
