Page 24 of Guardians of the Assassins
That was when she noticed the condition of their clothes—the guys were an absolute mess, sweaty and covered in dirt and grime.
How was it possible that they looked even yummier all disheveled?
Draven grimaced when he saw her looking, completely misinterpreting her reaction. “MacGregor has been working us like dogs the whole time you’ve been gone. Thank the gods you’re here. Now he can focus on you.”
Laughter bubbled out of her, and the last of her tension eased out of her spine. “What did you learn about the gods? Did you make any headway?”
At her question, everyone found the rest of the room fascinating.
Except for Atlas, who stood impervious, his arms crossed with a distasteful expression on his face. “Ward and Shade will arrive tonight. Shade has an idea of how we can draw out your grandfather.”
At the mention of their names, Loki scrambled to his feet, his legs kicking wildly in the air before he managed to gain traction. He sat promptly, ears perched forward, tongue lolling out, and Morgan couldn’t help but chuckle at his enthusiasm.
Loki was the only one excited about Shade’s arrival.
Not that Morgan could blame the guys.
Ward was an ancient protector, an actual warden who had devoted his life to protecting the void. Unfortunately, he got lost in the void when he overstretched his abilities, and the world had changed drastically since he’d been gone. Though his motives were sincere, he was a difficult man, who followed his own set of rules of right and wrong.
Shade was the complete opposite. The only rule he followed was what was best for him. She’d been screwed over more thanonce by his trickster ways. The good news was they were tied together, so he couldn’t completely fuck with her without getting hit with the consequences. He was a charming rogue that knew how to talk himself in and out of trouble.
She worried whatever scheme he came up with next would land her in an even bigger mess. But he knew the gods better than anyone else—since he was one. He also had reason to fear the gods. They’d had every intention of sacrificing him until she came along to rescue his ass.
Now the gods were after her this time.
If she didn’t figure out what they wanted, she very much feared she would be the next person on the chopping block.
“Are we really going to trust him?” Draven asked the very question that had been running through her mind.
“She dies, he dies,” Kincade responded, but he didn’t look any happier about the fact.
If there was a loophole, Shade would find it and exploit it.
She just hoped that it wouldn’t be at the cost of her life.
She’d like to think they were friends, but she wouldn’t bet on that keeping her alive.
“Then we make our own plans,” Caedmon said, his eyes flashed in warning. “I will not put her safety in jeopardy because of the whim of the gods.”
He instantly became the center of attention. Even Ryder who was still on the phone was listening intently.
“What do you have in mind?” Ascher ventured closer, his head tilted in curiosity. The rest of the guys were just as interested.
“There are two sides to every story. Your god has only ever been on the inside of Tartarus. A minor god. He probably doesn’t have all the facts. Not all the gods were imprisoned. The ones who escaped either knew what was coming and were prepared, or they got lucky.” His lips quirked at their dumbfounded expressions. “We find one of those gods. If they know what’s coming, then we can figure out why they are so desperate to get their hands on you.”
Silence filled the room in the wake of his answer, everyone glancing at each other, waiting for someone to protest why it wouldn’t work.
“They might not be aware of Morgan,” Atlas countered. “We run the risk of drawing attention to her if we seek them out.”
Ryder hung up the phone, a heavy frown on his face. “We have a choice of her being hunted or us setting the scene and mitigating the fallout. Which option do you prefer?”
They were all predators—the idea of waiting to be attacked was not appealing, and a few of the guys grimaced at the thought.
Kincade ran a hand over his head, then scrubbed the back of his neck before he let out a grunt, like he couldn’t believe what he was about to ask. “So how do we go about looking for a god?'“
Morgan came up blank, but there was something about the unwavering look Caedmon gave her that made a shiver go down her spine. As much as she didn’t want to encourage this line of thought, she refused to sit around on her ass, waiting to be attacked. Not when it would put her mates at risk. “You have an idea.”
It wasn’t a question, and the rest of the guys turned toward Caedmon. Ryder and Draven looked just as apprehensive as she felt, but Atlas, Kincade, and Ascher looked resigned.
