She shifted closer, and her breasts pressed harder against him, sending the already pounding pulse in his ears into overdrive. His hands drifted down her shoulders, along her slim torso to rest on her hips. And when she sighed and moved even closer still, whatever reservations he’d had before seemed nonexistent.
He lowered his head, eager to find her mouth in the dark, but she stiffened against him, and sucked in a breath that was more shock than arousal. He stilled. Listened. And realized what she’d heard.
A voice. Feminine. Just one, though.
“Did you hear that?” Elysia whispered.
“It’s another recruit,” he whispered back.
She lifted her head, and even though it was still too dark to see her eyes, he knew questions swirled in her dark eyes.
“There are several recruits on this island,” he went on, even though all he wanted to do was kiss her. “All searching for the same things.”
“The aegis? Is there more than one?”
“I don’t know.”
Her fingers slid from his shoulders to his chest, and she gently pressed him back a half step. “Then we have to get back to searching.”
He knew she was right, but he wasn’t ready to let her go.
Reluctantly, he stepped back. The voice had faded, which meant the other recruit must have moved on. Before he could back out of the cave, Elysia said. “Wait. Do you feel that?”
The only thing he felt was her heat still swirling around him like a vortex in the small space, but he stilled and tried to focus so he could figure out what she meant. Cool air drifted over his calves.
“This cave goes farther back,” she said with excitement. “We should check it out. Just in case.”
“Let me look.” Damon crouched. She was right. The cave opened to a crawl space big enough for a person. What he’d thought was sunlight from the opening was actually light coming from deeper in the cave. “There’s some kind of illumination.”
Elysia knelt beside him, her arm brushing his in the process, sending shards of heat all through his torso. She shifted in front of him on her hands and knees and moved into the crawl space. “Come on.”
He hesitated for only a split second, watching the sway of her sweet ass as she wiggled through the tight space. If another recruit found the aegis before she did, all his little fantasies about her were going to poof right out of his grasp. If he wanted to go back to what they’d just been about to do, he needed to stop fucking around and get busy.
A scraping sound echoed ahead. Damon crawled after Elysia, grunting as his shoulders and back hit the top of the tunnel and his knees scraped along the rocky floor. Just when he was sure this passageway was nothing more than a hoax, Elysia gasped.
He pushed to his feet when the tunnel opened to a large room. Light shone down from a hole in the ceiling, illuminating a pedestal made of stone. He let his eyes adjust, then sucked in a breath when he saw what had made her gasp.
A metal shield that looked to be millennia old sat on the pedestal. As he drew close, Damon caught sight of the silhouette of a mermaid imprinted into the metal.
“Wow.” Elysia stopped in front of the shield. “I thought you said it was a gorgon head.”
“I’ve never seen an aegis from the Sirens.” Truth was, he’d never stuck around long enough to care what items a recruit had to find after rescuing him.
Elysia grazed the shield with her fingertips. A burst of light filled the room, highlighting the walls, the floor, the tunnel they’d just crawled through. She pulled her hand back, and the light slowly dimmed until it was nothing but a bright spot at the base of her neck. A turquoise amulet appeared at her throat, anchored by a chain around her neck. An amulet surrounded by swirls of silver that oddly resembled marine life.
Wide-eyed, Elysia reached up to touch the amulet. “It’s cool, like water.”
Damon ran his own fingers along the edge of the jewel. “That makes sense. The ancient Sirens were thought to be mermaids. Seductive females enchanting sailors who ventured near.”
“I’ve read Homer.”
Surprise lifted his gaze from the amulet to her face, highlighted by the glow of the stone. And again he was struck by the fact she remembered more than she should. “You have?”
“Long ago, when I was in school.”
“In the same school where you learned about the gods?”
“The same place.”
Memories flickered in her eyes, ones he couldn’t read. But he could tell that whatever she was seeing was more than a fragment. And that meant she wasn’t simply a memory swipe gone wrong. She was different from the other recruits. Somehow, she was more than any other female who’d been marked for the Sirens. And for reasons he couldn’t explain, he had to know more about her. He had to know everything.
“Damon?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you all right?”
He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that she was closer than she’d been moments before. Had she stepped in or had he? He glanced down only to realize his hand had moved from the amulet at her throat to lie over the beat of her heart—and her left breast.
Realizing what he’d done, he dropped his hand and moved back. Holy Hades, this female was doing a number on him. Arousing him in ways no female had, making his thoughts scatter and swirl. What the hell was happening to him?
“The, uh, amulet is a sign,” he managed. “It means you’re in the top seventy-five percent of recruits. You only have one labor left. Congratulations.”
A wide smile spread across her gorgeous face, one that told him she’d liked where his hand had been. And just that fast, confusion fled and the need to touch her and know her and possess her came rushing back.
“That’s good.” She stepped closer. So close her seductive heat surrounded him. “Very good. So long as you stay to help me with the last labor, that is.”
Oh man. Her eyes were vast dark pools. And he was falling under their spell. Just as those sailors had fallen for the ancient Sirens’ hypnotic voices.
Her hand landed against his bare chest, igniting a fire in his blood. He lifted his to close around her long, slender fingers. Whoever she was, whatever she was, he no longer cared. All that mattered was having her.
He lowered his mouth to hers, and the instant her lips brushed his, desire flared hot and urgent through every cell in his body. He gripped her hand tighter against his chest, slid his tongue along the seam of her lips, then groaned when she opened and let him in.
Heat. Life. Home. The words swirled in his head while her tongue stroked gently along his. This was familiar. This was new. This was all-consuming in a way nothing and no one had ever been before.
She broke the kiss and stepped back long before he was ready to let her go. Cool air whooshed over his lips and bare chest. Before he could pull her back, she turned away. “Oh my gods, it’s the seventh labor.”
In a daze, he realized she’d moved toward the pedestal. A small wooden box sat near the aegis, as if it had floated through the skylight above.
Which, considering who was sending them, was no surprise. They’d set it up to happen just that very way.
Did that mean Athena knew he was here? She had to. She knew everything the recruits did on this damn island. He was going to be in some serious shit when he got back to Olympus.
His gaze drifted to Elysia. As he watched her open the box and read the scroll inside, arousal flared in his belly and spread into his groin. He’d deal with Athena’s consequences later. All he cared about right now was the female in front of him.
Elysia’s face fell. Worry immediately clamped a hand around his chest, distracting him from his thoughts. He moved toward her. “What’s wrong?”
She turned to face him with wide, sickened eyes. “It’s the last labor.” She held out the scroll. “I have to kill another soul.”
Kill another soul…
The words echoed in Elysia’s mind as she sat by the fire on the beach that night. Darkness press
ed in all around them, and every once in a while, the sound of branches crashing sounded from the jungle, but Elysia didn’t even turn to look. The thuds were far off, and as Damon had told her, the monsters on this island didn’t like flames. They were safe so long as the fire didn’t go out.
“You’ve barely eaten,” Damon said across the fire, where he stoked the hot coals with a thick branch.
Elysia looked at the fish he’d caught and cooked after they’d returned to the beach, sitting on a piece of bark he’d used as a plate beside her. “I’m not hungry.”
“You have to eat.”
Kill another soul…
Her stomach rolled. Eating was the last thing she needed to do. Pushing to her feet, she paced ten feet into the darkness, then turned and paced back. No, what she needed to do was find a way off this island. She couldn’t kill someone. What did the Sirens think she was? A monster? She couldn’t do that. She’d gladly bind herself to anyone her parents paired her up with over this.
Her feet stilled, and her brow lowered. Bind herself? What in Hades did that mean?
“I hope this isn’t your way of telling me I should worry.”
Elysia looked over at Damon across the fire. A sexy half smirk toyed with the edge of his lips, distracting her from her thoughts. “What?”
He lifted his brows, cueing her into his meaning.
She frowned. “I’m not going to kill you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Just making sure.” He patted the log beneath him. “Why don’t you come sit down?”
Confusion clouded her thoughts. “Why are you still here?”
“I’m not sure—”
“You said you were only here so I could complete the fifth labor. If that’s true, then why haven’t you left?”
“I thought you wanted me to stay.”
She did. But she wasn’t entirely sure why. Yes, she was attracted to him, yes he was hot, but there were a hundred things she needed to focus on other than hot and attractive. And he’d even admitted there would be repercussions to his staying, so why the heck was he still here? Especially now when she couldn’t even string a thought together without flipping out?
“Oraios.” He rose and crossed to her. “Come here.” Gently, he took her hand and led her around the fire. When they reached the log, he said, “Sit.”
Elysia lowered to the log, her mind flipping between memories she couldn’t bring into focus, to thoughts of him, to the seventh labor she didn’t want to think about.
His hands landed on her shoulders and began kneading the tight muscles. “You’re tense.”
Of course she was tense. The Sirens wanted her to kill someone. Someone who’d never done a single thing to her.
“I know you’re conflicted,” he said long minutes later. “If it helps at all, most of these recruits will not make it off this island.”
“So, what, my killing them is a way to put them out of their misery?”
“I didn’t say that. I—”
“Could you do it? Kill someone you don’t know? Someone you’ve never even met?”
“I have,” he said quietly.
“You have?” Surprise rippled through Elysia, and she looked up at him. “When? Who?”
Damon’s gaze met hers, and his hands paused their massaging. Something dark passed over his eyes. Something mysterious. “I’m not sure.”
“How can you—”
“I don’t remember it. But I know I’ve killed. Many times.”
He was talking in riddles. She didn’t know what he was saying. And considering how scattered her mind was at the moment, she was almost too afraid to ask.
Sighing, he let go and sat on the log beside her. Leaning forward, he rested his forearms on his knees and clasped his hands. Firelight flickered over his rugged skin and the rose tattoo that seemed to dance over his shoulder and biceps. “I was in some kind of accident in the human realm. The Sirens found me and brought me to Olympus. The gods nursed me back to health. When I awoke, I had no memory of my previous life.”
Elysia studied his features. A thin layer of stubble had formed on his jaw, making him look darker and sexier than any male had the right to look. “How long ago was this?”
“Twenty-five years ago.”
“And you can’t remember a single thing?”
He shook his head. “Everything was blank when I awoke. The only thing familiar was the blade. That’s how I know I’ve killed. My fighting skills are reflexive. I know I was some kind of warrior in the past, I just don’t know where or for whom.”
“And the gods didn’t tell you?”
“They didn’t know either. But they saved my life. That’s why I serve them.”
“And you never had any desire to return to the human realm? To find out who you used to be?”
He shook his head again.
“What if people are looking for you, though? Your family?”
“I don’t think I have a family.”
“But if you can’t remember—”
He turned to her. “I’d feel them, Elysia. If they were there, I’d know. I’ve never felt any connection to anyone or any place. No loss. Until I met you, that is.”
Something warmed in her belly. “What do you mean?”
He sighed again and looked back at the flames. “I don’t really know what I mean. You asked me why I’ve stayed when I should already be back on Olympus. I guess the answer is because I feel some kind of connection to you that I’ve not felt with anyone else.”
“Because I can remember things I’m not supposed to remember and you wish you could do the sa—”
“That’s not why I’ve stayed.” He looked at her again. Only this time his eyes were so focused and intense, heat rushed straight to her core. “Maybe at first that’s why I didn’t leave, but there’s something else. Something more. Some connection I can’t define. And I know it’s selfish of me, but I don’t want to leave until I figure out just what it is.”
Her heart picked up speed until it was a whir in her ears, and as their eyes held, she felt the connection he spoke of too. It was more than sexual. It was more than a similarity in their blank memories. It was familiarity. A kinship. As if they’d known each other before, as if they’d crossed paths in a past life, as if their souls were predestined to meet by the Fates spinning the threads of life.
His gaze dropped to her fingers, and he reached for her hand. Warmth encircled her palm as his fingers slid along hers, rough where she was soft, strong where she was weak. “I know you don’t want to complete the seventh labor. I know it’s asking you to do something you’re not comfortable doing. But I keep coming back to this feeling that I was sent here for a reason, that our meeting was not a random coincidence. Until I figure out why I feel that way, I can’t leave. If Athena should discover that I’ve stayed, though… If she pulls me back to Olympus before I figure that out…”
Understanding dawned. “Then we’ll never see each other again.”
“Yes.” His gaze lifted to hers, fathomless chocolate eyes rimmed in gold focused solely on her as if she were the only thing he could see. “If you don’t complete the seventh labor and make it to Olympus, we’ll never know the truth.”
He was right. He could be whisked back to Olympus at any moment, and if that happened, neither of them would ever learn what was so compelling about the other. But was her desire to discover who and what he was to her strong enough to override her ethics? Did it justify killing someone? Especially another recruit?
“I don’t think I’m ready to let you go,” he whispered, leaning toward her. “At least not yet.”
Her heart pounded hard against her ribs. She wasn’t ready to let him go yet either, but she didn’t know what to do. And the more time she spent with him, the less sure she was about everything, everyone, including herself.
Her breath caught as his soft, masculine lips brushed hers, and all thoughts but him, this, them slipped from her grasp.
“Help me,” a v
oice said weakly.
Damon pulled back. “Did you hear that?” Pushing to his feet, he stared past the fire toward the darkness.
“Hear what?” Elysia turned to look.
“Help me,” the voice called again.
“There’s someone out there.”
Slowly, Elysia rose. “It could be another recruit.”
Damon grasped her hand. “Or it could be someone looking for me.”
Sweat beaded on Elysia’s spine as Damon pulled her away from the log. He grasped the spear from the sand and held it out for her. She shook her head. “You take it.”
A worried expression passed over his features, but he didn’t argue, instead moved around the fire and drew her with him.
The firelight faded the farther they moved down the beach. Only a sliver of moonlight illuminated the white sand and waves lapping gently against the shore.
“Help me, please,” the voice said again, this time closer.
Elysia’s fingers tightened around Damon’s. “It’s female.”
“Yeah. Stay close. It could be a trap.”
Those nerves kicked up in Elysia’s belly. Of course it could be a trap. Athena was recruiting more than one female for the Sirens, which meant there were probably multiple amulets on this island. If another recruit had already found one, Damon and Elysia could be the prey instead of the hunters.
Fear lanced through her. Not just for herself, but for Damon as well. She slowed her steps and pulled on Damon’s hand. “Maybe we should go back.”
“Oh, thank the gods,” a voice said somewhere close.
Elysia squinted in the darkness and felt her heart drop when she realized it was too late to turn around. A blonde Siren recruit, wearing the same ridiculous getup as Elysia, sat in the sand only feet away, leaning against the base of a palm. No amulet hung from her neck.
“I didn’t think anyone would come,” the female said. “Please help me.”
Elysia’s gaze fell to the recruit’s calf, covered in blood.
“What happened?” Damon asked.
“A harpy.” The recruit braced her hands against the sand and shifted with a grimace. “It came out of nowhere. I injured it, but before I could get away, it grabbed my leg. I thought I was going to die.”
Awakened (Eternal Guardians Book 8) Page 6