by Jamie Wyman
His gaze dropped to the floor, and his jaw worked.
“What aren’t you saying?” I asked.
He blew out a long, tense breath. “We’re done.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Multiply the Heartaches”
It would’ve hurt less if Marius had whacked me in the stomach with a sledgehammer. The breath flew out of me, and I deflated. His hand fell away, and he turned his back to me. That’s when the wound began to sting.
“What?” I growled. “What did you say?”
His shoulders hunched forward. From the other side of the chasm between us, his voice was soft, gentle, and sad. “We’re done, Catherine.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes,” he said, turning to face me, not bothering to wipe the tears from his reddened eyes. “I’m ending our agreement. You…” He swallowed something and took my hands. “You go your way, and I’ll go mine. You owe me nothing.”
“Bullshit,” I simmered.
“Go home.”
“Bullshit!” My voice was shrill and echoed off the low ceiling.
Marius flinched.
I tossed his hands away and paced my own angry circle, dragging my hands through my hair. “You think I’m supposed to just, what? Walk upstairs like nothing happened? Maybe have a drink with Flynn and make my way home. Feed the cat. Fix a computer. Then what, Marius?”
He wheeled on me, his eyes blazing green fire. “Live your life! The one that almost ended because I was stupid enough to drag you into my problems.”
“Oh no,” I said. “You aren’t going to pull this shit. We had a deal.”
“That was before…”
“You need my help.”
“And just how will your death help me? Did you plan on sprouting wings and becoming my guardian angel or some bollocks like that? Why are you so keen to fight me on this? My idiot brother shot you after a prince of Hell came to collect my head.”
“My head, actually, or were you not paying attention?”
“Loki killed Moloch. Not you.”
“And I helped! A lot! For fucksake, you’re not the only one with problems. This is what people do, you know? They help one another. They take risks and get the job done, not because of deals or some scorecard but because they care.”
“Stop,” he hissed. “Don’t lecture me.”
“Apparently you need one. Do you think that right this second I care about what I may or may not owe you? Or what you owe me?”
“I can’t watch you die!” he shouted. The room became still as a coiled snake. Marius looked to the floor, and I pretended not to watch tears trickle over his cheeks and into his goatee. “Remember what I told you about my sisters? How they were mortal and it was just part of my life to watch them grow old and fade away? I can’t… I’ve never… Look, most of the time, I deal with others like me. Immortals. At the very least creatures gifted with longevity. They all want something. They all have designs or ambitions. I have partners and business contacts. And then there’s you.”
My chest tightened, and my cheeks flushed with heat as Marius pinched the bridge of his nose. Still avoiding me, he sat on the bed. His stare was fixed on the crimson stain of my blood.
“Stubborn. Smart. Witty,” he went on. “You have the ears of the gods and you’ve probably never even thought about asking any of them for something like a better apartment or car, money or fame. No, none of that means a damn thing to you. Because you’re different.” His fingers grazed the dried blood. “In your short, stupid little life you’ve had more than I have had in too many centuries. More friendship, trust, joy, and…” His voice trailed off as he measured his words. “And just when I realize what I’ve got, you go and try to die on me. Quite literally on me. It’s one thing to ruin my clothing, but Flynn’s now, too?”
He let out a weak laugh, but I couldn’t. Shaking, I stood rooted to the spot. What was he saying? What was he keeping from me? He composed himself, that terrible honesty deepening the shadows of his face.
“I’ve found something in you that I’ve never had before. Lovers? Conquests? Partners and contacts? None of them are like you.” He met my eyes, and my blood began to boil. There was something there, something unsaid. He went back to worrying the damn sheets. “I know you find me repellent and tolerate me on the best of days, but I…I’ve found…”
Heat rose to my cheeks and with it came an inability to breathe. He was on the verge of saying it. Whatever secret he’d been trying to keep, it was almost to the surface.
“What have you found?” I asked.
“A friend.”
I winced. Friend.
“It’s bad enough to know that even if you go the rest of your days without a single problem—which is impossible, because you’re you and always find trouble—I’ll still live to watch you die. I can’t stand it, Catherine. I can’t stand to see my friend put herself in such dire jeopardy for me.”
I blew out a long, disappointed breath and dragged my hands through my hair. “Jesus Christ, you’re a moron.”
Marius blinked at me, mouth working but not saying anything. Score one for me for rendering him speechless, if only for a moment.
“I’m sorry?”
“You’re a goddamn idiot, Marius. Yes, I’m mortal and my life is short. News flash, asshole: I’ve known that the whole time!”
He hung his head. The satyr looked weary, wrung out. I padded over, squatted in front of him, and balanced my elbows on his knees.
“Hey,” I said, giving him a poke. “Let me put it to you this way… Do you really think that it would be any easier for me to watch you die? Hmm?” With one finger, I lifted his chin so that he had to look at me. I shook my head. “Not really.”
Taking my hand into his, Marius laid a kiss on my palm. Closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath and let it slowly out. His shoulders relaxed, and I knew I’d won.
“So what’s next?” I asked. “What do we do now?”
“We,” Marius mused to himself. “Odd word, that… Right. Flynn wants me gone, so I should make myself scarce.”
I motioned to my bag. “It’ll take me less than five minutes to be ready to blow this place. You have a destination in mind?”
“Greece.”
It felt like my blood drained from my body. “Isn’t that… Aren’t there people hell-bent on killing you in Greece?”
“Let’s face it. There are people hell-bent on killing me everywhere. Our visit from the Muse left me with a few questions, though.”
“Such as?”
“How many of the lords of Olympus were signatories on that little telegram? I have a friend or two in that pantheon, and I’d like to know whom I can trust. Flynn was too hot on the trigger. I didn’t get my answers.”
“Can we find a safe spot?”
“If my ally is where I left him, yes. Are you sure you want to take this risk with me, Catherine? I’ll not deny that what I’m about to do is foolhardy and could end very badly for me. You don’t need to come.”
“No, I don’t,” I admitted.
And it was true. I didn’t. But I couldn’t let him go alone. I couldn’t turn away someone I’d come to l…like intensely. I needed to be near him. For my own sanity, I needed to be close to Marius, to his warmth. I needed to know that he would survive, and if I could be a part of ensuring that he made it through this gauntlet, I’d go to Greece with him just as easily as I’d gone to Glastonbury.
But I couldn’t tell him that. The words wouldn’t form.
I dragged my hands down my face, feeling utterly exhausted. “All right. To Greece we go. Any clue as to how we’re traveling?”
He fell back on the mattress. “Bugger, there’s that to consider. I’m not going Flynn’s way, I can tell you that much.”
“Tummy trouble?” I snickered. He lifted two fingers in response. “As much as he wants you out of here, I doubt he’d help with that anyway. There’s my fob, but it will only get us back here. What about your pipes?”
“Why’s that?”
Propping himself up on his elbows, Marius gave me a level stare. “Most of a day spent in a fragile tin can, the majority of that time suspended over open water when there are several deities and minions hunting me? What could possibly go wrong?”
“Noted. Well, what does that leave us?”
He fell back again. “There is one other way, I suppose, but I’d rather not rely on it.”
Frustrated, I snapped, “Running out of options here.”
“I know, I know. It’s just that it comes with its own set of problems.”
I indulged myself in stroking a hand through his glossy hair. His shoulders tensed, and he gasped, a shudder rippling through his core. I softened my tone to one of affectionate, playful mockery. “Well you’re involved, so yes, there are problems.”
He scrunched up his face at me, but I tossed him one of his cocksure smiles and raised an eyebrow in challenge.
“Fine. Pack your things. We’re going back to the storage shed.”
***
We hitched a quick cab ride home to feed Linux and ask Mrs. M to make sure he was taken care of for a few days. Then we hopped back in the cab and made our way to the storage unit across town. When we hauled up the door to the shed, I was pleased to see that my car was still there, if occupied. Malcolm sat on the hood, his knees up to his chest.
“There you are!” he called.
“How did you find me here?” Marius asked, clearly defensive.
Mal slid down to the pavement and swaggered toward us. Bruises painted the right side of his face with dark purples and wan yellows, and his right eye drooped.
“Blood calls to blood.” When Marius tossed his brother a Tell me no bullshit stare, Mal said, “D’ya think I’m a complete twat? I knew she’d have to come back for her car at some point.”
“Wow,” I said. “Not as dumb as you look.”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and dropped his eyes to the ground. “I deserve that,” he said sheepishly. “I just want you to know that I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I mean, I wasn’t aiming for…”
“Skip it,” I said. “I know what happened. Just one thing… A shotgun for the door? A pistol that got me? Where the hell did you get the guns?”
“Ah.” He bounced on the balls of his feet and tossed his hair. “Right. That would be a long story involving me and the IRA. I’d be happy to tell it to you over dinner some time.”
“Fuck no.”
“Didn’t think so,” Mal muttered. He flashed me a smile and a cheeky wink. “Can’t blame a bloke for tryin’, though.”
“I can,” I said, voice hard.
“What are you doing here, Mal?” Marius asked.
“And what the hell happened to your face?” I added.
Marius leaned close and murmured, “He was born like that.”
Ignoring the gibe, Mal explained, “Ah, well, Dad was a little upset with me, as you can imagine. What with mistaking a prince of Hell for him, and luring you two into a trap, and the fire, and blood, and… Well, we were all there, weren’t we? Let’s just draw a veil over that. Anyway, he sent me along to apologize and offer my help in any way you might have need of me.” He turned those icy-blue eyes on me. “And I do mean any way you need me, Cat.”
“You’ll be the first one to know, Mal,” I said drily.
“I know something you can do,” Marius said, a smile rippling over his face. “Perhaps you can give us a ride to Greece.”
Mal snorted. “Are you kidding me? Dad sent me here with the sole of his boot. I’m on me own as far as getting home and anything else.”
“Damn!” Marius kicked at the floor.
“Can’t you just use your keys?” I asked.
Marius shook his head. “They would take me to the Temple, and I’m not certain that’s a wise choice of destinations at the moment.”
Mal nodded. “Aye. Where were you thinkin’ of puttin’ down?”
“Santorini,” Marius answered. “I’ve got a friend there who owes me a favor.”
“I thought you said you had a way to get there,” I cut in.
Marius hemmed and hawed as he strode to the back corner of the storage locker. “Yes, about that,” he said. “Mal, be useful and make sure we’ve not been followed, then close up.”
While Malcolm silently obliged his brother, I followed Marius to where he stood. He passed his hand over the floor, and once again the rectangle of verdant light opened in the concrete. The gurgling sound of water and the birdsong reminded me of the sweet solace I’d known just before waking up in my room below YmFy.
Don’t, I admonished myself. Don’t think about that. You can’t go back.
As Marius sealed the portal again, I was left with a feeling of cold longing. I felt like a hole, empty and alone.
“Need to make it quick,” my satyr ordered tersely. “If I’m going to do this, it’s going to need to be fast, lest Eris show up and ruin an otherwise lovely day.”
He breezed past me, a bag on his shoulder and a cloth in his hands.
I put a hand on Marius’s arm. “What are we doing?”
He unfolded the cloth in his hand to reveal…well, the only word for it is bling. A braided gold chain sporting an ostentatiously large amulet. Diamonds on it spelled out Player.
I cleared my throat to stifle my laughter. “Um. Flavor Flav called.”
“Disgusting, isn’t it?” He flipped the amulet over, and I saw Eris’s mark—the golden apple. “It’s one of her more overt insults.”
“What is it? I mean, other than gaudy with a capital Oh My Gawd?”
His lip hitched into a half smile. “You know how Eris used me as a thief and a spy? Well, do you think she would send me hither and yon by mortal means?”
“That cheap bitch? Hell no.”
“Precisely. And I certainly wasn’t about to let her know that I had pipes created by Pan himself. The less she knew about my bloodline the better. So this,” he said hefting the necklace, “was something she concocted for me to get from Point A to Point B quickly and without detection.”
“And the Player?” I asked, suppressing a laugh.
“It changes over time to be as embarrassing as possible.”
With the jarring sound of metal against stone, the locker closed behind us. Mal peered over his brother’s shoulder. “Nice. Can I borrow that sometime?”
I snorted.
“No matter how repugnant I find you, Malcolm, I would never wish this curse upon you,” Marius said. He looped the necklace over his head. His eyes darted left and right before focusing on a point in front of us.
“All right,” Marius said, steeling himself. He took up my hand and grabbed Malcom by the wrist. “Whatever you do, whatever you see or hear, do not let go.”
“Okay. What do we do?”
“We walk.”
As one, the three of us took a step. Reality swept past us in a blur of buildings, lights, and people. I heard the wail of sirens, the roar of flames, and the squalling of a baby’s first cry. The smell of car exhaust and gasoline, and burning rubber reached my nose.
Another step… The muggy air of the bayou clung to my skin, and the swamp pulled at my shoes. The sun was low in the sky, its blood dripping over the horizon. Laughter and an acoustic guitar met my ears only to be replaced by the meaty smack of fist against flesh.
Another step… Velvety night. Perfect darkness except for the waning moon and the Milky Way. Salt spray on my cheeks and waves beneath my feet. I looked down to see I was walking on starlight. At least that’s what it looked like as the water shifted and reflected the jewel-encrusted sky. The head of a whale peeked up through the foam before exhaling a plume of mist.
Another step… Firelight and gold
en dunes. Footsteps in the sand. Camels lowing in the night. The crack of gunfire and the peal of a hundred voices being raised in triumph.
Another step…
The strange whip of motion and sound stopped abruptly. The three of us stood on a beach now, the water reaching up to caress the black sand in rhythmic teasing strokes. I felt the ebb and flow in my own blood. In a matter of seconds, my breathing matched the steady in and out of the ocean.
Though it must have been nearly midnight, the beach was awash with golden light. Torches lined a path along the strand, and a series of resorts rose up behind us. Like a thousand fireflies, windows glowed with the soft flickers of candlelight.
“Damn,” Marius hissed. “I forgot about the time difference.”
Mal’s face was pale, his eyes wide and haunted. “What… Where are we?”
“Santorini, Greece,” Marius explained.
“How did we get here?”
“We walked.” When Mal and I both gaped at him for further detail, Marius added, “You know the term Godspeed? Well, congratulations. You just experienced it. God-stepping is not easy on the mind, but it gets the job done.” He yanked the chain from around his neck. “Do you have that key fob with you?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “Why?”
“Making sure I’m not about to burn our ships.” Marius whirled the necklace over his head and flung it out to the sea. He watched the gold amulet sail into the night and fall into the water, his face grim. When he spoke, his voice was heavy and dark with loathing. “Let her stew on that for a bit.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
Marius turned on his heel and began trudging up the slope of the beach toward the resorts. “Well, if she’s breathing, Eris is going to know I used her charm. She will also know where I am. But in coming to Greece, I leave her to wonder why I would dare do something so foolish. What’s more, I’ve just left the amulet in a very, shall we say, strategic place.”
“And so now she’s wondering if you’ve found an ally and would use her necklace just as a fuck you,” I guessed.