Daimon knew better than to take the pause as an invitation to speak. Ares was probably just wrestling his temper back under control, trying not to set his phone on fire.
Megan’s voice broke the tense silence, too distant for him to make out what she said.
A noisy scratching sound hit him and then Ares responded, muffled by his hand. “I’m dealing with it.”
A pause.
“No, I won’t play nice,” Ares grumbled. “Daimon knows better than to disappear like that.”
His brother huffed, whatever Megan said to him cooling some of his fire, because when he next spoke, he sounded around three hundred percent calmer.
“Fine.”
The scratching sound came again and then Ares’s voice, louder and clearer now.
“Cal told me something else too. Apparently, Cass can touch you. So, do we need to mount a rescue or is this a do not disturb situation like Cal thinks it is?”
Daimon wasn’t going to answer that question.
Apparently, his silence was answer enough for Ares.
“I’ll call off the search party then. Valen was looking ready to step to Hong Kong. You’re lucky you answered this time or you would have had unwelcome company.” Ares’s voice brightened, losing the hard edge, and he chuckled as Valen muttered something in the background, probably about stepping to Hong Kong to disturb them anyway. “Just be back before dark… and… be careful, okay?”
Now his brother sounded like a strict parent and it grated a little, but he let it slide because he had felt protective of Ares too when he had lost his power and found Megan.
Daimon had worried that Megan would end up hurting his brother. It was understandable that his brothers would feel the same concern about Cass.
“Sure,” he mumbled into the phone, shutting out the sound of the water running in the adjoining bathroom. “Tell Marinda that Cass is fine… but next time she wants to do something as reckless as following me to Antarctica without the appropriate protective gear, someone better stop her.”
“Got it.” Ares paused, as if he wanted to say something more, and then added, “Laters.”
Daimon ended the call and sank back against the mattress, his breath leaving him on a long sigh as he dropped the phone on the bed beside him and stared at the ceiling.
He wasn’t looking forward to returning to Tokyo.
He could only imagine how badly his brothers were going to tease him, and Cass.
Daimon tossed the navy covers aside and rolled from the bed, and huffed when the shower switched off, his opportunity to join Cass there slipping through his fingers.
It was probably for the best. While she could use a spell to protect her from his ice when he touched her, he wasn’t sure that magic would protect her if he froze the water around her, and that was bound to happen if he showered with her. He doubted she would find the alternative arousing. Normally when he showered, he cranked the water up to the point where it would scald a normal person, and even then he would end up with the parts of him that weren’t directly under the spray of water covered in a fine layer of frost.
Cass emerged from the bathroom, tucking a black towel in around her breasts, and stopped. Her pale blue eyes lifted to meet his across the room, a small smile curling her lips, drawing him to her. He crossed the room and feathered his fingers down her jaw, eased her head back and dropped a kiss on her lips.
She made a small noise of appreciation. “I could definitely get used to this.”
When he went to kiss her again, she pressed her palms to his bare chest, her touch light but commanding. He looked down into her eyes and sighed as he caught the question in them.
“Ares offered to send a rescue team. He thought maybe you were holding me against my will.” He meant it to sound teasing, but her beautiful face blackened and sparks lit her eyes.
“All of your brothers think so ill of me.” She twisted away from him and her shoulders lifted in a soft sigh.
“Not true.” He shook his head when she cast him a glance that said it was. “They’re just being protective. It’s what brothers do.”
The light faded from her eyes and she looked down at her feet. “I wouldn’t know.”
“You don’t have any siblings?” When she hesitated to answer that question, a crinkle forming between her fine black eyebrows, he added, “Do you have any family?”
A tiny shake of her head.
She tried to smile, but it faltered, and gods, it broke his heart to see it and feel the shift in her mood. He hadn’t meant to hurt her with that question, with talking about his brothers so casually. If he had known it was a sore subject for her, he would have kept his big mouth shut.
“Eric felt like family,” she whispered, attempting another smile.
Her eyes glittered with emotions as she finally looked at him, with tears that tore at him, had him closing the gap between them again and wrapping his arms around her. He had been jealous of Eric before, too wrapped up in his own feelings to notice how badly hers had been hurt by his death.
“Sorry,” he muttered and stroked his fingers down her damp hair.
He pressed a kiss to it and cursed when he left frost blooming on the wet strands. He tried to pull back, but she wrapped her arms around his waist, pinning him to her.
“Don’t,” she murmured, clutching him so tightly that the ache in his heart worsened. “The spell will kick in. Don’t let me go.”
He didn’t intend to. Not now. Not ever.
He stroked her hair, caressed her shoulders, felt strangely vulnerable as he held her like this, as if he was the one who was hurting. Maybe it was seeing Cass, his indomitable sorceress, brought so low and desperate for someone to hold her together, for him to hold her together, that made him feel that way. He couldn’t remember ever being needed like this.
Daimon stood there, holding her, giving her the moment she needed and wishing there was something more he could do for her.
He pressed another kiss to her hair and murmured against it, “I don’t know anything about your situation, but you have family, Cass.”
She dipped her head, released him and brought her right hand up to her face, her actions hidden by her fall of black hair. When she straightened, her eyes were red, but she had erased all trace of her tears.
Almost all of them anyway.
He lifted his hand and caught one glistening teardrop on his index finger, stared at it as it froze into a perfectly clear crystal of ice that glittered like a diamond.
“The coven—” she started.
He shook his head. “I meant Marinda. Marinda is your family. I didn’t get to choose my family, but if I had been able to choose it, like you were able to choose Eric and Marinda, I probably would have chosen my brothers. Or maybe subbed a few out. They can drive me crazy at times. I’m not saying this well. I just wanted to say that you got to pick your family and I think you chose pretty damn good. I can see Marinda means a lot to you.”
Cass nodded. Smiled. “She’s like a sister, and a daughter. I’ve known her from before she was born and I watched her grow up. I learned so much about what it was like to be a real family from her, or at least I thought I did. Coming here… meeting you and your brothers… it’s made me realise I didn’t really know what a family was.”
“Your coven isn’t like a family?”
She shook her head, frowned and then nodded. “It is. It is my family, and it’s dear to me, but it’s just… different.”
Warmth shone in her eyes, backing up her words, making him see that she meant them and that her coven was dear to her, important and necessary. He wanted to probe more so he could understand what was different about her coven that made her feel she had never really known what a family was like, but she drew down a breath, sighed it out and tilted her head up.
“I had an idea when I was in the shower.”
He smiled. “Did it involve me being in the shower too?”
A pretty blush stained her cheeks and she pushed hi
s chest with her right hand. “No. Yes… but this idea came after that.”
He slipped his arm around her waist and tugged her closer to him again, glad to see the storm clouds lifting from her eyes.
His gaze dropped to her lips, hunger to taste them rising inside him again. “So let’s hear it.”
“I can’t when you’re looking at me like that. I just want to kiss you.” She leaned towards him, pressing her chest to his.
“So kiss me,” he husked.
She tiptoed and captured his lips, her kiss brief but passionate, rousing fire in his veins that lingered when she pulled back again, a sigh escaping her.
He wanted more.
Wasn’t sure he would ever get enough of kissing her.
“I want to help you and your brothers.” She raised her hands and framed his face with them, looked deep into his eyes, hers revealing how much she wanted that. “I have some books at home, ones about forbidden magic. They might be helpful. If nothing else, they speak of necromancy. I’d like to get them and some other things.”
He nodded. “I’ll take you.”
Mostly because he didn’t want to let her out of his sight. He wasn’t sure how much the Erinyes knew about her, and he wasn’t going to risk them knowing about her island home, letting her go off alone. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if she ended up hurt or worse because he hadn’t gone with her.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” She pressed closer, the smile that tugged at her lips sending a hot thrill through him as her gaze turned hooded. “Maybe we could hide from your brothers a little longer there.”
That sounded more than good. He didn’t want to face his brothers, and he had the impression she didn’t want to face them yet either. Both of them were going to get a grilling when they returned.
He forced himself to release her, and rifled through his dresser for some underwear and a fresh roll-neck long-sleeve T-shirt. As he tugged on his trunks, Cass sighed, drawing his gaze to her.
She stared longingly at his backside.
And then her blue eyes lifted to lock with his. “It’s such a shame to cover up all that perfection.”
He stifled the blush that wanted to climb his cheeks by jerking his chin towards her bare curves. “I’d say the same about you, but I’m damned if I want you parading around like that in front of anyone but me.”
Her smile turned wicked. Teasing. “Someone sounds a little possessive.”
“A little?” He shook his head at that. “Try a lot. I’m doing my best not to lock you in this room to keep you away from my brothers and…”
He trailed off, the words he had been about to say echoing around his mind.
And any other male.
“Daimon,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “Let’s not. Not right now.”
Because he wanted to keep living in this dream, fooling himself for as long as he could.
He pulled his top on and followed it with a pair of black jeans, found some socks and then hunted for his boots, leaving Cass in the bedroom.
Needing a moment to breathe.
Daimon stopped in front of his boots where he had discarded them near the couch, stared at them as he tried to piece himself back together, rebuilding the illusion that everything was going to go the way he wanted it to.
Things never did.
He tugged his socks on and jammed his feet into his boots, had just finished lacing them when Cass emerged, her sinful curves clad in black leather trousers and her corset.
The look on her face said they were going to have to talk about things eventually.
Eventually was a damned long way off as far as he was concerned.
He was going to fight for her and he was going to win.
He crossed the room, his boots loud on the pale marble floor, and took hold of her hand.
Stepped with her to Karavostasis, to the small walled garden that hugged her island home.
Power immediately pressed down on him from all directions, had his gaze whipping to the terrace of the white building.
To the five women who stood there, all dressed in black.
Witches.
Cass tensed, her fingers clenching his so tightly it hurt, and her fear washed over him.
Daimon stared down the five witches.
It seemed he was going to be fighting for Cass much sooner than he had anticipated.
Because he was damned if they were going to take her from him.
Chapter 24
Daimon guided Cass behind him and faced the witches. One with sleek golden hair stepped down from the terrace and moved towards him, the other four following her.
“What is the meaning of this?” The blonde sorceress looked from him to Cass as she emerged from behind him.
“I’m helping this god and his brothers with an important mission.” Cass’s voice hitched, wobbled a little as she tilted her chin up and he wanted to check on her but kept his eyes on the witches.
She was afraid of these women.
He could sense it in her as she braved a step forwards, drawing level with him.
“Cassandra, we have given you time. More than enough. We have accepted your delays… your excuses.”
“They weren’t excuses. I have important—” Cass slammed her mouth shut as the blonde cast her a withering look, silver-violet flecks sparking like lightning in her dark eyes.
“You will come with us. You will return to your family and fulfil your duty. No more delays.”
Over his dead body.
He had only just found Cass and he wasn’t going to lose her. He wasn’t going to let these witches take her from him when she clearly didn’t want to go with them. While he had been trying to fool himself into believing she didn’t want to give herself to another male, to bear his child, he felt sure of it now.
He focused, silently mustering his strength, calling forth his power, stoking it so it was ready for him to unleash it at a moment’s notice.
The lead witch’s dark eyes slid to him. “It dares to threaten us?”
Damn. She had sensed the rising power within him.
Nothing else for it then.
He shrugged and ice shot up from the earth beneath her. His grin faded before it could fully manifest as she disappeared, gone in the blink of an eye, together with the other witches.
Had they teleported away?
Had he won?
That was easy.
He almost grinned.
“Daimon.” Cass lunged for him, panic lacing her voice.
Before she could reach him, one of two brunette witches appeared between them and shoved her back while launching an orb of twisting blue and violet light at him.
Daimon stepped and reappeared on the flat roof of the small white house, exhaled hard when the spell tore up the garden, leaving a huge crater in the dirt where he had been.
Maybe this wasn’t going to be so easy after all.
He growled and threw his hand forwards, launching shards of ice at the witch as she made a grab for Cass. The brunette gasped and shot backwards, snatching her hands to her chest as the ice shards slammed into the earth between her and Cass, creating a wall between them.
“Please, I am only helping this god. It’s a contract—” Cass’s voice cut off as she threw a panicked glance at him, her gaze colliding with his.
He tensed as he sensed power behind him, stepped and snarled as fire raked down his back, flames licking around him in the darkness of the teleport.
“Daimon!” Cass shrieked, her fearful scream following him into the black abyss.
When he landed behind Cass, he grabbed her arm in one hand and swept his other one upwards. Great spears of ice shot up from beneath the witch on the roof. She nimbly dodged them but he kept them coming. They rolled in a wave towards her wherever she ran, the ice shattering a few feet behind the tip of the wave.
A tip that caught her in the calf and ripped an agonised cry from her as she went down.
Daimon
grinned and focused his power on the witch, on dealing a killing blow.
“No!” Cass seized his arm and pulled him backwards, and he faltered, looked at her and caught the fear in her eyes.
Fear for her fellow witch now.
He hesitated and the witch was swift to make her escape, disappearing into the ether.
“Shit,” he muttered as he sensed the conflict in Cass, saw it shining in her eyes as she glanced between him and the remaining witches where they were regrouping, forming a wall between him and Cass’s home.
As much as he wanted to do it, he couldn’t kill these witches. If he did, it would only upset her. He could see how torn she was as she turned to the witches, her dark eyebrows furrowing as she stepped in front of him. They were Cass’s family, and he would hate it if someone killed one of his family.
“Please, this is just a contract.” Cass cast him a pained look when the lead witch looked as if she didn’t believe that, as if she knew that Daimon was something more to her.
He hated that look in her eyes, because he had the terrible feeling she was considering going with them to stop the fight.
He couldn’t let that happen.
He couldn’t let them take her.
Darkness surged through him, had his nails transforming into short claws and his canines aching as they elongated into fangs. Ice rippled over his fingers, hardened and transformed them into long talons as the air chilled around him. He flexed them and snarled at the witches as colourful light glowed from their palms, magic that laced the air with a tremendous feeling of power.
Cass didn’t want them to fight, but neither he nor the witches were willing to back down.
He didn’t want to hurt Cass, but he was going to have to in order to keep her with him, because he couldn’t let these witches take her. He wouldn’t. She belonged with him.
She was his.
Mine.
The darkness within him snarled that word, it drummed in his blood with every hard beat of his heart as he prepared himself.
Daimon: Guardians of Hades Series Book 6 Page 22