Hermes jerked back as if I had struck him. “Let you go? Let. You. Go?” He looked at me as if he didn't recognize me. “As if I'm holding you captive?”
“No, of course not,” I said. “I know our relationship is not what it once was. But you still have a hold on me. You still come to me and expect me to welcome you into my bed. I can't do that anymore. I want to continue to be friends, but—”
“Are you seriously giving me the friend speech?!” Hermes roared as he shot to his feet. Then he grabbed me by the upper arms and hauled me up. “I am not some pathetic human you can toss aside, Lomasi!”
“I know you're not. Hermes, please, just—”
“Let her go!” Braxen shouted.
I froze as Hermes jerked us toward the sound. There Brax was, running toward us at full speed, Rune and Merrick not far behind. Bringing up the rear were Darius, Dominic, and Declan. All six of the men looked ready for battle.
Fuck.
“Are those . . . ?” Hermes's grip loosened as he stared at the oncoming men. “Are thosetwoCerberuses?” He looked back at me. “You don't do anything small do you?”
“I'm only with one Cerberus.”
“One Cerberus is stillthreemen!”
They were almost to us, just seconds away.
“Hermes, I love them. I'm their fated mate.”
“You're mine!”
Just as Braxen's hand stretched for me, Hermes surrounded us in magic and took me from them.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The magic deposited us on the deck of a ship. I gasped in the salt air and flailed away from Hermes. He let me go and watched me stumble without giving aid. I grabbed the railing and steadied myself. Looked around. We were in the middle of an ocean. Which one, I had no idea of knowing, but there wasn't any land in sight. Only blue. Blue as far as I could see.
There were a few men about, but they weren't fazed by our sudden appearance. They just went back to work, their white uniforms telling me they were members of the staff. Hermes always had a staff to take care of the shit he didn't want to do.
“Where have you taken me?” I demanded.
Hermes grabbed my wrist and yanked me down the deck to a rounded door.
“Hermes!” I yanked on his grip. It was like pulling on handcuffs.
His expression was hard, right on the edge of becoming fury. And an enraged Hermes was never good.
“You don't even want me anymore,” I said. “Why do you care about this? I'm not saying I don't ever want to see you again. I just don't—”
“Silence!” Hermes shouted.
It echoed in the metal corridor, making my ears ring.
He continued to pull me along, taking a few turns before coming to a glossy white door. Hermes opened the door, shoved me inside, and slammed the door shut. Panting in fear, I stared at the closed door. I didn't dare try to open it, not with him in that state. I knew Hermes well, so I knew he had left me to go somewhere and cool down. That was a good thing. He didn't want to hurt me. When he returned, he'd be more reasonable. Rational.
All I had to do was wait.
I looked around the luxurious cabin, finding a large bed, a dining set, a built-in dresser, and a balcony. It was a beautiful room if you didn't mind how everything was done in that sleek, private yacht way, all smooth edges, polished wood, and secured in place. All except the two chairs at the dining table. Hold on.
There was a balcony!
I hurried to the glass door and opened it. The balcony was large, especially for a ship, and had a lounger as well as another table and two chairs. I stepped out and went to the railing. Peering up showed me another level of the yacht. There were a few more balconies, but none within reach of mine. Below was a view of a smooth hull and then water. My shoulders fell.
I don't know what I expected to do. Even if I had climbed to another balcony and gotten free rein of the ship, I couldn't escape Hermes. He would find me anywhere in the world. This needed to be dealt with not run away from.
