Lex didn't follow me, and that was a smart move. Things would have gotten really strained between us if he had tried to be my crying shoulder. Those guys were the last ones I wanted comfort from in that situation. I shut the bedroom door and locked it. Then I put a chair beneath the knob. Then I went into the bathroom and locked myself in there.
I didn't make it to the shower. One look at the face in the mirror—the one that was mine and yet not, and I crumpled to the floor.
“I'm poison,” I whispered. “Wren's life got better after I left. Maybe Ace's did too. Maybe that's why I had to die back then. I should have stayed dead.”
I burst into tears, folding in on myself. I kept seeing Ace's sweet face. And poor little Bruno. His master was the undead. Or was he? I didn't know how resurrection magic worked. I knew more about Silas now, but it wasn't enough. Just enough for me to hate him. The worst part was thinking about how happy the hounds would be. Their competition had just been taken out, and they didn't have to lift a finger. Their hands, down to their fingertips, were clean.
The bastards.
I couldn't face them. Jake would smirk. They would all think I was a done deal now. But losing Ace had made something clear. I didn't need three men to be obsessed with me. I needed one man—one good man—to love me. And a god had just taken that man away from me.
“Fucking gods,” I muttered.
But what could I do? I was just a human. The only thing that made me special was my immortality.
And my destiny.
Sniffling, I lifted my head. “I'm destined to discover Silas's identity. And now, I'm really fucking motivated.”
Because if I could find out who Silas was, maybe the Gods would kill him. And then Ace would be free. Maybe I'd be free too.
I stood up and splashed cold water on my face. Yup, I had my tiny whiny moment, but that was done. Looking at my face—myface, damn it!—I said, “Buck up, buttercup. It's time to unmask a god.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
When I left my bedroom, I was dry-eyed and dressed in the least frilly dress I could find in the closet. The hounds had provided me with clothes and they had gotten my sizes right, but everything they chose was for a southern belle. Lace and pink cotton, that sort of thing. I went with a silk tank in dusty rose and a knee-length cotton pencil skirt in deep green. I felt a bit like a rosebud, but it was the best I could do. There hadn't been a single piece of black clothing in the collection. Not even a basic black dress. The barbarians.
My prim pink shoes didn't make a sound on the thick carpet as I entered the living room where the hounds were discussing Silas, Ace, and me. They went quiet long before I walked in, but my hearing was good, and I picked up the names before they shut down the conversation.
“Salina, I'm so sorry about Ace,” Cyrus said. “I wouldn't wish that on anyone.”
“He isn't dead yet. In fact, he is decidedly not dead. That's the point, isn't it?” I stopped before them and put my hands on my hips. “And the bond Silas has with him will break when I kill Silas.”
“Sure, if we can find him,” Lex said.
“And if we can catch him,” Cyrus added.
“We don't get to kill him,” Jake muttered.
“Why not?” I demanded.
“He's a god.” Cyrus shrugged. “He'll have to be taken before the Olympians, and they get to decide his fate.”
“Actually, Hades didn't say that we couldn't kill him.” Lex leaned back and pondered for a moment. “It's not against the laws. Not if we're defending ourselves or if we're trying to stop someone from hurting humans.”
“And he does hurt humans. That's a fact.” Cyrus nodded. “You're right. Maybe we can kill him.”
“You're missing the point, boys.” I sat down in a leather chair and crossed my legs. “You've crippled yourselves—put your best player on the bench.”
“Who?You?” Cyrus made a face.
“Yes, me, you moron! Didn't Hades tell you? I'm the one destined to find Silas. It's the whole reason he bartered with me to come down here.” I paused. “Or up here. I'm not completely sure of the position of the Greek Underworld in relation to Earth.”
“Yeah, he told us.”
“That doesn't mean you need to be put in harm's way.” Lex looked at the other two. “Does it?”
All Jake said was, “Fuck.”
