“I have nothing to give that you’d want.” Steel edges every word of Griffin’s answer.
“I want her.” Lycheron nods in our direction.
Griffin lunges for me, grabs my arm, and then shoves me behind him. From his angle, he must not have realized who Lycheron was really staring at.
“Not me,” I squeak, clutching the back of his tunic.
Griffin twists around, his eyebrows slamming down. “What do you mean, not you?” From the completely baffled look on his also livid face, I think he can’t conceive of Lycheron wanting someone other than me.
I tilt my head to the side, grinding out, “It’s Ianthe he wants.”
Griffin’s eyes flick to my sister.
Lycheron takes another long breath, filling his lungs with the air around Ianthe until his impressive chest expands, clearly—and sensually—savoring whatever scent or magic he draws into his huge body along with the deep inhale. Ianthe noticeably shivers.
Griffin’s enraged stare must hit Lycheron like a thunderclap. “You can’t have her, either.”
I glare daggers at the Ipotane Alpha.Damn right, he can’t!
Lycheron swishes his tail, whipping his muscled hindquarters with it. “Then you’re right, you have nothing I want.”
Apparently, I don’t make the cut anymore. Not that I’m complaining.
Lycheron smirks, this time at me. “Little Origin, your scent has changed.” He inhales again, and it’s like a warm fist wraps itself around my insides and gently tugs.
This time,Ishiver.How does he do that?
Little Bean’s life force reacts with a hearty thump and wiggle.She felt it, too!
“Ah, I see,” the Ipotane says.
My hand instantly covers my belly. I don’t want him seeing anything in there.
Down there.
Anywhere!
Lycheron shrugs. “No wonder you lost your appeal.”
I gape at him, offended. I can’t help it. Griffin looks like he’s about to explode. Bellanca snorts a laugh, and I whip my head in her direction. The look on my face shuts her up fast. Ianthe is quiet.
“So that’s it?” Griffin growls in anger. “That’s what your word is worth?”
Lycheron bares his teeth. An amber glow pulses to life in the depths of his eyes, and deep-rooted anxiety jumps to full and sudden attention inside me. It comes straight from that place where survival instincts live, and right now, they’re telling me to run.
Raw power laces the air with enough magic that it chafes my skin, and I can almost taste it. But wanting to turn tail and actually doing it are two very different things, and together, Griffin and I stand our ground. It helps knowing that while Lycheron may be terrifying when he chooses to be, there’s no way in the Underworld he would risk the Gods’ wrath by harming us.
Ianthe and Bellanca don’t budge, either. Everyone else might be too far away to realize how frightening Lycheron is, and I doubt Beta Team will tell them. That would be counterproductive to keeping our soldiers here.
“My word is worth my weight in gold, and my weight is significant,” Lycheron snarls. “A bargain was struck. The wording was precise. The consequences are yours.”
I hate to even think it, but unfortunately, he’s right. I squeeze Griffin’s arm, trying to convey that. We don’t have a leg—and definitely not a hoof—to stand on. We naively hoped that Lycheron would give us the entire six months he promised, despite the specific terms of the bargain. But the fact is, wedidspecify the location of the border, and that’s our fault.
“Reconsider.” Lycheron looks at Ianthe again. His voice turns almost ominously deep. “You know what I want.”
A flush crawls up Griffin’s neck as his blood heats. His denial, while remaining purely verbal, borders on violent. “I don’t bargain away my family’s free will. Ianthe isnotfor sale.”
Ianthe inhales sharply. I can practically hear her heart pounding from here, and mine sinks like a ship. Griffin has no idea what he’s just done. He defended her, called her family, and put her well-being above his own ambition and needs. I’d bet my magic that no one has ever done anything like that for Ianthe before. If she’s anything like me, and I’m pretty sure she is, his fierce denial to use her for his own gain just won him her undying loyalty. And we already know she’s radically and terrifyingly self-sacrificing when it comes to us.
