What she wanted didn’t matter now. Not anymore.
“I have duties waiting for me,” she said tonelessly. “And yours wait for you where you belong.”
He didn’t argue or try to stop her as she walked away, despite that she could feel his big body vibrating with frustration and anger. Exiting the bedroom where they’d spent the past many hours making love, she went to the door of her royal suites and summoned her guards.
“Yurec, escort Darion down to the dock. When you return, assemble my full legion in the throne room. I will be down shortly to address them.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
She couldn’t look at Darion as Yurec and his comrades collected him. Her heart ached for him, and he wasn’t even gone yet.
It wasn’t until the thick door had closed and the footsteps retreated down the stairwell than she gave herself over to the sorrow that heaved out of her in great, racking sobs.
CHAPTER 41
They dumped him in Greece, back at the same small port where he’d originally departed for the Atlantean realm.
That night felt like a lifetime ago. Now, Darion stepped off the sailboat onto the dock and it seemed like he was entering a colorless, empty world after the vivid days--and nights--he’d spent with Selene.
If it had been up to him, he’d still be there with her. The only reason he’d allowed Selene’s soldiers to take him away was because he knew he wouldn’t be gone for long. He loved her, and there was no way in hell he was going to let her face this fight alone. Even if he had to defy the Order and every last one of his brethren to make good on his word to her.
He just didn’t know how he’d be able to defy time itself.
The clock was running against him.
If the Ancient knew where the realm was located, he would waste no time launching a fresh assault. Which meant there was likely but a few hours before the realm would come under attack by him and his three crystals. An attack they could not hope to win.
The realm’s crystal would give the Ancient his fourth, and then nothing would stop him.
Selene’s warning about the power of multiple crystals played through Darion’s mind with cold clarity. With all five crystals the Ancient could turn the world dark forever, and he would sit on a throne of his own making. A king with limitless power.
A god.
Darion could not let that happen.
The Ancient had to be stopped, no matter what it might take.
And whether Selene wanted Darion’s help or not, she was damn well going to get it.
Hoofing from the sleepy dock into the adjacent port town, Darion walked up to a human male who had just staggered out of a pub alone. The soft blue glow of the man’s phone lit up his face as he started to make a call.
Darion moved on him in less than a second.
A touch to the greasy forehead put the human into a trance while Darion wedged his shoulder under the deadweight bulk and walked the man into a nearby alley. While the drunk slumped unaware against the wall of a building, Darion called Order headquarters in D.C.
“It’s me,” he said when Gideon answered.
“Thank fuck. We were starting to fear the worst, Dare.”
“I’m fine.”
“Where the hell are you?”
“Just outside Athens. Gideon, we’ve got a problem. The Ancient’s got another crystal.”
“Yeah, we know. Jenna saw the whole bloody thing as it was happening. His raid on the Atlantean colony. The slaughter by all those fucking Rogues--”
“Hold up.” Darion’s heart seized, not only at the confirmation of his dread about the Ancient at the colony, but the even more disturbing detail. “What Rogues?”
