When she briefly closes her eyes, I realize that something really bad is going on. I’m tempted to explain that several supernatural factions are after me and he’s the best person to protect me from them, but I don’t want to share information she may or may not know.
Her fingers curl into her palms, and blood drips to the stone floor. My heart drops and my hands shake.
She raises a hand, but Athena grabs it. “She needs a protector right now. Who better?”
Hera jerks her hand away and points at Gatlin; her face twists into rage. “He’s an abomination. One of the magi’s creatures. Created, not born. How dare you bring him into my temple.” Her voice rises with every word she spits, and tiny flames flare in the depths of her eyes.
Shit, shit, shit.
Athena takes a step away from her as if she knows Hera’s about to erupt. Afraid for Gatlin, I immediately step in front of him. He tries to move me behind him, but I shake my head and press my trembling body against his. Strong hands pick me up, but no matter how he maneuvers, I manage to shield some part of his body with my own.
“Stop,” I whisper to him. “I’m not standing behind you.” Reaching down, I try to take his hand in mine, but he shoves me away.
He turns and faces Hera. “I’m not responsible for my creation, nor am I ashamed of it. I was created for a sacred duty. To be a protector. To fight for the rights and safety of others. It’s a role I take very seriously. It’s an honor and a duty.”
“There is no honor in one who has no soul,” Hera spits out, her hand rising toward him.
I immediately walk toward Hera, Gatlin cursing behind me. If this is the end of my existence, so be it. Anger makes my voice tight, but I refuse to let her strike him down. “He’s a gryphon. Ashifter. If I recall correctly, you too can shift. Who cares if he was created or born. I was born, and yet now I am created. Different from any other in this world. A product of your design, and, of course, your will.”
“Move!” she screams.
I stand taller, my spine held up by a combination of sheer terror and will.
“Or you will suffer the same consequences.”
Gatlin rushes forward, but with one wave of Hera’s hand, he’s immobilized. Like a statue stopped in mid-flight. My eyes widen, and I gulp. This could be it. For both of us. If it is, I refuse to cower before her.
“I won’t stand aside. He is mine. I claim him. As my family, my protector, my future,” I blurt in a desperate attempt to do something, but I realize, as the words come out, that I mean every single one of them. I glance at Gatlin, tears rolling down my face. “The only thing he has ever asked of me is the truth. This is my truth. Gatlin represents the best of both the past and present. He understands the world as few do because he has lived it, and similar to me, he is a product of human and supernatural worlds. By his own actions, he is a good person with a pure heart. That’s all that matters.”
I look at Athena. “Whatever your plans are for me, know that he is a part of them. I won’t do this task without him. I need him. Whatever he is willing to give, I’ll accept. Whether that be his friendship, his protection, or maybe someday, his love.”
Turning my attention back to Hera, I lift my chin. “For three thousand years, I have done your bidding. Sacrificed everything to make amends for my actions. I will not sacrifice him. If this means my end, so be it.”
Hera’s eyes blaze with triumph. I step closer to Gatlin, wanting to be near him when it happens. Gold eyes burn with fury, but mine burn with truth. My fingers slide lightly over hisjaw, and I stretch up and place my lips on his. I don’t want to leave this world without having kissed him. He matters. To Jamison, Hawthorne, and Mathias. To me.
Whispering has me turning to see Athena saying something in Hera’s ear. At first, Hera vigorously shakes her head, but Athena’s insistence eventually wins out.
“Fine. Fine,” she states in a hard tone. “But you will owe me, Athena.”
A glint appears in Athena’s eyes, but she accepts the decree with a slight dip of her chin. She turns to us and waves her hand, releasing Gatlin from his stasis. “Go. Make sure every gift is spectacular for the Queen of Olympus.”
In a flash, the two disappear from our sight.
My bones turn to liquid, and I drop to the dirt floor, relief filling every ounce of my body. Needing to feel something solid, I dig my hands into the earth as I breathe in and out. Gatlin curses, then scoops me up and strides out of the temple.
Carefully sitting me inside the SUV we rented, he sprints around the vehicle to the driver’s side, and soon, he’s wrenching the wheel around to hightail it out of there. For several minutes, he drives, fast and furious, as if he’s afraid Hera will change her mind. I open my mouth to say something…anything…but there are too many thoughts running through my head. I’ve never stood up to the gods before. Who would? Their power is tenfold that of any creature I’ve ever known. One mile turns into ten, which turns into forty. Not once does he stop until he gets us to the Araxos Airport, where the jet is standing by.
Thankfully, strength has returned to my body. The second he throws the vehicle into park, I open the door and grab my gear from the backseat. Gatlin growls, but I shake my head.
“I’m fine. Let’s get out of here and go home.”
Gatlin covers my back as we climb the steps, then he goes to speak with Charlie about our change of flight plans while I stowour gear and grab a seat. He sits, and the jet takes off a minute later.
He hasn’t said one word to me since the temple. The silence stretches until I’m unable to bear it.
“I’m sorry. I…I knew Hera didn’t like surprises or supernaturals, but it never occurred to me that your race would send her off the deep end. I should have never agreed to you coming with me.” It was so stupid. I know how unpredictable the gods can be, and yet I ignored it because I wanted him there.
He stares at me, unblinking, for an interminably long second, then he unbuckles his seatbelt and prowls across the aisle like a lion stalking its prey. One flick unclasps my belt, then he pulls me into his arms.
