Chapter Nineteen
Merck imagined ways to kill Bythos to invoke the most pain while staring at the spot he’d disappeared underwater. He pivoted. Ahhnd…oh, boy. Another Brian face off coming his way.
Shannon, her father, and several other men stared his way. Maybe they were shocked. Maybe they were preparing to attack him. He couldn’t tell.
Brian held Shannon to him by her arms as if she’d been trying to break free, only they now stood frozen. Brian was the first to move, releasing her and stepping toward him.
Brian held out his hand. To shake? Uh, okay.
The second Merck’s hand touched his, Brian pulled him into a bear hug. The bone crusher made him realize his wounds weren’t superficial. They hurt.
Wincing, Merck put his arms around Brian and patted his shoulders. “What’d I do?”
Finally, Brian stepped away. “I misjudged you, son. I’m sorry. I owe you my life. Our lives. Those fuckers were going to rip us to shreds. Nothing we had was stopping them until you and your friends came along.”
Merck blinked at Brian while his brain blanked. “Anyone would’ve done it.”
Brian’s forehead wrinkled. “No. Not anyone would’ve confronted a goddess and offered his life in exchange for us. For my daughter. That took balls. Athena could’ve leveled your ass. You proved there’s a hell of a lot more going on between you and them than even I can understand. That was some top-notch hero shit we just witnessed.”
Before Merck could respond, Eli stepped up. Hug number two. More pain. All he needed was a few steps backward to the water, then he’d be healed.
Eli stepped away and asked Brian, “What about this guy, huh? Some kind of kick-ass for Shannon, isn’t he?”
Parallel-universe time. Brian looked at him as if he were a superman of sorts. A hell of a long way from the hostile who’d faced off with him yesterday and called him a criminal.
“Come on. Let’s get you taken care of,” Brian said.
Merck opened his mouth to say he’d be fine. If he backed up a yard or two, all would be resolved. He only needed a few moments with the water. The openness on Brian Randolph’s face strangled the refusal in his throat.
The ocean screamed her offer of help behind him. He met Shannon’s gaze, indecisive.
“Eli can help you,” she said softly.
Even so, he didn’t relish the trek to the house. The Ericthonian had done a job on his side. “All right. I need to treat everyone who got scratched to prevent the transformation into one of those snake creatures.”
Twenty minutes later, everyone had been treated, except Shannon. He pulled her into the downstairs bathroom and shut the door. “No more delaying. It’s your turn. Shirt off.”
She tugged off the T-shirt, exposing several huge slashes. He allowed a few droplets from the vial to fall into the scratches. He found himself wanting to touch her all over, as if there were other injuries she hadn’t shown him.
She flinched. “Burns.”
“Sorry. Has to be done.”
“I know.” She turned her head away from him, but it didn’t hide the tears running fast and furious down her cheeks.
“Are there any other spots they got you?”
She shook her head.
“It hurts that bad? I wish I could prevent it from hurting when I put the drops on, but I can’t. It sucks. I think you’d make a pretty snake woman, but I’m not really into that kind of girl. Those pointy teeth and slitted nose. Their mindless need to kill…” He shuddered.
She shook her head and grabbed a tissue. “Sorry, I’m kind of emotional right now.”
“You did good against those guys.”
“It’s not that. You offered your life for all of us. I found out I’m just one of the hoard of women who parade through your bed. It’s a lot to take in.”
“Look, Shannon, you and I…”
“We aren’t. I know. I wished for more, but I’ll respect your decision to be alone. This doesn’t have to be uncomfortable. You can go.” She waved at the bathroom door.
Shit, he’d zoned, and she’d gone the wrong way interpreting. “We are.”
“What was that?” Her forehead crinkled.
“This…you and me, it’s real. I let Danny run his mouth because I needed you to be away from me for what’s coming later today. I’m sorry. It was an assholish thing to do, but I told you I’d do whatever must be done when it comes to keeping you alive.”
“So you don’t have flings with whatever girl you’re working with?”
“No. I haven’t been with anyone in a long while. That’s not saying I’m not good at anything that might be longer term. I’m not really sure how it’s done. All I know for sure is you’re not a fling. We’ve been involved in some sense ever since we met.”
She chewed her lip.
“I need to get you fixed.” He waved at the scratches. “They’ll scar if we don’t do it now.”
She touched his marred cheek. “Like this?”
He nodded. “If we wait too much longer, they’ll be permanent. You’re too beautiful to have that carving up your skin.”
Her cheeks flushed. “I’ll get Eli to do it.”
“No. I want to do it.”
“He’s a lot closer than the ocean.”
“We can go to the creek since it’s closer than the ocean. It’ll work. Any natural water source works.”
She frowned at the door.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“My father… All right, we go to the water and you do your thing, but then we have to hurry back. He got the drops of that stuff, but he hasn’t accepted healing help. He’s—”
“Like you?” he interrupted. “Sees to everyone else first?”
“They all did so much for me. I can’t stand thinking of any one of them in pain. Two of the guys almost died today.”
“It’s what they signed on to do. Give them at least that much respect.”
“You’re right. You impressed him. A lot. You did what each of us would do for each other. If there’s a way to end a fight and save the others, even if it’s our own death, not someone else’s, we’ll do it. We’re a family. You’re a part of that now.” She touched his cheek, the cool pads of her fingers sliding along his scars.
Didn’t that just give him a case of the warm and fuzzies. Family. He cleared the sudden congestion in his throat. “I’m not real sure about what it means to be a family. I know friends like Chad and Danny. I guess we’re family in a way.”
She shifted, her knee bumping his injured side. He winced.
“You’re hurt too?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s get to the water right now. Then we’ll come back and force Dad to get help.”
The second she had her shirt on he tugged her outside and toward the creek. Healing both of them took moments. She yanked up his shirt as soon as he was done to run her hand along his smoothed side, now blood free. “How does it clean you up too?”
He shrugged. “It just does. Magic.”
“Unfair. I need a shower. Let’s go back. I’ll convince Dad to get Eli to take care of him. Then I’ll shower.”
“Then I’m taking you out on the water.” He stroked her hair and ran his fingers down her spine.
“Why?”
“Today’s my last day. Official judgment comes down sometime in the next twenty-four hours. I’m sorry we didn’t come up with an answer for you on the Trident. I’ll ask Poseidon when he shows up to judge me. Not sure how I’ll get you the answer, but I’ll try to text you or something before I...”
She touched his forearm and squeezed. “It won’t be your last day. You’re a badass. Badasses don’t die.”
“I don’t want this to be over.” They were right for each other. Got the memo and on board the train. He wouldn’t fight it anymore.