Assassin's Honor (41 page)

           
It didn't take long to finish dressing. When she was ready, she turned toward the door and froze. Would he let her leave or would he refuse to let her go? She shivered. She'd have her answer in a few seconds. It seemed to take her a lifetime to reach the door, and her hand trembled as she grasped the doorknob. As best she could, she tried to remove any emotion from her face as she opened the door.

           
Ares was seated in front of the fire, but he leaped to his feet the minute she stepped into the living area. She didn't look directly at him. If she did, she wasn't sure what might happen. Instead, she pinned her sights on the cabin's main door and moved toward it. He was there to block her way in seconds. He didn't touch her. He just stood there in silence.

           
The anger she'd felt earlier renewed itself. It sent a fiery wave surging through her, leaving a burning heat in its wake. He'd already humiliated her enough. Did he have to make it worse?

           
"Get out of my way." She heard the coldness in her voice. It was a small consolation to see his impassive expression flinch at her quiet words. He shook his head.

           
"I'm not letting you leave until we've worked this out," he said quietly.

           
"There's nothing to work out."

           
"Deus damno id, Emma.
How can you expect me to explain things if you won't listen to what I have to say?"

           
"I think you've said more than enough." She tried to step around him, but he moved to block her way again.

           
"I made a mistake, Emma."

           
"Not nearly as big as the one I made. Now let me by."

           
"No. I need you to understand. I need to tell you how much I--"

           
"Tell me what? That courtly line about how your intentions were honorable? You have no honor. You say you do because it helps you justify your actions." It surprised her how cool and emotionless her voice was. What little dignity she still possessed resounded in her words. For that, she was grateful.

           
"I'm not trying to justify anything," he bit out. "I'm trying to tell you I understand why I didn't explain things to you. I didn't want to see the truth."

           
"The only truth I can see is that you weren't honest with me. You said I was willing to sleep with you the other morning, and you're right. I didn't protest then and I sure as hell didn't protest today." She shuddered at the memory of how easily she'd given in to his caresses just a little while ago. "I could have forgiven you not explaining the blood bond in the heat of the moment the other morning. But today--today you took advantage of me, and now you think you can just explain away your actions. Well, you can't. You just can't and I despise you for it."

           
Something swept across his face that sent her heart slamming into her chest. For a fleeting moment, raw emotion twisted his features into a mask of intense pain. Then it was gone. In its place was an emotionless expression that made her wonder if she'd imagined the stark agony. Without a word, he returned to his seat at the fireplace and picked up his jacket from the chair. He took a couple of steps toward her and offered her the coat.

           
"Take it. The
temperature's
dropped and you'll get soaked."

           
She stared at it for a moment and shook her head. "No thank you. I don't want anything from you."

           
Just as she turned away, she saw that same emotion ravage his features once more. She refused to let it stop her. Something inside her said she'd only be humiliated further if she stayed. She simply headed toward the door and out into the rain.

Chapter 17

           
EMMA opened her bedroom door to look up and down the hall. Ever since returning to Chicago, she'd been looking over her shoulder, expecting to see Ares behind her. It was almost two in the morning, and if Ares had come back tonight, she didn't think he'd be prowling the hallway at this hour. The thought didn't make her any less edgy.

           
The dimly lit hall was empty and her hunger forced her to venture out into the corridor. At dinner this evening, her appetite had disappeared the minute Lysander had mentioned Ares was returning to the guild's Wacker Drive complex.

           
When she'd returned to the mansion that terrible afternoon over a week ago, the pain of Ares's betrayal had numbed her to the downpour. Lysander had passed her in the hall on the way to her room. Although he hadn't commented on her drenched state, his manner had been sympathetic. Even his deep voice had echoed with regret when he'd informed her it would be two more days before they could return to Chicago.

           
At the time, she'd been far from happy about the delay. Now she recognized it for the blessing it was. The size of the White Cloud estate had helped her avoid Ares, giving her time to gather her wits so she wouldn't fall apart when she was finally in the same room with him. Lysander hadn't asked questions, but he seemed to understand that she was hurting. From those brief minutes when she stood soaked in front of the Sicari warrior, he'd taken her under his wing.

           
No matter where she went, if he was nearby he made it a point to see to her comfort, including her interactions with the Sicari. With just a look, he'd commanded others to accept her. It was a guarded acceptance, but they were polite and one or two of them even friendly. Phaedra had also opened up to her. The woman's dry sense of humor was similar to her brother's, and it made Emma's heart ache the two or three times Phae had teased her.

           
The quiet of the penthouse suite was unnerving as she walked down the hall toward the kitchen. Any second she expected Ares to emerge from the kitchen or come off the elevator. She grimaced. If anything, he was sleeping soundly in his bed. Why should she worry about seeing him? The man sure as hell wasn't worried about her or where she was. The thought sliced into wounds that had barely begun to heal. Discovering his deceit had left her heart bleeding. Worse, she hated herself for wanting him to come begging for her forgiveness.

           
He hadn't.

           
And if he'd confessed his sins to Atia, the Prima Consul hadn't said a word to her about it. Was he waiting for her to ask his godmother to annul the blood bond? She should have gone to Atia as soon as she'd returned to the mansion that afternoon, but she hadn't.

           
Not because she wanted to spare Ares any pain or humiliation. No, Atia had been the reason why she'd chosen to remain silent. Emma didn't have it in her to provoke the older woman's anger and disappointment when the Prima Consul learned what Ares had done. The woman loved him like a son, and Emma was certain the knowledge of what he'd done would devastate Atia. Although his honor was in tatters, she'd been sure he'd speak with his godmother about the matter. When he hadn't, it had only made his treachery cut that much deeper.

           
The recessed lights in the ceiling warmed the golden brown marble of the large island in the kitchen. The glass she retrieved from one of the wall cabinets clinked softly when she set it on the marble. With a gentle tug, she opened the door of the refrigerator and pulled out a jug of orange juice.

           
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move. With a quiet scream of surprise, she spun around to see Ares standing at the end of the island. The jug slipped from her fingers only to hover in the air before it floated upward and landed gently on the countertop.

           
Her initial thought was how weary he looked. He had more than a hint of five o'clock shadow, and he looked like hell. It was as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Yet, the sword hanging diagonally across his back gave an edge to him that cried out danger. Even that dark gaze of his sent a tingling sensation skating over her skin.

           
A desire to comfort him wrapped its tendrils around her heart, but she crushed the need with ruthless determination. Uneasy with his silence, she turned and reached for the orange juice. She shuddered as he removed his sword off his back and laid it on the marble counter before he went to the refrigerator.

           
The tension in the air was thick with unspoken emotion, and she deliberately kept her gaze averted. It didn't stop her body from recognizing exactly where he was behind her. He bent slightly to pull out a longneck bottle of beer from the fridge and his back lightly brushed against hers when he straightened to close the door.

           
She stiffened as the heat of him filtered its way through her robe to warm her skin. God, how could she respond to him so easily after what he'd done? Even worse was the way her body longed for him the minute he stepped away from her. She poured the orange juice, eager to escape his presence before she did something stupid. Like try to excuse what he'd done.

           
The cool air of the refrigerator brushed across her face as she set the container of orange juice back on the wire shelf. When she shut the door, she saw Ares leaning against the
counter,
his legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. The nonchalance of his pose belied the tension in him. Something that was clearly evident in the way he gripped his beer bottle.

           
"Did Lysander tell you we're going to the house tomorrow night?" His voice was a quiet storm in her head. Something was eating him up inside, and she hated to see him like this. God, what the hell was wrong with her. The man had lied to her, and here she was worrying about him.

           
"Yes," she said. For a brief moment she stared into his eyes then looked away, afraid of what she saw reflected there.

           
"I understand you studied the artifacts before you left White Cloud."

           
He took a swig of beer before turning his head toward her in silent expectation. Did he think she was going to tell him about the Sicari warrior who'd owned the medallion or the dagger that had been in the possession of a Roman officer who could have been Lysander's twin? She shook her head.

           
"Yes, I looked at them."

           
"You changed your mind." It was a simple statement, but she heard the question in his voice and it puzzled her. It was almost as if he was disappointed she'd read the objects.

           
"The more I know, the faster I can find the Tyet of Isis."

           
"And the sooner you'll be free of me, is that it?" The sharpness of his tone sliced along her senses. His anger wasn't something she'd expected.

           
"Yes. I always pay my debts."

           
A violent oath escaped him, and she jumped at the sound. He stood up straight, and was less than a foot away from her in a fraction of a second. His stance was rigid and unbending as he stared down at her. The stony look on his face was at odds with the flash of emotion in his lake blue eyes. An emotion that unsettled her, but she refused to consider what it meant. He took another swig of beer before focusing his gaze on the bottle's label. If possible, the tension in him had sharpened to a razor-thin edge.

           
"Why didn't you ask Atia to break the blood bond between us?"

           
Of all the things she'd expected him to ask, this wasn't one of them. Her mouth dry, she reached for her glass of juice, but his hand snaked out and stopped her. The minute he touched her, she was on fire inside. She froze and stared down at his fingers wrapped firmly around her wrist.

           
"Why?" He growled the single-word question with unexpected ferocity.

           
"Because I didn't want to hurt her," she said quietly as she jerked her gaze upward to meet his. "And she will be hurt when she learns how you sealed our blood bond without telling me about the consequences. I didn't do it, because I thought you would."

           
The note of censure in her voice made him drop her hand as if he'd touched a hot iron. She watched in silence as he took a long, hard draught of his beer. She debated whether to move past his hard, taut body or skirt the large island to leave the kitchen. The way her body's radar was acting, the best thing to do was to take the long way around. She turned to circle the counter just as his beer bottle hit the counter with a loud crack. Startled, she turned her head and saw him watching her with a tortured expression.

           
"I would have gone to Atia before now, but if I had, I wouldn't have been here to see that nothing goes wrong tomorrow night." He straightened upright. "When I bring you back here safe and sound, I'll leave for White Cloud. I'll tell her everything, and you'll be free."