Tara (29 page)

“You are not welcome here, Apollo.” Hades was speaking, but he sounded more exasperated than angry. The glowing god standing before them looked young, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, but like all the gods he was perfect. A simple skirt of fabric circled his hips, leaving the strength of his chest bared, and a lot of toned, tan skin visible.

“Calm yourself, uncle, it is these two that brought me here.” Apollo grinned, crossing his arms over his chest as he appraised them. “Well, now, look at my
déno̱ zév̱gos
. It took you two quite a while to reunite, but… Hades, are you letting the living traipse about your realms now?”

“No. I am not, and as I said
you
do not have an invitation either.” Wind howled at his words, echoing through the dense fog – or, wait, had that been a dog?

Apollo rolled his eyes and stepped closer to them, his hands reaching for their arms. “Look, uncle, this is my mark. These two were mine long before they entered the underworld.”

“Tara was mine long before you laid a hand on her,” Eltera’s voice was soft, but the words shook with her power.

“Stop the pissing contest, Apollo. I am doing a favor for Eltera, it is none of your concern.”

“
Someone
has been paying attention to the mortals… pissing contest, uncle?” Apollo laughed and stepped back, his humming touch leaving as he released Tara’s arm.

“I watch just as you and yours do.” Hades rubbed at a spot between his brows, and then he waved him away like a fly. “Now, leave.”

“Wait, I only see these bindings, and I do not sense Eltera in them.”

“My mark has always been on her. Between her shoulder blades. Check if you wish, it will show down here as they all do.”

“What?” Tara twisted, unable to see, but Leonidas brushed her hair out of the way and she felt his fingers run reverently in a circle.

“It is here, great Apollo.” Leonidas bowed his head and Apollo stepped close and then huffed.

“As the mortals say,
whatever
. I had no plans to do anything with them anyway, but their reunion called out to me.” He shrugged, looking more like an irritated teenager than an ancient god. “Why
is
she here? I remember Leonidas’ death. That
strategos
learned just how poor a decision it was to kill one of mine.”

“You killed him?” Tara spoke before she thought, and the way the god’s eyes swung back to meet hers made her jump.

“I did.” Apollo tilted his head, dark curls sliding across his forehead. “Claimed by three gods, dear Tara, you
are
interesting.”

Hades chuckled. “You never were observant when you were distracted by beautiful things. Any god would have felt the power of Eltera and Gormahn on her at first touch.”

“I was more distracted by Leonidas, uncle.” Apollo grinned and Tara turned to see Leonidas blushing.

“Leave them be, Apollo. Return to your sister and entertain yourself,” Hades snapped, and this time the unmistakable growl of a large beast rebounded off the walls around them, echoing on top of itself.

Fuck
. It was never a good idea to be around gods, and it was an even worse idea to be around gods who were angry.

“Alright, uncle. I’ll see what else I can find to entertain myself.” With a sly grin, Apollo disappeared in a burst of sunlight, hot and blinding.

Hades muttered under his breath and then stood up straight. “Excuse me, I will return in a moment. I have an errant nephew I need to attempt to murder.” In a blink he was gone too. No flashy exit, no rumble of power, just gone – and the fog rushed to fill the place he’d vacated.

“Speak quickly, Tara. I cannot keep you here much longer.” Eltera sat down in the boat, and looked off into the distance away from them.

“
Philos…
” Leonidas whispered and they faced each other again, grasping each other’s arms as if it could somehow erase the past.

“I wish I could bring you back with me.” She swallowed the emotion that threatened to choke her. “You didn’t even get to live, you died so young.”

“Oh, Tara, I’m happy.” He looked over his shoulder at the bright light that still splintered the darkness with a blurry view of some oasis just beyond the horizon of it. “I am in Elysium.
Me
, a slave. I never would have imagined such a thing to be possible.”

“You were a hero, Leonidas. To me you were always a hero.” She smiled as he brushed his hand across her cheek and leaned his forehead against hers.

“You should never worry about me,
philos
. I have been worried for you, worried you would never find peace, or happiness… or love.” He traced his thumb over her lips when she tried to speak, shaking his head a little. “We have so little time,
philos
, please do not argue.”

“But I love
you
, Leonidas, I always have.” Tara’s heart felt torn, ripped asunder as she stared into the eyes of the first man she’d ever loved, the one who had given his life for her. Alaric’s smile flickered in her mind, his brave words, his determination to protect her – and guilt sacked her.

“I know that you love me. I
know
.” He kissed her softly, but it had no passion, and she realized their first kiss in this place had been fraught with emotion, but not the kind of all-encompassing fervor that she felt with Alaric. Confusion swirled with her guilt, and she bit down on her lip as he leaned back. “I will always love you,
philos
, just as you will always love me – but there is room in your heart for more than one love in your long life.”

“Leonidas…”

“Listen to me, all that has been missing in my afterlife is the knowledge that you are safe. That you are loved and cared for. It is the
only
thing I still find myself praying for, and I am sure that Pluto,
Hades
, is sick of hearing me.” He smiled a little. “You have found someone, have you not?”

She searched his eyes, the color of a perfect blue sky. The kind of blue sky that called from the other world beyond him, and she found that he only had love inside him. No jealousy. No regret. No anger at her role in his death. With great effort, Tara nodded. “Yes. His name is Alaric.”

“Strange name,” Leonidas said, but he smiled. “Does he care for you?”

“Too much.”

“Then I approve. I want you to be happy, Tara. If you want me to be at peace, if you want me to be able to enjoy Elysium the way my gods have meant for it to be enjoyed, then please… be happy. Do whatever you must to be happy.”

“I may have to kill people, Leonidas.” She winced as she met his eyes again, remembering the peaceful way he had lived his life, no matter what had been done to him.

Instead of judgment, a sly grin spread across his lips. “Then I pity them,
philos
, for you have always been a fierce warrior.”

“I love you, Leonidas. I always will, I swear it. I swear it on Eltera, on Gormahn’s curse, and on Apollo’s hand.” She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight, memorizing the feel of him against her.

“I love you as well,
philos
. Tara.” He held her for a moment, and then the soft clearing of a throat beside them made them separate.

“I believe it is time for you both to return from whence you came.” Hades was standing near them again, looking just as he had minutes before.

“I want to say so much, I want to tell you everything.” Tara felt tears in her eyes again, but Leonidas leaned down and brushed them away.

“I know. I already know.” He smiled, his quiet, strong countenance exactly as she had remembered it. “Just remember what I told you.”

“I will.” Nodding, she dropped her hands from him and stepped back. Hades shocked her by laying a hand on her shoulder, cool on the surface, but warming as he touched her.

“He knows, young one. They all know once they are gone from the world.” His words sprung fresh tears in her eyes, and he took her hand to help her into the boat. “Careful, do not step into the Acheron, you have enough woe inside you.”

She made it into the boat without incident, and Eltera stood with her as they watched Leonidas walk back into the sunlight streaming out of Elysium. For a moment he was an incandescent outline, and then he was gone – but this time her heart didn’t feel like breaking.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Tara took a deep breath and turned to Eltera. “Thank you, my goddess, this was a gift I cannot even measure.”

“My daughter, I would give you everything if I could.” She lifted her head and nodded to Hades. “I thank you for allowing us into your realm, and allowing access to one of your souls.”

“Leonidas has never caused me trouble, and, as my troublesome nephew said, they
were
bound by one in my pantheon.” He shrugged elegantly. “I only hope this resolves your concerns.”

Eltera nodded, a rare smile moving across her face. “It does. We shall leave your realm now as we arrived.”

“íthi khaírōn.”
Good journey.
Hades raised a hand and Eltera leaned forward to touch Tara’s shoulder, but then a bright flash of warm light exploded next to her.

“Did you really think I was going to let one of my
déno̱ zév̱gos
go without a farewell gift?” Apollo grinned like a wild boy, and then overlaid his hand on the bright, golden handprint he’d left centuries before. Heat rushed through her, and on the heels of it came something bigger, bolder. When he released her it stayed, and she felt her heart pounding against the inside of her chest. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”

“Apollo!” Hades growled, but Eltera just laughed. A tinkling, bright sound – and then the world cut out.

Tara woke up on the concrete floor, her wrists still bound by cuffs, but there were no more injuries beneath the bloody crust left behind. With a shout she pulled and the cuffs snapped apart like a toy, metal chain and random parts clattering to the floor as she stood.

Power
.

Raw power thrummed through her veins like a drug, and she stared at the door as a growl rumbled low in her chest. When she moved forward she was aware that she was glowing, the golden light of the gods pouring off her skin, and it made her smile as she ripped the door open and stepped into a long hall. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, and she looked left and right to see nothing but more doors. With the itching power running under her skin, she followed her instinct and went left.

Another door opened down the hall, and a man with thin, light brown hair stepped out holding a gun in front of him. “Stop, and go back in the room.”

“I don’t think so.” She moved forward and he fired, but the bullet hit the wall to her left. When he fired again, it slammed into the floor in front of her, sending up shards of concrete that did nothing but scratch her – and the tiny lines instantly healed. “Where is Alaric, mortal?”

“What the fuck?” The man shouted in a panic, firing again and again, but no bullet came within a foot of her.

“WHERE IS ALARIC?” Tara screamed and the lights flickered. From behind her she heard a door bang open, and two men in suits rushed out, firing the moment they appeared, but she was protected.

Finally
.

With a wild grin she rushed one of them, grabbing his gun arm to aim it towards the ceiling, before she brought it down over her shoulder, snapping the bone in an instant. His scream was music to her ears, and she turned and slammed her elbow into his stomach as she yanked the gun from his hands. For a moment she thought about using it, but in his agony his suit jacket had flipped open, and she’d seen the knife at his waistband.

No quick death for you.

Tossing the gun down the hallway she grabbed the knife, flipped it open, and buried it deep in his stomach. As she raised her eyes she realized she had moved so fast that the other man was only just reacting to her presence. Yanking the knife free she kicked the first man back, bringing the blade across the other man’s throat in a graceful arc that had him collapsing to his knees, clutching at the blood pouring between his fingers. His gun tumbled to the floor and she nudged it out of his reach while she watched him choke, the man on her other side groaning and cursing her.

The world seemed to shudder, and she heard someone calling her name. “Tara? Tara! Over here.” She turned towards the other end of the hall and saw a man with dark hair holding a gun to Alaric’s head as he knelt in front of him, barely upright. “Put down the knife, or I kill him.”

“Kill him, and I’ll gut you. Slowly.” She growled, the blood making her right hand slick, so she switched the blade to her off-hand.

Alaric didn’t look good, his face was swollen and bruised, but she could tell he was looking at her, even from so far away. The man above him jerked his head back by his hair, holding it up as he pressed the barrel of the gun in harder and she didn’t miss Alaric’s hiss of pain. “I don’t think you’ll risk his life. Now, be a good girl and put the knife down.”

A door creaked behind her and she darted to the side as a gun went off, but the older man who had fired had wide eyes as she rushed him. She landed a kick into his knee, the joint popping loudly as he went down hard, his gun skittering over the concrete as he cursed. “You bitch! I’m going to make you pay -”

Turning she kneed him in the face, and the crunch of his nose made her smile. “You’re going to… what? I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you.”

“I own you, you fucking bitch!” He shouted, but she ignored him as she grabbed his jacket and hauled him effortlessly over the floor until she was facing off with the two men on either side of Alaric at the other end of the hall.

“
You
don’t own me,” she hissed and stabbed the knife into the hollow of his shoulder twisting it until he screamed, then she ripped it free and stood up. Between her and the other men were the bodies of the two who had tried to stop her already – one of them was gone, but the other was weakly groaning as he attempted to apply pressure to his belly. He’d be dead soon. Tara smiled brightly, putting on her happiest voice as the power Apollo had blessed her with made her feel invincible. “Would you like to let him go now?”

“No.” The man lifted the gun from Alaric’s temple and fired it into his thigh – the raw shout of pain that escaped him made her heart stutter.

Mortal.

Her foolish, all-too-mortal knight.

“Listening to me now, Tara?”

With a growl she hauled the asshole next to her to his knees and placed the knife against his throat. “Is this supposed to be my next master?”

“Yes, he is. Perhaps you should start apologizing now, because -”

Tara dragged the knife upwards, slitting his throat in a clean sweep that left nothing but the gurgling, choking sound between them as she let go and let the man slump forward. Both of her hands were covered in blood now, and memories flashed that hadn’t appeared in centuries. Memories of mud-coated battlefields, slippery with blood and rain, and a pair of daggers gripped tight in her palms as she smiled at her sisters. “You were saying?”

“Holy fuck, Luca, we should go -”

“NO!” The dark haired man above Alaric roared, and she narrowed her eyes.
This
was Luca? The one who had saved Alaric all those years before? The same man who had buried a tracker against his rib? The asshole who had just
shot
the one he had treated like a son?

“Let. Him. Go.” Tara felt the wild energy of Apollo’s touch fading, and behind it was nothing but the raw panic of hearing Alaric’s harsh breathing, and seeing his blood pooling under his leg as he tried to press his hands against the wound.

“You’ve ruined everything.” Luca shook his head, shifting the gun back to Alaric’s temple. “It’s all ruined, and it’s all your fault.”

Tara heard the gun click, and she started to run forward, but even with the last dregs of Apollo’s power in her veins she knew she wouldn’t make it. Alaric’s eyes lifted to hers, a pain-filled mix of brown and green, and she saw sorrow in them. The sorrow of everything they were going to miss out on, and she felt her promise to Leonidas breaking mere moments after she’d made it.

Luca was actually going to kill him.

That thought settled in slowly as time seemed to stretch, because he knew the gun had cocked just as Luca had pressed it back to his temple. Tara was rushing towards him, her golden hair flaring, an incredibly vibrant glow surrounding her, her hands slick with blood – and he wished he had just a moment longer to tell her how beautiful she looked, how wild, how strong.
This
was probably what she’d looked like on those battlefields long ago.

He wished he had a moment to tell her he loved her again.

The explosion of the gun firing should
not
have been a sound he heard, but he did. It made his ears ring, and then he felt a rushing energy through him. A booming sound shook the building, making the floor shake under his feet, and he leaned forward to catch himself on his hands as the lights flickered.

Glowing
.

Alaric sat up straight and realized
he
was glowing now, vibrant gold, and when he looked over Luca’s eyes were frozen wide, the gun still clenched in his traitorous fist as he was sprawled on the floor. He growled. “You
bastard
.”

“Alaric! What the fuck? How-?” Luca sputtered, shoving himself backwards, and Louis was busy scrambling back to his feet as well.

Lunging forward, Alaric slammed his foot down on Luca’s wrist, feeling the bones crack, but he didn’t care as he wrenched the gun free and stood again. He fired twice. Once into Louis’ back as he collapsed to the floor, and then again when he kept moving. When he turned, Luca was pressed against the wall, his mouth open as he held his good hand up in front of him.

“Wait, wait! Don’t do this, Alaric, you don’t want to kill me. You love me, I know you do.” Luca’s pleading plucked at his heart, but Alaric had let his last shred of hope for the man die the moment he’d pulled the trigger.

“You’re wrong.”

“What?” Luca sputtered, his soft, brown eyes widening again.

“I loved someone I thought I knew, a different man who saved a very lost boy, but you? The man who would torture a woman to punish a man you treated like a son? The man who would order unspeakable things to be done?
You
? I never loved
you
.” The gun went off in his hand once, twice, and then again, but he couldn’t even look to see where he’d placed the shots. Years of experience told him they’d been true.

He took a steadying breath, and then turned to see Tara in the hallway, halfway between him and the other bodies. She was glorious, the glow of her skin fading slowly, while his was still vibrant. Opening his mouth to speak, he saw Henrik enter at the end of hallway, his phone in one hand and a candy bar in the other.

“Duck,” he commanded, his voice humming with it, and Tara crouched almost instantly. Alaric raised the gun and fired, hitting Henrik in the leg and he went down screaming. Striding forward he paused by Tara to help her stand, whispering apologies for the command. She smiled at him, her eyes full of love, and then they continued, together, towards the twisting form on the floor.

At some point he’d dropped the gun, and he turned to see her looking at him. Vibrant blue eyes like ocean water met his and then she smiled. “Well?”

“I’d like to kill him,
dolcezza
, but I think you deserve this one.” Alaric gestured at the knife in her hand, and she stepped forward with a wild grin. Henrik screamed, pain-filled pleas and curses echoing off the concrete, but it was over soon enough.
Too
soon. He would have preferred her to drag it out, to make him scream as long as she had in that damn room, but the asshole wasn’t immortal and there was no way he would have survived the kinds of thoughts Alaric had been toying with for hours.