The Guardian (30 page)

Instead of Greece, she’d landed in the desert. Alone. Terrified. Bereft. For days, she’d staggered through

it until one man had come out of a sandstorm to save her.

She wouldn’t know he was her father until long after she’d grown up.

And then only because, as a young woman, she’d been desperate to learn something about the man

she’d thought had abandoned her and her mother. Ready to confront him and give him nightmares until he

begged for mercy, she had been shocked to her foundation to find Solin.

The man who’d raised her like a daughter because she
was
his daughter. A daughter he was terrified of

claiming lest one of his enemies hurt her because of him.

She stil remembered that night of discovery as if it were yesterday.

“I tried everything to make your mother love me. At first she thought I was a human and then when she

found out I was a Dream-Hunter, she hated me.

“Even then, I didn’t give up hope. But in the end, I had to leave. She wouldn’t allow me to stay no matter

what I said or did.

“I didn’t find out about you until your third birthday, and I promised her that I wouldn’t try to see you. She

was afraid that if anyone learned I was your father, that they’d hurt you for it. And I knew she was right to be

afraid, so I agreed to stay away from you.”

Al her mother had ever said to her and her grandfather was that Lydia’s father had been a god who’d

seduced her. She’d never named Solin.

“I am the key,” she breathed to Seth, facing the truth that scared her. As Seth had said, it al made sense

now. “What are we going to do?”

Seth had no answer for that as a thousand thoughts went through his head al at once. And al of them had

the same outcome.

Watching Lydia die.

Now that Verlyn had been cal ed out, he wouldn’t stop until he had them both locked in Azmodea, and

while they could run for a while, they would be pursued constantly until they made a mistake.

And then they’d both be in Azmodea. Sooner or later. No matter how hard they tried. There was no way to

run forever.

Honestly, he didn’t care about himself. His own life had no meaning or value to him. It never had. But

hers …

She
was
everything. For her, he would fight.

For her, he would die.

And now that they knew who and what she was, the Greeks would never stop hunting her. Not until she

was dead and posed no threat to them.

Neither would Noir. If Seth knew nothing else about the gods, he knew that much.

And the more he chased his thoughts, the more he kept coming back to the only solution that made

sense. But that solution made him il .

You can’t. Noir will kill you.

If only. But Noir wouldn’t kil him. He’d only make him wish he was dead.

Bracing himself for what he had to do to free her of this, he offered her a grim smile. “I have an idea.”

* * *

others turned to gape at him.

He held his head high while inside he was so cold and aching that he wasn’t sure how he could move.

I had to do this. There was no other way.

But knowing that didn’t make it easier to bear. Like his father, he was a god of tragedy and sorrow. Ever

condemned to destroy whatever it was he might love.

Condemned to never know love at al .

Seth kept his gaze on the Greek gods as he took Lydia toward the Phonoi and Solin, who’d been fighting

each other. It was so quiet now, he could hear the blood rushing through his veins.

With his jaw slack, Maahes lowered his sizzling lightning bolts. Fury blazed in the god’s eyes, but Seth

was too numb right now to care what the ancient god thought about him. “What have you done, boy?”

Seth didn’t answer as he walked past Maahes and placed Lydia on the ground at Solin’s feet. “I told you

I’d kil her if you didn’t return. I just kept my word.”

With a cry born of ultimate grief, Solin drove a short sword straight through Seth’s side.

Grimacing in pain, Seth shoved him back, then wrenched the sword out. He faced the Phonoi and

Dream-Hunters around him, then dropped the weapon on the ground. “Al of you can stop fighting now.

She’s dead.”

The Phonoi moved to check.

Seth struggled to keep his composure. But in his mind, al he could see was the look on Lydia’s face

when he’d stabbed her and apologized for it. The fear and accusation in her topaz eyes had torn him apart.

“Why?” she’d breathed, her eyes fil ed with the pain he’d given her as she placed her hand to his cheek.

He stil had her bloody handprint there.

Unable to answer for the agony that shredded whatever remained of his battered soul, he’d merely held

her against him, choking on his grief as he watched the fire fade from her eyes. And when she’d gone limp

in his arms and her hand had fal en away from his skin for the last time, he swore he’d died with her.

He’d never hated himself more.

Not that it mattered. Lydia was gone.

Now they would leave her in peace.

The Phonoi glared at him in unison as they verified her death to the others.

When Solin went to attack him again, Verlyn grabbed him to keep him from hurting Seth. Solin struggled

against him, cal ing Seth every name he could think of and inventing a number of insults Seth had never

heard before.

But Seth ignored him.

Besides, there was no insult Solin threw at him that he hadn’t already thrown at himself, and worse.

The Phonoi approached him as a single unit. “Thank you for your service.”

Seth’s breath caught as he heard the gratitude in their voices. He’d final y had someone thank him, and

what had it been for?

Kil ing the only thing he’d ever loved.

But stil he said nothing as they faded out of the room.

The other Greek gods who’d been fighting by Solin’s side to save her, stared at him as if he were the dirt

they stood on.

Seth met their condemnation every bit as stoical y.

Closing the distance between them, Verlyn grabbed him by the hair and snatched his head back while he

immobilized Seth’s limbs so that he couldn’t fight or flee.

But why run now?

Grimacing in pain, Seth kept his gaze on Lydia’s body as they faded from the room.

I love you, Lydia. Please forgive me.

With the blink of an eye, Seth was back where he’d started.

In hel .

Wel , more precisely, he was in Noir’s study, where the dark lord rose to his feet to confront him.

Verlyn shoved him forward, then returned to wherever it was he stayed when he wasn’t serving Noir.

Heartbroken, and more tired that he’d ever been before, Seth faced his master, knowing he’d screwed

himself straight to the wal this time. There would never be another moment of peace in his life. Not another

moment free of misery.

It was what he deserved.

“On your knees, dog,” Noir growled at him.

Seth shook his head. He wasn’t about to bow down to anyone.

Noir curled his lip. “Ever defiant. Did I not tel you what I’d do if you failed to bring me the key?”

“You did.”

“Did you think I was bluffing?” Noir grabbed him by the throat and dissolved his armor.

There was no need to respond. There was nothing Noir could do to him now that would compete with the

agony of living without Lydia.

In fact, he hoped the physical pain would be able to distract him from the misery in his heart. Because

right now, that burned more than any injury he’d ever sustained.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” Noir snarled at him.

Seth laughed bitterly and then did what he did best.

He pissed off his master. “Go ahead. Do your worst.”

* * *

Solin ignored Delphine as he cradled his daughter’s body against his chest and wept. His soul screamed

out that she, the only thing in his life that had ever meant a damn to him, was now gone, and he felt so

incredibly lost.

In a life marked by scarring pain and soul-searing agony, nothing compared to what he felt right now.

Nothing.

Al he could do was see images of Lydia as a child, reaching out to him. Remember the frustration they’d

both had as they struggled to learn sign language so that she could talk to humans. The frustrations they’d

had when she’d started dating, and he’d disapproved of every man she’d brought home.

Oh the nightmares he’d given some of those pricks. No one had ever messed with his girl that he didn’t

make them pay.

Until now.

And what hurt the most was that he’d never see her again. Never watch as she sang to him with her

hands.

Because I failed her.
It was al his fault. Had he been stronger … faster …

Why couldn’t the Guardian have kil ed him instead?

Delphine reached to comfort him.

“Don’t touch me!” he growled.

There was no comfort to be had. Not now. Not ever again.

Did Delphine real y think that some stupid, paltry touch would soothe him when his heart had been ripped

out?

Jericho, Delphine’s husband, moved forward as if he was going to attack him over hurting her feelings,

but Zarek stopped him. The two of them had been the ones who’d final y heard Delphine’s cal and had

released them so that they could chase down the Phonoi to stop them from hurting Lydia.

But not in time. If only they’d found the phonoi sooner. Maybe then they could have saved his baby.

I wish the Guardian had killed me the first day he captured me.

Anything would have been better than the agony of living without his daughter.

Maahes moved forward. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Fuck off and die.”

Instead of getting angry, Maahes walked away and left him to his pain. As did the others.

Except Zarek.

He waited until they were alone before he approached Solin. “I’m not going to insult either of us with some

mambi-pambi bul shit. Life sucks. No one knows that better than I do. But if you want to go break ass over

this, I’l be there for you. Just shout. The bloodier, the better.”

Strangely, that did make him feel better. And he knew Zarek meant it.

“Thank you.” But he’d never take Zarek up on that offer. He’d never put the demigod in harm’s way. Unlike

him, Zarek had a family. The one thing Solin had always wanted.

The one thing he’d always been denied.

He’d never even heard his own daughter cal him father.

Not once.

Zarek inclined his head to him respectful y, then vanished.

Alone now, Solin looked down at Lydia’s pale face that had never failed to make his heart swel with

pride.

Until today. Today there was nothing but blinding misery that cut so deep, his soul bled from it.

He brushed at her skin, trying to clean her. There was so much blood. How could anyone have done this

to such a kind, sweet being?

How?

I’ll kill him,
he swore to himself. He didn’t know how, but he was going to get that bastard and rip him to

pieces.

It’s what you get for trusting someone.
If anyone knew better, it was he. They had a traitor in their midst,

and that betrayal had cost Lydia her life.

He would find the turncoat Dream-Hunter, too, and bathe in their blood.

But first he had a daughter to bury.

* * *

Where am I?

She looked around the lush bed with linen curtains surrounding it. The sound of the sea and smel of

saltwater was thick in the air. Over the top of the bed was a gold medal ion and a crystal chandelier that,

when lit, would cast dancing deer on the ceiling.

She frowned as she realized where she was. Solin’s house.

But why was she here?

Why was she dressed in this garish white gown?

Oh good grief! She was in lace and ruffles. Ick! It was something her father would put her in, and

something she’d only agree to wear if she had a severe head injury … or was dead.

“Damn it, George, I wanted the white ones for today! White! Do you hear me?”

She jumped at Solin’s angry shout. How strange. She’d never heard him fuss at poor George before. He

normal y had infinite patience with his valet, who was more family than employee.

Yawning, she stretched and sat up at the same time Solin came into her room.

He froze to gape at her, then a heartbeat later he flashed himself across the room to grab her into a hug

so tight, she couldn’t breathe.

“You’re crushing me.” Lydia didn’t know who was most stunned when those words came out.

Her or her father.

Shocked to the core of her being, she stared up at him as he looked down at her, gaping. “Was that you?”

She touched her throat, almost too afraid to try again. “I think so.”

Dear gods, she could speak …

But how?

And stil , why was she at Solin’s? She kept coming back to that because she had no explanation

whatsoever. “What am I doing here?”

Solin scowled as he tried to grasp what was happening. Lydia was alive.

Alive!

He’d planned to entomb her body in only a few hours. But here she stood, whole and hale, and …

Alive.

He kept repeating that one word because he couldn’t believe it. The Guardian hadn’t kil ed her?