Pain shredded Jericho's abdomen. Looking down, he saw the sword that Noir had stabbed him with.
Noir grabbed his chin, holding it in a tight grip before he jerked the sword out. Jericho gasped at the raw fire that ripped through him.
"I should have known you'd be nothing but a waste of time. So much for commanding my army."
Jericho staggered back as Jared ran forward to attack.
The two of them went at each other like Titans. Jaden started for him.
"Stay out of it, maggot!" Noir warned.
Jaden didn't listen. But as soon as he reached Jericho's side, a light flashed. One that pierced Jaden, lifting him off his feet to pin him to the wall like some sort of sick lab experiment.
Jaden cried out in pain as he glared at Noir. "If I ever get this collar off, you are so fucking dead."
Those words barely registered in Jericho's mind as he tried to use his powers to heal himself.
It didn't work.
How could that be? Grimacing, he tried again, and again nothing happened.
Noir shot a blast at him that sizzled over his body. "You're pathetic."
Jericho tried to stand, but something knocked him back down. He armored his body.
Not even that helped.
Jared couldn't get to Noir-Azura had flashed in to block his way. The two of them locked swords and clashed as Noir stalked toward Jericho.
I'm not going to die like this. . ..
By all the power in the Source, he wouldn't go down in this hell hole.
Noir stabbed him through the back, pinning him to the floor. "Ah... did I miss your heart?"
Jericho hissed as Noir jerked the sword out of his spine. Rolling, he tried to kick him off. It was useless. He closed his eyes and summoned all the power he could from the Source.
Noir laughed at him. "You didn't really think we'd fully restored your powers, did you?" He stabbed him through the chest, narrowly missing his heart.
Jericho cried out in pain.
Twisting the sword, Noir yanked it out. "This time, I won't miss." He plunged it down.
Just as it would have struck him, a blur whizzed past Jericho, catching Noir about the waist and knocking him away.
It was Delphine.
She manifested a staff and used it to drive him back. Jericho was in awe of her as she engaged Noir as an equal. Every time he lunged, she parried and struck a fresh blow. Her movements were a symphony of grace and agility, and her successful hits were pissing Noir off.
She planted the staff on the ground, then used it to vault her entire weight into Noir's stomach. He grunted, falling back.
Delphine mshed back to Jericho. "Hold on, baby," she breathed before she teleported him to Ash's home in Katoteros-the Atlantean heaven realm.
He lay on the floor with Delphine above him, her brow knitted in worry. Noir's words rang in his ears.
Was everything about her a lie? Had she betrayed him?
"Why did you come back for me?"
She looked incredulous at his question. "I didn't want to see you hurt."
"You don't even know me."
She spoke to him then, but he couldn't hear her words for the pain of his body. Instead, he felt the darkness creeping in, swallowing him whole.
Delphine felt her heart clench as Jericho's eyes rolled back in his head and he expelled a long breath.
Terrified he was dead, she leaned down, trying to feel for a heartbeat. There wasn't one....
No, wait. It was there. Barely. His breathing was faint, but it, too, was audible.
Thank the gods for it.
"They made one helluva mess of him."
She looked up at the blond man who worked as Acheron's steward. Alexion. That was his name. "Is there a bed I can take him to while he heals?"
Alexion scowled. "You don't want to transport him to Olympus with the others?"
She shook her head. "He hates it there. Please. I can heal him, but he needs to rest."
Alexion touched his arm and Jericho vanished.
She opened her mouth to question him about his actions, but before she could say a word, he sent her to the same room where Jericho was lying on a large, intricately carved black bed. The white linens were quickly stained by Jericho's blood.
Alexion flashed in beside her. "I don't know what to do with him in terms of those wounds. I thought he was a god." Which meant Jericho shouldn't be bleeding like this. He should have been able to heal himself.
But he was a special case and no one knew that better than she did.
"He is."
"Then why's he bleeding like that?"
She wasn't sure, but she had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with his human heart. Maybe Zeus had kept him from healing so that he could kill Jericho off at a later date. Zeus could be cold and tricky that way.
"I don't know." Though she knew Acheron trusted this man, she didn't know him at all. The last thing she'd ever do was tell him about Jericho's weakness. No one else needed to know that, and she would guard it to her grave.
"Do you need anything?" Alexion asked.
"No, thank you. I can tend him."
He inclined his head to her. "All right. I'm going to see to the others then. Call me if you need anything."
Alone with Jericho, Delphine used her powers to remove his shirt. She grimaced at the sight of his wounds and scars. Alexion was right, Noir had made a terrible mess. . .
Stabbing for his heart. One of the wounds had barely missed it.
She went cold as that realization sank in.
Noir knew. Somehow, someone had told him that Jericho could be killed by piercing his heart. There was no other reason for him to have been stabbed like this.
But who would have told him that?
Why?
If they failed to stop Noir, all of them would suffer. Olympus would fall and no one would be safe.
But as Jericho had said, most people were for sale. Those who weren't were few and far between. Maybe the god involved thought he could stay on Noir's good side and avoid being the target. Or maybe he had offered Jericho up as a sign of good faith. Or maybe he just hated Jericho that badly.
Who knew?
Heartsick with the thought of someone being so cold, she used her powers to seal his wounds, then manifested water and cloth to clean the blood away. As she ran the cloth over the sharp ridges of his abdomen, she paused at the sight of the scars there.
Jagged and deep, they matched the one on his face.
She winced at the sight. Zeus. She knew those scars. They were from his lightning bolts. Sickened at the pain Jericho had been through, she sat on the bed and traced the line of the scar on his face to his lips. Even while unconscious, his power was unmistakable.
And he'd come back for her to save her.
His words to Phobos rang in her ears. Yes, he'd gone to save others, but he had made it a point to come after her, too. Even before his sister. She had taken precedence. Tears of tender gratitude made her gaze hazy.
"You are so fierce," she whispered.
Yet for her. he bled. He, who'd sworn he wouldn't cross Noir, had done so. Not just because Noir had threatened him. She didn't believe that. From the very beginning, he'd protected her in a way few people had.
Jericho hated the world, yet he'd been her self-appointed guardian.
She took his hand into hers and stared at the dark, scarred skin. Rough and calloused, it was almost twice the size of hers. These were the hands of a killer and of a lover, and they belonged to a man who captivated every part of her.
His eyes fluttered open.
"Hi," she breathed, grateful to see him awake.
Anger furrowed his brow. "Am I on Olympus?"
"No, you're in Katoteros. I wouldn't let them take you there."
Jericho tightened his grip on her hand as his gaze turned stormy. "Why are you being nice to me?"
"What do you mean?"
"I have threatened and intimidated you. We barely know each other, and yet you're being kind. Why?"
"Do I have to have a reason?"
His gaze was dark and accusatory. "Everyone lies. Everyone's for sale. What do you gain by your kindness?"
She was baffled by his hostility. "I have no motivation for it other than to repay you for saving me."
Those words seemed to anger him more. "So what you're telling me is that you didn't make a deal with Zeus to seduce me?"