The Return (Titan 1)

“You fight like a girl,” he said, laughing coldly. “So weak. So helpless. There’s almost no sport in this.” He let go of my hair and shoved his hand against my chest. “As I can see you know, there is one painful way to feed off of aether. The other is less painful. Less,” he stressed.

“You’re going to scream,” he said. “And you’re going to lure your father out.” He let go of my hair as he lined up his mouth with mine, and I swung on him as my fear squeezed my chest in an iron vise. He caught my hand before it connected and turned, slamming me into the side of the truck with enough force to rattle my bones. Moving his hand from my throat, he pressed his palm between my breasts. For a horrifying second I thought he was about to seriously grope me, but he inhaled and his palm—it seared straight through to my breastbone.

Something inside me woke up like a slumbering giant, uncoiling in the pit of my stomach. Warmth swirled like a mini tornado, whirling to where his palm was. Thin slivers of silver in his eyes crackled as the Titan smiled. My body jerked and the warmth turned to scalding hot water. Something was happening inside me—leaving me—and it hurt, like when the daimon had bitten me, but more intense. I cried out.

“Hey, Hyperion.”

The Titan drew back, lifting his head. The tugging sensation eased off as I slumped back as far as I could go, dragging in deep breaths. Wet warmth ran down the front of my throat. He’d scratched me.

“Yeah, you. Asshole.” Seth stood there, one hand curled around the handle of the dagger. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his lips. “So you’re Hyperion? Disappointing. I’d expected someone bigger.”

“Seriously?” he asked, releasing me. “You have a death wish, something I am more than happy to fulfill.”

I fell forward, hitting the ground on my knees. Rocking back, I pressed my hand against my stomach. The burn receded to a pulsing ache as I lifted my head.

Seth and Hyperion were going toe to toe.

It was insane—a death match. Punches were thrown. Powerful, brutal kicks delivered. Seth was landing more, but the Titan was virtually unaffected. Pushing to my feet, I staggered out from between the vehicles, spying the shotgun. I wasn’t sure if it would help, but it was better than nothing.

Seth dipped down and kicked his leg out, but Hyperion reared back, avoiding the kick, and as he turned, he swung out, catching me in the back and knocking me forward. I hit the ground, coughing as my ears rang.

For a moment I couldn’t move. I was frozen. My palms pushed into the dirt, my back aching from the blow and my entire body burning. I could hear them grunting, could hear the sound of flesh hitting flesh. The sky lit up a bright amber color, like tawny lightning.

Hyperion laughed.

We were going to die. The panic dug in deep. I lifted my chin, saw the shotgun, and saw my grandfather’s body. Tears blurred my vision. I didn’t want to die. Not like this. I didn’t want Seth to die.

Calling on every bit of strength I had, I rolled and grabbed the shotgun. Hands shaking, I shifted onto my back, rolled up, and leveled the weapon at the Titan. He had Seth by the throat. I threw up a prayer and pulled the trigger. The kickback flattened me back down, but I saw the buckshot hit Hyperion in the back. He dropped Seth and stumbled to the side. Smoke wafted out from the decent-sized hole in his back. Turning around, he smiled as he spit out a mouthful of blood that coagulated the moment it hit the dirt.

Holy crap.

“That wasn’t very nice of you.” He took a step toward me, and he actually smiled. I shot him in the back and he smiled!

My fingers trembled as I tried to squeeze off another round, but in that same moment, Seth shot up behind him, spinning with lethal grace.

Something whizzed over me, making a high-pitched whistle. Hyperion staggered back and then went down on one knee. I hadn’t pulled the trigger. Seth hadn’t delivered a blow.

An arrow was sticking out of the Titan’s shoulder—a wooden arrow that caught fire then disappeared into a poof of ashes. Another slammed into his chest.

A hand curled around my shoulder, pulling a startled shriek out of me. I twisted, ready to unload the weapon, but I came face to face with what could only be described as an ethereal, beautiful woman.

She looked like an elf.

A Lord of the Rings kind of elf.

Pointy ears and chin. High cheekbones. Long brown hair. And her skin had a faint sheen, a dewy glow. She wore a skintight, forest-green jumpsuit, and her eyes were all-white as they focused on me. I inhaled sharply, and all I could smell was rich soil and sun.

“Your father sent us,” she said, her voice as light as spring showers as she propped a crossbow on her shoulder.

Us?

Then I saw them—dozens of them coming out from the woods. All the females were just like the one kneeling next to me. There were men, too. They wore some kind of animal-skin pants. Their skin shimmered in the sunlight. All of them carried bows.

She helped me onto my feet. “You must go. The poison will only hold him for a few minutes.”

Breath catching in my throat, I looked down at Hyperion. He was frozen on one knee, staring straight ahead. “Poison?”

“Blood of Pegasus,” she answered, smiling slightly. “It freezes anyone and anything for a limited period of time.”

Seth was on my other side, staring at the woman with a mixture of awe and trepidation. “You’re a nymph, but…” He trailed off as he glanced at the male striding up behind Hyperion, pointing an arrow at the back of Hyperion’s head.

“We’re all nymphs,” she answered. “Contrary to the stories they tell, there are both males and females. Now you two must go. His body will adapt quickly.”

“Thanks. Have fun with this douche.” Seth sheathed his dagger and then started to pull me toward the Porsche.

I dug my heels in. “Wait. My grandmother—”

“Gone.” The nymph was suddenly in my face, at eye level. Seth stiffened next to me as sympathy crossed her face. “She is gone. There is nothing alive in that house.”

Her words thundered through me, and I cracked open. My heart hurt in a way that felt so very real, that shattered me straight through. My grandparents had raised me. They had loved me, and I had loved them with everything I had in me, and now they were gone. There just a few minutes ago and now gone, and for what? I couldn’t say anything, couldn’t process as Seth gently pulled me away from the nymph, leading me to the passenger side of the car. My eyes were dry, but I could barely see. I was quiet, but it felt like I was screaming myself raw.