That gets his attention. “And you think the mission is being with Hildi."
“Look, Rupert, if you’d asked me before the Guardians freed us, I would have said no. But I’ve watched them with Morgan. There’s a bond. A genuine, gods-created bond. It gave them the strength to kill the Morrigan. If there’s even the slightest chance that Hildi can provide balance to the five of us, maybe it’s less about sex than it is winning this thing.”
“So it’s a strategy?” He scratches his chin. “That’s what she said.”
It hurts. I can admit it, at least to myself. It hurts to know that our intimacy is nothing more than a gods-created dynamic. But that dynamic may be what we need. Maybe I’m not the only one that needs Hildi to tear down walls.
“Yes,” I reply, watching his mind work, slowly wrapping around this concept. We’ve spent so many years together, fighting side by side, surviving against the will of others. Through all of that, we all knew something was missing. We’d always thought it was freedom.
Maybe it was something--no, someone--else.
8
Hildi
I take the long way back from the library, cutting across the academic hall. One thing that’s been bothering me is Christensen. Where is he? What happened?
I slow when I near his office, checking to make sure no is around. I ease up to the door and press my ear against the wood. Quiet.
I pull a sharp, thin blade out of my boot, something I’ve started carrying after the night with the monsters. It’s not like I’m going to hurt one of them with something so small. I mean, it has six eyes. Stabbing one would do nothing. But still, it can come in handy. Like right now, as I slide it in the key hole and use it to pick the lock.
The lock springs, and I quickly step inside. There’s a small light in the corner, casting a faint glow. A quick scan of the messy office makes me think nothing has been moved since the last time Christensen was here. When was that? After we met with Roland?
I step toward the bookshelf, looking for something—anything—but nothing seems out of place. Rows and rows of books in languages I don’t understand. Rupert should be here instead of me.
I’m about to give up and leave the room when I notice a narrow door at the back of the office. A closet, surely, but I’ve learned that nothing in this place is what it seems. A mirror, a door, a stone, a key, a monster…
I approach the door and place my hand on the smooth, metal knob. I give it a careful twist, but the door itself swings open hard and a hand shoots out, catching me by the throat. I lash out with my hands, my feet, grappling with the fingers clenching around my neck.
“Fuck,” a gruff, deep voice says, releasing me.
I swallow in a gulp of air and look up at my attacker.
“Agis? What the hell?”
His brilliant eyes are wide—concerned. “Gods. Are you okay?”
I rub at my throat. “I think you snapped a bone.”
He grimaces. “I’m sorry. I had no idea it was you.”
“I guess we know spidey-senses aren’t your unique power," I mutter.
“What? Spidey who?”
I shake my head, not wanting to explain pop-culture to a barbarian. “What are you doing in here?”
“I assume the same thing you are; trying to figure out where Christensen went.”
My eyes sweep the room once more.
“Did you find anything?” he asks.
I look down and see a book in his hand. “What’s that?”
“Just a book. Nothing exciting. I figured I’d pass it along to Rupert.”
I reach for it and although I sense slight hesitation, he hands it over. There’s a stamped design on the cover—a symbol