Pride of the Lion: Hades' Carnival, Book 3 (15 page)

He hadn’t considered that. In this world people seemed to need multiple pieces of paper and numbers to prove they existed. It was indeed strange. All they’d have to do is look at him to know he existed. “I will not leave you.” Just the thought made his chest tighten. Leaving her alone would be a clear invitation to Hades and his minions to attack.

“Well, you can’t very well come with me, can you?” Her fingers continued their rhythm. “I can drop you off at the corner of my street. You can wait until you see the police cars go and then join me at the house.”

“No.” When it came to her safety he was unmovable.

Her lips tightened and she frowned. “It’s a good plan.”

“It leaves you vulnerable to attack.”

“I’ll be surrounded by the police,” she pointed out.

Leander snorted. “That will not stop Hades.”

“But if you come with me and have no identification the police might decide to take you in for questioning. What then? I could be alone for hours.”

Leander’s growl filled the car. His lion was furious at the mere thought of Araminta being left alone to fend for herself against Hades. His fingernails elongated and dug into the leather seat, ripping it slightly.

“Hey, watch the claws.”

He opened his mouth, tilted back his head and roared his displeasure. Araminta jerked and the car swerved one way and then another before she righted it. Several vehicles passed them, horns blaring.

“Stop that.” It was the quaver in her voice that shamed him. He hadn’t meant to frighten her.

“I am not angry with you,” he growled, “but at the situation.”

“I understand that.” She glanced around and then veered into the deserted parking lot of a small grocery store. Seconds later, she cut the engine and they sat in thickening silence.

Dawn had arrived while they’d been eating and a splendor of orange, yellow and red tinged the sky. He wished he were standing on a mountaintop with Araminta in his arms so he could really see and enjoy his first sunrise in more than five thousand years. Maybe tomorrow if all went well.

“Leander,” she finally began, pulling his attention from the rising sun. She reached out and touched his arm and her warmth soaked into his skin. “It’s the only way. If the police want to take you in for questioning, I’ll be in even more danger.”

“I will not let them take you from me.” He undid her seatbelt and pulled her onto his lap. It was a tight fit, but he didn’t mind having her plastered against his body.

“Hey.” She threw out her arms to balance herself. “What are you doing?” He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, inhaling her sweet scent into his lungs. It helped settle him even as it pushed his arousal to a new level.

She sighed and leaned back so she could see his face. “What am I going to do with you?”

The words
love me
were on his lips, but he did not speak them. Now was not the time. He’d only met Araminta mere hours ago, but already she was his life. His sole purpose was to keep her safe. He trusted his instincts and they were roaring at him to protect her. She was a gift from the goddess, and one he planned on keeping.

“Leander.” She pressed her hands against his face, her eyes solemn. “You can’t attack the police. That will only bring more of them. And what if they shoot you?”

“I am immortal.” It would take more than bullets to stop him. Only beheading him or tearing out his heart would work. And the second one was iffy. He might be able to regenerate a heart. He wasn’t quite certain.

“But I’m not.” The sadness in her voice threatened to unman him. “If you’re taken by the police or harmed I’ll be all alone to face Hades.”

The fact that she was right didn’t make the situation any easier. He hugged her close to his heart, enjoying the soft press of her breast against his chest and the push of her thigh against his groin. Her sweet essence filled his nostrils and he knew he would be able to find her no matter where she was in the world.

“All right.” He caught the edge of her chin with his thumb and forefinger and tilted her head up. “We do this your way. But if you are harmed I will not be happy.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” Her dry tone once again reminded him of her sense of humor and her boundless courage. She was going into this situation alone. To protect him.

It was almost more than he could bear. It made him feel trapped, much like he’d been for all those centuries. Now that he was free, he wanted to fight, to protect.

He leaned down and captured her tender mouth, savoring its softness and the bitter taste of the coffee she’d had earlier. Maybe he’d acquired the taste after all, for he now found himself enjoying it quite a bit as he nipped playfully at her lips.

He forced himself to break away. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise.”

He sighed in resignation. “Then let’s get this over with.” The faster the authorities were dealt with, the quicker he would be back with her.

“Everything will be okay,” she promised. “You’ll see.” She climbed back into the driver’s seat and started the car.

Leander closed his eyes and prayed she was right.

A gentle hand touched the Lady of the Beasts. She opened her eyes and peered up into the face of an elderly Native American man with black hair liberally streaked with gray. “My name is John Running Bear and I am here to help you.”

She smiled up at him, feeling the power that ran through his fragile human form. This was a man of great strength and integrity. “Thank you.”

He shook out a blanket and wrapped it around her naked body. With a show of strength that belied his years, he lifted her easily and carried her though the thick woods. The Lady soaked in the sounds of the forest—the wind in the trees, the hoot of an owl and John’s soft breath against her face. The birds swooped and flew ahead of them, adding their voices to the mix. In the distance, a wolf howled his lonely song.

“How did you find me?” She hadn’t called him to her, hadn’t had the strength to do so.

John smiled, and the lines radiating out from the corners of his eyes deepened. “Ah, the brother bear came to me and would not leave until I followed him.”

The Lady frowned. “Marko is here?” She didn’t sense her warrior in the area.

John shook his head. “No, Lady. Although I have met your Marko, it was the bear of the forest I followed here. In fact, there was a parade of animals heading to the meadow where I found you. It was no hardship to follow them.”

The Lady pulled herself upright and glanced over John’s shoulder. The corners of her mouth turned upward at the sight behind them. Deer and bear, fox and squirrel, animals big and small, enemies and friends all trotted on the path. For the first time in more than five thousand years, she laughed.

John stopped in his tracks and the trees themselves shivered in delight. The air itself wrapped around her in a loving caress and the early morning sunlight fought its way through the thick branches to reach her.

“It is good to be free.”

As if her words released him from his thrall, John began to walk again. “There is a story in my family passed down from generation to generation of a goddess who was beloved by the animals and, indeed, by the very earth itself.”

“Yes.” She sighed and rested her head on John’s shoulder. “I have been gone for far too long.”

“But you are back.”

She nodded. “I am back.”

“Rest. You are safe,” he assured her.

“I am safe, but not all my warriors are. Some are lost to me. Others, their fate undecided.”

“But some have fought and survived,” John reminded her.

“So they have,” she agreed. “So they have.” She closed her eyes and let herself rest, knowing she was finally safe from Hades. But the battle for her warriors was still ongoing, and she would not stop until she’d done all she could to help them win their freedom.

Chapter Nine

Araminta glanced in the rearview mirror but Leander was already gone, vanished in the blink of an eye. For a big guy he could really move. She’d question if he were real but for the minor rips in the passenger seat from his sharp claws and the tingling of her lips where he’d kissed her before he’d climbed out of the car.

He’d been furious at her suggestion that she go on without him. His golden eyes had burned with an inner fire and the roar that had filled her car had made the fine hairs on her entire body stand on end. But she’d never truly been afraid, not for herself. She’d instinctively understood his anger was not directed at her but at the situation.

Her house was just up the road, an older bungalow surrounded by mature trees and a fenced yard. Several of her neighbors stood on their front porches watching the excitement. Two police cars sat in front of the house, one in the driveway and the other by the curb. She pulled in behind the one in her driveway and climbed out of her car.

Immediately, the officer on her front porch turned toward her. “Ms. Davidson?”

“Yes.” She grabbed her purse and hurried up the walkway, hand extended. “What happened?”

“I’m Officer Adams.”

She started to go around him, but he blocked her path. He was tall and good-looking with a serious expression. She frowned, but he shook his head. “Let’s take a moment and talk before you go inside.”

Her stomach jumped and breakfast soured. Was the damage inside that bad? Araminta clutched her purse strap in a death grip, took a deep breath and nodded. She could do this. The faster she dealt with the authorities, the faster they would leave. “All right.”

“Where have you been?”

“I was at a writer’s conference in Fargo.”

“You stayed in the city rather than coming home?” He took out a small black notebook and made a note.

“Yes.” Her gaze went to her open front door and back to the officer. “I don’t like to drive at night, and since I was a guest author the room was paid for by the convention organizers. I knew I’d be at some events until late.” And she was rambling so she shut her mouth.

The officer nodded. “Makes sense. Who knew you were going to be away this weekend?”

That question made her stop and think. The list was longer than she’d thought. “My next-door neighbor, the conference organizers and most of the people attending.” When he raised an eyebrow in question, she elaborated. “I was one of the featured authors so there was a lot of advance publicity.”

The officer’s blue eyes darkened as he continued to jot notes. “So the hotel staff probably knew too?”

Her knees felt wobbly but she stiffened them and squared her shoulders. “I imagine so. My agent knew too.”

He sighed and stuffed his notebook into his shirt pocket. “That’s a lot of people.”

Her heart sank. “So you’re saying we’ll probably never know who broke in.” Leander seemed to think it was related to the whole war with Hades, but it might be nothing more than a simple robbery. And World War II was a slight disagreement between countries. She was lying to herself. This was all about the mess she’d found herself in the center of. She knew it as sure as she was standing here.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Davidson. But that’s the way it goes sometimes. We’ve dusted the locks for prints, but I wouldn’t hold out much hope.”

“Can I go inside now?” She nibbled on her bottom lip, wondering where Leander was and hoping he was safe.

“Absolutely.” He stood back and allowed her to walk in front of him. When they reached the door, he held it open for her.

The first thing she saw was the mess. Cushions, books, DVDs and knickknacks were tossed everywhere. A plant had been upended in the corner and dirt was strewn across the carpet.

Another officer turned in her direction when she entered. “Ms. Davidson?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Officer Kent.”

Officer Adams took over and spoke to the other officer. “She gave me a list of everyone who would have known she was away this weekend.”

“Good. We’re just about finished here.” He turned to Araminta. “Could you take a look around and see if you notice anything missing.” He frowned and motioned toward the television in the corner of the living room. “None of your electronics seem to be missing, except for your computer. I didn’t see a desktop or a laptop anywhere.”

“I have my laptop in the car. I took it with me to the convention in case I got inspired to write.” And she was so thankful she had. Losing her work would be worse than losing anything else she owned.

She started down the hallway and whirled suddenly. Both officers immediately went on alert. Officer Kent’s hand dropped down to touch his sidearm. “Where’s Percy?”

“Who?” Officer Adams asked.

“The cat.” Officer Kent’s hand fell away from his weapon as he reminded his partner about her pet. He offered her a reassuring smile. “Your neighbor took him over to her place. She said you could leave him with her until we left. I don’t think your cat likes people.”

That was an understatement if she’d ever heard one. Percy didn’t like anyone but her, and Araminta believed that was only because she was the one who fed him. He tolerated Mary Jo for the same reason. Her neighbor snuck him treats from time to time.