Just get to the car. Just get to the car.
She turned for the small hall that led to the door, felt as if she was dragging deadweight. Gryphon braced a hand on the wall and tried to help her but did nothing more than shuffle his feet and slow them down. The muscles in her arms and legs screamed in protest as they moved. When she finally reached the threshold, she propped him against the wall and kicked wood and metal aside so he wouldn’t trip and drag her down.
“The bodies,” he managed. “We can’t…leave them like this.” His head fell back against the wall. His eyes slid closed. If she let go of him, she was sure he’d slump right to the floor like a rag doll.
“We don’t have time to worry about that.”
She bent to push a board out of the way. He pulled away from her hand pressing into his chest, holding him up. Startled, she looked back to see him heading into the room again, scrubbing his shoulder against the wall as he used it to keep himself upright. “Can’t…leave them for humans to find.”
She reached for him. “Gryphon—”
His leg went out from under him. She reached for him. A gasp tore from her mouth when he nearly hit the floor. At the last second, his hand slammed into the wall, and he pushed himself back up, the muscles in his arm straining with the effort.
Dear gods, he was delirious.
She had to stop him. Had to get him to come back this way. Toward the car. She also knew that if he fell, which he’d likely do at any minute, she wouldn’t have enough energy to pull him back up. Her adrenaline was waning now that the battle was over. She needed to convince him to cooperate so she could conserve what little strength she had left and get them the hell out of here. As her mind spun with how to get him to do that, she remembered the vial Persephone had slipped in her pocket.
She fished it out, stared at the clear liquid inside. A concoction of ancient herbs guaranteed to grant her control, Persephone had said. Maelea had no idea what it contained, but she knew there were a variety of ancient calming herbs still used today by the gods. It had to be one of those. Persephone wanted the Orb too much to risk harming her or Gryphon, otherwise she wouldn’t have bothered to offer Maelea Olympus. And that meant, whatever this was, it was intended to give Maelea exactly what Persephone promised.
Before she could change her mind, Maelea popped the top and reached for Gryphon. She pressed a hand against his shoulder, pushed him back against the wall so he faced her. “Wait.”
Sweat slid down his brow. “We have…”
“Drink this.” She lifted the vial to his lips. “It’ll help.”
When he opened his mouth to protest, she poured half the contents over his tongue. His mouth closed. His face scrunched up tight, but, thankfully, he swallowed. “What…?”
She capped the vial and slid it back into her pocket. Waited to see what would happen.
His pupils dilated. The muscles in his face contracted, then relaxed. Then finally his eyes locked on hers. And as they stared at each other, something passed between them. An arc of heat. An emotion she couldn’t define. Something totally unrelated to the Underworld darkness that dwelt inside each of them. It burned in the very center of her. Ignited in a rush of flame. And in the silence that remained, it lit off currents of heat that pulsed all through her body.
His eyes rolled back. His body slumped. Maelea gasped and wrapped her arms around his torso, pressing her body into his to try to hold him up. “Gryphon?” Oh, shit. “Gryphon?”
Panic swamped her chest. She braced her feet and tried to keep them both from going down. What the hell had she just done? Shit. Shit! She never should have trusted her mother. “Gryphon?”
His hands landed on her arms. His head fell forward to bump into her shoulder. “Wh-what?”
Oh, thank you, thank you. She hadn’t just killed him. But the relief was bittersweet when she realized he was even more deadweight now than he’d been before. “We need to get outside. Can you help me?”
“Sure.” He turned his head so his cheek brushed her shoulder. Drew in a deep breath. Let it out. “Whatever you want. Gods, you smell good.”
He blew out another long, sultry breath. Warmth slid along her neck, sent tingles all down her spine. His hands inched down her arms then landed on her waist. And as he tugged her closer with what little strength he had left, she recognized the stirrings of an erection pressing against her stomach.
“Have to help me, though,” he slurred. “Don’ know if I can get it up.”