Urian nodded. “I want the honest truth about something. Could you really fight with someone who did as much damage to you as my father has done to me?”
Ash met his gaze without blinking. “I subjugated myself to the goddess who drugged me to the point where I couldn’t protect my sister and nephew the night they were brutally slaughtered, and they were the only two people in the universe who’d ever given two shits about me. Later that same day, she stood back and let her twin brother butcher me on the floor like an animal to protect humanity, yet within hours after that I sold myself to her to protect mankind. For the sake of the Dark-Hunters, I subjected myself to her cruel whims for eleven thousand years. So yeah, Urian, I think I could manage to suck it up for an hour to protect the rest of the world.”
Urian let out a slow breath as Ash put his own pettiness in brutal perspective. He was being a spoiled brat and Ash was right. “You know you’re the only man alive I’d ever follow after what I’ve been through. You’re also the only one I respect, and who could talk to me the way you do and not get slapped for it.”
“And you’re one of the extremely few I trust.”
Urian held his hand up to him. “Brothers?”
“Brothers to the end,” Ash said, taking his hand and clutching it tight. “Now before we break into tears, get your ass upstairs and prepare for what’s coming.”
“Don’t worry. I always have your back.”
“Yeah, but this time, we’re up against the god of war.”
Which meant all the backup in the world might not be enough.
January 19, 2009
Urian ground his teeth as he led Savitar into Styxx’s bedroom in New York where he’d been holding a silent vigil on and off since they got back from Kalosis with Tory and Acheron, and Styxx had collapsed on the floor.
He was terrified about Styxx’s condition. And he was at a loss about who else to call. Who else would know how to fix a sick immortal, other than Apollymi, and given their current relationship, he figured it was best not to try that venue, as the goddess was likely to splinter him into pieces.
“He’s been like that.”
Savitar gave Urian an arch stare.
“I know, right? It’s like his whole body has shut down. He hasn’t eaten or drunk or even moved. Every now and again, he whispers in ancient Greek, Arabic, or ancient Egyptian, but I can’t make it out.”
Frowning, Savitar pulled the blanket back to examine the wound Acheron had sealed. But the moment he saw Styxx’s extensive scarring he gaped in horror. “What the hell?”
Urian more than understood his reaction. He’d had the same one himself the first time he’d seen it. “Aside from being a war hero who fought in dozens of battles, he spent a year as a POW in Atlantis. He never really says much about it other than it sucked, but from the scars I’d say they tortured him the whole time he was there.”
Savitar expelled a heavy breath. “I had no idea. Does Acheron know about this?”
If he did, he didn’t care. Obviously. Nor had he bothered to check on them or even ask. While Urian had cut him a lot of slack because of Tory being threatened, he was getting a little pissed about it at this point.
“I don’t know. From his hatred of Styxx, though, I’d say he doesn’t care. He’d probably say Styxx deserved it.”
Savitar felt Styxx’s forehead. “How long has his fever been this high?”
“Since the fight with Stryker. He had it when I brought him home and it hasn’t broken or gone down at all.”
Savitar placed his hand to Styxx’s throat. “He barely has a pulse.”
No shit, Sherlock.
Savitar gave him a pissed look that said he might have heard that.
Clearing his throat, Urian reminded himself to rein his thoughts in around the omniscient, irritable one. “Yeah. I didn’t know what to do. Not like I can call a doctor. When I tried to call Ash, he said Styxx was probably faking it for attention. He told me Styxx couldn’t die and would be fine. Not to concern myself with it. But he doesn’t look fine. He looks like a corpse.”
And since Ash had sounded distracted and hung up without saying good-bye, Urian had taken the hint.
Whatever had gone down between him and Styxx had left them as strangers. Ash didn’t want anything to do with his brother.
Period.
Damn, Styxx, What’d you do? Piss on his favorite toy and make him eat it?
“All right. Stand back. I’m going to shock him out of this.”
Urian moved to stand in the doorway as Savitar placed his hand over Styxx’s chest. A slight hum filled his ears a few seconds before what appeared to be a sledgehammer-like bolt shot from Savitar’s hand into Styxx’s chest.
Styxx’s eyes flew open. Panting, he frowned at Savitar and then Urian as if he didn’t recognize them at first. As soon as he did, his eyes filled with panic and tears.
“No!” Styxx breathed raggedly, sweeping the room with his gaze. “Beth! Galen!”
Well, that wasn’t the reaction Urian had expected. Nor was the next one, where he flung himself out of bed and frantically searched his condo room to room. Stunned, he exchanged a wide-eyed stare with Savitar that turned into a gape when Styxx fell to his knees and bellowed. “Why did you bring me back here? Why? I was with them and we were happy! I was with them.…”
Styxx curled up into a ball and wept as if his entire world had shattered. “Beth, don’t leave me again … please … please come back to me … I can’t live without you anymore.”
Urian choked at the sight of a profound agony he knew better than anyone. For a long time, he’d hated Ash for bringing him back to life. Even now, every day he lived without Phoebe was a day he despised with fury.
Why didn’t I leave him alone?
Had he known Styxx was in a coma with his family, he’d have left him there forever.
What the fuck have I done? How selfish could I be?
His heart breaking for his newfound friend, Urian knelt down by Styxx’s head and gathered him into his arms. “I’m sorry, Styxx. We didn’t know.”
Savitar came up to them and placed his hand on Styxx’s shoulder, knocking him out again. “Unfortunately, he won’t stay that way.”
“Help me put him back in bed.”
Instead of helping, Savitar picked Styxx up as if he weighed nothing and carried him to the bedroom. There was something weird about how Savitar was acting now. But Urian didn’t know him well enough to even hazard a guess about his thoughts.
“It’s disturbing, isn’t it?” Savitar asked him as Urian entered the bedroom.
“What?”
“How much he favors Ash.”
Urian shrugged. “They’re identical twins. I had two sets of brothers who were, too. But while they may share looks and some tendencies, they are usually very different people.”
Savitar swept his gaze around the room, then opened the closet where Styxx had two pairs of jeans folded neatly on the top shelf. One sweater, a jacket, two long-sleeved button-downs, and three short-sleeved shirts. One pair of shoes. Frowning, Savitar continued searching all six rooms of the condo.
Curious, Urian followed him around. “What are you looking for?”
“What’s your impression of this place?”
Urian answered with the first word that popped into his head. “Spartan.”
Savitar nodded. “Not exactly the kind of place a spoiled prince would be happy in, is it?” He handed a bankbook to Urian. “Acheron gave him plenty of money. And you can tell by the lack of dishes, he doesn’t do much, if any, entertaining. The only thing he appears to have splurged on is the computer.”
“Only because I ordered it for him. He didn’t know anything about them and asked my advice.” He’d even come up here and set it up for him.
Savitar picked up Styxx’s phone, looked at it, then handed it to Urian. “Yours is the only number he has, and it’s the only one he’s called.”
And not that often, and even then not for very long. Their longest conversation had been about the computer and that had probably been no more than twenty minutes, tops.
Urian sighed. “I was hoping he had other people he hung out with.”