“Nor will you ever be again.”
“A one-time thing, huh?”
For her? “Yes.” A mind reader would be tolerated only long enough for climax to be achieved.
Xerxes, like Thane himself, had had the softer emotions beaten out of him. And an ongoing relationship between two hardened beings like Xerxes and Cario could never work. The two would kill each other. Although…if one of the hardened were shattered…
Look at Zacharel. Once as cold as ice, he now burned white-hot, placing his Annabelle’s well-being above his own.
The entrance to Thane’s room opened, the sensors recognizing his identity. Bjorn must have watched him on the wall of monitors, because the warrior stood at the ready with two drinks in hand.
“Where’s Xerxes?” Thane asked, accepting one of the glasses and draining the contents.
Bjorn’s gaze slid over Cario, and he nodded his approval. “Checking on his charge.”
“I’ll handle McCadden and send Xerxes to you.” He gave the female a gentle push toward Bjorn and stepped into the hall, shutting the door behind him. Down the hall he stalked. Xerxes’ door was closed, but heated voices trickled out.
“—lock me up. I’m sick of it!”
The voice was unfamiliar to him, which meant the speaker was McCadden.
“Your feelings matter little. I was not told to make you happy. I was told to keep you safe and out of trouble.”
“Well, I told you. I’ll leave the Lords of the Underworld alone. I’ll stay away from my goddess.”
“She isn’t your goddess,” Xerxes shouted.
“She is! I fell for her. I crave her, and I know she craves me.”
“And that is exactly the reason you will stay here, in this room.”
A black curse was hurled, and then the sounds of struggling bodies erupted. Oh, no, no, no. McCadden would pay for daring to challenge Xerxes. And if the warrior vomited after this…
Jaw clenched, Thane pushed open the doors—these opened automatically only for Xerxes—but stopped short when he saw the outcome of the brawl.
Xerxes had McCadden pinned, one hand at the guy’s neck, the other holding his wrists above his head. The warrior was breathing heavily, peering into McCadden’s eyes with determination.
“Do you yield?”
“Never.”
“Foolish.”
“No, just proving a point. Now get off me,” McCadden snapped. “Now!”
Xerxes jumped off the man with a low growl. He tangled a hand through his hair—but he didn’t vomit. “What point were you trying to prove?”
“That you can’t force me to do anything.”
“I can and did. I will.”
“If you think so, then you are as deluded as you claim I am about my goddess.”
Thane wasn’t sure how Xerxes could tolerate the other’s touch when all others bothered him. “May I interrupt?” he asked.
Xerxes whipped around to face him, red suffusing his cheeks. “I’ll beat him into submission if I must,” he muttered.
“Whatever.” McCadden walked away and slammed a bedroom door behind him.
Thane arched a brow, but mentioned nothing about the fallen’s defiance. “I found you a woman, my friend.”
Xerxes cast his gaze to his feet, hiding whatever emotion had sprung in those crimson eyes. “Not tonight. I’m too tired.”
“But—”
“No. I can’t. I just can’t.”
Something was going on with him. Something more than usual. “I will give her to Bjorn, then.”
A terse nod from the warrior.
He should leave. Thane knew he should leave, but he couldn’t bring himself to abandon his best friend. How tormented Xerxes appeared. There had to be something he could say to help. “I could use some company. Will you join me?”