“The offer is not for you.” Hades stepped to the side so he could better see Kellsie. “The offer is for you, my dear.”
Marko wanted to drag Kellsie away from here, away from whatever the demon god wanted to tempt her with. But as much as he wanted to, he knew he wouldn’t. He owed it to Kellsie to allow her to make her own decision. If she could get out of this situation alive and well, she should take it. Not that he expected Hades to deal fairly. He’d make certain Hades didn’t have any loopholes to catch her in whatever deal she made.
She stepped in front of him and licked her lips. He couldn’t help but notice how lush and full they were. How very kissable. And he wasn’t the only one to notice. Both Hades and Mordecai were staring at her mouth. Marko growled and Kellsie shot him a worried glance before returning her gaze to Hades.
“What offer?”
Hades smiled, his teeth glinting in the light. “Easy, my dear. You gave me what I wanted, just as I thought you would. As a gesture of good faith, I release all claims to you. All you have to do is walk out the door, get in your car and drive away.”
It was an offer Marko thought he’d never hear. Hades would never give up a claim to a soul if he thought he could get it.
Kellsie hand went to her throat and she stroked the bear claw that rested there. The necklace was a sort of talisman for her and he’d noticed she touched it whenever she was thinking hard about something.
“Let me get this straight. If I leave right now you’ll just let me go?”
“That’s right,” Hades confirmed. “All you have to do is sign here, affirming you won’t have anything to do with the bear here ever again.”
Marko’s insides turned to ice. His bear roared and clawed for release, and it took everything Marko had to keep that half of himself contained. Kellsie belonged to him. She was his mate. And that was why, hard as it was, he could say nothing. If there was even the remotest possibility she could get out of here alive she should take it.
He hardened his heart as he waited for her reply. They’d known each other for a matter of hours. Yes, they’d had sex, but there’d been no time to build an emotional bond, at least not on her side. He had instinct to guide him and he knew she was special, as well as important to his future well-being and happiness.
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms and shifted her weight slightly from one leg to the other. He could tell she was frightened and nervous. And so she should be. The god before her wasn’t exactly known for his benevolence. The fact that he would even make this offer was astounding.
“Come now, Kellsie,” Hades chided her. “What are you waiting for? You’re a survivor. You look out for number one. Isn’t that what you told me in your dream?”
“Yes.”
Marko’s heart sank even as hope soared. She was going to take his offer. She was going to be safe—and cut off from him forever. The emotions warring within him threatened to tear him apart.
“Let me sweeten the offer a bit.” Hades tapped his finger against his lips as if pondering the situation. Marko didn’t believe for one moment that the god didn’t already know what he was going to offer.
“How about I also make you a movie star and ruin your ex-boyfriend. What was his name?” Hades snapped his fingers. “Jonathan Braun.”
Marko’s fists clenched at his sides to keep from dragging Kellsie into his arms. Just the mention of an ex had him ready to fight. Kellsie was his.
His anger died as quickly as it had begun. She wasn’t his. Not really. She’d belonged to him for the briefest of times. She’d gifted him with his freedom and with her body. He had to do what was right for her.
“All I have to do is leave Marko and never have anything to do with him again?” Kellsie didn’t look at him no matter how hard Marko willed her to.
“That’s it. Certainly not a hardship. After all, you just met.” Hades shook the scroll with one hand and manifested a pen with the other. “All you have to do is sign.”
Marko sank into himself, burying his emotions. The fight was at hand. As soon as Kellsie was gone from here he would do everything within his ability to destroy Hades. And he would probably die in the effort. As large and powerful as his bear was, he was no match for a vengeful god. Not by himself. Maybe if one or two of his fellow warriors were here, they would have a chance. But he was alone.
He would die as he’d lived, with honor. It was best that she not be here to witness his downfall. Nor did he want her death on his conscience. He wouldn’t mind facing death, not as long as he knew Kellsie was safe, living her life and being happy.
He held his breath as she reached for the scroll.
Kellsie couldn’t believe this was happening. It was like being a major actor in a bad horror flick, and she should know. She’d done more than her fair share. And this one was surprisingly similar to Devil’s Honor, a tiny independent film she’d done her first year in Hollywood.
The hero in the picture had taken the devil’s bargain and lived to regret it. After all, he’d quickly learned the devil doesn’t have any honor. She’d played the guy’s on-again off-again girlfriend and had been the first person to die. She wasn’t looking to repeat that performance, especially not for real.
She wasn’t sure what she should do and Marko wasn’t helping. He was standing beside her, stoic and proud, not letting her know either way what he wanted. Maybe he wanted her gone so he could fight.
He needs you.
The voice in her head was so faint she could barely hear it. It wasn’t her inner voice but an independent one—female and very familiar. It was the same voice she’d heard in her dream. The one that had helped her escape from Hades—the Lady of the Beasts.
Kellsie was beginning to think she didn’t have any control over her life. That it was all controlled by outside forces. She didn’t like it one bit. She’d worked too hard and too long to let someone else screw up her life. She was quite capable of doing that on her own, at least then she knew any mistakes were her own as were the successes.
A strange calm descended over her as though her body simply couldn’t keep being frightened for so long. Terror had become the norm for the moment. Two immortal warriors and a god waited for her decision. Intimidating for a B-list human actress.
She was being pulled in two directions by two different gods. One wanted her to help Marko. The other wanted her out of the way.
But what did Marko want? Better yet, what did she want?
She plucked the scroll out of Hades’ hand and began to read it. An annoyed expression crossed his face. What? Did he think she wasn’t going to read the document? He’d obviously never dealt with many actors. They always read the fine print. Or at least she did. Maury would kill her if she didn’t.
“Well?” Hades waved the pen at her.
She held up her hand for him to wait. “I’m reading.”
Marko chuckled, and when she glanced up she caught a glimpse of Mordecai. There was a half-smile on his lips and his eyes glittered with amusement. She was glad she was entertaining their asses. She was trying to kill as much time as possible.
Hades’ patience was running short and Kellsie knew she couldn’t keep this up much longer. She had to decide. What was she going to do? There was only one thing she could do.
Squaring her shoulders, she rolled the scroll back up and handed it to Hades. “Thanks for the offer, but I have to decline.”
The look on his face would have been funny if she wasn’t so terrified. He looked totally shocked. She guessed that most people accepted his offers.