Authors: Gabrielle Evans
The Oracle laughed, a soft tinkling sound that did strange things to Eyce’s insides. He didn’t desire the woman before him, but he suddenly felt a great fondness for her. “It is not the Lord of the Underworld who requires your surrender.”
“I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it. Who do I need to surrender to, if not Hades? Isn’t he the one that’s all bent out of shape about us escaping Tartarus?”
“Oh, yes, he is rather cross with you about that. I hid your departure from him for as long as possible, but it could not be kept in the shadows forever.”
Eyce dipped his head in gratitude. “Thank you, Oracle.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “Do not offer your gratitude just yet.”
He still didn’t understand, but he was beginning to realize that was a permanent state of being when he was in the Oracle’s presence. “So, who do I have to surrender to?” He had been born for battle. Surrender was not an easy word to digest.
“Yourself, of course.” The Oracle smirked as she closed her eyes and tilted her face up toward the sun. “All these questions,” she said quietly. “If you would but look within yourself, you would find the answers.”
“Why do you always talk in riddles?” Eyce had been dying to ask the question for years. He figured he might not get another chance, and though he had no guarantee of an answer, it was worth a shot.
“It is simply the way things must be.” She opened her eyes and turned to look up at him. “You will understand in time.”
Eyce seriously doubted that, but decided he’d pushed far enough on the matter. “What about this lab in the mountains? How do we protect Echo?”
“Echo,” she murmured with a smile. “He waits for you.”
“Huh?” Eyce could have smacked himself in the head for his lame response.
“Go to him. Seek his shelter.” Then she faded away, leaving Eyce standing in the middle of the field.
* * * *
“Eyce, wake up. You’re drooling all over the keyboard.” Echo tried not to laugh as he shook his lover, trying to rouse him from his sleep.
Eyce groaned quietly as his eyelashes fluttered against his creamy cheeks, but he didn’t open his eyes.
“C’mon, big guy.” Echo pushed the dark hair back from Eyce’s face and trailed his fingertips from temple to jaw. The man really was gorgeous. Stepping closer, he bent at the waist, pressing his lips to the corner of Eyce’s mouth.
“Mmm, I like this dream,” Eyce mumbled. He finally opened his eyes and sat up slowly, rubbing a hand over his face and yawning. “What time is it?”
“A little after six. You’ve been in here forever.” Echo motioned to the plate sitting on the desk. “I brought you dinner.”
Eyce didn’t even look. He wrapped his hands around Echo’s waist and pulled him into his lap. “How are you feeling?”
Echo cuddled close and kissed the underside of Eyce’s jaw. “Much better. What were you dreaming about?”
“The Oracle.”
“She’s nice, huh?”
Eyce snorted. “I guess that’s one way to put it. Frustrating, infuriating, confusing—those would be better descriptions. I don’t understand why she has to talk in circles all the time.”
Echo rolled his eyes. “You mean you don’t know why she can’t just give you all the answers on a silver platter.”
“Exactly.” Eyce said it with such vehemence, Echo had to slap a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter. “It’s not funny,” Eyce grumbled.
“I know,” Echo said when he finally felt in control of himself. “You’re just really cute when you pout.” He pushed up straight and looked into Eyce’s eyes. It still bothered him that he couldn’t ever pinpoint what color his men’s eyes were. They all looked the same—just a big swirl of everything.
“I’m not pouting,” Eyce argued, even as his bottom lip slid out and began to tremble.
Echo slapped at his chest. “I think finding the answers is half the battle. It wouldn’t mean nearly as much if you just had all the information gift wrapped with a pretty bow.”
“Now you sound like her. What is that supposed to mean?”
Echo didn’t know how to explain what he meant. Hell, he wasn’t even sure he understood it himself. He hadn’t meant to speak the words. They’d just slipped through his lips without thought. Knowing his sulky demon wouldn’t let it go, he decided a distraction was in order.
Pushing up straighter, he pulled Eyce’s mouth to his in a scorching kiss. “It means you talk too much,” he panted long minutes later. “And it also means you’re missing a meeting in the kitchen. They kicked me out.”
“They’re talking about the lab,” Eyce said distractedly as he tried to chase Echo’s retreating lips.
“The lab? Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Echo scrambled down from Eyce’s lap and fisted his hands on his hips as he glared. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Eyce dropped his forehead to the desk with a loud thud and growled. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you that.”
“Too late and tough shit. I want to know what’s going on, and why you all felt the need to keep it from me. I’m not a child, and I’m not fucking stupid. Besides, you’re going to need my help.”
Yeah, he was pissed off, but a small part of him was hurt that his men hadn’t trusted him with this. He wracked his brain, but couldn’t come up with a single reason they would have for not confiding in him. They were supposed to be on the same side.
“Stop it,” Eyce demanded without lifting his head. “We just didn’t want to worry you. No one has any ideas of how to stop those assholes. We just wanted to have a plan in place before we brought you in on it. That’s all, I swear.”
“Cat’s out of the bag now, so I’m coming with you.” Echo slapped his hand on the desk. “Move your ass.” Then he turned and marched out of the room without a backward glance. Either Eyce would follow him, or he wouldn’t. Whatever.
Entering the kitchen, he didn’t think it was his imagination that all conversation stopped the minute the demons set eyes on him. The room went unnaturally quiet, and everyone seemed to find different points of the wall extremely interesting all of the sudden.
“I thought you were going to get Eyce,” Hex said tightly.
“And I thought we were supposed to be a team? Or am I just the cute and loveable mascot?” Echo glared at each of the men around the table before returning his attention to Hex. “Oh, poor Echo just can’t deal. Let’s not tell him anything that might not be rainbows and ice cream. We wouldn’t want to upset his fragile sensibilities.”
“You’re being childish,” Hex growled. “Why don’t you run along and let the big boys take care of this.”
Echo jerked back as if he’d been slapped. The words stung for just a moment, and then he got pissed. Narrowing his eyes, he sauntered over to Fiero and held out his hand. Judging by the look on his lover’s face, Hex’s words didn’t sit well with him either. He reached out and took Echo’s hand immediately while he pulled his lighter from his pocket with the other.
“Echo,” Hex snarled in warning. “Don’t even think about it.”
Fiero flicked the lighter and lifted the flame in front of Echo. “Don’t hurt him too much. We still kind of like him.”
“Echo!” Hex took a step back, his eyes rounding when Echo just smirked and waved his hand over the flickering flame, catching it in his palm. He tried to retreat further, but froze mid-step, his eyes darting to Myst.
“Sorry, dude, but that was uncalled for. You’re being a fucking douche.” Myst’s voice held none of its usual jovialness, and he looked spitting mad. His face mottled a dark red as he rose from his seat and stalked around the table to stand beside Echo.
Vapre rose as well, coming to stand beside Fiero, while Onyx took up ranks on Myst’s other side, presenting a united front to their leader. Syx was the last to stand, and though usually the mediator of the group, even he came to stand beside Onyx, crossing his arms over his chest and looking menacingly at Hex.
Echo still held one of Fiero’s hands while he left the flames leap and dance over his other. “I may be smaller than you,” he told Hex. “I may not be as strong physically, or lived as many years as you.” He held his hand up in front of his face, blowing softly at the fire until it shot out in a stream, stopping just inches from Hex’s chest. Then he sucked in a deep breath, calling the flames back.
“I may not have seen the things you have, or fought against swarms of enemies. I didn’t live a thousand years in the depths of Hades, but I have survived my own personal hell.” He swirled his hand around until the fire rolled into a ball, then flicked his wrist to make it bounce into the air. It rose until it almost brushed against the ceiling, then made a graceful arc to fall back into Echo’s waiting palm.
“I’ve lived my entire life with people who tell me what to do, when to do it, and bitching about how I did it wrong.” He pushed his hand toward Hex, sending the fireball rushing toward him, then pulled it back like a yo-yo on some invisible string. “Just because I let you stroke and pet me, cradle me on your lap, and snuggle with me at night…” He stopped speaking and tilted his head to the side, considering his still unmoving lover. “You only wish you had the power I do.”
He squeezed his hand into a fist, extinguishing the flames with just a thought. “I accepted all of you—this entire fucked up world of demons, warriors, gods, oracles, prophecies, and supernatural wars. I let you claim me as yours—as your mate. Never once did I ask for anything in return, so now I’m telling.”
Echo released Fiero’s hand and walked forward until he stood toe-to-toe with Hex. “You may see me as weak and naïve, fragile and delicate, but I assure you…I’m not. You will respect me.” He snapped his fingers, smirking at his lovers’ gasp of surprise when tiny flames immediately sparked along his fingertips. Fiero could manipulate fire, but he couldn’t create it.
“And that’s just from syphoning for a couple of minutes.” He wiggled his fingers in Hex’s face, enjoying the widening of the man’s eyes. “Go ahead and have your little meeting,” he said icily. “I’ll run along and play like a good boy.” Then he let the flames die away as he turned to stroll out of the kitchen.
“Impressive,” Eyce said from the threshold where he leaned against the kitchen doorframe. He eyed Echo cautiously, obviously hesitant to approach him.
Smart man.
In Echo’s current mood, he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t accidently…or maybe even purposely…set his lover ablaze. “You accused me of treating you like a pet—something to lavish affection on when the mood struck.” Pushing past the demon, he shook his head sadly. “Well, consider yourself in the doghouse.”
* * * *
“What the fuck happened in here, and why am I getting the blame?” Eyce pushed away from the wall and stepped further into the room.
“Ask him.” Myst glared as he jabbed a finger in Hex’s direction.
Eyce followed his gaze, narrowing his eyes at their leader. “What did you do?”
Hex stumbled back a step when Myst released him, grabbing for the counter to steady himself. “I didn’t do anything!” he roared. Then he took an angry step toward Myst. “You’re going to use your powers on me?” He met each other of their eyes as his body trembled with anger. “That’s how it’s going to be? I’m the fucking bad guy now?”
“You were a prick, and you know it,” Fiero said heatedly as he jumped to his feet.
“We all agreed that we didn’t want him to know until we had more of the facts. Why the hell is everyone pointing their fingers at me?” Hex threw his hands up in the air. “You were all thinking the same thing.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Vapre said dangerously. “I didn’t want to worry him, and I don’t want him in danger, but I would have never spoken to him that way.”
“What the fuck is going on?” Eyce yelled.
“Hex told Echo that he was acting like a child and to run along and play while the big boys dealt with the danger,” Syx answered, his eyes locked on Hex.