Immortal Rider_ Lords of Deliverance Series_ - Larissa Ione [92]
She nodded. “But why isn’t Pestilence dead?”
“I don’t know, but this failure is catastrophic. Deliverance was our only way to stop him. And it gets worse.”
“How can it possibly get worse?” Arik asked, and then realized he really didn’t want to know.
Ares wiped a trickle of blood off his cheek. “Chaos showed up and took a bite out of Pestilence.”
“Don’t tell me he’s immune to hellhound poison,” Limos ground out. “Do not tell me that.”
“No, not immune, but damned near. He went still for all of five seconds. He’s growing stronger, Limos, and I’d be willing to bet that it won’t be long until even a hellhound bite won’t affect him at all.” He cursed in Sheoulic, and Arik understood every one of the nasty words. “Where the fuck are Reaver and Harvester? We need them now more than ever before, and they’ve gone MIA.”
“This is all my fault,” she murmured. “My fault. Maybe I didn’t get the dagger in the right spot. Maybe—”
Arik squeezed her hand. “You nailed him dead center in the heart. You couldn’t have had better aim. This is not your fault.”
“Arik is right.” Ares took the dagger and made it disappear into his armor. “I’m going to go to UG.” He nodded at Arik. “Take care of her.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I will.”
Once Ares was gone, Limos slipped the leather thong attached to the cup around her neck and over the top of her Seal pendant. Arik gathered her in his arms and carried her into the house, surprised she didn’t fight him. Neither did she resist when he stripped her and put her into a hot shower. He left his clothes on, not wanting to accidently cut off any protruding body parts if he came into contact with the deceptively beautiful pearls, and when he was done washing her, he tucked her into bed.
“Join me?” she asked, and yes, he planned to, after he took his own shower.
He washed quickly, and when he got out, he found Limos out on the deck, dressed in a pink, fluffy robe, looking out at the dark ocean. He tugged on a pair of shorts and joined her.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Thinking.”
“About what?”
She looked up at the starry sky, a faraway glimmer in her eyes. “About you.”
“What about me?”
“I owe you everything, Arik. Without you, we never would have found my agimortus.” She suddenly flew into his arms, her body so tight with tension it broke his heart. Seeing her so vulnerable fired up his protective instincts like nothing else could.
This woman had been willing to go to hell for him. Literally. She was prepared to give up everything to join her husband and spend eternity in misery, just to save Arik’s soul.
“No,” he croaked. “I owe you. What you were willing to do for me… that was the most unselfish act in history, I think.”
She laughed bitterly. “You have no idea how selfish I am.”
“You’ll never convince me.”
For a long time they stood like that, the warm night breeze blowing around them. It was strange to think that it was December, nearly Christmas. He was so used to snow at this time of the year. The thought gave him visions of log cabins, snapping fires, a decorated tree, and Limos, naked on the floor in front of it. Only in this fantasy, instead of the chastity pearls, she was wearing a big red ribbon.
He had to find a way to make it happen. There had to be a way to break her contract and that damned gold chain. Because after everything that had gone down since he’d gotten out of hell, and especially after tonight in the crystal chamber, he wasn’t going to give her up.
“Arik?” Propping her forehead against his chest, Limos slid her hands up and down his back. “Remember how I said it was my fault that Deliverance didn’t kill Pestilence?”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
She pulled away a little and looked up at him. The silver moonlight reflected in her eyes, turning them into frosted purple glass. They were remarkable. She was remarkable.
“I need to tell you something. Something I can’t even tell my brothers, but maybe you can help.