Page 26 of The Brothers Bane

“I won’t let you trap me again,” she says, and this time the words slice through the air like they have substance, resonating loud enough for the cave walls to shake again and the water to shimmer from the vibration.

Vesh blinks and steps back, shaking his head. “I didn’t come to take you back, Nemea. I came to apologize. But we don’t have the luxury of time right now. I need your help to bring the Titans to heel by the end of the week.” He glances at me. “Her training needs to move fast. Combat training like the Amazons provide takes time. Teaching her to focus her magic is more important. If not me, at least allow me to send one of the others. Her bonds with us increase her focus and her power.”

“You know it isn’t up to me,” I say.

“You can influence Hippolyta, convince her to allow another guest. Your opinion still carries weight, even after all this time. Tell me I’m wrong.”

My jaw tightens and I look down at Nemea. The cave has gone as still as the dead, and she looks like she’s holding her breath. Which of the others will he send to join me in watching over her?

“You aren’t wrong. Nemea will need incentive to maintain focus, and as long as she’s willing, her mates might provide the best option, but you know their rules here.”

“Do I get to choose?” Nemea asks.

“Men aren’t allowed here,” I tell her. “I’m an exception because of my relationship with Hippolyta, but even my time here is limited.”

“Who do you want?” Vesh asks.

“I want Campe.”

I’m not sure why I’m surprised by her choice, because I shouldn’t be. But the ancient dragon has been just as aloof as I have among the guards of Tartarus for almost as long as I’ve known her. I somehow can’t quite picture Nemea fulfilling the bond with her. The most intimate Campe’s gotten with any of us was merely observing when the others would play, and only going so far as to place a hand on one of the parties to absorb their magic when they climaxed. Dragons don’t need to fuck to fill their wells; they just need to be adjacent to the fucking.

Vesh inclines his head to Nemea, then looks my way again, brow furrowed. “Nemea, can we talk in private?”

“You can say anything in front of me.” I cross my arms and plant my feet wider, caring little about the fact that I’m still stark naked, clothed only in Nemea’s scent. But I’m not oblivious to the fact that that alone seems to affect him, which provides some satisfaction.

His nostrils flare, but he nods, taking us both in when he begins to make his case.

13

Vesh

Nemea’s wary look strikes me like a blade through my heart. This tightening in my chest is an alien sensation, and I have to clench my fist to avoid rubbing my sternum. Until her, it never would have occurred to me to care whether a woman trusted me. All I cared about washavingher.

Part of me still wants that, but the minds clamoring for my attention aren’t responsible for that desire. That was all me.

Isall me.

What the others want is for her to be happy—free—despite their own desperate cravings for her. In spite of Cerberus and Campe still not having tasted her, they both agree that Alcides did the right thing in defying me. They all blame me for her departure.

And now I have to bare my soul in front of all of them, even Alcides, who stands naked in front of me, clearly having just completed his bond with her. I don’t give a fuck about what the others witness, but for some reason, having his respect matters.

“What do you want?” Nemea asks, crossing her arms over her bare breasts and glaring at me.

I clench my teeth and hold her gaze for a beat until my shame takes hold, forcing me to look away, down to her reflection in the dark, steamy pool.

“I’m sorry,” I say, looking at her again.

She lets out a snort. “I wondered if you’d everactuallyapologize.”

“My intention wasn’t to hurt you, or to trap you.”

“Bullshit.”

I huff a breath out. “Fine, I wanted to keep you. Ineverintended to let you go. I looked forward to finding you in my bed every night. I should have fucking chained you to it.”

The last thought escapes involuntarily, and Alcides moves like lightning, his big hand clamping around my throat and slamming me back against the stone wall behind me. The scent ofherwashes over me, and my cock goes hard almost instantly.

“Watch how you speak to her. She deserves your respect.”

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