Page 20 of The Brothers Bane

In a low, gruff tone, he says, “Ele told me of a place we can be alone up in the hills—a hot spring set apart from the one everyone else visits. Will you come with me?”

“Lead the way.”

He takes my hand and we disappear into the shadows, leaving the revelry of the night to echo behind us.

10

Nemea

Our sunset stroll through the vineyards bears no resemblance to our clandestine infiltration under cover of darkness the night before. Alcides holds my hand this time, and the sounds of crickets and night birds is more comforting than foreboding.

“Tell me about your day,” I venture when we’re well out of earshot of the compound, shrouded in shadows between the rows of gnarled, twisty grapevines. The path is easy enough to find at least, and I realize I can see far in the distance without effort, tracking the trail up into the hills he indicated when we started walking.

He glances at me once, then shrugs. “It’s hard to describe. I am in awe of her. All day I kept kicking myself for never coming back. I could have known her all this time, but I missed every milestone that a girl’s father should be present for. But then I wonder if I would have only made her life harder had I stayed. If she would have been half as amazing had I been here.”

“She is pretty great,” I say. “But you are here now, even if it’s only for a short time. Just make sure she knows she’s valued and that you love her and you’re proud of her. That’s all a daughter really wants from her father.”

He gives me a sharp look, and I wince at the bitterness that threaded through my tone.

“You did not have this from your father, did you?”

I let out a derisive snort. “My dad gave me nothing. Neither of my parents did. They didn’t even raise me. And my grandparents were more like glorified babysitters than role models. All I’m saying is that Ele could dosomuch worse than having you as a dad. Just… let her take the lead. If she reaches out, answer. Be available. Listen. It can’t be that hard.”

“It shouldn’t be difficult for any father,” he grumbles. “And it wouldn’t have been for me, had I known. Hippolyta never told me of Ele’s birth. I left before I knew she was pregnant. I stayed away because I knew I couldn’t give her the escape from her role as queen that I thought she wanted. And the truth of it is, if Ihadknown, I would not have trusted my presence not to do more harm than good. Drawing attention to my happiness would have only made Hera angry. Had I stayed, there is a non-zero chance Ele would not have survived.”

“Well, I guess that answers your burning question. You did the right thing. Unlike my dad who did absolutelyeverythingwrong.”

He squeezes my hand, then releases it so we can move single-file up the narrowing path as it climbs into the hills.

“Do you think it will be different now? If your stepmother finds out about her, I mean,” I ask.

“I think Ele’s well-protected, and now with the girdle returned to Hippolyta, all of them are more than capable of defending themselves from any of the gods. But I won’t be staying; Hippolyta was clear on that point. If I spend more time with Ele, it won’t be here after this week.”

My stomach turns a flip, because I hadn’t considered much beyond the next few days. “What if I want to stay?”

The vegetation is thicker the higher we climb, with scrubby trees blocking out more of the moonlight, but I can see when Alcides glances back at me. “Then you should stay. I have a commitment to Tartarus and the other guards. I needed to see you through this. But until the Titans are put back in their cell, I must return to help the others.”

“I have a commitment too. But nobody’s given me a timeline, just vague insistence that I need to be ready. For what and when, I still have no clue. Is it happening as soon as the end of the week?”

My voice comes out brittle, my emotions churning enough to cause my tattoo to flex around my upper arm, waking for the first time since supper.

We reach a level ledge, and he turns to face me. “Vesh never told you the details, did he?”

I raise my hands in frustration. “No one did!”

He utters a curse under his breath, glancing at the ground and shaking his head. “Fucker has gotten too used to us all being in his head. He doesn’t typically hide information like this from the rest of us. If anything, it’s a testament to how much you’ve affected all of us, even Vesh.”

I grit my teeth. “I’m not aiming to forgive him yet. But if what I keep hearing is any indication, we have less than a week to get me trained, don’t we? So any hope I had of staying put here for the foreseeable future is just a fucking illusion.”

He reaches out a hand to cup my jaw and tilt my head back. “You can come back. You can stay once this is done. Our bond will keep us close, Nemea. Once it’s in place, we can’t be parted.”

“How are you so sure?” I ask in a small voice, even though I’m not even sure this is where I want to be. I only know that I feel safe here. Understood.

“Because I know you have a connection to the others already—the ones you’ve bonded. Erebus visited me last night and told me you’ve shut them out. He wanted to make sure you were okay, and to tell you that you don’t have to fear opening your sanctuary to them. Vesh will stay away if you lock him out, which is perfectly within your power to do.Youget to choose who you let in.” He taps my temple gently with one fingertip.

“Is it okay if I want to be alone with you for a little longer?”

His gaze tracks over my face, landing on my mouth. With a low hum, he bends and presses his lips to mine. A charge jolts through me even though the kiss is soft, a gentle press that’s little more than a promise. He pulls back only slightly, pressing his forehead to mine.

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