Page 80 of Nemesis

An Olympus bitch.

I drag him backward, and it opens up my line of sight to the girl in their grip.

Artemis.

She’s not conscious, not as far as I can tell. Her feet drag on the concrete. They’ve got her by her arms, although one just holds on to her hair, keeping her head yanked back.

Eyes shut.

Limp.

I don’t think—I just react. The first punch sends blessed fire through my knuckles, and the guy’s eyes roll back. They haven’t noticed me yet, somehow, and I catch the guy before he makes noise collapsing to the ground.

“Fuck her up and leave her at their altar.” The one with his hand in her hair laughs.

They agree.

“Good idea.” My tone is cold, and the red that had been creeping across my vision engulfs me completely.

They jump. Turn. But I’ve got the drop on them. The first two take my punches and stumble away, clutching bloody faces. Fire sings through my body. The third gets a hit in, but he goes for my stomach. My abs tense, absorbing the hit, and I strike back harder.

I move like a dancer, until there’s just one left.

He has an arm under Artemis’s breasts, holding her back to his front.

A knife at her throat.

We stare at each other, and he edges backward.

She looks innocent like this. The way she judges me, the hostility in her gaze any time she so much as catches a glimpse of me, isn’t there. Of course, I don’t get the warmth of her brown eyes either.

“Let her go,” I order.

He sneers.

I want to ask more. Likewhy?Andwho are you? Andhow fucking dare you?But I don’t. I keep my mouth shut, waiting for him to make a decision.

His gaze ticks from me to his fallen buddies, and then my bloody knuckles.

I think they’re bloody. They feel wet, although the pain isn’t there. The pain in my head is gone, too. Blasted away by adrenaline, only to surge back later tonight. I’m sure of that much.

He shoves her toward me. Still fully unconscious, her body falls forward. I dive for her, managing to save her from breaking her face.

He turns and strides away. Not even fucking scared—like he knows I won’t go after him.

What the fuck is wrong with people?

I lift Artemis into my arms and carry her back to Elora’s house. She feels solid in my arms—unlike living with the memory of Elora. Her skin is warm, her head lolls against my shoulder. Her hair spills down my arm.

Stop it.

There’s a sweatshirt tied around her hips, but otherwise she wears a plain black t-shirt and gray sweatpants. The t-shirt is cropped, exposing a slice of her golden abdomen.

I get Artemis up the stairs and into the house, kicking the door shut behind me.

We had Elora’s funeral here, but there were a lot of other memories, too. Now, it’s up to me to keep everything maintained. Her parents never came back to Sterling Falls, which is fine. I mow the lawn once a week, planted wildflowers in the raised beds out front. Repaired a broken window from some stupid kid. Installed a security system.

It’s not enough, but it gives me the slightest bit of peace. Like she might actually be okay with how I’m handling this.

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