Page 79 of The New Gods

I had no friends or colleagues I could go to and voice my suspicions. “When I get back to Oxford, I’ll confront him, but only in person. I’m tenured, though, so he can’t fire me. I’ll lose funding, classes, research, office space, but I won’t lose my job.” Just everything that made my job possible. At Harvard, that was how they forced resignations and retirements. Take away all the things that mattered, load up a professor’s schedule with undergraduate introductory courses, and wait for them to make the decision Harvard wanted.

“Do you really think that will happen? You still found the first shard. You have a reputation as an honest scholar and your students rave about your lectures.”

“How do you know that?” I placed the coffee on the table and crossed my arms.

“Pollux told us. He did some background checking after he became aware of your discovery. It was news to us that it had been sitting in Istanbul for years. Somehow, we missed it until you came to Oxford.”

That wasn’t surprising. “Unless you run in classical history circles, it’s not something that makes front page news. And the press isn’t alerted to finds until we’re ready. Wouldn’t want anyone trampling over our dig sites prematurely.” There wasn’t much difference between my dig site and a crime scene when it came down to it. Both were rabidly protected in the early days of discovery.

Grunting again, Hector placed both hands on the desk and leaned over the stone. “You’re almost finished. There may only be one more piece if this curves around the back.” His hand hovered over the stone, palm cupping the gentled slope of one side.

His gaze flicked to mine, but he didn’t move his hand immediately. I got what he was doing.

Trusting me not to do the same thing again.

“I made a mistake,” I replied. “I would take it back.”

He sighed. “I know. And I might do the same thing myself if I felt the answers I needed were being kept from me.”

That was as close to forgiveness as I could ever hope. A breath rushed out of me. It weighed on me, having done something so cruel to a man who didn’t deserve it. For goodness sake, Hector had experienced enough of it.

“Thank you.”

He lifted his hand from where it gripped the side of the desk, to cover mine. His palm was rough and dry, and he linked his fingers over the top of mine to squeeze. He left it there, long enough for me to absorb a little bit of his heat and strength before he released me.

“Be careful with Pollux.” Straightening, he took my mug from my desk. “He doesn’t fall easily.”

How—? He gazed down at me and lifted both eyebrows, waiting for me to reply. Held in his serious blue gaze, I stuttered my answer, “I—how—okay.”

Staring a second too long before he blinked slowly, he backed toward the stairs. “That’s a warning.”

So much for forgiveness. And what he was asking, how did he even know that something had happened between me and Pollux.

All of the anxiety that had melted when he had offered me that sliver of forgiveness came rushing back, freezing me from the inside out. My throat closed with disappointment, and I whirled away. I wouldn’t let him see how his words sliced deep.

“I would never hurt someone on purpose.”

“Wouldn’t you?”

Slice after slice. Without another word, he left, booted feet thumping down the steps.

I worked until my stomach ached, and I couldn’t ignore the need for food anymore. It was rare for me to skip meals, and the only other time I’d done it was back when I was presenting my doctoral thesis.

I tried to sneak downstairs. I didn’t want to run into Hector again.

Pollux had his back turned toward me as I entered the kitchen. At the sound of my entrance, he glanced over his shoulder. “I was just bringing something up to you.”

He had a plate with buttered toast and a side of jam. And like that—something in me eased. “No one’s ever made me breakfast before.”

“I find that hard to believe. Sit.” He chucked his chin toward the table, and I sat.

Sliding the plate in front of me, he went on, “I have some tea brewing. It’s not as strong as Hector’s coffee, but I don’t think anyone needs two cups of that.”

Yeah. Except my stomach ache had nothing to do with his coffee and everything to do with him.

Something must have changed on my face when he mentioned Hector’s name because Pollux leaned forward. “Did something happen?”

I took a bite of toast to hold off from answering right away. I wasn’t looking to get the other guy in trouble, especially since what he was doing was looking after his friend. “Nothing bad.” It seemed like a safe answer. I wasn’t lying, and I wasn’t throwing Hector under the bus. “You have good friends.”

---