Page 62 of For the Love of the Gods

“Dominic,” I said in greeting, the words coming out clipped and short.

We stood, side by side, with my brush in hand and his hands working a balm over his freshly shaved jaw. At first glance, it might have looked like some type of marital peace, but one look at the bunched muscles in Dominic’s back or my rigid movements and our awkwardness would be exposed.

I hated awkward silences, and was almost compelled to try and break it, even though I had absolutely nothing to say to him. The chance was stolen from me by the sound of a door—two, I realized—slamming open.

By the time Marcus appeared on my side and Raiden on Dominic’s, I was pressed up against the glass door of the shower, knife in hand, with Dominic’s body caging me in.

Protecting me.

“You two in there,now!” Marcus yelled, ushering us out of the bathroom and into Dominic’s room so fast I almost tripped. Marcus had the type of confidence that was so integrated in his bones, his voice never wavered from a steady, even humorous, lit.

But he sounded nervous, unsure.

“What the hell is going on?” Dominic snapped the second Marcus slammed the closet door shut and placed a rope lock over the handle.

Raiden stood on guard at Dominic’s door. “There’s a breach.”

Fear, quick and raging, stole my breath. Dominic’s eyes flashed dangerously. “What?”

“Two guards on the lower wall were found knocked unconscious.”

“Who?” The question was rough, urgent.

Raiden hesitated, inhaling deeply through his nose. “Ava and Lucan.”

“Shit.” Based on Dominic’s reaction, I figured they were too good to be knocked out by just anyone.

Marcus piped up from behind me, voice still unsteady. “You two need to be barricaded in this room.”

“Is that smart, putting us together?” Dominic asked before I could. If we both died…that wasn’t a thought I wanted to entertain. The stakes were higher now. There was only one line sustaining the Underworld now, and if we both died without naming an heir, the very structure of the world would crumble.

Let alone the fact that someone broke in. And that it was probably my fault.

“It’s our best option,” Raiden explained. “We are short staffed and you both are very capable of defending yourselves.”

Dominic only latched onto one part of that explanation. “Where the fuck is everyone?”

“We are running on reduced staff,” Raiden repeated, his normally uncompromising shoulders hunched forward an inch.

Dominic breathed in and closed his eyes for a moment, chasing his fleeting composure. “You said that. Why?”

Raiden’s eyes landed on me for a fraction of a second. Unnoticeable to anyone who wasn’t looking for it. “There have been some hiring changes.”

“And no one thought to run that by me?” Dominic snapped.

Raiden’s shoulders straightened with steady authority. “They were low level, I had it handled.”

Dominic did not like that one bit. He didn’t move from where he stood in between me and the door, but his voice was so full of raw command, it was like he was across the room standing in Raiden’s face. “We are going to talk about this later.”

“Okay,” Raiden responded with a sharp dip of his chin.

I’d have to solve that before he got reamed for something that was not his fault.

“How long do we have to stay here?” I asked, already dreading the confinement.

“At least until the morning,” Marcus said. “We won’t come back until then.”

“Fuck” I cursed, my voice echoing deep and raspy. Dominic and I clearly had the same opinion on this little arrangement. Raiden was fighting a mischievous smirk, and I narrowed my eyes at him, hoping he caught theAssholeI was trying to communicate.

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