Chapter 5 #2
“Fine.” He huffed. “My mother—who apparently has security cameras all over her home—heard what we talked about and told me I had to be here when you told them. Or else.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Or else what?”
“She says I don’t want to know. In any case, I’m already here and maybe it’s better if we faced them together.”
Liora highly doubted that, but she knew there was no dissuading the stubborn basilisk. “Fine. But, you stay out of my way.”
Brushing past him, she marched down the hallway, all the way to the end where she knew Zara and Hektor were booked in the corner suite.
Maldenis followed her, and as she raised her hand to knock, she turned to him.
Apparently, this moved surprised him as he barely stopped in time and nearly crashed into her.
Thankfully she managed to stop him, her hands planting on his chest. She blinked, memories of their time at the spring flooding her brain. How he held her against him and—
She quickly pulled back. “Stay out here and stay out of sight,” she warned him.
“Aye, aye, captain,” he said with a salute of his fingers.
Rolling her eyes, she proceeded to knock on the door. “Zara!” she called out. “I know you’re in there.”
“Noooooo…” she heard her sister’s protest.
Obviously she’d interrupted their private time.
Well, tough titties. Hektor was going to have to deal with his blue balls.
“Zara!” she repeated.
“Go away!” her sister screamed.
“Open this door right now,” Liora shouted back. “Or else.”
“Or else what?”
“I’ll knock it down.”
There was a pause, then a familiar male voice answered. “Give us a minute, Liora.”
At least one of them was thinking straight.
Moments later, Hektor opened the door. “Liora,” he greeted.
Truth be told, Liora liked Hektor. The Drakkon was honest and sincere, something quite rare in men these days. “Hektor,” she greeted back as she barged in. “You’re finally back.”
“Yes.” Zara put her hands on her hips. “And? What was so important that had you threatening to commit criminal damage to property?”
“It would have been a misdemeanor at most.” From Zara’s disheveled hair and the fact that the top buttons on her blouse were mismatched, it was obvious she did intrude on their private time.
“Sorry to interrupt your…fun times. From that murderous look on your face, Zara, I’m guessing you didn’t get that post-mating boinking—”
“What do you want?” Zara snapped. “I thought the meeting was at ten?”
Here we go. “I need to talk to you. Before the meeting. A lot has happened while you’ve been gone.”
Zara let out an exasperated sound. “What could possibly—”
“There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Liora froze at the sound of Maldenis’s voice.
Oh no.
She prepared herself to tell him off but before she could, about two hundred pounds of protective Drakkon barreled forward.
Hektor positioned himself in front of his Zara, his chest burning red—a sign that he was about to unleash his fire.
“How dare you barge in here? Leave or else I will burn you to ashes!”
“Whoa, whoa!” Maldenis held his hands up. “Not this again. Tone it down, dude.” He tsked. “Drakkons are always soooo dramatic.”
“Hektor, no!” Zara pulled him back. “He’s one of the three basilisks from the bar, remember? Maldenis, right?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
Hektor’s chest went back to a normal color. “Yes, I remember now. You must forgive me, the urge to protect my mate can sometimes be overwhelming.”
Maldenis snorted. “Yeah, whatever. You still owe me for burning up my bar, by the way.”
“What are you doing here?” Liora hissed. “I told you to wait outside.”
“Yeah, you did.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Doesn’t mean I gotta comply.”
“Asshole,” she spat.
“Stuck-up witch,” he shot back.
Zare groaned. “Just tell me what’s going on. What’s so urgent that you nearly knocked my door down?”
Maldenis snickered, then he slithered over to Liora and wound the end of his tail around her arm. “Go ahead, babe, tell them what’s going on.”
The sensation of his limb encircled around his arm sent a thrill across her skin, as did the smoldering gold eyes that stared at her.
Stop it, she told herself, then shot him a murderous look. “You godsdamned—”
“Oh, my gods, you had sex with him!” Zara exclaimed. “Wait, that’s your important breaking news? You’ve had sex before. That’s not exactly a ‘we interrupt your regular programming’ type of situation.”
Liora yanked the basilisk’s tail off impatiently. “I wish I had just fucked him.”
“Oh yeah, you wish you did,” Maldenis said smugly, which only irritated her more.
“What do you mean?” Zara’s gaze ping-ponged between them. “Well?”
Liora’s nostrils flared. “We’re, uh, sort of…kind of…you see we’re—”
“Married!” Maldenis announced with glee. “Yup, we got hitched.”
“Married?” both Zara and Hektor exclaimed at the same time.
“Apparently.” Liora glared at Maldenis, which only earned her a shit-eating grin.
“Unfortunately. It’s a long story.”
“Not that long,” Maldenis said. “Oh, and by the way, surprise, sis-in-law, Drakkon-in-law, I’m also your new teammate.”
“New teammate?” Zara pursed her lips. “Maybe you should start from the beginning.”
“Let’s go down to the cafe and I’ll explain.” Liora let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Might as well let Elian know.” There would be no way to say this with finesse.
“Yeah, I heard this place has an amazing brunch buffet.” Maldenis offered his arm to Liora. “Shall we go, wifey?”
“I told you to stop calling me that!” Waving him away, she stomped out of the room. She ignored his calls, and only marched toward the elevators faster.
Thankfully, the elevator car was there and she stepped inside, then tapped at the close button. “Take your own,” she barked as the doors closed between them. Satisfaction poured through her as surprise struck his stupid handsome face.
Liora let out a sigh. For the next few seconds at least, she would have some peace and quiet.
“What…did…you…do that for?” The doors had barely opened before Maldenis once again appeared on the other side, huffing and puffing.
“Why are you out of breath?” she asked as she stepped out.
“I took the stairs.”
“Why? There are other elevators.”
“I—” A dumb look crossed his face. “Never mind. Let’s go meet your siblings and tell them everything.”
Must they? Liora felt dread pooling in her stomach, but she managed to walk toward the lobby cafe. Choosing a private corner away from the middle, she sat down on one of the arm chairs. “Why did you have to barge in there when I was talking to Hektor and Zara anyway.”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I thought you were having trouble saying it, so I thought we’d just say it. And—wait, here they come.” He nodded to their left. Sure enough, Elian, Zara and Hektor were coming their way.
“Hey, guys,” she greeted.
“Liora,” Elian greeted, then frowned. “You’re Maldenis, right?”
“Yes, glad you remembered me. After all, we’re going to be acquainted—ow!” Maldenis turned to Liora. “You kicked me.”
“Sit down and shut up,” she said. “All of you. I mean, the sit down part.” She massaged her temple with her thumb and forefinger. “There’s something you need to know. About why we’re all back here and why Maldenis is here.”
Elian seated himself on the couch across from her. “Does it have something to do with the mothers and the other demigods descended from Zeus?”
A flash went through Liora.
Disappointment.
Bitterness.
A little boy, feeling alone and abandoned.
She blinked at Maldenis, who despite looking calm and confident, flinched for just a microsecond.
He hasn’t even processed the fact that his father is Zeus, former king of Olympus. Currently imprisoned, yes, but very much alive.
Was that confident swagger hiding something more?
“Liora,” Zara said, interrupting her thoughts. “Are you okay?”
“What—” She shook her head, clearing her mind. “Sorry. Anyway, yes, this has something to do with our mission.”
Here goes nothing.
“Maldenis and I accidentally got married in a sacred spring and now we have no choice but to pretend like we’re a couple for the next year or else we lose access to all of Solkaris.”
“Excuse me?” Elian said, his voice raising a decibel above its usually normal levels. “You’re married?”
“Yes.” She let out a sigh.
“I think you should elaborate,” Hektor suggested. “Leave no detail out.”
She glanced at Maldenis, who only shrugged. Useless. “Fine.” And so she went into more detail, telling them about the ancient laws, how Maldenis and his family was shunned and that they would not be able to continue their mission so Perseus told her to fix it.
“And now if we want to complete the mission, he and I have to pretend we’re married so we can talk to the other moms and any other potential demigod,” she finished.
“You girls and your bullshit,” Elian exploded. “We have a mission here and you keep being distracted.”
“I’m sorry.” Liora meant it. “I fucked up, alright? I’m sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t going to solve this,” her brother gritted out. “What you did was foolish—”
“Hey, hey,” Maldenis moved forward, chest puffing out. “Watch what you say to her.
Surprise struck Liora like lightning. Was Maldenis…defending her?
Hektor stood up, placing himself between the two men.
“Let us calm down.” He glanced at Zara. “I do not like seeing my mate in distress, and blaming each other or shouting will not solve anything. Liora, Maldenis, Elian is obviously upset because he feels strongly about this important mission. You should understand his side. And Elian, your sister and Maldenis made a mistake, which they are trying to fix.”
“Wow,” Liora said, stage-whispering to Zara. “He’s also extra in other ways, I see.”
Zara grinned. “I know.”
Elian exhaled. “Sorry for overreacting, Liora. It’s been a tough couple of months.”
“I know, bro,” she replied, sending him a weak smile. “No need to apologize. We’re all feeling the pressure.”
“So, what happens now?” Zara asked.
“Maldenis and I will be meeting his mother this afternoon and she’ll let us know about how we can convince the council of elders that our marriage is genuine.”
“What are we supposed to do until then?” Elian asked.
“We should prepare for Liora and Maldenis’s success,” Hektor said. “Once they convince the council and the rest of Solkaris, we will be able to speak with the mothers of the other potential progeny of Zeus.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Zara said. “Now c’mon, I’m starving. Let’s hit the buffet.”
“Thank the gods,” Maldenis exclaimed. “I’ve been waiting all morning.” He grinned at Liora. “Let’s go, wife—”
“I said to never call me that,” she interrupted.
“Awww, how are we going to convince everyone that we’re in a genuine marriage if you act this way?”
“I—” She stopped, as he was obviously teasing. And she found that she didn’t mind it too much, especially when it made his face light up and the dimples on his cheeks deepen. “Whatever. Let’s go eat.”