Michael laughed. “Oh, Athena, you should know this by now. Everywhere you go, he goes. If you die… so does he. You are together, never to be parted. That is what a partner of the Seekers does.”
I bit my lip. Adonis probably hated being my bodyguard, but looking at him now, I noticed he appeared more worried than offended. The same look of concern I had seen earlier in the day was now on his face.
“I’ll leave you then…” Michael said, glancing at Adonis. Angels had an uncanny awareness of everything Seekers thought.
In an instant, Michael was through the doors opposite his desk, and we were alone in the chamber.
Slowly I turned to face Adonis, but he didn’t want to speak.
He pulled me into his arms, and for some reason I felt like this time was different. Yet how many times had we embraced or kissed? He willingly gave me his strength, while allowing none for himself. Granted, he didn’t fight, so he didn’t need it as much as I did. I hated it because it left him somewhat defenseless. He could still kill a human, but if a Phantom snuck up on him, he’d be a sitting duck.
His lips were on mine, crushing them, molding them against his, and then he lifted me in his arms and opened my mouth with his. Being in such complete shock, I had no choice but to kiss him back.
He didn’t normally kiss me like this. In fact, I’ve never been kissed like this.
I tasted the honey of his mouth for the first time. The ecstasy of his tongue as it pushed against mine. His teeth tugged my lower lip, and I honestly prayed he wouldn’t put me down. My heart begged him to continue.
Power surged through me like I’ve never known, and then he stopped, nearly out of breath and suddenly a lot paler than usual. He dropped me to my feet.
“Be careful, Thena.” His fingers brushed my nose as he dipped to kiss my forehead.
I was momentarily speechless. Questions burned in my head, but I knew it was not the time or place to talk, even when apparently it was the time and place to kiss. Yup, life was officially weird.
Let’s go to the holding cell.” Adonis pulled my hand and led me back out into the grand hall.
Most of the Seekers lined the thick walls, pretending they weren’t dying with curiosity over why we were the ones being sent to see the Phantom.
Ares had changed and walked toward us, his eyes blazing a purple fire. “I’ll lead you to the cell.” He winked, giving me the impression his good humor had somewhat returned. It’s not every day one of us faces death’s door at the hand of another angel. Most of us only fought other Phantoms. I suddenly felt appreciative that Ares was such a strong person. I would probably still be shaking if I had to fight one of the fallen ones. The Watchers were not ones I ever wanted to confront.
I handed my knives and gloves to a waiting Aphrodite; she smiled her usual brilliant smile that made me want to hate her, when in fact she was the sweetest person I knew. Adonis seemed unaffected. Ever since their falling out a couple of years ago, they’d been indifferent toward one another.
Sometimes I wondered if he wouldn’t rather be her partner. Then again, he’d probably be dead. She was useless as a warrior, but as an enticer was amazingly good at her job.
“Let’s go get this over with.” Ares sighed and his boots clicked against the marble floor.
Chapter Four
As we progressed through the maze of hallways, the marble floor got darker and darker. Clouds of black swirled beneath my feet, and with it my stomach got sicker. It had been a while since I’d been stuck in a tiny space with a Phantom. Usually I snuck up on them and went in for the kill.
“Right in here,” Ares said, unlocking a bronze door.
I walked in and heard the door shut. Perfect. I was alone with the informant. Just where I wanted to be. I instinctively reached for my knife then remembered I was unarmed.
Not wanting to give in to fear, I waited for my eyes to adjust to the pure black, and then in a flash the Phantom took form, glowing from a cement seat at the edge of the room. He wore no chains, and a look of grief passed over his perfectly chiseled face.
I’d spent my life fighting them, so I was used to the way they looked. They took two forms. The first being something so blindingly beautiful that you immediately assumed Adonis had been walking around procreating. The other form was their real form. It was also the form I haven’t had the opportunity to see too often, and for that I’m thankful. It gave the words monster and demon new meaning. Trust me.
He stood up, only reaching around six feet, which was quite short for a Phantom.
“It’s good to see you, Thena.”
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped.
He smiled, and deep dimples appeared on his face. With his long, curly, blonde hair tucked behind his ears, I could have sworn he was the love child of some supermodel and A-list star.
He was wearing dark black jeans and a tight muscle t-shirt. His perfectly tanned skin gave off the natural glow of the Nephilim, which basically looked like a good version of a spray tan.