gone.
What in the name of Zeus was going on? Kat closed her eyes but couldnât find any trace of them.
They had to be at the palace and there was no telling what Apollymi was doing to Sin. But whatever it was, it was sure to be bloody and painful.
And that was what Apollymi did for people she liked.
CHAPTER FIVE
Sin cursed as he landed on his side in the center of what appeared to be a Charonte feast. There had to be at least a hundred Charontes present ⦠and they were all staring at him in silence as he lay on the cobblestone floor in front of them. There was no sound whatsoever except for the occasional whisper of a Charonte wing.
The room reminded him of a medieval great hall with arched rafters and exposed beams. The stone walls gave the place an eerie chill that didnât seem to faze the half-naked Charonte who were eating everything from roasted pig, to cows, to things he couldnât even begin to identify.
âIs he for us to eat?â one of the young male Charonte asked an older one.
Before Sin could stand or respond, Apollymi appeared on the other side of the main banquet table beside the adult male Charonte the boy had spoken to.
Her silver eyes swirled violently as she stared at him. âTear his worthless Sumerian hide to shreds.â
âSumerian?â the adult male snarled.
Sin cursed. Yeahâhis being Sumerian to this group would go over like an Ozzy Osbourne/Marilyn Manson duet at the Southern Baptist Conventionâs annual meeting. He might as well be wearing a shirt that said âKibbles and Bits,â with a heavy emphasis on the âbitsâ part.
Sin pushed himself to his feet in expectation of the death that was about to run him over. âLook. Canât we all just get along?â
âEkeira danyaha,â a female spat, which was the obscene version of âscrew youâ in Charonte.
Suddenly a male Charonte came at his back. Sin caught the demon and flipped him to the ground. But before he could punch him, another demon bit Sin in the shoulder. Hissing in pain, he head-butted the demon, knocking him back. Sinâs shoulder was ripped open as the demon fell away.
A female ran at Sin then. He picked her up and tossed her at the next two males who were coming for him. âWhereâs a damn can of Raid when you need it,â he growled as another demon caught him from behind.
He dropped all of his weight, which didnât do a damn thing, since the demon was so strong. Changing strategies, Sin kicked his legs back against the demonâs knees. The demon shrieked in pain before he released Sin. He swung around and caught the demon a blow to the rib cage.
âStop!â
Sin staggered back as the demons actually obeyed the order. He saw Kat standing to his right, staring in horror at what had happened.
âDo not interfere in this,â Apollymi snarled.
Kat shook her head. âI wonât let him die. Not like this and not without an explanation.â
âExplanation?â Apollymi pushed past the male demon before her to approach her granddaughter. âI went to his pantheon and asked them to help me hide your father so that my pantheon wouldnât kill him. Do you know what they did?â
âThey laughed,â Sin said, remembering the tales of that event clearly in his mind.
Apollymi turned on him with her nostrils flared. He was amazed she didnât use her powers to splinter him against the far wall. Obviously a quick death wasnât what she had in mindâshe wanted long-term pain. âMy son suffered as no one should ever suffer and I want to return that to you ⦠tenfold.â
He could understand that. Hell, he could even respect her sentiment, but it didnât change the fact that he was innocent in this. âI didnât turn you away, Apollymi. I wasnât there that day. I swear, I would have helped you had I known. By the time I heard about it, it was too
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