and scolding her and shouting orders to his men to clean up the mess and kill the demons all over again.
A sense of urgency rose inside Jewel. Her time with Gray was at an end; she felt it all the way to her bones. She should inquire about the battle, she should allow him time to rest. But she did neither of those things. "Take me to our room, Gray. Right now. Please."
He didn't hesitate; he felt the urgency, too. He swooped her up and into his arms. "Don't come looking for us," he said over his shoulder.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
"I don't understand what this means," Jewel said.
It had been two days since the battle and Gray hadn't found the strength to leave her. So here he was, ensconced in the dragon palace, sitting atop the bed with Jewel while she studied broken, faded tablets the dragons had found at the ruined Temple of Cronus.
She'd spent all of last night fitting the small pieces together like a puzzle, working painstakingly through the long hours.
"Do you see these words?" She pointed to a line of jagged symbols.
She looked so lovely. Her hair tumbled down her back. Color bloomed bright in her cheeks, and her lips were lush and swollen from their recent loving. "I see them," he said.
"They say I am dragon."
He wasn't surprised. "You do have Darius's eyes."
"But here it says I'm vampire."
Brow furrowing, Gray sat up.
"And here it says I am Centaur. Here, a minotaur. Here, a Mer. Here, a nymph. Here - "
"I get the picture. Shit, baby, you're everything." How many times had he looked at her and thought she possessed certain qualities of the different races?
"I don't understand," she repeated.
"You're made up of every creature."
"That's... that's impossible."
"Ha! I've learned that nothing is impossible. What else does it say?"
"That I am the daughter of Cronus. Gray," she said, turning wide, shocked eyes to him. "He is king of the gods. Or he was until his son, Zeus, killed him and used his blood to make us." The last was said on a sad, broken gasp. "He's dead. My father is dead. But... how did I see him that day? He hugged me. He held me in his arms."
"Perhaps it wasn't your father who held you."
"Zeus," she said. "It was Zeus. My... brother. He told me he was sorry and I assumed he meant for ignoring me. But Zeus apologized for killing our father. How could I not have realized? It's so clear now." She rested her head on his shoulder, and he felt the warm liquid of her tears slide down his arm. "This is so hard. I expected so many things, but not that. Never that."
He hugged her to him for more than an hour, simply holding her and letting her cry. He whispered things into her ear, sweet things, loving things, all the things he wanted her to know but would never have another chance to tell her.
When her tears died, he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. I have to leave. His chest constricted. Now everything was complete. She knew about her past, her greatest enemies were defeated, and she was safe. It was time to tell her goodbye. How he would have loved to spend his life beside her, making her forget her sadness about her father. Comforting her. Simply loving her.
He must have stiffened or stopped breathing because she suddenly pulled from his touch, not looking his way. "You're leaving now."
How could he live without this woman? She was everything to him, and he wasn't complete without her. But he forced himself to say, "I have to."
Her gaze remained straight ahead. "Take me with you."
"No."
"Stay here, then."
If only he could. "I've got to leave. I won't let you be hunted by another agent. I can't." "Come back to me."
He cupped her jaw and lightly kissed her lips. He felt ripped apart inside. She possessed his heart. To save her, however, he would do whatever was necessary. Even leave her. "I'm going to close the portal, baby. I'm going to make sure no one else ever enters it."
And then, before she could say another word, he made love to her one final time, moving in and out of her slowly, savoring everything about her. Her taste. Her scent. Her feel. Branding her essence in his every cell. Afterward, when she fell asleep, he quietly dressed. His stomach felt like a lead weight had taken up residence, churning with nausea.