Daimon (Guardians of Hades #6) - Felicity Heaton Page 0,22

as she murmured gentle words of encouragement.

Marinda raised her hand and edged her fingers towards the bowl, and hesitated again. She clenched her hands into fists, closed her eyes and then opened her hand and quickly dipped her fingers into the blood. Her mouth twisted.

“That should do it.” Cass gently took hold of Marinda’s wrist and drew her hand away from the bowl, produced a cloth out of thin air and used it to wipe Marinda’s fingers clean. “Now, do you feel anything?”

Marinda opened her eyes and shook her head.

“Try anyway.” Cass offered an encouraging smile.

It was strange seeing this side of her—the warm, caring side that she worked so hard to hide from him and his brothers. Normally, he only caught glimpses of it, when she thought no one was looking and she was alone with Marinda.

Marinda closed her eyes again, breathed in slowly and tipped her head up, going still.

Cal inched back a step. Keras remained where he was. Daimon stood his ground too. At worst, Marinda would send him flying.

A thought hit him.

Or she could accidentally suffocate him.

He was about to ease back a step too when Cass’s gaze landed on him. He planted his boots to the floor, refusing to let her see that he was afraid of Marinda and what she might do.

Which was apparently nothing.

Marinda opened her eyes and muttered a curse in French. “I don’t feel anything. I can’t do anything.”

When she huffed and threw her hands up in the air, her frustration getting the better of her, Cal’s lime-green and black motorbike slammed into the other one and knocked it over and one of the stone lanterns wobbled and then settled again.

“The hell,” Cal muttered and stepped, appearing near his fallen bikes. He grabbed the racing bike and had it back upright just as Marinda reached him, speaking to him in rapid French, apologising over and over again. He huffed, sighed and gathered her into his arms. “It’s okay.”

Daimon exchanged a worried look with his brothers.

They were going to have to be more careful now. If the enemy got hold of their blood, they could use it to open the gates.

Everyone on the porch turned away and headed back inside, and Keras followed, leaving Daimon alone with Cass, Cal and Marinda.

Cal looked Marinda over and slung his arm around her shoulder. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Cass trailed after them as they headed inside, paused on the porch and looked back at him.

Daimon turned away from her, heading towards the bikes and past them, following the path of steppingstones around the north wing of the house. He needed a moment to process everything, and not just the fact the Erinyes, and therefore the enemy, could use blood to gain powers.

He needed to process how he had reacted at the gate when Cass had come under attack.

Anger simmered in his blood, burned in his heart. Not aimed at her. He aimed it at himself. He tried to reason that he had only reacted like that, leaping in to protect her, because she was part of their team and they couldn’t afford to lose another one of them. They needed all the warriors they could get, and he was man enough to admit Cass was useful in battle, was powerful and capable, kept her head no matter how bad the situation got and did all she could to help and ensure they won.

But it wasn’t the truth.

There was something about her, something that tied him in knots and had him hating himself. He shouldn’t be thinking about her. He slipped his hand into the pocket of his black jeans and touched the pendant on his phone, tempted to focus so he could see Penelope.

Needing to see her.

He had to do something, because the iron-will he had forged over the centuries was beginning to buckle.

He shouldn’t be thinking about another woman, shouldn’t be wanting another woman. He was loyal to Penelope, and that loyalty had stayed strong in the past, when other females had approached him.

So why was it failing him now?

His heart answered that question.

Things were different with Cass.

She tempted him like no other had before her.

He reached the rear garden and skirted the edge of the koi pond, his gaze drifting to the end of the north wing, where the covered walkway extended over the water. He could almost see Esher sitting there with his legs dangling over the edge, his feet almost touching the water, all the colourful carp gathering beneath him as