Hands bound above, powerless to move or even see what was happening, Demetrius held his breath as he stared toward the commotion and prayed with everything left in him that Isadora wouldn’t walk through those doors.
Theron and the others disappeared into the hallway. Voices rose up in confusion in the chamber. Outside, the sound of a struggle echoed. His heart lurched into his throat as he waited; then the fight died down and the click of shoes against marble resounded.
His heart beat so hard it was all he could hear. Then a swish of powder blue rushed through the doors and his heart sped up until he was sure it would fly right out of his chest. Isadora, wearing a gold wreath in her hair, emerged, flanked by both her sisters and followed by Orpheus and—no fucking way—Nick?
Isadora’s gaze immediately found him, and Demetrius’s stomach dropped at the horror he saw in her eyes. She nodded at Orpheus. “Get him down from there.”
Lucian lurched forward. “You have no right to interfere with these proceedings!”
Nick put himself between Isadora and the Council leader and held the sword blade out in his hand. “I suggest you rethink that move, old man. I’ve gotten rather good with a blade since we last met, and I have no qualms about slicing and dicing you.”
Shock ran across Lucian’s face, but he stopped mid-step.
As Orpheus, Callia, and Casey rushed over to unhook his arms from the bindings, Demetrius saw Theron and the other Argonauts haul Lucian’s guards in and toss them to the ground along the wall.
Isadora stepped up next to Nick. “I’ll take it from here.” Nick moved back. She squared her shoulders, leveling her eyes on Lucian. “By the power of the monarchy, as is my right by birth, I pardon this guardian and clear him of all charges.”
Fury erupted in Lucian’s face. “You have no right!”
“I have every right!”
Voices and motion ceased in the room. Next to Demetrius, where he was unhooking his arm, Orpheus whispered, “Go, Isa.”
“My father has abdicated the throne to me,” Isadora went on in a strong and confident voice. “And know this now, Lord Lucian. Not you, not any member of this Council, can overrule my authority. If you thought I was simply going to roll over and let the Council use me as its pawn, you’d better think again. The charges brought against this guardian were the result of biased propaganda and I’ll not let you use him in your political war against the monarchy or the Argonauts.”
She moved closer to the leader of the Council, who was now visibly vibrating with rage. “And when you address me from now on, you son of a bitch, you’ll do so as Your Highness. Theron?” she called over her shoulder.
“Yes, my queen,” the leader of the Argonauts said with a clear smile in his voice.
“Have the Argonauts escort the Council members out of the Argolion, please.”
“With pleasure, Your Highness. Phin? Cerek? Care to help me?” he asked as he moved past her, stopping in front of the twelve lords, all dressed in their traditional robes, shock and awe across their faces. He held out his hand toward the door on the opposite side of the room. “This way, Your Lordships.”
Demetrius could barely believe what was happening. His vision wavered as Orpheus and Callia supported his weight and helped him down the marble steps, but he knew the swirl of heavenly blue silk rushing his way was Isadora—his soul mate, his heart, his life—and somehow just her closeness gave him the strength he’d nearly lost.
“Oh, gods.” Her arms slid around his waist and a trail of heat exploded wherever she touched. “Is he okay?”
“I think so,” Callia said in a clearly shaken voice. “Some of these will need stitching, though.”
He couldn’t tear his gaze from her face. From her dewy skin, her dreamy eyes, that blond cap of gold that was like a halo around her head. “You…” His weight shifted from Orpheus to her. Her arms tightened, but she wasn’t strong enough to support him when his legs went out beneath him.
She gasped as he went down. Voices echoed again, but all he could focus on was her.
“Demetrius,” she said in a frantic voice. “Are you okay?”
“I’m…” He stared up at her face. “You fought for me.”
She knelt in front of him and ran her fingers down his cheek. So warm, so soft…“Of course I did. I told you on Pandora you were worth saving. I meant it.”
“No one’s ever fought for me before.”
A warm smile slid across her face. “Get used to it, Guardian. As long as blood flows in my veins, I’ll be here fighting for you. Any and every time you need me.”
The blackness that was so much a part of him settled in that moment. Just laid right down in the bottom of his soul as if she were the key to controlling it. And warmth filled the space left behind. “I love you,” he whispered. “I love you so damn much.”
Her smile grew even wider. “Oh, it’s a good thing. Because I just made some serious enemies here today, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to need you now more than ever.”
Her arms slid around his neck and she leaned down to kiss him. As he’d dreamed of for nearly two hundred years. As he’d been afraid of for too damn long. As he’d prayed for, this last lonely day. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, reveling in the warmth of her body tight against his, just where she should be.
Home. She was his home. She always had been. No matter where he went or what happened from here, she always would be.
When she eased back, her eyes sparkled, but his brain was slowly coming back online and there was so much he still didn’t understand. “How did you get your father to—?”
“Nick. He testified on your behalf.”
His gaze shot past her face to where his brother was standing near the far door. Their eyes met, held, then Nick nodded once and disappeared out the door. Demetrius’s brow wrinkled. “How—?”
“It turns out he doesn’t hate you quite as much as you think,” Isadora said, drawing his attention back to her. “And I promised him things were going to be different, now that I’m in charge. This isn’t just our war. It’s his too. He needs the Argonauts’ help.”
Pride swelled inside of him at what she’d done. At how she’d stood up to not only the Council but her father as well. At the lengths she’d gone to, to save him. “He’s got mine.”
She smiled, brushed her hand down his cheek, but before he could kiss her again the smile faded and she loosed her hold. “Just hold that thought. One minute.” She must have seen the confusion on his face, because she eased back in to kiss him quickly. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”
She stood and looked around the room. Callia stepped up next to Demetrius to check his back. To the left, the Argonauts grinned like colossal fools.
Isadora grasped her skirts and disappeared out the door.
“Orpheus!” she called when she reached the hallway. The ándras stopped halfway down the long marble corridor and turned to look back. “Wait.”
“I’ve got things to do, Isa. Places to be, people to torment. Make it quick. What do you want now?”
“Just to thank you. I—” She stopped in front of him, placed a hand over her still-quaking stomach. The image of Demetrius strung up in the Council chambers would live with her forever. If she’d been moments later…“I owe you more than I can ever repay.”
“That’s right. You do.” A frown creased his forehead. “And how the hell am I supposed to collect on our little deal now? The whole freakin’ kingdom knows you’ve got the hots for Hellboy in there. And what’s the fun in seducing you when you’re already damaged goods?”
Her lips curved up and relief—no, gratitude—rushed through her chest. He thought he was such a badass, but he wasn’t. Underneath that devil-may-care attitude lay the heart of a hero. “I would have lived up to our agreement, you know.”