Legacy of Olympus (In the Gods' Secret Service) (29 page)
Read Legacy of Olympus (In the Gods' Secret Service) Online
Authors: Teri Gilbert
Tags: #Romance, #ebook
Eleni dodged to the side, and the sandal flew overhead.
Before she could straighten, Charissa charged, catching her middle, tumbling them both out of the sheltered corridor and into the rotunda.
Talon-like fingers raked her hair. Eleni bobbed her head, making her miss, only to have Charissa’s nails score her exposed shoulder, leaving a fiery trail Eleni knew would resemble a feline scratch. On her second lunge, Charissa managed to grab hold of a fistful of hair, and yanked. Hard. Eleni bit her tongue as pain radiated down her scalp and upper spine. She would not cry out, no matter the tears that sprang to her eyes. Alec’s attention had to stay focused on the task at hand, not on her.
Eleni curled her hand into a fist and swung. Pain shot across the bridge of her knuckles. She gave an elated cry as she made contact with Charissa’s model-perfect cheekbone.
Charissa’s shocked expression slowly turned into one of fury. “How dare you.”
Anger distorted Charissa’s mouth as she jutted her head toward the sound of the fighting, which grew louder and closer with every passing moment. “You’re the cause of all this.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Eleni spotted Alec engaged in a fight with someone nearly twice his size.
Charissa took a step closer. “I warned Mallaki you were smart, but he wouldn’t listen.” Her voice shook, and she raised a fist, the uppercut coming dangerously close to Eleni’s jaw. “All this could have been mine, but he chose you.”
“And now he’s dead.”
That stopped Charissa in her tracks. “You lie.”
Eleni gestured toward the dried blood staining her nightgown. “It’s not mine.”
“You bitch.” Red faced and shaking in total fury, Charissa charged again. “You’ve ruined everything.”
This time Eleni was ready. She darted to her left and felt a swoosh of cold air near her head as Charissa failed to make contact. She raised her head as Charissa’s momentum carried her forward.
Horror knotted Eleni’s stomach. Her cousin careened out of control toward the plate-glass windows. “Charissa.” She lunged toward her cousin and managed to grab a hold of her dress. A loud renting sound filled the air as the whisper-thin fabric gave way, dropping Eleni face first to the floor.
Charissa gave a little squeak as her shoulder struck the window.
Eleni raised her head.
Already weakened by an end-to-end jagged crack, the window gave way, showering shards of glass in every direction.
Charissa flailed her arms, trying desperately to regain her balance. Their eyes locked for one brief moment before Charissa toppled over the side with a wild cry.
Heart slamming against her chest, Eleni dashed to the shattered window, a piece of Charissa’s dress still clutched between her fingers.
Her cousin lay sprawled on the sharp rocks below. Eleni turned away, stomach lurching. When the nausea passed, she squared her shoulders. Charissa had gotten what she’d deserved. She had to get to Alec. Her chest tightened when she spotted him, still engaged in a battle with one of Mallaki’s men. Alec stumbled to the side, took a fist to his stomach. He seemed exhausted.
She had to do something to help. They hadn’t made it to the magnifier, which appeared to be unguarded. She sprinted in that direction.
If Mallaki and his people were able to use it for their own devices, why couldn’t she?
Alec ducked, then struck out again, fist tightened into a knot. Nothing but air. He’d missed the jaw of his target, another WWF ‘roid boy, by several inches. Instead, he struck a muscular ridge along his opponent’s broad chest.
Damn, that hurt. He’d be a sore puppy come tomorrow. If he made it that long.
The man cracked a smile, then brushed Alec’s hand away as if it were no more than a pesky fly.
Alec didn’t care. At this point, his goal was to stay alive and destroy the amplifier. He had no illusions he’d be walking away pain-free.
Alec sidestepped the meaty fist flying toward him, and got in a quick jab to the man’s kidney. Mr. WWF stumbled and doubled over with a grunt.
Alec clamped his hands together and thumped him on the back. The man went down on one knee, then glared up at him. The look in this guy’s eyes said he was a dead man.
“You’ll pay for that.” He rose and swung to the right.
Alec fell for the oldest trick in the book, and lurched in the opposite direction.
Game over.
All he could do was watch as large knuckles came hurling toward him. Instinct closed his eyes at the last moment.
But the punch never landed. When he was fairly certain it wasn’t going to, Alec cracked open his eyes. The man took a few stumbling steps backward, then shook his head from side to side, as if dazed.
He crashed to the floor, striking his head with an audible thud on the hard marble surface, then went still.
“Jules?” Alec scoured the area in front of him, looking for anything out of the ordinary. There was no one else it could be, unless someone on Mallaki’s team had switched sides.
Jules materialized in front of him, hat in hand. Blood spattered the front of his shirt. His knuckles were pretty messed up, and a jagged cut ran the length of his forearm, from elbow to wrist. He held his hat in hand and wore a triumphant grin.
Alec inclined his head. “Nice hook.”
“Anytime.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Now watch my back, so I can keep you in the game.” Alec immediately got to the task of mending Jules’s more serious injuries first, then focused on the smaller ones.
Jules ran a thumb over his repaired knuckles. “Thanks.”
“How’s everyone else?”
“Kicking ass. But Adara could use a little healing. So could Quinn, though he’d smash me in the mouth for suggesting it.”
“I’ll take care of it. Have you seen Stephanos or Adrian?”
“They’re on the north side, keeping the others out. So far, for being outnumbered, we’re holding our own.”
“Could be with their leader dead, they aren’t all that motivated.”
“Mallaki’s dead? How?”
“Eleni. Come on.” He clapped Jules on the back. “Let’s destroy the amplifier and get the hell out of here.”
They turned in unison to find six of Mallaki’s men blocking their way.
Lifting the hem of her dress, Eleni sped across the cold floor to the control panel and flicked a switch. She’d trained herself not to overuse her power, but now she willed her gift forward. She could feel the prickle of energy gathering in the pit of her stomach. This could work. She would make it work.
Blocking out the sounds of the battle surrounding her, Eleni concentrated on what she would do, what she would say, allowing the strange power to build inside her. When she felt it was enough, she headed to Mallaki’s podium, cleared her throat once to test the system, then spoke directly into the microphone.
“I want you to listen carefully.” The words seemed to echo strangely in her ears. Magnification due to the amplifier, or something else?
“Dorian Mallaki’s people—the time has come to stop fighting. Lay down your arms.”
At Eleni’s words, the man directly in front of Alec dropped his weapon and stood there, lips slightly ajar.
Alec stared in disbelief. Was that
drool
sliding down the corner of his mouth?
“What are you waiting for?” Adrian’s voice carried from halfway across the room.
Alec hesitated. He couldn’t very well kill an unarmed man, could he? Then he saw it, a glimmer of life returning to the man’s dull gaze. Alec stepped to his opponent’s side, then thumped him on the back of the neck. The man’s eyes rolled into his head, and he folded to the floor.
Jules administered a similar blow to the man directly in front of him. They continued around the room and made quick work of the remaining men in their general vicinity.
Eleni repeated her directive several times, but each was increasingly less effective. More and more of Mallaki’s men and women resumed fighting. Eleni had given them a much-needed break, but they were running out of time. How long could they continue like this?
“Well, well. You’re much smarter than I gave you credit for.”
Eleni’s blood chilled at the familiar voice. It couldn’t be. She slowly turned. Icy prickles traveled up and down her spine as her eyes confirmed the impossible.
Mallaki, looking more fearsome than ever, clothes torn and bloody, was alive. He clapped his hands slowly. “Using the magnifier to your own end. Very clever.”
Eleni’s mind reeled. How could this be? She’d killed him, stabbed him in the neck, and watched the life drain out of his black eyes. Yet he stood in front of her. “I thought...”
“You thought I was dead.” His mouth turned upward in a smile that knotted her insides.
She was in big trouble. Not able to stop the tremors quaking her body, she watched Mallaki come closer. Her gaze found the spot where she’d struck him. In place of the gaping wound was a bright red ragged scar.
“You thought Mr. Androulakis was the only healer?” Mallaki shook his head. “A dangerous presumption, my dear. My healer was summoned immediately when Naia and Litsa found me.”
Were theirs the footsteps in the hall while she and Alec were making love?
“I never thought anything would end my desire for you.” Mallaki grasped her upper arm in a steel grip and propelled her in front of him, away from the mic. “But your attempt to kill me did put a damper on my feelings.”
Eleni stood on her tiptoes to relieve some of the pressure, then swiveled her head back toward the mic. “Alec.”
Mallaki laughed. “Go ahead, call him. Watching your lover mourn you would make my day. Of course, killing him afterward, well, let’s just say that would top everything.”
“Alec.” Stephanos’s voice carried over the sounds of fighting.
Alec brushed the moisture, blood or sweat, from his eyes and spotted Stephanos standing near the amplifier. Quinn and Adara were engaged in nearby battles. Both were looking worse for wear.
Stephanos gestured wildly toward the pair. Alec had to help. Without them, the battle was lost.
Alec finished off his opponent with a hard right to the jaw, then hurried toward his companions.
He reached Adara first. Her opponent lay in an unflattering heap of limbs.
She motioned to Quinn a few feet away. “Quinn’s hurt.” She didn’t look so hot herself, clothing shredded, and streaks of blood practically coating her thin body. As difficult as it was to walk away from a woman who could use his help, Alec did, and headed for Quinn. Adara seemed to be holding her own, whereas Quinn, slumped forward onto the amplifier, did not.
Alec touched the big man’s arm. “Where?”
Quinn eased himself to a standing position. Raw flesh folded outward from a gash across his midsection.
Alec’s stomach curdled. “How are you still standing?” Other men, normal men, would have already succumbed to such an injury.
“We have to get this baby down.” Quinn tapped the top of the magnifier with his massive hand.
