Marker of Hope (32 page)

“I’m willing to bet,” Frederick said, “the
demons attacked on dry ground.”

I thought back to the day I’d gone looking
for David to tell him I was pregnant, then crashed my mom’s car,
and had my first solo run in with Turpis.

“Now that I remember,” I said. “The demons
didn’t touch me as I ran down the shallow side of the lake. But as
soon as I set foot on land…” Hopeful, I looked across the room at
Frederick. “Does water kill them?”

“Wishful thinking,” Galen answered. “It slows
them down. It’s like when you open the water hose on a dog. Same
effect. They hate it.”

“It doesn’t mean they won’t go into water if
it’s necessary,” Alezzander said. I’d forgotten he was in the room.
“It depends how badly they want their target.”

None of the gods Frederick had brought in
could offer me the same level of protection for my daughter I felt
from Galilea’s invisible block. Or maybe I wasn’t allowing myself
to place my trust in them. But Frederick had picked them out for a
reason, and him, I trusted.

“Have you made up your mind, madam?”
Frederick asked.

I studied the deities’ expectant faces, and
then turned to David. He had as much of a right as me to choose who
protected our daughter.

“They’re all excellent candidates,” David
said.

A lot of help he was. Who to choose?
Cezario’s camouflage and Pluto’s cloning I had no problem with. But
the thought of my daughter being underwater with Persia, who looked
to be no more than fifteen years old, didn’t make the top of my
list. Neither did putting her at risk of being electrocuted by
Vasilika’s storm cloud. Nonetheless, these deities were all I had
to work with. And in case of an emergency, they were all I had to
rely on to protect my child.

“I’ve made my choices,” I said, and the lot
of deities planted their stares on me. “I hope warriors as
yourselves like kids, because you’ve all just earned your nanny
certifications.” They looked at me with baffled expressions.
“Frederick will fill you in on the details and take care of your
scheduling.”

“And I’ll take care of your heads if anything
happens to that baby,” Galilea warned them. She stepped closer to
the group of four. “I’ll be watching you like a lion watches a
hawk, watches a snake, watches a mouse, watches a piece of cheese
on a mousetrap.”

“Would you settle down?” I told Galilea. “No
need for food-chain analogies.” I walked up behind her and pulled
her away from Pluto’s face. “I suspect none of you were
anticipating this mission, if you can call it that. Frederick will
answer any questions you may have. Thank you all for coming.” I
turned to Frederick. “And thank you too, Commander.”

Frederick tipped his head at me, and I left
the room with David at my side.

“You did well,” David said once we headed up
the stairs.

“Yeah?”

He nodded. “Although, having them attack
Frederick…”

“Oh, geez. I know.” I dropped my head back.
“It was horrible of me. But now I see the depth of their loyalty,
including Frederick’s.”

“I thought he’d walk out on you
afterward.”

“So did I.”

David stopped walking halfway up the stairs.
I turned to look to at him when I noticed he wasn’t behind me.

“Doesn’t that tell you something?” he
asked.

“It does,” I said. “I was wrong about him not
trusting me to lead. I’ll apologize to him as soon as I see him
again.”

“You really should.” David nodded. “He didn’t
look too happy with you when we left.”

“I noticed.”

We walked up the rest of the stairs in
silence. I opened the door to our room. I panicked when I saw Faith
wasn’t in her crib, but then I remembered Nyx was taking care of
her while we dealt with the fabulous four nannies downstairs.

“David,” I said, “before I forget, can you
help me with something tomorrow morning?”

“Of course.” He closed the door behind him.
“What is it?”

“Well, I was thinking…” I slid my arms around
his waist, batting my eyelashes. “I need to test out my strength on
someone.”

“You want me to be your punching bag?”

“
No
.” I stepped back and looked at the
floor, then up at him again. “Well, sort of. But, I mean, you can
punch back.”

David let out a short laugh. “Absolutely
not.”

“Oh, come on. It’ll be like fake wrestling on
TV. Except, I’m going to hit you really hard, and you have to
reciprocate.”

“Oh, I see.” He sat on the bed. “So we’re
calling it fake fighting, but it’s real.”

I tapped his chest with one finger. “That’s
right.”

He tapped my nose with his index finger.
“No.”

“David…
Please
?”

“How could you even think to ask me to do
this?” He frowned at me as he tugged his shoes off. “I’m not
hitting my wife. The answer is no, and it’s final.”

“But you’ll be helping me train,” I tried to
reason with him.

“Isis.” He took my hand. “Men—real men—don’t
hit their wives.”

“Can’t you see this is a totally different
situation?” I pulled my hand out of his and placed it on my hip.
“Can we be adults about this? I’m asking for your help. And wasn’t
it you who told me you’d help me anyway you could?”

“That’s not fair.”

“How about a compromise?” I asked. He
motioned with his hand to continue. “What if I wear the leather
bustier Galilea got me to go with the boots I’m wearing? You know,
the one you liked so much, but were too embarrassed to admit in
front of everyone? Although, fitting these overgrown gems into it,”
I looked down at my cleavage, “might be a problem.”

He eyed me. Considered my request for a
moment. “Seven o’clock okay?”

“Six.”

He nodded. “I’ll set my alarm.”

CHAPTER 36

For the first time since she was born, Faith
slept a full eight hours that night. Not me. I got up to check on
her several times. Was it maternal instinct heightening my anxiety
and waking me in a panic every two hours to make sure she was
breathing? David, on the other hand, slept as soundly as Faith.
Both snored the same, too.

From the other side of our door, I heard
whispering, followed by the sound of departing steps. I cracked the
door open and found Cezario standing against the hallway wall.

“Good morning, madam,” he said in a soft
voice. “Everything okay?”

“Morning. Yes. We’re fine.” I stepped out
into the hallway and quietly closed the door behind me. I didn’t
want to wake David. “Who were you talking to?”

“Vasilika. Her shift ended. I’m taking over
the post.”

“Oh.” Frederick was proving to be more
efficient than I thought. “Cezario, I want to ask you something.
You’ve spent a lot of time with the battalion, right?”

“Well, I’m part of it, madam.” He nodded.

“I’m aware, which is why I know you’re the
right person to ask,” I told him. “What do the troops say about
me?” He parted his lips to speak, but I interrupted. “And don’t lie
to me. I don’t like liars.”

“They wonder about you,” he said. “Wonder if
you’re real. I mean, if you’re the true Marker of Hope, madam.”

“Do you believe I am?” I asked, and he
nodded. “Why?”

“Because if I choose to believe you aren’t
her, all hope disappears. And if that happens, well then, everyone
and everything tied to this world is already gone.”

I meditated on his words for a moment.

“And the rest? What do they believe?” I
asked.

“I can only speak for myself. I don’t know
what the others think.” He shifted his weight to one leg. “May
I
ask you a question, madam?” I nodded. “Why the
concern?”

“I’m trying to understand why, even with
doubts, they continue to follow me.” I scratched the back of my
head. “Do you think I should address this matter with the
warriors?”

“Madam, I think Commander Frederick would be
better suited to answer your question. I’m not qualified to—”

“If I wanted Frederick’s opinion, I’d ask
him, Cezario.”

“Right… Sorry. Well, I suppose speaking to
the battalion would alleviate some doubt. Out of all of us, only
about thirty warriors have ever seen you in person. And the others
think of you as the princess from their favorite childhood fairy
tale.”

“A princess?” That was a kick in the gut.
“Like a damsel in distress, rather than a heroine?” I took a second
to settle the irritation simmering in my core. “What you’re saying
is they don’t think I’m capable of leading.”

He looked down at his feet. There was no need
for Cezario to answer. His silence was enough to verify my theory.
But I wasn’t angry. I’d known it all along, and I refused to let
the fact discourage me. Because if I wanted to save my child, my
family, my
world
, from vanishing from existence, I didn’t
have time to waste on hurt feelings. I had to refocus my energy on
what I needed in the now—to get dressed and start on my
training.

“Thanks for the talk,” I said, reaching for
the door. Before I turned the knob, I glanced back at Cezario and
said, “And thanks for putting your trust in me.”

“And you in me, madam.”

***

Sexiness and comfort were two words I’d never
heard mentioned together, and today, I found out why. The black
leather corset I was wearing was lined with metal plates. It hugged
my body so tightly I swore it was cutting off the flow of blood to
my brain. Wearing a full suit of armor would’ve probably been less
trouble to put on. I fought to squeeze into the damn thing for
twenty minutes. My torso was an unbending, rock-solid shield. No
wonder Galilea referred to it as a breastplate. I felt dizzy, and
the high-heeled boots that went with the ensemble didn’t do much to
help my head as I descended the stairs. I had the urge to call out
for help with the climb down, but everyone—with the exception of
David, who’d gone ahead of me to clear off the enclosed patio—was
asleep. I didn’t want to call for Cezario either. He was nervous
enough at his post. I’d left him looking after Faith with strict
instructions to call on Nyx if she cried.

When I entered the room, I spotted rubber
mats laid out on the floor. The rattan chairs and table, which
normally sat in the center of the room, were stacked in a neat
column in a corner. David was looking down at his phone and
drinking juice, unaware I’d arrived. I gave myself a minute to
admire the curvature and chisel of his shirtless chest. Appreciated
how the band of his sweatpants lay low on his hips. It may have
been my imagination, or the fact I was in love with him, but he
looked ten times hotter than the boy I’d met a year ago.

“Good morning,” I said.

David glanced up at me and choked on his
drink. He took a second to study me from head to toe, and then set
his juice on the floor before walking over to me. The tip of his
fingers touched my cheek, and then slid down my neck and over my
shoulder. He lowered his head and kissed my lips.

“This look suits you,” he told me. “You
couldn’t be more beautiful if you tried.”

“Thanks. I was just thinking the same about
you,” I said. “Are you ready to have your ass handed to you?”

“Right.” He laughed. “Take your boots off.
You’ll ruin the mats.”

“A little help?” I lifted my leg. “I don’t
think I can bend over in this thing.”

“You’ll get used to it,” he told me. “My
armor was uncomfortable in the beginning. Your body will mold to
it.”

“I didn’t know you wore armor,” I said as he
pulled off a boot.

“We wear it exclusively to battle.” He set
the boots aside. “Sure you want to do this with me?”

I nodded.

“Alright, then.”

David walked to the middle of the mats and
signaled me to go at him. Tightening my fist, I approached him. I
took a swing, and he caught my hand.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“You said you wanted me to contribute to your
training. If you want to hit me, you’re going to have to figure out
how to do it.”

“Fine,” I said, cocking an eyebrow at him.
“Challenge accepted.”

I stepped to the side, and he mimicked me. I
threw a punch, and he blocked it with his forearm. He caught my
wrist and pulled me to him, jailing me in a tight embrace. I
huffed, annoyed. He kissed my forehead and pushed me away.

“Try again,” he said.

This time, I went for his stomach. He twisted
sideways, evading my fist. I aimed for his face, and he caught my
wrist for a second time. Using his foot, he swiped my legs off the
mat, and, suddenly, I was on my back, his elbow at my neck. He
lowered his head and kissed my nose. I muttered expletives under my
breath.

“This is more fun than I thought,” he said,
smirking.

“Isn’t it?” I said, a trace of aggravation in
my tone.

He helped me off the mat. This time, I didn’t
hesitate in pouncing on him. I knocked him down and raised my fist,
ready to strike. In a second’s time, David rolled me onto my back
and pinned me against the floor. Instead of planting a kiss on me,
he blew a raspberry on my cheek.

“Do you realize,” he said, lying on top of
me, “I could’ve killed you three times in five minutes?”

“Are you trying to piss me off on purpose or
are you going to tell me what it is I’m doing wrong?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” He rolled off
me, and we rose to our feet. “Your eyes are giving you away. You
look at your target before you throw a punch. Your reflexes are
slow. When I saw you fighting Turpis, you were reacting without
thinking about your next move. Your actions were spontaneous. Why
aren’t you doing it now?”

“Because you’re not a nasty demon that’s
trying to kill me?”

“Pretend I am.”

The clicking of heels approached, and I
turned to see Galilea entering the room.

“What’s all this?” Galilea twirled a
cigarette between her fingers. She did a double take when she saw
me. “
Whoa
.” Her brows shot up high on her forehead. “Where’d
that come from?”