Page 63 of The Guardian (Dark-Hunter 20)
Seth wasn't ready for that as he stared at Lydia's true form.
She was a jackal.
A fucking jackal.
And as he stared at her, something about her tugged at his memories. Like deja vu. But he couldn't place it. Not right then when he was grappling with so many other rancid emotions vying for his attention.
Why hadn't she told him?
Unaware of the turmoil he'd interrupted, Maahes pulled back from the window. "C'mon. We need to get out of here. I'm pretty sure our friend down there isn't dead."
Verlyn wasn't, but in a few minutes, Lydia might be.
His gaze never wavering from her canine body, Seth pushed himself up from the floor.
Lydia returned to her human form even though she had second thoughts about it. One look at Seth's face and she knew just how badly she'd screwed up.
He would never forgive her for this. And she couldn't blame him for it. Not really.
But right now, they had to get away from Verlyn and she still had her promise to keep. She wasn't about to allow Noir to take Seth back.
"Where do we go now?" she asked Maahes.
Maahes stepped away from the shattered window. "Out of here, 'cause he's getting up and he don't look too happy about it. Does he have any friends?"
Seth's tone was stoically dry. "He makes his own friends."
Moving to stand next to Maahes, Lydia didn't understand what Seth meant until she scanned the landscape below where Verlyn had fallen, and saw that he could split himself into multiple beings. Multiple beings who could fly and climb up ...
Fast.
Maahes cursed. He grabbed Lydia by the arm, then Seth. One second they were in his house, and in the next, they appeared in the throne room of a huge golden Egyptian temple. Lydia turned around slowly to take in the beauty of it. From the luminescent way it appeared, she was sure they were no longer in the human realm, but another. The walls shimmered from sheets of gold. There was a huge dais in the center where a gilded throne was flanked by two god statues. She had no idea which two, though. One she could swear must be Maahes's. Not that it looked like him. It was merely an impression she had.
"Now I dare that bastard to come here," Maahes said proudly.
Lydia hoped he was right, but she wasn't feeling so cocky. "Where are we?"
"Ma'at's house. Her temple, actually. She doesn't really live here. She thinks it's too ostentatious." He all but sneered the last word.
Yeah, he would say that, given the overstated luxury estate he lived in. Obviously, Maahes didn't have a problem flaunting excess wealth.
"We'll be safe here," Maahes said confidently.
Seth snorted. "I wouldn't bet my house on it. Believe me, he'll find us. It's what he does."
"Yeah, but-"
Seth gave him a withering stare. "He was one of the original six primal gods. Believe me, this won't even slow him down."
Maahes cursed under his breath.
"Exactly," Seth added sardonically.
Lydia refused to be so pessimistic. "Then how do we escape him?"
"We don't. Ever."
Maahes narrowed his gaze. "I don't believe that. There's always a way to defeat anything. You two make yourselves at home, and I'll be back in a few." He vanished instantly.
Alone now, Lydia felt awkward as she turned toward Seth. His face was stoic, but it was the torment in his eyes that cut to her soul.
"I'm sorry. I should have told you what I was."
Still, he gave her no clue about his mood. "Why didn't you?"
"Jaden told me not to. Given what happened to you, we were afraid of how you'd react to it."
He rubbed absently at his neck where the swallow would be under his armor. "Does Jaden make all of your decisions for you now?"
She screwed her face up in distaste. What was he trying to say? She wasn't exactly sure, but she knew it was making her angry. "That's not fair, and you know he doesn't."
He moved to stand in front of her, reminding her of just how huge and intimidating he could be, even when he wasn't trying. And even though he appeared completely calm and composed, his blue eyes screamed at her. Or maybe that was the weight of her own conscience.
The one thing she was sure about was that she'd hurt him. And that she'd never meant to do.
"Then why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly.
That answer was complicated so she settled on a simple one that she hoped would placate him without hurting him more. "I was afraid he was right."
Seth ground his teeth as she stabbed him straight through his heart. For a full minute, he couldn't breathe from the pain of her words that hurt him so much more than any physical blow. So, he'd been right, even though deep inside, he'd been hoping he was wrong.
Still, he refused to let her know just how much damage she'd done to him with that.
Not now.
You're a monster. Why would she ever see anything else? You're stupid and revolting ...
He cleared his throat to make sure no residual emotions would be there to betray him when he spoke. "Have I ever given you any reason to fear me?"
Her jaw dropped with incredulity. "Uh, yeah." Then she ticked her list off her fingers. "You took my powers. Made me your prisoner and threatened to kill me and my father. Have you forgotten that you tortured my father, and I don't mean a little bit either?"
