Page 68 of The Guardian (Dark-Hunter 20)
The other Greek gods who'd been fighting by Solin's side to save her, stared at him as if he were the dirt they stood on.
Seth met their condemnation every bit as stoically.
Closing the distance between them, Verlyn grabbed him by the hair and snatched his head back while he immobilized Seth's limbs so that he couldn't fight or flee.
But why run now?
Grimacing in pain, Seth kept his gaze on Lydia's body as they faded from the room.
I love you, Lydia. Please forgive me.
With the blink of an eye, Seth was back where he'd started.
In hell.
Well, more precisely, he was in Noir's study, where the dark lord rose to his feet to confront him.
Verlyn shoved him forward, then returned to wherever it was he stayed when he wasn't serving Noir.
Heartbroken, and more tired that he'd ever been before, Seth faced his master, knowing he'd screwed himself straight to the wall this time. There would never be another moment of peace in his life. Not another moment free of misery.
It was what he deserved.
"On your knees, dog," Noir growled at him.
Seth shook his head. He wasn't about to bow down to anyone.
Noir curled his lip. "Ever defiant. Did I not tell you what I'd do if you failed to bring me the key?"
"You did."
"Did you think I was bluffing?" Noir grabbed him by the throat and dissolved his armor.
There was no need to respond. There was nothing Noir could do to him now that would compete with the agony of living without Lydia.
In fact, he hoped the physical pain would be able to distract him from the misery in his heart. Because right now, that burned more than any injury he'd ever sustained.
"I'm going to enjoy this," Noir snarled at him.
Seth laughed bitterly and then did what he did best.
He pissed off his master. "Go ahead. Do your worst."
* * *
"I'm so sorry."
Solin ignored Delphine as he cradled his daughter's body against his chest and wept. His soul screamed out that she, the only thing in his life that had ever meant a damn to him, was now gone, and he felt so incredibly lost.
In a life marked by scarring pain and soul-searing agony, nothing compared to what he felt right now. Nothing.
All he could do was see images of Lydia as a child, reaching out to him. Remember the frustration they'd both had as they struggled to learn sign language so that she could talk to humans. The frustrations they'd had when she'd started dating, and he'd disapproved of every man she'd brought home.
Oh the nightmares he'd given some of those pricks. No one had ever messed with his girl that he didn't make them pay.
Until now.
And what hurt the most was that he'd never see her again. Never watch as she sang to him with her hands.
Because I failed her. It was all his fault. Had he been stronger ... faster ...
Why couldn't the Guardian have killed him instead?
Delphine reached to comfort him.
"Don't touch me!" he growled.
There was no comfort to be had. Not now. Not ever again.
Did Delphine really think that some stupid, paltry touch would soothe him when his heart had been ripped out?
Jericho, Delphine's husband, moved forward as if he was going to attack him over hurting her feelings, but Zarek stopped him. The two of them had been the ones who'd finally heard Delphine's call and had released them so that they could chase down the Phonoi to stop them from hurting Lydia.
But not in time. If only they'd found the phonoi sooner. Maybe then they could have saved his baby.
I wish the Guardian had killed me the first day he captured me.
Anything would have been better than the agony of living without his daughter.
Maahes moved forward. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Fuck off and die."
Instead of getting angry, Maahes walked away and left him to his pain. As did the others.
Except Zarek.
He waited until they were alone before he approached Solin. "I'm not going to insult either of us with some mambi-pambi bullshit. Life sucks. No one knows that better than I do. But if you want to go break ass over this, I'll be there for you. Just shout. The bloodier, the better."
Strangely, that did make him feel better. And he knew Zarek meant it.
"Thank you." But he'd never take Zarek up on that offer. He'd never put the demigod in harm's way. Unlike him, Zarek had a family. The one thing Solin had always wanted.
The one thing he'd always been denied.
He'd never even heard his own daughter call him father.
Not once.
Zarek inclined his head to him respectfully, then vanished.
Alone now, Solin looked down at Lydia's pale face that had never failed to make his heart swell with pride.
Until today. Today there was nothing but blinding misery that cut so deep, his soul bled from it.
