Chapter 5

"What are you doing?"Typhon growled at Deino. She lay wrapped around him intimately, and it made him vastly uncomfortable. Mostly because he quite enjoyed it for the first few seconds after he woke. He'd even let his fingers stroke her back for a moment, thinking how nice it was, before reality slapped him.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" she asked, not moving from her spot cuddled on his chest.

"Confused. Where are we?" Last he recalled, he'd stepped in to save the witch, using a power that once came so easily but now required him to strain with all his might to project. But what choice did he have? The vermonstra would have killed his only hope.

"We're in a hotel. I rented us a room after you passed out."

"You brought me here?" How god-asculating. Another new low to add to the others.

"Well, I thought about leaving you on the ground for the cops, but Jinx changed my mind."

"Your dog told you to save me?" was his dry reply.

Said dog made noise from somewhere in the room.

"Oddly enough, Jinx likes you, and considering that's a first, I decided to be nice. Hence why I deigned to share my room with you."

"And you couldn't find one with two beds?" He knew many rental establishments offered the option.

"It's not a big deal." She snuggled her face deeper against him.

"This is inappropriate."

"Totally," she agreed.

"Then why aren't you moving?"

"Because it's been ages since I've woken up beside a man, and I'm going to enjoy it before you annoy me so much I start thinking of ways to kill you."

He hated how much he enjoyed her sassy retorts. In his day, a woman would have bowed and showered him with nothing but flattery. "If you kill me, then I can't help you with the monsters."

She lifted her head to look him in the face. "Good point. I'll keep you alive for now, I guess, but only if you start giving me some answers."

"Are you always this demanding?"

"Yes."

He eyed her. Almost smiled. Damned if he didn't quite like her. "Will replying to your questions help you to realize why you should aid me?"

"Depends on what you say."

"This seems an awkward position for such a serious discussion."

"You're right. I should be in a more commanding position." As she spoke, she shifted until she straddled him, wearing only a silky top and very short bottoms. His body reminded him it hadn't been with a woman in a long time. Despite how hard he clenched his fists and teeth, he couldn't help but react.

She noticed.

Her lips curved. "So, tell me, am I going to be dealing with monsters coming after me on a daily basis?"

"Not daily. I imagine it's not easy for Ariadne to send them after you from wherever she is. Not to mention, some will go after your sisters."

She rocked on him as she took on a pensive expression while torturing him. "What will it take to stop these monster attacks? And don't tell me killing Ariadne. I am not doing your dirty work."

"You could rid yourself of my blessing. No magic, no reason for her to come after you."

"Not happening." She waved a hand, dismissing the suggestion, as he'd expected. "What else?"

"Keep it tucked away at all times."

"Easier said than done, and that doesn't help my sisters. I don't know if Enyo can put her strength in a tiny mental box."

"Then I guess you'll be killing lots of monsters."

"Yeah, no. Bad enough one destroyed my home."

"You know the only permanent solution is to remove my power from Ariadne. As their god, I would keep the monsters in line." He shrugged, including a thrust of his hips. Her breath caught, and definite heat seeped through her thin garments.

She pressed her palms into his chest and leaned down so that her hair formed a curtain around her face. "Let's say I agreed to help. How would we even find her?"

He couldn't help but put his hands on her hips, even as he restrained an urge to grind himself against Deino. "There is a place I know that might be able to divine her location."

"Where?"

"It's in another dimension, but you'd have to come with me."

"Why not go yourself?"

"Because I don't have the magic to open the doorway needed to get there." An embarrassing truth.

"Is the monster god admitting he needs me?" she purred, leaning down low, putting pressure on him.

His fingers dug into her flesh. "Yes." In more ways than he cared to admit.

"Say please."

"You would make me beg?"

Her lips curved, and her hips rocked ever so slightly. "Tell me you need me."

"I need you." He couldn't stop himself from saying it.

"What's the magic word?"

He groaned as she kept up the subtle pressure. Her nails dug into his chest as she gyrated her hips on him, causing him to catch his breath and for his own fingers to hold her hips tight. They said nothing, but her forehead pressed to his as their bodies rolled and rubbed, separated by fabric and yet it didn't matter. When she shuddered and uttered a small gasp of pleasure, he clenched hard so as to not embarrass himself.

Her eyes opened, and she moistened her lips before she offered a husky, "I need to freshen up. Then I'll shop for some stuff."

"What stuff?" He felt slightly stupid and tense. What had just happened?

"If we're going on a trip, then I need clothes." She slid off him and stood beside the bed. "These are quite dirty." With that, she shimmied out of said clothes and stalked naked to the bathroom.

He could only stare, in that moment more mortal than he'd ever been. His balls were tight and aching from the aborted climax. He'd almost spilled when she'd been grinding against him. Had wanted nothing more than to flip her onto her back before laying claim to those lips—and that body.

Yet, he'd abstained. He'd not meant to get entangled with the witch. He needed her to help him with Ariadne. Nothing more. Anything else was just a distraction.

Typhon rolled off the bed, his cloak billowing around him, the one thing Ariadne hadn't taken. He smoothed his hand down the front, and it changed to something more suitable for the time. A suit, as he didn't like the casual wear he'd been seeing.

He could hear water running as Deino took a shower. Her naked body was being sluiced by water. Her hands soaping her smooth flesh. Stroking between her legs.

He whirled from staring at the door and glared at his cock instead. Since when did it misbehave? Sure, it had been a while since he'd been with a woman, but he'd long passed the age where he didn't control his erections.

Now would be a good time to remind himself that Deino toyed with him and that he couldn't afford to do anything that would jeopardize his main quest: Getting his power back.

For that he needed Deino working with him, not mad because they became lovers and had a quarrel.

But she made it hard.

Literally, hard.

"Yip."

He eyed the dog standing at his feet. "What?"

The dog whirled to look at the door to the room. He swung his head to look. The handle rattled.

He put his finger to his lips, and the dog nodded before flanking the door.

The lock clicked, and the portal swung open.

Jinx went ballistic, barking.

Not that Enyo seemed to care. She walked in, eyed him, and then the room. "Where's my sister?"

"Bathroom."

Enyo didn't knock, just went inside, releasing a cloud of steam before the door shut.

While Jinx caught her breath, Bane entered the hotel room, and the dog truly went mental, barks shrill enough even Typhon winced. He scooped up the mutt, and it instantly quieted.

Bane sighed. "Damn, that thing is loud." He closed the door to the room.

Typhon eyed the man who'd been one in a line of many who'd been tasked with keeping him locked away. He harbored no hatred. The Wardens might have kept him prisoner, but they'd been misinformed as to why.

The former Warden eyed him with curiosity, and it was then it occurred that Bane had no idea who Typhon was. After all, in previous encounters, Typhon had been wearing a hood.

So it was with surprise he heard Bane drawl, "I told Enyo you had a face."

"How did you know?"

"Smell never lies." Bane tapped his nose.

"I assume Enyo's abrupt arrival is because of the incident." Had Deino contacted her? She'd not mentioned it. Then again, he'd not asked if she'd talked to anyone. He'd been distracted.

"Way to downplay." Bane snorted. "Seems like more than a little incident. The building got knocked over by some giant, underground worm. It's all over social media. The number of videos from all kinds of angles is nuts, including a few that Deino needs to know about." He jerked his head in the direction of the bathroom. "And you made it into a few as well. Some you're wearing a suit, others your robe."

Unfortunate. "Is Deino in danger?" In his time, some cultures would have punished a witch.

"Not from humans—not yet—but her actions are causing some questions. Luckily, most people assume it's some kind of deepfake, but there are others who might dig deeper. She should be fine if she lies low for a while," Bane stated before asking, "What happened? Seems like that worm and those monsters really wanted a go at her."

"It would seem Ariadne is still managing to cause trouble despite her relocation."

"She put a hit out on Dina?"

"She most likely is pushing those still listening to her to attack all three of the sisters," Typhon corrected.

"Which explains the problems we've been having since we split up after Ariadne's disappearance."

"Enyo's been attacked?" Typhon hadn't been aware.

"Yeah, but she assumed it was just monsters being monsters." Bane rubbed his jaw. "I take it this will keep happening until we handle Ariadne."

"It seems likely."

"Okay. So when do we leave to hunt down her ass?"

"We?"

"Enyo and I will help of course."

The offer surprised him. "You will? But I haven't even asked." He'd gone after the toughest one to convince and the one he most needed because of the magic she wielded.

"Yeah, according to Frieda's visions, you would have requested our aid but at a later date. Rather than dance around the bush, we chose to come preemptively to offer our services."

Before Typhon could reply, the bathroom door opened, and a towel-swaddled Deino emerged with her sister to announce, "They're coming with us."

"So I've been told," was Typhon's dry reply.

"Frieda and John will be here soon as they can catch a flight. While we wait for them, we can put together a plan and gather some supplies for the trip."

He stared at them in disbelief. "So quickly?"

Deino's lips curved. "What's wrong? Don't like it fast?" She winked. "You should know by now the Grae sisters don't mess around."

"It will be dangerous." He couldn't have said why he felt a need to mention that. He wanted this to happen, so why try and convince them otherwise?

Enyo arched a brow. "You don't need to sell it to me. I'm already in."

It led to Typhon frowning at Deino. "What happened to not involving your family?"

"Testing you. You passed, by the way. Besides, alone we're deadly, together we're…" She offered a tight predator smile. "Unstoppable."

An ominous prediction.