The Darkest Prison

Chapter 7

“Come with me.”

Nike’s heart raced at the sound of that deep voice. Hesitant, she rolled over on her cot. Sure enough. Her skin tingled when her gaze found Atlas. Gorgeous as ever, he stood at the bars-bars that were now open. His hand was extended, and he was waving her over. There was fury in his too-tight expression.

What had she done this time?

She’d tried to ignore him. She’d tried to pretend that she felt nothing for him. Anything to stop the madness. But gods, she couldn’t stop thinking about their kiss. She couldn’t stop wishing she’d allowed him to take her all the way. That she’d have experienced everything before being taken back to nothing.

So what if he would have tired of her afterward? So what if he would have been smug about her capitulation? So what if he found someone else and paraded her before Nike? For a few blessed hours-who was she kidding? — for a few blessed minutes, because it wasn’t as if either one of them would last beyond that, she would have known the joy of being with him again. Of simply feeling, giving, taking, sharing…loving.

Have all the rest, common sense piped up, but deny the love.

That would be my pleasure. But I have to get him to offer me the rest first.

“Come,” he repeated.

What did he have planned?

Slowly she sat up. Her hair was in desperate need of a brush, and gods, the rest of her needed a shower. How long since she’d had one? Prisoners were given a bowl of water each day and that was it.

“Why?”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Do you want to spend a few hours outside the prison or not?”

Wait. What? Leave Tartarus? She was on her feet before her brain could process what she was doing. Her knees almost buckled, she’d spent so much time prone, bored, but she managed to stay upright. She even reached out and twined their fingers together. The heat of his skin should not have shocked her, but it did. The calluses should not have ignited a fire in her blood, but they did.

“You’re taking me outside?”

“Yes. But do not say a word when we reach the guard’s station. Understand?”

“Yes.” This could be a trick. A trick to build up her hopes only to dash them cruelly, but she didn’t care. If there was a chance, slight though it was, that he would actually stay true to his word, she would do anything he asked.

Without a word, he led her from the cell and down the hall. Other prisoners spotted her and gasped. Some began to murmur amongst themselves, gossiping as they’d once enjoyed doing in the heavens. Some gripped their bars and simply watched her through wistful eyes.

Erebos even shouted, “Hey, where are you going with her now?”

Atlas ignored him, and Nike followed suit. A sense of urgency pounded through her. If Atlas did this, took her outside, even for a few hours…Why would he do such a thing?

“Did you get permission for this?” she asked. “And we’re not at the guard’s station yet, so it’s okay that I’m talking.”

“No. I didn’t get permission.” His words were curt, clearly meant to end the conversation.

As if she’d ever done what was expected of her. “Then why are you-”

“Just be quiet.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll shut you up my favorite way.”

Her mouth fell open. Did he mean he’d shut her up with a kiss? Or by pushing a button on her collar and shooting painful lances through her brain? It was fifty-fifty, she thought. His proclamation had the desired results, however. She was too busy pondering his meaning to talk.

In the guard’s station, two Titans were laughingly making bets about the prisoners. They looked up at Atlas and nodded politely in greeting-only to freeze when they spotted her. As promised, she remained quiet.

“She try to escape?” one demanded, obviously ready to beat her for doing so.

“No. But I’m taking her out for a bit,” Atlas replied.

“Why?” the other gasped out. “There’s nothing out there.”

“I plan to taunt her with what she cannot have.”

The very words she’d once offered Aergia, the goddess of laziness. He’d remembered.

Still the guard persisted. “Has this been cleared with-”

“ I’m in charge of this prison and the people inside it. Now shut up and do your job.” With that, Atlas ushered her out of the building and into the daylight. No one else tried to stop him.

As the first ray hit her skin, she jerked free of his hold and stopped, simply basking in the moment. Clouds. Sun. She closed her eyes, head thrown back, arms splayed. The warmth, followed by a cooling breeze…the brightness-her skin soaked them up greedily. Oh, how she’d missed them. She would have loved to have seen temples and golden streets and people, as well, but she would take what she could get without complaint.

Strong arms suddenly banded around her. “You’re beautiful,” Atlas whispered, his nose nuzzling her ear, practically purring. “Do you know that?”

“I know what I look like.” Her lashes fluttered open. Her heart was hammering against her ribs, and she couldn’t have stopped herself from flattening her hands on his chest to save her life. His own heart was racing, she realized with astonishment. Was he…could he be as affected by her as she was by him? The clouds enveloped him, creating a dream haze. “And beautiful is not a word that describes me.”

His head lifted, and he gazed down at her. Tenderness softened his expression, and she thought he’d never been more appealing. “Then you don’t see yourself as I do.”

How did he see her? As much as he hated her-but did he hate her still? How could he, when he’d just escorted her to paradise? — she would have guessed he pictured her with horns, fangs and a tail.

She cleared her throat, too afraid to ask. “Why did you do this for me?” A much easier question, with an answer that probably wouldn’t destroy what little was left of her feminine pride.

“I have my reasons,” was all he said. “Now, as much as I’d love to stay in this exact spot with you, we only have a short amount of time. Do you want to spend it here or eating the food I’ve prepared, as well as bathing? I know those are the two things I missed most during my tenure here.”

“Eat…eating. Bathing.” Was this really happening? Or was she merely dreaming about him again? Nothing else explained this change in him, in her situation.

He kissed the tip of her nose. “Then food and a bath you shall have. Come. Since I can’t flash you outside of this realm, and there are no homes, inns or shops here, I’ve set up camp a mile north, out of view of the prison.”

Dreaming, surely. Perhaps a trick, as she’d first supposed. But she allowed him to lead her through the clouds without protest.