Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon Page A

here.”
    â€œBullshit,” he growled.
    â€œNo, no shit here,” she said, indicating her clean floors with her hand. Then she cupped her broken arm to her chest. “You leave this place and you’re a dead man. Trust me. The moment you spoke that which will not be spoken and my mother called out the Terminator to destroy you, your death warrant was signed.”
    Every part of him bled fury. “I won’t be held hostage. You understand?”
    She laughed at his righteous indignation. “Oh yeah, right. This from the man who knocked me out and then bound me up like a mummy? What was that action?”
    â€œThat was different.”
    â€œYeah, only ’cause I was the victim. Oh wait, you’re right. I’m doing this to protect you and you did yours to kill me. Maybe I should let you leave. It would serve you right.”
    â€œThen why don’t you?”
    She took a breath to calm herself before she spoke. Anger accomplished nothing and she knew that. It was what had gotten her mother into more messes than an entire crew of Molly Maids could get her out of. “Because I want the truth about what happened the night you came to Olympus. Artemis said that you tried to rape her.”
    He made a choking noise as if touching Artemis was the worst thing he could imagine. “And what do you think?”
    â€œI don’t know. You haven’t exactly shown me any high moral fiber here. Maybe she’s right and you did.”
    He moved to stand in front of her. His eyes practically glowed gold in the light as he raked a disgusted look over her. “Trust me, baby. I’ve never had to force myself on any woman. But let’s say, for argument’s sake, that I did. Do you think me dumb enough to try it on Olympus under the noses of the other gods?”
    He had a point, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. “You’re arrogant enough. You might.”
    â€œYeah,” he said in a low, feral tone, “arrogant but not stupid.”
    â€œThen why were you there?”
    His features blank, he moved away from her, which made her wonder what he was hiding. There was something about that night that he didn’t want to even think about—she could feel it.
    â€œAnswer my question.”
    â€œIt’s none of your business,” he snapped. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” He started for the door.
    Kat held her hand up and clenched her fist. The door immediately vanished. “I wasn’t kidding. You can’t leave.”
    The next thing she knew, she was lifted from her feet and pinned to the wall. “And neither am I. Let me out of here or you will regret it.”
    She shook her head slowly. “Kill me and you’ll never get out.” She felt the pressure holding her to the wall increase before it set her back on the floor with a gentleness that surprised her. “Thank you.”
    He narrowed his eyes on her. “I have to get out of here. There’s less than three weeks to Armageddon and I have a lot to do to prepare for it.”
    â€œYeah, and right now I have a broken arm that needs to be tended. So I tell you what. You sit here contemplating Artemis’s murder and Armageddon, and I’ll be back in a few. But don’t break or touch my stuff … or I’ll take it out of your hide.”
    He opened his mouth to speak, but before he did, she flashed herself out of her small house and into the main palace of Kalosis.
    Kat manifested in the main foyer and had to take a moment to locate her grandmother with her thoughts. As was typical of her grandmother, Apollymi was outside, in her garden.
    Out of respect, Kat walked the short distance through the throne room to the gilded doors that opened out onto the grounds. Her grandmother didn’t like for people to pop in on her unexpectedly—Kat was the only one who knew why. Once as a child, she’d done that and caught her grandmother