South of Surrender (Hearts of the Anemoi) by Laura Kaye Page B

shirt was partially unbuttoned, like he’d been in the middle of undressing when Chrys opened the door. Aphel dropped his gaze, and Chrys frowned.
    Suspicion flooded Chrys’s gut. Jesus. And the hits just kept on coming, didn’t they? “Apheliotes, get inside,” he said, in case he was right. The minor god startled but moved right away, quickly disappearing through the doors to the hall. “Livos, make yourself scarce, you dig?”
    The god nodded and dematerialized, leaving Chrys and his brother in a glaring showdown.
    “Start talking,” Z said.
    Fine. He’d tell them enough to make them go away. “I’m drained, okay? It took everything I had to manifest the clothes I’m wearing so I didn’t have to walk out here with my bare ass flapping in the breeze.”
    “What is going on, Chrysander?” Boreas asked. “Why have you dragged out this thing with Eurus?”
    “It’s three fucking weeks until his season,” Zeph interjected.
    Like he needed the reminder. Chrys was acutely aware of the passage of time. If Eurus came into his powers while he possessed their father’s firestone ring, he would be nearly unstoppable. But if his brothers—or worse, the Olympians—found out that Aeolus had lost the ring and not confessed it, their father—and all of them, really—was likely to be in just as much trouble.
    “Dude. I’m well aware of the calendar. I’ve been trying to reason with him, to bring him in voluntarily.”
    “Why the hell bother? He’s dying one way or the other. Just kill him while you’re more powerful and put a stop to this,” Z said.
    If only it were that easy . “Because if he makes a good faith effort at cooperation, maybe we can get Mars to lower the sentence.”
    Zeph’s face went bright red. “ That’s what you’ve been doing? Trying to save him?”
    Chrys held out a hand. “Think about it. No matter what, Eurus loses his position and one of his sons comes to power. Do we really want to pass this cluster fuck down to a new generation? If we kill Eurus, or if we don’t at least try to save him, all we’re doing is guaranteeing a new round of animosity between the East and the rest of us.” It was one of Chrys’s considerations, if not his main one.
    “Chrysander may have a point,” Boreas said. “I had not thought of that, but it is true. Not to mention that another of his sons is now your heir, Zephyros. We must do what we can to cultivate Devlin’s and Alastor’s friendship and end this once and for all.”
    Zeph tugged his hands through his hair. “Devlin’s a lost cause. Eurus’s influence on him has been too great. But either way, I’m telling you right now that the Olympians aren’t going to sit around and wait for us to make inroads with them. They’ve let the family handle this largely out of deference to Mars, but the decision is going to be taken from our hands. Then the shit’s gonna rain down on our heads, too, for not following their orders.”
    “I know.” Exhausted, Chrys fell back against the door. The wounds on his back hit the hard surface and screamed agony through every cell. He grunted and closed his eyes.
    “Shit. So this is why you refused the Acheron,” Z said.
    Chrys nodded, breathing through the dizziness making it increasingly difficult to know which way was up. Finally, he lifted his gaze and looked from one brother to the other. “I just need some shut-eye. Twenty-four hours and I’ll get back out there.”
    Boreas’s gaze narrowed. Chrys suddenly felt like maybe B could see through what Chrys wasn’t saying.
    “Fine. Get your ass back to bed. And ask for some damn help next time.”
    “No. I got this. You both have families to worry about now.” And Chrys was happy for them. He was. Despite his own loneliness. The string of random sex partners was fine for what it was, but didn’t leave him feeling connected to anyone.
    “You are our family, too,” Boreas said. “And we are helping bring this matter to a close whether you