Catching Stardust (31 page)

Hell, he didn’t even know if he could trust Orion enough to hitchhike with him. What if Orion claimed they’d go to Maia and then Orion actually took him somewhere else—somewhere that was completely incompatible with human life? Orion wanted Maia and was apparently willing to travel throughout the cosmos to find her. What would stop Orion from agreeing to let Zander hitchhike so he could take him somewhere else and dispose of him for good?

Orion had worked hard to track Maia for a reason. Zander had protected her and helped her get away. No way would Orion hand Zander over to Maia willingly.

But what other option did he have?

None.

He didn’t like it, but he liked living the rest of his life without Maia even less.

Pulling on a fresh pair of jeans and a snug fitting t-shirt, he wandered back out to the living room, intent on getting a bite of food and a bit of rest before he figured out where to go looking for Orion. How do you hunt a hunter?

“Not even a hello after all we’ve been through? I’m hurt,” Orion smirked, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

Guess I won’t have to hunt far after all.

“How did you get in here?”

“I still have the spare key from when I roomed with you,” Jude said, walking out of the kitchen with a sandwich and a glass of soda in his hands. He flopped down on the large leather chair and took a bite.

“You have some nerve showing your face in my home after what you did to Maia and me,” Zander said through a clenched jaw.

“You should talk,” Jude started. “You’re the one who made me think I was completely crazy when in reality you were trying to protect your own investment.”

“Maia’s not an investment. She’s a person.”

“Actually, she’s not a person. She’s a star,” Orion said from his spot on the couch. “Well, I guess that’s not accurate either. She’s a Greek Goddess who became a star.”

“Shut up. I’ll deal with you in a minute.” Zander practically snarled the words at Orion before turning back to Jude. “You sent him after us. Hell, you brought him here, didn’t you? You threw us to the fucking lion. How could you do that to me? I thought we would always stand up for each other?”

“I could really say the same to you. How could you make me think I was crazy when really I was sitting on the biggest discovery of our lives?”

“I was trying to protect you. I didn’t want you getting mixed up in all this crazy stuff. Hell, I only halfway believed it myself.”

“Bullshit. You wanted to protect Maia. And that’s what you did. You chose her over your buddy. I’m the guy who’s always been there for you. And you turned on me.”

“And you turned on me the second you gave this creep information about me and Maia so I guess that makes us even.”

“Nope,” Jude said, shaking his head. “It doesn’t. As soon as I get my hands on her and have the living, breathing proof I need, I’m turning her in and then I’m going to be famous.”

“You can’t do that. It’s bad enough you turned her over to him,” he said, pointing a thumb at Orion. “You can’t do this to me. She means more to me than any discovery ever could. Instead of working against me, help me get her back.”

Orion rose from the couch. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. You see, Maia was always meant to be mine and I’m finally going to see to it that she is.”

“Over my dead body,” Zander snapped, lunging for Orion’s throat.

“If you insist.” Orion charged Zander, his body slamming into him and sending him back into the wall.

Zander’s breath shot from his lungs under the pressure. He fought to gain a breath all the while balling his hands into tight fists. He swung at Orion, connecting with the sharp angle of his cheekbone, directly under his right eye. Orion’s head slammed back, but his hold on Zander didn’t waiver.

“Where is she?” Orion growled. “Where did you hide her after you got off the boat?”

“I didn’t hide her.” Zander swung again, but this time Orion saw it coming and moved before Zander’s fist connected to his face. As much as Zander wanted to beat the ever-loving shit out of Orion, he knew he couldn’t match his strength. That wasn’t going to stop him from trying. “Help me, Jude. Can’t you see what a monster he is?”

“Orion, that’s enough. Let Zander go before you break his ribs.” Jude moved to stand beside them.

Orion answered him with a backhand.

Jude flew back into the chair he’d been sitting in moments ago. The stunned expression on his face mirrored Zander’s feelings. They were screwed.

Zander tried unsuccessfully to shove Orion. “I didn’t hide her, but she’s gone all the same.”

“I had no idea this guy was this crazy, Zander. I’m sorry,” Jude said as he rubbed a hand across his jaw.

“What do you mean she’s gone?” Orion roared. He picked Zander up and tossed him across the living room onto the couch. Zander’s head spun as he tried to regain his feet before Orion came after him again.

“She disappeared. Shortly after we got away from you. She was sitting there wrapped in a blanket one minute and gone the next. I don’t know where she went.”

“You were with my Maia?” Orion charged him, but this time Zander saw the move coming. He rolled to the side and Orion smashed into the couch headfirst.

“Fuck you. She’s my Maia now.”

Orion staggered up from the couch and turned to face him head on. Zander had the sudden and distinct feeling he was staring down an angry bull.

Zander saw the look of possessiveness in Orion’s eyes. No way. He would never let Orion get his hands on Maia. It didn’t matter what he had to do. Even going up against Orion and getting his ass beat to a pulp was a better option than letting Maia be Orion’s possession.

Zander lunged at Orion, knocking him back onto the couch. He swung as hard as he could, first connecting with his face, then his ribs. He heard the crunch of bone. Maybe he was stronger than he thought. Orion struggled beneath him, freeing himself. Zander was shoved backward and he landed on his ass with a spine-jarring thud.

Anger and hatred radiated off of Orion like steam from a subway vent as he charged Zander. “I can’t believe she let you lay your filthy hands on her. You don’t deserve a Goddess like Maia.”

“Oh, she let me touch her alright. Again, and again, and again. And all the while she begged me to protect her from you.”

Orion and Zander rolled across the living room floor, smashing into the glass coffee table. It shattered, covering them in a shower of a million glass shards.

“Enough,” Jude yelled, grabbing each of them by the shoulders and attempting to separate them. It worked just about as well as if he’d tried to separate two rabid dogs.

Zander gripped Orion’s head in his hands and tried to position himself so that he could slam his head into the floor.

Before he could, a bright white light surrounded him, blinding him to the point he couldn’t see his apartment anymore—he couldn’t see Orion or Jude either, but could still feel them with him, by way of Orion’s fist clocking him upside the head yet again.

“What the hell is happening?” Zander yelled. He didn’t know if the ringing in his ears was from the punch or the blinding light, either way it wasn’t comfortable.

And then as quickly as the light started, it stopped.

Zander blinked, trying to clear the cloudy spots from his eyes. He felt as if he’d been staring directly into the sun. As his vision cleared, the room came back into focus.

He didn’t know where he was, but he knew one thing—he wasn’t in his apartment anymore.

Zander rolled off of Orion, too stunned to continue fighting. The ground beneath him was warm and soft and felt slightly dewy. The scent of flowers surrounded him as he took in the new landscape. He scanned the trees and flowers nearby, trying desperately and failing to place the unusual blooms he saw. Somewhere in his vast knowledge of science, he must have stored away in his brain something about a place like this—somewhere remote.

Then his gaze fell to the two men and a woman standing nearby who’d stopped whatever it was they were in the middle of doing and were now staring at them with mouths hanging open. The two men were instantly recognizable. He’d taken a couple of courses on Greek mythology back in his college days.

Atlas and Zeus.

Yep, really not at home.

Jude swore under his breath from somewhere beside him.

The woman standing with them looked sort of familiar. She had a face similar to Maia, but she was taller and her hair was darker, longer too.

“What happened? What are you all staring at?” came a voice from behind the others.

“Maia?” Zander whispered almost not believing his own ears. It couldn’t be her, could it? He hadn’t even asked Orion if he could hitchhike with him.

Suddenly Maia was there, crushing him back into the ground. Her lips were sweet and hungry as they sought his. He opened his mouth letting her in as he wrapped his arms around her, tangling his hands in her long hair.

The weight of her body on his was amazing. Having her back in his arms again stole his breath. Now that he had her back—however he had her back—he vowed to himself he would never let her slip away again. He didn’t care what he had to sacrifice. Nothing would be too much to keep her by his side forever.

***

Maia pulled back from Zander enough to get a good look at him. His right eye was bloodshot and swollen, an ugly purple bruise was a new addition to his otherwise perfect jaw line, and all the while, a silly smile played on his lips.

“Are you okay? What happened to you? How did you get here?” Despite her happiness, or maybe because of it, she felt tears spring to her eyes again. Damn it to Hades. When did she become such a big crybaby?

“I’m perfect now that I found you. What happened to you last night? Where did you go? One minute you were there, wrapped in the blanket—which I really think you should wear more often—glaring at me, and then the next you were gone.”

“The same thing that got me to Earth in the first place. Zeus, zapping me around without my permission.” She sat up and pulled Zander to his feet, then turned to give Zeus her evilest eye.

“I’m always going to get blamed for everything around here, aren’t I?” muttered Zeus as he shot back his own dirty look.

She tucked herself under Zander’s arms and snuggled against his side, wrapping her arms around his waist. She still didn’t understand how he was even standing here right now, but she didn’t care either. She wanted to take him back to her house and not come out of her room with him for a long, long time. Her heart broke when she was ripped away from him. She would do whatever it took to stop that from happening again. She never wanted to let Zander go.

“Maybe you should be thanking me right now,” Zeus said as he watched her and Zander’s reunion.

“Why would I thank you?”

“Because I brought back Orion and a couple of strays too.”

“Hey now. I don’t even know you. Isn’t it a little early for insults?” Zander asked Zeus.

“Orion?” Maia peered around Zander, ignoring the two of them. If Orion was back, he had some explaining to do.

Orion stood a little way away from the rest of them, brushing the loose grass off his clothes. He looked as menacing and as arrogant as ever.

He would answer for what he’d done.

But first, he’d get a little taste of the pain he’d caused everyone else.

Leaving the comfort of Zander’s arms behind, Maia strode over to Orion. She stood directly in front of him, hands on her hips and stared at him, challenging him to put his hands on her again. She knew he wouldn’t, but she really wanted an excuse to hit him.

“Hey there, hot stuff. Miss me?” he asked, his mouth curving up in an arrogant smile.

That’s excuse enough. Maia slapped her hand across his smug face so hard his head turned. When he turned back, he wasn’t smiling anymore. Neither was she.

“You’re going to regret that,” he said slowly.

“I doubt that very much.” She smiled her sweetest smile. “Tell me why you did this. Tell me why you’re after me and my sisters.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t figured it out yet. It’s two fold really. One, I’ve wanted to be with you and your sisters for all eternity. Not all of you at once, of course. Seven sisters would be a bit much even for a man of my size and strength.”

“I think I just threw up in my mouth,” Electra said.

“Ditto,” Maia agreed.

“Well, I would be happy with any of you really. I only need one. I don’t care which one.” He trailed his fingers along Maia’s cheek. “Although you’ve always been my favorite.”

“Wow. Any of us would do, huh? Boy, you sure know how to woo the ladies.”

“Now, Maia. You’ve always meant more to me than the others. That’s why you were the one I tracked. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“You mean besides the fact that you’re psycho? Not really.” She took a step back, putting a little more distance between herself and Mr. Crazy Hunter. She didn’t want to be within grabbing distance in case he decided to make some rash and stupid choice involving her.

“That hurts. Here I wanted to share my eternity with you, and you call me names.”