From Titans (Book 4) (18 page)

“
It
’
s not just us.” Hades
sighed and rubbed his temples. “She might go after the
humans.”

Dad stopped cutting into his steak. “I might
have an idea. If Eris can bring chaos, then someone else can bring
harmony. If you have a yin and a yang, there can be balance.”

“
Say what?”
Nick mumbled.

Mom
’
s eyes lit up, and she
squeezed Dad
’
s arm. “You
’
re right.
That
’
s brilliant. But first we have to find our yang. How many
days do we have, Skylar?”

“
She said two days,” I
grumbled.

“
We
’
ll have to make do
with two days,” Dad murmured to himself.

“
I
’
ll help you,” Mom said to
Dad.

“
Anyone know what they are
talking about?” Amanda snorted.

“
Eat,” Mom ordered,
surprising us with her sharp tone. Then her tone softened when she
spoke to me. “Dad and I will do everything we can on our end. I
can
’
t explain. You
’
ll have to trust me.”

When Mom got up, so did
Dad, and then she shifted her attention to us again. “Meanwhile, I
suggest you ask the Oracle to make this thread special, magically.
You
’
ll need it to get back. If you don
’
t hear from me before you go
into the Labyrinth, please be careful and look after each other.”
She turned to the gods. “No bickering, and turn off your egos.
You
’
re going to need each other to make it out alive.”

“
Ready?” Dad asked Mom,
locking eyes with her.

“
Yes. Baby and I had
enough to eat. Let
’
s not waste precious
time.”

After Mom and Dad gave me
a kiss and said their goodbyes to everyone, they left, leaving us
baffled. Since I had other things to worry about, I
didn
’
t ask any more questions. I trusted my parents. They knew
more about the gods than I did.

Shortly after, everyone
else left after they helped me clean up. I told them I would let
them know as soon as I
’
d heard from Eris. Meanwhile, we
all agreed to do some research on our own regarding The Minotaur
and King Minos of Crete. The more we learned about the Labyrinth,
the better our chances.

Before heading to bed, I
let the dogs out, except for Mason. After I washed up, we climbed
in bed together. Mason sat on the edge protectively while I
researched on my laptop. There wasn
’
t much on the internet about King
Minos, his Minotaur, and the Labyrinth, at least from what I could
find. Hopefully others had better luck than I had. As I continued
to search, hoping the next link would tell me more, I found myself
drifting away. My heavy eyelids closed, and I relaxed into
calmness, recalling the moment when Mason and I were alone in his
cabin.

Mason and I had just
shared an intimate, loving moment. Our bodies tangled together, and
a blanket had been wrapped around us as we lay by the fire. Mason
had a perfect engagement dinner set for us, and then he had
proposed to me afterward. It couldn
’
t have been a more magnificent
night.

“
I think
I
’
m
jealous of the ring I gave you.” Mason chuckled.

I turned my gaze from the
ring to his eyes and snorted. “I can
’
t help it. It
’
s so beautiful.
It
’
s
your fault for giving me such a huge rock. I mean, look at this
thing. It
’
s so shiny.”

He caressed my arm. “I
know. I picked it out. I had to get the best for my girl. You only
get married once if you
’
re lucky. And
there
’
s no doubt I
’
m lucky.”

I held it up to see the
diamond sparkling against the fire light again.
“I
’
m
lucky, too.”

I lazily draped my arm
around him and seductively rubbed his leg with mine under the
blanket. Being completely naked produced another wave of heat and
lust. “Don
’
t worry, Mason. I love you more
than the ring.” I giggled.

Mason chuckled lightly.
“Well I hope so. I didn
’
t peg you as the materialistic
type.”

I frowned. “What type did you categorize me
as?”

His lips slowly curled wickedly. “The hot,
sexy, brave, sweet, generous, likes to repeat what I say kind of
girl.”

I lightly slapped his arm.
“
I don’
t repeat what you say…at least I haven
’
t in a
while.”

He tenderly caressed my
cheek, changing the mood between us. “We
’
ve come a long way, Echo.
And now we
’
re engaged. I never thought I
would get to this point in my life. I never thought I would fall in
love. It happened so unexpectedly. You just popped into my life and
awakened me. You made me see that living was better than hiding.
And if I died today or tomorrow, my life would be fulfilled because
of you. I would die a happy man.”

His words touched me
deeply, especially because I felt the same. “I love you, Mason,
with all my heart and soul, but please don
’
t talk about dying. I
couldn
’
t live without you.”

“
And I you.” He pressed
his forehead to mine. I felt the sincerity of his words as he
conquered my lips. Mason pulled away and gazed at the fireplace.
“Let
’
s get a dog.”

“
What? I mean…I would love
one, but what made you think of having a dog?”

Mason wrinkled his nose and lifted his
shoulders. “The monstrous dogs from the underworld made me want a
dog.”

He sat up, revealing his
ripped chest. I tried to listen to what he had to say, but my mind
went some place it shouldn
’
t. His toned, bared chest
glistening by the firelight was a sight not to ignore.
Mason, what you do to me!

Still on the ground, with
my elbow planted, I supported my head with my fist. “So you want
one that looks like a monster?” I asked hesitantly. I knew he
wanted a dog, but I
’
d only heard half of what
he
’
d
said.

Mason stretched back, his
muscles flexing. His lightning tattoo appeared when he turned to
his side. “I
’
ve always wanted a dog, but I
never asked knowing it would be too much. Taking care of a dog can
be costly and my mom and I didn
’
t have any extra money to spare.
But now, things are different. What do you think?”

I sat up too, holding the
blanket to cover my chest. When Mason
’
s brows twitched and raised his
lips to a smirk, I shrunk shyly. “We should go to the pound. Many
dogs need to be rescued.”

“
I agree with you. But why
are you covering yourself? Don
’
t be embarrassed in front of me.
I
’
ve
seen every part of you. I
’
ve touched every part of you and
loved every moment. I
’
ll always stare at you, Sky,
clothed or not.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“
Mason,” I squealed
softly. I couldn
’
t believe I acted so shy after
all we’d shared. Mason liquefied me, and I didn
’
t think I could ever
get enough of his seductive ways.

I shivered when Mason kissed me, so soft and
gentle it felt like a daydream. Next thing I knew, the blanket had
dropped. That sly Mason. Giving him the most delicious smile, I
tackled him.

“
Mason,” I breathed, as
tears pooled in my eyes. Pain pierced my heart, digging deeper and
sharper. “I miss you so much. We
’
ll be together, one way or
another.” Though he couldn
’
t hear me, I made a promise to
him…to us.

No more tears. I needed to
prepare mentally and physically. I hoped the Labyrinth
wouldn
’
t be like the underworld. But an ugly feeling in the pit of
my stomach warned me it would be.

Chapter
16

Mason

“
Promise me
you
’
ll behave, Mason, and I
’
ll untie you,” Eris said. As soon
as Cronus left, she took a branch from a tree and used her magic to
tie it around me with my arms down. It prevented me from touching
her. Then she placed a leaf over my mouth so I
couldn
’
t talk.

I didn
’
t say a word, nor
would I look at her. She huffed and cleared her throat to get my
attention.

“
Very well. Then
I
’
ll
do the talking and you listen. Stay right there.
I
’
ll
have my servants keep an eye on you. I
’
m going to meet Skylar. She
thinks I
’
m going to exchange you for the gold water today, but she
doesn
’
t know it
’
s not going to
happen.”

I cursed, calling her all the worst possible
names, but the sounds came out muffled.

“
I know
you
’
re mad at me right now, but you see, I have other plans for
us. I
’
ve thought of a fun game we can all play.” She clapped her
hands and squealed.

I shut my eyes to tune her out.

“
Sit right here.” My butt
landed on the mattress. Then she yelled for her servants. When they
came, she ordered, “Don
’
t let him out of your sight. And
don
’
t stand near him. He
’
ll hurt you.” After she warned
them, she was gone.