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“I need more—”
“Now.”
Fuck. That rumble in his Hades’ voice could be neither ignored nor disobeyed. It was a command, a directive, and Erus had no choice but to comply.
“Can I have a moment with my mate?” He couldn’t predict how long it would take him to track down the missing Keres, and he didn’t want Orrin to think he had abandoned him. “Please.”
“Five minutes,” Hades allowed. “You get five minutes.”
“Thank you.”
Not wasting time, he instantly rematerialized on the deck. To those seated around the fire pit, his absence wouldn’t have even registered. To them, he had gone from seated to standing in a mere blink.
“Orrin, can I speak with you for a moment?” He held his hand out, biting back his impatience, yet acutely aware of the seconds that ticked by.
“Yes, of course.” Taking his offered hand, Orrin rose from his seat and followed him into the living room of the small cottage. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“I don’t have time to explain everything right now.” He backed the prince against the wall, trapping him there, and reached up to cradle his cheek. “I have to return to the Underworld, and I may be gone for a while.”
Orrin’s eyes tightened at the corners, and his lower lip trembled. “How long is ‘a while?’ When will you be back?”
“I don’t know, asteraki.” If he could track down the rogue Keres in a day or two, that would feel like mere minutes to Orrin. If it took him longer…
“Can I go with you?”
“No.” Technically, he could, but Erus hated every part of that idea. “It’s too dangerous.” He might be powerful, but so were the Keres, and they vastly outnumbered him. “I promise I’ll be back for you.”
“I don’t—”
He cut off the protest with a hard, desperate kiss, pouring everything he didn’t have time to say into the joining of their lips. With one hand gripping Orrin’s hip, he tangled the other in his hair as he ate at his mouth, plunging inside to lick and taste as he branded his mate into his memory.
“I’m going to send you back to the hotel. You’ll be safe there.” Resting their brows together, he rubbed their noses together, gently, affectionately. “I love you, Orrin. Whatever happens, I want you to remember that.”
“Why does that sound like a goodbye?” He fisted his hands in the front of Erus’ T-shirt and clung to him. “You just promised you were coming back.”
“I have to go, asteraki.”
Orrin shook his head. “No. I don’t like this.”
He didn’t like it, either, but an order from a god couldn’t be refused. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Don’t go. Stay here with me.”
Erus closed his eyes to hide the pain there. Fuck, it felt like his heart was being shredded into bloody ribbons.
“I’m sorry.”
Then he disappeared.
Chapter Eight
“Tyr!” The moment Orrin landed in his suite, he spun on his heels and rushed to the door, still calling for his Guardian. “Tyr, where are you?”
Jerking the door open, he charged out into the hallway, only to barrel right into the male he’d been searching for. While Tyr seemed unfazed by the collision, Orrin bounced off him and stumbled to the side. In fact, he probably would have fallen flat on his ass if Tyr hadn’t caught him by the elbow to steady him.
“What’s wrong, Your Highness? Why are you here? Where’s Erus?”
“I need you to kill me.”
