That was our cue to leave. Wishing him a good day, the six of us hurried out of the church and back to the van. I made a move to get in the driver's seat, but Hector stopped me. “Sit in back with me, please. I have questions, and then I want to know what you think we should do next.”
It was the first time he'd outright invited me to be a participant, and not just a passenger.
“Okay.”
He took my hand, then surprised me, tucking it against the inside of his elbow. Even though it was two steps from one door to the other, having him hold me this way felt more intimate than anything he'd done so far. I tried to stop myself from staring at him, but it was impossible. The huge, gruff, serious man watched me the same way. Almost like he was seeing me for the first time.
Once inside, he kept hold of my hand, dragged it to his thigh, and pressed it against him. Paris got into the driver's seat, and Orestes got in next to him—still our navigator.
I thought the first thing out of Hector's mouth would be, “What did you see?” But he shocked me with, “Are you okay?”
Paris's eyes flicked to mine in the rearview mirror. I stared at him a second, then looked back to Hector. “That one wasn't too bad. I've seen worse.” Way worse.
“I think the seal showed me the first time anyone found me since Athena cursed me,” I said, holding Hector's blue-eyed stare. “It felt like the first time.” I still didn't have the whole picture. Myth and dreams meshed into a muddy memory soup.
“At the end, something she said...”
“Medusa?” Hector asked.
“No.” There was no more distance between her and me. With each vision, I was accepting our connection and sameness, so I corrected myself. “Me.Isaid, or I thought, that I was a shield.”
“Which is what we were able to get out of Athena in Oxford,” Achilles reminded us.
“I wish I knew more,” Hector said. He studied me, brushed my hair behind my ear, and frowned. “I should have been preparing for the gods' return, instead of pretending everything was fine. And now, you're forced to replay all these events.”
“With each memory, I feel more and more like Athena made a huge mistake in bringing me back,” I countered.
Hector blinked slowly, then slid so close to me, I could see the gray striations in his blue eyes. He gripped the back of my neck hard, refusing to let me turn from him. “Don't ever think that. No matter how it happened, you being alive is the best thing that could have happened.”
Every muscle in my body froze as he suddenly cupped my face between his hands, leaned down, and kissed me. He couldn't know what it meant to have someone say they were happy I existed. I reached for him, hooked my fingers around the loops of his jeans, and held him in place.
Hector dragged his fingers down my neck, held it, and kept kissing me. Fire dumped into my belly as he sipped at my lips. His beard was soft against my skin, but I knew I'd wear the mark of it later.
I liked that and didn't care what it said about me. For someone who never really mattered to anyone, beard burn was a claiming. It told the world I belonged to someone.
I didn't know how to handle what these men did to my body. It scared me and excited me. It connected me to them with gentle stitches that, when tightened, became as strong as steel.
You being alive is the best thing that could have happened.
Hector moved his mouth from mine, skimming his teeth down to my jaw and over. It felt so good. He sucked on my neck now, and I couldn't feel anything except his lips. I wanted to pop the button on his jeans. I wanted to strip everything away so there was only him and me and our skin touching.
Inhaling deeply, Hector pressed his nose against the spot where my shoulder met my neck. He gave me one last hard suck and lifted his head.
My gaze went right to his lips. They were red, wet, and swollen. I lifted my thumb, traced them, and kissed him again.
He held in place, allowing me to explore. I turned my head, trying one angle, then another.
I felt the moment it changed, and he lost control. His kisses went from languid—meeting my lips, letting me lead—to urgent. He thrust his tongue into my mouth, and all I could imagine was him, thrusting into me. He was hard, and so, so big. But the thought didn't frighten me.
Hector was safety. I loosened my grip from his pants to push them into the soft strands of his hair. He bit my lower lip and I was the one falling apart. I gripped the back of his hair, fisting the strands, holding him so tight.
He twisted, rested his cheek against mine, and blew out a short breath.
I stroked his beard and lifted my gaze to his. His blue eyes were hypnotizing, like staring up at the sky and trying to find the spot where it became endless space.
“Do you believe me now?” he asked.
My throat thickened, so rather than turn into a blubbering mess, I smiled. No more second-guessing. No more finding it hard to believe that these beautiful creatures wanted me. No more searching for reasons they'd change their minds.