"Aphrodite's_Flame_057" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kenner _Julie_-_[Protector_04]_-_Aphrodite's_Flame_(V1.0)_[lit](multi-file html))

Chapter Fifty-four

Izzy screamed at Mordi to go, to run, but the idiot wasn’t listening to her. She couldn’t see him anymore. More of the avalanche had completely blocked the corridor except for a tiny area up top where the door mechanism was, and the shrinking hole through which she’d seen him come back for her—and through which she’d seen the door straining to close.
“Dammit,” she yelled. “For the love of Hera, go!” Tears streamed down her face, and she kicked against her captor, and punched him again, but was unable to free her foot. The door was going to close soon, and she’d be damned if Mordi was going to be trapped in here, too. He’d saved her from that horrible little cell. It was her turn to save him.
“No!” he screamed from the other side of the dirt. In her incapacitated state, she’d never survive with the frenzied Henchmen. Even if he could escape and break back in with a Protector team, it would be too late. “I’m not leaving you. You’re either coming out with me or I’m staying with you, but I am not leaving without you. Do you understand me?”
She did. She’d known he loved her; she’d read it in his soul. But now she knew what love meant to Mordi. He would die for her ... and she wasn’t about to let that happen. She didn’t know what they could do, but she was willing to try anything.
Above her, Mordi’s eyes and head emerged at the top of the rock pile. And just seeing him gave her hope.
She flashed him a smile. “You’re crazy, but okay. What do you want me to do?”
“That’s my girl,” he said as she kicked once again at the Henchman’s gut. He dug his way through the dirt. “I’m going to burn that Henchman, and when I do, you need to jerk free and scramble here faster than you’ve ever run before.”
She nodded. “I can do that,” she told herself. The thing made another grab for her waist, and she kicked again, once more feeling her foot sink into something the consistency of Jello. Sweet Hera, these creatures were disgusting.
“There’s one other thing,” he said.
“Why—”
Kick.
“—am I not—”
Kick, kick.
“—surprised?”
Kick!
The Henchman’s slimy grip loosened around her thigh, though it still had a tight hold on her ankle. “Okay,” she said. “What?”
“The door.”
Cold filled her. She loved Mordi. She could no longer read him. But even so, she knew exactly what he was going to say. “What about the door?”
“Can you see it? We have to make it hold a bit longer. Take a good look before you run, and hold it in your mind. Once that ice melts, I need you to help levitate it. I can’t do it on my own, and I’m still weak from my Zephron impersonation a few hours ago. And I’m going to need much of my strength for the fire.”
Sweet Hera, she’d been afraid of this.
She drew in a breath, started to speak, then stopped. How could she tell the man she loved he was about to give up his life with her? She couldn’t.
She wouldn’t.
He was right. There was no other way. They’d either manage it—she’d manage it—or they wouldn’t. And as foolhardy as it seemed, with Mordi’s love to bolster her, she felt stronger than ever.
Just to prove it, she walloped the Henchman good. She even managed to free herself, and just as she was about to yell to Mordi that it was okay, that they didn’t need his fire and he could hold the door open, two things happened at once: The ice holding the mechanism melted, and five other Henchmen pounced on her.
“Now!” Mordi shouted.
She gathered her energy, pictured the door in her mind, and reached out, feeling its weight, its density, trying to become the door. Nothing happened, though, and she had to fight tears—fight to concentrate—because she would not disappoint Mordi.
Then everything felt hot and red, and she realized that Mordi had let loose with his fire. She jerked forward, suddenly free from the squealing Henchmen, and scrambled up and over the rocks. She didn’t think about where she was going. She only concentrated on diving through the gap, or moving—and on keeping that door in her head.
The pulley strained and groaned above, its terrible noise echoing through the catacombs as she reached Mordi. He was obviously spent, but he grabbed her arm. “It’s heavy. But you can do it.”
Behind them, one of the Henchman—now a shrieking flaming mass—was clamoring up the rocks behind them.
“Come on,” she yelled, and they ran toward the door.
There were only about twelve inches of clearance now, but she concentrated with all her heart and soul, stronger with the knowledge that Mordi believed in her.
And it worked. She couldn’t quite believe it. In fact, she was so amazed that she almost came to a dead stop, but Mordi tugged her on. They slid under the heavy stone, pushing their bodies beneath; her moving more slowly on her bad ankle, and the burning Henchman right on their heels.
“I can’t hold it anymore,” she cried. She heard the squeal of the pulley, righting to let the stone descend.
“I’m clear!” Mordi shouted, and then his hands curled around her underarms and he pulled. She shot forward into his embrace, and into the clear, just as the stone door finally crashed to the ground. It destroyed the last, persistent Henchman, cutting him in half with a satisfying squish.
Izzy’s breath was ragged as she collapsed against Mordi. She pressed her face into his chest and simply breathed in his scent. “I knew you’d come,” she said again.
“Always,” he said, stroking her hair. “Forevermore.”
She pulled away, just enough to look in his eyes, then smiled. “So, you didn’t manage to pull all that off at the end just so you wouldn’t have to spend eternity with me in a catacomb, did you?”
His smile matched hers, and he pulled her close. “You know, now that I think about it, eternity with you in close quarters sounds pretty darned appealing.”
For her part, Izzy completely agreed.

Chapter Fifty-four

Izzy screamed at Mordi to go, to run, but the idiot wasn’t listening to her. She couldn’t see him anymore. More of the avalanche had completely blocked the corridor except for a tiny area up top where the door mechanism was, and the shrinking hole through which she’d seen him come back for her—and through which she’d seen the door straining to close.
“Dammit,” she yelled. “For the love of Hera, go!” Tears streamed down her face, and she kicked against her captor, and punched him again, but was unable to free her foot. The door was going to close soon, and she’d be damned if Mordi was going to be trapped in here, too. He’d saved her from that horrible little cell. It was her turn to save him.
“No!” he screamed from the other side of the dirt. In her incapacitated state, she’d never survive with the frenzied Henchmen. Even if he could escape and break back in with a Protector team, it would be too late. “I’m not leaving you. You’re either coming out with me or I’m staying with you, but I am not leaving without you. Do you understand me?”
She did. She’d known he loved her; she’d read it in his soul. But now she knew what love meant to Mordi. He would die for her ... and she wasn’t about to let that happen. She didn’t know what they could do, but she was willing to try anything.
Above her, Mordi’s eyes and head emerged at the top of the rock pile. And just seeing him gave her hope.
She flashed him a smile. “You’re crazy, but okay. What do you want me to do?”
“That’s my girl,” he said as she kicked once again at the Henchman’s gut. He dug his way through the dirt. “I’m going to burn that Henchman, and when I do, you need to jerk free and scramble here faster than you’ve ever run before.”
She nodded. “I can do that,” she told herself. The thing made another grab for her waist, and she kicked again, once more feeling her foot sink into something the consistency of Jello. Sweet Hera, these creatures were disgusting.
“There’s one other thing,” he said.
“Why—”
Kick.
“—am I not—”
Kick, kick.
“—surprised?”
Kick!
The Henchman’s slimy grip loosened around her thigh, though it still had a tight hold on her ankle. “Okay,” she said. “What?”
“The door.”
Cold filled her. She loved Mordi. She could no longer read him. But even so, she knew exactly what he was going to say. “What about the door?”
“Can you see it? We have to make it hold a bit longer. Take a good look before you run, and hold it in your mind. Once that ice melts, I need you to help levitate it. I can’t do it on my own, and I’m still weak from my Zephron impersonation a few hours ago. And I’m going to need much of my strength for the fire.”
Sweet Hera, she’d been afraid of this.
She drew in a breath, started to speak, then stopped. How could she tell the man she loved he was about to give up his life with her? She couldn’t.
She wouldn’t.
He was right. There was no other way. They’d either manage it—she’d manage it—or they wouldn’t. And as foolhardy as it seemed, with Mordi’s love to bolster her, she felt stronger than ever.
Just to prove it, she walloped the Henchman good. She even managed to free herself, and just as she was about to yell to Mordi that it was okay, that they didn’t need his fire and he could hold the door open, two things happened at once: The ice holding the mechanism melted, and five other Henchmen pounced on her.
“Now!” Mordi shouted.
She gathered her energy, pictured the door in her mind, and reached out, feeling its weight, its density, trying to become the door. Nothing happened, though, and she had to fight tears—fight to concentrate—because she would not disappoint Mordi.
Then everything felt hot and red, and she realized that Mordi had let loose with his fire. She jerked forward, suddenly free from the squealing Henchmen, and scrambled up and over the rocks. She didn’t think about where she was going. She only concentrated on diving through the gap, or moving—and on keeping that door in her head.
The pulley strained and groaned above, its terrible noise echoing through the catacombs as she reached Mordi. He was obviously spent, but he grabbed her arm. “It’s heavy. But you can do it.”
Behind them, one of the Henchman—now a shrieking flaming mass—was clamoring up the rocks behind them.
“Come on,” she yelled, and they ran toward the door.
There were only about twelve inches of clearance now, but she concentrated with all her heart and soul, stronger with the knowledge that Mordi believed in her.
And it worked. She couldn’t quite believe it. In fact, she was so amazed that she almost came to a dead stop, but Mordi tugged her on. They slid under the heavy stone, pushing their bodies beneath; her moving more slowly on her bad ankle, and the burning Henchman right on their heels.
“I can’t hold it anymore,” she cried. She heard the squeal of the pulley, righting to let the stone descend.
“I’m clear!” Mordi shouted, and then his hands curled around her underarms and he pulled. She shot forward into his embrace, and into the clear, just as the stone door finally crashed to the ground. It destroyed the last, persistent Henchman, cutting him in half with a satisfying squish.
Izzy’s breath was ragged as she collapsed against Mordi. She pressed her face into his chest and simply breathed in his scent. “I knew you’d come,” she said again.
“Always,” he said, stroking her hair. “Forevermore.”
She pulled away, just enough to look in his eyes, then smiled. “So, you didn’t manage to pull all that off at the end just so you wouldn’t have to spend eternity with me in a catacomb, did you?”
His smile matched hers, and he pulled her close. “You know, now that I think about it, eternity with you in close quarters sounds pretty darned appealing.”
For her part, Izzy completely agreed.