Hold Their Peace (Vampire Assassin League) Read Online Free PDF Page B

although he rarely heard it. Thanos immediately opened his eyes. He was in his domicile. Atop his marble slab. All was the same.
    Or was it?
    This particular marble slab had been taken from the library at Persepolis while the rest of Alexander’s army destroyed the Persian palace. This piece of marble had two slight flaws. One was near the top, below where his shoulders usually rested. That nick was where the spear that had taken his mortality had glanced, mutely testifying not only to the power of the blow, but the closeness of his killer. And it hadn’t told why. No Persian soldier had been behind the blow. It was a fellow Macedon warrior; one with a jealous streak, murderous intent, and no eye to consequences. The man hadn’t even stuck around to make certain of his kill. That had been the fellow’s death warrant.
    He hadn’t died pretty, but he had died. Thanos made certain of it, watching his trussed-up killer burn alive in the flames. Yelling. And then screaming. And finally cursing Thanos, his executioner. But he was too late for that. Thanos was already cursed.
    The other flaw in the marble slab was a nick along one edge where Thanos’ chisel had slipped while carving it out. It wasn’t noticeable because he’d hidden it beneath a bed frame of iron, intricately wrought to look like tree limbs, almost like the marble was suspended in midair. That had taken decades to design and craft, once he realized he’d have a lot of time on his hands in this afterlife, and absolutely nothing better to do.
    “Thanos.”
    Akron was louder this time, the name more defined. It sounded as if Akron knelt beside this cool marble slab in physical reality.
    Wait a moment...
    The marble was cool against him.
    Thanos grunted and rolled off the side, landing on his knees. It took a few moments to blink his resting place into complete focus. Another to adjust to the jolt that he’d actually felt. He was grinning as he rubbed at both knees.
    It was all true! And had happened to him! He had emotion and sensation back! And why? Because he had a mate, and he’d actually found her. And she was still here! Right there! He studied her from a like height, since he still knelt at his bedside. Her cheek was resting on a palm. Her eye lashes fluttered while she slumbered away, lost in dreamland. She’d actually slept in his arms, swathed in a double layer of cloth against the hard, unbending surface of his marble.
    And that after another round of lovemaking that had collapsed one of his tables in the outer chamber.
    “Thanos!”
    Ouch . Thanos slapped both hands to his ears. Akron wasn’t shouting, but it was loud enough to cause ringing in both ears. Thanos was on his feet and out in his corridor before he got called again.
    He padded on bare soles that felt every nuance of his cool tile floor, reaching his Recon room. The door knob was slick and cold to the touch. And he felt it. If he’d ever giggled, he supposed that what was happening as he slid into a leather chair and tapped a forefinger to one of his monitors. A dim beep accompanied the instant image of a large room, an ornate table beneath a curved staircase that shadowed the area, and the back of an open laptop. Nothing else. It was all anyone saw of Akron.
    “About time.” Akron’s voice came through the speakers in a rush, showing his agitation.
    “Yeah. About time.” Nigel’s voice was right behind Akron’s, but not near the volume or depth.
    Akron’s sigh was loud and lengthy, causing such a throb of sound it was almost a visceral being of its own. Long moments followed the end of it when nobody said anything.
    “Well? What is it?” Thanos asked finally.
    “Good thing you live in the middle of nowhere, Thanos, and have little to do with the modern world and real-time technology. I’ve been trying to reach you via all the usual methods of communication. The least you could do is pick up.”
    “Yeah. Pick up,” Nigel parroted Akron.
    “Why?” Thanos