Read 1304 The Harbinger (The 13th Floor) for Free Online Page B

neatly on the counter. Then he moved a chair to sit across from her. He placed his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands. “Why is it your fault?”
    “Since you died as a hero and you have the blood of an ancient Greek king in your veins, Zeus claimed you.” Meira shifted on her chair and let one wing fall over her feet. “I asked Zeus to let you live. A grand favor, but I was sure he’d grant it. But then …” Meira hesitated. She couldn’t say Hera had come in and ruined everything; in Olympus the walls had ears, and Hera would surely learn of Meira’s blaming her. “Things didn’t go as I planned.”
    “You didn’t mean to give me a chance to fight for my life? It sounds like I would’ve been dead otherwise. Thank you.” His words were honest and heartfelt.
    Meira laughed and burst out into tears at the same time. “Oh, Sam. You shouldn’t be thanking me. By the time this challenge is through, you might wish you were dead. These gods are not kind and merciful.”
    She pressed her cheeks to each of her shoulders, dabbing at the tears with her soft feathers. Now not only would she have bird feet, but smeared mascara as well.
    “Do you need a tissue?” Sam rose and then paused. “I could help you. But you can get your arms back, right?”
    “Yes, I can, but I’m supposed to stay in my true form here.”
    “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” His question was soft and yet sounded so loud in the room.
    “What could I say? Sometimes I write about shoes and other times I fetch souls for Zeus.”
    “So you would’ve never told me? Not even if we were to continue with our relationship, get married, have kids?” His voice cracked once at the end.
    Meira’s chest tightened. There was no point in lying now. She’d worked out their entire life together in her head and how she would’ve kept this from him. “No.”
    “Meira,” Sam breathed out her name in a slow way that tugged more tears from her.
    Neither of them said anything for a few minutes. Each beat of her heart hurt. Any spark of hope she had left for them to be together was now gone. Her wings rustled as she rose and her talons clicked on the floor.
    “I’ll take my leave now. Pull the rope by the door to ring a bell for a servant if you need anything. They’ll send someone when the next part of the challenge is ready.”
    “I don’t want you to go.” Sam rubbed his eyes with his palms and stood. “Whatever we had, I know it can’t be any longer. The lies …” He shook his head. “I understand why you couldn’t tell me, but I don’t want any drama in my life. No matter what I feel for you, I just … I need time to process all this.”
    He couldn’t get it from her. Even if Sam knew about her true nature, Meira didn’t live a simple life. No one affiliated with the gods could ever have such a thing.
    “But right now, you’re the only person here that I know for certain who wants me to live, and you know what’s what here. I’d like you to stay and help me if you can.” Sam sighed and then motioned to the fruit. “Can I eat the food, or will that mean I have to stay here forever?”
    “You can eat the food.” Meira gestured with her wing in that direction. Of course she’d help him. She’d do anything for him, even though he just stated they could never be together.
    Sam popped a pair of grapes into his mouth and groaned. He took a bite of an apple next and made another sound of delight. “So good.”
    The door flew open and three harpies stumbled inside. They cursed at one another, pushing at each other with their wings. Yet their sharp gazes were on Sam and Meira.
    Meira let out a long, hissing breath. “Sam, I’d like you to meet my sisters.”
    “What a delectable piece of man meat!”
    “And here we thought we were interrupting something interesting.”
    “I could make his day much more interesting.”
    “Algaea,” Meira said and motioned to the shortest of the sisters on the right. Then to the middle and