Nick’s hand went back to stroking her hair, and gods, that felt good. Too good. Her eyes drifted closed once more.
“Revenge always comes with a price.”
His voice was low, just above a whisper, but it made her lashes flutter and her eyelids open once more. She stared out into the darkness, seeing nothing but shadows and mist as she thought about that price.
Not just her freedom. But the very heart of who she was. Or who she’d once been.
She hadn’t known when she’d made that deal with Zagreus that it would bring her to this moment. To questioning everything she’d done and believed in. But now…now she wondered if revenge was really the solution. She still wanted retribution against the one who’d destroyed her family, but she didn’t want to lose her soul in the process. And she wasn’t willing to go through with her plan if it meant taking someone else’s soul with her.
“So what changed your mind?” he asked in that same deep, sexy voice, the one that made her think about everything but revenge. “What made you finally decide to walk away from something you so desperately wanted?”
You did.
The words hovered on her lips but she couldn’t bring herself to say them.
“Did you find a phone?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah.” His chest vibrated with his words, the sensation passing from him into her, warming her insides. “I also found us a car. In a few minutes, we’ll head that direction and rendezvous with someone who can help us get the hell out of this damn jungle.”
Us. We. He still intended to keep her with him. Warmth bloomed in her belly all over again, followed by a tiny burst of panic. “You…you called the Argonauts?”
“Hell, no.”
Relief and confusion clouded her thoughts. “But you’re one of them. Why wouldn’t you call them?”
“I’ve never been one of them. And they’re the last people I’d call in a pinch, trust me.”
Curiosity got the best of her. The Argonauts weren’t on her top-ten friend list by any means, but the animosity she heard in Nick’s voice was strong, and it made her wonder what they’d done to cause such a vehement reaction.
“You were gifted with the markings.”
“Cursed is more like it. Don’t get any ideas, female. I’m no hero.”
But…he was. The fact he’d insisted on freeing those prisoners and tended her wounds and was comforting her now when he should want her dead only confirmed that fact.
Her pulse picked up speed, but she told herself not to get worked up. He’d already told her she was now his prisoner. Common sense said if he was taking care of her, it was only to make sure she didn’t die, in case he needed her for leverage down the line against Zagreus.
“Wh-why wouldn’t you turn to the guardians for help?”
He was silent for several seconds, and she was sure he wasn’t going to answer. But then he surprised her by saying, “Because calling them means alerting my soul mate to the fact I’m still alive. And I’m not in the mood to deal with that shit right now.”
Soul mate…
Something in her chest pinched. Something she recognized as jealousy but felt so out of place, she knew it was a ridiculous emotion.
She focused on a dark palm frond ahead. “You have a soul mate? One would think you’d be anxious to see her. Or maybe it’s a him.”
He snorted. “Do I give off that vibe? Man, I am out of practice.”
Oh, hell no, he didn’t give off that vibe. But she wasn’t about to tell him that right now.
“It’s a her,” he went on. “And she’s the last person I want to see or think about. Trust me, having a soul mate is not a blessing. It’s a curse.”
“How so?”
“You don’t know about the Argonauts’ soul mate curse? You’re Argolean.”
“I was raised outside Tiyrns. My parents were refugees hiding from the Council’s strict laws. The Argonauts and anything that happened within the capital were not things we focused on.”
“Lucky you,” he mumbled.
He shifted against the tree at his back, forcing her to sink farther into the warmth of his chest, and he wrapped his arm around her good side, laying his hand on her thigh as he continued to stroke her hair with the other. Warmth infused her skin all over again, making her relax back into him. Making her feel…safe. Which was something so totally foreign, she didn’t know how to react.
“The way the story goes,” he said, “Hera had a special hatred for Heracles, and when Zeus established the realm of Argolea, she retaliated by cursing Heracles and all the Eternal Guardians with a soul mate. The one person in the world they would be forever drawn to but who was the worst possible match for them. The person who would torment their existence. Since I was born with the guardian markings, even though I’m not technically one of them, I lucked out. My soul mate is bonded to my brother.”
Oh, ouch. Yeah, she could see how that would be a curse. “And she—this female—is able to just ignore the soul mate curse? She’s not tortured by it? How is that possible?”
“Because she isn’t cursed. Only those of us with the markings feel the draw. She’s perfectly happy in her protected realm, playing house with my brother. They even have a child now.”
That had to bite. Not only had Cynna overseen Nick’s physical torture the last few months, but now she knew the poor guy was emotionally tortured on a daily basis.
“How often did you see her…you know, before?” Before Zagreus had imprisoned him and she’d put him through another kind of hell.
“As little as possible.”
There was definite animosity there, and her hatred for the guardians and everything Argolean jumped another notch.
Which was fucking ludicrous, because he was nothing to her. Nothing but someone she’d felt obligated to free.
Yeah, right. Keep telling yourself that, girlie…
A plethora of emotions churned inside her, ones she wasn’t ready to face. When his hand lifted from her hair, she was both disappointed and relieved.
“We need to get moving,” he said. “I parked the truck about a mile from here. Do you think you can walk, or do I need to carry you?”
“Walk.” Definitely walk. She lifted her head from his shoulder, gritted her teeth, and sat upright, moving away from him. “But you should just go without me.”
“We’ve already been through that. Not happening.”
Even though pain ripped through her side, she turned to look at him, frustrated and…confused as hell. “Why are you doing this?”
His amber eyes narrowed and held hers. And though she couldn’t read his thoughts, she felt his determination in the intensity of his stare. “Because you told me in that cell that you were freeing me because neither one of us should have been there. And because if you didn’t do the right thing then, you were afraid you never would. For now, I’m keeping you with me for the very same reason.”
She searched her feelings and locked on to her gift, the one that was now working since she was free of Zagreus’s hold, and realized…he was being honest. He wasn’t saving her just because he might eventually use her as leverage. He was saving her because he could.
Her heart raced against her ribs, and her cheeks grew hot. She watched carefully as his knees bent and he pushed to his feet, then stepped around her and held out his hand. “You can either go with me willingly, or you can fight me. But either way, I’m getting you out of this jungle. What’s it going to be, Cynna?”
She looked from his face to his hand and swallowed hard. He didn’t see himself as a hero, but that was exactly what he was, saving his enemy when he had every reason not to. And in that moment, as she stared at his wide palm and long fingers and thought back over the terrible events in her life that had brought her to this moment, she felt something inside shift. Something that had been hard and dark for so long, she was sure it would never bend. Something that was softening…because of him.
Anger and hatred were easy. But
forgiveness—especially forgiving herself for the awful things she’d done and could never change—that was the true challenge.
And the unknown aftermath of what she chose right now scared her more than Zagreus ever had.
“I’m not happy with these results.”
Isadora looked away from the window and the view of the harbor she’d been staring at from Callia’s office and eyed her sister. “And I don’t like you worrying about something that’s clearly not a big deal.”
Leaning against the edge of her desk in the medical clinic she ran, Callia frowned, tucked a lock of auburn hair behind her ear, and shot Isadora an irritating-as-hell I’m-always-right look. “You’ve lost almost ten pounds in a month, your skin is sallow, and you yourself told me you’re exhausted.”
Isadora dropped her crossed arms. “Is this sisterly love? Pointing out all my flaws? Because if it is, I can definitely do without.”
“No, this is the queen’s official healer telling her something isn’t right.”
“I have a six-month-old and a kingdom to run. Cut me some slack. I’m just a tad bit run down.”
“This is more than exhaustion, and you know it.”
Isadora drew in a deep breath to hold her temper in check. She didn’t know what this was, but she didn’t like her sister worrying. Demetrius did that enough for everyone. And lately he’d been way worse than usual.
“Look.” She turned fully from the window. “You did a scan, and you didn’t find anything, did you?”
As a healer, Callia had the ability to sense disease and injury within the body, and, in most cases, her gift gave her the power to heal it. “No. Nothing that would explain your symptoms.”
“And you’re not feeling any strange effects yourself, are you?”
Callia frowned. “No. I’m not.”
Since the three sisters—Isadora, Callia, and Casey—were all linked by their bloodline through the king to the Horae, the ancient goddesses of the order of nature, whatever ailment one sister suffered, the others did as well. “Then it’s nothing.”
The door to the office pushed open before Callia could respond, and Casey stuck her dark head into the room. “I’m not too late, am I?”
Isadora glanced back toward Callia. “You called her?”
“Yes, I did.” Callia pushed away from her desk. “This is heavy, and I think the three of us need to discuss it.”
“Oh, for gods’ sake.” Isadora rolled her eyes and moved back toward the window.
“Okay, fill me in.” Casey stepped into the room and closed the door at her back. Placing a hand on her belly, she rubbed her palm over the baby that would be here in only a few short months while Callia explained Isadora’s test results.
“I haven’t felt anything,” Casey said when her sister finished.
“That’s what I needed to know,” Callia answered. “I haven’t either. But something is definitely going on with Isadora.”
Exasperation toyed with what little patience Isadora had left. “I’m a new mom, I’ve got a mate who can’t stop blaming himself for his brother’s disappearance, an Argonaut who loves to antagonize the Council, the Misos to get set up in their new settlement, and the fate of the world hanging in the balance as we search for Nick, who may or may not be the key to releasing Krónos from Tartarus and starting the apocalypse. If anything’s going on, it’s that I’m just a tiny bit stretched in all directions. So you can both stop speculating about what’s wrong with me and just let me get back to my job.”
She stepped toward the door, but Casey moved into her path.
“Whoa.” Wide-eyed, Casey looked toward Callia. “I think I know why you and I aren’t feeling anything.”
“Why?” Callia asked.
Casey glanced down at her belly, then back at Callia.
“Because you’re pregnant?” Callia asked.
Good gods. Isadora clenched her jaw. They weren’t even listening to her now. She didn’t have time for this. She needed to get back to the Kyrenia settlement, where the Argonauts were working to get basic services set up for the Misos before the Council came in and declared martial law.
“Remember when Isadora hemorrhaged after delivering Elysia, and you immediately felt the effects?”
Callia nodded. “Yes.”
“I didn’t feel them,” Casey said. “I was here in Argolea, but I didn’t feel anything. I was already pregnant then. I just didn’t know yet.”
Callia’s brow dropped. “You’re speculating that because you were pregnant, it caused you not to feel any adverse effects from our connection?”
“No,” Casey answered. “Not just because I was pregnant. Because I was pregnant with an Argonaut’s child. Genetically, the Argonauts are stronger than humans and Misos, right?” She splayed her fingers over the roundness of her belly. “Isn’t it highly possible this baby is strong enough to keep me from feeling any ill effects Isadora is experiencing?”
“Yes,” Callia said, a crease forming between her brows. “That’s entirely possible. It’s just…”
“Just what?” Casey asked.
“Well.” Callia shifted her weight. “If that’s the case, then I should be feeling the same things as Isadora. I’m not pregnant.”
“Are you sure about that?” Casey tipped her head. “You told me a few weeks ago that you and Zander were hoping to give Max a sibling soon.”
A faraway look filled Callia’s violet eyes, and she glanced around the room as if not seeing it. Slowly, her eyes widened, and she turned quickly for a door that led into an exam room. “I-I’ll be right back.”
She was gone without another word.
Isadora frowned at her sister when they were alone. “This is a stretch. Even for you.”
“Why?” Casey asked. “Because you don’t think it’s possible?”
“No, because there’s nothing wrong with me. And I need you and Callia to back me up on this so I can get Demetrius to stop worrying. He has more important things to deal with right now.”
Carefully, because her center of gravity had shifted thanks to the pregnancy, Casey lowered herself to the arm of the sofa. “Still no word on Nick?”
Isadora wrapped an arm around her waist and pinched the bridge of her nose. “No, nothing. It’s like he’s completely vanished off the face of the planet.”
“If Hades has him, that’s entirely possible.”
Casey had been to the Underworld, when Hades had taken her there in an attempt to convince her to give up her life for the sake of a prophecy and his attempt to hold the goddess Atalanta in check. At the time, she’d been raining havoc over a portion of the Underworld and he’d wanted to keep her under his control. His plan had backfired, however, when Isadora made a deal with the god-king of the Underworld to save her sister’s life. A deal that had led to that moment when Isadora had been dying and Nick had made the same deal to save hers. Only Hades hadn’t wanted Nick’s soul like he’d wanted Isadora’s. No, what he still wanted was Krónos’s powers, which were locked inside Nick.
“No,” Isadora said. “He’s in the human realm somewhere. Hades wouldn’t risk taking him to the Underworld where Krónos could influence him. He’s left him with his son until he can access those powers.”
“Did you foresee that?” Casey asked.
“No.” Isadora rubbed her fingers across her brow, wishing the tension headache taking up space behind her eyes would just go away. She felt Nick was still in the human realm. The same way she felt he was alive. Which was weird because she’d never been able to sense something like that before.
She dropped her hand. “Even if Zagreus doesn’t succeed and Nick is—”
The door to the exam room pushed open, and Callia’s ashen face filled the space.
“Callia?” Casey asked, pushing to her feet. “What’s wrong?”
“You were right. I just ran the test. I’m…pregnant.”
A slow smile spread across Casey’s lips, and she stepped forward and gripped her sister’s hand.
“That’s wonderful. Zander will be so excited. When are you—”
“No.” Callia’s eyes locked on Casey’s. “It’s not good news at all. It means you were right. Whatever’s affecting Isadora is not affecting us because of the Argonaut genes we’re carrying. And as rapidly as Isadora is weakening, it means whatever’s happening with her is serious.”
A chill spread down Isadora’s spine. And that vision she’d had before, of her future with her mate, flashed in front of her eyes. Only this future wasn’t the future she’d planned on. And the man in the center of it wasn’t Demetrius.
Isadora’s stomach tightened. Cautiously, to Callia, she said, “You told me you didn’t sense any disease or illness in me.”
“I didn’t,” Callia answered. “But we’re all linked to the Horae. It’s possible whatever this is, it’s hidden.”
Skata. That did not make Isadora feel any better. She held up a suddenly shaking hand. “Okay, not that I buy in to any of this, but I want to go on record as stating that I’m sick and tired of being the sister who’s sick and tired. One of you be sick for a change and let me have a break. How about that?”
Callia didn’t react to her joke. In fact, Isadora wasn’t even sure her sister heard her. The healer moved around her desk and reached for a book from the shelf along the wall. “I need to do some research.” To Isadora, she said, “I don’t want you going out to the Kyrenia settlement. It’s too strenuous for you. Until I figure out what’s going on, you need to stay close to the castle.”
Irritation pulsed inside Isadora. “I have work to do.”
“No one’s stopping you. Delegate it from here.” When Isadora huffed, Callia dropped the book on her desk. “This is important. It isn’t just about you. It’s about all of us. You’re weakening rapidly. Whatever’s going on with you is more than just stress and lack of sleep. It’s something that will eventually affect Casey and me as well.”
Isadora’s stomach tightened at the fear she heard in her sister’s voice. “Okay,” she said cautiously. “I’ll stay close.”