Enraptured (14 page)

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“With Isa. Let’s get real, Argonaut. You are who you are. Just because we sent Atalanta to the Fields of Asphodel doesn’t change the fact she’s your mother. Doesn’t change the fact what’s evil in her is evil in you.”

Demetrius’s jaw clenched. “Isadora knows what I am.”

“Yeah, but aren’t you afraid at some point she’s going to realize it—you—were a mistake? I mean, good sex only lasts so long. And gods know Isadora wasn’t getting any before you, so it’s not like she had a lot to compare to. But that infatuation will wear off soon enough. I mean, she’s the queen of Argolea, and you’re—”

“Why do you care so much?”

Why? Orpheus wasn’t sure. Maybe because he still couldn’t believe someone could love evil. And maybe it was because a small part of him was jealous. Not jealous that Isadora was taken, but jealous of how easily she’d brushed aside everything she’d known for years to be true about Demetrius and had found the one thing in him no one else could see.

He frowned because he knew the last wasn’t it. “I don’t. I’m just wondering when I can sit back and say ‘I told you so.’ The train wreck’s coming. You know it is.”

Demetrius’s jaw clenched harder and he turned his attention back to the Sirens below. “You’re the train wreck, Orpheus. Case in point, the mess you left back there in the mountains.”

Yeah, he might be a fuckup, but he was smart enough to know he wasn’t marriage material. Wasn’t even relationship material. What he had going with the Siren was nothing more than straight-up sexual attraction. Which, as he’d told Demetrius, would burn out soon enough. Tonight, if he had anything to say about it.

His mind drifted to Skyla, and before he could stop himself he wondered what she was doing right this minute. A burst of desire rippled through him when he pictured her kiss-me lips and that made-for-sin body. Which both lit him up and pissed him off at the same time.

The brush to the left of the Sirens rustled, and Orpheus’s adrenaline shot up when he saw Nick stumble into the clearing. The Sirens both pulled their bows, just as he’d seen Skyla do a dozen times. As they’d planned, Nick was covered in blood, crimson streaks all across his chest and thighs, and both Sirens caught the scent immediately, went on high alert as he dropped to the ground at their feet.

A shout echoed from the trees. One Siren shifted her bow in that direction. The other kept her arrow trained on Nick. Seconds later, Theron drew up short at the clearing’s edge, his parazonium—the ancient Greek dagger all Argonauts carried—in hand. He lifted both arms when he caught sight of Zeus’s assassins. “Don’t shoot. I’m an Argonaut.”

The first Siren stepped back near the second. Their wary gazes darted between Nick, facedown in the grass, and Theron. “What are you doing out here?”

“The same thing you are. Hunting. Two from your order came to Argolea in request of our help.”

“Who?” the one on the right asked.

“Khloe and…” He seemed to think for a minute. “Reanna, Remea—”

“Rhebekkah?” the second Siren asked.

“That was it,” Theron said. “Rhebekkah. Said you two were hunting Orpheus.” He nodded toward the ground, slid his parazonium back into its sheath at his back. “Here he is.”

The Sirens exchanged glances, then looked toward Nick. “How do you know it’s him?”

Theron chuckled. “O’s not hard to miss. Shitty attitude, fuck-off mentality. I could sense him a mile away. The fact he shifted into one of those shit-for-brains daemons was also a dead giveaway.”

So Isa had told Theron and the others that he was a hybrid. Wonderful. One more thing for them to hold against him.

“Where did you find him?” the multicolor-haired Siren asked.

“In the mountains. Hiding. The other two got away. Two females. But this is the one you want, right?”

The Sirens looked unsure. The second—the dark-haired one—stepped closer to Nick, nudged his shoulder with her kick-ass boot. The same boots Skyla wore. The first lowered her weapon, moved closer to Nick too.

The second looked up at the first. “I think he might be dead.”

They both refocused on Theron as they depressed the end of their bows, shrinking them down to nothing. “He was to be brought in alive, Argonaut,” the first said.

“Whoa. Wait. No one told me that. You wanted him alive?’ He scratched his head, perched one hand on his hip. “Well, damn. That creates a problem, doesn’t it?”

“A big problem,” the second said. She cut a look at her partner. “Athena will not be happy.”

“Especially not when she finds out Skyla got away,” the first replied.

So these two Sirens were hunting Skyla too. Orpheus’s suspicions as to Skyla’s real intentions bloomed all over again, stringing his chest tight as a drum.

“We’ll take it from here, Argonaut,” the first said. “You’re free to go.”

“Are you sure?” Theron asked. “I mean, I wouldn’t want you…ladies…to get into any trouble over this.”

The second sent a hard glare his way. “Leave now, Argonaut. Before we change our minds and decide you’re better off dead too.”

A shocked expression rushed across Theron’s face. He held his hands up again and stepped back toward the dark forest. “Okay, okay. Hint taken. Good luck, ladies.”

He disappeared from view. And beside Orpheus, Demetrius tensed. That was their cue.

“Wait,” Orpheus whispered.

The multicolor-haired Siren leaned down toward Nick and muscled him over onto his back. When she caught sight of his face she swore loud and clear.

Nick’s eyes popped open. “Now that didn’t sound all sweet and seductive to me.”

He kicked the legs out from under the brunette. She landed on her ass with a thud. The first reached for her bow, but Nick was already on his feet.

“Now,” Orpheus said. He and Demetrius cast the illusion spell before she could pull her arrow, multiplying Nick by a hundred times all across the clearing.

“Fuck,” the first Siren muttered as she shifted her bow right and left, not sure where now to aim.

“No thanks,” Nick muttered, the mouths of all the illusions moving to disorient the Sirens, “we’re really not in the mood.”

The Sirens glanced from one image of Nick to another, then at each other. Finally, knowing they were likely screwed, they lowered their weapons. Though they might look cornered, Orpheus knew they weren’t. He’d seen Skyla in that position more times than he could count.

“Now the rest,” Orpheus whispered.

He and Demetrius focused their powers, called on their Medean heritage. The chant grew up around them, echoed in the still night air. From below, a Siren asked, “What was that?”

“Oh, just a little surprise,” Nick said with a smile in his voice.

The Sirens’ voices faded into nothing as the chant grew louder and Orpheus and Demetrius whipped the disorientation spell into a frenzy. When it was finally done, Orpheus opened his eyes to look down at the clearing, where both Sirens were lying on their backs in the grass, passed out.

“Did it work?” Demetrius called.

The images of Nick faded as their concentration broke, leaving only the real Nick standing in the meadow. He knelt near the multicolor-haired Siren and felt along her neck. “Yep. Pulse is strong. Though I’m pretty sure they’re both going to have major-ass headaches when they come to.”

Orpheus picked his way down the hill and stopped in the clearing next to Theron, who’d reemerged from the trees. “A major headache is an understatement. When they wake up they won’t remember a thing, not about what happened here or anything about this forest. Though I did like seeing their faces when you multiplied. I’d love to pull that one on their boss.”

“Don’t wish for things you don’t really want,” Nick answered as the SUV Orpheus had rented in Kalispell pulled into the clearing next to them and the same half-breed who’d informed them of the Sirens’ presence climbed from the vehicle. “He’s gonna be pissed when he finds them.”

“Where are you taking them?” Orpheus asked.

“Aidan’s gonna drive them south,” Nick said. “There’s a Titan posing as a human down in Texas. Figured we’d leave them with him. He’ll get a kick out of tormenting Zeus and Athena.”

Nick looked to Orpheus. “We’ve got what, twenty hours?”

“Give or take,” Orpheus answered.

“Piece of cake,” Aidan said. “In twenty hours they’ll be tucked in safe and sound and Zeus’ll be pitching a conniption fit, wondering what the hell happened to them.”

That wasn’t the only fit Zeus would be pitching. While their toying with his Sirens couldn’t be linked directly back to the colony or even to him, Orpheus had a feeling somehow it would catch up with him. Shit always did.

A knock sounded on the door before Skyla could decide if she was going to stay while Maelea finished her shower or go look for Orpheus.

She really wanted to go look for Orpheus.

“Come in,” she said, her stomach grumbling when she remembered the food Helene had promised to send up.

A slim blond stepped into the room, smiled. She was petite, with short, messy hair and dark brown eyes. Behind her, a dark-haired woman entered, this one taller than the first. Neither held the tray of food Skyla was hoping for.

“I’m glad you’re still here,” the blond said. “I’m Isadora. This is my sister Casey. We came up to make sure you have everything you need.”

Isadora…Casey…The names were vaguely familiar. But there was something about them that didn’t jell with the other colonists Skyla had run into. “You’re both Misos?”

“I am,” Casey answered. “My
half
sister isn’t. She’s—”

The names finally clicked and Skyla’s eyes widened. “The queen of Argolea.”

Isadora clasped her hands in front of her, nodded. “Very good, Siren. The gods are obviously keeping tabs on what happens in our little part of the world.”

Of course they were. They had to. There was that whole self-preservation thing going on.

The small of Skyla’s back tightened. No weapons on either of them, not that she could see, but that didn’t mean they weren’t a threat. What was the queen of Argolea doing at a half-breed colony?

Isadora moved farther into the room, stopping near the couch in the small sitting area. “Orpheus and Nick went with the others. They’ll be back soon.”

“Others?” Skyla asked, not moving from her spot near the window.

“My husband.” Casey nodded toward the other woman. “And the queen’s husband too. Both of whom are Argonauts.”

Well, of course they were.

“We came up here,” Isadora said, “to discuss your interest in Orpheus.”

Ah. Now this was starting to make more sense. “Since he’s one of your warriors, my interest in him obviously concerns you.”

“Yes,” the queen answered. “Greatly.”

“Orpheus doesn’t need you to be concerned for him. If you knew what he is, you wouldn’t be.”

“I know exactly what he is,” Isadora answered. “And though you may see that as a negative, I see it as the opposite. I’m not about to let anyone—especially you—ruin him.”

The queen’s last words hung in the silence between them, a ridiculous warning from a petite creature any Siren would ignore. But Skyla wasn’t ignoring it. Because only one thought revolved in her mind as she stared at the queen. “You care for him.”

“I do. While he’s not the easiest person to get along with—”

“You can say that again,” Casey mumbled.

“—he is not defined by that part of himself he keeps carefully locked down.”

His daemon side. The queen was talking about his daemon, which meant she did know what he was.

“It makes him unpredictable,” Skyla managed.

“Unpredictability is often an asset, especially in a war the likes of which we are embroiled in. Regardless of that unpredictability, Orpheus has shown his link to the ancient heroes more times than I can count. If he was only what you or Zeus say he is, he wouldn’t give a damn about me or my sisters or our world. And the truth is—whether he will admit it or not—he does.”

Tingles spread through Skyla’s chest. And that word,
hero
, the one growing louder and louder in her head whenever she thought of Orpheus, increased to the sound of a blaring trumpet. “How?”

“Excuse me?”

“How does he give a damn?” Her neck grew hot and sweaty. “Give me an example.”

Isadora looked at her sister again, and when Casey nodded, she said, “I can give you several. He saved my life. He saved my husband’s life. He saved our other sister’s son Max’s life. Together with my mate’s help he was able to send Atalanta to the Fields of Asphodel, thereby giving us the chance to hunt her daemons and get a leg up on this war. But none of those are as important as the reason I’m about to give you.”

Skyla’s chest tightened. And in the queen’s words, every suspicion she’d had about Orpheus was confirmed.

Hero.

She moved toward the bed, sat down on the edge before her legs gave out.

“Three months ago,” the queen went on, “an Argonaut was injured in our realm by a powerful warlock who’d banded forces with Atalanta. Gryphon, Orpheus’s brother, suffered a tremendous blast of energy during that fight that left him weak and nearly dead. Our healers did all they could for him, but it wasn’t enough. When it became clear that Gryphon’s body had regained its strength, but that his soul was slowly dying, Orpheus gave up whatever personal plans he had for the Orb of Krónos and brought it to Gryphon. Even without the four elements, the Orb has powers beyond explanation. But the warlock’s energy had destroyed enough of Gryphon’s soul that he was able to take possession of Gryphon’s body, thereby sending Gryphon’s soul to the Underworld.”

The Underworld.
Oh
gods.

Skyla’s breaths grew quick as Orpheus’s intentions—why he was seeking the Orb of Krónos—suddenly became clear. She reached out and gripped the post at the corner of the bed, knowing what was coming even before the queen said it.

“I’m sure Zeus told you Orpheus is after the Orb for power and glory.” Isadora’s eyes grew hard. “But he’s not. He’s after the Orb so he can harness its powers and travel into the Underworld to save his brother’s life. A life he feels responsible for losing. He won’t admit that to you if you ask. He won’t even admit it to me. And sometimes I’m not even sure he can admit it to himself, but that doesn’t change the truth. The
ándres
who has been there every time we’ve needed him for whatever reason is more a hero than most in our realm. And he’s more a hero than you or I could ever hope to be.”

Hero
. The word was there again, roaring through her mind like a freight train.

“And when you say he is an Argonaut,” Isadora continued, “you may be right—now—but he was not one by birth. He was passed over by the gods to serve. Those marks on his arms? They only appeared after his younger brother’s soul was sent to the Underworld.”

“Siren?” Casey asked. “Are you okay?”

Skyla swallowed hard. Tried to nod. Wasn’t sure she succeeded.

Dear gods, she’d been right. Zeus and Athena were lying to her. Lying because they wanted the Orb for themselves. Not to rescue a soul, like Orpheus, but to ensure no one became more powerful than them.

Hero
. The word sucked up all the empty space in her head, shoving aside every last doubt she’d had about Orpheus because of his daemon. Whether he purposely hadn’t shifted or couldn’t anymore didn’t matter. He was still heroic, even with the daemon.

“You said he was with the Argonauts.” Skyla’s mind was a thick hazy soup of lies long told and so easily believed. “Why? Where?”

“They went to deal with your tail,” Isadora answered.

“My what?

“You’ve had two Sirens following you for quite some time.” Casey brushed her hair over her shoulder. “And they weren’t the same two that came to Argolea to request the Argonaut’s help locating the warlock who has the Orb.”

Skyla’s head darted up. “Sirens from my order came to you?”

“Yes,” Isadora said. “I take it from your reaction this is news to you?”

Big news. Enormous news. Yeah, Skyla had yet to check in with Athena as she was supposed to, but if the head of her order had already sent Sirens to tail them and also to Argolea to request help, it meant she’d never trusted Skyla in the first place. It also meant if Skyla didn’t follow through on her orders and kill Orpheus, as Zeus wanted, her future with the Sirens would come to a dramatic end.

Of course, maybe that was the plan all along. A sneaking suspicion took root in the bottom of her stomach as she gripped the mattress. Maybe Athena had set Skyla up to fail right from the start.

The
Siren
call
to
duty
is
one
that
is
meant
to
be
answered, served, then abandoned, and we never intended for you to serve this long.

Reality was a sharp, swift slap to the face. Athena had said the words clear as day, and Skyla had heard them but hadn’t realized their meaning.

“Siren?” Casey asked again. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look a little green.”

No, Skyla wasn’t okay. Not by a long shot. Because this suddenly was not another of the thousands of missions Zeus had sent her on over her long life.

This time, she was the prey.