Elisabeth Naughton - Tempted

“She’s done this before,” Demetrius pointed out. “When the king betrothed her to Theron, she—”

“She came to find me. Yeah, I know. But this is different. She wouldn’t run now because there’s no point. She can’t hide in Argolea—”

“She can in the human realm,” Demetrius cut in.

“—and she wouldn’t be dumb enough to go to the human realm alone.”

“And why not?” Demetrius sneered. “She seems to like it there. In fact, she likes causing trouble in general, getting us all stirred up so we have to drop whatever we’re doing and go look for her.”

Casey could barely believe what she was hearing. “Do you honestly think that’s what she’s after? Attention?”

“I think that’s exactly what she wants.”

Casey’s temper flared. “For your information, Demetrius, she wouldn’t go to the human realm now unless someone forced her.”

“And why is that?”

“Because she knows Atalanta is hunting the Horae. And she wouldn’t risk jeopardizing our world for her own satisfaction.”

“I’m not so convinced.”

That did it. Casey took a step toward him. “Well, maybe this will convince you. She also wouldn’t go there because if something were to happen to her there, what waits for her is a thousand times worse than marrying someone she doesn’t love.”

“ Meli ,” Theron warned behind her.

She ignored her husband, shook off his hand trying to pull her back. His Argonauts needed to know what they were facing. This wasn’t another of Isadora’s attempts to sway the king’s decision where she was concerned. Something bad had happened to her. Casey could feel it. And she was going out of her mind with worry.

“She traded her soul to Hades,” Casey said, glancing from one Argonaut to the next. “She did it to save me when she thought our father’s attempt to complete the prophecy of the Chosen was going to kill me. And Hades is holding her to that bargain, even though he—the sick bastard—knew we would both survive.” When Demetrius only stared at her, she added, “Do you get what I’m telling you? Living, with even one of you, is a thousand times more enticing than spending eternity with Hades. Besides, she’s way too loyal to do anything that would put me or anyone else in jeopardy. Someone forced her to leave. She would not have run this time.”

“Casey’s right,” Callia said. “Even though she didn’t want to be bound to Zander, she wouldn’t have run.”

Silence fell over the room. And Casey knew what each Argonaut was thinking. There was no proof. Only her gut feeling against Isadora’s track record. But in her heart, Casey knew she was right.

Theron ran a hand over his brow. “ Meli , the castle’s been under extra security all day for the ceremony. And no one’s seen a thing. She couldn’t have—”

His words broke off when footsteps pounded outside the door. Casey glanced over to see Cerek and Titus move into the room. Titus’s dark brown waves had slipped free from the leather strap he usually kept tied at the nape of his neck. Cerek’s short dark hair flew every direction, as if he’d just walked through a wind tunnel. Both Argonauts’ faces were flushed as if they’d been running.

“Saphira’s missing,” Titus said as he crossed the royal seal in the middle of the floor.

“Who in Hades is Saphira?” Theron asked.

“Her maidservant,” Cerek said.

“How do you know?” Callia asked. “And when?”

Titus shook his head. “Not sure. No one can find her either, but we found this under the ottoman in Isadora’s room.” He held out his hand. In his big palm he cradled a silver bracelet with sun-symbol markings over one shiny side. “Saphira was the last one alone with the princess.”

“Holy skata ,” Theron mumbled.

“What?” Casey asked, stepping close to get a better look. “What is it?”

“That’s the symbol of Helios.” Callia moved forward.

Casey’s mind skipped back over her mythology. “The sun god. He was a Titan, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah.” Theron clenched his teeth. “And Medea’s great-grandfather.” He looked at his guardians. “The handmaiden’s a witch? How did no one know that?”

Casey was still having trouble following it all. She took the bracelet from Titus, studied the stamped silver as voices picked up in the room. “Wait,” she said. “Wait!”

When eight sets of eyes glanced her way, she asked, “What would a witch want with Isadora?”

“I don’t know.” Theron shook his head. “But I intend to find out. Titus, Cerek, find where the witch lives.”

“On it,” Cerek said as they both headed back for the door.

“Phin and Z, scour the princess’s rooms again, talk to every guard. If the witch cast a spell to get them out of the damn castle, someone knows something. Find it.”

Phineus nodded. Zander kissed Callia and whispered something Casey couldn’t hear, then Phineus and Zander took off for the door.

“D, Gryphon,” Theron said, “I want you to check the portal, make sure no one’s crossed—”

“Oh, gods, the portal,” Callia cut in.

The blood drained from Casey’s face when she made the connection too.

Theron glanced between the two. “What now?”

Casey turned to her husband. “The secret portals. I told you that’s how Callia, Isadora, and I crossed into the human realm when you and the guardians were at the Misos colony. We couldn’t use the main portal because the Executive Guard was monitoring it and they never would have let us through.”

“I remember. What—?”

She placed her hand on his forearm, right over the Argonaut markings, ancient Greek text that ran up and down his arms and signified him as the warrior descendant of one of the seven greatest heroes in all of ancient Greece. “Theron, the secret portals are manned by witches. Orpheus took us there. They recognized Isadora the day we crossed. I didn’t think anything of it then, but now—”

“Orpheus,” Demetrius growled at Casey’s back.

Casey whipped around and did a double take at the malice in Demetrius’s eyes. Demetrius stalked to the door without a word, his long black coat flapping in his wake.

“Gryphon,” Theron said quickly. “Your brother—”

“I’m on it.” Gryphon jogged for the door. “I may want to kick Orpheus’s ass now and then, but even I wouldn’t sic D on him.”

When the room fell silent, Casey turned toward her husband. She knew he was doing everything he could, but the heavy weight on her heart and that tingling near her lower back told her something was very wrong. “Theron,” she whispered.

“Shh, meli .” He pulled her close. “We’ll find her.”

Casey leaned into his touch and glanced at Callia. Across the room her half sister crossed her arms and chewed on her thumbnail. And in her eyes Casey saw the dread she felt reflected right back at her.

The black mist rolled through Demetrius as he flashed to the sidewalk on Corinth Avenue in the Draco region of Tiyrns, the slum that was home to the lowest life-forms in all the city. Dusk had just settled in, and the streetlights above glowed orange in the fading light. He took in the trash in the gutters, the run-down buildings, the bars on the windows, and the swaying signs from businesses that had long ago called it quits in this part of Argolea.

He knew this area well. Knew the pub across the street, with its blaring music and raucous laughter. Knew several who inhabited the seedy establishment even better, because they came here for the same things he did. But there was no way Isadora could have known about this place. And just the thought of her walking these streets to find Orpheus sent that black mist boiling.