Panic pushed Cynna forward. “You don’t understand what’s happening here. Zagreus couldn’t break Nick physically or sexually to gain his god powers, so he let us go. He knew Nick was already interested in me. He’s been waiting for Nick to fall in love with me so he can swoop in and tell Nick how I betrayed him, thinking that will be enough to break him emotionally. But he’s wrong. Nick’s too strong to break from that. But if you die, it’ll push him over the edge. The soul mate bond is stronger than anything. You’ve all said it. I’ve seen what a broken Argonaut looks like. If Nick loses you, it’ll be too much. It’ll—”
“Cynna, stop.”
She jerked around at the sound of Nick’s voice. He stood in the archway to the hall, wearing jeans and the same long-sleeved shirt she’d pulled off his chiseled chest only hours ago, staring at her with intense amber eyes that seemed to see right through her.
That panic swelled, making her throat tight and her fingers tingle.
“I didn’t know what he had planned.” Perspiration dotted her forehead with every step he took toward her. “I only just figured it out when I remembered what he said to me in my room before I blacked out. I wasn’t in on this stupid plan with him, I swear it. I—”
Nick stopped in front of her and lifted his hand to her face. “I already know that.”
Her gaze searched his face. His very calm, not the least bit angry face. “You do?”
“I figured out his plan a long time ago. I know you weren’t part of it.”
Relief and pain and heartache swirled inside her, and her eyelids fell closed. Gods, she loved this man. Loved him so damn much she was willing to sacrifice everything she wanted to keep him safe.
Forcing herself to turn away, she looked toward Isadora, who’d pushed to her feet and was watching their conversation with interest. Demetrius stood behind her, holding the baby.
“You have to do whatever you need to do so you don’t die and he doesn’t break,” Cynna said to the queen. “I don’t care about the consequences. None of you should.”
“Cynna.” Pity filled Isadora’s chocolate eyes. “I know you’re upset, but Nick and I being together is not the answer. We’ve already discussed it. Maybe if we weren’t already a family. Maybe if this wasn’t all so intertwined things would be different, but—”
“Oh, fuck family.” Cynna threw her arm out to the side. “What does family have to do with anything? This is about Krónos and what he’ll do with Nick once he breaks him and—”
“She didn’t tell you, did she?” Nick said at Cynna’s back.
Isadora’s gaze darted past Cynna, focusing on Nick. “Tell me what?”
“About your mother.”
A buzzing erupted in Cynna’s ears. She whipped around, but Nick barely spared her a glance.
“My mother?” Isadora’s voice lifted at Cynna’s back. “What about my mother?”
Cynna’s eyes widened as she stared up at Nick. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Looking out for your best interests.” His gaze shifted to focus on her. “She would never choose me because of Demetrius. But even if he were gone, she still wouldn’t agree to something that would ultimately hurt her sister.”
“My…sister?” Isadora asked in a dazed voice.
Holy shit, he’d said it. Cynna’s eyes slammed shut.
“Your mother wasn’t killed by daemons,” Nick said. “She escaped. She started a new life, fell in love, had another child. A girl. A girl who she ultimately had to leave when the king approved the Council’s war on the witches and destroyed Kyrenia.”
Cynna’s eyes open, and she glared up at Nick while a hundred different emotions prickled her skin. “You son of a bitch.”
He grinned. The bastard grinned. Then he leaned down and kissed her. “That’s love-of-your-life son of a bitch. And get this through your stubborn head, female. I love you. That wasn’t just a declaration, it was truth. And that means I’ll do what’s best for you even when you can’t. Isadora and me… It’s not happening. Ever. But this—you and me—this is happening. And as long as I have you by my side, I know we can find the answer to this mess.”
Tears burned behind Cynna’s eyelids. She was trying to do the right thing. Trying to save him the way he’d saved her, and he was making it so damn difficult.
Before she could move into the strength of his arms and tell him what an idiot he was, Isadora grasped her arm and turned her around. “I have another sister?”
The queen’s eyes grew damp, and she threw her arms around Cynna, hugging her so tight, Cynna gasped. “I didn’t know. If I had known…”
She pushed back and stared at Cynna, her face brimming with a mixture of happiness and sorrow that tugged on Cynna’s heart in a way she wasn’t ready for. “She was happy? Our mother was actually happy?” One tear spilled over her lower lashes and slid down her cheek. “I never saw her happy. Not once. My father made her so miserable. He made both of us miserable. He never even looked for her after she disappeared. He wouldn’t let me look for her. I used to daydream that she left me to start over, but I never imagined she actually had. I so desperately wanted her to find love, to be free of his prison, to—”
Horror flashed across her face. “She was in Kyrenia? Oh my gods. You were in Kyrenia?”
She hugged Cynna again. “I’m sorry. Oh gods. I’m so sorry.”
All that resentment rushed out of Cynna on a wave. Because, in that moment, she realized that her jealousy and anger had been misplaced. Isadora’s life hadn’t been perfect. She’d suffered and hurt just as much as Cynna. Maybe more, because she’d never known the love of a real family. Not until she’d created her own with Demetrius.
Isadora drew back and pressed her hands to Cynna’s cheeks, swiping away tears Cynna hadn’t even realized were sliding down her own cheeks. “Nick’s right. This changes everything. And I’m so very glad he told me. I have another sister.” A warm smile brightened her damp eyes. Eyes that were the same color and shape as Cynna’s. “We’ll figure this out. Together we’ll all figure this out.”
The queen finally let go of her, and when she did, Cynna’s legs felt like gelatin from the rush of emotions. But Nick was right there to catch her before they went out from under her. Just as she needed.
He wrapped one thick arm around her, pulled her against him, and tipped her chin up with his finger. “Stop running from me, okay? I’m getting tired of chasing you. I almost flashed butt-ass naked because I didn’t know what you had planned. Trust me, I’m pretty sure that’s not something the castle guards want to see.”
“No.” She leaned into him, fighting back the smile on her lips. “I’m sure they don’t.” Her heart felt light. As if a giant weight had been lifted. Which was just ludicrous, because there were still so many things left unresolved. “But I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing that naked ass again. Soon.”
His amber eyes darkened, and desire slid across his features. A desire she knew was meant only for her. He leaned down toward her mouth. “There are plenty of rooms in this castle where I can give you a private showing.”
She pushed to her toes and kissed him, desperate to get him alone again. To show him how much she loved him. But footsteps pounded across the floor, growing louder by the second. She drew back from his mouth.
Nick turned. Cynna peered past him toward a tall, dark, and handsome Argonaut she didn’t remember meeting.
The male skidded to a stop in the doorway, gulped in a breath of air, and said, “I’m glad I found you. All of you.”
“Phin?” Demetrius stepped forward, still cradling Elysia in his arms. “What’s wrong?”
The Argonaut’s face was flushed, his chest rising and falling as if he’d been sprinting. He sucked in one breath, then said, “Daemons. And satyrs. In Tiyrns. Hades’s and Zagreus’s armies are attacking.”
Nick gripped Cynna’s hand tightly in his as they hurried down the stairs toward the lowest level of the castle, afraid to let go of her for even a second. Pan
demonium had already broken out. People ran right and left. They zigzagged between bodies and drew to a stop at the end of the balcony.
Gripping the banister, Nick peered over to the grand foyer below. Weaponry had been hauled into the foyer. A castle guard was organizing soldiers and volunteers and handing out swords. Nick scanned the faces, searching for Theron, but the only Argonaut he could see was Gryphon, already armed and ready for battle, standing in the middle of the great Alpha seal, embracing Maelea, his mate.
The Argonaut drew back, his light blue eyes hard, his face taut and rigid, and his voice drifted up to Nick’s sensitive ears when he said, “Stay with Natasa.”
The crowd parted, and Nick watched as Gryphon nodded to a redhead at Maelea’s side. One who was whispering something to her own mate, Titus.
“Hades will be looking for you,” Gryphon added.
“I can stay and fight,” Maelea protested.
“No.” Gryphon’s eyes flew wide with a panic Nick understood and was fighting back himself, but the Argonaut pulled it together, cupped her face, and said softer, “No, sotiria. I’ll be useless if you’re here. Please. Do this for me. Get to Prometheus. He’ll know how to keep you hidden. I need to know you’re safe.”
Tears filled Maelea’s dark eyes, and the pair embraced. Beside them, Titus held Natasa just as tightly, whispering words so softly in her ear, Nick couldn’t make them out.
Cynna stiffened at Nick’s side. “There are more, right? More who can fight?”
“I don’t know.” But worry gnawed at his gut. One army, maybe they could handle, but not two. Hades and Zagreus joining forces in this land clearly wasn’t a contingency any of them had ever planned for.
To the right, Orpheus stalked into the foyer with Skyla at his side, both dressed in fighting gear, Orpheus with a blade strapped to his back and Skyla with a bow slung over her shoulder. He sidestepped a boy who looked no more than fifteen lining up to be armed, shook his head, then continued moving toward the Argonauts.
Nick tugged on Cynna’s hand. “Come on.”
By the time they reached the center of the room, Gryphon, Titus, and their mates were gone. The females, hopefully, to safety; the Argonauts already out into the battle. He and Cynna met up with Orpheus and Skyla.
“Where’s Theron?” Nick asked.
“Threatening Phineus within an inch of his life,” Orpheus muttered, looking around the foyer. “Do you see these volunteers? Too fucking young.”
“Theron’s entrusting the queen, her sisters, and the kids into Phineus’s care,” Skyla clarified. “He’s taking them to Delia, who’s going to hide them all in the mountains until this is over.”
A good plan. One Nick suddenly wanted in on. “Where?”
“In the tunnels below the castle,” Orpheus answered. “They lead out into the mountains.”
Nick looked down at Cynna. “You should go with them.”
“What?” Cynna’s eyes widened. “No. I’m staying right here.”
“Cynna, be smart. She’s your sis—”
“And I can fight, she can’t. Look around you, Nick. You’re arming babies. You need all the hands you can get.” She turned to the Siren. “I need a blade.”
“Dagger or sword?” Skyla asked.
“Both.”
Skyla stepped back and motioned Cynna to follow. “Come on. We don’t have much time.”
As the two headed over to gather weaponry, Nick raked a hand through his hair. She was right, but dammit, he didn’t want her anywhere near this battle. “Son of a bitch.”
Orpheus whistled toward a guard rushing by and told him which weapons he wanted the ándras to bring for Nick. As the frightened guard scurried off, Orpheus’s expression hardened. “They came in through the west. The city gates are holding, but they won’t last long. Zander and Cerek are already at the wall.”
“What about Kyrenia?”
“Delia’s evacuating the Misos to the Temerus Caves. They run for miles in the Aegis Mountains. That’s where Isa, Casey, Callia, and the kids are all heading. The witches have been hiding there for eons. They’ll all be safe.”
Nick hoped like hell Orpheus was right. Pressure built in his chest. Duty pulled at his soul. And that dark energy popped and sizzled, just waiting to be unleashed.
He needed to be with his people, helping them get to safety, but he knew Zagreus and Hades were here for him. If he went to the settlement, their armies would likely follow.
He could leave, get the hell out of Argolea, try to draw the gods away from this realm, but he didn’t even know if Hades and Zagreus were close or if that was what the gods were waiting for him to do. And even if he left, there was no telling when, or if, the gods would pull their armies. He could run and hope for the best, but his honor wouldn’t—couldn’t—let him leave his friends to die alone. Not this time.
Cynna and Skyla returned. Cynna had pulled her dark hair back into a tight tail and tugged on a lightweight jacket. A blade was strapped to her back and two daggers were sheathed at her hips, reminding him of the deadly warrior she’d been in those tunnels when they’d escaped from Zagreus’s lair.
Orpheus looked down at the Siren. “Ready?”
Skyla’s green eyes sparked. “You bet your ass I’m ready.”
She stepped past her mate toward the front door. And moving into step beside her, Orpheus smacked his hand against the Siren’s backside, then whispered, “Keep this ass in one piece, Siren. I’m more than a little attached to it. And to you.”
“Don’t worry, Daemon.” She leaned into him. “I’m not planning on going anywhere without you.”
The two disappeared out the door, and Cynna took a step to follow, but Nick pulled her back. “Wait.”
Irritation flashed in her dark eyes. “Don’t tell me to hide again.”
“I won’t. I just… Dammit.” He closed his arms around her in a fierce hug, drawing her against his chest, wishing he could pull her inside him where he knew she’d always be safe. But he couldn’t. All he could do was hope and pray and trust.
“Stay close to me,” he said into her hair. “If Zagreus is here, he’ll be looking for you.”
Her arms wound around his back, her fingertips digging into his muscles to hold him just as tightly as he was holding her. “I will.”
“I’m not kidding, Cynna.” Tears burned his eyes as he tightened his grip. “This won’t be the same as when he let us go.”
“I know. And I’m not ready to die today, trust me. Not when I finally have something to live for. But I can’t sit back and do nothing. We brought them to this world, Nick. We have to do something to stop them.”
He closed his eyes and clung to her, needing every bit of her strength, her courage, and her love to get him through this. Because she was wrong. He alone had brought this hell to her people and to his. And something in his gut told him he was the only one who was going to be able to end it.
He just didn’t know how yet.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Nick pulled his blade from the chest of the daemon he’d just taken down, whipped around, and decapitated the beast, then turned to look for Cynna as the body fell to the hard ground.
Dammit, he’d told her to stay close. He swiped the sweat out of his eyes and scanned the battlefield, searching for her. Panic reformed beneath his ribs when he couldn’t find her. Argonauts, soldiers, and any able-bodied volunteers the castle had been able to round up clashed with satyrs and daemons in the moonlight outside the city walls, but they were losing the battle. It was only a matter of time before the monsters broke through the gates. And this was only the first wave. Hades and Zagreus—wherever the fuckers might be—hadn’t even unleashed the brunt of their armies yet.
His gaze found Zander, sinking his blade deep into a satyr’s belly; Demetrius battling two daemons, both as big as him; Theron rolling across the ground, then lurching to his feet behind a satyr, grabbing him by the throat, and using his blade to slice the beast’s throat open wide. But
he still couldn’t find Cynna. She’d been beside him only minutes ago. When that satyr had charged him from the back and knocked him to the ground.
Something whirred through the air near his head. His instincts kicked in. He ducked, missing being decapitated himself, then swiveled and sank his sword into the back of another daemon. The daemon went down on all fours. Nick jerked his blade back and was just about to chop the fucker’s head off when his sensitive hearing picked up a high-pitched yelp, followed by a growl somewhere off to his right.
“Cynna…”
He sprinted over the small rise and spotted her, forty yards away, swinging her blade with both hands while a satyr ducked and rolled, then kicked her leg out from under her.
She hit the ground with a grunt.
The satyr circled around her and growled. “Now who knows more about the people of this world, Mistress?” He nodded down at her, his lips turning in a nasty sneer. “Look at you. You’re nothing but Zagreus’s hired slut.”
Fury erupted across Cynna’s face. She grasped her blade and scrambled to her feet. Tendrils of hair fell over her eyes. Her forehead was covered by a sheen of sweat. Her pants and boots caked with mud. But she didn’t seem to notice or care. Holding the blade in front of her, she stepped to the side, moving with the satyr. “Better to be a hired slut than a bitch who can’t follow a simple order. Tell me, Lykos. How’s that wound in your belly? Did it heal yet? I bet Zagreus was thrilled when you showed up looking like a stuck pig thanks to the female you were clearly told to let go.”
“Why, you little cunt.” The satyr’s eyes blazed, and he lifted his weapon. “It’s way past time someone taught you a lesson.”
The satyr charged, and Nick’s heart lurched into his throat as Cynna stepped back and her blade clanged against the satyr’s.
He’d never reach her in time. Not unless he flashed.
He didn’t think; he reacted. Power surged through his limbs. He felt his body flying. When his feet hit solid ground behind the satyr, he opened his eyes to find the beast on his knees, and Cynna standing over him, her blade sunk deep into his chest.
TWISTED (Eternal Guardians Book 7) Page 32