TWISTED (Eternal Guardians Book 7)

by Elisabeth Naughton

  Relief pulsed through Nick, followed by a whisper of apprehension. Any kind of obligation to the King of the Gods couldn’t be good, and his mind instantly shot to Cynna. Mortals weren’t allowed to live on Olympus unless they served in one of Zeus’s armies, like the Sirens. If they forced him to stay here, to somehow join forces with them where he couldn’t be with her…

  “What kind of favor?” he asked warily.

  Zeus glanced toward Poseidon once more. The God of the Sea waggled his brows, then grinned with a sinister turn of his lips.

  Zeus looked back at Nick. “There’s someone we’re looking for. A female. One of great interest. You’re going to find her for us.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Nick flashed to the middle of the battlefield in Argolea. Strength and power surged in his veins thanks to the little Kumbaya handholding ritual Zeus and Poseidon had made him do on Olympus. There was great power in three, and somehow, forming a trifecta—three sons of Krónos—had been enough to unleash what was hidden inside him. That and, as Zeus explained, the fact he was choosing to unleash it, rather than it being taken.

  For as much as everything in this world seemed to be governed by destiny and prophesies and fate, when it came down to it, free will was the force that kept the world moving. And it, above all else, had the power to defeat the darkness.

  His gaze swept over the battlefield. Theron and Zander and Demetrius fought a pack of daemons to his left. Orpheus and Cerek did the same to his right. At his back, he spotted Gryphon and Titus swinging out with their swords, taking down one monster after the next, and ahead, Sirens—Zeus’s elite kickass female army—unleashed arrow after arrow into the daemons rushing the gates to the city of Tiyrns. But there were no satyrs.

  Confusion dragged at his brow. He turned a slow circle, looking closer.

  “Nick!”

  He whipped around and found Skyla near the gates, her bow at her side, her eyes wide with a what the hell are you waiting for? expression. Then his gaze shot toward the wall, where daemons had launched ropes and were climbing steadily to the top, about to infiltrate the city.

  They were out of time.

  He centered himself, just as he always had when Cynna had pulled him back from the edge, then held his hands out in front of him and focused on all that fucking darkness.

  Power surged in his hands, and an arc of light erupted from his fingertips, rippling outward, targeting anything holding on to that darkness.

  A shock wave blasted the daemons backward. They went down like dominos, starting in the center of the battlefield and spreading outward. Screams of agony rose up in the dark as they crumpled to the ground. Once they hit the surface, their bodies went up in flames then finally smoked out until all that was left behind was ash.

  Gasps of surprise rose up from the bloody battlefield. Followed by an eerie silence. And finally, an eruption of cheers, and one menacing growl.

  Nick peered up to the dark hillside where Hades stood staring down at him, absolutely fuming.

  Take that, fucker. Nick pointed his index and middle fingers toward his own eyes, then toward Hades. You’re next, asshole. Better get the hell out of here.

  Fury erupted over the god’s face. Dark smoke swirled all around him. And when it cleared, the god was gone.

  “Holy shit!” Skyla was the first one to reach Nick. She launched herself into his arms, then dropped to her feet, her green eyes alight with excitement and victory. “You did it. I didn’t think you could actually do it.”

  Nick let go of her and nodded toward the Sirens, several of whom turned to look their way. “You did it too.”

  “Yeah, well.” She grinned. “Athena was more than willing to fuck with a few satyrs, but they were all gone by the time we got here.”

  That didn’t make sense. “All of them?”

  A rolling, bellowing laugh rumbled behind Nick before she could answer.

  Nick turned just as Orpheus swept Skyla up into his arms and spun her around. “Hell, yeah. Did you see the way those fuckers went up in flames? Thank the Fates I got rid of my damn daemon. I’d be toast right now.”

  Skyla laughed as he lowered her to her feet. “Not toast. Definitely not toast. Just mine. Mine, all mine.”

  Footsteps echoed as the two kissed. Theron, Zander, and the rest of the Argonauts moved up to join them, breathless, bloody, scraped, and sweaty. But thankfully, none were seriously injured.

  “Where’s D?” Cerek asked.

  “He already flashed to the settlement to check on the queen.” Titus swiped the damp hair out of his eyes. “He was out of here as soon as the daemons went down. Said something felt different.”

  “Different isn’t always good,” Gryphon muttered.

  “No, good different,” Titus answered. “D was excited. Said it felt like she was better.”

  Nick was relieved to hear that. Because he could no longer feel anything from Isadora. It was as if the soul mate bond that had connected him to her for so long had completely vanished the moment he’d gained the full use of his powers. Which, actually, made sense, since gods didn’t have soul mates.

  And holy fucking A. He was a god.

  He looked around, frantic now to find Cynna, to share it with her, only he still couldn’t see her.

  “Nick. Dude.” Orpheus said at his side. “She’s gone.”

  Nick turned to face him. “What do you mean gone?”

  With one arm slung over Skyla’s shoulders, Orpheus frowned. “I was wrong about her. Somehow she convinced Zagreus to pull his army. He and his satyrs left just after you and Skyla did, which gave us the upper hand once Skyla returned with the Sirens. Man, Hades was pissed.”

  Nick didn’t give a flying fuck about Hades. Panic clawed at his chest. “What about Cynna?”

  “She left with Zagreus too.”

  Everything inside Nick stilled as he searched for her. Not with his head but with his heart. The heart that belonged to her. And when he found her, when he realized where she’d gone, he knew exactly what she’d sacrificed. And why.

  Zagreus couldn’t shake the doldrums.

  His gaze followed Cynna as she rose from the seat beside him where they’d been watching Altair, his newest second in command now that Lykos was dead, torment a nymph chained to the wall in the main chamber of his lair. His agapi was as slutty and hot as she’d ever been, her trim waist and plump breasts encased in the tight leather corset, her long stems stretching beneath the skimpy miniskirt and ending in the knee-high black stiletto boots that always made him hard.

  Except…he wasn’t hard right now. He watched her disappear out the door where he’d sent her to fetch his wine. In fact, since they’d been back in his lair the last few hours, he couldn’t seem to muster up enough enjoyment to get it up for her at all. Which was fucking wrong, because he was totally hot for her in every way. In all the ways he used to be.

  “She seems unhappy, my prince.” Altair settled onto the seat to Zagreus’s right, giving the nymph a break from his flogger.

  Not that Zagreus cared what the satyr was doing with the nymph. Even that didn’t bring him pleasure anymore.

  He shifted in his seat and gripped the armrest of his throne chair. “She’s just tired, that’s all. By tomorrow, she’ll be back to her old self.”

  “Right,” Altair muttered. “Tired. That’s it.”

  Cynna walked back into the room, her head held high, her breasts pushed out, and her spine straight, but there was something missing from her eyes. Stopping in front of his chair, she handed the goblet to Zagreus and said, “Your wine, my prince.”

  “Thank you, agapi.”

  His fingertips brushed hers as he accepted the wine, but there was no reaction from her. Not even disgust. She didn’t answer. Didn’t even look at him. Just sat in the seat next to him and stared off into space, as if she were seeing something or someone else.

  Zagreus’s mood slid darker. His enjoyment of her had always come from her defiance, her headstrong att
itude, her strength. But this female was only a shadow of the one he’d known before. It was as if she no longer cared.

  “Nick,” she whispered.

  Zagreus’s head came up, and his eyes grew wide at the sight of his former prisoner standing in the middle of his chamber. He shoved his goblet at Altair, gripped the armrests of his chair, and lunged to his feet. “You.”

  “Me,” Nick said.

  From the corner of his vision, Zagreus watched excitement and joy burst across Cynna’s face. She pushed to her feet.

  Zagreus threw his arm out to the side, sending a burst of energy all around her, forcing her to stand still. “She’s not yours anymore.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, nephew,” Nick said in a calm voice. “I’m hers.”

  Zagreus felt his hold on Cynna slipping. As if prying one finger back at a time, the energy around her slowly crumbled. When it shattered at her feet, she lurched forward, right into Nick’s arms.

  The two whispered disgusting things that turned Zagreus’s stomach. He scowled as he watched them embracing, seeing Cynna in a whole new light. The female had never hugged him like that. She’d never lovingly run her fingertips over his jaw as she was now doing to Nick. And that light hadn’t once shone in her eyes when she’d looked up at him.

  The dark knot of vileness tightened inside him. Love was the disgusting emotion he felt emanating from both of them, pushing him even deeper into despondence, because it was something he was never going to experience for himself.

  Nick fixed his amber eyes on Zagreus. His amber god eyes. Oh yeah, Zagreus could feel the power pumping off the god now. There was no more weak mortal left anywhere inside him.

  “Your lair is surrounded. The Argonauts and the Sirens are outside. Either free every last prisoner in this hellhole, or we’ll do it for you.”

  Rage rushed through Zagreus. He lurched down the three stone steps to tell Nick just what he and his posse could do, then drew to a stop when a rolling dark energy swept through the tunnels and raced over his skin. “Hades.”

  “Hades is here?” Cynna turned to face him.

  “It’s okay,” Nick said beside her.

  “But it’s Hades. He’s a god. A powerful one.”

  “So am I.”

  Cynna looked up at Nick. And Zagreus focused on her face. On the awe and compassion reflected in her eyes. He didn’t doubt that Nick was as strong as his fucking father, and he wasn’t opposed to letting the two duke it out, even if it meant losing his lair. But as he stared at the female he’d coveted longer than any other, he realized if he tried to hold on to her, she’d get caught in the middle of an immortal battle, and, ultimately, she’d die. As much as he wanted to keep her as his own special pet, her death was not something he was willing to gamble with. Not when he knew Hades would likely kill her just to punish his son for pulling his satyrs from that battle.

  “Go,” Zagreus growled.

  Surprise rushed over Cynna’s smooth face as she looked at him. “What did you say?”

  Zagreus stalked back up the steps and dropped into his chair, slumping against the arm. “Go now. Before I change my mind.”

  “The prisoners,” Nick said.

  “You don’t have time for any damn prisoners.” Zagreus waved his arm. “Get the hell out before my father arrives.”

  Nick grasped Cynna’s hand. “We’ll be back for them.”

  Zagreus scowled, propped his elbow on the armrest, and glared toward the far rock wall. “Pretty sure there won’t be anything left to come back to.”

  Soft fingers brushing his hand drew his head around. Surprise spread through his chest as he looked up at Cynna, standing a foot away, touching him.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  The ground shook. Rocks broke free from the ceiling and shattered to the ground. Screams rose up in the cavern, and Altair scrambled to free the nymph from her chains, then rushed out of the room with the female in his arms.

  “Cynna,” Nick called.

  Cynna’s eyes softened with gratitude and an emotion Zagreus couldn’t name. And in that second, as she stared at him, as his chest grew tight, he knew what it felt like to do the right thing.

  She rushed toward Nick before Zagreus could stop her. Nick grasped her hand. The two turned to look at him once more, and then they were gone in a pop and sizzle of energy.

  “You fucked with me,” Hades growled from the doorway.

  Slowly, Zagreus swiveled to look toward his father. But he no longer cared what the hell Hades wanted. All he could focus on was the pulsing warmth in the center of his chest, growing larger by the second.

  “I told you what would happen if you betrayed me,” Hades roared.

  A sound like rolling thunder boomed through the cavern. Zagreus looked up toward the ceiling. Before he could push out of his chair, the ground opened up, dragging him and everything down into darkness.

  Cynna stumbled the second her feet hit solid ground. Dust filled her lungs, and she coughed, trying to clear it away. Blinking several times in the early morning sunlight, she realized she stood on the edge of a giant sinkhole. Water rushed in over the rocks, submerging Zagreus’s lair, sweeping over everything until there was nothing left.

  “Holy skata,” she whispered. “If you’d been a few minutes later…”

  Nick drew her back from the edge. “I needed everyone in position before we came to get you.”

  On the other side of the giant sinkhole, voices drifted to her ears. She glanced across the distance toward several Argonauts and a few Sirens staring at the destruction.

  “I wasn’t worried about taking down Zagreus,” Nick said. “But I couldn’t get to you and everyone else at the same time.”

  “Oh my gods,” Cynna whispered, looking back at the water. “All those prisoners.”

  “Don’t look.” He pulled her into his arms. “We tried. I didn’t know Hades was going to show.”

  She closed her eyes and sank into him, relieved and thankful and—

  She jerked back and looked up. “Isadora?”

  “Fine. Better than fine. Cured.”

  “Cured?”

  He held out his forearm and showed her his unmarked skin. “I’m not an Argonaut anymore. Which means there’s no more soul mate pull between us.”

  “No more soul mate pull. That means—”

  “That means I am yours, female. Every part of me. If you still want me.”

  “If I still want you?” She grasped his neck and pulled him down to her. “Are you kidding?”

  He chuckled, but that laugh turned to a groan when she closed her mouth over his and kissed him.

  His hands framed her face, and he tipped her head and kissed her deeper, making every doubt and fear and worry she’d had since the moment he’d left her for Olympus disappear into the ether.

  When she was breathless, he drew back and rested his forehead against hers. “Did you really think I wouldn’t come for you?”

  Her heart rolled. “I didn’t know if Zeus was going to let you go. Convincing Zagreus to take his army and leave was the only thing I knew to do to help.”

  “It was a smart move. Smart and stupid all at the same time. I freaked when I came back and found you gone.”

  “I’m sorry for that. But it was no stupider than you challenging Zeus.”

  A half smile curled his lips. “Agreed. But it worked. Right now, though, I’m ready for a whole lot less excitement. At least of the cataclysmic variety.”

  Cynna brushed her fingers over his sexy jaw. “How does it feel? Being immortal?”

  “Pretty much the same.” He fingered a lock of hair near her cheek and smoothed it back near her ear. “Though I’ve heard sex is pretty fucking awesome for a god. And I’m itching to try that out.”

  She laughed and lifted her mouth to his once more, but a soft cough drew her back.

  She glanced to the right toward the elderly woman wearing diaphanous white, sitting on a rock beside them. Cynna startled, but N
ick smoothed his hand down her arm and said, “Relax. It’s just Lachesis.”

  Cynna nearly choked. “The Fate?”

  “One and the same,” the Fate answered. “Well done, Niko.” A victorious grin curled her lips. “Very well done.”

  Nick smirked. “You could have…oh, I don’t know…hinted that all I had to do was go see Zeus to finish this.”

  “Fates can’t give answers. Only lead you to the choice. But you didn’t even need me for that. You had her.” She nodded toward Cynna.

  Cynna swallowed hard. She’d never met a Fate before. Was this normal for a god?

  “Take care of him, child.” Lachesis’s blue eyes grew serious. “He may be immortal now, but he will still be challenged. By his brothers. By his father. By his duty. Krónos will become even more determined now to break free from Tartarus. The search for the last element needed to complete the Orb will intensify, and darkness will try to win out. He will need you more than you think. Especially as he works to protect his people. The Council of Elders in Argolea is corrupt, as you know. But do not run from the fight. Embrace it. Together. And make a difference in your world.”

  “I will,” Cynna managed.

  To Nick, she said, “And take care of her, warrior. She is a special one.”

  Nick smiled down at Cynna, a warm, loving, for-her-only smile that heated every inch of Cynna’s skin. “I already know that.”

  Lachesis floated to her feet. “When she passes from this world into the next, the choice to stay or pass with her rests in you.”

  Nick looked back at Lachesis. “It does? I thought immortality meant…immortality.”