She frowned, speaking again, but I couldn’t hear a word she said. My ears felt like they’d been immersed in water. She plucked two cards from the stack and held them up so only she could see their faces. She said something else, and then she and Demarco entered into one of her intense staring contests.
Tweety’s confused expression told me he couldn’t hear any more than I could. I wondered what the Pythia was sharing that we couldn’t be privy to. After she showed Demarco whatever she thought he needed to see, the two of them spoke again.
Finally, she nodded and I could once again hear the sounds of life around me. She turned her unblinking slitted jade orbs back on me and said, “I have a task for you.”
Stomach sinking, I asked, “A task?” My voice cracked, so I cleared my throat before adding, “I was actually hoping you could help me with something.”
Her gaze didn’t waver. “How do you know I’m not helping you?”
While I chewed on that little curiosity, she tapped on the table and a scroll appeared before her. Turning it over until she found the opening, she pressed a thumb against the thick paper, leaving behind the waxy green seal of Delphi.
“Deliver this to Demeter, and she may choose to give you the answers you require.”
Demeter. Yet another goddess I had no desire to rendezvous with. Especially considering where she lived. “But isn’t she in Mount Olympus?” I asked, wondering how I’d get into the city of the gods.
“She was, dear, but circumstances have changed. You’ll find her where she goes to mourn.”
To mourn? Why would she be mourning?
My chair slid out from under me and my legs jolted me upright to a standing position, without any help whatsoever from me. My hands immediately sprang outward, steadying myself. I looked around to find my companions looking confused as they stood as well. The ground beneath our feet seemed to buck us forward.
“Are you doing this?” I asked Demarco.
“I can’t. No metals, remember?”
The Pythia strode beside us, whisking us through her garden in the opposite direction of the gray hallway. “Relax,” she said with a placating smile. “Our business is complete, so I’m escorting you out.”
“But I have more questions.”
She patted me on the back, hurrying me along. “Of course you do.”
“Why didn’t the doors tempt me?” I asked. “Last time I was here, I would have sworn there were fountains of chocolate and fortunes in gold behind those doors, but this time…there were a couple of doors we felt drawn to, but we each walked away on our own. Nobody had to be carried.”
Her tongue snaked out again, tasting the air. She tilted her head forward and said, “Those doorways represent alternative paths. What you felt was curiosity, but not longing, because each of you is already on the exact path you need to be on.”
“But last time I was here—”
Leaning against me, her response sounded in my mind. “He should have set you free, but he thought he could keep you away from the blacksmith. He wanted to direct your path, but it was never his to control. Now hurry along. He approaches, and it would be unwise for you and your friends to run into him.”
Shade was coming. Now that she’d brought it to my attention, I could feel his nearness in the shadows. My legs froze in place as my heart rate sped up. “Why is he here?” I asked.
She swept her arm behind me and I involuntarily started moving again. “You’re not the only one who has business with me, my dear.”
Fear kept my back stiff and my head on a swivel, in case my sire ambushed us. “But is he here for me? I won’t go back with him. I have to find Doreán.” I reached for my daggers, but then remembered that I’d had to dump my daggers on the way in.
“What is it?” Demarco asked. “Are we being attacked?”
“This is a place of peace,” the Pythia reminded us. Then she squeezed me to her and said, “Watch the landing; it’s going to hurt.”
Suddenly the ground beneath us faded away and we were flying through the air. I instinctively tucked the scroll to my stomach to protect it, ducked my head, and pulled my body into a somersault. My balance was off, and my left shoulder slammed against the ground with a teeth-rattling thud. I unfolded, lying on my back. Unharmed, the scroll rolled off my stomach onto the ground. The sky above was still dark, but lightening with the first rays of the rising sun. I sucked in a few deep breaths, inhaling the smell of grass, dirt, coffee, and car fumes.
Thanks to his animal reflexes, Tweety had landed on his feet, but Demarco ended up facedown in the grass beside me. He pushed himself up and looked around. “Where are we?”
I tested my wounded shoulder. Pain spread from it in waves, threatening to pull me under. Memories tickled my mind. Suddenly I was a child again, tears in my eyes as I stared up at my sire whose gaze held nothing but contempt for my wounded condition.
“Get up,” Shade growled.
I moved to stand, but my leg buckled under my weight. “I can’t. I think I broke something.”
“Then fix it.”
I gaped at him, wondering what he expected me to do.
“I don’t have time for this shit.”
He ripped a small branch from a nearby tree and told me to remove my jacket. Then he put his hands in front of my mouth and directed me to blow on them. Gold shimmered across his palms, then Shade patted down my injured leg as I bit my lip to keep from crying out.
“This is gonna hurt,” he said.
He snapped the bone back into place and fire enveloped my leg. I passed out, waking up some time later to Shade shaking my shoulders.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he ordered. “I don’t care how hurt you are, you keep your ass awake. You don’t show anyone weakness unless you want to get killed, taken advantage of, or left behind. Nobody respects a weakling.”
“But nobody’s with us.”
“I’m with you. I’m from the shadows, Pliromi. Like them, I will rip you apart if you let me. You understand?”
His tone sent a shiver down my spine. I nodded.
“Good. Don’t trust anyone. Especially not me. Now get up.” He tossed my jacket and the branch in the dirt beside me. “Now make yourself a splint. We have work to do.”
The memory evaporated, leaving behind traces of the residual betrayal and loneliness I’d felt that day and every day since. Determined not to be the weakling in our little trio, I took a deep breath and pulled myself up onto my elbows to look around. My right shoulder screamed and stars danced before my eyes. I held still and took a few deep breaths, willing myself to stay conscious. When I could finally talk without throwing up, I said, “We’re in one of the grassy areas not far from the dome.”
“What about our weapons?” Demarco asked.
My backpack was lying at my feet, and I felt the weight of daggers on my thighs. The handle of Demarco’s hammer was sticking just above his shoulder. I hid our weapons with glamours again. “They’re equipped.”
He startled, and then patted himself down, his expression confused. “How did she…?” His question tapered off. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.” He stomped a couple of times, as if making sure we were on solid ground, before seeming to realize I wasn’t moving. “Are you okay?”
“Of course I am.”
Okay might have been stretching it a bit since I was pretty sure I’d popped my shoulder out of joint.
The look Tweety gave me said he wasn’t buying my bravado for a second.
Demarco offered me his hand. “Need help up?”
If I gave him my hand, he would yank me up and my shoulder would probably fall off. Then I’d either scream in pain, pass out, or die. None of those options appealed to me, so I declined, spouting off the first lie I could think of. “That fall made me pretty thirsty. There’s a coffee cart right there.” I tried to nod in the direction, but my head swam from pulling on my shoulder muscles. “Will you please do me a solid and get me a cup?”
Demarco loo
ked from me to the cart. “A solid?”
“A favor. Please. I really need coffee. Bad.”
“The fall made you thirsty?”
Once again, I’m not a liar. I suck at lying and should never ever do it except for in extreme circumstances when I have to breathe luck onto something and don’t want any witnesses. Like right now.
He had to know I was lying, but he turned toward the cart anyway. “I just go up and ask them for a cup of coffee?” he asked.
Oh, yeah. The man who’d grown up in a bubble had never so much as ordered a cup of coffee before. We had a huge learning curve ahead of us. Thankfully, Tweety the knowledge sponge had been soaking up my teachings on the regular. “Tweety…the front pocket of my pack. Get him five pounds.”
As Tweety unzipped the pocket and retrieved the bill, Demarco’s gaze settled back on me. “You sure you’re okay?”
Trying not to move, I gave him my best fake smile. “Peachy. Ask for a cup of coffee, and they’ll take the bill and give you change.”
“You’re not gonna leave me while I’m gone, are you?” he asked as Tweety passed him the bill.
So I wasn’t the only one with trust issues. “No. Please just get me the coffee.”
His brow furrowed and I worried he might keep arguing, but he eventually headed for the stand.
Once Demarco was out of earshot, I directed Tweety to stand between Demarco and me, facing away. The griffin moved into position and I thanked him before collapsing back onto the ground. Fire raged through my shoulder, burning its way up and down my arm.
“Son of a bitch,” I breathed out as tears stung my eyes. “I thought he’d never leave.”
“Why didn’t you just tell him you’re hurting?”
“Because I’m not. I just need a minute.”
“Are you aware there are changes in your body not only when you lie but also when you’re hurt? Your heart beats faster, your scent changes, you can’t look me in the eye.” Tweety twisted his head back around so he could see me. “You mated with Demarco and he arouses you. You should tell him and let him help you.”
Shoot me now.
I would not discuss my sex life or my weakness with a teenage griffin. “Feel free to turn back around and stop talking any time now,” I said.
“You’re being kind of testy. Maybe you should mate with Demarco again. I read that it helps with the female disposition and you—”
“If you finish that sentence, I will stab you in your sleep.”
Tweety’s mouth snapped shut, and he turned away, but I didn’t miss the slight rise and fall of his shoulders. Thought he was funny, did he? He had no idea how lousy my female disposition could get.
Silently cursing teenagers everywhere, I blew on the one hand I could currently move and set it on the opposite shoulder, imbuing the affected area with luck. Then I prodded the shoulder until I found the joint and tried to pop it in, which turned out to be extremely difficult to do one-handed. Exertion and pain beaded sweat on my forehead, but I still couldn’t get the damn thing back into socket.
“Let me help,” Tweety said, kneeling beside me.
I’d been so focused I hadn’t even seen him turn around. “I can do it,” I insisted.
“Yeah, but Demarco will be coming back soon, and your whole tough-girl act will be blown.”
That was surprisingly insightful and accurate. “For the record, I’d rather you not know I’m hurt either, but it’s a bit more difficult to hide from you.”
He grinned, tapping his nose. “Can’t keep anything from me.”
That was an unsettling thought. Still, I gave in and walked Tweety through the procedure. By the time Demarco returned with a steaming cup in hand, my shoulder was back in joint, I was standing, and I’d managed to shoulder my backpack without passing out. All in all, I’d say we didn’t do too shabby.
“You look pale,” Demarco said, bursting my bubble as he handed me the cup.
In addition, I felt sweaty and a bit sick to my stomach. Sipping the coffee for show, I ignored his comment as well as the concern in his eyes. “What did the Pythia say to you?” I asked.
“You couldn’t hear our conversation?”
“Only some of it. She did something to block me.”
“Me too,” Tweety said.
Demarco looked relieved. “Just some gibberish. It didn’t make sense.”
So why was he lying to me about it? “Have you decided where you want me to drop you off?” I asked.
He took my hand and looked into my eyes. “You heard the Pythia. I’m exactly where I need to be. As I told you before, I’m coming with you. Where are we going next?”
Letting his conversation with the Pythia drop for the time being, I replied, “The travel agent. We need to book our next stop.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“MS. SMITH WILL see you now,” the receptionist said, clicking a button on his earpiece as he stood. “Right this way, please.”
Demarco, Tweety, and I followed the young man around a handful of cramped cubicles to the spacious corner office in the back. He knocked once and then opened the door, stepping aside. Floor-to-ceiling tenth-story windows displayed the most coveted view in New York: Central Park. Based on her park-view office, I’d guess that Lorna Smith had to be one of the highest grossing travel agents in New York. In addition to her obvious financial success, she had a curvaceous body—that Shade always raved about—and the kind of alluring charm that made you want to befriend her. She wasn’t human, but I’d never felt the least bit threatened by her. I respected her ability to get what I needed, and we’d always had a great working relationship.
“Good to see you, child,” she purred from behind a stylish wood and metal desk in the corner. Her plump, fire-engine red lips spread into a gorgeous, and seemingly genuine, smile. She stood and strode forward, displaying an impressive amount of cleavage beneath a navy-blue blazer that fit her like a corset. The matching skirt managed to cover enough to be legal, but not much else. Her platinum-blonde tresses had recently been chopped off and styled into a messy pixie hairdo, but she still looked like a voluptuously super-sized version of Marilyn Monroe, cheek mole and all.
“Nice to see you, too. I like the haircut,” I replied.
She fingered her locks. “Thanks. I get bored easily and sometimes a gal’s just gotta try something new.” Her gaze cut to Demarco, who’d entered with Tweety behind me, and the suggestive smile she gave him made my blood boil. When Demarco didn’t react, her gaze shifted to Tweety, and grew predatory. Her heels clicked against the floor as she stalked over and circled the griffin, trailing her fingers across his shoulders.
“I haven’t seen one of your kind in ages,” she said. “You are exquisite.”
“Uh…thank you?” Tweety replied, staring directly at her cleavage.
I shifted closer and prepared to kick the horny out of him, but paused. Something wasn’t right. Before today, Shade had been the only person who’d been with me when I’d conducted business with Lorna. The two of them tended to get all touchy-feely, but it seemed like a mutual agreement and usually preceded Shade sending me ahead to the jobsite so he could “finish up” with Lorna. I’d long suspected the two of them had a little somethin’ going on. But this was different. Today, something about Lorna seemed downright aggressive.
And the way Tweety’s nostrils flared and his eyes dilated, he looked like he was about to attack her…and not in the way he’d attacked Artemis.
“Uh…I need to see a photograph of Eleusis, Greece, and we’re kinda in a hurry,” I said, trying to bring the visit back around to business.
Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout as she continued to leer at the two guys. “It’s always business with you, child. Be a doll and introduce me to your companions.”
“I’m Tweety,” the griffin blurted out way too enthusiastically.
She slowly intertwined her fingers in his, turning the friendly gesture oddly intimate as she stepped into his personal space. “Lorna. It i
s a pleasure to meet you.”
The air suddenly smelled funny. I took a deep whiff, trying to figure out what it was, and felt my body react in a way that had the potential to be embarrassing. Crossing my arms over my now hard nipples, I took a step back. Some sort of messed-up sexual ju-ju was going on and I’d already been magically roofied once and had no desire to go there again. I looked to Demarco for help, but he was still standing stiff as a board. A quick sweep of his body confirmed that stiff was the right word to use.
What the hell is going on?
Lorna stopped molesting Tweety with her eyes long enough to look over at me, making me feel naked and vulnerable. With Tweety in tow, she sauntered over to lock her office door and lower the privacy shade. Little alarms went off in my head, but other stuff was happening in my body. Unable to look away, I watched as she grabbed Tweety’s shoulders and kissed him right on the lips. And I’m not talking about some chaste little peck like you might expect from a friend or a business partner. She looked like she was trying to climb into his mouth.
My stomach churned. Sure, he was technically in his twenties, but he looked and acted like a teenager. Lorna had to be somewhere in her upper thirties, and this was gross. I needed to protect him from her, but I couldn’t move. My brain felt like mush and my body…my body was out of control.
“Relax, child, I’ll deal with you soon,” Lorna purred, blasting me with more of that strange scent before she went back to Tweety. Her canines seemed to lengthen as she rubbed them against his neck, breaking the skin. Little drops of blood trickled down Tweety’s clavicle, reminding me of something I’d forgotten.
She’s not human.
And I needed to find out exactly what she was. It took every ounce of strength within me to resist whatever she was doing long enough to blow on my hands and rub them over my eyes. Lorna’s glamour dissolved, leaving behind a monster with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, large bat-like wings sticking out of her back, and tongues of fire dancing across her head. One of her legs was brass, and the other was furry and hoofed like a donkey or a horse. Unhinging her jaw, she opened her mouth wide and went for Tweety’s head.
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