I stifled a laugh. The palace behind her could hardly be described as humble.
“We were supposed to meet our tour guide on the island,” Reed said sheepishly. “But we can’t find anyone anywhere. Then we heard your singing and followed it here. We were hoping you could help us.”
“The tour company’s called Exuma’s Excellent Adventures,” Sage piped in. “Have you heard of it?”
“Ah, of course,” Circe said. “I’m afraid you’re early. They won’t be here for another hour or so. Why don’t you come inside and join me for a late lunch while you wait?”
She had to be lacing her words with magic. No one in their right mind would believe it was too early for the tours to have started.
“That would be amazing.” I smiled and held tighter to my towel. “I’m starving.”
We climbed the steps and followed her through a magnificent hall. “I’m Circe,” she said as she opened the doors to a surprisingly cozy dining room. “I’ve lived on this island since way before it became a tourist destination.”
“You have a lovely home,” I said with a hopefully vapid smile.
“Thank you, my dear.” She motioned to the cushioned chairs. “Please, have a seat. I’ll be back with your meals in a moment.”
We sat down, placing our towels close by our sides.
Five minutes later, Circe wheeled in a trolley with five bowls of soup, spoons, and glasses of wine. The soup was dark yellow with chunks of vegetables, and smelled delicious. She gripped her staff in one hand the entire time.
It was so tempting to make a go for the staff right then. But we needed to catch her as unaware as possible. Which meant waiting until she thought we were drunk on her magic.
“Pottage of cheese stew,” she said as she placed a bowl in front of each of us. A sweet scent of magic that smelled like honey drifted up from it. “My specialty.”
Circe placed the final bowl at the head of the table, sat down, and we all dug in.
The moly better work, I thought as I lifted the spoon to my mouth and took my first bite.
The stew tasted as good as it smelled. Judging by the others’ sounds of approval, they agreed.
The four of us introduced ourselves, and we spent the meal telling Circe about our pretend vacation yachting through the Bahamas. It was easy to make up the details, and she didn’t appear to question any of it. We barely touched the wine, but as we ate we pretended to be drunker and drunker, assuming the magic would affect us in a similar way as alcohol.
Sage lifted the bowl to her lips once she’d reached the bottom and drank the last of it down. The rest of us followed suit.
Circe placed her spoon down in her empty bowl. “I’m glad you enjoyed the stew,” she said. “Now, for the best part. My homemade dessert wine.” She smiled again, stood up with her staff, and placed our dirty dishes back on the trolley. Then she turned to leave the room.
The moment her back was toward us, Reed jumped out of his chair and shot a blast of yellow magic straight at her. Sage and Thomas shifted into wolves, and I grabbed my dagger, ready to back them up if necessary.
Circe spun and blasted deep gold magic out of the top of her staff to hold off Reed’s light yellow magic, at the same time as she used her other hand to create a force field that knocked Sage and Thomas to the ground mid-pounce. I ran forward to attack, but the tip of my knife crashed into a nearly transparent wall of gold magic.
She’d extended the force field to block me, too.
Reed grunted, beads of sweat forming on his brow as he pushed his magic against Circe’s. But her darker, gold magic inched forward on his. Her dark hair floated around her, and she didn’t seem to be struggling in the slightest.
I tried shooting out the mage magic I’d used to protect me from Scylla so I could help Reed.
Nothing happened.
With only millimeters of Reed’s magic protecting him from Circe’s blast, he braced himself to fight harder. But it was no use. Her magic overtook his and surrounded him in an orb of golden light.
He shimmered, turned to lock his eyes with mine, and disappeared. A pig stood in his place.
Circe dropped the force field that was blocking us, aimed her staff toward Thomas, and turned him into a pig, too.
Sage and I launched an attack. But the force field was back up in a second.
“I don’t know what kind of sorcerers you are,” Circe said, the earlier sweetness gone from her voice. “But I’m stronger than you. Stand down, or I’ll slaughter your lovers and force you to eat them for dinner.”
Sage shifted back into human form and held up her hands in defeat.
I placed my knife on the ground, stood back up, and did the same.
I didn’t know if Circe turned women into pigs, too. But now wasn’t the time to find out.
Circe nodded and lowered her force field. “I have questions for you,” she said. “Let’s sit back down. And don’t try anything else against me. I’m a woman who sticks to my word, and the lives of your lovers mean nothing to me.”
“Reed’s not my lover,” I said.
“Please. I saw how you looked at him,” she said. “Deny it all you want, but you yearn for him deeply.”
I pressed my lips together, my cheeks heating as I looked at the pig that used to be Reed. Once he and Thomas were changed back and we were sailing away from here with Circe’s staff, he was definitely going to give me hell for that.
But attacking clearly wasn’t going to work against Circe. Sage and I needed to stall while we came up with another angle of approach.
So if Circe wanted to talk, then fine. We’d talk.
Sage must have been thinking the same thing, because she walked with me back to the table, and we took our seats.
Circe returned to her spot at the head of the table. “No need to fetch the dessert wine,” she said. “The boys were going to have a special brew that turned them to swine, although as we all know, that’s already been accomplished.” She glanced proudly at the pigs, who were oinking behind me. “The two of you were going to get one that relaxed you further, so we could enjoy ourselves on the island together. Then I’d erase your memories of your time here and send you on your way. Although I doubt it would have worked, since you resisted the potion in the stew. So, tell me. How did you do it?” She leaned back, like she had all the time in the world to wait for our answer.
Which, as an immortal sorceress, she did.
She can’t know about the moly, I thought. If she does, she’ll use her potions on us once the moly’s out of our systems. Which means…
“We’re supernaturals,” I said quickly, not wanting Sage to have the chance to tell her the truth. “Being supernatural makes us immune to your potions.”
I didn’t know if it was a lie or the truth.
I just knew I didn’t want to find out. And Circe had already seen that we weren’t human, so there was no point in lying about it.
Judging by the way Sage nodded in agreement, she felt the same way.
Circe’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Supernaturals don’t know about the ancient immortals living beside them on Earth,” she said. “They believe our kind to be myths. If you are what you claim, you shouldn’t have been able to stumble upon—let alone see—my island. Yet, here you are. And I want to know how.”
28
Torrence
“We didn’t know that the myths were true until a few days ago.” Sage didn’t even pause before answering. “And it seems like just knowing has ruined our vacation.” She huffed and leaned back in her chair.
So, we’re still going with that story.
“How, exactly, did you discover that the myths are true?” Circe tilted her head, not looking like she believed us.
She couldn’t know the truth. Then she’d surely turn us into pigs on the spot—and probably eat all four of us for dinner.
We needed another story. And the best lies were based on the truth.
Here goes nothing.
“My mom forced me to do some cataloging in our archives.” I rolled my eyes, like I did whenever I was talking about a tedious school assignment. “It was punishment for… well, never mind. That’s a long and boring story. But while I was cataloging, I came across a bunch of dusty old books about mythology in the children’s section. I glanced through one, and it was about how all the myths are true.”
“She brought them on our vacation to show us.” Sage glared at me before turning her attention back to Circe. “That’s what got us into this mess in the first place.”
“It wasn’t my fault.” I raised my hands in defense.
“Um, yeah.” Sage crossed her arms and glared at me again. “It was.”
We sat there in a stare-down for a few seconds. Circe looked back and forth between us, like she was trying to decide if she believed our story.
“So, you ended up on my island by accident,” she finally said.
“We were looking for Pig Island.” I shrugged. “We saw pigs, and thought this was it.”
“An understandable mistake.” She tilted her head, still studying us. “But it doesn’t explain how the calming magic of my lions affected you, yet my potion in the stew did nothing.”
“I’m a wolf shifter,” Sage said. “As is my mate, Thomas.” She glanced at where his pig form was standing by her feet. “We’re in tune with animals. We could easily tell that the lions weren’t going to hurt us.”
Circe twirled her staff lazily in her hand. “Your transformation into a wolf was impressive,” she said, turning her attention to me. “But you didn’t transform into an animal. What kind of supernatural are you?”
“I’m a witch.” I squared my shoulders proudly. “I can cast spells and create potions.”
“I’m familiar with witches,” she said. “Some call me a witch, although I prefer the term sorceress.”
“I guess sorceresses are similar to witches,” I said, figuring now was a good time to throw in a compliment. “Although sorceresses are far more powerful.”
“Clearly,” she said with the hint of a smile.
Was our story actually working?
“What about your lover?” She glanced at the pig that was Reed. “Is he a witch, too?”
“Reed’s not my type,” I said, mostly for his benefit. “But he’s a mage. Mages are stronger than witches. Although as you just saw, they’re weaker than sorceresses.” I smiled again. I was laying it on thick, but I’d say whatever was necessary to get her to turn the guys back to normal.
“Hm.” Circe leaned back and crossed her legs, showing some skin through the slit of her dress. “This is all quite interesting. But none of it explains why you tried to kill me.”
I froze, and the blood drained out of my face.
“We read about you,” Sage quickly came to my rescue. “In Torrence’s books. But we didn’t put it together until we were in here eating.”
“What tipped you off?” she asked.
“The pottage of cheese stew.” Sage glanced at the bowls on the trolley. “You served Odysseus the same thing, right?”
“I did.” She nodded.
“Well, maybe that stew was common in Odysseus’s time,” she continued. “But nowadays? Not so much. We had to stop to look it up while we were reading the story in the book. I guess it’s one of those things you don’t forget.”
“So the soup tipped you off,” she said slowly. “Not the pigs? Not the palace? Not my clothing? Not my staff?”
“Eccentric humans build mansions on small islands all the time.” I waved off her questions. “Artists, celebrities, heiresses, politicians… you know the drill. They’re into some strange stuff. But stew cooked for peasants? Definitely not their thing.”
“Definitely not.” Sage shook her head in agreement, and we looked at each other like we were trying not to laugh.
“Fine.” Circe’s cheeks flushed pink. “But you still haven’t explained why you tried to kill me.”
“We weren’t trying to kill you,” I said, like she was being silly. “We were just trying to incapacitate you so we could bolt before you could turn us to pigs and add us to your collection on the beach.”
“A simple misunderstanding,” Sage said. “We shouldn’t have underestimated your power. But look on the bright side—you’re so much more powerful than us that there was no harm done! So if you wouldn’t mind turning Thomas and Reed back to normal, we’ll just be on our way and continue our vacation.”
Circe raised the top of her staff to her chin, like she was considering it.
Please, please, please work, I thought. Then we can get back on the yacht and figure out a better plan for stealing the staff.
“The two of you fascinate me.” Her eyes roamed over my figure in a way that reminded me of King Devin. “I’ve never met a wolf shifter or a witch before. I’d like to know more about your kind.”
“No problem.” Sage smiled, although I could tell it was forced. “Once the guys are turned back to normal, we’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
“Not so fast.” Circe chuckled, her eyes roaming over Sage’s body, too. “I don’t trust men. At least, not anymore. I want to learn from the two of you. And Aeaea’s a beautiful place for a vacation. Stay here for a while, and I’ll make sure your every need is taken care of.”
She said the last part like a promise.
Judging by the way she was checking out me and Sage, I had a feeling about what sort of “needs” she was referring to.
“This is actually our last day of vacation.” I sighed, making sure to sound disappointed. “School starts up right when we get back. But Aeaea’s the most beautiful island I’ve ever seen. I’d love to come back over winter break.” I smiled in a way that I hoped was flirtatious. As I’d learned in the Tower, a little bit of flirting could go a long way.
“Yes.” Sage sat straighter, brought her hands together, and batted her eyes at Circe. “That would be amazing.”
“No can do,” Circe said. “You’re already here, and you’ve aroused my curiosity. School can wait. I can’t.”
“But you’re an immortal sorceress.” I laughed. “You have all the time in the world.”
“Just because I’m immortal, it doesn’t mean I’m patient.” She pouted, her lips somehow still the perfect berry color they’d been before we’d eaten. “I’ll transform your male companions back when I’m ready to send you on your way. You have my word. And I promise to make your time here more than worth your while.”
She rested an elbow on the table, smiling as she pushed up her cleavage. It was impossible not to look.
There are worse things than a beautiful sorceress flirting with you, I told myself, doing my best to rationalize it. There’s no denying that Circe’s attractive. And Thomas had mentioned flirting as a potential plan for stealing the staff…
I hadn’t considered that as something that would fall on Sage or me. But we needed that staff, we needed off this island, and we needed to do it quickly.
Our two best options right now seemed to be stealing the staff while Circe was sleeping and using it to change the guys back ourselves, or spending time with her so she’d change the guys back and let us leave so we could come up with another plan.
None of those sounded good to me.
Just because you don’t like your options, it doesn’t mean you don’t have them, I could practically hear Selena’s voice in my ear.
“I suppose we could stay for a night.” I looked at Sage, as if asking her approval. “Right?”
“A night?” Circe gasped and pressed her palm to her chest. “That’s not nearly enough time to show you all the splendor Aeaea has to offer.”
“Oh.” Sage frowned. “How long were you thinking?”
“A year, at the least,” Circe said, and my heart dropped into my stomach.
“We can’t stay for an entire year,” I said.
“Why ever not?” Circe asked. “A year isn’t that long. You’ll enjoy yourselves so much that it’ll pas
s in a blink.”
“Maybe a year isn’t long for an immortal like yourself,” Sage replied gently. “But we have human lifespans.”
It wasn’t a lie, since if we lived on Earth instead of Avalon, we’d age like mortals. It was only Avalon’s magic that kept us young forever.
“You misunderstand,” Circe said sweetly. “I insist that you stay. Make any attempts to leave or go against me again before a year has passed, and I’ll turn you into swine just like I did to your men.”
Sage glanced to me, a familiar wolfish glint in her eyes.
It was time to play dirty.
I had no idea what our plan was yet, but we’d figure it out.
“I suppose you’re right,” I forced myself to say. “A year isn’t that long in the scheme of things.”
“That’s more like it.” Circe beamed. “I’m so honored to have two beautiful supernatural women as my guests. I’ll give you the best rooms—apart from my own, of course.”
“That’s very kind of you.” I met her smile with an equally sugary sweet one of my own.
“Like I said, this stay will be an enjoyable one.” She pushed back her chair and stood up. “My home is your home. Now, follow me, and I’ll help you get comfortable.”
29
Selena
It had been nearly three weeks, and there was still no word from Avalon. But I didn’t let myself dwell on it. Whatever was happening on Earth was out of my control.
Instead, I focused on what I could control. Making sure Julian and I stayed alive.
The day after Cassia’s death, Julian won Emperor of the Villa. He sent Octavia, Pierce, and Emmet to the arena. With Pierce and Emmet being so close, it seemed like a no brainer that they’d team up against Octavia. They were strong enough together to easily take her down.
Instead, Octavia and Emmet teamed up to take out Pierce. Octavia had the final blow. She enjoyed it nearly as much as she’d enjoyed torturing Cassia.
The Faerie Mates (Dark World: The Faerie Games Book 3) Page 11