Valen’s golden eyes narrowed on him. “I’m mature.”
Eva stifled a giggle.
Froze when he glared at her too.
“No sex for you.” Valen crossed his arms over his chest and tipped his chin up and his head slightly away from Eva as he closed his eyes.
Her shoulders slumped beneath her crisp black T-shirt and she sighed, and somewhat reluctantly fussed over him, speaking to him in Italian.
Keras shut them out and focused on the brothers that would be of use to him.
And realised that Cass was nowhere to be seen.
He looked at Daimon. “Where is the witch?”
“My witch or the…” Daimon looked around him and his ice-blue eyes snapped back to Keras. “I think my witch is with the witch.”
A scream shattered the air, had everyone twisting towards the arched doorway to the vestibule.
Daimon was first out of the door. He banked left on the other side of it.
Enyo helped Keras onto his feet and he hurried after his brother with her help, the urge to step flooding him as magic rushed through the castle, had the ground shaking beneath his bare feet.
He guided her left when they reached the vestibule, quickening his pace as they neared the hallway. He pushed forwards, into a shadowy area of the wide corridor.
She went for the mahogany staircase that led upwards.
Keras pulled her back and released her as he gripped the stone wall and the central pillar of the spiral staircase that led downwards into the rock.
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” Daimon snapped, his voice echoing along the narrow corridor that came into view as Keras reached the bottom step.
Enyo seized hold of him again as soon as there was enough room, helped him as he moved as quickly as he could manage, banking right at the wall.
Daimon stood a few metres along the corridor, beyond a stunned looking Caterina where she leaned with her back plastered against the damp stone wall. The overhead lights flickered as the ground shook again.
Keras couldn’t believe his eyes when he reached his brother.
Cassandra kneeled on the floor of the cell beside the one they were holding Guillem in, an intricate circle shining on the flagstones in front of her. Smaller circles formed a pattern inside it, together with runes and glyphs. Some shone violet, and others were blue or green, and the lines that contained them glowed crimson and orange.
“What are you doing?” Keras snapped.
His green eyes leaped from Cassandra to the redheaded witch kneeling in the middle of the circle, her eyes dull as she stared straight ahead of her, her body unmoving.
Cassandra leaned forwards and pressed her palms to the floor, close to the edge of the circle, her raven hair falling from her shoulders to brush her arms and obscure her face.
The light of the circle glowed brighter.
“Giving myself a boost,” Cass muttered, her Russian accent thick as she laboured for breath. “Need it to find Mari.”
He stopped midway through reaching for Daimon, intending to push him aside so he could stop her from killing the witch by draining her.
The magic in the air grew denser, and he swore it was invading him too as his head turned.
Daimon shook his head and pushed him back, following him to a safer distance, where the power that was building no longer felt as if it was sucking the strength from him too. He sensed everyone else behind him, felt how on edge they were as they waited. As on edge as he was.
Could Cass find Marinda?
If she could, then there was a chance she could lead him to Meadow.
To one of the enemy strongholds.
Power hit him like a shockwave, knocking him back into Enyo.
Cass screamed.
Daimon lunged into the cell.
Keras hurried after him.
Stopped on the threshold and stared at his white-haired brother where he sat with Cassandra tucked in his arms, fear etched on his face and his eyes dangerously white as he looked down at her.
“Cass. Wake up, baby.” Daimon gently jostled her.
Frost flowers bloomed on his black leather gloves.
He went to release her.
Her nose wrinkled as she frowned and quietly murmured, “Don’t. Don’t let go.”
He held her closer instead of releasing her, his brow furrowing as he lifted one hand and stroked her cheek, caught a tear that rolled down her pale skin. It turned to glittering ice on his gloves.
Her eyes fluttered open.
Filled with despair and hopelessness.
She croaked, “I can’t find Mari anywhere.”
“Maybe they cloaked her?” Daimon caressed her face, his effort to reassure her doing nothing to stop her tears as they fell.
Another possibility hit Keras like a thunderbolt.
Chilled him like ice.
He looked at his brothers.
“Maybe they are no longer in the mortal world.”
Chapter 22
Enyo grumbled something as she teleported with him to Mount Olympus, probably something about the fact that upon waking in the bed they shared in the castle in Scotland, he had announced they were going to try to find where the enemy had taken Marinda.
Keras had rested for a day, felt strong enough to head out into the world now. He couldn’t wait any longer, sitting around the castle, leaving Marinda out there. Cal would wake soon and he wanted to give his brother good news, not let him down by telling him the furie still had the woman he loved.
The light of Olympus hurt his tired eyes, bright sunshine that beat down on him and heated his black shirt and hair. He squinted at the city that filled every inch of the gently sloping base of the mountain, his gaze scanning the terracotta rooftops of the ancient white buildings.
Cypresses lined the broad street that cut through the heart of the city, providing shade for the denizens who strolled along the road, stopping at some of the stalls that spilled out onto it near the harbour.
Olympus had always been too bright for him.
It suited Enyo though.
Warm light caressed her golden skin as she peered at the people passing them by, softened her jade eyes as she lifted them towards the point where the mountain grew steeper.
A glimmer of something he didn’t like flitted across them as her gaze fixed on one building in particular, and he glowered at the columned temple that stood on a huge pale plateau of rock, looming over the buildings clustered around it. A leafy green garden filled the space to the left of the complex of buildings, and guards patrolled the grounds, the sunlight that glinted off their golden armour revealing them to Keras despite the distance between him and the home of Ares, god of war.
Enyo’s brother.
Enyo’s home.
She turned away from it and busied herself with plaiting her fall of dark hair, twisting the braid into a knot at the back of her head and securing it with a pin she pulled from the side of her skirt.
A silver pin he had given to her.
“I thought you would have thrown that tatty old thing away a long time ago.” He echoed the words she had said to him when she had noticed the ring he still wore on his thumb.
She stilled and looked at him, her eyes brightening as a smile emerged, curling lips he had kissed.
Lips he ached to kiss again.
“I would not part with it for anything,” she murmured, her smile widening.
Making him want to kiss her even more.
He would have, but they were being watched. Not only by the patrons who moved between the wooden stalls that lined the buildings along the harbour, but by the guards who stood before the gate behind him.