Enraptured

Chapter 14

A knock sounded on the door before Skyla could decide if she was going to stay while Maelea finished her shower or go look for Orpheus.

She really wanted to go look for Orpheus.

“Come in,” she said, her stomach grumbling when she remembered the food Helene had promised to send up.

A slim blond stepped into the room, smiled. She was petite, with short, messy hair and dark brown eyes. Behind her, a dark-haired woman entered, this one taller than the first. Neither held the tray of food Skyla was hoping for.

“I’m glad you’re still here,” the blond said. “I’m Isadora. This is my sister Casey. We came up to make sure you have everything you need.”

Isadora…Casey…The names were vaguely familiar. But there was something about them that didn’t jell with the other colonists Skyla had run into. “You’re both Misos?”

“I am,” Casey answered. “My half sister isn’t. She’s—”

The names finally clicked and Skyla’s eyes widened. “The queen of Argolea.”

Isadora clasped her hands in front of her, nodded. “Very good, Siren. The gods are obviously keeping tabs on what happens in our little part of the world.”

Of course they were. They had to. There was that whole self-preservation thing going on.

The small of Skyla’s back tightened. No weapons on either of them, not that she could see, but that didn’t mean they weren’t a threat. What was the queen of Argolea doing at a half-breed colony?

Isadora moved farther into the room, stopping near the couch in the small sitting area. “Orpheus and Nick went with the others. They’ll be back soon.”

“Others?” Skyla asked, not moving from her spot near the window.

“My husband.” Casey nodded toward the other woman. “And the queen’s husband too. Both of whom are Argonauts.”

Well, of course they were.

“We came up here,” Isadora said, “to discuss your interest in Orpheus.”

Ah. Now this was starting to make more sense. “Since he’s one of your warriors, my interest in him obviously concerns you.”

“Yes,” the queen answered. “Greatly.”

“Orpheus doesn’t need you to be concerned for him. If you knew what he is, you wouldn’t be.”

“I know exactly what he is,” Isadora answered. “And though you may see that as a negative, I see it as the opposite. I’m not about to let anyone—especially you—ruin him.”

The queen’s last words hung in the silence between them, a ridiculous warning from a petite creature any Siren would ignore. But Skyla wasn’t ignoring it. Because only one thought revolved in her mind as she stared at the queen. “You care for him.”

“I do. While he’s not the easiest person to get along with—”

“You can say that again,” Casey mumbled.

“—he is not defined by that part of himself he keeps carefully locked down.”

His daemon side. The queen was talking about his daemon, which meant she did know what he was.

“It makes him unpredictable,” Skyla managed.

“Unpredictability is often an asset, especially in a war the likes of which we are embroiled in. Regardless of that unpredictability, Orpheus has shown his link to the ancient heroes more times than I can count. If he was only what you or Zeus say he is, he wouldn’t give a damn about me or my sisters or our world. And the truth is—whether he will admit it or not—he does.”

Tingles spread through Skyla’s chest. And that word, hero, the one growing louder and louder in her head whenever she thought of Orpheus, increased to the sound of a blaring trumpet. “How?”

“Excuse me?”

“How does he give a damn?” Her neck grew hot and sweaty. “Give me an example.”

Isadora looked at her sister again, and when Casey nodded, she said, “I can give you several. He saved my life. He saved my husband’s life. He saved our other sister’s son Max’s life. Together with my mate’s help he was able to send Atalanta to the Fields of Asphodel, thereby giving us the chance to hunt her daemons and get a leg up on this war. But none of those are as important as the reason I’m about to give you.”

Skyla’s chest tightened. And in the queen’s words, every suspicion she’d had about Orpheus was confirmed.

Hero.

She moved toward the bed, sat down on the edge before her legs gave out.

“Three months ago,” the queen went on, “an Argonaut was injured in our realm by a powerful warlock who’d banded forces with Atalanta. Gryphon, Orpheus’s brother, suffered a tremendous blast of energy during that fight that left him weak and nearly dead. Our healers did all they could for him, but it wasn’t enough. When it became clear that Gryphon’s body had regained its strength, but that his soul was slowly dying, Orpheus gave up whatever personal plans he had for the Orb of Krónos and brought it to Gryphon. Even without the four elements, the Orb has powers beyond explanation. But the warlock’s energy had destroyed enough of Gryphon’s soul that he was able to take possession of Gryphon’s body, thereby sending Gryphon’s soul to the Underworld.”

The Underworld. Oh gods.

Skyla’s breaths grew quick as Orpheus’s intentions—why he was seeking the Orb of Krónos—suddenly became clear. She reached out and gripped the post at the corner of the bed, knowing what was coming even before the queen said it.

“I’m sure Zeus told you Orpheus is after the Orb for power and glory.” Isadora’s eyes grew hard. “But he’s not. He’s after the Orb so he can harness its powers and travel into the Underworld to save his brother’s life. A life he feels responsible for losing. He won’t admit that to you if you ask. He won’t even admit it to me. And sometimes I’m not even sure he can admit it to himself, but that doesn’t change the truth. The ándres who has been there every time we’ve needed him for whatever reason is more a hero than most in our realm. And he’s more a hero than you or I could ever hope to be.”

Hero. The word was there again, roaring through her mind like a freight train.

“And when you say he is an Argonaut,” Isadora continued, “you may be right—now—but he was not one by birth. He was passed over by the gods to serve. Those marks on his arms? They only appeared after his younger brother’s soul was sent to the Underworld.”

“Siren?” Casey asked. “Are you okay?”

Skyla swallowed hard. Tried to nod. Wasn’t sure she succeeded.

Dear gods, she’d been right. Zeus and Athena were lying to her. Lying because they wanted the Orb for themselves. Not to rescue a soul, like Orpheus, but to ensure no one became more powerful than them.

Hero. The word sucked up all the empty space in her head, shoving aside every last doubt she’d had about Orpheus because of his daemon. Whether he purposely hadn’t shifted or couldn’t anymore didn’t matter. He was still heroic, even with the daemon.

“You said he was with the Argonauts.” Skyla’s mind was a thick hazy soup of lies long told and so easily believed. “Why? Where?”

“They went to deal with your tail,” Isadora answered.

“My what?

“You’ve had two Sirens following you for quite some time.” Casey brushed her hair over her shoulder. “And they weren’t the same two that came to Argolea to request the Argonaut’s help locating the warlock who has the Orb.”

Skyla’s head darted up. “Sirens from my order came to you?”

“Yes,” Isadora said. “I take it from your reaction this is news to you?”

Big news. Enormous news. Yeah, Skyla had yet to check in with Athena as she was supposed to, but if the head of her order had already sent Sirens to tail them and also to Argolea to request help, it meant she’d never trusted Skyla in the first place. It also meant if Skyla didn’t follow through on her orders and kill Orpheus, as Zeus wanted, her future with the Sirens would come to a dramatic end.

Of course, maybe that was the plan all along. A sneaking suspicion took root in the bottom of her stomach as she gripped the mattress. Maybe Athena had set Skyla up to fail right from the start.

The Siren call to duty is one that is meant to be answered, served, then abandoned, and we never intended for you to serve this long.

Reality was a sharp, swift slap to the face. Athena had said the words clear as day, and Skyla had heard them but hadn’t realized their meaning.

“Siren?” Casey asked again. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look a little green.”

No, Skyla wasn’t okay. Not by a long shot. Because this suddenly was not another of the thousands of missions Zeus had sent her on over her long life.

This time, she was the prey.