“There’s a comforting thought. Where’s Theron? Isn’t he going to miss you at this hour?”
“He was tossing and turning last night. I kicked him out of bed because he was keeping me up.” Casey tucked a lock of dark brown hair behind her ear. “I think he’s still in his office with Zander, discussing ‘strategy.’”
That so-called “strategy” would be finding Titus. Isadora knew Theron wouldn’t sleep until each of his guardians was accounted for. He worried over them like children, which was an ironic thought coming from her. At one time she’d been more afraid of Theron than she had been of her father.
She nearly laughed at that realization. Her life had been so easy back then. Now she had an entire kingdom to worry about. And a husband she hadn’t heard from since the scene in the courtyard with Nick.
Casey sat at the end of the window seat, tucked her legs up under her, and held out her hands. “Let me feel.”
Sighing, Isadora moved her hand back, and Casey rested both palms on her stomach. The baby kicked out again, right under her fingers, then managed what felt like a double backflip.
Isadora winced and shifted. The kid was going to crack one of her ribs if he wasn’t careful. Oh, he definitely had Argonaut genes.
A wide smile broke across Casey’s lips. “That is so cool.” She moved her hands out slightly and down an inch, feeling for the little bugger. But before Isadora could tell her it didn’t feel cool, her eyes widened, and her gaze shot to Isadora’s. “Oh my God.”
The shock on Casey’s face put Isadora on instant defense. She placed a protective hand over her belly. “What? What’s wrong?”
Casey pulled her hands back, but the wonder and joy were both gone. Worry lingered in her violet eyes. “Why didn’t you say anything? It’s been hours.”
Casey had the gift of hindsight. Which meant by touching Isadora, she’d just seen what had happened in the courtyard.
Isadora’s mood slid right back into the depressing depths it had been in earlier. “What is there to tell? It happened. It wasn’t my fault. It’s not going to happen again.”
“But Demetrius…”
“Demetrius is an idiot if he thinks there’s anything going on between me and Nick.” But even as she said the words, worry rippled beneath her ribs. “And before you ask, no, I don’t know where he is. Between the celebration and dealing with the Council, I didn’t get a chance to talk to him after. And when I went looking for him, Phineus told me he’d left with Orpheus to track down a lead about Titus.”
“Men,” Casey muttered.
Isadora pushed off the bench seat because she couldn’t sit still any longer, struggling only slightly at the shift in her center of gravity. Casey reached for her, but she moved out of her sister’s grasp and fixed her pajama bottoms so they. Two more months...
“Do you want Theron to call him back? Demetrius is wearing his Argos medallion.”
Anger pushed aside the worry. Isadora paced the small living area of her suite, her bare toes—which she couldn’t even see any more beneath the swell of her belly—sinking into the plush white carpet. “No, I don’t want that. If Demetrius can’t get it in his thick skull that I’m with him because I want to be, then he can just stew in his stupidity.”
Pity crept over Casey’s features. “Maybe it’s a good thing he’s not here right now.”
Isadora scowled her sister’s way, then immediately regretted her aggravation. She was getting worked up over something that wasn’t even real, but she knew how Demetrius thought. Knew, even after their binding ceremony and everything they’d been through, that he still didn’t believe he deserved her. Didn’t believe he was worthy. Didn’t believe she could love him. When was he going to get it?
“Ilithios,” she muttered.
The babe in her belly kicked out several times, as if he agreed, and Isadora rubbed a hand over the growing bulge to soothe the kid. Even their baby got it, dammit.
A knock sounded at the outer door. Isadora said, “Come in,” without bothering to ask who was there.
Her other sister, Callia, moved into the room. Disheveled auburn hair hung to Callia’s shoulders, and her light blue cotton pajamas were rolled up on one leg as if they’d been twisted in sleep. But it was the look of distress that showed clearly in her eyes that forced Isadora to take a breath and calm her temper. “I felt something. Is everyone okay?”
As they were all three connected through their link to the ancient goddesses, the Horae, they could each feel when one was in trouble. Or frustrated, as was the case now. Casey crossed one leg over the other, looked toward Isadora, and shrugged. “Okay is a relative term at the moment.”
Callia’s worried gaze darted to Isadora. “What does that mean?”
Isadora sighed again. “It means some men in this family have no brain. Or refuse to use the tiny one they were born with.”
Relief spread over Callia’s pretty face. “Oh, just that? Their brains tend to run due south more often than not.”
Casey laughed.
Isadora rolled her eyes. She wished that was what this was about. The fact Demetrius hadn’t touched her like that in weeks was another reason she was nearing the edge of her sanity. Every time she made a move, he wiggled out of her grasp, muttering something about not wanting to hurt the baby.
At least he was calling it a baby now and not a thing. That was an improvement, right?
Callia rested her hands on Isadora’s belly the same way Casey had, but because Callia’s gift was a healing one, not vision centered, she only smiled. “Baby seems good. Pulse is a little high, but nothing to worry about.” Her gaze lifted to Isadora’s. “What did Demetrius do this time?”
“The question is what didn’t he do?” Casey said.
When Callia glanced her way in question, Casey relayed what she’d seen in the vision. And when she was done, Callia’s gaze snapped back to Isadora. “What are you going to do?”
“What can I do?” That anger and frustration she’d worked hard to tamp down came steamrolling back. “If he wants to brood, I can’t stop him. And I’ve got other things to worry about right now, like where the hell Titus is and what this Natasa person was doing in our realm.”
“Cerek and Phineus were able to get the portal working again.” Casey swung her foot and pursed her lips. “But there was no location logged in the data stream. And Theron told me earlier that Skyla wasn’t having much luck with Titus’s computer. Though this is of interest… She was able to figure out that he’s been searching satellite images of Maelea’s house on Vancouver Island and the forests outside the colony since they brought Gryphon home.”
“Searching for what?” Callia asked.
“Not what,” Casey answered. “Who. Skyla thinks he’s been looking for Natasa. They met at the colony.”
“I know.” Callia lowered herself to the window seat next to Casey. “I was there.”
Her sister was lost in thought. About what, Isadora didn’t know. She’d been in the room too when Titus had brought Natasa to see Nick, but she didn’t remember anything weird happening then. Or Titus’s reaction to the redhead, for that matter. Then again, she’d been distracted at the time.
She sighed and resumed pacing. “So we’re no closer to learning anything.”
“Maybe not, but…” Casey bit into her bottom lip.
“But what?”
Casey looked up. “I wasn’t going to bring this up, but I overheard a conversation Theron was having with one of the guys via com unit.”
“About what?” Callia asked, tuning back into the conversation.