He smiled again, a dazzling grin that supercharged her blood. “But in our case she screwed up, because I’m water to your fire, baby.”
His perfect other half… Her entire body lit up with understanding. No wonder he was so drawn to her. Not just because of the elements, but because of a deeper, more sinister reason.
Yeah, water could extinguish a flame, but if the fire was too strong, if there wasn’t enough water to douse it, it would turn that water to steam and continue pillaging the land.
She knew too much about destiny. It wasn’t something you could change. She was destined to free her father…and with Titus’s help, now she had a chance. But this curse of Hera’s…this horrible destiny the goddess had bestowed on each of the Argonauts…guaranteed they wouldn’t wind up together.
The hope and excitement she’d held on to moments before withered and died. All she could do now was pray that she found her father before it was too late.
And that the fire inside her didn’t destroy Titus before that happened.
Nick rolled his shoulder and stepped over a downed log.
The terrain was steep, his breaths heavy. Sweat slicked his skin, but he didn’t care. Every step away from the colony was one step closer to freedom. He was done doing for others. Done being the one everyone turned to. Done—
Pain ripped through his chest. He gasped in a breath, reached out for the trunk of a nearby tree, and came to a stop, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened to him.
Nausea rolled through his stomach, and another burst of searing pain shot beneath his ribs.
Isadora.
His heartbeat picked up speed and adrenaline surged through his system. Something was wrong with her. The soul mate bond was screaming that she was in trouble.
His body moved before his mind clicked into gear. He whipped around and pushed his feet forward, picking his way down the hill, jumping over downed logs and around saplings and brush. He had to get to her. He had to help her. He had to—
The scars on his back tingled. And the air around him went from early-summer cool to bone-chilling frigid. His boots skidded to a stop.
Daemons. Leftovers from his mother’s ragged army.
His adrenaline surged. The guns strapped to his hips were no use against their tough skin. He reached for the blade he kept strapped to his back just as the first beast emerged from the trees.
At least seven feet tall, with the face of a cat, the ears of a dog, and horns like something straight out of hell, the beast was a gruesome mix of ugly. The only sign he’d once been human was his body. Tall, lean, muscular, dressed in fighting gear and wearing a long trench coat that hid a multitude of weapons. But this monster was not human. Not anymore. And it was here for blood.
The daemon sniffed the air. Bloodred eyes settled on Nick and flared to life. “Half breed.”
Three more daemons emerged from the trees at the monster’s back. The first motioned them forward with a snarled twist of his gruesome lips. “We’ve found lunch, boys.”
Two stepped forward. The third remained motionless, narrowed eyes blazing. “We’re under orders from Hades.”
Nick gripped his blade in both hands. They were working for the King of the Underworld now? Fucking fantastic.
“Screw Hades,” the one in front said. “I’m hungry.”
“He was clear,” the other answered. “Only the colony.”
Everything inside Nick went still. Hades knew the location of the colony. Their cover was blown. His people…
Isadora…
The darkness he kept locked inside surged and exploded. A red rage colored his vision. He roared and charged, swinging his blade. Metal sliced into flesh, cracking against bone. Howls echoed through the trees. Nick ducked, whipped around, avoided claws and jagged teeth. The first daemon hit the ground with a grunt. In a fury of movement, Nick stabbed his sword through the heart of the daemon on his right, yanked it free, spun and decapitated the other in one clean move.
One look and he realized the fourth—the one who’d hesitated at the back—was gone. All that remained was a bloody mess of cloth and bone.
Daemons weren’t truly dead until their heads were separated from their bodies. Chest heaving, Nick lifted his blade and decapitated the other two, then pushed his legs into a sprint and headed for the ridgeline.
He reached the top and looked down into the valley below. His heart dropped like dead weight into his stomach.
A battle raged on the banks of the glacial lake. Daemons and satyrs, Argonauts and half-breed soldiers in a duel to the death. In his peoples’ greatest hour of need, he’d abandoned them.
His gaze shot across the shimmering water, to the island that held the castle, invisible to the naked eye. The therillium ore was still masking its location. Hades hadn’t discovered it yet. There was still time.
He grasped a boulder, took a step around it, intent on heading down to join the battle. Another shot of blistering pain ripped through his chest, bringing every cell in his body to a halt.
His gaze shot back to the rocky island in the middle of the lake.
The battle would have to wait.
“Breathe, Isadora. Steady. That’s it. Good. Stay focused.”
Demetrius tried to listen to what Callia was telling Isadora but couldn’t catch his own damn breath. Panic tightened his chest and forced every bit of air out of his lungs.
Propped up in a bed in the medical clinic, Isadora squeezed his hand. She blew out a short breath, then managed a weak smile. “It’s going to be okay.”
There she was. His rock. Reassuring him when she was the one in danger.
He looked to Callia, on the other side of the bed. “We need to take her home.”
“No,” Callia said calmly, encouraging Isadora through another contraction. She glanced at the readout on the heart-rate monitor strapped to Isadora’s belly. “It’s too late for that. She’s having this baby right here.”
Demetrius ground his teeth but kept his thoughts to himself. He didn’t want Isadora stressing, but he didn’t like her being here. Not when daemons and satyrs and, fuck, Hades were on the other side of the lake. He should be out there with the other Argonauts and Skyla right now, battling back the beasts, making sure they couldn’t get to her, but he couldn’t leave her side. The soul mate bond would barely even let him leave the room.
Isadora blew out another breath. “Don’t…talk about me…like I’m not here.”
“We wouldn’t dream of it.” Callia chuckled. “There, that one’s over. Not so bad, right?”
Isadora swiped at the sweat on her brow. Her shoulders shrank, and now that the contraction had passed, she looked pale and exhausted. And ten times too small for the bed she was lying in. “Whoever said this was a beautiful experience obviously never went through labor.”
Callia smiled, but it was forced. Footsteps echoed, and she looked toward the door, but Demetrius was too focused on his mate to care who showed up. Isadora’s eyes had fallen closed, her head resting back against the pillow. Between contractions, it was if her entire body relaxed, gathering strength for the next attack. His stomach twisted with fear and sickness. He’d never felt so helpless. There was nothing he could do to ease her pain, nothing he could do to speed things up. And when he remembered all that blood…
He swallowed hard and squeezed her hand tighter in his. He wasn’t going to lose her. How could he have ever thought he could walk away from her?