He pushed to his feet, crossed, and sat next to her on the log. She scooted a few inches away. He followed.
Frowning, she looked into his eyes. “You have more than enough room.”
“I don’t want room. I want you.”
Something dark flashed in her eyes, but he couldn’t read it. She looked quickly away and rose to her feet. “I’m tired.”
“Want me to help you relax?”
“No. I want to sleep. Alone.”
A definite brush-off. And a one-hundred-and-eighty degree change from earlier.
He watched as she moved to a mossy area under a giant tree and lay down on her side. Tucking her hands up by her head, she closed her eyes, drew in a breath, and let it back out.
She’d bypassed the soft coat he’d laid out for her. Chosen, instead, to move farther away from him. Something was up with her. She hadn’t eaten much either. Granted, the fish he’d caught and cooked hadn’t been that tasty, but it was food, and they both needed to keep their strength up. He ran through their earlier conversations, but couldn’t figure out what had triggered this change.
He looked back into the crackling fire and watched a swirling flame pop and sizzle.
Volatile…
He hadn’t touched her in several hours. Her temperature had been warm during the day—not as hot as it had been at the colony—but hotter than when they’d tangled in bed. Way hotter than it had been at the Amazon city. When he had to wear all that stuffy, formal Argonaut gear and was overheated, he was a bear to deal with. She lived with that feeling daily. No wonder she wasn’t in the best of moods.
Quietly, he rose to his feet and crossed to where she lay. Her breaths were already slow and steady. She hadn’t been lying about being tired. Easing down next to her, he gently wrapped an arm around her waist and spooned against her back.
Heat rushed from her into him.
She was definitely getting hotter. The element inside her was growing more and more unstable with every passing hour. And, he realized…he hadn’t picked up a single thought from her since the colony. Before long, the traces of water left in him wouldn’t be enough to cool her.
Duty warred with desire, but he refused to let it change his mind. She was his soul mate. He was the water to her fire. They’d find her father before it was too late.
For her—for the world—they had to.
Natasa gasped, the heat so strong it jerked the breath from her lungs.
She turned right and left. Twisting, curling, angry flames licked toward the sky in every direction, blocking her in. She covered her mouth with her hand, coughing through the smoke filling her lungs, and fought back the panic. Somewhere overhead, an eagle swooped over the flames and screamed. An eagle that should be flying high and far, far away.
Stupid bird. Stupid her for following it. She was trapped. No way out. Growing hotter with every second. Burning from the inside… Igniting into flames…
“I can help you. Come to me and live. You have but to give me one tiny thing…”
A roar echoed. She looked up above the edges of the flames, rising high in the sky. The ground shook. The heavens opened. Water rushed in on a wave, filling her mouth, her lungs, dragging her down. She screamed, but the sound was muffled, the force so strong it knocked her off her feet.
Liquid closed over her head. She struggled against the pull, kicked her legs, and reached for the surface. Watery light lingered above. Grew darker.
“Oh yes. When the fire consumes you, our deal will be complete. And the element will belong to me…”
“Tasa, open your eyes.”
Natasa jerked back. Her center of gravity tilted, and she went down. Water filled her lungs again. She panicked. Sputtered. Kicked and clawed out. Strong hands wrapped around her biceps, pulling her up. Sweet, blessed air rushed into her mouth.
“I’ve got you,” Titus said. “Hold on to me.”
She gasped and grabbed on to him for support. Drawing in deep, gulping breaths, she realized his hair was wet and slicked back from his face. Cool, clear water surrounded them, moonlight reflecting off its dark surface, illuminating the trees and brush around the small lake.
The lake. Where they’d stopped for the night after scouting Ogygia for most of the day. Where Titus had built a fire to cook the fish he’d caught for dinner. Where she’d fallen asleep thinking about her father and the deal she’d made to stay alive and how she could possibly fix the mess she’d gotten into.
“That’s it,” he said softly, running his hand up and down her back. “I’ve got you. Just breathe.”
She held on tighter. Poseidon hadn’t said anything about taking the element when it consumed her. She’d agreed to give it to him only if she found her father. But giving and taking were two very different things, and being a god, he probably assumed the same thing she had. That if she found him, Prometheus would know a way to free her from that bargain.
A horrible realization caused the air to catch in her throat.
Epimetheus hadn’t betrayed her. Poseidon had. He’d purposely drawn her off course, sent her to Epimetheus in search of Maelea, knowing it would force Natasa to waste valuable time. He’d given her just enough extra “time” for the element to become unstable, guaranteeing she wouldn’t reach her father before the element took control. And now he was waiting for it to burn through her so he could swoop in and claim his prize.
“Skata.” Titus’s arms flexed around her. “You scared the crap out of me. You were screaming in your sleep. That must have been some dream.”
Not a dream. The reality of what was waiting for her. When she reached the end of this road. Long before she ever lived up to some meaningless destiny.
An eagle swooped low over the water, then rose high into the sky. An eagle just as in her dream. A shudder ran through her.
“Hey.” His voice softened. “You’re trembling. Are you cold?”
“I’m just…” She couldn’t get close enough. “Don’t let go of me yet.”
His soothing breath spread across her neck and shoulders. He held her tight, just as she wanted. Long seconds passed. Finally, he whispered, “Wanna talk about it?”
She shook her head again. Couldn’t find the words to answer. What the hell was she going to do now? Every day they spent together put his life in jeopardy. There was no telling when she might spontaneously combust and spew fire across the earth. Theron had been right. Titus was blind to her. He wasn’t thinking logically. If he were…
Her heart felt like it could shatter with the smallest tap. If he were thinking logically, he wouldn’t be here with her now. He’d have let his Argonauts lock her away. He’d be with his order now. Fighting to save the world like he’d been doing since long before she’d ever tumbled into his life.
All the times he’d offered her help, the numerous ways he’d saved her life, the compassion he’d showered on her again and again tumbled through her soul. She wasn’t going to be the reason he died. She wasn’t going to be the reason millions of innocents died. She wasn’t like the gods, selfish and only concerned with herself. As a thousand frantic thoughts raced through her mind, one solution solidified. One that she never would have considered until now.
A renewed sense of purpose washed through her, easing the fear. She drew in a deep breath, let it out, and forced herself to be strong, forced herself not to give anything away. Because she knew in her heart if Titus caught wind of what she planned to do, he’d never let it happen.