Jewel of Atlantis

eyes, and his body vibrated with some kind of pent-up energy.

Had she angered him?

'Your man—tell him I cannot accept so much money,' the seller said.

Jewel tore her attention from Gray and met the woman's warm, worried gaze. Unbidden, she smiled. Hearing Gray referred to as her man was... heady. 'I've never seen such beautiful work as these. You deserve every bit of money he gave you. Please—what is your name?'

'Erwin.'

'Please, Erwin, take it with a happy heart.'

Her thin lips grew into a smile as she placed the drachmas in her pocket. 'Take as many rocks as you'd like.'

Jewel nodded. She studied the rocks. Some had waterfalls, some had forests. Some had creatures painted on the surface. Each scene appeared to be alive, as if it were actually happening, as if the creatures were truly moving.

One had two sapphires painted in the center, and they caught Jewel's eye. She lifted the stone and gasped, realizing it was her face she was seeing. In the portrait, her eyes held sadness and her mouth dipped in a wistful frown. She looked sad and alone and vulnerable.

'Do you like it?' Erwin asked hesitantly.

'Why—why did you paint this woman?' She held up the rock, showing the minotaur the features decorating the surface.

'Look at her. She represents the suffering of all of us, desperate to escape the life she was born to.'

How true. Except for these last few days with Gray, Jewel couldn't recall a time when she'd been happy with her life. She'd always prayed for a day, a single day, where she could be as normal and unaware as everyone else.

'Maybe one day the woman and I will find our escape,' the minotaur added. She reached out and drew a finger over the surface, and as she did, her fingertip brushed Jewel's palm.

Jewel jerked as a vision raked her mind.

A little boy, a minotaur, was ripped from a woman's arms. This woman's arms. The seller's. Night had fallen and shadows danced all around a small hut that had been built under a tree. Both mother and child were crying and screaming, but the demon army carted them both away, seeing them merely as a food source.

Jewel blinked her eyes and shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Her heart was slamming inside her chest, and a cold sweat had broken out all over her body.

'You live nearby,' she said.

Erwin paled, her furry bull-face becoming pallid. 'That is none of your concern.' 'You have built a shelter under a tree for you and your son.'

She gasped and stumbled backward, her hand fluttering over her heart. 'How did you—'

'Very soon, the demon queen will march her army past your home. They will take you and your son and both of you will die.'

'What? How can you—'

Jewel knew the woman would never believe her, not without proof. Not knowing what else to do, she reached up and pushed back her hood, letting the light shove away the shadows and reveal her features. Erwin gasped again, this time shock and horror dripping from the sound.

'You!' she breathed, both hands cupping her mouth.

'Please,' Jewel said, replacing her hood. 'You wish to escape your life, as did I. I have done so. Do not take it away from me by yelling out now.'

The woman nodded, her eyes wide.

'You know now that I'm telling the truth. You know that if you do not move out of the forest, you will lose your life and your son.'

She nodded again. With shaky fingers, she began gathering her things and closing her table. 'I will take us both to safety,' she whispered, horror coating every word. 'Now. Right now.'

Jewel's hand relaxed at her sides. 'All will be well now,' she assured her. 'I know it. And I thank you for the rock.'

With that, she went to Gray, craving his nearness, his heat. The daylight was beginning to thin, the air to cool. Darkness would soon fall. It would be best if they were ensconced inside a rented room and not wandering the streets. Or had he wanted to return to the forest?

She didn't want him to know what she was doing, so she threw her arms around him, and while he was distracted, dropped the rock inside his bag.

He hugged her back, lingering a moment, before pulling from her. 'What were you two talking about?' He no longer appeared angry. His expression was relaxed, his body at ease. 'The woman looked sick and ready to faint.'

'She realized her son was in danger and went to remove him from harm's way.'

'Is that so?' There was a wealth of meaning in that one sentence, and Gray was able to deduce the entire story. Jewel had a vision of danger and had told the woman. The woman had rushed to save her child.

Jewel... amazed him.

He'd seen her lower her hood slightly and had almost run to her and dragged her back to the forest. But he had remained in place, curious about what she was doing. She'd put herself in danger, risked being seen and stolen by God knows what, to help a woman she didn't know. Such kindness was as wonderful as it was foolish.

'I think you've seen all the shops,' he told her. 'It's too late to return to the glen, so we'll need to get a room. Are you done shopping?'

'Yes.'

'I'm thirsty. For water,' he added for his own benefit His bloodlust had thankfully calmed, but now his mouth felt dry and parched. 'Drink first, room afterward.'

'There's an inn about a mile away. We can have dinner there, as well as stay the night.'

'What kind of creatures stay there?' He wrapped his arm around her waist, and they padded down the cobbled street, circling around other shoppers.

'Centaurs and sirens. They are known allies, often protecting one another. If we keep our hoods over our heads, I can pretend to be an average siren and you can pretend to be a—'

'Nymph.' He stroked two fingers over his jaw. 'I think I'd make an excellent nymph.'

Jewel chuckled. 'They reek of sex and you, well, you smell of delicious human. Besides, you would have a line of women behind you if you were a nymph.'

He gave a faux, mournful sigh. 'So I have to be... what? A one-eyed Cyclops? A snake-headed Gorgon?'

'Perhaps you can pretend to be a god,' she said thoughtfully. 'Pretend?' He snorted.

'Years and years ago, the gods visited us once a week, always taking a different human form and mingling among our ranks. It's been a long time, but you are tall and handsome enough. As a god, you would be worshipped and no one would dare attempt to harm you.'

'That's a plan I can go along with.' He hefted his backpack higher on his shoulder. 'I've always wanted to be worshipped. How much further is the inn?'

'About a mile. If we hurry, we'll make it before dark.'

He caught the undercurrent of anxiety in her tone. 'You afraid of the dark, Pru?'

'This area of the Inner City is for all creatures, but it branches off into different sections, one for each race. If we're in the wrong area at the wrong time... Once we reach the area designated for centaurs, we can relax.'

He had to admit, his body was aching, his wounds throbbing, and he was more than ready to find a bed. Hell, he might have signed up for a week-long excursion in Demon Town if it meant catching some Z's soon.

'I already miss the agora,' Jewel sighed. 'The people, the smells, the food.'

'You know,' he told her. 'When I'm gone, you'll have your freedom. You'll be able to visit the market anytime you want. Shop whenever you want.'

Her shoulders straightened; she kept her gaze straight ahead. 'That is something to dream and hope for, yes.'

He was beginning to understand how she operated. She couldn't lie for whatever reason, so she manipulated