“I think the enemy has been in our sights all this time,” Ares growled, his face grim and fire raging in his eyes.
She wasn’t sure what he meant by that until Calistos spoke.
“Nemesis wouldn’t turn against Father… would she?” He didn’t look sure about that, his blue eyes turning stormy as he looked between Ares and Keras.
Keras snarled, “Anything is possible.”
“I don’t like the sound of this,” Marek put in. “We need to send a Messenger to Father to ask whether he can feel Daimon in the Underworld. While that’s happening, we need to search for him. If he’s not in Hong Kong, and he’s not here, maybe they took him to one of the old safehouses. We could check there.”
“They took him to New York.” Keras sounded certain of that.
Everyone looked at Keras. Valen and Eva rose to their feet, giving him the whole of their attention, and Mari pushed to hers at the same time as Caterina stood and went to Marek.
“The enemy attacked Hong Kong when Esher was absent. They know which gate is bound to each of us.” Keras looked at Ares, Marek and then Valen. “We head to New York.”
“I’m coming too.” Esher broke away from Aiko and outside the rain grew heavier again, pelting the earth and filling the air with the scent of it.
“No.” That single word fell hard in the room, spoken in a commanding tone that had Esher’s shoulders stiffening as he levelled a glare on Keras. Keras didn’t give him a chance to argue. “You are in no fit state to step there, let alone fight. On a battlefield, you are a liability right now. I will not risk you.”
All of the fight fled from Esher’s eyes as the last five words hit him, uttered in a soft tone that had her, and everyone else in the room judging by their faces, aware of the depth of Keras’s feelings for his brother.
Keras went to Esher, placed his hands on his shoulders and looked deep into his eyes.
“I know you need to be there, Esher, because it’s Daimon… but you are still recovering. You need to sit this one out.”
Esher’s black eyebrows furrowed, pain dancing in his dark blue eyes as they darted between Keras’s.
A need to do something to ease him filled her, had her moving towards him to touch his back. The moment she made contact with him, he turned his face towards her.
“I’ll go with them,” she said in a low voice, one filled with the compassion she felt inside as she looked into Esher’s eyes and saw the conflict in them—the need. The thought of sitting this one out was killing him. Keras was right though. Esher was a liability. He couldn’t go into battle, but she could, and she would do it for both of them. “I’ll make sure he comes home.”
Esher nodded stiffly.
“We’ll take care of the ladies,” Cal said and came to Esher, slapped him on the back and nodded when Esher looked at him. “Got to keep Megan and the others safe, right?”
Esher’s eyes rapidly darkened and he growled as he nodded. “The babe.”
Gods help the world if Aiko ever fell pregnant. The beast would probably coddle her to death and kill anyone who so much as looked in her direction.
Ares looked as if he wanted to hug his brother for being so concerned about Megan and the baby, but settled for saying, “Thanks. She’ll feel better knowing you’re both here.”
“I’ll kill any bastard who sets foot near here.” Eva checked her gun was loaded, her sapphire eyes bright as she stared lovingly at it and then at Valen. “You give them hell.”
Valen swept her up into his arms and kissed her. “Always do.”
Something deep inside Cass ached, the need to see Daimon was safe and alive burning more fiercely and flooding her with impatience.
“Let us go.” Cass walked to Aiko and handed Milos to her.
Her bastard cat continued purring contentedly as Aiko petted him, evidently uncaring about the change of hands. Traitor.
Cass began to form the incantation in her mind.
Stopped when Ares towered over her. “You stay here.”
She scowled at him. “I will not.”
A few of his brothers looked as if they wanted to voice an objection too, so she glared at them all, making sure they knew she was serious. It didn’t matter that the enemy wanted to get their hands on her. All that mattered was bringing Daimon home safe.
“I know the risks, but none of you get a say. This is my decision and no one can stop me from going.” She planted her hands on her hips, digging her fingertips into her black leather trousers, and dared them all to speak.
Calistos and Esher both looked as if they wanted her to go, probably for different reasons. Mari looked concerned but unlikely to say something. Valen looked bored.
Marek and Ares looked ready to argue with her about this.
Keras.
Well, he looked as if he was considering tossing her into the cage.
So Cass played her trump card.
She tipped her chin up. “I can use a spell to locate Daimon.”
Marek glanced at Ares. Ares huffed.
“You want to find Daimon quickly, you’re going to need me.” She glared at them all, stoked her magic so it shone in her eyes, making sure they were aware of the hell she would unleash on them if they tried to bench her this time.
Keras’s black eyebrows drew down. “The first sign of trouble, and you are off the field.”
“I can live with that.” She swept her fall of black hair over her shoulder and then held her hand out to Marek. “Shall we go?”
“Wait.” Ares looked at Esher as Cal went to the porch, grabbed everyone’s shoes and tossed them at them. Ares shoved his feet into his boots. “Summon a Messenger and send it to Father. Tell him to dispatch a legion to Nemesis’s domain and secure her. Just in case our hunch is right. We
