courtyard.
Oh… fuck.
Fucktastic. Where the hell had that come from? As if he weren’t in enough shit already?
His gaze darted to the right. She— Natasa —was tying off the other end to the parapet. When she finished with the knot, she glanced his way, winked, then took off at a run.
Bloody hell ...
Titus’s nerves hummed as he moved past doors and scanned offices on the second floor of the castle. The guardians had been dispatched to do a thorough yet quiet search of the premises. With the Council milling around downstairs and all of Argolea in the streets outside, this was not the time to have a spy sent by the Prince of Darkness fucking around.
Shit, he had not seen that one coming. He pushed open a door, glanced around the empty meeting room, and moved on. She worked for Zagreus? How had he missed that? He passed through a sitting area and into a small kitchen, also empty. Perching his hands on his hips, he turned a slow circle and took in the room.
Zagreus… It explained a lot, though. Like why she was searching for Maelea, why she was asking questions about Prometheus, why she was able to block his ability to read her mind, why, even, Maelea had sensed some great power within her. Dark power, obviously. A frown turned his lips as he eyed the table and chairs in the middle of the kitchen. But it didn’t explain why he could touch her and not feel anything.
Movement outside the window over the sink caught his attention. He whipped that way just as something landed with a thud on the veranda.
A body pushed to full height, and his adrenaline surged. Fire-red hair blew in the breeze, and eyes—sparkling, emerald-green eyes—peered his way through the glass.
It was her. Natasa. Alive in front of him as if he’d conjured her.
Titus lurched into the sitting area and raced for the french doors that led to the balcony. Chants from the crowd growing impatient on the other side of the castle walls filled the air. The fresh scents of sea and salt wafted around him. His pulse raced while he scanned the empty balcony.
Where the hell…?
A thud echoed up to his ears. Followed by a voice, shouting, “Hey? Where did you come from?”
He rushed to the railing and looked down. A gardener holding pruning shears in his hand stood between rows of roses, staring after a redhead who was halfway across the courtyard. A redhead racing straight for the trellises covered in purple-flowered vines that climbed the castle wall.
Holy Hades, who was this female?
“Stop her!” he hollered, already tossing his legs over the railing and dropping to the ground. Normally, since they were in Argolea, he could flash wherever the hell he needed to go. But he still wasn’t back to one-hundred percent after his recent injuries. And flashing was one of those things you needed to be in tip-top shape to perform.
She slowed and looked back. And then their gazes met. Fire flashed in the depths of her eyes. Fire and determination and a come-and-get-me challenge no man could resist.
“Signal the guards,” he yelled at the gardener. “And alert the queen.”
He didn’t have time to contact Theron and the others. If he let this female out of his sight, he had a strong hunch he’d never see her again.
And aside from the fact she was working for the enemy, had infiltrated their realm, and had somehow gotten past the castle’s security, something in his gut told him he had to see her again. Needed to…for reasons even he didn’t totally understand.
She was already at the top of the trellis—at least thirty feet up in the air—by the time he reached the base, moving as smoothly as a seasoned cat burglar. She pulled herself up to the wall walk, turned and looked down. Grasping the trellis in his hands, Titus paused his hasty climb. The wind blew silky curls back from her face, and sunlight highlighted her creamy features. But it was the victory that flashed in her eyes that did him in. A victory that turned one side of her lips up
Oh… fuck.
Fucktastic. Where the hell had that come from? As if he weren’t in enough shit already?
His gaze darted to the right. She— Natasa —was tying off the other end to the parapet. When she finished with the knot, she glanced his way, winked, then took off at a run.
Bloody hell ...
Titus’s nerves hummed as he moved past doors and scanned offices on the second floor of the castle. The guardians had been dispatched to do a thorough yet quiet search of the premises. With the Council milling around downstairs and all of Argolea in the streets outside, this was not the time to have a spy sent by the Prince of Darkness fucking around.
Shit, he had not seen that one coming. He pushed open a door, glanced around the empty meeting room, and moved on. She worked for Zagreus? How had he missed that? He passed through a sitting area and into a small kitchen, also empty. Perching his hands on his hips, he turned a slow circle and took in the room.
Zagreus… It explained a lot, though. Like why she was searching for Maelea, why she was asking questions about Prometheus, why she was able to block his ability to read her mind, why, even, Maelea had sensed some great power within her. Dark power, obviously. A frown turned his lips as he eyed the table and chairs in the middle of the kitchen. But it didn’t explain why he could touch her and not feel anything.
Movement outside the window over the sink caught his attention. He whipped that way just as something landed with a thud on the veranda.
A body pushed to full height, and his adrenaline surged. Fire-red hair blew in the breeze, and eyes—sparkling, emerald-green eyes—peered his way through the glass.
It was her. Natasa. Alive in front of him as if he’d conjured her.
Titus lurched into the sitting area and raced for the french doors that led to the balcony. Chants from the crowd growing impatient on the other side of the castle walls filled the air. The fresh scents of sea and salt wafted around him. His pulse raced while he scanned the empty balcony.
Where the hell…?
A thud echoed up to his ears. Followed by a voice, shouting, “Hey? Where did you come from?”
He rushed to the railing and looked down. A gardener holding pruning shears in his hand stood between rows of roses, staring after a redhead who was halfway across the courtyard. A redhead racing straight for the trellises covered in purple-flowered vines that climbed the castle wall.
Holy Hades, who was this female?
“Stop her!” he hollered, already tossing his legs over the railing and dropping to the ground. Normally, since they were in Argolea, he could flash wherever the hell he needed to go. But he still wasn’t back to one-hundred percent after his recent injuries. And flashing was one of those things you needed to be in tip-top shape to perform.
She slowed and looked back. And then their gazes met. Fire flashed in the depths of her eyes. Fire and determination and a come-and-get-me challenge no man could resist.
“Signal the guards,” he yelled at the gardener. “And alert the queen.”
He didn’t have time to contact Theron and the others. If he let this female out of his sight, he had a strong hunch he’d never see her again.
And aside from the fact she was working for the enemy, had infiltrated their realm, and had somehow gotten past the castle’s security, something in his gut told him he had to see her again. Needed to…for reasons even he didn’t totally understand.
She was already at the top of the trellis—at least thirty feet up in the air—by the time he reached the base, moving as smoothly as a seasoned cat burglar. She pulled herself up to the wall walk, turned and looked down. Grasping the trellis in his hands, Titus paused his hasty climb. The wind blew silky curls back from her face, and sunlight highlighted her creamy features. But it was the victory that flashed in her eyes that did him in. A victory that turned one side of her lips up
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