Authors: Elisabeth Naughton
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?
“I heard there was a party happening here.”
Isadora’s lashes lifted, and when she caught sight of her other sister, Casey, she smiled. “I didn’t know if you’d come.”
Casey moved into the room. Demetrius tugged his chair down the bed to make room for her but didn’t let go of Isadora’s hand. Casey stopped near the head of Isadora’s bed and brushed a damp lock of hair from Isadora’s brow. “Nothing could keep me away.”
“Does Theron know you’re here?”
She scrunched her nose. “Probably best not to tell him.”
“The colonists?”
“All in Argolea. Max and Maelea are helping the castle staff get everyone situated until we know what’s happening. That Max… He’s got some talent in the delegation department.”
Isadora managed a weak smile. “Royal genes.”
“Must be. Don’t worry, Isa. Everyone’s safe.”
Isadora blew out a breath of relief. Her eyes slid closed. “Thank gods.”
Awe rippled through Demetrius. Even now, she was worrying over others. Her father would never have cared what happened to the half-breeds. Demetrius’s mate—his
queen
—was the most compassionate person he’d ever known.
“Zander?” Callia called. “Can you keep Isadora company for a minute? I need Casey and Demetrius to help me gather supplies.”
“Sure,
thea
.” Zander moved away from the window he’d been staring out and stepped toward the bed. Like Demetrius, the soul mate bond wouldn’t allow Zander to leave Callia either.
Isadora’s eyes shot open, and worry rippled across her face. “What’s wrong?”
Callia smoothed a hand over Isadora’s brow. “Nothing. Everything’s fine. Rest for a minute. We’ll be right back.”
Reluctantly, Demetrius let go of Isadora’s hand, kissed her brow, and whispered, “I’m right outside if you need me.” But he didn’t miss the look that shot between Callia and Zander. The one that said she was lying.
In the hall, Callia’s features turned serious. “Okay, here’s the situation. The placenta is partially lying across her cervix, which is why she’s bleeding. She’s already too unstable to cross the portal, so we’re not going anywhere until that baby’s out. Lena’s already prepping the operating room.”
Lena, the half-breed healer, had stayed to help. But that didn’t ease Demetrius’s fear. Surgery. Gods, please…
“How long?” Casey asked.
“Fifteen minutes, max. I think the sooner we get this done, the better. Isadora’s strong, but the blood loss is weakening her faster than I’d like.”
And weakening them. Demetrius looked from one sister to the other. He hadn’t noticed until right now, but both sisters were pale too. All three were physically connected. What one experienced, the others felt. “You can’t operate on her.”
“I won’t be,” Callia answered. “Lena will take the lead. I’m only assisting. She’s done this hundreds of times, Demetrius, so don’t worry. I have complete faith everything will go smoothly, but you need to know things will happen quickly.” She looked between them. “This is not what Isadora was planning for a delivery, so I need you both to be her moral support.”
Moral support. He could do that. For her, he would do anything
. Just don’t take her from me…
“And Zander?” Casey asked.
Callia looked her sister’s way, and in her eyes Demetrius saw the first hint of fear. “I told him he needed to join the other Argonauts outside, but he won’t go.”
Because he was scared too, Demetrius realized. He wasn’t about to leave his mate with danger so close. The only reason Theron wasn’t here guarding Casey was because he didn’t know she’d crossed to the human realm.
Callia gestured for them to head back to the room. Inside, Demetrius immediately moved to the bed. Isadora was panting through another contraction, gripping Zander’s hand until it turned white. Zander stared at the screen next to her, beeping and flashing with numbers. “Um…
thea
…”
Demetrius reached for her other hand. She pushed up to sitting and wrapped her fingers around his so tightly, pain shot straight up his arm.
Callia crossed the floor quickly, looked from the machine to Isadora, then nudged her mate out of the way. Holding her hands over Isadora’s belly, she closed her eyes, using her healer senses to check on the baby.
Her eyes popped open. She turned toward Zander. “We need to move to the OR
now
. Go get Lena.”
Zander rushed out of the room. Isadora’s eyes flew wide. “Wh-
what
?”
“Honey,” Callia said calmly, unhooking wires from the bed, “the baby’s heart-rate is dropping. We need to get him out now.”
“Oh, gods….”
“Casey?” Callia called. “A little help here?”
Fear pummeled Demetrius from every side. But he had to stay strong for her. He turned Isadora’s face toward his. “Look at me. I’m not leaving. I’m right here with you.”
She panted through the contraction, but her gaze never left his. And though he knew she was scared, strength—a strength she’d always had deep inside her—shone in her eyes. A strength he felt all the way to the bottom of his soul.
“I love you,” he whispered. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me.”
She reached for his hand, placed it on her swollen belly, and covered it with her own. Through labored breaths, she said, “Promise…if anything goes wrong…you’ll love this baby…the same way.”
His heart squeezed tight. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers.
Don’t take her from me…
“Everything will be okay,
kardia
.”
“Promise…me.”
Please, Dimiourgos
…
“I promise.”
Her breathing slowed. The contraction eased. Drawing in a last steadying breath, she looked deep into his eyes and brushed her fingers over his jaw. “I love you, too. Just you. No matter what happens, Demetrius, you are my heart.”
His chest felt as if it grew ten times its normal size. But before he could kiss her, before he could tell her the same, Callia announced, “Okay, you two. I hate to break this up, but we have a baby to deliver.”
Eyes damp, he eased away from the bed. Reluctantly, he let go of Isadora’s hand. With a grunt, Callia pushed the bed forward. Casey helped her guide it toward the door.
Where Nick stood, covered in dirt and blood from the fighting, blocking their path.
Chapter Seventeen
Titus stared into the fire he’d built and watched the dancing flames lick across a branch then devour it whole.
His link to the Argonauts screamed he wasn’t where he was supposed to be, that they needed him. Doubt teased the edges of his mind, but he pushed it back.
Whatever was happening at the half-breed colony wasn’t his concern anymore. He’d made his choice. He and Natasa had spent the entire day hiking around the island and hadn’t found any sign of Calypso. He knew Natasa was already discouraged—her mood had darkened with every degree the sun had dropped in the sky—but they still had at least half the island to search. Tomorrow they’d find her. He was sure of it. And the Argonauts…
That screaming grew louder. The Argonauts were highly trained. They didn’t need him. Not really. Not like Natasa.
“You seem to be somewhere else.”
Her voice drew him back to the fire. To her. The flickering flames lit up her hair, made her skin look warmer, her gemlike eyes brighter. “Just thinking.”
“Hm.” She clasped her hands, hooked them over one bare knee, and looked into the fire herself. She’d put her dusty white T-shirt back on and was sitting on a nearby log. Close, but not close enough to touch. And though he needed the warmth from the fire to ease the night chill, she’d moved a few feet away from it where he couldn’t reach her.
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.