“Stay with Fenris and Oanen,” Eliana said with a slight purr to her voice. “I’ll be right back.”
Smiling, she glided past me toward the door.
Adira yelled something, and a shimmering portal opened beside her. She disappeared through it, and there was a mad exodus as the men and women with her fled as well before Eliana reached the door.
“Crap on a cracker,” Eliana said.
“Something wrong, love sponge?” Fenris called, sounding amused.
I wasn’t amused. I was worried.
“She got away again,” Eliana said.
“Where’s Megan?” Oanen asked.
I glanced from him to the narrow view of my front yard through the open door. The trampled snow was full of falling flowers and a few scorch marks, but only Zotera remained.
She watched the portal wink out of existence and turned toward the house.
“I can’t see Megan,” I said to Oanen. “But everyone left with Adira through her portal, so maybe she followed them.”
A very naked and bloody Megan suddenly appeared beside Zotera. She caught Megan by the arm to steady her. The fury didn’t look anything like her usual strong, easily-provoked self. She looked exhausted, which probably had a lot to do with the cuts scoring her arms and legs and the blood she was losing.
Eliana rushed out the door as I stared with my mouth open.
“What’s happening?” Oanen demanded.
Realizing he was watching my expression, I tried to look a little less shocked as I watched Megan shake her head at Eliana, pat her arm, and say something I couldn’t hear. Then Megan just disappeared again. No flames this time. Just gone.
“Um, I’m not sure,” I said slowly. “But Zotera and Eliana are coming back in. I think they’ll be able to explain.”
Blood smeared Eliana’s arm where Megan had touched her. It was the first thing that Fenris noticed.
“Zotera, let us go,” he said.
He sprang out of his chair a second later and rushed to Eliana.
“It’s not my blood,” she said. “It’s Megan’s. She was hurt, and Hades was summoning her.” She looked at Oanen. “She fought his call to come back here so she could tell you she’s fine and will be back as soon as she can.”
“How badly was she hurt?” Oanen asked.
“A few cuts, that’s all,” Eliana said.
While Eliana wasn’t wrong, she was absolutely downplaying it. The cuts had been long and deep. And there’d been soot marks on Megan’s skin, which probably explained where her clothes had gone.
Oanen glanced from Eliana to me.
“What isn’t she saying?” he demanded, his eyes glinting gold.
“Oanen, you’re your own worst enemy at times,” Eliana snapped before I could even decide how to answer. “Megan was hurt, and she disobeyed a summons from her father to come here to reassure you. A very noble yet foolish gesture on her part. And you’re nitpicking my answer because you want to find something to be upset about. Don’t.”
The last word was said with an unnatural firmness, and I watched Oanen’s golden eyes instantly change to blue.
He looked at Eliana in surprise, and she burst into tears and covered her face.
Fenris shook his head at Oanen like he was disappointed in him, and I felt completely lost regarding what was happening.
“This one’s on you, man,” Fenris said, stepping away from Eliana.
