She nodded, and for the first time she saw sympathy in his eyes.
“I’m afraid you may have found a potential mate, Charlie. I wasn’t sure it would work the same for you, not being entirely dragon, but what you’re describing is how a felt about your mother. From the very beginning.”
A sob broke from her throat, and she wept bitterly.
“Does he not feel the same way about you?”
She stared at her hands, remembering how Liam had placed his body between her and Hermes. He’d never told her he loved her, but he’d shown her. “He does. He’d die for me. I know he would.”
Now her father looked truly puzzled. “Then why did you return without him? I was angry. I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you. But I would have come around if—”
“I didn’t leave him because of you.”
He lowered his chin and narrowed his eyes. “Then why?”
“Hermes.”
Now a growl rumbled from his chest and his talons punctured the fabric. “Did he touch you? How did you escape?”
“He tried. Liam’s family has a history with the gods.” She shook her head and then told him about the cornucopia, his father, and the strained relationship he shared with his family. “The coincidence of it all. How many humans are in that position? How am I so unlucky to fall in love with the one person from Earth I can’t go to without putting myself in danger?”
Her father went perfectly still and deadly quiet, which she recognized as a far more dangerous state than when he was visibly angry. “I don’t believe in coincidences, Charlie.”
“But what else could it be but a coincidence?” She laughed skeptically. “I picked him up at the North Pole, for Mountain’s sake!”
“What gave you the idea to go to the North Pole?”
“Aunt Avery was sad she’d miss Christmas, so I got the idea to throw her one, for when she came back here. I was looking at a book in the library and came across an entry about Christmas and Santa Claus. I decided to bring him here to help me.”
Gabriel rubbed his head. “Show me the book.”
Together they strode toward the library and to the place where she’d returned the book. The gold cover reflected the light from the windows, and a warm feeling came over her as she removed it from the shelf.
“Hmmm.”
“What?”
“Did your mom teach you a spell to identify traces of magic on an item?”
“Of course. I was doing that magic by the time I was twelve.”
“Do it now.”
“I need something from my stores.” She hoisted the tome into her arms and carried it back into her chambers and into her ritual room where she selected a diamond from one of her bins and tied it to a string. Placing the book in the center of her symbol, she allowed the gem to circle over the cover while she muttered the spell she knew by heart, sending her intention and her power into the stone.
Three times around it went until the gem glowed golden like a star.
“Celestial magic,” she confirmed.
Gabriel shook his head. “You meeting Liam was no coincidence, honey. One of the gods baited you. They wanted you off Ouros so they could reach you.”
She tossed the stone aside and placed her hand on the cover, thrusting her power into the book. Celestial magic knew celestial magic. She sifted the deity’s signature through a sieve of her magic. A few breaths later, she could barely keep her eyes open, but she had her answer. It tasted like sulfur.
“Hades.”
“Hmmm. What would Hades want with you?” Gabriel asked.
She looked up at him. “I’m the one who got away, and I freed two souls when I did.”
