“Is this really about the ship?”
Augustus inhaled the sea air into his lungs. How much should he tell her? He’d kept so much to himself for so long, and getting into Cassia’s prophecy felt like opening a raw wound.
“We can’t stay,” he finally said, staring into the sunlight glinting off the mast. “We have to leave before it’s too late.”
“I’m not following, mate.”
“The reason that fucking sellsword was able to kill my mother was because she was under a god spell the likes I’ve never seen. It was…” He blew out a breath. “There’s a second prophecy.”
Lili’s mouth fell open. “Say again?”
“If Selene and I don’t leave here soon, we’ll be separated. I don’t know how, so don’t ask.”
“Does Selene know?”
“No.”
Lili’s fist cracked against his chest. “You’re a fucking fool. What’swrongwith you?”
Even now, any response he might have ended up knotted in his throat. Cassia’s death was wrapped up in every line of that prophecy.
But, what did it matter? As long as he could get Selene safely away, the gods could leave them out of the rest. Everything that happened here was a problem for Dimitrios and anyone else who stood at his side.
“I’ll get her on the ship,” he said. “Even if I have to kidnap her to do it. She’ll forgive me once she realizes I did the right thing.”
He heard the madness in his words and didn’t care. He’d welcome the role of her villain if it meant she lived.
Lili shook her head. “No, she fucking won’t. And if you don’t know that about her, you’re a bigger fool than I thought you were.”
Augustus’s fingers dug into his palms. “I’m not fucking losing her.” The words hit the boards like a war drum.
Several crewman looked up.
Lili raised her hands as if he were some kind of furious monster. Maybe he was. “All right.”
“Don’t patronize me. I’m serious.”
“Oh, I know, mate. Anyone with eyes can see.”
He spun on her. “The last time the gods pulled our strings, no one listened to me, and if we’d stayed out of it—” He scrubbed his face. “If we’d stayed out of it, my mother would be alive.”
Lili’s eyes widened.
“And now,” he choked out, “Selene is heading straight for the same fate. Am I supposed to sit by andwatch?” His breath hitched, and the band he’d kept cinched inside his chestsnapped. “Don’t look at me like that,” he snarled. “Don’t feel sorry for me.Helpme.”
Lili only shook her head. “I can’t help you with this one. You need to talk to her.”
Augustus dropped his gaze, chest heaving. He wanted to—gods, he wanted to. But Selene had chosen to stay. And he had no power to stop her.
“Augustus.” Lili’s expression shifted, her gaze on the horizon. “Those ships… Look.”
He turned.
“They’re getting a little close, aren’t they?” she asked.
Two ships with full, unmarked sails made a course straight for theEntia.
Flaming Sphinxes.
