Maya looked at Apollo. “How do you know whether or not I’ve gotten enough sleep?”
“How quickly you fell asleep in my arms earlier was the first indicator. Usually, that only happens when there is a substantial amount of blood loss. At first, you scared me withyour reaction. But when I started trying to resuscitate you, your body made it clear that you were severely sleep-deprived.”
“How did my body indicate anything?”
“It’s part of the assessment process. I’m able to check basic vital signs and patterns with my magic, and your body was loud about how little sleep you’ve gotten.”
“It’s the nightmares,” Maya said without thinking.
He just nodded. “I can help with that. If you would like me to.”
Unable to help herself, Maya asked, “You mean you can amplify my nightmares?”
“What? No! I meant—oh,” he sighed, rolled his eyes, and shook his head, but Maya was glad to see that Apollo was more amused than annoyed. “No, Maya, I mean I can help reduce your nightmares.”
“Not going to promise to completely get rid of them?”
Maya was smiling, but something in the way Apollo’s smile froze and his yellow eyes looked at her made her think she had said something wrong. Before she could apologize, though, he looked away. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
As much as she wanted to ask about it, Maya could sense that her question had somehow bothered him. Trying to get back on topic, she looked out the window. Then she openly mused, “Somewhere out there is the world we desperately want to reach. But how? How?”
Drumming her fingers on her cheek, something came to her. “No. It couldn’t possibly be that easy.”
Apollo leaned forward again. “What are you thinking?”
A wicked smile spread slowly across her face. “Oh, I think we can use the meddling to our advantage.”
“How so?”
“I need to figure out how to get someone’s attention. Someone who would be upset that people are trying to forcecouples together. The last thing matchmakers and their ilk want is to be exposed for manipulating events and people. It’s just a short jump to making this place look like the machinations of the court.”
Apollo’s smile mirrored her own. “Miss Madison would be positively irate if she knew about a couple trying to force people together. She’s level-headed, and I think I can get her to help us. Although,” his smile faded, “I’m not sure that we would be allowed to be gone for too long.”
“Are you able to contact her to get her here?”
“Unfortunately, no. Without an emergency, she won't make an appearance.”
“What kind of emergency?”
“She came here several times over Christmas; the last time was because Sasha was dying. That’s what got Sasha off the island without a mate or a lesson.”
Maya stood up and started pacing. “So, nothing short of death will get us off this island?”
“I’m sure there are other ways. It’s just—”
Maya took a deep breath. “I’m trusting you, Apollo.”
He gave her a concerned look. “Trusting me to do what?”
“Make sure I don’t stay dead.” For the first time in more than a decade, Maya let the full force of that horrible injury hit her body. The scar opened, fresh as it had been on that day over two decades ago. Just like when she was a child, she crumbled to the ground, her body unable to handle the strike. Unlike the last time, though, there was nobody standing by, ready to ensure she survived to suffer for the rest of her life. A cruel way to ensure that someone paid for her family’s mistakes long after their deaths.
Chapter 9
Success at a Cost
The next time Maya opened her eyes, she had an urge to immediately close them again.
“No, no.” A gentle voice spoke near her, followed by something warm touching her forehead. “You need to wake up now, Maya. We’ve got alotto discuss.”
