“Guessing you two know a pegacorn,” Izzy asked.
Lorelai interjected, her gaze dancing between Mars and Calliope.“You don’t think?—”
Mars sighed.“I don’t know what to think anymore.”
Calliope felt a tight squeeze upon her hand, the motion jolting her from her dissociation.She turned to see Theo holding her hand.
His thumb brushed the back of her hand, spreading sparkles of pegacorn dust along her pale skin.
“This...this is a good thing, right?”Theo asked.“I mean, if there’s only one pegacorn and his prints are all over the glass...then...it’s pretty clear who’s the thief, right?”
Calliope gazed down at him.Her heart felt torn between admitting the truth and withholding it.
“That doesn’t explain why the glass shattered, though,” Izzy chimed in.
“Izzy’s right.Pegacorn dust isn’t volatile.It doesn’t usually react to humans.”
Mars met her gaze.“What was the sound like?”he asked.
Theo squeezed Calliope’s hand, settling it in his lap.
She didn’t let go, for fear if she did, she may disappear completely.Everything was converging on her at once.
“What do you mean?”Theo asked.
“I mean, was it like a whistle or a song, or like a strung guitar string?—”
“Yes,” Theo’s eyebrows shot up.“The last one...like a long note.It was...driving me crazy.”
“Someone care to explain?”Lorelai pressed.
“The diviner shows you your fate, your mate for eternity,” Mars said.
Calliope shrank in the seats, curling closer to Theo, who did not push her away.For she knew what Mars was going to say and she wasn’t certain she was ready to hear it.
She wanted to crawl into a ball, disappear, and never return.
“And in most cases, both parties will see the thread.Fate’s thread.It will lead them to their mate.”
Spike nodded.“Right.Theo said he saw a violet thread, and Calliope did, too, so why?—”
Mars gave her a soft, understanding look.It was odd to see such a look on the God of War’s face.
“Because there’s another thread, entangled with Calliope,” he said.“And Theodore here—hermate—” He spoke the word aloud and the room fell silent.
Theo looked up at Mars, his eyebrows furrowed.“Mate?”
Mars sighed and Calliope closed her eyes.Theo’s hand grew warm against hers.
“Yes, Theo.I believe you and Calliope are destined to be together.But?—”
“But what?”
Calliope felt the tears sting her eyes.She could not hide the truth any longer.No matter how badly she wanted to.
“I’m fairly certain your thread reacted tohis.The one who is entangled.”
“The pegacorn guy?”Theo asked faintly.He turned to Calliope and in his gaze she could see the anxiety, the fear.The panic.
