He bares his teeth. “Some are created better. Humans are so…breakable.”
Was that a threat? I’m pretty sure that was a threat. “Double-cross us, and I’ll show you just how breakable I amnot.” My right hand goes to the hilt of a knife. Since the Hydra chewed off its own heads before Titos ate it, I got my blades back.
With a firm and distinctly proprietary hand on my elbow, Griffin draws me back into the circle of protection Beta Team is always forming around me. I guess we’re Alpha Team now. I’m not sure I can get used to that.
“Is Lycheron bound by vows like Magoi are?” he asks.
I nod.
The Ipotane scoffs. “Of course not.”
Searing pain rips through me, robbing me of my breath. Burning explosions snap through my blood and bones, scorching me with the falsehood and branding me with the truth. “Don’t listen to him,” I gasp out. “He’s lying.”
Lycheron looks at me sharply. As the inferno in me fades, he sniffs me again, long and deep, like he’s trying to learn me through scent. As he slowly pulls in air, his thick lashes lower, his nostrils quiver, and his full lips part. To my horror, a full-body shiver hits me just as everyone looks.
Griffin’s large hand squeezes my arm almost painfully now. “Do you vow that no harm, disappearance, or any other unexpected ill will befall one or any of us due to your summoning Artemis for the challenge?” he demands of Lycheron.
Lycheron never looks away from me. With my Kingmaker Magic still gently flaring, it’s almost like he can’t. “Yes.”
“Satisfied?” Griffin asks me curtly.
I do my best to ignore the intensity of Lycheron’s heated gaze and move into Griffin’s rigid side. Some of the tension leaves him when our bodies touch. “Not even close,” I say.
With a peevish flick of his tail, Lycheron stops staring at me and repeats the entire phrase, swearing to it.
No lie burns through me, which means he was telling the truth. Different place. Different rules.
CHAPTER 24
ICAN’T HELP LISTENING TO THE WORDS OF THE SUMMONINGchant, even though I don’t want to know them—especially since they work.
Artemis appears, dressed for the hunt, armed with a quiver of golden arrows and a stunning bow. I feel oddly breathless as she glides toward us, shadowed by the archer, who is never more than a few steps behind. Tall and regal, Artemis moves like a shimmering river, fluidly cutting a path through the greenery of the lush Ipotane vale.
Scenery that seemed vibrant and striking just moments before now dulls in comparison. The Goddess is magnificent, with a long, graceful neck, a firm, supple body, and skin so smooth and cool it reminds me of a moonlit pearl. Shapely legs flash beneath the slits of her diaphanous skirt. She floats more than walks, her arms gently swaying with every step, her elegant fingers loose at her sides.
Atalanta keeps pace behind her, her long hair swinging, her steps prowling, her hand on her bow. Her grace is different—animalistic—her beauty more earthy than ethereal. Her green eyes land on Kato and instantly flare with unchecked heat.
Kato stiffens beside me.
“Your dislike doesn’t appear to be mutual,” I murmur.
His mouth turns down. “There were mixed signals before the drug wore off.”
I’ll bet.
Atalanta isn’t the only female whose focus lands on Kato. Artemis’s lips part. Pink tinges her high, delicate cheekbones, and her stunning blue eyes widen in surprise. The longing and desire that infuse her suddenly unguarded expression make sympathy bloom in my chest. What a life—eternal virginity. I can now say with absolute certainty she’s missing out.
Kato’s hands clench into fists. I wrap my fingers around his forearm, squeezing. Atalanta glares like she wants to claw my eyes out, and I smirk. Artemis notices, too, and her dreamy gaze comes into focus with a flash of something dangerous and fierce. Then she seems to recognize me, and her anger dissipates.
The Goddess of the Hunt stops a few feet away, tilting her chin in a way that softens the long lines of her neck. A golden crown adorned with a crescent moon pulls tight, dark curls back from her striking, straight-nosed face. The rest of her hair spills down her back, the glossy spirals gently shifting on the warm, sultry breeze.
Beside me, Griffin looks completely thunderstruck. I can hardly blame him. I’m feeling pretty awed myself. It’s not every day you meet an Olympian—and sheisgorgeous—but the hot knife of jealousy slices through me nonetheless.
I glance at the others. Flynn has stars in his brown eyes, and Carver needs to pick his jaw up off the ground. Only Kato looks like he might still be able to form a coherent thought, but from the look on his face, I’m not sure it would be nice.
Artemis greets us, her voice like a song on the wind. “Lycheron. Humans. I trust there is a reason to have called me from my mountain home.”
Mount Olympus? Or the northeast needle?
