Page 87 of Hell’s Half Acre

“Not sure, but I think it was Xolotl.”

Arching a brow, Acheron glanced at her. “Seriously? How? He should be dead.”

Sorcha had no idea what they were talking about. “Who’s Xolotl?”

“An ancient Aztec god of the underworld and transformation.” Acheron crossed his arms over his chest, then turned back to Luke. “Have you spoken to Ecanus yet?”

“No. Been a little busy. But I’m thinking I need to make time.”

Acheron nodded. “I’m just glad I wasn’t incommunicado.”

“What were you doing?” Luke asked.

“Helping my youngest with his homework.”

That seemed like such a mundane task for an ancient god. Which made Sorcha wonder something. “Do you know this Xolotl?”

“No. I mostly deal with the Olympians and a few Celts. Occasionally some others, but as I said, I don’t normally go into Ecanus’s territory. While he’s South American, he also claims Mexico.”

Scooting from the bed, Luke stood up. “Xolotl’s priest shot Sorcha earlier.”

Acheron’s eyes widened. “What? Why?”

Luke shrugged. “No idea. But can you watch her while I go find their Chthonian?”

“Absolutely.”

Sorcha was still trying to understand this. “Xolotl’s priest shot me?” she repeated. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know. But I will find out.” And with that, Luke vanished.

Aggravated, Sorcha turned around in the room. She paused to stare at Acheron. “Can I not go, too?”

“Given that you’re a target in that area, I think it’s best you stay away from anything Xolotl.”

“Why target me, though? I’m just a kid from the South. I never even knew about all this growing up.”

“I know the feeling. I grew up as an unwanted slave.”

Those words stunned her. “What?”

“My goddess half-sisters cursed me before I was born and said I would be the end of the Atlantean pantheon. To try and avert that, my stepfather did his best to kill me. So my mother hid me in the human world with my powers bound.”

There was a bitterness in his tone that accentuated those words.

“I’m sorry.” Sorcha meant that.

“So was I. It wasn’t until my twenty-first birthday that my powers were freed and I learned the truth.”

“That must have been frightening.”

Acheron shrugged with a nonchalance she was sure he didn’t feel. “It wasn’t pleasant. But it makes me wonder if there’s not something similar going on with you.”

There was only one problem with his theory. “I’m not adopted.”

“Are you sure?”

Well, yeah. “I’ve seen the pictures of my mother pregnant and in the hospital, holding me and my sister. Pretty positive we’re hers.”