Page 18 of Guided by the Stars
“You’re very protective over her. I can see that. I have brothers, and the way you worry about her is the way I worry about them.”
I turn my gaze away from him because, as touching as this is, I didn’t sign up to hear about anyone else’s life. I have enough of my own fucked-up shit to deal with. “Alright Mr. Jay-man, I kind of feel like this conversation is over, unless you’re planning on telling me where Nora is?” Kai has stopped in the distance and is waiting for us again.
Jax nods his head towards Kai, and we take off walking. He walks super close to me, his hand keeps brushing against my arm.
Personal space buddy, ever heard of it?
I might need to get this guy on my side, so I guess for the time being I need to play nice.
“Adriane.”
He looks at me, and I give him my most flirtatious smile. “That’s my name,” I say licking my lips.
“I prefer Beautiful,” he whispers, walking away from me to catch up with Kai. I want to tell him to get fucked, but I might need him, so I do the next best thing, I take my time. I’m hoping to familiarize myself with this landscape. It’s not like they can just leave me behind.
Alexius
When Plans Fail
“Is she okay?” Daemyn wastes no time asking as I take the stool next to him.
After the shower turned off, he insisted that I check in on her, ensuring that I would be the asshole to blame if she caught me upstairs. Relief had washed over me when I opened my door and only saw a towel and my open dresser drawers. Despite the mess she left pulling out my shirts, I had no intention to bust into Daemyn’s room to question her. He can deal with that later.
I shrug. “I guess. She isn’t crying.” Daemyn scowls at me in return and attempts to get up, but my hand lands on his shoulder, keeping him in his chair. “Stay. We need to figure this shit out. She’s fine.”
He’s reluctant and wanting to mend our situation by comforting her. I just don’t give a fuck. She’s a live grenade that we brought into our home. It’s only a matter of time before someone pulls the pin and everything around us blows to dust.He can wait, she’s tucked up, safe and sound, sitting upstairs doing who knows what. She needs time and we need to talk without her damn lip-biting distracting us.
My arm shoots forward, reaching for Daemyn’s mug, and I take a huge gulp of ambrosia, letting the smooth, sweet taste of nectar recharge my body. We haven’t used a lot of power. It’s the constant agitation that’s sucking the energy right out of me, and the way things are looking, I don’t foresee that changing.
“You lied to her. I know you can sense the power in their genes. It might not be a lot, but with her underneath your nose, you can feel it. Or are you that much in denial?” Daemyn asks, getting straight to the point.
I close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose and wishing the frustration away. “I didn’t lie. Her power is weak. No point in terrifying her even more than she already is.”
“If I was able to pick up some trace of power in that living room, then she’s growing. The shift was just the beginning,” he states, refilling the mug with more ambrosia.
“Doesn’t matter, she’s still a mortal. As long as we pay close attention, we’ll be able to use our presence to cover any power she puts off.” My words come out with the unease we both feel. When we first saw those girls, they barely registered in my senses. Kai pointing them out helped direct me, but the more we followed them, the easier they were to read. Then Nora coming here, tapping into some inner strength with whatever the fuck happened in that living room, comfirmed it. They are changing, or at least she is.
Daemyn grabs the mug, taking a swig before gazing deep into the golden liquid. He’s a very calculated guard, using logic and reason in all our assignments. He analyzes all the facts and weighs them with the visions that pop into his headbefore making a decision. “And then what? We brought her to the doors of her enemy and we don’t even know what we’re trying to hide, we only know she’s important,” he groans.
Valid point. There’s little information about the abilities Delphin possessed, and even less about his descendants. They were known as messengers that tied the worlds together, but even through the legends, we can’t predict everything this girl will be able to do. We’ll need more answers and there is only one place to get them.
“We’ll use all the sources we can without drawing attention. I’ll go to the Literature Hall and keep my eyes on the Feast Hall for any potential threats. You use your connections. We just have to keep her close and wait until we figure out Hades’ game plan,” I explain, despite realizing it’s a shitty plan. There’s not much more we can do. Not until we get a clear picture of what we are facing.
“And how long can we do that? The plan is useless, Alexius. She can’t stay here.”
“It’s the only thing we got. We’re buying time and hopefully, with fate on our side, I can find something in those scrolls. If Zeus was able to hide from Cronus, we can figure out a way to keep her a secret. There has to be something.” I glance away from Daemyn, turning my head towards the hallway with a nagging feeling in my gut. We terrified her earlier. Her fear wasn’t even for herself. She went into shock over her friend. With a sigh, I make another request, “Also check with your source on the other girl. Not only where she is, but find out how she’s doing.”
Daemyn gives me a knowing smile before going quiet. He hunches over his cup, tapping his finger against the edge and biting into his cheek with concern. Without looking up he mumbles, “She’s going to want more answers. After everythingwe’ve done, I think she deserves to be told more than, what did you say? She’s not pure?”
The moment I said it, I saw the protectiveness rise in him. But what was I supposed to say? That she is a descendant of one of the strongest messenger genes the gods have ever possessed? Go into detail about the torture destined to happen if she gets captured and refuses to be their pawn? Or describe how they wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if her power becomes too strong? She has enough to worry about.
“Let’s keep it simple. Answer the basics. Less is more.” He looks away, balling his hands into fists. “It’s only until we figure out how to get them to safety. Let’s not put a seed of power into that pretty little head of hers. If this goes to shit and she’s caught, at least she wouldn’t know what she has to hide from them,” I add as we hear the door open.
Daemyn jumps in reaction and climbs the stairs towards Nora. He’s summoned into action like Aphrodite’s voice is the one calling for him. “She’s not only a ticking time bomb, but she’s a magnet pulling us both towards destruction,” I sigh into the empty room.
It’s been a long day, so I won’t argue if he wants to take care of her. I still can’t figure out what came over me. I don’t want anyone to succumb to the rage of Zeus, but now I’ve brought the danger to our front door. If this goes wrong, it’s all of us on the line, not just her. Fuck, I definitely need something stronger, ambrosia isn’t fixing anything.
As I open the wine, I hear Daemyn encouraging her, “Come on, Baby Girl. I promised answers.” My shoulders drop, annoyance flooding over me, and I reach for more glasses.Guess time’s up and we’ll have a fun family meeting after all.
