Page 30 of Deadly Games
“This is insane,” I said, feeling like I was going to black out as I backed toward the door. It was all I could do to keep the vines at bay. Before I could make the decision to fight or run, crackling pink energy bound my wrists in front of me. When I looked up, Kunzite was holding up her right hand.
“Don’t struggle. The sooner you comply, the easier this will be,” she warned.
I strained at the energy bonds anyway, but it was no use. Even my power couldn’t cut through those. As the room began to fade around me, the last thing I saw was Helle’s smirk of triumph.
Lying bitch.
Chapter 14
Dionysus
“She didwhat?” I demanded, staring at Odin like he’d just lost his mind. And the way I saw it, either he had, or he was going even further to get revenge for her insolence than I’d ever imagined he would.
“The matter is classified, and that’s all I can tell you,” Odin said coldly, blocking the path into his office. Normally, I steered well clear of him, but as soon as I’d heard the rumors about a member of the OSTF being around campus, I knew something horrible had happened. Kore’s disappointment and radio silence through text were more evidence of it.
“This is insane,” I snapped. “Kore isn’t a murderer.”
“I’ll ask you to leave that to her counsel,” Odin retorted.
“Where is she?” I demanded. “She has rights. You can’t just spirit her away without a fair trial.”
“What I can and cannot do is far beyond your pay grade, boy,” he scolded, his eyes darkening. Under any other circumstances, I would have backed down, but my rage and concern were reinforcing my spine. “She’s in custody. That’s all you need to know. Now, leave before you end up in the same situation.”
It wasn’t an empty threat. I didn’t even need to look into those piercing eyes to know that. I thought of fighting him anyway, just to reach her, but I thought better of it. I wasn’t any use to her in a cell. Better to retreat for now, get backup, and formulate a plan to get her out.
Turning away from the Headmaster’s office, I stalked down the hall, intent on finding Kore’s betrothed. If nothing else, maybe Hades could talk some sense into the school administration. They’d all evidently lost their marbles, and he was a perennial favorite.
I usually steered well clear of the Triad’s wing of the dorms, but I was desperate. Hades was usually in the rec room his crew had commandeered for their own, so I figured that was the first place to head. When I threw open the door, there were a few students I barely recognized playing pool, and a guy nearly passed out on the sofa, clearly enjoying whatever substance he’d just ingested. There was no sign of Hades, and the moment I made eye contact with Loki, I knew I’d made the wrong decision.
He was sitting on an ornate wooden chair like a throne, his slick hair pulled back over one shoulder. His eyes locked on me like a cat ready to play with its meal, but I pushed aside my disdain and stalked over to him.
“Where is Hades?” I demanded, knowing the only way to avoid his silver-tongued bullshit was to cut to the chase.
“My, my. So forceful,” he taunted, standing so we were toe to toe. “That’s a new side of you.”
“Kore is in trouble,” I said firmly. Hard to believe I’d actually found him charming once. Then again, he was good at casting illusions and his good looks were the perfect distraction.
The amusement drained from his eyes and turned to concern. So he did actually care about her. That was a surprise. One that made me feel a conflicting range of emotions, but there was no time to sort it out now. “What’s wrong?”
I glanced over my shoulder, making sure the others weren’t within earshot. The last thing she needed was this getting out and making things even worse for her. “The OSTF is here, and they arrested Kore.”
“Arrested?” He raised both eyebrows. “What the hell did she do now?”
There was an unmistakable hint of pride in his voice.
“She didn’tdoanything, but they think she killed Phrixus, for some reason,” I muttered. “That’s all your dad would tell me.”
“My dad?” He frowned. “That’s insane. There must be a misunderstanding.”
“If there is, he’s not interested in sorting it out,” I countered. “I need to find Hades. He’s the only one who can get her out of this mess.”
“If the OSTF is involved, I’m not sure even he has enough sway to pull the plug on an investigation,” Loki murmured, clearly troubled. He rarely seemed deep in thought, but he was cleverer than he liked to appear on the surface. I was no less worried for Kore than I’d been a few minutes ago, but at least now I didn’t feel like I had to face it alone.
Of course, the choice of company left something to be desired.
“I’ll see if I can get ahold of him,” Loki finally said, taking out his phone to dial Hades’ number. It rang a few times before going straight to voicemail and he hissed, “Shit.”
“Try Fenrir?” I asked hopefully. He was the ever-loyal hound, always at his master’s side. Hopefully today wouldn’t prove an exception.
