He wasn’t sure. But for Cerek and for her—for the two people he loved and who believed in him enough to love him back—he was willing to try.
“Only with you.” He rested his forehead against hers and gripped her arms at the elbows as he drew in a steadying breath. “I’m nothing but a savage without you. You brought me back to life. Stay with me, Daphne. Stay with me and be my strength. Help me honor Cerek and my promise.”
She brushed the hair away from his temple and drew back just enough so she could meet his eyes. Love and duty twisted together in her shimmering gaze, giving him strength, telling him that even in death, there was life.
“Always,” she whispered. “I will always be right where you need me.”
EPILOGUE
The wind whipped Zeus’s hair back from his face as he walked along the windy path up the slope of Mt. Olympus. “So he’s rejoined the Argonauts.”
“Yes, my king.” The Argolean who fed him information on the Argonauts’ movements stumbled over a rock then regained his footing as he hurried to catch up with Zeus’s long strides. “He’s taken the Argonaut Cerek’s spot in the Order and vowed to finish his son’s work. They’ve welcomed him back with open arms.”
“Of course they have,” Zeus muttered. “The prodigal son has returned and they all act as if he never betrayed them. What of the nymph?”
“She remains in Argolea. The two were recently bound.”
Zeus’s jaw clenched down hard as he walked. Had Daphne completed her mission, he’d planned to bring her into the Sirenum Scorpoli. He wanted her. Still wanted her. Her beauty and sexuality were unmatched, and since her mother had refused his advances, he deserved her. But she’d fallen for that asshat Aristokles, and now all his plans to have her writhing and moaning beneath him were ruined.
The Argolean stumbled again. Rocks spit over the side of the cliff that dropped straight down into the clouds. The pathetic male glanced downward with absolute fear. For a moment, Zeus considered pushing him over just to watch him scream, but restrained himself. He needed his spies.
“They—she—” The Argolean regained his balance and looked up at Zeus. “Everyone in the realm is enraged that you took the Argonaut’s body. The funeral pyre releases the soul to the afterlife. He cannot join his ancestors.”
“No, he can’t.” Smug victory rippled through Zeus as they rounded a bend in the path. A cave opened three hundred feet ahead, a slow, red light spilling from the opening. “And what of the Siren? Sappheire?”
“She remains in Argolea as well, my king.”
His vision darkened with the familiar rage of betrayal, but it cleared as he eyed the cave. Soon he would have his just revenge. Soon the walls of Argolea would crumble and he would control not only the human realm, but the world of the heroes as well. And all who dwelt there.
“That is all.” He held out his hand. “Bring me more information when you have it.”
The Argolean’s eyes brightened with an evil glow as he reached for the gemstone in Zeus’s palm that glowed with a shimmering blue light. “Yes.” He bowed, then scurried backward, closing the magical stone in a tight fist. “I will. I absolutely will, my king.”
Zeus snapped his fingers, opening a portal for the spineless maggot. Energy popped and sizzled. The Argolean stepped through, then the portal closed with a crack.
Alone, a smile spread across Zeus’s lips. The idiot thought he had a prize he could use for his own nefarious purposes. What he really had was one more element that would aid Zeus in his quest.
He moved through the cave, heading toward the red hue. The tunnel twisted through the mountain, the rocks absorbing the light and all but humming with energy. Rounding the last bend, he drew to a stop three steps from the stone altar where the female with fire-red hair spilling down her back in endless curls stood staring at flames crackling in a bowl set on a tall golden pedestal.
Zeus cleared his throat.
“I sensed your approach.” Circe, the strongest witch in all the kingdoms, met his gaze with piercing eyes. “Your little friend’s pathetic snuffling could be heard for miles.”
Zeus ignored the comment about his spy and narrowed his eyes on the witch. She was drop-dead gorgeous, always had been. Her body was long and lean, her breasts heaving and perfect in the flowing green dress that matched her eyes. A wide ballet collar showed off her toned shoulders and milk-white skin, the stitching accentuated her slim waist, and the long skirt flowed around her feet on the ground like an offering, making her look even taller than her seven feet. Bell sleeves cradled her slim wrists and fingers. And the choker at her neck with the large oval red stone in the middle, one Zeus swore fueled her power, accentuated the long, feminine line of her throat.