She sprinted down the long corridor toward the queen’s suite, then slammed on her brakes and jerked back when she heard voices in the same sitting area where she’d encountered Isadora and her daughter.
Her chest rose and fell as she stepped under the archway and peered inside. Demetrius sat back in the corner of a plush couch with one leg on each side of Isadora. She lay back against his chest cradling Elysia and feeding her a bottle. The baby cooed and tried to grab the bottle. Isadora laughed. Demetrius closed his eyes and pressed his lips against the queen’s temple, holding her close and breathing deep.
Happy. They were happy. A family unit. The way Cynna’s parents had once been with her. And she was about to destroy them for all eternity.
“Cynna?” Isadora looked up. “Is everything okay?”
Cynna swallowed the lump in her throat. Guilt washed through her. For a sister she’d always hated. And for a moment, she considered turning around, going back to Nick. But she couldn’t. Because this was too important.
She stepped into the room. “You have to do it. You can’t let Nick talk you out of it.”
Demetrius stiffened, but Isadora only frowned. “Nick and I both decided that is not something either of us is willing to do. That solution is off the table, permanently.”
Panic pushed Cynna forward. “You don’t understand what’s happening here. Zagreus couldn’t break Nick physically or sexually to gain his god powers, so he let us go. He knew Nick was already interested in me. He’s been waiting for Nick to fall in love with me so he can swoop in and tell Nick how I betrayed him, thinking that will be enough to break him emotionally. But he’s wrong. Nick’s too strong to break from that. But if you die, it’ll push him over the edge. The soul mate bond is stronger than anything. You’ve all said it. I’ve seen what a broken Argonaut looks like. If Nick loses you, it’ll be too much. It’ll—”
“Cynna, stop.”
She jerked around at the sound of Nick’s voice. He stood in the archway to the hall, wearing jeans and the same long-sleeved shirt she’d pulled off his chiseled chest only hours ago, staring at her with intense amber eyes that seemed to see right through her.
That panic swelled, making her throat tight and her fingers tingle.
“I didn’t know what he had planned.” Perspiration dotted her forehead with every step he took toward her. “I only just figured it out when I remembered what he said to me in my room before I blacked out. I wasn’t in on this stupid plan with him, I swear it. I—”
Nick stopped in front of her and lifted his hand to her face. “I already know that.”
Her gaze searched his face. His very calm, not the least bit angry face. “You do?”
“I figured out his plan a long time ago. I know you weren’t part of it.”
Relief and pain and heartache swirled inside her, and her eyelids fell closed. Gods, she loved this man. Loved him so damn much she was willing to sacrifice everything she wanted to keep him safe.
Forcing herself to turn away, she looked toward Isadora, who’d pushed to her feet and was watching their conversation with interest. Demetrius stood behind her, holding the baby.
“You have to do whatever you need to do so you don’t die and he doesn’t break,” Cynna said to the queen. “I don’t care about the consequences. None of you should.”
“Cynna.” Pity filled Isadora’s chocolate eyes. “I know you’re upset, but Nick and I being together is not the answer. We’ve already discussed it. Maybe if we weren’t already a family. Maybe if this wasn’t all so intertwined things would be different, but—”
“Oh, fuck family.” Cynna threw her arm out to the side. “What does family have to do with anything? This is about Krónos and what he’ll do with Nick once he breaks him and—”
“She didn’t tell you, did she?” Nick said at Cynna’s back.
Isadora’s gaze darted past Cynna, focusing on Nick. “Tell me what?”
“About your mother.”
A buzzing erupted in Cynna’s ears. She whipped around, but Nick barely spared her a glance.
“My mother?” Isadora’s voice lifted at Cynna’s back. “What about my mother?”
Cynna’s eyes widened as she stared up at Nick. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Looking out for your best interests.” His gaze shifted to focus on her. “She would never choose me because of Demetrius. But even if he were gone, she still wouldn’t agree to something that would ultimately hurt her sister.”
“My…sister?” Isadora asked in a dazed voice.
Holy shit, he’d said it. Cynna’s eyes slammed shut.
“Your mother wasn’t killed by daemons,” Nick said. “She escaped. She started a new life, fell in love, had another child. A girl. A girl who she ultimately had to leave when the king approved the Council’s war on the witches and destroyed Kyrenia.”