Nick tried not to look, but couldn’t stop himself from glancing sideways at her. At her pale features, the sweat dampening her brow, and the firelight dancing in her glassy eyes.
Dammit. He didn’t feel things for other people. Not individuals, anyway. For his race…yes. And that had only started because helping the Misos thrive was a way to get back at the Argolean Council who’d shunned him as a child. But even with that singular goal, at his core he was a loner. And, knowing who his parents were, for good reason. So no way in hell should he be feeling anything for any female, especially the one beside him now.
He clenched his jaw and stared into the fire. “His people think he’s dead. That’s how.”
“Why would they think that?”
“Because he wants it that way.”
She was curious. But he wasn’t in the mood to give her more. Especially not when she was fucking with his head.
The hum of a motor echoed in the darkness, and Nick’s senses kicked in. Glancing up, he spotted the plane, still three miles off in the inky sky. Relief washed through his veins like a vat of sweet wine. “There he is.”
“Where?” Cynna looked up. “I don’t see anything.”
Nick pushed to his feet. “You will.”
Red lights blinked in the darkness. The hum of the engine grew louder. The single-engine Cessna made a large circle over the runway, then dropped in the sky, heading right for them.
Cynna grimaced and pushed up to sitting. “He’s coming in sideways.”
She was right. The wings of the small plane were wagging up and down. If that fucker was showing off and crashed the plane now…
The left wheel touched down. Then the right. A roar sounded through the field as the brakes were applied. Finally, the plane slowed and turned, rumbling their direction.
The engine cut off, and the propeller died. Inside the cockpit, the pilot pulled off a headset, popped the door open, and dropped to the ground with a raucous, rolling laugh. “Hot damn, that was fun.”
Nick frowned as he crossed to greet Ari. “You sure do like to make an entrance.”
Ari’s mismatched eyes—one a brilliant blue, the other a deep green—twinkled in the lights from the plane. He captured Nick’s forearm in a tight grip and grinned, his white teeth all but glowing in the darkness. “Thought you were dead, man. Everyone did. Gotta say, though, dead isn’t exactly a bad place to be. Like the hair, by the way.”
Nick let go of Ari’s marked forearm and ran a hand over the thick blond hair on his skull. Normally, he kept it shaved—way easier to deal with—but in the months he’d been held captive, he hadn’t had the luxury. “Feels fucking weird.”
Ari’s always assessing, ever-wild eyes narrowed and shot a look past Nick. He lifted his chin Cynna’s direction. “Who’s the female?”
Reluctantly, Nick turned her way. He didn’t need Ari knowing just who she was or how she was involved, especially not when he was still trying to work it all out in his head. He might have called the guy for help, but that didn’t mean he trusted him. Not completely. Especially knowing Ari’s quirks. “Just someone who helped me escape.”
Ari drew in a deep sniff. “Not a Siren. But she smells of nymph. And that makes her of high interest.”
He pushed past Nick and headed right for her.
Shit.
Nick turned and caught up. Ari was as skilled a hunter and tracker as Nick, maybe more so since living in the wild these last few years. But his methods were more than questionable.
Dressed in worn jeans, a short-sleeved gray shirt, and boots, Ari stopped in front of the fire, tucked his massive hands into his pockets, and tipped his dark head as he stared down at Cynna. The firelight seemed to dance over the puckered scars that covered the left side of his jaw, ran down his neck, and disappeared under the collar of his T-shirt. “She’s Argolean.”
“Yeah.” Nick held his breath, wondering how the hell this was going to go down. Ari’s obsession with Sirens was well known, but his interest in nymphs was personal.
“And you said she was one of Zagreus’s prisoners?”
Crap. Ari was making connections. Suddenly Nick was wishing he’d left Cynna in the jungle after all. “Yeah.”
Cynna pulled the blanket over her lap, but her dark eyes were still glassy as they darted from him to Ari and back again. Nick knew she was having trouble following the conversation. So was he, for that matter.
“Does she have a name, or do you just call her bitch?”
“Hey now,” Cynna finally said, her spine stiffening. “Who the hell do you think you—”
“Cynna,” Nick cut in, wanting only to keep the peace right now. They needed Ari’s help. Not to piss the guy off. “Her name is Cynna.”
“Cynna…” His mismatched eyes narrowed and held on her face. “I’ve heard of a female with the same name in Zagreus’s keep. Looks like you’ve caught yourself a live one.”