Tina chuckled and wrapped Amy in a hug to bury the conversation. Truth be told, that was as close to a heart to heart as they’d ever had. Tina had learned long ago that Amy wasn’t the feelings type.
Someone knocked on the door, and Amy crossed the room almost instantly, her long strides whisper-quiet thanks to her wolf stealth, to open the door. Sometimes, Tina wondered if she spent too much time around shifters. She had come to take for granted how truly exceptional they were.
Ray stood in the hall, her hands clasped in front of her. Tina frowned and suppressed the biting desire to ask what the hell the woman wanted now. Ever since they’d met, Tina couldn’t help the feeling that Ray just couldn’t be trusted, and more than once she’d heard the woman muttering about the goddess choosing the wrong host.
“Yes?” Tina asked instead.
“As I’m sure you’ve seen, our guests have begun to arrive. Amy, I’m afraid I must ask you to leave.”
Amy snorted. “I’m not going anywhere until Tina says she doesn’t need me here.”
“It’s for your own safety,” Ray said quietly.
“No way.”
“The choice is yours, Amy.” Ray shrugged. “With so many royals and dignitaries here, I can’t guarantee your safety. I simply do not have the staff to ensure the royals don’t roam, which I can virtually guarantee they will do. They want to meet Tina, and I would hate for them to also discover you. I thought we would have more time, but the royals surprised us. I didn’t think they could possibly arrive this early.”
“Tina’s kind of a big deal,” Amy said with a wink.
Tina blushed.
Ray gestured to the hallway. “If we go now, I can take you through a secret tunnel to a waiting car without them seeing. But if any more of the royals arrive, I can’t be sure you won’t be spotted.”
“I told you—”
“It’s okay,” Tina interrupted.
Amy raised one delicate eyebrow in surprise. “You sure?”
“I’m a rich, super-hot goddess,” Tina said with a wink. “I’m fine, but you were kidnapped, Amy, and I’m sure you need time to process that. I don’t want you in any more danger.”
Amy’s shoulders drooped, and a flicker of sadness broke through her normally badass exterior. Amy had probably been stifling her own fear in order to help Tina through all this crazy.
That sealed the deal for Tina. She pulled Amy into a tight hug. “I’m serious. You can go. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll get you that phone, okay? We’ll talk soon.”
Tina smiled. “I know.”
Ray nodded. “A wise choice. Tina, please wait here until all the royals arrive. We’re doing everything in our power to make sure none of them try anything devious, but I need to know where you are at all times.”
With a stiff nod and one last smile to Amy, Tina ushered them out the door before she lost her resolve.
When the door closed, Tina’s smile instantly fell. She returned to the window, mostly hiding her body as she stealthily watched the men walk along the stone path in the middle of the water surrounding most of the temple. They wanted something from her, and she was going to find out what.
6
Killian
Killian Blackwood sat in a tree at the edge of Epara, his enhanced vision zeroing in on a girl standing in one of the topmost windows. He rested his elbow on his knee, perfectly balanced on the branches as he surveyed the temple.
A goddess on Earth. Even after seeing her, he still couldn’t quite believe it.
A massive golden eagle darted into the canopy, barely shaking the leaves despite his sudden entrance. Killian rolled his eyes as his younger brother shifted into his human form and climbed down the final few branches to join him.
“Father wants your report,” Ethan said with a bored huff.
“I just got here.” Killian shook his head in annoyance. Nothing they did was ever good enough for their father. Never fast enough, never perfect enough, never quite right. “You know that. He knows that.” Killian threw his hands up. “We all know I have nothing to report yet.”
“Sure, sure. I’ll let him know you haven’t learned anything …” Ethan craned his head, his gaze roaming the temple windows. “Where is she by the way? Is she hot?”
“You’re a prince, for goodness’ sake. Can you even feign chivalry? Or is that too much for your teenage brain to handle?”
Ethan shrugged. “It’s not a complicated question.”
Killian groaned and returned his gaze to the stunning woman as she curiously watched the demigods and cat shifters arrive. Yes, she was beautiful, no question.
“Are you watching her change?” Ethan prodded as he tried to get a better look from his vantage point deeper within the tree.
“That’s disrespectful. If I find out you’ve been doing that to the women back home, I’ll whoop your ass in our next sparring session. You’ll be black and blue for a week even with your enhanced healing.”
That, thankfully, shut him up.
“I wonder what her powers are,” Killian said under his breath, more to himself than his younger brother. Ethan, thankfully, didn’t speculate.
Whatever her gifts, he knew that the shifters and demigods alike were ready to kill each other to control her and her abilities. They both feared and coveted her, a dangerous combination for everyone involved.
It must have been torture for her.
Killian made one final visual sweep of the temple, including possible exit points. He figured they likely had at least two secret tunnels, maybe three based on the temple’s size. From his calculations, there were probably no more than forty priests and priestesses, most of which would be human.
Hardly a strong enough force to control so many powerful shifters in one place.
Tense and unsure of what was to come, Killian stood. Time to give his report to his father and make their arrival official.
7
Tina
Tina groaned and kicked her feet off the edge of the bed, squinting as the brilliant sun streamed through the open window. The humid air clung to her skin, and she fanned the sweat pooling on her face.
According to the golden clock on her bedside table, Amy had been gone for scarcely two hours, and the boredom was already starting to get to Tina. She’d expected to start meeting people immediately, but thus far, no one had so much as knocked on her door.
Tires screeched outside, no doubt another limousine arriving with more royalty. With a few tugs on her silk robe to adjust the loose fabric, she made her way to the window in time to see another limousine arrive. A tall man with salt and pepper hair and a thick beard threw open the door before the chauffer could reach it and leapt out. He stormed down the stone pathway leading to the temple’s front door. He paused and spun on his heel, eyes focused on the limo while he impatiently tapped his foot.
Her eyes flicked back to the limo in time to see a familiar face step out and adjust the sleeves on his black suit. He paused fleetingly, his eyes darting up to hers.
Anthony.
Her heart skipped a beat.
He gave her a quick nod before walking toward the older man. They huddled on the path, and Anthony shook his head more than once as they argued. Tina wished she could hear what they were saying, but the older man stormed into the temple and out of view. Anthony, however, took one of the side paths into the temple gardens. Hands in his pockets, he meandered up the stone pathway and disappeared into the lush greenery.
Tina sighed with relief, grateful to have a familiar face among all the powerful men who had been arriving all morning. Amy was a lush and a bit of a drunk, but she was a great judge of character, and Tina felt a little lost without her.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself away from the window and flopped back on her bed, but as she lay there staring at the ceiling, she felt the boredom of the morning weighing down on her, suffocating her. If she stayed here, she was going to go insane.