Though I was probably supposed to be all stoic and arrogant and bored, I couldn’t help a budding smile. They came closer still, only twenty feet away now, and her eyes flicked to me for a moment. Another two steps and her gaze returned, the pause longer this time. And again, even longer, until she was reading my face. She was probably just trying to interpret my smile, but maybe she saw what I did—that we both had a deep connection to our partners. From what I’d witnessed, it was a rarity in this world.

Unable to contain myself, I shrugged a shoulder and then nodded in hello. It was breaking custom, I knew, but screw it. Seeing the two of them together like that, enjoying this lovely walk without needing to worry about the stakes, resonated with me. I wanted that to be Kieran and me someday. I wouldn’t be threatened, or a curiosity, and Kieran wouldn’t be belittled for his youth and newness. We’d just be.

Dare to dream, probably.

She looked away again, but a small crease formed between her eyebrows as they continued to walk. I’d messed with her chi. Oops.

Zander, only five paces away from Kieran, looked over. Their eyes met, and Zander slowed for a moment.

Fireworks exploded through the soul link, followed by absolute shock. Kieran bowed deeply, his arrogance quickly stripped away. I stood there stupidly, wondering if I should bow as well. I hadn’t done so with anyone else, but Zander seemed like a bigger deal.

A glance back to Amber and she shook her head then showed me her teeth, her signal that I had better turn back around or she’d probably try to kill me in my sleep.

When I faced front again, Zander’s wife’s gaze was on my dress. My subconscious had reacted to the pressurized situation by inviting in spirit, and it was caressing my skirt. I cut it out immediately.

My face flamed as Zander’s gaze switched from Kieran to me. His gaze found my chest, and I knew he wasn’t checking out my rack. His look traced the invisible line connecting my middle to Kieran’s. He’d clearly heard about the soul link. He wouldn’t be able to verify the rumors by sight.

Zander walked on, not speeding up. Looking back, braving Amber’s stare of death, I saw why.

Dylan kept his eyes front, but his jaw was clenched. I wondered if his fists were clenched as well. He was being scrutinized by a Demigod of his magical line and not loving it.

“Should I—”

“Don’t you do anything,” Amber ground out through her teeth. “He is merely curious. All of Zeus’s line will be curious. Gianna didn’t show Dylan around much. You’ve heard why.”

“Keep walking, baby,” Kieran said softly, looking straight ahead. “Stay cool and keep walking.”

It wasn’t until we sauntered around the bend that a loud sigh escaped from Amber.

“We made it,” she said, and her stress was clear.

“You need a strong drink, woman,” Zorn told her as we continued on our way.

“Don’t I know it,” she replied. “It was never this nail-biting…the other times I was here. Things were always planned down to the last detail, and usually everything went off without a hitch. This whole evening has been a shit show, and I’ve been waiting for it to smear across our faces. Why it hasn’t is beyond me. I’m simply amazed it has mostly worked out.”

“The chaos isn’t only Alexis’s doing,” Zorn said. “Demigod Kieran has always had a wild streak. He’s not as orderly as he’d have you think.”

“Telling all my secrets, Zorn?” Kieran asked in a light tone.

“Just helping her do her job,” Zorn replied.

After a brief pause in which Kieran ignored someone trying to nod at him, he asked, “Why did Zander notice me?”

“I think he was giving himself leave to check out Dylan,” Zorn said.

“I’d mostly agree with that,” Amber said, “though he expressed interest in Alexis, as well.”

“The soul link, I think.” I turned a bit to look at her. “His gaze traced the connection between our—”

She shoved my shoulder to make me face front again. Kieran had gone rigid and nervousness bled through the link.

When I saw why, I stopped dead.

6

Alexis

Magnus, my father, sat on a bench between the draping branches of a weeping willow. A small hole had been cut into the curtain to allow the observer to watch the goings-on in relative obscurity. His crew of people were pushed in behind him, standing stock-still within the branches, hardly visible.

Zorn bumped into me, and Mordecai crashed into him. Kieran tugged at me—he’d continued walking, not yet realizing I’d stopped. The cats bounded forward, Chaos launching himself at the leaves of the willow. That cat was clearly very good at identifying the source of my distress, and very bad at knowing how best to deal with it. He batted the leaves with his big paws, seemingly playing, his claws extended. Magnus didn’t so much as twitch in discomfort.

Kieran glanced back, his gaze imploring me to get moving. I cleared my throat as Magnus stood, his three-piece suit black on black again, the only pop of color his deep blue tie. His intelligent brown eyes surveyed me, the exact same color as mine, ignoring Kieran completely. I remembered his face perfectly, his strong jaw defining his features, his thin lips and slightly too big nose doing nothing to detract from his striking appearance. His charisma almost seemed like a solid thing, oozing out around him. I had never been, even in my best moments, as cool as my father. That gene hadn’t been passed down.