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I shook my head, biting back a curse.
“Continue your watch,” I told every man in the corridor. “If anyone is spotted, report to me. Do not engage.”
My orders might seem strange, but no one here outside Pollux, myself, and Legion possessed enough power to actually set off a ward. If one of these prisoners had escaped, these men would be outmatched in every way. Legion was a great military leader, and he trained his men well, but it was no easy feat to imprison the monsters residing on this island. I’d rather not have an entire squadron dead on arrival, which is likely what would result if they tried to apprehend our mysterious escape artist.
I turned to Pol and extended my arm, then to Legion.
“I’m going to stay,” the commander said. “I want to see if there’s anything we overlooked.”
A silent exchange reaffirmed his uneasiness. He wanted to find the missing detail. We’d been searching for the better part of a day and come up short.
He and I both knew if the Titans did escape, it would be disastrous. A war would break out—and it would be worse than before. Incomprehensible in size. This time they’d have been stewing for eons, and they’d be out for revenge. I knew all too well what the need for bloodshed and vengeance felt like. It was unlikely it would be quelled by finding a mate. I had been lucky. She centered me in ways I never knew possible. That desire for recompense had been replaced with the desire to simply be with her.
I inclined my chin in a firm nod, acknowledging the commander’s request. “Pol?” He touched my arm and we dissipated into shadow, reappearing in the castle only a moment later.
Pol stepped away, rubbing at his temples. From a small credenza, I poured myself a glass of whiskey. Nothing as strong as my mate’s moonshine. She certainly knew how to brew, but I had a taste for something more refined. White liquor could never match the dark chocolate and peaty undertones I preferred. I sipped my drink, deep in thought.
“I don’t understand, Caius. There aren’t many beings on Tartarus that can set off the wardstones. Not without escaping,” Pol said. I looked over to see him standing with his back to me, facing the fireplace instead. One hand was in a fist and the other holding his wrist where they locked behind his back. To someone unfamiliar with Pol’s magic, it would appear as if the fire were playing tricks and the feather tattoos on his arms were dancing. In reality, they were shifting. It was just another sign of his agitation.
“And even fewer that can escape without getting caught,” I added, taking another sip as I sat in the wingback chair.
“And fewer still that can disguise themselves,” Pol continued. “If it’s not someone trying to get out, it’s someone trying to get in. Someone powerful wanted to free them. Someone wanted to start a war here. What are we missing?”
“It’s not only the who. It’s the why,” I said, thinking through it out loud. “Why try to free them when you know you can’t? What is the purpose when all they’re capable of is setting off the wardstones?”
A prickling of awareness traveled up my spine. The hairs on the back of my neck rose as I felt a sliver ofsomething,but I couldn’t discern what.
“Do you feel that?” I asked.
“Feel what?” He questioned, turning back to glance at me. “What are you talking about?”
“I ...” My fingers wrapped around the end of the armrest, nails biting into the wood. “It’s almost like, anticipation, maybe? Anxiety?”
Pol squinted at me. “What the fuck are you going on about?”
“It’s right there,” I said between clenched teeth. “Like it’s in the air somehow, seeping in.” I paused as an uncomfortable sensation ran through me, bordering on pain. A sweat broke out over my forehead. “Seeping in below the surface. Like it’s in the?—”
Pol and I looked at each other as we came to the same conclusion.
“Bond,” we said at once.
I jumped to my feet, the glass slipping from my fingers, shattering against the stone floor. My feet were already carrying me away from my rooms. Pollux kept his running pace beside me, his steps equally hurried as we crossed the palace quickly.
“Something’s wrong,” I breathed, looking around the atrium outside the throne room. It was empty, sans portal guards, who looked at me quizzically. “She’s not here.”
“Has Reagan returned?” My tone was aggressive, and the room rumbled with its volume.
“N-no, Your Majesty,” one of the guards stuttered in response.
Pol turned to me. “I thought you said you wouldn’t be able to feel the bond when she crossed over.”
“We feel it in the sense that we know it exists, but it’s stretched so thin, it feels out of reach.”
Which made the fact I was feeling it on this level all the more terrifying. I was sleep deprived and running on fumes, but my body was wired awake like someone had hooked me up to an energy source and forced its power into me.
“Nothing about this godsdamned day makes any sense,” he ground out. “We’ve spent all day checking wards, and the minute you come back here, this happens.”
“What’d you just say?” I asked slowly, lowering my tone.
