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“I don’t know,” she scoffed, raising a brow. “I’ve never kidnapped anyone before, so unless you have a Villainy for Beginners manual you’ll let me borrow, you’re going to have to clue me in.”
“The answer is that it wouldn’t benefit me.” I leaned back in the chair and crossed my leg over the other. “How am I supposed to convince Reagan she should accept me as her mate if I killed her cousin?”
Her lips parted, and she stared at me, lost for words.
“Clara, right?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Well, Clara, Reagan wanted me gone so that death magic doesn’t hurt your world, correct?” She nodded. “We can’t have a constructive conversation while she’s hyper-focused on that and yelling about me leaving, but on the flip side, I need her to listen to me and understand that we are, in fact, mates. So I’ve done what she asked of me. I’ve left her world, taking the magic of Tartarus back with me. Now I need her to do what I’ve asked, and bringing you here will accomplish that.”
“So I’m your bait?” Dropping her arms to her side slowly, she considered my argument.
“Essentially, yes.”
“So you’ll let me go?”
“Once she agrees to my terms, you’re free to leave.”
“Oh, see, that means I’m actually your hostage. Got your terminology a little mixed up there.”
I shrugged. “Call it whatever you wish. The fact remains that you will not be harmed.”
The doors to the chambers burst open, and Abyssian and Pol ran in, flustered and confused.
“What happened?” Pollux asked, coming to an abrupt halt the moment he saw Clara. “And who—” He gasped, his nostrils flaring and his pupils dilating. “Is this the witch?”
Her hands flew up again, preparing to defend herself.
“No,” I said, standing up, gesturing to them to sit at the round table. “She is a witch, yes, but she’s not who you think. Please, sit.”
“I think not.” Clara didn’t move and I struggled not to roll my eyes.
“Really, Clara, this is getting tedious. Have a seat. You can’t stand like that forever. You’ll burn yourself out.”
After several moments of deliberating, she finally released a frustrated breath before stomping over to a seat, dropping herself on it with an audible thud, and then crossing her arms.
I forced a tight smile in thanks, and she squinted her eyes at me in return. Addressing her, I said, “These two gentlemen are Pollux, my oldest and most trusted friend, and Abyssian, my brother.” I inclined my head to her. “This is Clara.”
“Charmed,” she said sourly. Pollux didn’t take his eyes off her while he spoke.
“That doesn’t tell me much of anything, Caius. Who is she?”
“It’s complicated?—”
“And where are Oberon and Styx?” Abyssian interjected, looking around the room.
I sighed. “That’s also complicated, and?—”
“Did you find?—”
“Wow, you guys just keep interrupting him nonstop,” Clara said, the exasperation in her tone matching exactly what I was feeling. “If you’d both just shut up for a second, he’d be able to tell you that I’m Reagan’s cousin, he kidnapped me and is holding me hostage—sorry, as ‘bait’—so that she’ll come talk to him, while your two missing buddies are guarding your stupid portal back on Earth.” Abyssian opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off again. “And before you ask, Reagan is the guardian, who he alsoclaimsis his mate.”
“Wait, yourwhat?” Pollux yelled.
Clara ignored him completely, looking at me as she spoke. “It’s really not that complicated. I don’t know why you said it was.”
“Did she say the guardian is yourmate?” Abyssian repeated.
