Page 62 of Immortal Sun

CHAPTER 14

CLEO

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find how how far one can go.” –T.S. Eliot

Iwake up still annoyed by Cyrus. He has these weird moments of clarity. Just watching him talk while the flames from the fire lit up his face was like watching poetry. He’s so beautiful and articulate, yet he can be so cold.

I turn off my alarm and check my texts.

Apep Kaos

Good news, he’s alive. Someone saw him hiking through the mountains just five days ago, and a bartender said he came in for a beer that same day looking pretty rugged. Unless he fell into the water between then and now. We’ll find him. Any details from you would be appreciated.

I text back right away.

Me

All I know is he said he found some sort of artifact in a cave. Oh, and he said he found clues about our father whatever that means.

Apep Kaos

I’ll look into it further. But this is good news.

Tears fill my eyes.

Me

I don’t know what I would do without you.

Apep Kaos

I’m sure one day I’ll need a cup of sugar or something, don’t even worry about it, Cleo.

I don’t know what Cyrus is talking about, but Apep really is nice and helpful. Then again, there are so many things that don’t make sense with Cyrus, that’s a whole Pandora’s box I need to stay far, far away from.

Ugh, I get ready for the day, snatch my phone, put my hair in a ponytail last minute and jog down the stairs. Bast is nowhere to be found, but the dining room smells like bacon and coffee. I almost float into the room on a cloud. I’ve been so hungry in this place that it’s driving me crazy, maybe it’s because it’s freezing cold inside this castle of a house?

I shiver and reach for a mug, then pour my coffee and grab a plate for bacon and eggs.

I would never admit it to the grumpy guy, but it is nice having hot food every morning just waiting for me. And whatever they put in their coffee tastes so sweet and robust that it’s hard not to drink it faster.

I’m just getting ready to sit down when Cyrus walks into the room. I almost spit out my coffee. He’s in nothing but low-slung gray Nike sweats and black running shoes. Sweat drips off every inch of his body and he has ear pods in.

What sort of music does someone that unhappy listen to, anyway?

He grabs a piece of bacon and shoves the entire thing into his mouth, then he pours coffee into a mug and chugs it despite how hot it is. I could swear I see steam come from his lips, but that would be crazy. I mean I guess if he’s that hot, physically, it could be possible but the coffee is hot too. So maybe not.

He looks over his shoulder at me. No smile. Just intense eye contact. He tugs out one ear pod and tosses it in his hand. “Sorry, didn’t see you.”

“That’s okay.” My voice is way too breathless. I keep my eyes locked on him, so I don’t look at all his bulging muscles and impressive six pack. Why are the mean ones always so nice to look at? “Did you go for a run?”

“A swim.” He shrugs. “Then a run.”

“You have a pool?”

He smirks. “No, but we do have an ocean.”

“I thought we weren’t supposed to take risks on the island.” I lift my mug to my lips. He’s at my side in a flash. How does someone so big move so fast? He towers over me and gently lifts my mug out of my grasp then sets it down, his fingertips grazing mine in the process. “I kept my eyes closed so the salt wouldn’t get it and wore a wet suit.”

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