Page 60 of Curses & Keys
Her bright blue eyes twinkle against her olive skin. “Ooh, it’s nice to have a partner with skills.”
Remembering her speech to the society, I can’t help but wonder. “In all these years, you never found someone to share this life with? To help you remove the curses of the world?”
She stiffens. “I haven’t been entirely alone. There’s been the occasional fling.” Her voice is full of hurt and a hint of something I can’t quite pinpoint. “Look. I chose this path, and I knew what it meant.”
She tries to get up, and I grab her hand. “I didn’t mean to offend you. Truly. I can’t help but see this incredibly vibrant and intelligent woman, and I don’t understand…” I stop. Any way I say it is going to sound bad, and that’s not the way I intend it.
“Maybe I haven’t wanted to be caught,” she murmurs, moving back to the seat across from me. “Or maybe I didn’t find anyone who was worth it. I’m going to take a short nap. Wake me when we get there.” She pulls a blanket from the seat next to her and turns her head away from me.
Frustrated, I take a deep breath and remind myself that she shared quite a bit tonight. It takes time to break down walls. In the meantime, I’m going to put together a plan to tackle each quadrant in the temple. She’s right. It’s exciting to share this with someone who understands this world. I want to make sure everything goes smoothly.
31
PHAEDRA
Hawthorne is only curious, but it stings. It’s my choice to be alone. Loving a human with their short lifespan would have only brought me heartbreak, and supernaturals were a risk. Still are. Every day I spend with the four of them is exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. The gods aren’t exactly forgiving, and the last thing I want is for them to end my existence. Not because I’m afraid of death. But because I would never get to apologize to my sister. Beg for her forgiveness. See her one last time. Time is the only thing that brings me closer to her. Three thousand years or three hundred thousand, I’ll gladly spend those alone to get one minute with her.
The box with the initials, mine and my sister’s, is tucked away in my bag. It’s a miracle the society found it. I wonder if they know who I am. Rupert’s expression seems to suggest they’ve figured it out. It should worry me, but the society haskept a lot of secrets over the years, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.
Charlie comes over the intercom to let us know we’re landing in fifteen minutes. Opening my eyes, I find Hawthorne still sitting across from me, engrossed in the laptop. Mahogany locks fall into his face as he lifts his head, but he quickly shoves them back. Green eyes full of worry study me closely as if he’s trying to figure out if I’m still upset.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt out. “I’m not very good at sharing. It’s not because I want to keep things from you. I… I’ve made decisions in my past, and right or wrong, I stand by them even if a part of me wishes for something different.” And I do. These men make me want more. They fit in a way I never expected.
“I let my curiosity get ahead of my manners. I’m sorry,” he assures me as he turns the computer toward me. “Take a look. I worked on a plan that I think will allow us to hit the most likely targets first. It incorporates the low to high suggestion you made earlier but rules out symbols on tiny or odd spaces.”
Astonished, I examine the quadrants he’s outlined on the schematics. “You worked on this the whole time I was asleep?” He put a lot of work into this plan. I cringe, feeling really bad.
“What do you think?” he asks, ignoring my question.
“It’s brilliant,” I reply with a rueful smile. “Thank you.”
The plane dips, and Charlie comes on the intercom. “Seatbelts. We’re landing.”
“He does know we’re immortal, right?” Hawthorne mutters with a frown.
“His aircraft, his rules,” I say, mimicking Charlie’s familiar response. “I like flying with him too much to rebel.” Flying is much better than portals.
Minutes later, we’re taxiing to the hangar.
“Thanks, Charlie,” I tell him as we exit the plane. “Should I text you when we’re ready to leave or catch a flight with someone else?”
“You better not,” he warns me. “Jamison paid for me to be available the whole time you’re here.”
Shocked, I raise an eyebrow, then whistle. “That must have cost him a few gold bars.”
“I’m not cheap,” Charlie returns with a boyish grin. “Go. Dig. Find treasure. I’ll be here.” He looks around. “Somewhere with a bar. Text me when you’re ready to go.”
I salute him and inhale deeply, letting the smell and feel of home seep into my bones. A prickling awareness settles between my shoulder blades, and I grimace. The gods are always closest in Greece. It’s why I rarely return. That and the memories.
I lift my chin in defiance and jump into the passenger seat of the Range Rover, waiting by the plane. “Let’s go.”
The sun is setting as we head from the Athens airport to the site. It’s open to the public during the day, which means we’ll likely have to return tonight, but I want to conduct a test first.
When we get there, crowds of people are meandering through the temple. “This used to have trees around it. Pomegranate, myrtle, laurel trees, and more. The smell was incredible. Vibrant. Rich.” I stare at the walls, comparing them to the last time I saw them, shortly after the temple was finished. It’s in remarkably good condition, given the number of years that have passed.
We use our academic credentials to slip through the line of people and head straight into the temple. Pausing for a second to orient ourselves, I use the friezes to figure out my direction. Looking up, I spot the images that depict the Fall of Troy and point them out to Hawthorne.
He nods. “West, east, north, south.” Opening the laptop, he positions the schematics to mimic the same orientation. “There.The schematics show the symbol next to the side entrance to the cella. Lower right.”
