Page 9 of Taurus's Quest
“Who is this Aries you keep mentioning?”
“My boss. You’ll meet him in a bit right after I put on some pants.”
Taurus began moving swiftly up the stairs, suddenly not caring if she followed because if what she said turned out to be true, then he had bigger problems than an astronomer who accidentally stepped through a portal.
Just as he reached the level for his apartment, she zoomed past and ended up standing by his door, looking wide-eyed.
“What just happened?”
“Tower gave you a lift because you were too slow.” He opened his door and entered the open space, making a beeline for his closet.
“Not all of us wanted to sprint,” she grumbled as she followed him inside.
As he dropped his towel, not caring if he flashed his ass, she asked, “This is where you live?”
“Yup. But only when I’m not on a mission.” He pulled on his track pants before grabbing a sweater. He then veered from his closet to see her standing at the window.
“This isn’t Athens,” she stated.
“I thought we’d already ascertained that,” he retorted. “We’re in Iraq, which, if you know any history, is the home for the Tower of Babel.”
“I know of the tower, although I am not sure why it’s in my dream. Not that it matters. All this talk of constellations is obviously my subconscious trying to tell me something.” She chewed her lower lip. “What has my mind grasped that’s so important it has created this elaborate scenario?”
“This isn’t a dream, honey.”
“Says the man who doesn’t exist.”
An annoying rebuttal, but actually quite common for first-time visitors to Tower. Once upon a time, he’d been the guy struggling with disbelief. “If you’re done arguing, we need to report to Aries.”
“Why?”
“Because, for one, you portaled into Tower. The boss will want to be told about that. And two, he’ll want to hear firsthand about this asteroid.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure. Why not? Perhaps this Aries will give me the answer I seek, even if he is, technically, a creation of my subconscious.”
Damn, she really didn’t want to believe. Should he push the issue? Nah. Let Aries make that decision. He’d likely pump her for info, wipe her memories, and send her home.
As they exited into the hall, she sighed as she realized they’d be doing more stairs. “I don’t suppose your Tower will transport me again.”
Before Taurus could say “It’s not up to me,” the stairs began moving like an escalator, leading to more rich laughter from Circe. “How marvelous. You didn’t mention this tower granted wishes.”
More like Tower tried to impress the disbeliever.
Still, Taurus didn’t mind the boost, as it got them to the level with Aries’ office much quicker. A quick rap at the door ended up answered by Aries, who held the baby tucked to his chest.
“What’s u—” Aries gaze went past Taurus to Circe. “You found the lady in green.”
“Yup, in the library like Olivia predicted.”
Circe said nothing, but he noticed her gaze took in everything.
“Come in, come in. Don’t mind Little Bean. She’s decided to not nap quite yet.” Aries strode across his office, not for the chair behind his desk but rather the rocker set by the hearth. He sat in it and started swaying.
Taurus stood a few paces away, hands tucked behind his back, and began to report. “This is Circe Aetos, astronomer for the National Observatory of Athens. She came through the Grecian portal by accident.”
“Hardly accidental,” she huffed. “I was locked in that shop and looking for escape.”
A claim that arched Aries’ brow, but rather than address it, he greeted their guest. “Hello, Circe. I’m Aries?—”
