Page 51 of Surrendering Hope (The Hope Legacy)

“I’m not sure if it’s a good thing that we might have found him, and therefore what he’s up to. Or a bad thing because three hundred people are missing at the hands of the King of Monsters,” Duncan says as his shoulder rubs against mine. Facing Typhon makes my chest ache and stomach bottom out.

I glance up at Duncan. His eyes are tight and his lips are set into a thin line. I grab his hand and give it a quick squeeze. “It will be okay.”

He squeezes back, his warm chocolate brown eyes creased in fear. “I hope so, Locks.”

Air explodes from my chest as my back hits the ground and a large body sprawls across me. I push Jed’s hair out of my face and push on his back. His dead weight stays solid and unmovable. “Jed!” I shout.

Duncan and Zee lift him off of me, his head flopping forward as they prop him up. My chest expands, grateful for the oxygen. I jump up and race around to his front, sitting in front of him. They lay him down and I cradle his head in my lap. His eyes are open but rolled into the back of his head, the eerie whites sending a shiver of dread through me. Emi shouts a cry of warning as her ass goes skidding across the floor, her limp body landing next to us. Aaden utters some colorful curses and drops to his knees to examine her. I spin around, searching for the cause of the attack. The air is thick with tension, but I can’t see anything but the looming column and trees.

Duncan and Zee lay Jed next to Emi. “Are they okay?” I ask.

Aaden presses his fingers against Emi’s neck, Zee mimics the move with Jed. Relief floods both their features. Aaden’s steel eyes find mine, he nods. Duncan squints at the landscape. “What’s happening?” I mutter to Duncan,

“They were ahead of us, before they got knocked back,” Duncan says.

I shuffle towards the temple. Duncan grabs my arm. “What are you doing?”

“Finding out what knocked two gods on their asses.”

Zee stands on my other side. “And what makes you think the same thing wouldn’t happen to you?”

I tap my lips in thought. They are right, not that I’d admit it to Zee. I dig around in my leather jacket pocket, pull out my phone, and dial the only person who might help us understand what’s happening.

“What?” Zac snaps.

I roll my eyes. “We are on the Greek island of Samos, about half a mile from Hera’s temple. Some invisible force has knocked out Jed and Emi.”

“Why are you there?”

“Three hundred people from the local village are missing, and there is an extreme concentration of magic being used at the temple.”

“Wait there.” The phone goes dead. He needs elocution lessons for his birthday. I glance at Aaden stroking Emi’s cheek. Duncan and Zee follow my gaze. It’s so strange to see him being affectionate. He’s always caring, just reserved.

The air shifts and Zac, Nathan and Barney appear a few yards behind us. Their gazes snap to Jed and Emi. “Explain what happened,” Zac demands.

Nathan drops in-between Jed and Emi and runs his hands a few inches above their bodies. I point to the temple. “We were walking towards the temple, Jed and Emi were ahead of us, before Jed was thrown back. Emi followed a minute later.”

Barney scrutinizes the air like it holds the most complex equations. “I think it’s warded.”

“I can’t sense anything,” Duncan says.

Zac folds his arms. “These are wards placed by a goddess. If she didn’t want you to know they were there, you wouldn’t.”

Nathan stands. “They’ll be fine once we get them away from the ward. They are in a trance at the moment.” Zac nods as Barney takes a step back.

“Barney, take them to HQ for monitoring, keep me updated.”

Aaden looks at me, then back at Emi. I wave him off. “It’s fine, Aaden, go with her.”

Barney glances at me, before he glares a warning at Zac before leaning to grab Emi and Jed’s hand. Aaden rests a hand on Barney’s shoulder. They blink out of existence. Which leaves us with two replacement gods.

Zac’s gaze hardens. “You think Typhon is there?”

“It’s a possibility,” I answer.

“Why didn’t you inform me?”

“Jed’s our go-between. I try to reduce the amount of direct communication between us to avoid a war.”

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