Page 90 of Surrendering Hope (The Hope Legacy)

Barney leans forward. “So Natia would rule them, and Ty would be at her side. Not the other way around?”

Archan stiffens next to me, his body goes still. “I don’t have long,” he mutters.

“What do we need to know?” Zac asks.

“Lawrence and Ty are close to opening the gates of Tartarus. You only slowed them down from opening the first seal when you interrupted them in Hera’s temple. A seal which has since been broken. There are two more and they know the location of both. Ty won’t open the last one until you’ve made him whole, and he has Natia at his side. He’s not stupid and is not to be underestimated. He will push the situation once they break the second seal. I believe the timeline is about three days.”

“You can see everything he does?” I ask.

He nods as he grabs my hand, and the world shifts into ribbons of color and light. We come to a stop in this other dimension. The beauty of this place takes my breath away. I spin around, watching as I disrupt the swirling colors.

“Is this home?” I ask as Archan watches me take in this place with awe.

“Yes, it is where the gods reside. It is where you were once granted sanctuary.”

“Why have you brought me here?” I ask.

“I need you to promise me something.”

I fall still at the serious look he is directing my way. “Okay.”

“Okay, you will make the promise?”

“No, but I will hear you out.”

He sighs. “The day is drawing close when Ty will force you to release his other half from the Jar.”

“How will he do that?”

“I don’t know. But you cannot allow it to happen.”

I shake my head as my eyes sting. “We are working on a plan.”

He grips my chin and pulls me towards him. “Promise me you will do everything you can to save mankind.”

I drop my head on to his chest as a shudder of warning goes through me. I know what he’s saying, I can sense the hidden meaning. He tugs at my braid to stare me in the eyes. “Promise me, Natia.”

I nod my head. He grasps my arm in the same way Zac did in the basement. “Natia Waterford, do you promise to save mankind, no matter the cost.”

“I promise,” I whisper. The blast of power buckles my knees. He catches me under the arms and presses a kiss on my forehead.

“I’ll try to see you soon, Natia,” he murmurs. The world spins and I land on my feet in the middle of the living room, surrounded by frantic gods and my worried team.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Natia

Taurus is the second sign in the zodiac, but the first to get shit done.

“Where did you go?” Zee snaps.

“And what did you do with Archan,” Zac bites out.

“More to the point, what did he do to you?” Zee adds.

I scowl at the pair of them as they stand side by side in matching poses of dominance. I arch an eyebrow. Zee should know better than to pull this shit with me. I push my index finger on my left hand out with my right. “One, we went to that place where we teleport through.”

“That’s why we couldn’t find you, you went home,” Nathan mutters.

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