Page 4 of Sight Unseen

A laugh breaks free from my chest. I try to talk between my bursts of laughter while simultaneously trying to catch my breath. “You mean me. Diana. Normal orphan girl. With a boring life. Have some power that will aid in fighting some war that has been going on for centuries. Can you pinch me because I think I am having the most bizarre dream, and I’m ready to wake up now?”

He gave me a hard look, all signs of teasing gone from his face, and my laughter immediately stopped. I was entranced by those gray eyes with bolts of silver dashing around.

“Yes, Diana. That’s exactly what I’m saying. You're a Nephus. You're one of the last of your name. That means your gift will be stronger with no one else in your line to share it with. I can assure you that this is not a dream. I’m not a figment of your imagination, and you will not wake up from this. It’s your life now, but to appease your curiosity…” Atlas reached over and pinched me.

“Ouch! I wasn’t being serious.” Rubbing my arm where the sting of his fingers bit into my skin, I caught the sincerity in his eyes, and the truth of his words sunk into my bones.

My face blanched, and for once, my mind was silent. “Holy shit, you're not kidding.”

“No, I’m not.”

That was the only reply I got before he pushed open the car door and held out his hand for me to take, “Now, would you like a tour of Enyo, or would you rather stay in the car all night?”

I stretched my tight muscles and took his outstretched hand in mine. It was warm to the touch, and so rough, old clauses marked his palm. I immediately thought of what they would feel like sliding up my body.

As soon as we connected, a zap bolted up my arm, and my eyes bugged out and snapped toward his. Atlas's eyes were round like he felt the same jolt I did, but nothing was said about it.

Ignoring the shock of our connection, I pulled myself from the car and turned to look at my new home, I guess. My mouth dropped open in shock. “Holy shit.”

Atlas chuckled beside me. “You get used to it.”

Chapter 4

Diana

Enyo Institute was like a giant fucking castle. It had a huge mix of gray and white bricks lining the walls and deep black stacks at the top. So black they blended with the night sky. It was massive! Bigger than anything I’ve ever seen. There was an elegant fountain in the middle of the courtyard that the driveway wrapped around.

At the end of the road was a huge iron gate with a shield in the middle and EI embossed in the center with lightning bolts and roses circling it. I feel like I just stepped back in time or got thrown into a gothic vampire movie or something.

“Is Dracula going to jump out at me?” I laughed. I could not believe the beautiful fucking castle I was standing in front of.

“Hmmm, I never thought of it like that, but it does make sense. It looks like an old Dracula movie, doesn’t it.”

I jumped five feet in the air at the sound of the voice behind me. Turning around with my hand on my heart, I reached out to punch the jerk that scared me.

“You scared the shit out of me. Don’t go sneaking up on people like that!” I immediately regretted the punch as a huge ass scary-looking bird was sitting on his arm.

“Ooh, shit, I’m sorry. Is it Phoenix or Eros? When introductions were made, Apollo wasn’t too clear on who was who.” I spoke the words, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the gorgeous bird in front of me.

“I’m Eros.” He chuckled his reply.

“And who is this?” I gestured toward the beautiful bird. It was gorgeous, with smooth black wings and a white belly speckled with a mix of black and gray. A splash of brown and gray danced along its tail, and it had huge black eyes staring right at me.

Let’s not forget the scary sharp beak and claws; they look like they can tear someone apart.

“This is Astra. My falcon familiar. Sorry, we didn’t mean to spook you. We were training nearby when Astra spotted you and wanted to say hello.” Eros replied as Astra turned her head in an unnatural way and stretched out toward me.

I extended my hand for her to push her head into, and the feeling of her feathers were like silk. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. She was so soft and beautiful.

“Be careful; she can be a little snippy,” Eros said, and my eyes bugged out with fear.

Carefully and extremely slowly, I removed my hand from the majestic bird. “You decided to tell me after I already had my hand within reaching distance of her deadly-looking beak.”

I could not believe this man. Was he trying to make me lose a finger?

Chuckling, Eros’ simple reply had my breath hitching. “If she wanted you to lose a finger, she would have voiced her displeasure with me. She seems to like you, and she doesn't like anyone. Not even Phoenix.”

“Wait, she talks?” There goes my mouth gaping open again. I really need to tape the damn thing closed.

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