by Belle Malory
Once he was done, Peter nodded once to Ione, then she left us alone by the banquet tables. Everyone else was scattered throughout the room, socializing. And what a room it was, romantic and enchanting, like something out of a fairy tale castle. Tables were spread out, covered in intricately threaded pastel linens, each of them set with crystal glasses, dinnerware, and vases of white roses. The floor was a work of art too. A carpet of flower petals, spiraling in different colors and designs. Aphrodite descendants didn’t do anything subpar.
“Where did you get the bracelet?”
It was the first thing Peter said, and I froze, caught off guard by the question. I twisted the charms around my wrist, having forgotten putting it on.
“Ah, it was a gift.”
Odd. I prepared for a thousand different ways this meeting would go, but never once did I imagine we’d be discussing my jewelry of all things.
He reached for my hand, flipping it over to reveal the inside of my wrist. Angry red marks stretched around blue veins.
Whoa. How had I never noticed that before?
“It’s poisoned,” Peter said, unhooking the latch. “Whoever gifted it to you was no friend.”
I swallowed. Riley gave me the bracelet as a birthday present.
He dropped the chain into my hand. “Do yourself a favor and chuck it into the ocean.”
“How did you…” I was so dumbfounded, it was hard to find the words. “How could you possibly know…”
“I read emotional energy and auras. It’s why I’m skilled in love magic.” His eyes rounded on the top of my head. “Yours is beautiful, full of strength and wisdom, but the bracelet was manipulating you. I’ve seen this poison before. It’s called lethara. Whoever gave it to you wanted to make you angry, obsessive, and destructive. It toys with your dreams, turning them into nightmares, and puts the wearer on edge.”
I thought about the snake and the other nightmares. Everything he was saying was true. But that left one very big question. Riley wasn’t supposed to know about magic, but yet, here I was. With a poisonous charm bracelet. She knew, and that meant she tried to destroy me long before I tried to destroy her.
Oh man.
This shouldn’t bother me, but it did. When I acted, it was out of rage, not a pre-meditated attempt on her life. She obviously thought this out, planned it, wanting my destruction to be slow and painful.
Tears stung at my eyes. I spun away so Peter wouldn’t see, but that was pointless. The guy just told me he could read emotional energy.
“It was someone close, wasn’t it?”
“My sister.” I sighed. “I’m sure you’ve heard about my…family issues.” Everyone at this school had heard one rumor or another.
“I have.” He gently touched the side of my arm. “If it helps, you’ve got my approval.”
I spun back around, blinking. “That easily?”
Wait. Why was I questioning this?
Thankfully, Peter didn’t take it back. He just laughed. “Energy, remember?” He looked over my head again, mesmerized, like it was the Aurora Borealis. “Everyone’s aura is unique, but yours is more unusual than most—a blend of several energies. You can be successful in love magic, but you have to really want it. It’s all up to you.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. “Th-thank you.”
Peter smiled. “Welcome to Aphrodite, Sheridan Thorne.”
23
“What took you so long?” Jett said, scowling.
Hazel was there waiting with her, looking around anxiously, as if she expected us to get caught sneaking off at any second.
“I got out as fast as I could,” I said, remembering the way Ione narrowed her eyes when I gave an excuse about not feeling well. She didn’t believe me, but she let it go, pleased enough I’d gotten Peter’s stamp of approval.
“Whatever, let’s just go,” Jett said, waving us along. “We need to hurry.”
Leaves crunched beneath our feet as we made our way into the woods. The moon shone brightly overhead, lighting our way through the trees. I wrapped myself in my cloak, having no idea where we were headed.
“How did your dinner go?” Hazel said, as the two of us tried to keep up with Jett.
“Great, for the most part. With the exception of this.” I showed her the inside of my wrist. “Apparently, my sister has been trying to poison me.”
Hazel stumbled, and Jett stopped to spin around. “Let me see,” she said, grabbing my hand. Her eyes flared. “Lethara—what a crafty bitch.”
“Hey, still my sister.”
I could call her a bitch, and she definitely was one, but that didn’t mean anyone else could.
“Evil stuff.” Hazel tsked, shaking her head. “This makes me feel better about breaking the rules. You need to get this curse lifted ASAP, Sheridan.”
Jett dropped my hand, and I rubbed the red marks.
“Hazel’s right,” Jett said, walking ahead. “If your sister is already toying with poison, who knows what she’ll try next.”
The sooner, the better. I could feel it, the urgency. It was building inside of me like a storm, ready to turn violent and deadly at a moment’s notice. Even thousands of miles apart, Riley had still found a way to get to me. With magic, of all things.
I needed to tell Grandpa about this, so he could pass on that information to Dad. Riley had been upset with Dad for grounding her. I didn’t want to believe she was capable of harming him, but she had no problem doing it to me—there was no telling what she might do to the guy who kept her under lock and key.
We came to a stop, and Jett steered us off the main path. She lifted a branch for us to duck under. “Come on, through here.”
“Um, where exactly are we going?” I said, wondering why students enjoyed venturing into a spooky forest. This was not my idea of fun.
“To see Van, the guy I told you about.”
I pushed through the foliage and shrubbery, knocking branches and leaves out of the way. “And why is he in the woods?” An owl hooted in the distance, the sound only adding to the overall spooky atmosphere. Why would anyone want to come out here?
“This is the place to be on Friday night.” Jett disappeared through a curtain of moss. “But Van crashes early, so we have to hurry. Come on, you two.”
Hazel and I rushed to catch up, pulling apart the moss. “Oh my…”
It was like stepping into another world. Bass began pumping as if we were in the middle of a nightclub. Neon lights soared all around us. Students were everywhere, dancing and playing games. They drank from flasks and wooden goblets, and they wore modernized versions of the school uniform, shortened togas, combat boots, and jeans.
“It’s enchanted,” Jett shouted over the music. “Beyond those trees, not a peep can be seen or heard. Keeps the professors out, for a while anyway. They usually find our party spots, but when they do, we just move them to new locations.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, slinking away from a pair of dancers grinding against each other. I was definitely out of my element. This was the Mythonian version of a rager. Even in the human world, ragers had never been my scene.
Hazel glued herself to my side, looking just as out of place. “Oh my god!” she said, grabbing my arm.
“What?”
She nodded her head toward a group of fauns. “The one with the wavy black hair is Birch—he’s a family friend. He’s also…”
I noticed the way her entire being lit up as she watched him.
“Dreamy?” I finished for her, grinning.
Call me crazy, but this Aphrodite magic might be finally settling in. I could tell with one look that Hazel was crushing on that faun pretty hard.
“He doesn’t notice me like that,” she said with a shrug. “To him, I’m like a little cousin.”
“Then he’s blind,” I said. “You’re stunning, Hazel. If he doesn’t notice, good riddance. Find someone else who does.”
She beamed. “Thanks, Sheridan.”
Having had to turn ba
ck around, Jett stomped over to us and grabbed us by the neck of our togas. “I. Said. Hurry.”
“Sheesh,” Hazel huffed as soon as she let us go. “As bossy as she is, she should’ve been born a Zeus descendant.”
I choked back a laugh. Zeus descendants were born leaders and notably authoritative. If she ditched the goth look, Jett would fit right in.
A while later, we found Van, or “Vanisher,” as others called him, in the back of the clearing, sitting under an oak tree in a cloud of smoke, a long, strange pipe in his hands. Jett hadn’t been exaggerating when she said he usually crashed early—he was half asleep, and just about to leave.
Heavyset, stone face, with dark hair pulled into a manbun, Van was all seriousness. He spoke slow but got straight to the point, making the meeting quick and easy. He asked for three lixers, which I gladly handed over. Grandpa gave me a pile of Mythonian money when we first went shopping, and I hadn’t even spent half of it. After I paid up, he told us to meet him at dawn the next morning, just past the south docks.
“In broad daylight?” I assumed we’d be traveling under the cover of night.
“My invisibility charms act like reflectors; they only work in sunlight. I’ll drop the three of you off first thing in the morning, then get you home before nightfall.”
Holy crap. We were actually doing this.
As we walked away, Jett grinned. “Folly Promenade, here we come.” She linked her arm through mine and headed toward the drink tables. “Let’s celebrate.”
“Oh, I don’t think I’m staying.” I was the kind of girl who made straight As and stayed up late reading, not the kind of girl who partied in the woods.
“Why not?”
“Um…” A guy floated several feet up into the air as he danced. He did backflips and aerial tricks, under some sort of magical spell.
“We have to be up at dawn,” Hazel pointed out.
I shook myself out of my daze. This entire clearing had a strange, mesmerizing effect. Even the air sparkled, glittering around everyone, and I couldn’t stop staring.
“So? Just stay for a few drinks.”
Jett grabbed a goblet for herself and filled it.
“You don’t even know what’s in that,” Hazel screeched. “It’s probably enchanted.”
“Let’s hope so.” Jett snorted.
Right away, they began to argue.
“What if it turns you into a bloody toad, eh? What then?”
“Geez, smell for yourself.” Jett handed her the cup. “I doubt everyone would be drinking it if it were contaminated.”
While their backs were turned, a hand snaked around my arm. Before I knew what was happening, I was hauled behind the nearest tree.
“What the—”
“What were you doing with Vanisher?”
Xander.
I looked up at him, gritting my teeth. This was becoming too much of thing. Stable stalls, empty hallways, and now, we were meeting behind trees. And of all the times he could’ve found me, too.
“That’s none of your business.”
I tried to ignore the way his magic was already playing havoc with my senses. The sight of him alone, his dark hair combed back, his leather armor, and his biceps expanding against those metal armbands, was enough to knock me off balance. He looked too good to be so infuriating.
“You’re going to Twilight Island, aren’t you?” he guessed, shaking his head. “To see that fool Curse Breaker on Folly Promenade—after your grandfather strictly forbade it.”
I yanked out of his grip, crossing my arms over my chest. “Are you planning to tell him?”
He didn’t bother answering, diving straight back to yelling at me instead. “That island is full of bad decisions waiting to happen—we both told you it’s a bad idea.”
“Good thing neither of you are cursed,” I said, reminding him that this was about me.
Xander’s jaw ticked. “When do you leave?”
I snorted. “Why would I tell you that? So you can try and stop me?” I shook my head. “This doesn’t involve you, Xander. Leave me alone.”
He cocked a brow. “Do you remember anything I said under the ollodipher? I swore I would look out for you. Everything you do at this school involves me.”
I gestured to our hidden surroundings. “But only in secret, right?”
Xander sighed. “It’s for your own good, Sher.”
Even out here, in the heart of student rebellion, he refused to risk being seen with me. That stung more than I cared to admit. I felt bad for what he’d gone through, but I’d be damned before allowing an obligatory bodyguard follow me around and give me orders.
“Look, do yourself a favor and forget the oath,” I said. “I officially free you from it—”
“You can’t do that. It doesn’t work that way.”
“It will if you stop watching my every move. I can take care of myself.”
He looked at me like I was crazy. “The chimera? Ione’s net? Either of those situations ring a bell?”
“Small hiccups.” I waved both of those examples aside. “I’ll eventually fall into place.”
It was overkill, and we both knew it. The truth was, I hadn’t done a great job of taking care of myself so far. That didn’t mean I couldn’t though. I was still learning the ropes.
“Don’t do this, Sher.” His tone turned coaxing. “We’ll find a way to break the curse.”
His eyes searched mine, hypnotizing me with those long black lashes and pools of blue.
“You don’t know that,” I said softly, noticing the way his face inched toward mine. Until he was only a breath away. I swayed, feeling lightheaded. What was happening? I hadn’t even had any alcohol.
Xander’s gaze fell to my throat as I swallowed. “Please, damsel…”
It was hard to breathe. My body leaned into his, all on its own. The moonlight hit his face in just the right way, glowing against the blue of his eyes. That scent of his drew me in, and—
Oh, hell no.
I had to get out of here, away from him, where there was plenty of space and oxygen.
“My friends are probably looking for me. Bye, Xander.” I dashed around the tree before he could stop me.
Jett and Hazel were still next to the drink table, arguing. Neither one of them even realized I was gone.
“Oh, for Apollo’s sake. Look.” Jett took a big swig from one of the goblets. “See? Perfectly safe.”
Hazel’s jaw dropped. “What if the effects are delayed?”
“Hey,” I said, reaching for one of the drinks, like I’d been there all along. “Let’s all just chill. Hazel, I’m sure it’s fine. Everyone’s drinking from the same pitcher.”
I looked back at the tree where I left Xander, my hand trembling as I held the goblet. What happened back there?
It was like he’d put me under some kind of weird spell, trying to manipulate me into doing what he wanted. Bastard. Clearly, I needed to stay away from him—far away.
“You changed your mind then?” Jett said. “About staying?”
I looked at the goblet, questioning my decision.
Oh, why not. Regrets were for the human world. I downed the drink before I had a chance to back out, coughing as it burned the back of my throat. It was a lot more potent than the stuff Grandpa had given me.
Jett smirked. “You know, Mythonian alcohol is stronger than human alcohol.”
“Why am I not surprised?” I set the goblet down, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
She grinned, raising her own drink to her lips. “Good for you, Thorny. Let’s have some fun.”
Hazel ran a hand through her curls, letting out a long, dramatic breath. “Hanging out with the two of you is so stressful.”
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, let’s go find that faun of yours and make sure he notices you.”
She blinked, considering the idea. “You think he will? What if he tells my parents about this party?”
Always, the worry
wart.
“Then he’d have to admit he was here too.”
“True,” she agreed. “Okay. Let’s stay, but only for a little while.”
24
“God, I feel like death.” Hazel bent forward, holding her head in her lap.
I felt just as crappy. To make matters worse, the water was rough, rocking our little rowboat back and forth, making me grip the sides as my stomach lurched. Van sat in the back, silently rowing, his large frame making him look like a sumo wrestler in the tiny boat. He didn’t need any help from us. Good thing too, because if I had to row, I’d probably vomit everywhere.
“This is your fault,” I said to Hazel, half teasing. “Stay for only a little while, remember?”
A little while turned into almost three in the morning. Once we started dancing, Hazel’s crush, Birch, came over to join us. He and Hazel danced all night long, and we all ended up having a lot more fun than expected.
Hazel turned her head, the barest hints of a smile on her pale face. “It was pretty fun, wasn’t it?”
A wave jerked the boat forward, and I tightened my grip. “Not sure it was worth it at the moment.”
For as much as she drank last night, Jett was annoyingly chipper. “Get it together, both of you.” She smiled into the blinding sunlight. “Soon we’ll be on Folly Promenade. Look, we’re almost there.”
Sandwiched between Autumn and Spring, Twilight Island was tiny, and it was also home to the renegades of Mythos. The closer we got, the noisier it got. And strangely, I no longer wanted to rip my eyeballs from their sockets. I glanced up at the sky, noticing the sun was getting dimmer as if it were going down instead of up.
“Amazing, right?” Jett inhaled a deep breath. “Noisy. Nocturnal. Alive—God, I love this place.”
“You’ve been before?” I said.
She nodded. “You’ve enlisted the right friend, Thorny. I come whenever I get the chance. Who knows, I may even move here after I finish mastery.”
Hazel made a face of obvious disapproval, but she didn’t say anything.
