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Everything in me wanted to scream that I’d neverbetray her or Adrian, but my throat seized up before I could even begin to form the words.

Daphne turned to face me. “If you’re willing, I’d like to use some of your blood as well. Hopefully that will speed along the process.”

I nodded quickly, not wanting to risk my words breaking when I tried to agree.

Daphne’s lips pulled into a comforting smile. Then she leaned forward and gave me a tight hug, whispering in my ear. “You are welcome here whenever you want. For safety or otherwise.”

“Thank you,” I said back, holding onto my friend tightly. One of the only friends I ever trusted to really understand me, even though she was a god and I was human.

When Daphne pulled back, she looked at Adrian. “You should take her home.”

“It’s late,” Lukas added.

Adrian shot him a look. “I interrupt something?”

“Yes,” Lukas responded plainly.

Daphne laughed brightly, coming up to her husband’s side and taking his hand. “What he means to say is that we are always happy to help our friends. Come back any time.”

“With a warning,” Lukas added.

Adrian scoffed, standing on firm legs. His shirt was wrinkled and his hair falling over his forehead in unkept curls. He walked over to me, still not quite meeting my eyes. If he kept this up, I’d have to take matters into my own hands.

He came over to me, threading my hand in his and pulling me carefully off the stool. He gathered a portal, looking over at Daphne at the last minute. “Thank you.”

Lukas’s retort was lost in thewooshof the portal closing, pulling me back into my living room. Back on land, the force of the storm was even more noticeable. The dark clouds completely eclipsing the moon. The rumble of thunder and the threat of lightning gathering over the peak of Olympus in the distance.

“Adrian,” I said, feeling his hand tense in mine.

“Go to sleep, Reyna.” His expression left no room for disagreement. “I’ll come to you in the morning.”

I opened my mouth to protest, to even ask him to stay with me, but he was already gathering another portal, and already turning away from me, his strong shoulders tense with restraint.

And it was then, as he stepped through into somewhere that wasclearlynot his home, that I apparently lost all sense.

Chapter 20

Reyna

I jumped through the portal at the last minute.

I had half the mind to regret it. Because I stepped right out into one of the worst storms I’d ever seen.

Thunder boomed, the sound echoing off the mountains and hitting me with the force of it a second time. Rain poured, soaking my clothes in seconds.

And the lightning—the lightning was coming down in a bolt that I wasn’t sure was real, it was so big. But it struck the same spot, somewhere in front of Adrian, every couple of seconds, shaking the ground when it did.

I wiped my sopping wet hair out of my face, starting towards where Adrian had his back turned to me.

His chest was rising and falling forcefully. I could see at least that much around the downpour.

I reached him in a few strides and before I could think better of it, I placed my hand on his shoulder.

Adrian jerked around, grabbing my wrist and twisting it behind my back before I could blink. I wasgoing to say something, but I couldn't quite remember what when he was looking at me with a face that promised my death would be slow and painful.

But after a second, the storms in his eyes started to clear, making way for the realization that he was holding me tight to him.

And when the realization finally settled, he dropped my wrist like it burned him the same way the lightning bolt would, stumbling back a few steps.