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Perched on four-inch heels, she wore a white Grecian dress, draping gracaefully off her shoulders, and diamonds on her ears, throat, fingers, and wrists, though none were as bright as the ones under my shawl.

“I had to pick up a spell for my sister,” she replied with a slight grimace. “Nemea’s expecting again. The beast keeps impregnating her. She’s sick.”

I knew my mother didn’t get along with most of her family, her little sister especially. Nemea had married outside of the family’s wishes, choosing a shifter. But whether they got along or not, if her sister was sick, Zenya Pendros would take care of her. It was expected.

“Would you like me to give her the spell? If you have no time tonight.”

“Please.” She was quick to hand me a flask. “I would have had the housekeeper ask you if she’d seen you. Where were you, that girl’s hovel?”

That girlwas Silver. The fact she’d left her foster parents’ stately home for a small house on the twenty-third circle was a constant source of scorn for my mother, never mind that Silver’s place was great. More importantly, it was hers.

I knew better to lie to my mother’s face. I wasn’t great at it, and as a politician, she could spot it a mile away. But I also knew she didn’t care, so I didn’t have to answer. “Gideon’s picking me up now. Wouldn’t want to be late.” I flashed the flask before sliding it in my purse. “I’ll find Nemea.”

“You do that. And I expect you to dance with the Valmont boy tonight. You were supposed to see him for drinks this week and never got back to him to schedule it.”

I tried not to groan, fleeing the house as fast as the stilettos could carry me. “See you there, Mother!”

And I was out.

Gideon’s taxi was in front of the door within minutes.

The Hall of Truce was close by, just a pleasant fifteen-minute walk across the park, but experience had taught me that saving my feet at the start of an event like tonight was wise. No amount of spells to freeze the balls of my feet or heal my toes changed the fact that my feet were on fire by midnight.

“I know it’s no carriage,” he teased as I got in.

“I would take a musty farm tractor,” I replied. “Zenya was home.”

He gasped. “No! Whatever was she doing in her house?”

He was, of course, absolutely not kidding. “No clue. I need to move out.”

And I needed a cat. I had only been away a few hours, but it still felt strange to not have Zazel’s company.

“I mean, haven’t you?” My cousin grinned knowingly.

I rolled my eyes. His constant teasing about Lucian was losing its humor, fast—if it had ever been funny. Lucian was simply not interested. He was a flirt, yes, but he’d never made a move in our entire acquaintance, including the better part of a week when I’d, for all intents and purposes, lived in his house. He wanted to protect me, help me get to the bottom of this issue,but he did absolutely not want to get into my pants. That fact was sad enough without the reminders.

Gideon might have the subtlety of a herd of elephants most of the time, but he occasionally surprised me. He dropped it. “So, we’re going to Greece, huh?”

“Yes, Monday.” I brightened up a little. “I mean, I’m not actually expecting anything to happen, you know?—”

“Yeah.” He frowned. “I don’t know, Kley. I feel like it’s not the worst idea, all things considered. This city isn’t normal. What happened to you isn’t normal.”

I wasn’t sure whether he meant last month or all those years ago in the library. Either way, he was right.

“I mean, I’m a half dragon. Who am I to say what normal is?” he grinned. “I guess my point is, keep an open mind. If you don’t expect help, you might not get it just based on that. Speaking to gods requires…you know. Faith.”

I ran his words through my mind. “You’re making far too much sense. We need to get some mead into you.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

32

LUCIAN

Eleven years ago

I was infinitely bored, and on my guard. I couldn’t understand why my parents insisted I tag along to those stupid parties. Yes, it was written in the ancient city charter that every member of founding families ought to be present at official festivals from the age of twelve, but I knew for a fact that Cassius hadn’t shown his face in my entire lifetime. We usually played chess together, until four years ago.