Page 12

T he minute Kai laid eyes on Hollyn, he heaved a huge sigh of relief.

From a distance, he watched as she threw blue magic blast after magic blast, hitting small objects that were perched on a nearby rock.

Obviously, the magic lessons had gone well.

He just had to wonder if Thian had been successful.

“Is that Hollyn?”

Kai had been so distracted by the sight of the woman he loved, he’d all but forgotten about Katerina behind him. Her watery question took a moment to process.

He didn’t take his gaze off of Hollyn as he answered, “Yes, and damn, she looks good.”

Excited to be with her once again, Kai motioned for Katerina to follow as he strode toward Hollyn.

As they grew nearer, Hollyn finally noticed them. She turned and looked at him, her eyebrows dipped tightly toward the middle, and he got the sense she wasn’t as happy to see him as he was to see her.

With a roll of her hand, she directed him to follow her inside. He didn’t hesitate, and Katerina came along, too.

Once they were inside, they walked into a pocket of air, and Hollyn sucked in a full breath. She gave him and Katerina a once over before she asked, “What are you doing here, Kai?”

“I needed to see you.”

She stared at him thoughtfully, then shifted her gaze to Katerina. “You have striking, purple eyes. I’ve believe I’ve seen them somewhere before.”

Kai was beginning to suspect she wasn’t telling him everything. He just hoped he’d made it in time to keep her from falling into Thian’s bed. He wasn’t sure how he would feel if Thian had been successful in his mission.

“This is Katerina. She helped me, so I’m helping her.”

“Hmm. I see. Helping is what we’re calling it. Got it.”

Something was definitely wrong with Hollyn. Did she think there was something between Katerina and him? Surely she knew he’d never do that to her.

“Are you okay?”

“Better than okay, actually. I’ve unlocked my magic with Yumia’s help, and I was just getting in a little bit more practice before she helped me get back to the surface.”

Confusion edged into Kai’s brain. “You were going to go without me?”

“It kind of looks like we were both ready to move on, doesn’t it?”

At that moment, Thian turned the corner, looking like a younger version of the sea god he was tasked to guard.

He strode forward and possessively draped his arm over Hollyn’s shoulders.

For a moment, she seemed like she was ready to throw it off, but then, she glanced at Katerina and settled into Thian’s side instead.

Kai felt a hard punch of betrayal hit him in that moment.

Everything inside of him seemed to cave in at that moment.

Poseidon and Uma had succeeded in their manipulative plan after all.

It was enough to make Kai want to hurt them as much as he was hurting in return, but he couldn’t.

What could he do? He could flat-out ask Hollyn why she’d given in so easily.

That’s what. He’d really thought they’d had something a little more special than this.

He needed to speak to Hollyn alone. He needed answers. He pulled Hollyn away from Thian and asked, “Is there somewhere that we could talk? Just the two of us?”

“I don’t know that I have much to say to you.”

Kai couldn’t believe his ears. She wasn’t even going to give him a chance. Well, he wouldn’t let her throw everything away that easily. He grabbed her hand, pulled her down the hallway, and said, “Well, I still have plenty to say for the both of us.”

Just a little way down the hall, Kai found a room with some red roses, a couple of chairs, and a grand piano. Yumia clearly had a flair for the dramatic.

Kai settled into a chair and motioned toward the one next to him. Hollyn sat down with a reluctant groan. “What do you want, Kai? Choices have been made. Do you think I don’t know about you and Katerina?”

Dafuq? Kai could only stare at Hollyn in disbelief. She thought he’d choose Katerina over her? No wonder she was giving him such a cold reaction.

“Hollyn, there is no Katerina and me. We’re not together, never have been, never will be.”

“Kai, I’ve seen the video of you in the nightclub with her. You don’t have to pretend. I’ve seen the evidence that you strayed.”

“What video are you talking about?” Suddenly, Kai remembered seeing the camera in the ceiling. Clearly, Poseidon, Triton, and Poly had filmed him the entire time and sent an edited video to Hollyn.

“Thian showed it to me. You looked blissful with Katerina’s hands all over you and her giving you drinks from something clearly alcoholic. I don’t know what to tell you. You couldn’t wait three days before you fell into another woman’s arms.”

“Thian showed it to you? That makes sense! He was trying to seduce you, and from the looks of things, he succeeded, didn’t he?”

She gasped at his accusation. “If you must know, he came onto me, but I rejected him. Something, you clearly don’t know how to do.”

Kai couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He hadn’t cheated at all, but he’d been set up so well, and no matter what he said or did, she’d never believe otherwise of him. Unless, he could get Thian and Katerina to confess what was actually going on.

“Stay here,” Kai commanded as he rose from his chair and walked to the door. He leaned out and shouted down the hallway, “Thian, come here and bring that infernal video.”

After a few seconds, Thian walked toward Kai, a smug look on his insanely handsome face. He pulled out the small screen and strode into the room, confidence in every step. Katerina followed behind him, a look of contrition on her face.

“Are you okay, Hollyn? Did he hurt you?” Thian’s words were like small daggers to Kai’s brain. As if he’d hurt Hollyn? If anyone would, Thian would. The man was a soldier following orders. He didn’t care that Hollyn would get hurt in the process.

“Let me see this video.”

Thian pushed play, and Kai watched himself, clearly drugged out of his mind, mouthing something, being force-fed more of that infernal lotus wine, and he watched as Katerina looked up at the camera with a smile on her face while she ran her hand over his shirt-clad chest.

“Isn’t it obvious that I’m not in my right mind?”

Hollyn stared, pure sadness filling her features.

Thian said, “Looks like you made the choice to enter the Lotus Club, a known bar where the patrons go to get blackout wasted. I’m sorry you had to see that again, Hollyn.

But I’m here for you now.” The man crossed to where she was sitting and knelt on the floor in front of her.

Kai wanted to punch the manipulator in his big head.

But he knew he needed to keep his wits about it if he was going to convince her that Thian was the real creep.

“Katerina, will you explain to Hollyn what was in that glass, and who told you to keep me drugged there for as long as you could?”

Katerina looked at Hollyn, her gaze fell to Thian, who was clearly trying to communicate something to her silently, and then she focused on Kai once more before turning back to Hollyn. “Poseidon planned the whole thing.”

Thian jumped to his feet. “Kat, that’s enough. Don’t say anymore.”

Yet, Katerina ignored him and continued, “I was supposed to keep Kai drugged for a month or more so that you would think he’d abandoned you. Thian was supposed to seduce you when you were feeling so alone and then take you to the surface. It was all a plot to keep you two apart.”

Hollyn stared at Kai. He could see in her gaze that she wanted to believe Katerina’s words, but he could also see the deep hurt there as well.

Thian turned toward Hollyn. “Don’t believe a word she says, Hollyn. She is obviously protecting him. She’d say anything for him.”

Then, Hollyn surprised them all. She stood up and walked out of the room without saying a word to any of them.

Kai felt defeated like he never had before. Had he lost the only woman he’d ever loved for good?