Immortal Reign(75)

Kyan turned back to Cleo. He gave her a small smile, but any trace of warmth had disappeared from his eyes. Cleo could see that his patience was beginning to wane. “My siblings don’t share the confidence I have in my little sorceress. Lucia and I have fallen upon difficult times in the recent past, but I know she will fulfill her destiny.”

Interesting. And chilling. Did Taran and Olivia not know that Kyan had kidnapped Lyssa as an assurance of the sorceress’s help?

If Lucia did anything to help Kyan, surely it would only be to protect her daughter.

Cleo believed this almost completely. But the memory of Lucia coming to the Limerian palace as Kyan’s more than willing assistant still colored her confidence in Magnus’s sister.

She desperately wanted to ask where Lyssa was, if the baby was all right and being cared for properly, but she held her tongue.

Kyan would not harm the child. She was far too valuable alive.

At least, he wouldn’t harm her until Lucia resisted his demands.

Cleo needed to keep talking, to draw the truth from Kyan’s lips so she could learn if there was something she could do to stop this.

“Kyan,” she said as calmly as possible.

“Yes, little queen?” he replied.

“At Amara’s compound, you told me that I could help you because I am descended from a goddess. Was that true?”

“It certainly was.” He narrowed his eyes, peering at her as if inspecting her closely. “Your namesake . . . Cleiona herself is your ancestor.”

She gasped. “But the goddess didn’t have children.”

“Is that what you think?” He smiled. “That is only more proof that written history does not hold all secrets to the past.”

“Cleiona was destroyed in her final battle with Valoria,” she countered.

“The word destroyed can mean so many things,” he said. “Perhaps only her magic was destroyed. Perhaps she was then free to live the life of a mortal at the side of the man she’d fallen in love with. Isn’t that possible?”

Kyan could be lying. In fact, Cleo was quite sure of it.

Breathe, she told herself. Don’t let him try to distract you.

“Is that why the water Kindred chose me?” she whispered. “Because I have . . . some sort of magic already inside me?”

Magic that I can use to fight this, she thought.

He shook his head. “No. You have no magic naturally within you, but don’t feel badly about that. Most mortals don’t, even those descended from immortals.”

Disappointment seeped through her.

That same muscle twitched in Kyan’s cheek again. “Taran, Olivia, I want to speak with Cleo alone. Do you mind giving us some privacy for a few moments?”

“What do you have to say to her that you can’t say in our presence?” Taran asked.

“I’ll ask again,” Kyan replied tightly. “Allow us a moment of privacy. Perhaps I can convince Cleo to stop fighting against the water Kindred and make this easier for all of us.”

Olivia sighed with annoyance. “Very well. Taran, come, we will take a walk around the temple.”

“Very well.” With a nod, Taran joined Olivia as they left the temple.

Kyan stood silently in front of Cleo.

“Well?” Cleo said. “Speak your mind, although I assure you it will take more than words for me to give up this fight.”

“That’s what I’ve always loved most about you, Cleo,” he said quietly. “You never stop fighting.”

Her breath caught. And she looked up into Kyan’s eyes.

Kyan never called her Cleo. Just “little queen.”

“Nic . . . ?” she ventured, her throat tight.

“Yes,” he said, his expression strained. “It’s me. It’s really me.”

She covered her mouth with the back of her hand as shock swept through her. Then she searched his face, fearful of letting herself feel any joy. “How is this possible? Are you back?”

“No,” he said. “He’ll regain control soon—that’s why we need to be quick.”

“What happened?” she asked. “How is this possible?”

“In the woods, not far from Amara’s compound”—Nic touched his arm—“Magnus was there, and he grabbed me—or, rather, he grabbed Kyan—and I don’t know why, but it was like a slap to the face, waking me up. Ashur was there too. I—I thought he might have done some kind of magic, some spell that caused me to regain a tiny bit of presence . . . I don’t know. It might have been my imagination that he was even there.”

“Ashur is still with us,” Cleo said. “He won’t leave, not for any reason. He’s determined to help save you, Nic.”

Hope filled his brown eyes. “I’ve been such an annoyance to him from the moment we first met.”

“Funny . . .” A small smile pulled at her lips. “I think he believes the opposite.”

“Ever since then, I have moments of control, like this, when the fire god isn’t conscious. Kyan blames the interrupted ritual, but I know it’s more than that. It doesn’t happen to Olivia that I’m aware of.”

Cleo reached toward him, touching his freckled cheek. He clasped his hand on top of hers and squeezed it. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks.