Several minutes later she gasped as she felt the warm water, her confusion clearing. She was standing on the top step to the bath, Sobek already waist deep in the water, trying to draw her down into it with him.
"Sobek?" she asked, allowing him to guide her, looking down to see blood swirling around her into nothing.
"There you are," he sighed.
She smiled hesitantly, able to recall everything but the whole thing had an odd crimson sheen to it that confused her and left her unable to fully focus on it.
"Did I kill anyone?" she asked, not referring to the human. He shook his head, lowering himself down onto his knees and pulling her down with him.
She sank down and shivered as the warmth of the water started to soak into her numb limbs.
Without a word she ducked under the water, and he followed her, smiling as he moved to clear the cloud of her hair from between them.
He really was a handsome man, all bronze and exotic-looking with dark hair and eyes that looked as though they were lined with kohl, but his eyelashes were simply thick and long.
She tilted her head slightly to the side as she thought about his connection to her, his seeming adoration for her right from the beginning and he mimicked her head tilt. It made her laugh softly, bubbles escaping her mouth, but she felt no need to draw in more air.
He cupped her face between his palms and drew her closer, his lips gentle against hers. The kiss was warm and soft, leaving her skin tingling and her eyes slid shut, unsure why it felt good to kiss him.
His smile was sly as he moved back from her and she shook her head, finally shifting herself up for air.
They didn't speak again as they bathed, but it was when she got out of the water that he decided he was allowed to ask her questions.
"Did they hurt you?" he asked finally.
She went still, looking back at him. She didn't know what to tell him, they hadn't hurt her as such, and she was still unsure why Vincent had allowed her to leave when he had been instilled with the need to get control of Winter back to Megara.
"Vincent was sent by Megara. He didn't hurt me specifically," she said slowly, thinking back to the blood magic and the pain it had caused her.
It had still been painful, but it had been to keep her contained and obedient, not to punish her.
She frowned, thinking back to the man and why he had made the deal, unable to make heads or tails of it.
"He made me promise to return to him," she said slowly and again the promise bothered her for a reason she couldn't place.
"Return there? Why?" Sobek demanded, but she could only shake her head.
"I don't know, but he didn't get me to rescind my magic to Megara and he willingly let me go."
Sobek stepped out of the bath and accepted the towel she offered him, his eyes hard on her, but she could only shrug. Turning to the bench, she considered the alarmingly low pile of dresses and clothing she had left.
Sighing, she picked up her last remaining black dress that ended just above her ankles and pulled it on, her long hair braided down her back.
He was still staring at her when she looked back at him and she offered him a slight smile.
"I have to go to the dragon," she murmured, and he looked suddenly alarmed.
"Which dragon?" he demanded, but she simply shrugged. She didn't know what his name was, only that her stomach was beginning to ache with the need to go to him.
"It was a deal for his magic, I am already overdue," she said and swallowed as she recalled the agony of resisting the deal.
Approaching Sobek, she gave him a quick kiss on the lips and slipped away before he could catch and contain her, instead she left him in the bathroom clutching the towel to cover himself and cheeks flaming at the sudden loss of privacy.
He yelled for her to close the door, but she ignored him, effectively pinning him in place for a few more seconds. She didn't get very far, finding herself face to face with Daemon.
Looking up at him, she lifted a brow, and her eyes went down to his throat where the puncture wounds had healed but the scar was going to linger.
"Where do you think you're going?" he said in a deadly voice, his arms going out to contain her as she tried to sidle past him.
"I have a deal to keep," she said, frowning as Sobek came up behind her. They had her trapped between them.
"No, you don't. You're not going," Daemon growled, but she wasn't about to let him tell her what to do.
"Move Daemon," she said in a soft voice, but she would force him to move if she needed to.
His eyes left her to look at Sobek, whose hands came down on her shoulders. She growled a low warning, but his hands only slid down her shoulders to her upper arms and Daemon stepped aside, allowing the God to march her forward and force her down onto the couch.
The same faces loitered around the room, but the corpse was gone, the carpet still stained with his blood.
"You can't keep me here, I have to go," she was growing frustrated with their need to control her, her stomach beginning to ache now that she was no longer making motions to get to the task at hand.
Still Sobek held her, and she looked up as Daemon moved in front of her, his face set, and golden eyes hard.
"Tell us what happened," he demanded.
She knew she had no chance in getting away from them until she did as she was told.
"Vincent took me because Megara wants Winter back, I told him I didn't want it, and she could have it, but he refused to release me so I could give it to her. Instead, he kept me chained up, and he was watching what happened as time passed and the deal was overdue. He then made me promise to return to him within six months," she spoke quickly in a single exhaled breath, hoping that they would let her go if she told them everything as fast as possible.
It did not, and the room was still.
"What do you mean return to him?" Jaia snarled, livid.
"Figures Megara would be involved in this somehow," Daemon said at the same time and other voices joined the argument, but she was getting impatient.
"Can I go now?" she asked, looking up at Daemon. "If I don't go soon, he might just come here looking for me."
Daemon frowned, almost amused. "He's already here. He arrived a few days ago and has been prowling around like an angry cat."
Catsit, Jagum and Bast threw him dirty looks, but Etani tilted her head, turning her eyes around the room but he wasn't there.
"Where is he?" she demanded.
Daemon didn't reply, only nodded for the balcony.
Jerking herself free of Sobek, she crossed the room and looked out at the balcony, but it was empty. Resting her hands on the railing, she looked out, and then down at the ground below and there he was.
A massive dragon was lying on the ground in the garden, all white and purple with golden orange ends to his scales. He was exceptionally long with a long neck, slender body, and even longer tail.
His eyes opened as he seemed to feel her gaze on him, looking up with deep violet eyes, angry and frustrated even as he watched her.
She ignored those behind her as she lifted her finger to her lips and bit down, flicking her hand to scatter the blood and she jumped over the balcony railing, falling through the doorway, and landing lightly at his side.
He growled at her, but she only made soft hushing sounds as she approached him, his head tilting to look at her.
He was easily twenty feet long with thick fur at the end of his tail coloured with purple and orange. Pushing himself up, he snapped at her, but she only danced out of the way.
"Stop that, I didn't have a choice," she growled, his eyes narrowing at her before his body began to shimmer and the man straightened up from within the dragon.
He towered over her; his mouth set in a grim line as he reached for her, but she knew what he was planning. Dancing back, she looked up into his scowling face. He sucked his breath in between his teeth.
"You look different," he said accusingly.
She shrugged, trying to recall what she had looked like when he had seen her.
"Why do you not have wings now?"
"I was not born with wings; they vanished when I changed. I told you we were getting magic. The wings were only a manifestation of the harpy magic."
He considered that for a moment and then he reached for her again, but she was easily able to dodge his grasp.
"You never told me your name," she said, seeing his scowl turn to genuine irritation as she refused to let him touch her.
"Dirdos," he said, glowering down at her.
"Etani, stop playing with the dragon," someone called. Looking back in the direction of the balcony, he took advantage, and his hand caught her wrist. With one hard jerk, she was against his chest and he smiled as his arm curled around her back to hold her in place while he released her wrist and cupped her jaw to make her look up at him. His ability to drain her magic had her shivering, but she knew she would still be strong—just not her full strength should she need to escape.
He examined her face carefully, her ears, his fingers tugging at her hair as though testing the strength of it. Her attempts to squirm free of him only had his grip tightening on her.
"Stop wriggling," he grumbled as he bowed his head over her and inhaled the scent of her hair. "You even smell different. What are you?"
"Winter and Celestrial crossbreed," she said, and he grunted, surprised.
"Oh, you're the one everyone has been whispering about," he said, seeming all the more pleased by his having control over her.
"Apparently. Can you put me down?" she asked.
He laughed softly, only tightening his grip on her until she flinched. "I get to keep you for the next month," he purred.
When she had no retort for him, his rich voice rang out in a laugh, and the world disappeared into flames.