Aether's Mark (Lords of Krete Book 5) Read online

  Yet the voice in his mind rang, Save Minthe. Ugh. He cocked his head and sniffed. Through the in-between, Rhoetus floated down the corridors, morphing into corporeality just long enough to punch his sword through a pair of guards, then vanishing once more. As Commander of the Aether, he existed in that which could not be seen or felt or heard. The breath expelled by the gods, some claimed. He often travelled by the light the stars, the luminescence permeating between them that existed on an entirely different plane.

  If he’d but possessed this power when the minotaurs had brutalized his homeland… Rhoetus clenched his fist and snorted. No use. He hadn’t been gifted the ability until afterward, when, along with his bloodsworne brothers and sister, he’d been blessed by Zeus.

  The five of them together had a mission to complete. They’d each set off in different directions, with the goal of raising an army potent enough to eradicate the minotaurs, and the one who’d unleashed them—King Minos. The filthy fiend ruled harshly over the Isle of Krete, causing suffering and persecution for anyone not belonging to his human race.

  Rhoetus glided through the corridors. Hmm. Not here. He couldn’t detect a trace of Minthe’s luscious fragrance. Mayhap, the Amazons had already rescued her.

  One way to find out. He launched his essence into the stars, followed them to the Amazon camp, and rematerialized within. Hundreds of voices hummed around the encampment. Gods, there were a lot of nymphs here. Rhoetus stepped to one group. “Ho there. Have you come across any Asteriae?”

  A tall nymph shook her brown locks. “No, but I’d be happy to share a little of the heavens with you, darling.” She trailed a slender finger down his arm.

  He cleared his throat and quirked his lips at her. “While I appreciate the offer, I’m afraid not today, love.” Tossing his head, he wove through the crowds, asking the same question. He even queried Kyme, the Amazon warrior leader, but not a soul had come across the fiery nymph.

  Rhoetus sank onto a log and observed the nymphs parade about. He ought to have kept better track of Minthe. Who would have guessed she’d be so difficult to locate? Brows pinched, he concentrated on the stars, but even they wouldn’t reveal her to him, which was odd.

  How had she managed to disappear?

  By the gods, would he ever find her again?

  “Rhoetus!” A feminine bellow carried to him.

  Intrigued, he strode toward the voice. Kyme? Nay, not only her. A pale-locked centaur and a lavender-haired nymph he recognized far too well.

  Bloody hell. What did they want?

  Minthe sneered at the guards leaving her imprisoned in this blasted cavern. So much for the centaur’s promised help. Not only had the humans seized her before she’d had a chance to escape with the other nymphs, she feared they were using her to entrap her mother.

  Never. She snorted and balanced on the thin rope bridge forming the confines of her new cell. Below her, endless blackness formed a chasm. She’d stay here forever before ever giving up her mother’s location or enlisting her help.

  Not that anyone was asking for such. Amidst the chaos of the attack, her guards had rushed off. She’d been discarded here. Forgotten.

  She gripped the sides of the rope and tried to relax her muscles, hoping this wait wouldn’t last too long.

  “Minthe?” a familiar voice called from the corridor, followed by thunderous hoof beats.

  Several figures raced into the chamber, among them, a lavender-haired nymph of the Aurae. “Mother?” She gaped at them but waved them away from her cursed prison. “Don’t come any closer.”

  Her jaw dropped ever lower at the two centaurs flanking her mother. One of them was Rhoetus. The bastard.

  “That’s your daughter?” The centaur she didn’t recognize gawked at her. “She’s older than me.”

  Her mother puffed, “Yes, well, so am I.” Minthe hid a smile at the pair, before tracking Rhoetus. He paced the perimeter of the chasm, then scratched his chin and crouched. “It’s enchanted.”

  “Of course it is.” Ekho sighed. “This is a trap. They know I will go after her.”

  “You can’t.” The other centaur blocked her. “You’ll be just as trapped as she.”

  “The spell is only directed toward nymphs. This must be why you summoned me.” Rhoetus grunted and rose, facing the other two. “I’ll fetch her.”

  Minthe scoffed at his proposed rescue. A little too late.

  “The hell you will.” The other centaur crossed his arms.

  Hmm interesting. What was this tension between them?

  “Listen, youngling.” Rhoetus narrowed his mismatched eyes. “If I’d wished Ekho harm, I would’ve pushed her onto the bridge.”

  Minthe choked on her breath at the hinted threat. How dare he.

  The pale centaur growled into Rhoetus’s face. “Don’t you dare.”

  Damn, right.

  “Easy, lad.” Rhoetus held up a placating hand. “She’s compelled me to aid her.”

  Mother? Minthe switched her attention to Ekho. Why?

  The other centaur shifted his scowl toward Ekho and she nodded.

  “He’s right. I perceive the shadow of my spell across his form.”

  Minthe squinted. Hmm. Well, who would have thought. That explained many things.

  Trust him, my love. He needs your aid, Ekho’s voice resounded inside her mind. A command? A persuasion? A suggestion? Difficult to tell with her mother, but nonetheless impossible to dismiss.

  “It’s true,” Minthe spewed, hands perched her hands. Hell, but that was her mother making her speak thus. “Rhoetus might be an arrogant cad, but he’s no traitor.” Blast it, why did you make me say this, Mother? The only answer from Ekho was an impish smile.

  “And you are as lovely and agreeable a blossom as ever, Asteri.” He cast her a devilish wink.

  Compelled by Ekho, she blew him a kiss. Mother. Ugh.

  Ekho hummed, “Very well, Rhoetus. What do you propose?”

  His focus on Minthe, he rubbed his hands together and blew on them. “That depends. Just how cold can your winds blow, nymph?”

  Together, they devised a scheme to rescue Minthe. While Ekho huddled with the other male, Minthe targeted her scrutiny on Rhoetus. Despite what her mother had persuaded her to say, she was still angry with him. “You’re late, centaur.”

  “Apologies, love. I had to see to the safety of my sister.”

  Sister? She opened her mouth to inquire further, but her mother already began blowing her winds. A frigid globe enclosed Rhoetus and he advanced onto the bridge.

  Her rescuer? Her friend?

  Or perhaps, something more?

  In his centaur form, and thus possessing great balance, Rhoetus strode onto the thin boards of the rope bridge. Minthe braced her arms across her face while the fierce winds beat around them.

  Carefully, he approached her and scooped her onto his back. “Come on, love.”

  After spinning about, he retraced his steps. At the border of the enchantment, the planks beneath him wobbled and the view before him blurred. As if fighting Minthe’s escape.

  “Harder, Ekho,” Petraeus coaxed at the nymph’s side.

  She thrust out her hands and the winds howled, stronger.

  Minthe locked her fingers around Rhoetus’s waist, lending him an odd comfort considering their situation. The violent winds whipped their hair about their bodies, but still, he trudged onward, nearing the ledge. Damn. This enchantment had a strong hold. He planted one foot forward, only to be pushed back.

  Petraeus raced from the cavern and returned a moment later with a red vial containing the stolen powers of an unknown nymph.

  Rhoetus narrowed his stare on the centaur and grasped his intentions.

  At the opposite end of the chasm, Petraeus uncorked the vial. “Now, Rhoetus!”

  He seized an enormous leap across the last boards, tumbling through the enchantment onto the safety of the stone floor. They’d tricked the enchantment long enough for them to escape. Grunting, he rolle
d to his side and secured Minthe. The icy winds had frozen both of them, their teeth chattering while they shivered in each other’s arms.

  Minthe’s mother stole her from his embrace, though, and patted her form as though checking for injury.

  Never mind me, I’m quite fine. He rubbed his arms and shuffled his hooves, warming his body.

  Ekho shot him a bright smile. “Thank you.”

  He dipped his head and regarded the family’s reunion. How charming. An image flashed in his mind of his own family and he tore his stare away. Right. He hadn’t come this bloody far to be set so far off his course. Hopefully, this deviation would be worth it.

  Minthe mentioned something about danger, which pricked his ears. He surveyed the chamber. “Minthe is right. That was a trap, and whoever set it won’t be far away.”

  To prove truth to his words, footsteps clanked in the distance.

  Before anyone had a chance to retreat, Ekho snapped her fingers.

  A moment later, they stopped spinning, having been conveyed to safety in the woods outside the cavern.

  Ugh. He wobbled on his feet, trying not to feel nauseated. It was one thing to traverse the Aether himself. Quite another to have someone else’s powers transport him.

  While the two nymphs embraced, he caught Petraeus’s attention and angled his head.

  The male staggered to his feet. “What now?”

  “I have to warn the nymphs.” Ekho wrung her fingers. “Their powers have been stolen.”

  “Cheiron must be made aware as well,” Minthe added.

  How convenient. He’d hoped to find passage with one of the Amazons, but if Minthe already had plans… “I am headed to the King.” He raised his brows hopefully.

  “You’ll need a guide.” Minthe’s eyes sparkled as she extended her hand. “I’ll accompany you.”

  That had been easy. He grinned and linked his hand with hers.

  “No.” That irksome centaur Petraeus stepped between them, huffing. “Cheiron is my father. I’ll warn him.”

  “Are you proposing the three of us travel together?” Rhoetus darkened his stare.

  “Minthe can travel with her mother,” Petraeus countered.

  “I think we should separate.” Minthe glanced between the centaur and her mother. “I’m more than capable of keeping this centaur in line.” She jerked her chin toward Rhoetus and pleasant tingles crossed his insides. How odd. “You ought to concern yourself with how to do the same with my mother.” Winking at Petraeus, she sashayed away, beckoning Rhoetus with a wave of her hand.

  Damned if he didn’t comply. Lightness in his stride, he caught up to her, being sure to send the centaur one last triumphant shrug.

  Her mother’s parting compulsion haunted Minthe. Keep an eye on the centaur. Or better yet, both eyes. There’s more to this visit from the Lord of Krete. You must guide him.

  Gah. Though she had no choice in the matter, she also didn’t deny the allure of spending more time in this majestic centaur’s company. Ahead of him, she sauntered through the woods, trailing her fingertips across the branches that seemed to stretch out and greet her. Mmm. After months in prison, this freedom was divine.

  Or was it? She cast a hesitant glimpse over her shoulder toward Rhoetus. Nothing of what he’d told her made sense. As far as she knew, no one had even spoken of centaurs on Krete.

  Let alone aristocracy.

  Although, she couldn’t deny there was something infinitely regal and magnificent about the male. Whether it was his large, impressive form, or the cocksure step in his gait, she wasn’t certain. If any man presumed to be nobility, it would be him. Ah, yes, it was his eyes. She squinted, trying to determine what the glimmer in his gaze meant. Who was this male? What was he doing in Thessaly? More importantly, would he ever share his plans with her? Might be difficult to guide his path otherwise.

  She inhaled slowly and caught the scent of fresh water. Oh, yes. Just what she needed. Minthe raced ahead to the riverbank and scurried out of her clothes.

  “What in the blazes are you doing?” Rhoetus bellowed behind her.

  “If you can’t tell, I’m certainly not going to enlighten you.” She slipped her dress off her shoulders, the fabric pooling at her feet, and dashed into the cool waters. Moaning, she sank beneath the surface. Even in the midst of winter, these waters were divine. After months of imprisonment in a dank, smelly prison, this was pure delight. Who cared if the centaur leered? As a nymph, she cared not for modesty. Plus, he was rather delicious to gaze upon, anyway.

  It had certainly crossed her mind more than once to sate other urges with him.

  Minthe broke through the surface and twisted around. Instead of an admiring centaur, she found a disinterested one. In his clothed human form, Rhoetus lay upon the bank, arms locked beneath his head, observing the sky with a piece of grass between his lips.

  Humph. Had months in the dungeons made her lose her appeal? Curse the fiendish Philaeus.

  She smoothed the water from her skin and waded to the shore. Rhoetus didn’t flinch, not even as she neared.

  So she straddled him instead.

  “Ho, nymph, what game are you playing at?” He bucked and grabbed her hips, but released her immediately.

  Because she was nude.

  Hmm.

  She scowled at him, yet his stare remained on her eyes, and nowhere else. What was wrong with this male?

  Or was something wrong with her?

  No, she’d sensed his interest. Once. Hadn’t she?

  It was all Rhoetus could do to breathe and keep still. The undulating, bare-fleshed nymph atop him definitely didn’t help. He flared his nostrils, but that only served to make him inhale more of her luscious fragrance.

  “Pray, hop off me, lass.” He jerked his chin toward her clothes. “Don some of those. It’s freezing out here. Besides, we have to make haste. We’ve only a few hours of daylight left.”

  Unsurprisingly, she huffed and her narrowed glower could have castrated him.

  Might have been better off. He didn’t have time to lust after beauteous creatures like her.

  At least she did as he requested, climbing off him and shoving her limbs into those garments with far more force than required. Hell, if she ripped those seams and he had to behold her exposed flesh for one minute more, he might not be able to rein in this semblance of control.

  It was better to anger the nymph than reveal just how crazed she made him.

  At least, such was the chant he kept repeating in his mind, in hopes of convincing himself. Rather than admire her fine hips sashay ahead of him, he took the lead, ambling through the dense forest. They traversed several miles in absolute silence. She was bloody irate, and rightfully. Hadn’t he been the one sending her overt flirtations? The moment she was freed to act upon them, he dismissed her.

  Rhoetus gave his head a sharp shake. This is better.

  Once he finished with his mission, no one, not even the nymph, would want to share his company again.

  He was simply saving her from suffering regrets.

  They approached an open meadow and he squinted at the sun. “Are you certain this is the direction of the castle? These blasted woods look the same to me.”

  “Well,” Minthe glided in front of him, “let me see.” Without warning, she snared his hand and gripped it tightly.

  “What are you doing?” he grated, stamping down the bliss her touch created.

  “You seek the King’s castle?” She met his gaze, level and hard. “If that is your path, I will guide you.”

  Solemnly, he nodded.

  Minthe released his hand and cupped both of hers to her mouth. Sparkling specks formed on her palms and she blew them toward him, the flakes glimmering purple and pink.

  He stiffened, expecting some kind of sensation to flow over him, wind or cold, but nothing did. The glowing dust settled at his feet, flowed outward, across the meadow, and vanished into the distance.

  “There. That’s your path.” She smirked at hi
m, but all he managed was to gape.

  Then his gut sank, a twisting deep in the pits of his stomach. He had to believe the instructions handed to him, even if meeting Petraeus, one of the sons of Cheiron, had spun doubts within him that gnawed through his soul.

  This was his path, laid out before him.

  Yet he couldn’t help fearing…

  What if he was on the wrong damn path?

  Chapter 3

  Other than his offer for her to ride him, Rhoetus hadn’t spoken since she’d employed her powers and revealed his true path. Minthe had accepted the silence, though it irked her that he wouldn’t share his plans. Her gift allowed her to guide lost souls, but even she couldn’t help those who wished to remain lost.

  He’d seemed so…angry at his path.

  Of course, he wasn’t the first to react poorly to her aid. Not everyone welcomed her introspection. She shrugged off his cool manners, hopped off his back, and concentrated on the castle looming in the distance. Great Meteoron. She’d visited the village below many times, but never had she entered the formidable castle set upon a massive precipice, thousands of feet in the air. Formed of gleaming alabaster, the edifice shone as a beacon of hope, even in the darkest times. She followed Rhoetus to the entry, where a pair of guards made inquiries of those who requested passage through the Portal which would bring them to the castle at the top.

  Rhoetus strode forward and halted before the guards. “Lord Rhoetus from the Isle of Krete.” In his centaur form, he swept into a formal bow, one front leg tucked beneath him. “I have business with your King.”

  The guards glanced at each other.

  Nerves danced across her skin. “I come from Lord Petraeus with news of the Amazon rescue.” She glided forward. “I’m Minthe of the Asteriae. I’ve been sent to escort Lord Rhoetus.”

  The guards nodded at her. “We’ve been waiting for news. You may pass through.” Although they eyed her companion, they didn’t stop him from stepping into the gilded arch of the Portal alongside her.