I turned to her and stared into her silver eyes. And nodded. She was right. We would fix it. No matter what it took. Cadmus was most certainly mine.
"I think I will take a bath," I sighed. "I wonder if it is safe?"
Aphrodite nodded slowly. "I doubt she will attempt anything in front of Cadmus. But just in case, Ortrera and I will be on guard. Go and relax in the bath. I will take one after you."
I nodded and slipped from the room, determined to soak my troubles away.
I ran a steaming bubble bath and willed it to be scented with honeysuckle. Instantly, of course, it was. The soothing scent rose from the hot bath and filled the bath chamber. I inhaled it as I closed my eyes and breathed deep, long breaths. Through the walls of the house, I could hear Eris and Cadmus laughing together; familiar and affectionate. It made me want to scratch her eyes out. I gritted my teeth and tried to tune it out.
Twisting my hair into a pile on my head, I let my white sheath fall to the floor around my ankles and I stepped into the sunken tub, wearing only my bloodstone. There was no way I was taking it off. Not in this house. Slipping under the water until the bubbles rose to my chin, I closed my eyes, relishing the way the hot water soothed away my tension and aches. Too bad it couldn’t reach my heart. Even still, I rested quietly until the slightest of noises caused my eyes to flutter open quite some time later.
I stared into Cadmus’ startled face. In the light of the candles lining the wall, his face was bronzed and oh-so-handsome. His bare chest glistened in the light and I could see the shallow breaths that he was taking as his ribs rose and fell. He was so close I could reach out and touch him. I could barely stand it.
"I’m so sorry," he uttered quickly, backing toward the door. "I didn’t know you were still in here."
"Don’t go," I cried, lunging up out of the water.
Water sloshed out of the tub and I stood completely naked in the middle of it with water streaking down my body in rivulets. I was satisfied to see that his gaze quickly slid down my body before he tore his beautiful dark eyes back up to my face.
"I’m sorry," he murmured again. "My apologies, truly."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," I answered quietly. "This is your home, is it not?"
He nodded silently, clearly unsure what I was wanting from him. I wanted him, damn it.
Only him. Right now. I was tired of Eris’ games.
"Could you hand me that towel, Cadmus?" I asked quietly, still very aware of my naked status. My breasts were feeling the effects of the cold air and they tilted upward as the skin around my nipples tightened. Goosebumps formed on my legs and I wished them away. I wanted to look perfect in the light of the candles for him. For my soul mate. I needed him to know who I was.
He visibly swallowed and leaned to grab the towel lying near me, quickly handing it to me.
I noticed that his fingers were shaking and he tried very hard to keep his eyes averted. Bless him, the sweet soul. He was even a gentleman when he couldn’t remember who he was. But that wouldn’t do. Not tonight.
I propped my leg on the side of the bath and leaned over to rub it dry, hoping against hope that I looked sexy as I did it. I had never been what you could call a Siren. That was more up Aphrodite’s alley. But I knew that I was beautiful. It had never mattered before but I was counting on that fact right now. And I knew that Cadmus found me beautiful. He had told me a million times before. Surely he could feel our connection. Surely.
My long hair had fallen around my shoulders and I chanced a glance through the dark strands at his face. He was staring at me, standing ever-so-still a few paces away. He looked poised for flight.
"I shouldn’t be here," he murmured nervously.
"But you are," I answered. "Do you wonder why?"
I stepped from the tub, allowing the towel to fall to the floor. I approached him, wearing only my bloodstone and a smile. Nervously, I stopped in front of him.
"I have to tell you something," I murmured as I stepped one step closer. I was now two inches in front of him. I could practically feel his breath on my face and I inhaled it, mesmerized by even that familiar smell. I knew every bit of him, from the feel of his hair to the touch of his fingers.
"What is it?" he asked. "I was supposed to return immediately to Eris. She will wonder where I am."
"Yet you are still here with me," I pointed out. "Do you wonder why that is?"
"Because there is a naked goddess standing in front of me?" he quipped. "I’m a man, not a monk."
"True," I conceded. "But you are a gentleman if ever there was one. You are only still here because you feel it too." I trailed my hands up his bare chest, marveling in the spark that I felt as I moved along his skin.
"What do I feel?" he whispered, his lips just mere inches from mine.
"You feel me. I know it," I insisted. "You know me, Cadmus. I’ve always been yours. I need you to remember. Please."
He took a step back, his face puzzled and confused.
"I don’t know you," he answered. "I’m sorry. You must have me mistaken for someone else."
I shook my head. "No. I don’t. You know me and I know you. Better than anyone has ever known someone else."
He stopped, but didn’t come closer to me. So I remedied that by taking another step toward him.
"Don’t," he whispered.
"Don’t what?" I answered softly, running my hands up his chest and curling around his neck. "Don’t do this?"
I pulled his head down to my waiting lips. His soft mouth enveloped my own, igniting a passion in me immediately. A fiery passion that only he could awaken because I was made for him. I sighed into his mouth and it startled him into moving.
He backed up once more.
"I’m sorry," he stuttered. "I can’t. I don’t know what I was thinking I" He turned to go, but I yanked my bloodstone over my head and shoved it into his hands before he could take one more step.
"You were thinking this," I answered.
He dropped heavily to his knees on the bathroom floor in front of me, his head bowed and his hands formed into fists on the floor. I knew he was being assaulted with every memory he had ever had, flitting in and out of his head in rapid fire. It was an alarming and confusing feeling. I knew- I had been there myself time and time again. The magic of the bloodstone was powerful and I knew it wasn’t failing me now.
It lasted for several agonizing minutes. He kept his head bowed and remained still and unmoving. The only sign of his distress were his white knuckles grasping my bloodstone.
I waited patiently, wondering the entire time if it would be enough. Please, please god… let him remember me, I prayed. The irony of a goddess praying was not lost on me, but it didn’t stop me from doing it. The honeysuckle air between us was charged and I breathed in short pants as I waited.
A few minutes later, I was rewarded.
Cadmus raised his head, his dark, tortured brown eyes staring into mine.
"Harmonia."
One small word, but he conveyed a million things in those four tiny syllables. He knew me.
He rose to his feet and turned to me, holding out my bloodstone for me to reclaim.
I bypassed it and flew into his waiting arms, burying my head into his chest as he pulled me close.
"Cadmus, thank god. Thank god. I thought I had lost you."
"I’m always yours, Harmonia," he murmured into my hair. "Even when I don’t remember it."
He wrapped his arms around me tightly and dipped his head to once again to press his lips to mine. When he ended the kiss a moment later, I stared up him. I could feel the wetness forming in my eyes and I blinked hard.
"Don’t ever leave me again, Cadmus. Please."
He smiled his gentle smile again. "Never. I promise."
Chapter Twelve
When we emerged from the bath chamber twenty minutes later, the house was still and quiet.
There wasn’t a soundnot a creak, not a laugh. The hallway was eerily empty, every door along the wall closed tight. My startled eyes flew to meet Cadmus’. Something was wrong.
Again.
Cadmus reached back and grasped my hand tightly within his and I trailed behind him as we crept down the hallway. I peeked into Aphrodite’s guest room and found her bed to be empty and unused. I gulped. Two steps later, I peered into Ortrera’s room. She was sleeping soundly, lying perfectly still. I rushed to her side and shook her arm, attempting to wake her.
It was no use. She refused to stir. And something about the limp way she was lying gave me pause. Her long tangled hair was spread around her, her eyelashes rested gently upon her cheeks, her hands clasped at her chest. She looked dead. All she needed was a lily in her hands to complete the look. I looked anxiously up at Cadmus.
"This isn’t right. She’s not asleep, is she?"
He shook his head solemnly as he also attempted to rouse the Amazon queen.
"It doesn’t look like it. Eris is very wily. It is hard telling what she has done."
We combed through the rest of the house quickly, finding Eris and Aphrodite gone. They had simply disappeared. I burst onto the porch to find the Amazon warriors inside a ring of fire. I assumed it was to ward off the Chimeras as they slept. But not even one warrior was awake to stand watch something I knew was unheard of for them. They were nothing if not prepared and vigilant. As I moved toward them, I was already afraid that they were in the strange comatose state as well.
My fears were confirmed within a few minutes as we tried without success to wake them.
How in the world had Eris managed this? She had somehow taken down thirteen fierce Amazon warriors. How, how, how? I wracked my brain, but came up empty-handed.
I turned to Cadmus.
"What do you think?" I whispered, reaching for his hand again. He grasped it, stroking my hand gently with his thumb as he thought. It was the most beautiful feeling in the world. Our hands fit together perfectly, as if they were created to do just that.
"It’s clearly some sort of spell," he mused. "But what? And more importantly, how can we break it?"
As I absently sifted through my knowledge of spells and potions, I remembered the vile little bag that the witches had given us. I took off for the house like a shot, leaving Cadmus to stare after me in bewilderment. I felt him behind me within a few seconds as I bolted toward my guest room.
The tiny burlap sack was lying on my bed, right where I had left it. The top was cinched closed with twine and the closer I got to it, the more pungent the smell became. I wrinkled my nose as I picked it up.
"This is something important," I muttered. "The witches gave it to us earlier tonight and said that we would need it. Actually, they said that we would need them three times before this is over."
Cadmus leaned closer to stare at it.
"What is it?" he asked curiously. "It smells like death."
"I know. I’m afraid to know what it is."
Contrary to my words, I pulled on the string that held the bag closed. I didn’t have the luxury of being squeamish. I had to open it. The bag fell open on the bed. I could only describe the contents as squirming, moving slime. It wasn’t alive, but it was certainly churning and moving. Deep crimson red, it glimmered with a strange sparkle. In the middle, lay a silver dropper. On its body, the words Resurrection, 2 drops were inscribed. And as Cadmus had so accurately pointed out, it smelled like death.
