“Magnificent. The originals are in the museum over there and are made of marble.”
Mathias barely glances at the statue. His head is practically on a swivel, searching for the enemy. “Where do we think we should start?”
I sigh and wonder if Hawthorne’s been here. Maybe when this is all over, we can come back and help dig for the excavation. There’s so much work to do here, they welcome experts from all over the world.
I look up and find Mathias staring at me, waiting for an answer. “There were three temples dedicated to Apollo and one to Artemis. There isn’t much that’s standing today, not even the huge statue of Apollo but enough to search. We’ll start with the largest temple.”
Silence reigns supreme for the first hour but Mathias’ vigilance never wavers. The crowds show up, and his face tightens as he scrutinizes every person around us. The moment he thinks someone is looking in my direction, he eases his body in front of mine.
“Tell me about Kallias,” I urge, tired of being left to my own thoughts. This could take hours or days.
His eyes dart to me before returning to the crowd. “Kallias is complex. There are two races—vampyrean and noble. Queens and kings come from the vampyrean race. A king was on the throne when I left.”
“Why do the rulers only come from one race?” I ask, scanning a column, one of the few that are standing tall in the heat of the sun.
“Vampyreans have pure blood. We’re stronger. Faster. Have superior senses,” he replies, never looking in my direction.
“You’re a pureblood,” I realize. “That explains your ability to get into someone’s mind. What else can you do?”
He flicks an amused glance at me. “Why would I tell you?”
“Because we could be here for days,” I say with a smirk. “Might as well get to know one another.” I try to remember all the facts about vampires. “How about compulsion?”
He stops, takes off his glasses, and stares down at me. “You will cease this line of questioning and put your hat on. You’re starting to burn.”
I snort. “Seriously?” He appears startled, but I shake my head and pull up my hat. “Happy? Now, where were we? That’s right. Compulsion.” His brow furrows, and it takes a moment, but it finally clicks. “Oh, wait. Was that your attempt to compel me?”
Squaring his shoulders and body, he steps in front of me. “Tell me where you stashed the key.”
I narrow my eyes. “Not a chance.”
Dark eyes burn with intense emotion, tugging at something inside me. He abruptly turns away. “Let’s keep walking.”
“Okaaay,” I say, drawing the word out. That was weird. “So, you have a king or queen who rules the vampyreans and nobles. Don’t you have any ordinary people?”
His brow furrows. “Nobles don’t mean the same thing in my world. Nobles are a separate race, but they make up most of the population on Kallias. Vampyreans might rule, but nobles hold the most power. Their blood sustains us. Without them, we would die.”
I grimace. “And they do this willingly?”
A pink tint crosses his cheeks. “They do. It’s quite pleasurable.” His dark eyes abandon the crowd and skim down the side of my neck. “Would you like a demonstration?”
I stumble on the uneven ground, and he steadies me. “Umm, no, thank you.” Although my mind is screaming,Yes, yes, I do!
Scrambling to find another topic, I switch gears. “So, what did you do in Kallias? Do they have computers there?” To my astonishment, he starts laughing, and my jaw drops at the rich sound coming from him.
“We didn’t have computers,” he says. He gives me an uneasy glance. “I was a commander in the royal army.”
“Ahh, that explains it,” I tell him, waving a hand in his direction. “The first time I saw you in my condo, you were slitting a man’s throat. But then you turned into this very capable computer nerd in sophisticated clothing. I wasn’t sure which was the real you.” Fierce intelligence gleams in his dark eyes. “Surprisingly, both roles suit you.”
I bend down to study a mark etched into the foot of Apollo’s statue, but it turns out to be a chip in the stone. When I stand, he’s staring down at me with a speculative gleam in his eyes.
“You’re one to talk. You were a vision in gold when I saw you at the gala. A seductress who had turned Jamison’s head,”he muses. “When we met, you were a fighter defending your territory. Hawthorne met a professor and teller of history. You make me wonder who we’ll see next.”
Unbelievable. This whole time I thought he didn’t like me.
He returns his gaze to the crowd. A group of men start walking our way, and he ushers me down a side path. Then another. Three of the men break off, turn in our direction, and pick up their speed. They’re definitely following us. Mathias tenses beside me.
One of them stares my way, and I freeze. Golden brown curls. A lighthearted grin. Perfectly symmetrical features. He looks like a model, but there’s no mistaking those blue eyes. The same color as the sky on a bright sunny day. Apollo.
