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Ryshi jerked upright, his hands clenching as he felt Sofie’s presence wrap around his mind. It wasn’t painful, but it was unnerving as hell.
Sofie turned her head toward her king. “You’re going to owe me for this, Styx.”
The large male grimaced. “I hear that a lot.”
Chapter 4
Levet should have been terrified. After all, if the myths about the minotaurs were true then there was no way to escape from their homeland. But terror wasn’t what he was experiencing as he paced from one end of the long room to the other.
It was irritation.
How much time had passed since he’d been hauled through the gateway? It felt like an eternity, but it was possible that it’d been just a couple of hours. He didn’t even know if time moved the same in this dimension. It might have been weeks or months or even years since he’d disappeared. What if Inga believed that he didn’t want to come back? She might have turned her attention to that stupid Prince of Imps. The goddess knew that Troy was always sniffing around the merfolk castle.
Plus, it was boring. The room was perfectly comfortable, with a glossy wooden floor and heavy, hand-carved furniture. In fact, it was downright cozy. There was a large fire blazing in a stone fireplace at one end and windows that offered a view of rolling hills and a moonlit meadow. All very pretty, but Levet was ready to leave.
Morethan ready.
The sound of a door opening had Levet spinning around to watch as a tall female wearing a silk robe walked toward him. She had long dark hair that matched her eyes and a pair of magnificent horns that curled from the sides of her head. Levet resisted the urge to touch his own stunted horns. Instead, he glared at the female with simmering impatience.
“Hello, Levet.” The female offered a bow. “I am Joya. Your guide.”
“At last. I have been stuck here forever.”
Her expression was difficult to read. “Forgive us. There were certain preparations that had to be completed.”
“Preparations? I do not like the sound of that.”
Joya straightened, looking confused by his words. “You are our guest of honor. Of course we must ensure that everything is perfect.”
Levet wasn’t entirely reassured. “The last occasion in which I was the guest of honor I was also the main course,” he said, his wings drooping as he recalled his invitation to the goblin festival, which had included him tied over an open fire with an apple stuck in his mouth. “You do not intend to eat me, do you?”
If possible, she looked even more confused. “We do not consume meat.”
“Oh.” Levet heaved out a sigh. “That is a relief.”
“If you’ll follow me, I will lead you to the gathering.”
Without waiting for Levet to agree, the female whirled around and marched out the door. Levet scurried to catch up. The last thing he wanted was to be trapped again.
They entered a long corridor with exquisite tapestries covering the walls and open beams overhead. The air was warm and scented with the tantalizing aroma of fresh bread and roasting vegetables. Not as good as a steak and potatoes, but Levet’s stomach growled in appreciation. He was starving.
His stomach, however, was going to have to wait.
He cleared his throat, flapping his wings as he scurried to keep pace with his companion.
“While I am pleased to be the guest of the minotaurs, I am impatient to be on my way to the merfolk castle.” Levet puffed out his chest. “You see, I am a close and personal friend of the queen and she is in urgent need of my services.”
The female never slowed as they turned into another corridor. This one was wider with even more elaborate tapestries and fur rugs on the floor.
“I am not surprised that the queen would seek out your company,” Joya murmured.
Levet flushed. “Perhaps I was not entirely clear,” he conceded, his wings drooping. “While it is true that Inga is a dear friend, she is not preciselyseekingmy companionship. You see, I have been terribly busy and while it was not my fault that I was trapped in the netherworld, there is a teeny-tiny chance that Inga might believe that I abandoned her.”
“Then she must be a fool,” the female sniffed.
“Non, not a fool.”
Levet hastily glanced over his shoulder. His luck had been exceptionally bad lately and he wouldn’t be at all surprised if Inga appeared behind him and bashed him on the head with her oversize trident. When she didn’t appear, he breathed a sigh of relief.
