Shadowland (The Immortals #3)

By the time Jude returns I’m out by the pool, watching the blond, tanned, physically glorious, golden-boy Roman splashing around and inviting everyone to jump in and join him.

“Not a fan?” Jude says, sitting beside me and eyeing me closely.

I frown, watching Haven’s aura light up like the Fourth of July, glowing brighter and brighter as she clings to his back as he dips underwater, having no idea that he isn’t really her date like she thinks. I’m the one who brought him here. He’s bound to me now.

“Is it concern for your friend, or—something else?”

I fidget with the crystal horseshoe bracelet on my wrist, the one Damen gave me that day at the track, turning it around and around, as I narrow my eyes. Wondering what’s taking so long. If the spell truly worked (and I know it did), then why don’t I have the antidote now? Why is he delaying?

“So, the twins—they okay?” I ask, tearing my gaze away from the pool and focusing on Jude.

My eyes meeting his when he says, “Damen might’ve been right about the book being too strong for them.”

I press my lips together, hoping Damen doesn’t know I went behind his back and interfered with his lesson plan.

“No worries.” Jude nods, reading my face. “Your secret’s safe. I didn’t even mention it.”

I sigh in relief. “Did you see him—Damen?” I ask, throat tightening, heart clenching, the mere mention of his name turning my insides to mush, imagining how he must’ve felt to find his nemesis of the past several lives, the very same guy I embraced on the beach, standing on his front porch, Romy and Rayne at his side.

“He was out when I got there, and the twins were so freaked I waited ’til he got back. That’s some place he’s got.”

I press my lips together, wondering what he saw, if the twins gave him a tour, if Damen’s special room is restored.

“I think he was surprised to find me watching TV in his den, but once I explained, it went fairly well.”

“Fairly?” I raise my brow.

He shrugs, looking at me, gaze so direct, so open, it’s like a lover’s embrace.

Prompting me to turn away, voice shaky, unsteady when I say, “So how did you explain it?”

His cool breath on my cheek as he leans in and whispers, “I told him I found them at the shuttle stop and decided to give them a ride. No harm done, right?”

I take a deep breath and focus on Roman, watching as he hoists Haven onto his shoulders so she can dogfight with Miles. Splashing and playing, and, on the surface anyway, engaging in nothing but good clean fun—until Roman turns, and time seems to stop. His eyes meeting mine, gleaming, mocking, as though he knows what I’ve done. And before I can blink he’s back to playing again, making me question if I really did see what I thought.

“No. No harm done,” I say, a terrible ache invading my gut, wondering just what it is that I’ve started.