Stolen Fate (The Mythean Arcana 4)

Which he supposed it was. The university got their supplies from the outside, even though the prison felt like it was trapped in time.

The sound of water rushing through the pipes echoed through the room. Fiona must be showering. He went out to the living room to wait. He glanced around, taking in the modern furniture. So unfamiliar.

Holy hell, he was free. He had the collar, but still, he was freer than he’d been in nearly a century. It was hard to believe. He touched the metal that had become his cage. The key had been turned by a beautiful, intriguing woman, but it was a cage nonetheless.

A tapping noise at the window drew his attention. He glanced over. A black falcon sat on the sill, tapping the window with its beak.

About time. He strode to the window and pushed it open. The falcon hopped inside, then on a swirl

of green light, transformed into a tall, dark-haired man.

“Logan.” He hugged his friend, grinning. Then hauled back and punched him. Ian didn’t give a damn if Logan was actually a god who could smite him with a thought. He wouldn’t do it. Logan liked him too much, and it was mutual. Ian had kept Logan’s secret ever since he’d learned it years ago: that his friend was Loki, the Norse trickster god who’d been kicked out of his afterworld centuries ago. He’d been living in secret as a Mythean of indeterminate species named Logan, and Ian would see to it that the secret was kept. Logan was a shapeshifter, which made it fairly easy to maintain a false identity.

They’d met when Ian had saved Logan’s life nearly two hundred years ago. Ian had been attempting to rob an Egyptian tomb and had come upon Logan in the central chamber. The man had been caught within the wind of time, an enchantment meant to protect the tomb’s contents. Time accelerated within the wind; it should have caused time to pass so quickly that Logan would die within seconds. Ian had used his Sylph’s ability to control the air to halt the wind and had learned that Logan had been trapped there for years, unable to die because he was a god.

Ian had kept the secret of Logan’s true identity, revealed because Logan couldn’t maintain his illusions within the wind. They’d gone on to rob the tomb together, splitting the wealth in the end. They’d been so successful that they’d formed a team, joining up to rob tombs that were too dangerous to attempt alone.

“Damn it,” Logan hissed. He rubbed his jaw and glared at Ian. “What the hell was that for?”

“I thought you’d get me out of the university prison sooner, you bastard. And keep it down. Fiona’s in the shower.”

Logan scowled. “I know. I checked through the window. And I tried to get you out earlier. It’s a damn fortress. You’re lucky I came up with this plan.”

“Aye, thank you. And it’s damn good to see you. You have a way to get me out of this collar?” He felt regret over leaving Fiona so soon, but he’d do it in a heartbeat if it meant not having to go back to that hellhole of a prison.

“No. You’ve got to get the book, like I told Fiona. Use that to barter your way free.”

“Damn. That’s what I suspected. I doona want to screw her over. Do you no’ have another way?”

Logan shook his head. “Everything is falling into place for me. I’ve got to leave Scotland for a while. I just stopped by to make sure you understood the terms. I can do no more for you. I’m sorry I took so long. I owed you better, friend.” Logan grimaced, regret in his gaze.

“I appreciate it now.” And he knew how much Logan’s endgame meant to him. He liked Ian, but he wouldn’t sacrifice it for him, no matter how close they were.

Logan nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. “Get the book back. You can do it.”

“Aye, I’ll have to.”

Logan grinned. “Freedom suits you. Good luck with the book.” He nodded his head toward the bathroom. “And good luck with the woman.”

Logan shook his hand then disappeared in a swirl of green, flying off in his falcon form over the tops of Edinburgh’s buildings.

The bathroom door creaked open. Ian whirled around.

“Morning,” Fiona said.

“Morning.”

“Why’s the window open?”

“Fresh air.”

She looked at him like he was crazy. It was freezing out. “All right. I thought we’d go check out the museum. We canna break in to the vault until dark because there are far too many mortals working in the offices in the basement, but it couldn’t hurt to refamiliarize yourself with the layout. Your enchantments activate only around Mytheans. Will they activate around us?”

“No’ as long as mortals are around. A precaution we put in place.”

“We? So you did have a partner. Logan.”

Shite. He was letting his guard down around her. She obviously knew something was up between them, had maybe even heard voices out here, but he didn’t need to lay the information at her feet.