Legacy of Olympus (In the Gods' Secret Service) (24 page)

As she turned, she caught a glimpse of a woman’s face through the crowd. Eleni’s heartbeat kicked up. Charissa? The woman certainly looked like her cousin. Lifting the hem of her dress between tightly clenched fists, she dodged between people and sped across the room.

A couple stepped aside, and the woman she’d been pursuing swiveled in her direction.

Stunned, Eleni slowed to a stop, lips slightly ajar. Her mouth felt suddenly dry. “Charissa.”

“Eleni.” Charissa lifted her champagne glass. “Fancy meeting you here.”

In her typical flamboyant style, her cousin wore the standard seductive white calf-length gown, gold sandals, but her toenails were painted bright red. The dark outline of Charissa’s nipples and even darker patch visible between her legs, told Eleni her cousin wasn’t wearing a bra or panties.

Eleni took a step closer, and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Why didn’t you go to the warehouse?”

“I thought you might turn me in to Stephanos.” Charissa’s mouth softened into an appreciative smile. “But I see you’ve come to understand the wisdom of Master Mallaki’s ways.”

Revulsion churned Eleni’s stomach, and a cold sweat prickled her skin. Eleni opened her mouth to ask Charissa how she could call him that, then clamped her lips together. She had to play along. For all she knew, Charissa might be here for the same reasons as she. To spy on Mallaki.

Eleni searched the area behind Charissa. “Who’s your date?”

Charissa laughed, upended her glass and drained the contents, then ran her tongue around her lips as if to get every drop. “Why, I’m not here with anyone.”

At her blank stare, Charissa gave her an indulgent smile. “The women are here to use
our
power, Eleni. To flatter, seduce, provide mind-numbing relief to whoever needs it after the ceremony.” Charissa’s lips twitched in amusement. “You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you? Mallaki must not trust you enough to be a part of his inner circle.”

All thoughts Charissa might be working undercover evaporated. “How could you
help
him?” Outrage shook Eleni’s voice. “He killed our friends in cold blood.”

“They weren’t
my
friends.”

“You.” Realization slammed into Eleni, weakening her knees, making it difficult to draw a breath. “You were the mole. You fed Mallaki the information he needed to murder everyone at Amalgamated. Anna was eighteen, Charissa, eighteen, with her whole life ahead of her. She worshiped the ground you walked on, always raving about your looks and how you could get any man to ask you out.” Eleni’s voice trembled as the deep betrayal set in. “You and Myles were engaged at one point. And Stephanos...”

Charissa’s face hardened into an unflattering mask. “They didn’t care about me, not like they did you.
I
was supposed to be the one to seduce Alec Androulakis. Then, at the last minute, Stephanos picked you.”

“Thank God.”

Charissa raised her hand, but Eleni anticipated the move and caught it, applying enough pressure to scrape the surface of her cousin’s skin with her fingernails.

Charissa jerked her arm free. “At least I’m no man’s whore.”

“No, you’re
any
man’s.”

“The only reason Androulakis fucked you is because you used your power on him.”

Eleni narrowed her eyes at her cousin. “That may be the only way
you
can get a man, but I did not have to resort to such tactics.”

Charissa scoffed. “Who in their right mind would choose you over me?”

“I would.” Both women turned to find Alec standing less than a foot away.

Eleni felt heat rush to her face. How much had he heard?

“Hi, Alec, nice to see you again.” Charrisa gave him a charming smile.

Eleni had to hand it to her cousin. The shift in her expression was amazing, from Wicked Witch of the West ugly to Good Witch of the East beautiful in seconds flat.

Charissa gave Alec the once over, then pouted playfully. “I should have been the one seducing you, you know.”

“Lucky me.” Alec faced Eleni, arm outstretched. “You look breathtaking tonight. Shall we go see about refreshments?”

Eleni darted a glance at Charissa. Her lips were compressed, her knuckles so white she could snap the fragile stem of the wineglass at any moment.

Eleni ran a tongue nervously around her lips. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough.”

“Do you believe her?”

“That you used your power to seduce me?” Alec stopped and faced her. “I don’t think that matters anymore.”

“I didn’t, you know.”

Alec considered her for a moment, then led her away from a crowd of people. He lowered his voice to a hair above a whisper. “The trial is about to begin.”

As if on cue, the harpists stopped playing and the crowd grew quiet, save for a few, who hastened to complete their conversations.

Eleni followed the collective gazes to a small podium at the far side of the room, where Zander stood, hands clasped, waiting. When everyone stopped talking, he spoke into the microphone. “I hope you’re enjoying your evening.”

A round of applause circled the room.

“There’s much more to come, I promise.” A chilling smile crossed his pretty face. “Without further adieu, I give you your host, Master Dorian Mallaki.”

Those whose hands were free clapped, while the others gave raucous cheers. Eleni did neither, and, she noted, neither did Alec as Mallaki strode like a king across the tiny platform to the mic. The gold tunic Mallaki wore complimented his naturally olive skin. If she didn’t know what he was really like, she’d say he was one of the most handsome men she’d ever met.

All eyes riveted on their host. “I hope you’re all enjoying the gods’ bountiful gifts of food and wine tonight.”

People clapped enthusiastically, and there was more boisterous cheering. However, the excitement seemed forced, and some cheers were so wild, Eleni wondered if the champagne were drugged with something more than Siac.

“Are you ready to begin?” Mallaki addressed the group gathered around him at the end of the rotunda.

“Yes.”

Eleni cringed as the unanimous cry seemed to intensify, then reverberate around the circular room.

Mallaki flicked a switch on the podium next to him, and a mechanized sound filled the air. Four marble slabs parted. A silver disk rose from the floor, similar to the insect-like projector at a planetarium. At the same time, two video panels dropped from the ceiling on opposite sides of the room. Within seconds, the lights dimmed and the identical images of a glacier, nestled between white and azure mountains, appeared on both screens.

“Focus your energy.” Mallaki gestured toward the live video.

Eleni scanned the room. Everyone faced one of the two screens, eyes closed, faces masks of concentration. Surely they couldn’t do anything from such a remote location? Although wasn’t that what Stephanos suspected?

She glanced at Alec. His mouth was grim, flattened into a single line.

Her skin tingled as the tiny hairs on her arms began to separate and rise. It was as if an unseen energy filled the air.

“Careful, now. We don’t want to melt them completely. Only take a little off the edges.” Mallaki’s laugh was out of control. Was he, too, on something?

A sound like the clap of thunder ricocheted off the walls, rattling the floor-to-ceiling windows, and vibrating the marble floor. On the screen, a mass of ice sheared off the edge of the glacier, crashing to the light blue water below.

Eleni’s eyes widened. This couldn’t be happening. It had to be some sort of trick. She looked at Alec again. His serious expression told her he didn’t think this was a trick.

Another thunderous crash drew her gaze to the monitors as the onlookers cheered.

Without the visual stimulation or the amplifying disc, would they fail? She had to figure out how to make this happen. She ran through options in her mind, discarding each in turn, until finally deciding she could find a way to turn off the electricity. It was worth a try.

She touched Alec’s arm, and leaned close, whispering in his ear. “I think I know where the power supply is. I’ll be right back.”

“I’m going with you.”

“No. That’d be too obvious. We can’t afford to attract Mallaki’s attention. If anyone asks, I’m in the powder room.”

“Eleni.”

She ignored his low plead and sped toward the exit. Alec would see that she was right. She glanced toward him. Good. He appeared to be as focused on the presentation as the others, though she knew from his rigid stance that he was thinking about her. She turned back toward the door just as Zander’s sturdy arms closed in around her.

Sorrow and regret etched his handsome face. “Sorry, but I can’t allow you to leave.”

“Don’t you know what they’re doing?” Her anxious gaze searched his features, hoping to somehow get through to him that this wasn’t some game. “They’re destroying the world, Zander. We have to stop them.”

“Master Mallaki said you’d react this way and that I was to take any steps necessary to keep you from disturbing them while they work.” A muscle flexed in his broad jaw. “Now I don’t believe in harming women, but—”

“Master Mallaki said so.” Eleni couldn’t keep the sarcasm from her voice. Genuine tears pricked the corners of her eyes. “Please, Zander, don’t let them do this.”

“You speak sacrilege. He’s not destroying, he’s restoring our power, putting things back the way they were, the way they should be.”

Eleni placed the back of her hand against her forehead. “I’m afraid this is all too much for me. I’m retiring to my room for the evening.”

Zander’s face broke into a wide smile. “He said you’d say that, too. I’m to stay with you until this is over and he can join you.”

“I really must lie down. I feel a headache coming on.”

“There will be three major sessions tonight. More are scheduled for tomorrow. Between each, we’ll celebrate.” He gave her a knowing look. “And if there’s anything Master Mallaki does well, it’s celebrate.”

She rubbed her temples. She really was getting a headache. “What if you walked me back to my room?” Zander seemed in a talkative mood. Maybe she could persuade him to leave her alone. “That way, you’d know I was safe. Maybe we could share a drink?” She trailed a finger down his veined bicep.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

At least his response hadn’t been
Master Mallaki thought you’d say that
. She’d have been sick. But with the acid churning in her stomach, she might as well have been. Hugging her midsection, Eleni turned her back on Zander and watched the devastation continue to unfold.

A long fifteen minutes or so later, the low humming stopped, and so did the unusual vibration in the air. Confused and disoriented expressions crossed everyone’s faces. Heads swiveled, looking around as if they’d forgotten where they were.

Mallaki took the mic again. “That’s it for now. We’ll continue in an hour. In the meantime, I’ve prepared some special food and drink to replenish you. If you need assistance finding someplace to go, see any of the servants. But, please,” he said, gesturing toward the couches and oversized chaise lounges lining the opposite wall, “don’t feel you have to leave.”

Laughter ensued. Eleni turned and looked up at Zander. “What’s he talking about?”

“The orgy, of course.”

“I have to go.” She darted past him and was almost to the end of the hall when Zander caught up to her. He motioned a young blond male carrying a tray of fluted wine glasses over to them.

Eleni recognized the amber liquid as Siac. She attempted a smile, then shook her head. “No, thank you.”

Zander took a glass from the tray and gestured the servant onward. “Master Mallaki said if you weren’t being cooperative, you were to drink some Siac. He wants it finished by the time he’s done here.”