He studied his daughter for a long moment, curious as to why she’d sought him out. “What do you want to ask me?” He pitched his voice low, letting her know with his tone that she could demand anything and everything from him, and he would ensure it happened. She meant the world to him. Just like his Caro.
But does she really mean enough? he wondered idly, some of his guilt peeking through. You forgot her for eighteen years. All because of Osiris’s compulsion.
Sethios’s jaw ached from clenching his teeth, annoyed with that pesky line of reasoning. Yet it continued to haunt him, the very realization that he’d let his entire family down for eighteen fucking years.
Astasiya must have read the change in him, because she took a step back, her throat working over a swallow. “I… I wanted to talk to you about Mom. I had another dream.”
His focus sharpened. “In the water?”
She nodded, then frowned. “Sort of.”
That didn’t sound good. “Sort of?”
“It was strange. We were in the water, but she could breathe.”
“Did she say anything?”
Astasiya shook her head. “No. She was too terrified to speak.” His daughter paused, her brow furrowing. “It was just really weird because we didn’t drown. Yet everything was dark and heavy, like we were in the water, but the atmosphere didn’t feel right. I don’t know; maybe it was just a standard nightmare.” Her lips twisted to the side. “Except, it felt like Mom.”
Sethios considered the description, his own mind seeking out Caro for an explanation and coming back with nothing once more.
It frustrated him to no end.
Yes, all right. He’d fucked up. His father had broken him via a method he never could have anticipated.
The issue was he should have expected it.
Osiris was creative and always one step ahead. Sethios knew better than to think he could possibly best him.
And yet… he had bested his father in a way. By keeping Astasiya a secret.
Maybe having his mind completely wiped had actually been a gift, granting Sethios a way to guard everyone he held dear.
He’d have to ponder that train of thought later. There would inevitably be a hole he could crawl into, one that allowed him to return to his state of self-loathing. But, for now, he allowed that benefit to empower him into action. Because wallowing wasn’t doing a damn thing for him.
“Did Issac see your nightmare?” Sethios asked.
“Yes.” Astasiya grimaced. “He woke me up when it turned too dark.”
“Too dark?”
“Consuming,” she whispered. “I couldn’t seem to swim out of the hole.”
He frowned. The imagery unnerved him. However, he wanted to see it for himself. “Where’s Issac now?”
“At the house. He would have come with me, but I wanted to mist.”
And he currently couldn’t travel via mist with her, or his control over Skye’s mind would lapse, sending her into a fit of insanity. Osiris had broken her mind entirely, compelling her to kill herself should someone take her away from him without approval. Which was exactly what Ezekiel and the others had done during Sethios’s rescue—they’d kidnapped Osiris’s prized asset—his pet seer.
“When was the last time Issac slept?” Sethios wondered out loud.
“He hasn’t,” she replied. “Not since Skye arrived.”
Because if he slept, the seer would awaken and try to take her own life. “We need to find a better solution to that problem.”
“I know. I’ve been trying to find a way to warp Osiris’s compulsion or break it, but nothing I’ve done works. He’s just too strong.”
“You’ll get there,” Sethios said, fully confident in his daughter’s abilities. “He just has a few years of experience on you, is all.”
“A few years?” She snorted. “Try ten thousand years.”
“More, actually,” Sethios murmured. “But you have something he’s never mastered, little angel.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“Heart,” Sethios replied, smiling. “You care. That’s a powerful weapon, one he will never understand.” He reached out to squeeze her shoulder, giving her his best indulgent look. “Let’s go talk to your boyfriend.” Sethios really hated that fucking word, especially when in reference to his daughter’s life. “I want to see this dream. Then perhaps you and I can give Skye’s compulsion a go together.”
The dream was as dark as Astasiya had described, the webs around her thick and complicated. He searched the visual Issac provided, finding nothing that gave away Caro’s position.
But he sensed her fear.
What’s changed? he asked her. Why are you suddenly terrified, sweet angel?
Again, nothing.
How strange. He used to adore silence. He’d even compelled her to be quiet the first time they’d