Through her fingertips, she felt the frantic pulse of the plant. It was terrified. Something ancient and dark was seeping into the roots of her sanctuary, twisting the natural order she worked so hard to protect.
Ever since she had discovered the true depth of her family's legacy鈥攖he power to control, grow, and bend poisonous plants to her will鈥擝ri had felt a heavy target on her back. The Colchian lineage was not just a gift; it was a curse that drew the greediest, most dangerous immortals to her doorstep. A sudden, sharp snap of a twig shattered the silence.
She closed her eyes and let her consciousness slip beneath the soil. "Easy, big guy," she whispered.
The air in the conservatory was thick with the scent of damp earth and blooming hemlock. Briseis stood at the center of the glass-domed room, her palms pressed against the rough bark of a towering nightshade plant.
She had spent so long trying to find a normal life, trying to figure out who she was without the crushing weight of gods and monsters demanding her allegiance. But looking at Marie's determined face and Karter's terrified eyes, she knew running was no longer an option. This cruel destiny wouldn't let her go.
"You almost turned him into plant food," Marie said, though her eyes remained locked on the perimeter of the room, her hand resting on the hilt of the dagger at her belt.
The vines surged to life. They uncoiled like striking vipers, lashing out toward the shadows near the heavy oak entrance. "Wait! Briseis, stop! It鈥檚 me!"
