Free Fate Undone (The Mythean Arcana Series Book 5) by Linsey Hall Page B

the labyrinth—she was a distraction he couldn’t turn away from. His intense desire to be near her had clouded his mind and he was now paying the price.
    He scrubbed a hand over his eyes and swung out of bed. Late-afternoon sun shone through the windows. Sylvi still slept.
    “Hey, wake up,” he said.
    She jerked upright and drew her staff from the aether, pointing it—and her magic—directly at him.
    “Jumpy?” he asked.
    Her eyes cleared and she shrugged. She lowered the staff and it disappeared. “How long was I out?” Her voice was husky from sleep. The sound sent a thrill down his spine.
    “About six hours. Ian and his companions should be back in Wadi Mousa by now. They had a meeting with Bedouins that I didn’t think it would be helpful to interrupt.”
    “Companions?”
    “The woman he loves, Fiona Blackwood. Along with another university employee. I don’t know her name, but I saw her once, fighting alongside university staff members.”
    “Really?” Sylvi’s voice was suddenly very interested.
    “Yes. I wasn’t expecting her, but if Ian trusts her, then she’s probably all right.”
    “Okay. I’m going to get cleaned up real quick and we can go.”
    He nodded and watched her walk into the bathroom and shut the door. When the water began to run, he called up the Immortal Fire again. Ian, Fiona, and the university woman were walking down the street on which the hotel was located, no doubt returning. They’d wait for them in the lobby.
    He closed the flame as Sylvi walked out, her golden hair now pulled behind her head in a long tail that swept down her back.
    “Ready?” she asked.
    “Almost. I’m going to have to shift to change my face.” He’d reverted to his normal face—that of Loki—when he’d appeared at her house. It had been centuries since he’d showed it, but it had felt good. Easier than keeping up the charade of Logan.
    “Oh. So Logan isn’t just a name change.”
    “No. And though Ian and Fiona might know my real identity, the other person with them does not.”
    “Makes sense. Otherwise you’d never have remained hidden from the gods if they’d decided to come after you.”
    “Exactly.” He closed his eyes and focused on his alter ego. Same dark hair and pale skin, but blunter features.
    “Pretty good,” Sylvi said. “No one would recognize you.”
    He opened his eyes. “It’s worked for me. Let’s go, they’re nearly here.”
    They reached the lobby just as the small group arrived.
    Ian saw him first. Surprise, then joy, lit his face. His old friend, a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark hair and green eyes, strode toward him. “Logan!”
    Ian clasped him in a hug, pounding his hand on his back.
    “How the hell did you get out?” Ian asked, his Scottish brogue thick.
    “I’m a god. It wasn’t hard.”
    Ian punched him hard in the shoulder. “You bloody bastard. If it was that easy, you should have gotten me out sooner.”
    “It was safer in there. MacKelver and his men were after us when the university captured you, remember?” he said, referencing the other thieves who’d competed with them for the treasures in the Scottish Museum of Antiquities. They’d been a nasty bunch—talented and powerful—and they’d been out for Ian and Logan’s blood since they’d started robbing the same museum. With his shapeshifting, Logan had no problem hiding from them. Ian wasn’t so lucky.  
    But even as he made excuses, his conscience tugged at him. Maybe he should have gotten his friend out sooner, but he’d judged it the right move at the time. Ian’s capture had coincided with Aleia’s prophesy about the prison. All his energy had become dedicated to solving that.  
    And it was far easier to escape the university prison than it was to break in. It had taken him decades and extraordinary effort to obtain the charm that let him onto the campus. Without it, he’d never have been able to free Ian.
    But he didn’t make excuses for himself and he