“I guess I’m supposed to clean the machine for you?” Vivi called.
How many other details had Ophelia correctly dreamed? Or not dreamed? Would she smack into Halo or not?
In the locker room, she trembled as she zipped through a shower and donned her uniform. Taking the same path as before, she cleared the garden. The same impediments caused the same problems.
Halo won’t flash into me. He won’t.
But what if he did?
Her breath hitched, and her tremors doubled. She soared up the palace steps, past the gold columns, across the wraparound porch and through the double doors, only then noticing there were no other harpies about today.
She pumped the brakes, her feet stopping as her heart picked up speed. Halo. Here. He stood in the foyer, alone, his arms crossed over his chest as he showcased his terrifying narrowed gaze.
He was here, waiting for her. Because she had lived the dream. But...
How was that possible?
Get ready, little girl. Your second ending will not be as tame as this. But then, I’m not the male who will wield the blade—Halo is.
She backed up a step, caught herself, then lifted her chin. “Did you wake up this morning expecting to lose your nut sack, or will my next actions be a surprise?”
“Harpy,” he intoned, “we need to talk.”
6
The harpymph lived. The day had indeed repeated.
More and more of Halo’s strain eased, relief and hope rising from the ashes of his fury. Until his gears wound tighter, ruining everything.
Erebus’s scheme was so clear now. Distract Halo with an alleged gravita, leading him to bomb his labors. A good plan. Let her die again? No. Halo would go to great lengths to protect her from further harm. What he wouldn’t do? Lose sight of his ultimate goal.
Unfortunately for his enemy, he was an excellent multitasker.
So far, the day both had and had not proceeded like yesterday. At 6:00 a.m., Halo had come to awareness in his bathroom, draped in a towel. Andromeda had been bent over his bed, reading her book. He’d asked her a few questions before sending her on her way. While he’d dressed, intending to hunt Ophelia, he’d used a telepathic link with the Commander to explain what was happening.
He should have known Roc would summon him, ending the hunt for the harpymph before it started.
Halo had then spent several hours debriefing the Astra. An astonishingly torturous experience. Every minute—every second—he’d wondered about Ophelia. Would she remember him? Would she forgive him for his part in her death? Harpies were not known for giving second chances.
Now, here she stood. The little beauty in the flesh. Alive and well, her sweet fragrance saturating the air and heating his blood.
“How is this possible?” Shock glazed her stunning green eyes. Cherry lips parted as a flush brightened her cheeks. “Wait. Did you just invite me to another chat? Because the last one worked out so well for me?” Her lids slitted. “Consider this a blanket eternal refusal.”
So. She remembered him, and no, she hadn’t forgiven him. “I won’t chain you again unless it proves necessary.” He rubbed the center of his chest. “You have my word.”
“Unless it proves necessary? How comforting for me.” She gave a near-hysterical laugh. “It happened. All of it. Everything I thought I dreamed, I lived. I don’t...this is...you are...” She sucked in a breath, rage pulsing from her. “You left me to die!”
He expected an attack, welcomed it even, but she remained in place. “You are alive now. That is what matters. However, I will allow you to punish me. Go ahead. Get it out of your system. Then we will move on.”
“Move on? There’s no moving on from this! In fact, consider me your worst enemy. You go your way and I go mine. I’ll figure out what’s happening without you. Now good day, sir.” She extended her middle finger, turned on her heel, and bolted out of the palace.
With a curse, Halo tore off after her. Outside. Down the hill of steps. Across the front lawn, deeper into the fragrant, sunny warmth of the new-old day. The garden. Running toward the town square. Never missing a step, she wove around frozen harpies.
The freeze had occurred right on time, then.
Halo flashed directly behind her, close enough to see the rapid flutter of her wings through slits in her armor. He reached out...
He snarled as Ophelia expertly evaded his grip and he clasped hold of another female.
The harpy moved quickly. Swifter than he’d anticipated. Noted. More than that, she knew the terrain. Every tree and bush to avoid. Every divot to leap over. To catch her without harming her, he needed to predict her decisions.
He flashed around her, cataloging her reactions to his instant appearances. Tells revealed themselves. A plan of action formed. When she geared up, as if to shift right, he teleported to the left.